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THE ASIAN AGE

NATION| 3
NEW DELHI WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2023

WORLD| 6 DELHI AGE| 11

Sickness does not appear to Rishi Sunak cancels meet Fashion designer Rohit Bal
be life-threatening: SC refuses with Greek Prime Minister hospitalised, on ventilator
bail plea of DMK’s V.S. Balaji over ancient sculptures in Gurgaon’s Medanta hosp
www.asianage.com RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17 Vol. 30 No. 283 | 16 PAGES | `5.00

WINDOWS ■ NDRF teams take out workers one by one, taken to hospital after on-site checkup

After 17-day ordeal, all 41 trapped

at Silkyara tunnel rescued safely
PRITHVIRAJ SINGH and
AMRESH SRIVASTAVA
with agency inputs
Better strategies
DEHRADUN/NEW DELHI,
NOV. 28
must to deal with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with his sister Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra during a roadshow ahead of the
Ruturaj Gaikwad celebrates his After a long 17-day ordeal,
disasters: Dhami Telangana Assembly elections at Malkajgiri in
Hyderabad on Tuesday. — PTI
century during the T20 match all 41 workers trapped in Dehradun, Nov 28:
against Australia at the Assam
Cricket Association Stadium in
Guwahati on Tuesday. Australia
the partially collapsed
Silkyara tunnel were
pulled out in a multi-
agency rescue operation
Uttarakhand chief minis-
ter Pushkar Singh Dhami
on Tuesday said disasters
cannot be stopped but
Modi spreads hate,
must be defeated:
won the match by 5 wickets.
■ Report on Page 8 — PTI around 8.30 pm on their impact can be
Tuesday. Union minister reduced by advance pre-
Amit Shah to V.K. Singh and paredness and asserted

address rally in
Kolkata today
Kolkata: Union home minister
Amit Shah will address a BJP
rally at Dharmatala in the
heart of the city on
Wednesday during his one-
day tour to motivate his party
workers of West Bengal ahead
of the Lok Sabha election.
While the state BJP leadership
is trying to mobilise one lakh
party workers from the dis-
tricts to the rally, 10 boxes will
remain placed at the venue to
allow them to submit their
complaints of against Trinamul
Congress’ corruption in
Central welfare schemes. To
counter the BJP event, TMC
MLAs have decided to agitate
on the Assembly premises
alleging the Centre’s apathy in
releasing public welfare funds
to the state government.
Full report on Page 3
Uttarakhand chief minis-
ter Pushkar Singh Dhami
welcomed the workers as
National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF)
men brought them out
through a steel chute that
lined a 60-metre passage.
There was hugging and
cheering as the ordeal
ended. Some local vil-
lagers burst crackers.
Outside the tunnel, some
chanted “Har Har
Mahadev”, “Bharat Mata
ki Jai” and slogans in
praise of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Mr
Dhami.
The Prime Minister
lauded the relief workers.
“Everyone involved in the
mission has created an
amazing example of
humanity and team-
work,” he posted on X,
adding, “It is a matter of
great satisfaction that
these friends of ours will
meet their dear ones after
that “proactive approach”
is the only way to deal with
them. Addressing the inau-
gural session of the 6th
World
Disaster
Congress
Management
on
here, Mr Dhami also said
that to minimise the
impact of natural disas-
ters, better strategies will
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and minister of state for road trans- have to be prepared and
port and highways V.K. Singh greet rescued workers in Uttarkashi on Tuesday. — PTI implemented. — PTI
■ More on Page 4
Prez, V-P, PM hail
rescue operations
New Delhi: President
Droupadi Murmu, vice-
president Jagdeep
Dhankhar, and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
Tuesday night led the
country in hailing the suc-
cessful operation to rescue
41 workers, saying it is an
emotional moment for
everyone. — PTI
Rahul at Hyd rally
Campaign ends; T’gana votes Thurs
Hyderabad/ Gajwel/
Warangal, New Delhi,
Nov. 28:: Microphones fell
silent and rallies ended as
the longest campaigning
period for the Assembly
elections among the five
states going to polls came
to a close in Telangana at
5 pm on Tuesday.
Before the restriction
on campaigning kicked
in, Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi, at a rally in
Hyderabad, said he aims
to put an end to hatred in
the country and that
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi needs to be defeated
at the Centre for the pur-
pose. Later, Mr Gandhi
and his sister Congress
general secretary
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
◗ ON TUESDAY, senior
Congress leader Sonia
Gandhi also appealed to
the state’s electorate to
bring about a change by
voting her party to
power
want to see the dream of
the martyred sons of
Mother Telangana ful-
filled.”
Addressing his last
rally ahead of the
November 30 polling at
Gajwel, which chief min-
ister K. Chandrasekhar
Rao currently represents,
the BRS chief attacked
the Congress leaders over
the promise of bringing
back “Indiramma
Rajyam” (rule of former

President receives
new voter ID card
New Delhi: President
Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday
received her new voter ID
card from Delhi’s chief elec-
toral officer P. Krishnamurthy.
The CEO had on November
10, visited the Rashtrapati
Bhavan to facilitate her in
“changing her ID address”
from Odisha to Delhi. — PTI
Full report on Page 2
Assam Opp. warns
Centre against CAA
Guwahati: A day after Union
MoS for home Ajay Mishra’s
statement anticipating the
completion of the final draft
of the CAA by March 30 next
year, the Opposition in
Assam threatened that they
would challenge any attempt
by the Centre to implement
the ‘controversial act’.
Full report on Page 4
COUNTERPOINT
a long wait.”
Announcing the evacua-
tion of the workers, Mr
Dhami said, “Now we will
work according to the
advice of the doctors and
medical teams. They have
come out of deep darkness
after 17 days. Now they
will be kept under med-
ical observation and then
a final decision will be
made if they have to be
sent home.”
“The 12 rat miners’
work proved decisive in
rescuing the stranded
workers,”
Uttarakhand CM said,
the
Navy’s plan to
get 2nd carrier
gets MoD nod
New Delhi, Nov. 28:
The government is
set to positively con-
sider the Indian
Navy's proposal for
the construction of a
second aircraft carri-
er at a cost of around
`40,000 crores, in a
major move that
comes against the
backdrop of rising
concerns over
China’s increasing
forays into the Indian
Ocean region
Top government
sources told PTI that
the Defence
Procurement Board
has accorded in-prin-
ciple approval. — PTI
■ More on Page 3
‘Rat-hole miners participated in a road-
show in Malkajgiri.
Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi) if voted to power
On Tuesday, senior in Telangana. Mr Rao
come in handy’ Congress leader Sonia
Gandhi also appealed to
alleged that her regime
was fraught with
New Delhi: Rat-hole min- the state’s electorate to “encounters, firings and
ing may be illegal but the bring about a change by killings”.
talent and experience of voting her party to Addressing a press con-
Ambulances with the workers come out from the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in rat-hole miners were power. ference, chief electoral
Uttarkashi on Tuesday. — PTI used in the rescue opera- In a two-minute video officer Vikas Raj said, "It
adding that the construc- porary medical facility set Rishikesh management tion to save the 41 work- message on X, Mrs is 5 pm and the silent
tion of Baba Baukhnath up by the rescuers inside was also kept on alert. ers trapped in the Gandhi said, period has started. There
temple will be taken up the tunnel. Later, they According to officials Silkyara tunnel, a NDMA “Namaskaram, my dear are various restrictions
before resuming tunnel were sent to a 41-bed tem- overseeing the rescue member said on sisters and brothers of that are put in place by
work. porary hospital prepared operations, the last steel Tuesday, adding that rat- Telangana, I could not the Election Commission.
After evacuation, all the for them at the pipe was successfully hole miners did a phe- come among you all, but I The last 48 hours, basical-
stranded workers were Chinyalisaur airstrip, pushed into the escape nomenal job by digging am very close to your ly the tranquil period, are
examined by the medical
team stationed at the tem-
nearly 40 km from
Silkyara. Besides, AIIMS
passage and the stage was
■ Turn to Page 4
10 metres in less than 24
hours. — PTI
hearts. Today, I want to
say something to you. I
given to the voters to
■ Turn to Page 4
Govt lifts GRAP-III curbs as Raje, 4 others in Nitish scrapped
Hindu holidays,
AQI improves in Delhi-NCR Raj BJP CM race added Muslim
ones, claims BJP
■ Strict vigil to be kept ■ IMD says ‘severe’ AQI unlikely now YOJNA GUSAI CM’s post within the
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28 organization, or bring NAYYAR AZAD
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA ◗ THE CITY’S 24-hour and Adjoining Areas in a “new face” to check PATNA, NOV. 28
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28 (CAQM), a statutory body With the counting of factionalism.
average AQI improved responsible for formulat- votes to begin on The BJP fought the The BJP has unleashed
With the improvement in from 395 on Monday to ing strategies to combat Sunday, five days from election in a state with a scathing attack on
air quality in the national 312 on Tuesday. Earlier the pollution in the now, political parties in many claimants for the Nitish Kumar’s Bihar
capital, the Centre on in the day, light rain region, met on Tuesday Rajasthan are brimming top post, without a chief government, accusing it
Tuesday ordered the revo- was reported in parts of after a significant with speculation and ministerial candidate, of scrapping school hol-
cation of restrictions the city while the mini- improvement in the over- rumours. With most under Prime Minister idays during Hindu fes-
under Stage-III of GRAP mum temperature set- all air quality of Delhi- predictions, including Narendra Modi’s leader- tivals while increasing
in the entire NCR with NCR. those in the “satta ship. While the result is them for Muslim
immediate effect. tled at 14.2°C The air quality forecasts bazaar”, talking of the yet to be announced, the festivals.
The city’s 24-hour aver- The air quality in Delhi by the India BJP returning to power race has begun in the Union minister
age AQI improved from and its suburbs marginal- Meteorological Depar- in the desert state, the BJP on the post of chief Giriraj Singh and other
395 on Monday to 312 on ly improved due to the tment/Indian Institute of saffron party is abuzz minister. Besides Ms top BJP leaders, includ-
Tuesday. Earlier in the rain and favourable wind- Tropical Meteorology do with speculation on Raje, the names of MP ing Sushil Kumar Modi,
day, light rain was report- speeds caused due to the not indicate that the aver- whether the top brass and member of Jaipur condemned the move,
ed in parts of the city western disturbance age air quality of Delhi will back the Maharani, royal family, Diya alleging that the state
while the minimum tem- affecting northwest India. will move to the “severe” former CM Vasundhara Kumari, who contested government’s actions
perature settled at 14.2ºC, The Commission for Air category in the coming Raje, considered as the the Assembly polls, were aimed at appeas-
four notches above the Quality Management in days for which the frontrunner for the ■ Turn to Page 4 ing the Muslim com-
season’s average. National Capital Region ■ Turn to Page 4 munity.
Mr Singh directly
blamed Mr Kumar and

WEATHER
Max : 25OC
Min: 16OC
RH: 67%
Rain: 10
Forecast: Cloudy
ASTROGUIDE
Shubhakrut: Dakshinayana
Tithi: Karthika Shukla
Vidiya till 2 pm
Star: Mrigasira till 2.02 pm
Varjyam: 10.47 pm to 12.28 am
Durmuhurtam: 11.42 am to
12.26 pm
Rahukalam: 12 pm to 1.30 pm
SUNSET TODAY 5.24 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 6.55 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 7.54 PM
MOONSET TODAY 8.48 AM
CIA, Mossad chiefs in Doha, hold
talks on ‘next phase’ of Gaza deal
Doha, Nov. 28: US and
Israeli intelligence chiefs
have arrived in Doha to
discuss the “next phase” of
a deal between Hamas and
Israel in Gaza, a source
briefed on the visit said on
Tuesday.
The leaders of the US
Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) and Israel’s
Mossad were scheduled to
meet Qatari Prime
Minister Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al Thani,
the source said, adding
that Egyptian officials
were also taking part.
“The director of the CIA
and the director of the
Israeli National
◗ THE LEADERS of the
CIA and Mossad were
scheduled to meet Qatari
PM Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al Thani,
the source said, adding
that Egyptian officials
were also taking part
Intelligence Agency (NIA)
are in Doha to meet with
the Qatari Prime
Minister,” the source said.
The discussions aim “to
build on the progress of
the extended humanitari-
an pause agreement and to
initiate further discus-
sions about the next phase
of a potential deal”, the
source added.
Qatar has been engaged
in intense negotiations,
with support from Egypt
and the US, to extend the
truce in Gaza that was
originally due to last four
days. The gas-rich Gulf
state announced late on
Monday, the day of the
truce’s expiry, that suc-
cessful talks with Israel
and Hamas had resulted in
a two-day extension.
Over the initial four-day
pause, 50 civilian hostages
— all women and children
— were freed in return for
150 Palestinian prisoners
held by Israel. — AFP
■ More on Page 6
the Grand Alliance gov-
ernment for “appease-
ment politics”. He said
“several schools in
Muslim-dominated
Seemanchal already
observe holidays on
Fridays”.
Mr Giriraj Singh, seen
as the BJP’s Hindutva
face in Bihar, said there
would be “conse-
quences” if the state
government didn’t
extend school holidays
during Hindu festivals.
The Bihar education
department claimed the
school calendar for 2024
was revised to ensure at
least 220 teaching days.
The Bharatiya Janata
Party state unit said
major festivals like
Janmashtami, Raksha
Bandhan, Teej, Jitiya
Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters accompany newly-released hostages before hand- and Shivratri were cut.
ing them over to the Red Cross in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. — AP ■ More on Page 3
 CITY
THE ASIAN AGE | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 2

IN BRIEF ■ Top court: Don’t you have any other IAS officer? Incumbent chief secretary should be allowed to superannuate
Man shot dead by
son’s father-in-law
Noida: A 55-year-old man
was shot dead at a wedding
Under what law?: SC on Centre’s extension to CS
while posting the matter

Want complete compliance of

AGE CORRESPONDENT
allegedly by his son’s father- NEW DELHI, NOV. 28 for further hearing on
in-law near Noida, the police Wednesday.
said on Tuesday. An alterca- On the Centre’s con- The bench was hearing a

RRTS project order: SC to govt

tion broke out between
them before the shootout on
Monday night, they said.
According to the police,
Ashok Yadav, a resident of
Hoshiarpur in Noida Sector
51, had gone for a wedding
at Gaur Mulberry Farmhouse
in Bisrakh area where he was
shot dead by Shekhar Yadav
from Ghaziabad. Ashok
Yadav’s son was married to
Shekhar Yadav’s daughter
but the couple had a trou-
bled marriage because of
which the relationship
between the two families
had soured, the police said.
“On Monday night, the local
police received an informa-
tion of a shootout following
an altercation at the wed-
ding event. The family mem-
bers of the victim rushed
him to a private Yatharth
Hospital nearby but he was
declared dead by doctors,”
DCP (Central Noida) Suniti
said. An FIR has been
lodged against Shekhar
Yadav and his family mem-
bers at the complaint of vic-
tim’s kin, the DCP said.
HC imposes `2L
costs on Ashneer
tention that it intends to
extend the present tenure
of Delhi chief secretary
Naresh Kumar beyond his
scheduled retirement on
November 30, the Supreme
Court on Tuesday sought
to know under what power
the extension of service
can be given and whether
there was not any other
IAS officer available for
the post.
The apex court asked the
Centre to inform it on
Wednesday about the
grounds on which it want-
ed to extend Mr Kumar’s
tenure by six more
months.
A bench headed by Chief
Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
suggested that the incum-
bent chief secretary
should be allowed to
superannuate and a fresh
appointment should be
made.
However, the top court
also held that the Centre
held the power under the
Government of National
Capital Territory of Delhi
(Amendment) Act to make
the appointment and there
was no stay on it.
Appearing for the
Centre, solicitor general
Delhi lieutenant-governor Vinai Kumar Saxena with BJP
MPs Harsh Vardhan, Ramesh Bidhuri and Manoj Tiwari
during the inauguration of ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’
in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Tushar Mehta told the
bench that the govern-
ment intends to extend the
tenure of the incumbent
officer, who has been
working for more than
one-and-a-half years, for a
limited period.
On Mr Mehta’s assertion
that even the term of a
superannuated person can
be extended if the govern-
ment so wishes, the CJI
said, “Are you stuck with
only one person? If you
want to make the appoint-
ment, make it. Don’t you
have any IAS officer who
can be made chief secre-
tary of Delhi? Are you so
— PTI
stuck on one IAS officer?”
The SG responded, “I am
not stuck with only one
person, but there were
some administrative rea-
sons.”
“Show us the power to
extend. And show us what
is the ground on which
you want to extend.
Otherwise, you can
appoint whoever you
want to, take instruc-
tions. We are not holding
you in any direction. You
select any IAS officer of
your choice who will
come here and hold the
position of the chief sec-
retary,” the bench said
plea of the Delhi govern-
ment against any move by
the Centre to appoint,
without any consultation
with it, the new chief sec-
retary or extend his
tenure.
L i e u t e n a n t - g ove r n o r
V.K. Saxena, appointed by
the Centre, and the Delhi
government have locked
horns over a number of
issues, including the
appointment of the chief
secretary.
The Delhi government
in its plea had said, “Not
only is the 2023 amend-
ment act in violation of
the 2023 Constitution
bench judgment, but also
anti-democratic to the
core as it turns the con-
stitutional scheme
embedded by way of
Article 239AA on its head
by placing the sole discre-
tion of appointment of
the chief secretary in the
hands of the L-G. In
doing so, it makes the
government of NCT of
Delhi a silent spectator in
the matter of appoint-
ment of the most signifi-
cant member of the per-
manent executive, the
chief secretary.”
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
The Supreme Court on
Tuesday pulled up the
Delhi government for fail-
ing to comply fully with its
order to pay requisite
funds for the regional
rapid rail transit system
(RRTS) project.
A bench comprising Jus-
tices Sanjay Kishan Kaul
and Sudhanshu Dhulia ask-
ed the Delhi government to
ensure full compliance with
In this file photo, one of the primary stations of the
the order to release funds
Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor with parking lots
for the project.
is seen. — PTI
During the brief hearing,
the bench was told that the asked, “Have you trans- tion order of November 24,
Delhi government had ferred the funds or not? At 2023, but it may not have
only disbursed a portion of your request, we kept the been credited to the
the `415 crore it was order in abeyance for a account of the National
directed to transfer. week to comply with the Capital Region Transport
Senior advocate A.N.S. assurance given to this Corporation (NCRTC).
Nadkarni, appearing for court. Now, please show us However, the sanction
the NCRTC, said, “The last the document that shows order itself states that it is
order was clear that if the compliance.” in partial compliance.
funds are not transferred, In its brief order, the There can be no question
the order will come into bench said, “Counsel for of partial compliance.
operation. Today, the funds
have not been trans-
the Delhi government
states that an amount of
Complete compliance
must take place as per the
ferred.”
At this, Justice Kaul
`415 crore has been
released as per the sanc-
schedule.
December 7.
List on

