BJP, Cong go all guns blazing in K taka

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1 Follow us on: OPINION 8 DESPERATELY SEEKING AN INDIAN WORLD 11 HAWAII VOLCANO SHOOTS LAVA INTO SKY facebook.com/dailypioneer SPORT 16 DAREDEVILS TO FACE SUNRISERS IN IPL LUCKNOW, SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018; PAGES 16 `3 RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/ Established 1864 Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN Late City Vol. 154 Issue 121 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable } IMPORTANT TO FEEL DESIRABLE 14 VIVACITY } BJP, Cong go all guns blazing in K taka Modi to hold 15 more rallies, Rahul 16 in next 5 days; parties indulge in caste, communal slur DEEPAK K UPRETI n NEW DELHI n the slog over of the IKarnataka campaign, the BJP and the Congress have pulled out all stops to reach out to the voters and galvanise their supporters. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi are going to spend the remaining days addressing back-to-back rallies. Modi will hold as many as four rallies on Saturday and will altogether address 15 more allies. Rahul will also be holding 14 to 16 more rallies in the next five days. With stakes high for both the parties, the campaign has turned bitter and personalised and both sides are accusing each other of creating caste and communal divisions. Corruption also figures in good measures in the campaign though it may not cut much ice with the voters. When Modi called Siddaramaiah Government 10 per cent commission ki sarkar, the Karnataka Chief Minister showed mirror to the BJP by reminding the Prime Minister that his CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa was in jail in corruption charges and Reddy brothers were equally tainted. Realising that it cannot make corruption an issue in Karnataka, the BJP is now trying to corner the Congress by raking up other sensitive issues. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took this task upon himself by accusing the Siddaramaih Government of backing jehadi elements and turning the State into a killing field of Hindu activists. The fast and furious entry of Modi from May 1 when he CAPSULE THUNDERSTORM, SQUALL WARNING FOR 4 STATES New Delhi: A fresh warning about thunderstorm and squall hitting West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has been issued, the Home Ministry said, and noted that 124 people were killed while more than 300 injured due to thunderstorm and lightning in the last two days. HC REFUSES TO INTERFERE IN WB PANCHAYAT POLLS Kolkata: The Calcutta HC has refused to interfere with West Bengal panchayat elections. It also criticised role of poll panel in conducting process that has faced Opposition s ire. 16-YR-OLD RAPED, BURNT TO DEATH IN JHARKHAND Ranchi: A 16-year-old girl was gangraped and burnt to death in front of her family members in Jharkhand s Chatra on Friday. SC WON T INTERFERE WITH SCRIBE S ARREST New Delhi: Journalist Upendra Rai was sent to three-day CBI custody by a special court, hours after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with his arrest for involvement in dubious financial transactions and fraudulently acquiring an airport access pass. PNS n NEW DELHI he massive maintenance Twork of tracks undertaken by the Indian Railways has affected its punctuality with almost one-third of the trains running late in and clocking worst performance in the last three years. According to the figures, from April 2017 to March 2018, the punctuality of mail and express trains was per cent, down from per cent in the corresponding period of , which is a deterioration of 5.30 per cent. In , started his whirlwind electioneering at the district level has enlivened the poll scene as he took the Siddaramaiah Government head-on and accused it of converting Bengaluru into a garbage city and valley of sin from Silicon Valley. Bengaluru was admired as a garden city, but the Karnataka Government is trying to turn this into a garbage city. They are showing no concern for the city s needs, Modi said in his full-scale attack. In his riposte, Rahul accused Modi of insulting the city of Bengaluru, which has ushered country s IT revolution. Siddaramaiah also joined Rahul, saying, Bengaluru, the city you ridiculed yesterday, leads the nation with 25 per cent women s participation in the workforce. In Delhi, the city you live in, the rate is 10 per PNS n ALIGARH uthorities have suspended Ainternet services in Aligarh district amid unrest in Aligarh Muslim University over Jinnah s portrait row and outsiders forced entry to the campus on Wednesday leading to violence. There will be no internet services from 2 pm on Friday to 12 midnight tomorrow, district magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh This has been done to prevent exchange of malicious communication which could cause further trouble, he As tension prevailed in AMU and students continued with their sit-in at the Baab-e- Syed gate of the university demanding action against antisocial elements, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sought a detailed report from AMU over Jinnah s portrait. Singh claimed that heavy police force continued to camp at Baad-e-Syed gate to avert further exigency. The agitating students, who Rlys punctuality at its lowest ebb in 3 years Tracks maintenance cited as major reason per cent trains ran on time. To discuss the situation, Railways Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani has convened a meeting of top officials of all zonal railways next week. A senior railway official said that the Indian Railways is currently undergoing a phase where upgrading, modernisation and renewal of tracks are going on in a big way. Due to this, there is a sharp decline in the number of accidents in the recent past. We are also making efforts to improve punctuality of trains without compromising safety and upgrading of tracks, said Rajesh Bajpai, Director (Media and Communication), the Ministry of Railways. Continued on Page 6 m Realising that it cannot make corruption an issue in Karnataka, the BJP is now trying to corner the Congress by raking up other sensitive issues m Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took this task upon himself by accusing the Siddaramaih Government of backing jehadi elements and turning the State into a killing field of Hindu activists cent. We must be doing something right. BJP campaign suffered a jolt on Friday after the Supreme Court disallowed Mining baron G Janardhana Reddy to campaign in Bellary from where his brother is contesting on the BJP ticket. Currently on bail in an illegal mining case, Reddy s bail order had a condition prohibiting his entry into Bellary. Seeking modification of this condition, Reddy approached the apex court to be allowed to campaign in the district for his brother Gali Somashekhara Reddy, who is have been boycotting classes for the last two days, offered prayers at the dharna site in which teachers and members of AMU fraternity participated. Sources said some of the protesters also had tiffs with media persons but timely intervention of officials saved the situation from turning worse. Fast and furious m When Modi called Siddaramaiah Govt 10 per cent commission ki sarkar, the Karnataka Chief Minister showed mirror to the BJP by reminding the PM that his CM candidate BSY was in jail in corruption charges and Reddy brothers were equally tainted m BJP campaign suffered a jolt on Friday after the Supreme Court disallowed Mining baron G Janardhana Reddy to campaign in Bellary from where his brother is contesting on the BJP ticket m The pace of BJP campaign was also impeded as the storm tragedy back home forced Yogi Adityanath to cut short his tour to Karnataka and return to UP contesting elections on a BJP ticket from Bellary constituency. Appearing for the mining baron, advocate Bina Madhavan sought a week s time for her client to campaign for elections till May 10. The elections are due in the State on May 12. A Bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan asked the counsel why her client was interested to visit the place and expressed its inability to relax the bail condition on this ground. The controversial Reddy brothers have been on the target of Siddaramaiah, who has questioned the Modi Government s commitment to AMU s Jinnah row cuts off Aligarh from virtual world Security personnel stand guard as Aligarh Muslim University students protest outside the university gate in Aligarh on Friday PANKAJ SINGH GAUR n SITAPUR he terror of blood-thirsty stray Tdogs continued to haunt Sitapur when two more children were mauled by canines on Friday, raising a question mark on the efforts of district administration to catch those dogs and ensure safety of children. As per reports, a pack of dogs attacked four children in Khairabad and adjoining areas on Friday morning leading to the death of two kids. With this, the total number of children killed by stray dogs in the last six months has gone up to 15. On May 1, three children were killed by stray dogs leading to protests after which the district administration deployed dog-catchers across Sitapur and adjoining areas. As per reports, Gita (7) of Khairabad accompanied by two children went to an orchard to collect mangoes on Friday morning PTI On Wednesday, violence broke out on the campus when students demanded action against outsiders, who had stormed the campus demanding that the portrait of Pakistan s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah be removed from students union office. Continued on Page 6 when a pack of dogs attacked them. Two children managed to flee, but the dogs mauled Gita. Her shrieks alerted villagers but by the time they reached there, Gita had died. In another incident in Budanpur village, a pack of stray dogs attacked Virendra (10), who had gone out to ease himself. He raised an alarm but before locals could rush there, he was killed. Agitated villagers chased the dogs and killed one of them. On being informed, CO, City, Yogendra Singh and tehsildar Dinesh Singh reached the village and were gheraoed by angry villagers who demanded security from dogs. The residents of Sitapur are stunned as this is the second attack of stray dogs on children in the last three days. District Magistrate Sheetal Verma had set up four teams to catch the dogs. Besides, a special team has been requisitioned from Mathura. On Friday, the team is reported to have its much published anti-corruption plank as the BJP has now not only associated with Reddy brothers but allocated tickets to seven of his clan members. The pace of BJP campaign was also impeded as the storm tragedy back home forced Yogi Adityanath to cut short his tour to Karnataka and return to UP. Taking a pot shot at the UP Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah had on Thursday said he felt sorry for UP whose Chief Minister was busy campaigning in Karnataka instead of standing by his State. I am sorry your CM is needed here in Karnataka, Govt revenue to fall as Jio leaves telecom firms fighting for life MADHUSUDAN SAHOO n NEW DELHI he Government s mop-ups Tin form of licence fee and spectrum usage charges are likely to fall further as the gross revenue of all telecom firms, except Reliance Jio, has declined significantly. As per data released by telecom watchdog Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telecom sector s gross revenue fell by 8.56 per cent to `2.55 lakh crore in 2017 from `2.79 lakh crore in As per the report, total collections for the Government from licence fee came down by per cent in 2017, while revenue from spectrum usage charges plunged by per cent. We expect a further dip in both spectrum usage charges and licence fees in the future because of many factors. Declining trend of subscribers is one of the main reasons. Continued on Page 6 Siddaramaiah had tweeted. I am sure he will return soon & attend to his work there. Adityanath was earlier scheduled to campaign till Saturday noon. Before leaving for his State, the UP Chief Minister accused the Congress of following its alleged tradition of dividing the country. The Congress has had a tradition of breaking and dividing. From the partition of the country to the caste and religion based politics that we see today, all of it is a legacy of the Congress. Both Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah are following the same Congress tradition. The BJP believes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi s Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat slogan. We also want a political unification of the country and from that point of view, the Karnataka election is very important to us, he The heat generated in the run-up to the polling day is expected to go up by the closing hours of May 10 as loss or gain of a few seats could decide the fate of both the parties. The Prime Minister is continuing with his campaign even when he is Delhi. On Friday, while addressing Karnataka BJP Mahila Morcha Karyakartas via the Narendra Modi App, Modi asked them to win the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections by concentrating on booths. During his speech, Modi recalled the legacy of women leadership in Karnataka by remembering Kittur Rani Chennamma, Belavadi Mallamma, Rani Abbakka, Onake Obavva and legendary Hindustani singer Gangubai Hangal. Continued on Page 6 Modi, Nitish fall for fake Bihar news Reports of 27 deaths in bus blaze turn out to be misinformation Smoke billows out of a passenger bus at Motihari in East Champaran PTI/File FAIZAN AHMAD n PATNA rime Minister Narendra PModi on Thursday night expressed his deep sorrow and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar observed a minute of silence over inferno deaths that never took place. The entire media was also taken for a ride by authorities in reporting several casualties in a bus fire in Motihari in Bihar on Thursday. The official in Bihar Government on Thursday said several passengers died in the accident when the air-conditioned bus going to Delhi from Muzaffarpur fell in ditch and caught fire. By night they brought down the toll from 27 to seven. On Friday, it became clear that no one died in the accident. Bihar Disaster Management Minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav, who had said several people had died in the tragedy, said his earlier announcement was based on information from local sources and that it was incorrect. There was also confusion over the number of passengers on board. The bus was totally charred and when it was extricated from the ditch no human skeleton was found inside. Motihari Sadar SDO Rajnish Lal said, All 13 passengers sustained burn injuries and eight of them are being treated while five had sustained minor injuries and they went back to their homes. SP of Motihari Upendra Kumar Sharma said, There is no casualty. We called the teams of NDRF and SDRF for searching the bodies. They found nothing. District Magistrate Raman Kumar said, The bus has been pulled out of the ditch. It is in front of you. You and I can see there is not even a single charred body inside it. Continued on Page 6 Yogi cuts short Karnataka campaign to visit Agra PTI n LUCKNOW fter facing opposition Abarbs over his absence from the state even as a storm caused large-scale destruction, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his poll campaign in Karnataka and rushed back to Agra, which faced the maximum brunt of the storm that left over 100 dead across the state. Earlier, Yogi was scheduled to take part in campaigning in Karnataka till Saturday. Government spokesman Avanish Awasthi said that the Chief Minister would reach Agra on Friday night but visit the storm-ravaged areas on Saturday morning. The Chief Minister will review relief and rescue in Agra and then leave for Kanpur to monitor relief operation in the storm-ravaged areas, Awasthi said through a WhatsApp message on Friday. Yogi was pilloried by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for being busy in Karnataka polls while people in western UP were killed and rendered homeless by the storm. In a tweet, Akhilesh had said: CM should come out immediately from Karnataka. People have elected him to solve their problems, not to do politics in Karnataka. Even the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, criticised Yogi for being in Karnataka when his own state was battered by the storm. Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati said despite the calamity, Modi and Adityanath were busy in the Karnataka campaign only to serve their selfish electoral interests. In a statement, she said not much should be expected from the government which has such a narrow mindset. This is the reason why both the Centre and the state governments of UP and Rajasthan have remained totally lax and irresponsible after the loss of life and property, she added. A high-intensity storm ravaged parts of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday night, leaving 73 dead and 91 injured. Agra district was the worst-hit, accounting for 43 deaths and injuries to 51. Meanwhile, the Met office on Friday put Agra on a 72-hour alert till Monday. District Magistrate of Agra Gaurav Dayal also issued a detailed advisory to manage any imminent disaster. Two more kids mauled to death by stray dogs in Sitapur caught 24 dogs but officials felt that the menace was far from over. City Magistrate Harshdeo Pandey said that villagers had been asked not to allow children to go out alone. We also suggest that children should not be allowed to go out to play for a few days till these dogs are caught, he SP Anand Kulkarni said that the attacks were reported when children went out to relieve themselves or collect mangoes. Small precautions can save precious lives of the children, he The bigger question is that why all of a sudden stray dogs have started attacking children. Villagers say that an illegal slaughter house was in operation near Khairabad graveyard and these dogs used to get food from there. Once the abattoir was closed, the dogs stopped getting their food and hence started attacking children. (Left) Stray dogs being rounded up in Sitapur

2 a a LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 city 02 Bypolls: Jayant holds parleys with Akhilesh PNS n LUCKNOW L eaders of Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal held long parleys in Lucknow on Friday to thrash out a strategy for putting up a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly bypolls. Leaders of both the parties evaded the media on whether any decision was taken about finalising candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats going to bypolls. RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary arrived in Lucknow on Friday morning and was closeted with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for over two hours before leaving for Delhi. Chaudhary is likely to meet Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati in Delhi to finalise candidates for the two bypolls. Sources in the SP said it was a courtesy meeting. Both leaders held talks for strengthening opposition unity as the defeat of the BJP in the bypolls will send a very strong message to the electorate ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the sources The SP chief suggested to Chaudhary to meet the BSP DySP accused of molestation transferred PNS n LUCKNOW he deputy superintenden of police Taccused for sexually exploiting a woman and confining her in his official residence was removed from Kasganj district after registration of a case against him on Thursday. However, no action has been taken against him on the ground that the matter is still under investigation. An official communiqué of the DGP office confirmed that a case was registered against DySP Ajay Kumar Singh on charges of molestation, confining the victim and threatening her with her life. Ajay Kumar Singh was posted as circle officer of city area in Kasganj but on Thursday night he was removed and posted at Police Recruitment and Promotional Board in Lucknow. It may be mentioned that the sensational disclosure of sexual exploitation by a police officer came to light on Wednesday when the girl called some media persons and asked them to rescue her from the officer s residence. She also alleged that she was sexually exploited and confined in DySP Ajay Kumar Singh s residence in Kasganj and that the officer had put a lock outside and left somewhere. She also alleged that after she called the journalists, she received a call from the DySP who threatened her with dire consequences. Sources said that a fortnight back, the same woman had posted a video against the same officer but when the police contacted her, she refused to lodge any report,. SP of Kansganj, Piyush Srivastava, when contacted on Wednesday night, had confirmed the information but claimed that the woms had so far not filed a complaint in this regard. chief in Delhi to reach a broad consensus on fielding candidates for both seats, a SP leader Samajwadi Party MLC and close aide of Akhilesh Yadav, Sunil Singh Sajan, said the party would declare its own candidate for Kairana bypolls. He said that the decision was taken at a meeting called by party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday. It is being viewed as a signal to RLD to take a step backwards and not be adamant on fielding Jayant Chaudhary, son of RLD chief Ajit Singh, for the bypoll. Sajan rubbished the impression in political circles that the SP would not field a candidate and instead support the RLD candidate. He said that the SP was a natural claimant to the seat as it came a close second in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll. Samajwadi Party is the natural claimant. Right now the candidate has not been decided but it will be decided soon by the party brass, he At present the SP and the BSP have a mutual understanding and some BJP people are spreading canards that there is no alliance. I figure they are scared by their bypoll PNS n LUCKNOW n a sensational incident Ireported from Amethi, a man and his son were brutally hacked to death and four others were critically injured when the neighbours attacked them over opposing eve-teasing on Thursday evening. As the inaction of the local police led to the killing, taking a serious note of the incident, The district police chief of Amethi shunted out station house officer DK Singh, a sub-inspector and a constable. An inquiry was also initiated to ascertain their role in the killing. As per reports, Gyan Prakash Pandey lived with his family in Puretejai Bairghat area of Piperpur. His neighbour, Rahul, used to ride past his house several times during the day and in the evening. Last Wednesday evening, Rahul passed lewd remarks on Pandey s niece and teased her. When the latter tried to warn defeats in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats. We are in firm alliance with the BSP, he added. In a not-so-subtle hint to RLD to withdraw its candidate, Sajan said that if other parties were really interested in defeating the BJP or saving the Constitution, then they should support the SP candidate. Meanwhile, RLD spokesman Anil Dube said that Jayant Chaudhary was not here to discuss his own candidature either from Kairana or Noorpur but to discuss larger issues relating to a united front against the BJP which began from bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in March last and further strengthening it. The people in Kairana want (Jayant) Chaudhary to contest and if the SP supports him, we will certainly defeat the BJP. A final call will be taken on a joint candidate by the party brass, RLD state chief Masood Ahmed Kairana Lok Sabha seat has around 17 lakh voters including around 3 lakh Muslims, 4 lakh Backward Castes (Jat, Gujjar, Saini, Kashyap, Prajapati and others) and about 1.5 lakh Jatavs (Dalits). PNS n LUCKNOW o regain the lost ground in this Tbiggest state of the country having 80 Lok Sabha seats, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati is likely to hold direct interaction with the public through chaupals. Mayawati has never in the past opted for direct interactions with the masses during poll campaign, preferring to address the people in big rallies. However, this time, to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party s bid to attract Dalits by visiting their hamlets and dining with them, Mayawati has reportedly decided to handle the challenge on her own by starting chaupals, particularly in those areas which are dominated by Dalits. It may be mentioned that recently the BJP had started Gram Swaraj campaign to woo Dalits by asking its ministers to hold chaupals and have dinners in the houses of Dalits. Sources in the BSP confirmed that senior leaders of the party have chalked out a plan to take on the BJP move of attracting Dalit voters. Rahul to mend his ways, he assaulted and threatened him. Pandey later filed a complaint at Piperpur police station but SHO DK Singh merely registered a non-cognizable report (NCR) and did not even reprimand the accused. Interestingly, the SHO also tipped Rahul about Pandey s complaint and this irked him. To teach the complainant a lesson, Rahul and his family members attacked Pandey with sharp-edged weapons and hacked him to death on Thursday night. When Pandey s son, Rohit, rushed to his father s rescue, he too was eliminated. Four other members of the family Shyam Prakash, Suraj, Mohit and Gayatri also tried to stop the assailants but were attacked with sharp-edged weapons and sustained critical injuries. Though the locals were witness to the macabre attack, no one came to the family s help as Rahul enjoyed a clout SP MP Nishad praises Jinnah Lucknow (PNS): Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, Praveen Kumar Nishad, courted controversy by praising Muhammad Ali Jinnah, saying that he was a freedom fighter and his contribution to the independence struggle was no less than that of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The MP also condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party for indulging in communal politics in the name of removal of Jinnah s portrait from the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union hall. On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya maintained that Jinnah was an enemy of India. Nishad alleged that the BJP was pursuing divisive politics at caste and religion levels. He said both Hindus and Muslims had contributed to the freedom struggle. If Bhagat Singh went to the gallows for India s freedom, then Ashfaqullah also laid down his life for the same cause. The BJP is stoking Hindu-Muslim discord only for narrow political gains and SP will never allow the saffron party s nefarious designs to take shape, he According to the sources, Mayawati has given her consent to take the campaign on her own. She is likely to start visiting areas dominated by Dalit s and hold chaupals, directly interacting with the people to know their problems and assure them of the measures the BSP will take after coming to power. The sources further said that the Escalating the ongoing controversy on Pakistan s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah s portrait, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday termed the former as an enemy of the nation. Jinnah was an enemy of the nation. No one in India has ever had or ever will have a place for an enemy in their hearts, Maurya The controversy surrounding Jinnah s poster was triggered this week after BJP MP from Aligarh, Satish Gautam, wrote to AMU Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, seeking explanation for Jinnah s portrait finding a place in students union office. Earlier, BJP leader and UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya had lauded Jinnah saying that his contribution before partition could not be ignored. Responding to Maurya s remark, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, That is an internal party matter, we will deal with it later. Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also reacted to the controversy saying that the person who was behind India s partition could not be accorded respect here. BSP had also prepared a list of incidents in which BJP government s facilitated attacks on Dalit communities, or how the atrocities on the community increased after the Narendra Modi led government came to power. Not only this, Mayawati, would inform the Dalits how the Central government was slowly diluting the with the cops. Soon after the killings, the villagers shifted the injured to hospital and informed the police but nothing was done by the SHO. A case was registered on the complaint of Shyam Prakash only after senior officers intervened, but no one was arrested. The FIR named Rahul Pandey, Vijay aka Bachcha, Ravi Pandey (all brothers) and their brother-in-law Shiv Kumar Tewari as accused. Learning of the connivance of the SHO, Superintendent of Police of Amethi shunted out DK Singh along with three other cops and on Friday, accused Vijay and Shiv Kumar were arrested. Prime accused Rahul was also arrested from a private hospital in Lucknow where he was undergoing treatment after being injured during the attack. Meanwhile in Meerut, a man torched his wife, daughter and his mother-in-law and later tried to immolate himself over a family dispute. All four were rushed to medical college hospital but while the women folks died, the man was battling for his life. As per reports, Sonu Khan of Himaunnagar area of Lisadigate was married to Suraiyya eight years back and the couple had a two-year-old daughter Alisha. The couple used to have frequent fights as the husband blew up his earnings in gambling and did not provide for the family. On Friday morning, the two again had heated arguments after which Sonu brought petrol and acid and threw it on his wife and daughter and torched them. When Suraiyya s mother Salma tried to rescue them, the accused doused her with petrol and set her afire. Later, he poured petrol on his clothes and set himself on fire. A case was registered and investigations are on. PNS n LUCKNOW he government has sanc- `5.36-crore relief Ttioned for 17 storm-hit districts of the state. This is over and above `3 crore sanctioned to Agra and `10 lakh to Mathura districts, according to an official. Out of the sanctioned amount, `50 lakh is for Shahjahanpur, `10 lakh for Sambhal, `35 lakh for Amroha, `62 lakh for Pilibhit, `2 lakh for Shamli, `30 lakh for Kushinagar, `102 lakh for Kanpur Nagar, `35 lakh for Faizabad, `15 lakh for Etah, `20 lakh for Jalaun, `20 lakh for Kaushambi, `20 lakh for Kannauj, `20 lakh for Fatehpur, `5 lakh for Chitrakoot, `5 lakh for Muzaffarnagar and `5 lakh for Hamirpur. The gratuitous relief amount has been distributed to hundred percent affected families against loss of 75 human lives, injuries to 87 persons and loss of 331 cattle heads till Friday. A sum of `5.71 lakh has been distributed among 133 families against 338 affected families for house collapse. The relief amount will be distributed to the remaining affected families by Saturday. LAND IMPROVEMENT The UP government has taken an initiative to make barren land agricultural as the effort is to ensure that no district is left with barren land. To achieve this goal, officers have Maya plans to hold chaupals SC, ST Act, and how the government took no interest in pursuing the matter of reservation for Dalits in promotions in government jobs etc. The sources confirmed that besides Mayawati, the district coordinator of the area, along with local leaders of the party, including aspirants for the parliamentary elections, would attend the chaupals which would probably start sometime next month. It may be mentioned that Mayawati has already ordered BSP zonal coordinators to strengthen the party at booth level in wake of next parliamentary elections. She has also asked them to look for potential candidates for all the Lok Sabha seats in UP barring Amethi and Rae Bareli, where the party has already announced not to field any candidate irrespective of her decision to contest the next Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Samajwadi Party. Mayawati wants the BSP to get ready to contest all seats in case her understanding with the SP leaders fail on seat sharing. 36 caught pilfering power during drive Allahabad (PNS): As many as 36 persons were caught for pilfering power during a checking drive launched by a team of Electricity department which was backed by a heavy police force in Mehdauri Colony, Teliarganj, here. As per the reports, the Electricity department employees disconnected the supply of several houses after finding that majority of them were using katias. As a result an altercation took place between them and the local residents. But they could not make any excuse due to the presence of a heavy posse of police there. It is learnt that an advocate of the same locality had started the altercation with the team of Man, son hacked to death for opposing eve-teasing `8.66 cr relief to 17 storm-hit dists the Electricity department. When its staff started snapping the illegal connections in the houses of the people, the advocate demanded their restoration but the team refused to budge. He then instigated the locals and created a ruckus there. Electricity department, transformers get conked off everyday due to the overloading in the area. Congress moves application for disqualification of DP Singh PNS n LUCKNOW ongress MLC Deepak CSingh has moved an application seeking disqualification of party MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh who joined Bharatiya Janata Party last month. According to Deepak Singh, he had handed over an application for disqualification of Dinesh Pratap Singh, as the latter s joining the Bharatiya Janata Party attracted the antidefection law. Dinesh Pratap won the election on Congress ticket so now after joining BJP, he is not entitled to continue as member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, Deepak Singh claimed. It may be mentioned that Dinesh Pratap Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of party president Amit Shah in Amethi last month. Dinesh Pratap Singh was leader of the Congress in the UP Legislative Council. been asked to implement land improvement policy. Minister of State for Parti Bhumi Vikas (Independent Charge) Upendra Tiwari said that land improvement programme was running in 11 districts of the state including Kanpur Dehat, Fatehpur, Etawah, Auraiya, Ferozabad, Barabanki, Kaushambi, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Jaunpur and Sultanpur. He said that more than 30,000 farmers were benefited by treating 19,199 hectares of ravine land in these dk;kzy; funs'kd] uokc okftn vyh 'kkg izkf.k m ku] y[kuå i= la- & 1286@fufonk lwpuk ¼18&19½ y[kuå fnukad % 27 vizsy] 2018 vyidkyhu fufonk vkea=.k ¼bZ&izkD;ksjesUV½ lwpuk lozlk/kkj.k dks lwfpr fd;k tkrk gs fd uokc okftn vyh 'kkg izkf.k m ku] y[kuå }kjk ^mrrj izns'k ds izkf.k m ku* gsrq dkwqh Vscy cqd dh NikbZ gksuh gsa rduhdh :i ls n{k QeksZ@dEifu;ksa@O;fDr;ksa }kjk yxhkx 1000 cqd dk :ikadu,oa NikbZ gsrq fufonk,a fueukuqlkj https//etender.up.nic.in ds ek/;e ls rduhdh,oa forrh; fcm vkeaf=r dh tkrh gsa fufonk gsrq rduhdh fooj.k mdr osclkbv ij miyc/k gsa fufonkvks ds fu;e o 'krsz fueu izdkj gs %& 1- fufonk izi= dk fu/kkzfjr ewy; #0 500@&o VSDl #0 90@1 dqy #0 590@& ek= dk RTGS/NEFT ds ek/;e ls funs'kd] fizul vkq osyl tqyksftdy xkmszul VªLV] y[kuå ds csad vkwq cm+ksnk ds cpr [kkrk la rfkk IFSC Code - BARBONARHIX (Fifth character is Zero), czkup ujgh] y[kuå es a tek djds csad }kjk tkjh UTR No. rduhdh fcm ds lkfk layxu djuk vfuok;z gsa 2- ¼bZ&izksD;ksjsesUV½ ds ek/;e ls fufonk izi= xq.korrk] rduhdh ekudks rfkk vu; fu;e,oa 'krksza lfgr fnukad dks izkr% cts ls dks lk;a 5-00 cts rd https//etender.up..nic.in ls MkmuyksM dj izkir dh tk ldrh gsa 2- fufonk,a fnukad dks lk;a 5-00 cts rd online }kjk Hksth x;h https//etender.up.nic.in ij ¼nLrh@jftLVMZ Mkd@LihM ikslv lk/kkj.k Mkd ls ugha½ fu/kkzfjr le; ds vunj tek gksuk vko';d gsa 3- izr;sd fufonknkrk }kjk #- 30]000@& ¼#i;k rhl gtkj½ vuszlv euh dh /kujkf'k fdlh jk"vªh;d`r csad ds csad Mªk V ds :i es a ¼udn ugha½ tks funs'kd] fizul vkq osyl tqyksftdy xkmszul VªLV] y[kuå ds uke fu:fir,oa jk"vªh;d`r csad ds csad Mªk V ¼ewy es a½ ¼udn ugha½ rfkk rduhdh,oa forrh; fcm ls lacaf/kr lelr izi= fufonk [kqyus ls iwoz dks lk;a 5-00 cts rd funs'kd] uokc okftn vyh 'kkg izkf.k m ku] y[kuå ds dk;kzy; es a cun fyqkqs es a tek djuk vfuok;z gksxk vu;fkk fufonk Lor% gh fujlr le>h tk;sxha 4- fufonk,a fnukad dks izkr% cts fufonk lfefr ds }kjk [kksyh tk;sxha fufonk fyqkqs ij fufonk dk uke ^dkwqh Vscy cqd* fy[kk gksuk vko';d gsa ftu fufonknkrkvksa dh rduhdh fcm esa iw.kz gksxh] mugha fufonknkrkvksa dh forrh; fcm [kksyh tk,xha 5- lhkh fufonkvksa ;k fdlh fufonk dks vlohdkj djus,oa fdlh Hkh fufonk dks Lohdkj djus dk vf/kdkj funs'kd] uokc okftn vyh 'kkg izkf.k m ku] y[kuå dks lqjf{kr gs] ftlds fy;s dksbz Hkh dkj.k crkuk vko';d ugha gksxka 6- fufonk ds lkfk yxh fufonknkrk@qez@deiuh dh fdlh Hkh 'krz dks Lohdkj ugha fd;k tk,xka m0iz fnukad fokkiu osclkbv ij miyc/k gsa districts. He said that about `33 crore was spent in treating barren land in these 11 districts. KHARIF PRODUCTIVITY SEMINAR ON MAY 7 A state-level seminar on Kharif productivity will be organised under the chairpersonship of Agriculture Production Commissioner on May 7 in the auditorium of Agriculture Directorate. State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi will be the chief guest at the seminar. ¼vkj0ds0 flag½ funs'kd] uokc okftn vyh 'kkg izkf.k m ku] y[kuå Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Tel: (0522) / Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: Vijay Prakash Singh. RNI No. 2016/57. Lucknow Telephones: EPABX: Fax: Allahabad Office: (95532) , , Kanpur Office: (95512) , Varanasi Office: (95542) , Delhi Office: Link House, II Floor, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi Tel: (011) ,

