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

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES SINCE 1932 `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MEDIA MOGUL DOES IT AGAIN

THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
RUPERT MURDOCH GETS ENGAGED
Rupert Murdoch, 92, got engaged to his girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, a spokesman said ,
which would mark his fifth trip down the aisle. Zhukova, who is from Moscow, is 67. It
came just months after Murdoch stepped down as chairman of Fox and News Corp.

TOPOFTHE FINAL STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS BEFORE NOVEMBER POLLS

WORLD
Theresa May
UNITED KINGDOM
Ex-PMTheresa
Maytostand
downasMP
after27 years
London: TheresaMay,who
was the prime minister of
Britain between 2016 and
2019,onFriday announced
herexitfromfrontlinepol-
itics after 27 years as a
member of Parliament in
theHouseof Commons.
The 67-year-old, whose
travails with getting a
Brexit deal through
Parliament in the wake of
theJune2016 referendum
endedinaforcedexitfrom
10 Downing Street over
fouryearsago,saidshehad
taken the "difficult deci-
sion" to not contest in the
nextgeneral electionfrom
her Maidenhead con-
stituency in south-east
England. She has been the
Conservative MP for the
Berkshire seat since 1997,
havingbeenelectedseven
times. PTI
IRAN
Iranresponsible
forviolencethat
killed Amini:UN
Dubai: Iran is responsible
for the “physical violence”
that led to the death of
Mahsa Amini
September 2022 and
in
sparked nationwide
protests against the coun-
try's mandatory head-
scarf, or hijab, laws and its
ruling theocracy, a UN
fact-finding mission said
on Friday. The stark pro-
Democracy, freedom facing threat
in US and world under Trump: Biden
Ex-president hits
back, calls Biden
‘angry, mentally
disturbed’
LALIT K JHA
WASHINGTON, MARCH 8
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden deliv-
ered a feisty speech on Thursday
todefendhispoliciesbefore skep-
tical voters in an election year as
he launched a vitriolic attack on
his Republican rival Donald
Trump whohesaidwasa“threat”
todemocracywithinthe country
and globally.
Without taking the name of
Trump, Biden, a Democrat, in his
finalStateoftheUnionAddressto
the joint session of the US
Congress, less than eight months
ahead of the presidential elec-
tions,identifiedhimas“my pred-
ecessor”, which he mentioned as
many as 13 times in his speech
thatlastedforoveranhour. Biden
slammed Trump on issues rang-
ing from his recent comment on
RussianPresidentVladimirPutin,
immigration, January 6 insurrec-
tion, abortion, and gun control. “
AnyPresidentowestheAmerican
peoplethe dutytocare.Thatisun-
forgivable,” Biden said amidst
multiple standing ovations from
Democratic Party lawmakers.
“Now, my predecessor, a for-
mer Republican President, tells
Putin, “Do whatever the hell you
want”. A former American
Presidentactuallysaidthat,bow-
‘X’ blockade in Pak
enters fourth week;
govt mum despite
court directive
US sees imminent
‘extremist’ attack
in Moscow, asks
citizens to leave
TAKEAWAYS FROM
BIDEN SPEECH REUTERS
MOSCOW, MARCH 8 TURKEYTOPRESS
ON RUSSIA: “If
anybody in this room
UKRAINEFORTALKS
thinks Putin will stop at
THE US embassy in Russia
TOENDRUSSIAWAR
Ukraine, I assure you,
warned that "extremists" had
imminent plans for an attack in Istanbul: Ukraine's President
he will not” Moscow, hours after Russian se- VolodymyrZelenskyy wasin
ON GAZA WAR: curity services said they had Istanbul on Friday for talks
“Civilian casualties foiled a planned shooting at a withTurkishPresidentRecep
in Gaza is synagogue by a cell from the Tayyip Erdogan whose
heartbreaking; Afghan arm of Islamic State. NATO-member country has
Administration is The embassy, which has re- soughttobalanceitsclosere-
working towards a peatedly urged all US citizens to lations with both Kyiv and
ceasefire that would leave Russia immediately, gave Moscow and repeatedly of-
last at least 6 weeks. no further details about the na- feredtoactasapeace-broker
To the leadership of ture of the threat, but said peo- between them. During the
Israel I say this: ple should avoid concerts and talks in Istanbul, Erdogan
Humanitarian crowds and be aware of their wasexpectedtopressforne-
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after assistance cannot be a surroundings. gotiationstoendRussia'swar
delivering his State of the Union address, at the Capitol in Washington, on Thursday. AP secondary “The Embassy is monitoring in Ukraine, now in its third
consideration or a reports that extremists have im- year, a Turkish government
bargaining chip” minent plans to target large official said. Talks would also
ing down to a Russian leader. It’s port of the US Congress for pro- words for Israel, saying it had a gatheringsinMoscow,toinclude focus on a possible new
outrageous.It’sdangerous.It’s un- vidingweaponstoUkrainetostop “fundamental responsibility” to ON CHINA: “The US has concerts,andU.S.citizensshould measure that would guaran-
acceptable,”Bidensaid.Trumpre- Russia. “Ukraine can stop Putin if protect innocent lives. revitalised its ties with be advised to avoid large gather- tee navigational safety of
cently said he would encourage we stand with Ukraine and pro- TrumponFridayblastedBiden its allies and nations ings over the next 48 hours," the commercial vessels in the
Russia to do “whatever the hell vide the weapons it needs to de- andhisStateoftheUnionaddress, like India, Australia and embassy said on its website. Black Sea, the official said.
they want” to any fend itself. That is all saying that the US President was Japan amidst the rise It issued its warning several The visit comes as Zelenskyy
NATO member Ukraine is asking,” “angry and mentally disturbed” of China” hours after Russia's Federal continues to press other na-
that doesn't meet Biden said. They are and suffers from a terminal case ON HIS AGE: Security Service, the main suc- tionsformoremunitionsand
spending guide- not asking for US sol- of "Trump derangement syn- ■ “In my career, I’ve cessortotheSoviet-eraKGB,said weaponry to halt the ad-
lines on defence. diers, he said. drome". been told I was too it had foiled an attack on a syna- vance of Russian troops.
“What makes
RACE FOR Biden said his ad- Trump said, “He was angry, young. and I’ve been gogue in Moscow by a cell of the
ourmomentrareis THE WHITE ministration was mentally disturbed, and misrep- told I’m too old. militant Sunni Muslim group
that freedom and HOUSE working towards a resenting a lot of the facts con- Whether young or old, Islamic State. It was unclear if seeks a caliphate across
democracy are un- ceasefire that would cerning almost every subject he I've always known the two statements were con- Afghanistan, Pakistan,
der attack, both at home and last"atleast6weeks,"andhe de- discussed.""Buthegotthroughit. what endures." nected. Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
overseas. Overseas, Putin of tailed a new plan — announced Heisstillbreathing,andtheydid- ■ “Some people have The FSB said an Islamic State Uzbekistan and Iran.
Russia is on the march, invading earlier—for theUStoconstructa n't have to carry him out in a old ideas. Hate, anger, cell was operating in Russia's When tackled, the militants
Ukraine and sowing chaos temporary seaport in Gaza to al- straightjacket," Trump said. revenge, retribution, Kaluga region as part of the offered resistance by Russian
throughoutEuropeandbeyond,” low humanitarian aid to enter by
he said. He also sought the sup- ship. He also had some harsh
"Other than that, I think he did a
terrible job," he said. PTI
are the oldest of ideas.” Afghan arm of the group, which
is known as ISIS-Khorasan and
special forces and were "neu-
tralised" by return fire, it said.
287 students
abducted in
school attack
in Nigeria
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ABUJA, MARCH 8

nouncement came in a SECURITY FORCES swept

wide-ranging initial re-
port submitted to the UN
Human Rights Council by
the Fact-Finding Mission
on Iran. It also found that
the Islamic Republic em-
ployed “unnecessary and
disproportionate use of
lethal force” to put down
the demonstrations that
eruptedfollowing Amini's
death, and that Iranian se-
curity forces sexually as-
saulted detainees.
M ZULQERNAIN
LAHORE, MARCH 8
SUSPENSION OF popular mi-
croblogging platform X in
Pakistanenteredthefourthweek
onFridayafteritwasenforcedap-
parently to forestall the “propa-
ganda” of jailed former prime
minister Imran Khan's party that
accused the PML-N of a “massive
rigging” in the February 8 polls.
Neitherthepreviouscaretaker
I.M.F.DECLINESIMRAN
PLEAFORPOLLAUDIT
Islamabad/Washington: The
IMFFriday rejected a request
by jailed former prime min-
ister Imran Khan's bid to link
its economic assistance to
cash-strapped Pakistan with
an audit by the global lender
on the recent general elec-
tions in the country. On
through large forests in Nigeria's
northwest region Friday in
searchof nearly300childrenab-
ducted from their school by mo-
torcycle-riding gunmen in the
latest mass kidnapping, which
analysts and activists blamed on
the failure of intelligence and a
slow security response.
The abduction of the 287
Palestinians walk through the destruction left by the Israeli offensive, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Friday. AP children in Kaduna state, near
the West African nation's capi-
tal, is one of the largest school

HONG KONG
AP government nor the new Prime
MinisterShehbazSharif'sadmin-
istration is ready to offer any rea-
Friday, the IMF confirmed
that it had received the letter
sent on Khan's behalf but
EU set to open maritime aid corridor from kidnappings in the decade since
the kidnapping of schoolgirls in
Borno state's Chibok village in

Billgivesgovt
morepowerto
suppressdissent
Hong Kong: Hong Kong
unveiled a proposed law
that threatens life impris-
onment for residents who
“endanger national secu-
rity" on Friday, deepening
worries about erosion of
the city’s freedoms four
years after Beijing im-
posedasimilarlawthatall
but wiped out public dis-
sent.It’swidelyseenasthe
latest step in a crackdown
on political opposition
that began after the semi-
autonomous Chinese city
wasrockedbyviolentpro-
democracy protests in
2019. AP
sonastowhythecountryisseeing
thesuspensionofXforsuchalong
period. Despite the Sindh High
Court directing the restoration of
citizens' access to popular social
media service X, it has remained
inaccessible in Pakistan for more
than three weeks.
The Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority
(PTA) regulates internet access in
the country. The PTA, however,
denies that X is blocked. “If the
country's top regulator is claim-
ing that it is not doing the block-
ing,whoisthenpreventingaccess
toX?,”askedthePTIparty,adding
thatXisavaluablesourceofinfor-
mation for millions and access to
it cannot be denied arbitrarily.
The Pakistani authorities
plugged off X in mid-February
gave a cold shoulder to the
PTI founder's demand for an
election audit, Geo News re-
ported. PTI
followingtheexplosivepresscon-
ference of top government offi-
cer, Rawalpindi Commissioner
LiaqutChatha,allegingthatChief
Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa
andChiefElectionCommissioner
SikandarSultanRajaareinvolved
inmassiveriggingintheFebruary
8 polls. The Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
saidthatshuttingdowntheinter-
netoranysocialmediaplatforms
bleeds online businesses and
commerce and adds to the mis-
eryofanalreadyfragileandstrug-
gling economy.
Cyprus to Gaza this week amid famine fears
REUTERS
CAIRO/NICOSIA, MARCH 8
THE HEAD of the European
Commission said Friday a mar-
itimeaidcorridorcouldstartoper-
ating between Cyprus and Gaza
thisweekend,partofaccelerating
Western efforts to relieve the hu-
manitarian crisis in the war-rav-
aged Palestinian enclave.
Ursula von der Leyen's com-
mentscameadayafterPresident
Joe Biden announced plans for
theUSmilitarytobuilda“tempo-
rary pier” on Gaza's
Mediterranean coast, amid UN
warnings of famine among the
territory’s 2.3 million people.
Negotiations on a possible
ceasefire in Israel's war against
Hamas,nowinitsfifthmonth,re-
mained deadlocked in Cairo,
whiletheUNhumanrightsoffice
urged Israel not to extend its mil-
itary offensive into the border
town of Rafah, saying this would
cause a further “massive loss of
life”. EU Commission President
vonderLeyensaidapilottestrun
of food aid collected by a charity
group and supported by the
United Arab Emirates could be
leaving Cyprus as early as Friday.
“WearelaunchingthisCyprus
maritime corridor together, the
EuropeanUnion,theUnitedArab
Emirates, and the United States,"
she said after visiting facilities in
Larnaca, Cyprus.
ThePalestinianAuthorityalso
welcomedBiden'scomments,but
reaction among ordinary
Palestinians was much less posi-
tive."Insteadoftellingustheywill
build a port to help us, stop (pro-
viding) the weapons they throw
at us,” said Hassan Maslah, a dis-
placed Palestinian from Khan
Younis now sheltering in Rafah.
Israeli tank fired at
reporters: Report
An Israeli tank crew killed a
Reuters reporter in Lebanon in
October by firing two shells at a
clearlyidentifiedgroupofjournal-
ists and then "likely" opened fire
on them with a heavy machine
gun in an attack that lasted 1
minute and 45 seconds, accord-
ing to a report into the incident
published on Thursday.
The report, opens new tab by
the Netherlands Organisation for
Applied Scientific Research -
whichwascontractedbyReuters
toanalyseevidencefromtheOct.
13 attack that killed journalist
IssamAbdallah-foundthatatank
1.34 km away in Israel fired two
120 mm rounds at the reporters.
The first shell killed Abdallah, 37,
and severely wounded AFP pho-
tographer Christina Assi, 28.
2014 stunned the world.
The victims of the latest at-
tack — among them at least 100
children aged 12 or under —
were surrounded and marched
into a forest just as they were
starting the school day, said lo-
cals in Kuriga town, located 89
kilometers from the city of
Kaduna.Onemanwasshotdead
as he tried to save the students,
school authorities said.
Kaduna police spokesman
MansurHassansaidthatasearch
operation is taking place in the
nearby forests, which often serve
as enclaves for armed gangs. The
school,whichhadnofencing,was
“surrounded from all angles” by
the gunmen who arrived on mo-
torcycles just after 8 am, said
Joshua Madami, a youth leader.

CANADA
SixofSriLankan
familykilled
inOttawa
Ottawa:SixpeoplefromSri
Lanka, including a mother
and four young children,
wereknifedtodeathinthe
Canadian capital Ottawa
late on Wednesday, police
said, rocking a country
where mass murders are
rare. Prime Minister Justin
Trudeausaidhewashorri-
fied by the "terrible
tragedy." The father of the
family was also wounded.
FebrioDe-Zoysa,a19-year-
old male student from Sri
Lanka, had been arrested,
police said. AP
HIS MANGA WAS ADAPTED INTO MOVIES, VIDEO GAMES AND TV SERIES, REACHING FANS BEYOND JAPAN
‘Dragon Ball’ creator Akira Toriyama dies at 68 due to blood clot in brain
AGENCIES
TOKYO, MARCH 8
JAPANESE MANGA comic cre-
ator AkiraToriyama,bestknown
for his ‘Dragon Ball’ series that
spawned widely popular films,
video gamesand TV shows,died
on March 1 from a blood clot in
his brain, his production studio
said on Friday. He was 68.
“It’s our deep regret that he
still had several works in the
middleof creationwithgreaten-
thusiasm,” the studio said in a
statement posted on the official
‘Dragon Ball’ website. “We hope
that Akira Toriyama's unique
worldof creationcontinuestobe wrote in section below the post. was a top trending topic on so-
lovedbyeveryoneforalongtime Hayashi told reporters on cial media platform Weibo, with
to come.” Friday that Toriyama had played 450 million views.
‘Dragon Ball’ was first seri- "extremely important role in “Let'scollectallsevenDragon
alised in Weekly Shonen Jump demonstrating Japan's soft Balls and then resurrect Mr.
comicmagazinein1984andwas power". AkiraToriyama!”oneuserwrote
later adapted into movies, video “Mr. Toriyama's work has led on Weibo.
games and TV series distributed tothewidespreadrecognitionof In 1982, Toriyama married a
in more than 80 countries. Japan's content around the former manga artist who pub-
Toriyama was also known as world," he added. lishedunderthepennameNachi
a character and monster de- (Left) A Dragon Ball Z booth "Dragon Ball", a martial arts Mikami, Mainichi Shimbun re-
signer of the blockbuster role- in New York; (above) Akira fantasy series that follows the ported.Besideshiswife,heissur-
playing game series "Dragon Toriyama in a 1982 pic. AP protagonist's search for orbs vivedbyhischildren,accordingto
Quest". knownasdragonballsthatsum- the local media.
Many fans, and Japan's top mon a wish-granting dragon, When “Dragon Ball” was first
government spokesman “We will never forget Akira was inspired by a 16th century published in 1984, it was an im-
Yoshimasa Hayashi, paid tribute Toriyama for the gift he left on Chinese novel and has a wide- mediatehit,becoming oneof the
toToriyama andtheglobalinflu- thisearth.Ican'timagineaworld spread following in China. best-selling manga series of all
ence of his work. without Dragon Ball," a fan News of Toriyama's death time.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES
BUSINESS AS USUAL
BY UNNY
Ahead of Lok
Sabha elections,
`100 cut in LPG
cylinder price
SUKALP SHARMA
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
PRIME MINISTER Narendra
Modi on Friday announced a cut
of Rs 100 per cylinder in cooking
gas prices on the occasion of
International Women’s Day. The
price reduction, which comes
daysbefore thelikelyannounce-
ment of the 2024 Lok Sabha
polls, is set to benefit nearly 33
crore households that use lique-
fied petroleum gas (LPG) as
cooking fuel.
Forover10crorepoorhouse-
holds covered under the
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
(PMUY), the price cut would be
in addition to the existing sub-
sidy of Rs 300 per cylinder.
Following the announce-
ment,publicsectoroilmarketing
companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil
Corporation, Bharat Petroleum
Corporation and Hindustan
PetroleumCorporation—areset
to reduce LPG cylinder prices
from Friday midnight. With this
price reduction, the standard
14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder
would cost Rs 803 in Delhi, Rs
802.50 in Mumbai, Rs 829 in
Kolkata, and Rs 818.50 in
Chennai.TheeffectiveLPGcylin-
derpriceforPMUYconsumers—
including the subsidy benefit —
would be Rs 503 in Delhi, Rs
502.50 in Mumbai, Rs 529 in
KolkataandRs518.50inChennai.
The announcement came
adayaftertheUnionCabinetap-
proved the continuation of
the PMUY subsidy for the finan-
cial year 2024-25 (FY25) at an
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
INSIDE
PM AT CREATORS’
AWARDS: CAN SENSE
TIME AHEAD OF TIME
CONG’S FIRST LIST OF
CANDIDATES FOR LOK
SABHA POLLS OUT
INDIA POISED TO SIGN
TRADE AGREEMENT
WITH EFTA P 8, 6, 11
PAGE 1
ANCHOR Kick-off to history: Premier League gets first Indian-origin referee
NITIN SHARMA
CHANDIGARH, MARCH 8
WHEN SUNNY Singh Gill blows
the whistle at London’s Selhurst
Park Stadium on Saturday, he
will become the first person of
South Asian origin to referee a
match in the English Premier
League. And in doing so, the 39-
year-oldwillbecarryingforward
the family legacy.
Sunny’s appointment to offi-
ciate the match between Crystal
Palace and Luton Town was an-
CRACKDOWN IN 7 CITIES, INCLUDING MUMBAI, DELHI
CBI says travel agents used student
visas to push Indians into Russia war
Have strongly taken up matter with
Russian govt for early discharge: MEA
MAHENDER SINGH
MANRAL
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
ADMISSIONS TO relatively un-
known private universities, fee
discounts, visa extensions –
thesearesomeof thewaystravel
agents from across the country
duped dozens of men into going
to Russia and eventually being
forced into the country’s war
withUkraine,theCentralBureau
of Investigation has found.
The agency made these reve-
BACK AT RAMESHWARAM CAFE
Guests attend the reopening ceremony of Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on Friday, a week
after a blast left 9 people injured. The cafe will open to public 6 am Saturday. Jithendra M PAGE15
Sudha Murty picked
for Rajya Sabha, PM
underlines ‘nari shakti’
Former
Infosys
Foundation
chairperson
Sudha Murty
DEEPTIMAN TIWARY
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
SUDHA MURTY (73), philan-
thropist and former chairperson
ofInfosysFoundation,wasnomi-
natedtotheRajyaSabhaonFriday.
Announcingthenomination,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
posted on ‘X’: “I am delighted
that the President of India has
nominated @SmtSudhaMurty ji
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
RELATED REPORT P 15
nounced Tuesday by the
Professional Game Match
Officials Limited (PGMOL),
which appoints referees for
Premier League games.
While the game itself might
not be a marquee clash for a ma-
jority of football followers be-
yond those of the two clubs, for
the Gills, from Iver near London,
it’llbeamomentforgenerations.
Sunny is the elder of the two
sonsof JarnailSinghGill,62,who
remains the only referee to have
worn a turban in the English
Football League or EFL, the divi-
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA
lations a day after conducting
searches at around 15 places in
seven cities — Delhi, Mumbai,
Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai,
Thiruvananthapuram and
Chennai — and ascertaining that
variousagentsattheselocations,
as well as three currently based
in Russia, had allegedly duped
Indianyouths,primarilystudents.
The development comes
against the backdrop of two
Indianyouths—onefromGujarat
and another from Telangana —
dying on the frontlines.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
In ’21, RSS-linked
magazine said her
foundation backs
tukde tukde gang
DEEPTIMAN TIWARY
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
THEANNOUNCEMENTof Sudha
Murty as a nominee to the Rajya
Sabha shows the distance trav-
elled. Just over two years ago,
RSS-affiliated magazinePancha-
janyahadaccusedInfosysandits
foundation, then chaired by her,
of deliberately trying to desta-
bilise the Indian economy and
helping Naxals, Leftists and
“tukde tukde gang”.
In a report in September
2021, in the backdrop of glitches
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
sion below the Premier League.
“It’s a very proud moment
not just for the family or me but
the whole Sikh and Asian and
Indian community in England,”
Jarnail Singh Gill told The Indian
Express.
“Many of us will be seeing
one of our own officiating as a
referee at the highest level of
football in England.”
The Gills are trailblazers of
sorts when it comes to people of
Indian descent officiating in
English football. The family has
its roots in Kokri Beniwal village
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
SINCE 1932
Faisal Khan aka Baba Vlogs, who led
several Indians to Russian frontlines
ZEESHAN SHAIKH
MUMBAI, MARCH 8
“THEMAINbenefitof joiningthe
(Russian) army is that you will
get a special government card
which will ensure that you get
priority everywhere. On the ba-
sis of this card, you can apply for
Schengenvisasandevenforper-
manent residency. The govern-
ment there feels that all those
helpinginthesetimesneedtobe
givenbenefit.Itwillgiveyouper-
BJP, TDP on
cusp of striking
poll deal, talks
in final stretch
LIZ MATHEW
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
THEBJPisonthevergeof striking
an electoral deal with the Telugu
Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana
Sena Party (JSP) in Andhra
Pradeshandtakingamajorstride
towards bringing back one of its
former allies to the NDA fold.
TDP president N Chandra-
babu Naidu and JSP chief Pawan
Kalyan are awaiting another
round of discussion with Union
Home Minister Amit Shah and
BJP president J P Nadda.
They are expected to discuss
the number of Lok Sabha seats
that each side wants to contest,
sourcessaid.Naidu,accordingto
insiders, is ready to give the BJP
four to five seats of Andhra
Pradesh’s 25 Lok Sabha seats
while the latter is bargaining for
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Sunny Singh Gill (left) with father Jarnail Singh Gill and
brother Bhupinder Singh Gill. Professional Game Match Officials Ltd
What happened after these
men reached Russia was
beyond my control: Khan
AN EXPRESS INVESTIGATION-PART 1
Over half of Ayushman beneficiaries
used scheme to access private care;
53% patients in five southern states
Post-Covid
spend in private
hospitals almost
twice that in
Govt hospitals
KAUNAIN SHERIFF M
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
OVERSIXyearssincetheCentre’s
flagshiphealthinsurancescheme
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-
PMJAY) was launched in 2018,
two-thirds of the total money
spent under the scheme each
year went to private hospitals
across the country. This came
from2.95crorepatients—54%of
all beneficiaries till December
2023, an investigation of official
records and data obtained under
the Right to Information by The
Indian Express reveals.
The scheme is jointly funded
bytheCentreandthestatesinthe
ratio 60:40 (90:10 in the case of
North-East and hilly states).
Government hospitals account
for58%ofallfacilitiesempanelled.
In a country where the pri-
vate sector anyway accounts for
more hospitalisation cases —
60%inurbanareasand52%inru-
ralareas—thistrendaffirmsthat
for a big section of the popula-
tionthatwasdippingintoitssav-
ingsfortreatmentinprivatehos-
pitals, the Ayushman Bharat
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
TOMORROW, PART 2:
TOP TREATMENTS
`7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
manent residency,” Faisal Abdul
Mutallib Khan is heard saying
while walking on the streets of
Saint Petersburg, in a video up-
loaded on YouTube in
September 2023.
Itisthroughthisglibtalk that
Khan is said to have lured or
dupedalargenumberof Indians,
including30-year-oldTelangana
residentMohammedAfsan,into
working for the Russian Army in
its ongoing war with Ukraine.
Afsan, who became the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Ayushman Bharat counter at AIIMS, Delhi. Tashi Tobgyal
NO. OF PATIENTS (% SHARE)
■ In Private Hospitals
80%
■ In Government Hospitals
60.48%
60%
40%
20%
39.52%
2018-19
SCALE AND SPREAD
NO. OF PATIENTS
Pvthospitals Govthospitals
2.95cr 2.52cr
(54%) (46%)
Total
5.47cr
SPEND IN PVT, GOVT HOSPITALS (% SHARE)
69.73%
80%
60%
40% 30.27%
20%
2018-19
near Moga in Punjab and moved
toEnglandwhenJarnailwasjust
three.
At 20, Jarnail officiated his
first local league game and it
wasn’t before long that he dis-
continued his mechanical engi-
neering diploma to join a cab
rental service at Heathrow
Airport. Then for five years, he
worked with the Metropolitan
Policebeforereturningtohispas-
sion — refereeing, which he did
in 150 EFL matches until 2011.
Sunny’sbrother,Bhupinder,is
also a referee. In fact, the siblings
INDERLOK, NORTH DELHI
Delhi Police officer
kicks men offering
namaz, suspended
ARNABJIT SUR
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
A DELHI Police Sub-Inspector,
whowascaughtoncamerakick-
ing men offering namaz outside
a mosque on a road in Delhi’s
Inderlok Friday afternoon, was
suspended with immediate ef-
fect, police said.
The officer was identified as
Sub-Inspector Manoj Kumar
Tomar (35), in-charge of the
Inderlok police post in north
Delhi.Theincidenttriggeredten-
sion and protests in the area.
A purported video clip of the
incident showed Tomar kicking
and pushing some men offering
namaz, in an apparent effort to
remove them from the area. The
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
65.59% 55.19%
34.41% 44.81%
2021-22 2023-24
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Pvthospitals Govthospitals
`48,778.61cr `24,039.15cr
(67%) (33%)
Total
`72,817.77cr
69.14% 66.48%
30.86% 33.52%
2021-22 2023-24
became the first South Asians to
officiateinthesameEFLmatchin
2021.AndlastJanuary,Bhupinder
became the first Indian-origin
person to officiate as an assistant
referee in a Premier League
match (Southampton vs
Nottingham Forest).
But Sunny has reached
where no one from his family —
or the South Asian community
in England — did.
“I will be emotional as a fa-
ther,” said Jarnail, “Seeing Sunny
achieve more than what I did
and there will be some tears
A videograb of Sub-Inspector
Manoj Kumar Tomar during
the incident
Cuts expenses,
expands health
care net, gives
Centre imprint
across states
KAUNAIN SHERIFF M
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
OVER TIME, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s references to
the Ayushman Bharat health in-
surance scheme launched in
September 2018, point to three
key takeaways.
One, the scheme holds
promise in reducing out-of-
pocket expenditure of the poor.
Two, it provides patients and
their families access to critical
medical treatments and emer-
E
gency care that
EXPLAINED
were previously
financially unat-
tainable.Three,its
●
influence is most
pronounced in
marginalisedcommunities, par-
ticularly Scheduled Tribes.
From a political standpoint,
Modi has underscored that the
scheme is integral to building
trust. Whilehealthis a state sub-
ject, this scheme has allowed
himtomake the Central govern-
ment a key stakeholder in pro-
viding access to free healthcare
tocitizensacrossstates,irrespec-
tive of which party is in power.
The study of the RTI data re-
veals this and more. Particularly,
states in the south, ruled mostly
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
while watching and cheering
him on along with 30,000 odd
fans (in the stadium).”
According to Jarnail, Sunny’s
love for football grew when he
would take the two boys to be
his linesmen in local tourna-
ments held by the South Asian
community. The brothers then
played football at the local level,
with Sunny even appearing for
trials for Queens Park Rangers at
the age of 14.
When he was 15, Sunny did
a refereeing course and two
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
 2 THE SECOND PAGE
● `100 cut in LPG cylinder price
estimated cost of Rs 12,000
crore.
“Today,onWomen'sDay,our
government has decided to re-
duce LPG cylinder prices by Rs
100. This will significantly ease
the financial burden on millions
of households across the coun-
try,especiallybenefitingournari
shakti,”Modisaidinaposton'X'.
“By making cooking gas
more affordable, we also aim to
support the well-being of fami-
lies and ensure a healthier envi-
ronment. This is in line with our
commitment to empowering
womenandensuring‘easeof liv-
ing’ for them,” he said.
This is the second instance
of the government announcing
a cut in LPG prices for house-
holds in the current fiscal.
Ahead of the Assembly polls in
five states, a price cut of Rs 200
per cylinder was announced on
August 29.
At the time, apart from the
price cut, the government had
also decided to provide an addi-
tional 75 lakh PMUY connec-
tions, which would take the to-
tal number of beneficiaries to
10.35 crore, in a phased manner.
TheninOctober,thegovernment
hiked the PMUY subsidy by 50
per cent to Rs 300 per cylinder.
There are two aspects to the
cut in LPG prices. First, it could
helpineasingretailinflationfur-
ther. Second, oil prices have de-
clined from over $100 per barrel
soon after Russia’s invasion of
● In ’21, RSS-linked magazine said...
in the Income Tax e-filing portal
developed by Infosys, it said:
“Infosys is accused of providing
assistance to Naxals, Leftists and
tukde tukde gang. The issue of
Infosys directly or indirectly sup-
portingdivisiveforcesinthecoun-
try has already come out in the
open.”
Flagging some news portals
whichhadreceivedfundingfrom
the Infosys Foundation, then
chairedbySudhaMurty,themag-
azine had accused the Murtys of
funding “misinformation web-
sites”. These websites were seen
asbeingcriticalofthegovernment
and the Sangh.
“Some organisations that
spread caste hatred are also ben-
eficiaries of Infosys's charity.
Shouldn’t Infosys promoters be
asked what is the reason for the
company’s funding of anti-na-
tional and anarchist organisa-
tions? Should companies of such
suspect character be allowed to
participateingovernmenttender-
ingprocess?”thereporthadsaid.
Sudha Murty retired as chair-
person of Infosys Foundation on
December 31, 2021, just three
monthsafterthearticlewaspub-
lished.
An email sent to Infosys
Foundation for a response on
Fridaydidnotelicitanyresponse.
A Panchjanya spokesperson also
refused to comment on the mat-
ter.
Suggestingaconspiracybythe
Opposition, the 2021 report had
EXPRESS EDUCATION
Contact for Advt. Booking: M/s Friends Publicity Service
(M): 9212665841, 9212008155
Ukraineto$80-85perbarrel,giv-
ingtheOMCsmoreheadroomto
accommodate the cut in retail
prices.
Usually, OMCs bear the fi-
nancial implications of price
cuts, while the subsidy bill is
footed by the Centre. However,
there have been instances in the
past when the OMCs sold LPG at
reduced prices amid high inter-
nationalfuelpricevolatility,with
the government later providing
themwithfinancialassistanceto
cover the losses incurred on that
count.
According to the National
SampleSurveyOffice(NSSO),LPG
is the primary source of energy
for nearly 50 per cent of house-
holds in rural areas and about 90
per cent of urban households
across the country. As per latest
available government data, the
average LPG consumption of
PMUY consumers has increased
by 29 per cent from 3.01 refills in
FY20 to 3.87 refills (till January
2024) prorated for FY24.
As per estimates based on
FY23 data, LPG consumption by
non-PMUY consumers was al-
most 145 crore cylinder refills,
while for PMUY beneficiaries, it
was around 36 crore refills, tak-
ing the total to around 181 crore
refills. Assuming the LPG refill
ratesandconsumerbaseremain
similar to FY23 levels, the finan-
cial impact of the latest price cut
wouldbe around Rs 18,100 crore
on an annualised basis.
said: “One of the promoters of
Infosys is Nandan Nilekani who
has contested Lok Sabha polls on
a Congress ticket. Company’s
founder N R Narayana Murthy’s
oppositiontotheincumbentgov-
ernment’s ideology is not hidden
from anyone. Infosys appoints
people subscribing to a certain
ideologyonimportantposts.Most
oftheseareMarxistsfromBengal.
Ifsuchacompanygetsimportant
government tenders, wouldn’t
therebeathreatofinfluencefrom
China and the (Pakistan spy
agency) ISI?”
It also raised suspicion that
glitches in projects contracted to
Infosys may be a ploy by the
Oppositiontoensurethatthegov-
ernment is forced to change its
policyofgivingcontractstoIndian
companies. This, it said, would
hurt the idea of an Aatmanirbhar
Bharat.
However, following a furore
overthereport,theRSShadlater
sought to distance itself. “As an
Indian company, Infosys has
made seminal contribution in
progress of the country. There
might be certain issues with a
portal run by Infosys, but the ar-
ticle published by Panchjanya in
thiscontextonlyreflectsindivid-
ual opinion of the author,” RSS
spokesperson Sunil Ambekar
had said. “Panchjanya is not a
mouthpiece of the RSS and the
saidarticleoropinionsexpressed
initshouldnotbelinkedwiththe
RSS,” he had added.
FROM PAGE ONE
How Indians landed on Russia frontlines
The Ministry of External
Affairs also issued a statement in
thisregardFriday.“SeveralIndian
nationals have been duped to
work with the Russian Army. We
havestronglytakenupthematter
with the Russian government for
earlydischargeofsuchIndianna-
tionals,”MEA’sofficialspokesper-
son Randhir Jaiswal said.
“Strong action has been initi-
atedagainstagentsandunscrupu-
lous elements who recruited
themonfalsepretextsandprom-
ises. The CBI yesterday busted a
majorhumantraffickingnetwork,
conducting searches in several
citiesandcollectingincriminating
evidence. A case of human traf-
fickinghasbeenregisteredagainst
several agents,” Jaiswal said.
“We once again appeal to
Indiannationalstonotbeswayed
by offers made by agents for sup-
port jobs with the Russian Army.
This is fraught with danger and
risk to life,” he said.
As reported by The Indian
Express, the path of several such
youths to Russia often started
with the search for a job. Several
families testified that the young
men had come across a YouTube
ChannelpromisingjobsinRussian
government offices in Moscow,
but once the men reached the
country,theywereswiftlytrained
and sent to the frontlines.
The CBI found that a single
agency based in Delhi sent as
many as 180 people to Russia,
mostly on student visas. Sources
said the role of embassy employ-
ees is also under scanner.
In its FIR, the CBI said agents
were duping Indians on the pre-
textofadmissionstodubiouspri-
vateuniversitiesinRussia,butnot
ingovernmentorpubliclyknown
ones. “It has been learnt that on
reachingRussia,passportsofthese
Indian nationals were
● Cuts expenses
by Opposition parties, which al-
ready had their own insurance
schemes and relatively better
healthcare infrastructure, have
made the most of the Ayushman
scheme.
InstateslikeBihar,Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
andUttarPradesh,whichhadlow
healthinsurancecoveragebefore
the launch of Ayushman Bharat,
the scheme has brought benefits
to a significant portion of their
population.
Data also shows its impact on
cuttinghouseholdexpenditureon
health. Out-of-pocket expendi-
turein2014-15wasashighas62.6
percentofthetotalhealthexpen-
ditureforahousehold.In2019-20,
two years after the launch of the
scheme, this dropped to 47 per
cent of the total health expendi-
ture.Theseareearlysignsanddata
of later years once available will
shed more light on this trend.
This decline can be partly at-
tributed to a substantial increase
in social expenditure on health,
encompassing government allo-
cations for premiums or budgets
designated for health insurance
schemes like the PMJAY. Indeed,
social security expenditure on
health has risen to 9.3 per cent in
2019-20 from 5.7% in 2014-15.
And it is socio-economically
disadvantagedgroupsthatbene-
fit the most.
A considerable portion of the
scheme’s beneficiaries are from
the scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes,andotherbackwardcastes,
whichhavetoendureadispropor-
tionate burden in terms of med-
icalcostsrelativetotheirincomes.
Duringhospitalstays,forinstance,
the average medical expenditure
per case of hospitalisation for ru-
ral SC individuals amounts to Rs
11,315,whiletheirurbancounter-
partsspendRs18,380.ForSTs,itis
Rs 14,857 in rural areas and Rs
19,492 in urban centers, and for
OBCs, Rs 16,114 in rural regions
and Rs 21,778 in urban settings.
Annualcoverageof Rs5lakhpro-
vided by the scheme can, there-
fore, substantively mitigate their
out-of-pocket expenditure.
● Sudha Murty picked for RS
totheRajyaSabha.Sudhaji’scon-
tributionstodiversefieldsinclud-
ingsocialwork,philanthropyand
education have been immense
andinspiring.Herpresenceinthe
Rajya Sabha is a powerful testa-
ment to our 'Nari Shakti', exem-
plifying the strength and poten-
tial of women in shaping our
nation's destiny. Wishing her a
fruitful Parliamentary tenure.”
MurtyisthewifeofInfosysco-
founder Narayana Murthy. Their
daughter, Akshata, is married to
British Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak.
Thanking the PM, Murty
posted on 'X': “It is my privilege
and honour to be nominated to
theRajyaSabha...Iamverygrate-
fulfortheopportunitytoserveour
FULL REPORTS ON
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
taken/snatched by agents. They
were being trained in combat
roles and provided with Russian
army uniform and batches. Later,
these Indian nationals are/were
being deployed at front bases in
the Russia-Ukraine war zone
againsttheirwishesandputtheir
lives in grave danger,” it states.
TheCBIsaidithasestablished
thatsomepeoplewerealsogriev-
ously injured as a result.
Lastweek,Jaiswalhadtoldre-
porters that some 20 Indians,
working as support staff or
helpers with the Russian Army,
havecontactedIndianauthorities
for assistance. “The traffickers
havebeenoperatingasanorgan-
ised network and were luring
Indian nationals through social
mediachannelssuchasYouTube,
and also through local
contacts/agents for highly paid
jobs in Russia,” he had said.
InitsFIR,theCBIalsosaid,“The
accusedpersons,themselvesand
through their agents, trafficked
Indian nationals to Russia on the
pretext of getting jobs related to
the Russian army, as security
guards,helpers,orforabetterlife,
job, education. Huge amounts
werechargedfromthesepersons
illegally. The human trafficking
network of these agents are
spread over several states across
India,” the CBI said in its FIR.
TheaccusednamedbytheCBI
initsFIRincludedfourcompanies,
ofwhichthreewereincorporated
in 2023.
Delhi-based 24X7 RAS
Overseas Foundation, whose di-
rectors are Suyash Mukut and
Garima Balayan, was incorpo-
ratedinJanuary2023.Ithasanau-
thorised capital of Rs 1 lakh and
paidupcapitalofRs80,000.Itsof-
fice in New Delhi’s Kasturba
GandhiMargwasfoundlockedon
Friday,aswasitsdirectorMukut’s
● Over half of Ayushman beneficiaries used scheme for pvt care; 53% patients in 5 South states
scheme has significantly re-
duced their out-of-pocket
healthcare spending. The gov-
ernment’s own data suggests
that average medical expendi-
ture in private hospitals is 6-8
timesthatin government hospi-
tals.
Launched in September
2018, AB-PMJAY aims to achieve
universal health coverage and
substantially decrease out-of-
pocket healthcare expenses
among the poor, for whom a
health emergency often leads to
further impoverishment and
debts.
Of the Rs 72,817 crore total
expenditure under the scheme
since2018,Rs48,778crore–67%
-- went to private healthcare fa-
cilities.
The southern states of Tamil
Nadu,Kerala,Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh,andTelanganatogether
have just 17 per cent of
Ayushman cards nationwide,
but account for a substantial 53
per cent of the total patients in
the country. This indicates the
widespread utilisation of the
scheme in the southern region.
And nearly 60 per cent of the
total 5.47 crore patients who
availed of the scheme over five
years were from five states —
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh. This suggests that
despite controversies between
theCentreandOpposition-ruled
states over schemes and fund-
ing, the impact of the Ayushman
Bharat scheme is not limited to
states governed by the ruling
party at the Centre.
Delhi, Odisha and West
Bengal have opted out of this
scheme.
The scheme: scale and
spread
The cashless and paperless
schemeoffersupto Rs5 lakhan-
nually per family for hospitalisa-
tions in 27,000 empanelled sec-
ondary (hospitals with basic
specialties including medicine,
gynaecology) and tertiary (su-
per-specialty, like neurosurgery,
nation.”
APTIreportquotedherassay-
ing that she had “absolutely no
idea”whythegovernmentchose
to nominate her. “It came on
Women'sDayandthat'sadouble
surprise. I am very happy. I am
grateful to our Prime Minister,”
Murty, who is currently on a visit
to Thailand, told PTI over phone.
Onherroleasamemberofthe
UpperHouse,shetoldPTI:“Ihave
to see what are the things... what
I can do. This is a new area to me.
So,Ihavetofirstsitandstudyand
then I will be able to do it.”
Thetimingofthenomination,
on International Women’s Day,
and Modi underlining “nari
shakti” (women power) is signif-
icant given that the BJP is on an
home in Greater Kailash.
Ambala-basedAdventureVisa
Services (OPC) Private Limited,
whose director is Manjeet Singh,
wasincorporatedinJanuary2023.
It has an authorised capital of Rs
15lakhandpaidupcapitalofRs2
lakh.
SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress,
Singhdeniedthathisfirmwasin-
volved in any illegality. “I was not
atourChandigarhofficewhenthe
CBI team landed there on
Thursday. I met the CBI team on
Friday and provided all the rele-
vant information. I am ready to
facetheprobe.Idon’thavetofear
anythingbecausewedon’tdoany
illegal work,” he said, adding that
the company’s office in Ambala
was shut in February 2023, after
which it was moved to
Chandigarh.
“We have completed all legal
formalities,includingregistration
of our firm with the (Union
Ministry of) Micro, Small and
MediumEnterprises(MSME).We
have sent more than 100 youths
to Russia, earning nearly US$300
ineachcase,”saidSingh,whohails
fromNihaluwalvillageinPunjab’s
Barnala district.
“Wedidnotrecruitanyonefor
the (Russia-Ukraine) war. We
sendyouthsonlyonstudyvisas…
Ourworkislimitedtovisas,exten-
sionof visasandadmissionof the
students concerned and their
classes there,” he added.
Another firm named in the
FIR, Baba Vlogs Overseas
Recruitment Solutions, has Faisal
Abdulmuttalib Khan and
Mohammad Sufiyan Dawood
Ahmad Darugar as directors. It
wasincorporatedinAugust2023,
and has an authorised capital of
Rs5lakhandpaidupcapitalof Rs
1 lakh.
When The Indian Express vis-
itedDarugar’sMumbaiaddressas
cardiology, orthopaedics)
healthcare facilities, with the
benefits extending nationwide
andwithoutrestrictionsonfam-
ily size, age, or gender.
The scheme covers nearly
2,000 procedures and provides
critical illness coverage for pa-
tients suffering from cancer,
heart and liver diseases, among
many more. Besides the ex-
penses incurred during the hos-
pitalisation, the scheme covers
threedaysof pre-hospitalisation
and 15 dayspost-hospitalisation
expenses such as diagnostics
and medicines.
Beneficiaryfamiliesareiden-
tified from the 2011 Socio-
Economic Caste Census (SECC),
based on specific deprivation
and occupational criteria across
both rural and urban areas.
Around 13.44 crore families (65
crore people) are potential ben-
eficiaries of the scheme. So far,
32.40 crore people have been is-
sued Ayushman Bharat cards.
Ananalysisof dataanddocu-
ments obtained through the
Right to Information (RTI) Act
shows that between 2018 and
2023, 5.47 crore patients ac-
cessed treatment under the
scheme. While the annual aver-
age hovered around 49 lakh pa-
tients in the first three years, the
subsequent three years saw a
surge, with an average of 1.33
crore patients accessing treat-
ments through the scheme an-
nually.
More patients availed
of private healthcare
It’stheprivatesectorthatsaw
a bulk of the 5.47 crore patients
over the last five years.
Consider some of these find-
ings:
■Whilesixoutof 10empan-
elled hospitals are government-
run, when it came to hospitali-
sation, 54 out of 100 patients, or
2.95 crore patients of the total
5.47 crore who availed of the
scheme in the last five years, ac-
cessedprivatehospitalsfortreat-
ment under the scheme.
■ The percentage of individ-
overdrive to woo women voters
ahead of the 2024 polls.
The party has not only an-
nouncedvariousschemestarget-
ing women, but has consistently
emphasised its focus on welfare
andprotectionof womenin vari-
ous legislation – from Nari Shakti
Vandan Adhiniyam (women’s
reservation Bill) to Bharatiya
NyayaSanhita(toreplacetheIPC)
wherethegovernmentclaimedit
had pushed up sections dealing
with crime against women.
While women contingents
have been showcased at recent
RepublicDayparades,thegovern-
ment has also announced an all-
women Sainik School in
Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
Vice President and Chairman
ofRajyaSabha,JagdeepDhankhar,
alsocongratulatedMurty.“Onthis
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
mentioned in the CBI FIR, the flat
was found to have been locked.
Accordingtohisnext-doorneigh-
bourattheVasaiapartmentbuild-
ing,theflathadbeenoccupiedby
Darugar, his wife and their chil-
dren.“However,wehavenotseen
them in the past week. They did
not interact much with anyone.
Many people are now coming
here and enquiring about them.
Faisal was always seen with
Sufiyan and he stayed with his
family in the apartment building
opposite ours,” the neighbour
said.
When Express visited Faisal’s
apartment, his wife said she had
not seen Faisal for the past two-
threemonthsandthatshehadno
knowledge of the allegations
against him. “I don’t know any-
thingabouthiswhereaboutsand
cannotcommentonhisworkbe-
causewearenolongerintouchas
wehaveappliedforadivorce,”she
said.
O.S.D Bros Travels & Visa
ServicesPrivateLimitedistheold-
estof thefourfirmsnamedinthe
FIR, and was incorporated in
October2016.Ithasanauthorised
and paid up capital of Rs 50,000.
Its directors are Rakesh Pandey
and Deepak Pandey. On a visit to
the shop address of OSD Bros in
Malad on Friday, the offices were
found to be shut.
Locals said CBI officials had
gone to the area a day earlier and
enquired about the owners’
whereabouts. However, the of-
fices have been shut since
Wednesday morning, the locals
said.
–WithinputsfromSUKHBIR
SIWACHfromAmbala;
VALLABHOZARKAR,
NAYONIKABOSE,PRATIP
ACHARYAfromMumbai;
DHEERAJMISHRA,UPASIKA
SINGHALfromNewDelhi
TOP SPENDING STATES
State Amount
Andhra Pradesh `13,419 Cr
Gujarat `8,087 Cr
Tamil Nadu `6,249 Cr
Kerala `5,652 Cr
Madhya Pradesh `5,492 Cr
Chhattisgarh `5,437 Cr
Uttar Pradesh `4,528 Cr
Karnataka `4,221 Cr
Telangana `3,517 Cr
Maharashtra `2,292 Cr
STATES WITH MOST BENEFICIARIES
State Patients
Tamil Nadu 97,11,065
Karnataka 70,95,625
Kerala 55,16,036
Andhra Pradesh 52,60,142
Chhattisgarh 47,55,069
Madhya Pradesh 35,44,696
Uttar Pradesh 31,54,710
Gujarat 29,48,965
Jharkhand 18,68,524
Punjab 18,28,018
Source: RTI data, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
ualsseekingtreatmentatprivate
facilities exceeded the national
average of 54% in 15 states (see
map).
■ In eight of these states and
UTs, a staggering 70% of those
who accessed treatment under
theschemedidsoatprivatehos-
pitals – Uttar Pradesh (81%),
Haryana (81.45%), Gujarat (78%),
Chandigarh (76%), Maharashtra
(77%), Tamil Nadu (74%),
Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh
(~70%).
■ Zooming out, the data re-
veals that a big chunk of the 2.95
crorebeneficiarieswhoaccessed
treatment at private facilities
were concentrated in just five
states: Tamil Nadu (71.95 lakh
patients),AndhraPradesh(35.78
lakh patients), Uttar Pradesh
(25.57 lakh patients), Gujarat
(23.04 lakh patients) and Kerala
(21.31 lakh patients) – pointing
greatday,comesasoothingnews,
moresoothingtobetheChairman
of Rajya Sabha. Dr Sudha Murthy,
anillustriouswomandedicatedto
social progress and committed to
development of vulnerable sec-
tions of society, has been nomi-
nated to Rajya Sabha...,” he wrote
on'X'.
Murty, who was awarded the
PadmaBhushanlastyear,wasthe
first woman engineer at Tata
Engineering and Locomotive
Company.In1996,shestartedthe
Infosys Foundation, the philan-
thropic arm of Infosys India. She
retired as its chairperson in
December 2021, and is currently
thechairpersonoftheMurtyTrust.
Murty has written many
books, including novels, non-fic-
tion,travelogues,technicalbooks
and memoirs.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
● Faisal Khan aka Baba Vlogs
secondIndiancasualtyinthewar,
was sent to Russia by Khan. The
twoaresaidtohavecomeincon-
tact when Afsan approached
Khan after watching a video that
he had posted on his YouTube
channel, Baba Vlogs. Khan also
runs a manpower consultancy
firm by the name of Babavlogs,
providingservicestosendpeople
to countries like Dubai, Serbia,
Croatia, Germany and Singapore,
among many others.
Khan, who is in his mid 30s,
has been accused of duping peo-
pleinthepasttoo,andalsofound
himself on the radar of the
Maharashtraanti-terroristsquad
(ATS) in a conversion case.
SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress
from Dubai on Friday, Khan said
that what happened to the peo-
ple he sent to Russia was beyond
his control. “I have sent a total of
35peopletoRussia.Iamalsoavic-
tim here. I was told by the other
agentsandthehandlersinRussia
that these men would not be de-
ployed on the front lines. What
has happened after these men
reached Russia was beyond my
control. When I got to know that
someofthemenhadbeensentto
the front lines, I desperately tried
to get them back,” he said.
He also claimed that all the
candidates sent by him were
aware of the risks involved with
the job and suggested that some
of them may have been tempted
totakeuptougherandmoredan-
gerous assignments in lieu of in-
creased remuneration.
“The contract explicitly ex-
plainedtherisksinvolvedwiththe
job.Whiletheywerenottobede-
ployedonthefrontlines,beingas-
sociated with military work in a
war zone does have risks in-
volved,” Khan said.
“My intent has not been to
dupe anyone and send them in
harm's way. If I was duping peo-
ple,wouldIhaveleftanytrace?All
my videos explaining about the
work that people would have to
Pvt hospitals Govt hospitals
76.90% 23.10%
84.97% 15.03%
58.97% 41.03%
38.53% 61.47%
71.99% 28.01%
64.70% 35.30%
82.19% 17.81%
48.63% 51.37%
49.46% 50.54%
80.19% 19.81%
Pvt hospitals Govt hospitals
74.09% 25.91%
8.92% 91.08%
38.65% 61.35%
68.02% 31.98%
40.75% 59.25%
53.13% 46.87%
81.06% 18.94%
78.13% 21.87%
68.69% 31.31%
58.17% 41.83%
to disparities across states in ac-
cesstohealthcareservices.These
five accounted for around 60% of
the 2.95 crore beneficiaries who
sought treatment at private fa-
cilities.
■ Of particular note is Uttar
Pradesh, one of India’s largest
states, which has consistently
experienced double-digit
growth in patients going to pri-
vate hospitals over the previous
year. For instance, 52,202 bene-
ficiaries from the state received
treatments at private facilities in
2018-19.Thefollowingyear,that
number rose to 2.17 lakh benefi-
ciaries, a remarkable 316% in-
crease. Over the next four years,
the state consistently reported
double-digit jumps when com-
pared to previous years: 16%,
62%, 64%, and 42%, respectively.
■ The data shows that the
government incurred an expen-
● Premier League referee
years later, officiated in a Sunday
league match. “Both Sunny and
Bhupinder were very young
when they started refereeing lo-
calmatches.Duetolackof lifeex-
periences, they struggled to cope
withthepressurefromeagerpar-
entsaswellasfansandwentback
to playing football at the local
level. I always told them that
whenever they were ready, they
could rejoin,” Jarnail said.
The decision wasn’t easy,
though. Sunny faced a tough call
tochoosebetweenrefereeingand
his job as a prison officer in the
LondonBoroughofHounslow.He
quit last year.
“It was tough, doing full-time
shift work during the week then
going off officiating at the week-
do in Russia are still online and I
have not pulled them down as I
am not guilty,” Khan added.
AresidentofMumbai,Khanis
a class 6 dropout and claims that
his poor financial conditions
made him take up work as a fish-
monger in Dadar. In 2008, he
headed to Dubai, where he
workedasasalesman.In2016,he
started a manpower consultancy
named Babavlogs, sending
IndianstoworkinGulf countries.
The same year, he started his
YouTube channel.
He landed in a controversy in
2018aftera23-year-oldMumbai-
basedman,whomhehadsentto
Dubai,informedhisfamilythathe
hadconvertedtoIslam.Khanwas,
at one point, questioned by the
ATS about the man's conversion,
though no case was registered.
While Khan concentrated
mainly on sending people to
Dubai, it was from October 2022
that he started sending people to
othercountries.FromJuly2023,he
started promoting jobs in Russia,
telling people they could work as
delivery men and taxi drivers.
Gradually, he started promoting
thebenefitsofworkingforRussian
Army, promising a starting salary
of Rs 40,000, which would be in-
creased to Rs 1 lakh after three
months’training.
“Youdonothavetofireamis-
sile. There is no war happening
here. The fighting is taking place
attheborder,whichiswheretheir
armyis.Theyneedsomeonewho
can take care of the home front
and need manpower for it. This
workwillbehandledbyyou.Your
work will be to clear demolished
buildings. You will also need to
take care of their arms and am-
munition,”Khansaysinavideoin
September 2023.
Khan offered these services
throughthreenumbersheshared
on his website and channel. The
numbers belonged to Khan,
Sufiyan, and a woman by the
name of Pooja.
diture of Rs 72,817.76 crore for
treating patients under the
scheme, of which Rs 48,778.61
crore or over 66% was spent for
treatment at private facilities.
■ Of this total expenditure
incurred for treatmentatprivate
facilities, 59% was in just five
states: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
and Tamil Nadu.
Other findings
■ While Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Haryana,andMadhyaPradeshac-
count for close to 24% of the total
empanelled government hospi-
tals, only 11% of the total patients
accessed treatment in govern-
ment hospitals in these states.
■ Conversely, four states —
Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir,
Punjab,andJharkhand—thatto-
gether account for a mere 5% of
totalempanelledhospitals,how-
ever, served 22% of the total pa-
tients seeking treatment at gov-
ernment facilities nationally.
This suggests some of these
states have a relatively efficient
government healthcare system,
where a smaller number of hos-
pitals are able to cater to a larger
proportion of the population.
Post-Covid trend
Inthelasttwofinancialyears,
there is a shift towards govern-
ment facilities among patients
accessing treatment under the
scheme but not in spending.
Consider this: In 2022-23,
64.96lakhpatientsoptedforpri-
vate facilities, whereas 70.69
lakh chose government ones.
The following year, 2023-24,
57.56lakhpatientspreferredpri-
vate facilities, while 70.89 lakh
took the government route.
Yet, the cost dynamics tell a
different story. In 2022-23, Rs
13,213 crore was spent on treat-
mentsinprivatefacilities,dwarf-
ing the Rs 7,055 crore spent at
governmenthospitals.Similarly,
in 2023-24, Rs 12,947.42 crore
was shelled out for treatments
at private facilities in contrast to
Rs 6,528.33 crore spent at gov-
ernment ones.
ends… you have to think how it
will affect your life but I knew it
was what I wanted to do,” Sunny
was quoted as saying by the EFL
website. “I asked my family to
stick with me because I knew it
would be worthwhile when I
could have a professional career
in football and I did,” he said.
According to Jarnail, one rea-
son why Sunny could afford to
leavehisjobandfocusonreferee-
ing as a profession is the ecosys-
tem in place for match officials,
withmoreopportunitiesforpeo-
plefromBlack,AsianandMinority
Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. In
2019, England Football
Associationreportednearly2,000
(9.4%)ofrefereesinEnglandwere
of BAME background.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024 THE CITY 3
HC ‘DISTURBED’ AFTER TRIAL COURT JUDGE ‘SUGGESTS’ SETTLEMENT IN 2020 CASE

