16
T ension continued in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) with the arrest of JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar on Friday in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy over hold- ing of an event at the varsity on February 9 to commemorate hanging of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru. Kumar was later remand- ed in three-day police custody by a city court. And as the Delhi Police launched a manhunt to nab other accused — Omar Khalid, Anant Prakash, Rama Naga, Ashutosh and Anirban — the JNU administration while ordering a “high-level enquiry” into the incident has debarred eight students from academic activities with immediate effect during the pendency of the enquiry. JNU Registrar Professor Bupinder Zutshi said names of the students have been with- held as of now and tomorrow letters would be sent to them. However the debarred stu- dents have been permitted to represent their side of the story during the course of the inves- tigation. Also, they have been allowed to stay in their respec- tive hostels as a guest, the JNU public relations officer Poonam Kudaisya said. Kumar’s arrest evoked strong reaction from the Left groups, including AISA, and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an “emer- gency-like” situation. Students gathered outside the adminis- tration building of JNU demanding intervention from the Vice Chancellor. The JNU Teachers’ Association also condemned the arrest of Kumar as an action “uncalled for”. “This could be a disciplinary issue but how can it be a case of sedition? The action against the stu- dents is uncalled for. The way students are being randomly picked up from the campus is very unfortunate at a university which is widely known for its democratic ethos,” said Vikramaditya, Secretary, JNUTA. While Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh advocated strong action against those who were involved in the alleged “anti-India” act, the Left groups continued their protests on the campus for the third day. Some students said their parents are asking them to quit the university in view of the “vitiating atmosphere” at JNU. Countering the claims of the Left groups, the ABVP marched from India Gate to Rajpath raising slogans against the “anti- nationals”. They held placards which read, “Ghar Ghar mein ghus ke maare gey, jis ghar say Afzal niklega (We will enter each home and kill any person who tries to per- sonify Afzal.)” “They are studying on the India’s tax payer’s money and yet do anti-India activities. We demand that the JNU admin- istration must rusticate the students and Government must take stringent action those who were a part of anti-India rally in the campus,” said Delhi State Secretary ABVP, Saket Bahuguna. Newly appointed JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar said, “While the JNU commu- nity upholds the right to free debate on campus, the univer- sity strongly condemns its use as a platform for activities that violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. However, there could be aberrations where fringe sections misuse the freedom provided.” Continued on Page 4 Related reports on P5 T he Supreme Court on Friday ordered continuation of the trial in the National Herald case against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and others but exempted them from personal appearance and expunged remarks made against them by the Delhi High Court on the merit of the charges. The trial judge is expected to begin fram- ing of charges in the case on February 20. The Gandhis, who were represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, had sought quashing of proceedings. The case involved a complaint by BJP senior leader Subramanian Swamy alleging cheating and fraud on part of the Gandhis for misap- propriating party funds. The Bench of Justices JS Khehar and C Nagappan said there was no ground to inter- fere with the ongoing trial and gave liberty to all the accused to raise their objections at the stage of framing of charge. However, the Bench agreed to grant interim relief by exempt- ing personal appearance of the Gandhis and others on the next date of hearing before the trial judge. It also expunged certain remarks made by the Delhi High Court judge in his order refusing to interfere with the trial. The judge, in his order of December 7, 2015, had casti- gated the Gandhis by suggest- ing that their criminal intent was prima facie made out. At the outset, the Bench said, “We are not happy with what the High Court judge has observed.” Striking out the observations damning the peti- tioners even when the trial was to take place, the Bench said, “Let there be a fair trial… It was not open to the High Court to record final conclusions which it ought to have left to the trial judge. What the judge has said can prejudice the trial.” On the court’s decision to grant them personal exemption, Swamy objected citing a Supreme Court judgment of 2011 in TGN Kumar case which had held it is the Magistrate who must consider passing any order for exemption. Continued on Page 4 T aking the spiritual route to beat the religious ban pro- hibiting women entering Sabarimala temple, the Supreme Court on Friday quoted Bhagwad Gita to both the Kerala Government and the Travancore Devasom Board to show that the Scripture never discriminated against women. Wondering how the State supported the ban, the court gave the Board and the State Government six weeks time to present evidence from Hindu Vedas, shastras and puranas jus- tifying the ban. The court said it will examine the Scriptural pro- hibitions alongside the Constitution prohibitions and appointed two senior lawyers Raju Ramachandran and former Delhi HC judge K Ramamoorthy to assist in the matter. The Kerala Govt had filed an affidavit in response to a PIL by NGO Indian Young Lawyers Association questioning the ban as a ground of gender discrimi- nation. The State reversed its ear- lier stand questioning the ban and replaced it with a fresh stand supporting the tradition fol- lowed at Sabarimala to prohibit women aged between 10 and 50 years who are of menstrual age from visiting the shrine. In doing so, the State quoted tanthris who believed that Lord Ayyappa is a “Naisthik Brahmachari” and presence of women can cause deviation to god from his celiba- cy and austerity. With the matter coming up for the first time since the change of stand by the State, the Bench of Justices Dipak Misra, PC Ghose and NV Ramana ques- tioned the “somersault” on part of the Govt. Counsel for State, senior advocate V Giri said that the State was duty-bound to rec- tify any error in the decision taken by previous Governments. The court wished to know if an instance of discrimination was intrinsic to Hindu faith and belief. “Is spirituality only for men and are women incapable of it,” the Bench asked the State. Senior advocate KK Venugopal who appeared for the Board sought six weeks to produce additional documents support- ing the prohibition. Continued on Page 4 New Delhi: Former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani has been booked for sedition in connection with an event at Press Club of India here, in which a group shouted slogans hail- ing Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. “An FIR has been regis- tered against Geelani and other unnamed persons under Sections 124A (sedi- tion), 120B (criminal con- spiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of IPC in connec- tion with the event at the Press Club in which anti- India sloganeering took place,” DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said on Friday. T he Badrinath temple will be reopened to the public at dawn on May 11. The date for reopening of the shrine was declared after consideration of astrological calculations based on the traditional almanac on the occasion of Vasant Panchami as per tradition on Friday. The Purohit of the erstwhile royal family of Tehri at Narendranagar made the announcement in the presence of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee position-holders, members of the traditionally involved religious fraternity and Tehri MP Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, among others. The tra- ditional rituals were held on Friday for ascertaining the suitable and auspicious date for reopening the temple of lord Badrinath. Continued on P4 I f you assume that the Valentine Week is all about roses, chocolates and affec- tionate hugs you are mistaken as condoms constitute a major share of the Valentine kitty of the young lovebirds. Market analysts say that sales of con- doms surge up considerably as cupid strikes in the romance- sodden week. In the State Capital, the condom sale is seeing a huge surge of 30 percent in the week starting February 7. Importantly, the sales surge in the localities where the uni- versity and college students stay in large numbers. The medical shop owners vouch the fact that this time of the year brings good sale of prophylactic and contracep- tive pills. Interestingly, they also point out that the sale of at-home pregnancy test slides increases in March which fol- lows the month of Valentine. Gurvinder Singh, owner of Gulati Chemists and Druggists, located in busy Dharamur mar- ket, confirmed that the number of customers seeking condoms increases during this period. He said that the costumers range from youngsters to the middle- aged. The chemists also point out that the hesitancy seen among the youths while purchasing condoms some years ago is fast vanishing now. "More and more youngsters are asking for the thing without the least of hesitation, as though they have got over the spell of inhi- bition," Singh said. The Territory Sales Manager (TSM) of HLL Life Care Limited which markets a popular brand of condom, Rana Pratap Yadav also con- firmed that the sales take an upswing during the Valentine Week. "The sales of condoms increase by 30-35 percent dur- ing Valentine period. The New Year period and Karwa Chouth are other occasions when the business volume sees a surge,'' he said. The marketing executives of condom companies say that in Dehradun the sale is gener- ally more in areas like Premnagar, Nehru Colony and Karanpur where there is more concentration of college and university students. It is learnt that the condom companies vie for a share in the market which is in excess of Rs 50 lakh per month in Dehradun city alone. The online sale of condoms is also significant during this period, but in Dehradun the trend is yet to pick up. Continued on Page 4 A n inebriated person alleged- ly tried to molest a girl out- side the Cross Roads Mall in Dehradun on Friday evening. Interestingly, the accused came to the mall in SDM City's vehi- cle. The police arrived but they were trying to pacify the mob. The footage of the CCTVs at the Cross Road Mall could provide the proof, it is said. As a young couple was standing outside the mall the accused, who was in an ine- briated state, allegedly came near and started molesting the girl. Seeing this her male friend resisted, then the person start- ed beating the girl's friend and when people opposed the accused introduced himself as the SDM City and said that he has full right to beat anyone. Meanwhile, the girl informed her other friends and a few people reached the spot before police arrived. They had made desperate calls to the police for half an hour but the police, which claims that they responded to the call within a few minutes, reached after half an hour. It appeared they were deterred by the high profile involvement. The girl's friend, who had jumped on the bonnet of the vehicle, asked the police to lodge FIR but they did not.

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����"������ ���45 (4"#!

Tension continued inJawaharlal Nehru

University (JNU) with thearrest of JNU Students’ Union(JNUSU) president Kanhaiya

Kumar on Friday in connectionwith a case of sedition andcriminal conspiracy over hold-ing of an event at the varsity onFebruary 9 to commemoratehanging of Parliament attackcase convict Afzal Guru.

Kumar was later remand-

ed in three-day police custodyby a city court.

And as the Delhi Policelaunched a manhunt to nabother accused — Omar Khalid,Anant Prakash, Rama Naga,Ashutosh and Anirban — theJNU administration while

ordering a “high-level enquiry”into the incident has debarredeight students from academicactivities with immediate effect during the pendency ofthe enquiry.

JNU Registrar ProfessorBupinder Zutshi said names ofthe students have been with-held as of now and tomorrowletters would be sent to them.

However the debarred stu-dents have been permitted to

represent their side of the storyduring the course of the inves-tigation. Also, they have beenallowed to stay in their respec-tive hostels as a guest, the JNUpublic relations officer PoonamKudaisya said.

Kumar’s arrest evokedstrong reaction from the Leftgroups, including AISA, andcriticism from non-BJP partieswhich dubbed it as an “emer-gency-like” situation. Studentsgathered outside the adminis-tration building of JNUdemanding intervention fromthe Vice Chancellor.

The JNU Teachers’Association also condemnedthe arrest of Kumar as anaction “uncalled for”. “Thiscould be a disciplinary issue buthow can it be a case of sedition?The action against the stu-dents is uncalled for. The waystudents are being randomlypicked up from the campus isvery unfortunate at a university which is widelyknown for its democraticethos,” said Vikramaditya,Secretary, JNUTA.

While Union MinistersSmriti Irani and Rajnath Singhadvocated strong action againstthose who were involved in thealleged “anti-India” act, theLeft groups continued theirprotests on the campus for thethird day. Some students saidtheir parents are asking them toquit the university in view of the“vitiating atmosphere” at JNU.

Countering the claims ofthe Left groups, the ABVPmarched from India Gate toRajpath raising slogans againstthe “anti- nationals”. They heldplacards which read, “Ghar

Ghar mein ghus ke maare gey,jis ghar say Afzal niklega (Wewill enter each home and killany person who tries to per-sonify Afzal.)”

“They are studying on theIndia’s tax payer’s money andyet do anti-India activities. Wedemand that the JNU admin-istration must rusticate thestudents and Government musttake stringent action thosewho were a part of anti-Indiarally in the campus,” said DelhiState Secretary ABVP, SaketBahuguna.

Newly appointed JNU ViceChancellor Jagadesh Kumarsaid, “While the JNU commu-nity upholds the right to freedebate on campus, the univer-sity strongly condemns its useas a platform for activities thatviolate the Constitution and thelaws of the land. However,there could be aberrationswhere fringe sections misusethe freedom provided.”

Continued on Page 4Related reports on P5

���� �� #�� ���� ��45 (4"#!

The Supreme Court on Fridayordered continuation of the

trial in the National Herald caseagainst Congress presidentSonia Gandhi, vice-presidentRahul Gandhi and others butexempted them from personalappearance and expungedremarks made against them bythe Delhi High Court on themerit of the charges. The trialjudge is expected to begin fram-ing of charges in the case onFebruary 20.

The Gandhis, who wererepresented by senior advocatesKapil Sibal and Abhishek ManuSinghvi, had sought quashing ofproceedings. The case involveda complaint by BJP seniorleader Subramanian Swamyalleging cheating and fraud onpart of the Gandhis for misap-propriating party funds.

The Bench of Justices JSKhehar and C Nagappan saidthere was no ground to inter-fere with the ongoing trial andgave liberty to all the accusedto raise their objections at thestage of framing of charge.However, the Bench agreed togrant interim relief by exempt-ing personal appearance of theGandhis and others on the nextdate of hearing before the trial

judge. It also expunged certainremarks made by the DelhiHigh Court judge in his orderrefusing to interfere with thetrial. The judge, in his order ofDecember 7, 2015, had casti-gated the Gandhis by suggest-ing that their criminal intentwas prima facie made out.

At the outset, the Benchsaid, “We are not happy withwhat the High Court judge hasobserved.” Striking out theobservations damning the peti-tioners even when the trial wasto take place, the Bench said,“Let there be a fair trial… It wasnot open to the High Court torecord final conclusions whichit ought to have left to the trialjudge. What the judge has saidcan prejudice the trial.”

On the court’s decision togrant them personal exemption,Swamy objected citing aSupreme Court judgment of2011 in TGN Kumar case whichhad held it is the Magistrate whomust consider passing any orderfor exemption.

Continued on Page 4

�"�������������45 (4"#!

Taking the spiritual route tobeat the religious ban pro-

hibiting women enteringSabarimala temple, the SupremeCourt on Friday quotedBhagwad Gita to both the KeralaGovernment and the TravancoreDevasom Board to show that theScripture never discriminatedagainst women.

Wondering how the Statesupported the ban, the court gavethe Board and the StateGovernment six weeks time topresent evidence from HinduVedas, shastras and puranas jus-tifying the ban. The court said itwill examine the Scriptural pro-hibitions alongside theConstitution prohibitions andappointed two senior lawyersRaju Ramachandran and former

Delhi HC judge KRamamoorthy to assist in thematter.

The Kerala Govt had filed anaffidavit in response to a PIL byNGO Indian Young LawyersAssociation questioning the banas a ground of gender discrimi-nation. The State reversed its ear-lier stand questioning the ban

and replaced it with a fresh standsupporting the tradition fol-lowed at Sabarimala to prohibitwomen aged between 10 and 50years who are of menstrual agefrom visiting the shrine. In doingso, the State quoted tanthriswho believed that Lord Ayyappais a “Naisthik Brahmachari” andpresence of women can cause

deviation to god from his celiba-cy and austerity.

With the matter coming upfor the first time since the changeof stand by the State, the Benchof Justices Dipak Misra, PCGhose and NV Ramana ques-tioned the “somersault” on partof the Govt. Counsel for State,senior advocate V Giri said thatthe State was duty-bound to rec-tify any error in the decisiontaken by previous Governments.

The court wished to know ifan instance of discriminationwas intrinsic to Hindu faith andbelief. “Is spirituality only formen and are women incapableof it,” the Bench asked the State.Senior advocate KK Venugopalwho appeared for the Boardsought six weeks to produceadditional documents support-ing the prohibition.

Continued on Page 4

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New Delhi: Former DelhiUniversity lecturer SARGeelani has been bookedfor sedition in connectionwith an event at Press Clubof India here, in which agroup shouted slogans hail-ing Parliament attack convictAfzal Guru.

“An FIR has been regis-tered against Geelani andother unnamed personsunder Sections 124A (sedi-tion), 120B (criminal con-spiracy) and 149 (unlawfulassembly) of IPC in connec-tion with the event at thePress Club in which anti-India sloganeering tookplace,” DCP (New Delhi)Jatin Narwal said on Friday.

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The Badrinath temple will bereopened to the public at

dawn on May 11. The date forreopening of the shrine wasdeclared after consideration ofastrological calculations basedon the traditional almanac onthe occasion of Vasant Panchamias per tradition on Friday.

The Purohit of the erstwhileroyal family of Tehri atNarendranagar made theannouncement in the presenceof Badrinath-Kedarnath TempleCommittee position-holders,members of the traditionallyinvolved religious fraternity andTehri MP Mala Rajya LakshmiShah, among others. The tra-ditional rituals were held onFriday for ascertaining thesuitable and auspicious date forreopening the temple of lordBadrinath. Continued on P4

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If you assume that theValentine Week is all about

roses, chocolates and affec-tionate hugs you are mistakenas condoms constitute a majorshare of the Valentine kitty ofthe young lovebirds. Marketanalysts say that sales of con-doms surge up considerably ascupid strikes in the romance-sodden week.

In the State Capital, thecondom sale is seeing a hugesurge of 30 percent in theweek starting February 7.Importantly, the sales surgein the localities where the uni-versity and college studentsstay in large numbers.

The medical shop ownersvouch the fact that this time ofthe year brings good sale ofprophylactic and contracep-tive pills. Interestingly, they

also point out that the sale ofat-home pregnancy test slidesincreases in March which fol-lows the month of Valentine.

Gurvinder Singh, owner ofGulati Chemists and Druggists,located in busy Dharamur mar-ket, confirmed that the numberof customers seeking condomsincreases during this period.He said that the costumersrange from youngsters to themiddle- aged.

The chemists also point outthat the hesitancy seen amongthe youths while purchasingcondoms some years ago is fastvanishing now. "More andmore youngsters are askingfor the thing without the leastof hesitation, as though theyhave got over the spell of inhi-bition," Singh said.

The Territory SalesManager (TSM) of HLL LifeCare Limited which markets apopular brand of condom,

Rana Pratap Yadav also con-firmed that the sales take anupswing during the ValentineWeek. "The sales of condomsincrease by 30-35 percent dur-ing Valentine period. The NewYear period and Karwa Chouthare other occasions when thebusiness volume sees a surge,''he said.

The marketing executivesof condom companies say thatin Dehradun the sale is gener-ally more in areas likePremnagar, Nehru Colony andKaranpur where there is moreconcentration of college anduniversity students. It is learntthat the condom companies viefor a share in the market whichis in excess of Rs 50 lakh permonth in Dehradun city alone.The online sale of condoms isalso significant during thisperiod, but in Dehradun thetrend is yet to pick up.

Continued on Page 4

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An inebriated person alleged-ly tried to molest a girl out-

side the Cross Roads Mall inDehradun on Friday evening.Interestingly, the accused cameto the mall in SDM City's vehi-cle. The police arrived but theywere trying to pacify the mob.The footage of the CCTVs at theCross Road Mall could providethe proof, it is said.

As a young couple wasstanding outside the mall theaccused, who was in an ine-briated state, allegedly camenear and started molesting thegirl. Seeing this her male friend

resisted, then the person start-ed beating the girl's friend andwhen people opposed theaccused introduced himself asthe SDM City and said that hehas full right to beat anyone.Meanwhile, the girl informedher other friends and a fewpeople reached the spot beforepolice arrived.

They had made desperate

calls to the police for half anhour but the police, whichclaims that they responded tothe call within a few minutes,reached after half an hour. Itappeared they were deterred bythe high profile involvement.The girl's friend, who hadjumped on the bonnet of thevehicle, asked the police tolodge FIR but they did not.

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ANational Conference on‘Financial Inclusion and

Sustainable Livelihood’ wasorganised at Doon Universityhere on Friday. Speaking on theoccasion the Chief GeneralManager, (CGM) of NationalBank for Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (NABARD), C PMohan said that 80 percent ofvillages of the country have apopulation which is less than2000 and they do not haveaccess tobanks due tolow popula-tion.

He gavean elaborateaccount offinancial ser-vices whichare availablein rural areas. Mohan said that56 percent of total 6 Lakh vil-lages of the country are sparse-ly populated with a count of lessthan 1000 people and it is a chal-lenge to bring them underfinancial inclusion.

The secretary Finance, DrM C Joshi highlighted theimportance of access to tech-nology and technical problemsencountered in some areas inIndia. He said that the factremains that people living inurban areas still avail credit facil-ities from other people like tra-ditional money lenders and

avoid financial intermediarieslike banks.

Joshi emphasized on find-ing the root cause of the prob-lems related to sustainable liveli-hood.

The Director ofUttarakhand Science Educationand Research Centre (USERC),Durgesh Pant stressed on inclu-sivity and connectivity in hisaddress. He said that is a factthat the rural population iscurious about new technology.

The Keynote address onthe occasion wasdelivered byfounder of Basix,Vijay Mahajan.He explainedF i n a n c i a lInclusion indetail and theactions taken bythe Indian

Government to promote it. He said that triumvirate of

JAM,which stands for Jan-Dhan,Adhar and Mobile is benefittingpeople. He said that ‘MAJAA’ isneeded today, where M standsfor mobile, A stands for Adhar,J stands for Jan-Dhan, A standsfor ‘aayushman’ which denotesuniversal insurance and the lastA stands for ‘aajivika’ whichmeans livelihood.

A panel discussion was alsoorganised on the day. The pro-grame was organised by theDoon University in collabora-tion with IIM Kashipur.

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More than 50per cent ofchildren under five years

are still anaemic inUttarakhand. This has beenhighlighted by the latestNational Family Health Survey(NFHS 4, 2015-‘16).

What is shocking is thatthe number has barely changedwhen compared to the previ-ous NFHS data publishedalmost a decade ago. Besideschild malnutrition, the qual-ity of ante-natal as well as post-natal care of both mothers andinfants show worrying trendsnegatively impacting child-health in the State, as findingsof the recent survey suggest.

The poor status of con-sumption of Iron and FolicAcid (IFA) supplementationand lack of proper ante-natalcare for expecting mothers isa huge concern area. Only 25permothers consumed ironfolic acid for more than 100days or more, while motherswho received full antenatalcare have decreased from 12.7to 11.5 per cent.

Soha Moitra, RegionalDirector (North), CRY – ChildRights and You, says, “TheNFHS is not just a reflection ofthe state of health and nutri-tional well being of childrenbut it also provides the direc-tion for corrective measures in

State policies and programmes.She further added, “The

data released for Uttarakhandreinforces that efforts needs tobe put to fill in the gaps in vac-cination, better outreach toremote areas, better monitoringand provision of health servicesand regular training to improvethe capacities of all playersproviding health services.”

