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Truth PrevailRNI No:JKENG/2012/47637

Email:truthprevail911@gmail.com

POSTAL REGD NO-JK/485/2016-18

Internet Editionwww.truthprevail.com

Epaper:epaper.truthprevail.com

VOL: 9 Issue: 41 JAMMU AND KASHMIR, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020 DAILY PAGES 12 Rs. 2/-

3J&K Forest Deptt organises Training Workshopon Forest Fires, Disaster Management

5JWAM holds protest against heavyfiring in Hira Nagar

12Advisor Sharma for preservation, propagationof rich cultural values of JK

My valentine for life: Hardik Pandya shares adorablepicture with fiancee Natasa Stankovic

InsideInside

Jammu, February 15 :Pakistan Rangers violatedthe ceasefire by resorting tounprovoked firing on for-ward posts and villagesalong the international bor-der in Jammu and Kashmir’sKathua district early onSaturday, officials said.

The Border SecurityForce retaliated effectively,and the exchange of fire,which started around 4 am atChakra village in Hiranagarsector, lasted for over two-and-a-half hours, accordingto the officials. There wasno report of any casualty onthe Indian side, the officialssaid, adding that thePakistan Rangers also fireddozens of mortars. The latestceasefire violation byPakistan comes a day after avillager was killed and fourwere injured along the Lineof Control in Shahpur sectorof Poonch district.

Pakistan violates

ceasefire in

J-K’s Kathua

New Delhi : A batch of25 foreign envoys, who vis-ited Jammu & Kashmir ear-lier this week, met NationalSecurity Adviser Ajit Dovaltoday. Their response asregards the situation in theUT was mixed.

Led by Afghan envoyTahir Qadiry, one group waseffusive and thanked thegovernment for giving theman opportunity to have a dia-logue with Kashmiris,claiming it would help themin evaluating the situationobjectively. Another group,primarily from Europe,wanted restrictions to be lift-ed quickly. “While werecognise the serious securi-ty concerns, it is importantthe remaining restrictions belifted swiftly,” said EUspokesperson for foreignaffairs and security policyon behalf of EU Ambassadorto India Ugo Astuto.

Dean of DiplomaticCorps in India HansDannenberg Castellanos feltthough normalcy was back,it was not as normal as hewould have wished.

Uganda’s HighCommissioner Dinah GraceAkello said, “The peoplethere spoke of developmentand investment.”

25 envoys meet NSA

Doval, want curbs in

Kashmir to go

PULWAMA, FEBRU-ARY 15 : In a bid to curb overpricing and other violations ofLegal Metrology, ConsumerProtection Act laws in the dis-trict, a joint team of LegalMetrology Department,CAPD, Food Safety andStandard Department conduct-ed a market checking, heretoday.

Various business outletsincluding vegetable & fruitsellers, poultry & mutton sell-ers, Kiryana & bakery shopswere inspected and 252 tradersbooked for violating the lawsduring the market checkingand a fine of Rs 1,12,100 wasrealized from erring traders.Besides, 30 samples were lift-ed for analysis.

Rs 1.12 lakh fine realized

from erring traders

in Pulwama

Fruit & Vegetable

Commission Agents

Specialist In : Potato, Onion

Shop No. 69, Sabji

Mandi Narwal, Jammu.

Ph. 2475446, 94191-93836

Jai Baba Kali Veer Ji

MANOJ KUMAR & CO.

FORComputer Services

Laptop Services

BSNL Broadband

Pan Card

Passport

Contact :-

Rohit:Mob. 9419626826

Srinagar : Security forcesin Jammu and Kashmir haveclaimed Tral area of Pulwamain south Kashmir is "terror-free" and the number of terror-ists in the area has now beenreduced to three.

Once the hotbed of terroristactivities in the valley for thepast several years, fromposter-boy Burhan Vani,Sameer Tiger, Zakir Musa toPulwama suicide bomberAadil Bhatt all of thembelonged to this region. Eventerrorist organisations likeLashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul-Mujahideen at one point oftime used to operate fromhere. But since last year'sPulwama attack, the identityof the area has changed. Inearly 2019, more than 30 ter-rorists were active in Tral, butdue to continuous anti-terror-ism operations of the securityforces, the number has comedown to three. According tothe Jammu and KashmirPolice, as many as 18 terroristsare active in AwantiporaPolice division of Pulwamadistrict, but they have beenforced to hide in Abha,

Samburu and Pampore areas.And due to the continuouspressure exerted by the securi-ty forces, Tral has becomealmost free of terrorism. Whilepaying tributes to the soldiers

who martyred in the Pulwamaattack on February 14 2019,CRPF Special DG ZulfikarHassan confirmed that all theterrorists and the people whohelped carry out the terrorattack have been eliminatedand subsequently terrorist out-fit Jaish-e-Mohammad organi-sation has been completelywiped out from the area. ThePulwama attack was plannedin Tral and Adil Bhatt, whocarried out this attack, was aresident of this area. Last

month, security forces killedthe last mastermind of theattack, Qari Yasir, along withhis two other companions inthe same area, after whichJaish has completely been

wiped out. But South Kashmiris still a challenge for the secu-rity forces. According to VijayKumar, IG of Kashmir Zoneof Jammu and Kashmir Police,after the security forces killedall the top commanders ofJeM, LeT and Hizbul terror-ism has declined. But as manyas 119 terrorists are still activein four districts of SouthKashmir, Pulwama, Shopian,Kulgam and Anantnag, ofwhich 90% is local and only10% are foreign.

NEW DELHI : India onSatirday (February 15, 2020)warned Turkey not to inter-fere in its internal matterswhile reiterating that Kashmiris ''an integral and inalien-able'' part of the country."India rejects all references toJammu & Kashmir, which isan integral and inalienablepart of India,'' a statementissued by the Ministry ofExternal Affairs (MEA) said.

Commenting on the issue,MEA official spokespersonRaveesh Kumar said, ''Wecall upon the Turkish leader-ship to not interfere in India'sinternal affairs and develop aproper understanding of thefacts, including the gravethreat posed by terrorismemanating from Pakistan toIndia and the region.''

The statement from theMEA came hours afterTurkey President RecepTayyip Erdogan once againraked up the Kashmir issue inPakistan Parliament, vowingthat Ankara will supportIslamabad's stand as it is a

matter of concern to both thecountries.

Addressing a joint sessionof Pakistan's Parliament,Erdogan, who arrived in thecountry on a two-day visit,announced that Turkey willback Pakistan in its efforts to

come out of the Grey List ofthe Financial Action TaskForce (FATF) which is meet-ing this week in Paris.

"I also want to emphasisethat we will give support toPakistan which is subject topolitical pressure in theFinancial Action Task Forcemeetings," he said on theupcoming meeting of the anti-

terror financing watchdog.Voicing his country's supportto Pakistan's stand on theKashmir issue, he said it canbe resolved not through con-flict or oppression but on thebasis of justice and fairness.

"Our Kashmiri brothersand sisters havesuffered frominconveniencesfor decades andthese sufferingshave becomegraver due tounilateral stepstaken in recenttimes," Erdogansaid, apparentlyreferring toIndia revoking

the special status of Jammuand Kashmir in August lastyear.

"Today, the issue ofKashmir is as close to us as itis to you (Pakistanis). Such asolution (on the basis of jus-tice and fairness) will servethe interests of all parties con-cerned. Turkey will continueto stand by justice, peace and

dialogue in the resolution ofthe Kashmir issue," thePresident said.

The Turkish President, inhis address, likened the"struggle" of the Kashmiriswith that of his country inWorld War I against foreigndomination.

Drawing a comparisonwith the battle of Gallipoliwhich was fought in Turkeybetween the Allied Powersand the Ottoman Empire inwhich over two lakh troopswere killed on the both sides,Erdogan said, "there is no dif-ference between Gallipoli andKashmir".

"Turkey will continue toraise its voice against theoppression," he told Pakistanilawmakers in his address tothe National Assembly andSenate, which was his recordfourth address to the PakistaniParliament over the years.

In September last year,Erdogan had raised theKashmir issue during hisaddress at the United NationsGeneral Assembly.

Srinagar, February 15 :The Jammu and Kashmiradministration has bookedformer IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal underthe controversial Public

Safety Act, official sourcessaid on Saturday.

Faesal, who has beenunder detention after scrap-ping of Jammu andKashmir’s special status, wasbooked under the PSA onFriday night, according tosources.

Former chief ministersOmar Abdullah andMehbooba Mufti were alsobooked under the PSA on thenight of February 6, barelyhours before their preventive

detention was toend.

The PSA hastwo sections –‘public order’ and‘threat to the securi-ty of the state’ -- theformer allowsdetention withouttrial for six monthsand the latter fortwo years.

Faesal wasstopped from takinga flight to Istanbulat the Delhi airportduring the interven-ing night of August13 and 14 last year

and flown back to Srinagar,where he was detained.

The former bureaucratfrom Jammu and Kashmirhad floated the Jammu andKashmir Peoples MovementParty after resigning from theIndian AdministrativeService.

Washington : USPresident Donald Trump hassaid it is a great honour thatFacebook has ranked himnumber one and PrimeMinister Narendra Modinumber two on their popular-ity on the social net-working site, ahead ofhis maiden visit toIndia.

President Trumpand First Lady MelaniaTrump will pay a statevisit to India onFebruary 24 and 25 atthe invitation of PrimeMinister Modi, it wasannounced this week.

Taking to Twitter, heclaimed to be the number oneon Facebook, citing a remarkof Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the social mediacompany.

"Great honor, I think?Mark Zuckerberg recentlystated that "Donald J. Trumpis Number 1 on Facebook.Number 2 is Prime MinisterModi of India." Actually, Iam going to India in twoweeks. Looking forward to

it!," Trump tweeted onSaturday.

This is not the first timethat the US President hasclaimed to be the number oneand Prime Minister Modinumber two on their popular-

ity on Facebook.Last month in an inter-

view to CNBC TV on thesidelines of the WorldEconomic Forum in Davos,Trump said: "I'm No.1 onFacebook, you know who'sno.2? Modi from India".

During his visit to India,Trump, in addition to NewDelhi, will also visitAhmedabad to address a jointpublic meeting with Modi at anewly-built stadium.

Kashmir marked ‘disputed’ on Google Maps for people outside IndiaSan Francisco, February

15 : Google Maps showsKashmir as part of India -- aslong as you view it from with-in the borders of the country -- but for people outside thecountry, the outlines of theregion are shown in dottedlines, suggesting it to be a“disputed” territory, TheWashington Post reported.

And it is not just Kashmir.Borders of several countrieslooked different on GoogleMaps depending on wherepeople viewed them from,said the report on Friday.

This is because Google aswell as other online map mak-ers change them.

According to Google, itfollows local legislationwherever local versions ofGoogle Maps are available.

“Our goal is always to pro-vide the most comprehensiveand accurate map possiblebased on ground truth,” Ethan

Russell, Director of ProductManagement for GoogleMaps, was quoted as sayingin a statement by The Post.

“We remain neutral onissues of disputed regions and

borders, and make everyeffort to objectively displaythe dispute in our maps usinga dashed gray border line. In

countries where wehave local versionsof Google Maps, wefollow local legisla-tion when display-ing names and bor-ders,” Russelladded.

H o w e v e r ,Google’s map mak-ing also gets influ-enced by “the shift-ing whims of diplo-mats, policymakers

and its own executives”, saidthe report, citing peoplefamiliar with the matter.

Started 15 years ago, morethan 1 billion people now turnto Google Maps to see and

explore the world.Google Maps has mapped

more than 220 countries andsurfaced information forabout 200 million places andbusinesses.

Besides using satelliteimagery, Google Maps alsomakes use of contributionsmade by volunteers andadvanced technologies suchas Artificial Intelligence andMachine Learning for itsmap-making activities.

While Google dominatesthe mobile maps market,Apple Maps comes second interms of popularity.

An Apple spokeswomantold The Washington Post thatthe iPhone maker is respon-sive to local laws with respectto border and place namelabelling.

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 15: Chief Electoral Officer, J&K,(Election Authority under J&KPanchayati Raj Rules, 1996)Shailendra Kumar today issuednotification for the conduct ofby-elections for PanchayatiPolls-2020 to elect Sarpanchesand Panches.

The notification has beenissued for Pahalgam andDachnipora blocks in DistrictAnantnag, Ganastan, Nowgamand Sumbal in DistrictBandipora, Kandi BeltRafiabad, Rafiabad and Pattanin Baramulla District, Sukhnagand Beerwah in BudgamDistrict, Safapora, andSheerpathri in GanderbalDistrict, Behibagh in Kulgamdistrict, Wavoora, Sogam,Rajwar and Handwara inKupwara District, Kakapora(Partly) and Pampore in

District Pulwama, Zainpora inShopian District, Harwan,Khonmoh, Srinagar andQamarwari in Srinagar districtof Kashmir Division.

In Jammu Division, thePanchayati by-elections will beheld in Bhalwal Brahmana,Khour, Samwan, Khara Balli,Pragwal, Akhnoor, Maira,Mandrian, Chowki Choura,Mathwar, Bhalwal and Marhblocks of Jammu District,Poonch, Balakote, Mankoteand Mendhar in PoonchDistrict, Manjakote, Panjgrain,Lamberi, Siot, Dangri, Rajouri,Doongi, Qila Darhal,Nowshera Seri, Sunderbani,Darhal, Thanamandi, Planger,Budhal, Rajnagar, Khawas,Kalakote and Moughla inRajouri District, Bhamag,Thakrakote, Pouni, Reasi,Panthal and Katra in District

Reasi, Purmandal, BariBrahmana, Vijaypur, Samba,Nud, Sumb, Ramgarh,Ghagwal, and Rajpura inSamba District, Jaganoo,Narsoo, Tikri and Udhampurblock of District Udhampur.

According to the notifica-tion, the last date for makingnominations is February 22,2020 (Saturday), the date forthe scrutiny of nominations isFebruary 24, 2020 (Monday),the last date for withdrawal ofcandidature is February 26,2020 (Wednesday), the date onwhich a poll, if necessary, shallbe from 09 am to 01 pm onMarch 05, 2020 (Thursday),the date of counting is March05, 2020 (Thursday) unlessnotified otherwise, and the datebefore which the election shallbe completed has been fixed as26 March, 2020 (Thursday).

Chennai, February 15 :Parties led by the DMK inTamil Nadu on Saturdaylashed out at the police foralleged use of force on anti-CAA protesters here andsought action against person-nel involved in it.

With the governmentcoming under oppositionattack over the violence, theruling AIADMK reaffirmedits commitment to theMuslim community and said“Goebbels like propaganda”against it would not work.

The city police asked thepublic to not to share any“provocative” messages onsocial media in this connec-tion, even as anti-CAAprotests by members of theMuslim community contin-ued in different parts of thestate.

Tamil Nadu RevenueMinister RB Udayakumar

said the “Amma govern-ment” had always accordedhigh priority for the welfareof Muslims and saw to it thatthey were not “even minutelyaffected” in any way.

Speaking to reporters inMadurai, he said ChiefMinister K Palaniswami andhis deputy O Panneerselvamwere “protecting the Muslimslike their children and familymembers”. “Those unable tostomach this are unleashinglies and Goebbels like propa-ganda, but that will not bene-fit them. The people will alsonot believe them,” he said.

DMK President M KStalin said Friday’s protestshad been held in a peacefulmanner and sought to knowwhy the police used force todisperse them.

“Lathicharge was doneunnecessarily on the peacefulpeople for no reason and this

prompted people across thestate to take to the streets,”Stalin said in a statement.

He said Friday had beenturned into a “black night”

for the protesters by thepolice.

On Friday, an anti-CAAprotest by Muslims hadturned violent, with reports ofpolice force and lathichargeon protesters. Several peoplewere reportedly wounded in

the protests, including fourpolice personnel.

The incident had led tosporadic protests acrossTamil Nadu, including at

Washermanpet in the city,where the violence erupted,but protesters subsequentlycalled off the agitation, fol-lowing talks with City PoliceCommissioner AKViswanathan.

On Saturday, Stalin

demanded that any cases inthis connection be withdrawnand sought action againstpolicemen who allegedlyresorted to lathicharge.

Hitting out at theAIADMK, the DMK chiefsaid while the ruling partyhad voted in favour of theamended Citizenship Act inthe Parliament, it was alsonot enacting an Assemblyresolution against CAA, ademand putforth by his party.

Amma Makkal MunnetraKazhagam leader TT VDhinakaran also targeted thegovernment over the han-dling of the protest.

“Using force in peacefulprotests amounts to stirringup a hornet’s nest,” the inde-pendent legislator said in astatement.

He wished such incidentsdid not repeat.

The Vaiko-led MDMK

adopted a resolution in itsdistrict secretaries meeting,slamming the police forallegedly using force againstprotestors.

BJP leader H Raja, whoseparty is an ally of theAIADMK in Tamil Nadu,slammed the violence againstpolice personnel in theprotests.

In a tweet, he said:“Rioters should be dealt withan iron fist”.

Meanwhile, Viswanathanvisited the injured police per-sonnel admitted to a privateand government hospital.

Later, he told reportersthat he wanted to check if anypublic said to be injured inyesterday’s incident had beenadmitted to the governmenthospital, but there were none.

Reiterating the need forpeace, he appealed to thepublic not to share “wrong or

provocative” social mediamessages, especially onTwitter and Facebook.

“People of Tamil Nadufollow peace and maintainlaw and order. That traditionhas to be followed,” he said.

Protests continued in partsof the state including here,Cuddalore andRamanathapuram by mem-bers of the Muslim communi-ty, both against the CAA aswell as demanding actionover on Friday’s episode.Protests spread acrossChennai, and other parts ofthe state, includingNagercoil, Madurai,Virudhunagar, among otherplaces.

The protesters alsodemanded the Tamil Nadugovernment to pass a resolu-tion in the Assembly againstthe implementation of theCAA.

India rejects Turkish PresidentErdogan's comments on Kashmir

Year after Pulwama attack, security forcesclaim south Kashmir's Tral is 'terror-free'

IAS officer-turned-politician ShahFaesel booked in Kashmir under PSA

Trump says it's honour that FB rankedhim no. 1 and PM Modi no. 2

CEO issues notification for conductof Panchayat by-polls

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu condemn police action against anti-CAA protesters as stir spreads across state

New Delhi : For anti-ter-ror operations in the Jammuand Kashmir, the CentralReserve Police Force (CRPF)has decided to use drones,which will carry out recon-naissance in built-up areas tolocate terrorists.

"During operations,terrorists hide in built-up areas and start firingon forces. To identifythe source of fire,drones would be used,"said a senior IPS offi-cer. The drones wouldalso assist the forces in"close-range missions",the officer added.

The captured data ofthe site would helpmake on-the-spot strat-egy and pin-point theholed-up terrorist`slocation. The drones wouldbe under CRPF`s commandin Rambagh in Srinagar.

The CRPF, headed by IPSofficer A.P. Maheshwari, isprocuring 20 drones withspeed up to 72 km per hourand minimum flight time of31 minutes with a 28 mm

focal point. It also plans toprocure drones from India-based companies promotingthe `Make in India` cam-paign.

The drones should befoldable, portable and omni-

directional, which is sixdirections, the officer said."We are looking for foldabledrones as it can be carried ina bag and deployed quicklyand easily," the officer said.

In 2019, the Army tooplanned to procure load-fer-rying drones, slow-moving

unmanned aerial vehiclesdoubling up as missiles at thehigh altitude border areas.The decision was taken afterheightened threats at borderswith Pakistan.

The Army Design Bureau,

the facilitator for research &development and initiator ofprocurements of weaponsand other defence equipmentrequired by the Army, hadbrought all the stakeholdersat the Manekshaw Centre inDelhi Cantonment to displayvarious kinds of drones.

CRPF to use drones in anti-terroroperations in Jammu & Kashmir

RAJOURI, FEBRUARY15 : Additional DeputyCommissioner, Sher Singhtoday convened a meetingwith the election nodal officersand discussed the prepared-ness for panchayat by polls.The ADC sought a detailedreport from the deputy districtElection officer regarding thelocation of collection and dis-patch centre, transport plan,randomization, trainingSchedules and ballot paperprinting room. Regardingtraining, the Deputy DistrictElection officer said that train-ing and randomization of theconcerned officers shall beconducted in three phases.

Rajouri: Poll preparedness reviewed

JAMMU, FEBRUARY15 : According to ChiefEngineer, (Distribution)JPDCL, Jammu, the powersupply to areas being fedfrom Grid Stations- Kathua,Mahanpur, Samba, Bari-Brahmana and adjoiningareas including Industrialareas of Samba, Kathua andBari-Brahmana shall remainaffected on February 16 from10 am to 01 pm.

Similarly, the power sup-ply to Bari Brahmana,Vijaypur, Smailpur, Kartholi,Jakh, part of Greater Kailashand Industrial unit feeder(Narbada) and BirpurComplex shall remain affect-ed on February 16 from 09am to 05 pm.

Power shutdown

SRINAGAR, FEBRU-ARY 15 : The DivisionalCommissioner KashmirBaseer Ahmad Khan todaydirected concerned officersthat no construction activityshall be carried out in the exist-ing parks and Gardens in andaround the vicinity of Srinagarcity till further orders as percourt directions.The DivisionalCommissioner made thesedirections while reviewingdirections issued by the HighCourt in PIL No. 9/2017.

While taking note of theHigh Court directions, theDivisional Commissionerasked Jammu & KashmirCricket Association (JKCA)and other agencies to stop con-struction activities at the sitesidentified in the PIL.

The DivisionalCommissioner asked theDeputy CommissionerSrinagar to look into variousissues including the allotmentof land to the JKCA for con-struction activities. The

Divisional Commissionerdirected concerned officers toensure that no constructionactivity is carried out at identi-fied sites and stadiums till fur-ther orders from the Court.

Additional CommissionerKashmir, VC SDA, SSPTraffic Additional DeputyCommissioner Srinagar,Director Floriculture, JointCommissioner SMC, SportsOfficers and other concernedofficials were present in themeeting.

Div Com bans construction activityin parks, gardens

SRINAGAR, FEBRU-ARY 15 : As per the directionsissued by the High Court in thecase titled Kashmir ConsumerWelfare Forum versus State

and Others, the DivisionalCommissioner KashmirBaseer Ahmad Khan todaychaired a meeting with con-cerned Officers.

The concerned departmentswere asked to operationalizethe parking sites for which per-mission has been accorded bythe High Court.

He directed the SMCauthorities to erect Signage atever crossing in the city.

The Committee constitutedfor identified the parking sites

was asked to identify the park-ing places and sites in the leftout areas of the Srinagar city.

Additional CommissionerKashmir, VC SDA, SSP

Traffic Additional DeputyCommissioner Srinagar, JointCommissioner SMC and otherconcerned officials were pres-ent in the meeting.

Div Com reviews parkingissues of the city

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 20202 SPECIAL

Trump's India visit will be delightfulspectacle, utterly successful : Experts

Washington : PresidentDonald Trump's upcomingvisit to India will be a"delightful spectacle" and"utterly successful" by manymeasures, eminent Americanexperts on South Asia issueshave said.

Trump along with the FirstLady are scheduled to visitAhmedabad and New Delhion February 24 and 25,according to a White Houseannouncement early thisweek.

This would be president'sfirst bilateral visit in the thirddecade of 21st century andalso the first after his acquittalby the Senate in the impeach-ment trial.

"I think the Trump visitwill be a delightful spectacleand utterly successful bymany measures," AshleyTellis, who is Tata Chair forStrategic Affairs and a seniorfellow at the CarnegieEndowment for InternationalPeace, told PTI.

Trump is expected to get aroaring welcome by lakhs ofpeople when he arrives inAhmedabad, Gujarat.

He along with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi areexpected to deliver a historicspeech in front of hundredsand thousands of people at thenewly build Motera stadium,the largest cricket stadium ofthe world.

One of the most prominentexperts on India, Tellis, how-ever, noted that at themoment, he was unsurewhether the trade disputesbetween the two countrieswill be resolved.

Senior government offi-cials are tight lipped on thisissue, except for making com-ments in recent past that thetwo countries are on the vergeof a trade package or a minitrade deal.

"Although the GOI(Government of India) has

claimed that both sides areclose to a deal, I don't thinkthere has been real progress— certainly none that will sat-isfy USTR (US Trade

Representatives). We mightget some progress on defensesales, but that's uncertain too,"Tellis noted.

"Still, both the countrieshave done well where defensecooperation is concernedunder the Trump administra-tion, which is more than canbe said for many other USrelationships with its allies. Iexpect this will further deepenin the years ahead," he said inresponse to a question.

"Even if the visit then pro-duces only good optics, I'lltake it all the same if itstrengthens Trump's percep-tions of India as a friend.Given his mercurial personal-ity and policies, that is not asmall achievement — and Ithink PM Modi understandsthat well," Tellis said.

Rick Rossow, WadhwaniChair in US India PolicyStudies at the Center forStrategic and InternationalStudies, hoped that the twoleaders can finalise an agree-ment to remove some of therecent trade irritants.

"My own view is that Indiakeeps digging a deeper hole intriggering trade tensions--notably through steep cus-toms hikes in its February 1

Union Budget. So, a short-term deal may simply be areprieve in our trade fight,"Rossow told PTI.

Observing that Trump will

be the fourth consecutivepresident to travel to India,and the second consecutivepresident to visit India in hisfirst term in office, Rossowwas of the view that a visit toIndia is no longer a significantevent.

"India is a large and grow-ing market for exports and anemerging security partner forthe United States...Particularly important as weconsider options to furtherdraw down our forces inAfghanistan and seek a net-work of burden-sharing inareas where China's rise posesa threat. India will be impor-tant on both counts," Rossowtold PTI.

According to Anish Goel,Senior Fellow at NewAmerica and former seniorWhite House official, Trump'supcoming visit is consistentwith long-standing policy inboth countries to continuestrengthening and cementingthe bilateral relationship.

"The visit will be a politi-cal boon for both thePresident (Trump) and thePrime Minister (Modi). Indiais one of the few countrieswhere the President is quitepopular. So he can expect a

massive turnout for his rallyin Ahmedabad. Similarly, thePrime Minister will most cer-tainly get a boost in supportfrom hosting the President,”Goel told PTI.

At the very least, Trumpwill provide Modi with a wel-come distraction from hisrecent domestic difficulties,he said.

"It is an important and pos-itive step in bringing the twocountries closer together. Thetiming is also significant asthis is the first visit by a USPresident during a year inwhich he is facing re-election.That itself is a signal of theimportance of this relation-ship for the United States," headded.

"The deliverables for thevisit will surely focus ondefense and trade. India hasalready announced USD 3.5billion in new defense pur-chases to be signed during thevisit. And everyone is hopefulthat a deal normalising thetrade relationship will beannounced," he said.

The trade deal was expect-ed last September when Modivisited New York and metTrump but the differencescould not be worked out intime.

The White House wouldnot have agreed to this visit toIndia unless the trade deal wasnearing completion in earnest.Outside of trade and defense,the deliverables will likely bemodest, Goel said.

