KRMB to decide about allocation of water for Rabi
[Pages:12]Follow us on: @TheDailyPioneer dailypioneer
ANALYSIS 7
THE DAM SAFETY LAW WILL SEAL THE CRACKS
MONEY 8
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK OKAYS RS 2,645-CR LOAN
SPORTS 12
WE COULDN'T HAVE HAD TWO WHITEBALL CAPTAINS: GANGULY
HYDERABAD, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021; PAGES 12 `3
`HE ASKED FOR WATER...': EYEWITNESS CLAIMS HE SAW RAWAT AFTER CRASH
Awitness at the site of the crash in Tamil Nadu that killed General Bipin Rawat and 12 others on Wednesday claims he saw the General alive moments after the wreckage was found in the hills. Shiv Kumar, a contractor, was visiting his brother - he works in a tea estate -- when the helicopter crashed yesterday afternoon near Coonoor in the Nilgiris. Shiv Kumar claims he saw the Air Force chopper bursting into flames and falling. He and others rushed to the site."We saw three bodies fall...one man was alive. He asked for water. We pulled him out in a bedsheet and he was taken away by rescuers," Shiv Kumar said.
OMICRON SYMPTOMS FAR MILDER THAN FIRST 3 WAVES: SA EXPERT
Netcare Ltd., which operates the largest private healthcare network in South Africa, is seeing milder Covid-19 cases even as omicron is driving up the number of people testing positive for the virus. The symptoms displayed by patients in Netcare's hospitals in the epicenter of the current fourth wave, the province of Gauteng, "are far milder than anything we experienced during the first three waves," Chief Executive Officer Richard Friedland said in a statement Wednesday. This echos initial findings from two other local hospital groups that show most Covid patients are not needing oxygen or intensive treatment.
CRASH SURVIVOR, GROUP CAPTAIN VARUN SINGH, IS ON LIFE SUPPORT
Group Captain Varun Singh, the only survivor of the helicopter crash in which Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed, is "critical, but stable". Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament that he is on life support and "all efforts are being made to save him". Group Captain Singh is being treated for severe burn injuries at the military hospital in Wellington. He will be shifted to Bengaluru, his father, Colonel KP Singh (retired), said, according to PTI. "He is being shifted to Bengaluru. I have reached Wellington," Col Singh was quoted as saying by PTI.
RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469
Established 1864 Published From HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH BHUBANESWAR RANCHI DEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA
*LATE CITY VOL. 4 ISSUE 61 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable
{ } ISHA KOPPIKAR IS ALWAYS HUNGRY FOR GOOD WORK
Page 11
LAWYER-ACTIVIST SUDHA BHARADWAJ RELEASED AFTER 3 YEARS IN JAIL
Lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the 16 people arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, was released this morning after spending over three years in jail. The Supreme Court had two days ago rejected the National Investigation Agency's plea to stay the default bail granted to her by the Bombay High Court on December 1. "We see no reason to interfere with the High Court order. Plea dismissed," a bench of Justices UU Lalit, SR Bhat, and Bela M Trivedi had said, clearing her release. Bharadwaj was released from the Byculla women's prison after the NIA court set bail conditions yesterday.
Farmers end 15-month protest, to
vacate protest sites at Delhi border
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farm unions, on Thursday decided to suspend the over a year-long farmers' movement against three contentious farm laws and announced that farmers will go back home on December 11 from the protest sites on Delhi's borders.
Farmer leaders said that they will again meet on January 15 to see if the government has fulfilled their demands.
The announcement came after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the movement, received a central government signed letter where it agreed to consider their pending demands, including withdrawal of cases against farmers and form a committee on minimum support price (MSP).
On Wednesday, the SKM had
Farmers who gathered on the eve of the first anniversary of protests on the outskirts of Delhi.
said that it has reached a consensus on a revised draft proposal of the Centre on its pending demands.
This is not the end as the move-
ment is just suspended. We have decided to meet again on January 15, farmer leader and SKM core committee member Balbir Singh Rajewal said in a press conference.
Farmer leader and SKM member Gurnam Singh Chaduni said, A review meeting will be convened on January 15 to see if the government met all the demands. If they do not, we can take a call on resuming the protest.
Farmer leaders said that farmers will take out victory marches on December 11 to their respective places.
"Farmers will start vacating Delhi border points from December 11, and this may take some time," farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said.
Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, started protesting at Delhi border points on November 26 last year against the three farm laws. The laws have been repealed, but they are demanding legal guarantee on MSP for their crops and withdrawal of cases against farmers, among others.
Scheduled intl flights to remain
suspended till Jan 31: DGCA
PNS n NEW DELHI
India will keep its scheduled international passenger flights suspended till January 31 next year, aviation regulator DGCA said on Thursday.
Amid rising concerns over the coronavirus variant Omicron, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on December 1 decided not to resume scheduled international flights from December 15, less than a week after announcing that it
would restart the services. The regulator issued a circular
on Thursday, saying "The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India till 2359 hours of January 31, 2022."
Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
2
BLACK BOX RECOVERED
Rajnath announces tri-services inquiry headed by air marshal
PNS n COONOOR
The black box of the military hel-
icopter that crashed near
Coonoor in Tamil Nadu killing
Chief of Defence Staff Bipin
Rawat and 12 others was retrieved
on Thursday, a critical piece of
evidence in the investigation by a
tri-services inquiry announced by
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
in Parliament.
2
Stick to same Covid vaccine rather mix-andmatch: WHO
PNS n NEW DELHI
A World Health Organization panel said it's best to give people two doses of the same Covid19 vaccine, but mixing and matching is a good solution for countries facing supply constraints.
"We still believe the best approach is to use the same vaccine for the two primary doses," said Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of the panel, at a briefing Thursday.
2
Telangana administered 4 cr doses
PNS n HYDERABAD
Telangana State achieved a milestone of administering four crore Covid-19 vaccine doses on Thursday. Nearly 94 per cent of the eligible population got the first dose, 50 per cent even the second dose.
It took 169 days to vaccinate one crore people; then it took 81 days for the next crore vaccine doses to be administered. The following one crore vaccine was administered in 36 days. Finally, the latest crore doses were administered in the last 48 days. Thus, a total of 4 crore doses of vaccine have been administered.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said: "I am sanguine that the next one crore Covid vaccines will be administered within one month."
As per the CoWIN dashboard, a total of 4,01,64,958 doses have been administered, of which 2,61,58,671 are first dose and 1,40,06,287 second dose. Apart from door-to-door vaccination drive, 3,839 sites are conducting vaccination in Telangana. Ranga Reddy, Hyderabad and Medak have administered the most num-
ber of first doses with 109%, 107%
and 101% of population respective-
ly being inoculated here.
According to officials, the per-
centage of vaccination is more
than estimated due to the floating
population.
Hyderabad,
RangaReddy, Hanmakonda and
Karimnagar have administered
second dose to more than 70% of
the population.
Somesh Kumar said, "The
achievement is the result of con-
stant support and guidance from
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar
Rao. My hearty congratulations to
ASHAs, ANMs, medical officers
and all the Health Department staff
who worked tirelessly under the
leadership of Minister Harish Rao.
2
KRMB to decide about allocation of water for Rabi
ML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD
AP seeks 23 tmc for last 15 days of Kharif season
The three-member committee meeting of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), held on Thursday with the irrigation officials of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, has decided to meet again soon to take a decision on the allocation of water for irrigation and drinking water needs in both the Telugu states.
The meeting held in virtual mode was presided over by KRMB Chairman MP Singh and attended by Engineers-in-Chief of both the
States and other officials. The E-in-Chief of AP has writ-
ten to the KRMB seeking 11.77 TMC of water under Nagarjuna Sagar left canal, 2.55 TMC under NSP right canal, 5.22 TMC under Pothireddipadu Head Regulator, 4.14 TMC under Handri-Neeva SujalaSravanthi for the Kharif season by December 15.
Telangana, however, suggested in the meeting that as the Kharif season will end in the next 15 days, the
meeting should take a decision on water requirement for the ensuing Rabi season.
AP officials also agreed to the suggestion of Telangana E-in-Chief Muralidhar Rao.
Telangana said that it would require 150 TMC for irrigation requirements in Rabi and another 90 TMC for drinking water purposes. AP sought 23 TMC for the remaining 15 days season of Kharif.
The KRMB said it would con-
vene a meeting soon and take a decision on the demands made by both States.
Polling today for
MLC elections,
results on Dec 14
PNS n HYDERABAD
Polling will be held on Friday for MLC elections. With the MLC elections in Karimnagar, Adilabad and Khammam districts generating public interest, the TRS Working President, KT Rama Rao, has expressed confidence of winning all the six MLC seats.
The Election Commission announced the MLC elections for 12 seats from the local bodies' quota.
In six seats TRS candidates including K. Kavitha, the daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, were elected unanimously.
For another six MLC seats in the erstwhile districts of Karimnagar, Medak, Adilabad, Nalgonda and Khammam polling will be held on Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and results will be declared on December 14.
At the latest count, 26 candidates are in the fray for the six MLC seats.
While the TRS is contesting in all the six seats the Congress is contesting in two seats in Medak and Khammam districts. The BJP has kept away from the MLC elections as it has no strength in local bodies.
2
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during his inspection of the ongoing construction work at the new
Secretariat complex in Hyderabad on Thursday.
KCR inspects Secretariat works
o Emphasises on quality and design to make it beautiful complex in country
PNS n HYDERABAD
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who inspected the ongoing construction work at the new Secretariat complex here on Thursday, instructed the officials to complete the entire work at the earliest.
The Chief Minister said that the Secretariat should be constructed in such a manner that it would win the admiration of the entire country. He emphasised
that due care should be taken with regard to the quality of construction.
KCR, evidently satisfied at the pace of the works, appreciated the efforts of R&B Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy and officials concerned.
Most of the concrete work has been completed. Building exteriors and beautification works would be taken up soon.
2
Alas! Farmers have no place in Rytu Bazaars!
Page: 3
TODAY
ALMANAC
Month & Paksham: Margashirsha & Shukla Paksha Tithi : Saptami 19:08 Nakshatram : Shatabhisha21:48 Rahukalam : 10:46 am - 12:08 pm
Yamagandam : 2:53 pm - 4:16 pm
Varjyam : 4:23 am - 6:02 am
Gulika : 8:01 am - 9:24 am
Amritakalam : 2:36 pm - 4:12 pm
Abhijit Muhurtham : 11:46 am - 12:30 pm
HYDERABAD WEATHER
Forecast: PARTLY CLOUDY Temp: 27oc Humidity: 75% Sunrise: 6:35 AM Sunset: 5:42 PM
Updated DECEMBER 09, 2021 5:00 PM
TS RERA has issued 2,700 permissions since June 2018, not enough: CREDAI
PNS n HYDERABAD
The Telangana State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has issued just 2,700 permissions since June 2018, far short of the demand.
K. Indrasena Reddy, Secretary, CREDAI -Telangana, said, " TS RERA has issued 2,700 permissions since June 2018, which will not be sufficient to meet the demand for housing in the state as the state continues to attract fresh investments across sectors. This is resulting in a spurt in demand, increase in price for real estate in Telangana. Some inexperienced people are trying to make the most of the situation and misusing the opportunity by following unethical practices. They must be checked".
Indrasena Reddy said that
CREDAI Telangana was working
with the Government to frame sets
of rules and guidelines to stream-
line the industry; introduce meas-
ures to identify, penalize and
remove unscrupulous elements;
and ease the bottlenecks in the
industry.
2
Divis, Megha in 500 most valuable companies in India
o Sales of these companies equivalent to 18% of state's GSDP o Divi's Laboratories most valuable company, while Megha Engineering and Infrastructure is the most valuable unlisted company
NAVEENA GHANATE
n HYDERABAD
In all, 29 companies from Telangana figure in the '2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500', a list of the 500 most valuable companies in India.
Burgundy Private, Axis Bank's Private Banking Business and Hurun India launched the first edition of the list.
The cumulative value of companies from Telangana stands at INR 6.9 lakh crore. The total value of the top 10 companies from Telangana grew 38% to INR 5.3 lakh crore, equivalent to 2.3% of the total value of the 2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 List.
Murali Divi
With a value of INR 1,36,699 crore, Divi's Laboratories is Telangana's most valuable compa-
PV Krishna Reddy
ny; followed by Hindustan Zinc with INR 1,31,598 crore; and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories with INR 77,540 crore. Megha Engineering
and Infrastructure is the most
valuable unlisted company from
Telangana, followed by Hetero
Labs and MSN Laboratories.
In terms of growth, the 2021
Burgundy Private Hurun India
500 from Telangana was led by
Brightcom Group, followed by
Tanla Platforms and Suven
Pharmaceuticals. By absolute value,
the biggest gainers were Divi's
Laboratories, Hindustan Zinc, and
Laurus Labs.
Six companies doubled in value
from Telangana in 2021, while
Healthcare led the way with 15
companies, followed by Software &
Services and Chemicals with 3
entrants each.
2
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
hyderabad 02
Telugu parties have different stands in State, national politics
SNCN ACHARYULU
n HYDERABAD
For Telugu political parties, State politics is different from national politics. When it comes to State issues rival political parties take the same stand in Parliament.
TRS, the ruling party in Telangana, and YSR Congress, the ruling party of Andhra Pradesh, have cordial relations politically.
In Andhra Pradesh, the ruling YSR Congress and the main opposition TDP are arch rivals. But in Parliament their ways are different. The TRS boycotted the entire winter session in protest against the stubborn attitude in the paddy
procurement issue. In Rajya Sabha, the other
day, the entire opposition walked out demanding withdrawal of the suspension of 12
TMC MPs. But the YSR Congress and TDP MPs did not join the walkout along with other opposition parties.
Both the YSR Congress and
the TDP took similar stands on this issue supporting the Centre. From the very beginning the YSR Congress has indirectly supported the Centre.
