‘1.3 bn Indianswholeheartedlywelcomedcritical verdicts’

CEA: India needs pro-biz,not pro-cronypolicies

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‘ALL ANDSUNDRY’

Owaisi sittingpretty after anti-CAA protests

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Gettingpeople to go

oh Baby!

HEAT IS ON

Tour operators in AP losecrores in biz to coronavirus Hardly any bookings ahead of peak tourist season SUMIT ONKA n VISAKHAPATNAM

The outbreak of coronavirushas effectively devastated thetourism industry in NorthAndhra region, if one goes bythe fact that tourism agenciesare hardly getting any bookingfor summer holiday trips.

Tour and travel operators inAP are expected to suffer a lossof around Rs 20 crore, accord-ing to a rough estimate ofTours and Travel Associationof Andhra Pradesh (TTAA)which has around 450 agenciesregistered with it.

Given the outbound travelhistory in summer, about40,000 people fly from NorthAndhra and its surroundingareas, said TTAA president, KVijay Mohan. The tourists

from here mostly f ly toThailand, Singapore, Malaysia,Kuala Lumpur, while the moreaffluent prefer European des-tinations.

Summer holidays are thepeak business season for thetour operators.

"It's really a tough time fortourism industry. Earlier, many

people had cancelled theirtravel plans and now we arenot getting fresh bookings forthe summer holidays too.Summer holidays, mainly twomonths, are the peak time fortourism business. However,coronavirus has devastatedbusiness," said Vijay Mohan.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Nationalism and the slogan of'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' are beingmisused to construct a "mili-tant and purely emotional"idea of India that excludes mil-lions of residents and citizens,former prime ministerManmohan Singh said onSaturday, in an apparent attackon the BJP.

Addressing a gathering atthe launch of a book onJawaharlal Nehru's works andspeeches, Singh said that ifIndia is recognised in thecomity of nations as a vibrantdemocracy and, if it is consid-ered as one of the importantworld powers, it was the firstprime minister, who should berecognised as its main archi-

tect.Nehru had led this country

in its volatile and formativedays when it adopted a demo-cratic way of life, accommodat-ing divergent social and polit-ical views, Singh said.

India's first prime minister,who was very proud of Indianheritage, assimilated it, andharmonised them into the

needs of a new modern India,he said

"With an inimitable style,and a multi-linguist, Nehrulaid the foundation of the uni-versities, academies and cultur-al institutions of Modern India.But for Nehru's leadership,independent India would nothave become what it is today,"Singh said.

"But unfortunately, a sectionof people who either do nothave the patience to read his-tory or would like to be delib-erately guided by their preju-dices, try their best to pictureNehru in a false light. But I amsure, history has a capacity toreject fake and false insinua-tions and put everything inproper perspective," he said.

Nationalism misused to constructmilitant idea of India: Manmohan

Army man stalksgirl, shoots mom PNS n VIJAYAWADA

An Army man on Saturdayopened fire with a country-made gun at the mother of agirl he had been stalking forsome time, at Nadimpalli vil-lage under CherukupalliMandal of Guntur district.

The woman, identified asK. Ramadevi, is undergo-ing treatment at a localhospital and her condi-tion is said to be stable.

According to Sub-Inspector P Ramesh, theserviceman, identified asBalaji, had been stalking thegirl for some months. Initially,the girl avoided him and whenhe proposed to her, she reject-ed the proposal outright.

Balaji is said to have contin-ued to stalk her, followingwhich the family lodged acomplaint with the police.

He was arrested and sent tojail. Blaming the girl for hislanding behind bars, the ser-viceman reportedly reachedher house early on Saturday.

When Ramadevi, the girl'smother, opened the door, heopened fire at her. However,Ramadevi managed to move

aside, resulting in the bulletgrazing her ear.

The sound of theshot, and the woman'sscreams, alerted theneighbours who rushed

to the spot. Seeing theadvancing people, Balaji

took to his heels leaving thecountry-made gun and van-ished. Police said that Balaji isa native ofNallamothuvarpalem villageunder Karla mandal of Gunturdistrict. Three teams havebeen formed to nab Balaji,police said.

CoronavirusvaccinecandidatedevelopedPNS n SYDNEY

A team of researchers at theUniversity of Queensland inAustralia has created theirfirst vaccine candidate in thelaboratory for the novel coro-navirus, COVID-19.

The team will move imme-diately into further develop-ment before formal pre-clin-ical testing, the universitysaid on Friday.

The proof-of-conceptmilestone comes in less thana month after the project'sannouncement on January 24as part of the Coalition forEpidemic PreparednessInnovations (CEPI) rapidresponse programme.

"There is still extensive te-sting to ensure that the vac-cine candidate is safe, but thetechnology means the firsthurdle has been passed," saidUniversity of Queensland V-C Peter Hoj AC.

PNS n NEW DELHI

As India is gearing up to wel-come US President DonaldTrump who will arrive on hismaiden visit on February 24, ahigh level security apparatushas been put in place.

Trump's security is in thehands of the American SecretService which is tasked withprotecting the US President. InIndia, the SPG and the NSGwill help the secret serviceagents maintain the securitymachinery of Trump.

According to reports, secretservice agents came to India amonth ago, as is the routine.The American agents laid theirown communication systemthrough which they will keeptrack of every developmentminute by minute. According

to media reports, permissionwas taken from the Indianauthorities to bring the tech-nology and equipment fromthe US to India. As it landed inIndia the bar code was scannedat the airport to see that thereturn from India is as smooth.

In the entire security appa-

ratus, the most important com-ponents are a 'football' and a'biscuit'.

The football is a black colourleather briefcase which comesinto service when the Presidentleaves America. It is the ulti-mate power accessory, adoomsday machine that could

destroy the entire world. It is infact a nuclear device with asecret code and alarm. Acco-rding to reports, the 'nuclearfootball' has an antenna pro-truding from it. The antenna islinked to a satellite phone.

According to Dailymail, theUS has been using this nuclearfootball since 1962.

There are four things in thefootball and the most impor-tant thing is the 'biscuit', a debitcard sized piece of plastic con-taining the codes the USPresident needs to order thelaunch of nuclear weapons.

Trump will arrive inAhmedabad around noon onFebruary 24 for a little less thana 36-hour-long trip to India.

Ajay Tomar, Special policecommissioner (crime) ofAhmedabad, said, "Arrangem-ents have been made for traf-fic management apart from thesecurity. On the 22-km longroute of the roadshow, morethan 1000 officers and jawanshave been deployed. Rehearsalsare being held to see thateverything goes off smoothly.I don't want to share moredetails."

‘Football’ and ‘Biscuit’ in Trump’s security armourFootball is the ultimate power accessory, a nuclear device with a secret code and alarm

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Vizianagaram police onSaturday arrested a 45-year-old man, identified as JRVenkateswarulu, for postingobjectionable commentsabout Deputy Chief MinisterPamula Pushpa Srivani onFacebook.

ASP Parvathipuram, SumitGarud clarified that Venkat-eswarulu does not belong toany political party or organ-isation.

Venkateswarulu posted theobjectionable commentsabout Pushpa Srivani alongwith her picture on June 11,2019 while he was drunk,Garud said.

Upset with the comments,Pushpa Srivani had approa-ched the police on October

20, 2019. Based on the com-plaint, the police had regis-tered a case and started inves-tigations.

The police wrote to Googleand Facebook and other web-sites to trace the IP addressand other details of the ac-cused. The investigation ledthe police to Venkateswaru-lu, a resident of Bengaluruand native of Kavali inNellore district. The policearrested him under relevantSections of the IPS and IT Actin Bengaluru. The accusedwas produced before courtand was remanded.

The police said that post-ing objectionable commentsabout any individual or polit-ical leader on social net-working sites is a punishableoffence.

Botsa: SIT willexpose TDPcorruptionPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Brushing aside allegationsthat the YSRCP Governmentis vindictive and is targetingBCs and has been poolingland by force, Municipal andUrban Development MinisterBotsa Satyanarayana onSaturday said that no one isabove the law and all irregu-larities during the past fiveyears of TDP rule would beunearthed and brought topublic view.

Speaking to the mediahere, the Minister gave ablow by blow reply to the alle-gations and statements byTDP leaders. Setting therecord straight, Botsa saidthat it was the TDP leaderswho had challenged thatthere were no irregularitiesduring their term and haddared the government toorder an inquiry.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Chief Minister Arvind Ke-jriwal and his deputy ManishSisodia are unlikely to be pre-sent when US First Lady Me-lania Trump visits a Delhi go-vernment-run school on Fe-bruary 25, said sources.

As per the original sched-ule, both Kejriwal and Sisodiawere to accompany MelaniaTrump during her visit to theschool, people familiar withthe matter said.

They were also to brief herabout the "happiness curric-ulum" introduced by the AAPgovernment, sources said.

No Kejriwal,Sisodia atMelania event

Cong: Thackeray requires briefingon how NPR is the basis of NRCPNS n NEW DELHI

Congress leader ManishTewari on Saturday saidMaharashtra Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray "requires abriefing" on the CitizenshipAmendment Rules-2003 tounderstand how the NPR is the

basis of the NRC.Tewari also said that on the

CAA, Thackarey needs to bereacquainted with the design ofthe Constitution that religioncannot be the basis of citizen-ship.

The sharp remarks by theformer Union minister on the

chief of the Shiv Sena, theCongress' ally in Maharashtra,came a day after Thackareymet Prime Minister NarendraModi, following which he saidno one needs to fear about theCAA as it is not meant forthrowing anyone out of thecountry.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Justice N V Ramana, theseniormost judge in theSupreme Court, on Saturdayexhorted courts to help pre-vent populist decisions fromaffecting constitutional rightsand pitting the rights of oncegroup against those of othergroups.

Justice Ramana was speak-ing at the inaugural functionof the International JudicialConference here on the theme'Judiciary and the ChangingWorld'.

Mentioning that the confer-ence would deliberate uponthe important topic of 'Role ofthe Judiciary againstPopulism', Justice Ramanaobserved: "This topic assumesfundamental importancebecause populist decisionsaffect the constitutional rights,and more often than not,rights of one group are pittedagainst the rights or interest ofother groups. Hence, courtswill have to rise to the occasionand guard constitutional val-ues, at the same time balanceall constitutional considera-tions."

AIMIM leaderwithdrawscontroversialcommentsPNS n MUMBAI

Following a nationwidefurore over his "communalhate-speech", All IndiaMajlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) ex-legislator ofMaharashtra Waris Pathanwithdrew his controversialremarks here on Saturday.

"I had no intentions to hurtthe sentiments of any com-munity...My remarks werenot 'anti-Hindu', I herebywithdraw my statement,"Pathan told mediapersonshere this evening.

He added that attemptswere being made to portrayhim as "anti-national" , but heclarified that his remarkswere not intended to createany kind of discord amongpeople or communities.

A huge political stormerupted after Pathanaddressed an anti-CAAprotest in Kalburgi(Gulbarga) in Karnataka onFebruary 15 and said that"15-crore (Muslims) willprove stronger than the 100-crore majority (Hindus)."

Justice N V Ramana

Insulate constitutionalvalues: Justice Ramana

TU 142 Aircraft museum at beach road Visakhapatnam

Botsa Satyanarayana

The AmericanPresident’s securityagents laid their owncommunicationsystem throughwhich they will keeptrack of everydevelopment minuteby minute

‘Right to privacycovers online data’NEW DELHI: Right to priv-acy, recognised as a fundam-ental right by the Supreme Co-urt, has evolved to protect notonly telephonic conversationsbut also online data, an apexcourt judge said on Saturday.

Justice L Nageswara Rao sa-id the evolution of

the law assumesimportance be-cause it repres-ents the progre-

ss of a nationand its social con-

ditions, and that failureto evolve the law in accordancewith the changing circum-stances often leads to injustice.

Man held for crudepost against Dy CM

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3

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The Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Saturday said there has beenno discovery of gold deposits estimated to be around 3,000 tonnes

in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, as claimed by a district miningofficial. "Such data was not given by anybody from GSI.... GSI has notestimated such kind of vast resource of gold deposits in Sonbhadradistrict," GSI Director General (DG) M Sridhar told PTI inKolkata. "We share our findings regarding any resou-rces of ore after conducting survey with the stateunits.... We (GSI, Northern Region) carried outwork in that region in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.”

GSI: NO DISCOVERY OF AROUND3000-TONNE GOLD DEPOSITS IN UP

NEW VIRUS HAS INFECTED MORETHAN 77,000 PEOPLE GLOBALLYAviral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 77,000

people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illnessCOVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus thatcauses it. The latest figures reported by each government's healthauthority as of Saturday in Beijing:Mainland China: 2,345 deaths among76,288 cases, mostly in the centralprovince of Hubei Hong Kong: 69 cases,2 deaths Macao: 10 Japan: 739 cases,including 634 from a cruise ship.

AYUSHMANN KHURRANA'S GAYROM-COM: TRUMP SAYS ‘GREAT’ US President Donald Trump got into the mood on Friday ahead of his

upcoming India trip by issuing a surprising thumbs-up forBollywood's newly released gay rom-com movie. "Great!" the USpresident wrote as he retweeted gay rights activist Peter Tatchell's ownexpression of support for the movie "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan".Released on Friday, "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan" starsactor Ayushmann Khurrana as a young man bucking socialdisapproval to be with his beloved -- another man.Trump isnot a regular advocate of gay rights, while some ofhis more right-wing supporters actively oppose them.

Telangana education department has said that conjoined twins Veenaand Vani will be treated as two individuals and both will take separate

exams.Initially, district education authorities were unsure whether toconsider the girls as one or two individuals when it came to giving themhall tickets for the examination. The twins, who recieved special tuition,were coached by teachers deputed by theEducation Department at the state home inHyderabad where they currently live. Veena andVani are children of M Murali and Nagalakshmifrom Beerishettygudem of Mahabubabad.

CONJOINED TWINS VEENA-VANI TOHAVE SEPARATE ANSWER SHEETS

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Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for anydamage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement beforeresponding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020 vijayawada 02

CAPSULE

Depressed girl ends lifeSRIKAKULAM: A Degree studentcommitted suicide when herparents fixed her marriageagainst her wish. According topolice, B Bharati, the eldestdaughter of B Ramaiah andLakshmi, a native of BasavaKotturu in Srikakulam district,was studying Degree secondyear. It is learnt that she is beingthe elder daughter, her parentswanted to marry off so that theycan see matches for their seconddaughter. But Bharati asked themto postpone the marriage as shewanted to get married only aftercompleting her education. Whenher parents did not heed to herplea, she committed suicide byhanging herself from the ceilingfan when she alone in the house.Her younger sister, who camefrom college, noticed her sisterhanging in the room and alteredneighbours. Immediatley, theybroke open the door and shiftedher to the Sompeta governmenthospital and from there she wasshifted to a private hospital forbetter treatment but she died onway to the hospital.

EGGRATES

` 42,150 (10 gm)

` 300

GOLD

` 48,300 (10 gm)

` 0

HYDERABAD 340VIJAYAWADA 355VISAKHAPATNAM 375RETAIL PPRICE `3.55

SILVER

VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

`/100

CHICKENRATES

Dressed/With Skin `119

Without Skin `135

Broiler at Farm `82

`/KG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

C PRADEEPn VIJAYAWADA

The Locked House MonitoringSystem (LHMS) has become ablessing in disguise for thosewho venture out on work andtours. It may be recalled that inorder to curb thefts andoffences, the police depart-ment introduced the LockedHouse Monitoring System(LHMS) under the VijayawadaPolice Commissionerate limits,which evoked good responsefrom denizens.

House owners have to down-load the LHMS AP police appfrom the Google Play Store ontheir Android phones and afterinstalling the app by furnishingtheir details like name andresidential address, they wouldbe given a unique ID indicat-ing their successful registration.If any house owner is going outof the city, he has to place arequest through the app andindicate the period of time.

After receiving the requestfrom house owners, the depart-ment people will visit thehouse and install the Wi-Fimodem and cameras. This

unit is linked to the owner'sphone and also to the PoliceControl Room. If there is anymovement in front of thehouse, camera installed in thehouse will record pictures andvideos and send the same tothe Control Room and thehouse owner's smartphone.

Speaking to The Pioneer,Deputy Commissioner of Police(crime) D Koteswara Rao said10 people are sending a requestto install the LHMS equip-

ment to protect their house andproperty on a daily basis underthe City Commissionarate lim-its. In all, 31,000 have registeredfor the LHMS app till date andthe number is increasing everyday.

The DCP appealed to puttheir cash and jewellery in thebank lockers for safety. Headvised house owners to set upa burglar alarm system at homefor getting alerts when house-breaking offenders try to enterhouses for committing any

kind of offence. There are 75cameras and in one go, LHMSdevices can be installed at 38locations. Over 1,000 houses inthe city utilised the LHMS ser-vice till date, he said.

The police department isimplementing the beat systemat all areas in the city to preventcrime and robberies. Rakshakvehicles moving all corners ofthe city and night vehiclechecking and lodge checking isunderway to avoid any unto-ward incident and maintainpeace in the city.

Awareness is being createdon LHMS, cybercrime, eve-teasing and other offences byscreening short films at variousparts of the city every day, theDCP said.

Around 31,000registered for LHMSapp till dateLHMS devices can beinstalled at 38locations at a time1,000 houses fixedLHMS devices till now

LHMS, a blessing in disguisen Deputy Commissioner of

Police (crime) DKoteswara Rao said 10people are sendingrequests to install theLHMS equipment toprotect their house andproperty on a daily basisunder the CityCommissionarate limits

n In all, 31,000 haveregistered for the LHMSapp till date and thenumber is increasingevery day, he said

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

"Energy, petroleum and natur-al gas sectors continue to havethe greatest impact on a coun-try's future. Thus, technolog-ical innovation, economic andfinancial challenges faced bythese sectors cannot beignored", said Dr VSRKPrasad, Director, IIPE.

In this regard, IndianInstitute of Petroleum andEnergy, Visakhapatnam, isorganising a four-day work-shop on 'Research opportuni-ties in petroleum, energy andnatural gas (ReOPEN-2020)',he informed.

The workshop will be heldfrom February 24 to 27. Theprimary intent of this work-shop is to bring together var-ious experts from India andabroad to discuss advancedresearch opportunities andchallenges associated withpetroleum, renewable energyand natural gas processing, headded.

"Major focus will be ontechnologies that can improveenergy efficiency, reduce car-bon emissions and bringrenewable closer to imple-mentation. The workshop willfeature elaborate sessions onrecent and future aspects inenergy and petroleum sector,research and educationalopportunities in petroleumand energy engineering, ener-gy conversion and solar ener-gy, energy storage, fossil fuel,bio-fuel and biomass, catalysis,carbon free hydrogen produc-tion, thermal barrier coatingand power generation cycle,"he said.

The ReOPEN inaugural ses-sion is scheduled for February

24 in the presence of oil indus-try members and academi-cians. Eminent professionalsfrom industry and researchlaboratories such as IOCLR&D Faridabad, BPCL R&DGreater Noida, TECHNIPIndia Limited and ENTEKEnvironmental Laboratories,Baton Rouge, will share theirexpertise on current and futureresearch scenario in indus-tries.

