Southern Mail

Southern Mail
NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY

 Regn. No. TNENG/2015/65752

 DAVP EMPANELLED NEWS PAPER
NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
 Chennai Edition
 Coimbatore Edition
 Bangalore Edition
DINAKURAL
GROUPS

CINEMA CINEMA
NEWS Page 8 NEWS Page 8

PM Modis hatred
 CHENNAI EDITION  MONDAY20 MAY 2024  WHATSAPP No. 90800 52541  ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION J 3285  VOL 10, ISSUE 358  J 9.00  8 PAGES

Ensure gold loans are

repaid and not renewed,

campaigns have
banks tell branches

failed, says Stalin

f AJIKUMAR CHENNAI development of women,”
“Mr Modi has unleashed Mr. Stalin alleged.

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an imaginative hatred cam- Mr. Modi has resorted to
paign and a bundle of lies. It hatred campaigns on a daily ing of the gold loan, and open a

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f KALIDAS NEWDELHI
is the BJP that made use of basis since was afraid of the Banks have instructed their new loan account,” R.S. Dhuri-

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YouTubers such as Manish ground gained by the INDIA branches to ensure that gold yan, advocate, Indian Bank, said.

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Kashyap to serve their agen- Bloc and its victory in the loans availed of by customers are For instance, if the jewellery

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da and spread fake news that Lok Sabha polls. “People are repaid and closed, and not re- was valued at ₹1 lakh when the
migrant workers were being shocked and pained since newed or upgraded. loan was availed, and the price

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attacked,” Mr.Stalin said. the Election Commission Offering loans against gold increases to ₹1.50 lakh, the cus-

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Prime Minister Narendra which has a duty to restrain has become popular in the recent tomer can seek to upgrade the

Modi had accused leaders
of South India of insulting
people of Uttar Pradesh and
YouTubers such as Manish
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the Prime Minister, remains w years due to ease of process, less- loan for additional ₹50 lakh in
silent,” he said. er documentation, rapid avail- a new loan account, he pointed
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in various ways, the Prime Mr. Stalin wondered why ability of funding, and a variety out.
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Sanathana because his ha- Kashyap to serve their agen- Minister had come out with Mr. Modi has not expressed of repayment options. Borrowers The RBI rules, however, do
tred communal campaign da and spread fake news that a strange argument that the his opinion on the demand can pledge their gold as collateral not allow evergreening, he added.
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had failed to favour the BJP migrant workers were being scheme had affected the for increasing to 50 % the and borrow the principal amount Post Audit inspections of banks,
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in the elections, charged attacked,” Mr.Stalin said in a Metro Rail service. reservation for the BC, SC based on the gold’s purity, weight, RBI has told them to follow the
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister statement. “Mr. Modi’s speech and ST. and market rate. For non-agricul- rules, he said.
m

M.K. Stalin. “Mr Modi is depressed proves that he has scant re- “The people of Tamil ture gold loans, the Loan to Value “I have a gold loan at a pub-
since the hatred campaigns gard for truth. The number Nadu and those who are in-
co

He was reacting to Mr is 75%. lic sector bank in Pattabiram and

Modi’s campaign speech in had failed to favor the BJP of passengers who travelled terested in social justice have The interest rates and tenure went to make my interest repay-
p.

the UP, where he had said and since he had nothing in Metro Rail had increased been highlighting the issue. vary with respect to banks and ment, the official at the bank said
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both the Congress and the to boast about the achieve- to 9.11 crore in 2023 from It is supported by the Con- there are various repayment op- I cannot renew my gold loan after
Samajwadi Party (SP) “seek ments of the 10-year rule 3.28 crore in 2019. gress and the allies of the tions, including paying the in- its tenure is over...
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votes here and while in south of his government, he had The Prime Minister who INDIA Bloc as it will benefit terest and principal in equated A lot of customers have been
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India, when their partners resorted to denigrating the has failed to release funds the people of UP. monthly instalment (EMI), pay- paying interest and seeking re-
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use absurd and abusive lan- welfare schemes of the States for the second phase of the Why is the Prime Minis- ing the interest as EMI and the newal of the gold loan,” said Sub-
guage for the people of U.P. ruled by opposition parties. Metro Rail project, as earlier ter not opening his mouth in principal at the end of the ten- ha (name changed).Bank officials
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and Sanatana Dharma, they He has proved that he is al- agreed upon, has chosen to this?”he asked. ure and a bullet payment option confirmed that branches were
remain silent.” ways against the poor,” he criticise the free bus travel. Mr. Stalin said the divi- where the principal and interest orally instructed not to renew ex-
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“Mr. Modi has unleashed said. Since he subscribed to the sive dream of the BJP will are paid at the end of loan tenure. isting gold loans.
s:

an imaginative hatred cam- Mr. Stalin said while the right-wing and retrograde never become a reality. “Lies “There has been practice of Consumer activist T. Sadago-
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paign and a bundle of lies. It free bus travel for women in ideology of the RSS, he fears will be exposed and truth evergreening – where fresh loans pan said it was understandable
is the BJP that made use of Tamil Nadu benefitted them schemes that promote the will triumph,” he said. are given to borrowers to prevent that the regulator wanted to en-
ht

an existing loan from turning sure that the existing gold loans

Opposition will register victories with record

bad. If the price of gold increases, were repaid, but banks should
borrowers who have not paid the have been transparent in telling

margins in Rae Bareli, Amethi: Akhilesh Yadav

interest on the gold loan properly, the customers that they should

Southern Mail
approach the bank, seek upgrad- have repaid the gold loans.

‘400 paar’ (cross 400) alleging that it

showed the BJP’s arrogance. He added
that the ruling party would fail to cross
140 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
The SP president who addressed an NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY

f KALIDAS NEWDELHI
The SP leader terms the BJP as ‘ar-
rogant’ for the their ‘400 paar’ slogan,
adding that it will fail to cross 140 seats
Samajwadi Party (SP) president
Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday in Sultan-
pur said that Rae Bareli and Amethi
would be among the Lok Sabha seats
where the INDIA bloc candidates reg-
ister victories with record margins. The
SP-Congress alliance was a formidable
coalition, he added.
“Amethi and Rae Bareli will also be
included among the seats where we
(the SP and the Congress) will regis-
ter victories with record margin in the
the Congress coming together, one and
one have become eleven and this time,
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will
become naw do egyahar (run away)
and reduced to zero,” Mr. Yadav told
reporters.
Rahul Gandhi promises equal treat-
ment to Amethi, Rae Bareli if Congress
forms government
In Rae Bareli, former Congress
president Rahul Gandhi was contesting
on the symbol of the grand old party,
while Kishori Lal Sharma, an old trust-
ed aide of the Gandhi family, was the
Congress candidate for Amethi.
The SP president further target-
KARNATAKA STATE
election rally in support of party can-
didate Ram Bhul Nishad said, “We are
going to restore the old pension, farm-
ers’ loans will be waived, 30 lakh jobs
will be created.”
BANGALORE EDITION OFFICE
He also said that the Agniveer For NEWS & Advertisement Contact:
scheme would end after June 4. “Our
youth wanted to protect the country’s
borders with a permanent job but they
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made it into an Agniveer.
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9483388665, 8147399043
and the government is formed, the Ag- 1269/10, 2nd Floor, KHB Colony,
niveer system will also end forever,” he Housing Board Bus Stop, Magadi Main Road,
said.
Rae Bareli, Amethi have given us
Bangalore-79, Karnataka State. India.
everything, say Sonia and Rahul
Mr. Yadav alleged that people of BJP
were deliberately leaking recruitment
examination papers so that they do not
have to give jobs to the youth in the
country. For your esteemed
“Overall, papers of more than 10 ex- Contribution
ams were leaked, our youth got disap-
pointed,” he told the gathering 12
“The BJP government has rendered
every youth of Sultanpur unemployed, REGD.OFFICE..25 MARKET STREET, THIRUPAPULIYUR,CUDDALORE - 607 002.
CUDDALORE DISTRICT. TAMILNADU, INIDIA.
looted the crops of the farmers, made mail:globalgreentreefoundation@gmail.com
electricity, diesel and petrol expensive; Marhoom Mahboob Ali Rahman Ali. by R. Usman Ali - Dubai. &
what answer does the BJP have for Co-Sponsors Marhoom Haji Mohamed Hassan Marhuma Hajjah C.Thahiraunnissa