The importance andimmediacy of post -natal careand nutrition for both survivaland health of the new born hasstill not percolated down as thesurvey shows. Despite the factthat the first 24 hours aremost dangerous and hencecrucial for a new born less thantwo out of 10 infants bornunder supervision receivedhealth check up within twodays of birth. The number isworse for home deliveries withonly about 2.4 per cent infantsreceiving check- up in the first24 hours.

Also only on in elevenchildren in the age group of 6-

23 months receives adequatediet.

Poverty, lack of sufficientdiet and routine immunizationare factors contributing tohigh levels of malnutrition,However if left unchecked,this can lead to deaths. At pre-sent 40 infants out of 1000born do not get to celebratetheir first birthday

Malnutrition is one of themost common problemsaffecting children and gov-ernments; both Centre andthe State should prioritisehealth care so that our childrenget a healthy and happy lifethey deserve.

In this context, theUttarakhand Government’srecent decision to startParvarish day-care centresacross the State for childrensuffering from malnutritionis a big welcome step but it willneed constant efforts and per-severance on their part to notjust change the statistics butalso ensure a systemic change.

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The Member of Parliament(MP) from Rajya Sabha

and BJP leader, Tarun Vijay,has said that the biographiesof brave soldiers and martyrsfrom the State should find aplace in the curriculum ofstudents of Uttarakhand.

Paying homage to Lt ColRajesh Gulati on his firstdeath anniversary, the BJPleader said that it is unfortu-nate that we forget our mar-tyrs and the schools, where

such martyrs had studied alsomaintain a silence by notobserving their martyrdomday.

“We must have such anobservance to inspire younggenerations to join armedforces,’’ he said. It is worthmentioning here thatDehradun resident Col Gulatiattained martyrdom whilefighting militants in Kashmiron February 11 last year. TheBJP MP said that he will tryto build a suitable memorialfor Col Gulati in State capital.

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The All-Uttarakhand ParentsAssociation (AUPA) has

asked the Governor ofUttarakhand to intervene in thefee hike of the colleges affiliat-ed to the UttarakhandTechnical University (UTU).

In a letter directed to thegovernor the association saidthat the State Government hasrecently doubled the fees ofengineering courses likeBachelor of Engineering (BE),Bachelor of Technology(B.Tech) and Master ofTechnology (M Tech) due towhich it has become very dif-ficult for poor and middleincome group people to gettheir wards admitted in thesecourses.

The President of AUPA,Neeraj Singhal said that the feesstructure of the governmentengineering colleges has nowcome at par with that of privatecolleges. He alleged that theowners of the private institu-tions have colluded with stategovernment to hike the fees sothat children are diverted tothem.

In the memorandum theAUPA has requested theGovernor to order a fee rever-sal and inquiry in the issuewhich is of immense signifi-cance for the parents of State.

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In retaliation of the studentsaffiliated to the Akhil

Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad(ABVP) protesting at DAV(PG) College campus and van-dalizing the SFI’s office locat-ed at Karanpur on Thursdayevening, alleging that the CPI-M student affiliate was an anti-national organisation, scores ofSFI members protested atDehradun district magistrate’sresidence (camp office) onFriday evening, demandingarrest of the ABVP members.

The trigger of the unrestwas some SFI leaders describ-ing the execution of 2001

Parliament attack convict AfzalGuru as 'judicial killing' andsloganeering against it inJawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) campus.

Devendra Singh Rawal,SFI’s State secretary, alleged thataround 25 ABVP activists hadvandalized the SFI office onThursday evening, breakingchairs and tables and destroy-ing photos and office docu-ments.

Rawal further said that hehad registered a complaint inDalanwala police station onThursday evening. Acting on it,a case under section 427 of IPCwas registered against threeABVP members- Paras Goyal,

Shubham Samilti and KapilSharma- in the police stationon Friday.

SFI leaders said that theywere not happy with the sectionthey had been booked under.Some more sections shouldbe added in the FIR to ensurethey are punished stringently,the SFI activists said.

Rawal said that the attackhad come despite the centralSFI leadership having distanceditself from the sloganeeringagainst the hanging of AfzalGuru in JNU campus.

Rawal warned that theunion will intensify its protestacross the State if their demandis not met.

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The engineers of All IndiaMilitar y Engineering

Services (MES) civilian engi-neers association celebratedtheir 39th foundation day bydistributing food, items ofgeneral need, shoes and sportgoods to the inmates ofCheshire Home, Lepersasharam, rest camp andMother Teresa Orphanage onFriday.

A general assembly of theassociation was also held onthe day. In the programe, NK Singh elaborated the worksundertaken by the Union gov-ernment for benefit of civilengineers and praised theparticipation of Dehradununit in overall activities of theMES.

The President of the asso-ciation, V K Singh expresseda vote of thanks on the occa-sion. The civil engineers ofMES Lansdowne, Roorkee,Raiwala and Mussoorie arepart of Dehradun unit ofassociation.

The programme waskeenly participated by all thecivil engineers of MES.

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The third Uttarakhandspring bird festival was

supposed to have been themost elaborate event of itskind to be organised by the for-est department in Uttarakhandso far. However, the bird festi-val appears to have beenrestricted largely to the partic-ipation of the department andcertain voluntary bodies andorganisations active in the envi-ronmental sphere.

The festival which wasinaugurated on Thursday issupposed to be organised in theentire Doon valley but haselicited little of the enthusiasmand public participation asso-ciated with a festival.

Inaugurated formally bythe State Forest and Wildlifeminister Dinesh Aggarwal, theDoon valley spring bird festi-val is being held at five sitesincluding Asan-Timli, Rajpur-Sahastradhara, Thano-Maldevta, FRI-Jhajhra and theRajaji tiger reserve.

Though rounds of discus-sions and meetings were heldin the past to facilitate a wellmanaged event, the officialapproach seen in the first two

days of the four-day festappears to be focused on a lim-ited section of the public whichis not enough for promotingbird tourism in Garhwal, asclaimed by the department.

It is pertinent to mention

here that the Uttarakhand bird-watching programme waslaunched in February 2012from Asan conservation reserveto promote bird tourism. Underthis programme, 27 bird watch-ing camps have been conduct-

ed during the last three years atvarious rural tourism destina-tions.

More than 600 forest staff,nature guides and studentshave been involved in thesecamps supplemented with large

scale events like the springbird festival. An activist point-ed out that the latest event issupposed to be aimed atimproving the profile ofUttarakhand as a crucial Statefor bird conservation and bird-watching destination but itappears to be aimed mainly atbenefiting those making theirearnings from tourism andother spheres.

This bird festival was slat-ed to be organised in a moreinclusive and visible mannercapitalising on the location ofState’s capital. However, activ-

ities in the first two days havebeen lacking in inclusivenessand visibility compared to theprevious bird festival.

The success of such eventsshould not depend mainly onparticular individuals whichdoesn’t seem to be the casehere. The focus of the speechduring the inaugural functionappeared to be more on incomegeneration activities like eco-tourism and riverbed quarry-ing and less on specifics forachieving the stated aim, saidan official on condition ofanonymity.

The information put up onthe website set up for the birdfestival, was not updated evenon the second day of the eventthough officials have oftenstressed on the importance ofefficient online communicationto boost income generationactivities.

“One of the main purpos-es for setting up a website is tomaximise publicity and gener-ate more interest in the eventbut the managers appear dis-interested considering theabsence of updated informa-tion and details of the festivalon the website even on the sec-ond day,” said a bird lover.

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In the absence of its juris-diction being fixed, Cyber

Crimes Police Station has noFIR registered in it sinceMarch last year when it wasformed. Things are murky,though nobody can deny theimportance it deserves withcyber crimes happening thickand fast in the State.

SSP STF P Renuka Devisaid that a proposal has beensent to the State Government,seeking determination ofjurisdiction of Cyber CrimesPolice Station through involv-ing the judiciary.

Another police officersaid that out of three posts ofinspector, only one has beendeputed. Complaints werereceived but no FIR was reg-istered. A total of 32 postshave been created for thecyber crime police stationwhile 23 police officers andpolice personnel- five sub-inspectors, six head- consta-

bles and 12 constables- havebeen deputed.

The objective with whichCCPS was raised is importantas it is tasked to deal withcrimes related to onlinefrauds, AMT frauds, creditcard frauds, objectionablephotographs or videos, com-ment on the Facebook andother social websites whichmay lead to communal ten-sion.

The State Governmenthad released notification forestablishment of Cyber CrimePolice Station under IT Act2000 and IT Act 2008(amended) on January 21,2015.

It should be mentionedhere that Uttarakhand ChiefMinister Harish Rawat hadinaugurated the State’s firstCCPS in Dehradun onMarch 25, 2015. Rawat hadsaid that Uttarakhand hadbecome among the few priv-ileged States of the countrywhere CCPS was operational.

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Libraries should be developed ensuringeasy access to relevant books and literature

in order to facilitate an improved condition ofresearch and development activities. Thedirector general of forests, Dr Sharad SinghNegi said this at the conclusion of the 10thUttarakhand Science and Technology Congress(USTC) at the Vigyan Dham campus ofUttarakhand State Council of Science andTechnology (UCOST) here on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, Negi stressed onutillisation of the recently inaugurated region-al science centre at Vigyan Dham to encour-age development of scientific base among theyouth, scientists and the general public.

Addressing the gathering, financial advi-sor to the CM and former chief secretary InduKumar Pande elicited focus on the need foryoung scientists and researchers to worktowards facilitating the use of traditionalknowledge in the modern context.

UCOST director general Rajendra Dobhalspoke of the recommendations made by invit-ed experts in four brain storming sessions heldapart from which a total of 490 research paperson 16 subjects were also presented.Considering various aspects 28 young male sci-entists and 22 young women scientists wereselected for awards under different cate-gories, he added.

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Realising that Special Task Force(STF) Uttarakhand has been fac-

ing staff crunch, the senior police offi-cers have sent a proposal to the StateGovernment seeking creation of over50 posts comprising inspectors, sub-inspectors, constables and others.

State DGP BS Sidhu said onFriday that a proposal has been sentto the State Government, seekingapproval on creation of 53 posts of twodeputy SPs, five inspectors, 15 sub-inspectors, some constables and oth-ers.

SSP STF P Renuka Devi said thatcurrently, STF is equipped with 31police officers and personnel com-prising three sub-inspectors, 15 con-stables and others like drivers, accoun-tants and stenographers.

Another police officer said thatthe Special Task Force has been estab-lished to control the exponentiallyincreasing crime rates, extortion andother illegal activities. An integral partof Uttarakhand Police, Special TaskForce has proved to be successful incapturing criminals and controllingcrimes in the State, he claimed.

Giving details of the areas of itsoperation, he said the team works oncollection of intelligence about mafiagangs, preparation of action plan and

its execution against disruptive ele-ments, action against listed gangs incoordination with district police,effective action against gang of dacoits,especially inter district gangs and thelike.

The Special Task Force works asteams with each team headed byeither an additional SP or deputy SP.The SSP is in-charge of all the oper-ations conducted by the Special TaskForce. Special Task Force has a pan-Uttarakhand jurisdiction. Its teamsalso operate outside the State, withassistance of the respective Statepolice.

Special Task Force relies exten-sively upon human intelligence, tech-nology and sophisticated tactics toachieve its objectives, it is learnt.

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Four or five calls, includinghoax calls, almost daily over the

help line number 100 beingreceived by the police controlroom in Haridwar, where theArdh Kumbh mela is now on, haveleft the police officers worried.Two persons have been arrestedrecently since the Ardh KumbhMela started on January 14.

Police were on the edge againon Friday after they were informedthat a sack containing explosivematerials had been found lying atShantikunj gate number-2. Bombdisposal squad and dog squadrushed to the spot. They found thesack, but there was no explosivematerial found in it.

Police force seems dividedover whether the people shouldgive warning calls indiscrimi-nately over the helpline number.A police officer said that it is goodthat the people are using thehelpline number with alacritywhenever they stumble upon anysuspicious object.

But another cop said thatmost of the calls received in thecontrol room through 100 are inthe category of hoax calls. “No oneshould trigger panic this way.

The helpline number should beused with discrimination,” headded.

Recently, two- Sunil Saini,native of Bijnor and Ankit, resi-dent of Kanchal, Haridwar - werearrested for making hoax calls.They were booked under appro-priate sections of IPC in the policestation concerned in ArdhKumbha Mela area. Sunil Sainihad made the hoax call to the con-trol room as he wanted to land hisfather-in-law with whom he hasbeen having troubled relation in asoup. Ankit had phoned the policeby way of playing pranks.

After the police received thecall, saying that a sack had beenfound lying suspiciously atShantikunj gate number-2, thearea was sealed off and vehiclechecking drive was launched atimportant crossings within theMela area. Pilgrims were strictlyfrisked while the bomb disposalsquad personnel checked the sackand found no explosive materialin it.

Police said what had found outin the sack were parts of a brokencylinder. “We are wonderingwhether someone had left it thereintentionally to trigger panic,”one of the cops posted there said.

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A34-year-old constableJanak Raj, resident of

Tanakpur of Champawat dis-trict, who was deployed onArdh Kumbh duty, has beenmissing since January 21. Hehad secured leave for three daysfrom police officer concernedin Haridwar from January 17,but he has not joined the officetill date. His family memberswere unaware of the three-dayleave he had secured from thepolice department.

IG (Ardh Kumbh) GS Martoila said that his familymembers had reached Haridwar and said they wereunaware of his location. They said they were worried.A missing report has been registered in Kankhal policestation and a team has been formed to find him out.

IG Martoila appealed to the people to inform policeon phone numbers 01334-221601/246080 about hiswhereabouts. Janak Raj had applied for three- day leaveafter the first Ardh Kumbh big snan slated on January14/15 was over. The leave being granted, he went off.However, his colleagues were unaware of whether he hadgone home or to some other places.

The police officers talked to his family members afterhe had not joined the office on January 21. When con-tacted, his family members had said they had noinkling of knowledge where he was. His mobile has beenswitched off. The senior police officer deputed at ArdhKumbh had sent information about the missing consta-ble to Tanakpur police station, Champawat.

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In a piece of good news forthe women of the State who

are feeling insecure with thecriminals running amok, theState police has sent a pro-posal to the State Governmentasking for recruiting 10 percent women Home Guards.They seem to have beenenthused by the Centre’srecent go-ahead to the StateGovernment on the matter.

State CommandantGeneral home guards andadditional director general ofpolice (law and order) RamSingh Meena said on Fridaythat a proposal seeking per-mission for the recruitment ofmore women Home Guardshad been sent to the Centrerecently in order to increasethe women’s representationup to 25 per cent in the par-ticular section.

“The Centre has given thego-ahead nod, albeit with arider that the cap must be 10percent. Acting on it, we havesent a proposal, seekingapproval on recruitment for320 women Home Guards.

However, the Centre has notapproved financial assistanceover such kind of recruitment.Placed thus, the StateGovernment would have tobear the financial burden of thewomen Home Guards to berecruited,” he said. He said thatthe numbers of women homeguards in the State stands at apaltry 239 out of total HomeGuard strength of 6411.

He further said after theState Government approves,the recruitment of 320 womenHome Guards will be held inten districts except Haridwar,Dehradun and Nainital wherewomen’s representation in theHome Guard is sufficient.

He added said that to fillthe vacant posts of maleHome Guards, the policedepartment had recently com-pleted recruitment for 366posts in four districts-Haridwar, Udham SinghNagar, Pithorgarh andChamoli.

Notably, the HomeGuards are deployed on vari-ous works like maintaininglaw and order, crime and traf-fic. They also work as com-

puter operators in the policedepartment. Attending emer-gency duties is one amongtheir long list of duties. HomeGuards are handling all thesejobs on par with the consta-bles. Save for a month, theyare given jobs throughout theyear. Moreover, the facility ofage- relaxation is availablefor the Home Guards whenthey apply for any post inpolice and fire services depart-ments.

Things are indeed enthus-ing for the State police brasswho are pitching in for morerecruitment of women in thecategory of Home Guard, asthe Chief Minister HarishRawat, duly worried with thespurt in the crimes against thewomen, has already vowed toincrease the women’s repre-sentation in the section to 25per cent.

He also ensured that theHome Guards get five percentreservation in the recruit-ment of constables. What ismore, CM Rawat had declaredan increase in the allowancesof the Home Guards from�250 to �350 per day last year.

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The youthful and ener-getic festival of Basant

Panchami was celebrated indifferent parts of State withenthusiasm on Friday. Thefestival was ceremoniouslycelebrated at many places inthe State’s capital. People vis-ited temples and offeredprayers and garlands to god-dess Saraswati the goddessof knowledge, art and cul-ture on the occasion. Aprogarmme was also organ-ised at Sai temple located atRajpur road to mark the day.

Vasant Panchami, is cel-ebrated on fifth day ofHindu month of Magha andwith it spring season inIndia starts. The festivaloccupies a special place inthe lives of people of moun-

tainous areas ofUttarakhand. The tillingseason starts with this festi-val. On the day the farmersoffer prayers in front oftheir bullocks and ploughand after the prayers the firststraight burrow line is madeby them in the field. Barleyleaves along with the cowdung is put at the entranceof the houses as it is con-sidered very auspicious.Traditional dishes of sweetrice, bhura, Sawalas are pre-pared by the women. Thechildren collect yellow flow-ers in their baskets and putthem in front of gates of allthe homes of the village atdawn. It is believed that theVasant festival starts onPanchami day and con-cludes on Holi.

Sadly enough these old

traditions are on wanenowadays. Old timersrecall the festivity andatmosphere in the vil-lages associated withVasant Panchami whichis not seen nowadays.Recalling old days invillages, a Doon resi-dent and a retired Armyofficer, BS Rawat saidthat the Holi celebra-tions in the Garhwalhills use to start withVasant Panchami. Hesaid that large scale

migration has reduced thepopulation of villages dras-tically due to which largeareas of agricultural land haschanged into wastelands sothe festivals like VasantPanchami have lost their sig-nificance. Famous Garhwalifolk singer PreetamBhartwan also rued the lossof cultural values among thenew generation.

Speaking to ThePioneer, Bhartwan said thatold times were good andnow people are runningaway from their roots. Hesaid that along with themodern education peopleshould teach significanceof festival like VasantPanchami to their childrenso that the culture of thehills is preserved for gener-ations to come.

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The mock exercise of incidentresponse system for a seis-

mic disaster held on Thursdayhad various striking featuresthat have made the observersquestion whether the exercisewas intended to be a mockery.On the Parade Ground inDehradun from where the post-disaster efforts were conductedto aid the four ‘disaster affected’districts, some of the police andcivil defence personnel jumpedthe gun setting camp even beforethe disaster was officially com-municated.

The mock exercise of inci-dent response system (IRS)with the support of the NationalDisaster Management Authority(NDMA) in an earthquake sce-nario in Chamoli, Uttarkashi,Pithoragarh and Bageshwar dis-tricts along with Dehradun was,however, marked by variousproblems like breakdown ofcommunication equipment,delay in action in response toroad block report and inade-quate number of Governmentvehicles.

Observers point out thatsuch mock exercises are meantto expose shortcomings in thedisaster response system whichcan then be improved asrequired. Though delayed com-munication of the situation, lackof clear and reliable informationwas believed to have exacer-bated damage and prolongedanxiety in the June 2013 disas-ter, the aspect of public com-munication was largely ignoredin Dehradun and elsewhere.

Officially speaking, such anexercise also makes the mass-es aware of the risk of hazardsfaced in a country which hasexperienced 10 major earth-quakes during the last 15 yearsresulting in more than 20,000deaths. Public awareness wasan neglected aspect of the exer-cise in Uttarakhand which isknown to be vulnerable to var-ied disasters including season-al landslides, forest fires, flashfloods apart from earthquake.Considering the fact that earth-quake is the most devastatingand unpredictable disaster inthe mountains, the mock exer-cise held on Thursday made it

appear as if the focus was onmeeting an official formality.An official on condition ofanonymity said that the lack ofinter-department coordinationevidenced in mock exercisesheld so far on different disas-ter scenarios appeared to havechanged little. He said,“Though one may succeed intaking measures which mayappear text-book perfect insuch exercises, the situationcaused by actual disaster isquite different from text-bookscenarios in the real world. TheState’s first mock exercise onearthquake scenario shouldhave reflected the logisticaland other lessons learnt from

the 2013 disaster but this wasnot taken seriously. The focusappears to be more on fulfill-ing official formalities to creategrounds for the purchase ofvaried resources and equip-ment like satellite phones,” saidthe official.

It should be noted here thatvarious glitches experiencedduring the mock exerciseincluded breakdown of wirelesscommunication for some timein Bageshwar, inadequate num-ber of stretchers resulting inearthquake ‘victims’ being car-ried physically by hand.Responding to reported roadblockage at the zero bend inGopeshwar, Chamoli the JCB

took an hour to reach the sitewhile in Badkot, the responseteam got stuck in the traffic forabout 20 minutes at Badkotwhile in Dehradun the teammembers appeared to have acasual approach towards trans-porting the ‘injured’ to medicalattention. The DisasterMitigation and ManagementCentre (DMMC) executivedirector Dr Piyoosh Rautelacould not be reached for hiscomments when this corre-spondent telephoned him onFriday. It now remains to beseen whether the independentobservers meant to analyse theexercise also end up meeting anofficial formality.

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It is an annual scene during thespring in the holy city which the

bird lovers witness to their anguish,year after year. Many pigeons fall preyto the string used in the flying kitesand succumb as they get wounded intheir tender necks and wings by therazor-sharp thread.

On Friday too, the sky was dot-ted with numerous kites to mark theVasant Panchami festival to the dead-ly woes of the birds with the work-ing professionals joining the studentsin the fun of kite- flying. While thepeople enjoy, the sufferers are thebirds, especially pigeons the tenderbodies of which get wounded afterthey get entangled in the kites’strings. Cases of raptors gettinginjured this way has increased by 80per cet this season, says a studyreport.