Renowned international andnational academicians fromTexas A&M University,University of Louisville, RowanUniversity, CranfieldUniversity, IIT Delhi, NITTrichy, Southern Universityand A&M College, will sharetheir views on the research andopportunities in petroleum,natural gas processing andimplementation of renewablein India and across the globe.

Prof Mahendra Sunkara andProf Dandina N Rao fromUniversity of Louisville, ProfOswald D'Auvergne fromSouthern University and A&MCollege and Prof KVRamanujachary from RowanUniversity are a few distin-guished personalities to gracethe workshop and enrich theyoung minds.

Poster and networking ses-sions will provide prospects forstudents to interact with distin-guished national and interna-tional professionals. The work-shop will be concluded with anindustry panel discussion. Thisworkshop is an attempt tobring industry and academicprofessionals on a commonplatform to explore opportuni-ties in the area of petroleum,natural gas and energy basedon current scenario andrequirements.

Workshop on 'Research opportunities in petro & natural gas

ReOPEN to discuss challengesbeing faced by energy sector

ASV Ramanan, Officer on Special Duty, Prof S Neogi, IIT Kahragpur faculty, Dr VSRKPrasad, Director, IIPE, Dr B Sridhar Reddy, Registrar, IIPE, Dr Arun Kumar Pujari,faculty, IIPE, release a brochure on a four-day workshop on ‘Research Opportunities inPetroleum, Energy and Natural Gas (ReOPEN-2020)', in Visakhapatnam on Saturday

This workshop is an attempt to bring industryand academic professionals on a commonplatform to explore opportunities in the areaof petroleum, natural gas and energy basedon current scenario and requirements

This bacteria fights climate change, soil pollutantsIANS n NEW YORK

Researchers have found a newspecies of soil bacteria that isparticularly adept at breakingdown organic matter, includingthe cancer-causing chemicalsthat are released when coal, gas,oil and refuse are burnt.

The newly discovered bacte-ria belong to the genusParaburkholderia madseniana,which are known for their abil-ity to degrade aromatic com-pounds and, in some species, thecapacity to form root nodulesthat fix atmospheric nitrogen.

According to the study,researchers at Cornell Universityin the US with colleagues fromLycoming College described thenew bacterium in a paper pub-lished in the InternationalJournal of Systematic andEvolutionary Microbiology.

The first step was sequencingthe bacterium's ribosomal RNAgenes, which provided geneticevidence that madseniana was aunique species.

In studying the new bacteria,the researchers noticed thatmadseniana is especially adeptat breaking down aromatichydrocarbons, which make uplignin, a major component ofplant biomass and soil organicmatter.

According to researchers, aro-matic hydrocarbons are also

found in toxic PAH pollution.This means that the newly iden-tified bacteria could be a candi-date for biodegradation researchand an important player in thesoil carbon cycle.

In the case of madseniana,Buckley's lab wants to learnmore about the symbiotic rela-tionship between the bacteriaand forest trees.

Initial research suggests thattrees feed carbon to the bacte-ria, and in turn the bacteriadegrade soil organic matter,

thereby releasing nutrientssuch as nitrogen and phospho-rus for the trees.

Understanding how bacteriabreak down carbon in soilcould hold the key to the sus-

tainability of soil and the abil-ity to predict the future of glob-al climate, the researchers said.

The newly discovered bacteria belong tothe genus Paraburkholderia madseniana,which are known for their ability todegrade aromatic compounds and, insome species, the capacity to form rootnodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen

Farmers should diversify into poultry, dairy: V-PPNS n HYDERABAD

Farmers need to diversify intoothers allied sectors like dairyand poultry to make agriculturemore sustainable, said Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu.He was speaking at the secondedition of Agritech South, joint-ly organised by theConfederation of IndianIndustry and Prof JayashankarTelangana State AgriculturalUniversity here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion,Venkaiah Naidu said,"Agriculture as a profession isbecoming non sustainable andthere is a need to make it moreattractive and sustainable. Thereis a need for crop diversificationand adding value by food pro-cessing. Farmers should diver-sify to others allied sectors likedairy and poultry to make agri-culture more sustainable.Sericulture, horticulture andfish/prawn culture is in greatdemand and farmers should

venture into them, along withagriculture."

The Vice-President also urgedstudents and research commu-nity to spend half of their timeon the field with farmers to gainpractical exposure and knowl-edge. Farmer is the best teacheron agriculture, he said.Applauding the Governmentof Telangana for the major irri-gation projects in the State,

Venkaiah Naidu stressed theneed for preserving and con-serving traditional water bodies.

Telangana AgricultureMinister Niranjan Reddy, inhis address termed agricultureand allied sectors as the back-bone of the country. "Telanganahas a farmer- friendly govern-ment. The TRS governmenthas brought several farmer-friendly schemes such as Rythu

Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, 24X7power supply and others for thewelfare of farming community,"he said.

Stating that despite doublingof yield per hectare in recentyears, several factors have con-tributed to depleting farmers'income. Dr V Praveen Rao,Vice-Chancellor of Prof

Jayashankar Telangana StateAgricultural University men-tioned that the varsity has beenable to do some impactfulresearch. "The research priori-ties of the university have beenrealigned to meet the changingneeds of the State. The univer-sity has also mapped 133 vari-eties of crops with a target todouble farmers' income," hesaid.

Earlier, CII Telangana chair-man D Raju mentioned that theconference and exhibitionwould help in bridging the gapbetween the agriculturalresearch & farmers through thedissemination of the research &latest agri technology & meth-ods to the farmers.

The three-day event is organ-ised with the objective to createbusiness opportunities to thetechnology holders and alsointroduce practical learning tothe technology users & farmers,with special focus on farmer-expert interface.

Venkaiah Naidusaid, "Agricultureas a profession isbecoming nonsustainable andthere is a need tomake it moreattractive andsustainable. Thereis a need for cropdiversification andadding value byfood processing"

5 injured as buses collide RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Fivepersons, including two drivers,sustained injuries when two RTCbuses collided head-on in EastGodavari district on Saturday.According to police, buses belong-ing to Amalapuram were proceed-ing towards Rajamahendravaram

when the accident took place. Inthe head-on collision, commuterssitting in the front seats anddrivers of the buses sufferedsevere injuries. The injured wereshifted to a hospital. On receivinginformation, police rushed to thespot and registered a case.

Three held forraping minorPNS n CHITTOOR

Despite Disha Act in vogue,sexual assaults againstwomen and minors are onthe rise across the State. Aminor girl was raped by threeyouths in Erpedu mandal ofChittoor district recently.

According to police, the vic-tim was studying Class X andhails from a remote village inthe district. As she belongs toeconomically weaker section,she went to attend nature's calland while returning home,three youths intercepted herand dragged to an isolatedplace and raped her.

Later, they threatened herwith dire consequence, if shediscloses the incident to herfamily members. Meanwhile,the girl gave the slip to theaccused and ran from theplace but the accused chasedher and they reached a local-ity where locals noticed thepanic-stricken girl and theaccused. They caught hold ofthe accused and thrashedthem. Later, they handed overthe youths to police and inturn, they registered a caseand took investigation. Thegirl was sent to a hospital formedical examination.

The agitation against theCitizenship Amendment

Act (CAA) and other contro-versies surrounding it havegone so much in favour ofAsaduddin Owaisi, president ofthe All India Majlis-e-IttehadulMuslimeen (AIMIM), that hecould be laughing all the wayto his vote bank. If he is sittingpretty today, he must thank theruling dispensation in Delhi asmuch as his allies.

His all-weather friend, ChiefMinister K. ChandrashekharRao has opened the floodgatesfor opposition to the new leg-islation while the UniqueIdentification Authority ofIndia (UIDAI) has added fuelto the fire by issuing notices toseveral people in the Old Cityto produce documents toauthenticate their Aadhaarcards.

An articulate leader, Owaisi

remains way ahead of othermainstream Muslim politiciansin leading the cause to repealCAA. The ruling party inTelangana, in a bid to keep theState's 12.7 per cent Muslimpopulation on its side, is on thesame page. It has decided tointroduce a resolution in theAssembly seeking abrogation ofthe Act as it runs counter toIndia's secular spirit.

This has added muscle to thecampaign by Owaisi who led amassive 'Tiranga' rally inJanuary under the UnitedMuslim Action Committee(UMAC) banner soon afterMIM's arch enemy MajlisBachao Tehreek took out animpressive 'Million march' withthe support of Congress, CPI,CPI (M) and the controversy-mired Popular Front of India.

The TRS had ruffled MIM'sfeathers earlier when it backedscrapping of Article 370 andabstained from voting on the

triple talaq bill. However, whenit came to citizenship bill, theparty vehemently opposed it inboth Houses, though less dra-matically than Owaisi whotore the bill with a flourish inthe Lok Sabha.

Despite his toxic speechesdecrying the injustices done tominorities in India, Owasi hasrarely crossed the Rubicon ofhis party's professed secularismin contrast to his younger sib-ling Akbaruddin whose infa-mous, rabble-rousing 15-minute threat speech againstHindus in 2013 landed him in

legal trouble and revived darkmemories of MIM's pre-inde-pendence avataar.

However, a party's ex-MLA,Waris Pathan remarked in thesenior Owaisi's presence at arally in Karnataka on how 15crore people belonging to a sec-tion could dominate 100 crorepeople, an unsaid reference toMuslims and Hindus respec-tively, while a girl shouted pro-Pakistan slogans from the samedais. Such embarrassments, ifindeed they are, remain a smallblip on MIM's political radar.The party's footprint is rapid-

ly expanding beyond the OldCity. It has now two MPs,seven MLAs, and significantstrength in Aurangabad andHyderabad municipal corpora-tions and will find fresh pas-tures after CAA.

UIDAI's notices to 87 OldCity residents are clearly ill-timed and have given anti-CAA

protestors and parties like MIMa handle. Worse still, they havebolstered fears among largesections of Muslims that CAAwas aimed at depriving them ofcitizenship, in spite of innumer-able claims to the contrary bythe Prime Minister and theHome Minister.

If the alleged discrepancies ina 13-year-old Aadhaar cardcould become a tool for UIDAIto seek proof of citizenshipfrom Mohd. Sattar Khan, a res-ident of Bhavani Nagar TalabKatta, what would a 'mysteri-ous' entity like the CAA do.Asaduddin Owaisi was not offthe mark while accusing theUIDAI of abusing power byturning it into a case of citizenverification.

The flip side of the argumentis expressed by BJP leaders whosay that thousands ofRohingyas and Bangladeshisare illegally staying inHyderabad, while the number

of Pakistanis who have mergedinto the Old City's populationby overstaying their visas isunknown. Is the UIDAI, there-fore, unjustified in weedingout Aadhaar cards of personswhose addresses do not existand of those who provided falseinformation?

If the opposition parties,including MIM, get traction inShaheen Bagh, Lucknow'sClock Tower or elsewhere, itcan be attributed to the govern-ment's failure to anticipate suchwidespread opposition to theBill. Giving piecemeal clarifica-tions after several parts of thecountry were rocked by protestsis different from gauging thelikely repercussions and hold-ing talks with the Opposition.Defiant statements that therewill be no going back on CAAor claims that there are no link-ages between CAA, NationalPopulation Register (NPR) andNational Register of Citizens

(NRC) are unhelpful and lackcredibility.

Section 14 (a) of CAA, forexample, enjoins upon theCentre to issue a national IDcard to every citizen and tomaintain a National Register ofIndian Citizens. Home MinisterAmit Shah even announced inParliament that a nationwideregistry of citizens was on theagenda. Besides, the HomeMinistry in November 2014categorically stated that "theNPR is the first step towardscreation of NRIC by verifyingthe citizenship status of everyusual resident".

It is nobody's case to scrapCAA, NPR, or NRC on whichit backed down later for the sim-ple reason that they existed ear-lier. What is needed is accom-modation by Government oncontentious aspects of CAA toallay people's fears and see thatfissiparous forces don't get polit-ical legitimacy.

However, a party's ex-MLA, Waris Pathanremarked in the senior Owaisi's presence at arally in Karnataka on how 15 crore peoplebelonging to a section could dominate 100crore people, an unsaid reference to Muslimsand Hindus respectively, while a girl shoutedpro-Pakistan slogans from the same dais.

S NAGESH KUMARFormer Resident Editor,

The Hindu

‘ALL ANDSUNDRY’

Owaisi sitting pretty after anti-CAA protests

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020 vijayawada 03

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

It's official now. Consumers inVizag city no longer pay park-ing fees at commercial estab-lishments including shoppingmalls, multiplexes if they parktheir vehicle for 30 minutesand after the free time exceedsone need to produce a pur-chase bill.

GVMC has issued an officialletter on February 22 regulat-ing the parking fees.According to the GVMC order,every commercial establish-ment shall submit the details ofparking area they have and therates being charged for park-ing. They shall flash the park-ing rate on their buildingpremises and send the samedetails to the zonal commission

within seven days.Zonal commissioners have

been directed to visit the com-mercial establishments andinspect if the order was beingimplemented.

For violation of the order,establishments would be charged

a penalty of Rs 10,000 and Rs20,000 for first and second vio-lations. And, for the third viola-tion, GVMC would seal thecommercial establishment.

The grievances related toparking fees collection could befiled with Sachivalayam or toll

free number of GVMC. Zonalcommissioner would look intothe complaints.

"Illegal parking near com-mercial establishments andcinema theatres often leads totraffic congestion. So, we havedecided to provide free park-ing facility at the commercialestablishments to overcometraffic congestion", said GVMCcommissioner G Srijana.

Vizag scraps parking fee GVMC MAKES IT OFFICIAL

n Shopping malls,multiplexes to be sealedif they collect parkingfees from consumers

n But, for more than 30minutes, consumersneed to show apurchase bill

CAPSULE

Holy dip turns tragicas boy drowns on ShivaratriVISAKHAPATNAM: Taking a holydip in the sea during the MahaShivaratri festival turned tragicfor a youngster as he drowned inthe sea in Pedajalaripeta here onSaturday. Thousands of peopletook the holy dip in the earlyhours of Saturday after stayingawake for the whole night.Swarms of devotees were seenspending nights on the beachroad on Friday night. Thedeceased was identified as GSidhu, 11, a Class VI student andresident of Peda Waltair area inViag city. Sidhu, along with hisfriends, had gone to the beachnear the Waltair Bus Depot inVizag city on Saturday morningto take a holy dip. While Sidhuwas taking a dip, rip currentdragged him away from theshore. Since Sidhu was not goodin swimming, he drowned in thewaters. Though locals tried torescue Sidhu, their efforts provedfutile. Locals retrieved the body.It may be recalled that two yearsago two persons drowned afterthey were pulled in by a strongcurrent at the beach nearSagarnagar in Vizag city whenthey were taking the holy dip inthe sea on the occasion of MahaShivaratri.

Vundavalli asks Jagan to scrapproposal to acquire varsity land PNS n RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM

Former MP Vundavalli ArunKumar on Saturday wrote toChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy, urginghim to cancel East GodavariCol lector ' s proposal toacquire 20 acres of land ofthe Potti Sriramulu TeluguUniversity 's NannayaPranganam in R aja-mahendravaram for hous-ing purposes to the poor.

In his letter, former MPVundavalli pointed out thatthe varsity originally had 45acres of land. In 1993, thevarsity authorities had setaside 25 acres for hostels,restricting the area of thecampus to just over 20 acres.

Vundavalli wrote that the

Collector's proposal was"detrimental to public policyand Sect ion 75 of APReorganisation Act". Hereminded that a GO stipu-lates that Collectors should

not use lands belonging toeducational institutions forhouse-site purposes.

The former MP also point-ed out that the TeluguUniversity is included in the10th Schedule of Central Act6 of 2014.

The university with fivecampuses located in bothTelangana and AndhraPradesh. "It is envisaged inthe Act that two States haveto agree for bifurcation of theuniversity. If no agreement isreached within the specifiedperiod a notification fromthe Union government isneeded for dividing its cam-puses," Vundavalli wrote,requesting the Chief Ministerto withdraw the proposal ofacquiring its lands.

Continued from Page 1

"The YSRCP governmenthas done precisely that andnow the TDP leaders are mak-ing a hue and cry," Botsa said.

The formation of a SIT hasbeen sending chill down thespine of TDP leaders, whichindicates their guilt, he said,and added that it was the out-come of a Cabinet subcommit-tee report went into the detailsof irregularities in CRDA,land pooling, insider trading,breach of oath by the executivehead of the government of thattime, designing and redesign-ing of city boundaries, promis-ing to paying the architectsexorbitant amount as fees andthe like.

"TDP has been crying foul,and its allegations are growingincreasingly strident that thegovernment is vindictive andhas been targeting BCs. Thisis totally wrong and all areequal before law," Botsa said.

He added: "When the TDPwas in the Opposition and Iwas a minister in the Dr YS

Rajesekhara Reddy govern-ment, the Volkswagen issuecame up and they demandeda CBI probe and named me init. We agreed to their demandfor a probe and law had takenits own course. Even I am aBC like Atchannaidu. TheTDP did not spare me andeven now has been spewingvenom against me and otherleaders of our party. The lawdoes not recognise caste orsocial status but will treateveryone in the same mea-sure."

He said that when theYSRCP leaders were persist-ed about the irregularities inthe relief and rehabilitationwork in wake of the HudhudCyclone, the then TDP gov-ernment ordered a SIT askingit to probe the irregularitiesfrom 2004 onwards. "Now thesame TDP is asking how canthere be a probe into whathas happened five yearsback," Botsa said.

He refuted allegations thatthe YSRCP government isforcibly acquiring land.

Continued from Page 1

Justice Ramana identified ter-rorism, cyber crime, environ-mental degradation and healthproblems as major issues plagu-ing the world, including theIndian subcontinent. The judi-ciary needs to appropriatelyrespond to them by evolvinginnovative principles while keep-ing in mind the rule of law, hesaid.

Justice N V Ramana remarkedthat terrorism is one of the mainissues which has affected everypart of the world and has no endin sight. "Presently our globalisedworld is closer than it seems.Issues are common and solutionsneed to be unanimous," he sug-gested.

Justice Ramana said the judi-ciary needs to appropriatelyrespond to this problem by"evolving innovative principlesand jurisprudence so that terror-ism is kept at bay, while, at thesame time upholding the rule oflaw". He said globalisationdemands the rule of law and with

increase in cross-border dealings,movement of citizens, goodsand investment, there is a require-ment of stronger trust betweennations. "This trust can be builtby creating institutions withstrong emphasis on the rule oflaw, which creates a secure envi-ronment," Justice Ramana said.

India's contribution to evolu-

tion of jurisprudence. The SCjudge said India has contributedto the evolution of jurispru-dence in many areas. "Our judg-ments have been cited withacceptance overwhelmingly byother jurisdictions such as theUnited Kingdom, Australia,Singapore, Bangladesh and othercountries in the Asian continent.

