16
T wenty-eight years after the enactment of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Supreme Court on Thursday tweaked the law to protect innocent people from the sweep of its draconian pro- visions which denied anticipa- tory bail to an accused and led to automatic arrest. From now on, arrest of any citizen under the Act will require a written approval by a police officer of the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police (equivalent to Additional Commissioner of Police) who will record reasons why an arrest is necessary. Where a public servant is involved, approval must come from the appointing authority. Even at the stage of registration of a case, it will be open to police to conduct a preliminary enquiry (by DSP rank officer) and not proceed in cases where allega- tions are found to be frivolous or motivated. Further, as an additional safeguard, the two-judge Bench noted that when an accused is arrested and produced before a Magistrate, the concerned court can apply its mind to ascertain if a prima facie case under the Act is made out. Based on its conclusion, further remand or detention of the accused can be refused. Section 18 of the 1989 Act did not allow an accused to get anticipatory bail. The Court removed this bar by interpreting that the pro- vision will not apply to such cases where no case is made out or allegations are patently false or motivated. This was consid- ered necessary to prevent blackmail of public servants from discharging their official functions and common citizens faced with threat of jail and sur- render of civil rights. What prompted the Court to think on these lines was the glaring misuse of law over the decades. The Bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and UU Lalit relied on data supplied by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to draw its conclusion. In 2015, out of the total complaints investigated by police under the Act, closure reports were filed in almost 16 per cent cases. Out of the total cases handled by courts under the Act in the same year, more than 75 per cent cases ended up in acquittal, withdrawal or compounding of cases. The crime in India-2016 statistics compiled by the NCRB drew similar results. In 2016 alone, under the Act 5347 cases were found to be false against the Scheduled Castes and 912 against Scheduled Tribes. The Annual Report 2016-17 of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India compiled figures to show that in year 2015, a total of 15638 cases under the Act were decided by courts across the country of which a whop- ping 11024 cases resulted in acquittal or discharge and only 4119 cases resulted in convic- tion. Taking note of the above reports, the Bench said, “It has been judicially acknowledged that there are instances of abuse of the Act by vested inter- ests against political opponents in Panchayat, municipal or other elections; to settle private civil disputes arising out of property, monetary disputes, employment disputes and seniority disputes.” The court noted yet anoth- er trend that a large number of complaints were directed against public servants, judicial or quasi-judicial officers with an “oblique motive” of vested interests. The Bench held, “The underprivileged need to be protected against any atrocities to give effect to the Constitutional ideals. At the same time, the said Act cannot be converted into a charter for exploitation or oppression by any unscrupulous person or by police for any extraneous rea- sons against other citizens. Any harassment of an innocent citizen, irrespective of caste or religion, is against the guaran- tee of the Constitution. This Court must enforce this guar- antee. Law should not result in caste hatred.” The Court was aware that it cannot legislate and respect- ed the legislative wisdom behind creating such an legis- lation. Even Parliament debat- ed the misuse of the Act in 2015 but left it to the affected citizens to invoke suitable rem- edy under Indian Penal Code once the charge is proved false. But court viewed the case from the standpoint of personal lib- erty of citizens under Article 21 which the court is bound to adjudicate upon. While perpe- trators should not go scot- free, the Bench added that no law can mandate arrest of an innocent by limiting even his pre-arrest bail. Continued on Page 2 E nding suspense over the fate of 39 Indians abducted in Iraq in June 2014, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday declared all these men dead and said their bod- ies will be brought back to India soon. In a statement made in the Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said the deaths were confirmed on the basis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests conducted on the bodies exhumed from a mound in Badoosh, Iraq. She con- firmed that the DNA samples of the dead Indians have matched with those of their family mem- bers in India. “We made all possible attempts and knocked all doors to locate these missing men in these years. As a responsible Government we could not have declared them dead without any proof. Today we have the evi- dence that these men are dead and with a heavy heart I am giv- ing this news. This news will also bring ‘closure’ for the fam- ily members of these missing men who have all along been hoping for their return,” Swaraj said later in a Press conference. This is the first incident of direct mass killing of Indians by the ISIS even though the terror group has in the past kid- napped other Indians as well. A group of nurses were kid- napped in Iraq while a catholic priest was abducted in Yemen by the ISIS or its affiliates before the Indian Government negotiated their release. Breaking the news in the Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said a total 40 Indians were originally abducted by the ISIS in June 2014 from Mosul in Iraq but one of them — Harjit Masih — escaped by posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The remain- ing 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed by the flee- ing ISIS when the Iraqi securi- ty forces started closing in on them. She said that the search operations led to a mound in Badoosh where locals said some bodies were buried by the ISIS. Swaraj added that on the request of India, Deep Penetration Radars (DPR) were used by the Iraqi Government to establish the fact that the mound indeed was a mass grave. The Minister said the mass grave had exactly 39 bod- ies, with distinctive features like long hair, non-Iraqi shoes, identity cards and kada (worn by Sikh community in India). The bodies were then sent to Baghdad for DNA testing. The Minister informed that the DNA testing was conduct- ed by the Iraqi NGO, Martyrs Foundation, which established the identity of 38 Indians while there has been 70 per cent matching of the DNA for the 39th person. The Minister could not confirm the timing of the death of these men and the way they were killed. “We might get all that details in the death certifi- cate from the Martyrs Foundation when the dead bodies arrive,” Swaraj said. The Minister dismissed Masih’s claims that the Indian captives were killed in 2014 itself and he managed to escape despite being shot in the leg. PTI n Beijing China will not concede “a single inch of land” and guard its sovereignty, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was re-elected for second five-year term with prospects of contin- uing as leader for life asserted on Tuesday. Besides the border dispute with India, China claims rights over the disputed islands in East China Sea under the con- trol of Japan and vast stretch- es of the South China Sea, (SCS) where it is firmly assert- ing its control. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the South China Sea. “The Chinese people and the Chinese nation have a shared conviction which is not a single inch of our land will be and can be ceded from China,” Xi said in a 30-minute-long speech at the end of the 18-day long parliament session. There are signs he said this in the context of Taiwan. But this view may be interpreted later to include areas like Arunachal Pradesh, which does not belong to China but Beijing insists that it does. During its session, China’s National People’s Congress rat- ified the constitutional amend- ment removing decades old two-term limit for President and Vice President paving the way for Xi to continue in power for life. He also was re-elected by the 2970 deputies for second five-year term as President and head of the military. In October, last year he was elect- ed as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) for the second five-year term. By heading the party, the military and presi- dency with no limit Continued on Page 2 A fter Essar Power decision about Tokisud North, now Steel major Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has decided to relinquish Parbatpur coal block it had taken over on March 30, 2016. Highly placed sources in SAIL confided to The Pioneer that the decision to surrender the block had been taken in principle which would be final- ly approved by the PSU’s apex board. “The final call is expected by the next month when the Board would stamp the step taken after considering all the issues involved in making the coal block operational. The SAIL has reached to the deci- sion following the assessment of feasibility reports which have established that it is not viable for the company to continue with it,” said an offi- cial of the nation’s steel pro- ducer. It is learnt that SAIL had roped in consultancy firm Mecon to prepare a feasibility report about the scheduled-II category block that comprises those were operational prior to getting cancelled by the Supreme Court order given in the light of the ‘coal scam’. “The call to do away with Parbatpur has been taken based on Mecon status report,” added the official. Parbatpur is located near Jharia and was firstly allocat- ed by the Petroleum Ministry to ONGC in January 2002 for coal bed methane (CBM). In July 2005, the Coal Ministry allotted the same block to Electrosteel Castings Ltd (ECL) for coal mining purpos- es. Later on, the coal mining segment fell into SAIL’s kitty following the Supreme Court cancelling coal blocks en mass including Parbatpur block and the Government going for auction route. The ONGC has reached to an advanced stage of erect- ing country’s biggest CBM project in Bokaro after having invested Rs 823 crore to pro- duce the natural gas trapped in coal seams. Recently Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had inaugurated the first development well as the gas major has planned to drill 30 development wells. If inputs coming from SAIL are to be believed, priority being given to extraction of CBM is the main bone of contention. “ONGC has a greater and extended role to play in the coal mining area. SAIL is of the views that either coal or CBM can be extracted at a time. Mining of the both can- not go hand in hand. That is the primary reason why the SAIL has decided to with- draw,” quipped he. The coal block has been among the four schedule-II blocks falling in Jharkhand but unable to record substantial progress since getting reallo- cated. Parbatpur besides Tokisud North and South and Pachuwara-Central also fig- ured during discussion in a recent review conducted by the Coal Ministry and State Government officials. Confirming to the devel- opment, Jharkhand Mines Commissioner Aboobacker Siddique said that the SAIL had intimated the State Government about this. “We have come to know just recently that SAIL is going to surrender Parbatpur due to some issues involved. Though, no formal com- munication has been made to us from the Coal Ministry so far,” he said. CBM, experts say, is trapped in coal reserves due to the pressure of overlying rock formations and needs dewater- ing the coal beds to facilitate extraction. Initially, the CBM wells produce only water that subsequently replaces the gas production. ONGC has been working in Jharia coalfield since 1992 for CBM exploration. The first breakthrough came in 1997 when ONGC was successful in flowing CBM from one of the R & D wells. Estimated CBM reserves in the area is 8 BCM (0.28 trillion cu. ff.). Though, as per agree- ment, total CBM produced by ONGC would be sold to SAIL’ Bokaro plant. I n a tragic incident, a single- seater fighter plane of the Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Midnapore crashed at the Subernarekha river near Mohuldangri village in Baharagora block of East Singhbhum, district, around 100 km from city on Tuesday afternoon. According to information the IAF pilot opted to jump out from the plane after it caught fire following a technical snag. Pilot Arbind Joshi (30), opted for ejection from the single- seater plane, a hawk training aircraft, using a parachute after it developed technical snag and caught fire, sources said. Considering the seriousness of the situation he jumped from the plane, they added. “We are investigating the incident. As per information gathered so far, the incident took place under Baharagora police station around 12.30 noon. We have got information that the pilot identified as Arbind Joshi, opted for ejection from the single-seater plane, possibly a hawk training air- craft, using a parachute Continued on Page 2

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Twenty-eight years after theenactment of Scheduled

Caste/Scheduled Tribes(Prevention of Atrocities) Act,the Supreme Court onThursday tweaked the law toprotect innocent people fromthe sweep of its draconian pro-visions which denied anticipa-tory bail to an accused and ledto automatic arrest.

From now on, arrest of anycitizen under the Act willrequire a written approval by apolice officer of the rank ofSenior Superintendent of Police(equivalent to AdditionalCommissioner of Police) whowill record reasons why anarrest is necessary. Where apublic servant is involved,approval must come from theappointing authority. Even atthe stage of registration of a

case, it will be open to police toconduct a preliminary enquiry(by DSP rank officer) and notproceed in cases where allega-tions are found to be frivolousor motivated.

Further, as an additionalsafeguard, the two-judge Benchnoted that when an accused isarrested and produced beforea Magistrate, the concernedcourt can apply its mind toascertain if a prima facie caseunder the Act is made out.Based on its conclusion, furtherremand or detention of theaccused can be refused. Section18 of the 1989 Act did not allowan accused to get anticipatorybail. The Court removed thisbar by interpreting that the pro-vision will not apply to suchcases where no case is made outor allegations are patently falseor motivated. This was consid-ered necessary to preventblackmail of public servants

from discharging their officialfunctions and common citizensfaced with threat of jail and sur-render of civil rights.

What prompted the Courtto think on these lines was theglaring misuse of law over thedecades. The Bench of JusticesAdarsh K Goel and UU Lalitrelied on data supplied by the

National Crime RecordsBureau (NCRB) to draw itsconclusion. In 2015, out of thetotal complaints investigated bypolice under the Act, closurereports were filed in almost 16per cent cases. Out of the totalcases handled by courts underthe Act in the same year, morethan 75 per cent cases ended up

in acquittal, withdrawal orcompounding of cases.

The crime in India-2016statistics compiled by theNCRB drew similar results. In2016 alone, under the Act 5347cases were found to be falseagainst the Scheduled Castesand 912 against ScheduledTribes. The Annual Report

2016-17 of the Department ofSocial Justice andEmpowerment, Governmentof India compiled figures toshow that in year 2015, a totalof 15638 cases under the Actwere decided by courts acrossthe country of which a whop-ping 11024 cases resulted inacquittal or discharge and only4119 cases resulted in convic-tion.

Taking note of the abovereports, the Bench said, “It hasbeen judicially acknowledgedthat there are instances ofabuse of the Act by vested inter-ests against political opponentsin Panchayat, municipal orother elections; to settle privatecivil disputes arising out ofproperty, monetary disputes,employment disputes andseniority disputes.”

The court noted yet anoth-er trend that a large number ofcomplaints were directedagainst public servants, judicialor quasi-judicial officers withan “oblique motive” of vestedinterests.

The Bench held, “Theunderprivileged need to beprotected against any atrocitiesto give effect to the

Constitutional ideals. At thesame time, the said Act cannotbe converted into a charter forexploitation or oppression byany unscrupulous person or bypolice for any extraneous rea-sons against other citizens.Any harassment of an innocentcitizen, irrespective of caste orreligion, is against the guaran-tee of the Constitution. ThisCourt must enforce this guar-antee. Law should not result incaste hatred.”

The Court was aware thatit cannot legislate and respect-ed the legislative wisdombehind creating such an legis-lation. Even Parliament debat-ed the misuse of the Act in2015 but left it to the affectedcitizens to invoke suitable rem-edy under Indian Penal Codeonce the charge is proved false.But court viewed the case fromthe standpoint of personal lib-erty of citizens under Article 21which the court is bound toadjudicate upon. While perpe-trators should not go scot-free, the Bench added that nolaw can mandate arrest of aninnocent by limiting even hispre-arrest bail.

Continued on Page 2

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Ending suspense over thefate of 39 Indians abducted

in Iraq in June 2014, ExternalAffairs Minister Sushma Swarajon Tuesday declared all thesemen dead and said their bod-ies will be brought back to Indiasoon. In a statement made inthe Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said thedeaths were confirmed on thebasis of deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) tests conducted on thebodies exhumed from a moundin Badoosh, Iraq. She con-

firmed that the DNA samples ofthe dead Indians have matchedwith those of their family mem-bers in India.

“We made all possibleattempts and knocked all doorsto locate these missing men inthese years. As a responsibleGovernment we could not havedeclared them dead without anyproof. Today we have the evi-dence that these men are deadand with a heavy heart I am giv-ing this news. This news willalso bring ‘closure’ for the fam-ily members of these missing

men who have all along beenhoping for their return,” Swarajsaid later in a Press conference.

This is the first incident ofdirect mass killing of Indians bythe ISIS even though the terrorgroup has in the past kid-napped other Indians as well.A group of nurses were kid-napped in Iraq while a catholicpriest was abducted in Yemenby the ISIS or its affiliatesbefore the Indian Governmentnegotiated their release.

Breaking the news in theRajya Sabha, Swaraj said a total

40 Indians were originallyabducted by the ISIS in June2014 from Mosul in Iraq but oneof them — Harjit Masih —escaped by posing as a Muslimfrom Bangladesh. The remain-ing 39 Indians were taken toBadoosh and killed by the flee-ing ISIS when the Iraqi securi-ty forces started closing in onthem.

She said that the searchoperations led to a mound inBadoosh where locals saidsome bodies were buried by theISIS. Swaraj added that on therequest of India, DeepPenetration Radars (DPR) wereused by the Iraqi Governmentto establish the fact that themound indeed was a massgrave. The Minister said themass grave had exactly 39 bod-ies, with distinctive features likelong hair, non-Iraqi shoes,identity cards and kada (wornby Sikh community in India).The bodies were then sent toBaghdad for DNA testing.

The Minister informed thatthe DNA testing was conduct-ed by the Iraqi NGO, MartyrsFoundation, which establishedthe identity of 38 Indians whilethere has been 70 per centmatching of the DNA for the39th person.

The Minister could notconfirm the timing of the deathof these men and the way theywere killed. “We might get allthat details in the death certifi-cate from the Martyrs

Foundation when the deadbodies arrive,” Swaraj said.

The Minister dismissedMasih’s claims that the Indiancaptives were killed in 2014itself and he managed to escapedespite being shot in the leg.

PTI n Beijing

China will not concede “asingle inch of land” and guardits sovereignty, ChinesePresident Xi Jinping, who wasre-elected for second five-yearterm with prospects of contin-uing as leader for life assertedon Tuesday.

Besides the border disputewith India, China claims rightsover the disputed islands inEast China Sea under the con-trol of Japan and vast stretch-es of the South China Sea,(SCS) where it is firmly assert-ing its control.

Vietnam, the Philippines,

Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwanhave counter claims over theSouth China Sea.

“The Chinese people andthe Chinese nation have ashared conviction which is nota single inch of our land will beand can be ceded from China,”Xi said in a 30-minute-longspeech at the end of the 18-daylong parliament session.

There are signs he said thisin the context of Taiwan. Butthis view may be interpretedlater to include areas likeArunachal Pradesh, which doesnot belong to China but Beijinginsists that it does.

During its session, China’s

National People’s Congress rat-ified the constitutional amend-ment removing decades oldtwo-term limit for Presidentand Vice President paving theway for Xi to continue inpower for life.

He also was re-elected bythe 2970 deputies for secondfive-year term as President andhead of the military. InOctober, last year he was elect-ed as General Secretary of theruling Communist Party ofChina, (CPC) for the secondfive-year term. By heading theparty, the military and presi-dency with no limit

Continued on Page 2

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After Essar Power decisionabout Tokisud North, now

Steel major Steel Authority ofIndia Limited (SAIL) hasdecided to relinquish Parbatpurcoal block it had taken over onMarch 30, 2016.

Highly placed sources inSAIL confided to The Pioneerthat the decision to surrenderthe block had been taken inprinciple which would be final-ly approved by the PSU’s apexboard.

“The final call is expectedby the next month when theBoard would stamp the steptaken after considering all theissues involved in making thecoal block operational. TheSAIL has reached to the deci-sion following the assessmentof feasibility reports whichhave established that it is notviable for the company tocontinue with it,” said an offi-cial of the nation’s steel pro-ducer.

It is learnt that SAIL hadroped in consultancy firmMecon to prepare a feasibilityreport about the scheduled-IIcategory block that comprises

those were operational prior togetting cancelled by theSupreme Court order given inthe light of the ‘coal scam’.“The call to do away withParbatpur has been takenbased on Mecon status report,”added the official.

Parbatpur is located nearJharia and was firstly allocat-ed by the Petroleum Ministryto ONGC in January 2002 forcoal bed methane (CBM). InJuly 2005, the Coal Ministry

allotted the same block toElectrosteel Castings Ltd(ECL) for coal mining purpos-es. Later on, the coal miningsegment fell into SAIL’s kittyfollowing the Supreme Courtcancelling coal blocks en massincluding Parbatpur block andthe Government going forauction route.

The ONGC has reachedto an advanced stage of erect-ing country’s biggest CBMproject in Bokaro after having

invested Rs 823 crore to pro-duce the natural gas trapped incoal seams. Recently UnionMinister DharmendraPradhan had inaugurated thefirst development well as thegas major has planned to drill30 development wells. If inputscoming from SAIL are to bebelieved, priority being givento extraction of CBM is themain bone of contention.

“ONGC has a greater andextended role to play in thecoal mining area. SAIL is ofthe views that either coal orCBM can be extracted at atime. Mining of the both can-not go hand in hand. That isthe primary reason why theSAIL has decided to with-draw,” quipped he.

The coal block has beenamong the four schedule-IIblocks falling in Jharkhand butunable to record substantialprogress since getting reallo-cated. Parbatpur besidesTokisud North and South andPachuwara-Central also fig-ured during discussion in arecent review conducted bythe Coal Ministry and StateGovernment officials.

Confirming to the devel-

opment, Jharkhand MinesCommissioner AboobackerSiddique said that the SAILhad intimated the StateGovernment about this. “Wehave come to know justrecently that SAIL is going tosurrender Parbatpur due tosome issues involved.

Though, no formal com-munication has been made tous from the Coal Ministry sofar,” he said.

CBM, experts say, istrapped in coal reserves due tothe pressure of overlying rockformations and needs dewater-ing the coal beds to facilitateextraction. Initially, the CBMwells produce only water thatsubsequently replaces the gasproduction.

ONGC has been workingin Jharia coalfield since 1992for CBM exploration.

The first breakthroughcame in 1997 when ONGCwas successful in flowing CBMfrom one of the R & D wells.Estimated CBM reserves in thearea is 8 BCM (0.28 trillion cu.ff.). Though, as per agree-ment, total CBM produced byONGC would be sold to SAIL’Bokaro plant.

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In a tragic incident, a single-seater fighter plane of the Air

Force Station, Kalaikunda inWest Midnapore crashed atthe Subernarekha river nearMohuldangri village inBaharagora block of EastSinghbhum, district, around100 km from city on Tuesdayafternoon.

According to informationthe IAF pilot opted to jump outfrom the plane after it caughtfire following a technical snag.Pilot Arbind Joshi (30), optedfor ejection from the single-seater plane, a hawk training

aircraft, using a parachute afterit developed technical snagand caught fire, sources said.Considering the seriousnessof the situation he jumpedfrom the plane, they added.

“We are investigating theincident. As per informationgathered so far, the incident

took place under Baharagorapolice station around 12.30noon. We have got informationthat the pilot identified asArbind Joshi, opted for ejectionfrom the single-seater plane,possibly a hawk training air-craft, using a parachute

Continued on Page 2

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Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) professor Atul Johri

was arrested and later grantedbail by a city court on Tuesdayevening. High drama unfoldedat the Patiala House Courtswhere Johri, professor from theSchool of Life Sciences, wasproduced amid tight security.

Within an hour of beingproduced at the Patiala HouseCourts, Duty Magistrate RituSingh granted bail to Johriand directed him to furnish abail bond of �30,000 for eachof the eight FIRs registeredagainst him. Johri had moveda bail plea saying sending himto jail would spoil his career.

Taking cognisance of thewritten complaints submittedby the seven women students,all from the school of LifeSciences, on Monday night,police registered seven separateFIRs. Overall eight FIRs havebeen registered against Johri.

Earlier in the day, con-firming the arrest, DeputyCommissioner of Police(Southwest) Milind Dumberesaid, “Johri has been arrestedand will be produced in courtlater on Tuesday.”The new FIRswere filed by the Delhi Policefollowing the protests staged bythe 250 strong-crowd consist-ing of students from theJawarharlal Nehru University aswell as members from thewomen rights organisationsstood outside the Vasant KunjPolice station on Mondayevening. They had allegedpolice high-handedness, claim-ing that they were lathi-charged. Denying these claims,the area DCP had said that noforce was used.

The first FIR was filed bya student on Friday after thestudent groups raised a proteston Thursday night.

As per the written com-plaint, the professor made sex-ually-coloured remarks, open

demands for sex and com-ments on the figure of almostevery girl. If a girl objects, heheld a grudge against her,” thewomen students had said in astatement last week.

It was only later that sevento eight more girls came outand shared how they too hadbeen sexually harassed by Johriin the past one year.

Following the allegationslevelled against him, the JNUprofessor had said that he wasbeing targeted by the Left-leaning students. “The girls,who have levelled the allega-tions against me, had receiveda mail from me on February 27regarding their irregular atten-dance in the lab. So, they aretargeting me,” he had said ear-lier.

High drama unfolded onTuesday afternoon onwardsafter Professor Johri visitedthe Vasant Kunj North policestation. Police said that thearrest came after the School ofLife Sciences professor wasquestioned by the police teamfor close to an hour in con-nection with multiple cases ofsexual harassment filed againsthim.

Before arresting the pro-fessor on Tuesday, police hadissued a notice to Johri join theprobe but he failed to appear onMonday.

Besides the students, JNUprofessors have also beendemanding action againstJohri. Women rights organisa-tions -- including All IndiaDemocratic Women’sAssociation (AIDWA) and AllIndia Mahila SanskritikSangathan -- held protestsagainst Johri on Tuesdaydemanding the arrest of theprofessor.

So far, nine women studentshave lodged complaints againstthe professor accusing of sexualmisconduct. A case of molesta-tion and outraging the modestywas registered against Johri.

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Even as the Army is battlingwith critical shortage of

ammunition, arms, assaultrifles, battle tanks and bullet-proof jackets and inadequateBudget next fiscal to tide overthese issues, the Governmenthas saddled them with an addi-tional burden of �5,000 crore inthe form of Goods and ServicesTax (GST). There is no provi-sion in the 2018-19 allocationsto fill this gap.

The Navy already facedwith a Budget deficit of 40 percent accumulated over the pastfew years, and the IAF alsofaced the same problem there-by impacting their modernisa-tion drive. In fact, customsduties and new taxation lawshave hit the three forces hard.

In addition, the RashtriyaRifles, the Army’s anti-insur-gency force now tackling ter-rorism in Jammu & Kashmir, isalso short of funds by morethan �136 crore due to lessBudget next fiscal. It is likely tohave an adverse impact on thesustained campaign in thestrife-torn State and theRashtriya Rifles desperatelyneeds state of the art closequarter battle weapons, bullet-proof jackets and communica-tion systems. Nearly 65 battal-ions (one battalion has 1,000soldiers) are now deployed inJ&K. The force was raised inthe early 1990s after full blowninsurgency erupted in the bor-der State.