In spite of the ban on Chinesekites and ‘Manja’ (string used to flykite), the markets were seen flood-ed with Chinese products. “TheChinese non-breakable strings whichare now easily available are dealingthe fatal blows to the birds. Once abird gets entangled it does not usu-ally free itself on its own and endsup dropping down dead,” saysAnkur Mehta, a kite flier fromJwalapur.

The earlier domestic string rollsused to cost from �400 to �500,depending on the quality, but theseChinese 'manjas' are relatively cheap-er and the prices range from �250to �300. Notably, the tensile strength

of the Chinese string made of fibreis much higher than the domesticstring made of cotton. The domes-tic thread has weight bearing capac-ity up to 1 kg whereas the Chinesekite can undertake pressure up to 15kg and does not break easily unlessthe body force is applied fully, tells ashopkeeper.

Speaking to The Pioneer, a work-ing professional Rajat Vats said,“The regular white domestic threadis not that harmful, but the glass coat-ed thread, called manja, createsmaximum destruction. Birds getinjured, maimed and even killedwhen they end up getting entangledin the manja. The glass-coatedthread acts like a sharp knife. I leftkite flying a few years ago, seeing itsdeathly consequences for the birds.”

The bigger the bird, the more arethe chances of getting a severeinjury. Many a time, the entire wingends up coming off and then the birdis never able to fly again.

Yash Bhardwaj, an accountant,says, “I have stopped flying kites sincemy love for animals has grown. I amrearing a pigeon for the past one yearand it has grown up now and hasmany feathers. I was touched by anincident when a pigeon entangled bythe kite string had fallen on my roofsome five years ago. It was bleeding.I tried to help it to get on its wingsagain, but it died." Not only on thesespecial days, the lives of birds are atrisk because of the dreaded manjathat, getting entangled in the trees,sticks there for months and injuresbirds which build their nests in them.

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Seeking to strike a chordwith the people of

Kotdwar, a place that is hal-lowed with the names ofChakrawarti Samrat Bharatfrom whom ‘Bharatvarsha’ issupposed to have beenderived and also with KanvaRishi, Chief Minister HarishRawat said on Friday that hisGovernment would do every-thing to make the peopleremember the glorious lega-cy of Kanwashram whereBharat is supposed to be bornand brought up under thebenign guidance of the sageKanva.

“The people of Kotdwar isaware of the legacy. But itshould spread far and wide,”he said after laying the foun-dation stone of the entranceof Kanva Rishi’s place whereBharat was born on the occa-

sion of Vasant Panchami,adding that KanwashramMela would be included in thelist of the State Government-sponsored festivals nextyear. “This will be developedas Bharat tourist circuit andwhatever information avail-able about Kanwashramwould be compiled together.Besides, the legacy would fig-ure in the Uttarakhand boardcurriculum,” he said.

He also announced that agiant statue of Bharat will beerected in Kotdwar as a jointventure with HansFoundation and the StateGovernment. He also inau-gurated a 72- metre long ironbridge over Malan river.

CM also announced thathis Government would devel-op a lake near Kanwashramand construct roads as well.He also assured that floodcontrol work will be execut-

ed as priority basis for Malanand Sukhro areas in thefinancial year 2016-17.

He further said thatRamnagar-Kotdwar-Cheelamotorable road will be con-structed shortly, adding thatGurukul Kangdi Universitywill be supported by the StateGovernment.

Stressing on the use ofthe modern technologicaltools to boost cultivation,CM said this is a must. “Oursis an economy based on thebedrock of agriculture,” hesaid.

Reiterating his commit-ment to the promotion ofindigenous crops l ikeMandua, Jhangora, Malta,Galar, Bhatt and Gahat asidefrom other food grains andpulses, he exhorted the peo-ple to make full use of theschemes to boost income.

CM also apprised thepeople of the Chief Minsterhealth insurance scheme, say-ing that the people can nowtake benefit up to �1.5 lakh.

Referring to education,he said the quality not beingsatisfactory, his governmentwould recruit more teachersto overcome the existingcrunch.

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Different hues of VasantPanchami festival were

observed in the holy city onFriday. If the children andyoungsters were seen busyingin flying kites, scholars busiedthemselves in Saraswati pujaand the housewives spent timechurning out new recipes withnecessary dish 'sweet rice' tomark the festival.

The festival also was cele-brated by commemorating twogiant literary figures of the holycity - one a great Indian seerand the other renowned gram-marian. 'Bodh Diwas' (Day ofIllumination) of Acharya SriRam Sharma and birthanniversary of Kishori DasBajpai were celebrated withenthusiasm and devotion.

Nearly six lakh pilgrimstook the holy dip on VasantPanchami snan till the end ofthe day which marked thethird major holy bath of thefestival, claimed the ArdhKumbh mela officials. Lensmen had tough time shootinggood pictures since the pil-grims were scattered and theykept coming in smaller groupsthroughout the day. Trafficmovement was normal as anyother regular day and no diver-sion was needed, said IG ArdhKumbh Mela G S Martolia.

Besides, 20 couples tied the

nuptial knots on the day. Astamp to be released on thescholar Kishori Das Bajpaicalled 'Saraswati putra', wasalso proposed by the OSD toCM, Purushottam Sharma atChownk Bazar in Kankhal tomark his birth anniversary.

The three- day BasantUtsav in Shantikunj endedwith nearly 25,000 people gath-ering in the premises takingpledge for different socialworks. Head of Gayatri ParivarDr Pranav Pandya announcedthe year as "Youth 2016". Aprocession was taken out bythe volunteers. It traversedfrom Saptrishi to Geeta Kutirto Haripur Kalan and back toShantikunj carrying messagesof universal brotherhood.

Kishori Das Bajpai's birthanniversary was celebrated bythe Press Club of Haridwar.The literary figures ofHaridwar paid their tributes tothe litterateur.

Paying his tributes atKankhal Chowk bazaar, OSDto CM Purushottam Sharmasaid, "We shall put a proposalto the Centre for issuing apostage stamp on the littera-teur Bajpai. This would be abefitting tribute to him," hesaid.

Notably, Kishori DasBajpai is lauded as havinggiven a new form to the Hindilanguage grammar. For his

outstanding contribution tothe mother-tongue, Bajpai iscalled "Adhunik Hindi kePanini".

"Just as ancient Sanskritgrammarian Panini's contri-bution to Hindi language canhardly be forgotten , Bajpai'scontribution to the science ofHindi grammar, its 'shabdashastra' (scientific theory ofphonetics, phonology) isexemplary. Majority of hisworks were composed inKankhal," said litterateurVishnu Dutt Rakesh.

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On the auspicious occasionof Vasant Panchami, the ton-sure ceremony of ChiefMinister Harish Rawat's grand-son, Shivay was conducted atShanti Kunj. His son AnandRawat along with his wife asidefrom the Congress leaderSatpal Brahmchari was present.Other rituals like 'Punswan','Namkaran' and 'VidyaArambh' were also solemnizedas per Vedic rituals.

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Adept in sensing the pulseof the masses of the peo-

ple, who have been simmeringfor long in anger over wildanimals feasting on their hard-grown crops, CM Rawatempathized with them, sayingthat his Government wouldtake steps to stop the monkeyswhich are making a feast oftheir standing crops.

“We have decided to putup giant-sized fencing to stop

the monkey menace,” he said.He sounded happy over

the Centre clearing decks forthe wild boars being killed inthe villagers bordering forests.“The State Governmentcleared things long back,” hesaid. He appealed to thepeople to maintain the sanc-tity of Kotdwar Bhabar, laud-ing it as a unique example ofcommunal harmony.

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To fulfil the requirementunder the Medical Council

of India (MCI) norms, the StateGovernment on Friday appoint-ed Dr J S Rana as MedicalSuperintendent (MS) of the asso-ciated hospital of Doon MedicalCollege (DMC).

The Principal of DMC, DrPradeep Bharati Gupta said thatDr K K Tamta and Dr R S Aswalwould continue to function intheir respective positions of MSand PMS. Dr Rana is a retiredarmy officer (Lt Colonel) and isexpected to join soon. It is alsolearnt that the Government is infavor of re-inspection of themedical college for the grant ofall important permission ofMCI.

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Thirty six hours after she waskidnapped, 23-year-old

woman, working with e-com-merce major Snapdeal,returned home on Fridaymorning after she “managed toflee from the clutches of hercaptors” and board a Delhi-bound train from Panipat sta-tion in Haryana.

On Friday morning, DiptiSarna called her fatherNarendra Sarna from her co-passenger’s phone and told himthat she “managed to flee fromthe clutches of her captors andwas safe. Her father immedi-ately informed the SP City andrushed to New Delhi railwaystation and received his daugh-ter. Dipti was accompanied bya police team to her Kavi Nagarresidence.

Meanwhile, GhaziabadPolice chief DS Yadav saidDipti was in trauma and itcould not be confirmed at thisstage that Dipti had indeedbeen kidnapped because “somefacts in her version are open toverification”. But police havestarted an investigation based on her statement and ahunt to arrest those involved inher kidnapping.

The top sources in thepolice said that the police arescreening her former boyfriendVikram and the present onewhom she called when kid-

napped to ascertain whetheranyone from her friend circlewas behind this kidnapping.They are looking into all pos-sible angles, including fake kid-napping story.

Meanwhile, the Ghaziabadpolice conducted the medicalexamination to ascertain thenature of injuries on her body.The reliable sources in the hos-pital, on the condition ofanonymity, told that the sherefused to undergo specifictests to determine whether shewas sexually assaulted or not.

On her refusal, the doctorsjust carried out external exam-ination, the sources added.

As per her statement, thepolice said that Dipti Sarnamanaged to flee from her cap-tors in Haryana’s Panipat townand contacted her father froma co-passenger’s mobile phone.She reached her home at CD/25 Kavi Nagarat at 10.00 am onFriday her father drove her tohome from New Delhi Railwaystation.

She told the police that shewas blindfolded after she waskidnapped and she did notknow where exactly she was

taken. During 36 hours with

them, they transported her inmotorcycle, car and on foot. Shewas kept in a sugarcane field forsome time. The kidnappersalso threatened her that theyhad high connections in polit-ical circle.

Finally in the wee hours ofFriday, she was left at a railwayplatform from where she tooka train to Delhi. “Before leavingat the railway station they gaveme Rs 100/- for return fare,” shesaid. At Narela station, shetook help from a co-passengerto call her father and told himshe was safe and about to reachNew Delhi Railway Station.

Deepti Sarna was abductedfrom Vaishali Metro station byfour abductors including awoman in an auto. Theychanged to another vehiclewhen their auto developedsome defects and could not pro-ceed further beyond Raj NagarExtension. From there, theyreached Morti village on footand allowed the other womanto go. “Her mobile’s last locationwas traced at Morti villagefrom where they changed her toother vehicle-an i10 car and inonward journey the criminalsused a motorcycle also. Theyforced her to walk about 10kilometre blindfolded. FromMorti onward they switched offher mobile phone,” said SPCity Salman Taj Patil.

Deepti’s mobile phone, lap-top, purse and some other per-sonal articles were snatched bythe abductors and are yet to berecovered.

“Prima facie it seems acase of kidnapping for ransombut we are still not sure of theconclusion since we have takenversion of the victim and thequestioning of suspects is stilllying pending... But it is surethat she was abducted in anauto by four abductors includ-ing a woman. It is yet to beascertained whether the womanaccomplice was their gang mateor a stray passenger, added theSP, City.

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The majestic India’s nation-al bird, peacock, may have

its wings clipped in Goa. GoaAgriculture Minister RameshTawadkar said the peacock,along with other species offauna like wild boars, monkeys,even the Great Indian bison,the State animal of Goa, werecausing a lot of damage to agri-cultural crops in remote areas.He said officials were in theprocess of deciding as towhether they could be classi-fied as vermin or nuisanceanimals and birds and culled asand when required.

Speaking to The Pioneer,Tawadkar, who hails from thehilly and agrarian constituen-cy of Canacona, in South Goa,said, “Some farmers have toldus that peacocks also weredamaging their crops in hillyforest areas. The committee willnow also assess whether pea-cocks should be declared ver-min or nuisance species.”

The Agriculture Ministeralso said that the Governmenthad already shown its com-mitment to classify other wildanimals, which cause damageto agricultural and horticulturalcrops as vermin, in the Winter Session of the Goa

Legislative Assembly, whichconcluded in January.

“We have said in the lastAssembly (sitting) about mon-keys and wild boars creating anuisance for farmers and thata committee would be formedto assess and declare them asvermin,” Tawadkar said.

At a public function atMargao town in South Goa onThursday, Tawadkar had alsoexplained how herds of theGreat Indian bison, the State’snational animal, were provingto be a bane for farmers.

Both the peacock andbison are covered under theSchedule 1 of the WildlifeProtection Act.

Parsekar in January had

assured the Goa legislativeassembly that wild animals,especially monkeys and wildboars, damaging agriculturaland horticultural crops, wouldbe classified as vermin or nui-sance animals. “Time has cometo classify some of these ani-mals as vermin. Monkeys andwild boar regularly destroyfields. We have already initiat-ed steps based on instruction ofcentral government. We will doit as early as possible,” Parsekarhad said.

Rapid urbanisation andencroachment in forested areashas in turn triggered a series ofinstances of human-wild ani-mal conflicts in Goa in recenttimes.

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In a bid to allay fears amongjittery investors following

market bloodbath on DalalStreet on Thursday, FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley on Fridayassured that investors mustkeep faith in the inherentstrength of Indian economyrather than getting swayed bythe global headwinds.

“As major sell-off in globalmarkets has created a chainreaction impacting the marketsworld over, including India,the Government will continueto pursue policies to supportgrowth amid global slowdown,”Jaitley said.

A day after the stock mar-ket benchmark Sensex saw amassive 807-point plunge andrupee hit its 29-month low,Jaitley said, “It will be a part ofprudent investment reactionthat the inherent strength ofIndian economy is kept in mindby investors, rather than reactdisproportionately to what theglobal developments are.”

On further push for grossdomestic product (GDP)growth, Jaitley has said theGovernment is formulatingpolicies and is conscious of the

areas of support which arerequired to be given to the econ-omy and fully committed toproviding those support.

“Amid global slowdown,services and manufacturing sec-tors are both recovering andhopefully will improve furtheron account of monsoon andgenerate further demand,”Jaitley added.

On the mounting non-per-forming assets (NPAs) of pub-lic sector banks, he has said thatthe Government is consideringmore steps to empower banks torecover bad loans and the prob-lem will be contained soon.“The bankruptcy law is underactive consideration. TheGovernment is also consideringsome further steps to empow-er banks to be in a position torecover these monies (NPAs). Ithink it is a problem which willsoon come under control,” saidJaitley, who will present hissecond full budget on February29.

There could be several rea-sons, which are predominantlyoutside the country -- theuncertainty in the Fed rate orwhat’s happening in Europe orthe slowdown anticipated inChina.

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Close on the heels of the sen-sational murder of an LJP

leader in Patna last week, asenior leader of BJP wasgunned down in Bhojpur dis-trict on Friday sparking an out-burst by the Opposition partiesquestioning Chief MinisterNitish Kumar’s zero tolerancepolicy on crime and accusingthe Government of selectivelykilling leaders of rival parties.

Bihar BJP vice presidentBisheshwar Ojha was shot deadat Sonebarsa bazaar underShahpur police station inBhojpur district, 70 km fromthe State’s Capital, by unknownassailants.

Ojha is the second BJPleader who was shot dead in thespace of 12 hours in Bihar.

Detailed report on P6

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From Page 1Aware of the importance of

Valentine Week, the companiesare engaged in an aggressiveand glitzy marketing campaignduring the period. They comeout with colourful and tempt-ing advertisements in the news-papers and other media forumto capitalize the Valentine feverand target especially the youthsin their promotional cam-paigns.

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From Page 1The temple will be

reopened to the public at 4:30am on May 11 and the tradi-tional ritual practices associat-ed with reopening of the shrine- bringing the Gadu Ghadacontaining the sesame oil usedin the shrine - will begin ear-lier in April.

Apart from this, the shrinesof Gangotri and Yamunotriwill be reopened to the publicon May 9.

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From Page 1He said that the hill on

which Sabarimala is built isconsidered holy and womenare not permitted to step on it.

Women rights activist andformer ASG Indira Jaisingwho appeared for an NGOsupporting entry of women atSabarimala said thatConstitution does not con-template restriction on womenfrom entering any place ofworship. Even the petitionerNGO submitted that to wor-ship was an individual’s fun-damental right.

The bench said, “A templeby common parlance is a pub-lic place. By this connotation,the temple may have rulesthat fix a time of opening andclosing. But here what is debat-ed is a system or practice thatmakes discrimination. Thisneeds research if this discrim-ination between man andwoman has prevailed histori-cally.”

The Court cited Gita andsaid, “There is no discrimina-tion in Gita. Lord Krishnanever made any differencebetween man and woman.”

From Page 1This course was open for the

accused to depose and seekexemption on February 20,Swamy added.

The Bench said, “There willbe much chaos if they are toappear.” Moreover, the Benchsaid that it needs to be satisfiedthat the petitioners are not run-ning away and can be called ona particular occasion. Passing theorder in favour of Gandhis, theBench said, “In the peculiar factsand circumstances of this case,specially the position occupiedby the petitioners we are of theview that the presence of peti-tioners before the trial court willcause more inconvenience thanconvenience. Accordingly wedirect that the petitioners shall

be exempted from personalappearance during trial.” TheBench left it open to theMagistrate to summon theaccused as and when it requiredat any stage of trial.

Sibal and Singhvi who wereaccompanied by a battery ofsenior lawyers made severallegal arguments suggesting thatin a cheating case, PIL was notmaintainable. Sibal said thatnone of the members of theCongress of shareholders of thecompany Associated Journalsthat holds National Herald havecomplained. In his view, Swamywas not an aggrieved person asrequired under law to file a com-plaint. The Court allowed thecounsels to raise these issues atthe stage of framing of charge.

From Page 1Adding that the university

took serious note of the inci-dents, he said that a high-levelenquiry committee has beenconstituted to investigate thematter. “The committee willtake appropriate action as nec-essary.”

Also, the VC appealed thestudents to go beyond this inci-dent and help the campusreturn to “normalcy”.”Whilethe problem would be appro-priately addressed in this case,the university would also takesteps to protect the academicatmosphere and the environ-ment for vibrant discussionthat JNU has always providedand stands for,” he said.

Vice President of JNUSU,Shehla Rashid Shora said thestudents were being “witchhunted” by police.

“Police are mindlesslypatrolling the campus and thestudents are being witch-hunt-ed and demonised for doingnothing. What is the proof thatKanhaiya was there amongthose raising anti-India slo-gans? Has he been spotted inany picture or video? Why areall JNU students being given‘anti-national’ certificates,” saidShora.

Delhi Police CommissionerBS Bassi said “some objection-able things” were said duringthe event held in JNU campusand an FIR was registered inthis connection. “Whosoeverbreaks the law will come under

the purview of criminal law.During that day’s sloganeering,some objectionable things weresaid. Those were transgressionof the Indian Penal Code, forwhich we registered an FIR,” thepolice chief added.

Reacting to Pakistan’s ter-rorist Hafiz Muhammad Saeedtweet requesting Pakistanis totrend #supportJNU, the DelhiPolice and other State policeforces issued an alert.

They tweeted, “This is toalert and sensitise student com-munity community in JNUand across the country. Do notget carried away by such sedi-tious anti-national rhetoric.Abetment of any kind of anti-national activity is a punishableoffence. Please retweet innational interest.”

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The Jat community inHaryana on Friday began

indefinite agitation to press theirdemand of reservation for Jats inGovernment jobs and educa-tional institutions.

Even as assurance was givenby Chief Minister Manohar Lalto look into the issue of Jat reser-vation, the Jat leaders under thebanner of Akhil Bharatiya JatArakshan Sangharsh Samitibegan their indefinite dharna atMayyar village in Hisar by block-ing Hisar-Bhiwani rail track.

Jat leader Hawa SinghSangwan along with other mem-bers of Samiti blocked the Hisar-Bhiwani rail track affecting railtraffic since Friday late afternoon.Earlier, a rally was also held atMayyar village demanding reser-vation for Jats in Haryana.

Mayyar village of Hisar is an

epicentre of the Jat agitation. In2009, a 19 years old SunilSheoran had fallen prey tostrayed bullet during the clash-es between police and agitatingJats in Mayyar. After this, anoth-er round of agitations was heldin the following years when Jatshad laid siege on railway tracks.

While a group of Jats hadearlier this week announced topostpone all their proposed agi-tations till March 31 following ameeting with Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar, another Jatgroup under Sangwan hadannounced to organize protestrally at Mayyar village on Fridayto demand reservation for Jats.

Hawa Singh Sangwan whiletalking to the mediapersonsdemanded that the StateGovernment should give anassurance to give reservation toJats only then the agitation willbe withdrawn. “We have very

simple demands. We need anassurance from Haryana minis-ters or government to help us ingetting the quota on the lines ofUttar Pradesh. We need concreteassurance with deadline else weshall have an indefinite strike,” hesaid. AK Rao, IG Hisar range toldmediapersons that the situationis under control. The state Policewill not allow blockade onnational or state highway aswell damage to public property.We have exercised maximumrestraint and would continue todo so as the protestors are resi-dents of Haryana, he said.

Haryana's Jat community isfighting for reservations for thepast several years. The commu-nity forms nearly 30 percent ofthe state's electorate. While 25percent of the Jats in Haryana areHindus, 4 percent consists of theSikhs and one percent areMuslims, as per the information.

Pathankot: A 27-year-old manhas been arrested by PunjabPolice for his alleged associa-tion with a suspected ISI agent,who was held from MamoonCantonment in Pathankot.

Charges under OfficialSecrets Act have been slappedagainst Sandeep Malhi, a res-ident of Talwandi Mallian vil-lage in Moga district, policesaid.

Sandeep's name croppedup during the interrogation ofIrshad who was arrested byPunjab police on the charges ofspying on February 2.

Police investigation dis-closed that Sandeep hadallegedly been in touch withIrshad and his handler Sajjadand they even used to meeteach other.