After the defeat in the Assembly elections, the TDP is utilising every opportunity to support the Central government to revive its ties with the BJP. The TDP did not join the opposition in walking out from the Rajya Sabha to show its loyalty to the BJP-led Central government.
Meanwhile, after the Lok Sabha elections, the TRS and the YSR Congress have become unofficially friendly with the Central government. Both parties supported the Central gov-
ernment in Parliament on many crucial occasions.
But after the Huzurabad Assembly by-election, the TRS suddenly became a bitter rival to the Central government and the BJP. However, the YSR Congress is continuing its friendly relations with the Central government.
The TDP wants to forge an alliance with the BJP to fight the YSR Congress in the next Assembly elections. The YSR Congress thinks that if they move away from the BJP it will give a chance to the TDP to get close to the BJP.
At the same time, the BJP is exploiting the rivalry between the YSR Congress and the TDP.
Scheduled intl flights to...
Continued from page 1
But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with selected countries since July 2020.
India has formed air bubble pacts with around 32 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.
Officers looked into `camp politics' complaint: CEO
All set for election to six MLC seats under LAC quota today
ML MELLY MAITREYI
n HYDERABAD
In the wake of criticism and complaints about TRS' 'camp politics' ahead of the MLC elections under the Local Authorities Constituencies quota, Chief Electoral Officer Shashank Goel has said the district officers have looked into the issue.
The district officers spoke with family members of local bodies' representatives and they said there was no coercion from any one to join any camp. The family members of local bodies'
representatives had not lodged any complaint about camp politics so far, he said at a media conference here on Thursday. Goel said that all arrangements had been made for polls to the six MLC seats under the LAC quota on Friday - one MLC seat each in Medak, Adilabad, Nalgonda, Khammam and two seats in Karimnagar, where L Ramana and Bhanuchandar were fielded by the TRS. Former Mayor Sardar Ravinder Singh, who is contesting from Karimnagar, exuded confidence that despite camp politics being practiced by TRS, he will win
from Karimnagar. Opposition parties have also
been strategizing to wrest the seat from TRS in Karimnagar district, though ruling party leaders dismissed speculation about cross-voting from their supporters and local bodies' representatives.
Voter slips have been distributed and in every polling station; the polling process would be web-cast and videographed.
Replying to the impact of camp politics and reports that ruling party leaders were telling voters that they would get to know to whom they would
vote, Goel said under the secret ballot system, there was no possibility for anyone to know the preferential and other choice of voters. He said that voters would not be allowed to carry mobile phones and cameras into the polling stations.
All arrangements had been made in accordance with the Covid-19 protocol and physical distancing and masks would be mandatory, he said. He appealed to voters to come to the polling stations by wearing masks. Overall 37 polling stations have been set up for 5,326 voters and the polling would take place from 8 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes would be taken up on December 14.
Oppn slams govt's move to extend
CBI, ED directors' tenures
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Opposition and the BJP sparred on Thursday over the government's move to extend the tenures of the directors of CBI and the ED up to a maximum of five years, with the Opposition alleging that it would completely undermine the autonomy of these institutions, and the ruling party defending the step as being necessary to fight large scale corruption.
The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021, had been introduced in the Lok Sabha last week amid protest by the Opposition and came up for passage Thursday.
Moving a statutory resolution for disapproval of the ordinances which were promulgated to amend the Central Vigilance Act and the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act, Congress MP Manish Tewari said they were "arbitrary, capricious", and an "exercise of power".
"Any democracy is as strong or as weak as the institutions that support it...
Unfortunately, over the last seven-and-half years, this government has made every attempt to dismantle the system of checks and balances which are intrinsic to our constitutional scheme," he alleged.
"The bills moved today are yet another milestone towards that direction," Tewari said, adding the bills seek to make these institutions "subordinate" to the government.
He pointed out that the Supreme Court specified a tenure of two years for the heads of these organisations to ensure that they are insulated from any kind of governmental interference.
"It also ensured that the hierarchy of these two institutions is not disturbed. By increasing their tenure from two years to five years, one year at a time will be like dangling a carrot in front of these officers," he said.
Tewari also raised the issue of the legality of the CBI as a central investigative agency and suggested to the Union government that it should approach the Supreme Court to get the issue resolved.
"What we are dealing with
here is not an ordinary amendment...the ripple effect of such a move down the line is going to completely and absolutely undermine the autonomy and the independence of these institutions," the Congress leader said.
"I would like to request the government to take these bills back and please restore the position to status quo ante," he said.
Leading the BJP charge during the debate on the two bills, Rajyavardhan Rathore said it is easy to maintain status quo but the Modi government is not here to maintain status quo but to bring about a change in the country.
"My request to the Opposition is do not look for one year, two years, look for long term benefits for the whole countr y. Manish Tewari just said that they (CBI, ED directors) will become representatives of our government, does it mean they have decided that their government will never come," Rathore said.
Rathore said it was necessary to make the system effective and for that status quo cannot be maintained.
Stick to same Covid vaccine...
Continued from page 1
Vaccine combinations, already used by some governments, could help low- and middleincome countries manage stockpiles and deal with vaccine shortages as the new omicron variant spreads. European Union regulators endorsed mixing two different Covid-19
shots for initial vaccine schedules and boosters.
Cravioto said if countries mix vaccines, the best approach is to use a second dose of a messenger RNA or vectorbased vaccine if the first dose was an inactivated vaccine. Messenger RNA vaccines are best followed by vector-based ones, he also said.
TS administered...
Continued from page 1
I acknowledge the effort of Urban Local Bodies and Panchayat Raj Institutions in mobilisation and awareness building for which the support of Hon'ble Ministers KTR and Erabelli has been crucial. The coordinating role of District Collectors has also been critical".
CM KCR inspects Secretariat works
Continued from page 1
In this context, KCR discussed various aspects with the R&B Minister and department officials. He gave suggestions to them while examining the Ministers' chambers as well as the chambers of Secretaries, VIPs, parking areas and other amenities coming up in the complex.
The Chief Minister went round the entire complex, including the corridors, ground and first floor and other premises under construction. He made sugges-
tions for the elevation and other aspects to be taken up in the final stage of construction.
The officers put on display the construction material used in building the complex such as cladding tiles, granite, marble stone and models, including material used for windows, aluminium fabrications. The Chief Minister finalised some of the models, after taking views of various people, including Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, who accompanied the Chief Minister.
KCR examined the model water fountain, landscape design, recreation rooms, lounges, meeting halls, while officials explained their features. He expressed his satisfaction over the design of the offices with wide corridors, saying it would go a long way in creating ideal working environment for employees.
KCR suggested to the officials to examine Secretariat buildings of other States and adopt the best features in them.
TS RERA has issued 2,700...
Continued from page 1
CREDAI
Te l a n g a n a
announced the 1st edition of
CREDAI TS CONCLAVE -
2021 to be held at HICC,
Hyderabad on 23rd December
2021, along with the 3rd edi-
tion of CREATE awards, to
identify and celebrate win-
ners amongst the realtors of
Telangana.
The Conclave is intended to
educate the builder fraternity
across the 14 chapters and 800
members in the state on the
standard operating procedures
(SOPs) and checklist to ensure
adherence to the prescribed
norms
At the conclave, CREDAI
will release an SOP book for
developers, Guidelines on the
processes to be followed and
approvals required. CREDAI
and ANAROCK will release a
report on the Future of
Telangana State. CREDAI
Telangana will also release a
handbook on new innova-
tions and technologies in con-
struction to help members be
more systematic and efficient
in business.
Ch. Ramchandra Reddy,
Chairman,
CREDAI
Telangana, said: "The growth
across the state is promoting
the demand for the real estate projects. TS-CONCLAVE 2021 is planned to help the member developers, particularly new members across the state, get an understanding of the complete process, approvals required to undertake a real estate project under TS-RERA, understand the nuances for project finance and access the latest technologies to improve the quality and speed of construction. We invite more and more members from across the state to participate in the TS CONCLAVE 2021 and reap the benefits in their ventures."
Polling today for MLC elections,
results on December 14
Continued from page 1
In Karimnagar district, TRS rebel candidate Ravindar Singh, the former mayor of Karimnagar, is contesting as an Independent. The Congress and the BJP have extended their support to Ravindar Singh.
In MLC elections under the local bodies' quota ZPTC and MPTC Members, Corporators, Councillors and co-opted members are eligible to vote. Of the 5,326 voters, TRS has the majority. But in Karimnagar, Adilabad and Khammam districts the opposition is expecting cross-voting.
In Adilabad district, of the 939 votes, the TRS has 717 votes. The Congress and the BJP have about 150 votes.
In Adilabad, D. Vithal of the TRS is contesting and Independent candidate Pushpa Rani is also in the
fray. The Congress and the BJP
are supporting Independent Pushpa Rani. BJP MLA Eatala Rajendar is playing the key role in getting votes for Pushpa Rani from TRS voters.
The opposition parties are expecting huge cross-voting from the TRS for the Independent candidate.
In Karimnagar, for the two MLC seats, Bhanu Prasada Rao and L. Ramana are contesting as TRS candidates. TRS rebel Ravindar Singh is contesting as an Independent candidate.
In Karimnagar district, of the 1,324 votes, the TRS has 996 votes. But here the BJP and the Congress are expecting huge cross-voting from TRS dissidents for the TRS rebel candidate Ravindar Singh.
In Khammam district, T. Madhu of the TRS and R.
Nageswar Rao of the Congress are contesting along with two Independent candidates.
Of the 768 votes, the TRS has 490 and the Congress has 116 votes in Khammam district. The Congress is expecting cross-voting by TRS dissidents.
In Medak district, Vonteru Yadava Reddy of the TRS and Nirmala Reddy of the Congress are contesting. Here the total votes are 1026. The TRS had 777 and the Congress has 230 votes.
In Nalgonda, MC Kotireddy of the TRS and six Independent candidates are in the fray. In Nalgonda district, of the 1,271 votes, the TRS has 991 votes.
In Nalgonda, Congress leaders are divided as one group is supporting an Independent and the other group is supporting another Independent.
Divis, Megha in 500 most valuable...
Continued from page 1
Total sales of companies from Telangana add up to INR 1.8 lakh crore, equivalent to 18% of state's GSDP. These companies from Telangana employ two lakh people in total, with an average of 6,918 employees. The average age of companies from Telangana in this list is 32 years, i.e., founded in 1989.
These companies are ranked according to their value, defined as market capitalization for listed companies and valuations for non-listed companies.
Hurun Report India and Burgundy Private launched a further analysis of most valuable non-state-controlled companies from Telangana in the 2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 List. This list refers to companies headquartered in India only; state-owned companies and subsidiaries of foreign
Top 10 companies from Telangana in 2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500
Rank Company
1 Divi's Laboratories 2 Hindustan Zinc 3 Dr. Reddy's Laboratories 4 Aurobindo Pharma 5 Laurus Labs 6 Megha Engineering
and Infrastructure 7 Coromandel International 8 Hetero Labs 9 MSN Laboratories 10 Tanla Platforms
Value (INR Cr) 1,36,699 1,31,598 77,540 41,402 30,849
Change (%) 64% 53% -5% -9% 80%
Headquarters
Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad
CEO
Kiran S Divi Arun Misra Erez Israeli N. Govindarajan Satyanarayana Chava
28,900 23,556 22,300 17,100 16,647
45% 10% 76% 48% 276%
Hyderabad Secunderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad
P.V. Krishna Reddy Sameer Goel BPS Reddy MSN Reddy D. Uday Kumar Reddy
companies are not included. In a press release, Anas
Rahman Junaid, MD and Chief Researcher, Hurun India said, "The 2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 is a sanguine representation of the evolution
of the economy. Telangana contributed 30 companies, which are cumulatively valued at INR 6.9 lakh crore, to 2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500. Led by Aurobindo Pharma, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Divi's
Laboratories, Laurus Labs, Bharat Biotech and so on, Telangana is home to some of the most valuable Pharmaceutical companies in 2021 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500."
Omicron may
change pandemic
course without
action, warns WHO
PNS n NEW DELHI
The World Health Organization said the omicron variant of the coronavirus may change the course of the pandemic. It called on countries to vaccinate as fast as possible and keep measures in place to protect people from infection.
"We can prevent omicron becoming a global crisis," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing on Wednesday. "This virus is changing, but our collective resolve must not."
The organization also said while there's early evidence that omicron is milder than the delta strain, it's too early to be definitive.
Floral tributes paid to General Rawat, others
CHICKEN RATES `/KG
Dressed/With Skin
Without Skin Broiler at Farm
`210 `200 `112
EGG RATES `/100
HYDERABAD
550
VIJAYAWADA
463
VISAKHAPATNAM 402
RETAIL PRICE
(IN HYDERABAD)
`5.50
Rajnath announces...
Continued from page 1
As the minister said in a statement that the inquiry would be headed by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh and the lone survivor was on life support, in Wellington, about six kilometres from the crash site, bugles sounded the last post in honour of those who had been killed.
The mortal remains of the victims in caskets wrapped in the Indian tricolour were taken to the Madras Regimental
Centre at Wellington in decorated army trucks. Senior Army officials, Tamil Nadu ministers and Army veterans laid wreaths and paid floral tributes.
The remains were later taken to Coimbatore by road, about 70 km away, from where they would be flown to New Delhi in a special IAF aircraft. Stunned by the tragedy that had struck them, families of the victims prepared for funerals as they waited for the bodies to reach their homes.
PNS n COONOOR
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, and military personnel among others on Thursday paid floral tributes to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others killed in an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash near here on December 8.
The mortal remains of General Rawat and the others were later taken to Coimbatore by road from where they were flown to New Delhi in a C130J aircraft, Defence sources
said. Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh informed Parliament the last rites of India's first CDS will be performed with full military honours.
The final rites of the other personnel will also be conducted with appropriate military honours, he said.
