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May 14, 2024 https://newsth.live/x
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DELHI
CITY EDITION Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08
20 Pages ₹ 12.00 RNI No. UPENG/2012/49940

Vol. 14 앫 No. 115

Printed at » Chennai » Coimbatore » Bengaluru » Hyderabad » Madurai » Noida » Visakhapatnam » Thiruvananthapuram » Kochi » Vijayawada » Mangaluru » Tiruchirapalli » Kolkata » Hubballi » Mohali » Malappuram » Mumbai » Tirupati » Lucknow » Cuttack » Patna
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

CM J ND-NDE
YK
 9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Delhi

J ND-NDE
THE HINDU

CM
YK
J2
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
 TUESDAY www.thehindu.com https://newsth.live/fb
May 14, 2024 https://newsth.live/x
https://newsth.live/ig
DELHI
CITY EDITION Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08
20 Pages ₹ 12.00 RNI No. UPENG/2012/49940

Vol. 14 앫 No. 115

Printed at » Chennai » Coimbatore » Bengaluru » Hyderabad » Madurai » Noida » Visakhapatnam » Thiruvananthapuram » Kochi » Vijayawada » Mangaluru » Tiruchirapalli » Kolkata » Hubballi » Mohali » Malappuram » Mumbai » Tirupati » Lucknow » Cuttack » Patna

D-DAY

CBSE Classes Fourth phase of LS polls Food inflation scaled

4-month high in April
10, 12 results
announced logs 67.7% voter turnout
Polling for 379 seats now completed; highest voting percentage of 78.44 recorded in West Bengal,
NEWS » PAGE 12 lowest of 37.98 in J&K’s Srinagar; incidents of violence and EVM snag reported in some States
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Sreeparna Chakrabarty in Maharashtra was also on
NEW DELHI the lower side at 59.64%.
Andhra Pradesh and Telan-
voter turnout of gana saw voter turnouts of

A 67.7% was recorded

on Monday in the
fourth phase of the Lok
SURPRISE MOVE Sabha election in 96 con-
Putin removes Shoigu stituencies across 10 States
and Union Territories, as
as Defence Minister per provisional data at
WORLD » PAGE 16 11.50 p.m. Incidents of vio-
lence and electronic voting
Machine (EVM) malfunc-
tioning were reported in
some States.
A total of 1,717 candi-
dates were in the fray in
this phase and 17.7 crore
electors were eligible to ex-
ercise their franchise. With
this phase, the voting pro-
RAIN RULES THE DAY
cess in 23 States and Union
KKR books berth in Territories and 379 seats
has been completed. The
Q1, GT eliminated last three phases are sche-
SPORT » PAGE 17 duled for May 20, May 25
and June 1, followed by the
Defying odds: Tribal women voters with their babies stand in a
queue to cast their votes in Jharkhand’s Khunti on Monday. ANI
counting on June 4.
The highest voting per-
centage of 78.44 was re-
corded in West Bengal,
where Trinamool Congress
and BJP workers clashed in
various parts of Birbhum
and Bardhaman-Durgapur
seats.
Jammu and Kashmir,
which is witnessing the
first election after the revo-
cation of its special status
under Article 370, record-
ed the lowest turnout. The
Lok Sabha constituency of
Srinagar recorded a polling
percentage of 37.98% till
11.50 p.m., the highest in
many decades, the Elec-
tion Commission (EC) said.
The voting percentage
78.15% and 64.93%, respec-
tively.
Polling also took place
for the 175 Assembly seats
in Andhra Pradesh and 28
of the 147 seats in Odisha.
A case was registered
against BJP candidate K.
Madhavi Latha in Hydera-
bad Lok Sabha constituen-
cy after she was purported-
ly seen in a video clip on
social media asking burk-
ha-clad women voters to
show their faces to com-
pare it with the photo iden-
tity cards.
CONTINUED ON
» PAGE 12
MORE REPORTS
» PAGES 4, 6, 13
TOWARDS THE ENDGAME
» PAGE 8
Vikas Dhoot
NEW DELHI
Indian consumers faced a
further acceleration in
steep food prices in April,
even as the overall retail in-
flation rate remained vir-
tually unchanged at 4.83%
last month from 4.85% in
March.
Food inflation surged to
a four-month high of 8.7%
in April from 8.5% in
March, with rural consum-
ers witnessing a sharper
uptick of 8.75%.
The gap between urban
and rural consumers’ infla-
tion experience remained
sharp for the second suc-
cessive month with rural
households seeing a 5.43%
rise in prices, while the ov-
erall inflation rate faced by
urban consumers changed
fractionally from 4.14% in
March to 4.11% in April.
On a month-on-month
basis, price levels rose
about 0.5%, with urban
consumers facing a shar-
per uptick in overall prices
as well as food items. Food
prices rose 1.03% from
March levels in urban
India.
CONTINUED ON
» PAGE 12

IN BRIEF
쑽
Blanket of haze Cong., BJP SC denies Soren’s plea for interim bail
India, Iran sign spar over
Chabahar port NOTA option Krishnadas Rajagopal
NEW DELHI
plea to grant him interim
bail to canvass for votes in
the Enforcement Directo-
rate in connection with a
operation pact in Indore the ongoing Lok Sabha money laundering probe
The Supreme Court on election. The court, ho- linked to a land scam.
NEW DELHI Monday turned down wever, agreed to list on
Eight years after concluding The Hindu Bureau former Jharkhand Chief May 17 the JMM leader’s pe- DETAILS
the general framework of BHOPAL Minister Hemant Soren’s tition to quash his arrest by » PAGE 12
cooperation on the Chabahar
port, India and Iran on Monday Polling in Indore on Mon-
signed a 10-year contract for day witnessed Congress
its operation. » Page 12 and BJP leaders spar over
the Opposition party’s
H.D. Revanna campaign urging voters to
press the NOTA (none of
secures bail in the above) option on
abduction case EVMs. The party started
the drive after its nominee,
BENGALURU Akshay Kanti Bam, with-
A special court in Bengaluru drew his nomination on
on Monday granted bail to April 29 and joined the BJP.
JD(S) leader H.D. Revanna in Indore Congress presi-
an abduction case. » Page 6 dent Surjeet Chaddha al-
leged that tables put up by
the party at several polling
booths were removed “at
the behest of the BJP”,
while BJP spokesperson
Code red: A massive dust storm enveloped Mumbai on Monday, disrupting public transport services Narendra Saluja said nobo-
and turning the sky dark around 3 p.m. At least eight persons were reported dead and over 70 injured dy is “even mentioning NO-
when a hoarding collapsed in the Chheda Nagar area of the city. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT (REPORT ON PAGE 4) TA” in the constituency.

Thousands line streets for PM’s roadshow in Varanasi

Nistula Hebbar
VARANASI
As Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi attempts a third
successive term, he held a
5-km roadshow on Monday
in the Varanasi Lok Sabha
constituency, where he
will file his nomination
papers for the general elec-
tion on Tuesday. Uttar Pra-
desh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath accompanied
him on the truck during
the roadshow that was at-
tended by thousands.
“Till now, he [Mr. Modi]
has been holding road-
shows for different candi-
dates of the National De-
mocratic Alliance [NDA],
today he is here as our can-
didate,” said Vaibhav Mis-
hra, a Varanasi resident
who was waiting for the
roadshow to start at Lanka
CM
YK
His cavalcade was pre-
ceded by a march of 5,000
women, a symbolic repre-
sentation of the Modi go-
vernment’s identification
with welfare and other
programmes for women.
At one of the welcome
points, Padma Shri awar-
dee Soma Ghosh held a live
performance of her songs.
Drumbeats and Vedic man-
tras were part of the play-
list for the roadshow.
Narendra Modi, accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Decorated with flowers,
Adityanath, during a roadshow in Varanasi on Monday, a day before the route had big pictures
filing his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha poll. SANDEEP SAXENA of not just the ancient his-
tory of the city but also the
Chowk, where a statue of of the streets as he passed development work done
Pandit Madan Mohan Mal- by. The route was dotted by Mr. Modi in his
viya was to be garlanded with various welcome constituency.
by the Prime Minister be- points, where representa- “After Modiji became
fore the start of the event. tives of various communi- MP from Kashi [Varanasi]
Mr. Modi, dressed in a ties from across the coun- we have got better roads,
saffron kurta and white try, including the Muslim clean ghats, a cancer hos-
jacket, acknowledged the community of the city, wel- pital, a modern, clean rail-
large crowds on both sides comed Mr. Modi. way station, the Rudraksh
Convention Centre, and
how can we forget, the
Kashi Vishwanath Corri-
dor,” said Gullu Shukla, a
tour guide in the city.
Major achievement
It was at the Kashi Vishwa-
nath temple that the road-
show ended, with the
Prime Minister offering
prayers at the temple dedi-
cated to Lord Shiva. The
revamped temple and its
accompanying corridor to
the Ganga was one of the
major achievements of Mr.
Modi as MP, a project that
cost around ₹339 crore.
Mr. Modi will be filing
his nomination papers on
Tuesday in the presence of
all major NDA leaders, in-
cluding Bihar Chief Minis-
ter Nitish Kumar and his
Maharashtra counterpart
Eknath Shinde.
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
2 Tuesday, May 14, 2024

City Delhi

‘Will be out of jail on AAP celebrates CBSE results; ‘Happy with CBSE
June 5 if INDIA bloc
wins Lok Sabha poll’
BJP calls it fake achievement scores, but college
Our students have bettered last year’s results, scored higher than national average, Kejriwal says; depends on CUET’
BJP accuses Delhi govt. of allowing only the better-performing students to sit for Class 12 exams
The Hindu Bureau Bhagavathi Sampath tions, she said, “I will tar-
NEW DELHI Anuradha L.R. get Delhi University, espe-
The Hindu Bureau NEW DELHI cially the North Campus. I
Delhi Chief Minister and NEW DELHI want to pursue investment
AAP national convener Ar- As students across the Cap- or finance-related fields.”

vind Kejriwal on Monday
said, “I will have to go back
to jail on June 2, but if the
INDIA bloc forms the go-
vernment [at the Centre]
on June 4, I will come out
on June 5.” Mr. Kejriwal
made the comment during
an interaction with party
councillors, his first since
being released from jail last
week.
The AAP chief walked
out of Tihar Jail on May 10
after the Supreme Court
granted him interim bail
until June 1 to campaign for
the Lok Sabha election. He
was arrested on March 21
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal at a
meeting with councillors. PTI
insulin for the past 10
years.”
He added that he was
monitored 24x7 through
two CCTV cameras in-
stalled in his cell.
“They wanted to see
what time I wake up, what
C
hief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on Monday
congratulated Delhi
government school stu-
dents on their “fantastic re-
sults” in Class 10 and 12
Central Board of Secon-
dary Education (CBSE)
exams.
The pass percentage for
the Delhi government’s
Class 10 students was 94.2,
slightly higher than the na-
tional average of 93.60,
while that of Class 12 stu-
dents was 96.99, several
percentage points higher
than the national average
of 87.98.
All smiles: Class 12 students of St. Thomas School, Mandir Marg. SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
In response, the BJP ac-
cused the Delhi govern-
ment of retaining under-
relentlessly to achieve this
phenomenal result.”
A day earlier, the Chief
schools.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-
old boy was found dead at
ital celebrated their CBSE
results, a few toppers ques-
tioned the usefulness of
their scores since most col-
lege admissions will be
made on the basis of the
Common University En-
trance Test (CUET) and not
the CBSE examination.
Ananya Sharma, the
topper of Commerce
stream in Arwachin Inter-
national School, Dilshad
Garden, scored 96% in the
Class 12 exams, but said, “I
was not very stressed
about the board exams.”
She is preparing for the
CUET-UG examinations,
Abhinandan Mahajan, a
topper of the Humanities
stream in ITL Public
School, Dwarka, said that
while he was happy with
scoring 98.75% in the CBSE
examinations, he is more
focused on preparing for
the entrance examina-
tions.
‘UPSC a priority’
“CUET, which is a single ex-
amination to different un-
iversities in the country, is
the real test,” he said. “I
hope to eventually take the
civil services examination.”
Soham Thatte, who

in a money laundering
case and shifted to Tihar
Jail on April 1. The Capital
will vote on May 25 and the
results will be announced
on June 4.
Speaking about his in-
carceration, Mr. Kejriwal
said, “They (prison author-
ities) did not give me insu-
lin for 15 days. I have been
suffering from diabetes for
20 years and have been on
time I go to bed, what time
I eat food, and what time I
go to the bathroom. These
recordings were played in
the offices of 13 officers.
These people were contin-
uously monitoring each
and every thing I did,” he
said.
Mr. Kejriwal added that
he was happy that AAP had
stayed united as a family in
his absence.
In a post on X, Mr. Kejri-
wal said the Delhi govern-
ment schools had shown
an increase of 8.36% in the
success rate of Class 10 stu-
dents compared to the re-
sults from last year. Com-
menting on Class 12
results, he said, “Not only
does this surpass our own
performance of last year, it
surpasses the CBSE nation-
al average as well.”
performing students in
Class 11 in order to artifi-
cially inflate its Class 12
results.
Hailing the “Delhi mo-
del”, Education Minister
Atishi said in a post on X,
“Delhi’s education model
continues to show the way
forward to the entire na-
tion… So proud of our stu-
dents, teachers, and pa-
rents who’ve worked
Minister issued a list of 10
“guarantees” that would
be fulfilled if the INDIA
bloc came to power at the
Centre. “Good education”
was one of them.
Attacking the AAP go-
vernment, Delhi BJP chief
Virendra Sachdeva said on-
ly those who perform well
in Class 11 are allowed to
appear for Class 12 exams
in Delhi government
his rented accommodation
in east Delhi. He had failed
two subjects in Class 12. Ar-
jun Saxena had come to
Delhi from U.P. to prepare
for the CBSE exams and an
engineering entrance test,
said an officer.
Those in distress may
contact Sanjivini, Society
for Mental Health suicide
prevention helpline 011-
40769002.
which will commence on
May 15.
“I believe CBSE exams
are mock tests for CUET.
The syllabus for the do-
main subjects in CUET is
quite similar to that of the
CBSE. Scoring well in
boards gives you the confi-
dence to perform well in
the entrance exams,” she
added.
About her career aspira-
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
scored 95.8% in the CBSE
examinations and became
the topper in Commerce in
Satya School, Gurugram,
said, “I feel that the CBSE
results show the consisten-
cy of the students right
from Class 10 to Class 12. It
may not get them admis-
sion in college, but I feel
the results help as a param-
eter in assessing a stu-
dent’s consistency.”

Development a delayed promise in West Delhi

EDUCATIONAL
GENERAL

Samridhi Tewari
NEW DELHI
Tall promises of develop-
ment, from flyovers to mul-
tispecialty hospitals, have
EDUCATIONAL fizzled out into stagnant pro-
ject sites that create more
GENERAL commotion than order, say
the residents of West Delhi
Lok Sabha constituency.
The first thing on their
minds when going to cast
their vote on May 25 will be
to support a candidate who
will be able to complete the
development plans that
have long since overshot
their deadline, say voters.
Some of the under-deve-
lopment projects that stick
out like eyesores in the con-
stituency include the Punja-
bi Bagh flyover, the Hastsal
hospital at Uttam Nagar, and
sections of the Dwarka Ex-
pressway and Urban Exten-
sion Road II.
Voters say that though
they waited a long time for
these new constructions,
they are nowhere near com-
pletion and have become a
daily inconvenience.
The 496-metre flyover,
part of the 1.68-km Punjabi
Bagh-Rajouri Garden corri-
dor redevelopment plan
proposed by the Aam Aadmi
PUBLIC NOTICE Party (AAP) in 2022, will
EDUCATIONAL
MY CLIENT Rukmani Devi wife Bishun help commuters collectively
Dev has purchased property number save at least six lakh litres of
P−209, ground floor area 20.44
GENERAL square yard, Khasra number 25/13
with terrace, village Rajpur
Khurd, Colony P Block, Mohan Gar-
den Extension, Uttam Nagar, New
Delhi 110059. Purchased from Shri
Shashi Bhushan S/O Shri Yamuna
Prasad on 6 October 2023. Anyone
who buys, sells or rents it with-
out asking will be considered ille-
gal. Advocate Rani Bhardwaj
9643680913
DEATH
TENDERS
CM
YK
fuel every year, Delhi Fi- However, since the begin-
nance Minister Atishi had ning of work in September
claimed. 2022, traffic congestion has
According to officials of shown no signs of easing for
the Public Works Depart- commuters, who claim that
ment, the project, which is both the construction of the
expected to connect Punjabi flyover and the digging of
Bagh to Azadpur, Dhaula land for the metro in the
Kuan, Rohtak Road and Gu- area have increased travel
rugram, is being built at a time on a road that has been
cost of ₹352.3 crore. damaged for years.
Timings
DELHI
TUESDAY, MAY. 14
RISE 05:32 SET 19:05
RISE 10:55
WEDNESDAY, MAY. 15
SET 00:20
RISE 05:31 SET 19:05
RISE 11:52
THURSDAY, MAY. 16
SET 00:57
RISE 05:30 SET 19:06
RISE 12:47 SET 01:30
0 GST, the condition of street
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ments in this newspaper.
Vikas Goyal, who has
been a resident of east Pun-
jabi Bagh since 1994, said
though the construction be-
gan with full pomp in three
phases, only one flyover has
been made operational so
far. “All the roads are perpe-
tually blocked, and because
of that, we cannot avail of
cab or delivery services.
Even autorickshaws don’t
want to come here because
of traffic,” he said, adding
that a commute that once
took five minutes now takes
at least 45 minutes.
In Dwarka, the first-ever
eight-lane elevated Dwarka
Expressway
on NH48,
once consi-
dered a “big
achievement”
in tackling traffic, also re-
mains under construction.
Close fight
The constituency, which un-
derwent delimitation in
2008, has gone to polls
thrice since. While Mahabal
Mishra, then a part of the
Congress, was MP from
2009 to 2014, Parvesh Sahib
Singh of the BJP scored two
consecutive wins in West
Delhi in 2014 and 2019. Ho-
wever, all 10 Assembly seg-
ments were won by AAP in
the 2020 State election.
This year, Mr. Mishra,
Congress to organise 7
townhalls, Rahul Gandhi
to address one: Yadav
The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI
The Congress on Monday said
that it will organise townhall
meetings in all parliamentary
constituencies of the Capital
as part of the party’s out-
reach.
It also announced that par-
ty leader Rahul Gandhi will
address one of these
meetings.
Delhi Congress president
Devender Yadav said the
townhalls are being organised
to discuss issues such as the
rise in prices, unemployment,
vendors, pollution, women’s
safety and security, and law
and order.
“We will effectively use so-
cial media to take the messag-
es of the Congress and the IN-
DIA bloc to people across the
who was suspended from
the Congress for “anti-party
activities” in 2020, is con-
testing on an AAP ticket.
He joined the party in
2022. The BJP, meanwhile,
has dropped Mr. Singh, and
has fielded Kamaljeet Sehra-
wat, a fresh face. Both can-
didates have claimed that
easing commute and up-
grading infrastructure are
their focus areas.
While Mr. Mishra has said
he will extend the metro line
in the area and fix the age-
old issue of parking space,
Ms. Sehrawat’s “blueprint”
includes plans to build new
parks, sports
facilities, and
community
halls. She has
also promised
to repair roads and provide
better water supply in the
area.
But voters say that above
all else, the completion of
existing projects should be
the priority.
“Leaders usually come
here only around elections,
but this time, we want the
candidates to take stock of
the situation and work on
executing their promises.
We do want flyovers and re-
paired roads, but not with
such disarray that even call-
ing an ambulance is diffi-
cult,” Mr. Goyal said.
Capital, as well as organise
roadshows and public meet-
ings to keep the momentum
going,” Mr. Yadav said.
He added that the party has
undertaken efforts to streng-
then its presence at all polling
booths.
It has trained booth-level
agents across the city’s 13,000
polling booths to ensure that
the candidates of the INDIA
bloc emerge victorious.
Three ‘war rooms’
The party also said that it has
also set up “war rooms” for its
three candidates at its State
headquarters in the national
capital.
It said the “war rooms” will
have two roles — coordinating
with booth-level agents and
workers, and enhancing the
reach of the candidates
through social media.
M ND-NDE
 9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
3

M ND-NDE
THE HINDU
Tuesday, May 14, 2024

CM
YK
Delhi
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
 THE HINDU
4 Tuesday, May 14, 2024

States Delhi

INBRIEF
쑽 Low voter turnout, missing LS poll comes
names of voters mar phase to an end in M.P.
4 of polling in Maharashtra
Pune Congress chief Arvind Shinde raises complaint of bogus voting; State records voter turnout
of 52.49% till 5 p.m.; 2.28 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase
Kunal Ghosh returns as the Shoumojit Banerjee Gopinath Munde’s daught-
TMC’s star campaigner PUNE er, Pankaja Munde, cast her
vote in Beed. Ms. Munde is
Days after his removal as the party’s West Bengal aharashtra conti- pitted against the Maha Vi-
unit general secretary, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh
was back as its star campaigner for the seventh
phase of Lok Sabha election. The TMC on
M nued to be jinxed
by low voter tur-
nout in the fourth phase of
kas Aghadi’s Bajrang Sona-
wane of the Sharad Pawar-
led NCP (SP).
A groom poses for a picture at a selfie booth after casting his vote in
Burhanpur on Monday. ANI
Monday submitted its list of star campaigners to the Lok Sabha election in The rival candidates for
the Election Commission and Mr. Ghosh’s name the State, amid several the Pune seat – Mahayuti’s Mehul Malpani While the Congress’s cam-
was on it. Earlier this month, the TMC had complaints of missing Murlidhar Mohol (BJP) and BHOPAL paign remained centred
removed him as the State general secretary and names from the voters’ list MVA’s Ravindra Dhangekar around its pitch of caste
star campaigner after he shared the stage with in the Pune constituency. (Congress) – both ex- The eight Lok Sabha consti- census and allegations of
BJP’s Kolkata Uttar candidate Tapas Ray at a The State recorded an pressed confidence that tuencies of Madhya Pra- BJP preparing to take away
programme. PTI overall voter turnout of they would win based on desh that went to polls in reservation, the BJP sought
52.49% till 5 p.m. with tri- their “issue-based ap- the fourth phase on Mon- votes on issues like the Ram
bal-dominated Nandurbar proach” in their respective day recorded a voter tur- Temple, Article 370, its wel-
Lok Sabha recording the campaigns. nout of at least 71.72%, con- fare schemes and allega-
Non-bailable warrant against highest turnout of 60.60% Inked: Pankaja Munde (left), BJP candidate from Beed seat , after Another key contest in cluding the election tions that the Congress
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
among the 11 constituencies casting her vote at Nathra Village, Parali, in Beed on Monday. ANI this phase is the Ahmedna- process on all 29 seats of wanted to give religion-
AAP MLA, son; aide arrested that went to election. The gar (now renamed Ahilya- the State. based reservation to Mus-
lowest voting percentages voted in the person’s name, constituencies spread nagar) Lok Sabha seat According to the data lims.
An aide of AAP’s Delhi MLA Amanatullah Khan, were recorded in Pune dis- and officials are satisfied across Maharashtra’s arid where the Mahayuti’s Sujay shared by Anupam Rajan, The seats that saw a
Iqrar Ahmed, was arrested while non-bailable trict, which saw three cru- about the voter’s identity. Marathwada region, and in Vikhe-Patil (BJP) squared- the State’s Chief Electoral close contest between the
warrants were issued against the legislator and cial seats – Pune, Shirur and the western and northern off against the MVA’s Nilesh Officer, Khargone (ST) seat BJP and the Congress are
his son in a case of assault registered in Noida Maval — go to polls. EVM malfunctioning parts of the State. Lanke of NCP (SP). recorded the highest poll- Chhindwara, Mandla (ST),
following a quarrel at a petrol pump, police said Pune Congress chief Ar- In yet another glitch in the The shadow of the Ma- In Shirur, NCP (SP) lead- ing percentage at 75.79%. Rajgarh, Morena, Bhind
on Monday. Mr. Ahmed was not named in the vind Shinde raised a com- poll process, 49 voting ma- ratha quota agitation er Amol Kolhe, the incum- Indore saw the the lowest (SC), Ratlam (ST). In
FIR in which Mr. Khan was the only named plaint of bogus voting. chines in Pune had to be loomed large over contests bent MP, is pitted against voter turnout at 60.53, he Chhindwara, where former
person. His son was mentioned as “unidentified When he reached the vot- changed due to in Beed, Sambhajinagar the former Shirur MP and added. The average voting Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s
son of MLA” while the other accused were ing booth at the city’s Rasta malfunctioning. and Jalna in the Marathwa- businessman Shivajirao-Ad- percentage on the eight son Nakul Nath sought a se-
identified as “others in two cars”. PTI Peth, he was stunned to Meanwhile, in Jalgaon in da region. The splits in the halrao Patil, who is the can- seats in 2019 was 75.65%. cond term. In Mandla, Un-
find that someone had al- north Maharashtra, the re- Nationalist Congress Party didate of the Ajit Pawar-led Voting concluded in 21 ion Minister and six-term
ready cast the vote in his sidents of two villages boy- and the Shiv Sena are a ma- NCP faction and the seats of the State during the MP Faggan Singh Kulaste
name. Mr. Shinde imme- cotted the election in order jor factor in seats in west- Mahayuti. first three phases with an had to battle anti-incum-
Harsimrat Kaur, Preneet Kaur diately raised an objection
by talking to the presiding
to express their ire against
the district administration
ern and northern Maha-
rashtra like Shirur, Maval,
Speaking to reporters
before casting his vote, Mr.
average polling percentage
of 64.76. The State saw
bency and a challenge from
Congress’s prominent tri-
file nominations in Punjab officer and was later al- following the death of four Jalgaon and Raver. Kolhe said: “Ajit Pawar will high-decibel electioneering bal leader Omkar Singh
lowed to vote using the persons, including two chil- not vote in Shirur, but the with leaders, including Markam. Former Chief Mi-
A number of prominent candidates, including ‘tender vote’ process. A dren, in a road accident last Key contests self-respecting public of Prime Minister Narendra nister and Congress leader
SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal and BJP’s Preneet tender vote, detailed in Sec- week. One of most high-profile this constituency will. They Modi, Union Home Minis- Digvijaya Singh returned to
Kaur, filed their nominations on Monday for the tion 49P of the Conduct of As many as 2.28 crore contests was the Beed Lok will decide the outcome of ter Amit Shah, Congress contest from his home con-
June 1 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. State Congress Election Rules, 1961, is al- voters were eligible to exer- Sabha seat where political this contest. There is not president Mallikarjun stituency Rajgarh after over
chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and AAP’s lowed to be cast on ballot cise their franchise in this future of the Munde clan is the slightest doubt in my Kharge, and party leaders 30 years and hopes to wrest
Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Kuldeep Singh paper when a voter realises phase with a total of 298 at stake. Mahayuti candi- mind that I will be sent to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka the seat from BJP’s two-
Dhaliwal also filed their nomination papers. PTI that someone has already candidates in the fray in date and late BJP leader Parliament again.” Gandhi campaigning here. term MP Rodmal Nagar.

Siddaramaiah calls Shinde’s SC notice on petition Amit Shah questions Rahul,

claim of destabilising Cong. questioning collegium Cong. over Pakistan, Art. 370,
government a ‘daydream’ picks for Himachal HC Thackeray over ‘Hindutva’
Press Trust of India
The Hindu Bureau that as of now the party’s NEW DELHI The Hindu Bureau
BENGALURU Karnataka unit had not PUNE
thought anything along The Supreme Court on The judicial officers,
Maharashtra Chief Minister those lines. BJP State presi- Monday sought a response who are junior, Union Home Minister Amit
Eknath Shinde’s remark dent B.Y. Vijayendra said from the Registrar General recommended for Shah on Monday targeted
that the Congress govern- the party would not indulge of the Himachal Pradesh Congress MP Rahul Gandhi
ment in Karnataka will col- in destabilising the govern-
the judgeship and his ally in the INDIA
High Court on a plea of two
lapse on the lines of what ment. He said the Lok Sab- senior-most District and CHIRAG BHANU SINGH, bloc, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief
ARVIND MALHOTRA
happened in Maharashtra ha results may impact the Sessions Judges alleging Petitioners Uddhav Thackeray. He said
has been ridiculed by his Siddaramaiah. Congress government in that their merit and senior- Mr. Gandhi could never
counterpart Siddaramaiah, the State. “But the BJP ity were not considered by have launched India’s lu- Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra CM Eknath
who has termed it a “day- vernment through ‘Opera- would continue to work as the HC Collegium in selec- Chirag Bhanu Singh and Ar- nar mission Chan- Shinde at a rally at Vasai in Palghar on Monday. PTI
dream” of the BJP. tion Kamal’ (engineered de- a responsible Opposition,” tion of names for HC vind Malhotra, District and drayaan-3, given that his
A video of Mr. Shinde, fection of MLAs from rival he said. judgeship. Sessions Judges at Bilaspur party had failed to launch Pakistan? Are they capable tioned Mr. Uddhav’s ‘Hin-
said to be from a public camps). “They have already Meanwhile, the Con- A Bench comprising Jus- and Solan, respectively, al- him as a leader despite sev- of ending Naxalism or ter- dutva’, saying it had been
meeting at Satara, has gone tried ‘Operation Kamal’ in gress launched a counter- tices Hrishikesh Roy and leging non-consideration of eral attempts. rorism in the country? Can compromised the moment
viral in which he hints at a the last one year and failed. attack with its MLA Ravi Ga- Prashant Kumar Mishra their names. Mr. Datar re- Addressing rallies in they put India on the path he allied with the Congress
Maharashtra-like political Why will they try again?” niga claiming that 25 BJP took note of the submis- ferred to a resolution of Ja- Dhule and Palghar (ST re- to prosperity?” Mr. Shah and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
development that will see he wondered. He added, and 13 JD(S) MLAs were in sions of senior advocate Ar- nuary 4, 2024, of the apex served) Lok Sabha consti- said. “Rahul and the Congress
the Congress government “None of the Congress touch with the Congress vind Datar, appearing for court and the communica- tuencies, he mocked Mr. He was campaigning for opposed abrogation of Ar-
fall in Karnataka. MLAs are available for leaders. He asked the BJP the two, that the judicial of- tion of the Union Ministry Gandhi, saying no less than the BJP’s (Mahayuti) candi- ticle 370…I want Mr. Udd-
Speaking to mediaper- sale.” Sources in the BJP in- and JD(S) leaders to focus ficers, who are junior to of Law and Justice to the Hi- 20 “futile attempts” were dates Dr. Subhash Bhamre, hav to come out and tell
sons in Bengaluru on Mon- terpreted Mr. Shinde’s re- on keeping their flock to- them, had been recom- machal Pradesh HC and made by the Congress to from the Dhule seat, and the people of Maharashtra
day, Mr. Siddaramaiah said marks as “political postur- gether rather than trying to mended for the judgeship said the names of the peti- “launch and relaunch” Hemant Savara, who is be- whether Article 370 should
it was not possible for the ing” in the Maharashtra destabilise the Congress under the in-service quota. tioners should have been him. “Can he or a Congress ing fielded from Palghar. have been removed or
BJP to destabilise his go- context. They made it clear government. The petition was filed by considered. government ever deal with Mr. Shah also ques- not,” Mr. Shah said.