Police is investigating whatsort of help he was providingto Irshad. Sandeep had alsostayed in Chandigarh, police

said.Sandeep has been sent to

police remand till February 14by a local court, police said.

This is the third arrestmade by police in this case.

Earlier, a Malerkotla basedmobile shop owner was arrest-ed for allegedly selling mobileSIM card to Irshad on forgeddocuments.

Meanwhile, a 23-year oldman, who was moving aroundin a suspicious manner nearthe Air force base, was nabbedby personnel of air forceauthorities yesterday, policesaid. The man was identified asShakir Ali, a resident ofKanpur, they said.

According police officials,nothing suspicious was foundfrom him.

He was found to be men-tally disturbed. He will behanded over to his parents," aPathankot police official said.

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Welcoming the arrest ofJNU students’ union

president Kanhaiya Kumarover an event in the universi-ty in which Parliament attackconvict Afzal Guru wasallegedly hailed as a martyr,the BJP on Friday questionedthe silence of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi overthe issue.

“BJP welcomes the arrestand hope that action will betaken against other accusedtoo. There is a limit to every-thing,” party national secretaryShrikant Sharma said.

“On the one hand oursoldiers are sacrificing theirlives at the border and on the

other hand, anti-India slo-gans are being raised in aninstitution like JNU and ter-rorists being hailed as mar-tyrs. This is very unfortu-nate,” said the BJP leader.

Accusing Rahul and otherOpposition leaders like Delhiand Bihar Chief MinistersArvind Kejriwal and NitishKumar of doing politics overterrorism and Naxalism in thename of f reedom of expression, he questionedtheir silence over the “sensi-tive” issue.

“Congress party is the men-tor of all such people and it sho-uld speak on the issue,” he said.

The party also hit out atthe silence of intellectuals overthe incident.

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���� �45 (4"#!

Veteran parliamentarianMurli Manohar Joshi on

Friday said legislative drafting isan extremely responsible joband those who write shouldkeep in mind the interests of thepeople at large. Inauguratingthe international training pro-gramme in legislative drafting,Joshi said due care and cautionshould be exercised in draftingas it is subject to through scruti-ny of the society and judiciary.

“Each word, that a drafts-man uses while preparing a leg-islative proposal, is open toscrutiny by the public and thatof the judiciary. As such, it is an

extremely responsible job, whichshould be performed with duecare and caution,” said Joshi.

Counseling the draftsmen tobe cognisant of social and judi-cial aspects of legislative pro-posals being drafted by them, theEstimates Committee Chairman

Joshi felt that they should keepin mind the interests of the peo-ple at large. He observed that thelegislations should not only meetthe requirements of judicial scr-utiny but should also be in con-sonance with our social realities.

He urged the officials to usesimple language in legislativedrafting. “Technical or incom-prehensible terminology anddifficult words should be avoid-ed as they lead to confusion andmultiplicity of interpretations.What we need is clarity noveltyof language,” he said.

The training programmewas conducted by Parliament’sBureau of Parliamentary Studiesand Training (BPST).

���� �45 (4"#!

The Railways on Fridaylaunched country’s first trav-

el medical emergency app withvital features like route HospitalFinder. The RailYatri.in wouldbring medical informationwhich travellers may need whenan emergency arises while on a train journey.

Medical Emergency featurewill enable the users to check forvital information regarding med-ical facilities in the vicinity oftheir location. “Healthcare hasbeen a longstanding problem fortravellers. Thousands of medicalemergencies arise during trainjourneys in India yet no one hasreally thought about solving theproblem. It is heartbreaking tosee the loved ones suffering dueto lack of information and facil-ities. Now, it’s time to take chargeof you and your loved ones’health during a journey,” saidManish Rathi, CEO and co-founder, RailYatri.in.

The RailYatri app considerslocation of the user and provideslist of healthcare facilities at theupcoming stations. The infor-mation provided through theapp is not just limited to hospi-tal names, but also provide direc-tion from station, contact num-bers of hospitals and ambu-lance services one might requireduring an emergency.

Usually, if an emergencyarises on a train, the patient hasto suffer a lot due to lack of infor-mation and proper facilities atthe right time. This is largely dueto the over-dependence onauthorities and lack of route spe-cific healthcare information.

RailYatri app provides theusers the power of such infor-mation essential during a med-ical emergency, with this fea-ture. RailYatri.in — is thebrainchild of experts from IITsand IIM with over 20 years ofengineering experience.

���� �45 (4"#!

The CBI has registered acorruption case against

officials of National Instituteof Pharmaceutical Educationand Research (NIPER) and aprivate company in the pur-chase of l icenses for accessing a global patent data-base software causing lossesof Rs 10 crore.

CBI sources said eightofficials of the Mohali-basedautonomous institute under

Ministry of Chemicals andFertilisers including presentof f iciat ing Director, former Director and othersenior officials have beennamed by the agency in theagency FIR.

A Pune-based privatecompany Sciedge Informaticshas also been named in theFIR filed under IPC sectionsrelating to criminal conspir-acy, cheating, forgery andprovisions of Prevention ofCorruption Act.

It is alleged that the com-pany was supplying annuallicences for accessing globalpatent database software‘Scifinder’ at the rate of$36,000 to other companieswhile it was supplying theselicences to NIPER at the rateof $51,000 annual rate thuscausing a loss of Rs 10 crorebetween 2007 and 2012, thesources said.

According to the CBI FIR,unknown officials of UnionChemical and Fertilisers

Ministry also entered in crim-inal conspiracy in the misap-propriation of funds, falsifi-cation of records and diver-sion of funds in the process.

The agency said searcheswere conducted at 22 places in the national Capital, Bhopal, Thiruv-ananthapuram, Kurukshetra,Chandigarh, Mohali ,Bhatinda and Pune.

The agency also searchedthe residence of officials andoffice of NIPER.

���� �45 (4"#!

Amonth-long festival willbe organised in 262 differ-

ent locations spanning fromGangotri to Gangasagar toshowcase the treasure trove ofcultural diversity and heritageof the Ganga river basin besidesspreading awareness on theneed to protect and rejuvenatethe national river.

The festival called “GangaSanskriti Yatra” will begin fromFebruary 14. It will conclude atKapilmuni Ashram atGangasagar on March 13.

According to sources in theMinistry of water resourcesand Ganga Rejuvenation, near-ly 2.5 crore people will beinvolved in various activitieswhich will be carried out dur-

ing the course of the festival. Pointing to the immense

cultural diversity of the Gangabasin the sources said that thereare nearly 62 tunes, 254 types ofsongs and ballads, 122 danceforms, 200 crafts, 12 styles offolk paintings, 26 languagesand dialects that have developedalong the banks of Ganga.

Down the centuries, theriver has fascinated severalpoets and writers. Nearly 100festivals and 50 major fairs arecelebrated annually at the bankof the Ganga, said the sources.

The main components ofthe Ganga fest thus include pre-sentation of various art formsprevalent along Ganga basin.These include diverse forms offolk art as theatre, dance, musicetc. besides dance drama, doc-

umentary films, films shows,street plays, kavi sammelan,photography exhibitions, filmshows, quiz competitions, sem-inars and poster campaigns.

To add to the above, sem-inars on cultural diversity andheritage of Ganga river basinand challenges of the riverrejuvenation will also be organ-

ised at different venues duringthe month-long festival.

The prominent venues ofthe seminars include HemvatiNandan Bahuguna GarhwalUniversity, Srinagar, Garhwal;Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi; Jayprakash NarayanUniversity, Chhapra; PatnaUniversity, Bhagalpur

University, Tilka MajhiUniversity, Bhagalpur;Presidency University, JadavpurUniversity and CalcuttaUniversity, Kolkata; KalyaniUniversity and BarasatUniversity, West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the major sitesof Ganga Sanskriti Yatra are theGangotri, Haridwar, Bijnor,Farukkabad, Kannuj, Kanpur,Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi,Gazipur, Baliya, Buxur,Chhapra, Vaishali, Patna,Begusarai, Munger, Sultanganj,Bhagalpur, Rajmahal,Murshidabad, Baharampur,Dakhineswar and Gangasagaramongst others. The festival willalso cover all the confluences ofthe tributaries of the riverbesides places of historical andcultural importance.

���� �45 (4"#!

India and United ArabEmirates (UAE) came out

strongly against use of terrorismas an “instrument of state poli-cy” by certain countries andcalled for concerted global effortsto deal with the menace.

In a joint statement issuedfollowing the meeting betweenPrime Minister Narendra Modiand Crown Prince SheikhMohammed bin Zayed AlNahyan, India and UAE haveresolved to expand cooperationto fight terror.

The statement said statesmust control activities of ‘non-state actors’ and cut all supportto terror outfits operating fromtheir soil while strongly con-demning use of religion to jus-tify, support and sponsor themenace. Growing phenomenon

of religious intolerance and rad-icalisation was also discussedand the two leaders pitched forefforts to check these, whileagreeing to take steps to containthese bilaterally.

The two sides agreed tobolster strategic ties by workingclosely on a range of securityissues, particularly counter-ter-rorism, maritime security, andcyber-security. They reaffirmedtheir respect for the “bedrockprinciples” of national sover-eignty and non-interference.

On dealing with terror-ism, they deplored the “use ofdouble standards” in addressingthe challenge and agreed tostrengthen cooperation in com-bating terrorism both at thebilateral level and within themultilateral system.

The two leaders stronglycondemned extremism and ter-

rorism in all of their forms andmanifestations, irrespective ofwho the perpetrators are and oftheir motivations. They reiterat-ed that any justification for ter-rorism and any link betweenextremism or terrorism and reli-gion should be strongly rejectedby the international communi-ty. Condemning efforts, includ-ing by states, to use religion tojustify, support and sponsor ter-rorism against other countries, orto use terrorism as instrument of

state policy, the leaders deploredefforts by countries to give reli-gious and sectarian colour topolitical issues and pointed outthe responsibility of all states tocontrol the activities of the so-called ‘non-state actors’, and tocut all support to terrorists oper-ating and perpetrating terrorismfrom their territories againstother states.

The joint statement saidthe Indian side expresseddeep appreciation for the sol-

idarity expressed by the UAEon the issue of Pathankotterrorist attack.

The UAE, which has a sov-ereign wealth fund of around$800 billion, also expressed keeninterest in boosting trade tieswith India, particularly in invest-ing in sectors like oil, railways,roads, ports and shipping.

With a view to ensuringthat the cyberspace remains asafe and secure space whichwould not be used as a mediumto promote subversive andextremist ideologies, the twosides agreed to cooperate onsharing technical best practicesin the field of information andcommunications technologies.In the area of defence cooper-ation, the two sides decided toidentify opportunities to coop-erate on the production ofdefence equipment in India.

���� �45 (4"#!

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Friday asked the

RSS supported Vidya Bharatischools to make the optimumuse of technology and be readyto accept knowledge fromwherever it comes to enhancethe quality of students pro-duced by them. Addressing aconclave of principals ofschools run by Vidya BharatiAkhil Bharati ShikshaSansthan here, he said keepingaway from technology ham-pers growth in all sectors,including education.

He said the schools run bythe Shiksha Sansthan haveexpanded in numbers, theyneed to focus on enhancingquality of students while com-peting with other schools interms of education as well as

extra curricular activities.Noting that the ShikshaSansthan runs 12000 schoolswith 32 lakh students linkedto it in the country, Modi said,however, that there is no urgeto accept the challenge ofrising to the top of the edu-

cation system.“I know this system close-

ly...The Shiksha Sansthan isexpanding in numbers butwhat about quality?... Weneed to change the goals in allaspects. There should be feel-ing of pride about the tradi-

tion of the institution,” he said about the Vidya Bharati schools which sup-ported by RSS.

The Prime Ministerexhorted the gathering to worktowards establishing even morefirmly, the image of Vidya

Bharati, as an institution com-mitted to “education with val-ues.” He asked the Principals towork towards instilling excel-lence in every aspect of stu-dents’ lives. As an illustration,he asked them to work to pre-pare sportspersons who couldwin gold medals at the 2020Olympics.

Underlining that technol-ogy has emerged as crucial forall spheres of life, he said thereshould be optimum use of thisin all spheres of life, particularlyeducation. “Distance from sci-ence and technology hampersour growth.”

He said “we have neverbeen afraid of getting knowl-edge” which can come fromany of the four directions. “Weshould ask ourselves, are ourminds open to accept the bestof the world?”

Underlining the conceptof “vasudev kutumbakam’(whole world is a family), thePrime Minister said ideasshould be accepted fromwherever they come. PrimeMinister emphasized the needfor imbibing technology in allaspects of education and to

take full advantage of thebenefits it offers.

As an illustration, Modisaid inspirational stories ofvarious schools could be easi-ly shared across the VidyaBharati school network, usingtechnology. He urged theassembled “Prachaaryas”(Principals) to become torch-bearers of positivity and posi-tive energy as “there is nodearth of those who spreadnegativity”.

He said students of VidyaBharati schools can worktowards bringing positivechanges in society, in areas suchas cleanliness (Swachh Bharat)and energy conservation.

Talking about Swachh(cleanliness) campaign, he citeda survey to say that 40 per centof child deaths are because oflack of hygiene. He said thisneeds to be addressed and“students can become agents ofchange” in this regard.

Modi recalled his days asChief Minister of Gujarat andsaid he used to find a differentapproach among IAS or IPSofficers who had come out ofVidya Bharati schools.

���� �45 (4"#!

Congress on Friday welcomedthe Supreme Court order in

the National Herald case sayingit would give an opportunity tothe party to “expose the false andmalicious” allegations of com-plainant BJP leader Subram-anian Swamy. The party claimedSwamy has “lost” the case againstCongress’ first family.

Senior party leader KapilSibal, who represented theGandhis and other party leadersin the case, said that the SupremeCourt expunging certain obser-vations of the Delhi High Courtmeant that no one can allege thatCongress president SoniaGandhi and party vice-presidentRahul Gandhi or any partyleader in the case have commit-ted any illegality or wrongdoing.

“We are very glad. Now wewill have the opportunity toexpose false and malicious alle-gations of Swamy,” Sibal said.Asked whether Congress has‘won half the battle’ with the order of the Supreme court, Sibal remarked

“Swamy has lost”. Sibal also contended that

Swamy had “no locus standi” tocomplain that the Congress hadbeen cheated and or that breachof trust had been committed bythe Congress in regard to thosewho have donated to the partyor the shareholders of AssociatedJournals Limited.

“There is no observation,no conclusion of any judgeabout any wrongdoing by anyparty office bearer, includingCongress president andCongress vice-president,” hesaid at a Press conference.

Sibal, a former UnionMinister, said he contendedbefore the court that no case ofeither cheating or breach oftrust had been made out. “It isnow clear that neither Swamynor those inimical to Congresscan rely on any prima facieobservations or findings of anycourt and allege that the officebearers of Congress including itspresident, vice president andothers have committed any ille-gality or wrongdoing,” Sibal said.

Another party spokesmanAbhishek Singhvi, who also rep-resented the Gandhis in thecase, tweeted: “It is a very satis-factory order as far as our clientsare concerned & we will obey itin letter & spirit.” Congress chiefspokesman Randeep Surjewalasaid partymen have a “deepsense of satisfaction” over theSupreme Court decision.

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Ruling out any withdrawal oftroops from the worlds’

highest battlefield in SiachenArmy commander ofUdhampur-based Northerncommand headquarters Lt-General DS Hooda on Fridaymaintained unless Indian posi-tion on ground is ‘authenticat-ed’ withdrawal of troops as pro-posed by Pakistan in the wakeof recent avalanche tragedycannot happen on ground zero.

Addressing a Press confer-ence after the investiture cere-mony where gallant officersand ‘veer naris’ were decoratedby the Army officer Lt-Gen DSHooda told reporters, “I see noreason at all to connect thistragedy to any withdrawal fromthe Siachen glacier and thisthing is clear to us. In the samevein he added, “We are com-mitted to defending our bordersand we will continue to do thatat the worlds’ highest battle field.

Asked if there was anydif ference between theCentral Government and theArmy over the withdrawal oftroops, Lt Gen Hooda said,“There is one stand of theArmy and the Government. Itis not that the Governmenthas a different stand and wehave a different stand.”

On Thursday Pak HighCommissioner Abdul Basit hadmade a statement saying“These tragedies only rein-force the need to resolve theissue... urgently and through

peaceful means, through dia-logue”.

Pakistan Prime MinisterNawaz Shariff had earlier pro-posed to withdraw troops fromSiachen during his address atthe UN General Assembly ses-sion last year.

In response Lt-Gen DSHooda made it clear “Ourstand in this context is veryclear that if we have to begintalks for withdrawal, our actu-al position on ground…whereIndian Army is positioned,should be authenticated firstand that should be agreeable toboth the sides”.

“That first step is not beingtaken and therefore any agree-ment on withdrawal is notbeing agreed, “ Lt-Gen Hoodaclarified.

On February 3, ten Armypersonnel were buried under35 feet snow wall at a forwardpost in Northern Siachen glac-ier at a height of 20,000 feet.

After six days of relentlessrescue operations Lance NaikHanamanthappa Koppad wasmiraculously extricated by therescue team but he too couldnot survive despite receivingbest medical care at ArmyResearch and Referral hospital

in New Delhi.His last rites were per-

formed with full military hon-ours in his native village inDharwad district of Karnatakaon Friday.

Meanwhile, commentingon the shifting of dead bodiesof nine soldiers who wereburied alive in the avalancheLt-Gen Hooda said the bodiesof the nine troopers have beenshifted from the avalanche siteto a helipad on the glacier.However, it has been snowingthere since then, he said,adding that “even if we get anhour break, we will immedi-ately send helicopters to pullthem out”. “We are in touchwith families and all arrange-ments have been made to getthem to Delhi and then to theirrespective places onward,” hesaid, adding “unfortunatelyweather has not cleared up”.

Sharing his assessment onthe entry of youth in the ranksof militant organisations inKashmir valley Lt Gen Hoodasaid, “recruitment is an area ofconcern for us. It is not goodthat young recruits, who weresupposed to be the future of theState and who were supposedto be the leaders of tomorrow,

are actually joining militancy”.Pointing out that their life

span is six months to one yearfrom the time of their joiningmilitancy, the Army comman-der said “it is a tragedy and weall need to look at it”.

“From our side, we are com-mitted as we have said that whohave recently joined militancyand want to return and who havenot committed any heinouscrime, we will help them in reha-bilitation…in their educa-tion…and in any other respect.But our concern is leave the gunand come back,” he added.

On the occasion gallantryand distinguished serviceawards were presented to thir-ty eight officers and otherranks at Udhampur.

The Army Commanderpresented nineteen Sena Medal(Gallantry) including three SenaMedal (Posthumous), ten SenaMedal (Distinguished Service)and nine Vishisht Seva Medals.The General officer also pre-sented GOC-in-C UnitAppreciation to twenty nineUnits for their outstanding per-formance in the year 2015. Atotal of fifteen civilians were alsofelicitated for their outstandingassistance rendered to the Army.

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Close on the heels of the sen-sational murder of an LJP

leader in Patna last week, asenior leader of BJP wasgunned down in Bhojpur dis-trict on Friday sparking an out-burst by the Opposition partiesquestioning Chief MinisterNitish Kumar’s zero tolerancepolicy on crime and accusingthe Government of selectivelykilling leaders of rival parties.

Bihar BJP vice-presidentBisheshwar Ojha was shot deadat Sonebarsa bazaar underShahpur police station inBhojpur district, 70 km fromhere, by unknown assailants.Ojha had contested lastAssembly election fromShahpur constituency and wasa well known political activistsin the central Bihar district.

Incidentally, the murdertook place at a time when theCM was holding high levelmeeting on the law and orderfor the second consecutive dayand was pulling up the topbrass of police for suddenincrease in organised crime.

Only last week LJP’sBrijnathi Singh had been mur-dered in broad daylight by

sophisticated weapon in theState capital and police was yetto nab the assailants. Ojha’smurder gave further ammo tothe Opposition for launchingblistering attack on the lessthan three month oldGovernment which came inpower in the last week ofNovember 2015. The LJP hasalready demanded impositionof President’s rule in Bihar.

The Opposition leadersreacted sharply with UnionMinister Ram Vils Paswan ask-ing, “Is it not the jungle raj?”BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modisaid during the last 12 hourstwo BJP activists have beenkilled. Leader of Opposition inBihar Assembly Prem Kumarsaid criminals were ruling theroost and a appalling conditionprevailed where politicalactivists were being selectivelymurdered. Former CM andHindustani Awam Morchafounder Jitan Ram Manjhi said,“There is complete disorderand people are living ter-rorised.” Bihar BJP presidentMangal Pandey threatenedState wide agitation.

Ojha was earlier in JD(U)and in February 2005 Assemblypolls his wife Shobha Devi had

been fielded by JD(U) fromShahpur. However, in November2005 polls her nomination hadbeen rejected and BJP’s MunniDevi, who is wife of Ojha’syounger brother, contested andwon. She was MLA for twoterms. In November 2015 elec-tion Ojha was BJP candidatefrom Shahpur and he got 54,745votes but finished second.

CM Nitish who held meet-ing on law and order was main-ly focused on policing andstrengthening the force. He toldthe officials for time boundinvestigation into cases andspeedy trial of the criminals.The CM will hold meeting withall the district SPs throughvideo-conferencing on February17. To check the misuse ofpolice bodyguards by thosewho are availing this facility, theCM ordered that instead ofpresent district level committeean State level committee beconstituted and the sanction ofbodyguards be done by policeheadquarter. A helpline phonenumber under the supervisionof the DGP will work 24/7, hesaid. The CM also ordered thatthe construction companiesshould be provided security ifthey ask for it.

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The crushing defeat in theGreater Hyderabad

Municipal Corporation seemsto have opened a Pandora’s boxfor the Telugu Desam Party inTelangana.

Ten Telugu Desam Partymembers of TelanganaAssembly, who have defected toruling Telangana Rashtra Samition Friday made the first formalmove for a merger with the TRS.

The legislators wrote a let-ter on Friday to the TelanganaAssembly Speaker SMadhusudhana Chary seekingthe formal merger of theirgroup in to the TRS.