"It is important for thePresident and the PrimeMinister to have a compre-hensive bilateral meeting inwhich all critical issues,including Pakistan, are dis-cussed. The strategic partner-ship between India and theUS depends on more thantrade and defense sales so it isimperative that they addressother strategic issues as well,"Goel said.

Div Com reviews action taken on LG’s decisionsSRINAGAR, FEBRU-

ARY 15 : To review theimplementation of the deci-sions taken by the LieutenantGovernor in recently heldmeeting, the DivisionalCommissioner, Kashmir,Baseer Ahmad Khan todaychaired a meeting to reviewAction Taken Reports (ATR)from Deputy Commissionersand other concerned officers.

Threadbare discussion washeld regarding Kissan CreditCard, Ayushman Bharat,Languishing Projects, SingleUse Plastic, Pre & PostScholarships, GrievanceRedressal Mechanism, Backto Village, Crop damageCompensation, Audit ofHospitals, Development ofSports Facilities, Installationof CCTVs in all EducationalInstitutions, Development ofBorder Areas, Social WelfareSchemes and District SalaryAudits in the meeting.

To stop the use of SingleUse of Plastics, the DivisionalCommissioner directed DCsto install check posts alongthe roads leading to districtsto curb the menace effective-ly.

He asked DeputyCommissioners to maintain a

register for effective griev-ance redressal. He said thatevery officer should tour thedistrict to redress the griev-ances.

Div Com said that DCsshould identify suitable land

for development of PlayGrounds for the Panchayatswhich lack sports facilities.

Regarding installation ofCCTV cameras inEducational Institutions asordered by the SupremeCourt, he directed the DCs toensure installation in a timebound manner.

Besides, DCs were askedto conduct surprise inspectionof hospitals and to ensurepunctuality of doctors andparamedical staff, besideschecking food quality in hos-pital canteens on regular

basis.The meeting was informed

that welfare schemes will berolled out for border districtsfor the upliftment and devel-opment of border areasbesides, construction work on

community bunkers will alsobe started soon.

Regarding LanguishingProjects, Khan directed exe-cuting agencies to remove allbottlenecks and complete theworks in a stipulated timeframe.

The DivisionalCommissioner also reviewedthe progress of Kissan CreditCard, Ayushman Bharat, Backto Village schemes, cropdamage compensation toaffected orchardists andDistrict Salary Audits of thegovernment employees.

Additional CommissionerKashmir, Additional DeputyCommissioner Srinagar,Chief Engineers of PHE,MED & PMGSY, Directors ofIndustries, Commerce, RDD& Urban Local Bodies,

Principal GMC, JointCommissioner SMC, JointDirectors of Education,Tourism & Agriculture,Horticulture, Deputy DirectorFire, Emergency Services &Sheep Husbandry,Superintending Engineers ofUEED, Hydraulic, AssistantCommissioner (Central) withDiv Com and other concernedofficers were present in themeeting whereas nine DeputyCommissioners of variousdistricts participated in themeeting through video con-ferencing.

2- Day free Medical camp commencesUDHAMPUR, FEBRU-

ARY 15 : To provide firsthand health care facilities tothe rural people, a free med-ical camp was today organ-ized jointly by an NGO andDirectorate of health Services,Jammu here in the premisesof Government HigherSecondary School ThialTehsil Majalta.

Member ParliamentJ a m m u – P o o n c hConstituency, Jugal KishoreSharma was the chief guest,while FinancialCommissioner Heath andMedical EducationDepartment, Atal Dulloo wasthe guest of honour on theoccasion.

Director Health Services,Jammu Dr. Renu Sharma;Additional DistrictDevelopment Commissioner,Ashok Kumar, Chief MedicalOfficer, Dr. K.C Dogra,Chairman SDDM, B.DSharma, Retired Justice, O.PSharma, Dr. Yashpal Sharma,Ex-MLA, R.S Pathania, Dr.Arun Mahajan, PhysicianSpecialist, Dr. Jyotsana,Gynaecologist, Dr. Shalinder,ENT, Dr. Deepak Abrol,Cancer Specialist, Dr.

Manisha Langer, Radiologist,Dr. Ranjit Singh Rathore,Urologist, Dr. Sanjeet SinghParihar, ENT Specialist andother doctors and paramedicsof Block Majalta besides

prominent citizens alsoattended the camp.

Around 3000 patientswere examined by group ofspecialist Doctors and provid-ed free medicines. Over 300patients were tested for BloodSugar on the first day of themela and were provided freemedical checkup. Likewise,100 patients were registeredfor cataract surgery by Dr.Ashok Sharma, Professor,Department ofOphthalmology, and Govt.Medical College Jammu.

At the outset, Chairman of

the society, B.D Sharma pre-sented welcome address andalso briefed about variousactivities of the society.

While addressing the gath-ering, the chief guest appreci-

ated the efforts made by theorganisers for holding the freeMedical camp in rural and faroff areas. He hoped that theNGO will continue its servicewith the same spirit and mis-sionary zeal.

He added that Governmentis committed to provide betterhealth care facility to the peo-ple of the UT. He further saidthat the central Governmenthas launched different gov-ernment schemes for the wel-fare of general public. Heurged the people to come for-ward and to avail the benefits

of these schemes. Sharma saidthat such type of Medicalcamps provide an opportunityfor better healthcare facilitiesat the doors of the people whoare otherwise reluctant to takeproper medical care. MemberParliament also thanked allthe participant in general andsociety in particular for con-ducting this camp.

To take stock of facilitiesbeing extended to the patients,Member Parliament accom-panied by the FinancialCommissioner Health andMedical Education, AtalDulloo had a round of differ-ent OPDs, Laboratory andvarious sections of HealthMela.

Financial CommissionerHealth & Medical Education,also spoke on the occasion,and appreciated the efforts ofthe Society for organizingsuch mega events for the wel-fare of the people and hopethat such activities will becontinued in future also. Hesaid that the Health depart-ment is putting in its bestefforts in providing adequateMedicare to the people espe-cially in the rural and remotepockets.

SSP Mohammad Arshad accorded warm farewellJAMMU : The outgoing

SSP Railways, MohammadArshad was accorded warmfarewell.

A Simple butImpressive function wasOrganized at SSP Office byGRP Jammu which wasattended by Shri, RanjitSingh Sambyal, SSPRailways Katra, Shri RoopRaj, SSP, SO to ADGPRailways J&K Jammu, ShriAbdul Hakim Munshi, SSP,Addl. SP GRP Jammu andSmt. Anita Pawar, SDPOGRP Jammu, Smt RajniSharma, SDPO GRPVijaypur, Shri, NareshKumar, DySP GRP LineJammu, all SHOs/I/C PPsand other officers/official ofGRP Jammu.

Speaking on the occasionthe officers appreciated theefforts of SSP MohammadArshad in preventing crime

and eradicating the menaceof Drugs at Railways Jammu.The officers also appreciated

the role of Shri MohammadArshad in maintaining close

and cordial relations withsub-ordinate staff. Duringhis tenure as SSP Railways

Jammu, Shri MohammadArshad proactively settled

the welfare cases of the GRPstaff and always remained atforefront to take up otherissues related to security ofRailways with HigherAuthorities of J&K Policeand Railway Department.Some of the close friends ofMohammad Arshad alsoattended the function. Mostof the GRP staff from out sta-tions of GRP Jammu attend-ed the function and apparent-ly it looks that staff was emo-tionally connected with theofficer.

Mohammad Arshad whileaddressing the functionthanked the staff for organiz-ing such an impressivefarewell function and show-ing immense love and respectto him.

At the conclusion of thefunction, a memento was pre-sented to outgoing SSP ShriMohammad Arshad.

BLSKS completes 300 saturday serieswith musical play "Naman"

Jammu 15th Feb : Topromote the traditional folkcultural of Duggar culture &Bhartiya Lok Sangeet KalaSansthan (BLSKS) staged300 Saturday Series MusicalPlay " NAMAN", & paidtribute to soldiers of theCRPF on the first anniver-sary of the Pulwama Attack& dedicated to IndianMartyrs who scarified theirlives for defense of mother-land in collaboration SangamTru Art Production & nation-al College of computer edu-cation, Janipur Jammu atopen air theatre DurgaBhawan, Janipur, Jammu.The function was inaugurat-ed after lighting theTraditional Lamp by theChief Guest by Ved SinghThakur, AEE , Designs,Inspections & QualityControl, Jammu, J&KGovernment , along withSh.V.K.Magotra, FormerRegional Director,Directorate of Field Publicity,Government of India,Dr.Tara Singh Charak ,Former Deputy Director,Health Department, J&KGovernment, and Dr. AnjuDogra registrar SMGS, Govt.Hospital, J&K Government ,were the Guests of Honor.Speaking on the occasionChief Guest Lauded the roleof Bhartiya Lok SangeetKala Sansthan -(NGO) forunderlining the importanceof staging such plays andcongratulated the organiza-tion for completing its 300Saturday series with musicalplay in all parts of the statein generating awarenessamong the masses about var-ious social evils throughMusical Play / Theatre /Drama which are still verypowerful medium of commu-nication.

The programme wasstarted and observed silenceof two minute for the bravehearts who laid down theme

lives for the nation withNational Anthem "Jan GanMan" and "Gan tantarHamara Kirtiman" , the patri-otic items special designedby the artistes like "Ham SabEk Hain" "Suno- SunoBharat Vasio" , "Uncha RaheTiranga", "Ekta Ekta KaDiya" "ya phir tiranga lahara

ke aaoong, ya to tirange meinlipata chala aaunga, lekinvaapas zaroor aaoonga". The"NAMAN" Musical Play onthe life of soldier which wasWritten, Produced andDirected by Sh.M.L.Dogra(Chairman BLSKS) & themusic was assisted byMr.Raju Bajgal.

Welcoming thedignitaries Mr.M.L.Dogra,chairman BLSKS explainedaims & objectives of the pro-gramme with special empha-sis to strengthen the compos-ite culture of the countrythrough the medium of tradi-tional folk and art. The con-cepts of fostering the spiritsof "Unity in Diversity", wrewfocused in the prog, disturb-ing the peaceful atmosphereof the Nation, hailing the vic-tory of Indian forces. Mr.Dogra called upon the peopleto contribute their mite inmaking the nation strong &vibrant.

& Sh. Dogra also said theorganization registered since2009 with Registrar ofSociety , J&K Govt.,Academy of Art culture andLanguages , RegionalOutreach Bureau , Ministryof Information andBroadcasting, Govt. of India,& so far has organized over

2000 awareness cum cultur-al Programs in far-flungpockets of the state as well asoutside the state. TheOrganization since 31-5-2014 commenced theSaturday series Musical Playon every Saturday to till dateto promote the dying Folkculture of J&K State. TheOrganization presented everyyear more than 200 musicalplays / awareness programs,this year special eventswere, "Raja Mandlik","Doli- Save Girl Child", "Maa Sheran Wali" , "KathotiMain Ganga","Sudhmahadev Festival",etc. during the year. Theorganization has trainedmore than 1000 youth incomputer education and invarious musical categoriessince it inception. It is beingfelt that without active sup-port of Govt., the organiza-tion cannot fulfill the laiddown aspirations of trans-

forming socio-economic con-ditions of the people. TheBLSKS is only organizationin India which is engaged inpromotion / achievements ofacademic qualification inFolk , Music & Dancebesides exploring talentshunt by way of organizingvarious events, Viz Jammu

Got Talents , Talash-e-Hunner etc. On the occasionthe artists of the organizationwho excellented in their per-formance during the fieldwere honored with mementos/medals.

Sh.M.C.Kotwal, GenSecty. BLSKS said that forrevived our traditions ofcomposite culture is an asset.The artists participated in theprogramme are Raju Bajgal ,Rajni Gupta, Kuldeep Raj,Sanjeev Sodhi, RakshitSharma , DruvPandit,Deevam Jandiyal,Ujwal Sharma , Kanchan ,Mahi, Bhoomika chib, BodhRaj, Mukesh and many oth-ers presented the enthrilledperformance. Smt.UshaHandoo, Troupe leader ,Sangam Tru Art Production,presented vote of thanks andurged upon the people to joinhands in this field to awakenthe society to get tired ofsocial evils.

DC Kishtwar convenes introductory meeting with OfficersAsks officers to work with utmost dedication and commitment

KISHTWAR, FEBRU-ARY 15 : DeputyCommissioner RajinderSingh Tara today convened amaiden introductory meetingwith all District/SectoralOfficers at DC Office com-plex.

He enjoined upon all offi-cers to make endeavoursaimed to ensure prompt exe-cution of works and holisticdevelopment of the district.He further asked officers towork with utmost dedicationand commitment for generalwelfare of the public.

He asked to ensure com-plete inter-departmental co-ordination leading to plannedexecution of works and devel-opment in the district.

DC also directed all theofficers to immediately installbiometric attendance devicesso that the online monitoring

of the staff is ensured. He fur-ther warned all theofficers/officials to remainpunctual and disciplined inprofessional life.

He also directed the offi-

cers not to leave the stationwithout prior permission andto maintain the movementregisters for the tours andfield visits.

He directed Joint DirectorPlanning Kishtwar to seekMonthly Progress Reportsfrom all district officers by5th of every month without

any fail.He instructed officers to

adopt people friendly attitudeto ensure redressal of publicgrievances in time boundmanner without causing any

inconvenience to the generalpublic.

He further reviewedDistrict Capex Budget 2019-20, wherein he was apprisedthat an approved outlay for 05months (w.e.f 31st October2019 to 31st March 2020) isRs. 21805.22 lacs out ofwhich funds were released to

the tune of Rs. 4826.45 lacswherein Rs. 3275.24 lacs hasbeen utilised ending Jan 2020under various schemes/ devel-opmental projects underwaythrough different executingagencies.

He directed all the officersand executing agencies toensure completion of allworks including languishingprojects within stipulated timeframe and stressed for accel-erating the pace of works anddirected to ensure achieve-ment both physical and finan-cial targets in time boundmanner.

ADDC Kishtwar MohdHanief Malik, ADC PawanKumar Parihar, Joint Director(CPO Kishtwar) Mohd Iqbal,ACR Dr Amir Hussain,SDMs and Other District andSectoral Officers were alsopresent in the meeting.

BJP East Mandal felicitates Parveen KerniJAMMU : BJP East

Mandal team on Saturdayfelicitated Parveen Kerni forbeing elected as MandalPresident for Jammu East,during a felicitation ceremonyorganised at Pt Prem NathDogra Bhawan Jammu.

On the occasion seniorparty leaders includingYudhvir Sethi, J&K BJPGeneral Secretary, VinayGupta, District President,Rajesh Gupta, Ex MLA andPriya Sethi former ministerwere present.

Speaking on the occasion,Sethi said that people havelots of expectations from BJPand further we are also com-mitted to the agenda of SabkaSath Sabka Vikas and we arecommitted to provide devel-opment to the masses at theirdoorsteps. "The people ofJammu realize that only BJPcan fulfill their dreams andaspirations," Sethi said.

Rajesh Gupta in hisaddress welcomed theannouncement of Panchayatelections in the Jammu andKashmir aiming to decentral-ize power at the grass-rootlevel.

“It is big step to strengthendemocratic institutions at thegrass-root level”, he said andhailed decision of the admin-istration to conduct electionsin J&K UT.

Vinay Gupta said that BJPhas committed to strengthenthe Panchayat Raj Institutions

(PRIs) in J&K with an aim todecentralize power at grass-root level. He said successive

governments has been failedto initiate any step for thedevelopment of J&K and thepeople were deprived of basic

amenities like drinking water,regular power supply andgood road network. He said

BJP would fulfill the dream ofPrime Minister NarendraModi to bring Jammu andKashmir back on the path of

development.Speaking on the occasion,

Priya Sethi asked the newlyelected District and MandalPresidents to play a vital rolein addressing the issues ofcommon masses besideshighlighting the policies andprogrammes of BJP at everynook and corner of Jammuand Kashmir.

Parveen Kerni thanked theParty leadership for showingtheir trust on him and hepromised that no one will bedisappointed till he is repre-sents the Jammu EastConstituency.

Among others who werepresent included Jugal Dogra,Romesh Gupta, SunilSharma, Narrotam Sharma,Gopal Mahajan, Hari Om andKuldeep Khandari.

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 20203 NEWS

UDHAMPUR, FEBRU-ARY 15 : Department ofInformation & PublicRelations J&K today organ-ized a Nuked Play on funda-mental duties, here at SlathiaChowk. Vikram Slathia coun-cilor Municipal CommitteeWard no. 6, Udhampur wasthe Special guest. Artists ofSangam Theatre Group Reasistaged the play based on fun-damental duties for citizensas enshrined in the IndianConstitution.The Artistsmade audiences aware aboutfundamental duties,Constitution, citizenshiprights and responsibilities.

The script of play waswritten by Shadab Khan anddesigned & directed by M.Akram Khan the artist whoacted in the Nuked Play wereRohit Kumar, Anil Kumar,Anjali Anand, AkramKhan,Pankaj Sharma, RajatSharma, Sarita Devi, InderJeet Singh, Rashab Banathia,Mohan Lal , Lucky Dograand Raja Aamir.

Nuked Play on fundamental duties

staged at Udhampur

RAJOURI, FEBRU-ARY 15 : DistrictDevelopment Commissioner,Mohammad Nazir Sheikhtoday convened a meeting ofthe concerned officers to dis-cuss and finalize the DetailedProject Reports for proposedCluster Tribal Model vil-lages.

The meeting was attendedby Chief Planning Officer,Shama-Un Ahmed, DeputyDirector Planning BilalRashil Mir, AssistantCommissioner Development,Sushil Khajuria, DistrictPanchayat Officer, Dr.AbdulKhabir, Chief AnimalHusbandry Officer, MohdYounis, Chief HorticultureOfficer, Madan Lal Tak,Chief Agriculture Officer,Janak Raj, ExecutiveEngineer EM&RE, Rajouri,Munshi Khan, Chief MedicalOfficer, Dr. Sanjeev Sharma,Assistant Director FCS&CA,Mukhtar Ahmed Lone andBlock Development OfficerBudhal old, Salam Din.

Block DevelopmentChairperson Budhal Old,Javaid Iqbal, Sarpanchs andpanchs of Budhal Old Blockwere also present in the meet-ing. A threadbare discussionwas held in the meetingregarding the finalization ofDPRs for the cluster modelvillages including Naharkassi, Gai, Pallanger, Jamola-Upper A and Jamola Upper-B.

The DDC said that theDPRs should be prepared toprovide modern basic ameni-ties and promote Education,Health, Skill Development,Horticulture, Agriculture,Dairy, Tourism in the areaswith ST population so thatthey can compete with therest of the populace earn alivelihood and live a digni-fied life.

He advised the concernedofficers to bring some inno-vation in the DPRs to be pre-pared for the Cluster TribalModel villages with the soleaim of enhancing the econo-my of these villages. Heasked them to keep the provi-sion of plantation in theDPRs in order to keep theenvironment clean and green.He asked the concerned offi-cers to submit the DPRs with-in shortest possible time sothat work on the projects canbe started as soon as possible.

Rajouri : DPRs forCluster Tribal Model

villages discussed

Handicrafts Dept to undertakeartisans’ outreach programmesJAMMU, FEBRUARY

15 : The HandicraftsDepartment is organizing aseries of outreach pro-grammes to make artisansand weavers aware about var-ious schemes and pro-grammes being implementedby the Government for pro-motion of handicrafts andhandloom products made inJammu and Kashmir.

These awareness campsshall be held across all the 20districts of J&K with activeparticipation of artisans fromCarpet industry, Pashminaand Kani shawl, Sozni andCrewel embroidery, ChainStitch, Tweed, PapierMachie, Bamboo work,Basohli paintings,Copperware, Walnut carving,Willow wicker andKhatamband.

The camps are being heldin the backdrop of the hugeexport potential of genuinehand-made products fromJ&K to overseas destinationslike United States and severalcountries in Europe and Asia.On an average, Jammu andKashmir has been exportinghandmade items worthRs.1500 crore to Rs. 1700crore annually over the last 5years.

During the awarenesscamps, the Department shalleducate stakeholders aboutvarious schemes like clusterdevelopment under SFURTI(Scheme of Funds forRegeneration of TraditionalIndustries), MSME-CDP(Cluster DevelopmentProgramme), restructuring oftraining programmes, creditlinkages, brand promotionthrough GI registration,design innovation through

institutes like CraftDevelopment Institute (CDI)and easy availability of rawmaterial on affordable rates.They shall also be madeaware about the efficacy offorming self-help groups and

advantages of participation inbig ticket exhibitions thatprovide a direct buyer-sellerinterface.

Pertinently, theHandicrafts and Handloomssector has been shortlisted as

one of the 14 focus sectors inJ&K for investment alongwith Tourism, Power,Pharma, Education, Housing,Food Processing,Horticulture, WoolProcessing and IT sectors.

JAMMU, FEBRUARY15 : Commissioner SecretaryFloriculture, Gardens andParks, Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad

today toured Bagh-e-Bahu,Green Belt, Bagh e Bhour andtook stock of ongoing worksthere.

He asked the DirectorFloriculture Jammu, KishoreSingh Chib to facilitate thedevotees with best qualityflowers which would be need-ed by them during the upcom-ing Shivratri festival.

He asked the ExecutiveEngineer Floriculture, KabirShah to expedite the work onupgradation and beatificationof the Bagh E Bahu garden. Itwas informed that as part ofthe extension of the parkAmphi Theater, an open cir-cular or oval building, with a

central space surrounded bytiers of seats for spectators isbeing constructed outside thegarden.

The place would beused for presentation of dra-matic or sporting events with175 sitting arrangement forthe visitors, especially forkids.

The Secretary gaveinstruction for planting ofvariety of seasonal flowers inGreen belt parks and Gardensto add to their beauty andrestoration of defunct lightsso that people residing theremay not have any kind ofinconvenience.

He directed the concernedofficials to make cooling stor-age functional at earliest atBC Park so that flower ven-dors may get benefit from it.

He stressed on proper upkeepof parks and gardens byinstalling more dustbins, sit-ting benches and rubber mat-

ting for children so that theyenjoy at such places.

While inspecting thetheme based gardens at BaghE Bhour, it was given that outof 235 Kanal of land, over 50kanal land of garden has beentargeted for developing asTheme Garden.

It was informed that over100 colorful varieties ofBougain Villa flowers havebeen planted with Dailia vari-ety of flowers, while aMusical Fountain is alsobeing built for attraction ofthe tourists. Swings and otherattractions would also beinstalled for the enjoyment ofthe kids.

Comm. Secy. Floriculture inspectsongoing works in Jammu City parks

DDC Srinagar inaugurates specialhandloom exposition 2020

30 cooperative societies from across J&K to showcase their handloom

products during the two-week-long exposition at Kashmir HaatSRINAGAR, FEBRU-

ARY 15 : This year's specialexposition of handloom prod-ucts organised annually by theJ&K Handloom DevelopmentDepartment began hereSaturday.

The exposition which isbeing held at Kashmir Haat inSrinagar was inaugurated byDistrict DevelopmentCommissioner Srinagar DrShahid Iqbal Choudhary.

Several handloom cooper-ative societies and registeredhandloom weavers and arti-sans have set up their stalls ofgenuine handloom products atthe special exposition.

The DDC visited all stallsset up at the exposition andinteracted with handloomweavers and artisans havingset up their stalls at the expo-sition. He urged the weaversto produce GI certified pash-mina products to preserve thisworld famous heritage art.

Speaking on the occasionDr Shahid who is also theCEO Srinagar Smart CityLimited or SSCL said the dis-trict administration in associa-tion with the SSCL will helpdevelop a platform for onlinemarketing of handloom prod-ucts of registered weavers andartisans of the district.

Some 30 cooperative soci-

eties from both Kashmir andJammu divisions participatedin the special expositionwhich will be held for two-weeks upto February 29.

The annual exposition is

an attempt to provide market-ing opportunities and a plat-form to weavers for sellinghandloom products producedin J&K. It also providesopportunities to customers tobuy the world famous prod-ucts - like kani, pashmina andraffal shawls among otherhandloom products - directlyfrom producers and at gen-uine prices.

Director Handloom

Development DepartmentBabila Rakwal, Joint Director(Kashmir) Dr Nargis Surayaand Assistant DirectorsShazia Rehman, Hakim Tahirand Kashif Altaf were also

present on the occasion.On the occasion the

Handloom Developmentdepartment highlightedimplementation of govern-ment's various developmentalschemes for the weaver com-munity.

It was informed that so farduring the current fiscal thedepartment has releasedaround 270 lakh rupees toaround 2700 weavers under

the Interest Subsidy scheme,around 25 lakh to 21 societiesunder the Promotion &Marketing Interventionscheme, around 13 lakh underthe 10% Special Rebate

scheme to 19 societies andaround 5 lakh to 39 societiesunder the Purchase,Renovation andModernisation of Loomsscheme.

It was also informed thatduring the said fiscal thedepartment has also spon-sored some 1200 cases ofhandloom weavers for provid-ing them bank loans under theMUDRA scheme.

J&K Forest Deptt organises Training Workshopon Forest Fires, Disaster Management

JAMMU, FEBRUARY15 : J&K Forest Department,in collaboration with StateDisaster Response Force andCivil Defence Department,organised a one day TrainingWorkshop on “Forest Firesand Disaster Management”for frontline staff of ForestDepartment and ForestProtection Force, here atConvention Centre.

Commissioner/SecretaryForests, Sarita Chauhan, whowas chief guest at the work-shop, expressed her concernover the harmful effects offorest fires, which includedegradation of forests andimpacting socio-economiccondition of forest dependentcommunities.

She highlighted the mech-anism of “Incident CommandSystem” where in an integrat-ed approach is followed in sit-uations such as forest fires.“This requires a perfect coor-dination among teams ofForest Department, FPF,District authorities, SDRFand Civil Defence,” sheadded.

While appreciating theefforts of Forest Departmentfor timely organizing the oneday training workshop on“Forest Fires and DisasterManagement”, she calledupon strengthening the mech-anism for prevention and con-trol of forest fires and high-lighted the need for Mockdrills and training of frontlinestaff. She emphasised that for-est fires can be preventedeffectively with good pre-

paredness and cooperation oflocal communities.

Speaking on the occasion,Dr. Mohit Gera, PCCF, J&Kinformed on the vulnerabilityof forests of UT of J&K to

forest fires and how changingclimate is linked with increas-ing incidences of fire. Hehighlighted the preparednessof the forest department inprevention and control of for-est fires in terms of spreadingawareness, setting up fire con-trol rooms, provisioning offire fighting tools and equip-ment, engagement of seasonalfire watchers and increasedpatrolling of forest staff. Healso impressed upon the foreststaff to have good liaison withthe village forest communitiesso that they participate inlarge numbers in case of fire.The role of technology in cre-ation of fire alerts, SMS,Mobile Applications andpreparation of vulnerabilitymaps was also highlighted.

