12
T he agitating farmer unions have not withdrawn their Lucknow Mahapanchayat, the daily tractor march to Parliament during the upcom- ing Winter Session beginning from November 29 and other rallies and protests as planned. They said that the protests would continue till all demands of the growers were fulfilled. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the three controver- sial farm laws that triggered a year of protests by farmers, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farm unions, on Saturday held a core committee meeting to discuss the future course of action. During the meeting, the farmer unions have decided to con- tinue with their protests as planned and also urged farm- ers to gather in large numbers at all protest sites on the first anniversary of movement on November 26. After the core committee meeting, a farmer leader said: “We will celebrate the one year anniversary of our stir and the protests will continue to get all demands of the farmers fulfilled. The main body of the SKM will meet on Sunday to decide the final course of the agitation and the issue of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be taken in the meeting. The Mahapanchayat on November 22 in Lucknow, protest on November 26 on the Ghazipur-Singhu border and tractor rally on November 29 will take place as planned. The Prime Minister did a one side conversation.” In a statement, the SKM has welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision but said it will wait for the announcement to take effect through due par- liamentary procedures. “The SKM appeals to farmers in var- ious North Indian States to reach the different morcha sites on November 26, 2021, which marks the completion of a full one year of continuous peaceful protests at Delhi’s borders,” the statement said. The farmers’ body said the first anniversary of the agitation will be marked by parades by tractors and bullock carts in other States. “In various States that are far away from Delhi, the first anniversary on November 26 will be marked by tractor and bullock cart parades in capital cities, along with other protests,” the SKM said in the statement. R ipping apart the claims made by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) against three of the main accused, the Bombay High Court (HC) has rejected outright its allegation that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan, two other accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were part of the conspiracy in the case and dis- allowed its effort to use their “confessional statements as a tool” to infer that they had committed offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Giving his reasoning for granting bail to Aryan, Arbaaz and Munmun in the mid-sea drug bust case on October 28, a single-member HC Bench of Justice Nitin W Sambre noted in his detailed order released on Saturday: “... there is no mate- rial on record to infer that the applicants have hatched a con- spiracy to commit the offence. That being so, at this stage, it is difficult to infer that the applicants are involved in an offence of commercial quanti- ty. As such, parameters laid down under Section 37 of the NDPS Act will hardly be of any consequence while considering the prayer for grant of bail.” The Judge slammed the NCB for not subjecting the accused to medical examina- tion “so as to determine whether at the relevant time, they had consumed drugs” and made mince meat of the investigators’ claim that they had found incriminating WhatsApp chat from Aryan’s phone, by observing that “nothing objectionable could be noticed to suggest that he and two other accused had hatched a conspiracy.” At the beginning of his summarised order relating to all the accused, the Judge said that they had no criminal antecedents of similar nature or otherwise. While Aryan and Arbaaz were students, Munmun was working as model. Alluding to the claim to the contrary made by the NCB, the Judge said: “As far as the accused number 1 Aryan is concerned, but for irrelevant WhatsApp chats noticed in his mobile, there is no material evi- dence to connect all these applicants with other co- accused in the case.” Observing that Aryan was not found in possession of any objectionable substance, the Judge said that Arbaaz and Munmun were found to be in illegal possession of drugs which is covered under the provisions of the NDPS Act T he CBI has charged three accused persons, including Anand Giri, with Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections relating to abetment to suicide and crim- inal conspiracy in connection with the alleged suicide of Mahant Narendra Giri, the head of the top body of saints and sadhus Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP) who was found hanging in his ashram in Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh in September. Besides Anand, who was Narendra Giri’s disciple, priest of Bade Hanuman Temple Adya Prasad Tiwari and his son Sandeep Tiwari have also been named in the CBI’s chargesheet filed before a special court in Prayagraj. In his suicide note, Narendra Giri had named the trio accusing them of mental- ly harassing him, following which the police filed an FIR for alleged abetment of suicide. The three accused are cur- rently undergoing judicial cus- tody. They were arrested bare- ly 24 hours after Narendra Giri’s death. Subsequently, the CBI took over the case on the recom- mendation of the UP Government, 48 hours after the death of the top seer. During the probe, the CBI had recovered tapes of conver- sations between the accused and sought a forensic exami- nation of the same. The agency has also moved the court to record voice samples from Anand Giri and the other accused for comparing them with the recovered tapes. However, the accused had refused to grant consent for recording of their voice. In September, the police said Narendra Giri had record- ed a video on his mobile phone, an hour before his alleged sui- cide, in which he said he feared Anand Giri wanted to make a morphed photo of him with a woman, and that his disciple wanted to shame him. Police said the video alle- gations match the 13-page sui- cide note found near his body. Police also said in the note that Narendra Giri accused all three accused of blackmailing him and mentioned that he was depressed. Anand Giri, was the num- ber two saint in the ashram hierarchy, had been expelled by Narendra Giri earlier this year over allegations of financial fraud and irregularities. However, Anand Giri was later forgiven by his mentor. I ndore has once again bagged the award for being India’s cleanest city as President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday announced the “Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2021” awards. Surat has been named the sec- ond cleanest, while Vijayawada ranked third in the list. This is the fifth time in a row the city in Madhya Pradesh has won the award in the sixth edition of the event. Chhattisgarh has been adjudged as the cleanest State. Earlier this year, Indore was also declared as the coun- try’s first “water plus” city. Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s con- stituency, has won the cleanest Ganga town while Bihar’s Munger and Patna have been ranked second and third in the category. Interestingly, two of three municipal bodies in Delhi have finished in the bottom 10 among 48 cities of the country. North corporation has ranked 45th, East 40th and South 31st in the SS survey. H eavy rains under the influ- ence of a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal left 25 people, including a member of the State Disaster Response Force, dead in different districts of Andhra Pradesh since Friday, while 17 people still remained missing, the State Government said on Saturday. The Indian Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, police and fire services personnel saved at least 64 persons, including a police inspector, from the mas- sive flash floods in Anantapuramu, Kadapa and Chittoor districts, the Government said in a note. In all, 17 teams of NDRF and SDRF were engaged in the rescue and relief operations in the three flood-ravaged dis- tricts in Rayalaseema region, along with SPS Nellore in south coastal Andhra. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy conducted an aerial survey in Kadapa, Anantapuramu and Chittoor districts to assess the damage. He spoke to collectors of Kadapa and Chittoor districts and obtained details about the devastation and asked the offi- cials to conduct enumeration of the crop losses as soon as the floodwater receded. The Government announced an ex gratia pay- ment of 5 lakh each to the kin of those killed. The intensity of the rainfall reduced on Saturday, but brought little respite to people as several habitations remained marooned because of the flash floods. While the situation in Tirupati town still remained grim, with many areas inun- dated, the scene on the holy Tirumala Hills was relatively better, though pour- ing rain did inconvenience pil- grims. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams reopened the ghat roads for vehicular traffic, though the two stairways meant for pilgrims to trek the Hills remained closed. Pilgrims who booked tickets online were being allowed for darshan of Lord Venkateswara. P ost-Covid infection. Don’t panic if you seem to have lost the sense of smell. You are not alone who is facing such medical issues. More than a million people in the US may not have regained the sense of smell months after Covid-19 infec- tion, a new study has said. The research published in journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, suggests that most individuals get bet- ter their sense of smell ulti- mately, however some may by no means regain it. The study estimated that between 7,00,000 and 1.6 mil- lion people in the US who had Covid-19 have lost or had a change in their sense of smell that has lasted for more than six months. According to the researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, this is likely an underestimate. The authors consider this a concern because, by com- parison, prior to the pandem- ic, only 13.3 million adults aged 40 and older had what sci- entists call olfactory dysfunc- tion (OD) or chronic olfacto- ry dysfunction (COD). “These data suggest an emerging public health concern of OD and the urgent need for research that focuses on treat- ing Covid-19 COD,” the study said. A study last year found that 72 per cent of people with Covid-19 recovered their sense of smell after a month, but for some, it is a much slower process. It is also feared that those who have lost their sense of smell will be now cate- gorised under the new set of disabilities. Yet another study found that about 95 per cent of peo- ple recovered from Covid- related anosmia within six months. However, the good news is that various studies have sug- gested that for people whose olfactory perception has been damaged after a viral infection, repeated short-term exposure to smells can help them to recover. Smell loss charities rec- ommend picking four scents that you enjoy or have a con- nection with, and actively sniff- ing them twice a day, spending around 20 seconds on each scent. Ideally, you should try and pick scents which represent the four categories of flowery, fruity, spicy and resinous — and you could either use essen- tial oils or the actual substance they derive from. For instance, if you chose lemon as one of your scents, you could use some grated lemon peel. While sniffing the substance, focus your thoughts on lemon and try to recall what your experience of lemon was. It’s not an immediate fix, but over time this should help you to recover your lost sense of smell. Scientists have been intrigued by various outcomes on this medical condition. A team of scientists who tracked the health of 2,428 individuals who claimed to have lost their sense of smell and/or taste as a result of Covid-19, found that 40 per cent of them had com- pletely regained their sense of smell six months later, while only 2 per cent reported no improvement at all. Health experts say that some patients with lingering coronavirus symptoms for weeks or months, otherwise known as long Covid, are expe- riencing debilitating symptoms that are sometimes ignored in what doctors are calling a pub- lic health crisis. N eedling his party on the farm issue again, BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Saturday approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a request to accept the farmers’ long- pending demand for statutory MSP guarantee for their crops and also sought immediate action against Union Minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the deplorable violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the MP from Pilibhit in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh (UP) said that the agitation won’t culminate until and unless the farmers’ demands are met. Gandhi’s remarks came on Saturday, a day after the Prime Minister in his address to the nation announced repeal of the three farm laws which triggered a year of protests by farmers. Gandhi thanked Modi for his “large heartedness” in announcing the decision to repeal the three farm laws, but added “more than 700 farmer brothers and sisters have been martyred in this movement, as they peacefully protested in extremely difficult and hostile conditions. If this decision had been taken earli- er, innocent lives would not have been lost.”

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Page 1: B˜ 2 ( ˇ ˝ %˚ˇ C ˆ ˚ˇ C ˆ C ˇ-’˜ - ./01 -)* ./ ) 01 2

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����������������������������������� � ������������ ���� ������!���� ������������������ ������������"#$��� ���������������������������%����� ��&���������������������������� ��&�� ������ ������������ ������������������'�(�

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�������������������������$������$$�����)!*� *����������������� ��������������!����� ���������� ���0 ������.����� ������� ���������������!�*���%�������&�� �������

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The agitating farmer unionshave not withdrawn their

Lucknow Mahapanchayat, thedaily tractor march toParliament during the upcom-ing Winter Session beginningfrom November 29 and otherrallies and protests as planned.They said that the protestswould continue till all demandsof the growers were fulfilled.

A day after Prime MinisterNarendra Modi announced therepeal of the three controver-sial farm laws that triggered ayear of protests by farmers, theSamyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM),an umbrella body of 40 farmunions, on Saturday held a corecommittee meeting to discussthe future course of action.During the meeting, the farmerunions have decided to con-tinue with their protests asplanned and also urged farm-ers to gather in large numbersat all protest sites on the firstanniversary of movement onNovember 26.

After the core committeemeeting, a farmer leader said:“We will celebrate the one yearanniversary of our stir and theprotests will continue to get alldemands of the farmers fulfilled.The main body of the SKM willmeet on Sunday to decide thefinal course of the agitation andthe issue of the MinimumSupport Price (MSP) will betaken in the meeting.

The Mahapanchayat onNovember 22 in Lucknow,protest on November 26 on theGhazipur-Singhu border andtractor rally on November 29will take place as planned. ThePrime Minister did a one sideconversation.”

In a statement, the SKMhas welcomed the PrimeMinister’s decision but said it

will wait for the announcementto take effect through due par-liamentary procedures. “TheSKM appeals to farmers in var-ious North Indian States toreach the different morchasites on November 26, 2021,which marks the completion ofa full one year of continuouspeaceful protests at Delhi’sborders,” the statement said.

The farmers’ body said thefirst anniversary of the agitationwill be marked by parades bytractors and bullock carts inother States. “In various Statesthat are far away from Delhi,the first anniversary onNovember 26 will be markedby tractor and bullock cartparades in capital cities, alongwith other protests,” the SKMsaid in the statement.

�������� ���� !4!)*#

Ripping apart the claimsmade by the Narcotics

Control Bureau (NCB) againstthree of the main accused, theBombay High Court (HC) hasrejected outright its allegationthat Bollywood superstar ShahRukh Khan’s son Aryan, twoother accused ArbaazMerchant and MunmunDhamecha were part of theconspiracy in the case and dis-allowed its effort to use their“confessional statements as atool” to infer that they hadcommitted offences under theNarcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances(NDPS) Act.

Giving his reasoning forgranting bail to Aryan, Arbaazand Munmun in the mid-seadrug bust case on October 28,a single-member HC Bench ofJustice Nitin W Sambre notedin his detailed order released onSaturday: “... there is no mate-rial on record to infer that theapplicants have hatched a con-spiracy to commit the offence.That being so, at this stage, it

is difficult to infer that theapplicants are involved in anoffence of commercial quanti-ty. As such, parameters laiddown under Section 37 of theNDPS Act will hardly be of anyconsequence while consideringthe prayer for grant of bail.”

The Judge slammed theNCB for not subjecting theaccused to medical examina-tion “so as to determinewhether at the relevant time,they had consumed drugs”and made mince meat of theinvestigators’ claim that theyhad found incriminatingWhatsApp chat from Aryan’sphone, by observing that“nothing objectionable couldbe noticed to suggest that heand two other accused hadhatched a conspiracy.”

At the beginning of hissummarised order relating to

all the accused, the Judge saidthat they had no criminalantecedents of similar nature orotherwise. While Aryan andArbaaz were students,Munmun was working asmodel. Alluding to the claim tothe contrary made by the NCB,the Judge said: “As far as theaccused number 1 Aryan isconcerned, but for irrelevantWhatsApp chats noticed in hismobile, there is no material evi-dence to connect all theseapplicants with other co-accused in the case.”

Observing that Aryan wasnot found in possession of anyobjectionable substance, theJudge said that Arbaaz andMunmun were found to be inillegal possession of drugs which is covered under the provisions of theNDPS Act

����� $1"�213 #

The CBI has charged threeaccused persons, including

Anand Giri, with Indian PenalCode (IPC) Sections relating toabetment to suicide and crim-inal conspiracy in connectionwith the alleged suicide ofMahant Narendra Giri, thehead of the top body of saintsand sadhus Akhil BharatiyaAkhada Parishad (ABAP) whowas found hanging in hisashram in Prayagraj district ofUttar Pradesh in September.

Besides Anand, who wasNarendra Giri’s disciple, priestof Bade Hanuman TempleAdya Prasad Tiwari and his sonSandeep Tiwari have also beennamed in the CBI’s chargesheetfiled before a special court in Prayagraj.

In his suicide note,Narendra Giri had named thetrio accusing them of mental-

ly harassing him, followingwhich the police filed an FIRfor alleged abetment of suicide.

The three accused are cur-rently undergoing judicial cus-tody. They were arrested bare-ly 24 hours after NarendraGiri’s death.

Subsequently, the CBI tookover the case on the recom-mendation of the UPGovernment, 48 hours after thedeath of the top seer.

During the probe, the CBIhad recovered tapes of conver-sations between the accused

and sought a forensic exami-nation of the same. The agencyhas also moved the court torecord voice samples fromAnand Giri and the otheraccused for comparing themwith the recovered tapes.However, the accused hadrefused to grant consent forrecording of their voice.

In September, the policesaid Narendra Giri had record-ed a video on his mobile phone,an hour before his alleged sui-cide, in which he said he fearedAnand Giri wanted to make amorphed photo of him with awoman, and that his disciplewanted to shame him.

Police said the video alle-gations match the 13-page sui-cide note found near his body.Police also said in the note thatNarendra Giri accused all threeaccused of blackmailing himand mentioned that he was depressed.

Anand Giri, was the num-ber two saint in the ashramhierarchy, had been expelled byNarendra Giri earlier this yearover allegations of financialfraud and irregularities.However, Anand Giri was laterforgiven by his mentor.

����� $1"�213 #

Indore has once again baggedthe award for being India’s

cleanest city as President RamNath Kovind on Saturdayannounced the “SwachhSurvekshan (SS) 2021” awards.Surat has been named the sec-ond cleanest, while Vijayawadaranked third in the list.