‘Right to privacy covers online data’Continued from Page 1

"The right to privacy, whichis a topic for panel discussionand which has been recog-nised as a fundamental right bythe Supreme Court, has trulytransformed in shape and formin the last 60 years of its exis-tence in Indian law. While it wasinitially limited to dealing withissues of surveillance and pro-tection of epistolary communi-cations, it has now evolved toprotect not only telephonicconversations but also protec-tion of online data.

"It is this challenge of interpret-ing unchanged laws in light ofvastly changed social and polit-ical contexts which courts con-stantly grapple with. Judges acrosscountries would presumably dealwith such issues differently.However, an understanding ofdifferent judicial approachesadopted across the globe wouldallow us to approach legal prob-lems in a more holistic manner.This is essentially because indemocracies, the fundamentalvalues and goals on the basis ofwhich judges discharge theirduties remain similar," he said.

Tour operatorsin AP losecrores in biz...

Continued from Page 1

Tour operators are trying topush their business, persuadingtourists to visit locations inIndia. "The panic created fol-lowing the outbreak of thevirus is damaging the entireindustry," he added. Given thetraffic movement report of theAirport Authority of India, inApril and May of 2018 and2019, Vizag airport saw morethan two lakh domestic andabout 14,000 international pas-sengers each month. The touroperators are monitoring thesituation closely along withthe travel industry.

Continued from Page 1

The BJP and MaharashtraNavnirman Sena havedemanded stringent actionagainst the AIMIM ex-MLA,while activist lawyer SyedEjaz Abbas 'Naqvi' wrote toMumbai Police urging themto lodge an FIR againstPathan. "They say we havekept our women in the fore-front. I want to tell these peo-ple -- only the lionesses havecome out and you are in acold sweat. You can under-stand what would happen ifall of us come together.”

"We are just 15 crore but canbe a bigger force than the 100-crore majority population,"Pathan said. He added that theminority community couldwell snatch "your azaadi". Asthe issue snowballed, AIMIMchief Asaduddin Owaisi onFriday "gagged" Pathan and hastold him not to speak with themedia and reportedly soughtan explanation from him.

AIMIM leaderwithdrawscontroversialcomments

Insulate constitutional values,says Justice Ramana

Botsa: SIT will exposeTDP corruptionContinued from Page 1

The book 'Who is BharatMata' by PurushottamAgrawal and Radha Krishna,contains selections fromNehru's classic booksAutobiography, Glimpses ofWorld History and theDiscovery of India; his speech-es, essays and letters from preand post independence years;and some of his most reveal-ing interviews. It was firstbrought out in English andnow its Kannada translationhas been released.

The book also comprisesreminiscences and assess-ments of Nehru by some of hiscontemporaries such asMahatma Gandhi, BhagatSingh, Sardar Patel, MaulanaAzad, Aruna Asaf Ali, and AtalBihari Vajpayee, among others.

"It is a book of particularrelevance at a time whenNationalism and the slogan ofBharat Mata Ki Jai' are beingmisused to construct a mili-tant and purely emotionalidea of India that excludesmillions of residents and cit-izens," he said.

Nationalismmisused ...

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020 nation 04

SHORT READS

UP BJP MLA getsclean chit in gangrapecase, nephew arrestedBHADOHI (UP): Police onSaturday gave a clean chit tolocal BJP MLA Ravindra NathTripathi in a gangrape case as"no evidence" was foundagainst him and arrested hisnephew, officials said. Fiveothers, who had also beennamed in an FIR lodged onWednesday, were also absolvedof rape charges by the districtpolice, they said. The FIR waslodged against Tripathi and hiskin on a complaint by a 40-year-old woman who hadalleged that they had raped herin 2017. "During investigation,no evidence was found againstthe Bhadohi MLA and fiveothers. They have been given aclean chit," Superintendent ofPolice (SP) Ram Badan Singhtold newspersons here."Tripathi's nephew SandeepTiwari has been arrested oncharge of rape," he said.Another member of the family,Neetesh, who had been namedin the FIR, has been booked formanhandling and abusing thewoman, he added.

Manipur university V-C dismissed over irregularities

Students,girls beingused to create unrest:K’taka MinisterBENGALURU: Karnataka HomeMinister Basavaraj Bommai onSaturday claimed students andgirls were being used to createunrest in society besides riftbetween faiths and termed it asa larger part of a conspiracyhatched across the country.The minister was responding toquestions about two women-Amulya Leona and Arudra- whowere arrested recently inseparate cases for raising pro-Pakistan slogans at an anti-CAAevent and holding a "KashmirMukti (liberation), Dalit Mukti,Muslim Mukti" placard during acounter protest in the cityrespectively. "This is a largerpart of a conspiracy, wherestudents and girls areespecially used by some vestedinterests to create unrest in thesociety besides rift betweenfaiths," Bommai told reportersat Davangere.

NEW DELHI: ManipurUniversity Vice Chancellor AdyaPrasad Pandey was dismissedby the government followingcomplaints of financial andadministrative irregularities,according to an HRD Ministryorder. The human resourcedevelopment (HRD) ministryon Friday dismissed Pandeyafter an inquiry. In an inquiryreport, he was found indulgingin "financial and administrativeirregularities, includingmisconduct, dereliction ofduties, abuse of power and lackof commitment, causing greatharm to the academicenvironment and bringing thevarsity into disrepute", theorder stated. Pandey wasplaced under suspension in2018 after violent protestserupted on the varsity'scampus which led to prolongedshutdown of the institute.

Bike Bot scam: ED conductsmultiple raids in NoidaPNS n NEW DELHI

The Enforcement Directorate onSaturday conducted searches ataround a dozen locations inDelhi and Uttar Pradesh in con-nection with its money launder-ing probe against a Noida-basedfirm alleged to be involved in aponzi scam, officials said.

They said the raids are beingconducted at about 12 premis-es in Delhi, Noida and Lucknowunder the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) in con-nection with the 'Bike Bot' case.

The searches are aimed to col-lect additional evidence anddocuments to take forward theprobe in the case, the officialssaid.

The Greater Noida-headquar-tered Bike Bot taxi service isaccused of duping Rs 3,000 to Rs4,000 crore from 2.25 lakhinvestors in multiple statesincluding Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan andHaryana.

Over a dozen company offi-cials including the chief of BikeBot company, Sanjay Bhati, have

been sent behind bars by theNoida Police. A few others want-ed in the case are absconding.

The Garvit InnovativePromoters Limited (GIPL) com-pany in Greater Noida had comeout with multi-level marketingscheme "Bike Bot" and luredinvestors with a promise of dou-ble returns in an year.

They sought Rs 62,100 ininvestment for a motorcycle taxiand assured monthly returnsbesides double the investmentamount in just one year but failedto deliver on the promise, as perthe police.

The bike-taxis have been

operating in districts likeGautam Buddh Nagar,Ghaziabad, Hapur andBulandshahr in western UttarPradesh, while its network wasalso active in states likeRajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,Haryana, among others, officialssaid.

The company had used inter-net, social media, pamphlets, andmotivators to spread word aboutthe scheme and encouragegullible people to invest in it.

The investors would be fur-ther assured of some extra bonusif they could connect moreinvestors with the scheme.

Academician, ex-MP, Krishna Bose deadPNS n KOLKATA

Academic-turned-politicianKrishna Bose died on Saturdaydue to age-related ailments. Shewas 89.

Bose, the former TrinamoolCongress MP from theJadavpur constituency, wasunwell for quite some time,family sources said.

She died at a private hospi-tal off EM Bypass at 10.22 am,they said.

Bose was admitted to thehospital with irregular heartbeat on February 16 and suf-fered a cerebral infarct onFebruary 17 and remained in

critical condition, a seniordoctor said.

"She was suffering from age-related ailments for quite sometime. She suffered her secondstroke a few days ago and wasadmitted to the ICU," her son

Sumantra Bose said.She was married to Sisir

Kumar Bose, nephew ofSubhas Chandra Bose.

Born on December 26, 1930,to constitutional expert CharuChandra Chaudhuri in Dhaka,Bose taught at the City Collegein Kolkata for around 40 years.She headed the English depart-ment for several years andlater also became the principalof the college.

Though Bose started inactive politics as a member ofthe Congress, she was close toMamata Banerjee and switchedsides when the TrinamoolCongress was formed.

"I lost someone respected,loved & admired by me.Saddened & shocked to hearabout the demise of KrishnaBasu, ex-TMC MP & wife offreedom fighter Dr Sisir Bose.Being a part of Netaji's family,she was a revered socialreformer, renowned poet & acourageous educationalist,"Banerjee said in a tweet.

"Krishna di was a mother toher son's Sumantra & Sugata,daughter Sarmila as well as thewhole Trinamool family. Herimmense contribution toIndian society & Bengali cul-ture will be revered for timesto come," she added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress on Saturdaycited a Credit Suisse report toallege that the Modi govern-ment waived loans worth Rs7,77,800 crore of "cronyfriends" in five years, andasked why it could not givedebt relief to farmers.

"Shocking state of bank loanwaivers, NPAs & impairedbanking assets exposed byCredit Suisse report! Since2014, Modi government hasgiven super sized bank loanswaivers worth Rs 7,77,800Crore!" Congress chiefspokesperson RandeepSurjewala said in a series oftweets.

Why is the Modi govern-ment not disclosing the namesof the beneficiaries of this"largesse", Surjewala asked.

"Gross banking NPAs are a

whopping Rs 9,10,800 crore!Impaired banking assets are acolossal Rs 16,88,000 crore!Credit growth of private banksdown to 12 per cent, PSUbanks down to 4 per cent!" hesaid.

"Modi government canwaive loans of Rs 7,77,800crore in 5 years of cronyfriends, why no debt relief toIndia's farmers? Who isresponsible for safety of peo-ple's money in banks?"Surjewala asked.

Cong: Modi govt gaveloans to ‘crony friends',no relief for farmers

PNS n NEW DELHI

China is delaying grant ofclearance to India's proposal tosend an Indian Air Force planeto carry relief material for peo-ple affected by coronavirus inthe neighbouring country andbring back Indians from its cityof Wuhan, official sources saidon Saturday.

India was to send a C-17military transport aircraft toWuhan, the epicentre of thecoronavirus outbreak, onFebruary 20 but the planecould not take off as permis-sion was not granted.

"China is deliberately delay-ing grant of clearance for theevacuation flight," a high-levelsource said.

Official sources said Japan,Ukraine and France have beenallowed to operate flightsbetween February 16 and 20but India's request has notbeen approved.

When contacted, a ChineseEmbassy spokesperson saidthere was no deliberate delay ingrant of permission for the

Indian flight to reach Wuhan."The current epidemic situ-

ation in Hubei province iscomplicated, and the preven-tion and control of Covid-19has entered into a critical stage.There is no such thing asChina deliberately delayinggranting flight permission,"spokesperson Ji Rong said.

The sources said Indiannationals stuck in Wuhan arewaiting to be brought backhome and the uncertainty overevacuation is causing them

mental stress and anxiety. The aircraft was to carry a

large consignment of medicalsupplies to China and bringback more Indians fromWuhan.

Sources said while theChinese side continues tomaintain that there was nodelay in granting permissionfor the flight to go, the clear-ance has "inexplicably" notbeen given.

In a letter to President XiJinping earlier this month,

Prime Minister Narendra Modiconveyed India's solidarity tothe people and government ofChina in meeting the challengeof the coronavirus outbreakand offered to provide assis-tance to the country.

India then put together reliefsupplies in pursuance of Modi'scommitment as a token ofIndia's solidarity, particularly inthe 70th year of the anniversaryof diplomatic relations betweenthe two countries.

"These supplies have beenoffered even as India facestremendous shortage itself,given our ethos of helpingothers in their hour of need,"said a source aware of theissue.

The items being supplied aregloves, surgical masks, feedingpumps and defibrillators basedon the requirements as indicat-ed by the Chinese side.

"The Chinese side alwaysattaches great importance tothe health and safety of Indiannationals in China, and provid-ed assistance and conveniencefor the return of Indian citi-zens," Rong further said inreply to the query.

"We are carefully assessingthe ground situation, as pre-vention work requires.Competent departments of thetwo countries are keeping com-munication and coordinationin this regard," he said.

India's national carrier Air

India has already evacuatedaround 640 Indians fromWuhan in two separate flights.

According to estimates, over100 Indians are still living inWuhan. A sizeable number ofcountries have evacuated theircitizens from China andrestricted movement of peopleand goods to and from thecountry in view of the massiveoutbreak of coronavirus there.

Indian nationals in Wuhancontinue their long wait for theflight. The delay is causingthem and their family mem-bers in India tremendous men-tal anguish, said the sources.

They said relief and evacu-ation flights from other coun-tries including by France areallowed to operate by Chinabut the permission has notcome through in India's case.

"Are they not interested inIndian aid provided as ourtoken of support? Why are theycreating roadblock in evacuat-ing our nationals from Wuhanand putting them under hard-ship and mental agony?" said aperson aware of the issue.

Relief plane to Wuhan: China ‘delaying’ permission to India

Centre asks citizens to avoid non-essential travel to SingaporePNS n NEW DELHI

In furtherance to the traveladvisory issued earlier in thewake of the deadly coron-avirus outbreak, the govern-ment on Saturday advised cit-izens to avoid all non-essentialtravel to Singapore.

It also said screening at air-ports is now being planned forflight passengers coming toIndia from Kathmandu,Indonesia, Vietnam andMalaysia from Monday.

Currently, passengers fromChina, Hong Kong, Thailand,South Korea, Singapore andJapan are screened at 21 des-ignated airports in the countryfor a possible exposure to thenovel coronavirus.

The decision was taken dur-ing a review meeting chairedby the Cabinet Secretary totake a stock of the status,actions taken and preparednessof states and UTs regardingmanagement of novel coron-avirus (COVID19) here onSaturday, the Union HeathMinistry said.

"In furtherance to the trav-el advisory issued earlier, citi-

zens are advised to avoid allnon-essential travel toSingapore," the ministry said ina statement.

As on date, 21,805 passengershave been brought under com-munity surveillance. In addi-tion, 3,97,152 flight passengersand 9,695 travellers at sea ports

have been screened, it said.After a detailed review, in

addition to the screening as perearlier advisories, universalscreening at airports is nowbeing planned for flights fromKathmandu, Indonesia,Vietnam and Malaysia fromMonday, the ministry said.

"The current epidemic situation inHubei province is complicated, and theprevention and control of Covid-19 hasentered into a critical stage. There isno such thing as China deliberatelydelaying granting flight permission,"spokesperson Ji Rong said

NIRBHAYA CASE: CORONAVIRUS:

Convict's claim of mental illnessa ‘bundle of distorted facts'PNS n NEW DELHI

Tihar jail authorities Saturdaytermed as a "bundle of distort-ed facts" the claim by one of thefour death row convicts in theNirbhaya gang rape and murderthat he is suffering from men-tal illness.

The authorities toldAdditional Sessions JudgeDharmender Rana that CCTVfootage established that theconvict, Vinay Kumar Sharma,had inflicted "superficial"injuries on himself and was notsuffering from any psychologi-cal disorder.

The court has reserved itsorder on Sharma's plea seekingrelief on grounds of mental ill-ness and is likely to pronounceit shortly. "These (convict'sclaims) are all a bundle of dis-torted facts. Doctor attended tohim and found there was aninjury. They gave him medicine.All injuries are self-inflictedand superficial in nature," thepublic prosecutor representingjail authorities said.

"The medical records say heis not suffering from any suchmental illness and his checkup

in any hospital is not required.He is under regular check by thejail doctor," he said.

The psychologist, whoappeared on behalf of the jail,said regular medical checkups ofall four convicts were done ona daily basis and they are all fine.

"He talked to his mother andlawyer. So it's wrong to say thathe is not able to recognisethem," the prosecutor said.

The defence counsel said theconvict has plaster on his handthat shows he has fractures andnot superficial injuries.

"Why did the jail conceal thefact about his injuries from the

court? Why are documents notbeing filed?" advocate A PSingh, appearing for the convict,asked.

However, the Tihar authori-ties said "it's wrong to say he hada plastered arm. It wasn't a frac-ture. It was only a slab aroundhis hand."

In his plea, Vinay has soughtbetter treatment for his allegedmental illness, schizophreniaand head and arm injuries.

According to prison officials,Sharma injured himself bybanging his head on his prisoncell's wall in Tihar Jail.

The incident happened in jail

number 3 on Sunday after-noon, they said, adding that hegot some minor injuries and wastreated at the prison premises.

The plea claimed that whenSharma's counsel visited him inprison on the request of his fam-ily members, he found that hehad sustained a grievous headinjury, fracture in his right armwith plaster and was sufferingfrom "insanity", "mental illness"and "schizophrenia". Sharmacould not identify his counseland his mother in jail, it said.

The petition further claimedthat he had "decreased sleep" fora long time and was referred toa senior psychiatrist in view ofdrug dependence.

The court had on February 17issued fresh death warrants forexecution on March 3 at 6 amagainst the four death row con-victs in the Nirbhaya gang rapeand murder case.

It had issued fresh warrantsagainst death row convicts --Mukesh Kumar Singh (32),Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay (26)and Akshay Kumar (31). This isthe third time that death war-rants have been issued againstthem.

Modi a versatile genius who thinksglobally and acts locally: SC judge PNS n NEW DELHI

Supreme Court judgeJustice Arun Mishraon Saturday was allpraise for PrimeMinister NarendraModi and termed himas an "internationallyacclaimed visionary" and a"versatile genius, who thinksglobally and acts locally".

Complimenting the PM andUnion Law Minister RaviShankar Prasad for doing awaywith 1,500 obsolete laws, Justice

Mishra said India is aresponsible and most

friendly member ofthe internationalcommunity underthe "stewardship" ofModi.

Delivering the voteof thanks at the inaugur-

al function of theInternational Judicial Conference2020 - 'Judiciary and theChanging World' at the SupremeCourt, he said challenges facedby the judiciary at the nationaland international levels are com-

mon and judiciary has a "signif-icant role" in the ever-changingworld.

"Dignified human existence isour prime concern. We thankthe versatile genius, who thinksglobally and acts locally, ShriNarendra Modi, for his inspiringspeech which would act as a cat-alyst in initiating the delibera-tions and setting the agenda forthe conference," Justice Mishra,who is third in seniority in theapex court, said while expressinggratitude to the PM for inaugu-rating the conference.

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

Development will be BJP’splank in Bihar: Nadda PNS n NEW DELHI

Exhorting party workers inBihar to spread the messagethat "BJP is synonymous withdevelopment", its nationalpresident J P Nadda onSaturday asked them to worktowards ensuring the NDA'sreturn to power in the assem-bly elections due later thisyear.

Nadda inaugurated, throughvideo conferencing, 11 newdistrict offices of the BJP acrossthe state.

Speaking at the function, hecalled upon party workers tomake use of technology attheir disposal and explain tothe people that "Bihar has theblessings of Narendra Modi,who has provided assistanceworth billions to the state andthese have been effectivelyutilised on the ground throughChief Minister Nitish Kumar".