Dr. C.M. Seth, former

Chairman, J&K PollutionControl Board, who was thespecial guest on the occasion,highlighted the major prob-lems faced by staff on accountof accessibility of forest fire

sites, difficult terrain, chang-ing social structure and therequired infrastructure. Hefurther emphasised that tradi-tional methods of fighting for-est fires are effective andneeds to be improved withinnovations.

Earlier, Sandeep Kujur,Chief Conservator of Forests,welcomed the participantsand emphasized on theadvance preparation of miti-gation plan for dealing withforest fires.

During the program, an in-house panel discussion on“Preparedness for preventionand Control of Forest Fires inJ&K” was held which wasmoderated by SamuelChangkija and Irfan Ali Shah,Conservators of Forests. Atwo minute silence was also

observed in the remembranceof three firemen, who losttheir lives in a recent fire inci-dent at Talab Tillo and also forforest staff, who martyred inthe past for protection of

forests. Later on, practicaldemonstration on forest relat-ed disaster mitigation wasgiven by personnel of CivilDefence, J&K for frontlinestaff of Forest Departmentand Forest Protection Force.

The workshop, amongstothers, was attended by P.K.Singh, Director Soil & WaterConservation Department;Suresh Gupta, Chief WildlifeWarden, J&K; AsafMehmood, Director FPF;besides Chief Conservators ofForests, Conservators ofForests, Joint Directors,Regional Heads, DFOs,Principals and Instructors ofForest Training Schools, offi-cials of SDRF, Civil Defence,Range officers, AssistantDirectors of FPF and forestguard trainees.

DIP/J-13828/19,Dt : 15-02-2020

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 20204 EDITORIAL/ARTICLE

Total disclosureThe Supreme Court has held the mirror to political parties

many times in a bid to decriminalise our legislature but every elec-tion just compounds the problem with them showing no seriousintent to comply. So the number of MPs with criminal cases pend-ing against them has gone up from 24 per cent in 2004 to 43 percent in 2019. This despite its ruling of September 2018, when afive-judge Constitution Bench had held that all candidates wouldhave to declare their criminal antecedents to the ElectionCommission (EC) before contesting polls and had called for awider publicity of their records, through print and electronicmedia. It had even asked Parliament to formulate a law to ensurethat criminals are disbarred so that the “polluted stream of poli-tics” is cleansed. Quite exasperatedly, therefore, this time, reactingto a contempt plea, the court has struck hard, involving the polityas a whole in objectively assessing a candidate’s worth. It hasasked all political parties to publicise full details, not justwinnability, of tainted candidates, during Central and State elec-tions, on traditional and digital media. Parties, too, now have tolist the nature of the charges against a tainted candidate and clari-fy why then they had chosen to give a ticket to him/her. They haveto send a compliance report to the EC within a specified time peri-od — 48 hours post-selection or two weeks before the first date forfiling of nominations, whichever is earlier. Any violation would beconsidered contempt of court. In a sense, the court is also nudgingthe electorate, asking it to take a measured call. And by asking par-ties to list reasons why they have chosen a tainted name as theirworthy bet, it is putting the onus on them to expose their hypocrisyand subject themselves to public scrutiny.

The State Assemblies are no better when it comes to legisla-tors with criminal backgrounds. In the just-concluded Delhi polls,the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) found that morethan half the candidates had a black book. In 2020, 43 MLAsdeclared criminal cases against them while in 2015, that figurewas 24. The number of MLAs with serious criminal cases,including rape, attempt to murder and crimes against women, is37. The last is the most heinous, considering most lawmakers usetheir political patronage, given their indispensability in managinglocal cadres and units, to get themselves off the hook. The recentexamples of rape survivors being bullied into political submis-sion are all too many. Both BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar and formerUnion Minister Swami Chinmayanand have used their politicalclout to abuse women and stave off repercussions on their politi-cal careers for years. The ADR report says that 76 lawmakersacross the country have declared cases related to crimes againstwomen. In the last five years, 572 such candidates have contest-ed Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Assembly elections. From 2009to 2019, there has been a 231 per cent spike in the number oferrant candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections. For thesame period, the number of offender MPs has increased by 850per cent. This phenomenon cuts across party lines, each of whichis guilty of ignoring crimes as a liability of its candidates. Worse,whenever they have won, they have been further rewarded orentrusted with a bigger political role. Even on the day of the ver-dict, Anand Singh, an accused in mining and forest crime cases,was appointed as the new environment minister in Karnataka.Will full disclosure, therefore, serve much of a purpose as mostvoters have developed the habit of choosing a known evil for thesake of their representative worth in their lives? Besides, giventhe heft of such leaders in matters local, most constituents are toointimidated to exercise their choice in an impartial manner. Tillthey are assured that such nominees are punished, nothing canchange. What then is the way forward? Although the EC has beengiven additional powers to punish candidates who file false ormisleading financial disclosures, nothing can be effective withoutdisclosure of political contributions. It must insist on independ-ently-audited party accounts. Experts have suggested linkingpolitical party registration and tax benefits to basic democraticand transparency standards and creating a new legal mechanismto adjudicate cases of accused MLAs and MPs. But in the end, itdepends on the political will of the Legislature and the Executiveto push for a binding law. Even now, Section 8 of theRepresentation of the People Act, 1951, bans convicted politi-cians from contesting. However, those facing trial, no matter howserious the charges, can still contest. So beyond the court makinga moral call, the parties hold the power to change themselves.

EDITORIAL

HE LIT A BILLION LIVESNobel laureate and an

authority on sustainable devel-opment and climate change,RK Pachauri has set the tem-plate for our continuity in cli-mate-challenged times. A long-time columnist of The Pioneer,here are extracts from some ofhis recommendations made inthese pages. We will miss him

RK Pachauri, formerChairman of The Energy andResources Institute (TERI), whopassed away on February 13,was India’s pre-eminent experton sustainable development, cli-mate change and environment.He received the 2007 NobelPeace Prize on behalf of theInter-governmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) for rais-ing awareness on the issue.During his eminent career, healso served as a member of thePrime Minister’s Council onClimate Change that was consti-tuted in 2007. India’s NationalAction Plan on Climate Changewas finalised in 2008 under hisadvice and he was awarded thePadma Bhushan in 2001 andPadma Vibhushan in 2008, thecountry’s third and second-high-est civilian awards, respectively.

Pachauri assumed responsi-bilities as TERI’s ChiefExecutive in 1981 and led theinstitute for more than threedecades. He had become syn-onymous with TERI before hedemitted office as the ExecutiveVice-Chairman in March 2016.One of his flagship projects,Lighting a Billion Lives, thatbegan with distributing solar-powered lamps to rural homesin remote parts of the countrythat did not have access to gridelectricity, resulted in lightinghomes in 12 countries. Pachauriwas a regular contributor to ThePioneer and here are a fewexcerpts of his articles that weare publishing as a tribute to theenvironmental crusader:

Blowing in the wind:(Published January 8)

Wind energy can not onlyhelp achieve a sustainable futurebut also meet economic andsocial objectives. India mustmake the best use of this oppor-tunity. Recent developments,with the US having targetted anIranian General located inBaghdad, would lead to a hard-ening of global oil prices. Thereis a valid fear that any furtherescalation of conflict in theMiddle-East could lead to fur-ther price increases, whichwould impact unfavourably onIndia’s already unsatisfactoryrate of economic growth. Earlierconcerns related to energy secu-rity and the objectives of bring-ing about energy independenceappear to have been given lowpriority as a result of a glut inthe global oil market in recentyears. At the same time, the neg-ative externalities of coal pro-duction and consumptionremain understated, with anexpansion of supply, essentiallyto maintain coal as the majorfuel for power generation in thiscountry. There is a need, there-fore, to articulate a long-term

renewable energy strategy,which would also meet theobjectives of the Government’s“Make in India” initiative. Windenergy developments will be anexcellent candidate not only forIndia to achieve a sustainableenergy scenario in the future butalso as a means to meet a largerange of economic and socialobjectives. It is inevitable thatthe world would move awayfrom fossil fuels largely for mit-igation of carbon dioxide emis-sions, which are resulting in cli-mate change world over. Hence,there would be a growingdemand and a major marketopportunity for nations, whichinnovate and produce equip-ment for harnessing renewablesources of energy. India has agrowing opportunity to play arole in this market.

Preventable reality:(Published January 22)

The comprehensive listingof threats that can emerge thisyear, published by the Astana

Club, is specific to Eurasiancountries but has lessons for theentire world. With respect to cli-mate change, we need to comeup with scenarios on how wemay be able to bring about atransition from fossil fuels tolow carbon sources of energy.Far more immediate is the issueof impacts of climate change,which would pose increasingrisks across the globe.Projections of extreme events,which the IPCC had clearlybrought out 11 years ago, is theincrease in intensity and fre-quency of disasters and extremeevents. A typical but unfortunateexample of this is provided bythe raging forest fires, whichrecently affected several parts ofAustralia, followed immediatelyby extreme precipitation eventswhich led to flooding and exces-sive damage. All in all, it isimportant that the Astana Clubhas come up with a comprehen-sive listing of threats, which canemerge during 2020 and, there-fore, extending into this decadeas a whole. Kazakhstan and sev-eral Eurasian countries may liebeyond the Himalayan range butin terms of proximity, they arein some cases very close to us interms of geographical distance.India should, perhaps, engagefar more closely with countriesof the region and exercise itssoft power, including the flowof knowledge, education andresearch on issues that have abearing on the region. The

threats for Eurasia apply equallyto India as well.

Anatomy of a heat shield:(Published January 21, 2019)

The impact of climatechange would leave a large partof the population vulnerable inIndia. It needs to develop itsindustrial strengths in a technol-ogy of the future. It is importantto remember that for India as asociety, the impacts of climatechange would leave a large partof the population vulnerable. Ifglobal action is neglected, inwhich India has high stakes,then we cannot blame others asa nation, which many developedcountries have been responsiblefor as a measure of neglect formuch too long. In particular,quite apart from the economicmerits of large-scale renewableenergy production, which theGovernment of India has nowcommitted itself to, what is per-haps of even greater priority isto electrify those villages whichare as yet un-electrified, and

which may have major con-straints in supply of grid basedpower. The TERI launched amajor programme in 2008called “Lighting a BillionLives,” which focussed on theprovision of lighting in thehomes of these villages, usingrenewable energy, mainlythrough supply of PV basedpower. India had a great oppor-tunity to not only complete thistask within its own borders, butperhaps make the experienceavailable to homes in Africa andother parts of the developingworld. There is, of course, asignificant benefit in exploitingeconomies of scale both throughan approach such as the pro-gramme on “Lighting a BillionLives” as well as large-scalesupply of grid-based powerusing renewables.

India can become a leader inmitigation of emissions ofGHGs and set a path for growthwith significantly low carbonemissions. It may thus developits industrial strengths in a tech-nology of the future, with signif-icant commercial benefits andreach across other regions of theworld. This, of course, wouldalso have major implications foraction at the global level formeeting the provisions of theParis agreement and maintain-ing the limit of 1.5 °C.

In the worst of times:(Published April 3, 2019)

It is necessary for nationalgovernments to put in place

safety measures so that vulnera-ble sections can be protectedfrom the ill-effects of a down-turn in economic activity. WhenCharles Dickens wrote the fol-lowing lines for his epic cre-ation, A Tale of Two Cities, heobviously gave expression tothe state of society as it existedin that period: “It was the best oftimes, it was the worst of times,it was the age of wisdom, it wasthe age of foolishness, it was theepoch of belief, it was the epochof incredulity...”. If the sameauthor were to write similarlines today, it is likely that hewould drop the words “best oftimes”, given the extent ofuncertainty and the lack of “feelgood” that we see before us.Perhaps every generation feelssome helplessness at what theyperceive as the decline in stan-dards, opportunities — andmost importantly, hope — incomparison with yesteryear.Yet, today, the confusion thatdefines global affairs and thestate of the world seems morecompelling in mapping thehuman condition as, say, incomparison with what existedjust a few years ago. The globaleconomy has reached unprece-dented levels, which should nor-mally have resulted in the elim-ination of poverty, hunger andmalnutrition, and a reduction ininequalities but the growing dif-ference between the richestmembers of society and those atthe bottom rung has never beensharper than it is today.

Leaders with hubris:(Published April 17, 2019)

A large number of leaders,both at the global and thenational levels, today appear tobe victims of self-pride whenthey should be more humble andmodest personalities. The ques-tion is whether these leaders areseen by their followers as largerthan life and measuring up tothe dimensions of a superman,to be idealised and admired bythem. It is hoped that distin-guished leaders in the futurewould show a certain level ofhumility and shed the hubristhat they appear to haveacquired in recent years. It isrelevant to recall that the bright-est scientist in history AlbertEinstein is reported to have said,“I prefer an attitude of humilitycorresponding to the weaknessof our intellectual understandingof nature and of our own being.”Could it, therefore, be that thoseleaders with hubris lack an intel-lectual understanding of theirown being and most certainlythat of nature, which takes theform of remoteness from realityand basic humility? We urgentlyneed leaders in this mouldbefore those with hubris canimpose untold harm on societyand distort the finest attributesof human nature. But in recenttimes, leaders with hubris havestrutted the stage in the US, theUK, the Philippines, Indonesiaand many other countries. Willthey be succeeded by morehumble and modest personali-ties?

Post-independence, pub-

lic imagination, political pas-

sions and administrative pri-

oritisation in the “Crown of

India” were fronted by the

Kashmir Valley, followed by

the uber-strategic Ladakh

(literally, the “land of the

passes”) and thereafter by

the Duggar Jammu region.

This hierarchy of importance

was recalibrated in the

revised status of the Union

Territory (UT) to retain “nor-

malcy” in the Valley (the

foremost concern), address

the Kashmiri Pandit issue (a

matter of urgency) and rele-

gate the Jammu region (the

last priority). This hierarchy

sustains still. This continued

diminishment of the erst-

while land of the Dogra

Kingdom in the pre-inde-

pendence era, which held

sway in swathes of Jammu &

Kashmir, including Ladakh

and expansive reaches of

Western Tibet, Hunza,

Gilgit-Baltistan and Nagar, is

an ironic turn of fate. The

largest princely State in the

British Raj to accede to the

dominion of India is a forgot-

ten and twisted footnote in

history. As a corollary price

paid for delayed accession,

it was deliberately sup-

pressed by new political

forces and impulses, which

were wholeheartedly

endorsed by “New Delhi”, to

decrement the Jammu

region.

If Pakistan was externally

vilified for its role in the first

Kashmir War of 1947-48,

internally, Maharaj Hari

Singh was conveniently

painted as the dilly-dallying

monarch under whose rule a

situation was allowed to

develop. Allowing such a

narrative facilitated inde-

pendent India’s first public

rejection of the abhorred

two-nation theory when

political forces from

Kashmir were allowed to

systematically dismantle the

primacy of “Jammu” and

thereby ride the moral high

horse of a democratic and

non-discriminating “India.”

Unnecessary allusion of

“plebiscite” was a further

display of ostensible states-

manship that sought to

demonstrate fair-play for

Kashmir but at the cost of

“Jammu” sensitivities as

contextualised to the fate of

former Dogra royals. The

Maharaja was forced into

abdication and died a broken

man. Jammu had no voice in

Delhi to argue for its rightful

share in India’s immediate

aspirations. The iron-fencing

of Article 370 predicated

Jammu’s fate within the

overall pie of Jammu &

Kashmir, whereas within the

State itself, Kashmir

emerged as the epicenter of

all subsequent focus.

Two distinct dynamics

dominated the State’s affairs.

First, the political machina-

tions surrounding Sheikh

Abdullah’s ambitions and his

oft-competing relations with

“Delhi”, which led to a cat-

and-mouse game of outwit-

ting each other. Here,

“Jammu” played an insignif-

icant role of a supporting

cast. Second, from the

national perception of the

Indian citizenry, the recur-

ring wars (1947-48, 1965,

1971 and 1999) and the

armed insurgency (early

1990s onwards) kept the lens

firmly on Kashmir and at

best on safeguarding Ladakh,

which holds out proudly in

the face of Pakistani-Chinese

dimensions. Even though

there’s a perennial strategic

vulnerability in the “chick-

en’s neck” of the Sambha-

Pathankot corridor of Jammu

region, which hosted one of

the fiercest tank battles in

combat history, it remains

solely a matter of military

records. This is rarely appre-

ciated in the same breath as

the other “chicken’s neck” in

the Siliguri corridor.

Recognising this threat per-

ception, the Jammu region is

littered with garrison towns

in virtual rows to safeguard

the “integrity” and “sover-

eignty” of India. It has done

so since time immemorial. It

remains the first in line of

defence against foreign inva-

sions and marauders.

This institutionalised task

of burying Jammu’s sense of

purpose, relevance and sensi-

tivities simmers in the

region, though this remains

consistently unaddressed.

The socio-cultural debase-

ment soon assumed political-

religious undertones that got

coined as the “Jammu-

Srinagar divide.” While such

simplistic “divides” served

an invaluable purpose for

peddling partisan politics,

they do incalculable harm in

further distorting the secular,

multi-cultural and glorious

traditions of the Dogra

Kingdom.

The Jammu region itself

is not a homogeneous com-

position. Reducing it to a

“Hindu” identity militates

against the profound reality

of the Dogra rulers, whose

progressive moorings, cul-

turalised secularism, equality

and various other societal

freedoms got enshrined in

the Constitution.

The 10 districts of Jammu

region host a religio-ethnic-

cultural diversity that epito-

mises the majesty and traves-

ty of “India” in equal meas-

ure — the region hosts the

Dogra Hindus, Sikhs and

Muslims (distinct from

Muslims in the Valley) with

their own distinctions as also

the nomadic Gujjar-

Bakarwal tribes that were in

the news for the horrific rape

case of a little girl in Kathua.

The reductive oversimplifi-

cation of the “Jammu-

Srinagar divide” afforded a

factually wrong communal

attribution on perceptions

even though the Gujjar and

the Bakarwals are ethnically

distinct from the Kashmiri

Muslims. Sadly, Jammu’s

unheard frustrations mor-

phed into assuming an

unwarranted and communal-

ly binary reaction.

The societal, multi-cul-

tural and martial traditions of

the Jammu region and histo-

ry are unmatched and

unrecognised outside the

realm of the Indian armed

forces and the people of

Jammu themselves.

Tellingly, Dogra soldiers are

known as “gentleman sol-

diers” owing to their finest

soldiering instincts, ethos

and bearing that behoves

civilisational sophistication.

Not only does the region

populate regiments like the

Dogras, Jammu & Kashmir

Rifles, Jammu & Kashmir

Light Infantry, Punjab and

many others — unbeknownst

to a larger India — it also has

the highest number of gal-

lantry awardees in service of

the nation. This would

undoubtedly accrue to the

composite Dogra identities.

Jammu’s dignified silence

and sacrifice — in allowing

the more pressing fires in

Kashmir to take the cen-

trestage and the abandon-

ment by unscrupulous politi-

cians of all parties — has left

it to be conveniently ignored

and taken for granted.

The wholly political exer-

cise of abrogating Article

370 and the looming delimi-

tation exercise in the UT was

received with latent and

instinctive excitement in

Jammu but that mirage has

given way to despondency

again. If anything, it has only

strengthened the historically-

irrelevant “Jammu-Srinagar

divide” and carved out space

for political harvest, nothing

more.

Jammu needs historical

acknowledgement and cor-

rection besides development.

All of this needs national

intent and not necessarily

more legislative members

(though that helps, too) as

that is again a political mine-

field. Jammu has always

guarded India with its blood

and to imply that it can only

be recognised at the cost of

Kashmir is further diminish-

ing of the Dogra identity and

nobility of yesteryears and

shortchanging it politically,

yet again.

The price of politics

A tightrope walkThe end of 2020 will be

intensely awaited by theworld as it seeks an answerto the burning question, willDonald Trump, who just tri-umphed in the impeachmentproceedings, remain thePresident of the UnitedStates after the Novemberelections? Significantly,Iran is also going to witnessits parliamentary electionson February 21.

According to strategicthinkers, with the high-pro-file killing of Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani,the Trump presidencyintended its Iran policy tobe entirely different fromthat of his predecessors. Theattack has ignited a debatewhether or not it was worththe risk to kill Soleimani,who incidentally, was theface of armed resistanceagainst the Islamic State(IS) in Iraq and Syria alongwith the US, Russia, Turkeyand its European allies.

Previous US administra-tions also had the opportu-nity to take out Soleimanibut chose not to, mostlybecause of concerns that itwould lead to a series ofdangerous escalations onboth sides. However, it isclear from the economicsanctions imposed againstIran that Trump has adopteda different approach and has

used his famed “maximumpressure” strategy.

Although, anti-Americanism in Iran hasalways remained a chal-lenge for US foreign policy,Trump’s decision to take outIran’s most popular militaryleader has pitched to a newhigh the anti-Americanwave on Irans streets. Themuch-loved General’sassassination will most like-ly be used by the Iranianregime to fan anti-Americansentiments that are runninghigh in the country. And thiswill have long-term conse-quences, which the US mayor may not be prepared for.

Elections have long beenused by the Iranian leader-ship under the SupremeLeader AyatollahKhamenei’s watch as toolsto create an illusion of pub-lic support and democraticlegitimacy. And this timearound, the regime is moredesperate than ever to showits detractors at home andabroad that it represents thewill of the Iranian peoplebecause over the last fourdecades, the gap betweenthe people and the regimehas gradually widened.

With every passing day,more and more Iranians arecoming to the conclusionthat the regime does notrepresent them and cannot

be reformed and Iranianswant and deserve a leader-ship that respects theirwishes and protects theirinterests. Until Iran’s lead-ers understand this fact andhold free and fair elections,the gap between the peopleand their rulers will contin-ue to widen, the protestswill continue and the realvoter turnout will remainlow. So, the regime will usethis attack by Trump as ameans to cover its ruthless-ness and shortcomings andfan anti-US sentiments tomake itself relevant as elec-tions loom large.

Interestingly, on theother side, in the US, whereconspiracy theories aboundaccusing past Presidents ofpurposely creating foreignpolicy crises during an elec-tion year with an aim todivert public opinion frompressing and unsavourydomestic issues, the killingof General Soleimani isnothing new.

However, this timeTrump may have takenthings too far in search ofshort-term domestic elec-toral gains. Security expertscaution that this incidentwill have a long-termimpact and may endangerUS’ security interests inWest Asia. As per a latestdevelopment, a

Democratic-led US Houseof Representatives commit-tee had reached an agree-ment with Secretary of StateMike Pompeo to testify at apublic hearing on Iran andIraq policy, after threaten-ing a subpoena over previ-ous refusals to appear. Thiswill be in public domainsoon.

The ongoing tensionbetween the US and Iranhas shaken the world asanything that happens in theGulf region will have asevere impact on the oil-based economy of the worldand more specifically Asiancountries. However, securi-ty experts have signalled,based on Trump’s recentstatement “calling onNATO partners to play abigger role in the MiddleEast region” that he is will-ing to de-escalate tensions.On its part Iran, too, is notkeen to ratchet up the issueas it has shown its willing-ness to submit to theInternational AtomicEnergy Agency inspectionsand is not walking out of thenuclear non-proliferationtreaty.

Notwithstanding thesesignals from the two coun-tries, New Delhi is under-standably worried abouthow Gulf tensions willimpact India. This is

because India has strategicinterests in the region in theform of the Chahabar Portand the nearly 10 millionIndians working in the Gulf,who send home over $40billion as remittance.

In January, while speak-ing at the fifth edition of theRaisina Dialogue in NewDelhi, Iran’s ForeignMinister Mohammad JavadZarif set temperatures risingas he called the US “igno-rant and arrogant” andslammed the country for theassassination of the warhero. He also asked Indiafor an aggressive backdoordiplomacy to safeguard itsnational interests in theregion.

While promising that hiscountry was not looking fora war with the mighty US,the Iranian Ambassadorpushed India for a greaterrole in the efforts to de-escalate rising tensions inthe Persian Gulf region.Allaying fears about theeffects of the crisis on trade,Chegeni also assured Indiathat Chabahar Port was fineand operative as it was asymbol of the friendshipbetween India, Iran,Afghanistan, theCommonwealth ofIndependent States, Europeand the whole Persian Gulf.

Significantly, keeping in

mind the strategic impor-tance of developing theregional maritime traffic toAfghanistan and CentralAsia, the US gave a writtenassurance to India that itwould help facilitate thefunding for the purchase ofequipment worth $85 mil-lion for the Chabahar Port.

Also, tension in theregion may cause a threat tothe traffic that goes throughthe tiny Strait of Hormuz,which though just 21 milesacross at its widest point,has major strategic andgeopolitical relevancebecause it is situatedbetween Iran and Oman. Itis a financially crucialcheckpoint because it is theworld’s busiest shippinglane and there are limitedalternatives to bypass it.

According to a report ofthe US Energy InformationAdministration (EIA), 21million barrels of crude andrefined oil pass through thestrait, which is about one-third of world’s sea- tradedoil. Thus, Iran can takerevenge on the US and giveits allies sleepless nights byshutting the strait orobstructing the oil tankerspassing through it, whichwill ultimately disrupt sup-ply and push up shippingcosts and consequentlyenergy prices.

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 20205 STATE

JWAM holds protest againstheavy firing in Hira Nagar

Charak inaugurates construction work

at Shahi Jamia Masjid, Bahu Fort

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, FEB. 15: Sunil

Dimple President JammuWest Assembly Movementled strong anti Pak rally, ter-rorists rally burnt theEffigies Flags of ImranKhan, Pakistan for killingNamazies, injuring and fir-ing on Mosque Fridayprayers in Poonch LOC.Strong protest held againstthe heavy Pakistan firing inHiranagar, kathua LOC,residential villages.

Addressing the protest-ers, Sunil Dimple appealedthe Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and Chiefof the Security CDS VipanRawwat for the air andarmy strikes on Pakistan forthe violation of ceasefire onLOC of Jammu region,

killing of the Namazies,injuring and firing onMosque in Friday prayersin Poonch LOC in Poonch.He said Pakistan has startedthe heavy shelling and fir-ing in Hiranagar, KathuaLOC sectors on residentialvillages. All schools closedon the LOC and red alert onLOC villages announced.He said the LOC residents,people are complaining thatthe govt did nothing forthem, no adequate arrange-ment of medical treatmentfor injured.

Dimple alleged the peo-ple of Hira Nagar sector arein constant threat of life andproperty and suffered heavyloss of property by thePakistan shelling and manyhouses damaged.

Dimple demanded theconstruction of bunkers,allotment of five marlasplot at safer places.

He alleged the residents,villagers of LOC are undergreat threat of lives andproperty and the govt is nottaking adequate measuresagainst Pakistan. Heexpressed complete solidar-ity with the residents, vil-lagers of LOC of theJammu Kashmir. He said tostart war with Pakistan, tillthe Pakistan LiberatesPOK, Gilgit, Blatistan, allthe training camp, ofPakistan, POK and inPakistan is completelydestroyed, converted in thegrave yards.