In fifth phase of poll, nearly one-fourth of 8 dead as massive dust storm brings down
candidates in Bengal have criminal cases hoarding in Mumbai; gusts lash Gujarat
Moyurie Som nal cases across the first declared criminal cases – increase from four in the The Hindu Bureau way land. We had in- vices as well as bus servic-
KOLKATA five phases in the State, ac- 93. Mr. Singh had won the first phase. Similarly, 14 MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD formed Railways about the es suffered disruptions.
cording to a report by civil seat on a BJP ticket in 2019 (16%) female candidates legal concerns, but they Parts of Gujarat, includ-
As the action in West Ben- society organisation Asso- but later shifted to the Tri- are set to contest in the The first rains of the season didn’t do anything about it. ing Ahmedabad and capi-
gal moves next to seven ciation for Democratic Re- namool Congress, only to fifth phase. arrived in Mumbai on Mon- We have issued notice to tal Gandhinagar, also wit-
parliamentary seats in the forms (ADR). return to BJP when denied The ADR report put wo- day with a massive dust the agency to remove all its nessed dust storms,
fifth phase of Lok Sabha “Like the 2019 polls, the a ticket by the ruling party. men participation in Ben- storm that inflicted heavy hoardings for not having thunderstorms and heavy
polls on May 20, 21 out of 2024 elections are not free Union Minister Shanta- gal at 13.15% of the total damage in parts of the city. valid BMC permission,” rain. Several billboards
88 candidates (24%) in the of money and muscle pow- nu Thakur, BJP’s Bongaon candidates, higher than At least eight persons have said BMC Commissioner and trees were damaged.
fray have criminal cases er,” said Ujjaini Halim, candidate, has 23 criminal the national average of been reported dead and 74 Bhushan Gagrani. Strong winds and dust
against them as per their State coordinator of West cases. 9.27% in phases one to five. injured. However, a Central Rail- storms also affected other
affidavits before the Elec- Bengal Election Watch, an “One reason for this is that The deaths took place A woman walking in heavy rain way official said the hoard- parts of the State, includ-
tion Commission. Howrah, initiative supported by the More women in fray there are more semi-urban when a hoarding collapsed after the dust storm in Mumbai ing was not on railway ing Amreli, Banaskantha
Hooghly, Arambagh, Se- ADR. Dr. Halim also said the constituencies in phases in the Chheda Nagar area on Monday. EMMANUAL YOGINI land. “It is not in any way and Sabarkantha. Howev-
rampore, Bongaon, Bar- The report said 71% of number of women candi- four and five,” said Dr. of the city. “It was trig- related to Indian Railways.” er, officials said there were
rackpore, and Uluberia, the BJP’s fifth-phase candi- dates has increased sub- Halim. gered by strong winds, and BMC officials said they The heavy showers and no reports of any casual-
spread across three dis- dates have criminal cases, stantially over the five BJP’s Locket Chatterjee, at least 100 people are like- will register a complaint dust storm also disrupted ties in the State.
tricts in south Bengal, are followed by 60% of the phases. Trinamool’s Rachna Baner- ly to be trapped. A search against Railways and M/S public transport services in The Meteorological De-
at play in the fifth phase. CPI(M). In the fourth phase, the jee and CPI(M)’s Dipsita and rescue operation is un- Ego Media, the advertising Mumbai. Chhatrapati Shi- partment has forecast light
This would be the high- Arjun Singh, the BJP’s State witnessed 16 female Dhar are among the promi- der way,” said a Brihan- agency that had put up the vaji Maharaj International rain with thunderstorms in
est percentage of candi- Barrackpore candidate, candidates (21% of overall nent female faces in the mumbai Municipal Corpo- hoarding. “The hoarding Airport witnessed 15 diver- several districts in the next
dates with declared crimi- has the highest number of contestants), a significant fifth phase of polling. ration (BMC) official. was placed illegally on rail- sions, while local train ser- three days.
Published by Nirmala Lakshman and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRP Act).
ISSN 0971 - 751X

CM M ND-NDE
YK

Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Delhi
Will serve full term Unrest in Sandeshkhali after 4 women held for heckling TMC legislator
in H.P., retain power
in 2027, says Sukhu
Press Trust of India
SHIMLA/HAMIRPUR
Himachal Pradesh Chief
Minister Sukhvinder Singh
Sukhu on Monday alleged
that the BJP tried to topple
his government using mo-
ney power and asserted
that the Congress will com-
plete its full term and re-
tain power in 2027.
Addressing a rally in
Shimla, the Chief Minister
said after the Congress
formed the government in
the State, the old pension
scheme was restored in the
very first Cabinet meeting
and corrupt practices were
also checked.
Mr. Sukhu accused the
BJP of not standing with
the people of Himachal
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Pradesh during the mon-
soon disaster last year.
“The film of Sukhu govern-
ment would go for another
three and a half years, and
part two will come in
2027,” he said.
Earlier in the day, he ac-
companied the Congress’s
candidate for the Shimla
(SC) Lok Sabha constituen-
cy, Vinod Sultanpuri, for
filing his nomination. Sit-
ting BJP MP Suresh Kash-
yap also filed his nomina-
tion papers on Monday.
For the first time, the
CPI(M), a constituent of the
INDIA bloc, also joined the
Congress rally. “This is not
a normal election. This is
an election to save democ-
racy and give the politics of
the country a direction,”
the CM said.
In the Hamirpur consti-
tuency, Union Minister An-
urag Thakur filed his nom-
ination papers. He was
accompanied by senior BJP
CM
YK
THE HINDU
5
States
Press Trust of India
BARASAT (WEST BENGAL)
tyres on fire in Sandeshk-
hali on Monday in protest
mool Congress, including
an MLA. The women were
Police personnel de-
ployed in the area had to
were manhandled by the
police and sought the re-
a protest by BJP workers
against the circulation of
A group of people staged a
road blockade by setting
against the arrest of four
women for allegedly heck-
ling leaders of the Trina-
sent to four days of police
custody by a local court on
Monday, an officer said.
resort to lathicharge to dis-
perse the protesters. Local
women alleged that they
lease of the four women.
The TMC legislator was
heckled on Sunday during
purported videos “to malign
the image” of the party’s
leaders in Sandeshkhali.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu takes
part in a roadshow with Vinod
Sultanpuri (right), the Congress
candidate for the Shimla Lok
Sabha seat, on Monday. ANI
leaders, including his fath-
er and former Chief Minis-
ter Prem Kumar Dhumal,
and his brother Arun Dhu-
mal, the chairman of the
Indian Premier League.
‘No anti-incumbency’
Mr. Thakur, who is seeking
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
a fifth term from the seat,
said there was no anti-in-
cumbency against the BJP
and the party was poised
to win the elections with
over 400 seats. The Con-
gress is struggling to win
even 40 Lok Sabha seats,
whereas the BJP has the
highest number of MPs
and mayors across the
country, he said.
“Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi symbolises confi-
dence, honesty, commit-
ment, and guarantee. The
BJP is fighting the elections
following his mantra of
‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,
Sabka Vishwas and Sabka
Prayas,” Mr. Thakur said.
Polling in all four Lok
Sabha seats in the State will
be held in the last phase of
the election on June 1. By-
polls to six Assembly seats,
which fell vacant following
the disqualification of re-
bel Congress MLAs, will be
held simultaneously.
M ND-NDE

6 Tuesday, May 14, 2024
H.D. Revanna
Revanna gets
bail in kidnap
case; set to be
released today
The Hindu Bureau
BENGALURU
A special court here on
Monday granted bail to
H.D. Revanna, Janata Dal
(Secular) MLA and former
former Karnataka Minister,
who was arrested in con-
nection with an abduction
case on May 4 by the Spe-
cial Investigation Team
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
(SIT), which is probing cas-
es of sex abuse by his son
and “absconding” Hassan
MP Prajwal Revanna.
He will likely be re-
leased on Tuesday.
Mr. Revanna has been
accused of abducting a wo-
man, said to have been
raped by his son, allegedly
to prevent her from testify-
ing against the latter.
The Special Court for
Elected Representatives,
Bengaluru, had initially
turned down Mr. Revan-
na’s anticipatory bail plea
leading to his arrest. He
was remanded in seven-
day judicial custody on
May 8 and was lodged in
the Parappana Agrahara
Central Prison Complex.
The court’s bail order
came around 6.30 p.m. on
Monday. Since inmates are
usually not released after 7
p.m., he is likely to be re-
leased on Tuesday.
2 fishermen killed as cargo
ship hits boat off Kerala coast as Rajya Sabha seats fall vacant in July
The Hindu Bureau
MALAPPURAM
Two fishermen from Pon-
nani in Kerala were killed
when their boat sank in the
Arabian Sea after being hit
by a cargo ship on Sunday
night. The bodies of Abdul
Salam Kuriyamakkana-
kath, 39, and Abdul Gafoor
Peekkintakath, 46, were
recovered after a joint
search by the Coast Guard,
the Navy, the coastal police
and fishermen on Monday.
The boat named Islah
had ventured into the deep
sea on Friday night with six
fishermen on board. The
boat’s hull broke into two
when it was hit by an In-
dian general cargo ship
named Sagar Yuvraj about
35 nautical miles off Pon-
nani coast. The accident
occurred around 1 a.m.
The boat sank soon
along with the two injured
Vishnupriya
murder case:
accused gets
life sentence
The Hindu Bureau
KANNUR
A Thalassery Court in Kera-
la on Monday sentenced
Shyamjith, 27, to life impri-
sonment and slapped a
fine of ₹2 lakh on him for
the murder of 23-year-old
Vishnupriya in Panur.
Additionally, he was gi-
ven 10 years of imprison-
ment and fined ₹25,000
for trespassing into the vic-
tim’s house.
Vishnupriya, a pharma-
cist at a private hospital in
Panur, was murdered at
her house on October 22,
2022.
CM
YK
A.P. sees 78% turnout amid violence
Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held simultaneously in the State; instances of YSRCP and TDP cadres clashing and
poll equipment being damaged reported; MLA, voter slap each other in Tenali; TDP poll agents ‘abducted’ in Punganur
Sambasiva Rao M.
GUNTUR
ndhra Pradesh re-
A corded a turnout of
over 78% (till 11.50
p.m.) in the simultaneous
Lok Sabha and Assembly
elections held across the
State, amid several reports
of violence.
Even as the polling was
scheduled to conclude by 6
p.m., hundreds of voters
were seen in queues at
3,500 polling stations
across the State by that
time. The poll percentage
is expected to cross 80%.
There are 4.14 crore re-
gistered voters in the State,
which include 2.03 crore
men, 2.10 crore women
and 3,421 transgenders.
Addressing the media,
Andhra Pradesh Chief
Electoral Officer Mukesh
Kumar Meena said though
there were incidents of vio-
lence, no serious or fatal
Telangana polling peaceful; BJP nominee booked
voter turnout close to 65% for violating poll code
M. Rajeev
HYDERABAD
Polling for all the 17 Lok
Sabha constituencies in Te-
langana was conducted
peacefully on Monday with
no untoward incident be-
ing reported from any part
of the State. Repolling was
not ordered even in one of
the 35,809 polling stations.
While the 2019 election
saw a voter turnout of
LDF set for season of hard bargaining
Fatal accident: The ship was brought to Kochi after it was seized
by the coastal police on Sunday night.
fishermen. The other four
fishermen were rescued by
the ship’s crew.
‘No warning signals’
The fishermen alleged that
the 72-metre-long ship had
not issued any warning
signals.
The bodies of the vic-
11 flights diverted from Bengaluru airport Six hospitals receive
to Chennai as rain disrupts operations
The Hindu Bureau
BENGALURU
Due to heavy rain and
lightning on Sunday night,
11 flights were diverted
from the Kempegowda In-
ternational Airport (KIA) in
Bengaluru to Chennai.
Seven of the flights were
domestic, while four were
international flights from
Paris, Amsterdam, and
Bangkok.
Two Air India flights,
each from Delhi and Mum-
bai, two Akasa Air flights
from Mumbai and Goa,
one Air India Express flight
from Guwahati, a Vistara
flight from Delhi, and an
Alliance Air flight from Goa
THE HINDU
States
Duty first: Voters waiting for their turn at a polling station at
Undavalli in Guntur district on Monday. K.V.S. GIRI
injuries were reported and sentative of political par-
the polling was largely ties at their respective con-
peaceful. stituencies,” he said.
Asked if repolling would
be held, he said it was un- Vehicles torched
likely. “However, the final Incidents of violence were
call will be taken after the reported from many poll-
Election Observers submit ing stations. The Macherla
their reports. All the Elec- Assembly constituency in
tion Observers and Return- Palnadu district reported
ing Officers will convene clashes between the
meetings with the repre- YSRCP and TDP cadres.
64.93% (till 11.50 p.m.) —
has left the three main con-
tenders, the ruling Con-
gress, BRS and BJP, guess-
ing the prospects of their
respective candidates in
the election which is likely
to see triangular contests
in some of the seats.
BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao after Hyderabad registered
casting his vote. NAGARA GOPAL the lowest poll percentage
of 46.08, while Secundera-
62.77%, the higher polling bad saw 48.11% and Malkaj-
percentage this time — giri 50.12% polling.
G. Anand
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The ruling Left Democratic
Front (LDF) in Kerala
seems set for a season of
hard bargaining, with at
least two key constituents
vying for crucial Rajya Sab-
ha seats that will become
vacant in July.
Given the current com-
position of the Kerala As-
sembly, the LDF is likely to
win two seats. The United
Democratic Front (UDF)
seems poised to bag the
third.
The CPI(M) will likely
tims were brought ashore claim one of the two seats,
and shifted to the Govern- leaving the field open for
ment Taluk Hospital, Pon- the CPI and the Kerala Con-
nani. The coastal police gress(M) to battle it out for
seized the ship on Monday the second likely to be won
afternoon. Officers said the by the LDF.
ship was being brought to Currently, the LDF has
Kochi. A case was filed three members in the Ra-
against the vessel crew for jya Sabha — Elamaram Ka-
causing the deaths. reem of the CPI(M), Binoy
hoax bomb threat
Safe landing: Bengaluru witnessed heavy rain and lightning on
Sunday night. SUDHAKARA JAIN
were diverted to the Chen- (BIAL) spokesperson said
nai airport. that no flight could land
A Bangalore Interna- between 11.18 p.m. and
tional Airport Limited 11.54 p.m. on account of
The activists of both par-
ties torched vehicles and
hurled burning petrol bot-
tles at each other.
The EVMs, Ballot Units
(BUs) and other election
equipment were damaged
at 11 polling stations which
include eight in the Ma-
cherla Assembly, two in
Kodur and one in Darsi
during the violence.
Referring to these inci-
dents, Mr. Meena said the
technical staff verified all
the Ballot Units and clari-
fied that the data stored in
them was safe and could
be retrieved during the
counting of votes. Polling
continued in all these sta-
tions even after the poll
equipment was damaged
as the election authorities
replaced them with new
ones, he said.
The authorities re-
placed 220 EVMs, BUs and
around 600 VVPAT ma-
chines as they were not
The Hindu Bureau
HYDERABAD
The Hyderabad police
booked two cases against
BJP candidate for Hydera-
bad seat Madhavi Latha
Kompella and her follow-
ers on the polling day.
Hyderabad Commis-
sioner K. Sreenivasa Reddy
said, “Initially, she checked
for voter ID by lifting veils
of women voters. Later,
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with Kerala Congress (M) leader
Jose K. Mani, right, at a public meeting. FILE PHOTO
Viswam of the CPI, and
Jose K. Mani of the Kerala
Congress(M).
Mr. Mani’s strategic
move of defecting to the
LDF in 2020, followed by
his resignation from the
Rajya Sabha seat that he
had won on the UDF ticket,
set the stage for a byelec-
tion to the upper House in
2021. In a not-so-surprising
heavy rain and lightning.
Later, all the flights headed
back to the Bengaluru
airport.
Third instance
This is the third instance in
the last two weeks of flights
being diverted from KIA
due to heavy rain.
On May 9, 17 flights were
diverted to Chennai as hea-
vy rainfall, accompanied
by strong wind, rendered
the airport inaccessible for
landing.
On May 6, eight flights
were diverted, seven to
Chennai and one to Coim-
batore, as they were un-
able to land at KIA due to
heavy rain.
functioning properly when
the polling began at 7 a.m.
YSRCP MLA Annabathu-
ni Sivakumar from Tenali
Assembly constituency
was arrested after he alleg-
edly attacked a voter who
was waiting in the queue at
a polling station.
The voter reportedly
asked the MLA to wait for
his turn in the queue,
which led to the exchange
of heated arguments. Mr.
Sivakumar and the voter
slapped each other. The
supporters of the MLA at-
tacked the voter. A video
clip of the incident went vi-
ral on the social media.
Meanwhile, the police
traced three TDP polling
agents, who were allegedly
abducted from Punganur
Assembly constituency by
their rival group. Many pol-
itical leaders were put un-
der house arrest in Palna-
du, Guntur, Annamayya
districts, the CEO said.
when her party workers
were detained for cam-
paigning with dummy
EVMs, she entered a police
station and freed the two
accused,” he said.
Within hours of a video
of Ms. Madhavi asking bur-
qa-clad voters to show
their faces going viral, the
police registered a case
against her. The incident
panned out at polling
booth at Malakpet.
turn of events, the Kerala
Assembly elected Mr. Mani
to the Upper House.
The CPI shows little sign
of giving up on the demand
for Rajya Sabha accommo-
dation. CPI State Secretary
Binoy Viswam told repor-
ters that the party had no
confusion and appeared to
hint at a status quo.
Mr. Mani also is angling
emails in Bengaluru
The Hindu Bureau
BENGALURU
As many as six hospitals in
and around the city re-
ceived a common hoax
bomb threat email on Sun-
day afternoon, even as ov-
er 20 hospitals in the na-
tional capital New Delhi
also received similar hoax
emails the same day.
Similar hoax bomb
threat emails had come to
over 70 schools in and
around the city on Decem-
ber 1, 2023, and to over 25
schools on April 8, 2022.
Many schools in several ci-
ties in India and abroad
Voting ends in 13 LS
seats of U.P.; SP levels
charge of irregularities
Polling officials depositing the EVMs at Rajapur Mandi in Lakhimpur
on Monday. PTI
Mayank Kumar
LUCKNOW
Voting in the fourth phase
of the Lok Sabha for 13
seats in Uttar Pradesh end-
ed on Monday amid allega-
tions of irregularities le-
velled by the Samajwadi
Party (SP).
Voting percentage
A voter turnout of roughly
58% was recorded with
Dhaurahra (63.19%), Kheri
(63.07%), Sitapur (61.17%)
and Kannauj (61%), from
where SP chief Akhilesh
Yadav is contesting, re-
cording turnout of above
60%.
According to the Elec-
tion Commission of India,
Akbarpur recorded 57.66%
polling, Bahraich 57.45%,
Etawah 56.38%, Farrukha-
bad 58.90%, Hardoi
57.51%, Kanpur 52.49%,
Misrikh 55.79%, Shahja-
hanpur 53.24% and Unnao
55.44%.
Mr. Yadav, who reached
Kannauj after receiving
complaints of irregulari-
ties, said, “As soon as I ar-
for the Rajya Sabha seat as
a matter of political pres-
tige. He said he hoped the
LDF would make a correct
decision. The KC(M) will
broach the issue during the
LDF meeting.
Notably, third-tier lead-
ers in the KC(M) were
point-blank about their
party’s aspirations. Some
told television news repor-
ters in Kottayam that the
KC(M)’s entry into the LDF
had paved the way for the
ruling alliance’s second
consecutive win in the Ker-
ala Legislative Assembly
polls in 2021.
An insider said the CPI
(M) might not be willing to
deprive the CPI, its oldest
and biggest ruling front al-
ly, of the Rajya Sabha seat.
The CPI(M) would also
not forsake its entitlement
for a seat in the Upper
House to appease any coa-
lition partner.
have received similar hoax
bomb threat emails over
the last two years and the
probes into these cases
have hit roadblocks at least
in India.
A senior police official
said that those who have
been targeting schools
across the country, have
for the first time targeted
hospitals.
The hospitals who re-
ceived the email are: Na-
rayana Health City, Sagar
Apollo Hospital, St. Philo-
mena’s Hospital, St. Mar-
tha’s Hospital, Vimalalaya
Multispeciality Hospital
and JMJ Hospital in the city.
Delhi
rived, the BJP goons ran
away.”
Of the 13 seats going that
polled in the fourth phase,
the BJP has fielded 11 sitting
MPs.
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
“The fourth phase of
Lok Sabha elections has
made it clear that now all
the possibilities of the BJP
forming a government in
Delhi have faded. People
have voted in favour of Sa-
majwadi Party and INDIA
bloc candidates. In this
phase, BJP left no stone un-
turned in spreading chaos,
disorder and tarnishing
the freedom and fairness
of voting. BJP has not
shown any faith in the de-
mocratic system,” the SP
said in a statement.
BJP rebuts
The BJP rubbished the alle-
gations with Subrat Path-
ak, the BJP’s Kannauj can-
didate, saying that out of
frustration, the SP leader-
ship is peddling false
charges. “Akhileshji is
sensing defeat. It is a reflec-
tion of his frustration,” he
said.
Church-run
Kerala college
withdraws
promotional
online video
The Hindu Bureau
KOCHI
The autonomous Nirmala
College in Ernakulam, go-
verned by the Syrian Cath-
olic diocese of Kothaman-
galam, has withdrawn a
promotional video meant
to attract aspirants to its
various programmes in the
new academic year after
the management found
that it “violated the values,
religious sentiments and
the cultural traditions of
the institution”.
The short video, nearly
one-and-a-half minute
long, was released on a so-
cial media handle of the
college on May 9. It fea-
tured a dream sequence
set on the campus. A
young man and a woman
are seen holding their
hands as the hit romantic
Malayalam film song begin-
ning Poomaname is played
in the background. It also
showed a cover art of Ma-
layalam romantic novel In-
apravukal followed by a
message that “reading
opens your mind and ig-
nites imagination”. It ends
with a message inviting ap-
plications online.
In a circular issued on
May 12, Father Pius Male-
kandathil, manager of the
college, said the video that
seemingly legitimised a lax
atmosphere in the college
was far from reality. “This
is not Nirmala College and
this is not the cultural and
moral profile that we strug-
gle hard to maintain in the
college,” he said.
The video was pro-
duced by an agency han-
dling the college’s adver-
tisements on social media.
A committee was set up to
study the issue and submit
a report immediately.
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 7
Delhi
States

‘Travel beyond politics to 5 shooters of

Bishnoi-Godara
end horrible problem of gang held in
Gurugram
untreated waste in Delhi’ Press Trust of India
GURUGRAM
The Special Task Force of
Supreme Court makes its dissatisfaction apparent about the manner in which the MCD had been Gurugram police has ar-
handling the issue, indicates that it intends to make the Centre involved in finding a solution rested five shooters asso-
ciated with Lawrence Bish-
noi and Rohit Godara gang,
The Hindu Bureau officials said on Monday.
NEW DELHI Five automatic pistols,
including three foreign-
he Supreme Court made Glock pistol 9mm
Caller identifying herself as
Swati Maliwal said she was
assaulted at CM House: police
The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI
The Delhi police on Mon-
day said they received a call
from a person who identi-
fied herself as Aam Aadmi
Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha
member and former Delhi
Commission for Women
(DCW) chairperson Swati
the DCP said.
A source said the call
was made from Ms. Mali-
wal’s personal number and
that she claimed to have
been “beaten up”.
When reached for com-
ment, Ms. Maliwal did not
respond. AAP also did not
issue any statement on the
alleged incident.
former chairperson of the
DCW is not safe at CM’s resi-
dence, how can the women
of Delhi be safe?”
BJP’s West Delhi candi-
date Kamaljeet Sehrawat
said Ms. Maliwal was scared
after the alleged incident
and had become “untracea-
ble”. Senior BJP leader and
Union Minister Anurag Tha-

T on Monday said a
solution to the
“horrible” problem of
worth over ₹10 lakh, and
55 live cartridges were re-
covered from their posses-
Maliwal and said that she
had been assaulted at Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s
The BJP launched an of-
fensive against AAP, raising
questions about the safety
kur said, “If AAP’s Rajya
Sabha member, who has
chaired the Delhi Commis-
3,800 metric tonnes of sion, they said. residence by one of his of the former women’s pa- sion for Women, is not safe,
municipal solid waste piled Dinesh alias Deenu, Jag- aides. nel chief and terming AAP then how can other women
up untreated every day in dish alias Jaggu, Vishnu, DCP (North) Manoj Ku- an “anti-women party”. [in AAP] be assured about
the national capital could Sagar and Pradeep have mar Meena said the call was The National Commis- their safety?”
be found only by travelling been nabbed and taken in- received at 9.34 a.m. at the sion for Women took cogni- Ms. Maliwal is a women’s
beyond the confines of par- to a four-day police re- Civil Lines police station. sance of the alleged inci- rights activist who has
ty politics. mand after being pro- “The caller alleged that dent. In a post on X, it said, worked as the adviser to
“This is a vital issue for duced in court today, she had been assaulted at “The perpetrators must be Mr. Kejriwal on public grie-
the capital city. What is the police said. the CM’s residence. Soon, a held accountable,” and ad- vances before serving the
signal that is being sent to According to STF offi- police team, along with the ded that it will write to the DCW as its chief for nine
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

the people living in the ci-
ty? And we talk about deve-
lopment! You (govern-
ments) should travel
beyond politics,” Justice
A.S. Oka, heading a two-
judge Bench, admonished.
The Bench made its dis-
satisfaction apparent about
the manner in which the
Municipal Corporation of
Delhi (MCD) had been han-
dling the issue. The MCD in-
formed the court that it
would have waste treat-
ment plants capable of han-
dling 3,800 metric tonnes
of solid waste only by June
2027. “This means that
3,800 metric tonnes of so-
lid waste will be accumulat-
A man stands on top of the Ghazipur landfill site in New Delhi. FILE PHOTO: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
ing for the next three years
in parts of Delhi… This is a
sorry state of affairs in the
capital city and poses a
great danger to the environ-
ment. None of the authori-
ties have considered the
outcome of lack of capacity
to deal with solid waste
generated every day.,” the
Bench observed.
‘Bound to increase’
The court pulled up the
MCD and other authorities
for not realising that, consi-
dering the developmental
activities taking place in
Delhi and surrounding
areas, it was “obvious that
generation of solid waste
was bound to increase”.
The Bench said the authori-
ties were ill-prepared to
face the problem.
The court directed the
civic authorities to take im-
mediate steps to ensure
that the amount of untreat-
ed solid waste did not in-
crease till proper facilities
were in place in Delhi. The
court indicated that it in-
tends to involve the Centre
in finding a solution to the
health problem plaguing
the capital for years. The
accumulation of untreated
solid waste was a health ha-
zard and a violation of the
fundamental right to a dig-
nified life and clean envi-
ronment under Article 21 of
the Constitution.
The court directed the
Urban Affairs Secretary to
hold a meeting with all the
stakeholders and file a re-
port by July 19. “The Go-
vernment of India should
look into it. We are passing
that order,” Justice Oka
said. It warned drastic ac-
tion would follow if its or-
der was not complied with.
The court listed the case for
hearing on July 26.
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
cials, Dinesh was arrested SHO, reached the spot. Af- police seeking an action ta- years. She was a core mem-
from Farrukhnagar on Sa- ter some time, Maliwal ken report in three days. ber of the India Against
turday. On his disclosure, came to the Civil Lines pol- Corruption movement (the
four others were nabbed ice station. She did not sub- ‘Women unsafe in AAP’ precursor to AAP) and was
from Abohar near Fazilka mit any complaint. So far, Bansuri Swaraj, the BJP’s nominated by her party to
in Punjab on Sunday night. we have not received any nominee for the New Delhi the upper house of Parlia-
A joint team of Delhi complaint in the matter,” Lok Sabha seat, said, “If the ment in January 2024.
police, Nuh police and STF
had arrested two shooters
of the same gang after a
brief encounter in Nuh five
days ago, they added.
“We are questioning the
accused,” DSP Preet Pal
Singh Sangwan said, ad-
ding that they revealed
that on the instructions of
the gang leaders, serious
crimes were to be carried
out in Haryana, Rajasthan
and Punjab by them.