As the Army flagged thesematters during its depositionbefore Parliament’s StandingCommittee on Defence, thepanel noted that “an addition-al burden of �5,000 crore willbe levied on the Army becauseof the new taxation laws in theform of GST. This has been notbeen accounted in the currentyear’s Budget for the Army.”

Urging the DefenceMinistry and the Governmentto take note of this issue, theStanding Committee said “rea-sonability be shown in theBudget by way of providing forthe additional burden to theextent of �5,000 crore.” In itsreport tabled in Parliamentrecently, the panel said it desiresto be apprised of the measurestaken in this direction.

Raising concern over adeficit revenue Budget to thetune of �9,282 crore, the panelurged the Government to dothe needful to plug the gap.Revenue Budget caters to day-to-day operations, includingmaintenance of weapons, sup-ply of ammunition and fuel.

The Committee said theBudget for operations andmaintenance is a critical com-ponent for ensuring opera-tional preparedness at anygiven point of time. Problemson this count will not onlyaffect the serviceability of theequipment that the Army isholding but may also lead tolegal issues on account of notmaking payments in time.

The amount of Rs 9,282crore covers mandatoryrequirements under trans-portation (Rs 889 crore), main-tenance works (Rs 1,413 crore),supplies (Rs 1,419 crore, ord-nance store (Rs 5,425 crore)and Rashtriya Rifles (Rs 136crore).

In fact, Army vice-chief LtGeneral Sarath Chand in hisdeposition before the parlia-mentary panel said the “budgethas dashed its hopes,” and theArmy may be forced to closedown as many as 25 ‘Make inIndia’ projects. He also saidthere is no separate allocationfor ensuring the safety of Armycamps, which have been sub-jected to several ‘fidayeen’attacks.

“This money has to be

found from the same Budget,leaving us with no choice butto re-priorities either to reduceour requirement as far as secu-rity of military stations areconcerned or to go slow inother acquisition,” he said. Thevice-chief also informed thepanel headed by BJP leaderMajor General BC Khanduri(retired) that at present 68 percent of its equipment is in the“vintage” category.

During the deliberations inthe panel on Demands forGrants (2018-19), theCommittee said any modernarmed forces should have one-third of its equipment in thevintage category, one-third inthe current category and one-third in the state of the art cat-egory.

However, the Army atpresent has 68 per cent in vin-tage category, just about 24per cent of the current cate-gory and only eight per centof the state of the art catego-ry. Observing that this situa-tion does not “auger” well forthe Army to fight a two-frontwar with Pakistan and China,the panel said the huge defi-ciencies and obsolescence ofweapons, stores and ammu-nition is matter of concern.

But the allocation formodernisation in this year’sBudget has a “different storyto tell,” said the committee,adding the allocation of Rs

21,338 crore for modernisa-tion is insufficient even tocater to committed paymentsto the extent of Rs 29,033crore earmarked for 125 ongo-ing schemes, emergency pro-curements of armaments andweaponry for ten days ofintense war.

As regards the Navy, dueto new taxation laws and cus-toms duties, it will have toshell out Rs 800 crore whilethis figure stood at Rs 427.28crore in the last f iscal.Similarly, in the case of theIAF, the parliamentary panelwas apprised of the fact thatthe Service paid Rs 943.62crore in 2016-17 which washiked to Rs 1,614.28 crore in2017-18. This amount was

not reimbursed to the IAF, thepanel noted.

The estimated fund outgofor next fiscal is Rs. 1726.98crore. The fund allocatedagainst committed liabilities isRs 33,100 crore against pro-jection of Rs 72,482 crore. Incase of new schemes, the allo-cation is Rs 2,670 crore againsta required projection of Rs5,483 crore.

The panel suggested thatappropriate allocation bemade so as to address theissues of taxation in the bud-get2018-19 and by way ofkeeping in mind, the addi-tional burden levied on theAir Force on account of hikein duties paid during the year,2017-18.

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In a major decision in highereducation sector, the Centre

on Tuesday announced fullautonomy to 52 institutions.

These institutions can nowdecide their admission proce-dure, fee structure and cur-riculum on their own withoutthe interference of parent uni-versity.

HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar said that the univer-sity watchdog — UniversityGrants Commission (UGC)— has granted full autonomy

to 52 higher educationalinstitutions (HEIs), includingfive Central and 21 State uni-versities, which maintainedhigh standards over the years.The Central universities areJawaharlal Nehru University,Hyderabad University, BanarasHindu University, AligarhMuslim University and TheEnglish and Foreign LanguageUniversity in Telangana.

“Five Central universities, 21State universities, 26 private uni-versities besides 10 other collegeshave been granted graded auton-omy under the AutonomousColleges Regulation,” Javadekarannounced the significant deci-sion at a hurriedly called Pressconference ahead of the new aca-demic session.

The institutions grantedfull autonomy will be free todecide their admission proce-dure, fee structure and cur-riculum. Javadekar said that thedecision has been taken inline with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s visiontowards liberalised regulatoryregime and empower all insti-tutions which in near futurecan be self reliant.

The grading was awardedto the institutions and univer-sities as per NationalAssessment and AccreditationCouncil (NAAC) survey whicheavaluated all under variousspecified category. The NAACis an organisation that assess-es and accredits higher educa-tion Institutions in India and isfunded by UGC.

“Today is a historic day inthe higher education system ofthe country. Institutions withgreater autonomy as per thenorms can do everything ontheir own and need not rush toUGC always. The only thing isthat such institutions will haveto award the degrees under theuniversity they belong to. Notonly this, institutions under thecategory of greater autonomywill also able to hire foreign fac-ulties with competitive globalremuneration and also admitforeign students. They can col-laborate for their academicneeds with foreign institutionsor universities,” Javadekar said.

On the occasion, the HRDMinister reminded that theCentre has already paved a waythrough an Act of Parliamentto grant autonomy to the chainof IIMs. “Our primary aim is tobring our top institutions anduniversities at global standards.Currently, 116 intuitions fromIndia have applied to seek aglobal recognition which willfurther give boost to the high-er education standards,”Javadekar shared.

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From Page 1after it developed techni-

cal snag and caught fire mid-air. The pilot who sustainedinjury while landing wasgiven primary treatmentbefore IAF rescue helicopterreached the spot and took theinjured pilot to Kalaikunda,”said East Singhbhum SSPAnoop Birtharay.

As the news spread,Ghatshi la SDM Ar vindKumar Lal rushed to the spot.

He said that the incident isbeing investigated and addedthat the pilot’s sensible deci-sion prevented casualty inthe villages.

“The news spread likewildfire and villagers in largenumber rushed to spot to seethe plane. They were curiousbut thanked for the pilot foraverting a major mishap,”said a local villager.

BJP former state presi-dent Dineshanand Goswami

who was also present at thespot of the mishap, said thatthe wreckage of the planeshad submerged in the river.

“The wreckages of theaircraft have submerged in theriver. I think the pilot took avery good decision of takingthe aircraft to the river despitefire catching up mid-air.Villagers said that even por-tion of the parachute hadalso caught f ire,” saidGoswami.

From Page 1on tenure, he is regarded as

the most powerful leader afterparty founder Mao Zedong.

In a departure from thepast, Xi on Tuesday addressedthe closing session with rabble-rousing speech televised live allover the country.

“We should safeguard thesovereignty and territorialintegrity of the country andachieve full unification of themotherland. This is the aspi-ration of all Chinese people.This is also in line with funda-mental of the Chinese nation,”he said in an apparent referenceto Taiwan which China claimsas part of it.

He also delivered a sternmessage to the separatists.“Faced with this importantquestion of our nation and his-tory any action that separatesthe country is doomed to fail.These separatist actions will bemet with the condemnation ofthe people and punishment ofthe history,” he said.

“Chinese people havestrong determination, full con-fidence and every capability totriumph over all the separatistactions,” he said.

Besides Taiwan, Chinabrands the Dalai Lama as “spli-tist”. China is also carrying outextensive crackdown in theMuslim Uygur majorityXinjiang against the separatistgroup East Turkistan IslamicMovement, (ETIM).

Xi said any actions andtricks to split China are certainto meet with the people’s con-demnation and the punish-ment. Seeking to allay fearsabout absolute powers enjoyed

by him controlling all levers ofpower, Xi vowed to continue toserve as a servant of the peo-ple. He also sought to allay theconcerns of the world over therise of China, saying thatChina’s development does notpose a threat to any othercountry.

“China will never seekhegemony or engage in expan-sion. Only those who are accus-tomed to threatening others seeeveryone as a threat,” he said,taking a dig at the US.

“The Chinese people’s sin-cere wish and practical actionto contribute to the peace anddevelopment of humanityshould not be misinterpreted,nor should they be distorted,”Xi said, adding that “justice willprevail!” Xi said China will stayon the path of peaceful devel-opment, and continue to pur-sue a mutually beneficial strat-egy of opening up. He saidChina endeavours to upholdinternational fairness and jus-tice. China advocates that allissues in the world should besettled through consultationwith people around the world.

China will not impose itswill on others, Xi added. Hesaid China will contribute moreChinese wisdom, Chinese solu-tions and Chinese strength tothe world, to push for buildingan open, inclusive, clean, andbeautiful world that enjoyslasting peace, universal securi-ty, and common prosperity.

Expressing his heartfeltgratitude to the trust placed onhim by all deputies andChinese people of all ethnicgroups, he said, “It is a gloriousmission and weighty responsi-

bility to take on this greatposition of the President of thePeople’s Republic of China”.

“I will, as always, faithful-ly fulfil my responsibilitiesempowered by theConstitution, be loyal to themotherland and the people,perform my duty scrupulous-ly, do all my best, be diligent atwork, and stay devoted anddedicated,” he said.

He also said all officialsshould subject themselves topeople’s supervision. “No mat-ter how high a position oneholds, all personnel of stateorgans should keep firmly inmind that our republic is thePeople’s Republic of China,” Xinoted.

He asked all personnel ofstate organs to always put thepeople in the most prominentplace in their hearts, alwaysserve the people wholeheart-edly, and always work hard forthe people’s interests and hap-piness. Praising Chinese peo-ple’s history, he said people arethe creators of history and thereal heroes.

“Today, the creativity of theChinese people is beingunleashed to an extent likenever before, which has beenenabling our country to devel-op rapidly and stride forwardat the forefront of the world,”he said.

“Our pursuit of progresshas never paused”, he said.The Chinese people have beenaware since ancient times that“we cannot sit idle and enjoythe fruits of others’ work andhappiness can only be achievedthrough great endeavour,” hesaid.

From Page 1Parliament had in 2015

amended the 1989 Act toinclude new offences and cre-ate special courts to exclusive-ly try cases under the Act andensure expeditious justice toSCs and STs. The amendedprovisions included acts oftonsuring of head, moustache,garlanding with chappals,denying access to irrigationfacilities or forest rights, dis-pose or carry human or animalcarcasses, dig graves, manualscavenging, dedicating a SC/STwomen as devadasi, abusing in

the name of caste, perpetratingwitchcraft, social or economicboycott, preventing SC/ST can-didates from filing nominationto contest elections amongothers.

In addition, IPC offencesagainst SC/ST members likehurt, grievous hurt, intimida-tion, kidnapping etc. thatattracted less than ten years ofimprisonment were also madeoffences punishable under theAct. Till then, the Act punishedonly those offences punishablewith more than 10 years underIPC.

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As expected, Oppositionmembers protested the

Governor's Speech and raisedfarmer issues in the StateAssembly on the first day of theBudget Session on Tuesday.

While Governor Dr SCJamir was delivering his speech,the main Opposition Congressstaged a walkout stating thatthe Government is presentingrosy pictures through theGovernor’s address though ithas failed in every sector.

"The House is being showna rosy picture, Hence, we stagea walkout now," said Leader ofOpposition (Congress)Narasingha Mishra. Soon, heand other Congress MLAsmoved out of the House.

Again, Congress memberstrouped into the Well of the

House when Government ChiefWhip Amar Prasad Satpahtypresented a Motion of Thanksto the Governor for his speech.

Opposition Chief Whip(Congress) Tara PrasadBahinipati and others of hisparty raising farmers issuesblamed the State Governmentfor farmers’ suicide and demand-ed that Government give 3 'Ps'(price, prestige and pension) tofarmers at the earliest. Theymade this demand while beingin the Well of the House.

During this time, Satpathywas narrating what theGovernor pointed out about theGovernment’s achievements.

Speaker Pradeep KumarAmat adjourned the House at1.10 pm till 10.30 am onWednesday. Discussion of theGovernor's speech would be heldfor two days from Wednesday.

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Ranchi Mayor Asha Lakraand Deputy Mayor Sanjeev

Vijaywargia have been re-nom-inated by the BJP to fight themunicipal polls for their respec-tive posts again as prominentpolitical parties of the Statetoday announced the names ofthe contestants who will contestthe upcoming Municipal Poll-2018 for the post of Mayor andDeputy Mayor from five munic-ipal corporations.

The Congress also came upwith a fresh list naming AjayTirkey and Dr Rajesh Gupta‘Chotu’ for Mayor and DeputyMayor’s posts respectively tofight the polls in State’s biggestUrban Local Body (ULB).

Also, all these political par-ties have released the names whowill contest election for differentposts from 13 Nagar Palikas and16 Nagar Parishads. The rulingparty has released the list com-missionaires wise. Under NagarParishads eight names have beenfinalized covering Chaibasa,Kapali, Saraikela, ChakuliyaNagar Parishads for the post ofPresident and Vice-President.

From Santhal ParganaDivision covering Dumka,Gooda, Madhupur, Sahebganj,Pakur, Mihijaam, Basukinath,Jamtara, Rajmahal includingBarhawa as many as 20 contes-tants will fight against theirpolitical competitors. FromNorth Chotanagpur, HazaribaghDivision, Sunil Paswan andPrakash Seth will contest munic-ipal poll for the post of Mayorand Deputy Mayor respectivelywhile from Giridih, RoshniTirkey and Rajkumar Lal will bethe face of BJP from Hazaribaghcompeting against their con-tenders for the post of Mayor andDeputy Mayor respectively.

From North Chotanagpurover nine candidates will contestelection covering Phusro,Domchanch, Jhumri Telaiya,Chirkunda and Ramgarh NagarParishads. From PalamauDivision 12 candidates nameswere finalized for the post of

president and Vice-presidentcovering Nagar Parishads likeChatra, Latehar, Garhwa, Uttari,Hussainabad and Chhatarpur.

Vinod Srivastava and AmitSingh ‘Babi’ will contest electionfor the post of Mayor andDeputy Mayor respectively fromAdityapur from BJP. CoveringKolhan Division from Chaibasa,Saraikela, Chakulia and Kapalieight contestants, two each forthe post of president and vice-president will give tough com-petition to their opponents.

Meanwhile on Tuesday,Jharkhand Mukti Morcha(JMM) also finalized the final listof candidates who will contestthe upcoming municipal pollfrom different municipal cor-porations including NagarPanchayats and Nagar Parishads.From Ranchi Varsha Gari willcontest for the post of Mayor.From Adityapur, Ranjit Pradhanwill be contest for the post ofMayor while Pamila Mehra andNirmala Devi will contest elec-tion from Giridih and Medini-nagar respectively for post ofMayor. JMM-P central com-mittee has released the names of21 candidates for different posts.

From All Student JharkhandUnion (AJSU), Munchun Raiwill contest election for the postof Mayor from Ranchi. However,Babulal Marandi’s JharkhandVikash Morcha-P (JVM-P) is yetto disclose the name lists of can-didates strongly indicating on thefact that they might go for acoalition. JVM-P spokesperson,Tauhid Alam had earlier said thatthere are strong chances to go fora coalition to ruin BJP’s domi-nance in tribal land.

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RJD chief Lalu Prasad, admitted toRajendra Institute of Medical

Sciences (RIMS) after he made com-plaints of intense pain due to perianalabscess developed in his body onSaturday, is likely to be referred to AllIndia Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi. RIMS administrationsaid that final decision in this regardwill be taken on Wednesday after tak-ing final opinion from the medicalboard which has been constituted totake a decision in this regard.

Prasad was shifted to RIMS fromBirsa Munda Central Jail where he hasbeen lodged since December 23 after

being convicted by a Special CBICourt of Shivpal Singh in a fodderscam case RC64A/96, related toDeoghar Treasury.

“Any decision in this regard willbe taken on Wednesday only by theMedical Board after looking into alltest reports related to Prasad,” saidRIMS Superintendent SK Chaudhary.A discussion, however, definitely tookplace today also in this regard wherethe issue was discussed at large, butany decision in this regard will betaken after taking opinion from all, headded.

Meanwhile, different tests arebeing conducted on Prasad to traceout any abnormality in his body. DrUmesh Prasad of MedicineDepartment after conducting thecheckup of RJD chief said that thatsome abnormalities have been detect-ed in his kidney as he had been suf-fering from diabetes since a long time.

“Serum Creatinine has beenfound to be slightly increased up to a

level of 1.5 which indicates someabnormality in the functioning of hiskidney due to long standing diabetes,”

said Dr Prasad. The urine sample hasbeen sent for tests again to cross checkwhether it is actually on the higher

side or not, he added.‘In the mean time, we have also

sent his blood sample for conductingother pathological tests for whichreports are still awaited,” said theDoctor. He also hinted that Prasadmight be shifted to other hospital asthere were no proper facilities avail-able for kidney related treatmenthere.

Incidentally, Special CBI Court ofShivpal Singh is likely to pronouncequantum of punishment againstPrasad on March 23 after he was heldguilty in fourth fodder scam caseRC38A/96 against him in which thedecision was deferred twice due tovarious reasons.

The RJD chief is presently lodgedin Birsa Munda Central Jail after beingconvicted in fodder scam caseRC64A/96, related to fraudulent with-drawal of Rs 89, 4417 lakh fromDeoghar Treasury with the help of 6 fakeallotment letters during 1991 to 1994,on December 23 by the CBI Court.

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As yet another Rajya Sabhaelection nears in the State,

excitement has prevailed allover, especially those who oftenremain in the line of fire.

The Opposition camplooking good on papers hasbeen prone to poaching thatworries the JVM this timealso.

Legislator from LateharPrakash Ram thoughpromised to toe his partyline, has not made his choiceofficially public as of now. Atthe same time he also sound-ed shaky about win for theOpposition candidate.

“Congress, JMM andJVM along with other partiesin the Opposition camps havethe figures which can win oneseat for them. But it can onlyhappen when there is honesty

in their approaches. If theOpposition members remainunited and honest winning aRajya Sabha seat is possible,”said Prakash Ram.“Opposition has to imply itsfull force to win the seatwhich was not the case on thelast occasion. This is of coursea worry for us but things arelike that in Jharkhand,” saidthe MLA who along withPradeep Yadav holds impor-tance for Congress nominee

Dheeraj Sahu. Sahu besideshis own party’s seven mem-bers is banking on JMM’s 18and at least three other indi-vidual members to cross thebar.The MLA’s apprehensionholds some water also becauseneither the Congress nor themain Opposition party JMMhas called any formal consul-tation of the legislators beforeor after filing the nomination.

“I had got a call at the lastmoment when Dheeraj Sahu

was to file his nomination.Besides that, no consultationhas been made with me so far.Also, our party is yet to sittogether and decide. However,I have heard about our partypresident (Babulal Marandi)pitching to support theOpposition candidate and wewould abide by that,” saidPrakash Ram denying anyattempt made by the BJP toapproach him.

The ruling BJP has at

least 22 surplus first prefer-ence votes but well short ofthe magic f igure 27.Moreover, a party insider saysthat its floor managers are outto reach ‘likeminded’ legisla-tors to win the second seat onoffer.

“There are MLAs in theOpposition who are unhappywith the Congress fielding itscandidate despite having onlyseven MLAs.

Even if one believes anyunderstanding that is said tohave reached between theJMM and the Congress forfuture, how it is going toaffect or benefit others in theOpposition? Many such leg-islators are unhappy and weare sure to get their support,”said a leader. Voting for thetwo seats in the Upper Houseof Parliament is to take placeon March 23.

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When nature lovers are outto observe World

Sparrow Day to save the chirpybirds often seen raiding fre-quently in large number in andaround every courtyard, theJharkhand Biodiversity Board(JBB) has blamed heighteneduse of chemicals in farms andgardens behind their disap-pearance.

The Board observing theday on March 20 is on its parthas gone on taking some stepto generate awareness amongthe common people to pre-serving the birds from gettingextinct from the State. “Alongwith radiation generatedthrough mobile towers, wehave also observed that grow-ing uses of pesticides andinsecticides are also hurtingsparrows in large numbers.Sparrows use to feed onsmaller insects but theoveruse of chemicals is taking

a toll on the birds,” said KPPandey, Chairman of theBoard.

Though the JBB has notconducted a survey to estab-lish quantum of loss taken tothe avian in Jharkhand butinputs to it has painted a grey

picture. “We have been get-ting reports also from villageswhich suggest that populationof sparrow is going downalarmingly. In urban areas,their obvious residences havebecome limited since most ofthe homes in towns are of

match-box type having noopen ventilation or cavities,plantations and open spaces,”said the forest official.

On its part the Board hastaken initiative to generateawareness among citizen anddistributed earthen pots free

among them. “Often the birdsget killed due to starvationand dehydration. This timewe have distributed pots atthree-four places in Ranchifree of cost with a messagethat fill those with water andsome grains so the sparrows

can feed on that in summers.We have seen good respons-es,” said Member Secretarywith the Board ShashikarSamanta.

The scenario is also trou-bling environmentalists. “It issad that yesteryear’s abundantbird sparrows have beenreached to the verge of gettingextinct. Their chirp is a raresound now a days which weused to listen not very longago. Environmental pollutionof all kind is considered asmajor reason. The bird is anasset for us and also for thefarmers so all of us shouldcome together to save it fromdying,” said noted environ-mental act ivist Nit ishPriyadarshi.

He also called on citizento make space for the birds intheir homes and built artifi-cial shelters besides plantingtrees so that once householdspecies can hop and buzzaround once again.

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Union Home Secretary RajivGauba will hold a meeting

with DCs of 19 districts along-with senior officials of thedepartments of theGovernment on the issue oftransforming aspiring districtsin Ranchi on March 22. He willleave for Delhi on March 23.

Niti Ayog has set 48 indi-cators for development, inwhich 115 districts in the coun-try lag behind miserably andstruggle to catch up with the 48indicators.

State’s 19 districts are lag-ging behind Niti Ayog’s 48indicators out of which 16 arethe Left Wing Extremist hit dis-tricts where the developmentlag is more severe. Palamu,Garhwa Latehar Lohardagga,Khunti, Gumla Simdega etc arebackward districts in the sensethat they have failed to meet theindicators.

“The Union HomeSecretary will hold meetingwith the officials in Ranchiwhere we will be presenting ourplans to pull out the districts ofits backwardness,” DC PalamuAmeet Kumar said.

“To call a district backwarddistrict sounds most painful &awkward and hence such a dis-trict is labelled as aspiring dis-trict to be more euphemistic

which means the districtdespite its shortfalls and defi-ciencies have the merit, guts,aspirations and potentialities tocome at par with otheradvanced and developed dis-tricts of the country,” he added.

Palamu administration has

drawn a four year districtaction plan for this whichstarts from 2018 to 2022 theyear for a New India.

However some senior offi-cials of the State Governmenttold “Frequent change of DCsin aspiring districts (readbackward districts) will not beproper as the new man willtake his own time to under-stand the priority and may nothave the same passion to reachthe goal which the previousone had who readied the dis-trict action plan of 4 years butthis should not mean that aDC be fixed like a pole in sucha district for 4 years!”

A mechanism be devel-

oped so that passion, speedand fixity of purpose in bail-ing out backward districtsfrom its backwardness is nothampered said the officials.

The Niti Ayog has dividedits 48 indicators in 6 seg-ments like health & nutri-

tion, women & child care,agriculture & allied practices,financial inclusion, skill devel-opment and infrastructuralfacilities.

Sources said as Left WingExtremism is on the wane inPalamu , Garhwa ( where overthe last three years, there hasbeen no major extremist vio-lence except for Burha Paharthat passes through this dis-trict’s Bhandarya , Badgad,Madgiri, Sanya Chemo etchas witnessed convulsions onaccount of anti naxal ops),Lohardagga etc the Niti Ayogmay like to reframe the short-listing of its districts withLWE tagging!

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Adityapur is preparing forthe maiden municipal cor-

poration polls. The residents ofthe town located in adjoiningSeraikela-Kharsawan districtare excited to participate in theprocess.

The process of Adityapurmunicipal corporation pollsfor a five-year-term has start-ed. Nomination filing has start-ed from March 16 and will con-tinue till Thursday. The lastdate for withdrawing the nom-ination is March 27. Thepolling will be held on April 16.

Radha Sandil, chairper-son, Adityapur MunicipalCouncil said that after theAdityapur civic body hasupgraded to municipal corpo-ration and a new executivebody will be elected, theAdityapur municipal corpora-tion will larger amount offund for the development ofthe township.

She said that the civic pollin Adityapur assumes signifi-cance because the polling is notonly for a municipal corpora-tion for the first time, but also

because the elections will beheld on political party lines.

