OUTSTATION Saturday, February 27, 2021

RNI No. 30540/77CB/005/2021-23 Regd No.TN/WR/CB/005/WPP/2018-20 Founder Editor : A.E. Solomon Appadurai . Editor: M.N.Sudhan Appadurai . Vol.43 - No. 245 . Pages 6 . Rs. 5.00

TAMILNADU WAIVES JEWELLERY LOANSUpto 6 sovereigns

COIMBATORE Friday, February 26, 2021

The Chief Minister explained that one lakh women self-help groups in Tamil Nadu will benefi t from this loan waiver. The Chief Minister has announced these loan waiver offers as the Tamil Nadu Assembly election

dates are to be announced this evening. It is noteworthy that during the election campaign

two days ago, DMK supremo M K Stalin had said that if the DMK comes to power, we would waive the co-operative jewellery loans

up to a slab of 5 sovereigns.

36.

21.

Sunny much of the time and very warm with

low humidity

Clear

2 Page 3 5

National Skip the straw day-February 26

Anganwadi workers continuestir

Child protection programme heldPage Page

In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves- Philippians 2.3

NOIDA (UP), FEB 26 (PTI)

Five people, including two juveniles, allegedly involved in loot of cigarettes worth Rs 14 lakh from a private company in Greater Noida have been nabbed following a gunfi ght with police, offi cials said on Friday.

Three of the accused got injured in the gunfi ght that broke out near the Dadha roundabout in the Beta 2 area late on Thursday night and were arrested.

The two juveniles who were travelling along with them on a pickup truck

were apprehended, the offi cials said. "These people had targeted a warehouse of a private company on Wednesday night and attacked a security guard with a knife. They had decamped with a Tata Ace pickup truck loaded with 14 cartons of cigarettes which cost around Rs 14 lakh, Greater Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh said. He said the police had got a tip-off about the gang moving with the looted material during the night and intercepted them, leading to a gunfi ght. "Three accused, Kapil and other two named

Rohit, got injured in the cross-fi ring. All three hail from Ghodi Baccheda village in Greater Noida and Kapil worked in the same company until a year ago, Singh said.

All 14 cigarette cartons have been recovered, while three country-made pistols along with some ammunition were seized from the accused trio, he said, adding the two juveniles involved in the loot were also apprehended.

The injured were taken to a hospital for treatment while an FIR has been lodged and further proceedings were underway in the case, the offi cer said.

Two juveniles among 5 nabbed after gunfight with police in Greater Noida SURAT, FEB 26 (PTI)

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday arrived in Gujarat's Surat to "thank" the people if the city, where his party has put up an impressive show by winning 27 seats in the recently-held civic polls. Talking to reporters on his arrival at the city airport in the morning, he said, "I have come here to thank people of Surat."

Kejriwal will take part in a road show in the city at 3 pm. It will begin from Varracha area and end at Sarthana, where he will address a public meeting.

During his visit, he will also meet local offi ce- bearers

of his party and the newly-elected corporators.

The AAP has made inroads into Gujarat's politics by winning 27 seats of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), one of the six cities where voting was held on Sunday. Although the BJP has retained power by winning 93 seats in the 120-member SMC, the AAP has become the opposition party by

winning the remaining 27 seats. The Congress, which had won 36 seats in 2015, could not bag even a single seat this time.

One of the main reasons for AAP's impressive show in Surat was the support it received from Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), a quota agitation body once led by Hardik Patel, who is now the working president of Gujarat Congress, political experts said.

Although the PAAS is virtually defunct, two of its prominent members - Alpesh Kathiria and Dharmik Malavia - are still active in Surat and command support of Patidar voters. The Congress had managed

to win 36 seats in Patidarr dominated areas of Surat in the last election, riding on the anti-BJP wave created by the PAAS in 2015.

In this election, those voters turned to AAP due to anti-Congress stand taken by both Kathiria and Malavia, who had openly pledged to defeat Congress in Surat after differences between them and Congress emerged over the issue of ticket distribution, the analysts said.

It was for the fi rst time that the AAP had fi elded its candidates in the municipal polls in Gujarat. Although the party had fi elded candidates in all six cities of Gujarat, it managed to win seats in Surat alone.

Kejriwal arrives in Surat to 'thank' people after civic polls

CHENNAI.FEB.26Following a major

setback in health, the ailing Communist Party of India (CPI) leader, D Pandian (Tha. Pandian) who was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, passed away on Friday morning. He was kept under life support for the past two days and was reported critical. The 88- year-old veteran CPI leader was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for fl uctuations in blood pressure and urinary infection issues.

He was the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India for nearly six years till 2015 when he was succeeded by R. Mutharasan.

Communist leader Tha Pandian passes away in Chennai

NEW DELHI, FEB 26 (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed on increasing credit fl ow to businesses to meet the needs of a fast refl ating economy and said fi nancial products will have to be tailor-made for fi ntech and startups.

He said that although the government's endeavour is to promote the private sector, public sector presence in banking and insurance is also

required. "As our economy is growing, and growing fast, credit fl ow has also become equally important. You have to see how credit reaches new

sectors, new entrepreneurs. Now you will have to focus on creation of new and better fi nancial products for Startups and Fintech," Modi said, addressing a webinar on Budget proposals relating to the fi nancial sector. Modi further said "the government is taking steps to make the fi nancial services sector vibrant, proactive and strong". He added that the government would stand by all business decisions taken with the right intent.

Need to increase credit flow to businesses as economy grows: Modi

SINGAPORE, FEB 26 (PTI)

A 39-year-old Indian-origin woman and her British husband were jailed in Singapore on Friday for breaking the country's quarantine rules so that they could spend time together in a hotel room, according to a media report.

Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai was jailed for a week. Her British husband Nigel Skea, 52, was sentenced to two weeks' jail and slapped with a fi ne of 1,000 Singapore dollar (USD 752), the Channel News Asia reported. In September, Nigel

conspired with Eyamalai, his then-fi ancee, to meet in a room at a hotel where he was serving a stay-home notice after arriving in Singapore from London.

District Judge Jasvender Kaur said it was not harsh for her not to place mitigating weight on the explanation for their breach that Skea had travelled to propose marriage and they both were overcome by emotions after not seeing each other for a very long time. "The fact of the matter is that the restrictions are necessary to prevent the spread of the pandemic," she said. "Disruptions to

relationships are an inevitable consequence.

It requires patience and sacrifi ce (from) everyone ... for the greater good," the Channel News Asia quoted Judge Kaur as saying.

The pair pleaded guilty earlier this month. Skea admitted to two charges of exposing others to risk of infection by leaving his hotel room while on stay-home notice and failing to wear a mask.

Eyamalai, who subsequently married Skea, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring with Skea to breach his stay-home notice.

Indian-origin woman, her British husband jailed for breaching Singapore's COVID-19 safety measures

CHENNAI,FEB.26Chief Minister

Palanisamy has on Friday announced under Rule 110 that farmers have been given waivers of jewellery loans availed by pledging jewels up to 6 sovereigns in co-operative banks. He also announced that loans availed by women's self-help groups through cooperative banks would be waived. The interim budget session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is underway. At today's meeting, Chief Minister Palanisamy issued an important announcement under Rule 110.

It has been announced that the farmers will be given a

waiver for the jewel loans they have mortgaged to

jewellery up to 6 sovereigns in cooperatives banks for

their agricultural work. Similarly, he has announced

the waiver of loans of women's self-help groups. For most of the rural women in Tamil Nadu, women's self-help groups are a great support to lead a self-suffi cient family and lead to economic success. It has been instrumental in making small businesses prosperous by providing low-interest loans to these groups in cooperative banks and nationalized banks. Following this, it was recently reported that the Government of Tamil Nadu is considering waiving the loans given to them in the Co-operative Banks. In this situation, loans obtained by women's self-

help groups in co-operative banks and co-operative societies have been waived. The Chief Minister explained that one lakh women self-help groups in Tamil Nadu will benefi t from this loan waiver. The Chief Minister has announced these loan waiver offers as the Tamil Nadu Assembly election dates are to be announced this evening. It is noteworthy that during the election campaign two days ago, DMK supremo M K Stalin had said that if the DMK comes to power, we would waive the co-operative jewellery loans up to a slab of 5 sovereigns.

NEW DELHI, FEB 26: The Election Commission is

expected to announce poll dates for Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry at 4.30 pm on Friday. The states are due for elections in April-May. This is the fi rst major set of elections to be held in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic after the Bihar election. The Election Commission is likely to hold elections in Bengal in seven-eight phases. In 2016, elections were held in six phases from April 4-May 5. The ECI data showed that about 6,400 polling booths are deemed sensitive in the state. The poll body has also increased in Bengal from 78,903 to

1,01,790. At least 125 companies of central security forces are likely to arrive in the state by the end of February. The ECI will follow the Bihar model, taken up last year for conducting

the assembly polls amid the coronavirus pandemic, during the upcoming elections. The ECI has already started inoculation of the offi cials involved with the polling and the entire process would get over before the election starts. Candidates for the election would also have to follow the protocols while offi cials inside polling booths will wear masks, face shields and gloves and use sanitiser on the premises. The terms of the legislative assemblies of the four states is coming to an end in May and June. In Puducherry, President's Rule has been imposed and the assembly kept under suspended animation after the V Narayanasamy-led Congress government resigned earlier this week ahead of a vote of confi dence.

Election Commission to announce poll dates for 5 states at 4.30 p.m today

NEW DELHI, FEB 26 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday saluted

the valour of the Indian Air Force (IAF) fi ghters on the anniversary of the Balakot air strikes, and said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, security of the country and the soldiers is paramount. On February 26, 2019, IAF fi ghter jets crossed the Line of Control and destroyed terror launch pads in Balakot in Pakistan. "On this day in 2019, @IAF_MCC had made it clear the New India's policy against terrorism by giving response to the Pulwama terror attack," Shah tweeted. "I remember the brave martyrs of Pulwama and salute the valour of the Air Force. Under the leadership of @narendramodi ji, security of the country and our soldiers is paramount," he said. The air strikes were undertaken days after 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.

Home Minister Shah salutes valour of IAF fighters on Balakot air strikes anniversary

FIROZABAD (UP), FEB 26 (PTI) A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten

to death by the family members of the girl here when he had gone to meet her, police said on Friday.

The incident took place in a locality under Rasulpur police station limits on Thursday, they said. Pawan, resident of Shanti Nagar, had gone to meet the girl on Thursday

evening when her family members severely beaten him up, Rasulpur Station House Offi cer (SHO) Fateh Bahadur Bhadoriya said. He succumbed to the injuries at hospital later in the night, the SHO said. He said a case has been lodged against six people, including the father of the girl and fi ve people have been taken into custody. The body was sent for post-mortem and further investigations are on, the SHO added.

Man killed by girl's kin over meeting herFIROZABAD (UP) FEB 26 (PTI)

An undertrial prisoner gave the police the slip when he was brought for a court hearing in Matsena in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district, an offi cial said on Friday.