Dimple demanded ChiefDefense staff Vipin Rawat

to start surgical strike andkill Hafez Sayeed, AzaharMasood, Lakhvi. Hedemanded CDS VipanRavat to start surgical strikeon Pakistan, destroy terror-ist training camps, liberateillegally occupied areas ofJammu Kashmir fromPakistan, China, POK,Gilgit, Blatistan and Sichenfrom the enemy.

Dimple said earlier alsothe Pak BAT team behead-ed, two porters were killedby BAT and beheaded ofone of the porters was takento Pakistan by the Pak armyBAT.

He demanded prime min-ister to constitute the com-mando team for more surgi-cal strikes in Pakistandestroy the terrorists train-ing camps in POK, LiberateGilgit Blotistan, POK fromthe clutches of Pakistan.

Dimple said three thou-sand incidents ceasefireviolation took place in2019-20, the situation inJammu region is also fastworsening, cease fire viola-tion have also increased onthe Jammu Region LOC.He also demanded forimmediate deportation ofthe RohangiesBangladeshies.

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, FEB. 15: BJP

Senior Leader and BahuFort DevelopmentCommittee (Regd.), J&KPresident Kr. RajeevCharak along with StateVice President BJP Youthand Vice Chairman BFDCAdvocate Ishant Gupta,Legal Advisor AdvocateVarun Gupta & VicePresident Krishan ChandSharma inaugurated thelong pending constructionand renovation work atShahi Jamia Masjid, BahuFort. On this occasion, theywere welcomed and felici-tated by Shahi JamiaMasjid, Bahu FortPresident Abdul RashidBhat, Vice President ShahMohammad, MushtaqSalaria, Haji Ali Wani,Nazeer Ahmad, NakeemAhmad, Mohd. Saddiq, andMohd. Yaseen.

While speaking on theoccasion, Kr. RajeevCharak said that Bahu Fortis a historic place and givesmessage of brotherhoodamong Muslims andHindus because on its oneside the historical mosqueis situated and on the otherside historical Temple ofMata Maha Kali which ispopularly known as Bawe

Wali Mata Temple. Charak added that Shahi

Jamia Masjid and BaweWali Mata Temple both areconstructed in the 16th cen-tury by Maharaja DhruvDev Ji. He said that themosque was undevelopedsince decades and in 1987last renovation work wastaken place but keeping inview the increase in popu-lation, renovation is needof hour to provide betterfacilities and developmen-tal works. He said that withthe lack of developmentalworks congregation ofprayers (Nawaz Ada) inrainy and hot days is verydifficult. Charak added thatthe renovation of mosqueand construction of newshed is pending since long

due to local issues andshortage of financial grantsbut now with the contribu-tion of J&K Tourism andself contributory, the workresumes again with an esti-mated cost of Rs. 20 Lakhswhich provide a big reliefto perform congregation ofprayers (Nawaz Ada).

Abdul Rashid Bhat saidthat Shahi Masjid BahuFort is one of the oldest andhistorical mosque inJammu City which hasunique architecture andhistorical significance.

He thanked charak andall the dignitaries for theirsparing their valuable timeto grace the occasion andalso thanked tourismdepartment for their kindsupport.

Shiv Sena demanded 1

crore compensation for

Fire personnelTP CORRESPONDENT

JAMMU, FEB. 15: ShivSena Balasaheb Thackeray'sleaders demanded compen-sation of one crore and agovernment job to a familymember for fire fighting per-sonnel who died in the TilabTilo fire incident in Jammu.Party state president ManishSahni said that theLieutenant Governor hasdeclared only two lakhs ofhelp for those who lost theirlives in this painful accidentwhich is insufficient.

Shiv Sena leaders todaychaired by State PresidentManish Sahni met theJammu District DeputyCommissioner and appealedto the government to helpsaw mill other / landlord andbetter treatment facilities forthe injured. Sahni said thatthe government should helpsomething under the PrimeMinister's Fund or GaribAwas Yojana. At the sametime, Sahni said that the oldand dilapidated buildings ofJammu government officesincluding the old office ofJammu RTO should berepaired immediately so thatsuch incidents could beavoided. The leaders to meetthe Deputy Commissionerof Jammu were WomenPresident MinakshiChhibber, General SecretaryVikas Bakshi, presidentSamba Ramesh Gupta.

Portuguese President's visit to India, Bhim Singh reminds his

meeting with first Portugal President in 1974 TP CORRESPONDENT

JAMMU, FEB. 15:Prof.Bhim Singh, ChiefPatron of National PanthersParty & a globetrotter whotravelled around the worldon peace mission from 1967to 1973 also visited Portugalin May 1974. He was thefirst Indian to call on firstPortugal's President, Mr.Mario Soares who was agreat socialist revolutionaryin that part of the world.Prof.Bhim Singh in his mes-sage of peace and friendshipto the people of Portugalwhile welcoming the visit ofMr. Marcelo Rebelo deSousa, the President ofPortugal extended greetingsand welcomed thePortuguese President inIndia. Portugal itself earneddemocracy with MarioSoares as its first Presidentin 1974. Prof.Bhim Singhwas the first Indian to visitand greet Mario Soares, thethen Secretary-General ofthe Democratic SocialistParty of Portugal in 1974.

Prof.Bhim Singh in hiswelcome address today con-veyed the message of good-will, brotherhood andassured that the people ofIndia, and Portugal shallcontinue the friendshipgoodwill which was generat-ed between the people ofIndia and Portugal after

Mario Soares took over thePresidency of Portugal.

In 1974, Prof.Bhim Singhas a Youth Congress repre-sentative was invited toattend an InternationalConference of the FrenchCommunist Party in Franceand he visited Portugal onthe visit of DemocraticSocialist Party of Portugal.Prof.Bhim Singh hoped thatthe new youth leadership inIndia associated with pro-gressive, socialist and secu-lar movement shall rise tothe occasion and reestablishthe relationship of the newgeneration with the youth ofthe world so that the peopleof the world shall join themovement together for inter-national peace, total disar-mament, brotherhood anddevelopment so that theworld shall live in peace, thenuclear weapons shall sinkin the sea whereas the UNmay succeed to ensurepeaceful existence and pros-perity of all human beingson earth.

Prof. Bhim Singhappealed to all the BigPowers in the world to fol-low India's policy of Non-Alignment, disarmamentand respect for all humanbeings on earth irrespectiveof their colour, region, coun-try or economic/social statusanywhere in the world.

Six Weekend Entrepreneurship Development Programeecommenced in Govt. MAM College Jammu from Feb 15TP CORRESPONDENT

JAMMU, FEB. 15: IQACof Govt. MAM collegeJammu in collaborationwith Ministry of SmallScale Industries, Govt. ofInidia, Meerut and Instituteof Management andFinance Jammu organizedSix WeekendE n t r e p r e n e u r s h i pDevelopment Programeewhich commenced in Govt.MAM College Jammufrom 15-02-2020. The pro-gram was inaugurated bythe Principal of the CollegeProf. (Dr.) G.S Rakhwaland he emphasized on theneed of such developmentprograms which shall bene-fit the students for their selfsustenance in future. Thewelcome address was pre-sented by Dr. RakeshKumar Koul (Head of theDepartment of Physics/Coordinator IQAC). Theinvited resource personProf. N.S Gupta, Retd.Prof. Head and DeanFaculty of Commerce andManagement, University ofJammu who is the author of25 books and National AndInternational publication,deliberated on the variousaspects of Industries/Business and trade to equipthe students to explorethere areas and to establishtheir own enterprise. He

apprised the students thatexperts from AcademiaIndustries and Trade etcshall be interacting with thestudent in next weekendprogramme.

A total of 30 studentsfrom Science and Hon'sPhysics participated in theprogramme. The studentswere amazed to interactwith the 89 year youngresource person. In the firstsession, Business, cashlessBusiness, business orienta-tion, books like men inasbestos, magic of thinkingbig etc. were discussed. Inthe second session, behav-ior correctness, sheddingshyness, four type of per-son, SWOT analysis, posi-tive personality attributes,share marketing etc. werediscussed. The studentswho participated areAnchal Singh, BhavinThakur, Vasu Dev Singh,

Sachin Kumar, VijayKumar, Parul Sharma,Sandeep Kumar Sati,Shivang Bhardwaj, RishabSharma, Situu Devi, RajniDevi, Leeza, PallviJamwal, Palvi Sharma,Akash Malhotra, RohitKumar, Manjeet SinghManhas, Rahul Andhotra,Imtiaz Ahmed, AnilChoudhary, Rahul Sandhu,Basant Kumar, NishantSingh, Mukesh Singh,Jatinder Singh, SahilSharma, Sourav, AdilHussain Shiv KumarShohaib. The Programmewas divided in to two ses-sion from 11:00 am to 3:00pm with a break.Refreshment was served tothe students. The principalof the College Prof. (Dr.)G.S Rakhwal appreciatedthe efforts of IQAC, Dr.Rakesh Kumar Koul fororganizing such programsfor the benefit of students.The DTP work was coordi-nated by Mr.Faiz Elahi(IQAC).

Photo by Ajay

Winter Tutorial classes at

Govt High School Drubeel,

Inderwal District KishtwarTP CORRESPONDENT

KISHTWAR, FEB. 15:The public of Horna ,Drubeel and RahalthalPanchayats hailed the deci-sion of govt especially ofeducation department tostart winter Tutorial classesat Govt High SchoolDrubeel, Education ZoneInderwal District Kishtwar.

Naib Sarpanch HornaMohd Rajab Dar termedthe decision of govt extraordinary because "it is firsttime I had seen schoolsopend during winters" heexpressed his thankfulgreetings to worthy CEOKishtwar and Distt. NodalOfficer Kishtwar for takingthis initiative on the direc-tion of worthy DirectorSchool Education Jammu.He demanded that thisscheme should be repeatedcontinuesly in the school,he also thanked the staffappointed here for makingbest efforts to teach in theclasses, The public alsothanked Chander Parkashi/c headmaster for bringinggood results in 10th classthis year and also takingpain in introducing modernmethods of teaching, andalso introducing house sys-tem in the school whichhad made positive effectson the behaviour of thechildren in the school.

Public of the area alsodemanded upgradation ofschool at the level ofHigher Secondary level, asit is prime concern of thepeople in the area becausestudents mostly female stu-dents left their studies aftercompletion of 10th stan-dard education.

Lalded Women WelfareSociety presents "Hye Jooth"

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, FEB. 15:

Lalded Women WelfareSociety (Regd) stagednukkad (corner) play 'HyeJooth' today at Jammu as apart of Saturday series inpresence impressive gath-ering including eminentcitizens of the area.

The Play Is Written bySurya Naryan and Directedby Naveen Pal.

Nukkad Play - Oncethere was a poor class fam-ily. Natu and his Parentslive together. Natu has ayounger brother, both are

unemployed and so tensedabout their future and theirold parents who were sickall the time, and worriedabout their son's future.Natu and his brother don'thave enough money to ful-fill their parents medicinebill. One day Natu and hisbrother get's so depressedand told their parents thatwe got a very nice job andyou don't have to worryabout us. Days passes andboth brothers earn plenty ofmoney and take good careof their parents and paymedical bills and do their

parents proper medicaltreatment. Their parentswere so happy. But one dayNatu and his brother didn'tcome home, and then it'sbeen two day, then threeand it's been a week almostthan their parents gettingworry about them. Thenone day a policeman cameto their house and toldthem that your both son'sare dealing in drugs from avery long time and nowthey are arrested.

Message : My messageto our youth that it's a goodthing that we all want totake care of our family butdon't ever take a illegalway to earn money. Illegalway of earning money isvery easy, but remembersuch money may give youhappiness for a short periodbut will later penalize youheavily. The performancewas played Karan Ranja,Parmodh Choudhary &Directed by Naveen pal.The Purpose of the playwas successfully deliveredto their Public.

Photo by Vivek

SRO 202 Deserves ImmediateReview : Sharma

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, FEB. 15: There

are two sectors providingemployment to citizen in thestate known as Public andprivate sector. While as pri-vate sector strictly follow the3E's norm of Efficiency,Economy and Effectively.However the Public sector ismeant for service delivery aspromised by constitution.The public service is intend-ed to make the conditionsfavourable for productivedevelopment of society. It'smeant to promote health,education, drinking water etcfunctions of society. Theseranges of activities are per-formed by hierarchy of Govtemployees selected throughappropriate Napoleonic codelike procedure with a rangeof eligibility criteria's.Sharma said the educationaland vocational eligibilitiesare conditionalities followedby scheme of examination toget the job in Govt depart-ment.

The Jammu and Kashmiris reeling under a perpetualpolitical issue where peace isthe story of ghosts, so is theavailability of sufficient pri-vate sector to consume theaspirations of youth. Therules are getting so rigid byeach passing day that itbreeds inefficiency and cor-

ruption. The SRO dated30/06/2015 was issued underwhich new recruitment forall non gazetted cadre isunderway. The JKSSB isbusy in recruitment to all thenon gazetted cadre with pro-visions of Five year harshprobationary period that toowith strict Service rules. Is itworking for the Economy? Isit destroying future or help-ing them in the fulfilment ofprospect?

The SRO reads theappointee shall remain underprobation for a period of fiveyears. The service will beregulated by provisions ofsaid SRO hereafter. It puts arestriction of financial payon employee. He furtheradded that the employee isentitled to draw a fixedamount as salary with justBasic pay barring him/herallowance enjoyed by othersin substantive capacitywhich drastically puts himunder garb of financial liabil-ity.

The Govt of the timedefended action on behalf offinancial health of stateEconomy to stave off finan-cial obligation for a mini-mum period of five years atleast. It further puts a con-straint on initial transfer for aperiod of five year probation.Yet another strict provision

is promotion is barred tillcompletion of probationaryperiod. There a no of lacu-na's in the issued order. Firstand foremost discriminatoryprovision is Fixation of payto basic minimum. Thisharsh provision keeps themto an inferior scale samepositions along hierarchy indepartment. For e.g theteacher appointed pre andpost 2015 period are drawingdifferent salaries albietappointed on nip and tuckeligibility criteria and shar-ing same position in depart-ment. This illogical con-straint at times breeds ineffi-ciency and corruption. Thework culture is deterioratedespecially in case of publicservice related departments.An official expected to drawa salary lower than his col-leagues may prove disastrousfor larger public interest.

On second part the provi-sion bars an employee frompromotion if any till comple-tion of five years. TheFinance Minister at that timeof issuance said the financialhealth as reason for order butthe said provision countersthis obsolete explanation.This inhibits the prospect ofWeberian" Bureaucracy asCareer" and thus breedscompromise with depart-mental integrity.

Photo by Vivek

Photo by Vivek

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 20206 NATIONAL/STATE

Top Sikh Body Akal Takht Extends

Support To Anti-CAA ProtestsAMRITSAR: Akal

Takht, the top Sikh body, onThursday extended its sup-port to the Muslim groupsthat have been protestingagainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act for weeks.

A delegation led by DelhiMinority Commission chiefZafarul Islam Khan metGiani Harpeet Singh, thechief priest of Akal Takht, inAmritsar where the latterassured the Sikh communi-ty's support to the protests.

The chief of Akal Takht,also known as 'jathedar', saidthere is a sentiment of fearand insecurity among theminorities and the Sikhs arebound to stand by the

oppressed."Sikhs are bound by their

principles to stand for thevictim and against injustice.We had received a similarrequest from another groupof the Muslim community.There is a sentiment of fearand insecurity among minori-ties and it is not good for thecountry," he said after the

meeting.The chief priest asked the

Muslim leaders to also seekthe support of Hindu groupsagainst the Citizenship law.

"I have appreciated theirefforts to meet Sikh leaders.At the same time, I have sug-gested them to meet Hinduleaders and discuss the issuesin the same way as they have

discussed with me," the AkalTakht chief said.

"Many factions within theHindu community also sharesimilar concerns of insecurityand fear, and I can only hopethat all will come on onestage to discuss the problemto maintain communal har-mony and peace in India," headded.

Mr Khan said the meetingwith the Sikh gave themhope. "We have come here togain support against theattempt of making India anation based on just one reli-gion. We have been told byAkal Takht jathedar thatSikhs have always stoodagainst oppressors...They

have given us hope," he said.The Citizenship

Amendment Act (CAA)eases the path for non-Muslims in the neighbouringMuslim-majority nations ofPakistan, Afghanistan andBangladesh to become Indiancitizens. Critics fear that theCAA, along with a proposedNational Register of Citizens(NRC), will discriminateagainst Muslims.

There have been wide-spread protests across thecountry against the enact-ment of the act. Reports saythat at least 20 people havebeen killed in the protestsagainst the act across thecountry so far.

JAIPUR: RajasthanChief Minister AshokGehlot on Friday demandedthat the centre withdraw theamended citizenship law tomaintain peace and harmo-ny in the country. He madea surprise appearance dur-ing a protest against theCitizenship (Amendment)Act or CAA in Jaipur, at asite that's being billed asRajasthan's "ShaheenBagh", after the locality insouth Delhi where peoplehave dug in for two monthsin protest against the CAA.

"The NDA governmentshould reconsider theCitizenship (Amendment)Act, which is against thespirit of the Constitution,and should come forward towithdraw it so that peaceand harmony can be main-tained," Mr Gehlot said at aprotest against the CAA andthe National Register ofCitizens (NRC) in Jaipur.

Mr Gehlot said theCongress and the state gov-ernment were with themand if needed, he would bethe first to go to a detentioncentre. The Chief Ministersaid information on birth-place of parents was beingsought for the NationalPopulation Register (NPR).

"If I am not able to fur-nish the details, I too wouldbe asked to live in a deten-tion centre. I am not awareof the birthplace of my par-ents. You stay assured, ifsuch situation comes then Iwould be the first to gothere," Mr Gehlot said, fol-lowing which the crowdclapped in appreciation.

People protest against theCAA, NPR and NRC inJaipur

The Chief Minister saidthe BJP government inAssam has refused toimplement the NRC.

"It is the right of a gov-ernment to make a law but agovernment should rule asper the sentiments of thepeople. Like Delhi'sShaheen Bagh, protests arebeing held at many placesacross the country, includ-ing Rajasthan. The govern-ment should understandpublic sentiments," he said.

Mr Gehlot said severalchief ministers were againstthe CAA. "We want thecentre to reconsider itsdecision," he added.

Home Minister AmitShah has said there is nodiscussion on a nationwideNRC right now. He madethe comment in Decemberafter Prime MinisterNarendra Modi appeared tocontradict him on the con-troversial subject at the coreof protests across thenation.

"There is no need todebate this (pan-IndiaNRC) as there is no discus-sion on it right now, PMModi was right, there is nodiscussion on it yet either inthe Cabinet or Parliament,"Mr Shah had said.

The Home Minister'sclarification came afterdays of protests across thecountry against the CAAand the NRC. The NRC,

meant to target illegalmigrants, was carried out inAssam earlier this year andleft out 19 lakh people.Many of them are now indetention centres. Theopposition alleges thatalong with the new citizen-ship law, NRC can be usedto target Muslims.

Before the Delhi election,PM Modi had said at a rallythat there was no talk of anationwide rollout of theNRC. "I want to tell the 130crore citizens of India thatsince my government hascome to power, since 2014,there has been no discus-sion on NRC anywhere.Only after the SupremeCourt's order, this exercisewas done for Assam," saidthe PM. The comment byPM Modi was instantlycompared with Mr Shah'smultiple assertions in par-liament and outside aboutNRC being applied to the"whole country". Even onNovember 20 last year, MrShah had said in parlia-ment: "NRC will happen inthe entire country and atthat time this will be imple-mented in Assam as well.And I once again want tomake it clear that people ofany religion do not need tobe scared."

"Don't Know Parents' Birthplace, Will Go

To Detention Camp": Ashok Gehlot

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Luxaire introduces its ‘Tropical

Collection’ of Luxury FansNEW DELHI: Inspired

by the beach theme that issynonymous with theocean and soft brownsands, Luxaire, among itstropical collection, intro-duces ‘Palm’ LuxuryCeiling Fan, bringing backthe Tropical vacation rightinto your Living room.

This 52” Palm Tropical4 Blade LED Ceiling Fancomes with palm-leaf,colonial-style acrylicblades, recounting the sen-sation of a tropical islandbreeze.

Adding to the beautyand ambiance, this LuxuryFan also comes with theOption of light fixtures,that livens up to the richfinish with a soft, lumi-nous accent. In earthenand chocolate finish, theLuxury Fan totes a verydistinct, island-traditionallook with a subtle beautyto it. Whether it’s on theGazebo/ Patio, peering offthe front porch, accentingthe Living room, or part ofResort stay this tropicalIP54 rated (for covered

damp locations) ceilingfan offers a harmoniousappeal and a completelook.

With drop mounting,three-fan speed, low noise,and a winter function(saves 10% energy in coldclimate, when it runs in theopposite direction), thisfan is ready to keep youcool and to evoke a tropi-cal resort. The Palm fanalso comes with a pullchain to regulate speedalong or can be upgradedto a remote-control option,for convenience. Thisstunning Designer Fancomes with a MotorWarranty of 10 years, with58W Power consumptionat Top speed, and supremeairflow at 4920 CFM.

The Palm Fan withoutlight kit is Rs 70,000/- &Palm Fan with Light Kitcomes at a special price ofRs 82,000/- The PalmLuxury fan is available atLuxaire showrooms inBangalore, Hyderabad,and Kochi, as well asonline on www.luxaire.in

Bring Ordinance To "Rectify" Reservation

Verdict: Ram Vilas Paswan To Centre

NEW DELHI: Thegovernment should bringan ordinance to "rectify"the Supreme Court's recentdecision on reservation injobs for scheduled caste-scheduled tribes commu-nities and all such issuesshould be included in theNinth Schedule of theConstitution to insulatethem from judicial review,Union Minister Ram VilasPaswan said on Friday.

He said the governmentwas also mulling filing areview against theSupreme Court decisionand was taking legal opin-ion on it.

"The review petition isthere, but the matter willagain go to court, it has tobe looked at whether itwill be successful or not.So, in my opinion the eas-iest way is to issue an ordi-nance and make anamendment in theConstitution," Mr Paswantold PTI in an interview.

The Lok Janshakti Partyleader's remarks comeamidst a political stormafter the Supreme Courtrecently ruled that thestates are not bound toprovide reservation forScheduled Castes (SCs)and Scheduled Tribes(STs) in appointments andthere is no fundamentalright to claim quota in pro-motions.

"The Supreme Courtsaying that it is up to thestate government for giv-ing reservation in jobs andit is not a fundamentalright...This is all part ofthe Constitution, and thepeople have this objection

that the verdict is againstthe interests of the SCsand STs," Mr Paswan said.

To "rectify" theSupreme Court verdict, anordinance should bebrought and theConstitution should beamended, the ConsumerAffairs, Food and PublicDistribution minister said.

An ordinance can bebrought when parliamentis not in session.

However, if the govern-ment still wants to bringone during a break in anongoing session, one ofthe two Houses isadjourned sine die (indefi-nitely), and once the ordi-nance is signed by thePresident, the House thatwas adjourned for the pur-pose is reconvened, a sen-ior government officialsaid. There have beenprecedents.

The ordinance has ashelf life of six months.Once a session begins ithas to be converted into alaw within six weeks, orelse it lapses.

LJP chief ChiragPaswan had also raised thematter in Lok Sabha anddemanded that all suchmatters related withSC/ST be put in the NinthSchedule, Paswan said.

"All issues related toSC/ST should be put in theNinth Schedule," he said.

"Then going to the courtwill be done away withbecause what is happeningis that state legislaturesand Parliament are passinglaws (on SC/ST rights),but they get stuck in legalwrangles," he said.

"Doctor Coming After Patient's Death":

Mamata Banerjee Jibe At Amit ShahNEW DELHI: West

Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on Fridaytook a swipe at Union

Home Minister Amit Shahfor his disapproval of slo-gans like "goli maro" dur-ing the Delhi election cam-paign, saying it was asinconsequential as doctorcoming after the death ofpatient.

Breaking his silence onthe BJP's Delhi poll deba-cle, Mr Shah had onThursday disapproved ofslogans like "goli maro"and "Indo-Pak match" usedduring the campaign andsaid these remarks mayhave been one of the possi-ble reasons for the party'sdefeat.

Nowadays some peopleare openly threatening toshoot protesters justbecause they don't agreewith them, she said, in anapparent reference to BJPleaders. "If you don't agreewith them, they are saying'boli nahi toh goli'. They arethreatening to shoot every-body. Now what's the use ofsaying (slamming the state-

ments) it was not right?What's the use of doctorcoming after the patient isdead?" Mr Banerjee saidwithout naming Mr Shah.

She was participating inthe debate on the motion ofthanks to the governor'saddress to the state assem-bly at the start of the budgetsession.

Without naming RailwayMinister Piyush Goyal butobviously referring to hisstatement that the centralgovernment wants to givemore projects to Bengal butthe state is not allowing thatto happen, Ms Banerjeeaccused the centre of con-stantly depriving the stateof adequate funds.

"In Bengal, we havestrengthened laws for pro-tecting women. Policeimmediately file complaintsin cases of crime againstwomen. But look at UPwhere victims are burntalive and their familiesattacked," she said.

KOLKATA: JNUSUpresident Aishe Ghosh onFriday described RSS-BJPthe "biggest threats to thecountry" and urged stu-dents to foil the gameplanof "fascist forces" to occu-py space in the universities.

The concept of free dis-course in a liberal environ-ment in the higher educa-tional institutions is beingchallenged by BJP, MsGhosh, told a SFI rally atJadavpur University (JU)in Kolkata.

The student leader fur-ther said that the saffronforces and the ABVP hadattempted to make inroadsinto JNU several timessince 2017 but had retreat-ed in the face of resistanceby its students.

"Don't yield to them(ABVP) an inch. If theystare at you, stare backharder. Face their challengehead on to save this coun-try," Ms Ghosh, whosebandaged head and bruisedface had made her one ofthe most recognisable facesof protest against the attackat JNU, told the gatheringof students at JU.

Singling out RSS-BJP asthe "biggest threats of thecountry" in the presenttimes, Ms Ghosh, who hasbeen attending a series ofanti-CAA protests in thecity since February 13, saidnone should take any stepthat may be of help tothem. The ABVP is for thefirst time contesting eightcentral panel posts - four inarts and four in engineeringfaculties - for the February19 students' union polls inthe Jadavpur University.

To questions on denial ofpolice permission to ananti-CAA rally to beattended by her onFebruary 12 at Durgapurand not being allowed toenter the CalcuttaUniversity campus onCollege Street here onFebruary 13, she said, "Theobjective of both the pro-grammes was to fight thedivisive agenda of BJP andRSS. Stopping such pro-grammrs will only helpHindutva forces."

Coronavirus: Indian Embassy Making EffortsTo Disembark Indians From Cruise Ship

The Indian Embassy inJapan today said it is makingefforts to disembark all theIndians on board the cruiseship moored off the Japanesecoast after the end of thequarantine period as authori-ties confirmed that 218 peo-ple, including three Indians,have been infected with thedeadly disease on the ship.

