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Paying back Pakistan in the
same coin, the Indian Army
on Friday reportedly killed at
least 7-8 Pakistan soldiers in
strong retaliatory firing after
four Indian soldiers, one BSF
jawan and four civilians were
killed and seven others received
grievous injuries in heavy
shelling by Pakistan across dif-
ferent sectors.
The report said that sever-
al Pakistan Army structures,
including its ammunition and
fuel dumps, were destroyed
along the Line of Control (LoC)
in Uri and Keran sectors of
North Kashmir’s Kupwara and
Baramulla districts.
Radio intercepts tracked by
the Indian Army across the
LoC confirmed reports of
heavy damages suffered by the
Pakistan Army. Official sources
revealed, two to three Special
Service Group commandos of
the Pakistan Army were also
killed in India’s counter attack.
On the Indian side, five
Indian soldiers, including a
BSF officer, attained martyr-
dom while four civilians were
killed and seven others received
injuries.
To prevent the Pakistan
Army from aiding a heavily
armed group of infiltrators
sneak into the Indian territory,
some of the launching pads in
the area were destroyed.
Compared to previous year
high of 3,233 ceasefire viola-
tions, the Pakistan Army has so
far committed 4,052 ceasefire
violations this year. Out of
these 128 violations were
reported in November and 394
in October 2020.
Col Rajesh Kalia, a
Srinagar-based Defence
Spokesman in a written state-
ment said, “Pakistan used mor-
tars and other weapons and
deliberately targeted civilian
areas across multiple sectors of
Uri and Keran in North
Kashmir. The Indian Army
retaliated strongly, causing
casualties and substantial dam-
age to Pakistan Army’s infra-
structure across the LoC.
Several ammunition dumps,
FOL dumps and multiple
launch pads have been dam-
aged.”
According to reports,
Pakistan initiated unprovoked
ceasefire violations along the
LoC spread across multiple
sectors to include Dawar,
Keran, Uri and Naugam. “Four
Indian Army soldiers were
killed in action and three sol-
diers injured,” Col Kalia said,
adding the nation salutes their
supreme sacrifice. A BSF sub-
inspector, hailing from
Uttarakhand, was killed in
action in Haji Peer sector.
In a separate statement,
BSF spokesman said, “SI
Rakesh Doval, 39, deployed at
the force’s artillery battery at the
LoC in Baramulla was killed in
action after he sustained head
injury in the firing around
1315 hours”.
Constable Vasu Raja sus-
tained splinter injuries on his
arms and cheeks. He was
deployed at the same forward
defended location, official
sources said, adding the con-
stable is stable.
“The Sub Inspector has
made supreme sacrifice in line
of duty while facing heavy
ceasefire violation from the
enemy. The sub-officer was a
resident of Rishikesh in
Uttarakhand and joined the
border force in 2004,” a senior
officer of the force said.
The BSF works under the
operational command of the
Army at the LoC.
Following heavy mortar
shelling, several houses suffered
extensive damages on the
Indian side. Two civilians were
killed in Kamalkote sector, also
in Uri, while a woman was
killed in Balkote area in Haji
Peer sector, official sources
said.
Hospital authorities iden-
tified the slain civilians as
Farooqa Begum, wife of Bashir
Ahmad, Nadir Hussain, son of
Peer Hussain and Tahir
Jalaludin, son of Jalaludin all
from Balkote Uri.
In Jammu region, ceasefire
violation was also reported
from Sawjiyan area of Poonch
in which seven civilians includ-
ing porters received injuries.
“Around 1.45 pm, the
Pakistani Army initiated
unprovoked ceasefire violation
by firing with small arms and
shelling with mortars along
LoC in sector in Sawjian in
Poonch,” Defence Spokesman
Lt-Col Devender Anand said,
adding Indian troops retaliat-
ed in a befitting manner.
Before the tension mount-
ed in the region, Defence
spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia
had claimed that Indian Army
foiled an infiltration bid, which
was aided by the ceasefire vio-
lation, along the LoC in the
Keran sector on Friday.
“Suspicious movement was
observed by our troops at the
forward posts along the LoC in
Keran sector (in north
Kashmir’s Kupwara district)
today. The suspected infiltra-
tion bid was foiled by alert
troops,” he said.
This was the second infil-
tration attempt within a week.
The earlier unsuccessful bid in
Machil sector during the inter-
vening night of November 7- 8
was foiled in which three ter-
rorists were killed. Four Army
soldiers, including a Captain,
and a BSF jawan also lost their
lives during the operation.
?=BQ =4F34;78
The country’s largest vaccine
maker, Serum Institute of
India (SII), has ramped up
production of AstraZeneca
Covid-19 shot, aiming to have
100 million doses ready by
December for an inoculation
drive that could begin across
India.
The vaccine-maker has
already administered 1,600 vol-
unteers with doses of Oxford
University-AstraZeneca’s coro-
navirus vaccine Covishield and
kept them under observation
for next 28 days.
Adar Poonawalla, chief
executive officer of the SII
said, “If final-stage trial data
shows AstraZeneca’s candidate
gives effective protection from
the virus, the Serum Institute
of India Ltd, which is partnered
to produce at least one billion
doses, may get emergency
authorisation from New Delhi
by December.” That initial
amount will go to India,
Poonawalla told a news agency.
A full approval early next
year will allow distribution on
a 50-50 basis with the South
Asian nation and Covax, the
World Health Organization-
backed body that’s purchasing
shots for poor nations. SII,
which has tied up with five
developers, has so far made 40
million doses of AstraZeneca’s
vaccine in the past two months
and aims to start manufactur-
ing Novavax’s contender soon.
“We were a bit concerned
it was a big risk,” said
Poonawalla. But both
A s t r a Z e n e c a - O x f o r d
University and Novavax’s shots
“are looking pretty good.”
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal
Soriot has said he is preparing
for the possibility of large-
scale vaccinations as early as
December and once the UK
grants its own emergency
license, SII will submit same
data to Indian counterparts.
Drugmakers are just now
getting data that will show
how well their vaccine candi-
dates work, but there are plen-
ty of hurdles remaining as the
global race to find an effective
shot against the pathogen
reaches its final stages. Astra
and co-developer University of
Oxford still need to see testing
results. And even if their vac-
cine proves effective and gets a
nod from regulators, there are
questions over how the shot
can be distributed.
Poonawalla reiterated that
it will take until 2024 to vacci-
nate the entire world and two
years to see a real reduction in
infections, due to affordability
and manufacturing
hurdles.
BC055A4?AC4A Q ?0C=0
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on Friday said the
Covid-19 situation in the
national Capital should come
under control in 7-10 days
and that his Government is
going to take several preventive
measures in the coming days.
Kejriwal said the pollu-
tion is the biggest reason
behind the surge in the num-
ber of corona cases.
“The corona was under
control in Delhi until last week.
I want to appeal to the Supreme
Court and the Centre, and
Punjab, Haryana, UP
Governments along with all
agencies to act on resolving the
problem of pollution. There is
a very easy and cost-effective
solution available and so now
no Government can say there
is no alternative to the problem.
The report says it just costs C30
per acre, which can be given
out of a State’s own budget,” the
Delhi CM said.
Kejriwal said pollution is
the “biggest” reason behind the
spike in coronavirus cases in
the city. “Covid-19 cases have
been increasing for the last few
days. I am also concerned
about it. We have been taking
all appropriate measures to
control it. We are considering
taking more steps next week,”
he said during a Press confer-
ence.
Citing a report, Kejriwal
also said the anti-stubble solu-
tion prepared by the Indian
Agricultural Research Institute,
Pusa, decomposed 70 to 95 per
cent of crop residue in 24 vil-
lages in Delhi.
Delhi recorded 7,053 fresh
Covid-19 cases in a day, taking
the infection tally in the nation-
al capital to over 4.67 lakh on
Thursday, while 104 more fatal-
ities in a same period, the
highest in over five months,
pushed the death toll to 7,332,
authorities said.
The national Capital
recorded its highest single-day
spike of 8,593 Covid-19 cases
on Wednesday, while 85 deaths
linked to the disease were
recorded on that day.
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Ajoint meeting of the NDA
legislature party will be
here held on Sunday where
Nitish Kumar will be elected as
its leader, it was decided on
Friday.
The decision was taken at
an “informal” meeting of lead-
ers of the four NDA con-
stituents in Bihar — the JD(U),
BJP, HAM and Vikassheel
Insaan Party (VIP) at the resi-
dence of the Chief Minister.
“The meeting will start at
12:30 pm on Sunday,
November 15 where all further
decisions will be taken,” the
Chief Minister who also heads
the JD(U) told reporters later.
As decks were cleared for
the formation of a new
Government in Bihar with
Nitish Kumar as the Chief
Minister, the JD(U) chief hand-
ing over to Governor Phagu
Chauhan the resignation of
his ministry and the recom-
mendation to dissolve the State
Assembly, officials said. The
Governor accepted the resig-
nation and asked Nitish to
continue as the caretaker Chief
Minister till the new NDA
Government is sworn in.
“These formalities have to
be completed before the for-
mation of a new government.
The cabinet’s recommenda-
tions will be forwarded to the
governor whose approval will
be followed by other steps
leading to the formation of a
new government,” Nitish said
earlier.
Despite the BJP emerging
as the largest party in the rul-
ing alliance with 74 seats, 31
more than the JD(U), the top
leadership of the saffron party,
including Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, has emphati-
cally endorsed Nitish as the
next Chief Minister.
He was declared the ruling
coalition’s CM candidate much
before the election process had
started. Though Nitish did not
divulge more on what tran-
spired during the meeting at his
residence, sources said the
issues discussed included the
representation of each con-
stituent in the cabinet and
election of the Speaker.
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BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78
There is no respite for
Delhiites from poor air
quality as on Friday the nation-
al Capital recorded its air qual-
ity in the “very poor” category
and it was likely to become
“severe” on Diwali night,
according to Government
agencies.
Delhi recorded a 24-hour
average air quality index (AQI)
of 339.
It was 314 on Thursday.
The neighbouring cities of
Faridabad (319), Ghaziabad
(382), Noida (337), Greater
Noida (336) and Gurgaon
(324), which fall in the National
Capital Region (NCR), also
recorded their AQI in the “very
poor” category.
The India Meteorological
Department (IMD) said a fresh
western disturbance was like-
ly to increase the wind speed
and improve the air quality in
Delhi-NCR post-Diwali.
Light rain is likely to occur
on Sunday under the influence
of a western disturbance. It
remains to be seen if it is
enough to wash away pollu-
tants, Kuldeep Srivastava, the
head of the IMD’s regional
forecasting centre, said.
“However, Delhi-NCR’s air
quality is likely to improve
post-Diwali due to an increase
in the wind speed. On Sunday,
the maximum wind speed is
expected to be around 12 to 15
kilometres per hour,” he said.
VK Soni, the head of the
IMD’s environment research
centre, said calm winds and
firecrackers emissions may
push the air quality to the
“severe” zone on Diwali night.
Wind speed is expected to
pick up thereafter and the
wind direction will be east-
southeasterly. There will be a
significant improvement in air
quality by November 16, he
said.
The Ministry of Earth
Sciences’ air quality monitor,
SAFAR, said the PM 2.5 con-
centration in Delhi on Diwali
is likely to be the “lowest” in the
last four years if no firecrack-
ers are burnt.
It said pollution levels in
Delhi during the Diwali peri-
od are likely to remain in the
higher end of the “very poor”
category in the absence of
emissions due to
fireworks.
Stubble burning-induced
impact on AQI is expected to
increase from “negligible to
moderate” in the next two
days, said SAFAR, adding the
biomass plume transport-level
winds have become north-
westerly and predicted to con-
tinue until Saturday which is
not good.
Fire-related intrusion along
with stagnant surface winds is
acting adversely.
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Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is likely to spend
Diwali on Saturday with sol-
diers on the border. He may
visit some forward bases in
Rajasthan and Gujarat to boost
the morale of the troops.