A meeting of the legislatorsdecided to write to the Speakerto fulfill a technical require-ment for them to be treated asthe TRS members in theAssembly

Of the 15 MLAs elected onthe TDP ticket in Telangana in

2014, ten have already defect-ed to the TRS. Under the AntiDefection Law if two thirdmembers of a political partydefect to another party, it is nottreated as defection as merger.However in case of less num-bers changing the parties thespeaker can disqualify them asdefectors.

In the letter the TDP leg-islators urged the speaker forhis nod to their merger undersection 4 of the Xth Scheduleof the constitution.

The letter was signed by EDayakar Rao, Tasalani SrinivasYadav, G Sayanna, PrakashGoud, T Krishna Reddy, MKrishna Reddy, M KrishnaRao, Ch Dharma Reddy,Vivekananda Goud andRajender Reddy.

After Telugu Desam floorleader in the state assembly EDayaka Rao and T PrakashGoud joined the TRS onWednesday, another TDP MLA

S Rajender Reddy fromNarayanpet also followed thesuit on Thursday taking thetotal number of defectionsfrom TDP to TRS to ten.

With this the strength ofTRS in the State Assembly hasgone up to 81. If the party winsthe by election in NaraynkhedAssembly constituency inMedak district later this week,the party’s strength willincrease further. TRS, whichhad only 63 members after2014 polls has bolstered itsstrength by attracting membersfrom TDP as well As Congress.

Tenth Schedule of the con-stitution gives absolute powerto the Speaker in matters ofmerger of parties, defectionsand accepting the resignationsof the members.

After a series of defectionsfrom TDP and the Congress to

the TRS over the last one anda half years, the SpeakerMadhusudhan Chary wasunder pressure from theOpposition parties to takeaction against the defectors,accept their resignations andpave for by elections. Howeverwhile Chary kept the matterpending and delaying a deci-sion, the Opposition partieshad taken the issue to theHigh Court. However it did notdeter the Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao frominducting at least one of thedefectors T Srinivas Yadav in tohis cabinet.

However now the requestof the defecting members for aformal merger with the TRScan trigger off a new legaldebate as experts differ onwho can seek the merger.While some say only a party

can seek a merger, in somecases the presiding officersheld the view that even legis-lature parties can also seekmerger.

Telangana law minister AIndra Kiran Reddy said thatthere was no hurdle in the wayof the merger as two thirdmembers of TDP had joinedthe TRS. “some more memberswere also expected to join”, he said.

With this the TDP wasnow left only with five mem-bers in the State Assembly.While one of the A RevanthReddy, now the floor leader ofthe party, is in deep legal trou-ble over his alleged involve-ment in cash for vote scandal,the Anti Corruption Bureauwas also investigating in to pos-sible role of another TDP MLAMaganti Babu.

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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeestuck to her old formula of roping in new

and apolitical faces to neutralise the internalbickering that continued to dog the TrinamoolCongress ahead of the Assembly elections stat-ed to be held sometime in April this year.

The two new apolitical faces who joined theTrinamool in presence of the party supremowere Vaishali Dalmiya the daughter of late crick-et patriarch Jagmohan Dalmiya and former Indiacricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

The Trinamool supremo also hit a pre-elec-tion ace roping in seasoned campaigner and for-mer Cabinet Minister Abdul Rezzak Mollah whowas expelled from the CPI(M) following differ-ences with former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

“Rejjak sahib is a farmer’s son and a seniorleader of Left movement whose coming with usonly proves that the Trinamool is committedtowards the development of rural communityand peasants’ movement” Banerjee said in theextended meeting of the party’s central council.

Though Dalmiya and Shukla would not com-ment inside sources said the CM had broughtthem to dent the vote base —particularly from the

Marwari community — in Howrah and NorthWest Kolkata. The duo is likely to be fielded fromthese areas, insiders said. In 2014 General elec-tions the CM had tackled the internal squabblingby fielding apolitical faces like film stars andstage artists. The bringing in of the Friday’s troi-ka is seen as a repetition of her earlier tactic.

Meanwhile, the Left on Friday came downheavily on the Chief Minister for trivialising theincreasing attacks on the Opposition parties bythe Trinamool men. “By playing down suchattacks she is directly encouraging her partygoons to unleash a reign of terror before the elec-tions so that the voters do not come out to voteas they did in 2014,” senior CPI(M) leader andformer MP Sujan Chakrabarty said.

Banerjee on Friday said that the “Oppositionis needlessly playing up small incidents most ofwhich are not done by the Trinamool members.Sometimes they paint their persons in red andmake false claims of attacks” she maintained.

“By saying so she is not only inciting her ownparty men, but also telling the police adminis-tration about what to do when such incidentstake place. They are trying to terrorise voters sothat they do not come out to vote and they wineasily,”Chakrabarty said.

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Free rice for BPL families,scrapping of agricultural

income tax, hike in welfarepensions, tax exemption forlife-saving drugs, support forstudy loans, special fund forensuring rubber price stability,etc were some of the sops pro-posed in the pre-poll Budget-2016 that Kerala’s ChiefMinister Oommen Chandypresented in the State Assemblyon Friday.

Chandy, who has beenkeeping the Finance portfoliosince the resignation inNovember of KM Mani whowas holding it, had begunreading the Budget documentin the House by claiming thatthe past five years were years ofdevelopment of Kerala andthanking the people of theState for supporting theCongress-led UDF regime inmoments of crises.

The CPI(M)-ledOpposition LDF, which hadbeen protesting against thescam-beleaguered Governmentover issues of corruption, boy-

cotted the presentation byalleging that the Budget hadbeen leaked. Opposition mem-bers could be heard tellingChandy the details of theBudget he himself was going topresent. “Is this a budget?”Opposition Leader VSAchuthanandan asked.

In stark contrast to the pre-sentation of the 2015-16 byMani on March 13 last year,during which the House sawunprecedented ruckus includ-ing vandalising of the Speaker’sdais by the Opposition andalleged open harassment ofwomen Opposition MLAs byUDF legislators, the Budgetspeech on Friday was peacefulin the absence of the LDFmembers.

The Chief Minister whostarted the Budget speech byenumerating the big-ticketdevelopment projects hisGovernment had implemented,especially the Vizhinjam inter-national seaport, Kannur inter-national airport and the KochiMetro Rail, announced projectsworth �24,000 crore for 2016-17.

In the Budget which

seemed to give emphasis towelfare and infrastructure, theChief Minister who earmarked

�100 crore for the proposednew dam at Mullaperiyar said�55 crore would be allocated

for ensuring distribution ofrice free of cost to all BPL fam-ilies. He said �764 crore wouldbe allocated for strengtheningthe farm sector.

The sops announced forthe rubber sector – �500 crorefor ensuring price stability andsteps to guarantee �150-per-kilo price – and the free-rice-for-BPL scheme announce-ment made the poll-relatedthinking behind the Budgetpreparation clear. The promisethat the Government wouldreimburse the VAT in thehandloom production sectorwas also in line with this.

Proposals for supportingthose who were availing edu-cation loans were another ini-tiative in this direction. Therewere not many new taxannouncements but there werea series of tax relaxations inChandy’s Budget. The relax-ations were worth �330 crorewhile additional resourcemobilisation came to only �112 crore.

The Chief Minister alsoused the Budget speech to crit-icize the Narendra Modi

Government in the Centre andthe Opposition LDF. He allegedthat the Centre, which had nosense of direction, had derailedseveral good schemes of theState. “History won’t pardonthose who were running awayfrom the calls for development,”he warned the Opposition LDF.

As per the last Budget of theUDF Government, Revenuedeficit was �9,897 crore and fis-cal deficit 19,971 crore. Theexpected Revenue income was�84,092 crore while Revenueexpenditure and Plan expendi-ture were �99,990 crore and �23,583 crore, Chandy said,adding that the expected capitalexpenditure was �9,572 crore.

“Disappointing,” saideconomist TM Thomas Isaac,Finance Minister in the formerCPI(M)-led Government,about the Budget. “It showsthat the Government hasn’tbeen able to creatively inter-vene in the worsening eco-nomic situation of the State…Plan expenditure has fallensharply. The Government isunable even to collect the taxesproperly,” Isaac added.

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About 2.58 lakh voters ofHarlakhi Assembly con-

stituency will elect their newMLA on Saturday. BasantKushwaha of Rashtriya LokSamata Party (RLSP) had beenelected in November 2015 elec-tion but the debutant legislatordied a day before taking themembership of the House.This reduced the strength ofRLSP from two to one.

There are nine candidatesin the fray for the bypoll. Theyinclude deceased Kushwaha’sson Sudhanshu Shekhar,Mohammad Shabbir ofCongress who lost the electionthree months back with a mar-gin of about 4,000 votes andCPI’s Ram Naresh Pandey.

However, neither NDA norMahagathbandhan leaders tookmuch interest in this polls.Only RJD supremo Lalu Prasadand some State Congress lead-ers campaigned but neitherChief Minister Nitish Kumarnor State JD(U) presidentBashistha Narain Singh visitedthe constituency giving anindication that the party wasnot very happy with Congressparty’s attitude. “Nitish wasnot well and I was away fromBihar. But I deployed the partycadres to work for theMahagathbandhan candidate,”Singh said.

Initially, sources said,JD(U) wanted to field its owncandidate there but had tostep back following forcefulclaim of the Congress. In 2010election JD(U) had won thisseat but during 2015 polls theparty sacrificed its claim infavour of Congress.

From the NDA side apartfrom RLSP chief and UnionMinister Upendra Kushwaha,LJP supremo Ram Vilas

Paswan and Bihar BJP leaderSushil Kumar Modi did road-show there.

The Congress sources saidits candidate Shabbir lostbecause of the presence of arebel RJD candidate RamashishYadav who garnered 21,670votes. Congress won 27 seats inthe November polls.

State Congress chief andEducation Minister AshokChaudhary who extensivelycampaigned in the con-stituency in Madhubani dis-trict was confident that theparty would win bypoll handsdown the Congress since 1951won this seat six times till1990. “We are all set toincrease our tally,” he claimed.On the other hand the CPI,which too won this seat sixtimes has made all efforts towrest it. In the two Assemblypolls held in 2005 CPI’s RamNaresh Pandey won it and hadbeen runner up three times.

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Acourt in Kerala’s Kannur dis-trict on Friday remanded

top CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan injudicial custody till March 11after he surrendered before it fol-lowing the rejection of his antic-ipatory bail application by theHigh Court the other day in thesensational case pertaining tothe brutal murder of RSS leaderManoj of Elanthodath ofKathiroor, Kannur in 2014.

Jayarajan, whom the CBIhad named as 25th accused inthe case, was on Friday after-noon shifted to the MedicalCollege Hospital at Pariyaram,Kannur from the Kannur cen-tral prison on the instruction ofthe doctors who examinedhim. He had been hospitalisedfor the past 23 days for treat-ment of heart problems.

A division bench of theKerala High Court had onThursday denied anticipatorybail to Jayarajan by acceptingthe arguments of the CBI whichsaid he had mastermindedManoj’s murder. The court,which accepted the invoking ofUAPA against him, said hedeserved no special considera-tion because he was a politician.A lower court had earlierdenied him bail three times.

Jayarajan, Kannur districtsecretary of the CPI(M),arrived at the District and

Sessions Court, Thalassery onFriday morning from theMedical College Hospital in amobile ICU just five minutesbefore the court proceedingsbegan. He was accompanied byparty leaders like State com-mittee members MV Jayarajanand KK Ragesh and PSathidevi, his sister.

“I have been trapped in thiscase as part of an RSS conspir-acy to crush Marxist leaders.The imposition of chargesunder UAPA on me also is partof that conspiracy. This is partof a move to project theCPI(M) as a terror organisa-tion. Unfortunately, the StateChief Minister is supportive ofthis move,” Jayarajan told news-men before surrendering.

Jayarajan and other CPI(M)leaders alleged that the RSSconspiracy against him washatched at a Sangh programmeheld in Kannur in Novemberwhich was attended bySarsanghchalak MohanBhagwat. “I don’t have toexplain more about it. Themanner in which the RSS hadtaken this up had already beenreported in the media,” he said.

After he surrendered,Jayarajan’s lawyer prayed tothe court that he be shifted tohospital by stating that he wasundergoing treatment for heartproblems but the judge, whoremanded him in custody till

March 11 since he had beenbooked under provisions of theUAPA, said that the prisonauthorities could take a deci-sion on that.

The CBI has applied forJayarajan’s custody for threedays for questioning him. Thecourt is expected to take up theplea on Monday. Sources saidthat the CBI had already col-lected details of Jayarajan’shealth condition and wasunlikely to show any haste ininterrogating him. The agencyhad questioned him for sevenhours in June last.

At the same time, theCPI(M)’s district leadership inKannur, described as Kerala’sMarxist heartland and Marxistkilling fields due to its historyof murderous political vio-lence, took care to ensure thatthe party workers did not reactemotionally to the situation.Leaders could be seen dis-couraging workers who tried toshout slogans outside the courtwhen Jayarajan arrived there.

Manoj, Kannur districtSharirik Shikshan Pramukh ofthe RSS, was hacked to death bya Marxist killer gang onSeptember 1, 2014 at Kathiroorin the district. The Kerala Policehad probed the case initially butthe State Government laterhanded over the investigation tothe CBI following pressuresfrom the BJP and RSS.

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Focusing on agriculture, infra-structure, rural development,

youth welfare, drought-hitBundelkhand and SamajwadiPension Scheme for the ruralpoor and women, Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav presented a tax-free deficit Budget of �3.47 lakhcrore for 2016-17 in the UPAssembly on Friday.

With this, Yadav alsobecame the first CM of theState to have tabled five annu-al Budgets in a row, since thefirst Assembly polls in 1952.

The CM, who also holdsthe Finance portfolio, tabledthe Budget on Friday afternoonamid some interruptions by theopposition parties during hishour-long speech of 68 pages.

The Budget size for 2016-17 fiscal is �3.47 lakh crorewhich is 14.6 per cent higherthan the budget of 2015-16. Nonew taxes have been imposedand an estimated deficit of �49,960 crore has been leftuncovered for 2016-17.

With the state set to go to

the hustings, the CM announcednew schemes with an estimatedoutlay of �13,842 crore. He saidthat the fiscal deficit exceededthe 3 per cent cap due to theissue of bonds worth �1,33,003crore for bailout package forpower distribution companiesunder UDAY (Ujjawal DiscomAssurance Yojana) announcedby the Centre.

As per Fiscal Responsibilityand Budget Management(FRBM) Act, the fiscal deficitof the state should be within 3per cent.

Shortly after presentingthe Budget, the CM told themedia that the next fiscal hasbeen dedicated to the farmersand the youth as ‘Kisan EvamYuva Varsh’.

Referring to NITI Ayogdata, he said that the State hadattained the top spot in capi-tal expenditure.

“UP emerging as the topState spending on capital accountproves that we have skillfullyutilised our resources whileadhering to the norms of thefinancial discipline,’’ CM said.

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Announcing the newspa-per’s decision to revertto use of the name“Bombay” and banish“Mumbai” from its

pages, the young editor of TheIndependent, the British daily, pre-sented this as a battle against big-otry and orthodoxy. “The wholepoint of Bombay,” the editor is quot-ed as saying, “is of an open, cos-mopolitan port city, the gateway ofIndia that’s open to the world. If youcall it what Hindu nationalistswant you to call it, you essentiallydo their work for them.”

While the argument thatIndia’s western metropolis couldwell be called Mumbai andBombay interchangeably — andthat both names, epochs and sen-sibilities represent realities that area part of the Indian existence thatcontemporary India must embrace— is absolutely valid, TheIndependent editor’s logic is puz-zling and difficult to defend.

The contention that cities andplaces can have both native namesthat make sense to a local peopleas well as international names thathave a broader circulation is an oldand well-reasoned one. ChrisPatten, the last British governor ofHong Kong, made the point thathe preferred calling the Chinesecapital city “Peking” because thatwas the international name — orthe familiar name to his genera-tion in the English-speaking world— while “Beijing” was the“Chinese” name.

Variations of that duality can befound elsewhere. The name of thecity we call “Paris” is pronounced“Paree” by the French. The city I wasborn and spent the 25 years of mylife in will forever be “Calcutta” forme, because that is how I am famil-iar and intimate with it. To my chil-dren, born in this century, well afterthe city was renamed and with nopersonal association with the cap-ital of West Bengal, “Kolkata” is easyenough to use. As such, like mul-tiple identities, cities and places canhave multiple monikers.

Yet, none of this is applicablein the case of The Independent. Thepaper is not commemorating thelayered and parallel identities of thebiggest city on India’s westerncoast. It is rejecting all identitiesother than the one it deems legit-imate and perceives is represent-ed by the name “Bombay”. It isseeking to de-legitimise the iden-tity represented by “Mumbai” —exaggeratedly believing, of course,that it has the capacity and powerto effect such a de-legitimisation —and exiling that identity as irrele-vant if not non-existent.

This is not some pedantic edi-tor being occupied by a style guideand using names and words famil-iar to his readership. This is an edi-tor waging an ideological war, anda silly one at that. It is a fair bet thatThe Independent will quietly go backto using “Mumbai” sooner or later.

Does a paper have a right toa world view? Does it have a rightto editorially promote values andprinciples it holds dear? Of courseit does. Nevertheless, a first-principles approach to journalismand media would suggest that anewspaper deals with facts, withthe world as it is, and then inter-prets those facts, nudging itsreaders towards the world as itseditors believe the world shouldbe. That is a fine distinction, call-ing for subtlety — rather than fora sledgehammer.

“Mumbai” is the official nameof the city in question. It was aname arrived at by following thecourse of the law and due process,as facilitated by democratically-elected Governments. Strictlyspeaking, it is not a “Hindunationalist” issue. It is, if anything,a “Marathi nationalist” or“Maharashtra nationalist” issue.True, in the politics of the ShivSena those two streams haveperiodically intersected, but thatdoes not make the re-naming a“Hindu” cause. Again, those dif-ferences should have been obvi-ous to an editor who claimsawareness of the subject.

To argue that name changes inIndia have been propelled by sole-ly “Hindu nationalism”, rather thanby a whole menagerie of nativistimpulses, rooted in region and reli-gion, culture and tradition, languageand history, is to be simplistic andnot engage adequately with anextremely complex phenomenon.Perhaps The Independent editordoes not have sufficient grasp ormaturity to appreciate that. Therenaming of Madras (nowChennai) and Calcutta, or Calicut(Kozhikode) and the “UnitedProvinces of Agra and Oudh”(Uttar Pradesh) had nothing to dowith “Hindu nationalism”.

If a newspaper does not wantto deal with reality, it always has theoption of creating its alternative real-ity. While that would be the courseexpected of a college sheet, perhapsa satirical one, The Independent iswithin its rights to adopt such anapproach. Having said that, itwould be required to be consistent.Surely the change from “Bombay”to “Mumbai” is not the only exam-ple the newspaper has in mindwhen it comes to describing thedangerous tendency of contaminat-ing an “open, cosmopolitan” city bythrusting a proper noun that, ifwidely used, would amount todoing the “work” of religiousnationalists “for them”?

Take an example. Lyallpurwas named after an outstandingcivil servant of the British Raj. Thecity was a centre of industry and

agricultural commerce. It wasthe “open, cosmopolitan” home ofnot just Christians, whetherEuropean or Indian, but alsoMuslims, Hindus and Sikhs.Today, it is called Faisalabad,named for a Saudi king whobelieved in pan-Islamism andlocated in a country (Pakistan)founded in the name of Muslimnationalism. Is “Faisalabad”morally inferior to “Lyallpur”?Who should decide? A newspaperin London?

On another note, how doesone compare Istanbul andConstantinople, both great cities oftheir times, and representative ofdifferent political and cultural(even civilisational) constructs?Should The Independent and itsdetermined editor sit with an atlasand a history book and meticu-lously go continent by continent,country by country, city by city,deciding which names to retainand which names to reject as pera subjective benchmark of politi-cal correctness and acceptability?

With an intriguing mix ofcontemporary and commonplacenames as well as quaint quixoticnames, this would make TheIndependent a quirky newspaper.It would also make it that muchharder to take its editorial posi-tions seriously.

(The author is senior fellow atthe Observer Research Foundation.He can be reached [email protected]):

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Reality of Ishrat Jahan” (February12). The crucial issue now, afterDavid Headley’s confirmation thatIshrat Jahan was indeed a Lashkar-e-Tayyeba operative, is the mannerin which Ishrat Jahan’s terror cre-dentials were covered up or brushedaside with the sole intention of tar-nishing the image of the thenChief Minister of Gujarat NarendraModi. It is unfortunate that we arestill living with the legacy of theNehru-Gandhi family which con-siders every Muslim to be secularand every Hindu communal.

AbhiVia web

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Sir — This refers to the article,“Extreme levels of appeasement”(February 10) by Manash Ghosh.Love for power is the burning desireof every politician and West BengalChief Minister Mamata Banerjee isno exception. At the outset of herpolitical career, she was noble in herambition, to serve the State and itspeople. However, it is now realisedthat greed for power has been herprime pursuit.

To appease the minority com-

munity, Ms Banerjee sent AhmedHasan to the upper House, know-ing well that the latter was a found-ing member of the banned outfit,Students Islamic Movement ofIndia. To please a particular com-munity, to secure its votes at the costof negligence of other communities,including the poor, is a clear viola-tion of the fabric of our society. Isthis not a manifestation of misgov-ernance and malfeasance?

Nimai Charan SwainBhubaneswar

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Sir — This refers to the report,“Event on Afzal: JNU ordersprobe” (February 11). It is quitedisturbing that in a prestigiouseducational institution like theJawaharlal Nehru University,there are elements who are speak-ing the language of the Kashmiriseparatists and are glorifying ter-rorists. It is a known fact thatAfzal Guru was convicted inconnection with 2001 Parliamentterror attack case. He was hangedonly after he exhausted the alllegal channels in his defence andthe highest court of the landfound no reason for relief.

Students from JNU, whoorganised a meet to mourn thedeath of Afzal Guru, argued that

the Supreme Court judges cannotdecide who is a terrorist. So, willthe students take a decision on it?Are the champions of ‘freedom ofexpression’ now listening?

