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CHENNAI
CITY EDITION Regd. TN/ARD/110/2024-2026
30 Pages ₹ 5.00 RNI No. 1001/1957

Vol. 147 앫 No. 106

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PARLEY
ANTI-WAR CRY

Crackdown Does Jan Arogya

on another Yojana need a
U.S. campus design change?
EC DIRECTIVE GLOBAL HONOUR HAVING THE LAST LAUGH
Challenges in achieving
Don’t enrol voters for The Hindu wins awards Sunrisers pip Royals
universal health care
schemes, parties told at design competition in last-ball thriller
WORLD PAGE
NEWS » PAGE 6 NEWS » PAGE 6 OPINION » PAGE 5 SPORT » PAGE 9

Prajwal booked for rape; India protests

Chinese road
Law and order a
State subject, says
NEARBY
쑽

construction
lookout circular issued in PoK valley SC on Bengal’s suit
Karnataka govt. asks PM to cancel MP’s diplomatic passport, appeals to victims to come forward; Dinakar Peri
his father, also named in harassment and kidnap cases, skips SIT summons, seeks anticipatory bail NEW DELHI Krishnadas Rajagopal
NEW DELHI
India has registered its Encroachments
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

The Hindu Bureau plaint against Mr. Prajwal.
BENGALURU/KALABURGI/ The Minister also appealed
NEW DELHI to other victims, especially
those who were allegedly
he Karnataka Pol- featured in explicit videos
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
protest with Beijing against The Supreme Court on along Cooum
China’s “illegal attempts” Thursday categorically
to “alter facts on the said law and order is a being identified
ground” in the Shaksgam State subject, after West
valley of Pakistan-occu- Bengal complained that CHENNAI

T ice booked Hassan

MP Prajwal Revan-
na on rape charges on
Thursday, and issued a loo-
kout circular against the
“absconding” MP a day af-
ter he failed to appear be-
fore the Special Investiga-
tion Team (SIT) that is
probing his alleged sexual
crimes.
His father and former
Minister H.D. Revanna,
who also skipped the SIT
summons, approached a
court in Bengaluru seeking
anticipatory bail.
The charges against the
grandson of former Prime
Minister H.D. Deve Gowda
were filed after a second
woman filed a complaint
that she was “coerced to
Burning issue: A Congress protest in Bengaluru on Thursday night
seeking action against Prajwal Revanna. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
have sexual relationship”
with him. Based on the
complaint, Section 376 of
the Indian Penal Code, that
deals with rape, has been
invoked against the MP.
He has previously been
booked for sexual harass-
ment on the basis of anoth-
er woman’s complaint on
April 28. His father is also
named in the first case. Ac-
cording to sources, a new
FIR was filed on Thursday
evening against Mr. Revan-
na for kidnap. He allegedly
played a role in abducting
one of the victims of Mr.
Prajwal, they added.
Earlier in the day, Kar-
nataka Home Minister G.
Parameshwara said a se-
cond victim had come for-
ward and lodged a com-
which are being circulated
through social media, to
come forward and make
statements before the SIT.
He said the government
would ensure their safety
and protect their identity.
The MP is believed to
have left the country using
his diplomatic passport on
April 27, a day after the
elections. He is now be-
lieved to be in Germany.
Chief Minister Siddara-
maiah has already urged
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to cancel his diplo-
matic passport and bring
him back to “face the full
force of law.”
CONTINUED ON
» PAGE 6
pied Kashmir, which faces
the Siachen glacier, the Mi-
nistry of External Affairs
said on Thursday. MEA
spokesperson Randhir Jais-
wal was responding to
questions on Chinese road
construction in the valley.
“The Shaksgam valley is
a part of the territory of In-
dia. We have never accept-
ed the so-called China Pa-
kistan Boundary
Agreement of 1963 through
which Pakistan unlawfully
attempted to cede the area
to China, and have consis-
tently conveyed our rejec-
tion of the same,” Mr. Jais-
wal said at a briefing.
CONTINUED ON
» PAGE 6
the Central Bureau of In-
vestigation (CBI) claims
“unilateral right” to inves-
tigate offences committed
by Central employees with-
in State jurisdiction.
“Law and order is a
State subject. Suppose a
Central employee commits
dacoity, will the case be in-
vestigated by the CBI on-
ly?” Justice B.R. Gavai que-
ried. Justice Sandeep
Mehta, also on the two-
judge Bench, said when Ar-
my personnel commit of-
fences even within their
camp, officers hand over
the culprits to the police.
Senior advocate Kapil
Sibal, for West Bengal, said
“their intent is to get in
through the CBI, then use
the Directorate of Enforce-
ment [ED] and then do
whatever is to be done…
This has far-reaching
repercussions”.
Another Bench of the
Supreme Court is tackling
a similar question of law
related to Tamil Nadu in
the case of Ankit Tiwari, an
ED officer against whom
the T.N. Directorate of Vigi-
lance and Anti-Corruption
had launched a criminal
prosecution for bribery.
CONTINUED ON
» PAGE 6
Around 160 structures that had
encroached upon a part of the
Cooum river near Tiruverkadu
were identified during a drive
by the Water Resources
Department. » PAGE 2
Three students
drown in quarry
near Urapakkam
CHENNAI
Three college students
drowned in the water
stagnating in a defunct stone
quarry in Keerapakkam village
near Urapakkam on the city
outskirts. » PAGE 2
FRIDAY REVIEW » 4 PAGES

Members of 2
caste groups
clash in Salem;
mob sets fire
to two shops
M. Sabari
SALEM

A clash erupted between

members of two caste
groups on Thursday fol-
lowing simmering tensions
over entry into a temple at
Deevattipatti in Salem dis-
trict, resulting in arson and
violence.
A mob set fire to a cou-
ple of shops, and damaged
some vehicles in the dis-
trict. According to the pol-
ice, a festival was held at a
local Mariamman temple,
in which residents of Dee-
vattipatti participated.
There were complaints
from a section of people
belonging to the Scheduled
Caste that members of a
Most Backward Communi-
ty (MBC) were not allowing
them to enter the temple.
The police said that fol-
lowing the complaints,
they had called for sus-
pending the festival tem-
porarily, and on Thursday,
a “peace meeting” was
held in Deevattipatti in the
presence of police and re-
venue officials, wherein re-
presentatives of the MBC
group asked for a day’s
time to decide on conduct-
ing the festival. However,
supporters of both caste
groups gathered at the
Deevattipatti bus stand
near the Salem-Bengaluru
National Highway and hur-
led stones at each other.
The police, who had come
for the meeting, tried to
rein in the arsonists, but in
vain.
However, more person-
nel were deployed at the
spot, and they resorted to
lathi-charge to chase the
mob away.

CONTINUED ON
» PAGE 2
CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE
YK
 THE HINDU
2 Friday, May 3, 2024

Chennai Chennai

From Page One Enumeration drive begins Online registration

along the Cooum river to rid of contractors
executing civic
waterways of encroachments projects from July 1
160 structures identified on Perumal Koil Street, Tiruverkadu and demarcated in the drive. The
portion of the Cooum will be wider by 20-30 metres on completion of the eviction drive The Hindu Bureau
The shops set on fire by mob at Deevattipatti in Salem CHENNAI
district on Thursday evening.
The Hindu Bureau Starting July 1, all contrac-
The new system is
Members of two caste CHENNAI tors executing infrastruc-
ture projects and other expected to help civic
groups clash in Salem
T
he Water Resources works to resolve civic is- bodies identify the
Department has sues in the city, will start errors committed by the
started enumera- online registration and re- contractors, and track
A group of people had also staged a road roko de- tion drive along Cooum riv- newal of registration.
their past record, if they
manding action against those who carried out the er near Tiruverkadu on The online system is ex-
attack. Salem Range Inspector General of Police Thursday, to facilitate work pected to improve moni- had done a good job
(DIG) E.S. Uma, and Salem district’s Superinten- to improve waterways. toring and tracking of er- CIVIC AUTHORITY
dent of Police A.K. Arun Kabilan visited the spot A team of WRD officials, ring contractors who have
and held inquiries. along with officials from re- done shoddy work in exe- executed. The new system
Mr. Kabilan told journalists that 19 persons venue and police depart- cuting civic infrastructure is also expected to reduce
were arrested in connection with the incident. ments, carried out enum- projects, including roads, corrupt practices, officials
The police are identifying the others who were in- eration work on Perumal bridges, parks, schools and added.
volved in the attack. “They will be arrested soon. Koil Street, Tiruverkadu. hospitals, and flood mitiga- “Many contractors do
The situation is under control.” A total of 160 structures tion projects. The blacklist- not reveal the fact that
Following the incident, hundreds of police that had encroached upon ed contractors will not be they had been blacklisted
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

were deployed and shops in the locality were a portion of the Cooum riv-
closed. Traffic on the highway, which was disrupt- er were identified and de-
ed for an hour, was restored later. marcated as part of the
drive.
The work was delayed
INBRIEF by a few hours owing to
stiff opposition from resi-
쑽 dents, who later allowed
the enumeration process
Temple repair: govt. warns of to progress, after a discus-
sion with the officials.
action against miscreants Officials of the WRD said
about 160 encroached
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments structures have been iden-
(HR & CE) Department on Thursday clarified that tified on Perumal Koil
the Archaeological Survey of India was Street and biometric en-
undertaking works at Arulmigu Peruvudayar umeration would be car-
Temple in Thanjavur, and warned against any ried out with the coopera-
defamatory attempts against the department. tion of residents.
The clarification follows posts in the social media The WRD expects to re-
alleging that the HR & CE Department was trieve encroached space
damaging the platforms of the temple. along a distance of 250
Retrieval effort: A team of officials from Water Resources, Revenue and Police Departments carried out
the enumeration work on Perumal Koil Street in Tiruverkadu. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
metre after the en-
croached structures are
cleared. The portion of the
Cooum river would be wid-
er by 20-30 metres once
the eviction drive is com-
pleted in the locality.
266 more structures
Similarly, the department
has also identified nearly
266 encroached structures
at Shanmuga Nagar, Noom-
bal, on the right bank of
the river. The waterway’s
boundary was also identi-
fied along the stretch.
Officials noted that
these were some of the last
segments of encroach-
ments that were left un-
cleared along the urban
stretch of the Cooum river.
The work is being carried
out as part of the integrat-
ed Cooum eco-restoration
project, under the aegis of
Chennai Rivers Restoration
Trust.
About 13,200 encroach-
ments have been removed
so far along the stretch of
the Cooum in city limits
and residents were reset-
tled in other parts of Chen-
nai.
Meanwhile, residents of
Tiruverkadu and Madura-
voyal want the work to
clean the river to be com-
menced soon. They noted
that the stretch of the river
between Tiruverkadu and
Anna Nagar is clogged with
aquatic vegetation and
hence faced the challenge
of sewage outfall at several
points.
able to bag any contracts
once the system is in place,
officials said.
Over 5,000 contractors
Over 500 contractors who
execute civic infrastruc-
ture projects in Chennai
Corporation and over
5,000 contractors who
take up work in other parts
of the State are expected to
be asked to register online
before participating in the
tender process for pro-
ject implementation.
Currently, the contrac-
tors who are blacklisted
are not tracked properly
owing to the absence of
centralised database with
details about the work they
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
while participating in a ten-
der floated by another de-
partment. The new system
is expected to help civic
bodies identify the errors
committed by the contrac-
tors, and track their past
record, if they had done a
good job,” said an official.
A challenge
“More than 10,000 diffe-
rent kinds of work are exe-
cuted in the city in a year.
Monitoring and enforce-
ment is a challenge,” the
official said.
The contractors from
other states should also re-
gister online before partici-
pating in the tender pro-
cess, he added.

Three engineering college students Timings

CHENNAI
FRIDAY, MAY. 03

drown in a quarry near Urapakkam

RISE 05:48 SET 18:25
RISE 01:56 SET 13:55
SATURDAY, MAY. 04
RISE 05:47 SET 18:25
RISE 02:39 SET 14:51

The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI
Three college students
drowned in water stagnating
in a defunct stone quarry in
Keerapakkam village near
Urapakkam, on the city’s out-
skirts. Personnel of Fire and
Rescue Services Department
retrieved the bodies on Thurs-
day, after conducting search
operations since Wednesday.
The victims have been
identified as Deepak Sarathy,
20, of Udumalpet, Mo-
hammed Ismail, 19, of Man-
nargudi and S.Vijay Sarathy,
19, of Dharmapuri, all second
year engineering students of a
college in Kattankulathur. Pol-
ice sources said the quarry re-
mained defunct for more than
10 years and hence water stag-
Tragic end: Personnel of the scuba diving unit and Fire and Rescue
Services at Maraimalai Nagar station retrieved the bodies of the students.
nated in it. The place attract-
ed many visitors who posted
on social media about it. Des-
pite the authorities digging a
pit on the approach road to
discourage people from
reaching the quarry, visitors
continued to frequent the
spot.
Five students on a fun trip
Police sources said that five
students had gone to the quar-
ry site on Wednesday even-
ing. Three of them who did SUNDAY, MAY. 05
RISE 05:47 SET 18:25
not know swimming entered
RISE 03:22 SET 15:48
the water. They reached the
deeper parts and drowned in
the water collected in the
200-foot-deep pit.
Two other friends alerted
the police and fire services
personnel. Though the fire-
men began rescue operations
on Wednesday, they had to
abandon it midway due to
poor light.
On Thursday morning, per-
sonnel of the scuba diving un-
it and Fire and Rescue Servic-
es of Maraimalai Nagar station
resumed the rescue opera-
tions. They retrieved the bo-
dies of three youth and sent
them for post-mortem.
Police have registered a
case and further investigation
is on.

City firm offers to customise

vehicle for differently-abled
food delivery executive
The Hindu Bureau
TIRUCHI

A Chennai-based compa-
ny, which is into the busi-
ness of producing custo-
mised disabled- friendly
wheelchairs and mobility
vehicles, has come forward
to sponsor a product suita-
ble to T. Vaitheeswaran, a
person with disabilities
who works as a food deliv-
ery agent, to avoid craw-
ling to deliver his orders.
In response to the news
article in The Hindu on
Thursday, a representative
on behalf of the firm, Neo-
Motion, reached out to Mr.
Vaitheeswaran and en-
quired about the nature
and the type of disability
so as to customise a pro-
duct for him.
“Vaitheeswaran is really
inspirational to many. We
are inclined to sponsor
him a suitable product
CM
YK
A representative from NeoMotion reached out to T. Vaitheeswaran
and enquired about his requirements.
worth ₹1.15 lakh by tapping ployment and Career Gui-
funds under the Corporate dance Centre, would ar-
Social Responsibility. He range for him a customised
has agreed to accept the coaching and study mate-
help,” a representative of rial to crack the examina-
the firm told The Hindu. tions.
Support came from a “He needs proper gui-
few others too. Coming to dance and we will use our
know that Mr. Vaitheeswa- expertise to guide him to
ran made four failed at- prepare for the examina-
tempts to clear the Tamil tions. “The department
Nadu Public Service Com- will extend all possible
mission (TNPSC) examina- help to him understand
tions, J. Maharani, Deputy the nuances of preparatory
Director of District Em- steps,” Ms. Maharani said.
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 3
Chennai
Chennai

Residents decry indiscriminate INBRIEF

쑽

burning of waste on vacant plots N. Kanniah

Incidents of garbage burning have only increased; though the TNPCB and Health Department have strict rules, officials do
not monitor or impose fines, an activist alleges. Steps are on to identify hotspots to prevent such incidents, says civic official N. Kanniah
elected AIRF
The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI
within the park premises.
Some members of the pu- president Flying of drones over three
blic, particularly those counting centres banned
I
ndiscriminate burning from other districts or
of garbage on vacant States, are involved in such The Hindu Bureau The Greater Chennai City Police (GCP)
plots is being reported burning activities,” he said. CHENNAI Commissioner, Sandeep Rai Rathore, has issued
in many areas by residents, “Burning of orders banning flying of drones and other
who also complain of inac- garden waste by locals is a N. Kanniah has been elect- unmanned aerial vehicles till June 4 over three
tion by civic authorities. bigger menace. Locals set ed president of the All In- counting centres in the city, where the polled
“For six days, Seemai ablaze discarded rubber dia Railwaymen Federa- electronic voting machines have been kept. Last
Karuvelam [Prosopis Juli- and meat waste near Vy- tion for the fifth week, Chennai Corporation Commissioner
flora] and household waste sarpadi Railway station, consecutive term. J.Radhakrishnan, who is also the District Election
have been burning on a 14- which is close to a Miyawa- The AIRF comprises 19 Officer, and City Police Commissioner, along with
acre vacant land in Nolam- ki forest and a Chennai Zonal Railways and 7 Pro- other officials, inspected security arrangements
bur, Mogappair. Despite re- Corporation Primary duction Units and repre- at the three counting centres — Queen Mary’s
peated petitions, civic offi- School,” he said. sents about 1.2 million rail- College, Mylapore; Loyola College,
cials have not taken any way employees. Nungambakkam and Anna University, Guindy.
action. The nearby resi- Incidents on the rise Launched in 1923, the The centres have been provided with a four-tier
dents are affected by the Pointing out that the inci- federation has completed security cover.
burning, resultant air pol- dents of burning garbage 100 years of service and
lution and respiratory is- have only increased, he Mr. Kanniah was elected
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
sues. Action must be taken said, “TNPCB and Tamil president at the centenary
against those responsible
for the burning,” said G.
Nadu Health Department
have strict rules, but offi-
celebrations held in Delhi,
according to a press
Former journalist at
Muralidharan, president of cials do not monitor or im- release. The Hindu passes away
VGN Minerva Owners’ Wel- Persistent problem: Garbage being burnt on a vacant land at Nolambur in Mogappair West, near pose fines even if there is
fare Association (VGN Maduravoyal Bypass Road. M.VEDHAN burning of plastics along T.A.Srinivasan, retired Assistant Editor, The
MOWA). with garbage. Sanitary in- Hindu, passed away in Madurai on Wednesday.
in the GCC limits, the fire civic activist and resident fice on Dr.Radhakrishnan spectors refuse to get in- 0 He was 83. Srinivasan worked in The Hindu from
DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested to verify
Fine to be levied would be doused and the of Vallalar Nagar in Mint, Salai and multiple spots in volved.” and make appropriate enquiries to satisfy
themselves about the veracity of an advertise-
March 7, 1994 till March 31, 2004. Initially, he
A senior engineer in the vacant plot would be mon- said that the issue persists Perambur, Washermanpet, According to senior civic ment before responding to any published in
this newspaper. THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., the
worked in the reporting department, Madurai
Greater Chennai Corpora- itored. in many areas, including a Villivakkam and Kolathur. officials, the civic body will Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not
vouch for the authenticity of any advertisement
and then moved to Chennai editorial, where he
tion (GCC) said they are Those responsible for vacant land behind the Un- “In May Day Park, locat- begin identifying hotspots or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s
products and/or services. In no event can the worked till his retirement in 2004. He had
trying to ascertain if the burning garbage would be iversity of Madras in Che- ed in Chintadripet, securi- where the issue is preva- Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s,
Employees of this newspaper/company be held extensively written about temples and also
responsible/liable in any manner whatsoever
land was within the civic fined, he said. pauk, near the Director ty personnel were found lent and steps will be taken for any claims and/or damages for advertise- contributed to The Hindu’s Friday Review. He is
ments in this newspaper.
body’s limits. If it fell with- C.S. Ravikumar, 54, a General of Police (DGP) of- burning garden waste to curb burning. survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

City police comes to the

rescue of 70-year-old man
The Hindu Bureau him. Further, in a fit of
CHENNAI rage, he also broke the
wind shields of the family’s
The son of an elderly man car parked outside and fled
was arrested for troubling the scene.
his father over a property Narrating the incident,
dispute after the senior ci- Jhumarlan had sent an SMS
tizen sent a text message to the Commissioner. On
(SMS) to the Commissioner receipt of the message, Va-
of Police. dapalani Inspector
On all petitions received Prem Sharma reached the house and
from senior citizens at the conducted inquiries. Later
Police Commissioner’s Of- lodged a complaint with on Thursday, Prem Shar-
fice, Deputy Commission- the Greater Chennai City ma, 47, was arrested.
ers of Police (DCP) con- Police Commissioner, San- Mr. Rathore said the
cerned have been deep Rai Rathore, by text- GCP pays special attention
instructed to personally vi- ing a message to him. Jhu- to the grievances of senior
sit the petitioner’s house marlan, in his message, citizens.
and take suitable action. had said that his son, Prem Senior citizens can con-
Last January, the city pol- Sharma, picked up a quar- tact Elder Helpline No.1253
ice launched ‘Bandham’ rel with him over a proper- and police officers. Furth-
scheme in order to help se- ty dispute and left the er, the Commissioner of
nior citizens who are aged house two months ago. Police informed that senior
above 75. On Wednesday after- citizens can contact toll-
On Wednesday, Jhumar- noon, Prem Sharma re- free 94999 57575 for any
lan, 70, of Vadapalani, turned and threatened emergency.

Namma Yatri Doctors remove LED

launches cab
services in bulb from 5-year-old
Chennai city boy’s lung passage
The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI The Hindu Bureau through bronchoscopy
CHENNAI had failed and the doctors
Namma Yatri, which advised an open surgery
launched autorickshaw A five-year-old boy from Ti- but the family had refused.
service in January this ruvallur district was re- “We also told them that
year, is extending cab ser- cently operated on at Sri open surgery may be re-
vices to commuters in the Ramachandra Hospital to quired, and the family
city. remove an LED bulb he agreed,” Dr. Madhu also
D. Dayanidhi, Director had swallowed nearly a said.
of Engineering and month ago. It took the surgeons
Growth, Namma Yatri, said He was brought to the nearly two hours to re-
their aim was to provide af- outpatient ward of the hos- move the object. “It was
fordable mobility with mi- pital on Friday with breath- 5x2 cm LED bulb. We had
nimum number of ing difficulty and refracto- to rotate it inside the lung
cancellations. ry cough, a hospital release passage, as we did not
said. want to break the glass. It
“The mother had seen was difficult but we man-
him playing with some toy. aged to remove it. If it had
He told her that he had broken, we would have
swallowed the toy,” said R. had to go for an open sur-
Madhu, head of paediatric gery,” the surgeon ex-
surgery at the hospital. plained.
“We admitted the child He did not require ICU
and did a CT scan. We or ventilator support. “It
found a foreign object in was done free of cost for
the lung passage. We told the child through the Chief
the patient’s family that we Minister’s Comprehensive
had to remove it,” he ad- Health Insurance Scheme,”
ded. Dr. Madhu said.
The boy had been ad- The anaesthesia depart-
mitted twice earlier in ment led by Aruna Para-
another hospital where ef- meswari helped in the pro-
forts to remove the bulb cedure, the release said.
Published by Nirmala Lakshman at Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT.LTD. and Printed by Ra Babu Vijay at THG PUBLISHING PVT.LTD. Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengalpattu Taluk, Chengalpattu Dist., Pin 603209. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRP Act).
ISSN 0971 - 751X

CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE

YK
 THE HINDU
4 Friday, May 3, 2024

Editorial Chennai

The judiciary’s shadow over standard essential patents

Tipping point
With robust GST revenues, the next
government must prioritise reforms
T
here is a possible crisis brewing in
India over the manner in which certain
technology companies are wielding
‘standard essential patents’ (SEP)
against the telecom manufacturing sector in
India. This is a complex policy issue which has
direct ramifications for India’s effort to build a
domestic manufacturing industry for cellular
Taiwan (2017) and $1.2 billion (2018) and another
$272 million (2019) by the Europe Commission.
Not all these fines have been sustained on appeal
but are a useful indicator of how other countries
have responded to the issue from a competition
law perspective.
Prashant Reddy
T. The effect of judicial lethargy and activism
pending the conclusion of these long-winded
trials. For the last decade, the Delhi High Court
has short circuited the entire process by granting
a series of orders requiring manufacturers, many
of them Indian companies, to “deposit” money
with the court in order to continue
manufacturing during the pendency of the trial.
Such “deposit” orders, often running into

R
evenues from the Goods and Services
Tax (GST) crossed the ₹2 lakh crore mark
for the first time in April. The month of
April has usually delivered the highest GST kitty
as it involves taxes paid for activity undertaken in
March, when taxpayers close their books for the
year, scurry to meet tax filing deadlines, and
make adjustments to square off dues sought by
the revenue department owing to oversights or
interpretation differences. With slightly over ₹2.1
lakh crore of gross revenues, last month’s GST
collection was 12.4% higher than the April 2023
tally of ₹1.87 lakh crore, which marked the high-
est monthly intake prior to the latest data set. Mi-
nus the year-end effect, revenues in subsequent
months will moderate so the ₹2 lakh crore figure
may not be the new normal for monthly GST col-
lections just yet. However, assuming the present
momentum of the economy continues and GST
revenue growth persists in last year’s 11%-12%
range, last April’s high of ₹1.87 lakh crore could
well be this year’s monthly average. Bear in mind
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
phones. So far, the issues of regulating SEPs have
been left to the judiciary, which, as an institution,
has mostly missed the ball.
To begin with, it is important to understand
the importance of SEPs. These are patents that
cover technologies which are adopted by the
industry as “standards”. For example,
technologies such as CDMA, GSM, LTE are all
industry standards in the telecom sector. Such
technological standards are especially important
to ensure interoperability of different brands of
cellular phones manufactured by different
companies. For example, once GSM was adopted
as a standard, all manufacturers had to ensure
that the handsets that they manufactured were
compatible with GSM. Otherwise there would be
no demand for their phones.
Opaque model
The process of setting standards in the
technology sector is largely privatised and
dominated by “standard setting organisations”
is the co-author of The Indian response to the issue has been
‘Create, Copy, Disrupt: characterised by both judicial lethargy and
India’s Intellectual judicial activism at the Delhi High Court. This
Property Dilemmas’ may seem contradictory but a few facts will help
(2017) explain how India landed in this situation.
In 2013, the Competition Commission of India
(CCI), acting on a complaint by Micromax began
an investigation under the Competition Act into
the issue of whether Ericsson abused its
dominant position by demanding extortionate
royalties for its SEPs. Ericsson challenged the
power of the CCI to do so, before the Delhi High
Court, on the grounds that the Patents Act vested
the power to remedy an abuse of patents only
with the Patent Office.
The first round of litigation was resolved in
favour of the CCI by a single judge on March 30,
2016. Ericsson then challenged this decision
before the Division Bench of the Delhi High
Court, where it remained pending for an
astounding seven years until a judgment was
delivered against the CCI on July 13, 2023. The
crores of rupees, before trial, are unprecedented
in the history of commercial law for the simple
reason that there is no provision in the law
granting judges such powers. In addition to being
unprecedented, these orders are also unfair to
defendants because they deprive them of
working capital (which is very expensive in India)
for the entire duration of the trial (which can take
up to eight years).
Yet, such judicial activism has been justified by
the Delhi High Court by invoking its “inherent
powers to do justice”. Such similar logic has been
used in the past by the judiciary to justify activist
measures such as “public interest litigation”. That
the same argument has been used to justify
activism in the name of the oppressed and also in
the name of multinational corporations
demonstrates how specious an argument it was in
the first place.
This judicial activism combined with judicial
delays will have a negative impact on the
government’s attempt to attract more investment

that the average monthly revenues last year were
₹1.68 lakh crore, and before the year began, the
highest monthly collection was seen in April
2022, at ₹1,67,540 crore.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has
termed last month’s ₹2 lakh crore-plus GST reve-
nues a “landmark”, attributing them to a strong
economy and efficient collections. This should
put to rest the Centre’s concerns from a few years
ago that returns from the GST regime, now 82
months old, had been underwhelming. No
doubt, sustained action against frauds, such as
fake invoicing, and stricter compliance norms
have helped shore up revenues. With central GST
revenues overshooting last year’s targets, meet-
ing the goals set in the interim Budget for 2024-25
now requires less than 10% revenue growth. For
the next government, the easy part would be to
upgrade revenue targets in the full Budget. The
more critical imperative is to plan and execute
the expansion of the GST net, and expedite the
long-awaited reboot of its complex rate structure
to make it a truly simple tax for consumers and
investors, now that revenue worries are relatively
muted. Incidentally, the BJP’s election manifesto,
which takes credit for ringing in GST, only pro-
mises to make its portal simpler for small busi-
nesses to use. The Congress has assured a switch
to a single, moderate tax rate with few excep-
tions, no levies on farm inputs, and sharing of re-
venues with panchayats and municipalities.
Smart GST reforms, informed by stakeholder
consultations, need to be at the forefront of the
agenda of whoever comes into office, to correct
anomalies that hold consumption back and set
(SSOs) run largely by private technology
companies. Countries such as India with little
innovation in the telecom sector, have very little
influence over how standards are set or how SEPs
are licensed.
Theoretically, the companies which own the
SEPs, gain enormously because every
manufacturer of cellular phones has to licence
the technological standards in question in order
to survive in the market. The lack of alternatives
also means that owners of SEPs can demand
extortionary royalties or licensing terms from
manufacturers that block competition. In
economics, this is called the “patent holdup”
problem. In theory, the SSOs are supposed to
prevent such a scenario by requiring the owners
of SEPs to licence their technologies at a fair,
reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) rate.
In practice, this model of self-regulation by the
technology industry has been marked with
opacity and has failed rather spectacularly, as
evidenced by the record fines that some of these
SEP owners have had to cough up across the
world for engaging in anti-competitive practices.
The largest of these SEP owners, Qualcomm, has
been fined $975 million by China (2015), $873
million by South Korea (2017), $774 million by
Recognise ‘this leave’ as a woman’s right
CCI has appealed against this decision to the
Supreme Court of India, where the matter
remains pending. As a result, India is the only
major economy to not yet investigate the
potentially abusive licensing practices of
technology companies that own SEPs.
While the competition law issues remained
mired in litigation, the Delhi High Court
proceeded to hear lawsuits filed by Ericsson and
other SEPs owners against manufacturers of
cellular phones on the question of whether the
The latter were infringing SEPs owned by the former
government and whether damages were payable. Ideally the
infringement lawsuits should have been stayed
must put in
until the competition law issues were resolved.
place measures The ordinary course of such litigation in most
to regulate countries is for the courts to conduct a trial on
standard the validity of the patents, whether there has
essential been infringement and, if so, the damages
patents before payable. These trials are complex and can take
the judiciary time. For example, one of the early lawsuits filed
by Ericsson against Lava International took eight
causes further
years to be decided in a remarkable judgment,
damage to running into 500 pages, and delivered by Justice
India’s Amit Bansal of the Delhi High Court, recently.
manufacturing The problem, however, is the manner in which
dreams Delhi High Court has granted “interim” remedies
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
in the manufacturing sector. These measures, by
government, have included payouts to
manufacturers under the “production linked
incentives” scheme for manufacturing in India. It
is worth questioning the rationale of putting
money in the pockets of manufacturers, while
turning a Nelson’s eye to the manner and the
amount of money that is being removed from the
same pockets by the owners of SEPs. More
pertinently, unlike manufacturers who are
investing in India to create jobs, the owners of
SEPs are only taking their money out of the
country.
The case of Europe
It is time for the Indian government to intervene
and put in place measures to regulate SEPs before
the judiciary causes further damage to India’s
manufacturing dreams. India will not be an
outlier if it intervenes. The European Parliament
has already enacted one such set of measures to
regulate SEPs. India, arguably, has a much
stronger case to push for similar, if not stronger
regulatory measures, since it has no say in how
SEPs are selected by SSOs, while also being
compelled by international agreements to enforce
patents of foreign technology companies.

