DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES
No power can
dictate to India,
it’s a khuddar
qaum: Imran
Khan faces a
no-trust
vote today
SAJJAD HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD, APRIL 8
HOURSBEFOREfacingano-con-
fidence vote in parliament,
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Khan Friday seemed to accept
the writing on the wall and
urged his supporters to stage
peaceful protests across the
country when the “new im-
ported government” comes into
power Sunday.
Inanaddresstothenationon
the eve of a no-trust motion he
has little chance of defeating,
Khan, 69, cited the example of
Indiaasa“self-respectingnation”
(khuddar qaum) which no world
power can dictate terms to.
He expressed disappoint-
ment over the Supreme Court
reversingtheNationalAssembly
deputyspeaker’srejectionof the
no-trust motion against him.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
MONETARY POLICY REVIEW
Retainingpolicyrates,RBIcuts
growth,upsinflationestimates
Growth projection 7.2%, inflation
forecast 5.7%; sets stage for rate hike
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
MUMBAI, APRIL 8
THE MONETARY
Committee(MPC)of theReserve
Policy
Bank of India (RBI) Friday de-
cided unanimously to leave the
key policy rate unchanged and
to remain accommodative but
will start focusing on withdraw-
To India from angry
street: Thank you,
help us, not our govt
Stores empty, despair grows: ‘You
messed with wrong generation’
EXPRESSIN
SRILANKA
NIRUPAMASUBRAMANIAN
COLOMBO, APRIL 8
IN 2001, when the Sri Lankan
economy registered negative
growth of minus-1.4 per cent af-
ter a particularly bad phase in
the war against Tamil Tigers, G L
Peiris, then the finance minister,
was asked what the fallout
ing this stance to rein in inflation
while supporting growth.
The repo rate — the rate at
which the RBI lends to banks —
remains at 4 per cent. Unveiling
the first bi-monthly monetary
policy review of the fiscal 2022-
23, the RBI has introduced the
Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)
— a new tool for absorbing
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
would be. He retorted: “When
you are sleeping on a straw mat,
you don't fall off.”
Two decades on, Sri Lanka
has fallen off the straw mat.
Withjust a week togofor the
Tamil and Sinhala new year on
April 14 — usually a time when
all of Sri Lanka makes a beeline
to grocery stores to stock up for
the nearly weeklong holiday —
the stores and their shelves are
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
FULL COVERAGE
PAGE 14
SINCE 1932
Writing on wall: central
bank begins tightening
GEORGE MATHEW
MUMBAI, APRIL 8
WITHRISINGrisksofthe
monetary policy falling
behind the curve, the Reserve
BankofIndiahasfinallyshiftedits
priorities to tackle inflation from
reviving growth, with the possi-
Mumtaz Khan after scoring in the quarter-final in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Friday.
Hockey India; her parents Qaiser Jahan and Hafiz Khan in Lucknow. Vishal Srivastav
Mother pushes a vegetable cart,
daughter stars in Junior World Cup
MIHIR VASAVDA
MUMBAI, APRIL 8
ALONG A narrow,bustling street
at Topkhana Bazar in Lucknow,
Qaiser Jahan stood under the
summer sun with her vegetable
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bility of a hike in its key
policy rate — the repo
rate or the rate at which
theRBIlendstobanks—
in the coming months.
While maintaining
an accommodative stance, the
central bank has signalled
a calibrated removal of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
cart, tending to a rush of cus-
tomers before Friday prayers.
Around the same time, at a uni-
versity ground in Potchefstroom
in South Africa, her daughter
Mumtaz Khan slid in from the
rightof thegoalpostononeknee,
flung her hockey stick forward
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NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THE UNION Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare announced
on Friday that the “precaution-
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cines would be available for all
those aged above 18 years who
havecompletedninemonths af-
ter their second dose, on pay-
ment at private vaccination cen-
tres, from April 10.
“Allthosewhoaremorethan
18 years of age and have com-
pleted nine months after the ad-
ministration of the second dose,
would be eligible for precaution
dose.Thisfacilitywouldbeavail-
anddeflectedtheball pastSouth
Korea’s goalkeeper.
The courageous goal set the
tone for India’s 3-0 win over
South Korea in the quarterfinals
of the Junior World Cup, making
sure the team reached the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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able in all private vaccination
centres,” the ministry said.
So far, only those above 60
years, healthcare workers and
frontline workers were eligible
for the third dose. The ministry
said the “free vaccination pro-
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CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Need governance too,
not just halal, hijab: BJP
brass signal to Bommai
LIZ MATHEW
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
ISSUESLIKEhalalmeatandhijab
could win some votes, but the
government must focus on the
implementation of budgetary
proposals and infrastructure CMBasavarajBommai with
projects; the state BJP unit is set UnionHomeMinisterAmit
for a complete overhaul; and ShahinBengaluru. PTI file
early elections are unlikely.
These are some of the messages
Karnataka Chief Minister central leadership, sources said.
Basavaraj Bommai takes back The changes are expected to
from his recent visit to Delhi. be finalised during the coming
The embattled CM was also Karnataka visits of BJP national
told that a long-awaited Cabinet general secretary in-charge of
reshuffle would happen soon, af- the state Arun Singh (April 12 to
ter the national leadership has 24), and party chief J P Nadda
clearedthelisthesubmittedtothe CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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 2 THE SECOND PAGE
Mother pushes
vegetable cart,
daughter stars
in hockey Junior
World Cup
last-fourstageofthecompetition
foronlythesecondtimeinhistory.
Qaiser Jahan, however, could
notwatchher19-year-olddaugh-
ter's heroics, which earned the
Player of the Match award. “That
wasabusyhourforme,”shesaid,
speaking to The Indian Express
over phone. “I would have loved
to watch her score the goal, but
I've got to earn a living as well. I
am sure there will be more
chances to see her in the future.”
Themother'sconfidenceisn't
misplaced. It's always tricky to
read too much into junior-level
performancesbutMumtaz,with
her speed and poaching ability,
hasstoodoutinateambrimming
withtalent.Shehasmadeamas-
sive contribution in every match
of India's triumphant campaign
sofar,recordingfourwins in four
matches.
Withsixgoalssofar,Mumtaz
isthetournament'sthird-highest
goal-scorer.Shewasonthescore-
sheet in India's opening match
againstWales,scoredthewinning
goal against pre-tournament
favourites Germany, and
whipped up a sensational hat-
trick against Malaysia.
On Friday, while her mother
was out working, Mumtaz's five
sisters were tracking the match
on a mobile screen at their home
in Lucknow and her father Hafiz
was at the mosque.
“It'stoughtodescribehowwe
feeltoday.Thereweredayswhen
wehadabsolutelynothing...when
somepeopletauntedmyparents
forallowingagirltoplayasport,”
Mumtaz's elder sister Farah said.
QaiserJahanadded:“Weignored
thosecommentsbuttoday,itfeels
likeMumtazhasgivenabefitting
reply to all of them.”
Hockey happened acciden-
tally to Mumtaz. Around 2013,
shetravelledwithherschoolath-
letics team for a competition in
Agra where she topped the
sprints, prompting a local coach
to suggest that she try hockey.
“She had the speed and en-
ergy that we felt would come in
handy in hockey,” Neelam
Siddiqui, one of Mumtaz's child-
hoodcoaches,said.“Wefeltifshe
couldgrasphockeyskillswell,she
would turn into a very nice
player.”
SiddiquicoachesatLucknow's
famousKDSinghBabuStadium's
academy,whereMumtazlanded
a few months after that tourna-
mentinAgra.Sheimpresseddur-
ing her selection trials and was
chosen for a scholarship pro-
gramme through which she got
admitted to the sports hostel.
“Mumtazwasbarely13years
old and had only played for her
school team a few times until
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FROM PAGE ONE
then.We putherinamatchwith
some senior players to see how
shereacts.Shewasprettyfearless
and made a couple of very nice
dodges,” Siddiqui said. “We se-
lectedherforthehostelandfrom
that moment, she began dream-
ing of playing for India.”
But as Mumtaz started to
chasethatdream,herfamilyback
home was both excited and anx-
ious. “Before Mumtaz was born,
our father used to ply cycle-rick-
shaws,”Farahsaid.“Mymaternal
uncle noticed he was getting old
and frail for the job, and that too
forverylittlereward,sohehelped
us set up a vegetable cart, which
my mother runs even today.”
Theincomefromthecartwas
barelyenoughtopayfordailyex-
penses and school fees of the six
girls.“Thefamilycouldn'tevenaf-
ford to purchase a hockey kit,”
Mumtaz's younger sister Shirin
said. “Thankfully, her coaches
helped her.”
Siddiquisaysshedidnothave
to work extra hard to polish
Mumtaz's talent. “Some things
came naturally to her, like posi-
tioning inside the 'D' or knowing
whentoaccelerate.Scoringgoals
is a by-product of these things,”
she said.
This “game intelligence” saw
Mumtazbreakintothejuniorna-
tionalteamset-upin2017.Thefol-
lowing year, she was one of the
nine to win a silver medal at the
Youth Olympics, where a five-a-
side version of the sport was
played. “When she won that
medal, it felt like Eid came early
forus,”Farah,theeldersister,said.
“It's the same feeling this time as
well.”
On Sunday, when India face
the mighty Netherlands in the
semifinals, all eyes will be on
Mumtaz to see if she can deliver
yet again -- except of course for
her mother, who says she will be
back at the market with the veg-
etable cart.
To India from
angry Lanka
street: Thank
you, help us,
not our govt
empty,andthelinesatfuelpumps
are long.
Insidehomes,themoodisde-
spondent. On the streets, there is
palpableangeragainstthefamily
thattheSinhalaBuddhist-major-
ity had worshipped not so long
ago for defeating the LTTE.
OnFriday,swarmsof protest-
ers gathered across Colombo,
chanting“Go,Gota,Go”.Atoneof
theseprotestsnearTempleTrees,
the residence of Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder
brother of President Gotabaya,
police nervously pulled tall, yel-
low barricades across the street.
Earlierintheday,severalpro-
testersweredispersedwithtear-
gas, perhaps for the first time
since people started pouring out
on the streets weeks ago to
protest the crippling shortages
and the massive price hikes.
Ifdieselisscarce,sotooismilk.
Sri Lanka imports almost all its
dairyrequirements,andshopsare
rationingitouteveninbigsuper-
markets.
“Only one (400 gm) packet
per day per purchase," reads a
sign at Keells, the upmarket gro-
cery.Insmallershops,customers
are told they can buy a packet of
importedmilkpowderforRs790,
butonlyif theyalsobuyfourtubs
of yoghurt manufactured by the
same company for Rs 100 more.
Sri Lanka is a rice-growing
country.Butthat,too,isscarcebe-
cause the paddy crop failed after
PresidentGotabayaannounceda
suddenswitchtoorganicfertilis-
ers, making it sound like a green
move when, in fact, the govern-
ment did not have the dollars to
import chemical fertilisers.
Taxi-drivers have formed
WhatsAppgroupstoprovidereal-
time information about fuel sta-
tions with stocks, and pumps
where queues are short.
Shopkeepers call regular cus-
tomerswhentheygetafreshsup-
ply of milk powder. Cooking gas
isinshortsupply,andpowercuts
lastinghourshavedisrupteddaily
life.
Even through the worst days
ofthewar,SriLankadidnotexpe-
rience the kind of economic col-
lapsethatitisgoingthroughnow.
So much so that young profes-
sionals and students have been
turning out in large numbers for
the protests.
At Colombo's own
Independence Square, on the
stepsof the grandmemorial hall,
protesters holding placards de-
clared: “You messed with the
wrong generation.”
Vinura,a21-year-oldstudent,
said:“Thismismanagementisaf-
fecting our future, our country’s
future.Peopledon’thaveanything
toeat,everythingissoexpensive.”
Some of the shortage is ex-
pectedtoeaseinthecomingdays.
According to Indian High
Commissioner Gopal Baglay, a
portionofthefirstorderof40,000
metrictonnesofriceunderIndia's
$1-bn credit line for food is on its
way.Indiahasalsodeliveredato-
talof2,70,000mtofdiesel,petrol
and aviation fuel, so far.
Andyet,thistime,Delhiseems
tobeconsciousthattheassistance
it is sending should not be mis-
read as a bailout for the
Rajapaksas.
Baglay said India's develop-
ment co-operation over the last
decade, which was worth over
$3.5 bn -- excluding the present
assistance--forhousing,agricul-
ture,education,training,etc.,was
always “driven” by needs of the
people.“SriLanka'srelationswith
India have brought benefits and
development to the people of Sri
Lanka,” he said.
India'sassistanceisahuman-
itarian gesture for the people of
Sri Lanka to ease their suffering
during the crisis, Baglay said.
“Other than government to gov-
ernment, it is also humanitarian
assistance,” he stressed, even as
slogans against the Rajapaksa
familygrewlouderonthestreets.
At one of the street protests,a
participant told The Indian
Express:“IwanttotelltheIndian
government, do not support the
Rajapaksa government. We are
extremely thankful for all the as-
sistance India has sent to Sri
Lanka, but India must side with
the people.”
Need
governance, go
beyond halal &
hijab: BJP signal
to Bommai
(April 16-17). Nadda's trip coin-
cides with the state executive
meetinginHospet,Vijayanagara.
According to party sources,
the central leadership, including
both Nadda and Home Minister
Amit Shah, have ruled out bring-
ing forward the elections, due in
May 2023, as suggested by a sec-
tion of the leaders. “Instead, they
suggested that the party restruc-
tureitself whilethegovernment,
after the reshuffle, must focus on
governance aspects,” a source
said,addingthatamongtheproj-
ectsBommaiwastoldtofocuson
wereirrigationworks,inorderto
winbackfarmerswhohavebeen
upsetwiththestategovernment.
“This is in line with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's stand
that the BJP should seek a man-
date with a good report card on
development,” a senior party
leader, who is an MP from
Karnataka, said. “The national
leaders have conveyed clearly to
the CM that the controversies
over hijab and halal meat as well
as other issues targeting minori-
ties may help the party consoli-
date hardcore Hindu votes in
somepockets,butforthepartyto
returntopower,weneedtohave
a solid performance record.”
A national office-bearer said:
“ThePMisveryparticularthatthe
BJP's main election plank should
be development and progress of
the state.”
Thesectionseekingearlyelec-
tionsfeltthattheBJP'srecentpoll
victoriesandtheatmospherecre-
atedduetothehijab,halalcontro-
versies gave the party an edge.
“Some leaders wanted the
Karnataka elections to be held
alongwithGujaratandHimachal
Pradesh (which go to polls later
this year). But the national lead-
ership was not in agreement,”
said a source.
Bommai,inturn,isbelievedto
have conveyed his “dilemma”
over the controversial remarks
made by leaders on contentious
issues,atatimewhenhehascon-
sistentlysaidthathisgovernment
would go by court orders, after
taking everyone into confidence.
He has also asked organisations
and groups not to take law into
their hands.
Butevenfromwithinthegov-
ernment, ministers have spoken
ondifferentvoicesontheseissues.
National general secretary C T
Ravi recently backed the call for
Hindustonotbuyhalalmeat,call-
ing halal “economic jihad”.
A party MP said: “The public
stance and statements by some
senior leaders have made things
difficult for the CM. The gover-
nanceprocesshasbeendisturbed
by these remarks.”
Amongcentralleaderstohave
expressed their displeasure over
such remarks is Nadda, who had
earlier directed state leaders not
tomakepubliccommentsonthe
hijab issue while the matter was
in court.
As part of the development
push, in the coming days, there
will be a series of inaugurations
and foundation laying cere-
monies in the state, for which
Modi would be visiting fre-
quently.
Thestateunithasbeentoldto
especially focus on northern
Karnataka,anareawheretheBJP
has been dominant but where
discontent is seen to be building
among the cadre and leaders.
There have been reports of BJP
MLAs contemplating switching
parties.
Sourcessaidthattheholdover
the party unit has slipped since
the removal of B S Yeddiyurappa
as CM, as reflected in several re-
cent elections, including to local
bodies.
According to the national of-
fice-bearer,thestateunitwasalso
toldnottorelytooheavilyon“the
internal conflict and feud be-
tween Karnataka Congress pres-
identDKShivakumarandformer
chief minister Siddaramaiah”.
All above 18 can
pay and get 3rd
vaccine dose
from tomorrow
dosetohealthcareworkers,front-
line workers and 60+ population
would continue".
While the health ministry is
expectedtoissuedetailedguide-
lines on the rollout of the third
dose for the 18-plus population,
sources told The Indian Express
thatbeneficiarieswillreceivethe
same vaccine as their first two
doses.So,if apersonhasreceived
twodosesofCovishield,thethird
dose will also be Covishield.
UnionHealthSecretaryRajesh
Bhushan is scheduled to hold a
meeting with state health secre-
taries on Saturday to discuss the
rollout.
Followingtheannouncement,
Serum Institute of India (SII) said
the third dose of its Covishield
vaccinewouldbepricedatRs600
per shot. "End-users will pay Rs
600 for the booster dose and the
hospitals will get at discounted
price," it said in a statement.
BharatBiotech,whichmanu-
factures Covaxin, is yet to an-
nounce its price.
The decision to open up the
precautionary dose to the entire
adultpopulationcomesatatime
whenIndiahasliftedalltravelre-
strictionsforforeigncountries.On
the other hand, some European
Union countries have made
Covid-19 booster doses manda-
tory for international visitors.
"Adding an extra layer of
safety! Precaution dose to be
available to 18+ age group from
10th April 2022, at private vacci-
nation centres. All 18+ who have
completedninemonthsafterthe
administration of second dose,
would be eligible for precaution
dose," Union Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted.
Tilldate,45.15lakhhealthcare
workers, 69.77 lakh frontline
workers, and 1.25 crore people
aged over 60 years have received
theprecautionarydose.About96
percentoftheentire15+popula-
tion have received at least one
vaccinedose;about83percentin
thisgrouphavereceivedboththe
RBI retains policy rates
liquidity – at an interest rate of
3.75 per cent, making the re-
verse repo almost irrelevant.
The SDF will replace the fixed
rate reverse repo (FRRR) as the
floor of the LAF (liquidity ad-
justment facility) corridor.
In effect, the RBI has set the
stage for a gradual rise in the
policy rates later in the year
andtheprocessof slowlytight-
ening the monetary policy.
Reacting to the RBI’s intent to
gradually move away from its
loose monetary police stance,
the benchmark 10-year gov-
ernmentbond yieldson Friday
jumped to near three-year
highs to close at 7.12 per cent
againstthepreviousday’sclose
of 6.91 per cent.
With crude oil and com-
modity prices rising, the cen-
tral bank has hiked its inflation
projection for fiscal year 2022-
23 to 5.7 per cent from 4.5 per
cent earlier amid geopolitical
tensions following Russia’s at-
tack on Ukraine on February
24.Global crude oilpriceshave
risen sharply since then, and
the RBI has assumed oil prices
at $100 per barrel for making
Writing on wall, central bank shifts stance
accommodation in this finan-
cial year going forward. “Time
is appropriate to prioritise in-
flation ahead of growth,” RBI
GovernorShaktikantaDas said
after unveiling the bi-monthly
policy review.
“The RBI will engage in a
gradual and calibrated with-
drawal of this liquidity over a
multi-year time frame in a
non-disruptive manner begin-
ning this year,” he said.
Significantly,thetoneinthe
outcome of the Monetary
PolicyCommitteemeetingand
narrowing of the liquidity ad-
justmentfacility(LAF)corridor
isexpectedtopreparethemar-
kets for a repo rate hike of 50-
70basispointsfromthecurrent
level of four per cent – which
remainedunchangedinthelast
tenpolicyreviews–in2022-23.
The RBI also introduced a
new measure, the Standing
Deposit Facility (SDF) – an ad-
ditional tool for absorbing liq-
uidity – to suck out surplus liq-
uidity of Rs 8.5 lakh crore from
the financial system which is
fuellinginflation.Withthis,the
reverse repo rate has almost
become irrelevant.
Just about a month back,
Jayanth Varma, member of the
doses; and 45 per cent of the 12-
14 years age group have received
the first dose.
While India continues to fol-
low homologous vaccination for
booster doses, the expert group
onvaccinationisdeliberatingthe
benefitsofmixingvaccinesforthe
booster dose.
With a decline in Covid-19
cases,theactivecaseloadisdown
to 11,492 and weekly positivity
rate 0.23%.
No power can
dictate to India,
it’s a khuddar
qaum: Imran
“I will not accept this im-
portedgovernment,Iwilltaketo
street….Only people can bring
metopowerandIwillcomeback
with the help of the people," he
said, adding that his supporters
should come out on Sunday
evening after the new govern-
ment is expected to be set up.
KhanlavishedpraiseonIndia
calling it a “nation with a great
sense of honour”.
“No superpower can force
India to do anything against its
interests.They(India)arebuying
oil from Russia despite sanc-
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the inflation projection.
The monetary policy state-
ment has also acknowledged
thechallengesfromrisinginfla-
tion.Emphasisingthisatapress
conference, RBI Governor
ShaktikantaDassaid,“Inthese-
quence of priorities, we have
nowputinflationbeforegrowth.
Timeisappropriatetoprioritise
inflation ahead of growth.”
The central bank has also
slashed (adjusted for inflation)
the gross domestic product
(GDP) growth projection to 7.8
per cent for FY2022-23 com-
pared with 7.2 per cent earlier.
“With the broad-based surge
in prices of key industrial in-
puts and global supply chain
disruptions, input cost push
pressures appear likely to per-
sist for longer than expected
earlier,” the policy panel said.
Escalating geopolitical ten-
sions have cast a shadow on
our economic outlook, RBI
Governor Das said. Although
India’sdirecttradeexposure to
countries at the epicentre of
the conflict is limited, the war
could potentially impede the
economicrecoverythroughel-
RBI’smonetarypolicycommit-
tee, had told The Indian
Express that the MPC should
do more to communicate its
resolve to defend the inflation
target, and its willingness to
raise rates as and when re-
quired. “My concern is that the
accommodative stance carries
withittheriskof fallingbehind
thecurveinfuture because the
stance limits the MPC’s free-
domof actioninensuingmeet-
ings,” he had said.
Seeing the writing on the
wall, the RBI hiked its inflation
forecast from 4.5 per cent pro-
jected earlier to 5.7 per cent –
still below the upper band of 6
per cent of the RBI's target – in
2022-23 and slashed the
growth rate from 7.8 per cent
to 7.2 per cent.
The tightening of the ac-
commodative policy is nor-
mally accompanied by a rise in
interest rates in the system.
The US Federal Reserve had re-
cently announced a tightening
of the policy and raised inter-
est rates. While the RBI has
beenfocussingongrowthwith
its accommodative policy in
the last three years, mainly to
tackle the slowdown triggered
bytheCovidpandemic,several
tions,” he said.
Khan also said he was not
against India and had a lot of fol-
lowing in the neighbouring
country. He said ties with India
could not improve due to RSS
factorandwhatthey(Indiagovt)
did in Kashmir.
“Nobody can dictate India.
What the European Union am-
bassadors said here, could they
say that to India also?” he asked
and added that they could not
because India is a sovereign na-
tion.
Hechallengedtheopposition
to announce new elections and
face the nation with him. “That
is why I dissolved the assembly
because I want people to elect
the new government,” he said.
“Iamreadyforthestruggle…
joinmeinpeacefulprotest,”said
Khan, who has lost his majority
in the 342-member house.
The opposition parties need
172 members in the 342-mem-
ber house to bring about the
downfallofPrimeMinisterKhan.
They have more than the re-
quired numbers.
Now,Khanfacesthepossibil-
ityof beingthefirstprimeminis-
ter in Pakistan’s history to be
votedoutinano-confidencemo-
tion.
In a landmark 5-0 verdict, a
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
The Bucha killings,
WHO on Covaxin, and
the viral namaz video
NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY
India’s statement on the killing in Bucha,
why the WHO has suspended the supply of
Covaxin, and how a 22 year old muslim
woman was targeted in Madhya Pradesh
evated commodity prices and
global spill-over channels, he
said.
“The ratcheting up of
geopolitical tensions, gener-
alised hardening of global
commodity prices, the likeli-
hood of prolonged supply
chain disruptions, dislocations
in trade and capital flows, di-
vergent monetary policy re-
sponses and volatilityin global
financial markets are impart-
ing sizeable upside risks to the
inflation trajectory and down-
side risks to domesticgrowth,”
the RBI said in its statement.
“The government’s thrust
oncapitalexpenditurecoupled
withinitiativessuchasthepro-
duction linked incentive (PLI)
scheme should bolster private
investmentactivity,amidstim-
proving capacity utilisation,
deleveragedcorporatebalance
sheets, higher offtake of bank
credit and congenial financial
conditions,” it said.
According to Das, since the
MPC’s last meeting in early
February 2022, the expected
positive benefits from the
ebbing Omicron wave have
analysts had recently said the
RBI is behind the curve in tack-
ling inflation and liquidity
management.
On Friday, the RBI policy
panel took a concrete step by
restoring the policy rate corri-
dorunderliquidityadjustment
facility to pre-pandemic width
of 50 basis points by introduc-
ing the SDF at 3.75 as the floor
of thiscorridor.Thisisaimedat
bringingdowntheinflationary
pressures.
Liquidity adjustment facil-
ity (LAF) is a tool used in the
monetary policy that allows
banks to borrow money from
the RBI through repurchase
agreements (Repo) or to lend
funds to the RBI through re-
verse repo agreement.
“We are confronted with
new but humungous chal-
lenges – shortages in key com-
modities;fracturesintheinter-
nationalfinancialarchitecture;
and fears of deglobalisation.
Extremevolatilitycharacterises
commodityandfinancialmar-
kets,” Das said. “Caught in the
cross-currentof multiplehead-
winds, our approach needs to
be cautious but proactive in
mitigating the adverse impact
onIndia’sgrowth,inflationand
five-member bench headed by
ChiefJusticeUmarAtaBandialon
Thursday unanimously struck
down the deputy speaker’s rul-
ing on the rejection of the no-
confidencemotionagainstKhan
and ordered restoration of the
National Assembly, saying the
prime minister's move to dis-
solve Parliament and call early
electionswas“unconstitutional”.
The court also ordered the
speakerof thelowerhousetocall
the session of the national as-
semblyonApril9at10am(local
time) to organise a no-confi-
dence vote. It ordered the elec-
tionof thenewprimeministerif
the no-confidence motion suc-
ceeded.
“IrespecttheSupremeCourt
and the judiciary, but the apex
court should have looked at a
threat letter before issuing its
verdict,”Khansaidinhisaddress
–perhapshislasttothenationas
prime minister this term.
“I am saddened by the ver-
dict, but I accept it,” he said,
addingthattheapexcourtcould
haveatleastaskedforandlooked
atthedocumentbecausethisisa
very big issue and there was no
discussion on it in the court.
Khan in recent weeks has
talked about a ‘threat letter’ and
claimed that it was part of a for-
beenoffsetbythesharpescala-
tion in geopolitical tensions.
This has significantly changed
the external and domestic
landscape. Concerns over pro-
tracted supply disruptions
have rattled global commod-
ity and financial markets, he
said.
“At the same time, the es-
calation of the geopolitical sit-
uation and the accompanying
surge in international crudeoil
and other commodity prices,
tightening of global financial
conditions, persistence of sup-
ply-sidedisruptionsandsignif-
icantly weaker external de-
mand pose downside risks to
the outlook,” he said.
“The RBI monetary policy
announcement is a pragmatic
assessment of the current un-
certain economic environ-
ment,” State Bank of India
Chairman Dinesh Khara said.
The RBI has rightfully re-cali-
brated the growth and infla-
tion numbers and announced
a slew of measures to support
the government borrowing
program in a non-disruptive
manner, he said.
financial conditions.”
Das said the conflict in
Europe now poses a new and
overwhelming challenge,
complicatinganalreadyuncer-
tain global outlook. “As the
daunting headwinds of the
geopoliticalsituationchallenge
us, the RBI is braced up and
prepared to defend the Indian
economy with all instruments
at its command. As we have
demonstrated over the last
two years, we are not hostage
to any rulebook and no action
is off the table when the need
of the hour is to safeguard the
economy,” Das said.
The RBI has signalled shift-
ingfocusfromrevivinggrowth
tomitigatinginflationrisks,rat-
ingformCrisilsaid.“Weexpect
(thereporatehike)tobe50-70
basis points in fiscal 2023 be-
ginning with the June mone-
tary policy review,” it said.
Upside risks to inflation
show no signs of abating, with
crude oil prices persisting
above$100perbarrel,andfood
and metal prices at record
highs. “Along with increasing
cost pressures, we expect the
pressure on consumer prices
to broaden as well this fiscal,”
Crisil said.
eign conspiracy to remove him
as he was not acceptable for fol-
lowing an independent foreign
policy.
He said he has a great wish
that people could see the docu-
ment but refused to share it cit-
ing national security. He has
shared its gist in his own words.
Khanrepeatedhisallegations
that a US diplomat threatened
regime change in Pakistan.
Hesaidthatduringthemeet-
ing between the Pakistani am-
bassador and the US official, the
latter complained that “I [Imran
Khan] should not have visited
[Russia].”
"It is so shameful for the 220
million people of Pakistan that a
foreignofficialisorderingthesit-
ting prime minister of the coun-
trythroughathirdperson,warn-
ing of severe consequences and
alluring them of forgiveness if I
[ImranKhan]leavetheoffice,”he
said.
He then asked his people: "If
wehavetolivelikethis,thenwhy
did we get freedom (from the
British)."
He asked thepeopleto come
out and reject the foreign con-
spiracy to remove the govern-
ment."If youarenotstandingup,
noonewillcometosaveyou,”he
said. PTI,WITHENSINPUTS
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

3 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

AT 41 DEGREES, DELHI SEES HOTTEST DAY YET THIS SEASON

No let-up in heat wave in city alert for Delhi on Saturday,

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
DELHI RECORDED another day
of unrelenting heat, along with
this season's highest maximum
temperature of 41.6 degrees
Celsius and a severe heat wave
on Friday.
The maximum temperature
attheSafdarjungweatherobser-
vatory, which provides a marker
for the city, was 41.6 degrees,
seven degrees above the normal
for this time of the year. All
weather stations in the city
recorded maximum tempera-
turesabove40degreesonFriday.
The highest recorded at a
weather observatory in the city
was 43.4 degrees Celsius at
Pitampura, followed by 43.3 de-
grees at Najafgarh, 42.9 degrees
at the Ridge, 42.4 degrees at Aya
Nagar, and 41.9 degrees at Lodhi
Road. The maximum tempera-
ture atGurgaon hit43.3 degrees.
The maximum temperature
has hit 41.6 degrees at the
Safdarjung observatory early in
the summer this year, compared
FORECAST FOR WEEK
42 41 41
39 39 40
MaxTemp°C
MinTemp°C
22 22 22
20 21 21
Apr9 Apr14
to previous years, IMD data
shows. In the past 72 years (1951
to 2022), the highest recorded
maximum temperature for
April 1 to 15 is 41.6 degrees,
which was recorded on Friday,
and on April 12 and 13 in 2010,
according to IMD scientists.
Though the same temperature
as that on Friday was recorded
in the first half of April in 2010
as well, it was recorded on an
earlier date this year.
Partsof Delhi-NCRhavebeen
witnessing a heat wave spell
from March 29 onwards. A se-
DATE WEATHER
Apr 9 Heat wave
Apr 10 Heat wave
Apr 11 Heat wave
Apr 12 Partly cloudy sky
Apr 13 Partly cloudy sky
Apr 14 Partly cloudy sky
vereheatwaveisrecordedinthe
plainswhenthemaximumtem-
perature is 40 degrees Celsius or
more, and is more than 6.4 de-
grees above the normal. On
Friday, the maximum tempera-
ture at most weather stations in
the city was seven to eight de-
grees above the normal.
Heatwaveconditionsremain
on the forecast for the national
capital from April 9 to 11. The
maximum temperature is likely
to hit 42 degrees on Saturday.
According to the impact-based
heatwarning,thereisan'orange'
which marks a severe heat alert
for the day. Possible impacts in-
cludeincreasedlikelihoodof de-
veloping heat illness symptoms
if exposed to sunlight for a long
period, according to the IMD.
The heat wave spell is likely
to continue over northwest
India, Madhya Pradesh,
Vidarbha, Bihar, and Jharkhand
over the next five days, accord-
ing to a bulletin issued by the
IMD on Friday evening.
In Delhi, the maximum tem-
perature could fallmarginally, to
around 39 degrees Celsius on
April 12, going by the forecast.
Minimum temperatures,
which are usually recorded at
night, are close to the normal
temperature for this time of the
year.Theminimumtemperature
recorded early on Friday was
19.7 degrees, not far from the
long period average of 19.8 de-
grees for April 8 to 10.
Delhi has recorded no rain-
fall for all of March and April so
far. The last time the city
recorded rain was at the end of
February.

Supertech towers demolition:

Prep for test blast underway
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NOIDA, APRIL 8
PREPARATIONS ARE underway
for a test explosion in Supertech
Twin Towers at Noida’s Sector
93A. As part of the technical
evaluation,thetestblastwilltake
place on Sunday between 2.30
and 3 pm, and the final demoli-
tion will be carried out on May
22 by Edifice Engineering com-
pany.
“We have been communi-
cated in advance about the test
blast. It will be a very low-inten-
sity blast to check the amount of
explosives required for the main
explosion and the displacement
of concrete. The area around the
site will be cordoned off briefly,”
said UBS Teotia, president of
Emerald Society RWA.
As per officials, charges will
be placed in six columns — five
in the basement and one on the
14th floor. The amount of explo-
sives will be less than 10 kg.
Threelayersof steelmeshwillbe
wrapped around the exploding
columns to limit the impact.
Another layer of geotextile ma-
terial will be placed on the
ground to prevent the dispersal
of debris.
Thetestblastwillnotproduce
clouds of dust, officials estimate.
Residents living in towers facing
Apex and Cayenne towers have
been advised not to stand on the
balconies during the period. A
similarcommunicationhasbeen
given to residents of ATS Village
whoseboundarywallisadjacent
to Emerald Court.
The Supreme Court, on
August 30 last year, had ordered
the demolition within three
months for violating regula-
tions on the distance between
buildings.

IndIan InstItute of scIence

Bangalore - 560012
advertisement for the post of assistant Project engineer (civil)
and site engineer (civil), challakere dated 09.04.2022
Invites online applications for the post of assistant Project
engineer (civil) and site engineer (civil), challakere. The
detailed advertisement is available on the Institute’s website.
Please visit the website: https://iisc.ac.in/positions-open/
The last date for receipt of applications is 30.04.2022.
date: 09.04.2022 sd/-, ReGIstRaR

DELHI POLLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, (GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI
5th Floor, I.S.B.T. Building, Kashmere Gate, Delhi- 110006
visit us at: http://dpcc.delhigovt.nic.in
PUBLIC NOTICE
Kind Attention: All entities engaged as Producers, Importers, Brand Owners (PIBOs), manufacture,
stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags, plastic sheets or like, or cover made of plastic sheet and
multi-layered packaging, and Plastic Waste Processors (Recycling, Co-processing, Waste to energy,
Waste to oil etc.)
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt. of India has notified the Plastic
Waste Management Rules, 2016 as amended till date (PWM Rules). MoEFCC has made amendments on
12.08.2021 and 16.02.2022 w.r.t. Guidelines on EPR for Plastic Packaging. The rules also mandate the
responsibilities of local bodies, gram panchayats, waste generators, retailers and street vendors to
manage plastic waste.
As per amendments notified in PWM Rule on 12.08.2021:-

Carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic shall not be less than Seventy Five (75) microns in
thickness w.e.f. 30th September, 2021 and One Hundred Twenty (120) microns in thickness w.e.f. 31st
December, 2022.

Sachets using plastic material shall not be used for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan
masala;

Non-woven plastic carry bags shall not be less than 60 Gram per Square Meter (GSM) w.e.f. 30th
September, 2021.

The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single use plastic, including
polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July,
2022:-
(a) Ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks,
polystyrene (Thermocol] for decoration;
(b) Plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films
around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100
micron, stirrers (not apply to commodities made of compostable plastic).