New Delhi: The Delhi high

court on Tuesday imposed
`2 lakh as costs on BharatPe
co-founder
Ashneer Grover in
the matter related
to his alleged
defamatory social
media posts
against the fintech
company. Justice Ashneer
Rekha Palli took on Grover
record the apology
and the undertaking given
by Mr Grover but proceeded
to impose costs on him, say-
ing the “court cannot be
taken for granted”. The
judge, while dealing with a
plea by Resilient Innovations
Pvt Ltd - which owns
BharatPe - against its former
MD, said the court was
“appalled” to note the “per-
sistent” and “blatant” viola-
tion of the earlier orders and
assurances given by Mr
Grover in this regard. The
court directed that the
amount shall be paid to the
high court’s clerks’ associa-
tion. — PTI
HOSP ORGANISES
WEDDING FOR
ADMITTED PATIENT
AVIANSH PRABHAKAR
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
In an event of showcasing
compassion, a hospital in the
city held the wedding cere-
mony for the admitted
patient. On request of the
patient’s family-members, the
hospital organised a brief
wedding ceremony for
patient adhering to all neces-
sary health and safety proto-
cols in the presence of med-
ical staff and doctors. The
patient, Avinash, is currently
admitted to the high depend-
ency unit (HDU) of Max
Super Specialty Hospital,
Vaishali, and is battling
dengue fever with low
platelet counts. His marriage
was planned with Ms.
Anuradha from Palwal with a
traditional celebration at
paternal home. However, the
unforeseen health circum-
stances led to the temporary
postponement of their wed-
ding plans. Dr. Ruchi
Ranawat, medical superinten-
dent of hospital, said, “This
event serves as a testament
to the resilience of our
patients and exemplifies the
compassion and dedication
of our healthcare community
to provide empathy and
emotional support during dif-
ficult times.”
Centre dedicated
to transgender
Privilege breach: Chadha
health to open
in AIIMS-Delhi
appears before RS panel
New Delhi, Nov. 28:
AGE CORRESPONDENT Aam Aadmi Party MP
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28 Raghav Chadha on
Tuesday appeared
The All India Institute of before the Privileges
Medical sciences has Committee of Rajya
announced to set up a Sabha and put forth his
centre of excellence for version on the com-
transgender healthcare. ments made by him in
A three-day workshop on public on which he is
transgender healthcare facing a complaint of
titled ‘Advanced Gender breach of privilege of
Affirmative Care’ began the House. Mr Chadha is
on Tuesday at the hospi- also learnt to have ten-
tal. dered an apology before
The association is being the panel and told the
conducted in collabora- members that he had
tion with the Association met Rajya Sabha chair-
for Transgender Health man Jagdeep Dhankhar
in India and the World too about the matter.
Professional Association Though Mr Chadha
for Transgender Health came before the panel
(WPATH). during its meeting held
The hospital said that in the Parliament House
despite the synergistic complex, no decision
proactive action by has yet been taken on
health ministry and
ministry of social jus-
the complaint, sources
said.
tice & empowerment,
the paucity of trained
The Privileges
Committee of the Rajya
care providers and Sabha is looking into the
training centers in
India remains a major
complaint of breach of
privilege against some
hurdle in the delivery of MPs, including AAP
standardized, afford- leader Raghav Chadha.
able, accessible, and It is also looking into
holistic healthcare to complaints against MPs
the transgender and Sanjay Singh and Derek
gender-diverse individ- O’Brien.
uals. The sources said the
Everyone is equal under law: Centre
to healthcare workers seeking safety
AGE CORRESPONDENT ble to “violent attacks” by
with agencies input relatives of patients, in
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28 cases where patients die
during treatment. “Such
The Parliamentary violent attacks against
standing committee on healthcare personnel are
home affairs on Tuesday prevalent throughout the
discussed a memoran- country and there is a
dum submitted by vari- need to provide some
ous medical associations legal safeguards for the
requesting it to intro- benefit of healthcare
duce provisions under workers,” the medical
Clause 115 of the associations told the com-
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita mittee.
(BNS) to penalise acts of However, in its
violence against health- response, the Union
care service personnel. home ministry said the
The committee said the general penal provisions
medical associations sub- are applicable to all and
mitted before the panel no distinction is made in
that unlike in any other the penal laws for any
professions, healthcare class of person.
professionals are vulnera- “Everyone is equal in the
AAP MP Raghav Chadha
at the Parliament House
Annexe in New Delhi on
Tuesday. — PTI
committee has sought a
report from Mr Chadha
by November 7.
Both Mr Chadha and
Mr Singh are currently
suspended from the
House.
Mr Chadha is under
suspension since August
11 after some MPs, most
of them from the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), accused him of
adding their names to a
motion without their
consent.
The motion had sought
the constitution of a
eyes of law,” MHA
stressed adding the state
is duty bound to protect
the life of all its citizens,
including doctors and
professionals like media
persons, advocates,
bankers, chartered
accountants, etc.
Clause 115 of the BNS
says: Whoever voluntari-
ly causes hurt, if the hurt
which he intends to cause
or knows himself to be
likely to cause is grievous
hurt, and if the hurt
which he causes is griev-
ous hurt, shall be pun-
ished with imprisonment
of either description for a
term which may extend
to seven years, and shall
also be liable to fine.
select committee to
examine the contentious
Delhi Services Bill.
The meeting of the
panel happened after the
Supreme Court made
some observations in a
case filed by the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP)
leader against his sus-
pension.
The apex court has
asked Mr Chadha to ten-
der an unconditional
apology to Rajya Sabha
chairman Jagdeep
Dhankhar on the select
committee issue and
hoped that the latter
would take a “sympa-
thetic” view on the mat- President Droupadi Murmu accepts credentials from the high commissioner of Malaysia
ter. to India Muzafar Shah bin Mustafa during a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New
A bench comprising Delhi on Tuesday. The President also received credentials from envoys of 5 other nations
Chief Justice of India — Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, Mali and the Marshall Islands. — PTI
D.Y. Chandrachud and
justices J.B. Pardiwala
and Manoj Misra had
asked attorney-general
Prez receives new voter card with Delhi address
R. Venkataramani to
apprise it of the develop-
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
said.
Ms Murmu will now be
electoral rolls underway
in Delhi, it said. Ms
ments in the matter eligible to cast her vote in Murmu’s old voter card
after the Diwali vaca-
tion.
President Droupadi Murmu
on Tuesday received a new
forthcoming elections
from New Delhi district,
carried her Mayurbhanj,
Odisha address.
The CJI has said the voter card with a changed said the statement from The Delhi CEO had earli-
lawmaker will have to address from Delhi chief the CEO office. er this month visited the
meet the Rajya Sabha electoral officer P. Mr Krishnamurthy dur- Rashtrapati Bhavan to
chairman to tender an Krishnamurthy at the ing his visit apprised the facilitate a change of
unconditional apology Rashtrapati Bhavan, an offi- President about the spe- address in her voter card,
on the issue. cial statement cial summary revision of officials said.
— PTI
CM summoned
in Goa for poll
code violation
Panaji, Nov. 28: A court in
Goa on Tuesday issued a
summons to AAP nation-
MHA further said that al convener Arvind
making a special provi- Kejriwal in an alleged
sion for doctors and other case of violation of the
healthcare professionals model code of conduct,
may give rise to similar asking him to remain
demands from other pro- present on November 29.
fessionals like media per- The local unit of the AAP
sons, advocates, bankers, said it had received the
chartered accountants. summons but was not
The ministry informed aware of the details of the
the committee that the criminal case.
ministry of health and As per court sources,
family welfare has a pro- the case is registered
posal to introduce a under the Representation
‘Medical Professionals of the People Act and sec-
Act’ to provide safeguards tion 171 (E) of the IPC
to healthcare workers dealing with bribery.
against violent attacks,
and that the home min-
istry would take an
update from the ministry
of health and family wel-
fare on the same.

City Cong starts talent hunt to appoint office-bearers
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
In order to regain the lost
ground and strengthen the
cadre and in the meantime
find popular faces and
engage the youths in Delhi,
the Congress party
launched a talent hunt pro-
gramme to appoint their
office bearers for their city
unit.
The one-of-a-kind initia-
tive, titled ‘Pratibha se
Parivartan,’ will appoint
youths interested in poli-
tics through interviews and
group discussions.
Delhi Pradesh Congress
Committee (DPCC) chief
Arvinder Singh Lovely,
speaking to this newspaper,
said that the party has
opened its doors to talented
young people keen on mak-
ing a career in politics
through this programme.
“Usually there are many
people, particularly the
youths, who want to be in
politics and are inclined
towards our ideology. They
can join us through this ini-
tiative by going through a
certain level of inter-
views,” he said.
Mr Lovely announced the
formation of two commit-
tees consisting of three and
four members respectively
and a two-member commit-
tee to co-ordinate at the
AICC (All India Congress
Committee) level in this
scheme.
◗ MR LOVELY announced
the formation of two
committees consisting of
three and four members
respectively and a two-
member committee to co-
ordinate at the AICC level
in this scheme
The committees include
three interviewers, Profe-
ssor Chayanika Uniyal,
Pankaj Garg, and Professor
Ramanand; four members
including Neeraj Basoya,
Amit Malik, Anuj Attrey,
and Hidayatullah to co-ordi-
nate at the DPCC level; and
two members Mrinal Pant
and Ahsan Sheikh to co-ordi-
nate at the AICC level.
“In the talent hunt pro-
gramme, qualified profes-
sionals and common people
will be given an opportuni-
ty to associate with the
party to make a career in
politics. Through inter-
views and group discus-
sions, office bearers and
teams will be chosen to
entrust responsibilities at
the state, district, block,
and mandal levels.
“Delhi Congress had
already appointed
observers at the district
level to strengthen the
party at the grassroots
level,” Mr Lovely said.
He said that in the coming
days, Congress will provide
online links to young people
and those interested in
becoming the office bearers
of the party to apply for the
talent hunt.
The scheme will be given
wide publicity through
social media and other pub-
licity platforms so that
more and more people can
be a part of this process.
After completing the ini-
tial process, experts in var-
ious subjects will select
suitable candidates after
screening and interviews,
to be appointed in various
posts.
In the coming month,
through the talent hunt
process, spokespersons,
social media experts, con-
tent writers, graphic
designers, RTI experts,
street play team, etc. will be
finalised, he added.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 3

SHORT
SC notice to Naidu,
TAKES
relaxes bail norms
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Tuesday issued
notice to former Andhra
Pradesh chief minister N.
Chandrababu Naidu on a
plea filed by the State gov-
ernment challenging the bail
granted to him by the high
court in the skill develop-
ment “scam”. A bench com-
prising Justices Bela M.
Trivedi and Satish Chandra
Sharma issued notice to the
TDP leader and said Mr
Naidu cannot speak in public
about sub-judice matters
including his case as per the
bail conditions. However, the
apex court relaxed his bail
condition and allowed him
to participate in public ral-
lies and meetings, and post-
ed the matter for further
hearing on December 8. In
its plea, the state govern-
ment contended that, “high
court has delved deep into
facts and has rendered find-
ings that are not only factu-
ally incorrect but are also
likely to prejudice the court
below during the trial.”
`32.5L cash seized
from cop in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: The vigilance
sleuths of Odisha were on
Tuesday stunned to recover
`32.5 lakhs from the resi-
dence of a police inspector
who was on Tuesday appre-
hended while travelling in a
bus with the ill-gotten
money. The inspector identi-
fied as Sushant Satpathy had
stashed the money in sepa-
rate boxes at his government
quarters at Buxi Bazar in
Cuttack city. Satpathy was
intercepted by a team of
Odisha vigilance near
Jeypore on Monday night
and approximately `2.7 lakhs
cash was recovered from his
possession. After further
searches, `1.8 lakhs cash was
recovered from his office
chamber at Boipariguda
Police Station and `3 lakhs
more from his quarters at
Boipariguda. With the fresh
recovery, the total cash
seizure reached `32.5 lakhs.
KCR turns philosophical at
rally, says not eyeing posts
T’gana should become a great state in future, that is my aim: BRS chief
Gajwel/Warangal
(Telangana), Nov. 28:
Chief minister K.
Chandrasekhar Rao on
Tuesday got philosophi-
cal, saying he will turn 70
by next February and all
he wishes for is develop-
ment of Telangana, not
“posts”.
Addressing his last rally
at Gajwel, which he repre-
sents currently, Mr Rao
attacked Congress leaders
over promise of bringing
back “Indiramma
Rajyam” (rule of former
Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi) if voted to power
in Telangana and alleged
that her regime was
fraught with “encounters,
firings and killings.”
Mr Rao is contesting
from Gajwel segment in
the upcoming Assembly
polls. BJP pitted its MLA
Etala rajender against
KCR making it a keenly
watched constituency.
Thanking the Gajwel
voters for electing him as
MLA, he assured that the
constituency will further
be developed if given a
chance again.
“I will turn 70 by the
coming February. With all
your blessings, the
achievement of Telangana
statehood itself is a great
honour for me. Posts are
not important. I’ve
already been chief minis-
ter for the past 10 years.
Telangana should become
a great state in the future,
Rajnath
unveils crest
of destroyer
INS Imphal
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
Chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao during an election
rally in Gajwel, Telnagana, on Tuesday.
that is my ambition,” he
said. Thanking the Gajwel
voters for electing him as
their MLA, Mr Rao said if
given a chance once again
he will further develop the
constituency.
He expressed hope that
Telangana would achieve
100 per cent literacy and
the poor would have better
medical facilities free of
cost. Mr Rao also said his
dream is to make
Telangana a hub for food
processing industry.
Seeking votes for BRS
candidates in the
November 30 Assembly
polls, Mr Rao also known
as KCR, at his 95th elec-
tion rally here, promised
if the party is voted to
power again, Warangal
will be developed with
civic infrastructure.
“Since this (Warangal) is
the second largest city in
Telangana, we will bring
several industries to this
city,” he assured.
IAF likely to get DAC nod to
buy 97 Tejas jets tomorrow
Govt clears Indian Navy’s proposal on 2nd aircraft carrier
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
— PTI
Alleging that there was
no development during
the Congress period, he
stressed that the BRS
needs to be voted to power
again in order to continue
development work.
He also assured that if
the BRS is voted to power
in the state, the old age
pension will be increased
to `5,000 per month from
the existing `2,000.
“Today, Congress people
are saying that they'll
bring Indiramma Rajyam
if they win. Who wants
Indiramma Rajyam? What
happened in Indiramma
Rajyam? If it was so good,
why would NTR (former
chief minister of Andhra
Pradesh N.T. Rama Rao)
have to float a party and
offer rice at `2 a kg.
Indiramma Rajyam was
fraught with Emergency,
encounters, firings and
killings,” he alleged, refer-
ring to Indira Gandhi’s
rule. — PTI
Sonia appeals
T’gana voters
to back Cong
New Delhi, Nov. 28: Ahead
of the November 30
Telangana Assembly
polls, senior Congress
leader Sonia Gandhi on
Tuesday appealed to the
state’s electorate to bring
about a change by voting
her party to power. The
results for the polls will be
declared on December 3.In
a two-minute video mes-
sage on X, Gandhi said,
“Namaskaram, my dear
sisters and brothers of
Telangana, I could not
come among you all but I
am very close to your
hearts. Today I want to say
something to you. I want
to see the dream of the
martyred sons of Mother
Telangana fulfilled.”
“I sincerely wish that we
all convert ‘Dorala’
Telangana into ‘Prajala’
Telangana (from a required to remain open
Telangana of landlords to
that of people’s). Make
your dreams come true and
give you a true and honest
government,” she said.
The appeal for votes by
the chairperson of the
Congress parliamentary
party came on the last day
of campaigning in the
southern state, where the
BRS is in power. — PTI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi travels in an autorickshaw ahead of Telangana
Assembly election at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
BJP pans Nitish over cut in
holidays on Hindu festivals
‘Islamic republic of Bihar’: Giriraj taunts Nitish govt
NAYYAR AZAD
PATNA, NOV. 28
The BJP unleashed a
scathing attack on the
Nitish Kumar-led govern-
ment in Bihar over the
proposed holiday calendar
for 2024, according to
which schools may be
on many Hindu festivals.
Union minister Giriraj
Singh and other top lead-
ers of the BJP, including
Sushil Kumar Modi, con-
demned the move, alleg-
ing that the state govern-
ment’s actions were
aimed at appeasing the
Muslim community.
Mr Singh directly
blamed Mr Kumar and the
state government for what
he termed “appeasement
politics.” He highlighted
that “several schools in
the Muslim-dominated
Seemanchal region
already observe holidays
on Fridays.”
Mr Singh, who is consid-
ered a firebrand and
Balaji’s plea for
Giriraj Singh
Hindutva face of the BJP
in Bihar, warned of conse-
quences for the state gov-
ernment if they didn’t
extend school holidays
during Hindu festivals.
“Many schools in the
Seemanchal region
(Kishanganj, Araria,
Purnia and Katihar) are
already observing holi-
days in schools on
Fridays. If the school holi-
days during our festivals
are not increased, then
this government in Bihar
will face the conse-
quences,” Mr Singh said.
“If the chief minister
continues like this, the
state will become an
Islamic republic
Bihar,” he added.
of
SC orders last rites
— PTI
◗ UNION MINISTER Giriraj
Singh and other top lead-
ers of the BJP, including
Sushil Kumar Modi, con-
demned the move, alleg-
ing that the actions were
aimed at appeasing the
Muslim community
The Bihar education
department has claimed
that the school calendar
for 2024 was revised to
ensure at least 220 teach-
ing days.
However, the state unit
of the BJP pointed out
that important festivals
like Janmashtami,
Raksha Bandhan, Teej,
Jitiya, and Shivratri were
cut. On the other hand, a
three-day holiday has
been given for festivals
like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-
Adha (Bakrid) in Urdu-
medium schools. But in
non-Urdu-medium
schools, there is a provi-
sion for just one
day of holiday for Eid fes-
tivals.