the foundations for the next virtuous cycle of in-
vestment and growth.
Eastern front
Polarisation of votes in West Bengal is
edging out the Left and the Congress
S
ometimes, elections throw up an
acceptance of and solutions to deeply
institutionalised gender biases and
discrimination against women. In the run-up to
the general election 2024, the election manifesto
of the ruling political party in Tamil Nadu, the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has made a
promise (under the topic “Women’s welfare”)
that the “DMK will insist that the Union
government enact a law providing menstrual
Tharoor, Congress MP from Kerala, introducing a
similar Bill named The Women’s Sexual,
Reproductive and Menstrual Rights Bill, 2018.
Hibi Eden, Congress MP from Kerala, also
introduced a private member Bill titled The Right
to Women to Menstrual Leave and Free Access to
Rehnamol Menstrual Health Products Bill, 2022.
Raveendran
The Supreme Court of India, early in 2023,
refused to entertain a public interest litigation in
teaches political
Shailendra Mani Tripathi vs Union of India which
legislation. For instance, Japan introduced
menstrual leave in 1947, Indonesia in 1948, and
South Korea. Taiwan and Vietnam have also
implemented paid leave. In relation to the Asian
countries, the progress made by the western
world, except in Sweden and Spain, is still
abysmal. Several international organisations have
promoted menstrual leave as a women’s right.
For instance, an International Labour
Organisation report, in 2003, asked nations to

T
he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nurtures
high hopes in West Bengal, where it won
18 of the 42 seats, and 40% vote share in
2019. This dramatic rise from two seats in 2014
gave the party the confidence to present itself as
the principal opposition in the 2021 Assembly
polls, but the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Tri-
namool Congress (TMC) stormed back to power
for a third term. With 77 of the 294 Assembly
seats, and a 38.1% vote share, the BJP came a dis-
tant second. This year, the polling in the State is
spread across all seven phases of the general elec-
tion, and the BJP is pulling out all stops in the
hope it could improve its tally which could also
compensate for any electoral loss elsewhere. The
BJP is keeping the TMC on the defensive with alle-
gations of corruption, the land grab and sexual
assault at Sandeshkhali, and the school recruit-
ment scam. The Calcutta High Court terminated
about 25,000 teacher appointments which is a
shot in the arm for the BJP. The TMC’s campaign
against the BJP is centred on New Delhi’s stop-
page of funds to the State under central schemes
and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. It is also
banking on its cash transfer schemes such as
Lakshmir Bhandar for women. Highlighting the
issue of women’s safety, the BJP has fielded a wo-
man from Sandeshkhali, the constituency that
saw reports of assault on women.
The BJP hopes to perform better in the dis-
tricts of north Bengal, where it had won seven
out of eight seats in 2019, while the Trinamool’s
focus is more in the southern districts with a high
proportion of Muslim voters. For this, the TMC is
also battling the Left-Congress coalition. The al-
liance may turn out to be a factor in certain seats
in the minority-dominated districts of Malda and
Murshidabad, and the decision of the Indian Sec-
ular Front to walk out of the alliance is likely to
work to the advantage of the TMC. The BJP is
bringing up Ram Mandir, violence during Ram
Navami processions and the illegal movement of
people across the India-Bangladesh border. Po-
larisation of voters on religious lines had helped
the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the
Trinamool in the 2021 Assembly polls, edging out
the Left and Congress from the field. The Trina-
mool is also harping on the Bengali identity by
presenting itself as its custodian and portraying
the BJP as an interloper and being insensitive to
the interests of the State. For the BJP, West Bengal
is not merely about winning more seats but is al-
so about expanding its foothold into a region that
claims exceptionalism. Some of the earliest argu-
ments for a Hindu polity had originated in Ben-
gal, and this gives the BJP hope.
CM
YK
science at the
leave to women, emphasizing the journey University of sought direction to the state on menstrual leave; recognise menstrual leave. The World Health
towards gender equality.” This promise has been Allahabad it was of the opinion that it is in the policy Organization recognised a non-governmental
made after a debate in the 17th Lok Sabha, in domain of the government. By December 2023, organisation driven World Menstrual Hygiene Day
December 2023, on menstrual leave, but with no the central government refused to agree on such on May 28 from 2014. However, India’s new code
outcome. a policy, and the Bharatiya Janata Party manifesto on Social Security, 2020, passed by Parliament,
for the general election 2024, the ‘Sankalp Patra which consolidated existing labour laws (yet to be
Legislators and Bills 2024’, has made no mention of it. The Congress notified), has not included the aspect of
In December 2021, S. Jothimani, Congress party’s manifesto for the general election 2024, menstrual leave in its code.
Member of Parliament (MP) from Tamil Nadu, the ‘Nyaya Patra’ has also not mentioned Women labourers in the sugarcane fields of
had introduced a Private Member Bill named, menstrual leave, but under the subject of Maharashtra and agricultural labourers in
‘Right to Menstrual Hygiene and Paid Leave Bill, “Health” has promised that “all employers shall Telangana have been documented to have
2019’, which sought to bring menstrual leave into mandatorily grant paid maternity leave for their hysterectomies as menstrual-related absences
the ambit of the rights of a woman, and a refusal employees”. could endanger their livelihoods. It is time the
of such leave into the domain of The Sexual Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Progressive Indian States, Asian nations Guarantee Act and laws governing industrial
Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. It also History shows us that some States were ahead of labour and other establishments recognise
sought to impose a penalty for refusal. the times. For instance, the Kerala Sahitya menstrual leave like the way progressive gig
The Bill that envisaged menstrual rights for Academy published work, Kerala in 19th Century, worker platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato
women stipulates that every woman shall be mentions that Kerala was the first (in then Cochin have.
entitled to the right to self-perception of her State) to recognise the need for “ period leave”
menstruation, including but not limited to for students and allowed it during examinations Greater gender sensitivity needed
menarche (first menstruation), menopause, in 1912. In a recent progressive attempt, Kerala Policy solutions to gender inequalities that are
menstrual cycle, primary or secondary has encouraged the use of other menstrual defined by differentiated gender experiences of
dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain). The Bill sought hygiene products and made them available for women owing to socio-cultural and biological
remedies in the form of: rights, including paid A more students. Bihar, in 1992, allowed government reasons will not only ensure equity but also bring
leave for three days; right to leave or absence for pronounced employees two-day menstrual leave. Kerala, in new social change. The instrumentality of public
three days for students above class eight; right to stand by January 2023, introduced menstrual and policy and discussions on menstruation also lies
30 minutes rest twice a day during the menstrual political parties maternity leave to all students above the age of in shattering taboos and creating a
period for employees/workers, and right to on the issue of 18. Other States must be reminded that the gender-sensitive world that is open to issues
menstrual hygiene management facilities and existing laws are not a hindrance for State which are hitherto considered to be clandestine
menstrual leave
equity for all women. governments to go ahead and notify the right to by conservative-gendered social standards. In the
Ninong Ering, who was a Congress MP from will boost menstrual leave. political domain, recognition of the issue by
Arunachal Pradesh, introduced a private member women’s rights On the other hand, many other Asian political parties this election season will be a
Bill on menstrual leave in 2017 (the Menstruation and gender countries have ended the prejudices and major step to promote women’s rights and
Benefit Bill, 2017). This was followed by Shashi equality stereotypes around menstruation using gender equality.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Hill stations, summer rush could board and alight at many of the reservoirs in Local people will be put to her popular singer husband melodies ever. Once while
There is no doubt that their will after ensuring that the Nilgiris are cause for hardship if curbs are A.V. Ramanan, and star at a bus stop opposite a tea
many of the hill stations in these buses operate to all worry. The district has had imposed on vehicular composer Ilaiyaraja, which kiosk, her song, “Aagaya
India, especially in the tourist locations every five cloudless blue skies for movement. This must be catapulted her to Vennilavae”, began to play
South, are facing grave minutes. All private cars long. It is also a fact that thought of in any move to nationwide stardom. Her on the radio in the shop. It
environmental pressures should be left in specific the residents of the Nilgiris impose a cap on the unique voice earned her a was one time when I wished
caused by the massive parking spaces and not will be thought of last when number of vehicles into the special place in the hearts that the bus would reach
influx of tourists. In allowed to operate to these it comes to the rationing of district. of music lovers. It is late as I wanted to listen to
connection with the e-pass points. Chaotic parking of water as the priority is to N.R. Ramachandran, unfortunate that her great the song in full. Her songs
plans for Kodaikanal and vehicles is a very common meet the needs of Udhagamandalam, The Nilgiris potential was not utilised by will live forever.
the Nilgiris, having issue in the hills. The hills commercial establishments. many music composers. T.S. Karthik,
battery-operated mini buses deserve better. J.W. Prabakar, Uma Ramanan R. Sivakumar, Chennai
to all the important tourist T. Murali, Udhagamandalam, The Nilgiris The passing of playback Chennai Letters emailed to
spots in these hill stations, Madurai singer Uma Ramanan is letters@thehindu.co.in
and at a fixed charge, can The peak summer season in deeply saddening (May 2). It Uma Ramanan sang some must carry the full postal
be thought of. Tourists The water storage levels in the Nilgiris is only in May. was her collaboration with of the most soul-stirring address and the full name.
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 5
Chennai
Opinion

Does PMJAY need a design change?

are lots of interesting State schemes that are
PARLEY taking care of providing free medicines: Tamil
Nadu and Rajasthan are doing great work in

A
yushman Bharat, the government’s
flagship programme to achieve
universal health coverage (UHC), was
Nachiket launched in 2018. The scheme has
Mor
two inter-related components: health and
wellness centres and the Pradhan Mantri Jan
is Visiting
Scientist, Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) that aims to provide a
Banyan health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for
Academy of secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to
Leadership in over 12 crore families that form the bottom 40%
Mental Health of the population. PM-JAY has issued 34.27 crore
cards. About 6.5 crore have received treatment
and there are over 30,000 empanelled
hospitals. However, over the past year, hospitals
in some States have reported they are owed
hundreds of crores in dues, and some are
reportedly turning away or taking in fewer
PMJAY patients. Does PMJAY need a design
change? Avani Kapur and Nachiket Mor discuss
Avani Kapur the question in a conversation moderated by
Zubeda Hamid. Edited excerpts:
is Senior
Visiting Fellow,
Does PMJAY’s design need to be changed to
Centre for
Policy Research make the scheme more sustainable?
and Founder-
Director, Nachiket Mor: PMJAY was required as there was
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
The Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Chest Diseases in Bengaluru. THE HINDU
while 43% are private, the rest are government.
There is a belief that a private hospital delivers
better services and so people choose to go to a
private hospital even when they have a public
hospital close to them. It’s possible that this is
not just an assumption: in most places, the
To deliver PMJAY will be difficult until the
public sector is strengthened. This is because
patients will choose to go to an already
overburdened private player.
AVANI KAPUR
coverage, some have been quite low compared
to others, and even within States, the dispersion
of hospitals is skewed. Governance processes
make a big difference. In terms of claim
payments, some States saw a delay of more than
45 days, while others paid the claims faster.
What is also interesting is that there is a
concentration of claims in Andhra Pradesh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. More research is
needed to understand why this is the case.
NM: The issue of delays [in payments] should
not have anything to do with poor or rich States;
these are technology-enabled platforms. The
fact is, in Shravasti district in U.P., for example,
there isn’t enough hospital capacity. This is the
driver of these differences. In most jurisdictions
trying to provide some form of universal
healthcare. India is ranked 67th out of 189
countries in terms of out-of-pocket expenditure.
Also, the Union government is meant to allocate
60% of PMJAY funds, but the amount [it is]
actually spending is less than this. In some ways,
PMJAY was designed to take care of [healthcare
cost] shocks, as inpatient treatments can cost a
lot relative to outpatient treatments. But we
need to think about it in its entirety rather than
looking at it as bits and pieces.
The government said this was a step towards
providing UHC. Would you argue that the
insurance model is not correct for India’s
path towards achieving UHC? Has any other
country been able to achieve it through an
insurance model?
NM: The insurance model, if defined narrowly
as separating the money from the provider, and
not giving budget-based allocations but saying to
the provider that if you perform, then you get
paid — in India, my own belief is that the
insurance model, if restricted exclusively to the
public sector, could have a big impact on its

Foundation for a belief that while the public sector exists and is
Responsive supposed to offer universal healthcare for free,
Governance there were deficiencies in what it could do.
Therefore, there was a need to allow patients to
access the private sector. I don’t think this
scheme was ever designed to deal with
comprehensive universal health coverage or
comprehensive healthcare costs — it is currently
at under 2.5% of total health expenditure. Our
research suggests that if you pool government
departmental expenditure with PM-JAY
expenditure in many States, government health
expenditure may be enough to offer universal
health coverage, including drugs and
diagnostics. The reason we see high
out-of-pocket expenditure in Kerala, for
example, is that the public sector, despite being
well funded, is unable to deliver universal
healthcare. Its primary care is underutilised and
there is enormous waste and inefficiency. I
worry that if schemes are layered on top of a
hospital-centric design, it exacerbates
misallocation of government resources. In fact,
there are distortions now: even a government
hospital that is supposed to give you free care is
now checking whether you’re authorised to
receive PMJAY. Why? Have we created a barrier
now? Because, while a high-income family can
handle a claim rejection or delay, a low-income
family cannot. How can you deliver better
healthcare to people to eliminate out-of-pocket
expenditure? Where can the National Health
Authority (NHA) and the State Health Authority
(SHA), with their ability to purchase care in an
organised, high quality manner, help you? I
think that’s the question we should pursue.
Avani Kapur: Nachiket spoke about the supply
side, and I wanted to bring in the demand side.
It’s interesting that of empanelled hospitals,
chances of getting better quality care in a private
hospital could be higher than in a public
hospital. We have not done enough to increase
belief in the public health system.
Why would the private sector turn away
patients? One, capacity. In many States, the
number of people per empanelled healthcare
provider (EHCP) is really high. In Bihar, it was
over 10,000 families per EHCP. So, you don’t
necessarily have an adequate number of beds
and facilities to be able to cater to that demand.
Two, the delays in claim payments despite the
guidelines being clear about turnaround time.
Three, there are claim rejections too, which
means a hospital takes in a patient, does the
surgery, and then the insurance company rejects
that claim because of documentation errors or a
technicality. Four, the Union government has
put a cap on the amount you can charge for
different treatments. That doesn’t always work
well for private providers.
To deliver PMJAY will be difficult until the
public sector is strengthened. This is because
patients will choose to go to an already
overburdened private player. Of course, private
hospitals charge more and may do unnecessary
procedures, but what is often not spoken about
enough is that there is a burden on them
because the public sector either isn’t performing
or people don’t trust the sector to perform.
How wide is the performance disparity
among States under PMJAY?
AK: Not only do hospitals not exist [in many
parts], but even empanelled hospitals haven’t
been active. In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, 39%
have been inactive since empanellment, and
only 50% have been active in the last six
months. The States’ [performances] vary. In
around the world, there is an obligation for the
insurer to have network adequacy. This means
you can’t offer an insurance scheme unless you
have hospitals nearby. That restriction is not
there in India, so you can offer a card to
somebody even though there is no way for him
to go and claim it. And that is a key deficiency in
much of the northern and north-eastern States.
And that’s where we need to pay attention. The
private sector is unlikely to go to Bastar and
build a hospital. It would have to be led by the
public sector for the foreseeable future.
India’s out-of-pocket expenditure for health
has decreased, but it still hovers around the
47-50% mark, which is much higher than
global average. Do we need to look at a
system where outpatient care, diagnostics
and drugs can also be covered?
NM: We are making an error in equating PMJAY
and health and wellness centres with
government efforts on the healthcare side. The
largest component of healthcare expenditures
are government expenditures through the State
and Centre and they are multiples higher than
what these two schemes are doing. These are
supposed to include outpatient (OP) care: in
fact, the bulk of the expenditure is on drugs and
OP care. Are there governments (in the world)
that have a separate government-financed public
sector and then added an insurance layer on top
of it? I have not seen [this] because it adds to the
fragmentation of the overall health landscape.
And that is something we need to address to
solve the problem of out-of-pocket expenditure.
AK: In the current design and given the fiscal
cost, it may be too much to expect the current
model of PMJAY to cover everything. But there
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
performance, particularly in the poorer States.
It’s almost become the only way many countries
have delivered UHC, such as Thailand, Turkey,
Vietnam, and Uruguay. India’s current model is
no longer the dominant model. That is what is
exciting to me about the NHA/SHA — we have
the capacity to implement something like this.
But it wouldn’t be in the way you’re thinking
about insurance perhaps, which is indemnity: I
file a claim, I get refunded. Those approaches
are a pathway to bad outcomes. This is the error
Medicare/Medicaid made in the U.S. in 1965 – it
led to massive inflation in healthcare prices. But
with the purchaser-provider split, I would say it
is the only idea that can take us forward, but if
we restrict it only to the public sector and bring
all the multiple pools of money together.
AK: I agree. I don’t think in its current design,
insurance is going to yield what we want it to
yield, which is not just reducing out-of-pocket
expenditure, but also ensuring quality care. A
recent paper on low- and middle-income
countries and health insurance said the issue is
not just whether government subsidy should be
channelled through health insurance or direct
subsidies to public facilities, but how do you
reach a system where you have specific payment
structures and non price mechanisms that can
actually change both provider behaviour and
also patient choice? In its current form, I don’t
think PM-JAY is going to get us there unless we
focus a lot more on the public health system.
To listen to the full interview
Scan the code or go to the link
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PICTURE OF THE WEEK

NOTEBOOK

In the grip of a heatwave

The difficulty of learning how
opinions are shaped
During elections, it is a challenge to separate the voter’s own personal
experience or opinion from propaganda

Sobhana K. Nair elsewhere. I did not know whether the

Prime Minister’s comments indicated

E
very time I have travelled to rural
areas in India during elections, I
have run into astute voters who
are aware of every aspect of the candi-
dates in the fray, including how many
times they have switched parties, and
well-versed with the caste equations of
the constituency. This hyper awareness is
helpful for a reporter. It makes our lives
easier when we meet a respondent who
is knowledgeable, eager to engage, and
does not need to be persuaded to speak.
However, the penetration of the Inter-
net and mobile phone has also meant a
surge in disinformation. The challenge
then is to separate the voter’s own perso-
nal experience or opinion from propa-
ganda. Establishing this distinction is es-
sential to understanding the impact of
various election campaigns and what
may influence voter choices.
In the run-up to the 2017 Uttar Pradesh
elections, while touring the western part
of the State, I heard a common complaint
among people belonging to upper castes
and non-Yadav backward communities
against the incumbent government led by
Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.
They lamented that the government had
been building boundary walls for gra-
veyards, even as it took away land from
cremation grounds. Nearly a week later,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an
election rally, “If you create a kabristaan
(graveyard) in a village, then a shamshaan
(cremation ground) should also be creat-
ed. If electricity is given uninterrupted in
Ramzan, then it should be given in Diwali
without a break.” In hindsight, I feel I
should have asked the people whether
their opinion was based on their own ex-
periences or whether they had heard this
CM
YK
that his party had its ear to the ground or
whether he was merely amplifying pro-
paganda that had already been running.
This election, in Churu, Rajasthan, I
found that people feared that reservation
would be scrapped. This time, I asked for
the source. Why did they think reserva-
tion would go? Pat came the reply: they
had heard an election speech of BJP can-
didate Jyoti Mirdha, who was contesting
from the Naguar Lok Sabha seat, on
WhatsApp. Building a case for voting the
BJP and its allies to at least 400 seats, she
spoke of “tough decisions” that needed
to be taken in the “country’s interest”
and that needed constitutional amend-
ments. However, neither her speech nor
the reactions to it from the Opposition,
which has run a consistent campaign
against the BJP saying the “Constitution is
in danger”, mentioned any scrapping of
reservation. I was puzzled.
Then, miles away in Chhattisgarh, I
heard people voicing this fear again. It
was clearly not Ms. Mirdha’s words that
had prompted this reaction in Chhattis- X
garh. When I probed further, the voters Women draw water from a well on a hot day in Kasara, a town in Thane district in Maharashtra. Maharashtra has registered 25 deaths from heat stroke since late March, the
said they had been hearing about reser- highest toll in the past five years. Scientists have linked the early onset of an intense summer to climate change. REUTERS
vation for the last three or four months.
One of them mentioned Mr. Modi saying
in a speech in November 2023 that
among all the “caste groups”, he consi- FR OM THE AR C H I VE S A HUNDRED YEARS AGO MAY 3, 1924
dered four the biggest — “the poor, the
youth, women, and farmers.” Mr. Modi’s FIFTY YEARS AGO MAY 3, 1974 adjournment motion to censure the Plaintiff in the box
remarks were a counter to the Congress’s Government on the arrest of Mr. George
demand for a caste census. But the voters Fernandes and other important Railway London, May 2: Sir Michael O’ Dwyer was in the
believed, not without a nudge from the Talks if Ry. strike notice is labour leaders early this morning after a box all Thursday. In cross-examination he
principal Opposition party, the Congress, stormy debate. Mr. L.N. Mishra, Railway denied he had been guilty of tyranny, but was
that if the reality of caste is ignored, then withdrawn: Mishra Minister, vigorously defended the action of the attacked for his opinions by the members of the
so will reservation. Government and said this was done because would-be oligarchy. Sir Sankaran Nair’s book
New Delhi, May 2: By an overwhelming Mr. Fernandes was working for a strike even as was translated and circulated in the vernacular
sobhanak.nair@thehindu.co.in majority, the Lok Sabha to-day rejected an negotiations were going on. by most provincial Governments.
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
6 Friday, May 3, 2024

News Chennai

From Page One Suspense over Amethi, West Bengal

Governor
Prajwal booked for rape; Rae Bareli continues accused of
harassment
lookout circular issued Mallikarjun Kharge meets Rahul Gandhi to finalise candidates; today is
the last day for filing nominations for the two key seats in Uttar Pradesh The Hindu Bureau
In view of the lookout circular, Mr. Prajwal will be KOLKATA
detained as soon as he reports at any of the immi-
gration points at airports, sea ports, or at border The Hindu Bureau An employee at the Raj
checkposts. SIT sources said his return ticket has NEW DELHI Bhavan in Kolkata on
been booked for May 15. An advocate claiming to Thursday alleged that she
represent the Hassan MP had sought seven days’ ith Friday being was sexually harassed by
time for his client to present himself before the
SIT. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson A.
Randhir Jaiswal said that they were not ap-
W the last day for
filing nomina-
tions for the Amethi and
West Bengal Governor C.V.
Ananda Bose. The woman
lodged a complaint at the
The prizewinning explainer page dated September 3, 2023.

proached for “political clearance”; nor did the Mi- Rae Bareli seats in Uttar Hare Street police station
nistry issue any clearance for enabling foreign tra-
vel by Mr. Prajwal. “No political clearance was
Pradesh that go to the polls
on May 20, sources said
in Kolkata.
The allegation came
The Hindu wins top
either sought from or issued by the MEA in res-
pect of the travel of the said MP to Germany. Ob-
Congress president Malli-
karjun Kharge had a meet-
hours before Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi was awards at international
viously, no visa note was issued either. No visa is
required for diplomatic passport holders to travel
to Germany,” he said.
ing with senior leader Ra-
hul Gandhi at Shivamogga
in Karnataka, where the
Awaiting decisions: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with AICC chief
Mallikarjun Kharge, at an election campaign in Karnataka. ANI
scheduled to arrive at the
Raj Bhavan for a night stay.
He is scheduled to address
design competition
The Hassan MP has now been suspended by two addressed an election three election rallies in
the Janata Dal (Secular). He is seeking re-election rally. shift to Rae Bareli, which is hi. In 1977, Janata Party West Bengal on Friday. The Hindu Bureau cellence in the ‘Best of
from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency where There was no informa- deemed to be a “safer leader Raj Narain famously Reacting to the allega- Double Spread’ category.
he is pitted against Congress nominee Shreyas tion on the outcome of the seat”. His mother and defeated Indira Gandhi tions, Mr. Bose said he The Hindu’s explainer page The judges noted that the
Patel. meeting. There is intense former Congress president here. would not be cowed down on Neeraj Chopra’s craft “standout sports page of
speculation that Mr. Gand- Sonia Gandhi represented Congress general secre- by engineered narratives. and success, “The science the competition was
hi may return to Amethi, a the seat from 2004. She tary Priyanka Gandhi Va- “... If anybody wants some behind Neeraj’s skills”, pu- layered with information
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
seat he lost in 2019 to Un- opted out of the Lok Sabha dra’s name has also been election benefits by ma- blished on September 3, organised on a simple grid
India protests Chinese ion Minister and BJP leader
Smriti Irani.
election race this year,
choosing to enter Parlia-
doing the rounds for one of
the two seats. On Friday,
ligning me, God bless
them. But they cannot stop
2023, has won three
awards at the 6th Interna-
around world-class illustra-
tions” and every part of
road work in PoK valley Mr. Gandhi had won the
seat in 2004, 2009, and
ment through the Rajya
Sabha instead.
Ms. Vadra is scheduled to
address a roadshow in Fa-
my fight against corruption
and violence in Bengal,”
tional Newspaper Design
Competition organised by
this page informs and en-
gages readers. They went
2014. In 2019, he contested The Congress has tehpur Sikri, some 500 km the Raj Bhavan said in a newspaperdesign.in. on to add that the pages
“We have registered our protest with the Chinese from Wayanad in addition won Rae Bareli 17 times away from both Amethi statement, quoting the were a “great balance of
side against illegal attempts to alter facts on the to Amethi. This time too, since the first general elec- and Rae Bareli. Governor. ‘Standout sports page’ strong visuals, detailed ex-
ground. We further reserve the right to take ne- he is in the fray from tion. The seat was first re- Sources, however, The ruling Trinamool The Hindu won the ‘Best of plainers and well-edited
cessary measures to safeguard our interests,” Mr. Wayanad. presented by Feroze Gand- claimed that she remains Congress said the “sanctity show’ award; ‘Gold’ in the narrative text that com-
Jaiswal added. There is also specula- hi and later on three reluctant to make her elec- of Raj Bhavan has been ‘Best of Sports Page’ cate- bined to deliver a medal-
The Shaksgam Valley is part of Pakistan-occu- tion that Mr. Gandhi could occasions by Indira Gand- toral debut. tarnished”. gory; and an award of ex- winning experience”.
pied Kashmir, and was ceded by Pakistan to China
in 1963, a year after the India-China war. Recent
satellite pictures indicate that China is building a
road into the lower Shaksgam valley. This has also
been confirmed by official sources.
The Siachen glacier is a piece of Indian territo-
BJP fields Karan, EC asks political parties to ‘Instead of
hate speeches,
ry wedged between China and Pakistan. The 2020
standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Brij Bhushan’s son, cease registering voters for seek votes on
eastern Ladakh has made the control of Siachen
even more critical for India. China has underta- from Kaiserganj performance’
ken a massive build-up and deployment along the
Line of Actual Control, especially in eastern La-
dakh, threatening Indian positions in Depsang Mayank Kumar
post-poll welfare schemes The Hindu Bureau
and Daulat Beg Oldie. LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
The Hindu Bureau tion papers for accessing
The Bharatiya Janata Party NEW DELHI the party’s promised Prime Minister Narendra
(BJP) on Thursday an- benefits. Modi will be remembered
nounced the candidature The Election Commission In its advisory, the EC as someone who “indulged
Law and order is a of Karan Bhushan Singh, (EC) on Thursday directed cited five instances that in divisive and communal
son of six-time MP Brij all political parties to cease “obscure the distinction speeches filled with lies to
State subject, says SC Bhushan Sharan Singh, enrolling or registering vo- between legitimate surveys avoid an inevitable de-
from the Kaiserganj Lok ters for post-election be- and biased attempts to en- feat”, Congress President
The ED had approached the top court claiming Sabha constituency. The neficiary-oriented rol people in programmes Mallikarjun Kharge said in
the case be transferred to it as Mr. Tiwari was a party announced Uttar Karan Bhushan Singh schemes under the “guise for political gain, all while a letter to Mr. Modi. He also
Central government employee. The hearing be- Pradesh Minister Dinesh of surveys”, saying it masquerading as legiti- rebutted the various charg-
fore Justice Gavai’s Bench was based on an origi- Pratap Singh as its candi- based political analyst, amounts to corrupt prac- mate survey activities or ef- es levelled by the Bharatiya
nal suit filed by West Bengal under Article 131 of date from Rae Bareli. said. tice under election law. The Election Commission forts to inform people Janata Party (BJP) in the
the Constitution against the Union government. In Kaiserganj, the ruling In Rae Bareli, the BJP is The poll body said some advisory comes following a about government pro- ongoing election
The State alleged that CBI was probing several cas- party denied ticket to Mr. again pitting Mr. Dinesh political parties and candi- complaint by the BJP. grammes or party agendas campaign.
es and registering FIRs within its jurisdiction with- Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Pratap Singh, an influential dates have been engaging related to potential indivi- The letter has been
out taking prior consent from the West Bengal go- who is accused of sexually local Rajput leader who in activities that blur the The EC advisory comes dual benefits”. framed as a response to
vernment. Mr. Sibal said the State had withdrawn harassing women wres- contested against senior lines between legitimate following a complaint by These included new- Mr. Modi’s missive to the
prior consent under Section 6 of the Delhi Police tlers, but ticket has been gi- Congress leader Sonia surveys and partisan ef- the BJP which had said that spaper advertisements BJP candidates asking
Special Establishment Act to CBI investigations ven to his son, a decision Gandhi in the 2019 parlia- forts to register individuals the Congress’s “Ghar Ghar urging voters to register them to spread awareness
within its territory on November 16, 2018. taken after consulting the mentary polls. Even for post-election benefici- Guarantee” outreach to themselves for benefits by among voters of the Con-
“It is not our case that there should be no inves- six-time Lok Sabha mem- though he lost, he reduced ary-oriented schemes. people was a “corrupt giving missed calls on a gress’s intention to snatch
tigation in these cases. But you cannot claim I ber. the margin of defeat in the practice amounting to mobile or calling on a tele- “reservation from SC, ST,
have a unilateral right to investigate them by giv- “The BJP had to give Congress bastion by over BJP’s complaint bribery” and urged the phone number, distribu- and OBC communities and
ing the Code of Criminal Procedure a go-by. You ticket to someone from Brij 1,60,000 votes. He polled A potential quid pro quo poll body to put a stop to it. tion of guarantee cards giv- give it away to their vote
cannot say that the offences relating to Central go- Bhushan Sharan Singh’s fa- 3,67,740 (38.36%) votes for voting and induce- Under this initiative, the ing details of schemes bank”. He urged Mr. Modi
vernment employees will be investigated only by a mily as he wields consider- against Ms. Gandhi’s ments amounts to bribery BJP claimed that the Con- along with an attached to seek votes on the perfor-
Central agency,” Mr. Sibal submitted. Solicitor- able influence in the region 5,34,918 votes (55.80%). In or corrupt practice, the EC gress and its workers are form asking for details of mance of his government
General Tushar Mehta, for the Union government, and has won the seat three the 2014 Lok Sabha elec- said in an advisory to all distributing “guarantee voters and distribution of over the last 10 years in-
said the original suit of the State was not maintain- consecutive times,” Rajni- tion, the BJP lost the seat national and regional polit- cards” to households, pre- forms seeking details and stead of indulging in “hate
able and should be dismissed by the court. kant Tripathi, a Lucknow- by over 3,50,000 votes. ical parties. senting them with applica- seeking online registration. speeches”.