Nadda also asked workers todispel "misinformation" aboutthe Modi government's mea-sures such as abrogation ofArticle 370 provisions andmaking triple talaq a punish-able offence. He said theyshould explain to the peoplethat these "decisive steps" hadbrought "happiness" to resi-

dents of the erstwhile state ofJammu and Kashmir who werepreviously deprived of manyrights and women who wereaggrieved by the practice ofinstant divorce.

Apparently mindful of thedissidence that comes to thefore ahead of the electionswith many aspirants not being

considered for tickets, Naddasaid, "Always do remember,politics is a serious full-timejob where there is an entrypoint but no exit."

"Do not get swayed by con-cerns of individual benefits. Doremember that if the partythrives, the benefits will reachall," he added.

Nadda also askedworkers to dispel"misinformation"about the Modigovernment'smeasures such asabrogation of Article370 provisions andmaking triple talaqa punishableoffence

The GIPL company inGreater Noida hadcome out with multi-level marketingscheme "Bike Bot" andlured investors with apromise of doublereturns in an year

Passengers from China, Hong Kong,Thailand, South Korea, Singapore andJapan are screened at 21 designatedairports in the country for a possibleexposure to the novel coronavirus

PNS n AHMEDABAD

A committee formed to overseevarious programmes that arepart of US President DonaldTrump's visit to Gujarat onFebruary 24, held its first meet-ing at the Circuit House inAhmedabad on Saturday.

The 'Swagat Samiti' is a 10-member committee thatincludes Ahmedabad MayorBijal Patel, who is its chairper-son, BJP MPs from AhmedabadEast and West Lok Sabha seatsHasmukh Patel and KiritSolanki respectively, architectand Padma Bhushan awardeeBV Doshi, Gujarat UniversityVice Chancellor HimanshuPandya, and Durgesh Buch ofthe Gujarat Chamber ofCommerce and Industry.

"It has been our culture thatwe welcome our guests withenthusiasm, and we are com-mitted to that," MayorPatel told reporters.

MP KiritSolanki said,"Heads of twoof the world'slargest democra-cies are visitingAhmedabad. Towelcome them is ahistoric event,not just for

Ahmedabad but for the coun-try and the world...I feel proudto be part of the committee.There are ten members in thecommittee." Solanki informedthat the committee memberswill visit the newly-built SardarPatel Stadium in Motera, wherethe 'Namaste Trump' event willbe held.

The formation of the com-mittee, first announced asDonald Trump NagarikAbhivadan Samiti by Ministryof External Affairs spokesperson

Raveesh Kumar, had drawnflak from the Congress.

In a tweet on Thursday,Congress spokespersonRandeep Surjewala asked, "DearP.M, Intriguing news from@MEAIndia ! Pl state- 1. Whois the President of DonaldTrump Abhinandan Samiti? 2.When was the invitationextended to U.S President &accepted? 3. Why is PresidentTrump then saying you havepromised him a grand eventwith 7 million people?"

Heads of two of the world's largest democracies arevisiting Ahmedabad. To welcome them is a historicevent, not just for Ahmedabad but for the country and

the world...I feel proud to be part of the committee.There are ten members in the committee

— KIRIT SOLANKI, Ahmedabad West MP

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020 nation 05

SHORT READS

NCP factions comeface to face duringSupriya Sule's speechAURANGABAD: Supporters oftwo rival NCP leaders raisedslogans against each otherwhen party MP Supriya Sulewas addressing workers atPaithan city in Maharashtra'sAurangabad district. Theincident took place on Friday.When the Baramati MP wasaddressing NCP workers, thesupporters of party leader DattaGorde, who had contested the2019 Maharashtra Assemblypolls, and those of former MLABhausaheb Wagchoure cameface to face. The rival factionsstarted raising slogans againsteach other, which disruptedSule's speech. Sule had tointervene and pacify themembers of both the groups.After the sloganeering ended,Sule continued her speech andreprimanded the members fortheir misbehaviour. "NCP chiefSharad Pawar has put intremendous efforts to build theparty...If the party workersbehave in this manner again,they will have to face me," shewarned.

Jaipur airport to bealternative landing forTrump's aircraft

An example of strugglebetween rights andduties of people: Naqvi

SHAHEEN BAGH PROTEST

NEW DELHI: Minority AffairsMinister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvion Saturday termed theShaheen Bagh protest againstCAA an an example of thestruggle between rights andduties of the people. "They(protesters) understand theirrights but not their duties. I donot think one can achieve theirrights by abducting (blocking) aroad," Naqvi said at IndianStudent Parliament event heldat Vigyan Bhawan here. "Wewill always be caught up inconfusion if we do notunderstand our rights andduties," he said. The protestagainst Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA), primarily by localwomen, started in ShaheenBagh in mid December, has ledto blocking of a roadconnecting southeast Delhiareas to Noida causing dailyhardships to commuters.

JAIPUR: A special aircraft ofthe US Army carrying topofficials arrived on Saturday atJaipur International Airport totake stock of securityarrangements ahead of USPresident Donald Trump's visitto India, an airport official said."The aircraft landed at theairport at 9 am and flew out at11 am. US Embassy officialstook stock of the securitymeasures at the airport. Thereis no scheduled programme atthe airport but precautionarymeasures are being taken,"Jaipur International AirportDirector J S Balhara said. Trump will be on a two-dayvisit to India from February 24to 25 and Jaipur airport will bethe first alternative for landinghis aircraft in case of badweather, the official said.

‘1.3 bn Indians wholeheartedlywelcomed critical verdicts’PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi Saturday said "1.3 billionIndians" have disregardedapprehensions and "whole-heartedly" accepted recent crit-ical judicial verdicts whichwere subjects of global dis-cussion.

Speaking at the inauguralfunction of the InternationalJudicial Conference 2020 –'Judiciary and the ChangingWorld' at the Supreme Court,Modi spoke about recent cru-cial judgements, in an appar-ent reference to path-breakingverdicts including in the polit-ically-sensitive Ayodhya case.

The Prime Minister said nocountry or society in the worldcan claim to achieve holisticdevelopment without genderjustice and referred to laws ontransgenders, 'triple talaq' andon the rights of 'Divyang' (per-sons with disabilities).

He said the government hasalso taken steps to give rightsto women in military serviceand in providing paid mater-nity leave for 26 weeks. He alsohailed the Indian judiciary forredefining environmentaljurisprudence to strike a bal-ance between developmentand ecological protection.

Modi, while emphasising

on the use of technology andthe internet, said it wouldhelp in procedural manage-ment of courts and wouldbenefit the justice deliverysystem to a large extent. Healso referred to synchronisa-tion of artificial intelligencewith human wisdom and saidit would bring "speed to deliv-ery of justice".

"In addition, in the chang-ing times, issues like data pro-tection, cyber crimes posenew challenges for the judi-ciary," he said in his inaugur-al address.

"In recent times, there havebeen some critical judicialjudgements and decisionswhich have been the subject ofglobal discussion. Before these

judgements were delivered,several apprehensions werebeing expressed about theconsequences. But look whathappened! 1.3 billion Indianswholeheartedly accepted thejudicial verdicts," Modi said.

He said it is going to be adecade of remarkable changesacross the world which willimpact all frontiers, be it soci-ety, economy, or technology,and these changes need to berational as well as just and fair.

Talking about the contribu-tion of Mahatma Gandhi, thePrime Minister said,"Gandhiji's life was dedicatedto the cause of truth and ser-vice, which are the founda-tional tenets for any system ofjustice and as you all know, hewas himself a barrister andbelonged to the fraternity oflawyers".

Hailing a vibrant judiciary,legislature and executive, thePM said, "Respecting eachother's jurisdiction and digni-ty, these three pillars of theConstitution have resolvedvarious challenges faced by thecountry on several occasions.

"We are proud of havingdeveloped such a rich traditionin India. In the last five years,various institutions of Indiahave further strengthened thistradition".

The Prime Minister said no country or society in theworld can claim to achieve holistic developmentwithout gender justice and referred to laws ontransgenders, ‘triple talaq' and on the rights of‘Divyang' (persons with disabilities)

PNS n NEW DELHI

The rule of law is probably the"most fundamental feature" ofmodern constitutions and itssuccess depends on how judi-ciaries across the world respondto emerging challenges, ChiefJustice SA Bobde said onSaturday. The CJI, while speak-ing at the International Judges'Conference on the subject of'Judiciary and the ChangingWorld' at the Supreme Courthere, also stressed on the needfor citizens to perform theirlegal duties.

"Probably the most funda-mental feature of most modernconstitutions is the idea of therule of law," he said, adding,

"Undoubtedly, the success of therule of law in our countries

depends on how the judiciariesrespond to such challenges and

how they emerge." Referring toConstitutional provisions,Justice Bobde said it was oftenimplicit in law that "legal rightshave correlatives of legal duties.""A feature often neglected is achapter on fundamental dutiesimposing on every citizen theduties to abide by the constitu-tion, the whole of it and respectits ideals and institution," hesaid. The CJI said more than 50countries have specific provi-sions on fundamental duties in

their constitutions. QuotingMahatma Gandhi, JusticeBobde said the exercise of rightsdepends on one's sense of dutyand "real rights are a result ofperformance of duty".

The CJI also referred to"incredible technologicaladvancement" and said nowthe entire world was intercon-nected and a small change inone corner of the world canresult in changes in differentparts of the world. "Judiciaries all

over the world are dealing withthis kind of change, what mightbe called a rights revolution, atechnological revolution and ademographic revolution. Ourdecisions no longer impact onlythose who live in our jurisdic-tion but also those who live inother jurisdictions, some faraway," he said. Wishing successto the first such conferenceorganised by the IndianSupreme Court in which judgesfrom over 20 countries are tak-ing part, he said this would offeropportunities to judges "toexchange ideas and gain knowl-edge from each other on manyaspects of gender justice, right toprivacy, populism, environmentand sustainable development."

Rule of law essential feature of modern Constitutions

TRUMP'S GUJARAT VISIT

Committee reviewssteps for grand welcome

‘Why is Congunhappy whencountry's statureis growing?’PNS n NEW DELHI

Hitting out at the Congressover its scepticism about USPresident Donald Trump's visitto India, the BJP on Saturdayasked the opposition partywhy it is unhappy when thecountry's stature is being raisedglobally.

Addressing a press confer-ence at the BJP headquartershere, party spokespersonSambit Patra said Trump'svisit will be alandmarkmomentin theI n d o -US rela-tionshipa n dadvised theCongress to "start taking pridein the nation's achievements"."This is a meeting of theworld's largest and oldestdemocracies and it should becelebrated," he said.Underlining that Trump him-self has said multiple timesthat India is a hard bargainer,Patra said the Congress shouldnot be worried about India'sinterests. With PM NarendraModi's hardwork, India's rela-tions with other countrieshave further strengthenedfrom Sochi to Mallapuram, hesaid.

Undoubtedly, the success of the rule of law in ourcountries depends on how the judiciaries respond tosuch challenges and how they emerge

— SA BOBDE, Chief Justice of India

PraharJanshaktiParty leadershot deadPNS n AKOLA

A local leader of the PraharJanshakti Party (PJP) wasallegedly shot dead by twounidentified assailants atAkot town in Maharashtra'sAkola district, police said onSaturday.

TusharPundkar,who wasf o r m e rA k o l ad i s t r i c tchief of thePJP, was shot ataround 10 pm on Friday,and died in the wee hours ofSaturday while undergoingtreatment at a hospital inAkola, police said.

Giving information aboutthe incident, a police officialsaid, "Pundkar was walkingin Police Colony area of Akotaround 10 pm on Fridaywhen two motorcycle-bornepersons fired two bullets athim from behind. Pundkarcollapsed on the ground.Some local residents alertedthe police and rushed him tothe Rural Hospital in the town."

PNS n KOZHIKODE

Kerala Labour and SkillsMinister T P Ramakrishnanon Saturday said there is aneed to promote a culturewhere students earn whilestudying and to this end willsoon bring out a state SkillsPolicy. "Kerala will soon bringout a state Skills Policy andalso a Career Policy consid-ering the recent surge in theimportance of technology inthe new age," he said here atthe inaugural of India SkillsKerala 2020, an endeavour toshowcase the technical profi-ciency of the youth.

"We must promote a culturewhere students earn whilestudying. The state needs itsyouth in educational institu-tions to do part-time jobs," theMinister added.

He said the governmenthad initiated several skilldevelopment programmesand added, "India Skills Keralais part of that mission."

The three-day state-levelround of India Skills Keralawhich began here today, offerstotal prize money of aroundRs 78 lakh.

The event features 253 par-

ticipants who will be show-casing their skills in 39 disci-plines with several prizes anda ticket for an international-level competition in China atstake. India Skills Kerala givesthe winner of each skill Rs onelakh, while the runner-up willreceive Rs 50,000. Those fin-ishing in the subsequent fourranks get Rs 10,000 each.

"Kozhikode has a history ofpopularising peoples festival,"Ramakrishnan said.

"Let genuine and extraor-

dinary skills lead the youth togreater heights," he added.

Kozhikode North MLA APradeepkumar, who is chair-man of the events organisingcommittee, in his presidentialaddress, said events focusedon the skill development ofyouth are a welcome sign.

India Skills Kerala comes asa result of its district-levelcompetitions held last month,with 4,298 contestants.

The 1,278 winners amongthem subsequently qualifiedfor the zonal rounds heldseparately for the north, cen-tral and south regions of thestate. While the state-levelwinners qualify for the nation-al competitions, the prize-winning performers in thatround will represent the coun-try at World Skills 2021 inShanghai. That global roundnext year will have youngstersfrom 83 countries vying forhonours and prizes in 54skills.

“We must promote a culture where students earnwhile studying. The state needs its youth ineducational institutions to do part-time jobs”

GOA CARNIVAL

Thousands line up to watch float paradePNS n PANAJI

The world-renowned Carnivalbegan in Goa's Panaji onSaturday and thousands ofpeople lined the streets towatch the float parade led bythe mythological King Momo.

The parade, flagged off bystate tourism ministerManohar Ajgaonkar, traveledthree kilometres on the pic-turesque DB Bandodkar Roadalong the Mandovi river andculminated four hours laternear the Kala Academy here.

Lawyer Shalom Saldanhawas chosen as King Momo bythe state tourism departmentfor this year's festivities, whichwill culminate on February25. Among the highlights ofthe float parade were martialarts performers and decoratedcars.

Before the start of theparade, 'King Momo' Saldanhasaid festivities this year werededicated to a drug-free Goa.

"Say no to drugs. When youdrink, drink responsibly," hesaid.

‘Unnao DM suspended over irregularitiesin expenditure of school education funds’PNS n LUCKNOW

The Uttar Pradesh governmenton Saturday suspended UnnaoDistrict Magistrate DevendraKumar Pandey over allegedirregularities in expenditure ofComposite School Grant fundof the Basic ShikshaDepartment.

Kannauj DM RavindraKumar will be the new districtmagistrate of Unnao, an officialspokesperson said.

In an inquiry conducted bythe Lucknow commissioner,Unnao DM Pandey hasbeen found prima facieresponsible for tak-ing wrong deci-sions in spendingthe CompositeSchool Grant fundin the district andin implementationof various pro-grammes linked to it,the spokesperson added.

The inquiry has found thatmost of the material which had

to be purchased under itwas procured from

one firm in Jaunpurat rates higher thanthe market rates,the spokesmansaid, adding thequality of the pur-

chased goods toowas below the pre-

scribed standards, thespokesperson said.

Traditional mediashould introspect on itsrole in society: PrezPNS n BENGALURU

President Ram Nath Kovindon Saturday asked the tradi-tional media to introspect onits role in society in the face ofthe new media,driven by theinternet and social media, toearn the reader's full trustagain. "The new media is fastand popular and people canchoose what they want towatch, hear or read.

But only the traditionalmedia has, over the years,developed skills to authenti-cate a news report, and that isa costly operation," he said inhis inaugural speech at thefourth edition of 'The Huddle'by English daily The Hindu.

The President said the tra-ditional media would have tointrospect on its role in soci-ety and find ways to earn thereader's full trust again.

"The project of democ-racy is incomplete withoutinformed citizens whichmeans, without unbiasedjournalism," he said.

Speaking about the newmedia, the Presidentsaid rapidlye v o l v i n gInformationTechnologyhas impact-

ed journalism in all its aspects,from news gathering to deliv-ering news to readers andfinally making money to sus-tain the activity.

The internet and socialmedia have democratisedjournalism and revitalizeddemocracy, said Kovind,adding that it has also led tomany anxieties.

In this context, only the tra-ditional media remainsauthentic.

"The new media is fast andpopular and people canchoose what they want towatch, hear or read.

But only the traditionalmedia has, over the years,developed skills to authenti-cate a news report, and that isa costly operation.

I hope that we will arrive atthe ideal trade-off

soon," the Presidentsaid. Insisting ontruth in journal-

ism, Kovindreminded the

audience ofMahatma Gandhi,

who had a uniqueunderstand-

ing oftruth.

MAN KILLS MOTHER-IN-LAW ASWIFE TERMINATES PREGNANCYPNS n NEW DELHI

A man allegedly shot hismother-in-law dead suspect-ing that she was behind hiswife's decision to terminateher pregnancy twice,police said onSaturday.

The woman waskilled in Mundkaon February 14while she wasreturning homefrom a private hospi-tal in Paschim Viharwhere she worked as a nurse,they said.

Her son-in-law, Pankaj, andhis two accomplices Ujjawal

Dabas and Ajit allegedlysprayed bullets at the womanwhile she was in an e-rickshaw.She suffered five bullet injuriesand died on the spot, policesaid. Dabas was arrested in

Ladpur village onWednesday, while Ajit

and Pankaj areabsconding, theysaid.

D e p u t yCommissioner of

Police (Special Cell)PS Kushwah said Dabas

was arrested on the basis ofa tip-off. One pistol and ninecartridges were recoveredfrom his possession, the DCPsaid.

l Modi on judgement’s that became subjects of global discussion

‘Promote culture wherestudents earn and learn’

PNS n MUMBAI

India has some distance to goin fully shifting from pro-crony to pro-business poli-cies, Chief Economic AdviserKrishnamurthy Subramaniansaid on Saturday.

It will be the pro-businesspolicies that will enable the"invisible hands of the market"and also take the country to thegoal of USD 5 trillion GDP, headded.

"Pro-business policies arethose that enable fair compe-tition in the country. We havesome distance to go in termsof enabling that fully. Pro-crony policies on the otherhand just help incumbentsand that is something that wehave to stay away from inenabling the invisible hands ofthe market," he said at analumni conference of his almamater IIT-Kanpur here.

Indian policymaking hasbeen criticised for favouringcrony capitalists in the initialdecades after Independence,till the country shifted gears byadopting liberalisation in 1991.

Subramanian said after theCAG's report on telecom spec-trum allocations came out in2011, investor returns from"connected companies", aeuphemism for crony firms,have been very low as com-pared to the broader indices.