This is the fifth time in arow the city in Madhya Pradeshhas won the award in the sixthedition of the event.Chhattisgarh has been adjudgedas the cleanest State.

Earlier this year, Indore

was also declared as the coun-try’s first “water plus” city.Varanasi, which is PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s con-stituency, has won the cleanestGanga town while Bihar’sMunger and Patna have beenranked second and third in the category.

Interestingly, two of threemunicipal bodies in Delhi havefinished in the bottom 10among 48 cities of the country.North corporation has ranked45th, East 40th and South 31stin the SS survey.

� ��� *!*�*5*�#

Heavy rains under the influ-ence of a low-pressure

area in the Bay of Bengal left 25people, including a member ofthe State Disaster ResponseForce, dead in different districtsof Andhra Pradesh sinceFriday, while 17 people stillremained missing, the State Government said on Saturday.

The Indian Air Force,NDRF, SDRF, police and fireservices personnel saved atleast 64 persons, including apolice inspector, from the mas-sive f lash f loods inAnantapuramu, Kadapa andChittoor districts, theGovernment said in a note.

In all, 17 teams of NDRFand SDRF were engaged in therescue and relief operations inthe three flood-ravaged dis-tricts in Rayalaseema region,

along with SPS Nellore in southcoastal Andhra.

Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy conducted anaerial survey in Kadapa,Anantapuramu and Chittoordistricts to assess the damage.

He spoke to collectors ofKadapa and Chittoor districtsand obtained details about thedevastation and asked the offi-cials to conduct enumeration ofthe crop losses as soon as thefloodwater receded.

The Government

announced an ex gratia pay-ment of �5 lakh each to the kinof those killed.

The intensity of the rainfallreduced on Saturday, butbrought little respite to peopleas several habitations remainedmarooned because of the flash floods.

While the situation inTirupati town still remainedgrim, with many areas inun-dated, the scene on the holyTirumala Hills was relatively better, though pour-

ing rain did inconvenience pil-grims.

The Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanams reopened theghat roads for vehicular traffic,though the two stairwaysmeant for pilgrims to trek theHills remained closed. Pilgrimswho booked tickets onlinewere being allowed for darshanof Lord Venkateswara.

����� $1"�213 #

Post-Covid infection. Don’tpanic if you seem to have

lost the sense of smell. You arenot alone who is facing suchmedical issues.

More than a million peoplein the US may not haveregained the sense of smellmonths after Covid-19 infec-tion, a new study has said. Theresearch published in journalJAMA Otolaryngology-Headand Neck Surgery, suggeststhat most individuals get bet-ter their sense of smell ulti-

mately, however some may byno means regain it.

The study estimated thatbetween 7,00,000 and 1.6 mil-lion people in the US who hadCovid-19 have lost or had achange in their sense of smellthat has lasted for more than six months.

According to theresearchers from WashingtonUniversity School of Medicinein St. Louis, this is likely anunderestimate.

The authors consider thisa concern because, by com-parison, prior to the pandem-ic, only 13.3 million adultsaged 40 and older had what sci-entists call olfactory dysfunc-tion (OD) or chronic olfacto-ry dysfunction (COD).

“These data suggest anemerging public health concernof OD and the urgent need forresearch that focuses on treat-ing Covid-19 COD,” the

study said.A study last year found that

72 per cent of people withCovid-19 recovered their senseof smell after a month, but forsome, it is a much slowerprocess. It is also feared thatthose who have lost their sense

of smell will be now cate-gorised under the new set of disabilities.

Yet another study foundthat about 95 per cent of peo-ple recovered from Covid-related anosmia within six months.

However, the good news isthat various studies have sug-gested that for people whoseolfactory perception has beendamaged after a viral infection,repeated short-term exposureto smells can help them to recover.

Smell loss charities rec-ommend picking four scentsthat you enjoy or have a con-nection with, and actively sniff-ing them twice a day, spendingaround 20 seconds on eachscent. Ideally, you should tryand pick scents which representthe four categories of flowery,fruity, spicy and resinous —and you could either use essen-tial oils or the actual substancethey derive from.

For instance, if you choselemon as one of your scents,you could use some gratedlemon peel. While sniffing thesubstance, focus your thoughtson lemon and try to recall what

your experience of lemon was.It’s not an immediate fix,

but over time this should helpyou to recover your lost senseof smell.

Scientists have beenintrigued by various outcomeson this medical condition. Ateam of scientists who trackedthe health of 2,428 individualswho claimed to have lost theirsense of smell and/or taste as aresult of Covid-19, found that40 per cent of them had com-pletely regained their sense ofsmell six months later, whileonly 2 per cent reported noimprovement at all.

Health experts say thatsome patients with lingeringcoronavirus symptoms forweeks or months, otherwiseknown as long Covid, are expe-riencing debilitating symptomsthat are sometimes ignored inwhat doctors are calling a pub-lic health crisis.

������������������ ��������������������������

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Needling his party on thefarm issue again, BJP MP

Varun Gandhi on Saturdayapproached Prime MinisterNarendra Modi with a requestto accept the farmers’ long-pending demand for statutoryMSP guarantee for their cropsand also sought immediateaction against Union MinisterAjay Mishra in connectionwith the deplorable violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri.

In a letter to the PrimeMinister, the MP from Pilibhitin poll-bound Uttar Pradesh(UP) said that the agitationwon’t culminate until andunless the farmers’ demandsare met.

Gandhi’s remarks came onSaturday, a day after the PrimeMinister in his address to thenation announced repeal of thethree farm laws which triggereda year of protests by farmers.

Gandhi thanked Modi forhis “large heartedness” inannouncing the decision torepeal the three farm laws, butadded “more than 700 farmer brothers and sistershave been martyred in thismovement, as they peacefullyprotested in extremely difficultand hostile conditions. If thisdecision had been taken earli-er, innocent lives would nothave been lost.”

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�What is Hari Mirch Lal Mirch (HMLM)about?

The show—Hari Mirch Lal Mirch-EkTeekhi Ek Karaari is a drama show that hasplenty of comedy. In other words,it is adramedy—drama with comedy. This is the firstof its kind genre on Azaad — a saas-bahu sagawith a tadka.

�How did you come on board for the show?It wasn't as easy as it may seem to be. I

auditioned for it in February this year duringCOVID lockdown. I practiced on my own andsigned the show in April end. My journey frommy self-tests to finally shooting for the show isin itself a story to tell.

�What attracted you to play Pushpi?I relate to this character fully. Pushpi is a

very loving mother; she is a dotting wife andan adarsh bahu. The kind of bahu that everyfamily would like to have. I personally resonatewith Pushpi. Just like for Pushpi, her family isher world, the same holds true to me as well. Iam a homebody. I love my family. Once theshoot is over, I love to go back to my family andspend time with them. It is always easy to playroles with whom you identify with even if itcomes with a few challenges to begin with.

�Were there many challenges?Yes, at the initial stage. Those who are

following the show will know that Pushpi livesa dual life. At home, she is an Adarsh bahu butthe truth is that she is a cop – ACP Jwala. Nobodyin her family knows this, just her husband. In fact,he is the one who encouraged her to follow herdream. Obviously, Jwala and Pushpi are totallyopposite to each other. Pushpi has to maintainthis façade at home. But at the workplace she isa tough cop. To essay two opposite personalitiesis fun but comes with riders.

�How similar/dissimilar are you to Pushpi? I am totally like Pushpi except for the

cultural background. Like I mentioned earlier,I relate to her since we are so similar. What is

totally alien to me is to play ACP Jwala. As acop she has to be tough. I am a softy.

�How did your acting journey begin? It all began when I was just 11 years old. It

was my destiny that I had to find myself in thisindustry. It has given me so much. I used to learndancing. I am told that even as a child I wasextremely creative and had an expressive face.

I had not planned to be anactor. But now that I am here,I feel that there is no other jobthat I could have done but toact. This industry has given meso much – name, fame andmoney. I am grateful for thelimelight that I have got.

� Is there a character thatyou loved playing?Definitely. In fact, there aretwo of them but bothfrom the same show —Vanshika Banerjee andKammo. It was a doublerole in Kissi Ki Nazar NaLage. It was a daily soap onDD that was produced anddirected by Raja Mukherjee. Iloved playing them both.

�What have been the changes in theTV industry you have seen?

Technology is changing everyday and so is our industry. There arepros and cons to every situation andchange. There's more scope towork for all with new opportunitieson OTT platforms and upcomingchannels like Azaad. It gives achance to more and more talent.One thing that really happenedfor the good during thepandemic was the self-testswhich did not require the actorsto doll up to the offices andwaste hours and hours intravelling and wasting moneyon fuel. On the other hand, thecasting now depends on thenumber of followers one hason social platforms, which isthe most disheartening. Themost deserving andexperienced people are left outon this basis.

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Already recognised with the‘Best CEO for Accessible

Elections’ Award for elaboratearrangements to facilitate theold, pregnant, infirm and spe-cially-abled voters during 2019Lok Sabha elections, 1998-batch Punjab cadre IAS officerDr Sirra Karuna Raju has setthe ball rolling for Punjabassembly polls scheduled to beheld early next year. Claimingto be “fully under control” andpreparing “as per schedule”,Punjab Chief Electoral OfficerDr Raju is gearing up for elec-tions while assuring “no voterto be left behind” — be it thefirst-timers, aged, PWDs, ortransgenders. The 51-year-oldbureaucrat, hailing from WestGodavari district in AndhraPradesh, is known for his hardwork and ability to take toughdecisions, besides being alwaysopen to new ideas. With elec-tions still about two monthsaway, Dr Raju shares with ThePioneer all the behind-the-scenes preparations going oneven before the model code ofconduct comes into force.Excerpts:

Elections are just abouttwo months away, how wellPunjab is prepared for that?

We have completed prepa-rations in five-six spheres.Right now, special summaryrevision 2021-22 is going on. InAugust and September, wemade pre-preparations whichincluded house-to-house veri-fication by Block Level Officers(BLOs), BLOs’ training, and therationalisation of pollingbooths...These three things wehave done in the months ofAugust and September.Besides, a lot of other things arealso going on simultaneously.So, we are more or less gearingup in a smooth fashion...prepa-rations are in full swing.

What do you mean byrationalisation of pollingbooths?

Because of COVID, the

number of polling booths hasbeen increased as the voters perbooth have been reduced from1400 to 1200. The number ofpolling booths now stands at24,689 against the previousfigure of 22,211. A total of1,478 booths have beenincreased due to COVID-relat-ed issues as 2022 polls will beheld as per COVID protocols.All these have been approvedby the Election Commission ofIndia till now. Urban areaswould have a total of 7727polling stations, while ruralareas would have 16,962. But,this number may slightly riseonce the special summary revi-sion is done by January 5,2022. Some more voters couldbe added to the electoral roll asthree months are still there, andthere could be slight increase inpolling stations.

You mentioned specialsummary revision may resultin slight rise in polling boothnumbers. Please elaborate.

‘For shaping the democra-cy, each vote is important’,that’s the essence of specialsummary revision. No oneshould be left out. As of now,the process of Special SummaryRevision is going on. The draftroll has been published onNovember 1, 2021. So far, whatall we have in the rolls is theadditions after the last elec-tions, as well as the last year’supdation. In 2019, we con-ducted the elections, and afterthat there are two more yearsbefore 2022 elections. The elec-toral rolls are published everyyear in January, as continuousrevision of voters is an ongoingprocess like addition of newvotes, deletion of votes, anymodifications, etc. So the finalrolls, or the voter list, for the2022 assembly elections will bepublished on January 5, 2022.Besides, we have given thecopies of draft rolls to all 22recognised political parties.Now, if they have any objectionor complaints, they can raise

that by December 30, afterwhich, the concerned Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs),who are the ElectionRegistration Officers (EROs),would consider that and passorders. Then BLOs would beasked to verify claims andobjections regarding fresh vot-ers, shifting from one con-stituency to another, deletion oraddition of votes, any mistakeor typographical error...all theseclaims and objections would beresolved by the EROs, afterthey get field reports fromBLOs...and this process is goingon.

What efforts your Office ismaking to ensure that all eli-gible voters are included in thevoters’ list?

To ensure that all the vot-ers come into the electoralroll, we have planned two spe-cial camps of BLOs — one wason November 6 and 7, whichreceived tremendous response;and the second one is onNovember 20-21 on Saturdayand Sunday. During thesecamps, the BLOs sit in theirrespective polling booths, andall the people, who want anycorrection, want to make newvotes, transgenders, NRIs,women voters whose vote hasbeen shifted after their wedding— so all these things would be

taken intoconsiderationif somebodygoes to thesespecial BLO camps. In the firstcamp, a total of 2,13,000 appli-cations were received, and weare expecting the goodresponse in the second one,though the number could beslightly less as this is the secondcamp. And after that, all theapplications thus received willbe digitised and disposedonline. The electoral cards aremade, and delivered to thevoters.

For conducting elections,the primary requirement isthat of trained polling staff.Are we prepared?

Yes, simultaneous to revi-sion of electoral rolls, we see thepolling personnel who aregoing to be deployed. We needBlock Level Officers (BLOs) tomanage polling booths, thenElectoral Registration Officers(EROs), who will be assisted bytwo Assistant ElectoralRegistration Officers (AEROs).Currently, all these are beingtrained in managing elections,including nomination process,handling EVMs, observanceof model code of conduct,expenditure observance, dis-patching poll parties, collectionof polling material, collection

of EVMs after voting, etc...theyare being trained in all thesemodules. One round of train-ing is over and the secondround of training is going on inPatiala, Jalandhar, andBathinda. All the EROs andAEROs are trained. For BLOsalso, we have conducted tworounds of training. One morething that’s important is that allthe Deputy Commissioners arein the process of makingDistrict Election ManagementPlans. They are ready with thedrafts of the district plans, andwe will collate all those things,and make the State Election

Management Plan, inthe coming 10-15days.

Can theE l e c t i o n

Commission monitortransfers even before the modelcode of conduct is imposed?

Yes. As the special sum-mary revision is going on,there is a ban on transfers ofpersons who are involved inthis process. In case the gov-ernment has to make sometransfers, they have to send theproposal to the ElectionCommission. It is up to theElection Commission to acceptor reject. As per the ECI guide-lines, its prior approval ismandatory in case of any needfor transfer of any officerengaged in the revision of elec-toral rolls during an electionyear due to any extraordinaryreasons.

Ensuring law and order ina state like Punjab is a chal-lenge. Do you agree?

We already have threerounds of video conferencingwith Deputy Commissioners,SSPs (Senior Superintendentsof Police), and Commissionersof Police. We have already sen-sitised them to keep a check onlaw and order situation andstart watching all the activi-ties...Slowly, slowly, we willtighten the grip and get ready

for the election. Besides, we arewatching all the develop-ments...We will take a call andrequest for the forces requiredfor the conduct of smoothpolls. Last time, we got 525companies of paramilitaryforces in the 2019 Lok Sabhaelections. This time also we willrequest for it as per the require-ment, as per the assess-ment...we will take into con-sideration all developments.

Concerned over low regis-tration of first-time voters,you had a meeting with rep-resentatives of various educa-tion institutions. How are youensuring to tap them?

We have a flagship pro-gramme — Systematic Voters’Education and ElectoralParticipation (SVEEP). Underthis, we target each and everybooth wherein we approach theEducation Department.Whoever is Class XII pass, wetake that list and see whetherthat student is on the electoralroll or not. Similarly, weapproach all colleges and getthe admission list, and then seewhether the admitted studentsare on the electoral roll or not.Apart from that, we approachIELTS centre, and other insti-tutions where students con-gregate, we approach thoseinstitutions. Then becausemany times, they may not all bein educational institutions, sowe conduct NSS camps, andinvolve a lot of NSS students tofind out if any one eligible is notregistered as a voter. Then wealso give a lot of advertisementson TV, electronic media, printand also social media. So, ourSVEEP programme is to seethat all the un-enrolled votersare brought into the electoralrolls, particularly focussing onthe young voters.

Other than the young vot-ers, what is your focus area?

This time, we are focussingon the transgender in a big way.The slogan we have come up

with is “mahila purush yatransgender, loktantra meinsab baraabar (whether it’sfemale, male or transgender,everyone is equal in democra-cy). Earlier our slogan stoppedat just female and male, but Ithought that this section is veryimportant. Currently, there arejust 670 voters who have reg-istered under the “others” cat-egory, which is less. We aremaking efforts to reach out tothem.

Punjab’s NRI voters holdgreat significance. How is youroffice planning to woo them tocome here and exercise theirfranchise?