3 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 city 03 LMC pushes for dog sterilisation Youth dies due to police excesses PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T hey are omnipresent, in streets, markets, schools, buildings, creating both fear and revulsion amongst the general public which has till recently been battling the problem by ignoring it or making a few complaints. However, with the recent incidents at Sitapur, the dog menace has caught spotlight. In the wake of incidents, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has given pace to its dog sterilisation process which authorities say goes a long way in making the dogs less furious. Chief veterinary officer, LMC, Dr Arvind Rao said that they had given a thrust to the problem at two levels. First, we have set an increased target for the number of dogs to be sterilised from 200 per month to 300. Secondly, we have expedited the construction of a hospital for stray animals, said Rao. He said that they were also providing support to Gyan Foundation, an NGO, which was sterilizing dogs per expense but if we get more funds from the state government, more dogs can be sterilised, he Rao said that the dogs which are sterilised are selected in a random manner. We pick up dogs after complaints that we get across the city and the maximum complaints are from old parts of the city, he added. Lucknow Municipal Commissioner Udai Raj admitted that the focus was on the sterilisation process to beat the menace. We will be shortly opening the third centre which will possibly give us some relief. We have the funds but any assistance from the state government will always help, he Preeti Khare from Gyan Foundation said that the sterilisation target had to be increased and was the only solution to the problem. We pick up the dogs on the basis of the inputs that we get youth (21) died at his Ahouse located in DUDA colony under the PGI police station in the wee hours of Friday allegedly due to police excesses. He was identified as Ziaullah Qamar. His father Mohammad Sayeed claimed his son was killed after he was severely beating up by the police during interrogation. District police spokesman PK Sharma denied that Ziaullah died due to police excesses. The police picked up the deceased and his brother Ziaullah Hassan on May 27 for interrogating them in connection with transgender Chanchal murder case. The police said Chanchal, an eunuch, was shot dead on May 23 night in Ashiyana. The police detained the two bothers for two days at the police station for interrogation and were released on May 29. Stray dogs roaming around in packs is a common sight across the city Pioneer and sterilise both the female The father alleged that his Kin and neighbours of the deceased protesting on Friday Pioneer and the male dogs. We have to month by providing them the infrastructure and van for catching and sterilising dogs. The chief vet admitted that they needed more funds for carrying out the sterilisation process. Nearly Rs 1,200 per month are required for the sterilisation of a dog. So far, LMC has been bearing the ation which is 3-5 days in case of female dogs and more in case of the male dogs, he retain the dog after the oper- Truck driver found with multiple injuries, dies PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW truck driver was killed by unidentified mis- on the intervening night of Acreants Thursday and Friday. He was identified as Jagdish Prasad and he was found on the driver s seat with multiple wounds on his head near Punjabi dhaba under Bakshi-Ka-Talab police station. He was rushed to Trauma Centre where he succumbed to injuries. Shahab Ali, the owner of the truck, was trying to contact Jagdish Prasad on his mobile phone on Thursday midnight but failed to talk to him. Then he took the help of GPS to locate the drivers whereabouts and was able to trace his location near the dhaba. Shahab reached there at 2 am. The owner found Jagdish in an unconscious state with serious wounds and was profusely bleeding. The blood-stained tool used to fix the tyre was found on the seat next to the driver. He immediately informed the UP Dial-100 and nearby police station and rushed him to Trauma Centre. He succumbed to injuries there during the course of the treatment. The police said that the motive for the killing could not be ascertained. The owner also said that no money or wallet was found with the driver or in the vehicle but other goods were intact. sons were severely beaten up by police. The younger one suffered more serious internal injuries than his elder brother. Mohammad Sayeed said that they were being treated by a private doctor but the condition of the younger one started deteriorating since Thursday PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW ook fair convener Manoj BChandel said the new venue (Sangeet Natak Akademi) had attracted a new set of people which was one positive aspect. Stall incharges say they are witnessing new visitors and not the usual ones which they saw at the old venue. The footfalls are fairly good in the evening and we expect a sale of Rs 50 lakh by the time the fair ends, he Meanwhile, books on Lucknow are attracting the readers. Hindi Vangmaya Nidhi has over 41 books with various titles touching every part of its culture and history. Authors from Lucknow are also selling well and the books are authored by Yogesh Praveen, Ajaish Jaiswal, Munawwar Rana and Khushbir Singh Shaad among others. People are always interested in knowing about their city and these books are also good for outsiders, the stall incharge The books on Lucknow have always been endearing evening. He died in the wee hours of Friday while the condition of the elder brother was gradually improving. Sayeed lodged a case against investigating officer Abu Talib Zaidi and the station officer of Ashiyana. When their conditions became serious, the police exerted pressure on their uncle and brother-in-law to take away them away. Sayeed in a letter dispatched SSP Deepak Kumar on Friday evening demanding fair probe to ascertain the cause of his son s death. Book fair organisers expect sales to touch `50L mark for the new titles that are continuously added to them and the readers have a choice of either picking up the whole set or a few books. The books are priced at Rs 20 each. A visitor said the books were not only interesting but precise. A very detailed book may possibly seem cumbersome to read but this gives information in brief and the information is factual on topics such as the Nawabs of Lucknow, cinema halls, food, monuments etc, he pointed out. 4 kidnappers in police net Lucknow (PNS): The police claimed to have arrested four kidnappers near Chorghat crossing in Kishoreganj under the Saadatganj police station on Friday. They were identified as Mohammad Shanu, Waheed, Aqil and Shoeb. Two stolen mobile phones and five SIM cards were found from their possession. They had kidnapped a nine-year old son of Dr Mobeen, a resident of Golden City Apartment in Kishoreganj on April 29. They sent three messages on the mobile phone of Dr Mobeen demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh failing which his son would be killed. The doctor lodged a complaint with inspector, Saadatganj, Neeraj Ojha the following day. A trap was laid and within 15 minutes, the kidnappers tried to deceive the police but the cops were on alert and they were nabbed after a chase. The kidnappers confessed to their crime after a thorough interrogation and the boy was freed.

4 a LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 city 04 Use of LEDs brings down power consumption PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW he use of LED bulbs has Tbrought a major change in the power consumption in the district. The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) officials said they had made a good penetration in the district. As per figures provided by EESL, the dip in power consumption was close to 304 million units per year. An EESL official said that the total number of bulbs distributed under the UJALA scheme in Lucknow was 23,44,061 since the time distribution kicked off in We have made a good penetration in Lucknow and currently these bulbs are being sold under Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, she The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Programme for Energy Efficient Appliances UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) scheme is promoting energy conservation by increasing the use of energy-efficient LED lighting at the residential level. Implementing the UJALA programme, EESL has distributed superior quality LED bulbs to domestic consumers at Rs 70 mrrj izns'k ikoj Vªkalfe'ku dkjiksjs'ku fyfevsm bz&fufonk lwpuk bl dk;kzy; ds }kjk fueufyf[kr dk;z@lkexzh dh vkiwfrz leiknu gsrq vuqhkoh] n{k,oa th0,l0vh0 esa iathd`r Bsdsnkjksa ls fueufyf[kr bz&fufonk vkefu=r dh tkrh gs ftldk folr`r fooj.k bz&vsumj osclkbzv site ij miyc/k gsa vfr vyidkyhu bz&fufonk la[;k&vh&15@fo0izs0ea0ia0dk0@2018&19 fo qr ikjs"k.k e.my] izfke iudh dkuiqj ds v/khulfk ikjs"k.k [k.mksa esa 11 ekg ds fy, dei;wvj vkijsvj miyc/k djkuka vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk ¼l0½ fo qr ikjs"k.k e.my izfke iudh dkuiqj] i=kad 510 fnukad jk"vªfgr esa fctyh cpk;sa* mihkksdrk lsok gsrq leidz djsa & m0iz0 ikoj VªkUlfe'ku dkwjiksjs'ku fyfevsm bz&fufonk la[;k 09@fo0ik0[k0¼r`½y0@ 2018&19 v/kksglrk{kjh }kjk vuqhkoh Bsdsnkjksa@QeksZa ls fueufyf[kr dk;z gsrq vyx&vyx lhycun bz&fufonk;s a nks Hkkxks esa bz&vsumfjax osclkbzv www. etender.up.nic.in ij fufonk vkeaf=r dh tkrh gsa bz&fufonk ds izfke Hkkx esa /kjksgj /kujkf'k o os/krk] rduhdh,oa vuqhko lacaf/kr izi=] O;kolkf;d o vu; 'krs Z vkfn,oa nwljs Hkkx esa njsa o okf.kft;d fu;e,oa 'krsza iznku djuh gksxha fufonk izi= ewy;] /kjksgj /kujkf'k vkosnu i= ds lkfk layxu djrs gq, budh Scanned Copy Upload djuk vfuok;z gsaa /kjksgj /kujkf'k],q0mh0vkj0@lh0mh0vkj0@ Mh0Mh0 ds :i es a izlrqr dh tk;sxh tks vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk] fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m&r`rh; y[kuå ds i{k esa ns; gksaxha izfke Hkkx es a okafnr /kjksgj /kujkf'k,oa vu; izi= viw.kz rfkk mfpr@lohdk;z ;ksx; u gksus ij f}rh; Hkkx dks ugha [kksyk tk;sxka bz&fufonk dk fooj.k&fufonk la0 dk;z dk uke] /kjksgj /kujkf'k [kqyus dh frffk o le; Øe'k% fueukuqlkj gs% 1- bz&fufonk la[;k 09@fo0ik0[k0¼r`0½y0@2018&19] fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m&r`rh; y[kuå ds vurxzr 132 ds0oh0 lksgkoy & jkelusgh?kkv ikjs"k.k ykbu ds VkWojks a ij uecj] MsUtj rfkk Qst IysV dh vkiwfrz,oa yxkus dk dk;za /kjksgj /kujkf'k #0 2]000-00] fufonk fnukad dks cts rd bz&vsumfjax osclkbzv ij viyksm dh tk ldrh gsa fufonk tek djus dh vfure frffk le; cts rd fufonk Hkkx&1 [kqyus dh frffk le; cts] Hkkx&2 ¼izkbl ikvz ~l½ [kqyus dh frffk rnkuqlkj bz&osclkbzv ij lwfpr dh tk;sxha fufonk izi= ewy; #- 236@& ek= ¼#0 vfrfjdr½ bz&fufonk [kqyus dh frffk dks vodk'k dh flfkfr es a fufonk vxys dk;z fnol ij [kksyh tk;sxha folr`r tkudkjh,oa vu; la'kks/kuksa vkfn ds laca/k esa lwpuk,oa fufonk izi= MkmuyksM djus gsrq bz&vsumfjax osclkbv nic.in ns[kh tk ldrh gsa lhkh fufonk izi= vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m&r`rh;] y[kuå ds i{k es a ns; csad Mªk V }kjk Hkqxrku dj izi= izkir fd;k tk ldrk gsa uxn /kujkf'k tek dj fufonk izi= izkir djus dh flfkfr es a fufonk [kqyus ds nks dk;zfnol iwoz cts rd PAN dkmz,oa TIN br;kfn dh Nk;kizfr miyc/k djkdj,oa fufonk izi= ewy; # 224@& ek= ¼#0 12% vfrfjdr½ tek djkdj fufonk izi= vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk] fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m&r`rh;] y[kuå ds dk;kzy; ls izkir fd;k tk ldrk gsa fufonk izi= MkmuyksM djus dh flfkfr esa fu/kkzfjr fufonk izi= ewy; #0 236@& ek= ¼#0 18% vfrfjdr½ dk Hkqxrku uxn@økl fmekam Mªk V] vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk] fo qr ikjs"k.k&r`rh; y[kuå ds uke ij y[kuå ij ns; fufonk Hkkx&1 ds lkfk tek djuk gksxka d`i;k folr`r tkudkjh] MkmuyksM vu; la'kks/kuksa,oa bz&fufonk izlrqr djus ds fnukad rd folrkj vkfn ds laca/k es a bz&vsumfjax osclkbzv ns[kh tk ldrh gsa v/kksglrk{kjdrkz dks fcuk dkj.k crk;s bz&fufonk dks vlohdkj djus dk vf/kdkj lqjf{kr gsa vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m&r`rh; y[kuå d{k la[;k 217&222] ^ikjs"k.k Hkou*,l0,y0Mh0lh0 ifjlj] fohkwfr [k.m xkserh uxj y[kuå& i=kad 452 fnukad ^jk"vªfgr es a fctyh cpk;sa* each, which leads to energy saving up to 90 per cent in comparison to the incandescent bulbs, she pointed out. She added that the scheme had been readily adopted by all the states, reducing the annual household electricity bills by about 15 per cent and saving consumers over Rs 16 billion every year. The consumers have saved money, improved their quality of life and contributed to India s economic growth and prosperity. In order to check the number of bulbs being distributed across states, EESL has created a real-time measurement dashboard which provides the locations of kiosks geo-tagged to provide direct access to the consumers for purchasing or replacing the LED bulbs, she S h e PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW entral Institute of CSubtropical Horticulture (CISH) and Awadh Aam Utpadak Evam Bagwani Samiti (Malihabad) on Friday organised a workshop on doubling the income of mango farmers by CISH director Shailendra Rajan spoke about how they were trying to help farmers achieve their target. He said CISH was helping develop new technologies, their demonstration and make farmers awareness in this regard. Principal scientist Manish Mishra mentioned the Farmers First project being run by the institute in the four villages of Malihabad, especially with mango farmers. He said that nearly 2,000 farmers of Malihabad were connected to the project. Some techniques which can be easily adapted in mango plantations are orchard poultry, mushroom production, amchoor production, proper harvesting, packaging and marketing by connecting these farmers directly to the consumer through this project. He projected the results as how the farmers of the villages are adopting these techniques and increasing their income. Organic farming is also increasingly becoming popular among consumers and thus farmers are being attracted. Principal scientist Ram Awadh Ram discussed how farmers could earn many times more benefits by organic farming. Organic farming techniques developed by CISH are very popular among farmers, he Principal scientist VK KANPUR NAGAR NIGAM Motijheel, Kanpur Phone : , Fax Kanpur_nagar.nigam@yahoo.co.in Website: fufonk lwpuk fofhkuu dk;ks Z gsrq vko';d ekuo lalk/ku miyc/k djk;s tkus gsrq fufonk uxj fuxe dkuiqj ds fofhkuu fohkkxks a es a vko';drk ds vuqlkj 'kklukns'k la0&3988@ lk@2010 fnukad 07 fnlecj 2010 ds vurxzr ekuo lalk/ku ¼dEI;wVj vkijsvj@dei;wvj,dkmvs.v] f'k{kd@f'k{kdk,s ¼,y0Vh0 xzsm@izodrk½] ds;j Vsdj etnwj] ekyh etnwj] lqkbz etnwj] tyykn] bysfdvªdy bathfu;j] fjiksvzj MkVk,MfefuLVªsVj] usvodz liksvz bathfu;j] osc Msoyij] th0vkbz0,l0 fo'ks"kk] th0vkbz0,l0 lgk;d tux.kuk fo'ks"kk,oa iksdysu e'khu vkijsvj½ gsyij ¼ykbueSu@fLopeSu½ dk;z lafonk ¼odZ dkuvsªdv½ ds vk/kkj ij vkmvlksflzax ds ek/;e ls miyc/k djk;s tkus gsa mdr dk;z ds fy;s bz&vs.mfjax ds ek/;e ls nks Hkkxksa esa ¼rduhdh,oa forrh;½ fufonk vkeaf=r dh tkrh gsa fufonk vij uxj vk;qdr ^izfke* ds dk;kzy; d{k esa fueu frffk;ksa esa lfefr ds le{k,oa fufonknkrkvksa dh miflfkfr esa [kksyh tk;sxh ftldk fooj.k fueuor gs & vku ykbzu fufonk izkjehk dh frffk o le; iwokzug cts ls vku ykbzu fufonk Mkyus ds vfure frffk o le; vijkug 3-00 cts rd vku ykbzu rduhdh fufonk [kksyus dh frffk o le; lk;a 4-00 cts fufonk izi= o fufonk dk folr`r fooj.k,oa 'krs Z dkuiqj uxj fuxe dh bz&vs.mfjax osclkbv ls MkmuyksM fd;k tk ldrk gs,oa vkwuykbu fufonk Mkyh tk ldrh gsa fufonk ds lkfk fufonk izi= dk ewy; # ¼,d gtkj½ ek= $ 18 izfr'kr th0,l0vh0 lfgr rfkk fufonk dh dqy fu/kkzfjr tekurh /kujkf'k #0 25]00]000 ¼iPphl yk[k #i;s½ vkj0vh0th0,l0 ds ek/;e ls vkwuykbu Hkqxrku djuk vfuok;z gksxka rduhdh :i ls lqy fufonknkrk ds vfrfjdr vu; lhkh dh tekurh /kujkf'k dh ;Fkk 'kh?kz lacaf/kr ds [kkrs esa okil dj nh tk;sxha uxj vk;qdr uxj fuxe] dkuiqj dks fdlh Hkh fufonk dks fcuk dkj.k crk;s Lohd`r@vLohd`r vfkok lelr fufonk dks fujlr djus dk vf/kdkj lqjf{kr jgsxka ¼ve`r yky fcun½ vij uxj vk;qdr added that the government had ensured transparency and encouraged competition by e- procurement of goods and services. This has resulted in a significant reduction in transaction cost and time enhancing process efficiency. The cost of LED bulbs has been brought down by 85 per cent over a period of three years. This, in turn, has led to a much larger pool of bidders, enhanced quality of the product and availability of better specifications for the consumers. Leveraging increased industry competition and mass procurement, EESL has adopted an innovative procurement strategy which has resulted in lowering the manufacturing cost of LED bulbs and the benefit of price reduction has been passed on to the consumers, she added. Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) officials said that LED had gone a long way in saving electricity. Chief engineer AK Singh said: The people should use LED bulbs because they make a good impact in saving power since they are used throughout the year in comparison to fans which are used for a lesser period of time, Singh CISH workshop on doubling of mango farmers income Singh gave details about protected farming. Tomato can get a net profit of Rs 80,000 in 1,000 square-meter green house. By planting flowers in green house, the farmer can give it the shape of an industry, he Upendra Singh, a farmer of Nabi Panah village expressed his views about the facilities and requirements of farmers for doubling of income. He said that the assistance of state government was required for the marketing of mangoes to distant places. He said that 1,000 farmers had become members of the society and it was helping in disseminating the technologies demonstrated by CISH for outreach to the farmers. Progressive farmers also attended the meeting and shared how they were successful in increasing their income by adopting certain technologies. They also said there should be regular information flow between CISH and the farming community which could easily be achieved by Malihabad farmers. An innovative farmer, Shafiq Ahmed developed his own home-made hatchery for producing chicks of Kadaknath breed and explained the profit in mango poultry by using specific breeds developed by CARI. ¼vfouk'k flag½ uxj vk;qdr CRIMELINE ARRESTED The police arrested three miscreants for plotting and killing 20-year-old Sudhir Kumar Rawat. They were nabbed from Kakori railway station in the wee hours. They were identified as Mohammad Haseeb, Shakeel Ahmed and Suhail. The police said that the body of the youth was found in the field of Bhalia village under Kakori police station with serious injury marks on his neck on Wednesday morning. Ketaki, the deceased s mother, had lodged a complaint at the police station the same day alleging that her son was killed by unidentified culprits. The police came to know from its sources that the culprits were seen near the railway station. They were picked up and brought to the police station for interrogation. The confessed to their crime and motive was stated to be the involvement of the deceased with a girl in Shakeel s family. He said the deceased was strangulated. SUICIDE Ram Bharose, a resident of Gauharmau under the Kakori police station, committed suicide by hanging himself from the branch of a tree in the nearby field. His elder brother Prem Chandra Yadav noticed the body hanging from the tree. He told the police that his brother left the house at 6 am to attend the nature s call. He got worried when Ram did not come back to the house. He went out to search Ram he found the latter hanging. However, he failed to state the motive for taking such a drastic step. ROAD MISHAP A 40-year-old man was killed after being knocked down by a speeding truck near the Bhawanikheda under Kakori police station. He was identified ad Rajaram. The deceased, along with other members of the family, went there to attend the marriage of his niece. He met with the accident when he was waiting for a bus to reach home in Mall area. He was rushed to a nearby Community Health Centre where he succumbed to injuries. The driver escaped along with the vehicle. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW iscordant notes have started Demanating from within the Bharatiya Janata Party over the party s much-hyped Samrasta Bhoj programme under which leaders are to dine at Dalit homes. The dissenters maintain that it is nothing but denigrating Dalits and the action has started alienating the party from sarva samaj. The BJP should stop this drama of having dinner at Dalit homes. Does it really benefit Dalits if upper caste people go and have food at their homes in an obscure village? This is nothing but cheap publicity, said BJP Member of Parliament from Bahraich Savitri Bai Phule. Is this act not increasing caste divide by identifying one as Dalit and the Lucknow (PNS): The Traffic department has prepared an action plan not only for ensuring smooth flow of vehicles and for decongesting the city, it had been submitted to the Principal Secretary (Home) on Thursday. SP, Traffic, Ravi Shankar Nim told The Pioneer that a meeting would shortly be held wherein all the suggestions would be incorporated in the plan before it was started at the CITYBRIEFS SWAYAM CELL Lucknow chapter of FICCI FLO will be activating the Swayam Cell on Monday. Renuka Tandon, chairperson of the organisation, said their aim was to assist the economically marginalised sector to become entrepreneurs and create awareness among them about various government schemes for their benefit. Governor Ram Naik will be the chief guest and will flag off the e-rickshaws while mayor Sanyukta Bhatia and Cabinet minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi will be the special guests. SEMESTER EXAMS The semester exams of Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University began under the vigil of CCTV cameras on Friday. This is for the first time that in adherence to the directive of acting Vice- Chancellor Pravir Kumar, the exams on its campus and in affiliated colleges are being conducted under the surveillance of CCTV cameras with the aim of ensuring fairness and transparency. The visually impaired students are accessing the facilities such as question papers in Braille script, scribe and one hour extra time. On the first day, 413 students appeared in the exam in which 40 were specially abled. KAUSHAL VIKAS MELA The National Rural Livelihood Mission will be holding Kaushal Vikas Mela ground level. Giving the highlights of the plan, he said it was presented at a meeting which witnessed the participation of all the departments, including police, LMC, LDA and PWD. The main problem is that of vending and non-vending zones because the presence of vendors has been the main cause of congestion. They have to be given a proper place at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan on Saturday. NRLM director Nagendra Pratap Singh told mediapersons on Friday that the fair at state level was being held for the first time. He said they had been striving to bring about economic empowerment of women by not only providing them seed money for the hand-holding exercise of setting up entrepreneurship but also making them self-sustainable. He said they were working with the underprivileged and socially excluded women as well as tribal women. We are working in all the districts of Uttar Pradesh but more intensively in 250 blocks of 39 districts. We are aided by Rain dance organised by La Martiniere Girls Alumni Association on Friday Discordant notes emanating against Samrasta Bhoj in BJP Centre as well as state government with latter providing 40 per cent money and former 60 per cent, he Singh said they had developed successful clusters of women working at various levels and taking their own decisions. He added that 1,200 women would attend the fair which would be inaugurated by two women who have been successful in various ventures. TEACHERS CONFERENCE City Montessori School is organising teachers conference on New model of education for 21st century on May 10 at Gomti Nagar (Campus II) auditorium. Union Home other as upper caste? she asked. She did not stop here and said: Now reports are pouring in that our ministers are having dinner at a Dalit home but the food is not cooked by a Dalit and instead brought from outside. The ministers and their cronies are also served mineral water. Tell me which Dalit drinks mineral water at his village home? The well-crafted criticism of the sitting MP has hit the BJP where it hurts the most. Recently, Cane Development Minister Suresh Rana had addressed a chaupal in Aligarh and dined at a Dalit s house but the food was brought from a restaurant. Rana, however, defended his action and said that the food was cooked by villagers and no food was brought from outside. Lohagarh village in Aligarh is Dalit dominated and villagers cooked the food and I only ate that food in a Dalit s home, he clarified. Another minister, Anupama Jaiswal, also defended the ministers and leaders dining at Dalit homes, saying that they attended these meetings, braving mosquito bites. Incidentally, Savitri Bai Phule is not the first to question BJP leaders having dinner at Dalit homes. Earlier, Union minister Uma Bharti, while addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh, had said that she was not in favour of leaders and ministers having food at Dalit homes. Instead, we should invite Dalits to our homes, cook food for them and our family members should wash their utensils. This will be samrasta (equanimity) in the true sense, Bharti Action plan ready to streamline traffic so that they do not encroach upon the roads, he The SP said there were many crossings and tri-furcations which required road engineering and hence some onsite corrective construction which would be taken up by PWD. Boarding and de-boarding areas have to be marked out for the buses, auto-rickshaws and tempos at the identified crossing because they cause congestion, he added. Nim said signals had to be put up at 123 crossings under the Smart City project. We have already made a DPR for this and submitted it to the state government. We will also be working on the stoplines so that commuters stop here. E-challans will also be issued through mobile phones, he The SP said that LMRC employees would also be advised to leave the areas where they had finished the work to avoid decongestion. He said increase in penalty and fine was also under consideration for ensuring decongestion. The number of cranes has to be increased for removing the illegal parking lots and school buses have to be taken off the road. There is also need to check the haphazard parking of vehicles in market places too, he added. Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest on the occasion. CMS teachers will be discussing the latest pedagogy in line with the 21st century for the all-round development of young generation and empower them with ability to face the challenges. Founders of CMS Jagdish Gandhi and Bharti Gandhi will express gratitude to the hardworking teachers. Meritorious students and their teachers will also be felicitated on the occasion. RAIN DANCE La Martiniere Girls Alumni Association organised the annual rain dance on Friday on the college lawns. The event was organised so that girls could get some respite from the scorching heat and let their hair down to the foot-tapping groovy numbers of DJ Moni. The students simply enjoyed the cool drizzle of sprinklers and the air was abuzz with screams of excitement. LMGAA strives to come up with events which will enable children to store memories of school. The rain dance was a huge hit among children as they kept demanding for one last song even past the closing time. DRAIN CLEANING Lucknow Nagar Nigam has geared up drain-cleaning drive which is scheduled to start from May 10 covering all zones. The deadline set for completing the drain-cleaning work is May 31 and it appears to be a tough task in view of residents habit of disposing garbage in drains. Behta branch of Union Bank of India holding a camp on Thursday to spread awareness about financial schemes initiated by the government Study shows decline in reading habits PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW hwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi- KFarsi University, in association with Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, conducted a collaborative research from May 1 to 5 on the topic Expanding readership base and markets of journals: A study of readership and markets of Publications Division s journals. Dr Manushi and Dr Sujata from IIMC came to the university for conducting the research. Dr Tanu Dang, assistant professor, department of Journalism and Mass Communication and Dr Neeraj Shukla, assistant professor, department of Commerce, were appointed research supervisors for the project by the university. The researchers attempted to study and analyse reading habits of the people of Lucknow. The area was divided into urban, semi-urban and rural population and readership patterns of those areas were analysed. The researchers found that the people residing in urban areas were more inclined towards reading than those residing in semiurban and rural areas. It was also found that e-books were also popular among youngsters living in cities. With reference to study on adoption of new technology, the population was divided into three categories, namely, child, youth and adult. The study revealed that reading habits among children were on a massive decline. It was also found that in most of the government schools, either there was no library or no place to sit and read. Several other findings of the research laid directions for future policies which would be consolidated by the research team after calculation of the collected data. Cops conducting a vehicle-checking drive near Neelgiri Complex in Lucknow on Friday Pioneer