country. With the Samajwadi Party and ed the ruling party for the slogan of this,” he asked. by Mr. Mohammed Zakir Hussain - Abu Dhabi - UAE. 9043862679@paytm
Southern Mail NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
02
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Eco-friendly smart "Comet" electric cars
launched in Madurai
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British automobile company with a 100-year heritage, has
launched its eco-friendly smart "Comet" new electric car
"MG Comet EV" have been introduced in Madurai, one
of the ancient city of Tamil Nadu. During the press con-
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Dangers of divisiveness
An address in India,
On the electoral rhetoric,
minted at the post office from the top level
The government has entrusted
officials from Census, postal depart-
ment, railways and National Informat-
ics Centre to scrutinise and verify doc-
uments after they are submitted online
for citizenship under CAA
Pakistani Hindus who applied for
citizenship under CAA wait for their
turn to be interviewed by an empow-
ered committee comprising postal
department and railway officials, at a
post office in New Delhi
On a hot Saturday morning, plastic
chairs have been lined up in the cor-
ner of a big hall at the Indraprastha
post office in central Delhi. Around a
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dozen Pakistani Hindus, all related to
each other, soon occupy the chairs and
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await their turn for an interview with
government officials in the office of the
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Senior Postmaster. An official emerges
s:
from the room, matches the names on
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a bunch of files in his possession and
calls them inside one by one.
ht
They have applied for citizenship
under the newly implemented Citi-
zenship (Amendment) Act (CAA),
2019.
Over 300 people become Indian
citizens under CAA
Kanwar Lal came to India on a
pilgrimage visa with his wife and
children in June 2014. After the CAA
Rules were notified on March 11, pav-
ing the way for the implementation of
the legislation passed by the Parlia-
ment in December 2019, Mr. Lal ap-
plied online for citizenship by natural-
isation on April 27. Last week, he got
an SMS to reach the Indraprastha Post
Office on Saturday at 11 am.
“I had the file with all the doc-
uments. This includes an eligibility
certificate issued by the priest of Shiv
Mandir near our refugee colony. The
officials interviewed me for around 40
minutes, asked me detailed questions
but eventually turned down my appli-
cation. They have asked me to apply
again as an affidavit to be attested by a
notary was missing,” said Mr. Lal.
Though the legislation was
brought in for undocumented mi-
grants, the Rules specify several doc-
uments that are to be uploaded on the
portal including a document issued by
a government authority in Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh. While
applications are pouring in from Ra-
jasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Delhi
where Pakistani Hindus who entered
India legally are concentrated, there is
no confirmation about people apply-
ing for citizenship under CAA in West
Bengal and Assam. Matuas and Nama-
City
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Southern Mail
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Commenting on the launch, to deliver innovative solutions
MONDAY 20-05-2024
T6
Nipun Marya, Chief Executive that resonate with the lifestyle
Officer – iQOO, said, "As we of today's youth."
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uencies after the fourth phase in the general
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election, the electoral campaigns of parties
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have reached closer to the end point. Deep
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into the campaign calendar, though, the dis-
connect between the concerns of the elector-
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ate and campaign rhetoric — especially that
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of BJP lynchpin and Prime Minister Narendra
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Modi — remains, unfortunately, intact.
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While job creation, inflation and devel-
opment have been emphasised by voters as
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primary issues, Mr. Modi refuses to be driven
ap
by the idea of contesting mainly on his gov-
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ernment’s record over 10 years of rule and
sudras who fled Bangladesh fearing re- postal department, railways and Na-
ha
focusing on measures to ameliorate the main
ligious persecution and settled in West tional Informatics Centre to scrutinise concerns. Instead, he seeks to do what he has
Bengal, and Bengali Hindus, excluded and verify the documents after they always revelled in — attacking the Opposition
from Assam’s National Register of Cit- are submitted online. An empowered with truths, half-truths, and non sequiturs.
izens (NRC) in 2015, are the other in- committee under Directorate of Cen- Mr. Modi’s recourse to this is also helped by
tended beneficiaries. sus is the final authority to grant citi-
the shrill noise of television and social media
At least 14 people from Mr. Lal’s zenship. The Senior Superintendent or being a useful tool to distract from concerns
neighbourhood at Majnu Ka Tila in Superintendent of Post heads the dis- with the rhetoric that he has used, be it hate
North Delhi were conferred citizen- trict-level committee where an official speech against Muslims or dog whistles to rev
ship on May 15 by Union Home Sec- not below the rank of Naib Tehsildar
up support from Hindutva adherents. Other
retary Ajay Kumar Bhalla. or equivalent from the office of Dis- parties, including the Congress and its public
Amar Nath Advani, 44, who sells trict Collector representing the State face, Rahul Gandhi, are also — even if not to
mobile phone covers for a living near government is only an invitee. the same extent — guilty of raking up identity
Majnu Ka Tila was at the post office Priest can give CAA eligibility cer- issues such as those related to caste politics.
with five other family members. tificate, says government helpline But Mr. Modi and some of his colleagues have
“The officials interviewed us for CAA Rules open the door to dual taken vituperation as a campaigning device to
three hours. They asked me about my citizenship by not requiring renuncia- new levels. In his rally in Jaunpur, he accused
parents, I showed their death certifi- tion of previous citizenship, anti-CAA the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and
cates. They also wanted to see the iden- petitioners tell SC the Congress, of silence when their southern
tity documents of my parents. They As CAA was opposed by many allies used “absurd and abusive language” for
asked how we came here, what do I do
and if we will ever go back to Pakistan.
States including West Bengal, Tamil
Nadu and Kerala, in order to bypass
the people of U.P. and “sanatana dharma”.
Some of the northern parties in the INDIA
They asked several questions to each
family member,” said Mr. Advani. He
the role of the State government in
implementing the law, the Union Min-
bloc have publicly disagreed with DMK leader
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on “sanatana
said he was grateful to the Narendra istry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified dharma” while emphasising their stances on
Modi government for having imple- committees headed by Census and social justice and taking on the issue of caste
mented the CAA as before this he had postal department officials leaving no hierarchy. There is more that unites the politics
never applied for citizenship under the scope for the involvement of State gov- of federalism and social justice espoused by
Citizenship Act, 1955. ernments. these parties than what divides them — ques-
“That process involved lot of pa- CAA facilitates citizenship to tions related to linguistic nationalism such as
perwork. CAA makes it easy for us. undocumented migrants belonging the need for English as a link language — but
People who applied under Citizenship to six non-Muslim communities — that is to be expected from coalitions made up
Act, 1955, their files were pending for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or of different political parties. Mr. Modi should
years. This time I am hopeful that af- Christian from Afghanistan, Bangla- focus on the differences in emphasis on how
ter an enquiry is done by a security desh and Pakistan, who entered India to tackle socio-economic issues between the
official, I will get citizenship soon,” he on or before December 31, 2014, and BJP and the INDIA bloc.
said.Mr. Advani’s daughter, Arti, was reduces the period to qualify for citi- But, instead, his use of half-truths as a
eight years old when she came to India zenship from existing 11 years to five weapon to rile the Hindi heartland against
on a pilgrim visa. Today, she is mar- years. CAA says the minorities from southern parties is problematic, at a time
ried with three children, the youngest the three neighbouring countries who when there is greater north-south economic
of them a six-month-old boy. entered India without any passport, integration, with working class citizens from
“I got married in India, my hus- visa through illegal means “shall not the north migrating to the south for employ-
band is also from Sindh, Pakistan. be treated as illegal migrant for the ment.
He came in 2014. I have applied for purposes of this Act,” and will be ex- Recently, the BJP inducted Manish Kashy-
citizenship through my father. My empted from the punishable sections ap, a YouTube content creator who had been
husband will apply later and am sure under Section 3 of the Passport (Entry jailed in Tamil Nadu for spreading false news
he will get it,” said Arti adding that into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreign- about Bihari migrants being attacked in the
she never went to school in Pakistan ers Act, 1946. Insertion of Section 6B State. Such actions could foment divisive pol-
but studied till Class VII after com- paves the way for such migrants to get itics that does not help the Indian nation as a
ing here.In a first, the government citizenship by registration and natu- whole.
has entrusted officials from Census, ralisation.
Southern Mail NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
City
03 MONDAY 20-05-2024
Chennais Amirta International Aviation "Sree Chaitanya Techno School
College Signs MOU With University Erode tops the district"
College of Aviation (UniCAM) ,
Malaysia to Offer Study Abroad Program
Chennai: Chennais Amirta Inter-
national Aviation College, a pioneer
in the Hotel Management industry
and a record-breaking institution in
the Culinary Olympics with Three
gold medal,Six silver and a bronze, is
embarking on a groundbreaking ini-
tiative in Aviation education. Record
breaking with placing 25,000 candi-
dates. Acknowledging the burgeon-
ing demand for skilled professionals
within the aviation industry, Chennais The Students of Erode Sri Chai- first position with 496 marks, Srin- cured the second position with 476
Amirta International Institution is tanya Techno School have topped idhi and Abhilash got second posi- marks and Meera secured the third
venturing into Aviation education to the class 10th CBSE public examina- tion with 490 marks and Kavi Swasti- position with 466 marks
bridge the gap between job vacancies tion in Erode district District Head ka got third position with 488 marks The Deputy General Manager of
and qualified manpower. Presently, include six months of classroom edu- of MOU is uniqueProf. Dr. Captain Ab of Criminal Justice Mr.Arun Kumar, Rithumitra who scored 485 marks, our school also appreciated them.
there are approximately 137 Airports cation at the University College of Avi- Manan Bin Mansor, Chairman of Uni- Deputy General Manager Mr. Ven- Aishwarya who scored 483 marks, Students and parents shared their
in india , 3,000-4,000 vacancies at the ation, Malaysia and six months of in- versity College of Aviation(UniCAM), katkrishna Reddy, School Principal Sridarshini who scored 482 marks, views and experiences during the
Chennai airport alone, with a cumu- ternship at Malaysian airports during Malaysia, Kalaiarasan, Founder, Smt. Harshita who scored 481 marks, eventTeaching is a charity for all stu-

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lative demand of 411,000 skilled indi- their third year of studies. Addition- Tharshal Academy,Malaysia, Jainanak Praveena, District Incharge Mr. Aditya and Prithivi who scored 480 dents to achieve academic excellence
viduals across various airports in In- ally, Chennais Amirta as a trendsetter singh, Founder,Training minds,Ma- Perumal Ganesan, High School marks and congratulated the stu- The Deputy General Manager of

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dia. As part of its strategic expansion in providing students with part-time laysia remarked that this collabora- Principal Mr.Sanjiva Reddy, Land dents. Lakshita Ravikumar, a student the school praised the teachers for