A total of 138 Indians,including 132 crew and 6passengers, were among the3,711 people on board thequarantined ship that arrivedat the Japanese coast earlierthis month. It was quaran-tined after a passenger whode-boarded last month inHong Kong was found to bethe carrier of the COVID-19on the ship.

The Indian Embassy is incontact with Japaneseauthorities, the ship manage-ment company and Indiannationals on board the ship.

"We have continued ourefforts with all of them forearly disembarkation of ournationals after the end of thequarantine period and subjectto favourable results of their

tests for COVID - 19," anembassy official told newsagency Press Trust of Indiatoday.

A third Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off theJapanese coast tested posi-tive for the novel coron-avirus, taking the total num-ber of Indians infected withCOVID-19 to three.

The embassy has contact-ed all three Indian nationalswho have tested positive forCOVID-19 and are currentlyreceiving treatment at med-ical facilities.

"Their health conditionshave been confirmed to bestable and improving.Embassy is also in constantcontact with the relevant

Japanese authorities toensure the well-being of allIndian nationals on-board theship," it said.

The embassy also sent anemail to all Indian nationalson board the ship, assuringthem of all help and assis-tance.

They are also requested tofollow the Japanese govern-ment's health and quarantineprotocols, the embassy saidon its Facebook page.

The Japanese governmenton Thursday announced thatpassengers aged 80 or olderwill be given the option todisembark the ship if theytest negative for COVID-19.Those who meet the agerequirement and have pre-

existing conditions or arestaying in rooms without bal-cony will be prioritised fordisembarkation.

No Indian national fallsunder this category, eligiblefor early disembarkation, thestatement said on Friday.

The death toll in China'snovel coronavirus epidemicclimbed to 1,523 with 143new fatalities reported most-ly from the worst-affectedHubei province, while theconfirmed cases jumped toover 66,000, health officialssaid on Saturday.

More than 580 cases havebeen confirmed outsidemainland China and threedeaths, one each in thePhilippines, Hong Kong andJapan.

The coronavirus outbreakoriginated in central China'sHubei province in Decemberlast year and has spread toseveral countries, includingIndia. Many countries havebanned arrivals from Chinawhile major airlines havesuspended flights to thecountry.

"Where's Pulwama Attack Inquiry

Report?" Sitaram Yechury To Centre

NEW DELHI: On the firstanniversary of thePulwama attack, theCPI(M) on Friday ques-tioned the governmentabout the inquiry reportof the incident anddemanded its accounta-bility, while accusing theBJP of seeking votes inthe name of the CRPFpersonnel killed in theattack.

Jaish-e-Mohammed terroristAdeel Ahmed Dar drovean explosive-laden carnext to a convoy ofsecurity vehicles andblew himself up on the

Jammu-Srinagar high-way at Lethpora inJammu and Kashmir'sPulwama district latyear, killing 40 CentralReserve Police Force(CRPF) personnel.

"Where is the Inquiry reportone year on after the ter-ror attack? Who hasbeen held accountablefor the loss of so manylives and the massiveintelligence failure?"CPI(M) general secre-tary Sitaram Yechurytweeted.

He paid homage to theCRPF personnel. "Modi

and the BJP directlyasked for votes in thename of the martyrs ofPulwama. What hasbeen done for the sur-vivors and the familiesof those who laid downtheir lives for thenation?" Mr Yechurysaid in another tweet.

Earlier, a controversy erupt-ed when Congressleader Rahul Gandhi andCPI(M) leader MdSalim questioned thegovernment on theattack.

Mr Salim said the Pulwamaattack was a result of"incompetence" as hequestioned the need forbuilding a memorial forthe personnel.

"We don't need a memorialto remind us of ourincompetence. The onlything we need to know ishow 80 kg of RDX gotpast the internationalborders to the 'most mil-itarised zone on earthand exploded inPulwama. Justice forPulwama attack needs tobe done," he tweeted.

Foil Gameplan Of "Fascist Forces" To Occupy

Space In Universities: Aishe Ghosh

Bank Accounts Of 200 Civic Body OfficialsHacked, Money Withdrawn: Police

NEW DELHI: Bankaccounts of more than 200employees of New DelhiMunicipal Corporation(NDMC) were allegedlyhacked and moneysiphoned off in the firstweek of February, policesaid on Friday.

Though police havereceived only two com-plaints of online fraud fromthe employees, NDMCemployees union says morethan 200 employees havelost their money after beingcheated online.

"We have received twocomplaints in the matterand forwarded it for neces-sary action," a senior policeofficer said.

The employees' union, ina letter to the NDMC chair-man, raised the issue thatits members lost moneyamounting to lakhs ofrupees that was withdrawnby unknown peoplethrough ATMs at differentlocations.

According to police,these seem to be cases offorgery done by cloning of

ATM cards.The union in its state-

ment said, "Mostly (theseare) cases of frauds con-ducted from SBI accounts.Now, approximately morethan 200 employees aresuffering as they lost theirmoney that was illegallywithdrawn from differentlocations of Delhi-NCRand in some cases themoney has been withdrawnfrom cities in South India".

The first incident cameto light on February 9 whenAmir Yadav, an employeeof NDMC, registered anFIR at the ParliamentStreet police station and theState Bank of India, sayinghe lost Rs 15,000 from hissalary account.

"On February 2, I with-drew money from an ATMnear Regal in ConnaughtPlace. On February 7 ataround 8.20 pm, two illegaltransactions of Rs 10,000and Rs 5,000 were madefrom my account. I imme-diately blocked my cardsand made an FIR," said MrYadav.

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 20207 HEALTH

It was 2011, our little boywas 5 years old, and our lifewas the stuff of dreams.

I was a stay-at-home mom,and I filled my days playingwith our son, growing vegeta-bles in our immense garden,and spending time with myhusband and family on theweekends. Our days werefilled with song and happytimes. Then, it happened.

I was completely disabledfor 8 years as a result of hid-den dental infections.

Image credit: Gavin Wild,2020.

My son was in his lastweeks of preschool when Ihurt my neck, or so it seemedat the time. It felt sore aroundthe voice box, as though I hadsomehow pulled the musclesthere.

Being a registered nurseand a massage therapist, Iknow how to address thesekinds of problems, so I treat-ed it with rest and ice, but itdid not respond.

Every day, the pain gotworse, and within 2 weeks, Iwas completely disabled.

I was unable to talk, chewfood, use my arms, turn myhead, or stand upright withoutdebilitating pain.

I sought the help of doc-tors, but they were baffled.They thought that the voicebox might have torn the mus-

cles, and they carried outtests, only to find nothing. Itried a course of steroids totake down the inflammation,but it only got worse. Thatwas the first clue, but Iwouldn’t figure that out foryears.

Years went by, and I spent8 years in one room, for themost part. I had a microwaveand a little fridge in my bed-room. We had a lot of helpfrom my family, but it stillwasn’t enough, so we had tohire help for our son afterschool.

About 4 years into my ill-ness, my husband took a job90 minutes from our house,but we couldn’t movebecause I was too sick. So foryears, he drove a total of 3

hours a day for work, everyday.

Being confined like this, Imissed a lot. I missed everyschool event, every sportsgame, and every concert thatmy boy was involved in. Itried to get other people totalk to my son about his activ-ities and take pictures andvideos, but it was very diffi-cult. And of course, I couldn’tspeak. Sometimes I thought,“to hell with it!,” and I wouldtry to talk to my son becausehe was experiencing the usualdifficulties of childhood andwould need to speak with me.But then, I would be unbe-lievably sore for weeks after-ward, as this only aggravatedthe condition.

I did everything I could to

keep my son’s life normal. Hehad sleepovers and parties,and we found ways of com-municating so that we couldremain very close.

I got a voice amplifier forwhen I had to make phonecalls, as it hurt too much tospeak loud enough on thephone without one.

I ordered things on theinternet when I could, as Iwas unable to go shopping,but even using my phone thatway was painful. I wouldprop the phone on a pillow onmy chest, which helped a lit-tle, but my mobile use waslimited to a couple of minutesa day due to the pain.

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How could it get anyworse?

Life was like this for about4 years, until it got worse. Ideveloped gallbladder painand subacute pancreatitis.

I worked with a traditionalChinese medicine (TCM)doctor, and he helpedimprove the condition of mypancreas and gallbladder byprescribing natural remediesand teas. I have always beeninterested in natural healingmethods, and I have had greatsuccess using them my wholelife.

Through my eyes:

Hidden dental infections

I was a fit, healthy, andactive 26-year-old woman onthe adventure of a lifetime:being paid to work with afamily in New York.However, my life was turnedupside down when I wasforced to return home toAustralia after just 6 weeks.

I had to accept that mybody wasn't capable of doingthe things it was able tobefore.

I'd become extremelyunwell and ended up spending1 month in the hospital with amystery illness upon myreturn.

I was unable to stand up orwalk, and I had persistentdizziness, nausea, severebrain fog, chronic fatigue,migraine, and fainting.

The doctors ordered a "tilt-table" test, during which I wasstrapped to a bed and tilted atvarious angles whilemachines monitored my bloodpressure and oxygen levels,among other things.

I eventually passed out. Mybody was paralyzed, and it feltas though my brain wastelling my body to respond tothe doctor's instructions. But Iwasn't responding. I startedpraying.

Five other doctors and nurs-es rushed in and assured methat everything was going tobe OK.

Shortly after, however, theydiagnosed postural orthostatictachycardia syndrome(PoTS). I was one of the luckyones to actually receive adiagnosis, as PoTS can goundiagnosed for many years.

PoTS is a condition affect-ing the autonomic nervoussystem, where miscommuni-cation occurs between theparasympathetic and sympa-thetic nervous system. Thesesystems make up the vagusnerve, which is the main nervefrom the brain to the rest ofthe body.

Essentially, it prevents thebody from regulating the"fight-or-flight" and "rest-and-digest" functions, which

can sometimes lead to a lackof blood flow to the heart orbrain.

Impact on my lifeMy life changed complete-

ly. I went from being an inde-pendent, fit, and active personto feeling as though a truckhad hit me every day.Tachycardia (a very high heartrate), dizziness, migraine, andnausea were constant, andstanding upright felt like awhole new thing to my bodyand brain.

The first few days of thiscondition were the hardest,and accepting it was the truetest.

But I had to accept that mybody wasn't capable of doingthe things it was able tobefore. I had to mentallyreprogram my brain to under-stand that, and to learn to takeevery day as it came.

Most studies into PoTSsuggest that lifestyle changesand time can help improve thecondition, but there is noknown cure. My daily lifewould consist of moving (if Icould) from the bed to thecouch and back again, whiledealing with tachycardia, nau-sea, dizziness, migraine, hotflashes, presyncope, and brainfog in various combinations.

I was [taking] medication tolower my heart rate, antinau-sea tablets, dizziness tablets,and car sickness medication,all in an attempt to reduce mysymptoms. This couldn't be it,I thought to myself. There hadto be an alternative.

I started researching thecondition, learning my trig-gers, understanding moreabout my body, and trying tohelp myself through the dailysymptoms in any way that Icould.

I had a mission I needed tocomplete and goals I wantedto reach, and I wasn't going tolet anything stop me.

I researched autoimmunenutrition protocols andchanged to a paleo diet, andthen to plant-based diet. I cutout sugar, starch, and wheat

and moved to an organic andalkaline regimen, which was ahuge turnaround for me.

I started undergoing regularacupuncture to increase oxy-gen and blood flow, whichwould also reduce mymigraine, nausea, and dizzi-ness. I also began practicingrecuperative Iyengar yoga,conditioning my muscles andallowing my body to startrelearning how to be uprightagain without fainting.

I also had to learn to pushmyself out of my comfortzone, knowing that only thencould I start making progress.

Simple tasks such as walk-ing to the end of my drivewayto collect the mail becamesmall wins, and as I slowlystarted venturing out, I real-ized that I had developed anx-iety about having an episodein public, which would furthertrigger my symptoms.

This anxiety seemed tomimic my PoTS symptoms,and vice versa, so getting pro-fessional help to differentiatebetween the two and workthrough it was a huge step for-ward for me.

I started to focus on the factthat everything would be OKregardless of the worst-casescenario. Expect in-depth, sci-ence-backed toplines of ourbest stories every day. Tap inand keep your curiosity satis-fied.

Reading the news can bestress-inducing at the best oftimes. When the news is par-ticularly worrying, many ofus experience levels of anxi-ety so high that we can havedifficulty coping. So howcan we stay (reasonably)anxiety-free when the mediabombards us with headlinesthat spook us?

Does the news get youdown? In this SpecialFeature, we look at someways to fight off related anx-iety.

It may seem as though wehave entered an age of badnews. Every day for the pastfew years, newspapers andnews websites have turnedout stressful headlines full-blast.

There is news about warsand civic unrest, impendingecological disasters, failingeconomies, and violent, sad

local events.And — why not admit it?

— though we aim to provideour readers with construc-tive, actionable content atMedical News Today, we,too, sometimes end up high-lighting news that could bestressful.

While our intent is posi-tive, to warn our readersabout possible health dan-gers and empower our audi-ence to avoid them, our con-tent may sometimes lead toworry and anxiety.

So what can you do ifwhat seems like a constantcycle of negative newsthroughout every media out-let is getting you down andinterfering with your well-being?

In this Special Feature, welook at some tips for copingwith the special kind of anx-iety that can come from read-

ing the news.'Headline stress disorder'?While news cycle-related

anxiety has probably existedfor centuries, it became par-ticularly obvious in 2016, ayear packed with globalevents that polarized com-munities.

When people startedreporting tension and anxietythat stemmed from feelingbombarded by alarmingnews headlines, some thera-pists came to describe this asits own phenomenon.

For example, therapistSteven Stosny, Ph.D., refersto it as "headline stress disor-der" in an opinion piece forThe Washington Post. Hedescribes his personal expe-rience with clients in whomthe grueling news cycle trig-gered intense feelings ofworry and helplessness, andhe reports that this particu-

larly affected female clients.Stosny's observations may

be spot-on. According to astudy from 2012, women arebetter than men at remem-bering negative news forlonger periods. They alsohave more persistent physio-logical reactions to the stresscaused by such news, thestudy's authors conclude.

"Many feel personallydevalued, rejected, unseen,unheard, and unsafe. Theyreport a sense of forebodingand mistrust about thefuture," Stosny writes.

A survey conducted by theAmerican PsychologicalAssociation (APA) foundthat between August 2016and January 2017, people inthe United States reported anoverall average stress levelincrease from 4.8 to 5.1 on ascale where 1 means little orno stress and 10 means an

extremely high level ofstress.

According to theresearchers, this was the firstnotable increase in averagestress levels in the decadesince the association firststarted conducting these sur-veys.

The APA's 2019 report onstress levels in the U.S. pop-ulation did not find much of

a difference compared withpast years, except in onerespect: Respondents saidthat they felt distinctly moreanxiety about specific topics.

According to the mostrecent poll data from thereport, adults in the U.S.experienced the highestamounts of stress about poli-tics, healthcare, and massshootings.

Anxious about the news? Our top tips on how to cope

Through my eyes: Living

with an invisible illness

What's to know about

dysautonomia?Dysautonomia refers to a

wide range of conditions thataffect the autonomic nervoussystem.

Symptoms include faint-ing, cardiovascular issues,and breathing problems. It islinked to conditions such asParkinson's disease and dia-betes.

Dysautonomias come inmany forms, but they allinvolve the autonomic nerv-ous system (ANS).

The ANS is responsiblefor maintaining a constantinternal temperature, regu-lating breathing patterns,keeping blood pressuresteady, and moderating theheart rate. It is also involvedin pupil dilation, sexualarousal, and excretion.

Symptoms of dysautono-mia usually appear as prob-lems with these particularsystems.

Dysautonomia affects anestimated 70 million peopleworldwide.

This article looks at someof the different types ofdysautonomia, their symp-toms, and treatments.

Fast facts about dysau-tonomia

There are around 15 typesof dysautonomia.

Primary dysautonomia isusually inherited or due to adegenerative disease, whilesecondary dysautonomiasresult from another conditionor injury.

An existential crisis may occurwhen a person frequently won-ders whether or not life has anyinherent meaning or purpose. Aperson may also question theirown existence within a world thatmight seem meaningless.

Experiencing an existential cri-sis is common, and it is normaland often healthy to questionone's life and goals. However, anexistential crisis can contribute to

a negative outlook, especially if aperson cannot find a solution totheir questions of meaning.

Existential crises may be asso-ciated with a number of mentalhealth conditions. For this reason,it is sometimes best to involve adoctor — especially if an existen-tial crisis has the potential to leadto despair or suicidal ideation.

That said, there are some waysto face an existential crisis in a

healthy way, ultimately benefitinga person's mental health and well-being.

Keep reading to learn about thedifferent types of existential cri-sis, the risks and complications,and some ways to overcomethem.

What is an existential crisis?A person experiencing an exis-

tential crisis may wonder if lifehas any inherent meaning.

Simply put, the term "existen-tial crisis" refers to a moment ofdeep questioning within oneself.This usually relates to how some-one sees themselves and their pur-pose within the world.

A person who is experiencingan existential crisis may try tomake sense of some grand or dif-ficult-to-answer questions, suchas if their life has any purpose orif life itself has any inherentmeaning at all.

Although it is healthy to ques-tion one's life and work, existen-tial crises can take a negativeturn. This is not always the case,but it may occur if the person isunable to find an answer to thesechallenging questions.

An existential crisis may alsooccur after long bouts of negativeemotions, feelings of isolation, orother stressors, such as depressionor anxiety.

Feeling down or going througha period of anxiety and negativityare also normal. However, whenthese emotions or struggles buildup and have no resolution, a per-son may fall into despair aboutthemselves, their value, or theirpurpose in the world.

When asking questions fromthis negative headspace, theremay only seem to be negativeanswers, and this can be harmfulfor a person's mental health.

Type 2 diabetes causes aperson's blood sugar levels tobecome too high. Recognizingthe early signs and symptomsof this chronic condition canresult in a person getting treat-ment sooner, which reducesthe risk of severe complica-tions. Type 2 diabetes is acommon condition. A 2017report from the Centers forDisease Control andPrevention (CDC) found that30.3 million adults in theUnited States have diabetes.The report also estimated thatanother 84.1 million U.S.adults have prediabetes.

People with prediabeteshave higher-than-normalblood sugar levels, but doctorsdo not consider them to havediabetes yet. According to theCDC, people with prediabetesoften develop type 2 diabeteswithin 5 years if they do notget treatment. The onset oftype 2 diabetes can be gradual,and symptoms can be mildduring the early stages. As aresult, many people may notrealize that they have this con-dition. In this article, we lookat the early signs and symp-toms of type 2 diabetes andthe importance of early diag-nosis. We also discuss the riskfactors for developing this

condition.Early signs and symptomsThe early signs and symp-

toms of type 2 diabetes caninclude:

1. Frequent urinationWhen blood sugar levels

are high, the kidneys try toremove the excess sugar byfiltering it out of the blood.This can lead to a personneeding to urinate more fre-quently, particularly at night.

2. Increased thirstThe frequent urination that

is necessary to remove excesssugar from the blood canresult in the body losing addi-tional water. Over time, thiscan cause dehydration andlead to a person feeling morethirsty than usual.

3. Always feeling hungryConstant hunger or thirst

can be early signs of type 2diabetes. People with diabetesoften do not get enough ener-gy from the food they eat.

The digestive system breaksfood down into a simple sugarcalled glucose, which thebody uses as fuel. In peoplewith diabetes, not enough ofthis glucose moves from thebloodstream into the body'scells. As a result, people withtype 2 diabetes often feel con-stantly hungry, regardless of

how recently they have eaten.4. Feeling very tiredType 2 diabetes can impact

on a person's energy levelsand cause them to feel verytired or fatigued. This tired-ness occurs as a result ofinsufficient sugar movingfrom the bloodstream into thebody's cells.

5. Blurry visionAn excess of sugar in the

blood can damage the tinyblood vessels in the eyes,which can cause blurry vision.This blurry vision can occur inone or both of the eyes andmay come and go.

If a person with diabetesgoes without treatment, thedamage to these blood vesselscan become more severe, andpermanent vision loss mayeventually occur.

6. Slow healing of cuts andwounds

High levels of sugar in theblood can damage the body'snerves and blood vessels,which can impair blood circu-lation. As a result, even smallcuts and wounds may takeweeks or months to heal. Slowwound healing also increasesthe risk of infection.

7. Tingling, numbness, orpain in the hands or feet

High blood sugar levels can

affect blood circulation anddamage the body's nerves. Inpeople with type 2 diabetes,this can lead to pain or a sen-sation of tingling or numbnessin the hands and feet.

This condition is known asneuropathy, and it can worsenover time and lead to moreserious complications if a per-son does not get treatment fortheir diabetes.

8. Patches of dark skinPatches of dark skin form-

ing on the creases of the neck,armpit, or groin can also signi-fy a higher risk of diabetes.These patches may feel verysoft and velvety.

This skin condition isknown as acanthosis nigri-cans.

9. Itching and yeast infec-tions

Excess sugar in the bloodand urine provides food foryeast, which can lead to infec-

tion. Yeast infections tend tooccur on warm, moist areas ofthe skin, such as the mouth,genital areas, and armpits.

The affected areas are usu-ally itchy, but a person mayalso experience burning, red-ness, and soreness.

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Importance of early diagno-sis

An early diagnosis mayhelp prevent complications.

Recognizing the early signsof type 2 diabetes can allow aperson to get a diagnosis andtreatment sooner. Gettingappropriate treatment, makinglifestyle changes, and control-ling blood sugar levels cangreatly improve a person'shealth and quality of life andreduce the risk of complica-tions.

What are the early signsof type 2 diabetes?

New research uses highquality data to find that thetype 2 diabetes drug rosigli-tazone raises the risk ofadverse cardiovascularevents by 33%.

New research suggeststhat a type 2 diabetes drugjeopardizes cardiovascularhealth.

Rosiglitazone is a drugoriginally developed to treattype 2 diabetes. The UnitedStates Food and DrugAdministration (FDA)approved it in 1999 underthe name Avandia.

Although Europe sus-pended the drug due to con-cerns about its adverseeffects on heart health, andthe United States restrictedits use, the research on itssafety has so far yieldedmixed results.

Now, a new study, appear-ing in the journal The BMJhas used more reliable datato investigate the effects ofthis drug on cardiovascularhealth.

Joshua D. Wallach, who isan assistant professor in theDepartment ofEnvironmental HealthSciences at Yale School ofPublic Health in NewHaven, CT, is the lead authorof the new paper.

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The need for more accu-rate data

The FDA approvedrosiglitazone in 1999, a yearahead of Europe, noteWallach and colleagues intheir paper.

Regulatory bodies warnedabout its potential effects

on heart failure as early as2006, and a meta-analysis ofseveral trials pointed to a43% higher risk of heartattack in 2007.

As a result, by 2010, thedrug was pulled offEuropean markets because itraised the risk of heart attackand stroke.

In the U.S., the drug is stillavailable, although it fea-tures warnings on its pack-aging, and the FDA restrict-ed its availability in 2010-2011.

The fact that the drug isstill available is primarilydue to the mixed resultsyielded by the investigationinto the drug’s cardiovascu-lar effects.

However, the newresearch suggests that thesemixed results are due to thepoor quality of the data thatthese previous studies used.

Namely, these previouspapers did not have access to“individual patient data(IPD),” that is, raw data,such as the medical recordsof patients, instead of sum-mary-level data, which arethe final results of clinicaltrials, for example.

Studying rosiglitazoneand heart health

To rectify this method-ological problem, Wallachand colleagues set out toanalyze over 130 clinical tri-als; the researchers hadaccess to IPD for 33 of thesetrials. This totaled 48,000adult patient data, of whichresearchers had IPD for21,156.

The clinical trials wererandomized, controlled,phase II-IV trials that hadstudied and compared the

effects of rosiglitazone withany other control for at least24 weeks.

“The control group wasdefined as patients whoreceived any drug regimenother than rosiglitazone,including placebo,” explainthe researchers.

The team examined theoutcomes of “acute myocar-dial infarction, heart failure,cardiovascular-related death,and noncardiovascular-relat-ed death” in their analysis oftrials for which they hadIPD.

For the other trials, theresearchers examinedmyocardial infarction andcardiovascular-related deathonly, using summary-leveldata.

A 33% higher risk of car-diovascular disease

The analysis revealed a33% higher risk of heartattack, heart failure, cardio-vascular deaths, and noncar-diovascular-related deathscombined for people whowere taking the drug com-pared with people who weretaking another control sub-stance, including placebo.

Wallach and colleaguesconclude:

“The results suggest thatrosiglitazone is associatedwith an increased cardiovas-cular risk, especially forheart failure events.”

The findings also serve toemphasize the importance ofusing raw data to accuratelyassess the safety of a drug,say the authors.

“Our study suggests thatwhen evaluating drug safetyand performing meta-analy-ses focused on safety, IPDmight be necessary to accu-rately classify all adverseevents,” they write.

“By including this data inresearch, patients, clinicians,and researchers would beable to make more informeddecisions about the safety ofinterventions.”

“Our study highlights theneed for independent evi-dence assessment to promotetransparency and ensureconfidence in approved ther-apeutics, and postmarketsurveillance that tracksknown and unknown risksand benefits.”

Diabetes drug may compromise

cardiovascular health

Facing an existential

crisis: What to know

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 20208 INTERNATIONAL

Nawaz Sharif Exempted From AppearingIn Pakistan Court On Medical Grounds

LAHORE: An accountabili-ty court has exemptedPakistan's former primeminister Nawaz Shariffrom appearing before itin a money launderingcase on medical groundsand adjourned the hear-ing till February 28 in thematter, according tomedia reports today.

The 69-year-old PakistanMuslim League-Nawaz(PML-N) supremo isundergoing treatment inLondon for coronaryartery disease.

Mr Sharif appealed to thecourt to extend exemp-tion from personalappearance in proceed-ings against him inChaudhry Sugar Millscase, Pakistan's Dawnreport said.

The court allowed MrSharif's application andadjourned the hearing inthe case till February 28,it said.

Nawaz Sharif was onNovember 4 last yeargranted bail on humani-tarian grounds by theLahore High Court in thecase. The NationalAccountability Bureau(NAB) has accusedSharif of being a directbeneficiary of ChaudhrySugar Mills and hisdaughter, Maryam, whowas arrested in connec-tion with the case in

August along with hercousin Yousuf Abbas, ofholding over 12 millionshares in the sugar mills.

Mr Sharif left for London onNovember 19 in an airambulance to seek med-ical treatment. Hislawyer Amjad Pervaizsaid that a new medicalcertificate about the for-mer premier's health wassubmitted to the court,Pakistan's ExpressTribune reported.

"Nawaz Sharif is under clin-ical supervision," MrPervaiz said while stat-ing the medical certifi-cate provided byNawaz's consultant inLondon.

"He [Nawaz] will undergo a

medical examinationwhich is scheduled totake place in the lastweek of February," hewas quoted as saying byThe Express Tribune.

Mr Pervaiz said that Nawaz'sdoctor believes that he isnot fit to travel toPakistan.

"Nawaz Sharif will face trialwhen he recovers," hesaid.