Rishi Kumar Yadav, arrested in

connection with the alleged dowry death of his wife, was brought to the court in Matsena police station area for hearing in the case when he fl ed the complex on Thursday evening, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Kumar Pandey said. Mahaveer Singh, the policeman on duty with the prisoner,

has been suspended with immediate effect for reporting the matter late as well as showing laxity and directives have been given to take the personnel under custody, the SSP said.

Police teams have been activated and all efforts are on to nab the undertrial, the senior offi cial added.

Undertrial escapes from police custody in UP

BERHAMPUR (ODI-SHA), FEB 26 (PTI)

Local fi shermen, villagers and the forest department have released a 15-feet long whale shark into the Bay of Bengal after it came to the net line, offi cials said on Friday.

The fi sh was released into the sea on Thursday, they said.

It came into the net line during fi shing in the sea near Pati Sonepur at Ganjam district in south Odisha, about 20 km away from here, the offi cial said.

Since the 1500 kg fi sh was alive, the fi shermen along with villagers and forest staff released it into the deep sea, the forest department offi cials said.

Whale sharks are known to be the largest living non- mammalian vertebrates. It is a slow moving fi sh which swims close to the water surace as it feeds on plankton. It comes near the Odisha beach generally from February to May every year. We have deployed forest personnel on the beach during the night to watch for any development said Berhampur forest range offi cer D K Martha.

If the whale shark dies it will wash ashore due to the tidal wave of the sea, he said. Whale sharks are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act and an endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In 2020 at least four whale sharks had died in Odisha coast, including three in the Ganjam coast at Gopalpour, Pati Sonepur and Kantiagada, forest department sources said.

15-ft whale shark released into the deep sea in Odisha

2

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FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2021 COIMBATORE

NATIONAL SKIP THE STRAW DAY-FEBRUARY 26On the fourth Friday

in February, The Coral Keepers ask

you to consider a different way on National Skip the Straw Day! For thousands of years, humans have enjoyed slurping a refreshing beverage through a cylindrical tube.

If Marvin Stone (the inventor of the fi rst paper straw in 1888) were alive

today, he might be shocked to know of the fi ve large areas of the ocean, called gyres, where plastic garbage collects.

The sea’s currents create vortexes trapping plastics, and in the collection are

plastic drinking straws Straws and other plastics cause harm to marine life in many ways. Birds, fi sh and other sea life consume plastics accidentally or when they mistake it for food.

Plastics don’t biodegrade. They break down into smaller and fi ner, microscopic pieces. When plastics break down, they produce bisphenol A (BPA) which interferes with reproductive systems in marine life. It also produces styrene monomer which is a suspected carcinogen.

According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million drinking straws daily! So, on National Skip the Straw Day that’s potentially 500 million fewer straws that don’t end up in landfi lls or the ocean.

We can give you all sorts of other statistics to convince you to Skip the Straw on National Skip the Straw Day (and on other days), but we would rather show you how.

For most of us, the easiest way is to pick up the glass and tip it back like our parents taught us to do when we four or fi ve. It may take some practice and maybe both hands. There are other fun, eco-friendly, healthy options.

Bamboo straws are a renewable, reusable and biodegradable.Paper straws, while still disposable, are biodegradable and from a renewable source.Glass straws are coming in durable, colorful designs fi t for a variety of beverages.Stainless steel straws are an option for those of us who like our cold drinks really cold! Volunteer to help clean up your local beaches, parks

or neighborhoods. Take note of how many straws are included in all the litter.Plan ahead. Do you frequent fast-food restaurants or get beverages to go? You will often receive the straw before you have the chance to say no. Be prepared when you order to request your drink without a straw.Share your solutions and use The Coral Keepers, students at Whitehall Middle School in Whitehall, MI,

along with their advisor, Susan Tate, founded National Skip the Straw Day in 2017 to encourage Americans to give up the straw habit and help spread awareness about the damage caused by disposable plastics. The Registrar at National Day Calendar® declared the day to be observed annually on the fourth Friday in February. Every year, plastic straws and stirrers are among the top ten

items collected during Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. In fact, volunteers have collected nearly 14 million straws and stirrers from beaches and waterways worldwide over the 30+ year history of the International Coastal Cleanup! Unfortunately, many more continue to make their way into our ocean, where they pose a real danger to sea turtles, albatross, fi sh

and other ocean wildlife. What makes plastic straws unique is that for the vast majority of people they are not necessary. What’s more, sustainable, ocean-friendly alternatives are available.

If you don’t need to drink using a straw, commit to skipping the straw and add your voice to the sea of people taking a stand for the ocean. Sign the pledge now and when offered a straw, simply say “no thanks.”’

It is a small step that goes a long way for ocean health.people are skipping the straw or switching to non-plastic straws, it made me wonder about the current straw laws in the U.S., especially here in D.C., and how we got to this point.

As D.C. Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) director Tommy Wells told the D.C. Council committee that considered the proposed straw law, “District businesses and organizations that serve or sell food or beverages must use compostable or reusable straws,” a classifi cation that includes those made of paper, bamboo, hay, stainless steel,

and glass. Consumers can also use purchased straws like the reusable alternatives being developed out of metals and glass, including a collapsible straw created for easy storage.

The ban on plastic straws directly affects people with disabilities, who may require a straw to drink. Mathew McCollough, director of D.C.’s Offi ce of Disability Rights, testifi ed that paper straws are more likely to break apart, rendering them unusable or creating a choking hazard.

In addition, people with disabilities can severely injure themselves if they bite down hard on a metal or glass straw.

“While the reduction of plastic straws for public consumption is a just and needed cause,” McCollough said, “the complete elimination of plastic straws from these entities neglects the legitimate needs of many DC residents and visitors.” A one-pager from the DOEE states that they “recognize some customers with disabilities require plastic straws as a reasonable

accommodation to consume food or beverages.

Regulated entities must keep a limited stock of plastic straws available to meet these needs and remain compliant with local and federal disability rights laws.”

To implement these policies, Zach Rybarczyk from DOEE inspects D.C. restaurants to monitor compliance with the plastic-straw ban.

Now known as the straw cop, Rybarczyk was seen patrolling Union Station, warning establishments about the length of their grace period and the amount of the fi nes in place if they keep distributing plastic straws.

Private companies are making an effort to eliminate plastic straws even if laws are not put into place in all cities.

States like California and Hawaii have introduced proposals that would restrict their use, and cities like New York City, and Portland also have proposals in progress.

Volunteer with Blue Ocean Society to engage restaurant owners and staff to Skip the Straw.

Odisha govtissues summer guidelinesBHUBANESWAR, FEB 26 (PTI)

With the day temperaturealready crossing 35 degree

Celsius at several places in the state in the middle of February, Odisha government has issued specifi c guidelines on how to tackle the ensuing summer which is likely to be very hot this time, offi cial sources said.

Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena issued a letter to all district collectors on Wednesday as the mercury level crossed 35 degree Celsius in at least nine places across the state. The state capital Bhubaneswar recorded 38 degree Celsius and was the hottest place in the state for the second consecutive day.

A heatwave action plan has been developed by the Odisha Disaster Management Authority delineating the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for different departments, district administrations and others to mitigate the heatwave situation, Jena said.

The SRC directed the district authorities to take advance steps to identify the water scarcity pockets and prepare an action plan for ensuring supply of water for drinking and other uses through tankers to those areas.

AMU student goes missingALIGARH (UP), FEB 26 (PTI)

An undergraduate student of the Aligarh Muslim University has been found missing from his hostel room, University authorities said on Thursday.

Ashraf Ali, who hails from Bihar and is a fi nal year student of BA, left his room in the SS South Hall on Tuesday afternoon and is not traceable since then, they said.

According to hostel inmates, Ashraf was mostly spending his time in his hostel room attending online classes .

Two robbers held after gunfight in NoidaNOIDA (UP), FEB 26 (PTI)

Two men allegedly involved in multiple cases of phone snatching in Delhi NCR were held after a gunfi ght with the police in Noida on Thursday, offi cials said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ranvijay Singh said the encounter broke out in the morning near Gijhod village under Sector 24 police station.One of the accused was held after he got injured in retaliatory fi ring by the police, while another was nabbed during a combing operation, he said.

Tutukorin District Collector Dr. Senthilraj gives away cell phones to 40 differently abled persons at District Collectorarte Yesterday. Disabled persons welfare offi cer

BramaNayagam in also seen.

Haryana Police refutes Naudeep Kaur's charge of assault as 'baseless'CHANDIGARH, FEB 26 (PTI)

The Haryana Police has refuted labour rights activist Naudeep Kaur's charge of assault as "baseless" and accused her of extorting money from industrialists.

In a status report submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday, the Haryana Police said "false" allegations are being made through a few social media platforms that Kaur was wrongly implicated and arbitrarily detained. The court is hearing a matter related to Kaur's alleged illegal confi nement. It had earlier taken suo motu cognizance of the matter.

Kaur, who hails from Punjab's Muktsar district, in her regular bail plea before the high court had claimed to have been severely beaten up at a police station after she was arrested by the Sonipat police last month.

The 23-year-old activist had also claimed that her medical examination was not conducted in "utter violation" of law. Kaur, who is currently lodged in a Karnal jail, was arrested for allegedly

gheraoing an industrial unit and demanding money from the company in Haryana's Sonipat on January 12.

In its reply fi led through the Sonipat Deputy Superintendent of Police, the Haryana Police claimed that during interrogation, Kaur had stated that she along with her associates Shiv Kumar, Sumit, Ashish and Sahil had formed the Majdoor Adhikar Sangathan (MAS) and they took brokerage from the labourers for providing them salary from the factory owners and also extorting money from the owners. Refuting any kind of assault of Kaur at a police station, the police said she was taken to the police station and kept

in the women's waiting room accompanied by two female police personnel. From the police station, she was taken to the Sonipat civil hospital for medical examination on the same day. "She underwent not just a general medical examination but also a special medical examination by a lady doctor, the police said in the report.

She also did not mention anything about any assault by police offi cials when she was presented before a chief judicial magistrate for judicial remand, the police said. "False allegations are being made through a few social media platforms that Kaur was falsely implicated and arbitrarily detained by

police, it said. The Haryana Police claimed that they had received a complaint on January 12 regarding gherao of an industrial unit at Kundli in Sonipat.

The complaint referred to illegal extortion of money from factory owners by MAS activists under the garb of workers' unpaid salaries. Kaur made a provocative speech whereby she stated that they will attack and beat the police if they arrive on the spot, said the police.

A video recording of her provocative and threatening speech was also submitted in the high court.The police had earlier claimed that a team of police personnel was allegedly attacked with sticks when they reached.

No proposal to reduce tax on petrol, diesel: UP govtLUCKNOW, FEB 26 (PTI)

There is no proposal to reduce tax on petrol and diesel as revenue is needed to ensure betterment of health services and other development works due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uttar Pradesh government said on Thursday.

Replying to Samajwadi Party (SP) member Narendra Verma during the question hour in the state Assembly, Cabinet Minister Satish Mahana said,

"There is no proposal under consideration to reduce tax on petrol and diesel in view of the resources and fi nancial requirements for improving health facilities and other developmental

works keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic. "Currently, consumers in Uttar Pradesh are getting diesel at a lower price than the states of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Punjab and Uttarakhand, he said. Similarly, petrol is available at lower

prices here as compared to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, Orissa, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, he added. About the decrease in LPG prices, the minister said since the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came in force on July 1, 2017, the state has no right to reduce the tax.