Manufacture and use of multi-layered plastic which is non recyclable or non-energy recoverable or with
no alternate use of plastic if any should be phased out in two years times.
PIBOs are required to fulfill Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) for the plastic waste generated due
to the products introduced by them in the market as per the MoE&F notification dated 16.02.2022. Detail
also available on DPCC’s website (dpcc.delhigovt.nic.in)
All PIBOs includes other industries or individuals using plastic sheets or like or covers made of plastic
sheets (multilayered packaging for packaging or wrapping the commodity) and Plastic Waste Processors
(Recycling, Co-processing, Waste to energy, Waste to oil etc.) are hereby directed to comply with all
provisions of Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2016 amended till date.
All above shall apply for Registration with the prescribed Application and Annual Processing Fees at
centralize EPR Portal www.cpcbeprplastic.in developed by CPCB to fulfil their EPR compliances and
comply with provisions under PWM Rules, 2016.
In case of non-compliance, action shall be taken against the defaulter units including closure of the unit,
disconnection of electricity / water supply including levying of Environmental Compensation.
The existing Registrations shall be aligned with the SOP within 03 months of issue of SOP for which
registered PIBO shall resubmit the application online along with relevant information and processing fee.
Member Secretary
d 16 20hRLY(5)
New Delhi

4 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
ASKS DEPT HEADS TO EXPEDITE PROCESSING OF FILES AND DECISION-MAKING
Kejriwal sets timelines for projects under
‘Rozgar’ Budget: ‘Will transform job sector’
GAYATHRI MANI
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
DAYS AFTER the Delhi govern-
ment made the ambitious
Budget announcement of creat-
ing 20 lakh jobs in the next five
years, Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal Friday reviewed the
progress of projects and plans
proposed under the ‘Rozgar
Budget’andsettargetsandtime-
lines for each department.
According to officials, the
meeting was held at the Delhi
Secretariat at 11 am and was
attended by Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia,
Transport Minister Kailash
Gahlot, Industries Minister
Satyendar Jain, Environment
Minister Gopal Rai and Dialogue
and Development Commission
Vice-Chairperson Jasmine Shah
along with senior officials from
departments concerned.
Apart from setting targets,
Kejriwal, who chaired the high-
level meeting, directed depart-
mentheads toexpediteprocess-
ing of files and decision-making.
“Wehavesetatargetof creat-
ing 20 lakh jobs in the next five
BRIEFLY
Manheldfor
killingmother
Gurgaon: A 66-year-old
woman was stabbed to
death,allegedlybyherson,
at ShivpuriThursdaynight,
said police, adding that
they have arrested the ac-
cused.Thevictimhasbeen
identifiedasVeenaKumari,
a retired health depart-
ment superintendent.
Accordingtopolice,thein-
cident took place around 9
pm when Kumari was re-
turning home after giving
food to her son, Manish,
who lived nearby. Police
said they recovered CCTV
footage in which the ac-
cusedappearstobeattack-
ingandpushinghismother
to the ground, before stab-
bing her multiple times.
Tenshanties
guttedinfire
Gurgaon: At least 10
shanties were gutted after
a fire broke out at a slum
cluster at Sector 74 on
Southern Peripheral Road
Fridayevening.Thefirede-
partment said eight fire
tenders were pressed into
service.Nocasualtieswere
reported, officials said.
Police‘curbing’
righttoprotest:
studentgroups
New Delhi: Left student
groupsFridayprotestedthe
“arbitrary imposition of
Section 144” in North
Campus by Delhi Police,
which they said was curb-
ing their right to protest. A
senior police officer said
Section 144 is in place at
many other places across
DelhiduetoCovid.“FIRhas
notbeen lodgedagainst all
students/teacherprotests,”
the officer said. ENS
AFTER COVID HIATUS
At National War Memorial, ceremony for next of kin to pay tribute resumes
ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
NEARLY 24 years after their son
Sakinder Singh, a sepoy in the
Indian Army, died in the line of
duty, Krishna Devi and her
husband Rumal Singh were at
the National War Memorial
on Thursday to pay their re-
spects to him, and other de-
ceased soldiers.
The ‘next-of-kin’ ceremony,
where a family member of a
soldier who died in the line of
duty visits the National War
‘ROZGAR’ BUDGET
TARGET DELHI’S
Creating 20 lakh POPULATION:
jobs in 5 years More than 2.5 cr
EMPLOYABLE POPULATION: 1.68 cr
KEY PROJECTS
Redevelopment of
popular retail markets
Target: Markets such as
Lajpat, Kamla Nagar etc.,
to be revamped
Dept: DTTDC
Jobs: 1.5 lakh
Food truck policy
Target: Promoting night
life, restaurants, street food
Dept: DTTDC
Jobs: 1,500
years in this year’s Budget. Such
work is being done for the first
time in the country. Targets and
timelines have been set for each
department,everyoneisveryex-
cited. I believe that we will defi-
21-year-old from Ghaziabad shot dead in
Canada, family says was heading to work
AMIL BHATNAGAR
GHAZIABAD, APRIL 8
A PICTURE of a black backpack
and a white shoe flashing on the
home page of a Canadian news
website turnedinto a nightmare
for a couple in Ghaziabad. On
Thursday, their son, Kartik
Vasudev (21), hadsteppedout of
a metro station to hail a bus to
head to his part-time job in
Toronto when he was shot dead.
A relative scrolling through the
news recognised Kartik’s bag
andbrokethenewstothefamily.
As per reports, Kartik died
duetomultiplegunshotwounds
outside Sherbourne station. The
family was able to confirm the
death on Friday afternoon but is
unaware about the motive.
Jitesh Vasudev, his father,
said: “We last spoke to Kartik on
POLICE VS PARLIAMENTARIANS
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari during a match between Commissioner of Police XI and Members of Parliament XI at Delhi’s Arun
Jaitley stadium on Friday. The CP XI emerged victorious. Praveen Khanna
Memorial and lays a wreath at
the Amar Chakra, has resumed
after a hiatus imposed due to
Covid-related restrictions.
The Amar Chakra is the in-
nermoststructureinasetof con-
centric circles that comprise the
war memorial. It has an obelisk,
and an ‘eternal flame’ with
which the flame of the Amar
Jawan Jyoti was merged earlier
this year.
A ‘retreat’ ceremony takes
place every evening at the me-
morial, when flags of the Indian
Army, Navy and Air Force and
the national flag are slightly
33%
of people
employed
Dilli Shopping Festival
To be held for 4-6 weeks
(Sept-Oct or Feb-March)
Dept: DTTDC
Jobs: 1.2 lakh
Cloud kitchen
Target: Provide land,
ease licence regulations
for such units
Dept: DSIIDC
Jobs: 30,000
nitely achieve our goal,” he said
after the meeting, adding that
while the task at hand was diffi-
cult,hisgovernmentisconfident
of transforming the jobs sector.
“This is definitely new and
Kartik Vasudev (21) was
shot dead in Toronto
Thursday and he told us he was
heading to work. He was a stu-
dent but worked part-time at a
Mexican restaurant. For several
hours, his phone was switched
off. His cousin, whom he stayed
with, grew worried and in-
formedpolice.Newsflashedthat
lowered before sunset. The
‘next-of-kin’ ceremony is part of
the retreat.
Sakinder Singh was just 23
when he died, his mother
Krishna Devi said. “He served for
four and a half years. He was al-
ways smiling, very willing to
help other people, and would
even leave his own work for it,”
she said. So much so that Singh
was shot fatally while trying to
help another soldier in his unit.
Singh, who was part of the
13th battalion of the Punjab
Regiment, was killed in the
morning on January 26, 1998, at
CORONAVIRUS
IN THE CAPITAL
The CM reviewed
progress of projects on
Friday. Archive
Redeveloping Gandhi
Nagar market
Target: To turn it into a
‘Grand Garment Hub’
Dept: DSIIDC
Jobs: 43,000
challengingforeveryone.Butjust
like Delhi has set benchmarks in
education,healthcareandwater-
electricity supply, we will trans-
formthejobsectorandsetexam-
ples in it too. The biggest
a shooting had taken place and
it was then that she realised
Kartik is no more.”
Kartik was pursuing global
management from Toronto-
basedSenecaUniversityandwas
in his first year. He had shifted to
Canada in January and was stay-
ing in an apartment he shared
with his cousin.
Shortly after joining college,
he had found a job at the restau-
rant in Downtown area. Every
day, Kartik would take the same
route using the subway and bus
to reach his office.
“His cousin informed police
that he had gone missing.
Kartik’s employer also called
her up and said he had not
come to work. Both were dis-
cussing the situation when they
came to know of the shooting
and recognised it was him from
the pictures,” Jitesh, who works
VACCINATIONS IN
LAST 24 HOURS
18,920
PATIENTSINHOSPITAL:
OXYGEN SUPPORT
VENTILATOR SUPPORT
challenge in front of the country
is employment, but there are no
job opportunities available at
present. We aim to overcome
that with our policies,” he said.
Duringthemeeting,Kejriwal
asked officials to approach him
ortheministersif thereisaprob-
lemwithanyproject.“If there’sa
problem, don’t sit on it, don’t
wait for the next meeting. We all
are available. You can approach
me, the Deputy CM, the Chief
Secretary or any minister, but
flag it as soon as possible. This
will help all of us to find timely
solutions.”
Sisodia directed officials to
think out of the box on land use
as it is an important factor in in-
creasing revenue and creating
jobs. “We cannot afford to lose
time on any front, hence time-
lines that have been made are
verytightandeverydepartment
is required to strictly adhere to
these schedules... We will not
tolerate any month-old excuses
in review meetings, say, three
months from now. If you are fac-
ing any obstacles, it is your re-
sponsibility to overcome them
at the earliest by whatever
means necessary,” said Sisodia.
at HCL, said.
Kartik did his schooling from
DAV, Ghaziabad, and had de-
cided in Class X that he would
study in Canada, his father said.
As family members tried to
makesenseof thecrime,theyre-
called Kartik’s soft-spoken na-
ture. “He never even raised a
voice. At this point, we do not
know what happened. We are
toldhewastheonlycasualty.My
boy had reached his dream des-
tination just three months ago.
We are unable to process this... I
do not know who would do this
to him,” said Jitesh, as a relative
hugged him.
Kartik is survived by his par-
ents and his younger brother.
The family has been informed
by the Indian Embassy in
Canada that the process of
bringing back his body will take
another six days.
Anantnag in Jammu and
Kashmir. He was shot twice,
Krishna Devi said, tearing up.
He was on deputation in the
7th battalion of the Rashtriya
Rifleswhenhewasshot.Hispar-
entsarrivedinDelhionThursday
morning from Kathua in Jammu
and Kashmir, just for the cere-
At the ceremony, a family
member of a soldier who
died in the line of duty visits
the memorial and lays a
wreath at the Amar Chakra.
Abhinaya Harigovind
DELHI: TOTAL
CASES
18,65,942
48
8
April 7
April 8
1 Cases
Total
*Total active cases in Delhi
Officialssaidthegovernment
hasgiventhetaskof organisinga
shopping festival to the
Department of Tourism. It is
likely to be held for 4-6 weeks
between September and
October or February and March.
The Transport Department
will, meanwhile, be responsible
formakingDelhiahubforexper-
imental shopping and exploring
street food. To this end, the gov-
ernment has decided to utilise
existing land at bus depots to set
up world-class food and retail
hubs. The ultimate aim, officials
said, is to make Delhi the ‘city of
business’.
Sisodia had presented a
Rs75,800-croreBudgetthisyear.
Someof thekeyprojectsthrough
whichthegovernmentisaiming
to achieve its target of 20 lakh
jobs are the redevelopment of
Asia’s biggest garment hub of
Gandhi Nagar market, shopping
and film festivals, redevelop-
ment of iconic markets like
Lajpat Nagar and Kamla Nagar,
food truck and cloud kitchen
policy, setting up an electronic
city, redevelopment of food
hubs, start-up policy, ‘Dilli
Bazaar’ and Rozgar Bazaar 2.0.
Arms dealer
who gave
gun to riots
accused held
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THE DELHI Police Thursday ar-
rested a firearms dealer for al-
legedly supplying a pistol to
Shahrukh Pathan, who was ar-
rested for pointing a gun at a
head constable during the
Northeast Delhi riots.
“Babu Wasim had been ab-
sconding for more than two
years and was declared a pro-
claimed offender by the trial
court. Wasim has admitted to
having supplied the pistol, seen
in the video, toShahrukhPathan
prior to the Delhi riots,” said
JasmeetSingh,DCP(SpecialCell).
Wasim (34), a resident of
Meerut,wasarrestednearapark
adjoining Rajiv Gandhi Hospital
at Tahirpur. Police have recov-
eredasemi-automaticpistoland
five live cartridges from him.
Photosof Pathanbrandishing
apistolatapolicemanduringthe
2020riotshadgoneviral.Wasim
hadbeenabscondingsincethen,
police said.
PolicesaidtheSpecialCellre-
ceived information that he fre-
quently visited the trans-
Yamuna area in Delhi-NCR and
other adjoining areas of western
Uttar Pradesh and a team col-
lectedinformationforaboutfour
months to identify his hideouts.
A case under relevant sec-
tions has been registered at the
Special Cell police station. The
accused told police that he had
allegedly supplied firearms and
ammunition to various gang-
sters and criminals in western
UP and Delhi-NCR over the last
10 years, including members of
Irfan aka Chhainu Pehlwan’s
gang. According to police esti-
mates, Wasim supplied arms to
more than 250 criminals.
Police said Wasim also has
sevenpendingcriminalcases,in-
cluding contract killings.
mony. Rumal Singh is a farmer
and they have three sons and a
daughter. Singh was very happy
about joining the Army, and was
selectedin hisfirsttry,according
to Rumal Singh. He joined of his
ownwill,andnotbecausesome-
body told him to, he said.
His parents were accompa-
nied by Havildar Balwinder
Singh, who is now part of the
platoon that Sakinder Singh was
then a part of. The battalion had
launched a search operation for
militants in their area of respon-
sibility on January 26, 1998,
when Sakinder Singh saw that
New Delhi
Total Vacant
HOSPITAL BEDS 9,745 9,696
ICU BEDS 2,202 2,186
Cases Recoveries Deaths
176
146
118
147
0
1
10,453
10,488
549* 18,39,237 26,156 3,74,67,801
Cab drivers protest
against CNG and
fuel price hike at
Jantar Mantar
During the protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday. PTI
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
DEMANDING REDUCTION in
CNG, petrol and diesel prices,
whichhavebeengraduallyhiked
recently, cab drivers staged a
protest at Jantar Mantar Friday.
The drivers threatened to go on
an indefinite strike if their de-
mands were not met.
Theprotestwassupportedby
several unions, including Delhi
Taxi, Tourist Transporters and
Tour Operators Association,
Sarvodaya Driver Association of
Delhi, Expert Driver Solution,
Sarvodaya Driver Welfare
Association and drivers associ-
ated with cab aggregators (Ola
and Uber).
Sanjay Samrat, president,
Delhi Taxi, Tourist Transporters
and Tour Operators Association,
said the steep hike in CNG price
andthepriceof diesel/petrolhad
adversely impacted cab drivers’
abilitytosustain,especiallysince
the fares of taxis have not been
revised.
“The CNG price is inching up
to Rs 70 per kg. The fares have
not been revised and the cost of
living has risen exponentially.
Drivers have been struggling for
the past two years due to a
slump after Covid. This hike is a
conspiracy to push electric vehi-
clesanddriveusoutof business,”
alleged Samrat.
“Today,weprotestedfrom10
am to 3 pm, as we did not want
toinconveniencethepublic.But,
we have decided to go on an in-
definite strike if there is no
change,” he said.
The drivers also demanded
thattheDelhigovernmentorthe
Centreshouldpaysubsidytobus
Riots: Court dismisses
Khalid Saifi’s bail plea
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
OBSERVING THAT Khalid Saifi
had “connectivity” with other
accused persons, and their cu-
mulative role must be seen to
comprehend the entire conspir-
acy as stated in the chargesheet,
aDelhicourtrejectedthebailap-
plication of the United Against
Hate founder in a UAPA case in
connection with the Northeast
Delhi riots.
Additional Sessions Judge
Amitabh Rawat said that
Saifi also figures in the list of
those who made a flurry of
calls to other accused following
the riots.
Saifi’s lawyer, senior advo-
cate Rebecca John, told the court
LanceNaikKamalSingh,amem-
ber of his unit, was hit in the legs
and had fallen into a drain, ac-
cording to the details described
during the ceremony. Sakinder
Singhmoved forward toprovide
cover so that the injured soldier
could be extricated, and sus-
tainedmultiplegunshotwounds
in the process. He was awarded
the Sena Medal posthumously.
Krishna Devi and Rumal
Singh laid a rose before their
son’s name inscribed on one
tablet that is a part of many that
comprise one of the concentric
circles of the war memorial. She
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
NOIDA
Apr7 Apr 8
Cases 10 N/A
Tests Deaths 0 N/A
GURGAON
87 61
Deaths 0 0
Union members said
the hike in CNG price
and the price of
diesel/petrol adversely
impacted cab drivers’
ability to sustain,
especially since the
fares of taxis have not
been revised
and cab drivers.
Ravi Rathore, president,
Sarvodaya Driver Welfare
Association, said that either the
fares should be revised to match
the rising prices of CNG/fuel or
the hike in fuel and CNG prices
should be rolled back.
Meanwhile, some other taxi
and auto unions including Delhi
Auto Rickshaw Sangh, Delhi
Pradesh Taxi Union, All Delhi
Auto Taxi Transport Congress
Union, Taxi Auto Rickshaw
Driver Sangharsh Samiti and
Bhartiya Private Transport
Mazdoor Mahasangh said they
would stage a symbolic protest
at powerhouse near Delhi
Secretariat on April 11.
The unions have demanded
that the government provide
Rs35 per kg subsidyon CNGand
slash CNG prices.
Rajender Soni, president,
Bhartiya Private Transport
MazdoorMahasangh,said,“If the
demandisnotmet,wewillgoon
a strike from April 18. In the last
2-3years,theCNGpriceshaveal-
most doubled. The government
isgivingdiscountsonalcoholand
providing subsidies on the con-
sumptionof electricity,butithas
not done anything to help us.”
that he has been falsely impli-
cated in this case, and the
entire case of the prosecution is
unsubstantiatedwithoutanyev-
idence to link the accused with
the riots.
John further argued that
there was no evidence that Saifi
gave a provocative speech to in-
stigate anyone, and the pro-
tected witnesses’ statements
againsthimwerecontraryto the
speeches he made in public.
Special Public Prosecutor
Amit Prasad had stated that
“statements of various wit-
nesses, including protected wit-
nesses, should be read along
with major aspects of the
chargesheet including the con-
spiratorial meetings to high-
light how the riots were engi-
neered”.
then proceeded to lay the
wreath at the Amar Chakra,
stood a while before it, and re-
treated, in a short ceremony.
“Wehaveinvitedthefamilies
of those who have sacrificed
their lives for the country to pay
their tributes. This will continue
till the end of the year,” said a
public relations officer for the
Ministry of Defence.
The memorial was inaugu-
rated in 2019, and the ceremony
tookplaceregularlybeforeCovid
hit. The NoK ceremony resumed
on February 23, according to a
Ministry of Defence bulletin.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 GOVT & POLITICS 5
Nod for supply of fortified Striking MSRTC employees try to Ensure bulldozers
don’t raze homes,

rice across govt schemes barge into Pawar’s house, 104 held shops of poor, UP
CM tells officials

E
started detaining them. A case EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THEUNIONCabinetonFridayap-
proved supply of fortified rice
through the Targeted Public
DistributionSystem(TPDS)under
the National Food Security Act
(NFSA), Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS),
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti
Nirman-PM POSHAN (erstwhile
Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM))
and Other Welfare Schemes
(OWS) of Central and state gov-
ernmentsby2024inthreephases.
FoodCorporationofIndia(FCI)
and state agencies have already
procured 88.65 LMT of fortified
rice for supply and distribution,
union Information and
Broadcasting minister Anurag
Thakursaid at a press conference
on Friday.
Theentirecostofricefortifica-
tionwhichisestimatedataround
Rs.2,700croreperannumwould
be borne by the Centre as part of
foodsubsidytillitsfullimplemen-
tation till June, 2024.
Thakur said that in the first
phase, fortified rice is already be-
ing distributed under ICDS and
PMPoshanprogrammes.Thesec-
Union minister Anurag
Thakur during Cabinet
briefing on Friday. Anil Sharma
ond phase will cover targeted
publicdistributionsystem(TPDS)
and other welfare schemes in all
aspirational and high-burden
stunting districts by March 2023.
In the final phase, all remaining
districtswillbecoveredbyMarch
2024, he added.
“...theDepartmentofFoodand
Publicdistributionhasbeencoor-
dinatingallecosystemrelatedac-
tivitieswithallrelevantstakehold-
ers like State Government / UT,
line Ministries/Department,
DevelopmentPartners,Industries,
ResearchInstitutesetc...,”thecab-
inet said in a statement.
TheCabinetalsoapprovedthe
continuation of Atal Innovation
E X P L A I NE D
Tackling
● malnutrition
THE FOOD Safety and
Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI)definesforti-
fication as “deliberately
increasing the content of
essential micronutrients
in a food so as to improve
the nutritional quality of
food and to provide public
health benefit with mini-
mal risk to health”. In
other words, rice fortifica-
tion is a process of adding
micronutrients to regular
rice. The micronutrients
are added keeping in
mind dietary require-
ments.
Mission (AIM) till March 2023.
“The total budgeted expenditure
of over Rs.2000 crore shall be in-
curredintheprocessoftheestab-
lishmentandsupportingtheben-
eficiaries... The objectives of the
AIMaretocreateandpromotean
ecosystem of innovation and en-
trepreneurship across the coun-
try...,” the statement said.
VALLABH OZARKAR &
SAGAR RAJPUT
MUMBAI, APRIL 8
THE MUMBAI Police The
Mumbai Police arrested 104
people, mostly striking employ-
ees of the Maharashtra State
Road Transport Corporation
(MSRTC), who allegedly tried to
barge into Silver Oak, the south
Mumbai residence of NCP chief
Sharad Pawar, on Friday.
The incident sent ripples
through the Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) government with
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray condemning
thestrikingemployees'actionand
state Home Minister Dilip Walse
Patil calling on the police brass to
investigatewhytheyfailedtoan-
ticipate the violent protest.
The incident took place a day
aftertheBombayHighCourtdis-
posed the contempt plea filed in
a writ petition moved by MSRTC
against striking employees and
directed the corporation to drop
charges against the staffers and
reinstate those who were termi-
nated if they resume work by
April 22.
Nearly 90,000 employees of
NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter and MP Supriya Sule
mobbed by protesting state road transport employees
outside their home in Mumbai on Friday. Ganesh Shirsekar
the MSRTC have been on strike
sincelastOctoberdemandingthe
corporation be merged with the
state so that the employees can
avail the benefits of government
servants. While many were ex-
pecting that the strike would be
withdrawn on Friday, a group of
around a hundred protesters
gathered around 3.15 pm at
Silver Oak. The police said the
protesters started raising slogans
againstPawar,accusinghimofnot
makinganyefforttoresolvetheir
issues. After a few minutes, the
protestersattemptedtoenterthe
Silver Oak premises and were
stopped by security. This is when
theprotestersallegedlyturnedvi-
olent and tried to break security
barricades.
Pawar's daughter and Lok
Sabha MP Supriya Sule tried to
placatetheprotestersoutsidethe
house. Later, speaking to media-
persons, Sule said her house was
attacked. "I am thankful to the
Mumbai Police for their prompt
reaction...Whathashappenedto-
day is very unfortunate...”
Thepolicesaidthatassoonas
theprotestersturnedviolent,they
wasregisteredagainst132people. LUCKNOW, APRIL 8
Soonafter theincident,secu-
rity was tightened at residences AMIDSTTHEongoingdrivetoraze
of several state ministers in illegalpropertiesusingbulldozers
Mumbai, including Transport owned by criminals across the
Minister Anil Parab. state,UttarPradeshChiefMinister
The Azad Maidan police also YogiAdityanathonFridaydirected
barricaded the entrance and exit officials to en-
gatesofAzadMaidan,wherehun- sure that no
dreds of MSRTC staffers are housesorshops
protesting. AtAzadMaidan,many owned by the
striking employees claimed that pooraredemol-
they don't have any idea who at- ishedduringthe
tacked Pawar's house. Claiming process.
that Pawar did not help them, a Adityanath
protester said, “We have been Uttar told officials
protestingatAzadMaidanforover Pradesh CM thatwhilethere
five months now but nobody lis- Yogi was zero toler-
tened to us. Pawar is responsible Adityanath ance towards
for the suicides of the workers...” crime and
Claiming that he was on the criminals un-
sideoftheworkers,Pawarsaidthe der his govern-
employeeswerebeingmisguided ment,theyshouldshowsensitiv-
bythosewhoareleadingthem.“If ity towards poor and the
theleaderisimmaturetheneven marginalised.
the followers can get mis- A government spokesperson
guided...”. The CM termed the at- said, "CM Yogi Adityanath.. has
tackasreprehensible.WalsePatil, given strict instructions that the
meanwhile, instructed Mumbai bulldozersshouldbeusedonlyto
Police Commissioner Sanjay demolish of illegal properties
Pandey and Joint Commissioner owned by the mafia and crimi-
(LawandOrder)VishwasNangre nals.”Healsodirectedthemtotake
Patil to take strict action against strictactionagainstthosewhoen-
those responsible. croachonthepropertyofthepoor.

‘Hindi imperialism’:
Opp reacts to Shah’s
pitch for language Government of India

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, APRIL 8

THERE WAS widespread con-

demnationfromOppositionpar-
tiestoHomeMinisterAmitShah's
New India New Identity
Har Ghar Jal
pitchforthe Hindi language,call-
ing his statement an assault on
India's pluralism and asserting Union Home Minister
they will thwart the move to im- Amit Shah
pose “Hindi imperialism”.

made life easy

The Congress on Friday said
the government was trying to di-
vert attention from issues like
price rise through such state-
mentsandarguedthatitsattempt
was to create mutual distrust.
“Now, the time has come to
maketheOfficialLanguageanim-
portant part of the unity of the
country. When citizens of states
whospeakotherlanguagescom-
municate with each other, it
should be in the language of
India,” Shah was quoted by the
Ministry of Home Affairs as hav-
ingsaidatthe37thmeetingofthe
Parliamentary Official Language
Committee on Thursday.
“Will your Hindi sermonising
solve either inflation or unem-
ployment. Your object is digres-
sion, diversion, derailing.
Secondly, your objective is to cre-
atemutualdistrustbyimposition,
bycoercion,”Congressspokesper-
son Abhishek Singhvi said at a
press conference. He said the
Congress was a great supporter
of Hindi, “but not of imposition,
not of provocative politics,not of
divisivepolitics”.“Thethree-lan-
guage formula of the 60s has
stood the test of time...,” he said.
His party colleague Jairam
Rameshtweeted,“Hindiimperial-
ism will be the death knell for
India. I’m very comfortable with
Hindi,butIdon’twantitrammed
causing damage to India's plural-
ism. Does @AmitShah think that
'Hindistate'isenoughandIndian
states are not needed? You are
making the same mistake again
and again. However, you will not
succeed!” Stalin tweeted.
West Bengal's ruling TMC
said any effort to impose Hindi
Only 3.23 Cr households could receive tap water from
by the BJP-led Centre on non-
Hindi speaking states will be re-
independence to 2019. After the inception of Jal Jeevan
sisted. The TMC said Shah's
agenda of “one nation, one lan- Mission in 2019, 9.4 Crore households received tap water
guage, and one religion” will re-
main unfulfilled. “Even India's
first prime minister Jawaharlal
NehruhadsaidthatHindiwillnot
beimposedonnon-Hindispeak-
ing states until they are willing to
accept it,” senior TMC leader
Sougata Roy said. Echoing him,
TMC veteran Sukhendu Sekhar
RaysaidattemptstoprojectHindi
asthenationallanguageisagainst
the “spirit of the Constitution”.
Former Karnataka CM
Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of
trying to unleash its agenda of
“cultural terrorism” against non-
All rural households in 107 Districts and about 1.5 Lakh villages are getting water
Hindi speaking states. “As a through individual tap connection
Kannadiga, I take strong offence
to @HMOIndia @AmitShah's
comment on Official language &
17 Lakh 39 thousand Schools and Anganwadi centres provided with drinking
medium of communication.
HindiisnotourNationalLanguage
water through tap
& we will never let it to be,”
Siddaramaiah tweeted. “Myopic
For effective management of water supply system, 4.82 Lakh “Village Water
davp 35301/13/0001/2223

down anybody’s throat.”

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M
KStalinsaidShah'sthrustonHindi
wentagainstIndia's'integrityand
pluralism'. “The BJP top brass is
continuously working towards
Cooperation ministry
to host 2-day conference
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
DAYS AFTER a Parliamentary
StandingCommitteeadviseditto
“exerciseutmostprudence”while
chalking out activities so that the
country's federal features are not
“impinged upon”, the newly cre-
ated cooperation ministry is
launching a consultation process
on its proposed new policy.
On April 12, the ministry will
beginhostingatwo-daynational
conferencethatwillseebothcen-
tral and state officials offer feed-
back on the policy, which aims to
widen the reach of cooperatives
to the grassroots and strengthen
thecooperativesector.TheCentre
planstofinalisethenewpolicyby
the end of the 2022-23 fiscal.
Cooperation Minister Amit
Shah will inaugurate the confer-
ence. Shah had last year an-
nounced to replace the existing
cooperation policy, created in
2002bytheAtalBihariVajpayee-
view of BJP regarding our lan-
guagesneedstobecorrectedand
Sanitation Committees” constituted/strengthened and about 4 lakh “Village
their opinions are derived from
pseudo-nationalistslikeSavarkar,”
Action Plans” prepared
he said.
WITHPTIINPUTS Across the country, 9.69 Lakh women in villages trained for water quality testing
using Field Test Kits (FTKs)
Employment opportunities for more than 7 Lakh skilled and unskilled workers in
rural areas of the country
More than 4 Lakh villages have provision of water quality testing locally
led government.
The Centre had recently writ-
tentostatesandotherstakehold-
ers asking for suggestions on the
new policy. An official said: “We
have received 54 suggestions re-
gardingthenewcooperationpol-
The vision of Jal Jeevan Mission is not only to make water
icy. Of these, 10 suggestions have
comefromtheconcernedcentral
accessible to every rural household, but also an important
ministries,20fromstatesandthe
remaininghavecomefromfeder-
step towards decentralization. This is a village-driven and
ations.” These suggestions will
alsobediscussedduringthecon-
women-driven programme with people’s movement and
ference, the official added.
According to a statement is-
public participation as it’s main basis
suedbytheministryonFriday,the
conferencewillseediscussionson
sixthemescoveringissuessuchas
“legal framework, identification
- Narendra Modi
of regulatory policy, operational
barriers and measures required
for their removal, ease of doing
business,levelplayingfieldtoco-
operatives,accountkeeping&au-
diting...”.Amongthosecentralof-
ficials attending will be the
secretaries of Agriculture, Rural
and Textiles departments, the
statement said.

New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

6 GOVT & POLITICS

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY,APRIL 9, 2022

SC clears FCRA changes: Receiving New trend of

foreign donations not absolute right
DELHI CONFIDENTIAL
ANANTHAKRISHNAN G
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
UNDERLININGTHATforeigncon-
tributions“maytendtoinfluence
or impose political ideology”, the
Supreme Court on Friday cleared
theCentre'samendmentsin2020
to the Foreign Contribution
(Regulation)Act-2010,sayingthey
were“essentiallyconceivedinthe
interest of public order as the in-
tentistopreventmisuseof dona-
STICKING TO TOPIC tions coming from foreign
sources,tosafeguardthevaluesof
AS PART of the BJP’s Samajik Nyay Pakhwada programme, asovereigndemocraticrepublic”.
Union minister Giriraj Singh addressed the media from the The judgment came on a
party platform on Friday. While he was asked to talk on PM batchof threewritpetitions,two
Awas Yojana, Singh, who is known for controversial remarks of which challenged the 2020
withcommunalundertones,wasnervousaboutthenewscon- amendments, while the third
ference as it was the first time he was addressing reporters at one prayed for stricter enforce-
the BJP headquarters. Before the news conference, he repeat- ment of the amended and other
edlysaidtohimself thatheshouldsticktothescheme.Afterhis provisions of the Act.
initial remarks, in which he compared the number of houses The bench of Justices A M
constructed during this government’s time with that of the Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheswari
previous ones, Singh announced that he would not take any and C T Ravikumar said “receiv-
questionotherthanthoseonthescheme.Oncedonewiththe ing foreign donations cannot be
newsconference,SinghwasheardthankingGodandhisstars an absolute or even a vested
thathe stuck to thetopicandnottouchanycontentiousissue. right”, adding, “we say so be-
cause the theory of possibility of
ONCE BITTEN...
THE CONGRESS leadership had been holding discussions for
Rahul meets Sharad, says parties
the past few days to effect a change in guard in the party unit
in Himachal Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due later
thisyear.Andtherewashectic lobbyingbythemajorfactions.
against PM Modi, RSS must unite
It appears that the central leadership has finally decided not
to change the PCC president or the CLP leader. The rout of the EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
party in neighbouring Punjab, where the Congress changed NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
its chief minister and the PCC president, months before elec-
tionsisfreshinthemindsof theleadership.Theparty,sources FORMER CONGRESS president
said, could appoint four working presidents, including the Rahul Gandhi on Friday met vet-
late Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya. And for the post of eransocialistleaderSharadYadav,
campaign committee chief, an important position, the party who recently joined the RJD, and
is said to be considering the likes of former state unit chief
SukhwinderSingh Sukhu,DhaniRam ShandilandKaulSingh
said “Opposition parties that are
against Prime Minister Narendra
Thakur. Some leaders are of the opinion that senior leader Modi and the RSS should join
Anand Sharma should head the campaign committee.. hands”, adding “discussions are
on to finalise the structure and
US TRIP
framework of that unity”.
Rahul’s remarks have come
DEFENCE MINISTER Rajnath Singh is headed to the US along at a time when the electoral
with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. During the April compulsions have kept the
11-14trip,theministerswillparticipateinthe4thUSA2+2di- Opposition fragmented. The
alogue that will review bilateral cooperation in Washington meeting has come at a time
DC. They will also meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken and when the Congress is keen on
Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. Singh will be meeting fielding a joint Opposition can-
AustinseparatelyatthePentagontodiscussdefenceindustrial didate for the posts of President
collaboration as well as military-to-military engagements. and Vice-President for which
He is also scheduled to visit the HQ of US-Indo Pacific com- elections are due later this year.
mand in Hawaii In principle, most of the
Oppositionpartiesagreethatthey
should come together and field
commoncandidatesfortheposts
national polity being influenced
by foreign contribution is glob-
ally recognised”.
“For,foreigncontributioncan
have material impact on the so-
cio-economic structure and
polityof thecountry.Theforeign
aid can create presence of a for-
eign contributor and influence
thepoliciesof thecountry.Itmay
tend to influence or impose po-
litical ideology,” said the court.
Suchbeingtheexpanseofthe
effectofforeigncontributioncou-
pled with the tenet of constitu-
tional morality of the nation, the
presence/inflow of foreign con-
tribution in the country ought to
be at the minimum level, if not
completely eschewed. The influ-
ence may manifest in different
ways, including in destabilising
the social order within the coun-
try,” it added.
The bench further said: “We
find force in the argument that it
had become necessary for
Parliamenttostepinandprovide
a stringent regime for effectively
regulating the inflow and utili-
sation of foreign contribution”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with RJD leader Sharad Yadav
in New Delhi. PTI
the joint candidate for the pres-
idential election, in the reckon-
ing were also Prakash
Ambedkar, besides Congress’s
Sushil Kumar Shinde and
Bhalchandra Mungekar.
Forthevice-presidentialelec-
tions, the Opposition had fielded
former West Bengal governor
Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
Rahul said: “In the
The petitions challenged the
constitutional validity of the
amendments made to the 2010
Act, in particular, sections 7,
12(1A), 12A and 17(1), contend-
ing that they were manifestly ar-
bitrary,unreasonableandimping-
ingupon thefundamentalrights.
Section7prohibitstransferof
anyforeigncontribution;Section
12A made it mandatory to pro-
duce Aadhaar card details of the
office-bearers/functionaries/di-
rectors of the societies/trusts as
identification document for the
purpose of seeking registration,
and Section 12(1A) and Section
17 made it mandatory for recip-
ients to open “FCRA Account”
and receive foreign contribution
only at the New Delhi main
branchof theStateBank of India.
Declaring the provisions as
“intravirestheConstitution”,the
bench, which went into the leg-
islative history of the law that
was first enacted in 1976, said
the experience since then “re-
vealed that more stringent dis-
pensation was needed to min-
imisethenegativeimpactowing
withYadavtheforthcomingelec-
tionsforthepostsofPresidentand
Vice-President,Rahulsaid“Idon’t
want to comment on that...”
Addressing the media at his
residence with Rahul by his side,
Yadavsaid,“RahulGandhiworks
fortheparty24X7andIthink,he
should become the president of
the party. The Congress should
make him president.” When
to the surge in the inflow of for-
eigndonation andfor upholding
the values of a sovereign demo-
cratic republic, for which the
2010 Act was enacted”.
Writing for the bench, Justice
Khanwilkarsaid“philosophically,
foreigncontribution(donation)is
akin to gratifying intoxicant re-
plete with medicinal properties
and may work like a nectar.
However, it serves as a medicine
solongasitisconsumed(utilised)
moderately and discreetly...free
and uncontrolled flow of foreign
contribution has the potential of
impactingthesovereigntyandin-
tegrity of the nation”. It held that
“considering the legislative his-
tory and the need for Parliament
toperiodicallyintervenetoarrest
the increasing influence on the
polityofthenationduetothehigh
volume of inflow of foreign con-
tribution and large-scale im-
proper utilisation and misappro-
priation thereof, such a change
cannot be labelled as irrational...
especially when it applies uni-
formly to a class of persons with-
out any discrimination”.
Pilot meets Rahul,
discusses situation
in Rajasthan
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
SENIOR CONGRESS leader
Sachin Pilot on Friday met for-
mer Congress president Rahul
Gandhi and discussed the polit-
icalsituationinRajasthan.While
both the sides remained tight-
lipped about the meeting, it re-
vived the predictable talk of a
possible change of guard in
Rajasthan and has raised the
hopes of Pilot supporters.
The Congress leadership had
been holding meetings with
states where Assembly elections
aredueinthenextcoupleofyears.
And Rajasthan is key as the state
— along with Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh — goes to
AssemblypollsinDecembernext
year, just months before Lok
Sabhaelections.Winningthestate
is hence important for the
Congress.
The party could not win even
asingleseatinRajasthaninthelast
Govt maligning
judges: CJI
ANANTHAKRISHNAN G
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
CHIEF JUSTICE of India N V
Ramana on Friday said there is a
“new trend” of the government
"maligning" judges.
The CJI, heading a bench also
comprising Justices Krishna
Murari and Hima Kohli, said:
"It's a new trend... Government
has started maligning the
judges. It’s unfortunate... We are
watching in court also.
Nowadays, it’s a new trend.
Earlier, we used to see private
parties with this type of tactic.
We are watching every day.”
He made these remarks
whilethebenchwashearingap-
peals against an order of the
Chhattisgarh High Court which
had quashed an FIR lodged un-
derthePreventionof Corruption
ActagainstformerChief Minister
Raman Singh’s Principal
Secretary Aman Singh and his
wife Yasmin Singh in 2020 after
the BJP government was voted
out and the Congress came to
power in the state.
The Economic Offences
Wing of the Chhattisgarh Police
lodged the FIR against them on
February 25, 2020, based on a
complaint by one Uchit Sharma,
“a social and anti-corruption ac-
SC rejigs Mullaperiyar
panel, to have an expert
each from TN, Kerala
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
TheSupremeCourtFridayrecon-
stitutedthecommitteesupervis-
ing the Mullaperiyar dam —
whose safety has been a bone of
contention between neighbours
Kerala and Tamil Nadu — by in-
cluding one expert from each
state, a step both had sought.
CJI Ramana:
Unfortunate
trend
tivist”, to the Chief Minister,
seeking a probe into dispropor-
tionateassetsallegedlyaccumu-
lated by the couple.
On February 28, 2020, the
High Court, in an interim order,
directed that no coercive steps
be taken against the couple. In
an order dated January 10,
2022, the High Court quashed
the FIR, saying “all the allega-
tions levelled against the peti-
tioner are prima facie based
upon probabilities and on the
basis of probability any person
cannot be prosecuted”.
The High Court, in its order,
also noted that the complaint by
Sharma“wasendorsedbytheCM
himself and it was mentioned
'CS/EOW se jaanch karayein'.”
Thereafter,apreliminaryenquiry
was initiated against Singh on
November 11, 2019.
Sharmaandthestategovern-
ment approached the Supreme
Court, challenging the High
Court decision. While examin-
ing the appeals, the CJI made
these remarks.
The top court directed
the supervisory
panel to conduct a
safety review afresh
It also said that in case of any
operationalissuesduringtheex-
ecutionof directionsgivenbythe
Supervisory Committee, “the

Jharkhand HC issues of President and Vice Presidents.

