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n VOL.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
XCVI NO. 306
 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020

DELHI CANTONMENT BOARD

SADAR BAZAR, DELHI CANTT.-10
TENDER NOTICE
Delhi Cantonment Board invites tenders from the Govt. approved contractors in appropriate category through e-tendering GOVERNMENT OF CHHATTISGARH, WATER RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
for the following works as detailed below:- OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
Date of release of tender through e-procurement : 12.01.2021 at 1800 hrs.
Last date & time for downloading of tender documents : 29.01.2021 upto 1300 hrs. KELO PROJECT CONST. DIVISION, LAKHA
Last date and time submission of e-tender : 29.01.2021 upto 1300 hrs. TEMP. H.Q.- KHARSIA, RAIGARH (C.G.)
Date and time for opening of e-tenders : 30.01.2021 upto 1330 hrs. e-Procurement Tender Notice
Details of Work: eProcurement Portal : https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in
NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS ELIINATION PROGRAMME (NTEP) (SECOND - CALL)
Sr. Name of work Amount of Contract Earnest Money Deposit
Reid Provincial Chest Hospital’s Compound No. (Rs.) Amount (Rs.) SYSTEM TENDER NO. 69917/NOTICE INVITING TENDER NO. 06/SAC/2020-21 Dated : 17.12.2020
Online Tenders are invited for the following works up to 07.01.2021 (17.30 hours IST).
Jhalupara, Meghalaya, Shillong – 793002 01. Term Contract for M&O of water supply installations including Rs. 72,00,000/- Rs. 1,33,000/-
pump houses, booster pumps, OHT, and underground reservoir System Probable
E-Mail : stomg@rntcp.org Contact No : 0364-2546005 Tender
Group
Name of Work amount of
and at Village Old Nangal, Delhi Cantt. No.
No.
contract
Memo.MSTCS/PRO/Equipment/2018-19/754 Dated : 16-12-2020 02. Term Contract for M&O of water supply installation including Rs. 1,20,00,000/- Rs. 1,95,000/- Construction of under ground pipe line system for
CORRIGENDUM / ADDENDUM fountains, pump house OHT, underground reservoirs and other Command Area Development and Water Management
Reference Tender Notice No : Memo.MSTCS/PRO/Equipment/2018-19/731 dated : misc works at Village Naraina, Delhi Cantt. structures for 4170.00 Ha. developed under AIBP
03. Term Contract for M&O of water supply installations including Rs. 50,00,000/- Rs. 1,00,000/- in command area WUA Badebhandar and WUA
30-11-2020 pertaining to Notice Inviting Tender for “Procurement of LED Microscope pump houses OHT underground reservoirs and fountains at Chhichhorumariya to Kelo Project including necessary
and Online UPS for 2019-20”, the addition/deletion to the Tender notice is hereby notified Shastri Bazar, Delhi Cantt. survey, planning, design, drawing, Layout plan, collection
of village maps, Land records, khasara, B-1 etc. from
through this addendum/corrigendum for all concerned. 04. Term Contract for M&O of water supply installations including Rs. 55,00,000/- Rs. 1,08,000/- Revenus Department, preparation of Layout drawings
1. At page on 7, clause sl. No. 32 relating to Terms and Conditions of the Online UPS pump houses, security lights, hydrants, feeder pillars and for complete Layout planning for laying UGPL system,
cleaning of bekunt footpaths etc. at Uri Enclave, 1 WEC park and getting consent from concerned farmers, field Layout,
may be read as : Raj Pal Park, Delhi Cantt. collection of 10% of functional grant from concerned
The Delivery of the procurement shall be required to be made in the address as stated 05. Term Contract for M&O of central air conditioning, sub-station, Rs. 1,50,00,000/ Rs. 2,25,000/- farmers for the work of CAD & WM, after Layout for
completion of UGPL system as per specification and Rs.
in the supply order within the stipulated time provided or specified in writing by the water treatment plants, lifts etc in Cantonment General Hospital,
69917 norms of CG WRD for construction of UPVC pipe lines 1155.74
Delhi Cantt.
supplier. with all joints and structures, valves for necessary Lakhs
06. Term Contract for M&O of pump housed security lights and Rs. 80,00,000/- Rs. 1,45,000/- and successful flow of water. The work also includes
2. At page on 10, clause sl. No. 4 relating to Financial Bid Cover of the Online UPS may fountains etc in Sri Nagesh Garden and Mall Road fountain construction of micro irrigation work in 10% area (417.00
be read as : including cleaning sweeping of park, Delhi Cantt. ha.) as per the guidelines of water resources department.
The work includes, Workshop, Seminar & Training etc.
The price quoted shall be provided separately under the Financial Bid enclosed in the 07. Term Contract for repair/replacement of CI pipe and allied work Rs. 1,00,00,000/- Rs. 1,75,000/-
by expert with respect to agriculture, horticulture,
in Delhi Cantt.
main tender for each category and item presented in the Technical Bid duly specified sericulture, crop rotation, Creating awareness to farmers
08. Upgradation of water supply installation including centrifugal Rs. 56,00,000/- Rs. 1,09,000/-
and signed. Kindly specify the different components under the price quoted i.e. base pumps, delievery suction lines headers etc. at Village Naraina,
regarding importance of CAD works, making them to
accord consent to let the land be made available to lay
price of the equipment, taxation expenses etc. Jharera and Mehram Nagar, Delhi Cantt. UGPL system, providing knowledge, motivation etc to the
3. At page on 11, Annexure-I sl. No. 1(i) (Make) relating to Specifications of the Online 09. Hiring of consultancy Services/Architect for designing of water Rs. 12,00,000/- Rs. 24,000/- farmer for optimum use of water, third party evaluation
of CAD & W.M. work by national or state level recognized
main, reservoir and pumping station etc from CETP Naraina to
UPS may be read as : Thimmayya Park/Kirby Place, Delhi Cantt. institution/firm.
Numeric APC Vertiv Eaton Luminous Microtek etc. having BIS certification, Other 10. Repair/Denting/Panting of Water Tankers, Mini Tippers, Garbage Rs. 16,00,000/- Rs. 32,000/-
The details can be viewed & downloaded online directely from the Govt. of
Chhattisgarh Integrated e-Procurement portal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in)
Specifications, Terms and Conditions remain the same. Vehicle, Road Brommer & Jetting Machine etc of Delhi, Cantt. from dated 24.12.2020 at 17.31 hours (IST) onwards.
Last Date for Submission of Tender is extended upto 8th January, 2021 Board, Delhi Cantt. Note : All eligible/interested contractors / bidders are mandated to get enrolled
The bidder may download the “Tender Document” and other terms and conditions as available on the website of http:// on the integrated e-Procurement portal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) and
Sd/- eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app. get approval on specific vendor class from PWD under centralized contractor
Mission Director Telephone No. 25695450 supplier registration in order to download the tender documents and participate
M.I.P.R. No : 1560 National Health Mission No. DCB/8/E&M/NIT/2020-21/03 Sd/- in the subsequent bidding process.
Executive Engineer
OFFICE OF THE CANTONMENT BOARD Chief Executive Officer
Dated : 21-12-2020 Meghalaya Website: www.cbdelhi.in Delhi Cantonment
Kelo Project Const. Division, Lakha
G-85725/3 Temp. H.Q. Kharsia, Raigarh (C.G.)
NEW DELHI/METRO
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
n VOL. XCVI NO. 306
Gupkar sweeps Valley,
BJP largest in Jammu
Mir Ehsan and
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
letters@hindustantimes.com
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: A newly
formed grouping of six parties
made significant political gains
in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
and was on course to winning
over 100 of the 280 seats in the
recently held District Develop-
ment Council (DDC) elections —
the first major direct polling
exercise in the region after the
scrapping of its special status in
August last year, trends and
results showed on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), which fielded central
ministers such as Jitendra
Singh and Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi for campaigning in the
eight-phase polls, was set to
grab the second spot. The Con-
gress was poised to become a
distant third.
The outcome was on
expected lines: while the Peo-
ple’s Alliance for Gupkar Decla-
ration (PAGD) comprising two
Kashmir powerhouses — the
National Conference (NC) and
the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) — and four other parties
swept the Muslim-majority
Kashmir region (140 seats), the
Farmers harden stand as
suspense lingers over talks
Zia Haq
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: Protesting farm
unions have said they will write
to British lawmakers and Prime
Minister Boris Johnson not to
travel to India to take part in
Republic Day celebrations next
month until the Modi govern-
ment scraps three pieces of legis-
lation they say will hurt their
livelihoods.
Uncertainty over resumption
of talks between farm unions
and the government over three
contentious agricultural laws
lingered on as farm unions said
Tuesday they needed wider con-
sultations on whether to hold
negotiations again.
“We will make more toll
plazas freeways and write to
Boris Johnson to defer his India
visit as a mark of protest,” Kul-
Karima Baloch
BALOCH ACTIVIST
VOCAL AGAINST
PAKISTAN GOES
MISSING, FOUND
DEAD IN TORONTO
TORONTO/ISLAMABAD/NEW
DELHI: Prominent Baloch activ-
ist Karima Baloch was found
dead in unexplained circum-
stances in the Canadian city of
Toronto on Tuesday, a day after
she was reported missing by the
local police.
Karima, a former chairperson
of the Baloch Students Organisa-
tion Azad, is the second promi-
nent Baloch campaigner to be
found dead in a foreign country
this year. In April, the body of
Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain
Baloch was found outside
Uppsala in Sweden.
In a statement released on
Tuesday, Toronto Police said
Karima’s case was “currently
being investigated as a non-
criminal death and there are not
believed to be any suspicious cir-
cumstances”. The police had
reported that Karima, 37, went
missing in the city’s waterfront
area on December 20.
In 2016, Karima had shared a
video message on the occasion of
Raksha Bandhan, in which she
called India’s Prime Minister
Narendra Modi a “brother” and
asked him to become the voice of
the Baloch movement. →P13
First major J&K polls
since Article 370 move
PAGD makes gains in Kashmir, BJP bolsters Jammu
clout in the District Development Council elections
Wins + Leads Jammu
PAGD 26
BJP
IND 19
CONG 17
JKAP* 3 9 12
OTHERS 3 2 5 said Kashmiri people lost faith in democracy
*JK Apni Party; Provisional numbers till 10:15pm
BJP advanced another step
towards cementing its political
clout in the Hindu-dominated
Jammu (140 seats).
The PAGD was “deeply
indebted & grateful to the peo-
ple of J&K”, NC leader and
former chief minister Omar
Abdullah said on Twitter, reaf-
firming the grouping’s “com-
THE PROTESTING
LEADERS SAID
THEY WOULD
WRITE TO UK PM
BORIS JOHNSON
AND URGE HIM TO
DEFER HIS VISIT
want Singh, a senior farm union
leader, said.
Farm unions were to decide
on a response to a set of written
concessions sent out by farm
minister Narendra Tomar to end
the month-long agitation by
farmers against the three pro-re-
form agricultural laws.
The unions have constituted a
five-member committee to dis-
cuss with representatives of
nearly 450 organisations pro-
testing the three farm laws on
{ MICHAEL RYAN } WHO’S EMERGENCIES CHIEF
P deemed forest.
We have had a
much higher
(contamination
rate) at
different points...
So this situation (of
the new strain) is not in
A
that sense out of control
Delhi’s air quality ‘severe’
again as wind speed drops
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality
took a turn for the worse on
Tuesday, dropping into the
“severe” category, with the Met
department predicting that pol-
lution levels will stay high in the
coming days due to slow winds
and low morning temperatures.
Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) data shows that
Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index
on Tuesday was 418, down
sharply from 332 (very poor) on
Monday.
Pollution levels showed a
steady rise Tuesday morning
onwards, when the average
hourly AQI deteriorated from
352 at 7am to 377 at noon, before
it crossed the 400 mark later in
the day. At 7pm, the average
AQI touched 426, with many
monitoring stations clocking
pollution levels above 450.
VK Soni, head of IMD’s envi-
Kashmir Total
72 3
31 50
l People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration
9 26 (PAGD) partners say results show people
Total have given a verdict against the scrapping
280Seats
l
of J&K’s special status
BJP buoyed, says it’s “slap” for those who
For 2 seats, wins + after the Article 370 move on Aug 5, 2019
leads not available
mitment to use all democratic &
legal weapons at our disposal to
continue to fight for our rights”.
“The BJP had made this elec-
tion a prestige issue about Art
370 & J&K’s special status. The
people have now spoken & it’s
for those who believe in democ-
racy to pay heed to these voi-
ces,” he posted.
whether and when to hold talks
with the government, a senior
farm leader said.
On December 20, a senior
farm ministry bureaucrat wrote
to the unions on behalf of the
agriculture minister, urging
farmers to resume talks and sug-
gest a date.
The concessions offered by
the government, which the farm-
ers have rejected, include greater
oversight on proposed free mar-
kets, sparing farmers penalties
for pollution-causing farm fires,
an assurance on support prices
and allowing farmers access to
civil courts to settle disputes.
Protesting unions held a
meeting on Tuesday. They will
meet again on Wednesday at
3pm to arrive at a decision, Dar-
shan Pal, a senior member lead-
ing the protests at Delhi’s Singhu
continued on →15
AQI on Tuesday was 418 after Monday’s 332.
ronment monitoring and
research division, said winds
had calmed completely for a few
hours on Tuesday morning.
Apart from this, he said, air got
worse due to a weather phenom-
enon called “inversion”. →P6
Ladakh
84 110
75
On August 5, 2019, the central
government nullified Article
370, which accorded special sta-
tus to the then state of J&K, and
bifurcated it into two Union
Territories – J&K with a legisla-
tive assembly and Ladakh with-
out one — triggering wide-
spread protests.
continued on →15
NEHRU PARK MAY
HAVE TO REMOVE
NEW SYNTHETIC
TRACK DUE TO
GREEN VIOLATIONS
Soumya Pillai and
Ashish Mishra
htreporters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: The Delhi forest
department has sent a notice to
the New Delhi Municipal Coun-
cil (NDMC) for constructing a
22-metre synthetic jogging track
at Nehru Park, which is identi-
fied as a deemed forest by the
forest department. Senior forest
department officers who did not
wish to be named said the unau-
thorised construction will have
to be removed failing which they
would take legal action.
Deputy conservator of forests
(south division), Amit Anand,
issued a notice to the NDMC on
December 17 stating that Nehru
Park is a deemed forest, which
means that any non-forest activ-
ity, such as construction, is not
permitted and also in violation
of the Forest Conservation Act
(1980).
The order has also cited a 1997
Supreme Court judgment that
prohibits such activity in a
The notice was issued follow-
ing a complaint filed by environ-
mentalist Bhavreen Kandhari on
December 7, bringing the forest
department’s attention to the
violation. HT has seen a copy of
the notice.
NDMC, as a pilot project, cre-
ated a 22-metre long synthetic
jogging track in the park around
seven months back. However,
early this month the municipal-
ity started work on adding
another 2.5 kms of this track cit-
ing “positive response from the
public”. →P5
AJAY AGGARWAL/HT
w
READ: How
Delhi’s economy
suffered due to air pollution
 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

Number Theory
Wistron violence: Lessons
for Indian manufacturing
By Roshan Kishore
On December 12, workers turned violent at Wistron
Corporation’s Apple iPhone plant in Karnataka’s Kolar
district. Initial reports suggested planned violence by the
workers and estimated losses to be as high as ₹430 crore.
As more details came in, the picture changed. Not only
have the estimated losses been significantly lowered (to
a range of ₹20-50 crore), it has emerged that the workers
had a genuine reason to be unhappy. On December 18, a
report quoted government officials as saying that the
violence was not planned and “it was a sudden outburst”
driven by the fact that the five-six staffing firms were
exploiting “the workers by not paying or defaulting on
salary payments”. “While workers should not have
indulged in vandalism, the manpower suppliers will face
action for violating rules and holding back wage dues,”
the official said, without naming the companies,
according to the report (bit.ly/34oYdfM). The company
has since fired one of its top executives in India. Events at
the Taiwanese company’s factory should not be seen in
isolation. They offer a peak into the precarious state of
labour relations even in jobs that are extremely
technologically sophisticated and high-value in nature.
As India seeks to attract more high-value manufacturing
and cement its place in the global value chain of
sophisticated electronic goods such as mobile phones,
these incidents only underline the need for a proactive
policy to prevent growing conflicts between labour and
capital. This policy will have to keep in mind both the
international realities of GVCs and India’s own
experience in manufacturing.

1 Factory workers’ wages are a miniscule part of

iPhone’s price $15
Manufacturing
Apple’s iPhones are among the most expensive in
cost
the world. However, the workers who make these
phones get only a small fraction of its price.
According to a 2012 blog post on the Washington-
$89
Other cost
based non-profit Economic Policy Institute, manu-
facturing costs were just 2% of iPhone’s total price,
whereas profits accounted for 51%
(bit.ly/3nrjYTT). Wages are an even smaller frac-
tion of manufacturing costs. These numbers cap-
ture the stark reality of global value chains, COST BREAK-UP
where the workers engaged in manufacturing $319 OF AN iPHONE
might be earning disproportionately lower than Profits
suggested by the final price of product. A ground Apple iPhone cost structure
report based on conversations with the factory’s (in 2012)
workers by The News Minute, a news website,
supports this view (bit.ly/2J05paQ). The report Figures in US$
$207
says basic salaries of workers are as low as Major
between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 and workers forgo components
basic comforts such as two daily breaks on the job
for as little as ₹300. To be sure, sophisticated elec-
tronic products take a lot of costly research and
development efforts, which might not reflect in Source: Apple’s iPhone
the manufacturing cost. However, the point profits dwarf its labor costs,
remains that workers making these products Economic Policy Institute
might be living a hand-to-mouth existence.

SHARE OF DIFFERENT COST HEADS IN APPLE'S TOTAL NET SALES

APPLE'S EXPENSES AS % OF NET SALES 2018 2019 2020 Figures in %

5
Research and development 6
7
6
Selling, administration 7
and general 7
12
Total operating expenses 13
14
Source: Annual Report for the fiscal report ended September 26, 2020, Apple Inc.

2 Incomes have anyway been shifting away from

workers in Indian factories
While India has not had much success in attract-
ing high-end GVCs so far, incomes have been shift-
SHARE OF WAGES TO WORKERS AND
ing away from factory workers for a long time. PROFITS IN NET VALUE ADDED
Data from the Annual Survey of Industry (ASI), Share of wages to workers Share of profits
which tracks organised manufacturing in the 70
country, shows this. The share of wages to work-
ers in net value-added (NVA) for all factories was
60
greater than the share of profits in the 1980s. This
started changing in the 1990s and the profit share -
wage share gap peaked just before the 2008 finan- 50
cial crisis. While the gap has narrowed since,
40 46.9
profit share in NVA was three times the wage
share in 2017-18, the latest period for which data is 30.3
available. 30

20 15.7
23.4
10
1981-82 2017-18
Source: ASI data from MOSPI

To be sure, capital is not the only factor that has put a

squeeze on earnings in Indian factories. A March
2020 Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) paper by
Amit Basole and Amay Narayan shows workers on
the shop-floor have lost out to managerial and super-
visory staff as well. Basole and Nayaran analyse ASI
data to show that the gap between wages per worker
and emoluments per employee has been rising
steadily in India since the late 1900s.
ASI defines workers as “all persons employed
directly or through any agency whether for wages or
not and engaged in any manufacturing process or in
cleaning any part of the machinery or premises used
for manufacturing process or in any other kind of
work incidental to or connected with the manufac-
turing process or the subject of the manufacturing
process”. “Labour engaged in the repair & mainte-
nance, or for production of fixed assets for factory’s
own use, or employed for generating electricity, or
producing coal, gas, etc.” are included among work-
ers. Employees include “all workers defined above
and persons receiving wages and holding clerical or
supervisory or managerial positions engaged in
administrative office, store keeping section and wel-
fare section, sales department as also those engaged
in purchase of raw materials etc. or purchase of fixed
assets for the factory as well as watch and ward
staff”. Basole and Narayan attribute this growing gap
to two factors: a rise in the share of contract workers
or workers employed via contractors, who are paid a
fraction of permanent worker wages for the same
work and the possibility that “production-line wages
have increased far more slowly than salaries and
bonuses of the supervisory and managerial staff”.
Payment to the labour contractors who will likely
face action for defaulting on workers’ wages at the
Wistron facility would come under emoluments.
INDEXED REAL WAGE RATE AND REAL
EMOLUMENT RATE
Real wage rate (index) Real emoluments rate (index)
2.5
2.08
2.0
1.5
1.495
1
1
1.0
1981-82 2017-18
Source: Long-run Performance of the Organised Manufacturing Sector in India: An Analysis of
Sub-periods and Industry-level Trends, EPW March 2020
“While the staffing firms may be black-listed, this episode high-
lights the serious problem with third-party contracts which
divide responsibility between principal employers and contrac-
tors. The key question is why do firms continue to use contract
workers for core work when the labour code now allows fixed
term employment, the introduction of which was driven by the
need to discourage use of contract workers,” said Radhicka
Kapoor, a fellow at the Indian Council for Research on Interna-
tional Economic Relations. “But if firms have the option of hir-
ing cheaper contract workers, why would they hire fixed-term
workers who are entitled to the same statutory benefits as per-
manent workers? The use of contract workers should be
restricted to non-core or peripheral tasks. Oddly, the Occupa-
tional Safety and Hazard Code allows use of contract workers in
core tasks under some conditions, undermining the move to
introduce fixed-term contracts,” she added.
hindustantimes.com
f @hindustantimes t @httweets i @hindustantimes l @hindustantimes
n VOL.XCVI NO. 306 n PRICE ₹5.00/WITH HINDUSTAN ₹ 9.00 (₹ 7.50 IN FARIDABAD)/WITH MINT ₹ 9.50 n 20 PAGES + 4 PAGES OF HT CITY.
AREA SPECIFIC PAGES EXTRA.
Strain infectious, but
not more lethal: Govt
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: The new variant of
the coronavirus is more trans-
missible but does not appear to
lead to higher mortality or hos-
pitalisation and is unlikely to
make the current class of vacci-
nes ineffective, top Indian gov-
ernment officials said on Tues-
day, citing the information avail-
able till now on a mutation that
was first spotted in the UK and
has since triggered a global
alarm.
Union health secretary Rajesh
Bhushan and Niti Aayog mem-
ber (Health) VK Paul said India
has stepped up genomic surveil-
lance in order to detect if anyone
has the new mutation in the
country, with a particular focus
on people who arrived from Brit-
ain in the past month. At least 21
people in five cities, including
five at Delhi airport, tested posi-
tive for Covid-19 after landing
from the UK on Tuesday. Their
samples will now be sent for
genomic sequencing.
To be sure, information is still
being gleaned about the new
mutation and any conclusion,
either on its effects or its possible
resistance to vaccines, cannot be
made with any certainty at this
continued on →15
w
READ: Scan
this code for a
list of nations banning UK flights
Jab for the President-elect
US President-elect Joe Biden receives the Covid-19 vaccine
in Newark, Delaware. “This is what leadership looks like,”
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said in a tweet.
28 yrs and many twists later, priest and
nun held guilty of killing Sister Abhaya
Ramesh Babu
letters@hindustantimes.com
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three
investigative agencies, multiple
CBI reports, destroyed evidence,
hostile witnesses and a number
of writ petitions and intervention
pleas later, a special CBI court on
Tuesday found a Catholic priest
and a nun guilty of murdering
Sister Abhaya, 19, and disposing
of her body in the convent where
she stayed in Kerala’s Kottayam
district in 1992.
The court of special judge K
Sanil Kumar convicted Father
Thomas Kotoor (71) and Sister
A security official at Delhi airport on Tuesday. Twenty-one flyers
in 5 cities tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving from UK. AFP
Serum Institute submits more
data for emergency use licence
Rhythma Kaul
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: The Serum Institute
of India (SII), which is manufac-
turing and testing the Oxford-
AstraZeneca coronavirus vac-
cine in India, has submitted
new data to regulators for its
application for an emergency
use licence, officials aware of
the process said on Tuesday,
adding that a meeting will now
AFP
Sephy (57) under Indian Penal
Code sections 302 (murder), 449
(trespassing in a house to commit
a crime), and 201 (destroying evi-
dence) and will pronounce the
sentence on Wednesday.
The duo was accused of killing
Abhaya, a second year pre-degree
student, with an axe and drop-
ping her body into the well of
Pious X Convent for reportedly
discovering their relationship,
which is impermissible on
account of their positions in the
Church. The police and the crime
branch initially ruled Abhaya’s
death a suicide, but her body bore
marks of lacerations, post mor-
be called this week to assess the
information.
The meeting will also review
data for the vaccine candidate
by Pfizer, which too applied for
emergency approval but sought
more time when the last meet-
ing was held on December 9.
The applications are being
assessed by the Central Drugs
Standard Control Organisation
(CDSCO)’s Subject Expert Com-
mittee (SEC), which had sought
{ RELIEF TO HOMEBUYERS } SC ON PROJECT DELAYS
‘Exit option does
not negate right
to compensation’
Utkarsh Anand
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: A real estate devel-
oper cannot deal with homebuy-
ers rights to claim compensation
for delays in the completion of
their apartments by merely
offering refunds or some other
exit option, the Supreme Court
has ruled.
In the order that could
strengthen the rights of home-
buyers under the Consumer Pro-
tection Act, the court has held
that the right to claim compen-
sation is independent of schemes
offered by developers that give
an option to the buyers to
rescind their purchase. It also
held that the damages to a con-
sumer can be over and above the
Sister Abhaya
tem reports indicated.
After hearing of their convic-
tion, Sephy broke down while
Kotoor said he would prove “his
innocence in the court of God”. A
third accused, Father Jose Pooth-
PFIZER, MODERNA
TESTING VACCINES
ON UK MUTATION
NEW YORK: Pfizer and Moderna
Inc are testing their Covid-19
vaccines against the new fast-
spreading version of the virus
that has emerged in Britain,
CNN reported on Tuesday. Both
expect immunity from its vac-
cine to protect against the vari-
ants but said they will perform
more tests in the coming weeks
to confirm. Ugur Sahin, the CEO
of BioNTech, which partnered
with Pfizer for what is the first
coronavirus vaccine to be
approved, said that should the
vaccine need to be adjusted for
the new variant, it can be done
in about 6 weeks. →P13
more data from SII in its last
meeting on December 9, and
gave Pfizer time till it was ready.
“The company (SII) yesterday
(Monday) submitted the addi-
tional data that was asked by
the subject experts. They have
submitted both preliminary
data from the trials in India, and
the updated UK immunogenic-
ity data. Pfizer is also ready with
its data and has sought for a
continued on →11
amount in the developer-buyer
agreement — the contractual
rate of compensation for delays.
In its order last week, a bench
headed by justice Dhananjay Y
Chandrachud, highlighted “a
genuine flat buyer wants a roof
over the head” and therefore,
schemes offering them a refund
of what they had paid to date
would not be sufficient. “For a
genuine flat buyer, who has
booked an apartment in the
project not as an investor or fin-
ancier, but for the purpose of
purchasing a family home, a
mere offer of refund would not
detract from the entitlement to
claim compensation,” held the
bench, which also included justi-
ces Indu Malhotra and Indira
Banerjee. →P8
rukayil — an eyewitness, Addaki
Raju, said he saw the duo go up
the stairs of the convent in the
wee hours of March 27, the day
Abhaya’s body was found — was
let off by the court last year for
lack of evidence. “I was there to
steal some areca nut. I saw both,
Kotoor and Poothrukayil at the
convent and after some time they
came out in hurry,” said Raju. He
said he was “tortured for days to
own up to the crime by the state
Crime Branch, and the church
authorities promised him a job
and a house to retract his state-
ment,” but he remained “firm” to
his word. →P9
POLITICS CAN STOP
BUT PROGRESS
MUST NOT, SAYS
MODI AT AMU’S
CENTENARY EVENT
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
AGRA: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday said that “poli-
tics can wait but development
cannot”, and stressed that ideo-
logical differences should be set
aside for the sake of national
goals.
Modi was delivering the key-
note address as chief guest at the
centenary celebrations of Ali-
garh Muslim University (AMU)
— the first time an incumbent
Prime Minister has participated
in an AMU event since Lal
Bahadur Shastri in 1964.
Addressing the university’s
students, teachers and staff
through a video link, the PM
said: “There are elements in soci-
ety who get uneasy when steps
are taken for progress. They try
to create negativity but sooner or
later get marginalised. We have
to understand that politics is an
important aspect of society. But
in society there are also issues
other than politics and one has
to rise above them for nation.”
Describing the university as
“mini-India”, Modi said, “We are
aiming to build a New India
where youth and students of
AMU can play a major role.” →P7
HOMES WHERE PARKING IS AS
PLEASURABLE AS THE DRIVE
Drive into your home at King’s Court and park in your reserved spot in the three-level underground parking lot. Enjoy
the convenience of surface parking for visitors. Safe, hassle-free, all anxieties banished. In a hushed oasis of exquisite
residences overlooking the endless greenery of the Jahanpanah forest.
Disclaimer: Residential Plot measuring about 2.467acres. Name of company to whom the licenses have been granted to M/s. DLF LIMITED. Name of Development “King’s Court”, New
Delhi, being developed by DLF LUXURY HOMES LIMITED. Layout Plan approval vide MCD resolution no. 181 dated 05.07.2006. Building plan approval vide No.5752 /B/HQ / 2005 dated
04.09.2009. Revised layout plan vide South Delhi Municipal Corporation Resolution No. 210 dated 30.07.2013. Revised Building Plan vide file no. 64 /B/HQ / SDMC / 2013 dated
27.11.2013. Last revision of Building Plan vide South Delhi Municipal Corporation file no. 23 /B/ HQ / SDMC /2014 dated 2014. Completion Certificate from South Delhi Municipal
Corporation vide serial no. 557 /CC /B-1 / SZ / 16 dated 15.11.2016
CBSE exams not before
March, ‘dates out soon’
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: Central Board of
Secondary Examination (CBSE)
tests for Class 10 and Class 12
will not be held in January or
February next year, Union edu-
cation minister Ramesh Pokhri-
yal Nishank said on Tuesday,
adding that the government is
aware of the concerns of stu-
dents and the exact dates will be
declared soon.
CBSE said earlier this month
that board exams in 2021 will be
conducted in the written mode
and not online. Schools across
the country were closed in
Tracking the virus
WORLD
78,034,570CASES
1,715,739 DEATHS
United States
18,497,899
59,536,671
India data compiled by covid19india.org and cross-checked from inputs by HT’s correspondents and news agencies
Actual Image
NEW DELHI/METRO
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
March to contain the spread of later after assessment of situa-
Covid-19 and were partially tion and more consultations,”
reopened in some states on he said during the interaction.
October 15. The CBSE board Pokhriyal also ruled out any
exams were postponed mid-way further reduction in syllabus,
in March and were later can- pointing out that CBSE had
celled, with the results being
announced after an alternative
already trimmed it by 30%. He
said the government has taken
assessment scheme.
On Tuesday, the education
every decision during the pan-
demic keeping the interest of
minister held an online interac-
tion with teachers from across
the students in mind.
“In January, practical exams
the country. “Keeping the cur- would begin and normally the
rent situation in mind, it has exams would be conducted
been decided that the board from mid-February to mid-
exams for classes 10 and 12 will March. Based on the present
not be conducted up till Febru- conditions, I can say holding
ary 2021. A decision on the exams will not be possible in
exam schedule will be taken continued on →15
INDIA DELHI
10,099,309(+23,886) 146,494(+331) CASES 618,747 (+939)
CASES DEATHS
DEATHS 10,329(+25)
WORST-HIT STATES CASES LAST 5 DAYS
Maharashtra 1,902,458 1,418
Rest of the
Karnataka 1,139 1,091
world 911,382 939
803
Andhra Pradesh 879,339
Tamil Nadu 809,014
Kerala 715,341
Dec 18 19 20 21 22
Actual Image
Actual Image
Terms and conditions apply
02 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

Page One Plus

{ MY INDIA } ‘LOVE JIHAD’ { BUSINESS } FEARS OF NEW VIRUS STRAIN { MY INDIA } AWARD FOR MODI

Law against freedom After volatile day of trading, Deeply honoured by

A Dispatch {231} of choice, says Lokur Sensex and Nifty close 1% up Legion of Merit: PM

The ordinance in Uttar Pradesh outlawing
forced conversions by marriage, coercion or
enticement puts freedom of choice, dignity and
human rights “on the back seat”, former Supreme
Court judge Madan Lokur said on Tuesday. He said
laws punishing interfaith marriages violated
jurisprudence developed by the SC protecting
freedom of choice and human dignity. “Giving a back
seat to freedom of choice, dignity and human rights,
a stringent ordinance related to marriage and
forcible conversion has recently been passed in UP…
Are we as a society prepared for this?” Lokur said. HTC
Markets swung between gains and losses on Tuesday, but ended
higher in volatile trading, boosted by IT stocks, after a massive sell-off in
the previous session, as fears of a new coronavirus strain in the UK kept
global markets on the edge. Benchmark BSE Sensex rose 0.99% to close
at 46,006.69, while NSE Nifty 50 ended 1.03% higher at 13,466.30. Both
fell nearly 1% earlier in the day, then surged over 1% in the afternoon.
HCL Tech was the top gainer among Sensex firms, rallying 5%, followed
by Tech Mahindra, Infosys, PowerGrid, Sun Pharma and Nestle India. →P15
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was
conferred the Legion of Merit medal by US President
Donald Trump, on Tuesday tweeted that he is “deeply
honoured,” adding the award recognises efforts of
people of both countries to improve ties. PM Modi
reiterated his govt’s commitment to strengthen ties.
“I am deeply honoured to be awarded the Legion of
Merit by @POTUS @realDonald Trump. It recognises
the efforts of the people of India & the US to improve
bilateral ties, reflected in the bipartisan consensus in
both countries about the Indo-US strategic
partnership,” PM Modi tweeted on Tuesday. HTC

{ COVID-19 } VIGILANCE AT AIRPORTS

An eye on passengers from the UK

The Union health ministry on Tuesday issued standard operating procedure (SOP)
in context of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in the United Kingdom.
A look at what this means for flyers who have landed from the UK in recent weeks
WHO DOES IT APPLY TO?
This SOP lists instructions for ALL
PASSENGERS who have travelled
from or transited through the
REUTERS UK in the past four weeks (from
November 25 to December 23)
WHAT WILL BE APPLICABLE FOR ALL?
l A state-wise l All international travellers should declare
passenger their travel history (of past 14 days) and
manifest will fill up a self-declaration form on ‘Air
be prepared by Suvidha’ portal. Immigration officials
authorities will also share this data with states

Covid-19: What IF YOU’VE ARRIVED FROM/VIA THE UK BETWEEN...