Direct Education Ministry to withdraw memorandun - MamataKOLKATA, FEB 26 (PTI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to direct the Ministry of Education to immediately withdraw its revised guidelines which stipulated state-aided universities to get prior consent from the ministry for holding global conferences. Publicly-funded universities will have to get the prior consent of the ministry if they want to hold online global conferences on issues pertaining to the security of the country or matters directly "related to Indias internal matters", the ministry said on January 15.

Banerjee said the revised guidelines have put several restrictions in respect of holding online/virtual international conferences/seminars/training even for state- aided universities.She also alleged that state governments were not consulted before the issuance of the memorandum. In the letter to PM Modi, Banerjee wrote, "Our universities must enjoy the highest possible degree of self- governance and freedom. "Knowledge is neither created by nor

belongs to any single country and community. Reasonable regulations and restrictions are understandable. However, the restrictions imposed by the offi ce memorandum under reference, further highlights the intention of the government of India towards centralisation of higher education system in our country." Highlighting that digital platforms have become a boon for teachers and students in rural areas, small towns and cities, Banerjee said,

"It will not be out of place to mention that education is in the Concurrent list of Constitution and any non-consultation by the government of India with the state governments before issuing any such instructions to the educational institutions will be against the spirit of the federal structure."

Any such communication will only be viewed as an example of "contempt of constitutional powers of the states", Banerjee said.The state governments are duly empowered under law to deal with any act committed by any educational institution which violates any law or is contrary to the interest of national security,

Seven bills introduced in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly

ITANAGAR, FEB 26 (PTI)

Seven government bills were introduced in the state Assembly on Thursday, the fi rst day of the Budget session. Chief Minister Pema Khandu introduced the Arunachal Pradesh Civil Courts Bill 2021 while Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who holds the Finance, Planning. Investment portfolios, introduced three bills Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, Ease of Doing Business Bill and Goods and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill respectively. Health and Family Welfare Minister Alo Libang introduced the Arunachal Pradesh Indian Medicine Council (Amendment) Bill.

District Panchayat Union meeting in being held at Dharmapuri District rural development offi ce under Distrtict panchayat Union precident Yasodha Madhivanan District Panchayat secretary Marimuthu Raja and other

members attended the meeting.

Odisha reports 89 fresh COVID-19 casesBHUBANESWAR, FEB 26 (PTI)

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on

Thursday surged to 3,36,924 after 89 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the coronavirus death toll to 1,915, a health department offi cial said. The new cases were detected in 19 of the state's 30 districts,

with 53 cases reported from quarantine centres and 36 local contact cases. Sambalpur district recorded the highest of 14 cases followed by 9 each from

Khurda and Balasore and Sundergarh (8). Kandhamal and Dhenkanal turned coronavirus free as both the districts have no active COVID-19 case.With one COVID-19 patient succumbing to the infection in Bolangir district, the state's coronavirus death toll mounted to 1,915.

Kalahandi exports high quality cotton to BangladeshB H AWA N I PAT N A , FEB 26 (PTI)

Once known as the 'hunger zone' of India in the 1980s, Odisha's Kalahandi district has now started exporting high quality cotton to neighbouring Bangladesh through train. Though earlier some cotton were being exported from Kalahandi to Bangladesh through lorry, this is for the fi rst time on Wednesday when the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) exported cotton to Bangladesh through a goods train from Junagarh Road railway station in the district, offi cials said. The goods train started its journey from Junagarh Road station in

Kalahandi district to Benapol station of Bangladesh. T

he current consignment is of 6,500 bales of cotton weighing around 2,471 tonnes, they said. The bales were packed into 42 wagons and sent to the neighbouring country via Kolkata. East Coast Railways, Sambalpur Division, Divisional Manager Pradeep Kumar in a statement appreciated the effort of offi cers and staff of the division in capturing this long lead traffi c to Bangladesh. Kalahandi is the lead cotton growing district in the state and during the current season, cotton was grown over 60,575 hectares of land.

"She herself gave a writt en statement to

the female doctor that she does not want to

be medically examined as she has not been

assaulted on January 12, says the report.

3FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2021 COIMBATORE

BENGALURU, FEB 26 (PTI)

The Government Aviation Training School at Jakkur that was shut for the past three years will reopen, Minister of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Planning and Statistics, Dr Narayana Gowda said on Thursday. The Minister visited the aviation training school at Jakkur in the city spread over 214 acres and directed the offi cials to initiate measures to reopen it at the earliest. Gowda expressed his displeasure over the mess around there. Later in a statement, he said, "There are students for the aviation school but there is a lack of teaching faculty due to which the students are in trouble." According to him, the reopening of the aviation school would offer jobs to a large number of youth. The Minister pointed out that there was growing need for pilots with the expansion of the aviation sector and in this scenario this school would help meet the growing demand.

The Minister directed the offi cials to expedite the process of acquiring an additional 10 acres of land required for twin-engine aeroplanes.

Jakkur aviation training school to reopen: Minister

ERODE FEB 26: A protest was held in front

of the offi ce of the Assistant Director of Handlooms, Ashokapuram, Erode, on behalf of the Erode District Handloom Weavers' Union, led by District Chairman V. Sithayan.

AITUC state secretary of S. Chinnaswamy, union functionaries Kandasamy,

Ranadive, Kannusamy, Varadarajan, Ponnusamy, Bharathi, Rasammal spoke. They wanted corona relief of Rs 2000, announced by the Tamil Nadu government, should be given to all weavers, hike in the basic wage of handloom weavers which has not been raised for a long time, hike in the pension for handloom weavers to Rs. 3,000 per

month and extension of it to all those who crossed 60 years of age, steps to control the rise in yarn prices, supply of adequate quantity of yarn to get work for six days in a week, enforcement of handloom reservation order strictly, steps to check powerloom carpets of Solapur and as handloom carpet and medical insurance scheme for all handloom weavers.

Handloom weavers seek corona relief

ERODE FEB 26 : In Erode yesterday,

for the ninth day in a row on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Revenue Offi cials Association, a demonstration was held in front of the Erode taluk offi ce.

It was led by the union District Secretary Gururagavendra. The union wanted improved pay scale

and separate pay for all level employees in the revenue sector, steps to fi ll up vacancies, promotion of non-graduate offi cers, restoration of old pension scheme, hike in the family security fund to Rs 10 lakh. More than 400 people, ranging from offi ce assistants to Tahsildars, took part in the strike on ninth day.

Revenue staff stir enters 9th day

ICICI Prudential launches Guaranteed Income insurance productsDINDIGUL FEB 26 FEB 26

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has launched a new goal-based savings product – 'ICICI Pru Guaranteed Income for Tomorrow' (GIFT), which provides guaranteed income to policyholders to help them achieve their long-term fi nancial goals.

The savings product can enable customers to eliminate the uncertainty of future income streams to a large extent. The life cover provides fi nancial security to the family, which is essential for a robust fi nancial plan.

The policyholder can opt to receive the maturity benefi t in the form of guaranteed income for a period of 5, 7 or 10 years. Another variant of the

policy enables customers to start receiving income from the second year of the policy, known as Guaranteed Early Income. In the third type of policy, customers need to pay the premium only once at the time of purchase and choose the policy tenure after which they would like to receive the Guaranteed lump sum benefi t. Customers will also enjoy the added benefi ts of guaranteed returns coupled with life cover.

Another unique aspect of 'ICICI Pru Guaranteed Income for Tomorrow' is the "Save The Date" feature. Under this customers can choose to start receiving income on special dates such as their wedding anniversary, birthday of spouse, etc.

ERODE, FEB. 26: Many members of

Tasmac employees union, who have been working for 18 years, staged stir with their family members at Erode Veerappanchathram, on Thursday. They sought regularization of their

service, time scale with all benefi ts on par with other government staff safety in their workspots and closure of unsafe shops, shifting of employees on rotation basis and action on those who attacked the employees. The stir was led by LPF leader Gopal.

Tasmac workers stage stir with family

ERODE, FEB. 26: Members of TN

anganwadi workers union continued their strike for 4th day on Thursday by waiting in the Erode taluk offi ce.

They wanted all workers be made government employees and paid periodically, payment of

Rs 10 lakh for staff and Rs. 5 lakh for assistants as retirement benefi t, transfer within the blocks, promotions for those who completed 3 years of service. More than 500 Anganwadi women workers of the district took part in the strike who prepared food in the area.

Anganwadi workers continue stir

ERODE, FEB. 26: Corona is threatening

people all over the world. Its impact is being echoed in India as well. In the fi rst phase, covaxin and covishield vaccines were given to doctors and health workers nurses working in government and private hospitals in the Erode, Gobi, Bavani GHs, Perundurai IRT Medical College Hospital, Siruvalur PHC and 2 private hospitals. In the second phase, revenue, police and other fi eld level staff were being given the vaccine.

So far, more than 8,000 frontline workers across the district have been vaccinated. Corporation Commissioner Dr M Ilangovan was vaccinated at the Corporation Health Center at Gandhiji Road, Erode. Similarly, more than 100 corporation staff, including the city health offi cer and assistant commissioners, were vaccinated against corona,sources said.

100 Erode Corpn staff vaccinated against corona

ERODE, FEB. 26: Around 70 percent of

the buses were operated in Erode district on Thursday, despite opposition TUs started indefi nite strike all over the state to press their charter of demands including signing of new wage pact. Offi cial sources said that the TNSTC would normally operate 720 buses daily from its 13 depots including Erode Kasipalayam, Anthiyur, Nambiyur, Perundurai, Sathy, Thalawadi and Bhavani. Of these, 60 per cent are operated to outer districts and rest within the district.

With the help of temporary workers and memers of ruling Anna Labour Front, 70 percent of buses were operated today.

At the same time private buses were fully operated so that the passengers did not face much problem. The TNSTC offi cials said that `we started making alternative arrangements as soon as the unions announced their strike from today.

The TUs wanted

allotment of necessary funds in the budget for TNSTC workers, steps to check the practice of using workers money for managing the TNSTC, provide adequate fund to strengthen public transport facility, settling the dues of the retired staff, and fi nalizing the new wage pact without delay.

70 percent of buses ply in Erode

ERODE, FEB 26: Erode district small

scale industries association (EEDISSIA) appealed to the government to set up an export terminal at SIPCOT, Perundurai in Erode.

Its 38th General Body Meeting, held at Erode adopted a resolution in this regard. Other Demands:The policy of refunding money in GST should be simplifi ed. Permission must be granted to purchase a car and heavy vehicle under the Input Tax Credit (ITC).

GST for cloth bag should be reduced to 5 percent. A branch of the Central Food Technology Research Institute should be set up as there lot of food manufacturing and allied industries are existed in the district.