SourcesintheCongresssaiditwill
Opposition…whoever is against
the RSS and PM Narendra Modi,
Rahulwasaskedtocomment,he
said, “We will see about that.”
Lok Sabha polls despite winning
thestateelectionsjustmonthsbe-
A Bench of Justices A M
Khanwilkar, Abhay S Oka and C T
Chief Secretaryof theconcerned
State shall be personally respon-

notice to CM Soren for

notinsistonfieldingaleaderfrom they all should come together. Rahul said Yadav had taught fore in December 2018. Some of Ravikumar said the committee sible to ensure that every direc-
the party. Discussions are underway on him a lot about politics and he the leaders in the party had been willonlybeaninterimone;itwill tion given by the Supervisory
Even in 2017, though the how they should come together consideredhimhis“guru”.Rahul claimingthattheGandhishadin- remain until the National Dam Committee (including of setting

‘owning’ a mining lease Oppositionpartiesfinallyfielded

ABHISHEK ANGAD
RANCHI, APRIL 8
THE JHARKHAND High Court on
Friday issued notice to the Chief
Minister Hemant Soren over a
petition filed against him for
owning a mining lease in Ranchi
district as he himself holds the
Mining portfolio.
A bench of Chief Justice Ravi
Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan
Prasad on Friday, while hearing
the issue, said ‘a serious matter’
has been raised and issued a no-
tice to Hemant Soren.
A petition was filed in
February by one Shiv Shankar
Sharma,whoisbeingrepresented
by advocate Rajeev Kumar, on
granting of stone chips mining
leaseinRanchilastyear.Thepeti-
tionstatedthattheHighCourthas
been approached for an “appro-
priate direction to prosecute the
Chief Minister”, who is the
MinisterofDepartmentofMines,
Jharkhand
CM Hemant
Soren
ashe‘misused’hisofficeingetting
theminingleaseinhisownname.
The petition had stated that
the Hemant Soren obtained a
lease of 0.88 acre area in Angara
block of Ranchi and a Letter of
Intent had been issued by the
Ranchi’sDistrictMiningOfficeon
June16,2021.Thepetitionadded
that on September 9, the Soren
appliedforenvironmentalclear-
anceof thesaidmine,andthatby
September18,theclearancewas
given by the State Environment
Impact Assessment Authority.
SorenalsoholdstheDepartment
of Environment and Forests.
AdvocateGeneralRajivRanjan
said the state committed “a mis-
take”andtheleasehassincebeen
“surrendered”. FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
Congress leader and former Lok
Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as
‘MISREPRESENTED’ EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
IIM director moves HC against govt notice
RITIKA CHOPRA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
IIM ROHTAK Director Dheeraj
Sharma, accused of having mis-
represented his educational
qualifications, has moved the
Punjab and Haryana High Court
against the Union Education
Ministry’s show-cause notice
over his illegal appointment.
AsfirstreportedbyTheIndian
Express, the Education Ministry
hadissued Sharmathenoticeon
March 28. He was given two
weekstoexplainwhythegovern-
ment should not act against him
forabusinghisposition,“conceal-
ing” his Bachelor’s degree, and
bringingdisreputetoanInstitute
and theframeworkhastobede-
veloped.”
Asked whether he discussed
IIM Rohtak
Director
Dheeraj
Sharma
of National Importance.
Sharma petitioned the High
Court this week to quash the no-
tice on the ground that the gov-
ernment “lacks the jurisdiction”
to do so as the institute’s Board
of Governors is the appointing
authority.
The court held the first hear-
ingin thematter Fridayinwhich
it did not stay the show-cause
notice. Instead, it ordered that
Sharma’s petition be placed be-
also attacked the Centre over
price rise, social harmony and
unemployment.
forethesameBenchthatishear-
ing the legal challenge to his ap-
pointment in 2017.
Last month, the government,
after initially denying any irreg-
ularity,hadadmitted totheHigh
Court that Sharma was ap-
pointed head of Indian Institute
of Management Rohtak in 2017
despite securing a second divi-
sion at the undergraduate level.
A first-class Bachelor’s degree
was the prerequisite for the job.
The government told the court
that it is now “enquiring” into
the episode.
This admission, however,
came only after Sharma com-
pleted his five-year term. And
then he was appointed for a sec-
ondtermbytheinstitute’sBoard
formallyassuredPilotof achange
ofguardinRajasthanatleastayear
beforetheAssemblyelections.
of GovernorsonFebruary28 un-
der the IIM Act, despite the min-
istry representative’s objections.
Sharma wants the show-
cause to be set aside on the
ground that the Education
Ministry’s standonhis qualifica-
tions is opposite to what it said
in court last year. He claimed he
e-mailed his degrees to the gov-
ernment on March 31, 2016.
The plea claimed that “polit-
ical pressure from opposition as
well as media and general pub-
lic” was behind the shift in the
government stance. It says since
his first term is already over, the
show-cause is infructuous. But
thepetiondoesn’tstateanything
on how his second class degree
made him ineligible for the job.
Safety Authority, as envisaged by
the Dam Safety Act, 2021, be-
comes fully functional
The Bench hoped that the
NDSAwouldbebroughtinwith-
out delay.
“Forthepurposeof strength-
ening the existing Supervisory
Committee,wealsoaccedetothe
suggestions given by the party-
Statesthattwotechnicalexperts
be made part of the existing
Supervisory Committee, one
eachfromtheStateof Keralaand
StateofTamilNadu,whomustbe
well-versed in dam manage-
ment,reservoiroperation,instru-
mentation, etc,” the court said. It
asked the states to nominate
their respective technical expert
within two weeks.
The “reconstituted
Supervisory Committee will de-
cide all outstanding matters re-
lated to Mullaperiyar Dam’s
safety and conduct a safety re-
view afresh,” the court said,
adding that “for this purpose, it
may frame terms of reference in
accordance with the provisions
of the 2021 Act.”
apart necessary funds or provid-
ing logistical assistance) is taken
to its logical end without any ex-
ception”.
The SC had constituted the
Supervisory Committee in 2014.
It comprised three members — a
representative from the Central
Water Commission and a repre-
sentativeeachfromthetwostates.
In its order Friday, the court
said that “after coming into force
of the 2021 Act, a statutory dis-
pensation needs to be put in
place.” “We express a sanguine
hopethatthecompetentauthor-
ity may take appropriate steps to
ensurethattheregularNDSAun-
der the 2021 Act is established at
theearliest,asitcannotbrookde-
lay,” it said.
The court hadearlierpermit-
ted the water level in the 126-
year-old reservoir to be kept at
142 feet. Kerala, however, has
beenperiodicallyraisingconcerns
about the safety of the structure
and the height of the water col-
umn.Ithasurgedthecourttode-
commissionthedamandallowit
to construct a new one.

Past a drawback, Supriyo tries to recast himself in new light JAGANNATH TEMPLE PROJECT

HC seeks state govt, ASI

ATRI MITRA &
SANTANU CHOWDHURY
KOLKATA, APRIL 8
FOR TRINAMOOL Congress
(TMC) leader Babul Supriyo,
more than his political rivals, his
past in the BJP is being talked
about as a hurdle in his attempt
to get elected from the
Ballygunge Assembly con-
stituency,whereaby-pollwillbe
held on April 12.
Supriyo was MP from
Asansol when communal vio-
lence broke out in the city in
Paschim Bardhaman district
duringRamNavamicelebrations
in 2018. A local Imam’s son was
among those killed in the vio-
lence.
This is a potential pitfall for
theTMCcandidateinBallygunge
where more than 30 per cent of
Babul Supriyo campaigns in Ballygunge. File
the electorate is Muslim.Among
the neighbourhoods in this
south Kolkata constituency is
Park Circus where protests
against the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) and the
proposed National Register of
Citizens (NRC) took place in late
2019 and early 2020 on the lines
of the Shaheen Bagh protest in
New Delhi. At the time, Supriyo
had said, “NRC and CAA both
should be implemented in West
Bengal because Bangladeshis
should not be allowed to enter
the state.”
With the Opposition, among
others, reminding Supriyo of
such comments, the TMC leader
is on a drive to reach out to
Muslims and dissociate himself
from his time in the BJP. He is at-
tending iftar parties along with
Kolkata Mayor and state minis-
ter Firhad Hakim.
“Afakecommunalstampwas
imposedovermyimage,”Supriyo
told reporters on Thursday at an
iftar party. “But it is not true.
Earlier, I could only meet 70 per
cent of the population, now I am
freetomeetthe100percent.Iam
among the few singers who per-
formed shows in Pakistan.”
The former Union minister’s
candidature, however, has not
gone down well with several
people, including a section of his
party. A TMC leader expressed
doubts about Supriyo’s ability to
get the minority community’s
votes. The former Ballygunge
MLA was senior minister
Subrata Mukherjee, who died
last November, the party func-
tionary pointed out.
“Subrata Mukherjee was a
popular face in Bengal politics
whowasanold-schoolCongress
leader with a secular image. But,
Babul Supriyo has a BJP and
communalbackgroundwhich is
damaging his and TMC’s image
in this by-poll,” said the TMC
leader.
ButKolkataMayorandsenior
TMC leader Firhad Hakim dis-
missed such concerns. “West
Bengal has a secular tradition
maintained by both Hindus and
Muslims.Thatwillbemaintained
in this by-poll too. Here, people
will not vote for Babul Supriyo.
They will vote for Mamata
Banerjeetomakehermorepow-
erful in national politics.”
At a party event on Thursday,
partygeneralsecretaryAbhishek
BanerjeealsobackedSupriyo,say-
inghehadjoined“JaiBangla”pol-
itics after quitting “Jai Sri Ram”.
Earlierthisweek,Supriyode-
fendedhimself againsttheaccu-
sations of communalism saying
he had to toe the BJP’s “commu-
nal line” when he was in the
party and was forced to support
BJP leaders’ “hate speeches”.
In the election, Supriyo is up
againsttheBJP’sKeyaGhoshand
the CPI(M)’s Saira Shah Halim,
who is the niece of actor
Naseeruddin Shah and the
daughter-in-law of former West
Bengal Speaker Hashim Abdul
Halim. FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
response on ‘violations’
AISHWARYA MOHANTY
BHUBANESWAR, APRIL 8
THEORISSAHighCourtonFriday
soughtresponsebyApril17from
the state government and the
Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI) with respect to violations,
if any, in the ongoing construc-
tion activity on the Jagannath
Templecomplex,whilehearinga
PIL filed by a Puri resident.
A single-judge bench of R K
Patnaik observed that the peti-
tioner had raised apprehensions
that the construction “could be
in violation of Ancient
Monument and Archaeological
Sites and Remains Act-1958 and
it may pose a threat to the struc-
ture of the ancient temple”.
ThecourthasdirectedtheASI
and the state government to file
an affidavit in court by April 17.
The order further said that the
ASI can also undertake a joint in-
spection of the construction
work after intimating the tem-
ple authorities in advance.
Thenexthearingisscheduled
for April 21.
The matter was recently
raised in the Lok Sabha by
Bhubaneswar BJP MP Aparajita
Sarangi, who had alleged that
“thestategovernmentcontinued
with its constructionwork in the
prohibitedareaof thetemplede-
spite ASI's letter to stop work”.
FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com

New Delhi
 7 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
BRIEFLY
JAMMU & KASHMIR
Courtordersprobe
intocustodialdeath
Jammu: Kishtwar Principal
SessionsJudgeYPKotwalhas
orderedajudicialinquiryinto
the death of an undertrial in
police custody at Chatroo.
Pointing out that the power
toconductinquiryintoacus-
todial death has been taken
away from the Executive
Magistrate with effect from
June 23, 2006, following the
additionof Section176(1-A)
in the Criminal Procedure
Code, he directed the Chief
Judicial Magistrate to con-
duct inquiry into the matter,
preferably in two weeks.
Abdul Latief of Chatroo had
died in police custody on
March 6. ENS
GOA
Threeministersto
beswornintoday
Panaji:Threemoreministers
willbeswornintoGoaChief
Minister Pramod Sawant’s
CabinetonSaturday.Sawant
and eight ministers were
sworn in on March 28.
Speculationisrifethatsenior
MaharashtrawadiGomantak
Party legislator Ramkrishna,
aliasSudinDhavalikar,orhis
party colleague Jit Arolkar
may be given ministership
along with one of the three
IndependentMLAswhosup-
ported the BJP to form the
government. ENS
UTTAR PRADESH
LegislativeCouncil
electiontoday
Lucknow: Following a re-
soundingvictoryintheUttar
PradeshAssemblyelections,
the BJP has set its eye on be-
coming the single-largest
party in the state Legislative
Councilaswellbywinninga
majority of the 36 Upper
Houseseatsgoingtothepolls
on Saturday. These seats are
spread across 35 local au-
thorities’constituencies.The
biennial poll was earlier
planned on two dates. PTI
HC orders CBI
probe into TMC
leader’s murder
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, APRIL 8
THE CALCUTTA High Court
Friday handed over the probe
intothemurderof TMC'sdeputy
gram pradhan Bhadu Sheikh,
whichallegedlyledtoretaliatory
violence and the killings of at
leastninepeopleinBirbhumdis-
trict last month, to the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Noting that the two incidents
— the murder of TMC leader
SheikhandtheBirbhumviolence
— are interlinked, the court di-
rected the West Bengal govern-
ment-appointed Special
Investigation Team (SIT) to hand
overallrecordsofitsinvestigation
andtheaccusedtheyhadarrested
in this connection to the CBI.
“The CBI is directed to inves-
tigate the murder case of Bhadu
Sheikh along with the investiga-
tionintothecaseof Bogtuihouse
burning and murders. The CBI is
directed to file a further report
ontheinvestigationintoboththe
caseson the next date of hearing
(on May 2),” ordered a division
bench comprising Chief Justice
Prakash Shrivastava and Justice
Rajarshi Bharadwaj.
“Ithasbeensubmittedthatin
order to have a complete investi-
gation and to unearth the truth
behindtheincidentof burningof
eightpersonsalive,theinvestiga-
tion into the Bhadu Sheikh mur-
der case should also be done by
the CBI, as both the incidents are
interconnected and the investi-
gating agency (SIT) in the Bhadu
Sheikh murder case is trying to
cover up the issue, which will af-
fect the investigation by the CBI.
Learned counsel for the CBI has
submittedthattheagencyhasno
objection in conducting the in-
vestigationintotheBhaduSheikh
murder case while adding that
this prayer should have been
madeearlier,”observedthecourt.
Meanwhile, the four persons
— Bappa Sheikh, alias, Sal
Mohamad, Sabu Sheikh, alias,
Sadril Sheikh, Taj Mohammad,
alias, Chand, and Serajul Sheikh,
alias,Poltu—arrestedinMumbai
in connection with the Birbhum
killings were brought back to
Kolkata on Friday morning.
OPERATIONS AGAINST MAOISTS IN CHHATTISGARH
Centre urges SC for perjury charges against
petitioner over ‘extra-judicial killings’ claim
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
The Centre has approached the
Supreme Court, seeking perjury
charges against a PIL petitioner
who had moved the top court
accusing security forces of com-
mitting extra-judicial killings
during operations against
Maoists in Chhattisgarh's
Dantewada in 2009.
The Centre contended that
the nature of the reliefs sought
for in thepleafiled by Himanshu
Kumarandthekinof someof the
alleged victims, were aimed at
A health official administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a student in Murshidabad, Friday. PTI
Centre alerts 5 states with higher
daily Covid cases, positivity rate
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
TAKING NOTE of the compara-
tivelyhigherdailyCovidcasesand
positivity rate, the Centre on
Friday directed Kerala, Mizoram,
Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana
tocontinuemonitoringthespread
oftheinfectionandundertakethe
requiredstepsforpromptandef-
fective management.
Union Health Secretary
RajeshBhushansaid,“Asustained
and significant decline in the
number of Covid-19 cases has
been observed in India over the
pasttwomonths,withthecoun-
tryreportinglessthan1,000daily
new cases for the past few days.
Theweeklypositivityratehasre-
mained below 1%. However,
some states are contributing
more cases than the other.”
Bhushan specifically high-
lighted that Kerala has reported
J&K targeted killings: NIA files chargesheet against 25
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THE NATIONAL Investigation
Agency (NIA) has told a Delhi
court that they have unraveled a
clear strategy of terrorist organ-
isations carrying out targeted
killings of minorities, civilians
and unguarded security person-
nel in Jammu and Kahsmir.
Theagencyfiledachargesheet
Odisha journalist in custody chained STRIPPED IN MP POLICE STATION
to hospital bed, two cops transferred Rights body seeks report; beaten
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BHUBANESWAR, APRIL 8
TWO POLICEMEN were trans-
ferred on Friday as the police in
Odisha'sBalasoredistrictsaidthey
areprobingintotheallegedfetter-
ingofajournalisttoahospitalbed
following his arrest.
Inimagesthathavegoneviral
on social media, Loknath Dalei, a
journalist with an Odia newspa-
per, is seen lying on the hospital
floorwithhislegcuffedtothebed.
Dalei said he was arrested on
Wednesday after his vehicle col-
lidedwithahomeguard'sandled
to an altercation. He said he later
wenttotheNilagiripolicestation
wherehewasallegedlybeatenup
by policemen.
Dalei said he had fallen un-
consciouswhilebeingbeatenup
and woke up at the Balasore
DistrictHealthHeadquartersonly
to find his leg tied to a bed. “(At
the hospital) there were around
three policemen to keep a watch
on me. They made me lie down
on the floor and chained my leg
tothebedfrom7amto12noon,”
Dalei alleged, adding hewilltake
“haltingtheoperationsof these-
curity forces and secure legal
protection to the Left-wing ex-
tremists by creating a narrative
of victimisation”.
Hearing the 2009 petition,
the SC had on February 15, 2010,
asked a Delhi district judge to
record the statements of the pe-
titioners.
The Centre said it had got the
copies of the statements of the
petitioners after a court order in
March 2022 and “found shock-
ing aberrations and fabrications
in them”.
“...all the averments made by
the petitioner in the petition
2,321 new cases last week, ac-
counting for 31.8 % of India's new
cases. “The state has also seen an
increase in the positivity rate in
thelastweekfrom13.4%to15.5%,”
BhushanwrotetoKerala.“Regular
monitoring and follow-up action
in emerging areas of concern is
crucial,” he wrote to the states.
Similarly, he told Mizoram
that the state has reported 814
new cases last week, which is
11.16% of India's new cases for
the same period. “The state's
positivity rate also went up from
14.3% to 16.4%,” he wrote.
Bhushanalsored-flaggedthe
freshcasesandhigherthanaver-
agepositivityrateinMaharashtra,
Delhi and Haryana. It has also
specifically directed the states to
monitor of Influenza-Like Illness
(ILI) and severe acute respiratory
illness(SARI)casesinallhealthfa-
cilities on a regular basis “for de-
tecting early warning signals of
the spread of the infection”.
inthePatialaHouseCourtagainst
25 accused persons in a terror
conspiracy case under sections
120Band121AoftheIPC,andsec-
tions 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the
UAPA.Theaccusedwerearrested
followingthekillingofciviliansin
October last year in J&K.
The NIA said Pakistan-based
outfits floated “pseudo offshoot
outfits portrayed as indigenous
resistance groups”, such as
People Against Fascist Forces
Journalist Loknath Dalei at the hospital. Express
up the matter with the National
Human Rights Commission.
Taking suo motu cognisance of
the incident, the Odisha Human
Rights Commission (OHRC) has
soughtareportfromIGP,Eastern
Range, Narasingha Bhol, within
15days.Ithasalsosoughtareport
from the Chief District Medical
Officer and the Public Health
Officer in Balasore.
TheIGPtoldTheIndianExpress
theinspector-in-chargeofNilagiri
PoliceStation,DroupadiDas,and
SubarnaBehera,theinvestigation
officer in the case against Dalei,
have been transferred to the
Balasoredistrictpoliceheadquar-
were ex-facie false and fabri-
cated with a malicious and au-
dacious attempt to mislead the
court and to obtain orders from
this Hon’ble Court by playing
fraudonconscienceandmagna-
nimity,” said the plea.
The Centre’s application also
said “it has become clear that
this false narrative of a massacre
of innocent tribals by security
forces was created to somehow
achieve immediate cessation of
advancement of the security
forces against the cornered
armedLeft-wingextremists.The
said object was sought to be
achieved, and was in fact
Teams to scrutinise
relief claims in 4 states
TheCentrehasrushedthree-
member teams to Maharashtra,
Kerala, Gujarat and Andhra
Pradesh to scrutinise at random
5% of the claims filed for Rs
50,000ex-gratiarelief forCovid-
19deathsasperthedirectionsof
theSupremeCourt.Thenumber
of claims in the states has been
recorded more than the official
Covidtollfigures.InMaharashtra,
1.41-lakh Covid deaths were
recorded and 2.13 lakh claims
werereceived.Gujarat,whichre-
ported 10,094 deaths, received
89,633 applications. States like
HaryanaandPunjab,ontheother
hand,receivedfewerclaimsthan
the official toll figures.
The teams deployed by the
Centre will examine the imple-
mentationof theschemeandthe
process being followed for pay-
ment of the ex-gratia amount.
(PAFF), United Liberation Front
J&K (ULF J&K), Muslim Janbaaz
Force (MJF), Kashmir Janbaaz
Force (KJF), Kashmir Tigers,
among others.
The NIA alleged that there
was a new form of “hybrid ter-
rorists who came from all walks
of life and could use their cover
toremainrootedinsocietywhile
simultaneously following in-
structions of their handlers”.
“The investigation estab-
ters. He said the incident will be
probe by a police officer of the
rank of deputy superintendent.
Followingthealtercationwith
the home guard, Dalei has been
booked under IPC Sections 341
(wrongful restraint), 323 (volun-
tarily causing hurt), 294 (utters
obscene song, ballad or words),
506 (criminal intimidation), 353
(assault or criminal force to deter
public servant from discharge of
duty), 186 (voluntarily obstructs
public servant in the discharge of
publicfunctions),189(threatofin-
jury to public servant) and 332
(voluntarily causes hurt to public
servant in the discharge of duty).
achieved by the petitioner, by
misleading the Hon’ble Court
and by seeking adverse orders
against security forces by por-
traying false facts/picture before
the court”.
The plea also urged the SC to
order a probe by the CBI or the
NIA or any other central agency
“to identify the individuals/or-
ganisations who have been con-
spiring, abetting and facilitating
filing of petitions premised on
false and fabricated evidence to
screen off the Left-wing militia
from being brought to justice by
creating a false narrative of vic-
timisation.”
25 students of
Gujarat varsity
test positive
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 8
AS MANY as 25 students of the
Gujarat National Law University
(GNLU) Gandhinagar tested
Covid-19 positive on Friday with
the Gandhinagar Municipal
Corporation(GMC)declaringthe
campus a containment zone.
Atotalof 33casesamongstu-
dents have been reported from
GNLU since Thursday.
AspertheFridayCovid-19bul-
letin, a total of 20 cases were re-
ported across the state, of which
15werefromtheGMCarea,while
theThursdaybulletinshowedone
positivecaseintheGMCjurisdic-
tion. GMC Commissioner Dr
DhavalkumarPateltoldTheIndian
Expressthatthreehadtestedpos-
itiveonThursdayevening."Three
of GMC medical teams went to
the campus today morning and
conducted167rapidantigentests,
in which 25 were tested positive.
Five others had approached pri-
vate laboratories where they
tested positive. So, there are 33
cases (since Thursday). Some of
the close contacts (of the initial
threecases)aresymptomatic.The
threemedicalteamswillcontinue
testing tomorrow. All have been
isolated in hostel," said Dr Patel.
GNLUhadcommencedphys-
ical classes from April 4 and had
freshers' week planned for the
weektowelcometwobatches—
those who were admitted in
2020 and 2021 -- which had to
be cut short on April 7 after the
first case came to light.
GNLU Registrar incharge, Dr
Jagdish Chandra T. G. said "we
suspended the ongoing celebra-
tion of Freshers' Week. We have
also suspended offline classes."
lished thatallthese pseudo-out-
fits are in fact offshoots/rechris-
tenedversionsof proscribedter-
rorist organisations based in
Pakistan and have been floated
under a deep-rooted conspiracy
to spread terrorism in J&K as
home-growninsurgency.Awell-
organised propaganda machin-
ery is active on the cyberspace,
wherein concocted and skewed
narrative is presented to radi-
calise the youth,” the NIA said.
up by police, alleges one victim
IRAM SIDDIQUE
BHOPAL, APRIL 8
A DAY after a photograph
emergedonsocialmediaof eight
menbeingmadetostandonlyin
their underwear inside a
Madhya Pradesh police station,
the State Human Rights
Commission has sought a report
from the Director General of
Police and the Inspector General
of the Rewa range.
One of these men alleged
Saturday that they were as-
saulted at the police station in
Sidhi district. They had been de-
tained for protesting the arrest
of a theater artiste, Neeraj
Kunder, in connection with a
defamation case filed by BJP
MLA Kedarnath Shukla.
Among these detained men
was a freelance journalist and
YouTuber, Kanishk Tiwari, and
the artiste’s younger brother,
Shiv Narayan Kunder.
After the photograph was
shared widely on social media,
Town Inspector Manoj Soni and
AakarPatelcan’tleave
countrywithoutour
permission:CBIcourt
ANAND MOHAN J
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
A CBI court on Friday directed
former Amnesty International
India chief Aakar Patel to not
leave the country without its
permissionwhilestayingaDelhi
court's order asking the CBI di-
rector to issue a written apology
to Patel for the Look Out Circular
(LOC) issued by the agency that
prevented him from leaving for
the US two days ago.
ThestaywasissuedbySpecial
Judge Santosh Snehi Mann, a day
after the Additional Chief
MetropolitanMagistrate(ACMM)
asked the CBI to withdraw the
LOC issued in connection with a
case registered against Amnesty
InternationalIndiain 2019 under
the Foreign Contribution
(Regulation)Act.Atthetime,Patel
headed the organisation.
Taking to Twitter on Friday,
Patel said that he “will continue
to stand for my rights” and that
“there is absolutely no doubt”
that he “will win this”.
Patelwassupposedtoattend
an event titled 'Using sarcasm to
mobilise dissent in a nation
where facts don't matter' at
Universityof Michigantokickoff
a series of lectures and interac-
tions across the US. He tweeted
on Friday that he will attend the
Michigan event online.
On Thursday, ACMM Pawan
Kumar had asked the CBI direc-
tor to issue a written apology to
Patel for issuing the LOC in order
to “uphold public trust in the
agency” and “heal his wounds”.
Produce more kids,
else India will be
‘Hindu-less’: Yati
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
MATHURA, APRIL 8
CONTROVERSIAL SEER Yati
Narsinghanand, who is out on
bail in the Haridwar hate speech
case, has urged Hindus to pro-
ducemorechildrentopreventthe
country from becoming “Hindu-
less” in the coming decades.
“Mathematical calculations
state that a non-Hindu will be-
come the PM in 2029,” the head
priestof Ghaziabad'sDasnatem-
ple claimed to mediapersons in
GovardhanonThursdaywithout
elaborating on how he arrivedat
the date. “If once, a non-Hindu
becomes the PM, then in 20
years,thiscountrywillbecomea
'Hindu-viheen' (Hindu-less) na-
tion,” he added.
He said “in order to awaken
Hindutva”, a Dharma Sansad
would be held in Mathura-
Govardhan region from August
12 to August 14. Narsinghanand
was arrested and later released
a sub-inspector were sent to the
police lines and suspended.
The chairman of the state
rights body, Narendra Kumar
Jain, taking cognisance of a
memorandum from a journalist
association and media reports,
askedDGPSudhirKumarSaxena
and IG (Rewa) Venkateshwar
Rao to submit a report.
The chain of events had
started when the MLA, Shukla,
along with his son, Guru Dutt,
filedacomplaintinJanuarywith
the police station alleging that a
fake ID had been posting
“defamatory” content about
him. The police arrested Neeraj,
36, in this case on April 2.
Soon after, a group of 40 peo-
ple including Shiv Narayan and
Tiwariprotestedandraisedanti-
BJP slogans. Speaking to The
Indian Express, Shiv Narayan
said: “The police got a call and
thensuddenlytheyreturnedand
began lathi charge on us. Then
they dragged us inside and
Kanishk Tiwari and I were bru-
tally beaten up. Then, all of us
were stripped half naked.”
New Delhi
Aakar Patel
was stopped
twice at the
Bengaluru
airport
The judge had ruled that
therewasaninherentcontradic-
tion in the CBI’s position -- while
the agency claimed the LOC was
issued as Patel was a “flightrisk”,
it did not arrest him while inves-
tigating the case or when the
chargesheet was filed.
On Friday, the CBI moved a
revision petition before the spe-
cial court, submitting that their
right to issue a LOC was erro-
neously quashed and that the
ACMM passed remarks against
the agency's functioning, which
mustbequashedastheobserva-
tions were not made on merits.
Staying the part of the order
that asked the CBI director to is-
sue a written apology, Special
Judge Mann told Patel's lawyer,
Tanveer Ahmed Mir: “Ensure
that your client does not do any
misadventure. He is not going to
leave.” The court made the ob-
servations after the CBI submit-
ted that Patel tried to leave the
country on Thursday night,
which was not disputed by Mir
whosubmittedthatthe LOChad
been quashed by the ACMM.
AppearingfortheCBI,Special
Public Prosecutor Nikhil Goel
told the court that the ACMM
“seems to suggest that if you are
not arrested in an investigation,
anLOCasamatterof rulecannot
be issued”.He toldthe court that
Yati Narsinghanand
on bail after he allegedly organ-
ised a Dharma Sansad in
Haridwar from December 17-19
last year, where “provocative
speeches” were made against
Muslims.
He also took part in a 'Hindu
Mahapanchayat' at Burari
ground in Delhi last Sunday and
remarked that “50 per cent of
Hindus will convert” in 20 years
if a Muslim became the PM and
hadalsoexhortedHindustotake
up arms to fight for their exis-
tence.
Shiv Narayan also said that
after being put in the lock-up
with the group another police
man in plain clothes identified
him as Neeraj’s brother. “I was
taken to a different lock up and
once again beaten up. All this
while, Tiwari was beaten up in
another lock up,” he added.
Shiv Narayan also alleged
that as the police were beating
them up, they repeatedly asked
themif theywouldstillcontinue
to write against the BJP MLA
Kedarnath Shukla.
Sidhi Superintendent of
Police Mukesh Shrivastav and IG
Rao did not respond to multiple
callsandmessagesforcomment.
Sunil Bhurtiya, who was also
part of the protest but escaped
withoutgettingdetained,alleged
that he was beaten up by the
MLA’s men — he said many of
themareBJPdistrictoffice-bear-
ers. He said police refused to ac-
cepthiscomplaintagainstthem.
Meanwhile, Neeraj, after be-
ing arrested on April 2, was pro-
duced before a court and sent to
four days of judicial custody.
itwouldbeviolativeof aperson's
fundamentalrightsif theagency
hastoarrestsomebodyfirsttois-
sue a LOC. The court will hear
further arguments on this revi-
sion petition on April 12.
Earlier on Friday, Mir moved
a contempt petition against the
CBI before Additional Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate
Dharmender Kumar seeking ac-
tionagainsttheCBIinvestigating
officer for contempt of the order
quashing the LOC.
Patel was first stopped from
leaving for the US from
Bengaluru international airport
on Wednesday. His lawyers sub-
mitted that apart from a loss of
Rs3.8lakh,Patelsufferedfurther
loss of Rs 6 lakh. The ACMM will
hear this matter on April 13.
Patel'sapplicationhadstated
that his lawyer had apprised
Investigating Officer Himanshu
Bahuguna, who was present in
court, that Patelintended totake
a 12.30 am flight for a scheduled
lectureatUniversityof Michigan.
The application stated that the
ACMM had verbally told the CBI
to extend full cooperation.
The application stated that
despitetheorder,theIOswitched
off his mobile phone. It stated
thattheIO'sact“speaksvolumes
about the respondent agency in
bulldozing the valuable funda-
mental rights of the applicant”.
Theapplicationstatedthatthe
CBI “intented to harass the appli-
cantandsuffocatehisfundamen-
talrights”.“Theconductofthere-
spondent agency indicates that
theinvestigatingagencydoesnot
believe in law,” the plea stated.
Week after ‘rape’
threat, mahant
booked in UP
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, APRIL 7
AROUND A week after his hate
speech in UP’s Sitapur district,
the manager of a matt, Mahant
Bajrang Muni, was booked on
Friday after his videos went viral
on the social media.
In the videos, Muni is heard
threatening to rape women of
another community if a single
Hindu woman is harassed. “I am
telling you with love. If you ha-
rassasingleHindugirl,thenIwill
openlyrapeyourdaughtersafter
picking them up from your
houses,”heisheardsayinginone
of the purported videos on April
2inSitapur’sKhairabadtown.He
is seen surrounded by a crowd,
including policemen, while he
says this sitting inside a car.
However, on Friday evening,
Muni issued an apology, saying:
"Toallmothersandsisters,Iwould
like to apologise. If my video,
which is viral, has hurt them,
please forgive me for it. All sisters
and mothers are worth worship-
ing for me. I respect all women."
Earlier during the day, he had
saidthevideowasbeingdistorted
andshownoutofcontext.“When
you see the entire video, you will
see the truth... See, this is
Khairabad. Eightypercentpopu-
lationhereisMuslim,while20per
centareHindus.Idon’tneedtotell
you how 20 per cent Hindus live
here. You know the situation in
Kashmir and Mewat. Two of our
saints have been murdered here
in the past. And I have been at-
tacked nine times and today, too,
I am disabled. There is a Sheesha
waali masjid. That day (April 2),
we had a Kalash Yatra, and these
people were climbing their ter-
race with stones and sticks and
wantedtorepeataKarauli-likein-
cident. But I would like to thank
the administration, government
and police that because of their
alertness, no such incident hap-
pened. When the administration
stopped such an incident, they
startedabusing.Wesaidif youdo
so, the power to tolerate will fin-
ish,andthatif youcommitatroc-
ities against our daughters, then
your daughters won’t be safe.”
After the videos had gone vi-
ral, the police took cognisance of
his speech and on Friday lodged
a case against him.
SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress,
CircleOfficer(City)PiyushKumar
SinghsaidacaseagainstMunihad
beenlodgedattheKhairabadpo-
lice station after a complaint was
received from a local resident.
8 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL S.M.S. MEDICAL COLLEGE & Purvanchal Vidyut

CONTROLLER OF THE ATTACHED HOSPITALS, JAIPUR Vitaran Nigam Limited
No. 02-05/F/MC/Store/2022-23 Dated:- 1.04.2022 Vidyut Nagar, P.O.- DLW,
OPEN TENDER NOTICE No. 1/2022-23 Varanasi-221004
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WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 9
IN THE HONOURABLE COURT OF THE
PRINCIPAL JUNIOR CIVIL JUDGE,
VIZIANAGARAM, Andhra Pradesh.
O.S.88/2020
Between
1) Gollapalli Sridevi w/o G.Venkata
Ramanamurthy, Flat No. 104, Sripada Nilayam
Apartments, Kirlampudi Layout, Visakhapatnam
Town & District. Phone: 9908760760.
2) Gollapalli Venkata Ramanamurthy S/o
Satyanarayana Naidu, Flat No.104, Sripada
Nilayam Apartments, Kirlampudi Layout,
Visakhapatnam Town & District. Phone:
9908760760.
.....Plaintiffs.
And
M/S Nav Prayas, S-606/607, School Block,
Shakapur, Delhi. Pin-110092, represented by
Amrik Singh S/o Late Sardar Jarnail Singh,
resident of S-606/607, School Block, Shakapur,
Delhi. Pin-110092. Aadhar No. 302436049973,
Phone: 9876390252, 7009743168. email:
navprayasrail@gmail.com
.....Defendant.
Please take notice that, the plaintiffs filed the
above suit seeking eviction against the defendant
from the plaint schedule property and for the
recovery of amount. The above suit is stand
posted to Dt. 06-05-2022. The defendant is
directed to appear before the Honourable Court
either in person or through Advocate at 10:30am
on that day. As otherwise, matter will be taken up
in your absence.
By order of the Court
Shaik Rahim M.A.M.A.,M.L.,
Advocate, 

Abad Street, Vizianagaram,
Andhra Pradesh
Ph: 9440540386
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New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

10
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

WORDLY WISE
Inflation is taxation without legislation.
— MILTON FRIEDMAN

FOUNDED BY
Starting to pinch
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
RBI has started an explicit monetary policy
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
normalisation. Inflation control has emerged as priority

INFLATION SPECTRE Saugata Bhattacharya

RBI signals a shift away from accommodative policies, THE MONETARY POLICY Committee (MPC) across the board — gas, metals, minerals, ing sector asset stress, and so on. An impor-
gave a surprise, with a formal start to policy commodities, food, gold, etc. This is likely to tant objective for the RBI is the management
suggests a tightening of policy

I
normalisation. This was contrary to the pre-
N ITS FIRST meeting of the new financial year, the monetary policy committee dominantmarketexpectationsof a hold.The
(MPC) of the RBI chose to keep the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent, RBI reinforced the de facto normalisation,
which had already started in November
while retaining its accomodative stance. However, there was a distinct shift in the
2021.TheLiquidityAdjustmentFacility(LAF)
tone of the policy. The central bank was more cautious in its assessment, with in- corridor was narrowed back to the conven-
flationary concerns dominating. Considering recent developments, this was to be ex- tional0.25percentagepointsfromtheearlier
pected. Moreover, the explicit normalisation of the effective policy corridor to pre-pan- extraordinary pandemic widening in late
demic levels indicates a gradual but steady withdrawal of the extremely accommodative March 2020. But with a twist. The cap of the
policies that the RBI had embarked upon in the early days of the pandemic. erstwhile corridor was the repo rate and the
floor was the reverse repo. Now, while the
Since the MPC's last meeting in February, much has changed. While the third wave of
repo ratewas held at 4.0 per cent and the lat-
the pandemic did recede without significant economic dislocation, the conflict between ter at 3.35 per cent, the floor of the corridor
Ukraine and Russia, which began in the weeks thereafter, has muddied the country's was increased by 0.4 percentage points from
macroeconomic outlook. The sharp rise in commodity prices, crude oil in particular, has 3.35 per cent. The de facto operative floor is
grave implications for India, which imports around 80 per cent of its oil requirements. Its now the rate of the new Standing Deposit
effect is visible in the central bank's assessment of the inflation trajectory and its growth Facility (SDF) at 3.75 per cent.
There was also a change in the monetary
outlook. The RBI has sharply raised its forecast for inflation to 5.7 per cent for 2022-23
policy orientation, of which the stance is one
from its earlier assessment of 4.5 per cent, which was made in the February policy. The component.Thepriorityformonetarypolicy
forecast, which now assumes crude oil to average $100 per barrel, expects inflation at 6.3 nowisinflation,growthandfinancialstability,
per cent in the first quarter, and 5.8 per cent in the second quarter. However, considering in that order. This is a reversal of the earlier
thatinflationislikelytoaveragemarginallyabove6percentinthefourthquarterof 2021- priority. This has entailed a change in guid-
22, the subsequent daily increase in petrol and diesel prices poses upside risks to these ance on the policy stance as well. While the
MPC voted unanimously to remain accom-
projections, increasing the likelihood of inflation breaching the upper threshold of the
modative, in a change of language, the focus
MPC'sinflationtargetingframeworkforthreeconsecutivequarters.Thiswillfurtherrestrict
would now be on “withdrawal of accommo-
the policy room to manouvere. On the growth front, the central bank has now lowered its dation to ensure that (CPI) inflation remains
forecast for this year to 7.2 per cent, down from its earlier assessment of 7.8 per cent. The within the target (of 4 per cent +/- 2 per cent)
quarter-wise breakup of this projection shows that the RBI now expects growth to aver- going forward”. Remember, the RBI had be-
age11.2percentinthefirsthalfof theyear,benefitingfromthebaseeffect,butslowingdown come a (flexible) inflation-targeting central
thereafter to just above 4 per cent — in line with its pre-pandemic growth trajectory. bank since FY17, whose primary objective is
price stability, that is, inflation management.
The policy statement suggests that the MPC is on the path to change in its stance from
These measures are still mostly normal-
accomodative to neutral, probably in its next meeting in June. This is likely to be followed ising policy from the extraordinarily accom-
by multipe hikes in the benchmark repo rate through the course of the year. The pace of modative crisis measures back to pre-Covid
tightening will be determined by the trajectory of inflation. levels. Actual policy tightening will begin
with the first hike in the policy repo rate,
which we now think will start sooner than
our earlier expectation of around October
The likely reasoning for the
unexpected tightening is as
follows. Despite uncertainty
over growth impulses and
demand concentrated at the
upper-income level
households, inflation has
increasingly emerged as a big
concern. Unlike previous
episodes of high crude oil
prices, prices are now
elevated across the board —
gas, metals, minerals,
commodities, food, gold, etc.
This is likely to add to
sustained price pressures,
add to sustained price pressures, even after
a cessation of hostilities. The RBI revised its
FY23 CPI inflation forecast from 4.5 per cent
(with balanced risks) in early February to 5.7
per cent, with a caution that extreme volatil-
ityanduncertaintymakeforecastingfraught
with risk. Persisting high inflation increas-
inglysuggeststhatconsumerdemandmight
actually be stronger than earlier anticipated.
In addition, the RBI’s CPI inflation forecasts
for the first two quarters of FY23 are 6.3 per
cent and 5.8 per cent. Given that inflation is
likely to average 6.1 per cent in Q4 of FY22,
this increases the risk of inflation remaining
above the 6 per cent upper target for three
consecutivequarters,necessitatinganexpla-
nation to the government by the MPC. One
comforting aspect of this scenario is that
householdinflationexpectationsremainan-
chored, with the median of three months to
one year ahead expectations (as of March
'22)risingbyonly0.1percentagepointsfrom
the earlier January readings.
On demand conditions, the RBI scaled-
down the FY23 real GDP growth projection
to 7.2 per cent (from 7.8 per cent), indicating
thata combinationof continuingsupply dis-
locations,slowingglobaleconomyandtrade,
high prices and financial markets volatility
are likely to take a toll. Yet, there remains a
point of ambiguity. RBI surveys indicate that
manufacturing capacity utilisation (CU) was
72.4 per cent as of December 2021, up from
68 per cent in September. Despite the mild
restrictions in Q4 FY22, this is likely to have
gone up even further. Anecdotal evidence
supports a narrative of tight capacities in
many manufacturing sectors. One possible
reconciliation with modest GDP growth is
continuing weakness in services, which is
of money supply and system liquidity. In a
rising rate cycle, with a large borrowing pro-
gramme of the Centre and state govern-
ments, interest rates on sovereign bonds are
likely to increase without a measure of sup-
port from the RBI through Open Market
Operations (OMOs).This will entail injecting
more liquidity into an already large surplus,
which might add to inflationary pressures.
The introduction of the overnight Standing
DepositFacility(SDF)wasasignificantmeas-
ure in this context. Unlike the reverse repo
facility, this is an uncollateralised tool for ab-
sorbing surplus liquidity. The RBI will not
needtogivebanksgovernmentbondsascol-
lateral against the funds they deposit. This is
thus a more flexible instrument should a
shortage of government bonds in RBI hold-
ingsactuallytranspireundersomeeventual-
ity, say the need to absorb large capital in-
flows post a bond index inclusion.
What are the implications of monetary
policytightening?First,interestrateswillbe-
gin to increase but, for bank borrowers, this
is likely to be a very gradual process. For cor-
poratesandotherwholesaleborrowers,who
alsoborrowfrombondmarkets,thisincrease
is likely to befaster as the surplus system liq-
uidity is gradually drained. Interest rates on
bank credit will begin to rise faster once the
repo rate hikes begin, since around 40 per
cent of bank loans are now linked to exter-
nalbenchmarks(likethereporate).Howthis
is likely to affect demand for credit is uncer-
tain,giventhecapexpushof thegovernment,
somerevivalof privatesectorinvestmentand
likely continuing demand for housing.
What might be the sequence for contin-
uing tightening? Any exit strategy following
periods of extraordinary countercyclical re-