Amit Shah fake video case: Man held for stealing

court grants bail to accused jewellery on flights
Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI
A Delhi court on Monday
granted bail to a Congress
member arrested in connec-
tion with a fake video of Un-
ion Home Minister Amit
Shah's speech, noting that
he has cooperated in the
probe and his further custo-
dial interrogation is not
required.
Arun Reddy, who was ar-
rested on May 3, handles the
Spirit of Congress account
on X, according to officials.
Chief Metropolitan Magis-
trate Nabeela Wali noted
that the prime allegation
The court said that
further custodial
interrogation of
the accused is
not required
against the accused on the
basis of which he was arrest-
ed was being the “admin of
the WhatsApp group” on
which the alleged fake video
was first posted for circula-
tion. However, there are no
allegations of the accused
having posted/circulated
the said video on any fo-
rum, the judge noted. He
noted that the accused was
in custody since May 3 and
the investigating agency had
already taken his police re-
mand. “Further, the appli-
cant/accused, as per reply
of the investigating officer
(IO) has co-operated with
the investigating agency and
has disclosed the name of
his associates/other investi-
gation. Also, it is an admit-
ted position that no further
police custody is required,”
the judge said.
The court said that the
other suspects in the pre-
sent case have been granted
protection from coercive ac-
tion by the High Court of
Telangana.
Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI
A 40-year-old man was ar-
rested for allegedly stealing
jewellery and other valua-
bles from handbags of co-
passengers on various
flights, Delhi Police said on
Monday.
The accused, Rajesh Ka-
poor, took at least 200
flights and travelled for
more than 110 days during
the past year to commit
thefts, the police said.
At a press conference at
the IGI airport, Deputy
Commissioner of Police
(IGI) Usha Rangnani said
Kapoor had been arrested
from Paharganj, where he
allegedly kept the stolen
jewellery.
On April 11, a passenger
lost her jewellery worth ₹7
lakh while travelling from
Hyderabad to Delhi. Anoth-
er theft was reported on Fe-
bruary 2, where a passen-
ger lost jewellery worth ₹20
lakh while he was travelling
from Amritsar to Delhi. The
DCP said that CCTV footage
from Delhi and Amritsar
airports and the flight ma-
nifests were analysed. The
suspect was shortlisted as
he was seen on both flights,
she said.

IT manager in Gurugram
dies after being run
over by his neighbour
Press Trust of India
GURUGRAM
A 31-year-old manager of an IT
company was allegedly run over
by a neighbour who also dragged
him for metres on the bonnet of
his car after a brawl, police said
on Monday.
The incident took place in the
South City 2 on Sohna Road late
Sunday night.
The younger brother of the de-
ceased, who too was dragged by
the car is critical and is being
treated in a hospital, said police.
According to police, on Sunday
around 11.30 pm, a servant of
Rishabh came to his house in a
cab which the driver parked in
front of the house of a neighbour,
Manoj Bhardwaj.
An argument erupted between
Mr. Bhardwaj and the servant,
said the police.
In the meantime, Rishabh with
his brother Ranjak, his mother,
and his wife returned home after
having dinner and a brawl broke
out between Rishabh and Manoj,
a senior police officer said.
In an escalation of the row, Mr.
Manoj called some of his friends,
and all of them together thrashed
both the brothers.
Mr. Bhardwaj did not stop with
CM
YK
The younger brother of
the deceased, who too
was dragged by the car,
is critical and being
treated in a hospital.
An FIR has been
registered against the
main accused, Manoj
Bhardwaj
just that. He got into his Hyundai
Creta, hit the two brothers, and
dragged both of them on the car's
bonnet for around 20 metres.
The entire act was captured in a
CCTV. While Mr. Ranjak fell on
one side, his brother Rishabh
came under the car.
He was rushed to a hospital,
where he was declared dead. His
brother is still critical, police said.
An FIR was registered against
Manoj Bhardwaj and others un-
der sections 302 (murder), 307
(murder attempt), and 34 (com-
mon intention) of the IPC at Sec-
tor 50 Police Station on Monday,
said police.
“An FIR has been registered
against the main accused Manoj
Bhardwaj. We are conducting
raids and the accused will be ar-
rested soon,” SHO Inspector Sa-
tyawan said.
M ND-NDE

8 Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Towards the endgame
Opposition parties are getting better
with their tactics
I
n the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election
2024, 96 constituencies voted on Monday.
With this, the voting process in 23 States and
Union Territories has been completed. So far, 379
constituencies have voted, which include all 25
seats in Andhra Pradesh and all 17 seats in Telan-
gana on Monday. Polls were also held in the si-
multaneous Assembly elections in Andhra Pra-
desh, for all 175 seats and in Odisha, in 28 of 147.
In these States, the BJP has had a blow hot, blow
cold rivalry with ruling regional parties — the
YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh and BJD in Odisha, in
its elaborate plans to make some gains. Of the 96
seats up for the take in this phase, the BJP had
won 42 in 2019, while the YSR Congress had won
22 in Andhra Pradesh, and the BRS nine in Telan-
gana. The Congress held six. With no overarching
theme defining the ongoing campaign in this gen-
eral election, parties and leaders have been test-
ing various slogans to rally voters around. Mean-
while, the Election Commission of India (ECI)
and the principal Opposition party had an unsa-
voury exchange. Responding to Congress presi-
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
dent Mallikarjun Kharge’s questioning of the de-
lay in the release of voter turnout data, the ECI
said people held such doubts in “contempt”. Mr.
Kharge hit back saying it was “puzzling” that the
ECI was not acting on “communal and casteist”
statements by the Prime Minister and the BJP.
The BJP and the Congress have continued to
mobilise voters largely around questions of reli-
gious and caste identities, respectively. A mis-
chievous presentation of the demographic trends
in the country by a government adviser came in
handy for the BJP to make insinuations about
Muslims with the aim of polarisation. The BJP
continued to accuse the Congress of favouring
Muslims. The Congress created trouble for itself
as one of its advisers used racist vocabulary to de-
scribe India’s diversity. While aspersions against
Muslims by the BJP about their population share
were dressed up as a concern for their well-be-
ing, the Congress’s proclamation about diversity
landed as racism. The interim bail given to Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Supreme
Court of India facilitated his return to the cam-
paign trail. Quick on his feet, Mr. Kejriwal has
dragged the BJP into explaining that Narendra
Modi would remain the PM even after completing
75 years of age in September next year. Mr. Kejri-
wal has claimed for himself the central position
in the Opposition beyond the 2024 election, by
putting forth a list of nationwide welfare guaran-
tees. This has added to the tensions in the Oppo-
sition space, where a delicate, dynamic equilibri-
um holds together ideologically disparate forces.
Murder and motive
Dabholkar’s killers get life term, but
failure to unearth plot is concerning
I
t is a matter of some consolation that the two
men who shot dead Narendra Dabholkar, ra-
tionalist and anti-superstition activist, have
been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Ses-
sions Court in Pune. At the same time, it is regret-
table that it took over 10 years since the August
2013 assassination for them to be brought to jus-
tice. It is disquieting that the Central Bureau of In-
vestigation failed to prove the conspiracy behind
the killing, leading to the acquittal of the man ar-
raigned as the main conspirator. It is a setback to
the conclusion of investigators in Maharashtra
and Karnataka that a right-wing organisation
called Sanatan Sanstha was behind the heinous
murder of ideological adversaries between 2013
and 2017, although the question is still alive in
three other ongoing murder trials. Virendrasinh
Tawde, an otolaryngologist associated with the
Sanstha’s activities, is the one acquitted of the
conspiracy charge. He was an outspoken antago-
nist of Dabholkar and his Andhashraddha Nir-
moolan Samiti Maharashtra, an organisation
campaigning against superstitions. Despite the
court finding that Sachin Andure and Sharad Ka-
laskar, young men associated with the Sanstha,
were the ones who shot dead the 69-year-old
Dabholkar in Pune, it criticised the failure to “un-
mask the masterminds”. This meant that the role
of the Sanatan Sanstha is yet to be legally esta-
blished, although the court has noted the man-
ner in which the defence lawyers sought to tar-
nish the image of Dabholkar and his activities.
Additional Sessions Judge P.P. Yadav’s 171-page
judgment rightly points out that the existence of
a motive will be insufficient to prove a conspira-
cy, and that reliable and direct evidence is re-
quired to show that the accused had acted on the
motive. However, he does find it strange that the
defence was seeking to establish during cross-ex-
amination of witnesses that the victim was “anti-
Hindu”. The Sanatan Sanstha’s role, according to
investigators in Maharashtra and Karnataka, was
seen in the murders of Govind Pansare, a leftist
leader at Kolhapur in Maharashtra (2015), aca-
demician M.M. Kalburgi (Dharwad, 2015) and
journalist Gauri Lankesh (Bengaluru, 2017). In
fact, it was a ballistics analysis of the gun used to
kill Lankesh that disclosed that it was the same
weapon used in the murder of Kalburgi. Several
common features in the four murders have so far
been unearthed, leading the police to conclude
that a single syndicate has been active in seeking
to eliminate adversaries. The governments in
Maharashtra and Karnataka must show greater
political will in combating such threats to inde-
pendent thinkers and activists. The first step in
this regard is to expedite ongoing trials and focus
on proving the conspiracy, motivated by religious
extremism, in its entirety.
CM
YK
Editorial
Stabilising India-Nepal ties in changing times
I
n Nepal, there is a palpable sense of
restlessness, dissatisfaction and
uncertainty in the air these days because of
the overall political and economic
environment. While the transition to a
full-fledged democracy underpinned by credible
political institutions seems to be an unending
one, there is also confusion about the direction in
which it is headed.
And, there are a lot of questions. Was it
premature for Nepal to have decided through a
Constitution (which was rushed through and
barely debated) that it should be transformed
instantaneously into a secular federal democratic
republic? This when as a young democracy it had
just battled one upheaval after another, and was
in dire need of leaders, experience and
institutions capable of handling daunting
challenges? Should Nepal, which had a wonderful
tradition of being deeply religious but with a
secular and tolerant ethos, revert to its Hindu
identity which it had lost when political parties
were negotiating with the Maoists for an end to
their 10-year insurgency? Should the monarchy
be restored for want of institutions which could
make sure that red lines were respected in the
interests of safeguarding democracy? Was a
genuine federal setup not an invitation for Nepal’s
disunity? How can Nepal survive in the
post-COVID-19 world when corruption and
misgovernance are so rampant?
The new government in New Delhi in June will
have its hands full handling its foreign policy
priorities. One of them will continue to be China.
And for that reason alone, a high level of
attention being paid to Nepal is certain, especially
in view of recent developments there and the
high probability that political certainty will
continue there in the months ahead.
Changes under China’s shadow
One reason for attention is the recent dramatic
change in the coalition partners of the incumbent
Prime Minister, Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal
Dahal ‘Prachanda’, which saw the largest party in
Parliament, the centrist Nepali Congress (NC),
being replaced by the second largest party led by
K.P. Sharma Oli, who when Prime Minister in the
past, had gained the reputation of being
pro-China and anti-India.
The Chinese were the first to officially welcome
the renewed alliance between the two major left
parties, which they have been urging for long,
sometimes publicly, and clumsily.
This time around they managed to avoid public
controversy and allow the revival of the
partnership to look as if it was a purely internal
matter. Yet, they would have relished the
readiness of the new left government to ignore
Indian sensitivities. Nepal’s Foreign Minister
departed from convention by making his first
Adopting a transformative vision for mediation
I
n an era dominated by judicial backlog and
prolonged litigation, the emphatic directive
from the Chief Justice of India, Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud, in April 2024, to “mediate, not
litigate”, echoes with increasing urgency. The
Mediation Act, 2023, notified on September 15,
2023, promises a transformative shift towards
alternative dispute resolution. This legislation not
only formalises mediation but also provides a
comprehensive definition that includes
pre-litigation and court-annexed mediation,
online platforms, and community mediation
among its forms, all aimed at facilitating amicable
settlements through the intervention of a neutral
mediator.
The reflections of the former Supreme Court of
India judge, Justice S.K. Kaul, further illuminate
the nuanced role of mediation. Speaking at a
recent event, he recognised the evolution of
mediation from a concept met with scepticism to
one that is now warmly embraced by the legal
community. Justice Kaul underscored that
mediation should not be seen as a replacement
for established legal procedures such as the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (“IBC”), but
rather as a synergistic approach.
Echoing the ethos of Mahatma Gandhi, who
saw the true role of a lawyer not in litigation but
in uniting parties in dispute, mediation reorients
the focus from adversarial confrontation to
reconciling differences and healing relationships.
As peacemakers, mediators foster a democratic
space for open dialogue, allowing individuals to
express their emotions and grievances freely,
thereby paving the way for mutual understanding
and the restoration of balance.
This narrative not only showcases the
expanding scope of mediation but also
emphasises its critical role in streamlining both
legal and economic dispute resolutions. It
underscores our collective need to integrate
mediation more deeply into our dispute
resolution framework and, more importantly,
cultivate a new generation of mediators.
Barriers to skill development
To ensure the effectiveness of mediation, it is
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The state of politics (‘Ground Zero’ page, “Power
The case of the Member of play, politics, and
Parliament from Hassan, perversion” May 11). It is
who is alleged to be shocking that political
involved in the rape of and parties nominate
assault on several women candidates with a criminal
and the recording of explicit bent of mind as money and
videos, is a metamorphosis muscle power are the
of the deterioration of the factors that count.
Indian electoral process There needs to be justice
THE HINDU
official foreign visit to Beijing rather than New
Delhi, and, despite domestic warnings of falling
into a Sri Lanka-like debt trap, agreed to revive
cooperation on China’s Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI).
There have also been high-level military visits
K.V. Rajan where new understandings have reportedly been
reached. China’s intentions are very clear: to
is India’s former
Ambassador to Nepal. expand its influence in Nepal at the cost of
India’s. Interestingly, the revival of the far left is
He is the author of a
recently published being accompanied by a strong clamour from
book, ‘Kathmandu forces on the far right, which include calls for the
Chronicle: Reclaiming restoration of the institution of monarchy and
India-Nepal Relations’ Nepal’s Hindu identity.
Nepal, which was once the world’s only Hindu
kingdom, was converted by its Parliament into a
secular federal republic shortly after the Maoist
insurgency ended and the Maoists agreed to be
mainstreamed into the country’s democratic
polity a few years ago.
Both sets of forces have the reputation of being
ultra-nationalistic, pro-China and anti-India. Even
otherwise, continuing political instability and
malgovernance could invite a proliferation of
India-directed mischief from Nepal by third
Atul K. Thakur
countries and their non-official partners — the
is a policy ‘nexus’ of smuggling and terrorism in Pakistan
professional, that India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
columnist and writer recently described as an ‘industry’.
with a special focus
During the last phase of the King Birendra
on South Asia. He is years, political instability accompanied by
the co-author of a
frequent changes of government (a result of
recently published
book, ‘Kathmandu political opportunism), facilitated the spread of a
Maoist insurgency within Nepal which later
Chronicle: Reclaiming
established its headquarters in a jungle hideout in
India-Nepal Relations’
India. In parallel, there was an escalation of the
smuggling of drugs, arms and terrorist-related
cross-border activities masterminded from
Pakistan against India, from Nepalese soil. The
latter culminated in the hijacking of flight IC 814
in December 1999.
The redeeming feature then was a stable
The new relationship between India and Nepal under
government in Nepal’s ‘twin pillar’ policy of supporting the king
India in June and multi-party democracy, which resulted in
India’s discreet cooperation and good relations
this year could
across the political spectrum. It also saw Indian
consider
offering Nepal a and Nepalese intelligence agencies working to
expose Pakistani involvement.
new and Eventually, the situation quickly developed
holistic into a multi-faceted crisis, causing upheavals and
development transformations in Nepal and new questions
road map about the quality of its bilateral ties with India.
Unlike in the past, China is now proactively
which would
working against India in Nepal. No longer does it
excite public
imagination have a low profile. It would probably be openly
supportive of any cross-border instigation of
and enable terrorist activities in India — which, for China,
cross-party would come under the category of “good
political terrorism”. It suits Pakistan to do its bit too as it
consensus knows that it can rely on China for support when
critical to recognise certain flaws which may
hinder the successful on-ground implementation
of the Mediation Act, 2023. While the legislation
sets a strong foundation, the true efficacy of
mediation relies equally on practical on-ground
implementation and further improvements in the
Vaibhavi Khuthia legislation.
is an advocate based Under current guidelines, aspiring mediators
in Mumbai. She also are required to have 15 years of professional
leads the mediation experience in their field before they qualify to
wing at Presolv360, practise as mediators. This experience equips
an online dispute mediators with a deep understanding of the
resolution platform nuanced dynamics necessary to effectively guide
disputing parties toward resolution.
However, the path from initial basic mediation
understanding in law school to becoming a
practising mediator involves significant
challenges. Law students are typically and
specifically trained to advocate strongly from
their client’s perspective, a necessary skill in
litigation but one that contrasts sharply with the
mediator’s role, which emphasises neutrality,
impartiality, and an unbiased commitment to the
mediation process rather than to a specific
outcome.
This bifurcated approach — where one must
unlearn mediation to practise advocacy and then,
years later, unlearn advocacy to return to
mediation — underscores a deeper disconnect in
our legal education and practice. It suggests a
need for continuous, integrated learning that
allows legal professionals to wear multiple hats,
switching from advocate to mediator with fluidity
rather than viewing these roles as mutually
exclusive stages of their career. Such an
integrated approach would not only maintain the
There is a need mediator’s skill set throughout their career but
to integrate also enhance their overall effectiveness by
mediation more combining deep legal knowledge with core
deeply into mediation competencies.
India’s dispute
Fostering the next generation of mediators
resolution
To elevate the effectiveness of mediation, it is
framework and essential to recognise the distinct skill sets
also foster a required beyond traditional legal expertise.
new generation Innovative training methods such as co-mediation
of mediators and shadow mediation should be incorporated
and the electoral process India should ensure that the At Chepauk
purged of criminals. MP is brought back and When push comes to shove,
Buddha Jagdish Rao, made to face justice. It is CSK delivers. Its victory, by
Visakhapatnam ironic that it is the same MP five wickets, against
who was a part of the Lok Rajasthan Royals at the M.A.
The bigger concern is the Sabha which passed Chidambaram Stadium on
plight of the survivors. legislation for the women’s Sunday is a case in point.
Political parties should not reservation Bill. Restricting Rajasthan Royals
play games in this sensitive Bal Govind, to 141 runs in 20 overs was
matter. The Government of Noida, Uttar Pradesh no easy task. Simarjeet
Delhi
needed. Theoretically, India is not alone. It has
the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, the United
States), Indo-Pacific and other groupings keeping
a close watch on China’s moves to expand its
influence through fair means and foul. However,
it would be risky to assume that these would be of
help if a Great Game 2.0 begins in a shaky Nepal.
India’s stand
India has been playing its cards reasonably well,
keeping a low profile and avoiding controversy by
staying out of Nepal’s internal affairs. However,
pressure from some Nepali quarters to give
“advice”, or the temptation by some in India to
give it in at least two important matters can be
anticipated. Should Nepal revert to its old identity
as a Hindu nation? And, should the calls for
restoration of monarchy be encouraged given
rising frustration with a democracy without
strong institutional underpinnings?
India (whether at the level of central, State or
civil society) will have to give careful answers. In
Nepal, opinions are often over-interpreted and
confusion caused as a result of ‘mixed signals’
from India. It is for the Nepalese to decide on
such issues. India could consider offering a new
and holistic development road map which would
excite public imagination and attract cross-party
political consensus.
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
For example, there could be a transformative,
sustainable development agenda aimed at
improving the quality of life of its people.
Innovative approaches in sectors such as health,
education, food and nutrition, child
development, gender and jobs, will ensure that
the BRI and other Chinese pet projects are not a
priority.
High-level Indian attention could inject a sense
of optimism, stimulate investment in key sectors,
and promote cross-party consensus on major
projects. This will ensure that there is continuity
and time-bound results even in the midst of
instability, foster new inter-linkages between
industries in both countries, address the
demographic dividend, respond to the yearning
in Nepal for a sense of equality and sovereign
space, and build on the foundation of common
civilisational assets which make the India-Nepal
relationship so unique. India should also never
forget that for the big brother-small brother
syndrome to be overcome, the onus lies on the
big brother — the style of diplomacy matters as
much as the substance in relations between the
two countries.
With regard to Nepal, the many concerns
complicating the India-Nepal relationship need
not be an insoluble migraine. The new
government in New Delhi in June this year has its
work cut out.
The views expressed are personal
under the Mediation Act 2023 for young lawyers.
Co-mediation pairs novice mediators with
experienced counterparts in actual mediation
sessions, facilitating a dynamic learning
environment where skills can be actively
observed and practised. Concurrently, shadow
mediation offers novices a chance to observe
these sessions without direct involvement,
providing them with insights into the subtleties of
the mediation process and various conflict
resolution strategies. By merging direct
participation and observational learning, these
training methods equip emerging mediators with
a deeper understanding and practical
experience, crucial for handling complex
disputes effectively and confidently. This dual
approach ensures a comprehensive learning
experience, paving the way for well-rounded
professional development in the field of
mediation.
Such practical exposure will ensure that
emerging mediators develop the nuanced skills
and the confidence necessary for mediating
complex disputes effectively.
Additionally, embedding a structured
mediation training module within the law school
curriculum is vital. Introducing law students early
to mediation training can ignite their interest and
equip them with critical skills for resolving
disputes empathetically and efficiently, setting
the stage for a new generation of adept
mediators.
Adoption of these strategic enhancements will
not only tweak existing frameworks but also
spearhead a significant evolution in the legal
landscape.
These changes shall promise to transform the
Mediation Act, 2023, from statute to a dynamic
catalyst for growth and innovation in dispute
resolution across India.
By empowering the next generation of
mediators with the tools to succeed, we will be
setting the stage for a more harmonious, efficient,
and just society. Let us seize this opportunity to
foster a robust culture of mediation, ensuring that
every mediator not only learns the craft but also
masters the art of peace making.
Singh, who bowled
exceedingly well, deserves
special praise. One hopes
that CSK does well.
S. Ramakrishnasayee,
Chennai
Letters emailed to
letters@thehindu.co.in
must carry the full postal
address and the full name.
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 9
Delhi
Opinion

Declining poverty ratio: a continuing trend A case of selective outrage

Women’s safety seems to take centre stage only when it serves a political purpose

T
he release of the fact
sheet of the Household
Consumption
Expenditure Survey for
2022-23 (HCES) by the National
Sample Survey Office (NSSO) led to
estimations of poverty and
inequality trends by many
where the poverty line is drawn.
The NSSO has changed the
reference or recall period of data
collection over time to improve
the reporting of consumption.
Three estimates of consumption
C. Rangarajan
are available depending upon the
is former Chairman, recall period of different types of
is URP-consumption based, into
MRP-consumption. It took the
urban poverty line as derived from
the Lakdawala line as given and
derived from it the rural poverty
line. The urban poverty line used
by the Lakdawala Committee had
calorie norms and so, the
pretences, in order to convert
STATE OF PLAY them to Islam. Union Minister
and the Hubballi-Dharwad MP
K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj for four terms, Pralhad Joshi,
adhitya.bharadwaj@thehindu.co.in
who is seeking re-election, too
called it “love jihad” and

researchers. Some of these studies
also discussed comparability of
data and measurement issues.
Trends in poverty, inequality
Some argue that in the absence of
unit-level data, the estimates
based on the fact sheet are
provisional. While unit-level data
provide more accurate estimates
than the averages given by deciles
in the fact sheet, the poverty
numbers based on the fact sheet
data may not differ too much from
those of unit-level data. So, we can
estimate poverty and inequality
with the fact sheet data.
The estimated poverty ratios
declined from 29.5% in 2011-12 to
10% in 2022-23 (1.77% points per
year) based on the Rangarajan
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Economic Advisory expenditure: uniform reference
Council to the Prime period (URP); mixed reference
Minister, and former period (MRP); and modified mixed
Governor, Reserve reference period (MMRP).
Bank of India
Experts say the varying
reference periods for different
items underlying the MMRP
estimates may be expected to
yield estimates that are closer to
their true value. The Tendulkar
Committee estimated poverty
S. Mahendra Dev ratios on the basis of MRP for
is former Chairman,
1993-94 and 2004-05. The
Commission for Planning Commission used the
Agricultural Costs and same methodology and MRP to
Prices, Government of estimate poverty ratios for
India, and former Vice 2009-10 and 2011-12. So, the
Chancellor, IGIDR, estimates on poverty for 2022-23
Mumbai (based on MMRP) are not strictly
comparable with those of earlier
years. However, the Rangarajan
Tendulkar Committee also
indirectly used these norms.
In defining the new
consumption basket separating
the poor from the rest, the Expert
Group (Rangarajan) said that it
should contain a food component
that addresses the capability to be
adequately nourished and some
normative level of consumption
expenditure for essential non-food
item groups besides a residual set
of behaviourally determined
non-food expenditure. The Group
estimated afresh the poverty
basket and did not simply update
an old basket with new prices.
The poverty line is based on
private consumption expenditure.
If we take into account public
expenditure, the actual well being
O
n May 9, a 16-year-old
girl in Kumbaragadige
village in Somwarpet
taluk in the hilly district of Ko-
dagu in Karnataka got her
Class 10 results. She was the
only girl to pass the exam from
her school and had got good
marks too. The same day, she
got engaged to a 33-year-old
man called Prakash Omkarap-
pa. The District Child Protec-
tion Unit intervened in the ce-
remony, following an
anonymous call, and made
her parents promise that she
would not be married off until
she turned 18. Many hours la-
ter, the angry groom turned
up at her house, dragged her
out, beheaded her, and fled
The two were reportedly in a
relationship, but she had bro-
ken it off recently. The mother
of the victim, in an attempt to
rescue her daughter, bludge-
oned him to death with a
stone, the police said.
The common thread in all
the three cases is that a man
killed a girl or woman after
she shunned his advances,
broke up with him, or dis-
tanced herself from him.
Clearly, this is toxic masculini-
blamed the Congress govern-
ment for the turn of events.
All this happened despite
the Ministry of Home Affairs
saying in 2020 in the Lok Sab-
ha that “the term ‘love jihad’ is
not defined under the extant
laws. No case of ‘love jihad’
has been reported by any of
the Central agencies.”
Such incidents have built
immense pressure on the Mus-
lim community to go an extra
mile to distance themselves
from the incident. For in-
stance, in Hubballi-Dharwad,
only Muslim traders and shop-
keepers observed a voluntary
bandh on April 22, condemn-
ing the murder.
However, there have been

Committee’s poverty lines and
from 21.9% in 2011-12 to 3% in
2022-23 (1.72% points per year)
based on the Tendulkar
Committee’s poverty lines. If we
consider at the earlier period, the
poverty estimates based on the
Tendulkar Committee’s poverty
lines declined from 37.2% in
2004-05 to 21.9% in 2011-12 (2.18%
points per year).
According to the estimates on
inequality provided by
Subramanian, between 2011-12
and 2022-23, the Gini coefficient
declined from 0.278 to 0.269 for
rural areas (0.009-point decline);
and from 0.358 to 0.318 for urban
areas (0.04-point decline). Bansal
et al also show that the Gini
coefficient for rural areas declined
from 0.284 to 0.266; for urban
areas, it declined from 0.363 to
0.315 between 2011-12 to 2022-23.
This means poverty declined
significantly between 2011-12 and
2022-23, though the rate of decline
was lower compared to the
2004-05 to 2011-12 period.
Inequality declined between
2011-12 and 2022-23 particularly in
urban areas. It is to be noted that
all these estimates depend on
Committee used MMRP for
estimating poverty ratios for
2009-10 and 2011-12. These
estimates are comparable with
those of 2022-23. For the sake of
comparability, we cannot give up
what is considered to be the
appropriate mix of the recall
periods. We may have to live with
this problem if we are comparing
periods over a long-time period.
For the 2002-23 data, there
were changes in methodology
such as coverage of more items,
multiple visits, etc. Changes may
provide better estimates, but the
problem of comparability arises.
Measurement issues
There has also been some
discussion on measurement issues
relating to poverty lines. Mohanan
and Kundu say “the Tendulkar
Committee was clear that a calorie
There has been norm-based poverty line is no
a decline in longer appropriate”. The Expert
poverty. The Group (Tendulkar) did not
construct a poverty line. It
inequality in
adopted the officially measured
consumption urban poverty line of 2004-05
expenditure has based on the Expert Group
come down a (Lakdawala) methodology and
bit. converted this poverty line, which
of the household will be higher
than what is indicated by the
poverty line. The HCES 2022-23
tried to get imputed values for
some items of public expenditure.
The value figures for items
received free entirely or at low
prices by the households have
been imputed using an
appropriate method. However, a
look at the average monthly per
capita expenditure (MPCE) shows
it captured little of the total public
expenditure on subsidised and
free items given to the households.
The average MPCE with
imputation as compared to MPCE
without imputation was only 2.3%
higher for rural areas and 0.96%
for urban. We need to capture
these values better as public
expenditure on these items is
substantial.
Thus, there has been a decline
in poverty. The inequality in
consumption expenditure has
come down a bit. Usually, income
inequality is higher than
inequality in consumption
expenditure. There is no unique
way of measuring poverty. The
higher the poverty cut off, the
more will be the number of poor.
with her head. The ghastly in-
cident sent shock waves
through the State. The police
tracked him down and arrest-
ed him the next day.
This incident occurred a
few weeks after Neha Hire-
math, a first year Masters stu-
dent of Computer Applica-
tions (MCA) and the daughter
of a Congress municipal coun-
cillor, was killed by her former
classmate Fayaz Khondunaik
in in Hubballi in north Karna-
taka. She had gone to college
to attend an exam on April 18.
As she was getting ready to
leave the college campus in
the afternoon, she was repeat-
edly stabbed to death on cam-
pus by Fayaz. Neha was alleg-
edly close to Fayaz earlier, but
had distanced herself from
him.
Just hours before Neha’s
death, a double murder
rocked the State’s capital Ben-
galuru. In a park in JP Nagar, a
posh locality of the city, Su-
resh, 46, who is married with
children, stabbed his 25-year-
old colleague at an event man-
agement company to death.
ty at play. Girls or women
were killed by men who could
not stomach the fact that they
had been rejected. Studies
have shown that those who
endorse the masculine ho-
nour ideal are more likely to
feel insulted if a woman re-
jects them and respond with
aggression. This is the same
logic that is behind several
acid attacks on women too.
Not surprisingly, the case
that drew the most outrage
from political parties and larg-
er society was Neha’s murder.
As the incident happened just
before Karnataka went to vote
in the Lok Sabha elections, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
gave it a communal colour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
took to direct scaremongering
over “appeasement politics of
the Congress towards the Mus-
lim community.” Minutes after
the murder, local BJP leaders
dubbed it a case of “love ji-
had” — a conspiracy theory
propounded by Hindutva
groups which claim that Mus-
lim men are luring Hindu wo-
men into marriage on false
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
no statements condemning
either the beheading of the 16-
year-old girl in Kodagu or the
25-year-old in Bengaluru.
There were no candle light vi-
gils or protests. The only state-
ments condemning the be-
heading of the Kodagu girl
came from women’s activists.
Besides the obvious fact of re-
ligion and how it served a pol-
itical purpose, it is also in-
structive that while the two
other murder victims came
from poorer sections of socie-
ty, Neha was the daughter of a
municipal councillor and an
MCA student.
While political parties
make various attempts during
election time to woo women,
who hold sway now more
than ever before, issues such
as the lack of freedom to
choose their partners or the
lack of safety never become
election points independent-
ly. They always seem to be
subservient to other identities
such as class, caste and reli-
gion, as the recent three cases
illustrate.