MC JoshiLucknow

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Sir — This refers to the approvalof Hindu Marriage Bill, 2015, byPakistan. In fact, the responsibil-ity of taking care of matters relat-ed to interests and welfare of theminority community in Pakistanrests with the majority-runGovernment over there.

Hence, the Bill, that washanging fire for decades, wasunanimously approved by aPakistani parliamentary panel.The final draft of the Bill wasalready cleared on Monday, dur-ing a meeting held by the StandingCommittee on Law and Justice.

Actually, the reason for adelay in the passage of the Billstemmed from objections raisedby members of the PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf and the PakistanPeoples Party.

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The Pakistan Army has overarch-ing influence on politics, econ-

omy, foreign and defence policy ofthe country. This has resulted in thecoinage of the often-repeated apho-rism, “most countries have armies,but the Pakistan Army has a coun-try.” The chief of the Pakistan Armyis the most powerful person in thecountry. Thus, the question of whowill succeed General Raheel Sharifas the sixteenth chief of the PakistanArmy is a weighty one with reper-cussions for the region’s future.

Till recently, it was expected thatGeneral Raheel Sharif, like his pre-decessors General Ashfaq ParvezKayani and General PervezMusharraf, would receive an exten-sion. This sentiment had beenstrengthened by General Musharraf ’sstatement in September 2015 callingfor extension of General Sharif ’stenure. On January 25, 2016 GeneralSharif put the speculation regardinghis tenure to rest and revealed hisplan to retire when his three-yearterm ends in November 2016. Withthe possibility of an extension out ofthe way, it is opportune to look atwho could become the next chief ofthe Pakistan Army.

There are 29 three-star officersin the rank of Lieutenant-General inthe Pakistan Army. Though all ofthem would no doubt aspire tobecome the next chief, the choice willzero in on to three or four officers.At the time of picking a successor toGeneral Kayani, it was widelyassumed that the race was amongthen Lt General Raheel Sharif, LtGeneral Tariq Khan, Lt GeneralRashad Mehmood (who wasappointed as Chairman of JointChief of Staff Committee), LtGeneral Haroon Aslam and LtGeneral Zaheerul Islam.

The jockeying for the position ofthe next Pakistan Army chief has

been going on behind-the-scenes forsome time now. Two reshuffles andpromotions carried out underGeneral Raheel Sharif ’s watch inDecember 2013 and April 2015 haveprovided some initial indications.The December 2013 reshuffle tookplace barely a month after GeneralSharif assumed office. This markedan important transition in Pakistan’snuclear complex with the end of the15-year long tenure of Lt GeneralKhalid Kidwai as chief of thePakistan’s Strategic Plans Division(SPD). The SPD is the custodian ofPakistan’s nuclear weapons and mis-siles. The December 2013 reshufflehad seen Lt General ZubairMahmood Hayat taking charge asthe new Director General, SPD.

The second major round of pro-motions and resultant reshuffle in thePakistan Army’s top echelons hap-pened in April 2015. Five officers inthe rank of Major General were pro-moted to Lieutenant General. LtGeneral Zubair Mahmood Hayat,who was holding charge of the SPDsince December 2013, was promot-ed as Chief of General Staff (CGS).In 2013, Hayat had commanded theXXXI Corps located at Bahawalpurwhich forms an important part of theSouthern Command of the PakistanArmy. The promotion as CGS makeshim the senior most among the cur-rent three-star generals in thePakistan Army.

An Artillery officer, Lt GeneralZubair Hayat hails from a militaryfamily. His father, Major GeneralAslam Hayat, served in the Army.Interestingly, his other siblings tooserve in the Army. Lt General OmarMahmood Hayat heads the OrdnanceFactories at Wah. His younger broth-er Major General Ahmed MahmoodHayat is Director General (Analysis)in the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).In the past, five Chiefs of General Staff

have gone on to become the Armychief. Given the fact that Lt GeneralZubair Hayat has been in charge of theSPD and commanded a Corps and iscurrently the Chief of General Staffsets him up at the top of the list of can-didates who are vying for post of thechief of the Pakistan Army.

Though seniority matters, it isnot the only consideration in theselection of the Pakistan Army chief.The incumbent, General RaheelSharif, superseded two seniors tobecome the Army chief. Going fur-ther into the past, then PrimeMinister Bhutto had appointed Zia-ul Haq as the Army chief supersed-ing seven senior Lieutenant Generals.

Lt General Ishfaq NadeemAhmed, commanding the Multan-based 2 Corps, is another importantchallenger for the top post. FromNovember 2013 till Lt GeneralZubair Hayat took charge in April2015, Lt General Ishfaq was Chief ofGeneral Staff (CGS). He has alsoserved as the Director GeneralMilitary Operations (DGMO) forover two years and has also com-manded a strike infantry division. Ascompared to the other possible con-tenders, Lt General Ishfaq has amuch more varied experience rang-ing from heading the PakistanArmy’s Federal Relief Commission,the National Disaster ManagementAuthority (NDMA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).

The third individual in the raceis Lt General Mazhar Jamil. AnArtillery officer, he currently over-sees Pakistan’s nuclear complex asDG, Strategic Plans Division havingtaken charge from Lt General ZubairHayat in April 2015. He is known tobe close to former Pakistan Armychief General Kayani and was pro-moted to the rank of Lt Generalsuperseding four officers duringKayani’s tenure. Between September

2013 and December 2013, he wasMilitary Secretary and Vice Chief ofGeneral Staff from 2012 to 2013. Itis also interesting to note that LtGeneral Jamil was garrison com-mander at Abbottabad andCommandant, Pakistan MilitaryAcademy (PMA), Kakul when theUS Navy SEALs attacked a com-pound near PMA to kill Osama BinLaden in May 2011. This fact mightraise hackles with the internationalcommunity and in particular theUnited States.

The chief of the Pakistan Armyhas more often than not been select-ed among officers hailing from thefighting arms of the service like theinfantry, artillery and armouredcorps. Though the final appointmentis notionally made by the PakistaniPrime Minister, it is believed that

choice is limited to a shortlist of threeto four officers recommended by theincumbent Army chief. As seen inRaheel Sharif ’s appointment, it is notbinding on the civilian leadership togo along with the chief ’s recom-mendation. General Kayani isbelieved to have recommended LtGeneral Rashad Mahmood for thetop post with Lt General HaroonAslam slated to take charge asChairman, Joint Chiefs of StaffCommittee (CJCSC).

Pakistani Prime Minister NawazSharif decided to appoint Lt GeneralRaheel Sharif as the Army chief withLt General Rashad Mahmood kickedupstairs to occupy a largely cere-monial position. In case of RaheelSharif, his proximity to Lt GeneralAbdul Qadir Baloch, a key confidantof PM Sharif ’s family seems to have

played a role in the final decision.The final choice would boil down tomany factors. These include theofficer’s “perceived loyalty” to thecivilian Government, the incumbentArmy chief ’s recommendation, pastcommands held, and the influencetheir familial and other informal sup-port networks are able to exerciseover the selection process. Thoughwe can never be sure of how the dicewill roll until the final orders aresigned, the new Pakistan Army chiefwill take charge at an important junc-ture given the increasing trend of vio-lent extremism in Pakistan and theregion as a whole.

(Arun Vishwanathan is AssistantProfessor, National Institute ofAdvanced Studies, Indian Institute ofScience campus, Bengaluru)

The visit of His Highness Sheikh MohammedZayed Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu

Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander ofthe United Arab Emirates’ armed forces, hasushered a new era in India-UAE relations.Though the relationship between the twocountries dates back to historic times when largevolume of trade used to take place between theMalabar Coast and various Emirates of the UAE,still until three years ago, the main pillars of thisrelationship were trade, investment and man-power. However, Prime Minister NarendraModi’s landmark visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubaiin August last year — the first by an IndianPrime Minister in 34 years — has infusedimmense vigour into these relations which arenow striding into a strategic partnership.

The UAE is home to 2.6 million Indiansemployed in almost all the strata of Emirates’job market: lower, middle and top management.The vibrant Indian business community has setup numerous joint ventures owing to businessfriendly environment and tax benefits. Also therobust infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and Dubaiprovides them easy access to large market notonly in the Arab world but also in Asia andAfrica. For the UAE, India is not only a majoroil consumer, but also its second largest tradepartner after China. The trade between the twocountries has crossed $60 billion per year withIndian exports worth $34 billion and UAE’sexports to India around $26 billion. Both thecountries are now working jointly to optimisetrade and investment opportunities in eachother’s country.

One of the most significant announce-ments during Modi’s August visit was the estab-lishment of $75 billion India-UAE InfrastructureFund to support the expansion of India’s networkof railways, ports, roads, airports and industri-al corridors. Soon after that, Sheikh Abdullah binZayed, the Foreign Minister of the UAE, visitedNew Delhi in September for the India-UAE JointCommission Meeting, in which initiatives forcooperation in a number of sectors were outlined.

Our contacts with the UAE are now grow-ing beyond economy and trade and the bilat-eral relations are turning into a comprehensivestrategic partnership which is a major tacticalmove. The two countries have not only agreedto conduct joint defence exercises but also toenter into joint ventures for the production ofdefence equipment. Also a team from the UAESpace Agency has already visited the ISRO todiscuss cooperation and had toured the SatelliteAssembly, Testing and Control and InformationCentre for the Indian Mars probe project.

The joint statement which was issued at theconclusion of Modi’s August visit, had laid outcooperation in countering radicalism, andmisuse of religion to incite hatred and justify-ing terrorism for political motives. The agree-ment to establish a dialogue between the twoNational Security Advisers, and the respectiveNational Security Councils and other securitycooperation mechanisms underline the grow-ing security relationship and clearly reflect a con-vergence on fighting terror.

In less than a decade, India has taken a num-ber of initiatives to engage with the countriesof the Arabian Peninsula. The Agreement onDefence and Security Cooperation with Qatarin 2008, the declaration of strategic partnershipwith Oman in 2008 and with the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia in 2010 are some of the high pointsof our engagement with this important region.The Indian Prime Minister’s landmark visit in

August had opened doors for closer engagementwith the UAE since it came at a time when theregion has been witnessing major upheavals.Instability in Iraq, Syria and Yemen and shift-ing geopolitics involving West’s nuclear deal withIran are the major issues causing concern to thecountries of the Gulf.

The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) is posinga serious challenge to the whole region. The bur-geoning number of ISIS sympathisers andtheir activities in the UAE are causing great con-cern. The UAE had jailed 68 Islamic extremistsfor plotting to overthrow the Government in2013. In January last year, an Abu Dhabi courthad convicted 30 people for their links with theextremist Muslim organisations. Again, a groupof 41 people comprising both foreigners andUAE nationals were arrested for planning tocarry out terrorist acts in various emirates of thecountry. The security authorities had seized gunsand explosives from the group which had beenin touch with militant groups abroad. India toohas since long been facing acts of terrorism onits soil. The identical terror threats havebrought the two nations closer in their resolveto fight this menace together and eliminate ter-rorist networks in their respective countries byactively cooperating with each other. The UAEhas already handed over more than half a dozensuspected youths to India, who were either activesympathisers or were in contact with the ISIS,including one of the ISIS recruiters Ayesha Jabin.

The young moderate leadership of the UAE,which has made the country the fastest grow-ing economy in the Arab world was highlyadmired when it took a landmark step in cul-tural tolerance, by allotting land to build a Hindutemple in Abu Dhabi for the Indian residentsthat make up 30 per cent of the population ofthe Emirates. Prior to this, they had inaugurateda Catholic church in Abu Dhabi. The decisionof these young modern rulers of the UAE clear-ly demonstrates that they are serious about reli-gious and cultural tolerance. Recently a law wasannounced to criminalise all forms of dis-crimination, be it religious, caste, ethnic, race,or creed based. These undoubtedly are invalu-able progressive steps for a stable future.

India is an emerging global power with a largeeconomy, while the UAE has huge economicpotential and its role as a reliable and active play-er in the region to collaborate on security issuesespecially terrorism, piracy and other transnationalcrimes is beneficial to both the countries. Thereare no major issues of conflict hindering furtherconsolidation of ties between the two nations.

(Professor Zikrur Rahman, a former diplomat, is Director of India Islamic CulturalCentre, New Delhi)

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� # � ���� Gold prices onFriday zoomed by up to �1,230,the biggest rise in a day thisyear, to multi-month high inmajor bullion markets of thecountry on continued buyingby jewellers and retailers forongoing wedding season amidovernight gains in global mar-ket.

At Chennai, gold pricesclimbed the most by �1,230 to�29,605 per 10 grams. Bullionmarkets were closed onThursday following strike byGem and Jewellery TradeFederation against theGovernment’s decision to makePAN card mandatory for trans-actions of �2 lakh and above.

In the national capital, theprecious metal recorded a sig-nificant rise of �850 to trade at�29,650, a level last seen onMay 16, 2014. Now, the yellowmetal has gained �2,600 ineleven straight sessions, itslongest winning streak thisyear.

The precious metal hasrecorded the biggest single-day rise this year.

In addition, a depreciatingrupee against the dollar, mak-ing imports costlier, supportedthe upside in the preciousmetal prices.

The precious metal rose by�275 to �29,260 per 10 gramsin Mumbai, while at Kolkata it

gained �260 to �29,800 per 10grams.

Bullion traders attributedthe rise in precious metal pricesto sustained buying by jewellersas well as retailers driven byongoing wedding season.

Besides, a better trend over-seas where gold climbed 4.14per cent to over one-year highof $1,246.40 an ounce in NewYork in yesterday’s trade alsoinfluenced bullion prices inthe domestic markets, theysaid.

In futures trade, the Aprilcontracts of the metal howev-er was trading 1.14 per centlower at �29,450 per 10 gramson the MCX. ���

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Post bloodbath, Sensex onFriday managed to end 34

points higher at 22,986.12, butlogged its biggest weekly fall inover six years as fears of a glob-al slowdown and disappointingquarterly numbers of blue-chips,especially banks, hammeredstocks during the week.

Investors are fleeing riskyassets and running to safehavens like gold and bonds. Boththe indexes recorded theirbiggest weekly fall since July2009 with Sensex falling 1,631points or 6.62 per cent and Niftydown 508.15 points or 6.78 percent.

The total investor wealth,measured in terms of cumula-tive value of all listed stocks onBSE, slumped by over �7 lakhcrore during the torrid week.

Moreover, since the start ofthe year, the Sensex has lostaround 3,131.42 points or 12 percent and logged weekly fall infive out of six weeks since then.

Sinking to its lowest level in21 months, Sensex yesterdaycrashed 807 points to drop

below 23,000-mark as concernsover global economy andmounting bad loans wiped offover �3 lakh crore from thewealth of panic-strickeninvestors.

The Sensex has come offmore than 23 per cent from itsall-time peak of over 30,000,scaled nearly a year ago onMarch 4, 2015.

A fall of 20 per cent from anall-time peak is considered as a‘bear market’ -- a term used fora sustained slide.

Meanwhile, attributing therecent crash in stock market toglobal factors, Finance MinisterArun Jaitley today said there wasno need for “exaggerated panic”and investors should keep theeconomy’s inherent strength inmind while investing.

The sensex resumed high-er at 23,060.39 and hovered ina range of 23,161.15 TO22,600.39 before ending at22,986.12, showing a gain of34.29 points or 0.15 per cent.The NSE Nifty moved up mar-ginally by 4.60 points or 0.07 percent to close at 6,980.95 still clos-ing at 21-month low.

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Car sales fell for the firsttime after 14 months of

continued growth in Januaryas discounts dried up duringthe month with automakerscorrecting inventory at deal-er levels post year-end free-bies dole out.

According to datareleased by Society of IndianAutomobile Manufacturers(SIAM), domestic car sales inJanuary declined marginallyto 1,68,303 units comparedwith 1,69,527 units in January2015.

It is, however, bullish onthe passenger vehicles seg-ment to grow in the range of8-12 per cent in the next fis-cal.

Overall passenger vehiclesales during the month grewmarginally to 2,32,016 unitsin January as against 2,09,086units in the year-ago period.

“There is muted growthin passenger car sales inJanuary. Growth declined aspeople advanced their buyingto December due to recorddiscounts offered by the com-panies. Also, there was cor-rection at inventory levelsduring the month,” SIAMDirector General VishnuMathur told reporters here.

He, however, termed thedip in passenger car sales a“temporary blip”. “We don’texpect it (dip sales) to be along term phenomenon,”Mathur said.

Rising for a 14th straight

month, car sales in the coun-try surged by 12.87 per centin December as customerswere induced by the autoindustry into buying newvehicles by offering recorddiscounts.

When asked about theoutlook for the next fiscal,Mathur said: “We expect theoverall passenger vehicle salesto grow in the range of 8-12per cent. In the current fiscalwe expect to grow by 6-8 percent. Till January we havegrown by 8 per cent.”

Elaborating further hesaid: “Even though sales inrural areas are down, wehave been able to grow by 8per cent this fiscal. So if therural markets are back in thenext fiscal, we expect bettergrowth in FY17.”

During last month, mar-ket leader Maruti SuzukiIndia posted a marginalgrowth in its passenger vehi-cles sales at 1,06,383 units. Itscar sales declined 1.41 percent to 87,757 units duringthe period.

Rival Hyundai MotorIndia saw its passenger vehi-cle sales rise by 9.3 per cent

to 38,016 units in January, dri-ven by newly launched SUVCreta.

Its passenger car salesdeclined 9.36 per cent to31,398 units during Januarycompared with 34,643 unitsin the same period of previ-ous year.

Honda Cars India’s pas-senger car sales stood at16,613 units as against 15,331units in the same month lastyear, up 8.36 per cent, SIAMsaid. Homegrown TataMotors’ domestic car saleswere at 9,350units, com-pared with 11,637 units inthe same month of previousyear, down 19.65 per cent.

Utility vehicles majorMaindra & Mahindra saw itssales rise 13.39 per cent to21,034 units as against 18,549units in January 2015.

As per SIAM data,motorcycle sales last monthincreased marginally to8,72,325 units from 8,68,505units a year earlier.“Motorcycle sales continue tobe impacted by slow uptakein rural areas. It will pickwhen these markets comeback,” Mathur said.

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Industrial output in Decembershrank 1.3 per cent while retail

inflation in January edged up to a16-month high, prompting theindustry to call for urgent policyaction in the forthcoming Budget tospur revival.

While factory output continuedto fall primarily because of a declinein production of capital goods andmanufactured products, retail infla-tion rose as a result of costlier fooditems.

Industrial production con-tracted 1.3 per cent in December, asagainst a decline of 3.4 per cent inNovember, according to datareleased by the Central StatisticsOffice (CSO).

The industrial activity hadgrown by 3.6 per cent in December2014.

Complicating the matter, retailinflation as measured by the con-sumer price index (CPI) inched upto a 16-month high of 5.69 per centin January compared with 5.61 percent in December. It stood at 5.19per cent in January 2015.

“As both high-frequency datashow deterioration, the macro-economic management of theeconomy by the government as wellas RBI is going to be more difficultahead, particularly when the UnionBudget is due by the end of thismonth,” said Sunil Kumar Sinha,Principal Economist, India Ratings& Research.

Worried over the macro num-bers, India Inc on Friday made arenewed call for policy initiativesin the upcoming Budget to pushindustrial growth.

“Estimates of industrial pro-duction for December 2015 mir-rored the subdued industrial activ-ity in the country and call forurgent policy remedies,” saidAssocham President Sunil Kanoria.

The decline in December IIPhas been primarily on account ofa massive drop in output of capi-tal goods, which contracted 19.7per cent as against a growth of 6.1per cent in the same month a yearago.

During April-December thisfiscal, industrial output grew 3.1per cent compared with 2.6 percent a year ago.

The manufacturing sector,which accounts for over 75 per centof IIP, declined 2.4 per cent againsta growth of 4.1 per cent inDecember 2014.

However, mining showed someimprovement, growing 2.9 per centin the month as against a contrac-tion of 1.7 per cent in same montha year ago. Power generationshowed deceleration, growing at aclip of 3.2 per cent compared with4.8 per cent in the same month ayear ago.

As per the used-based classifi-cation, basic goods reported amarginal increase of 0.5 per cent asagainst 5.9 per cent in December2014.

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With huge pile-up of non-performing assets

(NPAs) or bad loans in pub-lic sector banks (PSBs), theGovernment is consideringmore steps to empower banksto recover these bad debts andthe problem will be containedsoon. “The bankruptcy law isunder active consideration.The Government is also con-sidering some further steps toempower banks to be in aposition to recover thesemonies (NPAs). I think it’s aproblem which will sooncome under control,” FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley toldreporters on Friday.

Observing a serious prob-lem of NPAs, he added,“These are the loans, whichhave earlier in point of timegiven by these banks and as apart of prudent policy it hasbeen considered the balancesheets should be transparent.The banks are going to take allsteps possible to recover theloans from debtors.”

In fact, Reserve Bank of

India (RBI) has empoweredbanks to recover NPAsthrough various policies. Ason September, the gross NPAsof PSBs have increased to�3.01 lakh crore as against�2.67 lakh crore in March.

Pointing to some overreactions to reports in the sec-tion of media with regard tothe status of various PSBs, theFinance Minister said, “Inany case the volume andextent of the problem shouldnot be exaggerated so as tolead to any panic.”

On Thursday, RBIGovernor Raghuram Rajanalso assured that there won’tbe a repeat of the asset qual-ity review (AQR) that hasshaved off banks’ bottom-lines and the resultant batter-ing of banking stocks and themassive erosion of investorwealth. “We do not envisage asequence of AQRs,” Rajanhad said on Thursday, addingthat a ‘deep surgery’ is need-ed to clean up and the processof recognising the NPA isakin to an ‘anesthetic’ neededfor the procedure.

With regard to capitalneeds of state-owned banks,Jaitley said, “The Governmentis fully committed to supportpublic sector banks by pro-viding whatever capitalrequirements are therebecause these banks haveplayed very important role insupporting the Indian econo-my and their support is alsorequired for supporting fur-ther growth.”