5 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 nation 05 DUST STORM DEATHS PM OK s ex gratia of `2L each Fresh thunderstorm alert issued to West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and UP PTI n NEW DELHI rime Minister Narendra PModi on Friday approved an ex-gratia of `2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in a dust storm which had hit parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Wednesday. The assistance will be provided from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. Centre on Friday evening issued a fresh warning to States about thunderstorm and squall hitting West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. According to Home Ministry spokesperson, the Wednesday's dust storm killed 124 people and more than 300 injured in five States. The maximum casualty was reported in Uttar Pradesh where 73 people were killed, while 91 others were injured. Most of the deaths and injuries in the State took place PNS n NEW DELHI oreign Minister Sushma FSwaraj will be travelling to Myanmar on May to discuss several bilateral issues with her counterpart. However, the issue of Rohingya refugees' repatriation from Bangaldesh to Myanmar will be prime agenda for discussions during her visit. The visit comes days after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged India to play an active role in resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis by engaging more with Myanmar. India is cautiously treading on the while engaging closely both with Myanmar and Bangladesh. India was first to send help to Bangladesh in the form of food and other essential items when Rohingya refugees started entering the country to escape large scale in Agra region, a Home Ministry spokesperson In Rajasthan, altogether 35 people were killed and 206 injured, while eight people were killed in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab. Nearly 100 people were injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Following the thunderstorms, power supply was cut off in many areas as squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables. At least 12,000 electric poles were uprooted and 2,500 transformers damaged in the affected States in the last two days. violence in Myanmar in August last yeaar. India is further increasing its engagement in Bangladesh on this issue and very soon it will be setting up a field hospital within the refugee camp in Cox's Bazaar. India had in December last year also announced a development assistance of $25 million for the Rakhine state. According to the agreement signed between former Foreign Secretary S. Jaishnakar and Myanmar Deputy Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement U Soe Aung, India will help Myanmar in building prefabricated houses to meet the immediate needs of returning Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. "The External Affairs Minister will hold discussion with Myanmerese leadership on various bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of The Home Ministry spokesperson said a fresh warning has been issued about possible thunderstorms accompanied with squall which may hit four States West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Friday. Thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura. Isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Odisha, northwest Madhya mutual interests," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday while announcing Swaraj's visit. He added both sides were expected to sign several key agreements covering diverse aspects of the bilateral relationship. India's security concerns and the issue of cross border activities by certain insurgent groups may figure during the talks between Swaraj and the Myanmerese leaders. Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640 km border with a number of northeastern states. The spokesperson stressed that both sides are expected to review the progress made on decisions taken during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Myanmar in September On the Rohingya issue, Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala are very likely to experience thunderstorm along with gusty winds. Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while dust storm and thunderstorm very likely at isolated places over Rajasthan. The Home Ministry has also issued an advisory for tomorrow saying thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places in Uttarakhand, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds are very likely to occur at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and gangetic West Bengal. Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. Dust storms are very likely at isolated places in Rajasthan, an official Raveesh said India has been maintaining that normalcy would return to the Rakhine state with the return of displaced persons. "India is of the view that long term solution to the problem in the Rakhine Centre, SC spar over N-E HC judges appointment PNS n NEW DELHI ritical vacancies of judges Cin the three High Courts of the North-East saw sparks flying in the Capital between the Centre and the Supreme Court on Friday with both trading charges against each other for the delay. The three High Courts of Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura are currently working with a strength of five judges against an approved strength of 13. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta termed the situation "critical" on coming to know that Manipur HC is functioning with two judges, Meghalaya HC has one judge, and Tripura HC has two judges, due to which no division benches are there to hear appeals arising out of single judge orders. In the past one week, the bench encountered two petitions filed by litigants seeking transfer of their case from Manipur HC to Gauhati HC. Faced with this grim reality, the bench on April 17 sought assistance of the Attorney General in the matter and expected a Rohingya top on Swaraj Myanmar visit agenda Director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Shakti Sinha, Development Commissioner of Mudra Port in Gujarat, Amiya Chandra, JNU Professor of Central Asian Studies Sharad Soni at the launch and discussion of book titled The Trade Game, Engaging with Central Asia. The book has been authored by Chandra, who is an Indian Trade Services officer and a well known academician in international and foreign trade Pioneer photo Does not accept any kind of caste-based discrimination: RSS PNS n NEW DELHI ith the BJP's Dalit out- creating contro- Wreach versy, the RSS on Friday said it does not accept any kind of caste-based discrimination and was votary of "One Temple, One Well and One Cremation ground " for all. In a statement, RSS' 'prachar pramukh' (chief information officer) Arun Kumar said the Sangh has been working towards creating a cohesive society on the basis of love and affection where it wants everyone to live in harmony without any caste based discrimination. "We do not accept any kind of caste based discrimination. Since its inception, the RSS has been votary of 'one temple, one well and one cremation ground' for all," Kumar At the same time, he rejected as "baseless and misguiding" BJP leaders visiting Dalit homes and eating with them isn't enough to uplift the community the media reports that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat during an internal meeting in Delhi on Thursday had said that BJP leaders visiting Dalit homes and eating with them isn't enough to uplift the community, and the leaders must invite Dalits to their own homes as well. "No such meeting was ever held in Delhi during the last few days where anything about BJP's Gram Swaraj Abhiyan was said," Kumar asserted. His remarks come against the backdrop of the controversy created by UP Minister Suresh Rana who visited a Dalit's home but ordered food from a hotel. ARCHANA JYOTI n NEW DELHI hough Delhi is among Tthose few endemic States in the country which is witnessing a rise in leprosy cases and disability Grade II casesaffecting eyes, hands and feetthe AAP Government has failed to participate in the national drive to detect the 'hidden' cases of the curable disease. A concerned Centre has now written to the Delhi Government asking it to participate in its campaign at the earliest for early detection of the curable disease. Hidden cases are those that go initially unreported, mainly due to the fear and stigma associated with the disease. To bring such cases under the treatment fold, the Central Government had in September 2016 launched a mega drive- -leprosy case detection campaign (LCDC) across the leprosy-affected States. However, despite kicking off the survey in 2016, the Delhi Government left it incomplete in between though New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday had an interactive session with the Chief Ministers of North Eastern States on India's Act East Policy. During the meeting Swaraj briefed the CMs about the importance India gives to its neighbours and that Governments of the Northeastern region were active stakeholders in India's Act East Policy. Greater connectivity and economic integration of India's North East with its eastern neighbours was state would be to ensure its socio-economic development," he added. Nearly 11 lakh Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's Rakhine State since August last year after large-scale violence. Minister meets N-E CMs to give Act East Policy a push considered a key focus area for growth and development of the region. The meeting deliberated on the North Eastern region's intra-regional and sub-regional surface and air linkages, focusing on seamless connectivity with its contiguous neighbourhood. Continued development of relevant infrastructure both within the State and at international borders was also discussed with a view to enhancing trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people ties. PNS "statesman" approach from the Centre. A-G KK Venugopal appeared before the bench and explained that the problem lies with the Collegium which recommended to the Centre only three names while the vacancy position existing in the region was huge. "The Collegium has to see the broad picture and recommend more names," Venugopal According to Centre, some High Courts are plagued with a vacancy figure averaging 40, for instance Allahabad HC (63 vacancies), Punjab and Haryana (35 vacancies) and Calcutta High Court (35 vacancies). The A-G submitted that despite such a critical situation, the Collegium recommends PNS n NEW DELHI ongress president Rahul CGandhi on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's description of Karnataka capital Bengaluru as a "garbage city" was insulting. And his party accused Modi of "insulting" Bengaluru and the people of Karnataka by calling it a "valley of sins" and demanded his apology for his "deplorable" remarks. Rahul alleged that the Modi Government provided urban infrastructure funds of `598 crore for the poll-bound State as compared to `6,570 crore 1,100 per cent more assistance made available by the previous Congress-led UPA regime. The data, Rahul added, was sourced from the Union Urban Development Ministry. only three names and the Government is accused of being "tardy" in filing up judicial vacancies. The response touched a raw nerve. Justice Lokur, who is the third seniormost judge after CJI in the apex court said, "How many names recommended (by Collegium) are pending with you (Centre)." When A-G sought time to get back with details, the bench took exception and added, "When it comes to Government, you say we will find out". The A-G remained firm that till Collegium does not make recommendations, there is hardly anything the Centre can do to remedy the situation. The bench told the Centre that the Collegium had on April 19 recommended appointing Justice M Yaqoob Mir and Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar as the Chief Justices of the Meghalaya High Court and Manipur High Court respectively. These proposals have not yet been cleared. Venugopal said that orders to this effect will be issued shortly, much to the chagrin of the "Dear PM, Calling Bengaluru, the garden city and the pride of India, a "garbage city" is insulting. Building lies comes naturally to you, but you seem to find building cities very difficult. The data nails your lies," the Gandhi scion said on Twitter. In a full-scale attack on the Siddaramaiah Government, Modi had accused it of having turned Bengaluru into a "garbage city and valley of sin" from "Silicon Valley". Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that as the Karnataka assembly election approaches, "the fears, frustration and follies of the BJP grow due to its impending defeat and this is reflected in the idioms and the language used by its leaders including the Prime Minister". He also accused Modi of bench, which pointed out that almost a month was getting over. During arguments, the A- G referred to the Collegium resolution of March 6 on making an additional judge Justice Songkhupchung Serto as a permanent judge. Although he belonged to Manipur HC, he was to function at Gauhati HC. Venugopal said it was "strange" that Justice Serto should continue to function from Gauhati HC when there is peak vacancy in Manipur HC. The bench observed that such things are best left to the wisdom of the Collegium which may not desire to send him back to Manipur. The bench pointed out to the overall situation in North East with Meghalaya HC having one judge where sanctioned strength is 4, Tripura HC functioning at 50 per cent capacity with just two judges, and Manipur HC having three vacancies. The Court directed the Centre to file an affidavit in 10 days informing the steps taken to fill vacancies to the three High Courts. Modi s garbage city discription for Bengaluru is insulting: Rahul Modi surprises Chinese babus with first Wuhan trip PTI n NEW DELHI or once the Chinese bureau- were caught napping Fcrats by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his informal summit with President Xi Jinping in Wuhan, China s ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui revealed on Friday. During his first one-on-one meeting with President Xi at the Hubei Provincial Museum, Modi told his host that this was his second visit to Hubei province, surprising the Chinese officials, who otherwise keep a track of all bilateral and official visits minutely. We didn t know that Prime Minister Modi had visited Wuhan earlier, Luo told the participants of a seminar on the two-day informal summit between the leaders of India and China held in Wuhan city from April 27. disability Grade-II cases (visible deformity at the time of leprosy diagnosis) which means that the disease is being detected late was reported from various pockets in the city. In 2017 too, it did not start the survey. Ditto for the current year. With the survey remaining a non-starter, Union Health Minister JP Nadda has written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to participate in the campaign at the earliest. Pointing out that rise in disability Grade II cases in Delhi was a cause of concern, Nadda in the letter said that the Centre has launched the unique initiative (LCDC) under the National Leprosy Control Programme (NLEP) aimed at early detection of the disease in affected persons so that they can be saved from physical disability and deformity by providing them timely treatment and thus also halting the transmission of disease at the community level. As part of the campaign, each and every member of the targeted population is examined by the search team comprising of one male and one female volunteer at household level to detect hidden and undetected leprosy cases, said Dr Anil Kumar, Deputy Modi told Xi that when he was the Gujarat chief minister, he had an opportunity to visit central China s Hubei Province on a study tour to learn about the massive Three Gorges Dam. Modi was the Gujarat Chief Minister from October 2001 to May 2014 The speed with which you constructed this dam and its scale inspired me. So I came on a study tour and spent a day at the dam, Modi had told Xi. As the world s largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges project is a multifunctional water control system on the mighty Yangtze river. It comprises a dam stretching 2,309 meters long and 185 meters high, 32 hydropower turbo-generators, a five-tier ship lock and ship lift system. Luo said China took special care to provide an enabling and comfortable environment for Prime Minister Modi in Wuhan, with the ambassador himself carrying with him table clothes from Gujarat and Assam tea for the visiting dignitary. While sharing some Leprosy detection campaign a non-starter in Delhi Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae that mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, eyes and the mucous membrane of the windpipe. It is completely curable using multidrug therapy available free in public hospitals and treatment in early stages prevents disability of the efforts made by the Chinese leadership to make Modi feel at home in the central Chinese city, over 1,000 km from Beijing, Luo said President Xi has met the Indian premier 13 times in the last five years of his first term. Luo said Chinese officials came to know that Modi liked table clothes from Gujarat. So we decided to use them during the informal summit. We didn t serve Chinese tea to Prime Minister Modi but Assam tea, he During the summit, the two leaders agreed to build on the rich cultures of the two great oriental civilisations and harness the rich human resources of their combined population of 2.6 billion. Xi and Modi agreed to step up cultural exchanges by promoting people-to-people links and unleashing the vitality of the two emerging economies. Director General (leprosy) in the Union Health Ministry. He pointed out that the need for the campaign was felt after it was observed that the disease despite being declared 'eliminated' in meaning there was, on average, less than one case per 10,000 persons- new leprosy pockets were emerging. India still accounts for 60 per cent of the world's new leprosy cases. Dr Kumar said that instead of being a role model, Delhi has failed to ensure early and timely treatment to the leprosy-affected people. "We all know that leprosy is curable if treated in time. Those left untreated will become disabled for life, the Government must understand this," Dr Kumar said, adding that flexi pool fund under the National Health Mission can be utilized to conduct the survey. As per the NLEP, a total 1.27 lakh new cases were detected in Though, overall new cases have gone down marginally over the past decade: from 139,000 in 2006 to 127,000 in 2015, the share of grade-ii disability among new cases has increased from 3.10% ( ) to 4.51% ( ), which indicates that cases are being detected late in the community and there may be several cases that are lying undetected or hidden. spreading "divisiveness" in the poll-bound state and alleged that such language was being used to divert the public attention from key issues such as the Cauvery water dispute, the dilution of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, joblessness and declining economy. Singhvi said the prime minister failed to be the custodian of federal cooperation and maintain equilibrium between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute. "You accuse Bengaluru, the Kannadiga of being a 'valley of sin'. I think it is shameful and I think the country needs an apology which I am sure we will never get from the Prime Minister," he said at AICC brifeing. INSHORT SC RESERVES ORDER ON DEATH-ROW CONVICTS New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on the plea of two of the four condemned convicts seeking a review of its 2017 verdict upholding the death penalty awarded to them in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case. A bench comprising CJI and Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan reserved the order after hearing arguments on behalf of the convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta who sought a review of its verdict. SC PULLS UP NHAI FOR NOT USING GARBAGE New Delhi: The piles of garbage lying in the landfill sites of Delhi is a "very serious problem", the SC said on Friday as it pulled up the National Highways Authority of India for not proceeding with its segregation to use part of the waste for road construction. The apex court also stayed the proceedings related to the landfill sites at Ghazipur and Bhalswa in Delhi pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). JUSTICE AK MITTAL NOW ACTING CJI OF PUNJAB HC New Delhi: Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal has been appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana HC after incumbent chief justice Shivax Jal Vazifdar demitted office at midnight upon his retirement.the Law Ministry issued a notification late last night appointing Justice Mittal as the acting chief justice with effect from May 4. HINDI TO GET DUE PLACE IN NEW EDU POLICY New Delhi: Language is very important for any society and the country, and the New Education Policy which is being formulated will give Hindi its due importance, Union Minister of State for HRD, Satya Pal Singh, said on Friday. CIC: HOW MANY VOICE SAMPLES EXAMINED New Delhi: The Central Information Commission has directed the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) of the CBI to disclose the number of voice samples examined by it in the last five years.