He will be continuing with
his tradition of spending time
with soldiers on Diwali ever
since he took charge as the
Prime Minister in 2014. This
time round, Chief of Defence
Staff General Bipin Rawat and
Army Chief General MM
Naravane may also accompany
the Prime Minister, sources
said here on Friday.
Navy chief Admiral
Karambir Singh, meanwhile,
celebrated Diwali with sailors
in the strategically important
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
on Friday.
Since the stand-offs began
with China in May and situa-
tion worsened after the June 15
brawl in which 20 Indian Army
personnel were killed, the Navy
has ramped up its operational
readiness.
Its warships have stepped
up patrolling in the strategically
important Straits of Malacca
near Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. This move was obvi-
ously aimed at sending a mes-
sage to China that the Navy can
choke the Malacca Straits if
need be. More than 70 per cent
of energy supplies of China
pass through this sea lane and
it knows that India is in a very
strong position
there.
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Under the Jal Jeevan Mission
(JJM) of the Central
Government, the Dehradun
district administration has pro-
vided 1,05,156 water connec-
tions in rural areas. The district
magistrate Ashish Kumar
Srivastava said this during his
interaction with media persons
on Friday.
Srivastava said that the
target of JJM in Dehradun dis-
trict is to provide water con-
nections in 1,20,660 houses in
rural areas and so far, 1,05,156
connections have already been
provided here. Out of these
1,05,156 water connections,
92,315 connections were pro-
vided in the current financial
year, he said. He informed that
the current progress rate of the
district in JJM is 87.15 per cent
which was only 37 percent till
September 30. According to
Srivastava, the Dehradun dis-
trict is currently in the first
position in the State in pro-
viding water connections under
JJM at this progress rate.
He stated that there are 276
villages of the district which
have full working tap water
connections. Under JJM, the
DM further informed that the
administration will provide
water connections to every
household in rural areas with
the service level at the rate of
55 litres per capita per day
(LPCD).
To provide 55 LPCD water
to the households, either a
new source will be construct-
ed or the already existing water
sources will be rejuvenated
and the other ways will be used
too to regenerate water in that
area while maintaining the
quality of water, informed
Srivastava.
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?=BQ 347A03D=
The Uttarakhand Animal
Welfare Board (UAWB)
has sent a letter to Dehradun
district magistrate regarding
the complaints of activists
and locals that the resident
welfare association (RWA) of
Defence Colony Dehradun is
threatening to penalise those
who feed the stray dogs in
that area.
A few days ago, the soci-
ety in Defence Colony put up
banners stating that they will
impose a penalty on those
feeding stray dogs in that
area. Some locals have raised
questions over the authority
of the society to ban people
from feeding stray dogs and
have also complained about
the issue to the animal welfare
board.
Stating that the RWA of
Defence Colony can set the
rules to feed stray dogs but
cannot threaten people to
stop feeding them, the joint
director of UAWB, Dr A Joshi
said that such decision poten-
tially hinders the procedure
set by the government to
manage the stray dogs of a
locality.
He said that representa-
tives of animal welfare organ-
isations and community dog
feeders among others are
quite helpful when the stray
dogs are taken for sterilisation
and vaccination in animal
centres under Animal Birth
Control (Dog) Rules 2001.
Citing the examples of
High Courts of Delhi and
Punjab-Haryana, Joshi said
that these courts have
acknowledged the importance
of animal lovers who feed
them and have directed
authorities concerned to pro-
vide a place in an area and fix
a time so that people can feed
the stray animals during this
p e r i o d
only.
Besides DM, Joshi
informed that he has sent the
letter to Dehradun municipal
commissioner, chief veteri-
nary officer (CVO) and the
office of Senior
Superintendent of Police
(SSP) and has directed them
to take appropriate actions in
the matter as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the DM and
municipal commissioner stat-
ed that they had not received
the letter yet but will take
action as per the procedure
once they get the
letter.
?=BQ
347A03D=
Written
b y
Jyoti Chand,
Fire of
Extremes is
a poetry
book with
the potential
to affect the
readers. The
void of a
human heart
has been
t o u c h e d
upon in
order to
bring out the best by Chand.
Through various genres of
poetry, she has attempted to
touch upon varied aspects. It
contains not just inspirational
poetry but also contemporary
poetry. The use of short prose
makes the book stand out from
other existing books. As she
writes, “Many lives ago, a fool-
ish heart, still a foolish
heart”.
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?=BQ 270=3860A7
To encourage tourism in
the State, Haryana Chief
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
on Friday directed the officers
concerned to take strategic
initiatives to bring ancient
heritage sites like Kurukshetra,
known for the battle of
Mahabharata, Lohgarh the first
Capital of the Sikh empire to
the Civilizations that existed
even before the Harappan and
Mohenjodaro times, on the
world map.
These directions came on
the occasion of the release of
a Special Cover made by the
Department of Archaeology
and Museums in association
with the Indian Postal
Department on Rakhigarhi,
the world famous archaeolog-
ical site of the Indus Valley
Civilization.Khattar said
mythology, culture, and histo-
ry have their own importance
and any country or state can be
on the path of progress only if
its youth is aware about its his-
tory and culture. He said
Haryana has more than 100
sites with historical and
mythological prominence and
the state should work towards
preserving such sites with a
motive of promoting the
importance of ancient culture
for future generations. Besides
this, tourism will also be
encouraged at these sites.
Sharing historical anec-
dotes, the Chief Minister said
that the battle fought against
Mughals by Baba Banda Singh
Bahadur, who was the first
commander of the Sikh
Empire, has its roots in
Haryana. Moreover, Lohgarh
which was the Capital of
Yamunanagar, under Banda
Bahadur will also be developed
so as to promote tourism in
that area and a Museum along
with a Martial Arts School is
also being established there.
Sharing more details he said
that the place of origin of the
Saraswati River, Adi Badri is
also being developed majesti-
cally.
Chief Secretary, Vijai
Vardhan said that Rakhigarhi
has special importance as it is
related to a civilization older
than the Harappan and
Mohenjodaro. Divulging
details of the Rakhigarhi
Civilization he shared that the
ancient and invaluable artefacts
found during excavation of
the site suggest that the state of
Haryana must have been high-
ly developed during that era.
He added that a Museum and
a Lecture Centre are being set
up in Rakhigarhi.Principal
Secretary, Department of
Archeology and Museums,
Ashok Khemka, was also pre-
sent.
STATE GEARED UP FOR
KHELO INDIA YOUTH
GAMES, SAYS CM
Haryana Chief Minister,
Manohar Lal Khattar said that
the State is all geared up to host
‘Khelo India Youth Games -
2021’ and directed the officers
to start preparing immediate-
ly so that these Games can be
conducted successfully and
wherever there is a need to
strengthen the basic infra-
structure that should be com-
pleted on priority. He said
that Haryana has emerged as a
leading sports hub in the coun-
try as it has always remained
a force to reckon with as far as
sports and sportspersons are
concerned.
Presiding over the meeting
with the Sports and Youth
Affairs Department regarding
the ‘Khelo India Youth Games
-2021, Khattar said the state
will leave no stone unturned to
ensure proper arrangements
for organizing various sports
events. “Adequate lodging and
other facilities will also be
provided to the players coming
to participate from across the
country, he said.
Minister of State for Sports
and Youth Affairs, Sandeep
Singh was also present in the
meeting.
To ensure that the Games
are organized successfully
three committees were
approved namely Monitoring,
Core and Executive
Committee headed by Chief
Minister, Sports Minister and
Chief Secretary respectively.
Khattar said the objective of
organizing the ‘Khelo India
Youth Games -2021’ is to give
the players a better platform to
prove their
talent.
During the meeting, the
CM was apprised about the
lists of facilities required for
upgrading the sports infra-
structure for the upcoming
event. Setting up of high-level
gyms for the players at major
venues and facility of score
boards has already been done
by the department. Besides
this, proper staying arrange-
ments of the participants, geo-
mapping of sports infrastruc-
ture have also been done, he
was told.
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?=BQ 270=3860A7
The stalemate continues.
Even after the seven hours
of talks between the Centre and
the representatives of 30 farm-
ers’ organizations from Punjab
on Friday, the farmers’ protest
against the Centre’s farm laws
and other issues is expected to
continue. Also, the rail services
in Punjab continue to be affect-
ed with both sides sticking to
their ground.
The meeting, attended by
Union Agriculture Minister
Narendra Singh Tomar,
Railways Minister Piyush
Goyal, and Union Minister of
State of Commerce and
Industries Som Parkash (also
Hoshiarpur MP), started at 11
am with extensive talks held on
resolving the ongoing rail traf-
fic disruption and blockade in
Punjab but ended inconclu-
sively.
Even as the farmers’ rep-
resentatives demanded
resumption of goods trains in
Punjab while maintaining that
passenger trains would not be
allowed to pass till their
demands were met, the Centre
remained adamant on its stand
of resuming both goods and
passenger trains
services.
To discuss and decide on
the future course of action,
Punjab’s farmers’ outfits will
hold its next meeting on
November 18 (Wednesday) at
Chandigarh. At the same time,
the farmers’ organizations
declared to go ahead with the
all-India call of ‘Delhi Chalo’ on
November 26-27.
“The meeting was held in
a very cordial and positive
atmosphere. We put forth out
points and the Ministers also
made their points. We dis-
cussed each and every point
threadbare. However, a deci-
sion on such an important
matter cannot be taken in just
one meeting,” said Bharti Kisan
Union (BKU), Rajewal, presi-
dent Balbir Singh Rajewal after
the meeting, adding that anoth-
er round of meeting is expect-
ed to be held
soon.