LOOK OUT, LOOK IN 2022. In the interim, policy actions will fo-
cus on the management of system liquidity,
whichiscurrentlyatan(uncomfortable)sur-
plus of Rs 8 lakh crore.
Stopping citizens from flying overseas just because you can The likely reasoning for the unexpected
smacks of bullying, not due process tightening is as follows. Despite uncertainty
even after a cessation of
hostilities. The RBI revised
its FY23 CPI inflation
forecast from 4.5 per cent
(with balanced risks) in early
also borne out by channel checks. Certainly,
continuing high inflation is likely to lead to
somedemanddestruction,which will act as,
in economist parlance, an automatic sta-
biliser. A relatively loose fiscal policy is likely
to offset some of this reduced demand, par-
sponses presents difficult choices for mon-
etary policy normalisation. This cycle will
present a particularly difficult mix of eco-
nomic and financial trade-offs, but RBI has
demonstrated the ability to innovatively use
the multiple instruments at its disposal to

W
over growth impulses and demand concen- February to 5.7 per cent, with ticularly with continuing subsidies to lower- ensure an orderly transition.
ITHIN THE SPAN of a week, look-out notices issued by law enforce- tratedattheupper-incomelevelhouseholds, income households.
ment agencies were used, or misused, to stop two citizens from leav- inflation has increasingly emerged as a big
a caution that extreme Thethirdpriorityisfinancialstability.This The writer is executive vice-president and
ing the country for speaking engagements abroad. Both individuals concern. Unlike previous episodes of high volatility and uncertainty has multiple dimensions – interest and for- chief economist, Axis Bank.
challenged the circular in court, and the courts stepped in to right crude oil prices, prices are now elevated make forecasting fraught. eign exchange rates, market volatility, bank- Views are personal
thewrong--theapparentlyillegalcrampingof thefundamentalrighttotravelabroadand
to exercise the freedom of speech and expression. Journalist Rana Ayyub was cleared to
travel abroad by Delhi High Court on Monday, subject to certain conditions, while for for-
mer chair of Amnesty International India Aakar Patel, stopped twice at Bengaluru air-
portfromtakingaflighttotheUS,thetheatreof thebizarregoeson.This,afteraDelhicourt
held on Thursday that the CBI must “immediately” drop the airport alert and hand over
a written apology to him given the “mental harassment” he suffered, and for upholding
“trust and confidence of the public in the premier institution”. The ostensible reason for
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MOSCOW
restrictingAyyubandPatelwereongoinginvestigationsbytheEDandCBIfortheiralleged When Rajiv and Gorbachev set up a joint Indo-Soviet group to reform their economies
violations of foreign funding rules. But for both, the wider message sent out is chilling.
Lookout notices are usually issued when a person accused of a cognisable offence is
deliberately evading arrest, is likely to leave India to avoid it, or in exceptional cases, when Yoginder K Alagh
an individual's departure is deemed detrimental to due process in the case. From avail-
able evidence, Patel and Ayyub have been cooperating with the investigating agencies. It IN 1985, WE were well into the domestic re- last thing we wanted was bilateral exchange only if you repatriate them.”
formprocess.Compulsorygovernmentalap- based trade. They told me I have no options. He ignored my advice. After the govern-
would take conspiracy theorising of a very high order indeed to see the participation of
proval of all kinds of investment and output Clenching my teeth, working on second best ment changed, he was persecuted by central
either in seminars abroad as a national security risk. Incidentally, look-out notices have activity was being abolished. Controls were options, I wrote to all the ministries. Check agencies for using his own money for a na-
proved spectacularly unsuccessful against powerful industrialists who actually fled India beingreplacedbytaxationandtariffs.There- your list of projects not sanctioned but is of tional cause. He had to undergo a cardiac op-
— be it Vijay Mallya or Nirav Modi. In the past, the courts have also set a high bar for re- moval of negative protection — the efficient priority to you, and where you think the eration.
stricting the individual's right to travel abroad. The Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi domestic producer suffering because his Soviets are doing well. If you are still inter- InMoscow,Kaulsaheb(TNKaul)wasthe
versus Union of India (1978), for instance, held that it is included in the right to personal “protected inputs” leading to cost disadvan- ested, send the detailed proposal to me. I got ambassador. My discussions went on fa-
tages made him uncompetitive in financial back a list which, three to four decades later, mously. In the return banquet, Kaul saheb
liberty:“Themereprescriptionof somekindof procedurecannotevenmeetthemandate
terms with his competitor abroad — was re- is still relevant. The newer variant of the agreed that we should invite all the men I
of Article 21. The procedure described by law has to be fair, just and reasonable, not fan- leasing the energies of efficient Indian firms. VVER reactor for producing nuclear power had met. These were technocrats, the man
ciful, oppressive or arbitrary”. TheBureauof IndustrialCosts&Prices(BICP) (the older version had failed in Chernobyl), who was completing the Siberian Railway,
The restrictions sought to be imposed on Patel and Ayyub speak of a disturbing pat- under me produced DRC industry level esti- rock blasting to get irrigation channels the man who led the teams to modernise
tern. That renowned anthropologist from the UK, Filippo Osella, was deported on arrival mates separately of such producers. Firms through mountains (from the Hirakud dam steel and machinery industries and so on.
at Thiruvananthapuram recently — the scholar on Kerala was to attend a conference on which were marginally uncompetitive were to the prosperous coastal plains in Orissa), The small lane in Moscow that housed
given notice to shape up in three years time. mining deep water underground water re- Ashoka Restaurant was full of cars with red
the state's coastal communities — was also part of it. Episodes such as these only make
Despite moving from controls to a reform serves (like the Luni deposit in Rajasthan, lights and sirens. The dinner was a great suc-
the government look like a bully. It would be deluded if it sees them as shows of strength. process, industrial growth rates were high. which is a river trapped 700 meters below) cess.Butintheyearstocome,Imetthesemen
Theprimeminister,RajivGandhi,wentto The small lane in Moscow and similar projects. in Delhi and Moscow. I could see them wilt-
Moscow. It was a friendly environment. that housed Ashoka Moscow, here I come. Satyen Pitroda, ing under the pressure. The Gorbachev

LET INDIA-PAK PLAY

Mikhail Gorbachev was attempting
Perestroika(economicreform)inadditionto
Glasnost(politicalliberalisation).Rajiv,atthe
spurof themoment,said:“MrFirstSecretary,
It is high time one of cricket's most colourful rivalries got its you are pushing reform and so are we. Why
don't we cooperate in this process.”
day on the field again
Restaurant was full of cars
with red lights and sirens.
The dinner was a great
success. But in the years to
come, I met these men in
who was a neighbour of my wife Raksha in
Vadodara, was chairman, C DOT. He had
given his name as Sam Pitroda. I asked him if
he would like to join. Even though we both
held the rank of minister of state in the gov-
ernment,IwastheIndianChairof thisgroup.
regime had not worked out the details.
Anyway, my Soviet counterpart took us to
KievandLeningrad.InLeningrad,nowbackin
its historical glory, we heard the story of the
Soviets dismantling the palace of the Czars,
stonebystone,astheNazisadvanced,taking

T
Gorbachev jumped at the idea and a joint He readily agreed. it to Russia and rebuilding it after the War.
HERE IS NO larger narrative in sport than when two arch-rivals play each Indo-Soviet group was set up with me as its Delhi and Moscow. I could On the Air India flight to Moscow, he Historyrepeatsitself,butthesecondtime
other. The contests make for riveting theatre. The sports industry thrives on Indian chair and a member of the GOSPLAN see them wilting under the bought a lot of gifts. I told him he is breaking as a farce, as Marx wrote in The Eighteenth
(thestateplanningcommittee),anelectronic pressure. The Gorbachev the exchange laws of India. In any case, we Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte.
it — the players find added motivation, the audience gets to watch thrilling
engineertrainedintheUS,astheSovietChair. are carrying gifts.
action, the organisers and sponsors rake in staggering profit. Thus, an annual I was told by the PMO to get cracking. I regime had not worked out He said, “Yogi, you know I have dollars.” The writer is an economist and a former
four-nation T20 tournament proposed by Pakistan Cricket Board chief and former crick- was aghast. We were well into reform. The the details I toldhim:“Satu,you canuse your dollars Union minister
eter Ramiz Raja is an idea whose time should come.
The most exciting part of the proposal — which he plans to discuss in the ongoing ICC
meeting inDubai —isthat itpromisesto make oneof thefiercestrivalriesin worldcricket,
between India and Pakistan, a more regular fare. This generation of cricket-watchers is
starved of this most fascinating of duels. Trapped in a political cage, they have not played APRIL 9, 1982, FORTY YEARS AGO
a Test match in 15 years. Neither Babar Azam nor Virat Kohli have faced-off in whites, nor
have Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi tilted lances. Even the white-ball encoun- LOK DAL SPLIT ASSAM TALKS FAIL tated members of the delegation told the re-
porters outside North Block. An official
ters have been few and far between in the last decade. The biggest losers in the political
impasse are not the organisers and sponsors, but the audience as well as the sport itself. LOKDALPRESIDENTCharanSingh,whosaid THE THIRD ROUND of tripartite talks on for- spokesman later denied the allegation.
he had retired from politics, suspended Biju eigners in Assam also ended in a deadlock.
An outlier sport in the global context, played in only a few nations of the erstwhile
Commonwealth, it cannot afford to not harness its most colourful rivalry, as Raja empha-
Patnaik,DeviLalandKumbhaRamAryafrom
theprimarymembershipof thepartytoforce
The government and the movement leaders
once again failed to come to any agreement
MANEKA SYMPATHISERS
sised in an interview to this newspaper. the fourth split in the Lok Dal since the on the substantive issue — the principles for THECONGRESS(I)highcommand,whichhad
Cricket administrators cannot always keeppassing thebuck to politics and politicians. January 1980 Lok Sabha elections. The 80- the detection of foreign nationals — which been alerted about Maneka Gandhi’s Karna-
They should parley and push more aggressively to realise their visions. The four-mem- year-oldleader’sactioniscertaintowipeout has a bearing on the eligibility of Indian cit- takaconnection,isreportedlycontemplating
ber tournament is an ideal template — it’s not just India and Pakistan or Australia and the Lok Dal in Orissa, and severely reduce its izenship of Hindu refugees who had mi- disciplinaryactionagainstthosewhoareiden-
England that share rivalries, since the turn of the decade, India and Australia, Pakistan strengthinRajasthanandHaryana.Withonly grated from erstwhile East Pakistan during tified as her sympathisers. Rajiv Gandhi and
theUPandBiharunitswithCharanSingh,the 1961-71.AccordingtotheAllAssamStudents Gulam Nabi Azad, president of the Youth
and Australia too have fought intensely in series. Such a tournament has all the compo-
party is likely to be brought down to the sta- UnionandAllAssamGanasangramParishad Congress(I)havealreadyreceivedcomplaints
nents for a blockbuster. Cricket should take a cue from other sports like tennis, which tus of a regional party. With 41 seats, it had leaders, the home minister abruptly left the against BK Hariprasad, a protege of the chief
hosts annual year-ending tournaments featuring the top brass, or rugby, which has the emerged as the biggest opposition group in meeting before the talks formally ended. minister, Gundu Rao and certain other
premier four-nation tournament every year. the Lok Sabha after the 1980 elections. They were “humiliated and insulted”, agi- Karnataka Youth Congress (I) office-bearers.

New Delhi

11
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
THE IDEAS PAGE
How Colombo lost the plot
The crisis has exposed that policies informed by Sinhala Buddhist nationalism, which have been the
bedrock of the Rajapaksas' governance vision, are no longer financially or politically viable
Madura Rasaratnam
SRILANKA’SRULINGRajapaksafamilyisfacing
mounting public anger, calls for resignations
and political defections amidst the island’s
worst economic crisis in its post-independ-
ence history. The family’s fall from grace has
beenrapidandprecipitous.InNovember2019,
Gotabaya Rajapaksa convincingly won the
presidentialelectionwithjustover52percent
of thevote.Afewmonthslater,anallianceled
byhisbrotherMahinda(PresidentofSriLanka
between2005and2015)wontheparliamen-
tary elections, securing almost 60 per cent of
the vote.
Theproximatereasonsforthesedramatic
reversals are clear. The Rajapaksas have badly
handled Sri Lanka's twin crises of unsustain-
ablecommercialdebtandanacutebalanceof
paymentsshortfall.Thelatterwasbroughton
bytheEasterSundaybombingsandtheCovid-
19pandemic,whichtogetherhammeredfor-
eign exchange earnings. These exogenous
shockswouldhavetestedthemostcompetent
of administrations, but the Rajapaksas made
a series of unforced errors that have made a
difficult situation unbearable.
First,therewasthedecisiontobanfertiliser
importsandswitchovernighttoorganicfarm-
ing.Thedecisionwasreversedaftersustained
farmerprotestsbutnotbeforedamagehadal-
readybeendonetocropyields.Then,precious
foreign exchange was wasted in propping up
therupeewhileimposingcontrolsonkeyim-
ports that led to shortages and price rise. For
several months, as the crisis deepened with
rollingpower-cutsandshortagesofessentials,
thegovernmentrefusedtoseekIMFassistance.
IthasnowrelentedontheIMF,butSriLanka’s
economic distress has been prolonged and
deepened by this indecision.
While the immediate causes of popular
anger are explicable, the crisis also reveals a
more enduring contradiction at the founda-
tionofSriLanka’spolitics.TheRajapaksas’elec-
toralsuccessstemsfromtheiruncompromis-
ing commitment to defending Sinhala
Buddhistnationalismagainstdomesticandin-
ternational pressures. What this crisis shows
isthatSinhalanationalist-inspiredpoliciesare
no longer financially or politically viable.
The Rajapaksas first rode to power in
September 2005 on the wave of Sinhala na-
tionalist antipathy against the then-ongoing
Norwegian-mediatedpeaceprocesswiththe
LTTE. Mahinda Rajapaksa channelled popu-
lar rage at the indignity of having to negoti-
atewiththeTamilsandof thedirethreatsthe
talks posed to national (read Sinhala
Buddhist)security.Uponhiselectionaspres-
ident, Mahinda expanded the military and
launchedafull-frontalmilitaryoffensivethat
ended with the LTTE’s total defeat and de-
struction in May 2009.
WhiletheLTTE’sdefeatwascelebratedin
theSinhalasouth,thelossofTamilcivilianlives
was immense. The UN estimates that 75,000
Tamil civilians were killed in the final months
and that the Sri Lankan military was culpable
for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Afterthewar,insteadofseekingapoliticalset-
tlement with the Tamils, Mahinda Rajapaksa
unrolled a de-facto militarised siege of the
Govind Mohan
ALBERT EINSTEIN is once said to have re-
marked, “We owe a lot to the Indians, who
taught us how to count, without which no
worthwhile scientific discovery could have
been made.” While many of us may know
about zero and its connection to India, it re-
mains a regrettable fact that India’s contribu-
tion, across not just mathematics but many
fields, remains at times unattributed and at
others, uncelebrated.
Ourhistoryasanindependentnationis75
yearsoldbutourcivilisationismorethan5,000
yearsold.Needlesstosay,thecontributionand
achievementsofIndiaaremanyandwhatbet-
teroccasionthantheAzadiKaAmritMahotsav
commemorating75yearsofindependenceto
initiate a concentrated and focused effort in
this direction.
“Dhara: An Ode to Indian Knowledge
Systems” is the Ministry of Culture’s flagship
initiative in this direction. It is conceptualised
asaseriesoflecturedemonstrationsdedicated
tospecificareasofenquiry,highlightingIndia’s
contribution and achievements across do-
mains. Dhara embodies that idea of “continu-
ousflow”ofinformationandknowledgefrom
oneagetoanother,beingadopted,questioned
andevolvedovertimesothatwenotonlymove
aheadtothenextlevelofinsightsacrossvarious
fieldsbutdosoonthebackof thefindingsand
deepunderstandingalreadyavailabletous.
Endeavoursconnectedtotopicsrelatedto
the ancient past often generate polarising re-
Tamil-speaking areas and population.
The hardline approach to the Tamils and
theirdemandswasalsolinkedtoanew,more
assertive foreign policy. The government
turned away the long-established pattern of
alignmentswithWesternstatesandIndia.The
WestwasblamedforforcingSriLankaintone-
gotiating with the LTTE in the first place, and
then, for playing into the hated West-based
Tamildiaspora’sagendabypursuingaccount-
ability. The antipathy to the West grew as the
US and allies pushed for accountability at the
UN Human Rights Council.
There is a long-standing mistrust of India
amongst Sinhala Buddhist nationalists who
see it as the source of historic Tamil invasions.
TheRajapaksastranslatedthissentimentinto
policy, pushing back against Indian attempts
to forge closer economic ties and a constitu-
tionalsettlementoftheTamilquestion.Inplace
oftheseties,theRajapaksasostentatiouslyset
out to forge new alliances, principally with
China,butalsootherswhowereseenasmore
respectful of national sovereignty.
Their new economic policies were also
moreinkeepingwithSinhalanationalistsym-
pathies.Thegovernmentdistanceditselffrom
the overtly pro-market, liberalisation policies
ofpreviousadministrationsandwent,instead,
for infrastructure investment and a welfare-
drivenapproach,fundedinlargepartbybilat-
eralandcommercialmarketdebt.Theshiftto
commercialdebtwasinpartduetoSriLanka’s
graduation to middle-income status, which
limitedaccesstoconcessionalmultilateralaid.
It was also promoted by the Rajapaksas' na-
tionalism-inspiredrejectionof thecondition-
alities attached to multilateral aid, especially
in post-conflict settings.
The tilt away from the market-led ap-
proach was not novel. Sri Lanka’s post-inde-
pendence history has been marked by shifts
from state-led to market-led and back. The
novelty the Rajapaksas brought was the re-
liance on international commercial debt to
fundpublicexpenditure,includingthevastly-
expanded military. The commercial markets
at the time were also willing to lend, buoyed
byhighlevelsofliquidityandlowinterestrates.
TheRajapaksasalsobetonanewgeo-po-
litical optimism. They believed that with
China’srise,SriLanka’slocationoneast-west
Heritage gets its due
India's immense contribution to the world of knowledge is finally being celebrated
sponses due to a lack of credible and rigorous
evidence.Ourattemptatprogrammecuration
ismindfulofthesameandsystemiceffortsare
being made to bring in academic scholars of
the highest calibre to add rigorous reasoning
andscientificcredibilitytothesediscussions.To
put in perspective the richness of antiquity
whichhasbeencrucialinthedevelopmentof
modernconcepts,thefollowingexamplesmay
be pondered upon.
It is impossible to imagine the advent of
the modern world without the concepts of
modernmathematics.Buttheseconceptsare
notreallymodern.TheywereborninIndiasev-
eralcenturiesago.Forthemodernworld,itwas
the Greek mathematician Archimedes who
produced the first-known summation of an
infinite series. However, it was used by
Madhava(c1,400CE)tofindtheapproximate
value of pi (p). The Arabic numeral system
owes its origins to the Bakhshali Manuscript,
the first surviving reference of the Indian nu-
meralsystem.Thissystemwastransmittedto
theArabworldbyaround800CEandwaspop-
ularised by the Persian mathematician Al-
KhwarizmiandthephilosopherAl-Kindi.From
theArabworld,itwastransmittedtoEuropeby
around1100CE. It was Brahmagupta whoes-
tablished,waybackinthe7thcenturyCE,that
“theproductof adebt(negativenumber)and
afortune(positivenumber)isadebt(negative
number)”. Similarly, be it the Fibonacci Series
(ingenious work of Virahanka) or Pascal’s
Painful as it is, the only
possible silver lining is that
the crisis can serve as a
reality check for the Sinhala
nationalist leadership and
electorate. The model of
economic and political
governance they have
pursued is unsustainable,
and the alternatives must be
faced. The most pressing of
these is the demilitarisation
and normalisation of
relations with the Tamils and
Muslims. Sinhala political
attention can perhaps then
be turned to the other
pressing failures of
governance that have
brought Sri Lanka to this
state.
Triangle (Pingala’s Meru Prastara), ancient
India’s contribution to modern mathematics
has been dominant and consistent.
Moving to another complex domain, that
of the space sciences, Carl Sagan, a renowned
American astrophysicist, astronomer, and as-
trobiologist, explained how the ancient cos-
mologicalideasthatwerecentraltoHinduism
formthebasisofmoderncosmology.Hestates,
“TheHindureligionistheonlyfaithdedicated
to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes
an immense, indeed an infinite, number of
deaths and rebirths.” This is exactly what we
know today as the theory of the multiverse.
We all know that India was a centre of
trade; little is mentioned about India being a
centre of manufacturing. The Damascus
swords, with a high carbon content of 1.5-2.0
per cent and known to have the ability to cut
evengauzekerchiefs,weremadefromWootz
steelinIndia.Tillthe19thcentury,Wootzsteel
swordsanddaggersweremadeatcentressuch
as Lahore, Amritsar, Agra, Jaipur, Gwalior,
Tanjore, Mysore and Golconda. The Wootz
steelwithcarbonnanotubestructurescontin-
uestoinspireresearcherstothisday.Theman-
ufacturingprocesswasforciblybannedbythe
British in the mid-19th century; the art was
lost. There are multiple such manufacturing
capabilitiesthathavebeendisappearingorbe-
ingrepackagedbyothersocietiesastheirown.
PrimeMinisterNarendraModi’sflagshippro-
gramme Make in India is a long-overdue step
C R Sasikumar
trade lanes would become a prized asset.
They were confident that in the global com-
petition for power triggered by China’s rise,
international actors would be compelled to
seek Sri Lanka’s favour for fear of “losing” it
to the other side. With this geo-political cal-
culus in mind, they assuredly rebuffed
Western and Indian demands.
Thecurrentcrisishastestedtheassump-
tionsof theRajapaksas'programmetoitslim-
its and found it cruelly wanting. None of the
greatpowerswhoweresupposedtobecom-
petingforSriLanka’sfavourhavesteppedup
toofferabailout,althoughthesumsarequite
small by global standards. The bid for total
sovereign autonomy has crash-landed and
yet the alternatives are also politically diffi-
cult.GoingtotheIMFwillrequireconcessions
onhumanrightsandgoodgovernancetose-
curepreferentialaccesstoEuropeanmarkets.
At the same time, Indian bilateral assistance
hasconditionalitiesonclearingcontroversial
investments.
Painful as it is, the only possible silver lin-
ingisthatthecrisiscanserveasarealitycheck
fortheSinhalanationalistleadershipandelec-
torate. The model of economic and political
governance they have pursued is unsustain-
able, and the alternatives must be faced. The
most pressing of these is the demilitarisation
andnormalisationofrelationswiththeTamils
and Muslims. Sinhala political attention can
perhaps then be turned to the other pressing
failures of governance that have brought Sri
Lanka to this state.
The ironyof SriLanka’spush fortotalsov-
ereign autonomy is that it has given interna-
tional actors more leverage than they had be-
fore. International actors who really want to
helpSriLankashouldusethisleveragetopush
fortangibleandnon-reversiblechangesinthe
treatment of Tamils and Muslims whatever
leadership emerges in Colombo. The
Rajapaksas may be the principal protagonists
ofthiscrisisbuttheunderlyingscripttheyhave
followedisaSinhalaBuddhistoneanduntilSri
Lanka finds a new script it cannot find peace
or stability.
The writer is associate professor
Comparative Politics at City,
University of London
towardsrevivingourindigenousmanufactur-
ing capabilities.
Oneofthefoundingpillarsofmoderneco-
nomicsistheconstantoptimisationofriskand
return,thefundamentalthoughtwhichdrives
the theory of differential interest rate. While
certainthoughtleadersintheWestprohibited
interest on borrowing (terming it a sin), an-
cientphilosopherslikeKautilyaadvocatedin-
terest rates that varied with risk. It is the trea-
tise Sukraniti which explains the need to
balance moral hazard and adverse selection
issuesbetweentheborrowerandthelender.It
states that if the interest paid was more than
doubletheprincipal,onlytheprincipalamount
be paid back. The Sukraniti also emphasises
the need to consider a household and not an
individual as a unit of analysis.
India’s rich heritage comprises tangibles
likearchitectureandintangibleslikethewealth
ofknowledge.Oureffortsthrough“Dhara:An
OdetoIndianKnowledgeSystems”areaimed
at starting these conversations and debates
and ensuring that our collective history of
achievements does not stay forgotten in the
folds of some withering manuscripts. We at
the Ministry of Culture remain committed to
spotlighting the myriad contributions of
Indians across fields and to celebrate them as
part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The writer is Secretary, Ministry of Culture,
Government of India
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
‘‘[Imran] Khan had political options: there were many ways he could have
gracefully bowed to political realities. Yet, in his obduracy, the prime minister
showed the country he would think nothing of pushing it headfirst into a
constitutional crisis.’’
Bonds of the bay
BIMSTEC summit has created mechanisms that
can help organisation attain its potential. It must
step up to challenges of post-pandemic world
Sachin Chaturvedi
THE CELEBRATIONS to mark the 25th year
of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) have been accom-
panied by the announcement of several
new initiatives. The collective's fifth sum-
mit that concluded in Colombo in the last
week of March showcased member na-
tions' resolve to facilitate connectivity and
security and enhance the prosperity of the
region. The summit had three important
outcomes: Expanding the grouping's
agenda, deepening cooperation between
the member countries and planning sys-
tematically for consistency and coherence.
The Bay of Bengal Community was
launched in 1997. But its charter, finalised
last week, was more than two decades in
themaking.Almostallinternationalorgan-
isations and regional groupings have char-
terstodecidethefrequenciesof theirmeet-
ings,modalitiesof programmedeliveryand
the nature of engagement among partner
countries. The 20-page document adopted
atthefifthBIMSTECSummitarticulatesthe
purpose, principles and legal standing of
the organisation. It also delineates the
process to admit new members – this re-
quires the consensus of the members. A
similar procedure will be adopted for in-
creasing the number of observer countries
of the organisation. The emphasis on con-
sensus is important, given the sensitivities
of the member countries. One important
provision in the charter is to keep regular
meetings on track and provide enough
scope to the BIMSTEC Permanent Working
Committee to keep the process energised.
The summit also succeeded in creating
mechanisms to deepen cooperation.
Amongsttheimportantdecisionsistheone
related to the BIMSTEC Master Plan for
TransportConnectivity.Theregionrequires
seamless connectivity through multi-
modal channels that improve links within
and amongst the member countries. These
channelsshouldbeinsyncwiththeregula-
tory frameworks of the member countries.
The council could also play a role in the
projectsbeingplannedintheregion.Forin-
stance,thereareproposalstoextendthetri-
lateral highway project between Thailand,
Myanmar and India to Laos and Cambodia.
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal have also
evinced interest in the project. Digitisation
has enhanced cooperation in customs reg-
ulationsandfacilitatedandimprovedcargo
clearanceprocedures.Allthiswillsurelyen-
hanceinvestmentlinkagesandimprovere-
gionaltrade.Theearlycompletionof there-
gional free trade agreement could provide
a fillip to the organisation's efforts.
Similarly, the MoU for legal assistance
in criminal matters and additional MoUs
for mutual cooperation between diplo-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CINEMA REFORM
THIS REFERS TO the article, 'An image
problem'(IE,April5).Theeminentfilm-
maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan writes
that“Themergingof semi-autonomous
bodiesliketheFilmsDivision,Children’s
Film Society, International Film Festival
of India (IFFI), Directorate of Film
Festivals, and National Film Archive of
India (NFAI) with the National Film
Development Corporation of India
(NFDC) is nothing short of a gross blun-
der. I have had opportunities to engage
with each of these institutions and I be-
lieve that makes me eminently eligible
to comment on the merger move.”
With humility, I beg to differ. I was a
member of the committee that pre-
sentedareportonthemergertotheI&B
Ministry,andalotof effort,thinkingand
time went into the final recommenda-
tions.Iagreethattheinstitutionsplayed
a glorious role in cinema but over the
years these have become a cesspool of
corruption and a burden to the excheq-
uer. It is being implied by leftists, who
strongly oppose any step taken by the
government, that by handing over the
functioning of the NFAI to a PSU, we are
tryingtomonetiseournationalheritage
or for that matter even sell it to make a
profit. Adoor sir, you, I am sure, do not
havesuchshallowthinking.Iwouldlike
to point out here that across the world,
museums and other institutions pro-
tect their national heritage but do
charge a fee for visiting the museums,
educationaltours,researchfacilitiesand
various other initiatives. The monies
collectedfromsuchenterprisesgoesto-
wards the upkeep of the institutions. If
wedodisplayourheritagetothepeople
of our proud nation and the world, at a
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— DAWN, PAKISTAN
matic academics and training institutes
would help in creating an ecosystem of
deeper knowledge-related cooperation.
The technology transfer facility proposed
in Colombo is likely to augment these ef-
forts.
The Summit evolved a systemic ap-
proach to streamline the evolution of BIM-
STEC. Establishing an Eminent Persons’
Group (EPG) for formulating a vision doc-
ument for the region will help in articulat-
ing the aspirations of the collective. EPGs
have been quite useful in the EU and
ASEAN. For instance, the ASEAN-India
Eminent Persons Group (AIEPG) was con-
stituted in 2005 after the Eighth ASEAN-
India Summit. Its recommendations still
guide the grouping's work. In 2011, the EU
constituted an EPG under former German
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer to suggest
a roadmap to address the challenges aris-
ing from the resurgence of intolerance and
discrimination in Europe. In 2018, the G-20
constituted an EPG led by Singapore's
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman
Shanmugaratnam to recommend reforms
at the international financial institutions to
promote economic stability and sustain-
able growth.
The fourth BIMSTEC summit at
Kathmandu launched measures to
strengthenthecollective'ssecretariat.India
has promised $1 million to set up a
Secretariat in Dhaka. India has identified
severalotherareaswhereitwillsupportthe
collective. Delhi will provide a $3 million
grant to the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather
and Climate, promote collaboration be-
tween industries and start-ups, and launch
programmes that will help in the adoption
of internationalstandardsandnorms.Delhi
has also suggested a regional value chain
based agricultural trade analysis – this will
be conducted by the RIS. The Asian
Development Bank and the New Delhi-
based ICRIER have stewarded awareness
programmesontradefacilitatingmeasures
in the member countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
rightly described BIMSTEC as an important
instrument of connectivity, sustainability
and prosperity. Extending the term of the
Secretary-General would help in providing
furtherstabilitytoseveralof thecollective's
initiatives.
The pandemic has created fresh chal-
lengesandaggravatedoldonesinthecoun-
triesof theregion,particularlySriLankaand
Nepal. India’s support to these countries,
especially in financial matters, could help
in reducing undesirable external interven-
tionintheregion.Theregionthat'srifesup-
ply chain disruptions could well stave off
further disruptions due to the efforts of the
BIMSTEC.
Besides economic links, the Bay of
Bengal countries share a cultural and civil-
isational legacy. The role of institutions like
Nalanda University in promoting research
on cultural and civilisational linkages and
improvingtheadoptionof sustainableprac-
tices would be equally significant.
The writer is Director General,
and Information System for
Developing Countries
minusculecosttocoverasmallpercent-
age of the expenses accrued, is that an
unholy act? The NFDC will also be re-
vamped like the other media units and
the new rejuvenated body will lead to
synergy and help our cinema to rise.
Rahul Rawail, via email
RED BLUNDERS
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Paler red’
(IE, April 8). CPM General Secretary
Sitaram Yechury’s call to the Left, dem-
ocratic, and secular forces to unite to
formaunitedfronttodefeattheBJPwill
fallflatasitsunitinKerala,theonlystate
in the country where the party is in
power, does not want the Congress on
board. This once-powerful party that
ruledWestBengalcannotoverruleitfor
obvious reasons. This episode is not the
ideologically-bound party’s first politi-
cal blunder. It did not permit its long-
time Chief Minister Jyoti Basu to head
the United Front in 1996. Again in 2009,
the CPM withdrew its support to the
UPA ,which weakened the Congress
pavingthewayforthepowerfortheBJP
at the Centre in 2014.
Tarsem Singh, Mahilpur
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Paler red’
(IE, April 8). The CPM is facing an exis-
tential crisis. The leaders favoured the
line that recommends a coming to-
getherof theLeftanddemocraticforces
at the state level. The Congress refusal
to allow its leaders to participate in
seminars organised on the sidelines of
thePartyCongressputpaidtotheques-
tion whether the CPM would want to
have the Congress in the alliance .
S S Paul, Nadia