Guarantee cards: Congress gateway to voters’ minds POCSO Act’s objective

Sobhana K. Nair
NEW DELHI
Every morning, between 8
a.m. and 10 a.m., before
the heat rises, Congress
worker Basvaraj Ajari
Ghadhinglaj, 55, goes door-
to-door armed with the
party’s “guarantee card” in
the Kolhapur Lok Sabha
constituency of
Maharashtra.
While the Congress ma-
nifesto has been in the li-
melight with sustained at-
tacks from Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, the gua-
rantees that sum up the
manifesto have become a
conversation starter with
voters for workers like Mr.
Ghadhinglaj.
Questions arising
The cards are printed in
Marathi, making it easier
for him to explain the five
Nyays and 25 guarantees
that the Congress is pro-
mising to deliver if it comes
to power. The party has
printed over eight crore
cards in 12 languages. In
the last week that he has
been doing the rounds
CM
YK
with the cards, the conver-
sation follows a familiar
pattern.
As he reads out the pro-
mises — usually to a group
of men — curious women
of the household stroll in
midway with questions.
The talk often gets redirect-
ed to the rising prices of es-
sential commodities. He
utilises the opportunity to
reel off comparative prices
of food items, fuel, and
LPG cylinders, during the
United Progressive Al-
liance (UPA) years and Mr.
Modi’s 10-year tenure.
“One of the questions
that is often being asked, is
‘how will the Congress find
money to deliver all these
promises?’ I simply point
to our neighbouring State
Karnataka, where our go-
vernment has already deli-
vered on all the promises,”
he remarks. It helps that
Kolhapur is located on the
Maharashtra-Karnataka
boundary.
The promise that draws
the most enthusiasm is the
Mahalakshmi Scheme.
“When I tell them that they
will receive ₹8,500 each
nected from the ground
realities in sharp contrast
to the BJP’s dense network
of Panna Pramukhs (those
in charge of each page of
the electoral roll).
In January, the party be-
gan an exercise to change
this. It instituted a central
war room, headed by
former IAS officer Sasi-
kanth Senthil. The average
age of the five members of
the war room is 39, signall-
ing a generational shift in
the decision-making pro-
cess. Mr. Senthil headed
the war room during the
Karnataka and Telangana
elections too. The 2024
Promises to keep: Congress candidates say that the ‘guarantee war room is replicating the
cards’ serve as great conversation starters with voters. ANI processes that were suc-
cessfully tested in these
month if they vote for the Ms. Semariya is glad that two States. A chain of
Congress, they are scepti- instead of pamphlets that workers was created ex-
cal at first. Then comes a she carried around in the tending from the war room
barrage of questions and 2019 election, she has in Delhi to the block level
our conversation usually cards that lend the promis- in all States.
ends with squeals of ap- es a more concrete air. “It
proval as they count the feels good that we are not Change of focus
possible ways they could asking for votes, we are Mr. Senthil believes that
use this money,” Purnima making promises,” Ms. Se- the Congress’s 2024 cam-
Semariya, who is going mariya added. paign is materially diffe-
door-to-door in Chhattis- The Congress has al- rent from their 2019 one.
garh’s Sarguja constituen- ways been criticised for be- “Our focus in 2019 was on
cy, said. ing top-heavy and discon- the narrative, today our fo-
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
cus is on the cadre and or-
can’t be ignored: SC
ganisation,” he said. Each
State capital has a war Krishnadas Rajagopal asked in court.
room that, in turn, coordi- NEW DELHI The top court was deal-
nates with districts and ing with the case of kidnap
blocks. Mr. Senthil insists The Supreme Court on and rape of a 14-year-old
that they be called “con- Thursday said the objec- girl in West Bengal. Her
nect centres”. tive of the Protection of mother had registered an
A call from Delhi, he Children from Sexual Of- FIR. However, she is cur-
said, makes a strong con- fences (POCSO) Act could rently living with her child
nection with the worker on not be ignored merely be- and the accused, whom
the ground, and that is cause child marriages con- the trial court had convict-
what these centres are de- tinue, or worse still, abus- ed under the POCSO Act.
signed for. For the worker, ers marry their minor Deciding his appeal
the guarantee cards, in victims to escape against conviction, the Cal-
turn, forge their connec- conviction. cutta High Court, in Octob-
tion with the voter. Each “What is the assurance er last year, had acquitted
card carries the signatures that he will not abandon the 20-year-old man, con-
of Congress president Mal- her after avoiding convic- cluding that both had been
likarjun Kharge and form- tion?” Justice A.S. Oka romantically linked.
er President Rahul Gandhi.
“It is a tangible assurance
from our end,” he added.
The Congress also sees
this pithy card as a tool to
counter the attack on its
manifesto from the BJP.
“Guarantee cards are an ef-
fective weapon in the hand
of the karyakarta to coun-
ter the disinformation be-
ing spread by the BJP on
the Congress manifesto,”
vice-chairman of the cen-
tral war room, Varun San-
thosh, said.
M CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 7
Chennai

ELECTIONS 2024

Naveen Patnaik, closer to three Lok Sabha
seats — Balangir, Kalahandi
Pradhan file and Bargarh — which are BJP
nominations strongholds.
The day saw heavyweights
쑽 filing nomination for the Lok
Sabha poll. Union Minister
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Dharmendra Pradhan and
on Thursday filed nomination former Minister Jual Oram
for the Kantabanji Assembly filed papers from Sambalpur
seat in Balangir district, the and Sundargarh, respectively.
second seat after his BJP spokesperson Aparajita
traditional Hinjili constituency Sarangi filed papers from
for the Odisha Assembly Bhubaneswar while BJD
election. His selection of leader and former Mumbai
Kantabanji as the second seat Police Commissioner Arup
assumes significance as it is Patnaik filed papers from Puri.
Naveen Patnaik filing papers
for the Kantabanji seat on
Thursday. BISWARANJAN ROUT
Baramulla fight
is against Delhi’s
might, RSS: NC
쑽 We have a direct contest with
National Conference
vice-president Omar Abdullah,
who filed his nomination
papers from the Baramulla
seat on Thursday, said he was
“up against Delhi’s might and
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS)”.
“Voters in the Baramulla
constituency have to make a
simple choice on May 20.
Whether they want to vote for
a local representative in
Parliament or send a Delhi’s
representative to Parliament.
Delhi’s might and Nagpur’s
RSS. They have fielded their
men against the NC and the
INDIA bloc candidates on all
seats in Kashmir,” Mr.
Abdullah said. “We will fight
for the snatched rights. I will
ensure I take the struggle to
Parliament and work hard,
even though the opponent is
very shrewd,” he said.
J.P. Nadda has
become Jhooth
Prachar Nadda... He said
Cong.’s thinking on
economic inequalities is
Maoist in nature. There
cannot be a bigger lie
JAIRAM RAMESH
Congress leader
Congress fields
Tsering Namgyal
from Ladakh
쑽
The Congress on Thursday A majority of
fielded Tsering Namgyal from the leaders of
the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat.
the INDIA bloc, including
The Congress’s central
election committee has those of the Congress
approved the name of Tsering and RJD, are either in jail
Namgyal as the candidate to or out on bail. RJD
contest the poll from Ladakh, means corruption
an official communication J.P. NADDA
from the party said. PTI BJP president

In the BJP’s scheme of things,

good politics is good economics
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Hindutva ideology believes that India’s growth is because of nationalism and not in spite of it; under the ideology, the Ram
temple is not seen as a distraction from, or barrier to, India’s development, but as an essential foundation and catalyst for it

other way round. India’s V.K. Pandian

NEWS ANALYSIS national movement ques-
Family feud: NCP (SP) candidate for Baramati,
Supriya Sule, during her campaign in Jejuri. PTI Varghese K. George
tioned the development
claims of the colonial go-
I am successor
NEW DELHI vernment on this ground, to Naveen’s
In Baramati, f only his politics
asserting that unless there
was a national govern- great values,
the Pawars “I were as good as
his economics” —
this is a familiar refrain in
ment, progress and deve-
lopment would not arrive.
The Bharatiya Janata
says Pandian
liberal commentaries Party has taken this to the

battle it out for about Prime Minister Na-

rendra Modi. The sugges-
tion is that there is a dis-
next level to argue that the
development claims of the
Congress’s nationalism
Press Trust of India
BHUBANESWAR

supremacy connect between Mr.

Modi’s economic policies
that liberal commentators
were unachievable be-
cause of its inadequate cul-
tural moorings, or even its
Unfazed by the ‘outsider’
barb from his opponents,
Naveen Patnaik’s closest
approve of, and his Hin- continuing association associate V.K. Pandian has
Shoumojit Banerjee dutva politics that they dis- with colonial ideas and said he is a “natural succes-
PUNE approve of. institutions. sor” to all the great values
The merits of the argu- Hindutva is a compre- of the Odisha Chief Minis-
s the 83-year-old Nationalist Congress ments about Mr. Modi’s hensive scheme that en- ter and that he would do

A Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar takes

on his nephew, Maharashtra Deputy
Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, for control of
economics and politics
apart, this liberal view is
formed by an inadequate
Different formula: During the consecration of the Ram temple, Narendra Modi said that by embracing
tradition and modernity, Bharat will reach the goals of prosperity by walking on both these paths. PTI
compasses all facets of the
individual and collective
lives of the people. But it is
everything under the sun
to help his “guru” serve the
people of the State.
Baramati, which goes to the polls on May 7, appreciation of Hindutva not a static one, and has In a no-holds-barred at-
the paterfamilias of the Pawar family and as an ideology, and an un- January 2024, a milestone from the development in the absence of this cultu- been dynamically evolving tack on the Bharatiya Jana-
Maharashtra’s politics faces the toughest questioning adherence to in the BJP’s political jour- agenda, or a barrier to it, ral politics, no material over time, as it confronted ta Party (BJP), Mr. Pandian
contest of his life. the dubious claim that lib- ney, is particularly the temple is an essential progress is possible, ac- new questions. Its early said it is the ruling party at
Mr. Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule eral democratic politics instructive. foundation, and a catalyst cording to the nationalist proponents clearly identi- the Centre that has done
(the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s and free market capitalism for that agenda, by view. And cultural nation- fied the opportunity pro- nothing for the ‘Odiya As-
candidate and incumbent Baramati MP), is are inevitable cohabitants. Cultural politics implication. alism protects the econom- vided by universal fran- mita’ or for promoting the
pitted against Mr. Ajit’s wife, Sunetra Pawar Hindutva understands Connecting the country’s This idea is common to ic interests of the country chise to build a Hindu language, art and culture
(the ruling Mahayuti’s candidate), and the the link between politics material progress to the re- all forms of economic na- as a whole, as opposed to polity. It believes that pro- of the State despite repeat-
contest is leavened with high political drama and economics differently. surgence of cultural polit- tionalism, and Hindutva is the particular interests of gress is possible only when ed pleas by the Chief
which has seen bitter foes turning into The free market slogan, ics, he said: “We are wit- only a more strident var- groups within that might Hindus are united. Minister.
overnight friends across the six Assembly “good economics is good nessing that this iant of that. Consolidation want to undermine nation- Global liberals think that Asked about his being
segments in the Lok Sabha constituency. politics”, works in the in- construction is not causing of national identity al sovereignty in pursuit of India’s growth is in spite of seen as a successor to Mr.
On paper, the arithmetic seems to favour verse in the Hindutva any fire, but, in fact, is giv- through cultural tropes is profits globally. To para- nationalism, but Hindutva Patnaik, Mr. Pandian said,
Mr. Ajit and the Mahayuti as his ‘palace scheme of things, as “good ing birth to energy… Em- not in contradiction with phrase Stephen Bannon, a thinks it is because of it. It “I’m a natural successor to
revolution’ in July last year, which split the politics is good econom- bracing the sacredness of ambitions in the fields of champion of current could be called the “Hin- all the great values he pos-
NCP founded by his uncle in 1999, has ics”. This is a strand of tradition and the endless economy or technology, or American nationalism, “it dutva rate of growth” in sesses, whether it’s his im-
completely upset the political balance in thought that runs through possibilities of modernity, in global standing. In fact, has an economy, but a na- contradistinction to the peccable integrity, his
Baramati. all of Mr. Modi’s speeches, Bharat will reach the goals it is cultural assertion and tion is not an economy”. phrase “the Hindu rate of commitment to the people
As a result, Mr. Sharad Pawar (and Ms. but the one he made dur- of prosperity by walking consolidation that leads to Historically, nationalism growth”, which denoted of Odisha, his hard work,
Sule) today has no MLA in the NCP (SP) camp. ing the consecration of the on both these paths.” Far progress, growth, and sees politics as the mover the slow growth of the pre- punctuality, sincerity, eve-
The father and daughter are dependent on Ram temple in Ayodhya in from being a distraction prosperity. Not only that, of economics and not the liberalisation era. rything.”
the goodwill of their Maha Vikas Aghadi ally,
the Congress, which holds the Bhor and
Purandar segments.
Khadakwasla, which has the largest
concentration of voters (4.7 lakh), is firmly in
the grip of the ruling BJP. So is the Daund
Big names try their luck in Madhya Pradesh’s battle royale
Assembly segment, whose legislator is the
BJP’s Rahul Kul. Mehul Malpani tions from some consti- terms, including once with tion of the BJP’s 2019 stra-
His wife, Kanchan Kul, was the saffron GUNA tuencies have led obser- the BJP. tegy, the Congress has
party’s candidate in the 2019 general vers to believe that the Mr. Singh, 77, known for fielded Rao Yadvendra
election. While Ms. Sule coasted to victory Political fortunes of two upcoming phase could be his hold on the Congress’ Singh Yadav, who had
with a comfortable margin of more than 1.5 former Chief Ministers and the Congress’ best shot in organisation across the switched sides just before
lakh votes, Ms. Kul performed creditably, a Union Home Minister the State. State, is using a localised the 2023 Assembly elec-
garnering more than 40% of the vote share as and the control of the cru- The party has intensi- approach to campaign, tion, hoping to consolidate
opposed to Ms. Sule’s 52%. cial Gwalior-Chambal re- fied its campaigning for the while also trying to strike votes of the Yadav com-
Both Khadakwasla and Daund had voted gion will be at stake when third phase with Rahul an emotional chord declar- munity.
against Ms. Sule (and the NCP) in the last voters from nine consti- Gandhi holding a rally in ing that this is his last elec- While Mr. Singh and Mr.
election. tuencies in Madhya Pra- Bhind and warning voters tion. Scindia have limited them-
This leaves the other two Assembly desh vote on May 7. that the BJP will “throw The Congress leader, selves to campaigning in
segments — Baramati and neighbouring In Phase 3 of the elec- away” the Constitution if it however, has an uphill task their respective consti-
Indapur, both totally dominated by Mr. Ajit. tion in the State, BJP candi- returns to power. in bridging Mr. Nagar’s tuencies, Mr. Chouhan has
Last time, it was Mr. Ajit, as Ms. Sule’s date Shivraj Singh Chou- From the BJP, Prime Mi- 2019 victory margin of 4.31 been touring the State to
“campaign manager” in the undivided NCP, han, who was the State’s nister Narendra Modi, Un- BJP candidate from Guna Jyotiraditya Scindia addressing a public lakh as he will look to over- campaign for party candi-
who had ensured a lead of 1.25 lakh votes for longest serving Chief Mi- ion Home Minister Amit meeting at Athai Kheda village in Madhya Pradesh. A.M. FARUQUI come the BJP’s popularity dates as the people in Vid-
his cousin from the key Baramati Assembly nister, is returning to his Shah, and national presi- among the OBCs in the isha say that he appears
segment alone. (Mr. Ajit has been an MLA traditional Vidisha consti- dent J.P. Nadda have cam- chosen to lead the BJP’s go- term from Vidisha, a con- constituency and the Hin- comfortable in one of BJP’s
from Baramati a record seven times since tuency after nearly 20 paigned in Morena, Betul vernment in the State. The stituency he held from 1991 dutva factor. safest seats in the State.
1991). years. and Rajgarh. 65-year-old held the State’s to 2005. He is facing senior One of the most keenly
This time around, Mr. Ajit, along with the Another former Chief top post until 2023, bar- Congress leader Bhanu Reclaiming the bastion watched contest will be
BJP top brass and the NDA alliance, have Minister, Congress veteran Diverse regions ring a 15-month period Pratap Sharma, 77, who re- In Guna, Mr. Scindia, the from Morena in the Cham-
thrown their full weight behind Ms. Sunetra. Digvijaya Singh, is contest- Spread across a large por- when the Congress was in presented the seat from scion of the erstwhile Gwa- bal belt as the Congress
A key region in western Maharashtra, ing from his home turf Raj- tion of the State, the consti- power from 2018 to 2020. 1980 to 1984. lior kingdom, looks to re- hopes to wrest the seat
Baramati has its politics revolving round garh after 30 years. Union tuencies fall under diffe- And though he was not de- Another stalwart, Mr. claim his family’s bastion from the BJP after nearly
influential sugar barons and political clans in Minister Jyotiraditya Scin- rent regions and have clared the BJP’s face in the Singh is working to reignite that he had lost in 2019 three decades. The seat is
this region. dia, who lost his family varying demography and 2023 Assembly election, his old connect in Rajgarh when he was with the locked in a three-way fight
Given the intense rivalry between the seat of Guna as a Congress issues. The northern-most Mr. Chouhan is credited to as he takes on the BJP’s Congress. with the BSP, despite the
Pawar family and other prominent political candidate in 2019, is hop- Gwalior-Chambal region have defied the anti-incum- two-time MP Rodmal Na- This will be Mr. Scindia’s downward trend in its vote
families here, Mr. Ajit and the Mahayuti ing to regain the consti- that shares boundaries bency trend and led the gar who is facing anti-in- first election since he shift- share, continuing to have a
gained considerable success in mending tuency on BJP ticket. with Uttar Pradesh and Ra- party to a resounding cumbency sentiments. ed to the BJP in March significance presence in
fences with old rivals. Apart from these seats, jasthan is heavily in- majority. Mr. Singh, fondly called 2020, leading a rebellion the area.
According to observers, a defeat for Ms. Morena, Bhind (SC) and fluenced by caste politics. However, Mr. Chouhan, Raja Saheb, hails from the with 22 MLAs to bring Bhind (SC) and Gwalior
Sunetra would pose a big question mark on Gwalior seats of the crucial Unemployment, poverty fondly called Mama, was erstwhile royal family of down the Kamal Nath-led are expected to see caste
Mr. Ajit’s political future in Mahayuti. Gwalior-Chambal belt, and and migration are the key replaced as Chief Minister Rajgarh’s Raghogarh and Congress government. equations play a major role
If Ms. Sule loses, it would mean the Bhopal, Sagar, and Betul issues in the tribal-domi- with a younger face, Ujjain his family has long enjoyed The BJP fielded him af- in the polls with voters and
twilight of Baramati’s idol — Mr. Sharad. (ST) will also vote on May 7. nated Betul. MLA Mohan Yadav. After a a dominance in the region ter denying ticket to in- local BJP leaders admitting
Either way, the last verse of this Homeric At present, all the nine Mr. Chouhan had vacat- few months of suspense as he held the seat for two cumbent MP K.P. Yadav, that the Congress’ candi-
tussle between the Pawars has yet to be seats are held by the ruling ed the Vidisha constituen- over his future role, Mr. terms and his brother Lax- who had defeated Mr. Scin- date selection has made
written. BJP, but emerging equa- cy in 2005 when he was Chouhan is back for a sixth man Singh held it for five dia last time. In a replica- the contests more intense.
CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE
YK
 THE HINDU
8 Friday, May 3, 2024

News Chennai

INBRIEF
쑽 Manipur violence: a year Year since conflict,
kin of missing Meiteis
on, number of FIRs brought in Delhi seek closure
down from 11,000 to 3,000 Abhinay Lakshman
NEW DELHI
#Justice4MissingMeeteis”.
In the one year of the
conflict between the val-
The number of cases had shot up owing to overlap, several duplicate FIRs for the same incident Nearly six months after her ley-based Meitei people
19-year-old son Anthony and the hills-based Kuki-Zo
and thousands of zero FIRs, says official; Biren Singh appeals to people to surrender weapons
ED gets custody of Haryana went missing upon cross-
ing the buffer zone, Prem-
tribals, over 220 people
have been killed, thou-
Congress MLA’s son till May 6 lata Ningthoujam keeps a sands of others have been
Vijaita Singh violence stood at 150, plate out for him even to- injured, and tens of thou-
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken the NEW DELHI while subsequently 71 had day while they eat their sands of people have been
custody of Sikandar Singh Chhoker, son of been killed, bringing the daily meals. A tradition in internally displaced. Amid
Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker, in the year after ethnic death toll to 221. As many Meitei communities, the this, while the Meitei com-
case of Sai Aaina Farms Private Limited and
others for allegedly siphoning off hundreds of
crores of homebuyers’ money related to multiple
A violence erupted in
Manipur, the clean-
up of records has brought
as 15 members of the Kuki-
Zo community and 32
members of the Meitei
practice is something fami-
lies follow in the hopes that
their loved ones will re-
munity has said that there
was no news of 31 of their
people still missing, the
projects in Gurugram, the agency said on down the total number of community have been mis- turn. “Every time we clear Kuki-Zo people have said 15
Thursday. It is alleged that Mr. Sikandar had been violence-related first infor- sing for a year. the untouched plate, our of theirs were still unac-
absconding for the past four months and was mation reports (FIRs) from Mr. Singh said in a post hearts break all over counted for.
traced to Haridwar in Uttarakhand on April 30. A over 11,000 to around on X that the first phase of again,” Ms. Ningthoujam
court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants 3,000, a government deportation of “illegal im- said. Ex-journalist missing
against him. After arresting him, the probe source told The Hindu. migrants” from Myanmar She was among dozens In the national capital for
agency produced him before a special court, The number of cases was completed on Thurs- of people who arrived in the gathering, 47-year-old
which sent him to ED custody till May 6. had shot up owing to over- day as 38 immigrants left Delhi on Thursday in a bid Kabita Atom said: “I last
lap, several duplicate FIRs The first phase of deportation of “illegal immigrants” from Myanmar Manipur for Myanmar to make an appeal to find saw my husband on May 6
for the same incident and has been completed, the Manipur government said. @NBIRENSINGH/X through the Moreh border their loved ones — people last year. That afternoon,
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

thousands of zero FIRs, the
SC advocates’ association official said. Zero FIRs are
filed irrespective of juris-
elects new office-bearers diction and are later trans-
ferred to the police station
The powerful Supreme Court Advocate-on where the crime took
-Record Association (SCAORA), which place.
spearheaded the case against the National Chief Minister N. Biren
Judicial Appointments Commission, elected a Singh said that the people
change of guard in polls held recently. Advocate should be united and there
Vipin Nair was elected president of SCAORA in should be no attempts to
the election held on April 29. Mr. Nair, a former divide society. “Those who
secretary of SCAORA, has been a part of several have committed the crimes
public interest litigation pleas, including those in should be prosecuted le-
the NJAC and the right to privacy writ involving gally. I appeal to the people
Aadhaar. Advocate Amit Sharma, who represents from both sides to surren-
the Election Commission in the top court, was der weapons,” Mr. Singh
also elected vice-president. Advocates Nikhil Jain told The Hindu.
and Aljo Joseph were elected secretary and More than 4,500 wea-
treasurer, respectively. pons were looted from pol-
ice armouries after ethnic
violence erupted in the
State on May 3, 2023. Till
now, around 1,800 wea-
pons have been recovered
or surrendered by the civi-
lians. The conflict is bet-
ween the tribal Kuki-Zo pe-
ople and the majority
Meitei community.
The government source
said that thousands were
displaced and due to the
prevailing law and order
situation, they registered
FIRs at places convenient
to them, which also includ-
ed neighbouring States.
“If an arson has taken
place in a village, several
FIRs were registered for
the same crime, a team
was constituted that
cleaned up the records,”
said the source.
According to a status re-
port filed by the State go-
vernment on August 1 last
year, 4,766 regular FIRs
were registered till July 30
the same year. Out of 11,414
zero FIRs, as many as 6,621
FIRs were converted to reg-
ular FIRs, the report said,
adding that “there is an
overlap of offences”.
The death toll in the in-
itial three months of the
check post. “Without any
discrimination, we have
completed the first phase
of deportation of illegal im-
migrants from Myanmar
with 38 more immigrants
leaving Manipur today
through Moreh. A total of
77 illegal immigrants have
been deported in the first
phase. One Indian national
was also brought back
from Myanmar during the
handover ceremony. The
State government is conti-
nuing the identification of
illegal immigrants and at
the same time biometric
data are being recorded,”
he said.
who were reported to have
gone missing in the course
of the ethnic conflict in Ma-
nipur, which began one
year ago on May 3, 2023.
A group of Meitei civil
society organisations had
brought the families to-
gether for a press meet at
the Press Club of India in
New Delhi, stating that
there was still no news of 31
people from the communi-
ty who had gone missing
during the conflict. As the
families addressed the
press, a poster behind
them had pictures of those
missing, with the phrase:
“Let them Rest in Peace,
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
he was visiting a friend and
he told me on the phone
that he would be back
soon. We never saw him af-
ter that.” A former journal-
ist, Atom Samarendra,
along with his friend Y. Ki-
ran Kumar, had gone mis-
sing that day.
“If he is alive, then we
request that he be released
and if not, at least his re-
mains should be sent back
to us for the last rites,” she
said, adding that while the
Manipur police registered
a First Information Report
that very day, they had not
got in touch with them
since about the probe.

‘Chinese govt. was ultimate USCIRF is

paymaster of NewsClick’
Ishita Mishra
NEW DELHI
The Delhi Police have ac-
cused NewsClick founder
Prabir Purkayastha and hu-
man resources head of the
news portal Amit Chakra-
borty of acting at the beh-
est of the Chinese govern-
ment, which the
chargesheet describes as
their “ultimate
paymaster”.
The chargesheet filed
under anti-terror law Un-
lawful Activities (Preven-
tion) Act (UAPA) is primari-
ly based on the police’s
interpretation of strings of
emails exchanged between
Mr. Purkayastha, Ameri-
can millionaire Neville Roy
Singham and a few others
(whose role in the case is
under investigation), along
with the testimonies of
protected witnesses,
which includes employees
of the news portal.
In the 169-page primary
The chargesheet says
accused wanted to
replace Indian
democracy with
party-state system
chargesheet that has 7,382
pages of annexures, the
police say that Mr. Pur-
kayastha and Mr. Singham
were conspiring “nothing
else but to forcibly replace
Indian democracy with the
party-state system similar
to the one that exists in
present-day China”.
The chargesheet also al-
leged that Mr. Purkayastha
infused funds from China
into India to stoke and sus-
tain the 2020 Delhi riots
and even the farmers’
protest.
The police said that the
accused allied with, sup-
ported and funded Pakis-
tan-sponsored Kashmiri
terrorists’ groups and
Maoist LWE (Left Wing Ex-
tremist) organisations.
The chargesheet also al-
leged that out of the funds
received from Mr. Sing-
ham, Mr. Purkayastha gave
₹36 lakh to a person with
the direction to give it
further to Sharjeel Imam
for inciting the Delhi riots
of 2020.
Meanwhile, NewsClick
has rejected allegations
made by the police in the
chargesheet and main-
tained that neither is Mr.
Purkayastha associated
with any terror outfit nor is
there any evidence for the
same.
The organisation said
that the investigations by
the Delhi Police and other
agencies are attempts to
target its independent
journalism.
The Special Cell of the
Delhi Police arrested Mr.
Purkayastha and Mr. Chak-
raborty on October 3 last
year. They have been in
judicial custody since.
biased and
has a political
agenda: MEA
The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI
India on Thursday hit out
at the U.S. Commission on
International Religious
Freedom (USCIRF), and
said that it is trying to “in-
terfere” in the Indian elec-
tion process. Speaking to
the media during the week-
ly interaction, Ministry of
External Affairs spokesper-
son Randhir Jaiswal de-
scribed the U.S. govern-
ment entity, which came
out with a report on reli-
gious freedom earlier this
week, as a “biased organi-
sation with a political
agenda”.
The report had de-
manded that India should
be declared by the U.S. go-
vernment as a “country of
particular concern” be-
cause of what it described
as “particularly severe reli-
gious freedom violations”.
Centre to train State police
forces on new criminal laws
S. Vijay Kumar
CHENNAI
The Union government has
rolled out an intensive
training strategy for police
and prison department
personnel across the coun-
try on the new criminal
laws and to sensitise them
to the transition from the
colonial legacies to a new
system of justice.
In a communication to
heads of police forces and
prison departments, the
Ministry of Home Affairs
said Parliament had re-
placed the three existing
laws, namely the Indian
Penal Code, 1860; the Code
of Criminal Procedure,
1973; and the Indian Evi-
dence Act, 1872 by three
new progressive and mod-
ern pieces of legislation —
the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhi-
ta, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik
Suraksha Sanhita, 2023;
and Bharatiya Sakshya Ad-
hiniyam, 2023,
The Bureau of Police Research
& Development developed a
training module. FILE PHOTO
respectively.
The new laws that were
aimed at providing speedy
justice to the citizens and
strengthening the judicial
and court management
system were based on the
principle of access to jus-
tice by all and would come
into force from July 1.
The Home Ministry said
the new criminal law had
several new provisions,
synchronised with mod-
ern-day times and contem-
porary technologies. They
were envisaged at bringing
in an era of ease of policing
and justice. It was the en-
deavour of the Union go-
vernment to reach out to
all ranks of police and pri-
son officers in the country
to make them aware of the
positive and advanced
changes so as to equip
them with the basic know-
ledge and understanding
of various new provisions.
The Bureau of Police Re-
search & Development
(BPR&D), a premier train-
ing and research arm of
the Home Ministry, had de-
veloped the Training of
Trainers’ module and va-
rious other training pro-
grammes for different le-
vels of police/prison
personnel on the new cri-
minal laws. Integration had
been completed with the
‘Integrated Government
Online Training’ (iGOT)
portal to make the courses
available to the trainees.
‘All adverse
events after
vaccine being
monitored’
The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI
All adverse events follow-
ing immunisation (AEFI)
after COVID-19 vaccina-
tions continue to be moni-
tored, a senior Union
Health Ministry official,
who did not wish to be
named, said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, phar-
maceutical company As-
traZeneca admitted in a
U.K. court that its COVID-19
vaccine had the potential
to cause thrombosis with
thrombocytopenia syn-
drome (TTS), a rare side ef-
fect associated with blood
clotting.
“After 2022-23, the de-
mand for COVID vaccine
dropped and now we are
seeing less than a lakh peo-
ple coming in for vaccina-
tion or the booster dose,”
public health expert N.K.
Arora said.