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- 1. ;85C10==2770C7 ?D9034;786ECC;3 =Tf3T[WX)3T[WX19?_aTbXST]c 0STbW6d_cP^]5aXSPhPbZTS cWT0aeX]S:TYaXfP[6^eTa]T]c c^W^]^dacWTaT[XVX^db bT]cXT]cb^U_T^_[TP]S[XUccWT QP]X_^bTS^]_TaU^aX]V 2WWPcW?dYPPUTbcXeP[Pc_dQ[XR _[PRTbP]SaXeTaQP]ZbX]cWT ]PcX^]P[2P_XcP[ ?0:BC?B4?0H4=C 5A8=380=2=C4=C :PaPRWX)CWT?PZXbcP] 6^eTaT]cWPbPbZTS?PZXbcP]X QP]Zbc^XTSXPcT[hQP]^][X]T _PhT]cbUa^cWXbR^d]cahU^a cWTbdQbRaX_cX^]^UT[TRca^]XR TSXPR^]cT]cUa^8]SXP PRR^aSX]Vc^PTSXPaT_^ac^] 5aXSPh 20?BD;4 78C:0=370A8Q 90D Paying back Pakistan in the same coin, the Indian Army on Friday reportedly killed at least 7-8 Pakistan soldiers in strong retaliatory firing after four Indian soldiers, one BSF jawan and four civilians were killed and seven others received grievous injuries in heavy shelling by Pakistan across dif- ferent sectors. The report said that sever- al Pakistan Army structures, including its ammunition and fuel dumps, were destroyed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri and Keran sectors of North Kashmir’s Kupwara and Baramulla districts. Radio intercepts tracked by the Indian Army across the LoC confirmed reports of heavy damages suffered by the Pakistan Army. Official sources revealed, two to three Special Service Group commandos of the Pakistan Army were also killed in India’s counter attack. On the Indian side, five Indian soldiers, including a BSF officer, attained martyr- dom while four civilians were killed and seven others received injuries. To prevent the Pakistan Army from aiding a heavily armed group of infiltrators sneak into the Indian territory, some of the launching pads in the area were destroyed. Compared to previous year high of 3,233 ceasefire viola- tions, the Pakistan Army has so far committed 4,052 ceasefire violations this year. Out of these 128 violations were reported in November and 394 in October 2020. Col Rajesh Kalia, a Srinagar-based Defence Spokesman in a written state- ment said, “Pakistan used mor- tars and other weapons and deliberately targeted civilian areas across multiple sectors of Uri and Keran in North Kashmir. The Indian Army retaliated strongly, causing casualties and substantial dam- age to Pakistan Army’s infra- structure across the LoC. Several ammunition dumps, FOL dumps and multiple launch pads have been dam- aged.” According to reports, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC spread across multiple sectors to include Dawar, Keran, Uri and Naugam. “Four Indian Army soldiers were killed in action and three sol- diers injured,” Col Kalia said, adding the nation salutes their supreme sacrifice. A BSF sub- inspector, hailing from Uttarakhand, was killed in action in Haji Peer sector. In a separate statement, BSF spokesman said, “SI Rakesh Doval, 39, deployed at the force’s artillery battery at the LoC in Baramulla was killed in action after he sustained head injury in the firing around 1315 hours”. Constable Vasu Raja sus- tained splinter injuries on his arms and cheeks. He was deployed at the same forward defended location, official sources said, adding the con- stable is stable. “The Sub Inspector has made supreme sacrifice in line of duty while facing heavy ceasefire violation from the enemy. The sub-officer was a resident of Rishikesh in Uttarakhand and joined the border force in 2004,” a senior officer of the force said. The BSF works under the operational command of the Army at the LoC. Following heavy mortar shelling, several houses suffered extensive damages on the Indian side. Two civilians were killed in Kamalkote sector, also in Uri, while a woman was killed in Balkote area in Haji Peer sector, official sources said. Hospital authorities iden- tified the slain civilians as Farooqa Begum, wife of Bashir Ahmad, Nadir Hussain, son of Peer Hussain and Tahir Jalaludin, son of Jalaludin all from Balkote Uri. In Jammu region, ceasefire violation was also reported from Sawjiyan area of Poonch in which seven civilians includ- ing porters received injuries. “Around 1.45 pm, the Pakistani Army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along LoC in sector in Sawjian in Poonch,” Defence Spokesman Lt-Col Devender Anand said, adding Indian troops retaliat- ed in a befitting manner. Before the tension mount- ed in the region, Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia had claimed that Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid, which was aided by the ceasefire vio- lation, along the LoC in the Keran sector on Friday. “Suspicious movement was observed by our troops at the forward posts along the LoC in Keran sector (in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district) today. The suspected infiltra- tion bid was foiled by alert troops,” he said. This was the second infil- tration attempt within a week. The earlier unsuccessful bid in Machil sector during the inter- vening night of November 7- 8 was foiled in which three ter- rorists were killed. Four Army soldiers, including a Captain, and a BSF jawan also lost their lives during the operation. ?=BQ =4F34;78 The country’s largest vaccine maker, Serum Institute of India (SII), has ramped up production of AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot, aiming to have 100 million doses ready by December for an inoculation drive that could begin across India. The vaccine-maker has already administered 1,600 vol- unteers with doses of Oxford University-AstraZeneca’s coro- navirus vaccine Covishield and kept them under observation for next 28 days. Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the SII said, “If final-stage trial data shows AstraZeneca’s candidate gives effective protection from the virus, the Serum Institute of India Ltd, which is partnered to produce at least one billion doses, may get emergency authorisation from New Delhi by December.” That initial amount will go to India, Poonawalla told a news agency. A full approval early next year will allow distribution on a 50-50 basis with the South Asian nation and Covax, the World Health Organization- backed body that’s purchasing shots for poor nations. SII, which has tied up with five developers, has so far made 40 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine in the past two months and aims to start manufactur- ing Novavax’s contender soon. “We were a bit concerned it was a big risk,” said Poonawalla. But both A s t r a Z e n e c a - O x f o r d University and Novavax’s shots “are looking pretty good.” AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot has said he is preparing for the possibility of large- scale vaccinations as early as December and once the UK grants its own emergency license, SII will submit same data to Indian counterparts. Drugmakers are just now getting data that will show how well their vaccine candi- dates work, but there are plen- ty of hurdles remaining as the global race to find an effective shot against the pathogen reaches its final stages. Astra and co-developer University of Oxford still need to see testing results. And even if their vac- cine proves effective and gets a nod from regulators, there are questions over how the shot can be distributed. Poonawalla reiterated that it will take until 2024 to vacci- nate the entire world and two years to see a real reduction in infections, due to affordability and manufacturing hurdles. BC055A4?AC4A Q ?0C=0 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Covid-19 situation in the national Capital should come under control in 7-10 days and that his Government is going to take several preventive measures in the coming days. Kejriwal said the pollu- tion is the biggest reason behind the surge in the num- ber of corona cases. “The corona was under control in Delhi until last week. I want to appeal to the Supreme Court and the Centre, and Punjab, Haryana, UP Governments along with all agencies to act on resolving the problem of pollution. There is a very easy and cost-effective solution available and so now no Government can say there is no alternative to the problem. The report says it just costs C30 per acre, which can be given out of a State’s own budget,” the Delhi CM said. Kejriwal said pollution is the “biggest” reason behind the spike in coronavirus cases in the city. “Covid-19 cases have been increasing for the last few days. I am also concerned about it. We have been taking all appropriate measures to control it. We are considering taking more steps next week,” he said during a Press confer- ence. Citing a report, Kejriwal also said the anti-stubble solu- tion prepared by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, decomposed 70 to 95 per cent of crop residue in 24 vil- lages in Delhi. Delhi recorded 7,053 fresh Covid-19 cases in a day, taking the infection tally in the nation- al capital to over 4.67 lakh on Thursday, while 104 more fatal- ities in a same period, the highest in over five months, pushed the death toll to 7,332, authorities said. The national Capital recorded its highest single-day spike of 8,593 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, while 85 deaths linked to the disease were recorded on that day. HZ]]T`_eRZ_4`gZU Z_4RaZeR]hZeYZ_! URjddRjdV[cZhR] ?C8 Q ?0C=0 Ajoint meeting of the NDA legislature party will be here held on Sunday where Nitish Kumar will be elected as its leader, it was decided on Friday. The decision was taken at an “informal” meeting of lead- ers of the four NDA con- stituents in Bihar — the JD(U), BJP, HAM and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) at the resi- dence of the Chief Minister. “The meeting will start at 12:30 pm on Sunday, November 15 where all further decisions will be taken,” the Chief Minister who also heads the JD(U) told reporters later. As decks were cleared for the formation of a new Government in Bihar with Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister, the JD(U) chief hand- ing over to Governor Phagu Chauhan the resignation of his ministry and the recom- mendation to dissolve the State Assembly, officials said. The Governor accepted the resig- nation and asked Nitish to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister till the new NDA Government is sworn in. “These formalities have to be completed before the for- mation of a new government. The cabinet’s recommenda- tions will be forwarded to the governor whose approval will be followed by other steps leading to the formation of a new government,” Nitish said earlier. Despite the BJP emerging as the largest party in the rul- ing alliance with 74 seats, 31 more than the JD(U), the top leadership of the saffron party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has emphati- cally endorsed Nitish as the next Chief Minister. He was declared the ruling coalition’s CM candidate much before the election process had started. Though Nitish did not divulge more on what tran- spired during the meeting at his residence, sources said the issues discussed included the representation of each con- stituent in the cabinet and election of the Speaker. 1'$ 0/$V WR PHHW WRPRUURZ WR QDPH 1LWLVK DV %LKDU 0 ?T^_[T[XVWc[P_b^]cWTQP]Zb^UaXeTaBPahdX]0h^SWhP^]5aXSPh 0? BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78 There is no respite for Delhiites from poor air quality as on Friday the nation- al Capital recorded its air qual- ity in the “very poor” category and it was likely to become “severe” on Diwali night, according to Government agencies. Delhi recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 339. It was 314 on Thursday. The neighbouring cities of Faridabad (319), Ghaziabad (382), Noida (337), Greater Noida (336) and Gurgaon (324), which fall in the National Capital Region (NCR), also recorded their AQI in the “very poor” category. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a fresh western disturbance was like- ly to increase the wind speed and improve the air quality in Delhi-NCR post-Diwali. Light rain is likely to occur on Sunday under the influence of a western disturbance. It remains to be seen if it is enough to wash away pollu- tants, Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre, said. “However, Delhi-NCR’s air quality is likely to improve post-Diwali due to an increase in the wind speed. On Sunday, the maximum wind speed is expected to be around 12 to 15 kilometres per hour,” he said. VK Soni, the head of the IMD’s environment research centre, said calm winds and firecrackers emissions may push the air quality to the “severe” zone on Diwali night. Wind speed is expected to pick up thereafter and the wind direction will be east- southeasterly. There will be a significant improvement in air quality by November 16, he said. The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality monitor, SAFAR, said the PM 2.5 con- centration in Delhi on Diwali is likely to be the “lowest” in the last four years if no firecrack- ers are burnt. It said pollution levels in Delhi during the Diwali peri- od are likely to remain in the higher end of the “very poor” category in the absence of emissions due to fireworks. Stubble burning-induced impact on AQI is expected to increase from “negligible to moderate” in the next two days, said SAFAR, adding the biomass plume transport-level winds have become north- westerly and predicted to con- tinue until Saturday which is not good. Fire-related intrusion along with stagnant surface winds is acting adversely. 'HOKL15 DLU YHU SRRU IDYRXUDEOH ZLQG IURP 6XQ ?PhRT[TQaPcT3XfP[X fXcWb^[SXTab^]Q^aSTa ?=BQ =4F34;78 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to spend Diwali on Saturday with sol- diers on the border. He may visit some forward bases in Rajasthan and Gujarat to boost the morale of the troops. He will be continuing with his tradition of spending time with soldiers on Diwali ever since he took charge as the Prime Minister in 2014. This time round, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane may also accompany the Prime Minister, sources said here on Friday. Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh, meanwhile, celebrated Diwali with sailors in the strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday. Since the stand-offs began with China in May and situa- tion worsened after the June 15 brawl in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed, the Navy has ramped up its operational readiness. Its warships have stepped up patrolling in the strategically important Straits of Malacca near Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This move was obvi- ously aimed at sending a mes- sage to China that the Navy can choke the Malacca Straits if need be. More than 70 per cent of energy supplies of China pass through this sea lane and it knows that India is in a very strong position there. 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RP_XcP[!347A03D=kB0CDA30H k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·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nder the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) of the Central Government, the Dehradun district administration has pro- vided 1,05,156 water connec- tions in rural areas. The district magistrate Ashish Kumar Srivastava said this during his interaction with media persons on Friday. Srivastava said that the target of JJM in Dehradun dis- trict is to provide water con- nections in 1,20,660 houses in rural areas and so far, 1,05,156 connections have already been provided here. Out of these 1,05,156 water connections, 92,315 connections were pro- vided in the current financial year, he said. He informed that the current progress rate of the district in JJM is 87.15 per cent which was only 37 percent till September 30. According to Srivastava, the Dehradun dis- trict is currently in the first position in the State in pro- viding water connections under JJM at this progress rate. He stated that there are 276 villages of the district which have full working tap water connections. Under JJM, the DM further informed that the administration will provide water connections to every household in rural areas with the service level at the rate of 55 litres per capita per day (LPCD). To provide 55 LPCD water to the households, either a new source will be construct- ed or the already existing water sources will be rejuvenated and the other ways will be used too to regenerate water in that area while maintaining the quality of water, informed Srivastava. eTa [PZWcP_fPcTaR^]]TRcX^]b_a^eXSTS X]3TWaPSd]SXbcaXRcd]STa99bPhb3 ?=BQ 347A03D= The Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board (UAWB) has sent a letter to Dehradun district magistrate regarding the complaints of activists and locals that the resident welfare association (RWA) of Defence Colony Dehradun is threatening to penalise those who feed the stray dogs in that area. A few days ago, the soci- ety in Defence Colony put up banners stating that they will impose a penalty on those feeding stray dogs in that area. Some locals have raised questions over the authority of the society to ban people from feeding stray dogs and have also complained about the issue to the animal welfare board. Stating that the RWA of Defence Colony can set the rules to feed stray dogs but cannot threaten people to stop feeding them, the joint director of UAWB, Dr A Joshi said that such decision poten- tially hinders the procedure set by the government to manage the stray dogs of a locality. He said that representa- tives of animal welfare organ- isations and community dog feeders among others are quite helpful when the stray dogs are taken for sterilisation and vaccination in animal centres under Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules 2001. Citing the examples of High Courts of Delhi and Punjab-Haryana, Joshi said that these courts have acknowledged the importance of animal lovers who feed them and have directed authorities concerned to pro- vide a place in an area and fix a time so that people can feed the stray animals during this p e r i o d only. Besides DM, Joshi informed that he has sent the letter to Dehradun municipal commissioner, chief veteri- nary officer (CVO) and the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and has directed them to take appropriate actions in the matter as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the DM and municipal commissioner stat- ed that they had not received the letter yet but will take action as per the procedure once they get the letter. ?=BQ 347A03D= Written b y Jyoti Chand, Fire of Extremes is a poetry book with the potential to affect the readers. The void of a human heart has been t o u c h e d upon in order to bring out the best by Chand. Through various genres of poetry, she has attempted to touch upon varied aspects. It contains not just inspirational poetry but also contemporary poetry. The use of short prose makes the book stand out from other existing books. As she writes, “Many lives ago, a fool- ish heart, still a foolish heart”. 2_eaeUd_V`_Udbi Y^´6YbU_V5hdbU]Ucµ 0bP]P]]dP[PUUPXaTQTab^UXbbX^]*cWT0fPZT]X]VRT[TQaPcT4eT^U3XfP[XQh[XVWcX]VcW^dbP]Sb^UTPacWT]SXhPbPc ?[PiPBTRc^a 2WP]SXVPaW^]5aXSPhCWXbfPbS^]TfWX[TPX]cPX]X]Vb^RXP[SXbcP]RX]VCWXbXbcWT (cWR^]bTRdcXeThTPa cWPccWXbTeT]cXbQTX]V^aVP]XbTSc^_a^_PVPcTcWTTbbPVT^U_TPRTQa^cWTaW^^SP]Sc^[TaP]RTfWX[TX]eXcX]VcWT_T^_[TUa^ SXUUTaT]cfP[Zb^U[XUTP]SRT[TQaPcX]VcWT^RRPbX^]c^VTcWTa 0ZWX[TbW:dPak?X^]TTa ?=BQ 270=3860A7 To encourage tourism in the State, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday directed the officers concerned to take strategic initiatives to bring ancient heritage sites like Kurukshetra, known for the battle of Mahabharata, Lohgarh the first Capital of the Sikh empire to the Civilizations that existed even before the Harappan and Mohenjodaro times, on the world map. These directions came on the occasion of the release of a Special Cover made by the Department of Archaeology and Museums in association with the Indian Postal Department on Rakhigarhi, the world famous archaeolog- ical site of the Indus Valley Civilization.Khattar said mythology, culture, and histo- ry have their own importance and any country or state can be on the path of progress only if its youth is aware about its his- tory and culture. He said Haryana has more than 100 sites with historical and mythological prominence and the state should work towards preserving such sites with a motive of promoting the importance of ancient culture for future generations. Besides this, tourism will also be encouraged at these sites. Sharing historical anec- dotes, the Chief Minister said that the battle fought against Mughals by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who was the first commander of the Sikh Empire, has its roots in Haryana. Moreover, Lohgarh which was the Capital of Yamunanagar, under Banda Bahadur will also be developed so as to promote tourism in that area and a Museum along with a Martial Arts School is also being established there. Sharing more details he said that the place of origin of the Saraswati River, Adi Badri is also being developed majesti- cally. Chief Secretary, Vijai Vardhan said that Rakhigarhi has special importance as it is related to a civilization older than the Harappan and Mohenjodaro. Divulging details of the Rakhigarhi Civilization he shared that the ancient and invaluable artefacts found during excavation of the site suggest that the state of Haryana must have been high- ly developed during that era. He added that a Museum and a Lecture Centre are being set up in Rakhigarhi.Principal Secretary, Department of Archeology and Museums, Ashok Khemka, was also pre- sent. STATE GEARED UP FOR KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES, SAYS CM Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar said that the State is all geared up to host ‘Khelo India Youth Games - 2021’ and directed the officers to start preparing immediate- ly so that these Games can be conducted successfully and wherever there is a need to strengthen the basic infra- structure that should be com- pleted on priority. He said that Haryana has emerged as a leading sports hub in the coun- try as it has always remained a force to reckon with as far as sports and sportspersons are concerned. Presiding over the meeting with the Sports and Youth Affairs Department regarding the ‘Khelo India Youth Games -2021, Khattar said the state will leave no stone unturned to ensure proper arrangements for organizing various sports events. “Adequate lodging and other facilities will also be provided to the players coming to participate from across the country, he said. Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sandeep Singh was also present in the meeting. To ensure that the Games are organized successfully three committees were approved namely Monitoring, Core and Executive Committee headed by Chief Minister, Sports Minister and Chief Secretary respectively. Khattar said the objective of organizing the ‘Khelo India Youth Games -2021’ is to give the players a better platform to prove their talent. During the meeting, the CM was apprised about the lists of facilities required for upgrading the sports infra- structure for the upcoming event. Setting up of high-level gyms for the players at major venues and facility of score boards has already been done by the department. Besides this, proper staying arrange- ments of the participants, geo- mapping of sports infrastruc- ture have also been done, he was told. µ9RcjR_R¶dYVcZeRXVdZeVde`SVSc`fXYe`_h`c]U^Ra¶ ?=BQ 270=3860A7 The stalemate continues. Even after the seven hours of talks between the Centre and the representatives of 30 farm- ers’ organizations from Punjab on Friday, the farmers’ protest against the Centre’s farm laws and other issues is expected to continue. Also, the rail services in Punjab continue to be affect- ed with both sides sticking to their ground. The meeting, attended by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, and Union Minister of State of Commerce and Industries Som Parkash (also Hoshiarpur MP), started at 11 am with extensive talks held on resolving the ongoing rail traf- fic disruption and blockade in Punjab but ended inconclu- sively. Even as the farmers’ rep- resentatives demanded resumption of goods trains in Punjab while maintaining that passenger trains would not be allowed to pass till their demands were met, the Centre remained adamant on its stand of resuming both goods and passenger trains services. To discuss and decide on the future course of action, Punjab’s farmers’ outfits will hold its next meeting on November 18 (Wednesday) at Chandigarh. At the same time, the farmers’ organizations declared to go ahead with the all-India call of ‘Delhi Chalo’ on November 26-27. “The meeting was held in a very cordial and positive atmosphere. We put forth out points and the Ministers also made their points. We dis- cussed each and every point threadbare. However, a deci- sion on such an important matter cannot be taken in just one meeting,” said Bharti Kisan Union (BKU), Rajewal, presi- dent Balbir Singh Rajewal after the meeting, adding that anoth- er round of meeting is expect- ed to be held soon. 3TPS[^RZQTcfTT]?d]YPQUPaTab P]S2T]caP[6^ecR^]cX]dTb D0F1faXcTbc^3PVPX]bcAF0QP] ^]UTTSX]VbcaPhS^VbX]3TUT]RT2^[^]h
- 3. RP_XcP[347A03D=kB0CDA30H k=E414A #!! ?=BQ 347A03D= Ahead of the festival of lights, Deepawali, the tally of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients in Uttarakhand climbed to 67,706 on Friday. The authorities reported 467 patients of the dis- ease and reported four deaths on the day. The death toll from the disease in the state has increased to 1097. The health department also discharged 300 patients of the disease from different hospitals on Friday after their recovery. A total of 61,732 patients have so far recovered from the disease in the state. The percentage recovery from the disease is now at 91.18 percent. One patient of the disease each succumbed at the Mahant Indiresh hospital, Dehradun, Sushila Tiwari government hospital, Haldwani, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh and Jaya Maxwell hospital Bahadrabad, Haridwar on Friday. The health department reported 151 fresh cases of Covid-19 from Dehradun, 54 each from Haridwar and Pauri, 37 each from Chamoli and Nainital, 32 from Rudraprayag, 29 from Udham Singh Nagar, 20 from Pithoragarh, 19 from Uttarkashi, 16 from Almora, 12 from Tehri and three from Bageshwar on Friday. Uttarakhand now has 4,307 active patients of the disease. Dehradun district with 1,049 active cases is at top of table while with 463 active cases Haridwar now is on second position. Pauri has 472, Nainital 379 Chamoli 356, Rudraprayag 265, Tehri 260, Pithoragarh 247, Udham Singh Nagar 247, Almora 201, Uttarkashi 154 and Bageshwar 128 active cases of the disease. With 86 active cases of Covid- 19, Champawat is now at the bottom of the table. ?