MONDAY
com
27 DECEMBER
2021
Pages 12 |` 5|LC
KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR
FOREIGN SECY
IN MYANMAR
WEATHER
GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY WITH VERY LIGHT
RAIN/DRIZZLE. SHALLOW TO MODERATE FOG
IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE
AROUND 22 AND 10 DEGREES CELSIUS
RESPECTIVELY.
RAINFALL: Nil
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Max: 97%
TEMPERATURE
Min: 62%
Max: 21.4°C (-1) Min: 09.8°C (+2)
SUN RISES
07:13 hrs
SUN SETS
17:33 hrs
MOON RISES MOON SETS
01:03 hrs 12:34 hrs
Tomar clarifies on farm laws: Days after his
remarks snowballed into a controversy, Union
agriculture minister Narendra Tomar on Sunday
clarified that the government has no plan to
bring back farm reform laws. Tomar had describ-
ed the repeal of the farm laws as a step back, and
said the govt could still go ‘two steps forward‘.
Rajnath lays foundation
stone of Brahmos-NG
production unit in UP
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Pointing out that India has
never been an aggressor,
Defence minister Rajnath
Singh, in an obvious reference
to China and Pakistan, today
declared that the country
was prepared to defend its peo-
ple against any nation with
hostile intentions.
He was laying the foun-
dation stone for Defence
Technology & Test Centre
and BrahMos Manufactur-
ing Centre, established by
Defence Research & Devel-
opment Organisation (DRDO)
in Lucknow.
The BrahMos Manufac-
turing Centre, announced by
BrahMos Aerospace, is a mod-
ern, state-of-art facility in
the Lucknow node of UP
Defence Industrial Corridor.
It will cover over 200 acres and
produce the new BrahMos-NG
(Next Generation) variant,
which carries forward the
lineage of the BrahMos
weapons system. This new
centre would be ready over the
next two to three years and will
commence production at a
rate of 80-100 BrahMos-NG
missiles per year.
Congratulating the scien-
tists and engineers of DRDO
& BrahMos Aerospace, Rajnath
exuded confidence that the
Modi cautions nation
over Omicron in 84th
‘Mann ki Baat’ session
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI , 26 DECEMBER
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in his 84th 'Mann Ki Baat'
monthly broadcast to the
nation over All India Radio on
Sunday exhorted people to
welcome the New Year 2022
with a sense of 'self awareness'
and 'self discipline' for a deci-
sive victory over the corona
virus and its new variant
Omicron.
“We also have to keep in
mind that a new variant of has
already knocked at the door.
Our experience of the last
two years is that our own
effort as a citizen is very
important to defeat this glob-
al pandemic. Our scientists are
continuously studying this
new Omicron variant. They
are getting new data everyday
, their suggestions are being
worked upon.
In such a situation, self-
awareness, self-discipline is
in itself the country’s strength
in fighting against this vari-
ant of Corona. It is this very
collective strength of ours
that will defeat Corona; with
this very sense of responsibility
we have to enter into 2022,"
he said. Modi further said it
was "because of everyone's
effort that India could fight the
biggest pandemic in a 100
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‘BOOSTER DOSE, KID AUSTRALIA
DESMOND TUTU
VACCINATION TO HELP IN DOMINATE
DIES AT 90
COUNTERING OMICRON’ ENGLAND
P6 P8 P10 P12
Panel to look into lifting AFSPA in Nagaland
The committee would submit its report to the government within 45 days: Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio 3,47,86,802
INDO-ASIAN NEWS
SERVICE The committee was
the present scenario in
Nagaland and the deci-
mittee. The committee
was formed following the
The identified persons
who would face the enquiry
Chief Minister impressed
upon the Union Home 76,766
KOHIMA, 26 DECEMBER formed following sion about formation of the vociferous demand to will be placed under sus- Minister to replace the
the vociferous committee was taken in repeal the AFSPA from the pension with immediate Assam Rifles unit in Mon
6,987
A
committee has demand to repeal that meeting. entire north-eastern region effect. The December 23 district with immediate
been formed to the AFSPA from the The committee, head- after the killing of 14 civil- meeting also decided that effect," an official statement
look into the
demand of with- entire northeastern
ed by Additional Secre-
tary of the Union Home
ians by armed forces per-
sonnel due to "mistaken
the state government would
provide government jobs
said. It said that the state
government appeals to all 7,286
drawal of the Armed Forces region after the Ministry, North East, would identity" at Oting in Mon to the next of kin of the slain sections to remain calm and
(Special Powers) Act, 1958
(AFSPA) from Nagaland
killing of 14 civilians
by armed forces
submit its report within 45
days and withdrawal of
district of Nagaland on 4
and 5 December.
people.“To initiate this
process, the Deputy Com-
to continue to maintain
peace. The democratic 4,79,682
and the panel would sub- in Mon district Disturbed Area and AFSPA According to the Naga- missioner and the Super- and peaceful nature of the UNION HEALTH MINISTRY
FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M.
mit its report to the gov- from Nagaland would be land chief minister, a Court intendent of Police of Mon civil society groups, 'trib- SUNDAY 26 DECEMBER 2021
ernment within 45 days, based on the recommen- of Enquiry would initiate district, would carry out al hohos' and mass based
chief minister Neiphiu Rio land chief minister, Assam dations of the committee. disciplinary proceedings necessary procedures in organisations in our col-
said here on Sunday. chief minister Himanta The Nagaland Chief Sec- against the army unit and consultation with the con- lective quest for justice Delhi: The national capi-
The committee was Biswa Sarma, Nagaland retary and Director Gen- army personnel, who are cerned village councils and truth has been well tal on Sunday recorded
formed after Union home Deputy chief ministerY. Pat- eral of Police, Inspector directly involved in the and government jobs received and has created 290 fresh Covid infec-
minister Amit Shah on 23 ton and Naga People's General of Assam Rifles Oting incident and action would be given on com- a positive image of the tions, which is the high-
December in New Delhi Front (NPF) legislature (Nagaland) and a senior would be taken immedi- passionate grounds on the Naga people to the rest of est single day rise after
chaired a meeting which Party leader T.R. Zeliang. official of the CRPF are ately on the basis of fair basis of eligibility. A Naga- the global community, the June 10.
was attended by Naga- The meeting also discussed other members of the com- enquiry. land delegation led by the statement added.
The new centre will
be ready over the
next 2 to 3 years and
will commence produ-
ction at a rate of 80-
100 missiles per year
two units would play a piv-
otal role in bolstering nation-
al security, defence produc-
tion as well as the economy
of UP.
On BrahMos-NG, he said
the more advanced missile sys-
tem, which has proven its
firepower in land, water and
air would greatly strengthen
the modern combat capa-
bility of the Indian Army in the
coming years.
He said the purpose of
the BrahMos supersonic cruise
missile system was to act as
a deterrent. He said, the sys-
tem not only reflected the tech-
nical cooperation between
India and Russia, but also
the long standing cultural,
political and diplomatic ties.
He termed BrahMos as the
world's best and fastest pre-
cision-guided weapon which
has strengthened India's cred-
ible deterrence in the 21st cen-
tury.
BrahMos, he said, has
empowered the armed forces
and raised India's military
stature at the international
level.
years. We stood by each other
like a family in every difficult
moment. To help someone in
one’s locality or city... every-
one tried to do more than what
one could have done."
The Prime Minister
recounted the manner in
which the country had
achieved its vaccination tar-
gets, a reflection of people's
trust in the system, science and
scientists.
“If we compare the vacci-
nation figures of the world
today with those of India, it
feels that the country has
handled such an unprece-
dented task... how big a goal
has been achieved. Crossing
the 140 million vaccine dose
mark is an achievement of
each and every Indian. This
shows the trust of every Indi-
an in the system; shows trust
in science and in scientists;
and is also a testament to the
willpower of we Indians who
are fulfilling our responsibil-
ities towards the society. But
friends,” he said.
02 NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021

W
DELHI’S CHURCHES
ith New Year round
the corner, let us
take a look at some
of the ancient churches of
Delhi which have withstood
the test of time for nearly a cou-
ple of centuries. The oldest
church of Delhi, nay in North
India, is the Central Baptist
Church in Chandni Chowk,
opposite Gurudwara Sis Ganj.
It was established in 1814 by
the Baptist Missionary Soci-
ety of London and its struc-
ture is a fine specimen of
European architecture of that
time. Its southern side entrance
has a large deep colonnaded
porch supported by heavy
circular columns. Likewise, the
other two sides have double
height verandahs with semi-
circular arched openings. The
church has been well main-
tained with its original motifs
and carvings. Not far away, on
Lothian Road, near Kash-
mere Gate is the more his-
torical St. James Church estab-
lished in 1836 by the Eng-
lishman warrior Col. James
Skinner who's credited for rais-
ing the country's only Cavalry
regiment, Skinner's Horse,
which later became India's
much decorated 61st Caval-
ry. It's believed that Skinner
once lay grievously injured in
a battlefield and was saved by
a woman who gave him some
water and nourishment.
Founding the church was
Skinner's thanksgiving to the
Almighty. The basic design of
the Church is of Renaissance
Revival style with three por-
tico-porches, elaborate stained
glass windows and a central
octagonal dome, similar to that
of the Florence Cathedral in
Italy. The church houses sev-
eral tombs including that of
Skinner himself, British Com-
missioners of Delhi, William
Fraser and Thomas Metcalfe,
and a few victims of the 1857
revolt. Successive Viceroys
have attended Church here till
the Cathedral Church of
Redemption was built near
Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in
1931.The third church in the
Walled City is the St. Stephen's
Church on Church Mission
Road, Fatehpuri, towards
Khari Baoli, which came up
in 1862 close on the heels of
the 1857 Mutiny. Built in the
Italian Gothic style, it was
established by the Anglican
Missionaries, later support-
ed by the Cambridge Mission,
and apart from its ornate
walls and ceilings, the baroque
styled church has arched win-
dows which allow the sunlight
to brighten the interiors. The
circular stained glass win-
dow overlooking the main
hall is unique to this church
and one of its kind in Delhi.
The church received the Urban
Heritage Award in 1993 for its
gothic architecture that has
been maintained since its
inception. Interestingly, St.
Stephen's Church was the
precursor to two of Delhi's
iconic institutions -- St.
Stephen's College and the
St. Stephen's Hospital.
Adieu 2021!
A
t the end of 2021, Del-
hi’ites are sleeping
well. Pollution is cre-
ating records. Traffic jams
run into kilometers. Saro-
jini Nagar and Lajpat Nagar
markets are teeming with
shoppers. But Delhi sleeps
well, with no big worries, as
it had in 2020-end. Omicron
has announced its arrival,
but people are prepared.
They learnt a few lessons
during the Covid peaks.
The government has re-
imposed restrictions on
gatherings in public places.
The alien infection which
took peace out of every-
body’s mind for months is
under control. If not com-
pletely subjugated, it is
identified, and given a fit- ies and spending time in Chandni Chowk is wearing the city, in any case. Some ple are used to air and
ting reply. For a year and parks and gardens. The a new look, with its main things have not changed, noise pollution, and have
half, it had made offices and city does today what it passageway pedestrianised. and will continue in 2022. dealt with them for years.
shopping centres, schools thinks it must do. Realis- But those keen on rick- The traffic jams at Ashram There are plenty of laws to
and colleges, hospitals and ing that many things could shaw rides will not be dis- Chowk, for example. The control them, but the prob-
even parks out of reach go out of their lives invol- appointed; the rickshaws area is getting an underpass lems need much more.
for everyone. The city gave untarily, the citizens have are all over the place. Con- which does not seem any- People enjoyed the inter-
a deserted look. It was dif- resumed their living in full. naught Place is without where near completion. national trade fair recent-
ficult to visit even gro- Revenge eating, revenge its pavement shops which So is the condition of the ly, and soon a big book fair
ceries, vegetable vendors shopping, revenge holi- gave the premier shop- underpasses by the side of may be held. Every other
or milk booths. People daying, people are enjoy- ping centre a weekly mar- Pragati Maidan. And they major store is calling cus-
realised life could not be ing every bite of life to the ket look for years. The will not be available for use tomers to its 'Sale'. The
taken for granted. At the full. It is obvious, they had colonnaded corridors of any time soon. For that Metro rides are available for
end of 2021, people are to catch up with life, and the shopping centre are, matter, the city remains the asking. Those violating
back not only to socialis- compensate for the time however, yet to be cleaned dusty ever. The high con- Covid, or Omicron norms,
ing, attending weddings lost. The city is in its colours up. There is no dearth of tent of particulate matter will not escape challans.
in large numbers, but vis- at the end of 2021, even if shopping centres, east or will not disappear at the Otherwise, the year-ending
iting their favourite eater- a bit of caution is ignored. west, or any direction, in sight of smog towers. Peo- is trouble-free for the city.

Whereas you are inten-

tionally evading service of
summons, it is hereby notified
that if you shall not defend the
case on the 08-03-2022 (10:00
A.M.) the day fixed for the
final disposal, it will be heard
NOTICE is hereby given that my clients Smt. Lila and determined ex-parte.
Banerjee and Sri Subrata Banerjee intend to pur- Given under my hand and
chase from Mrs. Namita Mukherjee wife of late the Seal of the Court this 08-
12-2021.
Subhendra Nath Mukherjee her entire two-storied
Additional District Judge-
residential building situated at 211/1B, Prince 03 (SE)
Anwar Shah Road, Police Station: Jadvpur, District Saket Courts
Tollygunge, Kolkata-700033. If any person/s Complex,
New Delhi
has/have any claim over the said property or Seal of the Court
having any objection is/are requested to submit
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
claims/objections with proper documents to the ATTENDANCE OF
undersigned within 15 (fifteen) days from the date DEFENDANT
(Order 5 Rule 20 of the Code
of publication of this notice, failing which it will be
of Civil Procedure)
presumed that the said property is free from all In the Court of
encumbrances and no claim/objection will be Sh. Naresh Kumar Laka
Additional District Judge-03
To,
Mrs. Bhavna Bhatnagar, w/o
Mr. Pradeep Bhatnagar, D-
3085, Sector-D, Pocket-3, Vas-
ant Kunj, New Delhi-110070.
Also at:- B-3/103, Arawali
Apartment, Sector-34, Noida-
201301, U.P. (Previous Address)
Also at: - Rose & Rose D-73,
Sector-7, Noida, U.P.
Also at: Mother's Pride
Galaxy, D-56, Phase-I, Vivik
vihar, Delhi-92,
Whereas you are inten-
tionally evading service of
summons, it is hereby notified
that if you shall not defend the
case on the 06-01-2022 the
day fixed for the final dis-
posal, it will be heard and
determined ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the Seal of the Court this 22-
case on the 27-01-2022 at 10:00
a.m. fixed for the final dis-
Omicron!
A
posal, it will be heard and ccording to the New defences. Among the many as “AH-muh-kraan”, accord- ond syllable sounding like an
determined ex-parte.
York Times, scientists mysteries surrounding this ing to M-W. The UK Prime Min- English ‘me’. The prognosis,
Given under my hand and
the Seal of the Court this 23-
in South Africa have new variant, named after the ister was heard just the other by comparative linguistics,
found that the newest vari- 15th letter of the Greek alpha- day spelling it as “OH-me- shows that such divergences
12-2021.
District Judge, (Commer- ant Omicron has spread more bet, there is one how it is pro- kraan” while the new Oxford have to do with the name
cial Court)-2 than twice as quickly as Delta, nounced. Pronunciations in English Dictionary (OED) being adopted as a loanword
Shahdara District
Karkardooma Courts
the latter having been previ- English of this highly conta- gives a pronunciation that is from another language more
Delhi ously touted as the most dar- gious new arrival have been different from M-W’s, some- than its prolific usage by Eng-
Seal of the Court ing version in the Corona having several versions already. thing like “o-MIKE-ron”. This lish speakers in different
IN THE COURT OF family. Omicron’s rapid strides One pronunciation, accord- could be a compound from places. So how about “OH-my-
MS. SHEETAL CHAUDHARY in multiplication results from ing to Merriam-Webster (M- the Greek “o mikron” mean- kraan” then? It seems the mys-
PRADHAN
ACJ/CCJ/ARC
a combination of contagion W), is “OH-muh-kraan” with ing “small o”. In classical tery surrounding Omicron
and an ability to dodge the a stress on the first syllable. In Greek, the word has often been will continue just like its pro-
(South East)
Room No. 203 human body’s immune the US, it is often pronounced pronounced with the sec- nunciation.
Saket Courts, New Delhi
SS-188/2021
Balvinder Singh, s/o Balveer
TAILPIECE
Singh, r/o H. No. 2, Old Geeta

C
entertained and not be accepted in the Court of law. 12-2021.
(SE) Civil Judge, Shahdara Colony, Delhi-110031. ovid has improved levels of medical literacy among all ages; its lasting lesson is expected to be moderation in every
Address for contact Room No. 316, Third Floor —Petitioner
District activity.
Sri Malay Das District Saket Courts
Karkardooma Courts Versus
Advocate Complex, New Delhi 1. State Bank of NCT of Delhi,
Delhi
63W, Tollygunge Road
CS DJ 1265/2018
Seal of the Court Through Concerned (S.D.M) (Contributed by Deepak Razdan, Bhaskar Roy and Arijit Choudhury)
BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd.
Delhi.
Tollygunge Versus PROCLAMATION REQUIRING 2. UCO Bank, Through its
Kolkata-700033 Vikas Kumar ATTENDANCE OF
To, Branch Manager 164, Church
Ph. No. 9433183455 DEFENDANT Road, Bhogal, Nizamuddin,
Vikas Kumar, s/o Devi (Order 5 Rule 20 of the Code
Prasad, Plot No. E-96-B, KH New Delhi-110013.
of Civil Procedure) 3. Balvir Singh, s/o Late Kar-
Centre DSIDC, Delhi-110041. No. 487, Ground Floor, Vill.
LEGAL NOTICES Whereas you are inten- Peera Garhi, Nangloi Pole No. In the Court of
Ms. Sukhvinder Kaur
tar Singh, r/o H. No. 2, Old
tionally evading service of 23, ND-87. Geeta Colony Delhi-110031.
summons, it is hereby notified Whereas you are inten- District Judge, 4. Harjeet Singh, s/o Balveer
IN THE COURT OF that if you shall not defend the tionally evading service of (Commercial Court)-2
SH. AVIRAL SHUKLA Singh, r/o H. No. 2, Old Geeta
case on the 08-03-2022 (10:00 summons, it is hereby notified Room No. 56, Third Floor
Civil Judge-01 Colony, Delhi-110031.
A.M.) the day fixed for the that if you shall not defend the Shahdara District
(South-East), final disposal, it will be heard Whereas on application U/s.
case on the 01-02-2022 (10:00 Karkardooma Courts,
Court No. 608, and determined ex-parte. 372 of the Indian Succession
A.M.) the day fixed for the Delhi

Delhi to be under night

Saket Court, Complex
New Delhi-17
CS SCJ/1278/2020
Next Date: 03-02-2022
(O. 5 R. 1, 5)
SUMMON FOR SETTLEMENT
Given under my hand and
the Seal of the Court this 08-
12-2021.
Additional District
Judge-03 (SE)
District Saket Courts
final disposal, it will be heard
and determined ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the Seal of the Court this 08-
12-2021.
Additional District Judge-
Act. 1925 has been made by
CS (COMM) No. 326/2019
Balvinder Singh successor of
Punjab National Bank
Late Charanjeet Kaur for grant
— Plaintiff
of Succession Certificate in
Versus
respect of debts/securities
Vinod Pal & Ors.
of deceased.

curfew as Covid cases rise

OF ISSUES
Union Bank of India
Versus
Sharda Industries
To,
Sharda Industries, Through
Its. Propreitor, Mr. Tej Narayan
Sharma, s/o Sh. Shiv Nath
Sharma, Regd. Office- Shed
No. 12, DSIDC, Okhla Phase-1,
New Delhi-110020.
Complex,
New Delhi
Seal of the Court
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5 Rule 20 of the Code
of Civil Procedure)
In the Court of
Sh. Naresh Kumar Laka
Additional District Judge-03
—Defendants
03 (SE) And whereas the said appli-
To,
District Saket Courts cant shall come for hearing on
Complex, —Defendants No.1
Vinod Pal, s/o Sh. Khem 01-02-2022 at 10-00 A.m.
New Delhi
Seal of the Court Chand, H. No. 314, Gali No. 7, Therefore, the public at
Boudh Vihar Vijay Nagar, large is hereby given notice if
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING any person has objection to
ATTENDANCE OF Ghaziabad, (U.P.)-201009.
the grant of succession cer- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE to 0.076 per cent. The Covid
DEFENDANT —Defendants No. 2.
tificate in favour of the said
(Order 5 Rule 20 of the Code M/s. Desire Infracon Pvt. NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER death rate in the city stands
of Civil Procedure) Ltd. Thorugh its Director C- applicant, he may appear and
at 1.74 per cent, while the