Last year, the Governmenthad announced a revamp plan‘Indradhanush’ to infuse�70,000 crore in State-ownedbanks over four years, whilethey will have to raise a fur-ther �1.1 lakh crore from themarkets to meet their capitalrequirements in line withglobal risk norms Basel III. Asper the blueprint, PSU bankswill get �25,000 crore this fis-cal and also in the next fiscal.Besides, �10,000 crore eachwould be infused in 2017-18and 2018-19. Of the �25,000crore earmarked for 2015-16,the Government has pumpedin about �20,088 crore in 13public sector banks so far.

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With strong refining marginand lower inventory loss-

es, Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) posted its net profit at�3,056.86 crore in theDecember quarter earning thisfiscal as against a net loss of�2,636.80 crore in the sameperiod a year ago, according toIOC Chairman B Ashok.

“Besides performanceimprovement, especially inpetrochemical businesses, theprofit is mainly because oflower inventory losses. Thecompany’s inventory loss camedown to �4,477 crore inOctober-December 2015, from�12,840 crore in the previous fis-cal. Inventory losses arise whenthe company buys oil at a price,but by the time it ships crude toIndia and processes the sameinto fuel, the rates would havefallen, lowering the value of theinventory,” Ashok told reportershere.

However, IOC earned $5.96on turning every barrel of crudeoil into fuel compared with anegative gross refining margin(GRM) of $7.73. Excludinginventory losses, GRM inOctober-December should havebeen $10.97 per barrel as against$10.47 a year ago.

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South Korea warned NorthKorea on Friday that it had

acted “illegally” in freezing theassets of South Korean com-panies and staff expelled fromthe jointly run Kaesong indus-trial zone.

Seoul’s UnificationMinister Hong Yong-Pyo saidPyongyang’s decision to kickout the South Korean firms was“very regrettable” and addedthe North would have to takefull responsibility for any con-sequences.

North Korea yesterday saidit was closing Kaesong com-pletely and placing it undermilitary control.

All South Koreans workingin the zone, which lies 10 kilometres inside North Korea,were expelled and told theycould only take their personalbelongings.It also ordered a“complete freeze” of all assetsleft behind, including rawmaterials, products and equipment.

Pyongyang said the movewas a response to Seoul’s deci-sion the day before to shutdown the operations of the 124South Korean companies inKaesong — a protest at the

North’s recent nuclear test andlong-range rocket test.

“North Korea expelled ourpeople with very short notice,banned them from taking outfinished products and illegallyfroze valuable assets,” Hongsaid.

He also condemned the

“unjustified and extreme mea-sure” taken by Pyongyang ofcutting off the only tworemaining communication hot-lines with the South.

“North Korea will have totake responsibility for any-thing that happens now,” headded, without elaborating.

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South Korea could begindetailed discussions with

Washington on bringing in anadvanced US missile defencesystem opposed by China asearly as next week, a seniorofficial said on Friday.

The two allies are settingup a joint task force to lookinto the rollout of theTerminal High Altitude AreaDefence System (THAAD),which would be deployed as acounter to North Korea’sgrowing missile threat.

“The task force will beable to start discussing detailsconcerning the THAADdeployment as early as next

week,” the senior official toldjournalists.

On the agenda are issueslike location, cost-sharing,environmental protection anda timeline for installation.

The THAAD system firesanti-ballistic missiles into thesky to smash into enemy mis-siles either inside or outsidethe Earth’s atmosphere duringtheir final flight phase.

The interceptor missilescarry no warheads, insteadrelying on kinetic energy todestroy their targets.

South Korea and theUnited States announced theirintention to start discussionson THAAD’s deployment lastSunday.

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Oncupinar: Some 1,00,000Syrian refugees are being lookedafter in camps inside Syria closeto the Turkish border, including35,000 who this month fled aRussian-backed regime offensive in northern Aleppoprovince, a top Turkish officialsaid on Friday.

Turkish Deputy PM YalcinAkdogan, whose country hascome under increasing pressureto open its border to people flee-ing the violence, said therefugees were being accommo-dated in nine camps just acrossthe border with Syria.

“There are nine camps onthe other side of the borderaccommodating 100,000 peo-ple including the 30-35,000new arrivals,” Akdogan toldreporters at Oncupinar bor-der crossing in televisedcomments.

He added that a tenth campwas being built three kilometresinside Syria. The refugees arelooked after by organisationssuch as Turkey’s emergencyagency AFAD. AFP

Kathmandu: Ahead of NepalPrime Minister KP Sharma Oli’supcoming visit to India,Kathmandu has finalised a com-prehensive wishlist it wants NewDelhi to fulfil.

Projects related to infra-structure and hydel develop-ment and power transmissiontop Oli’s agenda for the six-dayvisit commencing February 19,officials here said. The wishlistfor Oli’s visit — his first foreigntour since assuming office inOctober last — includes finali-sation of two hydro-power pro-jects of a total 750 MW capaci-ty that have been on the table forquite some time now.

The two projects togetherwould cost about $1 billion.Nepal is estimated to have thepotential to generate 42,000MW of hydropower but todayproduces 800 MW — far less

than the domestic demand of1,400 MW.

The two power projectswere among agenda-points thatNepal’s Finance MinisterBishnu Poudel had proposed tohis Indian counterpart ArunJaitley and Indian ExternalAffairs Minister Sushma Swarajduring a visit to New Delhi ear-lier this month. India hasalready promised $2 billion inaid during Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s visit to Nepalin August 2014. Another $1 bil-lion in assistance was pledgedby India in June 2015 at theInternational Conference onNepal’s Reconstruction follow-ing the April 2015 earthquake.Out of the $1 billion, $250 mil-lion is aid and the remaining$750 million is soft loan to carryout various post-quake recon-struction works. IANS

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Democratic presidential con-tenders Hillary Clinton and

Bernie Sanders clashed bitterlyover their support for PresidentBarack Obama at yet anotherfeisty debate on Thursday aheadof the next primaries in Nevadaand South Carolina.

Clinton, who has embracedthe Obama policies almost intoto, painted Sanders as some-one overly critical of the presi-dent. One can expect that kindof criticism from theRepublicans and not from some-one running for the Democraticnomination, she commented inthe debate, hosted by PBS.

Sanders fired back, dub-bing the Clinton comment “a lowblow” and asserting that he hasheld the view that Obama hasdone an extraordinary job andsupportive of him in the Senate,even while not always agreeingwith him.

“Do senators have the rightto disagree with the president?”Sanders retorted, commenting:“Last I heard we lived in ademocratic society. Last I heard,a United States senator had theright to disagree with the pres-ident, including a presidentwho has done such an extraor-dinary job.”

Clinton said she was con-cerned not about disagreementon issues, but calling President

Obama “weak” and “a disap-pointment”. When she referredto his statements that he shouldhave been a primary opponentwhen Obama was up for re-elec-tion in 2012, Sanders hit back ather, remarking: “Well, one of usran against Barack Obama. I wasnot that candidate.”

The debate, held inMilwaukee, also saw Clintonportray Sanders’ healthcare andother plans as unrealistic, sayingit was important for the votersto vet the programmes of bothof them. “We should not makepromises we can’t keep,” she said,taunting her opponent.

When Sanders brought uponce again the issue of hercampaign accepting huge con-tributions from Wall Street,Clinton said Obama, too,received large amounts fromthose institutions, but he

nonetheless stood up and tookon Wall Street when it matteredby pushing through the Dodd-Frank Act to regulate the finan-cial sector.

As she asserted that dona-tions don’t necessarily influencedecisions, Sanders shot back:“Let’s not insult the intelligenceof the American people. Peoplearen’t dumb. Why in God’s namedoes Wall Street make hugecampaign contributions?”

Sanders has sought to con-trast Clinton’s Super PAC sourc-ing of big donations with hisown raising of humble contri-butions from millions of ordi-nary Americans, averaging $27per head, saying: “I’m veryproud of that.”

On foreign policy, Sandersyet again used the opportunityto slam Clinton’s judgment byvoting for former President

George W. Bush’s war on Iraq,while he himself voted against it.“The point about foreign poli-cy is not just to know that youcan overthrow a terrible dicta-tor, it’s to understand what hap-pens the day after,” he said,pointing to the aftermath thatIraq and the whole region is con-fronted with.

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Lahore: Notwithstanding a courtorder, authorities in Pakistan’sPunjab province have demol-ished the remains of a centuries-old Jain temple to pavethe way for a controversial metroline project here.

In violation of the LahoreHigh Court’s order to suspend allwork on the line within 200 feetof buildings of historical value,the Punjab Government onThursday demolished theremains of the already damagedtemple. Located near famousAnarkali Bazaar of old city, mobhad damaged Jain Mandir in1992 after the demolition ofBabari Mosque in India.

The temple was being usedthese days for some commercialpurposes like shops and theoffice of the Lahore WasteManagement Company(LWMC) and a private filling sta-tion before its was completelydestroyed yesterday by theShahbaz Sharif Government.

Supreme Court Lahore’s reg-istry branch, Shalimar Garden,Chauburji monument, SaintAndrew Church, GPO building,tomb of Mehrunisa, Budhu kaAwa, tomb of Baba Mauj Daria,Shah Cheragh Building, Awan-e- Auqafand and Dai AngaTomb are other historical sitesthat fall on the route of the pro-ject. PTI

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#����� ���� 2�������� ���)�������������Washington: Lashing out at herRepublican rival Donald Trumpfor his anti-Muslim rhetoric,Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton hasdescribed his remarks as “offen-sive and dangerous”.

“We need to understandthat American Muslims are onthe front line of our defence.They are more likely to knowwhat’s happening in their fami-lies and their communities, andthey need to feel not just invit-ed, but welcomed within theAmerican society,” Clinton saidparticipating in Democratic pres-idential debate. “So when some-body like Trump and others stirsup the demagoguery againstAmerican Muslims, that hurts usat home. It’s not only offensive;it’s dangerous,” she said. PTI

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�Tell us about your inspiration for Fitoor. I read Great Expectations in my younger days and

it stayed with me. I’m not much of an avid reader butI just chanced upon this book. I watched the sevenfilms based on the book as well. But while makingmy own, I interpreted it my way. It consumed mecompletely. After Aryan, Rock On!! and then KaiPo Che, which revolved around the theme of friend-ship, albeit against different social backdrops andvaried treatment. I wanted to get into a new space.I realised I had never tackled love as an emotionand the crux of a film. This book (GreatExpectations) had a lot of complexities in it. It hadsome wonderful characters, each of whom is ina tumultuous relationship with the other and eachof whom has had individual experiences of love.I thought it would be a wholesome experienceto translate that onscreen.

�Which character has had the most impact onyou as a filmmaker?

It has to be Ms Havisham’s character. It is shewho is the most tormented. For me, she is a veryvulnerable woman who has been through a lot. Isee no point taking from material where you can’t

add value. I felt I could bring something more tothis character. If, for example, you tell me a person

is mad, that is not enough for me. You’ll probably findthat humorous and the person would become a car-

icature. You will be laughing at that madness but if youget into the person’s head, you understand where all that

madness comes from. You realise that the person is notwell and sympathise with that character. I tried to get into

the character’s head and that has been my deepest journey inthis film. Even Noor (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Firdaus (Katrina

Kaif) are important characters and it is a love story relatable to today’speople. They are repercussions of Ms Havisham’s experiences.

�Why did you choose Kashmir? Did you want it to be a metaphor?As a kid, I used to watch these beautiful films shot in Kashmir. For a while

that stopped and people started shooting in Himachal Pradesh and Switzerland. Butthey didn’t have the romance that Kashmir brings in. If you’ve been to Kashmir, you’ll

see that it is a place stuck in time. And nostalgia. The story is also about childhoodlove. In that one or two seasons, there was something which cemented and had a lasting

impression on this boy (Noor). Somewhere the location and the story marry each other verybeautifully. That was the first step and then you bring all the elements of the backdrop intothe film like the beautiful chinar trees and where this house is set.

�Did you recreate it or went to an actual set?We built the entire house. We shot at Nishat Bagh where there are no houses and at Dal

Lake. We shot in winter and during fall, so we’ve captured the different seasons of Kashmirand love. Kashmir is beautiful but you don’t need to go everywhere to shoot. You can findone beautiful space and integrate it into the film so that it becomes part of your narrative.

�Unlike your earlier films, Fitoor has a lot of digital imprint. Did you use a lot of effects?Not really. Everything was shot live. The styling is different from my earlier films because

it is a totally different story. A story would tell us how we should treat it. It is not about howI want to shoot a film or what’s my style. It is a little too narcissistic for a filmmaker to havehis own chaap (mark) to be noticed. I tried my best to hide and not be visible so that the filmhas its own identity. I would like to be known as someone who can do versatile work.

�How much time did you take for casting? You shot with Rekha for Miss Havisham’s char-acter but that didn’t work out. Can you set the record straight once and for all?

I reached out to Tabu first when I began working on this projectthree years ago. We’ve known each other for so many years now. Wetalked about how her hair would be and the type of sunglasses shewould wear. But she didn’t have time at that point.

You don’t cast one person in isolation but cast the main charac-ters together because you need to suss out their dynamics. So whenTabu was out, we got in Rekha ji. Unfortunately, she and I didn’t agreeon a few things. I had shared the script with her and she loved it butthe nature of the script is such that it leaves a lot for interpretation. Itis not a literal dialogue-baazi film. It is all in between the lines. HowI interpret it and how the other person executes it can vary. Theatrically,

we discussed it and jammed but when we got on the set, we didn’t see it the same way. Beforewe went any further —since I’d already shot for 50-60 days and Rekha ji was joining us toget into such an important part — we decided it would be better to back off. Fortunately,Tabu was available and came in at a short notice. To prepare for a role like that, you take afew months. She is wonderful and very easy.

�How did you get around zeroing in on actors to play Estella and Pip?Katrina and I would meet socially often and I happened to mention to her that I had just

finished scripting the book. She had read it during her childhood and said she’d like to be apart of it. For me, she’s just right for Estella and she’s on top of her game. Whenever I’ve engagedher (Kaif), I couldn’t decipher what she was thinking. There is this mystery and enigma abouther which works for the character. Aditya has this inherent innocence and purity. He looksKashmiri. He’s not done so much work, so it gave me room to mould him and present himin a way people had never seen before. There is no surety when you cast but you go by instinct.

�You stand vindicated regarding the Rock On sequel. How do you feel about Rock On 2being made and you not being part of it?

Rock On!! is my child and I was not very keen to do a sequel. I’d rather make anothermovie. I was asked to write a sequel which I did. I worked on a few drafts. I don’t know whatthe reason was but they did not want me to direct it. I told them that the brand Rock On belongsto me, so you should make it but don’t use the script that I had developed. But they insistedon using it. They asked me to check the contract and there were some clauses that said theycould do what they wanted with it. It then came down to not giving me credit for my workwhich is not acceptable. The most important power lies in the story. After the story, it is allabout breaking it down and chopping it up. I don’t know what the script is now, since I’venot read it, but it was very disappointing because if I’d written it, I would’ve liked to direct it.Anyway, I’ve made peace with that.

�Fitoor seems to be a niche film and not a mass entertainer or a blockbuster. Directorslike you are making these changes in story-telling gradually and pushing the edges of themarket…

You can’t please everybody in this country as it is so vast. But I don’t think Fitoor is niche.The quantum of emotions it has are very real and relatable. At some level, this is a film aboutwomen empowerment. What you’re calling niche is the kind of aesthetic that we bring to thefilm and the kind of style we use to tell the story. There are people doing the regular Bollywoodstyle of making films. There are so many people repeating themselves. I think it is importantto have a new style, a new voice and a new perspective.

�Story writing is at an all time low in the creative industry at this point of time. You drewfrom a literary source but there are a lot of regional stories with as much richness andcomplexities. Where do we need to get the story right in this industry?

It is not just about getting the story right. The problem lies somewhere else. A film isa director’s medium. We need to start empowering the directors. The power lies with filmstars. Everything comes out from what the star wants because if you give power to thatperson, he will look at his own interest first. Stars generally look at what’s in it for them,that it is a vehicle for their stardom. Filmmakers are the only ones in the film businesswho look at the overall impact of a film. If you take the power from them and give it tothe star, you will have an eschewed existence in the business. If a filmmaker is empow-ered, he will make sure that the story is right and then pick an actor. But it doesn’t worklike that. I hope the business streamlines itself a little bit more so that they can empowerthe filmmaker more and automatically, you’ll see better films coming out.

�#���������=�4 ��

Amulticoloured small stalldesigned as a room caught ourattention at once when we

entered the NSIC Grounds where thefourth edition of India Design ID’16opened its doors. We were not onlyintrigued by the colours that attracted usbut were surprised by the amount ofdetailing that went behind setting up theentire stall. You look at any direction of thestall and you would understand the aesthet-ics with which the interior designer, GarimaAgarwal works for her little customers. “Iunderstand that a room for any kid is thereal place to learn. When you deal with achild, you need to understand that you aredealing with their psychology, which is con-stantly changing — they may like a specif-ic colour at one point but they might hateit when they grow up. So, I keep all thesethings in my mind while decorating a roomfor any kid,” said Agarwal from Peek-A-Boo.

As we walked further into another hall,familiar designs of bandhni, gota work andprints like hazarbuti, brocade, mogra et al.took us to a captivating and a wider space,all covered with the wallcoverings from acedesigner Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The spacelooked like an opulent room where motifsof florals and stripes, and prints like bro-cade were carved by the designer for the lux-ury wallcovering label, Nilaya.

The whole space was divided into sec-tions where one room had a wall coveringfrom the gulbadan print, placed in accor-dance with the interior of an empire, thatis long gone, but still holds the power to

charm us all. The other room had the vrin-davan print with stylised peacock feathersplaced in an animated joyous manner,bringing serenity into the entire surround-ing. “The wallcoverings present five tran-

scend lines — India Boroque, Spice Route,Jodhpur, Makhmal and Varanasi by thedesigner. The price of these wall coveringsrange from � 250 to 350 square feet,” sharedAmit Syngle, president, Asian Paints.

Similarly, Sarita Handa, has been usingfabrics and converting them into wallcov-erings. “You need to stand out, and this ishow we are exclusive because we convertour fabric into wallcoverings,” shared

Handa. She, then showed us a cushion coverand told us that the wallcover hanging nextto where we were sitting, were of the samefabric. “I want people to know how muchdetailing, in terms of embroidery and intri-cacy, goes in while we are converting it.People can understand this only when theytake a closer look,” she said.

Another store, by Cottons & Satins,showed us a similar pattern where we sawregal blue colour all over with motifs of pea-cock carved on the wallpapers as well as thecushion covers. “The designs are of Adil IAhmad and the motif is the same. But, wehave five other colours in the same design.

We started this a year ago but now we seea constant demand for the same fabricused in the home decor and wallcover-ings,” said a spokesperson from Cottons& Satins.

Another thing that we really liked atDesign Clinic was turban shaped stools,dabba shaped tables, and chairs in shapeof a huge ring which signified differentrepresentation of India.

If you are one of those who enjoy theaesthetics of designs and furnishing, thenIndia Design ID is the place for you whichis on till February 14 at NSIC Grounds.

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What do you get when two sarod mae-stros of the country blend in our

Indian ragas with the soulful sound of theviolin? You get Soul Strings, a collectionof symphonies that reaches the very coreof your heart. It is for the first time thatAmaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khanhave collaborated with Grammy nominat-ed violinist Elmira Darvarova for theunique project of bringing together twocompletely different classical forms ofmusic.

At their debut performance at The TajMahal Hotel in Delhi, they seemed exhil-arated because they had only performedat Symphony Space in New York last year.The evening started with a soulful ren-dition of one of Bach’s famous sym-phonies by Darvarova, who then invitedAmaan Ali to join her. Together, theybegan with a composition on raga Yaman,and was later joined by Ayaan Ali. As theevening rolled into night, the atmospherebecame more magical.

Soul Strings was conceived in a meet-ing that the two brothers had withDarvarova. There was an initial plan ofcompiling an album with a live record-ing of the performance, which did notmaterialised. “But sometimes on stagethere are no retakes and there is a certainvibe on stage plus there are so manythings that you have to keep in mind likethe 1,000 people sitting to witness the per-formance,” Ayaan Ali explained. Butsince the concept was successful, theydecides to get the music out for musiclovers. So, Darvarova flew down to Indiaand they recorded all the pieces.

Although she has performed in theCapital before, it was Darvarova’s firsttime collaborating with an Indian artistand we could sense the enthusiasm in hervoice. “It is an honour to perform with

two of India’s finest sarod payers. For meit is very new because I knew very littleabout Indian classical music before I wasintroduced to it by Ayaan and Amaan.And since then, I have fallen in live withIndian ragas,” said Darvarova, who start-ed to play the violin when she was threeyears old. “But there is a lot to learn as itis a very complex system — rhythmical-ly, musically and melodically. It’s bewitch-ing and totally magical,” she added.

The Khan brothers, too, are excitedabout the collaboration. They are happywith the way the entire thing shaped up.“We have performed together a fewtimes and we understood our music andour minds more. I feel that it is extreme-ly important to interact with the personwhom you are performing with becausetheir nature eventually reflects in yourmusic,” said Amaan.

The collaboration, the little that weheard, was quite exceptional. Ayaan toldus that today, a lot of noise is being pro-duced in the name of collaboration.Although he was quick to add, “But thenagain, every artiste gives his or her bestin a collaboration project.” However, hepersonally feels that when one is collab-orating for this kind of a project thenthere has to be a journey and a destina-tion. “You need to know where you aregoing or which way you want to go. Asfar as Soul Strings is concerned, the ideawas to show the world of WesternClassical music in complete sync with the

world of Indian classical music. The con-cert is not about her doing her thing andwe doing ours but we are collectivelydoing it together and collectively tryingto create a bouquet of flowers so that theentire bouquet looks nice and not indi-vidual just the flower. That’s very impor-tant. You see the unique aspect is thatsarod is a pluck instrument and violin isa bow instrument so this kind of equa-tion is challenging but I think it hasflowed very well and has fallen very beau-tifully in place. And Elmira has great feel-ing for the music that she is playing. Intheir tradition, they read music. The pro-ject is an amalgamation of a tradition thathas a written score and our traditionwhich is completely oral,” he pointed out.