Offering money to settle rape case strikes

at core of our criminal justice system: HC Thesingle-judgebenchof Justice
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE SwaranaKantaSharma,initsMarch
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8 7order,said,“Thiscourtisdisturbed
by the fact that it was the learned
THE DELHI High Court recently ex- trial court judge, as stated at bar as
pressedconcernovertheconductof well as in the petition, which is ac-
atrialcourtjudgeforallegedly“sug- companiedbyanaffidavitregarding
gesting” to and “assisting” the ac- thetruthfulnessof avermentsmade
cused and the woman in an alleged in the petition, who had enquired
rapecasetosettlethematterduring from the victim if she wished to en-
recording of prosecution evidence. ter into a compromise with the ac-
The observations came while cused.Thesettlementagreementin
dismissing a man’s plea seeking question also mentions the same,
quashingof anFIRregisteredagainst and in fact, the agreement also
him for rape in 2020, on the ground recordsthatthepartieshavearrived
thatthematterhadbeensettledand atanagreementwiththeaidandas-
compromised. The court thereafter sistance of the learned trial court”.
directedthatthecasebetriedbyan- The HC observed that the trial
other judge to ensure that justice court had framed charges against
should not only be done but also the accused and prosecution evi-
seem to be done. dence was being recorded, so it was
unable to comprehend why the
judgewouldhaveaskedthewoman
to settle the matter involving a
heinous offence like rape.
The HC further said the woman
had also stated before it that she
had entered into a settlement
agreement “only at the asking” of
the trial court judge and this was
mentioned in the agreement,
“which is duly notarised”.
“... this court expresses concern
over the conduct of the learned trial
judge, if it is true, that the trial judge
had suggested and assisted the ac-
cusedandthevictim,inacaseunder
Section 376 of IPC, to settle the mat-
ter, while the same court was
recording prosecution evidence,”
Justice Sharma said.
As per the settlement agree-
ment of January 6, the man agreed
to pay Rs 3.5 lakh to the woman if
the FIR is quashed, wherein she had
agreed that “whatever happened
between her and the accused (was)
out of her free will and was a con-
sensual relationship”. The agree-
ment also stated that the woman
had agreed that she had deposed
against the accused before the trial
court due to a “misunderstanding”.
Onthis,JusticeSharmaobserved,
“Money,itseems,istobeexchanged
for getting a quietus to the present
criminal proceedings for offence of
rape — a proposition that is not only
immoral but also strikes at the very
core of our criminal justice system”.
Opining that rape is a “heinous
violationof awoman’sbodilyauton-
omy”andanoffenceagainstsociety,
theHCremarkedthatallowingaset-
tlement, like in the present case,
wouldamountto“trivialisingsuffer-
ings of a rape victim and reducing
her anguish to a mere transaction”.
Raisingdoubtsontheclaimsinthe
agreement, the HC further said if the
woman’s prior statements before po-
lice,magistrateandtrialcourtarebased
onamisunderstandingarisingfroma
consensualrelationship,thenthe“need
for monetary compensation to settle
thematterbecomesquestionable”.
Italsonotedthatthewomanhad
made specific allegations in her tes-
timony against the accused — that
he had intoxicated her and then es-
tablishedphysicalrelationswithout
her consent, as well as recorded in-
appropriatephotosandvideosof her
and had threatened her.

Elvish Yadav booked for beating up fellow YouTuber

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
GURGAON, MARCH 8
A YOUTUBER was allegedly beaten up
by Bigg Boss OTT winner and fellow
YouTuber Elvish Yadav and 10 others
in Gurgaon over social media rivalry,
police said. An FIR has been registered
against Yadav, they added.
Police said Delhi resident Sagar
Thakur (25) was assaulted by Yadav
around 12.30 am on Friday. Inspector
Rajender Singh, SHO Sector 53 police
station,saidYadavhadcalledThakurto
South Point Mall on Golf Course Road.
“It was at a shop owned by Yadav's ac-
quaintance... the moment he came in,
he started beating Thakur up,” he said.
A purported video of the incident
shows Yadav entering the room and
beatingupthevictimashegreetshim.
Yadav, however, told The Indian
Express that the victim threatened to
kill his family. “The incident took place
in the heat of the moment," he added.
In his complaint, Thakur alleged:
“... Over thelast few months, Elvish fan
pages spread hate... leaving me dis-
tressed. I was asked by Yadav to meet
(him). When he came to the store, he
and his 8-10 goons, who were drunk,
started beating me...”
SHO Singh said: “They’ve been vy-
ing with each other on YouTube... We
have collected footage; a probe is on.”

Fix issues in 48 hrs:

Atishi to chief secy
on sewer overflow,
water contamination
EXPRESS NEWS
SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8

DELHI WATER Minister Atishi

on Friday wrote to Chief
SecretaryNareshKumar,high-
lighting that residents from
several parts of the national
capital have been filing com-
plaints related to water con-
tamination and sewer over-
flow, and that a short-term
resolution needs to be in place
within 48 hours.
Atishi,whoisalsotheDelhi
Jal Board (DJB) chairperson,
wrote that they have received
severalsuchcomplaints“inthe
last 24 hours”.
Directing the Chief
Secretary to find a long-term
solution in a week, Atishi
wrote in the letter: “I am en-
closing 80 complaints regard-
ingseweroverflow,watercon-
tamination,andwaterpipeline
leakage that I have received in
the last 24 hours... 1916 — the
grievance redressal portal for
DJB has more than 10,000 un-
resolved complaints.”
She further said that simi-
lardirectionshavebeenissued
totheCEOandothermembers
of the DJB. “Sending com-
plaints to the CEO and other
members of the DJB has borne
no results. I will now be send-
ing all DJB-related complaints
to you. It is now your respon-
sibilitytoresolvetheseissues,”
Water Minister Atishi
read the letter by Atishi.
The DJB has more than
10,000unresolvedcomplaints,
Atishisaid,addingthatshehas
notyetreceivedanyinspection
report, despite instructions to
provide them. “Despite my in-
structions that inspection re-
ports of the CEO, chief engi-
neers, and other officers be
sent to me every Monday, I
have not received a single re-
port,” Atishi wrote.
She also mentioned that
despite bringing the com-
plaints to the CEO's notice, the
situation on the ground has
not changed.
“I’m shocked that senior
DJB officers have not been
able to take any long-term
corrective action in the mat-
ter, despite recurring com-
plaints. In the absence of an
effective public grievance sys-
tem, the people of Delhi are
being forced to live in inhu-
man conditions,” said Atishi.

L-G approves 2 panels

to enforce aid scheme
to help poor prisoners
EXPRESS NEWS
SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
L-G V K Saxena approved the
constitutionof an‘empowered
committee’ and ‘oversight
committee’fortheimplemen-
tation of the central govern-
ment’s scheme to financially
assist poor prisoners.
According to L-G House of-
ficials,poorprisonerscannotbe
released from jail due to finan-
cial constraints — either due to
non-paymentoffinesimposed
on them or because they can’t
pay the bail amount.
“The L-G took note that the
implementationof thescheme
has been delayed, despite the
Union Home Minister writing
to the Delhi Chief Minister in
May2023totakeadvantageof
the scheme, for which the en-
tire fund will be provided by
theCentralgovernment...Later,
the Union Home Secretary in
June wrote a letter addressing
the Delhi government, to take
necessary action for imple-
mentation of the scheme.
Saxena also noticed that itwas
partof theUnionBudget2023-
24,andthereisaneedforitsex-
peditious implementation, as
per the SOP circulated by the
Ministryof HomeAffairs,”said
L-G House officials.
In response, the Delhi gov-
ernment said: “The Home
Minister received the file on
February12,andreturnediton
February 22.”
According to officials, the
scheme — which will be im-
plemented as per guidelines,
and a standing operating
procedure issued by the
MHA — will likely benefit 162
prisoners.
The approximate amount
required to provide assistance
to these prisoners — 161 un-
der-trial prisoners, and one
convict — is approximately Rs
23,79,000, as per the Prison
Department data, officials
added. “This scheme will not
only benefit the poor jail in-
mates, but also resolve the
overcrowding problem in
jails,” said officials.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

4 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024 ANANDVIHAR ROHINI R K PURAM PUSA S K Y WA T C H
Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate
FORECAST: March 9
Partly cloudy sky.
161 175 162 177 Strong surface winds
AQI AQI AQI AQI
0 PM 2.5 500 0 PM 2.5 500 0 PM 2.5 500 0 PM 10 500
At 5 pm MAX: 27 MIN: 11
0-50 Good 51-100 Satisfactory 101-200 Moderate 201-300 Poor 301-400 Very Poor 401-500 Severe 1.4°C belownormal 3°C belownormal

AAP KICKS OFF LOK SABHA CAMPAIGN HC: Mediation

Kejriwal appeal to voters: I am a ‘bridge to

resolution’,

your son... boost my strength

except in
POCSO cases
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8 CITING RELIGIOUS scriptures
like the Holy Bible, Bhagavad
LAUNCHING THE Aam Aadmi Gita, and the Holy Quran on the
Party’s (AAP) campaign for the importance of mediation, the
Lok Sabha elections, Chief Delhi High Court has recently
Minister Arvind Kejriwal on observed that amid conflict,
Friday urged the residents “mediation is the bridge to reso-
of Delhi to “strengthen his lution and under no circum-
hands” by electing INDIA al- stances (should) the bridge will

TAKING THE LEAD liance candidates.

While giving the slogan
“sansad mein bhi Kejriwal, tabhee
Women staff take the lead at Safdarjung Railway Station on International Women’s Day on Dilli hogee aur khushahaal (with
Friday. The Northern Railways also declared it a pink station for a day. Praveen Khanna KejriwalinParliamenttoo,Delhi
will be more prosperous)”, the
AAP national convenor accused
BJP’s incumbent MPs of never
be allowed to collapse”.
The HC made the observa-
tionswhilehearingaman’splea,
(From left) Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, along with estranged from his wife and not
their candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, at the AAP office in New Delhi on Friday. Praveen Khanna currently living with her or their
children,whohadsoughtthere-
opening of a case claiming that
against the atrocities of the BJP” reaching the Parliament. It is not in these mohalla clinics. All of the children were sexually

Gym trainer killed on wedding talking about the concerns of

DelhiresidentsintheParliament.
Kejriwal on Friday also intro-
and its government. “Today, I'm
alone in this fight... You call me
yourson,butifIamtrulyyourson,
foolingthepeopleofDelhi,butit-
self,” alleged Sachdeva.
HittingoutattheBJP,Kejriwal
this was done by the L-G and the
Central government. They
stopped all the tests in mohalla
abused and assaulted by his
brother-in-law.
A single-judge bench of

eve: Father called him home, duced four candidates —

Somnath Bharti, Mahabal
Mishra, Sahiram Pehalwan and
thenyoucannotleavemealonein
thisfight.Today,Iamappealingto
all of you, the people of Delhi, to
accused its government at the
Centre of trying to stop welfare
work for the Delhi residents
clinics. How can someone be so
crueltostopthetreatmentof the
poor?” he asked.
JusticeSwaranaKantaSharma,in
its March 7 order, said: “This
court opines that it is not on the

turned off lights, stabbed him

Kuldeep Kumar — fielded by the
AAP on as many seats in the city,
in addition to releasing leaflets
with the details of work done by
the AAP government.
ARNABJIT SUR CriticisingthesevenLokSabha
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8 members from Delhifor notrais-
ingtheissuesofDelhiresidentsin
THE NIGHT before he was to be the Parliament, Kejriwal said:
married, gym trainer Gaurav “Now, I want to ask where were
Singhal (29) was at his sangeet the seven MPs you had elected
celebration when his father, duringallofthis?Theywereclap-
Rang Lal, called him to his home ping and celebrating... They go to
— 3 km away — so he could give theL-Gtostopyourwork.Whydo
him some money. Gaurav was we still vote for such people?”
surprised as he and his father Appealing to the people to
werenotonthebestof termsbut voteforAAP,Kejriwalaskedthem
decided to go nevertheless. nottoleavehimaloneinhis“fight
Assoonashesteppedintohis
father’sroom,thelatterswitched
off thelights.Inthecoverof dark- Resolve issues
boostyourson’sstrength,”hesaid.
The BJP, meanwhile, termed
the AAP’s slogan “humourous”.
Delhi BJP president Virendra
SachdevaaskedwhytheAAPwas
“unabletomusterthecourage”to
contest all the seven Lok Sabha
seats in the city alone, despite its
strengthintheDelhiAssembly.“It
isaninsulttothepeoplewhogave
that majority... that the same
Congresspartytheyoustedforbe-
ing corrupt, is now in an alliance
with them... The punchline de-
claredbyKejriwal...ishumorous...
A party that cannot contest elec-
tionsonallseatsisnowdreaming
of making Delhi prosperous by
EX-DU PROF ACQUITTED IN SUSPECTED MAOIST LINKS CASE
through L-G V K Saxena, because
theywantto“avenge”theelection
of an “ordinary man” as the chief
minister.“...TheseBJPpeople,L-G,
andtheCentretriedtostopallour
work... They hate you, they hate
the 2 crore people of Delhi be-
cause you dared to elect an ordi-
nary man as your chief minister
three times consecutively... The
BJPpeopleareseekingrevenge,in-
cluding the L-G and the Central
government,” alleged Kejriwal.
“Last year, they cut off the
power of mohalla clinics for two
months. They stopped the rent
for these mohalla clinics. They
stoppedthesupplyof medicines
“I have tried my best to never
consider myself the chief minis-
ter.Ihavetriedmybestbybecom-
ing a son of every family of Delhi,
apartofeveryfamilyofthe2crore
peoplelivinginDelhi.Ihavetried
toovercometheirproblems,tobe
their support. If someone in any
family in Delhi falls ill, I feel the
pain in my heart,” said Kejriwal.
“Today, electricity is available in
Delhi24hours.Thereareonlytwo
statesinthecountrywherethere
is24-hourelectricity—Delhiand
Punjab... Our workers will go to
every house to distribute this
leaflet;alltheworkdonehasbeen
written in it,” Kejriwal added.
basis of the British or other for-
eign jurisprudence alone but on
the basis of unplundered wealth
ofancientIndianjudicialandme-
diation jurisprudence which is
found in our old texts including
Ramayana, Mahabharata,
Bhagavad Gita, when read and
understoodindetailincontextof
themessagesconveyedincertain
chapters,subjecttotheirtruein-
terpretation and understanding
withoutbeingreferredtoasreli-
gioustextsalone.”TheHC,there-
after,saideveninIslam,theHoly
Qur’an, the Sunna, the Ijma, and
the Qiyas all “support peaceful
conflict settlement within the
Islamic community, between
Islamicandnon-Islamiccommu-
nities,andbetweentwoormore

Can’t believe I’m free, feels

ness, Lal and three of his accom-
plices, who were lying in wait, al-
legedly stabbed Gaurav to death
— all over his face, back and chest
— with a pair of scissors, a knife
and iron rods.
In the meantime, relatives re-
alised that the groom was
nowhere to be seen.
Said Tanishq, a close relative,
“He had left the venue in South
Delhi’sTigriaround10pm...were-
alisedthatGauravhadbeenmiss-
ingforalmosttwohours—andso
was his father... Lal was at the
eventawhileago,givinghisbless-
ings to Gaurav.”
One of his relatives then de-
cided to go to Lal’s house in
searchof Gaurav.Onopeningthe
door, which was unlocked, he
was horrified to find Gaurav's
blood-soaked body on the floor
and called the police. Officers
said Gaurav was stabbed at least
a dozen times to the extent that
the body was mutilated.
Accused estranged
from family
After killing his son, Lal (54)
andhisaccompliceshidthebody
inonecorneroftheroomandfled.
Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society
Victim Gaurav Singhal owned Fit Box gym in Delhi. His
father was arrested in Jaipur and brought back to the
Capital on remand on Saturday. Express
Police traced him to a hotel in
Jaipur, from where he was ar-
restedandbroughtbacktothena-
tional capital on Saturday on re-
mand.PolicesaidLalrevealedthat
he paid his three associates Rs
75,000forthecrimeandthetotal
deal was fixed at Rs 1.5 lakh.
DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan
said, “Lal disclosed that he was
unhappy with his son’s extrava-
gant lifestyle and disobedience
towards him. He said his wife al-
ways supported Gaurav, which
added to his frustration. He had
been planning to kill his son for
the past three-four months but
hatched the plot just a day be-
fore the murder.”
Relatives told The Indian
ExpressthatLalstayedapartfrom
the rest of the family, who all
lived in and around Tigri. Said
Tanishq, “He was not fond of
Gaurav and his younger son and
hardly spoke to them and his
wife... he built another flat
nearby — where the murder
took place — and used to stay
there most of the time.”
Lal made money by renting
out several buildings he owned
inthearea.Gaurav ownedagym
near his father’s home and had
run the institution for the past
three years. Said Mahender,
Gaurav’s uncle, “He was so
happyoverthewedding...which
was fixed over a month ago. He
had brought so many firecrack-
ers, cakes and sweets as part of
the preparations... he was taking
care of everything by himself.”
The DCP said the other ac-
cused were on the run. Police
also recovered cash worth over
Rs 15 lakh and gold from Lal’s
possession.
over Jaypee Infra
takeover by April
2nd week: NCLAT
to Yeida, Suraksha
NewDelhi:TheNationalCompany
Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)
on Wednesday gave an ultima-
tumtoSurakshaRealty(SRA)and
Yamuna Expressway Industrial
Development Authority (YEIDA)
to resolve its issues over the
takeover of Jaypee Infratech
Limited (JIL) and reach a settle-
mentbythesecondweekofApril.
The NCLAT said if it does not
happenwithintheduedate,then
thetribunalwillhearthecaseon
its merit, likely on April 18.
On March 7, 2023, the
National Company Law Tribunal
(NCLT) approved the resolution
plan of Suraksha Realty, a
Mumbai-based firm, and al-
lowed it to take over debt-rid-
den JIL and complete the re-
maining projects. However,
YEIDA challenged the order in
the NCLAT. Since then, Suraksha
andYEIDAhavehelddiscussions
but are yet to reach any settle-
ment; construction of projects
has also not started so far. ENS
like I’m still in jail cell: Saibaba
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
“EVEN NOW, I cannot believe I
am free. I feel like I am still in a
jail cell... I am not able to come to
terms with the reality that is in
front of me even now,” said for-
mer Delhi University professor
G N Saibaba, a day after he
walked out of the Nagpur
Central Jail.
Earlier this week, the Nagpur
benchof theBombayHighCourt
acquitted him and five other
co-accused in a suspected
Maoist links case and allowed
their appeals against their con-
viction in 2017.
Addressing a press confer-
ence at Delhi’s HKS Surjeet
Bhawan on Friday, Saibaba, who
has spent seven years in jail,
said:“...Itwaslikean ‘agni parik-
sha’ for me. I had to go through
this test twice.”
“One judgment of the higher
judiciary acquitting us was not
G N Saibaba during a press
conference at H K S Surjeet
Bhawan on Friday. Amit Mehra
enough... Justice delayed is jus-
ticedenied...Itwasnotonlyatest
for us but it became a test for
higher judiciary... perhaps, the
higher judiciary also passed the
agni pariksha,” he added.
Thanking his lawyers for
fighting the case, he said one of
them appeared for him without
taking any fee.
“Another lawyer was jailed
because of supporting me.
During the trial, certain police
officersthreatenedmylawyers,”
he alleged, adding, “The state
is there to serve the people, it is
not there to punish them and
crush humanity.”
Talking about his family, an
emotionalSaibabasaidtheysur-
vived only on hope.
“Instead of going to the hos-
pital,Ichosetospeaktothepress
today because you supported
me. My family faced stigma and
I was called a terrorist... I am sit-
ting to talk to you all in a lot of
pain... I am unable to talk prop-
erly nor am I in a position to sit
here either,” he said.
Rememberinghismother,he
said, “If I was able to teach in a
universitylikeDU,itwasonlybe-
cause of mymother...Allwomen
across the country, the poorest
of the poor... have only one de-
sirethattheirchildshouldgetan
education. My mother had the
same dream. She died because I
was implicated in this
case...Untilherlastmoment,she
asked to see me.”
non-Muslim communities”.
JusticeSharma,however,em-
phasised that in cases involving
offences of a “serious nature”
such as those falling under the
Protection of Children from
SexualOffences(POCSO)Act,“no
formofmediationispermissible”.
The father had filed a com-
plaintunderSection7(sexualas-
sault) of the POCSO Act; subse-
quently, the special court had
referredthecomplaintformedia-
tion based on statements by the
fatherandmotherofthetwochil-
drenthattheywantedtocompro-
misethematter.Inthemediation
centre,thematterwassettledand
the special court had closed the
complaint. The father, however,
approachedtheHCclaimingthat
he had agreed to a settlement on
the condition that his children
wouldstaywithhimandhiswife
wouldforegoallherrightsagainst
the children.But, he said, she had
failed to fulfil these terms.
He said the agreement stated
thatthepartieswouldbeatliberty
to revive cases that were pending
againstthemincaseof non-com-
pliance with the agreement. The
HC,however,refusedtoreopenthe
father’scomplaintafterobserving
that nine years have passed since
thespecialcourtorder.