6 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 nation 06 PALGHAR LOK SABHA BYPOLL Late BJP MP s son joins Sena, to be candidate Kerala bypoll: Booze worries for Left VR JAYARAJ n KOCHI he new liquor policy formulated by Tits own Government, by which booze outlets can be permitted in all panchayats with a population of more than 10,000, has turned into a burden for Kerala s CPI(M)-led LDF in the byelection in Chengannur Assembly constituency which is set to witness an intense campaign against the policy by anti-liquor forums with the mighty Catholic Church leading it. The joint anti-liquor council led by the anti-liquor forum of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) will hold campaigns in all the ten panchayats that constitute the Chengannur Assembly constituency from May 14 against the booze policy of the LDF Government, which allegedly paves way for opening booze outlets across the State. The joint council will organize a public meeting in Chengannur town on May 22 to make the voters aware of the dangers in the LDF Government s policy. Office-bearers of the constituent forums of the joint antiliquor council said the campaign they had held among the voters so far had been highly effective. Polling will be TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI n a development that may not Iaugur well for the ruling BJP in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has made it up its mind to put up late BJP MP Chintaman Vanaga s son Shrinivas as its candidate for the Palghar Lok Sabha in the by-polls scheduled for May 28. A day after late BJP MP Vanaga s wife Jayashree and her two sons Srinivas and Prafulla severed their links with the BJP and joined the Shiv Sena, the signals that emerged from Thackerays Bandra residence Matoshri on Friday indicated that the Sena would go whole hog to capture the tribal-dominated Palghar Lok Sabha seat with Shrinivas Vanaga as its candidate. The Palghar by-poll has been necessitated by the death of BJP MP Chintaman Vanaga ( 67) who had suffered a massive heart attack at his official residence in New Delhi on the morning of January 30 and was later declared dead at the RML Hospital in the national capital. Vanaga was attending the budget session of Parliament at that time. On Thursday, the BJP suffered a jolt when Shrinivas -- who is carrying the legacy of veteran Adivasi leader from coastal Konkan region Chintaman Vanaga sent off his resignation letter to the State BJP leadership and joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray at the latter s residence Matoshri. Shrinivas mother Jayashree and his brother Prafulla had accompanied him for a meeting with Uddhav. The reason behind Shrinivas decision to join the Shiv Sena was that not even a single BJP leader had bothered to visit his family members after the death of his father more than three months ago. My father built up BJP and its cadres in Palghar from a scratch and he served the party for more than three and a half decades. Unfortunately, no one from the BJP has bothered to visit us even three months after his death.... If my family members and I have chosen to join the Shiv Sena, it is because my father despite being in the Sena had enjoyed cordial relations with late Balasaheb Thackeray and I am confident that the current Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will do us justice, Shrinivas said, while addressing a news conference along with his family members. Vanaga was the tribal face of the BJP in the undivided Thane district, of which Palghar tehsil was part till July 31, The predominantly tribal district of Palghar came into being on August 1, 2014, after the Maharashtra government carved out Palghar and seven other tehsils out of Thane district and set up a new district. Vanaga was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1996, then 1999 and again in Before that he was the sitting MLA from Vikramgad since In a first office reaction to Vanaga family members decision to join the Shiv Sena ahead of the May 28 Lok Sabha by-polls, senior BJP minister Chandrakant Patil on Friday described the development as premature considering that his party had been considering giving the party ticket to one of the Vanaga family members to contest the May 28 Palghar Lok Sabha by-polls. Disagreeing with the views expressed by Vanaga family members, Patil said: Late Vanga had represented the seat both in Maharashtra Legislature and parliament since over three decades. Our party leadership was planning to take a decision on the choice of a candidate for the Palghar by-polls in the next few days. Notwithstanding the contention by Patil, informed sources said that the BJP had more or less decided to its Tribal minister Vishnu Savra as it candidate against Shiv Sena s Shrinivas Vanaga. On its part, the Opposition Congress may put up either Sachin Damodar Shingada, son of former Congress MP, or former state minister Rajendra Gavit as its candidate for the May 28 Lok Sabha by-polls. held in Chengannur on May 28. Joint council general convener Prasad Kuruvila informed newsmen the other day that a survey they had conducted in the constituency on the liquor policy had already covered 87 percent of the woman voters. Officebearers said there was already a strong feeling against the Government s liquor policy among the voters. Immediately after details of the liquor policy came out in March, the Madya Viruddha Samithi (anti-liquor committee) of the KCBC had declared that it would do everything possible to defeat the LDF candidate in Chengannur. Committee chairman Bishop Remegiose Inchananiyil had then likened the policy to Cyclone Ockhi that had wreaked devastation on the Kerala coast. Admitting that a massive campaign against the Government and the LDF could prove discomforting in the bypoll, front sources said that CPI(M) candidate Saji Cherian and his campaign managers had already started efforts to convince the Catholic clergy and other Church leaders that the Government was not intending to let alcohol flow freely in the State. Fate of West Bengal s local poll hangs in balance SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA he fate of Bengal Panchayat elections Tcontinued to hang in balance as a Division Bench of Calcutta High Court on Friday issued strongest of words reprimanding an apparently weak-willed State Election Commission allegedly functioning at the behest of a wily, overbearing Government, lawyers Though the Court would not intervene in the electoral process apparently leaving it on the Division Bench of Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya who was likely to issue a final verdict on or after May 8 disposing of a parallel petition on electoral malpractices and inadequacy of security forces --- the Division Bench of Justice BN Samaddar and Justice Arinadam Mukherjee told off the poll panel for floundering while performing its constitutional obligation. The neutrality of the SEC as a constitutional body had been seriously questioned, the Judges From the day of election notification the SEC had acted in such a manner that eyebrows have been raised and accusatory fingers have been pointed, the Judges maintained. Even as the SEC counsel argued that it was beyond the Court s jurisdiction to intervene once the poll process had started the Judges said it was a wake-up call for the SEC as its neutrality has been seriously questioned. Normally the High Court did not want to intervene in the electoral matters but it had to do so in 2018 panchayat elections only in view of the arbitrary manner in which the Commission had conducted the election process. Keeping all the above factors in mind and based on a broad conspectus of the facts of the present case, we refrain from interfering with the order impugned only for such reasons as stated earlier. It is expected that the State Election Commission shall redeem itself upon taking note of the observations made hereinbefore as a wake-up call, the Court The Court also questioned the reason behind the SEC s arbitrary decision to declare a three-phase poll on an earlier occasion and then announce a single-phase election subsequently. Incidentally the elections were to be held on May 1, 3 and 5. However in view of massive violence during filing of nomination and a subsequent Supreme Court directive the poll panel ordered an additional day for nomination on April 9 before recalling the same order within hours following severe pressure from some State Ministers. Hailstorm, rain kill 11, ruin crops worth `100 crore in Telangana OMER FAROOQ n HYDERABAD he gale wind, hailstorm Tand heavy rain last evening left a trail of deaths and destruction in Telangana as crops in several district suffered damages of nearly `100 crore. While three people died in Hyderabad, three more deaths were reported from other parts of Telangana. Rains and storm also killed five people in neighboring Andhra Pradesh. In Hyderabad the powerful winds accompanied by lightening and heavy rains caused widespread damages to the property, uprooted trees and electricity poles and flew away hundreds of hoardings. Lightning killed two children in Hyderabad. Seven year old Akhil died in Karmanghat area when he was struck by lightning while playing on a swing tired to a tree and a 7th standard student Lokesh died in Hayatnagar area due to lightening. Another person died due to wall collapse in Aramgarh area. Other three deaths due to lightening and other rain related mishaps were reported from Nalgonda. BJP, CONG GO... The Prime Minister said he was also excited to know that there was a dedicated women team that worked behind ISRO s Mars Mission Mangalyan. He also said capable women had been given important portfolios in his Cabinet. Siddaramaiah was quick to describe Modi s comments as mere tokenism. Dubbing as tokenism Modi s interaction with BJP women workers on women power, Siddaramaiah asked him to learn from Karnataka on the subject and to cut bhashan (speech) and promote action. The Chief Minister, in a series of tweets, listed out various initiatives of his Government for women. Tokenism Modi ji. Real empowerment comes from real policies. Yesterday you ridiculed a candlelight march to protest against defenders of child rapists in Kathua & today you pretend to care for Mahila Shakti, he tweeted in response to Modi s comments about important portfolios to women in his Cabinet. Asking Modi to learn from Karnataka how it is done, Siddaramaiah said in another tweet his Government has made education free for girls from class 1 to Post Graduation. According to the officials of the disaster management relief department the speed of the winds which hit Hyderabad was 74 kms per hour and caused massive damages. Tree were uprooted at 45 places obstructing the flow of traffic. Many roads also came under water causing traffic jams at many places. The rain fury also caused ditches on the roads. Many parts of the old city also suffered the fury of thunder storm and the rains. The newly erected shed in the courtyard of historic Mecca Masjid was completely shattered and the roof of the centuries old mosque suffered damage. As many as 200 different colonies were plunged in darkness as the electricity supply was disrupted due to the winds. Meteorological Centre, Hyderabad said that the hale storm and the rains were the result of cyclonic circulation over Odisha and a depression over Lakshadweep. The Met officials have warned more thunderstorms in parts of Telangana till Saturday. Following the rains there was a dramatic change in the weather of Hyderabad. For the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 MODI, NITISH... Asked how the passengers escaped unhurt when the bus fell from a height of 15 feet and it caught fire, Principal Secretary Disaster Management Pratyaya Amrit explained, After it fell down all the 13 passengers somehow managed to get out. Some sustained burn injuries. One of the injured passengers said they somehow broke the window panes and jumped out, but in this process they sustained burn injuries. About the confusion over the number of passengers on board at the time of accident, officials said the bus was operated by a private agency Sahil Raj Travel from Muzaffarpur. After the accident all the staff of the agency fled from their booking counter at Bairia bus stand. The exact number of passengers could be ascertained from the statements of the injured passengers. The report of the accident in the afternoon of Thursday shocked the Government and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who was attending a meeting of the transport department observed one minute silence for the dead passengers. Governor Satyapal Malik expressed deep shock and several Ministers condoled the demise of so many passengers. The Chief Minister had also announced an ex gratia compensation amount of Rs 4 lakh each for the kin of the deceased. Prime Minister Office tweeted, expressed deep sorrow on the painful bus accident in Motihari, Bihar. He expressed deep condolences to the families of the dead in this accident and wished the wounded people to recover quickly. GOVT REVENUE... Besides, the number of service providers are also gradually declining year on year too, a senior Government functionary told The Pioneer without disclosing his identity. In fact, there were 13 mobile service providers operational in 2016 which reduced to 12 in 2017 with Videocon closing down its mobile services business. By the end of 2017, Reliance Communications (RCom), Sistema Shyam that merged with RCom and Quadrant closed their operations. The report, however, showed that there was a decline in telecom firms revenue despite increase in subscriber base in some of telecom firms. The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1, million at the end of December 2016 to 1, million at the end of December 2017, registering a yearly growth rate of 3.38 per cent, it The adjusted gross revenue (AGR), earned by service providers from sale of telecom services, declined by per cent to Rs 1.6 lakh crore at the end of 2017 from Rs 1.98 lakh crore at the end of 2016, as per data published by the TRAI in its annual performance indicator report. The licence fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) are levied on AGR. The LF declined by about Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 12,976 crore at the end of 2017 from Rs 15,975 crore the Government collected a year ago. The SUC collection declined by Rs 2,485 crore to Rs 5,089 crore from Rs 7,574 crore during the period under revenue. The AGR revenue chart showed that only Reliance Jio registered growth while all other players in the sector posted loss in revenues. AGR of telecom major Bharti Airtel declined by per cent to Rs 36,922 crore from Rs 48,880 crore, said the chart. AMU S JINNAH ROW... The portrait has been hanging there for the last seven decades. The row started after local BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote to the AMU administration objecting to the presence of Jinnah s portrait on the campus. Menwhile on Friday, Vice chancellor AMU, Tariq Mansoor, visited Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital where three students injured in police caning are being treated. The VC later visited the protesting students and assured them of his solidarity. AMU Teachers Association (AMUTA) has sent a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind asking him to urgently set up a high-level judicial probe into the incident. The teachers also plan a peace march to the District Collectorate. AMUTA secretary Najmul Islam told media persons that they have urged the President to treat the matter seriously as it involved a breach in the security of former Vice President Hamid Ansari. Ansari was supposed to be feted at the varsity, the day violence erupted. RLYS PUNCTUALITY... In , the Railways put in over 15 lakh maintenance blocks in 2,687 denizens of Hyderabad it was unusual experience to have a pleasantly cold evening in the month of May, when usually the summer peaks. The temperature, which was hovering at around 42 degrees in the city till Wednesday sharply dropped by more than 21 degrees and at one time the city recorded a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. The thunderstorm, hails and rains also caused extensive damage in several districts of north Telangana and as many as 1250 electrical poles were uprooted, 112 feeders were tripped, pow0er minister Jagdish Reddy In Warangal a two hundred year old tree was uprooted by the powerful winds. The fury of the rains also left the farmers in several districts devastated. Officials estimated the damages to paddy, maize and other crops at Rs 100 crore across a vast swathe starting from Bhadradari- Kothagudem and Khammam through Bhupalapally, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Ranga Reddy, Medchal, Sangareddym Medak and Siddipet districts. locations resulting in delays in both mail and express trains. The number of blocks rose to 18 lakh in with maintenance work being carried out in 4,426 locations. Data also shows that the number of accidents in the Indian Railways fell to two-digit figures for the first time in 35 years in the last fiscal. A series of accidents had led to replacement of Suresh Prabhu by Piyush Goyal. Before that it took the scalp of Chairman Railway Board (CRB) AK Mital who was on an extension. The current CRB Ashwani Lohani was brought in August He announced that safety would be given priority. Lohani has taken note of the delays occurring across zones and in a message to zonal railway officials on Friday said that such delays cause embarrassment to the railways. He has said that regular delays are causing serious embarrassment and has ordered a 15-day drive to pull up punctuality figures, said a railway official. During the last three years, the number of train accidents has decreased from 135 in to 107 in and further to 104 in In the last fiscal, the number of accidents further reduced to 73. BJP MLA collapses during poll rally, dies of heart attack KESTUR VASUKI n BENGALURU N Vijayakumar, a sitting Bmember of legislative assembly of the Bharatiya Janata Party died of a massive heart attack at a hospital in Bengaluru early this morning. 59-year-old Vijayakumar, a candidate for the upcoming assembly election in the State on May 12, collapsed during an election rally in Bengaluru's Jayanagar constituency last night. He was admitted to the government-run Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology late last night. He was contesting from Jayanagara constituency in Bengaluru. Election to this constituency will be countermanded. "Doctors attended to him till around 1 am this morning, but efforts to resuscitate him failed," state BJP spokesperson S Prakash "His humility, dedication & commitment to party and people will be remembered. A great loss for us. Our condolences to his family. We pray for his Sadgati," the Karnataka BJP tweeted. "I am deeply pained at the untimely demise of my friend & party stalwart Jayanagar MLA Shri BN Vijaykumar. May God give strength to his family to bear this huge loss. We will work to strengthen his ideals," BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa tweeted. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too tweeted about Vijayakumar's death.

7 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 nation 07 India needs more doctors: Prez Kovind says urgent need to reform medical edu to create more colleges KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n CHENNAI he country is facing short- of medical doctors and Tage healthcare professionals and there is an urgent need to fill this gap, according to President Ram Nath Kovind. There is urgent need to do this, and to reform medical education so as to create room for more colleges and more medical graduates. In India we have 1.47 million undergraduate engineering seats, but only 67,352 undergraduate medical seats. And about 20 per cent of those seats were added in the past four years. As a country and a system, we need to address this gap quickly, the President said while inaugurating the centenary celebrations of the medical education programme of Christian Medical College, Vellore in Tamil Nadu on Friday. The President told the faculty and students of the college that the guiding principles of the philosophy of public health were equity and efficiency, quality and quantity, and access and affordability. Healthcare is above all else a service. Yes, it is also a business but there is no greater business than saving a life, said President Kovind. It may be remembered that N Chandrasekharan, Chairman, Tata Sons Ltd, while addressing an educational conclave in Chennai last year had pointed out that the country faced a shortage of more than 5,00,000 doctors. The President paid glowing tributes to CMC Vellore, south India s leading medical college and hospital where doctors are trained to serve the society. The medical education programme here combines professional expertise with social relevance and ethical practice. I understand clinical training in your hospital is complemented by placements in villages and underserved areas. This is commendable. Please keep it up. Doctors need a sharp mind but much more than that, they need a warm heart. And CMC Vellore must continue to train doctors and nurses with warm hearts, said the President. Gujarat Govt mulls policy for recycling urban waste water TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI fter more than two years of Ahis incarceration in a money laundering case, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal was on Friday finally granted bail by the Bombay High Court on various grounds, including his frail health and advanced age. The High Court granted bail to Bhujbal on a personal bond of `5 lakh and directed him to surrender passport and made it mandatory not to leave Mumbai without seeking permission from the court. The relief to Bhujbal, whose bail had earlier been rejected by the PMLA court in December last year, could be attributed largely to a verdict delivered by the Supreme Court in November last year which had struck down section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), after holding it arbitrary and unconstitutional. The two conditions for grant of bail stipulated in the now-struck-down section 45 of PMLA were: that that the Public Prosecutor must be given an opportunity to oppose bail plea and the court must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accused is not guilty of such offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail. Earlier, a PMLA court had rejected Bhujbal s bail plea after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed it, on the grounds that Bhujbal was influential and that he had already been accused of threatening two co-accused to turn approvers in the case. Seventy-one-year-old Bhujbal had moved the high court in January this year for bail, after a PMLA special court rejected his bail application in December last year. While rooting invocation of the apex court s verdict striking down section 45 of PMLA, Bhujbal s lawyer Salabh Saxena had cited money laundering President Ram Nath Kovind at the inauguration of the centenary celebrations of Christian Medical College in Vellore on Friday. Also seen are First Lady Savita Kovind and Governor of Tamil Nadu Banwarilal Purohit PTI Photo PNS n GANDHINAGAR ealising the importance of Rsaving water, the Gujarat Government has decided to come out with a dedicated policy for purification and recycling urban waste water. The policy would be announced during the current month said Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday at a function related to deepening of a pond at Akhadol village of Kheda district in Central Gujarat. The work for deepening of ponds is being undertaken as part of the ongoing Sujalam Sufalam Water Conservation Campaign Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) is evolving strategy to make rules stricter for wasting or polluting precious water resources. We need to understand without water development wouldn t be possible, said Rupani. Appreciating contribution of Hindu religious place Santaram temple for deepening of Akhdol village pond the Chief Minister said that taking inspiration from Nadiad based Santaram temple more number of religious places, educational institutions and social organisations should join the campaign. He appealed to the people to devote at least four hours daily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for the campaign. Rupani also performed the ground breaking ceremony of a government health centre at the village to be built at a cost of `3.25-crore.z CM Rupani said the campaign is to increase the storage capacity of 13,000 water bodies in the state by 11,000 cubic feet during this month before the onset of monsoon. Nearly 4,000 JCB machines and 10,000 tractors have been deployed for the work. The Bhadbhut barrage downstream SSP Dam on the Narmada River and Desalination Plant with capacity to produce 10-crore litre per day potable water near Jodiya in Jamnagar district are the two major water conservation projects on the anvil. In Kheda district alone nearly 50 lakes will be deepened during the month of May. For the purpose private donors will spend ` lakh while under the MANREGA scheme works worth of Rs. 668-lakh would be spent. The cost includes revival of two rivers also. On Saturday the Chief Minister will review water conservation work worth worth of Rs. 427-lakh for the North Gujarat district Banaskantha which was affected badly due to heavy rain during the last monsoon. cases in which meat exporter Moin Qureshi and businessman Yogesh Mittal were granted bail by a special court and the Delhi High Court December 2017 and January this year respectively. In addition, Bhujbal made an emotional appeal before the court about his advanced age and health and said he was unable to defend his case effectively or seek legal opinion. Bhujbal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 14, 2016 in connection with two money laundering cases registered against him, his nephew Sameer Bhujbal, other family members and associates. Bhujbals and their associates are being investigated in three corruption cases. Maharashtra s Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) had filed a charge-sheet against Sr Bhujbal, Sameer and 15 others in the new Maharashtra Sadan scam case in February The State ACB on March 28, 2016 filed a second voluminous KESTUR VASUKI n BENGALURU s parties are fighting the cru- battle for supremacy in Acial Karnataka, the BJP on Friday released its election manifesto in Bengaluru promising loan waiver as its main plank to the farming community. It said that it would waive off After the function at CMC, the President inaugurated the kidney transplant and cardiac unit at Sri Narayani Hspital and Research Centre at Vellore. PNS n GANDHINAGAR ouple of days after crema- of person who was Ction murdered in Vadodara, police found another body on Friday which in reality was of the murdered man. In fact the first body given by police to the family of the victim was somebody else s. Even the family of victim couldn t make out and they cremated the body on Tuesday, said sources in police, adding that the victim 45-year-old businessman Suraj Shah was murdered by his lawyer and two others. The accused Vijay Ravji Rohit who is lawyer murdered Shah as he was unable to repay a loan of `4.6 lakh he had taken from the victim couple of months ago. The lawyer roped in two other men Shrikand Suresh Pawar and Mehul Santosh Mane to carry out his plan on April 25. The three apparently killed Suraj and threw his body in Narmada canal near Vitoj with a stone tied to his legs. A dead body floating in the canal was recovered by local police, who took along one of the accused Mehul Mane for KESTUR VASUKI n BENGALURU ust the day after Prime JMinister Narendra Modi accused Congress of its silence over Dalit atrocities in the country, on Friday Congress president slammed Modi and accused him of muzzling Dalit voice in Parliament and across the BJP-ruled States. Addressing an election rally at Kalgi in North Karnataka Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged Modi of favouring a handful of industrialists and neglecting the weaker sections. Modiji doesn t allow Khargeji to speak in Lok Sabha. Under Modi rule, dalit scholar Rohit Vemula ended his life. The atrocities on Dalits are increasing in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and BJP-ruled States. Yet, Modiji doesn t utter a word. The same man garlands Ambedkar statue to show that he is pro-dalit, he slamed Modi. Gandhi quoted a vachana of 12th century social reformer Basavanna and said Moid s words did not match his deeds. He said Basavanna said Nudidante Nade (do as you say). But Modi never did what Days after cremation, cops find real body charge-sheet against him and six others for having allegedly received huge kickbacks to lease a plot of land to a private developer for the construction of a central library at the Kalina campus of the Mumbai University. Subsequently On March 30, 2016, the ED filed a 11,500 page charge sheet against Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer, corporate houses like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure, in the money laundering case. In the new Maharashtra Sadan scam case in which Sr Bhujbal and nephew Sameer were granted bail on Wednesday, the ACB had filed a 20,000-page charge-sheet against Sr Bhujbal, Sameer and 15 others, on the basis of documentary evidence, including fund transfers and bank transactions. farm loan up to `1 lakh taken from various institutions including nationalised banks. This indicates that saffron party continued its focus on farming community. BJP S Chief Ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa along with other party leaders released the manifesto. It said Crop loan waiver upto `1 lakh, including all loans from nationalised banks and cooperatives, in our first cabinet meeting for the benefit of our Annadaatas. Congress had released its election manifesto both for the state and the region wise has Modi muzzling Dalit voice: Rahul identification. Though Mehul insisted that the body was not of the murdered businessman, his family that had rushed to the place identified it to be that of Suraj. The police later took the body for postmortem and handed it over to Suraj s family for last rites. The family apparently cremated the body. Suddenly on Friday the police recovered another dead body from Narmada canal, this time from nearby town Halol. Police again called on the victim s family and they identified it the real body of Suraj. The police also convinced the newly-found body to be that of Suraj because the three accused had claimed that they had tied a stone to the legs of Suraj before throwing him in the canal. The body found earlier did not have a stone tied to it, which was the case with second dead body found. Also it matched the clothes of Suraj as seen in CCTV footage of the day he vanished. Shruti Shah, wife of the victim said that the first body resembled Suraj and even she couldn t recognise. According to her the second body was of her husband and not the first. KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n CHENNAI N alini Chidambaram, spouse of Congress strongman P Chidambaram, has to wait for some time to know the fate of her petition before the Madras High Court on her plea to grant exemption from personal appearance before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering case connected with the Saradha Chit Fund case. A vacation Bench of the court on Friday declined to hear the petition filed by Nalini, herself a Supreme Court lawyer, asking to quash the April 24 order of Justice SM Subamaniam who dismissed her petition seeking exemption announced rupees 8,165 crore farm loan wavier. All three parties who are fighting crucial battle in Karnataka, the Congress, BJP and JDs have been focusing on farm sector. Continuing its focus on farmers, BJP announced Negilayogi Yojane to provide direct income support of `10,000 to 20 lakh dry land and marginal farmers. `5000 crore Raitha Bandhu Market Intervention Fund to support farmers during price fluctuations, the BJP announced. The manifesto talks about reintroducing Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and he He promised to bring back black money and deposit Rs. 15 lakh to the accounts of each citizen. He promised to generate 2 crore jobs every year. People believed him and voted him to power. But, he didn t keep his word. His promises turned out to be hoaxes. Let alone giving you Rs. 15 lakh. Modi, through demonetisation, forced you to deposit whatever cash you had in the banks. And that money was looted by Nirav Modi, and Prime Minister allowed the looter to escape to London with the loot. Yet, he comes to Karnataka to give a lecture on corruption, Gandhi added. Gandhi spoke about farm MAYABHUSHAN n PANAJI fter being panned by the AOpposition in the national Capital over the selection of the iconic Red Fort for private adoption, under the '0' scheme of the Tourism Ministry, the Goa BJP too appears to have joined the chorus of dissent against the scheme floated by the NDA, which has listed among other heritage sites, the historic Basilica of Bom Jesus Church, in Goa, as one of sites up for the corporate sponsorship scheme. Faced with tremendous critique from the local opposition parties and a rebuff from ruling coalition alliance partners like the Goa Forward, Bharatiya Janata Party State president Vinay Tendulkar on Friday, tried to distance the State Government from the National Democratic Alliance Government's decision to include United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) endorsed Church complex in the 'Monument Mitra' list. "Stake holders should be taken into confidence before going ahead with such decision. from appearing before the ED for questioning. The case had its origin in September 2016 when the ED issued a summons to Nalini asking her to present herself as a witness in the Saradha Chit Fund scam case in its Kolkatta office. The ED summons was based on the statement given by Manoranjana Sinh, an accused in the Saradha Chit Fund scam that Nalini was paid Rs One crore by the Saradha Group for her appearances in court and Company Law Board in connection with the purchase of a TV channel. On Thursday, the Madras High Court gave green signal to the Department of Income Tax to go ahead with the Show Cause Notice (SCN) issued by loan waiver by Siddaramaiah and said In view of consecutive droughts and burden of indebtedness on the farmers shoulder, I went to the Prime Minister's office and requested for waiver of farm loans from nationalised banks. But, Modi didn t utter a word. Later he did write off Rs. 2.5 lakh corporate loans borrowed by 15 businessmen. I asked Mr. Siddaramaiah whether he could waive farm loans borrowed from cooperative institutions. He did it within 10 days. It shows who is pro-corporate and who is pro-farmer. Congress chief hit back at Modi and questioned Modi over accommodating Affecting the sentiments of people is not a good thing," Tendulkar said at a press conference on Friday in Panaji, when asked to comment on the ongoing controversy over privatisation of heritage. Ever since, the controversy broke out some days back, the Opposition has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa for not opposing the inclusion of the Archaeological Society of India protected baroque-styled Church complex, which his regarded as a world heritage site. "The BJP-led coalition Government in Goa has no issues mortgaging its heritage? This is shamelessness of the highest level when the government pledges its own culture to a company to earn revenue," it to Chess Global Advisory Services Pvt Ltd, Chennai in which Karti Chidambaram is a director. The SCN was issued in 017 April by the Income Tax Department seeking details from Chess Global Advisory Services about the advances and investments made by the firm in Totus Tennis Ltd UK and Nanoholdings LLC in USA. The Income Tax Department had served the SCN under the Black Money Act. The CGAS pleaded with the Madras High Court to quash the SCN. The bench of Justices V Baharatidasan and N Seshasayeem after hearing both the sides gave the nod to the IT Department to proceed with the SCN and enquiry. The court also asked the IT Department to provide the petitioners an opportunity to present their version. The Principal Director of Income Tax (Investigation) Yeddyurappa and tainted Reddy brothers. We had jailed Reddy brothers who looted the State. Modi, however, ensured their release. Now, he is making attempts to push these looters into the Assembly. We will not allow this to happen, he added. Rahul also said congress government led by chief minister Siddaramaiah in Karnataka was the only one in the country to have added half the money to the funds allocated by the Centre for the welfare of Dalits and tribals, and spent it on them. Gandhi alleged that the money the Modi government saved due to fall in international crude oil prices was given to 5-10 industrialists, instead of spending it for the welfare of weaker sections, Dalits and women. Karnataka is crucial for both the Congress and the BJP. Congress President is making many trips in his effort to retain Karnataka. On its part BJP is working making Congress mukth Karnataka. The May 12th Karnataka assembly polls are seen as preamble to 2019 generl elections. Goa BJP speaks out against Monument Mitra scheme Preservation Bill BJP has also announced Mukya Mantri Smartphone Yojane to provide free smartphones to women from below povertly line (BPL) families and free laptops to every student enrolling in a college. The party also announced free sanitary napkins to women from below poverty line (BPL) and girl students and at `1 to other women under the new Stree Suvidha Scheme. It has also announced three gram gold thaali (mangalsutra) and `25000 for marriage of women falling under BPL category under Vivaha Mangala Yojane. As BJP is accusing Congress Government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of diluting the Lokayukta, has announced to restore the office of the Lokayukta to its full efficacy in its first cabinet meeting itself. It also assured to enact the Karnataka whistle blower Act and release a white paper within 100 days of forming the Government on the fiscal health of the State to highlight the mismanagement of the five year Congress rule. It said farmers would be sent to countries like Israel and China newly appointed state Congress president Girish Chodankar Ruling minister and Minister for Archives and Archaeology Vijai Sardesai tried to distance the state government from the National Democratic Alliance government's decision and tried to deflect the blame on the former. "The State Government was not taken into confidence while taking this decision," Sardesai The Basilica of Bom Jesus a four hundred year Basilica housing the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier, a 16th century missionary saint and hosts the annual feast of the state's patron saint Francis Xavier, which is attended by hundreds and thousands of devotees. Bhujbal gets bail in money laundering after 2 yrs Madras HC declines to hear plea of PC s wife Karnataka BJP President B S Yeddyurappa, MP PC Mohan, Jagadish Shettar and Suresh Kumar release the party's manifesto for the upcoming Assembly polls in Bengaluru on Friday PTI The President paid glowing tributes to CMC Vellore, south India s leading medical college and hospital where doctors are trained to serve society She sought exemption from appearing before ED has been asked by the court to file his counter and adjourned the case to June 5. The petitioners told the court that all the investments and advances made by them in the to companies had been disclosed bth in the original and revised returns submitted to the IT department. Bt the Principal Director of Income Tax (Investigations) in April last had issued the SCN asking why prosecution should not be sanctioned for an offence under Sction 50 of the Black Money Act. The Chidambaram family consisting his wife Malini, son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi have moved the Madas High Court on Thursday challenging the April 12 order of a single judge refusing to restrain the IT department from sanctioning prosecution against them under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets ) and imposition of Tax 2015 Act. BJP releases manifesto, woos farmers Party promises to waive off farm loan up to `1L Bom Jesus Church, in Goa every year to study best practices in agriculture. It said 300 'Mukhya Mantri Annapoorna Canteens' would be opened to provide meals at affordable price. The state's Congress government already runs Indira Canteens which have become very popular. The manifesto said the BJP Government would launch 'Gobar-dhana Yojane' to help farmers monetise cow dung. The manifesto said the BJP Government would take steps for making Bengaluru, the IT hub of the country, a world class "zero garbage" city.