Amaan explained that it is not in theIndian system to plan things out system-atically. He elaborated, “If you ask us toperform for 10 minutes, it will not hap-pen. It will either be that we will get upin six minutes or will play for 20 minutes.It is not bound. So it is extremely chal-

lenging for her and for us, too, becausewe have come out of out of our comfortzones and have created one of our own.By performing together we have under-stood each other better and the equationkind of flowed.”

Darvarova added that they havebrought together and amalgamated thestyles and world that each one of thencome from. She echoed Ayaan’s thoughts,“We come from different upbringing, sys-tems and ecosystem. Everything is differ-ent about us. We, as artistes, represent dif-ferent branches of different musicalstyles. But the amalgamation that we haveachieved brings something new. Nobodyhad to reject their heritage because weamalgamated through the prism of whatwe have and what we do. At the end it stillcarries the individual quality if each ones’style and tradition. It provides a bridgebetween the cultures from where a newentity is born.”

Soul Strings was released by a promi-nent music company and they have

together also recorded another albumwith Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. “The albumis a journey forward,” said Ayaan Ali.“They are magnificent masters of thesarod and it was an enriching experiencefor me,” Darvarova gushed.

Excerpts from an interview with theartistes:�How did you guys meet her?

Ayaan Ali: She was taking part in thevery unique project called Sheherazadewhich was basically a project about theupliftment of women all around theworld. She was presenting this project inCarnegie Hall and we met through a com-mon conductor friend. We were talkingto him about presenting our father’s con-certo Samagam, and Elmira just hap-pened to be there. Then we got talkingand she was quite taken into my ideas ofIndian classic music. Perhaps it wasbecause of the way I was projecting itbecause it is a very unique art form andfor us it is liked to spirituality. For us itis nath brahma.

�How did these two classical formscome together?

Darvarova: Everything is different —different systems and different nota-tions — but we believe that many manyyears go these two forms must haveshared the same DNA and we come fromthat platform. The typical motifs that theybring in the collaboration and the typi-cal mood that I bring in the project justfits in a magical way. They beautifully andseamlessly flow into each other. And therewe find a common ground.

So we partake in each other’s tradi-tions to bring out the beauty of each andstill still present one new thing.

�#�������=����4 ��

As we trace the real love story of singersNindy Kaur and RDB member Manjeet

Ral, actors Mona Singh and Rohit Roy por-tray a different side of the emotion with theirplay Unfaithfully Yours

�������� ���� ���� ����Nindy: Manj is a very romantic man.

On our first Valentine’s Day together he usedto live in the UK and me in Canada. He paidme a surprise visit. Came down from the UKto spend the day with me — with a beauti-ful bunch of a dozen roses!

Manj: It was with my ex-girlfriend(laughs). But to be honest my first valentinewas definitely Nindy, when I surprised herin the UK.

#������� � �Nindy: Well firstly I was over the moon

that Manj had come to see me. I think thatwas more than enough. We went out for ameal and ate boxes of chocolates

Manj: There is an amazing restaurantin London which has a private balcony look-ing over the City lights, I had booked that

in advance and spent the whole eveningthere with our own personal butler service.

���������-���5602Nindy: This year we are in India, so may

be a trip to the Taj Mahal. How romanticwould that be!

Manj: I was actually thinking of flyingNindy out to a private island and have aweekend spa treatment done on the islandfor her. I was planning to stay back and work.I think Taj Mahal would be nice — typicallove birds.

����� � ������������ �������+ ��� ��� � ���

Nindy: After 14 years of being marriedto Manj, I have definitely had way more than14 valentines days! He’s always surprising me— spoiling me and we don’t need the oneday to celebrate.

Manj: Not really changed at all. I treatevery day as Valentines for Nindy. She is myqueen and the ruler of the house so I willalways make sure she is showered with loveand gifts. We are like best friends, soul mates!

We have all jived to the rock and roll music ofElvis Presley, admired the works of PabloPicasso, laughed at the antics of Charlie

Chaplin and enjoyed the movies of Sir Michael Caine,but not many of us would know that these global iconsbelong to the Roma community.

If history is to be believed, members of Roma com-munity are said to be descendants of nomadic groupsin India like the Banjara, Gujjar, Sansi and many morefrom North West India. Their link to India is unmis-takable. When Greek scholar, Paspati heard the Romacall the Cross Trushul in Constantinople, he realised thatit refers to Trishul or the Trident of Shiva. And it doesnot end there. The speech of Roma is strewn with Indiandialects. For example, their yag translates to aag in Hindiand rashai to rishi. In fact, it is an early phase of the Hindilanguage which has been carefully preserved by them.“Their basic vocabulary is the same as that of Hindi,”said professor Lokesh Chandra and pointed out theirnumericals — yek (ek or one), dui (do or two), trin (teenor three), panch (panch or five) and desh (dus or ten).“They are making all efforts to preserve their linguis-tic culture in a responsive dynamism to new challenges.The English word pal meaning friend is the Roma phalmeaning brother or friend, which is derived from theSanskrit word bhrata,” he added, addressing the ICCR’sInternational Roma Conference and Cultural Festival.

Even in the way they celebrate festivals and the waythey pray, speaks a lot about their association with India.For example, a Roma bride would have a mehendi cer-emony before her marriage. We came to know that theRoma congregate at the church of St. Maries-de-la-merin the south of France from May 23 to 25 to offer prayersto their patron Goddess St. Sarah, the Black or GoddessKali. On the last day, she is carried by devotees on theirshoulders and immersed in the Mediterranean Sea. Thistradition in particular resonates with our own conceptof visarjan.

“The belief that Romani people once upon a timebelonged to the northern India, and continued to showsimilarities in their customs and manners with the cul-tural heritage of India, offers scope for a very interest-ing study in human development and migration of peo-ple from one part of the world to another. The studyshould be particularly fascinating when one considersthat these migrations took place in far-off days acrossthe globe,” said C Rajasekhar, director general ICCR.

A 20 million strong Roma community is spreadacross more than 30 countries, covering West Asia,Europe, America and Australia. There is compelling evi-dence that their westward migration from India hap-

pened from fifth century onwards.Some scholars state that the firstmigration followed the invasion byAlexander the Great, who carriediron smiths in large number whowere skilled in making weapons.Many Roma scholars, anthropolo-gists and historians who have beensearching and researching their ori-gins approved their roots in India.

After leaving northern parts ofIndia, most Romani went to Europe. In some EasternEuropean countries such as Romania and Bulgaria theyform up to 12 per cent of the total population.

Jovan Damjanovic, president of World RomaOrganisation, said that he does not feel like an outsiderwhen he is in India. “I feel happy when I am here becausethere is a sense of familiarity that I find and the way oflife. Even the dialect of our words are the same,” he saidexplaining the similarity in the words describing the ears,eyes and nose. “This clearly shows that the language isrelated and also that we come from this land. It wouldbe nice to be accepted,” he added.

Romani are born artists and their folk songs are real-istic, naïve and repetitive. When they are weaved intoa story, a ballad is formed around it. They love musicand the rhythms that resonate one’s heart. A Romawoman claims that she does not need training becauseshe is born with the talent and some are excellentdancers.

The poetry that comes from the community is fullof joys of life, love for India, romance, the agony andanger of being hunted. Roma believe in magic and sym-bols are a part of their beliefs. A circle with a wavy linealongside the door of a house means that someone hasdied there and the mark of TT symbolises a house ofpoliceman or an official. Roma adopted religions of thecountries of their adoption. But some of them stillbelieve in the magical power of sun, moon, Shivlingaand Kali.

People from the community are there in every con-tinent of the world are still trying to find their rootsin the land we call home.

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Tainted Pakistani umpireAsad Rauf was on Fridaybanned for five years by

the BCCI after its disciplinarycommittee found him guilty ofcorrupt practices and bringingthe game into disrepute.

The 59-year-old Rauf, whowas part of the ICC's elite paneland officiated in Test matches,was accused of accepting expen-sive gifts from bookies besidesplacing bets on IPL matches inthe 2013 edition.

After a decision on his fatewas deferred for several weeks,the committee, headed by BCCIpresident Shashank Manoharand comprising JyotiradityaScindia and Niranjan Shah,finally announced the ban.

Rauf had been withdrawnby Pakistan from the ICC's elitepanel after the allegationsagainst him broke out.

"Mr Asad Rauf has beenbanned for a period of fiveyears from umpiring or playingor representing cricket in anyform or anyway being associ-ated with the activities of theBoard and its Affiliates," theBCCI said in a statement afterthe meeting.

"Mr Asad Rauf did notappear before the Committeebut had sent his preliminarysubmissions on 15th January2016 and written statement on8th February 2016," it added.

The committee, after con-sidering the report of theCommissioner of Enquiry andthe written statement of Raufhas found the Pakistani guiltyof "misconduct and corruptionwithin the meaning of Article2.2.2, 2.3.2, 2.3.3 and 2.4.1 of theBCCI Anti Corruption Code".

The articles under which hehas been found guilty deal with"soliciting, inducing, enticing,instructing, persuading, encour-aging, facilitating or authorisingany other party to enter into abet for the direct or indirectbenefit of the Participant in rela-tion to the result, progress,conduct or any other aspect ofany match or event".

Rauf was also found guiltyof "disclosing InsideInformation to any person(with or without Reward)before or during any Match orEvent where the Participantmight reasonably be expectedto know that disclosure ofsuch information in such cir-cumstances could be used inrelation to Betting".

Rauf 's ban ends theBoard's disciplinary proceed-ings pertaining to the 2013

scandal and subsequent allega-tions of corruption.

��,������,���"���Tainted Pakistan umpire

Asad Rauf on Friday hit out atthe BCCI for imposing a five-year ban on him for corruption,saying that the Indian Boarddid not have any evidence topronounce him guilty.

"What authority does theBCCI or IPL have to ban mewhen the court in Mumbai toldthe police they had no evidenceagainst me?" Rauf asked.

The ban means that Rauf,who served for 13 years as a topumpire, is barred from umpiringor being associated with anyBCCI-related activity.

"The BCCI and IPLappointed an investigation com-missioner and they claimed Ifled from India without com-pleting my IPL assignmentwhich is not true. I completed allmy assignments and left Indiainfact one day after my assign-ments ended," Rauf claimed.

The ICC had pulled outRauf from the 2013 ChampionsTrophy also as the BCCI saidthe Pakistani umpire was underpolice investigation.

Rauf claimed that thepolice investigation had foundnothing against him.

"The court said Rauf earnsmore than 3 million rupees amonth so accepting small giftslike jeans, t-shirts or caps is nota big issue," Rauf claimed.

Rauf said recently he hadwritten through his legal advi-sor to the Indian CricketBoard, making it clear he wasready to go to Mumbai to theBCCI headquarters and appearbefore any commission.

"I told them that I wouldcome with my lawyer butthey insisted I should comealone, so I didn't go. But Ioffered them to meet me inKarachi or Dubai and theydeclined. After which I sentthem my detailed statement,"Rauf said.

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Long-distance runner KavitaRaut's Olympic qualification was

the icing on the cake on yet anoth-er impressive day for India with thehost country staying miles ahead ofrivals on day seven of the 12th SouthAsian Games here on Friday.

Holding on firmly to the topspot in the overall standings, Indiaincreased their tally to 249 —including 146 gold, 80 silver and 23bronze medals. Following the hostsat the distant second position was SriLanka with 157 medals, including 25gold, 53 silver and 79 bronze medals.

It was the last day of competi-tions for athletics and Kavita madeit special by qualifying for the RioOlympics in women's marathon.

The 30-year-old Raut easilyclinched the marathon gold in 2hours 38 minutes and 38 seconds tobecome the fourth Indian women tohave qualified for Rio Gameswomen's marathon. O P Jaisha,Lalita Babbar and Sudha Singh havealready qualified for women'smarathon in Rio Olympics.

Nashik girl Raut is the lone ath-lete to have qualified for theOlympics from the 12th SAG.

Another Rio Olympics-boundNitender Singh Rawat took themen's marathon gold in 2:15:18 sec-onds in a close finish in a star-stud-

ded field. He won therace by being merely asecond ahead of IndrajithCooray of Sri Lanka who hasalso qualified for Rio Games.

With on Friday's two gold andone bronze, India ended the athlet-ics competition with 28 gold, 22 sil-ver and 9 bronze medals.

A similar script unfolded in theshooting ranges with Rio Olympics-bound Chain Singh stealing thelimelight by grabbing his second yel-low metal. In fact, Indians ran awaywith all the four gold medals on offer.

The 26-year-old Chain upstagedhis senior team-mate Gagan Narang

to win the men's 10m airrifle event with a total score

of 204.6 to add to his 50m rifleprone gold. Gagan had to be

content with a bronze.The trio of Chain, Narang and

Imran Khan won the gold in the teamevent with a total score of 1863.4.

In the men's individual 20mstandard pistol event, Indians ranaway with all the medals on offer.Neeraj Kumar bagged the gold witha total shot of 569.

The trio of Neeraj, Gurpreet andMahender then won the team goldwith a total score of 1698.

With seasoned campaigners

such as M C Mary Kom and ShivaThapa leading the charge, India willfancy all 10 gold medals up for grabswhen the boxing competition getsunderway. India have fielded a star-studded team of seven men andthree women in 10 weight categories.

The South Asian Games maynot offer them much in terms oftough competition but it is certain-ly a decent build-up before theIndians head to the Asia/OceaniaOlympic Qualification tournamentin Qian'an, China from March 23.So far, none of the Indian boxer hasbooked an Olympic berth.

The much-celebrated MaryKom (51kg) will be the cynosure ofall eyes in event.

Another Manipuri boxer whowill be keenly watched is L SaritaDevi (60kg), the Asian Gamesbronze-medallist, who is also on acomeback trail after completing aone-year ban for an infamous emo-tional meltdown following her semi-final loss in Incheon.

Pooja Rani (75kg), anotherAsiad bronze-winner, makes thethird member of the women's squad.

The men's team is equally star-studded, featuring among others,World Championships bronze-medallist Shiva (56kg),Commonwealth Games silver win-ners L Devendro Singh (49kg) andMandeep Jangra (69kg).

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Shikhar Dhawan smashed his maiden T20International fifty to fire India to 196/6 inthe second game against Sri Lanka here on

Friday.Dhawan (51 of 25) stood out in India's run

feast with the other notable performance com-ing from his opening partner Rohit Sharma (43off 36), Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) and SureshRaina (30 off 19).

The visitors pulled things back in the penul-timate over with pacer Thisara Perera (3/33)picking up a hat-trick, the fourth ever in T20Internationals and first by a Sri Lankan.

Sri Lanka put the hosts in to bat for the sec-ond game in a row and India openers were onfire from the word go. Unlike the greenish deckfor the first T20, the pitch aided the strokeplaythey are known for.

Pacer Kasun Rajitha, who troubled thefamed Indian batting on his international debutin Pune, proved to be expensive this time. The22-year-old bowled short and wide on the veryfirst ball of the match and Rohit comfortably dis-patched it to the point boundary.

Dhawan got going with a couple of delight-ful sixes. He flicked pacer Thisara Perera overmid-wicket before sweeping spinner SachithraSenanayake in the following over for anothermaximum. There was no stopping Dhawan afterthat as he got to his maiden T20 Internationalfifty in 22 balls.

Rohit did not mind watching Dhawandemolishing the opposition bowlers from theother and by the end of six overs, India had toraced to 70 for no loss.

Sri Lanka badly needed a breakthrough tostop the onslaught of the dangerous opening duoand it was provided by pacer DushmanthaChameera, who had Dhawan caught behind witha sharp and straight rising ball. The southpawthoroughly entertained the Ranchi crowd withhis cracking innings that comprised seven foursand two sixes.

Ajinkya Rahane joined Rohit in the middlebut suddenly the boundaries were hard tocome by with spinner coming into play on a dry

surface.Rahane released the pressure by hit-

ting consecutive fours off medium pacerDasun Shanaka, one over mid off and thethe came courtesy a deft touch past Rajithafielding at short third man. India were now122 for one in 13 overs and 200 was very mucha possibility.

The innings' flow was obstructed onceagain when Chameera pulled off a spectacularcaught and bowled off Rohit before Senanayakehad caught Rahane at cover point, leaving Indiaat 127/3 in the 15th over.

Pandya, sent ahead of MS Dhoni and YuvrajSingh, came to the party in the final overs in thecompany of Raina. He smashed Senanayake forconsecutive sixes before Raina joined the partby picking up three fours off Chameera in thevery next over.

India could have scored more had itnot been for the hat -trick of Perera, whoremoved Pandya, Raina and Dhoni in the19th over.

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It was supposed to be Brendon McCullum's day but it was oppos-ing captain Steve Smith who made the right moves as Australia

ended day one of the first cricket Test against New Zealand com-fortably in control here on Friday.

Smith called correctly at the toss, made New Zealand bat ona green wicket and within two sessions the innings was over for183. Australia at stumps were 147-3, 36 behind New Zealand, withSmith making 71. Usman Khawaja was not out 57 with Adam Vogeson seven.

Voges was bowled by Doug Bracewell in the final over of theday only for umpire Richard Illingworth to call it a no-ball. Replaysindicated it was a legitimate delivery.

When New Zealand batted, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddledid the damage for Smith as they ripped through the top order inconditions ripe for seam and swing.

Their cause was helped by someinjudicious shot selection, includingby McCullum, who saw his 100thTest celebrations fall flat when hewas out for a duck.

He did not get forward farenough to a Hazlewood specialthat came back, took an insideedge and deflected off the pads toDavid Warner at third slip.

That the New Zealand inningslasted 48 overs was thanks to lusty tail-end hitting with the last three wicketscontributing 86 after Hazlewood and Siddlehad reduced the side to 97-7.

All seven dismissals came from edges to the cordon behindthe wicket with wicketkeeper Peter Nevill snaring four catchesincluding a superb one-handed diving effort to remove KaneWilliamson down the leg-side.

New Zealand were reeling at 51 for five in the 12th over beforea determined knock by Corey Anderson, who with BJ Watling wentabout stopping the tumble of wickets.

Anderson then featured in a 10-over stand with Mark Craigthat produced 40 runs and Craig, who had a Mitchell Marsh deliv-ery hit his stumps but not dislodge the bails, put on 46 with TrentBoult for the 10th wicket.

New Zealand had a glimmer of hope that their cause was notlost at the start of the Australian innings when Tim Southee snappedup two early wickets.

Brief ScoresAustralia: 147/3 (Smith 71, Khawaja 57*, Southee 2/22) trail NewZealand: 183 (Craig 41*, Josh 4/42, Siddle 3/37) by 36 runs.

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India produced a disappointing performanceto lose to arch-rivals Pakistan 0-1 in a lack-

lustre summit clash of men's hockey at the 12thSouth Asian Games here on Friday.

Awaisur Rehman scored the lone goal of thematch in added time of the first half asPakistan clinched the gold medal and notchedup a hat-trick of titles in the South Asian Games.

The Indians, who could create very few goal-scoring chances and were left to defend thecitadel for most part of the match, thus contin-ued their gold medal drought in the tournament.Pakistan had won the hockey gold in 2006 and2010 editions, beating India in the final on bothoccasions. India had also lost 1-2 to Pakistan inthe group stage of the ongoing Games.

Pakistan straightaway put India underpressure and they had two clear look at thehome side goal but an alert goalkeeper, VikasDahiya, blocked twice to keep the match in aclean slate.

Pakistan attacked mostly from the right anda Muhammad Rizwan strike was parried by

Dahiya. The Indian goalkeeper then deniedPakistan once again in the seventh as heblocked the penalty corner.

In a rare attack against the run of play, Indiahad a close chance in the 21st minute, butGagandeep Singh shot wide.

The first half saw Pakistan getting a penal-

ty corner which they could not convert. Indiagot no penalty corner and play remained in theirown half for most of the first 35 minutes as theycould rarely penetrate the opposition circle.

Towards the end of the first half, India gota golden chance as Gagandeep was sent in theclear on the left side of the circle by Antil in the29th minute. But, Gagandeep's reverse hitwent wide even after the ball beat the Pakistanigoalkeeper Imran Butt, who came out of his line.

India conceded a soft goal in the added timeof the first half as Awaisur slotted home afterthe reverse hit by Muhammad Arslan Qadircould not be cleared on time by the Indiandefenders.

In the second half, the Indians dished outa much- improved show with several raids intothe Pakistan circle, but they could not get a goal.

There was a half chance though in the 56thminute for India but Manpreet Singh could notget the final touch in front of goal as aPakistan defender got a slight touch.

India had a chance to equalise as they gottwo penalty corners in the end but could notconvert them both.

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Jerome Valcke, Sepp Blatter's long-timeright-hand man, was banned from all

football-related activity for 12 years onFriday for misconduct during his term asFIFA secretary general.

Valcke was found guilty by FIFA'sethics committee of wide-ranging offens-es, including taking private jets for person-al use, destroying evidence and trying toforce through an undervalued sale of 2018and 2022 World Cup television rights forthe Caribbean.

"Mr. Valcke acted against FIFA's bestinterests and caused considerable finan-cial damage to FIFA, while his private andpersonal interests detracted him from hisability to properly perform his duties," theethics committee said in a statement.

Valcke's ban is four years longer thanthe eight-year sanctions handed down toFIFA President Blatter and UEFA

President Michel Platini in December fora financial conflict of interest.

The ethics judges said Valcke violat-ed seven sections of FIFA's code of ethics,compared to four each by Blatter andPlatini, and also fined him 100,000 Swissfrancs ($102,500).

The ban comes one month after the55-year-old Frenchman was fired by FIFAfor a second time in a colorful career. Thefiring was based on an internal reportabout his conduct, including use ofexpenses and private jets.

"During the course of the investiga-tions, several other acts of potential mis-conduct arose," the ethics judges said.

"It was found that Mr. Valcke attempt-ed to grant the TV and media rights forthe 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups to athird party for a fee far below their actu-al market value and had taken concretepreparatory action in this regard,” the state-ment read.

The ethics panel added: "Mr. Valckedeliberately tried to obstruct the ongoingproceedings against him by attempting todelete or deleting several files and foldersrelevant to the investigation."

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Below-par India lose to Pakistan in Final

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