On Thursday, Stalin, Soundararajan, state ministers, senior Army officials and its veterans laid wreaths and paid floral tributes to the mortal remains at the Madras Regimental Centre at Wellington near here. A Guard of Honour was also given to
the departed. The mortal remains of the
crash victims in caskets wrapped in the Indian tricolour were brought to the
venue earlier in decorated army trucks.
Stalin, seen wearing a black muffler, laid a wreath and paid floral tributes to General
Rawat and others and later briefly spoke to the Army brass present there. His cabinet colleagues K N Nehru, M P Saminathan and K Ramachandran, senior state government and police officials and Army personnel among others also paid tributes to the crash victims.
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi laid wreath and paid homage to Gen Rawat at a ceremony at Bharathidasan University in Tiruchirappalli.
General Rawat (63), his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others were killed in the helicopter crash near here on Wednesday.
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 any damage 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 before responding 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.
Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Executive Editor: Navin Upadhyay. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
hyderabad 03
Alas! Farmers have no place in Rytu Bazaars!
PNS n HYDERABAD
The traders have been wielding their influence even in rytu bazaars, which are meant to protect the interests of the farmers. The farmers have been selling vegetables wherever they find a place in the rytu bazaar. If they do not get any space in the rytu bazaar, they sell the vegetables outside the rytu bazaar.
For want of suitable space to sell their vegetables, the farmers sell their produce for sometime.
The rest of the vegetables have been handed over to the shopkeepers inside the rytu bazaars and retun home whatever they give it to the farmers. The shops inside the rytu bazaars are accused of selling vegetables competing with thefarmers as long as the latter sell their wares in the market. Once the farmers leave the rytu bazaar, the shopkeepers there hike the prices of vegetables.
The prices mentioned on the board displayed in the market are fine, but the shop keepers inside the rytu bazaar says that the prices are not acceptable to them if the quality of the vegetables
with them is good and sell them at higher prices. They also push off the sub-standard quality of vegetables at the board prices. The Rytu Bazaar supervisors see to it that the irregularitieswould not reach the estate officer. Even if the matter is leaked to the estate officer, somehow they convince him as it nothing has happened at all.
The agriculture and marketing
department is allegedly paying no attention to the maintenance of the Rytu Bazaars, it is alleged.
While the middlemen and traders have permanent shops in the Rytu Bazaars, the authorities have no clue on when the farmers come? Where do they sell the vegetables and for what price?
The traders have been approaching the farmers and buying their goods at a throw-
away price and shooing them away from the market, it is being alleged. In fact, 70 percent of the shops in the Rytu Bazaar should be owned by the farmers, but it is not the case. The estate officer is accused of paying no attention to it. It is high time, at least now remedial measures should betaken to ensure that the farmers owned 70 percent of the shops in Rytu Bazaars.
Governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan offered floral tributes to the mortal remains of CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 other army personnel, who lost their lives in an unfortunate helicopter crash,at Coonoor Wellington in Tamil Nadu. The Governor on Thursday visted miltary hospatial in Wellington and offered salutes to late Gen Rawat for his outstanding service to the naction.
Telangana sees 201
new COVID-19 cases, one death
PNS n HYDERABAD
Telangana on Thursday registered 201 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the cumulative to 6,77,747, while the toll rose to 4,003 with one more fatality.The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 76, followed by Ranga Reddy 24 and Hanumakonda 15 districts, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Thursday.It said 184 people recovered from the infectious disease today. The cumulative number of recoveries till date was 6,69,857. The number of active cases was 3,887, the bulletin said.It said 36,900 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the total number of samples tested till date was 2.89 crore.The samples tested per million population was 7,76,920.The case fatality rate in the state was 0.59 per cent while the recovery rate in Telangana was 98.83 per cent.
TSRTC launches `Bus Day; RTC officials to travel by bus on Thursdays
PNS n HYDERABAD
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has launched a new initiative named `Bus Day' to enhance the quality of bus services by taking feedback from passengers.
Henceforth, on all Thursdays all officers and employees working in administrative offices will travel only by TSRTC buses to their place of work and back.
As part of the initiative, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of TSRTC, VC Sajjanar, IPS, boarded a bus at the Telephone Bhavan bus stop and interacted with passengers. He took suggestions from them.
The MD also enquired about the availability of buses, punctuality, and behaviour of the crew. The passengers gave their feedback to the MD.
Later, Sajjanar boarded an ordinary bus of Mehdipatnam depot on Route No: 113 I/M and alighted at Bus Bhavan,
RTC Crossroads. During the journey, he
interacted with passengers and took feedback about cleanliness, upkeep, and cargo services.
The MD requested the public to travel in TSRTC buses to ensure a safe and hassle-free journey, and as it is cheaper.
Traveling in buses is good for the environment as pollution will be less. After alighting, he thanked the bus crew for their good driving habits and courteous behaviour towards passengers.
OU tech students bag prize
PNS n HYDERABAD
A team of 13 students from the second and third year of BE (Mech) and BE (EEE) from the SAE College Club University College of Engineering (A), OU, have designed an electricallyassisted three-wheeled, twoseater human powered vehicle named `Invincible' as a conventional hybrid vehicle.
The students' vehicle bagged the first prize at the nationallevel `Efficycle Challenge 2021' conducted by the Society for Automotive Engineers, India (SAE).
The Efficycle event is an initiative of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) India to provide engineering students an opportunity to conceptualise eco-friendly mobility solutions. The students were given the task to design electricallyassisted three-wheeled, twoseater human powered vehicle.
Teams taking part in the event had to compete with each other and the vehicle's
OU students bag National level first prize for design and simulation of Efficycle named `Invincibles'; the winners with OU VC, Registrar and others
Teams taking part in the event had to compete with each other and the vehicle's performance was evaluated on the basis of design, cost, marketability, acceleration, maneuverability, gradeability, utility and durability.
performance was evaluated on the basis of design, cost, marketability, acceleration, maneuverability, gradeability, utility and durability.
The students' team was
led by Captain Abhinav Karthikeya (BE Mech-third year), Vice-Captain Ankitha Kadem (BE EEE-second year) under the mentorship of faculty advisor Madhu
This is the epicycle vehicle designed
by the students
Sudhan Raju and SAE Collegiate Club and OUCE faculty coordinator Prof. V. Uma Maheshwar of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Osmania University V-C Prof. D. Ravinder, Registrar Prof. P. Laxminarayana, OUCE Principal Prof. Sriram Venkatesh, Department of Mechanical Engineering Head Prof. R. Rajendra, and Department of Electrical Engineering Head Prof. Yesurathnam hailed the students on winning the prize.
HMWSSB to improve security at water tanks
PNS n HYDERABAD
Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Managing Director DanaKishore has described the Risalagadda water tank episode as unfortunate andmaintained that the board has been initiating all measures to provide pure drinkingwater to the people of the city.
It may be recalled that a dead body was found recently in the water tank in a highlydecomposed state.
He said that the water board has been supplying quality water, which is chlorinated, supply through a chain of hundreds of reservoirs and several water tankers up to theORR.
He was speaking at a special meeting of the water board directors held at the waterboard office here on Thursday.
He opined that there was
every need to prevent recurrence of the Risalagadda reservoirtype incidents in the future.
Out of the 378 reservoirs of the water board, the board offices are located on thepremises of at least 100 reservoirs and hence they enjoy full security.
The security at the rest of the
reservoirs is only partial, he said adding that 24x7 security would beprovided at these facilities too.He suggested that gates should be fixed near the steps of the elevated reservoirs and the gates should be locked to prevent others climb up on top of the reservoirs to endtheir lives.
He suggested installing signboards near all the reservoirs that the entry is restrictedand others are not allowed inside the reservoirs.He declared that 100 more security guards would be appointed tomorrow to enhancesecurity near the reservoirs.
The tender has been given to Agile Securities for this purpose.Additional staff members of the HMWSSB have been identified for awarding themthe task of supervising security near the reservoirs in about 15 days.
He announced the constitution of four flying squads to insect the reservoirs. In all, 600CCTV cameras would be installed on the premises of the reservoirs in a month.The police department would be consulted on linking the CCTV cameras to the local police stations, he said.
Police bust cricket betting gang, three arrested
G. RAVI KIRAN
n HYDERABAD
The Hyderabad Task Force conducted a raid at Ramkote and apprehended three suspects on Thursday for cricket betting.
The police have raided a house on Mahankali Street and found a gang organising cricket betting and accepting betting money over mobile phones from punters for the Big Bash League Cricket matches being played in Australia.
Daga Abhishek, (37), the organiser, and punters Jatin Masrane, (30), and Dinesh Kanungo, (52), were arrested. All three belong to Rajasthan.
Marry of Goa who is absconding was found to be
the main bookie. The police seized Rs 1,01,700 in cash, mobile phones, TV and other things from the suspects.
Daga Abhishek, a resident of Rajasthan, migrated to Hyderabad. He has a habit of betting on cricket matches. He started organising a gaming house in Sultan Bazaar and
started collecting money from punters.
A few months back he came in contact with the main bookie, Marry, and got the betting app , cricket betting line, its login ID and password.The app provides online score ball to ball as well as betting ratios and is used to collect betting money from punters clandestinely and remit it to the main bookie. During the big bash league Cricket season he engaged the main punters Jatin Masrane and Dinesh Kanungo and others for arranging punters who are in the habit of betting on Cricket matches and for collecting the betting amounts from punters and remitting it to the organiser for a three per cent commission, police said.
Two husbands fight for one woman
PNS n HYDERABAD
In a case of two husbands fighting for a woman, claiming her as their wife,the SR Nagar police have been scratching their heads on how to resolve thecase.According to the case, a 42-year-old priest Srinivas (not his real name), aresident of Teachers' Colony in Hanmakonda is working as a priest in alocal temple. He was married to 35year-old Sunita (name changed) 22years ago.
By that marriage, the couple has two children who are into theirteenage. She belonged to Kazipet.In August last year, she left home with some money and gold on the pretextof visiting parents and did not return so far.
Smart electric cycle, first of its kind, launchad
PNS n HYDERABAD
Ermin Automotive, a start-up founded by students and students who have just graduated, has launched its first product 'Ermin Miles,' a first of its kind, electric smart cycle.
The vehicle was launched by Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan at a function held in the city on Thursday at Bhaskar Auditorium in BM Birla Planetarium.
Gopalakrishnan, the Director, Automotive, Telangana, and Surya, mentor and teacher at ICFAI University, also attended the launch function.
The electronic smart cycle, Ermin Miles, adapts to user behaviour and road conditions like the roads just used, the slopes on the way, battery consumption etc.
The electric cycle offers performance and style along with safety. It comes with Ermin Care, an App which provides all services from purchase to resell, remote diagnosis, repair etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Jayesh said that a few years back when he visited ICFAI University he had told the students and the management that many were studying engineering but there were very few jobs. He said that he had told them to create jobs instead of seeking jobs. Now, a few years later I am seeing them with an
invention, he added, He congratulated Shashank and Aditya, the founders of Ermin Automotive.
Jayesh said that it was user experience that differentiates an automobile product. "I am happy these young founders who are around 21 years are focusing on offering a better user experience," he said.He said that not just the
The vehicle was launched by Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan at a function held in the city on Thursday at Bhaskar Auditorium in BM Birla Planetarium.
passenger segment, but the freight segment also is going electric. IKEA and many ecommerce companies now prefer electric vehicles, Jayesh said.
Telangana is becoming the preferred destination for manufacturing electric vehicles. Triton, which is globally considered to be a competi-
tor of Tesla, has come forward to set up a plant at Zaheerabad, he said. The founders of Ermin Automotive, Shashank, B.Tech, the CEO and software developer, studied at ICFAI University and Adithya, the co-founder, COO and Product Director, studied BBA at ICFAI University.
Dire need for construction engineers
PNS n HYDERABAD
It is the structural beauty of anything that attracts anyone. Now we are living in times that demand nothing but elegance and beauty as far as construction is concerned..whether it is a house or apartment or a multi-storied building.
Here is where the demand for construction engineers is increasing day by day. It is not such easy to visualize a construction if we do not have a perfect professional.
As Hyderabad city is rapid-
ly gaining international recognition the taste of people has also been changing according to times. Here again, the engineers with a plan and perfection are very much required. The demand for construction professionals is always there now it is on the rise. We cannot compare the present construction with the past for, in those times civil would manage things but now a professional with a perfect view of construction and its requirements is most sought after.
As the sky scrappers ador-
ing the city in those areas such as Kompally increased the demand for them and those with professional excellence are getting the attention of the market. The rapid expansion and evolution of the constriction industry has given place not only to experts, all kinds of professionals but also employment to thousands of workers. It is in view of this demand and requirement that the state government is getting ready to build a university for construction experts. Really a need of the day and a requirement of the future.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
04
Govt clears transfer of employees
to new districts & zones
PNS n SANGAREDDY
The State government has given the green signal for the transfer of employees to new districts and new zones. The government issued GO No: 317 regarding this bringing cheers to employees who have been waiting for five years for a transfer and want to get transferred to either their home districts or nearby. In October 2016, Medak district was divided into Sangareddy and Siddipet districts. During the process, the government created 21 new mandals in addition to the existing 46. In the three districts, 67 new government offices were created. Responding to the order to serve issued overnight, the employees rushed to their places of posting. Due to promotions and on medical grounds, many got postings in their home districts. But around 2,000 employees are still waiting for an opportunity to go back to
their home districts or nearby areas. Attenders and junior assistants are classified as dis-
trict-level
cadres, while senior assistants, office superintendents, and deputy tehsildars come under multi-zone cadres. Tehsildar and RDO cadre officials are zone-level
officials. Officials said the latest GO is going to help only those who are transferred as per the order to serve.The creation of new zones led to the inclusion of Medak and Sangareddy districts in the Sircilla Rajanna zone, while the Sangareddy zone was included in the
Hyderabad zone. According to employees' unions, if employees working in these districts want to go to their home districts, there should be suitable vacancies, otherwise, they would have to stay back at the place of their posting.