The problem with cronyismis that it is not better businessmodels and processes whichdrive the growth, he said,adding that we should alwaysaim for "creative destruction"where the incumbents are chal-lenged.

In a critique of the dominantpolicy choices in the initialdecades after Independence,Subramanian said "the trystwith socialism did not deliverthe tryst with destiny", refer-ring to first prime ministerJawaharlal Nehru's famousspeech when India attainedfreedom.

He also made a strong casefor not depending only onrecent work in economics to

make policy choices andneglecting age-old texts like theArthashastra.

"Scholarly work isn't some-thing that was written in thelast 100 years but dates backmillennia," he said.

The Arthashastra stresseson ethical ways of creatingwealth, he said, adding that weneed to focus on creating trustin the markets as well.

If governance standards haveto be increased in the country,there has to be a greater focuson disclosing related-partytransactions, the CEA said.The comments come in thewake of frauds like the one atnon-bank lender DHFL.

The Union Budget's thrust

on 'Assemble in India' shouldnot be seen as substitute to thegovernment's flagship 'Make inIndia' programme, but as acomplementary aspect whichwill act as a precursor to othergoals, he said.

On the focus on 'Assemblein India', Subramanian citedthe case of Suzuki's entry intothe country in 1980s and thedevelopments in the auto sec-tor since then to illustrate thatsimple assembly of parts tomake a car is a precursor tomanufacturing and also intel-lectual property creation.

Pointing out to the recentlyreleased Economic Survey, hesaid over four crore well-pay-ing jobs can be created in thecountry by 2025 by focusing onassembling for the world, andthe same can go up to eightcrore by 2030.

Asked about the Budget'sthrust on imposing tariffs oncertain sectors and how it hasbeen criticised as being protec-tionist by some, Subramaniansaid we need to make a distinc-tion between duties that areimposed on finished productsagainst those on raw materialsor intermediate goods whichhurt exports.

"We need to move towardsfar more open trade policies onintermediate goods and rawmaterials to enable exports," hetold reporters.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020 money 06

SHORT READS

Dilip Buildconexecutes EPCagreement with AAINEW DELHI: Dilip Buildcon onSaturday said it has executedan EPC (engineering,procurement and construction)agreement for construction of anew greenfield airport at Rajkotin Gujarat. "...the company hasexecuted an EPC agreementwith the Airport Authority ofIndia for an EPC project in thestate of Gujarat," Dilip Buildconsaid in a BSE filing. The projectcost is Rs 570.06 crore andcompletion period is 30months, it added.

Migsun to invest Rs 55 cr to buildhospital in GhaziabadNEW DELHI: Realty firmMigsun Group on Saturday saidit is entering the healthsegment by building a hospitalin Ghaziabad at an investmentof Rs 55 crore. The multi-specialty hospital is underconstruction at Raj NagarExtension in Ghaziabad, UttarPradesh. The structure work ofthe proposed hospital is almostcomplete and the project will beoperational this year, thecompany said in a statement.Migsun Group MD YashMiglani said, "Ghaziabad has adearth of quality hospitals thatoffer quality treatment at areasonable cost." "Spreadacross 1.75 acres, theupcoming hospital will have250 beds and have multiplespecialties. It is likely to entailan investment of Rs 55 crore,which includes land cost aswell," the statement said.Migsun is currently developingmore than 10 projects. Thecompany, earlier namedMahaluxmi Group, has builtseveral residential andcommercial projects inGhaziabad.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Bharti Infratel on Saturdaysaid its board will meet onFebruary 24 to chart out thefuture course of action follow-ing the telecom department'sapproval for merger with IndusTowers.

The combination of BhartiInfratel and Indus Towers willcreate a pan-India tower com-pany with over 163,000 towers,operating across all 22 telecomservice areas. The combinedentity will be the largest towercompany in the world outsideChina.

"...FDI approval for mergerof Indus Towers with BhartiInfratel has been received lateevening yesterday," BhartiInfratel said in a regulatory fil-

ing. It added that the board ofdirectors of the company willmeet on February 24, 2020 to"take stock and decide thefuture course of action".

Bharti Infratel and Vodafonehold 42 per cent stake each inIndus. Vodafone Idea holds11.15 per cent stake in themobile tower firm.

As per the plans, the com-bined company, which wouldfully own the respective busi-nesses of Bharti Infratel and

Indus Towers, would change itsname to Indus Towers Ltdand will continue to be listedon Indian stock exchanges.

The timely completion ofthe tower deal was critical forthe companies, since it wouldallow Bharti and VodafoneIdea in offloading stake andraising funds.

The development comes ata time when Vodafone Idea isconfronted with total AGRdues of over Rs 53,000 crore.Of this, it has paid only Rs3,500 crore in two tranchesearlier this week.

In all, as many as 15 entitiesowe the government Rs 1.47lakh crore -- Rs 92,642 crore inunpaid licence fee and anoth-er Rs 55,054 crore in outstand-ing spectrum usage charges.

PNS n HOUSTON

The maiden visit of USPresident Donald Trump toIndia next week will provide anopportunity to improve thebilateral relationship, strength-en the strategic ties and deep-en commitment to an openIndo-Pacific, according to theteam behind the historic"Howdy, Modi!" event herelast September.

President Trump will pay astate visit to India on February24 and 25 at the invitation ofPrime Minister NarendraModi.

The US President will beaccompanied by a high-leveldelegation including First LadyMelania Trump, the President'sdaughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and agalaxy of top American offi-

cials.In Ahmedabad on Monday,

Trump will address the'Namaste Trump' event joint-ly with Prime Minister Modi atthe newly built Motera crick-et stadium, the world's largest.

In September, Trump andModi shared a stage inHouston at a massive rally of

Indian-Americans called"Howdy, Modi!". In India, theywill share a stage for "NamasteTrump," which roughly trans-lates as “Hello Trump."

Hundreds of thousands ofpeople are expected to greetTrump in Ahmedabad for aroad show leading to the rallyat the huge stadium with a

capacity to accommodate110,000 spectators.

The "Howdy, Modi!" teamwould like to extend its bestwishes to the organisers of the"Namaste Trump" event inAhmedabad.

“We know the level of hardwork that the Namaste Trumpevent organisers must beputting in for their summit onFebruary 24th, and we lookforward to seeing the results oftheir labour in a few days,”Jugal Malani, convener of the"Howdy, Modi" communitysummit in Houston, Texas,said in a statement.

It was at the "Howdy, Modi!"summit on September 22, 2019with a packed crowd in atten-dance that Prime MinisterModi invited President Trumpto visit India, the statementnoted.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Biocon on Saturday said it hasreceived three observationsfrom the US health regulatorfollowing inspection of itsinsulin manufacturing facil-ity in Malaysia. The US Foodand Drug Administration(USFDA) had conducted apre-approval inspection ofBiocon's subsidiary BioconSdn BHd's manufacturingfacility in Malaysia for InsulinGlargine between February10 and 21.

"At the conclusion of theinspection, the agency issueda Form 483 with three obser-vations which we believe areprocedural in nature," aBiocon spokesperson said ina regulatory filing. As per theUSFDA, Form 483 is issuedto firm management at theconclusion of an inspectionwhen investigators haveobserved any conditions thatin their judgment may con-stitute violations of the FoodDrug and Cosmetic Act andrelated Acts.

"We will respond to theFDA with an appropriateCorrective and PreventiveAction Plan (CAPA) and weare confident of addressingthese observations expedi-tiously," the company added.

The FDA has set a targetaction date for its InsulinGlargine application in June2020, it said. "We believe theoutcome of this inspectiondoes not in any way impactthe commercialisation plansof Insulin Glargine in the US.Biocon Biologics is commit-ted to global standards ofquality and compliance," thespokesperson said.

PNS n WASHINGTON

Presidential hopeful MichaelBloomberg, the multi-billion-aire former mayor of NewYork, has shattered the recordfor campaign advertising,spending a staggering $364.3million and counting, an adtracker said Friday.

The unprecedented amountrecently surpassed the previousrecord spending by BarackObama's campaign during hisentire 2012 re-election effort,Advertising Analytics report-ed.

"Bloomberg surpassedObama's 2012 spending recordof $338.3M, making him thehighest spending candidate ofall time," the non-partisangroup said in a newsletter.

The figures include onlythose for traditional broadcastadvertising on television andradio.

Bloomberg, seeking theDemocratic Party nomination,is also far ahead in digitaladvertising, and spent $14.5million on Facebook andGoogle ads alone last week-- more than 10 times allhis Democratic com-petitors combined.

The overall amountdoes not includespending by outsidegroups not formallyconnected to politicalparties, but whichspend heavi-ly duringe l e c t i o nseason in

support of -- or opposition to-- specific candidates.

In the 2016 cycle, spendingby super PACs (political actioncommittees) and other groupsthat can spend unlimitedfunds but are barred fromcoordinating with campaignstopped $1.4 billion, accordingto the Center for Responsive

Politics.Bloomberg's spending

may be in its early stages,given that just two of the50 US states have voted in

the race to determine whofaces President Donald

Trump in November -- and he didn'tf o r m a l l ycompete ineither ofthem.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Income tax cases being arbi-trated abroad will be eligible tobe taken up under the pro-posed 'Vivad se Vishwas'scheme to settle disputesbetween the taxman and thetaxpayer, the department saidon Saturday.

The I-T department issuedadvertisements in leadingdailies saying the scheme wasa "golden opportunity... to set-tle income tax disputes", bridgethe trust deficit in cases of dis-putes and minimise tax-relat-ed litigation.

The public message spellsout the main features of thescheme proposed by Unionfinance minister NirmalaSitharaman in her Budgetspeech on February 1, like the

eligibility, disputes covered andpayment terms.

Under the eligibility head,the department said appealsand writs filed on or beforeJanuary 31 this year will be

allowed to be taken up underthe scheme.

Other eligibilities are: Ordersfor which time for filing appealhas not expired on January 31;cases pending before disputeresolution panel (DRP) orwhere the DRP issued direc-tion on or before January 31,2020 but no order has beenpassed; cases where assesseefiled revision and in raid caseswhere disputed tax is less thanRs 5 crore in a year.

It added that disputes wherethe payment has already beenmade shall also be eligible;appeals or writs filed by tax-payers or the department andcases in arbitration in India orabroad.

The scheme, it said in theadvertisement, will cover alldisputes related to tax, penal-ty, interest, fee, tax deducted atsource (TDS) or tax collectedat source (TCS).

Talking about the paymentof taxes under the scheme, itsaid for remittances made onor before March 31, 100 percent of the disputed tax is to bepaid (125 per cent in searchcases) and if appeal relatesonly to disputed penalty orinterest or fee then 25 per centof the disputed penalty orinterest or fee is to be paid.

Cases in arbitration abroad eligible: I-T Dept‘VIVAD SE VISHWAS' SCHEME

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Centre on Saturday said ithas disbursed Rs 50,850 croreto farmers so far under itslandmark scheme PM-KISAN,enabling them to meet farminput cost and householdexpenses.

The agriculture ministryshared the progress madeunder the scheme, ahead of itsfirst anniversary on February24.

The PM-KISAN was for-mally launched on February 24last year by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi at Gorakhpur,Uttar Pradesh.

Under the scheme, theCentre transfers an amount ofRs 6,000 per year, in threeequal instalments, directly intothe bank accounts of the farm-ers, subject to certain exclusioncriteria relating to higherincome status.

"February 24, 2020 is the 1stanniversary of starting of anew Central Sector Scheme,namely, the Pradhan MantriKisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)," an official statementsaid.

The scheme was launched toprovide income support to alllandholding farmers' familiesacross the country and enablethem to meet expenses relatedto agriculture as well as domes-tic needs, it added.

"The Central Governmenthas already released more than

Rs 50,850 crores till now," theministry said.

Total number of beneficia-ries covered under the schemeis about 14 crore, based on esti-mates of the AgricultureCensus 2015-16.

As on February 20 this year,8.46 crores farmer familieshave been given the benefits.

The scheme is effective fromDecember 2018. The cut-offdate for identification of ben-eficiaries with regard to theireligibility was February 1,

2019. The entire responsibili-ty of identification of benefi-ciaries rests with the state /UTgovernments.

The scheme initially provid-ed income support to all smalland marginal farmers' familiesacross the country, holdingcultivable land up to 2hectares.

However, its ambit waslater expanded to cover allfarmer families in the countryirrespective of the size of theirland holdings.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Media groups Fox Corp andNBC Universal are looking tobuy ad-supported streamingplatforms meant to lure cus-tomers who don't want tospend money on subscrip-tions, the Wall Street Journalreported Friday.

Fox, the Murdoch-familycontrolled media group whichowns the Fox News Channel,has said it would be willing toshell out some USD 500 mil-lion for Tubi, a streaming plat-form which airs mostly oldermovies and TV shows, thereport said.

A tie-up could help expandthe footprint of Fox, which lastyear sold much of its film andtelevision assets to Disney butretained its broadcast televisionnetwork in the deal.

Tubi, sometimes called the"free Netflix," claims to have

some 25 million users andrecently announced an expan-sion into Europe.

It already operates in theUnited States, Canada andAustralia.

NBCUniversal, a subsidiaryof Comcast, is meanwhileengaged in what the WSJ calledadvanced talks with Vudu, aWalmart-owned, ad-support-ed service that allows users torent and buy movies or watchthem online via a free stream-ing platform.

NBCUniversal already hasplans to launch a new stream-ing television service calledPeacock in April, which can beaccessed both ad-free or withads at different payment tiers.

The potential Fox andNBCUniversal acquisitionscome as internet platformsand entertainment groups arelaunching streaming and on-demand services as part of alarger trend to attract viewerswho are veering away from tra-ditional television.

Yet to finalise trade deal with India: USPNS n WASHINGTON

The United States on Fridaysaid it was unlikely that a tradedeal would be inked with Indiaduring President DonaldTrump's upcoming visit to thecountry, saying that concernsthat led to India's removalfrom the Generalized System ofPreferences persisted.

"The concerns that led to therevocation, suspension ofIndia's Generalized System ofPreferences (GSP) accessremains a concern for us. Andto remind, it was really the fail-ure of the Indian governmentto provide equitable and rea-sonable access to its markets innumerous sectors," a senioradministration official toldreporters during a conferencecall.

Trump and First LadyMelania Trump are scheduledto travel to Ahmedabad, Agraand New Delhi on February 24and 25. There have been talksabout India and the UnitedStates agreeing on a tradepackage as a precursor to amajor trade deal.

US Trade RepresentativeRobert Lighthizer, who has

been negotiating a trade dealwith India, is not travellingwith Trump on the India trip.In fact, he had cancelled hisearlier trip to India as well.

"We continue to talk to ourIndian colleagues aboutaddressing these market accessbarriers. Our trade teams, ledby the USTR, have been intouch with their counterparts

over the past several weeks.That engagement will contin-ue," the official said.

"The trade and economicrelationship with India is crit-ically important to the UnitedStates, and I think also accessto the United States market iscritical to the Indian govern-ment. We do want to makesure that we get this balanceright. We want to address abunch -- a lot of concerns, andwe're not quite there yet," theofficial said in response to aquestion. The high-poweredAmerican delegation led byTrump will likely have discus-sion with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi about theseconcerns and continue the dis-cussion beyond this visit, saidthe senior administration offi-cial.

Fox and NBC Universal in talksto acquire streaming platforms

Biocon gets 3 USFDAobservations

A tie-up could helpexpand thefootprint of Fox,which last yearsold much of itsfilm and televisionassets to Disneybut retained itsbroadcasttelevision networkin the deal.

Bloomberg smashescampaign spending record

There have beentalks about Indiaand the UnitedStates agreeingon a tradepackage as aprecursor to amajor trade deal.

The I-T department issuedadvertisements in leading dailies sayingthe scheme was a "golden opportunity...to settle income tax disputes", bridgethe trust deficit in cases of disputesand minimise tax-related litigation.

Bharti Infratel board to meet on Feb 24 post DoT's nod for merger

The problem withcronyism is that it isnot better businessmodels and processeswhich drive the

growth, he said,adding that weshould alwaysaim for "creativedestruction"

where theincumbentsarechallenged.

CEA: INDIA NEEDS PRO-BIZ,NOT PRO-CRONY POLICIES

‘Howdy, Modi!’ team hopes ‘NamasteTrump’ will help improve US-India ties

PM-KISAN: Centre paysRs 50,850 crore to farmers

The scheme is effective from December2018. The cut-off date for identificationof beneficiaries with regard to theireligibility was February 1, 2019. Theentire responsibility of identification ofbeneficiaries rests with the state /UTgovernments

special 07VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Oded Shoseyov (63) Nano biotechnologist

He was born to a family in thevineyard business for morethan 130 years. Twenty years

back, he established the EstateBoutique winery near Jerusalem inone of the oldest grape growingregions in the world from the timeof King Solomon. In High School,he was a terrible student.Nevertheless, his parents alwaystold him that he had potential andso he never gave up.

“After three-and-a-half years ofservice in the Israel Defence Force,I decided that I would like to go touniversity and study Agriculture sothat I could go back to the vineyardand help my father. I had to strug-gle a lot to get accepted to the uni-versity because I had very lowgrades from High School. My appli-

cation to the Faculty of Agricultureof Hebrew University was rejected.Thanks to the intuition of the Deanof Chemistry Professor Lena Ben-Dor, I was accepted on condition todo an undergraduate course inChemistry at The HebrewUniversity where I really shined. Imet Professor Ben Ami Bravdowho invited me to join his labora-tory. The day I entered his lab, Iknew that this is my destiny,” OdedShoseyov tells you.

His research in plant molecularbiology, protein engineering andnano biotechnology is creatingsuper-performing materials thatcould change the way we build ourfuture products.

Over the years, Oded has estab-lished 14 companies and asking himto talk about a particular one does-n’t come easy. “You are asking me topick my favourite child. But I will do

my best. CollPlant is a company thatproduces human collagen fromtobacco plants. Collagen is a specialprotein that builds up tissues andorgans in our body. Medicalimplants like bone substitutes andheart valve leaflets are made of col-lagen extracted from pigs, cows andhuman cadavers which are not safebecause they harbour viruses. At theHebrew University, my laboratorycloned all the five genes fromhumans that are responsible formaking collagen in our body, and bygenetic engineering introduced allthe five human genes into a tobac-co plant,” Oded explains.

He says that tobacco plantsproduce human collagen throughtheir leaves. “We grow the tobaccoplants in greenhouses, harvest theleaves, extract and purify the humancollagen. This collagen is saferbecause plants do not harbour

human pathogens. From this, wemake different medical implants forwound healing and tendon repairthat are already used in clinics inEurope and Israel.

“Our latest achievement andsource of pride is the new versionof collagen that can be 3D-printed.We are now engaged with UnitedTherapeutics, a US Pharma com-pany and 3D Systems, a US 3Dprinting company in an ambitiousproject to print for the first time afully functional living human lung.This is only the first in printing offuture organs,” Oded tells you.

Another company is BiobetterLtd whose mission is to make bio-logic drugs affordable. He tells youthat antibodies are large and com-plex proteins which are central inour immune system.