12 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY,APRIL 9, 2022
WEST BENGAL
Professor named
in IISER scholar’s
‘suicide note’,
probe on: police
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, APRIL 8
A 29-YEAR-OLD PhD scholar at
the Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research (IISER)
in Nadia district mentioned a
professor's name in a suicide
notepurportedlywrittenbyhim
before he (the scholar) decided
to end his life, police said.
On Monday, Subhadip Roy
was found dead inside a labora-
tory locked from inside at the in-
stitute. The next day, his family
membersregisteredacomplaint
in connection with the “myste-
rious death” at Haringhata po-
lice station.
Accordingtothepolice,Roy's
friends, and the person named
in the suicide note, would be in-
terrogated.Noarrestshavebeen
made yet. It is alleged that the
victim was upset over being
"neglected" by a professor at the
IISER. “He was under mental
pressure,” alleged his mother,
Ranjana Roy.
"We have registered a case
underIPCsection306[Abetment
of suicide] and 107 [A person
abets the doing of a thing, who:
Instigates any person to do that
thing],"aseniorpoliceofficersaid.
According to the police, on
Monday afternoon, some stu-
dentsatIISERinformedasecurity
guard that the door of a labora-
tory was locked from the inside.
The guard broke open the door
and found Roy lying on the floor.
“Primarily, it seems that he
[Roy] died after consuming a
poisonous substance,” added an
officer.
The IISER has formed a fact-
finding committee for an inter-
nal probe into the matter.
“I didn't receive any such
complaint earlier, otherwise we
would have looked into it. We
willextendallcooperationtothe
police investigation and a fact-
finding committee has been
formedtolookintotheincident,”
Sourav Pal Director, Indian
Institute of Science Education
Research told mediapersons.
Roy was a resident of
Dumdum area in North 24
Parganas district. He has been a
research scholar at IISER since
2014.
INVESTIGATION AGENCY OPPOSES PLEA FOR BAIL
Chitra compromised integrity
of India’s financial system: CBI
ANAND MOHAN J
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THE CBI opposed the bail plea of
former NSE managing director
(MD)ChitraRamakrishnabefore
a Delhi court, arguing that she
wasinvolvedinaseriousoffence
affecting the integrity of the
country's financial system.
The CBI filed its reply before
Additional Sessions Judge
Sanjeev Aggarwal, stating that
Ramakrishnais“involvedinase-
rious offence affecting the in-
tegrity and functioning of the
largest stock exchange of our
country and the robustness/in-
tegrity of financial system”.
The court will hear
Ramakrishna's arguments on
April 21.
The CBI submitted that the
co-location architecture was out
in place under Ramakrishna’s
tenure as the managing director.
The agency stated that
Muralidharan Natrajan, who
was responsible for putting in
All this feels like a dream: Cuttack’s youngest dy mayor CPM to form state alliances to beat
AISHWARYA MOHANTY
BHUBANESWAR, APRIL 8
A DAY after she was elected as
theyoungest-everdeputymayor
of the Cuttack Municipal
Corporation (CMC), 21-year-old
DamayantiMajhiisstilltooover-
whelmedoverthedramaticturn
her life has taken over the last
few weeks. “All this feels like a
dream,” she says.
Majhi, who belongs to the
Santhali tribe, is currently an
MCom student in Ravenshaw
University.
A resident of Jagatpur-
Balisahi slum in Cuttack, Majhi
became the youngest CMC cor-
Immediately notify pharma
effluent norms: NGT to govt
ESHA ROY
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THE NATIONAL Green Tribunal
has told the Union Environment
Ministry to immediately notify
the standards for effluent dis-
chargebythepharmaceuticalin-
dustry, pulling it up for not do-
ing so.
It also ordered the shutting
down of industries in Himachal
Pradesh’spharmaceuticalhubof
Baddi that don’t meet central
and state pollution board stan-
dards.
The crucial order came
Wednesday, more than two
years after the Ministry of
Environment, Forests and
Climate Change notified draft
norms for permissible effluent
discharge by amending the
Environment Protection (Rules),
1986 — before dropping these
norms in its final notification.
Thetribunaldirectedthatthe
standards proposed in the draft
SKY MIGHT
A missile being fired from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha. The DRDO on Friday tested its
Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet system, which enables missiles to intercept aerial threats at
supersonic speeds. PTI
Chitra Ramakrishna
Reuters/ File
place the co-location architec-
ture directly reported to her.
The agency told the court
that Ramakrishna by “gross
abuse of her official position il-
legally and arbitrarily appointed
Anand Subramanian, who did
not have any prior experience”.
The agency told the court
that the applicant did not bring
the fact that Subramanian was
elevated to Group Operating
Officer (GOO) and his nomina-
tion before the Remuneration
Committee, thus granting him
huge benefits.
The agency stated that
Subramanian was privy to sen-
sitive information and was re-
poratorwhenshewontheMarch
24 civic body polls from ward
number 49 as a BJD candidate.
MajhiwaselectedtotheCMC
deputymayor'spostonThursday
after the corporators of the
Opposition BJP and Congress
staged a walkout to protest
against the “mannerin which its
election was being conducted”.
“Politics was never my first
choice. It was never on my mind,
let alone winning the municipal
corporation polls in the very first
electionIcontestedandthenget-
tingelectedastheCuttackdeputy
mayor.Allthisfeelslikeadream,”
she told The Indian Express.
After her father’s death five
years ago, Majhi had to share
Baddi is one of the country’s largest pharma hubs. Express
notification should be followed,
pending finalisation by the min-
istry, “in view of serious conse-
quences of unregulated dis-
charge of API (active
pharmaceutical ingredient)
residue to the detrimentof envi-
ronment and public health”.
The tribunal was hearing a
plea on the alleged discharge of
active pharmaceutical ingredi-
porting to Ramakrishna. The
agency also claimed that
Ramakrishna was continuously
evasive and non-cooperative.
It told the court that investi-
gation is underway to ascertain
the role of NSE officials looking
into the matter of co-location
that gave undue advantage to
certain stock brokers.
The CBI submitted that
Ramakrishnahadalsoinfluenced
the replies filed by the NSE to the
queries posed by the SEBI, which
showsshehas“norespectforlegal
process and can go to any extent
to frustrate the investigation”.
AccordingtotheSEBI,several
key decisions taken by
Ramakrishna during her tenure
as the NSE's MD and CEO from
2013 to 2016, including
Subramanian's appointment,
were guided by an unidentified
yogi “who may be largely
dwelling in the Himalayan
ranges”. Ramakrishna is alleged
to have shared confidential in-
formationof theboursewiththe
“Himalayan Yogi”.
Damayanti Majhi, 21. Express
along with her mother the re-
sponsibility of raising her two
younger siblings, while she was
still pursuing her own studies.
Shesupportedherfamilyand
funded her studies by giving tu-
itions to the students from her
slum. “Prior to this, I never en-
ents into the Balad, Sutlej and
Sirsa rivers in Himachal Pradesh
by pharma industries in Baddi in
Solan district.
Baddi is one of the largest
pharma hubs in the country.
More than 270 companies oper-
ate in the Baddi-Barotiwala-
Nalagarh area.
Reports filed by the State
Pollution Control Board and
NSE money
laundering
probe: ED raids
nine locations
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate
(ED) on Friday carried out
searches at nine locations across
Delhi and Gurugram in connec-
tion with its money laundering
probe into the alleged manipu-
lation of the National Stock
Exchange when Chitra
Ramkrishna helmed affairs at
the bourse.
Sources said the premises
raidedFridayareassociatedwith
some National Stock Exchange
(NSE) brokers, including OPG
Securities.
The ED case is based on a
2018 FIR lodged by the CBI
againstabrokeragefirmaccused
of conniving with NSE office-
bearers to manipulate the
bourse.
The raids come exactly a
month after the CBI arrested
Ramkrishna, who was the NSE's
CEO and MD when the alleged
manipulation took place.
gaged in politics. I have never
participatedeveninstudentpol-
itics. But I know that I can bring
about a lot of change from my
position now,” Majhi said.
Ahead of the CMC polls, she
started taking interest to see if
she could “try and contest” from
her local ward reserved for
ScheduledTribe(ST)candidates.
“I spoke to the local BJD lead-
ers and then the party ap-
proached me to be its nominee
here.Ithankparty presidentand
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
for having faith in me. His vision
for the state has always inspired
me,” Majhi said.
The ruling party seems to
have been impressed by her “re-
committees set up by the tribu-
nal found as many as 97 units
non-compliant. Residue of an-
tibiotics like Ciprofloxacin,
Azithromycin and Ofloxacin
were higher than the standards
proposed in the January 2020
draft notification.
The NGT order read: “As re-
gards pollution other than that
generated by the pharma units,
we reiterate ourearlierdirection
of taking remedial action as per
law by closure of polluting units
till compliance and fixing ac-
countability for past violations,
following due process.”
Pulling up the Union min-
istry, the green tribunal said:
“Draft standards were formu-
lated and notified on 23.1.2020
i.e. more than two years ago,
based on study by the experts.
Regulatory mechanism is such
important issues cannot remain
in abeyance for indefinite period
onthegroundthattheMoEF&CC
is unable to finalise the draft
standards even after two years,”
HC for extending
deadline for KV
Class 1 admissions
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
THE DELHI High Court on Friday
said it expected the Kendriya
Vidyalaya Sangathan to extend
the last date for admissions to
class I by two more days, as it
continued to hear a challenge
against the KVS decision of set-
ting six years as the minimum
age for admission to grade I in
Kendriya Vidyalayas from aca-
demic year 2022-23.
JusticeRekhaPallionApril11
will continue to hear the peti-
tions seeking admission of chil-
dren aged 5 years to class I of
KendriyaVidyalayas.April11was
the last date for submitting on-
line applications for admissions
to grade I. Since the court could
not hear the matter completely
on Friday, it asked the KVS to
postponethelastdate.Thecoun-
sel representing the KVS agreed
to the court suggestion.
Additional Solicitor General
ChetanSharma,representingthe
Centre and KVS, argued that the
criteria of six years was an inte-
gral part of the National
Education Policy (NEP) and the
decision had been taken on the
basis of an evaluation made by
experts. The court was also told
that 21 states had adopted the
criteria.
Advocate Ashok Aggarwal,
who represents one of the peti-
tioners,hasarguedthecriteriahas
been arbitrarily set.
Vyapam whistleblower suspended, arrested
IRAM SIDDIQUE
BHOPAL, APRIL 8
MADHYA PRADESH police’s
crime branch on Thursday ar-
rested Vyapam scam whistle-
blowerDrAnandRaifromahotel
inDelhiinconnectionwithacase
registered by an officer posted in
the Chief Minister's Office.
Dr Rai was arrested hours af-
ter he was suspended from his
postof medicalofficeratIndore's
Hukumchandhospitalforfailing
to discharge his duty and was
shunned out to Rewa.
This comes after a case was
registered against Dr Rai and
Congress state spokesman KK
Mishra on a complaint by
markable knowledge of local is-
sues and her spirit”. “Damayanti
Majhi always stood out from the
crowd for her intelligence, hard
work and knowledge. She is de-
termined to work for the people
and that is what we were look-
ing for,” local BJD MLA Souvic
Biswal said.
Majhi has already started
workingonherplanof actionfor
Cuttack. “There is a lot to do in
the city... To begin with, I want to
improve the living conditions of
people in my slum. I want to en-
sure basic facilities like drinking
water and electricity for all slum
areas. Improving the drainage
system is another important is-
sue," she said.
FAO: Food prices record high
due to Ukraine war disruptions
HARISH DAMODARAN
NEW DELHI, APRIL 8
GLOBALFOODpriceshavesurged
to a new all-time high.
The UN Food and Agriculture
Organization’s(FAO)foodpricein-
dex averaged 159.3 points in
March, up from the previous
month’s 141.4 points, which had
itself broken an earlier record of
137.6pointsscaled11yearsagoin
February 2011.
The release Friday of the
benchmark gauge for interna-
tional food prices came on the
day the Reserve Bank of India
kept its key policy interest rates
unchanged. This, even as its
monetary policy committee
warned about “elevated global
price pressures in key food
items” imparting “high uncer-
tainty” to the inflation outlook
and “warranting continuous
monitoring”.
The FAO index, which is a
weightedaverageof worldprices
of a basket of food commodities
over a base period value (in this
case,takenat100for2014-16),has
exhibitedhugevolatilityinthelast
two years through the Covid-19
pandemic and now the Russia-
Ukraine war.
The index had crashed to a
four-yearlowof91.1 pointsinMay
2020,duetodemanddestruction
triggered by pandemic-induced
lockdowns across countries. But
asdemandreturnedwithgovern-
ments lifting economic activity
and movement restrictions, sup-
Teen’s body found in
parking lot of Asaram
Ashram; 5 detained
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, APRIL 8
THEDECOMPOSEDbodyof a14-
year-old girl was found inside a
car parked on the premises of
the Asaram Bapu Ashram in
Gonda district on Friday, police
said. The girl had been missing
sinceApril5andhermotherreg-
istered a case against some rela-
tives with whom the family has
an old land dispute, police said.
Policehavedetainedfiveper-
sons named in the FIR for ques-
tioning. They are relatives of the
victim, police said. The car had
been parked in the ashram for a
long time, the police said. “An
autopsy was done but the report
said the cause of death could not
be ascertained. The viscera has
been preserved for examina-
tion”, said Superintendent of
Police, Gonda, Santosh Kumar
Mishra.
He said no ante mortem in-
Dr Anand Rai being brought
to a Bhopal court, Friday. PTI
Laxman Singh Markham,
Deputy Secretariat at the Chief
Minister's Secretariat, who al-
leged that the duo had dragged
his name into the controversy
concerning the paper leak of
MP'sTeachersEligibilityTestthat
was held on March 22.
Soon after his arrest, Dr Rai
BJP; no national pact with Congress
SHAJU PHILIP
KANNUR, APRIL 8
THE 23RD Party Congress of the
CPI(M) on Friday approved a res-
olution for “isolating and defeat-
ing”theBJPbymobilising“demo-
cratic and secular forces”, but
without a national-level alliance
with the Congress party.
The resolution also approved
the party's plan to form alliances
with parties at the state level for
“maximum pooling” of anti-BJP
votes.
The party has also resolved to
take the CPI(M)-led Kerala gov-
New Delhi
RECORD LEVEL
FAO Food Price Index is
at an all-time high
170
155 159.3
140
135 102.5
110
91.1
95 May’20
80
Jan’20 Mar’22
ply chain disruptions -- from
shortagesofeverything,fromhar-
vesting labourers to packaging
materials and shipping contain-
ers -- came to the fore.
The supply shortages have
worsened with the Black Sea re-
giontensions,leadingtotheindex
moving up almost 24 points or
17.5%betweenJanuaryandMarch
(see chart).
The FAO’s cereal and veg-
etable oil price indices hit record
highs of 170.1 points and 248.6
points,respectively,inMarch.That
isn’t surprising, given Russia and
Ukraine’s combined share of
28.3%, 19.5%, 30.8% and 78.3% in
global exports of wheat, corn
(maize),barleyandsunfloweroil,
respectively. All these were pro-
jections for2021-22 made bythe
US Department of Agriculture in
early-February,beforetheRussian
invasion happened.
Sincethen,portclosuresinthe
Black Sea and Azov Sea, plus
Russian banks being cut off from
jury was found on the body and
the autopsy report did not con-
firm sexual assault. Police have
decidedtoseek medical experts'
opinion to decide on further
course of action, he added.
DIG, Devipatan range,
Upendra Kumar Agarwal said all
angles of the case would be
probed.
According to the police, the
victim’smotherregisteredacase
against her relatives under IPC
section 363 (kidnapping or
maiming a minor for the pur-
pose of begging) at the local po-
lice station.
On Friday morning, two se-
wadars at the ashram noticed a
foul smell emanating from a car
parked inside the Asaram Bapu
Sewa Kendra. The police were
informed and when they con-
tacted the car owner, he
claimed that he had parked his
vehicle at the spot after locking
its doors. Further probe was on,
police said.
took to social media, saying: "I
have been arrested by the Crime
Branch from Delhi's Hotel Kabli.
All workers and wellwishers are
requested to come to Bhopal."
Confirming his arrest, DCP
crime branch Amit Kumar said:
"AnandRaihasbeenarrestedand
brought to Bhopal in connection
with the FIR registered against
himinthepaperleakcase.Weare
investigating the matter."
The Teacher Eligibility Test
was being conducted by the
Karmachari Chayan Aayog (Staff
Selection Board), which was ear-
lier known as Vyavasaik
Parreksha Mandal (Vyapam) be-
fore it was renamed as
Professional Examination Board
(PEB). But an alleged screenshot
ernment’s policies to the rest of
thecountryasanalternativetothe
BJP's “neo-liberal agenda”, indi-
catingtheKeralalineofitspolitics
hasfurthergainedanupperhand
in the party.
“Ineverystate,thebroadestef-
fort would be to maximise the
pooling of anti-BJP votes.
Dependinguponthecomplexsit-
uation in each state, effort would
bemadeforthebroadestpossible
mobilisation of secular votes...”
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram
Yechuri said.
He ruledoutanall-Indiafront
before the next general election
saying, “alliances would emerge
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
the international payments sys-
tem, have resulted in massive
shippingdisruptionsfromthiskey
agri-commodities supply region.
FAO’s meat and dairy price
indices, too, averaged 120 points
(an all-time high) and 145.2
points(highestsinceApril2014),
respectively in March. These
havepossiblybeendriven by the
increased cost of cattle feed in-
gredients (maize, soyabean,
groundnut, mustard andcotton-
seed oilcake) and prices of ani-
mal fat (butter, ghee, beef tallow
andporklard)trackingvegetable
fats(especiallypalmoil).Besides,
lower milk production has been
reported from major suppliers,
includingNewZealand,Western
Europe and the US.
From India’s standpoint, the
comfortablelevelofpublicwheat
andricestocks–wayabovethere-
quired minimum buffer norms –
should provide some insulation
againstsoaringinternationalfood
prices. Further, high global prices
have enabled the country’s agri-
cultural exports to grow by 19.9%
andreachahistorichighof$50.21
billion in 2021-22.
But the downside to this is
that farmers are also paying
much more for diesel, fertilisers
and crop protection chemicals –
whose prices have also gone up
alongside Brent crude and other
internationalcommodity prices.
The real challenge, whether it is
to do with availability of fertilis-
ers or monsoon rain, will come
in the ensuing kharif planting
season from June.
KARNATAKA
Six schools get
bomb threat,
Bommai says bid
to disturb peace
DARSHAN DEVAIAH B P
BENGALURU, APRIL 8
THE BENGALURU police swung
intoactionaftersixschoolsinthe
city received bomb threats on
Friday. “A very powerful bomb
hasbeenplantedinyourschool,”
the threat mail read.
“Bomb squads were imme-
diatelydeployedatthelocations.
Senior police officers visited the
schools and conducted investi-
gations,” said Bengaluru police
commissioner Kamal Pant.
Dr Subramanyeshwara Rao,
Additional Commissioner of
Policeof BengaluruEastDivision,
said: “We have evacuated stu-
dentsfromtheseschools.Weare
tracing the source of this email.”
Chief Minister Basavaraj
Bommai said a few miscreants
were creating such issues to dis-
turbpeace.“Ihaveinstructedthe
police to take the matter seri-
ously,” he added.
of the question paper along with
the answer sheet had gone viral
on the social media, which had
the name of Laxman Singh visi-
bleonit.LaxmanSinghMarkham
had alleged that a fabricated
screenshot was made viral.
Dr Rai had approached the
Madhya Pradesh High Court for
quashing the FIR against him.
The MP High Court had last
week put a stay on any coercive
actionagainstthewhistleblower
until April 4, but his petition was
dismissed on Friday. Dr Rai was
in Delhi to move the Supreme
Court, seeking relief.
Meanwhile, Congress Rajya
Sabha MP Vivek Tankha called
Dr Rai's arrest from Delhi with-
out an arrest warrant “illegal”.
only after elections.’’
Theresolutionchartedoutthe
CPI(M)'s programme for the next
three years. As many as 48 dele-
gates, representing various state
units took part in the discussion
on its draft.
Earlier in the day, politburo
member Brinda Karat told re-
porters a recurring theme in the
entirediscussionsduringthepast
twodayswasthealternativepoli-
cies of the Kerala government.
“We have an alternative ap-
proach that we want to take be-
forepeopleagainsttheneo-liberal
policiesofBJP.Thisisanimportant
aspect,’’ she said.
 E EXPLAINED
13
DASHBOARD, AS ON APRIL 07
TOTAL DOSES 185.38,88,663
■ Firstdose ■ Seconddose
Adult
91,33,56,114
79,85,72,243
AGE GROUP12-14 1st dose
PRECAUTIONARY doses
Doses On April 07
ADULTS
10,00,000
8,78,436
5,00,000
1,10,171
0 apologisetohim,Patelmadeasecondattempt
March 29 LAST 10 DAYS (daily)
AGE GROUP 15-18
2,50,000
2,47,557
1,25,000
1,02,639
0 from going abroad. The BoI maintains a regis-
LAST 10 DAYS (daily)
March 29
BOOSTERSHOTSFROMAPRIL10:
HERE’SALLYOUNEEDTOKNOW
THE HEALTH Ministry on Friday an-
nouncedtherolloutof thebooster--“pre-
cautionary third dose” — of the Covid-19
vaccine for the country's 18-plus popula-
tion at private vaccination centres from
Sunday, April 10.
WHEN? If you are of age 18 years or
older, you will be eligible for the precau-
tionarydoseafter9months(or39weeks)
have passed since you got your second
dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. This means
all adults who got their second shot
around July 9, 2021 or earlier can receive
theirboosterassoonasthewindowopens
on April 10.
WILLYOUBEALERTED? Mostlikely
yes. You will get an SMS from CoWIN say-
ing you are now eligible.
WILL IT BE FREE? Only for the prior-
ity groups -- healthcare workers, frontline
workers, and people above the age of 60
years. These recipients can get the third
dose for free at government vaccination
centres.
AND THE REST? They can take the
shotonlyatprivatevaccinationcentres,and
they will have to pay for it. These private
establishments will announce the cost of
the precautionary dose soon, which will
appear on the CoWIN platform.
WHICHVACCINE? Indiahasbeenfol-
Reserve Bank’s policy thrust: Monetary tightening to tackle inflation
GEORGEMATHEW
MUMBAI,APRIL8
FOR THE eleventh time in a row, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has decided to keep the
main policy rate – repo rate – unchanged at
4%. It has also retained its accommodative
stance,butindicateditwillengageinagrad-
ualandcalibratedwithdrawalof surplusliq-
uiditytoreinininflation.Thecentralbankhas
nowdecidedtofocusoninflationovergrowth
by sucking out money from the system in a
multi-year time-frame.
Whatisthebigpictureemergingfrom
themonetarypolicyreview?
In the wake of the rise in crude oil and
commodity prices and the impact of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, RBI has slashed
thegrowthforecastto7.2%forfiscal2022-23
from 7.8% projected earlier. Although India’s
direct trade exposure to the countries at the
epicentre of the conflict is limited, the war
could potentially impede the economic re-
covery through elevated commodity prices
and global spill-over channels.
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
Age group 15-18
5,75,46,885
3,92,36,320
2,11,28,977
2,40,48,124
18,16,194
6,77,691
59,051
April 07
1,89,705
55,820
April 07
Those over 18 will be eligible for third
dose, 9 months after the second. File
lowinga‘homologous’vaccinationsched-
uleforboosters,andthiswillcontinue.This
meansabeneficiarywhohasgottwodoses
ofCovishieldwillgetCovishieldasthethird
dose as well. And those who have got two
dosesof CovaxinwillhavetotakeCovaxin
as the precautionary dose.
WALK-INS ALLOWED? Yes.
Registrations and appointments can be
donebothonlineandoffline.Youcangoto
any private vaccination centre that allows
walk-ins.
HOW MANY SHOTS SO FAR? A total
45.15 lakh healthcare workers, 69.77 lakh
frontline workers, and 1.25 crore people
above the age of 60 have already received
the third, precautionary dose.
KAUNAINSHERIFFM
Also, financial market volatility induced
by monetary policy normalisation in ad-
vancedeconomies,renewedCovid-19infec-
tions in some major countries with aug-
mented supply-side disruptions and
protractedshortagesofcriticalinputssuchas
semiconductors and chips, pose downside
risks to the outlook, RBI said.
RBI has also increased the retail inflation
projection from 4.5% to 5.7% in 2022-23. The
spikeininternationalcrudepricessinceend-
February poses substantial upside risk to in-
flationthroughbothdirectandindirecteffects.
Sharp increases in domestic pump prices
couldtriggerbroad-basedsecond-roundprice
pressures.Acombinationofhighinternational
commodity prices and elevated logistic dis-
ruptions could aggravate input costs across
agriculture,manufacturing,andservicessec-
tors. Their pass-through to retail prices war-
rants continuous monitoring and proactive
supplymanagement,thepolicypanelsaid.
Howhasinflationmovedof late?
The RBI’s objective is to achieve the
medium-term target for consumer price in-
dex(CPI)inflationof4%withinabandof±2%,
Who is a flight risk?
TheCBI’sLookOutCircularagainstformerAmnestyIndiachief AakarPatelcontinuestobearguedincourt.
Whenisan LOCissuedtopreventsomeonefromleavingthecountry,andwhencancourtssetitaside?
DEEPTIMANTIWARY
NEWDELHI,APRIL8
A DISTRICT court in Delhi on Friday stayed a
magistrate’s order directing the CBI to with-
draw its Look Out Circular (LOC) against for-
mer Amnesty International India chief Aakar
Patel, and asked him not to leave the country
without the permission of the court.
PatelhadapproachedtheAdditionalChief
Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in Delhi on
Thursday after he was stopped in Bengaluru
fromboardingaflighttotheUnitedStatesthe
previous night. After getting relief from the
court, which also ordered the CBI director to
to leave on Thursday night, but was stopped
again at immigration in Bengaluru.
Patel moved a contempt plea before the
district court on Friday, while the CBI prayed
forarevisionofthecitycourt’sorderdirecting
the agency to withdraw the LOC.
WhatisaLookOutCircular?
An LOC is issued to prevent a person from
leavingthecountry.Itisissuedbyvariousagen-
cies and government bodies to the Bureau of
Immigration(BoI)inaprescribedformatwith
detailsofthepersonwhoitintendstoprevent
terof suchcircularswhichisinformallycalled
the exit control list. Once a person against
whomanLOChasbeenissuedreachesimmi-
gration, the BoI is expected to inform the
agency that has issued the LOC. The BoI is not
authorisedtoarrestordetainanyone.Thenext
course of action is decided by the agency that
hasissuedtheLOC.AnLOCisvalidforonlyone
year and has to be reissued after it expires.
Whocanissuesuchacircularagainsta
citizenof India?
AccordingtotheMinistryofHomeAffairs,
LOCsareinitiatedbyalargenumberofautho-
risedofficerswhoincludeanofficernotbelow
the rank of Deputy Secretary to the
Government of India; or an officer not below
the rank of Joint Secretary in the State
Government; or District Magistrate; or
Superintendent of Police; or designated offi-
cers of various law-enforcing and security
agencies; or designated officer of Interpol; or
an officer not below the rank of Additional
Micronutrient-packed grains to supplement diet
HARIKISHANSHARMA
NEWDELHI,APRIL8
THE UNION Cabinet on Friday approved a
scheme to distribute fortified rice under the
Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)
under the National Food Security Act,
IntegratedChildDevelopmentServices(ICDS),
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman-PM
POSHAN [erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme)]
and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS), by 2024
in a phased manner.
Whyisricefortificationneeded?
The Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India (FSSAI) defines fortification as “delib-
eratelyincreasingthecontentof essentialmi-
cronutrientsinafoodsoastoimprovethenu-
tritional quality of food and to provide public
health benefit with minimal risk to health".
Indiahashighlevelsofmalnutritionamong
women and children. According to the Food
Ministry,everysecondwomaninthecountry
is anaemic and every third child is stunted.
while supporting growth.
ProvisionalCPIdataforFebruaryreleased
by the NSO on March 14 showed that head-
lineCPIinflation(year-on-year)forFebruary
2022 edged up to 6.1% from 6% cent in
January.Theriseinoilandcommodityprices
and supply disruptions due to the war have
ledtoaglobalriseininflation.Retailinflation,
whichisconsideredatriggerfortheRBI'sin-
terest rate hikes, rose to 5.59% cent in
December 2021 from 4.9% in November,
4.48% in October, and 4.35% in September.
Overall, external developments during
the past two months have led to downside
riskstothedomesticgrowthoutlookandup-
side risks to inflation projections presented
in the February MPC resolution. Inflation is
nowprojectedtobehigherandgrowthlower
than the assessment in February, RBI
Governor Shaktikanta Das said.
Onthefoodpricefront,globalfactorssuch
as the restrictions on wheat supplies from
Ukraine and Russia via the Black Sea route
and the unprecedented high international
prices of wheat could have implications for
domestic wheat prices. Edible oil price pres-
suresarelikelytoremainelevatedinthenear
SIMPLY PUT QUESTION &ANSWER
DirectorinSFIO,MinistryofCorporateAffairs;
or an officer not below the rank of Chairman
/Managing Director/chief Executive of any
Public Sector Bank; or as per directions of any
criminal court in India.
Apartfromstatepolice,LOCscanbeissued
bytheCBI,NationalInvestigationAgency(NIA),
Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control
Bureau, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
CentralBoardofDirectTaxes,CentralBoardof
Excise and Customs; the Intelligence Bureau;
and Research & Analysis Wing.
Underwhatcircumstancesisoneissued?
FollowingaDelhiHighCourtorder,in2010,
the MHA issued an office memorandum that
saidrecoursetoLOCwastobetakenin“cognis-
ableoffencesunderIPC(IndianPenalCode)or
other penal laws”. It said the issuing agency is
supposed to provide reasons for opening an
LOC in the prescribed proforma “without
which the subject of an LOC will not be ar-
rested/detained”.
In cases where there is no cognisable of-
fenceunderIPCorotherpenallaws,itsaid,“the
LOC subject cannot be detained/ arrested or
preventedfromleavingthecountry.Theorig-
inating agency can only request that they be
informed about the arrival / departure of the
subject in such cases.”
Beforethisofficememorandumwasissued,
theDelhiHighCourthadissuedcertainguide-
lines on LOCs in connection with a case it was
hearing.Whileithadmentionedtheneedfora
cognisableoffence,ithadsaidanLOCwastobe
THIS WORD MEANS: FORTIFIED RICE
Fortification of food is considered one of
themostsuitablemethodstocombatmalnu-
trition. Rice is one of India’s staple foods, con-
sumedbyabouttwo-thirdsofthepopulation;
per capita consumption is 6.8 kg per month.
Howisricefortified?
Varioustechnologiesincludecoating,dust-
ing, and ‘extrusion’ — which involves the pro-
duction of fortified rice kernels (FRKs) from a
mixture using an ‘extruder’ machine.
Dryriceflourismixedwithapremixofmi-
cronutrients, and water is added to the mix-
ture,whichisthenpassedthroughanextruder
with heating zones. Kernels similar in shape
and size to rice are produced, which, as per
MinistryofConsumerAffairs,FoodandPublic
Distribution guidelines, must “resemble the
normal milled rice as closely as possible”.
The kernels are dried, cooled, and pack-
aged.FRKhasashelf lifeof atleast12months.
The kernels are blended with regular rice to
producefortifiedrice.Undertheguidelines,10
g FRK must be blended with 1 kg regular rice.
According toFSSAI norms, 1 kg of fortified
term due to export restrictions by key pro-
ducersaswellaslossofsupplyfromtheBlack
Sea region.
However, a likely record rabi harvest
would help to keep domestic prices of cere-
als and pulses in check.
WhatpolicyinstrumentshastheRBI
proposedtotackle thissituation?
The RBI’s liquidity management is char-
acterised by two-way operations: through
variableratereverserepo(VRRR)auctionsof
varying maturities to absorb liquidity, and
variable rate repo (VRR) auctions to meet
transient liquidity shortages and offset mis-
matches.
Inthisreview,theRBIhasintroducedthe
Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) – a new tool
for absorbing liquidity – at an interest rate of
3.75%. So while the MPC maintained status
quo on the repo rate and kept the stance ac-
commodative, it signaled the normalisation
of theliquidityadjustmentfacility(LAF)cor-
ridor by introducing the SDF as the floor rate
inplaceof thefixedratereverserepo(FRRR),
which was kept unchanged at 3.35%.
Analystssaidthiswouldenablethecentral
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to explained@indianexpress.com
A Look Out
Circular (LOC) is
issued to prevent
a person from
leaving India. CBI
has argued that
Aakar Patel
(above) is a flight
risk. Archive
issued “where the accused was deliberately
evadingarrestornotappearinginthetrialcourt
despiteNBWsandothercoercivemeasuresand
therewaslikelihoodoftheaccusedleavingthe
countrytoevadetrial/arrest.”
TheHomeMinistry’sofficememorandum
in2010addedanothercategoryof“exceptional
circumstances”, where an LOC can be issued
withoutcompleteparametersand/orcasede-
tailsagainst“terrorists,antinationalelements,
etc in larger national interest”.
Whatlawgovernstheissuanceof anLOC?
There is no specific law. An LOC is issued
basedonguidelinessetbytheHomeMinistry
through letters and office memorandum is-
sued in 1979, 2000 and 2010. In several court
cases,theallegedmisuseofthepowertoissue
an LOC has been argued and it has been said
thattheinappropriateexerciseofthepoweris
due to absence of a law governing it.
A case in point is that of Greenpeace cam-
paigner Priya Pillai, who was prevented from
flying to London in 2015 based on an LOC
openedagainstherbytheIntelligenceBureau,
whichhadcategorisedheras“ananti-national
element”. Pillai was supposed to address
Britishparliamentariansagainstaminingproj-
ect in Madhya Pradesh. The LOC was eventu-
allyquashedbyDelhiHighCourt,callingit“il-
legal” and observing that having a different
opinion on a development project does not
make one anti-national.
Doesthesubjecthavetherighttobe
rice will contain the following: iron (28 mg-
42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and
vitaminB-12(0.75-1.25microgram).Ricemay
also be fortified with zinc (10 mg-15 mg), vi-
tamin A (500-750 microgram RE), vitamin B-
1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), vitamin B-2 (1.25 mg-1.75
mg), vitamin B-3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and vita-
min B-6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.
Shouldsuchricebecookeddifferently?
No. The rice needs to be cleaned and
washed in the normal way before cooking.
After cooking, fortified rice retains the same
physical properties and micronutrient levels
as it had before cooking.
Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags
withthelogo(‘+F'’andtheline“Fortifiedwith
Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12”.
Howwillthefortifiedricedistribution
planrollout?
In his Independence Day speech last year,
PrimeMinisterNarendraModihadannounced
thefortificationof ricedistributedundervari-
ous government schemes, including the PDS
bank to mop up liquidity without providing
anycollateral.Boththestandingfacilitiesviz.,
theMSFandSDF,willbeavailableonalldays
of the week, throughout the year.
The FRRR rate, retained at 3.35%, will re-
mainpartoftheRBI’stoolkit,anditsoperation
willbeatthediscretionoftheRBIforpurposes
specified from time to time. The FRRR along
withtheSDFwillimpartflexibilitytotheRBI’s
liquidity management framework, the RBI
said.Theextraordinaryliquiditymeasuresun-
dertaken in the wake of the pandemic, com-
binedwiththeliquidityinjectedthroughvar-
ious other operations of the RBI, have left a
liquidity overhang of the order of Rs 8.5 lakh
croreinthesystem,accordingtoDas.
Whatisthetrade-off intheRBI'spolicy
withregardtogrowth?
TheRBIhasnowdecidedtofocusoninfla-
tion over growth as inflation remains above
the RBI’s upper band of 6%. The policy panel
decidedtoremainaccommodativewhilefo-
cusing on withdrawal of accommodation to
ensurethat inflation remains withinthe tar-
getgoingforward,whilesupportinggrowth.
While the RBI has been focusing on
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
informedaboutthereasonsfortheLOC?
There is no guideline regarding this men-
tioned in any government order. While the
LOC-issuing authority has to record the rea-
sonsintheprescribedproformatobegivento
the BoI, there is no specific provision for in-
formingthesubject.Sincethereisnolawgov-
erning issuance of LOC, this is a grey area.
“Fundamentally,anLOCisnottobeissued
against anyone and everyone who is accused
ofacrime.Theintentionistopreventaperson
not cooperating with investigations from fly-
ing abroad. It is immaterial whether a person
evadinganinvestigatingagencyisawareofan
LOC or not,” a CBI officer said.
DoesanLOCmeanyoucanbearrested?
The aim of LoC is merely to prevent a per-
sonfromleavingthecountry.Oncethatispre-
vented,theBoIinformstheconcernedagency,
whichmayormaynotarresttheperson.“The
idea of LOC is to ensure episodes like Vijay
Mallya and Nirav Modi donothappen, where
bigoffendersleavethecountrynevertoreturn.
Aftertheyarestopped,theymaybejustasked
to join the investigation and not really ar-
rested,” said an MHA official.
Patel had a Surat court’s permission to
travel abroad. Why was he stopped in
Bangalore on the basis of the CBI’s LOC?
Thatcase,inwhichPatel’spassportwasim-
pounded,wasregisteredbyGujaratpolicefor
an alleged offence regarding a social media
post. Patel appealed to the Surat court, got his
passport released and even took permission
to fly to the US. However, in no criminal ju-
risprudencecanajudgmentinonecaseauto-
matically apply to another. The case in which
anLOCwasissuedwasadifferentone,andreg-
istered by a different agency, the CBI. For this,
Patel was supposed to take separate permis-
sion from the designated CBI court in Delhi.
WhencanacourtsetasideanLOC?
Courts can quash an LOC if it has not been
issued in the prescribed format, or by the au-
thorised agency or officer. It can also set aside
anLOCifitfeelsthegroundsforissuanceofthe
LOCarenotfulfilled.Thisbasicallymeansifthe
court is of the opinion that despite a criminal
caseagainstthesubject,heorsheisnotaflight
riskandhasbeencooperatingwiththeinves-
tigating agency, it might quash the LOC.
and Mid-Day Meals in schools, by 2024.
The plan is intended to cover the entire
countrybyMarch2024inthreephases.Under
Phase I, already under implementation, two
programmes—ICDSandPMPOSHAN—were
to be covered by March 2022. Under Phase II,
the programme will be extended to benefici-
ariesof PDSandotherwelfareschemesin112
AspirationalDistrictsin27states,and291high
stunting burden districts by March 2023.
In Phase Ill, the remaining districts of the
country will be covered by March 2024. Uttar
Pradeshhasthehighestnumberofdistricts(60)
inthelistof highburdendistrictsonstunting.
AccordingtoSudhanshuPandey,Secretary,
Department of Food and Public Distribution,
nearly 88.65 LMT (lakh metric tonnes) of for-
tifiedricehasbeenprocuredbyFCIandstates
implementingtheDecentralizedProcurement
SystemtodistributeunderICDS,PM-POSHAN
(MDM) and PDS, so far. According to the Food
Ministry,thecostof ricefortification,afterfull
implementationby2024,willcometoaround
Rs. 2,700 crore per annum, which is less than
2 per cent of the total annual food subsidy.
growthwithitsaccommodativepolicyinthe
lastthreeyears,severalanalystsrecentlysaid
itisbehindthecurveintacklinginflationand
liquidity management. “In the sequence of
priorities, we have now put inflation before
growth. Time is appropriate...,” Das said.
Isalong-termtighteningof money
supplyindicated?
The RBI has said it will engage in a cali-
brated withdrawal of the accommodative
stanceoveramulti-yeartimeframeinanon-
disruptive manner beginning this year. The
objective is to restore the size of the liquidity
surplus in the system to a level consistent
withtheprevailingstanceofmonetarypolicy.
“While doing so, I would like to reiterate our
commitmenttoensuretheavailabilityofad-
equate liquidity to meet the productive re-
quirements of the economy,” Das said.
Thatsaid,thegradualtighteningofmoney
supply is expected to push up interest rates.
The liquidity measures undertaken in the
wake of the pandemic, combined with liq-
uidity injected through various other opera-
tionsoftheRBI,haveleftaliquidityoverhang
oftheorderofRs8.5lakhcroreinthesystem.