(An Autonomous Body under the Transport

Department, Government of Assam)
TO KEEP POLL EXPENSES IN CHECK
3rd floor, Directorate of Inland Water
Transport, Ulubari, Guwahati–7::
email:dir.iwtds-as@gov.in:: Tel:+91361-2462677
Helipad, samosa-kachori, DJ & more: GB Nagar
No.E284909/
Advertisement for Walk-in Interview under admin fixes rate of 281 items for LS elections
World Bank financed Assam Inland Water Transport Project. expensiveinfrastructure,suchas tronic items, the rate of one
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The ‘Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society’ under the Transport Department,
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integrate high quality passenger and vehicle ferry services into Assam’s wider transport network.
A walk-in-interview will be held on the date & venue mentioned below at the office of Assam Inland
samosa or a cup of tea for Rs 10, According to the data with `2.30 lakh VIP Gate `5,000 have been fixed including
kachori for Rs 15, sandwich for the DM office, the rate of a heli- non-vegetarian thali (Rs 180),
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According to Atul Kumar, bed(Rs40).Rateshavealsobeen ema houses has been fixed at Rs
2 Economic 10.00 AM to 28 March, 2024 AIWTD Society 3 Floor, Directorate of Inland Water Transport, Deputy District Election Officer set for rose garland (Rs 120), 463 per screen per second per
Regulation 11.00 AM From 11.00 AM to Ulubari, Guwahati–7, Assam. and Additional District marigold garland (Rs 12), and week, the rate of printing adver-
Expert 01.00 PM Magistrate, the rate list is being bouquet (Rs 180). tisementspersquarecentimetre
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are also required to carry 2 copies of recent passport photograph along with the prescribed application of election expenses. sure the cost does not exceed Rs Kumar said the rate list has
“In such a situation, no can- 4,200 per day. been prepared after market sur-
form available on the AIWTDS website.
didate can understate the value. The administration has also vey and as per the standards set
The selection committee reserves the right to cancel or postpone the said interview without assigning Suppose they have served 1,000 fixed the rate of items such as by Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral
any reasons there of. No TA/DA is payable for attending the interview. samosas or distributed sweets, bucket (Rs 4), plastic glass (Rs 2), Officer.
The Job Description and other details for the positions are available in the website then its price will be decided on tray (Rs 7), and jug (Rs 4). “We evaluated theprevailing
http://www.aiwtdsociety.in. the basis of this ratelist only. Yes, For advertisement, a steel market price and accordingly,
Sd/- if someonedepositsthebill,then frame hoarding will cost fixed the rate of items. Apart
State Project Director the expense will be calculated Rs 29.50 per square feet, a from this, we held two meetings
Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society separately,” he added. wooden frame hoarding Rs The rate of a helipad is fixed at Rs 2.30 lakh, shows data with representatives of all
Other heads for which rates 12.29,andsimplehoarding(3*2) with the DM office. Archive the political parties,” according
Janasanyog/ CF/3018/23/09-Mar-24 Ulubari, Guwahati-781007, Assam
have been issued range from Rs 100 per piece. Among elec- to Kumar.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024 5


 


6 GOVT & POLITICS
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
Wish Farooq sahib
had discussed with us:
Mufti after NC rejects
seat-sharing with PDP
BASHAARAT MASOOD
SRINAGAR, MARCH 8
WITH THE National Conference
(NC) categorically rejecting any
seat-sharing with PDP in
Kashmir, PDP leader and former
CM Mehbooba Mufti Friday said
it was a major setback for the
Peoples Alliance for Gupkar
Declaration (PAGD).
Mufti said her party would
take a decision on fielding can-
didatesafterconsultingwiththe
Congress and the INDIA bloc.
“For us, unity is more impor-
tantthanParliamentseats.Itwas
time to resist the onslaught on
our identity," Mufti said. “If
Farooq (Abdullah) sahib had dis-
cusseditwithusandsaidthathis
workersaren’tready,orhislegis-
latorsarenotready(forseatshar-
ing) in the interest of people, we
wouldhavesacrificednotonebut
three seats. If they would have
taken a decision after talking to
us, at least the PAGD wouldn't
have fallen apart like this.”
“Farooq sahib suggested that
we should meet the PM and we
did. It was NC that suggested we
should jointly contest the DDC
(District Development Council)
elections, and we did,” she said.
"ButFarooqsahibdidn'tdiscussit
(seat-sharing)withusevenonce.”
“You know, I am a fighter,”
Mufti said, hinting that her party
wouldfieldcandidatesagainstNC.
DMK seals seat pact with regional allies, talks on with Cong CM Revanth: Owaisi speaks for not
ARUN JANARDHANAN
CHENNAI, MARCH 8
THE DMK has finalised seat-
sharing agreements for 9 Tamil
NaduLokSabhaseatswithitsre-
gional allies, aiming to replicate
the alliance’s sweeping victory
in 2019 when it won 38 of the
state’s 39 parliamentary seats.
Talks with Congress, however,
arestillunderwaywiththeDMK
repeatingits2019offerof 9seats.
Last time, the Congress won 8
constituencies.
The DMK has sealed deals
with key allies, including the
VCK, a party with a significant
Dalit voter base led by Thol
Thirumavalavan,andMDMKled
ED attaches properties worth CBI continues searches
`50 cr of Rohit Pawar’s company in Sandeshkhali on Day 2
VIJAY KUMAR YADAV
MUMBAI, MARCH 8
THE ED Friday said it has provisi-
onallyattachedpropertiesworth
`50.2 crore under provisions of
PMLA of the Kannad Sahakari
SakharKarkhanaLtd(KannadSSK
sugarmill)belongingtoBaramati
Agro Ltd in connection with
Maharashtra State Cooperative
Bank (MSCB) scam case.
BaramatiAgroLtdisownedby
NCP(SP)leaderSharadPawar’sgr-
andnephew and MLA Rohit
Pawar. It has been alleged the
MSCBillegallysoldsugarfactories
to Baramati Agro Ltd. “The atta-
ched assets consist of 161.30 acre
EC to meet all
its observers
on March 11
New Delhi: The EC Friday met
Union Home Secretary Ajay
Bhalla to review the security
arrangements for the Lok Sabha
elections, sources said.
The EC also met Railway
Board Chairperson Jaya Verma
Sinhaon Fridayasapart of itsre-
view of preparations, a source
said. With the announcement of
Lok Sabha elections expected
soon, the EC will be holding a
meetingforallitsobservers-po-
lice,generalandexpenditureob-
servers - on March 11. After the
briefing in Delhi, the around
2,000 observers will be sent to
the respective constituencies.
Soonafterthemeeting,theEC
isexpectedtoflytoSrinagarforits
review of preparations for the
elections in J&K. The EC’s visit to
theUTonMarch12and13islikely
to be its last visit to a state or UT
before polls are announced. ENS
Unity more
important
than seats:
Mehbooba
Earlier, NC vice-president
OmarAbdullahsaidifhewastold
in advance that he will have to
“weakenhispartyforsomeother
party”, he would not have been
part of the INDIA bloc, and ruled
outanyseatsharingwiththePDP.
“I have said it earlier also those
who came in third place, what
rightdotheyhavetoseekaseat?”
Omarasked,referringtothePDP’s
demand that the South Kashmir
seat should be left for Mufti.
In the 2019 parliamentary
elections, PDP lost all the three
seats to NC in the Valley. PDP
president Mufti, who contested
from South Kashmir, stood third
behind NC’s winning candidate
HasnainMasoodiandCongress's
Ghulam Ahmad Mir.
Omar said the objective of
the INDIA bloc was to fight the
BJP and the NDA. “If the objec-
tive was to fight against the BJP,
thenwhatisthescopeforthisin-
ternal tensions? There is no
scope for any discussion (on seat
sharing),” he said. “If I was told
before joining theINDIA alliance
that we will have to weaken our
party for some other party, I
wouldn't have joined the al-
liance,” he added.
only minorities, but 140 cr Indians
by Vaiko. The M K Stalin-led
party has allocated two seats
each to the VCK, CPI(M), and CPI,
and a seat each to the MDMK,
IUML, and Kongunadu Makkal
Desiya Katchi (KMDK). The
KMDK is a smaller outfit based
in western TN, a region consid-
ered a bastion of rival and pri-
mary Opposition AIADMK.
The VCK is set to contest the
SC-reserved constituencies of
Chidambaram and Viluppuram
given they are its strongholds. In
2019, the party won both seats,
with Thirumavalavan winning
from Chidambaram and party’s
candidate bagging Viluppuram
under DMK symbol. This time,
the negotiations were marked
by intense discussions and
of land,plantand machinery and
building of sugar unit in Kannad
region of Aurangabad district in
Maharashtra,” ED said Friday.
Rohitsaid,“TheBJPshouldre-
memberthatthosewhobent(un-
derpressure)havelonggone.We
are here to fight till the end and
win.”“Thisisanillegalactionand
we will approach court,” he said.
In January, the agency had
raided premises linked to Bara-
matiAgro.Searcheswerealsocar-
ried out on the premises of Kan-
nad SahakariSakharKarkhanain
Aurangabad,2officesofBaramati
Agro in Pimpali in Baramati, the
premises of Hitech Engineering
Corporation, and places belong-
ing to Rajesh Ingavle and Sanjay
Army set to raise 2 sports companies for girls
AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
TO PROMOTE young talent and
foster excellence in sports
among girls, the Army is set to
raise two Army Girls Sports
Companies (AGSC) in a phased
manner, sources told The Indian
Express.
These companies will be set
up at Army's two Centre of
Excellence Nodes — the Army
Marksmanship Unit in Mhow
and Army Sports Institute in
Pune — and are scheduled to be
functional from April.
AseniorofficersaidtheArmy
Sports Companies provide tal-
entedsoldiersportsmenwithfa-
cilities, environment, opportu-
nities and the ability to focus on
their sports discipline.
“These sports companies
havenurturedfuturechampions
and have acted as a catalyst in
motivating soldiers to take up
39 CANDIDATES NAMED; SUSPENSE CONTINUES OVER PRIYANKA’S RAEBARELI POLL DEBUT
Cong1stlist:Signaltoseniors,stressonsouth
MANOJ CG
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
THE CONGRESS on Friday an-
nounced its first list of 39 candi-
datesfortheLokSabhapolls,field-
ing senior leader Rahul Gandhi
once again from Wayanad in
Kerala, former Chhattisgarh CM
Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnan-
dgaon, and former Chhattisgarh
HomeMinisterTamradhwajSahu
from Mahasamund.
The candidatures of Baghel
and Sahu signal the Congress’s
intention to field its senior lead-
ers in the Hindi heartland states,
where the party was wiped out
inthe2019elections.Thereistalk
inpartycirclesaboutfieldingfor-
merRajasthanCMAshokGehlot
and CWC member Sachin Pilot.
ByfieldingAICCgeneralsecre-
tary K C Venugopal the party has
signalledthatveteranparliamen-
tarians in the Upper House may
have to prepare to contest the LS
polls, party insiders said. Venu-
gopalwillcontestfromAlappuzha
in Kerala. It is the only one of
Kerala’s 20 constituencies the
Congress-led UDF lost last time.
Venugopal’s decision to fight
the LS pollsissurprising sincehe
has a little over two years left in
his RS term.
Sources said Gandhi might
contest again from Amethi in UP
which he lost to Union Minister
Smriti Irani in 2019. There is still
suspenseovertheelectoraldebut
ofAICCgeneralsecretaryPriyanka
GandhiVadrafromRaebareli.The
next meeting of the Congress’s
CEC is likely on March 11 during
strategic considerations, with
the VCK attempting to secure a
generalseat.Butitdidn’tsucceed
as the DMK was apprehensive
that giving in to the VCK would
trigger similar demands from
otherallies,especiallytheCPI(M)
and CPI which settled for 2 each,
the same equation as in 2019.
SourcesintheDMKanditsal-
lies gave an initial picture of the
constituency split, which in-
cludes swapping certain con-
stituencies. For instance, the
CPI(M) will have to opt for either
DindigulorCuddaloreinsteadof
Coimbatore though it will retain
Madurai. In 2019, it won both
CoimbatoreandMadurai.Behind
the DMK’s decision to force the
CPI(M) to give up Coimbatore is
Avan (both linked to Hitech
Engineering)andpremisesofan-
otherfirmSamruddhiSugarMill.
The investigation into Rohit’s
firmisrelatedtochargesof“diver-
sion” of cash and alleged transfer
of earnest payments by his com-
panytoHitechthatbidalongwith
BaramatiAgrotopurchaseanail-
ing Maharashtra-based coopera-
tive sugar factory (CSF), Kannad
Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana (SSK).
“What sort of justice is this? If
someonehasmadeamistake,you
arefreetotakeaction,butjustbe-
causeheisfightingforandspeak-
ingthetruth...wouldn’tthisaction
be injustice to him?” alleged NCP
(SP) leader Supriya Sule.
WITHPTIINPUTS
competitive sports. They oper-
ate on well-matured processes
that are a prudent mix of scien-
tific sporting knowledge and
regimented pride,” the officer
said.
The officer said with women
soldiers joining the ranks now,
extending similar sports facili-
tiesisnaturalandwillencourage
women soldiers to embark on
sporting journeys.
“Thesesportscompanieswill
also serve as feeders to notable
centres of sports excellence and
enable the Army to field partici-
pants in women's sporting
fields,” the officer said.
Drawing from its experience
in scouting for young talent
through the success of Boys
Sports Companies, the Army
aims at replicating the same
model for girls in sports.
As per sources, the AGSCs
will serve as incubators for bud-
ding athletes, offering not only
rigorous training for the specific
Rahul Gandhi, who was in Gujarat for Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Friday, was named party’s Wayanad candidate. Bhupendra Rana
which the candidates from UP
maybediscussed.Thecandidates,
announced by Venugopal and
party treasurer Ajay Maken in-
cludes18seatsthepartycurrently
holds.Ofthe39candidates,28,or
morethan70%,arefromsouthern
states (16 from Kerala,
seven from Karnataka,
four from Telangana,
and one from the UT of
Lakshadweep). The
party has two govern-
ments in the south and
had the maximum number of
MPsfromKeralalasttime.Fifteen
of the candidates belong to the
general category and 24 are from
the SCs, STs, OBCs, and minority
communities. The 39 include 8
SC/ST-reserved seats.
No real surprises
There were no real surprises
in the list. In Kerala, the party has
retainedallsittingparliamentari-
ans except Thrissur MP T N
speculationthatnoneotherthan
K Annamalai, the state BJP presi-
dent, will contest from there.
Among the alternatives for
CoimbatoreisMNMchief Kamal
Haasan who has entered into an
alliance with the DMK after in-
dependentlycontestingthe2019
polls. The DMK reportedly of-
fered the MNM the option of ei-
thercontestingoneLSseatorac-
cepting a post-poll RS berth.
“We have suggested Kamal
Haasan contest from Coimba-
tore but there is no confirmation
as he prefers Chennai South,
whichtheDMKleadershipisun-
likely to spare for an ally as
ChennaiCentralhasalwaysbeen
a traditional bastion of the DMK.
If Haasan is not choosing Coim-
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, MARCH 8
WITH THE CBI probing Shahj-
ahan Sheikh’s call detail records
in connection with the attack on
ED officials in Sandeshkhali on
January 5, TMC MLA Sukumar
Mahato Friday said he had spo-
ken to the TMC strongman after
the incident and told him to en-
sure that there’s no further un-
rest in the island region.
Mahato said, “I spoke to Sha-
hjahan Sheikh after the attack
(on ED team). I told him to en-
sure there was no further unrest
in Sandeshkhali... ” Sheikh was
arrestedonFebruary29afterbe-
ing on the run for 55 days.
stream, but also formal educa-
tion and other administrative
support to hone their skills.
They said these two desig-
nated locations will have world-
class training infrastructure,
sportsmedicinecentres,rehabil-
itation facilities and coaching
amenities, adding that the prox-
imity to senior Army teams and
athletes undergoing training at
these facilities will serve as a
source of motivation for the
young girls at AGSCs.
Sources said the initiative is
aligned with India's sports pol-
icy to secure more podium fin-
ishes at international events like
theOlympicsandcreatearobust
pipeline of elite athletes capable
of competingatthehighestlevel.
A notable success story that
exemplifies the potential of this
initiativeisthatof SubedarPreeti
Rajak, a champion trap shooter
and Asian Games silver medal-
list.
Identified for her talent and
Prathapan. He has been replaced
by incumbent Vadakara MP K
Muraleedharan,thesonofformer
CM K Karunakaran. He will take
on actor Suresh Gopi (BJP). The
LeftcandidateintheseatisCPI’sV
SSunilKumar.InVadakara,Cong-
ress has fielded its young
MLA Shafi Parambil.
Among the renomi-
nated MPs are Gandhi,
who will be taking on his
INDIAblocallyCPI’sAnnie
Raja,CWCmemberShashi
Tharoor from Thiruvanantha-
puram, state Congress president
K Sudhakaran from Kannur,
Congress whip in LS Kodikkunnil
Suresh from Mavelikkara, and
youngleadersHibiEdenandDean
Kuriakose from Ernakulam and
Idukki respectively.
In Karnataka, the party has
fielded Deputy CM D K Shivaku-
mar’s brother and sitting MP D K
SureshonceagainfromBangalore
Rural.ThepartyhasfieldedGeeta
batore, the DMK will have a
powerful face from the party,”
said a senior DMK minister.
While the CPI will retain
Tiruppur and Nagapattinam,
Vaiko’s MDMK will contest from
TrichyorVirudhunagarinsteadof
Erode that it currently holds. The
IUML is likely to contest again
from Ramanathapuram, a seat
with significant minority votes.
TheKMDKwillretainNamakkal.
Thirumavalavan, after nego-
tiations, emphasised his party’s
commitment to maintaining a
cohesive alliance and the need
for a unified approach to ensure
electoral success with a secular
alliance. Vaiko also expressed
satisfaction with the arrange-
ment.
Meanwhile, the CBI contin-
ued its searches at Sheikh’s resi-
dence and other locations in
Sandeshkhali for the second
consecutive day Friday. The 14-
member team included six CBI
sleuths, six CFSL experts, and 2
ED officials who were injured in
the January 5 attack.
Officials said CBI went door-
to-door contacting all those who
were in touch with Sheikh th-
rough phone since January 5 and
allegedly helped in executing the
attack. CBI has so far managed to
obtain records of 28 such calls,
they added. “After preliminary
investigation, CBI has today con-
ductedsearchesinSandeshkhali
related to attack on ED officers,”
a CBI statement said Friday.
enrolled as a Havildar in the
Corps of Military Police in
December2022,shebecamethe
first woman soldier to be pro-
moted to Subedar in January
2024. She trained at the Army
Marksmanship Unit in Mhow.
Jasmine Lamboria, a bronze
medallistintheCommonwealth
Games, 2022, was enlisted as a
Non-Commissioned Officer in
the Army in October 2022.
Sources said these two
women highlight the potential
for success while inspiring
young talent to strive for sport-
ing glory in their respective
fields.
“Byofferingopportunitiesfor
recruitmentasDirectEntryNon-
Commissioned Officers, Direct
Entry Junior Commissioned
Officers, and enrolment as
Agniveers, the AGSCs pave the
way for a fulfilling career in the
armed forces while pursuing
one's passion for sports,” a
source said.
Shivarajkumar, the daughter-in-
lawof lateactorDrRajkumarand
daughter of former CM S Banga-
rappa from Shivamogga.
InHassan,CongressfieldedM
ShreyasPatel,grandsonofformer
MPlateGPuttaswamyGowda.He
will in all likelihood take on for-
merPMHDDeveGowda’sgrand-
son and sitting MP Prajwal
Revanna.Theothercandidatesare
district Congress president H R
Algur from Bijapur (SC-reserved)
seat, AnandaswamyGaddadeva-
rmathfromHaveri,SPMuddaha-
numegowda from Tumakuru,
and Venkataramegowda, a con-
tractor, from Mandya.
In Chhattisgarh, Congress
fielded sitting MP Jyotsana
Mahant once again from Korba;
former state minister Shivkumar
Dahariya in Jangir-Champa (SC-
reserved);andformerMLAVikas
Upadhyay from Raipur. In Telan-
gana,thepartyhasfieldedformer
MP Suresh Kumar Shetkar from
Zahirabad. The other candidates
from state are former MP Balram
Naik Porika from Mahabubabad
(ST-reserved), AICC secretary
ChallaVamshiChandReddyfrom
Mahbubnagar, and Raghuveer
Kunduru from Nalgonda.
Congress fielded former MP
Mohammad Hamdullah Sayeed
fromLakshadweepandinMegh-
alaya, it has repeated sitting MP
Vincent Pala from Shillong and
fielded former MLA Saleng A Sa-
ngmafromTura.SikkimCongress
chiefGopalChettrihasbeennom-
inated from Sikkim seat; Tripura
CongresschiefAshishKumarSaha
from Tripura West; and S Supo-
ngmeren Jamir from Nagaland.
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
HYDERABAD, MARCH 8
TELANGANA CM A Revanth
Reddy Friday heaped praise on
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi,
sayingevenhewasnotabletode-
feat him in elections and that the
HyderabadLokSabhaMPspeaks
up in Parliament for all Indians.
Speaking at a programme for
layingthefoundationstoneofthe
OldCityMetroProject,Reddysaid
Owaisi is one of the few parlia-
mentarianswhoraisetheirvoice
fornotonlytheminoritycommu-
nities but all 140 crore Indians.
Reddy’s comments assume
President Droupadi Murmu releases a ‘cover’ during the President’s Standard and President’s
Colours Presentation 2024 at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad on Friday. PTI
2 IAF fighter squadrons, 2 static units
get President’s Standards & Colours
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
PRESIDENT DROUPADI Murmu
Friday awarded the prestigious
President's Standard to No. 45
SquadronandNo.221Squadron,
and the President's Colours to 11
BaseRepairDepot(BRD)and509
Signal Unit (SU) of the IAF in a
ceremonyatIAFstation,Hindan.
President’sStandardandColo-
urs are the highest honour awa-
rded to any military unit. This is
the first time in the history of the
IAF that four units have been
awardedthePresident'sStandard
and Colours together in a single
ceremony. In her address,
Murmu commended the units
for their services to the nation.
Highlighting the courage,
commitment and sacrifices of
the IAF during war and peace-
time operations in India and
overseas, she underlined the
IAF’s contributions in the ongo-
ing space programmes of the
countryandtheGaganyaanmis-
With Padmaja in BJP,
Cong fields ex-CM’s
son from Thrissur
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
MARCH 8
IN A STRATEGIC move aimed at
neutralizing the fallout from for-
mer CM K Karunakaran’s daugh-
ter Padmaja Venugopal joining
the BJP, Congress Friday fielded
the party leader’s son K
Muraleedharan from Thrissur.
Muraleedharan is currently
representing Vadakara LS seat.
WithMuraleedharaninThrissur,
Congress wants to send a strong
message, particularly, to the
Muslim minority, that the party
is taking BJP head-on in Kerala.
The Congress expects that
with Muraleedharan as party
candidate in Thrissur, the home
town of late Karunakaran, the
Padmaja factor would become
insignificant.
Muraleedharan, however, had
lostinthecontestfromThrissurin
the1998LSelections,twoyearsaf-
ter his father was defeated there.
Padmaja had also unsuccessfully
contested from the Thrissur
Assembly seat in 2016 and 2021,
whichshowthattheKarunakaran
family had always banked on loy-
alistsintheculturalcapitalofKerala.
In Thrissur, Muraleedharan
replaced sitting MP T N
Telangana CM A Revanth
Reddy with AIMIM MP
Asaduddin Owaisi in
Hyderabad on Friday. PTI
significance given that the
Congresshasrepeatedlylabelled
the AIMIM the “B Team” of the
BJP and criticised it for “allying”
sion. She also congratulated the
women personnel of the IAF.
The President was given an
aerial salute by three Mi-171V
helicopters.AirChief MarshalVR
Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff
and senior IAF officers were
present. The President’s
Standards were received by
Group Captain M Surendran,
Commanding Officer of 45
Squadron and Group Captain
Shubhankan, Commanding
Officer of 221 Squadron.
The President’s Colourswere
received by Air Commodore
Ashutosh Vaidya, Air Officer
Commanding of 11 BRD and
Group Captain Vivek Sharma,
Commanding Officer of 509 SU.
The No. 45 ‘Flying Daggers’
Squadron of the IAF is its first
Light Combat Aircraft Squadron.
The No. 221 Squadron ‘Valiants’
had flown a third of IAF’s offen-
sive missions during the 1999
Kargil conflict.
The No.45 Squadron was
raisedin1959andcomprisedthe
erstwhileVampireaircraft.Ittook
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Prathapan, who too had started
campaigning.
Muraleedharan said in
Vadakara, “The party has given
me a mission in Thrissur, not just
to defeat the BJP but push that
party into the third position. It
was Thursday night the party in-
dicated to me about the new
task.Iwouldnevermissachance
to fight against the BJP. Padmaja
quittingtheCongressisnotaloss
for the party. I won’t leave the
legacy of my father Karunakaran
for the Sangh Parivar,’’ he said.
The sudden turn of events
happened after Padmaja joined
the BJP Thursday.
In the Vadakara seat, the
Congress has fielded sitting leg-
islator Shafi Parambil. The young
legislator had defeated BJP’s
high-profile candidate and
“Metro Man” E Sreedharan in
2021.
The Vadakara seat has a size-
able chunk of Muslim voters.
SincetheIUML,whichiscontest-
ing from the two seats, is with
the Congress-led UDF, Muslim
faces in the Congress had little
space in the LS electoral battle in
the state. With Parambil fighting
in Vadakara, the Congress also
ensured that its list has a Muslim
face at a time the CPI(M) has
fielded four candidates.
with the BRS party as well.
“Asaduddin Owaisi saab, his
brother and his (AIMIM) MLAs
have been winning (Old City
areaof Hyderabad)continuously
despite efforts to defeat them.
Even I tried to defeat them dur-
ing the elections, but it was not
possible,” the CM said.
Emphasising that while po-
liticalparties may fight elections
basedonideology,itisimportant
that they focus on development
oncethepollsareover,hesought
AIMIM’s support to develop the
city and expand its metro rail
network. Owaisi assured Reddy
of all cooperation from his party
for the development of the city.
partinOperationVijayduringthe
Goa liberation from Portuguese
in 1960 and launched offensive
missionsin1965againstPakistan
and destroyed 10 enemy tanks.
The No. 221 Squadron was
raised at Barrackpore in 1963
with Vampire aircraft and was
later equipped with Sukhoi Su-7
supersonic attack fighter. The
squadron was decorated with
Battle Honours for exemplary
performance during this war.
The decorated squadron has
participated in Operation
Meghdoot with MiG-23BN air-
craftandundertookphotorecon-
naissanceof Pakistanitroopsand
armament delivery at high alti-
tudes.The509SignalUnitwasset
upinMarch1965.Atpresent,itis
functioning as an Air Defence
DirectionCentreandwastheepi-
centre of all air defence activities
overthenEastPakistanduringthe
Bangladesh Liberation War of
1971. The 11 BRD—the IAF’s only
fighteraircraftrepairdepot—was
setupin1974underMaintenance
Command at Ojhar in Nashik.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024 GOVT & POLITICS 7
9-YEAR-OLD’S MURDER
I-T tribunal rejects Cong plea against penalty
Puducherry stands PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
dismissed the appeal of the
Congressforimpositionof penal-
freezing Congress's funds is "an
attack on democracy" as it has
dents in this regard and the party
willbeapproachingthehighcourt

DELHI CONFIDENTIAL still as DMK, ADMK, NEW DELHI, MARCH 8

THE INCOME Tax Appellate

tiesof Rs210crorebytheIncome
Tax department here Friday.
Congress treasurer Ajay
come just ahead of the national
elections. “How can one expect
fair elections in such a situation
soon. “We are disappointed with
theIncomeTaxAppellateTribunal
order.Wewillbemovingthehigh

Cong unite in protest Tribunal Friday dismissed the

ARUN JANARDHANAN
CHENNAI, MARCH 8
PUDUCHERRY CAME to a stand-
still on Friday as political parties
and the general public protested
the alleged sexual assault and
murder of a nine-year-old girl,
whosebodywasfoundinadrain
earlier this week.
DMK, the Congress, Left par-
MOVIE MESSAGE ties,VCK,andAIADMKallbacked
a near-total shutdown across the
IN BETWEEN his busy schedule ahead of the Lok Sabha elec- UnionTerritorytodemandjustice
tions, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday found some forthevictimandtohighlightthe
time to watch the recently released film Article 370 with his issue of drug-related crimes. The
familyinacinemahallinDelhi.Themoviepresentstheevents girl, who had been missing since
linked to theabrogationof Article370 in JammuandKashmir. March 2, was found dead in a
Singh, who watched the movie on International Women’s drain near her home on March 5.
Day, said it also presents a good example of women empow- Protestshadbeentakingplace
erment. The film shows two women officers leading the gov- in Puducherry ever since the ini-
ernment’s secret mission to abrogate Article 370. tialdiscoveryofherbody,withher
limbs tied and covered in cloth.
Therehasbeenspeculationabout
BOOK OP theinvolvementofdrugpeddlers
and addicts in the murder,
AS THE BJP looks to consolidate its OBC votes, a book — Modi prompting calls for a stringent
& OBC Politics — written by Pankaj Choudhary, a law faculty crackdown on such activities.
member at Delhi University and the national in-charge of re- Theday-longbandhonFriday
searchandpolicywingof theBJP'sOBCMorcha,haspresented saw the closure of shops and all
theperfectopportunity.ThebookwillbereleasedthisSunday trade establishments in
byBJPOBCMorchapresidentKLaxman,whoisalsotheparty’s
Parliamentary Board member, and BJP national general sec-
retaryArunSingh.IthasbeenpublishedbyPrabhatPrakashan.
The book's description states that it tells the story of how the
Narendra Modi government uplifted the OBCs.
Congress's appeal against impo-
sition of penalty for discrepan-
Maken said the party is explor-
ing all legal options and would
movethehighcourt“verysoon”.
whenfundstothetuneof Rs270
crore have been freezed or taken
away by the Income Tax author-
courtverysoon.Theyhavenotfol-
lowed their own past precedents
ingrantingreliefonpaymentof20
Puducherry and neighbouring cies in tax returns for previous “TheBJPgovernmenthasde- ities from Congress party's ac- per cent penalty and that too to a
towns. Public life was disrupted yearsandsaiditwasexploringall liberately chosen the timing of counts,” he asked. nationalpartywhichisnowonthe
as private buses, autorickshaws, legal options and will move the thistocoincidewiththenational Congress'slegalcellheadVivek verge of contesting national elec-
and most commercial activities high court against it very soon. elections,” Maken told PTI. Tankha said the tribunal has not tions,whichisgoingtobenotified
ceased, although government- Sources said the tribunal had He said the I-T tribunal order evenfolloweditsownpastprece- soon,”Tankhasaid.
run buses continued to operate
onalimitedbasistofacilitatestu-
dent transportation for exams.
The protests ever since the
victimwasfounddeadhavebeen
directedtowardsallegedinaction
of the local administration. The
subsequent arrest of two men, a
56-year-oldanda19-year-old,on
charges of murder and kidnap-
ping, and under the POCSO Act
and the SC/ST Act, has done little
to quell the public's fury.
Amid escalating tension,
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor
Tamilisai Soundararajan visited
the victim's family and assured
themthatafast-trackspecialcourt
wouldexpeditecaseproceedings.
Shealsopromisedthemostsevere
punishment for the culprits, even
ascallsforherresignationoveral-
legedfailuresincurbingdrugtraf-
ficking continued. While Friday’s
bandh was largely peaceful, pro-
testersexpressedtheirfrustration
anddemandedaccountability.

Held talks on Chabahar

port, humanitarian aid to
Afghanistan, says India
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
INDIA FRIDAY said the official
delegation to Kabul met “senior
members of the Afghan author-
ities”, and had discussions on
India’s“humanitarianassistance
tothepeopleof Afghanistan”and
also discussed “use of Chabahar
port by Afghan traders”.
The Indian statement came
aftertheIndianofficialdelegation
met Taliban’s Foreign minister
Amir Khan Mottaqi Thursday, in
what is New Delhi’s latest direct
andofficialengagementwiththe
Taliban leadership in Kabul.
The Ministry of External
Affairs’ official spokesperson
Randhir Jaiswal said Friday, “An
Indian delegation led by Joint
Secretary (PAI), Ministry of
External Affairs is on a visit to
Afghanistan. As you are aware,
IndiaopeneditsTechnicalMission
in Kabul in June 2022 and since
thentheMissionisfacilitatingand
coordinatingourongoinghuman-
itarian assistance endeavours.”
“The delegation held meet-
ings with senior members of the
Afghan authorities. The delega-
tionalsometformerPresidentMr
Hamid Karzai, UNAMA [United
Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan] officials and mem-
bersof theAfghanbusinesscom-
munity. The delegation held dis-
cussionsonIndia’shumanitarian
assistance to the people of
Afghanistan and also discussed
use of Chabahar port by Afghan
traders,” the spokesperson said.
“India has historical and civilisa-
tional ties with the Afghan peo-
ple and these longstanding link-
ages will continue to guide our
approach,” he said.

Global South believes in

India; China doesn’t take
part in meets: Jaishankar
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
TOKYO, MARCH 8

HIGHLIGHTING INDIA'S leader-

shipintheGlobalSouth,External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on
Friday said the 125 countries of
the platform placed their trust in
India and that China skipped the
two meetings convened by India
lastyeartolistentotheirconcerns.
AddressingtheNikkeiForum
on the India-Japan partnership
here, Jaishankar said that coun-
tries of the Global South feel for
each other on several issues.
“...Thisfeelinghasbeeninten-
sified by Covid because many
countriesof theGlobalSouthfelt
they were the last in the line to
get the vaccine. They even felt at
thetimewhenIndiabecameG20
President that their concerns
werenotevenontheagenda.We
didtwomeetingslastyearonthe
voiceof theGlobalSouthbecause
we wanted to listen to these 125
EAM S Jaishankar with
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida
in Tokyo on Friday. PTI
countriesandthenputbeforethe
G20 a set of issues which were
their collective views,” said the
Foreign Minister. “Within Asia
and Africa, Global South is very
popular.Theyknowexactlywhat
ishappening,who'sspeakingup
for them, and how their issues
aregettingonthetable...Thetwo
summits which we convened
lastyear,Idon'tbelieveChinawas
present,” he said.
 8 EXPRESS NETWORK WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

SAD-BJP alliance FIRST NATIONAL CREATORS’ AWARDS

emotion of masses PM gives maximum likes to new-era influencers In Assam, Modi

from ground: Jakhar
RAAKHI JAGGA
LUDHIANA, MARCH 8
PUNJAB BJP chief Sunil Jakhar
Friday set the political circles
abuzz saying that an alliance be-
tween the saffron party and the
Shiomani Akali Dal “is the emo-
tion of the masses from the
ground”. He, however, added
thattheBJPispreparingforall13
Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.
“We are ready for all the 13
seats but it is the emotion of the
masses from the ground that an
alliance (with Shiromani Akali
Dal) should happen. But I have
neither given any suggestions to
the highcommand nor have any
discussionsheld with meonthis
matter,” said Jakhar.
Hewastalkingtothereporters
after flagging off 'Viksit Bharat
Modi ki guarantee' video vans,
seekingpeople'ssuggestionsfrom
across the state for preparing the
ruling party's manifesto for the
Lok Sabha elections. These vans
will gather suggestions from the
peoplefortheparty's"sankalppa-
tra" (manifesto), Jakhar said.
TheBJPstatechief alsobatted
for strengthening the regional
parties.“Istronglybelievethatre-
gionalpartiesshouldbestrength-
enedineverystateastheyarethe
voiceof thepeople.Theminority
community tag is often applied
onSikhcommunityandIfeelthat
thereshouldbeapartyforraising
their voice,” said Jakhar.
The over a century-old Akali
Dal is the oldest regional party in
Punjab and has often claimed to
be the ‘sole representative’ of the
Sikhs. The Akali Dal had walked
outoftheNDAinSeptember2020
overthenow-repealedfarmlaws.
Askedifanalliancewillbeben-
eficialfortheBJP,Jakharsaiditwas
notaquestionofbenefitofanyin-
dividual party, but “it is always
aboutPunjabanditspeople”.
Jakhar's remarks come ahead
ofBJPnationalpresidentJPNadda
and Union Home Minister Amit
Shah'sexpectedvisittoPunjabto
attend an event to mark the first
deathanniversaryofformerchief
minister Parkash Singh Badal at
latter's native village Badal.
DIVYA A
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
INVITING PRIME Minister
Narendra Modi on to the stage to
present the first National
Creators’ Awards, podcaster Raj
Shamani said to the hall packed
with social media influencers,
“Thankyourstarsheisnotacon-
tentcreator,becausehadhebeen
one, our shops would have been
shut.”
“His reels go viral, his tweets
becometrendsandhisslogansbe-
comehashtags,heistheOG(aca-
sual term used for someone au-
thenticyetexceptional)influencer
of theinfluencers,”saidShamani,
a motivational speaker with two
million followers on Instagram.
Over the next two hours of
the event Friday morning, as the
PrimeMinisterpresentedawards
to 21 content creators, it was
clearthatformalstructurehadto
givewaytoirreverence.Byinter-
acting with influencers individ-
uallybeforegivingthemawards,
PM Modi also gave them ample
content for their reels -- full of
humour, wit, and repartee, even
personalanecdotes--thekindof
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday. ANI
stuff that works well online.
With every award winner
having a million followers at
least, the content generated at
the event — with Modi in the
frame — would be viewed by
crores in the days to come.
On stage with YouTuber
Ranveer Allahbadia, who got
‘Disruptorof the Year’award,PM
Modi shared a friendly banter.
“Willyougiveafitnessmantrato
people?” Modi asked him, to
which he replied, “We should do
yoga and meditation.”
Responding to this, the PM said,
“Then they (people) will say that
he is sharing Modiji's idea, and
thatyouhavebecomeaBJPwala.”
The conversation ended with
Allahbadia, who runs a YouTube
channel called BeerBicepsGuy,
and has interviewed several
UnionMinistersintherecentpast,
includingSJaishankarandPiyush
Goyal, telling Modi, “Aapke saath
podcast karne ka mood ho raha
hai (I feel like making a podcast
withyou).”ThePM,inturn,asked
himtotalkabouttheimportance
of sleep in his future shows.
In a by-the-way fashion, all of
them were nudged towards is-
sues such as insomnia, mental
health, environment, health and
nutrition,womenempowerment,
cultureandspiritualitytoworkon
for their future content videos.
Spiritual orator Jaya Kishori,
who was awarded ‘Best Creator
for Social Change’, was asked by
Modi to dispel the notion that
spirituality means renunciation;
while travel blogger Kamiya Jani
wasaskedtohighlightlocalprod-
ucts also, while talking about the
main tourist attractions in a city.
When Jani asked if she
should talk about Lakshadweep
or Dwarka (two places the PM
visitedrecently)inhernextblog,
the PM jokingly said even as
Dwarka is quite deep down, and
very tough, they would discuss
this in detail some other time.
While awarding Swachhta
Ambassador award to Malhar
Kalambe, who has collaborated
with celebrities on cleanliness
campaigns and requested the
PM to join him in a swachhta
drive,tongueincheekModisaid,
“Is chunaao mein bhi safai hone
wali hai (This election, too, will
see some cleaning).”
Talking about the venue,
Bharat Mandapam, the PM said
theNationalCreatorshaveassem-
bledatthesamespottodaywhere
worldleadersgavedirectiontothe
future at the G20 Summit last
year. FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
to inaugurate
Rs 18K cr projects
Guwahati: PM Narendra Modi
arrived in Assam Friday during
his two-day visit to the state and
Arunachal Pradesh.
After his arrival at Tezpur,
Modi travelled to Golaghat dis-
trict in a chopper from where he
participated in a 16-km-long
roadshow to Kaziranga for an
overnightstay.Heisscheduledto
experienceasafarithereSaturday
morning. Modi will also inaugu-
rateandlaythefoundationstone
of several development projects
worth Rs 18,000 crore under-
taken by Assam and the Centre.
LaterSaturday,heisscheduled
to inaugurate the Sela Tunnel in
Arunachal Pradesh – the world’s
longesttwintunnelsbuiltatanal-
titudeofover13,000feet–which
isaimedatprovidingall-weather
connectivitytotheTawangregion.
There, he is also scheduled to
launch the Uttar Poorva
Transformative Industrialisation
Schemewithafinancialoutlayof
over Rs 10,000 crore. ENS

ODISHA ASSEMBLY POLLS

BJD-BJP talks hit stalemate: Naveen wants 100+ seats credit societies by 2027, says Shah
SUJIT BISOYI
BHUBANESWAR, MARCH 8
THE SEAT-SHARING talks be-
tween the BJD and BJP continue
to hang, with sources talking of
hard bargaining on both sides,
especially over Assembly seats,
with the state seeing simultane-
ous elections along with the Lok
Sabha.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD
reportedly does not want any-
thing less than 100 of the total
147 Assembly seats. For the Lok
Sabha, there is an overall agree-
ment that the BJP will contest as
much as two-third of the seats.
Senior BJD leaders V K
Pandian and Pranab Prakash
Das, who had flown to Delhi ear-
lier this week for the seat-shar-
ing talks, returned to
Bhubaneswar Friday. BJP Odisha
Every village to have agricultural
leaders, including state unit
president Manmohan Samal,
who were earlier asked not to
leave Delhi by the party, also
landed in the state in the
evening.
Sources said that Odisha BJP
leaders are not agreeable to the
BJD claiming the lion’s share of
the Assembly seats, and instead
want the same arrangement as
existed between the two parties
in 2000-09, when the BJD-BJP
share was 84-63, respectively.
State BJP leaders, who have
been taking on the BJD as the
main opposition in Odisha, are
trying to persuade the central
leaders that there is strong anti-
incumbency against the ruling
state party on the ground, and
that the BJP would do well even
on its own. Hence, they argue,
first contesting in an alliance
and then agreeing to less than
BJD chief Naveen Patnaik
50 Assembly seats would not
fare well for the party.
Speaking to reporters after
landing in Bhubaneswar, Samal
claimed there had been no dis-
cussion on an alliance at all, and
that the BJP “would fight on its
own”. “We had gone to Delhi to
discuss our election strategy
with the top leadership. The
meeting was to discuss prepa-
rations for forming a govern-
ment at the Centre as well as in
Odisha,” the state BJP chief said.
BJP Odisha unit vice-presi-
dent Prithviraj Harichandan said
the state leaders believed the
party would fare better if it
fought alone, but they would ac-
cept whatever the central lead-
ership decides.
BJD sources, however, spoke
of multiple rounds of discus-
sions with central BJP leaders,
and said talks over an alliance
and seat-sharing would con-
tinue.
“When it comes to the Lok
Sabha, the two parties have
more or less agreed to the BJP
fighting 14 of the 21 seats, leav-
ing 7 for the BJD. There may be
some issues, such as the BJD
looking to contest the
Bhubaneswar and Puri Lok
Sabha seats, but these can be
sorted out. However, there will
be no compromise over the
Assembly polls,” a BJD source
said.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls,
the BJD had won 12 of the 21
seats, the BJP 8 and Congress 1.
In the Rajya Sabha, the BJD has
9 MPs, and helped the BJP’s
Ashwini Vaishnaw get re-
elected recently.
But in the Assembly polls,
the BJD dominance has been to-
tal, with the party giving specific
examples of constituencies and
of Naveen Patnaik's continuing
popularity, to explain its push
for not less than 100 seats. In
2019, the party had won 112 of
the 146 seats.
“It would be difficult for the
party to manage if it contests
less than 100 seats. There will be
rebel candidates, and it will cost
the party,” a BJD leader, on teh
condition of anonymity, said.
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
UNION COOPERATION Minister
Amit Shah Friday said that the
Centrehasdecidedtoensurefor-
mation of Primary Agricultural
Credit Societies (PACS) in every
village by 2027.
Addressinganevent,Shahsaid
theCentrehasintroduced20new
activities to be associated with
PACS, enabling them to generate
profits. The computerization of
PACS has opened up many possi-
bilities for their development, he
said. Shah launched the National
Cooperative Database and re-
leased the ‘National Cooperative
Database 2023: A Report’. The
databaseaimstoidentifyandad-
dressthegapsthroughacompre-
PTI
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah in New Delhi on Friday.
hensive analysis.
He said the work on the
National Cooperative Database
hasbeencarriedoutin3phases.In
the first phase, mapping of ap-
proximately2.64lakhsocietiesin
three sectors, namely Primary
AgriculturalCreditSocieties,Dairy,
and Fisheries, was completed, he
said.Inthesecond,datafromvar-
ious National Federations, State
Federations, State Cooperative
Banks (StCB), District Central
CooperativeBanks(DCCB),Urban
Cooperative Banks (UCB), State
CooperativeAgricultureandRural
Development Banks (SCARDB),
Primary Agricultural and Rural
Development Banks (PCARDB),
cooperative sugar mills, district
unions, and multi-state coopera-
tive societies (MSCS) were col-
lected/mapped, he said.
In the third, data mapping of
all remaining 8 lakh primary co-
operative societies in other sec-
tors was carried out, he said.
After this, it was revealed
there are over 8 lakh registered
societies in the country, which
are connected to over 30 crore
citizens, he said.