“They help our body to over-come infection and cancer. In the

last decade, biologic drugs andspecifically humanised antibodiesbecame extremely effective drugs forRheumatoid Arthritis, cancer andmore. One major problem remain.Biologic drugs are produced bymammalian cell culture which isvery expensive.

“We cloned the genes ofAdalimumab (drug for rheumatoidArthritis) and by genetic engineer-ing introduced it into tobacco plant.We introduced several more genesinto the plant to modify the sugarcontent of the Adalimumab to makeit more human. We can produce thebiologic drug in a greenhouse at acost of lettuce. Our goal is to makeit affordable — bring down the costto less than $1 a day as opposed to$100 a day at present,” he adds.

His breakthrough was findinggenes that are at the heart of a mech-anism in plants that accelerates its

growth. This discovery was latertranslated to transgenic eucalyptustrees that grow faster in the forestand enable production of timberand pulp for paper in a significant-ly shorter period of time.

According to him, over bil-lions of years of evolution, Naturemade amazing materials and sys-tems. “I will mention only a few:Resilin which enables cat flees tojump 100-200 times their height andthe amazing computational powersof our brain. Overabundance ofthese super performers around usare encoded by their DNA,” saysOded who is in India as aTEDxGateway speaker.

When he is not busy in his lab-oratory, he and his children are busyskiing and looking for new resortsto explore all over the world. He alsoenjoys mountain biking, runningand music.

Back to Nature innovations by a reluctant Master of science

In its 11thedition,TEDxGatewayhas hostedexceptionalspeakers whoare slowly butsurelychanging thehealthcaresector.SHALINISAKSENAcatches upwithresearcherswho talkabout howthey havecarved aniche forthemselves

CAD gets a brand new voiceRishab Jain (15)Scientist and Inventor

He is a freshman in school atPortland, Oregon, US. He does a lotof science related activities and

research on pancreatic cancer in the med-ical field and the application of applyingartificial intelligence (AI) to medical treat-ment of pancreatic cancer. When he is notdoing research, he is busy participating inscience bowl — a buzzer-based competi-tion for those who want to increase theirknowledge, especially in Biology. A big partof his free time is spent in track and fieldrunning cross-country. Meet 15-year-oldRishab Jain, a scientist and an innovatorwho has invented the Pancreatic CancerDeep Learning System (PCDLS), an AItool that improves radiation treatment incancer. He aspires to become a surgeon andhopes to cure pancreatic cancer one day.

He tells you that despite his busyschool schedule and the time spent onresearch for pancreatic cancer, he doesmanage to find time for himself to pursuewhat he loves — running. “I was 13 whenI found out about this cancer, after pass-ing of a family friend from pancreatic can-cer. I was intrigued and found out the sur-vival rate and got to know that this can-cer is extremely deadly and survival rateis very low. This is because it takes timeto pinpoint the area of the cancer,” Jainsays.

His system of AI that uses deep learn-ing is a technique that offers an abstractway of looking inside and identifying pat-terns in the data. But he used another tech-nique withing deep learning — convolu-tional neural network. This network, hetells you has the ability to look at imagesand identify patterns inside. “What I didwas the data that I had of MRI and CT scanof abdominal area. Within the thousandsof different pictures of the abdomen, I haddifferent images of the organs includingpancreas. I used my tool to predict wherethe pancreas is positioned which isextremely hard to find for the untrainedeye. My goal was to improve the accura-cy for radio therapy by segmenting the

pancreas which can sometimes take a longtime for a radiologist to do,” Jain explains.

Another benefit of his deep learningsystem is its real-time application. Ratherthan pinpointing the pancreas from theimages and then moving on for treatment,if there is a AI tool — PCDLS — can locatepancreas within a couple of seconds. “It isall about the execution of the programmerunning the command. When we take theCT and MRI images, it becomes fast tolocate the pancreas,” Jain says. He tells youthat his tool is about early detection of thistype of cancer.

“At present, pancreatic cancer treat-ment involves generic cancer treatment.Radiation therapy is a treatment that useshigh doses of targeted energy to kill can-cer cells and shrink the tumours. The prob-lem in treating pancreatic cancer lies in itslate detection – last stage. At this point, allone can do is shrink the tumour and if thepatient is lucky, they can successfullyremove the tumour,” Jain says.

Not only this, Jain is also named as

America’s Top Young Scientist for his pathbreaking innovation to improve radio-therapy. A competition he entered whenhe was 13. “After I came up with the solu-tion using AI for pancreatic cancer thatbegan after a lot of reading and doing a lotof research I realised that it was somethingthat can be used in the future and have abig impact after I got some success, Ientered a competition — 3M YoungScientists Challenge. The great thingabout this that they pick out the top ideasfrom the US that are presented and pro-vide support like mentorship. The prima-ry reason to enter the competition was ifI was selected it would allow me to bettermy tool and I could look for a biggerexpansion. After I was selected, I spent thatsummer improving on the accuracy of thetool. I got more data, I fined tuned it. Itwas then that my idea became a reality,”Jain says.

When he speaks at platforms likeTedxGateway, the reaction of the peopleis centered more on his age. “When peo-ple see a young person talking while it canbe a source of big inspiration, people maydoubt it at first. I believe no matter whatthe age, anybody can make a difference.It just needs one idea that a person has tobe passionate about and have the goal tocomplete it. With the right mindset andopportunity, it is possible to achieve thatgoal,” Jain says.

According to him the best overallinvention has been the Internet that pro-vided the biggest platform for every-thing. Just the creation of connecting mul-tiple computers has made so many thingspossible today.

“In the medical world, I would say theCT technology that has had ginormousimpact. When it was invented by SirGodfrey Hounsfield invented back in1967, it opened a lot of doors and possi-bilities for all kinds of treatments not justcancer,” Jain says.

His future is set. He would like to con-tinue to work on his research. His latestproject today involves working on whetherthey can improve on the treatment of thecancer — to solve the gap that exits today.

Yuval Mor (54)AI Technologist andDisruptor

What if someone were totell you that your voiceis enough to detect

several diseases including coro-nary artery diseases (CAD)?Most people would not believeit or would term it as fake news.However, the truth is thatBeyond Verbal is doing justthis.

Yuval Mor, CEO of BeyondVerbal, tells you that what hiscompany uses the tone of voiceof the people in order to be ableto identify different health con-ditions. “It comes under what wecall vocal biomarket – the areaof voice to detect various dis-eases,” Mor says.

The journey began withthe analysis of emotions fromthe voice. “We all know that wecan understand what peopleare feeling just by listening tothem. As part of this analysis,our scientists did an experiment.He found that group of peoplehe was evaluating had readingdyslexia. Because of this, theiranalysis of their emotions wasincorrect. The scientist came upwith an idea that maybe there issomething in the voice of thepeople that gives their healthcondition. This led to ourresearch in many different areaslike mental health, heart condi-tions, lung and breathing con-ditions and many more,” Morexplains.

The good part is that orderto get the voice, there is no needfor any complicated device torecord the voice. All one needsto do is record the voice on yoursmartphone. Yes, you read thatright. One can record the voiceon any regular mobile that

allows voice recording and oneis good to go. All one has to dois record your voice; there arenot set words needed, nor doesone have to speak in a particu-lar tone or pitch. All one has todo is record the voice – like thetone one uses while talking toanother person over the phone.

“After the call is recorded,one can send it is a central con-trol analysis where experts usemachine learning and AI inorder to find specific indicationsin the voice that could indicatehealth conditions,” Mor explains.

“Since we are speaking overthe mobile all the time, we cansee a pattern when there aredeviations. We use regular voicerecorded over a regular mobile.The success rate when it comesto detection of coronary arterydisease using a single voiceanalysis stands at 86-87 per

cent level of accuracy. The ideais not to scare people to rush tothe hospital, it is a tool to letthem know that there is some-thing wrong and that needs tobe addressed in the near future.And to also increase the person’sawareness level when the infor-mation is sent to their doctorwho can then decide to go forfurther testing; the tool is not foremergency care; it is a moni-toring device,” Mor tells you.

The advantage, he tells youare amazing. Just imagine, we areusing the voice all the time andmobiles. This way one’s mobileor smart home device can be apersonal bodyguard when itcomes to health. The device thathas been collecting voice record-ing over time gives informationif there is signification deviationin the voice. All this is becom-ing part of tele-medicine or

remote healthcare. The idea isthat one doesn’t really have to gophysically to a hospital but a lotinteraction can happen remote-ly using sensory, in this casevoice sensory,

Mor tells you that the futurewill be about using all kind ofdevices that people will have intheir homes or at their dispos-al. Some of these will be con-nected to the smartphones likewe are already seeing in terms ofwearables that are available inthe market today to check ourBO and even heart rate. “Somedevices would be more dedicat-ed and connect to a software thatwould e running of the mobileto collect the vitals but using thevoice to say monitor oxygen sat-urations. It is no longer thefuture, the future is here, we areliving it and using it when webuy a smart watch,” Mor says.

The success rateof detecting

coronary arterydisease using a

single voiceanalysis stands at

86-87%. All onewould have to do is

send a recordedvoice to centralcontrol analysis

where experts usemachine learning

and AI to findspecific indications

in the voice thatcould indicate

health conditions

Creating a buzz at age 13

WHEN INTELLIGENCEIS ARTIFICIAL

WHEN INTELLIGENCEIS ARTIFICIAL

Bring positive changes in your lifestyle, and makeefforts to improve your health situation. You need toexercise under an expert or go for nutritional educationto make sure that you are eating better. Outdooractivities will draw you attention. At work, you willreceive admiration from superiors and colleagues. Theworking environment will be friendly, cohesive and thatwould increase your efficiency. Promotion/hike in salaryis indicated. Work on improving your knowledge andskills. On the personal front, you are strong,courageous and confident. At home, your domineeringattitude could irritate others, and you may find yourselfalone. This is the time to tame your tongue and bringcompassion and concern for the loved one.

Lucky number 6Lucky colour PurpleLucky day Friday

ARIES March 21-April 19

Your health will be very good. You will feel exceptionallywell and upbeat about your future. You need to considerways to maintain your good health. You will enjoy peace,joy, and prosperity this week and would be filled withpositive energy. Those who have recovered from aserious ailment must follow their routine consultation. Onthe career front, you need to watch out for any cheating.Make sure you are doing things the right way, and thenyou will have nothing to worry about, even if someone isout to get you. In the matters of heart, you are not veryvocal about your feelings. If you love someone, expressit. Your introvert and individual personality is definitelynot helping you get closer to someone you love. Trustyour instincts.

Lucky number 19Lucky colour WhiteLucky day Tuesday

TAURUS April 20-May 20

You will enjoy happiness, good health and worldlypleasures. You tend to be enthusiastic. Carefully weighand consider what others ask of you. You mightconsider taking a long holiday. Some of you may travelabroad. Some may even choose to stay at home inorder to rejuvenate yourself. Practicing yoga,meditation, cosmic healing or learning new interests ison the cards. Professionally, things are good. Don’ttake your initial success for granted. Enjoy what youhave for the moment. Business is lucrative. On therelationship front, you need to analyse whether you arebeing realistic in love. Don’t spend too much time inself-pity or wishing your life away. Put your anger incheck.

Lucky number 15Lucky colour Sky BlueLucky day Thursday

GEMINI May 21-June 20

This is the time for self-improvement. Be creative inyour work and avoid stress. Follow a good diet andtake adequate rest. Tensions of the past would easeoff. Listen to your body and work accordingly. Thespiritual journey proves to heal this week. Career-wise,this is a very good time to start planning long term,even if you are very young. Plan to work methodically.An intriguing business opportunity will come alongthis week. The investments you made in the past willfetch you good returns, and with interest. In love,confusion will prevail. Think calmly and carefully aboutwhat your deal-breakers are in a relationship. Behonest with yourself first, and then be honest withyour beloved.

Lucky number 8Lucky colour MagentaLucky day Friday

CANCER June 21-July 22

You need time and quiet to connect with your soul andenergies around. Health, vitality and inner vibrancy willfill you with energy and inspiration. Creative ideas willoccupy your mind. Career-wise, there could be a momentwhich begs you to bring about some desirable changes.Those of you who are not satisfied with the current job,switching to a new job is likely. Good news: the job youfind will be better than the previous one. Transfer to adesired place or changing locations are a possibility. Onthe personal front, you may come across an analyticalmind. Make sure not to get pulled into silly debates. Donot ignore your loved ones. Take time out for them andshow your concern. Let the heart speaks louder than themind.

Lucky number 11Lucky colour BeigeLucky day Sunday

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 22

Work towards good health and vitality. Plan your routine.Those of you who like to dwell in solitude, it would be agood idea to reach out to others. At work, good news isindicated. You will get the benefits from the choices thatyou make. An ‘out-of-the-blue’ opportunity may arise. Yourcompany may send you on a foreign assignment. This is agood time for those in the export and import business.You have the potential to crack the most difficultcompetitive exam and face the interview with confidence, ifyou have applied for a job. On the love front, those whoare committed, you may find your workload or that of yourpartner interfering with the relationship. Make time andspace for the relationship, regardless of your jobs,otherwise, things will suffer.

Lucky number 20Lucky colour MauveLucky day Monday

LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 22

With your experience and maturity, you will be able totake charge of your life. Instead of being innovative, youneed to adapt to the existing set of beliefs and systemsthat are already in place. Any new theory or fashionabletrends will not work for you this week. On the careerfront, a foreign assignment may come up. There’s a goodchance that you are working far too hard for recognitionand money. This is the time to remind yourself of yourreal value. In relationship, messages of love and affectionwill come your way. You will feel pampered and wish torejuvenate yourself this week. Those who are single, anew suitor with whom you have a lot in common, andwho is also very adventuresome, may enter your life.Exciting times ahead.

Lucky number 18Lucky colour SilverLucky day Wednesday

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21

You are a quiet and keen observer this week. Yourperception about life will change sensing the positivityaround. You will feel healthier than ever. Things willmove along well, and hope will emanate – with goodcause. Avoid obsession/passion this week. On thecareer front, you want your time and space. Take restto emerge from those difficult times, perhaps thetrauma of losing your job or financial and healthworries. Stress and conflict with your colleagues willoverpower you. This is not the time to make decisions,particularly when you are at your vulnerable most. Inlove, happiness and compassion is on the cards. Thestart of a new relationship, be it a friendship or aromance will bring a smile to your face.

Lucky number 2Lucky colour PinkLucky day Sunday

AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18

Do not run away from reality. It does not suit yourpersonality. If dealing with a health issue, you need tolook for another healthcare practitioner. Look fortreatment outside your purview. Plan a vacation to naturalsurroundings to rejuvenate yourself. Avoid stress. On thecareer front, share your responsibilities as you may feeloverstressed. Share your thoughts with your friends.Reflecting upon the past will help you prepare for the nextphase. Review your past experiences and mark yourlearnings. All the pieces of the puzzle of your life arefinally coming together. On the personal front, true love,balanced partnership, commitment, and all good thingsthat most of us hope for in love and relationship, areyours to savour!

Lucky number 14Lucky colour GreenLucky day Thursday

PISCES Feb 19-March 20

Let go of the past and any wrongs that you perceive weredone to you, mainly if you are dealing with chronicmedical issues. Letting go of your need to be right willgo a long way towards helping you to feel better. Thinkpositively. You may find yourself exploring ideas andspiritual directions that you never thought would appealto you. Career-wise, you may be inspired to start a newcreative project, take up an art class, or even dance. Yousee new potential in allowing your creativity to flow. Tothose looking for a job, a suitable job offer matching withyour profile may surprise you. For those in a committedrelationship, it is best to handle situations in a traditionalway. Those feeling suspicious about their partner, make apoint to talk about it even if it is difficult.

Lucky number 12Lucky colour PeachLucky day Tuesday

CAPRICORN Dec 22-Jan 19

Your physical strength is beyond comparison this weekand you must be aware of it. Some of you may embarkon an overseas trip or may get an opportunity to work,study, or live overseas for an extended period of time. Youwill encounter new experiences and welcoming hosts whowill support you unconditionally. Overall, this is a goodweek. On the career front, an enhanced status, promotionor designation is on the cards. You can take importantdecisions related to your career as you are in a verysound and grounded position. The abundance of energyand self-confidence will give you a boost to move ahead.On the personal front, you may meet a romantic person.A good news is expected to come your way. Be open toexploring your feelings.

Lucky number 13Lucky colour BrownLucky day Saturday

LEO July 23-Aug 22

You will enjoy good health and vitality this week. Thosewho are dealing with a serious illness, a new healthmodality or a healer will prove helpful. Stay positive andexpect the best. It is important to share your spiritualunderstandings with others. Your life will improveimmensely if you reach out. Career-wise, learn todelegate responsibilities, especially if you are overloadedwith work. A dilemma at the workplace will demandaction or decision. Analyse all available informationbefore you arrive at a conclusion. In love, you are likelyto question whether you and your long-term partnershould stay together. You may choose to go yourseparate ways. Singles, this may be the time when youfinally commit to settling down.

Lucky number 17Lucky colour GreyLucky day Saturday

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22-Dec 21

YOURWEEK

AHEADMADHU KOTIYA

sundaymagazine

tarot 08MEDITATION IS PAINFUL IN THEBEGINNING BUT IT BESTOWS

IMMORTAL BLISS ANDSUPREME JOY IN THE END

— SWAMI SIVANANDA Vijayawada, February 23, 2020

This friday, Hindus celebratedShivaratri dedicated to Lord Shiva,popularly seen as one amongst the

God-trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, andMahesh (another contextual naming ofShiva). Hindus apart, who revere Him inhighest esteem, Shiva now seems to beextending His charm even in the scientif-ic world. He, now in his dance form(Nataraja), is prominently displayed atPerth laboratory, known for its particleaccelerators engaged in exploring whatthey term as “God Particle.” For, in theirperception, Shiva’s dance symbolises theplay and interplay of cosmic energystreams, which progressively evolved intothe manifest plural world. The conceptsunderlying Lord Shiva can be seen in dif-ferent perspectives. For meditators, Heremains the Adi Guru. In Nataraja form,he remains the guiding spirit of the clas-sical dancers. Kashmir Shaivism carrieson its metaphysical perception aroundShiva. To me, He comes out as ‘Existencepersonified’.

A look at two imageries associatedwith Shiva in togetherness, presents aunified picture of the world process,encompassing the whole gamut of cre-ation, sustenance and recycling. In the

first picture Lord Shiva is seated in medi-tative posture on Mount Kailash. He isshown having lunar crescent over hishead, almost bare bodied with just theprivate part covered with tiger skin. Hispoison fed blue neck is encircled by ven-omous snake. River Ganges flows downhis matted hair locks. He is seen holdinga trident in one arm, Damru (doubleheaded hand drum) in another, rosary inthe third, and the 4th palm in blessingmode. Being in meditative posture sym-bolises reflecting on the churning within,on the prospects of creation. As therosary keeps circling, the life cycle keepsmoving in succession. The blessing modeimplies that all existences draw succourout of his inexhaustible potential.