PM TO HAND OUT Defence minister bail on health

OVER 51,000 JOB
Rajnath Singh
Tuesday unveiled the
on

crest of the third indige-

nous guided-missile
destroyer under project
LETTERS NOV. 30 P15B, Imphal. The war-
ship Imphal was handed
After Prime Minister
Narendra Modi took a sor-
tie in Tejas fighter aircraft,
the Defence Acquisition
grounds junked
AGE CORRESPONDENT
of Manipur bodies
Council (DAC), headed by RAKESH K. SINGH lence, besides measures
defence minister Rajnath
Singh, is likely to take up
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28

The Supreme Court on

New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will distribute
more than 51,000 appoint-
ment letters to newly induct-
ed employees of different
government departments on
November 30 via video-con-
ferencing and also address
them, his office said on
Tuesday. The programme is
being held at 37 locations
across the country as part of
the “Rozgar Mela”, and
recruitment is taking place in
various central government
departments as well as state
governments and UTs sup-
porting this initiative, the
Prime Minister’s Office said.
The departments they will
join are revenue, home
affairs, higher education,
school education and litera-
cy, financial services,
over to the Indian Navy
last month by Mazagon
Dock Shipbuilders
Limited (MDL), and will
soon be commissioned
into the Indian Navy.
This is the first capital
warship to be named
after a city in the North-
Eastern region, the
approval for which was
accorded by the
President on April 16,
2019.
Defence minister
unveiled The crest of
Imphal in the presence
of Manipur chief minis-
ter N. Biren Singh.
The crest design
depicts the Kangla
Palace on the left and
“Kangla-Sa” on the
right. The Kangla Palace
the proposal to buy 97
Tejas Mark-1A aircraft on
Thursday.
Last month, Indian Air
Force (IAF) chief Air
Chief Marshal V.R.
Chaudhari had said 97
Tejas Mark-1A aircraft
would cost around `1.15
lakh crores. The Indian
Air Force has already
ordered 83 LCA Mark-1A
fighter planes, and their
deliveries are expected to
start in February-March
2024. This will take the
number of LCA Mark-1A
with IAF to 180.
The IAF is in critical
need of additional fighter
aircraft to replace the age-
ing MiG-21 aircraft.
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28 for relief and rehabilita-
tion, among others are
Tuesday junked the bail The Supreme Court on being heard by the SC.
plea of DMK minister V. Tuesday issued directions A bench headed by Chief
Senthil Balaji on med- for ensuring burial/cre- Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Manipur CM N. Biren ical grounds, saying his mation of all bodies in and comprising Justices
Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, Chief sickness does not appear Manipur mortuaries, J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj
of the Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar unveil the to be “serious or life- including 88 which have Misra noted that a report
crest of INS Imphal in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI threatening”. been identified but not submitted an all-woman
Mr Balaji was earlier claimed, by December 11. panel of former high
DAC may also undertake nous aircraft carrier, to be arrested by the ED in a Either the families can court judges, headed by
a preliminary examina- known as IAC II. India is money laundering case claim them or the State Justice (Retd.) Gita
tion of the proposal to currently operating the linked to the cash-for- will go ahead as per the Mittal, has indicated the
construct another indige- Russian-origin aircraft jobs scam and is present- municipal law, the top position of the bodies
nous aircraft carrier for carrier INS Vikramaditya ly undergoing judicial court ruled. that are lying in mortuar-
the Indian Navy. The and the domestically man- custody. Ethnic clashes in ies in the violence-hit
Defence Procurement ufactured INS Vikrant. The dismissal of the Manipur had taken a toll state.
Board (DPB), a key body DAC is also likely to take bail plea came during a of several lives in May The committee headed
of the defence ministry, up the proposal to upgrade hearing by the SC on Mr and sporadic incidents of by Justice (Retd.) Gita
has accorded in principle 84 Su-30 MKI fighter air- Balaji’s appeal against violence have continued Mittal earlier appointed
approval to the ambitious craft for `60,000 crores. an order of the Madras thereafter, and a clutch of by the apex court also
proposal signalling the The Su-30 fighter jets are high court which dis- pleas, including those includes Justices (Retd)
government’s readiness to the mainstay, with 260 of missed his bail applica- seeking court-monitored Shalini P. Joshi and Asha
go for the second indige- them already in service. tion on October 19. probe into cases of vio- Menon.

Shah’s mega rally in Kolkata today

defence, health and family
welfare, and labour and
employment among others.
“Rozgar Mela is a step
towards fulfilment of the
commitment of the prime
minister to accord highest
priority to employment gen-
eration. It is expected to act
as a catalyst in further
employment generation and
provide meaningful opportu-
nities to the youth for their
empowerment and participa-
tion in national develop-
ment,” the statement said.
The new appointees with
their innovative ideas and
role-related competencies
will be contributing in the
task of strengthening indus-
trial, economic and social
development of the nation,
helping realise the Prime
Minister’s vision of devel-
oped India, it added. — PTI
is an important histori-
cal and archaeological
site of Manipur, and it
was the traditional seat
of the past kingdom.
With a dragon’s head
and lion’s body, the
“Kangla-Sa” is a mythi-
cal character from
Manipur history, and is
symbolic as the
guardian/protector of
its people. “Kangla-Sa”
is also the state emblem
of Manipur.
“The unveiling of
Imphal’s crest, adorned
with the Kangla Palace
and ‘Kangla-Sa’ is a
befitting tribute to the
sacrifice made by the
people of Manipur
towards India’s inde-
pendence, sovereignty
and security,” Indian
Navy said.
RAJIB CHOWDHURI
KOLKATA, NOV. 28
Union home minister
Amit Shah will address a
BJP rally at Dharmatala
in the heart of the city on
Wednesday during his
one-day tour to motivate
his party workers of
West Bengal ahead of the
Lok Sabha election.
While the state BJP
leadership is trying to
mobilise one lakh party
workers from the dis-
tricts to the rally, 10
boxes will remain placed
at the venue to allow
them to submit their
complaints of against
Trinamul Congress’ cor-
ruption in Central wel-
fare schemes.
To counter the BJP
event, TMC MLAs have
decided to agitate on the
Assembly premises alleg-
ing the Centre’s apathy
in releasing public wel-
fare funds to the state
government.
A day before the BJP
rally, a drama unfolded
in the Assembly. On
Tuesday, a discussion on
Constitution Day was
held at the House. BJP
MLA Shankar Ghosh
alleged the House has no
records of his party
MLAs’ defection to TMC.
As Speaker Biman
Banerjee contested his
deputy chief whip Tapas
Roy accused the
Nandigram BJP MLA of
insulting the Speaker.
He also sought Mr
Adhikari be suspended
from the House. Mr
Banerjee then suspended
Mr Adhikari for the
Amit Shah remaining days of the
claim, leader of the oppo- Winter Session for his
sition Suvendu Adhikari “unparliamentary and
attacked him verbally. He unwarranted” behavior.
tore documents with him He said, “One can shout
and rushed towards Mr in a bylane but not in the
Banerjee who asked him House. There is a need to
to calm down. develop that sense. I urge
But Mr Adhikari the Opposition leaders
threatened to repeat his not to behave rudely. This
behavior before staging a is not right to insult the
walkout with other BJP Constitution while dis-
MLAs. Later TMC cussing it.

No close fight, BJP

to win MP: Shivraj
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
BHOPAL, NOV. 28
Madhya Pradesh chief
minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan has dismissed
talks of a close contest
between the BJP and the
Congress in the recently
held Assembly polls in the
state, and said that “I have
no doubt about an
emphatic victory of the
BJP in the elections”.
Addressing the party
workers in his home con-
stituency of Budhni,
where he is seeking re-
elections, late on Monday
night, Mr Chouhan
claimed that the ground
level feedback he has
received indicated BJP’s
win in the Assembly polls
in the state.
“I am confident that BJP
is winning the polls hands
down and is going to form
the government in the
state for the fifth time. An
impression is being given
by a section that there is a
close contest between the
BJP and Congress. But,
there is no such situation.
I have no doubt about our
victory,” he said.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 4

SHORT TAKES
Agniveer trainee girl
ends life in Mumbai
Mumbai: A 20-year-old girl
from Kerala, who was under-
going Agniveer training in
the Navy, allegedly hanged
herself. The Navy has
ordered an inquiry to investi-
gate the incident. According
to the police, the deceased
— Aparna Nair — was under-
going Naval training at INS
Hamla in Mumbai. She had
come to Mumbai nearly two
weeks ago and was putting
up at a hostel at Malwani in
Malad suburb with 15-20
girls. On Monday morning,
Nair’s roommate returned to
her room at 10.30 am, but
Nair allegedly did not open
the door despite repeated
knocks. When the door was
broken open, they found
Nair hanging and rushed her
to a hospital where she was
declared dead, the police
said. An Accidental Death
Proactive steps needed to tackle disasters: Dhami
Dehradun, Nov. 28:
Uttarakhand chief minis-
ter Pushkar Singh Dhami
on Tuesday said disasters
cannot be stopped but
their impact can be
reduced by advance pre-
paredness and asserted
that “proactive approach”
is the only way to deal
with them.
Addressing the inaugu-
ral session of the 6th
World Congress on
Disaster Management
here, Dhami also said that
to minimise the impact of
natural disasters, better
strategies will have to be
prepared and implement-
ed. “There is only one way
to deal with disasters and
that is a proactive Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami (from left) greets
approach under which rescued workers coming out of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in
preparations should be Uttarkashi district on Tuesday. Locals watch the rescue operation of
made in advance for disas- the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel. A worker comes out through
ter reduction,” he said. a pipe inserted to rescue 41 workers from the collapsed Silkyara
Disasters cannot be pre- tunnel in Uttarkashi on Tuesday. — PTI
vented but if preparation
is done beforehand then “If all the natural

Locals chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Didi sends team to get

Report has been recorded
and investigations are on
into the motive behind the
incident, said senior inspec-
tor Chimaji Adhav, Malwani
police station.
6th disaster mgmt
conference begins
Dehradun: A global confer-
ence on disaster manage-
ment began here on Tuesday
to discuss issues related to
management of calamities,
an official said. This is the
sixth edition of the “World
Congress on Disaster
Management”. The four-day
event will conclude on
December 1. National
Institute of Disaster
Management executive
director Rajendra Ratnoo in
an inaugural address empha-
sised the commitment of
national and state govern-
ments for disaster risk
reduction in line with the
Prime Minister’s ten-point
agenda. The 10-point agen-
da speaks about efforts to
tackle and mitigate disas-
ters. Mr Ratnoo also spoke
about NIDM’s collaboration
with the Uttarakhand gov-
ernment to implement
action points.
their impact can be
reduced, he said.
The chief minister also
underlined the need to cre-
ate a better disaster man-
agement system with
“coordination of ecology,
economy and technology”.
He also stressed the need
for integrating all respons-
es during disasters, saying
uniformity of response
can reduce both damage
and loss of life.
Mr Dhami said medical
facilities are being ramped
up in Uttarakhand, strong
communication system is
being put in place and all-
weather roads are being
built as preparation for
better disaster manage-
ment in the state.
“We are becoming better
prepared to face disas-
ters,” he said.
In Sanatan culture, the
earth is considered like a
mother and in this lies the
basic spirit of disaster
management, Mr Dhami
asserted.
Odisha village adopts bartan ■ Cong will oppose as CAA against terms of Assam Accord: LoP
bank to curb plastic pollution Assam Opp. warns Centre over CAA
resources we have on the
earth are used instead of
being consumed, then
alone we will move
towards success in disas-
ter reduction in the true
sense of the term through
conservation and promo-
tion of nature,” the CM
said.
There could not have
been a better place than
Uttarakhand to organise
this conference because
there has been a symbiosis
in nature with mankind
here for centuries, Mr
Dhami said, adding the
state has been the cradle of
research, spiritual prac-
tice, knowledge, spirituali-
ty and science since
ancient times.
“From Adi Guru
Shankaracharya ji, Swami
Vivekananda ji to Guru-
dev Ravindra Nath Tagore,
visionaries have visited
the Himalayas and espe-
cially Uttara-khand some-
where in their spiritual
journey,” he said. — PTI
jai’ & ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’ 3 workers back home
Uttarkashi, Nov. 28: With
the rescue operations
nearing a breakthrough at
Silkyara tunnel, residents
from nearby areas gath-
ered at the site to witness
the evacuation of 41
trapped workers from the
tunnel. Some people were
shouting slogans like
“Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and
“Modi hai to Mumkin hai”
in acknowledgement of
the multi-agency rescue
operation that continued
for over a fortnight at the
tunnel.
On Tuesday, rescue work-
ers appeared close to
breaking through the 60-
metre stretch of rubble of
the collapsed tunnel.
The locals also sang in
praise of local deity “Baba
Baukhnag”, and expressed
◗ THE LOCALS also sang
in praise of local deity
Baba Baukhnag, and
expressed their gratitude
to him for the evacuation
their gratitude to him.
The priest of a tempo-
rary temple of Baba
Baukhnag, which was set
up at the tunnel site,
arrived and offered
prayers.
“It is happening because
of the blessings of Baba
Baukhnag,” priest Ram
Narayan Awasthi said.
Manoj Silwal, a farmer
and resident of village
Nangal, said he had been
coming here everyday to
hear the good news that
finally came on Tuesday. “I
wanted to see the workers
coming out,”he said.
Rajesh Bijalwan, an
advocate by profession
and resident of village
Brahmkhal, said, “I want
to salute the rescue team.
With their continuous and
critical operations, the
workers are saved,” Mr
Bijalwan said.
Dr Vijay Badoni, a physi-
cian from Chilyalisaur,
said, “A hawan was organ-
ised yesterday outside the
tunnel. Baba Baukhnag
had promised that the
workers will be rescued
soon and now they are
safe.”
Some onlookers also
stood around the moun-
tains and terrace of the
offices built by the con-
struction company outside
the tunnel. — PTI
RAJIB CHOWDHURI
KOLKATA, NOV. 28
West Bengal chief minis-
ter Mamata Banerjee on
Tuesday sent a team to
Uttarakhand to bring
three workers — hailing
from state — back home
after they were rescued
from the tunnel where
they had been trapped for
the last 17 days.
Ms Banerjee posted on X,
“Have rushed a team to
Uttarkashi for helping our
people. The team led by
Rajdeep Dutta — Liaison
Officer, Office of Resident
Commissioner, New Delhi
— will help evacuation
and safe return of the
trapped workers in the
tunnel at Silkyara,
Uttarkashi to their homes
in West Bengal.
She further wrote, “The
team further includes:
Shubhabrata Pramanick
(Mobile-8981200471); Som-
nath Chakraborty (Mobile
-8130258750); Raju Kumar
Sinha (Mobile- 9968732-
695)”.
The CM added, “They
have moved for Uttarkashi
by a car (Car no. WB02AP
– 0014; Driver A. Kumar,
(Mobile-9971413458) to
facilitate our 3 workers:
Shri Manir Talukdar, S/o
Shri K. Talukdar, Cooch
Behar; Shri Sevik
Pakhera, S/o Shri Asit
Pakhera, Harinakhali;
Shri Jaidev Pramanik, S/o
Shri Tapas Pramanik,
Nimdangi, Hooghly, who
have been trapped inside
the collapsed Silkyara-
Barkot tunnel in
Uttarkashi.