The impact of 50 years of vaccination on children worldwide F R O M T HE A RC HI V ES

Measles vaccination has had the most impact in saving lives, with 94 million individuals benefiting from the vaccine
FIFTY YEARS AGO MAY 14, 1974

DATA POINT
against DTP3. In 2021, more than Israeli planes bomb
80% of infants received the third
dose of the DTP3 vaccine. Here Lebanon refugee camps
Hannah Ritchie too, the Western Pacific region
showed high progress, from less Beirut, May 16: Waves of Israeli war planes

I
n the last 50 years, the lives of
about 150 million children
have been saved due to vacci-
nations against different diseases.
Of these, measles vaccination
alone accounts for saving 60% of
lives. These are some of the find-
ings from a new study published in
The Lancet.
The decrease in deaths due to
vaccine-preventable diseases can
be attributed to the large-scale ex-
pansion of immunisation pro-
grammes across the globe. For in-
stance, the measles vaccination
rate increased from less than 20%
in 2000 to 70% by 2021, world-
wide. A similar pattern was ob-
served in the case of vaccination
against diphtheria, pertussis, and
tetanus (DTP3) too. The signifi-
cance of vaccinations has been
particularly pronounced in reduc-
ing infant mortality rates from
around 10% in 1974 to 3% in 2024.
The researchers estimate that 40%
of this decline is due to vaccines.
Chart 1 shows the number of
lives saved by various vaccinations
from 1974 to 2024 across the
world. Measles vaccination has
had the most impact, with 94 mil-
lion individuals benefiting from
the vaccine, followed by tetanus
(27.9 million), whooping cough-
pertussis (13.17 million) and tuber-
culosis (10.87 million) vaccine.
Chart 2 shows the region-wise
share of children fully vaccinated
against measles, according to the
World Health Organization
(WHO). The Western Pacific region
saw the most drastic increase in
vaccination coverage from 2% in
2000 to 91% in 2021. Rising from
15% in 2010 to nearly 80% in 2021,
Southeast Asia also showed signifi-
cant advancement in measles vac-
cination rates over the last decade.
Chart 3 shows the share of one-
year-old children vaccinated
CM
YK
than 10% in 1980 to 90% in 2021. bombed, rocketed and strafed Palestinian
The progress in vaccination refugee camps in Lebanon to-day and first
rates is noteworthy because 50 reports said 15 were killed.
years ago, vaccination coverage The 20 minute air strike came less than 24
outside of Europe and North hours after a terrorist attack on a school in
America was almost negligible. northern Israel that left nearly 100 killed and
For instance, less than 5% of in- wounded.
fants received the DTP3 vaccine. A Lebanese Defence Ministry communique
But in 1974, the World Health As- said a total of 36 Israeli jets took part in the
sembly, the decision-making body attack on four refugee camps and three border
of the WHO, formed the Essential villages in Southern and Central Lebanon.
Programme on Immunization. Va- In Tel Aviv the Israeli Military Command
rious vaccination programmes confirmed the raids but a spokesman claimed
were initiated across the world, that it was a “purely military operation and
which aimed to eradicate vaccine- refugee camps were not deliberately hit.”
preventable diseases. This led to a In Cairo, according to a DPA message, the
significant rise in vaccination Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr. Ismail Fahmy,
rates. and the leader of the Palestinian Liberation
But by 2000, progress was stall- Organisation, Mr. Yasser Arafat, had a one hour
ing, and many of the world’s poor- talk on the “latest events” in West Asia.
est infants were still being left be- In Washington, the White House voiced
hind, especially in Africa and Asia. criticism of the Israeli air raid as well as the Arab
The formation of Gavi, the Vaccine terrorist attack on Maalot.
Alliance — a partnership between Meanwhile a military communique
the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda- announced in Damascus that Israeli artillery
tion, the WHO, Unicef, and the to-day bombarded the Syrian village of Bkaasam
World Bank — has since helped in the Mount Hermon region damaging several
close the gaps by ensuring that houses.
vaccination programmes were The U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Kissinger, had
available for all. While the world- an hour of private talks with the Israeli Premier,
wide progress in vaccination rate Mrs. Golda Meir, in Jerusalem to-day in his
is commendable, millions still con- continuing bid to disengage Israeli and Syrian
tinue to lose their lives due to in- forces on the Golan Heights. — AP and AFP.
sufficient vaccination coverage.
Chart 4 shows the estimated
number of deaths caused by va- A HUNDRED YEARS AGO MAY 14, 1924
rious vaccine-preventable diseases
across years. Every year, tubercu- Passage money for Govt.
losis claims the lives of over a mil-
lion people, while hundreds of servants
thousands still die due to measles,
tetanus, whooping cough, menin- London, May 12: In the Commons, Col. Meyler
gitis, and hepatitis B. drew attention to the circular authorising
Thus, we need to push for un- advance pay to Government Servants in India to
iversal vaccine coverage. This will cover the passage money of those wishing to
require increased investment and visit England. He suggested that as the advance
coordination from governments to had been refused to Government servants who
provide universal immunisation were Asiatics the matter Government of India
programmes. It is also imperative with a view to abolishing such discrimination
to address scepticism and the fear between members of different races in the
towards vaccination. employ of the same Government.
M ND-NDE

10
Text&Context
NEWS IN NUMBERS
Children wrongly
incarcerated in adult
prisons in India
A new study
9,600 by a legal
rights body
has found that more than 9,600 children
were wrongly incarcerated in adult prisons
between 2016 and December 31, 2021. PTI
An overview of the Smart Cities Mission
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
How are smart cities defined by the government? What are the two major aspects of the Smart Cities Mission? Why is the mission considered to be exclusionary
to many? Did the SCM override the 74th Constitutional Amendment?
EXPLAINER
Tikender Panwar
The story so far:
he Smart Cities Mission (SCM),
T
a flagship programme of the
NDA-1 government, has taken a
back seat in this year’s list of
poll promises and achievements.
What are smart cities?
The term ‘Smart City’ has been used
widely ever since 2009, after the great
financial crash. Smart cities were defined
by urban practitioners as new Silicon
Valleys built with a strong integration of a
network of airports, highways, and other
types of communications, a so-called
intellectual city with advanced ICT.
The NDA-1 government wanted to
adapt to these global changes, already
happening through the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission
( JNNURM). It went ahead with a major
flagship programme and thus, the SCM
was announced in June 2015. Hundred
cities were selected for five years under
the mission. However, the mission did not
clearly define a smart city. It stated,
“there is no universally accepted
definition of a Smart City.... The
conceptualisation of Smart City... varies
from city to city and country to country,
depending on the level of development,
willingness to change and reform,
resources and aspirations of the city
residents. A Smart City would have a
different connotation in India than, say,
Europe. Even in India, there is no one
way of defining a Smart City.”
What was the SCM?
The SCM had two main aspects:
area-based development consisting of
three components — redevelopment (city
renewal), retrofitting (city improvement),
and green field projects (city extension);
and pan-city solutions based on ICT.
These further comprised some six
categories that would include
What is the legal position on
live-in relationships?
What did the Allahabad High Court state with respect to Muslims and live-in relationships?
Ziya Us Salam
The story so far:
he Lucknow bench of the
T Allahabad High Court stated
earlier this month that a
Muslim cannot claim rights in a
live-in relationship when he or she has a
living spouse. A two judge Bench of
Justices A.R. Masoodi and A.K. Srivastava
called such a relationship against the
tenets of Islam while hearing a writ
petition by Sneha Devi and Mohammed
Shadab Khan. Ms. Devi and Mr. Khan had
sought protection from police action after
the woman’s parents filed a kidnapping
case against Mr. Khan.
What happened?
The couple had told the court they were
adults in a live-in relationship and that
they sought protection under Article 21 of
the Constitution (protection of life and
personal liberty). The judges, however,
stated, “Islamic tenets do not permit
live-in relationships during the subsisting
CM
YK
Delhi www.thehindu.com Tuesday, May 14, 2024
● ●
0
Arrests made during Share of northeastern
campus protests in U.S. States in total mutual
over Israel-Hamas war fund assets
Protests over
2,900 the
Israel-Hamas
war have spread across U.S. universities
and college campuses in recent weeks,
leading to disruptions and arrests. AP
Follow us facebook.com/thehindu
Still in the dark: The Cochin Smart Mission Limited has installed LED lights on the Katrikadavu Bridge
and on the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, in Kochi. H. VIBHU
e-governance, waste management, water
management, energy management, urban
mobility, and skill development. Around
₹2 lakh crore was kept aside for the
mission, with public-private partnerships
(PPP) an important driver of the same.
The mission that was to be completed
in 2020, was given two extensions till June
2024. Additionally, to make the mission
effective, a business model of governance
was adopted bypassing the existing
models of city governance in the country.
An SPV (special purpose vehicle) led by a
bureaucrat or a representative of an MNC,
and other major stakeholders was created
and registered under the Companies Act.
The elected council, thus, had little role in
the governance structure.
What is the status of the SCM?
The Urban Ministry’s dashboard as of
marriage. The position may be different if
the two persons are unmarried and the
parties being major choose to lead their
lives in a way of their own.” Incidentally,
Mr. Khan was married to one Farida
Khatoon since 2020.
“The constitutional morality may come
to the rescue of such a couple and the
social morality settled through the
customs and usages over ages may give
way to the constitutional morality and
protection under Article 21 of the
Constitution of India may step in to
protect the cause. The case before us is,
however, different,” the court said,
adding, “The constitutional protection
under Article 21 of the Constitution of
India would not lend an un-canalised
support to such a right.”
What have been previous orders?
Live-in relationships with variables of
marital status of the partners, their
possibly different faiths, birth of children
and even separation have occupied the
attention of the judiciary at various levels
In ₹ crore.
40,323 A report
by ICRA
Analytics said that the share of the north-
east in mutual fund assets in the country
more than doubled in last four years. PTI
twitter.com/the_hindu
April 26, exhibits that 8,033 projects
sanctioned under the SCM have seen a fall
in the total outlay from the expected ₹2
lakh crore to ₹1,67,875 crore, which is 16%
less than the projected capital flow in 100
cities. The dashboard also states that the
SCM grant funded 5,533 projects worth
₹65,063 crore that have been completed,
while 921 projects worth ₹21,000 crore
are still ongoing.
As many as 400 projects being
undertaken by about 10 cities under the
Mission are unlikely to meet the extended
deadline of June 2024.
Interestingly, the funding pattern
shows that not more than 5% has come
through the PPP route.
Where did the SCM falter?
The selection of 100 cities on a
competitive basis was flawed due to the
in recent years. If in the case of Ms. Devi
and Mr. Khan, only the latter was
married, in another case last year, both
partners were married but involved in a
live-in relationship away from wedlock.
In November last year, the Supreme
Court stayed orders passed by lower
courts and the Gujarat High Court
awarding maintenance to a woman from
the man she had been living with. The top
court order came after a Surat-based man
challenged the High Court order arguing
that their relationship could not be
termed a domestic relationship as they
were both married to other people at the
time of cohabitation. While their
respective marriages subsisted, they lived
together in 2012 and had a daughter too a
couple of years later. The woman had
approached the judiciary as the live-in
relationship did not work out, and sought
relief under the Protection of Women
from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. She
sought maintenance too.
Interestingly in the same month, the
Punjab and Haryana High Court stated
The rise in India’s The number of
imports from FTA Ukrainian refugees in
partners Ireland since 2022
In percentage. According to In lakh. The country’s Prime Minister
38 GTRI, India’s import of goods
from countries with which it
has a free trade agreement like the UAE,
1 Simon Harris said that Ireland will
consider making cuts to state support
for asylum seekers and refugees, including
South Korea, and Australia grew during to those who arrived from Ukraine. REUTERS
2019-24 fiscal years to $187.92 billion. PTI COMPILED BY THE HINDU DATA TEAM
instagram.com/the_hindu
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
diversity in existing urban realities. The THE GIST
scheme was divorced from the ground
realities of urban India — the urbanisation
here is dynamic and not static like the 쑽
West. Smart cities were defined by
The SCM became an exclusionary urban practitioners as new
scheme wherein not more than 1% of a
Silicon Valleys built with a
city’s geographical area was selected for strong integration of a network
development. For example, Chandigarh of airports, highways, and
which received ₹196 crore in the first other types of
tranche under the SCM spent it on smart communications, a so-called
water meters, a Wi-Fi zone, and solid intellectual city with advanced
waste management programmes all ICT.
ploughed into one pocket-sector 43.
쑽
According to two major reports by
McKinsey, to make Indian cities liveable, a The Urban Ministry’s
capital expenditure of $1.2 trillion is dashboard as of April 26,
required by 2030. In this context, exhibits that 8,033 projects
₹1,67,875 crore is less than $20 billion in sanctioned under the SCM
nine years. This comes to around 0.027 % have seen a fall in the total
of the total requirement in urban India. outlay from the expected ₹2
lakh crore to ₹1,67,875 crore,
Hence, there was little traction for this
which is 16% less than the
scheme.
projected capital flow in 100
Additionally, the SPV model designed cities.
for smart cities was not aligned with the
74th Constitutional Amendment, which 쑽
led to many cities objecting to the The SCM became an
governance structure. The design, exclusionary scheme wherein
according to critics, was too top-bottom. not more than 1% of a city’s
A hilly town that had an annual budget of geographical area was selected
less than ₹100 crore claimed projects for development. The scheme
worth more than ₹2,500 crore. This was was divorced from ground
incongruent to the demands of the realities of urban India.
residents of the town.
Urban India, according to the World
Bank has more than 49% of the
population living in slums. In the name of
executing smart city projects, there was
displacement of people living in poorer
localities. Street vendors, for example,
were displaced and urban commons were
disrupted.
Another major consequence of the
SCM has been enhanced urban flooding.
Some of the towns which have historically
never been flooded were made vulnerable
because of infrastructure development
projects that spoiled or dismantled the
water channels and contours.
Tikender Singh Panwar is former Deputy
Mayor, Shimla, and Member, Kerala Urban
Commission.
that a couple living together without THE GIST
obtaining a divorce from their previous
spouse cannot be classified as being in a
“live-in relationship” or being in a union 쑽
similar to marriage. The court even felt The Lucknow bench of the
that such an arrangement would amount Allahabad High Court stated
to the offence of bigamy under Sections earlier this month that a
494/495 of the Indian Penal Code. In this Muslim cannot claim rights in a
case, the man was already married. The live-in relationship when they
court refused to provide protection to the have a living spouse.
couple, stating, “The male partner is
engaging in a lustful and adulterous life 쑽
with the female partner without obtaining The Punjab and Haryana High
a valid divorce from his previous spouse.” Court stated that a couple
living together without
What have the Courts said about obtaining a divorce from their
live-in relationships?
India does not have any laws that directly
address a live-in partnership. As per the
top Court, for a man and a woman to live
together is part of ‘the right to life’;
previous spouse cannot be
classified as being in a “live-in
relationship” or being in a
union similar to marriage.
쑽
therefore, a live-in relationship is no
longer an offence. The Supreme Court in India does not have any laws
that directly address a live-in
its various judgments has stated that a
partnership.
man and a woman living like a husband
and a wife in a long-term relationship, and
even have children, the judiciary will
presume that the two were married and
that the same laws would be applicable to
them and their relationship. The concept
of a live-in relationship was recognised in
Payal Sharma versus Nari Niketan by the
Allahabad High Court, where the judges
felt, “A man and a woman, even without
getting married, can live together if they
wish to. This may be regarded as immoral
by society, but it is not illegal. There is a
difference between law and morality.”
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 11
Delhi
Text&Context
FROM THE ARCHIVES

ABSTRACT

Does WFH
benefit working
mothers?
Prashanth Perumal

Harrington, Emma and Matthew Kahn,

“Has the Rise of Work-from-Home
Reduced the Motherhood Penalty in the
Labor Market?”, University of Virginia
Working paper, October 2023
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
significant number of working

GETTY IMAGES
A women leave the workforce after
they become pregnant as they
focus their efforts on raising a family. This
has traditionally been called the
“motherhood penalty” and has been used

India’s population data and a tale of

to explain women’s low labour force
participation rate in many countries. The
motherhood penalty has also been found
to be higher in professions such as finance

projections and predictions

The UN projects that India’s population will be 1.64 billion by 2050, the IHME projects 1.61 billion by 2048. The country’s demographic future will see
peaking and then declining numbers driven by a sharp fertility reduction
Sonalde Desai Nations projections. The UN projects that
India’s population will be 1.64 billion by
In this article, dated August 12, 2020, 2050, the IHME projects 1.61 billion by
Sonalde Desai analyses projections about 2048. It is only in the second half of the
India’s demographic future. century that the two projections diverge
with the UN predicting a population of
new study, published in the 1.45 billion by 2100, and the IHME, 1.09
discourse. Between 1975 and 1994, family
planning workers had targets they were
expected to meet regarding sterilisations,
condom distribution and intrauterine
device (IUD) insertion. Often these targets
led to explicit or implicit coercion.
Following the Cairo conference on
Indian parents seem to demonstrate
increased rather than decreased
commitment to family by reducing the
number of children and investing more in
each child. My research with
demographer Alaka Basu at Cornell
University compares families of different
that are considered to be rigid and
unfriendly towards those wanting to focus
on their families. In “Has the Rise of
Work-from-Home Reduced the
Motherhood Penalty in the Labor
Market?,” Emma Harrington and Matthew
E. Kahn look into whether
work-from-home (WFH) arrangements,
which make work more flexible for
women could help reduce the
motherhood penalty by allowing mothers
to successfully juggle work and family.
Impact on employers and employees
The researchers studied the impact of

A
highly regarded journal, The
Lancet, and prepared by the
Seattle-based Institute for
Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME),
has shaken up the world of population
policy. It argues that while India is
destined to be the largest country in the
world, its population will peak by
mid-century. And as the 21st century
closes, its ultimate population will be far
smaller than anyone could have
anticipated, about 1.09 billion instead of
approximately 1.35 billion today. It could
even be as low as 724 million.
Readers who follow COVID-19
projections will remember that in March
2020, the IHME projected U.S. deaths
from COVID-19 to be around 81,000 by
August. Deaths in the U.S. today are more
than twice that number. The underlying
assumptions for the initial model were
not borne out. The IHME population
projections are also subject to underlying
assumptions that deserve careful scrutiny.
They predict that by the year 2100, on
average, Indian women will have 1.29
children. Since each woman must have
two children to replace herself and her
husband, this will result in a sharp
population decline. Contrast this
predicted fertility rate of 1.29 for India
with the projected cohort fertility of 1.53
for the United States and 1.78 for France
in the same model. It is difficult to believe
that Indian parents could be less
committed to childbearing than American
or French parents.
Until 2050, the IHME projections are
almost identical to widely-used United
THE DAILY QUIZ
A quiz on personalities and places that went to polls in Phase 4 of Lok Sabha elections
billion.
Part of this divergence may come from
IHME model’s excessive reliance on data
regarding current contraceptive use in the
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)
and potential for increasing contraceptive
use. Research at the National Council of
Applied Economic Research (NCAER)
National Data Innovation Centre by
Santanu Pramanik and colleagues shows
that contraceptive use in the NFHS is
poorly estimated, and as a result, unmet
need for contraception may be lower than
that estimated by the IHME model,
generating implausibly low fertility
projections for 2100.
Fertility decline
Regardless of whether we subscribe to the
UN’s projections, or the IHME
projections, India’s demographic future
contains a peaking and subsequently
declining population driven by a sharp
reduction in fertility. In the 1950s, India’s
Total fertility rate (TFR) was nearly six
children per woman; today it is 2.2.
Ironically, the massive push for family
planning coupled with forced sterilisation
during the Emergency barely led to a 17%
decline in TFR from 5.9 in 1960 to 4.9 in
1980. However, between 1992 and 2015, it
had fallen by 35% from 3.4 to 2.2.
What happened to accelerate fertility
decline to a level where 18 States and
Union Territories have a TFR below 2, the
replacement level? One might attribute it
to the success of the family planning
programme but family planning has long
lost its primacy in the Indian policy
Population and Development in 1994,
these targets were abandoned.
If carrots have been dropped, the stick
of policies designed to punish people with
large families has been largely ineffective.
Punitive policies include denial of
maternity leave for third and subsequent
births, limiting benefits of maternity
schemes and ineligibility to contest in
local body elections for individuals with
large families. However, as Nirmala Buch,
former Chief Secretary of Madhya
Pradesh, wrote, these policies were
mostly ignored in practice.
Aspirational revolution
If public policies to encourage the small
family norm or to provide contraception
have been lackadaisical, what led couples
to abandon the ideal of large families? It
seems highly probable that the
socioeconomic transformation of India
since the 1990s has played an important
role. Over this period, agriculture became
an increasingly smaller part of the Indian
economy, school and college enrolment
grew sharply and individuals lucky
enough to find a job in government,
multinationals or software services
companies reaped tremendous financial
benefits. Not surprisingly, parents began
to rethink their family-building strategies.
Where farmers used to see more workers
when they saw their children, the new
aspirational parents see enrolment in
coaching classes as a ticket to success.
The literature on fertility decline in
western countries attributes the decline
in fertility to retreat from the family;
size at the same income level and finds
that small and large families do not differ
in their leisure activities, women’s
participation in the workforce or how
many material goods they purchase.
However, smaller families invest more
money in their children by sending them
to private schools and coaching classes. It
is not aspirations for self but that for
children that seems to drive fertility
decline.
In language of the past
Ironically, even in the face of this sharp
fertility decline among all segments of
Indian society, the public discourse is still
rooted in the language of the 1970s and
on supposedly high fertility rate,
particularly in some areas such as Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar or among some groups
such as women with low levels of
education or Muslims. This periodically
results in politicians proposing remedies
that would force these ostensibly ignorant
or uncaring parents to have fewer
children.
Demographic data suggest that the
aspirational revolution is already under
way. What we need to hasten the fertility
decline is to ensure that the health and
family welfare system is up to this
challenge and provides contraception and
sexual and reproductive health services
that allow individuals to have only as
many children as they want.
Sonalde Desai is Professor of Sociology
at the University of Maryland and Centre
Director, NCAER National Data Innovation
Centre. The views expressed are personal
Please send in your answers to
dailyquiz@thehindu.co.in
WFH arrangements during the 10 years
before the pandemic on mothers’
participation in the workforce of different
fields. They found that in fields such as
finance and marketing, which are
unfriendly towards families but where a
lot of work can be delivered from home,
there was a relative rise in the
employment of mothers compared to
other women when there was a rise in
WFH arrangements. To be precise, a 10%
rise in WFH arrangements was found to
cause a 0.78 percentage point rise in the
employment of mothers in these fields
when compared to other women,
according to the researchers. Similar
positive effects, however, were not
observed in other fields such as education
and pharmacy, which are considered to
be quite family-friendly already and
where the physical presence of workers in
the workplace is considered to be crucial.
WFH arrangements can thus help
economies retain more women, and
perhaps even men, in the workforce by
offering more work flexibility and
work-life balance.
WFH arrangements became widely
adopted during the pandemic as
employers could not get their workers to
come to office during lockdowns. And
importantly, it also helped many
employers save money on rent and other
costs of running their business from a
traditional office space, thus boosting
their financial returns. The concept of
co-working spaces became very popular
as businesses figured out that they could
pay for space based on actual usage
rather than investing huge amounts in
large offices. But since the end of the
pandemic, many employers have
increasingly urged their workers to return
to office. Some researchers believe that
the push by corporate executives to get
workers back to office may have little to
do with improving the productivity of
workers. They argue that it may be the
case that bosses simply want to reassert
control over workers.