4 percent of production is hit due to monthly power outages, and action must be taken to avoid it. Banks should take steps to ensure

that the holidays should not exceed two days and it could not hit the bank transfers. The NPA period should permanently 6 months. Practical issues in the ESI and PF Act should be resolved. Erode corporation and TNEB should complete the road and other works in Erode speedily. A new fl yover should be constructed from Erode GH to Central Bus Stand and Veerappan Chatram. Freight and transportation vehicle insurance premiums should be reduced. The government should take steps to remove the barriers and obstacles in setting up businesses in the food park at Perundurai SIPCOT, provide due security to all fi rms, Collector should hold a meeting of MSMES every two months to resolve their problems and the Centre should take steps to curb the rise in prices of raw materials. At the meeting, P. Thirumurthy assumed as new president of EEDISSIA.

EEDISSIA seeks export terminal at Perundurai SIPCOT

ERODE, FEB 26:

Normally, government school HMs/teachers would eye on ensuring cent percent pass.

But, NK Dhanabakyam, an HM ofValayapalayam Government High

School in TN Palayam, brought the latent talent of the students especially their creativity in writing books during the Corona period.

She has produced many budding writers during the period, which crippled normal life of students. In the months of September and

October 2020, she along with her teachers visited the houses of students and inquired about their day to day activities. When many narrated their experiences interestingly, she asked them to write it. Due to her advice, the students of 7th to 10th std started writing about gardening, cooking, travelling, tailoring, maintaining domestic animals etc with sharing the photos related to the subjects to her.

Having satisfi ed over their

creativity, the HM and teachers helped them to bring small books on the basis of their writings and experience.

A 10th student Viveka’s book-The learnt lesson-narrates the life style during the Covid 19 situation including helping neighbours, house keeping, maintaining cattle etc. K Gokilavani’s book `The palm fruit will fall’ describing ``her roaming in and around the village in bicycle with her friends. She narrateed the feature of her small garden

where she planted many plants

including roses, herbs, greens etc.’’ In the pandemic period, she took more care on it so that she got more

vegetables, fl owers and greens from it, which were used in her house itself. `The Stitching Lady’, a book penned by Pradeepa, spoke about the art of tailoring that she learnt during the lock down period. She stitched clothes for her friends and neighbours during the period. S Bharat Kumar’s book `The Truck Journey’ explains about his journey with his father in a truck and also his visist to the

bank, which helps him to learn some lessons related to day to day life. J Bavadarani’s ̀ Vidumuraikku Nandri’, K Chandru’s Nattu Vaitha Sedigal Ellam, K Eswari’s Ammavin Kanavu, V Viveka’s Katrukonda Paadam, are much interesting.``If they are given more support, they would become great novelists or writers in future. Their writing skill would also help them focus on studies much’’, the HM observed. She appreciated them for their innovative ideas. `Her simple advice to write about their experience,

kindles their creativity. It proves their writing skill’’, she lauded.

She wants to carry out many new projects to bring out the latent talents of them in coming days Quoting Richard Bach’s words-A professional writer is an amateur-she adds ``in fact, the students have lot of talents. If teachers identify them and channelize them properly, they would become masters of it. Now, her attempt is a beginning only’’, she admits humbly. ``Normally, students of rural areas especially those who are studying in government schools have less exposure to various activities. In fact, many could not even visit any book fair or having the practice of visiting books or reading books other than their subjects. Now, the

HMs and teachers want them to think and watch day to day activities in the society. So, hereafter they would enjoy their learning more, rather reading it with an aim to score marks only'', many parents felt.

An HM promoting writing skill of students

PUDUCHERRY, FEB 26 (PTI) Former Puducherry Minister A

Namassivayam on Thursday accused V Narayanasamy of being "disloyal and insincere to the Congress high command and the people of the union territory."

Namasssivayam, who quit as PWD minister on January 25 and also as MLA and shifted allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rejected claims by the former chief minister that he was a 'traitor' and said Narayanasamy had failed to fulfi ll the promises made to the people of Puducherry.

Launching a scathing attack on Narayanasamy whose government collapsed on Monday during a public meeting organised by the BJP here during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, Namassivayam said "he (Narayanasamy) had failed to be loyal to the people, to Congress workers and to the party high command." Terming as baseless the allegation by Narayanasamy that he had been a 'traitor,' the former PWD Minister said the former chief minister had failed to fulfi ll the promises and assurances given to the people and had failed to measure up to the expectations of the youth. "Narayanasamy had thrown tothe winds all the promises given to the youth and let them down and as a result proved how disloyal he was," Namassivayam said.

"His terming me a traitor is utterly untenable. Narayanasamy was only enacting a drama when he kept saying that his government was pulled down by the BJP," he added. Namassivayam said that the whole world had seen how Narayanasamy

had misled his own party's leadership by doing a wrong translation of the woes of a fi sherwoman during the visit of AICC leader Rahul Gandhi to a coastal village recently.

He also took a dig at the former chief minister for claiming that his government had been toppled and recalled how injustice was meted out to him after the Assembly elections in 2016. Namassivayam said Narayanasamy who had not contested the assembly polls in 2016 was preferred as the CLP leader paving the way for him to become the chief minister though there were expectations that he (Namassivayam) would be picked for the post.

Former Pondy Minister accuses Narayanasamy of being "disloyal

Namassivayam said that the whole world had seen how

Narayanasamy had misled his own party's leadership by

doing a wrong translation of the woes of a fi sherwoman during the visit of AICC leader Rahul Gandhi to a coastal village

recently.

ERODE, FEB 26: KMDK state general

secretary ER Eswaran has appealed to the government to settle the retirement benefi ts of thousands of workers who retired in various sectors for the past few years.

He said that the government has been dragging its feet without paying Rs 250 crore to 550 retired employees of TWAD. Retirement benefi ts are not given to retirees in many fi elds like this including TNSTC. so, the employees who have completed their service work are faced much problem to meet expenses such as marriage and education for their children. The government's silence on the non-payment of arrears to such people has plunged pensioners into misery. It is not appropriate for the Tamil Nadu government, which is borrowing millions of crores, not to pay the dues to the retirees. In many sectors, such victims who are waiting for the benefi ts start stirs. So, the government should immediately provide cash benefi ts to retirees without delay as more employees are due to retire in the coming months. That's why the retirement age for civil servants has been raised to 60 now, due to growing opposition from retirees to the present government at election time, he presumed.

KMDK plea to settle retirement benefits

COIMBATORE FEB 26Resurgence of cross border

eCommerce growth post lockdown. In 2020, India was amongst the top 10 growth markets for cross border eCommerce. Post lockdown, a lot of businesses adopted cross border eCommerce channels.

Tamil Nadu, doubled its volume during the lockdown in cross border eCommerce, leading much above the national average growth of around 20% during the same time with clusters like Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore registering the highest volume in Tamil Nadu. Erode experienced the fastest recovery of cross border eCommerce, Interestingly, Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore were recorded as the top three cross border eCommerce clusters in Tamil Nadu. Indian freelancing segment saw a 19% growth in income in Q3 2020. Freelancers from Tamil Nadu have been at the forefront and have matched the national growth rates. Freelancer transaction volumes from Tamil Nadu surpassed 18% in this period.

IT services clusters in Coimbatore saw the fastest jump in IT outsourcing volumes in Tamil Nadu.

Highlighting cross border eCommerce as one of the biggest opportunities seen by Indian sellers Rohit Kulkarni, Vice President, Payoneer said, “The ecommerce industry took a big blow due to supply lines being severed at the start of the pandemic.

Payoneer worked with ecosystem partners like logistic, warehousing, and other ecommerce service providers to prioritize Payoneer sellers, help them with domain expertise and increase capacity so that they could serve their consumers better. Payoneer created customized programs like Seller Express for merchants from Tamil Nadu to educate them of the benefi ts of cross border eCommerce.

Coimbatore,Tirupur, Erode top three Cross Border eCommerce clusters in Tamil Nadu.

4 FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2021 COIMBATORE

Nirav Modi extradition: Now for UK minister Priti Patel to sign offLONDON, FEB 26 (PTI)

A UK court ruling on Thursday that Nirav Modi does have a case to answer before the Indian courts in relation the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case clears the legal pathway to the diamond merchant's extradition, with the Westminster Magistrates' Court judgment now making its way to the desk of British Home Secretary Priti Patel for a sign off.

India is a designated Part 2 country by virtue of the Extradition Act 2003, which means it is the Cabinet minister who has the authority to order a requested person's extradition after considering a number of further issues.

Under the provisions of the act, the Secretary of State must consider the possible imposition of the death penalty, in which case extradition cannot be ordered; the rule of specialty, which prohibits a person being dealt with in the requesting state for matters other than those referenced in the extradition request; and whether or not the person was in the UK following extradition from another state, in which case that states permission must be obtained before extraditing to a third state.

If these factors do not prevent extradition, the minister must order extradition within two months of the day on which the District Judge referred his decision to the Secretary of State, in this case by the end of April. The Home Secretary's order rarely goes against the court's conclusions, as she has to consider only these very

narrow bars to extradition which are unlikely to apply in Modi's case.

However, as witnessed in the extradition case of former Kingfi sher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya who remains on bail in the UK while a "confi dential" matter, believed to relate to an asylum request, is resolved there is still some way to go before Modi can be formally moved from Wandsworth Prison in London to Barrack 12 Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai and face trial in India.

The ministerial decision aside, the judge has informed Modi of his right to seek an appeal in the High Court and has up to 14 days to make that application after the Home Secretary has made her decision known.

Any appeal, if granted, will be heard at the Administrative Division of the High Court in London. It is also possible to appeal to the UK Supreme Court but this is only possible if the High Court certifi es that the appeal involves a point of law of general public importance, and either the High Court or the Supreme Court gives leave for the appeal to be made.

Sri Lanka receives 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from India

COLOMBO, FEB 26 (PTI)

Sri Lanka on Thursday received 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines ordered from India.

"Actively aiding #lka win against COVID, 2nd consignment of 500,000 COVISHIELD vaccines arrived from #India to #lka today," the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka tweeted.

Sri Lanka's acting health minister Channa Jayasumana said 500,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine arrived on Thursday.

He said the new batch was ordered under an agreement between the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) of Sri Lanka and the Serum Institute of India.

The distribution of vaccines will start on Friday.

India gifted 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine which kicked off Sri Lanka's vaccine rollout in late January. The vaccines were given to the frontline workers and the security personnel.

FATF acknowledged Pak's commitment on concerning issuesISLAMABAD, FEB 26 (PTI)

The global fi nancial watchdog FATF has acknowledged Pakistan's commitment and progress on the issues of concern even if it has decided to further keep it on the grey list until June, a senior minister said on Thursday.

Indicating status quo of being on FATF's grey list', the global body on Thursday said Pakistan will continue to remain on increased monitoring list as there are "serious defi ciencies" in checking terror fi nancing and the country lacks an effective system to deal with it. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror fi nancing by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later on due to COVID-19 pandemic. The decision taken on Thursday was part of the virtual FATF plenary from February 22 to 25 to consider cases of various countries on the grey list, including Pakistan. Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar, who had led Pakistan's delegation at the plenary, tweeted that Pakistan has completed almost 90

per cent of its current FATF action-plan with 24 out of 27 items rated as 'largely addressed' and remaining 3 items 'partially addressed'.FATF has acknowledged Pak's high level political commitment since 2018 that led to signifi cant progress, he said. The minister added that it was also noted by FATF member countries that Pakistan is subject to perhaps the most challenging and comprehensive action plan ever given to any country. We are also subject to dual evaluation processes of FATF with differing time lines, he said. Separately, a statement issued by the government claimed that the FATF has appreciated Pakistan for the signifi cant progress made on the entire action plan.