8 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 opinion 08 paper with passion Bracing for the worst So-called freak weather conditions are, alarmingly, becoming increasingly common T he suffocating dust storm followed by thundershowers that engulfed parts of north and north-west India on Wednesday night left over a 100 people dead, injured more than twice that number, toppled flimsy shelters not to mention some pucca houses, uprooted trees and snapped heavy-duty power lines like twigs was a freak weather condition in many ways. But the danger is that such freak occurrences are no longer so rare. And there s more to come. While dust storms in these parts of India are an annual feature preceding the onset of the monsoon, what was surprising was the scale and intensity of the storm. Six States were the worst-hit with 75 deaths being reported from Uttar Pradesh alone (of which 46 were from Agra) and 36 from Rajasthan. Parts of Punjab and Madhya Pradesh too were severely affected due to winds blowing at speeds of 130 km per hour which created the havoc. Compared to dust storms in, say, the Sahara Desert or Northern China/Beijing where such storms are so intense that tonnes of sand is sucked up and blown across miles, the one witnessed in India was modest. But as we top the league of being the worst country in terms of air pollution, we must prepare for going the Sahara way. There is emerging evidence that such occurrences are becoming a routine affair and the periodic manner in which they strike are proving exceedingly dangerous to life, limb and property. With the Indian Meteorological Department issuing warnings of yet another dust storm brewing in these areas by Saturday and given climate change results are increasingly being felt by Indians with the poorest of our citizens bearing the brunt, the prognosis for the future is rather depressing. Of course, such climatic events take place due to a combination of complex factors and the wrath of Nature is not under human control. The present cyclonic circulation arose due to a combination of atmospheric disturbances which were a culmination of moisture levels dipping, temperatures rising and unpredictable wind patterns; all of which provided perfect conditions for high-velocity winds to lift loose soil into the air and carry it thousands of miles. While there is not much that can be done to stop the formation of the bowl that stirs up the dust, such storms are for the most part also exacerbated by human errors which include poor agricultural practices, deforestation, pathetic planning and a lack of awareness. And then there s the luck factor. With rapid advancements in technology and, equally, urbanisation, most big cities are better prepared to handle natural calamities. It is mofussil, small town and rural India, where dwellings and shelters that pass for housing are flimsy in the extreme, which ends up bearing the brunt of such weather conditions. Take Wednesday storm while the IMD launched SMS-based weather alerts they did not get through to those worst affected; and awareness levels outside of big cities among citizens on the steps to take in case of such storms is abysmal. While State Governments were on the whole quick to direct officials to take charge of rehabilitation and offer compensation, that s just providing temporary relief. We must collectively be better prepared to brace up to a calamity much before it strikes. Emergency responders must be well-equipped and better dwelling units/infrastructure for the poorest will help save lives. Large-scale public awareness and education campaigns on climate change effects, prevention, and preparedness are the need of the hour. Teflon Don Trump s affair with a porn star seems to have generated a never-ending storm S ome people wistfully look back to the times before technology penetrated every aspect of our lives and before the madness of social media and its instant gratification and outrage made heroes out out of the unlikeliest characters. In those times, when the mainstream media controlled the narrative, Donald Trump stood no chance of becoming the US President. His complex personal life, his constant gaffes around policy and just his sheer demeanor would have made him ineligible even for the lowest elected office. But we don t live in those times anymore, in fact, Donald Trump s ascendancy to the US presidency was remarkable, and while Hillary Clinton might go around pointing fingers, the fact is that she was a deeply unpopular candidate, a fact that made the US voting public ignore many of Trump s peccadillos. A misogynistic comment about grabbing them (women) by the p**** was made public a few weeks ahead of the election; and in a normal year would have been the final torpedo to sink his campaign. Yet, Trump carried on and not only won the US presidency, he has survived 15 months into it. Sure, some might argue that his presidency has been a disaster, but much like Modi in India, Trump has to face an army of malcontent people who hold senior positions in the media. The fact is that Trump hasn t begun a nuclear war and Trump s Twitter tirade against Kim Jong-un could have played a role in actually bringing North Korea to the negotiating table, a feat that none of Trump s predecessors managed. Even the allegations of Russian collusion during the US elections and the investigations into the matter have not really unearthed much until now, indeed Trump s Administration has acted tough against Russia, particularly in Syria. But Trump s affair with a porn star, Stormy Daniels might turn out to be a bigger problem than he anticipated. His affairs with Daniels, and with the former Playboy Playment Karen McDougal have recently become public and allegations that Trump paid Daniels $130,000 (one crore rupees) as hush money to keep the affair a secret, have become public. While there is nothing wrong in Donald Trump s affairs despite the moral issues of being a philanderer and an unrepentant one, the problem here is that Donald Trump might have broken several banking and campaign finance laws while making the payments. And here is the problem for Donald Trump, by breaking these rules which can be proven through a paper trail, he might set himself up for impeachment. But Trump has the complete fealty of the Republican Party and while he should be censured for breaking the law, those arguing for his impeachment might find themselves fighting an uphill battle. RINKU GHOSH Desperately seeking an Indian superhero We need to create our own narratives in cinema, imbued with intellectual-emotional heft, from which characters who have traction with Indians will emerge An Indian fan died recently while watching the latest Hollywood superhero cluster film Avengers Infinity War, perhaps unable to digest the obliteration of some capable men and women who could not tame an epic dark force and had to give in. The dark force was a monolithic Frankenstein who took it upon himself to restore the balance in the universe and saving its limited resources by random kills of the human species. At a time when natural resources are really at peril of depletion, the defeat of not one but several superheroes in the hands of one villain brought home the frailty of existence all too starkly. And though the Marvel studio franchise will be resurrecting them in a sequel by some spin of them being teleported to an alternate universe, the short-term drama of being at world s end has seen Hollywood scoring the biggest hit of the comic icon genre. The tacit acceptance that a solo superhero cannot save the world besides being a neighbourhood vigilante and needs many more of his ilk to be a mega force is resetting the cinematic genre to a degree of earthly realism. Superhero, then, is collective humanity. And unfinished business is not despair; but about getting up again. Have we, therefore, lost our faith in superheroes or is it that survival is becoming such an insurmountable challenge that escapism is not quite the release we are seeking? Or is it that superheroes need to be human to ensure their continuity, despite the bleakness? While critics have consistently regretted the lack of human dimension in representations on the big screen the gigantic impact of the alien destruction of mankind is never shown in terms of human emotion but a series of crashing buildings and landscapes the heroes themselves lack moral concern for causing collateral damage. Over the years, the caricatures and comic book flatness are filling out real human contours, the transformation of the Dark Knight series being a prime example. Even in Avengers, the characters have a context and a backstory for being and are flawed, sometimes failing to summon up the best versions of themselves, at other times responsible for their anti-thesis. The mighty Thanos, too, sheds a tear and is a conflicted, tormented soul who, despite acquiring some power of infinity, isn t quite happy watching the sun go down. To what end, he ponders. Meanwhile, the superheroes are breaking out of their White supremacist constructs and embracing diversity. The commercial success of the Black Panther of Wakanda has made Marvel, the studio that has been nurturing its comic characters and growing them for ten years to rule a global consciousness through allied merchandising, consider more inclusions. Though a certain Mr Weng appeared in the Avengers, there is already talk of a Chinese superhero joining the ranks. SOUNDBITE We do not accept any kind of caste based discrimination. Since its inception, the RSS has been votary of one temple, one well and one cremation ground' for all. RSS functionary Arun Kumar It (two plus two dialogue with India) was postponed. So we will work with State, now that Secretary Pompeo is in the seat, to look to reschedule that in the near future. Chief Pentagon Press Secretary Dana White I always try to be different and play varied kind of characters. I am not making a career for myself. What safe roles can character actors play? They don t matter at all. Actor Rishi Kapoor I find that Parliament is going from bad to worse and worse still. Today, democracy is in danger because we do not have the right kind of relationship between media and politicians. Former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar Indian-origin characters, who have mostly featured as sidekicks, are hoping that they get their own version as representative of their diasporic and market strength. The latest Avengers series has been Hollywood s biggest opening in the Indian market, the turnstiles spinning faster than any Hindi blockbuster. As Hollywood stays on the side of political correctness, giving us wonder women of various kinds, the stakes are high for a cross-civilisational melt of characters. Not that there aren t superheroes in the Indian context. In fact, we need our own constructs than imposed ones. While Bollywood has done the multi-media franchise experiments with films like Krrish and Ra One, unfortunately they all have mimicked Western templates rather than evolving one with a distinct Indian ethos, thinking and originality. Leave aside the graphic novels or the contemporary revival of comic cons, generations have grown up on superheroes churned out by Raj Comics or Amar Chitra Katha, much before the multi-pronged invasion of Superman. There s Doga, who doesn t draw power from some other planet or energy reserve, but has developed his own human strength through training. He s not rich like Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne conjuring up futuristic tools and war machines, but a rather regular guy who scores with his brain. He doesn t have fancy suits but wears a dog mask. And he looks for scaleable solutions than flexing his limitlessness. Then there s Nagraj, who has drawn serpentine power from nature reserves, Dhruva, who is a stunt biker, acrobat and martial artist but whose best kept secrets are his ESP, his ability to communicate with the animal world and breathe under water. There s Shakti too, not the red-suited counterpart of Shaktimaan, but a desi wonder woman who can travel at the speed of light. Fortunately, they are all believable Indians who score not LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Spare innocent kids Sir The recent attack by stonepelters in Jammu & Kashmir s Shopian district where a school bus was targeted, is one of the most cowardly act one could think of. Separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq should take a conscientious call and condemn these barbaric acts unequivocally. The incident also calls for a collective concern and strategy on the part of civil society members and also the politicians across party lines to put aside their differences to bring an end to the heinous crime of stonepelting. Simultaneously, authorities must take steps to ensure that no more schools buses are targeted and a thorough probe should be launched to punish those responsible for this inhuman crime. Ramesh G Jethwani Bangalore Brazen act Sir Stone-pelting in Jammu & Kashmir may have been a symbol of resistance for years, but now it s proving more of an expression of abuse. The recent attack, where a school bus was attacked by stone-pelters has hurt the Kashmir s cause. The violence is a reminder of the Rajput Karni Sena which had attacked a school bus in Gurugram while protesting against the release of Padmaavat. If only the stones could talk, those hurting innocent children with unreal physical prowess or borrowed aerodynamics but that very Indian characteristic called mindplay and wit. Unfortunately, Indian filmmakers, while attempting to recreate Doga, have not even looked at the other characters. And though we do not know what Ranbir Kapoor s Dragon will be like, the only relatable superhero so far has been the Robin Hoodish Mr India and maybe Vikramaditya Motwane s Bhavesh Joshi, who in a paper mask, roots out the corrupt. That s the maximum they can go to, a self-awakening to the cause of vigilantism. At best form a justice league. Part of the deficient appeal of our superheroes is that they do not have a shelf life or branding beyond the home-grown comics, which have been replaced by glossy consumables from the DC and Marvel Inc. Most importantly, they seem to be confined to their appeal among children who don t carry their images into adulthood, as good as toys that you junk in a loft in your teens. They are not aspirantly urban in consciousness and seem to be bound by their limited eco-systems. And although India is now the FX backroom for Hollywood itself and is firing up the digital space with original content, nobody has thought about casting our home boys and girls in the third dimension. Why, the Black Panther has shown that the African warrior tribesmen are as comfortable electrifying a defence shield while sporting their costumes in athleisure formats and accessorising themselves with beads. Culture is as much a tool of the Black Panther s power as his laboratory. The other trajectory is that we are not entirely alive to the concept of superheroes. We are just about comfortable with the idea of superhumans. The Gods and mythological characters have suitably peopled our marvel universe. That explains the success of the Bahubali franchise. Our superheroes have to Citizens participation needed to curb pollution T his refers to the editorial, Air most foul (May 4). Delhi, Kanpur, Srinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Patiala, Jodhpur and Agra in the list means air pollution has impacted cities and towns in India cutting across their ranks. The pollution in Delhi, due to its susceptibility to air pollution, is stark because the national capital has air pollution monitors in place to measure air indices whereas the same cannot be said for other Indian cities. Data collected from more than 4,000 global cities distinctly points to the fact that there is a direct causal relationship between air pollutants and deadly diseases affecting human beings, including heart diseases and cancer, which otherwise could have been prevented. The geography of north India with no blowing away factors for pollutants by air is attributed to more dust and pollution there. It is often said that air pollution is a price the citizens pay for availing the opulence of modernisation. What India needs is a firm focus on robust solar energy and wind energy consumption. Regulation of burgeoning industries and infrastructural constructions should be hastened. Traffic congestion and emissions have to be brought down by innovative methods. Roads have to be built scientifically to reduce vehicular jam. We require more greenery. Air issues cannot be handled by Governments alone; citizens pro-active participation cannot be stressed more. Strolling to work places at least thrice a week can work wonders for the health of individual as well as the air quality. Carpooling, or vehicular sharing, conserves time, cost and emission. Ganapathi Bhat Akola be God-gifted and divine, cardboard thick in complexity, look pretty, be morally upright in a pedantic way, a martyr. He/she has to be seen as extensions of our holy trinity and cannot blend in with present-day human matrix. He/she seems almost unattainable and not someone who has emerged out of our skin and developed extraordinary skills through science, study and knowledge. Be it Spiderman, Batman or Iron Man, they are all scientific innovators who devote a considerable time to research. Our demi Gods cannot be bound by empirical data or break out of formula like the earthly Avengers. They are simply gifted and static in that cosmic giftedness. Even the borrowed Krrish will soar down in his glistening suit to deifying chants that make him a modern avatar of Krishna. Story-telling on commercial cinema anyway has superstars who do not need a character fitout. Be it Rajnikant or Salman Khan, nobody remembers their suits of Robot, Tiger or Dabangg. They ripple on their own and take down any threat from Titan. In a country given to hero worship, the onscreen persona cannot wash off on their crafted stardom. They are Rajnikant and Salman first and even the flick of their finger or a twitch of a brow is enough to blow the world away. Or galaxies for that matter. The superhero cannot take over the superstar. Except perhaps in the loveable don Munnabhai, who has no punch but common sense and a healing touch and who overpowered the muscular aura of Sunjay Dutt. But perhaps time has come to awaken our children to our civilisational heritage and learning templates, considering we have a huge literature, both vernacular and popular, to fall back upon. We need not reference ourselves against Marvel but create our own starship, to go where no Indian has gone before. (The writer is Associate Editor, The Pioneer) would have been given a befitting reply. Stone-pelters in Shopian are goons and deserve to be treated accordingly. Kashmir s descent into violence and despair in the past few years has been a huge setback for the peace process. While perpetrators must be booked and punished, Kashmiris must also take the tough call and decide how soon they want to come out of this spiral of violence. KS Jayatheertha Bengaluru Spreading happiness Sir As we celebrate the National Cartoonists Day on May 5, we must congratulate our cartoonists for publishing wonderful cartoons which conquers the hearts of a common man. As I sip my morning cup of coffee everyday, the first thing I do is to check the cartoons. A daily dose of cartoons provide the much-needed comic relief to everyone, as in the morning we are all in a hurry and tensed up to meet the challenges the day is likely to throw at us. It just takes a few seconds to glance at a random cartoon sketch which provides relief to a worked up soul and also puts a smile on his/her face, irrespective of the age group. Like it is said, If a picture is worth thousand words then a cartoon is worth a thousand pictures. T S Karthik Chennai Send your feedback to: letterstopioneer@gmail.com