Also at: B-62, DSIDC 20, Feet
Road, Om Enclave, Part-1,
Room No. 316, Third Floor
Amar Nagar, Faridabad -
121003.
Whereas Uniond Bank of
India has instituted a suit
against you for you are here-
by summoned to appear in
this Court in person, or by a
To,
pleader duly instructed, and
able to answer all material
Work-48, Shed Camp No. 2.
questions relating to the suit,
Centre DSIDC, Delhi-110041.
or who shall be accompanied
by some persons able to
answer all such questions,
on the 03-02-2022 at 10-00
O'Clock in the forenoon, to
answer the claim and further
you are hereby directed to
file on that day a written
statement of your defence
and to produce on the said
day all documents in your
possession or power upon
which you base your defence
or claim for set-off or counter-
claim, and where you rely on
any other document whether
in your possession or power or
not, as evidence in support of
your defence or claim for set-
off or counter-claim, you shall
enter such documents in a
list to be annexed to the writ-
ten statement.
Take notice that, in default
of your appearance on the
day beforementioned, the suit
will be heard and determined
in your absence.
Given under my hand and
the Seal of the Court, this
08-12-2021.
Civil Judge-01
(South-East),
Saket Court, Complex
New Delhi-17
Seal of the Court
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5 Rule 20 of the Code
of Civil Procedure)
In the Court of
Sh. Naresh Kumar Laka
Additional District Judge-03
(SE)
Room No. 316, Third Floor
District Saket Courts
Complex, New Delhi
CS DJ 06/2021
BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd.
— Plaintiff
Versus
Raj Kumar
—Defendants
To,
Raj Kumar, Shed No. 48,
Work-48, Shed Camp No. 2.
(SE)
District Saket Courts
Complex, New Delhi
CS DJ 1263/2018
BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd.
Versus
Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar, Shed No. 48,
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In the Court of
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Shahdara District
Court No. 33,
Karkardooma Courts, Delhi
Civ Suit No. 489/2018
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file objections in writing, in
1/326, Yamuna Vihar, Delhi-
110053. person or through duly night curfew will be number of Covid contain-
—Defendants No. 3. appointed pleader, on the imposed in the ment zones has risen to 279
said date and time.
M/s. IDEA Builders Pvt. Ltd. national capital with in the city.
Through Its Directors C-10, Given under my hand and
Ramprashta, Ghaziabad (U.P.) the Seal on 08-12-2021.
effect from tomorrow Meanwhile, a total of 52,947
(Monday) from 11 pm to 5 new tests -- 50,059 RT-PCR and
201011. ACJ/CCJ/ARC
Whereas you are inten- (South East) am, according to sources in 2,888 Rapid Antigen - were
tionally evading service of Saket Courts,
the Delhi government. The conducted in the last 24
summons, it is hereby notified New Delhi
that if you shall not defend the Seal of the Court decision has been taken in hours, taking the total num-
view of the single-day fast ris- ber to 3,23,99,242 so far.
ing cases of Covid-19. Out of 1,09,032 vaccines
The number of positive administered in the last 24
cases of the coronavirus on hours, 37,964 were first dose
Sunday rose to 290 from 249 and 71,068 second dose. The
MUMBAI yesterday, the highest in six these, 23 have been dis- said that Delhi had recorded total number of cumulative
months, with one patient charged from hospitals. highest 1,357 active Covid beneficiaries vaccinated so far
5, Kasturi Buildings, Jamshedji losing his life due to the dead- The number of active cases on July 1. Presently, stands at 2,55,57,615, accord-
Tata Road, Mumbai-400 020 ly virus. The tests conducted Covid cases has also crossed 583 Covid patients are being ing to the health ministry's
Tel: (022) 2202 1045, numbered 52,947. 1,000 mark in the city and cur- treated in home isolation. data.
Email:
Delhi has so far detected rently stands at 1,103 which With a 98.18 per cent Covid The positivity rate also
delhistatesman@gmail.com
79 cases of the Omicron vari- is the highest after July 1. recovery rate, the active Covid jumped to 0.55 per cent from
mumbai@thestatesmangroup.com
ant of the coronavirus. Of The health department has case rate in Delhi has gone up 0.43 per cent.
manuelfrancis@thestatesman.com
CHENNAI
Delhi's air pollution in ‘severe’ category Omicron patient
Fagun Mansion (4th floor), 26,
Ethiraj Road, Chennai-600 008, recovered without use
Tel: (044) 28278037, 28224800
Email: for the sixth consecutive day of oxygen, steroids
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
STATESMAN NEWS "AQI is expected to be in the Today was the sixth con-
chennai@thestatesmangroup.com
SERVICE ‘Severe’ (category) for the secutive day when the city's Patients who were suffering
LUCKNOW NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER next two days. On the 28th AQI showed air pollution in from Omicron variant of
2/2, Butler Palace (Near Jopling onwards, slight improve- the "severe" category. COVID-19 have recovered
Road), Lucknow-226 001, The national capital's air ment in air quality is like- In 2021 so far, Delhi has without the use of oxygen sup-
Ph.: (0522) 2206705 quality index (AQI) as pro- ly due to relatively high passed through 23 "severe" port, steroids, Remdesivir or
Email: vided by the System of Air wind speeds and on the air quality days. ventilator, said Dr Suresh
delhistatesman@gmail.com Quality and Weather Fore- 29th significant improve- The city recorded 11 Kumar, MD, Lok Nayak Jai
c a s t i n g a n d Re s e a rc h ment is expected due to high such days in November, Prakash Narayan Hospital.
lucknow@thestatesmangroup.com
(SAFAR) reached 500 at easterly winds at a height the highest in the month "Majority of the patients
RANCHI
6.39 pm on Sunday, touch- of 700-800 m as well as at since the Central Pollution who have come to us were
11/C, Road#1, Ashoknagar, ing the end of the "severe" 10 m that results in strong Control Board (CPCB) start- either asymptomatic or had
Ranchi - 834 002 category scale, sounding ventilation of pollutants. ed maintaining air quality minor symptoms. All the
Fax: (0651) 2247054 alarm bells for the author- Mixing layer height con- data in 2015. patients are recovering, not a
Email: ities engaged in controlling tinues to be low (less than An AQI between zero single patient needed oxygen
delhistatesman@gmail.com pollution in the city as also 1.0 km). and 50 is considered "good", support, steroids, Remde-
ranchi@thestatesmangroup.com for those living in Delhi. The net effect is that 51-100 "satisfactory", 101 sivir or ventilator," said Kumar.
The AQI in the morning AQI remains to be within - 200 "moderate", 201- 300 "So far 51 Omicron patients
was at the 430 level in the ‘Severe’ till the 28th, and on "poor", 301- 400 "ver y have come to LNJP hospital,
"severe" category. the29th it is likely to improve poor", and 401- 500 out of which 40 patients have
According to SAFAR, to ‘Very poor’." "severe". been cured & discharged. ANI
NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021 03
04
NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
Migrant workers
clash with cops
in Kerala, burn
police jeep
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 26
DECEMBER
At least five police person-
nel were injured while try-
ing to stop clashes between
two groups of migrant work-
ers , who work in Kitex com-
pany, apparently over the con-
duct of Christmas carols in
the Kizhakkambalam area of
Kerala's Ernakulam district
late Saturday night
Sources said the clashes
erupted in the camp, where
labourers of Kitex company
were staying, in the middle
of the night while Christmas
celebration was going on. The
initial police force that arrived
to control the situation faced
hostility from the clashing
groups. They attacked the
police, pelted stones at them.
Five police officers, includ-
ing Kunnathunadu Police
Circle Inspector V T Shajan
were injured.
The workers also set
ablaze one police jeep and
two other police jeeps too
were damaged. The workers
also hurled stones at locals
who reached the place after
hearing the commotion.
Armed police personnel
have been deployed to bring
the situation under control.
A probe is underway to zero
in on who triggered the clash.
Around 150 migrant work-
ers were taken into custody
and two cases were registered
against them over the clash-
es and the attack on police.
Sources said most the
migrant workers involved
in the clash hail from the
North-Eastern states, Jhark-
hand and West Bengal.
Few options before Chhattisgarh IPS officers Tibetan settlements in
recommended for compulsory retirement
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
RAIPUR, 26 DECEMBER
The Chhattisgarh government’s
recommendation for compul-
sorily retiring them from their
services, very few options have
been left with these once high
profile Indian Police Service
officers, experts believe.
A committee chaired by Chief
Secretary Amitabh Jain recom-
mended compulsory retire-
ment to Mukesh Gupta (1988
batch), GP Singh (1994batch),
SRP Kalluri (1994 batch), and a
junior officer Mingtow from
Nagaland.This proposal was car-
ried by a special messenger on
6th December to MHA, New
Delhi and it was finally delivered
on December 7, sources said.
If the union home ministry
accepts the proposal, then the
officers whom the government
proposal referred to as “dead-
wood” will be entangled in a legal
battle at a time when they should
be at the zenith of their careers.
They will have an option of
judicial scrutiny as the Supreme
Court on several occasions has
upheld the government’s right
to compulsorily retire officers
underFundamentalRulesofCen-
tral Civil Services (pension)
56(J).
The officers retired under this
rule for ineffectiveness and
doubtful integrity devoid of
their pension right. They can
approach Central Administra-
tiveTribunal(CAT)andthencourt.
The Supreme Court observed
in State of Gujarat v/s Umedb-
hai M.Patel (2001) that when the
CUCET must
for admission
in central
universities
NEW DELHI, 26
DECEMBER
The admission
process in most of
the central univer-
sities will change
from the upcoming
academic session
as Central University
Common Entrance
Test (CUCET) will
come into force for
admission to all
undergraduate
courses in different
central universities
across the country.
The Union Edu-
cation Ministry and
the University
Grants Commission
have informed cen-
tral universities
about the manda-
tory entrance test
from next academ-
ic session. ANI
Kerala Congress
warns Tharoor
over K-rail stance
‘Those who refuse to toe party line would have to move out’
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
26 DECEMBER
I
n a strict warning to Shashi
Tharoor, MP, over his stance
on the Kerala Left Front
government’s Thiru-
vananthapuram-Kasargod Sil-
verLine (K-Rail) project, KPCC
president K Sudhakaran on
Sunday said those who refuse
to follow the party line would
have to move out
Speaking to media per-
sons in Kannur on Sunday, the
state Congress chief said party
MP Shashi Tharoor would be
shown the door, if he fails to
stick to the party line on the
K-rail project.
“Tharoor is only one of the
MPs in the party and if he fails
to toe the party line, he would
have to move out. If he is not
yielding to the party line, he
would not be in the party. If he
is yielding to the party stand,
he would be in the party,’’
said Sudhakaran
“Be it Tharoor or Sud-
hakaran, nobody has the right
to reject the party stand. If a
party takes a stand, all should
stick to that,’’the KPCC chief
added
The KPCC has earlier
sought an explanation from
Tharoor on his controversial
non-cooperative stand on the
party line on the Silverline pro-
ject
The KPCC chief’s state-
remote Ladakh get 24x7
service of a public servant is no
longer useful to the general
administration, the officer can
be compulsorily retired in the
public interest. Compulsory
retirement simply is not pun-
ishment.Itisdonein'publicinter-
est and does not cast a stigma
on the government servant.
However, the question
remains unanswered as to what
happened to the government
suddenly that prompted it to
compulsorily retire an officer (GP
Singh) who till last year was
heading its most powerful wing
ACB & EOW.
What pressed them to retire
SRP Kalluri who is credited with
eliminating Naxals from Sarguja
and flushing them out from
much of Bastar. Mukesh Gupta
has time and again mentioned
in his petitions in Supreme
Court and High Court that he is
being targeted for lodging an FIR
against Bhupesh Baghel in 2018.
Perhaps this is why DGP
DM Awasthi was replaced by
Ashok Juneja as he would not
have toed the idea of compul-
sory retirement of these officers.
IndianPoliticalsystemisnoto-
rious for badly screwing up our
constitutional‘steel-frame’ that
is bureaucracy, Chhattisgarh
government, however, is a clas-
sic case of administrative mess
where veterans of Indian Admin-
istrative, Police and Forest ser-
vices are incensed as subordi-
nate officers from the state
cadres are deciding their role and
destiny while some subservient
IAS and IPS meekly playing
‘rubber-stamps’.
Tharoor has refrained from signing a memoran-
dum of all Congress MPs from Kerala asking the
Railways Minister not to sanction the K-rail pro-
ject, saying he was not fully convinced
ment comes as Tharoor con-
tinued to flout the stand of the
party on the K-rail project
and praised chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan in public.
Last week, Tharoor has
refrained from signing a mem-
orandum of all Congress MPs
from Kerala asking the Union
Railways Minister not to sanc-
tion the K-rail project. Tharoor
said he was not fully convinced
by the demands of fellow MPs,
which was why he refrained
from signing the petition
Tharoor had also praised
Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan
for his push for development.
He had then tweeted, “Enjoyed
discussing Kerala’s develop-
ment with CM @vijayan-
pinarayi. On some issues it is
necessary to put political dif-
ferences aside & get on with
growth. The young people of
This also has a perspective
of the desired line of succession
among a set of IPS officers who
do not want to see headstrong
officers like Gupta, Kalluri, and
GP Singh head the entire police
force said a veteran police offi-
cer who is sulking on the side-
lines. Instead, their preferred line
of succession is Pradeep Gupta,
Himanshu Gupta, Amit Kumar,
Anand Chhabra, and Arif Sheikh
for the top post.
Therefore, disquiet has crept
into the power corridors of this
predominantly tribal state. Sens-
ing a bumpy ride with Chief Min-
ister Bhupesh Baghel ahead,
several offended bureaucrats
headed early for central depu-
tations but those who chose to
stay, are now facing the music.
Some very senior officers have
been either shunted out of deci-
sion-making or faced with insults
and prosecution. Traits such as
seniority, hierarchy, perfor-
mance,andexperiencehavenow
become irrelevant in the Chhat-
tisgarh government which is
outlandish in many ways.
An IAS couple with an impec-
cable track record was humili-
ated to the extent that they
silently withdrew themselves
from the state and opted for dep-
utation with the central gov-
ernment.
The situation has turned so
alarming that soft-spoken for-
mer CM Raman Singh warned
district collectors and SPs to
mend their utter partisan ways,
or they will be punished when
the BJP comes to power. Power-
corridors are abuzz that the
TENDER
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the voice of the voiceless. He
played a key role in steering society towards better days and
held a special place in the hearts of people across the world.
our state deserve opportuni-
ties that the current econom-
ic situation does not offer
them.”
Tharoor’s reluctance to
sign the petition against the rail
corridor, coupled with his
tweet that “political differ-
ences should be set aside on
some issues”, created anger and
resentment in the Congress
leadership against the MP
Former KPCC president
Mullappally Ramachandran
lashed out at Tharoor for heap-
ing praise on chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan and for his
stance on the K - rail project
Referring to the murders in
the state, Sudhakaran said
Pinarayi Vijayan has no con-
trol over the Kerala Police.
The police in the state are
unable to prevent the killings,
Sudhakaran added.
Chhattisgarh Police and its
administration is being run by
a set of junior IPS officers along
with a State Police Service offi-
cer, a very senior IPS officer
told ‘The Statesman’ on condi-
tion of anonymity. All these offi-
cers with their names starting
from latter ‘A’ are now called
‘Quad-A’. One of them is a DG
rank officer, one is IG, one a DIG,
and the last but the most promi-
nentamongthemisanAdditional
SP rank officer, a disgruntled
senior cop said.
What is surprising is that
the officer of state Police service
has emerged as the key between
his senior IPS officers and the
CM secretariat where he alleged-
ly reports to another junior offi-
cer of state administrative ser-
vicewhoisconsideredthedefacto
ruler of Chhattisgarh, the veteran
IPS officer claimed.
MukeshGuptaranoutoffavor
with CM Bhupesh Baghel, the
day the current Congress regime
took office on 17 December
2018. GP Singh however, fell
from grace following his reluc-
tance to be dictated by Saumya
Chaurasiya. and Anil Tuteja.
Since then he has been booked
under grievous charges includ-
ing sedition.
It is an open secret that NAN
accused Anil Tuteja, a promot-
ed IAS, and Chaurasiya have
emerged as an irritant to sever-
al IAS and IPS officers trained
under legendary officers but
most officials are tight-lipped and
often don’t discuss the issue
because defying the ‘duo’ is a
recipe for disaster.
WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER ARVIND KEJRIWAL
CONDOLING THE DEMISE OF DESMOND TUTU
PM to revive 30-yr-old hydel project in HP
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
will visit Mandi, Himachal
Pradesh, on Monday to inau-
gurate and lay the foundation
stone of hydropower projects
worth over Rs 11,000 crore.
The Prime Minister’s Office
here announcing this on Sun-
day said Modi is scheduled to
lay foundation stone of Renuka-
ji Dam project, pending for
three decades. “The project has
been made possible by bring-
ing together six states under
the Prime Minister ’s vision of
cooperative federalism,” the
PMO note stated.
The PMO said the Renuka-
ji Dam Project will prove to be
immensely beneficial for Delhi
by substantially adding to its
BUCOLIC VISTA
At the Kolkata Maidan on the last Sunday of the year. �SNS
electric connection
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, 26 DECEMBER
As a Losar (Buddhist New
Year) gift, two largest Tibetan
settlements in southern Ladakh
were on Sunday connected
with 24x7 electric supply while
the cold desert region is reel-
ing under freezing tempera-
tures.
The power development
department (PDD) of Ladakh
union territory provided 24X7
electricity to the largest Tibetan
settlements — Rebal Sumd-
ho and Sumdho TR - in Nyoma
block of Leh district under the
centrally sponsored scheme
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram
Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY). Res-
idents of the two remote vil-
lages have been successfully
connected to the national
grid. Other villages connect-
ed under DDUGJY scheme in
Leh district are Chilling Sumd-
ha (Aezang, Sumdha Chun &
Chilling), Kumgyam, Wanla,
Fotoksar, Shara, SAGY Line
(Achinathang & Hanuthang),
Teri, Youlchung, Harhipti and
water supply. Besides, Mr Modi
is also slated to lay the foun-
dation stone of Luhri Stage 1
Hydro Power Project and
Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Pro-
ject. He will inaugurate Sawra-
Kuddu Hydro Power Project.
The Prime Minister will
also preside over the second
ground breaking ceremony
of Himachal Pradesh Global
Investors’ meet at 11:30 in
the morning.The meet is
expected to give a boost to
investment in the region
through start of projects worth
around Rs 28,000 crore, the
PMO note said.
The inauguration and foun-
dation laying of dam projects
in Himachal Pradesh is part
of PM Modi’s focus on fully uti-
lizing the untapped potential
of the resources available in
Skumarkha, said an official
spokesman.
Located between Nyoma
and Tsokar Lake, Rebal Sumd-
ho and Sumdho TR is home
to more than 70 households.
Earlier the households were
electrified through a small
solar SPV power plant however,
the DDUGJY scheme has now
connected the villages with
Northern Grid to better serve
the community. Additionally,
the project was executed in the
deep-freezing temperature
of the cold desert by the Team
of TKC TATA Projects and
PGCIL (PIA).
The residents of these areas
were beaming with joy as
their households were con-
nected with stable electric
supply. They said the provision
of electricity will bring eco-
nomic development and also
help improve the livelihood of
people. With access of elec-
tricity 24×7 from the grid, the
local children will also be able
to access tele-classes, some-
thing they weren’t able to do
before.
the country. “One of the steps
in this regard has been to
utilise optimally the hydropow-
er potential in the Himalayan
region," according to the PMO.
As part of Modi’s vision of
cooperative federalism six
states of Himachal Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand have
been brought together for
making the Renukaji project
possible. The 40 MW project
will be built at a cost of around
Rs 7000 crore. Once completed
national capital Delhi will be
able to receive around 500
million cubic metre water sup-
ply per year, the PMO stated.
The Prime Minister will
lay the foundation stone of the
Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Pro-
ject. The 210 MW project will
be built at a cost of over Rs 1800
Elusive peace: 2021 leaves behind
bouquets and brickbats in J&K
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, 26 DECEMBER
Year 2021 saw fortunes of the
people of Jammu and Kash-
mir swing between peace and
violence. It was a mixed bag
that left some good and some
bad memories behind.
The biggest positive of the
year that went by was a mod-
icum of peace in the lives of
thousands of people living
close to the Line of Control
(LoC) and the International
Border (IB) in the UT.
'Border dwellers' as these
are called, people in villages
close to the LoC and the IB have
paid the highest price during
the escalation of tension
between India and Pakistan.
Their lives and livelihood have
both remained at the mercy
of shells fired from across the
border. In terms of human lives
lost, houses destroyed, cattle
killed and agricultural fields
destroyed, the border dwellers
have lived life at its sharpest
edge.
Thanks to the decision
taken by the armies of the two
crore. It will lead to generation
of over 750 million units of elec-
tricity per year. The modern
and dependable grid support
will prove beneficial to other
states of the region as well.
Modi will also lay the foun-
dation stone of Dhaulasidh
Hydro Power Project. This will
be the first hydropower pro-
ject of Hamirpur district. The
66 MW project will be built at
a cost of over Rs 680 crore. It
will lead to generation of over
300 million units of electric-
ity per year.
The 111 MW Sawra-Kuddu
Hydro Power Project has been
built at a cost of around Rs 2080
crore. It will lead to generation
of over 380 million units of elec-
tricity per year, and help the
state earn revenue worth over
Rs 120 crore annually.
8 Omicron
cases in
MP’s Indore
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
BHOPAL, 26 DECEMBER
The omicron variant of SARS-
CoV-2 has reached Madhya
Pradesh, with the state's first
8 cases of the variant being
confirmed in its business
capital Indore. All the eight
are Indians who had come
from various foreign countries.
MP home minister Narot-
tam Mishra said that of the
eight cases, six patients have
been discharged after recov-
ering while two are still under-
going treatment. He said
around 3,000 people recent-
ly returned to Indore from
abroad and after testing, 26 of
them were found positive for
Covid-19. Omicron was con-
firmed in eight of the 26 cases.
countries, 2021 has been a
remarkably peaceful year for
people living in border villages.
Ceasefire violations on the
LoC and IB virtually ceased as
life remained normal for thou-
sands of border villages in
2021. Children went to school,
cattle moved about to graze
and men and women engaged
in agricultural activities in
scores of villages in Kathua,
Samba, Jammu, Rajouri,
Poonch, Baramulla and Kup-
wara districts of J&K where the
LoC and the IB are located.
Levels of infiltration came
down during 2021 as compared
to 2020 and 2019 as alert
troops kept round the clock
vigil at the borders.
Separatist violence con-
tinued to mar the lives of the
people in the Valley as the foot-
fall of the security forces
increased due to require-
ments for higher vigil. What
has caused serious worry in
2021 has been the shifting of
terror focus from south Kash-
mir districts to those of cen-
tral Kashmir, especially Srinagar
city.
 He is saying all this to be in the limelight.
UNION MINISTER PRAHLAD JOSHI
CRITICISING DIGVIJAYA SINGH'S REMARK ON VEER SAVARKAR NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021 05
THUMBNAILS
Govt indifferent to Modi hails India’s extraordinary
talents and their unique deeds
Omicron threat: Cong
Surjewala said a population of 36.50 crore people were yet to get vaccinated
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
vative methods are also being
adopted to ensure its bene-
fits reach people based across
Prime Minister Narendra seven seas,” he further added.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE above the age of 18 years Modi on Sunday in his week- Modi said there is a grow-
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER were yet to get their second ly Mann Ki Baat address to ing interest in the world to
dose. nation referred to people know about Indian culture.