Srinivasan Ramani prison breakout case in 2002 Questions and Answers to the previous day’s
and released in 2023. A crime daily quiz: 1. The place where the inaugural race
X thriller written by Neeraj was held and its winner. Ans: The first World
QUESTION 1 Pandey, based on the gang championship race took place at Silverstone
What was unique about led by Ashok Mahto, Circuit with Giuseppe Farina taking the honours
Imtiaz Jaleel’s victory in premiered on Netflix in 2. This circuit hosted the most World Championship
Aurangabad in Maharashtra November 2022. Name the races. Ans: The Autodromo Nazionale Monza
in the 2019 Lok Sabha series. 3. This racer holds the record for most podium
elections? X finishes with 197 and counting. Ans: Lewis
X QUESTION 4 Hamilton
QUESTION 2 Name the constituency from 4. This two-time champion holds the record with
What is the claim to fame (or Andhra Pradesh where former 383 career starts. Ans: Fernando Alonso
notoriety) of this candidate Prime Minister Narasimha Rao 5. Name the Australian driver who claimed the
Akshay Kanti Bam of Indore? won a bypoll with a record honours in 1966 in a car designed by him. Ans: Jack
Name the party that he was margin, earning him an entry Brabham
supposed to represent. in the Guinness Book of World 6. The unique distinction Jochen Rindt holds. Ans:
X Records. He won the World Championship posthumously
QUESTION 3 X 7. This champion holds the record for the youngest
The Rashtriya Janata Dal QUESTION 5 driver to start a Formula One race at 17 years and
candidate in Munger in Bihar, Name the former Indian 166 days. Ans: Max Verstappen For feedback and suggestions for
Anita Devi Mahato is married cricketer who is contesting X Visual: The place where one can see this statue. Text & Context, please write to
to a person named Ashok the elections in Baharampur Visual question: Ans: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari letters@thehindu.co.in
Mahto who was arrested in West Bengal. Name the Identify this prominent leader, next to Mayawati, originally from Punjab who Early Birds: Vineet Giri| Rajmohan.V| Jyot Prakash with the subject ‘Text & Context’
after the notorious Nawada party he is representing. represented the Etawah constituency in Uttar Pradesh in 1991. THE HINDU Gulati| Sunil Kannada| Saheni George
CM M ND-NDE
YK
 THE HINDU
12 Tuesday, May 14, 2024

News Delhi

From Page One SC denies Hemant Soren’s UN-linked body

defers accreditation
Fourth phase of LS polls petition for interim bail of NHRC-India
logs 67.7% voter turnout Senior lawyer Sibal urges court to list the case on May 17, the last working day before the long
holiday; court is swamped with work, May 20 is the shortest date available, says Justice Khanna Ishita Mishra
In Palnadu, Kadapa and Annamayya districts of NEW DELHI
Andhra Pradesh, the TDP and YSRCP traded
charges and accused each other of resorting to Krishnadas Rajagopal The elections point… Why should I be In a setback for India’s hu-
violence. NEW DELHI would be over prejudiced? The Supreme man rights record, the Ge-
YSRCP leader and Tenali MLA A. Shiva Kumar by May 20. I would never Court told me to go back to neva-based, United Na-
allegedly manhandled a voter in Tenali following he Supreme Court the High Court. The High tions-linked Global
an argument, police said, adding the voter also
retaliated.
Bihar and Odisha saw turnouts of 57.06% and
T refused interim
bail on Monday for
former Jharkhand Chief
make a submission (for
an earlier date) like this,
but great injustice has
Court reserved the order in
my case against my arrest
in February. No order was
Alliance of National Hu-
man Rights Institutions
(GANHRI) deferred the ac-
73.97%, respectively while in Jharkhand, the poll- Minister Hemant Soren to been done to us passed by the High Court creditation of the National
ing percentage was 65.31. The 13 seats in Uttar Pra- campaign for the Lok Sab- KAPIL SIBAL in March and April. My pe- Human Rights Commis-
desh, which went to the polls, saw a turnout of ha election, but agreed to Senior advocate tition was finally dismissed sion-India (NHRC) for the NHRC Chairperson Justice Arun
58.05%. list his plea to quash his ar- on May 3. On May 6, I made second year in a row. The Mishra during the Statutory Full
Of the 96 seats that went to the polls on Mon- rest by the Directorate of an urgent mentioning in decision, which can affect Commission Meeting. PTI
day, the BJP won 42 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elec- Enforcement (ED) in con- sued notice to the ED and er make a submission (for the Supreme Court and India’s ability to vote at the
tion while the YSR Congress won 22 seats (in And- nection with a money laun- listed the case on May 20, an earlier date) like this, served my appeal to the Human Rights Council and tions,” an official, who
hra Pradesh), the Bharat Rashtra Samithi nine dering investigation linked during the court’s summer but great injustice has been ED… Consider this list of some UN General Assemb- asked not to be identified,
(Telangana), the Congress six, the Trinamool Con- to a land scam. vacation. done to us,” he submitted. dates,” Mr. Sibal argued. ly bodies, was taken during said confirming the deci-
gress four, the TDP three, the BJD, the AIMIM and A Bench of Justices San- The senior lawyer fer- Jharkhand will be voting The Bench ventured to the meeting of the Sub- sion. Officials said the de-
Shiv Sena two each and the NCP, LJP, JD(U) and jiv Khanna and Dipankar vently urged the court to in the fourth phase of the say that the ED may seek committee on Accredita- ferral was likely to be re-
NC one each. Datta, the same two-judge list the case on May 17, the elections on May 20. Jus- more time to compile re- tion (SCA) on May 1, that in- viewed later this year,
In Kannauj, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav accused the combination that had last working day before the tice Khanna pointed out cords if the case was post- cluded representatives during meetings in Sep-
BJP of rigging the polls. Mr. Yadav claimed there granted interim bail to Del- nearly two-month holi- that campaigning would ed on May 17. from New Zealand, South tember, or again in May
were complaints of voting being disrupted in poll- hi Chief Minister Arvind days. Justice Khanna said close 48 hours before vot- “Elections would be ov- Africa, Honduras, and next year. The NHRC’s “A-
Kejriwal on May 10, re- his court was swamped ing day. The judge asked er by then (May 20)... We Greece. status” has only been de-
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
ing booths. He said that despite the “dishonesty”
in Kannauj, the elections were going well and pe- fused point blank Mr. So- with work and May 20 was Mr. Sibal how a hearing on wanted to participate in ferred once before, in
ople were coming out to cast their votes. “As soon ren’s lawyer, senior advo- the shortest date available. March 17 would help his the elections. Dismiss my Lack of transparency 2016, but it was restored in
as I arrived, the goons ran away from the booths,” cate Kapil Sibal, when he “It is just seven days. Be- client. case then,” Mr. Sibal con- While the committee’s lat- 2017. This is the first time
he claimed. asked for liberty to come sides, they (the ED) need “Giving them seven days veyed his disappointment est report is still awaited, India’s status has been sus-
In a post on X, the State unit of the BJP alleged out and canvass for votes time to prepare a res- would help. If you succeed, to the court. its previous report had cit- pended for two years in a
that in the Bidhuna Assembly segment of Kannauj in the ongoing general ponse,” Justice Khanna ex- you will be out,” Justice The court finally agreed ed a number of reasons for row, in 2023 and in 2024.
Lok Sabha seat, SP goons were not allowing those election. plained. But Mr. Sibal said Khanna told Mr. Sibal. to May 17, but asked Mr. Si- recommending the defer- The NHRC was set up
wanting to vote for the BJP and were indulging in Mr. Sibal requested inte- the elections would be ov- “I know I am going to be bal to keep his fingers ral, including the lack of under the Protection of
booth capturing along with the presiding officer rim bail when the Bench is- er by May 20. “I would nev- out… But that is not the crossed. transparency in appoint- Human Rights Act, passed
and police. ing members to the NHRC, by Parliament in 1993. It
In Etah district, at Gautam Buddha Inter Col- the appointment of police has been accredited as an
lege in Aliganj tehsil, part of the Farrukhabad Lok officers to oversee human ‘A’ Status NHRI since the

SC to hear plea on ‘delay’ in voter

Sabha constituency, District Magistrate Prem Ran- rights investigations, and beginning of the accredita-
jan Singh took an elderly woman voter in a wheel- the lack of gender and mi- tion process for NHRIs in
chair to cast her vote. nority representation on 1999, which it retained in
the member panel. 2006, 2011 and in 2017 also

turnout data publication on May 17 The accreditation defer-

ral decision has been con-
after the deferment.
The ‘A’ status was de-
Food inflation scaled veyed to the NHRC, sourc-
es confirmed to The Hindu,
ferred this time after civil
society organisations and
4-month high in April The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI
on Monday during an oral
mentioning made by advo-
publishing the voter-tur-
nout details, the applica-
The plea has urged the
court to direct the EC to
indicating that some of the
demands made by the in-
human rights activists
wrote to the global body,
cates Prashant Bhushan tion said there was a sharp disclose authenticated re- ternational peer review re- expressing concerns about
The rise was more subdued for their rural coun- The Supreme Court is and Neha Rathi, appearing spike in figures from the in- cord of voter turnout by port were difficult to un- India’s record.
terparts at 0.59%. The Consumer Price Index scheduled to urgently hear for Association for Demo- itial voter turnout percen- uploading on its website dertake during the election According to six-point
(CPI) was up 0.6% over March for urban house- on May 17 an application al- cratic Reforms, the peti- tages released by the Elec- scanned legible copies of process in India. submission by the SCA in
holds, while it was 0.37% higher for rural India. leging inordinate delay in tioner NGO which filed the tion Commission (EC). Mr. account of votes recorded “GANHRI wanted us to March 2023, the NHRC has
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expects retail the publication of voter application. Bhushan said both these at polling stations after make some structural failed to create conditions
inflation to ease to an average of 4.5% this year turnout data of the first Mr. Bhushan had called developments, post poll- each phase of voting. It has changes and incorporate a required to be “able to op-
from the 5.4% clocked in 2023-24, with the ongo- two phases of polling in for an early hearing by the ing in the initial phases, also sought the publication few suggestions given by erate independent of go-
ing April to June quarter expected to see an aver- the Lok Sabha elections. court against the back- had raised concerns and of a constituency- and poll- them. The same was not vernment interference”.
age inflation of 4.9%. Economists don’t expect any Justice Sanjiv Khanna ground of the ongoing public suspicion regarding ing station wise figures of possible at this time due to (With inputs from Suhasini
pivot in the monetary policy stance till inflation made the announcement elections. Besides delay in the accuracy of the data. voter turnout. the ongoing general elec- Haidar)
subsides to the RBI’s 4% target on a durable basis,
as has been stressed by Governor Shaktikanta
Das.
Within the food basket, vegetables’ inflation
cooled marginally from 28.3% in March to 27.8%,
staying in double digits for the fifth consecutive
month. Pulses also reported double-digit inflation
India, Iran sign Chabahar port operation pact SC dismisses
plea seeking
for the 11th straight month, at 16.84% in April,
marginally lower than the 17.7% uptick in March.
Dinakar Peri
Suhasini Haidar
Roads and Urban Develop-
ment of Iran.
efficiency and capacity will
be further enhanced, solid-
removal of
However, inflation in cereals rose to 8.63% from
8.4% in March. Fruits also reported higher price
NEW DELHI A memorandum of un-
derstanding for the deve-
ifying India’s commitment
to the region’s economic
Kejriwal as CM
rise at 5.22%, from 3.1% in March. Eight years after conclud- lopment of the Chabahar development. India will
The fractional decline in the headline inflation ing the general framework port by India was signed in use the port for humanitar- The Hindu Bureau
rate in April, despite the uptick in food price rise, of cooperation on the Cha- May 2015. The contract ian aid shipments, reaf- NEW DELHI
was facilitated by a sharper drop in fuel and light bahar port, India and Iran was executed on May 23, firming its commitment to
prices, which were down 4.2% compared with a on Monday signed a 10- 2016 during the visit of support regional develop- The Supreme Court on
3.2% decline in March, and aided by mildly lower year contract for its Prime Minister Narendra ment beyond commercial Monday refused a petition
inflation in some other items. These include cloth- operation. Modi to Iran. interests,” Mr. Sonowal seeking the removal of Del-
ing and footwear, pan, tobacco and intoxicants, The long-term agree- Terming it a historic day said. hi Chief Minister Arvind
housing, health, recreation and amusement. ment was signed between for the maritime sector, He underscored Chaba- Kejriwal from office follow-
Among the major States, Odisha (7.05%), As- Indian Ports Global Ltd. Big deal: Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Mr. Sonowal said the agree- har’s significance, stating ing his arrest and remand
sam (6.08%) and Haryana (6.06%) reported the (IPGL) and Port and Mari- Sonowal with others during the signing of 10-year contract . PTI ment heralded a new age that it served as a vital in the excise policy case.
highest inflation in April. time Organisation (PMO) of of trade, marine coopera- trade artery connecting In- A Bench of Justices San-
In all, inflation was higher than the national av- Iran, enabling operation of fered a credit window The agreement was tion, and transshipment dia with Afghanistan and jiv Khanna and Dipankar
erage in 14 of 22 major States for which the Nation- the Shahid-Behesti termi- equivalent to $250 million signed in the presence of while boosting trilateral Central Asian Countries. Datta refused the plea by
al Statistical Office calculates inflation rates, in- nal. Subsequently, IPGL for mutually identified pro- Ports, Shipping, and Wa- trade between India, Iran, Chabahar is a deep wa- Kant Bhati, who contend-
cluding Gujarat (4.94%) and Kerala (4.84%). will invest approximately jects aimed at improving terways Minister Sarba- and Afghanistan. ter port located in the Sis- ed that Mr. Kejriwal was
Consumers faced the lowest price rise in Delhi $120 million in equipping Chabahar-related infras- nanda Sonowal and Mehr- “As India continues to tan-Baluchistan province unable to perform his offi-
(2.29%). the port. India has also of- tructure, officials said. dad Bazrpash, Minister of invest in Chabahar port, its of Iran. cial functions.

CBSE results: 93.6% clear Class 10, 3 Naxals killed

87.98% pass Class 12; girls fare better
The Hindu Bureau
The Central Bureau of Se-
condary Education (CBSE)
on Monday declared re-
sults for Class 10 and 12 ex-
aminations. The Board re-
corded a pass percentage
of 93.60%, a 0.48% in-
crease from last year, in the
Class 10 examination and
87.98% in the Class 12 ex-
amination, a 0.65% in-
crease. In both, girls out-
shone boys.
A total of 16.21 lakh stu-
dents appeared for the
Class 12 examination, held
between February 15 and
April 2, of which 14.26 lakh
students passed, the CBSE
said. Of this, 24,068 stu-
dents scored over 95%.
The CBSE said 91.52% girls
cleared the examination
while the pass percentage
CM
YK
among girls was 94.75%,
while that among boys was
92.71%; 47,983 students
scored over 95% and
2,12,384 students scored
above 90%.
To “avoid unhealthy
competition among stu-
dents”, the Board will not
declare a merit list this
year. However, it will issue
merit certificates to the top
0.1% of students who have
Glorious victory: Students pose for photographs after scoring well scored the highest marks
in the CBSE board exams on Monday. SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP in the subjects. The Board
said the result documents
among boys was 85.12%. this year, 40% competen- will be provided to the stu-
“This year, the pass per- cy-based questions were dents in their DigiLocker
centage of students in Class asked in the examina- accounts.
12 is 87.98, which is 0.65% tions,” the CBSE said in a The pass percentage for
better than the pass per- press release on Monday. Class 12 was the highest in
centage of last year: The CBSE said 22.38 Thiruvananthapuram
87.33%. This shows that lakh students appeared for (99.91%), followed by Vi-
students were well pre- the Class 10 examination of jayawada (99.04%), Chen-
pared for competency- whom 20.95 lakh passed. nai (98.47%) and Bengalu-
based question papers as The pass percentage ru (96.95%).
in gunfight
with police in
Maharashtra
The Hindu Bureau
MUMBAI
Three Naxalites, including
two women cadres, were
killed in a gunfight with se-
curity forces in Maharash-
tra’s Gadchiroli district on
Monday, the police said.
According to the dis-
trict’s Superintendent of
Police Neelotpal, intelli-
gence inputs indicated
members of the Perimili
Dalam were camping in
the forests near Katrangat-
ta village in Bhamragad ta-
luka, intending to conduct
subversive activities during
their ongoing tactical
counter offensive cam-
paign period. An AK-47 ri-
fle, an INSAS rifle, and Nax-
al literature were seized,
Mr. Neelotpal said.
Businessline Changemaker
Awards: nominations open
The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI
The businessline Change-
maker Awards 2024 is
open for nominations. This
is the time to celebrate the
unsung heroes amongst
us; those who through
their actions and deeds
have deeply influenced
change in society, com-
munities, mindsets or in
physical spaces to make
the world a better place.
Most people prefer the
status quo while some seek
change without wanting to
contribute to it. Only a few
actually do something to
bring about the change. If
you, the reader, know of
those people who have
brought about change in
your community or in so-
ciety at large, please sup-
port them by nominating
them for the businessline
Changemaker Awards.
The work on the 2024
edition of the Changemak-
er Awards has begun. The
nomination window is
open till June 30 midnight
for the public. Nomina-
tions can be made across
five categories of awards —
Changemaker: Social
Transformation; Change-
maker: Digital Transforma-
tion; Changemaker: Finan-
cial Transformation;
Young Changemaker, and
Iconic Changemaker. One
flagship award goes to the
Changemaker of the Year,
which is awarded to a per-
son or an organisation that
has ushered in far-reaching
change. Once the nomina-
tion closes, the applica-
tions will be screened by
businessline along with
knowledge partners (De-
loitte and Ashoka).
Raghuvir Srinivasan, Ed-
itor, businessline, said,
“The Changemaker
Awards exemplify the fact
that we are always looking
for change in a positive
manner either in business
or society.”
If you know of a Change-
maker who needs to be ce-
lebrated, now is the time to
send in your nominations.
Please use this link
https://thbl.
news/
BLCM2024
THE to nom-
inate or scan
the QR code.
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 13
Delhi

ELECTIONS 2024

JHARKHAND MADHYA PRADESH KASHMIR UTTAR PRADESH

X X X X
Youthful elation: A voter shows her documents as she arrives to Set to vote: Women waiting in a queue to cast their ballots in D-Day: Voters showing their documents as they line up to vote in Patient wait: Voters of the Tharu tribe at a polling booth in
cast her vote in Jharkhand on Monday. ANI Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. PTI Ganderbal district of central Kashmir. NISSAR AHMAD Bahraich on Monday. ANI

Amid a heavy turnout, violence mars

polling in West Bengal constituencies
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh’s convoy comes under attack by Trinamool supporters in Bardhaman Durgapur; workers of ruling party and Congress
clash in Baharampur, where Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is contesting; in Krishnanagar, BJP workers were allegedly beaten up by Trinamool workers

Duty done: National Conference President Farooq Shiv Sahay Singh constituency as BJP work- pur when Trinamool can-
KOLKATA
Abdullah and son Omar Abdullah after casting their ers were allegedly beaten didate and former cricke-
votes in Srinagar on Monday. NISSAR AHMAD by Trinamool workers. BJP ter Yusuf Pathan visited the
everal incidents of candidate Amrita Roy al- polling booth and the

Srinagar records S violence and scuffle

between supporters
of political parties marred
leged that Trinamool sup-
porters did not allow villag-
ers at Chapra to vote.
agents started taking sel-
fies with him.
An assistant sub-inspec-

37.98% turnout; the fourth phase of polling

in West Bengal on Monday.
Despite the deployment of
Two other BJP candi-
dates, Jaganatha Sarkar
from Ranagath and Debta-
tor of the BSF engaged in
poll duty in Birbhum fell ill
and was declared dead at a

votes registered 569 companies of the Cen-

tral Armed Police Forces,
polling agents and a candi-
nu Bhattachrya from Birb-
hum, faced protests from
Trinamool supporters
State-run hospital.
With the polling on
Monday, the political fate

in all booths date’s

attacked.
convoy were

The average polling per-

centage across the eight
Peerzada Ashiq Lok Sabha constituencies
SRINAGAR/PULWAMA was 78.44.
Bolpur, a constituency
olling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha reserved for Scheduled
when they visited polling
booths in the constituen-
cies. There was tension in
places such as Hasan and
Sainthia in Birbhum dis-
trict.
In the Burwan area of
Winding queue: A security official stands guard as people wait to cast their votes in Birbhum district of the Baharampur Lok Sab-
of 75 candidates across
eight seats have been
sealed. Among them are a
number of political heavy-
weights such as State Con-
gress president Adhir Ran-
jan Chowdhury from
Baharampur, and Trina-

P constituency, the first since Jammu

and Kashmir’s special status was
scrapped in 2019, on Monday reported no
Caste candidates, recorded
the highest polling of
81.21%, while the lowest
West Bengal on Monday. PTI

receiving end of the vio- The Trinamool supporters fair polling,” the BJP leader
ha constituency of Murshi-
dabad district, Trinamool
and Congress workers
mool leaders Mahua Moi-
tra from Krishnanagar,
Shatrughan Sinha from
incident of militant violence and registered a was 72.15% at Asansol, pri- lence as his convoy was at- tried to block the BJP lead- said. Trinamool spokesper- clashed. The Congress can- Asansol and Yusuf Pathan
turnout of 37.98% till 11.50 p.m. However, the marily an urban consti- tacked allegedly by Trina- er’s convoy. When the veh- son Santanu Sen said Mr. didate from Baharampur, from Baharampur.
National Conference (NC) and Peoples tuency. Krishnanagar re- mool Congress supporters icles were leaving the ve- Ghosh was trying to incite Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, The BJP candidates in
Democratic Party (PDP) complained about corded 78.64%, Ranaghat in two places. One of his nue, local people threw local people on the day of said the situation was the fray in the fourth phase
“official intervention to bring down poll 79.6%, Bardhaman Durga- security guards sustained stones at them. polling. There were clashes brought under control be- include S.S. Ahluwalia
percentage”. pur 78.92%, Birbhum head injury. His convoy “The police are just between BJP supporters cause of the swift action by from Asansol and Jagan-
“Poll percentage until 5 p.m. stood at 36%, 78.76% and Baharampur was first attacked at Mon- mute spectators. The Tri- and Trinamool cadres at Central forces. Security nath Sarkar from Rana-
marking the second highest turnout since 77.01% till 11.50 p.m. teswar and then at Kalna. namool has let loose a ward number 12 of the Dur- personnel guarding a poll- gath.
1989. Not even a single polling booth Former BJP State presi- Mr. Ghosh was seen con- reign of terror. Since morn- gapur municipality. ing booth in Baharampur As many as 1.43 crore
witnessed 0% polling in Srinagar dent and MP Dilip Ghosh, fronting the Trinamool ing, its goons have beaten Tensions prevailed in had to intervene and take voters were eligible to exer-
constituency,” J&K Chief Electoral Officer P.K contesting the Bardhaman supporters who were rais- up our polling agents and the Chapra and Tehatta away mobile phones of cise their franchise in this
Pole said. In 1996, Srinagar recorded 40.94% Durgapur seat, was at the ing slogans against him. are not allowing free and area of the Krishnanagar polling agents in Baharam- phase.
amid allegations of coercion.
Mr. Pole said the polls remained peaceful.
“Preventive measures were taken in cases
where individuals had a criminal background
or anti-national history to ensure polling
stations remained incident-free,” he added.
Polling largely peaceful in Odisha’s first phase NDA allies will
shy away from
A new voting pattern was observed across
18 Assembly segments spread over five
districts — Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam,
Satyasundar Barik
BHUBANESWAR
smoothly across all 28 As-
sembly constituencies.
incident. Forces had pa-
trolled the entire area
supporting
Pulwama and Shopian. Militancy hotbeds of
Pulwama and Shopian surpassed the The fates of 37 and 243
In 2019, voters from
nine panchayats had exer-
since Sunday evening. Five
tiers of mobile patrolling
Modi: Revanth
previous low voter turnout records, which candidates contesting four cised their franchise at a continued till votes were
remained in single digits since 2009. This Lok Sabha and 28 State As- single Border Security cast,” Sanjay Kumar, Addi- R. Ravikanth Reddy
time, Pulwama district’s Pampore area saw sembly seats, respectively, Force (BSF) camp at Janta- tional Director General of HYDERABAD
38.01% voting, Pulwama 43.39%, Rajpora in Odisha were sealed on pai in view of the threat Police (Law and Order),
45.79%, and Tral 40.29%. Shopian district Monday. from Left Wing Extremism said. Telangana Chief Minister
also recorded 47.88%. Many voters credited Over 73% voter turnout (LWE). People from far- Similarly, the office of A. Revanth Reddy said the
higher turnout to the post-2019 poll narrative was recorded in the region flung areas, including Dhu- the CEO said that people in country is witnessing an
of the regional parties, with the candidates comprising the four Lok liput, Sarkubandh, Andra- the Kotia group of villages anti-Modi wave and that
promising restoration of Article 370, release Sabha constituencies, Making it count: Voters before casting their ballots at Gopalpur in pali and Panasput, had to in Koraput district had vot- said none of the National
of youth from jails, allowing freedom of which is most affected by Ganjam district in Odisha on Monday. ANI travel long distances to ed enthusiastically in nine Democratic Alliance (NDA)
expression and securing jobs and land for Left Wing Extremism, by reach the polling booth. booths. Both Odisha and partners will support Na-
local people. 11.50 p.m. on Monday. keenly fought in the seven see a close contest, accord- The voting percentage was Andhra Pradesh claim the rendra Modi if the BJP
Unlike rural pockets of south Kashmir, All 28 Assembly consti- Assembly seats in Ganjam, ing to responses from a meagre 25.77%. This Kotia group villages as doesn’t get the required
urban pockets of Srinagar district recorded a tuencies lie in the jurisdic- home district of Odisha voters. time, voting percentage their own, and electors of majority to form the go-
relatively less poll percentage. tion of the four Lok Sabha Chief Minister Naveen Pat- All eyes were on Swabhi- has touched 65.46%. Kotia had threatened to vernment.
NC president Farooq Abdullah and son constituencies — Koraput, naik. man Anchal, erstwhile bas- After the domination of vote for candidates of two Speaking to reporters at
Omar Abdullah voted in Srinagar. Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, The BJP’s Pradeep Pani- tion of the outlawed Com- the area by security forces, districts. According to Mr. Kodangal, his constituen-
Both NC candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah and Berhampur. gahi appeared to be in a munist Party of and the construction of all- Dhal, the voting percen- cy, after casting his vote
Mehdi and PDP’s Waheed-ur- Rehman Para While the Congress is straight fight with the BJD’s India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). weather roads along with tage in the Kotia villages along with his wife and
accused the administration of intervention in hopeful of winning some Bhrugu Baxipatra for the In Malkangiri, people for high-level bridges, the esta- was 76% by 5 p.m. daughter, Mr. Reddy said
the polling process. “From detention before seats in Koraput and Raya- Berhampur Lok Sabha the first time voted in blishment of booths was The CEO moved to take that despite serving as
polling day to CASO (cordon and search gada districts, where it has seat, where Congress MP booths set up in their own facilitated. action against three presid- Chief Minister for 13 years
operation) a night before the polling and a good presence, in the Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka is villages. As many as 23 ing officers for dereliction and Prime Minister for 10
arresting the polling agent on the day of rest of the seats, there is a facing a tough challenge to polling booths were esta- ‘No untoward incident’ in duty. Poll related vio- years, Mr. Modi has not un-
polling. Police and the administration are straight fight between the retain his seat. The Kala- blished. Chief Electoral Of- “We had security challeng- lence was reported in Chik- derstood the spirit of the
trying everything in their dirty book,” Mr. BJP and the Biju Janata Dal handi and Nabarangpur ficer (CEO) Nikunja Behari es in Swabhiman Anchal, iti Assembly constituency Indian Constitution and it
Mehdi said. (BJD). The elections were Lok Sabha seats may also Dhal said voting passed off but there was no untoward in Ganjam district. was unfortunate.

Many Kashmiri
Pandits return
without voting
쑽 despite such heat. We carried
Scores of displaced Kashmiri
Pandits in Jammu were
unable to vote on Monday in
the fourth phase of the Lok
Sabha election as their names
were missing from the
electoral rolls.
Even as the community
members lined up across
special polling stations in
CM
YK
Jammu, several of them had
to return without voting.
“I came to the polling
station with three members of
my family to cast our votes
our EPIC (voter ID) cards too.
But we found our names
missing from the electoral
roll,” Veena, a migrant from
the erstwhile Habbakadal
area of Srinagar, said.
Assistant Electoral
Returning Officer (Migrants)
Riaz Ahmed attributed the
problem to old data used to
prepare the lists. PTI
Members of the Kashmiri
Pandit community at a polling
booth in Jammu. PTI
Ex-judge moves
High Court over
action by police
쑽 Alleging mala fide and
Former Calcutta High Court
judge Justice Abhijit
Gangopadhyay, BJP candidate
for the Tamluk Lok Sabha
seat, on Monday moved the
High Court alleging police
over-reaction by registering an
attempt-to-murder case
against him. Tamluk will go to
the polls on May 25.
Justice Jay Sengupta,
before whose court the matter
was mentioned, directed that
the petition be taken up for
hearing on May 14.
over-reaction on the part of
the police, Judge
Gangopadhyay’s lawyer
Rajdeep Majumder submitted
before the court that the first
investigation report (FIR) was
lodged to prevent him from
campaigning for the election.
Justice Gangopadhyay
resigned as a judge of the
Calcutta High Court in March.
I cannot
understand
what Rahul’s relationship
with Pakistan is. He lives
in India, seeks votes in
Rae Bareli and gets
support from Pakistan
YOGI ADITYANATH
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
How did Manoj
become richest
MP: Kanhaiya
쑽
Congress North East Delhi The outgoing
candidate Kanhaiya Kumar on PM is doing a
Monday claimed the people of
roadshow in Varanasi —
the constituency had not seen
any growth but the BJP MP not on a Tempo though.
had become “the richest Why did Varanasi Port
legislator of the national fail? Why is it now being
capital”. He wondered how sold to Adani?
Manoj Tiwari could become JAIRAM RAMESH
the “richest MP” of Delhi. PTI Congress leader
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
14 Tuesday, May 14, 2024

News Delhi

INBRIEF
쑽 Appeasement the biggest Congress guarantees
will change lives of
political weapon for RJD women, says Sonia
and Congress, says Modi The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI

The “guarantees” pro-

In public meetings in Bihar’s Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and Saran, the Prime Minister campaigned for mised in the Congress ma-
nifesto for the Lok Sabha
the NDA’s candidates, attacking Opposition parties and heaping praise on LJP’s Chirag Paswan
Police get a day’s custody of election will change the cir-
cumstances of the people
YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar Amarnath Tewary on NDA candidate Chirag
in a “difficult” time, Con-
gress Parliamentary Party
The cyber crime police, Coimbatore city, on PATNA Paswan of the Lok Janshak- Chairperson Sonia Gandhi
Monday were granted one day custody of ti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV). said on Monday.
day after holding a He said, “He has been an
YouTuber A. Sankar aka ‘Savukku’ Shankar in a
case related to his alleged derogatory remarks
towards police personnel. Meanwhile, Mr.
Shankar claimed there was threat to his life in the
A roadshow in Patna
on Sunday, and of-
fering seva (service) at the
attentive MP and a success-
ful MP. Your vote for him
will directly benefit me.
In a video message
shared by the Congress,
Ms. Gandhi said that wo-
men were facing a “severe
Sonia Gandhi

Coimbatore Central Prison and accused the Harmandir Sahib gurdwara
Prison Superintendent of having broken his right in the city on Monday
forearm. He was lodged in the prison following morning, Prime Minister
his arrest on May 4. Mr. Shankar was brought to Narendra Modi addressed
the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for a three public meetings in Bi-
check-up. While being escorted by the police, he har — at Hajipur, Muzaffar-
shouted claiming he would be killed in prison. pur, and Saran — slamming
the Opposition Rashtriya
Janata Dal (RJD) and Con-
gress over “appeasement,
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Vote for your future, the
bright future of your chil-
dren, for your country’s fu-
ture, to form the NDA go-
vernment at the Centre.”
Pashupati Kumar Paras,
sitting MP from Hajipur
and estranged uncle of Mr.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by BJP candidate from Chirag Paswan, was con-
Saran seat, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, on Monday. ANI spicuous by his absence at
crisis” in the wake of infla-
tion. She said the party’s
‘Mahalakshmi scheme’
would help change their
lives.
“My dear sisters, wo-
men have made a huge
contribution, from the
Freedom Struggle to the
States on Monday.
Ms. Gandhi said the
Congress’s “guarantees”
had already changed the
lives of crores of families in
Congress-ruled Karnataka
and Telangana, where it
has also implemented the
scheme.
“Be it MGNREGA, Right
to Information, Right to

corruption and
BJP deploys DU professor to reservation”.
debate Rahul in Modi’s stead “Appeasement has been
the biggest political wea-
The BJP’s youth wing on Monday said it will send pon for the RJD-Congress,
a representative for the proposed event of a and their priority is not you
debate between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (the people) but your vote
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The response bank,” Mr. Modi said in Ha-
from the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) jipur. He also reminded pe-
comes after the former Congress president ople of the recent state-
accepted the invitation by former judges Madan ment by RJD chief Lalu
B. Lokur and Ajit P. Shah, and former Prasad. “He (Mr. Prasad) re-
editor-in-chief of The Hindu N. Ram for a public cently said Muslims should
debate. BJYM president and Bengaluru South MP be given reservation, full
Tejasvi Surya said he has nominated Abhinav reservation. They (the RJD
Prakash — vice president of the BJYM and an and Congress) do not care
assistant professor of economics at Delhi about the Constitution and
University’s Ramjas College — as the outfit’s Babasaheb Ambedkar, but
representative for the debate. I guarantee you, this is Mo-
di’s guarantee, that as long
as I am alive, no one can
rob you of your rights.
They cannot snatch your
reservation,” Mr. Modi
said.
Mr. Prasad, however,
had changed his view
hours after his statement.
“As written in the Constitu-
tion, there should not be
reservation based on reli-
gion,” the RJD supremo
had said.
“Let me tell you a statis-
tic for your benefit that the
BJP-NDA (National Demo-
cratic Alliance) have the
maximum number of MPs
from the reserved sections.
Sixty per cent of Ministers
in the Union Cabinet are
from reserved communi-
ties,” Mr. Modi said.
“In 10 years of the pre-
vious Congress govern-
ment, only 35 lakh illegal
rupees were seized by the
ED, which could be carried
in a school bag, but in the
last 10 years of the Modi re-
gime, a total of 2,200 crore
rupees have been seized,”
Mr. Modi said at a meeting
at Kutubpur in Hajipur.
Mr. Modi heaped praise
the rallies addressed by Mr.
Modi.
At the meeting in Patahi,
Muzaffarpur, where the PM
campaigned for BJP candi-
date Raj Bhushan Nishad,
he attacked the Opposition
Indian National Develop-
mental, Inclusive Alliance
bloc, calling its leaders “co-
wards who are scared of
Pakistan’s nuclear power”.
At the public meeting in
Saran, campaigning for Ra-
jiv Pratap Rudy, Mr. Modi
said he was a “servant of
the people of India who is
available round the clock,
24X7”.
creation of modern India.
However, today our wo-
men are facing a crisis
amid severe inflation. To
do justice to their hard
work and penance, the
Congress has come up with
a revolutionary guarantee.
The Congress’s ‘Maha-
lakshmi’ scheme guaran-
tees that we will give ₹1
lakh every year to a wo-
man from a poor family,”
Ms. Gandhi said in her
message.
Her “appeal” to support
the Congress in this elec-
tion came just ahead of the
fourth round of voting in
96 constituencies across 10
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Education or through
schemes like food security,
the Congress party has em-
powered millions of In-
dians. The ‘Mahalakshmi’
is the latest guarantee to
take our work forward,”
she said. “In this difficult
time, I want to assure you
that the hand of the Con-
gress is with you and this
hand will change your cir-
cumstances.”
Her appeal was shared
by Congress chief Mallikar-
jun Kharge, former party
president Rahul Gandhi,
and party general secre-
tary Priyanka Gandhi Va-
dra on their X handles.