UK is 47th Kolkata
book fair theme
Kolkata: The United
Kingdom (UK) is the theme
country of the 47th
International Kolkata Book
Fair to be held from January
18-31, 2024 in Salt Lake.
West Bengal chief minister
Mamata Banerjee will inau-
gurate the event. On
Tuesday, Tridib Chatterjee,
president of Publishers &
Booksellers Guild, said, “The
focal theme country of the
47th International Kolkata
Book Fair is the UK.” British
deputy high commissioner
to East and North East India
Andrew Fleming, who was
also present at the
announcement, said, “We
hope to reinforce the bonds
between our nations and
help individuals from all
walks of life connect and
share their perspectives.”
AKSHAYA KUMAR SAHOO
BHUBANESWAR, NOV. 28
A woman sarpanch in
Odisha’s Nuapada district
has adopted a unique way
to make her village and
adjoining areas plastic-
free. With villagers’ help,
she has made provisions
to replace plastic utensils
with ones made of steel
and other metals in all the
community services.
According to reports,
Saroj Devi Agrawal, the
sarpanch of Bhaleswar
gram panchayat, was
aghast at seeing the rising
plastic pollution in her
areas, especially after
community feasts. So she
decided to float an organi-
sation that could supply
utensils made of steel and
other metals, and that
could be used in place of
plastic cups and plates.
With the help of her fel-
low villagers, she created
“Bartan Bank” or utensils
bank.
Under this initiative, the
villagers can collect
kitchen cookware, uten-
sils, tools and supplies
from the “Bartan Bank”
with a marginal rent and
return the same soon after
community feasts are
over.
The users are asked to
bear the cost if there is
any damage to the uten-
sils.
“The purpose of starting
such a bank is to discour-
age people from using
plastic utensils that
severely affect our envi-
ronment. Unabated use of
plastic leads to sickness of
cattle that ingest it.
Besides, it leads to
reduced fertility of farm-
lands and illness in peo-
ple. Steel and aluminium
utensils will help reduce
the usage of plastics to
some extent,” said Ms
Agrawal.
Brahmananda Marar, a
local resident, said people
with low-income find the
Bartan Bank very useful
as they avail the utensils
at nominal rents.
“Since many of the local
people hail from weak
financial backgrounds,
they often find it hard to
buy single-use plastic
cups and plates for com-
munity feasts. Therefore,
we decided to raise
‘Bartan Bank’ that could
turn handy at the time of
necessity,” he said.
MANOJ ANAND
GUWAHATI, NOV. 28
A day after Union minis-
ter of state for home
affairs Ajay Mishra’s
statement anticipating the
completion of the final
draft of the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) by
March 30 next year,
Opposition parties in
Assam on Tuesday threat-
ened that they would chal-
lenge any attempt by the
Central government to
implement to what they
said a controversial act.
In his reaction, All
Assam Students’ Union
(AASU) chief advisor
Samujjal Kumar
Bhattacharya said that
they are determined to
oppose the move of the
Central government to
implement the act, which
is a threat to the existence
of indigenous people of
Assam. He asserted that
they would launch the
anti-CAA movement once
again if it is implemented.
The AASU leader said
that the Modi government
has exempted the inner
line cover areas and Sixth
Schedule areas from the
purview of CAA.
“If CAA is bad for the
Sixth Schedule area, the
inner-line cover area, then
how can it be good for
Assam and the rest of the
Northeast? As per the
Assam Accord, we have
taken the load of the peo-
ple who entered Assam up
to 1971,” the AASU leader
argued in debate.
The reaction of
Opposition parties came
after Union minister of
state for home affairs Mr
Mishra, while speaking to
the Matua community in
◗ THE REACTION of
Opposition parties came
after Union minister Ajay
Mishra on Sunday said
that final draft of CAA
would be ready by March
next year
West Bengal on Sunday,
stated that the final draft
of the CAA is anticipated
to be ready in March and
that the process of imple-
menting it has gathered
steam. He claimed that
“nobody can snatch citi-
zenship rights” from
Matuas, who had fled reli-
gious persecution in
Bangladesh.
Opposition leaders in
Assam said that any
attempt to enact an
“unconstitutional” law
that violates the terms of
the 1985 Assam Accord
will not be tolerated by the
people of the state.
Leader of Opposition in
the Assam Assembly
Debabrata Saikia said the
Congress would oppose
the CAA since it goes
against the terms of the
Assam Accord. “The dead-
line for identifying undoc-
umented foreigners in the
state is March 25, 1971,
according to the Assam
Accord. Any law that con-
tradicts it would not be
accepted,” he said.
The chairman of the
Assam Jatiya Parishad
(AJP) Lurinjyoti Gogoi
asserted that the people of
the state would not toler-
ate an “unconstitutional”
law such as the CAA.
The CAA goes “against
the essence of secularism,
and the people will never
tolerate the imposition of
such an unconstitutional
law,” Mr Gogoi said.

Raje, 4 others in Modi must be defeated: Rahul
Raj BJP CM race
■ Continued from Page 1
former state unit chief
Satish Poonia, Leader of
the Opposition Rajendra
Rathore are also doing
the rounds. Another
name that some BJP
leaders claim could be
considered is that of a
first-time MP, Mahant
Balaknath Yogi, whose
constituency saw the
highest voting percent-
age. Some BJP leaders
also claim that Union
minister Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat’s name is also
under consideration.
Speculation is also rife
that a senior BJP leader,
with whom Ms Raje
mended her ties recently,
is in touch with leaders
of his community to
back her candidature for
the top post. While most
poll predictions have
given a clear majority to
the BJP, there are
Govt lifts GRAP-III curbs as
AQI improves in Delhi-NCR
■ Continued from Page 1
forecast is available, the
CAQM said.
The Centre’s pollution
control panel had
invoked the Stage-III
restrictions on
November 2, directing a
halt on all non-essential
construction work, stone
crushing and mining in
Delhi-NCR. Under this
stage, restrictions were
rumours that the higher
the margin of the party’s
victory, the lesser are the
chances of Ms Raje get-
ting the top post.
The BJP fielded over
two dozen new faces for
the Rajasthan election,
for which the voting took
place on November 25.
The counting of votes
will take place on
December 3.
Led by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, the
party’s campaign
focused on its promise of
benefits of a “double-
engine sarkar” and the
attack on the Ashok
Gehlot-led Congress gov-
ernment’s “failures”,
including deteriorating
the law and order situa-
tion, the rampant spurt
in crimes against
women, “failed promis-
es” and appeasement pol-
itics.
also imposed on the oper-
ation of BS-III petrol and
BS-IV diesel four-wheel-
ers in Delhi, Gurgaon,
Faridabad, Ghaziabad
and Noida/Greater
Noida.
The authorities, howev-
er, will ensure a strict
vigil on curbs on pollut-
ing vehicles and check
the increasing incidents
of biomass burning.
■ Continued from Page 1
mull over things and come to a
conclusion.”
The model code of conduct
came into force in the state
after the Elections
Commission announced the
schedule on October 9. There
are 3.26 crore eligible voters in
the state.
According to the CEO, pro-
hibitory orders under Section
144 of the CrPC have been
promulgated across the state.
The BRS has fielded candi-
dates in all 119 Assembly seats.
As per the seat-sharing agree-
ment, the BJP and the Jana
Sena are contesting in 111 and
8 seats, respectively.
The Congress gave one seat to
its ally, the CPI(M) and is con-
testing the remaining 118 seats
in Telangana.
Asaduddin Owaisi-led
AIMIM has put up candidates
in nine segments in the city.
The BRS is trying to retain
power for a third consecutive
term, while the Congress has
been fighting tooth and nail to
wrest power from it. The BJP
has left no stone unturned to
get to power.
As many as 2,290 contestants
are in the fray for the upcom-
ing elections, including BRS
supremo, his minister-son K.T.
Rama Rao, TPCC president A.
Revanth Reddy and BJP Lok
Sabha members Bandi Sanjay
Kumar, D. Arvind and Soyam
Bapu Rao.
KCR is contesting from two
segments — Gajwel and
Kamareddy — and so is Mr
Reddy from Kodangal and
Kamareddy. The BJP fielded its
MLA, Etala Rajender, from
Gajwel, besides Huzurabad,
where he is the incumbent leg-
islator.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi addressed several meet-
ings during the campaign peri-
od, besides holding a roadshow
in Hyderabad on Monday amid
huge fanfare, while KCR
attended 96 poll rallies.
Other than Mr Modi, several
Union ministers, including
Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah,
and Congress leaders
Mallikrajun Kharge and Mr
Gandhi canvassed for votes for
their respective party candi-
dates.
Speaking at an election rally
in Nampally, Hyderabad, Mr
Gandhi alleged that the RSS,
Mr Modi and "hardliners" have
spread hatred throughout the
entire country.
“My aim is to erase hatred in
the country and, for that, Mr
Modi should be defeated in
Delhi, Mr Gandhi said, adding,
"If Mr Modi is to be defeated in
Delhi, Mr Rao should be defeat-
ed in Telangana first.”
The former Congress presi-
dent alleged that the BRS, the
BJP and the AIMIM are work-
ing together and pointed out
that the BRS had supported the
Modi government in
Parliament.
Ms Vadra urged the people to
elect the Congress to power
and promised to implement the
party's six guarantees in the
state.
“If you want a lazy and cor-
rupt government, then vote for
the BRS and if you want a good
and honest government, then
elect Congress,” she said,
appealing to the people to give
the Congress an opportunity
and oust the BRS government,
“which is being run from a
farmhouse”.
The Congress focused mainly
on the alleged corruption of
the BRS government while
highlighting its “six guaran-
tees”.
The BRS campaign centred
around the previous Congress
regime's failures and ongoing
welfare measures for farmers
and women. At the Gajwel
rally, Mr Rao got philosophical,
saying he will turn 70 by
February and all he wishes for
is the development of
Telangana, not “posts”. He also
highlighted his struggle to
achieve Telangana
statehood.
The BJP’s campaign stressed
on the necessity of “double
engine government” and point-
ed to “family rule” of KCR and
alleged corruption.
Much to the embarrassment
of the ruling KCR government,
the National dam Safety
authority gave an adverse
report on the sinking of a bar-
rage which is part of
Kaleshwaram irrigation proj-
ect, which has provided ammo
to the opposition.
More than 2.5-lakh staff will
be engaged in poll duties for
the Assembly elections. The
counting of votes will be taken
up on December 3.
For the first time in
Telangana, “home voting”
facility is provided to persons
with disabilities and voters
over 80 years.
As of November 28, the law
enforcement agencies have
seized cash, gold, liquor, free-
bies, among others, all worth
about `737 crores in the state,
ever since the model code of
conduct came into force in the
state on October 9, an official
release said.
The EC has ordered all pri-
vate establishments, including
IT firms, to declare a holiday
on November 30 to enable
employees to exercise their
franchise. — PTI
BJP won’t hesitate to drop Punjab
from national anthem, says Mann
Chandigarh, Nov. 28:
Punjab chief minister
Bhagwant Mann on
Tuesday accused the
BJP-led Central govern-
ment of being “anti-
Punjab”, saying if it gets
its way, it will not hesi-
tate from dropping
“Punjab” from the
national anthem.
Mann slammed the
Centre for allegedly
withholding the state’s
rural development funds
(RDF) and forcing it to
beg for its share in the
goods and services tax
collections.
Taking part in a debate
after the presentation of
the Punjab Goods and
Services Tax
After 17-day ordeal, all 41 trapped
at Uttarkashi tunnel rescued safely
■ Continued from Page 1
set to evacuate trapped
workers at around 7.15
pm. Prior to that, res-
cuers completed 59
metres of escape passage
drilling in the evening.
Earlier, rescuers at the
collapsed tunnel got a
major success as they
were able to further drill
a 4-metre horizontal
escape passage that had
been on hold for nearly
three days.
The officials said that
the rat mining method
was a great help for
speedy drilling of the
escape passage. The rat
(Amendment) Bill, 2023
on the first day of the
two-day state Assembly
session, Mr Mann
alleged that the BJP gov-
ernment at the Centre
had an “anti-Punjab”
mindset.
Though Punjab leads
the country in contribu-
tion towards food grains
and gives maximum rep-
resentation in the Army,
it is sad to note that the
Centre has always
ignored the state.
“Every day they do
something which shows
that Punjab is not a part
of the country. The BJP
is anti-Punjab,” said the
chief minister.
“They want the MSP to
miners did a phenome-
nal job by digging 10
metres in less than 24
hours.
“Rat-hole mining may
be illegal, but it is rat
miners’ talent, experi-
ence and capability that
proved critical,” NDMA
member Lt. Gen. Syed
Ata Hasnain (Retd) said.
The 4.5 km tunnel is
part of the Centre’s
ambitious Char Dham
project aimed at provid-
ing all-weather connec-
tivity between four
prominent Hindu
shrines — Badrinath,
Kedarnath, Gangotri and
be abolished... stubble is
not being burnt only in
Punjab, they want FIRs
against farmers but do
not pay RDF,” he alleged.
“I want to ask the
Punjab BJP chief (Sunil
Kumar Jakhar) and the
former CM (Amarinder
Singh) that the BJP took
so many anti-Punjab
decisions and even then
you are silent. If the
Centre has its way, they
would have dropped
Punjab from ‘Jana Gana
Mana’,” he said.
The two-time Punjab
former CM, Amarinder
Singh joined the BJP in
September 2022, and
merged his Punjab Lok
Congress with it. — PTI
Yamunotri — in
Uttarakhand.
The tunnel connects
Silkyara and Danda-
lgaon in Uttarkashi dis-
trict and is known as the
Silkyara tunnel.
On November 12, a sec-
tion of tunnel between
205 and 260 metres from
the Silkyara side col-
lapsed. Workers who
were beyond the 260-
metre mark were
trapped, with their exit
blocked. Fortunately for
them, the part of the tun-
nel where they are stuck
had power and water
supply.
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

29 NOVEMBER 2023

BRS vs Cong: Telangana

heads for a 2-horse race
F
inally, after an all-in campaign marked by loud decibels, unsparing speech-
es, shrill accusations and counter-accusations, creative usage of the media
and social media and occasional crass sniping, over 3.13 crore voters, up by
5.8 per cent from the 2018 elections, will use a day of silence to reflect calm-
ly on whom to elect in the third Telangana Legislative Assembly election.
As the 1,58,71,493 male, 1,58,43,339 female and 2,557 transgender voters prepare to
head to the ballot box on Thursday, as many as 26,660 voters have already exercised
their franchise, using a newly introduced “home voting” facility for the severely
physically challenged and senior citizens, which is besides the postal ballots set
aside for government employees.
Across 119 Assembly constituencies, 2,290 contestants will be in the fray. They
include chief minister and founder of Bharat Rashtra Samithi K. Chandrasekhar
Rao, his son minister K.T. Rama Rao, nephew minister T. Harish Rao, Akbaruddin
Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, and BJP Lok Sabha members
Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Dharmapuri Arvind and
While Eatla Soyam Bapu Rao.
Rajender is taking Another important leader from the BJP is former
on KCR from BRS minister Eatla Rajender, who is running from
two seats, and is directly taking on CM KCR from

As 2 wars rage in world, is

the Gajwel Gajwel constituency.
constituency, The Congress Party, the principal challenger of the LETTERS
Revanth Reddy, BRS, would be led by TPCC president and MP A.
too, is contesting Revanth Reddy, former minister Uttam Reddy and
Mallu Vikramarka Bhatti, among others. Revanth
MAKE IT PERMANENT
from two seats, his Reddy, too, is contesting from two seats, his native

India facing a food crisis? The Israel-Hamas deal to

native Kodangal Kodangal and opposite CM KCR in Kamareddy.
and opposite the The state will see a three-cornered fight on paper, release hostages and
CM in Kamareddy between the BRS, the BJP and the Congress, with the
MIM contesting only nine seats, and the Telugu Palestinian prisoners in
Desam Party deciding to not contest in the state for the first time since its incep- return for a pause in
tion in the early 1980s. Indian traders have ernor Shaktikanta Das had
In the current Assembly, which would expire on January 16, the BRS had total recently warned of a com- fighting — extended by
signed a five-lakh plex and potentially scary
domination, having won 88 seats in the last election (and over 47.4 per cent of the
Abhijit tonne rice export two days — offers a
vote), while the Congress is a distant second at 19 seats (of which the winners of 12 scenario — that “India is
defected to the ruling party). The BJP, which won only one seat in the last polls, deal to cash in on vulnerable to recurring, ov- much-needed humanitari-
found its number increasing to three, after its success in two bypolls. Bhattacharyya the demand from erlapping food price an relief to the 2.3 million
The administration has made all arrangements for the election, Section 144 hav- both Europe and shocks”. Thus, despite an people of the Gaza Strip
ing been imposed when campaigning ceased at 5 pm on Tuesday. Over 2.5 lakh peo- incredible record food pro-
ple will be put on poll duty on the day of the election. This would include 50 com- the Middle East. duction by India’s magnifi- who have been living in
panies of Telangana State Special Police and 375 companies of Central forces to This, after the cent farmers, its distribu- unspeakable misery. The
manage the security. Centre had placed tion and consumption need
onus is on both sides to