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plans, Chennais Amirta is thrilled to jobs, allowing them to earn between tion would elevate Aviation education Owner Mr.Velusamy, and parents of of Sri Chaitanya Techno Higher Sec- working in line with Annu Arpa-

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announce a collaboration with the 8,000 and 15,000 INRper month in to the next level, offering Chennais the students were present and con- ondary School secured the first po- je and the achievements of the stu-

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esteemed University College of Avia- India Amirta students, the international gratulated the students shwetha got sition with 482 marks, Priyanka se- dents...
tion, Malaysia. This strategic alliance This unparalleled program aims exposure essential for their careers.

will offer students a comprehensive
two-year program at the Mount road
campus, followed by the culmination
of their studies at the University Col-
lege of Aviation in Malaysia. Addition-
to equip students with practical skills,
global perspectives, and hands-on
experience in the dynamic aviation
industry. As part of the value-added
services, students will receive special
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He appreciated Mr. Boomenathan's
Whisper creates awareness about
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dynamism and initiatives for global
educational
collaborations. The MOU signing the early onset of periods w
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ceremony was attended by Assoc. Prof. Chennai: India’s leading femi-
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ally, students will benefit from exclu- training sessions, including grooming, Dr. Faiz Aizat Bin Ab Manan, Chief nine-care brand Whisper, from the
sive six-month training opportunities spoken Hindi and English, interna- Executive, Kalaiarasan, Founder of- house of Procter & Gamble, is raising
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at Malaysian airports, leveraging the tional ticket booking coaching, and Tharshal Academy,Malaysia, Jainanak awareness about— the early onset of
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expertise and infrastructure available. IATA training. Mr. R. Boomenathan, Singh, Founder of Training Minds, menstruation among young girls — as
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Under the Memorandum of Un- Chairman of Chennais Amirta Inter- Malaysia and Madam Salina Binti part of the fifth edition of its #Keep-
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derstanding (MOU) signed today, se- national Aviation College, Ahmad, Advisor of University College GirlsInSchool (KGIS) movement.
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lected students pursuing a Three Year expressed his enthusiasm for this of Aviation, Malaysia, along with dig- With girls starting periods as early as 8
Degree and Diploma program will landmark collaboration, stating "We nitaries from Chennais Amirta Group years of age, the need to create aware-
p.

complete their first and second years are the first college in aviation educa- of Institutions, including CEO Ms. Ka- ness early on is crucial, as 26 million
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at the Mountroad campus and then tion to provide students with the op- vitha Nandakumar, Dr. Milton, Dean girls can be at the risk of dropping out
embark on a transformative experi- portunity for training at international and Banumathi.B, Head – University of school without period education
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ence in Malaysia. This experience will airports during their studies. This type Affairs. and access to period products. Studies
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have found that one out of five girls

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Multiple Sclerosis Society of

could be dropping out of school due dropout rates caused by insufficient the early onset of periods with a fun,
Crompton leads the way in sustainable to lack of period education and access information and lack of access to catchy jingle that reiterates, “periods
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India - Chennai Chapter consumer durables in DJSI Score

to period products. In India today, period products. To date, Whisper’s ka matlab healthy hai aap (periods
girls as young as 8 years of age are be- Keep Girls In School program has means you are healthy)". KGIS is an
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Chennai: The Multiple Scle- ginning their menstrual cycle, as per taught over 100 million schoolgirls initiative by Whisper which aims to
s:

rosis Society of India observed several reports, and so are at a higher and mothers about periods and period reduce the stigma attached to men-
tp

World MS Day on May 30th 2024 risk of dropping out from school due products, and provided free sanitary struation, create awareness and reduce
which happens to be the 15th to lack of period education. This could napkins to girls. Whisper’s new emo- the number of girls who drop due to
ht