To solve this puzzle online,

SCAN TO PLAY
SUDOKU
14165 get across to our crossword site. 쑽
@ https://qrgo.page.link/jjpTn
(set by Saral)

14 Husband checking attractive vocation (5)

15 Grab bits of guava (ripe) fruit (7)
18 Partners returning incentives including benefit (7)
19 Second tenor with often best composition (5)
20 Used my parents' names once at first, created Saral, for
example (9)
24 Troop falsely arresting journalist for explosive (7)
25 They cover, perhaps home with certain risk initially (7)
27 Careless chap beside blazing ingle (9)
28 Man driving out large untied animal (5)
Down
1 Dossier about company director on vacation is returned (6)
2 Restricts drunk son outside empty IIM (6)
3 Snowman still followed by Indian? (4)
4 Chairs before teams (8)
5 Complaint of general (army officer) diagnosed at last (6,4)
6 Harry, I've coins for bills (8)
7 Problems in note by assessors (8)
9 Yearns for trees (5)
13 Feeling it induces vomit while circling passage (10)
15 German maiden decked by fantastic set, one in diamond, say
Across (8)
8 The best among the literates (5) 16 Adjust, say ring of intimate friend (5,3)
9 Auditor's private staff (9) 17 Blows up old cartel finally with dopes in shambles (8)
21 Expel European champion missing gold (5)
10 View over wing (7)
22 New marker is thin (6)
11 Sly mobs defiled logos (7)
23 Eliminate the German behind drink counter (6)
12 Scattered and chased by daughter, spiders wandering near
base (9) 26 Score? Zero for wrestler (4)
CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
YK
Solution to previous puzzle
FAITH
쑽
Dwelling places of Lakshmi
People can follow the tenets of the Vedas but cannot ques-
tion them. They have been time-tested and followed by va-
rious sages and saints from the days of yore and handed to
us. The Vedas teach about dharmas. Because of the Vedas,
dharmas are established, and because dharmas are fol-
lowed, Vedas are fostered.
Sri Anantha Padmanabhachariar Swamy said in a dis-
course that “Upanyasam” (discourse) means to bring a
person nearer to God, like the Upanishads. The common
cherished desire of all human beings is to derive wealth
(Lakshmikataksham).
Karma yoga includes the performance of yagnas and
Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku
giving to charity. For all these, wealth is essential. People
can earn money to lead a legitimate and pious life. An oft-
repeated question is where Goddess Lakshmi (in charge of
wealth) will reside. The simple answer is that She dwells in
all places where righteous activities and good deeds are
undertaken. Rama Himself worshipped Sri Ranganatha,
showing that worshipping Kuladevatha (presiding deity) is
important.
Goddess Mahalakshmi declares that she will reside in
those houses where the following dharmas are practised:
guests coming to a house are well received and enter-
tained; poojas are done with sincere devotion.
M CH-CHE

Friday, May 3, 2024
Chennai
THE STRATEGY
My aim is to bowl a lot of dot balls
as they create wickets: Harpreet
X X
PBKS left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar revealed his strategy while
bowling to some of the big hitters in the IPL. “I don’t think wickets,
my aim is to bowl a lot of dot balls as dot balls create wickets. When
there is spin in the surface, the bowlers’ confidence goes up and it is
a bit helpful,” said Harpreet Brar after the win against CSK.
Sunrisers pull off a one-run heist with
a thrilling last-ball victory over Royals
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Bhuvneshwar bowls a brilliant final over to complement his first; Jaiswal and Parag’s fantastic stand to no avail; Nitish sizzles for the host
Home heroes: Nitish put on attacking masterclass, while the wily Bhuvneshwar struck when it mattered most. B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
IPL-17
V.V. Subrahmanyam
HYDERABAD
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
turned out to be the hero,
striking the big blows
when it mattered most, to
help Sunrisers Hyderabad
pull off a sensational one-
run win over table-topper
Rajasthan Royals, in an IPL
match at the Rajiv Gandhi
Stadium here on Thursday.
With 13 runs needed off
the last over bowled by
Bhuvneshwar, the match
We were muddled and inaccurate
with bat and ball, says Fleming
Dube. S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
Sankar Narayanan E.H.
CHENNAI
Chennai Super Kings
coach Stephen Fleming
said the pitch getting ea-
sier to bat in the second in-
nings and the rival spin-
ners winning the
middle-overs battle in the
first essay proved crucial
in his side’s heavy loss to
CM
YK
FILE PHOTO
came down to two runs off
the last ball. He trapped
the big-hitting Rovman Po-
well leg-before to trigger
celebrations in the stands
and in the team’s dug out.
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar
produced a dream first ov-
er, sending back Impact
Player Jos Buttler and San-
ju Samson for ducks to
make an early dent to
Royals’ hopes, who were
chasing 202 for a win.
But the visitors stayed in
the hunt when the young
guns Yashasvi Jaiswal (67,
40b, 7x4, 2x6) and Riyan
Parag (77, 49b, 8x4, 4x6)
Punjab Kings.
“They got good pur-
chase and we just got sti-
fled through the middle
overs… we were muddled
and inaccurate with bat
and ball,” Fleming said on
Wednesday.
“Every match we played
has been wet. Our spin-
ners have had no impact
because they could not
SOLID SUPPORT
Kohli is ‘one of the best’ to ever
play the game, says de Villiers
A.B. de Villiers heaped praise on Virat Kohli, saying he is “one of the
best” to ever play the game. “He’s incredible in the IPL, he plays a
certain role for RCB, and I’ve pretty much had enough of
data-driven pundits who keep criticising this man. I’m frustrated to
say the least,” said de Villiers.
put on 134 off 82 balls by
treating the bowlers with
contempt and playing
strokes all over the park.
SRH skipper Pat Cum-
mins’ third and fourth ov-
ers, during which he
picked up the wickets of
Parag and Dhruv Jurel
without being expensive,
put the home team back in
the hunt.
Earlier, the in-form
opener Abhishek Sharma
and Anmolpreet Singh fell
cheaply as the home team
scored just 37 for two in
the PowerPlay against a
disciplined Royals bowling
turn the ball.”
He also backed Ajinkya
Rahane’s timid approach
in the PowerPlay.
“I thought he was good.
He was probably too ag-
gressive in terms of what
he was trying to do. We
have to pause to see what a
good score is.
“If you’re three for 30
then the game is pretty
THE HINDU
Sport
VIJAY SONEJI
attack. Travis Head, who
scored 18 runs off 17 balls in
the first six overs, was
lucky to survive when a
slash off the first ball of the
innings from Trent Boult
just flew past Parag at back-
ward point.
Soon the left-hander
switched gears, and in the
company of the free-strok-
ing Nitish Kumar Reddy (76
not out, 42b, 3x4, 8x6),
pulled and lofted leggie
Yuzvendra Chahal for two
sixes in the ninth over.
Later, Nitish hit two
huge sixes and a four in
Chahal’s third over and
much over. We have an as-
sessment period which we
want those two (openers)
to do. So, we’re fine with
the role Rahane plays,”
Fleming added.
PBKS batter Rilee Ros-
souw lauded skipper Sam
Curran’s brave call to give
the penultimate over to
leg-spinner Rahul Chahar
with M.S. Dhoni on strike.
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
INJURY UPDATE
‘Nitish has started batting now,
working towards getting match fit’
X X
He may have resumed batting in the nets but Nitish Rana, who
injured his finger while fielding during KKR’s season opener, is not
yet available for selection. “He is on the road to recovery. He has
started batting and getting match fit is something he is working
towards,” said Abhishek Nayar, KKR assistant coach.
SCOREBOARD
쑽
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Travis Head b Avesh 58 (44b, 6x4,
3x6), Abhishek Sharma c Jurel b
Avesh 12 (10b, 1x6), Anmolpreet
Singh c Jaiswal b Sandeep 5 (5b,
1x4), Nitish Reddy (not out) 76
(42b, 3x4, 8x6), Heinrich Klaasen
(not out) 42 (19b, 3x4, 3x6); Extras
(w-8): 8; Total (for three wkts. in 20
overs): 201.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-25 (Abhishek, 4.1 overs), 2-35
(Anmolpreet, 5.1), 3-131 (Head,
14.4).
ROYALS BOWLING
Boult 4-0-33-0, Ashwin 4-0-36-0,
Avesh 4-0-39-2, Sandeep 4-0-31-1,
Chahal 4-0-62-0.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Yashasvi Jaiswal b Natarajan 67
(40b, 7x4, 2x6), Jos Buttler
(Impact Player in place of
Chahal) c Jansen b Bhuvneshwar
0 (1b), Sanju Samson b
Bhuvneshwar 0 (3b), Riyan Parag c
Jansen b Cummins 77 (49b, 8x4,
4x6), Shimron Hetmyer c Jansen b
Natarajan 13 (9b, 1x4, 1x6),
Rovman Powell lbw b
then one over extra-cover
off pacer Sandeep Sharma
to show his class.
Nitish’s two crucial
stands — 96 (57 balls) with
Head (58, 44b, 6x4, 3x6)
Super Kings, blowing hot and cold,
face a steep climb to the playoffs
S. Dipak Ragav
CHENNAI
At the core of Chennai Sup-
er Kings’ metronomic con-
sistency in the IPL has been
its ability to have a clear
game-plan and stick to it,
even in the face of adversi-
ty, and not be reactive. But
the team’s journey in 2024
has been anything but that.
CSK has blown hot and
cold, unable to string to-
gether a series of good re-
sults. When it wins, it dom-
inates the tie from start to
finish. But at the same
time, it has meekly surren-
dered in defeats and ap-
peared to be behind the
eight-ball throughout,
showing it has been out-
played. After its fifth defeat
of the campaign — and the
fifth straight reverse
against Punjab Kings — on
Wednesday, the defending
champion faces a steep
climb to make the playoffs.
Super Kings had a gol-
den chance of getting clos-
K.R. DEEPAK
Bhuvneshwar 27 (15b, 3x4, 1x6),
Dhruv Jurel c Abhishek b Cummins
1 (3b), R. Ashwin (not out) 2 (2b);
Extras (nb-2, w-11): 13; Total (for
seven wkts. in 20 overs): 200.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-1 (Buttler, 0.2), 2-1 (Samson,
0.5), 3-135 (Jaiswal, 13.3), 4-159
(Parag, 15.5), 5-181 (Hetmyer,
17.4), 6-182 (Jurel, 18.1), 7-200
(Powell, 19.6).
SUNRISERS BOWLING
Bhuvneshwar 4-0-41-3, Jansen
4-0-44-0, Cummins 4-0-34-2,
Natarajan 4-0-35-2, Unadkat
(Impact Player in place of
Anmolpreet) 2-0-23-0, Nitish
1-0-12-0, Shahbaz 1-0-11-0.
Toss: SRH; PoM: Bhuvneshwar.
SRH won by one run.
for the third wicket and an
unbeaten 70 with Heinrich
Klaasen (42 not out, 19b,
3x4, 3x6) — saw Sunrisers
come back strongly and
breach the 200-run mark.
In hot water: CSK has deviated from its philosophy and struggled.
S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
er to qualifying when they
had three successive
matches at home. Howev-
er, the five-time winner lost
the plot with two defeats
and will need to get its act
together in the remaining
four fixtures.
For a team famed for its
philosophy of consistency
in selection and playing to
its strengths, it has deviat-
ed from this philosophy
and struggled to nail its
combination.
While CSK has been cre-
GETTING IT STRAIGHT
You can’t judge yourself based on
just the run-rate, says Shepherd
Romario Shepherd, who smashed 32 runs in an over against Delhi
Capitals, has now lost his place in the Mumbai Indians side.
“Sometimes you can’t judge yourself based on just the run-rate. You
have to ask yourself if you did exactly what you wanted to do. I try
to assess as fast as possible and try to come up with plans,” he said.
KKR hopes to make
life difficult for MI
Engrossing: Salt’s pyrotechnics have lit up this edition.
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Amol Karhadkar
MUMBAI
For long, facing Kolkata
Knight Riders used to be
like a walk in the park for
Mumbai Indians, and its
batting mainstay Rohit
Sharma.
But even the bogey team
has turned the reputation
around in the last few
years.
Add to it the form this
season and it puts the
home under severe pres-
sure come Friday night at
the Wankhede Stadium.
Another loss will put Mum-
bai Indians’ – placed at the
ninth place in a table of 10 –
mathematical hopes of
making the Indian Premier
League Playoffs up in the
air.
The Knight Riders – on
the other hand – will look
to solidify its position as a
clear second-placed team
with its seventh win of the
season.
The only solace that
Hardik Pandya and Co. will
have is the Knight Riders’
poor record while bowling
at its den. The conditions
at the Wankhede and Eden
Gardens are quite similar,
with flat decks, short boun-
daries and dew making life
miserable for bowlers with
every passing over.
dited for reviving Shivam
Dube’s career by providing
clarity on his role, the same
cannot be said for some
others this year. It has
struggled to get its combi-
nation right, from bench-
ing Rachin Ravindra after a
few quiet outings to persist-
ing with an underperform-
ing Ajinkya Rahane.
The outfit has also been
unable to identify the right
slots for Daryl Mitchell and
Moeen Ali.
Against PBKS, the team’s
9
EMMANUAL YOGINI
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
With the Knight Riders’
bowling unit having fal-
tered at home, the Mumbai
Indians batters will be hop-
ing to make merry, for a
change. The onus will be
on veteran Rohit Sharma
to set the tone against
Mitchell Starc.
Despite Starc succumb-
ing to the price-tag pres-
sure, Rohit’s woes against
left-arm pace have come to
the fore repeatedly this
season.
Rohit and Ishan Kishan
will have to come out all
guns blazing to match the
onslaught of their Knight
Riders counterparts – Sunil
Narine and Phil Salt – who
have been taking virtually
every opposition attack to
pieces.
batting order reflected the
confused thinking. After
losing Shivam Dube in the
ninth over, the team pro-
moted Ravindra Jadeja to
four despite having Moeen
Ali, who can be aggressive
against pace and spin. Jade-
ja also struggled at number
four in the home match
against LSG, coming ahead
of Dube. The all-rounder
has often been more effec-
tive when coming lower
down toward the final
phase of the innings. Mitch-
ell, who finally found form
at number three in the pre-
vious game, was shunted
down.
The team has also unde-
rutilised Moeen, wasting an
overseas slot on a player
who is not getting a chance
to make a mark with bat or
ball. Going forward, CSK
can ill-afford to waste re-
sources and need to quick-
ly identify its core group if
it hopes to get its title de-
fence campaign back on
track.
M CH-CHE

10
Good, but...Though proving his worth as a ‘designated’ finisher,
Rinku does not find a place in the World Cup squad. FILE PHOTO
‘Rinku has done
nothing wrong’
Amol Karhadkar
MUMBAI
His family was ready to
burst firecrackers. But, it
was not to be.
Instead of celebrating
their son’s selection for the
T20 World Cup, Rinku
Singh’s parents were sur-
prised at his omission from
India’s provisional squad.
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Since his debut for India
in the shortest format in
August last year, Rinku, a
‘designated finisher’, has
been dismissed only four
times in the 11 innings he
has batted in the National
blues. Despite emerging as
a reliable finisher, Rinku
has been overlooked with
the selectors preferring to
add all-rounders Axar Patel
and Shivam Dube. As a re-
sult, the left-hander has to
be content as a travelling
reserve.
Ajit Agarkar, the chair-
man of the national selec-
tion panel, admitted it was
a harsh call without the
player’s fault.
“It’s probably the tough-
A fit Hardik gives the balance the team needs: Agarkar South Africa women
Complete backing: Agarkar and skipper Rohit are confident Hardik
can things turn around at the T20 WC. EMMANUAL YOGINI
India beats Bangladesh to take unassailable lead Indian shuttlers’ campaign
INDIA IN BANGLADESH
Press Trust of India
SYLHET
A dominant India grabbed
an unassailable 3-0 lead in
the five-match women's
T20I series as it pum-
melled Bangladesh by se-
ven wickets in the third
match here on Thursday.
After skipper Harman-
preet Kaur opted to field
first looking at the cloud
cover and a mild breeze,
India's bowlers dished out
another disciplined perfor-
mance to restrict Bangla-
desh to 117 for eight, which
the visitor overhauled with
nine balls to spare.
Useful partnership
When they came to bat,
openers Smriti Mandhana
and Shafali Verma put on
91 runs in just 12.1 overs to
take India closer to a series
win.
Shafali got out after a 38-
ball 51, hitting eight fours,
while Mandhana found
form as she struck 47 off 42
balls with the help of five
boundaries and a six.
Ritu Moni took a blinder
off her bowling to dismiss
CM
YK
est thing that we had to dis-
cuss, frankly. He has done
nothing wrong, nor has
Shubman Gill, for that mat-
ter. It’s the combinations.
We are not quite sure what
conditions we’ll get, so we
wanted to try and have
enough options,” Agarkar
said here on Thursday.
“There are a couple of
spinners (Chahal and Kul-
deep) that were included in
the squad to give Rohit
more options. It’s just un-
fortunate. I don’t think it’s
anything to do with Rinku
Singh.”
“It’s not his fault that he
has missed out. It’s the 15 —
with two keepers who are
both terrific batters and an
extra batter sitting out,
whoever doesn’t play — that
gives us the best balance.
We thought another bow-
ling option might be handy
going forward in the tour-
nament. He is still one of
the travelling subs. That’s
how close he was. It’s a lit-
tle bit tough on him, but at
the end of the day, you can
only pick 15.” Agarkar said.
Clinical: India's bowlers dished out another disciplined performance to restrict Bangladesh to 117 for
eight. X@BCCIWOMEN
Shafali while Nahida Akter
accounted for Smriti. But
the damage was done.
Earlier, the decision to
bowl first did not yield the
desired result immediately,
as Bangladesh raced to 44
I definitely wanted four
spinners in squad: Rohit
The skipper confirmed that he had stressed this with the selectors based on the conditions in the
West Indies and USA; chief selector Agarkar said they had an idea of what they were looking for
T20 WORLD CUP
Amol Karhadkar
MUMBAI
ne of the most de-
O
fining aspects of
India’s squad for
the T20 World Cup is the
inclusion of four spinners
and just three specialist
pacers. India captain Rohit
Sharma has owned up to
the change in strategy,
stressing that he sought
four spinners to the selec-
tors, anticipating slower
conditions in the West In-
dies and the USA.
“I definitely wanted four
spinners. We have played a
lot of cricket there. We
know what the conditions
are like. The match starts
at probably 10-10.30 in the
morning, so there is a little
bit of technical aspect in-
volved in this. I wanted
four spinners for sure, and
three seamers and Hardik
(Pandya) being the fourth
one,” Rohit said, with chief
selector Ajit Agarkar seat-
ed next to him, in a media
interaction at the BCCI
headquarters here on
Thursday.
Getting the balance
“You get that balance of
seamers as well, and then,
you know, the spinners as
well. Obviously, two spin-
ners being all-rounders
Sports Bureau
MUMBAI
Hardik Pandya’s indiffe-
rent form in the Indian Pre-
mier League has not led to
the national selection pa-
nel and the India team
management changing its
approach towards the all-
rounder. Not only has
Hardik been appointed
as Rohit Sharma’s deputy
for India’s T20 World Cup
sojourn but Ajit Agarkar,
the chief selector, has
stressed there is no re-
placement for him.
“He has come after a
longish lay-off. The good
part that we have looked at
is he has gotten through all
the games so far and we
for no loss in the six Power-
Play overs.
However, the Indian
bowlers tightened the
screws on the home team
batters after the dismissal
of Dilara Akter, who blazed
THE HINDU
Sport
Inside view: Rohit and Agarkar reveal the thinking behind selecting the squad for the marquee event.
EMMANUAL YOGINI
can bat — Axar (Patel) and
Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) —
and then the two attacking
spinners, Kuldeep (Yadav)
and (Yuzvendra) Chahal,
give you a little bit of ba-
lance in your spin depart-
ment as well.”
Ever since the ploy of
going in with four spinners
failed miserably during the
T20 World Cup in 2021, In-
dia has relied on playing
three specialist pacers
along with Hardik, the all-
rounder, in a majority of
T20Is. Even when Hardik
was the captain for most of
“It’s part of life. Not
everything will go your
way. It’s been a good
experience. Earlier in my
life as well, I have played
under a lot of captains.
It’s nothing new to me.”—
Rohit Sharma
have got another month
and a little bit till we play
our first game, so we know
he is doing that and the
hope is that he keeps build-
ing on that form,” Agarkar
said here on Thursday.
“So as long as he stays
fit, we know what he
brings, how much balance
away to 39 off 25 balls.
The host's brisk start
was largely due to the bat-
ting of Dilara, who struck a
few boundaries and nego-
tiated the Indian bowlers
without much difficulty
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
the T20Is since India’s
semifinal exit from the
2022 edition, the think-
tank preferred to include
three specialist pacers in
the XI.
“Based on the opposi-
tion composition and con-
ditions, we can decide who
to play. There is a good
chance Kuldeep and Cha-
hal can play together.
There is a good chance
both left-arm spinners can
play along with Kuldeep or
Chahal, so all sorts of
things are possible.”
Agarkar admitted that it
he gives the team. I don’t
think there is a replace-
ment for the things that he
can do as a cricketer at the
moment, especially when
it comes to the way he
bowls. It really gives ba-
lance.
“He will give Rohit op-
tions to play different com-
binations, so his fitness for
us is critical. So far, fortu-
nately, he has gone okay in
this IPL.”
Captain Rohit Sharma
played down the fact that
he will lead Hardik days af-
ter playing under his cap-
taincy in the Indian Pre-
mier League.
“It’s part of life. Not eve-
rything will go your way.
It’s been a good expe-
early on at Sylhet Interna-
tional Cricket Stadium.
Trailing 0-2 in the five-
match series, Bangladesh
looked determined to give
a better account of them-
selves and keep the rubber
alive, two days after being
shot out for 119 at the same
venue.
With the T20 World Cup
around the corner, the ob-
jective is to finalise their
middle-order, which has
been having some difficul-
ty.
At the end of the 10th
over, Bangladesh was 66
for two, with captain Nigar
Sultana and Sobhana Mos-
tary in the middle.
A poor example of run-
ning between the wickets
led to the dismissal of Sob-
hana (15 off 20 balls), the
diving batter failing to beat
Renuka's throw at the strik-
er's end.
Fahima Khatun was out
the first ball, given lbw off
Shreyanka Patil after the
batter shuffled across to
sweep the ball but missed
the line completely.
The scores: Bangladesh 117/8 in
20 overs (Dilara Akter 39, Nigar
Sultana 28) lost to India 121/3 in
18.3 overs (Smriti Mandhana 47,
Shafali Verma 51).
was a bit of challenge to
not get swayed by indivi-
dual performances in the
IPL while finalising the
combination.
“We had a fair idea of
what we were looking for.
In IPL, you keep track of
fitness levels of players,
but if you start getting
swayed by three-four
weeks of cricket, there is
something wrong in your
thinking.
“All performances are
noticed and it will help us
in the future anyway,”
Agarkar said.
rience. Earlier in my life as
well, I have played under a
lot of captains. It’s nothing
new to me. You go by wha-
tever is required from you
as a player,” Rohit said.
Stressing that Virat Koh-
li’s strike rate has never
been discussed by the se-
lection committee, Agar-
kar added that Rohit taking
over the India captaincy
from Hardik will not be a
bone of contention.
“As selectors, you want
a leader. Rohit has been a
terrific leader. I know Har-
dik had been leading in a
few series before (the ODI
World Cup). Rohit’s form
in the World Cup... Rohit’s
a great player. It’s not as if
it’s forced on us,” he said.
ends in the quarterfinals
THOMAS & UBER CUP
Press Trust of India
CHENGDU
Lakshya Sen was the lone
bright spot as the Indian
men’s team failed to defend
its title after going down
fighting 1-3 to China in the
quarterfinals, while the wo-
men’s side suffered a 0-3
loss to Japan to also end
their campaign in the Tho-
mas and Uber Cup Final
here on Thursday.
Two years after claiming
a maiden title at the presti-
gious team championships,
the country’s male shuttlers
endured a tough day in of-
fice as World No. 9 H.S.
Prannoy, World No. 3 Sat-
wiksairaj Rankireddy and
Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila
and K. Sai Pratheek failed to
go the distance in their res-
pective matches.
A roaring start ended
with a dampener for Pran-
noy as his spirited fight con-
cluded with a 21-15, 11-21, 14-
21 loss against World No. 2
Shi Yu Qi. in a 66-minute
clash which gave China a 1-0
Agarkar explains
rationale to pick
Samson over Rahul
Amol Karhadkar
MUMBAI
India captain Rohit Shar-
ma has revealed that
Washington Sundar and R.
Ashwin were discussed for
the last slot of a fourth
spinner before zeroing in
on Axar Patel’s all-round
skills.
“We discussed it a lot,
whether to have an off-
spinner or not. Unfortu-
nately Washi hasn’t played
a lot of cricket lately,
hasn’t been getting an op-
portunity and it was then
between Ash and Axar,”
Rohit said here on
Thursday.
Axar bowling well
“Ashwin hasn’t played the
format (T20Is) lately as
well for a long time. Axar
was in real good form
since 50-over World Cup
when he played that five-
match series against Aus-
tralia. He was the player of
the series, so he has been
bowling well.
“He has been bowling
well in the format and has
done well for India. We
considered all of it and
that left-handed option, if
we have to send someone
in the middle to do so-
mething different.”
Besides Axar’s addition
as the fourth spin-bowling
option, the selectors final-
ly gave Sanju Samson the
nod for a World event,
to tour India
Lavanya L
CHENNAI
The Indian women’s team
will host the Laura Wol-
vaardt-led South African
team in a multi-format se-
ries in June-July 2024.
The ODI leg of the se-
ries will be held in Benga-
luru at the M. Chinnaswa-
my Stadium while
Chennai’s M.A. Chidamba-
ram Stadium will be the
venue for the one-off Test
and three T20Is.
The Test has reportedly
been scheduled from June
28.
It will be India’s third
Test in six months and
Lone success: Lakshya was the only Indian to register a win in the
quarterfinals. X@@BAI_MEDIA
lead. Satwik and Chirag had
to walk back without log-
ging a point for India after
they were outmanoeuvred
15-21, 21-11, 12-21 by the
World No. 1 pair of Liang
Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
All eyes were on Lakshya
Sen to keep India afloat, gi-
ven his 6-3 head-to-head
count against Li Shi Feng,
and the 22-year-old lived up
to the expectations, seeing
off the World No. 6 13-21,
21-8, 21-14 to pull one back.
However, Dhruv and Sai
went down 10-21, 10-21 to
World No. 11 pair of Ren
Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting to
put paid to India’s hopes.
Earlier, though Ashmita
Friday, May 3, 2024
Chennai
Samson. PTI
thanks to his consistent
outing in the IPL.
Chief selector Ajit Agar-
kar has explained the ra-
tionale behind preferring
Samson as the second
wicketkeeper in place of
K.L. Rahul. According to
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Agarkar, Rahul’s prefe-
rence to bat as an opener
went against him.
“KL is a terrific player.
We were looking at some-
one who bats in the mid-
dle. At the moment, he is
batting at the top,” Agar-
kar said.
Batting down the order
“Sanju, we like to believe,
has the ability to come
down the order, if need
be. Rishabh (Pant) is bat-
ting down the order for
Delhi Capitals.
It’s about the slots we
needed. We felt these two
are better and have spent
more time down the order
which might be needed at
the World Cup.”
South Africa’s third ever.
The T20Is are likely to be
staged on July 5, 7 and 9.
An official confirmation
of the tour is awaited from
the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI).
Second women’s Test
Chennai will be hosting a
women’s Test for the se-
cond time after November
1976 when India took on
the West Indies. The
match ended in a draw.
After the South Africa
series, India will head to
the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka
and the T20 World Cup in
Bangladesh in September-
October.
Chaliha and Isharani Ba-
ruah gave a good account of
themselves by winning a
game, the inexperienced In-
dian women lost to formid-
able Japan.
The results:
Thomas Cup: China bt India
3-1 (Shi Yu Qi bt H.S. Prannoy
15-21, 21-11, 21-14; Liang Wei
Keng & Wang Chang 21-15, 11-21,
21-12; Li Shi Feng lost to Lakshya
Sen 21-13, 8-21, 14-21; Ren Xiang
Yu & He Ji Ting bt Dhruv Kapila
and K. Sai Pratheek 21-10, 21-10).
Uber Cup: Japan bt India 3-0
(Aya Ohori bt Ashmita Chaliha
21-10, 20-22, 21-15; Nami
Matsuyama & Chiharu Shida bt
Priya Konjengbam & Shruti Misra
21-8, 21-9; Nozomi Okuhara bt
Isharani Baruah 21-15, 21-12).
M CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 11
Chennai
Sport

INBRIEF
쑽
All-rounder Saad Bin Zafar to
lead Canada in T20 World Cup
Press Trust of India faces Ireland on June 7, Pa- Thaker, Nicholas Kirton,
TORONTO kistan on June 11, and India and Dilpreet Bajwa are the
on June 15. only three players in the
Canada will make its mai- Saad, 37, who is also a side under the age of 30.
den appearance in the T20 left-arm spinner and has
World Cup with all-roun- played 38 T20I, is one of The squad:
der Saad Bin Zafar, a player the most experienced Saad Bin Zafar (capt.), Aaron
of Pakistan origin, set to players in the Canadian Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet
Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy
Alcaraz loses to Rublev, lead the side.
The team, comprising
side, with top-order batter
Aaron Johnson and left-
Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem
Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur (wk),
Sabalenka breezes through mostly of Indian and Pakis- arm seamer Kaleem Sana Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas
tan origin players, is in also expected to feature Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal
Carlos Alcaraz's bid to win a third straight Madrid Group A alongside co-hosts heavily in the playing XI. Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan,
Open title ended with a three-set loss to Andrey USA, India, Pakistan and The side is coached by Shreyas Movva (wk).
Rublev in the quarterfinals. The second-seeded Ireland. Canada will play former Sri Lankan and Ca- Reserves: Tajinder Singh, Aaditya
Spaniard got off to a good start but then was its first match against USA nadian international Pubu- Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid,
Slick finish: Fullkrug gives Dortmund a slight advantage with this strike against PSG. REUTERS
outplayed by the seventh-seeded Rublev, losing in Dallas on June 1 and then du Dassanayake. Harsh Jatinder Matharu, Parveen Kumar.
4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. Defending champion
Aryna Sabalenka defeated 17-year-old Mirra
Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 win in Wednesday's
quarterfinals. Sabalenka will next play
fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina, who saved two
Feisty Dortmund Largest-ever refugee team to
match points en route to a 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 win
over Yulia Putintseva.
outmuscles PSG compete at Paris Olympics
The win ensures that the Bundesliga will have five teams next season;
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

Amul to sponsor USA cricket
Mbappe & Hakimi hit the post while Dembele blazes over
team in T20 World Cup
Indian dairy giant Amul will sponsor the USA
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
cricket team in the T20 World Cup in June, the
country’s cricket Board announced on Thursday.
USA will make its tournament debut as co-host of Associated Press
the tournament beginning on June 1. Part of the DORTMUND
tournament, including the semifinals and finals,
will take place in the Caribbean. Amul was iclas Fullkrug
named the Lead Arm sponsor of the USA
national team at an event in New York. N scored and Borus-
sia Dortmund
earned a 1-0 win over Paris
Saint-Germain in the first
leg of their Champions
Parma returns to Serie A League
Wednesday.
semifinal on
after three-year absence Dortmund defender Ni-
co Schlotterbeck sent a
Parma made sure of promotion to Italy’s Serie A
long pass over the top for
on Wednesday after three years in the second
Fullkrug to control bril-
division following a 1-1 draw with Bari. With two
liantly with his first touch
games still to play, Parma has 74 points, seven
before firing it past PSG
more than Venezia in third. Parma is likely to be
goalkeeper Gianluigi Don-
joined in the top flight by second-placed Como. narumma with his next in
the 36th minute.
It gives Dortmund a nar-
row advantage before the
teams play again in the se-
cond leg in Paris next Tues-
day, when the French
champion will need to
overturn the result if it’s
going to capture Europe’s
biggest prize before Kylian
Mbappe leaves the club.
PSG is under pressure to
finally win to the Cham-
pions League to justify
more than a decade of
huge investment from its
Qatari owners.
Dortmund’s win en-
sured it qualified for the
tournament next season
and it gives the Bundesliga
five teams in the expanded
tournament. Dortmund is
assured of finishing at least
fifth.
PSG pushed hardest ear-
ly in the second half, when
Mbappe hit the right post
before Achraf Hakimi
struck the left post.
Gregor Kobel saved
Mbappe’s next effort and
Dortmund survived the
pressure.
Fullkrug went on to
miss further good chances
for the German team,
while Marquinhos made a
crucial block to deny Julian
Brandt late on.
Ousmane Dembele
should have scored on his
return to Dortmund when
he blazed a shot over late,
then Vitinha flashed a shot
wide of the left post.
The result: Semifinal, first leg:
Borussia Dortmund 1 (Fullkrug
36) bt Paris Saint-Germain 0.
Reuters
LAUSANNE
The International Olympic
Committee (IOC) on Thurs-
day unveiled its largest re-
fugee Olympic team to date
for the Paris 2024 Games,
with 36 athletes (23 men
and 13 women) from 11 dif-
ferent countries. It is the
third time such a team has
formed for the Summer
Olympics.
12 sports
The athletes, from coun-
tries including Syria, Su-
dan, Iran and Afghanistan,
will compete in 12 different
sports: aquatics (swim-
ming), athletics, badmin-
ton, boxing, breaking, ca-
noe (slalom and sprint),
cycling (road), judo, shoot-
ing, taekwondo, weightlift-
ing, and wrestling (frees-
tyle and Greco-Roman).
The new logo for the refugee
team. IOC
“With your participa-
tion in the Olympic Games,
you will demonstrate the
human potential of resi-
lience and excellence,” IOC
President Thomas Bach
said during the team’s an-
nouncement.
Message of hope
“This will send a message
of hope to the more than
100 million displaced peo-
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
ple around the world.”
For the first time, the
team will compete under
its own emblem and will
compete under the team
acronym EOR (French
équipe olympique des
réfugiés).
The IOC unveiled its first
refugee team for the Rio
2016 Olympics with 10 ath-
letes to raise awareness of
the issue as hundreds of
thousands of people were
pouring into Europe from
the Middle East and el-
sewhere escaping conflict
and poverty.
The team that competed
at the Tokyo 2020 Olym-
pics, held in 2021 due to
the COVID-19 pandemic,
was already almost three
times as big as the inaugu-
ral team at the Rio Olympic
Games, with a total of 29
athletes competing in 12
sports.