HC refuses to
direct EC to
take action
against Modi
The Hindu Bureau
NEW DELHI
The Delhi High Court on
Monday dismissed a peti-
tion seeking direction to
the Election Commission
to act against Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi for al-
legedly delivering commu-
nally divisive speeches
during the Lok Sabha poll
campaigning in violation of
the Model Code of
Conduct.
The court said the peti-
tion was misconceived and
devoid of merits. It said the
poll panel can take an in-
dependent view on the
complaint of the petitioner
in accordance with the law.
The plea alleged that no
action was taken against
Mr. Modi and others from
the BJP for their alleged
hate speeches, despite
complaints made to the
commission.
Bihar’s ‘Bhamashah’ Sushil
Kumar Modi passes away
Amit Bhelari
PATNA
Senior BJP leader and
former Bihar Deputy Chief
Minister Sushil Kumar Mo-
di passed away in New Del-
hi on Monday at the age of
72. He had cancer.
He is survived by his
wife, Jessie George, and
two sons, Utkarsh Tathagh-
at and Akshay Amritanshu.
A product of the JP
Movement led by socialist
leader Jayaprakash Na-
rayan, Mr. Modi was a tall
leader of Bihar politics for
a long time.
He became Deputy
Chief Minister for the first
time in 2005 when Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar
wrested power in the State
from the Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD).
Mr. Modi will also be re-
membered for his long
stint as the Finance Minis-
ter of Bihar. He had earned
the sobriquet “Bhamash-
Sushil Kumar Modi
ah” from Mr. Kumar, a refe-
rence to the legendary gen-
eral of medieval warrior
king Maharana Pratap
Singh.
When Mr. Kumar
launched welfare schemes
for Mahadalits, such as free
bicycles and uniforms for
girl students apart from
scholarships, many jour-
nalists asked him where he
would get the money from.
Mr. Kumar had then re-
plied, “I have my Bha-
mashah who will arrange
the funds.”
He was also one of the
few leaders to have
achieved the feat of being a
member of four legislative
Houses — Lok Sabha, Rajya
Sabha, the Bihar Assembly
and Legislative Council.
In February 2024, Mr.
Modi was not fielded by his
party in the Rajya Sabha
election. In April 2024, he
revealed on his social me-
dia account that he had
cancer.
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi said in a post on
X, “I am deeply saddened
by the untimely demise of
Sushil Modi, my valuable
colleague in the party and
my friend for decades. He
has played an invaluable
role in the rise and success
of BJP in Bihar. Strongly
opposing the Emergency,
he made a name for him-
self in student politics. My
condolences are with his
family and supporters in
this hour of grief. Om
Shanti!”.
Rahul invokes
100-year-old
relations with
Rae Bareli
Mayank Kumar
LUCKNOW
Congress leader and Rae
Bareli Lok Sabha candi-
date Rahul Gandhi on
Monday recalled the asso-
ciation of the Gandhi fami-
ly with the constituency.
“My Rae Bareli family
has been continuously
fighting for democracy,
Constitution and justice
for the past 100 years.
From the time of Pandit
Motilal Nehru ji till today,
Rae Bareli has always
shown the way to the
country and has made its
invaluable contribution in
strengthening democracy.
Once again, the Rae Bareli
family is ready to unite and
light the torch of justice,”
said Mr. Gandhi at a public
meeting in the Bachhra-
wan area of Rae Bareli,
along with his sister Pri-
yanka Gandhi Vadra.
BJP keeps up attack on BJD,
claims Naveen Patnaik is
‘controlled like a puppet’
Satyasundar Barik
BHUBANESWAR
The Bharatiya Janta Party
(BJP) on Monday accused
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) lead-
ers of producing a deep-
fake video of Odisha Chief
Minister Naveen Patnaik by
using artificial intelligence,
and called for rescuing Mr.
Patnaik from “isolation”.
Even as the fourth phase
of election (Odisha’s first)
was under way, the State
BJP unit stepped up its at-
tack on the BJD by ques-
tioning the ability of the
Chief Minister to function
independently.
The BJP fielded five top
leaders — State president
Manmohan Samal, Union
Education Minister Dhar-
mendra Pradhan, BJP na-
tional vice-president Bai-
jyant Panda and Aparajita
Sarangi and Pratap Saran-
Naveen Patnaik, V.K. Pandian
gi, MPs — in the press
conference.
In an apparent refe-
rence to V.K. Pandian, a
close aide of Mr. Patnaik,
and his influence on the
State government, the BJP
leaders raised questions
about the ‘fitness’ of the
five-time Chief Minister.
“It is a matter of grave
concern the way the State
government has been out-
sourced. The person who
was elected by people of
Odisha five years ago has
been made captive. He is
controlled like a puppet,”
Mr. Panda said.
“Whenever Mr. Patnaik
is appearing to deliver vi-
deo messages, the majority
of these videos were not of
him. This clearly indicates
artificial intelligence tools
were used to bring out his
deepfake videos,” he
alleged.
“If he [Mr. Patnaik] is
able to repeat his own vi-
deo message physically on
a public platform, one can
easily detect the diffe-
rence. People have the
right to know if Mr. Patnaik
is himself giving video mes-
sages or being dictated by
one person,” he said.
Mr. Panda also said that
the BJP would get Mr. Pat-
naik’s videos examined
technically and bring out a
report on it.

To solve this puzzle online,

SCAN TO PLAY
SUDOKU
14174 get across to our crossword site. 쑽
@ https://qrgo.page.link/jjpTn
(set by Lightning)

14 Arm of a short man extremely chubby (6)

Across
1 Strange design I clear up (8)
5 Created firm at home with editor (6)
9 Cabinet in old pub used to separate method of payment (8)
10 Flight delay resulting in tiredness and lethargy (6)
12 Deer I enthusiastically hid is frightening (5)
13 Giant pins represented in pictures made with a brush (9)
CM
YK
16 At first keep away dissolute person flanking old entertainment
singing (7) FAITH
19 Value added tax at first imposed on container in this city (7) 쑽
21 Outdated person left aside silk thread by one lake (6)
23 Cracked rig - arrest one keeping records (9) Honouring parents
25 Couple missing the last of South Africa's currency (5)
26 Free a French animal (6) The Upanishads place one’s mother and father right at the
27 Farmer protecting primarily huge bird (8) top of those who should be honoured as devas. And yet,
28 Money initially paid to redesign atlas, perhaps (6) death is a certainty, and everyone is going to lose his or
29 Magnificence of a thousand on French street going west (8) her parents at some point.
Down Lord Narayana and His Consort Mahalakshmi are the
1 Select alien patrol guard (6)
parents we must revere as our parents forever, because
2 Firm gutted piracy - correct it will protect against plagiarism (9)
our connection with Them is not bound by karma, or li-
3 Careless in card game, spending eagerly at first (5)
mited to one birth, said Velukkudi Krishnan in a dis-
4 Decline a prize (7)
course.
6 Flips open vases (9)
In that case, is it not enough if we just worship the
7 Many long to display clothing material (5)
Lord? Why are we commanded to look after our parents?
The Lord is our parent always, and this Divine parent tells
8 Complicated deed - gist was absorbed (8)
Solution to previous puzzle Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku
us that we should honour our mortal parents, and so it is
11 Colour of writing liquid under page (4)
imperative that we obey His command. We see in the Ra-
15 It's a must as scenery needs to be transformed (9)
mayana an example of what the Lord wants us to do.
17 Start to speak formally after consuming one alcoholic beverage
(9) Rama is unperturbed when told that He should give up
18 Cancel 6 ball law (8) the throne to Bharata and depart for the forest. He calmly
20 Ordinary leaders of Norway often restrict markets (4) tells Kaikeyi that instead of asking Dasaratha to convey the
21 Parent housing king at a greater distance (7) decision to Him, she could have told Him. He would have
22 Prohibit odd theory on light-hearted humour (6)
obeyed her. When Lakshmana loses his temper and
24 Sudden blast of wind by ocean leads to enjoyment (5)
speaks harshly of Dasaratha, Rama pacifies him. Thus, the
25 Apparent suffering left inside (5)
Universal parent shows us that we must honour our pa-
rents on this earth. Kaikeyi was cruel, and yet Rama would
not change His rule that parents deserve respect.
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 15
Delhi
Business

INBRIEF
쑽 ‘Markets will be less volatile ‘50% critical
mineral block
MARKETS
쑽
MARKET WATCH

after every phase of election’ auctions near

closure’
MONDAY
Sensexdddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 72,776 dddddddddddddddddddddddd 0.15
US Dollar ddddddddddddddddddddddddd 83.51 dddddddddddddddddddddddd 0.00
Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 73,150dddddddddddddddddddddd -0.06
% CHANGE

Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 83.16 dddddddddddddddddddddddddddd —

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar says post each phase of the ongoing Parliamentary polls,
Abhishek Law
markets will turn less jittery as they would “get a sense of where the numbers would end up” NEW DELHI NIFTY 50
PRICE CHANGE
Lalatendu Mishra event organised by the About half of all critical Adani Enter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2879.60. . . . . . . . . . 82.35
Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1306.40. . . . . . . . . . 39.65
MUMBAI NSE. On Monday, the S&P mineral blocks - 20 out of Apollo Hosp. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 5830.15. . . . . . . . -12.30
BSE Sensex witnessed vo- 38, are nearing finalisation Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2879.25. . . . . . . . 108.00

W
Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1132.00. . . . . . . . . . 11.90
TVS Motor unveils three new ith markets
turning volatile
latile movements of 997.5
points both ways during in-
and Ola Electric and Ve-
danta are among the prob-
Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 8992.30. . . . . . . . . . 10.50
Bajaj Finserv . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1580.55. . . . . . . . . . . . 7.85

variants of e-scooter iQube owing to fears
of an uncertain outcome in
TVS Motor Company on Monday announced the the Parliamentary elec-
unveiling of a new variant of e-scooter iQube, tions, Union External Af-
with a 2.2 kWh battery, at an introductory fairs Minister S. Jaishankar
ex-showroom (Bengaluru) price of ₹94,999. on Monday assured the vo-
TVSM also rolled out the iQube ST in two latility would reduce with
variants — 3.4 kWh and 5.1 kWh — at the passing of every phase.
ex-showroom (Bengaluru) prices of ₹1,55,555 and “To me, it is very clear,
₹1,85,373 respectively. With this, the TVS iQube where the election is go-
series is available in an range of 5 variants and 11 ing... people may have a
colours, the two- and three-wheeler maker said. debate on the exact num-
ber and in a democracy
they should be debating it
SBI becomes first trading,
tra-day trade. It dramati-
cally recovered losses and
rose 112 points to close at
72,776.
“I have every confi-
dence that we will not only
have a strong and a stable
Allaying concerns: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar government, but will have
addresses the media after an NSE event in Mumbai on Monday. ANI the government with a
stronger majority, and the-
also,” he said. “I am very tile because markets will refore with a greater ability
sure that as round after get a sense of where those to take decisions that will
round takes place, markets numbers will end up,” he take this country forward,”
would be less and less vola- said while speaking at an the Minister said.
able front runners for lithi-
um and PGE (platinum
group of elements) blocks,
Mines Ministry officials
aware of the discussions,
told businessline, wishing
not to be named.
Officials said the “strike
rate”, bids received against
mines auctioned, has
ranged from 30-40% in
three tranches of auctions.
From the first tranche of
20 blocks, seven pro-
gressed to the second stage
with finalised bidders,
while another seven
Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 6718.75. . . . . . . . . . 34.60
Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1285.95. . . . . . . . -15.20
BPCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 606.90. . . . . . . . -11.75
Britannia Ind . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 5130.55. . . . . . . . . . 63.75
Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1414.65. . . . . . . . . . 75.10
Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 444.00. . . . . . . . . . -5.40
Divis Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3911.50. . . . . . . . 118.00
Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 5908.55. . . . . . . . -12.45
Eicher Motors . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4657.45. . . . . . . . . . -0.40
Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2385.20. . . . . . . . . . . . 8.05
HCL Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1312.90. . . . . . . . . . -3.30
HDFC Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1455.25. . . . . . . . . . 17.35
HDFC Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 559.65. . . . . . . . . . 11.10
Hero MotoCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4885.55. . . . . . . . . . . . 8.15
Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 633.50. . . . . . . . . . . . 7.90
Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2360.65. . . . . . . . . . -1.90
ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1128.00. . . . . . . . . . 10.95
IndusInd Bank. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1404.55. . . . . . . . . . -5.60
Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1423.45. . . . . . . . . . -1.45
ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 431.85. . . . . . . . . . -1.50
JSW Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 860.60. . . . . . . . . . . . 7.00
Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1641.20. . . . . . . . . . 13.25
L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3293.85. . . . . . . . . . 22.40
LTIMindtree Ltd. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 4593.55. . . . . . . . -14.10

clearing member bank at IIBX

SFL, Valiant divest
M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2184.25. . . . . . . . . . -8.80

Banks’ underwriting
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356

9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
moved to the third Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 12673.85. . . . . . . . . . -1.65
tranche. The second NestleIndia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2516.25. . . . . . . . -16.95
State Bank of India (SBI) said it was the first bank tranche of 18 blocks, has NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 350.90. . . . . . . . . . -4.60

₹4,630-cr. SHFL stake standards at risk: Fitch

ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 266.90. . . . . . . . . . -3.35
to become a trading-cum-clearing (TCM) member around 7-8 bidders and are PowerGrid Corp . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 306.55. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.80
at India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX) “nearing finalisation”. Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2805.40. . . . . . . . . . -9.45
SBI Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1425.10. . . . . . . . . . -6.85
which deals with trading in precious metals. “The average strike rate State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 808.80. . . . . . . . . . -8.55
“This step marks a change in India’s bullion Reuters Asset quality of is around 30%, and 50% Shriram Finance
market, ushering transparency, efficiency, and Lalatendu Mishra The buyer is MUMBAI
Indian banks’ will be viewed as a major Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 2301.80. . . . . . . . -42.55
Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1525.05. . . . . . . . . . 18.50
accessibility in the bullion trading market, and MUMBAI
committed to invest positive, considering these TataConsumerPro-
consumer loans has
this significant milestone solidifies SBI’s Asset quality of Indian are new age minerals duct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1096.95. . . . . . . . . . . . 6.00

commitment to innovation and excellence in the Shriram Finance Ltd. (SFL)

financial sector,” said Chairman Dinesh Khara. will sell its entire stake in
affordable home-finance
subsidiary Shriram Hous-
ing Finance Ltd. (SHFL) to
₹1,000 crore more in
SHFL as a part of
growth capital
banks’ consumer loans has
held up well so far, but an
accumulation of “untested
risks” due to rapid growth
may challenge lenders’ un-
held up well so far,
says rating agency
ing agency said. Indian
where the processing tech-
nology, for most, are still
under-development in In-
dia,” the officials said.
Apart from lithium
Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 959.75. . . . . . . . -86.90
Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 163.85. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.60
TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3947.80. . . . . . . . . . 53.90
Tech Mahindra . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1262.05. . . . . . . . . . -2.35
Titan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3253.65. . . . . . . . -36.20
UltraTech Cement . . . .. . . . . . . 9551.50. . . . . . . . . . 59.80
Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 451.95. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.10

KVB Q4 standalone net Warburg Pincus’s affiliate

Mango Crest Investment
profit rises 35% to ₹456 crore Ltd. This divestiture to-
gether with the holding
Karur Vysya Bank’s (KVB) standalone net profit Mango bought from Valiant
with certain additio-
nal amounts based on
identified events.
The buyer has also com-
mitted to invest an addi-
derwriting standards and
risk controls, Fitch Ratings
said on Monday.
“Fitch’s assessment of
Indian banks’ risk profiles
banks have reported
strong loan growth over
the last few quarters,
boosted by consumer
spending amid firm eco-
blocks in Jammu and Kash-
mir, there were six blocks
of minerals like glauconite, EXCHANGE RATES
graphite, nickel, platinum Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4
group elements, potash p.m. on May 13

for the quarter ended March rose 35% YoY to Partners, takes the transac- tional ₹1,000 crore into also factors in lower tran- nomic growth. and titanium and these are CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL
US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 83.33. . . . . . . . . . 83.65
₹456 crore on account of higher interest income tion value to ₹4,630 crore. SHFL as part of growth sparency in terms of data Banks’ loans rose 19% in located in Bihar, Jhark- Euro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 89.84. . . . . . . . . . 90.19
and better asset quality. Interest income grew to The board of Shriram Fi- capital in SHFL. disclosures on retail un- the two weeks to April 19 hand, Tamil Nadu and Ut- British Pound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 104.39. . . . . . . . 104.80
Japanese Yen (100) . . . . . . .. . . . . 53.46. . . . . . . . . . 53.67
₹2,185 crore from ₹1,768 crore. Net interest nance Ltd., which met “This is Warburg’s big- derwriting, such as loan- from a year earlier, latest tar Pradesh. Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 11.52. . . . . . . . . . 11.56
income improved by 12% to ₹996 crore, while net here on Monday, ap- gest deal in India since it to-value ratio, borrower data from RBI showed. The fourth round cover- Swiss Franc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 91.85. . . . . . . . . . 92.21
interest margin declined to 4.19% from 4.37%, proved the proposal. The entered and the biggest in debt serviceability, credit Retail loans have grown ing 20 blocks is expected Singapore Dollar . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 61.55. . . . . . . . . . 61.80
Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 60.92. . . . . . . . . . 61.16
the lender said. Non-interest income stood at company said it would re- affordable-housing space,” bureau scores, and recov- at an annual rate of 20% either in June or July. Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 17.61. . . . . . . . . . 17.70
₹629 crore against ₹401 crore. Fee-based income ceive a minimum consider- said Umesh Revankar, Ex- ery rates, than most Asian since 2020-21, Fitch (The writer is with The Australian Dollar . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 55.07. . . . . . . . . . 55.29

improved by ₹39 crore to ₹241 crore. ation of ₹3,909 crore along ecutive VC, SFL. banking systems,” the rat- estimates. Hindu businessline) Source:Indian Bank

Piramal Alternatives to
invest ₹600 crore in
Annapurna Finance
The Hindu Bureau
MUMBAI
Piramal Alternatives, the
fund management division
of the Piramal Group, has
announced an investment
of ₹600 crore in Annapur-
na Finance Private Ltd., a
non-banking finance com-
pany focussed on
microfinance.
“The deal involved a
combination of secondary
purchase of shares and
providing Tier-2 capital.
The structured capital so-
lution will help fuel the risk
calibrated growth of the
company’s assets under
management,” the compa-
ny said in a statement.
“Microfinance as a retail
asset class has grown at
CAGR of 32% over the last
decade and expected to
continue the high growth
trajectory,” said CEO Kal-
pesh Kikani.
“Further, it serves as a
catalyst for economic de-
velopment and stands as a
cornerstone for a nation’s
growth, fostering financial
inclusion and prosperity,”
he added.
“Through Piramal Alter-
natives, we are committed
to providing bespoke and
value-accretive capital to
support Annapurna’s
growth aspirations in this
promising sector,” Mr. Ki-
kani said.
TII Q4 net
dips a tad,
to pay ₹1.50 in
final dividend
The Hindu Bureau
CHENNAI
Tube Investments of India
Ltd. (TII) standalone net
profit for the quarter end-
ed March slid by ₹3 crore to
₹248 crore on account of
an increase in input costs.
Revenue from opera-
tions rose by ₹299 crore to
₹1,962 crore.
“Exports during the
year have grown by 14%,”
said Chairman M.A.M. Aru-
nachalam. The board ap-
proved raising of up to
₹350 crore via term loan
and/or privately- placed se-
cured NCDs. The board re-
commended a final divi-
dend of ₹1.50 per share.
Murugappa Group’s Tivolt Electric Vehicles to introduce
e-small commercial vehicles via Montra Electric brand
The Hindu Bureau group’s entry into the e- India. cial vehicle platform.”
The e-SCV would be
CHENNAI SCV space and bring about “Currently, we are deve- “SCV represents the lar-
the fourth electric-
a significant change in In- loping four platforms, in- gest category in the com-
Tivolt Electric Vehicles is dia’s mid- and last-mile vehicle platform cluding the successful mercial vehicle segment,
gearing up to introduce mobility sectors, said the from TI Clean M&HCV truck and EV making our entry into this
electric small commercial TI Clean Mobility Pvt. Ltd. Mobility Pvt. Ltd. three-wheeler already in arena particularly thrilling.
vehicles (e-SVC) under the (TICMPL) subsidiary in a the market,” said TII Exec- This segment is primed to
Montra Electric brand in statement here. utive Vice Chairman Vel- adopt EVs swiftly, support-
the coming months. The e-SCV would be the which was founded in Fe- layan Subbiah. “What ex- ed by policies, government
The products would sig- fourth EV platform from bruary 2022 as a subsidiary cites me the most is our initiatives and increasing
nify the Murugappa the stable of TICMPL, of Tube Investments of upcoming small commer- adoption rates,” he added.
KPI Green
Energy board
okays raising
₹1,000 crore
Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI

Gujarat-based renewable

Coromandel to add 7% stake in power producer, KPI

Green Energy on Monday
said its board approved a

drone firm Dhaksha for ₹150 cr. proposal to raise up to

The Hindu Bureau
HYDERABAD
Agriculture solutions pro-
vider Coromandel Interna-
tional will acquire an addi-
tional 7% stake in Dhaksha
Unmanned Systems for
₹150 crore taking its share-
holding in the Chennai-
based drone maker to 58%.
The fund infusion will
help Dhaksha strengthen
research and develop-
ment, cater to servicing
large orders and meeting
working capital needs, Co-
romandel said on the ac-
quisition through its subsi-
diary Coromandel
Technology.
“The investment in
Dhaksha aligns with Coro-
mandel’s vision of diversi-
fying in technology spaces
and promoting adoption
across various spheres,”
CM
YK
Arun Alagappan
Coromandel International
Executive Chairman Arun
Alagappan said.
Coromandel has been
associated with Dhaksha
from is start-up stage, sup-
porting the firm on talent
acquisition, R&D and scal-
ing up production.
Dhaksha has streng-
thened its technological
capabilities in the past
year, investing in research
to develop new products
and applications. “We re-
₹1,000 crore through equi-
ty shares or other equity-
linked securities via quali-
main committed to bring- fied institutional place-
ing in latest innovations in ment, according to a
drones and enable regulatory filing.
Dhaksha to become a The firm was formerly
drone manufacturing ma- known as K.P.I. Global In-
jor in the country,” Mr. Ala- frastructure Limited.
gappan said in a release.
Growing order book
Dhaksha provides a range
of Unmanned Aerial Sys-
tems (UAS) for use in agri-
culture, defence, surveil-
lance and enterprise
applications. It also offers
remote pilot training ser-
vices.
Dhaksha bagged several
orders from defence and
agri input companies last
year. Its order book stands
at ₹265 crore. It recently
expanded production ca-
pacity with a state-of-the-
art manufacturing facility
on the outskirts of Chen-
nai, Coromandel said.
M ND-NDE