World MS Day. The theme for this
year is “MY MS DIAGNOSIS” and
the tagline is “NAVIGATING MS
TOGETHER”. Multiple Sclerosis
(MS), is a rare disease with “No
Known Cause, hence no Known
Cure”. It is a neuro degenerative
disorder, affecting the brain, spinal
cord, and optic nerve, causing a number of neurological
symptoms. It affects the functioning of the Central Nervous
System unexpectedly and repeatedly, resulting in devastat-
ing disabilities in young people in the prime of their lives.
There are 41 invisible symptoms that are associated with
Multiple Sclerosis like fatigue, bowel bladder incontinence,
numbness, tingling etc. It is also known as the “Crippler of
the Young Adult” as it affects people in the age group of 14
to 40 years.
In India there is little or no support for people living
with MS, because there is little awareness of the disease.
MSSI-Chennai Chapter reaches out to help those people af-
fected by MS and improve their “Quality of life”. Sometimes
World MS Day is the first time a group of people affected
by MS hear about Multiple Sclerosis. Even though we have
9 Chapters spread-out all-over India, little is known about
MS, particularly in the vast stretches of rural India, hence
creating “Awareness” is our major thrust.;Multiple Sclerosis
Society of India is entering into a collaboration with IIT
Madras (Brain Centre) for research into the cause of Multi-
ple Sclerosis. It will be an earth shattering discovery, when
it reaches its finality. Awareness of this is of vital signif-
icance and importance to the MS persons and society at
large.Creating awareness of this orphan disease, Multiple
Sclerosis, particularly among the urban and rural popula-
tion is the need of the hour! Mr. Murugappan, M. D. of
Murugappa Group of Industries was the Chief Guest. The
other eminent speakers were, Dr. Mohanshankar Sivapra-
gasam, Head, IIT Brain Centre who spoke about the collab-
oration between IIT and MSSI and Dr. Rashmin Gandhi,
Neuro - Ophthalmologist who conducted a Quizz as a part
of a knowledge sharing session. Mrs. Ann Gonsalvez, Hon.
Secretary of MSSI, delivered the Vote of Thanks.
Chennai: Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd., lead to escalation in absenteeism and tional film features young 8-year-old the lack of information around men-
renowned for its wide range of energy-efficient and sustainable increased drop out rate if they do not girls who know nothing about men- strual hygiene. KGIS has taught over
consumer products, has secured a top ranking in the Dow Jones learn and are made aware at the right struation and think up the worst pos- 100 million schoolgirls about periods
Sustainability Index (DJSI) for its outstanding environmental, time. Whisper is at the forefront of ed- sible scenarios as the cause of unex- and period products till date. For the
social, and governance (ESG) performance. Crompton world- ucating girls across the country about pected bleeding in one of their friends. first time, Whisper has used music
wide, places in the 94th percentile globally and secures the the importance of menstrual hygiene, The film aims to normalise this natu- to raise awareness about periods;
7th position among its peers in the DHP Household Durables normalising any mthys and taboos ral biological change in their body by through a fun and catchy jingle, “peri-
sector. This rating further underlines Crompton's dedication to about periods, with an aim to decrease educating young girls in school about ods ka matlab healthy hai aap”.
sustainable practices and its position as a leader in the industry.
The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), established in 1999,
serves as a benchmark for evaluating the sustainability perfor- Bosch Introduces New Semi-Automatic Washing
Machines Tailored for Indian Homes
mance of thousands of publicly traded companies worldwide.
The rigorous evaluation process of the DJSI includes assessing
companies based on economic, environmental and social cri- Chennai: BSH Home Appliances
teria, with a focus on long-term sustainability. The DJSI World, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of BSH Haus-
for example, recognizes the top 10% of the largest 2,500 compa- geräte GmbH, a global leader in the
nies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index based on long-term home appliance industry introduces
ESG criteria. its latest range of ‘Made-in-India’
Crompton’s DJSI score this year reported big improvements semi-automatic washing machines,
in its ratings in critical areas, which includes environmental meticulously crafted to cater to the
sustainability, product stewardship, high impact social respon- discerning fabric care needs of Indi-
sibility initiatives, diversity, employee well-being, human capital an households. With an unwavering
development and strong governance practices. As the company commitment to consumer-centrici-
continues its sustainability journey, it remains steadfast in its ty and the ethos of Make In India,
commitment to continual improvement and innovation, seek- Bosch presents an unparalleled
ing new opportunities to address global challenges and drive laundry experience, promising su-
positive change. Commenting on the rating, Promeet Ghosh, perior fabric care and convenience
MD & CEO, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd. #LikeABosch. sential customer-centric features to our new range of Semi-Automatic
said, “Sustainability is fundamental to what we do at Crompton. Manufactured at par with Ger- make laundry chores more efficient washing machines tailored for In-
That's why we design and manufacture products with energy ef- man standards of quality and de- providing added benefits to the us- dian consumers. With this launch,
ficiency at their core. From iconic fans to durable LED lighting, sign, these washing machines en- ers as listed below. This new range we aim to further strengthen our
Crompton products empower consumers to minimize energy sure reliability and performance promises a laundry experience free presence in the laundry category
use and reduce their environmental footprint. We are constant- that align with global benchmarks. from damage, stains, and hassle. and elevate the fabric care experi-
ly exploring new technologies and materials to further enhance This new semi-automatic range Bosch ensures that every garment is ence for Indian consumers. At BSH
the sustainability of our offerings, ensuring that every Cromp- comes in captivating hues such as treated with care, delivering impec- Home Appliances, we are dedicated
ton product empowers consumers to make responsible choic- peacock blue, wine, lilac, coral pink, cable results while adding a touch of to enhancing everyday life through
es for their homes and the planet. We believe that sustainable tangerine orange, champagne gold, elegance to any laundry space with a consumer-centric innovations.
practices are not just good for the planet, but also good for our and shining black. The highlight of wide range of colour options. Com- With a strong emphasis on 'Make in
business and our customers. We are committed to involving our this innovative range is its pleasing menting on the launch, Saif Khan, India,' each feature of our products
employees, customers, and business partners in our collective design that sets it apart from the MD & CEO, BSH Home Appliances, is thoughtfully crafted to suit the di-
pursuit of a more sustainable future.” rest. It is further coupled with es- said “We are delighted to introduce verse needs of Indian households”
Southern Mail
04
NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
The takeaway from Mumbai
hoarding tragedy
Did the massive structure at Ghat-
kopar meet size and safety norms?
Who is responsible for the construc-
tion and maintenance of advertise-
ment hoardings and ensuring rules
are being followed? With extreme
weather, what do infrastructure proj-
ects need to look out for?
Wreckage of the vehicles that were
damaged after a 100-foot tall illegal
billboard fell on a petrol pump due to
rains and dust storm in the Ghatko-
par area of Mumbai.
The story so far: A giant advertise-
ment hoarding in Mumbai’s Ghatko-
par area collapsed in a dust storm in
Mumbai on May 13, killing at least 16
people. The brunt of the monstrous
250-tonne structure’s fall was borne
by a petrol pump below, where many
of the victims were either fuelling up
or going about their duties. The own-
er of the hoarding erected on massive
metal frames in April, 2023 on Gov-
ernment Railway Police (GRP) land,
Bhavesh Bhinde, absconded after the
crash, but was later arrested in Rajas-
than.
Who is responsible?
Pressure has built up on the Mu-
nicipal Corporation of Greater
Mumbai (BMC) to inspect and take
action on illegal or unstable hoard-
ings in the city, and to ask Railways
and Mumbai Port Trust to provide
stability certificates for others. Other
cities too responded to the incident.
Officials in Chennai, where a ban on
hoardings is being lifted, removed
over 460 structures. Several hundred
applications to install hoardings are
pending in the city. In Pune, a large
hoarding fell on a parked truck soon
after the Ghatkopar incident, but
caused no injuries.
What safety norms apply to hoard-
ings?
Local bodies issue licences for ad-
vertisement hoardings, particularly
in bigger cities, stipulating that these
structures should be approved by
an executive authority. In Mumbai’s
case, the Mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration Act (MMC) dating back to
1888 and amended over time stipu-
lates that written permission of the
Municipal Commissioner is needed
to put up such structures under Sec-
tion 328A.
Advertisement hoardings must
meet norms, and these were appar-
Pursuit of happiness
ently liberalised for Greater Mumbai
through the Policy Guidelines for
I turned to the “Open Page” with
trepidation wondering whether my
article where I had agonised over ev-
ery word and line had found a place.
The editor’s scalpel is really sharp and,
often, I am disappointed. This week
too, I was disappointed but before
I could move on I saw a particular
name. My sense of disappointment
blew away when I saw the name of
my good friend and colleague over
the years. Lakshmi is articulate with
her fine repertoire of words, and a
great reader on the sidelines of her
busy schedule. I could not have been
happier had my own article appeared
in the columns of the “Open Page”.
How does one differentiate the
pride one feels for a friend’s accom-
plishment, something one is slightly
MONDAY 20-05-2024
Display of Advertisements 2018 to
tap the city’s full financial potential. It
is this document that makes structur-
al stability certification from a regis-
tered structural engineer a condition
for putting up hoardings, including
sky signs that are larger than 100 sq.
ft. For an on-ground hoarding on a
site other than the business premises,
the size limit is 40 feet by 40 feet as
per this document. By all accounts,
the massive hoarding in Ghatkopar
did not meet size norms but was not
brought down by official agencies in
spite of being a highly visible haz-
ardous structure. The Government
Railway Police, on whose land the
t.w
collapsed hoarding and others else-
where have been put up, cited an on-
ha
going dispute with the Corporation
for not enforcing the law on hoard-
//c
ings, and took action only after the
s:
disaster. It is notable that the policy
tp
guidelines say hoardings existing as
of May 1, 2014 should be reinstalled
ht
incorporating structural stability re-
quirements, on a single pole or bi-
pole, indicating that the Ghatkopar
display would have had to meet safety
norms.
From a technical perspective, the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) lays
out specifications for wind loads on
hoardings under IS875, Part 3, giv-
ing formulae on how to calculate the
force coefficients applicable to these
wind-facing structures. If such stan-
dards are indeed applied by munic-
envious of, and the undiluted joy
one feels for someone for whom
one is completely happy?
The subtle difference is ex-
pressed in the Hebrew word
firgun, which can be roughly
translated as unselfish delight.
There are times we feel happy
about things totally unrelated
to us, where there is no sense of
the self. I see the child of neigh-
bours, who have recently moved in,
giving me the brightest smile of ca-
maraderie from the balcony and my
heart is moved. There is similar joy at
the sight of a red hibiscus in the gar-
den, looking askance at me.
The pursuit of happiness can be a
tiresome exercise, the object forever
evasive when we look for it in tan-
India
ipal bodies around the country, the
data is not made public. No database
of permits could be located on the
BMC website in the hoardings sec-
4n
tion.
Why are technical standards im-
uf
portant?
lx
State governments keen to raise
/D
revenues through outdoor advertise-
m
ment hoardings have been adopting
a more liberal attitude to big displays
co
in public places, as urbanisation and
p.
consumption drive the economy. The
ap
advent of digital boards has brought
with it the possibility of moving dis-
ts
plays, opening up avenues for dif-
ha
ferent advertisers to use the same
screens to show messages, raising
rents for hoardings companies great-
ly.
Hoardings set to return, but first
tax the ‘unbilled’ boards
Several legacy-style hoardings
built on heavy metal frames but lack-
ing an adequately solid foundation
coexist with the new displays, par-
ticularly along highways and wide
urban roads. The MMC Act of 1888
provides some regulatory exemptions
to hoardings on railway land. The
Ghatkopar disaster demonstrates that
extreme weather, such as high winds
or a cyclone sweeping a city, quick-
ly exposes the weakest infrastructure
links, with deadly consequences. The
focus now is also on how prepared
municipal and disaster management
authorities are to deal with the fallout
gible ways. It resides in the recesses
of our own hearts waiting to emerge
when we show concern and empathy
for everything and everyone around.
Recently, I found a woman, who
lived alone, beaming with happiness
as she was surrounded by grandchil-
dren who had come to visit her from
another country. Savouring the occa-
T6
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3i
K
dc
Q
Li
in crowded cities. In the Mumbai in-
5o
cident, the presence of a petrol pump
w injury led to his death.
prevented personnel from using gas
H
cutters to remove the twisted metal
frame for fear of triggering a fire. Al-
lowing hazardous structures to come
up thus reduces the efficiency of di-
saster management expertise. Sever-
al local bodies lack the capability or
administrative machinery to ensure
structural stability of hoardings. Im-
plicit in such incidents is the role of
corruption.
How is climate change a chal-
lenge?
The biggest threat to cities, espe-
cially along India’s peninsular coast-
line, is extreme weather such as cy-
clones intensified by climate change.
The northern Indian Ocean, which
contributes extreme weather sys-
tems to the region, hosts 6% of global
cyclones but has disproportionate-
ly high impacts each year. Scientist
Roxy Mathew Koll of the Centre for
Climate Change Research, Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology,
Pune, says the intensity of cyclones in
the Arabian Sea has increased 20% to
40% over the past four decades. The
Indian Ocean, which has a big im-
pact on peninsular weather events, is
projected to warm continuously and
rapidly in coming years, intensifying
cyclones in a matter of days. The sea
surface temperature of the Arabian
Sea responsible for cyclone formation
is 1.2-1.4 degrees C higher than four
sion, she lived in the moment ex-
ulting in their presence, her lone-
liness falling away. I stepped in to
partake of their joy and found it
immersive. In that moment, my
happiness was complete.
Another time, I met a septua-
genarian walking his frisky Lab-
rador in the light of dawn. I did
not know who walked whom but
they were happy in their togeth-
erness and I experienced a selfless joy.
To be happy about the happiness of
another is indeed a gift when there
are people around who are not hap-
py with what they have but unhappy
about what others have
Writer Jean-Francois Beauchemin,
in his book Archives of Joy, speaks of
“an invitation to a certain forgotten
decades ago, while the Bay of Bengal
is comparatively less warm with a 0.8
degrees C rise.
Data shows that summer mon-
soon rainfall over the sub-continent
may be decreasing overall, but the
number of extreme weather events
involving heavy rain in a short period
is rising. Along with cyclonic winds,
torrential rainfall and heavy winds
threaten coastal cities. This is a clear
call to city governments to review
conventional ideas on giant outdoor
open-sky hoardings put up close to
human activity.
Don’t governments have legal lia-
bility?
Yes, the government and the own-
ers of the private structures do have
liability. Most recently, in 2022, the
Delhi High Court dismissed an ap-
peal filed by the Bank of Baroda,
against a single judge’s order in BoB
versus Mahesh Gupta, granting com-
pensation in a case where a man was
struck by a sign board and the head
The bank contended that heavy
wind struck Delhi on the day of the
incident and it was thus an act of god.
This was rejected by the court, which
observed that since Delhi witnesses
such winds in May each year, it was a
foreseeable risk.
Moreover, the bank had control
of the signboard and had not proved
that it had periodically inspected it
to ensure its stability and integrity.
Extreme rainfall and winds are fore-
seeable events now across the coun-
try, with clear warnings available
from weather agencies. Governments
have to show due diligence to avert
harm to citizens from official ac-
tions. Much like the Ghatkopar case,
where many people were trapped in
a hoarding collapse, the court held in
the Delhi case thus: the deceased writ
petitioner was a passer-by who met
with the accident while exercising his
right of passage on a public pathway
which abutted the building in which
the bank was housed.
Applying such a principle clearly
makes several connected individuals
liable for negligence in the Ghatko-
par case, beginning with the owners
of the land, the agency that put up
the structure and the line officials re-
sponsible for enforcement, extending
to the civic officials and police who
witnessed flagrant violation of rules
but took no action.
way of seeing the world” and an ex-
ultation at “an earthly life with its du-
ration so short it obliges us to surpass
ourselves.” These encounters, how-
ever brief and transient, add value to
careworn lives.
The tranquillity of the night sky
with sparkling stars or the red glory of
the sunrise are hallowed experiences
that reach out to us in our pain-filled
existence, offering beauty we can ex-
perience with joy on our own as well
as with the world. Dostoevsky says in
his The Brothers Karamazov, “Love
every leaf. Love the animals, love the
plants, love everything; you will begin
to comprehend it better everyday and
you will come at last to love the world
with an all embracing love.” There lies
our happiness.
Southern Mail
05
NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
What are the NIAs
allegations against NSCN?
Why has the National Investi-
gation Agency filed a chargesheet
against five people in a Guwaha-
ti court? What is the link with the
Naga insurgency group? Is the hill
tribal group helping valley-based in-
surgents in Manipur? What are the
three main ethnic communities in
the State?
The story so far: On March 7,
the National Investigation Agency
(NIA) filed a charge sheet in a Gu-
wahati court where it accused the
“China-Myanmar module” of the
Isak-Muivah faction of the Nation-
al Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN) of supporting cadres of two
banned Meitei outfits, the People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) and Kanglei
Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), to infiltrate
India. The NIA alleged that their aim
was to exploit the current ethnic un-
rest in Manipur, which began in May
2023, with a larger goal to destabilise
the State and wage a war against the
Government of India.
Which are the main ethnic group-
ings?
The Meitei, Naga and Kuki-Zomi-
Mizo are the three main ethnic
groupings in Manipur. The Meiteis,
the largest community, account for
about 53% of the State’s total popu-
lation of 27.21 lakh (2011 Census).
The Nagas and the Kuki-Zo which
are categorised into 34 Scheduled
Tribes constitute 17% and 26% of the
population respectively. India and
Myanmar share a 1,643 km unfenced
border of 398 km along Manipur. In
January, the Government decided
to fence the entire border and end
the Free Movement Regime (FMR)
which allowed people to cross over
without any documents or passport.
People on both sides of the border
share ethnic ties prompting the ar-
rangement since 1968.
What is the significance of the
chargesheet?
The charge sheet was filed against
five persons, M. Anand Singh, A. Ka-
jit Singh, Keisham Johnson, L. Mi-
chael Mangangcha and K. Romojit
Meitei, and is the first official state-
Takeaways from the playground
Being part of a team sport can help
us understand how to work together
towards a common goal despite our
differing personalities.
Some memories from school can-
not be erased from the mind, espe-
cially the times that were spent in the
least productive ways, like cramming
to the point of mental exhaustion.
But, to me, school life was more
than just about academics. I liked the
classroom lectures, even the boring
ones, but I slowly started developing
other interests.
One fine day, it came to my real-
isation that even though I had 24/7
access to sports equipment at school,
I barely used it outside of physical
education classes. I then decided to
pick up a few games for enjoyment,
till I found that playground activities
began to hold my interest more than
classroom lectures.
I started to train myself in volley-
ball and archery during the academ-
ic breaks. Although I did not pursue