=BQ 347A03D= Even as the administration has issued strict orders regarding sale of only ‘ Green crackers’ and limited the time of bursting of crackers for only two hours on Deepawali the chances of adherence of the orders are remote. The bursting of crack- ers during Deepawali not just adversely affects the environ- ment as noise and sound pol- lution level increased several notches above the normal level but it also results in a spurt in the number of burn- related cases. The medical experts opine that parents should be vigilant and compulsorily accompany their children dur- ing bursting of crackers on the day. It is a commonly observed phenomenon that on the day of Diwali, the cracker induced medical emergency cases are reported in big numbers in all the hospitals and children con- stitute a major percentage of such cases. The Burns and reconstruc- tive surgery expert Dr Kush Aeron said that one should wear full sleeved cotton clothes while bursting crackers and children below ten years of age should not be allowed to burst them. He also suggested that a long incense stick should be used to light the crackers so that a safe distance is maintained. He said that maximum numbers of burn cases are reported from Anar (sparklers) as children tend to lean over them to ignite them and many a times the sparkles hit their faces or it bursts immediately. Dr Aeron added that in case of burn, toothpaste, ghee, haldi should not be applied and cold water should be poured immediately if any burn injury is caused and the person should be rushed to the nearest medical facility. The hospitals also receive many cases of road accidents induced by the firecrackers which the medical experts believe could be reduced if the crackers are burst in a large open space under vig- ilant eyes of senior members of the society. Injury to eye is the most common form of damage caused by the careless bursting of crackers. The Head of Department (HoD) of Ophthalmology of the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital here, Dr Sushil Ojha that the children suffer firecracker injury of dif- ferent kinds like burn, open globe, ruptured globe and intraocular foreign body. “If possible avoid powerful noisy firecrackers, never go and see any firecracker if it has not blast- ed, never burn fire crackers in a glass bottle or pot or inside the dust or from hand directly. Use paper for burning firecrackers, so that one can have enough time to run away. Last advice is that even if with all precautions injuries happen, then immedi- atelyrushtohospital forthespe- cialist consultation and never ever treat injury at home,’’ he said. ?=BQ 347A03D= On the occasion of Deepawali, the State has received a major gift from the Centre. On the request of chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Centre has approved Rs 84.59 crore under National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in view of the Kumbh Mela to be held in Haridwar next year. The amount approved by the cen- tre includes Rs 79.12 crore for sanitation, solid waste man- agement and other activities in the Kumbh Mela; Rs 2.55 crore for the Peyjal Nigam and Rs 2.95 crore for the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan. This approval will boost exe- cution of the sanitation and solid waste management works for the Kumbh Mela which in turn will also bene- fit the devotees attending this major occasion. Thanking the Union Jal Shakti minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the chief minister said that the Jal Shakti ministry is providing full sup- port in execution of various projects in the state. Earlier, the CM had requested Shekhawat to facilitate assis- tance under the NMCG for various works in view of the Kumbh Mela to be held in Haridwar. The Rs 84.59 crore approved by the centre has been received by the state in response to the CM’s request. Apart from this, the chief minister has approved a sum of Rs one crore for recon- struction of the ghat and plat- form damaged due to tapping of Saraswati Nala at the Triveni Ghat in Rishikesh ahead of the Kumbh Mela. Further, the chief minister has also approved Rs 4.87 crore for changing sewer lines and reconstruction of manhole chambers under the Haridwar drainage scheme. This sum will be made available through the Kumbh Mela officer. 5^daSTPcWb#% UaTbWRPbTb aT_^acTS^]5aXSPh 4`gZU*eR]]j ^`f_ede`'((!' Z_FeeRcRYR_U 2T]caTP__a^eTb C'#$(Ra^aTU^a :dQWd]STa=26 ?=BQ 347A03D= Lieutenant General Harinder Singh took over as the 50th Commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun on Friday. After taking over the charge of the prestigious training academy, Lt Gen Singh paid his tribute to the martyrs at the War Memorial in a solemn cere- mony. Lt Gen Singh took over the Command baton of the Academy from Maj Gen J S Mangat, who has been the officiating after retirement of Lt Gen Jaiveer Singh Negi on September 30. An alumnus of National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla, Lt General Singh was commissioned into the 9th Maratha Light Infantry, one of the oldest regiments of Indian Army. A sports enthu- siast Lt Gen Singh is a former Services Hockey player and had commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in active counter ter- rorist operations while deployed in Kupwara Sector. The Officer carries varied oper- ational experience having served in different terrains. The Officer has the distinction of commanding two different brigades, which includes the command of the most reputed UN Multi-national Brigade deployed in Eastern Congo. He commanded a mountain divi- sion in Kashmir and a Corps along active Northern Borders. He had also been an instructor at IMA, Dehradun and Infantry School, Mhow. The Officer served as a Staff Officer at the UN Mission in Angola. He has also been an interna- tional graduate fellow at Asia- Pacific Center for Security Studies, Hawaii, USA. ?=BQ 347A03D= Though most of the sweet sellers stated that the sale of sweets is low this Deepawali due to Covid-19, some sellers opined that people have changed their ways of buying the sweets post covid. According to a sweet seller on Sahastradhara Road, Deepak Gulati, the business is only about 50 per cent compared to the last year. People are buying more sweets presently than the usual days in the pandemic but in comparison to the previous year, the business profit is almost half, said Gulati. Another sweet seller from Raipur, Ganesh Rawat stated that most of the locals are buying prepacked sweets rather than the sweets put in open dis- play in the shops. We used to put sweets in a display outside our shop for people to choose and buy but most of the con- sumers asked us to pack the sweets kept inside the shops. So we put all the sweets back in the shops. Till now, I have sold only about 80 kilogrammes of sweets since Thursday which used to be around 200 kilo- grammes to 300 kilogrammes every year. I have even bought packed sweets of other brands to sell to customers, said Rawat. Talking about the sale of sweets, the president of Dehradun Halwai Association and owner of Anandam Group, Anand Gupta stated that the sale is going pretty well in his stores. It was about 60 percent to 70 per cent till Friday but it will probably increase to over 80 per cent on the weekend, said Gupta. He added that since people have become more aware of hygiene post Covid, they also observe what kind of hygiene is being maintained and provided by any seller on its premises. I think the percentage of profitable business done by sweet shops during the pan- demic also depends on impor- tant things like maintaining social distancing, use of masks and sanitisers and good qual- ity products. When anybody arrives in our shop without a mask or say they forgot the mask, we do not scold them or send them back, we provide them mask. Besides, we sell sweets to customers while maintaining proper physical distance among everyone pre- sent in the shop, said Gupta. Meanwhile, most of the sweet sellers have mentioned best before date with their dis- play of sweets in the shops as per the guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). However, most of the small scale sweet sellers are still not following the guidelines. Responding to this, Gupta said that though most of the sweet sellers are mention- ing the best before dates in their shops, small scale sweet sellers who are illiterate or work alone might take more time to follow the instructions. ?=BQ 347A03D= As expected, the Uttarakhand unit of Congress party has used the ‘letter bomb’ episode of senior BJP leader and former cabinet minister Lakhi Ram Joshi to attack chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. In his letter to the state BJP chief Bansidhar Bhagat, Joshi had levelled alle- gations of corruption on CM Rawat. A shocked BJP reiter- ated by removing Joshi from the party. Grabbing the oppor- tunity provided by Joshi, the Uttarakhand Congress has demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe should be ordered to investigate the allegation. The Vice President of Uttarakhand Congress, Surya Kant Dhasmana said that BJP has punished Joshi for writing the letter but the questions raised by him are unanswered. He said that the allegations of corruption levelled by Joshi are serious and instead of replying to the questions, the CM is try- ing to silent Joshi by taking punitive action against him. Dhasmana said that allegation of corruption on CM is not the internal matter of BJP but it is an insult of the verdict of the people of the state. The Congress leader said that the CM should immediately resign and get the charges against him investigated by the CBI as per the orders of the Uttarakhand High Court (HC). ?=BQ 347A03D= On the directions of chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Rural Development and Migration Commission vice chairman SS Negi, the CM’s technical advisor Narendra Singh and Skill Development director R Rajesh Kumar will prepare the outline of skill develop- ment and various arrange- ments by November 20 for establishment of a centre of excellence in Gairsain. Recently on the State’s foundation day on November 9, the CM had announced that a centre of excellence under the skill development scheme will be set up in Gairsain. The centre of excellence will be built with the support of UNDP. Various types of training will be provided to people in this centre for developing entrepreneurial skills and boosting liveli- hood. In the initial stage, the UNDP will provide relevant t r a i n i n g here. The CM said that the centre of excellence will play an important role in skill development and improving the economy of people at the local level. The State government has made various efforts to stop migration from rural areas and improve the economic condition of the people. The rural growth centres being established in the state are also playing an important role in improving the eco- nomic condition of the peo- ple, added Rawat. 4g_TSXcTf^aZ ^]2T]caT^U 4gRT[[T]RTX] 6PXabPX])2 3XbP__^X]cT]cU^ab^T^cWTabfTTcbT[[Tab W^_TUd[PQ^dcQTccTaQdbX]Tbb^]fTTZT]S ?=BQ 347A03D= After the project of beautifying the Clock Tower was finally com- pleted, the D e h r a d u n mayor Sunil Uniyal 'Gama' inaugurated the beautified Clock Tower on Friday. The officials from ONGC were also present as ONGC has funded this beau- tification project of the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) for which it paid about Rs 85.19 lakh under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Under this project, the MCD has installed an illumi- nated water fountain beside the installation of blue mosaic tiles around the wall of the Clock Tower. The traffic island has also been reduced in area to give more space for the vehicles to move around swiftly, stated municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey. The MCD officials have stated that the beautification of the Clock Tower beautifies the whole city and it will be an attraction cen- tre for the tourists too. MLAs Vinod Chamoli, Khajan Das and officials of ONGC and MCD were also present on the occasion. 'RRQ 0DRU LQDXJXUDWHV UHQRYDWHG ORFN 7RZHU 19?WPb _d]XbWTS9^bWX U^afaXcX]VcWT [TccTaQdccWT `dTbcX^]baPXbTS QhWXPaT d]P]bfTaTS) 3WPbP]P aSTa218_a^QT^]9^bWX´b P[[TVPcX^]PVPX]bc2)2^]V ;c6T]7PaX]STaBX]VWPbbdTbRWPaVTPb802^P]SP]c ?PaT]cbbW^d[SaTPX]eTahRPdcX^dbfPa]Tg_Tacb 0f^P]bT[[bYTfT[[TahPbbW^__TabcWa^]VcWT?P[cP]1PiPPa^]3WP]cTaPbPSPhQTU^aT3TT_PfP[XX]3TWaPSd] P]VTbW:dPak?X^]TTa_W^c^
- 4. ]PcX^]#347A03D=kB0CDA30H k=E414A #!! ?=BQ =4F34;78 The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday announced setting up of a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India, a move which Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed as impetus to the alternative drugs which during the Corona cri- sis have proved to be very effective in boosting immuni- ty. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event in which the Prime Minister ded- icated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnagar to the nation via video conferencing on the occasion of the 5th Ayurveda Day. The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar (Gujarat) and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur (Rajasthan) are both premier institutions of Ayurveda in the country. In his video message, Ghebreyesus said, “I am pleased to announce that we have agreed to open a WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in India to strength- en the evidence, research, train- ing and awareness of traditional and complementary medicine.” “This new centre will sup- port WHO’s efforts to imple- ment the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 which aims to support coun- tries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to uni- versal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world,” he said. Traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda can play an important role in integrated people-centric health services and healthcare, but they have not received enough attention, the WHO DG said. Modi said Ayurveda is India’s heritage whose expan- sion entails the welfare of humanity and all Indians will be happy to see that the coun- try’s traditional knowledge is enriching other countries. “It is a matter of pride for all Indians that the WHO has chosen India for establishing its Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. Now work will be done in this direction from India,” Modi said. “I would like to thank the WHO and particularly its Director General Tedros for giving this responsibility to India. I am confident that just like India has emerged as the pharmacy of the world, in the same manner this centre for traditional medicine will become the centre for global wellness,” he said. Stressing on bringing ayurveda knowledge out of books, scriptures and home remedies and developing this ancient knowledge as per mod- ern needs, Modi said new research is being done in the country by