Aspirants of UPSC, SSC, IIT-
JEE, IBPS, SBI, RBI, etc & all
other Central Govt. Exams
demanding 2 Years of age
relaxations & compensato-
ry attempts for all due to
Covid situations , at Jantar
Mantar, in the capital on
Sunday. ��SUBRATA DUTTA
Two elephants run over
by train in Odisha: In the
latest case of pachyderm
fatality, two elephants
including a tusker were
mowed down by a goods
train near Bhusandpur
Railway Station under
Tangi Forest Division in
Khordha district, the for-
est officials said on Sun-
day. SNS
T
he opposition Con-
gress party on Sunday
lambasted the Modi
government over its
alleged indifference to the
threat being posed by Omi-
cron, a variant of Corona
virus considered three times
more infectious than the
Delta variant, and lack of
any intention to deal with the
situation.
“If somewhere the infec-
tion of Omicron virus spreads
rapidly then the government
has neither a policy not the
intention or vision to deal with
the situation” Congress
spokesperson Randeep Sur-
jewala stated here asking,
“If this is not playing with peo-
ples’ lives then what is?”
Surjewala charged the
central government with tak-
ing recourse to empty words
and asserted that such empty
words coming on television
would not heal the wounds
inflicted by its criminal neg-
ligence and absence of pre-
paredness to deal with the
Omicron virus.
The Congress leader
accused the Center of being
far from anywhere near the
target of giving both doses of
vaccine to all 94 crore citizens
above the age of 18 years by
31 December.
He reminded the govern-
ment of its affidavit in the
court in this regard and said
with just five days to 31
December it was nowhere
near the target it had set
upon itself.
Referring to the govern-
ment’s plans to start the vac-
cination drive for people in
the age category of 15-18
years, Surjewala said a pop-
ulation of 36.50 crore people
He also pointed to inad-
equate supply of vaccines. He
said as against 35.70 crore peo-
ple eligible for booster dose
only 17.74 crore does were
available.
Citing data from the Cen-
ter for Global Development
(Harvard University), Surje-
wala alleged that between Jan-
uary 2020 and June 2021, 30
to 47 lakh people in the coun-
try had died in the second
wave of Coronavirus pan-
demic. He also slammed the
government approach to giv-
ing compensation to the
families of people who had
died due to Covid-19 infec-
tion.
“The government was
ordered to pay compensation
to the families of those who
died of Corona, but till date
neither the total death toll has
been revealed nor the com-
pensation been given to the
deceased families,” Congress
spokesperson Randeep Sur-
jewala further charged.
who were silently serving
the nation through their
unique deeds.
In this context he referred
to Nilesh ji, a resident of
Lucknow, for his unique
Drone Show in Lucknow. In
the Drone Show held at the
Residency, different aspects
of the Indian freedom strug-
gle were brought to life. Be
it ' Chauri Chaura Andolan
' , the ' Kakori Train ' incident
or Netaji Subhash's
indomitable courage and
valor, this Drone Show won
everyone's hearts, Modi said.
Modi said India is endowed
with many extraordinary tal-
ents, whose work inspires
others to do something. One
such person is 84 year old Dr
Kurela Vithalacharya ji from
Telangana. Vithalacharya ji
exemplifies the fact that
when it comes to fulfilling your
dreams, age does not matter
at all, he said.
“Right from childhood
Vitthlacharya ji had a wish
to open a big library...He
started a library with his
own books. He put his life's
earnings into this. Gradual-
ly, people started joining
and contributing to it. In
this library at Ramannapet
Division in Yadadri-Bhu-
vnagiri District, there are
nearly 2 lakh books…
Today he feels very happy
to see that a large number of
students are getting its ben-
efits. Inspired by his efforts,
people of many other villages
have started setting up
libraries,” Modi said.
The PM referred to Bhan-
darkar Oriental Research
Institute in Pune. This insti-
tute has started an online
course to acquaint the peo-
ple of other countries with
the importance of Mahab-
harata... “When the Insti-
tute started a course with
regard to this, it received
tremendous response. Inno-
“People from different coun-
tries are not only curious to
know about our culture but
are also helping to spread it.
One such person is Serbian
Scholar Dr Momir Nikich. He
has compiled a Bilingual
Sanskrit-Serbian Dictionary.
More than 70 thousand San-
skrit words included in this
dictionary have been trans-
lated into Serbian language,”
he said.
“A similar example is that
of 93 (Ninety-three) year old
Professor J Gendedharam
of Mongolia. In the last 4
decades, he has translated
about 40 ancient texts, epics
and compositions of India
into Mongolian language.
Many people are working
with this kind of passion in
our country too. I also got to
know about the efforts of
Sagar Mule ji of Goa, who is
involved in saving centuries
old 'Kaavi' painting from
extinction,” the PM pointed
out.

SAGAR mission: Navy sends

INS Kesari to Maputo port
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
India deployed another naval
ship INS Kesari in the Port of
Maputo in Mozambique to
strengthen its naval security
by deploying Indian Navy
ships in friendly countries.
This is the 18th such
deployment in consonance of
India’s vision of Naval secu-
rity and Growth for all regions,
said a senior officer of the
Defence Ministry here on
Sunday.
These deployments were
conducted in solidarity with
India’s extended Maritime
Neighborhood and highlights
the importance accorded by
India to these special rela-
tionships, the officer said.
India has also shipped 500
Tons of food aid using the ship
INS Kesari to support the
efforts of Government of
Mozambique to cope with
ongoing drought and con-
current challenges of pan-
demic, he said.
He said would remain
committed to supporting the
capacity building efforts of the
Armed Forces of Mozam-
bique.
The INS Kesari is carrying
two Fast Interceptor Craft
and self defence equipment
to be handed over to the
Armed Forces of Mozam-
bique, he said.
INS Kesari, a Landing Ship
Tank (Large) had undertaken
a similar mission in May – June
2020 to provide humanitari-
an and medical assistance to
Maldives, Mauritius, Sey-
chelles, Madagascar and
Comoros, including deploy-
ment of Medical Assistance
Teams of the Indian Navy in
multiple locations.
Since May 2020, the Indi-
an Navy has deployed ships
to 15 Friendly Foreign Coun-
tries under SAGAR missions.
These deployments spanned
over 215 days at sea and deliv-
ered a cumulative assistance
of more than 3,000 MT of
food aid, over 300 MT LMO,
900 Oxygen Concentrators
and 20 ISO containers, he
said.
While undertaking these
missions Indian Naval Ships
have sailed a cumulative dis-
tance of close to 40,000 nm
which is nearly twice the cir-
cumference of earth, the
Defence Ministry said.

Winter session ends: Opposition and

government clashed on several issues
DEEPAK RAZDAN
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Parliament’s Winter Session
ended last week after 18
stormy sittings that left none
happy about their course.
There was no dearth of leg-
islative business transacted
during the session. But all
through the working days,
the Opposition and the Gov-
ernment clashed on several
issues. There was hardly any
day when slogan shouting
was not heard or placards
not shown.
The Opposition rushed to
the wells of the two Houses,
while the Government pushed
business as long as possible.
The session was expected to
bring relief to farmers who
were agitating in cold and
hot weather at Delhi’s border
for a year.
They did get relief with
the quick repeal of the three
controversial farm laws on the
first day of the session itself.
But the manner the Repeal Bill
for their annulment was
rushed through in both Hous-
es left the Opposition unhap-
py.
In a way, the Opposition
was neither heard at the pas-
sage of the three laws nor at
their repeal.
The Opposition had sup-
ported the farmers who
charged they were not con-
sulted on the three laws.
Therefore, the Opposition
MPs wanted a chance to
express themselves, but this
was not to be, although it
can be said the Government
kept its word to abolish the
laws.
Before the Opposition
could rejoice over the devel-
opment, it got a shocker in the
Rajya Sabha on the very first
day of the session when 12 of
its MPs were suspended from
the House for the rest of the
session.
An official motion was
brought to punish them for
the conduct on the last day of
the previous session and it was
quickly approved by a voice-
vote.
While an old contentious
issue of the three farm laws
was resolved, a fresh ground
for discontent had emerged.
The Opposition questioned
if the Rules provided for pun-
ishment during a session for
acts committed in a previous
session.
The Rajya Sabha could not
be expected to be peaceful after
that, nor was Lok Sabha unaf-
fected.
Six of the members were
from the main Opposition
party, the Congress, while
two each were from the Tri-
namul Congress and Shiv
Sena, the two parties which
have posed major challenges
to the ruling BJP in different
States. Both sides kept explain-
ing their positions on the
suspensions.
There were quick adjourn-
ments as no early solution
appeared likely. Chairman M
Venkaiah Naidu said the sus-
pensions were approved by the
House and they were final.
The two sides could not sit
together to sort out the issue,
as suggested by the Chairman.
Leader of the House Piyush
Goyal, on more than one occa-
sion, gave a detailed account
of what the suspended mem-
bers had done at the end of
the previous session.
The warfare over Rules
and precedents continued,
preventing any sound debate
on any issue. The Bills were
rushed through in the din and
slogan-shouting.
Every time an Opposi-
tion member rose to speak,
there was demand for revo-
cation of the suspensions.
The House of Elders,
assigned the role of a Second
House, was paralysed in dis-
charging its principal mandate
of not allowing any legislation
get Parliamentary approval in
haste.
While the suspended mem-
bers spent their days outside
the House, before a Mahatma
Gandhi statue, the Govern-
ment reiterated the mem-
bers must apologise for their
unruly behaviour towards
the House and its marshals.
The session continued
with protests and adjourn-
ments, and minimal partici-
pation of members in the
debates even on issues like
Omicron and the Election
Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021
which sought to link the Aad-
haar numbers with electoral
rolls.
The Lok Sabha too lost its
peace early in the session
over SIT revelations in Lakhim-
pur Kheri violence.
Members demanded res-
ignation of Minister of State
for Home Ajay Mishra for his
son’s alleged involvement in
the violence that targeted the
agitating farmers there. The
Bill to increase the marriage
of girls from 18 years to 21years
was introduced in the Lok
Sabha and referred to a Par-
liamentary Standing Com-
mittee for scrutiny after a
strong demand by the Oppo-
sition.
Treasury Benches can have
their way in Parliament
because of their majority, but
unless the Opposition is
encouraged to open up on dif-
ferent issues, its voice is not
heard.
If it speaks, the Parlia-
mentary debates get com-
pletion, and lead to wider
public debates.
The Rajya Sabha Chair-
man said his main concern was
discipline. Speaker Om Birla
offered members to speak
on their issues, if they vacat-
ed the well of the House.
The Opposition could have
placed on record its views,
making good use of the Rules
that have been framed with
everybody’s consent.
06 NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
Incorporating and directly descended
from THE FRIEND OF INDIA - Founded 1818
FS in Myanmar
I ndia’s response to developments in Myanmar over
the past three decades has largely been measured,
but it has been based on twin fears ~ that it could
rock the boat in the sensitive north-east, and that it
could push the country’s military rulers even more
firmly into China’s camp. Ergo, the two-day visit of
the foreign secretary to the neighbouring country is
doubtless a critical instance of meaningful diplomacy.
Rightly has Harsh Vardhan Shringla called for the
restoration of democracy “at the earliest”, indeed the
revival of a concept of governance that has been a
scarce commodity in the neighbouring country,
specifically during the prolonged incarceration of
Aung San Suu Kyi and the predominance of a repres-
sive military. Sad to reflect that the foreign secretary’s
request for a meeting with Suu Kyi was turned down
by the military leadership that is now in power. Mr
Shringla did meet the leadership of the National
League for Democracy. Rightly too did he raise the
ambush of an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur’s Chu-
rachandpur district, in which seven people were killed
last month, specifically the Commanding Officer of
46 Assam Rifles, Colonel Viplab Tripathi, his wife, their
six-year-old son and four jawans. The foreign secre-
tary has underlined the imperative to maintain peace
in the periphery of Myanmar, which shares a 1,600-
km border with India. The junta has assured India
that it will not support the “anti-India” insurgent
groups. Both India and Myanmar have stressed their
commitment to ensure that their respective territories
would not be allowed to be used “for any activity that
is inimical to the other”, going by the MEA statement.
Mr Shringla has called for measures that are
rather unlikely to be pleasant to the ruling junta. Chief
among these are the release of detainees and prison-
ers, pre-eminently Suu Kyi. Other suggestions include
the resolution of issues through talks; and “complete
cessation” of all violence. The MEA statement is not
explicit on whether the words “all violence” include
the almost relentless repression since the coup in Feb-
ruary this year and the imprisonment and the recent
sentencing of Suu Kyi to four years in jail. The foreign
secretary has sought to give an impetus to the return
of democracy. “India has been involved in the process
of democratic transition in Myanmar. India proposes
to renew these efforts for Myanmar to emerge as a
stable, democratic and federal union.” The MEA needs
to walk the talk not the least in the context of the rag-
ing ferment in Myanmar.
Notably Mr Shringla’s visit also had a social facet,
chiefly humanitarian and medical support. Apart
from announcing a grant of rice and wheat, the for-
eign secretary is reported to have handed over Covid
vaccines to the beleaguered country. Pledging sup-
port for the Asean initiative, the foreign secretary
hoped that progress would be effected in a pragmatic
and constructive manner. Regretfully, the two cannot
be taken for granted by the government in Naypidaw,
helmed by the military.
Biden’s blockade
P
resident Joe Biden has tightened the economic
screws on the human rights abuses in China,
most hideously against the persecuted Uighurs,
a minority segment in Xinjiang province. The Ameri-
can President has signed a Bill into law to block
imports from the region unless corporate enterprises
can prove that the items were made without forced
labour. On closer reflection, Mr Biden’s blockade, so to
speak, is the latest in a slew of US penalties against
President Xi Jinping’s China for human rights abuses.
Before the Bill won its final passage in the Senate,
reports had suggested that initially there was some
hesitation on the part of the White House and corpo-
rate enterprises.
Clearly, this is the latest in the series of penalties
that have been intensified since Thursday. Going by
the terms of the bipartite Uighur Forced Labour Pre-
vention Act, the United States of America will “con-
tinue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that
supply chains are free from the use of forced labour,
notably from Xinjiang and other parts of China”.
Thursday’s legislation is the latest in a series of
attempts by the United States to get tough with China
over its alleged abuse of human rights of ethnic and
religious minorities, most particularly in its western
region, especially the Muslim Uighurs of Xinjiang.
Arguably and in a sense, President Biden may have
proceeded from conclusion to premise. The legisla-
tion is seemingly embedded in the presumption that
goods from Xinjiang are invariably made with forced
labour. Business enterprises will have to prove that
forced labour, including that that by workers trans-
ferred from Xinjiang, was not used in manufacturing
the product before it is allowed into the United States.
The terms of US-China trade have, therefore, been
redefined.
Washington has alleged that China has been com-
mitting “genocide” in its treatment of the Uighurs.
Rights groups and the media have been riveted to
forced sterilization and large detention camps where
Uighurs are allegedly forced to work in factories.
China has consistently denied the charge of abuses;
it claims that the repressive steps that it has taken
are necessary to counter terrorism and a separatist
movement.
In its immediate reaction, the government in Bei-
jing has condemned the move. “The measure mali-
ciously denigrates the human rights situation in
China’s Xinjiang province in disregard of fact and
truth,” is the counter-blast from the foreign ministry n
Beijing. “It violates international law and basic norms
governing international relations and grossly inter-
feres in China’s internal affairs. China deplores and
firmly rejects this.”
The nub of the matter must be that this US-China
kerfuffle is rather unlikely to change the condition of
the Uighurs even a wee bit. It is the consistent perse-
cution that must end. Towards that objective, both
China and the United States must strive together. At
stake is the human condition.
Pakistan’s Handiwork
In every situation of not completing the fights that they had initiated, the West had
precipitated incalculable miseries on the common person. To now leave half of the population
to face possible starvation is not a moral option. While not recognising the Taliban regime
or recognising the disastrous role of Pakistan in leading to the prevailing crisis in Afghanistan
is one thing, ensuring vital supplies of relief material, food, medicines, and clothing for
desperate Afghan civilians is an absolute necessity
P
akistan was the sole oddi-
ty that celebrated the
storming of Kabul by the
Afghan Taliban. Islam-
abad had some psychological
reasons to celebrate the return of
its proxy ~ it was reeling under
unprecedented economic stress,
international ‘pariahisation’ and
decreasing importance.
The success of its creation,
the Taliban, forced Pakistan to
the global forefront, yet again.
Ominous signs to the contrary,
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran
Khan had applauded the Taliban
success by stating that they had,
“broken the shackles of slavery.”
Today, Pakistan spearheads
the struggling Taliban’s cause for
international engagement, legiti-
macy, and support, whilst remai-
ning one of the few countries to
maintain an official mission and
many more covert platforms, for
facilitation.
However, the chickens of the
ostensible Pakistani ‘success’ in
Afghanistan are coming home to
roost as the initial euphoria
wears out, and the complex reali-
ty of Afghanistan stares, beyond
the emptiness of the so-called,
‘victory.’
Those supporting the Tal-
iban, and even those who oppose
the entity, agree on the invalu-
able role and hand of Pakistanis
in the Taliban takeover of Afgha-
nistan. In the landlocked and
still-isolated Afghanistan (no
country has recognised the new
regime, yet), the ruling Taliban is
openly beholden and increasing-
ly dependent on Islamabad for
sustenance ~ whereas most civil-
ian Afghans who have tradition-
ally held a dim view of Pakistan,
attribute the new reality and re-
gressions to the pernicious hand
of Pakistan.
Perceptions of Pakistan are
on the line, depending on the
evolving fate of socio-economic
conditions in Afghanistan. As
things stand, Pakistan is coming
under unbelievable pressure for
its imagined ‘victory,’ just a few
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Abuse of nature unheeded
SIR, Apropos J P Gupta’s article
“Ecological harmony” (The States-
man, 6 December) concerning cli-
mate change, the abuse of nature
and her prostitution by man went
unheeded a long time. It has dis-
rupted peace and we are going
through the pain and perils.
His earnest appeal to see cli-
mate back, throttle down tempera-
ture, pollution, check the melting
down of glacier and exclude fur-
ther disaster requires controlled
exploration of nature. And this
includes anything that we make at
Vol. CXXXXXV 301
A MEMBER
OF THE
ASIAN VOICES
Exodus of
Nepal’s youth
T
he movement of humans seek-
ing greener pastures is not a new
phenomenon. Since time imme-
morial, people have trudged across
mountains and valleys, searching for
better opportunities. While many go
on to achieve economic success,
countless numbers perish too. While
migration is usually seen as the move-
ment of unskilled people, it wouldn’t
be appropriate to view it solely from a
single-sided perspective. Nepal has
been suffering exodus on multiple fro-
nts. On the one hand, we have those
leaving the country for the Gulf states
essentially to fill shortages in unskilled
or semi-skilled jobs. The other migra-
tion is of highly skilled professionals
and of those who have often failed to
be classed under any category ~ the
students. The departure of Nepal’s
youth boils down to a lack of econom-
ic opportunity. The mushrooming
number of educational consultancies
testify to the fact that billions of dollars
are being spent on higher education.
In some cases, unscrupulous consul-
tancies have sent gullible students to
institutes without any accreditation.
While many find skilled jobs and earn
valuable experience, Nepal has not
been able to reap the dividend that the
months back. The dual curse of istani soil and many more who demands nothing short of a new youths have invested in acquiring
terrorism and the accompanying will be forced to migrate across age ‘Marshall Plan,’ as the com- knowledge and skill.
economic doom is mutually felt the Durand Line, to avoid the mon person on the street has Instead, we tend to lose the ser-
on both sides of the invisible and hell-like situation in Afghanistan. very little to do with reckless geo- vices of our skilled professionals, pri-
often unaccepted Durand Line. Pakistan knows that it has politics, statecraft, and misplaced marily doctors and nurses who are
Pakistan sits with well over tied itself up in knots and has ideologies.
80,000 casualties to terrorism dramatically changed its tone The estimated $2.3 trillion
and an estimated economic cost from that of an unabashed victor spent by the US in Afghanistan
of $100 billion since 2001, when to a desperate caretaker with fer- since 2001 is practically invisible, homegrown, to the allurement of the
its selfish ‘Strategic Depth’ in vent pleas and threats, simulta- as is the multi-billion aid in infra- developed nations. While it is true that
Afghanistan was believed to have neously. structure, social sector, and dev- the remittances sent home by those
been compromised by the rout At a recently convened elopmental projects by various working abroad have helped to uplift
of Taliban after its first coming meeting of the Organisation of countries (including India) that families from extreme poverty, we as
(1996-2001). What had rankled Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) have been squandered at the a nation would benefit significantly
Pakistan since then was the Council of Foreign Ministers to altar of religious extremism and from their wealth of knowledge and
growing influence of New Delhi discuss the failing situation in Pakistan’s ‘Strategic Depth’. experience. This begs the question
in the form of $3 Afghanistan, Prime However, Western Powers why the reverse trend hasn’t happened
billion investment, Minister Imran too must introspect on their own despite living in peacetime. What is
five diplomatic mi- Khan warned about history in Afghanistan to honest- seen is that the authorities haven’t
ssions and much the potential “big- ly acknowledge their own ‘Great taken greater initiatives to prioritise
public goodwill gest man-made cri- Games’ (including fueling reli- sectors that could be of importance in
amongst the mass- sis in the world.” giosity during the Cold War) that uplifting the country out of economic
es. What Pakistan The patent Pak- had entailed unwarranted inter- woes. The country has suffered im-
has ‘won’ over now istani double-speak ferences, bloodshed and destruc- measurably while the authorities are
is a war-ravaged was on full display tion for Afghanistan. busy jostling with rivals over internal
land ruled by intol- when at one end he Each time they had pursued politics. Wanting to improve people’s
erant and uncon- requested to delink their own geopolitical interests lives has become a political slogan. A
trollable extremists, the Taliban govern- and abandoned Afghanistan in mere statement during elections has
who now preside BHOPINDER ment from the Af- ruin and despair once their always been confined to lip service. If
over an unrecog- SINGH ghan people to so- objective was either achieved or serious initiatives were taken, we wou-
nised regime that is The writer is Lt Gen PVSM, licit international had proved to be unsustainable ld have been able to keep back the
completely depen-
dent on the outside
AVSM (Retd) and
Lt Governor of
former
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
support, while on
the other hand he
(like the recent US abandon-
ment).
scores of people who had returned du-
ring the first wave of the pandemic.
world for survival. and Puducherry dished out justifica- In every situation of not But instead, as soon as the restrictions
The emerging tions for the Taliban completing fights that they had were loosened, people queued up to
humanitarian crisis can be not respecting its commitments initiated; they had precipitated cross over from various borders. Ironi-
gauged by the World Health Or- of human rights, women rights incalculable miseries on the cally, people leave Nepal, which has
ganisation’s catastrophic warning etc., when he mumbled straight- common person. To now leave abundant arable land, sometimes to
of one million Afghan children faced, “the idea of human rights half of the population to face work in countries that have built a flo-
(under five years of age) dying is different in every society”. possible starvation is not a urishing agricultural economy in de-
this winter, with a UN refugee In a barely veiled threat, moral option. sert-like conditions.
agency predicting, “Nearly 23 Imran warned the US of more While not recognising the Instead of signing labour agree-
million people ~ that is 55 per terrorism by alluding to the im- Taliban regime or recognising the ments with other countries, the auth-
cent of the population ~ are fac- minent chaos and said, “chaos disastrous role of Pakistan in orities in Nepal should constructively
ing extreme levels of hunger and means the inability to fight ter- leading to the prevailing crisis in think of how we can provide training
nearly 9 million of them are at rorism.” Afghanistan is one thing, ensur- to our youths to allow them to make
risk of famine.” Ironically, the leader of Pak- ing vital supplies of relief materi- valuable contributions at home ~ cre-
Pakistan’s own ability to sur- istan, who is also known by the al, food, medicines, and clothing ating a favourable environment free of
vive economically hangs by a moniker ‘Taliban Khan’ had con- for desperate Afghan civilians is bureaucratic hurdles. A blanket state-
thin thread of recurring doles veniently forgotten his ‘broken an absolute necessity. ment encouraging people to come
and lifelines offered by China, the shackles of slavery’ bravado, Memory runs deep in the back and invest will not suffice.
IMF, or some Sheikhdoms; these and is now seen pleading for unforgiving swathes and emo-
have pushed Islamabad well help, from all those whom he had tions of the Afghan lands, and
beyond the ‘debt-trap’ stage, with accused of ‘slavery.’ they will never forget or forgive
IN MEMORIAM
an outstanding and unservice- Beyond politics and Pak- Pakistan. But today’s crisis is
able debt exceeding $100 billion. istan’s amoral conduct on Afgha- beyond Pakistan’s known machi- GANGULY SHUDHANSHU KUMAR
Add to this, the three million nistan since time immemorial, nations, it is about the survival of — Left us on December 27, 1980.
Afghan refugees already on Pak- the grim situation in the country innocent Afghans. Missed by Chhanda, Babu, Munmun.
editor@thestatesman.com
depression, suicide, we are exclud-
ed from past habits. We would eat
INTRUSIVE
in peace, drink in pleasure. We SIR, I am resident of C R Park, New Delhi and one of my family mem-
the cost of nature comprising used to see and hear in joy, talk in bers was found Covid positive about four days ago and is under home
water and air. Deletion of exclu- glee. We would love and believe isolation.
siveness, democratic pressure and and trust and live in happiness. To our utter surprise, a person introducing himself as a “Civil
reckless political affairs have been Yours, etc., Tapan Patra, Defence Person” came to us and stated that he had been deputed by
alien to nature, resulting in climate South 24 Parganas, 15 December. the Delhi government to be stationed outside our house for the next 7-
change. Expansion of the urban 10 days. He also started gathering information about our house mem-
style of life in existing villages RIDICULOUS bers/visitors. He was neither carrying any ID nor any document of the
should be accounted for climate SIR, Apropos your report “TMC Delhi government.
degradation, with disbalance win is handiwork of CEO Sourav Firstly, is it true that Delhi government has instructed Civil Defen-
between farming and industrial Das: Suvendu”. (December 22), I ce personnel to stay put at all Covid-afflicted houses for 7-10 days? If
sides. He has highlighted in partic- would like to comment that the yes, then it poses a big security threat as well as invades privacy, since
ular the bad effect on human statement of the Leader of the an unknown person is authorised to constantly monitor a home and
behaviour that needs to arrange Opposition in the West Bengal its occupants for days.
climate change. Besides health Assembly is per se defamatory and A person being posted at a house having a single Covid case is
issues like quick resentment, prosecutable. I fail to understand nothing less than treating the patient as a criminal. Such surveillance
will do more harm than good, for its intrusive nature will stop people
from getting themselves tested.
If there are 10,000 cases in the future, will 10,000 civil defence
personnel be deployed? Rather than wasting resources in this manner,
technology should be used for monitoring.
Yours, etc., Maneesh Kocher,
New Delhi, 22 December.
how a responsible leader can sioner to be so negligent in failing
openly show disrespect to the Elec- to create the right ambience for
tion Chief in the state only for the conducting a free and fair poll? He
sake of political gain? Does is after all answerable to the Chief
Adhikari believe that the TMC reg- Election Commissioner for any
istered a landside victory in the misconduct. The Leader of the
Kolkata civic polls only by fraudu- Opposition is making a laughing
lent and violent means? This is stock of himself.
ridiculous. How can Adhikari Yours, etc., Arun Gupta,
expect the State Election Commis- Kolkata, 22 December.