Prarthana and Arianne Three Indians make the semifinals

in quarterfinals
TENNIS
Pakistan recalls Rauf for T20s Sports Bureau
against Ireland and England Prarthana Thombare and
Arianne Hartono saved
Pakistan on Thursday dropped leg-spinner two match points to beat
Usama Mir for the T20 series in Ireland and Ma YeXin and Mananchana
England while recalling pacer Haris Rauf, in pic., Sawangkaew 6-7(1), 6-4,
The World Cup squad would be picked based on [13-11] in the doubles pre-
the performances of these matches. The Ireland quarterfinals of the
series begins on May 10 before Pakistan moves to $100,000 ITF women’s
England for four games from May 22. tennis in Gifu, Japan, on
Thursday.
The squad: Babar Azam (capt.), Muhammad Rizwan, Azam
Khan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Irfan Khan In the $100,000 ITF wo-
Niazi, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah men at Bonita Springs
Afridi, Muhammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shadab (USA), Fanny Stollar de-
Khan, Usman Khan, Abbas Afridi, Agha Ali Salman. feated Sahaja Yamalapalli
6-3, 6-0 in the first round.
LIVE TELECAST The results: €205,000
Sports Bureau Boxing 2024 in Astana on
Thursday.
kush (71kg) won their res-
pective bouts with RSC de-
(92kg), Nisha (52kg), Akan-
sha Phalaswal (70kg) and
Mandengbam Jadumani Jadumani won 5-0 cisions against Mongolia’s Rudrika (75kg) won their
Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-4, 6-3. Singh, Nikhil, Ajay Kumar against Bhutan’s Phuntsho Damdindorj P. and Korea’s quarterfinals in the youth
$15,000 ITF, Monastir: Men: and Ankush registered im- Kinley in the 51kg while Lee Ju Sang respectively. category. Twenty-two In-
Pre-quarterfinals: Karan Singh pressive victories to move Nikhil (57kg) won 4-0 Ashish went down 2-3 to dians will vye for a place in
bt Kacper Szymkowiak 6-2, 4-2
(retired).
into the men’s under-22
semifinals at the ASBC
against Uzbekistan’s Bak-
htiyorov Ayubkhon.
Oyun Erdene E of Mongo-
lia in the 54kg.
the finals of their respec-
tive weight categories in
Women: Pre-quarterfinals:
Vaishnavi Adkar bt Zeel Desai 6-4,
Asian Under-22 & Youth Ajay (63.5kg) and An- On Wednesday, Aryan youth section on Friday.
6-0.
Doubles: Quarterfinals:
Dayeon Back & Zeel Desai bt Ahn
Yujin & Lee Gyeong Seo 6-3, 6-1;
Hiromi Abe & Natsuho Arakawa
bt Vaishnavi & Camilla Bossi 0-6,
6-4, [10-8].
Aaddi Gupta & Sara Lanca w/o
Lamis Aziz & Patricija Paukstyte.
$100,000 ITF women, Bonita
Springs, USA: First round:
Fanny Stollar bt Sahaja
Yamalapalli 6-3, 6-0.
$100,000 ITF women, Gifu,
Japan: Doubles:
Pre-quarterfinals: Rutuja Rangnick. AFP
Bhosale & Sarah Grey bt Natsumi

쑽
Challenger, Cagliari, Italy:
Doubles: Pre-quarters: Sriram
Kawaguchi & Park Sohyun 5-7,
6-0, [10-6]; Arianne Hartono &
Rangnick
Badminton: Thomas & Uber Cup, Sports 18-1 (SD & HD) &
JioCinema, 7 a.m. & 2.30 p.m.
Balaji & Andre Begemann bt
Luciano Darderi & Thiago Tirante
Prarthana Thombare bt Ma YeXin
& Mananchaya Sawangkaew turns down
4-6, 6-3, [10-4]; Yuki Bhambri &
Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe: 1st T20I, FanCode, 5.30 p.m.
IPL: Star Sports 1 (SD & HD) & JioCinema, 7.30 p.m. Francisco Cabral bt Niccolo Dessi
6-7(1), 6-4, [13-11].
$25,000 ITF women, Bayern’s
& Alberto Sanna 7-5, 6-0.
Bundesliga: Sony Sports Ten 2 & LIV, 12 a.m. (Saturday)
Serie A: Sports 18-1 & JioCinema, 12.15 a.m. (Saturday)
$82,000 Challenger,
Hammamet, Tunisia: Doubles:
Quarterfinals: Jasmijn coaching job
Guangzhou: Doubles: Gimbrere & Zhibek Kulambayeva
Premier League: SS Select 1 & Hotstar, 12.30 a.m. (Saturday) Quarterfinals: Calum Puttergill bt Diva Bhatia & Sophia
LaLiga: Sports 18-1 & JioCinema, 12.30 a.m. (Saturday) & Reese Stadler bt Ray Ho & Ksandinov 6-0, 6-0. Associated Press
MUNICH

Ralf Rangnick became the

Tiger Woods targets playing the latest high-profile coach to

turn down the Bayern
Munich job on Thursday.

remaining Majors this year Rangnick has decided to

GOLF
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK
Tiger Woods still hopes to
play one tournament a
month for the rest of the
year, despite his physical
limitations in the wake of a
2021 car crash.
“I have the next three
months — three Majors —
and hopefully that works
out,” Woods told NBC’s To-
day show on Wednesday.
The 15-time Major cham-
pion drew huge crowds at
the Masters last month, but
his 16-over par total was
CM
YK
the British Open at Royal
Troon in Scotland in July.
If Woods can manage it,
it will mark the first time
since 2019 he has played in
all four Majors.
To do so again will re-
quire detailed attention to
his physical recovery.
To contend, Woods will
likely have to reckon with
World No. 1 Scottie Schef-
fler, who followed up his
Still on track: Woods is keen to play in one tournament a month second Masters title with
despite his physical limitations. AFP his fourth victory of the
season at the RBC Heritage
the highest 72-hole score of ed he was looking forward a week later. “If you just
his career and left him last to tackling the PGA Cham- stand back and watch ball
among the 60 who made pionship at Valhalla on flight, there’s something
cut at Augusta National. May 16, with the US Open different about his,” Woods
Even so, Woods indicat- at Pinehurst in June and said of Scheffler.
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
remain in charge of Austria
beyond this summer’s Eu-
ropean Championship.
“I am the Austrian team
manager with all my heart.
This job gives me incredi-
ble joy and I’m determined
to continue successfully on
the path we’ve chosen,”
Rangnick said in a state-
ment on the Austrian Foot-
ball Association website. “I
would like to expressly
stress that this is not a re-
jection of Bayern, but a de-
cision in favour of my team
and our common goals.”
Rangnick’s decision is
an embarrassing blow for
Bayern, whose officials had
been praising the 65-year-
old former Leipzig and
Manchester United coach
in recent days.
M CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
12 Friday, May 3, 2024

Sport Chennai

Salima to lead as Hockey India AROUND THE CITY

쑽

names 24-member squad

Long-serving captain Savita and seniors like Vandana, Monika and Neha included; Indian women’s team
to play 10 games in Belgium and England during the European leg
India (HI) and coach Ha-
FIH PRO LEAGUE rendra Singh are looking
forward to long-term lea-
Uthra Ganesan dership while retaining ex-
NEW DELHI perience in the ranks.
India will play Argenti-
he passing of baton na, Belgium, Spain, Great
Kothan stars in
Swathi’s win
Kothan’s 80 (49b, 4x4.
8x6) helped Swathi beat
YSCA ‘A’ by 54 runs in the
All-India YSCA Trophy
cricket tournament here
on Wednesday.
The scores: Swathi 195 in 30
players. In the upcoming overs (Kothan 80, Shivajana 3/38)
Belgium and England legs bt YSCA ‘A’ 141 in 26.3 overs (V.
Ranjith Kumar 39, Akash 3/18).
of the Pro League, we look
Vinayaka Packaging 121 in 29.2
to put our strong foot for- overs (M.Rajkumar 28, Madana
ward,” Salima said. Coach Gopal 30) lost to Vepery 122/8 in
Harendra is yet to make an 21.4 overs (Hemprasad 34, Arun
official statement since his

T
in the Indian wo-
men’s hockey team
seems officially on course
with youngster Salima Tete
handed captaincy for the
upcoming European leg of
the FIH Pro League 2023-
24 and Navneet Kaur
named her deputy as the
24-member squad was an-
nounced on Thursday.
Interestingly, long-serv-
ing captain Savita and se-
niors like Vandana Katari-
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Britain and Germany twice
each across Belgium and
England, starting May 22
and ending on June 9.
The Indian women are
currently sixth in the nine-
team competition with
eight points from eight
matches. India is also the
only team in the fray to not
qualify for Paris Olympics.
“I am happy that I have
been appointed to lead the
team. I am looking forward
Anand 32, Rajesh Kumar 4/31).
appointment last month
while HI too hasn’t made SKM has it easy
any announcement of the SKM defeated
same so far. Gopalakrishnan Memorial
CC by 10 wickets in the
The squad: Goalkeepers:
DCAC cricket league here.
Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam.
The scores: Gopalakrishnan
Defenders: Nikki Pradhan, Udita,
Memorial CC 110/9 in 20 overs (G.
Ishika Chaudhary, Monika, Jyoti A. Gokul Raj 33, Manikandan
Chhatri, Mahima Chaudhary.
3/34) lost to SKM 111 for no loss
Midfielders: Salima Tete (capt.), in 10.2, overs (S. R. Sandeep 52
Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Navneet n.o., Himalaya 58 n.o.).
Kaur, Neha, Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur, Syndicate (Nanganallur) 108/6 in
Manisha Chauhan, Lalremsiami. 20 overs (M. Raghu 3/28) lost to Triumphant: The victorious Indian Bank men’s and Rising Star
Forwards: Mumtaz Khan, Sangita Rider 112/8 in 17.4 overs women’s basketball squads. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

ya, Monika and Neha Goyal
are part of the squad, clear-
ly indicating that Hockey
TNCA LEAGUE
쑽 Venugopal Club 71 in 18.1 overs
Sri Abisek, Sachin and
Tamilazhagan fashion
TI Cycles’ win;
Niranjan’s ton in vain
S. Sri Abisek (122, 131b,
13x4, 4x6) and Sachin
Katariya (100 n.o., 52b,
10x4, 4x6), followed by C.
Tamilazhagan’s five-wicket
haul, helped TI Cycles
prevail over Egmore RC by
12 runs in a high-scoring
thriller of the TNCA
second division league
recently.
Chasing 318 for victory, N.
Niranjan’s 107 (121b, 8x4,
1x6), went in vain for
Egmore RC.
The scores: II div.: TI Cycles
to this new role. We have a
strong squad and it’s a mix
of experienced and young
Super show: Sri Abisek (TI Cycles, 122); Sachin (TI Cycles, 100 n.o.); Tamilazhagan (TI Cycles, 5/64);
Niranjan (Egmore RC, 107); Vivek (Sical, 140).
317/5 in 50 overs (S. Sri Abisek
122, Sachin Katariya 100,
Adhithya Giridhar 35) bt Egmore
RC 305 in 49.3 overs (N. Niranjan
107, T. Shakthi Eshwar 77, F.
Edwin Richard 53, C.
Tamilazhagan 5/64, Karthick
4/49).
III-A: Aruna 222/8 in 50 overs (C.
Gourav Sharma 75, P. Babu 57, P.
Abhijit 36, A. Jones 4/51) lost to
Kumari, Deepika, Sharmila Devi,
Preeti Dubey, Vandana Katariya,
Sunelita Toppo, Deepika Soreng.
Triplicane CC 226/9 in 49.1 overs
(K. Martin Sanjeev 62, P. Harshaa
56 n.o, R. Kishore 36, M.S. Sailesh
3/31).
III-B: Bharathi CC 111 in 36.4
overs (D. Dhanush 31.n.o, R.B.
Viswak 30, Aashish Srikrishnan
4/29, S Dinesh Kumar 3/10) lost to
Komaleeswarar 115/5 in 23.5
overs (Anuraag Rajesh Nair 39).
Perungalathur 220 in 49.2 overs
At the helm: Salima Tete. FILE PHOTO
(A.P. Vijay Raj 72, G. Surender 52,
N. Ramakrishnan 4/12, Bollu
Chidananda Tarun Rao 3/45) bt
Falcon 164 in 42 overs (S.S.
Srinath 41, E. Vasantha Kumar
3/24, R. Ram Thilak 3/21).
Madras Aryan Club 204/9 in 50
overs (K.V. Raaghav 60, J. Rohit
58, Moses Sam Raj 3/38, C. Gokul
58) lost to IOB 207/7 in 46.4 overs
(M. Shanmugham 34, Abhishek M.
Hedge 75 n.o., Moses Sam Raj 43
n.o.).
Hunters XI 191/9 in 50 overs
(Akshay Rajendra Sarangdha 61,
Kiran Karthikeyan 46, M. Vishnu
3/48, D. Gowri Shankar 3/32) lost
to Mambalam Mosquitos 192/6 in
45.2 overs (D. Gowri Shankar 68,
R. Kathiresan 52 n.o., Y.
Aravindhan 3/30).
Southern Railway 174 in 49.5
overs (P. Dhanasekkhar 44, M.
Anush 43 n.o, K. Naren 3/20) lost
to SPIC 177/2 in 44.1 overs (A.
Godwin Rubesh 87 n.o.,
Sashwath Vijay 51 n.o.).
ICF 236/9 in 50 overs (P. Kannan
50, S. Ajay Kumar 54 n.o., P. Ajith
Kumar 3/41, K. Wafar 4/41) lost to
Sical 240/3 in 29.2 overs (R. Vivek
140, K. Vishal 69 n.o., G.M. Ezhil
Vannan 3/47).
(R.Dinesh 34).
SRM IST 187/7 in 20 overs (Karin
Singh Shekhawat 53 n.o., Subhan
Kumar 31) bt M. G.
Bavanarayanan Memorial CC 90
in 17.3 overs (G. B. Tharun 3/4).
CBI 160/5 in 20 overs (S. Saran 38,
P. Sundar Kabilan 41 n.o.) bt
(P. Sundar Kabilan 3/4).
Royal Gems 159/7 in 20 overs
(Ram Das 45, Gokul 39) bt
Springfield 92 in 18.5 overs (Leo
Franson 3/16, Robert 3/6).
Seshadri Memorial CC 113/7 in 20
overs (L. Vignesh 41, Akshay
Kumar 3/25) lost to Phoenix
116/5 in 17.3 overs(A.
Mohammad Aadil Shan 34).
Vijay 186/7 in 20 overs (Ganesh
50, U. Vishal 42, U. Mukilesh 42, P.
R. Sylvester Jayan 3/26) bt Asiatic
ca 186/7 in 20 overs (Franky 60, S.
Siddarth 49).
Indian Bank and Rising
Star take the honours
Indian Bank and Rising
Star clinched the men’s
and women’s titles in the
Rising Star BC State-level
basketball tournament
held here on Wednesday.
Final placings: Men: 1. Indian
Bank, 2. ICF, 3. SDAT; women: 1.
Rising Star, 2. Hindustan, 3. SDAT.
STG-MIS A to take on
Nellai Queen for title
STG-MIS A beat Smiling
Pearls by two runs in a
semifinal of the Iron Lady
Trophy season 7 Women’s
T20 Open age category
cricket semifinals recently.
In the other semifinal,
Goshika Bhaskaran’s
unbeaten 67 helped Nellai
Queen defeat GNES-HCLF
by nine wickets.
The scores: STG-MIS A 66 in 18
overs (Sivapriya 40, Vinodha 3/8)
bt Smiling Pearls 64 in 18.3 overs.
GNES-HCLF 111/4 in 20 overs
(Hashini Eswar 36, Shashi Balan
39, Jancy Jina 3/41) lost to Nellai
Queens 114/1 in 15.5 overs
(Goshika Bhaskaran 67 n.o.).
Pradeep, Rishi star in
St. John’s PS’ triumph
Lok Pradeep’s three for
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
five and Rishi Rajagopal’s
unbeaten 54 helped St.
John’s Public School defeat
Diamond CA by eight
wickets in the final of G.R.
Cricket academy u-14
inter-academy school
tournament held here
recently.
The scores:
Diamond 89 in 26 overs (Lok
Pradeep 3/5) lost to St. John’s
Public School 90/2 in 16.3 overs
(Rishi Rajagopal 54 n.o.).
Special awards: Best batter:
Gugan (LSCA); Best bowler: Siva
hari (St. John’s).
Player-of-the-tournament: R.
R. Rithik (Diamond CA).
ENGAGEMENTS
Cricket: GRCA U-16 XL1 Super
Sports trophy final (Reddy’s Su-
mangali ‘ A ‘, Santhosapuram), 12
noon.
Snooker: The Madras United
Club 6-Reds non-medallist cham-
pionship (MUC premises), 10.30
a.m. onwards.

CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS M CH-CHE

YK
 FRIDAY www.thehindu.com https://newsth.live/fb
May 3, 2024 https://newsth.live/x
https://newsth.live/ig
CHENNAI
Regd. TN/ARD/110/2024-2026
RNI No. 1001/1957
Vol. 147 앫 No. 106

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Water hunt
Police begin crackdown on
vehicles with unauthorised
stickers, defective plates
First-time violators will be fined ₹500, while a penalty of ₹1,500 will be imposed in case of repeat
violations; 427 cases booked so far and challan issued to violators, including police personnel

R. Sivaraman
CHENNAI

iming to control the

A indiscriminate use
of stickers on mo-
tor vehicles, the Greater
Chennai Traffic Police
(GCTP) have started check-
ing and imposing fines on
vehicles with unauthorised
stickers from Thursday.
Additional Commission-
er of Police, Traffic, R. Sud-
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
hakar said, “The Motor
Vehicles Act and rules the-
Summer lifeline: A resident collects water from the Seguttu Ayyanar temple pond in Sivaganga district. G. MOORTHY reunder do not allow the
use of defective number
plates. Our personnel be-
gan taking action against

Don’t conduct flower and fruit shows in the violators and imposing
fines.”
The GCTP said the dis-

water-starved Nilgiris, says association play of department identi-

ties in the form of stickers
or any symbol or marks on
Traffic police personnel checking vehicles at Vepery on Thursday. R. RAGU

The Hindu Bureau
UDHAGAMANDALAM
The Coonoor Consumer
Protection Association has
urged the Nilgiris district
administration to cancel
the summer tourism festiv-
al in view of the water shor-
tage in the major towns.
In a letter to Nilgiris Dis-
trict Collector M. Aruna,
association president S.
Manogaran questioned the
rationale of hosting sum-
mer festivals, including the
flower show, rose show
and fruit show in a year
where local residents are
facing water shortage.
He said the towns of Ud-
hagamandalam and Coo-
noor in particular, apart
from already facing water
shortage, were also being
negatively impacted by un-
restricted tourism.
“With the High Court al-
so mandating e-passes for
entry of vehicles, the dis-
trict administration should
also consider cancelling
the summer festival shows
this year,” he told The Hin-
du.
Infrastructure woes
Mr. Manogaran said the
drought this year should
be considered an emergen-
cy, and the summer festiv-
als should be cancelled to
restrict the number of tou-
rists this year.
He added that the
towns’ infrastructure was
also unprepared to handle
the number of vehicles
that make their way into
the Nilgiris during the peak
summer season.
According to latest esti-
mates, of the total of 10 wa-
ter sources that supply
drinking water to Udhaga-
mandalam town, most are
running dry, with only 28
per cent of the total storage
capacity available for sup-
ply to residents.
a private vehicle or on its
number plate can have
wide-ranging negative im-
pact on the individual as
well as the departments
concerned.
Mostly, the name of de-
partments or institutions
such as Press, Secretariat,
TNEB (electricity board),
GCC (Chennai Corpora-
tion), Defence, Police, and
so on can be seen on priv-
ate vehicles in Chennai ci-
ty.
Revealing such govern-
ment affiliation in private
vehicles could compro-
mise operational efficiency
and safety. Also, it may
lead to the misuse of the
department’s reputation,
the GCTP said.
In addition to this, many
private vehicles were
found affixing symbols, lo-
gos, or emblems of a polit-
ical party, or ‘doctor’ or
‘advocate’ stickers. Some-
times the motorists also af-
fix unauthorised stickers
on the number plates of
their vehicles. Even auto-
matic number plate recog-
nition cameras at 16 junc-
tions cannot detect the
number plates when stick-
ers are fixed on it, a senior
police officer said.
Setting a deadline to de-
sist from the practice of us-
ing unauthorised stickers,
the GCTP warned road us-
ers against these practices
and provided time till May
1 to take corrective action.
From May 2, strict ac-
tion is being taken against
the violators by booking
cases under Section 198 of
the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988
(Unauthorised interfe-
rence with motor vehicle)
and Central Motor Vehicles
Rule 50 - Section 177 of MV
Act (defective number
plate).
The senior police officer
said, “Violators are fined
₹500 for the first time.” A
fine of ₹1,500 would be im-
posed on repeated viola-
tions.
As many as 427 cases
were booked and challan
issued to the violators, in-
cluding police personnel.

CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS N CH-CHE

YK
 Chennai www.thehindu.com Friday, May 3, 2024
● ●

Tamil Nadu InFocus

NUGGETS OF HISTORY
Chempakaraman Pillai A series of communal
was the brain behind riots broke out in
the salutation ‘Jai Hind’ Sivakasi in 1899
The credit for coining the salutation ‘Jai
Hind’, which instilled a patriotic sense in
leaders of the pre-Independence days,
goes to Chempakaraman Pillai in 1907.
Born to Tamil parents in the princely State
of Travancore, the revolutionary leader
inspired Subhas Chandra Bose to adopt
the slogan at a meeting in Vienna.
0
Sivakasi witnessed communal riots in
1899. A report that a section of Nadars
had clandestinely entered a Siva temple
against customs in 1895 set off the riots.
When the situation worsened, the military
was called in. About 150 villages were
attacked and 1,600-4,000 houses were
destroyed in the riots.
Municipal Act, 1884,
led Madras towards
local governance
Madras was the earliest Indian city to have
had an established Municipal Corporation
(in the 1680s). But it was slow in adopting
the elective principle in the local bodies.
A significant stride was made only when
the Municipal Act of 1884 was passed. It
helped to increase the number of elected
members in the Corporation Council.
Meenakshipuram
mass conversion
had a ripple effect
Around 150 Adi Dravidar families embraced
Islam at Meenakshipuram in Tirunelveli
in 1981. Their decision had a ripple
effect on other parts of Tamil Nadu.
It was reported that over 2,000 families
had renounced Hinduism in a span of
eight months, as against 1,500 between
1944 and 1980.
Tamil is the first
non-European
language to be printed
Tamil became the first non-European
language to be printed in a press, thanks
to lexicographer and grammarian Fr.
Henriques. The Portuguese man of Jewish
ancestry studied Tamil in depth and set up
the first press in Tamil to print Christian
literature such as Thambiran Vanakkam.
(Compiled by R. Sai Venkatesh)

Inscriptions in a temple submerged by

Bhavanisagar dam reveal a trade route
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
According to the inscriptions found at Sri Madhava Perumal Temple, which has largely remained submerged in the water spread area of the dam in Erode district,
there was a trunk road in the area, and traders crossed River Bhavani and River Moyar to reach Wayanad in Kerala and various places in Karnataka

S.P. Saravanan

A
major trade route connecting the
Kongu region in western Tamil Nadu
with southern Karnataka and Kerala
had existed over a 1,000 years ago,
according to the inscriptions found at the Sri
Madhava Perumal Temple. This temple has
largely remained submerged in the water spread
area of the Bhavanisagar dam in Erode district.
The temple, in a dilapidated state, is currently
visible following the depletion of water level in
the dam to less than 46 feet, as against the full
reservoir level of 105 feet. A team from Yaakkai
Heritage Trust, which is into research,
documentation and creation of awareness of
heritage, recently studied inscriptions in and
around the temple.
A village discovered
According to Kumaravel Ramasamy, a member of
the trust, 10 to 15 inscriptions, each dating back
to various periods, were found. They revealed a
village, named Thuravalur, which existed there
over 1,000 years ago with a temple for
Thondreeshwaramudiayar (Lord Shiva). The area
served as peruvali (a trunk road), and traders
crossed River Bhavani and River Moyar to reach
Wayanad in Kerala and various places in
Karnataka. Inscriptions with the names of many
traders reveal they were dealing in oil, clothes,
cattle, and handicrafts, and they could have
travelled on foot and used donkeys or horses for
transport, he adds.
Under Hoysala rule
The area came under the Hoysala rulers. King
Veera Ballala III (1292-1342), the last great king of
the Hoysala Empire, ruled the area. The king
asked Madhava Perumal Dhandanayaka, who was
the general of the army, to rule the region. Then,
he constructed the Dhandanayaka Fort along the
river at a strategic point. Over a period of time,
the name of the fort became Danaikan Fort. “The
fort, constructed 680 years ago, was completely
destroyed,” says Mr. Kumaravel. “Only the
A peek into the past: A team from Yaakkai Heritage Trust recently studied inscriptions in and around the dilapidated
Madhava Perumal Temple, which is now visible as the water level in the dam has dipped. M. GOVARTHAN
damaged temple is visible now and not the
destroyed fort,” he clarifies.
Madhava Perumal Dhandanayaka’s son Veera
Siddha Keththaya Dhandanayaka constructed the
Sri Madhava Perumal Temple inside the fort. An
inscription found on a stone describes it as
“Nilagiri Sadaranan Kottai”, and villages along the
fort were called “Oduvanganadu”. While the
pillars of the temple were intact, a portion of the
roof and the outer wall collapsed as the temple
had once remained submerged for 68 years. The
damaged pillars with inscriptions and carvings
can be seen scattered around the temple.
Historians believe that the fort could have been
constructed in 1338 when Madhava Perumal
Dhandanayaka was ruling The Nilgiris and
Wayanad. They say many temples, constructed
during various periods, still remain submerged
and will be visible if the water level drops further.
The area was later ruled by the Vijayanagara
Empire, Ummattur chiefs and Tipu Sultan. The
Battle of Sathyamangalam, fought between
September 13 and 15, 1790, during the Third
Anglo-Mysore War from 1790 to 1792, also took
place near the fort, which Tipu Sultan guarded.
Later, the British brought the area under their
control and the Nilgiris, which was part of the
Mysore Province, was merged with the Madras
Province.
Idols shifted to new temples
The construction of the Bhavanisagar dam, the
first major irrigation project in Tamil Nadu after
Independence, began in 1948 and was completed
in 1955. People who were living near the fort and
the temple were relocated outside the water
The Dhandanayaka Fort, constructed
680 years ago along the river at a
strategic point, was completely
destroyed. Only the damaged temple
is visible now and not the destroyed fort.
KUMARAVEL RAMASAMY,
Yaakkai Heritage Trust
spread area and settled in the villages of
Vadavalli, Pudhubeerkadavu and a few other
villages in Bannari. The idols in the temple were
shifted to new temples in 1953.
Velusamy, 75, a fisherman of Kanrayanmokkai,
a habitation along the water spread area of the
dam, says the temple was last visible in 2018. He
says that only the Madhava Perumal Temple is
visible after six years now, while two other
temples, the cannon base, and the fort walls will
come out if the water level drops further. Mr.
Velusamy, who has been riding coracle since the
age of 17, says the dam turned completely dry
only once in his lifetime, and the temple stands
strong, braving all calamities in all these years.
Excavations sought
Mr. Kumaravel says temples were constructed on
the river beds and villages flourished for over
1,000 years in the area because of the easy
terrain. “Temples were constructed even before
1,200 years in the area,” he says, demanding
excavations to bring out more facts. Enthusiasts
believe that more stones with inscriptions may
remain submerged in the water spread area.
With people in large numbers visiting the
temple in coracles, the Bhavanisagar Dam
Division of the Water Resources Department has
placed banners in villages around the dam
prohibiting entry of visitors to the temple. Since
the dam is a protected area and given the drop in
the inflow, coracle operators have been directed
not to transport people to the temple area.

K. Anbazhagan opposed Gold (Control) Rules,

saying it treated only symptoms, not the disease
At the deliberations of a joint parliamentary committee, Anbazhagan, who represented the Thiruchengode constituency in the Lok Sabha, said the Gold (Control) Rules
was ineffective ever since it was introduced and people took to the metal as it was the only safeguard against the reckless inflation and the dwindling value of the rupee

T. Ramakrishnan Union Ministry. Several amendments were made or otherwise, taken by the government so far.”
to the Rules. A major modification came in Complaining that the new piece of legislation,

G
old has always been a precious and
valued asset for Indians. It has an
added importance in view of its
widespread use in times of weddings.
Indians’ sentimental attitude towards the metal
only accentuates the price, which recently hit a
new high. In the past, attempts were made to
control the purchase or possession of gold. A
serious bid was made in the 1960s, and there was
a Tamil Nadu connection to it.
On the night of January 9, 1963, the then Union
Finance Minister, Morarji Desai, in a nationwide
broadcast [an act which has ordinarily been
performed by Prime Ministers], announced that
possession of gold, with the exception of
ornaments and small quantities in other things,
without declaration, would be illegal under the
Gold (Control) Rules. Under the rules, production
of gold jewellery above 14 carat was banned and a
licence was required for refining gold. The new
measure was brought in through an amendment
to the Defence of India Rules. The major reason
cited for the decision was smuggling, which led to
the loss of several crores of rupees in foreign
exchange. At that time, gold import was banned.
‘Sympathetic implementation’
The industry voiced apprehensions that the Gold
(Control) Rules would affect jewellers holding
stocks of gold ornaments (who were given a
CM
YK
Sharp assessment: K. Anbazhagan argued that no
satisfactory settlement was provided to the goldsmiths
and artisans affected by the measure. THE HINDU ARCHIVES
period of transition for disposal) and thousands
of goldsmiths who would be thrown out of
employment. The government then assured the
gold industry of “sympathetic implementation”
of the Rules. It also went in for a Gold Bond
Scheme.
However, the response of the industry was
negative. In the meantime, Desai ceased to be the
Finance Minister in the wake of a shuffle of the
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
November 1966, when the 14-carat restriction on
the manufacture of ornaments was withdrawn. In
June 1968, an ordinance was promulgated, the
only new feature of which was that the transfer of
five genuine gold coins was allowed by way of gift
or exchange. Otherwise, there was no basic
change in the pattern of gold control, reported
The Hindu on June 30, 1968.
A few weeks later, a Bill was tabled in the Lok
Sabha by Desai, who was, by then, back as the
Finance Minister. The Bill was referred to a joint
parliamentary committee.
It was during the deliberations of the
committee that the Tamil Nadu link emerged.
There were 12 MPs, who recorded their dissent to
the legislative measure, despite the changes
suggested by the committee. One of them was K.
Anbazhagan of the DMK, who represented
Thiruchengode in the Lok Sabha.
‘Objectives not met’
In his brief but sharp response, the DMK’s
nominee, who later became the Minister for
Education and Finance in the Tamil Nadu
government, recalled the introduction of the 1963
Rules and pointed out that “experience in the
past five years and more has shown that none of
these objectives — laudable as they were — has
been fulfilled. I doubt very much whether they
will ever be fulfilled with the measures, statutory
as done in the form of Rules, was aimed at
“treating the symptoms rather than the disease,”
the parliamentarian said, “To say that people are
attracted to, or enamoured of, gold is to simplify
the entire matter. People take to gold because it
proves to be the only safeguard against the
reckless inflation and the dwindling value of the
rupee.”
‘Goldsmiths and artisans punished’
He also blamed the government for “punishing
the poor goldsmiths and artisans” for the
misdeeds of “financial tycoons and foreign
exchange racketeers”. He went on to contend
that “no satisfactory settlement” was provided to
the goldsmiths and artisans through alternative
employment or amelioration of their grievances.
Pointing out that the Bill did not give “any
indication of how the dislodged goldsmiths”
would be rehabilitated in their own work or
provided with alternative source of livelihood,
Anbazhagan ended his response by stating, “I feel
that the basis and structure of the present Bill
requires drastic modifications.” Though
Parliament adopted the Bill, there was little
impact on the demand for, or smuggling of, gold.
An unintended consequence was the emergence
of a “vibrant black market”. The law, which had
always eluded effective implementation, was
given a quiet burial in June 1990.
N CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 3
Chennai
Tamil Nadu InFocus

The Chithirai festival in Madurai and

the goat skin water bags of Kariapatti
The unique bags are used for spraying water on Lord Kallazhagar at ‘Theerthavari’. About 150 families of Kariapatti in Virudhunagar district buy the hide from the
markets in Madurai, Virudhunagar, and Dindigul districts and start making the bags during the Tamil month of Thai. The work continues through Masi and Panguni

B. Tilak Chandar

A
mid the beating of drums, singing and
dancing, a sea of devotees gathered at
the Ramarayar Mandapam in Madurai
for ‘Theerthavari’. As Lord Kallazhagar
made His way into the mandapam during the
recent annual Chithirai festival, the devotees
sprayed water on Him, as part of the tradition.
To fulfil their vows, devotees, including
children, dress up as Lord Kallazhagar and go to
the mandapam to spray the water from bags
made of goat skin, slung on their shoulders. This
unique bag is made specifically for the annual
event.