...DEC 21 AND 23
TESTING ON
ARRIVAL
...DEC 9 AND DEC 23
UNDER A CLOSE WATCH
A list of travellers will be shared
with states for daily follow-up till
14 days after their arrival in India
l Passengers will receive daily calls/visit from health officials to check health status

you need to
l They will have to self-monitor for symptoms — fever, cough, breathing issues, etc.
State governments have
n If anyone develops symptoms, they must put on a mask immediately, isolate at
been tasked to ensure
home, and inform surveillance officers or call the national (1075) or state helpline
that everyone is subjected
n They should then undergo fresh round of RT-PCR tests immediately
to an RT-PCR test after
arrival at an Indian airport IF POSITIVE

know today
IF NEGATIVE
l A patient must
be sent for a home
quarantine and be
re-tested as per
ICMR guidelines
l A list of these
passengers will be
R Sukumar shared with states
by the surveillance
IF POSITIVE ...NOV 25 AND DEC 8
Patient must be sent to
a facility with an entirely
A spike gene-based
RT-PCR test must
TO MONITOR
separate isolation unit be performed THEMSELF
Passengers who arrived
l If sequencing is consistent with SARS-CoV-2
from the UK between
genome in India, then regular treatment Nov 25 and Dec 8 will be
l If patient has new SARS-CoV-2 variant, they contacted by district
will be sent to a separate isolation unit for 14 surveillance officers and

T
he fact that a handful of people who flew into various team and travellers days and be tested till 2 samples are negative advised to self-monitor
parts of India from the UK have tested positive for the will be advised home symptoms. If they have
coronavirus is cause for alarm simply because these quarantine or be Without exception, all their contacts* to be sent symptoms, they will
re-tested if needed to quarantine, tested on 5th-10th day of contact undergo RT-PCR test
infections were discovered the instant India tightened its
*Contacts are passengers who were seated in the same row,
screening process for inbound fliers. It’s very likely that
for the past seven months, ever since India restarted
IF POSITIVE three rows on either side of patient, cabin crew. Contacts also
include community contacts they have met after landing
IF POSITIVE
IF POSITIVE
flights to and from other countries through so-called travel bubbles,
there has been a steady trickle of infected people into (and also out
of) the country. The screening process was tightened following
{ THE AIR WE BREATHE } ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
panic over the new strain of the Sars-CoV-2 virus identified in the
UK (as far back as September, although it is only in recent weeks NIA probing Khalistani
that it has hit the headlines after becoming the dominant strain in
the country, and causing a surge in infections). UK officials have
said the new strain is 70% more contagious (or infective) than the
old one. They also say that in many parts of the country, it has
Delhi suffered most loss funding for protests
become the dominant strain. That would mean at least some of the
people identified as Covid-positive in Monday’s
screening at airports could potentially be carrying
due to air pollution: Study against India overseas
the new strain. Jayashree Nandi the capital gets shrouded by solid fuels in a closed kitchen.” Neeraj Chauhan investigate a terror attack on a
Indian health officials insisted at a briefing on thick, smoky haze because of “When it comes to the health gurdwara in Kabul on March 25
letters@hindustantimes.com letters@hindustantimes.com
Tuesday that the new strain hasn’t been spotted in post-harvest farm fires lit by cul- impacts of outdoor pollution, it is in which 27 Sikh devotees, includ-
India, but this is one of those statements that is NEW DELHI: Among Indian tivators in states such as Punjab important to understand what NEW DELHI: The National Inves- ing an Indian, were killed.
economical with the truth. The reality is that India states, Delhi suffered the highest and Haryana to clear their fields are the pollution particles made tigation Agency (NIA) has regis- According to the latest FIR,
does not sequence enough viral genomes for this per-capita economic loss of stubble. of – it being emitted from burning tered a case to investigate “as part of the conspiracy, huge
to be said with any amount of certainty, but in all because of premature deaths The Capital suffered an overall of rubber, kerosene or diesel etc. alleged funding of Khalistani ter- funds are being collected abroad
NEW STRAIN the briefings (and it’s usually by the same worthies and illnesses caused by air pollu- economic loss to the tune of For example, diesel emissions are rorist groups abroad for organis- for on-ground campaign and
IN INDIA? who are in charge of India’s Covid response) I’ve tion last year, followed by Hary- 1.08% of state GDP last year carcinogenic because they consist ing on-ground campaigns, and propaganda against government
Indian health officials listened in on, I have never heard the terms “we ana, according to a study pub- because of both outdoor and of polyaromatic hydrocarbons demonstrations outside Indian of India including staging dem-
insisted at a briefing on don’t know” or “we can’t say for sure” ever being lished on Tuesday by the science indoor pollution, according to the which have a role in development missions in the UK, the US, onstrations outside Indian mis-
Tuesday that the new virus used. Indeed, what they lack in knowledge, these journal The Lancet, which high- Lancet report. The comparative of lung cancer. A majority of Canada, Germany and other sions in the US, the UK, Ger-
strain hasn’t been spotted people usually make up for with certitude. The lighted the price being extracted figures for UP and Punjab were deaths caused by air pollution is countries, people familiar with many, Canada and so forth.
in India, but this is one of correct answer, for instance, to a query on from the nation by bad air. 1.34% and 1.22%, respectively. due to COPD,” he added. the development said. These campaigns are being
those statements that is whether the new strain is in India would be: it The study said India was bear- Between 1990 and 2019, the The economic impact of air According to the case regis- spearheaded by designated ter-
economical with the truth. hasn’t been identified in our tests, but we do not ing massive losses to its econ- death rate per 100,000 popula- pollution was estimated by the tered last week, Khalistani ele- rorists Gurpatwant Singh Pan-
The reality is that India sequence enough viral genomes to say for sure; we omy and productivity because of tion has increased by 115.3% in authors based on output per ments based in India are also nun, Paramjit Singh Pamma,
does not sequence enough are now increasing the volume of genomes we the health impact of air pollu- India because of exposure to worker. The output per worker receiving funds through non- Hardeep Singh Nijjar and oth-
viral genomes for this to sequence. That wasn’t so difficult, now, was it? As tion. National GDP suffered a high outdoor air pollution. The in each state in 2019 was calcu- governmental organisations ers”. HT has reviewed a copy of
be said with any amount I wrote in Tuesday’s column (Dispatch 230), given loss of 1.36% because of air pollu- death rate because of exposure to lated as the labour share of GDP (NGOs), the people added, the FIR.
of certainty. that the new strain has been around since Septem- tion last year, it said. In compari- household air pollution has multiplied by GDP in 2018-19, requesting anonymity. “It has also been learnt that
ber, and flights have been operating between vari- son, the total health expenditure decreased by 64.2%because of a divided by the number of people The agency has named as large amounts so collected are
ous airports in the two countries, there is every in India is only 3.8% of GDP. In decline in the use of solid fuels. who were employed. accused US-based Gurpatwant being sent through NGOs to pro-
likelihood that the strain may already be in India – but we do not 2019, 1.67 million deaths in India The death rate due to exposure to “Air pollution has the poten- Singh Pannun, UK- based Khalistani elements in India, to
know for sure. were attributable to air pollu- ground level ozone increased by tial to impede accumulation of Paramjit Singh Pamma and undertake terrorist acts and to
In Tuesday’s column, I wrote about how the UK had caught a tion, accounting for 17.8% of the 115% during the 29-year period. future human capital by reduc- Canada resident Hardeep Singh strike terror in the people of
lucky break – one of the commonly used RT-PCR tests showed only total deaths. It estimated that economic loss ing children’s survival, under- Nijjar who, under the banner of India,” the FIR said. It added:
pieces of two genes in the result, as compared to the three it usually Delhi’s per-capita state gross caused by premature deaths due mining their health, and reduc- Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), are col- “SFJ leadership has planned
does. One of the new strain’s 17 known mutations was responsible domestic product (GDP) loss in to air pollution in India last year ing their ability to benefit from lecting funds for a rebellion large scale disruptive activities
for this. The Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction or 2019 was to the tune of $62 and was $28.8 billion and from mor- education. The cost savings against the Indian government, to damage government and pri-
RT-PCR test is considered the gold standard when neighbouring Haryana suffered bidity due to air pollution was $8 resulting from the prevention of according to the first informa- vate property and also disrupt
it comes to diagnostic tests for Covid. It identifies a per capita GDP loss of $53.8, billion. Of the total economic loss productivity losses attributable tion report (FIR). supplies and essential services to
the viral RNA (ribonucleic acid, the genetic mate- said the report titled “Health and of $36.8 billion, 36.6% was from to air pollution would contribute NIA has, for the first time, the life of community of India”.
rial) by converting it into complementary DNA, economic impact of air pollution lung diseases, which included to the formation of new human given the addresses of the three: For this, the agency said, SFJ
which it does using an enzyme called reverse tran- in the states of India: the Global chronic obstructive pulmonary capital,” the study said. Pannun (167-05, Powel Boule- and other pro-Khalistani ele-
scriptase. Then a series of chemical reactions are Burden of Disease Study, 2019”. disorder (21.1%), lower respiratory It cited the example of the US vard, Unit-22 White Stone, New ments, through an incessant
used to amplify the complementary DNA sections. The highest loss to overall infections (14.2%), and lung can- where every dollar invested in York), Pamma (41, Bowden social media campaign and oth-
The quantum of viral DNA is then measured using state GDP was recorded by Uttar cer (1.2%), The rest was from the control of air pollution since Road, Smethwick, UK) and Nijjar erwise, are radicalising and
fluorescent markers. The test in question in the STRATEGY IS KEY Pradesh, India’s most populated ischaemic heart disease (24.9%), 1970 is estimated to have yielded (8193, 143-A Street, Surrey BC, recruiting impressionable young
UK was calibrated to check for three different RNA Apart from aggressively state, at 2.15% followed by Bihar stroke (14.1%), diabetes (8.4%), an economic benefit of $30. Canada and 1418, 142 Street, 72 people to campaign for and carry
targets – and because of the mutation, it found sequencing more viral at 1.95% and Madhya Pradesh neonatal disorders (13.3%), and “The economic impact of this Avenue, BC Canada). out terrorist acts for the creation
only two. Ergo, the country didn’t really have to genomes, India would do and Rajasthan at 1.7% each. cataract (2.7%). health loss due to lost productiv- The people familiar with the of a separate nation of Khalistan.
keep sequencing viral genomes to figure out well to collect more These are states with a relatively “The most common cause of ity is huge at 1.4% of the coun- development cited above said Earlier this month, the central
whether the infection was caused by the new information – for instance, low per-capita state GDP. chronic obstructive pulmonary try’s GDP in 2019, besides a the fresh FIR will empower NIA agency filed a charge-sheet
strain – if a test showed only pieces of two genes in every RT-PCR test also GDP per capita measures the disorder (COPD) globally is roughly estimated expenditure to investigate SFJ’s activities in against Pannun, Nijjar and
the result, it indicated the virus was the new measures viral loads – sum of marketed goods and ser- tobacco smoking; more than of 0.4% of GDP on treatment of various countries. If required, an Pamma along with 13 others in a
strain. from the molecular tests it vices produced within a terri- 90% of COPD cases are liked to air pollution related diseases. NIA team may even visit these separate 2019 case to investigate
Apart from aggressively sequencing more viral conducts rather than tory, averaged across everyone smoking. But in India one of the The health and economic impact countries soon to probe the SFJ’s role in India.
genomes, India would do well to collect more simply treating the output who lives within it. main causes of COPD is air pol- of air pollution is highest in the source of funding of the Khali- SFJ has been banned by the
information – for instance, every RT-PCR test also as a binary yes/no. Delhi has ranked consistently lution, particularly indoor air less developed states of India, an stani groups. ministry of home affairs (MHA;)
measures viral loads – from the molecular tests it among the world’s most popu- pollution,” said Dr GC Khilnani, inequity that should be This is NIA’s second FIR for properties of Pannun, Nijjar and
conducts (the rapid antigen tests, apart from being lated cities in global surveys in former head of the department addressed,” said Prof Lalit Dan- conducting an investigation Pamma in India have been
unreliable, aren’t of much use in this context) rather than simply recent years because of emis- of pulmonary medicine at the All dona, director of the India State- abroad after an amendment to ordered to be seized.
treating the output as a binary yes/no. Indeed, had a system to do sions from automobiles and India Institute of Medical Scien- Level Disease Burden Initiative, the NIA Act last year that empow- Intelligence agencies have
this been in place, health officials here might have been in a better power plants, as well as con- ces (AIIMS), New Delhi. “PM 2.5 national chair of population ered the agency to probe terror alerted the government that Pak-
position to answer the original question: is the new strain in India? struction dust and cooking with emissions can go up to 30,000 health at the Indian Council of activities against Indians and istan is actively supporting their
solid fuels. The problem worsens micrograms per cubic metres Medical Research and senior Indian interests overseas. Earlier activities and providing them
during the winter months, when when food is being cooked with author of the study. this year, the agency filed a case to funds.
04 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

My Delhi
Farmers block border, Five burn to death after
3 ON MOTORBIKE
BOOKED FOR TWO
GUNPOINT CRIMES
WITHIN 15 MINS Yamuna e-way car crash
demand passage in UP IN EAST DELHI
HT Correspondent
htreporters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Three persons on a

motorbike robbed two persons
HT Correspondent
htreporters@hindustantimes.com

AGRA: Four members of a fam-

Both carriageways of
Delhi-Meerut e-way
blocked for 10 hours;
protesters ask UP to
allow other groups
to join them in Delhi
Karn Pratap Singh
karn.singh@htlive.com
NEW DELHI: Farmers protesting
against the three farm laws for
the past 27 days blocked all car-
riageways of the Delhi-Meerut
Expressway at Ghazipur-Ghazia-
bad (UP Gate) border for nearly
10 hours on Tuesday, in a protest
against the Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment for allegedly stopping
farmers from marching towards
the border.
Around 5pm, the farmers
cleared one carriageway, allow-
ing vehicles to move from Uttar
Pradesh to Delhi.
The border blockade dis-
rupted vehicular movement
between Delhi and Ghaziabad,
as traffic snarls spilt to other
border points and connecting
roads in Delhi as well as Uttar
Pradesh.
As the farmers blocked the
border around 7am without
prior notice, motorists travelling
to Ghaziabad from Delhi
through the expressway during
the morning rush hour were
stuck.
At 7.37am, the Delhi Traffic
Police used its Twitter handle to
update the public about the clo-
sure of the carriageways at the
Ghazipur-Ghaziabad border.
The carriageway leading to
Delhi from Ghaziabad has
already been closed for the last
few days due to the farmers’ pro-
test. “Traffic was diverted from
Nizamuddin Khatta, Akshard-
ham, and Ghazipur Chowk for
onwards journey towards Ghazi-
abad via Anand Vihar, Apsara
and Bhopura borders,” said
Farmers said that despite assurances on Monday, the UP govt had stopped farmers.
Delhi Police’s public relation
officer, Anil Mittal.
It was the second time since
Monday afternoon that the
expressway was completely
blocked by the farmers. The
nearly hour-long blockade on
Monday was cleared after the
officials of the UP administration
assured the farmers that nobody
would be stopped from going
towards the borders.
Rajveer Singh Jadhon, the
president of Bharatiya Kisan
Union (UP unit), said that the UP
government has been harassing
farmers in the state and those
coming from Uttarakhand, by
stopping their tractor-trolleys
and other vehicles in different
places.
Jadhon said that despite
assurances, nearly 35 trolleys
and 50 four-wheelers ferrying
farmers were stopped at Ram-
pur and Pilibhit on Monday
night. “The police personnel
misbehaved with the farmers
and forced them to return. We
blocked the UP Gate border with
our tractors to express our pro-
test against the UP administra-
tion and demand the release of
farmers. We cleared one car-
riageway for vehicles going to
Ghaziabad after the farmers
were allowed to move towards
Delhi,” said Jadhon.
The carriageway going
towards Ghaziabad from Delhi
was opened after a meeting
between farmer leaders and offi-
cials of the UP administration,
who assured that the farmers,
who had been stopped at Ram-
pur, Pilibhit and Bilaspur, were
allowed to move towards Delhi.
Praveen Kumar, inspector
general (Meerut range), of the
UP Police, said, “They were
demanding that their vehicles
not be stopped from approach-
ing the UP Gate. But we have to
take up checks to ascertain that
no anti-social element gets in.
The carriageway was vacated
around 5pm.”
The Singhu and Tikri borders,
where thousands of farmers are
protesting, continued to remain
SAKIB ALI/HT PHOTO
shut while one carriageway of
the Delhi-Noida link road at the
Chilla border is open for vehicles
entering Delhi from Noida.
Motorists going to Noida are
being diverted to other borders
such as Delhi-Noida-Direct Fly-
way, Kalindi Kunj, New Ashok
Nagar, Kondli and Dallupura.
Chadha accuses Bidhuri
of ‘vulgar’ language
The Aam Aadmi Party’s spokes-
person Raghav Chadha on Tues-
day accused the Bharatiya Jan-
ata Party’s South Delhi MP,
Ramesh Bidhuri, of using “vul-
gar” words against farmers pro-
testing at Singhu border. He
made the claim at a press confer-
ence in which he played an
audio clip of Bidhuri purportedly
addressing a gathering in Delhi.
HT could not independently ver-
ify the authenticity of the clip.
Bidhuri dismissed the allega-
tions as “baseless” and hit back
saying that the AAP has been
misleading people on the farm-
ers’ issue.
— a journalist and a chartered
accountant from Nepal — of
their mobile phones, cash and
other belongings at gunpoint
within 15 minutes of one another
and a distance of 400 metres in
east Delhi’s Shakarpur on Mon-
day midnight, the police said.
The chartered accountant
received stitches to his forehead
after being allegedly attacked
with the butt of the gun. The
27-year-old journalist, who
works with the multimedia team
of a news agency, suffered
bruises to his hands as he fell
after allegedly being pushed by
one of the robbers, according to
a colleague of the journalist, a
reporter who covered the rob-
beries for the news agency.
The deputy commissioner of
police (east), Jasmeet Singh, said
that two separate cases of rob-
bery were registered against
unknown persons at the Shakar-
pur police station. “We have
formed teams to identify and
nab the suspects. They will be
caught soon,” said DCP Singh.
The first robbery took place
around midnight, when the
chartered accountant, identified
by his first name Tribhuwan,
had gone to meet a relative. He
lives in Shakarpur.
“Tribhuwan told me that he
resisted the robbery attempt and
he was attacked with the butt of
the gun, causing multiple inju-
ries to his forehead. The robbers
took away his mobile phone and
a bag containing ₹1,000 and
credit cards,” said the reporter.
Nearly 15 minutes later, the
robbers waylaid the journalist
while he was walking to his flat.
The journalist told his colleague
that as he saw the robbers take
out a gun, he ran. “One of them
pushed him, because of which
he fell and suffered minor inju-
ries. They robbed him of his
mobile phone and the bag con-
taining his office ID card,” the
reporter said.
ily who were travelling in a car
and the driver of the vehicle
were burnt to death when their
vehicle caught fire after hitting
a truck on Yamuna Express-
way, near Khandauli toll plaza
in Agra, on Tuesday morning.
Chief minister Yogi Aditya-
nath condoled the death of five
people and directed the offi-
cials in Agra to reach the spot
to supervise relief work.
“The accident took place in
wee hours of Tuesday at about
4.30am when the car moving
towards Noida collided with a
container coming from oppo-
site side and caught fire. Those
inside the car could not move
out and were charred to death,”
said Babloo Kumar, the senior
superintendent of police (SSP),
{ DELHI RIOTS } INSIDE MANDOLI PRISON
Ex-Cong councillor Ishrat
Jahan claims assault in jail
Richa Banka
richa.banka@htlive.com
NEW DELHI: Former Congress
councillor Ishrat Jahan — who
has been arrested in connection
to the north-east Delhi riots and
charged with the stringent
Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act — on Tuesday told a city
court that she was assaulted by
inmates at Mandoli Jail.
Besides, Jahan, a few other
accused also alleged that they
are being discriminated and har-
assed.
Jahan told additional sessions
judge Amitabh Rawat that this is
the second incident within one
month when she had been
assaulted and she was under
immense stress due to the con-
tinuous physical and verbal har-
assment. “In the morning today
The incident took place around 4.30am, said officials.
Agra.
Officials said that a fire bri-
gade was called to the spot
immediately, but it was too late
to save the people in the car.
The driver of the container fled
the site on foot, following the
collision. According to police, it
was tough to identify the bodies
as they were badly burnt and
at 6:30 am, they (the inmates)
beat me up and abused me ver-
bally. One of the inmates even
slit her hand so that I am pun-
ished based on a false complaint.
I have given a written complaint
also. They keep calling me a ter-
rorist,” she alleged.
The former Congress leader
claimed that she has been facing
harassment in jail for the past
four months and had requested
that she be shifted to Tihar, but
the request was denied due to
the Covid-19 pandemic.
Appearing for Jahan, her
counsel, advocate Pradeep Teo-
tia, contended that she too had
been beaten up previously, fol-
lowing which one of the inmates
was shifted to another jail.
ASJ Rawat directed the jail
authorities to take immediate
steps to ensure Jahan’s security
HT
their faces were unrecognisa-
ble. Later, the identities of the
five were established as Murli
Manohar Saroj (35), of Alam-
ganj in Lucknow, his wife
Seema Devi (32), cousin Manju
Devi (30) and mother-in-law
Sirtaj (58). The driver, Sandeep
of Unnao, was also killed in the
incident.
and ensure that she was not har-
assed further. The judge also
sought a detailed report from the
prison authorities on Wednes-
day detailing the steps that have
been taken and to mention if
shifting Jahan to another jail
was required.
During the proceedings, the
assistant superintendent of Man-
doli jail confirmed the incident
and said that necessary steps
have been taken.
To this the judge told the jail
official, “She (Jahan) seems to be
in a state of utter fear. Please talk
to her immediately and under-
stand the situation. File a
detailed report about the steps
taken to allay her.”
It also directed the prison
authorities to produce her before
the court on Wednesday through
video conferencing.

ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES DEOGHAR Office of Executive Engineer Provincial Division, P.W.D. Pithoragarh
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Executive Director
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MP-DAY State Rural Livelihoods Mission,

Government of Madhya Pradesh
Panchayat & Rural Development Department
Expression of Interest (EoI) for Submission of Project Under DDU-GKY
No. 6300/MP-DAYSRLM/SKILL/36/2020 Bhopal, Date : 16/12/2020
Project Proposals are invited to implement Placement Linked Skill Development
Programme under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana (DDU-GKY) in
districts of Madhya Pradesh. More information regarding Eol is available on website
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ddugky.gov.in. The proposals should be submitted on or before 20th Jan 2021.
Chief Executive Officer
G-16837/20 Qû ¦FªF I e QcSe, ¸FFÀI W` ªF÷ Se MP-DAY State Rural Livelihood Mission

GOVT. OF BIHAR
BIHAR COMBINED ENTRANCE COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION BOARD
I.A.S. Association Building, Near Patna Airport, Patna-14.
UNDER GRADUATE MEDICAL ADMISSION COUNSELLING
(UGMAC)-2020 for MBBS / BDS / B.V.Sc. & A.H. in Govt. Medical / Dental / Bihar
Veterinaty Colleges and Private Medical / Dental Colleges of Bihar
Adv. No.- BCECEB(UGMAC)-2020/11 Dated 22.12.2020
Important Notice for MOP-UP Round Counselling
Fresh Online Registration and submission of Application form are invited from such qualified,
eligible & interested NEET(UG)-2020 candidates for appearing in the MOP-UP round Offline Counselling
of Under Graduate Medical Admission Counselling (UGMAC)-2020, who are not admitted in any
Medical/ Dental Colleges of India, on the vacant seats of Government / Private Medical / Dental Colleges
of Bihar / Bihar Veterinary College after admission on the basis of UGMAC-2020 Online 2nd round
counselling from 23.12.2020 to 24.12.2020.
2. Eligibility criteria and instructions and other details are available in the prospectus of UGMAC-
DIP/Shabdarth/D/0090/20-21

2020 which can be downloaded from the Board's website bceceboard.bihar.gov.in.