A grim year for journalists
DINA MATAR
H
undreds of journalists
killed or arrested, rising
numbers of female media
workers targeted, floods of
misinformation and hate speech and
ineffectual or hostile governments
unable or unwilling to protect the
public’s right to know. The 2021 press
freedom index released recently by
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
makes for grim reading.
The report reveals that 488 jour-
nalists were detained in 2021 – an
increase of 20 per cent compared to
the previous year – while a total of 46
were killed and 65 held hostage. Of
those detained, 60 were women (33
per cent higher than 2020). As you
might expect, it tends to be autocrat-
ic regimes with dismal records for
freedom of speech and human rights
which crop up once again as the
worst offenders.
The latest report notes an upturn
in repression against journalists in
Belarus – where opposition politi-
cians and commentators have been
targeted in the government crack-
down since the August 2020 election
– as well in Myanmar, where the mili-
IT CAME TO MIND | MANISH NANDY
Experiencing the New
H
ere I am, on the eleventh
floor of a downtown build-
ing, looking out on the city
from an outsize window
extending from wall to wall. It is a
sunny day, and I have a panoramic
view of Bogotá, packed by homes and
offices, and fringed by green-gray
mountains. One day I will amble past
those homes and offices and walk up
to the mountains.
I am in this town for the past
three weeks. I speak Spanish and the
Latin culture intrigues me. I know a
few people, but generally I am on my
own. I walk the streets, I haunt the
museums, I sip divine coffee in the
innumerable bakeries and consume
endless croissants. Here it is never
too warm or too cold. A light parka is
enough to keep me comfortable
when I emerge late from a nightclub.
I am amazed at how much our
lives change when we move from one
country to another. I am the same
person whether in Washington or
anywhere else, very much a creature
of habit. Why should my life change
at all, except very peripherally? Yet I
find that my routine has changed
dramatically. I am eating differently,
spending my time differently, even
thinking differently. Convenience
may have something to do with this,
but surely my habits and inclinations
would work in the opposite direction
and keep me in my place. Instead, I
CROSSWORD
tary coup of February has been fol-
lowed by a crackdown on free expres-
sion. In China, where the Communist
party continues to tighten its grip,
and Hong Kong, where the Beijing-
backed regime is using the dracon-
ian national security law to punish
dissidents, it gets ever more perilous
to oppose the increasingly authori-
tarian regime of Xi Jinping.
These findings linking authori-
tarian governments to human rights
abuses are not surprising given the
tendency of such governments to use
local and global crises – such as Covid
at present – to clamp down on press
freedom under the guise of national
interest and security.
Journalists are facing increasing
threats for doing their jobs – whether
that is physical intimidation, hate
speech directed against them or
online trolling. Some European coun-
tries have used the law to prevent the
dissemination of information that
political actors see as threatening
their hold on power and legitimacy.
We’ve seen that in Spain, for exam-
ple, where parties on both sides of
politics have gone out of their way to
stigmatise the media and hamper the
free flow of information, even ban-
notice in me a seismic shift, in the
way I react to people and things.
I get up in the morning and cross
the street into a tiny coffee shop and
order for breakfast a bowl of changua,
a bread-and-egg soup, or arepas,
ground maize patties with cheese
and avocado, followed by a chocolate
drink. These are nowhere near what I
eat in Washington. In taste and tex-
ture, they are very different, but I eat
them contentedly. When the young
ACROSS
1 Celebs inching extremely
close to John Virgo, say (4,4)
5 Unctuous host pursuing
controlling sex (6)
10 Gas from uncontained fart
expanded to the max? (5)
11 Use coasts to manoeuvre?
We might (3-6)
12 Row by inlet secreting navy
base (6)
13 Dog leash may hurt (8)
15 Uncle abroad cross about
NOTE: Figures in parentheses denote the number of letters in the words required. (By arrangement with The Independent, London)
ning some journalists from press
conferences.
Such practices, which include
interference in the daily work of
media outlets, as well as implicit and
explicit threats to journalists doing
their job, are well documented in the
2021 report by the One Free Press
Coalition which mapped such acts in
a variety of European countries since
2014. Elsewhere, including in Iran,
Syria, Mexico, Sudan and Guatemala,
intimidation is creating a climate of
fear among media professionals. This
prevents the free circulation of infor-
mation, opinions and ideas. It also
allows for the wider circulation of
fake news and misinformation.
What is of concern is the risk that
such acts of intimidation against
journalists and the media can
become normalised – even in west-
ern democracies.
In response to the alarming rise
in attacks against journalists world-
wide, the United Nations designated
November 2 each year as the Inter-
national Day to End Impunity for
Crimes Against Journalists. The des-
ignation is symbolic – but a serious
engagement with ending impunity
for crimes against journalists can
Illustration: Debabrata Chakrabarty
woman with tousled hair who serves
the drink misses a step and spills a
drop or two on my jeans, I am uncon-
cerned and gladly tip her more than
she expected.
When I walk, I look at every shop
and every passerby. Everything seems
to have a strange aura of newness.
The new faces of men and women
strike me with a curious piquancy.
Many look preoccupied, some look
sad or indifferent, but many look
annual holiday (4) 29 Patent legend in US returned 6 Spotted poor soul being
17 Arguably highbrow point in
unnoted opening talk (6,4) 30 These stir soil, ultimately 7 When could it be this
19 Gang deployed Emile to
pinch house trailer (6,4)
20 Equipment cut by northern
DOWN
contract (4) 1 Neighbours, as one, going on 9 Parasites found in stream
23 Concise when penning article
about British conchie (8)
24 Creator of said Holy Land? (6) 2 Conjecture sport will return
27 They travel gratis to arrange
half of league fixtures (9) 3 Take a cocktail, having time
28 Bouquet inamorata holds
back (5) 4 Cut good wood (4)
form the basis for a legal framework
that can guarantee freedom of
expression and access to information
and ensure journalists carry out their
jobs.
Throughout history, people prac-
tising journalism have faced intimi-
dation and attacks for a variety of rea-
sons, whether it is governments wor-
ried about exposure or partisan and
private interests worried about their
profits. But what the increasing num-
ber of attacks suggests is that jour-
nalism is becoming more and more a
contested domain and space for
struggle over information, ideology
and politics.
These attacks violate human
rights: both of journalists and the
societies they serve which are being
deprived of their right to information
– something that should be at the
heart of all free public debate and the
democratic process. They underscore
the need for adequate legal protec-
tion for journalists that goes beyond
rights to communicate and free
speech recognised in particularly in
Article 19 of the Universal Declara-
tion of Human Rights.
Article 19 recognises everyone’s
right to freedom of opinion and
upbeat and happy. They jolt me into
remembering that there are quite a
few things in my life to make me very
cheery. Even when they carelessly
jostle me, it fazes me no more than
the lightest drizzle, and I walk on.
Here sometimes it drizzles without
notice, suddenly while the sun is at
its dazzling best, and I am content to
walk and let my jacket gather the
moisture.
I know an accomplished dress-
maker and I playfully ordered a
bunch of shirts, of a special design
that had caught my fancy. I cannot
even remember when I last had a
shirt made to order, but the person
seemed cordial and the price more
than reasonable. Now that the shirts
have come, I wear them with the
enthusiasm only a naïve adolescent
should feel. I honestly don’t think I
felt a kindred thrill when I bought a
new Mercedes Benz.
What is this special feeling I
have? Is it just the fun of experiencing
the newness of my world, the sharp
taste of unaccustomed sights and
sounds? Is it the hope of some kind of
a new beginning, which is always full
of promise? Is it just my body
responding to the freshness of a new
land, new lodging, new air? I could
disregard it as the naive enthusiasm
of a casual visitor to a new country.
Then it occurred to me how little is
the newness of my new environment.
This apartment, charming as it is, is
not so very different from all the
apartments I have lived in. The food,
intriguingly different as it is, is not all
for end of rugby match (2-4) restrained by staff (8)
making uneven places (8) uncouth? (5-4)
8 Husband may ask to alter
veil (7)
strike for campaign platform POW churned up (9)
(7) 14 Take a deep breath
and oppress play
after one month (5) despite not knowing the
score (5-4)
out for a chat maybe (6) 16 Challenging circuit is to lap
old university (9)
NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
expression and provides the basis for
the function of journalism, conduct-
ed by individuals, to be protected –
independently of broader institu-
tional press or media rights. In inter-
national law, freedom to express
opinions and ideas is considered
essential at both an individual level,
insofar as it contributes to the full
development of a person, and also as
a foundation stone of democratic
society.
International human rights law
requires states to respect and protect
the lives of all within their jurisdic-
tion from attacks and threats of
attacks and to provide an effective
remedy where this has not been the
case. But so far there is no interna-
tional framework dedicated to the
protection of journalists from physi-
cal attack or ending impunity for
crimes against journalists. If journal-
ists are deliberately targeted and
threatened while those who attack
them go unpunished, the media can-
not be free and democracy will con-
tinue to be threatened.
The writer is Professor, Political
Communication and Arab Media, SOAS,
University of London. This article was
published on www.theconversation.com
that different from the exotic foods
that I have variously probed. The
leisure, the ease, the company, valu-
able as they are, are not a category
apart from the time and pleasure I
have had with others at other times.
What is new is the time I have
given myself to taste the newness. The
freedom I have suddenly assigned
myself to look at things, to listen to
people, even to taste what I eat with-
out rushing to judgment and asking
myself how they really are. Perhaps
unknowingly, but wisely – with the
wisdom born of a thousand regrets
and disillusionments – I have freed
myself to experience the beauty that
lies both hidden and open around us.
When I woke up this morning and
rolled up the window screen, the sun
was just coming up. My disorderly
room filled instantly with a gentle
light. There seemed a kindly promise
foreordained in the quiet unveiling of
the day. No great event is planned for
the day, no plan for a mountain tour or
a great outing with a special person,
not even a candlelight dinner to look
forward to. Still, I felt a strange plea-
sure as I stood in the shower, smelled
the towel and put on my new shirt.
The world has something to offer me,
and I have something to receive.
The writer is a US-based international
development advisor and had worked with
the World Bank. He can be reached at
mnandy@gmail.com
NO 29130
18 Priest perhaps secure in St
James’s area (8)
19 Shares with awfully sick
miners, backing shelters (5,2)
21 Ancient citizens in bar finish
off these when getting
round (7)
22 Source of fizz in cellar
originally acquired by fluke
(6)
25 Chap with no money having
switched sides (5)
26 Addict given bum steer off
and on (4)
07
100 YEARS AGO
OCCASIONAL NOTE
Mr. Gandhi's address to the All-India Con-
gress Committee intimates that if the non-
violent non-cooperation movement does
not achieve its purpose "with lightning
speed" after the commencement of the
new year, he is prepared to consider the
dissolution of the compact of non-vio-
lence. A full report of his remarks is not
available, and it is impossible, therefore,
to ascertain whether he still believes that
the wrongs of the Punjab, the Khilafat
question, and Swaraj can all be settled by
means of his famous panacea or whether
he is now coming to the conclusion that
non-violence is useful only as a prepara-
tion for open violence. His critics have
always contended that violence was the
inevitable goal of the movement; some on
the ground that non-violent non-cooper-
ation is, as events have shown, merely the
cultivation of a spirit of lawlessness, others
for the reason that they could not see how
non-violence, if really practiced, could
produce the effects predicted by Mr.
Gandhi. Only five days remain for the
attainment of the triple purpose which fig-
ures in all Mr. Gandhi's oratory and writ-
ing, and his new claim that victory must
come with lightning speed after the
appointed date is reminiscent of the
methods of the late Michael Baxter, who
foretold the end of the world from time to
time, always substituting a new date for
an old date which had proved premature.
NEWS ITEMS
DECORATIONS IN
THE RED ROAD
The Government School of Art plays such
an important part in the social life of Cal-
cutta that it is only to be expected that its
tribute to His Royal Highness would be
both impressive and graceful. Under the
direction of Mr. Percy Brown, the route
from Government House to the Victoria
Memorial, that is the whole length of our
magnificent Red Road and the Casuarina
Avenue, has been decorated with an
avenue of columns whose white perspec-
tive heightens the beautiful effect of this
thoroughfare. Each column has its appro-
priate panel, and the pillars, Corinthian
and Ionic, harmonise with the general
architecture of our city. At each end of the
route are placed pairs of pylons, one at
the beginning of the Red Road, the other
at the entrance to the Queen's Way.
ALL-INDIA
KHILAFAT
CONFERENCE
AHMEDABAD, DEC 26
Presiding at the All-India Khilafat Confer-
ence this morning Hakin Ajmal Khan said
the Moslem kingdoms in the Middle East,
and above all the regeneration of Turkey,
gave promise of a great future for Islam.
He congratulated Afghanistan on the con-
clusion of the Anglo-Afghan treaty. He
contended that Britain alone was stand-
ing in the way of a real solution of the
Near Eastern Question, and hoped that
soon Italy would follow the example of
France and conclude a separate treaty
with Angora. Referring to the situation in
India, the Hakim said that no threats
could move them from their determina-
tion. They wanted peace, but only by safe-
guarding the rights of citizenship and
national honour. The president pleaded
for toleration for the Moderates and all
those who differed from them.
SUBMARINES TO
BE OUTLAWED?
Public opinion in Washington is strongly
behind the British plea that submarines
should be outlawed, despite the fact that
the failure of the proposal is a foregone
conclusion. All the delegates reiterate that
the submarine is indispensable for coast
defence and mine laying. American naval
opinion, moreover, questions the British
conclusion that the submarine is an inef-
fective defensive weapon. This opinion is
based on beliefs in improvements in sub-
marine construction in the near future. It
is thought, however, that Lord Lee's pro-
posal may compel reductions, and at least
lead to some definite pledge that will
restrict the possibility of a repetition of
German methods. In this connection the
Morning Post's Washington correspon-
dent says that whatever France's demands
are the British will offer no obstruction.
GIANT FLYING
BOATS FOR
PACIFIC PATROL
Such progress has been made by the Gal-
laudet Aircraft Corporation with their sys-
tem, in which three Liberty aero-engines
are mounted together in a framework, dri-
ving through gearing one large air-screw,
that it is to be installed in giant American
triplane flying-boats destined for patrol
work over the Pacific. In the Gallaudet
plant the three motors, two side by side
and one between them at the rear, repre-
sent, in the force they can exert simulta-
neously on the screw to which they are all
coupled, a total of 1,200 horse-power. It is
the intention, normally to have only two
operating, the third being held in reserve
so that it can come into play should some
defect manifest itself in either of the
motors running.
08
NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
Economic recovery loses
momentum as demand flags
Pent-up and festive consumption demand has dropped in intensity: Report
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICES
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
E
conomic recovery has
lost some momen-
tum as pent up and
festive consumption
demand dropped in intensi-
ty, Acuite Ratings and Research
said in a report.
Accordingly, there has been
a loss in the momentum of eco-
nomic recovery in November
2021.
"We observed that after the
expansion in two consecutive
months our proprietary AMEP
(Acuite Macroeconomic Per-
formance) index fell to 111 in
November from a post-Covid
peak of 124.9," Suman Chowd-
hury, Chief Analytical Officer
of Acuite Ratings, said.
"The contraction of the
index sequentially by 11.2
per cent MoM in November
is partly driven by seasonal-
ity. However, the magnitude
of deceleration is higher than
Fresh IPO inflows, low oil
prices to strengthen rupee
INDO-ASIN NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, 26 DECEMBER
Fresh FIIs' inflows for upcom-
ing IPOs as well as lower
crude oil prices are expected
to strengthen the Indian rupee
during the upcoming week.
However, concerns over
Covid-19 variant Omicron
will keep the Indian rupee's
strength in check.
"Last week of December
is strong for rupee and Indi-
an equities on a last 10-year
track record," said Sajal Gupta,
Head, Forex and Rates at
Edelweiss Securities.
"Oil prices are expected to
be below $80 per barrel in near
future on a slow down in
demand on back of Omicron
re-emergence.
“Possibility of bond index
inclusion and IPO flows shall
be helpful," he added.
E-commerce, pharma to
revive demand for
packaging paper: Crisil
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
A strong revival in consumer
spending amid waning impact
of the Covid-19 pandemic will
help the paper packaging
industry bounce back with a
revenue growth of 15 per
cent this fiscal, ratings agency
Crisil said.
The industry had report-
ed a decline of 8 per cent in
the previous fiscal.
Besides, the agency said
that capacity utilisation and
operating leverage will also
improve and, together with
continued high realisations
and almost stable raw mate-
rial prices will help in improv-
ing the operating profitabil-
ity of packaging paper play-
ers this fiscal.
Consequently, with capac-
ity utilisation improving,
players are also likely to com-
mence capital expenditure for
enhancing capacity by 10
per cent over fiscals 2023
and 2024.
"A stronger-than-antici-
pated growth in e-commerce
sales due to increasing safe-
ty and hygiene consciousness,
healthy double-digit growth
in domestic pharmaceuti-
cal sales, and revival in con-
sumer durable sales are dri-
ving demand for packaging
paper," said Anuj Sethi, Senior
Director, Crisil Ratings.
"Consequently, capacity
utilisation of paper packag-
ing players is seen rising to
the average of around 6.5 per
cent recorded in the last two
years in the month of Novem-
ber."
As per the agency, out of
the 16 indicators covered by
AMEP index, only five post-
ed a sequential expansion in
November, whereas 11 saw a
contraction, highlighting a
slowdown in the breadth of
economic recovery.
"The decline in the index
Last week, the rupee cov-
ered lost ground on the back
of decisive intervention by the
RBI and slowed FPI redemp-
tion in Indian equities.
Gupta expects Indian rupee
to test 74.50 this week on a
strong note.
Rupee had closed at Rs
75.03 to a USD on Friday
after a strong show.
"On the domestic front,
investors will be keeping an
eye on the fiscal balance
number and increased expen-
diture could restrict sharp
appreciation for the rupee,"
said Gaurang Somaiya, Forex
& Bullion Analyst, Motilal
Oswal Financial Services.
"FII participation has been
subdued in the last few ses-
sions, but increased inflow as
we get into the New Year
could further support the
currency."
over 80 per cent this fiscal from
65-70 per cent in the last.
Increased sales volume and
6-7 per cent higher realisa-
tions mean revenue growth
will be healthy this fiscal."
Furthermore, the report
cited that a gradual recovery
in apparel sales, too, will
support revenue growth.
Notably, Crisil expects
operating profitability of
packaging paper players to
reach the pre-pandemic level
of over 17 per cent this fis-
cal, compared with 15.5 per
cent last fiscal, backed by bet-
ter operating leverage and
higher realisations.
"Also, the costs of key
inputs such as waste paper,
which saw a sharp rise last fis-
cal, have now stabilised,
which will help improve oper-
ating profitability," the agency
said. The nationwide lock-
down to contain the pan-
demic had hit sales of appar-
el and consumer durables
during last fiscal.
Apart from the lockdown,
lower growth in domestic
pharmaceutical sales had
impacted revenue of paper-
packaging companies, which
had seen healthy compound
annual growth of 7-8 per
cent in the preceding five fis-
cals.
"A moderate third wave,
if it occurs, is unlikely to
materially impact recovery for
the packaging paper seg-
ment. However, movement
in prices of key raw materi-
als, such as imported wastepa-
per, will bear watching,"
Crisil said. As things stand,
the domestic paper industry
is dominated by the paper
packaging segment, account-
ing for 50-55 per cent of the
sector's capacity, followed
by writing and printing paper,
newsprint and specialty paper
and other segments. The
paper packaging segment
comprises paperboard and
kraft paper used in packing
of pharmaceutical, e-com-
merce goods, consumer
durables, fast moving con-
sumer goods and ready-made
garments.
was primarily driven by a
weak trend in tractor sales, e-
way bills, auto sales, exports,
and power generation," the
agency said.
"While inadequate in terms
of offsetting the latter weak-
ness, a healthy traction is vis-
ible in indicators such as pas-
senger freight, PMI manu-
facturing, GST collections,
employment, and credit
growth."
Rising global Covid cases to impact
capital flows, heighten inflation: Ind-Ra
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVIVE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Rising Covid cases globally
have the potential to impact
capital flows as well as height-
en inflation, said India Rat-
ings and Research (Ind-Ra).
Accordingly, the agency
cited that uncertainty relat-
ed to a third Covid wave has
already started showing signs
in equity markets.
It pointed out that for-
eign portfolio investors were
the net sellers in the Indian
markets to the tune of Rs 103
billion in November 2021
while the net sell-off in debt
has been Rs 27 billion during
the month.
"One of the main reasons
for the sell-off has been con-
cerns over the global infla-
tionary pressure and higher
Three textile
stocks turn
multibagger
in 2021
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Shares of Bhilwara Spin-
ners, Nitin Spinners and
Nahar Spinning Mills have
witnessed a sharp rally in
2021. All three companies
deal in textiles. The shares
of Bhilwara Spinners, Nitin
Spinners and Nahar Spinning
Mills companies rose 219 per
cent to Rs 47; 231 per cent
to Rs 239; and 524 per cent
to Rs 488, respectively, dur-
ing the year-to-date period
of 2021, exchange data
showed.
Analysts feel that much
of the rally in these stocks,
or all of those in textile trade,
is because of the Centre's pro-
duction-linked incentive
schemes in the key manu-
facturing sectors, which
include textile. On Sep-
tember, the Union Cabinet
had cleared the PLI scheme
for the textile sector with an
estimated budget outlay of
Rs 10,683 crore. Govern-
ment through the scheme,
aims to provide a big fillip
to the man-made fibres and
technical textiles. IANS
Pre-paid smart metering, power accounting top priority for govt
VIJAY THAKUR
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Pre-paid smart metering and
total energy accounting in
the power sector is going to
be the top priority of the Modi
Government in the coming
four years for which it has
already kept a budget outlay
of Rs 3,03,758 crore.
The Centre would give an
estimated budgetary support
of Rs 97,631 crores to state
Power companies, which
would be available till FY
2025-26.
The Power Ministry has
already launched a reform-
based results-linked,
Revamped Distribution sec-
tor Scheme targeting to
improve the operational effi-
ciencies and financial sus-
tainability of state owned
DISCOMs.
On the domestic front, rising Covid cases and various restrictions by the
state governments are a key concern for the market.
The agency said that the
tractor as well as two-wheel-
er sales, a key harbinger for a
recovery in rural demand,
recorded a significant con-
traction amidst excess and
unseasonal rains in some
pockets of the country along
with delayed harvest in kharif
crops which impeded rural
cash accruals and thereby
fresh purchases.
"On the other hand, the
shortage of semiconductors
has crippled the entire sup-
ply chain weighing on auto sec-
tor which thwarted festive
season sale." Nevertheless,
it cited that demand for high
contact services sector has
been witnessing a strong
resurgence of late.
"Continued improvement
in passenger freight and
increase in PMI services to a
near decade high of 58.4 and
58.1 in October and Novem-
ber respectively due to grad-
ual normalisation in retail, hos-
risk of Covid-19 in some of the
developed economies," the
agency said in its credit mar-
ket tracker report.
Besides, the agency said
that there could be an adverse
impact on the society because
of a successive lockdown,
and particularly when the
domestic growth condition is
still not broad-based but
capex cycle is showing green-
shoots.
In terms of capital flows,
it noted that the hardening
domestic inflation and a rever-
sal of the ultra-loose policies
in advanced economies have
built up pressure on the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The Monetary Policy Com-
mittee earlier this month left
interest rates unchanged and
reiterated that policy sup-
port was needed to ensure sus-
RBL Bank interim CEO says bank has full support of RBI
AGENCIES
MUMBAI, 26 DECEMBER
Mumbai-based private sector
lender RBL Bank Ltd on
December 26 said the bank
and its top management has
the full support of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) and asset
quality issues are addressed.
"The (recent) develop-
ments are not on account of
asset quality, advances issues.
The bank has the full support
of the RBI," said Rajeev Ahuja,
Managing Director & CEO of
RBL Bank (Interim), in a con-
ference call with the media.
On December 25, the RBI
appointed Yogesh Dayal, the
chief general manager in-
charge of department of com-
munication, as an addition-
al director on the board of the
bank.
Later in the day, the bank
communicated to the
exchanges that RBL Bank’s
long-term MD and CEO Vish-
wavir Ahuja, a veteran banker,
has gone on leave with imme-
diate effect. Subsequently,
Executive Director Rajeev
Ahuja was named the inter-
im MD and CEO of the bank
subject to regulatory approvals.
“Frankly, in terms of change
As per the scheme, Centre
would provide assistance to
DISCOMs for modernization
and strengthening of distrib-
ution infrastructure to improve
the reliability and quality of
supply to end consumers,
said a senior officer of the Power
Ministry.
Presently, state Govern-
ments of Meghalaya and
pitality, entertainment, and
tourism sector, seems to be
suggestive of such an out-
come."
"While mobility around
essentials has continued to
trend upwards, discretionary
movements i.e., retail and
recreation as well as parks has
also improved significantly.
Mobility to 'workplaces' is
also inching towards the base-
line, indicating another sig-
nificant step towards nor-
malisation."
According to the agency, the
data for December 2021
released so far has further
improved with the average
index tracking at around 12.8
from 11.1 in November 2021.
"However, going forward,
we remain watchful of the risks
emerging out of the new Covid
variant Omicron as it could
possibly lead to renewed
restrictions on mobility and
impede the nascent improve-
ment in services sector."
tainable economic growth.
"However, the RBI has
been actively operating
through changes in the mar-
ket micro structure by taking
steps to nudge money mar-
ket rates towards the bench-
mark policy repo rate rather
than the reverse repo rate."
Consequently, the RBI
announced a three-day vari-
able rate reverse repo auction,
instead of seven- or 14-day
auction; the auction saw
banks park Rs 811.60 billion
as against the notified amount
of Rs 2 trillion.
"The cut-off rate for vari-
able rate reverse repo has
come closer to the 'Repo
Rate', in sync with the rising
overnight rates and drained-
out liquidity, while money
market rates have moved up."
"Overall, the rates have
of leadership, it (RBI appoint-
ing additional director on the
Board) has nothing to do with
the developments within the
bank. All business funda-
mentals are intact,” Ahuja
said.
Ahuja said there are some
learnings from the recent
developments and adverse
market conditions.
“There are some deep
learnings. Some of the mis-
takes we made…clearly one of
the biggest lessons is to have
more granularity in deposits
and balance between secured,
unsecured is essential (Sic),”
Ahuja said.
Management prepared
“We are a very well devel-
oped management team.
Assam have become the fron-
trunners in planning their
operational and financial
reforms as well as the under-
lying works to accomplish
the same under Revamped Dis-
tribution Sector Scheme.
Their Action Plans include
multiple reform measures
aimed towards loss reduc-
tion, implementation of smart
SANTOSH MEENA
HEAD OF RESEARCH, SWASTIKA INVESTMART
Booster dose, child vaccination to help in
countering new Omicron variant: FICCI
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
Commenting on the
announcements by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,
FICCI president Sanjiv Mehta
said, “We are deeply thankful
to the PM for his announce-
ment on launching the vac-
cination campaign for children
in the age group of 15-18
years who form a major part
of the unvaccinated, suscep-
tible population in India. We
are also grateful for opening
the booster or precaution
dose for the healthcare and
frontline workers as well as the
inched up by 20 to 50bp
depending on the tenure and
credit profile."
Furthermore, the com-
mercial paper issuances by cor-
porates in November 2021
remained benign at Rs 727 bil-
lion due to no immediate
need for funds and a timid
demand, whereas the
issuances by non-banks
increased to Rs 1,616 billion
in November 2021 from Rs 292
billion in October 2021.
"The number of ultra-
short-term commercial paper
issuances has increased; con-
centration of issuances in
the seven-day bucket is large-
ly due to the initial public offer
financing in the equity mar-
ket. Easy liquidity had kept the
yields low across the buckets
in November 2021," the report
said.
Everybody has their job cut
out,” Ahuja added.
The bank is grateful for the
contribution of outgoing CEO
Vishwavir Ahuja for the growth
of the bank in initial phase,
Rajeev Ahuja said, adding
that the decision of Ahuja to
go on the leave is a personal
decision. “I don’t want to
speculate on RBI’s objective,”
Ahuja said.
The bank is well capi-
talised and doesn’t have any
immediate capital require-
ments, Ahuja said, adding
the bank will continue with
its investments. The bank
doesn't need capital for the
next eight to 12 months, Ahuja
added. "We are going to accel-
erate many of our invest-
prepaid metering of the major-
ity of their consumer base, and
100% feeder level energy
accounting by financial year
2023, the officer said.
Centre has also asked states
to include reconductoring of
old / frayed conductors, con-
version to LT ABC, bifurcation
of feeders, segregation of agri-
culture feeders, and upgra-
senior citizens with comor-
bidities, which will help us pro-
tect our high-risk population
given the rising concerns
from the forecasted 3rd Covid
wave.”
“With 61 percent of the
population fully vaccinated,
this rightful expansion of
India’s vaccination campaign
is a significant step towards
our continuous fight against
the COvid pandemic and will
aid in tackling the new Omi-
cron variant. The prepara-
tion announced by the PM for
managing the pandemic in
coming months is indeed
very encouraging for the
Resurgent Covid, macro
data to drive equities
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, 26 DECEMBER
Rising Covid-19 cases as well
as derivatives expiry and key
macro-economic data points
will impact the Indian equi-
ty market's trajectory during
the upcoming week, opined
experts.
Besides, flow direction of
foreign funds along with
crude oil prices will also influ-
ence investors' sentiments.
"On daily charts, Nifty has
formed a 'Bearish' engulfing
pattern. A move below Friday's
low, i.e., 16,909 could result
in faster fall in the coming week
which also may see low vol-
umes as most institutional
players are on year end leave,"
said Deepak Jasani, Head of
Retail Research, HDFC Secu-
rities.
"However an upward
breach of 17,118-17,155 could
ments in technology," said
Ahuja.
Earlier, to calm investors,
RBL Bank had informed the
exchanges that business is
as usual at the bank. RBL
also told the stock exchanges
that its business and financial
trajectory continues to be on
improving trend.
“The financials of the bank
remain robust with a healthy
capital adequacy of 16.3 per-
cent, high levels of liquidity
as reflected through liquidi-
ty coverage ratio of 155 per-
cent, stable net NPA of 2.14
percent, credit deposit ratio
of 74.1 percent and leverage
ratio of 10 percent, for the quar-
ter ended September 30,
2021,” the bank said.
Responding to a question
on challenge ahead on cus-
tomer faith in the bank, Ahuja
said the bank is prepared to
face the challenges.
“We have to deal with what
we have,” said Ahuja. “RBI is
standing behind us and sup-
porting us,” Ahuja said.
All the fundamentals are
in place, reiterated Ahuja.
Ahuja also said that the
microfinance segment has
faced challenges during the
COVID-19 and may continue
dation of billing and other
IT/OT systems in their Action
plan to reform and revamp the
Power sector.
With this the States would
be able to ensure financial via-
bility of the fiscally stressed Dis-
coms implement tariff reforms
and take measures to mod-
ernize its consumer services.
Following the exemplary
initiatives taken by two states,
several other states are com-
ing forward to reform and
revamp their power sector.
Most of the states are in the
advanced state of submis-
sion of their proposal.
Besides, 39 out of 55 ben-
eficiary Discoms (Nodal Agen-
cies REC and PFC) have already
submitted their draft pro-
posals and are in active dis-
cussions with Nodal Agencies
for their finalization, while the
balance Discoms are also
industry as well as the citizens
of India,” added Mehta.
The Prime Minister has
announced that the nation has
18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh
oxygen-supported beds, 1.4
lakh ICU beds, and 90,000 spe-
cial beds for children. There
are over 3,000 functional PSA
Oxygen plants and 4 lakh
Oxygen cylinders have been
provided to all states. Apart
from research on the vac-
cine, the government is also
working on approval process-
es, supply chains, distribution,
training, IT support system,
and certification.
Mehta also added that the
industry has been at the fore-
front, supporting the gov-
ernment at every stage dur-
ing the pandemic and assures
its continuous collaboration
and assistance towards pro-
tecting the nation from any
further adversities.
FICCI urges all to follow the
protocols announced by the
state governments and main-
tain Covid appropriate behav-
ior, without which it is impos-
sible to manage a pandemic
of this scale.
result in better momentum
on the upside."
Notably, market partici-
pants are expected to track
macro-data such as the Index
of ECI (eight core industries)
and fiscal deficit numbers
which will be released during
the trade week starting Decem-
ber 27.
"Indian market post the
recent pullback, recouped
some of the losses amidst
volatility and ended almost
flat," said Siddhartha Khem-
ka, Head - Retail Research,
Broking & Distribution, Moti-
lal Oswal Financial Services.
Furthermore, derivatives
expiry on December 30, Thurs-
day will be the other major
theme for the week starting
Monday. Last week, FIIs sold
equities worth Rs 6,600 crore,
while DIIs bought worth Rs
6,900 crore in the cash mar-
ket.
to face the same.
“We recognise that micro-
finance sector is likely to face
challenges. We have to be
careful. We have been diver-
sifying a lot. This segment has
vulnerability but we will cau-
tiously start growing it, Ahuja
said. Ahuja said he isn't aware
of any RBI enquiries related
to any governance issues in
the bank.
"Clearly they (RBI) make
an appointment in the best
interest of the banking system.
They are clearly of the view that
the bank is making progress
financially. But I don't think
they have any questions
around the long-term sus-
tainability of the bank," Ahuja
said.
Asked whether the RBL
Board requested Vishwavir
Ahuja to reconsider his deci-
sion to go on leave well ahead
of his tenure, Ahuja said he can
only speculate what tran-
spired between the Board
and the outgoing CEO.
“I’m sure the board would
have had a lot of active dis-
cussions with him. I’m sure
conversations would have
happened. Beyond that I will
not make any comments,”
Ahuja said.
expected to send their pro-
posals shortly, the Power Min-
istry said.
Key interventions envi-
sioned under this program
include providing support to
DISCOMs to undertake activ-
ities for ensuring 100% System
metering, implementing Pre-
paid Smart Metering, Energy
Accounting, and implementing
infrastructure works for Loss
Reduction.
The states have also been
told to modernize and aug-
ment their power infrastruc-
ture to give quality and reli-
ability of power supply, the
Ministry said.
Government has also pro-
posed segregation of feeders
dedicated only for supply of
power for agricultural pur-
poses, which are proposed to
be solarized under the KUSUM
scheme, the Ministry states.
 09
Our defence capabilities are needed not only for deterrence against North
Korea, but also for the autonomy of our country stuck between great powers.
SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT MOON JAE-IN
STRESSING NEED FOR DEFENCE CAPABILITIES BEFITTING S KOREA'S GEOPOLITICAL POSITION NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021