W
The major plank for BRS in seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term for hile we are
any South Indian party or chief minister is the leadership of KCR, and a track thankfully
record of balanced governance, comprising welfare and development. The not yet in the
Congress hopes that anti-incumbency based on failure to deliver on promises like midst of a
jobs and 2BHK homes, besides anger against family rule and corruption, would third world
help it upset the applecart. war, the planet has never-
The BJP hopes to do well in certain pockets but largely sails on the charisma of theless faced “active armed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whereas the BRS hopes the split in anti-incum- conflicts in 56 countries in
bency between the two national parties and its superior booth management would 2022, five more than in
help it edge past the post in this thriller. 2021”, and 2023 is creating
The Congress hopes its campaign for change works and the appeal of the Gandhi more “favourable condi-
family as also Sonia Gandhi’s emotional message will help it end the BRS’ innings. tions” for further escalation
in violence, encompassing a
larger territory, as evident
from the latest Israel-Hamas
brutal massacres. The
Weddings can boost economy intensity and profligacy of
the Levant’s bloodshed and
body-bag counts could lead
P
rime Minister Narendra Modi, a staunch advocate of “vocal for local”, had to unseen and unintended
some well-meaning advice for his fellow countrymen on how big fat Indian consequences of horrible
weddings must be held on home soil so that the money doesn’t flow out. times for humanity — the
Weddings do entail expenditure, sometimes disproportionately to the wealth of temporary truce for hostage
middle class families, but it is better to keep them here, or so goes the refrain. release and the flow of aid
When we speak of destination weddings, it is only India's super rich who may notwithstanding.
seek exotic venues in foreign locales. In fact, history has it that many foreign kings Understandably, the fatal
from the east brought their princes to India in search of brides, and along came hostilities by the belliger-
their cooks with their recipes that enriched Indian cuisine. ents since 2022 has already
It is only in the most modern era that destination weddings for Indians have had adverse effects on the
become a big business that takes away some of the `5 lakh crore consumption in food sector even outside the
the Indian wedding season, according to trade bodies. Wedding expenditure con- conflict zones. Those who
tains a fair dose of conspicuous consumption, with a part of the budget spent on have died fighting have left
feasts as gastronomic proof of generous Indian hospitality. Of course, it would be behind their families,
nice if the local economy were to benefit from the big fat wedding season that is vir- women and children, whose
tually year-round save for a few inauspicious months. lives have been ravaged as
A $3.44 trillion economy can, however, afford a bit of outflow when it comes to the surely as those in the
super rich and the thousands of high net worth individuals who have left the coun- war zones.
try in the last few years for greener pastures abroad and who might wish to hold The immediate outcome of
their family weddings there. But any sort of wish or restriction on holding wed- the widespread violence has
dings abroad would not be in consonance with the promotion of India as a tourist
destination that also offers a wide variety of locales for destination weddings.
escalated global hunger
since 2017, and has affected
India has progressed away from the old socialist era thinking of not displaying over three billion people
any ostentation that could reach the poor and the less well off. The Indian wedding, worldwide who cannot
from the humblest to the most extravagant, is still a pillar of consumption that dri- afford a minimum healthy
ves a healthy part of the services economy and if India can attract NRIs and for- diet. The situation has wors-
eigners to come and hold their lavish weddings here, Brand India can be said to ened since the Ukraine war
have caught up with the times. began in February 2022, as
both the belligerents in
Europe are major food pro-
ducers. Moscow and Kyiv
together account for “more
than half the global produc-
tion of sunflower oil, 19 per
THE ASIAN AGE cent of barley and 14 per
cent of wheat”. As the
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR European war already ren-
Editor Printer & Publisher
dered “a quarter of Ukraine
THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: farmland unproductive”,
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: the situation can only wors-
(011) 23211124. en, leading to mass hunger
Published and Printed on behalf of and for turning into an epidemic,
◗ Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New
Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301.
with the war in West Asia
◗ London: Quickmarsh Ltd, 8th Floor, Block 2, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ. that began in October 2023.
RNI Registration number: 57290/94 Given this, statistics show
India’s food sector, amidst
the war-ravaged desolation,
is a beacon amid the all-
round barbarism. As
Ukraine heads to being a
pitiable food-producing
nation in the near future,
it’s alarm bells for food self-
sufficient India as pressure
is mounting on New Delhi
to export its “surplus” pro-
duce. Though this might be
music to India’s ears, mak-
ing every citizen proud, we
must remember the first
duty of the Indian State is to
feed its own 1.4 billion peo-
ple, before becoming a 40
per cent exporter of rice in
the world market.
The cold statistics
notwithstanding, is every-
thing going well for India? Is
there a stark mismatch
between statistics and the
consumer market of India if
one goes by a mid-October
2023 report putting India at
111th position among 125
countries in the World
Hunger Index: a steep fall
from 107 out of 121 in 2022?
There is an eerie feeling of
despondency that recalls
the history of India’s
penury, starvation, poverty,
under-nourishment and
man-made famines created
by British colonial rule.
True or not, the October
report was damaging
enough for the budding
“economic powerhouse” of
Delhi, notwithstanding the
flurry of the official denials.
It goes to the credit of the
pioneering ruling class of
newly-independent India
who knew very well that no
large and populous country
like India can ever attain
prominence in global affairs
without food self-sufficien-
cy. They had seen for them-
selves the genocide-like
famine perpetrated in the
last days of the British Raj
under a racist Winston
Churchill and his ruthless
military commanders who
were ably assisted and
helped by an influential and
affluent section of wholesale
and retail grain traders-dis-
restrictions on the
export of rice...
tributors in Eastern India,
ensuring the slaughter of
more than three million
people in Bengal in
1943-1944.
Nobel Economics laureate
Amartya Sen had rightly
referred to the 1943 famine
as “man-made”, showing
there was nothing wrong
with quantum of rice pro-
duction but everything
wrong with the British Raj’s
malicious method of grain
distribution scheme, with
the active collaboration of
an influential section of
India’s money-making mer-
chants whose penchant for
food hoarding and adulter-
ation constitute the coun-
tryside’s folklore, particu-
larly in eastern India.
How much truth is there
in India’s low ranking in the
World Hunger Index? A par-
tial answer could be in the
government announcement
that 800 million people
would continue getting free
rations for the next five
years. That begs an embar-
rassing question: if 800 mil-
lion Indians out of the 1.4
billion population need free
rations for five more years,
the next uncomfortable
question is: is it due to the
fault lines or failures of
three factors of basic eco-
nomics: production, distrib-
ution and consumption?
Does India’s food (rice and
wheat) production stand
below the minimum nation-
al demand of consumers? Or
is it due to the faulty distrib-
ution system and the snap-
ping of supply chains? Or is
it the establishment’s accep-
tance of the lack of purchas-
ing power of 800 million out
of 1.4 billion Indians, which
constitutes 57.14 per cent of
the population, who can’t
feed themselves on their
own financial strength, or
the lack of it?
Reserve Bank of India gov-
urgent direct State interven-
tion to save ordinary citi-
zens across the country
from profiteers.
It has recently been
reported that Indian traders
have signed a five-lakh
tonne rice export deal to
cash in on the demand from
both Europe and the Middle
East. This, surprisingly,
after the Central govern-
ment had placed restric-
tions on the export of rice
three months ago, and had
set the “floor price or mini-
mum export price at $1,200
per tonne”. The traders,
however, complained that
such high export “floor
prices” had hampered their
profitability and prospects
as foreign importers found
the price too high. The
Government of India was
then “compelled” to reduce
the “floor price” from $1,200
per tonne to $950 per tonne.
However, it transpires from
the traders themselves that
they had “signed rice export
deals for between $1,000 and
$1,500 per tonne”. The peo-
ple’s loss is therefore the
gain of a few private
players.
The moral of the story is
simple. Two wars are rav-
aging the world, in different
regions. Food scarcity is hit-
ting the third world, or what
is today called the Global
South, pretty hard. India is
still self-sufficient in food
but 800 million people need
to be fed free of cost and the
governor of the RBI has
warned about future food
costs. The government
rightly took a call for the
country, but a section of
Indian traders will have
none of it, except to ensure
their own profits even if it is
at the cost of more than 57
per cent of the Indian popu-
lation who can’t feed them-
selves. Mera Bharat
Mahaan!
The writer is an advocate
practising in the Supreme
Court. The views expressed
here are personal.
honour the ceasefire and
pave the way for a poten-
tially extended pause.
Much will depend on
whether Hamas will
release all hostages (and
how soon) or keep some
of them back as a bar-
gaining chip.
Sankar Paul
Chakdaha, West Bengal
‘CAMERA-JEEVI’
OUR POLITICIANS are a uniquely
insensitive lot. The recent incident of
an Uttar Pradesh minister visiting
martyred captain Shubham Gupta’s
family seemingly to offer condo-
lences but ending up posing with a
cheque for his family in front of an
inconsolable mother shames us all.
One might argue for a mental health
check-up for the minister but then he
may be just doing what he has seen
others in his party do so often. For
each of them, a tragedy howsoever
large and heartrending is no more
than a photo-op!
Syed Abdul Monim
Navi Mumbai
BRISBANE’S LOSS
THE ICONIC Aussie cricket stadi-
um, Gabba, in Brisbane, will be
rebuilt for the 2032 Olympics.
Renowned for hosting one of the
fastest tracks in world cricket, the
Gabba became a household name in
India and across the world after
India breached what was Australia’s
fortress until 2021. Gabba may not
stir emotions and enthuse romantics
like the storied Australian cricket
grounds of Melbourne, Sydney and
Adelaide, but it’s very mention
would strike fear in the minds of vis-
iting teams. For Indian fans, starting
the day listening to former
Australian great Bill Lawry’s cheer-
ful voicewas an absolute pleasure.
At critical moments of the match,
one heard Lawry declaring, “It is all
happening here at the Gabba.”
R. Sivakumar
Chennai

T
o believe that there is no deliberate dimin-
ishing, misuse or even usurpation of vari-
ous governmental institutions is to live in
denial. Admittedly, such manipulation
Bhopinder was done by all earlier governments, but the
extent now is simply unprecedented. Supposedly
Singh apolitical institutions risk bending and compro-
mised partisanship, to the detriment of a healthy
democracy.
One critical component of democracy is to
ensure an apolitical and “distanced” military
from the unrestrained passions of society and par-
tisanship, thereby guaranteeing institutional
As institutions steel, professionalism, and civilian control over
the military. In survey after survey, the military
has been seen to be the most respected institution
This institutional denialism was expected to be
respected by the external world, and especially by
the political class, who could axiomatically inject
partisanship, in the virtually “quarantined” envi-
ronment. The founders of India’s Constitution had
wisely wired the role of supreme commander onto
the apolitical President of India and explicitly
denied the same onto the decidedly more political
and partisan post of Prime Minister. Thus, mili-
tary offices, messes and museums all bore the pho-
tos only of the President. While raising a “toast”,
“commissioning”, “at the pleasure of” et al was
solely in the name of the President, no one else.
Like between executive and the judiciary, the
military and executive too warranted “distance”
with the practical administrative facilitation by
Drama and bluster offered short-term “covering
fire” to partisan platforms but the image of the
military as an apolitical entity was getting com-
promised and drawn into vicious and divisive
polarisation.
Soon the cantonment roads were literally
ordered to be “opened up”, and even then, many
justified the same as unnecessary segregation.
They were happy to bask in the cool muscularity
of “how’s the josh” dished out by an increasingly
partisan Bollywood. Convenient invocations and
manufactured outrage over “our brave soldiers”
was done condescendingly and insincerely, even
as unfulfilled promises of parity on OROP, etc.,
was kept away from reportage. Emboldened with
lack of indignation or even a pushback, wholly
mal”, emotions oscillated from regret and fear to
even incredulity as the latest triviality arrived:
822 geo-tagged “selfie points” to “showcase good
work done in defence” with a picture of the Prime
Minister for the citizenry to partake in! Such com-
icality would have been hilarious, if only it
weren’t true. The timing of this latest misstep on
the heels of elections, the hard-sell of government
schemes and the gentle suggestion of the PM’s
photo don’t add up to naïve intent. It’s important
to question if 822 “selfie spots” will help retain the
“distance” of the institution or bring the protected
realm closer to the risk of civil-societal passions.
By conflating civilian governance initiatives
with undeniable partisan stamps affixed on them,
the risk of partisanship is no longer inching itself

get trivialised, by the citizenry, and this owes immeasurably to a

vital “distance” from the un-uniformed citizenry.
The Indian soldier is unlike civilians, and that
healthy difference was carefully cultivated.
the defence ministry, which too respected the
delinking of uniform from the civilian bureau-
crats of the defence ministry. Not any more, as
now the twain unusually converge.
civilian events like the G-20, which were milked
for a lot more than they were worth, soon found
themselves on facades and hoardings within the
cantonments; and they also bore the image of the
into the military realm, but instead it is boldly
manifesting as “selfie points” to announce and cel-
ebrate it. It is surreal how even the military is no
longer spared the platforming of a “stage” — now

‘selfie points’ Restraint and measure (in bearing, conduct and

speech) borne out of keeping that necessary “dis-
tance” was ensured through a carefully guarded
From the seemingly innocuous task of laying
mattresses for civilian events, building pontoon
bridges for shadowy godmen, clearing waste from
head of the executive (not the President), yet this
too got normalised.
Then came the substantial change of the “new
with selfie-points to broadcast official “achieve-
ments”. It is walking the path of the half profes-
sional-half ideologue Communist Party of China’s