With a population of over2.5 lakh, Adityapur municipalcouncil comprises 32 wards.The total number of voters inthe area is 1,03,055. Adityapurhas been upgraded to a cor-poration, fifth in the State. Theothers are in Ranchi, Dhanbad,Hazaribag and Bokaro.

Prior to this, AdityapurMunicipal Council, (AMC),the civic body was lookingafter Adityapur and Gamhariain the adjoining SeraikelaKharsawan district.

The AMC, with a popu-lation of 1,73, 783 as per the2011 Census, will be getting

better facilities in the areas ofdrinking water, sanitation andsewerage system.

Development work byAdityapur MunicipalCorporation is expected togain momentum Heaps ofgarbage can be seen in everynook and corner, drains arechoked with sewage and streetsare waterlogged.

BJP activists VinodSrivastava and Bobby Singhwill file nominations for thepost of mayor and deputymayor respectively. RJDactivist Purendra NarayanSingh and AJSU Party activistSachin Kumar Mahto havefiled for the post of mayor.

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Unknown criminalsdecamped with gold orna-

ments worth over �five lakhfrom a house at Garabasaunder Golmuri police stationarea today. The theft took placeat the house of Mohan Jaiswalat Garabasa

OC, Golmuri police sta-tion, Arjun Ram confirmedabout the theft and said thatthey are investigating the case." As per our information, thethieves have stolen gold orna-ments after breaking up a steelalmriah. The criminals hadentered into the house havingcut the grill's lock," said Ram.Jaiswal, who is a businessmansaid he had been to Ranchisome work.

"I was shocked when Ireceived a call from my wifewho informed me that therehas been a theft in the house.On reaching home, I found mywife and two children were indrowsy condition. It appearsthat the criminals had sprayedintoxicating drugs to the fam-ily members after enteringinto the house having cut thelock of a grill lock," saidJaiswal.

The officer-in-charge,when asked, said that it was

true that criminals have brokenopen the steel almirah, but it isnot fact that the family mem-bers must have been subjectedto any intoxicating substancethrough spray.

Despite claims from the

district police, the cases of thethefts are on the rise. Stepshave been taken by the policeadministration to curb menaceby taking measures like nightpatrolling and installation ofbarricades where police offi-cials keep strict vigilance.Though the police claim tohave pulled their socks up

and increased their beatpatrolling, the citizens are notready to accept the claims.

“It is literally burglars‘night out’ in the Steel City asa gang targeted residential areanear the residence of ChiefMinister Raghubar Das, trig-gering sensation among theresidents.

With rising cases of theftsand burglaries becoming aregular affair in the city, theadministration must appoint

extra security personnel andnights guards as a part of pre-ventive measures. It is time forthe police to focus attention tocurtail the increasing cases ofburglary in the city.

Thefts not only in resi-dential areas but also in com-mercial establishments havebeen reported. Specially con-stituted patrolling squadsshould be been deployed underthe limits Police Stations,”noted a local resident.

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Working on a tip-offBokaro police arrested

the fifth criminal involved inthe SBI ‘locker break’ incidentoccurred on 26 December 2016night at State Bank of India,Administrative Buildingbranch at Bokaro Steel City.

Md Akhtar a member ofan inter-State thief ’s gang wasarrested from Sector 1 RamMandir market on the tip-offand sent to jail, police said.“Later after the order of CJM

we have taken Akhtar onremand for three days for fur-ther investigation,” he added.

Akhtak is a resident ofHouse No. 23, Mothertalla,Howrah West Bengal. Herushed to Bokaro and wants tosurrender in the court butpolice arrested him before. Hewas also involved in the SBIlocker break incident, said MMPrasad Sinha, Officer-in-chargeof City Police station Bokaro.

In the ‘locker break’ inci-dent, thieves escaped with orna-ments and valuables over 8crore rupees after breaking the76 lockers of the bank onChristmas holiday. Out of 76lockers, four were empty,informed the police.

After the incident, Bokaropolice announced a reward of �1 lakh for those who provide rel-evant information about thegang who stolen ornamentsand valuables from the bank’slocker. Later on 2 January twomembers of the gang GhisuGhosh and Md Salim Sekh, theresident of Rajmahal police sta-tion of Sahabganj were arrestedand police recovered two goldchains and � 87 thousand cashfrom their possession. Afterfew days police also arrestedJitender the third member of thegang from Sahabganj and JavedAnsari the fourth one fromHowrah, police said.

“Hunt for the kingpin ofthe gang Hasan Chikna and onemore are on,” said Kartik S SPBokaro.

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Sarhul, a tribal festival dedi-cated to mother earth was

observed with great gaiety andfanfare across the coal andsteel belt (Dhanbad-Bokaro) ofJharkhand on Tuesday. Peopleadorned red and white flags,decked-up akharas and young-sters dancing to the beats ofNagara, Mandar and Flute onthe occasion.

Huge numbers of peopleconverged to participate in thefestival at several spots in thetwo districts celebrated to wor-ship nature. Tribal youths intheir vibrant best, complete

with headgear, joined the pro-cession that concluded at themain Sarna Sthal to seek bless-ings in Bokaro and Dhanbad.

Seeing festivity districtspolice have decided to put duocities in foolproof security cover.On the direction of higher-ups, high alert has been declaredin the duo districts. Cops areinstructed to tackle all theadverse situations and keepstrong security arrangementsduring prepossession. Patrollinghas been intensified to avert anyuntoward incidents in the duodistrict, the police official said.

Display of arms has beenbanned during procession; saleof liquors also has been banned,said an official. “Cops alsoasked to keep vigil on anti-socialelements including mobike rid-ers inside the city as well as onthe entry point in the cities,” headded.

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More than 45 members ofPanchayati Raj

Institutions from Baharagoraand Chakulia blocks partici-pated in a stakeholders’ con-sultation in Baharagora onTuesday to understand theroles and responsibilities theyneed to shoulder to render theconstituency tuberculosis(TB)-Free. The meeting was led byMLA from Baharagora, KunalSarangi, who will formallykick-start the campaign for aTB-Free Baharagoraon 24March, World TB Day.REACH, a non-profit organi-sation currently leading the TBCall to Action project in sixstates including Jharkhand,organised the meeting.

“We are all making thiscommitment together and wewill collaborate to help makeBaharagoara the first con-stituency in India that is TB-Free,” said Sarangi. “Thismeans we need integratedefforts for better screening,treatment and improved treat-ment outcomes. Let us makepanchayats the basic unit tomake Baharagora TB-Free,”he said.

The declaration of a TB-Free Constituency is a uniquestep in India and echoes thecountry’s commitment to elim-inating TB by 2025. The effortsof various stakeholders, includ-

ing Panchayat and Ward rep-resentatives, HealthDepartment, EducationDepartment and SocialWelfare Departments are vitalin achieving this vision.

Stakeholder representa-tives present at the meetingagreed on the need for greaterawareness on TB and identifiedtangible ways to engage withthe community to end stigmaassociated with the disease.The Mukhiya of Baharagora,

Pansari Handsa pointed outthe necessity of orientationon TB related schemes of thegovernment so that the publiccan avail the services that areavailable.

Participants at the meet-ing also took a decision to pre-pare an annual calendar forawareness meetings in theconstituency with targetedcheck-up camps in certainareas. The roles of other stake-holders such as various local

clubs and Corporate SocialResponsibility initiativeswerealso discussed.

All thosepresent pledgedtheir commitment to workingwith Mr Sarangi and REACHin the coming year to bring vis-ible changes in TB notifica-tions, treatment outcomes andservices.

The MLA will formallyf lag off the TB-FreeBaharagora campaign at ameeting on March 24.

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Afarmer’s son in Giridih hasgrabbed AIR-8 in the pres-

tigious GATE exam. 20-yearold Salu Kumar, a resident ofBengabad block of Giridih dis-trict has made his parentsproud with the achievement.His parents from poor eco-nomic background were toilinghard to fund his education atIIT ,Gawahati.

Born in a poor farmerfamily and with limitedresources to fund his highereducation, Salu right from thestart knew that he would neverbe able to have facilities that hisbatch mates could avail like pri-vate tuition and tutorials tocrack engineering exams.

As soon as the GATE resultwas announced it was like adream come true. March 16brought smiles and happiness to

Kumar who secured an all Indiarank of 8 in GATE 2018 forphysical, inorganic and organic.Salu Kumar a budding Msc inChemistry at IIT Gawahatispoke to about his preparationstrategies, time managementand difficulties faced duringpreparation. He stressed on theneed to keep one’s fundamentalsstrong while studying in collegeand focusing more on important

topics rather than the entire syl-labus.

Salu secured 79 per cent inboth for his X and XII fromBengabad High school, Giridihand Inter science college,Hazaribagh and also toppedVinoba Bhave University forchemistry and took admission atIIT Gawahati to pursue hismaster degree.

“I think GATE difficulty lev-

els are seeing a drop each year.So we have relatively easy papersleading to high GATE cutoffs.But an easy paper doesn’t meanyou take it easy. You will have tocover the entire GATE syllabusand leave no stone upturned tobe successful, said Kumar.

Recalling his journey so farhe said that his father is smallfarmer. “My elder brother is anauto- rickshaw driver andyounger one is a salesman. I amthe only sibling to have reachedthis far,” he added.

He said that his youngerbrother had to quit his studies tosupport his education was per-haps the biggest sacrifice madeby his family .

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Honing the skills of youthsthrough the ambitious

Skill Development programme,Jharkhand Skill DevelopmentMission Society (JSDMS) isgearing up for the mega WorldSkill-2019 event. The mainevent will be organized atKazan, Russia ensuring theparticipation of some of thebest brains from across theglobe.

Through district level andState level competitions, JSDMS

will select the top contenderswho will represent Jharkhandcompeting with the other com-petent counterparts at a nation-al level contest. JSDMS in thefirst phase beginning from April4 to April 6 will organize a dis-trict level competition. Theselected candidates showcas-ing their best skills will berewarded �25,000 while therunner up contestants will get �11, 000.

The selected contestantswill compete in the State levelcompetition presenting a moresignificant approach in a fewselected traits under JSDMS’sdistrict and State level compe-titions. The State level compe-tition will be organised on April25 and April 26. The winners ofthe State level contest will

receive prize money of � 51,000whereas the runner up will getRs. 21,000.

As many as 15 trades havebeen selected by the JSDMS forthe district and State level com-petitions. All interested candi-dates can leave a mark throughtheir skills in bakery, cooking,beauty therapy, fashion tech-nology, electrical installation,restaurant service, welding,CNC Turning, CNC Milling,Automobile Technicians,Autobody Repair, Car Painting,Plastic Die Engineer,Mechanical Engineering CAD.

Those candidates winningthe skill challenge at a State levelcompetition will get opportu-nity to showcase their expertiseat a regional level contest con-ceptualised and conceived by

‘India Skills’. The winning can-didates of regional level com-petition will be awarded cashprize of �1,01,000 while the run-ner up candidates will get �51,000.

The final round akaNational level contest to test theabilities of the best selectedcontestants will be organised by‘India Skills’ and the lucky con-testants presenting the best con-cept in the defined traits will beget a chance to rub their shoul-ders at an intercontinental podi-um ‘World Skills-2019’ compe-tition representing India.

Youths who are born onJanuary 1, 1997 and after, hav-ing AADHAR card (UIDAI) areeligible to participate in the con-test being organised at the dis-trict and State level.

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The Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Health on

Tuesday rejected theGovernment’s proposal to allowpractitioners of alternative med-icine to deal in modern medi-cines but approved replacingthe corruption-ridden MedicalCouncil of India (MCI) with aNational Medical Commission.

In its much awaited reporton the National MedicalCommission Bill-which moots acommission to replace the MCI-the panel rejected cross-disci-pline permissions, and called forcriminal action against medicalprofessionals who practise with-out requisite qualifications.

Among the panel’s sugges-tions-made in an attempt to curbcorruption that is witnessed inthe MCI-is that all NMC mem-bers should declare in advancetheir conflict of interests as wellas personal assets.

The panel headed by RajyaSabha member Ram GopalYadav said the ‘bridge course’,proposed in the NMC Bill, toallow practitioners of alternativemedicines such as homoeopa-thy and ayurveda to practiseallopathy, should not be madea mandatory provision.

Noting that every state hasits own specific healthcarechallenges, the panel recom-mended that the state govern-ments may implement mea-sures to enhance the capacity ofexisting healthcare profession-als, including AYUSH practi-tioners, B.Sc (Nursing), BDS,B.Pharma and others to addresstheir specific primary health-care issues in rural areas.

The panel also suggestedthat the central governmentshould consider using theMBBS final year examinationsto assess medical graduatesinstead of conducting exitexaminations as suggested in theBill, and let also allow states toconduct the examination.

Although panel generallyapproved of replacing the MCIwith a new body, it said that thereplacement commission should

have a higher elected componentthan the one the Bill proposes.

It also recommendedmandatory rural posting for allMBBS doctors and prescribinga period of compulsory workingin the country for Indian med-ical graduates and postgraduatesto prevent them from leavingimmediately after graduation.

The NMC Bill, 2017, whichseeks to replace the existingapex medical education regu-lator, the Medical Council ofIndia (MCI), with a new body,

was moved by the governmentin Parliament on December 29.

Following opposition fromthe medical fraternity over dif-ferent provisions of the proposedlegislation, one of which was the‘bridge course’, the Bill wasreferred to the ParliamentaryStanding Committee.

The panel, however,acknowledged the need tobuild the capacity of existinghuman resources in the health-care sector, to address shortageof professionals.

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Minister of State for Health, Ashwini Kumar Choubey onTuesday released the manual on oral health promotion for

health workers and schoolteachers with an aim to promote basicoral healthcare and prevent common dental diseases.

At an event here to mark the World Oral Health Day,Choubey said that “It’s high time that good oral hygiene becomesa social movement- Jan Abhiyaan. We need to educate childrenright at the beginning for good oral health so that they canbecome our health ambassadors.”

While manual for health workers guide the frontline work-ers in identifying oral diseases and their duties, the manual forschool teachers aims at enhancing the role of teachers and theschool environment in child health, said Union HealthSecretary Preeti Sudan.

Dr OP Kharbanda, Head of the Centre for Dental Educationand Research, AIIMS, Delhi said such manuals are the need ofthe hour given that oral and dental diseases are widely preva-lent in India. “Though not life-threatening, these diseases arevery painful, expensive to treat and affect quality of life. But theseare to a great extent preventable,” he pointed out.

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Against the backdrop of Parliament notbeing able to function smoothly, a

group of about 10 Opposition parties onTuesday alleged that the Government wasnot interested in running the House andwanted to “bypass” legislative scrutiny.

The Congress alleged a “conspiracy”aimed at avoiding discussion on crucialissues including the bank scams. Tuesdaywas the 12th day in a row that Parliamenthas not functioned and the current stale-mate has entered the third week.

Leaders of Congress, TMC, BSP, SP,NCP, DMK, CPI, CPI-M and JMM dis-cussed the crisis in the chamber of Leaderof Opposition in Rajya Sabha GhulamNabi Azad. Azad said while oppositionparties wanted various issues of nationalimportance to be discussed in Parliament,the government showed no inclination ofreaching out to the opposition to resolvethe current impasse.

“The entire opposition holds that theGovernment is responsible for the impasseand for not taking any interest in the func-tioning of Parliament. So, they are runningaway from the issues. The government isrunning away from debate. They, as a mat-ter of fact, do not want to discuss theissues; they are very scared of the bankscam. They are very much scared. Theyknow that they have no face to face thepublic of India and are scared to discussthis issue on the floor of House. They arenot interested in running or in function-ing of the House,” Azad said.

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India’s National Cultural AudioVisual Archives (NCAA), rep-

resenting the country’s culturaldiversity in audio-visual form,has been certified as the world’sfirst trusted digital repository asper ISO 16363:2012 standard bythe UK-based PrimaryTrustworthy Digital RepositoryAuthorisation Body Ltd. (PTAB).

Launched in 2014, theNCCA, which is hosted by theIndira Gandhi National Centrefor the Arts (IGNCA), aims toidentify and preserve the cul-tural heritage of India availablein audiovisual form through aprocess of digitisation and mak-ing it accessible to the people.

Over 23,000 hours ofunpublished audiovisualrecordings have already beendigitised. By the March-end, acorpus of 30,000 hours ofunpublished, non-commercialaudio & video recordings willbe made online athttp://ncaa.gov.in/repository,out of which approximately15,000 hours are already host-ed online along with contextualmetadata, said a senior officialfrom the Culture Ministry.

The NCAA pilot digitalrepository was developed incollaboration with the Centreof Excellence for DigitalPreservation by C-DAC, Pune.

This is being done as thesematerials of historic values arein imminent danger of beinglost in the absence of system-atic and modern preservationtechnologies, lack of awarenessand proper upkeep, as well asthe fragility of the medium theyare stored in, said the official.

He said that plans for thenext phase is to integrate aboutthree lakh hours of audiovisu-als materials, a corpus estimat-ed based on a scoping surveyconducted in 25 cities across thecountry, on this platform overthe next five years.

The Minister of State for

Culture, Dr Mahesh Sharmasaid, “I congratulate IGNCA forthis remarkable achievement.The Digital India initiative ofthe Prime Minister, aimed atconnecting rural India withhigh-speed internet networks

and improving digital literacywill boost the accessibility ofthe NCAA up to the remotestcorner of the country and helppreserve India’s rich culturethroughout its length andbreadth.”

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The Ministries of Agriculture and SkillDevelopment on Tuesday signed a pact to

conduct programmes for training in farm andallied sectors at 690 Krishi Vigyan Kendras(KVKs) across the country.

“We have entered an MoU with the skill devel-opment Ministry to intensify the pace of skill devel-opment in 690 Krishi Vikas Kendras country-wideby training agricultural workforce,” UnionAgriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said.“About 40 per cent of the country’s workforce islinked to agricultural knowledge activities. The

government aims to double farmers’ income,”Union Skill Development & EntrepreneurshipMinister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

However, without skill upgradation, this isnot possible. There are rapid technologicalstrides in the agriculture sector, therefore,upskilling is needed, he added.

He said the skill development ministry hadappealed to the agriculture ministry to linkskilling initiatives with the Indian Council ofAgricultural Research, Animal Husbandry,Agricultural Universities, seed market logisticsand cold chains, and will intensify structuralengagement in the future.

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Aday after the EnforcementDirectorate, the main pros-

ecuting agency CBI also onTuesday moved the Delhi HighCourt challenging the trial courtorder acquitting former telecomMinister A Raja, DMK MPKanimozhi and others in the 2Gscam case. The matter wasmentioned before a bench ofActing Chief Justice Gita Mittaland Justice C Hari Shankar byAdditional Solicitor General(ASG) Tushar Mehta, who isalso the new Special PublicProsecutor in the 2G cases.The court allowed it to be list-ed for hearing on Wednesdaybefore Justice SP Garg.

The special court had onDecember 21 last year acquit-ted Raja, Kanimozhi and oth-ers in the cases registered by theCentral Bureau of Investigation(CBI) and the ED. Both agen-cies in their appeal contested

the trial court judgment byarguing that the Special JudgeOP Saini “totally erred” and“took casual approach” in look-ing into the concrete evidencesof violation of telecom guide-lines and �200 crore moneytrails to DMK run KalaignarTV from accused telecom com-pany owners.

CBI and ED also argued intheir appeal that many crucialwitnesses and witnesses deposedbefore Magistrates under Section164 of CrPC were also “ignored”by the trial court judge. Theagencies said that the proofsprovided by them were wellappreciated by Supreme Courtwhich cancelled the illegal 122licenses allotted by then TelecomMinister A.Raja.

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Union Minister and LokJanshakti Party (LJP) chief

Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesdaydismissed as “unthinkable”suggestions that his alliancewith the BJP is under strain andasserted that Narendra Modiwill remain the Prime Ministerafter the next Lok Sabha polls.

Paswan, in his recent com-ments in Bihar, was critical ofsome BJP leaders’ alleged com-munal statements, and hadadvised the party to take alongall sections of society, setting offspeculation about his futureplans.

“The NDA is not in anydifficulty. I had earlier said thatthere is no vacancy for thePrime Minister’s post in 2019.Narendra Modi is and willremain the prime minister.The NDA will remain intact,”

the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)president said.

He also made light of thetalk about a federal front, say-ing meetings keep happening“but nothing comes out ofthem”, and referred to the failedattempt to unite the ‘JanataParivar’ . Asked about specu-lation on his party’s futureplans, Paswan said any suchsuggestion is unthinkable. Partysources said BJP general sec-retary Bhupendra Yadav, whois also Bihar in-charge, had metPaswan following his recentcomments.

The Dalit leader has oftenswitched sides in the pastbefore elections and ended upwith the winning combina-tion. To a question about con-troversial statements of someBJP leaders, including a Unionminister, in Bihar, he said thegovernment had done a lot forDalits and minorities and itsefforts should be directed athighlighting them.

Paswan was recently criti-cal of a section of BJP leadersDeputy Chief Minister SushilModi, Nand Kishore Yadavand Shahnawaz Hussain fromBihar.

He also mocked theCongress for its attack on theBJP following the reverses inrecent by-polls, saying theopposition party was celebrat-ing the loss of its deposit inseats like Gorakhpur andPhulpur.

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India on Tuesday issuedanother Note Verbale to the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs ofPakistan through its HighCommission in Islamabad withregard to continuing incidentsof harassment and intimidationof officials and staff membersof its High Commission.

Sources said, in a freshincident on Tuesday, the vehi-cles of Deputy HighCommissioner, MilitaryAttaché, Air Attaché and NavalAttaché were aggressively tailedon motorbikes in close prox-imity within a threatening dis-tance, while coming from res-idence to Chancery and goingback from Chancery to resi-dence. Besides, staff membersof the High Commissionreceived unsolicited and objec-tionable calls from Pakistanregistered numbers on theirphones 5-6 times sinceMonday.

Sources added anotherdiplomat of Indian HighCommission while going toAustralian High Commission

for a meeting was aggressivelyfollowed by two people. Inaddition, the website of theIndian High Commission con-tinued to be blocked affectingnormal functioning of theMission.

“Such incidents of harass-ment, intimidation and threatsto physical security of diplo-mats and officials are in viola-tion of the Vienna Conventionon Diplomatic Relations of1961, and a threat to the secu-rity and safety of the personnelof the High Commission ofIndia. We have requestedPakistan to immediately inves-tigate all these incidents anddirect the relevant authoritiesto ensure that such incidents donot recur. Results of the inves-tigations may kindly be sharedwith the High Commission,”sources said.

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Mehul Choksi, promoter ofGitanjali Gems who is

wanted by the CBI in relationto the over �13,000 crorePunjab National Bank (PNB)fraud case, has refused to jointhe investigating agency. Hesaid that the manner in whichthe allegations have been exag-gerated has left him “com-pletely defenseless”, adding thathe fears for his safety. Choksisaid that he he was “helplessand information-less” on theongoing investigation. Hepointed that the issues raised byhim earlier remained unan-swered making his “fear ofsafety rise to extreme levels”.The Gitanjali Gems promoteralso blamed the media for con-ducting “trial by itself ” andblowing “each and every issueout of proportion”.

In a two page letter to theCBI dated March 16, Choksisaid he was extremely held upin his business abroad andwas working hard to resolvesthe issues it is facing due to the“unnecessary closure of busi-ness in India” due to “untenable

allegations”. Choksi denied hewas a partner of Diamond RUS, Stellar Diamond and SolarExports. “I am neither a part-ner (of these firms) nor do Ihave any kind of associationwith the three concerns,” theletter read.

Choksi, promoter ofGitanjali Gems, had earlierwritten a similar letter to CBI,in which he had said that hewas facing threats from peoplewho he had business relationswith. Earlier this month, theCBI wrote another letter toaccused Mehul Choksi andNirav Modi telling them thatthey are obliged to join theinvestigation. Adding that theagency is not convinced bytheir excuses, the CBI saidthat both Choksi and Modihave not disclosed their loca-tion despite repeatedly askingthem to do so.

Responding to CBI’s letter,Choksi said,” At the outset, Iwish to bring to your kindattention that till date theRegional Passport Office hasnot communicated with meand my passport continues toremain suspended.

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The Union Home Ministrywill examine in detail the

Karnataka Government’s rec-ommendation to grant reli-gious minority tag to theLingayat and VeerashaivaLingayat community as andwhen it receives the proposal.The Home Ministry is expect-ed to forward the proposal tothe Registrar General & CensusCommissioner for a detailedexamination and suggestions.

The central Government’sreaction came a day after theCongress Government in poll-bound Karnataka decided torecommend that religiousminority tag be granted to thenumerically strong and politi-cally-influential Lingayat andVeerashaiva Lingayat community.

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Anguished over disruptions in theworking of the Rajya Sabha,

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has can-celled a dinner he was to host for mem-bers of the Upper House on Wednesdayeven as BJP MP Manoj Tiwari wrote toLok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan ask-ing for salary cuts for MPs when no con-structive work happens in Parliament.

According to sources, preparations forNaidu’s dinner were completed last weekand invitation cards were kept ready withsome of them also dispatched. Naidu hadspoken to the President, the PrimeMinister, the Leader of the House, theLeader of Opposition and floor leaders ofvarious parties whom he had invited.