Save The Children says two staff Heated debate erupts in Pakistan
over Sharif’s possible return
missing after attack in Myanma INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
NAB case.
"To make Nawaz Sharif
The remains were burned beyond recognition; children’s and women’s clothes were found together eligible (to run for the high-
ASSOCIATED PRESS tions, but a report in the state- He did not see the moment A heated debate has erupted est office of the country)
BANGKOK, 26 DECEMBER run Myanma Alinn daily news- they were killed, but said he in Pakistan over the rumours again, it is being rumoured that
paper on Saturday said that believed some of them were of PML-N supremo and for- the Bar Council is filing a

T
wo members of the
international human-
itarian group Save
the Children were
missing Saturday after Myan-
mar government troops round-
ed up villagers, some believed
to be women and children,
fatally shot more than 30 and
burned the bodies, according
to a witness and other reports.
Purported photos of the
aftermath of the Christmas Eve
massacre in eastern Mo So vil-
lage, just outside Hpruso
township in Kayah state where
refugees were sheltering from
an army offensive, spread on
social media in the country,
fueling outrage against the mil-
itary that took power in Feb-
ruary.The accounts could not
be independently verified.
The photos showed the charred
bodies of over 30 people in
three burned-out vehicles.
A villager who said he went
to the scene told The Associ-
ated Press that the victims had
fled the fighting between
armed resistance groups and
Myanmar’s army near Koi
Ngan village, which is just
beside Mo So, on Friday. He
said they were killed after
they were arrested by troops
while heading to refugee
camps in the western part of
the township.
Save the Children said that
two of its staff who were trav-
eling home for the holidays
after conducting humanitar-
ian response work in a near-
by community were “caught
up in the incident and remain
missing.”
“We have confirmation
that their private vehicle was
attacked and burned out,”
the group added in a state-
ment. “The military reportedly
forced people from their cars,
arrested some, killed others
and burned their bodies.”
The government has not
commented on the allega-
the fighting near Mo So broke
out on Friday when members
of ethnic guerrilla forces,
known as the Karenni Nation-
al Progressive Party, and those
opposed to the military drove
in “suspicious” vehicles and
attacked security forces after
refusing to stop.
The newspaper report said
they included new members
who were going to attend
training to fight the army,
and that the seven vehicles they
were traveling in were
destroyed in a fire. It gave no
further details about the
killings.
The witness who spoke to
the AP said the remains were
burned beyond recognition,
and children’s and women’s
clothes were found together
with medical supplies and
food.
Mo So villagers who report-
edly got arrested by troops on
Friday. He denied that those
captured were members of
locally organized militia
groups.
Myanmar’s independent
media reported on Friday
that 10 Mo So villagers includ-
ing children were arrested by
the army and four members
of the local paramilitary Bor-
der Guard Forces who went
to negotiate for their release
were reportedly tied up and
shot in the head by the mili-
tary.
The witness said the vil-
lagers and anti-government
militia groups left the bodies
as military troops arrived near
Mo So while the bodies were
being prepared for crema-
tion. The fighting was still
intense near the village.
mer Prime minister Nawaz petition in court," said Akbar.
Sharif's possible return to "It is not appropriate for
the country ahead of the next the Bar Council to file a peti-
general elections, Geo News tion in court. I do not under-
reported. stand how it is legally viable
PML-N President Shehbaz Imran Khan-led government, to make him the Prime Min-
Sharif, who is also the former Geo News reported. ister of Pakistan for the fourth
premier's brother, categori- "This fake government has time."
cally said that Nawaz Sharif accepted its defeat from Nawaz He said the President of the
will not return until he has fully Sharif who is the present and Supreme Court Bar Council
recovered. future of Pakistan. By target- had recently met Nawaz Sharif.
In a statement issued on ing a towering personality, the "I believe the Supreme
Saturday, Shehbaz Sharif said stature of a pygmy cannot be Court Bar Council taking up
that Nawaz Sharif might stay elevated," she tweeted. the issue is a political decision,"
in the UK legally until the Special Assistant to the he said.
immigration tribunal rules Prime Minister (SAPM) on "The Supreme Court Bar
on his appeal against the Accountability and Interior is a professional body, so it
British Home Office's rejec- Barrister, Shahzad Akbar ques- should avoid indulging itself
tion for extending his visa. tioned whether Nawaz Sharif into political matters. Sub-
Meanwhile, PML-N Vice could participate in the coun- mitting an application from
President Maryam Nawaz, in try's politics despite the the council regarding Nawaz
a tweet, said the visa issue had Supreme Court declaring him Sharif's case was not appro-
again proved how her father guilty and disqualifying him priate. They have not taken up
was on the nerves of the for life and an accountabili- the step so far. I call upon them
members of the incumbent ty court convicting him in an to review it and avoid it."