sports with a specific agenda in mind,
it ended up being an effective stress
reliever or outlet for me when I could
not control the outcomes of well at-
MONDAY 20-05-2024
ment of links between the NSCN-IM
and Imphal valley-based insurgent
groups during the current ethnic
crisis. The accused were arrested on
September 16, 2023 by the Manipur
Police while travelling in a vehicle
dressed in camouflage, resembling
uniforms worn by security person-
nel. Three weapons and ammunition
looted from police armouries were
recovered. Following the arrests,
Meira Paibi, the women’s collective in
Manipur, staged protests and clashed
with the police demanding their re-
lease. A court granted them bail, but
Anand Singh was picked up by the
NIA and brought to Delhi.
t.w
The NIA said that Anand Singh
is a trained cadre of the PLA, one
ha
of the eight Meitei insurgent groups
that have been banned by the MHA
//c
for “advocating secession of Manipur
s:
from India through armed struggle.”
tp
According to the NIA, Singh revealed
that at the height of ethnic clashes, he
ht
was involved in other subversive ac-
tivities along with other valley-based
insurgent groups. The NIA said Singh
mobilised local youth for armed
training and that in July 2023 he par-
tempted examinations. Many of my
teachers were not happy about me
getting distracted from studies and
even made fun of me for being ob-
sessive about games at a time when
India
ticipated in a weapons training camp
organised at the Selloi Langamai Eco-
logical Park near Keikhu by PLA cad-
res where around 80-90 young men
4n
received training in handling fire-
arms. The PLA was formed in 1978
uf
and continues to be one of the most
lx
violent terror outfits in the northeast
/D
and is currently led by M.M. Ngouba.
m
The NIA said the accused “crim-
inally conspired with intent to carry
co
out violent terror attacks targeting
p.
the rival Kuki-Zo community with
ap
prohibited arms and ammunition
which were looted from various gov-
ts
ernment sources.”
ha
Are there other active insurgent
groups?
In 2008, 24 Kuki-Zo insurgent
groups under the umbrella of the
United Peoples’ Front (UPF) and the
Kuki National Organisation (KNO)
signed a tripartite suspension of op-
erations pact with the MHA and the
Manipur government.
On February 29 this year, when
the pact came up for an annual ex-
tension, the Manipur government
refused to send a representative, leav-
ing the agreement in a limbo. Mani-
getting good grades was considered
crucial for paving a successful profes-
sional path. But nothing could dim
my passion for sports. That said, I did
not let sports come in the way of my
T6
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pur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh
5o
has accused the groups of violating
w than 1.2 million Nagas, other than
the ground rules and instigating vi-
H
olence in the State. According to the
ground rules, after a peace pact is
signed, camps are earmarked for cad-
res and their weapons are accounted
for through regular checks conduct-
ed by a security force decided by the
government.
The history of the Kuki insurgen-
cy in Manipur
The agreement was signed in the
wake of the Kuki-Naga clashes in the
1990s where hundreds were killed.
The insurgent groups demanded an
independent land for the Kuki-Zo
people. The clashes and killings hap-
pened after the NSCN demanded that
Kuki-Zo-inhabited areas be included
in its proposed ‘Greater Nagaland’
project in the 1980s.
What is the NSCN’s stand?
After The Hindu reported the NIA
findings, the NSCN issued a state-
ment, accusing the Indian security
forces of helping the Kuki militant
groups to wage war against the Meitei
revolutionary groups in Myanmar. It
said: “It is sensitive to the propagan-
enthusiasm for studying.
Playing games was an enjoyable
experience that made it possible for
me to temporarily escape from the
major responsibilities of school and
da war waged by the Government of
India against NSCN who had signed
ceasefire with GOI and engaged in
political talks for the last 27 years.”
Distancing itself from the violence
in Manipur, the NSCN had said in
a statement in August 2023 that “no
ethnic blood should flow in Naga ar-
eas in the name of Meitei- Kuki-Zo
ethnic conflicts.”
When did the NSCN-IM sign a
‘framework agreement’?
NSCN-IM, one of the largest
groups representing the Naga tribes,
is engaged in peace talks with the
Union Government. After signing
a ceasefire agreement with the Gov-
ernment in 1997, the group signed a
“framework agreement” on August
3, 2015 to find a political solution to
the Naga issue. The NSCN-IM, has
been demanding ‘Greater Nagaland,’
an extension of Nagaland’s borders by
including Naga-dominated areas in
neighbouring Assam, Manipur and
Arunachal Pradesh, to unite more
a separate flag and constitution. The
Centre has repeatedly said there will
be no disintegration of the States of
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Ma-
nipur. More than hundred rounds
of talks spanning over 24 years have
taken place so far. NSCN founders
Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng
Muivah formed the group in 1980 to
oppose the Shillong Accord signed
by the then Naga National Council
(NNC) with the Union Government
to bring peace in Nagaland.
After Swu died in 2016, the talks
are being spearheaded by Mr. Mui-
vah. Former Special Director, In-
telligence Bureau (IB), A.K Mishra,
who was appointed adviser in the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
in 2020, is currently holding the
peace talks, which appears to be in a
limbo.
The talks broke down in June 2022
after the NSCN accused Mr. Mishra
of excluding three political points,
earlier agreed to by former Naga in-
terlocutor Mr. R.N. Ravi from the fi-
nal proposal submitted to the outfit.
allowed me to accept my adolescent
self, but that was not all. It surprising-
ly ended up broadening my horizons
in ways I never imagined. While ar-
chery was a strenuous sport, it taught
me the importance of laser-sharp fo-
cus while aiming at the target.
Playing volleyball gave me the
opportunity to build a rapport with
people of diverse mindsets, but the
appeal of the game was in how it
made players set aside personal in-
terests in favour of the team’s goals.
Volleyball taught me that communi-
cation among the team members was
key. It taught me that no matter how
physically powerful the team is, with-
out a dynamic mental framework, it
is not possible to tread through diffi-
cult situations. It taught me that trust
among team members was crucial to
the overall functioning of the team,
both on and off the field.
The game taught me the very
concept of unity in diversity. In
hindsight, I see that the playground
has given me not just sweet memo-
ries but also valuable life lessons that
could not have been taught to me in
a classroom.
Southern Mail
06
NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
Lok Sabha elections: Who are BJPs allies
and how many seats has it ceded to them?
The Opposition’s INDIA may be
splintering in certain States, but the
NDA seems to be firming up as the
BJP aims to win a third consecutive
term. Here’s a look at who BJP’s allies
are and at the seats they have nabbed
from the ruling party
‘Abki baar 400 paar’ (this time will
cross 400), BJP declared – setting a
400 plus seat target for the Nation-
al Democratic Alliance (NDA) in
the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. In
the Budget session of the Lok Sabha,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi de-
clared, “The nation will definitely
give NDA more than 400 seats and
the BJP at least 370 seats.” India is
currently polling in a seven-phase
general election on April 19, and 26,
May 7, 13, 20, and 25, and June 1. Re-
sults will be announced on June 4.
Aiming to re-elect Mr. Modi for
a third term, the BJP has allied with
several parties at the State-level to
contest 540 seats. For the first time,
neither BJP nor its allies are con-
testing any of the seats in Kashmir
(Baramulla, Anantnag-Rajouri and
Srinagar). In the sixteenth Lok Sabha,
the BJP and its current allies hold 336
seats while the Opposition coalition
- Indian National Developmental In-
clusive Alliance (INDIA) has approx-
imately 118 seats.
Who has BJP allied with for the
polls?
Of the 28 States and eight union
territories, BJP has allied with re-
gional parties in twelve States and
one union territory — Maharashtra,
Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Jharkhand,
Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Megha-
laya, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Kerala and Lakshadweep. In
territories where the BJP contesting
solo, the Indian National Congress
is its primary competitor: this in-
cludes States like Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mad-
hya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan,
Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, and Ut-
tarakhand and Union territories An-
daman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, La-
dakh, and Jammu.
In Punjab, Telangana, West Ben-
gal, Delhi and Puducherry, the BJP
is in a three-way fight. In Punjab, it
faces the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
and Congress, while in Telangana,
BJP faces newly-elected Congress
and Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS).
In West Bengal, the BJP faces Tri-
namool Congress (TMC) and the
Congress-Left alliance; in Delhi, it
faces Congress on three seats and
AAP on four seats. For Puducherry’s
lone Lok Sabha seat, BJP is fighting
against Congress and ex-ally All In-
dia Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhag-
am (AIADMK).
BJP is also contesting solo in Odi-
sha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh
for their respective State assembly
constituency polls, being held simul-
taneously. Apart from Congress, it is
up against regional parties like Sik-
kim Kranti Morcha (SKM) and Sik-
kim Democratic Front (SDF) for Sik-
kim’s 32-seat Assembly; the National
People’s Party (NPP) for Arunachal
Pradesh’s 60-seat Assembly, and Biju
Janata Dal (BJD) for Odisha’s 147-
seat Assembly.
In Andhra Pradesh, BJP has allied
with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and
Jana Sena Party (JSP) to contest 175
Assembly seats. The State is witness-
ing a three-way fight for both its Lok
Sabha and State Assembly between
the NDA, the Congress led by Y.S.
Sharmila, and her brother Y.S. Jagan
Mohan Reddy’s Yuvajana Sramika
MONDAY 20-05-2024
Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP).
In June 2022, veteran Shiv Sena
minister Eknath Shinde revolted
against party chief Uddhav Thacker-
ay, splitting Sena into two factions.
Shinde’s faction, which is now rec-
ognised as the real Shiv Sena and is
fighting polls withthe iconic bow-
and-arrow symbol, has allied with
BJP for the Lok Sabha polls.
Similarly, in July 2023, Ajit Pawar
revolted against his uncle and Na-
tionalist Congress Party (NCP) chief
Sharad Pawar, splitting the party into
two. Ajit Pawar’s faction, which has
retained the clock symbol and the
t.w
party name, has allied with the BJP.
After weeks of negotiation, the
ha
Mahayuti comprising of BJP, NCP
and Shiv Sena finalised its seat-shar-
//c
ing deal for the State’s 48 seats as fol-
s:
lows: BJP (28), Shiv Sena (15), NCP
tp
(4), and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (1).
Its opposing coalition — Maha Vikas
ht
Aghadi (MVA) — has finalised its
poll-pact as follows: Shiv Sena UBT
[Sena (UBT)] on 21 seats, Congress
on 17 seats, and NCP Sharadchandra
Pawar (NCP-SP) on 10 seats.
On January 28, Janata Dal (United)
[JD(U)] chief Nitish Kumar switched
loyalties for the fifth time this de-
cade, rejoining the NDA. Along with
him, allies Hindustani Awam Morcha
(HAM) headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi
and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM)
headed by Upendra Kushwaha broke
away from the Mahagathbandhan to
join the NDA. After successfully fac-
ing a floor test in his ninth term as
Chief Minister, Mr. Kumar vowed,
“Now, there is no need to go here and
there. Now, I will remain here.”
Similarly, Lok Janshakti Party
(Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan,
which had contested against the
JD(U) in the 2020 State polls, has
allied with BJP once again. Mr. Pas-
wan’s estranged uncle Pasupati Paras
had split the party into two in 2021,
taking five LJP MPs with him and
forming the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti
Party. He is also now allied with the
BJP.
On March 18, the NDA finalised
its seat-sharing deal for the State’s 40
Lok Sabha seats, announcing that the
BJP was set to fight 17 seats, JD(U)
16 seats, and HAM and RLM one seat
each. The younger Paswan trumped
his uncle as LJP (Ram Vilas) got five
seats including Hajipur, to which Mr.
Pasupati Paras had staked claim. In
protest, Mr. Paswan resigned from
his cabinet position, but still remains
India
in the NDA.
The NDA faces the Mahagath-
bandhan which will contest the 40
4n
seats as follows — Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD) on 23 seats, Vikassheel In-
uf
saan Party (VIP) on five seats, Con-
lx
gress on nine seats and the Left par-
/D
ties on the remaining five seats. Bihar
m
is currently polling in a seven phases
on April 19, 26, May 7, 13, 20, 25 and
co
June 1.
p.
Assam: 14 seats
ap
BJP stuck with its old allies, the
United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL)
ts
and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), for
ha
Assam’s 14 seat-battle. Assam Chief
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma an-
nounced that BJP will fight on 11
seats, leaving AGP with two (Barpeta
and Dhubri), while UPPL will field its
candidate in Kokrajhar. It faced the
Congress-AIUDF combination apart
from Independent candidates.
After falling out with the Congress
prior to the State elections in Karna-
taka, Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)]
joined the NDA in September 2023
after party chief H.D. Kumaraswamy
met BJP president J.P. Nadda and
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in
Delhi. The JD(S), which was reduced
to a mere 18 seats in the 2023 State
assembly polls, was given three seats
in the 28-seat Lok Sabha battle in
Karnataka, while BJP contested 25
seats. The NDA faced a tough battle
from a resurgent Congress which re-
cently swept the State polls winning
135 of 224 seats — its biggest win in
the State since 1989 when it won 178
seats. Karnataka polled on April 26
and May 7.
BJP has allied with its old part-
ner All Jharkhand Students Union
(AJSU) which has been given the
Giridih seat, while BJP is fighting on
13 seats. The party is currently facing
internal feuds over ticket distribu-
tion and tribal opposition in pockets.
The party faces an embattled INDIA
coalition comprised of Congress,
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM),
RJD and the Communist Party of
India (Marxist-Lennin) Liberation
[CPI(ML)L], which currently heads
the State government and is smart-
ing from the recent arrest of ex-CM
Hemant Soren in a land scam case.
Banking on tribal ire over Mr.
Soren’s arrest, Congress is contesting
on seven seats, JMM five seats, and
[CPI(ML)L] and RJD on one seat
each. Jharkhand will poll in three
phases on May 13, 26 and June 1.
With the successful inaugural cer-
emony of the Ram Mandir in Lord
Ram’s birthplace in Ayodhya, BJP has
set a target of capturing all 80 seats
in Uttar Pradesh. However, Jat farm-
er protests, unemployment resent-
ment, and unpaid agricultural dues
rankle among the locals, making
the BJP’s target a tough one to meet.
Roping in regional outfits like Apna
Dal (Soneylal), Suheldev Bharatiya
Samaj Party (SBSP), Nirbal Indian
Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD)
and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), BJP is
contesting its lowest number of seats
since 2014 — 74 seats.
On February 9, Mr. Modi an-
nounced that the Bharat Ratna —
India’s highest civilian award — was
conferred on former PM Chaud-
T6
hary Charan Singh. In response,
his grandson and RLD chief Jayant
W
Chaudhary wrote “Dil Jeet Liya” (You
3i
have won our hearts) on X, shifting
K
alliance from INDIA to the NDA.
dc
Om Prakash Rajbhar, who heads
SBSP, had allied with Samajwadi Par-
Q
ty (SP) in the 2022 State polls, before
Li
switching back to the NDA in 2023.
5o
Mr. Rajbhar was inducted into the
w an alliance. As both Lok Sabha and
UP cabinet in March this year.
H
Rae Bareli and Amethi | The jour-
ney from Gandhi bastion to BJP turf
As per the final seat-sharing tally,
BJP’s allyApna Dal (S) is contesting
two seats, SBSP one seat, NISHAD
on one seat and RLD on two seats.
NDA faces the INDIA coalition, in
which Congress is contesting on 17
seats and SP on 63 seats. Mr. Modi is
seeking a third-term from Varanasi,
while his top rival Mr. Rahul Gand-
hi is contesting from Rae Bareli — a
Gandhi bastion since 1952.
North East (Manipur, Meghalaya,
Nagaland): 4 seats
Backing its North East Demo-
cratic Alliance (NEDA) allies, BJP
decided to support candidates of
the Nationalist Democratic Progres-
sive Party (NDPP) for Nagaland’s
lone seat and National People’s Party
(NPP) for Meghalaya’s two seats. For
one of Manipur’s seats — Outer Ma-
nipur, BJP backed its ally Naga Peo-
ple’s Front (NPF). With BJP falling
out with its NEDA allies, the Mizo
National Front (MNF) in Mizoram
and Sikkim Kranti Morcha (SKM) in
Sikkim, each State’s lone Lok Sabha
seat witnessed a four-way fight be-
tween Congress, BJP and the local
parties.
While Meghalaya, Nagaland,
Mizoram and Sikkim went to the
polls on April 19, owing the current
ethnic tensions, Manipur’s two seats
went to the polls on April 19 and 26.
Tamil Nadu: 39 seats
In September 2023, the AIAD-
MK snapped ties with the BJP amid
strained relations with its State head
K. Annamalai. For almost a year pri-
or, Mr. Annamalai had repeatedly
targeted AIADMK, its policies and
its leader E. Palaniswami (EPS), who
took over the party in 2022. EPS’
prime rival O. Paneerselvam (OPS)
who was ousted from AIADMK in
2022, has reiterated his support to
the BJP.
His support went in vain as the BJP
announced it would contest 20 seats,
Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar)
[TMC (M)] on three seats, Pakkali
Makkal Katchi (PMK) on 10 seats,
and TTV Dinakaran’s Amma Mak-
kal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK)
on two seats. Four other regional
parties — Indhiya Jananayaga Kat-
chi, Inthiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra
Kazhagam, Puthiya Needhi Katchi
and Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra
Kazhagam— fought under the BJP’s
‘Lotus’ symbol.
Tamil Nadu’s electoral battle was a
three-way fight as the NDA faced two
coalitions — INDIA and the AIAD-
MK-led coalition. INDIA’s seat-shar-
ing tally was as follows — Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on 21
seats, Congress on nine seats, CPI,
CPI(M), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal
Katchi (VCK) on two seats each, In-
dian Union Muslim League (IUML),
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (MDMK) on one seat
each. Kongunadu Makkal Desia Kat-
chi fought on one seat under DMK’s
‘rising sun’ symbol.
In the other coalition, AIADMK
allied with another ex-NDA ally De-
siya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
(DMDK), with them respectively
contesting 32 seats and five seats. Two
other parties — Puthiya Tamilagam
and Social Democratic Party of In-
dia— fought on one seat each, under
AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.
Welcoming ex-ally TDP back into
the NDA, BJP and actor-turned-pol-
itician Pawan Kalyan’s JSP formed
State Assembly seats went to the polls
simultaneously, the three parties
agreed on two seat-sharing formu-
lae — BJP contested six Lok Sabha
seats and 10 Assembly constituencies
while JSP contested on two Lok Sabha
seats and 21 Assembly seats. The bulk
of seats was retained by TDP, which
contested in 17 Lok Sabha seats and
144 Assembly constituencies.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu
had previously allied with the BJP in
1999 and 2014, before pulling out of
the NDA in 2018 due to differences
over the granting of ‘special status’ to
Andhra Pradesh. In 2019, he joined
the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ led by Con-
gress and 17 other parties, which
failed to stop the BJP.
Currently, the BJP-JSP-TDP com-
bination faces the YSRCP and the
Congress, which is now headed by Y.S
Sharmila in the State. Ms. Sharmila,
the newly- appointed Andhra Con-
gress chief and YSRCP chief Y.S. Ja-
gan Mohan Reddy’s younger sister, ,
recently merged her party YSR Tel-
angana Party with Congress after it
came to power in Telangana in 2023.
Incidentally, Y.S. Sharmila was in-
strumental in running YSRCP’s suc-
cessful padayatras in 2012-13 when
Mr. Reddy was in jail. She also cam-
paigned for him in 2019. The siblings
have now fallen out and have been
attacking each other in political ral-
lies, besides directing vitriol at their
prime target — Mr. Naidu.
Andhra Pradesh went to the polls
in a single phase for both Lok Sabha
and Assembly elections on May 13.
Kerala: 20 seats
One of the few remaining States
where BJP has minimal to no pres-
ence, Kerala saw the BJP contest 16
seats, along with its traditional ally
Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS)
on four seats. While the main fight is
between the two coalitions — Unit-
ed Democratic Front (UDF) led by
Congress and the Left Democratic
Front (LDF) led by CPI (M)— NDA
is seeking to make inroads, with Mr.
Modi holding multiple rallies in the
State. BJP is yet to win a Lok Sabha
seat in Kerala.
Backing its Maharashtra ally NCP,
BJP extended support to NCP can-
didate T.P. Yousuf. With the split in
NCP, incumbent MP Mohammed
Faizal P.P. was fielded by NCP-SP to
face Congress’ Muhammed Hamdul-
lah Sayeed. Both NCP-SP and Con-
gress are members of INDIA.
Southern Mail NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
Health
An overview of the Smart Cities Mission
07 MONDAY 20-05-2024