As of now, all the 10 action items pertaining to the fi nancial sector and border controls have been addressed, according to the statement.

Pfizer studying effects of 3rd vaccine doseNEW YORK, FEB 26

Pfi zer announced on Thursday that it has begun studying a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, part of a strategy to guard against mutated versions of the coronavirus.

Health authorities say fi rst-generation COVID-19 vaccines still protect against variants that are emerging in different parts of the world. But manufacturers are starting to prepare now in case a more vaccine-resistant mutation comes along.

Pfi zer said it will offer a third dose to 144 volunteers, drawing from people who participated in the vaccine's early-stage U.S. testing last year. It wants to determine if an additional booster shot given six to 12 months after the fi rst two doses would rev up the immune system enough to ward off a mutated virus.

Pfi zer and its German partner, BioNTech, also are tweaking their vaccine recipe. The companies are in discussions with U.S.

Intent to score was needed on Motera track, it was a normal wicket: Rohit SharmaAHMEDABAD, FEB 26 (PTI)

Intent to score and not just survive was the key to fl ourish on the Motera pitch, asserted India opener Rohit Sharma who batted effortlessly on the "interesting but normal" pitch that was declared diffi cult and challenging by visiting England batsmen.

Rohit attributed his sublime fi rst innings half-century to the positive intent that he displayed during the day-night third Test in which England got thrashed by 10 wickets inside two days on the spin-friendly pitch.

"When you are playing on a pitch like that, you need to have an intent and look to score runs as well.

You can't just keep blocking," Rohit said during the virtual conference after the match on Thursday.

England captain Joe Root and Zak Crawley had earlier described the track as challenging.

The senior opener scored India's only half-century of the game with the home side spinners accounting for 19 wickets. England batsmen were deceived by left-armer Axar Patel's straighter

deliveries that skidded straight instead of turning.Rohit felt that during his innings of 66, he was a step or two ahead of England bowlers.

"You just need to be slightly ahead at times and try and fi nd ways to score runs.

My intent was not just to survive but try and score runs as well, while respecting the good balls. That's all I tried to do.

"The pitch was an interesting one and odd ball was just coming in and some were taking turns. On a track like this, you need to have a clear mindset, which I think I did until I played that sweep shot."

He felt that Patel's strategy of attacking the

stumps paid off well. The spinner ended the game with 11 wickets in his kitty. "Axar was simply brilliant," Rohit said, lauding the bowler who had big shoes to fi ll, replacing an injured Ravindra Jadeja.

"Coming out from nowhere and performing is never easy. He was out injured, slightly down, came back and bowled very well in Chennai. He understands conditions well and how to vary the pace and what lines to bowl."

Coming wider off the crease was also another effective ploy used by Patel.

"He made the batter play most balls which is important as you never know which one is going to turn.

He bowls little wider off the crease and his slightly slinging action makes it very diffi cult for batsman to either leave or play," said Rohit.

For Mumbaikar, the second Test track at the Chepauk was way more challenging.

"If you look at the second Test, it was turning hell of a lot than what it did here, to be honest. But then a lot of batters got runs there in the second Test," he said.

"Like I said in this Test match, we have got to accept that we didn't bat well but in Chennai where the pitch had a lot more to offer, we batted well on that track.

"Ashwin got a hundred, Virat got 60-odd, so if you applied yourself, you could still score runs," said Rohit, who himself got 161 in that game.

He admitted that tackling spinners in pink ball games is an area that would need some work.

"We need to get back to drawing board and decide what we need to do when the ball is not spinning. Most batters got out to straight balls."

Asked about the difference between the pink and the red SG ball, Rohit felt that the former travelled faster.

"I think it (pink) came to the bat a little faster than the normal red ball. I guess it has a lot to do with the conditions in the evening. The temperature goes down and plus dew factor.

"Whenever we play pink ball in India, it's going to behave like that, lot more grass on the pitch," he added.

Gymnastics shame: Former US coach charged with sexual assault and trafficking commits suicideWASHINGTON FEB 26

According to court documents fi led in Eaton County, Geddert was charged with 20 counts of human traffi cking, one count of fi rst-degree sexual assault, one count of second-degree sexual assault, criminal enterprise and lying to a police offi cer.

Former US Olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert, who had ties to disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar and was charged earlier on Thursday with human traffi cking and sexual assault, has since died by suicide, authorities said. According to court documents fi led in Eaton County, Geddert was charged with 20 counts of human traffi cking, one count of fi rst-degree sexual assault, one count of second-degree sexual assault, criminal enterprise and lying to a police offi cer.

“My offi ce has been notifi ed that the body of John Geddert was found late this afternoon after taking his own life. This is a tragic end

to a tragic story for everyone involved,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. Geddert’s attorney’s offi ce confi rmed to Reuters that he was deceased but declined further comment when asked about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Geddert was coach of the women’s team known as the ‘Fierce Five’ that won gold at the 2012 Olympics and the former owner of the Lansing-area Twistars USA Gymnastics Club for elite athletes where Nassar treated gymnasts.

According to the Attorney General’s offi ce, Geddert used his reputation

as an Olympic-level coach and promised parents that he could turn his students into world-class athletes.

The Attorney General’s offi ce said that under the guise of coaching, Geddert reportedly subjected multiple young women to an environment of continued abuse, in which he also neglected advice of medical doctors – except that provided by Nassar, who served for around 20 years as Geddert’s team physician. Geddert was suspended by USA Gymnastics in January 2018. Rachael Denhollander, the fi rst woman to make allegations of abuse against Nassar public in 2016, told Reuters she was ‘horrifi ed’ that USA Gymnastics (USAG) did not act sooner.

“USAG and their coaches and their administration and their board – all of whom knew exactly what Geddert was – not only did it take them this long to do anything about Geddert. but they continually promoted him and put young athletes in his path for decades,” said.Hima Das wins 200m gold in her

first race after more than a yearNEWDELHI FEB 26

The 21-year-old Hima, the 2018 world junior champion in 400m, won the race in 23.31 seconds. She ran faster only three times earlier in this distance -- twice in 2018 when she clocked 23.10 seconds in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Guwahati and 23.22 seconds in a Grand Prix meet in Poland and once in 2019 when she clocked 23.25 seconds in Czech Republic.

Hima, who is yet to qualify for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, had run her last competitive race in August 2019. She had

suffered a lower back injury at the 2018 Asian Games and that forced her to miss the World Championships in Doha in September 2019. After that Covid-19 pandemic struck and the entire domestic calendar was wiped out, no Indian athlete could take

part in any event abroad.Sprinter Dutee Chand

blazed the track to win the women's 100m in 11.44 seconds, an improvement on the 11.51 seconds she had clocked last week in the fi rst GP.

She is hoping to qualify for the Olympic Games by meeting the 11.15 seconds standard.

She can also qualify as one of the 56 starters in the Tokyo Games on the basis of her rankings. She is world no. 33 at the moment.

In the men's 400m, Amoj Jacob of Delhi came up with a personal best time of 46.00 seconds to win the race.

Man City, Real secure wins

TURKEY FEB 26Manchester City

cruised to a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in its Champions League Round-of-16 fi rst leg tie here on Wednesday.

Bernardo Silva (29’) and Gabriel Jesus (65’) got on the scoresheet for Premier League outfi t City, which secured its 19th successive victory in all competitions. Bundesliga club Monchengladbach will have to play out of its skin in the return leg to make it to the quarter-fi nals. In another clash, injury-hit Real Madrid defeated Atalanta 1-0, thanks to the winning goal from Ferland Meny four minutes from time.

New Zealand beats AustraliaPERTH FEB 26

Opening batsman Martin Guptill struck a scintillating 97 off 50 balls as New Zealand defeated Australia by four runs in a high-scoring second T20I at the University Oval here on Thursday.

Batting fi rst, the home side posted a mammoth total of 219 for seven, courtesy of Guptill, whose knock included six fours and eight maximums. The opener was well supported by Kane Williamson (53 off 35 balls) and James Neesham (45 not out off 16 balls). During its chase, Australia put up a late challenge via Marcus Stoinis (78 off 37 balls) and Daniel

Sams (41 off 15 balls) but fell short of the target. Neesham picked up the crucial wickets of both batsmen in the last over to hand the host the win. Stoinis couldn’t score from the next two balls but clubbed a six from the fourth ball of the over, leaving Australia needing nine runs from two deliveries.

Hitting out, Stoinis skied a ball high into the leg side and Tim Southee, with icy nerves, stood under the ball and claimed the catch which sealed the win and gave New Zealand a 2-0 lead in the fi ve-match series. “We got back into a great position,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said.

'Great game of cricket'“That partnership between Stoinis and Daniel Sams produced some extraordinary hitting, like the fi rst innings as well.

So New Zealand sweep the 2006-07 Chappell-Hadlee Series.Well, thats all we have for you.

Semenya taking case to European Court of Human RightsPARIS FEB 26

Caster Semenya is going to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge “discriminatory” rules that prohibit her from competing in certain track events because of her high natural testosterone, her lawyers said Thursday.

The two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters has already lost two legal appeals against World Athletics'' regulations that force her to medically lower her natural testosterone level if she wants to run in women's races from 400 meters to one mile. The South African's lawyers said there's been

a “violation of her rights” and wants the human rights court to examine the rules. Semenya has one of a number of conditions known as differences of sex development. Although she has never publicly released details of her condition,

World Athletics has controversially referred to her as “biologically male” in previous legal proceedings, a description that angered Semenya. The 30-year-old Semenya was legally identifi ed as female at birth and has identifi ed as female her whole life. She says her testosterone is merely a genetic gift.

WASHINGTON, FEB 26 The United States

launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups.

The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops.

The airstrike was the fi rst military action undertaken by the Biden administration, which in its fi rst weeks has emphasised its intent to put more focus on the challenges posed by China, even as Mideast threats persist.

Biden's decision to attack in Syria did not appear to signal an intention to widen US military involvement in the region but rather to demonstrate a will to defend US troops in Iraq.

I'm confi dent in the target that we went after, we know what we hit, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters fl ying with him from California to Washington.

Speaking shortly after the airstrikes, he added, We're confi dent that that target was being used by the same Shia militants that conducted the strikes," referring to a February 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition personnel.

Austin said he recommended the action to Biden. We said a number of times that we will respond on our timeline,

Austin said. "We wanted to be sure of the connectivity and we wanted to be sure that we had the right targets.

Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US action was a proportionate military response taken together with diplomatic measures, including consultation

with coalition partners. The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel," Kirby said. "At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to deescalate the overall situation in eastern Syria and Iraq. Kirby said the US airstrikes destroyed multiple facilities at a border control point used by a number of Iranian- backed militant groups," including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

The US has blamed Kataib Hezbollah for numerous attacks targeting US personnel and interests in Iraq in the past. Further details were not immediately available. Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, criticized the US attack as a violation of international law. The United Nations Charter makes absolutely clear that the use of military force on the territory of a foreign sovereign state is lawful only in response to an armed attack on the defending state for which the target state is responsible, she said. None of those elements is met in the Syria strike. Biden administration offi cials condemned the February 15 rocket attack near the city of Irbil in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish-run

region, but as recently as this week offi cials indicated they had not determined for certain who carried it out. Offi cials have noted that in the past, Iranian-backed Shiite militia groups have been responsible for numerous rocket attacks that targeted US personnel or facilities in Iraq. Kirby had said Tuesday that Iraq is in charge of investigating the February 15 attack.

Right now, we're not able to give you a certain attribution as to who was behind these attacks, what groups, and I'm not going to get into the tactical details of every bit of weaponry used here," Kirby said.

"Let's let the investigations complete and conclude, and then when we have more to say, we will.

A little-known Shiite militant group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Arabic for Guardians of Blood Brigade, claimed responsibility for the February 15 attack. A week later, a rocket attack in Baghdad's Green Zone appeared to target the US Embassy compound, but no one was hurt. Iran this week said it has no links to the Guardians of Blood Brigade.

The US under the previous Trump administration blamed Iran-backed groups for carrying out the attacks. Tensions soared after a Washington-directed drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and powerful Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last year. Trump had said the death of a US contractor would be a red line and provoke US escalation in Iraq. The December 2019 killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack in Kirkuk sparked a tit-for-tat fi ght on Iraqi soil that brought the country to the brink of a proxy war. US forces have been signifi cantly reduced in Iraq to 2,500 personnel and no longer partake in combat missions with Iraqi forces in ongoing operations against.

US bombs facilities in Syria used by Iran-backed militia

The frequency of att acks by Shiite

militi a groups against US targets in Iraq diminished late

last year ahead of President Joe Biden's inaugurati on, though now Iran is pressing America to return to

Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal.

5

5FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2021 COIMBATORE

BHUBANESWAR, FEB 26 (PTI)

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched fi ve online services which aimed at empowering women and providing better childcare facilities.

The online services include 'Mo Chhatua' app for streamlining supply chain management of 'Take Home Ration' (Chhatua) and 'e-Kalika', an application for monitoring crches for children under three years of age.

'Mo Sishu portal', a comprehensive web-based information management and monitoring system for child protection services, and 'MAMATA App & MIS' for seamless transfer of cash benefi t to pregnant women were also rolled out.

The chief minister also launched the e-manadeya

portal for paperless transfer of honorarium to 1, 34,758 Anganwadi workers and helpers.

All the fi ve services are under the Child Development and Mission Shakti Department. Patnaik said his government has been giving priority to the empowerment of women and the welfare of children in the last 20 years.

From women reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to empowerment of 80 lakh females were implemented through the 'Mission Shakti Programme', he said.

"Odisha is the only state in the country to introduce a nutrition budget. The fi ve online programmes will be successful in providing qualitative services to benefi ciaries," Patnaik said.

Women and Child Development department collaborated with the Central Food Technological Research Institute for improving the quality of 'Take Home Ration'.

The Indian Council of Medical Research Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR-RMRC) and the state government joined hands to conduct an annual nutrition survey. The department also entered into a technical collaboration with UNICEF to strengthen the capacity of the statutory bodies, service delivery structures and caregivers under the State Child Protection Scheme.

Odisha CM launches 5 online services for welfare of women, children

COIMBATORE, FEB 26: The CM Edapadi K Palaniswami has

sought the help of PM Modi to carry out the Coimbatore Metro Rail Project.

PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation for many new projects including multi storey apartments construction work, new power projects, Keezhbavani modernization project at the Codissia complex, Coimbatore on Thursday.

In his welcome address, the CM said ` I extend a hearty welcome to the PM who has come to Coimbatore for inaugurating and laying foundation stone for various projects.

I would like to inform PM that our Government has taken a series of measures to reduce the sufferings of people during the pandemic, including cash assistance to general public and to the members of various welfare boards. Even during the pandemic, TN received higher share of investment proposals in India, as per CARE ratings and has also been ranked number one State by the Projects Today in attracting investments during pandemic. He further said that ``I request PM to facilitate sanction of Coimbatore Metro Rail Project under 50:50 Joint Venture partnership basis between Government of India and Government of Tamil Nadu, as was done

for Chennai Metro Rail Project. At present, day fl ights are being operated from Salem and Tuticorin Airports, request for allowing night fl ight services also.

The expansion of Madurai and Coimbatore Airports may be expected. Coimbatore is a commercial hub and export centre, therefore, direct fl ights to Dubai and back may be operated weekly.’’

He wanted PM to extend necessary funding for the lower Bhavani irrigation projects and other irrigation projects of Tamil Nadu. ``I take this opportunity to request PM to declare the Godavari–Cauvery River linking projects as a National project so as to benefi t lakhs

of people in Telangana, AP and TN. The river Cauvery and its branch rivers have to be rejuvenated on the lines of “Namami Gange”. Government of India is requested to accord sanction and extend fi nancial assistance to Tamil Nadu at the earliest.’’

Thanking the PM for sanctioning 6.95 lakh houses for urban Tamil Nadu,he said that due to the various initiatives of Amma’s Government, TN has become a power surplus State. Dedication of thermal and solar power projects of NLC will further improve the installed power capacity of TN and will further help in the industrialization efforts. By enforcing various projects like kudimaramathu, Cauvery delta desilting, distribution of alluvial free of cost, plan to construct many check dams at a cost of Rs 1000 crore, TN irrigation modenisation, dam renovation and development, Athikadavu-Avinasi, construction of barrages across Cauvery river, linking of

Cauvery-Kundaru, Thamiraparani-Karumaniyaru-Nambiyaru rivers etc, the state is in forefront in water management, he said.

As part of improving the infrstrucutre to improve water sources, the PM was laying foundation for modernsiing the 401 km length Lower Bhavani Project canals,

comprising Keezhbavani, Kalingarayan, Tadapalli-Arakkankottai canals, at a cost of Rs 934 crore. It would ensure easy fl ow of water to the tail end areas, strengthen the bunds, check seepage of water, reconstruct the damaged bridges etc to help 2.47 lakh acre in Erode, Tirupur and Karur districts.

Under the Smart City scheme, being enforced in 11 major cities of the state with each getting Rs 1000 crore at the ratio of 50:50 from the state government and Centre, a 24 hour integrated control centre was established in Chennai corporation to help the public get the government services round the clock.

Now, the PM would lay foundation for creating such centre at a cost of Rs 92 crore in 8 other cities which could further improve the services to the people.

The government took various steps to improve the industrial sector in southern districts and the new industrial policy-2021, released by him recently, was also aimed to improve the sector all over the state and especially in southern districts. Following this, the PM would lay foundation for 5 MW solar power project at VOC Port in Thuthukudi.

Informing that TN was more urbanized state in the nation, he said that as per the 2011 census, 48.45 percent of people

were living in urban areas only. So, his government was keen to create housing facility for people under the PM Housing for All project.

So, the PM would declare open 1280 houses at Veerapandi Nagar, 1248 houses at Thirukumaran Nagr in Tirupur district, 1088 houses in Madurai and 528 houses in Tiruchi district, constructed at a cost of Rs 331.81 crore. Permission was granted to build 1.67 lakh apartments and 4.59 lakh indidual houses under the PM Housing for All at a project cost of Rs 30525 crore.

Each house would have 400 sq ft with facilities like road, street light, sewage treatment plant, library, shops, fair price shops, crèche etc. He informed that PM would dedicate two 500 mw power plants built in NLC, 709 mw plants built in Nellai, Thuthukudi, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts. Due to the various initiatives of Amma’s Government, Tamil Nadu has become a power surplus State. Dedication of thermal and solar power projects of NLC will further improve the installed power capacity of Tamil Nadu and will further help the industrialization process. Altogether, PM would lay foundation for 3 projects at a cost of Rs 1073 crore and inaugurate 7 projects costing Rs 11391 crore, he added.

CM seeks PM’s help to carry out Coimbatore Metro Rail project

CHENNAI FEB 26Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced through a

notifi cation dated February 22, 2021 that Fino Payments Bank has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and hence is now a Scheduled Bank.

The scheduled commercial bank (also called as scheduled bank) status allows Fino Payments Bank to enhance its banking position in the treasury and participation in LAF (Liquidity Facility) window as per the RBI.

Terming the development as a reiteration of the bank’s robust processes, Mr. Rishi Gupta, MD & CEO, Fino Payments Bank said, “We are keen to capitalise on the growth opportunities that exist within the regulatory guidelines and build on the momentum of consistent profi tability achieved last fi scal.” As a scheduled commercial bank, Fino Payments Bank will be better positioned to explore and manage government businesses. Mandates pertaining to pensions, provident funds and various welfare schemes under direct benefi t transfer (DBT) will help enhance Fino’s foot print in the fi nancial inclusion space. Also, increased visibility on the government websites strengthens the customers’ bond with the bank said the bank offi cials

Fino Payments Bank is now a scheduled bank

ERODE, FEB 26: Members of TN revenue village assistants association

started an indefi nite strike from Wednesday to press time scale with a basic pay of Rs 15700 per month on par with offi ce assistants, minimum pension of Rs 7850, fi lling up of all vacancies, restoration of old pension scheme, etc. They led by union leaders Kannan, Natarajan, Sambandamurthy, staged a demonstration in this regard at the Erode taluk offi ce.

Revenue village assistants seek time scale

ERODE FEB 26: At the Erode Railway Station, on behalf of the District

Child Protection Unit, Department of Social Security, an awareness programme on ‘Child Protection from Sexual Abuse and Prevention of Child Marriage’ was held.

Railway Security Division Inspector Murugan led the event. District Child Protection Offi cer P. Priyadevi presided and said: In collaboration with other departments, a study on child labour was conducted in shops, industrial establishments and factories from Feb 1 to 15. On Feb 24, the Girl Child Protection Day pledge was administered at all government offi ces, police station and so on. We are conducting programs like this to create awareness among the people about the ‘Child Protection Act and Prevention of Child Marriage'.Following the railway station, similar awareness programme would be held at the central bus stand and other public places. Public can use the toll free number 1098 for emergency calls for children and women, she said.

Child protection programme held

NEW DELHI, FEB 26 (PTI) A man was killed allegedly after a speeding Mercedes hit

his scooter in south Delhi's Vasant Vihar area, police said on Friday. The victim has been identifi ed as Antony Joseph, a domestic help. The police said Joseph died on the spot after the accident at 11.45 pm on Thursday. "A case was registered and the driver has been identifi ed. He is from Vasant Vihar area and police are trying to nab him," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Ingit Pratap Singh said.

Man riding scooter killed by speeding Mercedes in Delhi

MAHARAJGANJ (UP) FEB 26 (PTI)

Two persons were killed and fi ve others sustained serious injuries when their vehicle collided with a tractor trolley in Kothibhar area here, police said here on Friday.

The accident took place on Thursday night, they said, adding the injured were rushed to a hospital.

The deceased hailed from Kushinagar district.