touch new low culture of “restricted” cantonments and curbs

within on external social engagements,
allowed/disallowed content, and ensuring the
“ways of the service”. The air of inviolable disci-
pline mandated no frivolity, social leniency, and
certainly no partisan discourse: the soldiers were
constitutionalists.
Life in uniform was as much about social disal-
lowances (especially with the external world) as it
was about protocol rules, full of do’s and don’ts.
hill stations — everything was initially ratio-
nalised with an admixture of whataboutery or
“why the fuss, didn’t they always do such things”?
Leading the defence of such partisan “transgres-
sions” (a term used for far more serious issues)
were the unprecedented optics of some bristling
veterans in their regimental regalia and tilted
hats on prime-time TV as “newsroom warriors”.
The politicos had already put a wedge in the apo-
litical institution, but many didn’t see it coming.
normal”, with the plan for “Agniveers”
announced and implemented in record time. How
such a conceptualisationcould improve the kinet-
ic ability of the military was handled with mealy-
mouthed platitudes of “nation building”. Military
logic from nowhere in the world could justify this.
The juggernaut continued with asking soldiers
(supposedly “voluntarily”) to disseminate govern-
ment schemes to citizenry, while on home leave!
As the armed forces internalised the “new nor-
PLA (People’s Liberation Army), where the sol-
dier belongs to a party and not to the nation. A sad
regression indeed, even though it’s still not too
late to sit up and question what exactly is happen-
ing. The trivialities like “selfie points” are a con-
tinuation of the bizarre.
The writer is a retired lieutenant-general and a
former lieutenant-governor of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and Puducherry
 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
SHORT
ELEVEN KILLED
TAKES
IN CHINA COAL
MINE ACCIDENT
Beijing, Nov. 28: Eleven people
died in an accident at a coal
mine in China’s northeastern
Heilongjiang province on
Tuesday, state media outlet
CCTV said.
The accident occurred at 3
p.m. (0700 GMT) at the Shuan-
gyang coal mine of Heilong-
jiang Longmei Shuangyashan
Mining Co, and is initially
believed to have been caused by
a rock burst, the report said.
The cause of the accident is
under further investigation,
CCTV added.
PLANE OVERSHOT
RUNWAY: NAVY
REMOVES FUEL
Kaneohe Bay, Nov. 28: The US
Navy said on Monday that it
has removed nearly all of the
fuel from a large plane that ov-
ershot a Hawaii runway and la-
nded in an environmentally se-
nsitive bay, but it doesn’t have a
timetable for when it will get
the aircraft out of the water.
Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox said
there was an estimated 2,000
gallons (7,500 litres) of fuel on
board the P-8A.
“The team extracted all the
fuel that they could get out of
those tanks. This process was
completed successfully without
any fuel being released into the
bay,” Lenox said.
EX-MIN. TO PROBE
COALITIONS AFTER
DUTCH POLL WIN
The Hague, Nov. 28: Dutch elec-
tion winner Geert Wilders
tapped on Tuesday a former
minister from the centre-left
Labour Party to probe possible
coalitions, a day after the far-
right leader’s first choice quit
amid fraud allegations.
Ahead of a meeting that con-
firmed the appointment of
Ronald Plasterk as scout to
hold talks with political leaders
about possible coalitions, Wil-
ders also said on social media
that his Party for Freedom, or
PVV, known for its anti-Islam,
anti-migration platform is for
everyone.
127 MALAYSIANS
RESCUED FROM
MYANMAR STRIFE
Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 28: More
than 120 suspected victims of
job scams have been rescued
after being stranded by fighting
in Myanmar between the mili-
tary and armed ethnic groups,
Malaysia’s government said.
The number of Malaysians
rescued surged from an initial
26 to 127 in the past few days,
foreign minister Zambry Abd
Kadir said on Monday.
He said they are in a safe loca-
tion and the government hoped
to fly them home by Thursday.
The foreign ministry earlier
said the group were stranded in
Laukkaing.
PHILIPPINE GOVT,
REBELS AGREE TO
PEACE TALKS
Manila, Nov. 28: The Philippine
government and the country’s
communist rebels have agreed
to restart peace negotiations
after a six-year hiatus, with the
aim of ending decades of strife,
the two sides and facilitator
Norway said on Tuesday.
The bloody conflict between
authorities and the New Peo-
ple’s Army (NPA), the military
wing of the Communist Party
of the Philippines (CPP), has
raged for over 50 years and
killed more than 40,000 people.
High-ranking delegations
from both sides last week
agreed to a "common vision for
peace" that sought to address
key obstacles.
HUNTER BIDEN TO
TESTIFY IN HOUSE
GOP PROBE
Washington, Nov. 28: US Pre-
sident Joe Biden’s son Hunter
Biden on Tuesday offered to te-
stify publicly next month to a
House Republican impeachm-
ent inquiry of his father’s Dem-
ocratic administration, while a
lawmaker demanded testimony
behind closed doors.
The Republican-controlled
House of Representatives lau-
nched an impeachment inquiry
into Biden in September, which
focuses on Hunter Biden’s busi-
ness dealings.
House Republicans allege
Biden and his family improper-
ly traded access to Biden’s
office as vice president in
President Barack Obama's
administration.
US, Israeli intel chiefs
talk truce next phase
51 hostages released, 150 Palestinian prisoners set free
Doha, Nov. 28: US and
Israeli intelligence chiefs
have arrived in Doha to
discuss the “next phase”
of a deal between Hamas
and Israel in Gaza, a
source briefed on the visit
said on Tuesday.
The leaders of the US Ce-
ntral Intelligence Agency
and Israel’s Mossad were
scheduled to meet Qatari
PM Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al Thani,
the source said, adding
that Egyptian officials
were also taking part.
“The director of the CIA
and the director of the
Israeli National Intellige-
nce Agency are in Doha to
meet with the Qatari pr-
ime minister,” the source
told AFP, requesting ano-
nymity due to the talks’
sensitivity.
The discussions aim “to
build on the progress of
the extended humanitari-
an pause agreement and
to initiate further discus-
sions about the next phase
of a potential deal”, the
source added.
Qatar has been engaged
in intense negotiations,
with support from Egypt
and the United States, to
extend the truce in Gaza
that was originally due to
last four days.
The gas-rich Gulf state
announced late on Mond-
ay, the day of the truce’s
expiry, that successful tal-
ks with Israel and Hamas
had resulted in a two-day
extension.
Over the initial four-day
pause, 51 civilian hostages
— all women and children
— were freed in return for
150 Palestinian prisoners
held by Israel.
On Tuesday, Qatar’s for-
eign ministry spokesman
said the mediator would
use the extension to work
towards a “sustainable tr-
uce” between Israel and
Hamas. “Our main focus
right now, and our hope, is
to reach a sustainable tr-
uce that will lead to furt-
her negotiations and even-
tually to an end... to this
war,” Majed Al Ansari told
reporters.
“However, we are work-
ing with what we have.
And what we have right
now is the provision to the
agreement that allows us
to extend days as long as
INTRA-PARTY
PTI POLLS TO BE
HELD IN 20 DAYS
Islamabad, Nov. 28: Fo-
rmer jailed prime minis-
ter Imran Khan’s Pakis-
tan Tehreek-e-Insaf par-
ty has agreed to conduct
intra-party elections wi-
thin the 20-day time fra-
me set by the election
panel to retain the ‘bat’
as its electoral symbol,
according to a media
report on Tuesday.
The decision by the
core committee of the
PTI comes days after the
Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) ruled
that its intra-party polls
were not transparent,
ordering the party to
hold new elections if it
wishes to retain its elec-
tion symbol.
The party was asked by
the ECP to hold fresh
elections within 20 days
in a reserved verdict an-
nounced on November
23. General elections are
scheduled to be held in
Pakistan on February 8.
In the verdict, the ECP
stated that the PTI failed
to hold free and fair in-
tra-party elections, addi-
ng that the polls were ob-
jectionable and controv-
ersial. “PTI’s intra-party
elections cannot be acc-
epted,” stated the verdi-
ct, directing it to hold
polls and submit the re-
cord within seven days.
The party’s central
media department said
its members discussed
crucial issues including
the country’s current
political climate, the pa-
rty’s organisational acti-
vities, the ongoing treat-
ment of PTI leaders and
workers, and the intra-
party polls during the
core committee meeting.
The meeting also reit-
erated the demand for
foolproof security arra-
ngements during Imra-
n’s court appearance. A
PTI spokesperson said
that chairman Khan has
an important message
for the leaders and work-
ers. — PTI
BLINKEN IN CEASEFIRE TALKS
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and other warships cross the Strait
of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, as part of a wider American deployment in the
Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN will return this
week to the Middle East as the US hopes to find a way to extend
a cease-fire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the state
department said. It will be his third trip to the region since
Israel's war with Hamas began last month.
DISEASE COULD BE BIGGER
KILLER THAN BOMBS IN
GAZA, SAYS WHO
More people
could die from
disease than
from bombings in
the Gaza Strip if its health
system is not repaired, a
World Health Organization
spokesperson said on
Tuesday, warning of a
surge in infectious diseases
and diarrhoea in children.
Hamas is able to guaran-
tee the release of at least
10 hostages.” Ansari con-
firmed the truce would
continue with the release
of 20 further hostages.
“We are hopeful that in
the next 48 hours we will
be getting more informa-
tion from Hamas regard-
ing the rest of the
hostages,” he added.
The spokesman said
“minimal breaches” in
recent days had not
“harmed the essence of
the agreement”.
Qatar has held parallel
negotiations between Ha-
mas and other nations wh-
ich led to the release of 17
Thais, one Filipino and
one Russian-Israeli dual
national. Before Friday,
just four hostages had
No court-ordered public
trial for Imran: Lawyer
Islamabad, Nov. 28: Jailed
former Pakistani PM
Imran Khan was denied
an open court trial on
Tuesday, as ordered by a
high court, after the gove-
rnment submitted reports
citing threats to his life,
his lawyer said.
The special court heari-
ng the case later said Kh-
an’s trial on the charge of
leaking state secrets will
be held in jail premises
but will be open to media
and the public, the lawyer,
Naeem Panjutha, and a
court order.
The trial in jail will beg-
in afresh on Friday, the
order said, adding, “Thre-
at assessments, particula-
rly in the present case,
where one of the accused
is a former prime minis-
ter can not be disregarded
lightly by this court.”
It has been conducting
the trial in prison since
Khan was indicted on the
charges last month.
The Islamabad High Co-
urt had ruled last week
NEW | EXPERIMENT
Belgian mussels to help fight erosion
Ostend, Nov. 28: Belgian
mussels have long satis-
fied hungry diners, but an
experiment is now under-
way to see if they can also
protect Belgium's North
Sea coast.
The recipe no longer inv-
olves white wine broth
and a bowl of salty fries,
but an undersea reef bar-
rier diverting currents
from the sandy coastline.
Six years ago, two
Flemish scientific insti-
tutes joined forces with
mussel growers in an
experiment off the beach
resort of La Panne.
The biologists have now
revealed promising resul-
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
has told Israel that it must work to
avoid significant further displace-
ment of Palestinian civilians in south-
ern Gaza if it renews its ground cam-
paign aimed at eradicating the
Hamas militant group, senior
U.S. officials said.
We are calling for the
increase of fuel supplies
to the (Gaza) strip.”
— JANEZ LENARCIC,
EU commissioner
been released by Hamas.
A fifth had been rescued
by Israeli troops and two
more found dead.
Israel says around 240
hostages were seized
when Hamas gunmen
stormed across Gaza’s
militarised border on
October 7 and mounted
the deadliest attack in the
country’s history.
Israel says the attack
killed 1,200 people, mostly
civilians.
In response, Israel
launched a relentless
bombing campaign and
ground offensive
Hamas-ruled Gaza, which
in
the Hamas government
says have killed almost
15,000 people, most of
them women and chil-
dren. — AFP
Imran Khan
that holding Khan’s trial
inside jail premises on
security concerns was ill-
egal, and ordered it resta-
rted in an open court.
Khan has denied the
charges against him.
Legal experts question-
ed the government’s
move, saying a jail trial
cannot be termed an open
court. “It is ridiculous,”
constitutional lawyer
Abid Saqi told Reuters,
saying only a select group
of people might be allow-
ed to attend the jail pro-
ceedings. “It can’t be an
open trial,” he said.
The 71-year-old former
Clusters can disrupt current force as they build barrier
Biologists hope to attract government funding to devel-
op reefs along the 40-kilometre shore.
ts and hope to attract gov-
ernment funding to devel-
op reefs on a larger scale
along the 40-kilometre (24-
— AP
ISRAEL RAISES
HAMAS SEXUAL
VIOLENCE AT U.N.
Geneva, Nov. 28: Israel
held a meeting at the UN
in Geneva late on Monday
to raise awareness of sex-
ual violence against wom-
en perpetrated during Ha-
mas’ Oct. 7 attacks amid
criticism that the global
body has kept quiet.
Israeli authorities have
opened an investigation
into sexual violence dur-
ing the most deadly attack
on Israel in its history,
including rape, after evi-
dence emerged pointing to
sexual crimes. — Reuters
THREAT ASSESS-
MENTS, particular-
ly in the present
case, where one of the
accused is former prime
minister Imran Khan can-
not be disregarded lightly
by this court.
— NAEEM PANJUTHA
Imran’s lawyer
cricket star has been
embroiled in a tangle of
political and legal battles
since he was ousted as
prime minister in April
2022. He has not been seen
in public since he was
jailed for three years in
August for unlawfully sell-
ing state gifts while in
office from 2018 to 2022.
Khan had been appear-
ing in courts prior to his
August arrest protected
by his personal security
guards. But he has also
sought exemptions from
personal appearances,
often citing threats to his
safety. — Reuters
— AFP
mile) shore.
The idea would be to
string cables along the
drop off between the shal-
Donald Trump
LAWYERS: TRUMP
HAD BASIS TO
ASK POLL RESULT
Washington, Nov. 28:
Donald Trump had a
good faith basis to ques-
tion the results of the
2020 election, his lawye-
rs said in demanding
that prosecutors turn
over any evidence relat-
ed to voting irregulari-
ties and potential forei-
gn interference in the
contest won by Democ-
rat Joe Biden.
A defence motion filed
late on Monday in feder-
al court in Washington
asserts that Trump was
not obligated to accept at
face value the judgments
of government officials
who found no widespre-
ad fraud in the election.
It raises the prospect
that foreign actors mig-
ht have influenced the
race and alleges that the
federal government gave
“false assurances” to the
public about the securi-
ty of the election that
exceeded what was actu-
ally known.
It was not unreasonab-
le at the time, and certa-
inly not criminal, for Pr-
esident Trump to dis-
agree with officials now
favoured by the prosecu-
tion and to rely instead
on the independent judg-
ment that the American
people elected him to use
while leading the coun-
try, the lawyers wrote.
The filing is the cleare-
st indication yet that Tr-
ump’s lawyers are hop-
ing to sow doubt before a
jury in the legitimacy of
the race or at make the
case that his scepticism
was justified and not
motivated by criminal
intent. — AP
Sunak cancelled meet over
‘Elgin Marbles’, says Greece
London, Nov. 28: British
Prime Minister Rishi Su-
nak has reportedly cance-
lled a planned meeting on
Tuesday with his Greek
counterpart, Kyriakos Mi-
tsotakis, during a visit to
the UK amid a deepening
row over the return of the
‘Elgin Marbles’.
The ancient Greek sculp-
tures from the Parthenon
in Athens are among the
controversial historic ite-
ms which were brought to
the UK by British diplo-
mat Lord Elgin in the
early 19th century g iv i n g
them their English name.
The Parthenon Sculptur-
es now form part of the
British Museum’s collecti-
on and have long been
demanded by the Greeks
to complete their series at
the Acropolis Museum in
Athens.
The latest standoff is re-
miniscent of India’s dem-
ands for the Koh-i-Noor di-
amond and other historic
artefacts taken from India
during colonial times.
Most recently, the Mahar-
ashtra government signed
a memorandum of under-
standing (MoU) with the
Victoria and Albert Muse-
um for a three-year loan of
a set of 17th century Tiger
Claws, or wagh nakh,
believed to have belonged
to Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. — PTI
low coastal waters and the
North Sea, on which natu-
rally spreading shellfish
can make their home.
Powerful currents churn
the sand in this intermedi-
ate area, but clusters of
mussels growing on verti-
cal cords can disrupt their
force as they start to build
a living barrier.
And when a bunch gets
too heavy for the artificial
structure, they fall in
clumps to the sea bed,
spreading a new natural
ecosystem that will pro-
vide long-term protection.
“A habitat for all sorts of
living creatures develops
around the mussels,” exp-
WSJ journalist’s
detention now
till Jan. 30, ’24
Moscow, Nov. 28: A Rus-
sian court said on Tuesd-
ay it had extended the det-
ention of Evan Gershkov-
ich, a Wall Street Journal
reporter, until January
30, 2024.
Gershkovich, a US citi-
zen, was detained by the
Federal Security Service
(FSB) on March 29 in the
Urals city of Yekaterinbu-
rg on charges of espiona-
ge that carry up to 20
years in prison.
“The court ruled to ext-
end the term of detention
of Gershkovich, accused
of a crime under Article
276 of the Criminal Code
of the Russian Federati-
on, for up to 10 months,
that is, until January 30,
2024,” Moscow’s Leforto-
vo district court said.
Gershkovich denies the
charges. He is the first US
journalist to be detained
on spy charges in Russia
since the Cold War.
Russia said Gershkovi-
ch was caught “red-hand-
ed” while the FSB, the
main successor to the
Soviet-era KGB, said he
was trying to obtain mili-
Kyiv to get US arms,
hopes Stoltenberg
Brussels, Nov. 28: Nato se-
cretary general Jens
Stoltenberg said on Tues-
day he was “confident”
the United States would
keep up weapons deliver-
ies to Ukraine, despite a
political blockage in
Washington.
The United States has
provided over $40 billion
in security aid to Ukraine
since Russia’s invasion
and pledged to back Kyiv
for as long as necessary.
But opposition from ha-
rdline Republicans has
thrown into question the
‘Elgin Marbles’, the Greek sculptures from the Parthen-
on in Athens are among the controversial historic ite-
ms, brought to the UK by British diplomat Lord Elgin in
the 19th century, giving them their English name. — AP
PIO steps down as
London’s dy mayor
London, Nov. 28: Rajesh