How are smart cities defined by digarh which received ₹196 crore
the government? What are the two in the first tranche under the SCM
major aspects of the Smart Cities spent it on smart water meters, a Wi-
Mission? Why is the mission consid- Fi zone, and solid waste management
ered to be exclusionary to many? Did programmes all ploughed into one
the SCM override the 74th Constitu- pocket-sector 43.
tional Amendment? According to two major reports by
The story so far: The Smart Cit- McKinsey, to make Indian cities live-
ies Mission (SCM), a flagship pro- able, a capital expenditure of $1.2 tril-
gramme of the NDA-1 government, lion is required by 2030. In this con-
has taken a back seat in this year’s list text, ₹1,67,875 crore is less than $20
of poll promises and achievements. billion in nine years. This comes to
What are smart cities? around 0.027 % of the total require-
The term ‘Smart City’ has been ment in urban India. Hence, there
used widely ever since 2009, after was little traction for this scheme.
the great financial crash. Smart cities Additionally, the SPV model
were defined by urban practitioners designed for smart cities was not
as new Silicon Valleys built with a aligned with the 74th Constitution-
strong integration of a network of al Amendment, which led to many
airports, highways, and other types cities objecting to the governance
of communications, a so-called intel- structure. The design, according to
lectual city with advanced ICT. critics, was too top-bottom. A hilly