Taliban-run government dissolves Suicide bomber attacks bar in eastern Congo, killing six
Afghan election commissions
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISLAMABAD, 26 DECEMBER
The Taliban dissolved
Afghanistan’s two election
commissions as well as the
state ministries for peace and
parliamentarian affairs, an
official said Sunday.
Bilal Karimi, deputy
spokesman for Afghanistan’s
Taliban-run government, said
the country’s Independent
Election Commission and
Electoral Complaint Com-
mission have been dissolved.
He called them “unneces-
sary institutes for the cur-
rent situation in Afghanistan.”
He said if there is a need for
the commissions in the future,
the Taliban government can
revive them.
The international com-
munity is waiting before
extending formal recogni-
tion to Afghanistan’s new
rulers.
They are wary the Taliban
could impose a similarly harsh
regime as when they were in
power 20 years ago — despite
their assurances to the con-
trary.
Both elections commis-
sions were mandated to
administer and supervise all
types of elections in the coun-
try, including presidential,
parliamentary and provin-
cial council elections.
Karimi said the Taliban
also dissolved the Ministry for
Peace and the Ministry of
Parliamentarian Affairs.
He said they were unnec-
essary ministries in the gov-
ernment’s current structure.
The Taliban had previ-
ously shut down the former
Women’s Affairs Ministry.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BENI, 26 DECEMBER
A suicide bomber attacked a
restaurant and bar Saturday
as patrons gathered on Christ-
mas Day, killing at least six oth-
ers in an eastern Congolese
town where Islamic extrem-
ists are known to be active.
Heavy gunfire rang out
shortly after the bomb went
off, with panicked crowds
fleeing the town’s center.
Saturday’s attack marked
the first known time that a sui-
cide bomber has killed vic-
tims in eastern Congo, where
an Islamic State group affil-
iate earlier this year took
responsibility for a suicide
bombing near another bar in
Beni who had caused no
other casualties.
The latest violence only
deepens fear that religious
extremism has taken hold in
a region already plagued for
years by rebels.
Gen. Sylvain Ekenge,
spokesperson for the gover-
nor of North Kivu, said that
security guards had blocked
the bomber from entering
the crowded bar and so the per-
son instead detonated the
explosives at the entrance.
“We call on people to
remain vigilant and to avoid
crowded areas during the hol-
iday season,” he said in a
statement. “In the city and ter-
really horrible.”Among the
dead were two children,
bomber and another explo-
sion that same day at a Catholic
ritory of Beni, it is difficult, in according to Mayor Narcisse church that wounded two
these times to know who is Muteba, who is also a police people.
who.” colonel. Residents of the town have
Rachel Magali had been at At least 13 other people repeatedly expressed anger
the restaurant-bar for about were wounded and taken to over the ongoing insecurity
three hours with her sister-in- a local hospital.“Investiga- despite an army offensive
law and several others when tions are underway to find the and the presence of U.N.
she heard a loud noise outside. perpetrators of this terrorist peacekeepers in Beni.
“Suddenly we saw black attack,” he told The Associated From 2018 to 2020, the
smoke surrounding the bar Press. town also suffered through an
and people started to cry,” she The town has long been tar- Ebola epidemic that became
told The Associated Press. geted by rebels from the Allied the second deadliest in his-
“We rushed to the exit Democratic Forces, or ADF, a tory.
where I saw people lying group that traces its origins to More than 2,200 people
down. There were green plas- neighboring Uganda. But in died in eastern Congo as vac-
tic chairs scattered every- June the Islamic State group’s cination efforts were at times
where and I also saw heads and Central Africa Province said thwarted by insecurity in the
arms no longer attached. It was it was behind the suicide area.

Palestinians, Israeli forces clash near West Bank outpost
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEL AVIV, 26 DECEMBER
Israeli forces clashed with
Palestinians in the West Bank
in an area that has seen a recent
uptick in friction, the Israeli
military and Palestinian medics
said.
The clashes late Saturday
were part of days of tension
in the area surrounding a
West Bank settlement out-
post and a spike in violence
elsewhere in theWest Bank and
east Jerusalem.
During the clashes, the
military said, hundreds of
Palestinians threw rocks and
burned tires and shots were
fired in the area.
The military said forces
responded with live fire and
“riot dispersal means,” typi-
cally tear gas and stun
grenades.
The military also said shots
were fired from a passing
vehicle toward a military post
near the West Bank city of
Nablus, which is south of
Homesh.
It was not clear if the shoot-
ing was related to the clash-
es.
The Palestinian Red Cres-
cent said 10 people were
wounded by live fire.
The Palestinian Health
Ministry said one of them, a
17-year-old, was seriously
wounded. Dozens of others
were wounded by rubber bul-
lets.
A soldier was lightly wound-
ed, the military said.
Homesh, in the northern
West Bank, was dismantled as
part of Israel’s withdrawal
from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
But in recent years, Israeli
settlers have returned to pray
and established an unautho-
rized outpost at the site.
Last week, at least one
Palestinian gunman opened
fire on a car filled with Jew-
ish seminary students next to
the outpost.
Yehuda Dimentman, 25,
was killed and two others
were wounded near Homesh,
which is considered illegal
by the Israeli government.
On Thursday, thousands of
Jewish nationalists marched
to Homesh to mark the end
of the mourning period for
Dimentman and on Friday,
Israeli forces dismantled struc-
tures that settlers had erect-
ed at the outpost.
According to Israeli media
reports, Jewish settlers were
expected to march again to the
outpost on Saturday night,
drawing calls on Palestinian
social media for nearby vil-
lagers to be on alert.
The clashes come amid
an increase in Israeli-Pales-
tinian violence elsewhere in
the West Bank and in east
Jerusalem.
On Thursday, thousands of
Jewish nationalists marched
to Homesh to mark the end
of the mourning period for
Dimentman and on Friday,
Israeli forces dismantled struc-
tures that settlers had erect-
ed at the outpost.
Earlier this month, an ultra-
Orthodox Jew was left seriously
injured after being stabbed by
a Palestinian attacker out-
side the walls of Jerusalem’s
Old City.
A week before, a Hamas mil-
itant opened fire in the Old City,
killing an Israeli man.
Both attackers were killed
by Israeli forces.
Settler violence against
Israel plans to double settlement
Palestinians has seen a sim-
in occupied Golan Heights
ilar increase during the olive ASSOCIATED PRESS is the moment of the Golan
harvest. MEVO HAMA, 26 DECEMBER Heights,” Bennett said.
In mid-November, Jewish “After long and static years
settlers attacked a group of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali in terms of the scope of set-
Palestinian farmers with pep- Bennett said Sunday the coun- tlement, our goal today is to
per spray and clubs in the farm- try intends to double the double settlement in the
land surrounding Homesh, amount of settlers living in the Golan Heights.”
injuring four people. occupied Golan Heights with Entrenching Israeli control
A week before, a Hamas mil- a multimillion-dollar plan over the territory would com-
itant opened fire in the Old City, meant to further consolidate plicate any future attempt to
killing an Israeli man. Israel’s hold on the territory forge peace with Syria, which
Both attackers were killed it captured from Syria more claims the Golan Heights.
by Israeli forces. than five decades ago. Israel occupied the Golan
Israel captured east Speaking at a special Cab- Heights in the 1967 Mideast
Jerusalem and the West Bank inet session being held in the war and later annexed the ter-
in the 1967 Mideast war, and Golan Heights, Bennett said ritory, promoting settlement
the territories are now home the recognition by the Trump and agriculture there as well
to over 700,000 Israel settlers. administration of Israeli sov- as creating a thriving local
Most of the international ereignty over the swath of tourism industry.
community considers Israeli land, and the Biden admin- The U.S. was the first coun-
settlements illegal obstacles istration’s indication that it will try to recognize Israel’s sov-
to peace.The Palestinians seek not at this point walk that deci- ereignty over the Golan, which
east Jerusalem and the West sion back, prompted the new the rest of the international
Bank as parts of a future inde- investment in the region. community regards as Israeli-
pendent state. “This is our moment. This occupied.

LEISURE
10 MINUTE CROSSWORD BEETLE BAILEY/Mort Walker NEED TO KNOW
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RED EYE/Bill Yates & Mel Casson SUDOKU

ACROSS DOWN
1 Haystack (4) 2 Pictures (6)
4 Billboard (8) 3 Small barrel (3)
8 Marsupial (8) 4 Large insect (8)
9 Nimble (4) 5 Solemnly affirm (4)
10 Educator (7) 6 Take apart (9)
12 Deadly (5)
14 Dependent (7) 7 Usual (6)
17 Sorcery (5) 11 Bodily tissue (9)
18 Widespread (7) 13 Negligent (8)
20 Prima donna (4)
21 Angelic (8)
15 Spittle (6)
16 Forearm bone (6) DADDY DAZE/John Kovaleski
23 Famished (8) 19 Resound (4)
24 Prying (4) 22 Vase (3)
SOLUTIONS TO YESTERDAY’S CROSSWORD irections Make a 2 to
7 letter word from the
ACROSS 11 Seen, DOWN 7 Sure, letters in each row.
13 Fountain 12 Energised, Add points of each
1 Fission, 1 Folk, word, using scoring
pen, 2 Strenuous, 14 Noisome, directions at right, 7-
5 Ships 15 Asks, 16 Sheen, letter words get 50- Sudoku is a number-placing
(Fish and 3 Italian, point bonus. "Blanks"
puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with
17 Twinge, 4 National 18 Apex, used as any letter
chips), 20 Parvenu, 19 Stye, have no point value. several given numbers. The
8 Larva, Trust, All Judd’s words are
object is to place the numbers 1
22 Onset, 5 Spuds, 21 Run. in The Official
9 Trucker, 23 Xenon, Scrabble Players to 9 in the empty squares so
10 Indigo, 6 Ilk, Dictionary(Merriam-
that no row, no column and no
24 Treadle. Webster) and OSW
Official Scrabble answer to 3x3 box contains the same
By arrangement with The Independent rabble and Scrabble Tiles are registered trademarks. All Words(Chambers).
number. The difficulty level
Figures in parentheses denote
rights in the game are owned in the U.S.A by Hasbro Inc., Judd’s solution previous
in Canada by Hasbro Canada Inc., and elsewhere by J.W. increases through the week.
the number of letters in the words required Spear & Sons Limited, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc.
tomorrow.
10-25-12
puzzle
10 NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
WEATHER
CITY MAX(°C) MIN(°C)
SINGAPORE 30 25 R
HONG KONG 22 15 H
TOKYO 13 4 R
LONDON 8 6 R
DUBAI 27 22 H
SAN FRANCISCO 11 7 R
NEW YORK 10 7 R
MOSCOW -5 -13 R
S= sunny, CL= clear,
H=hazy, R= rainy...
THUMBNAILS
Emergency room nurse
Sonia Harrat takes a break
while working on Christ-
mas day at the la Timone
hospital in Marseille,
southern France.� AP
NZ detects 7 new Omicron
cases at border: New
Zealand has detected
seven fresh Omicron cases
in international arrivals
over two days, taking the
country's total number of
infections caused by the
new Covid-19 variant to
45. New Zealand reported
136 cases of Covid-19 over
two days, including 126
community cases and 10
imported cases at the bor-
der, said the Ministry. IANS
Global Covid caseload tops
279.4 million: The global
coronavirus caseload has
topped 279.4 million,
while the deaths have
surged to more than 5.39
million and vaccinations
to over 8.92 billion,
according to Johns Hop-
kins University. The CSSE
revealed that the current
global caseload and the
death toll stood at
279,454,484 and
5,396,449. IANS
French coronavirus infections
spike over holidays
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS, 26 DECEMBER
France has recorded more
than 100,000 virus infections
in a single day for the first time
since the pandemic struck, and
Covid-19 hospitalizations
have doubled over the past
month as the fast-spreading
omicron variant complicates
the government’s efforts to
stave off a new lockdown.
More than 1 person in 100
in the Paris region has test-
ed positive in the past week,
according to the regional
health service. Most new
infections are linked to the
omicron variant, which gov-
ernment experts predict will
be dominant in France in the
coming days.
Meanwhile a surge in delta
Pope’s three key words
for a marriage: ‘Please,
thanks, sorry’
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROME, 26 DECEMBER
Pope Francis is seeking to
encourage married couples,
acknowledging that the pan-
demic has aggravated some
family problems but urging
couples to seek help and
always remember three key
words in a marriage: “Please,
thanks and sorry.”
Francis penned a letter to
married couples that was
released Sunday, a Catholic
feast day commemorating
Jesus’ family. It came halfway
through a yearlong celebra-
tion of the family announced
by Francis that is due to con-
clude in June with a big rally
in Rome.
In the letter, Francis said
lockdowns and quarantines
had forced families to spend
more time together. But he
noted that such enforced
togetherness at times tested
the patience of parents and
siblings alike and in some cases
Desmond Tutu, South African
equality activist, dies at 90
He died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Center in Cape Town, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Trust said
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOHANNESBURG, 26 DECEMBER
D
esmond Tutu, South
Africa’s Nobel Peace
Prize-winning
activist for racial
justice and LGBT rights and
retired Anglican Archbishop
of Cape Town, has died, South
African President Cyril
Ramaphosa announced Sun-
day. He was 90.
An uncompromising foe of
apartheid — South Africa’s bru-
tal regime of oppression against
the Black majority — Tutu
worked tirelessly, though non-
violently, for its downfall.
The buoyant, blunt-spoken
clergyman used his pulpit as
the first Black bishop of Johan-
nesburg and later Archbish-
op of Cape Town as well as fre-
quent public demonstrations
to galvanize public opinion
against racial inequity both at
home and globally.
Tutu’s death on Sunday
“is another chapter of
bereavement in our nation’s
farewell to a generation of
outstanding South Africans
who have bequeathed us a lib-
German foreign minister vows
to tighten arms sales rules
ASIAN NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
BERLIN, 26 DECEMBER
German Foreign Minister
Annalena Baerbock said on
Sunday that a new law is in
the works to revise the coun-
try's military export regula-
tions after Angela Merkel's
government was exposed to
have approved a record vol-
ume of foreign arms sales this
year.
On Saturday, German
news agency DPA reported,
citing Economy Ministry data
requested by a lawmaker,
that the Merkel government
approved over 9 billion euros
($10 billion) worth of weapon
contracts in 2021.
Over half of the contracts
were approved during Merkel's
last days as chancellor and
went to Egypt.
variant infections in recent
months is pushing up hospital
admissions. More than 1,000
people in France with the
virus died over the past week,
bringing the overall death
toll to more than 122,000.
The government is hold-
ing emergency meetings Mon-
day to discuss next steps.
Some scientists and educa-
tors have urged delaying the
post-holiday return to school,
or re-imposing a curfew.
But the education minis-
ter says schools should open
as usual Jan. 3, and other
government officials are work-
ing to avoid measures that
would hammer the economic
recovery.
Instead the government is
hoping that stepped-up vac-
cinations will be enough.
led to difficulties.
“Pre-existing problems
were aggravated, creating
conflicts that in some cases
became almost unbearable.
Many even experienced the
breakup of a relationship,”
Francis wrote.
He offered his closeness to
those families and reminded
parents that the breakup of
a marriage is particularly
hard on children, who look to
their parents as a constant
source of stability, love, trust
and strength.
“The breakdown of a mar-
riage causes immense suf-
fering, since many hopes are
dashed, and misunder-
standings can lead to argu-
ments and hurts not easily
healed,” he said. “Children end
up having to suffer the pain
of seeing their parents no
longer together.”
He urged parents to keep
seeking help to try to overcome
conflicts, including through
prayer.
erated South Africa,”
Ramaphosa said in a state-
ment.
“From the pavements of
resistance in South Africa to
the pulpits of the world’s great
cathedrals and places of wor-
ship, and the prestigious set-
ting of the Nobel Peace Prize
ceremony, the Arch distin-
guished himself as a non-
sectarian, inclusive champi-
on of universal human rights.”
Tutu died peacefully at the
Oasis Frail Care Center in
Cape Town, the Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Trust said in
"We as a [new govern-
ment] coalition have clearly
stated that we would reassess
the policy of defence exports
of recent years.
That is why we are work-
ing on a defence exports law
that will provide clearer cri-
teria for the approval of
defence export," Baerbock
told DPA.
Germany has been among
EU envisages strategy to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative El Salvador frees three
ASIAN NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
WASHINGTON, 26 DECEMBER
European Union has envis-
aged better planning to
counter China's Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) and
become a stronger geopolit-
ical entity.
Eight years after the
announcement of the Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI)--con-
ceived first as One Belt, One
Road, the European Union
(EU) has a good plan to
counter it and become a
stronger geopolitical actor
in an era of strategic compe-
tition as European policy-
makers seem to have awak-
ened to Chinese economic and
geopolitical designs, accord-
ing to National Interest.
Therefore, European pol-
icymakers seem to have under-
Another Covid Christmas brings anxiety, but also optimism
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, 26 DECEMBER
Christmas arrived around the
world Saturday amid a surge
in Covid-19 infections that kept
many families apart, over-
whelmed hospitals and curbed
religious observances as the
pandemic was poised to stretch
into a third year.
Yet, there were homilies of
hope, as vaccines and other
treatments become more
available.
Pope Francis used his
Christmas address to pray
for more vaccines to reach the
poorest countries. While
wealthy countries have inoc-
ulated as much as 90% of
their adult populations, 8.9%
of Africa’s people are fully
jabbed, making it the world’s
least-vaccinated continent.
Only a few thousand well-
wishers turned out for his
noontime address and bless-
ing, but even that was better
than last year, when Italy’s
Christmas lockdown forced
Francis indoors for the annu-
al “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the city
After every argument, don’t let the day end without making peace.
URGING COUPLES TO REMEMBER THREE KEY WORDS IN A MARRIAGE - “PLEASE, THANKS AND SORRY”
a statement Sunday.
Tutu had been hospitalized
several times since 2015, after
being diagnosed with prostate
cancer in 1997.
“Typically he turned his
own misfortune into a teach-
ing opportunity to raise aware-
ness and reduce the suffering
of others,” said the Tutu trust’s
statement. “He wanted the
world to know that he had
prostate cancer, and that the
sooner it is detected the bet-
ter the chance of managing it.”
In recent years he and his
wife, Leah, lived in a retirement
the world's biggest arms sell-
ers together with the United
States, Russia, France and
Germany.
According to the Stock-
holm International Peace
Research Institute, Berlin was
responsible for 5.5% of glob-
al arms exports from 2016 to
2020, with South Korea, Alge-
ria and Egypt as its biggest buy-
ers.
stood the Chinese econom-
ic and geopolitical designs.
In line with this vision,
Beijing is expanding Chinese
outreach in the global econ-
omy, reducing its technolog-
ical dependence on the West-
-in line with its "Made in
China 2025"--and maintain-
ing a favorable external influ-
ence while addressing domes-
tic challenges writes Valbona
Zeneli for the National Inter-
and the world”) speech.
“Grant health to the infirm
and inspire all men and
women of goodwill to seek the
best ways possible to overcome
the current health crisis and
its effects,” Francis said from
the loggia of St. Peter’s Basil-
ica. “Open hearts to ensure that
necessary medical care —
and vaccines in particular —
are provided to those peoples
who need them most.”
In the United States, many
churches canceled in-person
services, but for those that did
have in-person worship, cler-
ics reported smaller but sig-
nificant attendance.
“Our hopes for a normal
Christmas have been tem-
pered by omicron this year…
still filled with uncertainties
and threats that overshadow
us,” the Rev. Ken Boller told
his parishioners during mid-
night Mass at the Church of
St. Francis Xavier in New York
City. “Breakthrough used to be
a happy word for us, until it
was associated with Covid. And
in the midst of it all, we cele-
brate Christmas.”
community outside Cape
Town.Throughout the 1980s
— when South Africa was
gripped by anti-apartheid
violence and a state of emer-
gency giving police and the mil-
itary sweeping powers — Tutu
was one of the most promi-
nent Blacks able to speak out
against abuses.A lively wit
lightened Tutu’s hard-hitting
messages and warmed oth-
erwise grim protests, funer-
als and marches. Short, plucky,
tenacious, he was a formida-
ble force, and apartheid lead-
ers learned not to discount his
canny talent for quoting apt
scriptures to harness righteous
support for change.
The Nobel Peace Prize in
1984 highlighted his stature
as one of the world’s most effec-
tive champions for human
rights, a responsibility he took
seriously for the rest of his life.
With the end of apartheid
and South Africa’s first demo-
cratic elections in 1994, Tutu
celebrated the country’s multi-
racial society, calling it a “rain-
bow nation,” a phrase that cap-
tured the heady optimism of
the moment.
Putin to mull different options if West refuses guarantees
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOSCOW, 26 DECEMBER
Russian President Vladimir
Putin said Sunday he would
ponder a slew of options if the
West fails to meet his push for
security guarantees preclud-
ing NATO’s expansion to
Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Moscow
submitted draft security doc-
uments demanding that NATO
deny membership to Ukraine
and other former Soviet coun-
tries and roll back its military
deployments in Central and
Eastern Europe.
Putin has urged the West
to move quickly to meet the
demands, warning that
Moscow will have to take
“adequate military-technical
measures” if the West con-
tinues its “aggressive” course
“on the threshold of our home.”
Asked to specify what such
Moscow’s response could be,
est.
The BRI is an economic and
geopolitical necessity for Bei-
jing as it tries to unlock the
potential for new sources of
growth and export markets for
China's excess industrial
capacities in its struggling
industries (construction, steel,
and cement) which could be
done through advance inno-
vation.
Despite Beijing's significant
investment to strengthen the
BRI's narrative power--focus-
ing on the mantra of a "win-
win" strategy, promising to
advance global development,
and presenting China as a
benevolent rising power--
BRI has become controver-
sial and caused a backlash in
several countries, according
to National Interest.
Since its inception, 2013,
most Chinese projects in
The Rev. Alex Karloutsos,
of the Dormition of the Vir-
gin Mary Church of the Hamp-
tons in Southampton, New
York, said attendance at the
Christmas Eve liturgy was a
third less than last year’s, with
“the reality of the omicron virus
diminishing the crowd, but not
the fervor of the faithful pre-
sent.”
St. Patrick’s Church in Hub-
bard, Ohio, held Mass on
Christmas Eve in a nearby
high school because of a
church fire this year.
The Mass drew about 550
people, said Youngstown Bish-
POPE FRANCIS
Nicknamed “the Arch,”
Tutu was diminutive, with an
impish sense of humor, but
became a towering figure in
his nation’s history, comparable
to fellow Nobel laureate Nel-
son Mandela, a prisoner dur-
ing white rule who became
South Africa’s first Black pres-
ident. Tutu and Mandela
shared a commitment to
building a better, more equal
South Africa.
In 1990, after 27 years in
prison, Mandela spent his
first night of freedom at Tutu’s
residence in Cape Town. Later,
Mandela called Tutu “the peo-
ple’s archbishop.”
Tutu campaigned inter-
nationally for human rights,
especially LGBT rights and
same-sex marriage.
“I would not worship a
God who is homophobic and
that is how deeply I feel about
this,” he said in 2013, launch-
ing a campaign for LGBT
rights in Cape Town. “I would
refuse to go to a homophobic
heaven. No, I would say, ‘Sorry,
I would much rather go to the
other place.’
he said in comments aired by
Russian state TV Sunday that
“it could be diverse,” adding
without elaboration that “it will
depend on what proposals our
military experts submit to
me.”
The U.S. and its allies have
refused to offer Russia the
kind of guarantee on Ukraine
that Putin wants, citing NATO’s
principle that membership is
open to any qualifying coun-
try. They agreed. however, to
Eurasia have been incorpo-
rated into the BRI, the brain-
child of President Xi Jinping,
a foreign policy narrative that
exports the "China Dream"
that was cemented into the
Chinese Communist Party's
constitution during the Nine-
teenth Party Congress.
To put this into perspec-
tive, since the launch of the
BRI in 2013, the EU and the
United States together have
contributed USD 800 billion
to global development--more
foreign aid to developing
countries than China's BRI
loans, writes Valbona Zeneli
for the National Interest.
Further, a grant repre-
sents a much bigger financial
contribution than a loan, and
the EU's donations alone
($550 billion since 2013) are
greater than the BRI's infra-
structure lending thus far.
op David Bonnar, who
presided.
In Britain, Queen Eliza-
beth II noted another year of
pain — particularly person-
al after losing her husband,
Prince Philip, in April — and
urged people to celebrate
with friends and family.
“Although it’s a time of
great happiness and good
cheer for many, Christmas
can be hard for those who have
lost loved ones,” the queen said
in the prerecorded message
broadcast when many British
families were enjoying their
traditional Christmas dinner.
Flight cancellations snarl
holiday plans for thousands
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK, 26 DECEMBER
Airlines continued to cancel
hundreds of flights Saturday
because of staffing issues
tied to Covid-19, disrupting
holiday celebrations during
one of the busiest travel times
of the year.
FlightAware, a flight-track-
ing website, noted nearly
1,000 canceled flights enter-
ing, leaving or inside the U.S.
Saturday, up from 690 flights
scrapped on Friday. Over 250
more flights were already
canceled for Sunday.
FlightAware does not say why
flights are canceled.
Delta, United and JetBlue
had all said Friday that the
omicron variant was causing
staffing problems leading to
flight cancellations. United
spokesperson Maddie King
said staffing shortages were
still causing cancellations
and it was unclear when nor-
mal operations would return.
Delta and JetBlue did not
respond to questions Satur-
day.
According to FlightAware,
the three airlines canceled
more than 10% of their sched-
uled Saturday flights. Amer-
ican Airlines also canceled
more than 90 flights Saturday,
about 3% of its schedule,
launch security talks with
Russia next month to discuss
its concerns.
Putin said the talks with the
U.S. will be held in Geneva.
In parallel, negotiations are also
set to be held between Rus-
sia and NATO and broader dis-
cussions are expected under
the aegis of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation
in Europe.
In remarks broadcast Sun-
day, Putin said that Russia sub-
mitted the demands in the
hope of a constructive answer
from the West.
“We didn’t do it just to see
it blocked ... but for the pur-
pose of reaching a negotiat-
ed diplomatic result that
would be fixed in legally
binding documents,” Putin
said.
The Kremlin presented
its security demand amids the
tensions over a Russian troop
buildup near Ukraine in
women convicted of abortions
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN SALVADOR, 26 DECEMBER
President Nayib Bukele’s gov-
ernment has freed three Sal-
vadoran women who were
sentenced to 30 years in prison
under the nation’s strict anti-
abortion laws after suffering
obstetric emergencies, accord-
ing to abortion rights groups.
Morena Herrera of the Cit-
izen’s Group for the Depe-
nalization of Abortion said late
Friday that the group was
told one woman would be set
free at presidential order, but
when they went to the prison
to greet her, three were
released.
“We presented ourselves
at the prison in Zacatecolu-
ca and Karen, Kathy and Eve-
lyn left. They are free and in
“This year, especially, I under-
stand why.’’
Thousands of people across
Britain got a vaccine booster
shot for Christmas as new
cases hit another daily record
of 122,186.
The Good Health Phar-
macy in north London was one
of dozens of sites that stayed
open Saturday to administer
“jingle jabs” amid a govern-
ment push to offer booster
shots to all adults by the end
of the year.
The head of intensive care
at a hospital in Marseille,
France, said most Covid-19
patients over Christmas were
unvaccinated, while his staff
are exhausted or can’t work
because they are infected.
“We’re sick of this,” said Dr.
Julien Carvelli, the ICU chief
at La Timone Hospital, as his
team spent another Christmas
Eve tending to Covid-19
patients on breathing
machines. “We’re afraid we
won’t have enough space.”
On the other side of the
globe, hundreds of thousands
of people in the Philippines,
according to FlightAware.
American spokesperson Derek
Walls said the cancellations
stemmed from “Covid-relat-
ed sick calls.” European and
Australian airlines have also
canceled holiday-season
flights because of staffing
problems tied to Covid-19.
For travelers, that meant
time away from loved ones,
chaos at the airport and the
stress of spending hours
standing in line and on the
phone trying to rebook flights.
Peter Bockman, a retired
actor, and his daughter Malai-
ka, a college student, were sup-
posed to be in Senegal on Sat-
urday celebrating with rela-
tives they hadn’t seen in a
decade. But their 7:30 p.m.
flight Friday from New York
to Dakar was canceled, which
they found out only when they
got to the airport. Their new
flight, for Monday evening, has
a layover in Paris, and they are
worried there will be issues
with that one as well. They
have already missed a big
family get-together that was
scheduled for Saturday.
FlightAware’s data shows
airlines scrapped more than
6,000 flights globally for Fri-
day, Saturday and Sunday, with
almost one-third of affected
flights to, from or within the
United States.
recent weeks that has fueled
Western fears of a possible
invasion. U.S. President Joe
Biden warned Putin in a
video call earlier this month
that Russia will face “severe
consequences” if it attacks
Ukraine.
Russia has denied an inten-
tion of launching an inva-
sion and, in its turn, accused
Ukraine of hatching plans to
try to reclaim control of the
territories held by Moscow-
backed rebels by force.
Ukraine has rejected the
claim.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s
Crimean Peninsula in 2014
and shortly after threw its sup-
port behind a separatist
rebellion in the country’s
east. Over more than seven
years, the fighting has killed
over 14,000 people and dev-
astated Ukraine’s industrial
heartland, known as the
Donbas.
their homes,” Herrera said.
She said she had no addi-
tional information about the
decision, though she noted
that petitions were pending
before the Supreme Court to
commute the women’s sen-
tences.
The three are among at least
17 Salvadoran women activists
consider unjustly convicted
and imprisoned following
obstetric emergencies and
who have been at the center
of a campaign against El Sal-
vador’s absolute law against
abortions.
Several celebrities —
including actors América Fer-
rera, Milla Jovovich and
Kathryn Hahn — last week
asked Bukele and El Salvador
in general to let the women
return home for Christmas.
Asia’s largest Roman Catholic
nation, spent Christmas with-
out homes, electricity, or ade-
quate food and water after a
powerful typhoon left at least
375 people dead last week and
devastated mostly central
island provinces.
Gov. Arthur Yap of hard-hit
Bohol province, where more
than 100 people died in the
typhoon and about 150,000
houses were damaged or
destroyed, appealed for help.
He was happy many Fil-
ipinos could celebrate Christ-
mas more safely after Covid-
19 cases dropped, but he
pleaded: “Please don’t forget
us.”
At least one American
Christmas tradition was revived
after the pandemic drove it
online last year: the annual
reenactment of George Wash-
ington’s daring crossing of
the Delaware River in 1776.
Reenactors in three boats
completed the crossing in
about an hour Saturday.
Crowds were in the hundreds,
down from the usual thou-
sands.