Road accident leaves two dead in Maharajganj

BAHRAICH (UP), FEB 26 (PTI)

In a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau, SSB and local police, four Nepalese women were arrested after over 15 kg charas was allegedly recovered from their possession, offi cials said on Friday.

Three women were arrested near Mihinpurwa bus station on Thursday and 10 kg charas was recovered from them, Senior Superintendent of Police, Bahraich, Vipin Mishra, said.

The arrested women identifi ed themselves as Rangina Roka, Manju Roka and Sirjana Roka of eastern Rukum district of Nepal, the SSP said.

Another Nepalese national belonging to Rolpa district of Nepal was arrested near the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) outpost in Rupaideha police station area with over fi ve kilograms of charas, the SSP said.

The total worth of the recovered charas from the four women was estimated to be around Rs 4.5 crore in the international market, the SSP said. The arrested women were planning to go to Delhi. A case has been registered against the four, he said, adding vigil has been stepped up in bordering areas in view of panchayat polls.

Drugs recovered, four Nepalese women arrested in Uttar Pradesh

NOIDA/LUCKNOW, FEB 26 (PTI)

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday said it has arrested a television channel owner in Lucknow in connection with the Rs 3,500-crore "Bike Bot" scam.

Badri Narayan Tiwari was held from the Manoj Pandey roundabout in the Gomti Nagar area of the state capital around 12 noon on Thursday following a tip-off, the STF said.

Tiwari, the owner of Live Today, was held by the Lucknow unit of the STF and the Economic Offences Wing (Meerut), the agency said in a statement.

"He has been arrested for his role in the Bike Bot scam. He is among those named in the FIR lodged at Dadri in Gautam Buddh Nagar district and had been absconding

since 2019," it stated.Garvit Innovative

Promoters Limited (GIPL), a company registered in Noida, had in 2018 come out with the multi-level "Bike Bot" marketing scheme and lured investors with a promise of doubling their investments in a year, the police said.

The company sought Rs 62,100 in investment for a motorcycle taxi and promised monthly returns, besides doubling the investment amount in just a year, but failed to deliver on it. The fi rm has allegedly duped around 2.25 lakh investors across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh to the tune of Rs 3,500 crore, according to a police estimate.

Tiwari was handed over to the EOW (Meerut) team, which is conducting further proceedings in the case, the STF said.

TV channel owner held in 'Bike Bot' scam: UP STF

MUMBAI, FEB 26 (PTI)

A 33-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a ticket checker (TC) and vandalising his cabin at Tilak Nagar railway station in suburban Mumbai, a police offi cial said.

The man, Rahul Ramesh Bawariya, was arrested by the Nehru Nagar police on Wednesday night and later it came to light that he is an accused in a murder case and currently out on bail, he said.

Senior inspector from the Nehru Nagar police Chandrashekhar Bhagal said, The accused was arrested from the Juhi Nagar locality in Navi Mumbai."

On the day of the incident, Bawariya got down at Tilak Nagar railway station from a suburban train and found that a TC had caught a few passengers

without ticket, Bhagal said.Bawariya intervened and

asked the TC not to harass poor people, the inspector said.

A heated argument erupted between the two and in a fi t of rage, Bawariya assaulted the TC and later vandalised his offi ce and fl ed, Bhagal said.

After going through CCTV footage of the station, the police identifi ed Bawariya and nabbed him, he said. He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntary causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), the offi cial added. The murder case against Bawariya has been registered at the Nehru Nagar police station, he said.

Murder case accused held for assaulting TC in Mumbai

Collector C Kathiravan administering a oath on girl child protection to government offi cials at the collectorate in connection with the late CM Jayalalithaa’s 73rd

birthday celebration on Wednesday.

AURANGABAD, FEB 26 (PTI) An offence was lodged against two persons on

Thursday for allegedly getting into a scuffl e with employees of a state-run power utility in Maharashtras Nanded district, a police offi cial said. The incident took place when the employees of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) went to seize a meter at Dharmabad over unpaid bills, he said.

The electricity meter was in the name of one Aarif Babu Shaikh, a resident of Phule Nagar, and it was disconnected on February 21 due to unpaid bill, the offi cial said.

Shaikh tried to take connection illegally from an electricity pole and when MSEDCL employees tried to to stop him from doing so, he and another person Ahmed Khan Khalil Khan got into a fi ght with them, he said.

Offence against 2 for getting into fight with MSEDCL staffers

JAMMU, FEB 26 (PTI) Around 20,000 youth

from Jammu division appeared for the ongoing Army recruitment rally at Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on Thursday, a defence spokesman said.

The recruitment rally that began on Thursday, will continue up to March 6, he said.

This is the fi rst recruitment rally for the youth of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu division to join the Indian Army since the spread of COVID-19, spokesman said.

"Approximately 40,000 candidates registered online and almost 20,000 candidates appeared in this

recruitment rally till date," he said.

The Army authorities and J&K Police along with the civilian administration put their best efforts for a smooth and well-organised rally. The candidates also cooperated at every step of the recruitment and selection process, he added. COVID protocols are being strictly maintained at every stage of the recruitment process, the spokesman said.

Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy inagurates the Mettur Dam surplus water scheme to beneift the ayacuts in Sarabanga river basin areas on Friday morning in Mettur. Salem Collector S.A Raman, State Cooperative Bank Chairman R.Elangovan, MLAs and MPs are present.

BALRAMPUR (UP) FEB 26 (PTI)

The body of a nine-year-old boy, who was missing since the past 11 days, has been found in a sack here, police said on Friday

Sunny was missing since February 15 when he had gone to see a fair in nearby Dhundhara village, police said.

A missing report was fi led on a complaint of the boy's father.

The body was found in a sack lying besides a pond on Thursday, Superintendent of Police, Hemant Kutiyal said, adding the body has been sent for postmortem.

He said one person has been detained for questioning in connection with the case.

Missing boy found dead in Balrampur

Nearly 20,000 Army candidates arrive at military station in Jammu for trials

The Army authorities and J&K Police along

with the civilian administration put their best efforts for a smooth and well-organised rally.

MUMBAI, FEB 26 (PTI)

A hotel employee was stabbed when he went to the rescue of a customer who was being taken out of the hotel at gun-point in suburban Borivali, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place at a hotel near Borivali railway station on Wednesday morning, a police offi cial said.

Two men posing as auto rickshaw drivers approached the hotel's reception counter and told staffer Naushad Buraniya that they had ferried a person to the hotel the previous night, and wanted to collect money from him.

Buraniya asked one of the hotel boys to take them to the room of a customer who had arrived in the night.

The two men returned back to the reception, but later one of them again went up to the customer's room on the second fl oor, without telling anything to the hotel staff.

Naushad and his brother Salim followed him and saw he was dragging out the person who was staying there at gun point.

When they tried to stop the unidentifi ed man, he stabbed Salim and fl ed.

Further probe is on, police said.

Hotel employee stabbed while helping customer

EDITORIAL

6 FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2021 COIMBATORE

Racist policies cannot be removed

The impeachment trial has failed in the U.S senate. Just the majority votes are enough to begin the discussion on the trial whereas to prove the

impeachment, a two-third majority is required. Therefore the trial has failed.

From this, it is to be understood that former President Donald Trump did not lose the qualifi cation to contest the 2024 Presidential election. At the same time, not all the problems of Trump have been resolved just because he is acquitted by the senate.

According to section 3 of the 14th amendment of the US constitution, any person shall be declared ‘not capable’ of holding any offi ce if that person is responsible for inciting an insurrection. It can be declared by the senate if both the houses muster the majority votes. As soon as Trump is relieved of his Presidential powers, he becomes an ordinary citizen. The courts can try criminal cases against him.

Anyway, former President Trump and his anti-democratic ‘Trumpism’ which incites racist policies cannot be removed from America. Nearly 7.5 crores of Americans have voted in support of him.

DMK promotes strongman culture: ModiCOIMBATORE, FEB 26:

Addressing a massive gathering at Coimbatore’s Codissia Grounds, Narendra Modi said: “Today, the nation is seeing two distinct styles of politics _ the Opposition’s misgovernance with corruption and the NDA’s governance with compassion. Both the methods are very different. For them, what matters is personal gains. They want to capture power to fi ll their pockets.”

“This year Tamil Nadu will elect a new government. The Assembly elections are happening at a critical moment in the history of India. In the last few years, people have given a strong message that they want a development-oriented government.

The only politics they will accept is the one of development and good governance. People want a government, where the fruits of progress reach the poor. They want anti-development elements to be at a distance,” Modi said. Terming the way the Centre and State governments worked together as a classic example of cooperative federalism, Modi said, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore on Thursday“We worked for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. The NDA government has given

the top-most priority to small businessmen and farmers here.” Launching a scathing attack against the DMK, Modi said that whenever they came to power, all they did was to promote a strong-man culture. “They have anti-social elements in every district. Their cadre leave no chance to extort money from the public. It is the women of Tamil Nadu who suffer the most in such a culture,” he added.

Recalling earlier instances of how the DMK had treated former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Modi said: “This shows their attitude towards women. Sadly, the leaders who troubled Jayalalithaa were rewarded by the DMK and Congress.” Stating that the DMK had lost its rights to be called an all-Tamil Nadu party, the Modi said, “The last time they won a full majority on their own in the State was about 25 years ago. Both Congress and DMK are suffering from internal contradictions.They have

been trying to launch and relaunch their fi rst families, but have got no success.

There is a continuous family drama in those parties. They are so busy in internal matters that they cannot deliver good governance to Tamil Nadu. In contrast, the NDA family is united. Our aim is only one, the welfare of Tamil Nadu and Tamil people.” On the move to rename the seven sub-sects, Modi said, “The DMK ruled Tamil Nadu for several years, with the Congress in power at the Centre.

Yet, these parties were not bothered about the demands of the Devendrakula Vellalar community. It was the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre that accepted their long pending demand to be known as Devendrakula Vellalar.”

Developmental trackA p p l a u d i n g

Coimbatore’s MSME sector for creating wealth and

adding value, he said: “The Government of India has taken many measures to help MSMEs, one such being the emergency credit line guaranty scheme.

Under this scheme, almost Rs 14,000 crore have been sanctioned for 3.4 lakh MSMEs across Tamil Nadu. In Coimbatore district alone, almost 25,000 small industrial units have benefi ted from this scheme.

”The defi nition of MSME was changed last year, making it more inclusive. In order to help address MSME grievances and fi nding new opportunity, a specially-dedicated portal called ‘Champion’ was launched.

The announcement in this Budget includes MSME specifi c reforms for faster resolution of cases.

Custom duties were also reduced for various steel products, and exemption to steel scraps duty has been granted till March 31, 2022, said Modi.“We are equally focussed on building the

vibrant textile sector. In the last seven years, the Centre has modernised the sector. This year’s Budget made a mention of mega textile park scheme, in which seven such parks would come up in three years,” Modi said.

Earlier in a function attended by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam and other dignitaries, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for design, supply, installation and commissioning of a fi ve-MW grid connected ground based solar power plant at VO Chidambaranar Port.

He also laid the foundation for the extension, renovation and modernization of Lower Bhavani Project System, and for the development of Integrated Command and Control Centers in nine smart cities, namely Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Vellore, Tiruchy, Tirupur, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.