14 THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
Rishi Sunak with wife
Akshata Murthy
BRITAIN
Mywifeloves
India:Sunak
fightsback
amidtaxrow
UK CHANCELLOR of the
Exchequer Rishi Sunak
countered the
Opposition’s attack over
the non-domicile tax sta-
tus of his India-born wife
AkshataMurthy,daughter
of Infosys co-founder
Narayana Murthy, saying
she loves her country and
would eventually return
there to care for her par-
ents. Akshata, whose
mother Sudha Murthy is a
philanthropist, was tar-
geted by the Opposition
over her non-domicile tax
status,whichmeanssheis
not legally bound to pay
tax in the UK on income
earned overseas. “She had
this well before we met,
before she moved to this
country... She loves her
country,” Sunak told The
Sun tabloid. PTI
CHINA
Shanghai
records21,000
newCovidcases
SHANGHAIONFridayan-
nounced a record 21,000
newcasesandathirdcon-
secutivedayof Covidtest-
ingasalockdownof its26
millionpeopleshowedno
sign of easing and other
Chinese cities tightened
curbs — even in places
withnorecentinfections.
Beijing authorities inter-
venedinShanghaiafterits
failure to isolate Covid by
locking the city down in
stages,andinsiststhatthe
country stick to its zero-
tolerance policy to pre-
vent its medical system
from breaking down.
REUTERS
FRANCE
Policeneutralise
bombleftin
cathedral
FRENCH POLICE evacu-
ated the Saint Etienne
Cathedral in the city of
Toulouse Friday after a
man entered during
morning Mass and left a
packagecontainingasus-
pected homemade bomb
that failed to explode,
Interior Minister Gerald
Darmaninsaid.Thepack-
age, apparently an “im-
provised explosive de-
vice” that lacked a
detonator, was safely
neutralised, Darmanin's
statement said. An initial
alert advising people to
avoid central Toulouse
waslaterlifted,Darmanin
tweeted. No arrests were
announced. AP
SpaceX launches 3 visitors to MOMENT OF REAL CHANGE IN AMERICAN HISTORY: BIDEN
space station for $55M each We’ve made it, all of us: Jackson on her
confirmation as US top court judge
MARCIA DUNN
CAPE CANAVERAL, APRIL 8
SPACEX LAUNCHED three rich
businessmen and their astro-
naut escort to the International
Space Station on Friday for more
than a week’s stay, as NASA joins
Russia in hosting guests at the
world’s most expensive tourist
destination.
It’s SpaceX’s first private
charter flight to the orbiting lab
aftertwo yearsof carryingastro-
nauts there for NASA.
Arriving at the space station
Saturday will be an American,
Canadianand Israeliwho run in-
vestment, real estate and other
companies. They’re paying $55
A railway station, used to evacuate civilians in Ukraine’s Kramatorsk, after being struck by a Russian missile on Friday. Reuters
Ukraine says 50 killed in rocket
strike on rail evacuation hub
REUTERS
KYIV, APRIL 8
UKRAINE SAID as many as 50
people, including five children,
werekilledandmanymorewere
wounded and lost limbs in a
rocket strike at a railway station
packed with civilians fleeing the
threat of a major Russian offen-
sive in the country's east.
Asregionalauthoritiesscram-
bledtorushciviliansoutofharm's
way, a group of European Union
leadersmeanwhilevisitedKyivto
offer President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy support and assure
him there will be a path to EU
membership for Ukraine.
Zelenskyycalledthestrikeon
the station in Kramatorsk in the
easternregionof Donetskregion
a deliberate attack on civilians.
Regional governor Pavlo
Kyrylenko said the death toll
rose to 50 from an earlier re-
ported 39 as some of the several
dozen wounded had died after
being taken to hospital or med-
Sri Lanka Opposition to move
no-trust motion against govt
Amid crisis, central bank doubles interest rates to tame inflation
PTI & REUTERS
COLOMBO, APRIL 8
SRILANKA’SmainOppositional-
liance, the Samagi Jana
Balawegaya(SJB),announcedon
Fridaythatitwillmoveano-con-
fidence motion against the gov-
ernment and is prepared to im-
peach President Gotabaya
Rajapaksa if he fails to address
theconcernsof thepeopleof the
country, who are facing fuel
shortages and other hardships
amid a major economic crisis.
As protests continued across
the country demanding the res-
ignation of the President and
other membersof theRajapaksa
family from the government,
Opposition leader Sajith
Premadasa called for the execu-
tive presidency to be abolished,
saying power should be divided
betweentheexecutive,thelegis-
lature and the judiciary.
“The government must pay
heedtothepublicdemandforthe
Rajapaksas to quit. If not, we will
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket,
with the Crew Dragon
capsule attached, lifts off. AP
millionapiece for the rocket ride
and accommodations, all meals
included.
This image from video
published on Ukrainian
President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy’s Telegram
channel shows a fragment of
a missile with “For children”
written in Russian, in
Kramatorsk. AP
ical centers.
He said the station was hit by
a Tochka U short-range ballistic
missile that contained cluster
munitions, which explode in
mid-air, spraying small lethal
Lawmakers protest in
Colombo last week. Reuters
bring a no-confidence motion,”
the SJB leader told Parliament.
The SJB has begun to collect
signatures from MPs for the no-
confidence motion, according to
media reports.
Rajapaksa earlier proposed
the creation of a unity govern-
ment,buttheSJBrejectedtheidea.
Premadasa said he could not
agree to an interim government
whichhasGotabayaasPresident.
The SJB said it is also pre-
pared to impeach the President.
Premadasa also submitted a set
of proposalstoParliamentonbe-
half of theSJBtoaddresstheeco-
Russia has been hosting
tourists at the space station —
and before that the Mir station
— for decades. Just last fall, a
Russian movie crew flew up, fol-
lowed by a Japanese fashion ty-
coon and his assistant.
NASA is finally getting into
the act, after years of opposing
space station visitors.
“It was a hell of a ride and
we’relookingforwardtothenext
10days,”saidformerNASAastro-
naut and chaperone Michael
Lopez-Alegria on reaching orbit.
Thevisitors’ticketsincludeac-
cesstoallbuttheRussianportion
ofthespacestation—they’llneed
permissionfromthecosmonauts
on board. Three Americans and a
German also live up there. AP
UK sanctions
Putin daughters
London: Britain has added
two adult daughters of
Russian President Vladimir
Putin to its sanctions list, fol-
lowing similar moves by the
US and the European Union.
ThegovernmentsaidFridayit
is imposing asset freezes and
travelbansonPutin’s daugh-
ters Katerina Tikhonova and
Maria Vorontsova, as well as
Yekaterina Vinokurova,
daughter of Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Britainsaysitsanctionedover
1,200Russianindividualsand
businessessincetheinvasion
of Ukraine. AP
bomblets over a wider area.
“They wanted to sow panic
and fear, they wanted to take as
many civilians as possible,”
he said.
Reuters was unable to verify
nomic crisis in Sri Lanka.
The country’s central bank
doubled its key interest rates on
Friday, raising each by an un-
precedented 700 basis points to
tame inflation that has soared
due to crippling shortages of ba-
sic goods driven.
The Central Bank of Sri
Lanka’s (CBSL) monetary board
raiseditsstandinglendingfacility
to14.50percentanditsstanding
deposit facility to 13.50%.
Thebuild-upof aggregatede-
mand, domestic supply disrup-
tions,theplunge of thelocalcur-
rency and high prices of
commodities globally could
keep up the pressure on infla-
tion, the CBSL said in its mone-
tary policy decision statement.
Meanwhile,newly-appointed
Finance Minister Ali Sabry, who
resignedfromthepostwithin24
hours of his appointment, re-
turned to the position and will
headthegovernment’snegotiat-
ing team at the IMF as the island
nationstrugglestocombatshort-
age of foreign reserves.
NANDITA BOSE
& JEFF MASON
WASHINGTON, APRIL 8
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden’s ap-
pointee Ketanji Brown Jackson
on Friday celebrated her historic
confirmation as the first Black
woman to serve on the US
SupremeCourt,sayingatanout-
door White House event that it
shows in America “anything is
possible”.
Jackson, a federal appellate
judge, was confirmed to the life-
time post by the Senate on
Thursday on a 53-47 vote in a
milestone for the US and a po-
SPAIN
HARASSMENT OF WOMEN GOING FOR ABORTIONS BANNED
Spain is awaiting the publication in coming days of a new law banning the intimidation or harassment of
women entering abortion clinics. The legal changes mean that anyone harassing a woman going into an
abortion clinic will be committing a crime that can be punished with up to one year in prison.
what happened in Kramatorsk.
Zelenskuy said no Ukrainian
troops were at the station.
“Russian forces (fired) on an or-
dinary train station, on ordinary
people, there were no soldiers
there,” he told Finland’s parlia-
ment in a video address.
EU leaders visit Bucha
Meanwhile, European
Commission chief Ursula von
derLeyensaidthedeathsof civil-
ians in the Ukrainian town of
Buchashowedthe“cruelface”of
Russian President Vladimir
Putin’sarmy,pledgingtosupport
Kyiv in its defence of the “border
of Europe”.
During a visit to Bucha, von
der Leyen looked visibly moved
bywhatshesawinatownwhere
officialssayhundredsof civilians
were killed by Russian forces.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief
diplomat, was also among the
delegation to visit Bucha on
Friday. The EU leaders said they
would do everything to support
Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc.
Nepal’s central
bank governor
suspended
YUBARAJ GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, APRIL 8
THE NEPAL government sus-
pended the country’s central
bank governor, Maha Prasad
Adhikari, amid his purported
disagreements with Finance
Minister Janardan Sharma.
The decision was taken at a
Cabinet meeting, in which nom-
inees for 20 ambassadorial posi-
tions were also decided.
A Cabinet source said
Adhikari’ssuspensioncameinthe
wake of his refusal to release 400
million Nepali rupees, routed
throughtheUS,toabusinessman
and suspect in a money launder-
ing case, despite the Finance
Minister’s instructions. Deputy
governorNeelamDhunganawas
designated as acting governor.
The nominees for ambassa-
dors to 20 countries include
Maoist leader Bishnu Pukar
Shrestha, who has been picked
as envoy to China. The ambassa-
dorial positions will need parlia-
mentary approval before they
are finalised.
Ketanji Brown Jackson with Biden and Harris. AP
litical victory for the Democratic
President. Jackson, 51, will re-
place the retiring Justice
TERROR FINANCING CASES
Pak court hands 32-yr
jail term to Hafiz Saeed
M ZULQERNAIN
LAHORE, APRIL 8
AN ANTI-TERRORISM court in
Pakistan on Friday sentenced
Mumbai terror attack master-
mind and chief of the Jamat-ud-
Dawa (JuD), Hafiz Saeed, to 32
years in prison in two more ter-
ror financing cases.
The 71-year-old had already
been sentenced to 36 years im-
prisonment in five other terror
financing cases.
The32-yearsentenceandthe
36-year sentence will run con-
currently.
On Friday, anti-terrorism
court (ATC) judge Ejaz Ahmad
Bhuttarhandeddowntheprison
sentence to Saeed in two FIRs —
21/2019 and 90/2019 — regis-
tered by the Counter Terrorism
Departmentof Pakistan’sPunjab
Police, a court official said.
Thecourtalso imposedafine
of PKR 340,000 on Saeed.
He was brought to the court
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at a parliamentary
party meeting in Islamabad on Friday. UNI
Pakistan’s National
Assembly to meet
today for trust vote
Panel set up to probe ‘foreign conspiracy’
REUTERS & PTI
ISLAMABAD, APRIL 8
PAKISTAN’S PARLIAMENT will
convene on Saturday to vote on
removing Imran Khan as Prime
Minister, an official notice said
on Friday, potentially cutting
short his term as leader.
Thecountry’stopcourtruled
lateonThursdaythat Khan must
face the no-confidence vote,
which he is widely expected to
lose, meaning he would be
ousted from office.
The Lower House of
Parliament has been convened
for a session on Saturday at
10.30 am, the Speaker’s office
said in an order paper. The vote,
brought by Opposition leader
Shehbaz Sharif, is the fourth
point on the agenda.
A member of Khan’s govern-
ment denounced the Supreme
Court’s decision to quash the
Prime Minister’s effort to block
the no-confidence vote.
“A judicial coup happened
last night ... ending parliamen-
tary supremacy!” Minister for
Human Rights Shireen Mazari
said on Twitter.
In its ruling, the Supreme
Court said Khan had acted un-
Stephen Breyer, 83, on the lib-
eral bloc of a court with a 6-3
conservative majority.
New Delhi
Mumbai attack mastermind
Hafiz Saeed
from the Kot Lakhpat Jail in
Lahore where he has been im-
prisoned since 2019 under strict
security, the official said.
Saeed, a UN-designated ter-
rorist on whom the US has
placeda$10-millionbounty,was
arrested in July 2019 in the ter-
ror financing cases.
The Saeed-led JuD is a front
organisation of the Lashkar-e-
Toiba which is responsible for
carrying out the 2008 Mumbai
attack that killed 166 people.
TheUSTreasuryDepartment
has designated Saeed a Specially
Designated Global Terrorist.
constitutionally in blocking the
no-confidence vote when it was
due to take place last Sunday, af-
ter which he dissolved parlia-
ment and called an election.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-
Insaf (PTI) party has announced
that it will launch an agitation
against the Supreme Court’s
decision.
The party is also considering
en masse resignations of its law-
makers in the national and
provincial assemblies, The
Express Tribune newspaper
quoted party sources as saying.
Meanwhile, the government
has set up a commission led by
a retired Army officer to investi-
gatethealleged“foreignconspir-
acy” behind the no-confidence
motion against Khan, Minister
forInformationFawadChaudhry
said. The decision was taken at a
Cabinet meeting on Friday.
Chaudhry said the commis-
sion was formed to probe the is-
sueofthe“threateningletter”and
it will be headed by Lieutenant
General (retd) Tariq Khan.
“The commission will in-
vestigate where the conspiracy
was hatched and who were the
local handlers of the conspiracy
to topple the government,”
he said.
"Ithastaken232yearsand115
prior appointments for a Black
womantobeselectedtoserveon
the Supreme Court of the United
States," Jackson said an event on
the White House South Lawn.
“But we’ve made it — we’ve
made it — all of us, all of us,”
JacksonaddedasBidenlookedon.
Biden said: “We’re going to
look back and see this is a mo-
ment of real change in American
history.”
Vice President Kamala Harris
noted at the ceremony that
Jackson's confirmation also
means that four women will be
serve together on the Supreme
Courtforthefirsttime. REUTERS
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
The global terror financing
watchdog, Financial Action Task
Force (FATF), has been instru-
mental in pushing Pakistan to
take measures against terrorists
roaming freely in the country
and using its territory to carry
out attacks elsewhere.
Pakistan has been on the
‘grey list’ of the Paris-based FATF
since June 2018 for failing to
check money laundering, lead-
ing to terror financing, and was
given a plan of action to com-
plete it by October 2019.
Since then, the country con-
tinues to be on that list due to its
failure to comply with the FATF
mandates.
Pakistan has so far avoided
being on the black list with the
help of close allies like China,
Turkey and Malaysia.
The FATF is an inter-govern-
mental body established in 1989
tocombatmoneylaundering,ter-
roristfinancingandotherrelated
threats to the integrity of the in-
ternational financial system. PTI
Removal of Alvi
as President,
return of Nawaz
Sharif on Opp
agenda: report
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
ISLAMABAD, APRIL 8
PAKISTAN’S OPPOSITION has
completed its initial talks for the
formationofanewgovernmentif
Prime Minister Imran Khan is
ousted on Saturday after the no-
confidencemotion,andplansare
afootfortheremovalofPresident
ArifAlviandthereturnofdeposed
premier Nawaz Sharif from the
UK,amediareportsaidonFriday.
Pakistan Muslim League-
Nawaz (PML-N) president and
Opposition leader Shehbaz
Sharif, 70, who is the
Opposition’s PM candidate, will
announce his possible govern-
mentprioritiesaftertakingoath,
The Express Tribune reported.
The report quoted sources as
sayingthatall oppositionparties
would be given proportional
representation in the new pos-
sible federal government.
A constitutional route willbe
taken to replace President Alvi
and governors of the four
provinces, the report said.
According to sources cited in
the report, all the decisions of
Khan’s government could be re-
viewed and changed.
Two men ‘with
ISI links’ held in
US for influence
op targeting
security agencies
MARIA CRAMER
& NEIL VIGDOR
APRIL 8
TWO MEN masquerading as
Department of Homeland
Security officers in Washington
duped several members of the
Secret Service, providing them
withtensof thousandsof dollars
in gifts, including rent-free
apartments, federal prosecutors
said. One of the men told several
people that he had connections
to Pakistan’s main intelligence
agency, ISI, prosecutors said in
federal court on Thursday.
Four members of the Secret
Service,theagencychargedwith
protectingtheUSPresident,have
been placed on administrative
leave while the case is being in-
vestigated.
One of the men, Arian
Taherzadeh, offered to buy a
$2,000 assault rifle for an agent
assignedtoJillBiden’sprotective
detail, according to an affidavit,
filed in court on Tuesday.
Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider
Ali, 35, were charged with one
count of false impersonation of
an officer, the affidavit said.
Prosecutors said that Ali had
told witnesses that he had con-
nections to the ISI.
The FBI arrested the men,
bothof whomareUScitizens,on
Wednesday in Southeast
Washington. NYT