Agrawal, the Indian-orig-
in deputy mayor of Lo-
ndon for business, is step-
ping down from the role to
focus on the city of Leice-
ster, from where he will be
contesting to be elected a
member of Parliament in
the next general election.
The 46-year-old Indore-
born entrepreneur-politic-
ian was recently selected
as the Labour Party’s can-
didate from the constitue-
ncy of Leicester East for
an election expected next
year. He announced his
departure from the Lond-
on mayor’s office on social
media on Monday evening
lained Alexia Semeraro, a
researcher at the ILVO
institute for agriculture
and fishing.
A “biogenic reef ” will st-
abilise sediments that had
been suspended in the ch-
urning waters, limiting er-
osion as well as providing
a more biodiverse habitat.
“Against severe storms,
which may occur more
often with climate change,
we need to have a portfolio
of solutions,” says Tomas
Sterckx, of Belgian multi-
national DEME.
DEME is now helping
scientists build “underwa-
ter biological protection
lines”. — AFP
pg 6
Evan Gershkovich
tary secrets.
The Wall Street Journal
and Dow Jones say that
Gershkovich was simply
doing his job in Russia
and deny the espionage
charges. The Journal and
Dow have repeatedly dem-
anded that Russia release
him, to no avail.
“Evan has now been
unjustly imprisoned for
nearly 250 days, and every
day is a day too long,” The
Journal said. “The accu-
sations against him are
categorically false and his
continued imprisonment
is a brazen and outra-
geous attack on a free
press, which is critical for
a free society.” — Reuters
future of US assistance.
“I’m confident that the
United States will contin-
ue to provide support be-
cause it is in the security
interest of the United Sta-
tes to do so and it’s also in
line with what we have
agreed,” he said at a meet-
ing of Nato foreign minis-
ters in Brussels.
Concerns have ratchet-
ed up over the future of
Western backing for Ukr-
aine as Kyiv’s top general
has admitted that the
fierce fighting has ground
to a “stalemate”. — AFP
after serving two terms in
Mayor Sadiq Khan’s team
in charge of the UK capi-
tal’s business and invest-
ment policies.
“After my recent selecti-
on as the Labour Party’s
parliamentary candidate
and careful consideration,
I have made the difficult
decision to step down as
deputy mayor of London
to focus on campaigning
in Leicester East,” said
Agrawal.
“It has truly been an ho-
nour and a privilege to se-
rve Londoners in this cap-
acity for past seven and a
half years and I have
given it my all.” — PTI
ACT PRUDENTLY
IN SCS NAVY OP.,
CHINA TELLS OZ
Canberra, Nov. 28: A vis-
iting Chinese official on
Tuesday warned Aus-
tralia to act with “great
prudence” in deploying
warships in the South
China Sea after a recent
confrontation between
the two navies.
Liu Jianchao, the Chi-
nese Communist Party’s
international minister,
gave the warning while
speaking at a Sydney un-
iversity during a trip
that paves the way for
President Xi Jinping’s
Australian visit, expect-
ed next year.
Bilateral ties between
the two had been impro-
ving recently. — AP
 NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023
quick
BITES
INDICATORS % India rose to a record high
Sensex 66,174.20 0.31
Nifty 50 19,889.70 0.48
S&P 500* 4,557.35 0.15
Dollar (`) 83.34 0.04
Pound Sterling (`) 105.24 -0.11
Euro (`) 91.28 -0.41
Gold (10gm)* (`) 61,661▲121 0.20
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 79.99 0.01
IN 10-Yr bond yield 7.276 0.004
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 4.402 0.014
* As of 8:30 PM IST
Centre set to
begin auction of
critical minerals
The government will launch
the first round of auction of
critical and strategic minerals,
putting 20 blocks under the
hammer. The auction will take
place online via a two-stage
ascending forward auction
process. The sale of tender
documents will begin from
Wednesday. “Details of the
mineral blocks, auction terms,
timelines etc. can be accessed
on MSTC auction platform,”
the statement said.
PhiCommerce
raises $10 mn in
new fund round
Fintech firm PhiCommerce on
Tuesday said it raised $10 mn,
(about `83 crore), in a funding
round led by Singapore-based
venture capital firm Beenext.
Opus Ventures also participat-
ed in round. PhiCommerce
plans to use the funds towards
expansion into international
geographies and development
of solutions to enhance the
payments ecosystem, said its
chief executive officer and co-
Founder Jose Thattil.
Oyo restarts
self-operated
hotels brand
Hospitality tech platform Oyo
on Tuesday said it has restart-
ed self-operated hotels tagged
as ‘Managed by Oyo’ through
the company's app and web-
site and is seeking partnerships
with real estate developers to
identify properties for these
hotels. Oyo said it will secure
management contracts on a
revenue share basis of 200
hotels across India. Oyo closed
its self-operated hotel model in
2020 before Covid.
DB promoters sell
2.91 % in firm for
`301 crore
Promoters of DB Realty have
sold nearly 3 per cent stake in
the company for `301 crore
and infused back a substantial
amount in the real estate firm
for reduction of debt.
In a regulatory filing, Mumbai-
based DB Realty informed that
“the promoter group has sold
1.46 crore shares of company
reflecting a 2.91 per cent stake
in the company and have
raised `301 crore by sale of
the said shares.”
Printed & Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of
Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited.
Printed at BFL Infotech Ltd, C-9 Sector
3, Noida-201301. Published at 219, N D
Tiwari Bhawan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Marg, New Delhi-110002.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter, RNI
Registration number 30074/09,
Air surcharge Re 1. © All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or
in part without written permission of
The Editor,
Financial Chronicle ® is prohibited.
Sports utility vehicles were most sought-after this festive season
Automobile sales hit new high
MICHAEL GONSALVES
PUNE, NOV. 28
Automobile retail sales in
this festive season with all
segments, except tractors,
clocking year-on-year
growth, the Federation of
Automobile Dealers
Associations (FADA) said
on Tuesday.
Total automobile sales
rose 19 per cent to 37.9
lakh units in the 42-day
festive period this year as
compared with 31.9 lakh
units last year.
In the 42-day festive peri-
FIVE NEW IPOS TO
LIST THIS WEEK
ON EXCHANGES
RAVI RANJAN PRASAD
MUMBAI, NOV. 28
All five initial public
offerings that closed last
week - Ireda, Tata
Technologies, Flair
Writing Industries,
Gandhar Oil and Fedbank
Financial Services, are
going to between Nov.29 to
Dec.1, 2023 as per commu-
nication received from
the merchant bankers
and sources close to the
merchant bankers.
Indian Renewable
Energy Development
Agency (Ireda) will list on
November 29 while three
IPOs of Tata
Technologies, Fedbank
Financial Services and
Gandhar Oil Refinery will
list on November 30. Flair
Writing Industries will
list on December 1, 2023.
Four of the above five
IPOs attracted huge inter-
est from all categories of
investors attracting sub-
scriptions to the tune of
`2.5 lakh crore.
How the money listing
of these five companies
pans out on Nov. 29, Nov.
30 and Dec. 1 will be worth
watching.
Ireda and Tata
Technologies, according
to analysts, are expected
to list at substantial pre-
mium to their public
issue price based on their
future prospects based on
their business models.
“The grey market pre-
mium (GMP) for Tata
Technologies shares is
currently `320 (82.80 per
cent), indicating that the
shares could list at
around `914 per share
(public issue price fixed
at `500 per equity share).
The IPO was oversub-
scribed by more than 69
times,” said Shivani
Nyati, head of wealth,
Swastika Investmart.
Analysts are expecting
25 per cent or more listing
gain for Ireda against the
`32 per equity share issue
price, citing Ireda’s role
in renewable energy
financing and a potential
Navratna firm upgrade.
“The NBFCs financial
autonomy is expected to
boost its competitive
edge. It aligns with coun-
try’s renewable energy
goals,” said Prashanth
Tapse,
(research),
senior VP
Mehta
Equities.
NEW | OPTIONS
‘AI framework must promote innovation’
Brussels, Nov. 28: Rules
governing the use of arti-
ficial intelligence (AI)
should support innova-
tion, Google’s chief legal
officer Kent Walker said
on Tuesday, echoing pleas
by a wide swath of busi-
nesses and tech groups as
the European Union races
to agree to AI rules next
month.
EU countries and EU
lawmakers are now
thrashing out the final
details of a draft proposal
by the European
Commission and aim to
get a deal on December 6.
One of the biggest issues
is foundation models, such
● TOTAL automo-
bile sales rose 19
per cent to 37.9
lakh units in the
42-day festive
period this year
as compared with
31.9 lakh units
last year.
od, which starts from the
first day of Navratri and
ends 15 days after
Dhanteras, passenger
vehicle retail sales jumped
10 per cent to 5.4 lakh
units, up from 4.9 lakh
Govt mulls easing place of biz
norms for GST registrations
MADHUSUDAN SAHOO
NEW DELHI, NOV. 28
In a move to help facilitate
small business houses in
the country for goods and
services tax (GST) regis-
tration, simplification in
the principal place of
business (PPoB) norms
has been mooted to be
mandated in every state.
The move aims at empow-
ering the micro, small,
and medium enterprises
(MSME) sector where the
simplification of certain
rules would further help
the online sellers to
expand their businesses,
according to a top official
in the finance ministry.
“In line with the
Parliamentary panel’s rec-
ommendations, the imple-
mentation of a single
home-state PPOB registra-
tion and subsequent virtu-
al PPOB registrations for
small sellers have been
FPIs invest `12,400 cr Energy solutions demand rising
in debt markets in Nov.
New Delhi, Nov. 28:
Foreign Portfolio
Investors (FPIs) have
infused about `12,400
crore into the Indian debt
markets in November so
far, making it the highest
inflow in more than two
years, on attractive yields
offered by the country’s
debt.
The inclusion of Indian
G-Sec in the JP Morgan
Government Bond Index
Emerging Markets has
spurred foreign fund par-
ticipation in the Indian
bond markets, market
experts said.
FPIs have been bullish
Sugarcane crushing in full swing: AISTA AMD brings design
New Delhi, Nov. 28: The
sugarcane crushing oper-
ation in the 2023-24 season
is in full swing post-
Diwali across the country,
trade body AISTA said on
Tuesday. Sugar season
runs from October to
September.
“The crushing operation
is in full swing across the
country now. All sugar
factories have started
crushing,” All India Sugar
Trade Association (AIS-
TA) chairman Praful
Vithalani said.
Some mills had begun
Hard trade-offs are needed between security and openness
as OpenAI’s ChatGPT,
which are AI systems that
are trained on large sets of
data, with the ability to
learn from new data to
perform a variety of
tasks.
Walker said Europe
should aim for the best AI
units in the same period
last year.
“Despite initial under-
performance during
Navratri, particularly in
the passenger vehicle sec-
tor, the situation improved
proposed. I think it will
help the MSME sector in
some way or the other. In
the interest of digitisation
and reduction in their
compliance burdens, the
efforts taken by the gov-
ernment and GST council
towards empowering
MSMEs also explored
areas where simplifica-
tion of certain rules
would further help the
online sellers to expand
their businesses,” the offi-
cial said.
India’s thriving MSME
sector has presented
unprecedented growth
potential in the last few
years, propelling the
nation towards the ‘tril-
lion-dollar digital econo-
my’ goalpost envisioned
by the government.
While recent GST sim-
plifications have nudged
the industry forward,
avenues of further simpli-
fication still remain,
on Indian debt since the
beginning of 2023 and
have invested throughout
the year, except March,
when they had pulled out
`2,505 crore, data with the
depositories showed.
With the latest inflow,
the net investment by
FPIs into debt reached
`47,900 crore so far this
calendar year.
Overseas investors put
in a net amount of `12,400
crore into the debt market
this month (till Nov.27).
This was the highest
inflow since Sept. 2021,
when they had poured
`12,804 crore. — PTI
the crushing operation
during mid-October.
However, it picked up post-
Diwali, he said.
There are about more
than 700 installed sugar
factories in the country
with a crushing capacity
● TECHNOLOGICAL
leadership requires a
balance between inno-
vation and regulation.
Not micromanaging
progress, but holding
actors responsible
when they violate
public trust.
rules, not the first AI
rules.
“Technological leader-
ship requires a balance
between innovation and
regulation. Not micro-
managing progress, but
holding actors responsible
when they violate public
by Diwali, ending with a
10 per cent growth rate,”
FADA president Manish
Raj Singhania said.
He pointed out that the
sports utility vehicles
were the most sought-after
segment during the festive
period.
Singhania however
noted that inventory lev-
els for passenger vehicles
remain a significant con-
cern as OEMs continue to
push further dispatch,
thus keeping the invento-
ry rate near all-time high
levels.
Similarly, sales of two-
demanding renewed atten-
tion from stakeholders.
As per a public policy
think-tank, the Dialogue,
the right regulatory
changes could simplify
compliance for MSMEs
and nudge the industry
towards greater align-
ment with the govern-
ment’s vision for this inte-
gral industry.
“E-commerce is a game
changer for MSMEs.
Government is also help-
ing the MSMEs come
online as is evident from
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, NOV. 28
Sustainable cooling solu-
tions, which include
“green” refrigerants,
super energy efficient ACs
and fans, and thermal
comfort in buildings, offer
a $1.6 trillion potential
market for India, finds the
World Bank (WB).
India will account for 25
per cent of global energy
demand growth in the
next two decades and is
set to overtake the
European Union as the
world’s third-biggest ener-
gy consumer by 2030.
According
International
to the
Energy
Agency (IEA) estimates,
India’s electricity demand
● THE COUNTRY’S total
sugarcane production
is estimated to be high-
er at 434.7 mn tonne in
the 2023-24 crop year
(July-June), as against
422.2 mn tonne in pre-
vious year.
of about 340 lakh tonnes of
sugar, as per the official
data.
The country’s total sug-
arcane production is esti-
mated to be higher at 434.7
million tonnes in the 2023-
24 crop year (July-June),
trust,” he said in the text
of a speech to be delivered
at a European Business
Summit.
“We’ve long said that AI
is too important not to
regulate, and too impor-
tant not to regulate well.
The race should be for the
best AI regulations, not
the first AI regulations.”
He called for hard trade-
offs between security and
openness, between data
access and privacy,
between explainability
and accuracy, with propor-
tionate, risk-based rules
that build on existing reg-
ulations and give busi-
nesses the confidence they
wheelers surged 21 per
cent year-on-year to 28.9
lakh units this year from
23.9 lakh units in 2022.
“Record-breaking sales
were reported in several
categories, with rural
areas particularly con-
tributing to the surge in
two-wheeler purchases,”
Singhania said.
Commercial vehicle
sales rose 8 per cent year-
on-year to 1.2 lakh units in
the 42-day window. Three-
wheeler sales saw 41 per
cent rise to 1.4 lakh units
during from 1.01 lakh
units last year.
the recent steps taken by
the GST council. There is
still some scope to bring
reforms in terms of
requirement of physical
place of business in every
state and digital invoicing
to help MSMEs optimally
use e-commerce to its full
potential,” said Bipin
Sapra, partner and leader,
Indirect Tax Policy, E&Y.
“The biggest challenge
we faced, the moment you
decide to scale up, there is
a need to set up warehous-
es in different states to ful-
fil the demand. Physical
inspection mandates in
the GST registration pro-
cedure are manageable in
the home states. However,
when we scaled to other
states, it took us an unrea-
sonably longer time to get
registered, affecting our
sales potential,” explained
Karan Kohli, co-founder,
Best Life Naturals, which
operates in personalcare.
● INDIA WILL account
for 25% of global ener-
gy demand growth in
two decades and is set
to overtake European
Union as the world’s
third-biggest energy
consumer by 2030.
for running household air
conditioners will expand
nine-fold by 2050 and
exceed total power con-
sumption in Africa today.
India was prescient in
launching a Cooling
Action Plan in 2019.
The World Bank finds
that sustainable cooling
offers a $1.6 trillion poten-
tial market for India and
this includes investing in
as against 422.2 million
tonnes in the previous
year, as per the first esti-
mate released by the agri-
culture ministry.
There was an opening
stock of sugar at 5.7 mil-
lion tonnes as of October 1
in view of slight decline in
the domestic production
in the 2022-23 season
owing to bad weather in
some producing states.
Domestic annual con-
sumption is estimated to
be about 29 million
tonnes.
— PTI
need to keep investing in
artificial intelligence
innovation.
Business group
DigitalEurope and 32
European digital associa-
tions last week warned
the EU against over-regu-
lating foundation models.
Meanwhile, Jen Easterly,
director of the US
Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security
Agency, said potential
threat posed by the rapid
development of artificial
intelligence means safe-
guards need to be built in
to systems from the start
rather than tacked on
later.
— Reuters
India Inc’s Q3
performance to
get festive boost
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, NOV. 28
Corporate India’s per-
formance in Q3 FY2024 is
expected to be supported
by the seasonally strong
festive period. In Q2 FY24,
corporate India had
reported a moderate
growth in revenues with
decent expansion of mar-
gins.
ICRA believes that India
Inc.’s performance in Q3
FY2024 is expected to be
supported by the seasonal-
ly strong festive period.
Several reports suggest a
surge in consumer spend-
ing during the ongoing
festive season. Sales of
cars, TVs, mobile phones,
jewellery, cosmetics,
chocolates and alcohol
have already overtaken
spends during the entire
festival period last year.
According to FADA,
automotive retail sales in
India reached an all-time
high during this festive
season. Overall, automo-
bile sales surged by 19 per
cent, with all segments
experiencing year-on-year
growth except for trac-
tors. Reserve Bank of
India in its monthly bul-
letin also said that festi-
val-related demand in
India has been “ebullient”
and consumer sentiment
is upbeat.
However, the uncertain-
ties in the global econom-
ic environment, ongoing
geopolitical develop-
ments, and inflationary
pressures on rural senti-
ments and related sectors
are potential headwinds.
Accordingly, corporate
India’s ability to navigate
these challenges remains
critical.
sustainable “green”
refrigerants, super energy
efficient ACs and fans,
and thermal comfort in
buildings. The WB said it
will support differentiated
strategies around decar-
bonization of electricity,
energy storage, energy
efficiency.
Under business-as-usual