Depending on their home districts, the employees can exercise their options indicating their choice of the district for posting. The employees have been asking the government to create supernumerary posts and post them in their home districts.
DC asks employees to give option forthwith
PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR
District Collector S Venkata Rao has asked the employees to give their option for a place of posting in the light of new guidelines issued by the state government. If they did not exercise the option, they are unlikely to get the choice of their place of posting. Therefore, they should give their option for a place of posting without fail. The onus to collect the option of the place of posting from employees is on the district officials of the
respective departments, he said. Addressing district and Mandal level officers through video conference on the issue, he insisted that all employees should give their options. Therefore, he asked them to submit their option over the place of posting. He asked them to submit the options by Dec 10 afternoon. Additional Collector Tejas Nandlal Pawar, Additional Collector revenue K Sitarama Rao, district officials, Mandal level officers, special officers, and others took part in the video conference.
The code of conduct for MLC elections in the undivided district will be in force till December 14. Officials will give an opportunity to the employees to exercise their option from December 15.
The exercising of options
will be held under the supervision of Collectors. The physically challenged, widows, couples who are government employees, those who are suffering from chronic diseases, SCs and STs will get priority in exercising options.
`TUs threaten joint action if Centre does not relent'
DC lays emphasis on second dose
PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR
District Collector S Venkata Rao has asked the authorities of the vaccination center at Sanjay Nagar to lay more emphasis on administering the second dose. He took a personal interest in administering the vaccine to those who gathered at the vaccination center. He inspected the progress of the vaccination at the Sanjay Nagar Covid-19 center on Thursday. Advocating following a systematic approach, he asked the offi-
cials of all government departments to work with coordination and work hard for a week to ensure that the district reached the target for the vaccination. Over 50,000 personnel have been working on the vaccination drive, he said appealing for teamwork among them to reach the target. He asked them to take the support of the FP dealers, municipal councilors, and other elected people's representatives for the success of the programme. Dr. Rafi and others accompanied the district collector.
PNS n PEDDAPALLY
SCCL workers' union general secretar y Vasireddy Sitaramaiah lauded the JAC of the SCCL workers for striking work on Thursday as part of the three-day agitation programme demanding the Centre to withdraw the plan to privatise four coal blocks of the SCCL. If the Centre does not relent, all trade unions will chalk out the future course of action. He demanded the SCCL workers to ensure that the rest of the days of the agitation programme were successful.
The SCCL workers in the RG-1 area and Medipalli OCP and in other departments made it successful on the first day on Thursday. On behalf of the JAC of SCCL workers and AITUC, he conveyed his congratulations to them.
Addressing the participants in the protest programme along with the JAC leaders, the centre has been resorting to anti-worker policies by chang-
ing several laws which are the result of several protest programmes and privatising the PSUs subserving interests of the corporate entities. Under the New Coal Mines Act, the centre invited bids to auction 84 coal blocks of Coal India
Limited and four belonging to SCCL, he criticised. The privatisation of four SCCL blocks in Telangana will lead to workers losing their rights and welfare measures, he said worrying about the fallout. The date of the auction to privatise the coal blocks has been fixed as Dec 13. He demanded the state govern-
ment and MPs from Telangana to mount pressure on the Centre to prevent privatising the four coal blocks. He said that no MP from the coal belt area in
Telangana raised his voice against the privatisation terming it as painful.
He demanded the Centre to exempt the four coal blocks from the auction and return them to the SCCL management. Several trade union leaders and Telangana Bogguganula Karmika Sangham Union leaders and others took part in the protest programme.
Adopt drip-irrigation methods for higher yield, farmers told
PNS n SIDDIPET
Additional Collector
Mujammeel Khan on
Thursday advised farmers to
adopt drip- irrigation to
achieve higher yields. He
interacted with farmers of
CM-adopted Yerravalli and
Narasannapeta on the bene-
fits of drip irrigation, being
implemented with the help of
Netafim Irrigation of India.
He, along with horticulture
deputy
director
Ramalakshmi, Netafim repre-
sentative Subba Rao, visited a
flower, vegetable, and fruit
gardens being cultivated in
Narasannaepeta.
In
Allirajpet, he inspected mul-
berry gardens. Netafim rep-
resentatives explained to the
official about its activities in
the region.
Predicting many more
changes to take place in the
agriculture sector, the official
asked the farmers to grab the opportunities and bid adieu to traditional farming and implement new experiments in farming. Drip irrigation is helpful in farmers weathering drought-like conditions, he said. He enquired from the farmers about the benefits of
drip irrigation and government subsidy to them. The farmers have told the official that they are now confident of the results of the drip irrigation. Horticulture officials, local elected people's representatives, and others took part in the event.
AIMIM, Congress plan Tiranga Rallies in Hyderabad
PNS n HYDERABAD
The AIMIM is planning a `Chalo Mumbai Tiranga Rally' on December 11. The AIMIM is organising the rally at Mumbai to launch its campaign for the Maharashtra municipal polls at the BandraKurla Complex (BKC) on December 11. MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi will address the rally and speak on issues facing the Muslim community. The rally will air the slogans `For Muslim Reservation, For Our Rights, For Our Future.'
It may be recalled that the AIMIM is attacking the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for joining hands with proHindutva Shiv Sena and for seeking the votes of Muslims while dragging its feet on providing quotas for them. It is also demanding the revival of the Waqf Board and using its resources for the community's welfare. On the same day the Congress is also conducting a
`Chalo Charminar Tiranga Rally' with the slogans `For Muslim Reservation, For Our Rights, For Our Future.' The Congress plans to organise the rally from Falaknuma to Charminar.
TPCC General Secretary Uzma Shakir is organising the rally in the Old City demanding that the Telangana Government should implement the promises made by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to Muslims like 12 per cent reservations, KG to PG free education, Ajmer Sharif Rubaat, Jahangir Peer Dargah funds and jurisdiction to the Wakf Board.
Step up the pace of medical college works
PNS n MAHABUBABAD
Woman and Child Welfare Minister Satyavati Rathod on Thursday asked the officials concerned to speed up the medical college works in the district to fulfill the CM's objective of extending quality medical treatment to the poor. She inspected the progress of the Medical College works underway here. There are
many poor persons in the village who want the government to distribute land among the landless poor. But, the CM KCR gave them medical college. To give 30 acres to the medical college, many have moved the court objecting to it,
she said. She noted that the medical college works are progressing at a brisk pace. Earlier, people used to travel to Warangal to meet district collector. Now, the collectorate has been set up here. The state government set up free diagnos-
tic labs to enable people to undergo 60 types of diagnostic tests.
She appreciated the services rendered by the Mahabubabad government hospital during the pandemic time. Tenders will soon be called to execute the
medical college main building works, he said. In undivided AP, the total area under cultivation in Telangana was limited to only 30 lakh as against 1.14 crore acres currently. This is attributed to the CM's hectic efforts to provide irrigation facilities and to implement pro-farmer welfare schemes, she said. The Centre is shirking its responsibility to procure rabi paddy as it looks down upon
the farmers, she said advising the farmers to raise dry crops in rabi. She highlighted the Rytu Bima scheme. Mahabubabad MLA Sankar Naik, district collector Shashanka, SP Nandyala Kotireddy, additional collector Komaraiah, Mahabubabad
municipal chairman Palvai Rammohan Reddy, R, and B EE Taneshwar, Tahsildar Ranjit, Kuravi ZPTC member Bandi Venkat Reddy, and others took part. Later, she visited the paddy procurement center at Sanigapuram and interacted with farmers there to resolve their problems.
He directed the District Collector to ensure that the farmers faced no problems from rice millers. She wanted the Collector to hold a meeting of the rice millers to resolve their problems. She advised the farmers not to be disheartened as the state government will procure every grain of paddy from them.
Leopard carcass disposed of secretly removing teeth, nails
Three persons were taken into custody
PNS n NAGARKURNOOL
A leopard was killed and its carcass was burnt in the Nallamalla forest area, according to reports. In fact, the nails and teeth of the leopard were extracted before disposing of the body. Turning a dear ear to the warnings against poaching wild animals, the poaching has been going on, it is said.
In fact, the incident created a flutter among the villages in the forest area. Three persons were taken into custody in connection with the killing of the leopard in Amrabad Tiger Project in the district.
Quoting the culprits as saying, the police said that a farmer of Amrabad Mandal Kukkala Krishnaiah laid traps in his field to save the crops from wild animals. On November 20, a leopard got trapped and died. Sweeping it under the carpet, he took the
carcass secretly into the forest and set fire to it. He removed the nails and teeth of the animals. The police said that it was a crime to dispose of the carcass of wild animals without informing it the police and removing its nails and teeth is a crime and adding that the culprits would be presented in court soon.
"I will solve
your problems
in two days"
PNS n SANGAREDDY
Additional Collector Rajarshi Shah has felt that disability will not be a hindrance for physically challenged to reach their life goals.
In fact, there are very highly skilled persons among the physically challenged. Taking part as chief guest in the programme to observe International Day of Persons With Disabilities held here on Thursday under the aegis of the physically challenged welfare department, he asked the persons with disabilities to bring their problems to his notice for resolution in two days. Once the code of conduct for MLC polls gets over, the backlog posts reserved for the physically challenged would be filled, he said.
Senior Telangana politicians reluctant to join TMC
PNS n HYDERABAD
The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITC aka TMC) has intensified its efforts to enter Telangana. However, TMC representatives have been facing a tough time in attracting seniors from Telangana as they are hesitant to join the TMC. Senior leaders from the Congress, the TRS, the BJP and other political parties have no guts to join the TMC now although the TMC representatives are trying hard to convince them. Senior leaders from all parties in Telangana are adopting a `Wait and See' policy as elections are not near. Due to this the efforts of TMC representatives are not yielding results in finding a leader to lead the TMC in Telangana. It is learnt that the senior leaders are in dilemma in joining the TMC as it is not easy to run a party and as elections are far away. However, some senior leaders who are ready to quit their pre-
sent parties are hesitating as they doubt whether the people of Telangana will accept Mamata. Sources said that a senior leader (an MP) expressed his willingness to join the TMC. However, he asked the TMC representatives whether they will extend financial help to run the party for three years as running a party in Telangana without money is not easy as politics in Telangana depends entirely on money.
Another senior leader (a former MP) tried to gather senior leaders from other parties to join the TMC, but his efforts were futile. TMC representatives have now changed their strategy and have started contacting young leaders from various parties. It is learnt that some young leaders who are not getting importance, have given the green signal to the TMC representatives on joining TMC. One young leader on condition of anonymity said that the TMC representatives, who spoke to him four days ago, said that they will be in touch with him.
`Raise only crops having good demand'
PNS n KAMAREDY
District Collector Jitesh V Patil on Thursday asked farmers to raise only those
alternative crops that enjoy good demand in the market in rabi. Taking part as chief guest at an awareness programme held at Rytu Vedikas in Bibipet
and Domakonda, he gave examples of sunflower, black gram, Bengal gram,
gingelly, and groundnut for raising in rabi. The water used to grow paddy in one acre is helpful to raise alternative crops in four acres, he said advising the farmers to grow vegetable crops to get more profits.
They can plant vegetable crops under the NREGS, he said advising the farmers to switch over to alternative crops in rabi adhering to suggestions of model farmers in villages.
He appreciated many woman farmers turning out at the awareness programme in the two villages. He asked the eligible farmers to apply to the agriculture extension officers to get Drip- irrigation, and sprinkler irrigation systems.
Sarpanches of the two villages Anjali and Lakshmi,
MPPs Sadananda, Balamani, ZP vice-Chairman Prem Kumar, DCMS vice-chairman Indrasena Reddy, Domakonda ZPTC member Tirumal Goud, district agriculture officer Bhagyalakshmi, and Mandal agriculture officers, and others took part in the awareness programmes.
Congress to contest next Assembly polls alone, says
PNS n HYDERABAD
The Congress will contest the next Assembly elections alone, Senior Congress leader and TPCC Political Affairs Committee Chief Shabbir Ali has said. He alleged that both the TRS and the BJP were thieves. Speaking to the media at Kamareddy on Thursday, Shabbir Ali said the Congress will make the TRS Government procure paddy at any cost. He said the Congress will be with the farmers and made it clear that party leaders will be with the people whether it is in power or not. Shabbir asked Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who had stated that he will make his MPs stage dharnas at New Delhi, to explain why he made his MPs return to Hyderabad. Why did KCR decide to go back after stating that he will fight for farmers in New Delhi, Shabbir asked.
He alleged that TS farmers had cultivated paddy after listening to KCR's words. But KCR changed his stand on paddy procurement stating that his government will not purchase paddy in Rabi.
Agri Minister urges farmers to cultivate crops other than paddy
PNS n HYDERABAD
Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy has addressed an open letter to the farmers of the Telangana state alleging that the BJP led Central Government has been playing double game in regard to food grains purchase and is not extending its support to the farmers similar to it is giving to the corporates. He urged the farmers to cultivate other crops than paddy in the Rabi season.
He said in the letter that the central government encouraged the cultivation of nonsuperfine variety paddy all these decades and purchased parboiled rice. However, the centre suddenly made it clear that it will not purchase the parboiled rice as the stocks are enough for four years. He said that the state has been encouraging the centre in procurement of food grains. The centre has been giving money to the food grains procured by the state after 6 to 8 months every time. However, the Telangana government has been giving money to the farmers within 10 days by bearing the interests. Telangana government extended its cooperation by giving space in government
godowns, schools, cotton mills, function halls and Rythu Vedikas for the storage of food grains. He said that giving MSP and procurement of food grains is the responsibility of the centre and it is going on for decades. However, there are no steps taken by the Narendra Modi government though the Shantha Kumar Committee recommended exporting the food grains to other countries by collecting all food grains.