3. Those candidate who are admitted in any Govt./ Pvt. Medical / Dental College of India are not
eligible for MOP-UP round counselling.
4. Those candidates who have already duly submitted the online application form earlier for UGMAC-
2020 and are not admitted in any Govt. / Pvt. Medical / Dental Colleges of India and are interested to
take admission in Medical / Dental Colleges and Bihar Veterinary College on the basis of MOP-UP
round counselling of UGMAC-2020 are also required to do fresh Registration and duly submit the
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Controller of Examination
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
Delhi govt starts tracing, testing all
arrivals from the UK since Nov 25
Sweta Goswami
htreporters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: The Delhi govern-
ment on Tuesday said it has
started tracing passengers who
arrived in the national capital
from the United Kingdom since
November 25, amid fears of the
spread of a new and more infec-
tious strain of Covid-19 that has
been detected in the UK. The
government has also started
door-to-door tracking of passen-
gers who returned from the UK.
The government had earlier
decided to track and test all
arrivals in Delhi from the UK
over the past two weeks, an
order that was tweaked late in
the evening based on the central
government’s guidelines.
All these arrivals will be
tested using the gold standard
reverse-transcription polymer-
ase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
method by district surveillance
teams.
Delhi health minister Satyen-
dar Jain told reporters that
nearly 7,000 passengers flew
into the city from the UK in the
last two weeks.
“In the last two weeks, about
6,000 to 7,000 people landed at
the Delhi airport from the UK.
This includes passengers who
travelled to other places like
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh or Hary-
ana after landing in Delhi. Our
teams have started a door-to-
door survey to check on fliers
who are residing in Delhi. They
are being requested to self iso-
late themselves in their homes
for seven days,” he said.
Delhi chief secretary Vijay
Dev said as of now the exact
number of passengers who are
still residing in the Capital after
arriving from the UK since
November 25 is not known
because the addresses and
phone numbers are still being
sent by the airport authorities,
which is relayed to the districts
Remove synthetic track at Nehru
Park: Forest dept pulls up NDMC
Soumya Pillai and
Ashish Mishra
htreporters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: The Delhi forest
department has sent a notice to
the New Delhi Municipal Coun-
cil (NDMC) for constructing a
22-metre synthetic jogging track
at Nehru Park, which is identi-
fied as a deemed forest by the
forest department. Senior forest
department officers who did not
wish to be named said that the
unauthorised construction will
have to be removed failing
which they would take legal
action.
Deputy conservator of forests
(south division), Amit Anand,
issued a notice to the NDMC on
December 17 stating that Nehru
Park is a deemed forest, which
means that any non-forest activ-
ity, such as construction is not
permitted and also in violation
of the Forest Conservation Act
(1980).
The order has also cited a
1997 Supreme Court judgment
that prohibits such activity in a
deemed forest.
The notice was issued follow-
ing a complaint filed by envi-
ronmentalist Bhavreen Kan-
dhari on December 7, bringing
the forest department’s atten-
tion to the violation. HT has
seen a copy of the notice.
NDMC, as a pilot project, cre-
{ LOCKDOWN CURB ‘VIOLATIONS’ }
Delhi govt asks its home dept to
withdraw FIRs against migrants
NEW DELHI: State home minister
Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said
the government has issued
directions to withdraw all FIRs
and complaints filed against
migrant labourers for alleged
violation of lockdown norms.
“As per the directions of chief
minister Arvind Kejriwal, neces-
sary instructions (have been)
issued to (the) home department
to withdraw all FIRs/complaints
lodged during lockdown against
migrant labourers,” he tweeted.
His office, however, could not
immediately provide data on the
number of FIRs and complaints
registered against migrant
labourers during lockdown.
A senior official in the home
department said the FIRs and
complaints relate to several
cases registered during the first
The details of a passenger from the UK being noted down after
arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
immediately.
“The revenue department has
been compiling this informa-
tion from the civil aviation min-
istry and the immigration
authorities. The lists have been
territorially segregated district-
wise and allocated to survey
teams of the districts area-wise
for surveillance and testing/
tracking,” he said.
Jain said during the house-to-
house survey, passengers are
being asked about their health
and the visiting medical teams
check for Covid-19 like symp-
toms.
“Unlike usual Covid-19 cases,
where an asymptomatic or mild
patients are allowed to get
treated under home isolation, if
a UK returnee tests positive
then s/he will have to undergo
mandatory institutional quar-
antine. All samples of those who
test positive will also be sent for
genome sequencing. If the
result of that comes as per the
new strain then the person will
continue to be under institu-
Work on this track was underway, but has been stopped after the
civic agency received the notice.
ated a 22-metre long synthetic
jogging track in the park around
seven months back. However,
early this month the municipal-
ity started work on adding
another 2.5 kms of this track
citing “positive response from
the public”.
The work on this was under-
way and has been stopped after
the civic agency received the
notice.
The notice issued to the
NDMC read, “...Nehru Park is
located within a ‘deemed forest’
and any non-forest activity,
means the breaking up or clear-
ing of any forest land or portion
thereof for any purpose other
phase of the nationwide lock-
down — implemented on March
25 — which witnessed several
instances of people getting
booked not only for violation of
social distancing norms but also
for stepping outdoors for activi-
ties not enlisted as “essential” in
the government’s then-applica-
ble Covid-19 guidelines.
The first few days of the lock-
down witnessed massive crowds
in Anand Vihar and Delhi’s bor-
ders with Uttar Pradesh and
Haryana, largely comprising
migrant labourers and their
families, looking for buses to
head to their villages and towns.
“There are also several instan-
ces of FIRs and complaints regis-
tered after confrontation
between enforcement agencies
and migrants spotted on roads
SOURCED
tional quarantine for 14 days
until he/she tests negative,” said
a senior government official.
A senior health official said
isolation wards for the UK
returnees who test positive have
been built in three facilities —
Sardar Patel Covid Centre and
hospital in Chhatarpur, Lok
Nayak Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi
Superspeciality Hospitals .
A member from one of over
700 surveillance teams in the
city said the east district so far
has identified 24 passengers
who arrived from the UK and
are residing in the district.
“But contact tracing is very
difficult. Some phone numbers
are invalid. Some addresses are
given of Delhi but the person
has moved out of the city. There
are only 24 passengers we
found who are actually staying
in east district. They are being
tested and checked for symp-
toms,” said the official.
Health minister Satyendar
Jain, urged everyone to wear a
mask when stepping out.
AMAL KS/HT PHOTO
than re-afforestation, is a viola-
tion of the Forest Conservation
Act.”
“...the NDMC is directed to
furnish within 60 days of receiv-
ing the notice, why a complaint
should not be filed in court,” the
notice added.
In Delhi’s context, “an area
above 2.5 acre having a density
of 100 trees per acre as well as
stretches of along roads and
drains having a length of one
kilometre,”is considered a
deemed forest. Any construc-
tion activities in such area
requires permissions from the
union ministry of environment,
forest and climate change under
and public spaces looking out for
food,” said the official, who did
not wish to be identified.
“The government can with-
draw the pending complaints on
their own, but to quash FIRs,
they shall have to move court.
We have already sought legal
help on the matter,” said the sen-
ior government official.
“Delhi Police has been sympa-
thetic and considerate towards
the migrant labourers. Elaborate
stay and food arrangements
were made for migrant labou-
rers during the lockdown, when
they were facing employment
problems. Arrangements were
also made at Anand Vihar for
their smooth passage home
without any law and order
issue,” said police spokesperson
Anil Mittal. HTC
IGI uses dedicated corridor
for UK flyers before ban
Anvit Srivastava
anvit.srivastava@htlive.com
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Indira Gan-
dhi International airport set up
a dedicated corridor for the
movement of passengers arriv-
ing from the United Kingdom,
after the government made it
mandatory for such travellers to
undergo an RT-PCR test for
Covid-19 at the airport.
To ensure that passengers
from the United Kingdom are
segregated from others on their
arrival, their immigration clear-
ance, baggage collection and
customs clearance has been
expedited and is being com-
pleted under supervision.
Only five of the total 470 pas-
sengers from the UK who
arrived at Delhi airport since
Monday have so far tested posi-
tive and have been sent to hos-
pitals.
The rest have been advised
seven days home quarantine,
officials said.
India, on Monday, had sus-
pended all flights to and from
the United Kingdom (UK)
between December 23 and
December 31 in order to stop the
arrival of a new strain of Sars-
Cov-2 that spreads faster. The
government mandated all pas-
sengers who arrive from the UK
on Monday and Tuesday, to take
an RT-PCR test for Covid-19 at
the airport.
While two incoming flights
landed at the Delhi airport on
Monday night and early Tues-
day morning , two more arrived
late on Tuesday. The flights that
arrived on Monday night and
Tuesday morning were Air
FCA.
Such work also requires the
usual permissions under the
Delhi Preservation of Trees Act,
1994.
Nehru Park, which is located
in the diplomatic enclave of
Chanakyapuri, was inaugurated
in February, 1965 by then Prime
Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri,
and is spread across 80 acres.
A senior forest department of
the official said that it is man-
dated under the FCA act that the
erring agency be given time to
respond to the official notice.
However, along with an official
response, NDMC will also have
to remove the tracks that have
already been laid out.
“Any activity that will disturb
the ecology of a marked deemed
forest is prohibited. Permissions
need to be taken from the Cen-
tre and forest department for it.
It is high time land-owning
agencies such as NDMC are held
responsible for their actions,”
the official said.
However, a senior NDMC
official explained that the jog-
ging track was constructed for
the benefit of scores of walkers
and joggers who visit the park
through the day. The munici-
pality had been receiving com-
plaints of users getting hurt on
the uneven surface of the park’s
older albeit natural track.
BM Mishra, secretary NDMC
My Delhi
P The passengers were charged
The dedicated
corridor helps
speed up
immigration,
baggage collection,
customs clearance.
SACHIN BADSHAH, deputy
inspector general (IGIA), CISF
India’s AI 162 and British Air-
ways BA143, respectively, both
from Heathrow airport in Lon-
don.
Doctor Gauri Agarwal,
founder and director of Gene-
strings diagnostics, that is con-
ducting the RT-PCR tests at the
Delhi airport, confirmed that
only five passengers had tested
positive. “The testing was com-
pleted around 5pm on Tuesday.
None of the rest tested positive
or showed any symptoms. They
were all advised a seven-day
home quarantine,” she said.
Agarwal added that it took
them 4-5 hours to get the
reports. “Meanwhile, the pas-
sengers were sent to the lounge.
A guitarist was there to enter-
tain them and they were served
with chocolates and refresh-
ments. Genestrings Diagnostics
has already been conducting
RT-PCR tests of passengers but
for Tuesday we had to double
our staff strength. There are two
more flights scheduled for Tues-
day – one carrying 240 passen-
gers while another has 274 pas-
sengers on board,” she added.
said the ecology of the park was
not hampered in any way dur-
ing the construction of these
tracks.
“Nehru Park is popular
among walkers and many sen-
ior citizens come to walk here.
There are stones, uneven sur-
face and dusty patches in the
existing track, which not only
create problems for walkers,
but also contribute to dust pol-
lution in the area. By creating a
synthetic track, we have tried to
provide a better walking and
jogging facility for users with-
out disturbing any greenery in
the park. We will examine the
forest department notice and
respond accordingly,” Mishra
said.
Environment lawyer, Aditya
Prasad, said government agen-
cies consider the environmental
aspects before undertaking
infrastructure development.
“Nature blindness is a serious
phenomenon and it is spreading
like wildfire. It is appalling that
despite Delhi experiencing such
high pollution levels for the
most part of the year, govern-
ment agencies do not under-
stand the importance of protect-
ing trees. Destruction of trees in
an urban context has a direct
and proportional impact on air
pollution. I wonder if the next
generation will be able to for-
give this apathy,” Prasad.
a total of ₹3,400, that included
₹800, the standard charge for
an RT-PCR test in Delhi. The
rest was lounge charges.
Airport officials said as soon
as the passengers entered the
terminal after crossing the aero-
bridge, they were divided into
batches of 20-25 and were
escorted through a dedicated
corridor by the Central Indus-
trial Security Force personnel in
PPE kits.
Sachin Badshah, deputy
inspector general (IGI Airport),
CISF, said a separate corridor
has been set up for the passen-
gers arriving from the UK so
that there could be social dis-
tancing with other passengers
at the airport.
“The corridor helps expedite
the immigration clearance, bag-
gage collection and customs
clearance for these passenger
who are then escorted by our
men to their designated waiting
area where they wait for
their turn to be tested,” Badshah
said.
The designated waiting area
is a lounge that has been set up
specially to accommodate these
passengers inside Terminal 3 by
airport operator DIAL (Delhi
International Airport Ltd).
From here the passengers are
moved to the testing facility
right in front of T3.
Outside the terminal, the
Delhi police teams were also
present. Deputy commissioner
of police (IGIA) Rajeev Ranjan
said police personnel ensure
that no passenger manages to
leave the airport premises with-
out getting tested.
PETITION IN DELHI
HC TO BLOCK SCI
HUB, LIBGEN
NEW DELHI: Three academic
publishing powerhouses have
approached the Delhi high court
claiming copyright infringement
against online repositories that
provide free access to paywalled
research. Elsevier, Wiley, and
the American Chemical Society
have filed the petition. They have
asked the court to order the
blocking of Sci Hub, which
stores nearly 84 million articles,
and Libgen, which hosts 80 mil-
lion papers.
“The defendant websites
actively encourage viewing/
downloading of original literary
works for which the plaintiffs
have exclusive rights. Therefore,
the defendant websites are liable
for contributory infringement of
copyright,” the petition read. No
hearing date has been set yet. HTC
Gokalpuri to get
surveillance site
for vaccine trials
Anonna Dutt
anonna.dutt@htlive.com
NEW DELHI : The Delhi govern-
ment, in collaboration with the
department of biotechnology, is
creating a 52,000 -strong surveil-
lance site in north-east Delhi’s
Gokalpuri area. This would be
Delhi’s first surveillance site that
can be used for community-level
vaccine trials, surveillance of
emerging diseases, or predicting
outbreaks.
“The department of biotech-
nology is currently in talks to see
whether the trial of an upcoming
Covid-19 vaccine can be con-
ducted in the surveillance site,
once we have collected enough
data over the next few months,”
said Dr Pragya Sharma, head of
the department of community
medicine at Maulana Azad Med-
ical College (MAMC). The trial
site will encompass households
in Gokalpuri, Sanjay Colony,
Ganga Vihar, and Gokulpuri vil-
lage.
The department of biotech-
nology has developed at least 11
such vaccine trial sites across the
country.
Such trial sites allow the
researchers to study the number
of infections at a community
level after being administered a
vaccine. Currently, many of the
vaccine trials being conducted
are hospital-based, where the
volunteers are asked to register
with a particular site to partici-
Govt panel to take
a call on reducing
Covid beds in city
Anonna Dutt
anonna.dutt@htlive.com
NEW DELHI: With hospital beds
earmarked for the treatment of
Covid-19 patients turning vacant,
the Delhi government has set-up
a four-member committee to
make recommendations for
de-escalating the services.
The four-member committee
includes the special secretary
(health) Udit Prakash Rai,
director general of health servi-
ces Nutan Mundeja, Dr Suneet
Kaur from the National Centre of
Disease Control, and the head of
the department of pulmonary
medicine at the All India Insti-
tute of Medical Sciences, profes-
sor Anant Mohan.
Delhi has over 18,700 beds
earmarked for the treatment of
Covid-19 patients.
At present, only 15.2% of the
total beds and 26.1% of the ICU
beds are occupied, as per the
government’s Delhi Corona app.
The committee has been
asked to submit its recommen-
dations by Wednesday evening.
Despite the government scal-
ing up the number of ICU beds,
the occupancy had reached over
86% in November.
05
pate in the trial.
Over the next three years,
researchers from Maulana Azad
Medical College will collect dem-
ographic data of each and every
person living in the area, includ-
ing details like how many people
live in a house, their health con-
dition, and their economic situa-
tion, among others.
All the details collected will be
mapped on a satellite image of
the area, along with detailed
information. The project is
headed by community medicine
expert Dr Nandini Sharma, who
is currently the head of the medi-
cal college.
Delhi health minister Satyen-
dar Jain in a video address at the
inauguration called it a “great
step being taken for the health
care of the people in the area.”
939 new Covid-19 cases,
test positivity rate 1.14%
Delhi on Tuesday conducted
over 82,000 tests for coronavirus
disease, in which 939 people
tested positive, as per the daily
health bulletin. The new cases
remained below the 1,000-mark
for two days in a row.
The positivity rate dropped to
1.14% on Wednesday, the lowest
since the Delhi government
started giving daily data on the
number of cases and tests since
April beginning.
So far, the lowest positivity
rate was 1.16% recorded on
April 6.
The committee has been
asked to study the current trends
in admission and discharge of
Covid-19 patients to make rec-
ommendations on whether the
number of ICU beds should be
de-escalated at this point.
“Covid-19 beds are lying
vacant unnecessarily. The occu-
pancy is hardly about 40%,
whereas non-Covid beds are
running full and many surgeries
and complex procedures were
being delayed for the want of
ICU beds,” said Girdhar Gyani,
director general, Association of
Healthcare Providers (India),
who challenged the Delhi gov-
ernment order.
Meanwhile, the Delhi govern-
ment informed the Delhi High
Court that a discussion on the
new Covid-19 strain spotted in
the United Kingdom (UK) was
taken up in a recent meeting on
deciding if reservation of 80%
beds for Covid patients should
continue in the city’s hospitals.
The government told the court
that due to the current evolving
situation of the new strain, the
order reserving beds will be
reviewed on December 23.
With inputs from Richa Banka
06
As winds slow down, AQI
Delhiwale
slips back to ‘severe’ again
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality
took a turn for the worse on
Tuesday, dropping into the
‘severe’ category, with the Met
department predicting that pol-
lution levels will stay high in the
coming days due to slow winds
and low morning temperatures.
Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) data shows that
Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index
on Tuesday was 418, down
sharply from 332 (very poor) on
Monday. Before this, Delhi’s AQI
touched the severe zone on
December 5, when the city’s
overall AQI was recorded at 404.
Pollution levels showed a
steady drop Tuesday morning
onwards, when the average
hourly AQI deteriorated from
352 at 7am to 377 at noon, before
crossing 400 later in the day.
At 7pm, the average AQI
touched 426, with many moni-
MCDs refusing to
share their financial BJP leaders, mayors
details with us: Jain stir outside AAP HQ
NEW DELHI: State urban devel-
opment Minister Satyendar Jain
on Tuesday said the three
municipal corporations “have
denied” to share with the Delhi
government “any details” on
their incomes and expenditures.
“The three MCDs have been
asked to give details regarding
all their income and expenditure
of last one month, but all the
three MCDs have not responded
to the same. The people of Delhi
need to know the details regard-
ing the public exchequer and
where has it been spent as they
are the taxpayers,” Jain said in a
statement on Tuesday.
The demand by the state
urban development department
to furnish the revenue and
expenditures of the MCDs comes
at a time when the mayors of the
three Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) ruled civic bodies have
toring stations clocking pollu-
tion levels above 450.
VK Soni, head of IMD’s envi-
ronment monitoring and
research division, said winds
had calmed completely for a few
hours on Tuesday morning.
Apart from this, he said, air got
worse due to a weather phenom-
enon called ‘inversion’, because
of which pollution-carrying air
dropped closer to the surface.
“Around noon, we observed
that because of inversion, the
been demanding ₹13,000 crore
as “payable dues” from the Delhi
government. However, the Delhi
government has repeatedly
denied the allegation and has
said that all dues have been paid
to the civic corporations. The
Aam Aadmi Party has even
asked the MCDs to take legal
recourse if they feel the govern-
ment owes them ₹13,000 crore.
“We asked them about their
finances. But MCDs are just
refusing to provide any details.
This is a clear indication that the
BJP-led MCD is trying to hide
their accounts due to some mis-
appropriation,” Jain said.
Jai Prakash, mayor North
Delhi Municipal Corporation,
said, “We have been giving all
the details to the committees of
the Vidhan Sabha. This is a lie.
They don’t want to give our dues
of ₹13,000 crore.” HTC
pollution that was floating
higher up in the air suddenly
dropped and settled closer to the
ground. This was the primary
reason behind this severe drop
in the air quality,” Soni said.
IMD scientists also attributed
the spike in pollution levels to
low wind speeds and the
increase in moisture levels in the
air, after a western disturbance
passed by on Sunday.
Kuldeep Srivastava, head of
IMD’s regional weather forecast-
ing centre, said the average wind
speed on Tuesday was 6kmph —
too weak to disperse pollutants.
“The wind speeds have been
low and there is an increase in
moisture in the air, which is also
holding the pollution particles
down closer to the ground,” Sriv-
astava said.
He also warned that the fore-
cast does not show any signifi-
cant improvement in the wind
speed till December 26, which
means that pollution levels are
{ ‘₹13K CRORE’ MCD DUES } AAP SAYS ‘DIVERSION’
NEW DELHI: Delhi Bharatiya Jan-
ata Party (BJP) chief Adesh
Gupta, along with mayors of the
three municipal corporations
and other leaders of the party, on
Tuesday staged a protest outside
the headquarters of Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) at Deen Dayal Upad-
hyay Marg demanding the gov-
ernment release ₹13,000 crores
dues of the municipalities.
Gupta said the protest is to
fight for the rights of sanitation
workers, doctors, nurses, health
workers, teachers.
“Delhi CM (Arvind) Kejriwal
is sitting on the funds of corpora-
tions. He should ask the govern-
ment officials to immediately
release ₹13,000 crore due funds
to the MCDs,” he said.
Jai Prakash, mayor North
Delhi Municipal Corporation
said the Delhi government is
“wilfully” not releasing the dues
to make “financially cripple” cor-
My Delhi
EXPERIENCE YOUR CITY LIKE NEVER BEFORE
also expected to be on a rise. The
temperature is also forecast to
dip and reach around 4 degree
Celsius in two days, IMD said.
On Tuesday, the minimum
temperature at the Safdarjung
observatory, considered the offi-
cial recording for the city, was
5.3°C, three below normal. The
maximum was 23.9°C.
Air panel tells industries
in Delhi to switch to PNG
Meanwhile, the Commission for
Air Quality Management
(CAQM) on Tuesday observed
that the industrial sector is one
of the major contributors to air
pollution in Delhi and the
National Capital Region, as it
directed all industries in the Cap-
ital to switch over to Piped Natu-
ral Gas (PNG). The commission,
headed by former Delhi chief
secretary MM Kutty, directed
IGL to ensure PNG supply to all
identified industries in Delhi by
January 31, 2021.
What lies beneath...
Glimpse into the beautiful mausoleum in
Nizamuddin that has recently been restored
porations .
{ PUBLIC
INTEREST
“We will continue this fight till
the Delhi government releases
the funds,” Prakash said.
But senior AAP leader Dur-
gesh Pathak said the BJP-ruled
MCD has not placed their claim
of ₹13,000 crores in front of the
court, while on the other side the
Kejriwal government through an
affidavit has mentioned that it
has released all requisite funds
for civic bodies till December 31.
“BJP is lying to people to defame
the Kejriwal government and
divert attention from the ₹2,500
crore MCD scam,” he said.
Pathak also said that on Tues-
day nearly 20,000 AAP volun-
teers conducted “padyatras (foot
marches)” in all of Delhi’s 272
wards to raise awareness of the
‘₹2,500 crore scam’ in the MCDs.
The Delhi unit of the BJP has
refuted allegations of the alleged
scam. HTC
Unforgettable
Nothing here but silence. And the two
} graves at the centre.
This is the windowless crypt of
Rahim’s tomb, in central Delhi’s Nizam-
uddin East. What the visitors see up
there in the breezy principal tomb chamber,
directly under the gumbad (dome), are the empty
gravestones, the cenotaphs. But here in the
underground lie the original graves of Mughal-
era poet and nobleman Rahim, and of Mah Banu,
his wife, in whose memory the building was con-
ceived.
The 16th century mausoleum was undergoing
years-long restoration, led by the Aga Khan Trust
for Culture, that finished last week. Truth be told,
the building has always been cloaked in melan-
cholic beauty. But it was in a derelict state. The
interiors were dark, musty, and smelt of bat shit.
Now, decades of grime have been removed to
uncover the original surface of the monument’s
walls. The patterns have been reclaimed, the
authentic designs cleaned up, or restored where
they were found missing. Geometric patterns,
symbols and religious calligraphy are again visi-
ble. The ceiling in the cenotaph is showing a
clear view of its floral patterns.
You will cherish all this delicate artistry but
unfortunately, you won’t be able to experience
the underground crypt. This part of the mauso-
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
Mayank
Austen Soofi
leum isn’t accessible to visitors, though this
reporter did manage an exclusive access.
This evening... oh well, it doesn’t seem like
evening in the vault, or like any other time of the
day really. In this world of the permanently dead,
there seems to be no connection to the outside.
The place would be terrifying in the darkness but
the lighting—two lamps currently on—has
turned the whole chamber into an arresting
work of minimalism.
The lamps have lit up parts of the walls, leav-
ing out some parts in patterns of darkness. Until
some years ago this crypt was a network of
cracks, discloses Rajpal Singh, chief engineer,
Aga Khan Trust for Culture. “Our work started
here with underpinning foundations and stitch-
ing the cracks—some over a foot wide.” The crypt
has a passage, the so-called parikrama, turning
around the graves. Walking along it is like wad-
ing through spaces dappled in sudden eclipses
and auroras. Niches scooped into the walls
appear to be shadows within shadows. In some
places, the blurry line on the floor separating
light from darkness flickers like a time zone
limit, gradually drawing day and night apart, as
w
READ:
For more
it sometimes can be seen from airplane windows.
But the couple’s graves are entirely soaked in stories by
light. Mayank
Up there, in the main tomb chamber, as you’ll Austen
Instagram in real time the stunning walls and Soofi, scan
splendid dome, remember that a much sparse the above
but equally haunting exquisiteness exists directly QR code
underneath.
Homage
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NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020 07
My India
PM: AMU ‘mini-India’, its New Covid strain may be
COPS: TEEN KILLED
MINOR AFTER RAPE
ATTEMPT FAILED
in India already: Experts
diversity nation’s strength Debabrata Mohanty
letters@hindustantimes.com

BHUBANESWAR: The 18-year-old

man arrested in the Nayagarh
minor girl murder case, also tried
Anonna Dutt
anonna.dutt@htlive.com

NEW DELHI: A new variant of the

Modi says ideological
differences should be
set aside for the sake
of national goals
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
AGRA: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday said that “poli-
tics can wait but development
cannot”, and stressed that ideo-
logical differences should be set
aside for the sake of national
goals.
Modi was delivering the key-
note address as chief guest at the
centenary celebrations of Ali-
garh Muslim University (AMU)
— the first time an incumbent
Prime Minister has participated
in an AMU event since Lal
Bahadur Shastri in 1964.
Addressing the university’s
students, teachers and staff
through a video link, the PM said:
“There are elements in society
who get uneasy when steps are
taken for progress. They try to
create negativity but sooner or
later get marginalised. We have
to understand that politics is an
important aspect of society. But
in society there are also issues
other than politics and one has to
rise above them for nation.”
Though the address was deliv-
ered virtually, elaborate security
preparations were made —
including a police contingent
deployed at the campus’s Bab-e-
Syed gate — with a section of the
university’s students opposing
the PM’s participation in the
event.
The AMU has been a site of
protests against the Citizenship
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses AMU’s centenary celebrations on Tuesday.
should not be wasted, like it was
in the past, on differences. “We
are aiming to build a New India
where youth and students of
AMU can play a major role,” he
said while describing the univer-
sity as “mini-India”.
“The AMU campus is like a
city in itself. We see a ‘mini-India’
among different departments,
dozens of hostels, thousands of
teachers and professors. The
diversity which we see here is not
only the strength of this univer-
sity but also of the entire nation,”
Modi said, hailing the contribu-
tion of the AMU in nation-build-
ing and in elevating India’s posi-
tion internationally through
extensive researches.
As a premier institute of
higher learning, the 100-year-old
AMU has seen its students and
faculty members being awarded
with the prestigious Padma
awards, President’s Award, and
Sahitya Akademi awards.
There are about 34,000 stu-
dents at present.
The PM also stressed on
AMU’s diversity. Urdu and Hindi,
taken by the government to
ensure that people — he made a
specific reference to Muslim
women — stayed in school. “The
drop-out rate among Muslim
girls was more than 70% and this
situation persisted in India for 70
years. The government started
Swachh Bharat mission, built toi-
lets in villages, and toilets for
school-going girls. Now this rate
has fallen to nearly 30%,” he said,
while applauding that 35 % of all
AMU students are women.
“I assure you that no citizen,
irrespective of religion, cast and
creed would be left behind on the
path of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas,
Sabka Vishwas,” said Modi.
The Prime Minister also spoke
about the pride that former stu-
dents have in their AMU roots.
“It is fascinating to see how the
history of education attached to
the AMU buildings is India’s val-
uable heritage. I often meet AMU
alumni during my foreign visits,
who very proudly say that they
have studied at AMU,” he said.
“At AMU, the researches are
done in Urdu, Arabic and Per-
ANI
toric and successful event.
AMU vice chancellor profes-
sor Tariq Mansoor said: “Today is
a historical day...our university
not only completes 100 glorious
years of its inception, but after a
gap of 56 years, an incumbent
Prime Minister of the country
took part in the celebrations. “
“The presence of the Prime
Minister has ignited possibility
and hope among all of us. For
centuries despite diversities, we
are living as a people in oneness
and this is what makes Bharat
unique and this is a message to
the whole world.”
PM to address Visva
Bharati event
PM Modi will address the cen-
tenary celebrations of the Visva-
Bharati University, Shantini-
ketan, on Thursday through
video conferencing, the PMO
said on Tuesday. The West Ben-
gal governor and the Union edu-
cation minister will also be
present during the ceremony, it
said.
to violate the five-year-old victim
after strangulating her to death,
the Special Investigating Team
(SIT) chief Arun Bothra said on
Tuesday.
According to the police, the
incident took place on July 14
when the girl went to the house of
accused Saroj Sethi to collect
blackberries. “Saroj was alone in
his house. He took her to a room
and tried to undress her, when she
resisted and screamed, Saroj
strangulated her to death,” said
Bothra.
Bothra claimed that after killing
the girl, Saroj tried to violate her
body but failed. “The accused then
dumped the body behind a bush
near a pond and covered the
gunny bag with coconut tree bran-
ches. Realising that he forgot to
keep the girl’s leggings, he threw it
in the pond,” said Bothra. He
added that the pond is being dried
up to find the leggings.
The girl was killed on July 14
and her skeletal remains were
found from the backyard of her
house on July 23.
However, the incident came to
light when the deceased girl’s par-
ents attempted self-immolation
before the Odisha assembly. The
state government subsequently
ordered an SIT probe after the
opposition BJP and Congress
raised the issue in the assembly.
Power ministry
notifies rules for
rights of consumers
NEW DELHI: Power ministry
issued a set of rules to ensure
the rights of electricity
coronavirus that originated in
the United Kingdom sometime
in September is likely to have
already reached India, experts
said on Tuesday, calling for
increased whole genome-se-
quencing based surveillance to
detect the new mutation and
prevent further spread.
The variant, VUI–202012/01,
which accounted for nearly 60%
of all cases in London by mid-
December, is thought to be 70%
more transmissible than earlier
versions of the coronavirus. Sci-
entists are still researching on
the effects, virulence and sever-
ity of the new strain.
To prevent the new mutation
from taking hold in the country,
the government has banned
flights from UK from Tuesday
night, and administered tests to
passengers who have arrived
from Britain. On Tuesday, 22
people -- including six from
Delhi -- tested positive for the
virus, and their samples were
sent for genome sequencing.
“The possibility that it hasn’t
arrived in India is low,” said Dr
Anurag Agarwal, director of the
Institute of Genomics and Inte-
grative Biology (IGIB), one of the
labs sequencing Sars-CoV-2 gen-
omes. He explained that the
virus was found to be more
transmissible. but added that the
A
l
SIT files charge sheet against Punjab ex-DGP
in 1991 abduction and murder case
MOHALI: The Special Investigating Team (SIT) on Tuesday filed
a charge sheet against former Punjab director general of police
(DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in a Mohali court for abduction and
murder of CITCO employee Balwant Singh Multani in 1991. Mul-
transmission could occur only if
people were not wearing masks.
If precautions are not fol-
lowed, the new variant may lead
Dr Agarwal said some
Reverse Transcription-Polymer-
ase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)
kits that use the particular gene
to superspreading events, other where the mutation has hap-
experts warned. pened for detecting virus may
“It is likely that the new vari- give out false negatives. “We
ant may have already come to need to recalibrate our tests. The
India, you will find it only if you PCR usually uses two genes to
are looking for it. This is the rea- detect the presence of the virus,
son why we need to scale up the we might not insist on a double
number of genomic sequencing gene positive to give a positive
that we are doing. India has the report,” said Agarwal.
second highest number of Cov- A cause of concern was that
id-19 cases in the world and it is the mutation was at the recep-
likely that some variant like it tor-binding domain of the spike
might have generated within the protein, which the virus uses to
country too,” said Dr Shahid enter the human body. This pro-
Jameel, virologist and director of tein is also one of the targets of
Trivedi School of Biosciences at vaccines being developed.
Ashoka University. But experts said that vaccines
He estimated that the country would remain effective despite
sequences one genome of the the mutation. “Think of the pro-
virus for every 3,000 positive tein used by a vaccine as a sur-
cases, whereas the World Health face; the immune response gen-
Organization said that one erated is against the complete
genome in 300 positive cases surface, so even if there is a
should ideally be sequenced. change in a particular point the
“And, it is not like we do not vaccine still remains effective,”
have the capability. There needs said Dr Jameel.
to be more focus on it,” he said. Dr Agarwal added, “The vac-
At a government briefing on cine produces many antibodies
Tuesday, NITI Aayog member Dr and even if some do not bind, the
VK Paul said that India will use vaccine remains effective. Other
its network of laboratories under than that, there is T-cell immu-
the Indian Council of Medical nity that is generic and a muta-
Research, Department of Bio- tion in the binding site does not
technology, and Council of Sci- change that.” Increased surveil-
entific and Industrial Research lance through genomic sequen-
to sequence more samples, espe- cing might also help the country
cially from the travellers from find the “ideal variant” for a nat-
UK who test positive. ural vaccine for Covid-19.
Andhra Pradesh
gas leak due to
negligence: NGT
NEW DELHI: The NGT held
on Tuesday that gas leak in
an Andhra Pradesh unit in

Amendment Act, or CAA. Things
came to a boil on the night of
December 2019, when students
and police clashed on the cam-
pus.
In his speech, Modi rooted for
the mission of making an
“Atmanirbhar Bharat”, or self-re-
liant India, and said that time
Arabic and Sanskrit are all
taught on the campus, he said.
Along with Quran, the transla-
tions of Gita and Ramayana are
kept in the library. “This diversity
is the country’s strength. We
have to neither forget it nor let it
get weakened,” he said.
Modi spoke about the efforts
sian. This is commendable,”
Modi said. “The research con-
ducted in Islamic history elevates
the position of India in the
Islamic world and gives new
energy to India’s relations with
them.”
AMU public relations officer
Omar Peerzada said it was a his-
v
consumers ensuring
mandated standards of
service such as round-the
clock supply. The rules also
WATCH: In his provide for penalties for
address to AMU, discoms for not maintaining
PM Modi called for development mandated standards of
without any discrimination services.
tani was allegedly picked up by two police officials in 1991 after which two people were killed
a terrorist attack on Saini, in which four policemen deputed in was due to operational
his security were killed. The police later claimed that Multani negligence and asked the
had escaped from its custody in Qadian, Gurdaspur. The SIT state’s Director of Industries
constituted to probe the allegations against Saini added Section to conduct safety audit of the
302 on August 21 this year after which the court issued his arrest pharma city at
warrants but Saini had procured anticipatory bail. The state Visakhapatnam and other
challenged the bail, but SC gave Saini relief from arrest. such locations.