NIA releases CCTV clips of 2 DANICS officers

Bengaluru cafe blast suspect
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, MARCH 8
THE NIA, investigating the blast
at The Rameshwaram Cafe in
Bengaluru on March 1, Friday
released two CCTV clips of the
suspect as part of a request for
information from the citizens
on the suspect.
Theclipsshowedthesuspect
leavingthecafeafterplacingthe
bombthatwentoff at12.56pm,
injuringninepeople."NIAseeks
citizen cooperation in identify-
ing the suspect linked to the
#RameswaramCafeBlastCase.or
emailtoinfo.blr.nia@gov.inwith
any information. Your identity
will remain confidential.
#BengaluruCafeBlast," the NIA
said on social media.
Inthefirstvideoprovidedby
NIA, the suspect is seen on a
state bus (KA 57 F 4233) which
he boarded at 2.04 pm, after
changing his clothes.
The suspect wearing a new
cap, new mask and t-shirt ini-
tiallysitsinamiddleseatnextto
anotherpassengerbutmovesto
the rear of the bus at 2.12 pm.
Thesuspecttravelsonthebusfor
about90minutesanddeboards
at 3.40 pm at the final stop near
the Tumakuru road. He is seen
napping during the journey
without the mask and the cap.
The second video is of the
suspect at the Ballari bus stand
at 9 pm on March 1, around 8
hours after the IED blast. He is
seen moving around the bus
stand. The suspect is reported
to have changed 10 buses dur-
ing his journey to plant the
bomb and for his escape.
The NIA is questioning
members of a Ballari module
that it busted in December
2023 for possible clues on the
identity of the suspect. Police
areyettoascertainthedirection
in which the suspect went after
beinglastseenattheBallari bus
stand on March 1 night.
Police sources said the
probe is yet to ascertain details
of the identity and location of
the suspect and had gathered
only basic aspects of the iden-
tity.
suspended for
‘unproductive
expenditure’
New Delhi: The Centre has sus-
pended two DANICS officers in
connectionwithalleged"unpro-
ductive expenditure" on adver-
tisements by the Delhi govern-
ment, officials said. They said
Shamim Akhtar and Manoj
Dwivedi previously worked as
the director of the Directorate of
Information and Publicity, Delhi
government.
In separate orders issued on
Friday, the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA) said Akhtar and
Dwivedi were suspended with
immediate effect by the presi-
dent in exercise of the powers
conferred by the Central Civil
Services (Classification, Control
and Appeal) Rules, 1965. PTI

Electoral bonds: SC to hear

on March 11 SBI plea seeking
time to disclose details
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8

THE SUPREME Court will hear on March 11 an appli-

cation by the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking exten-
sionof timetillJune30todisclosedetailsof eachelec-
toral bond encashed by political parties before the
scheme was scrapped last month.
The five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y
Chandrachud, will also hear a separate plea by NGO
Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that has
sought initiation of contempt action against the SBI
alleging it "wilfully and deliberately" disobeyed the
apex court's direction to submit details of the con-
tributionsmade to political partiesthrough electoral
bonds to the Election Commission by March 6.
Thetop court had struckdown the electoral bond
scheme on February 15 and asked the SBI to furnish
the details of the bonds purchased since April 12,
2019, to the ECI by March 6.
But in an application filed on March 4, the SBI
sought time until June 30 to furnish the details, say-
ingitisa“timeconsumingexercise”asthereare“cer-
tainpracticaldifficultieswiththedecodingexercise…
due to the stringent measures undertaken to ensure
thattheidentityof thedonorswaskeptanonymous”.
On March 6, ADR filed a contempt petition in the
courttermingtheSBI’srequestformoretimeas“mala
fideand”statingthatit“demonstratesawilfulandde-
liberate disobedience and defiance of the judgement
passedbytheConstitutionBench”.TheNGOcontended
that SBI “has deliberately filed” the application “at the
last moment in order to ensure that the details of
donorsandtheamountof donationsarenotdisclosed
tothepublicbeforetheupcomingLokSabhaelections”
and that it “neither discloses the progress made so far
and steps taken to comply with the judgement… nor
it shows even part-compliance of the judgment”.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
Jail official held
after gadgets
found in Waris
Punjab De
inmates’ cell
SUKRITA BARUAH
GUWAHATI, MARCH 8
THE SUPERINTENDENT of
Dibrugarh Central Jail, where
Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal
Singh and his associates are
lodged for nearly a year, has been
arrested after contraband items,
including a smartphone, were
found in their cell last month.
Superintendent Nipen Das
was arrested Friday after being
taken into police custody
Thursdayandthechargesagainst
him include a section of the
UnlawfulActivitiesPreventionAct
(UAPA) for advocating, abetting,
advising or inciting the commis-
sion of “any unlawful activity”.
On February 17, the jail staff
seized a smartphone with a SIM
card,akeypadphone,aTVremote
with keyboard, a spy-cam pen,
pen drives, Bluetooth head-
phones, speakers, and a smart
watch from the NSA cell housing
Singh and nine of his associates.
On Friday, Dibrugarh
Superintendent of Police V V
Rakesh Reddy said the investiga-
tionintothesourceoftheseunau-
thoriseditemsrevealeda“nexus”
between jail officials and the de-
tainees.
In Manipur, Army 3 observation home employees get life term
JCO abducted, for custodial murder of juvenile in Mehsana
rescued hours later
SUKRITA BARUAH
GUWAHATI, MARCH 8
AJUNIORCommissionedOfficer
(JCO) with the Army, who was
abducted from his residence in
Manipur’s valley district of
Thoubal on Friday morning, was
rescued around 6:30 pm and
takentoWaikhongpolicestation
in Thoubal district, sources said.
The identity of the perpetra-
tors andthecause for the abduc-
tion remained unknown at the
time of the filing of the report.
Accordingtosources, the JCO
was on leave and at home when
hewasabductedandtakenaway
in a vehicle around 9 am on
Friday. Security forces con-
ducted a coordinated search op-
eration to rescue the abducted
Eight Myanmar nationals repatriated
Guwahati: Eight Myanmar na-
tionals were repatriated by the
Manipur government on Friday,
and a total of 77 people are ex-
pected to be deported in the
coming days. Chief Minister N.
Biren Singh announced this say-
ing, “First batch of Myanmar na-
tionals who entered India ille-
gally deported today. Although
officer, sources said.
Just 10 days ago, Manipur’s
valley districts were rocked by
discontent from police forces af-
ter an Additional
Superintendentof Policewasab-
ducted and his house in Imphal
attacked by assailants identified
asmembersof ArambaiTenggol.
An inspector was also abducted
with him. The two policemen
wereeventuallyrescuedbutsus-
tained injuries and had to be
hospitalised. The incident
promptedtheadministrationsof
variousvalleydistrictstorequisi-
tion central paramilitary forces
and the Army to assist the police
withthelawandordersituation.
Manipur IGP I K Muivah had
also warned that such incidents
would necessitate the presence
of central forces.
India is not a signatory to the
1951 Refugee Convention, it has
given shelter and aid to those
fleeing the crisis in Myanmar on
humanitarian grounds with a
systematic approach.”
These 77 people include 51
women and five children, and
they are all to be deported by
March 11. ENS
PARIMAL DABHI
GANDHINAGAR, MARCH 8
A HOUSE-MASTER and two
guards of an observation home
in Gujarat’s Mehsana have been
convicted and sentenced to life
for the brutal custodial murder
of a17-year-old Dalitjuvenileaf-
ter his failed attempt to escape
in February 2020.
A special Atrocity Court that
convicted the three accused also
held the state government indi-
rectly responsible for the mur-
der and ordered it to pay Rs 1.50
lakhincompensationtothepar-
ents of the deceased for violat-
MAHADEV APP
2 more arrested
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
RAIPUR, MARCH 8
THEEDonFridaysaidithasmade
two fresh arrests in the Mahadev
app-linked money laundering
case in which various high-rank-
ing politicians and bureaucrats
from Chhattisgarh are alleged to
have been involved. With the ar-
rest of Girish Talreja and Suraj
Chokhani, the total number of
people arrested so far reached 11
and movable properties worth
Rs 1,764.5 crore seized/frozen.
EXPRESS NETWORK 9
ing his human rights.
“As government-appointed
officials have caused the death
of the juvenile...by brutally beat-
ing him, the government be-
comes indirectly responsible for
the same,” the court recorded in
its judgment.
The court of Special Atrocity
and Additional Sessions Judge C.
M. Pavar, in an order dated
March 7, also directed the three
convictsto pay Rs 2 lakh penalty.
Apartfrommurderandallied
charges, the three accused —
Vishnu Prajapati, Akshay
ChaudharyandKanuChaudhary
— have also been convicted un-
der the provisions of the
‘Sorry Papa, JEE nahi ho payega’: 16-yr-old ends life
PARUL KULSHRESTHA
JAIPUR, MARCH 8
A 16-YEAR-OLD boy preparing
for JEE allegedly committed sui-
cide in Rajasthan’s Kota on
Thursday night – the fifth stu-
dent suicide in the coaching hub
this year.
According to the police, the
boy hailed from Bihar’s
Bhagalpurandhadbeenlivingin
Kota for the last one year.
His body was discovered
when the landlord sensed a foul
smell coming from his room on
Scheduled Castes & Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act as the deceased juvenile was
a Dalit.
The deceased juvenile was
lodged atthe Observation Home
and Safety Home in Mehsana
from where he escaped on
February 3, 2020.
Hewascaught bytheNaroda
police on February 12, 2020 and
handed over to the Observation
Home the same day.
According to the case, the
now convicted staff mercilessly
assaulted the minor with
woodenandfibreclubsbetween
10:20 pm on February 12 and
4:00 am on February 13, 2020,
Friday morning. When the boy
did not answer the landlord’s
calls, the door was forcibly
opened and the body found.
Deputy Superintendent of
PoliceDharamveerSinghof Kota
said, “A two-line suicide note
was recovered which states,
‘Sorry Papa. Mere se JEE nahi ho
payega. I quit. (Sorry Papa, I
won’t be able to crack JEE).”
According to the police, the
boy consumed a poisonous sub-
stance that emits a strong smell,
which caught the landlord’s at-
tention. A used and an unused
bottle of the substance was re-
following which he died of he-
morrhagic shock.
The court stated in its judg-
ment that the assault was
recorded by the CCTV cameras
installed inside the Observation
Home. In reference to the CCTV
footage, the court recorded that
after beating the juvenile, the
convicts had abandoned the lat-
ter in a corner on the ground
floor. When the juvenile, in ex-
treme pain, crawled to the office
seeking help, “one of the con-
victs kicked him to the corner".
Additional Public Prosecutor
Ashok Makwana said that in all,
the deceased juvenile had sus-
tained 26 injuries on his body.
covered near the body along
withthesuicidenote,policesaid.
Police said the boy had
skipped coaching tests con-
ducted on January 29 and
February 19 this year. He was
supposed to take his class XII
board exams this year.
Theboy’sfatherisabusiness-
man in West Bengal and his
motherandyoungerbrotherlive
in Bhagalpur. The family is yet to
arrive at Kota and until then, the
body has been kept at the mor-
tuary, police said.
As many as 26 students had
died by suicide in Kota in 2023.
17 children suffer
electric burns
during Shivratri
event in Kota
PARUL KULSHRESTHA
JAIPUR, MARCH 8
SEVENTEEN CHILDREN and a
woman suffered electric burns
on Friday during Shivratri festiv-
ities in Rajasthan’s Kota. One of
them is critical, officials said.
“The children were carrying
a flag hoisted on an iron rod in a
procession. The rod came in
touch with a high-tension wire
and children along with a
woman suffered electric burns.
All them were taken to a hospi-
tal. One of the children has suf-
fered around 70% burns and is
said to be critical,” said Arvind
Bhardhwaj, the Circle Inspector
of Kunhari police station, where
the incident took place.
The children admitted to
Kota’s MBS Hospital Kota are be-
tween 9 and 16 years, officials
said. On receiving information,
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
along with the collector
Ravindra Goswami reached the
hospital. Rajasthan Energy
Minister Heeralal Nagar also
paid a visit to the injured.
“Itisasadincident.Therewill
beaninvestigationandeveryone
will get the best treatment pos-
sible.Onechildisserious.If there
is a need for a referral to any
other hospital, we will provide
that,” Birla said.

FROM PAGE ONE

FULL REPORTS ON
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

● BJP, TDP on cusp of poll deal

nine.FortheAssemblyelections,
which will be held simultane-
ously, theBJPinitiallydemanded
15 but could make some com-
promises. But for the Lok Sabha
polls, it is insisting on more Lok
Sabha seats as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has set the party
atargetof winning370seats.For
the NDA as a whole, the target is
winning 400-plus seats.
A source in the TDP said
Naidu does not want to com-
pletely give away the party’s
stake in the Lok Sabha as “he
thinks it is very important to
have a respectable number of
seats in the Lower House of
Parliament” for the stability of
the alliance. A BJP func-
tionary said the party was keen
to get its erstwhile partner back
in the NDA as well as “increase
the number of candidates who
contest and win on the lotus
symbol”.
Naidu,PawanKalyan,andthe
BJP leadership held discussions
pastmidnightonWednesdaytoo.
“The agreement is more or less
done. But a formal announce-
mentwillbeafterthefinalround
of talks today,” said a source.
The TDP broke its alliance
withtheBJPin2018overAndhra
Pradesh not receiving special
category status from the Centre.
Despite Naidu's repeated at-
temptstorevivethetiesafterthe
2019LokSabhaelections,theBJP
had been dragging its feet over
allowing the TDP back into the
NDA. One of its main reasons
was its “friendly partnership”
with Andhra’s ruling YSR
Congress Party (YSRCP) and
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan
Reddy.
The BJP made several at-
tempts to reach out to Jagan and
get the YSRCP to join the NDA
but the Andhra CM has resisted
those efforts so far. The BJP of-
fered Cabinet berths to the YS-
RCP in 2021 in an attempt to
bring the party over to the NDA,
butatthetimeJaganmaintained
that he “would remain friendly
towards the Centre and extend
issue-based backing to it”.
Last year, the BJP lost both its
only southern stronghold
Karnataka and failed to stop the
Congress from coming to power
inTelanganadespiteahigh-deci-
bel campaign. Having saturated
itself in the Hindi heartland
states and Gujarat, where it has
wonallinpreviouselectionsand
is in a commanding position this
time,theonlywayitcanincrease
its tally this time is by making
gains in the southern states. The
party has officially joined hands
with Janata Dal (Secular) in
Karnataka and in Tamil Nadu it
is attempting to bring back the
AIADMK into the NDA.
In Odisha, the BJP has almost
finalisedthedealwithformerally
BijuJanataDal(BJD).Sourcessaid
theBJPcouldcontest14-15ofthe
21 Lok Sabha seats from Odisha
and about 40 of 147 Assembly
constituencies. The final an-
nouncement on this alliance is
delayed because of differences
oversomeLokSabhaseats—both
the number of seats and candi-
dates — said sources.

● Delhi cop kicks men during namaz

videoclipalsoshowedtwoother
policemen walking behind
Tomar, shouting at the devotees
to fold their mats and leave the
spot.
According to some eyewit-
nesses who were among those
offering namaz, the crowd of
devotees had spilled over from
the mosque to the road outside,
but were not blocking traffic.
About 10 minutes after the
prayers started, Tomar report-
edly approached the devotees,
kicking some of them, and
shouting at them to leave the
spot, as seen in the video clip.
“We were not blocking the
road… only a narrow pathway
beside the mosque was being
usedtoreadthenamaz,andtraf-
fic was flowing smoothly as it
does every Friday,” said one of
the devotees.
“We had just spread out our
mats and sat down to read the
namaz when the incident took
place... police personnel ap-
proached us from behind and
forcefully removed us, although
the road was not blocked... there
is a layer of police security (de-
ployed) from the nearby police
post every Friday when we offer
namaz, but this is the first time
thishashappened,”saidanother
person who did not want to be
named.
After the incident, a crowd
gatheredoutsidethe policepost,
demanding action against
Tomar.
“Action has been taken
against the police officer in the
video. He has been suspended.
Further action will be taken. The
local residents joined us in ex-
plaining to the crowd that police
have taken action, and an-
nouncements were made from
mosques,” said Deputy Commi-
ssioner of Police (North) Manoj
Kumar Meena.
While no official complaint
has been filed, police said disci-
plinary proceedings would be
initiated against the SI. Police
also said they are checking if any
complaintshavebeenregistered
against Tomar in the past. The SI
was posted at the Inderlok
chowki for the past two months.
Security was stepped up in
the area, including deployment
of riot-controlvehiclesandpara-
military forces with DCP-level
and Joint CP-level officers being
sent to maintain law and order.
Some of the devotees were
seenmakingannouncementson
a microphone, asking the crowd
to maintain peace in the area.
“ThepeopleoftheNorth-East
Delhi district have always sup-
ported the police in maintaining
law and order. We condemn the
Inderlok incident. In view of this,
strictinstructionshavebeengiven
to all the police personnel. There
is an appeal to all the people to
maintainsocialharmonyandnot
pay attention to rumours,” DCP,
Northeast,JoyTirkey,saidinaso-
cial media post on ‘X’.
 10 EXPRESS NETWORK WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

Minor detained, four arrested for gangrape of 18-year-old in Kolkata Letter for eviction of ‘parasite’ students
from Pune varsity hostels triggers row
Kolkata, an Alipore court Friday on. According to the police, in a incident after which the section BJP and CPI(M) workers
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE sentfourof theaccused to police complaint filed Tuesday, the girl of gangrape was added. The five staged protests outside the po-
KOLKATA, MARCH 8 custody tillMarch 18.Theminor alleged the accused persons had were detained again and pro- lice station concerned, demand-
hasbeensenttoajuvenilehome, spiked her drink and then mo- duced before a court on Friday,” ingstringentpunishmentforthe guards have been allotted to re- One such student, who has
DAYS AFTER an 18-year-old police said. lestedher.Thefiveweredetained said a senior police officer. culprits. The CPI(M) members DEVANSHI SRIVASTAVA solvethisissueinthehostelsear- been living in such an arrange-
woman filed a police complaint Sourcesinthepolicesaidone Wednesdaybutwerereleasedon “Four persons and a minor blocked a road near the police PUNE, MARCH 8 lierfromtimetotime.Thehostel ment for the past few months,
alleging five persons, including of theaccusedisthesonof aTMC bailadaylater. “However,thegirl have been named in the case. station. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, rectorsneedtobepresentwitha said, “I applied to the hostel sev-
a minor, gangraped her in councillor, adding that a probe is produced a video related to the The four (adults) have been re- who led the BJP protest, raised A LETTER sent from the security listof studentsstayinginthehos- eral times but did not get it. Now
manded in police custody till questions over women’s safety department of Savitribai Phule telduringtheaction/inspection.” I am staying in a hostel room
March 18,” said the officer. in the state. Pune University to the Chief The letter stated the security with the help of a friend who is
IYf¹ffÊ»f¹f, CX´f U³f ÀfÔSXÃfIY (U³¹fþeU) d¨fdOX¹ff§fSX, þ¹f´fbSX HostelRectorreferringto“action department of the university as allotted a room. We are stu-
IiY¸ffÔIY ERY( ) ÀMXûSX / þc/2023-24/ dQ³ffÔIY: GOVERNMENT OF RAJASTHAN against unauthorised/illegal well as the police administration dents from weak economic and
BÊX-d³fd½fQf Af¸faÂf¯f Àfc¨f³ff OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER (‘parasite’)” students staying in needstobeintimatedof suchac- social backgrounds who want to
BÀf I f¹ffÊ»f¹f ¸fZÔ d³f¸³ffadI °f £ffô Àff¸f¦fie I e AfUV¹fI °ff W`Ü A°f: ¸ff»f EUÔ ÀfZUf I S (Goods & Service Tax) ¸fZÔ ´fÔþeIÈ °f R ¸fûÊÔ ÀfZ d³f²ffÊdS°f AND PROJECT MANAGER
Watershed Cell cum Data Centre Jodhpur the boys’ hostels” has left stu- tion in advance. Many students study, not ‘parasites’ as the let-
´fi´fÂf ¸fZÔ £fb»fe ¶fû»fe Af¸faÂf¯f Àfc¨f³ff Af¸fadÂf°f I e ªff°fe W` Ü
S.No. F()WDSC/PMKSY 2.0/Bids/2023-24/ Date dents worried and angry. areworriedthatsuchinspections ter is saying.”
Ii IYf¹fÊ IYf ³ff¸f A³fb¸ffd³f°f »ff¦f°f ¶fû»fe ¶fû»fe AfS. AfBÊX. MXZ¯OXSX ´fif~ d¶fOX ´fi´fÂf ªf¸ff d³fd½fQf £fû»f³fZ UBN NOTICE INVITING BID Theletter,issuedon March 6, will end up driving out genuine Chief RectorVarshaWankhe-
Àfa (Àf¸fÀ°f IYSX ´fid°f·fcd°f Vfb»IY EÀf. E»f. IYSX³fZ IYe AÔd°f¸f IYSX½ff³fZ IYe IYe d°fd±f ½f No. Bids for the execution of Construction of various watershed development structures under PMKSY 20 Projects whose subject was “action students who are adjusting in de clarified that the “action”
ÀfdWX°f) SXfdVf ´fiûÀfûdÀfa¦f RYeÀf d°fd±f U Àf¸f¹f d°fd±f ½f Àf¸f¹f Àf¸f¹f of estimated value as mentioned below are invited from interested bidders up to 10.03 2024. 06.00 PM. Other
particulars of the bid may be visited on the procurement portal (https://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in or against unauthorised/illegal hostelsunofficially.Because hos- mentioned in the letter would
1 BÊ-d³fd½fQf (QS Àfd½fQf)
02.03.2024 20.03.2024 20.03.2024 FOR2324G
https://sppp.rajasthan gov in)of the state and (https://watershed rajasthan.gov.in) departmental website. (‘parasite’)” stated, “We have tel vacancies are so few and are only be taken against outsiders
Àfc¨f³ff 41/2022-23 (·üÔÀf 26500000 530000 5000/- 2000/-
11.00 AM 01.00 PM 03.00 PM LRCO1826
S.No. NIB No. Bid No Block Cost, Rs. In lakhs UBN No. been informed that some stu- allotted only on meritorious not enrolled as university stu-
1 RB/NRM/01/15/01 Aau 267.64 WSC2324WSOB00973
¸ffhÀf/¶fI Sf ¸ffhÀf/¸fb¦ffÊ ¸ffhÀf)
2 JODH- RB/PD/03/15/02 Dechu 44.83 WSC2324WSOB00974
dentswhoarestayinginthehos- grounds or first-come basis, dents. “We conduct such drives
2 WSf dSdªfI f/d¸fdßf°f §ffÀf/WSe 02.03.2024 11.03.2024 11.03.2024 FOR2324G telsarelivingwithoutpermission many students adjust in the regularlyandarestrictwithnon-
4045000 80900 1500/- 500/- 3 PUR/15/ RB/PD/04/15/03 Ghantiyali 26.61 WSC2324WSOB00975
ª¹ffS Ib ˜e 11.00 AM 11.00 PM 03.00 PM LRCO1828 4 23-24 RB/PD/04/15/04 Ghantiyali 39.30 WSC2324WSOB00976 or allotment. Some security rooms with the hostel residents. students,” said Wankhede.
3 BÊ -QS Àfd½faQf Àfc¨f³ff 5 RB/PD/06/15/05 Mandore 43.68 WSC2324WSOB00977
02.03.2024 11.03.2024 11.03.2024 FOR2324G
40/2023-24 °ffªff R »f E½fa 5770000 115400 2000/- 1500/-
Àf¶ªfe
11.00 AM 11.00 PM 03.00 PM LRCO1832
DIPR/C/2256/2024
Superintending Engineer and Project Manager
Watershed Cell cum Data Centre Jodhpur
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER
4 BÊ -QS Àfd½faQf Àfc¨f³ff
7074000 141480 2000/- 1500/-
02.03.2024 11.03.2024 11.03.2024 FOR2324G AGRA CIRCLE, P.W.D AGRA
39/2023-24 Àfc£ff SfVf³f 11.00 AM 11.00 PM 03.00 PM LRCO1825
5 BÊ -d³fd½fQf(QS Àfd½faQf)
Short Term Notice inviting E-Tender
02.03.2024 11.03.2024 11.03.2024 FOR2324G Letter No. : 1159 /14M-A.C/2023-24 Date :- 01.03.2024
Àfc¨f³ff 34/2022-23 £ffô 2520000 50400/- 1000/- 500/-
11.00 AM 11.00 PM 03.00 PM LRCO1824 1. The Superintending Engineer Agra Circle, U.P.P.W.D. on behalf of Governor of Uttar Pradesh invites the
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percentage rate bids online from the eligible and approved registered Contractors. As The work
d³fdUQf ÀfZ ÀfÔ¶fÔd²f°f dUUS¯f UZ¶fÀffBÊM sppp.raj.nic.in E½fa eproc.rajasthan.gov.in ´fS C´f»f¶²f W`Ü Comprises of specialized Road work, hence contractors bidding for this work must be registered in Road
WXÀ°ff./- work with UP PWD. Bidders are advised to note the minimum qualification criteria specified in Clause 4
(ªf¦fQeVf ¨f³Q ¦fb~f) of the Instructions to Bidders to qualify for the award of the contract.
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ELECTORAL OFFICER, DELHI 3. Time allowed for completion is including Rainy Season.
 

Old St. Stephen’s College Building, 4. Bid document with detailed terms and conditions will be available online on website
http://etender.up.nic.in and Prahari (http://wms.upppwd.gov.in/Prahari) From 12.03.2024 to 18.03.2024.
Kashmere Gate, Delhi-10006. Bids must be submitted online only at e-tendering portal of http://etender.up.nic.in and Prahari App with
Email: eoproc11@gmail.com all documents as per GO No 14/2020/879(1)/ 23-7/2020/176(lk0)/06 Dt 25-08-2020 on or before 12:30
Hours Dt. 18.03.2024. Technical Bid received online will be opened on 18.03.2024 at 01:00 Hours.
5. The prospective bidders who do not posses Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) must get the same issued
No: CEO/P&I /1 306/2023-24/Vol. III Dated: from approved agencies before submission of bids.
6. Contractor should Quote their rates without G.S.T. which shall be paid extra as per applicable at the time
E-tender Notice of payment.
7. Maintenance Period of work will be 5 year.
e Tender for “Selection of Vendor for Installation and 8. Labour Cess @ 1.00% will be deducted from contractor’s bill at the time of payment.
implementation of Live Web casting solution and CCTV 9. The bidder is not required to quote his rate for routine maintenance. The rates to be paid for routine
maintenance (Excluding GST) are indicated in the T-2, GST will be paid extra as applicable. Further, the
monitoring services (Audio & Video Recording, Viewing, payment for routine maintenance to the contractor shall be regulated based on his performance of
maintenance activities.
CCTV & other Services) during the Lok Sabha Election 10. Original MM-11 forms proof of royalty shall have to be produced at time of every running bill in
(LSE), 2024 for the NCT of Delhi is invited through accordance to Principal Secretary, Directorate of geology & mining utter Pradesh Letter
No-2146/86-2019-52(lk0)/2019 Dt. 30.09.2019, G.O. No- 115(1)/86-2020 dated 15.01.2020 and other
e-Procurement portal (https://govtprocurement. relevant Government orders, circulars for all the materials procured from the quarries.
delhi.gov.in). The important details are as under :- 11. The bidders are required to submit Original receipt of Internet Banking of E-tender portal Account as per
G.O. No.-742/78-2-2018-42 I.T./2017 T.C., I.T. & Electronics Section-2 Dated- 03-12-2018 follows as :
Tender Id :- 2024_CEO_255717_1 (1) Online Tender Cost towards the cost of bid document (As per Column 8) by Internet Banking of
E-tender portal Account (Non Refundable).
Pre-bid meeting :- 11.03.2024 at 04.00PM (2) Online Bid security (As per Column 7) in favour of designation of Column 11 by Internet Banking of
Last date of submission of Bids : E-tender portal Account.
12. Five Years Maitinence Cost will be applicable at rate of 7.50% of Bond Cost
15.03.2024 till 02.00PM
(Ajay Kumar Singh) (Anand Kumar)
Assistant CEO(P&I) Executive Engineer SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER
Provincial Division, P.W.D., UPID-205262 Date 07/03/2024 AGRA CIRCLE, PWD,
DIP/SHABDARTH/CLASSIFIED/0381/23-24 Mathura www.upgov.nic.in AGRA

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 5308 DAY TODAY BY PETER VIDAL

ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20) LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23)

Cash and career You could be in for a
matters are still on romantic weekend,
your mind, but do especially if you’re
try to put practical single. If you’re
issues behind you during spoken for, cheer up, for there
the weekend. Life is too short is still plenty of scope for you
to spend all your time and your partner to give life an
worrying over how you are exciting new twist. Even
ever going to pay your though you need order, you do
way. Why not let partners take love fortune’s surprises.
the responsibility, and
the strain? SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 23)
Anything which is
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21) set in motion today
Make an early start should have a
if you want to get rewarding outcome.
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson ahead of the pack.
Social prospects are
However, there is much
that still needs to be
still bright and, although you explained and you may be
will be giving some thought to labouring under one or
worldly matters, you really two misapprehensions.
ought to try and relax. If you These will be gradually
don't look after yourself, then resolved over the next
ACROSS DOWN you can’t expect other people two weeks.
to, can you?
1 Noisy outburst of four voices 2 Captain maybe in command in SAGITTARIUS (Nov 24 - Dec 22)
(10) present situation (7) GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) If you’ve any spare
8 Stiff resolution shown in 3 Problem for an agony aunt in a It’s a favourable time you may wish
disputes (5) magazine? (5) weekend for getting to devote a little
financial plans into energy to your long-
9 The pound is to a certain 4 Strangely silent recruit (6) shape. Forge ahead term interests, especially your
amount flexible (7) 5 Keep giving notice (7) with all family arrangements investments and savings. Most
10 They aim to get her into the 6 Wife comes up about to be and hope for the best: of the indications suggest that
bright lights (7) angry (5) someone may be arranging a ventures entered into now will
11 Dance from Burma (5) very pleasant surprise for you. eventually prove very
7 Please try anew one at a time More pleasant, I suspect, than profitable, and fruitful.
12 Companion of an American (10) you could ever possibly
star (6) 8 Damaged car in tense passing imagine. CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
14 Avenge massacre in situation (10) MARVIN by Tom Armstrong CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
It’s a romantic
weekend in the
Switzerland (6) 13 School subject taken by the
Why is that people broadest sense.
17 An opponent of the Yemen sick? (7)
at home seem Quite aside from the
perhaps (5) 15 Price I’m prepared to give a determined to intimate, emotional side of
19 Take steps to keep down quack doctor (7) disagree with your your life, you will be looking at
(7) 16 Steps in the development of plans or think up problems to the world through rose-tinted
21 RC using a form of bad Wells Fargo? (6) slow you down? Perhaps it’s spectacles. Exotic cultures may
language (7) because you failed to consult beckon but, as you know,
18 Queen Elizabeth right or
them when you were when you arrive somewhere
22 Relay perhaps in good time (5) wrong (5)
dreaming up your current new, you’re still you. That will
23 There’s opposition since rates 20 Boxing ring takes an age to schemes. It’s never too late to never change.
were changed (10) erect (5) tell them the full facts.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
Solutions Crossword5307Across: 1Scraps,4Profit,9Trapeze,10Basra,11Lotus,12 LEO (July 24 - Aug 23) A restless mood may
Dislike,13Candlemaker,18Apricot,20Canoe,22Scorn,23Resigns,24Notion,25 Keep on the move make it difficult to
EditorDown:1Settle,2React,3Pleased,5Robes,6Festive,7Teaset,8Deadletters,14 this weekend, concentrate, but
Airport,15Accused,16Watson,17Censer,19Canto,21Night though you may be there will be
happier making rewards if you find yourself in
short journeys than long. Push unfamiliar surroundings.
business matters to one side Social gatherings have much
and enjoy your social life free to offer this evening. And, in
JUMBLED WORDS from the cares and concerns that case, why not go for broke,
SOLUTION SUDOKU 5495

DifficultyLevel1s
Instructions which tend to cloud your and take a risk with your
vision. Stay active and you’ll feelings?
Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, carry partners with you.
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
SUDOKU 5496

theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23) Diplomacy is still

Forthe___,the____doesnotexist;onlyacertainnumberofwritingsexist.-ItaloCalvino nineverticalcolumns,in A partnership your best policy if
(6,.,6) dispute or a delay in you’re trying to
eachoftheninehorizontal
communications hang on to one
CYARR BORTTU rowsandineachofthe
should clear very particular friendship. On the
nineboxes. soon, if it has not already done other hand, if you are at the
so. Turn your back on fantasy end of your tether there is
and waffle, and concentrate no better moment to set
DMIIO ELNCCH DifficultyLevel on what you can do of yourself free. The Sun’s
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; practical value. That way you alignment with Venus is
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; will virtually guarantee gentle, creative, affectionate,
5s=VeryHard; your success. and favourable.
- Italo Calvino
Answer:For the critic, the author does not exist; only a certain number of writings exist. 6s=Genius
SOLUTION: CARRY, IDIOM, TURBOT, CLENCH
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

11 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

NIKKEI: 39,688.94 ▲ 90.23 HANG SENG: 16,353.39 ▲ 123.61 FTSE: 7,659.74 ▼ 32.72 DAX: 17,814.51 ▼ 28.34 | OIL: $83 ▼ $0.15
Note: Indian stock and money markets closed owing to Shivratri; Crude oil (Indian basket) as of March 7; International market data till 1900 IST

BLOC LIKELY TO COMMIT $100-BILLION INVESTMENT OVER 15 YEARS

India poised to sign trade agreement
with four-nation EFTA bloc tomorrow
RAVI DUTTA MISHRA
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
INDIA AND the four-nation
EuropeanFreeTradeAssociation
(EFTA) grouping — comprising
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
and Switzerland — are poised to
sign a trade deal on March 10, a
person aware of the develop-
ment said.
The Trade and Economic
Partnership Agreement (TEPA)
is among three free-trade agree-
ments (FTAs) India is pushing to
finalise this month, before the
Model Code of Conduct, that
bars major policy announce-
ments after the release of gen-
eral election dates, kicks in.
The two other deals are with
Oman and the UK.
WhiletheOmandealisinad-
vancedstageswithlegalscrutiny
underway,themuchanticipated
India-UK FTA is also being taken
up at the highest level, with the
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
reviewing the deal late last
month.AccordingtoaPTIreport,
UK Secretary of State for
Govt eases
TRADE DEALS: A STATUS CHECK
PACTS BEING PUSHED
BEFORE THE POLLS
India-EFTA deal:
To be announced Sunday
India-Oman deal:
Legal scrubbing underway
India-UK: Reviewed by
PMO
FTAs EXPECTED AFTER ELECTIONS
A comprehensive
India-Australia deal
Business and Trade Kemi
Badenoch has said that an India-
UK FTA “is possible” before the
Indian elections, but that the UK
does not want to use that as a
“deadline”.
Other trade deals —the com-
prehensive agreement with
Australia and the FTA with the
27-member European Union
(EU) — are also being negotiated
butareexpectedtobeconcluded
only after the general election.
Govt to work on domestic AI
PACTS CONCLUDED
2022: India-UAE FTA
2022: India-Australia
interim FTA
India-EU deal: 7th round
of talks ended last month
Both deals involve the agricul-
turesector,asensitivesubjectfor
India especially amid the farm-
ers’ unrest.
The Indian Express had re-
ported last week that India and
EFTA are nearing a conclusion of
the deal which would see the
European bloc committing an
investment of $100 billion in
India over 15 years in sectors in-
cluding pharma, food process-
ing, engineering and chemicals.
The investment commit-
ment, the first of its kind in an
FTA, would largely come from
provident funds in EFTA coun-
tries. These include Norway’s
$1.6-trillion sovereign wealth
fund,theworld’slargestpension
fund which posted a record
profit of $213 billion in 2023 on
the back of strong technology
stock returns.
The investment commit-
ment, however, may not be
legallybinding.Agovernmentof-
ficial had told The Indian Express
thatthecommitmentfallsunder
“investment promotion” and
that India and EFTA are not sign-
ing a Bilateral Investment Treaty
(BIT), as is being negotiated with
the UK and the EU.
An investment commitment
is crucial as India-EFTA trade is
largely in favour of the European
grouping as far as goods are con-
cerned. Trade experts say India
runs a high trade deficit with
Switzerland, which could widen
after India eliminates duties as
part of the deal. During FY23,
India’simportsfromSwitzerland
stood at $15.79 billion in stark
contrast to its exports of $1.34
billion, leading to a substantial
trade deficit of $14.45 billion.
Trade agreements have his-
torically helped India’s partner
countriesbecauseofhighaverage
tariffs in India. India, therefore, is
looking to attract investments
and get better market access for
its service sector workforce.
The Indian Express had also
reported that EFTA is also look-
ing at striking joint ventures in
pharma, (especially medical de-
vices), chemicals, food process-
ing and engineering. Trade ex-
perts pointed out that the
investment commitment could
be a crucial gain for India.
After the India-EFTA deal,
Indiacouldseehigherimportsof
machinery, pharmaceuticals,
medical instruments and ma-
chinery as there would be a
sharp reduction in Indian tariffs
which hover around an average
rateof 18%,amongthehighestin
theworld.Indiaisalsolookingat
the EFTA deal to help diversify
imports away from China. India
currently depends on China for
key medical imports.
Rates on small
savings schemes
Equity MF inflows at near
2-yr high in Feb, but investors
slam brakes on small caps
HITESH VYAS
MUMBAI, MARCH 8
EQUITY MUTUAL funds in
February saw a 23 per cent net
rise in inflows to `26,865.78
crore, the highest infusion in 23
months,evenassmall-capfunds,
which are facing scrutiny, saw a
slowdown in funds received.
Inflows into small-cap funds
declined10percentto`2,922.45
croreinFebruaryfrom`3,256.98
croreinJanuary,datareleasedby
the Association of Mutual Funds
(AMFI) showed. Net inflows into
mid-cap funds also dropped 12
per cent to `1,808.18 crore from
`2,061.18 crore in February.
Last month, AMFI wrote to
mutual fund houses to take
measurestoprotecttheinterests
of investorsinsmallandmid-cap
schemes,whichhaveseenheavy
inflows in the recent past.
AMFI Chief Executive Venkat
Chalasani said fund houses have
beenaskedtostrengthentherisk
management framework and to
enhancedisclosurestoinvestors.
DuringFebruary,inflowsinto
the large and mid-cap category
increasedto`3,156.64crorefrom
`2,330.1 crore in the last month.
Chalasaniattributedthistostrong
macroeconomic fundamentals.
“The economy is performing
FUND FLOW
NETINFLOWSINTOMUTUALFUNDS(IN`CRORE)
■ Jan ■ Feb
21,780.56 26,865.78
Equity
well, capacity utilisation has
crossed 70 per cent and private
investment and consumption
are picking up. Signals are posi-
tive and people have started in-
vesting across sectors,” he said.
In January, net inflows into
equity mutual funds stood at
`21,780.56 crore.
Contributions from system-
atic investment plans (SIPs) rose
to an all-time high of `19,186.58
croreinFebruary2024asagainst
`18,838.33 crore in January.
Among equity categories, all
mutual fund schemes received
inflows except focused funds.
Sectoral or thematic funds wit-
nessed the highest inflows of
`11,262.72 crore. Focused funds
saw an outflow of `532.89 crore
in the month.
Total net inflows into debt-
oriented schemes stood at
`63,808.82 crore in February
compared to `76,468.96 crore in
76,468.96
63,808.82
Source: Amfi
20,636.99 18,105.08
Debt Hybrid
recorded outflows of `17,375.61
croreand`4,100.38crore,respec-
tively. Inflows into liquid funds
werehighestat`83,642.33crore.
The mutual fund industry’s
net assets under management
(AUM) stood at `54.54 lakh crore
as of February 2024 compared to
`52.74 lakh crore the previous
month. “The consistent and ro-
bustgrowthisbackedbyincreas-
inginflowsacrossvariousequity-
orientedschemes,particularlythe
mid,small-cap,sectoral,andthe-
matic funds on the back of good
growth in stock markets, despite
short-term volatility due to the
election year and ahead of earn-
ings,” said Ashwini Kumar, Head
Market Data, ICRA Analytics.
Retail AUM (equity + hybrid
+ solution-oriented schemes)
stood at `30,70,641 crore for
February. The number of new
SIPs registered in February was
49,79,431. The SIP AUM touched

thresholds well, BFSI (banking, financial the previous month. Overnight the highest ever of `10.52 lakh

for M&A
chipsets in 3rd term: Vaishnaw unchanged
services and insurance) is doing

AFTER ACTION AGAINST JM FINANCIAL

funds and low-duration funds crore for February.