NRI voters are those whohave shifted off shores for par-ticular purposes but still haveIndian passports. We areactively trying to reach out tothem. And if they come, we willprovide them good voting facil-ities, we would welcome them,as we feel proud of them. Weare reaching out to the villagers,and we are requesting theirfamilies to inform them tocome during electioneeringand to participate in elections.We will facilitate them, and infact also felicitate them. Weshould celebrate their home-coming as they would come allthe way from such a long dis-tance.

Any plans to use techno-logical advancements to con-duct elections?

Yes, we are taking severalIT initiatives as in the currentpandemic situation, technolo-gy plays a pivotal role and therole of mobile applicationsincreases manifold. All officialshave been directed to popu-larize the usage of mobile appli-cation to the maximum extentpossible. We have Garuda appfor the BLOs, then we haveVoter Helpline App for all theeligible electorates, and anoth-er one is PWD app for the peo-ple with disabilities. Garudaapp is for the BLOs which helps

in digital mapping of all pollingstations, and reduces BLOsworkload.

The app would provide alldetails regarding polling sta-tions’ latitude and longitude,have pictures, besides givingdetails of assured minimumfacilities like washrooms,wheelchair, drinking water,electricity, sheds, chairs, rampsfor differently-abled in pollingbooths which can be checkedonline. So, all our 24,689 BLOshave downloaded and usingthis app. All our details havebeen updated on the net. TheVoter Helpline App gives theuser option to register as freshvoter, or submit a complaint.There is no need to go to anyBLO...It has features like formsfor voter registration and mod-ification, downloading of dig-ital photo voter slips, filingcomplaints, finding detailsabout the contesting candi-dates and most importantly tosee the real-time results of theelections. You don’t need to goanywhere. We request all thepeople to download this app.Besides, the PwD App enablesthe Persons with Disabilities(PwDs) to request for newregistration, change in address,change in particulars and markthemselves as PwD through theuse of mobile application bysimply entering their contactdetails, and the booth level offi-cer is assigned to providedoorstep facility. PwDs canalso request for a wheelchairduring polling.

Any new initiatives tofacilitate the voters this time?

For the first time, theCommission is providingpostal ballot facility to thePWDs who have a disability ofmore than 40 percent, and the80-plus voters. The PWDs haveto provide a certificate, and 80-plus, who are unwilling tocome to the polling station, cancontact us, we can providethem with a postal ballot.

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Chandigarh: Haryana has beenranked second in SwachhSurvekshan Survey-2021 byGovernment of India under thecategory of less than 100 UrbanLocal Bodies. It stood secondwith a score of 1,745 while thestate of Jharkhand has beenranked first.

Haryana CM Manohar LalKhattar congratulated the peo-ple of State and officers of theDepartment for making consis-tent efforts so as to ensure a cleanand green environment andurged them to aim for the firstposition in the next Survey.Union Minister for Ministry ofHousing and Urban Affairs,Hardeep Singh Puri felicitatedofficials who had come to receivethe award on the behalf of theState in a ceremony in NewDelhi. The State Govt had takensteps including establishmentof a Waste to Energy Plant fordisposal of waste in Sonepatfrom which 8 MW of power isbeing generated per day et al. dueto which the State has been ableto accomplish this milestone.Besides this, under the new cat-egory, Prerak DAUUR Samman(which will categorize cities onthe basis of six select indicators)Gurugram, Rohtak and Karnalwere recognized under Anupam(Gold) Category, Panchkula,Faridabad and Nilokheri havebeen recognized under Ujjwal(Silver) Category and Ambalahas been recognized underAarohi (Aspiring) Category.

INTERVIEWpioneer

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Punjab Chief MinisterCharanjit Singh Channi on

Saturday said that Prime min-ister Narendra Modi has madean announcement regardingrepealing of farm laws butfarmers need to be cautiousuntil the farm laws are formal-ly repealed.

Addressing a gatheringafter laying the foundationstone of a new sugar mill here,the Chief Minister said thatconspiracies are being hatchedto derail progress and pros-perity of Punjab adding thatthose who are welcoming theannouncement of PrimeMinister are a part of this. Hesaid that repealing of laws isbaseless until and unless guar-antee of MSP for crops is notmade, adding that Punjabismust not sit idle but have to beextra vigilant until the entireprocess is completed.

Making a scathing attackon people who are welcomingthe announcement of the PM,the Chief Minister asked themto explain the reason to rejoice

as Punjab has lost more than700 sons and daughters duringthe struggle. He said it isshameful that for the sake oftheir vested political interestssome political leaders are benton sacrificing the interests ofthe state. He announced thatthe state government will con-struct a memorial in the nameof these martyrs to perpetuate

their glorious struggle for ouryounger generations.

Attacking the Akali lead-ership, the Chief Minister saidthat the Akalis were the chiefarchitects of the anti farmersbill as they had brought onesuch bill in Punjab assemblywhich became the basis forUnion government to intro-duce it now. He said that Akalis

were hand in glove with BJP inbringing these draconian lawsand even they eulogised thesebills until the public pressureforced them to take an oppo-site stance. Channi said thatAkalis have always ignored theinterests of state and its peopleadding that this bill was a tes-timony to it.

Training guns at the AamAadmi Party, he dared itssupremo and Delhi ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal toenter Punjab only after repeal-ing the same bill which hasbeen implemented by his gov-ernment. He said that Punjabishate hypocritical people anddouble standards of Kejriwalwill not work in Punjab. Hesaid Akalis, BJP, AAP andother leaders who sing praisesof Modi are double mouthsnakes who aim to usurp pros-perity and progress of Punjab.

The Chief Minister saidthat an elite and unholy nexusof politicians across party lineshad excluded power from thecommon man adding that themembers of this elite grouphave a common bond in form

of their own vested interestsand loot of the state adding thatthey have been ill fully doingthis so by enjoying the fruits ofpower in game of musicalchairs where the ruler changesafter every five years but powerremains in their hands. Channisaid that now this nexus hasbeen broken and the power iswith the common man.

Channi said that the back-bone of the transport mafiaoperated by the Badals hasbeen broken, adding that nowpermits of buses will be givento jobless youth for makingthem gainfully self employed.He said that now it’s the turn ofCable mafia and things will bestreamlined for this too.

He said his government isdistributing the public’s moneyfor the well being of people andlisted several pro-people ini-tiatives taken by his govern-ment like waiving off Power billarrears worth Rs. 1500 crore,reduction of power rates fordomestic consumers by Rs. 3per unit, rates for sand havebeen reduced to Rs. 5.50 percubic feet etc.

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Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar has

approved an increase in thehonorarium pension by 5 per-cent for the retired teachingand non-teaching staff workingin Aided Colleges across thestate.

This increase will be madeevery year from 1 November2021 and with this decision, allretired teaching and non-teach-ing employees of Aided

Colleges will get relief.An official spokesperson

on Saturday said that this wasa long standing demand of theretired teaching and non-teach-ing staff of Aided Colleges. Atpresent, retired principal isgetting Rs. 30,000 per month,retired lecturer is getting Rs25,000 per month, non-teach-ing class-3 employees are get-ting Rs. 11,000 per month andnon-teaching class-4 employeesare getting Rs. 6,000. This 5percent increase will be made

on the basic pension everyyear and no arrears will be paid.The employees will be given thebenefit of notional pension.

He said that earlier, onlythe employees who retired afterMay 11, 1998 were being givenpension. On the demand of theemployees who had retiredbefore 1998, the Chief Ministerdecided to give an honorarypension to the teaching andnon-teaching employees whohad retired from January 1,1988 to May 10, 1998.

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Himachal Chief Minister Jai RamThakur on Saturday performed

inaugurations and foundation stones of31 developmental projects of about Rs.77 crore at Reckong Peo in Kinnaur dis-trict today during his one day tour tothe tribal district.

Addressing the people on the occa-sion of inauguration ceremony of FiveDay long Tribal Dance and Craft Mela,the Chief Minister said that the StateGovernment was also celebrating thisyear as Golden Jubilee Year of theStatehood. He said that the UnionGovernment has provided a financialassistance of Rs. 30 lakh to organize thismega event. He said that the exhibitionput up on the occasion was an apt plat-form for showcasing the tribal handi-crafts and handlooms. He said thatKinnaur district was universally knownfor its colourful culture and traditions.

Thakur said that it was the need of

the hour to conserve and preserve therich culture and traditions of the State,adding that the district has also madegreat progress in various spheres of

development such as horticulture, edu-cation, health etc. He said that HimachalPradesh has achieved a target of cent percent first dose vaccination against

Covid-19 and Kinnaur district has pio-neered by becoming the first district ofthe country to achieve the target of centpercent vaccination of second dose.

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New Delhi: A minor girl, whowas kidnapped on November12 in the national capital, wasrescued by the Delhi Policefrom Rudrapur in Uttarakhand,an official said here onSaturday.

According to the official,on November 12 the father ofthe girl, a resident of UttamNagar in New Delhi came toMohan Garden police stationand reported that his 16-year-

old minor daughter was miss-ing since 4.30 p.m. of the day.

The police immediatelyswung into action and regis-tered an FIR under section 363of the Indian Penal Code.

"A probe into the matterwas immediately launched.During the course of the inves-tigation, all the mandatorydetails were flashed across thecountry and information wassent to NCRB, CBI as well as

Doordarshan," DCP (Dwarka)Shankar Choudhary said.

In the meantime, it came tonotice that a person who wasworking at a nearby mobileshop is the prime suspect in thecase.

Technical surveillance wasestablished on the knownmobile numbers of the victim,friends as well as the suspect-ed persons. However, it did notfetch any clue. "However, with

the help of the Cyber Cell,Dwarka, the location of the vic-tim as well as the accused waszeroed to Rudrapur,Uttarakhand," the official said.

A police team was imme-diately despatched to Rudrapurand the kidnapped girl was res-cued on November 18. Theaccused, identified as RiyazAhamd, a resident of UttarPradesh was arrested.

The medical examination

of the victim was conducted atDeen Dayal Upadhyay Hospitaland her statement under sec-tion 164 of the CrPC wasrecorded before a local court.After the statement, section 6of the POCSO Act was addedin the case.

Crimes against women inthe national capital continue toshow an upward trajectory,compared to last year's data.

INS

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Aday after Prime MinisterNarendra Modi

announced the repeal of thefarm laws, Congress leaderPriyanka Gandhi Vadra onSaturday urged him not toshare the stage with UnionMinister of State for Home AjayMishra during the DGPs con-ference here keeping in mindfarmers' interest.

She also sought the removalof Mishra from his post over theLakhimpur Kheri violence inwhich his son is an accused.

Priyanka Gandhi made theappeal to the Prime Ministerthrough a letter that she readout in front of reporters hoursbefore the commencement ofthe DGPs conference.

"Yesterday, while address-ing the countrymen, you hadsaid that with true mind andpious heart and keeping inmind the interests of the farm-ers, an unprecedented deci-sion to repeal the farm laws wastaken. If this is true, then get-ting justice delivered to the fam-ilies affected by the LakhimpurKheri violence should be yourtop priority," the Congress gen-

eral secretary said."But, Union Minister of

State for Home Ajay Mishra'Teni' still remains a member ofyour council of ministers. If youshare the stage in the (DGPs)conference with the father ofthe accused (Ashish Mishra),then a clear message will go tothe aggrieved families that youare still with those persons, whoare giving patronage to themurderers".

She further said, "If today,your intention is really clearabout the farmers of the coun-try, then you should not sharethe stage with the UnionMinister of State for Home, andremove him."

The AICC general secretaryalso urged that cases registeredagainst the farmers in the coun-try for staging protests againstthe agri laws be withdrawn andfinancial assistance be given tothe families of all those whodied during the agitation.

"You are the prime minis-ter and you must be under-

standing well the responsibili-ty towards the farmers of thecountry. Ensuring justicetowards every citizen is not onlythe duty but also the moralresponsibility of the prime min-ister," she said in the letter writ-ten in Hindi.

Referring to Ashish Mishra,the son of Union minister AjayMishra, the Congress leadersaid, "The entire country hasbeen witness to the crueltythat has been meted out to the'annadatas' (food providers) inLakhimpur Kheri. You knowthat the son of the Union min-ister of state for Home is themain accused in running avehicle over the farmers.

"Owing to political pres-sure, the Uttar Pradesh gov-ernment has from the begin-ning tried to stifle the voice ofjustice. The Supreme Court hassaid that it seems the govern-ment is trying to save a specialaccused person," she said.

Violence had erupted inLakhimpur Kheri on October3 when farmers were protest-ing the visit of Uttar PradeshDeputy Chief Minister KeshavPrasad Maurya's visit toMishra's place. Four agitatingfarmers were run over by avehicle while four others,including a journalist, two BJPworkers were also killed in theviolence that ensued.

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Barring the ink used to writethem, what was black in the

farm laws, Union MinisterGeneral (Retired) V K Singhasked farmers on Saturday,lamenting the insistence ofone of their sections forcing arollback of the reform legisla-tion.

"I asked a farmer leader totell me what is black (in thefarm laws). You people saythis is a black law. I asked themwhat is black barring the ink(used),” the former Army chieftold reporters here, recountinghis interaction with a farmerleader.

“They said we endorse

your view but these (laws) arestill black," said Singh

"What is the cure (for this)?There is no cure,” he saidexpressing his exasperation.

“In farmers' organisations,there is a fight for supremacyamong themselves. These peo-ple cannot think about thebenefits to small farmers," hesaid.

Singh, the Union ministerof state for Road Transport &Highways and Civil Aviation,asserted that the BJP will reg-ister a grand win in the UttarPradesh assembly elections.

“You will see yourself theway the BJP will win theupcoming UP assembly elec-tions,” he said.

He also said it was the BJPgovernment, which imple-mented the recommendationsof the SwaminathanCommittee report.

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Adversaries with “hege-monic” designs try alter-

ing status quo under falsepretexts, but the Indian Armymust and will stand up to allexternal and internal threats,Vice Chief of the Army Staff,Lt General Chandi PrasadMohanty said on Saturday.

After reviewing a passingout parade at the OfficersTraining Academy (OTA)here, Lt Gen Mohanty alsohailed the "increasingly sig-nificant role" of women offi-cers in the Indian Army andsaid they have proved theirmettle despite the "tryingnature" of the profession.

In his address, Mohantysaid "India's comprehensivenational power increases andit gets called upon to play anincreasingly larger role inglobal geo-politics."

"Adversaries with hege-monic designs exploit oppor-tunities to try and alter statusquo on false pretexts," he saidwithout specifying anyone butthe remarks seemed to be anapparent reference to China.

These multi-domain secu-rity challenges must be over-come in order to achievepeace, prosperity and

growth."We must and will stand

up to all external and internalthreats. The Armed forces arethe strongest pillar of thecountry. We cannot afford tolet our guard down."

"The country looks uponus to deliver, each and everytime. Our responses would beintegrated adopting not onlya tri-service but a whole ofnation approach," Mohantyadded.

Referring to the passingout women cadets onSaturday, both from India andBhutan, he said they reflectthe "inclusive nature of ourArmed forces."

Noting that women offi-cers in the Indian Army haveplayed increasingly signifi-cant role over the last fewdecades and have proved theirmettle despite the tryingnature of the profession,Mohanty said, "as a conse-quence, women are now beingenrolled into other ranks aswell, to over whelmingresponse."

"Professional challengeswill remain; be prepared tomake the necessary sacrificesto meet the leadership attrib-utes desired from an Armyofficer," he added.

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Senior Congress leaderDigvijaya Singh on Saturday

said he would visit BJP MLARameshwar Sharma's houseand chant Lord Ram's nameafter the latter allegedly askedpeople to break the knees ofCongressmen.

“I am a Congressman, let'ssee who has the strength tobreak my knees," Singh, a for-mer chief minister, tweeted. Asa Gandhian, he will answer vio-lence with non-violence, hesaid. "On November 24, I willgo to Rameshwar Sharma'shouse from the statue ofMahatma Gandhi and recite

Ramdhun (Ram's name) for anhour, asking God to give himgood sense,” Singh added, whilesharing a video of Sharma'sspeech. In the video, Sharma isseen addressing a gathering.“Digvijaya Singh came here, hashe done anything?…Break theknees if any Congressmancomes here,” he is heard saying.While the MLA from BhopalHuzur constituency could notbe contacted for comment,sources close to him said he wasspeaking at Kalkheda village inthe district. Sharma was talkingabout the illegal constructionmade by a local Congress leaderon government land in the vil-lage, they claimed.