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Tel.: 011-27402400, 27667102
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on
Pulmonary Function Test
Last date for submission of application is 29.12.2020. For
details, please visit Institute’s website: www.vpci.org.in
Any further addendum/corrigendum shall be hosted on the
Institute’s website only.
davp 17169/11/0020/2021 Director
08 My India
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

Love or ‘jihad’? A consent dilemma

A new Uttar Pradesh law that is sweeping
in its remit of forced conversions puts to
the test the fibre of interfaith unions
and the future of Hindu-Muslim couples
Dhrubo Jyoti and Rohit K Singh
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: He was a factory
supervisor looking for a leg-up in his
career. She was finishing her final year in
school. They met at a tuition centre in the
dusty central Uttar Pradesh town of Shah-
jahanpur.
Inter-community marriages
versions to Islam in coastal Karnataka and
Kerala in October 2009. The following
year, then Kerala chief minister VS Achut-
Most Indians marry people from their own religion or caste. There has been a slight increase in
hanandan popularized the term in a
speech, and then in 2016, the conversion of
inter-caste marriages over time but this is not the case with inter-religion marriages, data shows Akhila Ashokan to Hadiya snowballed into
a legal tussle that sparked an anti-terror
BY VIJDAN MOHAMMAD KAWOOSA
probe and a landmark judgment by the
Supreme Court.
CHART 1 Unlike inter-religion marriages, the share of inter-caste FINDINGS FROM But anxiety around interfaith unions in
Janata Party (BJP), who say the ordinance marriages is higher among younger couples A SURVEY UP dates back 100 years.
was required to stop forced conversions In the 1920s, Hindu organisations such
and point out that eight other states % couples Inter-religion marriage Inter-caste marriage as the Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj
already have anti-conversion statutes on
their books. Haryana and Madhya Pra-
desh, both ruled by BJP, are bringing simi-
lar laws. But the law has also riled activists
and opposition parties, who say it is uncon-
stitutional because it practically outlaws
20-24

25-29
2.33

It was the spring of 2017. He sat on the
3.03
12.74
14.07
2.5%
couples married outside their
religion in India, while 13% married
started printing pamphlets and handbills
on abduction of Hindu women by Muslim
men. Titled provocatively as Hindu Aura-
ton ki Loot, these pamphlets hinted at a
global conspiracy to pillage Hindu honour.
The groups used posters, novels, myths,
2.43 outside their caste.
interfaith relationships and bolsters “love 30-34 rumour and gossip for the theory to seep
HUSBAND'S AGE

bench behind her; during a break between
classes to prepare for competitive exami-
nations, he asked her a question, she
turned back to respond, and they started
talking.
In April that year, the tuition batches
were shuffled and she missed classes for
five days, When she came back, he walked
to the head of the class, said hello and
asked for her phone number. She was
taken aback for a moment, but wrote it on
a piece of paper and gave it to him. On
April 20, they spent all night on the phone
talking; at sunrise, he asked her if she
would date him – in local parlance, pro-
posed to her.
She said yes. “In a few months, he knew
what I wanted, how I felt, without me say-
ing anything,” she added.
jihad”. Judicial challenges to the law are 14.08 into small hamlets.
pending before the Allahabad high court l An age-group-wise study shows “This was between the non-cooperation
and the Supreme Court. 2.31 that there has been a slight and the civil disobidience movements, and
35-39
Drafted by the UP law commission, the 12.85 increase in inter-caste marriages there were several communal clashes and
new ordinance is sweeping in its remit of in recent times (or among riots with the rising Muslim League. There
2.88 younger couples), but almost no
conversions. 40-44 was a targeting of the Muslim male and a
Conversions using force, coercion, 13.27 change in the share of inter-reli- disciplining of the Hindu woman with
allurement, deceit and fraud are made gion marriages (See chart 1); increased scrutiny on her behaviour and
2.17 Inter-religion and inter-caste
non-bailable and cognisable offences, 45-49 expression of love,” said Charu Gupta, a
12.16 marriages are more common
which means a police officer can arrest a professor at Delhi University.
suspect without a warrant and start an 2.63 among richer households
investigation without the permission of a 50-54 (See chart 2). Rumours go digital
12.05
court. Allurement can mean anything ran- Many of these pamphlets carried minute
ging from the offer of a gift or money to instructions –don’t wear lac bangles
free education, employment, even the
promise of a better lifestyle. Threatening
divine displeasure is also outlawed.
Complaints can be filed by a blood rela-
tion, in-law or adopted relative of a person
CHART 2

% couples

13.26
Richer households of India have a higher share
of inter-religion marriages
Inter-religion Inter-caste

Mohammad Shamim and Simran
Sagar’s love story could have ended there.
But in June, her parents caught her talk-
ing to him on the phone. Alarmed by the
fact that he was Muslim, they confiscated
her phone and quickly started looking for
a suitable groom. Weeks later, she rejected
the match they found.
She had graduated high school by then
and started a job, but her parents forced
her to quit. “They locked me up in a room,
refused to get me go out. For six months, I
had no contact with the outside world.”
During this time, her parents beat her
almost every day.
Eventually, she tricked her parents into
letting her out, found a spare phone in the
house and called Shamim. Over the next
year, they plotted the future of their rela-
tionship – Shamim brought his family on
board and the couple turned their atten-
tion to convincing her parents:
He moved to Delhi to get a better job
and salary, she obeyed her family’s every
order to soften them up. By this year, they
were feeling confident they would get mar-
ried, but a new law against forced conver-
sions by marriage, coercion or enticement
put a spanner in their plans. “The atmos-
phere in Shahjahanpur became very bad.
There were right-wing people in our local-
ity opposed to interfaith relationships, they
could do anything. Any whiff of our plans
was enough for a first information report,”
said Shamim.
“My family was connected to lawyers
and our house is 500m from the {police}
station, so I was worried that if they found
out about Shamim, they would take him to
police,” said Sagar. “We heard of so many
cases. It was clear to us that we had to leave
UP,” she added.
The concept of Love Jihad
The law they’re referring to is the month-
old UP Prohibition Of Unlawful Conver-
sion Of Religion Ordinance 2020 that spells
out punishment of up to 10 years in jail for
conversion by marriage. The law was in
line with a promise made by Uttar Pradesh
chief minister Yogi Adityanath to stamp
out “love jihad”, a term used by right-wing
activists to describe relationships between
Muslim men and Hindu women, but one
that the courts and the Union government
do not officially recognise.
Shamim and Sagar had no plans to con-
vert – he thinks a person’s faith is their big-
gest treasure – but they feared that if they
applied for a marriage licence at home,
then her parents and right-wing groups
would file a case against them.
Under the 1954 Special Marriage Act
(SMA), a couple has to wait 30 days from
the date of filing an application and in
Uttar Pradesh, notices go to the houses of
the applicants, followed by police verifica-
tion. “We never wanted to run away, but
realised it was too dangerous. We could be
jailed, I could be beaten up. We had to run
away to Delhi,” said Sagar.
The new law has galvanised Hindu
activists and many leaders of the Bharatiya
undergoing the conversion. Anyone
deemed to have helped in conversion can
be booked.
Burden of proof
The ordinance provides for imprisonment
of between one and five years and a penalty
of not less than ₹15,000. In cases where a
minor girl or a woman from the scheduled
caste or scheduled tribe communities is
involved, the imprisonment ranges from
three years to 10 years and a penalty of at
least ₹25,000.
The law provides for voiding a marriage
if it is found to be solemnised primarily to
convert a woman. The burden of proof will
be on the defendants. There are two other
important provisions: One, that if anyone
“reconverts” to their immediate previous
faith, it is not deemed to be a conversion.
And, for repeat offenders, the quantum of
punishment is doubled.
The law mandates a two-step verifica-
tion process. If a person wants to change
their faith, they will have to apply to the
district magistrate two months in advance.
This is double the period stipulated in the
1954 Special Marriage Act.
The forms for these affidavits are metic-
ulous – one has to provide name, both par-
ents’ names, permanent address, current
address down to the house and ward num-
ber, age, sex, occupation, marital status,
monthly income, dependents, caste status,
the faith one is converting to and all details
of the person performing the conversion.
Once a magistrate receives this applica-
tion, a police inquiry will be ordered to
check the “real intention, purpose and
cause” of conversion.
In the second step, the applicant needs
to send a separate affidavit to the magis-
trate within 60 days of the conversion. The
magistrate will then display a notice for 21
days to invite objections, after which the
conversion can be confirmed.
The government is clear that the law
was needed to protect women from har-
assment and fraudulent men. AN Mittal,
chairman of the committee that drafted
the law, said experts studied the law in
south Asian countries, and rulings of the
top court and high courts and existing
laws. “It will be very effective in checking
such conversions and harassment of
women. A victim woman or her family can
now fearlessly go to the police,” Mittal said.
FIRs and arrests
Since November 28, at least 25 people have
been arrested under 11 FIRs across nine
districts. Mohammad Asif almost became
the 26th.
The 24-year-old man worked at a medi-
cal store in the low-income neighbour-
hood of Duda colony on the outer fringes
of Lucknow. Two years ago, Raina Gupta,
the 21-year-old daughter of a driver and a
domestic help, moved to the area and love
quickly blossomed between the neigh-
bours, whose houses were barely 15m
away. The families agreed, and decided to
solemnise the marriage on December 2.
13.07
1.97 2.23
Poorest 20% Poorer
WEALTH QUINTILE
Between them, they spent ₹85,000 to deck
their exposed brick, half-finished houses
with streamers and lights.
“The groom was following each and
every ritual done in Hindu marriages, like
tying turmeric bud on the wrists. The
bride’s family had made arrangements for
the wedding feast,” said a family friend on
condition of anonymity. “Everything was
going well until the policemen came.”
Around 8pm, police barged into the
wedding, tipped off by local right-wing
activists. Despite being told that both fami-
lies had consented, the police dragged
them to the police station, and told them to
register their marriage under the norms of
the new law. The families were let go after
the couple assured the police that no one
was converting their faith.
Additional deputy commissioner of
police (ADCP), South, Suresh Chandra
Rawat defended the police action. “The
police didn’t intervene in anybody’s per-
sonal affair, but the two families were sug-
gested to proceed according to the new law
to avoid any inconvenience in the future,”
he said. It was the police’s duty to enquire
that there was no forced or dishonest reli-
gious conversion, and once the couple
applies at the district magistrate’s office, a
proper verification will be done of both
families, he added.
But the incident has taken its toll on the
families, who have withdrawn from all
social interaction and are suspicious of
every visitor.
The couple still hasn’t applied for a
licence under the Special Marriage Act and
are reluctant to proceed without consult-
ing lawyers. “They haven’t dared to apply
fearing police action and trouble from
Hindu outfits,” said the man quoted above.
“They aren’t even stepping out of home.”
The right-wing argument
Proponents of the new law point towards
the biggest case registered under the ordi-
nance as proof that strict provisions are
needed.
On November 30 in the far-flung east-
ern UP district of Mau, police booked 14
Muslim men from West Bengal under the
new law on a complaint by a local busi-
nessman that his 30-year-old daughter was
abducted to convert her faith.
The father alleged that Shabab Khan
lured the woman, whose name was with-
held by the police, a day before her mar-
riage. Khan worked as a driver in the
house, and was married, the father added.
“He was part of a gang which lures inno-
cent Hindu girls, exploit them physically
13.24 14.54
11.04
2.27 2.85 3.21
Middle Richer Richest 20%
Source: National Family Health Survey (2015-16)
and mentally, and then force them to con-
vert,” he said.
A local resident said Khan was dis-
missed from his job by the father days
before he started looking for matches for
his daughter, and that the woman was in a
relationship with Khan. Along with Khan,
his wife, and 13 relatives and friends have
been booked – five were arrested last
week.
But activists point out that the couple
could have eloped to escape the marriage
that the father had planned, and that there
was no proof of abduction, or that the
woman didn’t consent to the relationship.
That shouldn’t matter, believes Baldev,
a right-wing activist who only gave his first
name. The 22-year-old man spends his
days scouring neighbourhoods for inter-
faith lovers, specifically Muslim men
accompanying Hindu women.
“They don’t tell our sisters their real
identity and lure them into relationships.
Often, they have two or three wives. The
law is good, but we also need to stop such
activities in our localities.”
He gets most of his information from
local men in markets, and landlords and
keeps his group abreast on WhatsApp on
couples seen skipping classes, or out
together. He keeps an especially sharp eye
on Muslim-majority localities and on
houses rented by young, working Muslim
men. “We need to protect our faith, other-
wise we will slip into a minority. We aren’t
against love but against forced radicalisa-
tion,” he added.
On an overdrive
Many such vigilante groups, which have
mushroomed in recent years, have gone
into overdrive since the new law was
promulgated. In two-high profile cases, in
Moradabad and Lucknow, it was right-
wing activists who first informed the police
about an interfaith wedding. In a third
case, in Kushinagar, the right-wingers
tipped off the police but after the wedding
was stopped, the authorities found that
both the groom and the bride were Mus-
lim. “We only keep a watch on such instan-
ces. Whenever we come across such cases,
we report to the police for further action. It
is our moral responsibility,” said Brijesh
Shukla, an office bearer of Akhil Bharat
Hindu Mahasabha.
What complicates matters are the strict
rules under the Special Marriage Act in UP,
where notices of marriage applications are
sent to the permanent addresses of fami-
lies, and a police inquiry is ordered in
many cases. This is unlike the procedure in
1.6%
Hindu men have married a woman
from some other religion while
4.6% Muslim men and 15.8%
Christian men married a woman
from some other religion
l Southern states have a higher
share of interfaith and
inter-caste couples
Source: National Family Health Survey
Delhi, where no such notices are sent.
“In many cases, fringe groups visit these
marriage offices and follow up on the noti-
ces. By having photos and addresses of
couples, these displays act as a direct threat
to their life and privacy,” said Shubhangi
Singh of the Association for Advocacy and
Legal Initiatives. The public notice provi-
sion is currently under challenge in the
Supreme Court.
What many couples do, she added, is to
get the help of middlemen who bribe
clerks and lower government officials so
that the notices are suppressed and not
sent home.
Interfaith relationships have always
been rare – the religion of man and woman
is different for only 2.5% of couples in India
– and for most of history, it was not regu-
lated by law.
The first interfaith marriage law was
made by the colonial state in 1869 on the
insistence of the Brahmo Samaj, a reform-
ist movement. But under this law, you had
to give up your faith if you got married to
someone from another religion.
This provision was amended in 1923.
Hindus could now have a civil marriage
without giving up their faith, but they were
disqualified from inheriting family prop-
erty. The requirement to give up faith
remained for others.
All these hurdles were removed in the
1954 Special Marriage Act.
A bureaucratic event?
“It was supposed to be a good law, but over
the last 70 years, the bureaucratic hurdles
have increased, mainly due to the rules
enacted by each state government,” said
Saptarshi Mandal, a professor at Jindal
Law School.
He drew a distinction between the Spe-
cial Marriage Act and the 1955 Hindu Mar-
riage Act, under which no verification is
needed and religious ceremonies are valid
marriages. “Marriage in all other laws is a
religious event. In Hindu marriages, walk-
ing around a fire is held as valid, even pho-
tographs. Rituals in Christian or Muslim
marriages are considered marriages.
There is no stipulation for certificates. But
in Special Marriage Act, marriage is made
into a bureaucratic event,” he added.
To him, the bureaucratic process signals
an inbuilt suspicion of interfaith unions in
the law – which is also reflected in anti-
conversion statutes in states across India.
As a term, love jihad is relatively new
and originated far away from UP.
It was first used by Christian and Hindu
groups to describe a spate of alleged con-
because the business is controlled by Mus-
lims, don’t buy groceries from Muslims,
don’t hire them as teachers. Local newspa-
pers drove this campaign, which even tar-
geted Muslim civil servants.
“This is not say that women were not
cheated, they were, across faiths. Rumour
mongering that was primarily in print has
become digital, on WhatsApp, now. But
the key difference is that it used to be a
peripheral voice, but now the state is
involved,” Gupta added.
Things came to a head in 1938, when the
daughter of a prominent Hindu lawyer in
Kanpur, Bimla Devi, eloped with the son of
a Muslim merchant and converted her
faith. The case roiled UP, and stoked com-
munal tensions to the extent that the then
British governor mentioned it to the Vice-
roy in two letters. The police charged the
Muslim man with abduction, and the case
reached the Allahabad high court, but not
before a smear campaign against one of
the sitting Muslim judges.
“The sensational case rocked the UP
press for many months. Many of the lead-
ing papers followed it graphically and gave
lengthy details of court proceedings,”
noted Gupta in her book Sexuality, Obscen-
ity, Community: Women, Muslims, and the
Hindu Public in Colonial India. Eventually,
the court awarded the woman’s custody to
her parents; she was reconverted to Hindu-
ism through shuddhi (purification cere-
mony) at the Arya Samaj temple in Kan-
pur, and married to a Hindu man. Not once
was Bimla Devi allowed to appear in court.
Sagar and Shamim
In November, Simran Sagar hatched a
plan. She told her parents that she was
ready to end her relationship with
Shamim and get married. She had just one
condition: Allow her to get a job.
Her parents agreed, and within a week,
Sagar escaped from her house, reached
Delhi and was reunited with Shamim on
December 11. With nowhere to go, the cou-
ple went to Dhanak, a non-government
organisation that helps interfaith couples,
for lodgings.
“It felt like a dream. Even though we
were in a small room and couldn’t go
out, we were with each other,” she said.
The couple have grand plans for the
future – she wants to study computer
science and he wants to get a better job
and support her education. They want to
remain in Delhi – she loves roaming
around the city – but hope to regain con-
tact with their families one day. “We
know we did something wrong, so we
will keep trying,” said Shamim.
The couple moved the high court,
which ordered last week that they be
given protection and a safe house.
Late last Wednesday, roughly 3.5
years after they first met, the couple
moved into a government safe house,
sharing a room and living together as a
couple. They have to wait before regis-
tering their marriage, but aren’t anxious.
“It is a special moment for us; we want to
show the world that there is only love
between us, no jihad,” Sagar said.
With additional reporting by Sudhir Kumar
in Varanasi and S Raju in Meerut

{ DELAYS IN COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION } SC ORDER

Exit deals don’t negate right to compensation notice to wife who joined TMC
Utkarsh Anand
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: A real estate devel-
oper cannot deal with homebuy-
ers’ rights to claim compensa-
tion for delays in the completion
of their apartments by merely
offering refunds or some other
exit option, the Supreme Court
has ruled.
In the order that could
strengthen the rights of home-
buyers under the Consumer Pro-
tection Act, the court has held
that the right to claim compen-
sation is independent of schemes
offered by developers that give
an option to the buyers to
rescind their purchase.
It also held that the damages
to a consumer can be over and
above the amount mentioned in
the developer-buyer agreement,
defined as the contractual rate of
compensation for delays.
In its order last week, a bench
Bengal BJP leader sends divorce
of the apex court headed by jus-
tice Dhananjay Y Chandrachud,
highlighted that “a genuine flat
buyer wants a roof over the
head” and therefore, schemes
offering them a refund of what
they had paid to date would not
be sufficient. “For a genuine flat
buyer, who has booked an apart-
ment in the project not as an
investor or financier, but for the
purpose of purchasing a family
home, a mere offer of refund
would not detract from the enti-
tlement to claim compensation,”
held the bench, which also
included justices Indu Malhotra
and Indira Banerjee.
“Mere refund of consideration
together with interest would not
provide a just recompense to a
genuine flat buyer, who desires
possession and remains commit-
ted to the project. It is for each
buyer to either accept the offer of
the developer and opt out, or
continue with the agreement for
TOP COURT HOLDS
THAT THE RIGHT
TO CLAIM
COMPENSATION IS
INDEPENDENT OF
SCHEMES OFFERED
BY REALTORS
purchase of the flat,” it said.
The court also addressed
another contention regarding
the appreciation of the capital
value of the flats with the pas-
sage of time, stating that this fac-
tor could only be one of the con-
siderations while determining
the quantum of damages but
that it can’t deprive the consum-
ers of a fair compensation.
The order came as the bench
dismissed DLF Home Develop-
ers Limited’s appeal against
compensation to the flat buyers
of the Capital Greens project in
Delhi. The developer, through
senior advocate Pinaki Misra,
challenged the order of the
National Consumer Commis-
sion, arguing the delay in com-
pletion of the apartments was
due to certain reasons beyond
the control of the developer.
Misra added that the devel-
oper also offered to its buyers
refunds of the amount paid by
them, together with interest at
the rate of 9% per annum.
Representing the homebuy-
ers, advocate Shyam Divan
directed DLF to pay compensa-
tion in the form of simple inter-
est at the rate of 7% annually
from the promised date of pos-
session till the date it is offered.
The bench said that “the fact that
the developer offered an exit
option with interest at 9% would
not disentitle the flat purchasers
from claiming compensation.”
The other argument by DLF,
with respect to unmanageable
circumstances, was also rejected
with the court noting that if fatal
accidents at the site stalled the
work due to a developer’s laxity
in adhering to safety norms, the
buyers cannot be made to suffer.
“We welcome the order of the
Supreme Court because it will
empower the thousands of
homebuyers who have been suf-
fering for a long time at the
hands of the developers,” said
Abhishek Kumar, president of
Noida Extension Flat Owners
Welfare Association.
“We will look into this order
in detail and then figure out as to
how it will impact the real estate
sector ahead. But any order that
gives power to the consumer
helps the sector as it restores the
faith of the homebuyer...,” said
Subodh Goyal, secretary of the
western Uttar Pradesh chapter
of the Confederation of Real
Estate Developers Association of
India.
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) parliamentarian
Saumitra Khan on Tuesday
sent a divorce notice to his wife
Sujata Mondol Khan, a day
after she joined the ruling Tri-
namool Congress.
The legal notice for “mutual
divorce under section 13(B) of
the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955”
said that the couple was not on
cordial terms and had been liv-
ing separately for the past six
months.
The couple could be con-
tacted for their comments.
Meanwhile, the state admin-
istration posted four police per-
sonnel at Sujata’s house in Ban-
kura district, while three
armed police personnel were
deployed to give her round-the-
clock security.
AS PER THE LEGAL
NOTICE, THE
COUPLE WAS NOT
ON CORDIAL
TERMS AND HAD
BEEN LIVING
SEPARATELY
FOR THE PAST
SIX MONTHS
Twists and turns straight out
of a Bollywood movie played
out on West Bengal’s political
stage on Monday, shortly after
Sujata joined the TMC.
“Sujata, I will send you
papers for mutual divorce.
Please sign them and do not
use Khan, my surname, from
today,” an emotionally charged
Saumitra said in a press confer-
ence on Monday as a family
drama involving melodramatic
exchanges between him and
his wife was aired on live tele-
vision.
Later in the day, Sujata said
in an interview to mediaper-
sons: “I married him going
against the wish of my family. I
love him and will always do so.
I still have the red sindoor (ver-
milion) on my forehead (a sign
of a married woman).”
“Can a personal relationship
end in divorce because of poli-
tics? No TMC leader told me
that I have to divorce him to
join the party,” she added.
Saumitra is a former TMC
leader who joined the BJP in
January 2019.
He was the TMC’s Lok Sabha
member from Bishnupur in
Bankura district.
He retained the seat by con-
testing for the BJP and was
made president of the state
BJYM about three months ago.
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
{ THE CROSSWORDS }
CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS
1 Non-fire form of hell (7)
5 Almost rate as fools (5)
8 Physical training manuals? (8,5)
9 I sell broken thread (5)
10 Give one the right to call (7)
11 He is in highest command (6)
12 Is deep, perhaps, but may be detected (6)
15 Accuse the little devil of taking every
one (7)
17 Wants to sound negligent (5)
19 Provided what was necessary and
completed the account (6,3,4)
20 Hurry back, they’re hard to fathom (5)
21 Opposes the Ugly Sisters (7)
DOWN
1 Having no flaws, though I have a lot (5)
2 Finds out if beatings are regular (5,3,5)
3 Fraudulent schemes taken in hand in
courts (7)
4 Roy set out sea-food (6)
5 Am given little scope (5)
6 Current faults that appeal to tired racing
drivers (5,8)
7 Stay and use up the money going round
America (7)
11 Given instruction in law (7)
13 Joins as senior on board (7)
14 More like the snow I threw out? (6)
16 Declares a piece of poetry lacks point (5)
18 They’re trodden on underfoot (5)
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS (15799)
CRYPTIC
My India 09
PUZZLE 15800 © Gemini Crosswords 2018 All rights reserved
28 yrs on, 2 held guilty for
murder of Sister Abhaya
Ramesh Babu
letters@hindustantimes.com HOW THE CASE UNFOLDED
1992 March 27: Junior nun Sister Abhaya’s body found in well of
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three
investigative agencies, multiple St Pious convent in Kottayam
Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) reports, destroyed evidence, 1993 January: Crime branch files March 23: The case is
hostile witnesses and a number of closure report, calls it a suicide handed over to the CBI
writ petitions and intervention
pleas later, a special CBI court on September: CBI also concludes that it was a suicide.
1996 Court rejects its report and asks for reinvestigation
Tuesday found a Catholic priest
and a nun guilty of murdering
19-year-old Sister Abhaya and dis- March 1997: CBI says it was a homicide, not a suicide.
1997 Court again rejects its findings.
posing of her body in a well in the
convent where she stayed in Ker-
ala’s Kottayam district in 1992.
December: CBI tells a court that it was a murder and
2008 arrests three accused
The court of special judge K
Sanil Kumar convicted Father
QUICK CLUES Thomas Kotoor (71) and Sister 2009 July 17: CBI files charge sheet in the case against
three accused.
ACROSS DOWN Sephy (57) under Indian Penal
Code sections 302 (murder), 449
2018 Jan 22: CBI makes former SP KT
1 Transient (7) 1 Student (5) March: Courts acquits
5 Unanimous (5) 2 Avoid committing oneself (3,2,3,5) (trespassing in a house to commit one of the accused
Michael fourth accused in the case
8 Imprison (3,6,4) 3 By mistake (2,5) a crime), and 201 (destroying evi-
9 An individualist (5) 4 Six-stringed instrument (6) dence) and will pronounce the Aug 26: Court begins to Sept 19: A witness raises
10 Average (7) 5 Grasslike marsh plant (5) sentence on Wednesday. 2019 hear the case serious charges against accused
11 On land (6) 6 Have wretched existence (4,1,4,4) Abhaya’s brother Biju Thomas,
12 Accompany as guard (6) 7 Lineage (7) who works in Dubai, lauded the DEC 22, 2020: TWO OF THE ACCUSED ARE FOUND GUILTY
15 Umpire (7) 11 In reference to (7) verdict. “God is great. Justice has
been done to my sister,” he said.
17 Commencement (5) 13 Impassive in adversity (7)
19 Parsimonious (5-8) 14 English composer, d.1934 (6) Their parents passed away after said he saw the duo go up the necessary steps. “But I personally
20 Magic formula (5) 16 Kingly (5) their daughter’s death. stairs of the convent in the wee feel clergymen holding such posi-
21 Most significant (7) 18 Closely packed (5) The duo was accused of killing hours of March 27, the day Sister tions won’t commit such deeds,”
Sister Abhaya, a second year pre- Abhaya’s body was found — was he said.
degree student, and dropping her let off by the court last year for lack In 1993, Verghese P Thomas,
body into th well of Pious X Con- of evidence. former CBI deputy SP who inves-
{ SUDOKU } DIFFICULTY LEVEL vent for reportedly discovering “I was there to steal some areca tigated the case, resigned from

their relationship, which is imper-
missible on account of their posi-
tions in the Church. Both the
police and the crime branch ini-
tially ruled Sister Abhaya’s death a
suicide, but her body bore marks
of lacerations, post mortem
reports indicated.
After hearing of their convic-
tion on Wednesday, Sister Sephy
broke down while Father Kotoor
said he would prove “his inno-
cence in the court of God”. A third
QUICK
nut. I saw both, Kotoor and Pooth-
rukayil at the convent and after
some time they came out in
hurry,” said Raju, the main wit-
ness.
A spokesperson of Knanaya
Catholic Church — to which Sister
Abhaya and the accused belonged
— said that it would appeal against
the verdict in the high court.
Archbishop of Latin Catholic
church Soosa Pakiam, the only
senior member of the church who
the agency after alleging that he
was being pressurised by his
superiors to pass off Abhaya’s
death as a suicide.
“I paid a heavy price for
embracing the truth.But today, I
feel my sacrifice that was worth
it,” he said. Legal experts hailed
the verdict.
“Truth prevailed finally.
Credit goes to the CBI team
headed by Nandakumar Nair
and activists like Jomon Puthan-

accused, Father Jose Poothrukayil had reacted till Tuesday evening — purakkal,” said senior lawyer B
— an eyewitness, Addaki Raju, said that the church will take the Jayashankar.

Gauhati HC orders floor

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row,
column and each of the 9X9 squares contains all the
test for Assam’s BTC
digits from 1 to 9. executive council.
Utpal Parashar
“The process of election of a
letters@hindustantimes.com
CEM is a democratic process.
GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Therefore, it can’t be denied that
Court on Tuesday ordered the the newly appointed CEM would
{ WEATHER } TEMPERATURE IN
ALMANAC newly elected executive council be under a constitutional obliga-
TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW Today is FOUR METROS
of Bodoland Territorial Council tion to prove his majority in the
23rd December 2020 Delhi
7 Jumada Al-Awwal 1442 (BTC) in Assam to prove its floor of the house,” the HC said.
l
24°c I 04°c
l Margashirsha, Shukla majority in a floor test on or BPF had emerged as the single
Paksha, 9 Mumbai
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY l Samvat 2077 before December 26. largest party winning 17 of the 40
Sunset: Wednesday 32°c I 22°c
Dense fog Dense fog Dense fog at 05:29 p.m.
The order following a petition seats. But the United Peoples’
Kolkata
Sunrise: Thursday
24°c I 13°c filed by Hagrama Mohilary, the Party Liberal, which won 12,
at 07:11 a.m.
Moonrise: Thursday former chief executive member along with Bharatiya Janata
Chennai
at 01:45 p.m. (CEM) of BTC and president of Party (9) and Gana Surakha
30°c I 21°c
24°c I 04°c 23°c I 04°c 22°c I 03°c Moonset: Friday
at 02:42 a.m. Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) Party (1) came together to cobble
challenging formation of the up a majority.