New Delhi: The government on

NORMS AGAINST
scrutiny
RISHI RAJ Friday left the interest rates un-
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8

THE UNION government in its

MANU KAUSHIK
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
THE MINISTRY of Corporate
Affairs(MCA)hasrelaxedtheex-
emption limits for notifying
mergers and acquisitions
(M&As) to the Competition
Commissionof India(CCI).Inthe
new regime, companies are not
required to notify the regulator
if the acquired firm has assets
(including subsidiaries) of less
than`450croreandturnoverbe-
low `1,250crore. Theold thresh-
olds were `350 crore for assets
and `1,000 crore for turnover.
Expertssaidtherevisionofthe
thresholds for combinations is to
make CCI focus on deals where
the impact on the competition
landscapeissubstantial.“Withthe
increase in high-value deals, the
ministrywantstotaketheburden
awayfromCCItoscrutinisebigger
M&As,”saidRohitJain,Managing
Partner, Singhania & Co.
However, this poses chal-
lenges.Forinstance,alargenum-
ber of startups don't have assets
or revenues in their initial years
to qualify for CCI inspections at
thetimeof theiracquisitions.But
they do add value for the acquir-
ingcompaniesafterthedeal,and
couldhaveimplicationsforcom-
petition in the relevant markets.
For instance, when Facebook
acquired WhatsApp in 2014, the
deal didn't come under the CCI's
purview because WhatsApp
didn’t breach the thresholds.
Later,thedealcauseddiscomfort
among global regulators. FE
thirdtermwillworktowardsen-
abling domestic manufacturing
of AI chipsets, communications
and IT minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw told FE.
“There are a lot of global
manufacturers who are inter-
ested in partnering us in devel-
oping their chipsets here,”
Vaishnawsaid.“We have started
domestic manufacturing of
smartphones and IT hardware.
A beginning has been made in
the direction of semiconductor
and the UnionCabinetapproved
the `10,372-crore AI mission on
Thursday to create sovereign ca-
pability in computing. The next
on our agenda, which we will
look at in the third term of the
Modi government, is making AI
chipsets,” the minister said.
AI chipsets include graphics
processing units (GPUs) and
other computing hardware es-
sential for creating AI models as
RBI decision on IDBI Bank bidders soon
PRASANTA SAHU
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
THE RESERVE Bank of India’s
(RBI’s) much-awaited decision
on the fit-and-proper profiles of
the bidders for IDBI Bank will
likely be conveyed thismonthto
the government, a source privy
to the matter said. This would
pave the way for the first strate-
gicdisinvestmentof abank,with
a significant government hold-
Union minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw. PTI
these require large-scale com-
puting. The US and China lead in
computing infrastructure re-
quiredforthedevelopmentof AI
tech.US-basedNvidiadominates
the GPU market.
Vaishnaw said there are sev-
eral other global firms making
GPUs, but their processing ca-
pacity is around 60% of Nvidia's.
“These firms want to scale up
and we need to start from
ground zero. If they partner us,
together we will be ableto make
GPUs with processing capacity
ing,immediatelyafteranewgov-
ernmentassumesofficeafterthe
April-May general elections.
The sale of IDBI Bank, for-
merly a public sector bank, is
seen as a test case for the new
public sector enterprises policy,
whichaimstominimisegovern-
ment's presence in businesses,
including banking, as the Centre
feels private sector is best suited
to scale up businesses, with skin
in the game. Recent laudatory
comments on public sector un-
DEEPFAKES AFTER
POLLS: I.T. MINISTER
New Delhi: The government
askeddigitalplatformstopro-
vide solutions to curb misin-
formation that can harm so-
ciety and democracy, Union
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
has said. He also said a legal
structure against deepfakes
andmisinformationwillbefi-
nalised after polls. “We have
been very categorical in our
discussions with platforms...
after the elections, we will be
coming up with a very well
thought-through legal struc-
ture," Vaishnaw said. PTI
close to that of Nvidia’s over
time. It will be a win-win for
both sides,” Vaishnaw said.
The minister said that al-
liance with the global firms
would be on a public-private
partnership mode. FE
dertakings by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi have strength-
enedtheperceptionthatthegov-
ernment may be rethinking its
policywithregardtothesefirms.
Reports had suggested that
Kotak Mahindra Bank and
Fairfax India Holdings are likely
in the fray for IDBI Bank.
“TheRBI’s ‘fit-and-proper as-
sessment’ of the bidders is at an
advancedstageandtheapproval
could come during this month,”
said the source. FE
changedonvarioussmallsavings
schemes for the first quarter of
the next fiscal, beginning April 1,
2024. “The rates of interest on
various small savings schemes
for the first quarter of FY 2024-
25, starting from April 1, 2024,
and ending on June 30, 2024,
shall remain unchanged from
thosenotifiedforthefourthquar-
ter (January 1, 2024, to March 31,
2024) of FY 2023-24,” a Finance
Ministry notification said. PTI
SPECTRUM AUCTION TO
START FROM MAY 20
New Delhi: The forthcoming
spectrumauctionwill start from
May 20. The government will
auction eight spectrum bands
for mobile services at a base
price of `96,317.65 crore. PTI
Regulators widen inquiry into
public debt issue managers
REUTERS
MUMBAI, MARCH 8
THE FINANCIAL market regula-
tor and the central bank are
widening an investigation into
how merchant banks manage
retail subscriptions in public
debt issues, two sources with di-
rect knowledge of the matter
told Reuters.
The Securities and Exchange
Board of India (Sebi) barred JM
Financial from taking new
mandates this week, saying it
hadfoundthatfundsfromcon-
nected entities were used to in- Severalothercasesareunder
flate subscriptions and provide investigation to see if merchant
an assured exit to investors. banks provided investors with
JM Financial said in a stock an exit through connected non-
exchangefilingonThursdaythat banking finance firms, said the
it will fully cooperate with SEBI two sources, who declined to be
in its investigations. named as they are not autho-
The Reserve Bank of India rised to speak to the media.
(RBI), meanwhile, has told JM
Financial's non-banking unit to
Investigators are also study-
ing if disproportionate loans
stop any form of financing were given to subscribes and
against shares and debentures, whethercustomeridentification
including loans to customers to processes were not adequately
subscribe to IPOs. followed, the sources added.
Barshi Municipal Council, Barshi
e-Tender Notice No. 34 for 2023-24
Barshi Municipal Council invites e-Tender for the work of
PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD UNDER
STATE NAGOROTHAN SCHEME
1) CONSTRUCTION OF CC ROAD AND STROM
WATER GUTER FROM POST OFFICE CHOUK TO
KURDUWADI ROAD N.P BORDER (JAIN MANDIR).
2) CONSTRUCTION OF CC ROAD AND STROM
WATER GUTER FROM POST OFFICE CHOUK TO
JAMGAON BORDAR (LATUR ROAD).
At Tal. Barshi Dist. Solapur In The State Of
Maharashtra, Valued at Rs. 92,54,80,313.00 Please

RBI norms may force Tata Sons to visit website www.mahatenders.gov.in for detailed
information. Sd/-
Chief Officer

consider mega `55,000-crore IPO

GEORGE MATHEW
MUMBAI, MARCH 8
AFTER TATA Technologies, the
first initial public offering (IPO)
listing by the Tata group in over
19years,made ablockbusterde-
but in November last year, the
group will likely be considering
the option of a mega initial pub-
lic offer (IPO) before September
2025 in the wake of stringent
ReserveBankguidelinesfornon-
banking finance companies.
Tata Sons — whose valuation
is estimated at `11 lakh crore —
could be looking to sell a five per
cent stake in the IPO, which is
worth about `55,000 crore, ac-
cording to a Kotak Securities re-
port. The last time an IPO of this
magnitude hit the market was
the one by LIC, which was worth
`21,000 crore.
“The Tata group’s non-bank-
ing financial company (NBFC) is
classified as ‘upper-layer’ NBFC
and because of this, Tata Sons
UPPER LAYER NBFCs BY ASSET SIZE
1. LIC Housing Finance Ltd
2. Bajaj Finance Ltd
3. Shriram Transport
Finance Company Ltd
4. Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd
5. L&T Finance Ltd
6. Indiabulls Housing
Finance Ltd
7. Piramal Capital & Housing
Finance Ltd
8. Cholamandalam
Investment and Finance
has to be listed on the stock ex-
changes by September 2025,”
the report said.
ATataSonsspokespersondid
notrespondtoanemailfromThe
Indian Express seekingcomment
on the matter.
Tata Trusts, headed by Ratan
Tata, holds 66 per cent stake in
Tata Sons. The Pallonji Mistry
Company Ltd
9. Shanghvi Finance Pvt. Ltd
10. Mahindra & Mahindra
Financial Services Ltd
11. PNB Housing Finance Ltd
12. Tata Capital Financial
Services Ltd
13. Aditya Birla Finance Ltd
14. HDB Financial Services
Ltd
15. Muthoot Finance Ltd
16. Bajaj Housing Finance Ltd
group holds an 18.4 per cent
stake in the company.
The Tata Group has over 100
operating companies across sec-
tors. Tata Sons, the group’s non-
banking financial arm, supports
andpromotesallthesebusinesses.
“India’scentralbankclassifiedTata
Sons as an ‘upper layer’ NBFC in
2022,suggestingitmustgopublic
withinthreeyears.Thiscouldpos-
sibly be one of the biggest IPOs…
notjustfortheTatasbutinthehis-
tory of the Indian stock market,”
theKotakreportsaid.
The RBI published the list of
16 upper layer NBFCs on
September 30, 2022. “This
means Tata Sons will have to list
itssharesbySeptember30,2025
unless the RBI extends thedead-
line or gives an exemption,” said
a financial sector analyst.
Andthecentralbankmaynot
beinfavourof relaxingthelisting
requirement for one entity as
others may seek the same .
The upper layer NBFCs com-
prise companies that are specif-
ically identified by the Reserve
Bank as warranting enhanced
regulatory requirements based
on a set of parameters and scor-
ing methodology. The top ten el-
igible NBFCs in terms of asset
sizeshallalwaysresideintheup-
per layer. Tata Sons, listed at the
fourth position, is the only core
investment company in the list.
Government of Karnataka
(Infrastructure Development, Ports & Inland Water Transport Department) Date: 05/03/2024 Barshi Municipal Council
Karnataka Maritime Board
Office of the Marine Engineer, Department of Ports & IWT,
Baithkhol, Karwar- 581302
No.ME/GNL/CR- 03/2023 Date: 07.03.2024
TENDER NOTICE (Only in E-Procurement) (TWO COVER SYSTEM)
Tender is invited by the undersigned in E-Procurement (KPPP) portal for
the mentioned service. The reputed, bonafide, resourceful & experienced
registered firms/ contractors and interested shipping companies who
have executed and are having experience in similar nature of service can
participate in the Tender through E-procurement portal. To obtain more
information, please visit the website: https://kppp.karnataka.gov.in
(Tender Indent No. IDD/2023-24/SE0013)
Name of work: Providing 2 Nos. of minimum 30 Ton Bollard pull capacity
each Tug service on revenue sharing basis for berthing and unberthing
of ships and search and rescue operations for a period of 3 years at
Karwar Port, Uttara Kannada round the clock (24 hrs a day) including
Handling, Operation and Maintenance (HOM) charges of Tug, Fuel,
Lubricants, Water, Manning Crew, Maintenance, etc., and inclusive of all
applicable taxes.
Bidding Parameter is Payment of Royalty per GRT of the vessels berthed
and unberthed each way subject to minimum of Rs.5000/- payable to the
Karnataka Maritime Board subject to conditions mentioned in the bid
document
EMD: As mentioned in bid document, Last date for Quarries: 05.04.2024
@ 17.30 hours, Last Date for receipt of Tender: 08.04.2024 @ 17.00
hours
For further details and general enquiries, interested firms/ contactors may
contact the undersigned office E-mail: marineengineerkwr@gmail.com
and phone No: 08382 221402 during working hours, before last date of
quarries.
Sd/- Marine Engineer,
DIPR/ADK/KSMCA/820/23-24 dt. 07.03.2024 Karwar
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

12 THE EDITORIAL PAGE

WORDLY WISE
Art washes away from the soul the
dust of everyday life.
— PABLO PICASSO

FOUNDED BY
Change in the Valley
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
In his first visit since abrogation of Article 370, PM charts
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
course for development, ending Pakistan’s proxy war

A SPEECH, A QUESTION Syed Ata Hasnain

PM Modi’s public address in Srinagar framed the contours of STOCK TAKING ABOUT Jammu and Kashmir under Prime Minister Modi’s passionate de- made it clear that India’s intent was to turn
(J&K)isusuallydonepostterror-relatedinci- liverance of urban and rural development. the region into an international tourist hub
‘Naya Kashmir’. It will be incomplete without elections

P
dents. However, when a popular leader, that
RIME MINISTER NARENDRA Modi's public address in Srinagar on Thursday – too the Prime Minister of the country, visits
his first in the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 – such a region after an interval, there is an op-
portunitytodoamorebalancedexamination
wasareportcardof the Centre'sadministrationof the erstwhile stateof Jammu
and reflect on where we stand in a region se-
and Kashmir. From the announcement of schemes and packages to the expan- riously affected by externally sponsored
sion of reservation and a growing economy – the PM sought to draw a straight line be- “proxy war” for 35 years. There have been
tween the abrogation and what he called “Naya Kashmir”. There were at least three as- many dimensions to J&K over this period. To
pects to the formulation underlined in the speech. First, that J&K's exceptionalism was a bestunderstandthem,thepolitical,military,
“shackle”thatpreventedthebenefitsflowingfromNewDelhifromreachingpeopleof the social, economic, and most importantly, the
psychological domains need examination;
erstwhile state. Second, the people of the Union Territory were denied benefits such as
reservation. Granting ST status to an internally diverse community such as the Paharis,
we can also add diplomatic to the mix be-
causemuchdependsonexternalperceptions.
despite opposition from other social groups, flowed from this understanding. The third Of these, the psychological domain re-
was that special status gave the Valley-based parties, which PM Modi painted as dynas- mains the most important. In 1989, when
tic fiefdoms, a stranglehold over J&K's resources and politics. The speech highlighted the Pakistan launched its long-drawn plan of
importance of J&K and abrogation to the BJP — as an ideological issue — ahead of the gen- wresting J&K by triggering internal turmoil,
eral election. But it also left an important question unanswered. aided by external support, the ground had
been well prepared. The Army’s security-re-
The last time J&K had an elected government was in 2018, which was dissolved after
lated deployment was hardly sufficient to
the BJP withdrew from the ruling alliance. Since then, only two local body elections have preventthefrequenttrans-LoCmovementof
been held — to Block Development Councils in 2019 and District Development Councils the people who had already declared J&K a
in 2020 — in both of which the Gupkar alliance did better than the BJP. The fact is that the part of Pakistan. “Kashmir banega Pakistan”
abrogation of Article 370 changed fundamentally the nature of the region. That change was the refrain and the most popular slogan.
The stark difference 35 years later and five
is irreversible, especially after the Supreme Court's imprimatur on the decision. Valley-
based political parties too seem to have made peace with this reality and are demanding
yearsaftertheabrogationof Article370isthat
most of India and much of J&K reverberates
thatelectionstopanchayatbodies—duein Januarybutyetto takeplace —and theassem- withtheothervirtualslogan—“PoJKbanega
bly be held with the general elections. The Supreme Court asked that assembly elections Hindustan”.Thatisthepsychologicalchange
be held by September. And, according to the Centre's own claims, the security situation evident as one talks to Kashmiri youth now;
has improved and the delimitation exercise is complete. the idea of Azadi and of Pakistan is finally re-
PM Modi has in the past said that it is important to remove both “dil ki doori” and “Dilli ceding. However, the duality in the Kashmiri
mind, although seriously dented, remains,
kidoori”betweenKashmirandtherestof India.Infact,bridgingthegap—sentimentaland
and will take time to fully neutralise.
political—wasajustificationforendingthe“special”status.Yet,withoutelections,theerst- Rightfrom1997,whentheArmyadopted
whilestatecontinuestobeanexception—theonlystatetohavebeenmadeaUnionTerritory a more structured approach to the doctrine
byParliament.Theelectionschedule,evenforitslocalbodies,appearsmoremalleablethan of “winning hearts and minds” (WHAM),
anywhereelse.LikeotherIndians,thepeopleinJ&Kdeserveaccountablegovernmentsand there existed only a broad understanding for
such a doctrine at the national level. In the
a political process in which they have a stake. Before the Supreme Court, the government
said as recently as September 2023 that it was “ready to hold elections”, though it did not face of terror threats, it was the civil admin-
give a timeline for restoring statehood. By allowing politics to return to the region, the gov-
istration’s inability to effectively administer
the populous rural segment that led to it
ernment will go a long way in ending dil ki doori, and Dilli ki doori in Naya Kashmir. falling under theambitof the Army.Only the
Army, assisted by the J&K Police, had the run
of the countryside. That has largely changed
The Prime Minister knows
that the story of change in
Kashmir is not yet over. J&K
is crucial to international
and regional security. There
are two aspects that will
continue to cause concern in
the all-important security
domain. The first is
Pakistan, which remains
committed to forces of
separatism in J&K through
acts of sponsored terror
whenever possible, in a bid
to remain relevant even in
the face of a transforming
region. The second is that
ideological extremism, like
elsewhere, continues to
remain embedded. A study
of the proliferation of
international conflicts and
their nature reveals that an
ideologically driven second
cycle of global terrorism
could well be triggered. J&K
falls within the ambit of
such a cycle.
The transformational change in the security
situation after August 2019, enabled by the
Centre's strong backing, has facilitated two
things. First, that an “all of government” ap-
proach could be truly applied, even to
WHAM. In earlier years, except for a few de-
partments of the state government, no one
had a sense of commitment nor an under-
standing of its significance — WHAM was
considered just a military commitment. PM
Modi’ssocio-economicoutreachthroughde-
liverabledevelopmentprojectshasmanaged
to create far greater hope than ever before.
The psychological effect of this has multi-
plied because of the economic abyss which
exists in Pakistan. All this has been possible
because of direct rule from Delhi through an
astute Lieutenant Governor who has been
energetic and committed, but most impor-
tantly, understands the mind of the popu-
lace.Hisbalancedideologicalorientationhas
been a force multiplier as has been his will-
ingness to meet people.
Youthandwomen’sempowermentishalf
the battle and both of these have been more
thanadequatelyaddressed,asisalsoevident
from social media. The Army’s experience of
outreach has been well exploited through a
more integrated approach. What is even
more helpful is that the Army’s “in the face”
projectionandinvolvementhavetakenaback
seatwithoutanyperceptiblelossof effective-
ness. Kashmir’s youth and its aspirations are
today well managed by many articulate and
dynamic youth leaders, all patriots in their
own right. When the PM spoke of
Mahashivratri and Ramzan in the same
breathandmentionedthelotuswhichabun-
dantly grows in Kashmir’s many lakes, with
linkagetothesymbolof hisparty,hewasonly
symbolically articulating the place that J&K
has in the psyche of India. By speaking about
Kashmir’s participation in the G20 process
during India’s presidency and mentioning
tourism as one of the mainstays, he again
and link it to J&K’s most important industry.
Yet, even the Prime Minister knows that
thestoryof changeinKashmirisnotyetover;
agreatbeginninghasbeenmadedespitethe
pandemicinterlude.J&Kiscrucialtointerna-
tionalandregionalsecurity.Therearetwoas-
pects that will continue to cause concern in
theall-importantsecuritydomain.Thefirstis
Pakistan,whichremainscommittedtoforces
of separatism in J&K through acts of spon-
soredterrorwheneverpossible,inabidtore-
mainrelevanteveninthefaceof atransform-
ing region. The second is that ideological
extremism, like elsewhere, continues to re-
mainembedded.Astudyof theproliferation
of internationalconflictsandtheirnaturere-
veals that an ideologically driven second cy-
cleof globalterrorismcouldwellbetriggered.
J&K falls within the ambit of such a cycle.
Although Pakistan is also a victim of its ma-
nipulations, its deemed leadership always
perceives its own invincibility as well as
India’s vulnerability. That thought process
couldreignitefreshfires,of whichwehaveto
be mindful. Pakistan Army’s control over
Shehbaz Sharif also gives no promises of
peace and it would be premature to initiate
talkswithPakistanbecausethatwouldmean
giving it more significance than it deserves.
It is the insignificance it has been driven to
that has made such a difference to the psy-
che of the people.
Although so much has been achieved,
militarily we need not indulge in rapid dilu-
tion of structures and concepts established
through experience. Yet, what is evident is
that J&K is ripe for meaningful politics with-
out any sentiment for the provisions of
Article 370. The latter is well and truly be-
hind us. The words of the Prime Minister
made that very clear.
The writer, a member of the National Disaster
Management Authority, is former corps
commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps

TRAINING GROUND
Subsidised apprenticeship programme can contribute to
developing skills, help country reap demographic dividend
EVERYONE GETS A VOICE
T
HE CONGRESS HAS promised to enact a Right to Apprenticeship law, mandat-
ingprivateorpublicsectorconcernstoprovideaone-yearinternshipwithpart-
government funding to any college degree/diploma holder on demand. The
ideaofforcingcompaniestoacceptcandidatesseekingtemporaryemployment
Campaign to mobilise youth and first-time voters is becoming mass movement
—whichiswhatalegalentitlementamountsto—isbad.Thedecisiontohire,evenifforonly
ayear,shouldbetheemployer’sprerogativeandnotagovernmentdiktat.Buttheideaofthe P V Sindhu
governmentsubsidisinganapprenticeshiptrainingsysteminprivateindustryisn'tabadone.
Equallywelcomeisthemainoppositionparty'sefforttomakejobsfortheyouthakeyelec- THECOUNTRY’SDEMOCRATICmachinery is tives, and resonates deeply across all seg- Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye has taken
tion campaign, even if questions may be raised as to what stopped its own governments, gearing up for the 18th Lok Sabha election. ments of society, leading to widespread par- the form of a crowd-sourced movement –
whether in the past or in the states now, from implementing similar programmes. In this democratic spectacle, the participa- ticipation. Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye it has become a collective effort that in-
tion of every eligible voter is crucial, but par- gained momentum as more and more cred- spires widespread participation and seeks
Therearecoststoafirm’sdecisiontoengageinapprenticeshiptraining.Thepotentialem-
ticularly crucial is the role of the youth, who ible voices joined the call to action. In his to drive meaningful change on a large scale.
ployee's capabilities aren't fully known at the time of recruitment, which is often based on constitute a significant portion of the popu- 110th Mann Ki Baat address, Prime Minister The cascading effect of growing participa-
unreliableCVsorpersonalrecommendations.Nordoesthepersoncontributemuchtothe lation and bring with them the unparalleled Narendra Modi called upon the country's tion builds upon a familiar feature of sev-
firm's revenues during the period of training, when she's still learning on the job. Worse, spiritof yuva shakti. Theirengagementin the youth to actively participate in the demo- eral recent campaigns and initiatives, in-
there's no certainty that the apprentice who has acquired the requisite skills will remain voting process holds the potential to shape cratic process. Others, including cricketers, cluding Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Swachh
afterthetrainingperiodisover.ThesecostsanduncertaintiesarehigherforMSMEs(micro, thefutureof nations.Understandingthepiv- cine artistes and social media influencers, Bharat and Covid-19 awareness. It builds on
small and medium enterprises), which can neither afford to hire people from top-notch otal role of the youth in the electoral process havefollowedinhisfootsteps.Iamprivileged the momentum of the Viksit Bharat
is thus imperative. to be a part of this campaign, realising the Sankalp Yatra.
educational institutions nor invest in training employees whom they cannot retain. This
Over the years, the participation of the power of the collective, not just as a citizen, When people get connected to a cause,
leadstoaclassicalmarketfailurewherefirmsaredeterredfromhiringduetoalackofskilled youth in elections has been improving. This but also as a woman. widespread dividends accrue for the whole
workforce and their own reluctance to train those who may end up working elsewhere. can be attributed to an increasing awareness A stirring anthem encapsulating the nation. The 'Give It Up' movement, launched
Onewaytoavoidunder-employmentandunder-provisionof trainingattheworkplace among the youth about their role in shaping essence of the Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye in 2015, wherein the Prime Minister ap-
isforthegovernmenttobearpartof thecost.That’swhattheCongresshasproposed,while the political landscape as India inches to- campaignwasreleasedrecently.Enthusiastic pealed to people to come forward and give
wards Amrit Kaal. However, given the
Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke youngsters are sharingvideos of theanthem up their LPG subsidy, saw almost a crore
billing a one-year apprenticeship in the organised private sector or government for a Rs Liye has taken the form of a
strength of theyoung electorate in India,this being sung at iconic locations and World households voluntarily give up subsidy in
one-lakh annual stipend as a “Pahli Naukri Pakki” or first job guaranteed scheme. A gov-
participationcanbeincreased.The2024gen- crowd-sourced movement — Heritage Sites across the country, with some the first year itself. Similarly, empowering
ernment-financed workforce training programme incentivising companies, especially eralelectionspresentanopportunemoment Padma awardees releasing renditions of the the youth to engage in politics will foster a
it has become a collective
MSMEs, to hire is preferable to unemployment allowance schemes such as the Congress- for the youth to accept the mantle of the anthem in multiple languages. sense of ownership and responsibility to-
ruledKarnataka'srecentlyrolledoutYuvaNidhi.Indiahastogenerategainfulemployment Amrit Peedhi.
effort that inspires The digital age has revolutionised the wards the democratic process, laying the
foritsyounglabourforce—bothachallengeandademographicdividend-seizingopportu- The Election Commission of India (ECI) widespread participation way information is disseminated and opin- foundation for a more inclusive and repre-
nity.Thesolution cannotbedoles.Instead,ithastobeskillingtheyouthforthemtobeem- has taken measures to mobilise young and and seeks to drive ions are formed. Social media platforms, sentative society.
first-time voters for the Lok Sabha Elections. meaningful change on a large online forums and digital campaigns have The participation of the youth in the vot-
ployable. Those skills have to be imparted in schools, colleges and the workplace. The gov-
It has called upon the youth to cast their bal- emerged as powerful tools for mobilising ingprocessforElection2024isnotjustdesir-
ernmentcanandshoulddomorethere,bothbyitselfandpartneringwiththeprivatesector. lots in record numbers and be part of the scale. The cascading effect of support, particularly among the youth. In able but imperative for the health of democ-
MeraPehlaVoteDeshKeLiyecampaign.This growing participation builds recognition of this, the MyGov portal is racy. By empowering the youth to exercise
initiative aims to instill a sense of civic duty upon a familiar feature of hosting creative competitions for reel their democratic rights, we can ensure a

LEGEND OF SON GOKU

and national pride among first-time voters,
estimated to be nearly two crore.
This campaign builds upon the need to
investinciviceducationandcreateplatforms
Creator of ‘Dragon Ball’ series, Akira Toriyama, was for meaningful participation of the youth in
one of the first global superstars of manga political processes. This has transformed the
several recent campaigns and
initiatives, including Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao, Swachh
Bharat and Covid-19
awareness. It builds on the
making, blog writing, quizzes and an online
voters pledge.
The youth and first-time voters are also
beingmobilisedincollegesandhigherlearn-
ing institutions across the country. Students
are coming together in celebratory fests
more inclusive, representative, and respon-
sive political system. As we embark on this
democratic journey, let us recognise the im-
mense potential of the yuva shakti to shape
thedestinyof ournationandforgea brighter
future for generations to come.

W
young voters campaign into a jan andolan. wheretheyaretakingvoterpledgesandpar-
HEN SON GOKU, with his shock of hair and orange dogi (martial arts A campaign becomes a people’s move- momentum of the Viksit ticipating in rallies, seminars, and creative The writer is an ace Indian badminton player.
robe), made his first appearance in 1984, he was a little boy with a tail. mentwhenitbuildsuponitsgoalsandobjec- Bharat Sankalp Yatra. competitions such as debates. Views expressed are personal
Based on the monkey hero of the Ming-era Chinese classic Journey to
theWest,thestoryofGoku’squesttocollectsevenmagicalorbstosum-
mon a dragon, catapulted his creator Akira Toriyama into the big time. Goku would even-
tually shed his tail (it was tedious to draw, Toriyama once said) and grow up into the heav-
ilymuscledmangaandanimeherorecognisablearoundtheworldtoday.Spanningseveral MARCH 9, 1984, FORTY YEARS AGO
volumes and fictional timelines, selling millionsof copies worldwideand adapted for film,
televisionandvideogames,theDragonBallseriesmadeToriyama,whodiedlastweekatthe RAJ BHAVAN IN DOCK onage case, has confessed that he received strike, the second in Bangladesh this month,
age of 68, one of the first global superstar manga creators. more than Rs 1 lakh from a foreign source for would fall on the second anniversary of
While manga has roots going, some say, all the way back to the painted scrolls from the THE GOVERNOR OF Madhya Pradesh, supplying information about Soviet equip- Ershad’s takeover.
Bhagwat DayalSharma, hasoffered to resign mentusedbytheIndiandefenceservices.He
Edo period (1603-1867), it acquired the recognisable chibi style — characters with slender
figures, big eyes and exaggerated expressions and reactions — in the early 1900s, inspired
in the wake of the controversy over his re-
marks against the policy reservation for
paid his co-accused officers to collect infor-
mation. He paid Lt Col Jasbir Singh Rs 1,000
PAKISTAN CLASHES
byAmericanandWesterncartooning.The“godfather”of modernmangaandcreatorofthe Harijans and Adivasis. Raj Bhavan sources, permonthformilitaryinformation,especially ABOUT 140 STUDENTS were arrested when
iconicAstroBoyseries,OsamuTezukuwasinspiredbyWaltDisney.Itistothislineageof art when contacted, refused to confirm or deny abouttanks.HeseparatelypaidhimRs55,000 a crowd clashed with the police in a campus
and storytelling that Toriyama belongs — he has cited Tezuku’s work as sparking his early the news. Sharma had completed his five- for providing eight classified manuals. demonstrationagainstthePakistanimilitary
interest in manga — and it’s no wonder that his vividly drawn and breathlessly paced sto- year term as Governor in September 1982. government’sbanonstudentunions,thepo-
ries translated so well from the page to the screen. This year will see the release of the new
Meanwhile, 26 CPI workers were arrested
for demonstrating before the Raj Bhawan.
BANGLADESH STRIKE lice said. The police said some students fired
at them when they broke up a protest march
anime Dragon Ball Daima, scheduled to coincide with the series’ 40th anniversary. BANGLADESH’S TWO MAIN opposition al- led by the right-wing student group Islami
Toriyami’smangacompany saidinapressnotethatatthetimeof hisdeath,hehadsev-
eralworks“inthemiddleofcreation”. Gokudiedmanytimes,onlytoberesurrectedbecause
ESPIONAGE IN ARMY liances called for a nation-wide strike to
protest against the military government of
Jamiat-i-Tulaba (IJT ). Eye witnesses said
about 25 students and 11 policemen were
of “unfinished business” — an irony that would resonate with Toriyama’s legions of fans. GEN F D Larkins (retd), accused in the espi- President Hossain Mohammad Ershad. The injured in the clash.