In the second imagery, Lord Shiva,mounted on a bull, has in his entouragemultitude forms of existences, some ofthem even weird and invisible. To namea few, divine beings, humans, devilishexistences, animals, birds, goblins, andeven invisible existences such as ghostetc. Symbolically, his entourage is indica-tive of the multipolar manifest worldwith all its enormity and diversity. Thisparticular symbol stands for the dynamicworld ever on the move at its own pace,

as would a bull moving at a constantpace mean. While pulling a cart, the bullmoves unprovoked at a constant paceand would not stop in the way till itreaches a place designated for being fedand taking rest. After a while, the bullagain takes the journey forward, andthen finally reverts back to its normalplace of abode after completing the voy-age. The manifest world too, after beingon the run for a specified time, revertsback to the primal source to acquire arestful state, when it gets recharged onceagain. Following which, out of the seedsof life withdrawn into primal-source,fresh creation cycle takes off.

Mount Kailasa, is one of the highpeaks in the Himalayan range to whichlot of perennial rivers are sourced, includ-ing the Ganges. It, thus, is closest to thecosmic world, simultaneously having allround view of life down below. LordShiva, with lunar crescent over the head,read together with his place of abode, theHimalayan range having in store perenni-al rivers, is symbolic of eternity, infinity.

The presence of lunar crescent sym-bolises the convergence of all nature dri-ven forces. For, Moon’s luminosity isdrawn out of the light extended by theSun, as well as all the planets and stars upabove in the cosmos. But before all light

drawn thus, flows down the line, Moondoes its own stamping by turning theminto an amiable form. Moon, thus, sym-bolises convergence of all nature drivenenergy streams.

With the play of Damru, the equili-brated state of the primal source getsshaken, when the primal sound note O?comes into play. Now going by the scien-tific perception, once there is entropy(disorder), it multiplies in geometric pro-gression. So, it happened following exci-tation of O? sound. In the process, firstcame into play Energy-trinity — Sata,Rajasa, and Tamasa. Trident, it maykindly be noted is symbolic of LordShiva’s creative power — the three pha-langes of the trident branching out of thebase rod imply three dimensions of ener-gies emanating from a singularity. Therandom mutation of the three that fol-lowed, led to multitude of differentiatedenergy streams. The harmony and sym-phony of these differentiated energystreams that followed, led to all creations,first up above in the cosmos.

The wwriter iis aan aastrologer, vvastu cconsultantand sspiritual ccounsellor. WWrite tto hhim aat

G-1102, BBharat NNagar, NNew FFriends CColony,New DDelhi-1110 0025

Tel: 991-111-449848475/9818037273Email: bbharatbhushanpadmadeo@gmail.com

ASTROTURFBHARAT BHUSHAN PADMADEO

Madhu Kotiya is a tarot card reader, spiritual healer, and Founder, MShezaim Institute of Tarot and Divination. Contact details: madhu@indiatarot.com, www.indiatarot.com, M: 9873283331

Lord Shiva: Existence personified

TEAM AGENDA DESK > NAVNEET MENDIRATTA, CONSULTING EDITOR | H LAYOUT AND DESIGN > SATISH CHANDRA JAKHMOLA, SENIOR EDITOR (CREATIVE)

Now yyou ccan wwrite tto uus aat agendapioneer@gmail.com

Energy security has been sig-nificant to the economictransformation, global pros-perity and well-being of thehuman kind. Energy security

will continue to be detrimental to theexisting life and much more crucial tothe developing countries than thedeveloped world. The world’s demandfor energy grew by 95% in the last 40years and the future demand, estimatedto be more than 90%, to be because ofhuge growth in demand from India andChina. These resources are finite, andthe direct links between energy supplyand economic growth have pushed theissue of energy security at the core ofthe policy debate with a considerableimpact on the geopolitics.

India, one of the fastest growingmajor economies, is also the fastestgrowing energy consumer in the world.And set to become the most populousnation, it is not well endowed withenergy reserves. India has mammothtask of meeting its economic and socialdevelopmental goals, and lift its mil-lions of people out of poverty. Thecountry has no option but to strive forsustained growth rate of 8-10% toachieve this. India’s economy in all like-ly will continue to supersede thegrowth rate of all other majoreconomies in the world in the foresee-able future. The demand for energy inthe coming years will accelerate furtheras India embarks on manufacturingthrough Modi Government’s muchvaulted ‘Make in India’ programme,developmental projects and access toelectricity to all. Consequently, energysecurity has emerged as one of thesalient policy issues over the pastdecade and a half, and the successiveIndian governments have emphasisedon addressing the impending energycrisis challenges.

In the past, India’s energy securityhas been narrow in its approach, main-ly aimed at managing supply. But overthe past two decades, India’s energysecurity policy has evolved andapproach is much more inclusive whichtakes into account the political, eco-nomic, social and environmental issuesand concerns under which the energysecurity policy is being pursued todayinternationally. India’s quest for energysecurity could be seen under the frame-work of four ‘A’s: availability, accessibili-ty, affordability and acceptability, whichis to make energy accessible to all thesections and sectors at an affordableprice in a socially and politically accept-able carbon-controlled environment.

India’s more than 50% of energyneeds is derived from domestic stocksof coal, mainly for the electricity. Coalshall remain India’s most importantenergy source and critical to its growthfor the decades ahead. However, thepercentage of coal in India’s energy mix

will decline in the future. India, with17% of the world’s population, has just0.8% of the world’s known oil and nat-ural gas resources. Today, oil accountsfor 36% of the country’s primary ener-gy use. This figure is set to rise both inabsolute and in percentage terms.India’s domestic production is not suffi-cient to meet its demand. As a result,India already imports 80% of its crudeoil needs. Without new and substantialdomestic discoveries, imports will con-tinue to increase. By contrast, naturalgas currently provides only 8% ofIndia’s primary energy supply, and mostof that gas comes from domesticsources, onshore and offshore. But theposition is likely to change drastically asIndia plans towards the world averagefor the use of natural gas.

To promote oil and gas productionat domestic level, the IndianGovernment has been taking severalsteps which range from encouragingthe Indian companies to increase theirdomestic activities and widening itsengagement with multinational compa-nies, broadening opportunities forthem to participate in oil and gas explo-ration in India. Also, to stimulate theinvestments and development in theexploration of hydrocarbon sources ofenergy, some of the steps have focussedon regulatory changes, a transparentgas pricing policy and redevelopmentof uneconomical assets. The domesticefforts have also seen a concerted focuson exploring various alternative sourcesof energy which are infinite, renewableand environment-friendly. The govern-ment has given a massive push in thisregard in the energy productionthrough solar energy, wind power,hydroelectricity power, and biomass,and nuclear energy.

At the domestic level, the chal-lenges are puzzling and often at oddssuch as increasing energy access, build-ing a smart system for drawing invest-ment in energy infrastructure and pric-ing of energy to facilitate the economicand environmental competence. Unlikethe past policy of self-reliance, India’senergy policy has shifted to positionitself to address its new dependence oninternational markets, diversify itssources of energy abroad, look for alter-native sources of energy, and increaseits domestic production which contin-ues to be in line with its earlier com-mitment to self-sufficiency. India’sdomestic exploration and productionpush is not very promising. As a result,India continues to rely on the foreignsources for its energy needs especiallyfor petroleum.

Since increased domestic produc-tion alone will not be sufficient to meetthe projected needs for either oil, gas orcoal, India is also expanding its effortsabroad. Eventually, this has made ener-gy security one of the top foreign policy

priorities. Despite the Indian govern-ment’s emphasis on domestic produc-tion of coal and efforts to diversify thesources of energy, the demand forimported coal is likely to continue.India’s energy demand, both for con-sumer and industry, cannot be done inthe near future without the help ofimported coal. There is no substantialproof that India can address its energydemand without the use of importedcoal to supplement its domestic supply.For example, the energy security hasbeen an important aspect of India-Australia relationship in which importof Australian high calorific value coalremains crucial.

Subsequently, energy security hasemerged as one of the top foreign poli-cy priorities of the Modi Government.This becomes significant as ModiGovernment embarks to make India amanufacturing hub through its muchvaulted ‘Make in India’ initiatives.Energy security’s primacy in Modi gov-ernment’s foreign policy is reflected inhis record number of high-profile for-eign visits during which he has beencutting energy deals with energy richcountries.

India’s energy security pursuitbecomes more challenging with thegrowing concerns of global climatechange and political instability in theenergy rich regions of the world. Indiahas been relying mainly on coal andpetroleum for its energy sources. India’smove towards renewable energysources will not be sufficient for itsmounting energy demand. India has tolook towards an energy sources withless carbon emission and provide baseload power. In this context, gas andnuclear energy figure significant. Gas isless carbon emitting source of energy.India’s gas utilisation is far below theworld average. Modi government hasalso given priority to enhance the gasutilisation and move towards gas basedeconomy. India is planning to set upgas pipelines for import of gas from itsneighbouring nations. A number of gaspipelines are proposed and are in theconstruction phase. Majority of theminvolve intense geopolitics as some ofthe proposed gas pipelines will passthrough Pakistan and China.

Since the two-thirds of India’s oilimports come from one single region,that is, the Gulf Co-operation Council(GCC) countries, India is following inthe footsteps of other major oil-import-ing economies and making significantefforts to obtain supplies from sourcesoutside the Gulf. In addition, the possi-bility of disruption from unseen politi-cal instability, religious extremism, ter-rorism, and threats to supply lines havepushed India to look for new hydrocar-bon destinations abroad.

India has taken steps to diversify itshydrocarbon exploration in the regions

of Latin America, Africa, CaspianBasin, Russia and in the waters of Indo-Pacific region.

Problems of diversification of ener-gy sources for India arises from thepolitical volatility, geopolitics of theseregions and above all it puts India inthe direct competition with China par-ticularly in the Non-Middle Easternand Non-Gulf region as the new desti-nation of energy source which furthersparks a geopolitical competition andadds more complexities to an existingcompetitive and often conflicting India-China relationship.

Nuclear energy has the potential tobecome an important source of India’senergy mix given its economic afford-ability in the long run and environmentfriendly. Currently, nuclear energymakes up around 3% of India’s energymix and has the potential to become 20to 25% of India’s energy mix by 2050.The lack of enriched uranium, lightwater reactors, and advanced technolo-gy hampered India’s nuclear energycapability. But after the conclusion ofIndia-US nuclear agreement, India’snuclear apartheid ended and unchainedIndia from the technology denialregimes of the Nuclear Non-prolifera-tion Act of 1978 which came in thewake of India’s first atomic test in 1974.The nuclear deal was aimed to helpIndia to meet its looming energy crisisby enabling it to access to safeguardednuclear fuel, advanced light water reac-tors and civilian nuclear technology.

The India-US nuclear deal pushedthe energy security to the core of India’sforeign policy. After the India-US civil-ian nuclear deal, India has sealed thecivilian nuclear agreements with a num-ber of countries including France,Russia, Canada, Australia, Japan and theUK. Given India’s non-signatory statusof Nuclear-Non-Proliferation Treaty, forany country dealing with India innuclear energy and technology tradebecomes an issue of a mutual trust andconfidence which required delicatediplomacy from India. Though aimedto address India’s energy security, theUS-India nuclear deal was viewed byChina as part of the United States’grand strategy to contain the growingpower and influence of China in Asia.As a result, the Chinese and Pakistanilobbying along with ‘Nuclear Ayatollahs’put a concerted lobbying effort to blockthe nuclear deal at Capitol Hill, thoughfailed. The India-China energy geopoli-tics resurfaced during India’s bid tomembership in the Nuclear SuppliersGroup (NSG) recently. China used itsclout and prerogatives to block India’scase for the inclusion in the NSG. Thenuclear energy is significant for India’sefforts to shift to an environmentallyfriendly energy sources and alternatesources of energy sources.

India’s push towards renewable

energy has been remarkable which isreflected in Modi Government’sschemes to give a boost to renewableenergy sources. But even the renewableenergy sources are not free from thecompetitive geopolitical environment.India-Chian energy geo-politics is alsoreflected in renewable energy space.Renewable energy’s geographic andtechnical characteristics are fundamen-tally different from those of coal, oiland natural gas. Though still in the for-mative stage, international norms arebeing built towards the renewable ener-gy, and India-China energy geopoliticswill enter this new energy space as bothare striving to influence the renewableenergy space. The inevitability ofrenewable energy is undeniable andcountries are gearing up for anincreased share in their energy mix.Those that dominate the markets inthese new technologies will likely havethe most influence over the develop-ment patterns of the future. As othermajor powers find themselves in cli-mate denial, China and India both aremoving to use and exploit the globalrenewable energy space, though Chinais ahead.

India is emerging as a new norma-tive player in the renewable energyregime. Prime Minister Modi has pur-sued unwavering commitment to ener-gy security by constructing 175 GW ofrenewable capacity by 2022 and India iscommitted to its unflinching commit-ment to combat global warming irre-spective of what happens in the rest ofthe world. Prime Minister Modi beingawarded the “Champion of Earth” bythe UN Secretary General in 2018 isadditional power to India’s growingnormative leadership in this new ener-gy source regime that translates intogeopolitics as it helps India to enhanceits image internationally.

India’s energy policy is being pur-sued in a much more inclusive mannerin its domestic and international set-tings to address its fast-growing energydemand in a competitive geo-politicalenvironment. India energy explorationabroad in the new regions is putting indirect competition with with China.Unlike the US-Soviet Union energygeopolitics, the India-China energycompetition has been mostly confinedto the commercial and diplomatic leveltussles, though both remain vulnerableto conflicts which may get aggravateddue to their competitive and conflictingrelations and the emerging strategicgeometry in the Indo-Pacific region.

— Dr Ashok Sharma is a VisitingFellow at the University of New SouthWales at the Australian Defence Force

Academy and the author of the book‘India’s Pursuit of Energy Security:

Domestic Measures, Foreign Policy andGeopolitics’ (Sage Publications, 2019)

sundaymagazine

1109Mughal prince with a heartAvik Chanda’s book offers a view on

the life and times of Dara Shukoh,the designated heir of Shah Jahan

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

Vijayawada, February 23, 2020

Snacking kids the right way

The most importantlesson I’ve learned in

this business is how tosay no. I have said no toa lot of temptations, and

I am glad I did— Penelope Cruz

ENERGYSECURITY

INDIA’S QUEST FOR

ENERGYSECURITY

INDIA’S QUEST FOR

Over the past two decades, India’s approach takes intoaccount the political, economic, social and environmentalissues and concerns under which the energy securitypolicy is being pursued today, writes DR ASHOK SHARMA

ENERGY SECURITY HASEMERGED AS ONE OF

THE TOP FOREIGNPOLICY PRIORITIES OF

THE MODI GOVERNMENT.THIS BECOMES

SIGNIFICANT AS MODIGOVERNMENT EMBARKS

TO MAKE INDIA AMANUFACTURING HUB

THROUGH ITS MUCHVAULTED ‘MAKE IN INDIA’

INITIATIVES. ENERGYSECURITY’S PRIMACY IN

MODI GOVERNMENT’SFOREIGN POLICY ISREFLECTED IN HIS

RECORD NUMBER OFHIGH-PROFILE FOREIGNVISITS DURING WHICHHE HAS BEEN CUTTING

ENERGY DEALS WITHENERGY RICH

COUNTRIES

There’s a recipe for every kid. While somecan be prepared in minutes, some can bepart of your Sunday meal-prep

sundaymagazine

books 10THE CHIEF REASON FOR GOING TO

SCHOOL IS TO GET THE IMPRESSIONFIXED FOR LIFE THAT THERE IS A

BOOK SIDE FOR EVERYTHING— ROBERT FROST Vijayawada, February 23, 2020

Afrequently heard complaintfrom a section of Indian his-torians is that vested inter-ests have played havoc withthe sub-continent’s history,

traditions and culture. If one goesthrough the history books taught in theIndian schools and universities, it will befound that those lamenting over thetampering of India’s history are notexaggerating. Some sections of the coun-try’s valuable history have been sup-pressed from the new generation, espe-cially from those who were born after1950.

How many among those who wereborn after 1950 are familiar with thegreat Maratha ruler Shivaji, the valiantfighter Tantia Tope, the great socialreformer Mahatma Phule, the all timegreat of the 19th century South India byname Chattampi Swamikal and his col-league Sree Narayana Guru?

We cannot put the entire blame fordistorting history upon previousregimes alone. It is a strategy deployedsince time immemorial to misinterprethistorical facts by groups with vestedinterests. “History is written by victors,”Sir Winston Churchill, former BritishPrime Minister who is known for hiserudition and knowledge had said. Inmodern times, it was proved by theBritish colonialists. The best example isLouis Mountbatten’s decision to destroyeven the last vestiges of victory symbolsof the Japanese army from Singaporeand Malaysia.

“After re-taking Singapore,Mountbatten’s (who was the SupremeCommander, South East Asia duringSecond World War) first act was toorder the demolition of the war memor-ial honouring slain heroes of the IndianNational Army. The INA War Memorialat Singapore to commemorate the“Unknown Warrior” was started on July8, 1945 at Esplanade Park. It was razedto the ground by Mountbatten’s alliedtroops when they reoccupied the city.

Demolishing memorials, war memorialsand other revered symbols of defeatedpeople is habitual Christian triumphal-ism as is desecrating the tombs of therulers of conquered people,” writesRadha Rajan, one of the highly respect-ed thinkers of our times.

Most Indians are not really seriousabout learning history. They are noteven bothered about recent history ascan be seen by the attitude of the newgeneration towards the dark days ofemergency declared by the formerPrime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.

I was shocked to see the larger thanlife flex boards with pictures of FidelCastro and Che Guevera greeting thedelegates of Indian Science Congress

during the 2009 Indian ScienceCongress held at Thiruvananthapuram.There were no pictures of Sir C VRaman, Prof J C Bose, S N Bose and thelikes who took Indian science to newheights. But for ISRO, which co-spon-sored the event, there would not havebeen a single picture of that prince ofIndian Space Science, Vikram Sarabhai.

This is not the case with sciencealone. How many among our new histo-rians are familiar with the works of thegreat Acharya Ramesh ChandraMajumdar, whose seminal work theeleven-volume History and Culture ofIndian People preserve and protect thegreat history of this great nation fromgetting tampered by the evil designs of

people following imported and outdatedideologies?

Dara Shukoh, son of Shah Jahan,was the unsung hero of the MughalDynasty. Dara, the eldest son of ShahJahan lived only up to the age of 44years but left indelible marks in the his-tory of the sub continent.

What makes him dear to the peoplein Mughal empire was his tolerancetowards other religions and humanenature, unlike his younger brotherAurangzeb, who went on to become theMughal ruler presiding over the king-dom till the ripe age of 89!

Aurangzeb was known for hishatred towards Hindus and went ondemolishing and destroying the

Sanatana Dharma and its symbols liketemples, ashrams and monasteries.Though the secularists tried to portrayhim as a philanthropist by hiring theservices of Audrey Truschke to comeout with a volume by name Aurangzeb:The Man and Myth, it fell all flat as shecould not counter the eye witnessaccounts of Francois Bernier (aEuropean physician and traveller inShah Jahan’s court) and NiccolaoManucci (a military strategist for Dara,who continued to work with Aurangzebafter the fall of the former).