DELHI JAL BOARD, GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE (W)
ROOM NO. 306, VARUNALAYA PHASE-II, KAROL BAGH, NEW DELHI
EMAIL ID: proyap32018@gmail.com, PHONE NO. - 011-2355 0843
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EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Sl.
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Cost deposit
Period of Last dt./
Completion time of
Uttarakhand Police Headquarters, 12 Subhash Marg Dehradun
For each For each receipt of RE-E-Tender Notice
group (Rs.) group (Rs.) Bids
1. Selection of Partner Public Relations (PR) Agency Lump Sum INR 36 months 03.02.2021 Sl.No. Name of the Bids Number Last date & Time for Date & Time for opening Pre-Bid
to carry out Media Tracking and Analysis, and to 3,96,000.00 up-to equipments Receipt of tender of technical offer meeting
assist DJB in handling, managing and improving the (Rupees Three 1500 1. Body Worn DG-3-1(05)-2020 02.01.2021 10.00 Hrs 02.01.2021 11.00 Hrs 26.12.2020
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Interest” link.
For more Information of E-tender Pleace Login http:uktenders.gov.in DIG, P&M Police
ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Dy. Director (PR)
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10
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CHANGE OF NAME
I, SUBHASH Roy, S/o Sh. Sukumar
Roy, R/o E-2/110, Gali No. 2, Pusta
No.5, Sonia Vihar, Sabhapur, North
East Delhi-94 have changed my name
from Madan Roy to Subhash Roy for
all future purposes.
I, RAJKUMAR, S/o Moolchand,R/o
A-22,Dakshinpuri,N.D-62 has changd
the name of my minor daughter
Gracy 11yrs, She shall hereafter be
known as Greshie W.I.E. for all purp's
CHANGE OF NAME
I, BALJEET Singh S/o Shri Gurdit
Singh R/o H.No. 1780, Partap Street,
Pahar Ganj, New Delhi - 110055,
declare that in my Indian Passport
No. J4782688 my name has been
wrongly written as Bajeet Singh
whereas my correct name is
Baljeet Singh.
I, AMIT Aggarwal S/o Naresh kumar
Aggarwal R/o Satya Shanti Apartment
Sector-13, Rohini -110085 have
changed my name to Amit G
Aggarwal for all future purposes &
actual & correct DOB 25 August 1980
I, UMESH Chand Gupta S/o Sh.
Madan Gupta R/o H. No.B-104, Ma-
haraja, Aggarsen, Apartment Sector
21C/III, GHS 9, Faridabad, Haryana
have changed my name from Umesh
Gupta to Umesh Chand Gupta for all
future purposes.
I, SANJAY Kumar S/o Rajender
Singh, H.No. 1357, Sector-4 Extn,
Rohtak declare that my name
wrongly mentioned in my daughter's
school record as Sanjay Nain. But
my correct name is Sanjay Kumar as
per all government documents for
future purposes.
I, MADHU Devi W/o Sh. Gopal Singh
R/o H-4/86,First Floor, Sector-16,
Rohini,North West Delhi, Delhi-
110089,have changed my name from
Madhu Devi to Madhu Devi Rawat for
all future purposes.
IN MY service record my brother
name mention as Nishant Tevatiya
and in other documents his name
written as Nishant Tevthiya both
name are one and same person.
Nikhil Kumat Tevatiya S/o Jagdeep
Tevatiya R/o Vill. Fakharpur
Mohammad Shahpur Teh. Khekra
Baghpat
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020
DELHI CANTONMENT BOARD
SADAR BAZAR, DELHI CANTT - 110010
TENDER NOTICE
Delhi Cantonment Board invites tenders from the Govt. approved contractors/manufacturer in appropriate
category through e-tendering for the following works as detailed below:
DETAIL OF WORK
Sl. Name of Work Date of Last date Last date Date and
No. release & time for and time time for
of tender downloading submission opening
through of tender of e-tenders of
e-procurement documents e-tenders
1. Supply/Installation/Testing/Commission 04.01.2021 25.01.2021 25.01.2021 25.01.2021
of Colour Doppler Ultrasound System
& Accessories for Cantonment General
Hospital, Delhi Cantt.
2. Supply/Installation/Testing/Commission 04.01.2021 25.01.2021 25.01.2021 25.01.2021
of 1000 MA Digital Radiography (D.R)
System & Accessories for Cantonment
General Hospital, Delhi Cantt.
3. Supply of Equipment and Consumables 28.12.2020 17.01.2021 17.01.2021 18.01.2021
products related to COVID-19 for
Cantonment General Hospital, Delhi
Cantt-110010
4. Empanelment of Local Chemist for Local 26.12.2020 01.01.2021 01.01.2021 02.01.2021
Purchase of Medicine etc. for Cantonment
General Hospital, Delhi Cantt.
The bidder may download the “Tender Document” and other terms and conditions as available on the website
of http://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app.
Telephone No. 25695450
CA NO. DCB/33/S-1/2020-21
OFFICE OF THE CANTONMENT BOARD Chief Executive Officer
DELHI CANTONMENT-110010 Delhi Cantonment Board
Dated: 22 December, 2020 (S.V.R. Chandra Sekhar)
·FFSX°Fe¹F ½FF¹Fb ÀFZ³FF
INDIAN AIR FORCE
AIR FORCE STATION ADAMPUR, JALANDHAR-144103
INVITATION FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR
PLACEMENT OF CELL TOWER ON WHEELS (COW)
Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Adampur, invites “Expression of Interest from Access
Service Licensees and Infrastructure Provider Companies (IP-1) for Placement of Cell Towers
on Wheels (COW) at Air Force Station Adampur” and to propose location for placing of Cell Tower
on Wheels (CoW) for extending 4G mobiles services in domestic area at Air Force Station Adampur
as per Govt of India MoD policy letter No. F. 11026/1/2005/D(Lands) dated 26.02.2018.
1. Name of Work Expression of Interest from Access Service Licensees
and Infrastructure Provider Companies (IP-1) for
Placement of Cell Towers on Wheels (COW) for extending
4G mobiles services at Air Force Station Adampur
2. Place and Timing of availability The format for Eol can be obtained from CPPP within
of Eol documents 15 days of publication of advertisement.
3. Address of Website from www.eprocure.gov.in
where EoI documents can be
downloaded
4. Place & Deadline for receipt Air Force Station Adampur Main Guard Room by 1200 hrs
of Eol on 08 Jan 2021. Interested companies may also submit their
Eol through mail on email id: audax-75@nic.in
5. Place & Timing of Opening of Eol will be opened at Station Sports Complex by Board of
EoI Officers at 1300 hrs on 08 Jan 2021.
GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRA
6. Other important information The interested Access Service Licensee/IP-1 companies
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
willing to carry out technical survey may do so with prior
coordination with the advertisement issuing authority. The WORLD BANK PROJECT DIVISION, AURANGABAD
final location for placement of Cell Tower on Wheels (CoW) E-Tender Notice No-03 OF 2020-21.
will be selected by the Board of Officers (BOO) from the Online Open B-1 Tenders (e-tender) for the following work
locations proposed by the Access Service Licensees and is invited by the Executive Engineer, World Bank Project
IP-1 companies through their Eol and the bidding in two Division, Bandkam Bhavan, Adalat Road, Aurangabad. Phone
stages i.e Technical and Financial bid will be carried out for No (0240) 2331342 Now the Period is from Date 24/12/2020
selected sites at a later stage. The highest bidder will be Time 17.31 hrs, TO 08/01/2021 Time 23.00 hrs,
entitled to place Cell Tower on Wheels (CoW) at selected
location at Air Force Station Adampur. Name of work:-
(1) Construction of RCC Compound Wall on Forest Land at
davp 10802/11/0015/2021 Survey No. 287, 288, 289 (Satara) 286 (Deolai)
At Aurangabad at Tq Dist A,bad & Survey No 207(Jalna) At
Jalna Tq.& Dist Jalna.
LOST & FOUND LOST & FOUND
(2) Providing and Fixing Modular Furniture for Assistant
IT IS notified for the information that ORIGINAL PROPERTY papers Charity Commissioner’s and Public Trust Registration


 my original examination certificate
of main, secondary examination
2019 Roll No. 8249754 issued by
CBSE has been lost name of the
like original Allotment Letter, Orig-
inal Payment Receipts, Original Plot
Buyers Agreement, Original Sale
Deed dated 24/09/1984 vasika no.
Office at Jalna.
All details can be viewed and downloaded online
directly from the Government of Maharashtra e-tendering
candidate Setu Gupta R/o A 21 Hauz 5531, Original Sale Deed dated
Khas New Delhi. Ph : 9810518365 19/06/1987 vasika no. 1701, Original Portal, www.mahatenders.gov.in etenders.in. and
CHANGE OF NAME LOST & FOUND Sale Deed dated 10384 vasika no. http://www.mahapwd.com. The remaing matter is
25/07/2012 of our Plot No. A-2/1, unchanged.
IT IS notify for the information that I, AVDHESH have Lost my Original DLF City-1, Gurugram, Haryana.
I, RAMANAND Dev S/o Kailash
my original certificates of CBSE,
passing certificate of 10th, year Have been lost. Finder plz cont. Sd/-
Prasad Dev RZ 182 H-Block 2006 Roll no. 6385184 CBSE Board M/s NYEQ Technologies Pvt Ltd.
Dharampura Najafgarh ND 110043 class 10th Roll No.2113098 year DELHI. If Found Please Contact: C/o Gaurav Bhargava D-36, South Executive Engineer
have change my name Ramanand 2008 & class 12th Roll No. 2610581 8700908815 Extension Part-2, New Delhi World Bank Project Division,
Dev to Rakshit Poddar for all year 2010 has been actually lost,
Ratan Priya Sharma, H.No.848, DGIPR/2020-2021/ROC 1570 Aurangabad
purpose.
Sector-15A, Faridabad HR-121007.
Finder may contact above address.
I, THUMPALLY Sathvik Reddy S/o OFFICE OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
Thumpally Mohan Reddy R/o JAMMU & KASHMIR INDUSTRIES LIMITED
Alaknanda, New Delhi has changed Ground Floor, Jawaharlal Nehru Udyog Bhavan
my name from Thumpally Sathvik
Reddy to Sathvik Reddy Thumpally Railhead Complex, Jammu, J&K
for all future purposes.
INVITATION FOR BIDDING
NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING
I, RAJKUMAR,S/O MoolChand,A- No.: JKI/NIT/Pub/ Date: 18.12.2020
22, Dakshinpuri,New Delhi-62 has
change the name of my minor son 8 The Managing Director, Jammu Kashmir Industries Limited on behalf
years old,Saam Krishna Chandel , He
of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir invites sealed bids
shall hereafter be known as Samrat J
Chandel W.I.E. for all purposes (to be submitted through e-procurement) from eligible Bidders for the
following works:
I, PARDIP Kumar S/o Mahender
Name of Work Date of Date of Date of Opening
Singh R/o H.No 24 Masjid Wali Gali,
Village Bhorgarh Narela ND-40 have Online Closing (Technical Part)
Availability
changed my name from Pardip Kumar
to Pradeep Saini for all purposes
Interior Works for 21.12.2020 20.01.2021 21.01.2021
Showroom & Interpretation (1100 hrs.) (1700 hrs.) (1130 hrs.)
I, ALISHA Khanna D/o Shri Centre, BKSM, New Delhi
S.K. Khanna, R/o E-34, Second
Floor, Greater Kailash-1, New Delhi- (JKI/BKSM/ND/W001/02
110048, have changed my name of 2020)
from Alisha Khanna to Aleesha
Khanna for all future purposes. Detailed Invitation for Bid which includes instructions for submission
of bids and all other relevant information is available on the website
I, NEELESH Kumar S/o Shri Brajesh www.jktenders.gov.in.
Kishore Verma R/o Flat no. B004, Managing Director
Bestech Park view City-2, Sohna
Road, Gurgaon, Haryana & Neelesh Jammu Kashmir Industries Limited
Verma are the same and one person Ground Floor, Jawaharlal Nehru Udyog Bhawan,
who is myself.
Rail Head Complex, Jammu J&K-180012
Phone: 0191-2475149, Mobile: 9419445538
I, HITHERTO known as Kavya S/o E-mail: jkisgr@gmail.com
Sh. Govind R/o H.No. 70, Block-C,
Sec-1 Avantika, Rohini, Avantika, DIPK-NB-4716
North West Delhi, Delhi-110085
have changed my name and shall
hereafter be known as Keshav.
I, ARPAN S/0 Sanjeev Kumar R/O
C-4/129, 130, Sector-6, Rohini,
Delhi - 110085, have changed my
name to Arpan Wasan for all future
purposes.
LOST & FOUND
I, VEENA Arora W/0 Sh. L D Arora R/0
C904, Park View City 1, Sohna Road,
Gurgaon, Haryana, has lost original
Possession Certificate bearing Memo
no. SDE1526062, dated 25/08/2005
for Plot no. 1028, Sector-46,Gurgaon,
Haryana, issued by HUDA in favour of
Mr. Sunil Khurana S/o Late Sh. Shyam
Lal Khurana. We have not misused
the same nor the same is deposited
with any financial institution, if found
adverse we will be liable. I have also
filled an FIR vide FIR
no.13227051072000432, dated
17/12/2020. Finder may please
contact me at 9999914860.
I, KAKOLI Palit Kaushik W/o Mr.
Vidur Kaushik R/o Flat G-297B (FF)
Ansal Sushant floors, Sushant Lok-II,
Sector-57, Gurugram, Haryana have
lost Original Allotment Letter cum
Builder Buyer Agreement Dated.
24.08.1998, in respect of Property
No. Flat G-297B (FF) Ansal Sushant
floors, Sushant Lok-II, Sector-57,
Gurugram, Haryana Finder may pls
Contact at the address above.
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020 My India 11 PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology,
Design & Manufacturing, Jabalpur
(An Institute of National Importance established by an act of Parliament, under Ministry of Education, Govt. of India)
Dumna Airport Road, PO : Khamaria, Jabalpur-482005 (MP) INDIA
Addendum
{ AMID RUMBLINGS IN CONGRESS } Sub :- Advertisement for Faculty Positions Dated 22/12/2020
Ref.– Advertisement No 03/2020 Dated 18/12/2020
With reference to above advertisement for faculty positions was published in various disciplines. In

Dissenters stress on need for hands-on chief

continuation to it applications are also invited in the disciplines of Mechanical Engineering and English for
the posts of Assistant Professor Grade-I, Pay level-12; Assistant Professor Grade-II, Pay level-11 (on
contract) and Assistant Professor Grade-II, Pay level-10 (on contract). For further details and
application form please visit Institute website www.iiitdmj.ac.in
Note :- Last date for receiving hard copy of completed application form is
also extended till 25-01-2021 (by 05:00 PM) Director
Sunetra Choudhury and has weakened the Congress and letter writers suggested that the posed “chintan shivirs”, or intro-
Aurangzeb Naqshbandi demoralised its workers, the Parliamentary board meet regu- spection meetings; its accept-
controversial letter written by 23 larly so that it can take a coordi- ance was announced by the Con-
letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: When seven of the
23 senior Congress politicians
who called for a sweeping orga-
nisational overhaul in August
met party president Sonia Gan-
dhi on Saturday, they offered
several suggestions to revive the
135-year-old political party. Key
among the suggestions was the
role of the president who, they
said, should be hands-on and
lead from the front.
Termed an icebreaker, this
was the first in-person interac-
tion amid the Covid-19 pandemic
between representatives of the
group of dissenters and Sonia
Gandhi and other party leaders.
Hindustan Times spoke to sev-
eral of the 20-odd attendees on
the kind of changes the group
wanted in the party.
Individual members of the
group who spoke by turn put for-
ward their views as did and
some other attendees such as
former finance minister P Chi-
dambaram. Many of the changes
suggested in the All India Con-
gress Committee (AICC) were
put forward by Chidambaram,
who didn’t reply to queries from
HT. “There should be people
who sit in the office daily and be
available for meetings and not
the kind of ghost town that it
(Congress headquarters) is
leaders to Sonia Gandhi on
August 7 said, warning the high
command of the erosion of its
support base with the desertion
of functionaries across states,
and calling for an overhaul of
the party organisation and a
“visible” leadership.
The letter also sought intro-
spection of the reasons behind
the party’s “steady decline,” and
appealed to the Congress leader-
ship to take the initiative for the
formation of a “national coali-
tion of democratic and secular
forces” against the ruling Bhar-
atiya Janata Party (BJP).
Of the 23 signatories to the let-
ter, leader of the Opposition in
the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi
Azad, his deputy in the House
Anand Sharma, former union
ministers Manish Tewari and
Shashi Tharoor, former chief
ministers of Haryana and Maha-
rashtra Bhupinder Singh Hooda
and Prithviraj Chavan and the
head of the party’s legal depart-
ment Vivek Tankha attended the
meeting.
The institutions that the letter
writers referred to at Saturday’s
party meeting were both existing
ones and some new ones they
want created. For instance, they
suggested the appointment of
one, two or even more working
presidents who would help the
Congress leaders Pawan Bansal, Prithviraj Chavan and Harish
Rawat after a meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. PTI PHOTO
2017, only to give up the post in
May 2019 after the Congress’s
debacle in the general elections,
paving the ground for Sonia
Gandhi to become interim party
chief. The concept of a working
president has been revived with
greater vigour since then.
The only precedent of a work-
ing president in the Congress
dates back to the Rajiv Gadhi
era. Because he was Prime Min-
ister and also the Congress presi-
dent, he chose veteran Kamala-
pati Tripathi as working presi-
dent and Arjun Singh became
party vice-president.
pointed out that at the moment,
PCC chiefs were reporting to
general secretaries who were “de
facto kings.’
The letter writers, especially
Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of the
opposition in the Rajya Sabha,
also proposed restarting the Par-
liamentary board of the Party.
This is a body that still finds
mention in Article 25 , clause A
of the party’s constitution. The
clause says the body will be
headed by the party president
and will have nine other mem-
bers, one of whom will be the
leader of the party in Parliament.
nated view of current issues.
When this was suggested,
however, Sonia Gandhi pointed
out that the body had been
scrapped by PV Narasimha Rao
when he was party president in
1992.
Party insiders said Rao’s was a
nuanced move.”`During the ple-
nary session at Tirupati (in 1992),
Arjun Singh, Jitendra Prasad
and others formed a syndicate
and won elections to the Con-
gress Working Committee
(CWC). Since they would now
have a say over the members of
the Parliamentary board, Rao
said that there wasn’t a point in
having a board . A day later, they
were made to issue a resolution
that empowered the Congress
president (Rao) to reconstitute
all bodies,” one old-time Con-
gressman said.
Finally, a suggestion was
made to hold elections to choose
members of the CWC, the high-
est decision making body of the
party. The last time elections
took place to the CWC were
under Sitaram Kesri in 1997. In
the last plenary session of the
Congress, Ghulam Nabi Azad
moved a resolution that junked
elections to the CWC in favour of
members’ nomination by the
Congress president. The CWC’s
term expires in 2022 and the let-
City
gress’s Pawan Bansal.
Tiwari didn’t respond to que- ‘I GET
ries from HT. SCARED
Now the letter writers are
waiting for the party to move on WHEN
their other suggestions. They PEOPLE SAY,
include one for the party to artic- TAAPSEE
ulate a clear ideological view.
For instance, HIndustan Times IS AT HER
learns, Lok Sabha MP Shashi CAREER CHECK
Tharoor said he didn’t agree BEST’ OUT
with the soft Hindutva approach TODAY’S
being espoused by some party EDITION
members in the north.
Some of the August letter
writers are optimistic that the
leadership will accept their pro-
posals for reform, but others are
sceptical. “They are just going
through the motions. Why else
would they have a press confer-
ence a day before to announce
99% want Rahul Gandhi to
return,’’ said one of signatories,
requesting anonymity.
Another signatory said he
and other signatories didn’t have
any problem with Rahul Gandhi
becoming the Congress presi-
dent through an election proc-
ess. He warned that he and the
others would resist any move to
“impose a proxy” on the party.
There are others among the
dissenters who feel that the Gan-
dhis did make an attempt at rap-
prochement .

now,’’ one of the group of seven
dissenters who attended the
meeting said on condition of
anonymity. “We wanted a Presi-
dent to work within a revived
intra-party institution.’’
Uncertainty over leadership
party president function more
effectively.
This proposal has done the
rounds for years now especially
around the time Rahul Gandhi
was to take over as party presi-
dent, which he did in December
“The idea is to have a more
consultative management of the
party,’’ said another key leader.
To this end, the letter writers
also suggested that the Pradesh
Congress Committee chiefs be
empowered to do more. They
“People confuse the function
of the board. The constitution
says that its purpose is to regu-
late and coordinate the parlia-
mentary activities of Congress’
legislatures,’’ said the second
leader cited above. The August
w
ter writers want the a switch-
back to the system of elections
by then.
One of the changes suggested READ: Rahul
at Saturday’s meeting was says ready to
immediately accepted. Former take any responsibility in party
minister Manish Tiwari pro-

{ CONDITION OF GOVT SCHOOLS }

{ }
Sisodia dares UP minister to debate SERUM
fresh date,” said a senior gov-
ernment official in the know of
Agency (MHRA) in the UK. It is
the trial in the UK and Brazil
from where Oxford-AstraZen-
regulator may grant the neces-
sary approvals if it is satisfied
with the data that has been sub-
HT Correspondent and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay will come forward,” Sisodia told things, who did not wish to be eca determined the vaccine may mitted,” the official said. While
Singh flung the challenge at the reporters, pointing at the vacant named. be 62%-90% effective. During SII did not comment, a source
letters@hindustantimes.com
UP minister with a touch of chair. On the occasion, two vid- Earlier in the day, Dr VK the last meeting, SEC indicated close to the company confirmed
LUCKNOW: Delhi deputy chief drama. He held an open debate eos were also played showing Paul, member (health), Niti it may wait till MHRA’s assess- they had submitted all the rele-
minister Manish Sisodia on on “State of Education – Kejri- improved condition of primary Aayog, confirmed that one of ment was complete and it had vant data. In addition, Bharat
Tuesday dared Uttar Pradesh wal’s Delhi Moel versus Yogi’s schools in Delhi after the AAP the companies got back with the decided on whether to clear the Biotech also sought an
Minister Sidharth Nath Singh to UP Model” at Gandhi Bhawan in came to power there. additional data but did not vaccine in UK before the data approval. The SEC asked the
join him in a debate on the state Kaiserbagh area here, keeping a “Situation of government name SII. presented by SII was reviewed. company to present efficacy
of education in India’s most vacant chair waiting for Sid- schools in Delhi improved Experts at CDSCO are cur- The official quoted above said data, which is likely to take
populous state vis-à-vis that in dharth Singh with his name under the Arvind Kejriwal’s rently reviewing the data before that may not necessarily need to longer to derive since its late
the national capital. written over it and his photo- government but in Uttar Pra- they convene the meeting of be. “Since both the regulators stage trials began in mid-No-
Sisodia who reached the state graph kept on it. desh, people are still waiting for SEC. A similar review is also have the data, it is now a matter vember. Bharat Biotech is yet to
capital along with Aam Aadmi “I will wait for Siddharth improvement in primary underway at the Medicines and of who will review it first. There reply, the person quoted above
Party’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Nath Singh and I am sure he schools,” he added. Healthcare products Regulatory is always a possibility that India added.
Advt. no.: RLBCAU/06/2020 Dated: 18 December, 2020
Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural
University (RLBCAU), Jhansi
Vacancy Notification for Non-teaching posts
on Direct Recruitment Basis
Applications from eligible candidates are invited for the
following non-teaching posts:-
Deputy Registrar Level 12 UR-01
Assistant Registrar (Academic/ UR-01
Establishment) Level 10
Junior Account Officer Level 08 UR-01
Project Management Unit Jal Marg Vikas Project
Private Secretary Level 08 UR-01
INLAND WATERWAYS AUTHORITY OF INDIA
(Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Govt. of India) For more details viz. age limit, essential qualifications,
Head Office : A-13, Sector-1, Noida-201301 (U.P.) application fee, application form, syllabus of written
Phone: 0120-25440004 Fax: 0120-2543976; Website: www.iwai.nic.in
Date: 22.12.2020 examination etc. candidates may visit RLBCAU website
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is a statutory body under Ministry of Ports, www.rlbcau.ac.in. The closing date for receipt of
Shipping and Waterways, Government of India. IWAI was set up in 1986 for development,
maintenance and regula on of Na onal Inland waterways for the purposes applications will be 20th January, 2021. However, for
of shipping and naviga on. IWAI is implemen ng Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) with Technical
Assistance and Financial Support of the World Bank. The project implementa on involves candidates residing and posted in remote areas, the last
construc on of naviga onal lock, terminals for cargo handling, channel marking, day and night date will be 30th January, 2021. Number of posts may
naviga on facili es,fairway development & dredging, etc
Project Management Unit (PMU) of JMVP is desirous to engage following domain be increased or decreased.
specialists/consultants on short term basis (ini ally for a period of 1 year), which may be
further extended based on performance.
Registrar
S. No. Name of Posi on No. of Posi on E-mail:- registrar.rlbcau@gmail.com
1 Sr. Consultant (Human Resource & General Administra on) 01
Growth is
2 Sr. Consultant (Finance) 01 not just about net gains.
3 Sr. Consultant (Communica ons) 01 It’s also gaining knowledge
and perspective.
4 Specialist (Communica ons) 02
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field and working knowledge of World Bank projects.
Interested individuals may obtain further informa on and ToR from the website Follow us:
www.iwai.nic.in. The curriculum vitae with creden als addressed to Project Director, PMU mint.live livemint live_mint
must reach in a sealed envelope at the above men oned address by post or by hand on or livemint livemint.com
before 08.01.2021.
The Project Director, PMU reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applica ons and to
cancel applica ons under process at his discre on and his decision shall be final and binding.
PROJECT DIRECTOR

DELHI MILK SCHEME

Government of India
West Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110008
Notice Inviting e-Tender
TENDER NOTICE No.: 4-9/2020-21/PUR/PRS
(Telephone No.: 011-20838212 & EPABX: 011-25877204, 25877205,
DEPUTATION NOTICE- DEP-03/2020 25877206, 25877208, 25877209 & 25877210 & Ext. 316/210)
Email: aso.dms@nic.in
FSSAI invites applications for filling up following posts on For & on Behalf of the President of India, General Manager, Delhi Milk
deputation (including short term contract) on Foreign Service Scheme, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110008 invites e-Tender (online
terms basis from officers holding regular post in Central Tender) for purchase of 1500 kg/ltr Vitamin AD Milk Premix added for
Govt./State Govt./Union Territories/Universities/Recognized fortification of Vitamin AD in only liquid form, Water Soluble, ½ /1 kg/
Research Institutions/Public Sector Undertakings/Semi Govt./ ltr packing, Manufacturing in current month of supply. Packing should
Statutory Organizations/Autonomous Organizations:- be as to prevent further degradation of Vitamin upon storage. Each
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No. Post (as per 7th CPC) Tender forms containing detailed terms & conditions can be
1 Executive Pay Level-14 01 downloaded/uploaded from Central Public Procurement - Portal website
Director i.e. eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app from 24.12.2020 to 14.01.2021
(upto 2.30 PM). Online Tender documents must be accompanied with
2 Joint Pay Level-12 02 scanned copy of EMD as prescribed in tender documents in favour of
Director (Admin & Fin) General Manager, Delhi Milk Scheme payable at Delhi. Original DD/
The detailed information regarding qualification, experience, Pay Order/Bankers Cheque for EMD may be submitted to this office
etc. is available under ‘Jobs at FSSAI (Careers)’ section on the well before opening of Tender. Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
are exempted from EMD. Duly filled in e-Tender/online offers shall
website www.fssai.gov.in. The vacancies shown above are
be accepted upto 2.30 PM on 14.01.2021 and will be opened on
indicative and may increase or decrease. The last day to apply
15.01.2021 at 2.30 PM. No manual Tender shall be accepted. You may
online is 15 January, 2021. also visit DAHD website i.e. dahd.nic.in.
Sd/-
(C. Sen)
(Madan Kumar Jha)
General Manager
davp 17163/11/0018/2021 Assistant Director
12 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

Opinion

{ OUR TAKE }
E STA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 24
What farming needs:
Modi’s message Risk mitigation
of inclusion Its absence makes
farmers less receptive
farmers with various risk-mitigation grated markets, this would increase
instruments. In India, Pradhan Man- local prices. Thus, farmer income,
tri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY), the which is a product of prices and quan-
The prime minister has done well in government’s crop insurance pro- tities, is stabilised. In integrated mar-
reaching out to minorities in recent days to pro-market reforms gramme, deals only with production kets, a reduction in local production
which add to risks. It does not cover livestock. leads to inflow of paddy from neigh-
Enrollment remains low and opera- bouring regions keeping prices stable. Globally, governments provide farmers with risk-mitigation instruments.
income uncertainty

O
n Sunday morning, Prime Minister (PM) tional challenges leave much scope This is good for consumers. However, In India, PMFBY deals only with production risks. But operational
Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to for improvement. farmer incomes decline as their pro- challenges leave much scope for improvement BIPLOV BHUYAN/HT PHOTO