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
13 THE IDEAS PAGE
Filling in the diet chart
Nationwide studies on dietary patterns that throw a light on nutrient intake should
complement the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey
Soumya Swaminathan
and Rama Narayanan
THE RECENTLY RELEASED Household
Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES) data
for 2022-23 by the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme implementation points to a
shift in the food consumption pattern of
Indian households. The survey covered a
sample of 2,61,746 households (1,55,014 ru-
ral and 1,06,732 urban) and was spread over
8,723 villages and 6,115 urban blocks.
The household consumption basket
consisted of three major categories — food
items, consumables and durable goods.
Information was collected through three
separate questionnaires for each category.
In addition, a questionnaire seeking infor-
mation on household characteristics and
demographic features was also used.
Imputed values were obtained for home-
grown or home-produced items and also
for food items consumed free of cost
through social welfare programmes such
as rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, bar-
ley, small millets, pulses, gram, salt, sugar
and edible oil.
The average monthly per capita expen-
diture (MPCE) was Rs 3,773 for rural and Rs
6,459 for urban households. The percent-
age share of food and non-food items was
46 per cent and 54 per cent for rural and 39
per cent and 61 per cent for urban areas, re-
spectively. The good news is that for the first
time the share of expenditure on food for
rural households has come down to less
than 50 per cent. This means that the earn-
ing potential of rural households has gone
up, such that they can spend more on other
consumer goods, indicating a better stan-
dard of living. Even better is the fact that the
proportionate share of expenditure on ce-
reals has come down along with better di-
etary diversity including other food groups.
The percentage share of expenditure on ce-
reals stood at 22 per cent for rural and 12
per cent for urban areas in 1999-2000 while
the present data shows it to be at 4.9 per
cent and 3.6 per cent respectively.
So what does India eat now? Top on the
list come beverages, refreshments and
processed foods with the share of expendi-
ture being 9.6 per cent and 10.6 per cent re-
spectively for rural and urban areas.
Processed foods, known for high sugar and
salt content, are not a healthy choice. This
is a new development and it is striking that
the proportion of processed food consumed
in rural and urban areas is very similar.
However, it is comforting to know that next
on the list come milk and milk products at
8.3 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively for
rural and urban areas. The consumption of
pulses is the lowest with the average MPCE
being 2 per cent and 1.4 per cent for rural
and urban respectively. While milk and
dairy products are a source of good quality
protein when compared to pulses, the cul-
tivation of pulses has declined substantially
with a corresponding increase in cost,
which could have led to a decline in con-
sumption levels. Micronutrient-rich veg-
etables and eggs, fish and meat occupy the
Rohini Nilekani
DURGABAINILEKANIRECENTLYenteredthe
100th year of her life. My mother-in-law is
in good health, physically active, and men-
tally calm. She has mild cognitive impair-
ment and some age-related decline. But
every time you ask her how she is, Amma
will say, “Oh, I am fine!” On some days, she
will giggle and say she is “Ekdam fine”. This
is even when we can hear her wheezing, or
when we know she is in pain.
It is a lifelong training on how to live
gracefully. Some days, when I may be feel-
ing depressed, I quiz her, “Amma, how are
youlikethis?”“Simple,”sheanswers.“Idon’t
worry about death. I think about life. And I
am happy.”
Durgabai epitomises the long-gone cul-
ture of a simple, content society.
Her father, Annaji Rao Sirur, was a very
popular medical practitioner in the univer-
sity town of Dharwad in Karnataka, where
Amma grew up with 14 siblings and many
other relatives. While there was enough to
go around, there was not much to spare.
“Waste not, want not” was the axiom they
grew up with, alongside the idea of moder-
ation in all things.
And the phrase “Reduce, recycle, reuse”
mightwellhavebeenmodelledonher.Inthe
days when she expertly ran her household
in Dharwad, every last scrap had a life exten-
sion that would be incredible to today’s use-
and-throw consumers.
third and fourth positions. The share of ex-
penditure on fruits and edible oil is almost
the same and there is practically no differ-
ence between rural and urban consumers.
Sugar and salt account for less than 1 per
cent of the total share of expenses on food.
The MPCE data shows only the con-
sumption pattern of the entire household
and does not throw light on intra-house-
hold allocation of food. Given the high level
of anaemia among adult women, young
children and adolescent girls as compared
to men, it is important to know the food and
nutrient intake of different sections of the
population. Though the share of expendi-
ture on salt and sugar is low, this by no
means is an indicator of the actual intake
since there is no way of estimating the
amount of salt and sugar consumed
through processed foods and beverages.
This is particularly relevant in the context
of the increasing risk of obesity, diabetes
and hypertension in India. Only diet surveys
can estimate the actual nutrient intake.
For a long time, the National Nutrition
Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) of the Indian
Council of Medical Research undertook pe-
riodic nationwide dietary surveys that
threw light on macro and micronutrient in-
take of Indians. While the National Family
Health Surveys provide information on the
frequency of intake of various food groups,
they do not estimate the nutrient intake.
While the NNMB no longer exists, the
What I learnt from amma
Lessons on life, ageing and simple living from a centenarian
Simple living and high thinking were not
just words but a dharma to live by.
Compassion to all was not just written in the
scriptures but something to practise on
everyone who knocked at the mostly
unlocked door.
Amma once gave away almost all her
personal wealth to help a nephew who
needed expensive medical treatment. “Why
do I need money when my sons are looking
after me?” she shrugged.
Ammanowseemslikeararecommodity
in a worldwhere suspicionis more common
than compassion and where neighbours
may themselves be strangers.
Her lifetime has coincided with the most
prosperous age in human history, where
more people have experienced more abun-
dance than ever before.
She has witnessed so much change in
these 100 years — from a World War and the
Independencemovementtorapidtechnolog-
ical advances, and a prospering nation. She
has experienced abundance and scarcity,
death and loss, including that of Mohanrao
Nilekani,herhusband,andmanysiblingstoo.
Shehascopedremarkablywellandisascom-
fortable with microwaves as she used to be
makingjowarrotisonanopenfire,andaseasy
withZoomcallsasshewaswritingpostcards.
“We have to adjust, is it not?” Amma will say,
in her ever simple and ever direct way.
There is one thing she cannot adjust to,
Nutrition literacy will educate
consumers about healthy
eating practices and lifestyle
modification. Front-of-pack
food labelling will make
consumers aware of the
composition of processed
foods, with a traffic light
system indicating high salt,
fat or sugar content. A study
commissioned by the Niti
Aayog recommended a 20 per
cent to 30 per cent health tax
in addition to GST on high
fat, sugar and salt (HFSS)
foods. Several countries
including Denmark, France,
Mexico, South Africa, the UK
and the US have a dedicated
tax on HFSS foods.
though. And that is inflation. While she no
longer has to make her own purchases, her
face crumples up when I tell her the price of
everyday items. “But how do poor people
manage?” she wonders, shaken.
Amma is equally shocked at how old she
has become. “Has God forgotten about me?”
sheasksjokingly.ButwhenIcoax,“Sinceyou
are99notout,youmayaswellhitacentury,”
she agrees, emitting her signature
rat-a-tat gunfire laugh.
In 1925, the year Durgabai was born, life
expectancy in the Subcontinent was 27.6
years. Today, life expectancy in India has
more than doubled to 67.2 years. Which
means that the country will age rapidly over
the next few decades. According to the India
Ageing Report 2023 , the share of senior cit-
izens — aged 60 years and above — will rise
to 20.8 per cent of the population by 2050.
That is almost 350 million people, approxi-
matelythepopulationof theUnitedStates. It
is double the 2022 demographic of 149 mil-
lion elderly persons — roughly 10.5 per cent
of the population.
By 2050, today’s conversation, about a
young nation’s demographic dividend, will
seem a distant dream. The focus will be on
human health and well-being, the produc-
tivity of a shrunken workforce, and the fis-
cal challenge of providing retirement bene-
fits and pensions for all.
Many countries will face similar chal-
C R Sasikumar
National Institute of Nutrition is currently
undertaking a nationwide dietary and nu-
trition survey.
Nutrition literacy will educate con-
sumers about healthy eating practices and
lifestyle modification. Front-of-pack food la-
belling will make consumers aware of the
composition of processed foods, with a traf-
fic light system indicating high salt, fat or
sugar content. A study commissioned by the
Niti Aayog recommended a 20 per cent to
30 per cent health tax in addition to GST on
high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods. Several
countries including Denmark, France,
Hungary, Mexico, South Africa, the UK and
the US have a dedicated tax on HFSS foods.
Since the practice of eating out is increasing,
low-cost eateries run by the government
should be seen as an investment in public
health and not as a loss-incurring liability.
In fact, the sale of healthy alternatives such
as buttermilk over sugary beverages could
be taken up through these centres. Greater
allocation for vegetables in government
Anganwadi and school noon meal schemes
would go a long way in promoting healthy
eating habits and improving nutrition.
Finally, the PDS basket should be expanded
to provide a greater diversity of foods as a
way of ensuring nutrition security.
Swaminathan is Chairperson and
Narayanan is consultant nutritionist, M S
Swaminathan Research Centre
lenges. Humanity will have to deal, for the
firsttimeever,withissuesof massageing.By
some estimates, there are already half a mil-
lioncentenariansintheworldtoday.Research
on longevity has also speeded up, especially
in the West. Unlike Amma, Silicon Valley bil-
lionairesseemparticularlyobsessedwithin-
creasinglifespans.Oneof themallegedlyde-
clared death to be a bug, not a feature of life!
AndtheMethuselahFoundationwants90to
become the new 50 by 2030. If that fanciful
projectfails,manyhopethatitwill,moreim-
portantly, yield answers to the problems of
dementia and other age-related disorders.
Ammamayherself contributesomething
of significance to medical research. She has
agreed to donate her blood to a project at
NIMHANS,whichanalysescelldegeneration
and rejuvenation in older people. She would
surely volunteer to donate her body for re-
search if she believed it would help others.
As we plan for her 100th birthday, I ask
Amma, “How long should people live?” “So
long as they are not a burden to others,” she
says. “But it is not in our hands, is it?”
Wise words from a compassionate cen-
tenarian,whohasgracefullyaddedlifetoher
years, not just years to her life.
The writer is Chairperson,
Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
and author of Samaaj, Sarkaar,
Bazaar — A citizen first approach
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
“As Pakistan celebrates its first female provincial chief minister, it is a reminder
of the progress made and the journey ahead. Ensuring women’s rights and
participation in all spheres of life is not just a moral imperative but also a
necessity for Pakistan’s development. ”
In pursuit of
conservatism
As even liberals become uncomfortable with
radical left, political flavour of the season
has changed, including in India
RAM RAJYA
by Ram Madhav
SHOULDWECALLourselves“conservative”?
A section of India’s ruling right-wing estab-
lishmentappearstobemullingoverthis.As
PrimeMinisterNarendraModi’sgovernment
completes10yearsinoffice,itsunapologetic
embraceofIndia’sculturalandcivilisational
identityhaspromptedmanyinthosecircles
toenthusiasticallycomeforwardtoidentify
with the concept of “conservatism”.
Thereisaglobalcontexttoit.Oflate,with
more and more countries in Europe elect-
ing right-wing parties to power, conser-
vatismseemstohavereturnedastheflavour
of the season. It is being written and talked
aboutalotthesedays,notwiththeusualpe-
joration,butwithasenseofeithersympathy
or fait accompli.
Indiansarepronetoobsessionswithide-
ologies and tend to assume that conser-
vatismmustalsobeanideologyfortheright
wing.“Allideologiesareidiotic,whetherre-
ligiousorpolitical...”warnednotedspiritual
masterJidduKrishnamurti,“for,itisconcep-
tual thinking, the conceptual world, which
has so unfortunately divided man”.
From Edmund Burke and John Stuart
Mill in the 18-19th century to today, terms
like conservatism and liberalism represent
politicalmovementsthatrespondtocertain
socio-political challenges of the times.
Western conservatism stood for principles
suchasindividualfreedom,limitedgovern-
ment, constitutionalism, unity of commu-
nity, responsible fiscalism, open market
economy, centrality of religion and family
and an abstract idea of human dignity.
The very word “conservatism” has a
“timid” sound, complained renowned
Austrian-British political philosopher F A
Hayek. Yet, like him, many were surprised
to see it ascend the political ladder in coun-
try after country. How is it that this name
“redolent of passive obedience of the past”
— as Kenneth Minogue wrote in his review
of John Micklethwait and Adrian
Wooldridge’s book The Right Nation: Why
America is Different in the Claremont Review
ofBooks—shouldbecomesuchadominant
force,theywondered.Thattooinsuchmod-
ernandeconomicallydevelopednationslike
the US and countries in Western Europe.
Conservatism’ssuccesslaylessinitsdoc-
trines — there are none common to all any-
way — but more in what the regimes that
swore by it delivered. As we see in history,
dictators like Hitler and Mussolini openly
espoused socialism. In fact, the very name
NazismwasderivedfromtheGermanword
forNationalSocialism—Nationalsozialismus.
Mussolinipubliclyacknowledgedthelegacy
of Italian socialist heroes like Giuseppe
MazziniandGiuseppeGaribaldi.Thedicta-
torships that the communist ideology pro-
moted, from Lenin, Stalin and Mao in the
past to Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un now, are
too well known.
Onthecontrary,thetrackrecordofcoun-
trieswithconservativeregimes,fromtheUS
to the United Kingdom to Germany to Italy,
has been much better, compared to their
revolutionary counterparts. They created
economic prosperity and social stability. As
Minogue wrote in the same review, al-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WIN OVER TERROR
THIS REFERS TO the reports, ‘Terror in
Punjab’,‘Policemenkilled’and‘Violence
inJammu’(IE,March8,1984).Thesehos-
tileelementsarestillactiveinthehinter-
landandattheborders.Thoughthevio-
lence has reduced due to the concerted
effortsof successivegovernments,there
stillexistelementsthatneedmanaging.
Enhanced vigil, use of modern surveil-
lance gadgets, more connectivity in iso-
latedandremoteareas,improvinginfra-
structure in healthcare and education,
and ample employment opportunities
may win the hearts of people in the af-
fecteddistricts.Efficientgovernancewill
surelyhelpinachievingaprosperousand
peaceful atmosphere sooner than later.
Subhash Vaid, New Delhi
MODI’S BJP
THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘NDA,then
&now’(IE,March8).AtalBihariVajpayee
stressed on morals and ethics. But his
governmentwasdependentoncoalition
partners. Unlike Vajpayee, Narendra
Modi’spoliticsisnotbasedonprinciples.
HisNDAhasbeenanallianceof conven-
ience and doesn’t deepen federalism.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— DAWN, PAKISTAN
though the word may sound a bit odd and
awkward “there is no problem about asso-
ciating conservatism with dynamism”. We
unknowinglymakethemistakeofposition-
ingconservatismasanideologyagainstlib-
eralism. Conservatives are liberal too while
many liberals hang on to ideas that conser-
vativesholdassacrosanct.Infact,duringthe
French Revolution, the conservatives who
occupied the right chamber of the parlia-
ment stoutly opposing the aggressive en-
thusiasmoftherevolutionaries,oftencalled
themselves liberals. Even today, in several
countrieslikeAustralia,thepartyofthecon-
servatives is called the Liberal Party.
In their riveting account of the history
of American politics, Micklethwait and
Wooldridge conclude that irrespective of
the Democrats and Republicans rotating
power, America remains a conservative
nation at its core. Thomas Jefferson’s fa-
mous statement about the “American
creed” consisted of a deep commitment
to individual freedom, constitutionalism,
patriotism, limited government and re-
jection of tyranny and despotism — all
considered conservative ideas.
Interestingly, not many liberals will be
found opposing several of these ideas.
Barring issues concerning sexual moral-
ity and statism in economic activity, the
classical liberals embrace several of those
issues that the conservatives do.
ButthechallengethattheUSinparticu-
lar,andWesternsocietiesingeneral,faceto-
dayisthehijackingof theliberalmovement
by left-wing radicals who want to disman-
tlesocietyasawhole.Whileawordlikecon-
servatismstoodforrationalandprogressive
ideas,abenignwordlikeliberalismcameto
be identified with anarchy, thanks to this
bunch of radicals.
Conservatism may not be the same
everywhere. Donald Trump represented a
populist-nationalistversionof it,whichcan
be identified with trade protectionism,
hawkishnessonChina,restrictiononimmi-
gration—bothlegalandillegal—andafierce
dedication to fighting the culture war.
A few months ago, I met one of the “bad
boys” of the EU, the Prime Minister of
Hungary, Viktor Orban. A proud conserva-
tive leader, hated by his peers in Europe for
hisstandontheRussia-Ukrainewarandhis
resistance to “woke” ideologies, Orban rep-
resents a version of conservatism that is
gaining popularity in eastern and central
Europe. In power for almost 15 years now,
he built Hungary into what the OECD de-
scribes as a “high-income country”. “God,
religion,family,nationalismandpatriotism
—nocompromise,”hetoldmewhenasked
about the criticism that he endures. That is
his brand of conservatism.
Like the US, India, too, is a conservative
nation at the core. Swami Vivekananda
called it “Dharma prana Bharata”, meaning
religion was the soul of Bharat. Gandhi un-
derstood it well. Even Jawaharlal Nehru, an
unabashed admirer of socialism, admitted
in the Constituent Assembly that India was
a“deeplyreligiouscountry”.NarendraModi,
too, understands it perfectly well.
Latching on to the conservative band-
wagonmayormaynotmeanmuchdomes-
ticallyfortheIndianrightwing.Butatatime
whenglobalconservativesarewagingfierce
battles against radical left anarchists, with
whomevenWesternliberalsarehighlyun-
comfortable, a powerful country like India
standing by that political movement defi-
nitely means a lot for them.
The writer, president, India Foundation,
is with the RSS
The give and take of alliance politics is
notapartofModi’sBJP.Thepresentpush
foralliancesappearstomarkashiftinat-
titude and is certainly a consequence of
ModisettingtheNDAatargetofwinning
400 seats in the Lok Sabha.
S S Paul, Nadia
BOGEYMAN, INDEED
THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Advantage
Trump’ (IE, March 7). Whatever legal or
financial stress Donald Trump may be
facing is simply the reasonable conse-
quence of his actions. The “abuse of re-
ality”thewritermentionsisTrump’sspe-
ciality—countlesstimesoverthecourse
of hispresidency,heseemedtoabideby
his own facts. Trump is also no harbin-
ger of “free speech”. He has used his of-
ficetobullyandattackeverymediaout-
letthatdidn’tparrothissenselesslies.In
the fight between the rule of law and
mob rule, the US Supreme Court has
bowed down to the brute force of the
MAGAmob.Aninsurrectionistwhotried
tounderminedemocracyandfailedhas
been given another go at it, in the name
of democracy.
Prakhar Jaiswal, Meerut
 14 CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS
Classifieds
PERSONAL
It is for general information that
I, Syed Muzaffar Ali S/o Syed
Osman Ali R/o 19- 2- 24/14, Kala
Pathar, Ali Bagh, Near Fatima
Hospital, Charminar,
Falaknuma, Hyderabad,
Telangana-500053, declare that
name of mine and my father
has been wrongly written as
SD Muzafe Rali and Usmanali
respectively in my 10th Class
School Certificate Cum
Marksheet. The actual name of
mine and my father is Syed
Muzaffar Ali and Syed Osman
Ali respectively, which may be
amended accordingly.
0070893090-1
In the High school mark sheet of
my son Shivam, my name is
written as Joginder. Whereas
my correct name is Yogendra
Singh. Therefore, from today
onwards as Yogender Singh
instead of Joginder, which I am
getting changed. It is certified
that I have complied with other
legal requirements in this
connection. Yogender Singh
son of Raghuvansh Singh,
Resident of village Sadopur,
District Gautam Buddha
Nagar. 0070893071-1
I,hitherto known as SURESH C
KURUP alias SURESH KUMAR
C,son of,CHANDRA SEKHARA
KURUP,residing at,Flat.No-J-
24/FSL-1,Dilshad-Colony,
Jhilmil,Delhi-110095,have
changed my name and shall
hereinafter be known as
SURESH C KURUP. 0040718730-6
I,hitherto known as Meenu,D/o
Munish Kumar,R/o F-97,
Second-Floor,East Of Kailash,
Phase-I, Kalkaji,South-Delhi,
Delhi-110065,have changed my
name and shall hereafter be
known as Meenu Aroora.
0040718809-9
I,hitherto known as Avinash
Sharma alias Avinash Kumar
Sharma alias Avinash
Kumar,S/o Late Sh.Krishan Lal,
Employed As Deputy-
Director,Ministry Of Railways
(Railway Board),Rail Bhawan,
Raisina Road New Delhi-
110001,R/o H.No-38,Second
Floor,Block-4,Subhash
Nagar,New Delhi-110027,have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be known as Avinash
Sharma. 0040718809-7
I,Vijay Pandit Rao,S/O-
Panditrao Govindrao
Thakur,R/O,A-1,Krishna-Green
APPT.Mall-Road Church-
Road,Shanti Kunj,Vasant-Kunj
Delhi-110070,Have Changed
my Name to Vijay Panditrao
Thakur. 0040718730-4
I,Subhash Aggarwal,S/o Tulsi
Ram Gupta R/o-A-11,4th-Floor
Ashok,Vihar Phase-1,Delhi-
110052,have changed my name
to Subhash Chand Gupta.
0040718795-2
I,Vartika Kumari,W/O Mr.Rama
Raman,R/O D-401,Sapt Rishi
Tower-5,Defence-Enclave,
Sec.44,Noida-Distt.
GautamBuddh-Nagar UP, have
changed my name,from
vartika kumari to vartika
thakur.Henceforth I would be
known by the name of vartika
thakur,for all,future purposes.
0040718796-10
I,Sushobhit Sehrawat, R/o,
H.No.911,Sector -
4,Gurugram(Haryana)-
122001,have changed my-
Minor Daughter name,from
Arshia to Arshia Sehrawat,for
all Purposes. 0040718795-6
I,Sumrati Rekha Mallick W/o
Arun Mallick R/o,RZ-30A,
Panchsheel Colony, F-Block,
Mahavir-Enclave, Part-
III,Uttam-Nagar, New-Delhi-
110059,have changed my-
name to Sumarti Rekha
Mallick. 0040718809-3
I,Srijna W/o Rohit Jha R/o A5-
2503, Cleo County, Sector-121,
Noida(U.P) have changed my
name to Srijna Jha for all
purposes. 0040718739-1
I,Shipra Malik,W/O-Neeraj
Kapoor,R/O-Pocket-
16/111,Third Floor,Sector-24,
Rohini, Delhi-110085,have
Changed my name to Neha
Kapoor. 0040718806-2
I,Shaheen Shakil,M/o Abdullah
Shakil,R/o-R-1/17,Street.
No.20,Brahampuri,Delhi-
110053,have changed my name
to Shaheen Anjum.Shaheen
Shakil and Shaheen Anjum is
one and the same-person.
0040718795-5
I,Sandeep Vats,S/o B B Jha,R/o
House No.1648,2nd-Floor Rani
Bagh,Saraswati Vihar,Delhi-
110034,have changed my
minor son name Vansh Vats
aged 1-years to Virat Vats
0040718786-1
I,SUKHPREET SINGH S/O
BALDEV SINGH,R/O Kunhaida,
Post-Behsuma, Meerut(UP)-
250404 have changed my name
to SUKHPREET. 0040718796-6
I,SUHAIL ALI,S/o Sajid Ali,R/o,T-
476,Gali.No-17,Near-Masjid
Khastagul Gautam puri,New
Seemapur Shastri park East
Delhi-110053,declare that name
of mine has been wrongly-
written as Mohd Suhail in my
class-10th and class-12th
marksheet and certificate
educational documents. The
actual mine name is Suhail Ali
which may be amended
accordingly. 0040718796-9
I Anand Kumar Agarwal S/O,
Panna Lal R/o G-38, First Floor,
Phase-1 Ashok Vihar, Delhi-
110052 have changed my name
to Anand Kumar. 0040718719-1
I, Nirmla W/o Vikas Kumar R/o B-
7/106-107, 2nd Floor, Sector-17,
Rohini, Delhi-110089 have
changed my name to Nirmala
for all future purposes.
I,SAVITA ALIAS SAVITA BAREJA
W/O PREM KUMAR BAREJA
R/o,B-14, Dera-Wala-Nagar,
Opposite Model-Town-2,New
Delhi-110009,have changed
my-name to SAVITA BAREJA.
0040718809-1
I,SAANVI D/o SURENDER KUMAR
KAMAL ADD-PLOT.NO-
85,BLOCK-C,NEAR-DAYAL BAGH
POLICE CHOWKI,DAYALBAGH
COLONY,SURAJKUND,FARIDAB
AD
PIN:121009,HARYANA,INDIA,ch
anged my name to SAANVI
KAMAL,for all,future purposes.
0040718730-3
I,Rukhshar Khatoon,D/o-Israr
Ahmad Khan R/o Tamkuhi
Raj,Kushinagar,UP-
274407,have changed my name
to RUKHSHAR KHANAM,for
all,future purposes.
0040718795-8
I,Raju Gupta S/o,Late Katwaru
Gupta R/o,E-2, E-Block,
JJ.Colony, Raghubir-
Nagar,Tagore-Garden, West-
Delhi-110027,that Raju, Raju
Kumar and Raju Gupta are one
and same-person.
0040718809-4
I,Puneet Goel S/o Brij Mohan
Goyal R/o E-13,Shivaji Road
Adarsh Nagar Shanjarpur
Delhi-110033,have changed my
name to Punit Goyal.
0040718795-3
I,Pronita Thakur,W/O-Vijay
Panditrao Thakur,R/O,A-
1,Krishna-Green APPT.Mall-
Road Church-Road,Shanti-
Kunj,Vasant-Kunj,Delhi-110070,
Have Changed my Name to
Pranita Vijay Thakur.
0040718730-5
I,Anju W/o Punit Goyal R/o E-13
Shivaji Road Adarsh Nagar
Shanjarpur Delhi-110033,have
changed my name to Anju
Goyal 0040718786-3
I,Pramod Singh Shakya,S/O Late
Bindra Van Singh,House.no.C-
23,Second-floor,Back-side
Vishwakarma-Colony Pul
Pehlad-Pur New-Delhi-
110044,Have changed my name
to Pramod Singh,Permanently.
0040718730-7
I,Parvinder Kaur Nagi,W/O-Shri
Gursharn Singh,R/O B-
7/38,Pocket-7,Sector-
17,Rohini,Delhi-110085,have
Changed my name to
Parvinder Kaur. 0040718806-1
I,PREM KUMAR alias PREM
KUMAR BAREJA S/O ISHAR
DASS R/o,B-14, Dera-Wala-
Nagar, Opposite Model-Town-
2,New Delhi-110009,have
changed my-name to PREM
KUMAR BAREJA. 0040718809-2
I,PAN SINGH,S/O.KESHAR
SINGH,ADD-B-58 ,3RD-FLOOR
BACK SIDE ,CHANAKYA PLACE ,
PART-1,PANKHA-ROAD,UTTAM
NAGAR NEW-DELHI-
110059,changed my name to
PAN SINGH BANI,for all,future
purposes. 0040718796-2
I,Nisha Rani,W/o Satish,R/o
Village-Lalpur Ki Dhani,Gram-
Lalpur, Rewari,Haryana-
123401,have changed my name
Nisha,for all purposes.
0040718795-9
I,NIRMAL SINGH BHATTI,S/O
SHAMSHER SINGH,R/O 1043 D-5
WARD.NO.8 MEHRAULI DELHI-
110030.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO NIRMAL SINGH.
0040718796-8
I,Meenakshi Negi,D/O Laxman
Singh Negi R/O 125,Second
Floor, Pocket-6,Sector-
22,Rohini,Delhi-110086, have
changed my name to
Meenakshi Singh.
0040718806-4
I,Manoj Jain,S/o Bhushan Lal
Jain,R/o-E-10/4,Second-
Floor,Krishna-Nagar,Delhi-
110051,have changed my name
to Manoj Kumar Jain.Manoj
Jain and Manoj Kumar Jain is
one and the same-person.
0040718795-4
I,MOHEMMAD FAMIL,S/O ABDUL
SHAKUR R/o.H.NO-27,New
GANESH PORIC RASHID
MARKET KRISHN NASAR DEMI-
110051,HAVE CHANGED my
NAME TO MOHAMMAD YAMIN.
0040718730-2
I,Kshitija Singh,w/o Abhishek
Jain d/o Vikram Verma R/o-20,
Windsor Place,Janpath,New
Delhi-110001 do hereby
solemnly inform that have
changed my minor son’s name
from Kabir Jain to Neil Kabir
Jain for all purposes.
0040718796-7
I,Km. Deepshikha Shukla,D/o
Chandra Mani Shukla,W/o-
Durgesh Mishra,R/o-153B,
Ranhola Vihar,Nangloi,Delhi-
110041,have changed my name
to Deepshikha,for all purposes.
0040718795-7
I,Karan Jeet Singh,S/o Dalvir
Singh,R/O House.no-
507,Gali.no.5-A,Govind Puri
Kalkaji,New Delhi-110019,have
changed my name to Karanjeet
Singh,Permanently.
0040718730-8
I,KM. FARNAZ ANSARI ALIAS
FARHA NAAZ D/O MOHAMMAD
FAIZ W/O MOHAMMAD IMRAN
R/O-131,Gali,No-4,
Near,Mohammadi Masjid,
Kardampuri, Gokal Pur,Delhi-
110094,have changed my name
to FARHA NAAZ. 0040718786-2
I,JAI PRAKASH KUMAR,S/O
SHAILENDRA KUMAR,R/O-197-
198,3rd-FLOOR,PKT-
B7,SECTOR-4,ROHINI,DELHI-
110085.HAVE CHANGED MY
CHILD NAME TANASHVI TO
TANASHVI DAYAL.
0040718809-5
I Kavita Devi W/O, Anand Kumar
R/o G-38, First Floor, Phase-1
Ashok Vihar, Delhi-110052 have
changed my name to Kavita.
0040718720-1
I,IKRAR,S/O.ABDULLA,ADD-C-
142,MULLA COLONY GHAROLI
EXTENSION GHAROLI ,
EAST,DELHI-110096,changed
my name to MOHAMMAD
IKRAR,for all,future purposes.
0040718796-3
I,FAHMIDA KHATOON,W/O
MOHAMMAD YAMIN, R/o,H.no.-
27,NEW GANESH-PARK
RASHID,MARKET KRISHNA-
NAGAR,DELHI-110051,HAVE
CHANGED MY NAME TO
FAIMEDA KHATOON.
0040718730-1
I,PUNEET PATHAK,S/O OM
NARAYAN PATHAK,R/o
129,Pathakpura,Orai,
Jalaun(UP)-285001,have
changed my name to PUNIT
SAGAR PATHAK. 0040718796-4
I,Arun Thakral,S/O-Shri
Gurbaksh Lal Thukral,R/O-A-
3/76,Sector-8,Rohini, Delhi-
110085,have Changed my name
to Arun Thukral for all
Purposes. 0040718806-3
I,Anita Aggarwal W/o Subhash
Chand Gupta R/o A-11, 4th-
Floor Ashok,Vihar Phase-1,
Delhi-110052,have changed my
name to Anita Gupta.
0040718795-1
I,ANAND PANDEY,S/O
MANINDRA KUMAR
PANDEY,R/o,H.No.427A,Gali.No.
1, Agwanpur,Vinay
Nagar,Sector-91,
Faridabad(HR)-121013,have
changed my name to ANAND
KUMAR PANDEY. 0040718796-5
I,AKANKSHA CHAUHAN,W/O
AKSHAY KUMAR CHAUHAN,R/O
PLOT.NO-56, GROUND-FLOOR,
IRS COLONY, ABHAY KHAND-
2,INDIRAPURAM,SHIPRA SUN
CITY, GHAZIABAD,UTTAR
PRADESH-201014,changed my
name AKANSHA CHAUHAN.
0040718809-6
I, Urmila W/o Nitin Kumar
Sharma R/o Flat-101, Plot-66
Sec-6 Vaishali, Ghaziabad have
changed my name to Urmila
Kumari Sharma. 0070893123-1
I, Sushil Kumar Pal, S/O Rohtash
Singh, R/o L-32. Pratap Nagar,
Delhi-110007 have changed my
name to Sushil Kumar for all
future purposes. 0070893073-1
I, Sukhbir Singh S/o Hukmi R/o
Bhikanpur, Gautam Budh
Nagar have changed my name
to Sukhbir Sharma forever.
0070893122-1
I, Shakti, S/o- Niranjan Gaur R/o
324, Rangpuri, New Delhi-
110037 Have Changed My Name
to Shakti Bhargava for all
Purposes. 0070893126-1
I, Ritu Raj Basant S/O Sh Kali
Ram,R/o Flat No C-508, Rohini
Heights, DDA HIG Flats, Sector-
29, Rohini, Pehlad Pur Bangar,
North West Delhi, Delhi-110042 I
have changed the name of my
minor Son Nikhil aged about 17
Years and He shall hereafter be
known as Nikhil Basant
0070893081-1
I, Rekha Yadav D/o Sh. Balram
Singh Yadav R/o H. No. 31,
Sector 5, Part-3, Gurugram,
Haryana, Rekha Yadav & Rekha
Kumari Yadav both are the
same and one person.
0040718729-1
I, Preetika Malhotra Bahrey W/o
Jatinder Singh Bahrey R/o Flat
No-802, Tower-20, Unitech
Horizon, Sector-Pi-2, Greater
Noida-201310 have changed my
name to Preetika Malhotra.
0070893124-1
I, Poonam Sharma W/o-
Niranjan Gaur R/o 324,
Rangpuri, New Delhi-110037
Have Changed My Name to
Poonam for all Purposes.
0070893132-1
I, Phool Chandra S/o Shri Jag
Narayan R/o Flat No. D-1, F-
311/4, Jawahar Park, Devli
Road Khanpur, New Delhi-
110062, declare that I have
changed my name from Phool
Chand Shukla to Phool
Chandra for all future
purposes. 0040718728-1
I, Niranjan, S/o- Ram Jeewan R/o
342, Rangpuri, Mahipalpur,
New Delhi-110037 Have
Changed My Name to Niranjan
Gaur for all Purposes.
0070893134-1
I, Nazia Khan W/o Mazahir Ali
Khan R/o 64, Saidpur Ward
No.4, Nagar Panchayat,
Saidpur, Badaun, UP-243725
have changed my name from
Najiya Bee to Nazia Khan for all
future purposes. 0040718708-1
I, Narayan Singh S/O Dharam
Singh, R/o 139, Gali No-4, J
Extension, Shakar Pur
Baramad, East Delhi-110092,
have changed my name and
shall hereafter be Known as
Narayan Singh Bhandari.
0070893082-1
I,Aryan Dhawan,S/o-Vikas
Dhawan, Address-Z-11, upper
ground floor Hauz khas
enclave phase 2,Delhi-
110016,changed my name to
Aaryan Dhawan. 0040718796-1
I, NASIBUDDIN S/o Deen
Mohammad R/o H.No. 389,
Block-A, Nehru Camp, Govind
Puri, Kalkaji, New Delhi-110019
have declare that in my
passport No. E004249 my name
& Date of Birth mentioned as
NASIBUDDIN KHAN, 01/01/1967
instead of my correct name
and Date of Birth NASIBUDDIN,
01/01/1966. In future I will be
known as NASIBUDDIN, Date of
Birth 01/01/1966 for all
purposes.
0070893072-1
I hitherto known as PRAMOD
KUMAR alias PRAMOD KUMAR
GOEL S/O Sh. RAM NIWAS GOEL
residing at 13/72, SUBHASH
NAGAR, WEST DELHI, DELHI-
110027 have changed my name
and shall hereafter be known
as PRAMOD KUMAR GOEL.
0040718735-1
I, Indu Choudhary w/o Sudhir
Kumar R/o Quarter 4, 2nd Flr,
Type 2, Police station Kirti
Nagar, Ramesh Nagar, Delhi-
110015, Inform that Indu, Indu
Bala, Indu Tewatia, Indu Verma
& Indu Choudhary both name
belongs to same person. That
in Future, I would be known
with the name of Indu
Choudhary for all future legal
purposes. 0040718711-1
I, Bimal Kr Srivastava S/o Vijay
Bahadur Srivastava R/o 2B-063,
G.C.Grand-2, Vaibhav Khand,
Indirapuram, Ghaziabad have
changed my name to Bimal
Kumar Srivastava.
0070893120-1
I, Anoop S/o Satyawan Singh R/o
782 Pana Chaajan, Pandit
Chopal, Kharkhra(104),
Meham, Rohtak, Haryana,
India, 124111, I have changed
my name to Anoop Beniwal for
future purposes 0070893083-1
I Sunil Giri Son Sh. Ram Saran
Giri R/O. House No. B-12/289, B-
Block, Gali No.12, Delhi-110094.
The name of my real daughter
“Tushty Giri” have change her
name from Tusty to Tushty Giri
for future purposes.
0040718538-1
I Santuwna Saraswat D/o Ashok
Kumar Sharma and W/o Shyam
Kumar Gupta R/o House No-
214, Street No-5 Jwala Nagar,
Shahdara S.O. East Delhi, Delhi-
110032, have changed my name
to Sonu Gupta 0070893113-1
I Santosh Kumar Jain S/o Late
Sikharilal Gangwal R/o C-
2/2393, Vasant Kunj, South
West Delhi-110079, have
changed my name to Santosh
Kumar Gangwal 0070893089-1
I Sai Harshitha Srivastava alias
Harshitha Jambukolam D/o Sh.
J Srihari W/o Sh. Sarthak
Srivastava R/o G-1,
Mitradweep Apartments, 38, IP
Extension, Delhi-110092 have
changed my name to Harshitha
Srivastava for all purposes.
0040718705-3
I Ram Chand S/o Late Sh. Jot
Ram Thapliyal R/o H.No.104,
Street No.4, Sangam Vihar
Colony, Kakraula Road,
Najafgarh, Delhi-110043 have
changed my name to Ram
Chander Thapliyal for all
purposes. 0040718705-4
I Poonam Rani D/o Rajinder
Prasad and W/o Ram Saran
Gupta R/o A-229, Last Gali
Majlis Park, Adarsh Nagar,
North West Delhi, Delhi-110033,
have changed my name to
Poonam Gupta 0070893085-1
I Navneet Bhola S/o Jai Gopal
Bhola R/o H.No.48, Road No.52,
West Punjabi Bagh, Punjabi
Bagh, West Delhi, Delhi-110026
have changed my name to
Navniet Bholaa for all
purposes. 0040718705-2
I Arjun Arora S/o Sh. Manoj
Arora R/o House No.B-134,
Sector-30, Noida, Gautam
Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh-
201301 have changed my name
to Arjunn Arora for all
purposes. 0040718705-1
I Zainab W/O, Pradeep Singh
Bisht R/o 426-D, Mayur Vihar
Phase 1, Pocket 2, New Delhi -
1100091 have changed my
name to Zainab Bisht.
0040718770-1
LOST & FOUND
“I, Harsh V. Parmar, R/o. flat 12,
Kamakshi Apt., Sector-6, Dwarka,
N. Delhi-75, lost my original
Allotment Letter and Share
Certificate of society of above said
property vide FIR No:
1129888/2022. Finder pl contact
8826964221.” 0130040806-1
Original Property Papers
belonging to Sh. Manish
Kothari having address Tower
B-3, 802, Carnation Residency,
Sector-85, Gurgaon
(certificate No.G0302023I3375)
are lost in Tagore Garden
Market, New Delhi around 12
noon on 07.03.2024. If found,
may please contact at Mobile
No: 9355344665. Any
transaction made on the basis
of these documents shall
result in legal consequences.
0040718731-1
I Rattan Lal Tiku, S/o. Late Sh.
Dev Ram Tiku, R/o. 241-C, 2nd
Floor, Shipra Sun City,
Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, UP,
lost my property papers i.e.
Allotment Letter, Sale Deed
and Possession Letter on
02/03/2024 of property
bearing number 241-C, 2nd
Floor, Shipra Sun City,
Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, UP, i
have registered NCR vide
number 1525853/2024, in case
anyone finds my property
documents, please contact
me at 9880537297.
0070893102-1
I Sunny Jain S/o Sh Vijay Kumar
Jain R/o B-3/124 Sunrise Appt,
Sector 13, Rohini, Delhi-110085
have lost my Flat Allotment
Agreement of Opal 302, Sikka
Kaamya Greens, executed
with M/s Eco Green Buildtech
Private Limited dated 9th
Feb’15. Finder plz inform me @
9971722775 0040718747-1
BUSINESS
TYFFYN provides All types of
Women/ Men Jeans, Jackets,
Blazers . Contact us- Shri Balaji
Traders, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi-
110031. Mobile- 9873684951,
9319450631. 0040718751-1
''IMPORTANT''
Whilst care is taken prior to
acceptance of advertising
copy, it is not possible to verify
its contents. The Indian
Express (P) Limited cannot
be held responsible for such
contents, nor for any loss or
damage incurred as a result of
transactions with companies,
associations or individuals
advertising in its newspapers
or Publications. We therefore
recommend that readers
make necessary inquiries
before sending any monies
or entering into
agreements with advertisers
any
or otherwise acting on an
advertisement
manner whatsoever.
in any
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
PUBLIC NOTICE PNIe-T No- 25/EE/KCP/2023-24,
dated, the, 06.03.2024
Àff½fʪfd³fIY Àfc¨f³ff
The Executive Engineer, PWD(R&B), Kanchanpur Division, Kanchanpur,
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µ»f`MÐ Àf, Àf»f¸f ¢½ffMS, O¶f»f ÀMûSe, ¦fPÞ e BÊ ÀM AfgR I` »ffVf,
North Tripura, invites tender from the eligible bidders up to 15:00 hours on 10th
³fBÊ dQ»»fe-110065 ³fZ A´f³fZ ´fbÂf ¶fOZ ´fbÂf Afdªf°f ´fbÂf ßfe April'2024 for 1(One) Nos. work against RFB Reference No.- IN-PWD
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(B)- 403664-CW-RFB of PNIET No- 25/EE/KCP/2023-24, Dated, 06.03.2024
ÀMûSe, ¦fPÞ e BÊ ÀM AfgR I` »ffVf, ³fBÊ dQ»»fe-110065 I û CÀfIZ
F.8(11)/EE/KCP/2023-2024/ 5164-5231 and circulated dated 06.03.2024. For
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vide Memo No details visit https://tripuratenders.gov.in for contact at Mobile
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I ûBÊ ·fe ½¹fd¢°f ¹ff ÀfaÀ±ff B°¹ffdQ I ûBÊ C´fSû¢°f Aªfe°f IZ Àff±f No-8974460076 for clarifications, if any. Any subsequent corrigendum will
dI Àfe ·fe ´fiI fS I f I ûBÊ ·fe »fZ³f-QZ³f I S°ff W` °fû CÀfIZ d»f¹fZ
½fW À½f¹fa dªf¸¸fZQfS Wû¦ffÜ BÀf¸fZÔ ¸fZSm ¸fb½fd¢I »f AüS CÀfIZ be available at the website only.
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I ûBÊ ·fe dªf¸¸fZQfSe ³fWeÔ Wû¦feÜ
WXÀ°ff./- Executive Engineer
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Kanchanpur Division, PWD(R&B)
Àfe.³fa. 155, ¦fªff³f³Q ¶»ffgIY,
°feÀf WXªffSXe IYûMÊX, dQ»»fe-54 ICA/C/5086/24 Kanchanpur, North Tripura.
PUBLIC NOTICE
My client VEENA WADHWA W/o
LATE SHRI SHYAM LAL WADHWA,
R/o G-Ist/317, SHIV SHANKAR
MARKET, MADANGIR, NEW
DELHI-62, has severed all her relations
& disowned and debarred her Son
MOHIT WADHWA, his wife
YOGEETA WADHWA, his son
MEGHAAN WADHWA and daughter
KUHU WADHWA from her all movable
& immovable properties due to their
Cruel nature, disobedience, bad/
irresponsible behavior towards my
client. My client shall not be responsible
for any acts, deeds done by them at any
point of time.
Tushar Sinha
Advocate
En No. D-192/11
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is to the public at large that my clientess Jasbir Kaur
Kandra W/o Late Charan Pal Singh Kandra R/o
WZ-216, G-107, Second Floor, Street No.10, G-Block,
Hari Nagar, Janak Puri, B-1, S..O District West Delhi-
110058 has disowned and debarred her son namely
Harpreet Singh S/o Late Charan Pal Singh Kandra and
his wife namely Jaspreet Kaur and their son namely
Brahmjot Singh from her all moveable and immovable
properties. My cleintess has also severed all her social
relation from them as both of them are not obedient and
are not caring for my cleintess even not allowing my
cleintess to meet her grand son and not allow her to visit
her owned house wherer they lives.
If anybody deals with said son namely Harpreet Singh
and his wife namely Jaspreet Kaur in any respect
whatsoever he/she himself/herself shall be responsible
for the same and my said clientess and her other family
members shall not be responsible for the same in any
manner whatsoever.
Sd/- HARDWARI LAL
ADVOCATE
E.No. D-172B/1982
CHAMBER NO.325,3RD FLOOR
LAWYERS CHAMBER,
DWARKA COURT
NEW DELHI-110075.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Be it inform to General Public At large that my
client Deepak Pahwa Son of Late Sh. Amrit
Lal Pahwa Resident of 20, Rajpur Road, Civil
Lines, Delhi-110054 have purchase the Built-up
Property bearing No.20 built on area measuring
501.66 sq. mtrs. (portion marked as “A1”, “A2”,
“A3”, “A4”, “A5” shown in Red Colour in site plan
annexed herewith) and portion B1 33.662 sq.
yds.=28.114 sq. mtrs. on Ground Floor shown in
Red Colour, and 1/3rd share in common portion
shown in Yellow Colour Marked as “E” in site
plan annexed herewith area measuring 464 sq.
yds.=387.95 sq. mtrs. equal to 129.316 sq. mtrs.,
situated at Rajpur Road, Civil lines, Delhi-110054
except Kailash Block & Gomti Block, with all
fittings and fixtures installed, Sanitary and
electrical etc., electric, submersible and water
connection(s) with their security deposits, with
all rights, interest, deposits, easements, title,
options, privileges, appurtenances attached in
and around thereto etc. from (1) Shri Gautam
Talwar (50% share) (2) Shri Gurmeet Singh
(15%share) (3) Shri Om Prakash (15% share),
(4) Shri Vivekanand M. Kalangutkar (10% share)
(5) Shri Vinayak Kalangutkar (10% share),
they are owner of the said property by virtue
of Will dated 20.07.2015 executed by Shri Arun
Krishan Pahwa alias Arun Pahwa who expired
on 28.09.2016, if anybody have any objection,
claim, rights, toward sale, mortgage, gift, court
case, then they will inform / contact to me within
15 days, in any one will be not inform / contact to
me within the 15 day, then he / she / they will be
responsible for same.
Deepak Pahwa Mobile: +91 9810027373
PRESS NOTICE INVITING e-TENDER
The undersigned for and on behalf of the Government of
Tripura invites e-tender from the Sugar Mills / Private or
Co-operative Sugar Mills / Sugar Importers / Bulk Sugar
Suppliers/ Sugar Traders for supply of total 11700.00 M.T.
(tentative) ISS Grade S-30/S-31 Sugar out of 2023-24 seasons
production to different State Food Godowns of Tripura during
the period from April 2024 to March 2025 with an option for
further 06 (six) months extension at the sole discretion of the
Food CS&CA Department.
2. Interested Bidders may see & download the NIT Document
from the website ‘https://tripuratenders.gov.in/nicgep/app’.
However, e-Bidding to be made only through
‘https://tripuratenders.gov.in/ nicgep/app’. Last date & time of
submission of Bid is 27.03.2024 up to 3.00 PM.
Sd/-
(Nirmal Adhikari)
Addl. Secretary & Director
Food, Civil Supplies & CA
ICA/C/5074/24
Government of Tripura
MEGHALAYA POWER DISTRIBUTION CORPORATION LIMITED
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER (PROJECTS)
SHORT ROUND ROAD, LUMJINGSHAI,
SHILLONG-793001, MEGHALAYA

Phone: (0364) 2590540 CIN: U40101ML2009SGC008374 email: ceproject.mepdcl@gmail.com
No. MePDCL/CE(P)/T-218/2023-24/EGH/104 Dated the 8th March, 2024.
NOTICE INVITING TENDER
The submission of BIDs for three lots / packages (namely Lot-1, Lot-2 and Lot-3) of Tender No. Me
PDCL/CE(P)/T-218/2023-24/EGH [Lot-1, Lot-2 & Lot-3], i.e. for 1) Tender No.
MePDCL/CE(P)/T- 218/2023-24/EGH Lot-1, 2) Tender No. MePDCL/CE(P)/T-218/2023-24/EGH
Lot-2 and 3) Tender No. MePDCL/CE(P)/T-218/2023-24/EGH Lot-3.
The Tenders are invited in e-tendering format from reputed firms for works of Meghalaya Power
Distribution Sector Improvement Project under Asian Development Bank funding for "Distribution
System Improvement: 33/11 kV Substation Development (R)" in East Garo Hills Circle.
The submission of bids for the packages has been fixed till 25th April 2024 upto 13:00 Hours IST, the same
shall be opened on the same day at 16:00 Hours IST in MeECL Conference Room, Lumjingshai, Shillong.
Interested bidders may download the detailed Bidding Documents, Technical Specification, etc. from
the website https://www.meghalayatenders.gov.in from 11th March 2024 onwards. Details of the NIT
are available at above mention website.
MIPR MO. 1863 Chief Engineer (Projects)
dt. 8/3/2024 MePDCL, Shillong
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

15 BIG PICTURE
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

Ms Murty goes to Parliament

From being the person who stood behind Narayana Murthy as he lived
his Infosys dream, Sudha Murty has over the years emerged as a more
public person — as philanthropist, author of children’s books, twice
Padma winner and now, a nominated member of Rajya Sabha
ter to JRD Tata objecting to the firm’s ‘only
KIRAN PARASHAR male employees’ policy that eventually led

I
N 1981, she famously lent her hus-
band the Rs 10,250 that she had
squirreledaway,resultinginthecre-
ation of the $80-billion Indian IT
bellwether firm Infosys Ltd. That
image of Sudha Murty — as the woman be-
hind the successful Narayana Murthy, who
doggedly pursued business success as
founder, CEO and chairman of Infosys —
stayed until her husband retired from exec-
utive roles at the company in 2014.
But those who have known her say Sudha
Murty was always her own person — the only
womaninherengineeringcollegeinthe1960s
inKarnataka’sHubballi,thefirstwomanengi-
neeratPune’sTataEngineeringandLocomotive
Company(TELCO,nowTataMotors),andlater,
winner of the Padma Shri (2006) and Padma
Bhushan (2023), philanthropist and writer of
books for children, and mother-in-law of UK
PrimeMinisterRishiSunak.
On March 8, Sudha Murty was made a
nominated member of Rajya Sabha — one of
12 members nominated by President
Droupadi Murmu to the Upper House.
Speaking to The Indian Express from
Thailand, Sudha Murty said the news of the
nomination had taken her
by surprise. “I was not ex-
“I was not expecting it... It pectingit...Itisalsoahappy
is also a happy moment moment that the an-
nouncementwasmade on
that the announcement Women’sDay.Ibelievethis
was made on Women’s is a big platform for me. I
Day. I believe this is a big best,” will definitely try to do my
she said.
platform for me. I will Over the past couple of
definitely try to do years, Sudha Murty has
made several public ap-
my best” pearances, with her com-
ments — on being a “pure
vegetarian” and a woman of “simple” tastes
– setting off social media trends and trig-
gering speculation that she may be getting
ready for a political debut.
Whileher husband wasat onepointspo-
ken of as a potential candidate for a high of-
fice,SudhaMurty'snamewasbeingbandied
aroundasapossiblechoicefortheBengaluru
SouthLokSabhaconstituency,wheretheRSS
and BJP has a strong hold.
“Thank you, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modiji. It is my privilege and my
honortobenominatedtoRajyaSabhabyour
Hon’ble President of India Smt Droupadi
Murmuji. I am very grateful for the opportu-
nity to serve our nation,” Sudha Murty said
on social media in response to a congratula-
tory message by PM Narendra Modi.
Born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon in
Haveri district of north Karnataka, Murty
has often spoken of her father, Dr R H
Kulkarni, a surgeon who practised at the
Government Hospital in Hubballi and other
parts of the state, as being a major influence
on her life. Her mother Vimala Kulkarni was
a housewife.
After graduating in electrical engineer-
ing from BVB College college in Hubballi,
Sudha Murty pursued a Master’s degree at
the Indian Institute of Science (IISc),
Bengaluru, where she received a gold medal
in 1974.
She was the first woman engineer to be
hired at Pune’s Tata Engineering and
Locomotive Company (TELCO). The recruit-
ment is considered to be a watershed mo-
mentforwomen engineerssinceitwasalet-
to her recruitment.
BJP leader and former chief minister
Basavaraj Bommai, also an alumus of BVB
College, recalls that when he enrolled for his
Bachelor’s in Engineering, Sudha Murty had
graduated. “All I knew was her name then –
she was the first girl student of our college. It
was only after entering public life that I got
the opportunity to meet and interact with
her. Incidentally, her first job was at TELCO
and so was mine,” he says.
Sometime in the 1970s, Sudha Murty is
said to have met Narayana Murthy through
a common friend. In 1978, the couple tied
the knot despite Sudha’s family having ap-
prehensions about Murty, then an unem-
ployed engineer heavily influenced by so-
cialist values and looking to start his own
business.
When Infosys was founded in 1981,
Sudha Murty stayed with her parents in
Hubbali before shifting to Bengaluru.
In 1996, the Infosys Foundation, a non-
profit organisation, was set up with Sudha
Murty as its chairperson, a role she executed
for the next 25 years. The Foundation has
been recognised for its work in eradicat-
ing and rehabilitating Devadasis in North
Karnataka in the late 1990s and early
2000s.
In her book, Three Thousand
Stitches, Sudha Murty writes about
her work among Devadasis and
says she was “attacked with
slippers and tomatoes” when
she approached the women
involved in the sex work.
More than 3,000 Devadasis
were eventually rehabili-
tated. The Foundation also
works with schools, vil-
lages and hospitals and
has stepped in with
funds and volun-
teers during natural
disasters.
Former Infosys
CFO and chairman
of Aarin Capital,
Mohandas Pai,
who has worked
with Sudha
Murty told The
Indian Express,
“She is committed
to her work... I still
remember when
Akshaya Patra
openedinRajasthan,
she rolled chapatis
for them. She is a
humble human being who
is able to connect with all strata of society.”
In September 2021, amid glitches in the
Income Tax e-filing portal developed by
Infosys, the RSS-affiliated magazine
Panchajanya accused Infosys and the Illustration: Suvajit Dey
Foundation she chaired of deliberately
trying to destabilise the Indian economy In recent years, her increasing presence cusing her of Brahmanical superiority. Yet, was due to her “ordinary sari” and “simple
and helping Naxals, Leftists and “tukde on public platforms, has seen Sudha Murty many others came to her defence calling her appearance”.
tukde gang”. being subjected to intense scrutiny on social food choices her personal matter. This time, too, she was trolled on social
SudhaMurtyretiredaschairpersonof the media. Earlier, appearing on Kapil Sharma’s media, with social media users saying that
Infosys Foundation on December 31, 2021, Appearingonapopularfoodshow,Sudha comedy show, Sudha Murty narrated an en- her simple woman image flies in the face of
threemonthsafterthearticlewaspublished. Murty said last year, “One of my biggest fears counter with an immigration officer in her being one of the richest in the country.
Murty has more than 30 books and 200 is that the same spoon may have been used London who, she said, refused to believe her The social media scrutiny was unspar-
titles to her credit — including novels, non- for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian when she cited her residential address in ing. Yet, Sudha Murty remained unruffled.
fiction, children’s books, travelogues, tech- dishes.” She went on to say she doesn't eat UK as 10, Downing Street (the official resi- Now, as she walks into Parliament as a
nical books, and memoirs. She is a recipient “even eggs” and called herself a “pure vege- dence of her son-in-law and UK prime min- member of Rajya Sabha, she will be under a
of the R K Narayan Award for Literature. tarian”, dividing the Internet with many ac- ister), suggesting that the officer’s response new, national spotlight.