15 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
SENSEX: 59,447.18 ▲ 412.23 (0.70%) NIFTY: 17,784.35 ▲ 144.80 (0.82%) NIKKEI: 26,985.80 ▲ 97.23 HANG SENG: 21,872.01 ▲ 63.03 FTSE: 7,630.35 ▲ 78.54 DAX: 14,279.25 ▲ 201.10
MARKETS WATCH
GOVERNMENT SECURITIES
RBI hints at shift
in stance, yields
hit near 3-yr high
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,APRIL8
THE BENCHMARK 10-year
government bond yields on
Friday jumped to near three-
yearhighsaftertheRBIhinted
at gradually moving away
from its ultra-loose monetary
policytocheckinflation.
The 10-year benchmark
bondyieldrose20basispoints
higher to close the day at 7.12
per cent as against the previ-
ous close of 6.91 per cent. The
riseinbondyieldsindicatethat
liquidity tightening is ahead
andinterestratesaresettorise.
Analysts said rising yields
meaninvestorsexpectarisein
interest rates and are, there-
fore, selling the bond papers
theyareholding.Sincearisein
interest rates would result in
decline in bond price of exist-
ingbonds(andtherebycapital
loss on sale before maturity),
investors rush to sell in order
tolimitcapitalloss.
The bond market is upset
at the hawkish note struck by
the RBI in the first monetary
policy statement of the new
fiscal year. The rise in yields
means government borrow-
ings will be more expensive,
saidananalyst.
TheRBIhasindicatedthatit
will engage in a gradual and
calibrated withdrawal of this
liquidityoveramulti-yeartime
frame in a non-disruptive
mannerbeginningthisyear.
Meanwhile, the rupee ap-
preciated 13 paise to settle at
75.90 against the US dollar on
FridayaftertheRBImaintained
BRIEFLY
IBBInorms
New Delhi: Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Board of India
(IBBI)notifiedamendments
tovoluntaryliquidationpro-
cess regulations, that came
intoforceonApril5,wherein
timelines have been cut.
Granttostates
New Delhi: The Finance
Ministrysaidithasreleased
the first instalment of rev-
enuedeficitgrantofRs7,183
crore to 14 states, namely
Andhra Pradesh, Assam,
Himachal Pradesh, Kerala,
Manipur,Meghalaya,Mizo-
ram,Nagaland,Punjab,Raja-
sthan,Sikkim,Tripura,Utta-
rakhand and West Bengal.
RBIfinesbanks
Mumbai: Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) imposed fines of
`93 lakh on Axis Bank and
`90lakhonIDBIBankforvi-
olationofvariousnorms. PTI
RuchiSoya
Mumbai: Patanjali-backed
RuchiSoyalistedontheBSE
at `850 with a premium of
Rs 200 over the issue price.
Its shares closed at `924.85
per share on the BSE and
`938 per share on the NSE.
The follow-on public offer-
ing was offered at a lower
pricebandof`615pershare
and higher price band of
`650 per equity share. ENS
BharatPeCEO
NewDelhi:FormerBharatpe
chief Ashneer Grover wrote
to the firm’s board seeking
action against CEO Suhail
Sameer after his offensive
remarksonsocialmediaand
sought resignation of chair-
man Rajnish Kumar. PTI
FinesbyUSFAA
Washington:TheUSFederal
Aviation Administration (U
FAA) proposed a $81,950
fineagainstapassengerwho
struck a flight attendant on
the head on an American
Airlines flight last July land-
ing in Charlotte, North
Carolina. AP
Why
therise?
RISING YIELDS mean in-
vestors expect a rise in in-
terest rates and are, there-
fore, selling the bond
papers they are holding.
Since a rise in interest rates
would result in decline in
bond price of existing
bonds (and thereby capital
loss on sale before matu-
rity), investors rush to sell
in order to limit capital loss.
The bond market is upset
at the hawkish note struck
by the RBI in the first mone-
tary policy statement of the
new fiscal year.
status quo on the benchmark
lendingrate.
On the domestic equity
marketfront,the30-shareBSE
Sensexended412.23pointsor
0.70 per cent higher at
59,447.18,andthebroaderNSE
Nifty surged 144.80 points or
0.82percentto17,784.35.
Meanwhile,oilpriceswere
stable on Friday, as per a
Reuters report, but remained
oncourseforasecondweekly
fallaftercountriesannounced
plans to release crude from
their strategic stocks. Brent
crudefutureswereup7cents,
or 0.08 per cent, at $100.67 a
barrelby10:41amET.USWest
Texas Intermediate crude fu-
tures rose 30 cents to $96.32.
Bothcontractsaresettofallfor
a second consecutive week.
Mar: Volatility no bar, equity MFs get record inflows
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,APRIL8
EQUITYMUTUALfunds(MFs)wit-
nessed net inflows of Rs 28,463
crore in March despite a volatile
stockmarketandsustainedselling
byforeignportfolioinvestors.
AccordingtotheAssociationof
Mutual of Funds of India (AMFI),
equitymutualfundssawanetin-
flowofRs19,705croreinFebruary,
Rs 14,888 crore in January and Rs
MUSK NOW PROMISES ROBOTAXI
Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the ‘Cyber Rodeo’ opening celebration
for the new $1.1-billion Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing
facility in Austin, Texas. The EV maker will make a “dedicated”
self-driving taxi that will “look futuristic,” he said, without
giving a timeframe. AP
CABINET OKAYS COAL MINISTRY PROPOSAL
One-time window to
PSUs for surrendering
non-operational mines
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,APRIL8
THE GOVERNMENT on Friday
saidithasapprovedaproposalto
provide a one-time window to
publicsectorundertakingstosur-
render coal mines that are not in
operations without any penalty.
The Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired
byPrimeMinisterNarendraModi
approved the proposal during its
meeting on Friday, the coal min-
istry said in a statement.
The CCEA “has approved the
MinistryofCoal’sproposalforpro-
viding a one-time window to the
MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING CONCLUDES
Reverserepoout,SDFin:RBI’s
newliquidityabsorbingtool
‘Toengageingradualwithdrawalof liquidity(`8.5Lcr)overmulti-yeartimeframe’
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,APRIL8
THE RESERVE Bank of India (RBI)
has introduced the Standing
DepositFacility(SDF)—anewtool
for absorbing liquidity — at an in-
terest rate of 3.75 per cent. With
this, the RBI has almost made the
reverserepoirrelevant.
Theoperativeratehasgoneup
by 40 bps with the institutionali-
sation of the Standing Deposit
Facilityforthewithdrawalofultra-
comfortableliquidity.
The SDF will replace the fixed
rate reverse repo (FRRR) as the
floor of the LAF (liquidity adjust-
ment facility) corridor. Both the
standingfacilitiesviz.,theMarginal
Standing Facility (MSF) and the
SDFwillbeavailableonalldaysof
theweek,throughouttheyear.
The FRRR rate, which is re-
tainedat3.35percent,willremain
as part of the RBI’s toolkit and its
operationwillbeatthediscretion
of the RBI for purposes specified
fromtimetotime.TheFRRR,along
Rates steady for 11th time,
eye on ‘inflation within target’
The RBI MPC on Friday kept the repo rate unchanged for the
eleventh time straight, deciding to “remain accommodative
... to ensure that inflation remains within the target”
3.75% StandingDeposit
Facilityrate,anew
toolforabsorbingliquidity
4.00%
withsecurity
Reporate,atwhich
theRBIlendsfunds
MPC STANCE: All MPC members unanimously voted for keeping the policy repo rate unchanged
25,077 crore in December 2021.
Equity schemes have been wit-
nessing net inflow since March
2021,highlightingthepositivesen-
timentamonginvestors.
Equity schemes had consis-
tentlywitnessedoutflowsforeight
months from July 2020 to
February 2021 losing Rs 46,791
crore. N S Venkatesh,chief execu-
tive,AMFIsaid:“Thedeteriorating
geo-politicalsituationwithRussia-
Ukrainewar,elevatedhawkishUS
Fedstanceoreventherisinginfla-
Central and State PSUs to surren-
der non-operational
mineswithoutpenalty(forfeiture
of bank guarantee) and without
citing any reason,” the statement
said.
This may release many coal
mineswhichthepresentgovern-
mentcompaniesarenotinaposi-
tion to develop or are disinter-
ested and could be put for sale as
per the present auction policy of
the government.
The government companies
would be given three
months to surrender the coal
mines from the date of publica-
tion of the approved surrender
policy. WITHPTI
Push for cardless withdrawals
Mumbai: In a move aimed at
encouraging card-less cash
withdrawal facility across all
banks and all ATM networks
and operators, the RBI has
proposedtoenablecustomer
authorisation through the
use of Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) while settle-
ment of such transactions
would happen through the
ATM networks.
withtheSDF,willimpartflexibility
totheRBI’sliquiditymanagement
framework,theRBIsaid.
In 2018, the amended Section
17 of the RBI Act empowered the
central bank to introduce the SDF
—anadditionaltoolforabsorbing
liquiditywithoutanycollateral.By
removing the binding collateral
constraint on the RBI, the SDF
strengthensthe operatingframe-
workofmonetarypolicy.TheSDF
is also a financial stability tool in
3.35% Reversereporate,
atwhichRBI
borrowsfrombanks
4.25% Bankrate,at
whichRBIlends
fundstobankssanssecurity
Sebi forms
panel on MFs
New Delhi: Sebi on Friday
formedtwo workinggroups
to review the role and eligi-
bilityofasponsorofamutual
fund to facilitate growth and
innovation in the industry
andtostreamlinetheroleand
obligationsoftrusteesofsuch
financialinstruments. PTI
WEEK ENDED APRIL 1
Forex reserves drop $11.17 bn
New Delhi: The forex reserves
recorded the highest ever fall for
the week ended April 1, sliding
by$11.173billionto$606.475bil-
lion as the currency came under
pressure due to geopolitical de-
velopments,accordingtotheRBI
data released on Friday.
The steep fall in the foreign
exchange — or forex — reserves
was because of a decline in the
core currency assets, which de-
clined by $10.727 billion to
$539.727 billion.
Typically, the RBI intervenes
in the market to reduce volatil-
ity in the currency market by
Other decisions
To enable banks to better
manage their investment
portfolio in FY 2022-23, the
RBI has decided to enhance
the limit for inclusion of SLR
eligible securities in the HTM
category to 23 per cent of
NDTL. The RBI also proposed
tosetupapaneltoreviewthe
state of customer service in
the regulated entities. ENS
additiontoitsroleinliquidityman-
agement. The extraordinary liq-
uiditymeasuresundertakeninthe
wakeof thepandemic,combined
withtheliquidityinjectedthrough
variousotheroperationsoftheRBI,
haveleftaliquidityoverhangofthe
orderofRs8.5lakhcroreinthesys-
tem, according to RBI Governor
ShaktikantaDas.“TheRBIwillen-
gage in a gradual and calibrated
withdrawalofthisliquidityovera
multi-year time frame in a non-
6.0 5.40
5.5
5.0 5.15
4.5
4.0
4.90
3.5
3.0
Feb6,2020
Mar27,2020
May22,2020
Aug6,2020
Oct9,2020
Dec4,2020
Feb5,2021
Apr6,2021
Jun4,2021
Aug6,2021
Oct8,2021
Dec8,2021
Feb10,2022
Apr8,2022
tion owing to spurt in fuel prices
have not deterred continued in-
vestor confidence in the India
growthstory.”
SIP contribution for March
2022wasatanall-timehighatRs
12,328 crore, AMFI said. SIP AUM
at the end of March 2022 was Rs
5,76,358 crore. In the last 12
months,asonMarch31,2022,the
MF industry has added 1.09 crore
unique investors which is also re-
flective of investor confidence in
the mutual asset class, Venkatesh
Thesteepfallinthe
reserveswasbecauseof
adeclineinthecore
currencyassets,which
fellby$10.727billion to
$539.727billion
selling from its reserves kitty.
The previous worst weekly
fall was of $9.6 billion for the
weekendedonMarch11.Forthe
reportingweek,thevalueof gold
reserves also decreased by $507
million to $42.734 billion, data
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
GOLD RUPEE OIL SILVER
`51,697 `75.90 $97.59 `66,752
Note: Gold, silver rates at Delhi spot market, gold per 10g, silver per 1 kg; Crude oil (Indian basket) as of April 7
International market data till 1900 IST
TAX-GDP RATIO HIGHEST IN OVER 2 DECADES
FY22 gross revenues
at record; direct tax
mop-up rises 49%
`27.07LAKHCRORE
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,APRIL8
disruptivemannerbeginningthis ■ Gross tax collections
year,” Das said while unveiling GROSSTAXcollectionssurgedtoa grew to `27.07 lakh
crore in FY22, a 33.5%
monetary policy review. The ob- newhighof Rs27.07lakhcrorein
jective is to restore the size of liq- fiscal 2021-22, latest data by the rise over last fiscal’s
uidity surplus in the system to a Finance Ministry showed Friday. mop-up. The improved
revenue buoyancy also
level consistent with prevailing Marking a 33.5 per cent increase
stanceofmonetarypolicy,hesaid. over last fiscal’s gross tax collec- reflected in tax-to-GDP
In2020,duringthepandemic, tions, the improved revenue ratio rising to over two-
the widthof theLAF corridor was buoyancyalsoreflectedinthetax- decade high of 11.7%
widened to 90 basis points by GDPratioincreasingtoovertwo-
asymmetricadjustmentsinthere- decade high of 11.7 per cent, said
versereporatevis-à-visthepolicy Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj. Corporatetaxesgrew56.1per
reporate.Aimedatfullyrestoring Net tax mop-up in FY22 was cent to Rs 8.58 lakh crore, while
the pre-Covid liquidity manage- Rs18.22lakhcrore,a27.8percent personal income tax collection
mentframeworkofFebruary2020 increase over the actual revenue rose 43 per cent to about Rs 7.49
and in view of gradual return to collectedin2020-21,officialssaid. lakhcrore.Duringtheyear,Rs2.24
normalcyinfinancialmarkets,the Directtaxcollections,netofre- lakh crore of income tax refunds
RBI has decided to restore the funds, rose by 49 per cent to Rs wereissuedto2.43croreentities.
widthoftheLAFcorridortoitspre- 14.10 lakh crore last fiscal, while In indirect taxes, while Cust-
Covidlevel.Withtheintroduction indirect taxes posted a growth of omscollectionrose48percentto
oftheSDFat3.75percent,thepol- 20percenttoRs12.90lakhcrore. over Rs 1.99 lakh crore, CGST and
icy repo rate being at 4 per cent “A lot of technology is being cess mop-up grew 30 per cent to
and the MSF rate at 4.25 per cent, used where GST figures are now Rs 6.95 lakh crore. Excise collec-
thewidthoftheLAFcorridorisre- being matched with income tax tion,however,dipped0.2percent
storedtoitspre-pandemicconfig- figures and compliances are be- to Rs 3.90 lakh crore in 2021-22.
uration of 50 bps. Thus, the LAF ingensured.Soallthishasresulted Bajajfurthersaidanti-GSTeva-
corridorwillbesymmetricaround in better compliance and better sion measures helped check the
the policy repo rate with the MSF revenues both in direct and indi- menaceoffakeinvoicesandbusi-
rateastheceilingandtheSDFrate rect taxes,” Bajaj said. The tax-to- nesses fraudulently claiming tax
asthefloorwithimmediateeffect. GDP ratio in FY22 jumped to 11.7 credit.Fortheestimatesthathave
per cent , the highest since 1999. been provided in the Budget for
In 2020-21, the ratio was 10.3 per FY23,Bajajsaiditmaynotbepos-
cent. “The direct taxes are more sibletorepeatsuchahighgrowth
KEY POLICY Bank
rate
than indirect taxes (in 2021-22) rate in the current financial year.
RATES (in %age) 4.25
andIhopethistrendwillcontinue Itmightbedifficulttoachievethe
inthecomingyears,”Bajajadded.
He said the overall tax buoy-
budgeted customs collection for
the current fiscal as it may not be
Repo ancy showed a “healthy, robust possibletofullyrestoretheimport
rate figure”.Thetaxbuoyancycamein dutyonedibleoilsandpulsesbe-
4.00 at about 2, which means the rate cause of the rising prices, he said.
of growth in tax collection was Thegovernmenthadreduced
Reverse
repo
3.35
around twice as fast as nominal
GDPgrowth.Grosstaxmop-upof
the Customs duty on edible oil
andpulsesinthelastfinancialyear
Rs 27.07 lakh crore in April 2021- with a view to containing spi-
March2022exceededtheBudget rallingdomesticprices.Directtax
Estimate by Rs 5 lakh crore and
the Revised Estimate by Rs 1.91
lakhcrore.Thetotalcollectionwas
collectionfortheFY23,whichbe-
ganonApril1,hasbeenpeggedat
Rs 14.20 lakh crore. This includes
34 per cent more than the Rs Rs 7.20 lakh crore from corporate
Compiled by ENS Economic Bureau 20.27 lakh crore collected in the taxesandRs7lakhcrorefromper-
2020-21 fiscal. sonal income tax.
Abu Dhabi’s IHC to invest
said. Within the equity segment,
all categories saw net inflows.
$2 bn in Adani group cos
Multi-cap fund category saw the
highest net inflow of Rs 9,694
NewDelhi:AbuDhabi’sInternati-
onalHoldingCompanywillinvest
ing preferential shares to IHC,
while Adani Green Energy Ltd
crore,followedbylarge&mid-cap $2 billion in Adani group’s three (AGEL) and Adani Transmission
fund and large cap fund that wit- green energy-based companies. Ltd (ATL) will receive Rs 3,850
nessedoverRs3,000crorenetin- Adani Enterprises Ltd, the croreeachviathesameequityin-
fusioneach. group’s flagship firm, will get Rs strument, the group said in a
However, the debt segment 7,700 crore $1.02 billion) by issu- statement. ENS WITHPTI
saw a net outflow of Rs 1.15 lakh
crorelastmonth,afterwitnessing
a net inflow of Rs 8,274 crore in
February. Index funds and ETFs
showedinflowsofRs19,404crore.
from released by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) showed.
The special drawing rights
(SDRs) with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) increased
by $58 million to $18.879 billion,
the RBI said. The country’s re-
serve position with the IMF also
increasedby$4millionto$5.136
billioninthereportingweek,the
data showed.
The previous worst weekly
fall was of $9.6 billion for the
week ended on March 11. The
Russian invasion of Ukraine has
led to troubles in the currency
markets. ENSWITHPTI
DELHI JAL BOARD
OFFICE OF THE ADDL. CHIEF ENGINEER(T) M-11
TENDER DIVISION (M)-11 ROOM NO.110, JAL SADAN,
SHIV MANDIR MARG, LAJPAT NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110024
EMAIL: eetdjbm11@gmail.com PH-011-29810956
S.
No.
Name of Work
N.I.T. No. 01 (2022-23)
Estimated
Cost
Date of release of
tender in e-
Last date/time of receipt
of tender through e-
(In Rs.) procurement solution procurement solution
1. Replacement of old/ damaged 100 mm C.I. water line by P/L 27,19,505/- 2022_DJB_220303_1 21.04.2022
100mm dia D.I. water line in D- block Khanpur J.J. Colony in Dr. 07.04.2022 up to 3.00 pm
Ambedkar Nagar area (AC-48) under EE(M)-48.
2. Replacement of old damaged water line laxmi stone Ial kuan to 47,82,527/- 2022_DJB_220303_2 21.04.2022
A-269 lal kuan at Tughlakabad constituency under EE(M)-52. 07.04.2022 up to 3.00 pm
3. Replacement of 250 mm dia old and damaged sewer lines by 33,46,198/- 2022_DJB_220303_3 21.04.2022
300 mm dia in Pocket-13, Kalkaji extension in Tughlakabad
07.04.2022 up to 3.00 pm
Constituency AC-52 under EE(M)-52.
4. Replacement of 250 mm dia old and damaged Sewer lines by 43,83,941/- 2022_DJB_220303_4 21.04.2022
300 mm dia in Pocket-12, Kalkaji extension in Tughlakabd
07.04.2022 up to 3.00 pm
constituency AC-52 under EE(M)-52.
5. Fabrication & fixing of truss for support of 700 mm dia existing 25,60,736/- 2022_DJB_220303_5 21.04.2022
water line over Nallah near SPS Mathura road Sarita vihar under 07.04.2022 up to 3.00 pm
EE(M)-54.
Further details in this regard may be seen at https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.
ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Sd/-
EXECUTIVE ENGINEER(T) M-11
Advt. No. J.S.V. 21 (2022-23)
STOP CORONA " WEAR MASK, FOLLOW PHYSICAL DISTANCING, MAINTAIN HAND HYGIENE'
New Delhi
 16 CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS
Classifieds
PERSONAL
I Ayan Mondal S/O Baidyanath
Mandal R/o Vill- Jemo
Baganpara Po- Jemo Rajbati
PS- Kandi Dist-Murshidabad St-
West Bengal- 742140 have
changed my name to Ayan
Mandal 0040609342-1
I Anshu Tomar, W/O Vivek
Tomar, R/o R-83, Advocate
Colony, Pratap Vihar, Sector-
12, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh -
201009 have changed my name
to Anshu Singh for all
purposes. 0070780295-1
I Abhishek Sharma R/O of B-23,
Sector 47, Noida have changed
my minor son(aged 11 years)
to Ayaan Sharma from Ayan
Sharma. He shall hereafter be
known as Ayaan Sharma for all
future purposes. Abhishek
Sharma F/O Ayaan Sharma.
0070780356-1
I,HIMANSHI SONIK,D/O.OM
PRAKASH ADD-A,350, STREET.
NO.16/2 POCKET-4 SONIA-
VIHAR DELHI 110094.Changed
my name to HIMANSHI.
permanently. 0040609379-9
It is for general information that
l, Arora Anubha K K D/o Mr.
Kewal Krishan R/o Tower-2, Flat
No.808, JM Park Sapphire,
Ramprastha Greens, Vaishali,
Sector-9 Ghaziabad, U.P.
201010. Declare I Want to
change my name from Arora
Anubha K K to Anubha Arora
for all future purposes.
0040609312-1
It is for general information that
I, KISHORE KUMAR S/o LT. SHRI
SUKHBIR SINGH residing at
18/180, DDA FLATS, SECTOR-5,
DR. AMBEDKAR NAGAR,NEW
DELHI-110062,declare that
name of mine has been
wrongly written as KISHOR
KUMAR in my Service Book. The
actual name of mine is
KISHORE KUMAR, which may
be amended accordingly.
0040609347-1
I,hitherto known as Pramod
Kumar Chauhan,S/o Vedpal
Singh,residing at,29/90,
Gali.No-10,Vishwas-Nagar,
Shahdara,Delhi-110032,have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be known as Parmod
Kumar. 0040609372-7
I,hitherto known as Binoy Babu
alias Binoy Babu Nair,S/O
Trikkovil Babu,residing at,95-
C,Pkt-B.Dilshad Garden,Delhi-
110095, have changed my name
and shall hereafter be known
as BINOY BABU NAIR.
0040609376-9
I,hitherto known as Bachni,wife
of Shri.Amar Chand,residing
at,VPO Sarhal Qazian,Distt.
Nawanshahar,Punjab-144502,
have changed my name and
shall hereafter be known as
Gurbachan Kaur.I have
changed my name only not my
religion. 0040609372-9
I,Surjeet Singh S/o,Veersingh
R/o-H.No.5012, KH.No.105/24,
G.F.,Street-No.113/12, Block-B,
Santnagar, Burari,Delhi-110084
&permanent resident Village-
Tayalani, Tayuna,Distt.Tehri
Garhwal,Hindolkhan,
Uttrakhand-249122,have
changed my-name to Suraj
Singh. 0040609386-7
I,Aakansha Soni,W/o Sh.Anurag
Tomar and,D/o Sh.Shyam Soni
Alias Shyam Babu,R/o.H.No-E-
47,Nawada-Housing
Complex,Uttam-Nagar,New
Delhi- 110059,Declare that
Shyam Soni and Shyam Babu
both are the one and same
Person. 0040609379-7
I, Smt Neerja dangi, W/O No
15722790y Rank NK NAME
JANMEJAY SINGH RAJPOOT,
resident of Vill-jaitpur
kachhaya,teh-Deori,dist-
sagar(MP) certify that my
name was Neerja dangi before
marriage.new my name has
changed to Neerja Rajpoot .I
also certify that both name are
of the same person.i wish that I
my be identified as Neerja
Rajpoot in all documents
hereafter affidavit no.BF
287877 Date 07/02/2022.
0040609337-1
I, Rajesh Kumar Yadav S/o
Shambhu Dayal Yadav R/o
H.No. 6/172, Gurjar Line Village
Jharera, Delhi Cantt. New Delhi-
110010, confirm that my
daughter’s Meenakshi Yadav
school records my name has
been wrongly written as R. K.
Yadav instead of Rajesh Kumar
Yadav. My correct name is
Rajesh Kumar Yadav for all
future purposes. 70780363-1
I, Manoj Kumar S/o Rajender
Singh, R/o Gali No-23, A-512,
Shyam Colony, Phase-2, Budh
Vihar, Delhi-110086, declare
that name of my Daughter has
been wrongly written as
Sheetal Kathairia in my minor
Daughter Sheetal aged 13
years in her School Record. The
actual name of my Daughter is
Sheetal 0070780368-1
I, Vimla Pandita Nee Peer W/o
Ramesh Kumar Pandita R/o-B-
23, Harmukh Appartments,
Sector-Alpha-1, Greater Noida,
G.B. Nagar U.P., have changed
my name to Vimla Pandita for
all future purposes.
0070780185-1
I Rina Kumari W/o. Jagdeep
Singh R/o. Rz E-59 Dabri
Extension New Delhi-110045
Have Changed My Name Rina
Kumari to Reena Kumari All
Future Purposes. 40609351-1
I Rajesh kumar S/o Om parkash
R/o-AG-165,Shalimar bagh
Delhi have changed my name
to Rajesh Vashisht
0040609321-1
I,Vikkas Bansal S/o Shri.Om
Prakash Bansal,R/o-House-
No.597, Sector-14, Faridabad
have changed my name Vikas
Bansal to Vikkas Bansal,for all
future purposes. 0040609321-4
I,Vikaas Tantia S/o Shri. Har
Govind Tantia, R/o-House.No-
636, Sector-14,Faridabad,have
changed my name Vikas Tantia
to Vikaas Tantia,for all future
purposes. 0040609321-5
I,VISAMBHAR,S/O.RAM SUBHAG
.HOUSE. NO.276, E-BLOCK SHIV-
DURGA VIHAR LAKKAPUR
SURAJKUND FARIDABAD
HARYANA-121009. Changed my
name to VISHAMBHAR SHAHNI.
permanently. 0040609379-8
I,VAIDYA SHILPA SURESH,W/O
VINAYAK SURYAKANT GIJARE,
R/O D-09, SERVICE OFFICERS
FLATS-DRDO TIMARPUR, DELHI-
110054,HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO ARPITA GIJARE.
0040609386-8
I,Surender Singh Mann, S/O
Nafe Singh R/O-House.No-136,
Hamidpur Delhi-110036,Have
Changed My Name To Surender
Singh,For All,Future Purposes.
0040609376-10
I,TOSHIBA PRIYA W/O GAURAV
MEHTA,R/O J-6/41,SECOND-
FLOOR, RAJOURI-GARDEN,
DELHI-110027.HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO TOSHIBA MEHTA.
0040609379-5
I,Sunil S/o Dharam Pal Sharma,
R/o Plot.no-5 IIND-FLOOR,New
Roshan Pura Najafgarh,Delhi-
110043,Have Changed my
name to Sunil Kumar Sharma,
for all purposes. 0040609372-3
I,Sunil Kumar S/O Amar Nath,
R/O E-22,2nd-Floor,Shivaji
Road, Adarsh-Nagar,Delhi-
110033,have Changed my name
to Sunil Kumar Narang.
0040609372-1
I,Sonu Sharma,S/o Ratan Lal
Sharma,R/o A-119,Gali.No-
6,Ambedkar-Vihar, Johripur,
Delhi-110094,have changed the
name of my minor son Rounak
(D.O.B. 30/05/2015) and he shall
hereafter be known as Rupesh
Dixit. 0040609372-8
I,Simran Khorana D/O Harjit
Singh Khorana,R/O.K-112,2nd
Floor,Hauz Khas Enclave,New
Delhi-110016,Have Changed my
Name to Simran Dhingra
0040609372-6
I,Shakuntla,W/o-Jaipal R/o
1175, 1st floor, Sector
4,Panchkula-134112,have
changed my name to
Shakuntala Devi Sharma for
future. 0040609386-3
I,Saurabh Nischal,S/o Surender
Kumar Nischal R/o.House.
No.187, Surya Niketan,Anand
Vihar, Delhi-110092,have
changed my name to Saaurabh
Nischal. 0040609376-2
I,Satish Chand S/O-Ram Swroop
R/O,318,2nd Flr,Block-S,
Panchsheel Park, New-Delhi-
110017, have changed my name
to Satish Sharma. 40609372-2
I,Sana Atif D/o-Hafiz Ahmed,R/o
Latina-314,Mahagun-
Mirabella,Sector-79, Chhaproli
Khadar,Noida-201305,Have
Changed My Name To Sana
Hafiz. 0040609379-4
I,SURJEET KAU AUSSI, W/O.
SATNAM SINGH AUSSI, ADD.C-
56,C-BLOCK PANDAV NAGAR
,EAST DELHI-110092. Changed
my name to SURJEET KAUR,
permanently. 0040609379-10
I,SORBH CHADHA S/o RAJAN
CHADDHA R/o-C-11/4,DLF
PHASE-1 GHOSI(68) DLF QE
GURGAON HARYANA-122002,
HAVE CHANGED MY NAME TO
SORBH CHADDHA. 40609376-8
I,Prateek Aggarwal,S/o Shri.
Prakash Aggarwal,R/o HP-2,
Near-Gopal-Mandir,
Pitampura,Delhi-110034,have
changed my minor son
name,from Shiven Aggarwal
aged-06-years to Pragun
Aggarwal,for all purposes.
0040609372-5
I,Pooja D/o Indarpal R/o 841-A,
Nyaykhand-1, Indirapuram,
Ghaziabad, U.P.-201014 have
changed my name to Pooja
Chamoli. 0040609386-5
I Tarannum Beg W/O, Mirza
Danish Beg R/o C-501, Kartik
Kunj Coop Housing Society,
Sector 44, District Gautam
Budh Nagar, UP 201303 have
changed my name from
Tarannum Beg to Tarannum
Khan Beg. Tarannum Khan and
Tarannum Khan Beg both are
the same person. Henceforth, I
shall be known as Tarannum
Khan Beg for all purposes.
0040609344-1
I,PRAVEEN KUMAR GUPTA/
PRAVEEN GUPTA,S/O ISHWAR
SAHAI GUPTA,R/O C-1,GALI
NO.27,MAHENDRA-PARK,
ADARSH-NAGAR,DELHI-110033.
CHANGED MY NAME TO
PARVEEN GUPTA. 0040609379-6
I,Nitin Grover S/o Satish
Chander Grover,R/o-B-2/164
Paschim-Vihar Delhi,have
changed my minor son name
Hemank Grover to Himank
Grover 0040609321-3
I Renu Malik W/o Kapil Malik R/o
B-49 Sector-56, Noida Gautam
Buddha Nagar Uttar Pradesh-
201301 have changed my name
to Renu Narwal for all
purposes. 0070780361-1
I Jai Bhagwan Sharma S/O,
Thambu Ram Permanent
Residence: VPO Mehmudpur,
gohana, sonepat HR 131301
have changed my name to Jai
Bhagwan for all future
purposes. 0040609363-3
I Bhaskar Chandra Shekhar S/O,
Chandra Shekhar R/o 1004
Skyper -5, Devika Skypers Raj
Nagar Extension, Ghaziabad,
U.p have changed my name to
Bhaskar Singh Ranawat
0040609343-1
I,NERINDER MANN,S/O RAGHBIR
SINGH,R/O C-3356, FIRST
FLOOR,ROAD NO.156,
GURUDWARA ROAD,GREEN
FIELD-COLONY,SECTOR-
41,FARIDABAD, HARYANA-
121010,have changed my name
to NARENDER MANN
0040609386-1
I,Mahabir Parsad S/o,Hardwari
Lal Khandelwal R/o-H.No.9,
Road-No.31, 2nd-Floor,
Punjabi-Bagh Extn., West-
Punjabi Bagh, N.Delhi-110026,
have changed my-name to
Mahavir Prasad Khandelwal.
0040609386-6
I,JUGDEEP SINGH,S/o DALEL
SINGH R/o-D4-304 KINGBURY
APARTMENTS TDI CITY
KUNDLI(55)SONIPAT HARYANA-
131028,HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO JAGDEEP KADYAN.
0040609376-7
I,JASPREET KAUR BATRA,D/O
RAJINDER SINGH BATRA R/O-66,
2ND-FLOOR BHAI PARMANAND
COLONY DELHI-110009,HAVE
CHANGED MY NAME TO
JASPREET KAUR 0040609386-9
I,Gurvinder Singh Lall,S/O
Late.Anoop Singh,H.No C-
41,Clock Tower,Hari Nagar,New
Delhi-110064,have changed my
name to Gurvinder Singh,for all
Purposes. 0040609376-1
I,Garima Jain W/o-Akhil
Aggarwal R/o-A-3/33,
Janakpuri New Delhi-110058,
have changed my name to
Garima Aggarwal.
0040609376-6
I,Gajender Singh@ Pawan
kumar,S/o sh.Pritam Singh,
R/o.122,Gali.no.9 wazirabad,
shiv mandir,timarpur,Delhi-
110054,Gajender singh and
Pawan kumar is one and the
same person.For all future
purposes. 0040609379-1
I,GEETA AHUJA W/O SHRI.
SANJAY AHUJA,R/o-H.NO.16/8,
BLOCK-16, SHAKTI NAGAR,
NORTH-DELHI, DELHI-
110007,my name has been
wrongly-written as GITA AHUJA
in my Passport bearing-No.F
5655239,the actual name of
mine is GEETA AHUJA
0040609321-6
I,Deepika W/o Manish Gupta
R/o-A-39,Saraswati Vihar,
Pitampura,Delhi has changed
my minor son name from
Manik to Manik Aggarwal.
0040609321-2
I,Damanjit Singh Walia,S/o
Veerinder Singh R/o-185,
2nd.Floor,Hargovind Enclave,
Delhi-110092,Have Changed My
Name To Damanjit Singh
Ahluwalia. 0040609376-5
I,Dalip Kumar S/O Punnu Ram
R/O, C-151, Pushpanjali Enclave
pitampura Delhi-110034,have
changed my name to Delip
Kumar Arora 0040609376-3
I,Amarjit Singh,S/O Chain
Singh,R/O H.NO.413,Baba-Farid
puri,West Patel-Nagar,New
Delhi-110008,Have changed my
name,from Amarjit Singh to
Amarjeet Singh,for all,future
purposes. 0040609379-2
I,Amarjeet Singh,S/O Chain
Singh,R/O H.NO.413,Baba Farid
puri,West Patel Nagar,New
Delhi-110008,Have Changed my
Minor Doughter Name Tavleen
Saini to Tavleen kaur,for all
purposes 0040609379-3
I, Rajni D/o Sohan Lal, holder of
Indian Passport no. P3595058,
R/o H.no.73, Near Ravidass
Gurudwara Vpo. Mithapur
Jalandhar, Punjab, India have
changed my name Rajni and
surname Rajni. All concerned
please note. 0040609309-1
I, Rajeev Kumar R/o 255-c,
1’floor, Gali No-1 Shalimar
Village Delhi-110088 have
changed my minor son’s name
from Kavya Sharawat to
Kavyansh Sharawat for all
purposes. 0040609363-1
I, Rajani, W/o Amar Pratap, R/o
F-1406, Ajnara Le Garden, Plot
GH-02, Sector 16B, Greater
Noida West, Gautam Budh
Nagar, U.P -201306 have
changed my name to Rajani
Singh. 0070780294-1
I, Inderesh, spouse of Anil
Kumar, resident of V+PO-
Kundli, Dist.-Sonipt, Haryana,
Pin -131028 have changed my
name from Inderesh to Indresh
vide affidavit dt 22 Mar 22
before Ghaziabad court.
0040609363-2
I, Gurmeet Singh Chadha@
Gurmeet Chadha S/o Sh.
Mohinder Singh Chadha, R/o
7214, Tower-7, ATS One Hamlet,
Sec-104, Noida—201301, U.P.
have changed my name to
Gurmeet Chadha for all future
purposes. 0040609308-1
I, DEEPANKSHU SHARMA,S/o
Sanjay Sharma,R/o H.No.13,
Tower-1,Type-3,Kidwai Nagar
East,New Delhi-110023,have
changed my name to
DEEPANSHU SHARMA, for all
future purposes. 40609386-2
I Usha Agrawal W/o Pushpendra
Kumar R/o House No-21, S-1,
Gurgaon, Haryana-122002,
have changed my name to
Usha Kuchhal 0070780186-1
I,Nisha Thakaran W/O Dinesh
Thakran R/O,H.No-121,Nangal
Thakran,Delhi-110039,have
changed my name to Nisha
Devi. 0040609376-4
I Surjit Singh S/o Sh. Joginder
Singh R/o J-118, Third Floor,
Allahabad Bank, Vishnu
Garden, Delhi-110018 have
changed my name to Surjeet
Singh for all purposes.
0040609307-7
I Priya Sachdeva W/o Gaurav
Dhamija R/o WP-184C,
Pitampura, Delhi-34, after
marriage have changed my
name to Anaira Dhamija for all
future purpose. 0040609310-1
I,Navjot Kaur,W/o Jugtej Singh,
R/o H.No.1,Road.No-14,East
Punjabi Bagh Delhi,have
changed my name to Navjot
Kaur Gujral.
0040609372-4
I,Jaipal S/o,Brij Lal,R/o-1175,1st
floor,Sector-4, Panchkula-
134112,have changed my name
to Jaipaul for future.
0040609386-4
I, Rajat S/o Swarn Pal R/o C-398
2nd Floor Gali No. 10, Majlis
Park, Adarsh Nagar, Delhi
110033, have changed my name
to Rajat Anand for all purposes
0040609325-1
I Devender Kumar Chauhan S/o
Kalu Ram Chauhan R/o H.No-
100 Village Nangli Bajidpur
Sector-135 Noida U.P, have
change my name Devender
Chauhan for all purposes
0070780362-1
LOST & FOUND
I,K.Malathi,W/o P.K.
Sasidharan,R/o-53-B, Pocket-D,
SFS-flats,Mayur-Vihar,Phase-
3,Delhi-96.have lost my
allotment Letter of Flat.No-D-
53/B in SFS Houses,CAT-III,
Sector-G,Kondli Gharoli,Delhi-
96.If any person found, please
contact:Ms K.Jayanthi,
9810933760 0040609372-10
I SATISH KHULLAR S/o LATE Sh
Baldev Raj Khullar have lost /
misplaced Original
Relinquishment Deed of
Property No. D-12/184, Sec-8,
Rohini, Delhi-85. If anyone
found please return to me BN-
17, East Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-
88 Mob.:9810006057
0040609341-1
COURT NOTICE
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
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General Public is hereby informed that
my client Rajesh Gulati S/o Jagannath
Gulat & Babita Gulati W/o Rajesh Gulati
WZ°fb BÊ-d³fdUQf Qû ·ff¦fûÔ ¸fZÔ (þe0EÀf0Me0) ½¹fUÀffd¹fI ´fi´fÂf Wû³fZ ¨ffdWEÜ ²fSûWS SfdVf
both R/o WZ-121, Tihar Village New
Deihl -18, do hereby disown & debar
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Their Sons Paras Gulati & Bhavey Gulati NZIZ QfSûÔ/R ¸fûÊÔ ÀfZ Afg³f»ffB³f BÊ-d³fdUQf þf¹fZÔ¦feÜ BÊ-d³fdUQf EUÔ Àff¸ff³¹f d³fdUQf
From all moveable and immoveable
properties because of misbehavior done
by them to my client Anybody dealing
´fûMÊ»f ¶fZ¶fÀffBÊM Jb»f³fZ IYf dQ³ffÔIY-06.05.2022 1-BÊ-
with them shall be doing so at his/her
own risk, cost & responsibility. my client
http://etender.up.nic.in ´fS Af¸fÔdÂf°f d³fdUQf ÀfÔ£¹ff- 08/BÊ0MXe0Àfe0E¸f0/
will not be responsible for any act, deed
& things done by them. I e þf°fe W`Ü d³fdUQf ¸fc»¹f °f±ff ²fSûWS SfdVf 2022-2023 dUôb°f ´ffSZ¿f¯f J¯O-dõ°fe¹f
RAJKUMAR KASHYAP
Sd/-
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ADVOCATE
Behind 36 No. Court Tis Hazari dUÀ°f°f þf³fI fSe BÊ-d³fdUQf ´fûMÊ»f ¶fZ¶fÀffBM C´fIZ ³Qi ¦fb»ff¶f¶ffOÞ e ¸fbS fQf¶ffQ IZ Ufd¿fÊI
Delhi-110054
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PUBLIC NOTICE
Àf¸fÀ°f d³fdUQfAûÔ I û ÀUeI fS/d³fSÀ°f I S³fZ ø 0 8000/-, d³fdUQf ´fi´fÂf I f þeEÀfMe
My client Smt. Nirdosh Sharma S/o
Late Sh. Ramkumar Sharma R/O
I f Ad²fI fS A²fûWÀ°ffÃfSe I û d¶f³ff I ûBÊ ÀfdW°f ¸fc»¹f ø 0 1180/- 2- Àff¸ff³¹f
Village: E-274 Arjun Nagar Safdurjung I fS¯f ¶f°ff¹fZ ÀfbS dÃf°f SWZ¦ffÜ A³¹f d³fdUQf ÀfÔ£¹ff-09/BÊ0MXe0Àfe0E¸f0/
EnclaveDelhi-110028 has disowned /
disentitled his son Sh. Varun Sharma
and his Wife Smt. Poonam Sharma,
d³f¹f¸f/Vf°fZÊ dU·ff¦f IZ R f¸fÊ E/¶fe IZ A³fbÀffS 2022-2023 dUôb°f ´ffSZ¿f¯f J¯O-Sf¸f´fbS
from all her moveable and immovable Wû¦fe dþ³WZÔ dI Àfe ·fe I f¹fÊdQUÀf ¸fZÔ IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f C´f J¯O Ad²fI fSe, dUôb°f
properties and also severed all their
relations with him. My client shall not A²fûWÀ°ffÃfSI °ffÊ IZ I f¹ffÊ»f¹f ¸fZÔ QZJf þf ´ffSZ¿f¯f C´f J¯O-°fÈ°fe¹f Sf¸f´fbS IZ
responsible of any acts, deeds and
things done by their son Sh. Varun
Sharma and his wife Smt. Poonam
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Sharma in future. Any person dealing
with them shall be doing so at his own
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costs, risk and consequences.
Kuldeep Sharma (Advocate)
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Ch.No.341,Patiala House Courts
New Delhi-110001
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Ph. 9868204018
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SANJEEV JAIN
(Advocate)
Enrl. No. D-226/1991
PUBLIC NOTICE
All concerned are hereby informed through this
Public Notice that my client; Vidya Nand Jha,
S/o Late Shivanand Jha, Resident of Village
Post Jiraul, District Madhubani, Bihar 847230,
has disowned and debarred and seized all
relation with his son and his wife i.e. Sh.
Akhilesh Kumar Jha S/o Sh. Vidya Nand Jha
and his wife Smt. Arti Jha W/o Sh. Akhilesh
Kumar Jha from his moveable and immovable
properties with them as the above said son and
his wife had demolish the reputation of my client
in the society and they are not treating my client
as their lawful Father. My client shall not be held
responsible for any of his acts, deed and things
in whatsoever in any manner and if anyone
deals with them, shall be deal as per his/her own
risk, cost and consequences.
Sd/- (Kamala Kant Jha)
ADVOCATE
CH. 539, DWARKA COURT COMPLEX,
SECTOR-10, DWARKA, NEW DELHI 110075
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is inform to general public that my client
namely Waseeran Nisha W/o Md Yaseen R/o A-
226/4, Agar Nagar Prem Nagar-3, Kirari
Suleman Nagar, Delhi-110086 have debarred
and disowned his Son namely Mr. Raja S/o Md
Yaseen R/o A-226/4, Agar Nagar Prem Nagar -
3, Kirari Suleman Nagar, Delhi-110086 from his
all movable and immovable properties and
severance of all relations due to her misconduct,
abusive act misbehaved and indulge in anti-
social activities and disrespectful behaviour
towards my client and his other family members
& society. If anybody deals anything with him,
he/she will do so at his/her own risk, costs and
consequences. My client and his family
members will not be held responsible for her
acts in any manner whatsoever for the same.
Sd/-
TARUN SHARMA
(ADVOCATE)
Ch. No. 1206, Rohini Courts, Delhi-85
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is for general information that I, Md.
Ramjan S/o Mohd Nizam R/o R-247,
Raghubir Nagar, Tagore Garden, West
Delhi, Delhi- 110027 declare that
name of mine, my wife and my minor
son has been wrongly written as
Ramjan Khan, Mehrun Nisha and Md
Rahan in my minor son Md Rehan
aged 15 years birth certificate and
name of mine and my wife has been
wrongly written as Md Ramjan Khan
and Mehrun Nisha in my minor son Md
Rehan school record. The actual
name of mine, my wife and my minor
son are Md. Ramjan, Mehroon Nisha
and Md Rehan, which may be
amended accordingly.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Be it known to all that my Client SH.
BHAGWAN SINGH S/O SH. SURJAN
SINGH, R/O WZ-77A, MEENAKSHI
GARDEN, NEW DELHI-110018, do hereby
affirm & declare that my client have
executed & got regd. a Gift Deed in favour
of his daughter-in-law SMT. PARAMJEET
KAUR W/O SH. MEHAR SINGH, R/O WZ-
77A, MEENAKSHI GARDEN, NEW
DELHI-110018, in respect of ENTIRE
UPPER GROUND FLOOR, SECOND
FLOOR & THIRD FLOOR WITH ROOF
RIGHTS OF PROPERTY NO. WZ-77A, ON
PLOT NO. 87-B, AREA MEASURING 106
SQ. YDS. MEENAKSHI GARDEN, TIHAR,
NEW DELHI-110018, with 3/4th parking
space on the still parking floor, anybody
have any type of objection regarding the
ownership of above said Three Floors of the
property can contact or give objection within
seven (07) days of this Public Notice.
Sd/- JAI VEER SINGH ADVOCATE
CH. NO. 213-A, 2nd FLOOR, SERVICE
INDUSTRIES BLDG, DISTT CENTRE,
JANAK PURI, NEW DELHI-110058
Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency, (UPNEDA)
PUBLIC NOTICE (Deptt. of Additional Sources of Energy, Govt. of U.P.)
VibhutiKhand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
Residential House: "B-151, Rampuri, Surya
Nagar, Ghaziabad (U.P.)
TeleFax: 0522-2720779, 2720829, Mob: 9415609012
Be it known to all concerned that on behalf
of my client Smt. Kanta Kumari, I hereby
inform that the first original sale deed (From Website: www.upneda.org.in E-Mail: compneda@rediffmail.com
M/s Mahamaya General Finance Co. Ltd.
to Sh. Ram Singh Grover) of the above said
property is missing & not traceable, if
Notice Inviting Tender
UPNEDA invites Online Bids from Prospective Bidders through GeM Portal for
anyone finds the document please contact
the below number or address.FIR has been
lodged in Crime Branch, Delhi Police Vide Empanelment & Rate Contract for Design, manufacture, supply, erection, testing
LR No.288704/2022 and any use of this
and commissioning including comprehensive warranty maintenance for 5 years
document by any Person or Company will
be illegal. My client, lawful owner of the
of 5kW Grid Interactive Rooftop Solar Power Plants with Zero-Export for captive
above said property namely Smt. Kanta
Kumari is now intending to sell the above
said property. Any Person, Association,
use (Capex Mode) in various Secondary School Buildings at various places in
Company, Firm, Bank, Financial institution, the State of Uttar Pradesh under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
and any legal entity having any sort of claim
title or interest in said subject property (RMSA).
under sale may put forth his/her/its claim to
the undersigned within Fifteen (15) days Total Nos of School & Tentative Estimated
from the publication of this Notice and S.No Name of Work
thereafter NO claim whatsoever shall be Capacity Cost
entertained in the future.
Harmeet Singh Gulati (Advocate) Design, manufacture, supply, erec-
F-203, Lawyer's Chamber, 1070 Nos
tion, testing and commissioning in-
Karkardooma Court, Delhi. &
Mobile: 9810298893 cluding comprehensive warranty
5.35 MW
maintenance for 5 years of 5 kW
The tentative capacity
Grid Interactive Rooftop Solar
1 mentioned abovewhich Rs21,40,00,000/-
Power Plants with Zero-Export for
''IMPORTANT'' may vary widely. De-
captive use (Capex Mode) in vari-
pending upon the de-
ous Secondary School buildings at
Whilst care is taken prior to mands to be received
various places in the State of Uttar
acceptance of advertising from various sources.
Pradesh.
copy, it is not possible to verify
its contents. The Indian The work completion time for all the above work is 4 (four) month. The Bid doc-
Express (P) Limited cannot be ument is available at GeMPortal from 08.04.2022. Interested bidders may view,
held responsible for such download the Bid document, seek clarification and submit their Bid through
contents, nor for any loss or GeMPortalupto the date and time mentioned in the table below:
damage incurred as a result of (a) Availability of tender document on website From : 08.04.2022
transactions with companies, (b) Bid submission end date & Time On: 06.05.2022 upto 6:00 pm
associations or individuals (c) Pre Bid Meeting On: 13.04.2022 at 12:30 pm
advertising in its newspapers (d) Online technical Bid Opening date & time On: 06.05.2022 at 6:30 pm
or Publications. We therefore (e) Tentative Online financial Bid Opening date
recommend that readers & time (Only of technically qualified bidders) On: 11.05.2022 at 3:00 pm
make necessary inquiries (f) Venue of opening of technical UPNEDA Head Office,
before sending any monies or & financial Bids VibhutiKhand, Gomti Nagar,
entering into any agreements Lucknow-226010
with advertisers or otherwise Numbers of the system mentioned as above, may increase or decrease. Direc-
acting on an advertisement in tor, Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency, (UP-
any manner whatsoever. NEDA) reserves the right to reject any or all tenders without assigning any
reason thereof. The decision of Director UPNEDA will be final and binding.
Director, UPNEDA

17 REVIEWS
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
The Drama
of Life
AHERO
★★★★
Director:AsgharFarhadi
Cast:AmirJadidi,SaharGoldust,
MaryamShahdaei,AlirezaJahandideh,
MohsenTanabandeh
SHALINILANGER
LIKE THE intricate scaffolding Rahim
(Jadidi) climbs at the start of the film,
AHeroisastorylaidlayeruponlayer,an
outer structure holding up the insides,
the whole edifice vulnerable to one
false step.
Rahim makes this one small mis-
step when he and his girlfriend
(Goldust)decidetotradeinabagofgold
coins she found, to pay off a debt so as
toearnhisreleasefromprison.Butthe
money turns out to be short, and once
that moment of relief has passed, they
decideitisbettertoturninthecoinsto
the rightful owner.
In a world with few heroes, in a
prison with fewer of them, Rahim
becomes an instant celebrity. He tries
atfirsttoexplainthesituation,andthen
as everyone lines up to celebrate him,
to help him pay off his money, and to
offer him a job, it gets easier for him to
see his story as “not the truth” but also
“not a lie”.
Buttheworldweliveinhasawayof
bringing down its heroes as swiftly as
it builds them up. And so it happens to
Rahim, and almost overnight, the
universeagainslipsfromunderhisfeet
and then, whatever he does, however
true his intentions this time, it
keeps slipping.
Two-time Oscar winner Asghar
Farhadi crafts his stories out of such
ordinary lives spinning out of control
by one small circumstance. A Hero is
similarly remarkable in how much it
tells us about Iranian way of life, hon-
ourandfamily,throughitssmallgroup
of characters (played by an excellent
cast).Thesearelivesboundtogetherby
bloodandbusiness,smalllivesandbu-
reaucraticones,prisonlivesandpublic
ones,activistlivesandsecretones,par-
ents’livesandthoseoftheirchildren—
none of them lived in isolation. One
amazing detail compares Rahim’s life
with that of the relative (Tanabandeh)
who helped him at one time by lend-
inghimthemoney,whointhisunfold-
ing narrative is increasingly the villain
of the piece.
Is it an act of goodness if no one
knows about it? Is it goodness still
when the act becomes larger than it?
What is goodness long after the act is
done? And what does the act matter if
the goodness sours?
There are complex questions here,
made more ironic by the fact that
Farhadi is facing serious charges over
plagiarisingthestoryofAHerofromone
of his students. That episode started
with an assignment by Farhadi for his
students to find a story about a person
who returned a thing belonging to a
stranger. Whichever way the court
rulesinFarhadi’scase,AHerowillmake
you pause the next time you come
across such a story.
Struggling to Score
SHUBHRA GUPTA
AN ILLITERATE politician learns the
value of educationduring his jailterm. What
an idea, sirjee. But why make it such a comic
book-fantasy? Are the filmmakers telling us
not to take their film seriously, undermining
its message?
Very soon into Dasvi, which should
ideally have been spelt Dasveen to account
for the chandra-bindu in the word, Ganga
Ram Chaudhary (Abhishek Bachchan) an
‘eighth pass’ chief minister of Harit Pradesh
(standing in for Haryana, given the plethora
of Jat accents and witticisms) finds himself
in prison.
Kya jail hai, sirjee. It has the feel of a mod-
est resort, with Chaudhary disporting him-
self in a room with mod cons and gadgets,
watched over by an obsequious jailer(Manu
Rishi Chadha). All the inmates are orderly
and well-behaved. The only one who barks
The Return
of Magic
FANTASTICBEASTS:THESECRETSOFDUMBLEDORE
Director:DavidYatesCast:JudeLaw,EddieRedmayne,DanFogler,MadsMikkelsen,
CallumTurner,EzraMiller,JessicaWilliams,AlisonSudol
Straight
from the
Heart
GULLAKSEASON3
Director:PalashVaswani
Cast:GeetanjaliKulkarni,JameelKhan,
HarshMayarandVaibhavRaj Gupta
Streamingon:SonyLIV
SHUBHRA GUPTA
REJOICE, BECAUSE the Gullak gang is back for
athirdtime,itssignatureelements—wryob-
servationsof squabbling-but-loving-families,
middle-classconstraints-and-quirks,andjoyof
living—allintact.Theworryaboutfallinginto
arutisreal,especiallywhentheseriesmainly
revolves around a four-member household
anditsnoseyneighbours.Buthere’sproofthat
when the writing is so on point, maintaining
ordersisthenewly-arrivedprison-in-charge
Jyoti Deswal (Yami Gautam), and everyone
falls in line, except of course our hero who
roars, till one fine day, he begins purring. So
does she. Padhaai-likhaai to the rescue,
Cinema
★★★
that crucial balance between the particular
andtheuniversal,evenfamiliarcharacterscan
deliver something new.
As we reunite with the Mishras, we find
that they are trudging away, getting past one
road bump at a time. The curly-haired Annu
(Vaibhav Raj Gupta) is now a medical rep,
trying to apply all kinds of tikdam to get his
numbers up. Younger brother Aman (Harsh
Mayar) is gearing himself, reluctantly, for the
engineeringroutethatismeanttoliftthemout
of theirtwoBHK-onefridge-too-little-money
lives. Mishra Sr (Jameel Khan) is in a soup
because he keeps resolutely away from poli-
tics-in-the-office, and Mrs M (Geetanjali
DASVI
★★★■
Director:TusharJalota
Cast:AbhishekBachchan,YamiGautam,NimratKaur,ManuRishiChadha,DanishHusain,ArunKushwah,ChittaranjanTripathy
got it?
Alert viewers will catch attempts at sub-
version via sly digs. Here are some samples.
‘Fit India, hit India, so jao India, jaag jao India’
is such a waste of time, declares a character.
Kulkarni) is, as always, their rock, the anchor
who keeps them together.
Thefiveepisodesareaboutthelittlethings
thatmakeupforsmallpleasuresandbiglearn-
ings. The arrival of the LTA (leave travel al-
lowance),whichmakesallthingspossible;the
unexpectedshowingupofadoor-ke-rishtedaar
with a girl of marriageable age; the acknowl-
edgementthattheartscanalsobeaviablecol-
legedegree;and,yes,theawarenessthatnoth-
ing is forever.
While sometimes you can see the life
lessonscarvingthemselvesoutinbroadbrush-
strokes, the sheer affection with which the
characters play off each other wins you over,
Another is dubbed anti-nasional (national),
and yet another liberal ki aulaad. For a film to
topline a newly-minted dasvi pass politician
whose electoral plank is ‘free education’ is in
and of itself a hugely subversive idea, given
the current state of the nation. A craven babu
(Chittaranjan Tripathy) who has served
Chaudhary and is now busy yes-ministering
his wife, is the butt of bureaucrats-are-no-
good-jokes, and a couple of them land.
But in the way it plays out, mixed signals
tothefore,thesethingsgetlost.FuriousKhap
leadersareshownswallowinga‘mixedmar-
riage’, giving Chaudhary a chance to militate
againstjaatiwaadkajahar(zeher):allof itgets
doneinajiffy,withoutanypushbacks.Thisis
not the only fairy-tale element. Within days,
our hero gathers around his faithful tribe
who start giving him lessons on exams and
life: a vertically challenged gent (Arun
Kushwah), an affable librarian (Danish
Hussain) who is serving a sentence for ‘pho-
tocopying expensive books’. What?
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
STREAMING
SHALINILANGER
WATCH
LIST
THE PROBLEM with a film that calls itself The
Secrets of Dumbledore is that it should have
some secrets to tell. Admittedly, that can be
difficultinaventurethatis11thinthewizard
filmfranchisethatstartedwithaboy,andthird
in the Fantastic Beasts series alone, which
goes back to long, long, long time ago.
However, this Rowling-Yates endeavour
almost rushes through that one big secret
which this series has been building up to.
Oh yeah, Dumbledore and Grindelwald
once “loved” each other, even wanted to go
away with each other. That forbidden love
could not have been easy, but more than se-
crets, this enterprise is about fantastic beasts.
And it leans heavily towards that side, giving
us many magical moments but increasingly
seeming like a trick that has far outlived its
big finish. NARADAN(MALAYALAM)
Thenon-magicaltruthalsoisthatthefilm’s AMAZONPRIMEVIDEO
most wonderful moments lie in the interac- The Aashiq Abu-directed movie
tions between its human characters, in very features two of Malayalam
muggle ways. The most special of those are cinema’s sought-after actors,
betweenDumbledore,playedtostatesmanly Tovino Thomas and Anna Ben.
and kindly perfection by Jude Law, and Naradan is the story of
Grindelwald,playedbyMadsMikkelsen,who Chandraprakash, a high-profile
is a soothing relief from Johnny Depp’s news anchor who is desperate to
mannerisms in the role. In the brief encoun- prove his worth. Under pressure to
ters between them, there is the ache of a lost boost the channel’s TRP, he
time, the pain of age, and the rancour of a manufactures ‘facts’, yells at guests
lasting love. on air and unleashes his rants
ButTheSecretsofDumbledoreismoreabout on viewers.
the two wizards than the two men, and
hence in the diverse corners they occupy — THEKING’SMAN
one to capture the world, and the other to DISNEY+HOTSTAR
save it — the film is full of side characters. The
repeat ones include the still much-too-
painfully awkwardEddieRedmayneasNewt,
andthereliableDanFoglerashisfriendJacob.
Among the others, Callum Turner as Newt’s
brotherTheseusisthemostimpressive,bring-
inganassuredconfidencetotherole,thatisa
good foil to Newt.
Another indication perhaps of the waning
magicisthefilm’srelianceontherealworldto
propel its story. The setting in Berlin, the talk This spy action film, directed by
of impure blood and its mixing, the threat of Matthew Vaughn, is the the third
a dictator rising via the route of democracy, installment in the British
are all tropes that belong to a movie less sure Kingsman film series, which is
of its own world. Plus, this ambition is given based on the comic book The Secret
upforaneasy,andnotnecessarilyright,reso- Service (It was later rebranded to
lution that the film itself underlines, it’s not a Kingsman: The Secret Service). Its
choice that real leaders make. cast features Ralph Fiennes and
Still, when The Secrets of Dumbledore un- Gemma Arterton.The story unfolds
veilsthefullwandof itsmagic,it’shardnotto during the early 1900s, when the
bebewitched.Watchoutforthe“limbicmim- spy agency was formed.
icry” to deceive a swarm of lobster-like crea-
turesguardingaprison.Andthebattleofspells FURIOZA
leading to an escape on a sheaf of pages. NETFLIX
However,eveninthosemoments,it’shardto
shakeofftheknowledgethatwearestillinthe
middle of a very long, very successful com-
mercial franchise that long ago put behind
where it all once started. “Where there was a
before, now there is an after,” Dumbledore
says once, by way of hope. But how about
whenyouarebankingonabeforebefore(the
Harry Potter character) and after after (the
Harry Potter films)?
alloveragain.Thebuyingofkalaakandtellsthe
wholemohalla,includingyoursmiling,always
hovering padosan (Sunita Rajwar, as hilarious In this Polish crime drama, a
asever)thatthere’ssomethingafoot.Thesaid policewoman makes her former
padosan is very annoying in the way she con- boyfriend an offer he can’t refuse
stantlypopsupatinconvenienttimes,butshe — either he infiltrates and informs
is as much part of the Mishras’ extended liv- on a gang of hooligans, or his
ing arrangements, as their own relatives. And brother goes to jail. Directed by
they won’t have it any other way. Cyprian T Olencki, the 80-minute
Dwindling dabbas of prasad is equal to film projects the difficult choices
rising levels of happiness: we learn this and a that people face in life.
lotmorefromtheever-smilingMishras.Inthis
season, the world and its wayward ways in- EATHARKKUM
trudesalittlemore.Afeministstreak,without THUNINDHAVAN(TAMIL)
being strident, comes up when a young man NETFLIX
scoffs at a young woman’s name when he This Pandiraj-directed crime
comesto‘see’her.‘Shaadikebaadbadaldenge’, drama marked Suriya’s return to
says Furteeli, who does everything very fast. the theatres after the pandemic
Mrs Mishra takes one look at the downcast and Jai Bhim’s OTT release. Suriya
face, and tells her husband, ‘Keh do, ladki ko plays a lawyer, who uncovers a
doubt hai’. Atta girl. ruthless criminal’s operation of
And our gullak, the all-seeing sutradhar, sexually exploiting young women
is as wise as ever. Whether it is gently ap- and seeks justice. The film also
plauding Mishraji for sticking to his guns, or features Vinay Rai and Priyanka
slurping over ‘schejwan chutney’ in Dragon Arul Mohan.
Dhaba at a family dinner, or including a
slightly sombre note as the season ends, it ALLTHEOLDKNIVES
tells us what we have always known, and AMAZONPRIMEVIDEO
what we tend to forget: life is not about how
much you own, it is about who you have to
share your sukh and dukh with. That’s true
money in the bank.
Based on a novel of the same name,
this thriller features Chris Pine,
As Bimmo aka Bimla Devi, who swiftly Thandiwe Newton, Laurence
learns to play political games while shifting Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce.
from frumpy salwaar-kameez to stylish saris When former lovers and spies,
and expensive handbags, Nimrat Kaur gets Henry and Celia, meet over dinner
her oar right in. Too bad the plot paints her to reminisce on their time together
a petty villain: why doesn’t a woman have at Vienna station, things take an
the right to be ambitious? Abhishek unexpected turn. Over a dinner, it
Bachchan has the rare gift of not taking him- becomes clear that one of them is
self seriously, and is a perfect match for the not going to survive the meal.
kind of character he is playing: it’s a pity that
the material never quite knows whether it is OEDIPUSREX
an exaggerated parody or a sharp comedy MUBI
with realistic overtones. For a film which In this 1967 movie, Italian film
wants to nod to inclusivity and gender-up- director Pier Paolo Pasolini adapts
liftment with ‘ladies-log’ as figures of the screenplay from the Greek
authority, both Nimrat and Yami are reduced tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.
to standing by (the latter even joins the The film was Pasolini’s first colour
cheer-leading club), while Bachchan gets all feature. It has been described as “a
the smart lines. savage, highly personal take” on
Will Bimmo get to make a serious Sophocles’ ancient Greek tragedy.
stab at the kursi? Maybe that can be the peg
for Baarveen. Now that would be an ALAKA SAHANI
idea, madamji.
New Delhi
18 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
POLICE HEADQUARTERS UTTARAKHAND
12-Subhash Road, Dehradun
THE KERALA STATE CIVIL SUPPLIES CORPORATION LIMITED,
MAVELI BHAVAN, P.B.NO.2030, GANDHINAGAR, KOCHI-682020 E-Tender Notice
Ph No: 0484-2207924, 9446517775, 9446089781,CIN No.U52209KL1974SGC002615 On behalf of the Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand
No.P.10/11868/2022 E-mail: agmp@supplycomail.com Date: 06.04.2022 Police has proposed to purchase/installation of materials through e-
TENDER NOTICE tender as per the following -
(ONLY THROUGH ELECTRONIC TENDERING SYSTEM/E-AUCTION) Installation and commissioning of surveillance system in Subordinate
Courts of District Dehradun (Vikasnagar, Rishikesh) and Nainital
The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd (Supplyco) purchases various
(Ramnagar, Haldwani, Nainital)
Pulses, Spices, Rice, Sugar, Wheat etc in bulk through e-tender/e-auction which
will be conducted every month. For details visit www.supplycokerala.com. Therefore, for the above purpose, e-tenders are invited from the
Traders/Manufactures who want to participate in the e-tender can register through manufacturer or the authorized firm as follows -
www.tenderwizard.com. as well as by submitting the required documents in the 1. Last date/time for receipt of e-tender - 02.05.2022, at 1030 Hrs.
head office . Suppliers possessing digital signatures will be permitted to participate 2. Date/Time of Opening of Technical Bid - 02.05.2022, at 1100 Hrs.
in the e-tender. For e-auction please visit https://market.neml.in Sd/- Rest all details of e-tenders is available at the website
Manager (Purchase) HIMACHAL PRADESH STATE ELECTRONICS https://uktenders.gov.in Sd/- (Jagat Ram)
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED No. R-27 (Prakashan)/2022-23 DIG (Police Telecom),
Ist & Ground Floor, I.T. Bhawan, Mehli, Shimla-171013 Date: April 8, 2022
Member, purchase committee,
Tel. No. 0177-2623259, 2623513, 2626320, 2623513 Police HQRS, Dehradun
2623043, FAX: 0177-2626320 Website: www.hpsedc.in
No.: SEDC/Nauni/NETWORK/2K22-154 Date: 07-04-2022
e-TENDER NOTICE
e-Tenders are invited from eligible bidders for Setting up of Wi-Fi
network in University campus at Nauni (Solan), Himachal Pradesh.
Pre-Bid meeting will be held on 19/04/2022 (11:30AM) through
Video Conferencing.
Last date for online e-bid submission is 29/04/2022 (upto 02:30
PM) and shall be opened on 30/04/2022 at 2:30PM. Detailed Tender
Document containing Technical Specifications and Terms &
Conditions are available on HPSEDC website www.hpsedc.in and
https://hptenders.gov.in.