9 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, rdeye {saturday special} 09 Pathology of Islamicist Erdogan regime here were two developments in TIstanbul last week confirming the Islamicist direction towards which Turkey is fast sliding under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The first was World Muslim Minorities Summit organised by Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs) on April 17-20, 2018, the first of its kind in the history of modern Republican Turkey. President Erdogan used the event to secure two political objectives: (a) to emerge as political leader of global Muslim community as evident from the Summit motto, the believers are but a single brotherhood. The motto undercuts the territorial basis of nation state and asserts the ummatic unity of Muslim community, thereby transgressing the political loyalty to country to global imagined Muslim community under a singular leadership as symbolised by Caliph in the Islamic past. Erdogan believes that as Arab world is in total disarray and with Turkey s Ottoman legacy along with its political stability, Turkey can emerge as the leading voice of the global Muslim community; (b) Erdogan, characteristic to his rogue political behaviour, delivered anti- West speech with a view to blaming the West for de-development of Muslim community and to conjure up imagery that he can protect the interest of global Muslim community, particularly those vulnerable Muslim minority community living under non-muslim majoritarian context. Such summit of Muslim minorities is at best sham if one simply contrasts with brutalities of the Erdogan regime on Turkey s own Muslim ethnic minority Kurds and Alawites. Moreover, it dangerously undermines the rights of Muslim minority community to negotiate within their own nation sate within the framework of Constitution and international law to secure their dignified life by looking up the Muslim leaders outside their country. Close on the heels of the World Muslim Minorities Summit, Erdogan, in a surprise move, called for snap Presidential election on June 24, 2018, preponed one-and-halfyear earlier than its schedule date in December This is in violation of his repeated statement in post Constitutional referendum, which approved the shift from parliamentary to executive presidency of governance and to be implemented from December 2019 following the election of executive president and Parliament. However, the results of the last referendum when Erdogan barely managed to get just 51 per cent votes, necessary to bring Constitutional changes, despite all political machinations at his hand, including holding election under continuous State of Emergency and the deteriorating economic situation since 2016 has frightened him most. And that is why he is desperate to prepone the election. While the snap election caught the Opposition unprepared without any effective common Opposition candidate to challenge Erdogan, so fearful was Erdogan with the prospects of Abdullah Gül, one of the founders of the AKP and former Prime Minister and former President, that he dispatched Chief of Army Staff and his Political Adviser to persuade Gül not to contest election, which Gül finally conceded on the ground of lack of consensus among Opposition parties! Given the current political scenario where Turkey has totally slided under the syndrome of one man rule and the fact that Erdogan remained a first choice for majority of black Turks, his electoral victory with parliamentary majority is assured. All Islamicist measures that Erdogan intensified post-2016 failed military coup, including foray into Syrian territory, increasing the budget and power of Presidency of Religious Affairs, allowing hijab-clad women to seek employment in core sector and traditionally Kemalist fold of state: Judiciary, police, intelligence and army, and convening World Muslim Minorities Summit combined with anti-israel and anti- West rhetoric all intended to promote Erdogan as leader of Muslim world. To be a leader of Muslim world necessarily demands anti- West posturing, as the majority of Muslim community are most gullible to anti-west conspiracy theories, which are spun off on almost daily basis by the Islamicist Muslim political leaders. As Erdogan steps into executive presidency following the controlled election on June 24, 2016, with Caliphate ambition, the forces of radicalisation and terrorism in the region and also in the Muslim world are likely to find a new lease of life under the shadow of Erdoganism. With the decline of ISIS, al-qaeda and other brand of Islamicist terrorist politics, the radicalised Islamicist forces began to look towards Erdogan and the Qatari Emir. Apart from the wide public perception that Erdogan has stashed most of his illegal money in Qatar, the duo has been at the forefront in forging linkages with the Islamicist terrorist forces within and outside the region, partly to challenge the hegemonic Islamic leadership of the Saudi Arabia in the Muslim world, partly to fill the perceived Islamic vacuum arising out of Muhammad bin Salman s modernising reforms, partly to remain relevant in the West Asian politics and partly to acquire the new strategic attention from the West. It may be noted here that the West remained centred in West Asia on the issue of terrorism for a reason that, unlike Taliban and other form of terrorism in South Asia and elsewhere whom the West continue to treat as peripheral terrorism, the ISIS, al-qaeda or other West Asiancentred terrorist groups pose a direct threat to the stability of West, particularly Europe. India needs to be cautious in dealing with Turkey and Qatar. Jamia Millia Islamia s decision to confer honorary degree on President Erdogan, an autocratic ruler, is a backward step in the field of diplomacy. It would help in legitimising Erdogan s Islamicist politics among Indian Muslims, the third largest Sunni Muslim population in the world, which in turn would contribute and strengthen the process of radicalisation prevalent among a section of the Muslim youth. At a time when there is a pervasive fear, real or perceived, among a good section of Indian Muslim community, Erdogan-Qatari politics of Islamicist pan-islamism may provide a false hope to these Muslim youths and help in generating anti-indian feeling among them. It is no secret that a good section of Muslim intelligentsia, often influenced by Jammate-Islami discourse of Islam, despise the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hail the Islamicist-authoritarian leadership of Erdogan. In his hatred to the Gulen movement and to wipe out this movement, one of the most progressive educational Islamic movements that Muslim world has witnessed, the Erdogan regime has reached out to all kinds of political Islamicists throughout the Muslim world. It is in this context that recent World Muslim Minorities Summit in Istanbul, with its retrogressive pan-islamic moorings, will have its reverence among Indian Muslims. As Erdogan has made anti-gulenists the central piece of his foreign policy agenda since 2013 for the alleged role of the Gulen movement in ousting the regime first through corruption scandal in 2013 and later through failed military coup in 2016, though without any justifiable evidence; my own fear is that the Summit would at best serve the purpose of the Erdogan regime for forging links with all those rogue Islamicist elements among Muslim minorities to work against the Gulenists presence in those countries. India does not have any objection to holding of World Muslim Minorities Summit, provided such Summit does not serve Islamicistterrorist politics, which Istanbul congress was geared to. As a country of diversities with multicultural thrust of governance, India has a strong history of constitutional protection of religious minorities to the extent that minority rights are the most defining features of Indian secularism both in theory and praxis. In this context, an initiative by the UAE Government to establish the World Council of Muslim Minorities in coming week is most welcomed. The proposed Council rejects the monolithic conception of Muslim and Islam (without undermining its foundational value, norms and principles), promotes the idea of cultural relativism pluralism, tolerance, dialogue, moderation and national belonging among Muslim minorities and reserve its roles to coordinate the Muslim minority institutions towards contributing to renaissance of their respective nation states, to correct the stereotypical image of Islam and Muslim minorities and to bridge the intellectual and cultural gap between the components of human society. This inclusive, democratic and humanistic vision of Islam and Muslim minorities is badly needed to counter the Turkish- Qatari-led radical, Islamicist-terrorist vision of Islam and Muslim. (The writer is Senior Fellow, Policy Perspectives Foundation, and former professor of international studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia, all in Delhi) India needs to be cautious in dealing with Turkey and Qatar. Jamia Millia Islamia s decision to confer honorary degree on President Erdogan is a backward step in the field of diplomacy. It would help in legitimising Erdogan s radical Islamicist politics among Indian Muslims, the third largest Sunni Muslim population in the world Anwar Alam LOOKBACK Lula in prison: What now for Brazil? PERSPECTIVE American intent and North n April 4, 2018, former Brazilian OPresident Lula da Silva s appeal to the Supreme Court of Brazil was rejected and that, some believe, came as a major blow to the Brazil s poor. The verdict ended the slim hope that Lula, his labour party, and their sympathisers at home and abroad had for his epic comeback to the realm of Brazilian presidency that is marred with scandals since his departure seven years ago. Prior to this imminent judgment, Lula was projected as the frontrunner in the upcoming October presidential election, and thus he would have, hypothetically, assumed office by January 1, Undeniably, Lula and his party carry slender majority votes as was showcased in the run-off presidential elections of 2010 and 2014; on both occasions, the impeached President Dilma Rousseff won. Since Lula has left office, the highest bureau in the hierarchy of the Brazilian federal system has remained unpopular and arguably unfilled. Even though his successor completed her first term and became President for the second time, she was impeached. Her successor, incumbent Brazilian President Michel Temer has been hit with various kinds of corruption allegations. He has been a scandalous figure, albeit surviving the impeachment. Both Rousseff and Temer have lacked the charisma Lula had shown throughout his popular terms as President of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, and they have failed to fill his shoes. Lula s supporters and opponents alike can only imagine what his comeback to power would have meant to them; however, that sensation of excitement and fear seems to have gone, perhaps, permanently. Lula, now 72, has to serve 12 years in prison. By the time, he is out of prison if alive and cleared of legal restrictions, given his criminal conviction, it is unrealistic to fancy his chance of validating his influential stature in the future. Perhaps, this upcoming presidential election was the last shot for a decisive figure in Lula s caliber loved by the masses and hated by mid-level oligarchs. The top oligarchs, particularly, those involved in the car wash case, seems to have been his partners in crime. Whether portrayed as a great leader or as a corrupt one, Brazilians should hold no grudge against one another in the form of Lula s supporters and his opponents. They should view the current state of affairs of their beautiful country as a major opportunity to draw lessons. Why should any single individual attain the level of political influence that Lula had been able to achieve in a big country like Brazil? After all, either power or the fear of losing it is corrupt. Oligarchy, Democracy or Polity Aristotle preferred polity where oligarchy and democracy meet, and their constituencies make compromise to reach a win-win consensus on the basis of a constitution to realise equal rights and opportunities as citizens. The democracy that Aristotle was reluctant to recommend is the form of government where the masses have the power to serve themselves at the expenses of the oligarchs. Similarly, he warned of oligarchy for being despotic in exploiting the masses. As diverse Brazil is, it needs a polity that serves all classes of the society. Irrefutably, oligarchs or elites have exploited the masses in almost every country and for the most part, they continue to do so. As a factory worker, Lula had experienced this personally and, maybe, he and his party had taken Brazil far away from oligarchy beyond polity to a pluralistic democracy, leaned toward the tyranny of the majority. In this transition, the mid-level oligarchs had become the primary victims of oppression by the majority masses. (I witnessed this, as my father-in-law, an honest business owner, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, lost everything in 2014.) Lula s critical role Lula s presidency from 2003 to 2011 was one of the most critical decades for Brazil s future considering his popularity as the first unconventional president. Economically, the predecessor President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a wellknown Brazilian scholar, had not only pulled Brazil out of the crisis between 1995 and 2003 but also had placed the country on an automatic development trajectory that was growth bound inevitably. However, socio-politically, the country was on the verge of uncertainty. It could go left, right or in the middle with President Lula being in the driving seat. Given Lula s charisma and popularity in Brazil and beyond, he had every opportunity to make choices, best for all Brazilians. Regretfully, Lula had already fallen victim of the vicious cycle of the oppressed and the oppressor when he assumed office. He wanted to serve the workers at the expenses of the exploitive business owners. He could have risen above such a revenge-based partisan leadership, as Nelson Mandela did in South Africa, to serve all Brazilians regardless of class. Instead, he went to become the president of the poor exclusively, as claimed in his goodbye speech in Lula s sincere attempts to help the poor deserve the highest praise possible, but his rhetoric of the poor against the rich translated into intense labour and taxation policies targeting small and medium-sized businesses caused detrimental damages to middle-class Brazilians. Instead of pushing for effortless income and overprotective labour laws in support of the workers, he could have focused on their capabilities by effectively investing in education. Watching crimes of robbery on daylight in Brazilian neighbourhoods during the World Cup 2014 and the Rio Olympics 2016 in global mass media, Lula, and his party, in power for over a decade, have to bear some responsibility for failing to address some of the core socio-economic problems of Brazil. Nonetheless, Lula s supporters are left heartbroken and there is truth in their narrative that Brazilian elites imprisoned their leader. Given the intimidating impact of Brazil s army chief s tweet hours before the Supreme Court s narrow judgment of 5-6 to reject Lula s appeal, in which he clearly threatened the highest court justices of a military action if Lula was granted the appeal. Time to move forward It is time that Brazilians stop pointing the finger at one another as Lula s supporters and his opponents for the sake of their unity. After all, Lula went on trial and is imprisoned on charges of corruption. They need to protect their country from perversion form of oligarchy or bad democracy where either the oligarchs or the masses are selfishly pushing for their interests in zero-sum approaches. They may have to adjust to Aristotle s polity form of government by following his teacher s advice of bringing a philosopher king, as they did in the case of former President Cardoso in the mid-90s, to save their country once again. Otherwise, the counterproductive class competition between some segments in the upper and lower classes of the country will prevent Brazil from reaching its full potential as an emerging economy. This will also spoil the essence of being Brazilians: a happy, diverse, harmonious, loving and united people. Idolatrada! (The writer is a PhD candidate in Government and Public Policy School at OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat. Prior to this, he was the Regional Cooperation Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan) Given Lula s charisma and popularity in Brazil and beyond, he had every opportunity to make choices, best for all Brazilians. Regretfully, Lula had already fallen victim of the vicious cycle of the oppressed and the oppressor when he assumed office... It is time Brazilians stopped pointing the finger at one another as Lula s supporters and his opponents for the sake of their unity. Otherwise, the counterproductive class competition between some segments in the upper and lower classes of the country will prevent Brazil from reaching its full potential as an emerging economy Eisa Khan Ayoob Ayoobi Korean negotiations The he North Korean dictatorship is rather Tunprecedented and unparallel. But, when the Grand Eagle comes to roost in the rather sequestered and upended nest, the fat vulture has to lower its guard and submit before the all pervasive cackle of the Grand Eagle. In the grandiloquent jungle of the anarchic international system, the regulator nation, the United States of America, and its larger-than-life-president Donald Trump call the sundry shots as the latter s threatening Twitter calls and other assertions have worked with the North Korean dictator-par-excellence. The, I can shout and threaten louder on the lines of the systemic mandarins has played out some sections of its part as the American Empire is here to stay. North Korea has few options other than to mend fences with its blood brother in the Peninsula and the onus now is on the United States and its Foggy Bottom to prepare the meadows for the diplomatic process which should not go waste as what happened in 2000 and 2007 when the twin leaders from Korea met twice but the declaration and the agreement on the thematic war manoeuvre could not be attained. The joke which Kim Jong-Un advanced during the talks was that he would no more stymie the early morning sweet sleep of Jae-Moon with the flurry of missiles and nuke tests in the Korean seas. The Maoist suit which Kim-Un was wearing still serves as an ardent and astute reminder of the way in which the South Koreans and the Americans need to be wary about the dictator. Maybe regime change in Pyongyang might have been one strategic option, but, now with the gates to the imperiled kingdom being opened at least emblematically, the western group of three interlocutors can fathom out a strategy for the North Koreans to feel conveniently inclined to initiate a larger and longer process of making up for a want of diplomatic transactions. One can delve inside the dynamics of the purity of purpose of a crazy communist North Korea. It is the generally witnessed and often reported legerdemain in the Korean domesticity that the elites of the nation lead a fancied lifestyle with all their luxury goods and services coming from China through clandestine imports. The rest of the North Korean hoi polloi is strictly regimented and forced to live a life as rituals, where-in, Mao suits and a dull and damp dampener always broods over a clean and clinically regulated human discourse and larger day-to-day life. It is deft spectacular diplomacy on the show as part of the tradition of summitry and summit diplomacy. Few personages, the diplomatic community and the academics of international relations could have believed their eyes when they witnessed the declaration of a summit between Trump and the North Korean satrap. Can the Americans under the leadership of Trump usher in an idiom of democratisation, entrepreneurship, rule of law and much transparency within the confines of a locked out population in North Korea? Also, the theme is that would regime change cease to be a strategy in the context of the Korean peninsula like it was deftly attained in Iraq? Despite other voices, the maritime might and expanse of the America can conveniently belittle the Han strivings in the oceans around them, thus, the American security umbrella remains a key ingredient in the geopolitical and geo-economic rotor of the Asian pivot and the Asiatic space. The content review of an ABC news report informs us that all North Korean resting sites will be dismantled by May 2018, which is nothing but an astute declaration and a proto-promise to emanate out of the portals of the North Korean establishment. The North Korean premier also expressed optimal optimism concerning the upcoming meet with President Trump which is slated to take place after much atmospherics and ostentatious optics had become the nom-de-plume of the larger diplomatic declarations emanating from Pyongyang and the White House. Also, we need to fathom out as international relations observers that Kim-Un can really temper down his rhetoric which might be appreciated by his American counterpart? The mere fact that both the nations talked about the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula without a verifiable timetable is in itself a diplomatic success in the event of which optimism rules the roost in the region. The joint declaration reached by the Koreans is an appreciable achievement, but, the poser of the hour is how a stolid agreement can be reached with Western and American inclusion. Though, Kim-Un has contended that both the blood brothers can do much better with our hands together. Sceptics too rule the part of the shaky roost. Some contend that nothing remarkable can be achieved with these negotiations. The entire international system would appreciate and would be a much safer place with the nuclear disarmament doing the rounds in the talks but as Kim-Un perceives his homestead to be perennially threatened by an American overarch and an Armageddon, it might require a great deal of tough decision making for North Korea to make concessions. The North Korean interests veer Trump-Kim negotiations slated to be in June 2018 has reached a healthy and fruitful fruition. Few personages, the diplomatic community and the academics of international relations could have believed their eyes when they witnessed the declaration of a forthcoming summit between Trump and the North Korean satrap. Can the Americans under the leadership of Trump usher in an idiom of democratisation, entrepreneurship, rule of law and much transparency within the confines of a locked out population in North Korea? Manan Dwivedi around to a need of more of aid in billions along with a culmination of the stultifying sanctions. Who knows that the North Korean premier has come down to the drawing table only because of the crippling sanctions? It is reported in a US media portal that, around 2, 833 journalists have registered to cover the event at the border truce village of Panmunjon, which amounts to a collective entity of 168 South Korean correspondents along with around 160 personages from other nations. Thus, can the larger-than-life interest reflected in the international media be matched by the spectacular extension of the Armistice into a declaration of the end of war in the Korean Peninsula. At the end of the day, the US can be instrumental in cajoling Seoul in being liberal with Kim-Un if he actually denuclearises; and one more weapon in the hands of the Chinese tact will be dysfunctional if the North Korean people can become part and parcel of the trail of a peace regime along with the stream of globalisation and convergence. (The writer teaches International Relations at Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi)

10 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 money 10 Today when the BJP is in power both at the Centre and in the state, Nitish Kumar must seize the opportunity, play hardball and ensure that Bihar gets its due. NCP national gen secy Tariq Anwar BUZZ FROM GOVT/CORP Effective steps needed to be taken to improve the condition of the sugar industry that was reeling under low prices due to rise in production. NCP president Sharad Pawar GST return filing process simplified Council defers decision on sugar cess MADHUSUDAN SAHOO n NEW DELHI I n a move to help taxpayers file hassle-free returns, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Friday decided a new and simplified method of filing monthly returns and set a period of six months for the transition to take place. The Council, however, deferred a decision on levying a cess on sugar after Opposition from some states. Besides, the GST Council also veered around to giving up to Rs 100 incentive for digital payments for purchases by consumers. It will take about six months for GSTN to prepare for it, so for that period the current arrangement of GSTR3B and GSTR 1 will continue. This will be the first phase of transition where the current system will continue for the next six months, said Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia. However, Chairman and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Council decided to set up two separate groups of five Finance Ministers of states to give recommendations both on the imposition of a cess on sugar as well as a 2 per cent incentive for making payments digitally. All taxpayers excluding a few exceptions like composition dealers shall file one monthly GST return in place of multiple filings currently required in a month. Return filing dates shall be staggered based on the turnover of the registered person to manage load on the IT system. Composition dealers and dealers having nil transaction shall have facility to file quarterly return, Jaitley said, while briefing reporters in the 27th meeting of the GST Council. The council also referred the issue of incentivising digital payments to a group of state finance ministers after some states wanted a negative list. Most member states on the panel were agreeable to the proposal of giving a concession of 2 per cent in GST rate (where the tax rate is 3 per cent or more) on business-to-consumer (B2C) supplies, for which payment is made through cheque or digital mode, subject to a ceiling of Rs 100 per transaction, so as to incentivise promotion of digital payments. The Council also discussed about the imposing of levies on both sugar and on some negative items in GST list. But since some states wanted a small negative list, the issue will GSTN to be converted to Govt-owned entity PNS n NEW DELHI he GST Council on Friday Tapproved making the GST- Network (GSTN) a Government-owned entity by allowing the regime to take over the stake held by private entities. Post the deal, the central and State Government will own 50 per cent each of the new GSTN. The GSTN currently is 24.5 per cent owned by the central Government and a similar percentage is held by state governments collectively. The remaining 51 per cent is with five private financial institutions HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, NSE Strategic Investment Co and LIC Housing Finance Ltd. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Council was agreed that the 51 per cent equity held by private entities should be taken over by the Government and eventually the central government will hold 50 per cent and state governments (together) will hold 50 per cent. The collective share of state governments will be pro rata, divided among states in accordance with their GST ratios. While doing so the council also recommended that the GSTN will continue to employ people contractually and have the flexibility to get the best talent from the market considering the wide range of activities and the responsibilities of GSTN itself, Jaitley BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who had for months questioned the private equity structure of GST-Network (GSTN), demanded transfer of Finance Secretary Hashmukh Adhia to a lesser important ministry for his alleged role in the GSTN scam. After the GST Council meeting, the Finance Minister said he had proposed to the panel for a change in the structure of GSTN which was accepted. However, Jaitley had previously said that he did not find anything wrong in government holding 49 per cent stake in GSTN. The present structure of GSTN was decided by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) when P Chidambaram was the finance minister. I have personally reviewed the entire structure and I saw no reason to disagree with him, he had said in June last year. The GSTN, a Special Purpose Vehicle (GSTN-SPV) was created as a private limited, not-for-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 (Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013) on March 28, 2013 with an objective to provide shared IT infrastructure and services to Centre and States Governments, tax payers and other stakeholders for implementation of GST in the country. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley chairs the 27th GST Council meeting through video conferencing in New Delhi on Friday PTI be referred to a five-member group of state finance ministers. As far as issue of levy of cess on sugar is concerned, a separate Group of Ministers (GoMs) also would look into the issue and reduction of GST on ethanol as well, Jaitley Analysing the cost of sugar production, he said it is over Rs 35 per kg, the market price is around Rs a kg and cane growers are in deep distress and a proposal to levy a cess was made to help them. Now since this suggestion has been made after the GST has been implemented, he said, referring to GST roll-out from July 1 last year where a cess on top of GST rate was imposed only on luxury and demerit goods like cigarettes and highend cars to make up a kitty to compensate states for their losses due to implementation of the new tax regime. On farmers prospective, he said, How are such contingencies to be addressed in the GST regime, are they to be addressed by imposition of cess or are they to be addressed by temporarily increasing the tax or by some alternative method of revenue raising. Jaitley, however, asserted that the GoMs would make a recommendation to the council on the avenues for raising revenue to meet contingencies of this kind where the cost of commodity is much higher than its selling price and the committee would be announced over the next two days. Flipkart undertakes $350 mn buyback PTI n NEW DELHI oving closer to its deal Mwith Walmart, e-commerce major Flipkart has bought back over 1.8 million shares worth more than USD 350 million from minority investors, as per information filed by Flipkart with Singapore s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. The filing, which was sourced by data platform Paper.vc, claimed that the move will also help Flipkart convert itself into a private company under Singapore law and values the Bengaluru-based firm at a whopping USD billion. The development assumes significance as US retail giant Walmart is close to sealing its deal to acquire majority stake in Flipkart. If completed, this would be one of the largest deals in the Indian retail sector and by far, the biggest in the country s booming e-commerce market. There is also buzz that Flipkart rival, Amazon, has made a formal bid, priced slightly higher than Walmart along with a breakup fee of USD 2 billion, to buy majority stake in the Indian e-commerce company founded by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. Mercedes-Benz introduces E63S AMG German carmaker unveils new ` 1.5 cr super sedan PNS n GREATER NOIDA ercedes-benz India on Friday took the cov- off their new E63S AMG sedan. The Mers car which is based on the regular E-Class is a highly tuned version that has a four-litre bi-turbo petrol engine that produces 612 horsepower which can propel it to 100 kilometers per hour from a standing start in 3.4 seconds. The car is, however, based on the shorter wheelbase version unlike the standard E-Class sold in India which is the long-wheelbase model. The AMG division of Mercedes-Benz, which tunes up their cars for extra performance enjoyed huge success with over 133,000 AMG cars sold last year. In India, it is estimated that of the 16,000 cars the company sold in 2017, 400 were AMG models which are much more expensive than the standard models. Sellers on Flipkart jittery ahead of Walmart deal New Delhi (PTI): The under-works USD 12-billion Flipkart-Walmart deal has left merchants selling products through the e-commerce platform jittery as they claim to be clueless about the ongoing negotiations and its possible impact on their business. These sellers are demanding clarity on the way forward on the grounds that they too need to prepare their business plans accordingly, in light of the deal that is likely to value Flipkart at about USD 20 billion. According to the spokesperson of the All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA), which has 3,500 sellers on large platforms like Flipkart and Amazon, the sellers community has received no communication or update whatsoever so far on the protracted talks that have been going on for months now. There has been no communication from Flipkart or other parties involved in the matter. While we understand that the deal discussions are private, it leaves us in the dark as to what is the future for us on the platform. We want to get clarity on the way forward as we also need to plan accordingly, the AIOVA spokesperson told PTI. The comments are significant given that global retail giant Walmart is inching closer to sealing the deal to buy a majority stake in Flipkart for as much as USD 12 billion, even though rival Amazon is still jostling to turn the deal in its favour. Irrespective of the final suitor, the Flipkart buy would be one of the largest deals in the Indian retail sector and by far, the biggest in the country s booming e-commerce market. As per the documents cited by Paper.vc, Flipkart has purchased 18,95,574 redeemable preference shares and 1,74,319 non-redeemable preference shares in a transaction that closed on April 27. According to market The E63S AMG which features a host of features not available on the standard car, including four-wheel drive and a new suspension costs an eye-watering Rs 1.5 crore. However, Roland Folger, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India did hold out some succor for buyers when he announced that they could choose a two-year, unlimited maintenance package that costs Rs 88,000. watchers, the move is aimed at helping Walmart buy stake from a single entity rather than multiple parties. Flipkart had undertaken a similar move earlier this year, following the closing of its Softbank- Microsoft-Ebay deal. However, unlike the previous transaction, the current share purchase is easing the exit of a number of Flipkart s minority shareholders. Shareholders who are said to be exiting include Shekhar Kirani of Accel, Deep Nishar (SoftBank) and a large number of pension funds, according to Paper.vc. This would still leave biggies like Tiger Global, Accel, Microsoft, Naspers and Ebay on the deal table, it said adding that Flipkart s holding company is now a private company - Flipkart Pte Ltd. According to sources, Walmart is expected to pump in as much as USD 12 billion for primary and secondary shares, valuing Flipkart at about USD 20 billion far higher than the USD 17.6 billion valuation of the current buyback. India is a critical market for both Walmart and Amazon, and a deal with Flipkart would help either player in consolidating their position in the booming e-commerce market here. India doing extremely well on electrification: WB PTI n WASHINGTON ndia is doing extremely well Ion electrification with nearly 85 per cent of the country s population having access to electricity, the World Bank has Between 2010 and 2016, India providing electricity to 30 million people each year, more than any other country, the World Bank said in its latest report released this week. While challenges still remain to provide electricity to the rest of the 15 per cent of the 1.25 billion population, India is all set to achieve the target of universal access to electricity before the 2030 target date, Sunil Singh appointed TPDDL COO STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI ower discom Tata Power PDelhi Distribution (Tata Power-DDL) has appointed Sunil Singh as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company, a statement Before his elevation as the COO, Singh was serving as the vice president, operations and safety, said a Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) spokesperson. Singh joined Tata Power- DDL in 2004 when Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses (AT&C) Losses were hovering around 45 per cent. Under his guidance, Tata Power-DDL has set new benchmark in AT&C loss reduction of sub 10 per cent, a rare feat to achieve in the Indian power scenario, a release from the Tata Power-DDL stated. Hemant Goyal has also been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer. Goyal has taken over from Ajay Kapoor who has moved to Tata Power to undertake new assignments. Sanjay Banga, CEO Tata Power-DDL said, Both Sunil and Hemant are seasoned professionals and domain experts with proven track records. As COO and CFO they will play key roles in steering Tata Power-DDL towards greater heights, he Vivien Foster, Lead Energy Economist at the World Bank here told PTI. The report comes less than a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that all the villages in the country have been electrified. The report said that nearly 85 per cent of the country s population has access to electricity. India is doing extremely well on electrification. We are reporting India about 85 per cent of the population has access to electricity, said Foster, lead World Bank author of the latest report on Energy Progress. This figure, she pointed Ensure parity in e-commerce: CII PTI n NEW DELHI ndustry body CII on Friday Iwelcomed the government s move to kick-start consultation process for framing a national policy on e-commerce and said any rules in this regard should be made in view of greater digital economy and larger national interest. The ministry s new effort to have the e-commerce policy consultation which follows an institutionalised structure of the think tank that will have various subgroups so as to fast-track policy consultations and therefore policy making is a welcome move, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) The chamber observed that as far as data protection and localisation is concerned, the industry is cognisant that these are larger issues that influence the greater digital economy and any policy on it should not be specific to e- commerce but in the larger national interest. The e-commerce sector is an emerging sector with out, is higher than that of the Indian government. That might surprise you. The government is currently reporting in low 80s, she While the World Bank s methodology is based on household survey, which includes even those who are off grid, while the figures of the government is based on official utility connection, she In absolute terms, India is doing more on electrification than any other countries. Thirty million a year, is really an astounding performance and it stands out from the crowd, Foster However, India is not the immense growth potential. A robust national e-commerce policy is required to provide the correct impetus to the sector, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee However, the chamber said the safeguard mechanism that came in the press note in 2016 which prohibits marketplaces from controlling inventory, influencing price and working through related entities are important measures to promote local enterprises and provide a level-playing field. Banerjee said he endorses the government s position that national policy is not just necessary to facilitate trade, but also to meet India s national economic goals. The idea that domestic policy must precede international commitments is well taken, he The government last month began the exercise to frame a national policy on e- commerce, with a think-tank constituted on the issue under the chairmanship of Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu which held its first meeting here. New telecom likely to be rolled out next month: Secy PTI n NEW DELHI he new telecom policy is Tlikely to be rolled out by next month, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said on Friday. We want to place it (the telecom policy) before the Cabinet in four weeks. It will be open for public comments for two weeks, then we will finalise everything in a week and send to the Cabinet after that. It will be in place in June, Sundararajan told reporters here. The DoT has already issued draft of the new telecom policy. The draft policy branded as National Digital Communications Policy 2018 was unveiled by the government yesterday. It aims to attract USD 100 billion or about Rs 6.5 lakh crore investments in the digital communications sector by 2022 with the help of reforms. Promising rationalisation of levies such as spectrum charges to rejuvenate debt-ridden telecom sector, the proposed new telecom policy seeks to provide broadband access to all with 50 mbps speed, 5G services and create 40 lakh new jobs by fastest country in electrification. Bangladesh and Kenya, for example are faster in electrification than India, she noted. India, she said, is now entering final stage of electrification. You are already well over 80 per cent, so you re getting into the more difficult aspects of electrification: the more remote population, the harder to reach people, she explained. However, reliability of service is an area of concern for India, she We know that in some parts of India or having the connection doesn t necessarily guarantee the energy s reliable supply. So, getting the connection obviously is very important, but India still has a long way to continue to work on actually making that access meaningful in terms of hours of service, Foster Referring to India s tremendous electrification effort, the report said it expects 250 million people gaining electricity access between now and the early 2020s, when the country reaches full access. The rapid growth of electricity access in India is propelled by the country s USD 2.5 billion electrification programmes to reach universal electrification, the report