Bengaluru cafe reopens: Dosas and a dash of determination

Week after an IED went off at Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru, leaving nine people injured, the eatery was back in business — “it is our answer to the attack”
SANATH PRASAD
BENGALURU, MARCH 8
BANANA LEAVES at the entrance, marigold
garlands on the facade, priests chanting
mantras and tables packed with guests — a
week after an explosion rocked
Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru’s
Whitefield, on March 8, founders, employ-
ees and patrons turned up at the popular
eatery to cheer each other up and help put
the incident behind them.
Nine people were injured in the lunch
hour blast at the cafe in Whitefield, a tech
hub. A man who came to the restaurant is
suspectedtohaveplantedanimprovisedex-
plosive device in a corner of the cafe.
On Friday, the cafe’s founders, Divya
Raghavendra Rao and Raghavendra Rao,
were back to business, relaunching their
quick service restaurant that’s known for its
South Indian staples.
“The attack on the cafe did not dampen
ourspirits.Itonlyunitedusandmadeusfight
back harder. The reopening today is our re-
sponse to the attack. It also sends a message
— that Indians will not be deterred by such
attacks,” said Divya, adding that the cafe will
reopen for the public from 6 am on Saturday.
The cafe had sustained damage in the at-
(Left) A CCTV grab showing the blast at Rameswaram Cafe in Bengaluru's Whitefield area on March 1; at the reopening ceremony on Friday. PTI, Jithendra M
tack, with the impact mostly confined to the
areadesignatedforwashingofhands.Theroof,
cash counter and the cafe’s logo too had sus-
tained minor damage. Security measures at
the cafe have been upgraded since the attack.
Raghavendra said the 1,500-strong cafe
family will now “remain on high alert” and
“be our eyes and ears” at all times.
“The attack was a wake-up call for us to
tighten our security. We have recruited four
retired Army personnel to advise us on mak-
ing our security measures foolproof. These
retired officers will also train the staff to re-
main alert at all times,” he said, adding that
twometaldetectorsand25moreCCTVcam-
eras have been installed now.
Urging other hotels and restaurants to
consider installing metal detectors too, he
said the cafe staff has also been directed to
report any bag lying unclaimed for over 10
minutes in the ‘Lost and Found’ Whatsapp
group for employees.
Beaming with pride, Raghavendra said
“not a single employee left us after the
blast”.
A cafe staff member said, “Raghavendra
sir held a meeting with us after the blast. He
was quite emotional. All he said was that we
were going to create a new Rameshwaram
Cafe. We all knew then that we could not
abandon him.”
Applauding his employees,
Raghavendra said, “One of them was bleed-
ing after the blast. Still, he was determined
that we should reopen the cafe the day af-
ter the blast. Such committed employees
motivated us to restart our operations
within a week.”
Pramod N, an HR professional and a cafe
regular, said, “I am surprised at how quickly
the cafe reopened. I think people will take
some time to come back here in huge num-
bers,liketheyusedto,giventhesecuritycon-
cerns.”
Chethan Kumar, another regular who
was at the cafe on Friday, was more opti-
mistic. He said, “The cafe and the manage-
ment have only emerged stronger after the
blast.Thecafeisknownforitsgheepodidosa
and podi idli. I’m sure the area’s IT profes-
sionals will be back here in no time.”
 16 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

Varthana Finance Private Limited

(Formerly known as Thirumeni Finance Private Ltd.,)
Registered Office at : No. 5BC-110, Varasiddhi. Outer Ring Road, Service Road,
3rd Block, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore-560043. Website www.varthana.com, Email:
care@varthana.com, Phone: 080-68455777, Branch Office: Sushma Infinium, Unit no 5, 4th Floor Near
Best price Chandigarh Ambala Highway, Zirakpur – 140603.

POSSESSION NOTICE [Rule 8(1)] (For Immovable property)

Whereas, The undersigned being the Authorised Officer of the M/s. Varthana Finance Private
Ltd., (Formerly Known as M/s. Thirumeni Finance Private Ltd.,) Chandigarh Branch,
Under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security
Interest Act, 2002 (54 of 2002) and in exercise of powers conferred under section 13(12) read
with Rule 3 of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002 issued a Demand Notice dated :
12-12-2023, calling upon the Applicants/ Co-Applicants/ Mortgagors, in Loan Account
No's. S18CHA-CHA-003127, U21CHA-CHA-017900 , U23CHA023240, 1. M/s. Nirakar Jyoti
Vidya Mandir, Represented by its Authorized Signatory Village Gullerpur, P. O Peont, Distt
Karnal Haryana 132036. 2. M/s. M/s. Nirakar Jyoti Vidya Mandir Educational Society,
Represented by its Authorized Signatory Village Gullerpur, P. O Peont, Distt Karnal Haryana-
132036. 3. Mr. Vinod Kumar, S/o. Baldev Raj, Village Gullerpur (61), Peont, Karnal Dist,
Haryana - 132036, 4. Mrs. Pinki Devi, W/o. Mr. Vinod Kumar, Village Gullerpur (61), Peont,
Karnal Dist, Haryana - 132036, 5. Mr. Baldev Raj, S/o. Sunhara Ram, Village Gullerpur (61),
Peony, Karnal Dist, Haryana - 132036, 6. Mr. Parveen Kumar, S/o. Mr. Balwaan Singh, No. 633-
A, Dadupur Raran, Sirsi (15), Karnal, Haryana - 132036, to repay the amount mentioned in the
said notice being a sum of Rs.35,45,036/- (Rupees Thirty Five Lakh Forty Five Thousand
Thirty Six Only) as on 10-12-2023, to pay agreed contractual rate of interest together with
incidental expenses, cost and other charges etc., as details mentioned in the demand notice, till
the date of payment, within 60 days from the date of receipt of the said notice. GOVERNOR`S
GOVERNOR`S SE
SECRET
CRETARIAT
ARIAT
However the Applicants/ Co-Applicants/ Mortgagors herein above having failed to repay the full
amount with interest/other charges, notice is hereby given to the Applicants/ Co-Applicants/
JHARKHAND,, RANCHI-834008
JHARKHAND
Mortgagors in particular and to the public in general that the undersigned being Authorized Tel - 0651 - 2283465, 2283467,2283466, Fa
Faxx - 0651 – 2284870
Officer of the M/s. Varthana Finance Private Ltd, Chandigarh, has taken SYMBOLIC
POSSESSION of the properties described herein below in exercise of powers conferred on him jhrgov@jhr.nic.in,
E-mail – jhrgov@jhr .nic.in, www.r
www.rajbhav
ajbhavanjharkhand.nic.in
anjharkhand.nic.in
under section 13(4) of the said Act, read with Rule 8 of the Security Interest Enforcement Rules,
2002 on this day 07- 03-2024. ADVERTISEMENT
The Applicants/ Co-Applicants/ Mortgagors in particular and the public in general are hereby
cautioned not to deal with the property and any dealings with the properties will be subject to the
Inviting online application for the post of Vice Chancellor, Vinoba Bhave
charge of the M/s. Varthana Finance Private Ltd, Chandigarh, for an amount of University, Hazaribagh.
Rs.38,77,688/- (Rupees Thirty Eight Lakh Seventy Seven Thousand Six Hundred Eighty
Eight Only) as on 06-03-2024, with agreed contractual rate of interest, as mentioned herein The office of Chancellor invites online application from interested eligible
above until the date of payment together with incidental expenses, cost and other charges. The candidates having scholarly pursuit, academic interest, administrative ability and other
Applicants/Co-Applicants/Mortgagors attention is invited to provisions of Section 13(8) of the desired qualifications for the post of :-
Act, in respect of time available, to redeem the securedAssets.
Description of the Immovable Property : All that piece and parcel of the property bearing No.
1. Vice Chancellor, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh.
Khewat No. 163,187,327,329,331, Khata No. 217,256,257,419,423,425 situated at Village All the instructions and link regarding submission of online application are available
Gullerpur, Tehsil. Nissing, Karnal, Haryana - 132036, together with all the building and structures on website having URL www.rajbhavanjharkhand.nic.in or, Chancellor Portal
thereon, fixtures, fitting and/or permanently fastened to anything attached to the earth, both
present and future, measuring 4619 Sq. Ft. and bounded on: East By: Agri Land West By: Agri
(www.jharkhanduniversities.nic.in).
Land, North By: Rasta,, South By:Agri Land. PR 321942 Governor(23-24).D Governor Secretariat
Date: 09-03-2024, Place: Village Gullerpur, Karnal Sd/- Authorised Officer, Varthana Finance Private Limited

POLICE HEADQUARTERS, CHHATTISGARH, ATAL NAGAR , NAVA RAIPUR

(2nd Call)
NOTICE INVITING TENDER
No. PHQ/P&P/Sec-10/P-1/1255/2024 Raipur, Dated :06/03/2024
Sealed tenders are being invited by the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh on behalf of Governor of Chhattisgarh
from manufacturers (OEM) or authorized firm of manufacturer (only one firm) for the following item-
SI. No. Name of Item Qty. EMD in Rs.
1 Semi-Rugged Laptop 46 Nos. 46,000/-
Note- Quantity will be variable.
The tender offer in the prescribed tender form along with all the relevant documents sealed and completed in all the
respect, must be submitted as per the schedule below -
SCHEDULE FOR TENDER
a) Address for submission of Tender Document:- DIG of Police(P&P) ,Block no.-3, Room No.309 Police
Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.
b) Last Date and Time of Submission on Bids:- 27/03/2024 till 03.00 pm
c) Place, Time and Date of opening Technical Bid :- Block no. 3, Room No.309 Police Headquarters,
Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur. 27/03/2024 at 4:00 pm
d) Place, Time and Date of opening Financial Bid :- Shall be intimated later.
e) Date till which the Bid to remain valid 80 days from the scheduled date of submission of the Bid.
The validity period will be extended with mutual consent.
Note:- 1. In case of tender opening date being declared as holiday, tenders will be opened on next working day. 2.Tender
documents can be downloaded from our website www.cgpolice.gov.in and at the time of submission of document ten-
der fee of Rs. 3000/- will be paid in the form of DD of State Bank of India/Scheduled Bank (other than Cooperative
Bank) payable at Raipur in favor of Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh, Police Headquarters, Atal Nagar Raipur Or
State Govt. Challan of Rs. 3000/- to be deposited in the Head of A/c- 0055-Police- 800- other receipt. Tender fee is non
refundable and can't be exempted in any condition. 3. Modification/Amendments/Corrigendum, if any shall not be adver-
tised on the news paper but shall be published in the aforesaid web site only and the time of submission of bid will also
be extended if required. 4.If any bidder sends tender documents through Courier/Speed post, the tender documents will
be accepted till 03.00 pm on 27/03/2024 at Block no.3, Room No.309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava
Raipur only. Received tender documents in any o er address at PHQ on stipulated date and time, will not be accepted.
sd/- D.I.G. of Police (P&P)
08385 For-Director General of Police

दि णांचल िव ुत िवतरण िनगम िल0

उ0 0 सरकार का उप म
ऊजा भवन, 220 क0वी0 उपसं थान, बाई पास रोड, िसक दरा, आगरा-282007
DAKSHINANCHAL VIDYUT VITRAN NIGAM LIMITED
(UNDERTAKING OF U.P. GOVERNMENT)
(CIN: U31200UP2003SGC027460)
e-Tender Notice (NIT)
Corporate Office: 27 A, Developed Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai – 600032.
प सं या:-610 / अधी0अिभ0 (कायशाला0 ) द0िव0िव0िन0िल0 / िनिवदा सचूना िदनाक
ं :- 07.03.2024 CIN: U65993MH2008PLC384221.
BO: A-35, UGF, FIEE Complex, Near C Lal Chowk, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase -2, New Delhi - 110020.
Estimated Tender
Tender Cost in Rs. Earnest Tender Fee Opening POSSESSION NOTICE
Short Description Under Section 13(4) of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial
No. (Lac) Money in Rs. in Rs Date & Time
Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act 2002, Read with Rule 8(2) of the
Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules 2002.
For Carriage of Transformer & 1. M/s. T K Energy Infratech Private Limited (Borrower), Through its director(s), 21,
45 M a t e r i a l a t v a r i o u s Approx. Rs. Rs. 65,000.00 Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024 Sarai NazarAli, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh - 201001.
2024-25 Workshop/Store under EWD, 65.00 Lac (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs. 2. Mrs. Tejinder Singh Kaur (Co Borrower), S/o. Mr.Sardar Singh, Flat No. F-1, B-163,
Aligarh. Lohia Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh -201 001.
3. Mrs. Harpreet Kaur (Co Borrower), W/o. Mr. Tejinder Singh, B-163, Opposite Dr.
For Repairing of 10/16 KVA to 630 Achal Swami, Lohia Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh - 201 001.
POLICE HEADQUARTERS, CHHATTISGARH, NAVA RAIPUR 46 KVA Transformer at Workshop Approx. Rs. Rs. 40,000.00 Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024 4. Mr. Abhijeet Pratap Singh (Co Borrower), S/o. Mr. Tejinder Singh, B-163, Opposite
TENDER NOTICE 2024-25 Ganjdundwara (Kasaganj) under 40.00 Lac (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs. Dr.Achal Swami, Lohia Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh - 201 001.
EWD, Aligarh. Whereas, The undersigned being the Authorized Officer of M/s. Hinduja Leyland
No. PHQ/Admn/Rectt./ M -772/2024 Nava Raipur Dated : 06/03/2024 Finance Ltd having its branch office at A-35, UGF, FIEE Complex, Near C Lal Chowk,
Director General of Police Chhattisgarh Raipur, on behalf of Governor of Chhattisgarh, invites sealed tenders in 03 sep- For Repairing of 10/16 KVA to 25
arate envelops earmarked as (pre-qualification bid, Technical bid and Financial bid) for outsourcing following services
Okhla Industrial Area, Phase -2, New Delhi - 110020 under the Securitization and
required for the recruitment of Chhattisgarh Police, as advertised on 04.10.2023, for following items :- 47 KVA Wound Core Transformer at Approx. Rs. Rs. 50,000.00 Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024 Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act 2002 and in
S. No. Name of Items 2024-25 Workshop Jainpur (Kanpur 50.00 Lac (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs. exercise of powers conferred under section 13(12) read with Rules 9 of the Security
1- Providing facilities for digital measurement of height and chest during physical standard test (P.S.T.) Dehat) under EWD, Kanpur. Interest (Enforcement) Rules 2002, issued a Demand Notice dated 25.12.2023 to the
2- Providing RFID system for measuring running time during Physical Efficiency Test (P.E.T.) RFID synchronization. above said Addressees here in after referred to as Borrower and Co-Borrowers in Loan
3- Providing Digital Technology System for measuring distance/height in shot-put, high jump and long jump For Repairing of 10/16 KVA to 400 A/c No. Loan Account No. DHDLDEA000120 to repay the amount mentioned in the
4- Printing, Scanning & evaluation of OMR written examination sheets 48 KVA Transformer at Workshop Approx. Rs. Rs. 50,000.00 Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024 notice being Rs. 2,10,72,913/-(Rupees Two Crores Ten Lakhs Seventy Two Thousand
5- Comprehensive application software for the recruitment program including data entry and compilation of results. 2024-25 Auraiya under EWD, Kanpur. 50.00 Lac (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs. Nine Hundred Thirteen Only) due as on 06-12-2023 with interest thereon within 60
The tender document may be obtained from the office of the under signed on payment of Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees One days from the date of receipt of the said notice.
Thousand only) in the form of Demand Draft/Banker Cheque issued by any nationalized/Scheduled bank in favour of For Carriage of Transformer & The borrowers having failed to repay the amount, notice is hereby given to the borrowers
Director General of Police, Police Headquarters, Nava Raipur, Payable at Raipur. Tender form can be downloaded from 49 Approx. Rs. Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024
Chhattisgarh Police Website and can be submitted along with Rs. 1,000/- Demand Draft. Detail of the Scope of work & 2024-25 Material at various Workshop/Store 65.00 Lac Rs. 65,000.00 (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs. in particular and the public in general that the undersigned has taken possession of the
property described herein below in exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section
tender condition are available on the website of Chhattisgarh Police i.e. http://www.cgpolice.gov.in. under EWD, Jhansi.
Assistant Inspector General of Police (Administration) Police Head Quarters, Chhattisgarh, Nava Raipur Pin : 492002 13(4), 13(2) of the said Act read with Rule 8 and 9 of the said Rules Security interest
The Tender offer in the prescribed tender form along with all the relevant documents sealed and completed in all the For Carriage of Transformer & (Enforcement) Rules, 2002 on this 5th day of March, 2024.
respect must be submitted as per the schedule below :- 50 Material at various Workshop/Store Approx. Rs. Rs. 65,000.00 Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024 Under Section 13(8) of the Securitisation Act, the borrowers can redeem the secured
SCHEDULE FOR TENDER 2024-25 under EWD, Banda. 65.00 Lac (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs. asset by payment of the entire outstanding including all costs, charges and expenses
a) Address for submission of Tender Document: - Assistant Inspector General of Police(Admin.), before notification of sale.
Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Nava Raipur-492002 The borrowers in particular and the public in general are hereby cautioned not to deal with
b) Pre - Bid conference- 14-03-2024 at 11:30 AM
For Repairing of 10/16 KVA to 400
the property and any dealings with the said property will be subject to the charge of
c) Last date & time for availability of tender forms 08-04-2024 till 12:00 Hrs. 51 KVA Transformer at Workshop Approx. Rs. Rs. 40,000.00 Rs. 3,000.00 10.04.2024 M/s. Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited, for an amount of being Rs. 2,10,72,913/-
d) Last Date and Time for receipt of Tender: - 08-04-2024 till 15:00 Hrs. 2024-25 Charkhari (Mahoba) under EWD, 40.00 Lac (GST Extra) 16:00 Hrs.
(Rupees Two Crore Ten Lakhs Seventy Two Thousand Nine Hundred Thirteen only)
e) Place, Time and Date of Opening Technical Bid : - AIG (Administration), Banda. as on 06-12-2023 and interest and charges thereon.
Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Nava Raipur
08-04-2024 at 16:00 Hrs. Other Terms & Conditions have been given in detailed tender for which please visit at eprocurement SCHEDULE OF THE PROPERTY: Plot No. 28 (old Plot No. 21) GT Road, Sarai NaZarAli,
f) Place, Time and Date of opening Financial Bid: - Shall be intimated . portal of UP Government https://etender.up.nic.in or contact us at given address as follows: Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh - 201001. Boundaries: East: Madrasa, South: 12 Ft. Wide
g) Date till which the Bid to remain valid- Till 31/12/2024 or the completion of the recruitment Gali, West: Mosque, North: G.T. Road.
process, whichever is later Add. MD Office, Urja Bhawan, 220 KV Sub-Station, Bye Superintending Engineer (Workshop) Flat No. F-1 on Plot No. B-163, First Floor, Block-B, Sector-8, Lohia Nagar, Uttar Pradesh -
Note :- 1-In case of tender opening date being declared as holiday, tenders will be opened on next working day. 2-Tender Pass Road, Sikandra, Agra-282007 (UP) Ph. No. 201001. Boundaries: East: 40 Ft Wide Road, South: 60 Ft Wide Road, West: Property,
forms shall not be supplied by Post. 3-Modification/Amendments/corrigendum, if any shall not be Advertised in the
D.V.V.N.L. AGRA
9068944455. Mob. No. 9412719665 Bhukhamd No. B-164, North: Service Lane.
dews paper but shall be published in the aforesaid website only.
sd/- For-Director General of Police Dated: 08-03-2024 for M/S. HINDUJA LEYLAND FINANCE LTD. (HLF).
Chhattisgarh Place: New Delhi Authorised Officer
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

17 E EXPLAINED
EXPLAINED POLICY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

EXPLAINED AI
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
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AADHAARANDVOTERID:WHYTHEEC
WANTSTOAMENDELECTIONLAWS
DAMINI NATH
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
THEELECTIONCommissionof India(ECI)
recently approached the Centre propos-
ing amendments to The Representation
of the People Act, 1950, and voter enrol-
ment forms, to delete the provision that
compelsavotertoprovidereasonsforher
decision not to seed her Aadhaar num-
ber with the voter ID. The proposal, how-
ever,islearnedtohavebeenturneddown
by the Union Law Ministry.
The development comes as a recent
petitionintheSupremeCourthighlighted
that the forms for registering electors do
notmakeitclearthatitisvoluntaryforan
elector to link her Aadhaar with voter ID.
When did the ECI decide to link
Aadhaar with Voter IDs?
In February 2015, then Chief Election
Commissioner H S Brahma announced
that the ECI would start a drive to link
Aadhaar with the electoral roll database
from the following month. The aim of the
drive was to remove bogus or duplicate
entriesfromtheelectoralroll.Brahmaclar-
ifiedthattheexercisewouldbevoluntary.
The drive, however, was stopped af-
ter the Supreme Court, in August 2015,
ruledthatAadhaarcouldonlybeusedfor
government schemes for distribution of
foodgrains, etc.
What has been the ECI’s stand since?
In 2018, the apex court upheld the
constitutionality of Aadhaar and said the
governmentcouldrestricttherighttopri-
vacy if there is a specific law, and if it is
proportional to a state aim. The follow-
ing year, the ECI again proposed the link-
ingof Aadhaarwiththeelectoralroll,ask-
ing the government to amend election
In ceramics from South, Central
laws to enable the collection of Aadhaar
details. The government then brought
The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill,
2021 to enable the linking of Aadhaar
with Voter IDs.
Thereafter, the ECI re-started the col-
lection of Aadhaar numbers from July
2022 on a voluntary basis. A new form —
Form 6B — was introduced for existing
electors to give their Aadhaar number
andForm6fornewregistrationswasalso
amended.
What was the latest petition in the SC?
A Telangana Congress leader, G
Niranjan, moved the Supreme Court last
year,seekingdirectionstotheECIandthe
government to make amendments to
election laws to give an option to those
who did not want to link their Aadhaar
with their Voter ID.
Form 6B gives only two options — ei-
ther provide the Aadhaar number or say
one doesn’t possess Aadhaar. This forces
those who do not want to give their
Aadhaarnumberintomakingafalsedec-
laration.
What did the ECI propose, and what
was the government’s stand?
The ECI in a letter to the Law Ministry
inDecember proposed amendingThe RP
Act, 1950 to remove the requirement of
a “sufficient cause” for not providing
Aadhaar. It also asked the government to
amendtheregistrationformsthatdidnot
give an option to the individual who has
Aadhaar, but chooses not to furnish it.
TheECIproposedamendingtheform’s
two options, of either giving Aadhaar or
saying you don’t have one, to a single line
saying“AadhaarNumber(Optional)”.The
government,however,isbelievedtohave
rejectedtheamendment,sayingclarifica-
tions from the ECI would be enough.
India’s Rs 10,000-cr AI mission
Govt will subsidise private firms looking to set up AI computing capacity in India. This is among the most
important elements of building a large AI system — as also one of the most difficult, given the high costs
SOUMYARENDRA BARIK
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
INDIA has made the first move to address a
key shortcoming it currently has in unlock-
ing opportunities around generative artifi-
cial intelligence (AI) — that of computing
hardware.
On Thursday, the Union Cabinet ap-
proved the IndiaAI Mission with an outlay of
Rs 10,372 crore for the next five years, under
whichthegovernmentwillallocatefundsto-
wards subsidising private companies look-
ing to set up AI computing capacity in the
country, among other things.
Whilestillablueprint,theapprovalcould
spur investments in this sector — with pri-
vatecompaniessettingupdatacentresinthe
country,andallowingstartupsaccesssothey
cantestandbuildtheirgenerativeAImodels.
This is a benefit that startups such as
Perplexity AI in the United States have en-
joyed for some time now, since they can tap
intothe computingcapacityoffered by com-
panies like Nvidia.
Computing capacity, or compute, is
among the most important elements of
building a large AI system, apart from algo-
rithmicinnovationanddatasets.Itisalsoone
of the most difficult elements to procure for
smaller businesses looking to train and build
such AI systems, given the high costs.
For example, Nvidia’s A100 chip — con-
sideredtobethemostcuttingedgeforAIap-
plications — costs around $10,000, which
means that a data centre of 10,000 such
graphicsprocessingunits(GPUs)couldcostat
least$100million(morethanRs8,000crore).
In an interview with The Indian Express
earlier, Perplexity’s Aravind Srinivas had
highlightedthehardware-relatedchallenges
thatstartups from India may face, compared
with their counterparts in the west.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Mission last year, and said that
its aim would be to establish the computing powers of AI within the country.
Representative image created using Dall-E
trained on datasets covering major Indian
languagesforprioritysectorslikehealthcare,
agriculture, and governance.
While the infrastructure is being set up,
priority will be given to selecting the most
advanced GPUs.
The implementation of this AI compute
infrastructure will be done through a pub-
lic-private partnership model with 50 per
cent viability gap funding. If the compute
prices come down, the private entity will
have to add more compute capacity within
the same budgeted amount to meet in-
creaseddemand.Of thetotaloutlay,Rs4,564
crore has been earmarked for building com-
puting infrastructure.
“Basically, there will be a tender inviting
■ The Cabinet has approved the financ-
ing by the government of deeptech startups
at various levels of growth. Of the total out-
lay, roughly Rs 2,000 crore has been ear-
marked towards this.
■ As part of the programme, an IndiaAI
Datasets Platform will be set up, which will
lookatleveragingthequality,access,anduse
of non-personal datasets for AI innovation.
The platform will be tasked with hosting
identified “high-quality” AI-ready datasets.
Together, these proposals cover two of
the most crucial elements of building large
language models: the hardware and access
to high quality datasets.
■ The government will also set up the
IndiaAI Innovation Research Centre, which
4,000 B.Tech, 400 M.Tech, and 600 Ph.D can-
didates who will focus on AI in premier ed-
ucational institutions.
How does this announcement fit in with
the overall policy in this sector?
TheIndiaAIMissionannouncementcame
aweekaftertheCabinetclearedchipprojects
worthRs1.26lakhcrore,includingwhatcould
be the country’s first commercial fabrication
plant. India has identified electronics manu-
facturing as a key economic driver, and the
government is willing to spend money in the
initial phase to get production rolling.
ThisisastrategythattheEuropeanUnion
is following as well. To allay concerns over
overregulation of AI, which could stifle inno-
vation,theEuropeanCommissionearlierthis
year released a set of rules to enable startups
and other businesses to access hardware —
such as supercomputers and computing ca-
pacity — to build large-scale AI models.
But what about AI regulations and
aspects of safety?
Evenastheprivateindustryinnovatesrap-
idly, lawmakers around the world are grap-
pling with setting up legislative guardrails
around AI to contain some of its downsides.
■In India, the IT Ministry recently issued
an advisory to generative AI companies de-
ploying “untested” systems to seek the gov-
ernment’s permission before doing so.
However, the government’s move was criti-
cisedbystakeholdersaroundtheworld,forc-
ing it to clarify that the advisory was not ap-
plicabletostartups.Questionshavealsobeen
raised over the legal basis of the advisory.
■ Last year, the European Union reached
a deal with member states on its AI Act,
which includes safeguards on the use of AI
within the EU, including clear guardrails on
its adoption by law enforcement agencies.
Consumers have been empowered to file
complaints against any perceived violations.

America, a cacao origin story What is India’s plan for setting up AI

computing capacity?
Under the IndiaAI Mission, the govern-
companies to set up data centres. When a
company applies for, let’s say a centre which
may cost Rs 10,000 crore, they can seek a vi-
willundertakethedevelopmentanddeploy-
ment of large foundational models, with fo-
cus onindigenousLargeMultimodalModels
■ In the United States, a White House
Executive Order on AI is being offered as an
elaborate template that could become a
SCIENTISTS ARE getting a ent with other foods. ment will look to establish a computing ca- ability gap funding from the government for and domain-specific foundational models. blueprint for other countries looking to reg-
better taste of the early his- “First of all, we can firmly pacity of more than 10,000 GPUs and also acertainamountof that,”aseniorofficialsaid. Close to Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked ulate AI.Ablueprintforan AIBillof Rightsre-
toryofthedomesticationand state that the origin of cacao helpdevelopfoundational modelswithaca- for this centre. leasedlastOctoberisseenasabuildingblock
use of cacao — the source of and its domestication was in pacity of more than 100 billion parameters Are there proposals beyond hardware? ■ There is a plan to financially support for the subsequent executive order.
chocolate — thanks to theUpperAmazonandnotin

ED allegations against Louise Khurshid

residues detected on a batch the tropics of Mesoamerica
of ancient ceramics from PAPER — Mexico and Central
South and Central America.
Using evidence from
these artefacts, the re-
CLIP America. The process of dis-
persal was rather quick, and
involved the close and long-
searchers traced the rapid NEW RESEARCH distance interaction of the
spread of cacao through Amerindian people,” said ar- Allegations emerged in 2012 after an of- then director of the trust, had certified that General, EOW, had told The Indian Express at
traderoutesafteritsinitialdomestication chaeologist Francisco Valdez of the EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE ficial of the Ministry of Social Justice and the equipment had been distributed to the the time.
more than five millennia ago in Ecuador. PALOCunit of France’sIRDresearch insti- NEW DELHI, MARCH 8 EmpowermentwasheardinaTVstingoper- intended beneficiaries. Shukla passed away while the investiga-
They showed cacao’s dispersal to South tution and Museum National d’Histoire ation saying there were irregularities in the However, it was alleged that no such tion was ongoing.
America’snorthwesternPacificcoastand NaturelleinParis.Heisalsoaco-authorof THE ENFORCEMENT Directorate (ED) this functioning of the trust, but that it was not camps were actually held.
later into Central America until it even- the new study, published on Thursday in weekallegedthatseniorCongressleaderand being blacklisted because it was run by a po- Investigation by ED
tually reached Mexico 1,500 years later. the journal Scientific Reports. former Union minister Salman Khurshid’s litically influential person. Action by the BJP govt The ED began its money laundering in-
A tropical evergreen tree called “Maritime contacts must have been wife Louise Khurshid and two others had It was subsequently revealed that in The Khurshids denied the accusations, vestigation based on the cases registered by
Theobroma cacao bears large, oval pods involved as well as the inland contacts. “laundered” Rs 71.50 lakh in central govern- January2012,theUPgovernment—thenled and no follow-up action was ordered by ei- the UP Police. Last month, an MP-MLA court
containing the bean-like cacao seeds Previously, the common (belief) was that ment funds meant for disabled people for byMayawati—had,uponreceivingarequest ther the Centre or the Akhilesh Yadav gov- in Bareilly district issued warrants of arrest
that today are roasted and turned into cacao was domesticated in the their personal gain through a trust. fromtheUnionministry,institutedaninquiry ernment in UP (2012-17). against Louise Khurshid and Athar Farouqui.
cocoa and multitudes of chocolate con- Mesoamerican lowlands and that it was The ED has provisionally attached 15 into the functioning of the trust. Salman In June 2017, three months after the Yogi A few days later, Louise Khurshid was ques-
fections. In ancient times, cacao was dispersed from there to the south,” parcels of agricultural land in Farrukhabad, Khurshid was a Union minister at the time. Adityanath government came to power, the tioned by the ED.
consumed as a beverage or an ingredi- Valdez said. REUTERS Uttar Pradesh, and some bank deposits, Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the UP The provisional attachment order issued
worth a combined Rs 45.92 lakh, of the Dr Funds ‘siphoned off’ Police registered an FIR against Louise by ED on the trust’s properties will have to
Zakir Husain Memorial Trust, run by Salman The social justice ministry had released Khurshid and others. Another 16 FIRs were be confirmed by the PMLA Adjudicating
andLouiseKhurshid,underprovisionsof the a grant of Rs 71.5 lakh in 2010-11 and Rs 68 registered subsequently. Authority within 180 days. Once the attach-
Preventionof MoneyLaunderingAct(PMLA). lakh in 2011-12 to the trust. It was alleged A charge sheet was filed in December ment has been confirmed, the ED can take
that forged signatures and seals of senior UP 2019 under Sections 467 (forgery of valuable possession of the seized property.
Sting and allegation government officials were used to receive security,will,etc),468(forgeryforpurposeof The order of the Adjudicating Authority
The ED has alleged that “grant-in-aid of grants from the Union government. cheating), 479 (property mark), 120B (con- can, however, be challenged in the PMLA
Rs 71.50 lakh received by the trust was not The 2010-11 grant was meant for distri- spiracy), and 409 (criminal breach) of the Appellate Tribunal and then in the High
utilised to hold camps sanctioned by the bution of wheelchairs, tricycles, and hearing Indian Penal Code. Court, which can stay the order, restore the
Government of India, but was instead laun- aids to physically challenged persons in 17 “During investigation, Louise Khurshid, property to the owner, or clear the way for
dered by trust representative late Pratyush districts of UP. The trust had claimed to have project manager of the trust, Pratyush the ED to take possession of the asset.
Shukla, trust secretary Mohammad Athar, organised camps for differently abled chil- Shukla, representativeof thetrust, andAthar The ED may also arrest Louise Khurshid
and project director Louise Khurshid, for the dren in more than a dozen districts in the Farouqui, its secretary, were found to be al- and others in the case if it has enough evi-
interest of the trust and their personal gain”. state.InMay2010,LouiseKhurshid,whowas legedly involved,” R P Singh, then Director dence against them.

Why scientists voted down proposal to declare start of Anthropocene
ARJUN SENGUPTA &
ALIND CHAUHAN
NEW DELHI, MARCH 8
FROMTHEhighestmountainstothedeepest
oceans,theevidenceofhumanactivityisun-
missable, and possibly indelible. Yet, a com-
mittee of 18 scientists have voted down a
proposal to declare the start of the
Anthropocene, or the ‘human
epoch’, in geologic time.
EXPLAINED
A timeline of Earth
Geoscientists use the geo-
SCIENCE
logic time scale (GTS) — based on a study of
rock layers in relation to time — to measure
the age of the planet. The GTS, since the for-
mationofEarthroughly4.54billionyearsago,
is divided, in descending order of duration,
into aeons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages.
These chronostratigraphic units are not
uniform — any two aeons, eras, periods,
epochs, and ages do not encompass the
same length of time (like days or minutes).
Rather, transition from one to another is
marked by events — often violent, such as
mass extinctions — that shape the planet
and its living conditions. Importantly, each
interval of Earth time must have a clear, ob-
jective,universallyapplicablestartingpoint.
WearecurrentlyinthePhanerozoicaeon,
theCenozoicera,theQuaternaryperiod,the
Holocene epoch, and the Meghalayan age.
Proposed ‘human epoch’
The Holocene epoch began some 11,700
yearsago,attheendoftheLastGlacialPeriod.
With the Holocene, the Earth warmed, cor-
responding closely with the
proliferationofhumanbeings.
While homo sapiens had
evolved well before the
Holocene began, all of hu-
manity’srecordedhistoryfallsinthisepoch.
Since 2000, when the Dutch meteorol-
ogist Paul Crutzen and American botanist
Eugene Stoermer coined the term
Anthropocene, the idea of a separate ‘hu-
man’ epoch (Anthropo: relating to hu-
mankind) has excited many geoscientists.
Proponentsof Anthropocenearguethathu-
manshavechangedtheEarthtosuchanex-
tentthatanewgeologicalepochhas begun.
The Anthropocene Working Group
(AWG), a 37-member research group, be-
gan deliberations in 2009 to fix a starting
point for the epoch and, after years of de-
liberation, decided on the period between
1950 and 1954. The years after World War
II saw the “Great Acceleration”, during
which the world’s population skyrocketed,
the burning of fossil fuels surged, the fall-
outof nucleartestsspreadacrosstheplanet,
theuseof nitrogen-basedfertilisersbecame
rampant, and plastics became ubiquitous.
Rejection of the proposal
Lastfall,theAWGsubmitteditsproposal
to the International Union of Geological
Sciences (IUGS), the global representative
Crawford Lake
in Ontario,
Canada, which
AWG’s
proposal
selected as the
site that most
clearly showed
a physical
break with the
Holocene. AP
body of geoscientists. Starting February, the
proposal was taken up for vote by the
SubcommissiononQuaternaryStratigraphy
(SQS),aconstituentbodyoftheInternational
CommissiononStratigraphy(ICS),thelargest
scientific organisation within the IUGS.
The SQS voted 12 to 4 against the pro-
posal,withtwo abstentions.TheIUGScom-
mittee determined that adding an
Anthropoceneepoch—andterminatingthe
Holocene — was not supported by the stan-
dards used to define epochs according to
chronostratigraphy.
Case against Anthropocene
In2015,geologistBillRuddimanandoth-
erswroteinSciencemagazine:“Doesitreally
make sense to define the start of a human-
dominatederamillenniaaftermostforestsin
arableregionshadbeencutforagriculture?”
This week, ecologist Erle C Ellis, a former
memberofAWG,wroteforTheConversation:
“By tying the start of the human age to such
a recent and devastating event — [such as]
nuclearfallout—thisproposalriskedsowing
confusionaboutthedeephistoryofhowhu-
mans are transforming the Earth, from cli-
mate change and biodiversity losses to pol-
lutionbyplasticsandtropicaldeforestation.”
Also, the boundaries between epochs
typicallytendtorepresenttrulymassivege-
ological change. “Our last boundary, be-
tween the Holocene and the Pleistocene,
was almost one-third of this planet being
covered by ice,” Joseph Desloges, a profes-
sorattheUniversityof Torontowhostudies
the impact of climate change and human
disturbance on geomorphic processes, told
the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Again, GTS is based on records in solid
rocks, not sediments like the ones in
Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada, which
AWG’s proposal had selected as the physi-
cal site that most clearly showed a defini-
tive break between the Holocene and the
Anthropocene.
But the idea isn’t dead yet
The SQS vote was against the limited
definition of the Anthropocene epoch as
proposed by the AWG — not a referendum
on whether or not humans have had a last-
ing impact on the planet. Evidence for that
is already past the point of being undeni-
able, and is mounting.
“Our impact is here to stay and to be
recognisable in the future in the geological
record — there is absolutely no question
about this,” Jan A Piotrowski, professor of
geoscienceandoneof thecommitteemem-
bers who voted against the AWG proposal,
told The New York Times. “It will be up to the
people that will be coming after us to de-
cide how to rank it,” Prof Piotrowski said.
Scientists have long proposed that the
Anthropocene should not be seen as a new
epochbutratherasan“event”.Eventsinge-
ology are looserterms which do not appear
on the official GTS, and thus need no com-
mittees to approve their start dates.
LONGER VERSION ON
indianexpress.com/explained
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

18 REVIEWS
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024

Cinema & Music

STREAMING
WATCH
LIST BY
ALAKA
SAHANI

DAMSEL
NETFLIX
JuanCarlosFresnadillo'sDamselsees
MillieBobbyBrownasadutiful
damsel,whoagreestomarryahand-
someprince—onlytodiscoveritwas
allatrap:Theroyalfamilyrecruits
herasasacrificetorepayanancient
debt.She’sthenthrownintoacave
withafire-breathingdragon,where
shehastorelyonherwitstosurvive.
PowerhouseactorsAngelaBassett
andRobinWrightsupporttheshow.

ALLOFUSSTRANGERS★★★★■
Director:AndrewHaigh Cast:Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott,JamieBell,ClaireFoy

When Love Comes Knocking Back
SHALINILANGER
ISTHERElovewithouthurt?Andwhatmakes
it still worth all the hurt?
Thatliesattheheartof thispoignantfilm
aboutamiddle-agedmandealingwithchild-
hood loss, just when attachment of the kind
that rarely happens at the age in which he is,
is entering his life.
That Adam (Andrew Scott) is gay, only
adds a subliminal layer to his yearning for a
missedfamily.Thenovelonwhichthisfilmis
looselybasedwasaboutadivorcedmanand
awomanwhohappentobeneighboursand
strike a friendship.
In Adam’s case, the neighbour is Harry
(PaulMescal).Theyarethesoleoccupantsof
one of those soulless high-rises that mark a
bigcity(inthiscase,London);suchisthelone-
liness that literally envelops them that the
tower is yet to get even security guards.
Harry,whoisalwaysalittlehighononeor
the other thing, lands up at Adam’s door one
late quiet night — after a fire alarm turns out
tobefalse—offering“someJapanesedrink”,
and over a handshake that lingers just that
bit longer, establishes that Adam is “queer”,
like him.
As Harry puts it, he prefers the term
“queer”, stripped off the negative cliches
which have come to be associated with gay.
Harry catches Adam at an off time. A
writer,Adamisstuckattheintroductoryline
of a script he is writing based on his own life.
A box of childhood photos prompts him to
revisithishomeintheLondonsuburbs;when
heringsthebell,guesswhohefindstherebut
his own parents – younger than he is right
now (played by Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), at
theageswhentheydied.Adamwasthen12.
Whatfollows,overseveralwell-meaning
snatches,areconversationsinvolvingafather
and a child,and a mother and a child, as they
get to know each other all over again — now
allthatmuchwiser—aboutthingstheyknew
anddidn'ttalkabout,andthingstheysaidbut
didn't know about.
Adam's mother's surprise and innocent
questioningastowhatbeinggaymeansnow,
all these years after her time, is beautifully
conveyedbyFoy.Thefatheradmitshealways
suspectedAdamwasabit“tutti-frutti(notin
a disparaging way)”, but felt more comfort-
able not broaching the issue.
Onenight,thenightAdamremembersas
theirlastnighttogether,hisadultself sneaks
into their bed, between them, in his pyjama
top.Adamtellshismotherhowheimagined
their lives could have been, about going to
Disneylandtogether,itrainingconstantly,and
thethreeofthemfighting.Shewondersifshe
“wouldhavegotbetteratbeingaparent”,not
like how she prayed at that time for him to
grow up so that she could have “one good
night's sleep”.
It's like the song ‘You were always on my
mind’ playing as the three decorate the
Christmas tree together — perhaps the most
“womanly”thingAdam'smanlyfatherloved
doing.Yes,maybetheydidn'tloveeachother
“quite often as they could have”, but this is a
goodbye with the knowledge that love can
comeknockingback —if wielding adubious
bottle, into the wee hours.
OURBODY
MUBI
ClaireSimonobservestheeveryday
operationsof thegynaecological
wardinapublichospitalinParis.She
meetspatientsinallstagesof life—
young,old,cisgenderandtrans.
Storiesof fertility,gendertransitions,
andcancerunfold,including oneof
thefilmmakerherself.Madebyan
entirelyfemalecrew,OurBodypre-
mieredatBerlinalelastyearandwas
nominatedforBestDocumentary
Filmatthe2024CésarAwards.