Naidu had expected the House pro-ceedings would normalise on Tuesday.

At a meeting with the floor leaders ofvarious parties in his chamber, the RSChairman conveyed anguish over theongoing stalemate in the House andinformed them of his decision to cancelthe dinner. Naidu was of the view that itwould not be appropriate to go ahead withthe dinner with the House not function-ing for over two weeks, the sources said.

Naidu had on many occasions main-tained in the Rajya Sabha that bankingissues need to be discussed and that theGovernment too has agreed. Law MinisterRavi Shankar Prasad and Minister of Statefor Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel hadsaid that the Government had since day

one stated that it is prepared for any dis-cussion.

Naidu had planned an AndhraPradesh special dinner, with specialistcooks called from the state. It is learnt thathe also refused to inaugurate a badmintontournament for Members of Parliamentat the Constitution Club last week.

For his part, in his letter addressed toMahajan, Tiwari wrote that he is painedby the ‘unprecedented chaos in theHouse resulting in loss of valuable timeof the Parliament.’ He called for ‘No WorkNo Pay’ system to be enforced. “I pro-pose deducting the salary of MPs for theirfailure to engage in any constructivework,” he wrote highlighting that publicrepresentatives are ‘running away fromtheir responsibilities’.

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Seven lakh ghost artisansand close to 500 fake Khadi

Institutions (KI), that’s whathave been the discovery due tothe Aadhaar-seeded paymentof subsidy directly into thebank accounts of Khadi arti-sans. As a result, the Khadi andVillage Industries Commission(KVIC) has saved �153 cr thatwould have gone to the ghostartisans and the KIs in the lasttwo fiscals.

After the implementationof ‘Digital India’ doctrine ofPrime Minister NarendraModi, KIs which were claim-ing subsidy on inflated numberof artisans from the KVIC,were in for a big shock. WhenKVIC made use of Aadhaarmandatory for Khadi institu-tions following complaintsabout fraud in subsidy pay-ment, it produced astonishingresults.

In FY 2015-16, subsidy ofaround �316 crore was given toaltogether 1,918 Khadi institu-tions. After the implementationof online Direct BenefitTransfer (DBT) system throughAadhar-seeded bank accountsin January 2016, the subsidyamount was reduced to �172crore for 1,759 institutions inthe next fiscal 2016-17. In thepresent fiscal 2017-18, theKVIC has disbursed �163 crore

among 1,413 institutions.Subsidy is calculated at 30

percent of prime cost of pro-duction. Out of this eligibleamount, 40 percent is paid tothe Khadi-producing institu-tions, 40 percent to the artisans,and remaining 20 percent tothose same institutions for giv-ing discounts to customers.

“The KVIC ranks andfiles - right from CVO, direc-tors and members- were askedto move in the field to verifythe artisans. The scrutinyrevealed that hundreds ofKhadi institutions claimed

subsidy for non-existing arti-sans and pocketed huge sumsof money for artisans in thelast 10-odd years,” said KVICChairman Vinai KumarSaxena.

“This meticulous exercisehas weeded out almost 7 lakhfake artisans as the number ofregistered number of artisanswas found 4.6 lakh instead ofinflated 11.6 lakh, therebyreducing the subsidy burden onthe Government worth �152crore. Not only that, the num-ber of KIs, who claimed subsidy(MDA) has also come down to

1423 in current FY till 13thMarch 2018 from 1759 in FY2016-17 and 1918 in 2015-16.”Saxena said.

The Chairman said theKVIC has zero-tolerance policyon corruption and transparen-cy in all transactions is its toppriority. “We introduced onlineDirect Benefit Transfer (DBT)system through Aadhaar-seed-ed bank accounts in January2016. Now we have genuine arti-sans who are registered with uson online portal. ThisSwachchata Abhiyaan has led tocreation of genuine data of arti-sans as well as the Khadi insti-tutions; an exercise not attempt-ed earlier. Hence, in our clean-up operation, imaginary num-ber of artisans has been broughtto the real numbers.”

The Minister of MSMEGiriraj Singh said that variousschemes of the KVIC havebeen digitalized in the past andthe Commission has alwayspreferred to be transparent inits modus operandi. “KVIChas entered the new digital eraon March 1 this year, with theimplementation of theIntegrated FinancialManagement System (IFMS)under SAP platform. The ERPenables real-time transactionaccounting, budgetary controland reconciliation systems,connecting all its field offices,”he said.

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Congress president Rahul Gandhion Tuesday in his third visit to

costal and Malnad region continuedhis scathing attack on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. Poll bound Karnatakais experiencing a new political anal-ogy between the Congress and the BJPas the State is important to both ofthem.

In Padubidre in costal district ofUdupi, Rahul said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is “insulting” thecommon man by claiming credit forIndia’s progress. He also accused theBJP of dividing people despite its talkof dharma.

In his continued tirade againstModi, Rahul accused him (PM) offavouring big businesses men bywaiving their loans while ignoringfarmers.

He said,”Wherever NarendraModi goes he says in the last 70 yearsnothing has happened. He is insult-ing your parents, poor farmers,labourers, small businessmen of India”.“If this country stands as equal toother countries of the world today, ithas not happened in two years. It hastaken years of time, sweat and bloodof common people. Modi shouldstop insulting the common man,” he

added.“BJP people talk about dharma,

but wherever they go, they divide peo-ple by pitting one against the other. Onone side they praise Basavanna andNarayana Guru (social reformers),and on the other every day theyindulge in things that these two greatpeople fought against,” he said.

Congress chief is visiting Udupi,

Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru(the place gave political re birth to latePM Indira Gandhi), which have astrong BJP presence. He is also visit-ing Hassan district the strong hold andhome district of former PrimeMinister and Janata Dal (Secular)supremo HD Deve Gowda.

Congress leader said five majorbanks originated in Udupi district, and

said the Congress party’s idea behindthat was to take banks to people, andblamed the Modi Government formounting non-performing assets(NPAs).

He said “We took banks to vil-lages, but if you see today there areNPAs worth lakhs of crore of rupeesof rich people.” “About 10-15 rich per-sons of India have taken away your �8

lakh crore. In the last few years, BJPhas waived �2.5 lakh crore loanstaken by 15 rich people... but when afarmer asks for loan waiver NarendraModi and Arun Jaitley (FinanceMinister) say it is not our policy,” headded.”Narendra Modi speaks aboutBasavanna and Narayana Guru. Iwant to ask him a question. You speakabout Basavanna and Narayana Guru,then why do you differentiate betweenrich and poor?” he said.

Rahul Gandhi who is trying toimitate his new found theory of softHindutva after Gujarat has been hasvisiting religious places during hiselection tours. This time also accord-ing to his itinerary he will pay obei-sance at Gokarnatheswara Temple,Rosario Church, Ullal Dargah,Sringeri Sharadamba Temple andalso Sringeri Mutt. He will also meetthe Shankaracharya of the Sringeri Mutt.

Rahul Gandhi said,” Modi hadmade three main promises beforecoming to power. He had promisedbring back black money and deposit�15 lacs to every Indian’s account. Butfour years have passed his promiseremains unfulfilled and he has failedto deposit even �15.”

The Assembly elections in thestate are likely in April-May.

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Campaigning for the by-election to be held soon in

the Chengannur Assemblyconstituency in Kerala hasgathered momentum with thestart of election conventionsand candidates, top leadersand workers of all the threepolitical fronts intensifyingelectioneering exercise despitethe fact that the ElectionCommission is yet to announcethe schedule for the by-poll.

The CPI(M)-led rulingLDF, the death of whose sittingmember KK RamachandranNair on January 14 necessi-tated the by-election, onTuesday took an early lead informal electioneering by beingthe first front to hold con-stituency convention thoughthe BJP-led NDA was the firstto finalize the candidate sever-al days ago.

The Congress-ledOpposition UDF, which hadwon the seat in five consecutiveelections since 1991 and had

lost it to the CPI(M) in the lastelection, will hold its conven-tion on Thursday. The BJP-ledNDA which hopes to spring asurprise in the constituency inthe by-poll is yet to decide thedate of its convention due tosome “minor” intra-allianceproblems.

“Electioneering for the by-poll has already reached sucha high pitch that one can’tbelieve that the schedule for hasnot been announced so far,”said Pramod Kumar, a graph-ic artist who designs bannersand boards for printing units inChengannur. “I can say for cer-tain that the spirit in all threecamps is far more intense thanthat seen during the 2016 Stateelection,” he said.

The LDF has fielded as itscandidate Saji Cherian, theCPI(M)’s district secretary inAlappuzha, while the UDF’snominee is senior Congressleader D Vijayakumar, a nativeof the constituency. The NDA’scandidate is former State BJPpresident PS Sreedharan Pillai

who had in the last electionincreased the party’s votes inthe seat to 42,682 from themere 6,062 in 2011.

Though the by-electionwill have no impact on theState’s administration as theLDF already has a comfortablyhuge majority in the Assembly,all the three fronts are consid-ering it as a significant politi-cal exercise as they think thatits outcome could be a point-er to how things may shape upin the general elections duenext year.

“We definitely have a clear

edge because of the good thingsthe State Government led byChief Minister Pinarayi Vijayanhas done for the entire State inthese two years and, moreimportantly, the many greatprojects Ramachandran Nairhad brought to Chengannur.The vote here will be for car-rying forward those develop-ment programmes,” says SajiCherian.

Tuesday saw ShobhanaGeorge, who had representedChengannur in the Assemblyfor the Congress for 15 years,sharing the dais of the LDF’s

election convention withPinarayi and other communiststo seek votes for Saji. The LDFthinks that Shobhana, a nativeof Chengannur who wasestranged from the Congress afew years ago, can attractChristian votes for its candi-date.

The UDF claims that theby-poll result will reflect thepeople’s response to the per-formance records of both theLDF regime in Kerala and theNDA Government in theCentre. “The CPI(M)’s politi-cal violence, the LDF’s liquorpolicy that intends to drownthe State in booze, the Pinarayiregime’s inefficiency, etc arealready big issues here,” said aUDF campaign manager.

Observers say that a slow-down has of late affected theBJP’s campaigning, which hadstarted in high spirits almosttwo weeks ago, probably due tothe disputes in the party overwhether to rope in the KeralaCongress (M), Church-backedparty of tainted former minis-

ter KM Mani to the front andthe problems in the relationshipwith ally Bharat Dharma JanaSena (BDJS).

However, signs of recon-ciliation came in from theparty on Tuesday with formerState BJP president VMuraleedharan, who had beenopposing the idea of seekingKC(M)’s help, announcing thatthe NDA would accept votesfrom all sections after candidateSreedharan Pillai reportedlylodged a complaint againsthim with the leadership.

The BDJS, a party ofKerala’s majority communityoutfits, had last week decidednot to support the NDA can-didate as it felt that the BJP hadfailed to fulfill the promisesmade to it.

A meeting of theChengannur constituencycommittee on Monday hadratified this decision. However,efforts for reconciliation are onand the BJP hopes that theBDJS would drop its intransi-gence.

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Asudden spurt of commu-nally loaded incidents in

some parts of Bihar has causedconcern among people andalarmed Chief Minister NitishKumar to the extent that he hadto declare publicly that hewould not compromise withdivisive forces similarly as hedid not compromise with thecorruption. The corruptionreference was to the RJD and itschief Lalu Prasad with whomNitish severed ties in July last.

The CM’s stern remarks areviewed as a warning to a sec-tion of the BJP who are allegedto be playing nasty games andprovoking social tension.

In the communally sensi-tive Bhagalpur violence brokeout on Sunday and Mondayafter an “unauthorised” pro-cession was taken out inNathnagar to mark the begin-ning of the Hindu new yearwhich was led by Arjit Shaswatwho is son of Union Ministerof State for Health AshwiniKumar Choubey. Earlier com-munal tension prevailed inAraria and Darbhanga. Eachincident was alleged to havepolitical backing. Nathnagarpolice filed an FIR namingjunior Choubey and 500unnamed people for taking

out procession without per-mission and raising provocativeslogans.

Nitish’s statement in thebackdrop of the recent inci-dents that brought his admin-istration under sharp attackmight not go down well withthe BJP and particularlyChoubey. But this public state-ment came after he was beingaccused of keeping mum overthe social disturbances becauseBJP men were involved inthem.

“I will never compromisewith elements trying to createcommunal disturbances anddivide the society and myGovernment will definitelytake action against them,” hesaid in reference to theBhagalpur incident. In anoblique reference to Choubeyand another MoS GirirajSingh’s recent remarks he saidsome people have a habit tomake objectionable commentsbut his Government never sup-ported them. In the same vein,however, the CM praised hisdeputy and senior BJP leaderSushil Kumar Modi. Nitishnever had friendly relationswith Choubey and Singh evenas both served as Ministers inhis cabinet.

“We have established ruleof law and will never compro-

mise on this. There are somepeople who are trying to createsocial hatred but we will frus-trate their designs with the sup-port of the people and alertnessof our administration,” Nitishsaid while referring to a mur-der and social tension inDarbhanga a few days back. Hesaid the murder of the father ofa BJP activist was committeddue to land dispute and notbecause of naming any square

after PM Modi. In Araria, soon after the

results of the bypoll to the LokSabha seat was declared infavour of the RJD, a video wentviral which showed three peo-ple raising pro Pakistan slogans.This video also created socialtension.

RJD leader Tejashwi PrasadYadav, however, blamed Nitish’sweakness for such ugly inci-dents and said BJP leaders like

Choubey, Giriraj Singh andNityanand Rai made provoca-tive statements publicly butthe Government could nottake any action which, he said,showed that Nitish had nocourage to take on “divisive”elements.

“The claim of rule of law isonly a sham. If he has couragehe should take on communalelements who are roamingfreely,” he said.

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Four unidentified terrorists have been killed in a prolongedgun-battle in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday

while a soldier, part of a road opening party, shot himself deadin south Kashmir’s Qazigund pocket.

Sources said that a fierce gun-battle erupted between ter-rorists and security forces in Arampora-Helmatpora clusterin north Kashmir’sKupwara district onTuesday afternoon.In the initial gun-fight two terroristswere ki l led. Thesecurity forces havecordoned off a vastarea and plugged allentry and exit routestowards theencounter site. Twomore terrorists werekilled in subsequentgunfight.

“Encounter is inprogress. So far fourterrorists have beenkil led,” Srinagar-based defenses p o k e s p e r s o nColonel Rajesh Kaliasaid.

Meanwhile, asoldier posted insouth Kashmir committed suicide after shooting himself withservice rifle. The soldier identified as Kulwinder Singh waspart of a road opening party on Srinagar-Jammu Nationalhighway. The reasons for taking extereme step were not imme-diately known.

“A case has been registered and investigation taken up,”police said.

The incidents of soldiers committing suicide have againoccurred in Kashmir during past two months after the trendhad significantly been arrested. Officials say that the soldiersperform duties under tremendous psychological pressure. TheArmy had taken a slew of measures to de-stress the soldiers.

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Suburban train services onthe Central Railway ground

to a halt in north-central andnorth-eastern Mumbai fornearly three and a half hours onTuesday morning affecting4.5 million commuters, after“300 to 400” railway appren-tices resorted to a violent “railroko” agitation between Dadarand Matunga railway stations,demanding jobs.

The protesters indulged inintense stone throwing at policepersonnel who resorted to lathi-charge to quell the rioting mobs.Eleven police constables wereinjured in the stone-throwingindulged in by the agitators.

The agitating railwayapprentices took the CentralRailway authorities by sur-prise, as they squatted on thetracks at 7.15 am and blockedtrains for the next three and ahalf hours on both Up anddown directions between theDadar and Matunga railwaystations in north-centralMumbai.

Soon after the police per-sonnel tried to remove thesquatting students from therailway tracks, the agitators

hurled stones at them.However, the police managedto remove the squatting railwayapprentices from the railwaytracks at around 10.30 am.The services were restored onthe affected track at around10.45 am. Apart from bringingto a standstill the suburbantrain services on the CentralRailway, the flash agitation bythe railway apprentices alsoaffected the movement of thelong-distance train services.

Given that the railwayapprentices had resorted to“rail roko” during morningpeak hours, lakhs of office-goers were stranded at manyplaces en route to southMumbai where a majority ofgovernment offices, privatefirms and business establish-ments exist.

In all, 45 lakh commuterstravel by the main suburbanline of the Central Railwayevery day.

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The political developmentsin Andhra Pradesh and

ruling TDP’s move to quit theNDA over the denial of specialcategory status has compelledBihar Chief Minister NitishKumar to explain his positionand claim that he has notcompromised over thedemand for special categorystatus to Bihar. For the last twodays Nitish, also the JD(U)chief, is trying to rebut theOpposition charges that heafter joining the NDA wasgoing soft on this demand ashe has no courage to raise the

issue before the NarendraModi led Government whichhe had been doing when theUPA was in power at Centre.

“I am neither silent norcompromised on this demand.There is no question of step-

ping back,” Nitish reiterated onTuesday addressing a functionorganised by former BiharCongress president AshokChaudhary who last weekjoined JD(U). In an attempt toinvolve Opposition too, theCM asked them to submit amemorandum to the 15thFinance Commission jointly inorder to show that not only allthe political parties but entireBihar is strongly in favour ofthis demand.

“We have raised this issuewith the Finance Commissionand I appeal to all the partiesto submit a memorandumjointly,” he said.

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Even as a Ram Rajya Rath Yatraorganised by a small organisation

entered Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morn-ing, it was exit time for the DMK, themain Opposition party, from theAssembly. The DMK members wereevicted from the House for creatingruckus while Chief Minister EdappadiPalaniswamy was speaking.

Hundreds of policemen guarded thearterial roads in Chennai as variousIslamist organisations staged a roadroko demanding a ban on the entry ofthe Yatra in the State.

Top DMK leader MK Stalin and hisassociates were arrested by police forstaging road roko at Kamarajar Salai infront of Fort Saint George, Tamil Nadu’sseat of power. They were let off aftersome time. Leaders of various Tamilchauvinist and Islamist organisationstoo courted arrest for staging demon-strations all over the State demandingthe ban on the Yatra.

By the end of the day the Yatrabecame an instant hit in Tamil Naduthanks to the 24X7 TV news channelswhich beamed its live pictures and inter-views with the hitherto unheardsanyasins in the State.

Stalin, while speaking in theAssembly demanded the immediateban on the Yatra. “This is a dangerousmove by the Central and StateGovernments. The Yatra will jeopardizethe communal harmony and secularismin Tamil Nadu. The land of Annadurai,Ramaswamy Naicker and Karunanidhihas no place for Ram Rajya,” said Stalin.

When the Chief Minister rose toreply to the charges by Stalin, the DMKmembers were on their feet and shout-ed the Chief Minister down. This madethe Speaker order the eviction of theDMK members from the House. “Wehave taken all measures to ensure

peace and harmony in the State. Certainpolitical leaders are intent on foment-ing troubles in the State. This Rath Yatrawas flagged off from Uttar Pradesh andhas crossed five States till now. Therewere no law & order problems in theseStates. We are monitoring the situationcontinuously,” said Palaniswamy.

While the DMK-led Oppositionalleged that the Ram Rath Yatra wasbeing led by VHP and admonishedthe organisation for its attempt to

divide the State, it turned out that theYatra was being led by Sree RamadassaMission Universal Society. “The yatrawas flagged off by Yogi Adityanath,the UP Chief Minister, on February13 and we have travelled across theStates of UP, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala andnow we are here in Tamil Nadu,” saidSwamy Sakthi Santha AnandaMaharishi, the national general sec-retary of the society.

Speaking to The Pioneer over tele-phone from Tenkashi in Tirunelveli dis-trict, the monk said ,the yatra is beingstaged to create an awareness about theimportance of Ramayana in the life ofan Indian. “We would like theGovernment to make Ramayana a partof the syllabus in our schools and col-leges and the establishment of RamRajya as well as the construction of theRam Temple at Ram Janmabhumi,” saidthe monk.

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Even as law makers of theAIADMK and the DMK

have been preventing bothHouses of Parliament fromfunctioning demanding theconstitution of the CauveryManagement Board as direct-ed by the Supreme Court in itsverdict, it has been disclosedthat both the parties have donenothing to sort out the Cauveryimbroglio in the past.

The DMK, which was thecrucial constituent of the UPAGovernment led by theCongress which reigned during2004 to 2013, the party has notpressurised the ManmohanSingh-led Government eitherto constitute the CMB or even

to gazette the award issued bythe Cauvery Water DisputeTribunal in February 2007.

But what is more startlingis the silence maintained by theDMK from 2004 to 2013 fromasking the Manmohan SinghGovernment to implementwhat the UPA had promisedpeople in its famous CommonMinimum Programme.

The CMP, drafted andfinalised by the pre and postpoll constituents of the UPAafter the 2004 Lok Sabha elec-tion, which saw the BJP-ledNDA Government biting thedust, had promised the elec-torate that the ManmohanSingh-led Government wouldsort out all inter-State waterdisputes at the earliest so thatfarmers all over the country

need not worry over shortageof irrigation water.

The Common MinimumProgramme drafted andfinalised by all the constituentparties of the UPAGovernment was released onMay 27, 2004, five days afterManmohan Singh was swornin as Prime Minister of thecountry. The most notable fea-ture of the CMP was the UPA’scommitment to make wateravailable 24X7 to the farming

community in the country.The section “Water

Resources” in the CMP reads:“The UPA Government willmake a comprehensive assess-ment of the feasibility of link-ing the rivers in the country,starting with the south-boundrivers. This assessment will bedone in a fully consultativemanner. It will also explore thefeasibility of linking sub-basinsof rivers in States like Bihar.The UPA will take all steps to

ensure that long-pending inter-State disputes on rivers andwater-sharing like the Cauverywaters dispute are settled ami-cably at the earliest, keeping inmind the interests of all parties

to the dispute.”Neither the DMK nor the

Congress spoke about the link-ing of rivers even once duringthe tenure of the UPAGovernment.

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Maruthappa Natarajan, 75,husband of VK Sasikala,

aide to former Chief MinisterJ Jalyalalithaa passed away in aprivate hospital in the earlyhours of Tuesday. He wasadmitted to the hospital lastweek following cardiac arrestand was on life support systemsince then.

According to the releaseissued by the hospital ‘every pos-sible clinical attempt was madeto sustain his revival. However,despite our best efforts he wasunable to recover’.

Natarajan’s mortal remainswere brought to his residence inChennai’s Besant Nagar wherea number of political leadersand cultural personalities paidhomages to him. Natarajan,popularly known as MN, was amaster strategist who played amajor role in getting Sasikalaelected as the general secretaryof the AIADMK following thedeath of Jayalalithaa inDecember 2016.

Sasikala, who is serving afour-year term in BangalorePrison following the SupremeCourt upholding the trial courtverdict in the disproportionateasset case in February 2017,could not be near her husbandwhile he breathed his last. Butshe has been granted parole for15 days.

By Tuesday, Natarajan’sbody was taken to his village inThanjaur where he would becreamated on Wednesday. MKStalin, working president of theDMK, Dravida Kazhagam pro-prietor K Veeramani, MDMKleader Vaiko, Nanjil Sampath,who quit the Sasikala faction onSaturday and a host of Dravidaoutfit leaders had gathered athis residence to pay their lastrespects.

At the time of his demise,Natarajan was under a two-yearprison sentence handed over bythe Special CBI court inChennai which was confirmedby the Madras High Court inNovember 2017. The case hasto do with the import of abrand new Lexus car by

Natarajan in 1994 whichcaused the exchequer a loss of�1.04 crore due to evasion ofimport duty.

The most touching tributesto Natarajan came from VSChandralekha, former seniorIAS officer who said that it wasbecause of him that Jayalalithaacould become the ChiefMinister. “Natarajan played acrucial role in elevatingJayalalithaa as the ChiefMinister following the demiseof MGR. That part of historycould never be forgotten,” saidChandralekha who visitedMN’s residence to pay floraltributes.

Last October, Natarajanhad undergone liver and kid-ney transplant and had recov-ered fully.

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Karnataka prison authori-ties have granted 15-days

parole to jailed AIADMKleader VK Sasikala onTuesday to attend the last ritesof her husband MaruthappaNatarajan who died in a hos-pital in Chennai on Tuesday.Natarajan died at the age of 75has played a major role inTamil Nadu politics as a back-room artist.

Sasikala is currently serv-ing a four-year imprison-ment and is lodged in highsecurity central prison atParappana Agrahara at theoutskirts of IT city Bengaluruin a disproportionate assetscase. The prison authoritieshave given 15 days emer-

gency parole to Sasikala onTuesday morning include twodays of travelling to and fromTanjavur in Tamil Naduwhere the final rites ofNatarajan is to take place.

The parole was sanc-tioned after her advocatesfiled an application followingher husband’s demise.Sasikala left the CentralPrisons on Tuesday noon byroad and is expected to reachTanjavur by night. As per theparole Sasikala has beeninstructed not to take part inany political activity or inter-act with her supporters or themedia.

She has also beeninstructed not to travel any-where outside ArulanandaNagar in Tanjavur and returnback to the prison by April 3.