11 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 world 11 US warns China of results of military buildup in SCS PTI n WASHINGTON he US on Friday warned TChina that it would face consequences for military buildup in the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the Trump administration has raised the issue with the Chinese leadership. We are well aware of China s militarisation of the South China Sea. We ve raised concerns directly with the Chinese leadership about this. And there will be near-term and long-term consequences, Sanders told reporters, responding to a question on the Chinese military build up in the South China Sea and other parts of the world. China on Thursday defended the deployment of anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems in the disputed waters, saying it has indisputable sovereignty over the area. The Pentagon has also expressed concern over the Chinese military buildup in the Imran Khan acquitted by Pak court in 2014 attack on police Islamabad: Pakistan s opposition leader Imran Khan was on Friday acquitted by an anti-terrorism court in a case related to the attack on a senior police officer during protests in Activists of Khan s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek Chairman Tahirul Qadri had in 2014 staged a major rally here against alleged rigging in the 2013 election. They were also protesting the Lahore incident in June 2014 in which as many as 14 people were killed and 100 injured in police firing. Violent clashes had ensued during the protest when the police attacked Qadri s residence during an anti-encroachment operation and the then Senior Superintendent Police, Islamabad, Asmatullah Junejo, was severely thrashed when he tried to intervene. Khan was accused of inciting violence. Khan was present when ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand today read out the verdict in the case, declaring the cricketer-turned-politician as innocent and discharged him from the case. Talking to media after he was exonerated, Khan said that it was a simple case and should not have been sent to an anti-terrorism court. Such democratic governments are worse than military dictatorships, he alleged. However, he expressed satisfaction over his acquittal and promised to continue to fight for rights of people and against corruption. Ousted premier Nawaz Sharif criticised the verdict and said that the PTI chief was declared innocent without any trial. AFP n STOCKHOLM or the first time in almost 70 Fyears there will be no Nobel Literature Prize this year, as the Swedish Academy that selects the laureate finds itself in turmoil over links to a man accused of sex crimes amid the #MeToo campaign. We find it necessary to commit time to recovering public confidence in the Academy before the next laureate can be announced, the Academy s interim permanent secretary Anders Olsson said in a statement Friday, adding two prizes would be announced in The body has been plunged in crisis since November, in the wake of the global #MeToo campaign, when Swedish newspaper of reference Dagens Nyheter published the testimonies of 18 women claiming to have been raped, sexually assaulted or harassed by Jean-Claude Arnault, an influential figure on the Swedish culture scene. Arnault, the French husband of Academy member and poet Katarina Frostenson, has denied the allegations. The revelations have sowed deep discord among the Academy s 18 members about how to handle the matter, and in recent weeks, six of them have chosen to resign, including permanent secretary Sara Danius. The active members of the Swedish Academy are of course fully aware that the present crisis of confidence places high demands on a long-term and robust work for change, Olsson Seen as bearers of high culture, the Academy, founded in 1786, is traditionally known for its integrity and discretion, with its meetings and decisions shrouded in secrecy. But the row has turned into a titillating public spectacle, with Academy members dealing ugly blows to each other in the media. The last time the institution delayed a prize announcement was in William Faulkner received the disputed waters. We have been very vocal about our concerns about them militarising these artificial islands. China has to realise that they ve benefited from the free navigation of the sea. And the US Navy has been the guarantor of that, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana White told reporters. We will continue to do our operations and ensure that the Chinese understand that they cannot, and should not, be hostile and understand that the Pacific is a place in which much commerce goes through. And it s in their interest to ensure that there s a free navigation of international waters, she China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims almost all of South China Sea. Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. The US media reports earlier said China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea. In April, the Chinese military held its largest ever maritime drill in the disputed prize a year later, the same year Bertrand Russell was honoured. It has also reserved the prize on six other occasions: in 1915, 1919, 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1936, and four of those times the prize was delayed then awarded at the same time as the following year s prize, the Academy Several Academy members had recently suggested the 2018 prize could be postponed because of the turmoil, which has dragged the Academy s reputation and that of the Nobel Literature Prize through the mud. Literature experts in Sweden lamented the announcement, but agreed with the decision. I think it s wise, this is the best decision they could make. They ll have a chance to restore South China Sea during which it displayed for the first time the country s aircraft carrier strike group and the most advance weaponry of the People s Liberation Army (PLA). The drill was held amid frequent forays made by US naval and aircraft into the South China Sea to assert the freedom of navigation especially around the artificial islands built by China, where it has also established garrisons. The strategic South China Sea is rich in energy reserves, fishery resources and is a busy shipping route. Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirmed that Chinese military personnel have used lasers against US military planes in Djibouti. They are very serious incidents. There have been two minor injuries. This activity poses a true threat to our airmen, Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana White told reporters at her weekly news conference. We have formally demarched the Chinese government, and we ve requested that the Chinese investigate these incidents, she 17 dead in jade mine landslide AFP n YANGON landslide at a jade mine in Anorthern Myanmar has killed 17 people, local authorities said on Friday, the latest disaster to hit the murky multibillion dollar industry. Myanmar is the world s top producer of the near-translucent green gem in trade fuelled by demand from neighbouring China. But the poorly regulated industry is notorious for its links to cronies from Myanmar s former junta and for the dangers it poses to those who scrabble across a moonscape of environmental destruction hoping to strike it rich. The accident on Friday occurred in a mining compound near Wak Khar village in Kachin State s Hpakant township, the epicentre of the perilous work. A wall of rock fell after people tried to dig for jade under it, local administrative officer Nilar Myint told AFP. We have now found 17 dead Local jade scavengers watch as authorities use backhoes to uncover bodies at the site of a landslide on Friday. AP bodies and we have sent nine survivors to hospital, she added. A second source involved in the rescue and recovery process confirmed the death toll. A number of deadly landslides has struck the area around Hpakant in recent years, with one major incident in November 2015 leaving more than 100 dead. Several other smaller accidents have killed or injured scores more. The victims are often itinerant workers or impoverished local residents who see little profit from the industry and are left to scour the mining areas for pieces of jade left behind by giant industrial diggers. The NGO Global Witness said the industry was worth some USD 31 billion in 2014 alone, with much of the funds not reaching state coffers. China a cast-iron proof of success of Marxism: Xi Beijing (PTI): President Xi Jinping on Friday defended as totally correct the ruling Communist Party s adherence to Karl Marx s theory of socialism for 97 years, saying it has profoundly changed China from the sick man of Asia to the second-largest economy of the world. Marxism has strong influence in China where students begin learning the theories of Marx and Lenin in middle school. China, the world s second-largest economy after the US, has seen decades of marketdriven growth. There might be setbacks in the development of socialism in the world, but the overall trend for human society development has never changed, and it will never change, Xi told a special function here organised to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Marx. Marxism has not only profoundly changed the world, but also China, the President Marxism had pointed out the direction forward, offering a brand-new choice for the Chinese people in their struggle to survive, and setting the scene for the birth of the CPC, Xi (the Academy) this year and fill the empty seats, and come back with a strong Academy that can award the prize, Dagens Nyheter s literature critic Maria Schottenius told AFP. Technically, Academy members have been appointed for life and have not been able to resign, though they could leave their chairs empty by not participating in meetings and decisions. However, the Academy is currently down to 10 active members while its statutes stipulate that 12 are needed to elect new members. In order to ensure the venerable body s survival, the Academy s patron, Sweden s King Carl XVI Gustaf, announced Wednesday he had changed the statutes, making it possible for members to resign and be replaced. After the women spoke out in the media, the Academy cut all ties with Arnault s cultural centre Forum in Stockholm, which it had subsidised for years and which was a key meeting point for the country s cultural elite. The centre, owned by Arnault and Frostenson, showcased exhibitions, readings and performances by both the cultural China, US reach agreements on some eco issues to avert trade war PTI n BEIJING C hina and the US have reached agreements on some of the issues but both sides were still very divided on several others during the economic and trade talks held here to end the tariff spat between the two major trading partners, according to a media report on Friday. The US delegation, led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is also President Donald Trump s special envoy and Chinese side, led by Vice Premier Liu He, also a member of Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met yesterday and today, and agreed to set up a work mechanism to keep close communication. A trade spat between the top two economies of the world began last month with Trump imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the US from China, which also retaliated by imposing additional tariffs worth about USD three billion on 128 US products. The two countries have not yet implemented their tariff increases to reach a negotiated settlement. China and the US reached agreements on some issues in their economic and trade consultations in Beijing from Thursday to Friday, the state-run Xinhua news agency said in a brief report. They have agreed to set up a work mechanism to keep close communication, it added. The US goods and services trade with China totalled to an estimated USD billion in 2016 in which China had a lion s share with about USD billion Honolulu: Hawaii s Kilauea volcano erupted on Friday, sending lava shooting into the air in a residential neighborhood and prompting mandatory evacuation orders for nearby homes. Hawaii County said steam and lava poured out of a crack in Leilani Estates, which is near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island. Footage shown on local television showed lava spurting into the sky from a crack in a road. Aerial drone footage showed a line of lava snaking through a forest. Resident Jeremiah Osuna captured drone footage of the lava burning through the trees, a scene he described as a curtain of fire. It sounded like if you were to put a bunch of rocks into a dryer and turn it on as high as you could. You could just smell sulfur and burning trees and underbrush and stuff, he told Honolulu television station KHON. Lava fountains were shooting 150 feet (46 meters) in the air, and molten lava spread out over an area about 200 yards (183 meters) wide behind one house in Leilani Estates, Big Island resident Ikaika Marzo told the Honolulu Star- Advertiser. It sounds like a jet engine. It s going hard, he County, state and federal officials had elite and hopefuls, including Nobel literature laureates. It is now closed. A report commissioned by the Academy revealed conflicts of interest and the fact that Academy members leaked Nobel winners names. But the Academy could not agree on what measures to take, with one camp defending Frostenson and the Academy s old guard, while the other camp supported Danius, who wanted to carry out reforms. Prosecutors announced in mid-march that they had dropped parts of their investigation against Arnault concerning allegations of rape and assault between 2013 and 2015 due to lack of evidence. The rest of the investigation is still ongoing. Meanwhile, Sweden s Economic Crimes Bureau last week said it was investigating a case linked to the Academy, which said it provided investigators with information about the subsidies paid to Arnault. The scandal comes on the heels of the heavy criticism the Academy received in some circles for awarding the 2016 prize to US singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. exports. The US exports to China stood at USD billion, according to US trade figures. Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted an official statement as saying that both sides were still very divided on some issues and more work needed to be done. The two sides reached some consensus and exchanged views on expanding US exports to China, bilateral investment, intellectual property protection and the imposition of tariffs, the statement said, without elaborating. In a separate statement, China s Ministry of Commerce said China also protested against a US ban on Chinese tech giant ZTE buying American components. The US delegation said it would report back to President Donald Trump been warning residents all week that they should be prepared to evacuate, as an eruption would give little warning. Officials at the US Geological Survey on Thursday raised the volcano s alert level to warning status, the highest possible, meaning a hazardous eruption is imminent, underway or suspected. The county has ordered evacuations for all of Leilani Estates, which according to the 2010 U.S. Census has a population of 1,500. The state also mobilized the Hawaii National Guard to assist with evacuations. Nearby community centers have opened for shelter. Ranson Yoneda, the recreation director for a Pahoa community center, was readying the gymnasium for evacuees after it was selected as a Red Cross evacuation center. He said so far, about 15 people have arrived, some with animals, and they are hungry for information. They just want to know what s going on because they were told it s a mandatory evacuation, he said by telephone. The US Geological Survey said new ground cracks were reported Thursday afternoon. Hot vapor emerged from a crack and spattering lava began to erupt. Scientists said areas downslope of the erupting vent were at risk of being covered by lava. Leilani Estates appeared to be at greatest risk, but scientists said new vents and outbreaks could occur and it s not possible to say where. The eruption comes after days of earthquakes rattled the area s GLOBE TROTTING Gigi apologises after blackface controversy LOS ANGELES: Model Gigi Hadid has offered an apology after the backlash she received for a heavily-bronzed magazine cover.the 23-year-old model recently appeared on the new Vogue Italia cover which appeared to show her with darkened skin or blackface, the makeup used by a non-black performer playing a black role. The cover shot by Steven Klein was unveiled on social media and was met with instant backlash. Hadid posted a paparazzi picture of herself on her official Instagram and Twitter accounts, claiming that her control of the shoot was non-existent in terms of creative direction and ended completely when she left set. This is a photo of me returning home from shooting my Italian Vogue cover on April 3rd... you can see the level I had been bronzed to on set that day. Please understand that my control of a shoot 1. is non existent in terms of creative direction 2. ends completely when I leave set, and anything done to a photo in post is out of my control fully. Hadid said that, although she understood what Vogue Italia s intentions were, the project was not executed correctly, and the concerns that have been brought up are valid. Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different. Regardless, I want to apologize because my intention is never to diminish those concerns or take opportunities away from anyone else, and I hope this can be an example to other magazines and teams in the future, Hadid There are real issues regarding representation in fashion. It s our responsibility to acknowledge those issues and communicate through them to work towards a more diverse industry, she added. on the matter, according to the ministry. The Post report quoted a draft framework of US demands which included China to cut the trade deficit by at least USD 200 billion by the end of Washington also demanded Beijing halt subsidies for industries under the Made in China 2025 plan, and that China should not resort to retaliatory measures against the US, it The US delegation also include Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Assistant to the president for economic policy Larry Kudlow and Peter Navarro, Assistant to the president for trade and manufacturing policy. The US, the world s largest economy, has a trade deficit of almost USD 500 billion with China, the world s second largest economy. Kenya floods leave 112 dead in 2 months Nairobi (AFP): Flooding across Kenya triggered by weeks of torrential rain has left 112 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, the Red Cross said on Friday. Kenya Red Cross Secretary Nobel Literature Prize postponed after #MeToo turmoil General Abbas Gullet made an appeal for $5 million (four million euros) to help those affected in 32 counties. Since early March, 112 people have lost their lives countrywide, he told a press conference. About 48,177 households have been displaced so far and this translates to 260,200 people that are displaced, he Gullet said over 21,000 acres (8,500 hectares) of crops had been destroyed and some 20,000 animals washed away, while more than a hundred schools had been affected, many of which remain closed. The disaster comes after three failed rainy seasons inflicted a crippling drought that sent food prices soaring and left more than three million people requiring food aid. Hawaii volcano shoots lava into sky Puna district. A nearby school was closed due to the ongoing seismic activity and several roadways cracked under the strain of the constant temblors. The Puu Oo crater floor began to collapse Monday, triggering a series of earthquakes and pushing the lava into new underground chambers. The collapse caused magma to push more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) downslope toward the populated southeast coastline of the island. USGS geologist Janet Babb said the magma crossed under Highway 130, which leads to a popular volcano access point, on Tuesday night. Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency closed the area to visitors on Tuesday and ordered private tour companies to stop taking people into the region. Most of Kilauea s activity has been nonexplosive, but a 1924 eruption spewed ash and 10-ton (9-metric ton) rocks into the sky, leaving one man dead. Puu Oo s 1983 eruption resulted in lava fountains soaring over 1,500 feet high. In the decades since, the lava flow has buried dozens of square miles (kilometers) of land and destroyed many homes. AP

12 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 world 12 Twitter urges users to change passwords PTI n SAN FRANCISCO witter on Friday asked its Tover 300 million users to consider changing their account passwords after the social media giant identified a bug that stored unmasked information. However, Twitter assured its users that the bug has been fixed and its investigation has found no breach or misuse on any account. The advisory by the San Francisco-headquartered company comes as debates on data privacy online intensified in the wake of social media giant Facebook s reported data breach by UK-based analytics firm Cambridge Analytica to influence elections and market campaigns. When you set a password for your Twitter account, we use technology that masks it so no one at the company can see it. We recently identified a bug PTI n UNITED NATIONS N chief Antonio Guterres Uexpressed optimism that the full denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula could become a reality, following last week s historic joint declaration by the leaders of the north and south which eased months of rising tension over North Korea s nuclear programme. The UN Secretary General said after talking to South Korea s President Moon Jae-in this week that things are on track for a meaningful negotiation and I believe it s in everyone s interest, BBC reported. South Korea s leader met his counterpart in North Korea Kim Jong Un at a historic summit on the border between the two countries last Friday, in which they agreed to work towards a lasting peace and strengthen inter-korean ties. Guterres was also asked if he was worried that the US is reportedly considering withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), involving Iran and the five Permanent Members of the Security Council plus Germany and the European Union. The JCPOA, signed in 2015, limits Iran nuclear development programme, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, and the UN chief described it as an important achievement. The JCPOA was an important diplomatic victory and I think it will be important to preserve it, he But I also believe that there are areas in which it will be very important to have a meaning dialogue because I see the region in a very dangerous position, he said during his trip to London. If one day there is a better agreement to replace it it s that stored passwords unmasked in an internal log. We have fixed the bug, and our investigation shows no indication of breach or misuse by anyone, its chief technology officer Parag Agrawal said in a blog. Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you consider changing your password on all serv i c e s where you ve used this password. UN chief optimistic over efforts to denuclearise Korean peninsula PTI n WASHINGTON he use of technology cou- with bold decisions Tpled can help India leapfrog into inclusive growth and improve the quality of health and education, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi s Digital India campaign along with the socio-economic reforms, Gates said that digitisation can help monitor quality and eventually help the education system. The idea is if you take care of their health, including nutrition and you improve the education system then the promise for India is really unbelievable, Gates told PTI in an interview. Absolutely yes, Gates said when asked if digitisation and modern technologies would help India achieve the goals of an ideal society as being articulated by top Indian leaders post-independence. The idea of growing up is having very high survival rates, growing up without malnutrition, giving birth without the fine, but we should not scrap it unless we have a good alternative, said the Secretary- General. On Syria, the UN chief said that there was a risk of fragmentation of the entire country after more than seven years of brutal civil conflict. I don t think that anybody can win the war On the other hand, I don t see how Syria can be reconstructed with the support of the international community if there is no political solution in which all groups of Syrian society feel represented, he We need to have a political solution that all Syrians feel comfortable with, and that requires a level of dialogue that until now has not been possible, he said, adding that we have not yet had the leverage to create the conditions for that to happen. He said that he had not given up on making warring parties in Syria accountable for their use of chemical weapons. I still believe that we need to insist, and we are looking for avenues that might allow, to create a mechanism of attribution agreed by the Security Council, that will be able to define who s responsible for any chemical attack, creating the conditions for accountability. He added that the reestablishment of a mechanism of accountability in Syria is very important and I will not give up on that. mother s life being at risk; the next years India will make a lot of progress on these things, said Gates, who now is involved in major philanthropic activities globally as head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It s not the only thing... it will help with the gender imbalance that we see, Gates He said by driving innovation and better measurement one could actually accelerate the process of growth. I do think that for a lot of these issues, India is very much on the cutting edge. For a lot of You can change your Twitter password anytime by going to the password settings page, he added. Twitter said it masks passwords through a process called hashing using a function known as b crypt, which replaces the actual password with a random set of numbers and letters that are stored in its system. This allows our systems to validate your account credentials without revealing your password. This is an industry standard, the Indian-origin CTO of Twitter The company said that due to the bug, passwords were written to an internal log before completing the hashing process. We found this error ourselves, removed the passwords, and are implementing plans to prevent this bug from happening again, Agrawal added. Twitter, which reportedly has over 30 million users in India, had last month said it is committed to protecting users data and their right to privacy. I will be working to continue our longstanding commitment to protecting you and upholding your right to privacy, Twitter s Data Protection Officer Demien Keiran had said in a blog. May averts local polls bruising in UK PTI n LONDON ritish Prime Minister BTheresa May on Friday averted a bruising in the local elections, with results presenting a picture of mixed gains for her ruling Conservatives and Opposition Labour. The biggest gains for the Conservative party came largely as a result of a near-wipeout of the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP), which had made significant gains in the last local elections. The Labour party, which was expected to capitalise on an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling party in government, failed to win several target seats from the Tories, including Wandsworth and Westminster in London, but won back Plymouth and became the largest party in Trafford. It is a great result and down to all the hard work of the local councillors We won t take anything for granted and will carry on doing a great job, said May, during a visit to Wandsworth seen as one of the major battlegrounds of these polls. The party s relatively robust performance will help quell renewed attacks over her leadership from her own party rebels, at least for a while. The elections, covering over 150 local authorities and spanning metropolitan and district councils, unitary authorities and London boroughs, were seen as a crucial test for her government as the first reflection of public opinion since the snap general election in June last year. Both major parties suffered bad publicity in recent weeks, with the Tory government criticised over the ongoing Windrush immigration scandal and Labour struggling Syria rebels hand over arms in new deal with regime: Monitor AFP n BEIRUT yrian rebels on Friday were Ssurrendering their heavy weapons for the second day after agreeing with the government a new deal to withdraw from central towns, a war monitor Opposition fighters agreed with regime forces and their allies to a ceasefire deal earlier this week for the rebel towns of Talbisseh, Rastan, and Al- Houla, which fall in Syria s central province of Homs. The fighters are handing over their heavy and intermediate weapons to Russian and regime forces for the second consecutive day, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group It included artillery and machine guns, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Observatory. Once the handovers are finished, the rebels who want to leave will be evacuated out with civilians, Abdel Rahman told AFP. The deal for the three rebel-controlled towns follows a similar pattern to other agreements recently reached across Syria, mostly around Damascus. Rebels and civilians will be granted safe passage to the rebel-held town of Jarabulus, in Aleppo province, and the neighbouring province of Idlib which largely escapes government control, according to state news agency SANA. It said the deal also provided for the return of government institutions to the three towns and the reopening of a key highway. That highway runs from the capital Damascus, through Homs, and onto second city Aleppo, in the north. Securing it has been a major target for Technology can help India leapfrog into inclusive growth: Bill Gates things, we do, we work with partners in India and the ones that are most successful are Aadhaar linked things related things, Gates Then we looked at how the countries that are in earlier stage of development can benefit. So a lot of these ideas will have a positive impact in Africa over time, he Referring to India s demographic profile, Gates described it as a young country. He was highly appreciative of the steps being taken by Prime Minister Modi. Certainly, some of the things he s taken on as priorities, like financial inclusion, improvements in sanitation, improving the vaccine system and adding new vaccines. I think that s really good, Gates Gates said he has had some interactions with Modi, even independent of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Because he s been a leader on some climate change issues. He came to the Paris event and talked about the need for innovation and actually coined the term mission innovation that over 30 countries have signed up to about increasing R&D, he Gates, while responding to a question, said that a critical mass of digital accounts at the time of demonetisation would have made things easier for Indians in the immediate aftermath of demonetisation. Well, the idea that over time a lot of the financial transactions will be done digitally instead of using hard currency, I think that s a good trend, both for efficiency and visibility, the regime s military operations. The three towns were part of a de-escalation zone agreed one year ago by opposition supporter Turkey and regime allies Iran and Russia. The total of four zones initially saw a reduction in shelling but violence has since escalated. One of them, Eastern Ghouta, was recaptured last month by the Syrian government after a blistering twomonth offensive that ended in forced evacuations of rebels and civilians there. Jaish al-izza, one rebel faction present in the Homs area where a deal was reached, has said it rejects the agreement and pledged to remain deployed on its front lines. It is the third such transfer deal for Homs province, after thousands were bussed out in a pair of agreements for the city itself. Suicide blasts in Nigeria kill 4 AFP n MAIDUGURI t least four people were Akilled and nine others injured in multiple suicide attacks outside the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the emergency services and residents said on Friday. The attacks happened just days after twin suicide blasts at a mosque and a market killed 86 people in neighbouring Adamawa state. We evacuated four dead bodies and nine injured persons to the hospital this morning, Bello Danbatta, chief security officer at the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, told AFP. Four female suicide bombers struck at Mainari Shuwa and neighbouring Mainari Kanuri, some 15 kms north of the Borno state capital late on Thursday. Danbatta said two of the bombers attacked Mainari Shuwa at about 11:00 pm. The first bomber stormed into a home and detonated her explosives, killing three people and injuring nine others. The second set off her explosives near another home and killed a man sleeping in the open. The other two bombers blew themselves up in Mainari Kanuri moments later but there were no other casualties, said Danbatta. Boko Haram has increasingly used suicide bombers to attack civilian and military targets during its nearly nineyear insurgency in northeast Nigeria. Most of the bombers have been women and young girls, who have been sent to target security checkpoints, schools, mosques, markets, bus stations and other crowded places. On Tuesday, two suicide bombers, believed to be young boys, killed 86 people in attacks on a mosque and nearby market in the town of Mubi in Adamawa. The attack caused the biggest loss of life in the conflict in more than two years. with anti-semitism allegations. The Lib Dems, which tend to fare well at a local level, made some strong gains, including taking over Richmond in London from the Tories as a Brexit backlash in a strong Remain-supporting area. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, being seen as a major factor behind Labour s disappointing showing, described the results as solid. We have consolidated and built on the advances we made at last year s general election, when we won the largest increase in Labour s share of the vote since 1945, he Obviously I m disappointed at any places where we lost a bit of ground... but if you look at the overall picture, Labour gained a lot of seats across the whole country, we gained a lot of votes in places we d never had those votes before, he added. Lib Dem leader Edward Davey said the results indicated that the party led by Vince Cable was making a comeback as an effective choice against a Corbyn-led Labour. People are desperate for a voice that isn t a right-wing Brexit Tory voice or a left-wing Corbynista voice. Under Vince Cable, Liberal Democrats can become that and the results show we are becoming that, he For UKIP, the relative highs of 2014 turned into near obliteration, with the party down 96 and left with just two councillors. Its general secretary, Paul Oakley, compared the Eurosceptic party to the Black Death, or the plague that caused millions of deaths in the 14th century, and said it was not all over at all for his party. Think of the Black Death in the Middle Ages. It comes along and it causes disruption and then it goes dormant, and that s exactly what we are going to do. Our time isn t finished because Brexit is being betrayed, he Britain s referendum in favour of an exit from the European Union (EU) continued to dominate the overall election trends. A leading polling expert, Professor Sir John Curtice, said the Tories performed relatively well in areas with a substantial Leave vote in the 2016 referendum, where they are picked up votes from UKIP, which did not stand candidates in many areas. The Labour party performed better in places where the Remain vote was stronger and with a higher proportion of younger voters. The parties were battling it out to either keep hold of or take control of around 4,371 seats across England. In addition to the council elections, a parliamentary byelection in Tyrone West, Northern Ireland, saw Sinn Fein s Orfhlaith Begley hold the seat for her party. In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian government forces gather in front of buses carrying opposition fighters and civilians following an evacuation deal reached last week to hand over the area to government forces from three southern suburbs, near Damascus, Syria on Thursday. State TV said buses started entering the southern suburbs of Babila, Beit Sahem and Yalda to evacuate some 5,000 fighters and their families, while those who decide to stay are eligible for amnesty. Madagascar scraps part of contested electoral law Antananarivo: Madagascar on Friday scrapped part of new electoral laws that have sparked nearly two weeks of protests, its highest court said, after the opposition accused the government of trying to elbow them out of the race ahead of a general election later this year. Several elements of the laws, including the revision of electoral lists and the length of campaigns, went against the constitution, according to a post on the court s website. The opposition had argued the new laws benefited incumbent President Hery Rajaonarimampianina and called for his resignation seven months ahead of polls on the Indian Ocean island. It came a day after the country s defence minister appealed to the warring political parties to reach an agreement, after anti-government protests erupted on April 21 in the capital Antananarivo. On the first day of demonstrations two people were killed and at least 16 people wounded, with the police accused of firing real bullets at the crowd. The large island, which has been beset by decades of political instability, is due to hold the election in late November or December. Conditions for presidential candidature and the use of single ballots were also among the details that have been dropped, the statement The opposition had alleged that the new laws could bar some candidates from standing in the presidential election. Elected in 2013, Rajaonarimampianina has not yet announced whether he will stand for re-election. But two former heads of state have already said they would contest: Marc Ravalomanana, who was president from 2002 to 2009, and Andry Rajoelina, who removed Ravalomanana during a coup. Both were barred from running in 2013 and their parties have been involved in the demonstrations. Representatives of both the president s party and of the opposition had met on Wednesday to try to find a solution to the crisis, but to no avail. Walnuts may improve health by impacting gut bacteria: Study PTI n WASHINGTON alnuts may improve heart Whealth and reduce colorectal cancer risk by impacting the gut microbiome - the collection of trillions of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, a study has found. Walnuts are just one in a line foods that contain dietary fibre and have interested scientists for their impact on the microbiome and health, said researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign in the US. Dietary fibre acts as a food source for gut microbiota, helping the bacteria to do their jobs - breaking down complex foods, providing us nutrients, or helping us feel full, they Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer, researchers The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, shows that consuming walnuts not only impacted the gut microbiota and microbial derived secondary bile acids, but also reduced LDL-cholesterol levels in the adults in the participants. This in turn is beneficial for cardiovascular, metabolic, and gastrointestinal health, researchers We found that when you consume walnuts it increases microbes that produce butyrate, a beneficial metabolite for colonic health. So the interaction of walnuts with the microbiome is helping to produce some of those health effects, said Hannah Holscher, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. It is about getting to the black box that is all the microbes in our GI tract to see how they are interfacing with the food we eat and having downstream health effects, said Holscher. Some of those health effects are hypothesized to be related to the metabolites bacteria produce, she For the study, 18 healthy male and female adults consumed diets that either included no walnuts or 42 grammes - about a third cup or a palmfull of walnuts - for two, threeweek periods. Faecal and blood samples were collected at the beginning and end of each period to assess secondary outcomes of the study, including effects of walnut consumption on faecal microbiota and bile acids and metabolic markers of health. Walnut consumption resulted in higher relative abundance of three bacteria of interest: Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Clostridium. The microbes that increased in relative abundance in this walnut study are from one of the Clostridium clusters of microbes, and there is increased interest in those because they have the ability to make butyrate, Holscher Unfortunately in this study we didn t measure butyrate, so we can t say that just because these microbes increased that butyrate did increase. We still need to answer that question, she