Niranjan Reddy alleged that the central ministers are speaking one thing in Parliament, however, Telangana BJP leaders are speaking another thing. The state and central leaders of BJP are speaking blatant falsehood by playing double game in regard to procurement of food grains.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
nation 05
INDIA CORNER
UP govt suspends official on allegations of burying alive 50 cows
The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended an official in connection with the alleged burying alive of 50 cows and other cattle from a 'gaushala' in Naraini here. The action against Amar Bahadur, the executive officer of Naraini Nagar Panchayat was taken on Wednesday night after chief development officer Ved Prakash Maurya, who was asked to investigate the case, submitted his report to the district magistrate. Rajkaran Kabir, the BJP MLA from Naraini constituency, who had alleged that 50 cows and other cattle from the gaushala were buried alive in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, said the probe report was "misleading". He said the executive officer was made a scapegoat and alleged the involvement of the sub-divisional magistrate. Banda District Magistrate Anurag Patel had earlier said 134 cows and other cattle were taken from the temporary gaushala in Naraini and shifted to four other temporary gaushalas on Saturday.
Govt should bring down prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas : Supriya Sule
The government should intervene and bring down high prices of petrol, diesel and domestic cooking gas so that crores of poor people are benefited, NCP MP Supriya Sule demanded in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Raising the issue of price rise of essential commodities during the Zero Hour in the House, she also said cooking oil has become very expensive pinching the common man. The government should think of the bottom of the pyramid of the society and bring down taxes on petrol, diesel and LPG cylinder so that people at large get some relief from inflation, Sule said. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram raised the issue of safety of animals and demanded that the government should constitute a task force to ensure that elephant deaths do not take place at railway tracks. Pointing that 186 elephants have been killed in train accidents, he said new technology like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) should be put in place to protect these animals from getting killed.
Mary Kom, Amit Panghal among bigwigs missing from camp list
Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal are among the top names missing from the list of boxers finalised for the 13-day national camps for men and women that will get underway at separate locations from December 11. In fact, none of the five male boxers who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, including Manish Kaushik, Ashish Chaudhary, Vikas Krishan and Satish Kumar, have made the list of 52 men who will train from December 11 to 24 at Patiala's National Institute of Sports (NIS). Of these, Vikas is currently nursing a shoulder injury, which required surgery. The women's camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Rohtak on the exact same dates. "It's because they did not compete in the national hampionships. It was predecided that this camp will only be for national medal winners and the ones who were picked after a trial at the end of Nationals," a top federation source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
BJP MP raises Sri Krishna
Janmabhoomi issue in RS
PNS n NEW DELHI
Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a BJP MP in Rajya Sabha on Thursday raised the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi land dispute issue of Mathura and demanded a law that would provide for the status quo to be scrapped.
Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, Harnath Singh Yadav described as "unconstitutional" the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991 that prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
While the act makes an exception to the legal case around the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, all legal disputes in courts over any other religious places are considered closed by the 1991 Act, he said.
"This provision not just violates the constitutional provision of the right of equity but also secularism, which is part of the constitutional preamble," he said. "It is strange that this law provides that no citizen can go against it to the courts. Nor can this law be challenged."
He said the law gives "legal sanctity" to the "forceful occupation of the Krishna Janmabhoomi and other religious places by foreign invaders"."This arbitrary and
unconstitutional law has deprived Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists of their right to practice and propagate their religion," he said.
Also, the 1991 law discriminates between Lord Ram and Lord Krishna as both are 'avatars' of Lord Vishnu.
"There cannot be two laws for the same acts and circumstances. Secondly, the doors of courts cannot be shut for citizens," he said. "This Places of Worship (Special Provisions)
Act is not just unconstitutional but also cruelty against religious sentiments of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. I demand this law be repealed immediately."
Some opposition party MPs objected to the zero-hour submission.
Raising a point of order, Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD said the 1991 Act was passed by Parliament to protect the idea of cordiality and harmony and the BJP MP has "opened pandora's box."
"The nation has suffered enough in the name of religious conflicts. Let's not disturb the social fabric of India," he said. Deputy Chairman Harivansh however said there was no point of order and all notices of MPs are admitted by the Chairman as per Rajya Sabha rules and if anyone has an issue, they should write to him.
BJP MP makes case for Uniform Civil Code
PNS n NEW DELHI
A BJP Rajya Sabha MP on Thursday urged the government to analyse the best features of all religions, compile and adopt them as a Uniform Civil Code. Making a special mention in the Rajya Sabha, K C Ramamurthy said India has been striving hard for gender equality to provide equal status to women, irrespective of religion or community. He said that Article 14 of the Constitution says the State shall endeavour to provide for its citizens a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the territory of India. Ramamurthy said the objectivity of UCC is to unify fragmented personal laws for marriage, divorce, custody, adoption, and inheritance, and also cover civil and human rights issues.
Home Minister misled Parl on Nagaland: Adhir Chowdhury
PNS n NEW DELHI
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah had "misled" the Lok Sabha when he said that security forces had opened fire on civilians in Nagaland after they tried to flee.
He also said that a Congress delegation on a visit to Nagaland was stopped at Jorhat by the district officials.
"Inside the House, the home minister had given a misleading statement when he said those people who were shot dead had tried to flee after being signalled to stop," Chowdhury said in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.
"Those people who have been admitted to the hospital have said `direct marise'. It means they have been shot directly," he said.
Chowdhury said Congress President Sonia Gandhi had constituted a delegation comprising Lok Sabha members Gaurav Gogoi and Anto
Antony to visit Mon village in Nagaland and share the grief of the locals whose family members were killed in the firing by security forces.
"The Congress leaders were stopped from visiting Mon district. This government stops us from visiting Lakhimpuri Kheri. This government stops us from visiting Nagaland. The situation is deteriorating in the entire northeast," Chowdhury said.
Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said the issue raised by Chowdhury per-
tained to the state government and not the Lok Sabha.
On Monday, the home minister had expressed regret over the death of 14 civilians in Nagaland's Mon district in three consecutive episodes of firing by security forces, the first of which was a case of mistaken identity.
Narrating the sequence of events, Shah had told the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Army had received information on the movement of insurgents in Mon and '21 Para Commando' unit had laid an ambush.
`Happy that farmer
brothers returning home'
PNS n NEW DELHI
Welcoming the farmer unions' decision to suspend their protest, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan on Thursday said it will allow the BJP to set its agenda for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls around the works done by the party's governments both at the Centre and the state.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Thursday announced the suspension of the farmers' protest. Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chudani, however, warned that if their demands are not fulfilled till January 15, they can take a call on resuming the protest. Balyan, the
BJP's prominent Jat face from western Uttar Pradesh, said the party's situation will further improve as the farmers are returning home "satisfied with the actions of the Narendra Modi government". "It is a matter of happiness not only for me but for all of us and that they (farmers) are going home satisfied with the actions of the government," Balyan told reporters outside Parliament. Asked if the Centre's decision to repeal the three contentious farm laws was influenced by poll considerations, Balyan said political parties are always concerned about polls, but what is more important is that "our farmer brothers are returning home satisfied".
Punjab village mourns its loss after copter crash
PNS n TARN TARAN
Dode Sodhian village here is saddened by the death of Naik Gursewak Singh, who was killed when a helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coornool. Singh had joined work only two weeks ago after being on leave. On Wednesday, the 35-year-old was killed along with 12 others, including the CDS and his wife Madhulika Rawat, in the crash.
Gujarat riots: Nobody has raised finger
on us except this petition: SIT to SC
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) told the Supreme Court on Thursday that nobody has "raised a finger" against it for the probe conducted in the 2002 Gujarat riots except the petition filed by Zakia Jafri, who has alleged larger conspiracy during the violence in the state.
Zakia Jafri, the wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the violence at Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, has challenged the SIT's clean chit to 64 people includ-
ing Narendra Modi who was the Gujarat chief minister during the riots in the state.
A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar reserved judgement on Zakia Jafri's petition against the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the SIT, told the bench that the apex court should endorse what the trial court and the Gujarat High Court had done on Jafri's plea otherwise it is an "endless exercise" which will go on because of "some motives" of social activist Teesta Setalvad, who is the petitioner number two in the petition.
Low-intensity explosion in Rohini court in Delhi, 1 injured
PNS n NEW DELHI
One person was injured in a low-intensity explosion that took place inside courtroom 102 in Rohini district court on Thursday morning, fire officials said.
According to the Delhi Police PRO, a laptop bag is likely to be the source of the explosion which occurred around 10.30 am.
"The spot has been cordoned off. Forensic and NSG teams are inspecting and examining it," the PRO said. Proceedings in the court have been suspended. The fire officials said they received information about the
explosion at 10.40 am, following which seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The incident comes months after jailed gangster Jitendra Gogi was shot dead by two men, who were dressed as lawyers, inside a Rohini courtroom on September 24,, with police in retaliatory fire killing the assailants, who were from the slain gangster's rival Tillu gang.
Lone survivor being shifted to Bengaluru
PNS n COIMBATORE
The lone survivor in the IAF helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat and 12 others, and admitted to a hospital at Wellington in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, was being shifted to Bengaluru for higher treatment, his family and official sources said on Thursday. IAF Group Captain Varun Singh was being shifted to Bengaluru from the Army hospital at Wellington in Tamil Nadu, his father said. Official sources in Coimbatore also maintained the officer will be shifted to Bengaluru. His condition is said to be critical but stable and Singh had undergone three operations so far, they added.
Co-pilot's village
in a pall of gloom
PNS n JAIPUR
In a village 50 km from Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district headquarters, grieving relatives of Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, who was the co-pilot of the IAF helicopter that crashed in Tamil Nadu, and residents were on Thursday busy preparing for his cremation.
Singh's last rites will be conducted at the Mahatma Gandhi Government School ground in his Ghardana Khurd village and thousands are expected to gather to bid him farewell.
Village sarpanch Ummed Singh Rao said the Education Department has given its nod for Singh's cremation. His
statue will also be installed in the school.
"This is very sad news for everyone in the village. As soon as the news of Singh's
death was confirmed on Wednesday evening, his relatives started reaching the village," he said. "The entire village is engaged in making arrangements for the funeral
procession and the cremation. The villagers and Singh's relatives have decided to conduct the funeral at the school ground. Thousands of people would be gathering in the village to pay tributes to him," he added.
Rao said Singh's father retired from the Navy and many of his cousin brothers are also serving in different armed forces.
Oppn condemns govt for disallowing them from paying tributes
PNS n NEW DELHI
Opposition parties on Thursday suspended their dharna against the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs at the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex in view of the death of Chief of Defence staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others in a chopper crash a day back.
Leaders of the parties condemned the government for not allowing them to pay tributes to the top-most defence officer in the country inside Parliament after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement about the incident.
The Trinamool Congress also staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha in protest as its MPs were not allowed to speak and pay tributes to Gen Rawat in the House.
A number of Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha had boycotted the House proceedings and were sitting on a dharna in front of the Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex in sup-
port of the suspended members. Leader of Opposition in Rajya
Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said they wanted to convey their condolences over the tragic incident but were not allowed to do so in the Upper House, for which they condemned the government's attitude.
"We have decided to suspend our protest in front of the Gandhi statue in view of the tragic incident in Tamil Nadu and in honour of Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife and 11 other soldiers who lost their lives," he told reporters. Kharge later said opposition leaders had demanded that they be allowed to pay tributes to Gen Rawat after the defence minister's statement, but it is unfortunate that they were refused.
Nearly 48K people died in accidents on highways
PNS n NEW DELHI
A total of 47,984 people died due to road accidents on National Highways, including on expressways, during calendar year 2020, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari
said as many as 53,872 persons died due to road accidents on National Highways, including on expressways, in 2019.
Gadkari said the major causes of accidents on the National Highways (NHs) are vehicle design and condition, road engineering, over-speeding, drunken driving/ consumption of alcohol & drug, driving on wrong
side, jumping the red light, use of mobile phone, etc. He also said the ministry has issued
guidelines for improving the road safety through road safety audits at all stages (design stage, con-
struction stage and O&M stage) by engaging independent road safety experts.
Replying to a separate question, Gadkari said during the oxygen crisis in March-April 2021, shortage of technically qualified trained drivers to handle Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Tankers was reported.
"Taking into account
the continuous rise in requirement for transportation of liquid oxygen (LOX), extended period of oxygen management, addition to the inventory of cryogenic tankers and high fatigue/ attrition rate due to 24X7 operations, the Ministry issued advisory to states to create a pool of trained drivers for transporting hazardous cargo," he said.
Two unmanned missions to be launched before
flying Gaganyaan by end of 2022: Minister
PNS n NEW DELHI
India will launch two unmanned missions next year before the human spaceflight programme 'Gaganyaan' by the end of 2022, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.
Sharing the status of other space projects, Singh -- during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha -- said the Venus mission is planned for 2022, while the Solar Mission for 2022-23 and that of the Space Station by 2030.
Singh, the Minister of State in the Department of Space, said space projects have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic."In the next year, we are going
to have two unmanned missions before flying the Gaganyaan. That is also in the planning. That is usually the SoP (Standard Operating Procedure) which is followed. Because of the COVID19 pandemic, it got delayed," he said. In the beginning of next year possibly, India will first launch unmanned missions ahead of Gaganyaan towards the end of 2022, he said, adding that it would be accompanied with robots that have been named as 'Vayumitra'.
MVA firm on
local body polls
across all seats
PNS n MUMBAI
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is firm on its position that the December 21 elections to local bodies should either be held for all seats, including those reserved for OBCs, or be postponed altogether.
Speaking to reporters here, Pawar said it "will not be fair" if the elections are held in seats reserved for SC, ST and general categories, but not in those meant for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed till further orders the local body elections in Maharashtra on seats where there is the reservation of up to 27 per cent for the OBCs.
Naxals thrash labourers in MP, torch machines
PNS n BALAGHAT
Naxals allegedly beat up labourers at a road construction site in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, and also set ablaze some machines and a vehicle in Gariaband district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh, police said on Thursday.