16
ARGELÈS-SUR-MER
Catalan separatist aims to form
minority regional govt. in Spain
X X
Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said on Monday he
would seek to form a pro-independence minority government in the
Spanish region despite an electoral setback. He plans to rally
pro-independence groups and form a regional government as the
governing Socialist Party won a regional election in Catalonia. AFP
Russia strikes
30 towns,
villages in
Kharkiv
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Agence France-Presse
UKRAINE
Russia pounded over 30
villages and towns in Uk-
raine’s northeastern Khar-
kiv region after launching a
ground offensive in the
border region, forcing al-
most 6,000 to evacuate,
the Governor said on
Monday.
Ukraine’s General Staff
acknowledged on Monday
that Russia “currently is
achieving tactical success”
after driving a wedge into
Kyiv’s defences.
Russia’s Defence Minis-
try said on Monday that
troops had “improved the
tactical position and dealt
a blow to (Ukrainian) man-
power” around border vil-
lages including Lyptsi and
the town of Vovchansk.
On Friday, Russia began
an offensive across its bor-
der into the Kharkiv region
and later claimed to have
taken several villages in the
region near the border
with Ukraine.
IMF warns Maldives of ‘debt distress’
with more Chinese loans in the offing
Agence France-Presse
MALÉ
The International Mone-
tary Fund warned the Mal-
dives against looming
“debt distress” on Monday,
as the small but strategical-
ly placed luxury tourist
destination looks set to
borrow more from main
creditor China.
Since winning office last
year, President Mohamed
Muizzu has reoriented the
Impressive Abha Khatua smashes women’s shot put National record
FEDERATION CUP
Y.B. Sarangi
BHUBANESWAR
Abha Khatua smashed
Manpreet Kaur’s two-year-
old National mark with a
18.41m effort and claimed
the women’s shot put gold
medal in the National Fed-
eration athletics meet at
the Kalinga Stadium here
on Monday.
The 28-year-old Abha —
who had missed out on a
berth in the Indian team
for the Hangzhou Asian
Games as she only
equalled the National re-
cord of 18.06m, winning a
silver medal in the Bang-
kok Asian championships
after the deadline — found
her rhythm to throw the
iron ball beyond the Na-
tional mark in her fifth
attempt.
CM
YK
REUTERS
Putin removes Shoigu as Defence
Minister as he starts his fifth term
Andrei Belousov, an economist, is the new Defence Minister; Shoigu appointed secretary of the Security Council, replacing
Nikolai Patrushev, who is a Putin ally; Patrushev is taking on another role, says the Kremlin, without offering details
Associated Press
R
ussian President
Vladimir Putin on
Sunday replaced
Sergei Shoigu as Defence
Minister in a Cabinet sha-
keup that comes as he be-
gins his fifth term in office.
In line with Russian law,
the entire Russian Cabinet
resigned on Tuesday fol-
lowing Mr. Putin’s glitter-
ing inauguration in the
Kremlin, and most mem-
bers have been widely ex-
pected to keep their jobs,
while Mr. Shoigu's fate had
appeared uncertain.
Mr. Putin signed a de-
cree on Sunday appointing
Mr. Shoigu as secretary of
Russia's Security Council,
the Kremlin said. The ap-
pointment was announced
shortly after Mr. Putin pro-
posed Andrei Belousov to
become the country’s De-
fence Minister in place of
Mr. Shoigu.
atoll nation — known for its
upmarket beach resorts
and celebrity vacationers —
away from traditional be-
nefactor India and towards
Beijing.
Without naming the ar-
chipelago’s main lender,
the IMF said the Maldives
remained “at high risk of
external and overall debt
distress” without “signifi-
cant policy changes”.
It urged the Maldives to
urgently raise revenue, cut
Strong show: Abha clinched gold with an 18.41m effort. K.R. DEEPAK
Abha, who took to shot
put in 2018, shifted from
West Bengal to Maharash-
tra towards the end of 2019
because of her employ-
ment and switched from
glide to rotation technique
in 2022, began with
16.39m and improved it to
17.87m. She fouled two at-
ISLAMABAD
Situation remains tense in PoK
region as strike enters fourth day
The situation remained tense in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as the
total strike against high prices of wheat flour and inflated electricity
bills and taxes entered its fourth day on Monday, forcing Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to allocate Rs 23 billion for
immediate release to the region to quell a simmering unrest. PTI
New role: Andrei Belousov attends a hearing held as part of the
confirmation process in Moscow on Monday. REUTERS
The announcement of
Mr. Shoigu’s new role came
as 13 people were reported
dead and 20 more wound-
ed in Russia’s border city
of Belgorod, where a 10-
story apartment building
partially collapsed after
what Russian officials said
was Ukrainian shelling. Uk-
raine has not commented
on the incident.
spending and reduce exter-
nal borrowing to avoid a
major economic crisis.
China has pledged more
funding since last year’s
victory by Mr. Muizzu in
the Maldives’s presidential
elections.
India’s goodwill gesture
Meanwhile, in a goodwill
gesture, India has decided
to extend vital budgetary
support to the Maldives
with the rollover of a $50
tempts, including a fabu-
lous third throw, before
achieving glory. “In the In-
dian Grand Prix in Benga-
luru, I did not get the right
kind of ball and did 17.56m.
Here, it was fine. My
change in technique has
helped me improve. I think
I can achieve the Olympic
THE HINDU
World
REUTERS
Mr. Belousov's candida-
cy will need to be ap-
proved by Russia's Upper
House in parliament, the
Federation Council. It re-
ported on Sunday that Mr.
Putin introduced propo-
sals for other Cabinet posi-
tions as well but Mr. Shoigu
is the only Minister on that
list who is being replaced.
Several other new candi-
million Treasury Bill for
another year at the Maldi-
vian government’s special
request, it was announced
on Monday.
The State Bank of India
has subscribed for one
more year to the USD 50
million Government Trea-
sury Bill, issued by the Mi-
nistry of Finance of Mal-
dives, upon maturity of the
previous subscription, the
High Commission of India
said in a brief statement.
Sport
qualifying mark of
18.80m,” said Abha.
Animesh Kujur, repre-
senting Odisha, recorded
his personal best of 20.62
to emerge as the winner in
the men’s 200m. The well-
built sprinter hailing from
Chhattisgarh went past Na-
lubothu Shanumaga
(20.97) in the last few
metres and thwarted a
strong challenge to retain
his lead until the end.
“I am delighted to have
achieved my personal best.
I used to struggle with my
start. I worked on that and
knew if I had a good start I
could win with a good
time. The home environ-
ment (of my training base)
also helped me,” said 20-
year-old Kujur, whose pre-
vious best was 20.74 in the
National Open meet in
Bengaluru in last October.
Unnathi Aiyappa, who
bagged an Asian under-20
SAN FRANCISCO
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI releases
free updated model GPT-4o
X X
OpenAI on Monday released a higher performing and more efficient
version of the artificial intelligence technology that underpins its
popular generative tool ChatGPT, making it free to all users. The
update to OpenAI's flagship product landed a day before Google is
expected to make its own announcements about Gemini. AFP
dates for Federal Ministers
were proposed on Satur-
day by Prime Minister Mik-
hail Mishustin, reappoint-
ed by Mr. Putin on Friday.
Mr. Shoigu's deputy, Ti-
mur Ivanov, was arrested
last month on bribery
charges and was ordered
to remain in custody pend-
ing an official investiga-
tion. The arrest of Mr. Iva-
nov was widely interpreted
as an attack on Mr. Shoigu
and a possible precursor of
his dismissal, despite his
close personal ties with Mr.
Putin.
Open to innovation
Kremlin spokesman Dmi-
try Peskov said on Sunday
Mr. Putin had decided to
give the Defence Minister
role to a civilian because
the Ministry should be
“open to innovation and
cutting-edge ideas.” He al-
so said the increasing de-
fence Budget “must fit into
Swedish PM expresses willingness to
host nuclear weapons during wartime
Agence France-Presse
STOCKHOLM
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf
Kristersson said on Mon-
day he was open to allow-
ing nuclear weapons on
Swedish soil in wartime, as
critics call for the new NA-
TO member to ban their
deployment.
Sweden’s parliament is
set to vote on a Defence
Cooperation Agreement
(DCA) with the United
bronze medal in 100m hur-
dles, beat local girl Srabani
Nanda closer to the finish
line to secure the women’s
200m crown with 23.85.
This performance helped
her qualify for the World
under-20 championships.
Nayana James (6.53m)
got the better of Shaili
Singh (6.34m) to take the
women’s long jump gold.
Nithya Ramraj, who had
an appendicitis surgery on
February 28, clocked 13.14
for the top honour in wo-
men’s 100m hurdles.
The results (finals): Men:
200m: 1. Animesh Kujur (Odi)
20.62, 2. Nalubothu Shanumaga
(AP) 20.97, 3. Jay Shah (Mah)
21.31; 800m: 1. Ankesh
Chaudhary (HP) 1:50.16, 2.
Somnath Chauhan (Har) 1:50.16,
3. Mohammed Afsal P. (Ker)
1:50.44; 5,000m: 1. Sawan
Barwal (HP) 13:51.01, 2.
Harmanjot Singh (MP) 13:51.61, 3.
Kiran Matre (Mah) 13:52.62; 110m
REUTERS
the country’s wider econo-
my,” and Mr. Belousov,
who until recently served
as the first Deputy Prime
Minister, is the right fit for
the job. Mr. Belousov, 65,
held leading positions in
the finances and economic
department of the Prime
Minister's office and the
Ministry of Economic De-
velopment. In 2013, he was
appointed an adviser to
Mr. Putin and seven years
later, in January 2020, he
became first deputy Prime
Minister.
Mr. Shoigu was appoint-
ed to the Security Council
instead of Nikolai Patrush-
ev, Mr. Putin's long-term al-
ly. Mr. Peskov said Sunday
Mr. Patrushev is taking on
another role, and pro-
mised to reveal details in
the coming days. Mr. Shoi-
gu has been widely seen as
a key figure in Mr. Putin’s
decision to send Russian
troops into Ukraine.
States in June which will
give the U.S. access to mili-
tary bases in Sweden and
allow the storage of mili-
tary equipment and wea-
pons in the Scandinavian
country.
Sweden abandoned two
centuries of military non-
alignment to join NATO in
March this year.
Calls have mounted in
recent weeks, from the
Swedish Peace and Arbitra-
tion Association among
hurdles: 1. Manav R. (TN) 14.03,
2. Nishanthraja (TN) 14.22, Sachin
Binu (Ker) 14.25; Discus: 1.
Nirbhay Singh (Har) 55.27m, 2.
Gagandeep Singh (Pun) 54.38m,
3. Oinam Alson Singh (Man)
52.03; High jump: 1. Chetan B.
(Kar) 2.09m, 2. Swadhin Kumar
Majhi (Odi) 2.09m, 3. Shaik
Mohiddin (AP) 2.05m;
Decathlon: 1. Gokul KR (Ker)
6762 points, 2. Kamal Singh (UP)
6685 points, 3. Stalin Joes S. (TN)
6630 points. Women: 200m: 1.
Unnathi Aiyappa (Kar) 23.85, 2.
Srabani Nanda (Odi) 23.89, 3.
Devyaniba Mahendrasin (Guj)
24.14; 800m: 1. Chanda (Del)
2:02.62, 2. Twinkle (Pun) 2:03.94,
3. Amandeep Kaur (Pun) 2:07.66;
100m hurdles: 1. Nithya Ramraj
(TN) 13.14, 2. Pragyan Prasanti
Sahu (Odi) 13.40, 3. Moumita
Mondal (WB) 13.64m; Shot put:
1. Abha Khatua (Mah) 18.41m
(NR, Old 18.06, Manpreet Kaur,
Chennai, 2022), 2. Kiran Baliyan
(UP) 16.54m, 3. Srishti Vig (Del)
15.86m; Long jump: 1. Nayana
James (Ker) 6.53m, 2. Shaili Singh
(UP) 6.34m, 3. Moumita Mondal
(WB) 6.18m.
JAKARTA
Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts
again, spews huge ash tower
A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Monday, spewing a huge
ash tower more than 5 km into the sky after authorities raised its
alert level to the second-highest last week. No damage or casualties
were immediately reported. Ibu is one of Indonesia’s most active
volcanos, erupting more than 21,000 times last year. AFP
More Palestinians
flee as Israel pushes
deeper into Rafah
Associated Press
RAFAH
The exodus of Palestinians
from Gaza’s last refuge ac-
celerated on Sunday as Is-
raeli forces pushed deeper
into the southern city of
Rafah. Israel also pounded
the territory’s devastated
north, where some Hamas
militants have regrouped
in areas the military said it
had cleared months ago.
Rafah is considered Ha-
mas’s last stronghold.
Some 3,00,000 of the
more than 1 million civi-
lians sheltering there have
fled the city following evac-
uation orders from Israel,
which says it must invade
to dismantle Hamas and
return scores of hostages
taken from Israel in the Oc-
tober 7 attack.
Neighbouring Egypt is-
sued its strongest objection
yet to the Rafah offensive,
saying it intends to formal-
ly join South Africa’s case
at the International Court
of Justice alleging Israel is
others, for the government
to put in writing in the DCA
agreement that Sweden
will not allow nuclear wea-
pons on its soil.
The government has re-
peatedly insisted there is
no need to have a ban
spelled out, citing “broad
consensus on nuclear wea-
pons” in Sweden as well as
a parliamentary decision
that bars nuclear weapons
in Sweden in peacetime.
But Mr. Kristersson said
Stellar run: Chanda won the 800m race with a timing of 2:02.62.
BISWARANJAN ROUT
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Delhi
AFP
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Egypt to back South
Africa’s case at the
ICJ, alleging that
Israel had committed
genocide in Gaza
committing genocide in
Gaza — an accusation Israel
rejects. The Foreign Minis-
try statement cited “the
worsening severity and
scope of the Israeli attacks
against Palestinian
civilians.”
United Nations human
rights chief Volker Turk
said in a statement that he
cannot see how a full-scale
invasion of Rafah can be
reconciled with interna-
tional humanitarian law.
U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken reiterated
opposition to a major mili-
tary assault on Rafah, and
told CBS that Israel would
“be left holding the bag on
an enduring insurgency”
without an exit from Gaza
and postwar governance
plan.
on Monday that wartime
was a different story.
“In the absolute worst-
case scenario, the demo-
cratic countries in our part
of the world must ultimate-
ly be able to defend them-
selves against countries
that could threaten us with
nuclear weapons.”
He insisted that any
such decision to place nu-
clear weapons in Sweden
would be taken by Sweden,
not the United States.
M ND-NDE

Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Delhi
FIGHTING SPIRIT
This doesn’t happen without
passion: Zaheer lauds RCB
X X
Zaheer Khan lauded RCB for its recent turnaround in the IPL . “They
lost six in a row and have now picked up five consecutive wins. This
does not happen without passion, so you have to appreciate that.
We do not usually see a team revive its season like this after so
many losses, so RCB gets full marks,” Zaheer said.
How Royal Challengers regained
their position at the IPL high table
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
After seven losses in their first eight games, Faf du Plessis’ men were on the brink of elimination; a fairytale run
of five successive victories has seen the franchise give itself an outside chance of making the playoffs
IPL-17
N. Sudarshan
BENGALURU
n sport, as in life, loss-
I es and setbacks dee-
pen faultlines while
wins and successes mask
them. Royal Challengers
Bengaluru has been a living
example of this.
Just over three weeks
ago, when the side agonis-
ingly lost by a solitary run
to Kolkata Knight Riders, it
was the outfit’s seventh
loss in eight games and left
it on the brink of
elimination.
RCB’s batting methods,
bowling arsenal, squad
strength and auction stra-
tegy were all called into
question. Even the other-
wise overtly sympathetic
cricket analysts broke
ranks to criticise.
But with five victories on
the trot, Faf du Plessis’
men have completely
flipped the narrative. The
latest of those on Sunday,
against Delhi Capitals at
the M. Chinnaswamy Stadi-
um, has left them dream-
ing of a spot in the playoffs.
Jeered and heckled for be-
ing a seemingly dysfunc-
tional unit, RCB suddenly
can do no wrong.
The turnaround largely
owes to a batting order that
finally has a settled look.
The triggers, ironically,
were the two losses to Sun-
risers Hyderabad and KKR
It’s now-or-never for Pant’s Capitals A storm in a teacup: Klusener on
as they host Rahul’s Super Giants
Sahil Mathur
NEW DELHI
Skipper Rishabh Pant will
be back in what will be a
must-win IPL 2024 match
for Delhi Capitals when it
hosts Lucknow Super
Giants in its final attempt
for a place in the playoffs
here at the Arun Jaitley Sta-
dium on Tuesday.
Coming on the back of a
47-run loss against Royal
Challengers Bengaluru,
DC’s Net Run Rate has
been hit hard (-0.482) and
it would need a big victory
against a side which will al-
so be hoping for a big victo-
ry margin.
With plenty riding on
NRR, it helps that the game
will be played at the quick-
est scoring ground this sea-
son — a run rate of 11.52 in
four matches.
With opener Jake Fras-
er-McGurk providing
quickfire starts in the Po-
werPlay, Pant and Tristan
Stubbs handling things
further in the middle ov-
ers, DC will fancy its chanc-
es at home.
CM
YK
K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
What a turnaround! When the going got tough, Royal Challengers got going. K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
just before the winning
streak, where RCB scored
262 and 221 while pursuing
targets of 288 and 223
respectively.
Virat Kohli, the batting
fulcrum, has scored consis-
tent runs, but at a faster
clip in line with current
T20 standards. With ma-
verick Glenn Maxwell woe-
fully out of form, English-
man Will Jacks has stepped
up. Aussie all-rounder Ca-
meron Green, traded in for
a whopping ₹17.5 crores,
Goenka’s animated chat with Rahul
The new way: LSG will need Rahul to go big in the PowerPlay.
R.V. MOORTHY
However, the Pant-led
side would be vary of its
bowling that has leaked
runs aplenty — an econo-
THE HINDU
Sport
TURNING POINT
Running out Fraser-McGurk and
Stubbs proved crucial, says Green
K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
RCB’s Cameron Green said that run-out dismissals of Jake Fraser
McGurk and Tristan Stubbs were pivotal in his side’s win over DC. “I
think with the Fraser-Gurk run out, that was pretty crucial for us. We
know how good Stubbs been this year, he was a pretty crucial
wicket as well, so it was a good feeling to run him out,” Green said.
has quietly come into his for RCB to not miss Yuzven-
own. Rajat Patidar, who dra Chahal and Wanindu
had a wretched debut Test Hasaranga, at least for now.
series against England ear- “There has been a posi-
lier this year, has reassert- tive change,” said Dayal, af-
ed his class. ter the win over DC. “Even
The bowling attack has when we were losing, no-
been effective without ap- body [in the club] was
pearing menacing. Mo- pointing fingers. We have
hammed Siraj is back also become more attack-
swinging the ball and has ing. If you lose so many
been ably assisted by Lock- matches, the morale gener-
ie Ferguson and Yash ally comes down. But not
Dayal. The spin duo of here.”
Swapnil Singh and Karn RCB may still not make
Sharma has done enough the playoffs, for it has to
ven’t been able to do this
year consistently, take on
the opposition at will.
Super Giants will need
their captain, K.L. Rahul,
to go big in the first six ov-
ers and provide a solid
platform for big hitters like
Marcus Stoinis and Nicho-
las Pooran.
LSG bowlers have done
decently well — economy
of 9.57, led by Yash Thakur,
my rate of 10.15, worst this Mohsin Khan, and Naveen-
season. And Lucknow bat- ul-Haq. However, the con-
ters would hope to feast on text of this game calls for
this — something they ha- batters to take over.
NATIONAL DUTY
Buttler to miss remainder of
matches for Rajasthan Royals
X X
Jos Buttler will be returning to England and miss the remainder of
matches for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
England will play a T20I series against Pakistan which gets
underway on May 22. RCB’s Reece Topley and Will Jacks, and CSK’s
Moeen Ali too have returned home.
beat Chennai Super Kings
and hope for results el-
sewhere to go its way. Jacks
is set to leave for National
duty while there are linger-
ing questions over the fai-
lure to fit in Karnataka pac-
er V. Vyshak, the
capabilities of big-money
signing Alzarri Joseph and
the absence of a world-
class spinner.
But with five statement
wins, RCB has proved that
it still has a place at the IPL
high table.
Sahil Mathur
NEW DELHI
There have been no discus-
sions around Lucknow
Super Giants’ captaincy
change and the team’s fo-
cus is to win the next two
matches, assistant coach
Lance Klusener said ahead
of Tuesday’s clash against
Delhi Capitals here at the
Arun Jaitley stadium.
Terming the viral video
of an animated discussion
between LSG team owner
Sanjiv Goenka and skipper
K.L. Rahul as a ‘storm in a
teacup’, Klusener said: “I
don’t see any problem with
some robust discussion
between two cricket lov-
ers.”
The 52-year-old also de-
fended Rahul’s 136.09
strike rate this season say-
ing the opening batter has
had to constantly rebuild
the innings, which didn’t
allow him to score freely.
“This IPL has been ex-
ceptionally tough for him
because we have kept los-
ing wickets at regular inter-
vals which hasn’t allowed
B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
Rain has the final say as KKR
assures itself of a top two
spot; GT gets eliminated
Damp squib: Unrelenting rain quashed all hopes of action in the GT-KKR match. VIJAY SONEJI
Amol Karhadkar
AHMEDABAD
It was neither a dominat-
ing performance by the ta-
ble-topper nor was it a con-
solation win for the home
team in its last outing at its
famed home-ground. In-
stead, it turned out to be a
damp squib as Gujarat Ti-
tans and Kolkata Knight
Riders were forced to split
points in the opening affair
of the preliminary stage’s
last week of the Indian Pre-
mier League.
A dust-storm late in the
afternoon developed into
pre-season showers and a
relentless drizzle through-
out the night meant neith-
er team even stepped out
of the Narendra Modi Sta-
Part of the game: Klusener said he did not see any problem with some robust discussion between
two cricket lovers. JIOCINEMA
him to kick on where he
likes.”
In four matches, Delhi
has been the quickest scor-
ing ground this season at a
run rate of 11.52. However,
Klusener said that LSG’s fo-
cus will be on not losing
wickets regularly.
“We are aware it is a fast-
scoring venue and such
grounds normally take
care of themselves. I don’t
think you need to suddenly
try and score quicker than
you need to. We just need
to give the batters a plat-
form.”
17
DUE PROCESS
BCCI invites applications for new
head coach of Indian men’s team
AFP
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications
for the position of the head coach of India’s men’s cricket team on
Monday. The applications for the position is to be submitted by 6.00
p.m. on May 27. “The selection process will include a review of
applications, followed by interviews,” said the media release.
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
dium dressing room until GT’s last league game. In-
the game was formally stead, they had to make do
called off at 10.36 p.m. with multiple rounds of
The abandonment – IPL rain dances.
2024’s first – meant Titans’ While KKR will feature
mathematical chances of in IPL playoffs for the first
making a late entry into the time since 2021, Titans will
playoffs were washed miss out on the playoffs for
away. Knight Riders, mean- the first time since joining
while, was assured of a top- the bandwagon in 2022.
two finish, a vital aspect of With the city set to host the
the league stage since it off- first two playoffs ties, the
ers an additional oppor- IPL organisers will hope
tunity for the team to fea- that the pre-monsoon
ture in the grand finale on showers take a break next
May 26. week.
With Titans having
thumped Chennai Super
Kings, thanks to captain
Shubman Gill and stylish
southpaw B. Sai Sudhar-
san’s hundreds at the top
in its last outing, Amdava-
dis had hoped for a win in
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
18 Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Sport Delhi

INBRIEF
쑽 Simarjeet’s sizzling spell gives Shyaamnikhil
becomes
India’s 85th
Super Kings a shot in the arm Grandmaster

The Delhi pacer, who had bowled impressively in the win against Punjab Kings in a day-game the previous Sunday, CHESS

produced a match-swinging performance against Royals; he has stepped up at the right time for the Chennai side Press Trust of India
DUBAI
Praggnanandhaa fourth as IPL-17
when he finished with
none for 60 in four overs. P. Shyaamnikhil became
Carlsen wins Polish event “It was a bit difficult, but India’s 85th Grandmaster
Tarun Shastry I don’t know what he is we knew about the condi- by completing his third
R. Praggnanandhaa claimed the fourth place CHENNAI doing but in the tions and how difficult it and final GM norm in the
with 19 points ahead of compatriot Arjun Erigaisi pre-season we had, he would be,” said Simarjeet recently-concluded Dubai
(18 points), while D. Gukesh finished last with 12 n a scorching Sun- about the heat and humid- Police Masters chess tour-
points, in the Grand Chess Tour‘s 2024 Superbet
Rapid & Blitz Poland in Warsaw on Sunday.
World Blitz and Rapid champion Magnus Carlsen
O day afternoon in
Chennai, Royals
felt the heat in the air and
was bowling at around
150[kph]
RUTURAJ
on Simarjeet after the victory
ity during the match
against Royals.
“Looking at the pitch, it
nament,
12-year-wait.
ending

Shyaamnikhil needed
a

triumphed with 26 points and took home on the pitch. Chennai Sup-
$40,000. Pragg won $20,000, Erigaisi $15,000 er Kings pacer Simarjeet
and Gukesh $12,000 for their efforts. Singh chose the crucial
clash to record his career-
best figures (4-0-26-3) in
the IPL and boost the side’s
playoffs hopes.
Bopanna and Ebden pair Simarjeet has been part
enter second round in Rome of the CSK dug-out for
quite some time and the
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
over PBKS in Dharamshala
ty) — and the spinners not
getting consistent returns,
the reigning champion des-
perately needed someone
to reignite the campaign.
And deliver he did. Play-
ing only in his third match
of the season, Simarjeet
seemed like it was grip-
ping, stopping a bit, so I
tried to bowl in my half of
the pitch and not the half
of the batters,” he ex-
plained about his game-
plan against Samson’s
men.
That Simarjeet bowled
13 dot balls against a team
loaded with strokeplayers
one victory and eight
draws to complete the
long-overdue GM title.
The 31-year-old con-
jured the requisite 2500
ELO rating points, the mi-
nimum requirement to be
a GM, way back in 2012
with two GM norms but for
the third one, he had to

Second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Delhi pacer has worked
Ebden cruised into the second round with a 6-2, hard behind the scenes,
6-2 victory over wild cards Matteo Arnaldi and prompting batting coach
Francesco Passaro of Italy in the €9,094,379 ATP Michael Hussey to shower
Rome Masters. They will play Simone Bolelli and praise on him after the
Andrea Vavassori of Italy in the pre-quarterfinals. match-winning show.
In the absence of key
pacers — Deepak Chahar,
Matheesha Pathirana (laid
Power engine: Simarjeet’s heroics have provided the impetus low by injuries) and Musta-
to Super Kings’ campaign this season. FILE PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY fizur Rahman (National du-
produced vital break-
throughs for the Men in
Yellow, dismissing Royals’
top three batters — Yashas-
vi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and
skipper Sanju Samson — in
his first three overs.
It was a strong come-
back by the 26-year-old
who had a forgettable out-
ing against Gujarat Titans
reflected his accuracy.
“Batters will win you
games, bowlers will win
you tournaments,” goes
the adage in cricket. For
Super Kings to qualify for
the climactic phase and re-
tain the title, much will de-
pend on bowlers like Si-
marjeet.
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
wait for 12 years.
“I started playing at the
age of eight, my parents
taught me but I could not
play any tournament for
three years. Winning the
under-13 State meet
opened up opportunities
as I could play Asian and
age-group Worlds,” said
Shayaamnikhil.

Osaka and Rublev fall Manu, Esha, Anish and Vijayveer

at Italian Open
Agence France-Presse
Arsenal’s Havertz says he will ROME
become ‘biggest Spurs fan’ Naomi Osaka's return to
the Italian Open ended at
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz said he will become the last 16 to China's Zheng
the “biggest fan” of north London rival Qinwen on Monday with
Tottenham when it hosts Manchester City on men's fourth seed Andrey
Tuesday as the Gunners hope for a twist in the Rublev also exiting as envi-
Premier League title race. Havertz set up ronmental activists
Leandro Trossard for the only goal in a 1-0 win at stopped play in two
Manchester United on Sunday to take Mikel matches.
Arteta’s men top of the table by one point.
China's Zheng breezed
The results: LaLiga: Real Betis 3 (Fornals 8, Isco 28, Perez 64) past four-time Grand Slam
bt Almeria 2 (Baptistao 45+1, Romero 66). Serie A: Atalanta 2 winner Osaka 6-2, 6-3 in
(De Ketelaere 18, 20) bt Roma 1 (Pellegrini 66-pen). one hour and 24 minutes.
Fourth seed Rublevwas
shocked 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in his
third match by French
Ramit Tandon retires midway qualifier Alexandre Muller.
Japan's Osaka was play-
from his second round clash
An injury forced India’s Ramit Tandon to retire
from his second-round match against World No. 7
Mohamed El Shorbagy at the squash World
Championships in Cairo. Tandon was trailing 3-4
Rajasthan men stun defending
in the second game when he sustained a calf
injury following a promising performance in the
champion Uttar Pradesh
opening game which former World champion El
Shorbagy won 11-8 on Sunday.
NATL. JR. BASKETBALL
Sports Bureau
Rizwan and Fakhar help Rajasthan knocked out de-
Pakistan level T20I series fending champion Uttar
Pradesh 84-59 in the semi-
Pakistan beat Ireland by seven wickets in the finals of the 74th National
second Twenty20 International in Dublin on junior basketball in Indore
Sunday to set up a deciding showdown in the on Monday. After getting
three-match series. Mohammad Rizwan (75 not off to a strong start in the
out) and player-of-the-match Fakhar Zaman (78) first quarter and leading
put on a stunning 140-run partnership. 44-28 at half time, Rajas-
than warded off a late
The scores: Ireland 193/7 in 20 overs (Lorcan Tucker 51, Harry
surge by Uttar Pradesh to
Tector 32; Shaheen 3/49) lost to Pakistan 195/3 in 16.5 overs
(Fakhar Zaman 78, Mohammad Rizwan 75 n.o. Azam Khan 30 n.o.). reach the title round.
In the final, Rajasthan
ing at the Foro Italico for
the first time in three years
after taking a break from
the tour to have her first
child and is ranked at 173 in
the world.
The furthest she has
gone in any tournament so
far this season was her run
to the quarterfinals in
Doha
The results:
Men: Third round: Tsitsipas bt
Norrie 6-2, 7-6(1); de Minaur bt
Auger-Aliassime 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4;
Muller bt Rublev 3-6, 6-3, 6-2;
Paul bt Koepfer 6-4, 6-3.
Women: Fourth round: Swiatek
bt Kerber 7-5, 6-3.
Keys bt Cirstea 6-2, 6-1; Zheng bt
Osaka 6-2, 6-4.
will take on Chandigarh
which shocked host Mad-
hya Pradesh 83-77, after
having trailed 55-63 at the
end of the third quarter.
In the women’s section,
Punjab pipped Maharash-
tra 68-66 to reach the final
against Karnataka which
edged out Madhya Pradesh
63-62
The results: Men (semifinals):
Rajasthan 84 (Mohammed Ishan
26, Mayank Jawa 20, Nitesh
Kumar 17, Piyush Choudhary 13)
bt Uttar Pradesh 59 (Kunal Kumar
Singh 26); Chandigarh 83 (Gaurav
Kumar 28, Himanshu Hooda 22,
set to seal Paris Olympic berths
SHOOTING
Sports Bureau
Manu Bhaker and Esha
Singh continued to assert
their dominance in the 25-
metre sports pistol as they
both shot 586 in the fourth
Olympic shooting trials in
Bhopal on Monday.
With three of the better
scores out of four being ta-
ken into consideration for
selection, Manu and Esha
were comfortably ahead of
the other three. World re-
cord holder and Olympic
quota winner in the event,
Sanju Gajbhakae 15) bt Madhya
Pradesh 77 (Mohit Jogchand 26,
Kirti Raj Singh 17, Ajay 11).
Quarterfinals: Madhya Pradesh
80 (Kirti Raj Singh 22, Rohan
Sejwal 19, Mohit Jogchand 16,
Ajay 13) bt Kerala 66 (Jeevan
Joby 17, Aswin Krishna 12, Vinay
Sankar 10).
Women (semifinals): Punjab 68
(Nadar Dhillon 23, Komalpreet
Kaur 22, Chandana Goutham 14)
bt Maharashtra 66 (Aananya
Bhavasar 27, Tvisha Sharma 12,
Samiksha Patil 10); Karnataka 63
(Aditi Subramaniam 22, Aadhya
Gowda 15, Adhya Nagalingam 12)
bt Madhya Pradesh 62 (Ananya
Maheswari 14, Gunvi Agarwal 13,
Kushipal Singh 11).
On target: Vijayveer and Anish. RITU RAJ KONWAR
Rhythm Sangwan had
spoilt her chances with the
two scores of 574 and 566 in
Delhi in the first two trials.
She did come up with 586
and 584 here, but found it
hard to catch up.
In men’s 25m rapid fire
pistol, Anish Bhanwala was
Pradyumna ousts fourth seed
Arnav in the first round
ITF TENNIS
Sports Bureau
Pradyumna Tomar
knocked out fourth seed
Arnav Yadav 7-6(3), 6-3 in
the boys first round of the
ITF junior tennis tourna-
ment in Lucknow on Mon-
day. In the girls section, Ta-
manna Walia fought her
way past Siya Prasade 3-6,
6-1, 7-6(1).
Important results (first
round): Boys: Kandhavel
Mahalingam bt Eshant Patra 6-2,
head and shoulder above Men: 25m rapid fire pistol: 1.
the rest, winding up with Anish Bhanwala 583; 2. Adarsh
Singh 583; 3. Ankur Goel 583; 4.
583 in the fourth trial. Vijay-
Vijayveer Sidhu 581; 5. Bhavesh
veer would nose ahead of
Shekhawat 581.
Bhavesh with the two bo-
Women: 25m sports pistol: 1.
nus points for the Olympic Manu Bhaker 586; 2. Esha Singh
quota that he had won. 586; 3. Rhythm Sangwan 584; 4.
The results (qualification):
Abhidnya Patil 582; 5.
Simranpreet Kaur Brar 564.
6-0; Anurag Kallambella bt Sarthak 7-6(3), 6-3.
Sharma 6-1, 1-0 (retd.); Tavish Girls: Parthsarthi Mundhe bt
Pahwa bt Mannan Agarwal 6-1, Harithashree Venkatesh 2-6, 6-4,
6-3; Praneel Sharma bt Ashwajit 6-0; Shagun Kumari bt Sidhak
Senjam 6-1, 6-0; Ojas Mehlawat bt Kaur 6-0, 6-3; Shaivi Dalal bt Reet
Vivaan Bidasaria 6-2, 6-1. Arora 6-2 (retd.); Tamanna Walia bt
Prabir Chavda bt Om Verma 6-4, Siya Prasade 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(1);
7-5; Aarav Chawla bt Saksham Mahika Khanna bt Saumya Ronde
Shah 6-1, 6-0; Varchasva Thapliyag 6-0, 6-4; Jaya Kapoor bt Pia Mistri
bt Aashravya Mehra 7-5, 7-5; 6-1, 6-0; Princy Mandgalla bt Pal
Pradyumna Tomar bt Arnav Yadav Upadhyay 6-0, 6-1.
LIVE TELECAST
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Premier League: SS Select 1 & Hotstar, 12.30 a.m. (Wednesday)