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The Union Health Ministryhas activated a service on

the CoWIN portal that allowsanyone to check an individ-ual's vaccination status withthe person's registered mobilenumber and name, followedby an OTP for consent.

The service could beutilised by a service provider -- private entities such as trav-el agencies, offices, employers,entertainment agencies or gov-ernment agencies such asIRCTC -- for whom verifyinga person's vaccination status iscritical for facilitating a servicerequested by the citizen, anofficial said.

The new feature, 'KnowYour Vaccination Status', willhelp to verify and retrieve a cit-izen's vaccination status anddetails by an authorised entity,the ministry said in a state-ment.

Vaccinated people alsocan share their vaccinationstatus on the social media andinspire other to take the jab.

Health Minister MansukhMandaviya tweeted, "Nowflaunt your vaccine badge!Share your vaccination status

with your friends & familythrough CoWIN portal with2 easy steps: Enter name &mobile no; Enter OTP. Inspirepeople to get vaccinated &defeat COVID-19."

National Health AuthorityCEO R S Sharma said in atweet, "Now download the fully/ partially vaccinated badgefrom CoWIN (cowin.Gov.In)& share it with your friends onall your social platforms!Encourage your family andfriends to follow you and#FightCovid."

The service is being builtto help citizens who may nothave the vaccine certificateavailable in digital or paperform for availing a requestedservice and can support theservice provider to verify thevaccination status/vaccina-tion digital record of the cit-izen as per the authorised per-mission of the requestingentity.

The service helps in veri-fying the vaccination status ofindividuals

The ser vice can beutilised by travel agenciesand help making travel safefor individuals by allowingtravel only for vaccinatedindividuals.

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Witnessing a rise in weekly Covidcases, testing and positivity rate, the

Union Health Ministry has written toPuducherry and Ladakh urging them totake pre-emptive action to gain controlover the situation.

Earlier, the Ministry had asked StateGovernments of Himachal Pradesh,Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmirto undertake a review and enhance test-ing in view of rising cases of Covid-19 andweekly positivity rates.

In a letter to the principal secretary(Health) of Ladakh this week, AdditionalSecretary in the Union Health MinistryArti Ahuja said the Union Territory hasreported a 362 per cent increase in week-ly new cases from 34 cases in the week end-ing on October 27 to 157 cases in the weekending on November 17.

It is also worrying to note that theUnion Territory has exhibited an increaseof more than 156 per cent in weekly pos-itivity from 1.5 per cent in the week end-ing on October 26 to 3.9 per cent in theweek ending on November 16.

"Further, worrying trends with regardsto weekly cases, testing and positivity ratehave been observed in various districts.Increase in number of weekly new cases:Leh district has exhibited a significantincrease of more than 362 per cent inweekly new cases from 35 in the week end-ing on October 27 to 139 in the week end-ing on November 17. This is especiallyconcerning given the geographical expanseof the district," Ahuja said.

Leh has also recorded a 143 per centincrease in weekly positivity rate from 1.98per cent in the week ending on October26 to 4.81 per cent in the week ending onNovember 16.

Although there has been an increas-ing trend of weekly tests conducted in theUnion Territory, a decrease has beennoted in the proportion of RT-PCR test-ing. Kargil (26.8 per cent) has recorded lessthan the government mandate of 70 percent RT PCR contribution.

The officer advised to conduct agreater number of RT-PCR tests to capturea more accurate picture of the Covid pub-lic health situation in the Union Territory.

"It has been observed that cases surgeexponentially where basic public healthstrategy (Testing. Tracking. Treatment,Covid-appropriate behaviour and vacci-nation) is not followed rigorously. The cur-rent trends of decrease in RT-PCR testing,increase in new cases and case positivityif left unchecked may lead to a situationwhere there is severe strain on the healthinfrastructure and health workforce,"Ahuja said in the letter.

In addition to strict compliance with

basic health strategy, the Union Territoryhas been asked to ensure routine submis-sion of RT-PCR positive samples frominternational travelers as well as fromcommunity for genomic analysis at thedesignated INSACOG network laborato-ry as per laid down protocols.

Additionally, positive samples fromsuspected vaccine breakthrough infections,super-spreader events and clusters ofcases with high mortality and/or morbid-ity must also be sent for genomic analy-sis, the letter said.

A rapid response team must be con-stituted according to the INSACOG guide-lines for detailed investigation of mutationsreported through the INSACOG.

"As presently various events such asmarriages and festive celebrations aretaking place, it is critical to maintain suf-ficient level of testing across all districts toensure timely detection of cases," Ajuhasaid in the letter.

States must emphasise the importanceof Covid safe festivities and ensure strictadherence to Covid-appropriate behaviouralong with prioritising the second dosecoverage of eligible beneficiaries, she said.

"Regular review of COVID-19 casesand deaths must also be undertaken, andnecessary corrective measures be prompt-ly communicated to the field teams.Lastly, it should also be ensured that thedist consistency in data up-dation on theCovid-19 portal," the letter said.

On October 30, Ahuja had also writ-ten to West Bengal and Assam express-ing concern over the increase in thenumber of COVID-19 cases.

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An unidentified militant waskilled in an encounter with

security forces in Jammu andKashmir's Kulgam district onSaturday, police said.

Security forces launched acordon and search operation inthe Ashmuji area of the southKashmir district followinginformation about the presence

of militants there, a police offi-cial said.

During the operation, thehiding militants fired at theforces, leading to a gunfight, hesaid, adding one ultra waskilled.The identity and groupaffiliation of the slain militantis being ascertained, he said.

The operation is going onand further details are awaited,the official said.

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Union Minister forInformation and

Broadcasting Anurag Thakuron Saturday said that theGovernment will make consis-tent efforts to ensure thegrowth of International FilmFestival of India (IFFI) andmake it a perfect destination forworld cinema.

The 52nd edition of theannual film gala is set to kick-off here with its opening cere-mony being attended byBollywood stars Salman Khanand Ranveer Singh, amongothers.

Referring to various newinitiatives being launched in thelatest edition of the festival,Thakur said IFFI 2021 will have"many firsts".

"It is a festival of many firstsand I'm confident that IFFI willbecome a much bigger plat-form in the future. We'll makethe effort that from our 75thyear of Independence to the100th year, IFFI will grow on tobecome a bigger platform forthe film community andbecome an ideal destination forworld cinema," the union min-ister told reporters here.

For the year 2021, the fes-tival organisers haveannounced a partnership withfive OTT platforms -- Netflix,Amazon Prime Video, Zee5,

Voot and SonyLiv.The festival will also launch

the initiative 75 Creative Minds,under which, 75 young film-makers, actors, singers,scriptwriters, and others will begiven the opportunity to interactwith renowned directors andartists from the world of cinema.

"For the first time, OTTplatforms are also participatingin IFFI and 75 young creativeminds from various parts of thecountry were picked to be partof this festival so that they canget exposure and experience.

"It is also for the first timethat the BRICS Film Festivalwill be held on the sidelines ofIFFI and five great films fromfive countries will be screened,"Thakur said.

The festival will also con-fer the first-ever Satyajit RayLifetime Achievement Awardto Hollywood legend MartinScorsese and Hungarian film-maker Istevan Szabo.

Though the two directors

are not attending the festival,their pre-recorded messageswill be played at the openingceremony.

"The Satyajit Ray LifetimeAchievement award is meantfor international category andthis year, it will be bestowedupon legendary filmmakerMartin Scorsese and IstevanSzabo.

"Both of them are bignames in the international cin-ema. They have agreed to thisaward and it proves that IFFI asan attractive platform for notjust Indians but also for peoplefrom all over the world. We willconsistently make efforts toensure that IFFI as a platformbecomes even bigger," Thakursaid.

Asked about regionalmovies leading the IndianPanorama section, Thakurasserted that India is a land ofmany cultures and everyregional language has its ownimportance.

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Goa Forward Party (GFP)working president Kiran

Kandolkar quit the party onSaturday in protest against apossible alliance with theCongress in the upcomingAssembly polls and joined theTrinamool Congress.

Kandolkar was welcomed

in TMC by the party MPMahua Moitra and TMCnational vice presidentLuizinho Faleiro.Kandolkar, a former BJP MLA,had joined GFP in 2020.Incidentally, he was declaredthe GFP candidate from theAldona seat for the Assemblypolls scheduled early next year.

"But the Congress has

already started campaigningthere. I feel Congress will ditchthe Vijai Sardesai-led party atthe last minute. I feel that par-ties like Congress and AAP arenot serious about defeatingBJP," he told reporters.

Kandolkar said theMamata Banerjee -led party isonly capable of defeating theBJP in the next year's polls.

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President Ram Nath Kovindon Saturday stressed on the

concept of “waste to wealth”and said focus should be on toreuse and recycle resources.

He also hailed the role ofsafai mitras and sanitationworkers in the wake of theCovid-19 pandemic, sayingthey continuously renderedtheir services.

The Government is com-mitted to ensure that life of nosanitation worker is put at riskdue to unsafe cleaning prac-tices, Kovind said at an eventwhere he presented the 'SwachhSurvekshan Awards 2021'.

The event was organised bythe housing and urban affairsministry.

Kovind said that this year'sawards have special signifi-cance because the country iscelebrating 'Azadi Ka AmritMahotsav' to commemorate75 years of independence.

"Mahatma Gandhi used tosay that cleanliness is next togodliness. According to himcleanliness should be the toppriority," he said.

This priority of Gandhijihas been carried forward by thegovernment of India as a mass

movement through the SwachhBharat Mission, Kovind said.

"Our efforts to make thecountry completely neat andclean are a true tribute to ourfreedom fighters," he said. The president also appreciatedthe 'Safai Mitra SurakshaChallenge' initiative of the min-istry that has been started in246 cities with the aim to pro-mote mechanical cleaning ofsewers and septic tanks.

Kovind advised the min-istry to extend mechanicalcleaning facility in all cities andsaid that manual scavenging isa shameful practice.

Effective management ofsolid waste is essential to keepcities clean, he said.

Kovind said that environ-ment conservation has been anintegral part of the traditionallifestyle of India.

Muzaffarnagar (UP):A dayafter Prime Minister NarendraModi announced a repeal ofthe three farm laws, RLD chiefJayant Chaudhary on Saturdaycalled it a victory of farmersand urged them to continuetheir protest till there is a legalguarantee for MSP.

Chaudhary made theremarks at a rally in Baghra vil-lage which comes underCharthawal assembly con-stituency.

On Friday, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi hadannounced the Centre wouldrepeal the three farm laws,marking a climbdown by hisgovernment to meet the unre-lenting demand of the farmers.

The RLD chief welcomedthe Centre's decision and calledit a victory of the farmers.

"But the farmers' agitationis not over yet. They shouldcontinue their protest to gettheir remaining demands ful-filled," he said.

Attacking the YogiAdityanath government inUttar Pradesh, Chaudharyclaimed that the dispensationhas failed to fulfill its promis-es.

He alleged that the UPgovernment is spending moneyon advertisements and notdoing development work. PTI

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The Congress on Saturdayobserved "Kisan Vijay

Diwas" in Uttar Pradesh,terming the repeal of Centre'sthree farm laws as the victoryof farmers' struggle and paidhomage to those who lost theirlives during the agitation.

The party observed 'KisanVijay Diwas' all over the state tomark the victory of the farmers'struggle against the three laws,a party spokesman said.

On this occasion a pro-gramme was held at the stateCongress headquarters whereearthen lamps were lit andfloral tributes were paid to thefarmers who lost their livesduring the agitation.

A two-minute silence wasalso observed as a mark ofrespect to the departed souls,the spokesman said.

Later, UPCC president AjayKumar Lallu said despite morethan 700 farmers losing theirlives during the year-long agi-tation, Prime Minister NarendraModi has not paid tributes tothem. In fact, the central gov-ernment and the prime minis-ter himself have made everyattempt to defame the farmers'agitation, Lallu alleged.

"The annadata (farmers)

have been humiliated by namessuch as 'andolanjivi' ,'Khalistani', 'mavali'. This ismost unfortunate," Lallu said.

Lallu alleged that despiteongoing investigations in theLakhimpur Kheri violence casepointing fingers at the role ofAshish Mishra, the son ofUnion Minister Of State AjayMishra 'Teni', in the incident,the continuance of the minis-ter in Modi's ministry showedthat "the government is stand-ing with the murderers".

Referring to the letter writ-ten by Congress general secre-tary Priyanka Gandhi to theprime minister earlier in theday, Lallu urged for early ful-filment of the demands infavour of the farmers.

The AICC general secre-tary has urged that cases reg-istered against the farmers inthe country for staging protestsagainst the agri laws be with-drawn and financial assistancebe given to the families of allthose who died during theagitation.

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Bangladesh Foreign MinisterAK Abdul Momen on

Saturday described the killingson the Indo-Bangla border as“unfortunate” as India's borderforces continue to use lethalarms despite assurance fromthe top level that they woulduse non-lethal weapons infrontier management.

Momen's comments camedays after two Bangladeshiswere shot dead at the Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal'sCoochbehar district in theearly hours of Friday last afterthey attacked a BSF patrolparty that stopped them fromsmuggling cattle.

According to reports fromKolkata and New Delhi, thedistrict police claimed thatthree persons had died in theincident, including an Indian.A Border Security Force (BSF)personnel was also injured.

“It is a shame for India andunfortunate for Bangladesh,”Momen told reporters whileresponding to a question dur-ing his visit to the mausoleum

of the country's founder SheikhMujibur Rahman at Tungiparain southwestern Bangladesh.

Claiming that the civil soci-ety and ordinary people inWest Bengal have alsoexpressed their concern on theissue, he said, "The generalpublic, intellectuals, journalistsand artists of the state haverecently raised a demand to stop any killing atthe border."

"We don't want to see thekilling of anyone on the fron-tier, be it Bangladeshi orIndian," the minister said,adding that Dhaka expects thatthe Indian authorities willensure “zero killing” at theborder.

Momen said he wonderedwhy the decision to not uselethal weapons was notenforced, despite the commit-ment of India on the issue atthe highest level.

He recalled that duringPrime Minister NarendraModi's visit to Bangladesh inMarch, the two sides agreedthat any death along the borderis a matter of concern and

directed the border guardingforces concerned to enhancepeople-oriented measures forensuring border security andbringing down such death ofcivilians to a zero level.

Following the November12 incident, BSF AdditionalDirector General Y B Khuraniain New Delhi had said that "agroup of 60 miscreants assem-bled on both sides of the bor-der to smuggle cattle. The mis-creants tried to smuggle cattleby throwing improvised bam-boo cantilevers on the barbedwires. When a BSF patrol partytried to stop them, they start-ed pelting stones at the partyand attacked them with ironrods and sticks".

The BSF troops on dutyahead of the India-Bangladeshborder fence asked the mis-creants to return, but they didnot pay heed. Subsequently, theBSF officials used non-lethalmunitions, but that too did notdeter them.

"Two BSF constables gotsurrounded and were badlyhurt (by the miscreants). It wasthen that they opened fire in

self-defence. They fired a fewrounds in the air. Later it wasfound that two persons onthat side of the border had diedin the firing," Khurania said.

Earlier this week, IndianHigh Commissioner to DhakaVikram Kumar Doraiswamisaid India is always vigilant tostop the killings on borderswith Bangladesh, and suchcasualty is unexpected for theboth countries.

"We do not want borderkillings in any country," he toldjournalists during his visit toRangpur.

Joint steps should be takenby the two countries to resolvesuch tragic incidents, he said.

The Indian border guardshave been specifically told notto open fire on the borders ifthere is no threat of attack onthem, Doraiswami said.

"(But) illegal activities havebeen increasing at the borders.Different countries are usingthe land of Bangladesh as aroute for their illegal activities.If we want to stop borderkillings, we have to stop smug-gling," the envoy said.

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Pakistan's judiciary and theSupreme Court Bar

Association on Saturday lockedhorns over allegations of inter-ference in judicial matters bythe country's security institu-tions, with the Chief Justice ofLahore High Court vehement-ly saying that the judiciary inthe country never takes dicta-tion from other institutions.

Addressing a gathering atthe Asma Jahangir Conferencein Lahore held on the title Roleof Judiciary in ProtectingHuman Rights andStrengthening Democracy,Justice Gulzar Ahmed said thatjudiciary was functioning inde-pendently and there was nokind of interference.

"I have not taken pressurefrom any institution or lis-tened to any institution. No onetells me or guides me on howto write my verdict. I havenever made any decision that

I did so on someone else's say-ing, nor has anyone had thecourage to say anything tome,” he said.