T6
The NDA-1 government wanted town that had an annual budget of
to adapt to these global changes, al- less than ₹100 crore claimed projects

W
ready happening through the Jawa- worth more than ₹2,500 crore. This

3i
harlal Nehru National Urban Renew- area-based development consisting ness model of governance was ad- completed, while 921 projects worth was incongruent to the demands of

K
al Mission (JNNURM). It went ahead of three components — redevelop- opted bypassing the existing models ₹21,000 crore are still ongoing. the residents of the town.

dc
with a major flagship programme ment (city renewal), retrofitting (city of city governance in the country. An As many as 400 projects being un- Urban India, according to the
and thus, the SCM was announced in improvement), and green field proj- SPV (special purpose vehicle) led by dertaken by about 10 cities under the World Bank has more than 49% of

Q
June 2015. Hundred cities were select- ects (city extension); and pan-city a bureaucrat or a representative of an Mission are unlikely to meet the ex- the population living in slums. In the

Li
ed for five years under the mission. solutions based on ICT. These further MNC, and other major stakeholders tended deadline of June 2024. name of executing smart city proj-

However, the mission did not clearly
define a smart city. It stated, “there is
no universally accepted definition of
comprised some six categories that
would include e-governance, waste
management, water management,
was created and registered under the
Companies Act. The elected council,
thus, had little role in the governance
4n
5o
w Interestingly, the funding pattern
shows that not more than 5% has
H
come through the PPP route.
ects, there was displacement of peo-
ple living in poorer localities. Street
vendors, for example, were displaced

a Smart City.... The conceptualisation energy management, urban mobil- structure. Where did the SCM falter? and urban commons were disrupted.
of Smart City... varies from city to city ity, and skill development. Around What is the status of the SCM? The selection of 100 cities on a Another major consequence of
uf

and country to country, depending ₹2 lakh crore was kept aside for the The Urban Ministry’s dashboard competitive basis was flawed due to the SCM has been enhanced urban
lx

on the level of development, willing- mission, with public-private partner- as of April 26, exhibits that 8,033 the diversity in existing urban reali- flooding. Some of the towns which
/D

ness to change and reform, resources ships (PPP) an important driver of projects sanctioned under the SCM ties. The scheme was divorced from have historically never been flood-
m

and aspirations of the city residents. the same. Need to launch next phase have seen a fall in the total outlay the ground realities of urban India — ed were made vulnerable because of
A Smart City would have a different of Smart Cities Mission: Parliamen- from the expected ₹2 lakh crore to the urbanisation here is dynamic and infrastructure development projects
co

connotation in India than, say, Eu- tary Committee ₹1,67,875 crore, which is 16% less not static like the West. that spoiled or dismantled the water
p.