Dara in his brief tenure as princehad got the Vedas and Upanishadstranslated into Persian and French andthis itself speak volumes about his com-passion for anything that originated inthe sub continent. Who in India wouldhave heard about Bernier and Manucciif it had not been for S L Bhyrappa whoin his famous work Aavaran told thereaders about the official eye witnessaccounts of these two Europeans?

Avik Chanda, a business advisorwith degrees from Delhi School ofEconomics, has taken from whereBhyrappa left. Chanda’s book “DaraShukoh :The Man Who Would Be King”is a refreshing experience. Chanda givesthe readers a bird’s eye view on the lifeand time of Shukoh, the designated heirof Shah Jahan. Even as a young prince,Shukoh wanted the common man toknow more about the Islamic saints andfor that he opted words instead ofswords unlike Aurangzeb and TipuSultan. “What Dara was striving for wasnot linguistic and literary brilliance buta tone of simplicity, an idiom that wouldinduce faith in the reader who was acommon man,” writes Chanda (Page51). Thus was born Safinat-ul-Aulia, anaccount of the lives of over 400 saints!

The account of Dara Shukoh onceagain underlines the fact that theMuslim invaders who occupied thethrones in New Delhi and elsewhere inthe subcontinent chose this land only to

loot and proselytise. The Sufi saintswere Islamic evangelists who wentahead with their mission by singingabout love and preaching the message ofanarchy. Despite the fact that hebelonged to the Mughal dynasty, Darahad some civility in his heart unlike hisforefather Babar or sibling Aurangzeb.Those who are out to paint Aurangzebwith divinity may need more self styledhistorians like Audrey Truschke becausewe have writers like Avik Chanda fordigging out the truth.

Dara Shukoh: The Man Who wouldbe King is an ideal work not only foraspiring historians but for general read-ers interested in Indian history.

Avik Chanda’s book, Dara Shukoh: The Man Who would be King, is an ideal read, not only foraspiring historians but also for those interested in Indian history, writes KUMAR CHELLAPPAN

DARA SHUKOH: THEMAN WHO WOULD

BE KINGAvik Chanda

HarperCollins, `699

MUGHAL PRINCE WITH A HEART

K RAMYA SREEn HYDERABAD

t may look likeyour averageneighborhoodrestaurant and barfrom the outside,but a stroll

through the entrance of thisnewly-opened bar in the citywill give a completely differ-ent experience altogether.The wooden seats, the shackson the side, the drums hang-ing from the ceiling are all atreat to your eyes!

Located in Kothaguda, afew metres fromShilparamam in Hitec City,this place is sure to turn intoa weekend haunt for all thetechies working in the vicin-ity, at least that’s what theManaging Director of Proxy,Aman Chainani hopes for.

When you wander in, onewill immediately be greetedby the friendly staff andincredible aroma of home-made cocktails and apleasant atmospherewith an open roofseating area. Mindyou, it’s not just forthose who want toenjoy nature whiledrinking, but alsofor those whowant to party hardand dance to thehigh-octane beatsbelted out by theDJ.

The theme ofthe restaurant isdefinitely not run-of-the-mill. Amansays, “Our idea wasto play around thecrockery, combina-tions in cocktails andthe food, thereby giv-ing a modern touch totraditional food.”

The presentation of thefood is true to his words.The onion rings presentedon the table looked like theycame straight from the farm.The Gongura cream servedalongside just enhances thetaste. Even the chicken

kebab is presented on hang-ing seek, as if they are beingcooked in a matka.

The presentation of thecocktails was no less. Themanagement has chosen toplay around with the crock-ery and serves liquor inclassy glasses that you getlost just admiring its shape.

The food goes with anydrink and my personalfavourite was the chickenpakora and chicken gheeroast. The chicken pakorawere like mini bombs burst-ing in one’s mouth with theHyderabadi spices adding tothe flavour. The gheeroast had justenough gheewhichensuresone

doesn’t have to work outtwice as much to burn thosecalories. One bite makes itmelt in your mouth, leavingyou wanting for more.

The highlight of the menu

however was the making ofUrban Bhel Puri. It is maderight in front of you on yourtable. Yes, you read it right.The Tandoori Paneer momos,however, were a slight disap-

pointment as they seemed outof place with the rest of themenu. The cocktails are amust try as this include avariety of craft liquor, or asthey call them, Craftails.

According to a cocktailexpert there, they use freshblended juice for all theircocktails. Be it beetroot orpineapple, fresh fruits areused to give an essence offreshness to the drink.Beefeater, made of beetrootjuice and in house nutliqueur, rosemary blaster,Kaffir lime infused vodkawith lemongrass extract andfresh pineapple juice withtropical bitter and galangalfizz remain top favourites.

Dessertsare no less.When oneorders thechocolate

garden,

don’t be surprised when youget a garden for yourself.The dish had chocolatesyrup with chocolate brown-ie crumbles, some fruits andan overload of chocolates.

This place is not just per-fect for post-work hangouts,but is ideal even for spend-ing a cozy night with yourloved one. If peace is whatyou seek, sit in the openlounge. If you want musicand want to de-stress bydancing, then get to the barinside where you have livebands and DJs performing.

Price for two: Approx Rs 1500

WHAT YOU NEED:Black Chickpea (Kala channa): 1 1/2 cups (soak, pressurecook with 1 cup water for 20 min after the whistle)Potatoes: 2 small sized (boiled and grated)Grated carrot: 1 1/2 cups; Chopped mint: 2 tbspBread: 2 slices; Tomato ketchup: 1 tbspRed chilli powder: 1 1/2 tsp; Salt: 1 tsp

Chat masala: 1 tsp; Channa masala: 2 tspCorn flour: 2-3 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE:n Break bread into pieces and put in a mixer.

Grind to get fresh bread crumbs.n Grind the channas to a paste adding little

water.n Mix channa paste, boiled potatoes, grated

carrot, mint, bread crumbs, ketchup, salt, chatmasala, red chilli powder and channa masala.

n Make balls and insert a stick in each.n Flatten the ball on the stick. Coat lightly with corn

flour. Refrigerate for 30 min.n Shallow-fry in a pan, till golden along with the stick.

Serve with ketchup

hat snack to makefor a kid comingback from schoolis a stressfulthought for everymother as every

kid has their own like anddislike towards food. Makingsnacks especially when kidsare coming back home with abunch of friends can get hec-tic for you. But worry not,there’s a recipe for every kid.While some can be preparedin minutes, some can be partof your Sunday meal-prep.

So, here are some after-school snacks that even thepickiest of eaters will love.

Chef: Tata Sky Cookingexpert Chef Nita Mehta.

—IANS

I

sundaymagazine

food 11Vijayawada, February 23, 2020

PRO TIP: SATISFY YOUR CHILD'S SWEET TOOTH WITHLOW-FAT PUDDINGS, FROZEN YOGURT OR FROZEN FRUIT

BARS. SERVE SMOOTHIES MADE WITH MILK, PLAINYOGURT, AND FRESH OR FROZEN FRUIT.

MINI CORN BUNS

KALA CHANNALOLLIPOPS

OATCUTLETS

WHAT YOU NEED:Potatoes boiled and grated: 2; Oats: 1 1/2 cupsGrated cauliflower: 1 1/2 cupsGrated carrot: 1 1/2 cups; Boiled peas: 1 1/2 cupsChopped coriander leaves: 1/2 cupRaisins: 1 tbsp; Salt: 1 tsp or to tastePepper, garam masala, chaat masala: 1 1/12 tsp eachFOR TOPPINGSesame seeds: 1 1/2 tbsp; Suji: 1 1/2 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE:n Mix all ingredients with boiled grated potatoes.

Mash well to bind.n Make 6 balls of the above mixture. Flatten each

ball and give it a heart shape.n Spread the topping mix on a plate. Press both

sides of each cutlet in it.n Pan fry cutlets in 1-2 tbsp oil in a pan.

Mini buns: 12; Oil: 2 tbsp mixed with 1 1/2 tsp salt, red chilli flakesOnion finely chopped: 1; Chopped celery: 2 tbspRed capsicum cubed: 1; Chopped zucchini: 1 1/2 cupsFrozen corn: 1 1/2 cups; Chopped coriander: 1 tbspMayonnaise: 3 tbsp, Mustard sauce: 1 tbsp, Chiligarlic paste:1 tsp, Grated cheese: 4 tbsp, Oregano: 1tsp, Red chili flakes: 1 tsp.

n Hollow buns. Mix 2 tbsp oil with a pinch of salt andred chili flakes. Brush the outside and inside of eachbun with this oil. Keep aside.

n Heat 2 tbsp oil. Add onion and celery cook till soft.Add red capsicum. Zucchini and corn. Mix well. Addcoriander, salt, pepper and keep aside.

n Mix mayonnaise with mustard, chili garlic paste,grated cheese. Oregano and chili flakes.n Add vegetables to mayonnaise mix and

check salt. Stuff in the buns.n To serve, heat a flat pan andplace the stuffed buns on it.Reduce heat and coverand cook for 4-5 min.Serve hot.

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VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 23, 2020 vijayawada 12

Pakka Hyderabadi...was born and brought upin Marredpally and stud-ied in St Ann’s HighSchool. We later shifted toSindhi Colony, most of

my childhood years were spent inSecunderabad. I have a lot of fondmemories of Marredpally. Sincemy parents — Bharath. V. Reddyand Roopa Reddy — got divorcedwhen I was very young, I grew upat my maternal grandparents’ hou-se and I am a pakka Hyderabadi.

Love for Amar ChitraKathas...

As a child I would love read-ing books and was a huge fan ofAmar Chitra Katha. I love read-ing any printed material. Mymom would buy me AmarChitra Kathas on my birthdayand I would wait for my birthday

only to read those books. Istill have them. My

mamayya used to reada lot and is a very well

educated man. Hewas also a foodie, sofood and bookswere my favouriteas a child and heinfluenced me alot. Although I wasvery mischievous, I

would study well. Iwas quite active and

outgoing and used totake part in sports, dra-

mas, theatre and whatnot.

Ice creams were distributed on my b’day

Like any other kid, I never liked milk and used topour it in the washbasin whenno one was looking. My momused to run an ice cream par-lour. When I was in Class 2 mymother asked me to invite someof my friends to the parlour. Iwas my class representative andwas very protective about myclass. So I told my teacher thatmy mother invited my friendsand I have to take all 55 studentsto the parlour. She panicked andcalled up my principal who thencalled my mother. My motherthen said that wasn’t my inten-tion and sent 55 cups of icecream to the school. On mybirthdays, I would bring icecream instead of chocolates toschool and my entire class usedto wait for it.

Sitting in the fridge...When I was around 4 years

old, I was feeling very hot in theafternoon. So when my grand-parents were asleep I sat in thefridge with my legs sticking out.When they saw me there, I gotthe scolding of my life (laughs).

Getting ready was nevermy fancy...

There are a few reasons forme being the way I am. I havecurly hair and it takes a lot oftime to comb and tie it. I feelone should not spend so muchtime on their hair. I always usedto want to go and play outsideand was always impatient. So Iwould cut off my hair and mymother would thrash me when-ever I got a haircut. It was thesame for years. Later on, I start-ed wearing jeans, track pantsand t-shirts often because I usedto play a lot and those were verycomfortable. For me, the effortneeded to dress up was point-less. It never caught my fancy.Dressing up for me was to lookneat and comfortable. For methat came from my dad. Iremember my mom telling methat my dad wore old shoes ontheir wedding as he felt newshoes will bite his feet and hewould be uncomfortable.

Not made for abureaucratic job...

When I joined JNU, I wentwith the intention of crackingmy IPS exams. But during mytime there I understood that Iwas not made for a bureaucraticlife. I gave it a lot of thought anddecided not to give the exam. Ireturned to Hyderabad andwanted to get into advertising asI write well. At that point some-

one introduced me to GangarajuGunnam garu and I worked withhim on a children’s film. I didn’tknow what I was doing or what Ihave to do. Somewhere I gelledwith him and a lot of thingsclicked for us. I think that wasthe best thing that could’ve hap-pened to me as at that point. Ididn’t know that there were veryfew women technicians in theindustry. It was a great set ofpeople I worked with then. Igradually fit in. By the end ofthat film I realised that this waswhat I wanted to do.

It was Gangaraju garu whoconvinced my mom...

When I told my mom that Iwant to get into industry, shewas worried. Our family is fullof academicians, so there was alot of criticism within the familyitself. She met Gangaraju garuand he told her that I can do it.He gave her the confidence andshe extended her support andhas been supporting me eversince. From there on it was alengthy journey till I made myfirst film.

Never expectedblockbuster status...

After Ala Modalaindi wascompleted, first persons to tellme the film would work wereour music directors KalyanKoduri and Sagar. Gradually, Istarted getting positive vibes.Until then I had no hopes. Later,Rana saw the film and loved itand I showed it to my schooland college friends, who liked it.I never expected the film tobecome a blockbuster. My lifechanged completely in 24 hours.All theatres ran full and Iremember watching it in the

theatre and saw hundreds ofpeople laughing like crazy. It wasan overwhelming and emotionalmoment.

Jabardast is my biggestguru...

I made Jabardast not lis-tening to my gut. I knewsomething was wrong. Ijust didn’t want a contro-versy for my secondfilm. After Ala.. I pitchedKalyanavaibhogame toSam and Shaurya butsomehow I was pushed todo Jabardast, letting go ofmy own story. I feel Ishould’ve backed out then andtold directors that I didn’t wantto do it. But the fear of successstopped me. Now I don’t makedecisions out of fear. I don’t wantto give in to fear. Jabarbast is mygreatest guru. It taught me a lot.With Ala Modaliandi, overnightyou were on a pedestal, and afterthe next film, on the ground. Ididn’t understand people’s angerthen until I saw Shaandaar, thenext film of Vikas Bahl who haddirected Queen. I was very dis-appointed with him. I thenrealised this is what people andmy fans would have felt afterwatching Jabardast.

Learnt to chill from Puri,Raghavendra garu...

I learnt a lot from PuriJagannadh garu andRaghavendra garu. Theyboth are very cool andeasygoing. Whenever I seethem work I always tell I’mgoing to be like you. When adirector is happy on the set,everyone else is in a good mood.

I want my shoots to be mem-orable. I found a way of copingwith work stress, so

I don’t shout or getangry on sets.I’m verychilledout.

Breaking almost every stereotype,Nandini Reddy has emerged as one of

the most sought-after directorsfollowing the success of Oh Baby

released last year. She is known for her‘feel good’ films that one wouldn't

mind watching over and over.From Ala Modalaindi to

Oh Baby!, Nandini has alwaysdelivered one-of-its-kind

movies. From being put downbefore the release of

Ala Modalaindi to becoming ‘abrand’, Nandini’s journey has not

always been a bed of roses, she tellsTHE PIONEER, in a no-holds-barred

conversation withK RAMYA SREE.

Describe yourself in 3 words:Foodie, Traveller and StorytellerWhat are you most inspired by: LifeFavourite beverage: I love waterand I’m one of those bizarre peoplewho loves water3 am friend from industry: RohiniWhat does creativity mean to you:Putting a spin on something nobodycould’ve thought of

Celebrity Crush: Prabhas, FarhanAktharWhat do you do to relax: Read,music and hang out with friendsGuilty pleasure: Food, especiallySushiIf not direction what would you bedoing: I would either be a deep seadiver or a wild life photographer/travel blogger

Weirdest thing a fan has ever done to you: My fans are mostlykids (laughs). But my directorfriends sent me pictures of their kidswatching Oh Baby! non-stop andthey are going nuts.How do you deal with anger: IsleepWhat do you hate the most inanother person: Being lied to

How do you start your day: Big mugof water and a newspaper. I needthe newspaperCity you wish to visit: Japan,PragueWorst subject in school: MathFavourite film: Maya BazaarFavourite holiday destination:Bhutan, where I went for my recentvacation.

Studying in JNU changed my life...As a kid I always wanted to be a doctor. I studied BiPC in Inter,but the prospect of studying for years to become a doctor was toomuch for me. I also started playing cricket at the same time. Aftermy Inter I was looking for colleges that had a good ground andzeroed in on Women’s College, Koti. I took economics, politicalscience and public administration. I thought it would beinteresting. After that I wanted to explore myself and joined JNUand did my masters in International Politics. JNU changed my lifeentirely. Everything was new to me and places like JNU changeyour thinking, your perspective of things and your approachtowards life. That’s where I actually grew in life.

Mother’s attitude helped me...There was six-year period during which I

was pitching scripts for AlaModalaindi. I felt like quitting

every day. I wouldn’t havemoney when I went

out with friendswho were already

settled. But mymom’s

positiveattitude and

supportkept me

going.

Whenfood coma hit me...

One day, my uncle took my brother,

Uttam Reddy and me for buffet lunch

when his friend was visiting from the US. The

10-year-old foodie I was, did not know when to

stop and I possibly overate. We went to Salar

Jung Museum after lunch and food coma hit

me as I was falling on all statues. My uncle

called my mom and asked her to come

pick me up as it was very

embarrassing for him.(laughs)

AnOscar moment...

After Ala..., Singeetam Srinivasa Rao

garu, Kaikala Satyanarayana garu and

Bhagyaraju garu, who are my idols called me. I

couldn’t believe it. They are people whom I saw

growing up. They giving me a call was an Oscar

moment for me. I saw a 75-year-old woman

watching Ala Modalaindi in a theatre and it

was very gratifying. I relived that moment

with Oh Baby. An elderly man from

Vijayawada called me to thank

me for making the film.

Wish dad was alive...Between the age of 18 and 22, I lost five people in my family who were my pillars ofstrength — my dad, my mamayya and my grandparents. It was one of the mostemotional periods of my life. I wish my grandparents and dad were alive today to seewhat I have achieved. My dad was the one person who said I should do what I wished inlife. He always said “Do what you love”. He said if you want to be a cobbler, do it becauseyou love shoes. If you love making shoes, you will make one of the best pairs in the worldand money will automatically come to you. I think he would’ve been quite proud to seewhat I’m doing now. I miss the fact that they were not there to see my first film.RA

PID

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With brother Uttam

On the sets of Oh Baby!

With

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With father Bharath

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On Ala Modalaindi sets

Will soon do an action

film...I don’t want to do

only rom-coms. I willbe switching genres

shortly and willexplore action films

soon. I don’t want todo what everyone is

doing. Will I do amass film? Well, if I

find something quirkyin it, I will.

Making Ala Modalaindiwas traumatic...Ala Modalaindi was a struggle. It was

traumatic and every day was a battle. The

film would be held up sometimes. I don’t

remember the number of people who have

watched the film and called it crap. Every

single person would say that the film was

crap except my actors, music director and

my writer. Rohini garu was a big support

then and it was a traumatic phase for me.

The film was almost shelved. But my

executive producer explained the math to the

producer and cajoled him not to shelve it.

I