He vehemently denied thatthe judiciary was being influ-enced by or taking dictationfrom other institutions.

His statements came aspart of his speech during theprogramme where Pakistan'sSupreme Court BarAssociation President AliAhmad Kurd without mincingwords alleged that securityinstitutions were influencingthe top judiciary.

"One general is dominatinga country of 220 million peo-ple. This same general has sentthe judiciary down to number126 [in rankings]," he saidreferring to World JusticeProject's Rule of Law Index2021, on which Pakistan ranks126th in the category of fun-damental rights.

Justice Ahmed said no oneinterfered with his work and hedecided cases on merit.

“I have never listened, seen,understood or felt anyone'sdictation to me," he said.

"My court gives justice tothe people. Come to the courtAli Ahmad Kurd and see what

is happening. Read the court'sdecision and see what is hap-pening.

My judges write judge-ments every day [...] see howour court is working with free-dom and following the law andimplementing theConstitution,” he said.

Interestingly, speakingahead of the Chief JusticeAhmed at the same forum, theIslamabad High Court (IHC)Chief Justice Athar Minallahacknowledged that some ofKurd's criticism was valid, say-ing that the judgments in casessuch as the Nusrat Bhutto caseand the Zafar Ali Shah casewere part of history.

"These judgments wereresponsible for the making andenabling of those that havebeen referred to by Mr AliAhmad Kurd," Justice Minallahnoted. Justice Minallah went onto add that the judiciary shouldnot "bury its head in the sandand ignore its mistakes".

The Supreme Court at dif-ferent occasions had justifiedthe military takeover of ZiaulHaq of 1977 in the NusratBhutto case and that of PervezMusharraf of 1999 in the ZafarAli Shah case.

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Pakistan on Saturday said thecontainers seized by Indian

authorities at Gujarat's MundraPort on a Shanghai-boundcargo ship were "empty" butwere earlier used for the trans-portation of fuel from China toKarachi for K-2 and K-3nuclear power plants.

The Pakistan ForeignOffice issued a statement inresponse to questions from thepress about reports in the mediaon the "seizure of possibleradioactive material" by Indianauthorities at Mundra Port ona cargo ship from Karachi Portto Shanghai in China.

The Foreign Office said theKarachi Nuclear Power Plantauthorities have informed thatthese were "empty containers”being returned to China, whichwere earlier used for the trans-portation of fuel from China toKarachi for K-2 and K-3nuclear power plants.

“The Containers were‘EMPTY' and the cargo wascorrectly declared as Non-Hazardous in the shipping doc-uments,” the Foreign Office said.

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If anyone has a good idea onhow to put a nuclear fission

power plant on the moon, theU.S. government wants to hearabout it.

NASA and the nation's topfederal nuclear research labon Friday put out a request forproposals for a fission surfacepower system.

NASA is collaborating withthe U.S. Department ofEnergy's Idaho NationalLaboratory to establish a sun-independent power source formissions to the moon by theend of the decade.

"Providing a reliable, high-power system on the moon isa vital next step in human spaceexploration, and achieving it iswithin our grasp," SebastianCorbisiero, the Fission SurfacePower Project lead at the lab,said in a statement.

If successful in supportinga sustained human presence onthe moon, the next objectivewould be Mars. NASA says fis-sion surface power could pro-vide sustained, abundant powerno matter the environmentalconditions on the moon orMars.

"I expect fission surfacepower systems to greatly ben-

efit our plans for power archi-tectures for the moon andMars and even drive innova-tion for uses here on Earth,"Jim Reuter, associate adminis-trator for NASA's SpaceTechnology MissionDirectorate, said in a statement.

The reactor would be builton Earth and then sent to themoon.

Submitted plans for thefission surface power systemshould include a uranium-fueled reactor core, a system toconvert the nuclear power intousable energy, a thermal man-agement system to keep thereactor cool.

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The global environment forbuilding projects under

China's BRI is becomingincreasingly complex, PresidentXi Jinping has said, encourag-ing officials to seize the strate-gic opportunities and activelyrespond to challenges facing hismulti-billion-dollar pet initia-tive, which is set to face com-petition from the US' B3Wplan.

Xi on Friday called forefforts to continue promotingthe high-quality developmentof the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) through joint efforts andthe initiative should aim forhigh-standard, sustainable andpeople-centered progress.

Noting that the interna-tional environment for build-ing the BRI is becoming

increasingly complex, Xi, whileaddressing a high-level sym-posium on the initiative, askedthe Chinese officials to main-tain determination, seize strate-gic opportunities, activelyrespond to challenges andmove forward.

Without any direct refer-ence, Xi called for promotingpolitical consensus into con-crete action, and transformingidea recognition into practicalresults, the official mediareported.

He also suggested expand-ing new areas of cooperation,such as pandemic control, low-carbon development, and e-commerce.

This is the first time Xispoke about the BRI after USPresident Joe Biden launchedthe Build Back Better World(B3W) initiative.

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Nepal will not allownationals from a third

country to travel to India by railvia the recently launchedKurtha-Jayanagar railroad afterIndian officials raised a red flag,citing security concerns, amedia report said here onSaturday.

“This was agreed whilefinalising the StandardOperating Procedure (SPA) forcross-border railway opera-tion,” Deepak Kumar Bhattarai,Director General of theDepartment of Railways, was

quoted as saying by TheKathmandu Post newspaper.

Nepal and India share aporous border, which has beena hotbed for criminals andterrorist activities.

On October 22, Indiahanded over the 34.9km-longcross-border rail link connect-ing Jaynagar in Bihar to Kurthain Nepal to the Nepal govern-ment. The SPA is a documentoutlining the procedures to beadopted while operating therailway service between the twocountries.

India's security concernwas one of the reasons why it

took so long to finalise the SPA,Bhattarai said. According to thereport, Nepal will notify Indiaabout passengers boarding thetrain to ensure seamless secu-rity clearance at the border.

“Based on the ticketsissued, we will have to senddetails of the passengers whoare travelling to India,”Bhattarai added.

India has been wary aboutthe possibility of a surge incross-border crimes if thirdcountry nationals are allowedto travel via the Kurtha-Jayanagar railroad, the reportsaid.

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Aprominent doctor was kid-napped and killed in

northern Afghanistan, his fam-ily said on Saturday.

Mohamed Nader Alemiwas abducted two months agoin the city of Mazar-i-Sharif,and his kidnappers demandeda ransom for his release, his sonRoheen Alemi said. The fami-ly eventually paid them$350,000, after negotiatingdown their initial demand ofmore than twice that, he said.

Despite the payment, thekidnappers then killed Alemi,leaving his body in the street,

his son said. They called thefamily and told them where tofind it on Friday, he said.

"My father was badly tor-tured, there are signs of harmon his body," Roheen Alemisaid.

Alemi, a psychiatrist,worked for the government'sprovincial hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif. He also owned a privateclinic, said to be the city's firstprivate psychiatric clinic.

Under the previous, U.S.-backed government, crimeswelled, including frequentkidnappings for ransom, whichprompted several businessmento flee Afghanistan.

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Tens of thousands of pro-testers, many from far-right

groups, marched throughVienna on Saturday after theAustrian governmentannounced a nationwide lock-down beginning Monday tocontain the country's skyrock-eting coronavirus infections.

Among those protestingwere members of far-right andextreme-right parties and

groups, including the far-rightFreedom Party, the anti-vaccineMFG party and the extreme-right Identitarians.

Demonstrations againstvirus restrictions were alsotaking place Saturday inSwitzerland, Croatia and Italy.On Friday night, Dutch policeopened fire on protesters andseven people were injured inrioting that erupted inRotterdam against COVID-19restrictions.

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The Government has listedfor sale real estate assets of

state-run telecom firms MTNLand BSNL at a reserve price ofaround �970 crore, accordingto documents uploaded on theDIPAM website.

BSNL properties located inHyderabad, Chandigarh,Bhavnagar and Kolkata havebeen posted for sale at a reserveprice of around �660 crore.

The Department ofInvestment and Public AssetManagement (DIPAM) websitehas listed MTNL assets locat-ed in Vasari Hill, Goregaon in

Mumbai for sale at a reserveprice of around �310 crore.

“This is the first stage ofasset monetisation at MTNLand BSNL. Bids have beeninvited for BSNL assets worth�660 crore and MTNL assetsworth �310 crore. We plan tocomplete the entire processwithin one-and-half months,”BSNL Chairman andManaging Director P K Purwartold PTI.

MTNL’s 20 flats located inOshiwara have also been put upfor sale as part of the assetmonetisation plan of the com-pany.

The flats include two units

of 1-room set, 17 units of 1bedroom hall and kitchen(BHK) and one unit of 2 BHK.Their reserve prices range from�52.26 lakh to �1.59 crore.

The e-auction for MTNLassets will take place onDecember 14.

The asset monetisation ispart of the �69,000 crore revivalscheme for MTNL and BSNLwhich was approved by thegovernment in October2019.Both the public sectorfirms were to identify andmonetise assetsworth �37,500crore by 2022. “We will proceedas per market demand for assetmonetisation,” Purwar added.

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IRB Infrastructure Developerson Saturday said that its

shareholders have passed aresolution which will enablecapital inflow of �5,347 croreinto the company .IRBInfrastructure Developers con-vened an extra ordinary generalmeeting of its shareholdersonline on November 20, 2021,the company said in a state-ment.

“...This will now enable thecompany to issue shares to thetune of �5,347 crore to theCintra Global S.E. (a whollyowned subsidiary of FerrovialS.A) and the BricklayersInvestments Pt. Ltd. (an affili-ate of GIC, Singapore Sovereignwealth fund),” it said. Thestatement said overall 95 percent of the votes casted havebeen in favour of the resolu-tion. All the large institutionalshareholders of the companyvoted in favour of the resolu-tion, it added.

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Retirement fund managerEPFO on Saturday decided

to empower its advisory bodyFinance Investment and AuditCommittee (FIAC) to take acall on investing in new assetclasses like InvITs.

At present, the NationalHighways Authority of India(NHAI) and Power GridCorporation (PGCIL) havelaunched public sector infra-structure investment trusts(InvITs).

The EPFO would also gofor public sector bonds.

The decision was taken atthe 229th meeting of theEmployees’ Provident FundOrganisation’s apex decisionmaking body - Central Boardof Trustees (CBT), headed byUnion Labour MinisterBhupender Yadav.

Asked whether the EPFOwill invest in private sectorInvITs, Yadav told reportersafter the meeting here, “At pre-sent we have decided to investin only newly addedGovernment instruments(bonds and InvITs).

There is no percentage forthat. It will be decided on caseto case basis by FIAC.”

The board decided toempower FIAC to decide uponthe investment options, on acase-to-case basis, for invest-ment in all such asset classeswhich are included in thePattern of Investment as noti-fied by the Ministry of Financefor provident and pensionfunds in India, an official state-ment said.

Explaining the rationale

behind the decision, LabourSecretary Sunil Barthwal toldreporters,”If we want to providehigh rate of interest then wehave to follow guidelines offinance ministry. There arecertain instruments (prescribedin norms) where we were notable to invest due to variousreasons. Now we would be ina position to investment inthose instruments.”

The Government recent-ly added new instruments likeInvITs in the Pattern ofInvestment for pension funds.

“It has been decided inprincipal that on case-to-casebasis, the FIAC will take a deci-sion in this regard. The CBThas authorised the FIAC to doso. FIAC will take a decisionlike in case of NHAI and PowerGrid (InvITs),” he said.

However, he added that atpresent only public sectorbonds and InvITs will be con-sidered.

“We will invest in thoseInvITs or bonds where wewould get security of funds aswe are trustees of the employ-ees’ provident fund. We willfocus on return maximisationbut also keep in mind thesecurity of funds,” he noted.

During the meeting, it wasalso decided to constitute foursub-committees, comprisingmembers of the board fromemployees’ and employers’ sideas well as representatives of thegovernment.

Two committees on estab-lishment related matters andfuturistic implementation ofSocial Security Code will beheaded by the Minister of StateLabour and Employment.

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Ola Electric on Saturdaysaid it has expanded the

customer test rides for its elec-tric scooters across the coun-try.

With this expansion, cus-tomers in over 1,000 cities andtowns will be able to test rideand experience the Ola S1electric scooter, a statementsaid.

The test rides will be ini-tially open only for those whohave purchased or reservedthe Ola S1 and S1 Pro scooters,it added.

Ola had kicked off testrides in Bengaluru, Delhi,Ahmedabad, and Kolkata onNovember 10, and then openedup five more cities - Chennai,Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai,and Pune on November 19.

The company will nowrapidly add more locations toensure all customers haveaccess to test rides byDecember 15, the statementsaid.

“Customer response toour test rides has been phe-nomenally positive and we are

really thrilled to see theirexcitement for the revolution-ary Ola S1 scooter. Thousandsof customers are taking testrides every day and absolutelyloving the best in class design,performance, technology andride quality the Ola S1 delivers,”Ola Electric Chief BusinessOfficer Arun Sirdeshmukhsaid.

The company will be scal-ing test rides up rapidly in thecoming weeks and will be cov-ering over 1,000 cities andtowns across India to ensureevery customer has access totest rides by mid-December, headded.

“This is the fastest nation-al scale-up of test rides ever anda revolution in automotiveretail made possible by ourdirect-to-consumer model,” hesaid. Customer test rides will berolling out in the next set ofcities starting November 27 incities including Surat,T h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a m ,Kozhikode, Visakhapatnam,Vijayawada, Coimbatore,Vadodara, Bhubaneswar,Tiruppur, Jaipur, and Nagpur,the statement said.

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Chinese tech giants includ-ing Alibaba Group and

Tencent Holdings were finedSaturday for failing to reportcorporate acquisitions, addingto an anti-monopoly crack-down by the ruling CommunistParty.

The companies failed toreport 43 acquisitions thatoccurred up to eight years agounder rules on “operating con-centration,” according to theState Administration forMarket Regulation. Each vio-lation carried a penalty of500,000 yuan ($80,000), it said.

Beijing has launched anti-

monopoly, data security andother crackdowns on tech com-panies since late 2020. The rul-ing party worries the compa-nies have too much controlover their industries and haswarned them not to use theirdominance to gouge con-sumers or block entry to newcompetitors.

Other companies fined inthe latest round of penaltiesinclude online retailers JD.ComInc. And Suning Ltd. Andsearch engine operator BaiduInc. The acquisitions datingback to 2013 included networktechnology, mapping and med-ical technology assets.

The companies “failed todeclare illegal implementationof operating concentration,”the regulator said on its web-site. Alibaba, the world’s biggeste-commerce company by salesvolume, was fined $2.8 billionin April for practices that reg-ulators said suppressed com-petition. Meituan, a food deliv-ery platform, was fined $534million on Oct. 8.

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The Automotive ResearchAssociation of India

(ARAI) should develop tech-nology to reduce the chargingtime for electric vehicles, UnionMinister of Heavy IndustriesMahendra Nath Pandey said onSaturday.

He was speaking at a pressconference here after an indus-try interaction meet organisedby the Ministry of HeavyIndustries in association withARAI, SIAM and ACMA toshare information about theproduction linked incentive(PLI) scheme for the automo-tive sector.

“The auto field contributesto about 14-15 per cent of GDP,which can go up to 25-30 per

cent and can support the PM’svision for making India a USD5 trillion economy.

“The sale of electric vehi-cles has increased drastically inthe last few months due to thevarious schemes and subsidiesprovided by the Government...”Pandey said.

However, he also spokeabout the challenges in EVadoption, including the timetaken for charging vehicles.

“To overcome one ofthese problems related tocharging, I am going to urgeAutomotive ResearchAssociation of India (ARAI)to develop the technologythat reduces the chargingtime,” the minister said.

Since charging is the mainconcern when it comes to the

use of EVs, the government haschosen 9 expressways where6,000 charging stations havebeen sanctioned and about3,000 shall be installed soon, headded.

“The Advanced ChemicalCell (ACC), which is the maincomponent of the EV battery,is currently imported. About 30per cent of the cost of the EVis the cost of battery itself. Thiscan reduce if it is locally pro-duced.

“This is possible becauseabout 70 per cent of the mate-rial used in the manufacturingof lithium-ion batteries isalready available in India. Withthese newly introduced PLIschemes, the government isproviding support up to �362crore per gigawatt in this sec-

tor of EVs,” Pandey said.He also highlighted the

government’s FAME I and II(Faster Adoption andManufacturing of Hybrid andElectric Vehicles) scheme,which has now been extendedby another two years to March31, 2024.