emission scenarios,
megacities in India,
centre to Bengaluru
New Delhi, Nov 28: The
US-based semiconductor
company AMD on
Tuesday inaugurated its
largest global design cen-
tre in Bengaluru, as part
of the $400 million India
investment announced by
the company in July.
The 500,000-square-foot
campus was inaugurated
by Union minister for rail-
ways, telecommunica-
tions, electronics and
information technology
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the
company said in a state-
ment.
The campus plans to
host 3,000 AMD engineers
in the coming years,
focused on the design and
development of semicon-
ductor technology includ-
ing 3D stacking, artificial
Jubilant to invest `670 cr
New Delhi, Nov. 28:
Jubilant Foodworks on
Tuesday said it plans to
acquire an additional
51.16 per cent stake in
DP Eurasia NV, the
exclusive master fran-
chisee of the Domino’s
Pizza brand in Turkey,
Azerbaijan and Georgia,
through a subsidiary for
a consideration of up to
EUR 73.36 million (near-
pg 7
Even in Q2 FY24, corpo-
rate India had reported a
moderate 1.6 per cent
growth in revenues.
The aggregate revenues
of 601 listed companies
evaluated by ICRA
expanded by 1.6 per cent
during Q2 FY2024 with a
decent margin expansion.
The YoY revenue expan-
sion was curtailed to an
extent by a general
decline in realisation lev-
els amid softening input
costs for most of the sec-
tors.
However, improvement
in revenues along with the
softening of raw material
costs, supported expan-
sion in earnings.
On a yearly as well as
sequential basis, the oper-
ating profit margin (OPM)
of India Inc. expanded by
398 bps and 64 bps, respec-
tively in Q2.
While input costs have
softened in recent
months, they remain ele-
vated than historic levels,
and as a result, India Inc’s
OPM is yet to reach the
levels witnessed during
Q2 FY2022.
The improvement in
earnings on the back of a
recovery in demand
across sectors arrested
any sharp increase in debt
levels during the first of
FY2024.
Bangladesh, and Pakistan
could be among the first
places in the world to
experience extreme heat
that exceeds the surviv-
ability threshold of 35
degree C.
Further, India uses dou-
ble or triple the amount of
water to produce a single
unit of major food crops
compared to China,
Brazil, and the United
States. Agriculture is also
a significant source of
GHG emissions.
Higher mechanisation,
increased use of ground-
water irrigation, and cold
chain development could
increase energy demands,
requiring improved ener-
gy efficiency and low-car-
bon energy utilisation.
intelligence, machine
learning, and more.
The campus will serve as
a centre of excellence for
the development of lead-
ership products across
high-performance CPUs
for the data centre and
PCs, and gaming graphics
processing units (GPUs).
India’s semiconductor
programme lays emphasis
on supporting the design
and talent ecosystem, the
minister said. — PTI
ly `670 crore).
Jubilant Foodworks
Netherlands B.V (JFN),
the company's wholly-
owned arm, holds 48.84
per cent ordinary shares
of DP Eurasia - which is
the largest pizza deliv-
ery company in Turkey,
Jubilant Foodworks
Limited (JFL) said in a
regulatory filing to the
exchanges. — PTI
 GAMES
THE ASIAN AGE | WEDNESDAY | 29 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Sheetal is world
No. 1 para archer
New Delhi: Fresh from winning
two gold medals at the Para
Asian Games, Sheetal Devi
jumped two places to become
world No. 1 in the women’s
compound open section of the
para world archery rankings.
Rakesh Kumar, who won three
gold medals at recently-con-
cluded Para Asian
Championship, also moved up
two places to become world No
3, behind Nathan Macqueen of
Great Britain and Matteo
Bonacina of Italy.
Indian para archer Sarita, who
returned with a bronze medal
at the Bangkok Asian
Championships was the highest
gainer, moving up seven places
to become world No 6 in
Tuesday's update. — PTI
PCB in deadlock
with Asian Council
Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board
was on Tuesday caught in a
deadlock with the Asian Cricket
Council for demanding addi-
tional compensation on organ-
ising chartered flights between
Pakistan and Sri Lanka during
the Asia Cup, which it co-host-
ed in August-September.
The Asia Cup 2023 was organ-
ised in a hybrid model in
Pakistan and Sri Lanka after the
ACC accepted PCB’s hybrid
model, with majority of the
matches organised in the island
nation. A reliable source in the
PCB informed that apart from
seeking the tournament hosting
fees — around $250,000 — as
well as shares from ticketing
and sponsorship fees, they have
also demanded additional com-
pensation.
The source said, “The additional
money is for expenses incurred
on renting chartered flights for
teams between Pakistan and Sri
Lanka and other extra expenses
like additional hotel and trans-
port fees, which were not
included in the initial budget
for the Asia Cup.”
The source, however, informed
that the ACC is not willing to
pay additional expenses to the
PCB since it believes that
Pakistan had agreed for match-
es to be held in Sri Lanka under
its hybrid model, in return for
hosting four games of the Asia
Cup at home. — PTI
Thapa, Panghal off
to winning starts
Shillong: Six-time Asian
Championships medallist Shiva
Thapa (63.5kg) and World
Championships silver medallist
Amit Panghal (51kg) on
Tuesday made a winning start
to their campaign in the Men’s
National Boxing Championships
here.
Assam’s Thapa, who was made
to work hard for his 4-3 split
decision win by Abhinash
Jamwal from Himachal Pradesh,
will now take on Haryana’s
Santosh HK in his round of 16
clash.
Up against Shivaji from
Maharashtra, SSCB’s Panghal
emerged a one-sided winner
through a 5-0 unanimous deci-
sion. He will face Jayshandeep
Singh from Punjab in the round
of 16 match.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympian
Ashish Kumar (80kg) from
Himachal Pradesh defeated
Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh and
set up a pre-quarterfinals clash
against Nitish Kumar from
Chandigarh.
Railway Sports Promotion
Board’s Govind Sahani (48kg),
also an Asian Championships
2022 bronze medal winner,
emerged victorious in his con-
test against Tripura’s Sayan
Lodh. — PTI
Hockey girls are
ready for Jr WC
Santiago, Chile: India will look
to take confidence from their
past success against Canada
when they meet each other in
their opening match of the FIH
women’s junior hockey World
Cup here on Wednesday.
India had beaten Canada in all
their previous three games.
The Indian team, which had
secured a fourth place in the
2022 edition, has been placed
in a tricky Pool C, along with
Germany, Belgium and Canada
this time. Moreover, India’s title
triumph at the women’s junior
Asia Cup in Japan earlier this
year will boost their confidence.
The Indians are aiming to
secure their maiden women’s
junior World Cup title. India’s
best finish in the prestigious
tournament came in 2013 when
they finished third. — PTI
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GOHOTTIE!
Maxwell’s fiery ton leaves India sweating in third T20
Guwahati, Nov. 28: Glenn
Maxwell’s fiery unbeaten
hundred carried
Australia to a five-wicket
win over India in the
third T20I here on
Tuesday.
With this win, Australia
managed to cut India’s
series lead to 2-1 in the
five-match rubber.
Maxwell made 104 off 48
balls (8x4, 8x6) as the
Aussies went past India’s
222 for 3 in the last ball of
the match.
Skipper Matthew Wade
remained not out on a
crucial 28 off 16 balls.
Leg-spinner Ravi
Bishnoi took two wickets
for India.
Earlier, Ruturaj
Gaikwad displayed brute
power and wonderful
technique in equal meas-
ure with a maiden hun-
dred that propelled India
to a commanding 222 for
3.
Gaikwad slammed a
career-best 123 not out off
just 57 balls with 13 fours
and seven sixes, a first ton
by an Indian batter
against Australia in T20
Internationals.
The 30 runs that
Gaikwad took off Glenn
Maxwell in the 20th over
could prove to be a game-
changer.
Skipper Wade’s decision
to give a part-time off-
spinner 20th over of the
innings backfired big-
time.
On a wicket that had
some extra bounce and
swing, India had a shaky
start losing their both
their in-form batters
Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) and
Ishan Kishan (0) cheaply
after Matthew Wade
opted to bowl to make use
of the dewy conditions.
Skipper Suryakumar
Yadav (39; 29b) looked set
for a big knock with two
sixes and five boundaries
before debutant pacer
Aaron Hardie dismissed
him with a short ball just
after the halfway mark.
With run-rate not an
issue — eight per over —
they needed someone to
anchor their innings, and
the Indian vice-captain
Gaikwad played the role
to perfection.
From 13 off 15 balls, the
right-hander with ortho-
dox technique, who often
drew flak for his slow
starts, switched gears
after Surya’s dismissal,
displaying the wide array
of shots in his repertoire.
His knock was not just
about classical drives in
the V but also a testament
to his brute power. He
packed a lot of punch in
his pulls and an inside-
out maximums. It was a
MEN’S | HOCKEY
PUNJAB SHOOT
HARYANA FOR
NATIONAL TITLE
Chennai, Nov.
Punjab held their nerves
28:
to outwit defending
champions Haryana in a
penalty shootout to
clinch the title in the
Senior Men’s National
Hockey Championship
here on Tuesday.
Punjab and Haryana
ended the regulation
time tied at 2-2 before the
former emerged a 9-8
winner in the shootout.
Punjab began the
match on a strong note,
scoring the opening goal
in the 13th minute
through Harjeet Singh.
However, Haryana’s
Sanjay (25th) scored
from a penalty corner to
draw level.
Punjab skipper
Harmanpreet Singh
(42nd) scored from a
powerful drag flick to
put his team in the lead.
But Haryana’s Rajant
(50th) found the target to
restore the parity.
During the shootout,
Sanjay, Deepak, and
Abhishek found the
back of the net for
Haryana. Harmanpreet,
Simranjeet Singh and
Sukhjeet Singh scored
for Punjab as the contest
entered into sudden
death. In the seventh
penalty shootout,
Simranjeet beat the
keeper, securing
Punjab’s victory. — PTI
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell plays a shot on way to his century against India during the
third T20 match in Guwahati on Tuesday.
● Gaikwad slammed a
career-best 123 not
out off just 57 balls
with 13 fours and
seven sixes, a first ton
by an Indian batter
against Australia in
T20 Internationals.
different Gaikwad on dis-
play during last six overs.
Once he got his furst 50
off 32 balls, he then went
berserk, taking another
20 to bring up his maiden
triple digit score in the
last over of Maxwell.
Gaikwad muscled
Maxwell over wide long to
to bring up his century
with a six. — PTI
Manchester United players practice at the Trafford Training Centre in Carrington, Greater Manchester, on Tuesday,
ahead of their Champions League Group ‘A‘ match against Galatasaray in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Ronaldo asks ref to overturn penalty award
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia),
Nov. 28: Cristiano Ronaldo
convinced the referee to
change his mind after
awarding him a penalty in
Al Nassr’s AFC
Champions League 0-0
draw with Iran’s
Persepolis.
The 38-year-old former
Manchester United and
Real Madrid great
appeared to have been
brought down by Soroush
SCOREBOARD
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal c Wade b Behrendorff 6, Ruturaj
Gaikwad not out 123, Ishan Kishan c Stoinis b Richardson 0,
Suryakumar Yadav c Wade b Hardie 39, Tilak Varma (not out)
31. Extras (lb-4, nb-1, w-18) 23. Total (for 3 wickets in 20 overs)
222.
FoW: 1-14, 2-24, 3-81.
Bowling: Kane Richardson 3-0-34-1, Jason Behrendorff 4-1-12-1,
Nathan Ellis 4-0-36-0, Tanveer Sangha 4-0-42-0, Aaron Hardie
4-0-64-1, Glenn Maxwell 1-0-30-0.
Australia: Travis Head c Ravi Bishnoi b Avesh Khan 35, Aaron
Hardie c Ishan Kishan b Arshdeep Singh 16, Josh Inglis b Ravi
Bishnoi 10, Glenn Maxwell not out 104, Marcus Stoinis c Yadav
b Patel 17, Tim David c Yadav b Ravi Bishnoi 0, Matthew Wade
not out 28. Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-2, w-6) 15. Total (for 5 wickets
in 20 overs) 225.
FoW: 1-47, 2-66, 3-68, 4-128, 5-134.
Bowling: Arshdeep Singh 4-0-44-1, Prasidh Krishna 4-0-68-0,
Ravi Bishnoi 4-0-32-2, Avesh Khan 4-0-37-1, Axar Patel 4-0-37-
1.
Rafiei inside the box and
Chinese referee Ma Ning
pointed to the spot.
Ronaldo leapt to his feet
and approached the refer-
ee, wagging his finger,
shaking his head and
telling him there had been
no foul.
After consulting VAR,
the referee was sent to the
pitch-side monitor and
reversed his decision in
the Group E clash in
— AP
Riyadh.
The Saudi Pro League
side had to play most of
the match with 10 men
after Ali Lajami was given
a straight red card for a
shin-raking challenge in
the 17th minute.
They also lost Ronaldo to
a neck injury with 13 min-
utes remaining, caused by
Persepolis goalkeeper
Alireza Beiranvand land-
ing on the Portuguese star
SEVERAL CHANGES
IN AUSTRALIA T20I
SQUAD IN INDIA
Guwahati, Nov. 28:
Almost half of the
Australian team cur-
rently playing in the T20
International series in
India will return home
after the third match
here with Travis Head
being the lone member
of the World Cup win-
ning side to stay put for
the
games.
remaining two
Seven members from
Australia’s ODI World
Cup winning team
stayed back in India
after the final on
November 19 for the five-
match T20I series. But
six of the seven players
will not feature in the
Raipur and Bengaluru
matches.
Adam Zampa has
already flown back
home, along with Steve
Smith. Four other play-
ers — Glenn Maxwell,
Marcus Stoinis, Josh
Inglis and Sean Abbott
— are scheduled to
return to Australia after
Tuesday’s match in
Guwahati. — PTI
PAT SAYS PLAYERS
‘NOT ROBOTS’ AS
AUSSIES STRUGGLE
Sydney, Nov. 28: Captain
Pat Cummins said
Tuesday that cricketers
were “not robots” with
Australia’s Twenty20
team struggling in India
straight after their 50-
over World Cup win.
With a busy home sum-
mer of cricket looming,
including Test series
against Pakistan and the
West Indies, Cummins
acknowledged the bur-
den on the players, some
of whom have been play-
ing in India since
September.
“They’re humans,
they’re not robots,” he
told reporters.
The skipper added:
“Putting everything into
a World Cup and then
playing a couple of days
later — I probably don’t
begrudge them if
they’re not at 100 per-
cent. These are still
games for Australia and
it’s great that these tours
do provide opportunities
for some of the younger
guys, or guys who might
not be in the first
eleven.” — PTI
— AP
when claiming a high ball.
But the 2018 and 2020
Champions League run-
ners-up from Iran were
unable to capitalise, the
point proving enough for
Al Nassr to seal their
place in the knockout
stages as group winners.
Ronaldo has little time to
recover with Al Nassr fac-
ing Al Hilal on Friday in a
top-of-the-table league
clash. — AFP
NBA | LEAGUE
Joel stars as 76ers
lay LA Lakers low
Los Angeles (United
States), Nov. 28: Joel
Embiid delivered his
sixth NBA career triple
double on Monday to lead
Philadelphia 76ers to a
138-94 rout of the Los
Angeles Lakers. The
Cameroonian’s 30 points,
11 rebounds and 11 assists
helped inflict on LeBron
James the most lopsided
loss of his career.
Embiid made nine-of-15
from the floor, including
2-of-3 from three-point
range, and sank 10 of his
12 free throws.
“You’re trying to play
winning basketball,”
Embiid said.
“When my teammates
are wide open, I want to
get them easy shots, just
make the game easy for
myself.”
The 29-year-old, seven-
foot tall (2.13m) NBA Most
Valuable Player last sea-
son notched his first
triple double of the cam-
paign in three quarters
on the same night the
76ers made 22 three-point-
ers, one shy of the club
record.
Tyrese Maxey scored a
game-high 31 points and
added eight assists for the
Sixers, who shot 47-of-93
from the floor and 22-of-46
from three-point range.
“We’re playing together.
We’re having fun sharing
the ball,” Embiid said.
“The ball is moving. We
know what we’ve got to
do. It starts on defense.
Once you get stops, you
get in transition and get
Joel Embiid (left) of the Philadelphia 76ers goes up for
a shot against Anthony Davis of Los Angeles Lakers in
their NBA match in Philadelphia on Monday.
CHAMPIONS | LEAGUE
United brace for
Galatasaray test
London, Nov. 28: Thirty
years after Manchester
United left Galatasaray
with their Champions
League hopes in tatters
on one of the most notori-
ous nights in the club’s
history, they will return
to ‘hell’ for another do-or-
die clash with the
Turkish team.
United sit bottom of
Champions League
Group A and will be elim-
inated if they lose to
Galatasaray in their
penultimate fixture on
Wednesday.
It is a predicament that
brings back painful mem-
ories for United players
and fans who ran the
gauntlet of hate in
Istanbul back in 1993.
Finally crowned
English champions the
previous season, United
were confident of a long
run in their
European Cup campaign
first
since 1969.
A surprise 3-3 draw
against Galatasaray in
the second round first leg
at Old Trafford put that
ambition in peril, but
even then United were not
fully aware of the caul-
dron that awaited them in
Turkey.
United were greeted at
the airport by thousands
of Galatasaray fans, one
waving the infamous ban-
pg 8
easy baskets.”
Four-time NBA MVP
LeBron James, who led
the Lakers with 18 points,
suffered the heaviest
defeat of his 21-year NBA
career.
Asked what needed to
change for the Lakers, he
replied: “A lot.”
‘A TON OF THREES’
James passed Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar for the all-
time NBA minutes played
in regular season and
playoffs combined at
more than 66,300.
The scoreline eclipsed a
31-point win by the
Syracuse Nationals, who
moved to Philadelphia,
over the then-
Minneapolis Lakers in
November 1951 as the
biggest margin between
the two franchises.
Maxey went 5-of-12 from
three-point range while
Patrick Beverley was 4-of-
8 from beyond the arc and
Marcus Morris was 4-of-5
with three-point shots for
the 76ers.
“We want everyone to
shoot a ton of threes and
it paid off today,”
Beverley said.
“When we get on the
court it’s easy. In practice
we give each other hell.”
The Lakers, who had 17
points and 11 rebounds
from Anthony Davis, hit
their first four shots then
missed 10 of their next 11,
going more than four
minutes without a basket,
while the 76ers went on a
20-2 run. — AFP
—AP
ner that said ‘Welcome to
Hell’, while others threw
missiles and menacingly
drew their fingers across
their throats.
Alex Ferguson, United’s
manager at the time,
described the intimida-
tion as being “exposed to
as much hostility and
harassment I have ever
known”.
The nightmare was only
just beginning as United,
clearly unsettled by the
volcanic atmosphere in
the Ali Sami Yen
Stadium, failed to get the
result they needed.
Galatasaray held on for
the draw, knocking out
United on away goals and
sparking an appropriate-
ly chaotic finale.
United’s star striker
Eric Cantona was
attacked by a Turkish
police officer wielding a
truncheon after being
sent off following the
final whistle.
When United midfielder
Bryan Robson tried to
come to Cantona’s rescue,
he was left with six stitch-
es in a cut arm after being
thrown down concrete
steps that led to the dress-
ing room.
“The hatred was unbe-
lievable. Even the police
started to pick fights with
us,” United midfielder
Paul Ince said.
— AFP