The judicial remand ofNawaz Sharif's nephewYousaf Abbas wasextended till February 28in the case, whileMaryam, who was onbail, has been exemptedfrom personal appear-ance till the filing of areference by the NAB.

Pope Francis sides with traditionalistson priest celibacy

VATICAN CITY: Inquashing the idea of marriedpriests in the Amazon, PopeFrancis has appeased tradi-tionalists while disappoint-ing progressives who hadhoped for a historic turningpoint in the Catholic church.In his "apostolic exhorta-tion" on the Amazon basinpublished Wednesday,Francis slammed the dooron a progressive proposaloffered by the region's bish-ops during a synod on theregion in October.

The synod had suggestedthat the way to solve a short-age of priests in the remoteand inaccessible area was toallow married indigenousmen to become priests.

Without even mentioningthat proposal, Francisinstead argued for more mis-sionary priests in theAmazon and for women andlay people to take on largerroles, falling short of anoth-er synod idea to ordainwomen as deacons in theregion.

The Argentine pontiff'sthoughts coming aftermonths of speculation andhand-wringing within theVatican were welcomed bysome, including a vocalopponent of Francis,German Cardinal GerhardMueller. For five yearsMueller was in charge ofchurch dogma, holding thekey Vatican post of Prefectof the Congregation for theDoctrine of the Faith until

2017 when he was not reap-pointed by Francis. Muellersaluted the document'spotential for "reducing inter-nal Church factions."Conservatives within theChurch were outraged bythe regional synod's propos-al, even were it to be anexception limited to theAmazon, seeing it as poten-tially paving the way to theabolition of priest celibacyglobally.

US Cardinal RaymondBurke, a staunch traditional-ist, suggested last year thatFrancis would be headinginto a "schism" where hewas to give his stamp ofapproval to the synod's pro-posals.

But to others, the textlacked the audacity that hasmarked the papacy of thefirst Jesuit pope.

Francis' documentmarked a "failure in thereforming impulse of thepontificate," according tolongtime Vatican analystMarco Politi.

The pope, "abruptlyslowed down" by strong andmultifaceted opposition,also disappointed thoselocal Amazon bishopswhom he had called on tooffer up new ideas to helpguide the Church, Politisaid.

"Francis finds himselfmore alone today, havingcaused disillusionmentamong a notable mass of hissupporters," Politi said.

NEW YORK: Pollspaint a mixed picture ofUS President DonaldTrump`s political fortunesin this election year show-ing his job approval ratingsand sense of betterment atthe highest levels whilealso having all the leadingDemocratic challengersdefeating him.

A Gallup poll releasedon Thursday said that 61percent of Americans feltthey were better off nowthan they were three yearsago, the highest numbersince 1992 during a yearthe president is facing re-election.

A Gallup poll releasedon February 4 on the eveof Trump`s acquittalshowed a 49 percentapproval rate for him,steadying his support inthe Senate.

That job approval ratingin Gallup`s poll in the firstweek of February of the re-election year is higher thanformer President BarackObama`s 47 percent in2012. In other polls, hewas doing well overall,although the picture ismixed.

The job approval rating,which is seen as a measure

of his popularity, aggregat-ed by RealClear Politics(RCP) was at 45.6 percentthis week, the highest inhis presidency. But disap-proval of his performancewas 52.1 percent, a spreadof 6.5 percent, RCP calcu-lated.

In contrast, theAmericans have a farlower opinion ofCongress: According toRCP aggregation, 65.6percent disapprove of itsperformance and only 22.4approve.

The Democrats willhave to contend withTrump`s rising jobapproval ratings, especial-ly in the economy, and thesense that things have got-ten better when they con-front him in the Novemberelection.

But they can get satis-faction in RCP aggrega-tions of national polls inwhich all the six leadingcontenders for theDemocratic Party nomina-tion are shown beatingTrump by margins rangingfrom a 6 percent lead forMichael Bloomberg to just1 percent for PeteButtigieg, a small-townmayor from Indiana.

40 People Killed, 9 Soldiers Injured In

Spate Of Attacks In Central Mali

BAMAKO: Forty peo-ple, including nine soldiers,have been killed in a spate ofattacks in central Mali,authorities said Friday, withmost of the deaths caused byinter-ethnic violence in thedeeply troubled region.

Thirty-one people werekilled in an attack overnightin Ogossagou, a village main-ly inhabited by Fulani peoplewhere 160 died last March ina massacre blamed on Dogonmilitiamen, the governmentsaid, raising the death toll.

About 30 gunmen car-ried out the new attack, vil-lage chief Aly OusmaneBarry told AFP.

"Huts and crops were setalight, livestock was burnedor taken away," he added,vowing that the governmentwould find the perpetrators.

A local government offi-cial, who requested anonymi-ty, had earlier said that 28people were missing.

He blamed the attack ona Dogon hunters' group -- anassertion that could be not be

verified independently.The official and village

chief Aly Ousmane Barryboth said the attackers movedin several hours after govern-ment troops had pulled out ofthe area.

Eight soldiers killed inambush

Later Friday eight Malisoldiers were killed and fourothers injured in an ambushin the central Gao region, thearmy said.

The Malian force alsosuffered "material damage,"the military said on socialmedia sites, without indicat-ing who had carried out theattack in the village of Bentia.

Also on Friday a soldierwas killed in an attack on amilitary camp in Mondoro,also in central Mali, securityofficials said.

The camp had alreadybeen hit before -- as part of ajoint raid by militants thatalso targeted the militarycamp of Boulkessy near theborder with Burkina Faso,killing at least 25 soldiers.

Central Mali becamegripped by ethnic violenceafter a jihadist revolt brokeout in the north of the countryin 2012.

The insurgency hasclaimed thousands of livesand spread to neighbouringNiger and Burkina Faso.

Tit-for-tat attacks in cen-tral Mali flared after Fulanipeople, also called Peul,became associated withjihadists.

Led by a firebrandIslamic preacher AmadouKoufa, a militia called theKatiba Macina recruitedmembers from among theFulani and has been accusedof ethnically-motivatedattacks.

Other ethnic groups suchas the Bambara or the Dogonbegan to form self-defencegroups that have beenaccused of reprisal mas-sacres.

In addition to the latestattack at Ogossagou, 14Fulani were killed in centralMali in January.

Around 75 Dogons werekilled in the villages ofSobane Da, Gangafani andYoro in June last year, in anattack blamed on Fulani mili-tants.

'Epicentre' of violenceHuman Rights Watch

this month pointed to the eth-nic patchwork of central Malias the country's "epicentre" ofviolence.

It said over 450 civilianshad been killed in the regionin 2019, "the deadliest yearfor civilians" since thejihadist insurgency began.

Hawaii Searches For Infected People

After Japan Tourist Gets CoronavirusHawaii health authorities

began a search on Friday foranyone who may have hadclose contact with aJapanese tourist who fell illon the island of Oahu andtested positive for a newcoronavirus soon afterreturning to his home coun-try. The case came to publicattention at a Honolulu newsconference by GovernorDavid Ige and senior statehealth officials, who said theman in question is believedto have become infected inJapan before embarking onhis trip, or while en route toHawaii.

That assumption is basedon the 14-day incubationperiod of the virus, and thefact that the man becamesymptomatic after less thana week in Hawaii, the statehealth officials said.

The patient and his wifevisited the island of Mauifrom January 28 to February3, then traveled to Oahu,where they stayed until fly-ing on February 7 back totheir home in the AichiPrefecture of central Japan,the officials said.

The man had exhibited nosign of illness until reachingOahu, where he first devel-oped cold-like respiratorysymptoms but no fever, the

state's health direct, DrBruce Anderson, toldreporters.

Once back in Japan, hebecame more seriously illand was tested for the coro-navirus after going to a hos-pital, Anderson said.

Hawaii officials werenotified through the USCenters for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) onFriday, and state authoritiesin turn alerted local healthproviders to be on the look-out for coronavirus-like ill-nesses.

"We do believe that this isa serious concern, and Iwant to assure you that thisscenario is exactly whatwe've been preparing forand are prepared for," thegovernor said.

The greatest immediatefocus is to identify and trackdown individuals who had

"prolonged, face-to-facecontacts" with the Japaneseman after he began showingsymptoms on Oahu, said DrSarah Park, the state's chiefepidemiologist.

Based on what is knownabout transmission of thedisease, the patient wasunlikely to have been conta-gious while on Mauibecause he was asympto-matic then, and anyone whohad fleeting, incidental con-tact with him after hebecame ill, such as passinghim in a hallway, would beconsidered at low risk, Parksaid.

The man's apparent lackof fever while in Hawaiialso bodes well becauseinfected individuals arebelieved to be most conta-gious when feverish, shesaid.

The man's precise travel

itinerary remained unclear,except that he stayed at aHilton Grand Vacationstime-share condo in theWaikiki section ofHonolulu, Anderson said,adding that he only soughtmedical care upon returningto Japan.

State health officials saidthey were consultingJapanese authorities to getmore details of his Hawaiivisit. Hawaii, the US Pacificisland state closest to theorigin of the coronavirusoutbreak, has seen no infec-tions documented on its soil,while the number of UScases confirmed nationwidestands at 15, none fatal.Eight cases are inCalifornia.

The worldwide total nowexceeds 66,000 cases, withmore than 1,500 deaths,most of them in China'sHubei province, the epicen-ter of the outbreak.

Beyond China, nearly 450cases have been tallied insome 24 countries and terri-tories, and three deaths.Japan is among the nationshardest, with 251 confirmedcases, most of them on acruise liner quarantined in aport. Japan confirmed itsfirst coronavirus death onThursday.

Two US Airlines Push Back 737 MAXReturn Amid New Approval Delays

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON: American Airlines GroupInc and United AirlinesHoldings Inc are pushing backthe return of Boeing 737MAX flights until August andSeptember, respectively, afresh delay that comes aftersources told Reuters that thetiming of a key certificationflight may not occur until atleast April.

American is cancelling 737MAX flights until August 18and United until Sept. 4, thetwo said in separate state-ments on Friday.

The other US 737 MAXoperator, Southwest AirlinesCo <LUV.N>, has extended itsflight cancellations untilAugust 10. The new timelinesmean that the three carrierswill be flying without the 737MAX for the second straightUS summer, an issue that hittheir profits during last year'speak travel season.

Boeing's 737 MAX wasgrounded worldwide lastMarch after two crashes inIndonesia and Ethiopia thatkilled 346 people within fivemonths. The US planemakerhas spent months updatingsoftware believed to haveplayed a role in both crashes,but fresh issues have surfaced,complicating regulators'efforts to reapprove the plane.The timing of a certificationflight, a key step in theapproval process, has beendelayed repeatedly. The latestunofficial guidance was forthe flight to happen thismonth, but now it is unlikely

to occur while Boeing tries toresolve the new problems,sources said this week.

American, Southwest andUnited had been planning toput the planes back in the airin early June if regulators hadapproved the plane in the firstquarter, but that now looksincreasingly unlikely.

One key issue yet to beresolved is whether Boeingmust separate two wiring bun-dles that may be too closetogether, which could lead to ashort circuit and crash if pilotsdo not respond appropriately.Boeing said on Friday it is stillin discussions with the FederalAviation Administration aboutthe issue. Meanwhile, carriersincluding Delta Air Lines<DAL.N> that do not operatethe 737 MAX are picking upstrong U.S. travel demand thatUnited, Southwest andAmerican have been unable tomeet due to their reducedfleets. Once regulatorsapprove Boeing's fixes, air-lines will still need around 30days or longer to prepare theirfleets and pilots before usingthe planes for commercialflight. The longer the 737MAX is grounded, the moreBoeing will ultimately have tocompensate its customers.

Boeing spent $1.4 billion(163;1.1 billion) on compen-sation for 737 MAX cus-tomers last year and ChiefFinancial Officer Greg Smithsaid this week the companyexpects "a good portion" ofadditional settlements to takeplace this year.

TOKYO: The US govern-ment is preparing toevacuate American citi-zens aboard theDiamond Princess cruiseship, the site of the mostcoronavirus infectionsfound outside China andcurrently quarantinedoff Japan, the WallStreet Journal reported.

About 380 people will beoffered seats on twoplanes back to theUnited States and couldarrive back home asearly as Sunday, thenewspaper said, addingthat those with a fever,cough or other symp-toms will not be allowedon the flights.

Evacuees will have addi-tional health screeningsin the United States andsome will probablyundergo a mandatoryquarantine, which willlikely be 14 days, HenryWalke, an official at theCenters for DiseaseControl and Prevention(CDC), was quoted assaying.

The CDC was not immedi-ately available for com-ment. The US andJapanese governmentssaid they have been inclose contact with each

other, but declined toconfirm the report.

"We have had variousexchanges with the USgovernment about howto respond to the situa-tion," Masato Otaka,press secretary forJapan's ForeignMinistry, said via email.

One US passenger, SawyerSmith, 25, told Reutersthat passengers had beentold there would be anannouncement from thecaptain later.

The prospect of potentiallymore time in quarantineseemed to disheartenothers.

"We would like to just finishthe quarantine on theship as planned, decom-press in a non-quaran-tine environment inJapan for a few days,

then fly back to the USpursuant to our ownarrangements. What'swrong with that?,"tweeted passengerMatthew Smith.

The cruise liner's quarantineis set to end on February19.

The Diamond Princesscruise ship, owned byCarnival Corp, has beenquarantined since arriv-ing in Yokohama onFeb. 3, after a man whodisembarked in HongKong before it travelledto Japan was diagnosedwith the virus.

At the time, it had some3,500 passengers andcrew on board, of whom218 have tested positivefor the coronavirusinfection and are now inJapanese hospitals.

Donald Trump soars in job approval

ratings, but Democrats ahead in pollsWASHINGTON: The

US government and theTaliban, by the end of thismonth, are to sign theirpeace treaty which includesa plan for a week-longceasefire and withdrawal ofall American troops fromAfghanistan over a periodof 18 months. Top sourcesinvolved in the negotiationsbetween the US and theTaliban in Qatar, told IANSthat the two sides haveagreed to sign the peacedeal on February 29, justfour days after PresidentDonald Trump concludeshis trip to India. The deal,which the Trump adminis-tration has been negotiatingfor long, includes talksbetween the Taliban and theAfghan government underPresident Ashraf Ghaniwhich are to begin onMarch 10. The Afghangovernment had stayedaway from the US-Talibannegotiations, due to strongreservations about the mili-tant group`s religiousextremism and violence.The sources said that theUS, as per the treaty, hasalso agreed to release 5,000Taliban prisoners betweenFebruary 29 and March 10.

"That is a huge conces-sion," sources based inKabul said. The Taliban, on

the other hand, has consent-ed to a week-long ceasefirewhen neither they nor theUS troops will conduct anyoperations.

"Both sides have suc-ceeded in defining whatreduction of violence wouldentail," a source in Qatarsaid.

The negotiations for thepeace deal, after they wereresumed in January afterfour months this year, hadbeen stuck over the dis-agreement on the definitionof"reduction in violence".

The Trump administra-tion has committed itself towithdraw all its forces fromthe war-torn country over aperiod of 18 months.

The US and NATO forceslaunched a war against ter-ror in Afghanistan 18 yearsago after the global Islamistterror group Al Qaeda shel-tered and supported byTaliban attacked the US onSeptember 11, 2001.

America has around11,000 troops inAfghanistan and has beengradually withdrawingforces. President Trump,who is running for re-elec-tion later this year, duringhis last election campaignpromised that he will endAmerica`s wars and bringback US troops home.

First Group Of Passengers Not Infected By

Coronavirus Leave Japan Cruise Ship

US To Evacuate Americans From

Quarantined Ship In Japan: Report

Boeing Against Changing 737 MAX Wiring,

Red-Flagged By Regulators: Report

SEATTLE/WASHING-TON: Boeing Co told theU.S. Federal AviationAdministration it does notbelieve it needs to separate ormove wiring bundles on itsgrounded 737 MAX jetlinerthat regulators have warnedcould short circuit with cata-strophic consequences, peo-ple familiar with the mattersaid on Friday.

The FAA confirmed Fridayit had received a proposalfrom the planemaker regard-ing the wiring issue.

The FAA will "rigorouslyevaluate Boeing's proposal toaddress a recently discoveredwiring issue with the 737MAX. The manufacturermust demonstrate compliancewith all certification stan-dards," the agency said in astatement.

The U.S. planemaker andFAA first said in early

January they were reviewinga wiring issue that couldpotentially cause a short cir-cuit on the 737 MAX, andunder certain circumstanceslead to a crash if pilots did notreact in time. Boeing to tem-porarily halt production of737 Max. Boeing will tem-porarily stop producing itsgrounded 737 Max jet startingin January as it struggles toget approval from regulatorsto put the plane back in theair. A Boeing spokesmanreferred all questions onwiring to the FAA, saying theagency would make the finaldecision and that the compa-ny is answering questionsfrom the FAA. Boeing's 737MAX was grounded world-wide last March after twocrashes in Indonesia andEthiopia killed 346 peoplewithin five months.

Boeing has spent months

updating the stall-preventionsoftware known as MCASlinked to both crashes, butfresh issues have surfaced,complicating regulators'efforts to re-approve theplane. Given intense scrutinyof the 737 MAX, Boeing issure to face questions aboutwhether the MCAS systemmakes it harder for pilots toreact in the event of a shortcircuit. There are more than adozen different locations onthe 737 MAX where wiringbundles may be too closetogether. Most of the loca-tions are under the cockpit inan electrical bay. If the bun-dles pose a potential hazard,regulations would typicallyrequire separating the bundlesor adding a physical barrier.

Boeing has noted in talkswith the FAA that the samewiring bundles are in the 737NG, which has been in servicesince 1997 and logged 205million flight hours withoutany wiring issues.

New safety rules on wiringwere adopted in the aftermathof the 1998 Swiss Air 111crash. A company official toldReuters last month Boeinghad been working on a designthat would separate the wiringbundles, if necessary. Movingthe bundles could pose furtherdelays to the return of theMAX, however, and Reutersreported Thursday that a keycertification test flight wasnot expected until April orlater.

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 20209 SPORTS

My valentine for life: Hardik Pandya sharesadorable picture with fiancee Natasa StankovicNew Delhi : On the occa-

sion of Valentine's Day,Indian all-rounder HardikPandya on Friday took tosocial media and shared anadorable picture of him withhis 'valentine for life' NatasaStankovic.

Taking to Twitter, the 26-year-old wished his fianceeand Serbian actress Natasa byposting a loved-up picture ofthe couple.

In the picture, Pandyacould be seen donning a blackprinted shirt and jeans whileNatasa wore a red-printed top,black skirt and red heels as thestylish couple struck a posefor the camera.

Natasa, on the other hand,took to her Instagram accountand shared a throwback pic-ture of her and Pandya fromlast year's Valentine's Day.

‘#tb to our Valentine’s Daylast year @hardikpandya93,"the Serbian actress captionedthe post.

Earlier on New Year,Pandya threw a surprise byannouncing his engagementwith the then-girlfriendNatasa on Instagram.

"Mai tera, Tu meri jaane,saara Hindustan (I am yours,you are mine and the entirenation knows it). 01.01.2020

#engaged," Pandya had writ-ten along with a few picturesof him with Natasa, who canbe seen wearing a diamondring on her engagement fin-

ger. On the work front, Hardik

is currently not playing forIndia as he is still recovering

since undergoing back sur-gery in the UK in October2019. His last internationalassignment came during aT20I match against South

Africa in September 2019. Natasa, on the other hand,

made her debut in the enter-tainment industry with Bigg

Boss 8. She later appeared in spe-

cial dance sequences in filmssuch as Satyagraha andFukrey Returns.

South Africa postpone T20I tour ofPakistan citing heavy workload

New Delhi : Cricket SouthAfrica (CSA) has informedthat the country have decidedto postpone their next month'sthree-match T20I seriesagainst Pakistan due to heavyworkload.

The CSA confirmed that itand its Pakistan counterparthave mutually agreed to with-draw from the series at themoment in the wake of theProteas' limited-overs tour ofIndia in March.

“This has purely beendone because of the heavyworkload and internationalschedule our players are fac-ing in the immediate future,”Sport24 quoted CSA actingchief executive Jacques Faulas saying.

Faul, however, added thathe has assured PakistanCricket Board (PCB) CEOWasim Khan that the CSAwould try their best toreschedule the short seriesbetween the two sides as soonas possible.

“I have assured my coun-terpart at the PCB, WasimKhan, that the tour remains

very much on our internation-al schedule," he added.

He also clarified that secu-rity was not at all an issue

behind the CSA's decision topostpone the tour.

“I would also like to stressthat security was not an issuein asking the PCB for thispostponement. We will now

work together to find anappropriate window in theinternational cricket calen-dar,” Faul concluded.

South Africa are currentlyplaying a T20I series againstEngland. They will next headinto four Tests and threeODIs.

Within five days of the last

match against England, SouthAfrica are scheduled to hostAustralia for three-matchT20Is and as many ODIs--

with the last clash set to takeplace on March 7.

The Proteas will then lockhorns with India in a three-match ODIs from March 12 toMarch 18.

Virat Kohli 'thrilled' to see Royal ChallengersBangalore's new logo ahead of IPL 2020

New Delhi : After theRoyal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) unveiled their newlogo ahead of the 2020 editionof the Indian Premier League(IPL), franchise skipper ViratKohli on Friday reacted to thesame by saying that he isthrilled to see the embodimentof bold pride and challengerspirit in it.

Taking to his officialTwitter handle, the 31-year-old Indian skipper retweetedthe video of the new logoshared by the RCB earlier inthe day and took a dig overthe people who were trollingthe Bengaluru-based fran-chise for the logo.

"LOGO ka kaam haikehna. Thrilled to see our new@rcbtweets logo. It embodiesthe Bold pride and challengerspirit that our players bring tothe field. Can't wait for#IPL2020 (sic.)" he wrote.

Earlier on Friday, RCB

unveiled their new logo twodays after removing the pro-file pictures and posts from

their various social mediahandles.

"THIS IS IT. The momentyou've been waiting for. NewDecade, New RCB, NewLogo! #PlayBold," the RCB

official Twitter handle wrotealong with the video of theirnew logo.

The franchise also shared aseparate picture of the newlogo which features a lion andcaptioned the post as,"embodying the bold prideand the challenger spirit, we

have unleashed the rampantlion returning him to theRoyal lineage."

The development cameafter the RCB removed pro-file pictures from their officialTwitter handle and Facebookaccount besides also deletingall the posts from the team’sofficial Instagram account onWednesday.

Earlier, there were specu-lations that the RCB's movecame as they are likely toreplace the word ‘Bangalore’with ‘Bengaluru’ ahead of theupcoming 13th edition of theIPL, which is slated to takeplace from March 29.However, the franchise own-ers had not made any officialstatement regarding the same.

Kohli, on the other hand, iscurrently looking to lead theIndian team in the two-matchTest series against NewZealand, beginning February21.

2nd T20I : England win last-ball thrilleragainst South Africa to level series

England : England`s TomCurran took two wickets withthe last two balls of the matchas they beat South Africa bytwo runs in an amazing sec-ond T20 international thatproduced over 400 runs onFriday as the tourists leveledthe three-match series at 1-1with one game to play.

South Africa needed threeoff the last two balls butCurran, who had just beensmashed for 12 runs in threeby Dwaine Pretorius, got himlbw then had Bjorn Fortuincaught off the final ball to capoff a day of almost unrelent-ing excitement and set up athrilling decider in Centurionon Sunday.

"The performance andlevel of intensity wasimproved," said England cap-tain Eoin Morgan.

"The standout for us todaywas Moeen Ali. To come inand strike the ball like thatwas such a match-winninginnings. Chris Jordan was out-standing. He leads the attack,has a cool, calm head anddelivers when it matters. He`sa guy you want in your side."

Man of the match Moeenadded: "It was nice to go outand middle a few to get goingand then I went on instinct toput pressure on the bowlers."

England got off to a greatstart through Jason Roy (40)and Johnny Bairstow (35) butwere then bogged downsomewhat before Ben Stokes,who finished on 47 not out,

and Moeen took charge as thelatter hammered 39 off 11balls to help reach 204-7.

FANTASTIC ATMOS-

PHEREThe highest previous suc-

cessful T20 international runchase on the ground was 158but South Africa, roared on ina fantastic atmosphere, werealways in the mix afterQuinton de Kock smashedeight sixes as they reached 92without loss in the seventhover. When he was caught byStokes off Mark Wood thegame seemed to swingEngland’s way and after Chris

Jordan took two wickets intwo balls it looked all over.

But South Africa stuck totheir task and a spirited late

flurry by Rassie van derDussen (43 not out) left thehosts, who won the firstmatch by one run, needing 15off the final over.

Pretorius brought thatdown to three from the lasttwo balls - the same equationEngland failed with in the firstgame - but Curran kept hisnerve to trap him lbw with ayorker.

Fortuin ambitiously triedto ramp the final ball for four

but was caught by AdilRashid as South Africa fin-ished on 202-7.

Even as England celebrat-

ed, the drama was not over asthe umpires checked thatRashid had not wandered out-side the fielding circle beforethe batsman played the ball.

They eventually ruled it afair catch and the teamsmarch on to a decider.

"It is great cricket," saidDe Kock. "Both teams areplaying really good cricket.They came out and foughtright to the end and unfortu-nately we didn`t come across

New Delhi : Defendingchampion and French tennisstar Gael Monfils booked hisplace in the semi-final of theongoing Rotterdam Open fol-lowing a comfortable straightsets win over Britain's DanEvans in the last-eight clashin the Netherlands onSaturday.

The 33-year-oldFrenchman, who clinched thetitle at last week's Open sudde France, registered a con-vincing 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 tri-umph against Evans in athrilling quarter-final clash ofthe men's singles event of thetournament that lasted onehour and 52 minutes.

With the victory, third-seed Monfils has clinched hisseventh win in a row and 11thvictory in 13 matches heplayed this year.

Monfils will now lockhorns with Serbian tennisplayer Filip Krajinovic for aplace in the summit show-down of the tournament, theAssociation for TennisProfessionals (ATP) officialwebsite reported.

Krajinovic swept asideAndrey Rublev of Russia 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in another last-eight clash of the tournamentto cement his spot in thesemi-finals.

Heading into the upcom-ing match, Monfils leadstheir ATP head-to-head seriesby 2-0.

Rotterdam Open:Defending championGael Monfils storms

into semi-finals

India's Bhawna Jat qualifies for TokyoOlympics in 20km RaceWalk event

Ranchi: India's femalerace walker Bhawna Jat hasearned a quota for TokyoOlympics Games in 20kmRaceWalk event after setting anew national record at theNational Race WalkChampionships on Saturday.

The 24-year-old fromRajasthan clocked a recordtime of 1 hour, 29 minutes and54 seconds to bring about herwin at the Seventh NationalRace Walk Championships.She comfortably beat theOlympic qualification markof 1:31.00.

Her previous best in thecategory was 1:38.30, whichshe had set in October lastyear.