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Rex Tillerson did not sufferfools gladly. He called USPresident Donald Trump a“moron” in a private conversa-tion after one meeting at the

Pentagon, and did not take the opportu-nity to deny it when a journalist askedhim in public.

In meetings with the President, hewould “roll his eyes and slouch” when-ever Trump said something he thoughtwas particularly stupid. It’s amazing thathe lasted as long as he did.

He wasn’t a very good Secretary ofState either. He gutted the StateDepartment in the name of efficiency,and large numbers of experienced diplo-mats quit in despair as he ‘downsised’ theorganisation.

His only real achievement in his 14months in office was to restrain USPresident Trump from doing some trulydangerous things like starting a majorconfrontation with Iran. But we’ll misshim now that he’s gone.

Donald Trump used to enjoy dismiss-ing people with a brutal ‘You’re fired!’when he was doing reality television, buthe seems to have problems doing it face-to-face. Tweets addressed to theworld at large are more his style, with hisactual victims left to find out from themedia. But he is getting rid of the peo-ple who question his judgement at animpressive rate: Thirty-five senior peo-ple have been fired or quit in little morethan a year.

The net effect of all this ‘turmoil’ inthe White House, unsurprisingly, hasbeen to remove most of the people whose ideas, values, or experienceand knowledge of the world led them todisagree with Trump’s obsessions, hispolicies (to the extent that he has any),or just his whims of the moment. What’sleft, for the most part, are the yes-menand women.

The most notable remaining excep-tions are the three generals who hold highpositions in the Trump Administration:His chief of staff, John Kelly, the defencesecretary, James Mattis, and the nation-al security advisor, HR McMaster. ButMcMaster is widely rumoured to be nextfor the chopping block, and even Kelly’swillingness to continue shouldering therole of senior grown-up indefinitely is tobe doubted.

The era of adult supervision in theWhite House is coming to an end, andDonald Trump is more and more “free tobe Donald.” As he said, “I’m really at apoint where we’re getting very close tohaving the Cabinet and other things thatI want.”

The Cabinet he wants is one that isentirely free from the constraints that

were initially imposed on him by theRepublican Party’s establishment.

He is a populist who cherry-picksideas from anywhere, and no more aRepublican than he is a Democrat. In fact,he once was a Democrat, and even con-sidered trying to hijack the DemocraticParty’s presidential nomination before the2008 election.

In the end he hijacked the RepublicanParty instead, but it did try to rein himin by putting orthodox Republicans inkey positions in his Administration. Hisstruggle to be free began with the dis-missal last July of the Republican Party’schoice as his chief of staff, ReincePriebus. It has ended in total victory in the past two weeks with the res-ignation of his chief economic adviser,Gary Cohn, and the firing of RexTillerson.

Cohn resigned because of Trump’sdecision to impose steep tariffs on USimports of steel and aluminum. TheRepublican Party has been a staunch sup-porter of free trade for the past half-century, and Cohn feared that thenew tariffs were likely to cause an inter-national trade war that impoverisheseverybody. Trump doesn’t care aboutthat. “Trade wars are good,” he said. “Andeasy to win.”

His new Secretary of State, Mike

Pompeo, is a hard-liner who shares USPresident Trump’s obsession with break-ing the international deal that stops Iranfrom developing nuclear weapons for thenext 10 years.

“When you look at the Iran deal, Ithink it’s terrible. I guess ( Rex Tillerson)thought it was OK,” Trump said. “WithMike Pompeo, we have a very similarthought process. I think it’s going to govery well.”

So stand by for Trump to alienate allof America’s main allies by sabotaging atreaty they worked very hard to achieve. Since he has swallowed Saudi Arabia’s argument that Iran is an‘expansionist’' power that must bestopped, even direct military clashesbetween the US and Iran, especially inSyria, become a lot more likely.

And what about the unprecedentedmeeting with North Korean leader KimJong-un that Trump agreed to last week(without consulting Tillerson)?

In theory it’s a good idea, becausenuclear war in the Korean peninsula isa very bad idea. But there are few people left around Trump who can steerhim away from disastrous decisions.They can’t even make him read hisbriefing papers.

(The writer is an independent journalist)

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Sir — This refers to the report,“Kejriwal, Sisodia go on ‘sorry’spree” (March 20). The headlineof the report captures the shame-lessness and thick-headedness ofDelhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal and his deputy ManishSisodia for publicly apologisingto political leaders, namely, NitinGadkari and Kapil Sibal and hisson Amit Sibal for their defam-atory allegations.

Earlier, Kejriwal apologisedto Akali Dal leader Bikram SinghMajithia for a similar guilt.Umpteen defamatory cases arestill pending against Kejriwal,including one by Union FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley. In thethree cases mentioned above,Kejriwal had to file affidavits incourts regretting his “unfound-ed and unverifiable allegations”.Will Kejriwal, with his knowntendency to resort to falsehoodto malign his opponents, start toa new chapter of dignity, propri-ety and truthfulness expectedfrom one holding a Constitu-tional office of Chief Minister?

M Ratan Via mail

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Sir— This refers to the editori-al, “Waiting for dynamism”(March 20). The severe politicalupheaval stemming from thedefeat of the Bharatiya JanataParty’s poster child duo in theirrespective home turfs in UttarPradesh, which some politicalpundits are also seeing as the tipof an iceberg of public disen-

chantment against the party,may prove fleeting in case thegrand old party as the chiefOpposition fails to act timely andprudently.

The editorial’s observationthat Congress president RahulGandhi should concentrate onhis organisational network witha good blend of the old and thenew guard with a mutual bene-fit agenda for the regional satrapsin mind as well, holds good.

Or else, if lost in ritualisedmutual recrimination with theGovernment, the Congress mayget distracted from the main goalit has to go with to contest thenext year’s parliamentary electionagainst the BJP.

Azhar Ali Khan Rampur

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Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Waiting for dynamism”(March 20). The problem withthe Congress is that it is in noposition to dictate the regionalsatraps. They won’t accept RahulGandhi as their leader. In anycase, they are a motley crowdwithout any aim, except to gainpower. Further, they can neverdecide on a common leader.

In fact, there isn’t any leaderamong them who has a nation-al vision. As things stand today,Prime Minister Modi is the onlyleader who has a vision and whocan command respect from thewhole.

Ashok K MehtaVia email

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Who thought that PrimeMinister Narendra Modiwho is touted as a strong

leader leading an expanding BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) will face a no-con-fidence motion after four years? WhenModi rode to South Block in 2014, theBJP believed that the party and its lead-ers are invincible and is now enthusedby successive poll results, which enabledthe BJP-led National DemocraticAlliance (NDA) ruling in 21 States. So,the first no-confidence motion broughtagainst the Modi Government by thetwo regional parties Telugu DesamParty (TDP) and Yuvajana ShramikaRythu Congress (YSR Congress) fromAndhra Pradesh this week has come asa shock to the BJP cadres.

No-confidence motion in a

democracy is a strong tool for theOpposition. Socialist leader AcharyaKripalani brought the first no-con-fidence motion against the JawaharlalNehru Government in August 1963.The last was against Dr ManmohanSingh Government in 2008 on theIndo-US nuclear deal. A no-confi-dence motion brought down theNDA Government led by Atal BihariVajpayee by just one vote in 1999.Interestingly, Indira Gandhi faced arecord number of 15 no-confidencemotions and her son Rajiv Gandhiwith such brute majority also facedit in 1987.

So, why this sudden move toattack the Modi Government? Theimmediate provocation was the NDAally TDP quitting the alliance on theissue of granting a special status toAndhra Pradesh as promised duringthe bifurcation of the State in 2014.Unable to counter the rival YSR Co-ngress proposing to bring a no-confi-dence motion against the ModiGovernment on this issue, the rulingTDP also has given notice. Sensingan opportunity to hit the Modi Go-

vernment, several opposition partiesincluding the Congress, NationalistCongress Party (NCP), All IndiaTrinamool Congress (TMC), AllIndia Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM), Communist Party ofIndia-Marxist (CPI-M), Aam AadmiParty (AAP), Communist Party ofIndia (CPI) and Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) have come forward to supportthe motion.

Secondly, the Opposition feelsthat the timing is right for such amotion with cracks appearing in theNDA. Though the BJP had stunnedeveryone with its spectacular victory inthe North-East last month, the subse-quent losses in the recent by-electionsin Uttar Pradesh and Bihar haveemboldened the disgruntledOpposition to attack the Government.

The fact that the efforts for theOpposition unity are being pursuedby Congress leader Sonia Gandhi,NCP chief Sharad Pawar andTelangana Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao shows howthe Opposition is sensing the oppor-tunity. Two other regional satraps —

the Samajwadi Party (SP) chiefAkhilesh Yadav and BahujanSamajwadi Party (BSP) chiefMayawati have also got a boost afterthe alliance won Gorakhpur andPhulpur constituencies to take on theBJP. Sitting in jail, the RJD chief LaluPrasad Yadav has had the last laughin Bihar bypoll results.

Thirdly, although there is nothreat to the Modi Government asthe BJP and its allies still have 314votes, the Opposition wants to denthis image within the country andabroad. The anti-BJP forces wouldnot like to lose any opportunity toembarrass the Modi regime. TheParliamentary Affairs MinisterAnanth Kumar has said recently, “Iwant to tell the Congress and otheropposition members that there isconfidence inside and outside theHouse. That’s why the BJP is readyto face the no-confidence motion”.

Fourthly, the other disgruntledNDA allies are not that happy with theBJP leaders. TDP is the second NDAally, after former Bihar Chief MinisterJitan Ram Manjhi, to part ways with the

NDA in less than a month.Significantly, after the exit of the TDP,the NDA is not in power in any Statein the south. Another long-term allyShiv Sena has already announced thatit will not fight the 2019 Lok Sabha pollswith the BJP. The Akali Dal too hasbeen blunt with the BJP and had con-veyed that the BJP needs to deal withthe SAD better.

What made the TDP embolden totake on the powerful BJP? The TDPchief Chandrababu Naidu has realisedthat he had to face the 2019 Lok Sabhaand Assembly polls without fulfillingmost of the dreams he had sold to theelectorate. So, what can be a better waythan making the Modi Government thevillain? TDP rival YS JaganmohanReddy of the YSR Congress also saw anopportunity to gain some browniepoints and jumped into the fray bybringing the no-confidence motion.However, Naidu has effectively stolenthe thunder of Reddy and also upset theplans of the BJP, as even YSRC can’talign with BJP at this juncture.

The Congress president RahulGandhi said that he would grant a

special status to Andhra if Congresswere voted to power in 2019. Thereis no doubt that cracks have appearedin the NDA.

The BJP’s expansion plans in thesouth have also hit a break. Its moveto help the EPS and OPS factions inTamil Nadu to come together hasn’tbeen a success. A win the upcomingKarnataka polls will go a long way inboosting the morale of the BJPworkers. The BJP has to address theconcerns of the allies if it means tocontinue the coalition dharma. Afterall, the BJP has come a long way froman ‘untouchable party’ in the early80s to 33 NDA allies today.

The no-confidence motionmight not even see the daylight as theHouse is yet to take up the issuebecause Tamil Nadu MPs aredemanding the setting up of theCauvery board and will not allow theHouse to run. Neither theGovernment nor the Opposition iskeen to resolve this and ultimately itmight be a wasted session.

(The writer is a senior political com-mentator and syndicated columnist)

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There has been a staggering growthin foreign direct investment (FDI)under the Narendra Modi

Government over the last three years,from $45.15 billion in 2014-15 to $60.08billion in 2016-17 (see graph 1), an all-time high, due to the sustained easingof more than 80 FDI rules spreadacross 21 sectors to accelerate econom-ic growth and enhance employment.This sustained growth in FDI is the resultof Government’s efforts driven byreforms in FDI norms, tax payments,access to credit, reduction of bordercompliance time by improving portinfrastructure, resolving insolvency andprotection of minority investors that hasalso catapulted India by 30 places to rankat 100th position globally in ease of doingbusiness. Will the recent announcementby the Modi Government of easing thenorms in key sectors like retail, civil avi-ation, construction and power exchangesbefore the Davos World EconomicForum in January this year lead to aninclusive growth?

According to Department ofIndustrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP),the total FDI investments in India dur-ing April-December 2017 stood at$35.94 billion. Telecommunications hasbeen the favoured sector attracting thehighest FDI inflow of $6.14 billion, fol-lowed by computer software and hard-ware — $5.16 billion and services —$4.62 billion, and construction activities— $2.5 billion. The trend was similar forthe year ending 2017 (see graph 2 below)However, sectors like defence industries,ports and coal production failed toattract any FDI during the same period.

Country-wise, during April-December 2017, maximum FDI inflowswere received from Mauritius ($13.35billion), followed by Singapore ($9.21 bil-lion), Netherlands ($2.38 billion), USA($1.74 billion), and Japan ($1.26 billion).

The future holds an influx ofmultinational companies investingin different parts of our country. Afterthe recent allowing 100 per cent FDIin single-brand retail trading throughthe automatic route earlier this yearwith some relaxation in local sourc-ing norms, Ikea, a single brand retail-er, announced its plans to invest up to�4,000 crore ($612 million) inMaharashtra to set up multi-formatstores and experience centres. Anothersingle-brand retailer, the US-basedfootwear company, Skechers, is plan-ning to add 400-500 more exclusiveoutlets in India over the next five yearsand also to launch its apparel andaccessories collection in India.

On the other hand, multi-brandretail giants are not far behind withWalmart planning to set up 30 newstores in India over the coming threeyears and US-based e-commerce giant,Amazon, with an investment about onebillion dollar in its Indian arm in 2017,took the total investment in its business

in India to $2.7 billion. Singapore’sTemasek plans to acquire a 16 per centstake worth �1,000 crore ($156.16 mil-lion) in Bengaluru-based private health-care network Manipal Hospitals whichruns a hospital chain of around 5,000beds. Last year, north-eastern region ofIndia saw an investment in the range of$612-765 million after the Governmentof India asked the States to focus onstrengthening single window clearancesystem for fast-tracking approvalprocesses and mandating clearance of allproposals requiring approval within 10weeks after the receipt of application, inorder to increase Japanese investmentsin India.This has led to India and Japanjoining hands for infrastructure devel-opment in India’s north-eastern Statesand are also setting up an India-JapanCoordination Forum for Developmentof the North East to undertake strate-gic infrastructure projects there.

Although FDI is one of the majordrivers of economic growth and Indiahas a vast potential to attract far moreforeign investment by further liber-alising and simplifying the FDIregime, there are some major con-cerns. Firstly, the majority of FDIinflows are from small nations likeMauritius, Singapore and Netherlandsand this raises serious doubts if theinflows constitute actual investmentsor are being routed through thesenations to take advantage of benefitsof Double Tax Avoidance Agreement(DTAA) that India has with thesecountries.

Secondly, over the years, there hasbeen a major regional disparity in FDIinflows. States like Delhi, Haryana,Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,

Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh havetogether attracted more than 70 per centof total FDI inflows to India during thelast 15 years. However, States with vastnatural resources like Jharkhand, Bihar,Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh andOdisha have not been able to attract for-eign funds directly for investment in dif-ferent sectors, due to poor physical, insti-tutional, social and political infrastruc-ture. The regional disparity of FDI is aworldwide phenomenon and is not lim-ited to India. In China, eastern zoneprovinces attract higher FDI flowsbecause of its high per capita income andliving standards reflected into bettersocio-economic indicators, better infra-structure facilities in terms of electrici-ty, road and rail network and also high-er international orientation in terms oftheir openness to trade. Similar is thecase in Romania, where FDI investmentsare limited to Bucure?ti - Ilfov regionsand Russia where the distribution of FDIis attributed to regional factors. Thisuneven distribution of FDI inflowsleads to rising disparity in regional eco-nomic growth and creates a serioussocial divide and the Government needsto take proper steps to have moreinclusive growth.

As a solution, the first step is to cre-ate a physical and institutional infrastruc-ture backed by strong governance andsafe environment in these under-invest-ed States. Secondly, special incentivesshould be given to multinational com-panies to invest in these States, not onlyfor economic benefits but also for theimproving the infrastructure like ener-gy, higher education and physical anddigital connectivity, making public-pri-vate partnership in the development of

these States a priority for theGovernment.

Thirdly, although FDI is wel-come and as a nation in an ever-increasing globalised world, we can-not stop free flow of capital, it is all themore necessary to develop and revivedomestic private investment by pro-viding incentives and by investing ineducation, health and environment toreap long-term benefits by not onlyimproving India’s socio-economiccondition but also boosting domesticprivate investment. This is extreme-ly important to protect ourselvesfrom uncertainty and volatility due tothe exit of multinational companieslike General Motors, Barclays andRoyal Bank of Scotland to name a few,from Indian soil.

FDI has become an increasinglyimportant source of finance that cancontribute to economic development inthe developing countries, particularly inIndia. In fact, for Indian economy,which has tremendous potential butlacks necessary capital and technology,FDI can have a significantly positiveimpact. However, the true benefit of FDIwould be seen if States run by regionalparties work in sync with the CentralGovernment by moving beyond partypolitics and work for the betterment ofthese States to attract more FDI. BothState and Central Governments shouldmake concerted efforts to develop thoseregions which are lagging behind andspecial attention should be paid by pol-icymakers to reduce the regional dispar-ity of FDI and make growth inclusive innature.

(The writer is Assistant Professor,Amity University)

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Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhuon Tuesday appealed to the World

Trade Organization (WTO) members toidentify common ground for strength-ening the multi-lateral trade body amidchallenges being faced by it following thedeadlock at the Buenos Aires ministe-rial in December.

Delegates from as many as 52 coun-tries, including the US and China, areparticipating in the informal meeting ofthe WTO called by India amidst increas-ing protectionism in global trade.

India has called this meet to exploreoptions to reinvigorate the WTO.

Addressing the representatives,Prabhu said the meeting is happeningat a time when WTO is facing multiplechallenges including a deadlock whichhappened at Buenos Aires, Argentina,and systemic issues.

“Most of you present here wouldagree that the multilateral trading sys-tem has contributed significantly to eco-nomic growth, international trade,development and employment. If youvalue WTO and its contributions, thenyou should collectively agree to make allefforts to strengthen it. Inaction should

not be choice for any one of us,” he said.There is an urgent need for reflec-

tion and political engagements on allsuch matters which are likely to haveimplications on the multilateral tradingsystem, he added.

“Our meeting today is an initiativeby India to facilitate free and frankexchange of views on all issues of com-mon interest as well as seeking toaddress the challenges,” Prabhu said.

The objective of this meeting is toreinvigorate the WTO and “we need towork together for achieving this objec-tive,” the minister said, adding, “let usfind the ways to identify commonground for strengthening the organisa-tion”.

He called upon the participants to

focus on issues like providing politicalguidance to further work in the WTOand the way forward on development.

He said that in the absence of guid-ance at the last ministerial conference,highest decision making body of theWTO, in Argentina, there is a need toprovide collective political guidanceon aspects such as matters where thereare no work programmes.

The meeting comes against thebackdrop of imposition of importduties on steel and aluminium by the USadministration, and Washington drag-ging India to the WTO against exportincentive programmes.

Although India has invited Pakistanfor the meeting, it has decided to skipthe conference.

WTO Director General RobertoAzevedo, who is here for the meet, hassaid: “We are facing many challenges inthe WTO and outside. Trade environ-ment globally is very risky at this pointof time. We will try to have an open andhonest conversation at the informalWTO meeting here”.

The meeting would also discuss theissue of appointment of members of theappellate body of the WTO's dispute set-tlement body. The US has blocked

appointment of these members, whichwould hamper its functioning.

The meeting has been convened byIndia in the aftermath of failure of thetrade talks at Buenos Aires last year onaccount of differences among the mem-bers of the WTO.

The rich nations are forming group-ings to prepare ground for pushing newissues such as investment facilitation,preparing rules for e-commerce, pro-moting gender equality and reducingsubsidy on fisheries.

India has been keenly pushing agri-culture issues at the WTO. It has alsobeen raising its voice against bringingnew issues, especially those which arenot directly linked to trade, to thenegotiating table.

The talks at the WTO's 11th min-isterial conference collapsed after theUS went back on its commitment tofind a permanent solution to thepublic food stockholding issue, a keymatter for India.

The four-day conference inArgentina, which ended without a min-isterial declaration or any substantiveoutcome, did manage to make feebleprogress on fisheries and e-commerceby agreeing to work programmes.

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The Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (SEBI) has

barred Remac Realty and its fivedirectors from the securitiesmarket for at least four years forillegal fund raising activities.

The four-year ban would beeffective from the date of com-pleting the refund to investors.

Besides, the watchdog hasrestrained the five individualsfrom serving as a director orkey managerial personnel at anylisted company for four years.

In a 10-page order, SEBIsaid the company and its fivedirectors — Partha PratimTewari, Leena Tewari, ReenaVijay, Sandip Chattopadhyayand Debapratim Mazumder— are “jointly and severallyliable to wind up its existingcol lect ive investmentschemes” and refund themoney within three months.

The company allegedlyraised funds illegally by wayof various schemes, including

those pertaining to solarproducts.

In July 2014, the regulatorhad passed an interim orderagainst the company and itsdirectors, wherein it wasbarred from collecting moneyfrom investors from thenexisting schemes or launchany new ones.

According to SEBI’s latestorder, dated March 19, RemacRealty and the five directorsshould not sell any assets of thecompany or any other assetacquired out of funds of thefirm, except for making refundsto its investors.

These entities have beenbanned from “accessing thesecurities market and are pro-hibited from buying, selling orotherwise dealing in securitiesmarket, directly or indirectly,”till refund to investors are com-plete, as per the order.

After completion of refund,they have to undergo debar-ment for further four years.

The directors “shall berestrained from holding posi-tion as directors or key man-agerial personnel of any listedcompany for a period of fouryears from the date of thisorder,” SEBI noted.

KOLKATA: Aditya BirlaGroup’s UltraTech Cement islikely to get support fromCommittee of Creditors(CoC) of Binani Cement inthe ongoing fight for controlafter the Birla company issuedcomfort letter worth �7,266crore to Binani group for98.43 per cent stake.

UltraTech had said thatBinani Industries Ltd (BIL) —the promoter firm of BCL —had approached it for arrangingfunds to pay off the lenders.

“As a creditor, we supportthe UltraTech offer as it offers abetter deal for us,” an officialfrom a lead creditor said. Thisis despite the CoC’s approval ofthe Dalmia Bharat's bid.

“Since, the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code proceedingsinitiated about 7-8 months backon Binani, a moratorium oninterest had been imposed. TheUltraTech offer allows the loanto a regular one and there willbe no haircut even in the inter-

est loss in the interim period,”the official explained.

A revised bid after the CoCapproval is perhaps a firstinstance and legal opinionsremain divided on its sanity. But,if the NCLT proceeding is chal-lenged in the Supreme Court,CoC will support the move.

The bid by Dalmia BharatCement jointly with BainCapital's Resurgent IndiaFund of �6,350 crore hasbeen to buy Binani Cementoffering 20 per cent equity inBinani to the lenders.

The total secured and unse-cured debt of financial creditorsis around �6,265 crore, of whichthe largest exposure is fromEdelweiss ARC with an out-standing of about �2,775 crore.

The Dalmia offer coveredthe financial creditors but severalsmall operational creditors (readMSMEs) have claimed theirdebt has not been taken care ofproperly and haircut of even 80per cent was sought. PTI

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Reversing a five-session slide, bench-mark Sensex ticked modestly higher

in see-saw trade on Tuesday as investorspiled into recently beaten down IT sharesamid mixed global cues.

The 30-share index rose about 74points to end at 32,996.76, while thebroader NSE Nifty settled 30 pointshigher at 10,124.35.

Markets benefited from value buyingin recently battered stocks and a mixedtrend overseas, as investors focused onnew Federal Reserve Chairman JeromePowell's first policy meeting startinglater in the day amid concerns of a glob-al trade war, brokers said.

The Sensex shrugged of its early loss-es, with IT and telecom stocks leading therecovery, and touched high of 33,102.74. Itfinally settled at 32,996.76, showing a gainof 73.64 points, or 0.22 per cent.

The index had lost 994.82 points in theprevious five sessions on worries overwidening current account deficit and pos-sible US Fed rate hike.

The broader NSE Nifty reclaimed thekey 10,100-mark and touched a high of

10,155.65, before finally settling at 10,124.35,showing a gain of 30.10 points, or 0.30 percent. Intra-day, it hit a low of 10,049.10.

Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors(FPIs) bought shares worth �292.23 croreon net basis, while domestic institution-al investors (DIIs) sold equities to the tuneof �191.52 crore on Monday, provision-al data showed.

“Market is struggling to rebound fromthe support level due to redemption andexpectation of 25 bps Fed rate hike. India iscurrently underperforming compared to restof the world owing to high valuation and riskfor downgrade in earnings due to higher

interest rate. Short covering in IT and phar-ma stocks on account of weakening rupeeled the indices to close on a positive note,”said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, GeojitFinancial Services.

Most IT shares rose, with Wipro gain-ing 1.54 per cent, followed by Infosys 1.30per cent and TCS 1.07 per cent.

Hexaware Technologies spurted 3.75 percent, Tech Mahindra 3.80 per cent, PersistentSystems 0.85 per cent and HCL Technologies1.16 per cent after the rupee weakenedagainst the dollar to hit a four-month lowof 65.24 (intra-day).