Both the incidents took place on Wednesday evening and Naxals also forced the labourers in Balaghat to torch machines at the road construction site, they said.
At least 30 to 35 ultras reached the Harra Nala camp of a company, which is constructing Bithali-Pathri road in Balaghat, and threatened labourers, forcing them to torch machines like a hot-mix plant, a JCB machine, a roller and a motorcycle, sub-divisional officer of police, Baihar, Aditya Pratap Mishra said.
The rebels, before fleeing the spot, also snatched mobile phones of the labourers and then forced them to leave, he said. This is the third such incident of Naxals attacking labourers in the district, an official said. Similar incidents took place on December 3 and 6 in Koraka and Bodaljhola areas of the district to create hurdles in the road construction projects, the official said.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
06
dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | dailypioneer/
PAPER WITH PASSION
Third degree
Tests show a third, booster dose offers
significant protection against Omicron
The hope is that as we speak, the Indian COVID task force is monitoring epidemiological research into the efficacy of Covishield and Covaxin against the new mutant, Omicron. The real-world situation -- India has proven Omicron cases -- is readily available for experiments to be conducted on blood samples. The basis for the research is a South African report that antibodies in fully vaccinated people are not enough to prevent Omicron infection. Foreign scientists say that is no cause for panic. Their confidence stems from Pfizer and BioNTech tests that show that a third, booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine offers significant protection against Omicron. These companies say people with three doses showed significantly higher antibodies to fight Omicron than those with two doses. It can be argued that these tests may be limited in scope because they examined only 39
samples to get faster results. They have not released any of their test data either. However, the indications are on the right track that a third dose is needed to tackle Omicron. That brings us to the question: Where is India on the third dose? The country's vaccination programme has picked up speed after the festive season and nearly 60 crore doses still need to be administered to vaccinate the entire adult population. At least one-third of the fully vaccinated population may be ready for a third dose, given that they may have got their second dose over six months ago. As every day passes, the number of claimants for the third dose increases. This means the Government is already on notice to not only start reserving the required number of third doses but also take a decision on agreeing to a booster dose. That is not all. South Africa is reporting the growing prevalence of the virus -- not necessarily Omicron -- among children. Adolescents, admitted to hospitals for other reasons, are testing positive for COVID-19. That suggests an increased community transmission. In India, Gujarat has reported a couple of adolescents testing positive for Omicron. They could be isolated cases, but the truth is that a sizeable section of Indian children may have been exposed to the virus in the first two phases of the pandemic and Omicron is no exception. There is also no idea when the Government allows vaccination for them. The other section of Indians beginning to demand a booster dose is the frontline health workers who are geared up for a fresh wave. It is over 10 months since they were fully vaccinated and their current immunity levels may not be able to protect them from post-Delta mutants. They have to handle Omicron cases in five States and rightly feel threatened. The COVID task force should also focus on encouraging Indian vaccine companies to explore the viability of a vaccine that can tackle Omicron and future mutants. Pfizer and Moderna are currently in a race for such a vaccine that they claim can be produced in 95 days.
PICTALK
Contradictions in the
Congress' cupboard PRAFULL GORADIA
The party has repeatedly proved that governance is more important to it
than ideology as it indulged in the politics of convenience for decades
Salman Khurshid has done much-needed service to the Congress by triggering an ideological debate in the party. Until now, the popular impression was that the party was a platform on which politicians met in the pursuit of power. Ideas or ideologies were merely the responses to the challenges of the hour. When MK Gandhi felt that if Hindus and Muslims united, they could squeeze out the British by the early 1920s, he became president of the Khilafat Committee. This movement was to coerce the British to somehow retain the Sultan on the throne of Turkey. If they succeeded, he would also continue to remain the Caliph of all Sunni Islam. MA Jinnah stayed away from these gymnastics because he knew that the final call would be taken by Kamal Pasha, who was later called Atat?rk, and not by the British Government.
When Gandhi saw that the Turkish ice was not melting, in 1921 he gave a call for noncooperation with the British Indian Government. This involved nonviolence which did not excite the Muslim saliva and they resorted to rioting; Malabar was a horrific holocaust of murder, rape and loot by the Moplas. When upbraided by Annie Besant, a past president of the Congress, Gandhi replied that the Mopla was obeying the rules of his religion. When the violent mood spread to Kohat in Baluchistan, Gandhi exhorted the Hindus to display their courage by allowing the rioters to kill them. He withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement because a police station was set on fire at Chauri Chaura in UP. It was easier to retreat than to go forward. In 1948, when KM Munshi came to Mani Bhawan in Bombay to seek Gandhi's blessings before any military action was ordered, the great man was silent on the subject of the action. Otherwise, his blessings were with Munshi.
In 1947, Nehru told General Lockhart, the interim C-in-C of the Indian Army, to wind down the force because we are a nation of peace and police were adequate to protect India. Yet in 1948, we lifted tanks to the Kashmir Valley. In
1961, our troops were proud to conquer Goa, Daman and Diu, the Portuguese colony inside Indian territory. At Avadi in 1955, we swore by following a socialistic pattern of society while Nehru continued to reside in the British C-in-C's palatial bungalow at Teen Murti.
Indira Gandhi, at one stage, asked which country is free from corruption. She was generally right and stood absolved. She talked socialism and practised the ideology as she understood it; she nationalised the coal industry as well as 19 bigger banks and general insurance. No one explained to her that this was the adoption of State capitalism. Where was the society or the public in all this? Certainly nationalised assets gave the Government power and patronage but the people generally remained poor. Gandhi and nonviolence were overlooked so that we could march into East Bengal in 1971. It was a military victory but, at the same time, we removed a millstone from around Islamabad's neck. We cannot deny that for the Congress, it was a military victory that ensured a landslide in the 1972 general election
IDEOLOGY HELPS IN BINDING THE
PARTY MEMBERS TOGETHER
WHEREAS POWER CAN AT BEST KEEP
THE MINISTERS TOGETHER. THAT
IS ONE OF THE MAIN TROUBLE SPOTS FOR THE CONGRESS TODAY
on the slogan "Garibi Hatao". The Nehruvian socialism
endured for long until PV Narasimha Rao had to overturn it overnight upon coming to power in 1991. He had won the election on a socialist manifesto and governed with a capitalist goal. No one raised a question on the contradiction; ours is a considerate electorate. When the vigour provided by Rao's liberalisation got exhausted, Indira Gandhi's grandson declared that the Congress was a Muslim party. Secularism was rubbed off the Congress blackboard with the ease of a soft duster.
Of all leaders, a BJP heavyweight once asserted at Bangaru Laxman's abhishek in Nagpur that governance is more important than ideology. Yes, this is partly true; because Rao would have been chain bound to not liberalise in 1991 and India would have been in big economic trouble. On the other hand, ideology helps bind the party members together; whereas power can at best keep the Ministers together. That is one of the main trouble spots for the Congress today. This party depended on their top leader to hold them togeth-
er; first MK Gandhi, then Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv, even Sonia Gandhi. Once the leader is deficient in charisma, the problem begins. It is not that the younger leaders are very weak but they are up against a phenomenal giant and his party. This hasn't happened ever before. The Communist parties had the benefit of ideology but it was a philosophy which had been washed away by history and its Soviet leadership was blissfully unaware.
Even Karl Marx was not aware of the lacuna in his theory. He was so obsessed with distribution that he overlooked the importance of production. He wanted the bourgeoisie out because of its wealth. But what about its managerial function; the party apparatchik is no replacement nor, for that matter, the union leader. Being a theoretician, he could overlook this but what was his friend and partner Friedrich Engels doing? Why didn't Marx check it with him?
(The writer is a well-
known columnist, an author
and a former member of the
Rajya Sabha. The views
expressed are personal.)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
SOUNDBITE
Sand artist Ajay Rawat pays tribute to CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, in Pushkar desert
PTI
Winter harvest
The farmers have suspended their year-long
protest and let's hope the matter ends here
After forcing the Union Government's hand to repeal the three contentious farm laws and eliciting from it a written assurance on a host of pertinent issues, farmers from a number of States -- who had been agitating on different borders of Delhi since November 26 last year -- have promised to vacate the protest sites in the morning of Saturday, December 11. Though they started pulling down their makeshift tents on Thursday afternoon after much rejoicing, the initial euphoria soon subsided and the farmer leaders clarified that the agitation was only being "suspended" as of now. A leader, Gurnam Singh Charuni, said that the umbrella
organisation of various farmer outfits (the Samyukt Kisan Morcha) would hold a review meeting on January 15 and if the Government didn't move ahead on its assurances by then, they could resume the stir. They reached the decision after receiving a letter from the Union Government with promises of forming a committee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee and withdrawing cases (involving both stubble burning and of clashes against the police in a handful of northern States) against them immediately.
The Centre also agreed to pay compensation to those who lost their lives during the protest, pointing out that Uttar Pradesh and Haryana had given in-principle consent to the demand while Punjab has already announced it. Thousands of farmers had camped at the borders of Delhi, with dozens dying from the scorching heat, a bitter winter and even the deadly second wave of COVID. The protest, which presented one of the biggest challenges to the Modi-led Government at the Centre, effectively ends just in the nick of time to offer some reprieve to the BJP at the hustings ahead of the Assembly elections in five States, including the politically significant Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa, in the first quarter of 2022. In fact, there are voices mocking the Government that it surrendered its case after year-long posturing only because it didn't want to antagonise the strong farmers' lobby. Be that as it may, the matter hasn't yet cooled down completely and mischievous embers among the political and farming classes could still try to flare up trouble for the ruling party at the eleventh hour. Both the farmer leaders and the Government need to be on the lookout for such elements and nip their antics in the bud.
HAPPY ENDING TO THE FARM PROTEST
Sir -- It can be categorically stated (and is plain to see) that the realisation that continuance of the farmers' protests would be disastrous for the BJP in political terms persuaded the Modi Government to accede to the demands of the protesting farmers and paved the way for farmers to call off their year-long agitation. The sheer scale and strength of the protests made the Modi Government flexible enough to reach a settlement mostly on the farmers' terms. The groundswell of public opinion that the Modi Government was openly hostile to the farmers and the imminence of the Assembly elections have left it with no choice but to retreat from its earlier position.
The farmers can heave a huge sigh of relief that they have succeeded in warding off the threat to their livelihoods and lands in the form of the much-vaunted farm laws by using their right to protest and forcing the Government to repeal them. Unity among farmers and their assertion of their identity as farmers and their refusal to be divided on religious and caste lines brought them victory against all odds. Sadly, the Government exacted a very high price of martyrdom of over 700 farmers before it repealed the three farm laws and agreed to set up a panel to decide on the demand for the legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP), withdraw cases against farmers and not to introduce the Electricity (Amendment) Bill without consulting all stakeholders.
G David Milton | Maruthancode
NEED TO BE VOCAL ABOUT OUR RIGHTS
Sir -- The purpose of Human Rights Day is to make people aware of their basic rights. Human rights call for better education, employment, healthcare and other basic needs. It voices the need to end the issues of inequality, exclusion and discrimination. Those who violate human rights should be punished according to the Constitution of India.
December 10, is observed as the Human Rights Day across the world and the theme for this year is `Equality ?
The nation will miss you, General
The untimely demise of India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu has sent shock waves across the nation. He held the Indian flag high and never compromised on cross border strikes and gave a fitting reply to enemy incursions. He took strategic leadership to new heights and India's military ties with other countries flourished during his regime. As CDS, he drew plans for mod-
ernisation of India's defence sector. The nation will never forget the invaluable service rendered by the General.
Hailing from Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, General Rawat has been a true son of the soil and made not just his hometown but the entire country proud. General Rawat was entrusted with the onerous task of creating a `joint theatre command' in which the Army, Navy and the Air Force would operate in synergy with the aim of proving greater combat capabilities. He was involved in counter insurgency operations in both J&K and North-east as well as the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh during India's 1987 clash with China. His tenure as the army chief will also be remembered for his muscular policy against Pakistan and the Doklam standoff against China in 2017. General Rawat was a true Indian and a true soldier. He served his country until the last breath and left an unmatched legacy behind. The nation will sorely miss him.
Vijay Singh Adhikari | Nainital
Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights'. On this occasion, through different programs, youth is made aware of intimidation, apartheid and taking better steps towards climate. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the level of inequality and poverty is increasing on a large scale. In such a situation, it is very important to restore the basic rights of those who have suffered. We have to voice our support to the needy in order to deal with these challenges and ensure that there is no inequality in society. For this, everyone, from individuals to the Government, should work together to make the world a better place to live.
Vishal Patidar | Ujjain
JOINT FAMILIES IMPART THE RIGHT VALUES
Sir -- The most important characteristic of joint families is that they are large in size as they consist of members of upto three to four generations. It includes parents, grandparents, children, grandchil-
dren and other close blood relatives. Several nuclear families live together as one and constitute a joint family. We must cherish the role played by the joint family system in nurturing and preserving our cultural and social values.
Family, in Indian society, is an institution by itself and a typical symbol of the collectivist culture of India right from the ancient times. The joint family system or an extended family has been an important feature of Indian culture, till a blend of urbanisation and western influence began to affect our home and hearth. This is especially true of urban areas, where nuclear families have become the order of the day. There is no denying the fact that socio-economic factors have played their role in the joint family system getting diluted.
MR Jayanthi | Mumbai
Send your feedback to: letterstopioneer@
We trained together at the NDA. In the loss of Brig LS Lidder, India has lost one of its brightest and bravest officers.
Former Union Minister --Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
General Bipin Rawat was a true leader and friend of Israel. Much strength to the people of India at this difficult time.
Israeli Prime Minister --Naftali Bennett
I have grown up watching Ajay Devgn's movies. So when I worked with him, it was like working with a guru.
Actor --Jr NTR
France will not join the diplomatic boycott by other western countries of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.