“With the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme,it will lead to an investment of�42,500 crore and will furtheraccelerate manufacturing ofcomponents and batteries inIndia.

“The government is pro-viding financial support up to8-13 per cent for auto compo-nent manufacturers and up to13-18 per cent for EV manu-facturers through the scheme.

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Joint bank account is notmandatory for spouse pen-

sion, the Government said onSaturday.Union Minister ofState for Personnel, PublicGrievances and PensionsJitendra Singh said theNarendra Modi Governmenthas always sought “ease of liv-ing” for all sections of societyincluding retirees and pen-sioners who are the nation’sassets with all their experienceand long years of service ren-dered by them.

He said in case the head ofoffice is satisfied that it is notpossible for the retiring gov-ernment servant to open ajoint account with his or herspouse for reasons beyond hisor her control, this requirementmay be relaxed, an officialstatement said.

All banks disbursing cen-tral Government pension havebeen advised that in case thespouse (family pensioner) optsfor the existing joint bankaccount for credit of familypension, banks should notinsist on opening a newaccount, it said.

A joint bank account withspouse is however desirableand it is to be opened with theirspouse in whose favor anauthorisation for family pen-sion exists in the PensionPayment Order (PPO), said thestatement issued by thePersonnel Ministry. Operationin these accounts would be on“former or survivor” or “eitheror survivor” basis as desired bythe pensioner, Singh said.

The reason for opening ofjoint bank account is to ensurethat family pension may becommenced without any delayand the family pensioner is notsubjected to any hardships foropening of a new pension bankaccount, the statement said.

This also ensures mini-mum documentation for thefamily pensioner while sub-mitting request for com-mencement of family pension,it said.

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Economic recovery is expect-ed to gain further traction

during the second half of FY22,said India Ratings andResearch (Ind-Ra).

Accordingly, the ratingagency expects the economicrecovery to gain momentumon the back of fading impact ofthe Covid-19 pandemic alongwith favourable financing andexternal demand conditions.

Consequently, it has main-tained an “improving outlook”on domestic corporates for thesecond half of FY22.

“Entities with a strong mar-ket share and healthy balancesheet will continue to showstrong earnings, although mar-gin may moderate. However,sectors which consume com-modities will face challenges inthe complete pass-through ofinput prices,” the agency said.

Besides, it said that mostsectors would continue to wit-ness a surge in demand post thesecond Covid wave as theywere better prepared than dur-ing the first wave.

“The fiscal and monetarymeasures have backed eco-nomic activities by maintainingadequate liquidity. The entitieshave learnt to make quickstructural changes after thefirst Covid wave and are nowbetter poised to face challengesif subsequent Covid wavesappear.” Furthermore, the rat-ing agency expects the‘Production-linked Incentive’(PLI) scheme in specially steelto lead to large capexannouncements by both largeand small steel companies.

On volatility in commod-ity prices, it observed thatsince the second wave, espe-cially during Q2FY22, the riskappetite in the system has rea-sonably improved.

“This has largely been dri-ven by the strong corporateperformance, buoyant externalcondition and sustained ultra-loose monetary policy condi-tions. Ind-Ra expects that thefinancing condition to remainconducive in H2FY22, backedby the easy money conditions,”it said.

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The deal between RelianceIndustries (RIL) and Saudi

Aramco for a 20 per cent stakeacquisition by the Saudi firm inthe oil to chemicals (O2C)business of RIL is now on theback burner.

“Due to evolving nature ofReliance’s business portfolio,Reliance and Saudi Aramcohave mutually determined thatit would be beneficial for bothparties to re-evaluate the pro-posed investment in O2C busi-ness in light of the changedcontext. Consequently, the cur-rent application with NationalCompany Law Tribunal(NCLT) for segregating the

O2C business from RIL isbeing withdrawn,” RIL said ina statement on Friday night.

The two had signed a non-binding Letter of Intent inAugust 2019 for the potentialdeal. On Friday, RIL said thatJamnagar, which accounts fora major part of the O2C assets,is envisaged to be the centre forReliance’s new businesses ofRenewable Energy and NewMaterials, supporting the Net-Zero commitment.

RIL said that it has recent-ly unveiled its plans for theNew Energy & Materials busi-nesses by announcing thedevelopment of DhirubhaiAmbani Green Energy GigaComplex at Jamnagar.

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Batting mainstay SteveSmith on Saturday

emerged as one of the candi-dates for Australian Test cap-taincy after the selectors hadreportedly approached thecountry's cricket board with aproposal to hand over thereins to the former skipper.

Though vice-captain PatCummins remains the fron-trunner for the top job, Smithis also in the reckoning, thecountry's cricket board saidfollowing the resignation ofTim Paine from the top job.

Paine stepped down fromthe post on Friday after beinginvestigated by CricketAustralia (CA) for sendingexplicit messages to a femaleco-worker in 2017.

Paine succeeded Smith ascaptain in 2018 after the bat-ter was banned from interna-tional cricket for 12 monthsand suspended from leader-ship roles for two years for hisrole in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.

"There are a range of can-didates who are available forthat role, Steve Smith is one ofthe candidates that is availablefor the role," said CA chairmanRichard Freudenstein during avirtual press conference fol-lowing Paine's resignation.

Meanwhile, there are alsospeculations that the seniornational team selectors are infavour of appointing Smith asskipper.

"It's understood the selec-

tors were interested in theidea of Smith being able tocaptain should an injury orsimilar occur to Tim Paine,with the proposal given theboard's approval,"sen.Com.Au ran a story quot-ing Herald Sun.

The top contender though,remains pace spearheadCummins.

"However, Smith could beappointed as vice-captain tosupport Cummins, who would

be the first fast bowler to cap-tain Australia since 1956,when Ray Lindwall held therole for a solitary Test.

"Smith was barred fromholding a leadership positionwithin the team for two yearsafter the events of Cape Town,with that ban elapsing over ayear ago," sen.Com.Au addedon Saturday, a day after theAustralian cricket was rockedby the Tim Paine "sexting"scandal.

The messages date back to2017, months before Painewas recalled to the Test teamafter a seven-year absence anda joint Cricket Australia andCricket Tasmania investigationcleared him at the time.

The development cameweeks ahead of the five-TestAshes series against tradition-al rivals England. The first Testbegins in Brisbane onDecember 8.

Australia's former chair-man of selectors Trevor Hohnshad said in November thatSmith would probably be acontender to succeed Paine.

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Captain Rohit Sharma willnot waver from his ruthlessapproach but might try

out a few of his reserveplayers as India aim

for a clean sweepagainst NewZealand in thethird and finalT 2 0International,here on Sunday.

Bi latera lT20I series invarious partsof the globe isfast losing itscontext due totoo many pri-vate leaguesbut for Indian

team, after theirWorld Cup disaster,

a series win might helpin partially healing thewounds.

For New Zealand,it's more about com-pleting the assign-ment after a punish-ing schedule thatwill see them playfive games (sinceT20 WC semi-

final) in lessthan twoweeks.

The inhu-

man scheduling means that a 0-3defeat without services of skipperKane Williamson will bruise egosbut not deflate them as results ofbilaterals count very little in the longrun.

Having already pocketed theseries with a couple of near perfectchases on Jaipur and Ranchi belters,there couldn't have been a bettervenue than Eden Gardens for skip-per Rohit to end the series on per-fect note and also try out some of hisreserve bench players.

The first series as full-time T20captain has gone well for Rohit as hewon two tosses, his bowlers put astranglehold on Black Caps battersduring end overs and then as a bat-ter he provided great starts to set theplatform.

The script has been flawless so

far and before Rohit goes into thebreak, a 3-0 annihilation of NewZealand in 'City of Joy', where heonce scored an epic 264 in an ODI,will be like an icing on the cake.

For coach Rahul Dravid, adominant performance like this willalso help him settle the nerves intothe new role before the marquee Testseries against the same rivals start-ing in less than a week's time.

Having already won the series,Rohit and Dravid will now like tomaintain a fine balance betweenwinning and also trying out all theiravailable resources to see how eachand every individual is placed.

Giving Venkatesh Iyer a gowith the ball with the eveningbreeze from River Hooghly aidinga bit of movement won't be a badidea but it depends whether Rohit

wants a sixth bowler.Hence the likes of Ruturaj

Gaikwad, Avesh Khan and IshanKishan will expect that their skipperconsider them for a game in thisseries.

Gaikwad, who came into theseries with an Orange Cap in the IPLmight get a look-in in the top-threewhere he is the most comfortablebatting. But for that to happen, eitherskipper himself or his deputy KLRahul might have to take rest for thegame, which is more of an academ-ic interest and gives an ideal premiseto check the bench strength.

Resting Rahul looks more log-ical as he is supposed to play a rig-orous Test series in four days timeand one T20 International won'tmake much of a difference for thestylish right hander.

Similarly, the exciting AveshKhan could be tried in place of eitherDeepak Chahar or BhuvneshwarKumar while Yuzvendra Chahalwouldn't mind getting a game inplace of Axar Patel or RavichandranAshwin.

Similarly, Rishabh Pant, who hasbeen playing non-stop since start ofthe World Test Championship, maybe rested and Ishan Kishan can begiven a go in the last game. If onelooks at the series, the biggest gainhas been Ravichandran Ashwin'sform in white ball cricket after theprevious regime kept him in the coldfor four years as they never believedin him.

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Chennai Super Kings' skipper MahendraSingh Dhoni on Saturday reiterated that

his last T20 game would be played inChennai but said he does not know "whetherit is next year or in five years' time".

Dhoni, who led CSK to their fourthIndian Premier League (IPL) title last monthin the UAE, had earlier said made it clear thathe would be wearing his favourite yellow jer-sey for at least one more season and the fanswill certainly see him playing a "farewellgame" at their beloved Chepauk.

"I have always planned my cricket. Thelast game I played was in Ranchi. The lasthome game in ODI was at my hometown inRanchi. So, hopefully, my last T20 will be inChennai. Whether it's next year or in 5 years'time, we don't really know," Dhoni said atCSK's IPL victory celebration here onSaturday.

Speaking in the presence of Tamil NaduChief Minister M K Stalin, India Cementsvice-chairman and Manging Director NSrinivasan, legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev,BCCI secretary Jay Shah and IPL chairmanBrijesh Patel, Dhoni said CSK's fan follow-ing even during the two years when theymissed the IPL had kept the team going.

"Overall, it is the fan following whichCSK has got, it goes much beyond TamilNadu, it goes beyond the borders of India.Wherever we play -- be it in Bengaluru,Johannesburg or Dubai, we have got the sup-port. Even during the lean patch, we missedtwo years of IPL and that was the period CSKwas most talked about on social media," headded.

Srinivasan was all praise for Dhoni andhis leadership.

" P e o p l etalk about Dhoni's legacy andwhere he is going. He has not goneanywhere, he is still with us," saidthe former BCCI chief.

The iconic former India cap-tain has not played in Chennaisince 2019 as the 2020 edition ofIPL was held in the UAE and CSKplayed matches in the first phaseof the tournament earlier thisyear in Mumbai before it wassuspended due to a breach inthe bio-bubble.

If sources are to bebelieved then CSK will beretaining three players ---skipper Dhoni, all-rounder Ravindra Jadejaand prolific openerRuturaj Gaikwad for thenext auctions.

The 40-year-old for-mer India captain retiredfrom international crick-et in August last year.

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The ball is back in NovakDjokovic's court.

Australian Open chiefCraig Tiley confirmed onSaturday that everyone whoattends the first Grand Slamtennis tournament of 2022will need to be fully vaccinat-ed for COVID-19, includingall the players. That contin-ues to leave the status ofdefending and nine-timechampion Djokovic in ques-tion. Djokovic, who hasrefused to say if he's vaccinat-ed, would be attempting towin a record 21st Grand Slamsingles title.

The tournament is sched-uled for Jan. 17-30. TheVictorian state governmenthad earlier said only vaccinat-ed persons would be allowedinto the site for the tourna-ment, and Tiley reiteratedthat on Saturday. “Everyoneon site, the fans, all the staff,the players, will need to bevaccinated,” Tiley said at thetournament's official launch.

“There's been a lot ofspeculation about Novak'sposition, he's said it's a pri-vate matter. “We would loveto see Novak here, but heknows he needs to be vacci-nated in order to play. He'sa lways said that theAustralian Open is the eventthat puts the wind in hissails."

The no-vaccine, no-playedict was made by theVictorian state government inlate October. It means theAustralian Open will becomethe first Grand Slam tourna-ment to require mandatoryCOVID-19 vaccines for theplayers.

Victoria has been thehardest-hit state in Australia,with 1,268 pandemic deathsout of the country's total of1,922 and 109,000 of 194,000overall cases as of Saturday.

Melbourne and manyother areas of Victoria havebeen subject to lengthy lock-downs and overnight cur-fews over the past 18 months.

“It's been made very clear,when the premier (DanielAndrews) announced sever-al weeks ago that in order toparticipate at the AustralianOpen, to come into Victoria,you'll need to be fully vacci-nated,” Tiley said earlier on amorning television program.“Immediately we communi-cated that to the playing

group, it is the onedirection that youtake that is going toensure ever yone'ssafety."

Among the top maleplayers, Tiley, who is the

tournament director,said Rafael Nadal andDaniil Medvedev, whobeat Djokovic in the finalof the U.S. Open, pre-

venting the Serbian play-er from completing a cal-

endar-year Grand Slam, planto b e in Melb ourne inJanuary.

Roger Federer, who con-tinues to recover from rightknee surgery, has alreadysaid he won't be coming.

Australian Open chief to Djokovic: No vaccine proof, no play

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The pandemic has changed the waywe travel and changed our percep-tion of priorities. Throughout thelockdown, people have travelled theworld virtually and built on their

bucket lists. Lockdown fatigue had resulted instrong pent-up demand which is fuellingunique trends in travel. Upon easing of restric-tions, travellers have started to rekindle theirtravel plans through weekend getaways, stayca-tions and drivecations, and similar convenientgetaways from the challenging life of work-from-home schedules.

The extended lockdown urged travellers tomove out of the confines of their homes andpursue workations from scenic destinations —right from hills to beaches — which enabledthem to strike a healthy work-life balance. Thenew normal has drastically impacted travellerbehaviour; people have started appreciating theimportance of spending quality time withloved ones.

����������������� ���With the easing restrictions on domestic

travel and highly limited option for interna-tional trips, domestic has come under the spot-light like never before.

Festive travel is of great importance inIndia especially during Diwali and Christmas,clubbing weekends and extended weekendphenomenon are driving domestic travel.Travellers book domestic trips for various rea-sons like family bonding, celebrate specialoccasions and milestones/weddings in India.Millennials as well as elders enjoy these vaca-tions and look forward to these drivable breaksand air-inclusive travel plans.

Besides the all-time favourite — Goa, thepandemic has inspired Indians to explore theircountry which has created strong demand fordestinations like Leh-Ladakh, Kashmir and theNorth East. People want to explore India indepth and visit the unique destinations ourcountry has to offer.

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According to the survey primordialHygiene & Safety, 77% of Indians need thereassurance of travelling/staying with brandsthat provide clear cut health and safety poli-cies. Hotels, airports, airlines are investing incomprehensive safety protocols as travellers are

putting health and safety first. Some of the firstmovers in the space were top brands like SGClean, Vistara Clean, Marriott CleanlinessCouncil etc.

������������ ����� ���Travel is now all about special and unique

experiences — based on each travellers inter-ests/passions or to help them to reconnect withtheir loved ones. Travel experiences whichoffer true discovery/exploration of local cul-tures, heritage and communities and creatememories that money cannot buy.

Indians are hungry for hidden gems suchas the living root bridges or canoeing on theDawki Lake — a clear lake in Meghalaya. Theyare also interested in outdoor adventure —such as biking trips, hiking, camping, junglesafaris and extra-ordinary experiences like pic-nic lunch in the middle of an apple orchard,swimming with the sharks, living in a glassigloo, stay in tree house in the middle of a jun-gle, experience as well as curate different kindsof cuisines with the help of local chefs. Peoplewant to dare to dream and tick off optionsfrom their bucket list such as bungee jumpingand other adrenaline rushing experiences.These experiences are for a lifetime and cannotbe bought with money.