Meanwhile, PriyankaGoswami missed out on thequalification with a narrowtiming of 1:31:36, just 36 sec-onds slower than the Tokyoqualification standard time.

In the men's event,Sandeep Kumar won the raceafter clocking a timing of1:21:34. However, he wasunfortunate to miss out on the

Tokyo Olympics qualificationby just 34 seconds which isset at 1 hour 20 minutes.

Kumar will now aim toseal a spot for the TokyoOlympics at the Asian RaceWalk Championship to beheld next month in Japan.

"Will try to furtherimprove timing if selected forAsian RW Championships

next month in Japan and try toqualify for Tokyo 2020," saidKumar.

KT Irfan had last yearbecome the first Indian fromathletics to qualify for theTokyo Olympics after finish-ing fourth in the 20 km eventof the Asian Race WalkingChampionships held in Marchin Nomi, Japan.

Manchester City banned from Europeancompetition for two seasons by UEFA

New Delhi : Englishchampions Manchester Cityhave been banned fromEuropean competition for thenext two seasons and fined 30million euros (£25 million) byEuropean soccer`s governingbody UEFA after an investi-gation into alleged breachesof Financial Fair Play (FFP)rules.

UEFA said in an officialstatement that City had com-mitted "serious breaches" ofthe rules while the PremierLeague club swiftly said ontheir official website that theywill appeal the decision to theLausanne-based Court ofArbitration for Sport (CAS).

The ruling, if upheld,would mean Pep Guardiola`sside would not be able tocompete in the 2020-21Champions League shouldthey again qualify forEurope`s top club competi-tion. They would also bebanned from European com-petition in the 2021-22 sea-

son.An absence from conti-

nental action would have asignificant impact on the

club`s revenue as well as theirprestige.

UEFA`s FFP rules aredesigned to prevent clubsreceiving unlimited amountsof money through inflatedsponsorship deals with organ-isations related to the owners.

The AdjudicatoryChamber of UEFA`s ClubFinancial Control Body(CFCB) said City had broken

the rules by "overstating itssponsorship revenue in itsaccounts and in the break-even information submitted to

UEFA between 2012 and2016" and added that the club"failed to cooperate in theinvestigation".

But City, who have deniedany wrongdoing, said in astrongly worded response thatthey will fight the decision.

"Simply put, this is a caseinitiated by UEFA, prosecutedby UEFA and judged byUEFA. With this prejudicial

process now over, the Clubwill pursue an impartialjudgement as quickly as pos-sible and will therefore, in thefirst instance, commence pro-ceedings with the Court ofArbitration for Sport at theearliest opportunity," the clubsaid. Describing themselvesas "disappointed but not sur-prised" by the decision, Citytook aim at the investigationprocess.

"In December 2018, theUEFA Chief Investigator pub-licly previewed the outcomeand sanction he intended to bedelivered to Manchester City,before any investigation hadeven begun.

"The subsequent flawedand consistently leaked UEFAprocess he oversaw has meantthat there was little doubt inthe result that he would deliv-er. The Club has formallycomplained to the UEFADisciplinary body, a com-plaint which was validated bya CAS ruling."

Atletico Madrid held to 2-2 draw byValencia in La Liga thriller

La Liga : AtleticoMadrid`s disappointing sea-son continued as they sharedthe spoils with Valencia in athrilling 2-2 draw in La Ligaat Mestalla on Friday.

Marcos Llorente putAtletico ahead after 15 min-utes when he stabbed homefrom close range, withGabriel Paulista equalisingfive minutes before the break.

Atletico went back in frontthree minutes later whenThomas Partey smashedhome a low drive from dis-tance but Valencia`s GeoffreyKondogbia bundled the ballpast goalkeeper Jan Oblak inthe 59th minute to level thescores again.

Kevin Gameiro shouldhave put Valencia ahead butlashed a golden chance overthe bar after the electricFerran Torres`s brilliant runand cross.

Sixth-placed Valencia fin-ished by far the stronger, with

the draw putting them on 38points. Atletico, in fourth,have 40 but are 12 adrift of

leaders Real Madrid havingplayed a game more.

The hosts were thrashed 3-0 at Getafe last weekend butbounced back strongly withan energetic display againstDiego Simeone`s side to satis-fy their demanding fans.

"I don`t know if the drawis fair, we had a great gameagainst a tough opponent but

we had the chances to win,"said Valencia coach AlbertCelades.

"We had a great secondhalf and made the chances towin but it was a draw.Everyone wants to move for-ward, everyone wants to win,

we put in good performancesat home."

Atletico, who hostLiverpool in the ChampionsLeague last 16 on Tuesday,were able to bring on strikerAlvaro Morata in the secondhalf for his comeback from amuscle injury.

The Spaniard almostsnatched a goal for the visitorsbut Jaume Domenech made agood save to keep out hisheader.

"We understand in theworld of football when you`reon a bad run, doubts appear,questions appear, when youwin three or four in a row it alldisappears," said Llorente.

Simeone, who insists thisis a transition season for histeam, was pleased with thedraw. "Valencia are verystrong at home, haven`t lostall season and tonight cameback twice. I leave with verygood feelings, we made agreat effort," said the coach.

New Delhi : BorussiaDortmund scored three sec-ond-half goals as they crushedEintracht Frankfurt 4-0 in theBundesliga on Friday to takeover second place.

Defender Lukasz Piszczekfound space to drill home forthe lead in the 33rd minutewith the hosts having to staypatient against a hard-work-ing Eintracht.

But the visitors threw inthe towel after the restart withJadon Sancho scoring with afine run and finish in the 50thand Erling Haaland tapping infour minutes later for hiseighth goal in his fifth leaguegame, a Bundesliga record.

Raphael Guerreiro had hitthe post with a first-half freekick but he made amends inthe 74th, scoring with a pow-erful shot from 20 metresafter a sloppy Eintracht clear-

ance.Dortmund`s dominant per-

formance was exactly what

they needed ahead of theirChampions League round of16 first leg against Paris StGermain on Tuesday, aftersuffering a 4-3 loss to BayerLeverkusen last week.

The Ruhr valley club have42 points and are above third-placed RB Leipzig, who host

Werder Bremen on Saturday,on goal difference, while alsomoving within a point ofBayern Munich before theleaders visit Cologne onSunday.

Borussia Dortmund cruise past EintrachtFrankfurt 4-0 to go second in Bundesliga

New Delhi : FormerPakistan skipper ShahidAfridi and wife Nadia, whowere expecting their fifthchild, are now proud parentsof a baby girl.

The 45-year-old took tohis official Twitter handle toshare the news with his well-wishers that he has beenblessed with a fifth baby girlby posting a picture.

"The Almighty’s infiniteblessings & mercy are uponme...already having beengranted 4 wonderful daugh-ters I have now been blessedwith a 5th, Alhamdulillah.Sharing this good news withmy well-wishers...#FourbecomeFive," he wrotealong with a picture.

The Almighty’s infiniteblessings & mercy are uponme...already having beengranted 4 wonderful daugh-ters I have now been blessedwith a 5th, Alhamdulillah.Sharing this good news withmy well-wishers...#FourbecomeFive

In the picture, Afridi couldbe seen holding his little

munchkin along with his fourother daughters Aqsa, Ansha,Ajwa and Asmara.

Notably, Afridi is marriedto his maternal cousin NadiaAfridi.

Afridi, who bid adieu tointernational cricket at theLord's cricket stadium onMay 31, 2018, appeared in atotal of 27 Tests, 398 ODIsand 99 T20Is for Pakistanduring his illustrious career.

The former Pakistan skip-per was a part of the squadthat won their maiden and

only ICC World T20 trophy in2009. Afridi had also ledPakistan to the semifinals of

the ICC Cricket World Cup in2011.

Afridi had initiallyannounced his retirementfrom the game in February2017 before he made hisreturn to lead Pakistan in theTest cricket after a four-yearhiatus. However, the returnwas short-lived as he madejust one appearance in thelongest format of the gamebefore retirement.

Cricket News : Shahid Afridi, wifeNadia blessed with fifth daughter

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 2020ENTERTAINMENT10

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, SaraAli Khan, Randeep Hooda,Arushi Sharma

Director: Imtiaz AliRating: **1/2The maestro of romantic -

drama genre in BollywoodImtiaz Ali is back with his lat-est offering this Valentine'sDay. Love Aaj Kal 2020 is theindirect sequel or say rebootof his 2009 astounding suc-cess Love Aaj Kal. This timeImtiaz draws a contrast ofhow the way of love and lifehas changed from the 90's eracompared to the contempo-rary romance of 2020.

The film showcases twodifferent stories of two differ-ent eras, one set in the year1990 focusing on Raghu(Kartik Aaryan) and Leena(Arushi Sharma) and the otherin today i.e 2020. on Zoe(Sara Ali Khan) and Veer(Kartik Aaryan). Zoe is anunapologetically confidentand modern girl who haseverything figured out in her

life. She wants to launch herown event management com-pany one day and the wordcommitment does not exist inher dictionary. But, she falls in

love with Veer a casanova of aboy against her plan, andeverything goes fine until,

comes in confusion of whatthese guys actually want intheir lives and what are theirpriorities giving birth todrama, separation, pain and

die-hard romance.Love Aaj Kal 2020 is a

new wine packed in a bottle.

The first half of the film rideshigh on romance, drama &energy but the second halffalls flat.

Ali tries to weave a roman-

tic two-era tale in an attemptto recreate the magic of LoveAaj Kal (2009). There was a

time when Imtiaz could evenmake a lamp post fall in loveand we might have watchedthat too. The screenplay mov-ing back and forth also proves

to be a villain for the story andthe film many times as itbecomes an interruption justwhen you get hooked to thenarrative. Still, Love Aaj Kalis partly entertaining.

Sara Ali Khan is the rightchoice for the fire-brand girlZoe as she fits in shoes con-vincingly. Her strong screenpresence compensates for herlack of expressions and over-all the girl in on fire here.

Kartik Aaryan looksbelievably good as thecasanova Veer who is at timesconfused about what is rightand what is not when it comesto her girlfriend Zoe and hischarming and boyish small-town lad Raghu is alsoimpressive. His characterdevelopment is fine and hisacting skills seem to haveimproved here a lot, the creditfor which goes to Imtiaz ofcourse.

Randeep Hooda leaves hismark whenever he comes onscreen. The actor looks dash-ing and dapper in every frameand his backstory is alsoengaging and relatable. Thedebutante Arushi Sharmadeserves to be applauded forher dedication to her characterand delivers a noteworthy per-formance. Imtiaz Ali's mettlein the romantic-drama genrecan't be underestimated andhis film is enjoyable when itcomes to romance as it is theonly thing keeping your eyeshooked to the screen most ofthe time.

The music of the film is amelodious treat for your earsand compliments Imtiaz Ali'sstyle of storytelling. The run-time is not too long which isalso good news.

Overall, Love Aaj Kal isabout the complexities ofhuman relationships and espe-cially love.

The film celebrates theromantic flaws of relation-ships and still tells you to fallin love because, in the end, itis all worth it.

Sonam Kapoor - an adorable and fashionable stunner

Love Aaj Kal Review: Imtiaz Ali'slove saga is partly entertaining

Al Pacino starrer 'Hunters' to premiere

on Amazon Prime Video'Hunters' is an upcoming

American drama web televi-sion series, starring AlPacino, produced by AmazonStudios and executive pro-duced by Academy Award-winner Jordan Peele(Get Out).

Created by DavidWeil, the plot fol-lows a diverse bandof Nazi Hunters liv-ing in 1977 NewYork City. TheHunters have discov-ered that hundreds ofhigh ranking Naziofficials are living inthe U.S. and conspir-ing to create a FourthReich. The eclecticteam of Hunters willset out on a bloodyquest to bring theNazis to justice andthwart their new genocidalplans.

Highland Park will beturned into a bit of 1970sNew York next week, asAmazon Prime Video trans-forms a section of that north-east Los Angeles neighbour-hood into a promotion forHunters. Josh Radnor, bestknown for playing TedMosby on popular CBS sit-

com 'How I Met yourMother', tweeted:

The star cast includes AlPacino, Logan Lerman, KateMulvany, Tiffany Boone,Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek,

Josh Radnor, Louis OzawaChangchien, Jerrika Hinton,Greg Austin, Dylan Baker,and Lena Olin. The series isproduced by AmazonStudios, Peele's MonkeypawProductions and SonarEntertainment.

The first season of theseries consisting of 10episodes will premiere onFebruary 21.

Kareena Kapoor's first

look from Laal Singh

Chaddha is here!Superstar Aamir Khan is

all set to own 2020 with hisupcoming movie Laal SinghChaddha. The movie is theofficial remake of theHollywood classic 'ForrestGump' is the most awaited

film of 2020. Today, on occasion of

Valentine's Day, Aamir khanshared the first look of co-star Kareena Kapoor fromthe movie with a heartfeltnote on his social media.

Laal Singh Chaddha willsee Aamir undergo a massivetransformation and will alsosee him sport three differentlooks, all of which have cre-ated a massive buzz on socialmedia.

A solo release this

Christmas, Aamir Khan willsurely blow the minds of theaudience with his perform-ance in and as Laal SinghChaddha which is alreadybeing hailed as the mostanticipated film of the year.

With an interesting storyline,the story traces the protago-nist as he obliviously and bychance, influences theimportant political and cul-tural events in India over aspan of 30 years. Written byAtul Kulkarni, the film ishelmed by Advait Chandanand will be produced byViacom18 Studios and AamirKhan Productions. Themovie is slated to hit the the-atres during Christmas 2020,next year.

Fatima Sana Shaikh,who shot to fame afterstarring in AamirKhan's 'Dangal' andportraying wrestlerGeeta Phogat, is all setto steal our hearts onValentines' Day as sheshares her first lookfrom her upcomingproject 'Suraj PeMangal Bhari'. The filmis a Diljit Dosanjh,Manoj Bajpayee andFatima Sana Shaikhstarrer and AbhishekSharma directorial.

The photo featuresthe dimpled beauty in astunning red sari, redbangles and red bindi.The actress plays aMarathi girl in the filmwhich is set in the 90s.And we have learnt thatshe trained with a lan-guage and diction coachto get her Marathi right.The photo is rightlycaptioned, 'Ye MarathiMulgi Padegi Sab PeBhari!.

Suraj Pe MangalBhari is an upcomingcomedy film directedby Abhishek Sharma of'Parmanu' fame andproduced by ShariqPatel and SubhashChandra under the bannersZee Studios and Essel Vision

Productions. The film featuresDiljit Dosanjh, Manoj

Bajpayee, Fatima SanaShaikh and Rohit Roy.

Fatima Sana Shaikh looks ravishing in herfirst look from 'Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari'

Vidya Balan has provedher mettle in the industrywith cinematic gems likeKahaani, Ishqiya and TheDirty Picture and carved aniche for herself. The recipi-ent of several awards,including a National FilmAward and six FilmfareAwards has another reasonfor her fans to rejoice as sheannounces her upcomingproject 'Sherni'.

The film will be directedby Amit Masurkar of'Newton' fame and producedby Bhushan Kumar. The 41-year-old actress posted theannouncement poster ofSherni on Instagram.

She will also be seen in'Shakuntala Devi: Human-Computer' in which sheplays the role of ShakuntalaDevi, the late mathematicalgenius and Guinness recordholder, nicknamed 'mentalcalculator'. This is the thirdbiographical film of Vidyaafter semi-biographicalthriller 'No One KilledJessica' and biopic 'TheDirty Picture'.

The film is directed byAnu Menon and producedby Vikram Malhotra andSony Pictures Networks

India. Other cast membersinclude Jisshu Sengupta,

Sanya Malhotra, Amit Sadh,

and Spandan Chaturvedi.The film is slated to hit the

screens on May 8, 2020.

Vidya Balan announcesher next film 'Sherni'

The actor has a great tastein fashion, he always lookshandsome in everything hewears, he is breakingall the stereotypes bybeing unconventionalin fad. The actor is set-ting high bars in fash-ion with his vivid andcheeky fashion style.He recently shared aphotoshoot of himselfin a prismatic avatarcleverly balancedagainst the white-ivorybackground and cap-tured by the celebrityphotographer KunalGupta. Colors are themelody of light,Ayushmann looks dap-per in a colorful ensem-ble. He looks bright funand dapper if the rain-bow had eight colorsAyushmann Khurranawould be the eighth.The Badhai ho actorwore a print patchedjogger paired up with awhite T-shirt and a col-orful zippered jacketthat he accessorizedwith white trainers anda watch. He is overallstyled by Isha Bhansali.The actor is made tolook kaleidoscopicagainst the white back-ground, as he sits onthe tub posing coyly forthe camera. He ismeant to look gay andjazzy for his upcoming movieShubh Mangal ZyadaSavdhan. He will be seen inShubh Mangal ZyadaSavdhan along with NeenaGupta, Jitendra Kumar, and

Gajraj Rao. The movie isdirected by Hitesh Kewaliyaand produced by Bhushan

Kumar, Krishan Kumar,Himanshu Sharma, andAnand L. Rai. The movie isslated to release on 21stFebruary 2020. Ayushmannwill soon will also reunite

with Shoojit Sircar for a com-edy-drama movie GulaboSitabo, along with Amitabh

Bachchan, Tina Bhatia, andNalneesh Neel. The movie isproduced by Ronnie Lahiriand Sheel Kumar and it isslated to release on 17th April2020.

Ayushmann Khurrana givingout graffiti vibes

The trailer of the mostawaited Baaghi 3 droppedrecently and the action surelyswept us off our feet this timewith the never seen beforeaction sequences. The audi-ences couldn't believe whatthey saw and were interestedto know what went behind inmaking such an astonishingtrailer. To answer all ourqueries on that what, why,how of the unbelievableaction sequences, the makersshared the making recently.

The makers, NadiadwalaGrandson handle took to theirsocial media handle andshared, `It's been 6 years sinceBaaghi came in our lives &with every film you've justsurprised us@iTIGERSHROFF WatchRonnie's Raw action as wesee him sweat in freezing -7°temperature with all the blood& bruises .

The makers showed us allthat went into the making ofthe trailer. Tiger Shroff alsoshares, "Coming off ofBaaghi 2 we've had hugeexpectation and keeping thatin time, this time I have togive it my all because every-body else has given it theirall". One of the major high-lights of the video is that Tigerhas shot bare body scenes at afreezing temperature of -7degrees and aced all the kick-flicks.

Rightly, 'Just when youthought that the Baaghi 3Trailer has given you enough

adrenaline rushes, we've gotyou some more by taking youthrough the sneak peek of

what went behind Ronnie'sraw & thunderous action',stands absolutely true.Another piece of news thatcannot be missed is there wasa shot that had about 90-95back to back real blasts with-out the use of any VFX onground and Tiger made the

perfect use of it. Baaghi 3 is all set to hit the

screens on 6th March 2020

and stars Shraddha Kapoorand Tiger Shroff in lead rolesand is directed by AhmedKhan. The movie is producedby Nadiadwala GrandsonEntertainment and the wholeworld is waiting for this thirdinstalment of Baaghi fran-chise.

The makers of Baaghi 3 releasedwhat went behind in the making of

the greatest battle’. Do not miss!

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 2020

bUSINESS NEWS11

14 projects eligible under alternative investmentfund : LIC HFL CEO Siddhartha Mohanty

New Delhi : LIC HousingFinance is part of 14 projectseligible for the last mile fund-ing under the alternativeinvestment fund (AIF) createdin 2019.

Siddhartha Mohanty, MD& CEO, LIC HousingFinance, said that the expo-sure to these projects isaround Rs 1,100-1,200 crore.

"We do not have any jointlending or any consortiumlending. We have some 14projects (eligible) for thealternate investment fund. Wehave advised those developersto be in touch with SBI Capsand the process has started,"said Mohanty.

He added that while theprojects are eligible, it is timeconsuming because comple-tion is not an overnight job.Mohanty said that lendersalso take time to appraisesuch projects, but added thatsome growth is being seen inthe sector.

In November 2019, theCabinet approved the creationof a 'professionally managed'Rs 25,000 crore fund forboosting stalled middle andlow-income RERA registeredhousing projects that are net-worth positive.

Here, the government’sshare is Rs 10,000 crore (inthe AIF) while State Bank ofIndia and LIC’s contribution

is Rs 15,000 crore, taking thetotal size to Rs 25,000 crore.

The AlternativeInvestment Fund (AIF) can beutilised even by the projectswhich have been declarednon-performing assets or arefacing insolvency proceed-ings.

LIC HFL's new home loanplatform

Mohanty was speaking onthe sidelines of an eventwhere LIC Housing Finance

has adopted Google Cloud forprocessing its home loanapplications. The new appli-cation is aimed at simplifying

getting home loans.Mohanty said that the new

application will enable themto speed up the process ofgranting loans and also helpbeneficiaries avail relatedservices.

The home loan applicationis compatible with bothAndroid and iOS and is builton a microservice-basedarchitecture that runs onGoogle Cloud KubernatesEngine.

"There is a demographicshift in real estate. Ages 25-30years are looking to buy prop-erty. For this, one needs to be

innovative and agile in thedelivery system. Customeracquisition methods are alsochanging," said LICChairman MR Kumar.

The mobile applicationwill provide instant eligibilityfor pre-approval home loanbased on KYC and otherdetails provided by appli-cants. The application canalso be used by LIC HousingFinance agents in the field toprovide real-time services.

SEBI constitutes municipal bondsdevelopment committee

New Delhi : Markets regu-lator Sebi on Friday said it hasconstituted a committeewhich will suggest on policymatters pertaining to develop-ment of municipal debt secu-rities and facilitate municipal-ities for issuance of suchbonds.

The regulator has consti-tuted a municipal bondsdevelopment committeeheaded by its ExecutiveDirector Sujit Prasad andcomprises representativesfrom municipal corporations,lawyers, professionals andmarket practitioners.

The panel will advise Sebion issues related to regulationand development of primaryand secondary market ofmunicipal debt securities, theSecurities and Exchange

Board of India (Sebi) said in astatement.

It will suggest the regula-

tor on matters required to betaken up for changes in legalframework to introduce sim-plification and transparency

in systems and procedures inthe primary and secondarymarket.

Also, the panel would rec-ommend on matters relatingto regulation of intermediariesfor ensuring investor protec-

tion in the primary and sec-ondary market as well as onmeasures to facilitate issuers,municipalities, for issuance ofmunicipal debt securities.

In September, Sebi hadrelaxed norms for 'munibonds' issuance to help smartcities as well as entities work-ing in areas of city planningand urban development work,including municipalities, raisefunds through debt securities.

Nearly five years ago, theregulator had come out withthe Issue and Listing of DebtSecurities by Municipalities(ILDM) Regulations andsince then seven municipali-ties have raised nearly Rs1,400 crore by issuing theirdebt securities, which arecommonly known as 'munibonds'.

Temasek investment arm sells GodrejAgrovet shares worth Rs 204cr

New Delhi : V-SciencesInvestment, an investmentarm of Temasek, on Fridayoffloaded nearly 38 lakhshares of Godrej Agrovet for alittle over Rs 204 crorethrough open market transac-tions.

According to bulk dealdata available with the BSE, atotal of 37,84,738 shares ofGodrej Agrovet, agri-businessfirm of Godrej Industries,were sold by V-SciencesInvestment Pte Ltd.

The shares were offloadedon an average price of Rs539.13, valuing the transac-tion at Rs 204.04 crore, thedata added.

Meanwhile, GodrejIndustries picked up32,20,000 shares of the agri-business company.

At the end of the

December 2019 quarter, V-Sciences Investment held

2,47,07,698 shares, amount-

ing to 12.87 per cent stake, ofGodrej Agrovet.

Shares of Godrej Agrovet

closed at Rs 520.30 apiece onthe BSE, down 6.45 per cent

from the previous close.

ESAF Small Finance Bank hunts forinvestors ahead of IPO

New Delhi : ESAF SmallFinance Bank is looking tobring big names on boardbefore its IPO hits the marketsin the first quarter of nextfinancial year.

The Kerala-based bankhad filed draft papers inJanuary and plans to raise upto Rs 300 crore in a pre-IPOplacement. It is yet to receiveregulatory approval for theissue.

"We are discussing withsome HNIs who are interestedto invest with a long-term per-spective. If some marqueenames show interest, it will bea good sign for other set ofinvestors in the IPO offer,"said K Paul Thomas, MD &CEO, ESAF SFB, adding thatthe discussions are on a pre-liminary stage and nothinghas been finalised as of now.

If the bank is successful ingetting the pre-IPO funding,the amount will be deductedfrom the IPO size.

ESAF SFB said that thepromoter stake is likely tocome down by 15-20 percentpost-IPO, based on currentmarket trends. The micro-finance lender is also open toacquisition as one of theoptions in the process goingahead.

"We are exploring differ-ent options to bring down pro-

moter stake, but nothing isconcrete as of now. We alsohave to take care of someinvestors in the holding com-pany who wish to exit. We

have enough time to thinkabout options and variousopportunities are available,"said Gireesh CP, chief finan-cial officer, ESAF SFB.

While microfinance loansconstitute over 96 percent ofthe bank's advances, it hasalso started diversifying intohousing, auto and agricultureloans. The bank aims to scale

up these verticals goingahead.

"If a good opportunitycomes for inorganic growth atthe dilution stage, we may

look at it. We are open to eval-uating all options," Thomassaid.

Thomas and other promot-ers hold 78 percent stake inthe bank currently. The bankhas time till March 2022 tobring down promoter stakebelow 40 percent, as perReserve Bank of India (RBI)norms.

Thomas said that the bankis expecting a good responsefrom the markets, on the linesof fund raising by other SFBslike Ujjivan SFB and AU

SFB."The SFB model has been

accepted by the markets andregulator from perspective offinancial inclusion as well assustainable business,"Thomas said. He added thatthe success of the model isreflected in the fact that theRBI recently initiated on-taplicensing for SFBs.

New Delhi : SreiInfrastructure Finance onFriday reported a 34.4 per centfall in consolidated net profit atRs 60 crore for the third quar-ter of the current fiscal. Thecompany had posted a netprofit of Rs 91.41 crore duringthe corresponding October-December period of the previ-ous fiscal.

Total consolidated incomefor the quarter endedDecember 2019 was down atRs 1,402.81 crore as against Rs1,722.52 crore in the samequarter of 2018-19, Srei said ina regulatory filing. The compa-ny's consolidated assets undermanagement stood at Rs45,157 crore as on December31, 2019, as compared to Rs49,912 crore a year earlier.

Srei Infra Finance Q3 netfalls 34% to Rs 60 cr

New Delhi : Wadiagroup-promoted GoAir onFriday said it has appointedVinay Dube as the airline'sChief Executive Officer. Tillnow, Dube was serving as anadvisor to the carrier, a rolewhich he took up after quit-ting the defunct Jet Airwaysin May last year.GoAir'sboard has approved theappointment of Dube as theCEO and he would report tothe Chairman, ManagingDirector and the board, arelease said. Dube would beresponsible for the manage-ment of the airline and alsofor meeting the goals andlong-term growth objectivesof the company.

The budget airline did nothave a CEO since the depar-ture of Cornelis Vrieswijk inMarch last year.