Daily-wage workers
These bags are made at Kamarajar Colony,
located off the main road, leading to Kariapatti
town in the neighbouring Virudhunagar district.
It houses about 150 families of mostly daily-wage
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

workers. While most of them are engaged in
construction, some are loadmen.
For most of the year, these residents go about
their regular work. However, the colony,
comprising people belonging to the
Arunthathiyar community, becomes a hive of
activity for at least three months before the
Chithirai festival. At this place, the goat skin bags
are made. The process of making these bags
begins during the Tamil month of Thai and
continues through Masi and Panguni. Men and
women are involved in this traditional vocation.
K. Gurunathar Vellaichamy and his son Muthu
Mahalingam, both involved in the work, say all
the 150 families in the colony make these bags
individually. Mr. Mahalingam says the workers
buy the goat hide from the markets in Madurai,
Virudhunagar, and Dindigul districts. The hide
costs ₹40-₹90 apiece.
The workers first clean the hide and keep it
soaked in water for a day. Then they apply
sunnambu (limestone) on the hide to remove the
fur with scrapers. Then, the layer of sunnambu is
removed with the application of Avaramkolai and
Nattu Karuvapatta. It gives the bag its brown
colour. The hide is dried in the sun and then
ironed. Now, it is ready to be polished and
stitched.
This year, about 4,000 bags were made, and
Laborious task: Kamarajar Colony at Kariapatti is where the goat skin bags are made. At right, the bags are stitched for sale on Sannathi Street in Madurai. G. MOORTHY & R. ASHOK
almost all of them were sold, says A. Thanga
Murugan, a bag-maker. A bag cannot be reused
and unused bags can be used only if they are
stored properly, says Mr. Mahalingam.
Checked by devotees
Following the hoisting of the holy flag to mark the
beginning of the Chithirai festival at the
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple that draws
people from far and near to the city, the makers
of these bags go to Madurai with the hide, which
they display near the Meenakshi Sundareswarar
Temple. After devotees check the hide for
damage and make a choice, the makers stitch the
bags.
These bags are sold for ₹300-₹700, and large
bags can fetch ₹1,000-₹1,100. Small bags can hold
two litres of water and large ones up to 40 litres.
The large bags can hold two big ‘kudams’ [pots] of
water, says P. Subramani, a bag-maker from
Kariapatti. The pipe is fixed for spraying water in
the front right leg part of the hide, says Mr.
Mahalingam.
The bag-makers stay in Madurai during the key
events of the festival: the flag-hoisting ceremony
at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple; the
The workers first clean the hide and
keep it soaked in water for a day. Then
they apply sunnambu (limestone) on the
hide to remove the fur with scrapers.
Then, the layer of sunnambu is removed
with the application of Avaramkolai and
Nattu Karuvapatta. The hide is dried in
the sun and then ironed. Now, it is
ready to be polished and stitched
coronation of Goddess Meenakshi; the celestial
wedding of Goddess Meenakshi with Lord
Sundareswarar; and Lord Kallazhagar’s journey
to Madurai and entry into the Vaigai.
Grand celebrations form part of the festival.
Despite the scorching summer heat, people make
arrangements for the festival. Decorations and
materials are readied and people, including
devotees of Lord Kallazhagar, get their costumes,
like those of the deity, stitched.
After Lord Kallazhagar’s entry into the Vaigai,
the devotees follow the deity as He makes His
way to the Ramarayar Mandapam.
M. Kannan, a devotee from Viraganoor, says
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
his family has been following the tradition of
dressing up like Lord Kallazhagar since the time
of their forefathers. Devotees take a vow and
spray water on the deity. Another devotee, M.
Arulmurugan, of Sakkudi, believes that the more
the water is sprayed on the deity, the more the
blessings will be.
Devotees feel that spraying water on Lord
Kallazhagar is to cool Him from the sweltering
summer heat; it is a service. According to legend,
Lord Kallazhagar travels from Azhagarkoil to
witness the wedding of His sister Goddess
Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar. On
reaching Madurai, Lord Kallazhagar learns from
Lord Veera Ragava Perumal that the wedding has
already been solemnised. A dejected Lord
Kallazhagar chooses not to cross the Vaigai. He is
upset that the wedding was over before His
arrival. Water is sprayed on the deity to cool Him
down.
King Thirumalai Nayak merged two different
festivals into one grand event to foster harmony
between Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The Shaivite
Chithirai festival of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar
Temple was merged with the festival of the
Sundararaja Perumal Temple at Azhagarkoil.

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CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS N CH-CHE

YK
 THE HINDU
4 Friday, May 3, 2024

Tamil Nadu Chennai

INBRIEF
쑽 State’s annual realisation Gaming body warns
of action against ads
of Cauvery water may be on online gambling
second lowest in 50 years The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu Online

As on April 30, the cumulative receipt since June 1, 2023 was about 78.8 tmc ft. Since 2000, there Gaming Authority (TNO-
were two more years in which the State’s annual share crossed the 100-tmc ft by a small margin GA) on Thursday said it
had “proposed to take
‘Directorate mustn’t get control T. Ramakrishnan
stringent action” against
those who advertise online
of Kallar reclamation schools’ CHENNAI gambling and online
games of chance and bet-
online gambling services
and online games of
chance are prohibited un-
der the Act. No person
shall make or cause to
make any advertisement in
any media, including elec-
tronic means of communi-
cation, in Tamil Nadu that
promotes or induces (di-
rectly or indirectly) any

W
AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran on ith the current
Thursday reiterated his stand against the plan to water year
bring Kallar reclamation schools under the 2023-24 com-
control of the Directorate of School Education. In ing to an end this month,
a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said that after the overall realisation by
assurance by authorities against implementing the State in the year may
such a move in the wake of resistance to an end up next to the lowest
announcement made during the 2023-24 Budget, figure of 69 tmc ft (thou-
welfare associations for denotified communities sand million cubic feet)
had now appealed to the government to stop the during 2016-17 since 1974,
Directorate from taking control of the schools. He the year in which the 1924
said that the proposed action would result in the inter-State (Karnataka and
loss of concessions enjoyed by nearly 30,000 Tamil Nadu) agreement
students in 298 schools and take away the rights was said to have lapsed.
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
100-tmc ft mark. This can
change only when the
Cauvery catchment in Ker-
vathy - had a cumulative
storage of 23.96 tmc ft
against the total capacity of
the State realised barely
two tmc ft against 7.5 tmc
ft.
ting, among others, to pro-
mote their website/appli-
cations in the State.
Those who wish to
share information about
online gambling or betting
activities, or offer sugges-
tions to regulate online
games could do so at
https://tnonlinegamin-
gauthority.tn.gov.in/ or
email tnoga@tn.gov.in, the
TNOGA chairperson said in
a release.
person to indulge in online
gambling with money or
other stakes, the Act states.
It also provides for a pe-
nalty of imprisonment,
which may extend to one
year or a fine extending up
to ₹5 lakh or both for the
persons/company indulg-
ing in such advertise-
ments. “If they repeat the
same offence, they are lia-
ble for one to three years of
imprisonment and a fine of

of Piramalai Kallars, and urged Chief Minister For the purpose of cal-
M.K. Stalin to ensure that Kallar reclamation culation, the reference
schools were allowed to function under the point is Biligundulu on the
jurisdiction of the Backward Classes, Most inter-State border where
Backward Classes and Denotified Communities the Central Water Commis-
Department. sion (CWC) has a facility to
measure the flows.
As on April 30, the cum-
ulative receipt since June 1,
2023 was about 78.8 tmc ft.
This was marginally higher
than around 75.6 tmc ft,
which was recorded dur-
ing 2003-04. The current
water year will, in all prob-
ability, mark the third oc-
casion of Tamil Nadu’s an-
nual quota of the Cauvery
water not exceeding the
ala and Karnataka expe-
rience heavy rainfall im-
mediately before the onset
of Southwest monsoon in
the last week of this
month.
Since 2000, there were
two more years in which
Tamil Nadu’s annual share
crossed the 100-tmc ft by a
small margin. In 2012-13,
the State got 100.4 tmc ft
and in 2002-03, the figure
was 109.9 tmc ft.
On the morning of
Thursday (May 2), the
State’s three reservoirs in
the Cauvery basin - Mettur,
Bhavanisagar and Amara-
130.31 tmc ft.
Meanwhile, the Cauvery
Water Regulation Commit-
tee (CWRC), in its meeting
on Wednesday, did not
even consider the State’s
request of directing Karna-
taka to ensure the release
of at least five more tmc ft
for the purpose of environ-
mental flows.
As per the Cauvery Wa-
ter Disputes Tribunal’s fi-
nal order, as modified by
the Supreme Court, the
upper riparian State
should release 2.5 tmc ft a
month during February to
May. At the end of April,
As for other major irri-
gation reservoirs in the
State, the present storage
of Parambikulam network
of dams comprising Sho-
layar, Aliyar and Thirumur-
thy was lower than what
was there on the same day
last year. The Sathanur-
Krishnagiri pair too was in
a similar position.
The only consolation
was the storage of dams lo-
cated in southern parts of
the State. Starting from
Vaigai to Perunchani, the
current storage was higher
than that of the corres-
ponding period last year.
The Tamil Nadu Prohibi-
tion of Online Gambling
and Regulation of Online
Games Act, 2022, provides
for prohibiting online gam-
bling and online games of
chance, betting, among
others. Violators are liable
for imprisonment that may
extend to 3 months or a
fine of up to ₹5,000 or
both. “...The Act prohibits
financial institutions/pay-
ment gateways from engag-
ing in transactions towards
online gambling or online
game of chance,” the re-
lease said.
The advertisement of
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.”
‘Remove chapter’
Meanwhile, Manithaneya
Makkal Katchi president
M.H. Jawahirullah has re-
quested the School Educa-
tion Department to re-
move a chapter in the
maths book for Class VI
students of the Tamil Nadu
State Board that explains
integers using a card game.
In a statement, he said that
there were other ways to
explain the concept and in-
troducing card games to
students was
unacceptable.

‘Why is the Centre silent on

missing drug consignment?’ HC: can’t fix time limit On the request of police, The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC)
president K. Selvaperunthagai on Thursday said
that the Modi government was responsible for
to ascertain veracity of reporter dons official’s role to save a life
drug menace. He told reporters in Chennai that
the Delhi High Court had issued notice to the
community certificates Wilson Thomas dence in me and I agreed. we were not lucky enough
Union Home Ministry over drug consignment COIMBATORE He then guided me to to get the desired outcome
worth about ₹5 lakh crore going missing. “Why Mohamed Imranullah S. dates “do not deserve sym- the power transmission of the reporting trip. “After
are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home CHENNAI pathy or indulgence from Trips to Valparai have al- tower where workers were all, it appears that our as-
Minister Amit Shah and BJP leaders in Tamil courts...” ways been close to my appealing to the employee signment today was to save
Nadu silent about this?,” he asked, and claimed Unless there is a foolproof The verdict was deli- heart for various reasons. to come down. As I ap- the man’s life,” said Mr. Pe-
that most of the drugs had been seized from system to issue community vered while dismissing Perhaps I might spot the pealed to him to come riasamy as we were head-
Gujarat. “The BJP, which talks about drug certificates only to genuine writ petitions filed by three enigmatic Nilgiri Tahr on down, the worker shot ing back to Coimbatore in
trafficking in Tamil Nadu, must speak about this applicants, no time limit or retired employees of the the cliffs en route the hill back, “What is your desig- the evening. The credit will
too.” On the Cauvery issue, he said that the TNCC limitation can be pre- Chennai Port Trust (CPT) station or feel the cool nation? How could you of course go to the
would support the interests of Tamil Nadu and its scribed by the courts for and the Reserve Bank of In- breeze coming from the come so fast from Coimba- constable.
farmers. “There is a clear order from the subjecting those certifi- dia (RBI) challenging the misty plantations. The tea plantation worker atop tore?” In a quick response, Neither the policeman
Supreme Court on the issue and the onus is on cates to verification if any orders of the State Level But a journey to Valpa- the high tension electric cable I told him that I was in Pol- nor this reporter had the
the Centre to ensure its implementation,” Mr. doubts or complaints were Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) rai on a reporting assign- tower at Valparai. M. PERIASAMY lachi and that I was direct- opportunity to get intro-
Selvaperunthagai said. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu raised regarding their ge- that the scheduled tribe ment on Thursday turned ed by my office to reach duced to each other at the
Mahila Congress president Hazeena Syed urged nuineness, the Madras community certificates to be the most satisfying numbers. Soon, I spotted a the venue faster. spot as things had turned
the BJP government to immediately arrest MP High Court has ruled. used by them to secure em- one for a different reason. man atop a high tension Though the policeman dramatic after the rescue
Prajwal Revanna, who was accused of sexually A Division Bench of Jus- ployment in the 1980s Accompanied by my photo electric cable tower in the and myself didn’t have a operation with the man’s
harassing several women. tices S.S. Sundar and N. were fake. The petitioners journalist colleague M. Pe- middle of the tea estate. thought about the designa- emotionally stressed wife
Senthilkumar held that the had refused to cooperate riasamy, I started our trip The policeman told us he tion, the former said: “He swooning. Late at night, I
community certificates of with the inquiry and relied from Coimbatore to Valpa- was a tea estate worker, is an Assistant Commis- called up the Valparai pol-
those who got employed upon three Supreme Court rai early in the morning. who had some issues with sioner from Labour De- ice station and found out
PMK MLA urges Chief Secy. before 1995 could also be
verified any time, and that
orders, wherein it was held
that conduct of inquiry re-
While I wanted to docu-
ment certain behavioural
the management, and was
threatening to jump from
partment. He has come to
settle your grievance.”
that the name of the real
hero of this operation was
to relax MCC norms in State the inquiry regarding the garding the genuineness of aspects of the rare Lion- there. “We want you to I asked the man again to S. Vel and spoke to him.
genuineness of the certifi- community certificates, tailed macaque, Mr. Peria- pose as an official from the come down to settle the Not only did he thank me
PMK legislator S. Sadhasivam on Thursday cates could continue even even after retirement from samy was trying his luck in Labour Department and grievance. He was atop the profusely but said the
submitted a representation requesting Chief after the retirement of the service, would only be aca- photographing a rare bird. hold talks with him. Please tower from 7.30 a.m, and worker, Veeramani, 58,
Secretary Shiv Das Meena to relax the norms of employees concerned. demic and serve no pur- As we crossed the ghat convince him that his grie- finally agreed to come was almost exhausted
the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) so that MLA Recalling the Supreme pose. section with its 40 hairpin vances would be ad- down. Though fire bri- when we negotiated with
offices could be reopened. In his representation Court ruling that had They also cited an Office bends and reached Iyyer- dressed and ask him to gades offered to help, he him and would have fallen
to the Chief Secretary, he recalled that the polling termed the conduct of Memorandum issued in padi around 8.45 a.m., a come down,” the police- said he would alight by off the tower had the oper-
in Tamil Nadu had concluded and pointed out gaining public employ- 2020 directing the SLSCs tea estate around 105 km man said. himself, and came down ation been delayed. (Assis-
that the counting of votes was only scheduled for ment with fake community to verify the community off Coimbatore, a police I told him that hailing by 9 a.m., completely ex- tance for overcoming suici-
June 4. There were issues such as water shortage certificates an “egregious certificates of only those constable stopped our car from Kerala my Tamil hausted. He was rushed to dal thoughts is available on
in many places, he said, adding: “When we fraud on the Constitution,” employees who had been and requested us to disem- wasn’t great. He assured hospital, and Mr. Periasa- the State’s health helpline
contact government officials, as elected the Bench said those who appointed after 1995. bark. A fire tender was me that wasn’t an issue. my and myself then head- 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.
representatives of the people, we are told that had deprived jobs to ge- However, the Bench re- parked on the side of the “Just pose as an official and ed for our work. and Sneha’s suicide preven-
the MCC is in place. The people are affected and nuine Scheduled Caste/ fused to accept their con- road and people had talk to him. You can do it, After spending the en- tion helpline 044-
we are not able to discharge our duties..” Scheduled Tribe candi- tentions. thronged the spot in large sir,” the cop instilled confi- tire day at the hill station, 24640050).

Trainee doctor dies
of bleeding after
giving birth to twins
The Hindu Bureau
PUDUKOTTAI
A 26-year-old trainee doc-
tor from Karambakkudi in
Pudukottai district died on
Tuesday after giving birth
to twins at Ranee’s Govern-
ment Memorial Hospital
(RGMH) in the town.
R. Anjutha, a postgrad-
uate student, was rushed
to the hospital, where she
was a trainee obstetrician,
after she developed severe
labour pain. Health offi-
cials said she had short-
ness of breath, and the
medical team comprising
CM
YK
colleagues performed a
Caesarean-section. She
died of bleeding after deli-
vering twin boys. Both the
babies have been kept in
an incubator at a private
hospital in Tiruchi.
“Upon her arrival at the
hospital, the doctors
promptly attended to her.
Unfortunately, she suffered
from premature separation
of the placenta with twin
pregnancy, and died due
to postpartum haemor-
rhage,” S. Sripriya Then-
mozhi, Joint Director of
Medical and Rural Health
Services, said.
Activists in Kodaikanal welcome steps to issue Minister, MP attend
e-passes to vehicles entering the hill station ‘nadukal’ installation
The Hindu Bureau
KODAIKANAL
As the Dindigul district ad-
ministration has begun
work to issue e-passes to
vehicles entering Kodaika-
nal, activists in the hill sta-
tion are upbeat about the
steps being taken, in pur-
suance of a recent order of
the Madras High Court to
save the fragile biosphere.
According to the details
shared by Kodaikanal Mun-
icipality, a total of 2,091
vehicles entered the town
on April 19, the day of poll-
ing. The next day, the num-
ber rose to 2,377 and on
April 21, it dipped to 1,610.
ceremony in Thailand
After the court order, the to issue e-passes would
number of vehicles visibly help conserve water.
reduced this weekend, “We are not getting reg-
says Kodaikanal Municipal ular water supply, and gi-
Commissioner P. ven the temperature rise,
Sathiyanathan. we may see massive water
He hopes that issuance scarcity,” a resident from
of e-passes would help the Naidupuram said.
municipality know the An official admits that
type of vehicles entering the hill station may face
the hills, the number of pe- water shortage and, hence,
ople, and the places where supply was being main-
they would stay, among tained on alternate days to
others. “These details are avert such a situation. “E-
necessary for traffic and passes would also help the
waste management.” municipality ration the wa-
With the hill station wit- ter supply for hotels, there-
nessing high temperatures by conserving water,” he
and forest fires, residents said.
fear a looming water crisis. Activist Veerabadhran
They hope that the move points out that e-passes are
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
a must to check the carry-
ing capacity of the road up
the hill. They will help pol-
icy-makers plan additional
infrastructure for the hill
station, he added.
Drop in bookings
However, Ajayan, a resort
owner, said that after the
court order, bookings in
many hotels dropped. E-
passes should be made ap-
plicable only on weekends,
he said.
Ranjit who runs a hotel
on Lake Road said it was
only during the tourist sea-
son that he could make
money and issuing e-pass-
es would affect his income.
The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI
Transport Minister S.S. Si-
vasankar and Rajya Sabha
member M.M. Abdulla
participated in the ‘nadu-
kal’ installation ceremony,
which was held in Thai-
land recently.
Chief Minister M.K. Sta-
lin, in a post on X (former-
ly Twitter), confirmed
their participation in the
ceremony.
The ‘nadukal’ was in-
stalled in memory of sever-
al Tamils who had died
while establishing the
Siam-Burma railway dur-
ing the second World War.
“It is a Tamil tradition to
install ‘nadukal’ to remem-
ber the departed souls,”
the Chief Minister said, cit-
ing a verse from the Thol-
kappiyam.
The Thailand Tamil
Sangam and Tamils in Ma-
laysia collaborated to in-
stall the ‘nadukal’ in
Thailand.
State’s contribution
Mr. Stalin said that the Ta-
mil Nadu government had
contributed ₹10 lakh to-
wards the installation.
N CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 5
Chennai
South

Heat prompts Kerala to close all Bengaluru

records
WEATHERWATCH
쑽
Rainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday

educational institutions till May 6 41.1 degrees

Celsius
Meeting of State Disaster Management Authority, chaired by CM, asks schoolchildren to avoid holiday classes from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m; workplaces with asbestos and tin sheet roofs should be closed during the day; heatwave to continue in the State The Hindu Bureau
BENGALURU

The Hindu Bureau light between 11 a.m. and 3 cy is also considering a ‘hot The Karnataka State Natu-
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM p.m. Those working under day’ alert for the State after ral Disaster Management
the sun like construction temperatures soared to un- Centre (KSNDMC) district-

W
ith tempera-
ture staying un-
usually high in
the State, a meeting
chaired by Kerala Chief Mi-
nister Pinarayi Vijayan on
Thursday decided to sus-
pend classes in all educa-
tional institutions, includ-
ing professional colleges,
till May 6. The online meet-
workers, farmers, and
hawkers should resche-
dule their work timings.
Workplaces roofed with as-
bestos and tin sheets
should be closed during
the day. Workers living in
these types of roofed hous-
es should be shifted, said
Mr. Vijayan.
Scorching heat: A man uses a cardboard box to shield himself from
precedented levels.
V.K. Mini, Director in-
charge, IMD, Kerala, says
normally warm night is de-
clared when the maximum
temperature remains
equal to or above 40 de-
grees Celsius and the mini-
mum temperature departs
from the normal by 4.5 to
6.4 degrees Celsius.
wise minimum and maxi-
mum temperatures record-
ed from 8.30 a.m. on Wed-
nesday to 8.30 a.m. on
Thursday showed that Ben-
galuru Urban recorded a
maximum of 41.1 degrees
Celsius.
Many parts of Bengalu-
ru received rain on Thurs-
day evening after a TEMPERATURE DATA: IMD, POLLUTION DATA: CPCB, MAP: INSAT/IMD (TAKEN AT 18.00 HRS)

ing of the State Disaster
Management Authority,
which was also attended
by Collectors, assessed the
possibilities of heatwaves
in the State and issued in-
structions to mitigate the
impact of the heat.
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
the sun, in Kochi on Thursday. THULASI KAKKAT
liday classes from 11 a.m. to
3 p.m. Daytime parades
and drills should also be
avoided at training centres
of the Police, Fire Force,
other forces, National Ca-
Meteorological Depart-
ment (IMD) continuing to
issue a yellow alert for
heatwaves for Alappuzha,
Palakkad, Thrissur, and
Kozhikode districts, Mr. Vi-
‘Warm night’
With daytime tempera-
tures remaining unusually
high and giving the people
a harrowing time, the India
Meteorological Depart-
ment (IMD) has issued a
‘warm night’ forecast
Meanwhile, one more
person died due to sun-
stroke in the State. Vijeesh,
a native of Kozhikode, suf-
fered sunstroke on Satur-
day, and died at Kozhikode
Medical College Hospital
on Thursday. Two indivi-
parched five months and
seven days. The IMD fore-
cast for Bengaluru City is-
sued on Thursday states
that for the next 36 hours,
the maximum and mini-
mum temperatures very
likely will be around 39 de-
Forecast for Friday: Thunderstorm with lightning/gusty winds
likely at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, coastal Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala. Hot and humid
weather likely to prevail over coastal Karnataka, Karaikal and Mahe
CITY RAIN MAX MIN CITY RAIN MAX MIN
Agartala ................... —......37.4...... 28.8 Kozhikode ....................... —......39.0...... 29.8
Ahmedabad............. —......41.4...... 23.8 Kurnool ........................... —......45.3...... 31.5
Aizawl ...................... —......32.2...... 26.9 Lucknow.......................... —......35.7...... 20.8
Allahabad ................ —......38.8...... 22.0 Madurai ........................... —......41.7...... 28.6

The meeting instructed
schoolchildren to avoid ho-
det Corps, Student Police
Cadets etc. With the India
jayan urged residents to
keep away from direct sun-
along with a heatwave al-
ert for the State. The agen-
duals succumbed to heat
stroke in the State earlier.
grees Celsius and 25 de-
grees Celsius, respectively.
Bengaluru................ —......38.2...... 25.5
Bhopal ..................... —......37.8...... 19.0
Bhubaneswar .......... —......39.0...... 24.2
Chandigarh.............. —......35.4...... 18.0
Chennai ................... —......40.0...... 28.7
Coimbatore ............. —......39.5...... 26.4
Dehradun................. —......34.9...... 15.8
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Mangaluru....................... —......34.2...... 28.0
Mumbai ........................... —......33.0...... 25.9
Mysuru............................. —......38.3...... 26.0
New Delhi........................ —......35.5...... 19.3
Patna............................... —......38.3...... 26.2
Port Blair ......................... —......34.5...... 26.4
Puducherry ..................... —......36.2...... 29.2

Railways deletes reference to loco pilots watching cricket

S. Vijay Kumar
CHENNAI
The Railway Ministry has
deleted the reference
made to loco pilots “en-
grossed in watching a
cricket match on their mo-
bile phones” in the Vizia-
nagaram train accident in
safety circulars issued later
which banned the crew
from using Bluetooth
headsets, official sources
said on Wednesday.
The issue pertains to
Union Railway Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw’s state-
ment made in New Delhi
on March 3, 2024, that the
accident “happened be-
cause both the loco pilot
and co-pilot were distract-
ed by the cricket match
which was going on.”
He was referring to the
rear-end collision between
Train No. 08504 Visakha-
patnam-Rayagada Passen-
ger with Train No. 08532
Visakhapatnam-Palasa Pas-
senger between Kantaka-
palle and Alamanda rail-
way stations in Waltair
Division of East Coast Rail-
way in Andhra Pradesh on
October 29, 2023, which
left 17 people, including
the loco pilot and his assis-
tant, dead and 34 injured.
After The Hindu pu-
blished the report “Loco
pilots were not watching
cricket at time of crash”
based on the final inquiry
report of the Commission-
er of Railway Safety (CRS)
on Saturday, the Minister
clarified that the findings
of the CRS would be final.
There was tentative initial
possibility that the loco pi-
lots may have been dis-
tracted at the time of the
accident, he said.
Soon after Mr. Vaish-
naw’s statement, the Rail-
ways issued circulars ban-
ning the crew from using
Bluetooth headsets while
The spot of the rail accident in
A.P.’s Kantakapalli.
on duty. In a circular, the
Southern Railway ex-
pressed shock that the
crew members were en-
grossed in watching a
cricket match on their mo-
bile phones, facilitated by
Gangtok ................... —......24.5...... 14.3 Pune ................................ —......40.6...... 22.2
Goa........................... —......34.2...... 24.7 Raipur.............................. —......41.4...... 26.2
Guwahati ................. —......38.0...... 22.8 Ranchi ............................. —......37.1...... 25.4
Hubballi................... —......43.0...... 24.0 Shillong .............................2......27.6...... 14.0
Hyderabad............... —......42.3...... 29.2 Shimla ............................. —......25.5...... 11.8
Imphal .....................28......20.9...... 15.7 Srinagar........................... —......23.2........ 5.7
the use of Bluetooth devic- risk,” the circular said. Jaipur ...................... —......36.4...... 22.5 Thiruvananthapuram .......... —......36.6...... 28.0
es of headphones. “This But with no evidence Kochi........................ —......34.2...... 29.4 Tiruchi ............................. —......42.7...... 29.6
Kohima ......................9......25.8...... 13.0 Vijayawada...................... —......41.2...... 29.6
blatant disregard for safety forthcoming later in the Kolkata .................... —......40.0...... 29.1 Visakhapatnam................ —......35.0...... 29.6
protocols is utterly unac- mobile data usage analysis (Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)
ceptable and places count- to substantiate the allega- Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday
CITIES SO 2 NO 2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE In observation made at
less loves at grave risk,” it tion that the loco pilots Ahmedabad ..... ...9 ..— .35 ...282 ...192 ......* 4.00 p.m., Dhanbad,
said in a circular. were watching cricket and Bengaluru ........ .10 ..24 .15 ...132 ...142 ......* Jharkhand recorded an
Chennai............ .13 ....9 107 .....77 ....70 ......*
In a similar circular the the final investigation re- Delhi ................. .17 ..34 .33 ...287 ...242 ......*
overall air quality index
(AQI) score of 344
South East Central Railway port of the Commissioner Hyderabad ....... .45 ..30 .14 .....92 ...128 ......* indicating an unhealthy
Kolkata............. .20 ..26 .25 .....72 ....90 ......*
said, “Disturbingly, it was of Railway Safety not mak- Lucknow........... ...6 ..39 .23 ...246 ...144 ......*
level of pollution. In
contrast, Ariyalur, Tamil
revealed that the crew ing any mention about the Mumbai ............ .34 ..94 .64 .....50 ...113 ......* Nadu recorded a healthy
members were distracted same, the Railways have Pune ................. .79 ..90 116 .....52 ....50 ......* AQI score of 31
Visakhapatnam .13 ..32 .20 .....39 ...103 ......*
by watching a cricket recalled the safety circu-
Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)
match on their mobile lars, the sources said. SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system, making breathing difficult. It
phones, facilitated by the The railways have with- can affect visibility by reacting with other air particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects
such as statues and monuments.
use of Bluetooth devices or drawn the circular and is- NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by reacting with other air
particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.
headphones. This egre- sued a fresh circular after CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to critical organs like the heart
gious disregard for safety deleting the portions refer- and brain. At very high levels, it can cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.
PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing,
protocols is unacceptable ring to the loco pilots chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks,
heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease
and puts countless lives at watching cricket.