������� ���People want to live in the moment and

enjoy an unhurried life which is why they wishto explore slow and immersive travel options.Mono-destinations are in demand as peoplewant to exclusively experience a particularplace and learn of its culture, heritage and peo-ple. Travellers are attracted towards fuller andricher experiences that allow them to connect,explore and unwind through self-driven andplanned trips. They prefer travel at a languidpace affording them the time to explore morewithout rushing into covering places within alimited span of time. They want to travel to theinteriors and places which is closer to nature torefresh themselves from a prolonged indoorlifestyle during the lockdown.

����������� � �����Travellers are ready to tick off their travel

bucket list instead of spending on materialisticcommodities. They are opting for higher cate-gory hotels, premium home stays, independentvillas and properties which promise the com-

fort of a vacation while meeting additionalrequirements of hygiene and safety. They pre-fer staying in unique accommodations whenthey travel and explore extra-ordinary optionssuch as heritage homes, havelis and villas.Heritage homes include colonial stays in placeslike Goa, Bengal and Rajasthan with the provi-sion of timelessness that allows people to havea relaxing stay with anytime dining options.Travellers now prefer villas over hotels andrestaurants with more spaces including privatevillas with personal chef and concierge ser-vices, villas with a backyard, pool with a deckand more for relaxation.

Resorts and Vacation Rentals have wit-nessed a strong demand as travellers emergedfrom the pandemic with the intension toexplore options for staycations or a change ofscenery in a safe and sanitised manner, seekinglarger spaces that are better equipped forlonger leisure stays and social isolation, subur-ban destinations, resorts and vacation rentalshave continued to witness strong demand, out-pacing hotels on the pandemic recovery front.

Safety and hygiene are also important fac-tors which are driving people for luxury travelas travellers are looking for more safety precau-tions during their journeys.

The number of people opting for premiumstays has been increasing as safety and hygienehave emerged as the new comfort in travel.The traditional checklist has now made way foradequate social distancing, demand for a pri-vate kitchen, additional room for help or sup-port staff, etc. Travellers are now looking atmeaningful experiences to foster meaningfulconnections with the local people along withtheir own families and friends and may priori-tise this over mass tourism formats focused oncities.

���� �� ������ ���The new generation travellers are environ-

ment conscious and seem to be interested inenvironment friendly tourism which in turnpromoted sustainable travel options in 2021.Sustainable travel choices are mostly closer toremote villages and they not only provide aboost to these communities, but are accessibleand affordable and are a transformative choicecontributing to unique and individual travelexperiences. They also help in raising funds forconserving nature in these areas. This trendhas definitely accelerated over the past year

and it is expected to grow further in 2022.

���� ������������� ������ ��������� ���During the pandemic, the travel and hos-

pitality industry has made significant efforts toboost confidence among travellers by makingservices contactless for their convenience asfar as possible. These include contactlesscheck-ins at airports and hotels to order foodand beverages, concierge services at hotelsonline. Basically, contactless offerings arebecoming the much needed norm for this cur-rent situation more than an exception.Travellers are warming up and getting com-fortable with the idea of using contactless ser-vices and building appreciation for tech-richexperiences that promise travel safety, upfront.

Digital experience has definitely emergedas a key game-changer for the travel and hos-pitality segment. Before the pandemic, trav-ellers or guests interacted with a hotel brandprimarily through the physical experience andthe service experience but in the present situ-ation, there is the digital experience andhotels have equipped themselves in this shortspan of time to capitalise on the digital expe-rience which ensures that all guest needs aremet virtually — before, during as well as aftertheir stay. Across the country’s travel and hos-pitality segment, the digital shift has beencompletely transformational and a boom forleisure and business travellers and the indus-try as a whole.

�� ������� �� ����������������Even though Covid numbers have

declined in the past few months in the coun-try, but the travel and hospitality industryneeds to take responsibility to follow Covid-related protocols till the time the situationcompletely gets back to normalcy as our safe-ty is in our hands.

These new travel trends will spark a newbeginning in 2022. With these new offerings,travellers can prioritise and opt for what suitsthem best while adhering to the safety proto-cols and social distancing norms. The traveland hospitality industry has come a long waysince being harshly impacted by the pandem-ic. The industry has developed and evolvedfor a better tomorrow and will hopefullycover up the losses sooner than expected.

The writer is President & Country Head —Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook

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MAPPING THE INDIAN TRAVEL TREND

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With the confidence of humanity shaken, recoveryin the post-Covid world will not be easy. The coro-na scare in these two years was a nightmare most

of us will find difficult to forget. Only way out is faith. Faithin God. Faith in humanity. Faith in ourselves. But under-standing faith is difficult. Practicing it more so. To the entirehumanity driven by pathophobia, an episode from a 1960sBollywood movie Guide may provide some clues. This filmnot just offered entertainment, but also provided enrich-ment to the soul for those who could see and hear. RajuGuide, the protagonist played by Dev Anand, is forced bycircumstances to become a Sanyasi ostensibly for the com-mon good. As the news of his sitting on fast to bring rainsto the parched land spreads, crowds throng from all over,turning the place into a pilgrimage. With the news spread-ing far, a foreign journalist is there to cover the event. Thedialogue between the lady and the protagonist is interest-ing. “Swami, do you believe that your fasting will bring rainsto the place,” asks the lady. The Swami replies rather philo-sophically that if 40 crore people (India’s population then)skip food one day, it can feed the same number for a day.The question is not whether it will rain or not; it is also notwhether he lives or dies. The question is if there is some-one behind this beautifully designed and orderly world; andif so, does He listen to his people. This piece of teleologi-cal argument is a popular theistic assertion offering proofto the existence of God. But more important is what sub-sequently happens in the film. The swami dies but it rains,nevertheless, proving his point. There is God, and He lis-tens. This is the crux of the matter. Faith that there is Godand belief that he stands with his people in times of crisis.In this world full of uncertainties only faith works. Faith isGod. Faith is power. Faith is religion. The story of creationin any religious order should never be regarded as a pieceof scientific description. It should be seen as the classicmythological expression of the belief that the whole natur-al order is a divine creation. God is the sole ruler and gov-ernor of this world and there is a divine design behind every-thing. Thus, the Christian dictum, “don’t believe so that youmay have faith, have faith so that you may believe”. Faithmakes things happen. In medical science, the power of faithin healing has been tested time and again. The curative powerof faith has been proved in psychology laboratories throughthe placebo effect. Faith is the basis of many a miracles. Yousee what you believe. Sometimes you create what you believe.But the underlying condition is — one hundred percent faith.That is why in medical colleges pupils are told that the eyescannot see what the mind does not know. In ancient Greekmythology, Pygmalion, the sculptor king of Cyprus, carveda statue of the ideal woman, fell in love with his creation,and through the strength of his own will and the assistanceof the Goddess Venus, brought it to life. Centuries later,George Bernard Shaw wrote world famous play Pygmalionusing a similar theme. In modern management literature,a phenomenon called Pygmalion Effect has been identified.It suggests that if things are believed, they become self-ful-filling prophecies. Wishes, then, can be horses.

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The karmaphala principle, asset out by God, is implement-ed by divine authorities exact-

ly as per the guidelines given by Godto them. They enforce them strictlyand without getting emotional aboutthe effect. Continuing about the ben-efits of soul consciousness, it alsomakes us develop firm faith in theexistence of God, who can help in allcircumstances, because there are twotypes of karmas: material and spiri-tual. These spiritual acts come underthe purview of God; He is the one,who can reward us in many ways.These are superior to material kar-mas. Therefore, one is motivated todo spiritual practices, and there aremany of them. One can choose,which suit one’s nature. For example,I have chosen chanting, writing spir-itual texts and having ‘darshan’ ofGod in His photo forms.

God consciousness, whichbecomes strong due to soul con-sciousness, brings many benefits. Ibecame serious about doing spiritu-al practices once I became aware oftheir usefulness to me. What did Ineed the most? Peace of mind ofcourse. This could come only fromGod (Bhagavad Gita 2.66), becauseHe only can solve any problem,which we are faced with. There aremany personal matters, about whichonly we and God can be aware of. Ifwe are unable to solve any problemthen, the answer has to come fromGod, who is privy to everythingabout us. I have been pleasantly sur-prised when a solution came fromGod, which only He could providedue to His being omniscient. Suchoccurrences have helped me tobecome serious in doing spiritual

practices, which in turn have broughtmany bounties from God, because inspiritual domain also the samekarmaphala principle operates, excepthere the acts are spiritual.

Progressively, my faith in God hasincreased. Other benefits have also sur-faced inevitably. With less attachmentwith the body, fear of death began toreduce a little, because I understandthat God is the ultimate arbiter of mylife. As I am linked to Him, I ambecoming reasonably sure that Godwill take care of me. More than death,my fear about ending up badly beganto reduce appreciably.

Some more benefits will progres-

sively accrue to us due to becomingsoul conscious. We will prepare betterfor the next birth, which will come forsure. We all have many desires. Thereis nothing wrong in having desires aslong as they according to ‘dharma’(7.11) We can hope to see them ful-filled in the next life, if for some rea-sons we are unable to get success in thislife. All we need to do is to go on withprescribed behaviour (6.17). God isvery kind; He will surely help. However,God appreciates acts done in themood of service more, because they arecontribute to the general well being.

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Throughout the year, there aremany occasions when wegive and receive gifts. Thesecould be on birthdays,anniversaries or various hol-

iday seasons that are associated withgift-giving. When we look at the pile ofwrapped gifts in our house, we discov-er most of them are material objects. Wemay have received clothing, jewellery,toys, games, gadgets or gift cards to buymore things. Yet, every one of these pre-sents are subject to decay with time.Nothing made of matter lasts and nei-ther will these gifts that we cherish. Isthere any gift we can receive that ismore valuable and will last forever?

It is the gift of kindness. Kindnessattracts the heart and fills the heart withlove for another. If we cultivated kind-ness in our hearts, we would see peo-ple flock to us. This would bring a trans-formation in them.

Think about people in your lifewho were kind to you. We may have felta special attraction or affection forthem. The first people who are kind tous in our lives are our parents. Wedevelop a lifelong loving bond with thefirst people who take care of us whenwe are young and helpless.

As we grow up, certain people whoare kind to us end up becoming ourfriends. When we meet the personwhom we are to marry, we find a spe-cial loving kindness in them toward usborne out of deep love.

First impressions are often lasting.If people find that their first impressionof someone is aloof, rude, uncaring andaggressive, they may reject whateverthat person represents in their life. Onthe other hand, if they meet someonewho is loving, kind and caring, they willbe drawn to what that person repre-sents. People are attracted by the kind-ness one exhibits.

There are many opportunities forus to show loving kindness, which hasthe power to transform others. One iskindness in deed. It may be a large actof kindness such as serving the sick,feeding the hungry or providing a homefor the homeless. It may be a small actbut it is remembered for a lifetime. Youmay open the door for someone whosehands are full. You may buy groceriesfor someone or give someone a ridesomewhere when their car breaksdown. It may even just be a smile thatmakes someone feel loved and cared for.We do not realise what a loving lookand smile means for someone’s day oreven life.

��������������������There are opportunities to show

loving kindness through our words. Akind word and a word of encourage-ment, acknowledgement or praise goesa long way in making someone feelclose to us. Telling people that we lovethem endears them to us for life. A fewloving, kind words can make people feel

regard and respect for us.

�����������������������Loving kindness is important even

in our thoughts. We think our thoughtsare private but others can read them asthey emit a vibration. Thoughts showon our face. They show through oureyes and are expressed in the way westand and walk. People can tell whetherwe care for them or not through ourbody language and nonverbal commu-nication.

������������������Part of our spiritual development

is to grow a kind spirit. To do this, weneed to put ourselves into the shoes ofothers. It means feeling the joys andpains of others. This requires us askingourselves if the words we speak are thewords we want others to say to us. Itmeans that the deeds we do to othersare those we want others to do to us.This means acting in a manner inwhich God would want us to act like.

By cultivating loving kindness,people will feel happy to be around us.

We would make them feel safe. Theywould feel we are loving and helpful.We would be the kind of people thatothers would want to be with. Then,they would ask how we became sokind. They would wonder about thelife we are leading. If we are leadinga good life with positive values, thiswould be the greatest influencetowards showing the benefits of a pos-itive life and would transform them.

Therefore, let us develop lovingkindness. If we do a service project,let us also develop loving kindness, forthat will be the impression on whichpeople judge the value of a life of ser-vice.

Saints attract souls by reflectingGod’s loving kindness. They are theabode of loving kindness. When theyare loving, caring and affectionate tous, our soul is drawn on the journeyback to God. Through loving kindnesswe can reflect God’s love and affect thelives of all who meet us. We can devel-op loving kindness by following thespiritual life.

One way to cultivate kindness is

through meditation. Meditating,doing introspection of our thoughts,words and deeds, and performing self-less service can grow kindness with-in us.

In meditation, we are becomingone with God, the source of all kind-ness and love. When we go withinthrough meditation, we embark onthe inner journey back to God. Thatis a journey of love and kindness. Weare enveloped ina protective embraceof love. In that state, there is no placefor anything but kindness.

Meditation uplifts us to realmswhere we see ourselves as soul andknow that we are drops of the Creator.We become all-conscious. It is at thatstage that we become more loving andcaring human beings.

The gift of transformation we getfrom meditation is one that is not keptto ourselves. It is like a divine fra-grance that spreads into the atmos-phere. When we are open to receivethis gift for ourselves, it would not belong before we transform the world.

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Mental and emotionalhealth is vital to ahealthy life, as they

play a role in how you think,act, and feel. Working, study-ing, or caring for others can bemore productive when you areemotionally healthy. Your men-tal health plays an importantrole in a healthy relationshipand in adapting to adversity.

It is crucial to take care ofyourself and enjoy life to thefullest. Here are a few tips fortaking care of your mentalhealth:● Put yourself first: Avoid self-criticism, and treat yourselfwith kindness and respect.Consider your hobbies andfavorite projects, and considerbroadening your horizons.Take dance classes, play aninstrument, do crossword puz-zles every day, plant a garden,or learn another language.

● Embrace good people:Those with strong social orfamily ties are generally health-ier than those without suchties. You can also join a club,class, or support group whereyou can meet new people.Make plans with supportivefamily members and friends.

● Calm your mind: Meditate,practice mindfulness, or pray.A relaxing exercise and aprayer can enhance your men-tal and emotional well-being.Meditation can calm you andenhance your therapeuticeffects.

● Converse: There is no weak-ness in talking about your feel-ings. It’s part of staying healthyand taking control of yourhealth.It’s okay to talk aboutsomething you have beenmulling over for a long time.By doing so, you will releasetension and calm your mind.

● Don’t consume alcohol or

other drugs: Avoid using otherdrugs and drinking alcohol asmuch as possible. The use ofalcohol and other drugs cansometimes be used as a meansof “self-medicating,” but theyworsen problems.

If you need help, ask for it:The act of seeking help demon-strates strength, not weakness.Also, treatment works, so don’t

give up. With the right care,people can recover from men-tal illness and addiction andlead happy, fulfilling lives.

We live in a fast-pacedworld, where often we overlookour mental health. We shouldlook after our mental health inorder to be happy and healthy.

The writer is a life coachand motivational healer

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Europe is once again facingthe heat of a new migration

crisis. This time two EastEuropean (EU) nations —Belarus and Poland — are onthe verge of fighting on theirborders. The reason is thatover thousands of migrantsthat are camping on theBelarus-Poland frontier are try-ing to cross over to Poland. Andthe Polish border guards aresimply not allowing them to getinto their country. These hap-less migrants are also trying tocross over to other Europeannations such as Estonia, Latviaand Lithuania. It seems to be ahybrid attack by Minsk, espe-cially over Warsaw, Tallinn,Riga and Vilnius. For poorand helpless migrants frommost of the conflict zones of theworld, including Africa, thisarduous journey could be apassport to the greener pastureof Europe. But what seems to beemerging from the ground isthat it is soon sliding into amajor humanitarian crisis, withthe death of more than 10migrants by now.