combining infor- mation received from modern science of the 21st century with India’s ancient medical knowledge. Noting that three years ago, the All India Ayurvedic Institute was established here, he said Ayurveda is not just an alternative today but one of the key basis of the country’s health policy. Modi informed that work is on to develop the National Sowa-Rigpa Institute for research and other studies related to Sowa-Rigpa in Leh. The two institutions in Gujarat and Rajasthan which have been upgraded are also an extension of this development, he added. He also called upon the Education Ministry and UGC to find new avenues in disci- plines like Ayurveda Physics and Ayurveda Chemistry and urged startups and the private sector to study global trends and demands and ensure their participation in the sector. Pointing out that during the coronavirus period the demand for Ayurvedic prod- ucts increased rapidly all over the world, he said exports of Ayurvedic products increased by about 45 per cent in September this year compared to the previous year. H9@e``aV_ecRUZeZ`_R]^VUTV_ecVZ_:_UZR ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday directed the top anti-pollution regulator CPCB and States concerned to ensure that National Green Tribunal’s directions in view of theprevailingairqualityscenario are strictly adhered. The recently constituted commission said state pollution control boards, committees and other field-level functionaries have also been asked to ensure that there is no lapse in imple- mentation of the NGT’s direc- tions. “In pursuance of the NGT order dated November 9 and considering the concerns of air qualityscenariointheNCRand its adverse health impact, the Commission directed CPCB, concerned state governments and authorities for strict com- plianceofthedirectionsofNGT, withzerotoleranceonviolation,” it said. The National Green Tribunal(NGT)hadonMonday imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from November 9 mid- nighttoNovember30midnight, saying “celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to cel- ebrate deaths and diseases”. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had clarified that the direction will apply to all cities and towns in the country wheretheaverageofambientair quality during November 2019 was in ‘poor’ and above cate- gories. “There will be total ban against sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the NCR from midnight of November 9-10, 2020, to the midnight of November 30-December 1, 2020, to be reviewed thereafter,” the NGT had said. “The cities/towns where air quality is ‘moderate’ or below, only green crackers be sold, and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, New Year/Christmas Eve etc, as may be specified by the state con- cerned. “At other places, restric- tionsareoptionalfortheauthor- ities but if there are more strin- gent measures under orders of the authorities, the same will prevail,” it had said. 6__g7Dµc`_edY_^`b_d_S_* 1YbaeQYdi`Q^Ud_3@32CdQdUc ?C8Q =4F34;78 The Supreme Court on Friday modified a Telangana High Court order imposing complete and imme- diate ban on sale of firecrack- ers in the State during Diwali, saying the directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on bursting of fire- crackers keeping in mind the pollution level be followed. The NGT, on November 9, imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) till November 30 mid- night. It had said the direction of complete ban will apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November 2019 was in ‘poor’ and above categories. It, however, had said that in cities or towns where air qual- ity is ‘moderate’ or below, only green crackers be sold. The timings for use and bursting of crackers be restrict- ed to two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, New Year/Christmas Eve, as may be specified by the state con- cerned,” NGT had said. The Telangana High Court on November 12 came out with an order asking the state government to ban the sale and use of firecrackers and it was challenged by the Telangana Fire Workers Dealers Association (TFWDA) in the top court. The vacation bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna issued notice on the plea of TFWDA and said that it cannot stay the High Court’s order without hearing the other side. The plea said the high court order was violative of the right to livelihood of persons involved in the sale and man- ufacturing of firecrackers. Senior advocate Salman Khurshid appeared for the peti- tioner organisation on whose plea the top court issued notice to the state government for November 16. The bench, meanwhile, asked the Telangana govern- ment to comply with directions of the NGT issued on November 9. “In the meantime, the impugned judgment and order of the High Court stands mod- ified and is brought in line with the directions issued by the National Green Tribunal vide comprehensive order dated November 9, which applies even to Telangana on all fours. “For, no reason muchless special reason is noted in the impugned order for departing therefrom. All concerned in the State of Telangana must comply with the stated direc- tions of the Tribunal in its let- ter and spirit “ it ordered. B2PbZbCT[P]VP]Pc^U^[[^f=6C ^aSTa^]bP[TdbT^UUXaTRaPRZTab?=BQ =4F34;78 The GAVI alliance said on Friday that the funds for a so-called advance market com- mitment (AMC) will allow it to buy an initial one billion vac- cine doses for 92 eligible coun- tries including India which would not otherwise be able to afford them. The European Commission, France, Spain, South Korea, the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation and others had in recent weeks pledged another USD 360 mil- lion to the AMC, the alliance said, bringing total funding over the USD2 billion target for this year. However, another USD 5 billion is needed in 2021, to procure Covid-19 vaccine doses as they come through development and are approved by regulators, it said in a state- ment here on Friday. “We’ve seen sovereign and private donors from across the world dig deep and meet this target and help ensure that every country will get access to COVID vaccines, not just the wealthy few,” GAVI chief Seth Berkley told reporters, adding that there was an “urgent need” to also finance treatments and diagnostics. U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, who this week said their experi- mental COVID-19 vaccine was 90% effective in initial tri- als, had expressed an interest in supplying doses to the COVAX facility, Berkley said. “We continue to advance negotiations with a number of manufacturers in addition to those we’ve already announced who share our vision of fair and equitable distribution of vaccines,” he added. Berkley said USD 5.3 bil- lion was also still needed for diagnostics and USD 6.1 bil- lion for therapeutics by the end of 2021. CWT_[TPbPXScWTWXVW R^dac^aSTafPb eX^[PcXeT^UcWTaXVWcc^ [XeT[XW^^S^U_Tab^]b X]e^[eTSX]cWTbP[TP]S P]dUPRcdaX]V^U UXaTRaPRZTab 60E8P[[XP]RTc^dbT02 Ud]SU^aQdhX]V^]TQX[[X^] 2^eXSePRRX]TS^bTb ?=BQ =4F34;78 Covid-19 induced disruption of steady health service deliveries like immunisation programmes is threatening some of the progress India has made in ensuring that children under five years of age are pro- tected against pneumonia and diarrhoea through vaccine shot, according to the 2020 annual Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report released recently.Pneumonia is one of India’s biggest killers for children under five. Along with diarrhoea, it claims the lives of over 2.3 lakh children yearly. Prepared by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the report shows that India has made steady progress in eradicating the dis- eases through the years. Forinstance,saidthereport, in 2019, India’s immunization coverage against pneumococcal pneumonia increased by 9 per cent and the coverage of Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV) increased by 18 per cent. India’s ‘100-days agenda’ to scale up RVV will protect India’s birth cohort from life-threatening cases of rotavirus diarrhea. However,in2020,Covid-19 is threatening some of the progress made with the disrup- tion of steady health service deliveries like immunization programs in India as well. The report looked at how countriesworldwidewerefaring based on 10 key interventions— including breastfeeding, vacci- nation, accessing appropriate health care providers, use of antibiotics, oral rehydration solution (ORS), and zinc sup- plementation. While the report shows evi- dence of great progress in India, it’s not all good news, especial- ly on the diarrhea front. As per the progress report, “Indiafailedtoreachallfourtar- gets for treatment, but treatment for diarrhea had the lowest cov- erage in India; only 51 per cent of children received oral rehy- dration solution (ORS) and only 20 per cent of children received zinc. ORS and zinc, especially when co-packaged together, are highly effective treatments that are proven to reduce deaths from diarrhea in children.” One of the key findings was the need to strengthen our immunization delivery pro- grams, especially in the midst of the pandemic. When health systems are strained, the most vulnerable populations are affected, and in this case, it is the lives of millions of children. However, nearly every country included in the report lagged in access to treatments against pneumonia and diar- rhea. “While the world focuses on new innovations in vaccines to respond to the Covid-19 epi- demic, we cannot afford to lose sight of the millions of children who die from preventable dis- eases like pneumoniaanddiarrhea,”IVAC senior advisor and professor in the department of internation- alhealth,MathuramSantosham, said. 2^eXS (WP_Tab8]SXP´bUXVWc PVPX]bc_]Td^]XPSXPaaW^TP 19?P]]^d]RTb]PTb ^UBcPcTX]RWPaVTb ?=BQ =4F34;78 The CBI on Friday arrested two inspectors of the Income Tax Department on Friday from Hyderabad in a bribery case. “The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested two Inspectors of Income Tax, Aayaker Bhavan, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad on the allegations of accepting bribe of C80,000,” the CBI said in a statement. The arrests came after the agency registered a case against an Income Tax Inspector on the allegations that the accused demanded a bribe of C80,000 from the complainant for closing an Income tax matter pending against the complainant. The then CBI laid a trap and caught the accused and also another Inspector of Income Tax while accepting the bribe of C 30,000 and C 50,000 respectively. Searches at the premises of the accused persons led to recovery of incriminating doc- uments and cash of about C5,50,000. Both the arrested accused are being produced before the Special Judge for CBI Cases, Hyderabad, it said. The arrested Income Tax Inspectors are Thota Purushotham Rao and Itta Upender Rao. Meanwhile, the agency has registered a case against the then AGM, Regional Office, Syndicate Bank, Nizamabad; two former Chief Managers of Syndicate Bank, Chanda Nagar, Hyderabad and others including private persons and unknown per- sons. It was alleged that a civil C 5 crore as working capital and a similar amount as Bank Guarantee during the period 2016-17 to meet the expenses of his contract works. 218PaaTbcbcf^8C X]b_TRc^abU^aQaXQTah ?=BQ =4F34;78 One month after walking out of talks with the Union Government, farmer organisa- tions have returned to the negotiating table in a bid to end the impasse and their meeting with Union Ministers ended inconclusively on Friday with both sides sticking to their ground. They held a meeting with Union Railway minister Piyush Goyal, agriculture min- ister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce and Industries minister Som Prakash and pre- sented a long list of demands. Duringtheseven-hour-long crucialmeeting,bothsidesheard each other’s stand and tried to bring common ground for restoring rail services in Punjab, which is currently facing a blockade. According to farmers’ lead- ers, centre has not given any assurance for resumption of goods train services in the state. Farmers’ leaders said they will now hold a meeting in Chandigarh on November 18 to decide their next course of action. Farmers’ leaders said that they will observe Black Diwali day on November 14, with continued silent protest at toll plazas and other locations in the state. After the meeting, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that in the meeting, it became clear that their demands and govern- ment’s position are far from a point of reconciliation and can’t be resolved immediately. “I’m thankfulthattheycameIhave requested them for more such discussions,” he said. “It was assured that the Government of India is always committed to protect the interest of farmers and is always open for discus- sions for the welfare of farmers. The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and both sides agreed to continue to hold further discussions,” agriculture ministry said in a statement. 5PaTab´^dcUXcbTTcX]XbcTab c^T]SbcP[TPcT^eTaUPa[Pfb ?=BQ =4F34;78 BJP Friday night announced names of State Prabharis with BJP General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav given dual chare of Bihar and Gujarat as BJP vice-president Baijant Panda appointment in-charge of Assam and Delhi. Another General Secretary Arun Singh gets Karnataka and Rajasthan and party spokesman Sambitji Patra takes Manipur. General Secretary Kailash Viajayvergia is given crucial state of West Bengal and UP is to Radhakrisnan Mohan Singh. Similarly, sensitive J K been put in-charge of party GS Tarun Chug who is also to look after Ladakh. Similarly, P Murlidhar (MP), CT Ravi (Maharashtra), Dileep Saika (Jharkhand), CP Radhakrisnan (Kerala), Vinod Tawade (Haryana), V Murlidhar (Andhra Pradesh) and D Purandeshwari (Chattisgarh) have been appointed in-charge of the respective states by BJP presi- dent JP Nadda.