DEATH DEATH DEATH

T A Srinivasan (83), Retired Assistant ANNIVERSARIES ANNIVERSARIES
Editor, The Hindu, Chennai passed
away on 01-May-2024.Address: 23/36
Kambar Street, S.S Colony, Madurai
-625010. Contact: 9840145047

DEATH

CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS N CH-CHE

YK
 THE HINDU
6 Friday, May 3, 2024

Business Chennai

INBRIEF
쑽 April PMI signals second-best gain in MARKETS
쑽
MARKET WATCH

manufacturing sector in 42 months THURSDAY

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 74,611 dddddddddddddddddddddd 0.17
US Dollardddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 83.46 dddddddddddddddddddd -0.03
Gold dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 72,350 dddddddddddddddddddd -0.34
% CHANGE

Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 83.20 dddddddddddddddddddddddddd —

New orders increased at the second-fastest pace in almost 40 months with domestic demand outpacing export orders, the
PMI survey showed; manufacturers ramped up hiring at a moderate pace, which was still the quickest since last September NIFTY 50
PRICE CHANGE
Adani Enter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3039.60. . . . . . . . -15.10
Vikas Dhoot employees at a moderate- nium, paper, plastics and Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1338.80. . . . . . . . . . 13.90
Apollo Hosp. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 5958.55. . . . . . . . . . 11.45
NEW DELHI pace, which was still the steel, and producers last Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2975.40. . . . . . . . . . 99.50
quickest since September. month raised selling prices Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1149.85. . . . . . . . -16.05

I
Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 9110.65. . . . . . . . 207.00
NPCI’s global arm to develop ndia’s manufacturing
activity eased in April
However, pressure on ca-
pacities remained mild.
at the fastest pace in three
months, noting that labour
Bajaj Finserv . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1615.45. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.45
Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 6882.70. . . . . . . . -40.85

UPI-like system for Namibia but still signalled the
second-best improvement
NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), the in three-and-a-half years,
international arm of the National Payments as per the seasonally ad-
Corporation of India (NPCI), has signed an justed HSBC India Manu-
agreement with the Bank of Namibia to support facturing Purchasing Man-
the institution in developing an instant payment agers’ Index (PMI), which
system like the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) slid to 58.8 from March’s
for Namibia. “By leveraging technology and 16-year high of 59.1.
experiences from India’s UPI, the partnership New orders rose at the
seeks to help Namibia modernise its financial second-strongest pace in
ecosystem,” NIPL said in a statement. almost 40 months, with
domestic demand rising
faster than export orders,
the PMI survey suggested.
Aadhar Housing Finance
Output growth slowed but
was still the second-fastest
in 42 months.
Bolstered by current
and anticipated upticks in
demand, manufacturers
reported higher confi-
dence levels with expecta-
tions of higher output a
year ahead. Firms added
Even though input costs
rose, producers took input
purchases to the highest le-
vel since June, and expan-
sion of stock inventories
was the third-strongest
since early 2005, when the
PMI data collection began.
Expectations that demand
conditions will remain con-
ducive to growth support-
ed inventory-building in-
itiatives, HSBC said.
Price gains were report-
ed for materials like alumi-
costs had also gone up.
“Higher costs of raw ma-
terials and labour led to a
modest uptick in input
costs, but inflation remains
below the historical aver-
age.” said HSBC’s chief In-
dia economist Pranjul
Bhandari. “However, firms
passed these increases on-
to consumers through
higher output charges, as
demand remained resi-
lient, resulting in improved
margins,” she added.
Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1304.05. . . . . . . . -18.25
BPCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 634.65. . . . . . . . . . 27.30
Britannia Ind . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4759.65. . . . . . . . -16.30
Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1420.05. . . . . . . . . . 20.05
Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 453.90. . . . . . . . . . -0.40
Divis Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3964.65. . . . . . . . -37.75
Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 6287.50. . . . . . . . . . 83.20
Eicher Motors . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4602.40. . . . . . . . . . . . 5.00
Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2437.35. . . . . . . . . . 25.70
HCL Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1360.70. . . . . . . . . . -5.90
HDFC Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1532.25. . . . . . . . . . 12.15
HDFC Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 576.35. . . . . . . . . . -7.30
Hero MotoCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4561.50. . . . . . . . . . 18.45
Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 641.45. . . . . . . . . . -2.95
Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2226.30. . . . . . . . . . -4.15
ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1139.45. . . . . . . . -10.95
IndusInd Bank. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1505.20. . . . . . . . -10.50
Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1414.45. . . . . . . . . . -6.10
ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 439.00. . . . . . . . . . . . 3.35
JSW Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 890.35. . . . . . . . . . . . 8.15
Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1575.65. . . . . . . . -48.30
L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3599.50. . . . . . . . . . . . 5.20
LTIMindtree Ltd. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4692.70. . . . . . . . -13.70
M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2185.15. . . . . . . . . . 28.80

unveils ₹3,000-crore IPO Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 12805.35. . . . . . . . -12.15

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
NestleIndia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2512.30. . . . . . . . . . . . 4.90

Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd. has announced to

open its ₹3,000-crore initial public offering (IPO)
on May 8. The price band has been fixed at
Federal Bank
Q4 net profit
Maersk raises profit guidance on NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 369.05. . . . . . . . . . . . 5.85
ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 282.80. . . . . . . . . . -0.05
PowerGrid Corp . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 313.60. . . . . . . . . . 11.75
Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2933.10. . . . . . . . . . -0.90

strong demand and Red Sea conflict

SBI Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1460.90. . . . . . . . . . 24.35

₹300-₹315 per equity share of a face value of ₹10

each. Bids will close on May 10. Bids can be made
inches up to
for a minimum of 47 equity shares in multiples of
47 shares thereafter. The IPO comprises a fresh
₹906 crore
issue of ₹1,000 crore and an offer for sale
aggregating up to ₹2,000 crore by BCP Topco VII The Hindu Bureau
Pte. Ltd., the promoter selling shareholder. MUMBAI
Federal Bank Ltd. reported
fourth-quarter net profit
LTTS bags €45 mn order from inched up to ₹906.30
crore, from ₹902.61 crore
French auto major FORVIA in the year-earlier period.
For the quarter ended
L&T Technology Services said it has signed a €45 March 31, Net Interest In-
Reuters
COPENHAGEN
Shipping group Maersk
raised its full-year profit
guidance after reporting
first-quarter earnings on
Thursday, citing strong de-
mand and longer sailing
times to avoid conflict in
the Red Sea.
Maersk posted a
third straight
quarterly loss in the
ocean container
shipping division
demand for container
shipping had been stron-
ger than forecast.
Maersk and rivals have
diverted ships around Afri-
ca since December to avoid
attacks by the Houthi mili-
tants, sending freight rates
higher because of the lon-
ger sailing times.
‘Adjusted networks’
“We have only seen an es-
calation of the situation in
$6 billion this year, com-
pared with previous gui-
dance between $1 billion
and $6 billion.
EBITDA stood at $1.59
billion in the first three
months of the year, com-
pared with $1.46 billion ex-
pected by analysts in an
LSEG poll, and $3.97 bil-
lion a year earlier when
State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 830.05. . . . . . . . . . . . 3.80
Shriram Finance
Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2582.10. . . . . . . . . . 30.40
Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1519.00. . . . . . . . . . 16.90
TataConsumerPro-
duct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1091.15. . . . . . . . -17.20
Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1027.80. . . . . . . . . . 19.90
Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 167.35. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.35
TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3863.30. . . . . . . . . . 42.65
Tech Mahindra . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1266.90. . . . . . . . . . . . 3.40
Titan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3568.45. . . . . . . . -20.80
UltraTech Cement . . . .. . . . . . . 9983.45. . . . . . . . . . 11.60
Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 457.40. . . . . . . . . . -5.00
EXCHANGE RATES
Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4
p.m. on May 02

million contract with FORVIA, a French global come (NII) grew 15% to The company, viewed as High volumes the area and therefore we freight rates were boosted CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL

automotive supplier, to offer engineering ₹2,195.11 crore. a barometer of world “The container volumes can see that not only by a pandemic-related US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 83.27. . . . . . . . . . 83.59
Euro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 89.11. . . . . . . . . . 89.46
development services to the latter’s Clean The Board recommend- trade, said that shipping we see today are quite high Maersk but all shipping boost to demand. British Pound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 104.20. . . . . . . . 104.60
Mobility division. As part of the five-year ed a dividend of ₹1.2 per disruptions caused by compared to GDP growth lines have adjusted their Still, Maersk posted a Japanese Yen (100) . . . . . . .. . . . . 53.63. . . . . . . . . . 53.84
Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 11.50. . . . . . . . . . 11.54
partnership, about 300 engineers from FORVIA’s equity share with a face va- Houthi militants’ attacks in the world economy,” networks more or less per- third straight quarterly loss Swiss Franc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 91.28. . . . . . . . . . 91.63
Augsburg and Bengaluru sites had been lue of ₹2 for FY24. on vessels in the Red Sea said CEO Vincent Clerc. “At manently,” Mr. Clerc said. in its ocean container ship- Singapore Dollar . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 61.23. . . . . . . . . . 61.48
Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 60.67. . . . . . . . . . 60.91
transferred to LTTS. This represents a 95% In FY24, the bank’s total were expected to last at one point or another, we Maersk now expects ping division, mainly ow- Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 17.51. . . . . . . . . . 17.58
transfer success rate in securing the skills of business grew 19.1% YoY to least until the end of the will see a normalisation of full-year underlying EBIT- ing to higher costs related Australian Dollar . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 54.32. . . . . . . . . . 54.53

these teams, the company said in a statement. ₹4,61,937.36 crore. year, adding that growth in volumes,” he added. DA between $4 billion and to the Red Sea disruptions. Source:Indian Bank

Adani Enterprises Q4
net profit slides 37%
Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI
Adani Enterprises Ltd., the
flagship incubator of billio-
naire Gautam Adani’s con-
glomerate, on Thursday re-
ported a 37% drop in
March quarter net profit,
bogged down by one-time
past airport dues and com-
mercial-mining losses.
Consolidated net profit
of ₹450.58 crore in the
fourth quarter of FY24
compares with a net profit
of ₹722.48 crore in the
same period last year and
₹1,888.45 crore earnings in
the preceding quarter, ac-
cording to a filing.
The firm reported an 8%
decline in EBITDA (earn-
ings before interest, taxes,
depreciation, and amorti-
sation) at ₹3,646 crore.
While incubating busi-
nesses like new energy and
airports showed strong
momentum, it suffered a
loss of ₹201.83 crore in
commercial mining, while
pre-tax earnings from the
road business plummeted
84% to ₹222.03 crore.
Also, its unit Mumbai In-
ternational Airport Ltd.
(MIAL) recognised a one-
time exceptional expense
of ₹627 crore to make up
for past payments.
Outlook for venture capital, private NMDC output slid 1%,
equity has improved: TVS Capital
Mini Tejaswi
BENGALURU
The outlook for India’s
private equity and venture
capital market appears
positive this year, com-
pared with last year, as
‘normalcy’ has returned in
the lives of investors, said
Anuradha Ramachandran,
Managing Partner, TVS
Capital Funds.
‘Excess funding’
Ms. Ramachandran said,
there had been excess
funding during 2020 and
2021 as both investors and
business owners had got
carried away. The pandem-
ic had brought about struc-
tural changes. Edtech
boomed because students
could not go to school and
sales rose 3% in April
Anuradha Ramachandran
they required digital edu-
cation, while consumer
goods had to be mostly
bought online and there-
fore B2C ventures did well.
“Now, the question is
how do you sustain growth
when structural disadvan-
tages no longer exist. That
is the conundrum both in-
vestors and businesses al-
ways faced and are still fac-
ing,” she added.
‘Return to normalcy’
Ms. Ramachandran ob-
served a lot of ‘normalisa-
tion’ had happened among
investors and entrepre-
neurs and conversations
were now getting better
with realistic expectations
from both sides.
“This scenario will
boost the growth of the
domestic funding market.
We hope, from now on,
things are going to be ea-
sier for both parties,” she
commented.
Funding winter, set in a
couple of years ago after
many global funds dialed
down their investments in
India because of a lack of
private fund availability,
coupled with the global
economic uncertainty.
“However, India by itself
is an attractive market, and
we do attract capital in the
early stage investments.
But in terms of return on
capital, our funding mar-
kets are yet to gain maturi-
ty,” she observed.
‘Credit averse’
On lending to women, she
said, women were credit
averse and were very res-
ponsible, yet opportunities
available for them could be
fewer, and that could also
be one of the reasons why
a lesser number of women
became entrepreneurs.
However, “it is encou-
raging to see some start-
ups having women co-
founders,” Ms. Ramachan-
dran added.
The Hindu Bureau
HYDERABAD
State-owned NMDC report-
ed iron-ore production for
April slid almost 1% while
sales increased almost 3%.
Production stood at 3.48
million tonne (mt) (3.51 mt)
and sales 3.53 mt (3.43 mt),
NMDC said in a filing on Amitava Mukherjee
the provisional numbers.
India’s largest iron-ore dia’s iron-ore output and
producer has been report- demand,” CMD (additional
ing a year-on-year decline charge) Amitava Mukher-
in output since February. jee said in a statement.
In March, production and
sales fell. For the year end- ‘Promising start’
ed March, it had reported a “All our mining complexes
10% increase in production have delivered a promising
to a record 45.1 mt and 16% start and are geared up to
higher sales at 44.48 mt. harmonise with the new
“We are targeting north mining technologies, navi-
of 10% growth in our vol- gate sectoral challenges
umes in FY25 attuned to and achieve 50 million
the growth trajectory of In- tonne,” he added.

‘Shriram Finance to focus on
small-ticket loans, used vehicles’ swell to 3-month high’ setting Brent oil benchmark
N. Anand
CHENNAI
Shriram Finance Ltd. (SFL)
will focus on building its
bottom line in a granular
manner by offering small-
ticket loans and high-yield-
ing products during the
current fiscal year, said ex-
ecutive vice chairman
Umesh G. Revankar.
“We will be focusing on
our niche area of small-
ticket lending and used
vehicle portfolio, where
high-yielding assets will be
given a little higher weight-
age,” Mr. Revankar said
during an interaction.
Asserting that the com-
pany’s growth would be ca-
librated and SFL would be
focusing on improving the
bottom line, he said the
CM
YK
‘April palm-oil imports Reliance starts trading U.S. oil
Umesh G. Revankar
emphasis would be to raise
efficiency and profitability,
and not unduly focus on
the top line growth.
In FY24, SFL’s standa-
lone net profit rose 20%
YoY to ₹7,190 crore, while
total income increased by
17% to ₹34,998 crore.
According to him, the
industry might expect
slower growth in Q1 of
FY25 as the government
machinery was involved in
the elections during April
and May.
“There is likely to be
some slowdown in the ca-
pex activity of the govern-
ment and infrastructure
projects,” he said.
Mr. Revankar said
though the growth may be
a little slow in Q1, SFL ex-
pects good demand from
rural areas in Q2 with the
IMD’s prediction on the
monsoon being a positive.
Talking about the FY25
guidance for return on
equity, he said: “We are al-
ready at 16.4% and we
should be able to cross
17%. By FY26, we will be at
18%”. “Assets under man-
agement will grow at 15%
for FY25,” he added.
Reuters
MUMBAI
India’s palm-oil imports
jumped by 41% in April
from the previous month
to reach the highest level in
three months, as easing
prices prompted refiners
to increase purchases, five
dealers told Reuters.
Higher palm-oil pur-
chases by India, the
world’s biggest importer of
vegetable oils, could sup-
port the benchmark Malay-
sian palm oil futures that
are trading near their low-
est level in three months.
Palm oil imports in April
jumped to 6,82,000 metric
tonne, dealers estimate.
Palm oil has become
more attractive to buyers
due to a recent price cor-
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
rection that eliminated its
premium over soybean
and sunflower oil, said Ra-
jesh Patel, managing partn-
er at GGN Research.
Crude palm-oil imports
are offered at about $920 a
metric tonne, including
cost, insurance and
freight, in India for June
delivery, while soyoil and
sunflower oil are offered at
about $920 and $945 a
tonne, respectively.
Reuters
LONDON
India’s Reliance has made
its first foray into trading a
type of U.S. crude oil that
underpins the global Brent
benchmark in a process
run by oil-index publisher
S&P Global Commodity In-
sights, the publisher said.
RIL, operator of the
world’s biggest refining
complex, on Wednesday
offered a cargo of WTI Mi-
dland in the Platts Market
on Close process, known
as the Platts window.
It was Reliance’s first
time offering WTI in the
window, Platts spokesper-
son Kathleen Tanzy told
Reuters. A Reliance spo-
kesperson did not imme-
diately respond to a Reu-
ters request for comment.
India, the world’s third-
biggest oil importer and
consumer, is looking to di-
versify its oil supplies as
fresh U.S. sanctions on
Moscow threaten to dent
Russian oil sales to India,
the biggest buyer of Rus-
sian seaborne crude.
Reliance made its first
oil purchase from Canada’s
new Trans Mountain pipe-
line last month, trade
sources said.
More players have be-
come involved in trading
crude that can set the
Brent price in the Platts
window since Platts added
WTI to the benchmark last
year.
U.S. WTI Midland is one
of six crude-oil grades as-
sessed by Platts that can set
the value of dated Brent,
part of the wider Brent
complex used to price
more than three-quarters
of the world’s traded oil.
The price of dated Brent
is set by the cheapest of the
six crudes and Midland, by
far the largest of the six
crude streams, often plays
a role in setting its value.
The other five are North
Sea crudes.
N CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
Friday, May 3, 2024 7
Chennai
World
EDINBURGH LAHORE KUALA LUMPUR HONIARA
John Swinney on course to be PML-N leader hints at early polls Microsoft announces $2.2 billion China-friendly Manele elected as
crowned Scotland’s First Minister to facilitate Nawaz’s return as PM AI, cloud investment in Malaysia Solomon Islands Prime Minister

AFP REUTERS AP AFP

X X X X
Scotland’s John Swinney was poised on Thursday to become First Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif Microsoft pledged a $2.2 billion investment in artificial intelligence Solomon Islands MPs elected China-friendly former Foreign Minister
Minister and return as leader of the governing Scottish National has hinted at the possibility of fresh elections in Pakistan within the and cloud computing in Malaysia on Thursday to help develop the Jeremiah Manele as Prime Minister on Thursday, choosing him over
Party (SNP) after his main rival and former Finance Secretary Kate next two years to pave the way for Nawaz Sharif to secure a record country's AI infrastructure. The tech giant's chief executive Satya an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific
Forbes decided against running for the top job. Outgoing First fourth term as Prime Minister. Mr. Latif’s comments came during an Nadella is on a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia to announce a nation. Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs in polls that
Minister Humza Yousaf announced his resignation on Monday. AFP interview with a private TV channel. PTI range of investments in data centres, AI and cloud services. AFP will resonate in China, the U.S. and across the South Pacific. AFP

Police make arrests at UCLA Sri Lanka political parties use May
after clashes with protesters Day to put forward poll aspirations
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested from college campuses across the U.S. overnight; police Meera Srinivasan Leader of Opposition Sajith
crackdown echoed actions decades ago against a much larger movement protesting Vietnam War COLOMBO Premadasa, pledged to im-
plement the 13th Amend-
With a presidential elec- ment to the Sri Lankan
Associated Press nationwide. The ensuing tion expected later this constitution, which pro-
LOS ANGELES police crackdowns echoed year, the May Day rallies of mises a measure of power
actions decades ago all main political parties in devolution to the provinc-

T
he police arrested
pro-Palestinian
protesters on col-
lege campuses across the
country overnight, notably
at the University of Califor-
nia, Los Angeles, where
chaotic scenes played out
early on Thursday as offic-
ers in riot gear surged
against a crowd of demon-
strators and made arrests.
The police removed bar-
ricades and began disman-
tling demonstrators’ forti-
fied encampment at UCLA
after hundreds of protes-
ters defied orders to leave,
some of them forming hu-
man chains as police fired
flash-bangs to break up the
crowds.
Numerous protesters
were arrested, their hands
bound with zip ties.
The action came after
officers spent hours threa-
Reining in: Protesters being detained by the police at the University
of California, Los Angeles, on Thursday. REUTERS
tening arrests over loud-
speakers if people did not
disperse. A crowd of more
than 1,000 had gathered
on campus, both inside a
barricaded tent encamp-
ment and outside it, in sup-
port. Protesters and the
police shoved and scuffled.
Protesters chanted,
“Where were you last
night?” at the officers, in
reference to Tuesday
night, when counterprot-
esters attacked the en-
campment and the UCLA
administration and cam-
pus police took hours to
respond.
Tent encampments of
protesters calling on un-
iversities to stop doing bu-
siness with Israel or com-
panies they say support
the war in Gaza have
spread across campuses
against a much larger prot-
est movement protesting
the Vietnam War.
Yale University police
arrested four persons on
Wednesday night after
around 200 demonstrators
marched to the school pre-
sident’s home and to the
campus police depart-
ment.
In Oregon, the police
have started working to
clear demonstrators out of
a library at Portland State
University.
The protests at UCLA
appeared to be getting the
most attention. Iranian
state television carried live
images of the police action,
as did Qatar’s pan-Arab Al
Jazeera satellite network.
Live images of Los Angeles
also played across Israeli
television networks, as
well.
Sri Lanka seemed a pre-
lude to their poll cam-
paigns. Leaders of various
political camps made a di-
rect pitch to the people in
their respective public
events, seeking their sup-
port in what would be the
first election since the is-
land nation’s debilitating
economic crisis in 2022.
A year into the Interna-
tional Monetary Fund’s
programme, that brought
with it tough austerity
measures, many Sri Lan-
kans are reeling under the
impact of steep tax hikes,
and higher fuel and energy
prices, amid high living
costs.
Increase in daily wage
President Ranil Wickre-
mesinghe, who participat-
ed at the May Day event of
the Ceylon Workers’ Con-
Show of strength: The May Day rally held by the centre-left
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in Colombo. MEERA SRINIVASAN
gress in Kotagala in the
Central Province, where
many Malaiyaha Tamils, in-
cluding estate workers re-
side and work, announced
an increase in the daily
wage of plantation sector
workers, to LKR 1700
(roughly ₹ 477). Underscor-
ing his government’s “dili-
gent efforts” to stabilise the
country’s economy, he
further pledged to convert
workers’ colonial-era line
room accommodation to
“villages”.
Speaking later at a Co-
lombo rally organised by
his United National Party
(UNP), Mr. Wickremes-
inghe said his government
took “difficult decisions”
for economic recovery
while challenging the main
Opposition party Samagi
Jana Balawegaya (SJB or
United People’s Force) and
the centre-left Janatha Vi-
mukthi Peramuna ( JVP or
People’s Liberation Front)
on what their response had
been.
Addressing the SJB’s
May Day rally in Colombo,
es. Further, he proposed a
“national wealth fund” to
ensure prosperity of future
generations.
The JVP-led National Pe-
ople’s Power coalition put
up a big show in capital Co-
lombo, with scores of
members and supporters
marching across the city,
chanting “we want a go-
vernment”. The party and
its now-popular leader An-
ura Kumara Dissanayake
told supporters gathered
near Colombo’s Town Hall:
“We should create Sri Lan-
ka’s biggest people’s move-
ment, in order to bring in a
new era.”
Tamil parties from the
island’s north and east
held May Day events high-
lighting pending concerns
over accountability, power
devolution, and ongoing
land grabs in the region.

Crime and cost of living left, London Mayor elections has a

right and centre as London Delhi-born candidate in the fray
citizens vote for a mayor
Sriram Lakshman
LONDON
Voters in England and
Wales are going to the polls
on Thursday, to elect a
number of local govern-
ment officials, but the
most-watched race is in
London, where the incum-
bent mayor, the Labour
Party’s Sadiq Khan, is seek-
ing a third term as he runs
against 12 other
candidates.
The three other conten-
ders dominating the air
waves are Conservative
candidate Susan Hall, Lib-
eral Democrat (Lib Dem)
Rob Blackie and the Green
Party’s Zoë Garbett. Also
running is independent
candidate, Delhi-born Ta-
run Ghulati.
Crime and safety have
been at the top of the list
for voters as has the related
topic of confidence in the
Met (Metropolitan Police).
On Tuesday, a sword-
wielding man killed a 14-
year-old child and injured
several other people in
London, where blade relat-
ed crimes are high relative
to other cities. The cost of
living, especially as it im-
pacts housing and tran-
sport costs is another cru-
cial manifesto issue for
candidates.
School meals
Mr. Khan’s main pledge is
free primary school meals.
He introduced these at the
start of the 2023 school
year as an emergency mea-
sure to help parents with
the cost of living crisis. He
is now proposing making
CM
YK
Sadiq Khan
the scheme permanent. He
has also pledged to in-
crease policing and is in
competition with Ms. Hall
over how many new police
offers they will deploy.
Opinion poll
The incumbent’s other
priorities include afforda-
ble housing and transport
— but with Londoners reel-
ing from higher costs of liv-
ing than when he assumed
office, Mr. Khan has the ad-
ded task of defending his
record so far. A YouGov
poll report released on
Wednesday said 47% of po-
tential voters planned to
vote for Mr. Khan while
25% planned to vote for
Ms. Hall (1,192 adults sur-
veyed between April 24-
30).
Nevertheless, respon-
dents were split on his re-
cord to date, with 41% ap-
proving and 46% saying he
has done a bad job.
One of the messages of
the Khan campaign has
been that he will be able to
achieve much more than in
the last few years if there is
a Labour Chancelor of the
Exchequer and govern-
ment following the U.K.’s
Sriram Lakshman
LONDON
whether to heat or eat,”
Mr. Ghulati told The Hindu,
Mr. Ghulati’s formula for
making housing more af-
describing the cost of living fordable in London in-
general election later this As London goes to the crisis. He hopes to bring cludes rent-control laws in
year. Ms. Hall, a London polls on Thursday to elect his finance background to areas undergoing gentrifi-
Assembly member, has a mayor, Delhi-born Tarun create funds for London. cation and changing land-
said that she will increase Ghulati is among the 13 As part of his plan, Mr. use regulations. He also
the number of police offic- candidates for voters to Ghulati said he would want wants to reduce the
ers and introduce Bo- choose from. Mr. Ghulati, more “bobbies (police) on amount of congestion
rough-based policing to an investment banker and the beat” . “But of the right charges paid by car drivers
tackle crime (i.e., more lo- strategic advisor, is run- kind,” he adds, meaning using London roads.
calised police forces). ning as an independent. they should come from di- (Full interview
She has also said she will “People don’t know verse backgrounds. at bit.ly/Ghulati)
end the expanded Ultra
Low Emissions Zone
(ULEZ) on day 1. The ex-
panded zone, which im-
poses congestion charges
on certain vehicles, was
created by Mr. Khan in Au-
gust last year. The mayor
has defended the expan-
sion of the zone and has
linked it to better health
and environmental out-
comes for Londoners.
Ms. Hall has previously
courted controversy for
her comments on crime in
the black community and
for her social media style —
where she ‘liked’ racist
posts, including some in-
volving Mr. Khan, who is
Muslim.
LibDem candidate
Reforming the Met is the
main priority for the Lib
Dem candidate, Mr. Black-
ie, who was the victim of a
violent mugging some
years ago. “One night I was
attacked while walking
home from work. My neck
was broken, and I was
lucky to live,” he said on
his campaign page.
Ms. Garbett, who re-
minds voters repeatedly
that she is a home renter
(and not owner), is focused
on transport fare reform
and rent control and regu-
lation in the city.
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS N CH-CHE
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Friday, May 3, 2024
Chennai

N CH-CHE
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
THE HINDU

CM
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e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

Friday, May 3, 2024
Chennai
Wrestler Anshu confident of a
good show at Paris Olympics
She talks about the work put in to return from injury, her inspiration Vinesh Phogat and the belief of securing the remaining quota places at the qualifiers
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Y.B. Sarangi
hree more years of experience,
T improved muscle mass and
more maturity have helped
former World championships
silver medallist wrestler Anshu Malik grow
in confidence in the run-up to the Paris
Olympics.
Anshu, who overcame a frustrating
knee injury which kept her out of the mat
for most part of the last year, has rode on
her better fitness level to bounce back in
style to assert herself first at the
competitive domestic level and then at the
Asian Olympic Games qualifier in Bishkek
to secure her second consecutive Olympic
qualification in women’s 57kg.
While remaining focused on her
training with an aim of achieving her peak
by the time of the Olympics, the
22-year-old, who had crashed out in the
first round in the Tokyo Games in 2021, is
quietly confident about her ability to
medal this time in Paris.
Looking back at her injury lay-off,
which coincided with the wrestlers’
protest and the negativity surrounding
Indian wrestling last year, Anshu said her
positivity pushed her ahead.
“In the last Asian championships (in
Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2023) I
picked up the injury (while winning a
bronze). I began training early for the
Asian Games, but I again got injured 10
days prior to the Asian Games trials. It was
a tough time because of such a long lay-off
CM
YK
and I wanted to make a comeback as 2024
was an important year because of the
Olympics. I stayed positive, I thought if the
injury had happened there must be
something good in it,” Anshu told The
Hindu.
“An athlete needs to leave behind all
sorts of negativity and go forward
positively. We needed to remain mentally
strong and keep fighting. Whatever be the
situation, we have to accept it and move
forward. Sport teaches us that.”
Planned approach
A planned approach helped Anshu
become fighting fit. “After returning from
injury, I had planned my comeback,
which competition I should participate in
and for how much duration I should train.
It has been going on smoothly as per my
plans.
“We have planned it well (to reach my
peak around the Olympics). That’s why I
fought the Nationals in 59kg. I had put on
a lot of weight, my body weight was
around 68kg-69kg, after the injury. I had
to cut that. Had I cut down to 57kg, then
the chances of injury would have
increased. Everyone recommended that I
should fight at 59kg, because in trials
there was a two kg tolerance. I maintained
59kg even after the trials so that I don’t
face any problems during the Asian
Olympic qualifier. Meanwhile, I went to
Japan for training and there I learnt a lot
and noticed improvement in my game. I
know how much work I need to do for
THE HINDU
Sport
myself.
“My fitness level is much better now,
my body is in good shape. After coming
back from the knee injury, I had some
apprehensions as I had not competed for a
while. I competed in the National
championships and selection trials (for the
Asian Olympic qualifier). Slowly I grew in
confidence,” said Anshu.
Elaborating on the benefits of her
training in Japan, Anshu said, “When I
went there I found Olympic and World
champions in training. When you train
with the legends, you learn where to
work. In our academy, I train with the
boys. Some days when I do well and feel
great about it. Some other days when I
don’t do well, I get disheartened. In Japan
I found champions in 53kg, 57kg, 62kg etc.
So when I fought with them, I got an idea
where I stood and on which areas I should
work on and how much work was needed.
“Japan is a leading country in women’s
wrestling. When you compete with their
wrestlers, you get to know where you lag.
“I will go to Japan again next week for
training but for the trials we have to return
early. We have planned a 40-day training
schedule.”
Much wiser
Anshu has become much wiser since the
last Olympics. “At that time I was younger.
My muscle mass was less. I was training
but it was not enough. After the Tokyo
Olympics, I got to know where I stood and
what were the areas of improvement. Now
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
I
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP & GETTY IMAGES
I have been trying to avoid the mistakes I THE GIST
made in the past.
“I can feel the difference. My strength
has increased and a lot of work has gone
into techniques. A lot of work has gone
into the mistakes I used to make. Now you
can say my peak is coming.”
Anshu, who is working with a
쑽
Anshu, a former World
championships silver medallist,
has overcome a frustrating
knee injury, which kept her out
psychologist on her mental health and of action, for most part of 2023,
focus, knows that she needs to work to win a quota place in
harder than ever to give a memorable women's 57kg in the Asian
performance in a weight packed with Olympic Games qualifier in
several strong athletes. Bishkek and ensure India's
“In the Olympics, we cannot think presence in that weight in Paris
someone is strong or weak. A lot of strong 2024
wrestlers are there in my weight from 쑽
countries like Japan, USA, Nigeria and
Moldova. Since 57kg is a middleweight With more experience and
category, the competition is more. improved muscle mass, the
Hopefully, I will rectify my mistakes and 22-year-old, who competed in
go for a medal this time.” the Tokyo Olympics, is working
on her game to get better for
Through the ups and downs in her
the Olympics
career, Anshu has been blessed to have
the solid support of her father Dharamvir. 쑽
“He has been very supportive all through.
She acknowledges that a
He has been behind me since the time I training stint in Japan, a
started wrestling. I am where I am superpower in women's
because of him. He will continue to be wrestling, has helped her
with me all the time.” immensely
Four high quality wrestlers, Vinesh
(50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg) and Reetika
(76kg) and herself (57kg), have already
qualified for the Olympics. Anshu feels
Indian women are capable enough to win
the remaining two quota places at the
World Olympic Games qualifier, scheduled
in Istanbul from May 9 to 12.
“Last time four Indian women had
qualified. This time four have qualified as
well. In 62kg and 68kg, we could have
qualified as well but our wrestlers lost
narrowly in Bishkek. Hopefully, we qualify
in all six weights and do really well in
Paris.”
Watching a seasoned campaigner like
two-time World championships medallist
Vinesh Phogat, who cut down her weight
drastically to win an Olympic quota place
in 50kg in Bishkek, from close quarters
was also an education for the young
Anshu.
“For a wrestler, more than wrestling on
the mat, controlling one’s weight is a
bigger challenge. We get motivated that
she (Vinesh) has come down to a lower
weight category after coming back from
an injury. Having returned from an injury,
I can understand what an athlete could
have gone through. When you cut down
weight, then your strength also goes down
and weakness comes in. As an athlete, I
can consider her a role model as she has
come back despite knowing that there
could be another injury by losing weight.
Seeing her dedication, we get motivation
to achieve something noteworthy,” said
Anshu, managed by IOS, with a lot of
optimism.
S CH-CHE
 THE HINDU
II Friday, May 3, 2024

SCIENCE
Chennai

A computer science conundrum

that could transform healthcare
While it may sound like a cryptic puzzle reserved for computer science mavens, the implications of the P versus NP problem stretch beyond
algorithms and data structures, rippling through diverse fields, including antimicrobial resistance, cancer care, and medical insurance