Tata Steel was the biggest gainer in theSensex pack, advancing 3.17 per cent.Other gainers were Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy's,Adani Ports, HDFC Ltd, L&T, Tata Motors,Bajaj Auto, Asian Paints, SBI, Power Grid,HUL, Axis Bank, Maruti Suzuki and HeroMotoCorp, rising up to 2.20 per cent.

Losses in ONGC, ICICI Bank, YesBank, RIL, HDFC Bank, Kotak MahindraBank, Coal India, NTPC, M&M, IndusIndBank and ITC capped the gains.

Canara Bank slumped 3.84 per centafter the CBI charged its ex-CMD RKDubey and two former executive directorswith cheating and forgery.

NEW DELHI: Expressing dis-pleasure over lack of communi-cation between the Banks BoardBureau (BBB) and the FinanceMinistry, Vinod Rai, formerCAG who now heads the advi-sory body, has said that most ofBBB’s recommendations havenot received due attention fromthe Government and it has beenmerely working as an appoint-ment board since inception.

It has also sought widermandate from the Governmentincluding advising theGovernment on public sector

bank (PSB) consolidation in theleast disruptive manner.

The comments of BBBcome on the heels of ReserveBank of India demanding morepowers to deal with frauds in thebanking system.

“If the Government doesindeed desire to make theBureau address issues of gover-nance around PSBs in a holisticmanner and make its outputeffective, there is need for anorganic relationship betweenGovernment and the Bureau,” itsaid in its compendium of rec-

ommendations.Prime Minister

Narendra Modi in2016 approved theconstitution of BBB asa body of eminentprofessionals and offi-cials to make recom-mendations forappointment of Whole-timeDirectors as well as non-Executive Chairmen of PSBs.

They were also given thetask of engaging with the Boardof Directors of all the public sec-tor banks to formulate appro-

priate strategies for theirgrowth and develop-ment.

Besides, it was alsoasked to frame strate-gy discussion on con-solidation based onthe requirement. Thegovernment wanted to

encourage bank boards torestructure their business strat-egy and also suggest way for-ward for their consolidationand merger with other banks.

“The Bureau, as a body ofexperts on public sector bank-

ing, would be able to providegreater utility to the FinanceMinister on matters relating tothe governance and perfor-mance of PSBs, if there were tobe greater organic linkage anddialogue with the FinanceMinistry. At present the bodyis merely functioning as anappointment board,” it said.

It made several sugges-tions to the government in itstwo years of existence tostrengthen governance at PSBsbut there was no constructivefeedback, it added. PNS

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State-run Energy EfficiencyServices (EESL) on Tuesday

acquired the England-basedcombined heat and power(CHP) utility Edina for �493crore to further its strategy ofadopting natural gas-basedtechnologies to halve powercost, for large commercialestablishments.

The acquisition,a first-of-its-kindventure by an entityunder the UnionPower Ministry, iscarried out throughEESL's British subsidiaryEnergyPro Assets.

“It is our endeavour tofacilitate the nation's energysecurity with sustainable ener-gy supply. We have beenexploring opportunities toinclude gas engines to producecooling, heat and electricity tohalve power cost for establish-ments like hotels, hospitalsand malls. This �493 croreacquisition is a step in thatdirection,” EESL ManagingDirector Saurabh Kumar said.

The combined heat andpower technology is a tri-gen-eration model most suited foroperations where there is a 24-hour requirement of all thethree — electricity, hot waterand cooling.

“Through this acquisi-tion, EESL intends to bringCHP technology to the coun-try, providing an integratedservice offering to industries

that would enable them toreceive equipment mainte-nance, electricity, heat andpower at no upfront cost forinstallation,” he said.

Kumar said the technolo-gy has a potential of 20,000 mwin the country and in the ini-tial phase the company is tar-geting 1,000 mw to be achievedin the next couple of years.

“To begin with,we have identifiedindustrial establish-ments , airports ,hospitals, and hotelsamong others .Apart from that, we

have also signed agreementwith Tata Motors andMahindra & Mahindra forproviding these services attheir factories and other estab-lishments,” Kumar said.

He further said EESL willinvest $600-700 million forthis over the period.

Under this deal, Edina hasagreed to service Sterling &Wilson India's subsidiary inBritain to develop short-termoperational reserve by supply-ing gas generating units thatwill provide 26 mw power.

“England-based servicingopportunities with India- basedclients, like Sterling & Wilson,will help EESL in its expansionplans. On the one hand, EESLaims to tap into the �53,782-crore energy efficiency marketin Britain, expanding the offer-ing in the energy service con-tract model for CHP technol-ogy,” Kumar said.

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The Central Board ofExcise and Customs(CBEC), falling under

the Ministry of Finance, onTuesday removed the 20 percent export duty on sugar toboost overseas sales in viewof fall in domestic prices onestimated rise in productionand lift domestic price.

The country is facing sur-plus production of sugar thisyear. Export duty on sugarused to be levied at 20 percent. Now, the export duty onsugar is nil.

As per estimate, thecountry is likely to produce arecord 29.5 million tonnes ofsugar in the 2017-18 seasonthat ends on September 30,up 45 per cent from the pre-vious year.

Sugar prices have fallenaround 16 per cent in the

local market since October 1,2017, making it difficult formills to pay farmers the 11per cent Government-man-dated hike in cane prices. Thedomestic demand is 24-25million tonnes annually.

A notification issued bythe Finance Ministry saidthe estimated revenue impli-cation of the move is �75crore for a year at currentexport volumes.

Reacting on the CBECmove, Binod Kumar Pandey,General Secretar y ofRashtriya Kisan Mahasanghtold The Pioneer that themove will help the farmers.

"This would protect thefarmers' interest in the coun-try. The farmers have beendemanding this from the pastfew months,” Pandey said.

Chattar Singh, a farmerfrom western Uttar Pradeshsaid there is an urgent need

to regulate sugar industry.“The Narendra Modi gov-ernment should have takenthis step earlier,” he added.

Sugar production swingswildly in India, where half ofthe countr y 's farmlanddepends on the June toSeptember monsoon rainsfor water because of a lack of

irrigation. Sugar cane is verywater-intensive.

With domestic pricesfalling below cost of produc-tion, sugar industry bodiesIndian Sugar Mil lsAssociation (ISMA) andNational Federat ion ofCooperative Sugar Factories(NFCSF) had met senior food

ministry officials last month,seeking hike in sugar importduty from 50 per cent to 100per cent and scrapping ofexport duty of 20 per cent toliquidate surplus sugar.

Cane arrears to sugar-cane farmers touched �14,000crore at the end of Januaryand might rise further in

wake of slide in sugar prices,as per ISMA. Mills have pro-duced 25.80 million tonnessugar till March 15 of the2017-18 marketing year(October-September).

Union Minister ofConsumer Affairs Ram VilasPaswan had earlier asked theMinistry of Finance to scrapexport duty from sugar to liftdomestic price and boostoverseas sales.

Last month, theGovernment doubled importduty on sugar to 100 per centand restricted sale by mills tokeep a checking on fallingprices and to check cheaperimports from overseas mar-kets, particularly Pakistan.Trade sources said the moveis unlikely to make a majorimpact as global prices arealso depressed. The industryis demanding subsidy onexport of sugar.

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Page 11: ˙ 23 ˚ ˙ .2 4./5˝ .0 6 ˛˚˜ ˜˙!˙ˆ!ˆ#$%&’(˙ˆ ˝ ˘ ˘ ˇˆ˙ˇ˝˛ rapidly and stride forward ... Chemistry at IIT Gawahati spoke to about his preparation ... The CM’s

RANCHI | WEDNESDAY | MARCH 21, 2018 money 11

B U S I N E S S C O R N E R

HUDCO PAYS OVER `110 CR DIVIDEND FOR FY 2017-18

Dr M Ravi Kanth, CMD HUDCO presented interim dividend of `76.05 crore toHardeep S Puri, Union Minister (Housing & Urban Affairs), in the presence of DSMishra, Secretary (HUA), and other senior officials of the Ministry. HUDCO alsopaid dividend of `22.83 crore to the Ministry of Rural Development, and `11.22core to other share holders, HUDCO being a listed company.

BIS (DELHI) ORGANISES INDUSTRIAL MEET Delhi Branch Office - I of Bureau of Indian Standards organized an Industrial Meetrecently at Badli Industrial Estate, Administrative Block Building, Badli, Delhi -110042,under the chairmanship of M Sadasivam Deputy Director General,Central RegionalOffice, BIS. The programme was attended by approximately 50 industrialists mostlyfrom Libaspur, Samaypur and Badli Industrial Area. Industrialists were made awareabout the process of grant of licence and its operation, the importance of ISI markand Hallmarking Scheme for the industry as well as consumers,introduction of onlineportal for the fast delivery of services and ease inoperation of licence. The industrialistwere also made aware about new provisions in the BIS Act 2016. The industrialistspresent there actively participated in the programme, their queries were resolved byHead DLBO-I andDDG [CRO] and their suggestions were welcomed. The industrialistspresent showed their interest in taking the licence for use ofBIS standard mark andthus the program was successful in its objectives.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Union Minister ManojSinha on Tuesday saidthe new telecom policy

is almost ready and will bebrought in the next session ofParliament after a Cabinet nod.

“The new telecom policy isalmost ready, and, this month,we will place it on theDepartment’s website for publiccomments. We will bring it in thenext session of Parliament,”said Sinha on the sidelinesof ‘Deendayal SPARSH Yojana’award ceremony.

He said the recent Cabinetnod to the telecom relief pack-age - that entails giving moretime to companies to pay forthe spectrum they bought aswell as liberalised spectrumcaps - will ensure that the his-toric success of the sector con-tinues unabated.

‘The telecom sector has

enjoyed a successful historyand this will ensure that thesuccess continues and thatIndia continues to get goodconnectivity,” the TelecomMinister said.

Telecom companies willhave an ‘option’ to either go forthe new payment schedule forspectrum or continue under

the existing arrangement, henoted.

Earlier this month, theCabinet allowed telcos to payfor spectrum over 16 yearsinstead of 10 years and per-mitted them to hold more air-waves, in a bid to provide reliefto the financially-stressed sec-tor.

It relaxed caps on hold-ing spectrum, helping ongo-ing mergers l ike thatbetween Vodafone and Ideaas the combined entitywould have breached thecurrent limits in certain cir-cles or telecom zones.

In line with the Cabinetdecision, Department ofTelecom (DoT) on Mondayamended licence norms ofservice providers to increasenumber of instalments forspectrum payments andradio waves frequency hold-ing limit.

Govt hopeful to bring new telecom policy in next Par session: Minister

PTI n MUMBAI

Rolls-Royce Power Systemson Tuesday inked a pact

with Force Motors to set up a49: 51 joint venture facility toproduce MTU series engines atan initial investment of over`300 crore.

The joint venture will beexecuted between ForceMotors and Germany’s MTUFriedrichshafen, which is anarm of Rolls-Royce PowerSystems AG, and will is tomake a foray into the businessof engines. Force Motors willhold 51 per cent equity and therest 49 per cent will be withMTU. The proposed facility, tocome up near Force Motors’plant in Pune, is expected tostart production by the end ofnext year, Force Motors man-aging director Prasan Firodiasaid while announcing thejoint venture here on Tuseday.

At present, these multi-application engines are beingproduced at Rolls-Royce PowerSystems manufacturing facil-ity in Germany. Besides, thejoint venture will also build the1600 series generators for thedomestic and global markets.

“This joint venture opensnew opportunities for ourseries 1600 products. Onceserial production capability forthe 1600 engines have beenestablished within the jointventure, we will have opportu-nities to add other applications,engines and power systems to

the joint venture portfolio,”President and Chief Executiveof Rolls-Royce Power Systems,Andreas Schell said.

The new company calledForce MTU Power Systemswill handle sales and service of1600 series generators for end-users in India, Nepal and SriLanka, while Rolls-RoycePower Systems will handlesales and service for the rest ofthe global markets.

“This tie-up will open upnumerous opportunities forgrowth and diversification. Isee exciting times ahead sincewe are set to play a vital role inbringing to India and makingin India cutting edge enginesfor multiple applications,”Firodia said.

“Each party will have equalrights to appoint directors.Capital contribution will con-tinue in the ratio of the agreedproportion,” the company said.

NEW DELHI: A total of 35mines will be auctioned in thenext two months out of 112 min-eral blocks that are slated to gounder the hammer in 2018-19financial year, Ministry of Minessaid on Tuesday.

It said 35 mineral blocksincluding that of iron ore, baux-ite and limestone, among othershave been auctioned as on March12 and another 35 are at variousstages of bidding. “NIT (noticeinviting tender) is going on for 35blocks. While 30 blocks will beauctioned in April, 5 will gounder the hammer in May, 2018,”it said. While in Jharkhand, NITis going on for 1 iron ore and 1graphite mine, in Karnataka, theprocess is on for 8 iron ore blocks.In Madhya Pradesh, tenders arebeing invited for 5 limestone, 1bauxite, 1 graphite and an ironore block, it said. PTI

PTI n NEW DELHI

To help states deal with thesand mining issues, includingdemand supply deficit and ille-gal extraction, the Governmenton Tuesday launched a frame-work prepared after intensiveconsultations with all stake-holders.

The Sand MiningFramework was launched byUnion Minister of MinesNarendra Singh Tomar at thethird National Conclave onMines & Minerals here in NewDelhi. “A sand mining frame-work has been prepared.Intensive consultations havebeen carried out with the stategovernment officials and otherstake holders,”Tomar said atthe event.

Sand is an important com-

ponent for housing, infrastruc-ture projects and constructionactivities, he said. There havebeen various issues across thecountry in the mining activitiesrelated to sand like environ-mental degradation, non avail-ability of sand, high sand prices,illegalities in sand mining etc, hesaid.

This will help states toframe their policies, taking intoconsideration their objectives,endowments and state deploy-ment of resources, he added.

Tomar also said that there

has been a notable turn aroundin the mining sector ever sincegovernment has taken initiativefor policy reforms.

The government amendedthe Mineral Auction Rules 2015in November 2017 to make theauction process less cumber-some and help states auctionmineral blocks quickly. Theamendment has facilitated theauctions in a big way, he said. “Arecord number of 41 mineralblocks have been put on auctionwithin 3 months of the amend-ment, whereas 27 blocks were

put up on auction earlier in 8months from April toNovember 2017. Total esti-mated revenue to the state gov-ernment over the lease periodfrom the blocks already auc-tioned is `1,43,893 crore,” hesaid.

Tomar also launched thePortal for Pradhan MantriKhanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna(PMKKKY) monitoring alongwith Registration and Returnsmodule of Phase I of the MiningTenement System (MTS).

MTS primarily involvesautomating the entire mineralconcession life-cycle, startingfrom identification of area andending with closure of the mine;and connecting the variousstakeholders for real-time trans-fer of electronic files andexchange of data.

Govt unveils sand mining framework to monitor deficit, illegal extraction

35 mineral blocksto be auctioned inApril, May 2018

TELECOM COSWILL HAVE AN‘OPTION’ TOEITHER GOFOR THE NEWPAYMENT SCHEDULEFOR SPECTRUM ORCONTINUE UNDER THEEXISTINGARRANGEMENT, SAYSMANOJ SINHA

NEW DELHI: VideoconIndustries on Tuesday said ithas sold its entire stake in insur-ance business joint venture withUS-based Liberty MutualInsurance Group to DP JindalGroup and Enam Securities.

Videocon held 51.32 per centstake in Liberty VideoconGeneral Insurance CompanyLtd. In a regulatory filing,Videocon said it sold 26 per centof its stake to DP Jindal Group’sDiamond Dealtrade Ltd andremaining 25.32 per cent staketo Enam Securities Pvt Ltd.

“All the necessary regulato-ry approvals for the said salewere already received,” it saidwithout giving the deal value.Post the sale, Videocon ceases tobe the Indian promoter ofLiberty Videocon, and accord-ingly, the name of LibertyVideocon will change to ‘LibertyGeneral Insurance CompanyLimited', it added. PTI

FIVE MINES OF NMDC RECEIVES 5 STAR RATINGNMDC's highly mechanized five iron ore minesreceived 5 Star Rating from Ministry of Mines onTuesday at the 3rd National Conclave on Minesand Minerals at New Delhi. Two mines fromBacheli Complex, two mines from KirandulComplex (Chhattisgarh) and one mine fromDonimalai (Karnataka) received the 5 star ratinggiven by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Ministry ofMines, Government of India. The 5 star ratingcertificates were given by Narendra Singh Tomar,Union Minister of Mines and Haribhai ParathibhaiChaudhary, Union Minister of State, Ministry ofMines and Ministry of Coal in presence of ArunKumar, Secretary (Mines); Anil Mukim, SecretaryDesignate, Ministry of Mines at a function held atNew Delhi on March 20, 2018. PK Satpathy,Director (Production) along with AK Shukla,Executive Director, Bacheli Complex; B Sahoo,General Manager, Donimalai; M Mahadevan,General Manager; Head Office; AK Prajapathi, General Manager, Kirandul Complex received the certifications on behalf of NMDC.The star ratings are awarded to the mining leases for their efforts and initiatives taken for implementation of the SustainableDevelopment Framework (SDF). The best performing leases are given 5 star ratings. The evaluation and assessment is based onthe SDF implementation on parameters like: Management of impact by carrying out scientific and efficient mining; Addressingsocial impacts of resettlement and rehabilitation requirements for taking up mining activities; Local community engagements andwelfare programmes; Steps taken for progressive and final mine enclosure; Adoption of international standards.

MINISTER OF STATE FOR RLYS HANDS OVER LOCOMOTIVES IN MYANMAR Rajen Gohain, Minister of State forRailways attended a well gatheredceremony of the formal handing of 18thbrand new AC-DC 1350 HP diesel electriclocomotives to Myanma Railways,supplied by RITES and manufactured byDiesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi, India.Present at the ceremony were HE U ThantSin Moung, Minister of Transportationand Communication, Myanmar,HE VikramMisri, the Indian Ambassador toMyanmar, U Thurein Win, ManagingDirector (Myanma Railways), MukeshRathore, Director Technical (RITES) andSenior Myanma Railways and RITESofficials. Speaking on the occasion,Gohain, Minister of State for Railwaysexpressed his pleasure on the close

cooperation between the two railway systems on regular basis since last 20 years as both shared a common system. Hecongratulated RITES in completing the project, much ahead of delivery schedule and providing locomotives with manycontemporary new features over the earlier supplies. He told that it was the first project completed in the current Indian line ofcredit and assured full support from the Indian Railways on manufacturing facilities, training and technical know how.

PTI n MUMBAI

Noted banker Uday Kotakon Tuesday warned that

there is more pain lurking withthe lenders from small businessesand called upon his peers tolook more closely at this under-belly of the credit market.

Private sector banks areaccounting for ‘nearly entire’loan growth following the near-ly `13,000-crore scam at thestate-run PNB, he said and pro-jected that over the next fouryears, they will corner half of thecredit market, up from 30 percent now.

Stating that worries with thelikelihood of loans to small andmedium enterprises are ‘proba-bly understated’, Kotak said theFebruary 12 RBI circular onnon-performing asset recogni-tion will lead to an aggravationof the pain.

“The belief is that a lot of thechallenges in the banking system

are essentially on large busi-nesses. I think we’ve also a pret-ty sensitive underbelly in theSME business which has notfully revealed its hands yet,” hesaid at an event of the bank.

Kotak said he hopes thePNB fraud, allegedly perpe-trated by jewellers Nirav Modiand his uncle Mehul Choksi ofGitanjali Gems, is an exceptionand all stakeholders, includingthe lenders, the regulator andgovernment will have to worktogether to regain the losttrust. He said the country hasrisen to being the number threein terms of dud loans after thetroubled European economies ofGreece and Italy, which calls forimmediate remedial steps.

Kotak also mentioned thepolitically-sensitive issue of banknationalisation, saying 50 yearsand so many frauds later, weneed to ask a question as to whathave been the advantages of thisdecision for the nation.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Software firm DassaultSystemes expects to register

over 10 per cent growth in Indiaby end of this year, a top com-pany official on Tuesday said.

“Last year, wewere able to achieveover 10 per centgrowth year-on-year.This year also we aregoing to do thesame,” DassaultSystemes India MDSamson Khaou said.Announcing sub-scription model forcloud offerings at an event here,Khaou said more than 70 percent of business comes fromautomotive, industrial and aero-space segments and rest fromretail, natural resources andbio-technology segments.

“This year we expectgrowth to come from manu-facturing, defence, 3D printing,infrastructure and construc-tion verticals,” Khaou said.

France-based DassaultSystemes has over 8,000 cus-

tomers in India.With this launch,the company islooking to grow itsproduct user base 4times to 1 million inthe next three years.

“We are con-nected to over 1,500academic institu-tions. Through

them we have around 2,50,000students using our productevery year. We want to buildcommunity of 1 million users innext three years in which stu-dents will form a significantportion,” Khaou said.

CMD, NHPC MEETS CHIEF MINISTER OF SIKKIMBalraj Joshi, Chairmanand Managing Director,NHPC, India’s premierhydro power companymet Hon’ble ChiefMinister of Sikkim,PawanKumar Chamling on 20thMarch 2018 at Delhi.During the meeting, CMD,NHPC apprised ChiefMinister about variousongoing activities ofNHPC in the State ofSikkim. CMD, NHPCstressed on efforts beingmade by NHPC towardsthe start of 520 MW Teesta-IV hydroelectric project in the state and requested forsupport in getting SIA completion. Chief Minister assured his cooperation to NHPCin getting various clearances and any other support required for the timelyexecution of the Project.

CORP BANK HOLDS MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Corporation Bank held an Extraordinary General Meeting of its Shareholders at the Bank’s Head Office, Mangaluru on March 13,2018. Jai Kumar Garg, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Bank chaired the meeting. Addressing theShareholders present, Garg, informed the shareholders about the decision of the Government of India to infuse funds up to`2186,99,99,983.68 (Rupees two thousand one hundred and eighty six crore ninety nine lakh ninety nine thousand ninehundred eighty three and paisa sixty eight only) into the capital of the Bank towards issue and allotment of 51,84,92,176 equityshares of the Bank of face value of `2 each at a premium of `40.18 per share i.e. at an issue price of `42.18 per share, onpreferential basis to Government of India, subject to taking necessary specific approvals from the relevant Statutory Authorities.During the EGM, the Chairman moved the resolution for approval of the shareholders, and got the approval of the shareholdersof the Bank.

AAI’S STAND ON FAKE RECRUITMENT ADVERTISEMENTS PUBLISHED IN ITS NAMEThe Airports Authority of India has recently noticed various fake advertisements promising jobs to aspirants in its name.Desperate candidates are reaching out to AAI with complaints ranging from fake vacancy advertisements to fraudulentappointment letters for which they have paid money. It has been noticed that fraudulent recruitment advertisements and joboffers are being made by some unscrupulous elements forging Airports Authority of India's name/logo and trying to deceivegeneral public and job aspirants by false promises of securing jobs in AAI. AAI has been receiving the complaints from acrossthe country and has advised the individual concerned tofile official complaint with local police station. AAI has also published anotice for caution regarding ‘fraudulent recruitment’ on the homepage of its corporate website to inform all job aspirants toexercise caution and not to be misled by false advertisements in name of AAI. AAI clarifies that it has not authorized any agencyor website to either advertise job vacancies or to accept any application for recruitment for AAI's vacancies. All the vacancies &recruitment in AAI are notified on AAI's website, Employment News/Rojgar Samachar and leading newspapers.

RLY BOARD CHAIRMAN INSPECTES RLY PROTECTION FORCE LINESAshwani Lohani, Chairman Railway Board,inspected Railway Protection Force Lines and 6thBN Railway Protection Special Force in Dayabasti,Delhi on March 18, 2018 He was welcomed byPK Aggarwal, ADG/RPF/Railway Board, ANMishra CSC/RPF/ NR, RN Singh, DRM/DelhiDivision and Ruchira Chatterjee, Sr SecurityCommissioner/RPF Lines, Dayabasti. ChairmanRailway Board was given Guard of Honour atCSC(R) Lines, Dayabasti/NR. During theinspection of the reserve lines, he interacted withall the officers and staff present there anddirected the officers of the division to upgradethe maintenance and upkeep of RPF Barracks,construction of Common Modern Mess of RPFfor all the residing officers and staff withCommon Dining Hall, construction of OpenGymnasium for physical fitness of the officersand staff. Chairman Railway Board also directed for construction of 8 rooms for stores items and a new laundry room.Chairman Railway Board appreciated the need for four wheeler vehicles and motorcycles at Posts and Out Posts in RPF. Lohanialso visited the 6BN/RPSF. There, he directed to expedite the work at ladies battalion (MahilaVahini) at Asansol (ER), 15thBattalion at Udhampur/NR, 12th Battalion at Thakurli(CR), 11th Battalion at Garhara (ECR). The 10 per cent of the remainingwork at 14th Battalion at Coochbehar(NFR) to be completed. At the breeding cum training center of the dogs DIG/RPSFrequested for the construction for 20 Dog Kennels alongwith barracks for handlers at Dog Squad/BCTC.