It is worth exploring theorigin of the current imbroglioon the Belarus-Poland border.Belarus was rocked by massiveopposition protests followingthe presidential election in themonth of August 2020. Thatelection gave AlexanderLukashenko more opportuni-ty to tighten his grip overByelorussia (historically called),the Republic of Belarus.However, the Opposition, theEuropean Union (EU) and theWest openly declared the elec-tion and its result as sham. TheBelarusian authorities respond-ed to the demonstrations withfierce force followed by jailingof prominent activists andopposition leaders. The USand the EU subsequentlyimposed sanctions overBelarus. These restrictions overthe Government ofLukashenko were toughenedwhen after an incident in Maywhen a passenger jet flyingfrom Greece to Lithuania wasdiverted by Belarus to Minsksimply to detain dissident jour-nalist Roman Pratasevich. TheEU later termed this incidentas ‘Air Piracy’ and barredBelarussian State airlines fromits sky. Besides, the group alsodrastically cut the import of topcommodities from the country

like petroleum products andpotash. The authorities inMinsk hit back at Brussels andrefused to abide by an agree-ment to prevent illegal migra-tion to the EU. It also opinedthat the severe EU sanctionsdeprived the Government ofmuch needed funds to stem theflow of migration across itsborders. Thus, gradually themassive flow of migrants hail-ing from Syria and other con-flict zones around the worldstarted arriving in Belarus andthey all moved towards theborders of Latvia and Lithuaniain the North-West and Polandin the West. Today the oppo-sition in Belarus is accusingLukashenko of using theGovernment tourist agencies tooffer free visa facilities to allthese migrants so that theycould go to the borderingnations like Poland, Latvia andLithuania. And finally, theycould easily enter differentparts of the EU.

The centre point of themigration crisis is PresidentLukashenko. Leaders in the EUthink that he is creating the ille-gal passage of migrants frommost of the war-torn andpoverty-ridden countries toneighbouring Poland and otherrich nations of the EU. Thesemigrants are mostly from war-ravaged nations such as Syria,Iraq, Libya, Yemen,Afghanistan, and even fromCommunist land of Cuba.Most of the EU leaders say thatLukashenko’s trouble-making isfundamentally connected tothe strict sanctions imposed bythe bloc over Belarus. Thesesanctions have been in placesince late 2020 because of thecontroversial presidential elec-tion in this landlocked EastEuropean country that sawthe return of Lukashenko forthe consecutive sixth term topower. And most importantly,massive human rights viola-tions and his brutal treatment

of all his opponents, includingthe main contestant for presi-dency, 37-year-old SvetlanaTikhanovskaya who is cur-rently in exile in Lithuania.

Today, Lukashenko isprobably the last surviving dic-tator of Europe. He took overpower in the year 1994 imme-diately after the breakdown ofthe mighty Soviet Union. Manysay that he has been maintain-ing the glory and elements ofbygone era Soviet style of com-munism. Almost each sector ofthe economy of this formerSoviet Republic is under theabsolute control of the State.The secret police that maintainstrict surveillance over all pow-erful and anti-Governmentforces in the country is stillknown as the KGB.

Lukashenko, the mercurialleader, is known for his West-battering. He has a long histo-ry of defying the West. Hisimmediate relief directly flowsfrom no other than the Russian

strongman Vladimir Putin,who makes no secret of hissheer disavowal of colour rev-olutions in his neighbourhood,especially one that has beentroubling Belarus since lastyear. And now comes themigration crisis, wherein theEU leaders are all up in armsagainst his longstanding allyLukashenko. Putin blames theWest for the migration crisis atthe Belarus-Poland border. Tohim, the root of the currentmigration problem lies in thechaos created by the West inIraq and in Afghanistan; andBelarus can nowhere beblamed for the same. Referringto conflicts in Iraq andAfghanistan, Putin highlightedthat Iraqi Kurds and Afghanswere among the migrants at theBelarussian border. His com-ments came as the Polish policerecovered the body of a youngSyrian man near the bordertown of Wolka Terechowska inthe north-eastern Poland close

to Poland-Belarus border. More than Belarus and

Lukashenko, now Putin hasbecome more anxious about themigration crisis. Meanwhile,Russia and Belarus have con-ducted snap paratrooper drillsjust 20 miles away from theborder where migrants are gath-ered. It was intended to test thereadiness of their troops.Around the same time,Washington has also warnedthat Putin could be preparingfor an attack on EasternUkraine. It is learnt that Russiais massing thousands of troops,artillery and tanks on the bor-der posts. This all showsMoscow’s full preparation tosupport Minsk in case a crisisoccurs from the other side of theborder in Warsaw.

The EU has threatenedthat it will slap new sanctionson Belarus targeting everyoneinvolved (people, airlines, trav-el agencies, etc.) in facilitatingthe migration crisis. Amid theescalating crisis, EUCommission President Ursulavon der Leyen warned the EUwill expand sanctions onBelarus and will target airlineswhich support “human traf-ficking”. Meanwhile, some car-riers have already declaredthey won’t be undertaking ser-vices to Belarus, including theTurkish Airlines. JensStoltenberg, the Secretary-General of the North AtlanticTreaty Organization (NATO),warned Moscow against poten-tial aggressive actions amid alarge concentration of Russiantroops on Ukraine’s borders.Kamala Harris, the US VicePresident, has commented thatLukashenko is engaged in verytroubling activity and world iswatching what is happeningthere. In fact, Putin’s suddenmovement of armed forcesmay indicate the potential fora wider geopolitical crisis in theregion. Currently, Ukraine isnot a member of the EU or theNATO, but both the organisa-tions are deeply concernedabout Russia’s quick militarybuild-up on its border. TheBaltic nations like Latvia,Estonia and Lithuania accusedthe Lukashenko regime ofinstrumentalising migrationfor political purposes. Again,Poland, Lithuania and Latviaare thinking of invoking Article4 of the NATO. This Article

calls for consultation when“the territorial integrity, polit-ical independence or securityof any of the parties is threat-ened”. Polish Prime MinisterMateusz Morawiecki is alreadytalking to his counterparts inLatvia and Lithuania for allpossible assistance from theNATO. Now it needs to be seenwhether such an emergencyhas occurred or not. WithLukashenko dialling up AngelaMerkel, known popularly as thede facto leader of the EU, asolution to the migration cri-sis is expected.

Finally, without speculatingone can say that Russia hasalways demonstrated its fire-power either to showcase itsstrength or simply to warn theWest and the EU not to stepinto its traditional areas ofinfluence like Belarus.Lukashenko, a man who hasalready survived many set-backs and crises in recent years,knows his limits and is wellaware about of the impact ofsevere sanctions. Unless a bigcolour revolution comes withthe full support of the elite ofBelarus, Lukashenko will everremain strong in Minsk. At themoment, the EU and the otherWestern powers are mountingpressures on Lukashenko,including further sanctions. Atthe same time, together they aretargeting Russia whereas thecentre of the problem lies inBelarus-Poland border. Brusselsand other major western pow-ers must see to it that themigrant crisis does not turninto a broader regional conflict.Instead of raising concernsabout Russia’s hidden inten-tions, the international com-munity must clinch a deal withLukashenko for an immediatesolution to settle thousands ofmigrants stranded on the no-man’s-land on Belarus-Polandborder before the cold wavessweep them away.

(Dr Makhan Saikia hastaught political science andinternational relations for overa decade in institutions ofnational and internationalrepute after specialisation inglobalisation and governancefrom Tata Institute of SocialSciences, Mumbai. He is thechief editor of the Journal ofGlobal Studies, an internation-al research journal)

The last leader of the notoriousapartheid era of South Africa,

FW de Klerk, died on November 11at 85 at his home in Fresnaye (a large-ly affluent white dominated localityof Cape Town situated betweenSignal Hill and Sea Point) after suf-fering from Mesothelioma, a type ofcancer that is associated especiallywith the exposure to asbestos.

He won the Nobel Peace Prizealong with Nelson Mandela for end-ing apartheid in 1993. He presidedover a brutal regime that killedmen, women and children to safe-guard one of the most anti-humanpolitical systems that ever existed inworld history. Its centrality lied indehumanising people of colour anddestroying the very spirit of human-ity. It simply exemplified segregationof the white minority from theAfricans and the rest of the coloredpeople of the country, backed by aninstitutionalised system purelypresided over by the Whites.

The Doctrine of Apartheid wasmade law in South Africa in 1948when the Afrikaner Nationalist Partycame to power. The word “apartheid”is originated from the Afrikaans lan-guage meaning “apartness”, or “sep-arateness”. This apartheid called forseparate development of differentracial groups in South Africa.

The infamous apartheid regimein South Africa came to an end witha series of discussions and dialoguesbetween 1990 and 1993. This was theresult of unilateral steps initiated bythe de Klerk Government. Thesenegotiations took place between thegoverning national party, the AfricanNational Congress (ANC) and a host

of other civil rights groups belong-ing to different parts of South Africa.

In retrospect, it seems that var-ious punitive measures invoked fromdifferent quarters of the globe,accompanied by the efforts made bythe ANC, forced de KlerkGovernment to abandon theapartheid system.

Many of these international ini-tiatives were not to pressurise theleading parties in South Africa toengage in a process of negotiationsbut simply to end the apartheid era.Subsequently the proponents of con-structive engagement and mostnotably the Conservative BritishPrime Minister Margaret Thatcherwere able to convince de Klerk to talkto the ANC.

Besides, by late 1980s, the SovietUnion and many other AfricanGovernments encouraged the ANCto negotiate a political solution to theapartheid.

He left a troubled legacy behind.He was a key political figure in thelong journey of South Africa’s tran-sition from deadly apartheid regimeto a modern democracy. He came topower in 1989 and continued till1994 as the head of the SouthAfrican State. And the iconic figureof the anti-apartheid era, NelsonMandela came to power after himand scripted a new history by being the first ever black Presidentof the country.

Interestingly, following his death,the FW de Klerk Foundationreleased a unique video worldwide-dubbed “final message”, in which hefrankly spoke about the horrors ofapartheid system of the yesteryear. In

the message, he said, “Let me today,in the last message repeat: I withoutqualification, apologise for the painand the hurt, and the indignity, andthe damage, to black, brown andIndians in South Africa.” On hisdeath, the fifth black president of thecountry Cyril Ramaphosa said deKlerk’s death should inspire all of usto reflect on the birth of our democ-racy. Indeed, it is the moment ofreckoning for all the coloured peo-ple of South Africa who had toundergo all sorts of harassment andinsult under the successive whiteGovernments in the country.

And the one presided over by de

Klerk brought the brutality to aninconceivable level. Apartheid prac-tised in his country was widelyrecognised as a crime againsthumanity. Probably, de Klerk musthave realised the sins committed bythe white regimes in South Africaand read the writing on the wall verycautiously. He described himself asa “convert” in an interview in 2012.He said, “We should have gonemuch earlier with the flow when thewinds of change blew across Africa.”

It simply indicates his sincererealisation of the evil effects of theracial discrimination prevailed dur-ing his presidency.

On record, de Klerk had been afirm believer in the system of racialsegregation of people in South Africa.Therefore, even after his retirementfrom active politics, he remained adivided figure in public square. Hewas very much reluctant to condemnthe apartheid system unequivocally.Though he was a staunch conserva-tive politician, within his five-yearrule from 1989-94, he graduallyrealised the futility and the deepdivide in the system of apartheid.Thus, he became an unlikely agent ofchange in his conservative clan andheralded the new light of multi-racialdemocracy in that country.

Although the relationshipbetween de Klerk and Mandela wasquite often characterised by sharpdisagreements, the new presidentalways described the last whitePresident as someone of greatintegrity. That indeed showed howMandela wanted to bridge the gapbetween the powerful white minor-ity and the rest of the coloured peo-ple of his country, by recognising theuphill task of rebuilding a multi-racial nation.

On February 1992, he came toParliament of South Africa with ahistoric declaration — NelsonMandela would be released fromprison after a 27 years sentence, legal-isation of anti-apartheid groups,end of a national state of emergencyand finally, the beginning of nego-tiation to end racial inequality inSouth Africa. The announcementelectrified the whole nation that fordecades had been scorned and sanc-tioned by many nations and inter-national organisations. Apart from

these, South Africa witnessed severeisolation from the internationalcommunity. With South Africa’s iso-lation deepening and its once robusteconomy deteriorating, the de KlerkGovernment was forced to lift thelongstanding ban on the ANC andother anti-apartheid groups.

He remained truthful and strongtill the end of his life. His was an eraof divisive politics. But he oversawthe transition of South Africa froma pariah state to one of a multi-racialdemocracy. Of course, his was a trou-bled time. Even after his announce-ment of the end of apartheid, manyconservative lawmakers in his coun-try brand him as a traitor, as racialtensions and the possibility of a civilwar were looming large.

However, he survived all andcame ready to serve as the deputy ofMandela, once his bete noire.Though many would still love to hatehim, millions would see in him a har-binger of a new age, with deep real-isation of the atrocities of racial seg-regation. Surely, he was not sole fac-tor in bringing an end to theapartheid. Therefore, once he spoke,“When I talk about the end ofapartheid, I prefer not to claim thehonour that I have ended it.” Todayall of us must be grateful to him ashe recognised the moment of changeand had tenacity to take the SouthAfricans to a new dawn. Nonetheless,he left a complicated legacy, while inpower, after retirement and in hisfinal journey.

(Dr Anjana Hazarika teachesSociology at Jindal Global University,Sonepat, Haryana)

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Astrology is believed to be a destinydefining discipline. Going byAncient Indian Philosophical per-

ception, human life cycle, driven bycause-effect chain, runs in succession.What we acquire during one life, sets thepremise on which the next life cycle takesoff. We, thus, are all born pre-pro-grammed to carry on the journey of life aparticular way. This way, every being isborn unique, each manifesting individu-alistic desire trends and mind traits,which lead a being all through the jour-ney of life. Guided by this perception, oneis tempted to visit an astrologer to explorefuture prospects.

Astrologers, based on the reading ofone’s horoscope, make future predictions,offering time line of good and badprospects. The astrologers propagate thebelief that what is in store of destiny, can’tbe changed. But at the same time, theysuggest gem stones and belief driven pujaas means of appeasing the planetary Godsas remedial measure to secure successand ward off evil. Do the two proposi-tions not sound contraindicative? If thecourse of destiny can’t be changed, howcomes remedial measures they suggestwould modify them? Are the planets, dis-

passionately available to all in equal pro-portion, enjoy the discriminatory abilityneeded to acknowledge and respond toindividual prayers? These questionsdeserve answer.

It will be interesting to note here thatthe world we live in, is always in motion.In fact, going by scientific perception,even the universe keeps expanding. Thefield players of the cosmos — the planetsand stars, the energy providers playingfrom the front — are continuously ontheir run at their own respective speeds.That includes the earth, which itself ismoving at a great speed. So, when seenrelative to earth, the energy dynamics ofnature, keeps varying every moment,having no parallel in the past, which evi-dently would influence our life cycle.Accordingly, the dynamics of everyemerging moment, and thereby its call-ings, keep varying, many of them can’t beforeseen. So, future is full of uncertainties,often confronting us with unforeseenchallenges, besides offering fresh oppor-tunities. We have already seen, how withpassage of time, fresh opportunities keeparising. Subjects like Computers,Information technology, and ArtificialIntelligence were nowhere in sight in ear-

lier days, offering us with enough ofemployment opportunities. Also, overallenvironmental condition and societaldynamics keep changing, which influenceour life cycle, individually and collective-ly. What complicates future course of lifeis our unique character, which createsground for conflict of interest.

We are all an inseparable part of aunified organism, where no individualhas a reality independent of the entirety.In such a framework, any happening atone end, it’s echoes will resonate far andwide. We, thus remain vulnerable to beconfronted with unforeseen challengesposed by the overall environmental con-ditions. If the domestic atmosphere orsocietal condition is not congenial, wecan’t go unaffected. The most glaringexample is that of the ongoing pandemic.It supposedly arose somewhere in China,but it engulfed the whole of world.

Another aspect that commonastrologers often tend to ignore is anindividual’s personality traits. They forgetthat having potential by itself is notenough. It needs to be realised. That callsfor putting into your whole into the act.Often our inherent limitations of mind,do not let us pursue the tasks in hand in

the right earnest, and evidently with obvi-ous consequences. Accordingly, astrologi-cal reading calls for a look into three fac-tors — Desha (environmental condition),Kala (probable destiny projection) andPatra (personality traits). Purposely sobecause destiny indications are subject tothe limitations exercised by environmen-tal conditions and personality traits.Unfortunately, most of the practisingastrologers ignore these two importantfactors while reading an astrologicalchart. And when their predictions do notcome through, people get disillusioned,which offer ground for the critiques ofastrology to cast aspersion on its efficacy.

With so many unforeseen variablesplaying their part, adding to the uncer-tainty of future, it is difficult to digest thatone’s destiny can be defined in finiteterms. The obvious question, therefore, is:What purpose would astrology as a disci-pline serve in real terms? For answer, letus have a look into the premise on whichastrology stands.

To be continued...'���������������������������$$������������������� ����������������������������������������������

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