Getting louder by the day
Disparate voices
from the North-
east and beyond
are demanding
that the Armed
Forces (Special
Powers) Act,
1958 be
repealed
NAVA THAKURIA
T
he recent special Assembly
session of Nagaland was
unique in many ways. First, a
state Legislative Assembly
took a pertinent position against the
controversial Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act, 1958. Second, it
demanded an apology from the
Union government in New Delhi for
the military atrocities against com-
mon Naga people and wanted an
assurance of justice for the victims.
Third, summoned by Nagaland
governor professor Jagdish Mukhi on
20 December to discuss the AF(SP)A
in the backdrop of civilians’ killings,
the Assembly session demanded the
law’s repeal, not from Nagaland
alone, but the entire North-east, so
that the ongoing peace initiative to
resolve Naga political issues can be
strengthened. It further elaborated
that the people’s voice must be heard
and respected. A conducive ambience
for a final peace accord was also high-
lighted in the special session.
The spark for these recent anti-
AF(SP)A outrages was created with
the incident at Oting village in Naga-
land, where 14 civilians lost their lives.
From local villagers to state-level
organisations, North-eastern to
national and international outfits,
almost everyone seems to have joined
in the chorus to demand the repeal
of the six decade-long Army Act.
Many activists from the region have
challenged the Centre to enforce the
same law in the Naxal-stricken areas.
Sad news broke on 4 December,
when the on-duty security forces
opened fire on a vehicle of villagers
in Nagaland’s Mon district, who were
returning from daily work at the Tiru
valley coal mine. The personnel
belonging to the 21-Para Special
Forces of the Indian Army (not Assam
Rifles as initially assumed) followed
an input about the movement of
armed insurgents in the Tiru-Oting
rural area and laid an ambush.
Soon the vehicle of village-
youths arrived there and the security
personnel reportedly ordered them to
stop. But the vehicle did not slow
down and hence the security forces
started firing at it after suspecting that
insurgents were inside. At least six
passengers died on the spot leaving
two with serious injuries. After real-
ising their mistake, the security per-
sonnel took the injured villagers to a
nearby hospital.
Fresh policies needed
Here’s a look back at the
challenges that emerged in the
North-east this year
SHIBDAS BHATTACHARJEE
O
n 25 November this year,
Union home minister Amit
Shah claimed that peace
and political stability had
been restored in the North-east. He
also focused on the agenda of devel-
opment through three e’s -- “empa-
thy, empowerment, enabler”. During
these dying days of 2021, however, it
is important to consider the things
that kept the region on boil.
Security issues have always been
sensitive, and some concerning
developments took place during the
year in various North-eastern states.
In the last few months, new zones of
conflict opened and exposed newer
dimensions of strategic and security
challenges. They are worrying as the
region shares international borders
with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh
and Bhutan.
Similarly, the identity affiliation
of people in the North-east and their
close ties with neighbouring coun-
tries are too complicated to resolve.
The difference between mainland
India and the region persists and the
situation is, as always, delicate. The
people are also not ready to be identi-
fied as a single entity. And therefore,
there can be no single formula to
address the multi-dimensional issues
of this region.
Myanmar & the North-east
The Indo-Myanmar border in
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland,
Manipur and Mizoram have been
transit points for North-east India-
based insurgent outfits. After the Feb-
ruary 2021 coup in Myanmar, ethnic
terror groups of that country virtually
By then, the incident had created
a massive uproar among the villagers
and soon they arrived at the location.
Once they charged the security per-
sonnel about the killings, the situa-
tion slowly turned ugly and seven
more villagers were killed. The next
day, another villager died during
protest-demonstrations where one
soldier of the Assam Rifles also lost
his life.
Oting lost 12 villagers in the
series of incidents and the Konyak vil-
lagers demanded that the AF(SP)A be
abolished from the whole of Naga-
land. Konyak Union, the apex body of
tribes, urged everyone to support the
cause of justice for the victims.
Soon, Nagaland chief minister
Neiphiu Rio and his Meghalaya coun-
terpart Conrad K Sangma joined the
voices to repeal the AF(SP)A. Rio was
extremely critical while paying trib-
utes to the victims. He did not hesi-
tate to comment that the Oting
killings were a clear example of the
AF(SP)A’s misuse.
Notably, Rio himself moved the
resolution to scrap AF(SP)A in the
special Assembly session. After day-
long deliberations, the Nagaland
Assembly unanimously adopted the
resolution. Rio asserted that the Leg-
islative Assembly must respect the
people of Nagaland and presently, the
common people are in favour of
repealing the Act. Proper action
against the security forces, who went
on firing indiscriminately, was also
urged.
The widely debated AF(SP)A,
which is enforced in different areas of
North-east India till date, legally
empowers any commissioned officer,
warrant officer or non-commissioned
officer in a disturbed area (if he
believes that it is necessary for main-
taining public order) to fire upon or
otherwise use force (after giving due
warning), even to the point of causing
death, against any person who is act-
ing in contravention of any law and
order issue.
If necessary, the security person-
nel can also destroy any arms dump,
prepared or fortified position or shel-
ter from which armed attacks are
made or are likely to be made or any
got a free hand to operate and volatil-
ity increased as the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army escalated tensions for
the Rohingya community. Such devel-
opments, in turn, substantially aggra-
vated the worsening security situa-
tion in North-east India.
While it is true that the Myanmar
Army got some victories against the
terror camps of the North-east India-
based insurgents located within that
county, it was not enough to restrict a
terror upsurge. This year witnessed
several subversive activities which
were executed from the Indo-Myan-
mar border by the People’s Liberation
Army of Manipur, Dimasa National
Liberation Army, United Liberation
Front of Assam (Independence),
National Liberation Front of Tripura/
National Liberation Front of Tripura
(Biswamohan) and others.
Chinese & Pakistani connections
It can be said that through Myan-
mar, China has been making every
effort to instigate terror in the North-
east. Pakistan’s agenda is an open
secret as well.
China has allegedly provided safe
havens to the insurgent leaders of
Ulfa and the National Socialist Coun-
cil of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah). The
execution of the recent Manipur
ambush and the improvised weapons
used by the terror outfit indicate the
direct connection of China with the
region’s insurgents whereby logistical
support is provided to them through
Myanmar. Security officials in India
stated that it was retaliatory action by
China against India’s association with
the anti-China lobby in Taiwan and
Tibet.
This year, Assam Police issued a
structure used as a training camp for
armed volunteers or utilised as a
hide-out by armed gangs or abscon-
ders. They are also empowered to
arrest, without warrant, any person
who has committed a cognisable
offence or against whom a reasonable
suspicion exists that he has commit-
ted or is about to commit a cognis-
able offence, etc.
Moreover, it gives immunity to
the men in uniform as no prosecu-
tion, suit or other legal proceedings
can be instituted (unless there is prior
sanction from the Union defence or
home ministry for the Army and
paramilitary forces respectively) for
anything done or purported to be
done while exercising powers con-
ferred by the Act.
When the Oting issue reached
Parliament and Union home minis-
ter Amit Shah made a statement
admitting that it was a case of mis-
taken identity, there was resentment
on the ground. The Central govern-
ment expressed regret and offered
condolences to the victim families
but made the claim that the security
forces had fired after the vehicle
ignored its direction. Shah also
informed that a special investigation
team was formed and asked to sub-
mit its report within a month.
The Konyak Union vehemently
opposed Shah’s statement and even
demanded an apology from him,
alleging that the Union home minis-
ter had misinformed Parliament
about the Oting massacre. Shah must
clarify, apologise and ask for forgive-
ness from the Konyak people and res-
idents of Nagaland, it asserted in a
media release. The forum also
expressed anguish that some satellite
news channels, based outside the
North-east, tried to present it as a
frontal confrontation between the
security forces and armed rebels.
The National Socialist Council of
Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) came out
with an official statement that the
ongoing Naga peace talks would not
be fruitful under the shadow of the
AF(SP)A. As the talks have reached a
dead end with NSCN-IM insisting on
a separate flag along with a separate
Constitution, the latest AF(SP)A con-
high alert against Pakistan’s Inter-Ser-
vices Intelligence, which was plan-
ning to carry out a terror attack in
Assam targeting security establish-
ments and religious places. Although
nothing serious happened, it is unde-
niable that the Pakistani agenda has
always been to sabotage India’s secu-
rity and strategic interests in the
North-east through East Pakistan and
later, Bangladesh.
In the Pakistani strategic note-
book, North-east India figures promi-
nently and that is evident from Zul-
fikar Ali Bhutto’s book, The Myth of
Independence. In it, Bhutto explicitly
stated the same and mentioned East
Pakistan as a strategic base for Islam-
abad on the Eastern frontier of India.
Bangladesh & religious fanaticism
One of the most important char-
acteristics of insurgency in the North-
east is that it is mainly based on eth-
nicity. Religion has never been a
prominent factor despite the Jamaat-
ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, Harkat-
ul-Jihad al-Islami, Muslim United Lib-
eration Tigers of Assam and some
other groups continuing efforts to
instigate insurgency in the name of
religion. The political narrative in the
North-east today is also communal
and that provides a fertile ground for
troversy has complicated matters
more.
Earlier, Indian Army authorities
also expressed its regret over the inci-
dent. Nagaland Police, on the other
hand, lodged a first information
report against the 21 para-comman-
dos claiming that the intention of the
security forces was only to kill and
injure unarmed civilians. More specif-
ically, the FIR stated that “at the time
of incident, there was no police guide
nor did the security forces make a
requisition to the police station to
provide police guide for their opera-
tion”.
Speaking to this correspondent
from Kohima, a journalist, on the
condition of anonymity, claimed that
the 21 para-commandos did every-
thing according to their convenience.
When the first batch of victims were
returning home from work, the para-
commandos did not ask them to stop
the vehicle but started firing indis-
criminately for reasons best known
only to them. So, it must not be
termed as an incident brought about
by mistaken identity, he asserted.
The journalist, who later visited
the area, alleged that initially the
security personnel had tried to cover
the dead bodies with camouflage
dresses, but the villagers who already
arrived at the location immediately
identified the victims. They also
engaged in verbal confrontations with
the security personnel. It led to the
unfortunate killings of seven more
people and injuries to many others.
“The 21 para-commandos were
not familiar with the area and its resi-
dents. But they did not inform the
Nagaland Police and even the Assam
Rifles (which has been engaged in
those areas for decades) about the
ambush. In haste, they fired at the
vehicle following inaccurate inputs.
But later, the Assam Rifles’ camp had
to face the villagers’ fury. I hope all
these facts will be out in the probe,”
he stated.
The Nagaland Goanburha (vil-
lage heads) forum has sent a memo-
randum to President Ram Nath
Kovind demanding the AF(SP)A’s
repeal from the region. The forum
cited the recommendations of the
religion-based insurgent outfits.
There are certain elements in
Bangladesh that propagate anti-India
rhetoric on a regular basis. During
Durga Puja, fanatical outfits van-
dalised several temples in Bangladesh
alleging defamation of the Holy
Quran and those incidents prompted
violence in several parts of Tripura.
The prevailing political narrative and
social media propaganda aggravated
the situation in Tripura. It is certainly
a new menace in North-east India,
and it will be tough to handle for the
security establishment.
State versus state & administration
versus people
Another significant development
in 2021 has been the declining rela-
tionship among different North-east-
ern states. Nothing can be worse than
what happened between Assam and
Mizoram. The police forces of the two
states clashed at a contentious bor-
der area on 26 July that left six
Assamese policemen dead and more
than 70 people injured. In response,
some residents of Assam blocked
supplies to Mizoram. The two states
filed murder cases against senior offi-
cials on the other side and Assam
even advised its locals against travel-
ling to Mizoram. This is undoubtedly
NEW DELHI, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee for
repealing the Act, terming it a sym-
bol of hate, oppression and an instru-
ment of high-handedness.
The forum claimed that the secu-
rity forces were taking advantage of
the immunity that is guaranteed by
the AF(SP)A provisions and hence
they are still killing innocent Naga
men, women and children. It
ridiculed the view that the security
forces fired upon the vehicle as its
warnings were not heeded. The forum
asserted that the Union home minis-
ter’s statement over the Oting mas-
sacre was factually incorrect and mis-
leading.
The Hong Kong-based Asian
Human Rights Commission also
issued a statement in which it implied
that the special unit of the security
forces involved in the operation had
killed unarmed civilians returning
from work in cold blood flouting stan-
dard operating procedures. They had
opened fire without any warning (to
the passengers travelling in the vehi-
cle), it observed.
“When the kith and kin of the
miners set out to look for them once
they did not return in time, the sec-
ond round of gory killings unfolded.
As reported by media houses, when
the villagers spotted vehicles of the
unit, they were told that they were
being taken to hospital. On checking
themselves, the villagers found dead
bodies and it was there that all hell
broke loose, ending in a repeat firing,”
stated the AHRC statement.
National Human Rights Com-
mission chairman Justice Arun
Mishra, however, commented that it
would be wrong to generalise that the
AF(SP)A leads to rights violations in
the North-east. He asserted that the
NHRC always takes the issue of cus-
todial deaths or extra-judicial killings
extremely seriously. But he admitted
that the Commission cannot exam-
ine or hold a debate on the legality or
constitutionality of the AF(SP)A.
Talking about the Nagaland inci-
dent, Justice Mishra revealed that the
NHRC had taken up the case and sent
notices to the Union defence secre-
tary, Union home secretary, Nagaland
chief secretary and state police chief.
“The incident triggered several other
events of arson, rioting and attack on
soldiers and an Assam Rifles camp,
resulting in more injuries and deaths,
including that of one soldier,” said the
NHRC statement.
The Assam government, where
the Act was first imposed in Novem-
ber 1990 and continues with repeated
extensions every six months, is yet to
decide on any proposal against it.
Chief minister H B Sarma recently
commented that AF(SP)A would con-
tinue until lasting peace is achieved in
the state. The government in Dispur
recently extended the disturbed area
tag for another six months. Sarma
apprehended that militants would
take advantage of its repeal to disturb
the peace and stability of Assam.
The writer is the Guwahati-based Special
Representative of The Statesman
against the federal spirit of India.
The botched ambush in Naga-
land on 4 December triggered a fresh
spell of unrest. Naturally, the insur-
gent outfits of Nagaland came down
heavily and statements were made by
other separatist leaders, including
UlfA’s Paresh Baruah. Students’
organisations of different North-east-
ern states arranged protest rallies
demanding punishment for the secu-
rity personnel involved. The Naga-
land People’s Organisation also with-
drew from the Hornbill Festival.
All these are worrying develop-
ments and demand fresh policy ini-
tiatives. There should be separate
policies for every state as the age-old
ones have failed to address issues in
the North-east and there is no harm
in recognising individual identities.
There are certain positives as well
with the foremost among them being
the approach and attitude of the pre-
sent generation in the region. They
want to be equal stakeholders in the
development of India, and their par-
ticipation can only bring worthwhile
changes. That said, governments
must display greater accountability to
leverage it.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
The views expressed are personal
11
PLUS POINTS
New districts
The Nagaland government recently cre-
ated three more districts, bringing the
total number of districts in the state to 15,
says a report in the Guwahati-based
Assam Tribune.
The state cabinet announced the for-
mation of the three new districts in Kohi-
ma. The newly created districts are
Tseminyu, Niuland and Chumukedima.
While Tseminyu has been formed by
bifurcating Kohima district, Niuland and
Chumukedima were carved out of Dima-
pur district.
Nagaland had 12 districts, namely
Dimapur, Kiphire, Kohima, Longleng,
Mokokchung, Mon, Phek, Tuensang
Wokha, Zunheboto and Noklak. Noklak
district, formerly a sub-division of Tuen-
sang district, was the youngest among
them. It was created on 21 December 2017
by the Naga People’s Front government
led by former chief minister TR Zeliang.
Jacob Zhimomi, minister of public
health engineering, Government of Naga-
land, expressed his happiness at the cre-
ation of Nuiland and Chumukedima dis-
tricts. Taking to Twitter, he wrote that he
was delighted to share that Niuland and
Chumukedima, under his constituency,
had become new districts.
“18.12.2021 a Historic day!
TSEMINYU, the 13th District of Nagaland.
On behalf of the Rengma Naga, I express
my heartfelt gratitude to @CmoNagaland
Shri @Neiphiu Rio & Cabinet members
for fulfilling our long-cherished dream
(sic),” advisor to animal husbandry and
veterinary services, R Khing tweeted.
Khing represents Tseminyu constituency,
home to the Rengma Nagas, in the Naga-
land Legislative Assembly.
Ultimatum issued
On 18 December, the All-Arunachal
Pradesh Students Union gave a 15-day
ultimatum to the state government to
carry out the census of the Chakma and
Hajong refugees.
Aapsu general secretary Tabom Dai
told reporters in Itanagar that the “enu-
meration process came to a halt” after the
state government reportedly received a
letter from the Prime Minister’s Office on
7 December. “The enumeration process
of the refugees should continue as usual,”
Dai said, urging the Arunachal Pradesh
government not to succumb to “inter-
vention from external forces”. He said that
the census of Chakmas and Hajongs is a
regular administrative exercise to main-
tain data required for safeguarding
indigenous people.
Earlier, the Chakma Development
Foundation of India in a petition to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhag-
wat alleged racial profiling of 65,000
Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal
Pradesh. Aapsu also sought to know the
status of the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh
boundary dispute and demanded deploy-
ment of adequate security personnel in
sensitive areas to maintain peace. PTI
MTB championship
Manipur’s first ever state-level Mountain
Terrain Bike Championship was held
under the banner “MTB Manipur: Dance
of Sangai” at Awaching, a picturesque
eastern hill range in the outskirts of
Imphal recently, says a report in The
Assam Tribune. The day-long champi-
onship was organised in three categories -
- Cross Country Olympic U15, Open and
Down Hill -- under the aegis of the
Manipur Adventure and Mountain Bik-
ing Association, or Maamba.
Phulen Meitei, director, youth affairs
and sports, Government of Manipur,
attended the closing function as chief
guest. Maamba’s president Dr Ng Arunk-
umar Singh, vice-president Nongthom-
bam Kamalkanta and joint secretary
Denis Phuritsabam were the event direc-
tor, event joint director and race director
respectively for the day-long event where
30 riders participated.
Speaking to The Assam Tribune,
Arunkumar said, “The state has many tal-
ented cyclists and organising such a
championship will help in producing
competitive cyclists and we hope our
boys and girls will bring medals from
international competitions soon.” It may
be mentioned here that Manipur had fin-
ished as the runners up team at the 18th
National MTB Championship in Pune last
month.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has condoled the demise
Illingworth, who represented Yorkshire and Leicestershire
with great distinction, enjoyed a 15-year international career
For more updates
Yearender 2021: The glittering high of Tokyo Games
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics
had created a dramatic pre-
lude to its 2021 resumption,
after being postponed last
year. Fans could barely con-
tain their excitement and as
the biggest global event final-
ly unfurled, Indian athletes
served up a great volley of vic-
tories that completely captured
the heart of the country.
This year the Games were
held with COVID-19 induced
restrictions from July 23 to
August 8 and all sports were
played behind closed doors.
About 11,000 athletes from
over 200 countries compet-
ed in the Olympics as Japan
witnessed sporting excel-
lence across 33 sports. Newly
added sports for the 2020
Summer Olympics competi-
Rahul's sublime ton
helps India rule day 1
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
CENTURION, 26 DECEMBER
A
sublime century
from KL Rahul (in
ani photo) helped
India dominate day
one of the Boxing Day Test
at the SuperSport Park here
on Sunday. At stumps, India
are 272/3 in 90 overs with
Rahul (batting 122) and
Ajinkya Rahane (batting 40)
at the crease on a day that
totally belonged to the
tourists'.
Captain Virat Kohli began
the final session with a flick
through square leg off Keshav
Maharaj. Kagiso Rabada
troubled a bit but Kohli
came forward and unfurled
his cover drive. Rahul too was
troubled by Rabada but
managed to caress a drive
through extra cover. Rahul
then went on to smack
Maharaj for a pulled four
through mid-wicket, fol-
lowed by dancing down the
pitch to hit a six over long-
on and enter the 90s.
Lungi Ngidi bowled seven
consecutive dot balls to
Kohli and on the eighth
ball, Kohli in a bid to break
Man City hope to extend winning run Indian Arrows hold TRAU
AGENCIES
LONDON, 26 DECEMBER
Boxing Day is usually the
busiest Day in English foot-
ball with all Premier League
clubs in action. Teams usu-
ally have to play three match-
es within a week leading to
New Year Day. However, the
Covid-19 pandemic has
caused havoc in the 2021
festival season with many
matches getting postponed
due to Novel Coronavirus
spread and injuries.
This week, three of Sun-
day's nine matches have
been postponed with teams
unable to put up a proper play-
ing XI due to Covid-19 pos-
itive cases and injuries. The
Defending champ Gokulam Kerala FC begin I-League campaign with solid win
AGENCIES
KOLKATA, 26 DECEMBER
Defending champions Goku-
lam Kerala FC began their I-
League title defence in solid
fashion with a 1-0 win over
last season's runners-up
Churchill Brothers at the
Kalyani Stadium here in
Kolkata on Sunday.
Gokulam Kerala skipper
Sharif Mohammad scored
the solitary goal of the match
from the penalty spot early
in the first half. Both teams
made a nervy start to the
game as they cancelled each
other out in the opening
exchanges of the game. As
each team began to grow into
the contest, their intentions
were laid bare as both Goku-
lam Kerala and Churchill
Brothers looked for a direct
attacking threat by way of long
Printed and published by VINOD KUMAR GUPTA for THE STATESMAN LTD, Statesman House, 148 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi ��Editor: RAVINDRA KUMAR ��Executive Editor: ARYA RUDRA ��Printed at Vibha Publication Pvt Ltd, D-160 B, Sector 7, NOIDA 201301 (UP). ��The Statesman Ltd. RNB REG. No. M-8905,RNI No. 507/57
RAY ILLINGWORTH DIES
of Ray Illingworth CBE, the former England captain, head
coach and chair of selectors, who died at the age of 89.
(1958-73), making 61 appearances for his country. Domes-
tically, his first-class career spanned a remarkable 32
years, debuting in 1951 and hanging up his boots in
1983. He captained England 31 times including on
the victorious Ashes tour of Australia in 1970-71.
www.thestatesman.com
tion included karate, skate-
boarding, sports climbing,
and surfing. Baseball/soft-
ball made its appearance
once again after missing in the
previous two Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Par-
alympics featured 22 sports
and were held from August 24
to September 5. Badminton
and taekwondo were newly
included for the 2020 Summer
Paralympics.
In both the Olympics and
Paralympics, India witnessed
a record medal haul as the
country's athletes gave their
best ever performances in
Japan.
In Olympics, India record-
ed its best-ever haul with
seven medals (one gold, two
silver, and four bronze). The
highlight of the Games for India
was definitely, javelin throw-
er Neeraj Chopra (in ani
free chased a delivery wide
outside the off-stump and
festival period in top-flight
English football is always a dif-
ficult time for the clubs and
managers to ensure the play-
ers negotiate this period with-
out any long-term damage to
the players and their cam-
paign.
The team owners and
managers have already
informed the Premier League
of their concern over the
crowded fixtures during the
vacation period despite the
Covid spread.
With Covid-19 forcing
postponement of three
matches, defending cham-
pions Manchester City will be
looking to extend their lead
atop the table with a win
against Leicester City in Man-
balls behind the opponent's
last line of defence.
The Malabarians found
the first breakthrough of the
match after being awarded
a penalty in the 16th minute.
As the pacy Ngangom Ronald
Singh skilfully surged with the
ball into the Churchill Broth-
ers box, he was impeded
and brought down by a mist-
imed challenge from the
Lebanese Shadi Skaf. Goku-
lam Kerala skipper Sharif
Mohammad stepped up to
take the resultant spot kick
and calmly slotted the ball
into the bottom left corner
to give his side the advantage.
Churchill Brothers' first big
chance of the game fell the
way of Bryce Miranda in the
21st minute, thanks to a
sublime piece of control and
deftly played through ball by
Brazilian Guilherme Dos
photo) clinching a gold medal
for the country. Flamboyant
Chopra secured a top-podi-
um finish with a throw of
87.58m. With this, he became
the first Indian Olympian to
claim the yellow metal in ath-
letics and only the second indi-
vidual gold medallist after
Abhinav Bindra.
Another highlight for the
gave an easy catch to Wiaan
Mulder at first slip.
chester on Sunday.
City go into this game on
an eight-match winning streak
in the league and having won
11 of our last 15 in all com-
petitions. Guardiola's side
sit top of the Premier League
table, with a three-point
advantage over second-placed
Liverpool. Leicester saw their
two previous league fixtures
postponed due to COVID-19.
The Foxes beat Newcastle
United 2-0 last time out and
have won four of their pre-
vious 10 league contests.
On Saturday, City manager
Pep Guardiola said he will
assess his squad after the
pre-match training session
and the next round of PCR
tests.
Santos which sent Miranda
bearing down on goal. Miran-
da produced a fierce volley
one on one with the keeper,
but his effort was matched
country was the Indian men's
team clinching the bronze
medal and ending the 41-
year-old medal drought. Man-
preet Singh and Co. finished
second in Pool A winning
four out of five group phase
matches and defeated Great
Britain 3-1 in the quarter-
final before losing 5-2 against
Belgium in their historic semi-
Rahane was off the mark
on his second ball, cream-
ing a Ngidi half-volley
through covers. Rahane
began to deal in bound-
aries, slicing Ngidi through
off-side, flicking Marco
Jansen through mid-wicket,
cutting off backfoot through
backward point off Maharaj,
and punching off backfoot
through over off Mulder.
Rahul brought up his
seventh Test century by
steering Maharaj through
backward point despite a
desperate dive by Keegan
Petersen. He also became the
second Indian opener to
score a Test century in South
Africa after Wasim Jaffer's 116
at Cape Town in 2007.
After reaching his hun-
dred, Rahul upper-cut Jansen
over the slip cordon. Rahane,
on the other hand, leaned
into a square drive off Jansen
and nailed one along the
ground pull on a bouncer
from Rabada through back-
ward square leg.
Brief scores:
India 272/3 in 90 overs (KL
Rahul 122 not out, Mayank
Agarwal 60, Lungi Ngidi 3/45)
against South Africa)
KOLKATA, 26 DECEMBER
TRAU and Indian Arrows
started their I-League 2021-
2022 campaign with a goal-
less draw at the Mohun Bagan
Ground in Kolkata, West Ben-
gal on Sunday.
Despite both the teams
getting plenty of shots on tar-
get, they shared points after
the conclusion of the game
as the match ended in 0-0
draw. Indian Arrows started
with a 4-4-2 set-up with skip-
per Parthib Gogoi leading the
attacking troops. TRAU, who
had finished in third position
last year, started with a 4-3-
3 attacking set up with Krish-
nananda Singh and Joseph
Olaleye in front line.
with a fantastic save from
Gokulam goalkeeper Rak-
shit Dagar.
Churchill Brothers restart-
ed the match in the second
final. However, Indians staged
a remarkable comeback to
grab a 5-4 win over Germany
to clinch a historic Bronze
medal at Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, the Indian
Eves, who faced three losses
in the initial matches, went
on to pull off arguably the
biggest upset as they beat
the world number three Aus-
tralian side in what was their
first-ever quarter-final of the
Olympics. Rampal Rani and
Co. lost both the semi-final and
the Bronze Medal Play-Off
match against Argentina and
Great Britain, respectively.
Hence, finishing fourth at
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the golf event, Aditi
Ashok also narrowly missed
out on an Olympic medal
after finishing a brilliant 4th
in the women's individual
stroke play. On the final day,
The Ashes: Australia dominate England on Day 1
AGENCIES
MELBOURNE, 26 DECEMBER
Australia showed their dom-
inance with both bat and
ball and were in a com-
manding position against
England at the end of the
opening day of the Boxing Day
Test at the Melbourne Crick-
et Ground, here on Sunday.
Marcus Harris (20 off 51)
and Nathan Lyon (0 off 5) were
unbeaten at the crease as
Australia finished Day 1 of the
third Test at 61/1, trailing by
124 runs.
After bowling out Eng-
land for 185 in their first
innings, Australia began con-
fidently and were cruising
for the most part. With the
pitch easing out, opener
David Warner and Harris
negotiated the initial overs
expertly.
The 35-year old Warner, in
particular, was the aggressor
of the two and hit some crack-
ing boundaries as the pair soon
brought up their fifty part-
nership.
England finally got a break-
through when James Ander-
son got Warner for 38 in the
penultimate over before
stumps. Warner looked to
dab a good-length ball towards
third man but got an outside
edge to gully, where Crawley
took a good diving catch in
the front.
However, Harris and night-
TRAU went for an attack
as soon as the whistle blew
as Joseph Olaleye moved to
Indian Arrows half from the
right flank. But his low cross
inside the box was picked up
by goalkeeper Ahan Prakash.
In the 6th minute of the
match, a run from Parthib
Gogoi against the run of play
stunned TRAU's defensive
forces. Gogoi managed to
get a shot from close distance,
but goalkeeper Amrit Gope
made a clean save.
TRAU will next face
Sreenidhi Deccan FC on
December 30 at 2:00 PM
IST, meanwhile, Indian
Arrows will face Sudeva Delhi
FC on December 31 at 2:00
PM IST. ANI
half aiming to up the ante in
the encounter. The Red
Machines increased the
tempo of their play and start-
ed to combine well togeth-
er as a team, but could not
create any clear cut scoring
chances to put the Gokulam
Kerala goal under threat.
In a game of few chances
in the second half, Gokulam
Kerala continued to defend
well and maintained their
one-goal advantage, keeping
a clean sheet in the process
and opening their I-League
2021-22 campaign with a
precious three points.
Gokulam Kerala will come
up against Neroca FC in
their next match on 30
December, while Churchill
Brothers will look to get their
campaign on track against
RoundGlass Punjab FC on 31
December.
the 23-year-old rolled in five
birdies to be placed a famous
fourth on fifteen-under 201
ahead of Australia's Hannah
Green and Denmark's Ped-
ersen who tied for fifth. The
Indian finished the final day
with 68 (-3) at the Kasumi-
gaseki Country Club.
Shuttler PV Sindhu also cre-
ated history as she became the
second Indian athlete to win
two individual Olympic
medals. She defeated Bing Jiao
21-13, 21-15 in the bronze
medal match that lasted 52
minutes. Sindhu had earlier
returned with a silver medal
at the Rio Olympics 2016.
Other medallists for India
were wrestler Bajrang Punia
(bronze), weightlifter Mirabai
Chanu (silver), boxer Lovlina
Borgohain (bronze), and
wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya
(silver).
watchman Nathan Lyon
ensured no further damage
was done, returning unbeat-
en to the pavilion.
Earlier, Australia opted to
bowl after a 30 minutes
delayed start due to a slight
drizzle. Returning skipper
Pat Cummins started strong,
bowling testing lengths and
lines to trouble England's
openers. He drew first blood
in his opening over when
Haseeb Hameed poked at a
fuller delivery that shaped
away a tad bit, falling for a 10-
ball duck.
The skipper then dismissed
Zak Crawley (12) in his fourth
over, leaving England teeter-
ing at 13/2 early in the third
Test.
However, England's fight-
back was led by skipper Root,
Himachal Pradesh beat Tamil Nadu
to clinch Vijay Hazare Trophy
ANI
JAIPUR, 26 DECEMBER
Himachal Pradesh batters
played out of their skins to beat
Tamil Nadu in the final ofVijay
Hazare Trophy here at the
Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Himachal Pradesh captain
Rishi Dhawan won the toss and
chose to bowl first. His decision
to bowl first proved to be the
right one as Vinay Galetiya
dismissed Tamil Nadu open-
er Baba Aparajith for just 2 in
the 5th ball of the match. Cap-
tain and medium-pacer Rishi
Dhawan introduced himself in
the first change and dismissed
the other opener Narayan
Jagadeesan caught behind by
wicket-keeper Shubham Arora
for just 9. Ravisrinivasan Sai
Kishore tried to steady the
ship for Tamil Nadu but he too
was dismissed by medium-
pacer Pankaj Jaswal.
Medium-pacer Rishi
Dhawan took his second wick-
et of the match as he got the
wicket of Murugan Ashwin for
7 and Tamil Nadu were left tot-
tering for 40 for four in 14.3 overs.
With Tamil Nadu in deep
trouble team's most experi-
enced batter, Dinesh Karthik
came in and forged a much-
needed partnership with Baba
Indrajith. The duo steadied
the ship and slowly increased
the current run rate of the
team. Both the batters target-
ed the left-arm spinners Mayank
Dagar and AkashVasisht as they
conceded runs with over 7
runs per over.
Dinesh Karthik notched up
his century and Indrajith scored
a half-century as the duo went
on to put 202-run partnership
for the fifth wicket. Digvijay Rangi
NEW DELHI
MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
Postal Reg. No. DL (ND)-II/6088/2018/-19-20
who along with Malan added
48 runs for the third wicket.
The pair complemented each
other well enough to keep Aus-
tralia at bay for most parts until
a lapse in the final minutes
of the first session. Cummins
was rewarded for his spec-
tacularly consistent bowling
as Malan (14) nicked in the
last over of the morning ses-
sion.
The second session start-
ed well for England with Root
getting to another fifty. But
their misery continued when
Root fell to Mitchell Starc
soon after reaching the land-
mark. Ben Stokes (25) and
Jonny Bairstow then forged
a stand and kept the runs tick-
ing without taking too many
risks.
However, Cameron Green
was introduced into the attack
and even he went for plenty con-
ceding 35 runs in three overs
at an economy rate of 12.66. But
Rangi finally broke the part-
nership dismissing Baba Indra-
jith for 80 of just 71.
In the next over Karthik too
was dismissed after playing a
brilliant knock of 116 of 103 balls
smashing 8 boundaries and 7
sixes at a strike rate of 112.62.
Karthik was dismissed by Sid-
harth Sharma who bowled an
economical spell of 34 for 1 in
his 10 overs.
Shahrukh Khan came in
to bat and he wreaked havoc
on Himachal bowlers hitting
three sixes and three bound-
aries scoring 42 runs of 21
balls. CaptainVijay Shankar also
scored runs at a brisk pace scor-
ing 22 runs of 16 balls hitting
one six and one boundary and
in-process took his team's total
beyond the 300-run mark.
Pankaj Jaswal's four wick-
ets and skipper Rishi Dhawan's
3 wickets helped Himachal
bowl out Tamil Nadu for 314
in 49.4 overs.
Chasing 315, the Himachal
Pradesh team got off to a fly-
ing start as openers Shubham
Arora and Prashant Chopra put
12
was rewarded for some tidy
bowling, as he picked the
wicket of Stokes, who arched
back in the crease to play the
cut shot against a shorter
ball and got out at point.
England slipped further with
Jos Buttler (3) falling to Lyon
as the visitors went to Tea at
128/6.
England's struggle con-
tinued in the final session.
Mark Wood (6) survived for
15 balls before falling lbw to
Boland, who claimed his
maiden Test wicket. Bairstow
(35), who had held on until
then, bravely holding onto one
end, was undone by Starc's
short ball that reared onto him
and had to be awkwardly
fended off to the man at gully.
Lyon then wrapped up
the innings, getting Jack Leach
(13) and Ollie Robinson (22)
in back-to-back overs as Eng-
land were bowled out for a
meagre 185.
After defeats in Brisbane
and Adelaide, England trail the
best-of-five series 2-0 and
now face an uphill task to keep
this Ashes alive.
Brief scores:
England 1st innings 185 in
65.1 overs (Joe Root 50, Jonny
Bairstow 35; Pat Cummins
3/36, Nathan Lyon 3/36) lead
Australia 1st innings 61/1
(David Warner 38, Marcus
Harris 20 not out; James
Anderson 1/14) by 124 runs.
on 60 runs for the opening wick-
et in just 8.5 overs. Left-arm spin-
ner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore
was introduced into the attack
and he dismissed Prashant
Chopra out bowled for just
21.
In the next over Washing-
ton Sundar cleaned up Digvi-
jay Rangi for a three-ball duck.
Nikhil Gangta came in and he
hit 2 sixes but was dismissed
by Murugan Ashwin for 18 as
Himachal looked in a spot of
bother at 96 for three.
Amit Kumar walked in to bat
and forged a partnership with
wicket-keeper batter Shub-
ham Arora. Amit Kumar scored
a half-century of 57 balls. Open-
er Shubham Arora notched
up his maiden century in List
A cricket which came of just 95
balls as Himachal's total went
past the 200-run mark and
the duo also struck a century
partnership.
Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 314/10
(Dinesh Karthik 116 (103),
Baba Indrajith 80 (71), Shahrukh
Khan 42 (21); Pankaj Jaswal 4-
59, Rishi Dhawan 3-62) vs
Himachal Pradesh 299/4 (Shub-
ham Arora 136*(131), 74 (79),
Rishi Dhawan 42(23); Baba
Aparajith 1/45).