A
t the heart of the debate To deal with price risk, the only real duction loss is not offset by a price
Delhi’s Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib to pay on farm laws is the issue instrument that the government pro- increase. jab and Haryana have gradually sis. Thus, additional insurance pay-
tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur. He tweeted of the level of farm vides is procurement at minimum A single instrument, procurement evolved as a response to the procure- ments will need to be made when
that it was an honour that the 400th birth incomes. Income volatil- support prices (MSPs). When availa- at MSP, is being used to solve multiple ment systems that the government there are clearly visible weather or
ity is a key dimension ble, farmers use it to the fullest. In the problems — risk, remunerative prices, implemented for three decades. Over- disease shocks in certain tehsils or
anniversary of the Guru would be marked in his important for farmers’ 1960s, before procurement of paddy and food security. However, it is not night reversal is hard. Thus, farmers districts — but this must be done in
government’s tenure — and pledged to celebrate it in welfare, understanding their anxie- and wheat started, Punjab’s farmers the best solution. It cannot be made must be compensated for policy lieu of debt write-offs, not in addition.
a historic manner. The PM’s symbolic appearance at ties, and the success of a pro-market grew many other crops like universal, is operationally induced adjustment costs. These com- In sum, certain principles are
reform. The two main risks associated maize, bajra, pulses and oil- challenging, and environ- pensations will have environmental important. First, the reduction of
a gurudwara comes at a time when farmers from with farming are production risks and seeds. Three decades of mentally detrimental. There- benefits when farmers switch from existing subsidies should be gradual
Punjab, largely but not exclusively Sikh, have price risks. While production-related assured procurement has fore, India needs a better paddy to other crops. and begin after farmers are assured
expressed their firm opposition to the Centre’s risks that come from weather, pests turned it largely into a pad- plan. What are the elements Third, to insure price-risk, we can the digital infrastructure and supply
and disease are well understood, price dy-wheat producing state. that we need to consider? consider a procedurally simple ver- chains work. Second, none of the
agrarian reforms. The protests have acquired an risks induced by the market or policy Farmers understand the Shoumitro First, to provide immedi- sion of the Bhavantar scheme to com- above instruments are perfect but
element of identity-based grievance too, and while are more subtle. environmental costs of Chatterjee ate relief there is a need to pensate farmers for losses from mar- they complement each other. Third,
policy differences are legitimate in a democracy, it is Market price realisation of agricul- growing water-intensive strengthen PM-Kisan (and its ket price crashes. A price monitoring taking into account what might be
tural produce is usually uncertain. crops. But they choose to state-specific variants), espe- and market intelligence system is nec- implementable in India.
crucial that they don’t assume a divide which runs When sowing, farmers have to guess grow these crops, as they cially in states where there is essary for it to work. However, this The level and volatility of farmer
on community lines. And that is why the PM’s the price their crops will get after four minimise their ex-post risk, even if no public procurement. It should also should be a top-up over the basic incomes are intricately related.
gesture was significant, for it indicated that the or five months when harvest occurs. they don’t maximise their incomes or be expanded to include landless farm- income transfer to target extreme Uncertain incomes force farmers into
After sowing, they have limited ability welfare of future generations. ers. events. If governments still have to debt and poverty. A credible risk miti-
reforms were not targeted at a community, which is to change their decision. Price risks When farmers don’t have access to The second is the debate over procure crops for the public distribu- gation strategy is necessary for a suc-
an integral part of what constitutes the Indian are exacerbated by policy. India public procurement, they mitigate removing various subsidies — MSP, tion system, we should move toward cessful agricultural reform that will
nation, and the government respected Sikh religion abruptly changes export restrictions risk by sowing low-value low-risk power, fertiliser etc — and replacing it a limited procurement regime, at be acceptable to farmers as freer and
on crops like cotton and onion, often crops conditional on agro-ecology. with an equivalent transfer. If the lat- market-linked price, spread across integrated markets will make their
and heritage. multiple times between sowing and Research has shown that India’s ter is done, then we must ensure that states, and include a wider range of incomes even more volatile.
On Tuesday, PM Modi addressed the centenary harvest. Thus, farmers are unable to domestic market integration has the basic PM-Kisan infrastructure crops. Governments must also resist
celebrations of the iconic Aligarh Muslim University make informed decisions; when inter- increased income volatility and works, and be cognisant about the temptation to follow a counter- Shoumitro Chatterjee is assistant profes-
national prices are too high, export induced farmers to switch to lower- whether distribution chains of key cyclical trade policy, banning exports sor of economics, Pennsylvania State
(AMU) — an institution that has contributed bans also keep farmers from making risk crops. Consider the flood-prone inputs work and are competitive. The when international prices are high. University, and a visiting fellow at the
enormously in bringing modern education to a profit. areas of Bihar, where paddy crops get switch will, then, have greater accept- Finally, there will be residual yield Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi
Indians, largely but not exclusively Muslims, over Globally, governments provide damaged due to monsoons. In uninte- ance. The production systems in Pun- risks, especially given the climate cri- The views expressed are personal
this period. AMU is often the target of the foot
soldiers of extreme Hindutva groups for its so-called
Muslim character, and the institution has been
unsure of its future. That is why the PM’s Where the Indian { JOE BIDEN } US PRESIDENT-ELECT
unequivocal tribute to AMU and its role in nation-
P
building and deepening India’s relations with the
world; his emphasis on the non-discriminatory
approach of his government’s policies, including
economy went wrong Today, I received the
welfare schemes; and reiteration that the set of economists have defended the out of control, the economy was taking a COVID-19 vaccine. To the
constitutional rights of every citizen are secure is
significant. At a time when Muslims feel a degree of
insecurity about their place in Indian democracy, the
A record of reforms of the present gov- severe beating. In 2013, with the US Fed indi-
ernment. This must be taken seri- cating withdrawal of Quantitative Easing
ously. But there is a more fundamen- (QE). India faced what infamously came to be
tal question here: Reforms, even if yes, known as the “taper tantrum” with the rupee
scientists and researchers
who worked tirelessly to
PM’s words matter.
towards what end? plummeting to a then record low of more than
The Indian economy has continued to slow ₹68 to a dollar. With 2G, coal and other crises, make this possible —
Sikhs and Muslims — along with other minorities
thank you.
A
post the sudden demonetisation (one of the the government seemed to have lost the plot.
— help make up the cultural mosaic that is India. As big ticket “reforms”) and the roll-out of the ill- Much has been said about the new govern-
conceived Goods and Services Tax (GST) ment inheriting an economy that was in a
they fulfil their duties as Indian citizens and exercise regime. Investment, exports, private con- downward spiral in 2014.
their rights — including the right to protest, sumption and government expenditure were However, the truth is otherwise. From
organise, assemble peacefully — they must always already seriously impaired before Covid-19 2012-14, UPA-2 took bold measures which
put the proverbial last nail in the coffin. Gross reflected in the quick recovery over the follow-
have a sense that India is as much theirs as that of
The next step for
Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen into a ing two years. Apart from clearing bottlenecks
members of a religion that may constitute the technical recession and most independent for large infrastructure projects, the FDI
majority, irrespective of differences on policies and economists are unanimous that contraction regime was liberalised considerably, financial
this fiscal will be 8-10%. Even with the vaccine market instruments such as Infrastructure

Quad: A dialogue
legislations. The PM clearly recognised this and has in sight, the economy will continue to be seri- Debt Funds, InVITs and REITS were intro-
reached out and reassured the country’s minorities ously impacted for the next two years before duced, price deregulation of diesel was put
at a time of ferment. It is now important that this we can see a real turnaround. into motion, a fiscal consolidation
The global slowdown or pan- roadmap was laid down and the
message is internalised down the chain, both in
government and in the ruling party.
demic alone cannot explain the cur-
rent situation. While the pandemic
is unprecedented, it is important to
understand how the economy has
rupee tantrum very effectively man-
aged. The results were dramatic.
GDP clocked a growth of 6.9% in
2013-14 as against 5.1% in the previ-
on high technology
come to a sorry pass. Thirty years Arvind ous fiscal. Growth in 2014-15 was 12, Tech-10, Democracy-10 are high-quality products.

The rise in extreme

climate events
since the 1991 economic liberalisa-
tion, there is much we can be proud
of. For one, State intervention in the
economy was minimised, allowing
Mayaram
7.4%, built on the back of the dra-
matic recovery the previous year.
The government has the instruments
to effectively intervene and manage
free markets to develop. As negative conse- economic cycles provided it has the capacity
T- some proposed multilateral Australia is set to play a vital role in the
mechanisms to enable interna- high-tech electronics industry. It is the
tional cooperation in technology world’s largest producer of lithium, an ele-
governance. Cooperation, however, won’t ment used for making rechargeable batter-
be easy because there is significant disso- ies present in electric vehicles, phones, and
quences, such as increased inequality, and the will to do so. nance even among democracies on issues laptops. It is also one of the leading suppli-
became evident, schemes such as the The sudden negative shocks of demonetisa- such as competition in the digital economy, ers of Neodymium, used in powerful elec-

M
ore than 75% of India’s districts are Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ- tion and hasty introduction of GST started the privacy, and data governance. The Euro- tromagnets critical for electric vehicles.
hotspots of extreme climate events and are ment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) were downward spiral, which has led the economy pean Union (EU) prefers a regulation-heavy India is one of the major global hubs for
brought in to reduce poverty. This has been into recession this year. India is no longer in approach centred on protecting users’ data; chip design. Annually, 3000 chips are
bearing the lethal effects of a rapidly- globally acknowledged. The Oxford Poverty the list of the top 25 nations in AT Kearney’s the United States (US) prefers a less-restrict- designed in India. Most top foreign semi-
changing microclimate with loss of and Human Development Initiative report Global FDI Confidence Index 2000 despite ive approach; and India is considering data conductor companies have established their
property, livelihoods and lives, according to a study has noted that, “India remains the country claims of improving the country’s ranking in localisation measures. Such design and R&D centres due to
that has the largest reduction in number of the Ease of Doing Business. Once an alterna- divergent outlooks run the risk the availability of a large talent
by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water poor, with over 270 million persons leaving tive model for economic growth vis-a-vis of derailing collaboration. pool. India also has proven excel-
(CEEW). The report notes that while India witnessed poverty (from) 2005-6 to 2015-16.” India went China, India has dropped to the 23rd rank for A more useful way of structur- lence with electronics end-prod-
250 extreme climate events between 1970 and 2005, from being a poor, slow-growing country to 2020 from among the top three fastest-grow- ing these collaborations is to uct assembly.
the fastest-growing major economy in the ing economies in Economist’s weekly chart of extend the Quad to the technol- As a collective, the Quad is a
the country recorded 310 extreme weather events world. According to the World Economic Out- 43 major economies. ogy sphere, starting with secur- force to reckon with. The miss-
Pranay
after 2005. look (2016), the United States (US) and India Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a ing the semiconductor supply ing ingredient is a foundry that
were the two pillars of strength of the world well thought-out strategy to bring the econ- chain first. Negotiations are Kotasthane can manufacture advanced chips
That India has been at the receiving end of the
economy. omy out of the morass except for a much- more likely to bear fruit since below the 5-nanometer process
climate crisis is known. According to the Climate So what went wrong? It must be acknowl- touted Atmanirbhar Bharat package, which Quad countries have a clear node. Building such a foundry
Risk Index, 2018, the country jumped nine places in edged that during the tenure of the United has received mostly adverse reviews. Accord- political end goal — to resist requires significant risk capital,
climate vulnerability rankings, and was ranked the Progressive Alliance (UPA)-2, with inflation ing to global research firm, AB Bernstein, China’s not-so-peaceful rise. between $12bn-$20bn. Here too,
going double digit and fiscal deficit running “The need to announce measures that add up Building a semiconductor sup- Quad countries can form a con-
fifth-most climate-vulnerable country in the world. to this top down number made the entire ply chain matters for three rea- sortium to fund a semiconductor
Storms are escalating into cyclones, droughts are package aimless”. The firm described it as a sons. One, the semiconductor foundry in one of the four coun-
affecting more than half the country, and floods of “lost opportunity”. industry underlies all critical Rohan tries, de-risking the considerable
By various estimates, close to 90% of the technologies. Two, it is perhaps Seth upfront investment.
an unprecedented scale are causing catastrophic workforce in India is employed in the unorga- the most globalised high-value Realising the potential of the
damage. The Centre has done well in treating nised sector and this has been severely supply chain and no country can Quad also needs agreement on
climate as a priority issue — but the scale of the impacted. There have also been huge become entirely self-resilient. some trade issues. Encouraging
retrenchments and salary cuts in the orga- And three, all four countries have comple- the movement of skilled professionals,
destruction of lives, livelihoods and critical nised sector and an estimated loss of around mentary strengths. building confidence in each other’s judicial
infrastructure warrants more action. It is not just the than 80% of the demand. The much acclaimed The US is a dominant force in chip design settlement mechanisms, developing com-
Centre; states have a key role too. The State Action fact about the “economy bottoming out” is a — a stage responsible for specifying how mon standards, and allowing knowledge
mirage. The latest Consumer Confidence Sur- transistors are placed inside a semiconduc- transfer on sophisticated technology issues
Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs), the main policy vey, conducted in the first half of November, tor chip. Four of the world’s top 10 fabless are crucial for success. Our colleague, Nitin
document at the sub-national level to address states that more than half of the respondents chip makers are American. Further, chips Pai, likens these initiatives to creating “bub-
vulnerabilities and increase resilience, need continue to report a fall in income and designing requires electronic design auto- bles of trust”.
employment. Clearly the ongoing economic mation (EDA) tools, the market for which is Democratic states have come to the right
upscaling and capacity enhancement. Many pilot recovery is being driven by a small section of quite concentrated because of high research conclusion that going it alone in the realm
projects on resilience are taking place; the effective the economy, and led by profits rather than and development requirements. And all of high-tech geopolitics is unrewarding.
ones need to be replicated quickly. There has to be a wages. We can hope, on a wing and a prayer, three major EDA players are located in the India should use this to expand its role in
that the government will finally act. US. The next stage in the process, semicon- the global high-tech value chain. A Quad
sharper and stronger focus on building institutional ductor manufacturing, requires a high Silicon Dialogue can be one such start.
and human capacity and district-level localisation of Arvind Mayaram is former finance secretary of the degree of precision and capital investment.
SAPCCs so that the authorities can respond quickly. Close to 90% of the workforce in India is Government of India (2012-14) and currently serves A few Japanese companies dominate the Pranay Kotasthane and Rohan Seth
employed in the unorganised sector and as vice-chairman, Rajasthan Economic Transfor- global market in crucial semiconductor work on high-tech geopolitics at the
The CEEW report provides yet another warning that this has been severely impacted mation Advisory Council manufacturing equipment and chemicals. Takshashila Institution
business-as-usual isn’t sustainable. SAMEER SEHGAL/HTPHOTO The views expressed are personal These companies are renowned for their The views expressed are personal

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NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
A
l
US destroyer was
expelled from
SCS, says China
BEIJING: Beijing on
Tuesday said its military
“expelled” a US Navy
destroyer sailing near
Nansha (Spratly) Islands
in the disputed waters of
South China Sea in a
fresh escalation of
tensions between the
two nations. The
incident took place as
Shandong, China’s
second aircraft carrier,
was said to be
conducting drills in the
waters of the South
China Sea.
SUTIRTHO PATRANOBIS
Biden names two
Indian-Americans
to top positions
WASHINGTON: US
President-elect Joe
Biden on Tuesday
named two more
Indian-Americans to top
positions in the new
administration. Gautam
Raghavan will be the
deputy director of the
office of presidential
personnel, and Vinay
Reddy will be the
director of speech-
writing. YASHWANT RAJ
EU’s Barnier vows
to give Brexit
talks ‘final push’
BRUSSELS: The EU’s
negotiator Michel
Barnier vowed on
Tuesday to continue to
push for a post-Brexit
trade deal through the
last 10 days before
Britain leaves the single
market. “We are really
in the crucial moment,
and we are giving it the
final push,” Barnier told
reporters as he headed
into a meeting with EU
envoys in Brussels. AFP
New Putin law to
let ex-presidents
become senators
BRUSSELS: President
Vladimir Putin signed
legislation on Tuesday
that allows former
presidents to become
lawmakers for life in
Russia’s upper house of
parliament once they
leave the Kremlin. The
reforms are being
closely studied for clues
as to what Putin may do
at the end of his current
presidential term, his
fourth overall. REUTERS
KERALA GOVERNOR
DENIES APPROVAL
FOR HOUSE SESSION
OVER RESOLUTION
ON FARM LAWS
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The
Left Democratic Front (LDF) gov-
ernment of Kerala suffered a jolt
on Tuesday when governor Arif
Mohammad Khan turned down
its request to convene a special ses-
sion of the assembly to pass a reso-
lution against new farm laws
enacted by the BJP-led central gov-
ernment.
It had planned to convene the
session on Wednesday and asked
legislators to reach the state capi-
tal. The Pinarayi Vijayan govern-
ment approached the governor
with a recommendation to con-
vene the House and he sought
some clarifications. Although the
state government replied, the gov-
ernor found the response unsatis-
factory. The governor also felt that
there was no pressing urgency to
convene a special session in such a
short time. The opposition Con-
gress criticised the governor’s
decision. “He is acting like an
agent of the BJP . His decision is
not acceptable to us. It is the pre-
rogative of the House to decide
whether an issue is urgent or not,”
said Congress deputy leader in the
House K C Joseph.
Already battling controversies
such as a gold smuggling racket in
which an aide to Vijayan has been
arrested and allegations of kick-
backs in government project, the
government led by the CPI(M) is
unlikely to engage in an open con-
frontation with the governor.
Speaker P Sivaramakrishan said it
was an “unprecedented decision.”
State agriculture minister V S
Sunil Kumarsaid, “An unfortunate
decision, It was least expected.”
CM Vijayan was yet to react.
SHUT OUT: Lorries queue up on the M20 motorway near Ashford, Britain, after EU countries imposed a travel ban from the UK following
a new strain of the coronavirus being reported.
Pfizer, Moderna testing
vaccines on new strain
Both companies are
performing tests to
see if their vaccines
work against the
mutated variant
Agencies
letters@hindustantimes.com
GENEVA/BERLIN: Pfizer and
Moderna are testing their Cov-
id-19 vaccines against the new
fast-spreading variant of the
virus that has emerged in Brit-
ain, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Moderna expects immunity
from its vaccine to protect
against the variant and is per-
forming more tests in the com-
ing weeks to confirm, the com-
pany said in a statement to CNN.
Pfizer, meanwhile, said it is
“generating data” on how well
blood samples from people
immunised with its vaccine
“may be able to neutralise the
new strain from the UK,” accord-
ing to the report.
Pfizer and Moderna did not
immediately respond to Reuters’
requests for comment.
The discovery of the new cor-
onavirus strain sowed a fresh
wave of panic in a pandemic that
has killed about 1.7 million peo-
Farm unions plan ‘global’
protests against new laws
Zia Haq
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: “Anti-capitalists of
the world, unite” — a rephrasing
of Marx’s iconic slogan “workers
of the world, unite” — will rever-
berate in at least 10 global cities
on December 26 in response to a
call given by farm unions, who
are coordinating plans for a
global protest against three farm
laws pushed by Narendra Modi
government. Farm leaders say
there will be no dearth of pro-
testers from the Indian diaspora.
A plethora of anti-Walmarters
and opposers of big corporations
in the US and elsewhere, apart
from independent farmers’ orga-
nisations, are also ready to
respond to their call , they said.
Cities where demonstrators
have confirmed participation
include global financial hubs,
New York, Sydney and London.
Protests have also been planned
in other overseas towns and cit-
ies including Leicester in the UK,
Sacramento, Calif., Houston,
Melbourne and Ontario.
The standoff between the
Union government and farmers
continues over the passage of
new legislation to open up the
country’s antiquated agricul-
tural sector to private invest-
ment, a move the government
says will enable farmers better
incomes and modernize the
farm sector. Farmers say the
reforms will leave them at the
mercy of private corporations.
The Modi government has
repeatedly said it is inclined to
find a solution through discus-
sions, which ended in a stale-
mate on December 8.
The global protest is part of a
ple and infected more than 77.15
million worldwide.
BioNTech: Covid vaccine
for new strain in 6 weeks
The co-founder of BioNTech said
on Tuesday it was “highly likely”
that its vaccine against the coro-
navirus works against the
mutated strain detected in Brit-
ain, but it could also adapt the
vaccine if necessary in six weeks.
“It is highly likely that the
immune response by this vac-
cine also can deal with the new
virus variant,” said Ugur Sahin.
But if needed, “the beauty of the
messenger technology is that we
can directly start to engineer a
vaccine which completely mim-
ics this new mutation. We could
be able to provide a new vaccine
technically within six weeks”.
VIRUS TRACKER
WORST-HIT NATIONS
Global cases
78,034,570
1 US
2 India*
Global deaths 3 Brazil
1,715,739 4
5
(AS OF 10:35 PM IST) SOURCE: WORLDOMETER *COMPILED BY HT
CITIES WHERE
AGITATORS HAVE
CONFIRMED
PARTICIPATION
INCLUDE GLOBAL
FINANCIAL HUBS,
NEW YORK, SYDNEY
AND LONDON
five-point agenda drawn up to
take the agitation forward, said
Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India,
a leader of the agitation. “We
had made five big announce-
ments,” he said. “One, on
December 21, there will be a
relay hunger strike. Two, on
23rd, on Kisan Day, we urge
everyone to skip one meal in
remembrance of our farmers.”
“Three, on 26th and 27th, we
will write to National Demo-
cratic Alliance’s allies to with-
draw support to the laws. Four,
on both these days, we have
called all Indians abroad to stage
demonstrations in front of
Indian embassies and consu-
lates. Five, during the next Mann
Ki Baat(radio address) of the PM,
farmers will bang thalis (uten-
sils),” Yadav said.
To be sure, the call of the Sam-
yukt Kisan Morcha, the platform
of protesting farm union, is lim-
ited to the Indian diaspora only,
according to its protest pro-
gramme. But foreign entities
opposed to big corporations are
ready to join in. “Big corpora-
tions have common global poli-
cies that hurt interests of con-
sumers and small growers,” said
Anastasia Elliot of Walmart
Watch, a Washington-based
non-government organisation.
World
The World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO), which has said the
situation is not “out of control”,
will convene a meeting of mem-
bers to discuss strategies to
counter the new strain, its Euro-
pean office said on Tuesday. It
did not give a date yet.
Meanwhile, at least five coun-
tries suspended flights from
South Africa after a new and dif-
ferent coronavirus variant was
discovered in the country. Ger-
many, Turkey, Israel, Switzer-
land and Saudi Arabia have
announced a ban on flights from
the southern African nation.
The Vatican said on Tuesday
that Pope Francis will deliver his
Christmas Day message indoors
due to restrictions even as two
cardinals close to the pontiff
have tested positive for Covid-19.
COUNTRY CASES DEATHS
18,497,899 327,262
10,099,309 146,494
7,284,166 187,685
Russia
France
2,906,503 51,912
2,479,151 60,900
My India
“So, anti-capitalists of the
world must unite to protect
larger interests of society
whether in developed or devel-
oping countries. We support
Indian farmers,” she said over
the phone on Monday.
A section of the Indian Sikh
diaspora has already carried out
large protests in Canada, the US,
the UK and Australia.
Mewa Singh, the head of Non-
Resident Indian Council in Pun-
jab’s Ropar, said his office was
coordinating with Indians
abroad on making the protests
global. “My son, a resident of
Texas, Houston, will lead the
protests there,” he said.
Sikhs make up 1.4% of
Canada’s population, but their
close knit community is an influ-
ential voting bloc. “We stand by
Punjab’s farmers because that’s
who our forefathers were,” said
Banda Singh, a resident of
Brampton, Ontario. India
recently summoned Canada’s
high commissioner to convey its
strong displeasure following PM
Justin Trudeau’s statement that
Indian farmers had a right to
protest. “The Indian govern-
ment has used disproportionate
force on protesting farmers. We
will protest in front of parlia-
ment building on December 26,”
said Sukhdev Gill, a dairy worker
in Australia’s Victoria.
w
READ: Tomar
says hopeful of
protesting
unions resuming talks with govt
REUTERS
FOR A WEEK, U.S.
LOST ONE LIFE TO
COVID-19 EVERY
33 SECONDS
WASHINGTON: In an alarming
development in the US, latest fig-
ures show that someone died
from Covid-19 every 33 seconds
in the country during the past
one week. The disease has
claimed more than 18,000 lives
in America in the seven days
ending December 20, according
to a Reuters analysis.
The revelation coincides with
the total number of Covid-19
infections in the US crossing the
18 million mark. The coronavi-
rus has claimed more than
319,000 lives in the country.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers
have approved a $900bn relief
package that will provide a
major boost for millions of
Americans and businesses bat-
tered by the pandemic. AGENCIES
w
READ: Over 40
nations ban
travel from UK. Here’s the list
Protesters surround Khattar’s convoy
Farmers and activists affiliated to the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU-Charuni) protest against the
new farm laws and wave black flags at Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s convoy in
Haryana’s Ambala City on Tuesday. The protesters allegedly tried to block Khattar’s cavalcade.
BKU, however, condemned the incident and disassociated itself from it. Khattar had come to
Ambala to address public meetings in support of party’s mayoral and ward candidates for the
upcoming civic bodies polls.
CBI arrests J&K man over child sexual abuse racket
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
SRINAGAR: The Central Bureau
of Investigation(CBI) has
arrested a 35-year-old resident
of Srinagar for allegedly run-
ning an online child sexual
abuse racket to target minors
living in the US, the agency said
on Tuesday.
The accused has been
booked under section 67 B of IT
Act and Sec. 14 of Pocso Act,
2012. The agency said that there
were allegations that the
{ KARIMA BALOCH } FOUND DEAD IN TORONTO
Baloch campaigner’s
death sparks outrage
HT Correspondents
letters@hindustantimes.com
TORONTO/ISLAMABAD/NEW
DELHI: Prominent Baloch activ-
ist Karima Baloch was found
dead in unexplained circum-
stances in the Canadian city of
Toronto on Tuesday, a day after
she was reported missing by the
local police.
Karima, a former chairper-
son of the Baloch Students
Organisation Azad (BSO-Azad),
is the second prominent Baloch
campaigner to be found dead in
a foreign country this year. In
April, the body of Baloch jour-
nalist Sajid Hussain Baloch was
found outside Uppsala in Swe-
den, weeks after he had gone
missing.
In a statement released on
Tuesday, Toronto Police said
Karima’s case was “currently
being investigated as a non-
criminal death and there are not
believed to be any suspicious
circumstances”. The police had
reported that Karima, 37, went
missing in the city’s waterfront
area on December 20.
Toronto-based Zaffar Baloch,
former president of Baloch
US tech giants take
legal action against
Israeli hacking firm
WASHINGTON: Tech giants
including Microsoft and Google
on Monday joined Facebook’s
legal battle against hacking com-
pany NSO, filing an amicus brief
in federal court that warned that
the Israeli firm’s tools were
“powerful, and dangerous”.
The brief, filed before the US
Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit, opens up a new front in
Facebook’s lawsuit against NSO,
which it filed last year after it
was revealed that the cyber sur-
veillance firm had exploited a
bug in Facebook-owned instant
messaging program WhatsApp
to help surveil more than 1,400
people worldwide.
NSO has argued that, because
it sells digital break-in tools to
police and spy agencies, it
should benefit from “sovereign
immunity” - a legal doctrine that
generally insulates foreign gov-
ernments from lawsuits. NSO
lost that argument in the North-
accused Niyaz Ahmad Mir
uploaded pornographic videos
and images over the dark web
for financial gains and was also
involved in direct communica-
tion with many minors in the
USA.
“His wife [Tamara Stanley]
was living in Washington, USA.
The accused was allegedly
operating through his wife. She
allegedly exploited multiple
minors, recorded these abuses
and electronically sent the
same to him,” the agency said.
Stanley was arrested by US
Karima Baloch TWITTER
National Movement (North
America) said, “Mystery
shrouds this event. This should
not be brushed aside. We have
our suspicions.”
Amnesty International
tweeted, “The death of activist
Karima Baloch in Toronto,
Canada is deeply shocking and
must be immediately and effec-
tively investigated. The perpe-
trators must be brought to jus-
tice without recourse to the
death penalty.”
Karima was included in
BBC’s list of 100 inspirational
women for 2016, in which she
was described as a campaigner
ern District of California in July
and has since appealed to the
Ninth Circuit to have the ruling
overturned.
Microsoft, Alphabet-owned
Google, Cisco, Dell Technologies-
owned VMWare and the Wash-
ington-based Internet Associa-
tion joined forces with Facebook
to argue against that, saying that
awarding sovereign immunity to
NSO would lead to a prolifera-
tion of hacking technology and
“more foreign governments with
powerful and dangerous cyber
surveillance tools.”
That in turn “means dramati-
cally more opportunities for
those tools to fall into the wrong
hands and be used nefariously,”
the brief argues. NSO argues that
its products are used to fight
crime. But human rights defend-
ers have documented cases in
which NSO technology has been
used to target reporters and law-
yers. REUTERS
HT PHOTO
authorities on June 25 this year
for child pornography, accord-
ing to a statement issued by US
Justice department on June 29,
reviewed by HT.
It was also alleged that when
the victims refused to follow
his diktat, he allegedly shared
these videos and images with
their family members. The CBI
conducted searches at the
premises of the accused in
Srinagar. “The searches led to
recovery of incriminating digi-
tal evidence including three
laptops, five mobiles, pen
13
“for independence for Balochis-
tan from Pakistan”.
She fled Pakistan in 2016, say-
ing she feared for her life due to
threats from the army and intel-
ligence agencies, and sought
refuge in Canada.
Popular activist Gulalai
Ismail, who lives in exile in the
United States after escaping
from Pakistan in 2019, was sad-
dened by the news. Gulalai
tweeted, “I am devastated by the
fact that even refuge in Canada
couldn’t save her life. The sto-
ries of Baloch don’t change.
They go missing and are then
found dead. Be it Pakistan, Swe-
den or Canada.”
She was seen as a pioneer of
women’s activism in Balochis-
tan and had raised the issue of
Balochistan in UN sessions in
Switzerland.
In 2016, Karima had shared a
video message on the occasion
of Raksha Bandhan, in which
she called Indian Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi a “brother”
and asked him to become the
voice of the Baloch movement.
This was days after Modi had
raised the Balochistan issue in
his Independence Day speech.
KREMLIN MOCKS
CRITIC NAVALNY
OVER ALLEGED
POISONING PLOT
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Tues-
day mocked opposition politi-
cian Alexei Navalny and tried to
call his sanity into question, a
day after he said he had tricked a
Russian secret agent into dis-
closing lurid details of a botched
plot to kill him.
Navalny on Monday released
a recording of him speaking by
phone at length to a man he
described as a state security
agent who told him, among
other things, that the poison had
been placed in his underpants.
Russia’s FSB security service
dismissed the recording as a
fake. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s
spokesman, told reporters on a
conference call on Tuesday he
was speaking in a personal
capacity, but thought Navalny
was suffering from psychologi-
cal issues. “We can say that the
patient (Navalny) has a pro-
nounced persecution mania. You
can also clearly identify certain
signs of megalomania,” said Pes-
kov. AGENCIES
CHALLENGE FOR
SCIENCE TODAY IS
FINDING COVID-19
VACCINE: PM MODI
Anonna Dutt
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: The biggest chal-
lenge for science today is devel-
oping a vaccine for Covid-19, but
the biggest long-term challenge
is to attract high-quality young-
sters and retain them, said PM
Narendra Modi on Tuesday at
the inauguration of the sixth edi-
tion of the Indian International
Science Festival being held virtu-
ally.
“For any country to develop, it
needs science to power it
because as they say what is sci-
ence today becomes the technol-
ogy of tomorrow, and engineer-
ing solution later. So, the cycle
must start with attracting good
talent in our science domain,”
said Modi. On the 1st day, 6,874
students made sun-dials simul-
taneously to set a Guinness Book
of World Records. Four more
such record-making attempts
are planned during the event,
which ends on December 25.
drives, hand written notes etc,”
it said.
The accused was produced
before the Competent Court at
Srinagar on Tuesday, it said.
The CBI said it regularly
coordinates with international
law enforcement agencies to
detect and probe sexual abuse
of minors, especially over the
cyber space and also reaffirms
its commitment towards pro-
moting cooperation with US
Law Enforcement Agencies in
combating child sexual abuse
in cyber space.
14 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

IHQ OF MoD (ARMY)/QMG’s BRANCH

DGST/ARMY PURCHASE ORGANISATION
3rd FLOOR, ‘C’ WING, SENA BHAWAN
NEW DELHI-110011
e-Mail: apo-mod@nic.in
Tele No.: 23014517
NOTICE OF TEC DATES OF APO
Army Purchase Organization intends to inform prospective bidders that tenders for
the under mentioned item has been uploaded and can be accessed through the
mentioned tender ID’s on the Govt. website http://defproc.gov.in/eprocure/app.
SI. Items Quantity Tender ID on DPP Last date of
No. (in MT) Portal Bid Submission
(i) Fruit Dried 106 MT 2020_Army_404686_1 08 Jan 2021
02.00 PM

Sd/-
Chief Director of Purchase (CDP)
davp 10602/11/0035/2021 Army Purchase Organisation

NORTHERN INDIA INSTITUTE OF

FASHION TECHNOLOGY
(Setup by Govt. Of Punjab)
Industrial Area, Phase-1, Mohali (Near Police Station)
TENDER NOTICE FOR INSTALATION OF WI-FI CAMPUS
AND INTERNET LEASE LINE
Sealed tenders are invited for installation of Wi-Fi and Internet Lease Line
30 mbps facility at NIIFT, Mohali so as to reach this office within 21 days
from the issue of advertisement upto 3.00 PM, Technical bid will be opened
on the same date at 03.30 PM. (Detailed specifications, tender form, Terms
and Conditions) can be obtained from the office of NIIFT on all working
days from 10.00 AM to 03.00 PM from 23.12.2020 onwards. The tender
document can also be downloaded from the website of NIIFT Mohali
(www.niiftindia.com)
119872 DIRECTOR GENERAL NIIFT