Edwards to lead The

Netherlands in ICC T20 WC Prithvi wins Slovenia NEW DELHI ROUND-UP Uncertainty
쑽
over MotoGP
The experienced Scott Edwards was on Monday
named The Netherlands captain for next month’s
Deaf tennis open Ekansh’s century 4/46, Pradeep Parashar 3/15). (Manjeet 132, Arun Kataria 73) bt
Bharat
ICC T20 World Cup, the Royal Dutch Cricket helps Collage Sports Bright Club 282 in 40 overs (Vansh
Association announced. It will begin its campaign Sports Bureau lift the title Lakshya slams Mehra 68, Ronit Berry 61, Kanav
on June 4 against Nepal at Dallas and four days unbeaten 101 Gambhir 40, Arun Kataria 3/31).
Man-of-the-match Ekansh Sports Bureau
later, will face South Africa in New York. Unseeded Prithvi Sekhar Dobal scored a 78-ball 103 Lakshya Thareja’s 101 not CHENNAI
beat third seed Marino out and half-centuries by Sarthak Gupta
The squad: Scott Edwards (capt.), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, while Robin Bisht made 84
Kegl 7-6(6), 6-0 in the final Dhurv Kaushik, Rushal claims four Will Moto GP follow the
Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Max as Collage Sports Club
of the Slovenia Deaf tennis Saini and Shresth Yadav Sarthak Gupta took four Formula One and Formula
O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand crushed Sahgal Club by 141
Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh and open tournament in Mur- saw Rohtak Road wickets as Turf Sultans E route, and end its run in
runs to lift the 39th
Wesley Barresi. ska Sobota. Gymkhana (RRG) edge beat Turf Stallions by 14 India? According to a re-
all-India Laxman Das
It was a commendable past Little Master Club by runs in the Turf junior port in Autosport, there is
Chhabra memorial cricket
fare by Prithvi who won one run in the DDCA cricket league (under-12). uncertainty surrounding
title.
two of his earlier matches league. In the under-10 category, the second MotoGP Bha-
Ekansh was also named
after losing the first set in Turf Sultans thumped rat, which is scheduled
Mbappe scores in his final the tie-break, including the
the best batsman of the The scores:
RRG 341/4 in 40 overs (Lakshay Modern Spartans by 209 from September 20 to 22.
tournament, Pradeep
PSG home game one against top seed Jaros-
lav Smedek of Czech Repu-
Parashar, the best bowler,
Thareja 101 n.o., Dhurv Kaushik
63, Rushal Saini 62, Shresth
runs.
The scores:
The report claimed Mo-
and Prince Yadav of Sahgal toGP owner Dorna Sports
blic. Yadav 56) bt Little Masters 340 in U-12: Turf Sultans 147/6 in 20 is set to cancel the event
Kylian Mbappe scored in his final home game as Prithvi. Club as the best
Prithvi also outplayed 40 overs. overs (Shubham 40) bt Turf
a Paris Saint-Germain player on Sunday but the all-rounder. following organisers Fair-
fourth seed Mikael Laurent Jaroslav Smedek (Cze) 6-7(5), 6-3, Young Cricketers 205/9 in 40 Stallions 133 in 19.3 overs (Vivaan
Ligue 1 champion lost 1-3 against Toulouse. The scores: overs (Kavya 52, Shubham 52, 33, Sarthak Gupta 4/29.
street Sports’ non-pay-
of France for the loss of 6-1.
Mbappe, who confirmed on Friday that he would Quarterfinals: Prithvi bt Mikael Collage Sports 331/4 in 40 overs Bhavya Tiwari 4/33, Inder Kumar U-10: Turf Sultans 268/5 in 50 ment of fees to vendors
be leaving PSG after seven years when the season one game along the way. 3/46) lost to Pelican Club 209/3 in and Dorna. However,
Laurent (Fra) 6-1, 6-0; (Ekansh Dobal 103, Robin Bisht overs (Hridhaan Kohli 51 n.o.,
ends, scored his 44th goal of the campaign in all The results: Final: Prithvi Pre-quarterfinals: Prithvi bt 84, Vision Panchal 59, Prince 28 overs (Bhavya Tiwari 78, Devansh Goel 51, Jaiveer Ahuja sources close to the Indian
competitions to put the home side ahead, but Sekhar bt Marino Kegl (Slo) Marco Carretta (Ita) 6-7(3), 6-4, Yadav 3/61) bt Sahgal Club 190 in Deepanshu 64 n.o.). 3/41) bt Modern Spartans 59 in organisers indicated that
could not prevent it from going down. 7-6(6), 6-0; Semifinals: Prithvi bt 6-3. 39 overs (Sultan Ansari 86, Nitin Delhi Police 293 in 40 overs 10.5 overs. the event is on track.
CM M ND-NDE
YK

Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Delhi
Throwing caution to the wind,
openers changing the T20 landscape
When it comes to the IPL, the unalloyed aggression of the top two batters can, in part, be attributed to the origin
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
Leading the charge: Sunrisers’ Abhishek and Head, and Kolkata Knight Riders’ Salt and Narine have been at the forefront of the batting revolution at the top. M. VEDHAN & K.R. DEEPAK
R. Kaushik
ricket’s long-standing reputation
C as a batsman’s game isn’t
without basis, but seldom has it
manifested itself more
dominantly than during IPL 2024. Scores
of more than 200 are being breached with
monotonous regularity, more sixes are
cascading per match than ever before, the
bowlers are copping more punishment
than, truth be told, they should.
Armed with a greater understanding of
the demands of the 20-over format and
buoyed by their pre-season work which
entails topping up both skills and powers,
batsmen are throwing caution to the wind
with absolute impunity. It will stand to
reason that, with only 120 deliveries
available to them, every ball needs to be
maximised. Who best to maximise that
than the men tasked with setting the tone,
laying the foundation — the openers?
Opening the batting makes different
demands, depending on the format. In
Test cricket traditionally, that role has
often been linked to blunting the new ball,
to giving the first hour, if not more, to the
bowlers, to gradually bed in and then
build towards the long haul. With the ball
at its newest and hardest and the bowlers
at their freshest, survival more than
run-making used to be the singular
mantra. That has changed to a great
extent in recent times, with the likes of
Chris Gayle, Virender Sehwag, Matthew
Hayden and more recently Zak Crawley,
Ben Duckett and Yashasvi Jaiswal showing
that there is more than one way to skin a
cat. Even so, the majority of openers in
the long-form game rely on conservatism
as opposed to adventurism.
The ‘rules’ aren’t as cut-and-dried in
the 50-over format, where there is an
admixture of those that like to begin
cautiously and those who step on the
accelerator straight-away. Of course,
conditions too will have a say in how
batsmen approach an innings, though
with almost every One-Day International
now being played under lights, the threat
of any early-morning swing and nip that
the quicker bowlers might have envisaged
is practically non-existent.
Fortunate position
It's the third international variant of the
sport that has brought the best out of the
willow-wielders. Especially those who are
in the fortunate position of facing the
CM
YK
of the Impact Player which was introduced in 2023
most number of deliveries. The opening
batters, the ones who seek to cash in on
the field restrictions in the six PowerPlay
overs, those who have vast acreage to
access and who can hit through the line
without fear or favour, snug and smug in
the knowledge that there will be no
deviation off the straight even with the
brand-new white ball.
Season 17 of the IPL has brought, and
kept, opening batsmen of various hues in
sharp focus. Some are silken smooth and
don’t believe in needing to embrace the
unorthodox, such as Virat Kohli. Others
are less tradition-bound; they think
nothing of walking across the stumps and
scooping to fine-leg, even if it is the first
ball of the match. Such as Travis Head.
There was a time when such daredevilry
of the kind Head repeatedly indulges in
used to trigger waves of shock and awe.
Now, it hardly creates a ripple because
even the thought-processes of those
watching and observing have changed,
the threshold for the ‘unexpected’ has
touched unprecedented heights.
When it comes to the IPL, the
unalloyed aggression of the openers can,
in part, be attributed to the origin of the
Impact Player, introduced in 2023.
Largely designed to ensure that teams can
play five specialist bowlers and don’t
therefore need the ‘bits-and-pieces’
players to fill in for the fifth bowler, the
Impact Player rule has potentially served
the exact opposite purpose. While it is
true that an additional specialist bowling
option has always been employed, that
has been neutralised by the influx of
intrepid batsmen, either at the top of the
order or in the middle, who know that 95
times out of 100, it is impossible to be
bowled out within 20 overs and therefore
the license to keep at it ball after ball must
be utilised to the hilt.
A quick look at the top 10 run-getters of
the tournament* reveals that beyond the
admirable Rajasthan Royals duo of
skipper Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag,
the rest are all designated openers,
reiterating that that is the best place to bat
in a T20 game. Kohli is the leading
run-maker this season – he has been so
almost from the first week of the
competition – with 634 runs so far.
Impressively consistent as that is, as an
average of 70.44 and one century and five
fifties in 12 innings will confirm, it’s his
strike-rate that has attracted greater
attention.
THE HINDU
Sport
This year, Kohli is scoring nearly 20
runs more (153.51) per hundred deliveries
faced than his entire career T20
strike-rate (134.31). That is remarkable on
so many counts, not least because even at
35, the former India skipper with an
enviable volume of work in nearly 16
years of international cricket is unwilling
to rest on his laurels. He might have been
a little late in coming to the T20 party, but
Kohli’s journey of evolution is far from
over and he has made a strong case for
himself to open the batting alongside his
captain Rohit Sharma at the T20 World
Cup.
At the other end of the age, experience
and accomplishment spectrum is Jake
Fraser-McGurk, only 21 years of age when
IPL 2024 commenced on March 22. Tall,
rangy, blessed with the fearlessness of one
so young and with an array of strokes to
die for, the Australian has taken the
tournament by storm. It wasn’t until
nearly halfway through their stuttering
campaign that Delhi Capitals eventually
unleashed the beast. Fraser-McGurk has
since been on a mission to make up for
lost time, three half-centuries in less than
20 balls apiece bearing testament to the
ease with which he can clear boundaries,
most of them in the traditional ‘V’.
There have been suggestions that the
shorter boundaries have played into the
batsmen’s hands but those who have
watched this year’s action more than just
cursorily will agree that apart from a
handful, most of the 1,000-plus sixes have
sailed deep into the stands, not laboured
to land just outside the boundary rope.
True, the bats have become better, the
sweet spots larger and the batsmen
stronger, but to not apportion skill as one
of the reasons will be ill-advised.
Sunrisers Hyderabad heroes Head and
Abhishek Sharma have left bowlers
quaking in their boots, their brutal
dismantling of Lucknow Super Giants last
week too fresh in memory to bear
repetition. Debunking the theory that the
most effective opening combination is a
left-right one, the two left-handers are
making merry against all-comers.
Between them, they have uncorked 91
fours and 66 sixes in 12 innings, both
striking at more than 200 per hundred
balls faced. One (Abhishek) is a slayer of
spin (but not only spin), the other is more
at home dispatching the quicker bowlers
to unusual parts of the ground. They
complement each other effortlessly and
twice this year, as a pair, they have
clattered to more than 100 runs without
being separated in the PowerPlay.
Salt adds spice
Almost matching them for effect are Phil
Salt and Sunil Narine, the Kolkata Knight
Riders duo. After a lull over the last three
seasons when bowlers seemed to have
figured out Narine’s weakness against the
short ball, the West Indian – primarily a
wicket-taker, lest we should forget – has
rolled the years back while Salt, a
replacement player who was stunningly
overlooked at the auction, has added
spice to this season’s proceedings. It’s as if
both hate running between the wickets;
like Head and Abhishek, they have also
married unabashed ball-striking with
exceptional consistency, one of the
reasons for KKR making a strong pitch for
a top-two finish.
The latest pair to fire the imagination is
Shubman Gill and B. Sai Sudharsan, the
Gujarat Titans duo who on Friday
equalled the highest opening stand in IPL
history, 210. For reasons best known to
them, last year’s finalists chose to wait
until their 12th match of the season to
unite them at the top. It’s unlikely they
will make a similar mistake going forward,
not after the duo subjected Chennai Super
Kings to a spectacular lashing in
Ahmedabad. Kohli and Faf du Plessis have
been Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s
answer to Head-Abhishek and Salt-Narine,
even if their exploits haven’t been as
mind-boggling as the other two pairs.
Kohli has attributed his enhanced
strike-rate this year to shedding the fear of
being dismissed, a quality that doesn’t
come readily to someone brought up in
an era where 20-over cricket was in its
infancy, at best.
Openers may not always win a game in
the PowerPlay, but they sure can lose it if
they don’t provide the necessary impetus.
One need not look beyond the two teams
at the bottom of the pile, Mumbai Indians
and Punjab Kings, for validation. There is
a reason why well begun is half done. It’s
a maxim on which several making a push
for spots in the playoffs have thrived. Only
a special talent like Suryakumar Yadav is
capable of conjuring six T20 hundreds
while batting largely at No. 3 and No. 4.
The rest won’t settle for anything less than
opening the batting. With good reason.
(*updated till the end of Sunday’s fixture
between RCB and DC)
I
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
THE GIST
쑽
A look at the top 10 run-getters
of the tournament reveals that
beyond the admirable RR duo
of Sanju Samson and Riyan
Parag, the rest are all
designated openers, reiterating
that that is the best place to
bat in a T20 game
쑽
Sunrisers Hyderabad heroes
Head and Abhishek Sharma
have left bowlers quaking in
their boots, their brutal
dismantling of Lucknow Super
Giants last week too fresh in
memory to bear repetition
쑽
Almost matching them for
effect are Phil Salt and Sunil
Narine, the Kolkata Knight
Riders duo
쑽
The latest pair to fire the
imagination is Shubman Gill
and B. Sai Sudharsan, the
Gujarat Titans duo who on
Friday equalled the highest
opening stand in IPL history,
210
쑽
Kohli and Faf du Plessis have
been Royal Challengers
Bengaluru’s answer to
Head-Abhishek and
Salt-Narine, even if their
exploits haven’t been as
mind-boggling as the other two
pairs
S ND-NDE

II
Semal trees are being wiped out in
Rajasthan due to Udaipur’s Holi
Large quantities of semal are cut in south Rajasthan and sold in Udaipur. The price varies from ₹500 to ₹1,500 per tree, depending on size. The
cutting violates the Rajasthan Forest Act 1953 and the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. Once ubiquitous, the crimson semal flower is now a rare sight
C.M. Manasvi
n the eve of Holi in Udaipur,
O
Subash Chowk, a prominent
intersection surrounded by
luxury hotels, is transformed.
Bhajans and Bollywood songs blare from
speakers and firecrackers fly into the sky.
In the centre stands the Holika Dahan, a
50-foot-high tree sheathed in hay and set
ablaze, sending tongues of flame leaping
over a two-storey building. Locals and
tourists alike throng the chowk to catch a
glimpse. They circle the bonfire and
celebrate a mythological victory of good
over evil. This is one of Udaipur’s main
attractions for Holi.
Central to the Holika Dahan festivities
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
is the silk cotton tree (Bombax ceiba L.),
known locally as semal. Traditionally, the
debarked stem or branch of a semal tree
is used as the bonfire’s main pillar.
“It is astonishing to see the ecologically
important semal tree in Udaipur’s tallest
Holika Dahan. Its roots, fruits, seeds,
stem, stem bark, and gum are all
medicinally valuable,” Vartika Jain, an
assistant professor at the Government
Meera Girls’ College, Udaipur, wrote
recently on the ‘Semal Conservation
Mission’ Facebook group.
In 2009, Dr. Jain co-authored a paper
reporting that around 1,500-2,000 trees
or branches of semal were cut, debarked,
and ignited during Holi in the Udaipur
district in that year.
Dr. Jain’s work suggests the situation is
no better in 2024. Large quantities of
semal are cut in southern Rajasthan, in
places like Bhil and Garasia, and sold in
Udaipur.
The cutting violates a panoply of laws,
from the Rajasthan Forest Act 1953 to the
Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. The price
varies from ₹500 to ₹1,500 per tree,
depending on its size. Once ubiquitous in
the region, the crimson semal flower is
now a rare sight.
Holding the forest together
Apart from the flowers, the silk cotton
tree is characterised by its spiked trunk
and fluffy seed pods, and is native to
India. “It has multiple purposes and is
useful to wild animals, insects, and even
to tribal communities,” Satish Sharma,
the ex-assistant conservator of forests,
Udaipur, and an expert on Rajasthan’s
biodiversity, said over phone.
According to Dr. Jain, semal is an
integral species that holds the forest
ecosystem together. The rock bees nestle
on its branches because the tree’s spikes
keep its predator, the sloth bears, away.
Members of tribal communities consume
the tree’s reddish root for food during the
monsoons. Larvae of the moth
Bucculatrix crateracma feed on its leaves.
The golden-crowned sparrow weaves the
lining of its nests with white cotton from
its seeds.
The Dysdercus bugs, the Indian crested
porcupine, Hanuman langurs, and some
other species feast on the nectar in its
flowers. It is, as Dr. Jain put it, a “one-tree
wildlife sanctuary”.
Members of the Garasia tribe in the
area also believe they are descended from
semal trees.
To them and others, it provides
opportunities for agroforestry and
resources like food, fodder, and fuel
wood. Members of the Kathodi tribe use
its wood to craft musical instruments
THE DAILY QUIZ
May 10 was World Lupus Day
Rebecca Rose Varghese
X an autoimmune condition — is a facial
QUESTION 1
Which demographic group (ethnicity +
gender) is known to be at the highest
risk of developing lupus nephritis?
X Enovid
QUESTION 2
A self-antigen is a protein produced by
an organism’s own cells, which the
immune system recognises as being
part of the body. Name the
phenomenon in which antigens from
infectious agents resemble
self-antigens, provoking the immune
system to target the organism’s own
tissues?
X common endocrine disease called X
CM
YK
The flowers of a silk cotton tree in full bloom in New Delhi. FILE PHOTO
while those of the Bhil use it to make
utensils.
‘Both conservation and destruction’
The communities’ relationship with the
semal is more strained today, however.
Many members of these communities
‘prepare’ these trees for Holi in Udaipur
and other parts of the state.
“They don’t make much money from
selling semal, but because they don’t have
to grow, water, or protect it, the costs and
effort are minimal, making semal sales
beneficial for them,” according to Mr.
Sharma.
After 37 years with the forest
department, he said he’s seen both the
“conservation and the destruction of
semal”.
In this way, the semal disappeared
from the forests of south Rajasthan, which
in turn prompted those selling the tree to
mix individuals of Ailanthus excelsa,
Lannea coromandelica and Nyctanthes
arbor-tristis trees in their sales.
“The loss of a single species is
detrimental to the whole environment,”
Dr. Jain said. She has been trying to
protect the trees for more than 15 years.
Mr. Sharma calls her the “Semal Lady of
Rajasthan”.
In 2008, Dr. Jain began the ‘Semal
Conservation Mission’ under the Society
for Microvita Research and Integrated
Medicine. The mission is an amorphous
group of doctors, businesspersons, forest
officers, sociologists, and other
researchers united in raising awareness of
the importance of the semal tree through
articles in journals, magazines, and
newspapers; they also distribute
pamphlets in schools and colleges.
Members of the group have also planted
QUESTION 3
A characteristic symptom of lupus —
rash that spreads across the cheeks
and the bridge of the nose. What is it
called?
X approved oral contraceptive – Ans:
QUESTION 4
Lupus was so named in the 13th
century because the rash it causes was
thought to resemble the bite of a ____.
This is the same reason why chronic
facial tuberculosis is called lupus
vulgaris. Fill in the blank.
X 5. Country’s women involved in first
QUESTION 5
About 10% of those who have a
are affected by a type of X called Y. Y is
THE HINDU
SCIENCE
Central to the Holika Dahan festivities
is the silk cotton tree (Bombax ceiba
L.), known locally as semal.
Traditionally, the debarked stem or
branch of a semal tree is used as the
bonfire’s main pillar
more than 500 semal trees in and around
Udaipur and have pushed for Holi
celebrations switching the semal with an
iron pole draped in dried grass for the
bonfire.
Supply and demand
To a local news publisher, the city of
Udaipur boasted of having organised 500
Holika Dahan events in 2024 alone. But in
rural areas, these events are communal
and thus rarer. Many villages come
together to light a single Holika Dahan.
Gamda Pal, famous for lighting the Holika
Dahan in daylight, hosts visitors from 10
villages. “The rural and tribal
communities make sparing use of semal,”
Mr. Sharma said. “It is the urbanites who
need to understand. There will be supply
if there is demand from urban areas.”
So, he added, the key to this aspect of
protecting Rajasthan’s semal lies with the
state’s cities.
This is why he said he stresses the
importance of raising awareness in
Udaipur rather than among the tribal
communities, whose members are
responding to demand.
Tribal communities rely on small plots
of agricultural land, some livestock, and
manual labour for their income. They also
gather and sell minor forest products like
the result of an autoimmune attack
wherein certain white blood cells attack a
part of the pancreas and destroy beta
cells. Name Y.
Answers to May 9 quiz:
1. Drug that became world’s first
2. Drug metabolised to ethinylestradiol –
Ans: Mestranol
3. Abnormal growth of breast tissues in
men – Ans: Gynecomastia
4. U.S. Senator who organised 1970
hearing on Enovid’s safety – Ans:
Gaylord Nelson
Enovid clinical trials – Ans: Puerto Rico
Visual: Loretta Lynn X for ‘Science’, please write to
First contact: K.N. Viswanathan | Visual: This German scientist coined the term ______ ___________ to describe
ViswanadhaRao Batchu | Vijayram the inability of the human body’s immune system to harm the body’s tissues.
Ganasala The notion has since been refuted. Fill in the blanks. PUBLIC DOMAIN
bamboo, Pongamia pinnata seeds, and
mahua (Madhuca longifolia) flowers. They
also wish to take advantage of the
abundance of semal in south Rajasthan
and the high demand from Udaipur. None
of the experts with whom this reporter
spoke suggested State failure is a factor.
No study since 2009
Curbing demand hasn’t been easy. Many
Holika Dahan events enjoy the patronage
of businesspersons, shopkeepers, and
local transport operators’ association
interested in boosting tourist footfall.
“There is disinterest in the
administration, [in] our local municipal
bodies, to legally and ecologically protect
this species,” Sunil Dubey, an
environmentalist in Udaipur, said.
Despite years of damage, there is little
documentation of the decline in the semal
population. Since 2008, Dr. Jain’s Semal
Conservation Mission has been tracking
the sale of semal in Udaipur, yet only a
single study from 2009 has documented
the species’s decline in the region.
Neither the Forest Department nor other
researchers have made efforts to
document the loss.
The Principal Chief Conservator of
Forests and Rajasthan’s Forest
Department head Munish Kumar Garg
didn’t respond to a request for comment.
As a result, the tree is not recorded in
the state’s list of ‘rare, threatened, and
endangered’ species. (Trees on this list
enjoy priority conservation efforts.) Dr.
Jain is concerned semal “will soon join
the list” if its members continue to meet
fiery deaths on Holi.
(C.M. Manasvi is a freelance science
reporter and conducts outreach activities
for the Curiosity Lab at IIT Gandhinagar.)
Please send in your answers to
science@thehindu.co.in
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Delhi
An artist’s concept shows the exoplanet 55 Cancri
e, a rocky planet, along with the star it orbits in
this undated illustration released by NASA.
REUTERS
Finally, rocky
planet with
atmosphere
found 41 light
9c5ec05e-0141-4723-9ea3-0fa9faa3a356
years away
Reuters
Astronomers have searched for years for
rocky planets beyond our solar system
with an atmosphere, a trait considered
essential for any possibility of harbouring
life. Well, they finally seem to have
located one. But this hellish planet,
apparently with a surface of molten rock,
offers no hope for habitability.
Researchers said on Wednesday the
planet is a "super-earth", a rocky world
significantly larger than our planet but
smaller than Neptune, and it orbits
perilously close to a star dimmer and
slightly less massive than our sun, rapidly
completing an orbit every 18 hours or so.
Infrared observations using two
instruments aboard the James Webb
Space Telescope indicated the presence
of a substantial, if inhospitable,
atmosphere, perhaps continuously
replenished by gases released from a vast
ocean of magma.
"The atmosphere is likely rich in
carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, but
can also have other gases such as water
vapor and sulphur dioxide. The current
observations cannot pinpoint the exact
All of the previous exoplanets
found to have atmospheres were
gaseous planets, not rocky ones.
As Webb pushes the frontiers of
exoplanet exploration, the
discovery of a rocky one with an
atmosphere represents progress
atmospheric composition," said planetary
scientist Renyu Hu of NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech, lead
author of the study published in the
journal Nature.
The Webb data also did not make clear
the thickness of the atmosphere. Dr. Hu
said it could be as thick as the earth's or
even thicker than that of Venus, whose
toxic atmosphere is the densest in our
solar system.
The planet, called 55 Cancri e or
Janssen, is about 8.8-times more massive
than the earth, with a diameter about
twice that of our planet. It orbits its star at
one-25th the distance between our solar
system's innermost planet Mercury and
the sun. As a result, its surface
temperature is about 1,725 degrees C.
The planet is probably tidally locked,
meaning it perpetually has the same side
facing its star, much like the moon does
toward the earth. The planet is located in
our Milky Way galaxy about 41 light-years
from the earth, in the constellation
Cancer. A light year is the distance light
travels in a year, 9.5 trillion km. Four
other planets, all gas giants, are known to
orbit its host star.
That star is gravitationally bound to
another star in a binary system. The other
one is a red dwarf, the smallest kind of
ordinary star. The distance between these
companions is 1,000 times the distance
between the earth and the sun, and light
takes six days to get from one to the other.
All of the previous exoplanets found to
have atmospheres were gaseous planets,
not rocky ones. As Webb pushes the
frontiers of exoplanet exploration, the
discovery of a rocky one with an
atmosphere represents progress.
For feedback and suggestions
science@thehindu.co.in with the
subject ‘Daily page’
S ND-NDE