French Sports Minister --Jean-Michel Blanquer
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has decided not to celebrate her birthday on December 9 because of the untimely demise of Gen Bipin Rawat.
Congress leader --KC Venugopal
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
07
dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | dailypioneer/
FIRSTCOLUMN The dam safety law
INDIA, RUSSIA BUILD
will seal the cracks ON OLD FRIENDSHIPS
The private sector companies of both countries
DEVENDER SINGH ASWAL
need to take their relationship to the next level
The Act provides for maintaining standards of dam safety and to evolve dam
safety policies and recommends measures against safety provision violators
KUMARDEEP BANERJEE
Ashow case event marked India's foreign policy space this week. It was the visit of Russian president Vladimir Putin along with his defence and foreign affairs minister to hold the 21st India Russia summit. The summit could not be held in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions but was revived this year as India and Russia celebrate "5 decades of 1971 treaty of peace". This treaty initiated a multi front strategic partnership course between India and Russia and also marked a shift in India's position vis-a-vis the cold war and led to many regional relationship-rejigs. Russia's friendship is a key pivot for India in the evolving geopolitical situation. Russia shares a robust trade relationship with China, although many would argue that it is heavily skewed in China's favor.China in turn is almost a `provider' government for Pakistan, and India and China haven't had a civil relationship for some years now, escalated by
border conflicts in Ladakh. The US, another of India's strategic allies with a huge focus on the Indo Pacific region (due to increased China aggression), pulled out of Afghanistan this year, adding to the volatile geopolitics emerging in the region. The joint statement from the IndiaRussia summit highlighted their concurrence on the situation in Afghanistan. India has been dialing up on the Russian connect since the beginning of 2021 to mitigate the risks emerging out of Afghanistan. India's special `privileged status' with Russia needs to be exploited to the hilt to reduce the accelerated progress of China in Afghanistan. China has an aggressive colonization approach towards smaller or fragile countries in the central Asian region and views India as its challenger to regional dominance. India shares borders with Pakistan and China both of whom work as a team to keep India engaged in conflicts along its borders. To add to it is the presence of highly trained and armed Taliban fighters who can be used by any of the parties for spreading terrorism in India.
It is on Afghanistan that Russia and India may need to focus more. The summit statement talked of the roadmap for bilateral consultation and cooperation on Afghanistan and one has to wait for further outcomes. It may be recalled that a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan among the NSAs of key countries in the region was hosted by New Delhi a month back, but China and Pakistan had not participated. The push should be to bring other invested countries in the region such as Iran to share a common platform with India and Russia on Afghanistan. Russia has huge treasure troves of information about Afghanistan including insights into its tough and rugged topography and maps. This institutional knowledge from a power like Russia has to be appropriately channeled by strategic allies such as India to arrest the march of China in the region. Another key aspect of Indo-Russian partnership is economics which despite the defence deals and cooperation in energy sector has remained lukewarm on trade in goods and services front. The 21st summit in Delhi targeted $30 bn trade and $50 bn in investment in the next four years. It leaves a lot of room for growth. India and Russia have so far limited their economic ties to public sector companies except in the case of Rosneft that bought Essar oil in 2017. The private sector companies from both countries need to take this relationship to the next level.
(The writer is a policy analyst. The views expressed are personal.)
As the principal draftsman of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Water Resources on the Dam Safety Bill, 2010, it is a matter of immense personal satisfaction that the dam safety legislation has been eventually enacted. The Dam Safety Bill, 2021, was passed by the Rajya Sabha after extensive debate on December 2. The Lok Sabha had passed it in August 2019. Many opposition members in both Houses wanted the Bill be referred to the Standing Committee but the Government rejected the demand.
The stand of the Jal Shakti Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, was that the Bill of 2021 was based on the report of the Standing Committee on the Bill of 2010, which formed `the backbone' of the new Bill. The Dam Safety Bill, 2019 piloted by Shekhawat in the very first session of the current Lok Sabha incorporated majority of the recommendations of the Committee contained in their 7th Report (15th LS). The Dam Safety Bill, first introduced in the 15th Lok Sabha on August 30, 2010, was referred to the Committee for examination and report. The Committee undertook study visits to some Dam sites, invited public memoranda, heard domain experts, examined official witnesses, stakeholders and finally presented a comprehensive report to Parliament in August 2011.
Dams are a critical infrastructure constructed with large investment for multi-purpose uses such as irrigation, power generation, flood moderation and supply of water for drinking and industrial purposes. An unsafe dam constitutes a hazard to human life, ecology and public and private assets including crops, houses, buildings, canals and roads. Therefore, the safety of dam is a matter of great concern to the general public and becomes a national responsibility to take necessary steps to ensure their safety. The Committee found many serious flaws in the Bill. Most glaring of it all was the Bill lacked penal provision, deficient definitional clauses, omission of upstream devastation caused by a dam, structure of dam safety organisation, the damage likely to be caused by the dams including landslide or moraine located outside the national territory, etc. All these recommendations and observations have been incorporated in the new legislation and the Minister assured the Parliament that many of the observations of the members would form part of the Rules, exercising the power of delegated legislation under the Dam Safety Act.
It would be worthwhile to recall briefly the history of this much awaited legislation. The Government of India wanted a legislative framework regulating dam safety. It constituted a Committee in 1982 to review the existing practices and to evolve unified procedure for safety of dams in India. The Committee in its report in 1986 recommended a unified
INDIA CURRENTLY HAS 5,745 LARGE DAMS, OF WHICH 393 ARE OVER 100 YEARS OLD AND
MORE THAN 25 PER CENT ARE 50 YEARS OLD. THE AGING DAMS AND
DAM FAILURES CAN CAUSE COLOSSAL
DAMAGE TO LIFE AND PROPERTY
NOT ONLY DOWNSTREAM
BUT ALSO UPSTREAM IF SLUICE GATES ARE NOT OPENED
IN TIME TO PREVENT WATER
IMPOUNDING UPSTREAM AND CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGE
(The writer is former Additional Secretary, Lok Sabha and serviced the Standing Committee on Water Resources under the
Chairmanship of Dip Gogoi, 15th Lok Sabha, which examined the Dam
Safety Bill, 2010. The views expressed
are personal.)
dam safety procedure for all dams underlining the necessity legislation on dam safety.
Bihar enacted the Dam Safety Act, 2006. Kerala amended its Irrigation Act incorporating a dam safety provision. However, some States favoured a Central uniform dam safety legislation. The undivided State of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal adopted resolutions in their assemblies for an Act of Parliament. Accordingly, the Dam Safety Bill, 2010 was introduced in Lok Sabha in 2010. The Bill was referred to the parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources for examination and report. The Committee submitted its Report on the Dam Safety Bill, 2010, recommending wholesale amendments to the Bill. The Ministry of Water Resources, rechristened Water Power, withdrew the Bill and introduced a new Dam Safety Bill during the 16th Lok Sabha. But with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha, the Dam Safety Bill, 2018 lapsed. The Government introduced the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 in the very first session of the 17th Lok Sabha which has since been passed by the Rajya Sabha also.
The Dam Safety Act, 2021, inter alia, provides for (a) constitution of the National Committee on Dam Safety to discharge functions to prevent dam failure related disasters and to maintain standards of dam safety and to evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as may be required for the purpose; (b) establishment of the National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body to implement the policy,
guidelines and standards for proper surveillance, inspection and maintenance of specified dams and address unresolved points of issues between the State Dam Safety Organisation of two States, or between the State Dam Safety Organisation of a State and the owner of a dam in that State, and in certain cases, such as dams extending in two or more States or dams of one State falling under the territory of another State; (c) constitution of the State Committee on Dam Safety by the State Governments to ensure proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in that State and ensure their safe functioning; and (d) establishment of the State Dam Safety Organisation in States having specified dams which will be manned by officers with adequate experience in the field of safety of dams.
The Act makes it mandatory for every owner of a specified dam to establish operational and maintenance set up so as to ensure continued safety of such dams, to earmark sufficient and specific funds for maintenance and repairs of the dams, for undertaking pre-monsoon and post-monsoon inspections and special inspections during and after floods, earthquakes, etc., to carry out risk assessment studies at such intervals as specified by the National Committee on Dam Safety. The law casts an obligation upon the concerned State Dam Safety Organisation to keep perpetual surveillance, carry out inspections and monitor the operation and maintenance of specified dams under its jurisdiction to ensure their safety; and to classify
each dam under their jurisdiction as per the vulnerability and hazard classification in accordance with the regulations. The National Dam Safety Authority is required to table its Annual Report in Parliament and the State Dam Safety Organisation to submit its Annual Reports on safety status of dams to the concerned State Legislative and State Disaster Management Authority.
Anyone refusing to comply with the directions issued under the Dam Safety Act will be punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine, or both. If the offence leads to the loss of lives, the imprisonment will raise to two years. Every dam owner has to provide a dam safety unit to inspect the dam before and after the monsoon session, during and after every earthquake, flood, or any other calamity or sign of distress.
India currently has 5,745 large dams, of which 393 are over 100 years old and more than 25 percent dams are 50 years old. Aging dams and dam failures can cause colossal damage to life and property not only downstream but also upstream if sluice gates are not opened timely to prevent water impounding upstream and consequential damage. A dam may be constructed in a particular location of a State but it has consequences and safety implications for the upstream and downstream States, apart from environmental hazards. In exercise of its legislative power under Article 246 read with Entry 56 and Entry 97 of the Constitution and the dire long felt need for dam safety, Parliament has filled a long felt void by enacting the Dam Safety legislation.
POINTCOUNTERPOINT
THE ENTIRE UP KNOWS THAT LAAL TOPI WAALE HAVE ONLY BEEN INTERESTED IN RED BEACONS
AND NOT THE PROBLEMS OF PEOPLE. --PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI
THE USE OF THIS KIND OF LANGUAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER IS WRONG. HE HIMSELF WEARS A KAALI TOPI (BLACK CAP) AND SO DOES HIS PARTY. --AAP LEADER SANJAY SINGH
GDP euphoric; agriculture alone can sustain India
The country has to go beyond farm Bills. Farming itself needs sustenance for overall growth and cutting down the Government's expenses
India's GDP is rising, large corporates are aiding the recovery and popular decisions are helping the people have an ease of living. However, consumer spending and the Omicron variant remain concerns.
The GDP growth of 8.4 percent in the September quarter is higher than RBI monetary policy projection of 8.1 percent. Agriculture has sustained the growth during the most critical pandemic period.
Some of the decisions that cheered the masses were bringing down the price of railway platform tickets to `10 from `50, cut in petrol prices, bid to bring down edible oil prices and repeal of the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act. Populism, politics and economic courses seem
SHIVAJI SARKAR
(The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal.)
extremely intertwined. The actions demonstrate
that popular concerns and real informal economy decide the final outcome.
Simultaneously, the employment figures show increase in construction and food product manufacturing.
However, the fast-paced road construction has pushed the NHAI into a whopping debt of `3.38 lakh crore, up from `1.22 lakh crore in March 2018 and `2.49 lakh crore a year back.
The PMO has called upon the finance ministry to work out a rescue plan. Such high debt impacts banks and question the sustainability of such a road construction spree. It also reveals that of late most private companies collecting tolls are suffering losses.
Tolls are increasing costs and prices. In short, it is becoming inflationary. Some states have started building roads parallel to the toll roads. It has drawn the ire of the NHAI.
The roads are being built to serve the increasing population pressure. But the projections made may require fast review. Expensive roads are impacting travel, transportation and freight costs making life dearer.
Its sustainability depends on the rise in the existing pop-
ulation. This has now become doubtful in light of falling fertility rates to below the replacement level and the recent NITI Ayog study on high poverty across the country. This indicates that the nation has to shift its stress from fast to sustainable development.
So, India is at a crossroads. It is witnessing a peculiar mix of economics driven by everchanging politics. The free food dole for 80 crore people that was decided to be scrapped from November 30, is now extended till March 31
The corporate results tell us about the nature of economic recovery. It indicates that the recovery is driven by large firms. Not all companies have had the fortune of a Vshaped recovery. Companies with a revenue of `100 crore
have actually seen a fall in their September revenues compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019. The fall in sales of smaller companies that started before pandemic is yet to come back to normal.
The data reveal that 1295 of the 1369 manufacturing firms in inflation adjusted raw material expenses are showing negative 13 percent growth.
For all these changes, fiscal policy support would remain indispensable for growth. It means with consumer demand lagging, private companies lack the incentive to invest. Unless that situation is restored, the government would have to resort to unsustainable debt leading to high costs, inflation and concomitant problems.
The central government's
capital expenditure between April and October stood at `2.53 trillion, which is higher than in 2020-21 - `1.97 trillion. Most of these expenses are in public administration, defence and other services even as output of employment intensive non-farm sectors such as construction, trade, hotels, transport, communication and broadcasting lags below prepandemic level.
Agriculture still lacks attention but has been an important cushion in softening the pandemic's blow to the economy. It escaped contraction in 2020-21. Agriculture alone has contributed 4.5 perent of the total growth. Despite that nominal growth, and agricultural activities came down from 11.1 percent in the June quarter to 7.9 percent in the
September quarter. Overall agricultural
income remains low. This, with the rising fertiliser shortages, will have the twin effects of rise in cultivation cost and drop in yield.
The country has to go beyond the farm bills. Farming itself needs sustenance for overall growth and reduction on government's expenses. It has to change focus from the construction-oriented expensive and questionable development model. If the farm sector is developed all other sectors would also prosper.
Let India change its paradigm and chart out a course for long-term low-cost expansive development model. Yes, agriculture has to be the pivot for the development process.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2021
Money 08
Asian Development Bank
okays Rs 2,645-cr loan
PNS n NEW DELHI
Asian Development Bank on Thursday said it has approved a Rs 2,644.85 crore (USD 350 million) loan for India to help improve its urban services.