rope. Even in India, there is no one The mission that was to be com- than the projected capital flow in 100 The SCM became an exclusionary channels and contours.
ap

way of defining a Smart City.” pleted in 2020, was given two exten- cities. The dashboard also states that scheme wherein not more than 1% of Tikender Singh Panwar is former
What was the SCM? sions till June 2024. Additionally, to the SCM grant funded 5,533 projects a city’s geographical area was selected Deputy Mayor, Shimla, and Member,
ts

The SCM had two main aspects: make the mission effective, a busi- worth ₹65,063 crore that have been for development. For example, Chan- Kerala Urban Commission.
ha

May the force be well

t.w
ha
//c
s:
tp

In the last four years, there has been almost life; sleep deprivation; and difficulty in enjoying
one death every day in the Tamil Nadu Police. daily activities.
ht

While cancer, chronic ailments, and road acci-
dents are the major causes,what is worrying the
top brass of the force is the number of suicides
and heart attacks among the personnel
A cross-section of the police personnel says
the workload is increasing because of manpow-
er shortage. Untimely meals and lack of sleep
have become the norm for those involved in
top-priority work.
A total of 1,347 police personnel died due
to various reasons in 1,460 days ending De-
cember 31, 2023. The data sourced from media
reports and police sources show that a majori-
ty of the deaths were caused by chronic health
conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and
cancer. While sensitising the force to the im-
portance of a more healthy lifestyle to prevent
or minimise the ill-effects of co-morbidities,
senior officials of the Tamil Nadu Police are
chalking out strategies to curb deaths by sui-
cide and in road accidents.
The data show that a maximum of 414 po-
lice personnel died in 2021 (calendar year), and
132 of them passed away owing to ill health,
81 because of COVID-19 complications, 60 in
road accidents, 59 owing to heart attacks, and
23 of cancer. The number of deaths reported in
2020, 2022, and 2023 were 337, 283, and 313 re-
spectively. An average of three to four deaths by
suicide were reported every month in the last
three years, police sources say. Besides health
issues that mainly account for the untime-
ly deaths, senior officers are concerned about
young policemen ending their lives for reasons
such as loss of money in online gaming, debts,
work pressure, and relationship problems. De-
spite the availability of grievance redress mech-
anisms, some are not opting for counselling or
any other kind of assistance.
A cross-section of personnel says the work-
load is increasing by the day because of man-
power shortage. Untimely meals and lack of
sleep have become the norm for personnel in-
volved in top-priority work, including securi-
ty for elections, VVIP visits, public gatherings,
and temple festivals. With 25%-30% of the
sanctioned strength remaining vacant at po-
lice stations, a sizeable number of the staff will
be deployed on what they call “other duties”.
“The increased workload due to vacancies gets
aggravated with the existing manpower being
deployed for other official and unofficial duties.
A large number of policemen are put on night
duty at least thrice a week. Many consume alco-
hol or sedatives to sleep, and it becomes a hab-
it...,” a special sub-inspector says.
Protecting the protectors
Senior psychiatrist C. Ramasubramanian
runs the NGO, M.S. Chellamuthu Trust, in
Madurai. He has worked with the police to look
at mental health issues in the force. He says the
Police Well-being Programme was launched on
the premise that there can be no health without
mental health. So far, 90,000 police personnel
have been trained in stress management. The
MAGILCHI (happiness) initiative is aimed at
identifying and treating those suffering from
addiction to alcohol or drugs; family problems;
frequent absenteeism or not reporting to duty
on time; frequent quarrels with co-workers;
anger issues and inappropriate behaviour with
members of the public; depression, anxiety, and
suspiciousness; and stress-related problems.
The Well-being Programme addresses the
mental health needs of not only the personnel
but also those of their families. “This is an in-
novative and first-of-its-kind programme in
the country. We have to protect the protectors,”
he adds. According to C. Jayakumar, Addition-
al Professor, NIMHANS, and Principal Inves-
tigator of the Tamil Nadu Police Well-being
Programme, some of the common issues iden-
tified among the personnel during an assess-
ment were being tense and worried; nursing a
feeling of being unable to play a useful part in
Some personnel reported that personal, fa-
milial, financial and social stress levels were
high, and this may be a major factor for their
deteriorating health, resulting in decreased
performance, a high number of days of sick
leave, inability to complete tasks, substance use,
and other issues, he says. The participants also
reported that they were upset at the way things
were going at work, feeling moody, restless, de-
pressed, or discouraged and worked harder. “A
significant number of personnel were found to
have work stress and may require further at-
tention. These revelations necessitate further
screening to plan and design appropriate psy-
chosocial support and mental health services,”
Dr. Jayakumar adds.
The 2003 batch of constables is one of the
biggest groups of recruits, with more than 8,000
members. Having joined the force as Grade II
constables, they are all in the rank of head con-
stable now. With an average age of 45 years, this
batch has seen many deaths in the recent years;
several collapsed suddenly due to COVID-19
and heart attacks and several others committed
suicide and died of cancer.
Some members of this batch hit upon a
unique idea to help the family of their batch-
mates who died. They started a social media
group and named it Udhavum Karangal (Help-
ing Hands). Members started contributing
₹500 each every month towards a welfare fund.
Whenever a batchmate died, the group admin-
istrators reached out to the family and donated
₹30 lakh.
The money is invested on a fixed deposit in
the name of the children of the deceased to fur-
ther their education.The families of at least 40
members of the 2003 batch who died in recent
years have benefited from the initiative. Many
other batches of the personnel are trying to em-
ulate the model.
Southern Mail NATIONAL ENGLISH DAILY
Life
08 MONDAY 20-05-2024 MONDAY 20-05-2024
Anavila Misras new collection is an ode to
the Franco-Tamil culture of Puducherry
The smells, sights, and sounds from that trip that remained ingrained in her memory now find
representation in her latest collection titled Été, which means summer in French. The town’s laid-

s o
back pace also appealed to Anavila, whose clothes embody sustainability and slow fashion. “Right
from the unique architecture to the way the people live, and even little things like windows with
e s
lace curtains, old recipes in boulangeries, the scent of roses mixed with coffee... all reflect a blend of
c tr hot
A
cultures,” says Anavila, who was in Chennai over the weekend to showcase Été at GoodEarth.
During the initial stages of the edit’s creation, as Anavila delved into the confluence of Indo-French
p P
customs and traditions, more elements surfaced. It was becoming a challenge to pick one idea that
would front the collection. Finally, she settled on the rose.
i n u
“Flowers and Nature have always been part of my garments,” she says. And thus, the rose plays a stellar
role here, with its presence in every garment, hand-painted, block-printed, embroidered and in hand-
P
block prints mixed with applique. There is a lot of detailing, she adds. For example, the blooming pattern
features all the stages of floration, from buds and early flowers to late ripening, while
forming a lattice network of rose creepers. In subtle Anavila style, a lot of the gar-
ments also have the words fleur d’amour, which means flower of love, embroi-
dered across them, and lace detailing reminiscent of French aristocracy.
As a precursor to this launch, Anavila’s Instagram page has been bloom-
ing (and continues to) with posts that depict flowers and floral prints, not
just on clothes, but also on wallpapers, props and decor. If you look closer,
you will also notice croissants, French newspapers, and old-world crock-
ery with rose motifs. “We are always in a floral state of mind,” she laughs.
For the most part, white is the designer’s choice for this collection,

T6
along with shades inspired by the French Riviera of the East, this in-
cludes pastel green, smoke blue, blush, and soft yellow, a colour syn-

W
onymous with Puducherry’s sunny countenance.

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The team at the studio has been working on Été since last March.

K
The collection has 92 pieces, including saris, pin-tucked blouses and

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tops, kurtis, co-ord sets, shirt dresses, trousers, and jackets in linen,
khadi silk, and khadi. Each garment took time, given the intricate

Q
nature of the work. The piece de résistance is the khadi silk sari in

Li
ivory that took a team of applique artisans and hand embroiderers

5o
190 days to complete. w
After showcasing the range in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chen-
H
nai, Anavila says she has made up her mind to go back to Puducherry
4n

later this year, pause for a bit, and revel in the laidback, simple joys
of life that it offers.
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Mother of disabled child ends life

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over alleged harassment by husband

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and in-laws in Bengaluru

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//c
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In his complaint, father of the deceased accused her

husband and his parents of blaming her for the child’s
condition
The deceased had complained to her parents sev-
eral times that her husband and in-laws were humil-
iating, harassing and body-shaming her. But every
time, the parents used to convince her that things
would improve.
A 31-year-old private school teacher ended her
life, allegedly due to harassment by her husband
and in-laws, in her house at Manjunatha Nagar
in Basaveshwara Nagar in Bengaluru,
The deceased, Sandhya, is the daughter of a
retired BMTC driver. She was married to Jay-
aprakash, a software engineer, five years ago.
The couple have a four-year-old son, who has
speech and hearing problem.
In his complaint, Kannan T., father of
Sandhya, alleged that Jayaprakash and his
parents used to harass his daughter by
blaming her for the child’s condition. Sand-
hya had complained to her parents several
times that Jayaprakash and her in-laws were
humiliating, harassing and body-shaming
her. But every time, the parents used to
convince her that things would improve.
The accused had even forced Sandhya
to undergo an abortion. Six months ago,
they started harassing her to repay the car
loan. Unable to bear the harassment, Sand-
hya took the extreme step, according to the
complaint.
The accused called Kannan to inform that
Sandhya had been admitted to a hospital. When
Kannan rushed to the hospital, he found her dead.

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