“We worked for the welfare of the

people of Tamil Nadu. The NDA government has

given the top-most priority to small

businessmen and farmers here”

- Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Man kills son over family dispute in Salem, arrestedSALEM, FEB 26:

A 35-year-old man was killed by his father in a fi ght on Thursday. Venkatachalam (35), a lorry driver from Periya Soragai, Nangavalli, was an alcoholic and often quarelled with his father Palanisamy (66), sorces said. On tuesday, the duo had a heated arguement, after which Palanisamy hit his son with a rod while he was sleeping. Nangavalli police later arrested Palanisamy.

Blast at Sivakasi cracker unit kills five

VIRUDHUNAGAR, FEB 26:

Just 13 days after the Achankulam fi re accident, in which 23 people lost their lives, at least fi ve persons, four of them women, were killed and 20 injured in a blast at Thankarajpandian Fireworks at Kalaiyarkurichi village in Sivakasi on Thursday. The owner of the unit, Thankaraj (52), has surrendered to the police.Only one of the deceased, Selvi (37) of Ellinaickenpatti, has been identifi ed so far.

A 75-year-old man with 100 per cent burn injuries is in a critical condition and is being treated at the Sivakasi GH. The sound of the blast and vibrations from it were felt even at Amathur village, about 10 km from the site.Although a preliminary probe is in progress to ascertain the cause, Sivakasi Sub Collector, C Dinesh Kumar, said solidifi ed pellets could have triggered the fi re causing the blast. This is the third accident at a cracker unit in the district in this month.

Prime Minister Modi patting Tamil Nadu Minister S P Velumani while leaving from Codissia after yesterdays public meeting.

Yediyurappa govt is 'dead', has to be removed: SiddaramaiahBENGALURU, FEB 26 (PTI)

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday alleged the B S Yediyurappa Ministry in Karnataka was the "worst government" he had seen his political life and it has to be removed.

The leader of the opposition in the state assembly, who has been hitting out at the government over various issues, also said there was no government in the state as it was "totally dead".

"There is no government in Karnataka today, there is some kind of anarchy. There is no government at all, the government is totally dead," he claimed.

Speaking at a party meeting here, the former chief minister alleged no development activities were taking place in the state because of this.

"Not even one paisa of work is happening....if you ask for funds, they (government) say because of corona there is no money," he said.

For measures to tackle the pandemic they have taken a loan of Rs 36,000 crore. "They might have spent Rs 6,000 crore or 7,000 crore on corona, 50 per cent of which or even more they have swallowed (pocketed)," he alleged.

S i d d a r a m a i a h compared Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government, comparing it to a "Dakota bus".

He urged Congress workers and Sharath Bachegowda, an independent MLA from Hoskote, who extended support to the party on Thursday along with his followers, to sharply oppose what he called anti-people policies of the BJP government.

Independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda extends outside support to Cong in KarnatakaBENGALURU, FEB 26 (PTI)

BJP MP's son and Independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda on Thursday announced his outside support to the Congress in Karnataka, and will be an associate member of the party in the Legislative Assembly.

Sharath, 37, son of BJP Member of Parliament from Chikkaballapur B N Bachegowda, gave the letter of support to Congress Legislature Party Leader Siddaramaiah, in the presence of KPCC president D K Shivakumar, host of other leaders, and a large gathering of his supporters here.Sharath represents Hoskote assembly constituency in Bengaluru Rural district.

Being an Independent MLA, he cannot join the Congress, but can extend support on issues as the associate member of the legislature party.

However, his supporters can join the Congress. He had held a series of meetings with senior Congress leaders including AICC general secretary incharge of the state Randeep Singh Surjewala, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar recently regarding supporting the party.

Sharath and his supporters had joined hands with the Congress during the gram panchayat polls, and he recently told PTI he wants to be associated with a national party which would give him an opportunity to lend voice to broader issues.

Speaking at an event organised for this purpose, Sharath said his decision to support Congress was keeping in mind the interest of his voters and development

of his constituency.He said he will continue as an independent MLA. CLP Leader Siddarmaiah said Sharath has sought the Congress party's support and it was ready to extend him all support.

"He also has extended his support to our legislature party on the fl oor of the House, and I have accepted his support," he said.

Remembering that he too had campaigned against Sharath during the December 2019 bypolls, Siddarmaiah said, "he (Sharath) is anti-BJP and will join hands with us in our fi ght against the BJP and this government."

KPCC chief Shivakumar said it was time for celebration, recalling that he had been making attempts for 30-40 years to gain support of the people of Hoskote, and somehow it has been achieved with this association through Sharath.

Sharath had served as secretary of BJP's Yuva Morcha in the past.

He was expelled from the saffron party as he rebelled and decided to contest against the party's offi cial candidate MTB Nagaraj during the

December 2019 assembly bypolls.Sharath was against the BJP's decision to fi eld Nagaraj, who had jumped ship from the Congress.

He went on to pull off a victory in the bypolls with his 'Swabhimani' campaign as an independent candidate.

In the 2018 assembly election, Sharath, who was the BJP candidate, had lost to Nagaraj, who was then with the Congress.

According to sources close to him, Sharath is looking forward to secure his political future with the Congress realising his chances are bleak in the BJP, with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa backing his opponent Nagaraj, by making him MLC despite losing the assembly bypolls and also inducting him as municipal administration minister.

By supporting him, Congress too plans to bank on Sharath and his support base for improving its prospects in Hoskote.

Sharath is seen as a "local boy" as his father and now MP had represented the seat several times in the past from the Janata Dal and also the BJP, sources said.

Back-to-back blasts: Karnataka to undertake audit of explosive materialsDAVANGERE, FEB 26 (PTI)

The Karnataka government will undertake an audit of explosive materials in all the quarries and mines across the state in the backdrop of recent blasts at quarries that left 12 people dead, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday.

The audit will be carried out jointly by the offi cials of the Home and the Mines department, he told reporters here, two days after six people were killed at a stone quarry site in Chikkaballapur when gelatin sticks exploded accidentally.The Minister also said the state would crack down on illegal mining and stringent action would be taken if any unauthorised stock of explosives were found during the audit."An audit of explosive materials will be undertaken to fi nd out the amount of explosives stored at quarries and mining centres, Bommai said. The Home Minister said he would speak to Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani about the audit.

Nandi Hills to be developed as international tourist destination: MinisterCHIKKABALLAPUR, FEB 26 (PTI)

Popular hill station Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur adjoining Bengaluru will be developed as an international tourist destination, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Thursday.Sudhakar, who is also district in-charge minister, said Nandi hills and surrounding places are very attractive.

Along with beautiful fl ora and fauna Nandi Hills also have a historical and spiritual signifi cance, he pointed out."Nandi Hills has all the qualities to be developed as an international tourist

dest inat ion.Government has already sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the purpose," Sudhakar told reporters here after inspecting the ongoing works in the region.

Stating that there was a

public demand for a ropeway for the past 15 years, he said an international agency had earlier agreed for the project, but the idea was later dropped."Now the dream will become a reality."

‘Books by weight’- book fair in CoimbatoreCOIMBATORE, FEB 26:

‘Books by weight Mumbai’ is all set to exhibit its wide collection of books in Coimbatore. The speciality of the exhibition is that the books are sold not by numbers but by weight.

The book fair will be open for four days starting from March 18 to March 21 between 10.00 am and 8.00 pm at Shree Coimbatore Gujarati Samaj, Sukrawar Pettai, Coimbatore.Regular fi ction books will be sold at Rs 100 per kg and Children’s

books at Rs 300 per kg. Children’s board books and sound books are to be sold at Rs 400. Apart from this, there are many other genres including non-fi ction, biographies, history, sports, fi lm, travel, photography and so on. This time a new

section for the used books will also be put out.It has been ensured that strict social distancing will be followed and entry will be prohibited if the customers do not wear a mask.They accept all kinds of payment methods including cards and g-pay. This expo is completely aimed at selling books and they do not buy books.

The customers are advised to carry their own bags as they do not provide carry bags. For further queries, 9821026234 can be contacted by whatsapp.

Nationwide Bharat Bandh against the rise in fuel pricesNEW DELHI, FEB 26:

Confederation of All India Traders observes ‘Bharat Bandh’, a nationwide strike on Friday to show their protest against the rising fuel prices, new e-way bill and GST. Around 40,000 trade associations have extended their support.

The farmers’ unions and All India Transport Workers’ Association have also joined hands in extending their support for the call for the Bharat bandh. Commercial markets and bus services across the country will not be operating.

Chhattisgarh cabinet gives nod to e-auction of surplus paddyRAIPUR, FEB 26 (PTI)

The Chhattisgarh government on Thursday decided to sell surplus paddy procured from farmers in the kharif marketing year 2020-21 in the state through e- auction, an offi cial said.

A decision in this regard was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in the premises of the legislative assembly here, he said.In the kharif marketing year (KMY) 2020-21, 92 lakh metric tonne (LMT) of paddy was procured from farmers at minimum support price (MSP) in the state.

The Union government has agreed to accept 24 LMT of rice (after custom milling

of paddy) from Chhattisgarh for the central pool through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the public relations department offi cial said.After fulfi lling the requirement of 24 LMT quota of rice for the states Public Distribution System, there remains a surplus stock of 20.5 lakh MT of paddy, he said.

The cabinet approved a proposal for disposal of this surplus stock of paddy through auction process at the cooperative society-level, he said.A cabinet sub-committee constituted for paddy procurement and custom milling will decide the maximum rate for auction, he added.

Vivo India offers vivo V20 SE at Rs 19,990CHENNAI FEB 26

Vivo, a smartphone brand, has announced a new attractive price for the vivo V20 SE starting February 24th, 2021. The V20 SE will support a new price tag of INR 19,990 for the 8+128GB storage variant.The vivo V20 SE will be available in two attractive colour options — Gravity Black and Aquamarine Green. This price change shall be applicable across all mainline partners, retail stores pan India, vivo India E-store, Flipkart, Amazon.in and other major e-commerce platforms.Consumers will also get an array of attractive offers* including: Upto Rs 2000 HDFC bank cashback on CC/DC EMI & CC regular transactions:Triple zero down payment offer with Bajaj Finance;Zero down payment offer from IDFC First Bank, HDB, Home Credit, ICICI Bank, TVS credit;12 months extended warranty from Vi.

The smartphone is designed to #DelightEveryMoment with the help of 48MP Rear Camera and 33W FlashCharge along with 4,100 mAh battery. Additionally, the 33W FlashCharge technology along with a massive 4,100 mAh battery makes vivo V20 SE a perfect companion for daily usage.

Bus overturns in Amethi, 25 passengers injuredAMETHI (UP) FEB 26 (PTI)

As many as 25 passengers were injured when a double decker bus overturned near Mishrauli village in the district, police said on Friday.

The private bus carrying 65 passengers was on its way to Delhi from Azamgarh when the accident occurred on Thursday night, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Musafi rkhana, Manoj Kumar Yadav, said.While two passengers with serious injuries have been referred to the Trauma Centre at Lucknow, others are undergoing treatment at the Community Health Centre in Jagdishpur.