SAIL & INDIAN INSTITUTE OF METALS ORGANISE WORKSHOP ON COKING COAL IMPORTIndia’s dependence on imported coking coal hasbeen the concern for steel and power sectors.The country’s coking coal import increased to43.53 MT from 38.83 MT during the periodApril’17 – February’18 recording a surge of 12.10per cent with CPLY according to m-junction, aleading name in the e-auction space. Low ashcontent coal, which is not abundant in India, isessential for the industry. Feeling the pinch steelindustry gropes for a better and dependablesolution to meet the demand of coking coal. Lowash content coal required for Blast furnace andBasic oxygen furnace of steel plants is thinlyavailable in the country, therefore industry has tolargely depend on import from Indonesia,

Australia and South Africa. Moreover the fluctuating price of imported coking coal rips the profit margin of steel industry.Addressing the issue a one-day workshop has jointly been organised by Steel Authority of India Limited and Indian Institute ofMetals in Kolkata on Tuesday. The workshop titled - Coking Coal for Indian Steel Industry: Issues and Challenges, touched uponthe contemporary issues and challenges pertaining to coking coal in steel industry for drawing attention of the policy makers ofthe country. In the workshop over 100 participants of the industry put their ideas for augmenting supplies of Coking &Metallurgical Coal to the Steel Sector by improved coal washing.

JP DHAUNDIYAL RECEIVES ‘PR HALL OF FAME AWARD’Public Relation Council of India ( PRCI ) haspresented PR Hall of Fame Award to JPDhaundiyal, Consultant, Power FinanceCorporation at the 2 day CommunicationConclave held in Pune on March 9, 2018 for hissignificant contribution to the PR Profession. Theawards are given by PRCI annually to those whothrough their unique contribution in PR havetirelessly served the profession and have made

their mark in PR. A robust process was put in place to identify the nominees.Dhaundiyal was formerly with Delhi Doordarshan, NPC, NHPC, POWERGRID,AECOM and SESI. These honours were presented by MB Jayaram, Chief Mentor &Chairman Emeritus , PRCI , Dr Mathew Hubert , Institute for Media & Journalism,Switzerland , Daniel Stanley , Industrialist (Dubai) and Dr Venugopal, Vice Chancellor,Bangalore University during the 2 day Global Communication conclave ‘Transform orPerish’ organised by Public Relation Council of India ( PRCI) at Pune in presence ofMedia , PR, Corporate Communication and advertising professionals.

Next wave of dud loans tooriginate from SMEs: Kotak

Force Motors, Rolls-Royce PowerSystems' arm form `300-crore JV

Dassault Systemes India eyesover 10% growth this year

Videocon exitsinsurance biz

RATHORE FLAGS OFF CEREMONY OF BSF MOUNTAINEERING EXPEDITION-2018 Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State(Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports flagged-off on Tuesday the second expedition to Mount Everestof BSF Mountaineering team atAshwini BSF OfficersMess, Nizamuddin, New Delhi in a well-attended event.BSF Mountaineering team was formed in 1976 under theable leadership of Col PPS Cheema. The newly raisedteam then scaled Mt. Harmukh (16,870 ft) and Mt Nun(23,409 ft) in the initial days of its formation. Despitemany ups and downs, BSF mountaineering team alsoscaled the Mt. Everest in the year 2006. The team wasled by SC Negi, DIG and other participants included Loveraj Singh Dharmashaktu. SC Negi then himself became the oldest Indianat the age of 56 years and highest ranked Police Officer in the world to scale the Mount Everest. Loveraj Singh Dharmashaktu,Assistant Commandant BSF is the first Indian, who successfully scaled the Mount Everest six times since 1998.

Dassault Systemes India MDSamson Khaou

Force Motors willhold 51 per cent

equity and the rest49 per cent will be

with MTU, saysForce Motors MD

Prasan Firodia

Page 12: ˙ 23 ˚ ˙ .2 4./5˝ .0 6 ˛˚˜ ˜˙!˙ˆ!ˆ#$%&’(˙ˆ ˝ ˘ ˘ ˇˆ˙ˇ˝˛ rapidly and stride forward ... Chemistry at IIT Gawahati spoke to about his preparation ... The CM’s

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French ex-President NicolasSarkozy was taken into

police custody on Tuesday andquestioned over allegationsthat late Libyan dictatorMoamer Kadhafi financed his2007 election campaign viasuitcases stuffed with cash, asource close to the inquirytold AFP.

Sarkozy was detained earlythis morning and was beingquestioned by prosecutors spe-cialising in corruption, moneylaundering and tax evasion attheir office in the Parisian sub-urb of Nanterre.

The 63-year-old had untilnow refused to respond to asummons for questioning inthe case, one of several legalprobes that have dogged theright-winger since he left office

after one term in 2012.Sarkozy's detention was

first reported by the Mediapartinvestigative news site andFrench daily Le Monde.

AFP's source said thatBrice Hortefeux, a top govern-ment minister during Sarkozy'spresidency, was also questionedtoday as part of the inquiry.

Sarkozy has been a focusof the inquiry opened in 2013by magistrates investigatingearlier claims by late Libyanruler Moamer Kadhafi and hisson Seif al-Islam that they pro-vided funds for Sarkozy's elec-tion effort.

Sarkozy has dismissed theallegations as the claims of vin-dictive Libyan regime membersfurious over his participation inthe US-led military interven-tion that ended Kadhafi's 41-year rule and led to his death.

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President Xi Jinping onTuesday underlined the

overall supremacy of the rulingCommunist Party in Chinaand demanded that the two-million strong military andGovernment institutions workunder its leadership.

Xi has been re-elected for afive-year second term. He isexpected to continue to be inpower as the head of the party,the military and the presidencyfor life, as the National People'sCongress (NPC) ratified a con-stitutional amendment, remov-ing the two-term limit for thepresident and Vice-President.

In his closing speech at theNPC today, Xi said, “The Partyis the highest force for politi-cal leadership and the funda-mental guarantee of the reju-venation of the Chinese nation”.

Over 1.5 million Chineseofficials, including over 100ministers, were punished in themassive anti-corruption drivecarried out by Xi in the last fiveyears.The NPC has formallyended its 18-day annual session,widely regarded by observers ashistoric as it formally removedthe two-term limit for 64-year-old Xi changing China's one-party system virtually into a one-leader state.

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Three people, including theassailant, were critically

injured in a shooting at a highschool in the eastern US stateof Maryland on Tuesday, offi-cials said, just days before anationwide student-organisedmarch against school violence.

The shooting occurredshortly after 8:00 am (1200GMT) at Great Mills HighSchool, located about a 90-minute drive southeast of theUS capital Washington.

“A single shooter fired around at a female victim just atthe beginning of the school

hours this morning,” St. Mary'sCounty Sheriff Tim Camerontold the MSNBC televisionnetwork.

The sheriff said the shoot-er was “engaged” by the “schoolresource officer” responsible forsecurity and was criticallywounded.

He said a female studentwas in critical condition and a“young man” was in critical butstable condition. All three weretaken to area hospitals fortreatment.

Police cars and emergencyvehicles with flashing lightscould be seen surrounding theschool.

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Syrian Observatory forHuman Rights on Tuesday

said three dozen pro-Government fighters werekilled in a district of Syria’s cap-ital as Islamic State jihadiststook control of it in a surprisenighttime attack.

There was no immediatecomment from theGovernment on the reportwhich could not provide casu-alty figures for ISIS. “IS took fullcontrol of Qadam, and 36 Govttroops and loyalist fighters havebeen killed,” the Britain-basedmonitoring group said.

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Pakistan is still mullingAfghanistan's recent over-

tures, including an invitationthat Pakistani prime ministervisit Kabul.

Analysts widely see the offeras a good sign, underscoring thatdialogue between the two oftenuneasy neighbours is key todefeating militants on both sidesof the border.

Pakistan, however, says itwants to consult the country'spolitical and military leadershipbefore accepting Afghan

President Ashraf Ghani's invi-tation.

The invitation follows avisit last weekend to Kabul byPakistan's National SecurityAdviser Nasser Janjua and alsolast month's offer by Ghani ofunconditional talks with theTaliban. The Taliban have notresponded yet.

Pakistan's foreign ministryspokesman Moahmmad Faisalsaid on Tuesday the country'spolitical and military leaders arecarefully considering the invi-tation in order “to prepare a brieffor the prime minister.”

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The US will not resume secu-rity aid to Pakistan until it

addresses America's concernson terrorist safe havens, thePentagon said, underlining thatIslamabad's action against mil-itants would not only helpAfghanistan but also protectIndia and the entire region.

The US in January sus-pended more than USD 1.15billion security assistance toPakistan, accusing Islamabad ofharbouring terror groups likethe Afghan Taliban and theHaqqani Network within itsborder and showing unwill-

ingness to take decisive actionsagainst them. In addition, theDepartment of Defense hadsuspended the entire USD 900million of the Coalition SupportFund (CSF) money to Pakistanfor the fiscal year 2017.

“The US government hasbeen very honest and open bothpublicly and privately withPakistan on the things thatthey need to address before wecan move forward with theresumption of the aid that hasbeen suspended,” Lt Col MikeAndrews, a spokesperson of theDepartment of Defence toldPTI.

But at the same time, he

also noted that except forexceptional circumstances –that too on a case-by-case basiswith approval from the author-ities – it has no plans to crossthe international border instriking terrorists across theborder from Afghanistan.

Andrews recently returnedfrom Afghanistan wherein heaccompanied the DefenceSecretary Jim Mattis.

The focus of Mattis' trip toAfghanistan last week was toreview the progress of theSouth Asia Policy in the war-torn country and to see the pre-paredness of the Afghan secu-rity forces.

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In a move that could poten-tially impact India and some

other low-cost economies, a Billintroduced in the Senate seeksto keep American call centrejobs within the United States byplacing restrictions on compa-nies that move these jobs over-seas.

And in a related develop-ment, a Washington-basedgroup has launched an anti H-1B ad campaign at metro sta-tions across the tech hub of SanFrancisco, asking US Congressto “fix H-1B law” so that com-panies are forced to seek andhire American workers.

“Too many companieshave packed up their call cen-ters in Ohio and across thecountry, and moved to India orMexico,” said DemocraticSenator Sherrod Brown fromOhio as he introduced his Billto force American companiesto keep their call centre jobswithin the US.

Called the US Call CentreWorkers and ConsumerProtection Act, the Bill requirescall centre agents overseas to“disclose their location andguarantee US customers theright to ask to transfer their callto a customer service agentwho is physically located in theUnited States”.

The Bill also proposes tocreate a public list of companiesthat outsource call centre jobs,and give preference in federalcontracts to companies thathaven’t shipped these jobs over-seas. It also requires companiesto notify the Department of

Labour before they relocate callcenters.

“Any companies on the listwould be ineligible for federalgrants or loans, with an exception for national security or substantial job lossin the United States,” the Billsays.

Stating that call centre jobsare among the most vulnerableto offshoring, Brown citednumbers from the Bureau ofLabour Statistics to say that theUnited States has lost 200,000call centre jobs between 2006and 2014.

“While foreign workers arenot to blame for outsourcedjobs and are often victims of thesame failed trade agreements asAmerican workers, mostAmericans want to supportAmerican jobs by buyingAmerican whenever they can.That includes the customerservice they get from call cen-tres,” Brown said.

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After his recent controversialpush on steel and alu-

minium tariffs, PresidentDonald Trump is reportedlypreparing to impose a hefty $60billion in annual tariffs againstChinese products.

Trump plans to unveil histariff package for Chinesegoods by Friday, TheWashington Post reported onTuesday, citing four unnamedsenior administration officials.

Right from the time of hispresidential campaign, Trumphas held out the threat of deal-

ing with China on severalissues, ranging from tariffs tointellectual property protec-tion.

The Post reported thatwhile his senior aides hadmooted a $30 billion tariffpackage on a range of Chineseproducts, Trump directed themto roughly double the levies.

The package is proposed tobe applied to over 100 productsthat have reportedly beendeveloped by using tradesecrets that China stole fromUS companies or forced themto hand over in exchange foraccess to its massive market, thepaper reported.

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With the advent of digitalmedia, Radio Industry hasundergone a transforma-

tion in the last decade. Radio Jockey(RJ) as a profession wasn’t consid-ered mainstream and has nowevolved to become in-demand. Theprofession has now received moreexposure and visibility, as a result,myths are busted and a clearer pic-ture is conveyed to the people.

But even today, when people lis-ten to any RJ on the radio, it isassumed that the voice you hear isthe whole and soul of the show.However, that isn’t the case. Every RJis backed by a group of other tech-nical and business professionals likeRadio Producer, ProgrammingDirector, Music Manager, SoundEngineers who make the radio showsuccessful.

A radio station comprises sev-eral teams— programming, sales,scheduling, branded solutions, etc.Lot of ideas, thoughts and collectiveeffort goes behind everything that isbroadcast on the radio. The trend-ing conversations in the nation orcity are linked or generated into con-tent. So, it is about staying up-to-date about the most recent happen-ings and trends.

The employment opportunitiesin the radio industry are limiteddespite the fact it’s growing but thatshouldn’t be a deterrent to them ifthey are passionate about the medi-um. The profession demands seriouspeople with the talent, patience andright zeal for the medium. The firststep in the direction of starting acareer in the field could be by

working as an intern at any radiostation and learn as much as onecan. As far as remuneration is con-cerned, it is decided based on yourtalent, experience and presence inthe market.

Expectations from an RJ con-tinue to rise with the popularity ofthe medium. Besides possessing anoutgoing personality; good sense ofhumour and exceptional presence ofmind, an RJ should be multi-dimen-sional. The job of an RJ now is notmerely restricted to entertainthe listeners through musicand shows, the profile is morelike that of a multi-talentedartist. From being highly-inquisit ive, tech-savvy,entertaining, having a flairfor current affairs to beingtechnically sound, an RJmust be completely tunedin, otherwise ,it's going to bea torturous uphill climb. Notto forget, a good commandover language, voice and abili-ty to connect with the listeners isa must in this profession.

The key in here is to be yourself,and that's what works. One shouldhave their own style of communi-

cating with the listeners. In this pro-fession, it's also one's aptitude,

overall confidence, and person-ality to deliver all of it through

voice which counts more.Apart from this, RJs should beculturally sound, know theircity well, and be aware of thekey events taking placearound them.

Radio in India today isevolving at a fast rate; rightfrom the medium's func-

tioning to the way it isemployed as a platform for

CSR activities. RJs also swiftlyadapt to the changes. They step

into the profession with the under-standing that the medium hasbecome more like a podium for lis-teners, where social issues can be

raised without any hesitation. RJs have realized this responsi-

bility to represent the society and itscritical issues, on the medium. Theyare not only doing reality-checks on-air but also make their voices heardon social media platforms to drivea positive change in a locality, city.They are walking an extra mile andhighlighting the current scenario inevery possible aspect with the intentto make their listeners more con-scious and aware about social issues,through various campaigns.Listeners now have the opportuni-ty to understand these issues in anin-depth manner through on-air andsocial media campaigns.

The radio stations and RJs inunity are leading social issues in thehope to communicate the messageamong the masses. A lot of changecan be noticed when it comes to tak-ing up CSR initiatives through anamalgamation of both mediums.The success of these campaignscontributes towards making the jobof an RJ, one of the most fulfillingprofessions in the world.

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Pearson India in collaborationwith FICE Education, a leading

provider of experiential learning inengineering, has launched a newprogramme titled “Intelligence andData Engineering Analytics (IDEA).”The partnership will provide stu-dents with access to high-qualityeducational content from the world’sleading institutions through edx.org.

The programme is delivered atmultiple campuses belonging toHoly Mary Group of Institutions andNalanda Institute of Technology inTelengana and Andhra Pradesh. Itseeks to help students work effec-tively in a team to achieve goals; solveproblems using critical thinking;apply data analysis techniques andtools to analyse and visualise data,

make decisions and predictionsusing machine learning techniques;build a network of engineering andindustry professional colleagues andbuild skills to increase employabil-ity.

The blended learning pro-gramme combines online coursesfrom edX.org with face-to-face ses-sions and lab work, delivered byFICE instructors in India. The pro-gramme lasts 40 weeks. Successfulstudents will earn certification fromedX, its partner universities andPearson. The edX courses includedin the partnership provide students

with the opportunity to gain knowl-edge in the most in-demand fields,including Data Science and MachineLearning. These courses are:�Introduction to Python for DataScience from Microsoft�Enabling Technologies for DataScience and Analytics: The Internetof Things from Columbia University�Introduction to Data AnalysisUsing Excel from Microsoft�Introduction to ProjectManagement from the University ofAdelaide�Data Science Essentials fromMicrosoft

�Machine Learning for Data Scienceand Analytics from ColumbiaUniversity

The various elements of theIDEA programme have beendesigned by Pearson and FICE,including courses on edX fromColumbia University, AdelaideUniversity and Microsoft.

Nagesh Singh, executive direc-tor, FICE Education said: “We havehelped 200 leading institutionsaround India set up IoT and artifi-cial intelligence labs focused on theareas that are evolving and inno-vating at the most rapid pace today.Through this partnership, we will beable to develop technical skills andenhance the employability of Indianstudents”.

*�8���0�.�.���'������������"��� �O����The Institute of Management Studies (IMS),

Ghaziabad, recently organised its gala“Convocation 2018” recently at their campus.Renowned technocrat, Dr Mangu Singh, managingdirector, DMRC was the chief guest at the event where-as chief human resource officer, Uttam SucrotechInternational Arvind Pachauri was the keynote speaker.

Dr Singh and Pachauri awarded gold medal toPGDM 2015-17 batch student Sristhi Suman and silvermedal to Kajal Agarwal for being toppers. In the pres-ence of managing trustees of IMS Society — DrPramod Aggarwal, executive council member; DrTapan Kumar Nayak, director, IMS Ghaziabad; Dr SapnaRakesh, director, IMSUC and invited guests. Around 225graduating students were awarded with PGDM diplo-mas by the dignitaries.

! 1��<���4��� 1�� .��������The Placement Cell of Dyal Singh Evening College,

University of Delhi, will be holding its first ever Inter-College Internship Fair on March 28, 2018, from 9 am onwardson the college campus. This one-day fair aims to create a tri-bune of summer internship opportunities for the students com-ing from different colleges across Delhi NCR and various fieldsof study. More than 15 companies from different fields includ-ing Finance, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, SocialService and others will be interviewing the students comingfrom different colleges of Delhi University and other privateinstitutions.

“Through the Inter-College Internship Fair, we aim to trainand place the students from different disciplines in the bestknown corporate entities all over India. We at Dyal SinghEvening College endeavour to provide diverse opportunitiesto the potential youth and foster a healthy relationship withstudents, catering to the employment needs of students andensuring employability to each student. So far, we have got over400 registration of students,” Dr Sumita Puri, convenor,Placement cell of Dyal Singh Evening College, says.

Students can register themselves at bit.ly/dsecinternshipfair.

Success in examination depends onhow students write examinations

without stress. Success is not a matterof luck, but can be achieved throughhard work. Parents and teachers needto create stress free ecosystem amongthe students. But as Class X and XIIBoard examinations are going on,parents and teachers are anxious aboutthe outcome of examinations. State andCBSE board syllabus examinations forClass X and XII standard will beginfrom next week. Recent research doneby Professor Dympna Devine, Head ofthe sociology at University CollegeDublin reveals that three out of fourstudents say that the exams are biggeststress in school. Moreover, 75 per centof students were satisfied with careercounselling and active learning.

��f7������In order to succeed in the exami-

nations, the student’s mind needs to becalm, intellect to be doubt free, mem-ory to be clear and ego to be healthy.Recent findings reveal that a studentattending the examination withoutstress will additionally gain 20 per centmarks than students writing the examwith stress. Anything which helps tocreate positive attitude includes regu-lar sleep, food, exercise, spending

study time in daylight hours, learn andpractice a relaxation technique, restwhile resting and study when optingto study. During sleep, brain clears itstrash. During deep sleep period from11 pm to 3 am, concentrate on sleeprather than study. Minimum six hoursof sleep is essential for the examination.Always keep the mobile phone andinternet resources away from studyroom. But internet can be used only tosupplement studies.

During examination season, avoidthe use of social media. Most often stu-dents hate subjects because of listless,uninspired teaching and badly writtentext books. Try to concentrate on fun-damentals first. Students must opt foreasy studying than emergency study-ing. Emergency studying will createunwanted stress. Too much stressmeans too much to do, too little timeand not enough energy. While doing

emergency studying the immediateworry among the students is whetherI can complete the study in time?

��3��������Students must practice last five

years question papers. Study continu-ously on priority basis and answer allthe questions in the text book. Take 10minutes break in every two hours ofstudy. Time management is moreimportant. Drink plenty of water andfruit juices and avoid excess of non-vegetarian and junk foods. Physics,Chemistry, Mathematics, ComputerScience & Commerce are do type sub-jects. Study the formula and equations.Study skills include survey, question,read, recite and review. Meditation andyoga helps improve mental, emotion-al, physical and spiritual health. It canbe done for 15 minutes a day toimprove concentration, memory, men-tal and physical health. Self-confidenceand stress free mindset will pave wayfor success in board examinations.

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Monster India, one of the leadingonline career and recruitment

solutions providers, has signed aMemorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Indian NavalPlacement Agency (INPA) to becomethe exclusive online recruiter to support the retired and shortly retir-ing navy veterans, seeking suitablesecond career opportunities in thecorporate world through job listingson Monster India’s website.

The INPA has been establishedunder the aegis of directorate of ex-ser-vicemen affairs at the Indian Navalheadquarters in February 2006, as awelfare facility for the retiring / retirednaval personnel to facilitate a second

career option in the corporate world.Monster India aims to list more

than 1000 opportunities in the next12 months with a target of increasingthis number to 2000 opportunities bythe year 2020. The partnership willfocus on identifying opportunities insectors such as capital goods indus-tries, IT, security space, ITeS, MSMEsetc for the uniquely skilled talent poolof INPA.

The INPA pool consists of around8800 candidates across ranks major-ity are graduates and post-graduatesand possess engineering and

professional degrees such as MBAand LLB. The candidates are tech-savvy and their exposure to foreignnavies and cities equip them with rel-evant skills relevant for the corporateworld.

INPA’s Commodore VivekKarnavat, principal director ex-ser-vicemen affairs said: “Our associationwith Monster India is to furtherstrengthen the support INPA pro-vides to the navy veterans to identi-fy second career opportunities. Toequip the talent pool of INPA withthe skill set required for corporate

India across ranks, the organisationhas been regularly conducting entre-preneurship training with certifica-tion under the aegis of NationalInstitute of Small BusinessDevelopment and Entrepreneurship(NIESBUD). In addition to this, allret ir ing sai lors undergo Skil lDevelopment Courses, wherein theyare certified under the Recognition ofPrior Learning scheme. INPA also hasan association with Indian Instituteof Management (IIM) for officerswho are keen to follow a career laterin management. These endeavorshave successfully resulted in placingcandidates in over 5400 vacancies inthe last three years.”

The BSE Institute Ltd, leaderin financial education, has

signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withIIM Lucknow to offer jointprogramme in AdvanceManagement.

It aims to provide world-class education to the studentsthrough collaborative pro-grammes. In addition, the col-laboration will also lead toopportunities of joint researchand student exchange pro-grammes between the twoinstitutions. It will provide

excellent opportunities to pro-fessionals who aspire for anoptimal learning environment,with a diverse peer group, anda global, lifelong network oftrusted connections.

The Advanced Managementprogramme is built on an inte-grated module approach, incor-porating action learningmethodologies which are furtherdivided into multiple modules.The programme is spread overone-year (part-time) focusingon building leadership skills,innovation for aspiring leaders

and is a life-altering and career-changing programme, designedto accelerate personal and pro-fessional growth. Through afully immersive format,Advanced ManagementProgramme will completelychange the way participants andtheir companies do business.

It is designed to sharpencritical thinking skills and honeleadership capabilities and pro-vides insights into InternationalPolitical Analysis, and fosterleaders’ ability to build and sus-tain a successful enterprise.

��������� ����The Hotel School invites

applications for admission inone-year professional diplomacourse in F&B service, frontoffice associate and chef. Theseprogrammes teach students howfood service professionals createand deliver guest-driven service,enhance value, build guest loy-alty, and promote repeat busi-ness. Students will learn howevery aspect of a food serviceoperation contributes to theguest experience and willexplore unique features of a vari-ety of food and beverage oper-ations. Featuring the latest ser-vice trends contributing to theguest experience; new leadershipinformation; sustainability/green issues for suppliers, equip-ment, and facilities; menutrends; revised labor and costcontrol information; and allnew restaurant industry exam-ples.

Eligibility: Candidates whohave appeared/passed 10+2examination of CBSE, ICSE orequivalent accreditation are eli-gible to apply.

Selection: Selection will bedone on the basis the candidate’sperformance in Aptitude Testfollowed by personal interview.

How to Apply: Applicationforms and brochure may beobtained from admission officeof The Hotel School at 989, nearOberoi farm, Kapashera, NewDelhi.

Deadline: March 30, 2018

� ���3��������The Xavier School of

Management (XLRI) announcesadmission to the PostgraduateDiploma in Management(PGDM) for WorkingExecutives and Business Ownersfor the batch 2018 to 2021.