C. Aravinda Liquid nitrogen being poured from a container

into a bowl. CORY DOCTOROW/FLICKR

n the 17th century, a Dutch draper

Liquid nitrogen
I named Anton van Leeuwenhoek
used a small handmade microscope
to peer into a world previously
unseen by the human eye. Thus he
discovered microorganisms and gave rise
in foods draws
to the field of microbiology. It offered
solutions to challenges in healthcare that
Tamil Nadu’s
until then had seemed intractable.
Today, we face a new set of complex
problems in healthcare that seem more
ire, yet again
intractable than others before for their
inherent complexity and the constraints R. Sujatha
they threaten to impose on resources.
A week ago, a video of a child screaming
P versus NP went viral on social media. There were
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce

e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
It so happens that an unsolved problem in visuals of adults spewing white smoke
computer science, simply called the P from their mouth and nose. What the
versus NP problem, could hold the key to child said was garbled but it was soon
these modern-day conundra. While it may apparent the child had consumed a food
sound like a cryptic puzzle reserved for item infused with liquid nitrogen.
computer science mavens, its Television channels and online media
implications stretch beyond algorithms took up the issue. The Tamil Nadu
and data structures, rippling through government issued an advisory banning
diverse fields including healthcare. But the use of liquid nitrogen in food and
what exactly is this puzzle, and how could warned of stringent action against
its resolution unlock a new era in medical violators.
science? In 1991, The Hindu reported that a
Let’s start with a simple arithmetic London-based company developed a
example. Say you’re asked to multiply 17 system to improve the quality and shelf
with 19. With some time, you’d arrive at life of food by introducing droplets of
the answer: 323. This is a ‘P’ problem: you liquid nitrogen in the packaging. When
can solve it reasonably quickly. (‘P’ stands nitrogen evaporates, it displaces oxygen
for polynomial time.) Suppose you’re in the food pack, preventing microbial
presented with 323 and asked to identify action and preserving freshness.
the two prime numbers multiplied to get Healthcare is filled with complex issues like assigning doctors and nurses to shifts, booking operating theatres for surgeries, and organising patient The technique was useful in packing
this. In this case, you will have to take the appointments. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO coffee, potato crisps, peanuts and peanut
trial and error route until you arrive at 17 butter, milk products, cheese, and dried
and 19. This is an ‘NP’ problem: it takes emerging diseases. Of course, patients’ and algorithms rely on problems that are potatoes, the article said.
longer to solve, but once you have the adherence will still matter. currently hard to solve, believed to be in As with every novelty, some chefs also
solution, you can verify it quickly. (‘NP’ Cancer is a complex disease with the set of ‘NP’, not ‘P’ problems. That is, experimented with liquid nitrogen to
here is nondeterministic polynomial myriad mutations. Deciding the best If P equals NP, we may have a way to these schemes protect secrets by hiding make food more interesting. In 2016, a
time.) treatment plan is an NP problem because quickly analyse bacterial genomes and them behind a problem that is very hard few upmarket restaurants and eateries in
Healthcare is filled with complex it involves considering all possible predict their resistance patterns, to solve but easy to verify. If P equals NP, Chennai and elsewhere used it to entice
issues. Consider scheduling in a hospital: combinations of drugs and therapies. If P these problems will become easy to solve, customers.
helping doctors prescribe the most
assigning doctors and nurses to shifts, equals NP, we may have an opportunity to rendering these encryption schemes But in August 2017, the then Union
booking operating theatres for surgeries, swiftly identify the optimal treatment for effective antibiotics. This would vulnerable to attacks and compromising Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said
and organising patient appointments. It is each individual cancer patient and improve patient outcomes and combat digital security. in Rajya Sabha the government would
an intricate puzzle that requires potentially save many lives. The catch antibiotic resistance This said, healthcare isn’t the sole investigate the addition of liquid nitrogen
considering various factors — staff here is that we will still need a large beneficiary of this problem-solving. The
availability, urgency of medical cases, etc. volume of data. barrier that the P vs NP problem stands The Tamil Nadu Food Safety
— and potential changes such as Insurance companies grapple with NP of which they have unearthed for encompasses every field where the Department has issued a circular
emergency cases and cancellations. problems when they have to determine improvements to algorithms and new solution to a problem is blocked by the on the use of liquid nitrogen
The P vs NP question is this: could premiums and packages based on approaches to dealing with complex availability of significant computational
saying the substance can only be
there be a shortcut to solve ‘NP’ problems considering numerous variables like age, problems. resources. So these fields include
as quickly as ‘P’ problems? Because the health status, lifestyle, and medical Throughout history, there have been logistics, finance, and even climate used to preserve packaged food
implication is that if P equals NP, we could history. Having a shortcut to crack the P many instances of seemingly modelling, all of which could experience
quickly find the optimal solution to these vs NP problem could help these insurmountable problems being paradigm shifts if the P vs NP problem is in food and drinks served in some
scheduling problems, thus significantly companies optimise their overcome with innovative thinking. solved in favour of the P = NP outcome. restaurants.
improving patient care. decision-making and pave the way to Before the discovery of electricity, for The Clay Mathematics Institute in Six months ago, in Tiruchirappalli, a
The implications of resolving this fairer and more accurate premiums and example, candlemakers lit our world. Yet Colorado continues to offer a million vendor’s shop was sealed after authorities
question are profound and wide-reaching, conditions. Further, government most of them may never have foreseen dollars to anyone who can definitively found liquid nitrogen in food, the city’s
including for healthcare. spending on healthcare can also be the revolutionary consequences of solve the P vs NP problem. But for anyone designated food safety officer said.
utilised with minimal leakage while Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb, who does, a million dollars will pale in “Liquid nitrogen, an inert, colourless,
Implications for healthcare programmes like Ayushman Bharat can which brought light to more people and comparison to the rewards they stand to odourless cryogenic fluid has traditionally
The P vs NP question is a problem in contribute more effectively to achieving for longer hours. collect by revolutionising various human been used in the management of many
mathematics and computer science, but universal health coverage. Similarly, following the invention of enterprises, potentially driving human benign pre-cancers and cancers since the
that does not mean it will be confined By solving these complex problems calculus and expanding the binomial progress in unimaginable ways. 1960s,” Arvind Krishnamurthy, professor
there. If an existing problem can be given more efficiently, we could potentially theorem to negative integers and As we look to the future, let us and head of surgical oncology at the
a faithful mathematical representation dramatically reduce resource constraints fractions, Isaac Newton considerably remember that problems that seem Adyar Cancer Institute, said. “This form
and is found to be an ‘NP’ problem, the and improve health outcomes. improved our understanding of the insurmountable today might not be so of treatment is generally used to manage
shortcut in question could help by irrational number pi. Why, the technology tomorrow. As with the candlemakers, the cancers wherein conventional surgery is
turning it into a ‘P’ problem. Surprising sources of progress giant Apple has been transforming our watchmakers, and even Anton van not possible or can be used as an adjunct
For example, antibiotic resistance is a While the P vs NP problem is a topic of expectations of what a watch can be Leeuwenhoek, the solution often comes to conventional surgery.”
significant global health concern. If P ongoing study in computer science, the expected to do in ways that Swiss from where we least expect it. Today’s The procedure involves using the
equals NP, we may have a way to quickly consensus among most experts is that P watchmakers may never have anticipated. brightest minds grappling with the P vs element at a frosty -196 degrees C to
analyse bacterial genomes and predict probably does not equal NP, implying that NP problem may be on the brink of a freeze and destroy cancer cells. “The
their resistance patterns, helping doctors some problems will remain very difficult Not all will be winners breakthrough that could redefine treatment is scientifically described as
prescribe the most effective antibiotics. to crack, even if a solution — once it is This said, one potential drawback of P healthcare as we know it. cryotherapy. It can also be used to obtain
This would improve patient outcomes found — will be easier to verify. But this being equal to NP, if ever that outcome (Dr C. Aravinda is a public health biopsies from cancer tissues for further
and help combat antibiotic resistance, has not deterred researchers from comes to pass, lies in the realm of physician and student at IIT Madras molecular analysis. Another application is
including new antibiotics discoveries for exploring this question, and in the pursuit cryptography. Many encryption schemes pursuing a BS degree in data science.) to use it as cryo-adhesion to remove
foreign bodies,” he explained.
Cryotherapy has been attempted to
treat many cancers, including those of
skin, bone, breast, cervical, eye, kidney,
Please send in your answers to liver, lung, and prostate.
THE SCIENCE QUIZ science@thehindu.co.in “Liquid nitrogen should be handled by
trained professionals with proper
protective gear, preferably in a controlled
lab or industry, as improper handling or
Revisiting malaria and its unique challenges consumption of liquid nitrogen can cause
severe damage to the skin, mucous
membranes, and internal organs,” the
Saumya Kalia speed up malaria Answers to May 1 quiz: surgeon said.
transmission. Identify the 1. Line beyond which human A day after the viral video, the Tamil
X cheapest and most-used activity is astronautic – Ans: Nadu Food Safety Department cited the
QUESTION 1 antimalarial drug to which Karman line Food Safety and Standards Regulations,
Malaria is caused by parasites mosquitoes have become 2. Line above which exposed and the Drug Administration department
transmitted through the bite resistant over time. water boils away – Ans: issued a circular on the use of liquid
of this category of emale X Armstrong line nitrogen saying the substance can only be
mosquito, discovered in 1897 QUESTION 4 3. Conditions in which water used to preserve packaged food.
by a British doctor. Name the vapour bubbles accumulate The department also warned of
This country made history in
mosquito and the doctor. in body’s fluids – Ans: stringent action, including fines and legal
2024 by launching the world’s
X
Ebullism proceedings, if it is used for other
first malaria vaccine as part
QUESTION 2 purposes.
of its immunisation 4. Entity of which around 1%
Which country contributes to (sujatha.r@thehindu.co.in)
programme. Name the is lost in every month in
more than half of the malaria
country and the vaccine. space – Ans: Bone
cases in the World Health
Organisation’s administrative X 5. Terrestrial counterpart of
Southeast Asia region? QUESTION 5 space adaptation syndrome –
X Which vaccine manufacturer Ans: Motion sickness For feedback and suggestions
QUESTION 3 has currently established Visual: Gemini 11 for ‘Science’, please write to
Global warming, population production capacity for the First contact: Vijayram X science@thehindu.co.in with the
displacement, and insecticide second malaria vaccine, Ganasala | ViswanadhaRao Visual: This chemist in 1939 identified the insecticidal properties of DDT, an achievement subject ‘Daily page’
resistance are expected to called R21/Matrix M? Batchu | Shiva Nigam that later won him a Nobel Prize. Name him. PUBLIC DOMAIN
CM SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS S CH-CHE
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Text&Context
NEWS IN NUMBERS
The homes destroyed
in Gaza, expected to
be rebuilt by 2040
3.7
in lakh. If the Israel-Hamas
conflict ends, reconstruction
of these homes might last
until 2040, according to a United Nations
report. The Health Ministry reports an
additional 28 deaths from the fighting on
Thursday. AP
Why are Indian spices facing the heat?
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
Why have countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and the U.S. announced an investigation into possible contamination of spice mixes sold by MDH and
Everest? How has the Spices Board of India responded? What has the U.S. FDA said?
EXPLAINER
Saptaparno Ghosh
Saumya Kalia
The story so far:
A
t least five countries —
including Singapore, Hong
Kong and the U.S. — have
announced an investigation
into possible contamination of spice
mixes sold by Indian brands, MDH and
Everest. The complaints cite the presence
of ethylene oxide (EtO), a toxic chemical
used as a food stabiliser, beyond
permissible limits. The Spices Board of
India in response has initiated mandatory
testing of products shipped abroad and is
reportedly working with exporters to
identify the root cause of contamination.
Which countries have flagged safety
of Indian spices?
The domino first shook on April 5, when
Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety
suspended the sale of three MDH spice
blends (Madras curry powder, Sambhar
masala and Curry powder masala) and
Everest Fish curry masala. The spice
mixes had high levels of ethylene oxide,
the regulator said, and advised
consumers against purchasing these
products. Days later, Singapore ordered a
recall of the Everest spice mix, stating that
it is unfit for human consumption.
MDH has called allegations over EtO
contamination “baseless and
unsubstantiated”. “We reassure our
buyers and consumers that we do not use
ethylene oxide at any stage of storing,
processing, or packing our spices,” the
company said in a statement. It added
that neither the Spices Board nor the
Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) have received
communication or test reports from
Singapore or Hong Kong authorities.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), which had previously rejected food
and spice imports from India, told Reuters
that it is “aware of the reports and is
gathering additional information about
the situation”. Regulatory bodies in
Maldives, New Zealand, Bangladesh and
Australia have announced similar plans.
What are the health concerns?
MDH and Everest’s spice mixes allegedly
contain high levels of EtO, a prohibited
pesticide. EtO is a colourless, flammable
gas that was originally intended for
sterilising medical devices. It is used as a
chemical in industrial settings,
agriculture, and as a sterilising agent in
food products, including spices, dried
vegetables and other commodities. The
chemical lends life to the spice industry —
it reduces microbial contamination, and
in turn, extends products’ shelf life.
However, this process is not always
airtight. The improper and excessive use
of EtO may leave behind residues, causing
toxic and even carcinogenic compounds
to form, thus contaminating the product.
One such compound is ethylene glycol, an
ingredient which was found in
Indian-made cough syrups that were
linked to the deaths of more than 300
children in Cameroon, Gambia, Indonesia
and Uzbekistan. Long-term exposure to
ethylene oxide is associated with cancers
including lymphoma and leukaemia,
some evidence shows.
Is there a history of rejections in U.S.?
A scrutiny of FDA’s import refusal report,
for the calendar year 2023, cites at least
30 instances wherein entry was refused
because the products appeared to contain
salmonella. These are agents known to
cause salmonellosis — a common bacterial
CM
YK
Chennai www.thehindu.com Friday, May 3, 2024
● ●
0
The aid pledged to
Lebanon by the
European Union
1.06
in $ billion. The aid is
expected to
strengthen border
control to halt the flow of asylum seekers
and migrants from the small, crisis-ridden
country across the Mediterranean Sea to
Cyprus and Italy. AP
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food-borne illness. Other than this, there
have been at least 11 counts of products
being rejected because of misbranding,
adulteration, artificial colouring or
incorrect labelling. The two causes have
existed in combination as well. The report
tabulates Ramdev Food Products to have
had the maximum rejections in 2023
(about 30), followed by MDH (about 19),
MTR (7), Everest (5), makers of Catch: DS
Group (2) and Badshah (1).
In fact, in September 2019, a recall of
MDH’s Sambhar Masala was initiated in
the U.S. after FDA discovered the product
was contaminated with salmonella. The
recall terminated in December 2021.
Another such recall involved Everest’s
Garam Masala and Sambhar Masala, and
Maggi’s Masala-ae-Magic in June last year.
The U.S. Dept of Agriculture had in
February 2022 stated that India and
Mexico were the top sources of
pathogen-based food import refusals.
Their study, from 2002-19, held Indian
imports had the maximum number of
The Myanmar The forest land in the
refugees deported Garhwal division
amid border tensions affected by fires
38 350
Following the 2021 military
coup in Myanmar, India has
completed its first phase of
deportation. Manipur is set to deport 77 Kumar said that there had been more than
people. Thousands of civilians and troops 300 such incidents in the region. 37 people,
from Myanmar crossed the border to India all underage, have been apprehended for
after ethnic clashes. REUTERS setting fire to the forests. PTI
twitter.com/the_hindu
ISTOCKPHOTO
pathogen-related violations. With 5,115
refusals — the figure represented 22.9% of
overall import refusals for pathogen/toxin
related violations.
How has India responded?
On April 25, the Spice Board in India
announced a slew of corrective measures
including initiating mandatory testing of
consignments shipped to Singapore and
Hong Kong and gathering technical details
and analytical reports from the relevant
food and drug agencies. It also sought to
propose corrective measures to the
concerned exporters and initiate
inspections to ensure adherence to
relevant standards. A circular dated April
30 contains guidelines to exporters on
preventing EtO contamination. The
guidelines prescribe norms for testing at
raw and final stages, storage of EtO
treated products and use of alternate
methods curtailing the use of the
chemical compounds. The Spices Board
issued a similar advisory in September
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
III
Highest single-day
migrant arrivals in the
U.K. in 2024
711
in hectares. The Chief The illegal migrants arrived
Conservator of Forests in small boats, raising the
in Garhwal, Naresh overall number of crossings
this year to 8,278. The highest-ever figure
in single-day arrivals was 1,295, recorded
on August 22, 2022. AFP
COMPILED BY THE HINDU DATA TEAM
instagram.com/the_hindu
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
2021, after the EU observed EtO THE GIST
contamination in certain Indian exports.
Furthermore, the FSSAI has directed state
regulators to collect samples of major 쑽
spice brands, including MDH and Everest, On April 5, Hong Kong’s Centre
to test for EtO. for Food Safety suspended the
Activists have called for stringent safety sale of three MDH spice blends
checks of curry powders and spices to (Madras curry powder,
detect and control the use of EtO in food Sambhar masala and Curry
products and ensure proper powder masala) and Everest
implementation of regulatory norms. A Fish curry masala.
recent CUTS report also recommended
updating food safety standards to align 쑽
with global practices, and improving MDH and Everest’s spice mixes
information flow to food industries so that allegedly contain high levels of
they better comply with regulations. EtO, a prohibited pesticide. EtO
is a colourless, flammable gas
Is food safety in India lacking? that was originally intended for
Simi T.B., who works with CUTS sterilising medical devices.
International, a global advocacy group for 쑽
consumer welfare told The Hindu,
notwithstanding stringent food laws in GTRI assessed that if regulators
place, that the recent controversies in China follow their peers in
Hong Kong, Indian exports
“collectively underscore the persistent
could see a “dramatic
nature of food safety challenges across
downturn”. This could affect
various sectors of the food industry”. exports valued at $2.17 billion
One challenge is operational — India’s — about 51.1% of the country’s
diverse food landscape, the lack of global spice exports.
standardised record-keeping and
intentional food fraud may prevent
manufacturers from tracing ingredients
and assessing potential risks which
compromise the safety of the entire food
supply chain. Traceability is particularly
challenging for small and medium sized
businesses with limited resources.
Some are logistic barriers. At least 10
States/Union Territories lack government
or private notified food testing labs, as
mandated under the Food Safety and
Standards Act 2006. These labs are
distributed unevenly across regions; have
insufficient number of food safety
officers; and were found to operate
ineffectively due to resource constraints,
showed the FSSAI Annual Report of
2021-22. FSSAI’s operations often lack
transparency, which “hinders efforts to
meet safety standards”, build
accountability and trust, adds Ms. Simi.
What next?
Delhi-based think tank Global Trade
Research Initiative (GTRI) in a recent note
held, “With nearly $700 million worth of
exports to critical markets at stake, and
potential losses soaring to over half of
India’s total spice exports due to
cascading regulatory actions in many
countries, the integrity and future of
India’s spice trade hang in delicate
balance.” According to the think tank, the
issue demands urgent attention to uphold
the reputation of the entire ecosystem.
Vijoo Krishnan, General Secretary of
the All-India Kisan Sabha explained that
the chain of events could put other small
companies or co-operatives’ exports
under a cloud of suspicion. Importantly,
Mr Krishnan explained that in the event
of potential losses, farmers of such crops
too could find themselves at the receiving
end. “We have instances where
companies have not paid appropriate
prices to farmers even when they were
making profits,” he stated, adding,
“Should the companies make losses now,
it could be used as a pretext to reduce
prices, thus, burdening the farmer.”
GTRI also assessed that if regulators in
China follow their peers in Hong Kong,
and ASEAN based on that by Singapore,
Indian exports could see a “dramatic
downturn”. This could affect exports
valued at $2.17 billion — about 51.1% of the
country’s global spice exports. The
paradigm could further worsen if the EU,
which it states, “regularly rejects Indian
spice consignments over quality issues”,
follows suit. The impact could be an
additional $2.5 billion, bringing potential
losses to 58.8% of India’s global exports.
S CH-CHE

IV
FROM THE ARCHIVES
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
The movies and documentaries that
Satyajit Ray couldn’t film
Ray was always assessing the cinematic potential of literary sources that ignited his imagination. Some of his unfinished projects are well known —
The Alien, A Passage to India and the Mahabharata. But there were many more which only Ray aficionados are aware of
Amitabha Bhattacharya
May 2 was Satyajit Ray’s 103rd birth
anniversary. In this article, dated June 15,
2021, Amitabha Bhattacharya talks about
the ideas and scripts of the legendary
auteur which did not make it to the screen.
atyajit Ray is universally admired
S for his cinematic creations.
However, to understand his
mind, it may be worthwhile to
reflect on the literary ideas that he could
not transform on celluloid. Some are well
known — The Alien, A Passage to India
and the Mahabharata. But there were
many more which only the Ray
aficionados are aware of. Fortunately, the
essays and letters of Ray and his son
Sandip; the biographies by Marie Seton
(Portrait of A Director , 1971) and Andrew
Robinson (Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye,
1989); Suresh Jindal’s My Adventures with
Satyajit Ray — The Making of Shatranj Ke
Khilari (2017), Nasreen Munni Kabir’s
Conversations with Waheeda Rehman
(2014); and articles by Bangladeshi
photojournalist Amanul Haque and
others throw some light on the subject.
An idea about aliens
Based on his own story and ideas, and
encouraged by the famous author Arthur
C. Clarke, Ray drafted the screenplay of
his sci-fi film The Alien in 1967. Columbia
Pictures agreed to produce it with Peter
Sellers in an Indian role. Steve McQueen
was contacted and even Robert Redford
considered, and the Indian cast was
almost finalised. Columbia even advanced
some money for the project. However,
there were many unexpected twists and
turns, as recounted by Ray in “Ordeals of
the Alien” (The Statesman, October 4 and
5, 1980), and the project had to be
abandoned. Ray wrote to Sellers:
“Dear Peter, if you wanted a bigger part
Why, you should have told me so right
at the start.
THE DAILY QUIZ
On May 3, 1715, a total solar eclipse occurred over Europe. A quiz on the event
Vasudevan Mukunth
X promised rewards for anyone who
QUESTION 1
The English astronomer X is famous
for, among other things, predicting the
onset of the eclipse with an accuracy
of four minutes. As a result, the event
is also known as “X’s eclipse”. Name X.
X eclipse to within four minutes, he’d
QUESTION 2
At the time the eclipse occurred, the
date was April 22 and not May 3 (the
year was 1715 in either case). The
reason for this is that Great Britain
would adopt the _________ ________
only 37 years later. Fill in the blanks.
X In 1686, X (in Q1) coined the name
QUESTION 3
Before the eclipse occurred, the
English cartographer John Senex had
published maps of the eclipse’s path
created by both X (in Q1) and Y in
March. Y is famous for pushing the
CM
YK
By declining at this juncture
You have simply punctured
The Alien balloon,
Which I daresay would be grounded
soon, Causing a great deal of dismay
To Satyajit Ray.”
The project was revived later, but by
then Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial was released (1982), with
‘striking parallels’ noticed by Clarke and
others. Ray held, as Robinson quotes, that
E.T. “would not have been possible
without my script of The Alien being
available throughout America in
mimeographed copies”. However,
Spielberg commented, “Tell Satyajit I was
a kid in high school when his script was
circulating in Hollywood’. Despite advice,
Ray did not pursue the matter further. His
depiction, as communicated to Jindal,
that the aliens were “benign by nature,
small and acceptable to children,
possessed of certain supernatural powers,
not physical strength but other kinds of
powers, particular types of vision, and
that they take interest in earthly things”
was indeed influential.
The West’s image of India
Ray met E.M. Forster at Cambridge in
1966 with the intention to film A Passage
to India . Robinson quotes Ray, “… but he
knew my name. He kept shaking his head
much of the time which meant that he
didn’t want the book to be filmed. That
was the drone — no! — in words, gestures,
looks, everything. He was adamant. And I
felt there was no point in asking why.”
Later, much after Forster’s death, Ray was
approached in 1980 by the trustees at
King’s College, but by then he had lost
interest in the subject. David Lean’s
version (1984), understandably, could not
satisfy Ray — “… The whole thing is too
picturesque… For me none of the
characters come alive… Peggy Ashcroft’s
performance notwithstanding…” In a
famous essay “Under Western Eyes”
(Sight & Sound, Autumn 1982), Ray had
parliament of Great Britain to pass
the Longitude Act in 1714. It
devised a simple method to estimate
a ship’s longitude while at sea. Name
Y.
X Prime Minister for three terms
QUESTION 4
While X (in Q1) had predicted the
got the path of the eclipse wrong by
around 30 km. X later realised he’d
used the wrong lunar _________ (a
table that describes the path of the
moon). Fill in the blank.
X (Part II)’
QUESTION 5
‘_____’ to refer to a period of about
6,585.3 days, which could be used to X fought and Lord Voldemort was
predict the occurrence of solar and Visual question:
lunar eclipses. X said he was inspired Name the man whose bust is depicted here. X (in Q1) succeeded to his
by a term in an 11th century title in 1720, and his work helped Y (in Q3) prepare the eclipse map. PUBLIC
Byzantine book. Fill in the blank. DOMAIN
THE HINDU
Text&Context
touched upon the limitations of the West’s
interest in India and how its views were
often distorted and unreal, sometimes
even with “grotesque stereotypes as
Hurree Jamset Ram Singh…” He ended,
“Slighted for so long, India will not yield
up her secrets to the West so easily…” It is
a pity that A Passage... could not be
filmed by Ray.
All on paper
The Mahabharata fascinated Ray from his
early childhood. From the late fifties he
had been planning to film it. But in what
language? “How to introduce even the
main characters to a non-Indian
audience?” At one time, he intended to
cast Dilip Kumar, Toshiro Mifune and
others. Ray was interested in the dice
game part. More than the war, it was the
exploration of personal relationships
between the characters that appealed to
him cinematically. In jest, he once told
Jindal, “I gave up, because I couldn’t
imagine Kirk Douglas playing Arjuna.”
Waheeda Rehman, who acted in Ray’s
Abhijan (1962), said that Ray had been
keen to adapt R.K. Narayan’s The Guide
and had contacted her for the female
lead. As she observed, the approach and
treatment of the film would have been
entirely different under Ray’s direction.
But then we would have missed the
Bollywood blockbuster.
There were many Bengali film ideas
that Ray had nurtured at some point or
the other, as detailed by Sandip Ray in
Ananya Satyajit (1998) and others.
Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay’s
Rajasimha (with Balraj Sahni) and Devi
Chaudhurani (with Suchitra Sen),
Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s Mahesh,
Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay’s
Drabamayeer Kashibash and Ichhamati,
Manik Bandyopadhyay’s Padma Nadir
Majhi, Mahasweta Devi’s Bichhan,
Buddhadeva Bose’s Ekti Jiban , Prafulla
Roy’s Ram Charitra, Shibram
Chakraborty’s Debotar Jonmo,
SD TELUGU NEWSPAPERS
Banaphool’s Kichhukshan, Bangladeshi
writer Shahed Ali’s Jibrailer Dana and
Selina Hossain’s Hangor Nodi Grenade
were thought of. For a variety of reasons,
including non-availability of actors
(Chunibala Devi and Suchitra Sen, for
example), these ideas had to be
abandoned at different stages. According
to Sandip, his father moved on with his
work, never regretting what could not be
pursued.
Ray was approached by Indira Gandhi
to make a documentary on Jawaharlal
Nehru for whom he had admiration.
Besides, in a letter of June 1, 1978, Ray
wrote to Jindal about the proposals he
had been requested to consider “… (a)
documentary on Rajasthani music for
French TV… (b) a 3-part film for BBC
(each 90 minutes long) on any subject or
subjects of my choice… (c) a proposal
from UNO to make a film on ‘the horrors
& miseries of war’, for worldwide TV
screening… (d) a revival of The Alien
under a major U.S. company backing with
an updated script and a new title…”
UNICEF approached him for a film on
child labour. Ray was also interested in
the operatic form of Balmiki-Pratibha, and
documentaries on notables like
Radhanath Sikdar who first calculated the
world’s highest mountain peak. None of
these eventually took off for reasons not
publicly known.
Conscious of what’s happening all
around, Ray was immersed in ideas. A
storyteller, both in celluloid and print, he
was always assessing the cinematic
potential of literary sources that ignited
his imagination. Now, on the occasion of
Ray’s 100th birth anniversary
celebrations, it is for the researchers to
probe and delve into the available
material in order to fathom why many of
these ideas couldn’t get transported to the
medium of cinema.
Amitabha Bhattacharya is a retired IAS
officer who has also worked with the UNDP.
Views are personal
Please send in your answers to
dailyquiz@thehindu.co.in
Questions and Answers to the previous
day’s daily quiz: 1. This British football
legend was the runner up for the Ballon
D’Or in 1999. Ans: David Beckham
2. The party to which Tony Blair belonged
to. Ans: Labour party. He was the U.K.
3. Identify this novel that won the Pulitzer
Prize for Fiction in 1932. Ans: The Good
Earth by Pearl. S. Buck
4. This movie based on a popular comic
book saga was released in 2008. Ans: Iron
Man
5. This song by Pink Floyd was banned in
South Africa. Ans: ‘Another Brick in Wall
Visual: The reason why May 2 is celebrated
as International Harry Potter day. Ans: It is
the day the battle of Hogwarts was
defeated
Early Birds: Vasumann Yadav| Neha
Vaddiparti| ViswanadhaRao Batchu| M.
Suresh Kumar
Friday, May 3, 2024
Chennai
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Know your
English
K. Subrahmanian
“Wake, waken, awake, awaken (D. Ashok,
Madras).”
“Those are simple words, but are not
easy to distinguish. Fowler’s “Modern
English Usage” revised by Cowers deals
e6fcf1ba-47bb-4e5e-a12b-0876de505fce
with the distinction between the forms
thus: “Distinction between the forms is
difficult, but with regard to modern usage
certain points may be made: (1) Wake is
the ordinary working verb (You will wake
the baby; Something woke me up; I
should like to be waked at 7.30; Wake the
echoes) for which the others are
substituted to add dignity or formality, or
to suit metre, or as in (3) or (5) below. (2)
Wake alone has (and that chiefly in
waking) the sense be or remain awake
(Sleeping or waking; In our waking
hours). (3) Awake and awaken are usually
preferred to the others in figurative senses
(When they awoke, or were awakened, to
their danger; This at once awakened
suspicion; The national spirit awoke, or
was awakened; A rude awakening). (4)
Waken and awaken tend to be restricted
to the transitive sense; when he wakens is
rarer for when he wakes than that will
waken him for that will wake him. (5) In
the passive, awaken and waken are often
preferred to awake and wake, perhaps
owing to uncertainty about the p.p. forms
of the latter part; it wakened me is rare
for it woke or waked me, but I was
wakened by it is common for I was waked
or woke or woken by it; see also the
alternative forms in (3) above. (6) Up is
very commonly appended to wake, rarely
to waken, and never to awake and
awaken.”
In American English, the past and past
participle of ‘wake’ are ‘woke’ or ‘waked’
respectively. ‘Woken’ is used only in
British English. Again in American
English, the past and past participle of
‘awake’ are ‘awoke’ or ‘awaked’
respectively. ‘Awoken’ is used only in
British English. ‘Awake’, ‘waken’ and
‘awaken’ as verbs are generally used in
literary writing.”
“Social, sociable (Amrit Kaur,
Chandigarh).”
“ ‘Social’ means ‘pertaining to society.’
Social service, social problems, social
disorganisation, social evil. There was a
time when it meant friendly,
companionable. Even now some use it in
this sense. But the word that is used these
days to convey the sense of ‘friendly’ is
‘sociable.’
She is a very sociable person.
A social club is a club where you spend
some time with others. Not all of them
may be sociable! ‘Unsociable’ means ‘not
disposed to seek the company of others,
not companionable, reserved’.
He is an unsociable person.
The opposite of ‘sociable’ is
‘unsociable.’”
“Selenology (S. K. Banerjee, Calcutta).”
“ ‘Selenology’ means the scientific
study of the moon. In Greek, ‘selene’
means ‘the moon.’ The first ‘e’ is
pronounced like the ‘ee’ in ‘feel,’ the
second ‘e’ like the ‘i’ in ‘fill,’ the first ‘o’ as
in ‘hot’ and the second ‘o’ like the ‘a’ in
India.’ The stress is on the third syllable.”
Published in The Hindu on November
12, 1991.
For feedback and suggestions for
Text & Context, please write to
letters@thehindu.co.in
with the subject ‘Text & Context’
S CH-CHE