Office of the Director General of Police Uttarakhand

12 Subhash Road, Dehradun
RE-Tender
TENDER NOTICE Tender Identification no: DG-III-343/2020
1. Description - Providing Data Entry Operators for data digi-
CONCLUSION OF PRICE AGREEMENT FOR LOCAL PURCHASE OF DRUGS AND
tization in various offices/police stations of Uttarakhand Police
CONSUMABLE MEDICAL STORES INCLUDING LABORATORY, RADIOLOGY &
2. Date of Issue of Tender - 18-12-2020
DENTAL CONSUMABLE STORES
3. Last Date of Receipt of Tender- 28.12.2020, 10:00 AM
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (NAVY) 4. Date of Opening of Tender- 28.12.2020, 11:00 AM
INS INDIA/ECHS CELL, STATION HQ, DELHI NAVAL AREA Further Details can be seen from the e procurement por-
1. Sealed tenders are invited by Commanding Officer/Station Commander, INS India, Dara Shukoh tal http://uktenders.gov.in. DIG (P&M), Police H.Q.,
Road, New Delhi - 110011 for the following:- Uttarakhand, Dehradun.
SI. Service Last date of Date of Last date Date of EMD ´FÂFFaI - 14435/ ÀFc.E½Fa »Fû.ÀFa.d½F./dQ. 22.12.2020
No. collection Pre-bid of submission tender Amount
of tender meeting of tender opening (Rs.)
forms forms
01 Conclusion of Price Agreement 30 Dec 20 04 Jan 21 05 Jan 21 06 Jan 21
for Local Purchase of drugs (1700 Hrs.) (1500 hrs.) (1500 Hrs.) (1500 Hrs.)
and consumable medical stores
including Laboratory, Radiology
& Dental consumable stores
2. Tender form can be obtained between 1100 hrs. and 1700 hrs. (except 1300 hrs. to 1400 hrs.)
on all working days from 22 Dec 20 to 30 Dec 20 from the office of Principal Medical Officer, MI
Room, INS India, Dara Shukoh Road, New Delhi - 11, on payment of Rs. 100/- (non refundable).
3. Conclusion of Price Agreement for Local Purchase of drugs and consumable medical stores
including Laboratory, Radiology & Dental consumable stores of above mentioned services will
be considered only if the firms qualify in as per the terms and conditions laid down in RFP.
4. The tenders would also be tender notice would be available for downloading on www.indiannavy.
nic.in between 22 Dec 20 to 30 Dec 20.
5. Bidders have to furnish proof of the followings:-
(a) Particulars of Firm/Distributor/Dealer:-
(i) Name
(ii) Address
(iii) Telephone No. (with STD code)
(iv) Fax
(v) Email ID
(b) Name of proprietor/partners with contact details like telephone numbers, address, fax
and email ID. (Note: If more than one proprietor, copy of partnership deed to be attached)
(c) Name of contact person with contact details - Telephone/mobile No. and email ID (Note:
Letter of Authorization from competent authority of firm to be attached).
(d) For manufacturing firms/OEM: Manufacturing License No. issued by Drug Licensing Auth
(copy to be enclosed).
(e) For distributor/dealers: Manufacturing Agency agreement/notarised declaration and

Growth is
duration of validity.
(f) Pharmaceutical firms to furnish the following
(i) DGQA Registration
Or
not just
GMP certificate issued by State/Central authority
Or
beating the odds.
Certificate of original inventor of molecule It’s also about
(ii) Annual turnover certificate of last 03 years duly audited/signed by Chartered Accountant.
(g) resilience, against
(i) DGAFMS/DGQA Registration, if any (Proof to be attached).
(ii) RC Holder with DGAFMS if any (Proof to be attached).
all odds.
(iii) Name of Govt agency, the firm is on panel for supplying medical stores, if any (Proof
to be attached).
(h) GSTIN No. (Proof to be attached).
(j) Permanent Ac No. (PAN) (Proof to be attached).
Growth is...On.
(k) Bankers of firm, with branch and address, MICR No., NEFT Code, ECS A/C No (Cancelled
cheque to be enclosed).
(I) Latest Income Tax clearance certificate (Copy to be attached).
(m) Audit report for the last (03) three years from Chartered Accountant.
(n) Non Conviction certificate (non judicial stamp paper).
(o) Self certification regarding quality assurance protocol followed in manufacturing items, as
applicable.
(p) ISO/BIS/CE certificate as applicable (copy to be attached).
(q) Import License, if applicable.
(r) List of products with valid MMC (for drugs) for which inclusion in vendor data base is
sought (soft copy may be attached).
(s) Brief/Information Brochure/Folder about the applicant firm.
(t) Undertaking to comply with standard terms and condition (for vendors included in the data
base).
6. Blacklisted firms by Govt. Organisations/Department are not permitted to participate in the
Follow us:
tendering process.
7. Detailed instruction will be issued to firms at the time of the issuing the tendering form and any mint.live livemint live_mint
other clarification regarding terms and conditions of RFP may be sought during pre-bid meeting.
Commanding Officer livemint livemint.com
davp 10702/11/0071/2021 INS India
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
Infosys, Wipro in billion-dollar tech
overhaul deals with German firms
The deals involve
absorbing clients’
employees and
will require Indian
regulators’ approval
Nandita Mathur
nandita.m@livemint.com
NEW DELHI: Infosys Ltd and
Wipro Ltd on Tuesday said they
have bagged billion-dollar, mul-
ti-year technology contracts
from Germany’s Daimler AG
and Metro AG, respectively.
Both deals involve absorbing
clients’ employees and will
require regulatory approval, the
Indian software services compa-
nies said.
While Infosys didn’t disclose
financial details of the contract
with Daimler, a person familiar
with the development said the
outsourcing deal is worth more
than a billion dollars.
Cross-town rival Wipro said it
estimates its contract with Metro
to generate $700 million in reve-
nue in the first five years. The
company has the option to
Markets bounce back
on $892 bn US stimulus
Nasrin Sultana
nasrin.s@livemint.com
MUMBAI : Indian markets
rebounded on Tuesday, clawing
back some of the losses from a
brutal sell-off in the previous
session.
The bounce-back came amid
a recovery in European equities
and an additional US fiscal stim-
ulus despite persisting concerns
over the emergence of a new
coronavirus strain in the UK.
Both the benchmark indexes
ended nearly 1% higher with the
BSE Sensex closing at
46,006.69, up 452.73 points.
The 50-share index Nifty ended
at 13,466.30, up 137.90 points.
European shares rose during
the day as the approval of a US
stimulus package helped allay
worries of a further dent to the
global economy from the new
coronavirus strain in the UK. US
President Donald Trump, mean-
while, signed a stopgap meas-
ure to fund US agencies for
another week after Congress
passed a $892 billion Covid aid
package overnight that aims to
shore up the nation’s pandemic
response and bolster the bat-
tered economy. Other markets
in the Asia-Pacific region, how-
ever, declined following inves-
tor nervousness overnight on
Wall Street due to the new Covid
strain in the UK. Markets in
China, Hong Kong, Japan, Tai-
wan and South Korea fell 1-2%
during the day.
“Markets took an unexpected
positive momentum in the aft-
ernoon, during a see-saw trad-
ing day, following the positive
opening of the European mar-
ket, which recovered from yes-
POLLS
The PAGD, which also com-
prises the Peoples Conference,
the Communist Party of India-
Marxist, the Peoples Movement
and the Awami National Confer-
ence, took shape in October
2020 to demand the restoration
of the erstwhile state’s special
status. “Today’s DDC results
have made it clear that people of
J&K voted en masse for
@JKPAGD, thus rejecting the
unconstitutional decision to
abrogate Article 370. They have
overwhelmingly supported
@JKPAGD, which stands for
restoration of J&K’s special sta-
tus,” Mehbooba Mufti, PDP
leader and another former chief
minister, tweeted.
PDP chief spokesperson
Suhail Bukhari, however, said
the alliance had expected to do
better.
In the BJP camp, the party’s
J&K spokesperson Anil Gupta
termed the results a “victory for
democracy” and a “slap” for
those who were saying Kash-
miri people had lost faith in
democracy after the Centre’s
Article 370 move. “The BJP did
well all across J&K...,” he said.
J&K BJP president Ravinder
Raina said: “We would win
70-80 seats on our own, and we
also hope that 30-40 independ-
ents supported by us will
emerge winners. Therefore, we
anticipate a bumper win.”
Of the 231 seats whose results
were declared by 10pm, PAGD
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies and demand for cloud, AI-based
offerings, and cyber security, which are critical areas of growth for IT companies.
extend the contract by four more
years, leading to potential spend-
ing of more than $1 billion, it said
in a statement.
Bengaluru-based Infosys will
help Daimler upgrade its IT
operating model and infrastruc-
ture across workplace services,
service desk, data centre, net-
works and SAP (systems applica-
terday’s sell-off. The sectorial
rally was led by IT and pharma
stocks, with other sectors also
supporting the up move,” said
Vinod Nair, head of research,
Geojit Financial Services.
The India volatility index, or
VIX, also cooled off with the
gauge closing 5.19% lower at
21.99. However, analysts expect
volatility in Indian markets to
continue in the near-term.
Binod Modi, head of strategy
at Reliance Securities, said mar-
kets are likely to remain volatile
in the coming days until clarity
emerges about new Covid
strains and efficacy of ongoing
vaccinations. He said investors
have once again started focus-
ing on safe counters such as IT,
pharma, telecom, fast-moving
consumer goods and chemicals.
Additional fiscal stimulus in
the US is likely to lead to more
foreign liquidity for domestic
shares, which have already
made a record rally since the
Covid-19 outbreak. However,
abundant liquidity support in
the domestic markets is not
supported by fundamentals,
said Saion Mukherjee, head of
India equity research, Nomura.
“Liquidity can also have a
positive impact on fundamen-
tals if supported by adequate
policy measures and improved
sentiment. The market seems
hopeful, but we aren’t yet con-
vinced of this impact. Consen-
sus earnings growth expecta-
tions are high, and market valu-
ations are at the peak.
Therefore, we are cautious and
selective on Indian equities,”
Mukherjee said.
Reuters contributed to the story.
won 92, the BJP 59, the Con-
gress 19, and former minister
Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party eight
seats, according to official fig-
ures of the State Election
Authority of the UT of J&K. The
other seats went to independ-
ents and smaller parties.
While the PAGD contested
220 seats, the BJP 183, the Con-
gress 118, and the Apni Party 134
seats.
Wins or trends were available
for 278 seats, while counting
was underway in many places
late into the night. The Election
Commission stopped counting
in two seats. Final results were
expected by or after midnight.
While PAGD candidates per-
formed exceptionally in south,
central and north Kashmir, the
alliance missed the mark in the
Srinagar district (14 seats),
where BJP nominee Ajaz Hus-
sain registered a significant win
in the Kanmoh II seat. Apart
from this, the other seats the
BJP won or was leading in the
Kashmir Valley were Tulail and
Kakapora in Pulwama.
Another highlight of the
results was PDP leader Waheed
Para, who is under house arrest
for his alleged links with mili-
tants. He won in his Pulwama
constituency by a huge margin.
J&K state Congress president
Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the
results meant defeat for the BJP.
“They brought top Union minis-
ters and top leaders for election
campaigning. Still, they could
tions and products).
As part of this partnership,
automotive IT infrastructure
experts based out of Germany,
Europe, the US and the Asia-Pa-
cific region will be transferred
from Daimler to Infosys. The
transfer will also allow Infosys to
bolster its automotive business.
“Infosys has deep expertise in
In India’s retail, battle of the billionaires
m EXPLAINER
Staff Writer
feedback@livemint.com
NEW DELHI: Amazon.com Inc’s
chief executive Jeff Bezos, the
world’s wealthiest man, is
determined to retain his com-
pany’s pre-eminence in India’s
retail market, estimated to
reach $1.3 trillion by 2025, amid
a surge in online shopping, and
stave off an equally determined
challenge from Mukesh
Ambani, Asia’s richest and
chairman of Reliance Industries
Ltd, which runs the country’s
largest offline retail chain.
The battle for dominance in
one of the fastest-growing
major retail markets is being
fought on the ground in India
and the courts in Singapore and
New Delhi.
The current bone of conten-
tion is the assets of Future
Retail Ltd, which runs the Big
Bazaar supermarket chain.
Ambani’s Reliance Industries
agreed in August to buy the
indebted Future Group’s assets
for ₹24,713 crore, just about a
year after Amazon had pur-
chased an indirect stake in
Future Retail. Amazon has
opposed the sale, claiming it
violates Future Group’s invest-
ment agreement with it.
The outcome of the dispute is
likely to shape India’s retail
market.
What triggered the feud
between Ambani and
Bezos?
Amazon purchased 49% in
Future Coupons Ltd, an unlisted
firm of the Future Group, giving
it an indirect stake in Future
not win more than 50-60 seats.
This shows that people have
rejected their slogans,” he said.
Held under the shadow of
Covid-19, the elections wit-
nessed a turnout of 51.76% over
the eight phases from Novem-
ber 29 to December 19, and were
the first major direct polling
exercise since the nullification
of Article 370. Last year in Octo-
ber, Block Development Council
elections were held in J&K,
though the NC and the PDP boy-
cotted them.
Political analyst Pervaz
Majeed said the PAGD should
have won more seats in the DDC
elections.“In the backdrop of
the August 5, 2019 situation, the
enthusiasm of people in these
elections must be surprising to
many. After the panchayat elec-
tions of 2011 and assembly elec-
tions of 2014, this was an elect-
oral exercise that saw good
involvement of people. “More-
over, it is a huge political devel-
opment that the BJP found can-
didates in Kashmir who fought
on its ticket and in fact ran the
party’s campaign,” said Majeed,
an assistant professor of jour-
nalism at Kashmir University.
FARMERS
Border, said.
The All India Kisan Sang-
harsh Coordination Committee
(AIKSCC), a major platform of
farm unions, said the govern-
ment was pushing “farmer lead-
ers to give specific point-by-
Business
BLOOMBERG
helping clients across the globe
navigate digital journeys, and as
a part of this strategic partner-
ship, we look forward to setting a
new standard for the automotive
industry,” said Salil Parekh, chief
executive officer, Infosys.
The pandemic has accelerated
the adoption of digital technolo-
gies and demand for cloud, arti-
The case file
Amazon.com and Reliance are fighting it out for the
dominance of India’s retail market. Kishore Biyani and his
debt-laden Future Group have been caught in the crossfire
between both.   with Reliance Industries.
Aug 22, 2019: Amazon buys 49% in Future
Coupons with a right to buy a stake in Future
Retail later
Aug 29, 2020: Future Retail board okays
merger with Future Enterprises and sale of
retail and wholesale biz to Reliance
Oct 3: Amazon complains to Sebi that Future’s board has committed
a material breach of fiduciary duties
Oct 5: Amazon moves to block Future-RIL deal at the Singapore
International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
Oct 25: SIAC restrains Future from selling any asset to RIL
Oct 26: Future Retail says Singapore ruling is
legally unenforceable in India
Nov 7: Future moves Delhi HC, seeking to bar
Amazon from interfering with deal
Nov 8: Amazon charges Future with
perpetuating fraud, breaching Sebi norms
Nov 20: Antitrust regulator okays Future’s asset sale to RIL
Retail. The agreement also gave
Amazon the right to buy a big-
ger stake in the Future Group
flagship company once India
lifts restrictions on foreign
investments in brick-and-mor-
tar retailers. However, Future
Group ran into a severe liquidity
crisis after the nationwide lock-
down was announced in March.
Kishore Biyani-led Future
Group had little option but to
sell its assets to tide over the cri-
sis. Biyani chose to sell the
group’s assets to Reliance
Industries, angering Amazon,
which claimed its investment
agreement with the Future spe-
cifically barred such a deal.
What’s at stake?
{ }
point critique of the clauses (in
farm laws)” although the farm-
ers’ representatives “unani-
mously concluded and
explained on December 3 that
the Acts have to be repealed”.
“But the government select-
ively picked issues and is now
trying to claim that those are the
main issues,” AIKSCC secretary
Avik Saha said.
Tens of thousands of farmers
from Punjab and Haryana have
hunkered down along Delhi’s
borders demanding scrapping of
the laws. The changes pushed by
the government allow free mar-
kets for agricultural trade, per-
mit traders to stockpile farm
commodities for future sales
and a national law on contract
farming.
Farmers say easing of restric-
tions will erode their bargaining
power and leave them at the
mercy of big corporations.
Protests by farmers have con-
tinued, with cultivators resort-
ing to a relay hunger strike and
chalking out plans to intensify
their agitation.
EXAMS
the months of January or Feb-
ruary. That we have decided.
However, after this period, we
will hold consultations and take
a final decision,” the Union min-
ister said.
Over 1.2 million students
appeared for the Class 12 board
exams, while about 1.8 million
appeared for the Class 10 exams
Powered by
ficial intelligence-based offer-
ings and cybersecurity, which
are critical areas of growth for
companies such as Wipro and
Infosys.
In July, Infosys won a multi-
year digital transformation deal
from US investment firm Van-
guard. The deal, pegged at about
$1.5 billion, is one of the largest-
ever for the company and an
indication that digital technol-
ogy spending is on the rise.
Wipro said its takeover deal
with Metro is expected to gener-
ate revenue of more than ₹1,000
crore annually for the company.
The Indian company will absorb
more than 1,300 employees of
the German wholesaler.
As a part of the transaction,
Wipro will also take over the IT
units of Metro—Metro-NOM
Gmbh in Germany and Metro
Systems Romania SRL.
Wipro will deliver a technol-
ogy, engineering and solutions
transformation programme for
Metro as it positions itself as a
wholesale 360-degree provider
in the hotel, restaurant and
catering food industry fuelled by
quality, focus and flexibility.
Amazon.com and Reliance
Industries are fighting it out for
supremacy in India’s retail mar-
ket, where online sales are sur-
ging as customers from small
towns and cities are beginning
to purchase from e-commerce
platforms for the first time.
Acquiring Future’s network
of retail, wholesale, logistics,
and warehousing assets will
provide Reliance Retail, which
is already the biggest offline
retailer in the country, with the
firepower to take on Amazon
and Flipkart in the online retail
market.
What is the status of the
legal dispute?
Amazon initiated arbitration
conducted by CBSE in 2020.
On a question about the pos-
sibility of the exams being held
online, he said there was a sec-
tion that did not have sufficient
access to digital means. The
minister said the government is
trying to bridge the digital
divide but it continued to
remain a challenge.
Among the key exams con-
ducted by the National Testing
Agency (NTA) and CBSE are the
Joint Entrance Examination
(Main) for admission to engi-
neering schools, Class 10 and 12
exams and the National Eligibil-
ity cum Entrance Test for stu-
dents aspiring to study medi-
cine or dental science. In 2020,
most of these exams were res-
cheduled, but were ultimately
held with strict safety protocols
in place.
An official previously said
the CBSE board exams may be
delayed by a few weeks from
their typical February-March
schedule.
Ameeta Mulla Wattal, princi-
pal of Delhi’s Springdales
School, said: “There is still an
amount of uncertainty and anx-
iety among parents regarding
the board exams. Naturally,
parents and students during
interactions have suggested that
they be postponed for a month
or so from March, which is the
conventional month in which
these tests are generally held.”
(With PTI inputs)
The programme will encom-
pass cloud, data centre services,
workplace and network services,
along with application develop-
ment and operations to help
drive Metro’s transformation
agenda.
Thierry Delaporte, chief exec-
utive and managing director of
Wipro, said, “Like us, Metro AG
is focused on leveraging digital
transformation for competitive
advantage. Wipro’s role is to
make that transformation effi-
cient and effective.”
The takeover is expected to
close before the end of Apri next
year.
Infosys’s deal momentum has
been steady and strong in the
three months to December 31,
Parekh said at an event last
week. The December quarter is
considered a seasonally weak
period due to the holiday season
in key markets such as the US
and Europe. Infosys’s digital
business has grown 25.4% since
last year and contributed 47.3%
to the revenue in the September
quarter. Parekh said the contri-
bution could increase to 50% in
the next few quarters.
proceedings before the Singa-
pore International Arbitration
Centre against Kishore Biyani,
Future Coupons, and Future
Retail in October and got emer-
gency relief to block the deal
Future Retail termed the
Singapore ruling as legally
unenforceable in India and peti-
tioned the Delhi High Court to
stop Amazon from interfering
in the deal. Reliance said it
intended to purchase Future
Retail’s assets without any
delay, notwithstanding the arbi-
tration court order.
On Tuesday, the high court
permitted Future Retail to pro-
ceed with the sale of its assets to
Reliance Industries but left it to
the regulators to decide the fate
of the deal.
It, however, declined to
restrain Amazon from
approaching appropriate
forums to oppose the transac-
tion. Both parties in the dispute
can approach a higher court.
What are the next steps in
the transaction?
The ruling shifts the spotlight
to the Securities and Exchange
Board of India and the ministry
of corporate affairs, where
Amazon is challenging the deal.
The Competition Commission
of India cleared the transaction
in November.
What happens if the deal
collapses?
Future Retail may face possi-
ble bankruptcy. It has defaulted
on payments earlier this year
and has posted a string of
losses.
A quick resolution of the dis-
pute is critical for the store
chain and its founder Biyani.
NEW VARIANT
stage.
“The new strain has 17
changes and one of them, N501Y,
is of the area which instructs the
spike protein, the part that the
viruses uses to enter cells.
Because of this, it appears that
the strain’s tendency to enter
cells is higher... Does this make
the disease severe? It does not
seem to. Neither does it appear
to increase the chances of death
or hospitalisation,” Paul said.
But, citing data discussions
with experts, Paul said the devel-
opment was worrying and that
the government is vigilant since
the new variant has a tendency
to infect more people. Accord-
ingly, the government will expe-
dite genetic sequencing of all
virus samples received at Indian
Council of Medical Research
(ICMR) and Department of Bio-
technology (DBT) laboratories.
“Is it a reason for panic? No. Is
it something we should be vigi-
lant about? Certainly,” he said,
while adding that current evi-
dence also suggests that the vac-
cines that have been developed
and are being tested are unlikely
to become obsolete due to these
mutations. “All vaccines devel-
oped till now will work for this
variant too.”
The Union government also
announced a new set of guide-
lines to trace and survey people
who returned from the UK in the
past month, advising states to
separately quarantine them at
Key indicators
point to slowing
business activity
Shreya Nandi and
Gireesh Chandra Prasad
shreya.nandi@livemint.com
NEW DELHI: The tally of newly
incorporated companies, as
well as electronic permits
raised for transporting goods,
declined on a sequential basis
in November for the first time
since April.
This loss of momentum in
economic recovery for the first
time in seven months from the
turbulence caused by the pan-
demic could worry policymak-
ers as they prepare for the fed-
eral budget. Data from the cor-
porate affairs ministry showed
the setting up of new firms,
which indicates investment
intent, fell 19.5% in November
to 13,453 companies from the
preceding month. The number
of companies incorporated
each month saw a sustained
rise since April, in line with the
easing of lockdown restrictions.
The number of electronic
permits raised for transporta-
tion of goods within and across
states declined 10% to 57 mil-
lion in November from the pre-
vious month. This trend aligns
with the sentiment showed by
IHS Markit purchasing manag-
ers’ indices for manufacturing
and services, indicating that
November activity was a notch
below October.
Meanwhile, data issued by
RBI showed that the number of
real-time online payments
through UPI fell 5.3% to 1.51 bil-
lion transactions between
December 1 and 21, compared to
the same period in November.
UPI transactions touched a
record high of 2.21 billion in
November, with pent-up
demand during the festive sea-
son being one of the factors.
According to experts, the
sequential decline in e-pay-
ments so far in December may
be temporary and will rebound
as schools, colleges and work-
places reopen.
“The main reason for tepid
growth in online transactions is
due to a post-festive season lull.
The festive season and e-com-
merce sales drove online trans-
actions in October and Novem-
ber. People are now yet again
spending cautiously due to the
{ SUCHITRA ELLA } JOINT MD, BHARAT BIOTECH
P
We have started producing
at risk because we
know that it will
be an uphill task
—in the Indian
context it’s
small.
A
institutional facilities if any of
them develop symptoms. All
such symptomatic people will be
tested and if positive, the sam-
ples will be sent to genetic analy-
sis to check for the B.1.1.7, the
strain found in the UK.
The same genetic sequencing
protocol will apply for samples
of those who tested positive
upon arrival on Tuesday, the last
day for flights to and from UK
before an embargo comes into
force till December 31. In all, 22
people were found with the virus
in five cities: eight (including a
crew member) in Amritsar, six
in Delhi, four in Ahmedabad,
three in Kolkata and one in
Chennai. According to the proto-
col, people sitting in the same
row and up to three rows in
front or behind any of the
infected patients will be traced
and quarantined with a test 5-10
days later.
Experts said that the new vari-
ant may already be in India. “The
possibility that it hasn’t arrived
in India is low,” said Dr Anurag
Agarwal, director of the Institute
of Genomics and Integrative
Biology (IGIB), which is one of
the labs that has been sequen-
cing Sars-CoV-2 genomes. He
explained that the virus has been
found to be more transmissible
but the transmission can happen
only if people are not wearing
masks. If precautions are not fol-
lowed, the new variant may lead
to super-spreading events, he
added. “It is likely that the new
15
Electronic permits raised to
transport goods declined 10%
to 57 million in November. PTI
uncertainty associated with
Covid. However, demand will
pick up again if schools, colleges
and offices reopen,” said Man-
dar Agashe, founder, Sarvatra
Technologies, an end-to-end
technology solutions provider
for next-generation banking.
Madan Sabnavis, chief econ-
omist at Care Ratings Ltd, said
if one considers high-frequency
indicators of production, con-
sumption and investment, eco-
nomic recovery continued in
November, although it is still
fragile.
In an in-house ‘economic
comeback indicator’ that ran-
ges between -2 and 10, Care Rat-
ings has assigned a score of 2.62
for November. This indicator
tracks data on power genera-
tion, e-way bills, non-oil and
non-gold imports, GST, petrol
consumption, passenger vehi-
cles, two- and three-wheelers,
corporate bond issuance and
bank credit since June this year.
Going by the 7.5% contrac-
tion forecast by RBI for the fis-
cal, the economy is expected to
be of ₹188.7 lakh crore at the
end of FY21.
Given that even a strong
rebound in the next fiscal will
be on this lower base, the fiscal
deficit in FY22 is unlikely to
narrow significantly as spend-
ing requirements are expected
to remain high even as non-tax
revenue sources such as divest-
ment proceeds remain weak.
“This could tie the govern-
ment’s hands in taking further
expenditure-boosting measures
or in offering tax breaks in the
FY22 budget,” said Sabnavis.
variant may have already come
to India, you will find it only if
you are looking for it. This is the
reason why we need to scale up
the number of genomic sequen-
cing that we are doing. India has
the second highest number of
Covid-19 cases in the world and it
is likely that some variant like it
might have generated within the
country too,” said Dr Shahid
Jameel, virologist and director of
Trivedi School of Biosciences at
Ashoka University.
Bhushan also spoke on the
infection trends in India during
Tuesday’s briefing. “Countries
like the US, Brazil, the UK, Rus-
sia and Germany are showing
new peaks in Covid cases. In
comparison, India’s trajectory
has shown a sustained decline in
Covid-19 cases since mid-Sep-
tember,” he said. Bhushan on
Monday wrote to the civil avia-
tion ministry, citing recommen-
dations from the group of
experts who reviewed the infor-
mation released from the UK.
Experts from the Covid-19
Genomics UK Consortium on
Saturday said the new variant is
significant because it now
“accounts for an increasing pro-
portion of cases in parts of
England”, “has an unusually
large number of genetic changes,
particularly in the spike pro-
tein”, and the mutations “have
potential biological effects”.
Shortly after, UK PM Boris John-
son said the variant could be up
to 70% more transmissible.
16 NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

Sport

The case for a twin-spin A

l
Rizwan-inspired
Pakistan stop
NZ T20 sweep

attack this Boxing Day

NAPIER: Mohammad
Rizwan celebrated his
elevation to the Pakistan
Test captaincy in style
Tuesday, smashing a
career-best 89 to stop
New Zealand claiming a
series sweep in the third
T20 in Napier. Pakistan
R Ashwin has never reached New Zealand’s
bowled in tandem target of 174 with two
balls to spare, ending on
with a frontline 177 after Iftikhar Ahmed
spinner in Australia. sealed the win with a six
Odisha FC players and coaching staff celebrate Cole Alexander’s in the final over. But it
equaliser during their Indian Super League match against Could a case be made was Rizwan’s 89 from
NorthEast United FC, in Goa on Tuesday. ISL for Jadeja’s inclusion 59 balls, with support
from 41-run

NorthEast Utd, in Shami’s absence?

Aditya Iyer
Mohammad Hafeez,
that inspired the victory.