The loan supports the policies established by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to accelerate universal coverage of piped water supply and improved sanitation, Asian Development Bank said in a release.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 350 million policy-based loan to improve urban services in India, the release said.
This is part of the recently launched national programme Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 and to provide affordable housing to all, including poor, urban migrant and industrial workers, under the flagship mission Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, ADB said.
The programme will benefit the urban poor, including other disadvantaged, economically weaker sections and lowincome groups.
"This loan supports the government's agenda in transforming cities into economically vibrant and sustainable com-
munities, continuing ADB's long-term engagement with India to improve basic urban services delivery in various states," ADB Principal Urban Development Specialist for South Asia Sanjay Joshi stated.
Efforts to improve urban water supply, sanitation and
affordable housing, and performance-based fiscal transfer will help the country accelerate reforms in urban service delivery and COVID-19 recovery initiatives, he added.
ADB said India's current estimated urban population of 460 million (46 crore) is the second-largest in the world and is projected to reach nearly 600 million (60 crore) by 2030, growing at an annual rate of over 2 per cent.
As urban areas will continue to contribute over 60 per cent of gross domestic product, cities will become a strong engine of growth for India -generating economic activity and outputs, creating jobs for a significant volume of workers, improving competitiveness and urban livability, and protecting the environment.
ADB will provide knowledge and advisory support to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in programme implementation, including monitoring and evaluation.
PLI scheme in food processing: Parle makes it
PNS n NEW DELHI
Biscuits major Parle Products expects 20-25 per cent growth in exports on the back of the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme in the food processing sector, for which it has received approval, according to a senior company official.M The company, which exports its products to over 100 countries globally, feels that the PLI scheme will help it in becoming cost competitive, besides increasing competitiveness abroad with offerings of quality products. "This (PLI scheme) is going to help us a lot in terms of improving our presence in the global market and increasing our share... We expect that this will definitely help us in terms of high double-digit growth in our exports," Parle Products Senior Category Head Mayank Shah told PTI. Elaborating further he said, "we are expecting at least 20-25 per cent growth coming in from exports as a result of this initiative primarily because it will not only help us in terms of improving our offering, but also help us in terms of being cost competitive."
`Allowing cryptocurrency may erode central bank's control'
PNS n KOLKATA
Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has said the central bank could lose control over money supply and inflation management if cryptocurrency is allowed in the country.
Speaking at a webinar organised by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and New York University (NYU) Stern School of Business, Rao also said India's case for issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) may not be strong as there are capital controls.
"Crypto is backed by algorithms and there is fear that the central bank might lose control over money supply and inflation management. There are also concerns that crypto will disrupt the monetary policy," he said on Wednesday.
"Crypto can jump capital controls; fiat money is linked to the reserve currency," he added.
Rao, who served as the governor of RBI from 2008 to 2013, said CBDC also needs robust data protection laws.
According to him, cash is on
its way out in India and digital payments are becoming popular. However, Rao said owing to the pandemic, currency circulation has increased as people held on to cash due to lockdowns. "The central bank's role as last-resort lender should not be hampered."
JK Files & Engineering files Rs 800-cr IPO papers
MONEY MATTERS
Inter-ministerial panel reviews
PNS n NEW DELHI
Baleno crosses cumulative sales milestone of 10 lakh
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday said its premium hatchback Baleno has crossed the cumulative sales milestone of 10 lakh units.Launched in October 2015 and sold through the company's premium retail chain NEXA, the model had crossed the 5 lakh units cumulative sales in November 2018 and touched the 10 lakh units milestone in November this year, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) said in a statement. MSIL Senior Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastava said since its launch, Baleno has enjoyed leadership in the premium hatchback segment and commands a market share of over 25 per cent.
Karur Vysya Bank to cut base rate, benchmark prime lending
Private sector lender Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) on Thursday said it will slash its base rate and benchmark prime lending rate to 7.75 per cent and 12.75 per cent, respectively, with effect from December 15, 2021.The lender will cut its base rate by 0.25 per cent to 7.75 per cent. It will also revise downwards the benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) by a similar margin to 12.75 per cent."We advise that the base rate and BPLR of the bank would be revised with effect from December 15, 2021," KVB said in a regulatory filing. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Reserve Bank kept its key repo rate -- at which it lends money to banks - unchanged at 4 per cent for the 9th straight time, to support growth keeping in mind the concerns over the new variant of the coronavirus.
strategy to buy lithium mines
PNS n NEW DELHI
An inter-ministerial meeting, chaired by power minister R K Singh, discussed the PLI scheme on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage, and also reviewed the strategy for acquiring lithium mines abroad.
According to a statement, officials from Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Heavy industries, Ministry of External Affairs, Niti Aayog and senior officials from Power Ministry were present in the meeting.
The minister took an update on status of bids on production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme by Ministry of Heavy Industries and directed to
expedite the PLI bid processes, it stated.
He further discussed the availability of lithium reserves in the world. He reviewed the probable locations where India can explore lithium mines.
"The process and mechanism acquiring mines varies in different countries and we need to prepare accordingly", he added.
The minister brought attention that India is a huge country in terms of energy requirements and hence our requirement for battery storage is also huge, and is estimated as 120 GWh by 2030, to support our 500 GW renewable capacity addition.
He further discussed future prospects and long term planning in view of our RE (renewable energy) targets.
India has a target of having 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 which would be further scaled up to 500 GW by 2030.
India's solar capacity addition jumps over three-fold to 7.4 GW
PNS n NEW DELHI
The solar energy generation capacity addition rose 335 per cent to 7.4 GW in the January-September period this year from 1.73 GW a year ago, said Mercom India Research.
"In the first nine months of 2021 (9M 2021), India added over 7.4 gigawatts (GW) of solar, a 335 per cent increase YoY (year-on-year) compared to the 1.73 GW installed in the same period in 2020," according to Mercom India Research's newly released Q3 2021 India Solar Market Update.
According to the update, India added 2,835 megawatts (MW) of solar in the third quarter (Q3 July-September) of the calendar year (CY) 2021, up 14 per cent compared to 2,488 MW installed in Q2 2021 (April-June). Yearover-year (YoY) installations in Q3 surged 547 per cent.
Installations grew despite market challenges, according to the report.
Increased raw materials costs, severe volatility in module availability and price, curtailment of power in several states, and high freight charges have added to the difficulties for the developers, it stated.
JK Files & Engineering Ltd, a company that is in the business of auto parts, has filed preliminary documents with markets regulator Sebi to raise Rs 800 crore through an initial public offering (IPO).
The public issue is entirely an offer of sale (OFS) of equity shares to the tune of Rs 800 crore by promoter Raymond Ltd, according to the draft red herring prospectus filed on Wednesday. At present, Raymond, the country's leading player in suiting and shirting, holds 100 per cent stake in the company. Since the public issue is completely an OFS, the company will not receive any funds raised from the IPO.
The company is engaged in the manufacturing of precision engineered components for tools and hardware (files and drills) and marketing of hand tools.
Telecom industry seeks spectrum at reasonable Razorpay eyes US $
prices, rationalisation of taxes: VIL CEO
90 bn TPV by 2022
PNS n NEW DELHI
To become sustainable in the long run, the telecom industry is seeking adequate spectrums at reasonable prices with easy payment norms, rationalisation of taxes and levies and reduction in burden on the companies due to old litigations, a top official of Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) said on Thursday.
VIL Managing Director and CEO Ravinder Takkar while speaking at India Mobile Congress said recent reforms announced by the government are steps towards addressing financial stress and legacy issues in the sector.
" Looking at the decade ahead, there is a need to make industry sustainable in the long run...towards this future a few more steps taken more quickly will achieve this goal. Industry players are talking about first making adequate spectrum available at reasonable prices at easy payment terms. Second, rationalizing taxes and levies in line with the recommendation of NDCP
2018 and third, reducing the heavy burden of old legacy litigation in the sector," Takkar said.
He said once these issues are resolved, the industry will look at improving average revenue per user (ARPU) from "abysmally low levels".
Last month, all private telecom companies increased their mobile calls and services rates by 18-25 per cent but a couple of telecom players want it to go up further to take ARPU above
Rs 300 per month. Reliance Jio's ARPU in the
second quarter ended September 30, 2021 was Rs 143.6 while that of Bharti Airtel and VIL in the same quarter was Rs 153 and Rs 109, respectively.
Bharti Enterprises vice chairman Akhil Gupta echoed similar views on spectrum prices.
"I do hope we will settle for reserve prices which are very nominal but with very strin-
gent rollout obligations, which will enable operators to invest more in networks and little less on spectrum," Gupta said.
He said spectrum will be allocated through auction and the prices will go up in case of high demand.
Gupta said some of the state governments are still not aligned with central government policy on rolling out telecom networks.
"I think there is an urgent need to get this alignment. Come out with a very sound clear policy on right of way which should cover not only telecom towers, fibers but also now street furniture which will become extremely important for 5G rollouts," Gupta said. Nokia senior vice president and head of India Market Sanjay Malik said more mobile towers need to be connected through optical fiber cables (OFCs) to deliver 5G standard services in India.
Industry estimates that only 30-33 per cent of total mobile base stations in the country are connected with OFC.
PNS n NEW DELHI
Fintech major Razorpay on Thursday said it has seen strong growth in the number of payments processed on its platform, and it expects its total payment volume (TPV) to touch USD 90 billion by end of next year.
The unicorn, which is backed by investors like Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital India and Mastercard, has announced the launch of three new products that are aimed at simplifying payment management processes for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
"Today, we are the fastest growing fintech market in the world. Fintech in India has crossed China and has become the second largest fintech economy after the US with the highest adoption rate globally...India is leading the pack in the APAC having registered around 25 million transactions in 2020, followed by China and South Korea," Razorpay CEO and cofounder Harshil Mathur said.
Speaking at the fourth edi-
tion of its flagship FTX event, Mathur said over the last couple of years, Indian fintech companies have displayed immense potential by leveraging new technologies to simply and accelerate requirements of businesses and consumers.
"We have helped increase outreach, improve customer experience, reduce operational friction and foster adoption of digital payments," he added.
Mathur highlighted that Razorpay has registered over 300 per cent growth for the second consecutive year and has achieved a USD 60 billion TPV as of early December 2021 - 20 per cent more than its goal of USD 50 billion TPV that was announced in December last year.
"We plan to achieve USD 90 billion TPV by the end of 2022. This growth is a testament to the significant digital adoption by small businesses in the last 2 years.
I believe that there is really no growth for us unless there is growth for our customers first," he noted.
2022 to be a challenging year for tea industry
PNS n KOLKATA
The year 2022 will be a challenging year for the Indian tea industry as the cost of production is higher than price realisation at the auctions, according to a report prepared jointly by Assocham and ICRA.
The report said that FY2021 proved to be one of the best years of the Indian tea industry in recent times for the bulk tea industry, but sustainability remains a crucial issue.
It said that while labour costs increased, production volumes have risen but per capita domestic consumption remains almost stagnant.
Data Patterns IPO to open on December14
PNS n NEW DELHI
Data Patterns (India) Ltd, which supplies electronic systems to defence and aerospace sector, on Thursday said it has fixed a price band of Rs 555585 a share for its Rs 588 crore initial public offering.
The initial share-sale will open for public subscription from December 14-16. The bidding for anchor investors will open on December 13, according to the company.
The public issue comprises a fresh issue of shares worth Rs 240 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of 59.52 lakh equity shares by promoters and individual selling shareholders.
The OFS includes sale of up to 19.67 lakh shares each by Srnivasagopalan Rangarajan and Rekha Murthy Rangarajan, up to 75,000 by Sudhir Nathan,
up to 4.15 lakh equity shares by G.K. Vasundhara and up to 15.28 lakh equity shares by other existing shareholders.
The initial public offering (IPO) is expected to fetch Rs 588.22 crore at the upper end of the price band.
The company intends to utilise net proceeds from the fresh issue for repayment of debt, funding its working cap-
ital and upgradation and expansion of its existing facilities besides general corporate purposes.
Half of the issue size has been reserved for qualified institutional investors, 35 per cent for retail investors, and the remaining 15 per cent for noninstitutional investors.
Investors can bid for a minimum of 25 equity shares and
in multiples of 25 thereafter.
Data Patterns is backed by
former Blackstone head
Matthew Cyriac via Florintree
Capital Partners LLP which
holds 12.8 per cent stake in the
company.
Founded
by
Srinivasagopalan Rangarajan
and Rekha Murthy Rangarajan,
Data Patterns is a vertically
integrated defence and aero-
space electronics solutions
provider that caters to require-
ments across space, air, land
and the sea.
Its core competencies
include design and develop-
ment across electronic hard-
ware, software, firmware,
mechanical, product proto-
type besides its testing, valida-
tion and verification.
Its involvement has been
found across radars, underwa-
ter electronics/communica-
tion, electronic warfare suites, avionics, small satellites, automated test equipment, and programmes catering to Tejas light combat aircraft, light utility helicopter, BrahMos and other communication and electronic intelligence systems.
It had developed the first nano satellite "NiUSAT" which was deployed in 2017. In addition, two more satellites are in progress, the draft papers noted. Data Patterns works closely with the defence PSUs such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd as well as government organisations involved in defence and space research like DRDO.
The company's order book has grown at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 40.72 per cent over the last four years and as of July 2021 stood at Rs 582.30 crore.
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- the ultimate guide to a
- facility outbreak bulletin vch
- the aga khan university sample test paper 2021
- covid 19 new york city deaths pass 1000 as trump tells
- basic english grammar for esl students
- overview of smoke forecast map wa
- understanding permanent magnet motor operation and
- krmb to decide about allocation of water for rabi
- 2021 match schedule uefa
- study guide for
Related searches
- cycle of water for kids
- lessons about water for kindergarten
- how to decide what college to attend
- how to decide on a major
- personality test to decide major
- songs about water for preschoolers
- how to decide on something
- songs about water for kids
- benefits of water for kids
- test to decide what to major in
- all about water for kids
- bodies of water for kids