0025/HP
General Manager (Technical)

ODISHA RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

Under the Department of Energy, Government of Odisha
CAD-71 (ISO 9001: 2008 / ISO 14001: 2004)
S/59, MANCHESWAR INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
Website: www.oredaorissa.com E-mail: ceoreda@oredaorissa.com
Advertisement No. 924 Date 07.04.2022
OREDA invites online applications from prospective candidates to fill up the vacancies in the post of
Assistant Director (Technical), Technician and Junior Assistant.
SI No. Name of the Post No of Posts
(1) (2) (3)
1. Assistant Director (Technical) 14 (W:5)
2. Technician 32 (W:10)
3. Junior Assistant 10 (W:4)

Reservation of posts in respective categories will be applicable as per the Reservation Rules and
Acts applicable in Odisha. For details please refer to the advertisement in the official website of
OREDA http://oredaodisha.com. Interested candidates may log in and apply online in the application
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sd/- Director (Administration)
OIPR - 04065/11/0003/2223

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WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
Shakhtar to
raise money for
Ukraine war
ASSOCIATED PRESS
APRIL 8, KIEV
UKRAINIAN SOCCER club Shakhtar Donetsk
will play a series of charity games on a gov-
ernment-backed"GlobalTourforPeace"that
will raise money for the country's military in
the war against Russia. The depleted squad
has gathered in Turkey to prepare for
Saturday's opening match against Greek
league leader Olympiakos. The games will
also raise money for Ukrainian refugees dis-
placed by the war.
"Football diplomacy will help us involve
millions of fans around the world in assist-
ing Ukraine, which is really important,"
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba
saidFriday. "Bythischaritytour,wewillcon-
tinue attracting the world's attention to
RussianaggressionagainstUkraineandraise
more funds for the Ukrainian army."
Shakhtar is also set to play Fenerbahce,
Hajduk Split and Lechia Gdansk, with other
opponents still to be confirmed.
Soccer clubs around Europe have been
offering to play games against Ukrainian
clubs and host youth players after soccer in
the country was shut down when Russia in-
vaded in February.
Olympiakos has advertised the game as
"Football For Peace – Stop war in Ukraine."
Tickets for the match in Pireaus cost 10
euros (USD 10.90). "This shall be the open-
ing match in a series of friendlies the
Ukrainian outfit is going to play against top
clubs in Europe and the U.S.," the defending
Greek champions said.
Shakhtar has not played a competitive
game since mid-December. On Feb. 26, the
leagueleaderswerescheduledtoresumethe
domestic season after a winter break. But
two days before their game at Metalist
Kharkiv, Russia launched its military inva-
sion and Ukrainian soccer stopped.
Shakhtar typically provides several play-
ers to the Ukrainian national team, which
was unable to play a World Cup qualifying
playoff match against Scotland two weeks
ago. FIFA wants to stage that game in
Glasgow in early June. The winner will play
Wales several days later for a place at this
year's World Cup in Qatar. FIFA alsoremoved
Russia from the playoffs. Shakhtar has relied
onacoreof Brazilianplayerstowin13league
titles over the past 20 years and become a
regular in the Champions League. In
December, Shakhtar finished last in a
Champions League group that included Real
Madrid and Inter Milan.
During the war, FIFA changed transfer
rules to let players with Ukrainian clubs sign
elsewhere. Shakhtar loaned Tetê to Lyon
whileJuniorMoraes,whogainedcitizenship
andplayedfor Ukraine,wenttoBraziltoplay
for Corinthians.
Korean challenge awaits Sindhu
Semifinal opponent An Se-young has a 3-0 head-to-head against the Indian
SHIVANI NAIK
APRIL 8
THE SEMIFINAL of a Super 500 tournament
(that's third tier in hierarchy of badminton
events on the circuit) isn't exactly the big
stage PV Sindhu's epics are associated with.
But the Korea Open Last 4 clash writes itself
into a supercharged contest, given the oppo-
nent and Sindhu's own revised goals.
Wantingto assert herself on the BWF cir-
cuitnow,Sindhuwhoearlierpeakedtowards
World Championships and Olympics and
Asian Games, is now looking for consistency
at the median events. So while the likes of
Tai Tzu Ying and world and All England
champion Akane Yamaguchi are not around
in Suncheon, there is still a formidable op-
ponent in Korean teen An Se-young.
Tipped to take over global dominance in
coming years, the Korean already won the
season-ending World Tour Final title last
December, denying Sindhu her own second.
An Se-young leads Sindhu 3-0 in career
clashes in fact, with not one clash hitting the
decider. The straight sets wins are down to
theKorean'smixof steadydefendingandan-
ticipation and a potent attack that brooks no
forgiveness of errors.
NotonlydoesASYlordoverpaceof rallies,
she can also exert Sindhu's long strides like
on the end of a string, by playing a furiously
complete all-court game that's taken her to
World No 4. And yet, Sindhu can be tasked
with breaking the spell of the Korean who's
playing at home. For one, Sindhu has fond
memories of settling scores in Korea. It's at
the Korea Open soon after her famous 2017
World Championship loss to Nozomi
Okuhara at Glasgow, that Sindhu avenged
herGlasgowdefeatinarematchthatwasan-
other long rally-wringer.
If anything, the 3-0 history will be seen
as ripe to be shredded, to overcome a hith-
erto undefeated opponent. Busanan
Ongbamrungphan isn't the toughest of op-
ponents, but matches with her tend to be a
good whetting stone for Sindhu to sharpen
her scything racquet. She will need to carry
the unrelenting momentum from the quar-
ters against Busanan into the semis.Because
the Korean sets the tone pretty early.
In their 3 matches so far (21-14, 21-17;
21-11, 21-12; 21-16, 21-12), ASY has simply
taken off from 5-4, 2-2 and 8-7 in the open-
ing sets, not allowing Sindhu a sniff at the
lead. Oncetheopener'slost,Sindhuhasbeen
beaten mentally and on strokes in the sec-
ond, her resolve smothered under hopeless-
ness, her movements barely inspiring any
defiance. The Indian No. 7's combative atti-
tude in beating down Busanan can come in
handy against ASY who has a good compact
read on the predictable Indian when she's
cornered. It'll be a test of coach Park's moti-
vating abilities and tactical improvisations,
Sindhu beat Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-10, 21-16 in the quarters.
What Sindhu can bank on is that
ASY can be brought under
pressure with an aggressive yet
tactically shrewd game, the way
Akane Yamaguchi toggles
between the two methods.
against the poised Korean.
What Sindhu can bank on is that ASY can
be brought under pressure with an aggres-
sive yet tactically shrewd game, the way
Akane Yamaguchi toggles between the two
methods.TheKoreanhaslostthemosttothe
Japanese whose defense-to-offense transi-
tionshavebeenonthemarkandwithoutthe
usual errors. So, Sindhu will need to take the
initiative early, come armed with Plan B, and
not slump her shoulders should ASY get her
usual first dibs. Chinese He Bingjiao too has
defeated ASY on pure tactical steadfastness.
Srikanth vs Jojo in Men's semis
Kidambi Srikanth won himself a confi-
dence-boosting 21-12, 18-21, 21-12 victory
against the wily Korean Son Wanho, his
nemesis of many years, to enter the semifi-
nals. The Indian is in the mental form of his
life,andwouldkickhimself if hedoesn'tcon-
vert the self belief into a title here.
It was in the manner of his third set
SPORT/CALENDAR 19
against the Korean harp — that technical au-
tomaton and retrieving monolith — that
Srikanth raised hopes of going the distance,
despite the 21-18 second set speedbump.
Sure he got distracted at 16-15 in the sec-
ond and stretched a regulation straight sets
win to a 62 minute drag. But the 29-year-old
looked irritated enough at having being
forced into a decider and being made to ex-
ert. On Saturday, he plays the tricky
IndonesianJonatanChristie.LikeHSPrannoy
would tell him after the Swiss Open loss, it is
difficulttopinpointthatonebigweaponthat
aids the Asiad title holder. He has a broad
repertoire, but not the booming power-
strokes that overtly intimidate. His biggest
weapon against Srikanth might well be pre-
cision — his own accuracy and the demands
he makes off his opponents to not err. So
those typical wayward Srikanth smashes
need to disappear.
Srikanth holds the advantage at the net
where he's cudgeling and clean and alto-
gether more classy than most. The two can
battle on wits, but Srikanth is a touch too tal-
ented of the two.
Where Christie holdsthe edge — and this
can prove all important — is that he's gone
out there and won the titles. This isn't a final
sohemightnotbeasdialledin,butatitlehas
eludedSrikanthforsolongnow,thatthetrip-
ping-strings might well be cobwebs in his
head and nothing more.
Woods shows flashes
of brilliance, frailty
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUGUSTA, APRIL 8
OF ALL the 6,576 shots that were officially
struck at Augusta National on Day 1 of the
Masters, only one truly mattered. It didn't go
in the hole. It wasn't down the center of the
fairway. Nothing special about it at all, really.
Except for the fact that it was off a club
swung by Tiger Woods.
With his opening tee shot at 11:04 a.m.
Thursday, the Masters was truly back to nor-
mal. The full allotment of patrons was
crammed into Augusta National to watch a
tournament round the first time since the
pre-pandemic days of 2019, the year in
whichWoodswonthemostrecentof hisfive
green jackets. They watched a man who
could have lost a leg — or his life — in a car
crash 15 months ago return to the spot of his
past glory, and albeit moving perhaps a bit
more slowly than he used to, chase glory
again. “If you would have seen how my leg
looked to where it's at now ... to get from
there to here, it was no easy task,” Woods
said.
ThescorecardsaidWoodsshota 1-under
71 on Thursday. That's basically average for
Woods at Augusta National; literally, his ca-
reer average in 91 tournament rounds at the
place is 70.9.
Itiseasyfornobody,notevenchampions,
not even five-time champions, especially
five-time champions who needed rods and
screws and pins a little over a year ago to re-
assemble a right leg and right foot that were
mangled in a car crash. Yet Woods answered
the bell and then some Thursday, probably
surprising some by playing at all, surprising
even more by looking like someone who
could contend. “Just the fact that, one, he's
alive, considering what that accident was
about. Two, that he's made a comeback to
thispointtobeabletocompete,it'sphenom-
enal,” Woods' longtime friend and incoming
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson said.
“Now, it's also a situation where you're
talking about an individual that, I mean, are
we really that surprised? ... He's the best
player I've ever played with, and I say that in
allaspects.HeisthebestcompetitorI'veever
witnessed.”
Sungjae Im was the first round leader,
shooting a 5-under 67. Cameron Smith was
second, one shot back with a 68, and four
players — Danny Willett, Joaquin Niemann,
worldNo.1ScottieSchefflerandpastMasters
champion Dustin Johnson — were all two
shotsoff thepaceafterroundsof 3-under69.
Dustin Johnson won his Masters in 2020. Im
andSmithtiedforsecondthatyear.Thursday,
thetriowereallonthefirstpageof theleader-
board again, the order slightly adjusted.
“Yes, there is a coincidence there some-
where,”Imsaid,hisminddriftingbacktothat
moment. Ah, nostalgia. No place does it bet-
Tiger Woods carded a solid opening 71.
ter than the open-air museum of golf that is
Augusta National.
The day started with a nod to tradition,
of course: Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus ex-
tended their run as honorary starters for the
tournament,joinedthistimebyTomWatson
for the ceremonial tee balls off the first tee.
They were all at the Masters Club dinner
earlier this week, one of the many perks for
past champions. Woods was there as well,
after being unable to attend last year while
recovering from his injuries. That was
Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Woods —
who said the previous day that he intended
to play — went through his final practice
roundanddecidedtherewasnoneedtoback
out.
AndonThursday,therehewas,everystep
he took surrounded by thousands and thou-
sands of people who left the grounds able to
say that they saw Woods' comeback round.
The word “roar” might get overused at
Augusta National, but that's what the sound
from those patrons sure seemed like.
“AtthebeginningInoticedthattherewas
alotof people,”saidJoaquinNiemann,oneof
Woods' playing partners Thursday along
withLouisOosthuizen.“ButthenIwastrying
to talk to my caddie, and I couldn't hear any-
thing that he was saying.”
Woods was far from vintage. He kept
spraying tee shots off to the left. He played a
few times from the pine straw. A half-dozen
or so approach shots would barely get to the
front of the green, then spin back to the fair-
way, Woods punctuating one of those bad
breaks by shouting a profanity that an on-
course microphone caught.
Thing is, he got through it. Three birdies,
two bogeys. He gave the patrons a fist pump
on No. 16 after making a 30-footer for birdie.
He had nothing but smiles walking off the
course.
A night of ice baths and therapy awaited,
just to coax his body into deciding it could
walk 18 more holes on Friday. He plays in the
afternoon, when it's supposed to be very
windy. A course that took about 3 inches of
rain on Tuesday and Wednesday will further
dry out. It's going to get harder. It's going to
get tougher.
The roar was back. So were the patrons.
SowasTigerWoods.“Thisisonlyoneround,”
Woods said. “We've got three more to go.”

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 4710 DAY TODAY
ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20)
Your most intimate
personal concerns
are under intense
scrutiny. But so also
are your very powerful public
ambitions. This therefore
promises to be a weekend of
considerable interest. A twist
will come when someone you
barely know becomes
interested in you.
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21)
Today's planetary
configurations are
superb from the
Taurean point of
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson view. The list of activities
which stand to benefit is long
and varied, including holiday
and travel plans, legal affairs
and educational aspirations.
You could also be fighting hard
for your principles.
ACROSS DOWN
1 Charge made by man at the 2 New cure Len found in the lake GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
embassy (10) (7) Generous Jupiter’s
8 Quietly get the cane out of 3 Display of no interest? presence in an
hickory (5) (5) intense part of your
9 Four who work and play 4 Discharge an account and leave chart should be
together (7) (6) sufficient to protect you from
10 There’s no travelling beyond 5 Think a Gemini is fantastic the worst features of an
them (7) (7) imminent upheaval and
11 Country which might provide 6 Made a record and was famous enable you to prosper. The
aid in some way (5) lessons you learn now and
(5) 7 Standard position for a over the next month,
12 A representative institution passing-out parade? (2,4-4) should secure you a
(6) 8 Effectively demonstrates how prosperous future.
14 It stands out for help for the
poor (6)
one votes? (4,6)
13 Make an effort to study with
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
BY PETER VIDAL
LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23)
Consciously, your
desires seem to be
directed towards
achieving the
respect of your peers and
status in the community. Yet I
would hazard a guess that
what really drives you is the
desire for real emotional
security and approval from
your family.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 23)
Travel and overseas
connections are
now assuming a
much greater
importance. Yet so is the need
to achieve a genuine spiritual
understanding of your life and
the important direction you
are currently taking. You want
the best and, with sufficient
self-discipline, you’ll get it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 24 - Dec 22)
It is difficult to
know exactly how
deep the weekend’s
developments will
go. Probably it is true to say
that, while some of you may
be concerned solely with
superficial financial
arrangements, others will be
dealing with profound
questions, such as the
value you put on your life as
a whole.

17 Work to rule? (5) care (7) There really is very CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
19 Two girls showing a knee 15 Reputation for enjoying poor little that you can’t You’re feeling the
(7) health? (3,4) achieve at the need to battle for
21 People in sedentary 16 Wells’ writing features present time, so set worthy causes, and
occupation? (7) emotional convulsions (6) your hopes as high as you can. fight for your
22 Enormous soldier ant 18 Pull in first behind another Ultimately, though, it’s your freedom. It would be an
(5) vehicle (2,3) creative gifts which determine understatement to say that
23 Decries new changes in the 20 Large cat makes a row about whether you succeed you can get your way in almost
cinema (4,6) midnight (5) or fail. One thing to remember any area of human activity.
is to take as much rest as And that’s quite something. Be
you need. sure to pay attention to every
tiny detail.
SolutionsCrossword4709:Across:1Twirls,4Stream,9Modicum,10Award,11 LEO (July 24 - Aug 23)
Nixon,12Laertes,13FidelCastro,18Signora,20Excel,22Avail,23Galileo,24 It’s a feature of AQUARIUS (Jan 21- Feb 19)
Erects,25Tyrone.Down:1Timing,2Index,3Licence,5Trace,6Exactor,7Modest,8 astrological life that Relationships with
Smallcharge,14Ingrate,15Shelley,16Escape,17Alcove,19Owlet,21Cello.
important children should be
developments often much improved. On
take place before you’ve a deeper level, so
figured out what’s happening. will your understanding and
That is why the real impact appreciation of what the
JUMBLED WORDS DifficultyLevel2s
of current improvements psychologists call your inner
SOLUTION SUDOKU 4798

may therefore not be child, the source of your

Instructions understood for some time to creative spontaneity. The
Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, come. Have faith in young-at-heart will be taking
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 your future. the lead.
SUDOKU 4799

theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe
Geniusisonepercentinspiration,ninety-ninepercent____-ThomasEdison(12) VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23) PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
nineverticalcolumns,in You may develop a Think big and go all
eachoftheninehorizontal more independent out to develop a
CHAER NIGHTS rowsandineachofthe approach to life in creative skill. You’re
nineboxes. general, one based on a winning streak,
on your individual and unique, though perhaps true success
creative skills. In spite of can only be judged by you, not
OILER ELUPPS DifficultyLevel
current delays, you will shortly by other people. That is why
be able to see the value of such self-esteem is so important.
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; a course of action. But, then, Family members may offer
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; patience is one of your you more support than
- Thomas Edison 5s=VeryHard;6s= better virtues. you expected.
Answer: Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration Genius
SOLUTION: REACH, ORIEL, THINGS, SUPPLE

New Delhi
 20 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
BRIEFLY
'Bankrupt'Becker
facesjailtimefor
movingfunds
London:TennisgreatBorisBeckercould
face a jail sentence after being found
guiltyonFridayofil-
licitly moving thou-
sandsofdollarsfrom
abankaccountafter
he was declared
bankrupt. A jury at
London'sSouthwark
Crown Court con-
victedBeckeronfourchargesunderthe
Insolvency Act, including removal of
property, concealing debt and two
counts of failing to disclose estate. The
German star was found to have trans-
ferred hundreds of thousands of
pounds (dollars) after his June 2017
bankruptcy from his business account
tootheraccounts,includingthoseofhis
ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife
Sharlely"Lilly"Becker.Hewasalsocon-
victedoffailingtodeclareapropertyin
Germany and hiding an 825,000 euro
(USD895,000)bankloanandsharesin
a tech firm. AP
TamilNadu,Punjab
entersemifinals
Chennai:DefendingchampionPunjab
and host Tamil Nadu entered the
men's semifinals of the 71st Senior
National Basketball Championship
here with straight-forward wins over
Uttarakhand and Kerala. They were
joined in the last four by Karnataka
andIndian Railways.Punjab bounced
backafteralacklustreshowinthesec-
ond stage where they lost two
matches to hold off the challenge of a
strongUttarakhand90-64whileTamil
Naducontinuedtheirgoodrunwitha
commanding 81-57 win over Kerala.
Amjyot Singh (22 points) and Kanvar
Gurbal Singh Sandhu (19) were in
good form for Punjab as they raised
theirgameagainstadangerousoppo-
nent.TamilNadu,meanwhile,rodeon
the efforts of captain Muin Bek (17
points) and Arvind A (15) to get past
Kerala. PTI
Leclerctopssecond
practicesession
Melbourne: Ferrari driver Charles
LeclercledFriday'ssecondpracticeses-
sionforSunday'sAustralianGrandPrix,
with defending series champion and
Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second.
Leclerc had a time of 1 minute, 18.978
seconds on the revamped Albert Park
layout, with Verstappen .245 seconds
behind. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who led
afterthefirstpracticesession,wasthird-
fastest.LocalhopeDanielRicciardoina
McLaren was 10th fastest and Lewis
Hamilton's Mercedes 13th. AP
Indianwomenbeat
Netherlands2-1
Bhubaneswar: The Indian women's
hockeyteamstunnedOlympicchampi-
onsNetherlands2-1inthefirstmatchof
their double leg FIH Pro League tie here
onSaturday.TheIndiansscoredthrough
Neha (11th minute) and Sonika (28th),
both from penalty corners, to hand the
hometeama2-0leadathalftime.After
the change of ends, the Netherlands
scored from a penalty corner through
Jansen Yibbi in the 40th minute to re-
ducethemargin.ThiswasIndia'sfourth
winintheFIHProLeague. PTI
RECALLING DAYS WITH MUMBAI INDIANS
Was tied, gagged, forgotten about for a whole night: Chahal
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, APRIL 8
YUZVENDRACHAHALhasrecountedcouple
of horrifying incidents from his Mumbai
Indians days. The first episode is when he
was tied, gagged, and forgotten the whole
night by the Australians Andrew Symonds
and James Franklin. He doesn’t identify the
player in the second incident but talks about
howa“drunkteammate”hunghimfromthe
15th floor. Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa too
shared an unsavoury episode of bullying
from an unnamed Mumbai Indians person
who forced him to sign the transfer papers
witha threatthatUthappa “won’tplayinthe
playing XI unless he signs”.
The Symonds-Franklin episode dates
back to 2011, says Chahal. “It was in 2011 af-
ter wining champions League in a Chennai
hotel. He [Andrew Symonds] had drunk a lot
of “fruit juice” (laughs). I was with him, only.
James Franklin and he tied my hands and
legs, and said ‘now you have to open’. They
were in so much masti they have taped my
mouthandforgotallaboutme.Partygotover
and in the morning, when a cleaner came,
Vol XC- 128 Regd.No. DL-21046/03-05 R.N.I. No.506/57. Printed and Published by R.C.Malhotra on behalf of The Indian Express (P) Limited and Printed at The Indian Express (P) Limited Press, A-8, Sector-7, Noida -201301 and D B Corp Ltd, Dainik Bhaskar Village Unan Tola, Near Danapur Cantt, Shivylya Road, Post
Khagaul, Shahpur, Patna (Bihar) and Published at The Indian Express (P) Limited, Mezzanine Floor, Express Building, 9&10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002. Editorial office: The Indian Express (P) Limited, Mezzanine Floor, Express Building, 9&10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: 0120-
6651500. Advertising office: The Indian Express (P) Limited, B1/B, Sector-10, Noida-201301. Phone:01206651291. Chairman of the Board: Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor: Raj Kamal Jha, Editor: Unni Rajen Shanker, Editor (Delhi): Rakesh Sinha ** ** Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act. Copyright: The Indian
Titans pull off heist
Gill takes Gujarat to brink of victory before Tewatia’s 6, 6 seals it in last two balls
Shubman Gill (L) and Rahul Tewatia celebrate Gujarat Titans’ win over Punjab Kings. Sportzpics for IPL
SYNOPSIS: Gill’s artistry trumps
Livingstone’s firepower. Sudharsan
impresses on debut
SHAMIK CHAKRABARTY
APRIL 8
Rahul Tewatia won it for Gujarat Titans, hit-
ting two sixes off the final two deliveries.
Odean Smith lost it for Punjab Kings, not just
by conceding those two sixes, but by over-
throwing and giving away a single in the
fourth ball of the final over.
With 13 runs to score for victory off three
balls, David Miller played a shot back to the
bowler. A dot ball would have made the
equation unassailable for Gujarat. But Smith
threwatthebowlingend,missedthestumps
and conceded a single. Tewatia became
Gujarat’s hero by hitting back-to-back sixes
underintensepressure,butitwassillycricket
from the Punjab fast bowler. Chasing 190 for
victory, Gujarat won by six wickets. Tewatia
more than made up for his 24-run over.
At133/2inthe15thover,witheightwick-
ets in hand and Hardik Pandya at the crease,
Gujarat had it under control. Shubman Gill
was moving like a Ferrari at the other end.
But Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada bril-
liantly pulled things back in the death overs
before Smith’s error threw it away. Gujarat’s
win, however, rewarded Gill’s 59-ball 96. He
didn’t deserve to finish on the losing side.
Gill’s artistry
The extra-cover drive off Liam
Livingstone was the shot of thematch. There
was no violence. Gill caressed the ball to the
boundary to a 29-ball half-century. His bat-
ting shuns violence and embraces artistry.
On song, he is a joy to watch. Smith dropped
him on 45, a regulation caught and bowled
chancebutthebowlercouldn’tholdoninhis
follow through. Spectators didn’t mind the
drop,forGill’sbattingfeltlikemusicwiththe
lightness of touch.
he saw me and freed me. They asked from
when have I been here like this and I told
them, ‘from the night itself’.
And when the podcast host asks him if
Symonds and Franklin apologised to him in
the morning, Chahal says, “No, they said
sometimeswhentheydrink“juice”somuch,
they can’t handle it and they can’t remem-
ber anything”.
On Thursday, he revealed details about
the second episode that dates back to 2013.
“I never told this story, from today, every-
one will know. I never shared this. This dates
back to 2013 when I was with Mumbai
Indians, we had a match in Bangalore. There
was a get-together after that. So, there was a
player who was very drunk, I won’t say his
name. He was very drunk, he was looking at
me for a long time and he just called me and
he took me outside and he hung me on the
balcony,” Chahal said in a video put up by
Rajasthan Royals.
“And my hands were around him, like
this (behind the neck). Had I lost my grip, I
wasonthe15thfloor.Suddenlymanypeople
who were there came and they handled it. I
kind of fainted, they gave me water. Then I
realized how responsible we need to be
Express (P) Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. The Indian Express®
At 133/2 in the 15th over, with
eight wickets in hand and
Hardik Pandya at the crease,
Gujarat had it under control.
Shubman Gill was moving like a
Ferrari at the other end. But
Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso
Rabada brilliantly pulled things
back in the death overs before
Smith’s error threw it away.
VaibhavArorabowledshort,Gillplayedit
throughcoversforafour.Thebowlerbowled
full and the batsman flicked it to the back-
wardsquarelegboundary.Arshdeeppitched
up, Gill responded with a push, so sweetly
timed that it beat the fielder at mid-on and
wenttothefence.Hereadthespinnersbeau-
tifully, ran like a hare between the wickets
butmissedoutonhismaidenIPLhundred.In
the grand scheme of things, Gill’s good run
of form is excellent news for Indian cricket.
Livingstone’s firepower
ComeOctober,andLivingstoneshouldbe
one of the first names on the England team
sheet at the T20 World Cup. The 28-year-old
has Kevin Pietersen’s panache and range.
Pietersen learnt his cricket in Durban.
Livingstone is made in Lancashire.
At the moment, Punjab are reaping the
rewards of signing him up for Rs 11.5 crore,
after an intense bidding war at the auction.
Livingstone is showing that the bidding war
for him was justified. The team he plays for,
he becomes the x-factor.
On 14, Livingstone was walking off the
field, convinced that Pandya had taken his
catch legitimately off Rashid Khan at the
deepmid-wicketboundary.Replaysshowed
that the fielder’s right foot had kissed the
boundary rope. Both Livingstone and Rashid
broke into a smile. Pandya looked to the sky.
The difference between Livingstone and
his batting partners was stark during a
Yuzvendra Chahal also talks about how
a drunken teammate had hung him
from the 15th floor during an
aftermatch party in 2013.
when we go anywhere. So, this was one in-
cident where I felt I made a narrow escape.
Had there been slightest of mistakes, I
would’ve fallen down,” he added.
Couple of days ago, Robin Uthappa, now
with Chennai Super Kings, shared his un-
pleasant tale from his time with Mumbai
Indians. It dates back to 2009, when he was
about to be transferred from Mumbai
Darshan Nalkande over.
The young seamer dismissedthe big-hit-
ting Jitesh Sharma and Smith in consecutive
deliveries. Both tried to clear the fence, but
wereholedoutatlong-on.Livingstonemade
short work of the debutant medium pacer.
Beforethat,hehadtoyedwithhiminhispre-
vious over.
Pandya missed a trick by not bringing
back Mohammed Shami or Lockie Ferguson
for an over in the middle, when Livingstone
was upping the ante. The Gujarat captain
held back his two best bowlers for the back-
end of the innings. By then, however,
Livingstonewasthreateningtotakethegame
away from the opposition.
Rashid eventually got him out by pulling
his length back and forcing a mistimed pull.
Still, Punjab should have gone past 200, rid-
ing on Livingstone’s 27-ball 64 that included
seven fours and four sixes.
But batting around him wasn’t up to the
mark. Shahrukh Khan fell prey to Rashid,
Rabada’s run-out wascomicaland savea 27-
run last wicket partnership between Chahar
and Singh, Punjab would have struggled to
post a big total.
Sudharsan impresses
SaiSudharsanmadehisIPLdebut,replac-
ing the injured Vijay Shankar and carrying
his Tamil Nadu Premier League reputation.
He was the standout performer in the TNPL
lastyear,scoring 358runsandthisgame saw
a seamless progression.
Coming from a sporting family – his fa-
ther is a former India athlete, while his
mother is an ex-state level volleyball player
–Sudharsandidn’tlookoutof placeatall.His
job was to play second fiddle to Gill, which
hedidwell,scoring35off 30ballsandadding
101 runs for the second wicket. The partner-
shipplayedasignificantpartinGujarat’swin.
BRIEF SCORES: Punjab Kings 189 for 9 in 20
overs(LiamLivingstone 64, ShikharDhawan
35; Rashid Khan 3/22) lost to Gujarat Titans
190 for 4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 96, Sai
Sudarsan 35; Kagiso Rabada 2/35).
Uthappa says he didn’t want to
be transferred and took his time
to sign the transfer papers.
That’s when a person from
Mumbai Indians (he doesn’t
identify) bullied him.
Indians to RCB. Uthappa says he didn’t want
to be transferred and took his time to sign
the transfer papers. That’s when a person
from Mumbai Indians (he doesn’t identify)
bullied him.
“Someone from the Mumbai Indians, I
am not going to say the name. But they said
to me, “Listen if you don’t sign these transfer
papers, you will not get to play in the XI for
Mumbai Indians. So you might as well sign it
and get transferred. I signed it eventually,”
Uthappa told in R Ashwin’s YouTube chan-
nel. Uthappa talks about how that episode
combined with a “personal problems” and
hadhimspirallingtowardsdepression.“Iwas
one of the first players in IPL, along with
ZaheerKhanandManishPandey,tobetrans-
PLAYING TODAY
Indian Premier League
CSK vs SRH, 3.30pm,
RCB vs MI, 7.30pm,
Live on Star Sports Network
EMOTIONAL
ROLLERCOASTER
Hot heads, calm minds and everything in between at the game
12 runs in 2 balls: Dial Tewatia
Twelve runs off two balls to win? Just
callRahulTewatia.Betrayingnonerves,
as though he was out for a quiet stroll
by the lake-side, he waited for Odean
Smith,thescattergunCaribbeanquick.
Aquicksidewaysglanceofthefieldand
he makes up his mind. He would stick
to his biggest strength—target the arc
from long-on to midwicket, no matter
where the ball is. But Smith obliged,
bowled a ball on middle and leg, his
swinging arc. Tewatia massacred the
Lockie’s got his number
Lockie Ferguson
stunnedJonnyBairstow
withapacybouncer,in-
ducing a weak poke to
gully where Rahul
Tewatiapouchedagood
catch. Ferguson is all
aboutpace,hisblackshoes,hismoustache,
and jersey no. 69. For a while, he was not
allowed that jersey number by New
Zealand Cricket because they feared its
populardoublemeaning.Heusedtowear
itforhisstateteamAucklandAcesbutNZC
wasn’ttookeen. AspokespersonforNZC
hadtoldstuff.co.nzin2017,“69istheonly
numberthatcan’tbeused,duetoitsdou-
blemeaning.”ButFergusonseemstohave
won them over as he donned that num-
ber at last year’s T20 World Cup. Gujarat
Lions certainly don’t have any issues. The
reason he wears that number, though, is
nothingdowithanydoubleinnuendo.He
says it’s for astrological reasons. NZC
postedonInstagramthat“LockieFerguson
hasanewplayingnumber(69)whichisa
significantnumbertohimandhisfamily.”
Hardik bouncer makes Mongia go gaga
Nothing has gone right for Mayank
Agarwal, the batsman, ever since he be-
came captain this IPL. Odd shot selection
and being late in execution have plagued
him. The other day, he went so far across
the line to a full and straight ball from
UmeshYadavthatitraisedeyebrows.Asif
he were Graeme Smith, the only batsman
who used to play the shot to midwicket
with a straight bat! Of course, Mayank
missed and was trapped LBW. Tonight, he
waslateonabouncerfromHardikPandya,
who shared the new ball. Perhaps, he was
surprisedthatPandyaproducedabouncer
at his pace, but Mayank was pretty late on
the shot and, unsurprisingly, it popped up
to midwicket. Former India wicketkeeper
Nayan Mongia, on Gujarati commentary,
didn’tslipintohispopularcryof‘aaaigaaa’
butravedaboutPandya’seffectivenessasa
bowler this season. “Oh ho ho! Hardik
Pandya kamaaal kariiya chey (is doing
wonders)! Pace, swing, seam karvaache!”
ferredtoanotherteam.Itwasverydifficultas
my loyalities completely were with Mumbai
Indians … I didn’t want to leave. It happened
one month before the [2009] IPL …
“Iwasalsogoingthroughsomethingper-
sonal at that point in time. And that pushed
mefurther intowhateverwas goingthrough
emotionally. I spiralled completely into de-
pression in my time with RCB. I didn’t play
any match well that season. The only time I
scored in that IPL was against Mumbai
Indians.Iplayedthinking,‘Ihavetodosome-
thing this match. I have to do well.”
In 2018, in a show Breakfast with
Champions, Yuzvindra Chahal spoke a lot
about his friendship with Symonds and how
he is still in touch with him and goes fishing
with him when he visits Australia.
“Whenever I go to Australia, I love to go fish-
ingwithhim.Heisagreathost.Hiswifeeven
learnt how to cook Butter Chicken for me by
following recipes on the internet. When I
went there to meet them, there was Butter
Chickenreadyforme,”hehadsaid.However,
the three incidents – two shared by Chahal
and one by Uthappa – has turned the spot-
light on the unsavoury culture in Mumbai
Indians in the past.
New Delhi
ball, and though the ball did not fly off
the sweet-spot and just about eluded
thefielder,itfetchedtheresulthisteam
wanted. He knew where the next ball
wouldbe—wideoutsidetheoff-stump,
so he shuffled to the off- side and
dragged the full ball over long-on to
wrap up the game without any fuss or
strain. Though Tewatia tends to go
largelyunnoticedinmostgames,heor-
chestrates such grand heists that he
would not be forgotten.
Agarwal Q&A
"Is time out like this al-
lowed?”JonnyBairstow
saidwordstothateffect
to the umpire after Sai
Sudarshan ran off the
field to presumably at-
tend nature’s call.
Someone from Punjab team asked can
we not take time out now?
Umpire declined that too.
Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal asked his
fielders to get back to their fielding po-
sition and snapped out at someone
(who said something that couldn’t be
deciphered on stump mic), “Hum, apna
kaam karen? (Can we do our work?).
Soon,ShubmanGill stabbed a ball away,
bat close to the pad, and the bowler and
the keeper Bairstow wanted a referral
for a lbw.
Mayank stormed in, “Are you sure?”
Bairstow said he wasn’t and Mayank
shook his head and hands and went
back.
Good he did, as the ball went off the
bat.
All pictures: Sportzpics for IPL
This dates back to 2013 when I was with
Mumbai Indians, we had a match in
Bangalore. There was a get-together after
that. So, there was a player who was very
drunk, I won’t say his name. He was very
drunk, he was looking at me for a long
time and he just called me and he took
me outside and he hung me on the
balcony.”
“And my hands were around him, like
this (behind the neck). Had I lost my grip,
I was on the 15th floor. Suddenly many
people who were there came and they
handled it. I kind of fainted, they gave me
water. Then I realized how responsible
we need to be when we go anywhere. So,
this was one incident where I felt I made a
narrow escape. Had there been slightest
of mistakes, I would’ve fallen down.”
YUZVENDRACHAHAL
“Someone from the Mumbai Indians, I
am not going to say the name. But they
said to me, ‘Listen if you don’t sign these
transfer papers, you will not get to play in
the XI for Mumbai Indians. So you might
as well sign it and get transferred’. I
signed it eventually.”
ROBIN UTHAPPA