GoAir Managing DirectorJeh Wadia said Dube's profi-ciency in leading enterpriseswith more than 20,000employees and consistentlydelivering margin expansion,revenue growth and opera-tional excellence, among oth-ers, would be something thatthe airline would benefitfrom. Earlier, Dube hasserved as Senior VicePresident-Asia Pacific atDelta Air Lines, CEO atDelta Technology LLC, VicePresident-Consulting &Marketing Solutions at SabreAirline Solutions, amongother positions.

GoAir appoints VinayDube as CEO

Gold price steady at Rs 40,780 per 10gram, silver gains Rs 110 per kg

New Delhi : Gold pricesremained firm at Rs 40,780per 10 gram in the Mumbaibullion market on rupeedepreciation.

The rate of 10 grams 22-carat gold in Mumbai was Rs37,354 plus 3 percent GSTwhile 24-carat 10 gram wasRs 40,780 plus GST. The 18-carat gold quoted at Rs 30,585plus GST in the retail market.

According to NavneetDamani, Vice President,Motilal Oswal, gold pricesheld steady near a one-weekhigh, as a mounting coron-avirus death toll supportedsafe-haven buying, while astronger dollar capped gains.

The Chinese province atthe centre of the coronavirusoutbreak reported a recordrise in deaths and thousandsof more infections using abroader definition in the pre-vious session. Tensionsbetween the US and Iran pro-vide support to the preciousmetal pack. Market partici-pants will focus on the EUGDP number and industrialand core retail sales numberexpected from the US.

The Broader trend onComex could be $1,560-1,590 and on the domesticfront, prices could hover inthe range of Rs 40,300-40,950, said Damani.

The gold/silver ratio thatrefers to the amount of silverneeded to buy an ounce ofgold stood at 88.65 to 1.

Silver prices gained Rs110 to Rs 46,000 per kg from

its closing on February 13.The precious metal has gainedRs 114, or 0.28 percent for theweek, while silver declinedRs 230 or 0.50 percent in the

same period.In the futures market, gold

rate touched an intraday highof Rs 40,840 and an intradaylow of Rs 40,573 on MCX.For the April series, the yel-low metal touched a low of Rs37,530 and a high of Rs41,567.

Gold futures for deliveryin April gained Rs 173, or0.43 percent on the MCXtrading at Rs 40,829 per 10gram in evening trade in abusiness turnover of 16,717lots. Gold contracts for Junedelivery were up Rs 145, or0.36 percent, at Rs 40,975 per

10 gram in a businessturnover of 6,275 lots.

The value of the April con-tract traded so far is Rs2,261.78 crore and June con-

tract saw the value of Rs79.59 crore.

Similarly, Gold Mini con-tract for March rose Rs 155,or 0.38 percent at Rs 40,735in a business turnover of8,542 lots.

Gold price is trading underascending triangle pattern,price is expected to trade pos-itive. Sustaining above Rs40,650 next leg of the positiverally would push the pricehigher towards Rs 40,850-41,000 levels, according toAxis Securities.

Source: Axis SecuritiesOn the hourly chart, price

is trading above 9, 21 & 60EMA which is a bullish signfor price. The RelativeStrength Index (RSI) is trad-ing at 60 indicating higher

momentum in price.The broking firm advised

its client to buy April Gold atRs 40,650 with stop loss at Rs40,500 and a target of Rs40,850. MCX Gold has intra-day support at Rs 40,525-40,460 whereas resistance isat Rs 40,800-40,870, accord-ing to Motilal Oswal.

The brokerage firm saidspot gold has strong supportat $1,560-1,557 whereasresistance is at $1,585-1,590.

At 2:06 pm (GMT), spotgold was up $3.38 at$1,579.55 an ounce inLondon trading.

Govt clears Rs 540 cr investments in stuck housingprojects from Rs 25,000 cr stress fund

New Delhi : The govern-ment, which has set up a Rs25,000-crore stress fund torevive stalled housing proj-ects, on Friday said it hascleared investments of overRs 540 crore in some stuckresidential properties thatwill benefit 1,800 homebuy-ers. That apart, a preliminaryclearance has been given fordue diligence in 14 projects,which would require a fundinfusion of Rs 2,500 crore.Another 40 more transactionsare under active considera-tion.

In November last year, thecentral governmentannounced a Rs 25,000-crorefund to help complete over1,500 stalled housing proj-ects, including even thosethat have been declaredNPAs (non-performingassets) or admitted for insol-vency proceedings.

The move is likely to help4.58 lakh housing unitsacross the country. OnlyRERA-registered projectswith positive net worth willbe provided funds.

"Special Window clearsprojects with capital commit-

ment of more than Rs 540crores. Disbursements startedwhich will provide relief to

1800 home buyers andunlock Rs 3,000 crores ofinvested capital," the financeministry said in a tweet.

"Further, preliminaryclearance has been given fordue diligence to 14 projectswith capital commitment ofRs.2500 Crores that will pro-

vide relief to 10,000 homebuyers and release Rs12500Crores of invested capital," it

tweeted."Around 40 more deals

under active considerationfor investment," the financeministry said.

The ministry, however,did not disclose the name ofprojects as well as developerswho have received this Rs

540 crore amount from stressfund.

The special window of Rs

25,000 crore is in form ofalternative investment fund(AIF). The Centre is infusingRs 10,000 crore into thisstress fund, while the remain-ing being provided by stateinsurer LIC and the country''slargest lender SBI. The AIF isbeing managed by SBI Cap.

New Delhi : US PresidentDonald Trump on his maidentrip to India will meet thecountry's top business leadershere on February 25, in a bidto push for deeper tradeand business relationsbetween the two nations,sources said on Friday.

A CEO's Round-tablewill be organised to facil-itate a meeting betweenthe US President and cor-porate honchos from theworld's fifth-largesteconomy in the nationalcapital. Senior bureau-crats are also expected toattend the meeting,besides top executives fromAmerican corporations.

Billionaires includingReliance Industries CMDMukesh Ambani, BhartiAirtel Chairman Sunil Bharti

Mittal, Tata Sons Chairman NChandrasekaran, MahindraGroup Chairman AnandMahindra, Larsen and ToubroChairman A M Naik and

Biocon CMD KiranMazumdar Shaw are expectedto attend the round-tablemeeting with Trump, one ofthe sources said adding thatthe US Embassy in New

Delhi is coordinating theevent while the list of atten-dees has been shared with theWhite House for clearance.

The Confederation ofIndian Industry and US-Indiabusiness bodies have sug-gested the names of Indianexecutives for the Trumpmeeting, which are beingreviewed currently, anothersource said.

Microsoft Corp hasannounced that its ChiefExecutive Officer (CEO)Satya Nadella will also visitIndia later this month. Whilethe company confirmed thevisit of the top executive, it

did not give details about hisitinerary.

At the invitation of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi,Trump is slated to travel toIndia on February 24 and 25.

Trump to meet India Inc topbrass on February 25

New Delhi : ReliancePower (RPower) on Fridaysaid its consolidated net profithas dipped over 57 per cent toRs 49.39 crore in theDecember 2019 quarter,mainly due to lower income.The company's consolidatednet profit had stood at Rs116.44 crore in the correspon-ding quarter of the previousfinancial year, according to aBSE filing.

Its income came down toRs 1,897.93 crore in thirdquarter of 2019-20, from Rs2,098.82 crore a year ago.

In the April-December2019 period, the firm's con-solidated net profit stood atRs 130.66 crore, comparedwith Rs 451.30 crore in theyear-ago period. Its consoli-dated net loss was Rs2,951.82 crore in 2018-19.

The company said its5,760 megawatts of thermalcapacity generated 9,311 mil-lion units of electricity, at PLF(plant load factor or capacityutilisation) of 73 per cent, inthe quarter.

During the quarter, theSasan Ultra Mega PowerProject in Madhya Pradeshgenerated 8,646 million unitsof electricity operating at aPLF of 99 per cent.

The company has one of

the largest portfolio of powerprojects in the private sector,based on coal, gas, hydro and

renewable energy, with anoperating portfolio of 5,945megawatts.

It said, "The group(RPower, its subsidiaries andassociates) is confident ofmeeting its obligations bygenerating sufficient andtimely cash flows throughtime-bound monetisation ofgas-based power plant equip-ment and other assets of cer-tain subsidiaries, as alsorealise the amount from ongo-ing regulatory/ arbitrationclaims."

The firm added that con-sidering the dependence on

these uncertain events andrealisation of assets, the groupis confident that such cash

flows would enable it to serv-ice its debt and discharge itsliabilities in the normal courseof its business. "Accordingly,the consolidated financialresults of the group have beenprepared on a going concernbasis."

Besides financial results,its board has approvedappointment of SandeepKhosla as the company's chieffinancial officer (CFO) witheffect from April 1, 2020, inplace of Shrenik Vaishnav,who will cease from the officeof CFO from close of busi-ness hours of March 31, 2020.

RPower net profit declines 57% to Rs49 crore in December quarter

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU SUNDAY FEbRUARY 16, 2020NEWS12

Advisor Sharma for preservation, propagationof rich cultural values of JK

Attends Herat Millan hosted by YAIKSJAMMU FEBRUARY

15 : Advisor to Lt Governor,K K Sharma today stressed onthe need for preservation andpropagation of intrinsic andpositive values of Jammu andKashmir’s rich culture forstrengthening the harmoniousliving and mutual co-exis-tence.

The Advisor was speakingat the "Herat Millan" organ-ized by the Youth All IndiaKashmiri Samaj (YAIKS),here today.

Vice Chancellor, Prof.Manoj Dhar, former MinistersPriya Sethi; Ghulam HassanMir; former DGP KuldeepKhuda; Relief Commissioner,Shri R K Bhat; Dr K NPandita, President Jammu BarAssociation; AdvocateAbhinav Sharma; Sr.Advocate B S Salathia; Prof PN Trisal; Justice B L Saraf, SK Koul, P L Koul Badgami, KK Khosa, Dr. Sushil Wattal,Pran Pandit and KuldepPandita were the guests ofhonour besides senior politi-cian Yudhvir Sethi; scores of

academicians, intellectuals,office bearers of YAIKS andpeople from different walks oflife attended the event.

The Advisor, while refer-ring to the rich culture ofKashmir, said that it is repletewith the literature and the wayof life shown by saints and

seers like Lalded, Nundreshiand many others, who haveimmensely contributed to theconcept of mutual brother-hood and co-existencethroughout centuries. Theneed of the hour is to followthese steadfastly for a life full

of positivity and care towardsfellow human beings, headded. While highlighting theimportance of celebratingHerat (Shivratri), the Advisorsaid that it is one of the mostimportant religious festivalsof the valley, celebrated by allcommunities over the ages

and forms one of the iconicparameters of its socio-cultur-al milieu. He said that celebra-tion of these festivities byevery section of society con-tributes largely to the idea ofmutual co existence, the hall-mark of Kashmiri society.

Responding to thedemands projected by theYAIKS, the Advisor said thatsame would be addressed byinvolving all the stakeholdersto achieve an agreeable settle-ment.

President YAIKS, R KBhat also spoke on the occa-

sion and highlighted the prob-lems being faced by theKashmiri Pandit youth.

A rich cultural programmewas also presented on theoccasion in which prominentsingers Ravi Bhan and GulzarGanai enthralled the audience.

JCCI assures Police Force of Full CooperationJAMMU : A function was

organised by JCCI today as apart of strengthening the tiesand cooperation betweenbusiness community and thePolice force for better lawand order situation and drugfree society.

Chief Guest on this occa-sion was Sh. Garib Dass, IPSIGP Headquarter and SpecialGuests included Sh. TejinderSingh,IPS SSP, Sh. ShridharPatil, IPS SSP Jammu, Ms.P.D.Nitya,IPS SP North andSh. Vinay Sharma, JKPS, SPSouth.

Prominently present werealso the heads of variousbusiness associations affiliat-ed to JCCI and senior mem-bers.

While speaking on theoccasion the JCCI PresidentSh. Rakesh Gupta once againassured cooperation to thePolice force and stressedupon the fact that peace wasimperative for booming econ-

omy which was much neededat this hour in the newlyformed Union Territory.

Sh. Garib Dass,IPS whilespeaking on the occasionappreciated the role ofJammu Chamber and laudedits cooperation at all times.

He also said that a boomingindustry is the only choice tomake India progress by leaps

and bounds.Sh. Tejinder Singh, IPS

was also felicitated and hon-oured for his successfultenure in Jammu and also his

deputation to the prestigiousNational InvestigatingAgency(NIA).

Also present on the occa-sion include Sh. ManishGupta, Secretary General, Sh.Gaurav Gupta, Secretary andSh. Ashu Gupta, Treasurer.

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Dheeraj Gupta reviews progress in transfer ofEngineering Wings of Urban Local Bodies

JAMMU, FEBRUARY15 : Principal Secretary,Housing & UrbanDevelopment Department,Dheeraj Gupta today chaireda meeting to review theprogress in transfer ofEngineering Wings of theUrban Local Bodies, here atCivil Secretariat.

He also gave several direc-tions to the concerned author-ities to complete the processin next 10 days and buildcapacities of the ULBs toundertake reforms.

It may be recalled that theAdministrative Council hadrecently ordered Abolition ofthe Engineering Wings of theDirectorate of Urban LocalBodies, Jammu andDirectorate of Urban LocalBodies, Kashmir and theirtransfer to the JammuMunicipal Corporation andthe Srinagar MunicipalCorporation to ensure speedyexecution of works across theULBs in the UT of J&K andto bring the efficiency andtransparency in the delivery ofservices. The AdministrativeCouncil has also ordered exe-cution of civil works of UrbanLocal bodies through respec-tive Divisions/Sub-Divisionsof the Public Work (R&B)Department.

Further, it was also orderedthat the prioritization andidentification of works in theirrespective jurisdictions by theconcerned Urban LocalBodies shall be in accordance

with the guidelines and normsof the respective schemes andas per the prescribed ceiling.The Administrative approvalfor these works shall be

accorded by these UrbanLocal Bodies as prescribed upto the ceiling laid down. Thefunds for the schemes andprojects will be released to theUrban Local Bodies for fur-ther release to the concernedDivision/Sub-Division of PW(R&B) after assessment of thestage wise progress of thework(s).

The meeting was attendedby the Commissioner JMC,Chief Engineer, PWD(R&B)Jammu, Director ULB,Jammu, Director Finance andDirector Planning H&UDD.Commissioner, SMC,Director ULB Kashmir andSE, PWD(R&B), Srinagarand other senior officers ofthe H&UDD attended themeeting through video con-

ferencing from SMC office,Srinagar. The PrincipalSecretary issued directions tothe Directors, ULBKashmir/Jammu and Chief

Engineers R&B Kashmir/Jammu to expedite the trans-fer of works and handing andtaking over the relevantrecords immediately withoutany further delay. “The trans-fer of all 76 ULBs shall be onfast track and completed with-in next 10 days by 24thFebruary, 2020. This wouldensure that the transfers aresmooth and fast and the paceof execution of the ongoingand new works does not getdelayed and hampered” hedirected.

The Chief Engineers R&BKashmir and Jammu wereasked to issue necessarydirections for completion ofongoing works, as per the laiddown norms. It was alsonoticed that till now, in terms

of decision of theAdministrative Council, thefunds for these ongoing andnew projects will be releasedby the ULBs themselves,

they will have to be providedwith the requisite funds inadvance as the CEOs/Eos arenot authorized to operate thetreasuries. The Directors ofULBs will accordingly submitthe proposal for advancedrawl of the funds and theirtransfer to the respectiveULBs so that the matter couldbe taken with the FinanceDepartment and the fundsflow will also to be smooth.

It was also decided that theDirector ULB, Jammu andDirector ULB, Kashmir shallprepare training modules forthe elected representativesand the staff of these ULBs tostrengthen their capacities indecision making and imple-mentation of various reformsand initiatives.

Zorawar inaugurates exclusive MRF tyresoutlet in hilly belt of Khellani

Doda, February 15 :Chairman Team Jammu,Zorawar Singh Jamwal alongwith MRF Assistant DistrictManager, Jaidev Sharmatoday inaugurated SanamTyres-an exclusive outlet ofMRF tyres in hilly belt ofKhellani in Doda district, heretoday.

“It is nice to see that youngentrepreneur Sanam Kotwalis coming up with such niceinitiatives. Competition inany shape is healthy and whenyoung generation comes upwith such projects the compe-tition becomes healthier,” saidChairman Team JammuZorawar Singh Jamwal andcongratulated young SanamKotwal, proprietor of SanamTyres, who has becomeanother role model for otheryouth of Jammu region.

Taking a dig at successivegovernments, Zorawar SinghJamwal said that unemploy-ment is the biggest challengeand successive governmentshave done nothing to provideemployment to youth ofJammu Province. Educatedyouth from Jammu andKashmir are now moving toother states and countries asstate government has utterlyfailed to provide job opportu-nities to these youth.

Reiterating his stand fordrug free Jammu Province,Chairman Team Jammu,Team Jammu chief, ZorawarSingh Jamwal appreciated all

budding entrepreneurs andsaid, “If we want a drug freesociety youth should indulgein creating avenues thatmakes them job providersrather than job seekers. Viz-a-viz providing optimum jobopportunities, the governmentmust also formulate policywith subsidy, where in, edu-cated un-employed of Jammu

Province are accommodatedin private entrepreneurship aswell.”

While giving details, pro-prietor, Sanam Kotwal, who

is also volunteer of TeamJammu, said that “its exclu-sive outlet of MRF tyres inthis hilly belt. Sanam Tyreswill provide all types of MRFtyres for two wheelers likeScooters and motorbikesbesides Hatchback Cars toSuv cars. It will also provideall types of tyres for smallcommercial vehicle to heavy

duty commercial vehicles allunder one roof. He said thatthere were very less opportu-nities in government jobs itwas his keen interest in

becoming self-dependent thatfinally made him to start thisventure. Bharat BhushanKotwal, Asha Kotwal, SamritiKotwal, Sarpanch, SandeepManhas, Pranav Sharma,Kanav Sharma, AnkushGupta, Vikas Randhawa andSunil Singh Jamwal wereamong others present on theoccasion.

KULGAM, FEBRU-ARY 15 : Secretary, GeneralAdministration Department(GAD), Dr. Farooq AhmadLone today convened a meet-ing of officers of all the linedepartments to review thedevelopmental scenario ofthe district. DistrictDevelopment CommissionerKulgam, Showkat Aijaz Bhatthrough a PowerPointPresentation detailed thedevelopmental scenario ofthe district.The Secretarystressed upon the officers towork with dedication andensure their timely comple-tion. ADDC Kulgam, ADC,ACR, ACD, SE Hydraulics,officers from all the linedepartments and engineersattended the meeting.

Earlier, the Secretary par-ticipated in a plantation drivein the lawns of MiniSecretariat Kulgam in pres-ence of DDC Kulgam,ADDC, ADC, ACR, ACD,District Soil & WaterConservation Officers andplanted the sapling.

The drive was organisedby Social ForestryDepartment and Soil & WaterConservation Department.

Secretary GAD reviewsdevelopmental scenario

at Kulgam

JAMMU : Army in itsefforts to reach out to thepoor and weaker sections ofthe society in the remoteareas organized a Medicaland Veterinary Camp inKhari area of RambanDistrict.

The Medical Camp wasorganized to provide medicalfacilities to the local popula-tion to include men, womenand children of nearby vil-lages.. During the day longcamp, the prime focus was toprovide medical aid to maxi-mum local residents of thesefar flung areas.Approximately 950 peopleincluding 400 ladies and 250children were benefited. Alsoa team of veterinary doctorsprovided medical assistanceand treatment to the livestockof local residents.

Army conducts medicaland veterinary camp in

Ramban District

Army organises motivational talkto join armed forces in Rajouri

JAMMU : Army organ-ised Motivational Talk to JoinArmed Forces at YouthCentre, Palma in RajouriDistrict with the view to bringawareness about the career inArmy among the eligible andenthusiastic local youth.During the lecture it wasemphasized that employment

is a major concern of everyyouth. Also eligible and aspir-ing youth should participatein different recruitment ralliesbeing conducted in theregion.

The lecture was attendedby a large number of youth ofPalma and adjoining areaswith great zeal and enthusi-

asm. Participants wereimparted awareness about thephysical and educationalrequirements and the selec-tion process for various typesof entries into the services.They were also told thatArmy has been conductingpre-recruitment training toenable the local boys to com-

pete in various recruitmentdrives.

Unemployment being amajor challenge faced by theyouth of J&K, this initiativeby the Army received a warmresponse from the young par-ticipants as well as the promi-nent local members of civilsociety.

APS Kaluchak celebrates annual sportsday and prize distribution cermony

JAMMU : A colourfulcultural programme and prizedistribution ceremony markedthe magnificentand reverberating AnnualSports Day celebration ofArmy Public SchoolKaluchak. Pomp and splen-dour accorded honour to thetheme of the extravaganza,“Udaan” with great exuber-ance on 15 February, 2020.

The programme was ush-ered in by March Past. A pro-cession of students diligentlymarching and exhibitingunspoken co-ordination, teamwork and synchronization,enthralled the audience.Spectacular, impressive, andwell synchronized yoga for-mations rendered the specta-tors, speechless andawestruck. Dance exhibitingdifferent sports and Fusionwere performed with profusealacrity.

The event saw the emana-tion of mammoth enchant-ment as the students took partenthusiastically in a vast arrayof programmes viz. Aerobics,

Karate and Hula-Hoop etc.The participants put forththeir best in Putting and Racesthereby proving their dexteri-ty and were instrumental in

giving an adrenaline rush tothe audience.

An astounding visual treatwas presented in the form ofBhartiyam. More than 250

students, dressed in colourfulattires, staged the musical actwhich proved to be the icingon the cake. The school choirenthralled the audience with

the soulful rendition of themusic.

The Annual School Reportread by the Principal, MsHem Lata Vishen, brought tofore, the achievements of thestudents of the school and pre-sented the Principal’s visionfor the progress of the school.

Meritorious students inacademics and extra-curricu-lar activities were felicitated.Around 400 Medals andPrizes were awarded to thewinners of various eventsheld during the day.

The Chief Guest, Brig R KPrusty, Chairman APSKaluchak, wholeheartedlyapplauded the unison ofefforts, dedication and partici-pation which fortified the tri-umph of the function.

The day ended in a beauti-ful resonance with vote ofthanks by the Principal of theschool, Ms Hem Lata Vishen.Dr Samoon addresses one-day convention of

Paravets, terms them backbone of DepartmentSRINAGAR, FEBRU-

ARY 15 : Principal SecretaryAnimal, Sheep, Fisheries andTransport Department DrAsgar Hassan Samoon todaytermed Paravets as the back-bone of Animal HusbandryDepartment (AHD).

He was speaking during aone-day convention on the‘Role of Paravets in AnimalHusbandry Department,’which was organized byTechnical field staffAssociation of Kashmir here.

Director AnimalHusbandry DepartmentKashmir Purnima Mittal,CEO Livestock DevelopmentBoard Dr Razdan and othersenior officers were also pres-ent on the occasion.Hundreds of Paravets and

other officials also attendedthe convention.

Dr Samoon appreciatedthat every employee of the

department irrespective of hisplace in departmental hierar-chy performs his work withdignity.

“Being the field staff, yourprimary role is to ensuredeserving people are benefit-

ted with livestock schemes.You are the face of thedepartment and if you areable to meet the expectations

of the people, you are paint-ing a good picture of thedepartment,” he said.

He impressed on theParavets to inform, educateand communicate the benefitsof various livestock welfare

schemes to the people.“Livestock breeders

should be periodicallyadvised about various precau-tions to be taken for keepingtheir animal disease free,” hesaid.

On the occasion, DrSamoon also unveiled abooklet titled- Role ofParavets in AnimalHusbandry Department 2020.

The office-bearers of theassociation also presented acharter of demands to DrSamoon.

On the occasion, DirectorAnimal HusbandryDepartment Kashmir, DrPurnima Mittal also high-lighted the role of Parvets andstressed on the upliftment ofthe Paravet fraternity.

SRINAGAR/BUDGAM,FEBRUARY 15 :Commissioner SecretaryLabour and EmploymentDepartment, Saurabh Baghattoday inspected ongoing workon Employment ComplexBemina being constructed atan estimated cost of Rs 10crore.

On the occasion, theCommissioner Secretary wasbriefed about the site plan andother related works by theengineer of R&B Department.He was informed that thework is in full swing and theproject will be completedwithin the deadline period.

The EmploymentComplex will house offices ofDistrict Employment Officer,Joint Director Employment,Kashmir and Directorate ofEmployment, besidesCounseling Centre, Srinagar.The complex will also houseinternet kiosk, besides spacefor providing coaching toyouth desirous to appear invarious competitive examina-tions including IAS and KAS.It was given out that the com-plex will also generate aware-

ness about various youth-cen-tric and employment generat-ing schemes.

The CommissionerSecretary asked that the workon the projects should be

completed within the stipulat-ed timeframe.

Superintendent EngineerR&B, Srinagar & Budgam,Executive Engineer R&B,Joint Director Labour andEmployment Department andother concerned officersaccompanied theCommissioner Secretary.

Later the CommissionerSecretary, Labour andEmployment inspected theproposed site for EmployeesSate Insurance Corporation

(ESIC), 100 bed hospital atSIDCO Ompora.

He was accompanied byDistrict DevelopmentCommissioner, Budgam TariqHussain Ganaie, ADC

Budgam, Mushtaq AhmadSimnani, GM DIC, GMSIDCO and Deputy LabourCommissioner Kashmir,Deputy CMO, Tehsildar, ADLabour and other concerned.

On the occasion, DDCBudgam Tariq Hussain Ganaibriefed Mr. Bhagat aboutwork done regarding the landdemarcation, lease out of thesite and other formalitiesbeing carried out for the earlywork start on the hospital atproposed site.

Bhagat inspects ongoing work onEmployment Complex Srinagar

Also visits proposed 100 bed ESIC hospital site in Budgam

JAMMU : To reaffirm itscommitment toward fosteringpeace and also to provide animpetus to the sporting talentin the region, Army organiseda “Unity Premier CricketLeague” at Chhatru.The event was organised tospread the message of unityand communal harmony. Italso fostered team spiritamongst the local youth andprovided them an opportunityto showcase their talent.

A total of 16 teams partic-ipated in the tournament fromvarious villages of remotearea of Chhatru. Cricketbeing one of the most popularsports amongst youth ofJammu and Kashmir, thistournament generated muchhype and attracted huge audi-ence.

The final match was

played between ChhatruCricket Club and PasarkutCricket Club. After a compet-

itive and hard fought gamethe team from Pasarkut wonthe final match by 38 runs.The final match was wit-nessed by 250 spectators,apart from officials from civiladministration and Army.

At the conclusion of thetournament the winning andrunners up team were award-

ed with prizes. This initiative by Army

was highly appreciated by theyouth and locals who thankedthe Army for conducting thissporting event at such a largescale.

Army organises unity premier cricketleague in Kishtwar District