- 5. ]PcX^]$347A03D=kB0CDA30H k=E414A #!! :D0A274;;0??0=Q F4;;8=6C==8;68A8B Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington, the iconioc and oldest infantry battalion in the country saw on Friday induction of 311 young recruits as soldiers into various units of the Force spread across in the forward areas of India. The recruits underwent a year long basic and advanced grueling training in various aspects of the Army. The attestation (equiva- lent to passing out parade) was held at the historic drill ground of Srinagesh Barracks situated amidst the picturesque Nilgiri Hills in the Western Ghat. Brigadier Rajeshwar Singh, commandant, MRC Wellington reviewed the parade and took salute amidst heavy Covid-19 protocol. Brigadier Rajeshwar Singh, himself a legendary soldier who has been honoured with Shaurya Chakra and Sena Medal, congratulated the recruits and appreciated the instructors and staff for achiev- ing high standards of training and lauded the efforts of MRC to train smart and effective sol- diers for Indian Army. UHFUXLWV LQGXFWHG LQWR 05 KOCHI: Two days ahead of his 66th birthday, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, secretary of the Kerala CPI(M) stepped down from the post citing health rea- sons. A crisp release issued by the State Secretariat of the CPI(M) on Friday claimed that Balakrishnan has been given leave by the party following his request that he may be relieved from the post of secretary as he needs to undergo medical treat- ment. Balakrishnan was elected party secretary in 2015. But the decision to relive Balakrishnan and entrusting the responsibility to A Vijayaraghavan, described as a sidekick of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is being seen as a sequel to the arrest and incar- ceration of the former’s son Bineesh Kodiyeri by the Enforcement Directorate in con- nection with charges of money laundering and financing nar- cotics trade by Anoop Mohammed, a Bangalore based drug dealer. Bineesh has been sent to judicial custody after ten days of interrogation by the ED and is put up at Parappana AgraharaCentral Prison. His bail application would come up for hearing on November 18. The timing of the CPI(M) to remove Balakrishnan (though leaders and the media release claim it as medical leave) at this juncture, when Kerala is in the midst of election to local self- government bodies have sur- prised the party cadre. Balakrishnan, who was elected as party secretary in 2015 was known as a tough taskmaster though he was considerate to the genuine needs and requirements of the cadre and allies. It was his tactical move which resulted in the Church dominated Kerala Congress (Mani) group dump- ing the UDF and joining the LDF recently. Though Balakrishnan was known for his political acumen, his wife Vinodini and two sons Binoy and Bineesh through their flashy lifestyles proved to be his undoing. Elder son was held up by the Dubai Police in UAE following financial embezzle- ment to the tune of crores of rupees. PNS `UZjVcZcVdZX_dRd VcR]R4AdVTj Aligarh: The Food Safety Department successfully con- ducted a raid and arrested an adulterant. The team recovered 7525 kg dry milk powder from the paneer plant operated at Nagalia Gorella in Jattari under Tappal police station area. The paneer was also recovered from the spot. After filling the sam- ples of both, the team sent the samples to Lucknow Lab. The plant operator also supplied paneer to Tappal, Khair in Noida and NCR. PNS B0D60AB4=6D?C0Q :;:0C0 With Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India-Majlis-e- Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) deciding to take a plunge in the Bengal Assembly elections an alarmed Trinamool Congress has called it a “B-Team of the BJP” being put into service for cutting votes of other “secular” outfits. Hours after Owaisi said that his party was game for contesting the next year’s Assembly polls in Bengal senior TMC MP Saugato Roy said Owaisi’s was a “vote- cutter” outfit and need not be given much importance. “Owaisi’s party is BJP’s ‘vote-cutter’ party. Why are we giving so much importance to him? This was the third time that he contested elections in minority-dom- inated zones of Bihar and won 5 seats. What differ- ence will 5 seats make? Also, his party appeals to the Urdu-speaking Muslims. He will not appeal to the Muslims of West Bengal who are mostly Bengali-speak- ing,” Roy said even as another senior TMC leader con- ceded that MIM could play the spoil sport in Bengal should it become a closely contested election a la Bihar. “TMC is the most popular and preferred party in the minority belts” --- which impact at least 123 out of 294 seats in the State, a TMC leader from the minor- ity community said adding “our prospects may be ham- pered if MIM squeezes out 3-4 percent Muslim votes which is not impossible considering the fact that they have won 5 seats in Bihar --- a fact that they will use during the poll campaigns in Bengal.” About 24 per cent Muslim voters in Bengal speak Bengali while remaining 6 percent are Urdu-speaking population. The TMC is aware of the fact the BJP would in the final run put everything to polarize the atmos- phere in the State. 088XbPe^cTRdccTabPhb C2PbfPXbXThTb1T]VP[ ?A0344?B0G4=0Q 0;860A7 The traditional earthen Ganesh And Laxmi are on the verge of extinction because of the tough competition produced by other form China made idol which have flooded the mar- ket in Aligarh. These Gods are available in market at very cheap rates. However, in the rural areas and remote areas the traditional earthen Ganesh and Laxmi is still alive and people gave preference to tradition over technology. On Deepawali occasion, various types of Idols beautifully and grand in looking are available in Aligarh market for sale. On Deepawali earthen Idols of Ganesh and Laxmi are worshiped because earthen idols are considered auspicious and good. Family of Bhoop Singh in Sasnigate Area of Aligarh starts to make idols from early in the morning. Someone threshes earth/soil and other sieves and prepare soil ready for moul- dering. Ladies were busy to making the idols of Hanuman, Laxmi, Ganesh, Sarswati, Durga. Besides these they also prepare /make Krishna, Gujaria, elephant, horses, parrot and pigeon toys. Working on field of Sasani gate one Idol making lady Sunita Devi told that we begun manufacturing work a month prior to Deepawali. During rest of days we prepare other toys and statue to carry on our liveli- hood. C=A067D=0C70Q D108 In fresh trouble that began brewing for Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal ahead of his ques- tioning that lasted for eight-long hours, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday arrest- ed his Australian friend Paul Bartel in the much-discussed Bollywood-drug mafia nexus case. Hours before Rampal appeared before the investigating agency for questioning, the NCB placed Bartel under arrest in the early hours of Friday. Bartel’s arrest had followed an intense grilling that he was subjected to by the NCB on Thursday. An architect by profession who resides in Bandra, Bartel is said to be Rampal’s friend. The actor has known Bartel for a long time. He used to be a regular touch with Agisialos Demetriades, the brother of actor’s live-in friend Gabriella Demetriades. Agisialos was arrested by the NCB from Lonavala near Pune on October 19. Agisilaos is alleged to be a part of a larger drug syndicate operating in Bollywood, which is being inves- tigated after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Forty-seven-year-old Rampal, who arrived at the NCB headquarters in the afternoon, was grilled for eight hours in connection with the nature of his links with Agisialos and Bartel, the seizures made during the raid conducted at his Bandra res- idence for sev4en hours on Monday, the role of his live-part- ner Gabriella, a South African model in the nexus with the drug peddlers. Talking to media persons after the questioning, Rampal said: “I am fully co-operating with the investigations. I have nothing to do with drugs. The medicine found at my residence (during Monday’s raid) was pre- scribed by a doctor. The pre- scription has been found and handed over to the NCB officials. The NCB officials are doing a good job and I support them in their investigations. Rampal’s grilling came after two rounds of questioning that the NCB subjected his live-part- ner Gabriella to, on Wednesday and Thursday. Monday’s raid on Rampal’s residence, the subsequent ques- tioning of Gabriella, Bartel’s arrest and Arjun Rampal’s grilling should be seen in the context of the arrest of Gabriella’s brother Agisilaos Demetriades made by the NCB in connection with Bollywood- drug mafia nexus case. 2WX]PXS^[bPUUTRc [XeT[XW^^S^U0[XVPaW XS^[PZTab 1;;HF33AD60580=4GDB20B4 $UMXQ 5DPSDO JULOOHG IRU KRXUV VDV µ, KDYH QRWKLQJ WR GR ZLWK GUXJV¶ $XVWUDOLDQ IULHQG 3DXO %DUWHO DUUHVWHG 0[XVPaW)$!$ ZVX[Z_^fSTa bTXiTSUa^ _P]TTa_[P]c
- 6. T he outcome of the Bihar Legislative Assembly electionseemstosuggest that the Indian National Congress is on a course of terminal decline. The familiar qualifying refrain, “barring a mir- acle”, does not seem to apply here giventhemagnitudeofitsnon-per- formance. It won only 19 of the 70 seats, which is a shade over 27 per cent, of the 243 it contested. Its utterly poor show pulled down the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led alliance, the Mahagatbandhan (MGB), despite the RJD’s brave show, emerging as the largest single party with 75 seats, with the BJP a whisker short at 74. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 125 seats against the MGB’s 110. The Congress won a little over 27 per cent of the seats it contest- ed,whiletheRJDwonatrifleabove 53 per cent and the three Left par- ties, which bagged 17 seats — with the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) getting 11 — a little more than 58 per cent. This is a dismal outcome for a party that hadledIndia’sstruggleforindepen- dence from British rule and given the country a stable Government forthefirst20yearsasafreenation. It enjoyed unchallenged power during this period when it assidu- ously nurtured India’s infant democracy, enabling it to strike deep roots. Congress leaders have contend- ed that the 70 seats their party con- tested were in areas where they had traditionally fared very poorly. In the 2010 Assembly polls, the BJP- JanataDal(United)alliancewon65 of these. They led in 67 of the 70, which were Assembly segments of various Lok Sabha constituencies, in the parliamentary elections of 2019 they fought together. The question of the matter is: Why did the Congress contest these? Why, recognising its pathetic lack of workersandorganisationalstrength on the ground, did it not contest fewer seats and concentrate all its strength in these? Significantly, it had won 27 of the 41 seats it had contested in the 2015 Assembly elections. It is difficult to avoid the conclusionthatitwasambition-dri- ven optimism, without any basis in reality, that had prodded the party. Obviously, none in the latter’s deci- sion-making parlour had read Macbeth saying in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambi- tion. Which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on th’other.” And now, lying on the other, the party is alter- nating between licking its wounds and offering explana- tions. The impact of this over-arch- ing strategic blunder was aggra- vated by several factors. Apart from a few ineffective appear- ances, the Congress’s top lead- ers like Rahul, Priyanka and Sonia Gandhi were generally missing from the scene. One, however, wonders whether it would have made any difference iftheyhadbeenmorevisibleand vocal. It is well-known that SoniaGandhiisill.Whileenjoy- ingacertainacceptabilityamong leaders of most Opposition par- ties,shelacksthecommandover Hindi required to strike a chord with the masses. This stands out as a major liability vis-a-vis Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who can sweep crowds off their feetwithhisstridentoratoryand has an uncanny ability to con- nect with people. It is no secret that it was his speeches in a string of public rallies in the last phase of the campaign that turned the tide in the NDA’s favour. Rightly or wrongly, Rahul Gandhi remains burdened with the “pappu” image, is an indif- ferentpublicspeaker,andisseen as a part-time politician who vanishes after periodic appear- ances, generating much specu- lation about his whereabouts. The same goes for Priyanka Gandhi. Consider the Hathras rapeincident.Theduoburstinto the forefront of the movement, demandingjusticeforthevictim and her family, and then dropped out of sight. The argu- ment that they had no occasion to stage another dramatic pub- lic appearance does not hold. A successful politician must know how to create such occasions. This is particularly so because a politician’s image is increasing- ly important in a world where issues are too complex, and their solutions too technical, for ordinary voters to decide between the plans on offer. They tend to vote for the person who, they feel, can deliver. The appearance of capability is an important determinant of a leader’s acceptability. Can Rahul and Priyanka changethewaythepublicseems to perceive them? Images tend to stick to people but can be overcome given foresight, deter- mination, effort and, of course, success. When Indira Gandhi first came to power, she was regarded as a protégé of the Syndicate and a pushover. If memory serves, Ram Manohar Lohiacalledhera“gungiGudiya” or a dumb doll. Yet she worsted theSyndicateontheissueofwho should India’s President be — ensuring the victory of her can- didate, VV Giri, over the Syndicate’s nominee, N Sanjiva Reddy — swept the Lok Sabha elections of 1971, played a crit- ical role in Bangladesh’s libera- tion and established herself as a widely-accepted national leader. But for the Emergency, which remainsapermanentblotonher escutcheon, she might have been remembered as India’s greatest Prime Minister. Indira Gandhi established her position after becoming Prime Minister. Rahul and/or Priyanka Gandhi have to do so before assuming that office. It will be very difficult to do so through political action because the opportunities a Prime Minister can utilise by virtue of being in power — such as mak- ing populist moves like bank nationalisation, which Indira Gandhi resorted to — are not available to those in the Opposition.Thelattercanutilise the mistakes a Government makes. One, however, needs a certain political stature to lead effective movements against a Government and one cannot gain political stature unless one can lead effective movements. Stature is critically important. The movement against corrup- tion that, surging through 1973- 74, drove Indira Gandhi to the wall and prompted her to resort to the draconian step of declar- ing the Emergency, was led by JayaprakashNarayanwho,albeit no longer in politics then, was widely respected for his role in the freedom movement, in India’s socialist politics, and