Bad Guys Finish Last No Show

SHAITAAN ★★
Director:VikasBahlCast:AjayDevgn,RMadhavan,Jyothika,JankiBodiwala,AnngadRaaj
SHUBHRAGUPTA
A FAMILY weekend gets hijacked by a ter-
rifyingsetofevents:Shaitaan,whichcom-
bineselementsofthehomeinvasionmovie
lacedwithpopsofblackmagic,fallsneatly
into the supernatural horror category
which Bollywood keeps revisiting.
Oncewehavetheset-
up—lovinghusbandand
smart dad Kabir (Devgn)
whokeepsasharpeyeon
thecompanyhisteenage
daughter Janvi
(Bodiwala) keeps, and
knowshisprecociousson
Dhruv’s(Raaj)passwords
— we are flung into the
second act, which is all
about the shaitaan
(Madhavan) who ap-
pears out of nowhere to
take over their lives.
This kind of film will
always benefit from keeping everything
crisp and fast-paced. While no time is
wasted in planting the intruder inside the
family’s plush farmhouse, the confronta-
tionisprolonged.Allcardsareonthetable
soon enough, and all surprise vanishes as
we get, one after another, the shaitaan
spouting wisdom about vashikaran (con-
trol), Janvi dancing to his tunes, mom
(Jyothika)gettingmoreandmorepetrified,
with hapless dad at his wit’s end.
Someofthefilm’scomparativelyscarier
moments are seeded in this segment, es-
pecially the one in which a character
crouchesonaleakinggascylinderwithan
openboxofmatches,facecontortedinfear
andanger.Youcanalsoseesomeeffortsin
makingthestoryintoaparableaboutmen
controlling young women. Bodiwala is
mosteffectivewhensheconveysbothfear
andhelplessnessatthethingssheisforced
into doing. But the trouble with keeping
things going longer than necessary is that
tensionleachesout,andbythetimethere’s
astraight-upliftofaniconicscenefromThe
Shining, things become
tiresome.
The trouble with this
remake of Gujarati film
Vash is that all the kaala-
jaadu trickery is ulti-
mately strictly window-
dressing to a hero vs
villain story. After whet-
ting our appetites with a
few well-staged com-
mand and control se-
quences in which
Bodiwala, who reprises
her role from Vash, holds
our attention, Devgn
takesover.Whichmakesitpredictable,be-
cause how can a hero, even if he has al-
lowedhimself tobebashedupandblood-
ied till then, not win?
Madhavan, who has himself a grand
time submitting to the campy tone of his
character,isscarytobeginwith,withade-
monic snicker here and a smile there. I
mean, which actor can resist black robes
andmumbojumboandvoodoodolls?But
then the script decides that the bad guy
needs to be defanged. Devgn, in extended
Drishyam mode, as the family man-cum-
allroundsaviour,comesoff stolid.Thisisa
filminwhichthevillainneededtohavethe
last word.
SHOWTIME
★★
Directors:MihirDesai andArchitKumar
Cast:Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan
Hashmi, Rajeev Khandelwal, Mahima
Makwana, Mouni Roy, Vijay Raaz
Streamingon:Disney+Hotstar
SHOWTIME PROMISES us a great deal: a
juicy deep-dive into the inner workings of
Bollywood, which, with all its gossipy
Chinese whispers and starry tantrums, is
also a place where businesscome first and
last, and everything else is shoe-horned.
Coming from the stable of Karan Johar,
and created by Sumit Roy, anything that
holds out potential insights into the in-
sider-outsider debates that have caused
such deep rifts between the entitled lega-
tees who gate-keep their preserve and
those who desperately want to crash the
party, this new web-series should have
been a zinger. But going by the first four
episodes (the next instalment comes in
June), it’s all too-familiar territory which
stays mostly on the surface.
NaseeruddinShahplaysVictorKapoor,
anold-styleproducerintheprocessof los-
ing control of his famous studio, ceding
power reluctantly to his estranged son
Raghu (Hashmi). When the canny coot
throws a spanner in the works, leading to
a total novice (a newbie film critic, no less)
showing up to claim her stake, things start
to warm up. Clashes abound. Old-style
moviemaking where everyone was fam-
ily versus creating a hundred crore ‘proj-
ects’ with A-list stars. Writers who want
to tell ‘their own stories’ versus cobbled-
together plots toplining the big male star,
and downsizing the talented newcomer.
The games, the intrigue, the back-stab-
bing: the script gives us all of it, almost as
if it is by-the-number, but almost nothing
leaves any impact, not even the meta
touches, where we are meant to guess
which character is based on which real-
life character.
It’sevenmoredisappointing,giventhat
it has Shah and Hashmi, both capable of
burning up the screen: both come off as
tropes, the former with his dhandha nahin
dharam hai catch-phrase, the latter as a
producer who knows how to win the box-
office, dismissing carping critics. So is the
case with the others: Rajeev Khandelwal,
asArmaanKhanna,thestarwhowantshis
own way at all costs, Mouni Roy as the
‘itemgirl’whowilldoanythingtoturninto
a ‘real’ leading lady, Shriya Saran as the
older female star who has no compunc-
tion in stealing a film for her ‘comeback’.
Iwantedtoseemoreof theactorsplay-
ingthefoul-mouthed fellow who trouble-
shoots for Hashmi, brandishing that
Salman Khan bracelet, and the earnest
writer: both characters who could have
given us a fresh perspective on how things
aremanagedwhilethosegivingtheorders
keep their paws clean. The appearance of
real-lifeDharmastarsisbuiltin,butthey’re
gone in a flash after mouthing platitudes
about how great it is to have a female-
owned studio.
Most disappointing is the lukewarm
way in which the putative star of theshow
is written: asMahikaNandy, who callsout
the customary bribery her tribe is given in
return for a four-star review, Makwana
should literally have been the one to give
us an as-yet unexplored angle to this star-
spangled story, whose best bits, ironically,
belongtothecharacterswhoplaybitparts.
Mostof ushaveheardaboutthisdodgy
connection between production houses
and positive reviews, and this would have
been a great opportunity to excavate that,
and as well as other unsavoury practices
of thefilmijagat,givingusinsightsintothis
world of false glitter and broken promises.
Makwanais fresh-faced,but there needed
to be much more depth to her character,
which in a heart-beat changes — in the
course of one scene — from a girl who
knows nothing (main kya karoongi, mujhe
toh kuch nahin aata) to a sharp creator of
movies that will last forever. Huh?
This is the kind of series where a char-
acter is made to say with an absolute lack
of irony: 'karma is a bitch’. That’s right.
Karan Johar's self-aware spot talking
uptheshowhaspizzazz.Andthat'swhat's
sorelymissinghere.Whatyouareleftwith
isafewflashesof sharpness,whichremind
youof bitsof the OG, Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By
Chance. Will the next lot redeem the
show? I really hope so. SG
RICKYSTANICKY
PRIMEVIDEO
Whenthreechildhoodbestfriends
pullaprankthatgoeswrong,theyin-
venttheimaginaryRickyStanickyto
savethem.Twentyyearslater,Dean,
JT,andWes(ZacEfron,Andrew
Santino,andJermaineFowler)useit
asanalibifortheirshenanigans.
Whentheirpartnersgetsuspicious
anddemandtomeetthefabledMr
Stanicky, washed-upactorRod(John
Cena)ishiredtobringhimtolife.
LOSTINTRANSLATION
BMSSTREAM
WrittenanddirectedbySofia
Coppola,LostinTranslationfeatures
BillMurrayasBobHarris,afading
AmericanmoviestarwhoisinTokyo
toshootforanad.There,hemeets
Charlotte,who'sleftbehindbyher
photographerhusband.Gradually,
thetwolonelysoulsforgeafriend-
shipatatimewhentheyareboth
strugglingtofigureoutafewthings
abouttheirlivesandthemselves,in
whatisprobablyCoppola’smost
talked-aboutfilmrecently.

In A New Shade physical pain and endurance in it, especially

THECOLORPURPLE ★★★
Director:Blitz Bazawule
Cast:Fantasia Barrino,Danielle Brooks,Taraji PHenson
SHALINI LANGER
DO ALL stories need a retelling? In this case,
it’s easier to say maybe not.
Nearly 40 years ago, Steven Spielberg di-
rected the first feature film adaptation of
Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book
bythesamenametoaheart-wrenching,del-
icate adaptation, with Whoopi Goldberg,
Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery playing the
three women leads to great effect, ably sup-
if the songs are often not very judiciously
placed and if they break out just when the
sting of the latest blow is just landing.
However,itwouldperhapsnotbefulljus-
tice to this Color Purple, directed by the tal-
entedBlitzBazawule,if weholditjustincon-
trast to its 1985 counterpart.
ported by an impressive Danny Glover. This is a virtuoso effort on its own
Many of the original players of the 1985 strength, with especially Fantasia Barrino
film return for this version, including growing into the role of Celie, last essayed by
Spielberg as producer along with Quincy award-winning Goldberg, and Danielle
Jones and Winfrey, while Goldberg features Brooks earning an Oscar nomination for the
in a small cameo. However, the thrust of this role of the spunky Sofia, who refuses to be
story about a Black woman in the early broken by men but is almost bruised by race.
1900s, abused physically and sexually, Taraji P Henson has the most showy role
beaten to the ground and finding a way up asShugAvery,thewomanwhoshowedCelie
with the help of others, is its music. and the others that there was another way
It’s debatable whether a musical is the of being even in a world where so little was
best format for a story that packs so much in their hands. While Henson is a force of na-
ture herself, particularly in her performance
of PushdaButton,MargaretAvery’sperform-
ance as Shug had that layer of pathos-lined
empathy which Henson’s lacks.
While the 1985 Color Purple was more
specific to Celie, and ended up speaking to
womanhood at a personal as well as a gen-
eral level, this version is more about one
community — and thus more constrained to
that extent.
There is more talk of God here, and more
of the Devil. More about hope and less of
those who give up. Why would you not ap-
preciate, for example, that God gave us the
colour purple?
If a story makes you pause at that and
wonder, would you question another itera-
tion of it, even if you liked the other one
more?AsSofiastompsandswearsgloriously,
“Hell no!” SL

19 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
BRUSH-STROKE BATTING
Work-of-art
centuries
Centurions Rohit, Shubman wowed with beautiful
batsmanship as they added 129 runs in 1st session
SANDEEP DWIVEDI
DHARAMSALA, MARCH 8
JUST 5 minutes before lunch, Shubman Gill,
having crossed his hundred, was perform-
ing his signature celebration. He was doffing
hiscap,takingabow.BehindhimstoodRohit
Sharma, like a proud parent.
TheIndiancaptain seemed morepleased
now than he was a few minutes back when
he had registered his 12th Test ton. A radiat-
ing smile on his face, hands spread wide, he
waited forhisyoungerbattingpartnertofin-
ish his thing. They would hug each other as
Rohit kept patting his back. Dharamsala
stood up and gave a hearty applause to the
duo that had entertained them all morning.
On the foothills of the scenic snow-
capped Middle Himalayan range, inside the
perfectly circular quaint stadium with as
many colours as there are in those popular
bushehri or pahadi topis (Himachali caps),
Rohit (103) and Gill (110) played beautiful
cricket.Thetwohundredsof Day2of theTest
were embedded by several well-timed cor-
rectstrokes,thekindthatseescricketroman-
tics go weak in their knees. Between them
they scored 129 runs in the first session and
thiswasnotabrutalassault,thiswastheclas-
sic death by thousand cuts.
The stand-out stroke of the morning
came from Gill'sbat. Itwas against England's
wily old bowler James Anderson, who was
avoiding the drivable length. The tactic
wouldn't work, Gill was prepared to be
proactive and take risks. He would take a
coupleof steps,reachthepitchof theballbut
still be conscious of being correct and ele-
gant. He followed the basic principle of the
age-old copy-book straight drive - the one
played with a perfectly straight elbow posi-
tion. But he gave the shot a modern-day
tweak. On reaching the ball, he wouldlift the
ball and send it over the fence.
Pacers have historically felt insulted
when batsmen push them in the V for a
boundary. A six over the sight screen after
rushingdownthetrackisanembarrassment.
When a 24-year-old, read Gill, shows such
disdaintoa41-year-old,Anderson;afarewell
can be expected to be round the corner.
SoonGillwouldstrikeafourthroughcov-
ers. That one stroke would have delighted
theTeamIndiacoachingstaff morethanfans
inthestands. Of latetherehadbeenapattern
to Gill's dismissals. Getting stuck on the
crease and being late in coming forward, he
hasgotoutbowledorlbw.Hisindecisiveness
has seen the ball sneaking between the bat
and pad and hitting the stumps. On this day,
he would also log in 5 sixes.
Though Gill has scored over 400 runs in
this series, the pundits have pointed out that
the "transfer of weight" - the important law
that defines the physics of footwork - hasn't
been smooth.
Today at Dharamsala, with runs flowing
freely, the doubts disappeared and the mus-
cle memory returned. As Wood pitched the
ball slightly up, out went the left foot and got
planted on the pitch. As a natural reaction,
the right eased itsgrip on the surface and the
bat moved to meet the ball with full force.
Those good old habits were returning, Gill
was back to his best.
Photogenic leave
Not just strokes, there was one Gill pho-
togenic 'leave' that would have excited the
many camerapersons bunched on the side-
lines with their zoom lenses. Wood, in the
middle of an inspired spell, gave it his all. A
BATMEN’S DAY OUT
Dharamsala Test manages to turn sleepy after India bat on despite hiccup
SANDEEP DWIVEDI
DHARAMSALA, MARCH 8
INDIA HAD crossed 400, the lead was close
to 200, the Barmy Army trumpeter had
started playing Bollywood tunes and
England's hopes were fading. Suddenly on
thepublicaddresssystem,theDJwouldmake
Bon Jovi blare: "Take my hand, we'll make it,
I swear ... Whoa oh, Livin' on a prayer.'
The American rocker couldn't inspire the
English on the field.
JustthenZakCrawley,thesweeperguard-
ingthecoverfencehavinganordinarydayon
thefield,letonemoresneakthroughthelegs
andconcededaboundary.Englandwasliving
on a prayer for sure, but no one was ready to
swear that they would make it.
OnDay2,Indiatookanothersteptowards
turning a good series win to a great one — 3-
1 looks a day away from being 4-1. India
would finish at 473/8, leading by 255 runs.
India'stop5,betweenthem,scored2hun-
dredsand3half-centuries.ForEngland,their
mostsuccessfulbowlerShoaibBashirhadfig-
ures of 4/170. The team's spin bowling coach
Jeetan Patel would sum the physical trauma
SCORECARD
INDIA VS ENGLAND
HPCA STADIUM, DHARAMSALA
Toss: England, chose to bat
ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS 218
INDIA 1ST INNINGS (O/N: 135/1)
RSharmabStokes 103(162b,13x4,3x6)
SGillbAnderson 110(150b,12x4,5x6)
DPadikkalbBashir 65(103b,10x4,1x6)
SKhancRootbBashir 56(60b,8x4,1x6)
RJadejalbwbHartley 15(50b)
DJurelcDuckettbBashir 15(24b,2x4)
RAshwinbHartley 0(5b)
KYadavbatting 27(55b,2x4)
JBumrahbatting 19(55b,2x4)
■ Extras(lb4,nb2) 5
■ Total(8wickets;120Ov) 473
■ FoW: 1-104(YashasviJaiswal,20.4ov),2-
275(RohitSharma,61.1ov),3-279(Shubman
Gill,62.2ov),4-376(SarfarazKhan,84.1ov),5-
403(DevduttPadikkal,92.1ov),6-427(Dhruv
Jurel,100.4ov),7-427(RavindraJadeja,101.1
ov),8-428(RavichandranAshwin,101.6ov)
■ Bowling:JamesAnderson14-1-59-1,Mark
Wood15-1-89-0,TomHartley39-3-126-2,
ShoaibBashir44-5-170-4,BenStokes5-1-17-1,
JoeRoot3-0-8-0
ball from good length climbed up towards
Gill's head. Lesser batsmen would get hit on
the helmet grill. It was a mean 146 kph ball,
capable of serious damage. But Gill was too
focused to be caught off guard.
Showing the flexibility of an expert yogi,
he swayed away, his abdomen bending back
and his legs folding instinctively to provide
a base for the body to be stable. He wasn't
rattled by the pace or the sudden bounce. He
moved away, stayed low but wasn't clumsy
nor had a fall after averting the danger. He
was like an expert gymnast who had stuck
his landing perfectly after a difficult routine.
Gill's breath-taking strokeplay came
about after Rohit had given the clarion call.
As if it was a pre-decided plan, off-spinner
Shoaib Bashir was targeted early in the day.
Assoonashegavetheballtheairandtheball
was above the eye-line of the batsmen, six
runs would get added to India's score. Rohit
hitthefirstsixof histhreesixesof thedayand
on the next ball when Bashir cut down the
flight,Rohithitaflatstraightstriketogetfour.
Late on Day 1, Rohit, like always, had
shown his eagerness to send all short balls
overthesquarelegboundary.SoEnglandhad
a plan in place for him on Day 2. They would
pack the leg-side with six fielders all in place
to catch the mistimed pull-shot.
There was a long leg, deep fine leg, deep
square leg, deep mid-wicket, short mid-
wicket and wide mid-on. Ben Stokes had a
catcherforeveryeventualityincaseRohitmis-
cuedhisshot.Woodwouldbowlshortbutthe
Indian captain would move and slap the ball
pasttheacresof spacearoundthemid-off re-
gion for four.
Rohit never loses shape, form or sleep
when the bowlers try to bounce him. Even
thoughitwasanunusualandunconventional
shot, Rohit wasn't ungainly.
In the morning session, the England
bowlers threw everything they had at Rohit
and Gill but the duo didn't panic or even
compromise aesthetically. After lunch they
would get out but the damage had been
done. There was a pleasing takeaway from
the morning session. With an age difference
of 12 yearsbetween the two equally graceful
batsmen, the generational shift wouldn't
make cricket watching dull.
of his playing XI with a highly expressive:
"Aaargh ... it was a hard day."
As for the fans, this was a day that saw a
gradualdropintheexcitementandqualityof
playoverthethreesessions.Thestandardset
by the stroke-filled first session featuring
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill couldn't be
maintained. Between lunch and tea, the two
newcomers — Sarfraz Khan and Devdutt
Paddikal — did show spark but they were
sketchy.
The final session was the most uninspir-
ingwhereIndia'scharitablelow-middleorder
batsmen gifted wickets to the tired England
bowlers. 1st session: 129 runs, 0 wicket; 2nd
session: 112 runs, 1 wicket; 3rd session: 97
runs,5wickets-thesenumberswhenputon
a graph would show a steady decline. That
too was true for the mood in the stands.
Englandwereunrelentingintheirplanning
all day but there was no real headway. Ben
Stokeslaidtrapsandsetupsmokescreensbut
nothing seemed to be working for them. The
pacers would change angles and ends but to
noavail.Theywouldtryunconventionalfields,
that too didn't get them wickets. The leg-trap
setbyMarkWoodgothimnorewards.When
Shoaib Bashir came over the wicket, Rohit hit
HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE
SHUBMAN GILL, 2024: Lofted-straight-drive off England fast bowler James Anderson on the second day in Dharamsala. Sportzpics
Shot did not surprise me... he has played it
many times: Gill’s father on Anderson six
DEVENDRA PANDEY
DHARAMSALA, MARCH 8
THE HUNDRED in Dharamsala, matched in
grandeur only by the backdrop of the
Dhauladhar Ranges, was the crowning glory
of ShubmanGillinaseriesthatdisplayedthe
tougher side of him. From the verge of being
dropped, he has struck two hundreds and as
many fifties to reassert his stakes as the
torchbearer of Indian batting in the future.
His father and first coach Lakhwinder Singh
reflects on the three shots and a no-shot-of-
fered that made him proud as a father and
left him pleased as a coach.
LOFTED-STRAIGHT DRIVE:
6 OFF ANDERSON
(33.2, GILL MOVED FROM 27 TO 33)
“The length of the ball was such that he
couldn’t have played it along the ground. It
had to be aerial. You can't plan such shots, it
comes naturally. He often plays such shots.
The key is to keep your head still. Your body
shouldhavetheperfectbalance.Evenaslight
imbalance could hamper the head position.
All his life I have taught him to play straight
andkeeptheeyebehindtheball.Hadtheball
been low, he could have played it along the
ground. Anderson extracted bounce. But Gill
has used his crease (charged down the
ground).Sohewasinapositiontolifttheball
straight over the head. He middled the ball,
timed it so perfectly that it had the momen-
tum to soar over the ropes. The shot did not
surpriseme.Hehasplayeditsomanytimes.”
BIFFED VIA MID-WICKET:
4 OFF BASHIR
(52.6, 81 TO 87):
“He has good game sense and knows his
strengths and weaknesses. The pitch offered
someturnandGilllikestogetbehindtheball.
Hewasusinghisfeetnicelytoday.Bashirwas
Rohit Sharma, like Shubman Gill,
unfurled pleasing-to-the-eye shots en
route to his century. (Right) Ben Stokes
dropped Kuldeep Yadav. PTI/Reuters
From the verge of being dropped, Gill
has scored two hundreds in the series.
playing some mind games. He was changing
his line and length and had kept fielders in
the deep. Gill was playing every stroke with
the turn. He wasn't trying to play against the
spin.Onsuchapitch,onecannottaketherisk
of playing against the turn. As the ball can
turn, it can be low, so the safest option is to
play with the spin. He hit the six with the
turn too. He knew there were fielders in the
deep. But he had picked his spot.
“I feel the thing which was missing before
thisserieswasthathewasnotsteppingoutof
hiscrease(tothespinners).Sincejuniordayshe
has been using his feet nicely to the spinners.
Helikestoattackandthishasbeenhisnatural
game.Theconfidencehegotinpastgameshas
helped. He was timing the ball well and was
seeing it. It was the day where he was getting
everything right. He had ticked all boxes but I
felt if the score was less, he could get more.”
PUSH-DRIVEN THROUGH MID-ON:
4 OFF WOOD
(47.2 OVERS 62 TO 69)
himforsixes.Laterhewouldgoround,onlyfor
Gill to smash him over deep mid-wicket.
Drop in tempo and class
In the second session, there was a visible
drop in tempo and class. For the first time in
the series, Stokes would bowl. Instantly, he
wouldgetRohit.Gilltoofollowedsoon,bring-
ing to the crease Sarfraz (56) and Padikkal
(65).Theymightbeedgyandshowedchinks
intheirtechniquebuttheydidn'tlettheruns
drop much. Their half-centuries weren't
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Thelengthoftheballwas
suchthathecouldn’thave
playeditalongtheground.Ithad
tobeaerial.Youcan’tplansuch
shots,itcomesnaturally.Gill
oftenplayssuchshots.Thekeyis
tokeepyourheadstill.Yourbody
shouldhavetheperfectbalance.”
LAKHWINDER SINGH
SHUBMAN GILL’S FATHER
“Shubman’s arms were flowing nicely
into the shotsand he was middling each ball.
TheEnglandbowlersweretryingtostophim
and they had plans. Wood packed the leg-
side. He even had a leg-slip in place. He tried
todouble-bluff Shubman.Butheshowedim-
mense presence of mind and didn’t fall for
the trap. He didn’t bother about the fielders.
He played the ball as per its merit. It showed
that he had his own plans, he wanted to play
a certain style of cricket today and he did it
with confidence.”
A LEAVE OFF WOOD
(146KPH, SHORT BALL, 41.4, GILL ON 53):
“He is a world class bowler. But muscle
memory rescued Shubman. He decided to
leave the ball at the last minute. If you have
noticed, it’s because of his perfect head posi-
tion and balance. His eyes were on the ball,
which helped him to get out of the line
quickly. The game sense helped him. He
playedsomeof theshotsverylate.Hewaited
for the ball to come to him.”
game-changing but they did give a glimpse
of their potential.
Padikkal couldn't have asked for a better
debut.WhenhewalkedinasaTestplayer,the
sunwasout,therewererunsonboardandthe
bowlers had got a hiding from the team's Top
3.Hisfirstfewrunswerestreaky,hedidshow
that he had a backfoot game. His punch
throughcoversbeinghisstandoutshot.Sarfraz
enhanced his reputation as a busy player not
scared to take chances. There was also an im-
portant point he made.
BeforehisTestdebut,therewastalkabout
his short-ball shortcomings. Today when
England'sfastestbowleraimedonhisbody,he
swirled to hit a six.
Lateintheday,withallthebatsmenmain-
taining a high run-rate, there were specula-
tionsaroundthedeclaration.Havingalready
scored more than double of England's total
there were those who thought that India
wouldwanttotakeashotatthetiredEngland
batsmen.Demoralisedfieldersafteralargely
fruitlessdaytendtobeeasypickings.Butcap-
tain Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid had other
plans. With three more days to go, they were
in no hurry.
India's lower order batsmen — Ravindra
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
You live for those
days: Padikkal on
Test debut
DEVENDRA PANDEY
DHARAMSALA, MARCH 8
THE NIGHT before the India-England
Test in Dharamsala was long and
tough for Devdutt Padikkal. The team
management had informed him that
he would make his debut, and
Padikkal, as any first-timer, was as
excited as he was nervous.
“Regardless of when you get to
know, there is always going to be
nervousness around. I was nervous, it
was a tough night’s sleep but it is
something you also enjoy at the same
time. You live for those days,’’ he
would say at the end of the day, after
stroking a largely smooth 65.
But the day had looked distant
when he was laid low by a COVID-
19 infection in 2021 and later a
stomach illness. However, he never
let physical ailments hinder his
progress. “During sickness, I couldn’t
do much but I still wanted to make
sure I am not lagging behind in other
areas and I continued to work on
myself whether mentally or any
other small thing,” Padikkal said.
“I have always believed that disci-
plineiskeytosuccessinanythingthat
you do. Whether it be practice or day
to day habits or food. I have tried to be
disciplined and that was my main
goal,” he added.
Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dhruv Jurel —
couldn'taddtoIndia'srunpile.Soitwasleftto
KuldeepYadavandJaspritBumrah.Therewas
closetoanhourtogoandIndiahadlost8wick-
ets. Would India's No.8, 9 and 10 throw their
bats, increase their lead and give England a
toughhalfanhourtobat?Thatwasnottobe.In
the day's last 20 overs, the leggie and pacer
scored45runs.
That's when yawns rang around the sta-
dium,fanscheckedtheirphonesandtooktheir
eyesawayfromthecentralsquare.
Thiswasn'tadaythatfittedintothishard-
fought series. It wasn't even about two rivals
weighing each other before the strike. This
wasaboutadefeatedteamgoingthroughthe
motionsandthewinnerensuringthedooris
sealed and shut. Day 2 of the Test was a non-
moving day. In all likelihood, Saturday could
be the last day of the series.
CelebrationsaroundRohitSharmalifting
the Cup in the backdrop of the mountains is
onthecards.Shouldithappen,thiswouldbe
animportantserieswinforthecaptain,shep-
herding a young team. There would be fire-
works and festivities. But before the big day
Saturday, the latter part of Friday was about
watching the paint dry.
20 SPORT
Sen closer to his Lakshya
22-year-oldreachesFrenchOpensemis,aboostinracetoqualifyforOlympics
SHIVANI NAIK
MARCH 8
NO ONE in Michael Jackson's troupe ever
thought of practical problems like slipping
when there's blood on the dance-floor. But
Lakshya Sen who had a nasty gnash on his
right hand finger which refused to stop drip-
ping, and his opponent Loh Kean Yew, two of
the bounciest beings on a badminton court,
had to mind the droplets before resuming
theirsubsequentdancingontheFrenchOpen
court.
In the end, Sen made the Paris semifinals
defeatingLoh19-21,21-15,21-13,makinghim
sweatatthenet,atwhichtheSingaporeanhas
never been known to be very adept.
TheIndianenterseverytoureventlikeit's
a personal knockout round for him — a race
toOlympics,givenhisrankingcurrentlyisout
of Top 16. He needs deep runs in big tourna-
ments,andisluckilygoodatshruggingoffrep-
utationsof opponents.AllEnglanddefending
champion Li Shifeng — Check. 2021 World
Champion Loh Kean Yew — Check. Tamed in
three. Reputations and repertoire don't scare
Sen, but that Olympic qualification needs to
be nailed down.
So, going down 19-21 in the opener could
be seen as the pressure weighing down.
Intruth,Sen,whowonbronzein2021,has
alwaysbeenmanyshadesbetterthanLoh.He
evenbeathimfortheIndiaOpentitle.Lohre-
lies on a springy, bouncy game that isn't as
speedy or powerful as it was in 2021. In seek-
ingconsistency,Loh'smadspeedgotcramped
somewhere. Sen did offer him lollipop lifts,
imminently smashable, because he plays
them like he just wants to get rid of the shut-
tleandcontinuetherally.So,Lohjumpedhigh
andraineddown.Inoneof hisroutinedefen-
sive dives, Sen nicked his finger bad, and suf-
fered a wretched cut. He was a set down.
CoachVimalKumarscoldedhimtogetLoh
moving. Padukone told him to not worry. His
nerves settled down. Sen's reflex defense is
brilliant and his cross smash when not
sprayedstayshit.Buthisbestshotsaretheex-
plosive stride to the net, and the scythe kill in
itswake.ForsomereasonagainstLohwhojust
doesn't have the patience or skill for the net,
Sen simply didn't engage him there for
longest.
In the second set, he began to. Longer the
rally,higherthechancesthatSenprevails.And
Warriorz win
thriller against
Capitals, stay
alive in WPL
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
MARCH 8
IN THE post-match presentation, Deepti
Sharma was asked 'Where do we start?' It
was that sort of a match in New Delhi as UP
Warriorz came back from absolutely
nowhere to clinch a thriller against table-
toppers Delhi Capitals by one run to stay
alive in the tournament.
At the center of it was the Indian all-
rounder who truly lived up to that billing.
Deepti produced a strong performance
with the bat, ball and on the field. She
scored a fifty to take UP Warriorz to a de-
cent total of 138/8. She dismissed the well-
set Meg Lanning, who looked to be taking
DC past the finish line.
She came back in the 19th over to pick
up three wickets – the first two of which
completed a hat-trick after Lanning's
wicket earlier, a fact that she seemed to be
unaware of until the presentation cere-
mony. And in that three-wicket over, she
also took a fine return catch.
Deepti Sharma's 2023 WPL season was
one to forget, despite coming into the tour-
nament with the tag of the franchise's mar-
quee Indian player.
After being recruited by UP Warriorz for
Rs 2.6 crore – not surprisingly, given her all-
round potential – Deepti struggled espe-
cially with her batting.
She finished with 90 runs in 9 innings,
with a highest of 22, at an average of 12.85
and strike rate of 83.33. Nine wickets from
as many games wasn't a return worthy of a
bowler of her caliber either.
This season, she has overtaken that tally
of runs in just her last two innings, scoring
back-to-back half-centuries.
She put all that behind her in sensa-
tional style on Friday. Her returns of 59 (48
balls) and 4/19 were both her personal
bests in the league. Grace Harris closed out
the game eventually for UPW as they lost
six wickets in the last two overs.
That Delhi lost the match from 124/4 at
the start of the 19th over that Deepti came
to bowl, is an almighty choke. DC have
looked to be the best team in general this
season, but they have now twice lost
matches due to late wobbles, the opener
against Mumbai Indians and this game
against UPW – both well within their grasp.
Lanning took the blame when asked
what was the turning point but DC needed
46 off 36 balls with seven wickets in hand
after her dismissal. It's a match they should
have won.
BRIEF SCORES: UP Warriorz 138/8
(Deepti 59; Radha 2/16) beat Delhi
Capitals 137 (Lanning 60; Deepti 4/19) by
one run.
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Lakshya Sen defeated Loh Kean Yew in three games on Friday . File
he would soon begin to construct points and
tease Loh's returns out. Because he retrieves
everything within court confines, Loh was
slowly forced to go for the lines. Sen had of
course done the hard work of absorbing his
ceaselesshittingwhichevenassub-parspeed
is quite fast. But once pulled to the back line,
Loh began over-hitting. He would follow it
with a grimace, kicking the floor of having
missedthelinebycentimetres.Senwouldre-
spond with poker-faced glee — with extra
clicks on the round-the-head short smash
flurries.
Sen broke free at 10-10 in the second and
never stopped with the half smashes and
short snappy round-the-heads reaching 19-
12 in no time. The sets levelled at 21-15. He
alsotendedtohisfingercut,tapingitbackinto
place before the decider began.
Sen is a beast in deciders. Mentally the
toughest cookie there is in the clutch. He can
bin errors into non-existence at the stroke of
Set 3 and strike consistency at will. Why he
errs in the opener remains a mystery. But his
pace, accuracy and chess-work all auto up-
In Paris, Sindhu re-ignites
All England hopes
PV Sindhu went down fighting against Olympic champion Chen Yufei . File
SHIVANI NAIK
MARCH 8
PVSINDHUlost24-22,17-21,18-21toChinese
Chen Yufei in the quarterfinals of the French
Open,buttherewasjustaboutsufficientmen-
aceinhergameagainsttheOlympicchampion
toshowthatshecanturnmercilessataflickof
aswitchnextweekatBirminghamduringthe
All England.
It's rarely about fitness or form for Sindhu
in the big matches. She doesn't step onto the
court unless she's physically ready, and since
her early years, past matches, petty grudges
and prolonged phases don't daunt her. New
match,andSindhuisreadytobattle.It'salmost
alwaysabouthowconfidentshefeels,andthe
Indian gave Yufei some pretty miserable mo-
ments on court that will make her crossing of
the English Channel a perky ride full of opti-
mism. Coach Prakash Padukone kept telling
hertorelax.Whobetterthanhimtokeepsights
on the real battle? But Sindhu needed more
thanpositivetakeawaysfromtheYufeimatch;
she needed the world to know there was
plenty left to unleash in her arsenal. Paris was
a sneak peek.
First, the negative nit-picking. Sindhu, like
HS Prannoy, needs to get going quicker in a
match.Shetrailed6-12intheopener,whichis
half a dozen points too many spent in trying
to align her range with the drift and assorted
shuttle conditions. No one doubts that she
won'tmakeuptheearlylead,butitsetsherup
forascrambletochasetheopener,prolonging
into a sluggish second set that goes away tak-
ing a breather and an inevitable decider. Her
first-set rally in Paris, though, was one for the
ages. Yufei did the smart thing of giving the
shuttle altitude, high lifts, tall tosses, deep
clears, all of them making Sindhu stretch out
andsappingonherenergy.Oncepinnedback,
theChineseresortedtothatquicksnappyshot
(P) Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. The Indian Express®
grade when he's chasing Set 3. So he would
race to a 4-0 lead.
Using the net far better to force Loh into
errors,hereached8-1.Thencamefourpoints
for Loh, with no rhyme or reason for why Sen
would botch them suddenly. But he would
shake off the reverie and begin using the net
space to push Loh further out of his depth. At
17-11 was the most frenzied rally of punchy
strokesbeforeSenkilledatthenet.Abodyat-
tack for 20-13, and a tap for a win, saw Sen
makehisfirstSuper750semifinalsinmonths.
Sen is an All England finalist from two
yearsago,sosuchresultsoughttobefrequent.
But his playing style is brutal on the body —
withorwithoutbloodshedding,andgoodre-
sults will be intermittent till he finds a rally-
scrunching attacking weapon.
He runs into the man with the monkish
patience,worldchampionKunlavutVitidsarn,
the absolute opposite of the restless, frenetic
Loh, in the last-4. The Thai is beatable, but
won'toffereasypickingsatthenetasLohdid.
Sen can't afford to stop diving on the dance
floor though.
onSindhu'sbodyorherhipflanks.Therewere
a fair few drops to the forecourt predictably
testing the lunge.
But Sindhu caught up at 15 from 11-15
downwithremarkablemileageinherretriev-
ing feet. Then she went on the offensive: her
choice of weapon the slice drops with a deli-
ciousdisguise.Sindhukeptthebestforthelast
in Set 1.
She could clamp down on 20-19 lead, but
survived a set point, and snatched another at
23-22,making Yufei run back and front. But it
was the last point that proved to be a peach.
Because Sindhu's blood-rush, teeth-grinding
smash is her go-to 9 times out of 10, Yufei re-
trieved yet another backline floater and hung
around just a tad too much in the back court
watching Sindhu shape up for the deep run-
ningsmash.TheIndianchargedthenetalright,
but pulled back the racquet the last possible
momenttoslicetheshuttlesoclosetothenet.
Yufei,whoseentiregameisinherintuitive
footwork,lurchedforwardlikeadrunk.Sindhu
24-22.
You'dthinktheChinesecouldn'tbeconned
a second time, but Sindhu managed it once
more. What she couldn't completely control
were the mid-court near-parallel fast ex-
changes, which would see errors accumulate
inthenetandherdraggedintoadecider.When
madetotwistandturnpickingshuttlesbelow
thetape,Sindhustruggledtovaultthemover.
Sindhu ran and ran endlessly, defended
bravely,butwascrowdedbytheflats,andthen
stung by the body attack. Yufei opened up an
unassailableleadat16-14andthendidn'ttake
her foot off the pedal till 21-18.
Still,Sindhuhadtwopromisingstrokesbe-
sides the drops. She was hop-smashing on
both feet off the ground from the back court,
likeitwas2016.Andshehadround-the-head
accelerated whacks. Sindhu will get another
go at Paris in six months. What she played on
Friday was a nice reel.
Wrestling mess: World body
says only WFI can conduct
Olympic qualifier trials
MIHIR VASAVDA
MUMBAI, MARCH 8
PLUNGINGFROMonecrisistoanotherforthe
pastoneyear,Indianwrestlingisnowstaring
atasituationwhere,unlessalast-minuteso-
lution is found, it might not be able to regis-
terentriesfortheOlympicqualificationtour-
nament next month.
The situation arose on Friday after the
sport’s world governing body declared that
it would accept names of athletes for the all-
important tournament only if the Wrestling
Federation of India (WFI) would send them.
By doing so, the United World Wrestling
(UWW)hasessentiallysnatchedallthepow-
ersfromtheIndianOlympicAssociation-ap-
pointed ad hoc committee,
which was scheduled to con-
duct the trials on Sunday and
Monday following a Delhi High
Court order.
In a letter to WFI president
Sanjay Singh, the UWW chief
Nenad Lalovic underlined that
the athlete ‘registration can be
made only by the UWW affili-
atednationalfederations…and
no other entity may take this
role on your behalf.’
The interim body running the sport in
India,meanwhile,didnotsoundtooperturbed.
“The trial will take place as scheduled.
Regardingtheentries,weareconfidentoffind-
ingasolution,”anofficialtoldthisnewspaper.
The UWW’s diktat, however, has led to a
head-scratchingsituation.Considerthis:the
WFI–headedbySanjay,acloseconfidanteof
beleaguered former president Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh – is recognised by the world
body butthecommitteeissuspended bythe
government and, by extension, the IOA. On
Thursday, the Delhi High Court ordered the
ad-hoc body that was running the sport to
conduct the trials, sidelining the WFI. Now,
theUWW,citingitsrules,hassaiditwon’tac-
cept India’s entries if it isn’t sent by the WFI.
Sanjay said ‘everything is in the govern-
ment’s hands.’ “In the current situation, the
government should understand and figure
out a solution. The UWW has made it clear
through its letter that it won’t accept entries
sent by anyone else. So the government
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
should take note of it so that our country is-
n’t disrespected and the athletes don’t suf-
fer,” he told The Indian Express.
The WFI chief, sidelined following the
government notification in December last
year,soundedopentothesuggestionthatthe
ad hoc committee conducts trials, as per the
court’s order, while his associationsends the
entries to the world body. “This also can be
done. Although I have to see the rules,” he
said.
This is the latest in a series of crises that
have gripped Indian wrestling over the last
yearaftersomeof thecountry’stopwrestlers
– Olympic medallist wrestlers Bajrang Punia
and Sakshi Malik and World Championship
medallist Vinesh Phogat – accused former
WFI president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan of
sexually harassing women
wrestlers.
After a months-long protest
against him, Brij Bhushan was
charge-sheeted and he later ‘re-
tired’ from wrestling affairs.
However, his close aide Sanjay
was elected as his successor.
Consequently, Bajrang, Sakshi
and Vinesh moved the Delhi
High Court to declare the WFI
election held in December 2023
illegalonthegroundsthatthefederationwas
not compliant with the national sports code.
The trio also sought the court’s interven-
tioninthe“illegalaction”of the“suspended”
WFI in conducting selection trials. During a
hearingonThursday,theWFItoldthesingle-
judgeBenchof JusticeSachinDattathatitwill
not hold the competition, thus paving the
wayforthead-hoccommitteetoconductthe
event.
However, that did not go down too well
with the UWW. In his letter, Lalovic ‘re-
minded’ his Sanjay of ‘some principles con-
cerning the registration of athletes and dele-
gations in international competitions.’
“Itistheresponsibilityof thenationalfed-
erationsregularlyaffiliatedtoUWWtoselect
andannouncetheirteamsfortheContinental
Championships, the World Championships,
the Olympic Games Qualifying
Tournaments… This is in line with the prin-
ciplesenshrined in ourrulesand regulations
andnootherentitymaytakethisroleonyour
behalf,” the letter stated.
Hornerconfident
Verstappenwon’t
BRIEFLY
leaveforMercedes
Paris:RedBullteamprincipalChristian
Horner is confident three-time world
champion Max Verstappen will re-
mainwiththeteamamidrumorsthat
he might be eyeing a move to rival
Mercedes.Verstappen'scontractruns
through2028andtheDutchmansaid
this week that he's "very happy" with
Red Bull. However, Horner held a
meeting with Verstappen's manager
after having a public argument with
the driver's father, Jos, at the season-
openingBahrainGrandPrix."He'sgot
a great team around him. He's got
great faith in that team. And we've
achieved an awful lot together,"
Hornersaid."Sohe'scommitted toan
agreement until 2028.". PTI
Hazlewoodfive-for
putsAusincontrol
Christchurch: Josh Hazlewood took 5-
31 as Australia bowled out New
Zealand for 162 on the opening day
of the second Test on Friday, over-
shadowing the 100th test appear-
ances of Kane Williamson and Tim
Southee. By stumps, Australia was
124-4 and the deficit had been re-
duced to 38. Marnus Labuschagne
had played his way out of a slump
and was 45 not out at the close.
BRIEF SCORES: New Zealand 162
(Latham 38; Hazlewood 5/31) lead
Australia 124/4 (Labuschagne 45*;
Henry 3/39) by 38 runs. AP
Nagalbowsoutof
IndianWellsinR1
Indian Wells: Sumit Nagal was
handed a straight-set defeat by
Canada's Milos Raonic in the open-
ing round of the BNP Paribas Open
here, bringing a swift end to the
Indian tennis player's campaign af-
ter he made the main draw as a
'lucky loser' due to Rafael Nadal's
pullout. Nagal, who is ranked 101st
in the ATP charts, went down 3-6 3-
6 in a match that lasted one hour and
28 minutes. REUTERS