Raina regrets
Odisha play aditya.iyer@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: “Shane Warne used

to always look at a seaming
Mumbai incident
MUMBAI: Former India

out a 2-2 draw

Agencies
sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com
PANAJI, GOA: It could have been
another defeat but Odisha FC
clawed back to snatch a point
against NorthEast United, draw-
ing 2-2 in an Indian Super
League (ISL) game at the GMC
Stadium, here on Tuesday.
Odisha took the lead through
Diego Mauricio (26’) before Ben-
jamin Lambot (45+1’) drew par-
ity. Kwesi Appiah (65’) then con-
verted a penalty to put the High-
landers ahead but soon saw his
goal cancelled out by Cole Alex-
ander (67’).
Odisha named an unchanged
eleven from the side that lost to
Bengaluru FC while NorthEast
coach Gerard Nus made four
changes with Federico Gallego
handed a start. The first half saw
a cagey contest with both sides
heading into half-time level after
creating plenty of chances. The
first big chance arrived in the
10th minute but Odisha keeper
Arshdeep Singh produced a fine
save to deny NorthEast United
the opening goal.
Gallego picked up Kwesi
Appiah with a long ball, and the
latter made space for himself
between two markers but saw
his shot blocked by Arshdeep.
Minutes later, Odisha carved out
a great chance at the other end
from a set-piece and should have
bagged the lead.
Diego Mauricio had two
attempts on goal and his second
one seemed to be heading into
the net before Dylan Fox pulled
off a fine goal-line clearance to
keep it goalless. But the Brazilian
redeemed himself with a wonder
strike to hand his side the lead.
Mauricio, receiving the ball from
outside the box, cut inside before
drilling a low shot that trickled
into the back of the net.
The ball went in following a
light deflection off Lalengmawia,
leaving the keeper with no
chance.
NorthEast piled on the pres-
sure after conceding and missed
three chances from set-pieces.
However, a lapse in concentra-
tion from Odisha in stoppage
time saw them concede. Lambot
made a run at the far post and
picked up Ashutosh Mehra’s
cross before heading home. Nus’
side began the second half from
where they left off and deserv-
edly took the lead. They won a
penalty after Appiah was tripped
in the box by Arshdeep. The
Ghanian stepped up to take the
spot-kick and struck with venom
to notch his third ISL goal.
Their lead didn’t last long as
Alexander equalised for Odisha
by beautifully curling his shot at
the far post.
Chelsea close in on top-4
LONDON: Chelsea striker Tammy
Abraham scored a late oppor-
tunist double to secure a 3-0
home win for Chelsea over West
Ham United in the Premier
League on Monday after Brazil-
ian defender Thiago Silva had
fired them in front with an early
header. The result lifted Chelsea
to fifth on 25 points from 14
games, a point behind fourth-
placed Everton, while West Ham
stayed 10th on 21 points after fail-
ing to rack up a third successive
away win.
It was a welcome victory for
Chelsea after two successive
defeats and Abraham acknowl-
edged there was a rallying cry in
the dressing room before the
kick off. “The boys said we
needed a performance and that’s
what we did today,” the 23-year-
old told Sky Sports.
“As a striker, scoring goals
gives you confidence, my team
mates created a lot of chan-
ces and we defended well as a
team.
West Ham’s Declan Rice had a
goal disallowed for offside
before 36-year-old centre back
Thiago Silva planted a thumping
header past visiting goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski in the 10th
minute as he met a Mason
Mount corner.
wicket and say, ‘If it seams, it is
sure to spin’. That was always
Warney’s approach to pace-
friendly pitches.” These were
pace great Glenn McGrath’s
words, spoken from India’s
broadcast studio during the Ade-
laide Test, on long-time team-
mate and the greatest leg-spin-
ner the world has seen. There is
a reason why Warne took 319 of
his 708 wickets at home in Aus-
tralia, where the pitches are pre-
dominantly suited for
McGrath’s, and not Warne’s,
tribe.
Still, for large swathes of his
long career, Warne excelled in
his role as the lone spinner amid
a pack of pacers while playing in
their backyard. Australia was
fortunate to find in Nathan Lyon
a man who could carry forward
Warne’s legacy; the off-spinner
too has found immense success
in difficult home conditions (192
wickets out of 391) while being
the only frontline spinner in the
attack for nearly a decade.
Attacking alone, however,
hasn’t been the trend when great
spinners (or even great spin-
bowling nations) from outside of
Australia have drawn blood on
tours Down Under. Perhaps
because it takes one with deep
local knowledge—of the condi-
tions and their craft in those
conditions—to see spin when all
others see seam, India’s Test
spinners have largely been suc-
cessful in Australia not while
operating alone, but while bowl-
ing in tandem.
A triple treat
The first time India won a Test in
Australia, Melbourne 1977,
Bishan Singh Bedi and Bhagwat
Chandrasekhar shared 18 of the
20 wickets while a third spinner
in Erapalli Prasanna went wick-
etless (he had the lion’s share of
the three in the following Test in
Sydney, which India won by an
innings with the spinners con-
tributing 16 wickets).
If you’re putting that down to
the fact that Bedi, Chandrase-
khar and Prasanna were three of
the four members of India’s
great spin quartet, then don’t. In
1985-86, when India didn’t lose a
R Ashwin (left) was impressive in Adelaide and India will deliberate on Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round qualities when they pick a
replacement for Mohammed Shami in the Melbourne Test.
Test series in Australia for the
last time in that century, Shivlal
Yadav, current Indian coach
Ravi Shastri and Laxman Sivara-
makrishnan tasted great success
together—17 wickets in the
drawn Boxing Day Test of 1985,
followed immediately by 14
wickets in the drawn New Year’s
Test in Sydney.
This isn’t to say that India
don’t win Tests in Australia
without the help of spin,
although there is a direct link
between them given that India’s
spinners didn’t tally over 10
wickets in a match even once
between 1986 and the tour of
2003, and India didn’t win a sin-
gle game in that phase. When
Anil Kumble scalped 12 wickets
in the Sydney Test of 2004, it was
primarily his bowling effort that
saw India draw its first series in
Australia in a long, long time.
Kumble still had a frontline spin-
ner in Murali Kartik (who took
one wicket, that of opener Justin
Langer, the current coach) for an
ally, something Ravichandran
Ashwin has never had on his
four tours of Australia since 2011.
Which then lends easy insight
into why the last time Indian
spinners accounted for more
than 10 wickets in a Test in Aus-
tralia was during a tour prior to
Ashwin first playing here; in
2007-08, when Kumble and Har-
bhajan Singh twice combined
with 10 and 12 wickets, in Melb-
ourne and Sydney respectively.
Ashwin has had to make do
with bowling alongside part-tim-
ers Suresh Raina, Virender Seh-
wag, Rohit Sharma, Hanuma
Vihari and even Murali Vijay.
Not even Karn Sharma or Kul-
deep Yadav, who both played
one Test each there in 2014 and
2019, both in Ashwin’s place.
And not even alongside his most
formidable ally in home condi-
tions, Ravindra Jadeja, who
played his only two Tests in Aus-
tralia on the previous tour in
Melbourne and Sydney, with
Ashwin out injured.
Spin for pace
We now know that two or more
Indian spinners have always
been more effective than one in
Australia. Could not a strong
case be made to play Ashwin
and Jadeja together, especially in
Mohammed Shami’s absence?
Both the culture and the cen-
tral composition of India’s bowl-
ing line-ups on overseas tours
have seen a tectonic shift under
Virat Kohli’s stewardship. And
the change has been for the bet-
ter. Out of nowhere India
became a fast bowling nation,
and the rise of Jasprit Bumrah,
Ishant Sharma, Shami and
Umesh Yadav saw India win
their first series in Australia in
2018-19. India’s fast bowlers have
scalped more combined wickets
than any other pace attack in the
world in the last five years, and
they weren’t too bad at home
either. In fact, in the last Test
played in India in November
2019—incidentally a pink-ball
game—the pacers took all the 19
wickets that fell at the Eden Gar-
dens. For the first time a spinner
didn’t take a wicket in an Indian
victory at home.
Under such circumstances,
even the thought of playing two
frontline spinners at the cost of a
fast bowler (especially in fast
bowling conditions) would’ve
been considered laughable. But
what about now, on a tour that
had Ishant sidelined for all four
Tests and Shami flying back
home after just one?
It is an itchy subject, some-
thing stand-in captain Ajinkya
Rahane could well have to deal
with in Kohli’s three-match
absence.
Two is company
At home, there has never been a
problem; Ashwin has featured in
each of Jadeja’s 33 Tests, a
period in which they have
scalped 348 wickets between
GETTY IMAGES
them (remarkably similar to the
356 wickets Kumble and Har-
bhajan took in each other’s com-
pany over 34 Tests). That’s an
average of 10.5 wickets in tan-
dem, or more than one innings
distributed between them, every
time they have gone shoulder-to-
shoulder in a Test in India.
What about overseas Tests?
Consider this very telling statis-
tic—Ashwin and Jadeja have
played only two Tests together
away from the subcontinent, and
only one of them under Kohli.
That was in St. Lucia in 2016, the
other, more consequential,
match coming under MS Dhoni
at Manchester in 2014.
Plenty of water has flowed
under the bridge between Man-
chester and Melbourne, where
Rahane may yet be forced to
field Ashwin and Jadeja
together. History, especially that
of Indian spinners in Tests in
Australia, reckons that were it to
happen, it could well be a bless-
ing in disguise.
w
READ: Mark
Waugh predicts
a 4-0 loss for India in Tests.
cricketer Suresh Raina,
who was among 34
people arrested and
released on bail by
Mumbai Police for
violating Covid social
distancing norms at a
club here, has regretted
the “unintentional and
unfortunate” incident. A
statement issued by the
former batsman’s
management team said
Raina was not aware of
the local timings and
protocols at the time of
the incident. “Suresh
was in Mumbai for a
shoot which extended to
late hours and was
invited by a friend for a
quick dinner post the
same prior to him
taking his flight back to
Delhi. He was not aware
of the local timings and
protocols. Once pointed
out, he immediately
complied with the
procedures... and
regrets the unfortunate
and unintentional
incident,” the statement
read.
Criminal complaint
against Blatter
GENEVA: FIFA on
Tuesday announced it
had filed a criminal
complaint against
former president Sepp
Blatter over the finances
of its loss-making
museum in Zurich. In a
statement FIFA said it
had “lodged a criminal
complaint with Zurich’s
cantonal prosecutor as
evidence of suspected
criminal
mismanagement by
FIFA’s former
management and
companies appointed by
them in relation to the
(museum) has
surfaced.”
However, Blatter’s
lawyer told AFP “the
accusations are
unfounded”.

{ LIONEL MESSI } BARCELONA CAPTAIN Sindhu unfazed by UK travel restrictions Elite swimmers from
P Press Trust of India
the Tokyo Olympics, has been
training in London for the last
Several countries around the
world, including India, have
pretty well. The national centre
is not closed. It is run as a bubble Delhi dependent on
It’s horrible to play sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com two months and is scheduled to imposed bans on flights on the centre, so I have been able to

without fans, it’s a

very ugly sensation...
NEW DELHI: Unfazed by the wor-
sening Covid-19 situation in
England where she is training
right now, world champion
very tough to really shuttler PV Sindhu on Tuesday
get going at the start said that she remains hopeful of
travelling to Thailand for tour-
of a game.
play her first tournament since
the break in Thailand. She will
have to be in Bangkok by Janu-
ary 3 to compete in the two
Super 1000 events (January 12 to
17 and January 19 to 24).
“I plan to travel in the first
week of January. There is no
UK because of a new and seem-
ingly more contagious strain of
the coronavirus in England.
The 25-year-old had left for
London in October to focus on
her nutrition and fitness at the
Gatorade Sports Science Insti-
tute (GSSI) and also has been
practice ahead of the events in
Thailand,” Sindhu said.
The Thailand leg will mark
Haryana for training
the return of international bad-
minton but the country has been tine.
dealing with a spike in Covid-19
Navneet Singh
“It’s taxing as the journey is
navneet.singh@htlive.com
cases as well. “Cases in Thailand
are also increasing, so there is NEW DELHI: Medal winners from
two hours one side and we have
to rush back to manage other

A
naments in January despite
countries increasingly banning
flights from the UK.
Sindhu, who has qualified for
{ LEGACY } THE DON REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA FOR 20 YEARS, PLAYING 52 TESTS
travel ban from UK in Thailand,
so I can travel from Doha. The
idea is to use the Gulf route to
reach Thailand,” said Sindhu.
training alongside British shut-
tlers Toby Penty and Rajiv
Ouseph at the National Training
Centre. “My training is going on
uncertainty about Thailand
event too, we really hope that
things are under control and the
event goes ahead.”
the Khelo India Youth and Uni-
versity Games are among several
top swimmers from Delhi who
now have to travel to pools in
Haryana at pre-dawn hours just
to get a single session in the
water.
In Delhi, swimming pools are
yet to open. The Talkatora
routine work,” Paramjeet said.
“But it’s important to train in
water at least once a day to stay
fit for competition.”
According to Sejwal, the pool
in Haryana is 25m (the standard
size is 50m) but it has a heating
system.
While some of the top swim-

Don Bradman’s debut 1928 ‘baggy green’ cap sold for A$450,000
Associated Press
sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com
SYDNEY: An Australian busi-
nessman has purchased Donald
Bradman’s first baggy green Test
cap for 450,000 Australian dol-
lars ($340,000) at auction, the
second-highest price paid for a
piece of cricket memorabilia.
Peter Freedman, the founder
of Rode Microphones who ear-
lier this year paid nine million
Australian dollars ($6.8 million)
at an auction for a guitar used by
Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain,
plans to tour Bradman’s Test
debut cap around Australia.
The price for Bradman’s 1928
Australia cap sits behind the
$1,007,500 ($760,000) paid at
auction for Australian leg-spin-
ner Shane Warne’s Test cap ear-
lier this year—the world-record
price for an item of cricket mem-
orabilia, auction officials said.
Bradman represented Austra-
lia for 20 years, playing 52 Test
matches from 1928 to 1948, and
is regarded as the world’s best-
ever cricketer.
Knighted for his services to
cricket in 1949, he retired from
Test cricket with a batting aver-
age of 99.94, making his Test
batting achievements nearly
twice that of the nearest bats-
man in the longer version of the
game. “Sir Don Bradman is an
Aussie legend,” Freedman said
on Tuesday. “Not only as one of
our greatest talents on the sport-
ing field and one of the most
revered athletes of all time, but
as an icon of Australian fortitude
and resilience. I have some excit-
ing plans for the baggy green
that will see it travel the country
and shared with sports fans and
cricketing communities.”
The reason for the auction
was related to criminal activity.
The cap was presented to
Bradman before his Test debut
against England in November
1928 in Brisbane. Bradman gave
the cap to a family friend, Peter
Dunham, as a gift in 1959.
Dunham, who was Bradman’s
neighbour in Adelaide, South
Australia, was earlier this year
jailed for fraud. Dunham in May
was jailed for more than eight
years for taking $1 million from
investors. Some of Dunham’s
victims sought access to Brad-
man’s cap to help pay off the
accountant’s debts. Dunham’s
estate was bankrupted with
Bradman’s cap auctioned under
instructions from the trustee.
In June, Freedman purchased
the acoustic guitar used by
Cobain in Nirvana’s renowned
unplugged performance in 1993.
Freedman’s bid for the 1959 Mar-
tin D18E acoustic guitar was the
highest price ever paid at auc-
tion for a guitar, officials for the
Bradman auction said.
Indoor Swimming Pool, for
example, has been closed since
March and its doors remain shut
despite guidelines from the
home ministry as far back as
Memorabilia most expensive September asking for pools to
open for training for elite swim-
SHANE WARNE’S TEST CAP (2020) mers.
All figures in Swimmers like Prachi Tokas,
The former spinner sold his prized baggy green
US dollars who excelled in the freestyle
to help bushfire victims and aid relief efforts
that ravaged the Australian countryside. events at the 2019 National
Australia’s Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt School Games, now travels every
$760,000 Comyn was the bidder day to reach private pools bor-
DON BRADMAN’S DEBUT TEST CAP (2020) dering Delhi, where elite swim-
Australian businessman Peter Freedman, founder of mers are being allowed to train
Rode Microphones, bought Bradman’s baggy green. from 4am to 6am.
$340,000 The cap was presented to Bradman before his debut “That’s the only slot for us,”
against England in November 1928 in Brisbane the teenaged Tokas, who has
DON BRADMAN’S FINAL TEST CAP (2003)
also won medals at the senior
Bradman wore it during his final Test during the tour of national championships, said.
$321,000 England in 1948 “I’ve no other option but to drive
down with my parents to a pri-
MS DHONI’S BAT (2011) vate pool near Rohtak in Hary-
The bat that struck the winning six to give India their ana. If the pools in Delhi were
second World Cup win in the 2011 final against Sri Lanka was
$161,295 sold to investment group RK Global Shares & Securities Ltd
open, I would have trained twice
a day.”
JOHN WISDEN’S CRICKETERS’ ALMANACKS (2008) Paramjeet Sejwal, whose two
$112,487 A complete set of 144 volumes issued from 1864 sons Sidhant and Sameer, are
to 2007 was sold at the Bonham’s auction. medal winners at the national
level, also follows the same rou-
mers have the resources to travel
as well as pay for the use of the
pool (around Rs5000 for a ses-
sion), many others simply can’t
afford to.
“If private pools can function
in Haryana why can’t the gov-
ernment open in Delhi?” said Raj
Kumar, secretary of the Delhi
state swimming unit.
Waiting for approval
While Sports Authority of India’s
(SAI, which runs the Talkatora
facility) director general Sandip
Pradhan didn’t respond to mes-
sages and calls, an official of the
department, on condition of ano-
nymity said, the Delhi Disaster
Management Authority is yet to
give a green light for pools to
open.
Meanwhile, swimmers of the
SAI academy, including Olympic
hopeful Kushagra Rawat, have
shifted to Bengaluru for training.
“The local government has
allowed pools to function from
October in Karnataka,” said
Kumar.
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
showbiz 17

y be st is ye t to co m e, p eo ple ha ve
M t
bee n rea lly kin d in 202 0 : Vik ran
Rishabh Suri
rishabh.suri@htlive.com

he year 2020 might have

T been slow for most actors

on the professional front,
owing to the pandemic, but
Vikrant Massey refused to take
a break. The year started with
Chhapaak opposite Deepika
Padukone, and he followed it
up with Cargo, Ginny Weds
Sunny and Dolly Kitty Aur
Woh Chamakate Sitare.
It’s almost as if he’s in the
best phase professionally.
“I’ve always said my best is yet
to come, this is just the begin-
ning. At least that’s what I’d
want to believe,” he says.
Lined up next for him is 14
Phere, Haseen Dilruba and a
film with Shankar Raman. “I’m
really happy. I’ve been a huge
fan of Gurgaon which came in
PHOTO: PRABHAS ROY/HT
2018, and to get an opportunity
to work with someone like
Shankar on a script that’s close
to my heart, it’s a dream come
true. I know there is a lot more
to come. I’d rather focus on one
project at a time and not on the
peripherals,” he adds. THE YEAR
Massey, 33, hopes that peo- OF THE
ple will enjoy watching these PANDEMIC
films as much as he did making
them. He continues,“People are
kind and supportive. This year
has been incredible, profes-
sionally, inspite of the fact that
much wasn’t done on the field
in terms of shooting. But four
releases, brand associations,
and to be accepted by the audi-
ence in a more wholesome way
than last year...it’s only getting
better and I can’t complain.”
What also made things spe-
cial for the actor is that he
entered 2020 as an engaged
man, and was all set to get
hitched to Sheetal Thakur,
until Covid-19 played spoil-
sport. He says, “Unfortunately,
Covid has reshuffled our plans.
2020 was a year which I had
planned revolving around mar-
riage. Now, work takes prece-
dence as we haven’t shot in last
seven-eight months. Ummeed
hai shaadi ke liye ek hafta
nikaal lunga next year. It’ll be a
small affair in Himachal, mine
and Sheetal’s native place.”
18 time out NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020

Entertainment & Promotional Features

ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

DEAR SANTA, { DAILY HOROSCOPE }

ALL I WANT FOR Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Dr Prem Kumar Sharma (Astrologer and Vaastu expert) can be contacted at: Delhi: 011-47033152, 40532026 (Sat
to Mon); Panchkula: 91-172-2562832, 2572874 (Tues to Thurs); Mumbai: 09716145644 (Last week of every month)

CHRISTMAS IS...
Actor Nafisa Ali will spread
ARIES
MAR 21-APR 20
LEO
JUL 23-AUG 23
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23-DEC 21

A L s
Christmas cheer with her Those facing problems on Possession of a house You’ll be able to give good
family in Goa. She has the financial front can booked by you, may soon account of yourself by
decorated a tree and made a expect some relief. You become a reality. solving problems at work.
crystal chandelier. “I want can be sidelined on the LOVE FOCUS: Those craving Health is satisfactory.
Santa to bring to the world the As the year comes to an end, work front by your superiors. for partner’s affection may need to LOVE FOCUS: Solid gains are seen for
value of humanity. Corona has LOVE FOCUS: Enjoy a long drive with change their approach. those with romantic inclinations.
taught us that we have to look eminent personalities tell us what lover today! LUCKY NUMBER: 17 LUCKY COLOUR: Par- LUCKY NUMBER: 9 LUCKY COLOUR: Pur-
out for each other, be morally LUCKY NUMBER: 11 LUCKY COLOUR: Pink rot Green ple
responsible and create a is that one thing they’d want Santa
respect bank. The universe is
for us all and we must rise up to bring for them and the world TAURUS VIRGO CAPRICORN
to a new world that we all APR 21-MAY 20 AUG 24-SEP 23 DEC 22-JAN 21
deserve,” she says.

T I c
The uncertainty gripping the world has spread loads of A change is expected on Financial gains are indi- You’ll help out a colleague
gloom and affliction in this forgettable year, feels the work front, which will cated, can bring you on a at work. A delay in com-
Apart from wishing for a be in your favour. A family firm footing. Diplomacy is mencing a journey threat-
Covid-19 vaccine for the economist and founder of KCC Group, Sharad Kohli.
He says, “More than anything else, Santa’s famous bag member will be adamant the key to diffuse an ugly ens to upset your pro-
population in the to do things his own way. Improve- situation at work. Someone may seek gramme. Papers pertaining to a prop-
country, celebrity chef must contain the magical blessings that make the dozens
of vaccines around the world really work. I am sure 7.8 ments in ancestral house are likely to guidance in a personal matter. erty you possess will be set in order.
Vicky Ratnani also be carried out. LOVE FOCUS: You will manage to LOVE FOCUS: Luck favours you on the
wants a fresh outlook billion people living on this planet want to see Covid-19
get into history books, sooner than later.” LOVE FOCUS: You will manage to come strengthen loving bonds by sharing romantic front, when you get to meet
on life in 2021. He says, “I closer to the person you secretly love. tender feelings with lover. the one you secretly love.
want Santa to bring LUCKY NUMBER: 17 LUCKY COLOUR: Cof- LUCKY NUMBER: 7 LUCKY COLOUR: LUCKY NUMBER: 8 LUCKY COLOUR:
hope, love, courage and PHOTO: HTCS
fee Cream White
confidence for the world
to make 2021 a busy year
of happiness, good
health and realisation.” GEMINI LIBRA AQUARIUS
MAY 21-JUN 21 SEP 24-OCT 23 JAN 22-FEB 19

Designer Rahul Mishra
believes that together, we
shall overcome and
eventually win the
Covid-19 battle, but what
needs immediate attention
is rising level of air
pollution. He says, “Living
in Delhi-NCR, we must
think of how we all can
G l a
PHOTOS:
FOTOCORP Putting off work for some You have the magic wand A loss-making venture
other day will not just that will swing things in may turn profitable.
Author and chef,
work on the professional your favour on the profes- Things move smoothly on
Maria Goretti,
front. A business trip may sional front! Real estate the work front. Antics of a
says, “I wish for
throw up some good deals. agents can expect a good commission family member can become a source
PHOTO: RAAJESSH peace of mind and
KASHYAP/HT LOVE FOCUS: Best to keep romance on from a deal. of concern.
love, and that
hold for sometime, as stars are not LOVE FOCUS: Partner’s mood swings LOVE FOCUS: Your love life appears on
everyone around
favourable. can make you edgy. the downswing.
me is happy. I want
LUCKY NUMBER: 9 LUCKY COLOUR: LUCKY NUMBER: 18 LUCKY COLOUR: LUCKY NUMBER: 4 LUCKY COLOUR: Elec-
to learn the art of
Magenta Sandy Brown tric Blue
letting go. That’s
how I am entering
2021.”
CANCER SCORPIO PISCES
JUN 22-JUL 22 OCT 24-NOV 22 FEB 20-MAR 20

C S
contribute to the An investment may not
environment in a way that give the kind of returns
we see bright sunshine and you were hoping for.
clear sky everyday. I hope Prospects of making it big
we get better, fresh, good on the professional front look bright.
air quality to breathe and LOVE FOCUS: Lover’s insistence on
we find a better solution to something that you are not prepared
be free of air purifiers.” for can be upsetting.
Text: Etti Bali and Sanchita Kalra LUCKY NUMBER: 5 LUCKY COLOUR: Bot-
tle Green
You can be made respon-
sible for something at
work that you dislike.
Decision to put money in a
safe investment will prove right in
the prevailing financial conditions.
LOVE FOCUS: Lover will seem most
considerate.
LUCKY NUMBER: 5 LUCKY COLOUR:
Green
P
Financial worry becomes
a thing of the past as you
search out new avenues
for earning. A colleague
can prove a great asset in helping set-
tle pending tasks.
LOVE FOCUS: Those waiting for
romance can be in for a long wait!
LUCKY NUMBER: 1 LUCKY COLOUR:
Maroon
NEW DELHI
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
Tuna and
Ebi Nigiri
ith Christmas round
W the corner, it’s high
time to raise a toast
and rejoice the season of bliss
and merrymaking. And to add
more flavours to your festive
outing, Kampai has come up
with a unique holiday menu
and live performances.
“Let the magic of Christmas
Eve delight you with our spe-
cially crafted Christmas menu
by our chef, a live saxophonist
and foot tapping music by our
resident DJ along with the fes-
tive décor. Be it fine food,
exquisite ambiance or some
foot tapping live music! Every
aspect of the celebration has
the essence of Christmas
Fo r a fun and
flavourful
Xmas outing!
Rainbow
Roll
ingrained in it,” says Avantika
Sinha Bahl, founder and
director of Kampai.
On the Christmas Eve din-
ner, there’s an array of Japa-
nese cuisine that includes
soups, salads, gyozas, sushi,
tempuras, teppenyaki delica-
cies, and Christmas desserts.
There’s also newly introduced
Kampai Signature Japanese
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Negative
publicity! When

City Delhi
Bollywood’s brand
value dipped
Prashant Singh
prashant.singh@htlive.com

T
his year saw Bollywood
making news for multi-
ple wrong reasons. So, if
Sushant Singh Rajput’s
death sent shockwaves
throughout the country, Hindi
films also lost out on tonnes of
business with theatres being
Rishabh Suri
The actor says P shut (due to lockdown), and
OTT platforms showing their ple’s perception (about them)
rishabh.suri@htlive.com
I liter
he year 2020 threw a lot of things and when one no life ally have
muscle power.
But probably, the biggest
very is important. Brands, too,
are extremely particular of (Clockwise from

T
.M
day is y entire
plans out of array. But for Taapsee shock came when a number of that. That’s why such a thing top) Shraddha Kapoor,
Pannu, it started, and is ending on a appears in front top names, such as Deepika may have some short-term Bharti Singh and Arjun
professional high. Thappad released in betwe divided Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, impact but the long-term effect Rampal. (Below left)
February to good reviews and box office
collections, before Covid-19 took over.
of the audiences en s
workin leeping,
Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Ram-
pal, and others like comedian
will depend on the final out-
come (of the ongoing investiga-
Sara Ali Khan and
Deepika Padukone
As soon as the lockdown ended, she was back
as much as she workin g and Bharti Singh, cropped up in the tions),” says ad guru Prahlad PHOTOS: SHIVANGI KULKARNI,
to work, with as many as four films lined up next g out. infamous drug scandal. Kakkar. PRODIP GUHA/HT
— Rashmi Rocket, Loop Lapeta, Haseen Dilruba
and Shabaash Mithu. Talking about her hectic does, it is TAAP
SEE PA
NNU,
And the big question is: will
this have any long-term impact
In fact, in September, a
report by Indian Institute of
schedule, Pannu says, “I am yet to finish Actor on the popularity or brand Human Brands (IIHB) had says trade analyst Taran
Rashmi... I literally have no life. My entire day is
divided between sleeping, working and working
important to value of those actors/stars?
“Any kind of negative news is
showed that 85% of the respon-
dents said they wouldn’t buy a
Adarsh.

out. There is no time for anything else now.” come up with bad for an actor because peo- brand endorsed by a
drug-tainted celebrity.
POWERFUL ENTITY
Interestingly though, a few
DON’T CALL IT THE ‘PURPLE PATCH’
Clearly, the 33-year-old has a lot on her plate.
different content “Those people, who
are proven to be
days back, the IIHB’s TIARA
(Trust, Identify, Attractive,
She doesn’t believe this is her ‘purple patch’ just involved are surely Respect and Appeal) report --
yet though. “Because patches last for a limited going to see a huge that works on the idea of
time. I get scared when I read reviews and peo- dip in their popular- ‘celebrities as human brands’
ple say ‘she’s at the best of her game’ because ity and brand value, — saw a string of Bollywood
you feel there is going to be a decline. If you in terms of films, stars dominating various lists
reach the peak, the only way ahead is to come endorsements or of the research. For example,
down. That’s a crazy thought,” she confesses. anything else,” Padukone emerged as the Most
However, she feels happy about her choices Trusted female Bollywood
getting ‘validated’. Pannu says she goes through celebrity, while Akshay Kumar
a lot of ‘testing’ in terms of filtering content. She was voted the Most Trusted
explains this is because she is seen in multiple male celeb. “Movie stars will
projects back-to-back. “People see me in three- always be huge icons in India,”
four films a year, sometimes (I almost think) says filmmaker and ad
people might get bored of me. If you are coming director, Vinil Mathew.
so many times, you have to make sure that your For Kakkar too, the “tempo-
content is different from the other. But the fact is rary blip” won’t leave a perma-
none of them are worth dropping!,” she explains. nent mark. “People aren’t
going to forget and turn away
RE-RELEASE OF THAPPAD
While Covid-19 shut down theatres until they
reopened in October 15, what must have made
her feel good is the fact that Thappad was
re-released to lure back audiences. PS
TAA ER EE from the industry forever. Also,
remember, as they say, ‘public
memory is too short’. A few
months down the line, actors
come up with one or two hits,

IS AT HBEST’
Pannu says it felt ‘nice’ that it was considered and everyone will forget every-
‘worthy’ of re-releasing. But there was another thing,” he says.
thought in her head. “I wanted to think more Adds Adarsh: “Bollywood,
from my audience’ situation. I was like why don’t due to its sheer reach and pop-
we release those films which people don’t watch ularity, is powerful. So, what-

R
anymore, like old classics? Thappad was too ever has happened in 2020 can
fresh in the minds of people to see,” she says.
She adds, “It wasn’t really needed when the
need of the hour was to get people into theatres.
We can feel happy for being selected, but that
would be very selfish,” says the actor. CA REE PHOTO: TE
JINDER SI
NGH KHAM
KHA
be seen as a big hiccup.”

I’ve got more

than I could
have asked for
this year, says
Abhishek
Kavita Awaasthi
kavita.awaasthi@htlive.com

his year has been a mix

T of bitter sweet due to the

pandemic and so many
things changed not just for me
but for other actors, creative
and makers,” says Abhishek
Banerjee, who is feeling good
after a trip back home. With
varied releases on OTT and his
performance in Pataal Lok, as
P
ful
Hathoda Tyagi, who hardly
I felt hope ed
had a few dialogues topping encouraged him. “I was wait-
ork
the list, Banerjee proved his ing to see myself in these roles Friends Vicky Kaushal and that if I w get
il l
hard I w
versatility with a comic role in as they were all critical to my Rajkumar Rao got in touch
PariWar, a dramatic act in career and craft. And getting and then Ranveer Singh
Mirzapur 2, and the film success through those roles, I and Arjun Kapoor spoke to results.
Bhosle. felt hopeful that if I worked me appreciating my work, it E,
K BANERJE
Elaborating his point, the hard and follow each day with felt great,” reveals Banerjee, ABHISHE Actor
actor says that this year has process, I will get results. I’ve who has Dostana 2, Helmet,
given us hope. “No matter the got more than I could have Aankh Micholi and Rashmi
crisis, there is always a ray of asked for with Paatal Lok. Rocket lined up next year.
light. I was shattered in the
first few months of lockdown
and understandably so, as I
had just started my career as
an actor. You are signing pro-
STOP PRESS Actor
jects, shooting non-stop, life is
looking busy and then sud-
Rakul Preet Singh
denly things came to a stand-
still! You remember parental
shared on Instagram
advice about saving for a rainy that she has tested
day. So, I wondered when
things would be normal positive for Covid-19.
again? Fighting that fear was
necessary and work helped me “...I have quarantined
through that,” he shares.
He is thankful that the pro- myself. I am feeling
jects he had shot for in 2019,
aired this year. People appre- fine...stay safe...” she
ciated his performances,
including A-list actors, which
wrote.

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