landredistributionthroughland gifts (Bhoodan) movement. Can Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi build up a credible stature for themselves? To start with, they need not disappear from the public eye every now and then, and begin making knowledgeablestatementsabout not only current events but the Congress’s political philosophy and the political, economic, social,culturalandotherpolicies arising therefrom. These have not been adequately articulated in the recent years though the party has moved far away from the resolution adopted at its Avadisessionin1955,callingfor the “establishment of a socialis- tic pattern of society where the principal means of production are under social ownership or control” and there is “equitable distribution of the national wealth.” The economic trajectory the party adopted under PV Narasimha Rao’s prime minis- tership,andcontinuedtopursue under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s watch, markedaradicaldeparturefrom the course advocated at Avadi. The Congress, however, has yet to come out with a comprehen- sive articulation of its econom- ic policy and its dialectic with concepts of social justice, con- sumer rights, democracy, the environment and human free- dom. Nor has it gone beyond shibboleths and come out with a coherent formulation of its stand on human rights and sec- ularism. Withoutaphilosophy,apolit- ical party lacks a compass for its policies and remains vulnerable to making compromises that, while serving ephemerally, undermine its long-term cred- ibility. To articulate the party’s polit- ical philosophy when market capitalism increasingly sets the global agenda, the Gandhi sib- lingsneedtobefamiliarwiththe history and the ideology of their party as well as the history of political and economic thought, and the contours of various ideologies like Marxism, laissez faire capitalism, Hindutva and theprinciplesofintegralhuman- ism expounded by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. As of now, one cannot visu- alisethemdoingso.Norcanone see a credible alternative leader- ship emerging within the Congress and of the latter becoming an effective political player at the national level. Recall the scant regard paid to the letter to Sonia Gandhi in August by 23 Congress leaders calling for root-and-branch reforms in the party, and their subsequent marginalisation. Without a change, one will be left with sharing William Wordsworth’s lament in On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic, “Men are we, and must grieve when even the shade/ Of that which once was great is passed away.” (The writer is Consultant Editor, The Pioneer, and an author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- 10. WR QHZ VHFWRUV DPRXQW LQJ WR C FURUH ZLOO PRVW OLNHO NLFN LQ RQO LQ WKH QH[W ILQDQFLDO HDU +RZHYHU ZH DOO NQRZ WKDW WKLQJV FRXOG EH D ORW ZRUVH DQG LQ WKLV IHVWLYH VHDVRQ ZH VKRXOG UHPHPEHU WKDW ODVW 'LZDOL QRERG WKRXJKW ZH ZRXOG EH KHUH WRGD :H FDQ RQO KRSH WKDW 'LZDOL LV WKH RQH ZKHUH WKH HFRQRP DQG VRFLHW DUH ERWK ORRNLQJ XS DeZ^f]fd`c_`e0 _^WdUb]R_^Tc Sir — On November 12, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a C2.65 lakh crore stimulus package to boost the COVID-hit economy. The Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 stimu- lus package includes a subsidy scheme to give an impetus to job creation and an additional out- layfortheurbanhousingscheme as well as measures aimed at 26 sectors worst hit by the lock- down. The Government should also revive public sector bakeries to set up big food processing and bakery units in each district of the country and produce pack- aged food to be served in trains and for mid-day meal pro- grammes. Huge funds required for set- ting up such big public sector units in large numbers can be acquired through long-term low interest bonds. The interest should be exempted from taxa- tion. As per the recommenda- tions by the Raja Chelliah Tax Reforms Committee, those with incomes exceeding more than C30 lakh should be required to compulsorily invest 20 per cent of their income per annum in these bonds. Apart from gener- ating a huge number of employ- ment opportunities, the move will profit the public exchequer. Madhu Agrawal Chandni Chowk DUQ^WQ^Q83cdU`cY^ Sir — Responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate P Indra Prakash, a division bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and B Vijaysen Reddy, has ordered the Government to “immediate- ly” impose curbs on the shops selling fireworks throughout the State. The judges observed that festivals do serve an important social function.However,itisthe duty of the State Government to ensure that people’s lives are not put at risk. This decision comes after States like Rajasthan, Delhi and West Bengal banned the sale of firecrackers, keeping in view thehighlevelofairpollutionand the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The problem of air pollution isn’t new to India and every win- ter the conversation around it gains traction only to be forgot- ten once again. So, why is there no political will to address such a crucial matter? Why does a court need to intervene when it should be the Government, both Central and States, that should worktogethertofindalong-term solution. The idea of a green Diwali is welcome but this won’t decrease the level of pollution that we are already witnessing. Strict measures need to be taken andfollowedthroughtocleanup the toxic air we breathe. Melville D’Souza Mumbai =edY`Qbdi?``_cYdY_^ Sir — India is witnessing a trend of political parties with different viewpointscomingtogetherwith the only aim of bringing down the ruling Government. For example, the Samajwadi Party’s alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh or the Grand Alliance of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and the Left parties in Bihar. Such incoherent groups are not able to present before the electorate any credible alterna- tive. Hence, the BJP continues to draw more votes. 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- 11. 0DQDJH ODQG UHFRUGV EHWWHU 508;HAD=?0AC84B0A4C7418664BCC7A40CC 342A02HC74=;H0=CA05ADAF8=F0B B01:0B00C7B01:0E8:0B 0=3B01:0E8B7F0B °?A848=8BC4A =0A4=3A038 ;45C?0AC84B3=´C70E403H=0BC82AD;41DC8 FD;3;8:4C:=F7F0=H19?;4034AB´ B=B0=330D67C4AB0A48=?;8C82B8=1870A °2?8;4034A 0CD;0=90= @?9D2D=C4A@?9D P roviding error-free, tamper-proof and effort- lesslyaccessiblelandrecordshasbeenamajor and prolonged governance challenge in the country. Land is a State subject and the project for computerisation of land records has been dragging on for decades due to a systemic lack of capacity, will and resources. Under the Digital India Land Record Modernisation Programme, the Rural DevelopmentMinistryprovidesfinancialassistance to States for computerisation of records, survey, re- surveyandcomputerisationofregistrationofplots. This involves preparation of cadastral maps, record of land rights, tracing changes in the rights and right-holders over time, deeds for registration of property transfers and other plot records. ByJuly31thisyear,thecomputerisationofland records was more than 90 per cent complete in 23 States and Union Territories (UTs). Digitisation of cadastral maps was more than 90 per cent done in 19 States and UTs, computerisation of registra- tionwasmorethan90percentfinishedin22States and UTs while integration of the registration office with the revenue office was more than 90 per cent accomplished in 16 States and UTs. This is a his- toric effort towards rural transformation. In a major initiative to use drones and satel- lites to digitally map the entire rural landscape, the Ministry launched a new Central scheme, Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA), on the National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24. TheGeologicalSurvey of Indiahasbeenasked to create a network of Continuously Operating Reference System (CORS) stations to utilise mod- ern surveying technology. This will be based on global satellite positioning systems and drones for accuracy and real-time data acquisition. SVAMIT- VA will be gradually implemented to cover all vil- lages (over 6.65 lakh) by March 2024 and one lakh villages have been targetted by March 2021. SVAMITVA is a national scale-up of Haryana’s trail-blazing project of mapping villages to create arecordofrightsfor“abadi”(inhabited)areasusing a drone survey. On October 11, an initial batch of one lakh beneficiaries from 763 villages from six States received an SMS link sent on their mobile phone to download their property cards, followed by the physical distribution of these cards by respective State Governments. Each card will have a unique identity number similar to the Aadhaar card. Acceptableproofofpropertyownershiprightsplays a big role in a country’s development and these property cards would make accessing bank loans easier.Thiswillfurtherloosenthegripoftheinfor- mal credit system. SVAMITVA will help start-ups provide drone technology as they will get more business. Real Time Kinematic (RTK) and Post-Processing Kinematic(PPK)dronetechnologiesaretobeused forthemapping.TheRTKtechnologyusesthereal- time satellite navigation technique to enhance the precision of position data derived from satellite- based positioning systems. The PTK technique is used to correct location data after drone data has been captured and uploaded. A number of agri- based start-ups are coming up and the field is ripe forinnovationandemployment.Drone-basedsur- veillance has already been successfully used for monitoring crowd movement and better traffic management. It is imperative that the SVAMIT- VA scheme is not confined to rural areas and is accelerated to include urban areas, too, as fast as the States cooper- ate. After all, drones and satellites can onlyhelpcreateauthenticrecordsofloca- tions. Who owns what rights on a par- ticular piece of land cannot be decided bythetechnologyserviceprovider.Sothe rather broken mechanism for resolving title disputes needs to be fixed in paral- lel.Thatexplainswhycoveringallvillages is targetted by March 2024. Itwouldbeabigadvancementinthe governance system if the whole country is digitally mapped and each square metre is assigned a unique identification code.Spinoffsofauniqueaddressingsys- tem are limited only by the imagination. The enormous benefits of the unique addressing system for governance and business will include valuable inputs for distribution of population, homesteads, farmed areas, wetlands, forests and so on andbetterplanningandimplementation of projects. Such a system will be useful in mon- itoring unauthorised constructions and encroachments as well. Petty corruption and local vested interests that patronise such activities can be checked through randomised selection of inspections by higher authorities. The real constraint lies in discrep- anciesandthehugependencyofdisputes about authenticity and completeness of land records. It is a big burden on the administrative system and courts. There is no ready central repository of statis- tics on cases pending with Tehsildars, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, District Magistrates, Divisional Commissioners, Revenue Ministers and Revenue Boards. Over 98 lakh civil cases were pending in courtson November12.Ofthese,60per cent were more than one year old, 34 per cent were over three years old and 20 per cent cases were over five years old. How many of them are land related is not known. The fact that land record digitisation is over 90 per cent complete in 23 States and UTs is heartening but also indicates the enormous challenge that lies ahead. Therearejusttoomanydepartmentsand agencies involved in management of landsandsuperstructuresthereon.There is an urban-rural divide handled by dif- ferent Ministries and Departments even as more and more rural areas get com- mercialised and urbanised. Some areas develop a vested interest in remaining officially “rural” even though these are not just adjacent but deep inside big cities. Lal Dora lands in Delhi and “vil- lages” in Delhi-NCR make an interest- ing study of what is rural and urban in terms of differential regulations and its costs to broader public interest. Historically, Revenue Departments in States are primary custodians of land management, especially agricultural plots. Forest and urban land manage- ment is with the Forest Department, Urban Development Department, municipal bodies and area development authorities. In some States, separate Panchayati Raj departments maintain records of village lands and properties. Then there are special authorities for management of charitable endowments and Waqf properties. Some States have separated survey and settlement func- tionsandgiventhemtospecialisedagen- cies. The Centre has a rather limited role in these transformative reforms as land is a State subject. It provides some financial assistance and shares best practices across the country. Some addi- tional measures are needed to speed up progress. For historical reasons, the land laws rooted in a colonial legacy differ widely across States. Post-Independence laws for implementing abolition of the zamindari system, “land to the tiller”, rights of share-croppers, land ceiling, consolidation,reformingrevenuesystem have been differently implemented. It would perhaps be premature to think about evolving a model land tenancy law orproposingacommontemplateofland management system by the Centre but certainly a system of special incentives for accelerating modernisation of the record system should be considered. Annual State rankings may also be considered. States are competing in annual ranking in terms of the Ease of Doing Business (EOBD) in the spirit of cooperative federalism. Ease of register- ing property, ease of verifying title and ease of recording and verifying charges on immovable property are contributo- ry factors for promoting EOBD for cor- porationsandEaseofLivingforordinary citizens. Theneedtospeedupmodernisation of the land records system can hardly be overemphasised. Together with schemes like PM-KISAN and the new agri- reform laws, incentivising digital pay- ments and online trade of farm produce willstrengthentheprocessofgradualfor- malisation and digitalisation of econom- ic activities and boost officially-record- ed economic growth. (The writer is former Special Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry) 7KH UHDO FRQVWUDLQW OLHV LQ GLVFUHSDQFLHV DQG WKH KXJH SHQGHQF RI GLVSXWHV DERXW DXWKHQWLFLW DQG FRPSOHWHQHVV RI RZQHUVKLS GRFXPHQWV 5 8 A B C 2 ; D = 4_^µd`Qi`_YdYSc _fUbSbQS[UbRQ^ B1:55F 07D90 P]hBcPcTbWPeTR^Td_fXcWcWTXa^f]]^ab 4eT]b^b^TBcPcTb[^^ZX]VPccWTXbbdT cWa^dVWPbT[UXbW[T]bPaTS^X]VPU[X_U[^_ CE281C83814B1?0=34H 8CFD;3 ?4A70?B14 ?A40CDA4 CC78=: 01DC 4E;E8=60 34;;0=3 C4=0=2H ;0FA ?A?B8=6 02= C4?;0C4 5;0=3 0=0644=C BHBC4 1HC74 24=CA41DC 24AC08=;H0 BHBC45 B?4280; 8=24=C8E4B 5A 0224;4A0C8=6 34A=8B0C8= 5C74A42A3 BHBC4B7D;3 142=B834A43 $ IWHU WKH 1DWLRQDO *UHHQ 7ULEXQDO 1*7
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