XLRI has redesigned itshighly successful three-yearAICTE approved evening post-graduate diploma programme asa weekend programme from2017 onwards. This BusinessManagement programme isuniquely designed and struc-tured to enable working execu-tives and business owners todevelop the requisite manager-ial and business skills and com-petence for a managerial/own-ership role.

Spread over three academ-ic years, the programme com-prises of 900 hours of course-work interaction with sessions tobe conducted mainly using

physical classrooms during theweekends at XLRI Jamshedpurto accommodate the time con-straints of working executivesand business owners. On fewselect weekends, sessions will beconducted over the virtual class-room mode to provide greaterflexibility to the students. Thevirtual classes will compriseonly 25 per cent of the sessions.The programme scheduling alsoprovides for breaks betweenterms and during the financialyear ending which is typically ahectic time for working profes-sionals and business owners.

Selection: Candidates are tobe selected through a writtenaptitude test on April 8, 2018.The test will comprise of sec-tions on quantitative ability,logical reasoning, and Englishlanguage skills. Candidates whohave written any of the well-established managemententrance examination (e.g., XAT,GMAT and CAT), in the lasttwo years are encouraged tosend the copy of the scores alongwith the application. Personalinterviews are to be held fromApril 7 to 17 at XLRI campus.

Eligibility: Candidates hav-ing three years Bachelors degreeor equivalent in any disciplinerecognised by a University or adeemed University and a min-imum work experience of twoyears in managerial/superviso-ry/executive/ownership roleprior to April 30, 2018, are eli-gible to apply for this pro-gramme. Candidates who havecompleted the four-yearBachelors' degree in anyEngineering discipline from aUniversity or DeemedUniversity are also eligible toapply. The candidate must havea score of 50 per cent or moremarks or its equivalent GPA inthe above programmes.

Fee: The fee of the pro-gramme is �11 lakhs, is payablein installments as decided by theinstitute.

Deadline: The last date ofreceipt of application with pay-ments is March 31, 2018. Theprogramme is scheduled tocommence from the third weekof May 2018.

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Class XII Boards are on and stress among the students giv-ing Boards is discernible. Every year, students have to under-

go Boards, which decide their career ahead. While Science stu-dents are anxious about memorising formulae, diagrams andremembering concepts, Commerce students face similarchallenges. They have to deal with the flow charts and othercalculation methods. Students have to undergo business andaccountancy jargons and deal with an infinite syllabus. The bestway to prepare for the commerce Board exam is to practice asmany sample papers as possible. It helps and gives a clear ideaof the exam format. There are certain last-minute tips forAccountancy, Economics and Computer Science which can helpstudents score good marks in Boards.

����7���������������Revise all the topics thoroughly and students should not startwith any new topic just before the exam, as it may create a lotof stress.�Students should attend eight-mark questions first and thenproceed with others.�Students should focus on solving questions on accounting forpartnership firms and companies and treatment of accumu-lated profit and loss first, as it carry more weightage.�Make a firm grip over debenture interest account and loss onissue of debenture account, as they are scoring topics�Solve previous years’ sample papers.

D���"���������#+%�*''������'�����7�����������Students should target getting through the material.�Students should not overburden themselves with extra top-ics, but keep updated with current topics of interest.�They should stick to the relevant topic and focus on numer-ical questions on national income, investment multiplier, elas-ticity of demand and supply.�Students should know the concepts in detail and be aware ofthe background of every topic.�Students should focus on both macro and micro economics,as it consists of maximum marks. Consumer behaviour anddemand and producer behaviour and supply are some of theimportant topics.

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����7����������������Students should organise their study place, where they feelcomfortable and are able to focus.�Use flow charts and diagrams and summarise the revisionnotes into a single page diagram.�Practice sample papers and make short notes.�Take short breaks after every 40-50 minutes.�Focus on the topic related to object oriented programmingand data structure, as it consists of maximum marks.

Exams are basically a measuring scale, by which one’s abil-ity is judged and evaluated. With only few hours left for theBoard exams, students should take proper sleep and rest. Tryto remain calm and composed before the exams and do notpanic. Time management is essential and therefore, studentsshould practice by making notes and flow charts. Studentsshould always revise the topic which they know well, first, asit boosts their moral and confidence. Students should revisethe syllabus systematically and should undergo NCERTbooks first. Following these tips before the exams, will help stu-dents to achieve their milestone.

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The Dixie StateUniversity is offeringInternational FreshmenMerit Scholarships to studyin USA. Scholarships areavailable for new F-1 under-graduate, degree-seekinginternational students admit-ted directly into a universitybachelor’s degree programme.

Eligibility: All new F-1undergraduate, degree-seek-ing international studentsapplying to Dixie StateUniversity will be consid-ered.

Scholarships will beawarded to internationalstudents who meet the fol-lowing criteria: 3.0 GPA orequivalent or ACT score of26-plus or SAT score of1240-plus. Scholarshiprecipients will be required tomaintain a minimum 3.2GPA each semester. Englishlanguage requirements:English proficiency scores(TOEFL – 68, IETLTS – 6.0or evidence of primary lan-guage of instruction in highschool is English.

International studentsare eligible to apply. Theaward is for $4,500 for thefirst academic year; $2,250for the first fall and $2,250for the first spring semesterof enrollment and is applic-able to tuition only.

How to apply: The modeof applying is online. Visit:

https://interna-tional.dixie.edu/interna-

tional-student-scholar-ships/

Application deadline:The last date to apply is July1, 2018.

Novus Biologicals isoffering scholarship forinternational students.Scholarship is available forbaccalaureate, graduate,associate degree or diplomaprogramme.

Eligibility: Scholarshipis available for baccalaureate,graduate, associate degree ordiploma programme with adeclared major in a sciencerelated field. Internationalstudents can apply. Englishlanguage requirements:Applicants from outside thehome country will oftenneed to meet specific Englishlanguage/other languagerequirements in order to beable to study there.

How to apply: Fill outthe scholarship applicationform. Submit a transcript ofall college/post-secondarycoursework (high schoolstudent submit high schooltranscript). Submit a writtenstatement addressing thefollowing topics: Submit a140 character statement/Tweet on what your favoritescientific discovery is andwhy. Write a personal state-ment of 500 words or less onhow you plan to use yourdegree to further advancescience in your field.

Application deadline:July 20, 2018

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QUERY: My daughter’s nameis Riya Kashyap. She is 15 yearsold and her date of birth isAugust 14, 2003. Please suggestthe right career stream for her sothat she can be successful in herlife.

BHATT: Your daughter Riya isa Leo and her element is Fire. Onekey element of her personality isboldness. She can go into any typeof situation and look completely incontrol. She has Sun in her ninthhouse which is a royal combina-tion. She is majestic and strong.The Sun further energising hercharacteristic. The Sun is going topower her ambitions for the life.

As she is a Leo girl she hascertain personality traits that a lotof people wish they could have.These traits will help her in careerprospect, however, the dark sidetrait of her personality is, she canbecome emotionally parched ifthere’s nobody making her feel spe-cial. Her ego can also be a stum-bling block in the path of successhence would advise you to coun-sel her time to time.

Entertainment industry:She will have her own uniqueway of communicating and con-necting with people and enjoyjobs that would provide with anopportunity to travel and inter-act with people. Hence she hasvarious options that includeentertainment, event planning,public relations, media, fine arts,etc.

Management: Sun is herplanetary leader thus she is aborn leader. She can get heraudience fired up quicker thanmost star signs. She could pur-sue motivational speakingopportunities, work for fundrais-ers and charities, or even

become a politi-cian.

Entrepreneur:She has all qualitiesto become an entre-preneur. As Leo natives findthemselves tempted towardsentrepreneurship since it givesthem the chance to show theirleadership. They possess a goodamount of charm and friendlynature so in general, they havegood relations with theiremployees in the business.

Sales & Marketing: Leos arebelieved to be good at handlingclients and customers for whichshe could grow well in the mar-keting and sales segment orcould do well in their own busi-ness prospects.

Motivational speaker: Yourdaughter can make a good careeras a motivational speaker. As theLeo's have a natural talent forgetting people all fired up andready for action. They have theability to channelise the effusiveenergy into something positive.Hence career as a motivationalspeaker is a good option for her.

We advice to the natives ofLeo to not to have over confi-dence and to stay a bit awayfrom taking risks at every turn asthis could also bring losses attimes. They should ponder forsome time before implementingtheir thoughts. They should alsocontrol their desire for alwaysbeing at top because many timesit is not possible and their pas-sion to be on the top may causea big trouble for them in termsof enemies in disguise.

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The reduction of syllabus by 50per cent is a watershed reformfor the Indian school education

system. It acknowledges that in the21st century, where information isubiquitous, students need to developskills and conceptual understanding,rather than memorising content.

���i� ����It will create an eco-system thatwould help us all realise what ElliotEisner said: “The major aim ofschooling is to enable students tobecome the architects of their owneducation so that they can inventthemselves during the course of theirlives.’�The reduced syllabus will allowteachers and students time to divedeeper into learning. The focus wouldshift from ‘covering’ syllabus in classto a ‘mastery’ of concepts. Content hasalways dominated the classroom.Now the time is to focus on pedagogy.Schools will be able to focus on howstudents learn rather than what teach-ers teach. �By reducing the syllabus, the stresslevel of teachers would also reducesignificantly. A less stressed teacheris a happy teacher and a moreengaged and committed one. �The current assessment regime ofthe annual exam system will be lessof a burden with this new initiative.It will also enable assessment patternswhere we can evaluate the ability ofstudents to apply the mastery of con-cepts in different contexts and situa-tions. It will go beyond rote learning,or ‘learning by heart’. Assessment of

skills through project-based learningand design thinking will becomeimportant.�The teachers will have more time inhand for important learning areas likesports, arts, computers etc and, mostimportantly, development of 21stcentury skills like creativity, collabo-ration, communication and criticalthinking.

�������������Internationally, the schools have

shifted focus from content to skills.The 21st century is defined by trans-formative technologies that areredefining the way we work, collab-orate, communicate and socialise;the students will now need to incul-cate skills that will help them stay rel-evant in these changing times.

The P21, a US-based non-profitorganisation, representing over fivemillion members of the global work-force, believes that learning and inno-vation skills are increasingly beingrecognised as the skills that separatestudents prepared for increasingly

complex life and work environmentsand those who are not. Focus on cre-ativity, critical thinking, communi-cation and collaboration is essential toprepare students for the future.

Our National CurriculumFramework was last reviewed andapproved in 2005. Now is the time tore-imagine it. Our existing syllabus,assessment and pedagogy do notreflect the real-world changes. It cer-tainly is not positioned to prepare stu-dents for the complex, challengingand uncertain future ahead.

The reduced syllabus will hope-fully shift focus to the real issues that

will make the 16 years of educationa worthwhile and joyful experiencefor students.

��������������The school curriculum must be

seen as a continuum. Ron Ritchhartof Harvard University challenged usto think differently when he stated:“What if education were less aboutacquiring skills and knowledge andmore about cultivating the disposi-tions and habits of mind that studentswill need for a lifetime of learning,problem-solving and decision mak-ing? What if education were less con-cerned with the end-of-year exam andmore concerned with who studentsbecome as a result of their schooling?What if we viewed smartness as a goalthat students can work towards ratherthan as something they either have ordon’t?”

���7����More time for development of 21stcentury skills like creativity, com-munication, collaboration, etc

�More time for diving deep into eachconcept so that the students can mas-ter the content (be able to apply theknowledge in different contexts)�More time for arts. We recommenda detailed framework on Arts as a coresubject which can focus on drawing,sketching, various forms of painting,craft, clay modeling, digital arts,graphic designing etc.�More time for Science with focus ontechnology, Robotics andEngineering. The initiatives of NITIAyog on Tinkering Lab will get aboost as well. �Life skills programme can be intro-duced that will cover financial liter-acy, decision-making skills, adoles-cence education programme, globalcitizenship etc.�More time for understanding theself through value education.

�77�����������We will be failing our students and

an entire generation if we continue tofocus on content and vast syllabus thathas little relevance in terms of its appli-cation in real world. The stress of stu-dents and staff in these 16 years of edu-cation has to be reduced and dealtwith. It is no longer a question ofwhether we need to reduce the syl-labus, the right question is ‘by howmuch’? A bad curriculum well taughtis a better experience than a good cur-riculum badly taught. The reduced syl-labus will make learning joyful, makelife less stressful and shift the focus on‘real-life’ deeper learning.

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Mithali Raj on Tuesday said an IPL-like event for women will makesense only when the BCCI has in

place for them a "strong domestic" setup."It's important to have the pool of play-

ers, who will be qualified to play IPL kindof a league. As I mentioned (in) India A(team) itself we need quality players. Oncewe have those many players then it will bewise enough to have an IPL," Mithali, skip-per of India's women's Test team, said.

The Cricket Board is organising exhi-bition matches for women during theupcoming Indian Premier League's 11th sea-son.

With people starting to look up to thelikes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali andJhulan Goswami, the BCCI decided toorganise these exhibition matches, which canalso lay the groundwork for women's IPL.

Mithali said, "You can feed in anydomestic (players) but then there will be astark difference between an internationalplayer and domestic player. It might goagainst promoting women's cricket."

"So, I personally believe that when youhave strong domestic set-up and churningquality players then giving them an oppor-tunity in IPL makes sense," she said.

Veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami, whowas sitting alongside Mitahli, agreed with herTest captain.

"That is absolutely right, the domesticset up needs to be a little more stronger,"quipped Jhulan.

Meanwhile, India will be a part of theT2O series involving Australia and England,which begins on Thursday in Mumbai andMithali said before the World T20, the teamneeds to get its combinations right.

"The team is now preparing for the T20World Cup this year and it's important thatbefore the World Cup we need to have com-binations right. And for that if we have tohave few changes in the squad, irrespectiveof whether the result goes our way or not,it is important because we see the bigger pic-ture preparing for the World Cup," Mithali

said.Quizzed how would the team address

the issue of power-hitting, Mithali said thatit needs to pick players and give them spe-cific role.

"That's what Australia has been doingsince the past couple of years, they havepicked up players and they know what theyneed to do, we need to do the same. We havepower hitters like Harmapreet Kaur, VedaKrishnamurthy.

"You have seen Pooja (Vastrakar), shehas that ability and we need to give her moreabilities to groom into a good all-rounder,"she added.

Meanwhile, Jhulun said she was disap-pointed that she was not a part of the T20series in South Africa, but as a sportsperson

things like injuries would happen.

����7����������� Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj

on Tuesday admitted that not having abench-strength of desired quality is a real-ity and it will take at least two more yearsbefore the next crop of international stan-dard players emerge.

The Indian women's were soundlythrashed 0-3 by their Australian counter-parts but the more worrying aspect has beenlack of replacements for a lot of non-per-formers.

The India A team which played a fewwarm-up games against Australia A andnow England A have been wallopped inmost of the matches, raising serious ques-

tions about reserve bench. Save JemimahRodrigues, no top quality talent has emergedfrom the women's game with most playershaving been around for 3-4 years now.

"We have just started with India A toursand formation of an A team, since last year,after we came back from the World Cup. Itwill take sometime. It will take a couple ofyears to get our second string in place," thestraight-talking Mithali put things as it iscurrently in the women's game.

She believes that international exposurewill make them better

"We do have some young talented play-ers, but they need that exposure. So I amsure in a year or two, we will have a betterquality of players playing India A," the 35-year-old veteran batter said.

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Dinesh Karthik has become the toast ofthe nation with his 8-ball-29 against

Bangladesh in the tri-series final but he stillfeels like a "student in an University whereMahendra Singh Dhoni is a topper", whencomes to the tag of a best finisher.

"When it comes to Dhoni, I am study-ing in an university where he is the topper.He is one of the guys I have always lookedup to. It is unfair to compare me with him,"Karthik told mediapersons during an inter-action, here on Tuesday.

Interestingly, Karthik made his inter-national debut in September 2004 duringChampions Trophy in England, threemonths before Dhoni's debut againstBangladesh in a bilateral series in December.

In the next 14 years, Dhoni becameIndia's most successful captain and one ofits greatest limited overs exponent whileKarthik struggled in the fringes, waiting forhis chances.

"His (Dhoni) journey has been totallydifferent and my journey is a different one.He is a terrific guy. He is somebody whoused to be reserved, shy. Today, he is a per-son, who is really vocal in helping the young-sters. I feel these comparisons are very unfair.As I said, he is probably a topper in an uni-versity, where I am studying. I am just happyin the space I am in," Karthik said.

Having been around for a decade anda half, Karthik is finally enjoying his timeunder spotlight, something he has so rich-ly deserved. He attributes it to his goodkarma and divine intervention.

"It feels good that all the attention is onme. All the good karma and good things Ihave done over the years helped me hit thatsix. It is just that the shot went for a six.

Probably the two mm extra that it went forit became a six."

The feeling is yet to sink in and Karthikadmitted it.

"It is hard for me to put in words. Iam just happy to play this sport. Whenyou play domestic cricket, it is a hardgrind, To suddenly get so much attentionfeels so good but you also know that youwant this to be a start of something spe-cial," he added.

Karthik also said the time spent withMumbai cricketer Abhishek Nayar over theyears had helped him strengthen the men-tal aspect of his game.

"He (Abhishek Nayar) has been themost important factor in the last two andhalf years in my career. He has helped meprepare for games. He has made me thinkin terms of strategy. He also knows what isthe right way to work hard. He has been theriver and I have been the boat," he added.

Karthik also defended rookie VijayShankar who didn't have the experience oftackling Mustafizur Rahaman's slowerdeliveries.

"Vijay Shankar has the skill. He has donereally well as a bowler. For someone, whois a batting all-rounder, he did well underpressure. I see a really good future for him.He has got a good attitude. He is a specialtalent and he has it in him to play for a long,long time," the 32-year-old stumper said.

He may have been a bit upset with RohitSharma's decision to promote Shankarahead of him but lavished praise onMumbaikar's style of captaincy.

"His (Rohit Sharma's) biggest strengthis that he has won three IPLs as skipper andhas immense belief in his ability to lead ateam. He does a lot of homework. He isstrategically very strong. He is a very thor-ough captain and is someone who is high-ly-skilled," Karthik said.

����� :;<��;=��

India's heavy loss to Australiain the recent Women's ODI

Championship fixture hasprompted the BCCI to expeditethe process of strengtheningthe bench strength of thenational team.

After streamlining thedomestic structure and intro-ducing India A tours, the selec-tors have been asked to hand-pick a pool of pacers, spinnersand wicketkeepers and testthem in a camp at the NationalCricket Academy beginninglater this month.

The likes of Mithali Rajand Jhulan Goswami are notgoing to be around for long andthe board feels that it is time toact now.

The women's committeecomprising COA member

Diana Edulji, Mithali,Harmanpreet Kaur , HemlataKala and Prof Ratnakar Shettywill meet on March 28 toreview the team's disappointingperformance against Australiaand discuss the way forward.

"There is a definite need formore quality pace bowlers andspinners. The Australia seriesshowed us that. They playedour spinners rather easily whileour team struggled againsttheirs. We also need more fire-power in the batting depart-ment," Edulji said.

���� ��#;��B<:

South Africa's KagisoRabada was cleared to play

the remaining two Testsagainst Australia after winningan appeal against his ban overan alleged shoulder barge onTuesday.

The International CricketCouncil said Rabada had beenfound not guilty of makinginappropriate and deliberatephysical contact withAustralian captain Steve Smithduring the second Test in PortElizabeth last week.

Judicial commissionerMichael Heron of NewZealand found Rabada guiltyof the lesser charge of conductcontrary to the spirit of thegame following an appealhearing on Monday.

Heron reduced Rabada'spenalty from three demeritpoints to one, and reduced hisfine from 50 percent to 25 per-cent of his match fee.

Rabada's total of demeritpoints was therefore reducedfrom nine to seven, one shortof the threshold for an auto-

matic two-Test ban.The ICC announcement

said Rabada was free to play —which means he will take hisplace in the South Africanteam for the third Test againstAustralia starting at Newlandson Thursday.

But Rabada's cumulativepoints tally means that any fur-ther disciplinary action couldresult in a ban.

Heron said the key issue

was whether Rabada madedeliberate contact with Smith.

"I am not 'comfortablysatisfied' that Mr. Rabadaintended to make contact,"Heron said in an ICC state-ment.

"I am entitled, however, toconsider whether the conductinvolved constitutes a lower-level offence.

"I consider the conductwas inappropriate, lacked

respect for his fellow playerand involved non-deliberateand minor contact. Theactions contravened the prin-ciple that a dismissed batsmanshould be left alone."

Rabada's ban was amongthe low points of a bad-tem-pered series, in whichAustralia's David Warner andSouth African Quinton de Kockwere fined over a confrontationduring the first Test.

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With the national tennissquad scheduled to face

China next month, formerstar Vijay Amritraj on Tuesdaysaid the new Davis Cup formatis not ideal for emerging coun-tries like India.

According to Amritraj,the new two-day format maybe difficult for India as it willbe difficult for players to com-pete in both singles and dou-bles.

"We have a good chance towin against China... I am notcrazy about the two-day for-mat in the Davis Cup.

"I don't think the two-dayformat is a good thing becausea country like us needs to havea good weekend of matches,"Amritraj said.

"The three-day format isimportant for us because wemay have a singles player whowill also be required to playthe doubles. The three-dayformat was a good one. It wasa tried and tested formatwhich worked very well," headded.

The former World No16felt that it will be difficult forIndia to compete or evenreach the World Group unlessthe country starts producinghigh quality singles players ona regular basis.

"We need to play four sin-gles matches. They are mostimportant as they give us fourpoints. We have to try to getbetter singles players. Till wehave guys who are goodenough to be in the top 100 or50, everything else is immate-rial," he said.

"To reach the World groupwe need players in top 50 andwe can only achieve that bydoing hard work.

"Our players are not goodenough because results haveshown we are not goodenough. We are getting better,"he added.

Amritraj also asserted thatcurrent Indian stars

Ramkumar Ramanathan andYuki Bhambri have done wellrecently but will need moretime to reach their full poten-tial.

"Yuki and Ramkumar havebeen a bit better over the lastsix-to-seven month. I alwayssaid that their best years willbe between 25 and 33 and notbefore that.

"Yuki had a terrific per-formance at Indian Wells.Ramkumar and Yuki are con-sistent these days and havequalified for a couple of ATPevents," the former star said.

"We start comparing themwith western kids but it is a bitearly. Indian kids mature phys-ically later than western kids.I am still hoping our boys andgirls can still do it between 25and 33," he added.

He also felt that Indianplayers needs better coachingand training facilities at thegrassroots level.

"A lot of kids are playingat different levels but we don'thave kids excelling. The trans-formation is lacking com-pletely. If you look at a par-ticular level, they need betterhelp," Amritraj said. "I thinkthings have changed a lot nowbecause you do get sponsor-ships and you do get coveragefrom media. You can get spon-sorship to train abroad aswell... like lots of kids havegone to Spain," he added.

"There are lots of oppor-tunities now. We have strongcommitment from the chil-dren. We are in a little bit ofdilemma. Our boys and girlsare working hard but we needmore results."

Amritraj also opined thatthe high level of expenses andfinancial resources requiredfor tennis put Indian kids at adisadvantage. "It's not easy... Itcosts... You need money. It isvery very difficult to puttogether. You need lots of sup-port to put those thingstogether and we tried andkeep trying," he said.

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New Zealand's cricketers are drawing inspiration from imagesof Richie McCaw leading the All Blacks to Rugby World Cup

glory as they head into their first home day-night Test againstEngland on Thursday.

Despite some injury concerns, New Zealand short-ball spe-cialist Neil Wagner was focused on performing at the Eden Parkfortress where the All Blacks are unbeaten in 40 rugby Tests dat-ing back to 1994.

England quick bowler Chris Broad, meanwhile, believed thefirst day-night cricket Test on New Zealand soil could be decid-ed in "one mad hour" —less time than it takes fora rugby match.

England have selec-tion issues as they ponderthe workload Ben Stokescan handle with a trou-blesome back, while NewZealand are sweating oninjured senior batsmanRoss Taylor and have for-mer Test opener MartinGuptill on stand-by as a middle order option.

The history of day-night Tests, using a pink ball, favours thehome side who has won seven of the eight matches played so far.Further troubling England is their recent Test form, having lostthe Ashes 4-0 to Australia in December and January.

Eden Park's short boundaries should favour batsmen, but thatdoesn't worry Wagner who had match figures of eight for 126 whenNew Zealand beat India at the ground in 2014 and took three wick-ets in a tense drawn Test against England the previous year.

"I love playing at Eden Park," he said Tuesday. "A lot of guysfind it funny, being a rugby field and with quite short dimensions.

j���� �� ������j�"But just the history of it, knowing Richie McCaw and those

guys ran out there and won a (rugby) World Cup. It's a pretty spe-cial place and when you walk out there you get goosebumps."

Wagner sees no problems with the pink ball, saying the samerules apply as when using a white or red ball. "You've got to makesure you put it in the right areas," he said.

But Broad, needing one more wicket to join teammate JamesAnderson as the only England players with 400 Test dismissals,believes the pink ball has a life of its own in New Zealand.

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