13 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 vivacity {48 hours} 13 CELEBRATIONS 20 MINUTES WEDDING PLANNER The royal family has finally let us in on some details of the rituals around the vows to be taken by PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE M eghan Markle s divorced parents will meet Queen Elizabeth II and other royals before her May 19 wedding to Prince Harry and will have special roles in their daughter s wedding, a palace spokesman said Friday. At the wedding, the royal couple also plan to honor the memory of the late Princess Diana, Harry s mother, who died in a Paris car crash in Officials didn t predict the weather springtime in England can be glorious or horrid, sometimes on the same day but they outlined plans for a celebration designed to spread from the privileged environs of Windsor Castle throughout Britain and the world, via television and the internet. Here are some of the plans disclosed by Harry s press secretary, Jason Knauf, during a briefing at Buckingham Palace: MEGHAN S PARENTS TO MEET THE QUEEN, TAKE PART IN WEDDING Markle s parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, will arrive during the week before the May 19 wedding so they have time to meet Harry s family. Knauf says they will visit with the queen, her husband Prince Philip, Harry s father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and with Harry s brother Prince William and his sister-in-law Kate. Ragland will travel with her daughter by car to Windsor Castle on May 19 and Thomas Markle will walk his daughter down the aisle of St George s Chapel for the ceremony. Knauf says Markle is delighted that her parents will be by her side. He did not say whether Markle s half brother and half sister will attend the wedding. PRINCESS DIANA S FAMILY WILL HAVE A ROLE AS WELL The press secretary says Harry is keen to involve his mother s family in he wedding and that all three of Diana s siblings will be present. One of Diana s two older sisters, Jane Fellowes, will give a reading during the ceremony to represent Diana s family. NO MAID OF HONOUR Markle, an American actress who came to prominence in the TV series Suits, will not have a maid of honor during the ceremony. Harry has chosen William as his best man. YOUNG BRIDESMAIDS AND PAGE BOYS Knauf says all the bridesmaids and page boys will be children. That may mean a role for Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3, the children of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. But don t bother looking for Prince Louis born in late April as the youngest prince will not attend the wedding. DON'T ASK ABOUT THE DRESS Palace officials are determined that the style and designer of Markle s wedding gown will be kept secret until the moment she gets out of the car to walk into the chapel. They say this tradition is very important but that won t keep speculators from trying to guess who has received the most important dress-making assignment of the year. SEPARATED THE NIGHT BEFORE The press secretary says Harry and Markle will spend the night before the wedding apart. They have been living together in recent months since announcing their engagement. They will spend their first night as a married couple in Windsor Castle. GOOD WISHES FOR PRINCE PHILIP S HEALTH Palace officials say they re hopeful that 96-year-old Prince Philip, Harry s grandfather, will be well enough to attend the wedding festivities. The queen s husband has been recovering from hip replacement surgery and has not participated in any public events since being discharged from the hospital in mid-april. FOLLOW THE WEDDING AT HOME The palace plans to publish the Order of Service on its website the morning of the wedding so people watching it on television will be better able to follow what s taking place inside the church. DELAYED HONEYMOON Knauf would not reveal where the newest royal couple will spend their honeymoon, but he said they won t be leaving right after the wedding. Instead they plan to make their first public appearance as a married couple during the week following the ceremony. In the past, they have travelled to Africa together. LIVE MUSIC 20 MINUTES Valley voice wins a heart in the plains Young composer and singer YAWAR ABDAL is currently doing the gig circuit in town. He tells RAMYA PALISETTY how he wants to mainstream Kashmir s poets or singer Yawar Abdal, Fmusic is the voice of the soul. The place where you are doesn t matter. Even if he was asked to sing in a train compartment, he wouldn t hesitate. Music needs to be honest and it shouldn t be performed for the sake of fame or money. It is incidental that he is a success today and sought out by Delhi pub lounges for live acts. As a kid, the composer and songwriter used to hum songs habitually. I used to feel the music more than anyone. When you feel something deeply, the possibilities to learn are immense. The whole process of music revolves around learning. At each and every step, you come across something new. He began his journey in music through an academy, Music Club, in Pune where Muneem Nazir was his mentor. It had open Sunday jams and Abdal used to sing his originals there. I was quite appreciated and everyone I knew wanted me to record my own songs which required funds. So he started working at an IT company for almost two years. Within that period, he also did a couple of gigs in bars and pubs. I saved up money from my earnings and recorded my first music video, Tamanna. Tamanna was composed six years ago. It was based on the poetry of Mehjoor, Mirza Ghalib and Amir Khusrau. The three legendary poets were chosen for his composition because in his family, there was a predominant culture of sufism. My grandfather and father used to read books written by Sufi poets. When I sat down to compose, this idea was stuck in my head. In the beginning, the Persian part was incorporated and slowly, Urdu and Kashmiri were also integrated into the song as I wanted to do justice to all the three poets. Being a musician is filled with struggles. No one knows how to begin, where to start and how to foray into the industry. There is no fixed formula. We have a very vague idea that reality shows like Indian Idol might be the easiest path for a common man to get into the industry. To carve an identity, a musician needs to forget the very basic needs like sleep and food and begin from the bottom. In Abdal s case, singing wasn t his only passion. He was in love with composing. I have an immense passion for composing originals and it is what I prefer over singing. Through his melodies, the musician is trying to reshape the idea of Kashmir. Music shapes a culture. Kashmir is known for its beauty but the music is not very well-known. I want to fuse Kashmiri poetry with Western influences so it resonates with the people and the younger generation understands their native culture and heritage. In an age where everyone is imitating the West, he is one of the few singers who wants to dig deeper into traditional roots. The idea is to mainstream our traditional and folk music. In Kashmir, we have a rich heritage of Sufi poetry. We won t find this culture in the West and we need to preserve it. Kashmiri singers are finally finding a permanent place in the hearts of millions. When an artist from a certain region makes a mark, others follow because it is no more an unchartered territory. A lot of musicians come up and tell me that they want to be just like me. There was a time when I was one of them. I had the same journey but Muneem Nazir guided me in the right direction. Music is a gift bestowed upon him but he does not draw inspiration from musicians only. Everything in this world is inspiring. There are personalities in the pages of history who have enthralled me. Currently, he is pursuing MBA for his family. Something he is using to understand the music business. In India, there is less respect for a local artist but if you have made it in Bollywood, you are treated with some respect once you have made it past the door. The only way to sustain yourself is by doing gigs. You don t earn a lot if you release your own songs. With his eyes closed like he is feeling the lyrics of the song, he performed live at Drunk Art. It is the brainchild of restaurateur Aman Aggarwal and is trying to promote a whole new experience of drinking responsibly. FASHION 10 MINUTES Afghanistan-born designer NAZAILA SAWHNEY spoke to TEAM VIVA about the story behind her latest collection and innovating with changing times Eye of the storm esigner Nazila Sawhney cre- vintage, ethnic Afghan- were a lot of eye motifs, prints through my designs. So there Dates inspired looks with a contemporary edge, keeping her heritage alive while being in tune with today s demanding trends. The Afghan-born Canadian fashion designer operates from her design studio in the USA. She believes in uniqueness and luxury of her outfits and the need to be wearable and comfortable. Her latest collection took inspiration from the National Geographic magazine s cover photo in 1985 that featured a young Afghan refugee girl. However, the photographer under the circumstances did not get her name. Therefore, she was referred as the green eyed Afghan girl. Known to millions, no one knew her name until recently. Sawhney said, Her the map, awareness on the war spread and thousands of other refugee kids received funding This collection, an ode to Sherbet Gul, is titled Cover Girl- A Story. I try to spread awareness and embroidery. I have used original Afghan embroidery and mixed it with fresh eye motif prints in fine crepes, silks and cottons. Although mirror work is commonly used in Afghan embroidery, her intention is to present it in a contemporary fashion. Sawhney is aware of changing demands of her consumers and often innovates accordingly. My collection is intended to tell a story, using authentic embroidery but with a more modern approach in line with today s demands. Asked how has fashion in Afghanistan evolved over the years, she told us, Afghan clothes have not evolved much. Fashion is not a priority in that country given the circumstances. My vision is to give the Indian audience a taste of Afghan eyes shook the world and as a about my homeland clothes with an individualistic result Afghanistan was put on Afghanistan and it s people and fresh take on it. OUTDOORS 20 MINUTES FOLLOW THE TRAVELLING SISTERHOOD hen it comes to giving us Wserious vacation goals, we can trust our Bollywood divas to holiday in the most exotic destinations and give us major FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) while we scroll through their Instagram pages. With this list of your favourite celebrities top holiday destinations, all you have to do is just pack your bags and head out. PARINEETI CHOPRA AUSTRALIA The actress is known for being a free-spirit and her love for food, culture and wildlife makes Australia her top pick for almost every holiday. From soaking in the city s upbeat vibe to surfing on the beaches, Parineeti has done it all. She loved exploring the unconventional cafés and fancy restaurants and unleashed the foodie in her. Dining against the backdrop of the picturesque Sydney Harbour was an extremely memorable event. The beautiful walk up to the Sydney Harbour Bridge was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the actress as she called it the climb of her life. The actress has visited Australia a number of times during summer which is the best season to explore Down Under. One of the annual attractions is Vivid Sydney, the world s largest festival of music, lights and ideas. It is a gala celebration with beautiful light installations, amazing line-up of music artists like Solange Knowles and changemakers like James Cameron who will share their ideas for the future. With its 10th edition this year, Vivid Parineeti Chopra Priyanka Chopra Alia Bhatt Sydney 2018 is all set to give you the time of your life this summer PRIYANKA CHOPRA USA Having shifted half of her base to New York, Priyanka has started feeling at home there. She is a complete beach bum and loves relaxing on the expansive sand in Miami. She also loves the shopping experiences. PC has been continuously doing the rounds of USA for work commitments but always buttonholes a space to unwind. She shows us how US can be a perfect holiday destination. DEEPIKA PADUKONE FRANCE A perfect blend of the sun, sand and sea, Deepika loves unwinding in the south of France. The beautiful Roman Deepika Padukone heritage, the exotic beaches and the food are the main draw. The best time to is from April- September. ALIA BHATT LONDON Alia s go-to-city is London without a second thought. She trusts its elite boutique rows for her fashion buys. She loves walking streets. Once she tires of shopping, she checks out the mouth-watering food and restuarants on offer. St Christopher s Place in London is like home to Alia. Anushka Sharma ANUSHKA SHARMA ITALY Anushka Sharma s top pick would be Italy as it gives her a fine blend of food, beaches and cobbled streets.the country is a perfect amalgamation of the finest cuisine, couture and culture. We see the evidence of her love for Italy in her picture-perfect Tuscan wedding. Italy has a lot to offer with activities ranging from hiking along the Cinque Terre to walking in the streets of Florence.

14 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 vivacity {48 hours} 14 S H O R T C I R C U I T S RANVEER SINGH I do not consider myself to be the best-looking actor, but it is very flattering to be considered desirable. It's important for people to feel desirable for the sake of their self-confidence. Also, I was an overweight kid till about Class 9. In my head, I am still that fat kid. KARAN KUNDRA Beggers can not be choosers. I would want to work with good directors. I ve had Vikram Bhatt in two films and Anees Bazmi for Mubarakan. Right now, my focus is to work with as many directors as possible and TV has made a big difference. KARISMA KAPOOR I was the voice of Chaya in the movie, Bodyguard. It was my voice who used to trouble Salman s character in the movie. Salman is closer to me than Kareena and we have shared a very longstanding relationship. For Salman, Kareena is like a little sister. ELSA PATAKY I don t know how we survived as a couple. We were married and then a year after we had kids. It puts a lot of pressure on a marriage but we came out good because there is a lot of love between us and we are very strong personalities who love each other. KAL PENN Bonded with my Lyft driver over Saath Nibhana Saathiya soap drama which is aired on Indian television, so the night is complete. Filming in New Jersey today, so had to get some White Castle impossible sliders with the crew and reminisce old memories. ENCOUNTER 20 MINUTES THE HUMBLE SHAHENSHAH Actor AMITABH BACHCHAN says that he has no legacy of his own to leave behind T he world knows him as Bollywood s Shahenshah, but he prefers to be known as the son of late eminent poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he has been in public life from the day he was born, but has no legacy of his own to leave behind. The actor, who has successfully transitioned from Bollywood s Angry young man to its Shahenshah to its most globally known ambassador during his four decade-old career, says his father s public presence is far greater than his. It is coming on to 50 years in public life... That is as far as I am personally concerned... But I have been in public life from the day I was born. I was always the son of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan, eminent poet, literateur, having public presence far greater than mine, said Bachchan. I have no legacy... My father s legacy is what I am interested in, and I shall try always to further it. Amitabh, who is looking forward to the release of his next film 102 Not Out, has time and again penned his feelings and thoughts about his bond with his father in his elaborate blogs. Earlier this year, he had also expressed displeasure over the stipulation in the copyright law which allows exclusive rights to heirs of original literary work for 60 years after the author s death. The 75-year-old, who also enjoys reciting his father s works, especially Madhushala at public events, hopes he has passed on his father s wisdom to his son and actor Abhishek. Memories with my father and time spent with him are personal... But, yes lessons learnt from him would certainly be passed on to Abhishek, added Big B. Asked how these were being passed on to the grandchildren, Amitabh said, These are family-oriented. Each family has their own conduct and behaviour, and they are executed in a manner where the next generation continues the legacy of the past. One prays and hopes that this temperament continues for posterity too. Amitabh started his journey in showbiz as one of the seven protagonists in Saat Hindustani, and then went on to feature in the Rajesh Khanna-starrer Anand. But once he got noticed in 1973 with Zanjeer there was no looking back. Some remember him as the towering lead in films like Deewar, Zanjeer, Don and Sholay; some appreciate his work in Black, Paa and Piku, and some just love to watch him bring characters of myriad shades alive on the silver screen and the small screen. From touching the pinnacle of stardom to facing failure to his days of bankruptcy to bouncing back in the game and seeing a meteoric rise Big B has seen THE 75-YEAR-OLD, WHO ALSO ENJOYS RECITING HIS FATHER S WORKS, ESPECIALLY MADHUSHALA AT PUBLIC EVENTS, HOPES HE HAS PASSED ON HIS FATHER S WISDOM TO HIS SON AND ACTOR ABHISHEK it all. I never dreamt of being where I am today, not that I am in some special space now, but dreams of the young are never constant, at least mine were never. We keep imagining according to prevailing circumstances. And circumstances keep changing rapidly, he The cine icon feels it is very important to taste failure to value success. Criticism, he says, is healthy. If not, we would all be living in a utopian world, and we know that, it is not possible. Abuse, negativity, criticism is the most important element in our growth. We must know what the rest of the world is thinking of us and our work, and learn from those outputs. It s like failure; unless you fail, you will never know what success is. In Umesh Shukla s 102 Not Out, Big B is seen as centenarian father to his 75- year-old son essayed by Rishi Kapoor who wants to break the world record of being the oldest man alive. The record is held by an 118-year-old Chinese man. The old man feels his son s morose attitude would not help him achieve the target and takes a step to move his son to an old age home. Produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment Films India, Treetop Entertainment and Shukla s Benchmark Pictures, the film opened on Friday. Our experience comes from the design of the story and the script. We tried to do what the script demands, and we hope it has been done to audience s satisfaction, said the actor, who will also be seen in Thugs of Hindostan. Clearly, there is no slowing down for Big B as he listed the projects in the pipeline. There are a few. Ayan Mukerji s Brahmastra, Sujoy Ghosh s the Guest (tentative working title or Badla), R Balki s next and a few more... Then there is Kaun Banega Crorepati, he The actor as a social worker AKSHAY KUMAR says that his concern about issues of public interest stems from his compassion DRESSING UP 10 MINUTES hether it is standing up Wfor the rights of stuntmen in the Indian film industry or training girls for selfdefence, supporting the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or narrating the story of a man who took up the cause of menstrual hygiene National Award-winning actor Akshay Kumar has dabbled in it all. He says his social work is a result of compassion towards humanity. I am really fortunate that God has given me fame, money and a celebrity status, and many youngsters get influenced by what I do. So, I think my whole idea of standing for any cause is to utilise the power in a responsible manner. My social work comes from pure compassion. I talk about issues that I feel for, said Akshay. Once known as the poster boy of action dramas in Bollywood, over the past few years Akshay has associated himself with films with patriotic themes like Airlift and Rustom and those with a social message, like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Pad Man. While Toilet... was about the need of toilets, Pad Man was aimed at spreading awareness on menstrual hygiene both hardly spoken about subjects. He says, though he can make a lot of money from films, he also feels responsible to help in building the society. If I want, I can make a Singh Is Kinng part 2... I know I have an audience for that. I know I can make millions of money from such a film. Not that I am not interested... But as a celebrity, I should be changing the thought process. I should be influencing youngsters to contribute to a good cause. That is how we can build a society. I am doing it in my way, he said with a smile. The actor, 50, has become the brand ambassador of the New India Conclave 2018, which will recognise rural achievers of the country. He says change will be visible in the society when people start focussing more on solutions than problems. What is the point of endlessly talking about our problems? We know what is the issue that our society is going through. The ideal thing would be to find out the root cause and try to resolve them. The best part about the New India Conclave is that we are creating a platform where people, who resolve some problems in their living area, will share their story... So that others can follow that same idea to resolve the same issue water, greenery and pollution. This conclave intends to celebrate the ideas, success stories and implement ideas. That is how we can redevelop the bonding and support among each state, he added. So what is the issue that he feels should be addressed as a priority? I think farmer s issues their problems, lifestyle, income. There should be a solution to that. The New India Conclave is scheduled to take place in July in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of various states. -IANS She s got the look KATRINA KAIF dazzled as the brightest diamond during a jewellery shoot with a top brand atrina Kaif goes back to her mod- days as she becomes the super Kelling model for some of the top brands. Here is a sneek peek at some of the photgraphs where she shoots for a top jewellery brand. The shoot saw Katrina flaunt a mix of jewellery that would cater to the sensibilities of the modern minimalist bride. Diamond, precious stones and pearls were paired with ensembles in ivory, pale pink and black. Classic to contemporary, lightweight to bridal pieces, the actor carried off the jewellery pieces with practised ease. The photo shoot has been styled by ace fashion stylist, Anaita Shroff Adajania in assistance with Lakshmi Lehr of Style Cell. The glam squad responsible for her flawless beauty include makeup artist Sandhya Shekar and hairstylist Yianni Tsapatori. -IANS

15 LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 sport 15 Costa helps Atletico sink Arsenal Wenger s hopes of bidding goodbye to Gunners with trophy end with 0-1 defeat in Europa semis AP n MADRID A rsenal's hopes of winning one last trophy under Arsene Wenger ended at the hands of Diego Costa and Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid on Thursday. Costa scored the only goal late in the first half to give Atletico a 1-0 second-leg victory over Arsenal in the Europa League semifinals, advancing 2-1 on aggregate to its fifth European final in nine seasons. The result also meant Arsenal will not qualify for the Champions League for a second straight season. "I'm very disappointed," Wenger "I'm frustrated as well because when you go out of the competition like we did, it's very difficult to take. I'm very, very sad to leave the club with this exit." Wenger, in his 250th UEFA game as a club coach, announced two weeks ago he was standing down after nearly 22 years with the London team. Atletico will meet Marseille in the final in Lyon on May 16 after the French team lost 2-1 to Salzburg following extra-time in Austria but went through 3-2 on aggregate. Amadou Haidara and an own goal from Bouna Sarr put Salzburg 2-0 up on the night before Portuguese substitute Rolando struck in the 116th minute to send Marseille through. Simeone's Atletico is already certain of a Champions League place next season because it is second in the Spanish League. Atletico was demoted to the Europa League after failing to get past the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in five seasons. "It was important to make it to the final," Costa "Atletico needed it, we are a great team." Atletico will be playing its fourth European final Atletico players celebrate at the end of the Europa League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal at Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on Thursday AP under Simeone. It lost twice to city rival Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2014 and 2016 but won the Europa League in 2010 and 2012, the last time soon after Simeone had taken over. "It's not easy to do what we're doing," Atletico midfielder Saul Niguez "We want to add the cherry on the cake at the end of the season." Arsenal is sixth in the Premier League and needed to win the Europa League to qualify for Europe's leading club competition. over goalkeeper David Ospina. Arsenal tried to rally but struggled to break through Atletico's stout defense, creating few scoring opportunities. The hosts continued to threaten with Costa and Griezmann up front and had a few good chances to make it 2-0. Both teams started cautiously at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, with Arsenal trying to control possession and Atletico playing typically tight at It was Atletico's 32nd game with a clean sheet in all competitions this season, the most of any team in the top five European leagues. Atletico didn't have Simeone on the bench on Thursday because he was sent off in the first leg. "History is made in these kind of games," said Simeone, who watched from the stands. "Tonight I felt the atmosphere in this stadium like a fan. They were with us every step of the way, they knew the side needed them." from captain Dimitri Payet in the 116th minute. Amadou Haidara, after a solo run, and an own goal from Bouna Sarr had given Salzburg a 2-0 lead in 90 minutes to make up for the 2-0 defeat from the first leg in France a week ago. Marseille will meet Atletico Madrid in the final in Lyon on May 16 after the Spanish side beat Arsenal 1-0 with a goal from Diego Costa to win 2-1 on aggregate. "It was a completely crazy match. Thanks to our "We wanted to do it for the boss, he's had an the back. character we managed to score that goal," said Payet, amazing career," Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin Arsenal lost captain Laurent Koscielny with a suspected ROLANDO SEALS MARSEILLE BERTH adding that Marseille would enter the final as "outsiders." "We wanted to try our best to finish at the top and that adds a little bit more disappointment for us." Costa, the scourge of Arsenal several times during his three seasons with Chelsea, picked up a perfect pass by Antoine Griezmann and strode into the area before fending off a defender and lifting the ball Achilles injury less than 10 minutes into the match, putting in doubt his World Cup participation with France next month. "It looks like an Achilles rupture," Wenger "But we have to be cautious. We will know more after a scan." Marseille advanced to its first European final in 14 years after a goal late in extra-time gave it a 3-2 aggregate win over Salzburg in the semifinals of the Europa League on Thursday. Five minutes after coming on as a substitute, Portuguese defender Rolando volleyed in a corner The French club will be aiming for its second European trophy after winning the Champions League 25 years ago. It has not appeared in a final since losing to Valencia in the UEFA Cup in "It's been a long season and our character has S I N G L E S PRANEETH MARCHES ON, VERMA OUT OF NZ OPEN AUCKLAND: B Sai Praneeth was the lone Indian left in fray at the New Zealand Open Badminton Championship after he entered the semifinals of the men's singles event here on Friday. Even as third seed Praneeth marched on, Sameer Verma, seeded fifth, was shown the door by top seed and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China. Praneeth hardly broke a sweat as he took just 28 minutes to quell the challenge of Sri Lanka's Niluka Karunaratne 21-7, 21-9 in the quarterfinals. Praneeth will next face second seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the semifinals. However, it was curtains for Verma as he failed to counter Lin Dan's attacking game and vast experience to lose 19-21, 9-21 in another semifinal duel. Besides, fifth seeded Indian men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also crashed out after losing in straight games by fourth seeds Bodin Isara and Nipitphon Phuangphuapet of Thailand. HAVE TO DO A LOT TO EARN TRUST: SMITH MELBOURNE: Former Australia captain Steve Smith on Friday vowed to earn back the "trust" that he lost due to his role in the ball-tampering scandal, saying he has been left humbled by the "incredible" support that came his way after the furore. "It's great to be back home in Australia. I have had some time away to come to terms with everything and now it's time to get back into it," Smith wrote in an Instagram post. "The amount of s and letters I have received has been incredible and I have been extremely humbled by the enormous amount of support you have given me. I now have a lot to do to earn back your trust," he added. The batsman is serving a one-year ban for his role in the scandal that also led to suspensions on vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft. This is Smith's first comment on his future plans since the emotional breakdown at the airport on his return from South Africa in March. LAHIRI DISAPPOINTS; MODEST START FOR WOODS CHARLOTTE: Anirban Lahiri had a disastrous finish as he dropped four shots in closing three holes to end at 5-over 76 on the opening day of Wells Fargo golf tournament here. The ordinary meant he will need a very low second round to ensure he stays on for the weekend. Lahiri, now lying T-128, continued to miss short putts. Lahiri bogeyed the second and eighth hole and dropped another shot on 11th as he was 3-over through the first 12 holes. Birdies on 13th from 21 feet and 15th from 11 feet seemed to have salvaged the round. Tiger Woods returned to Quail Hollow after a sixyear absence and shot a modest 71, that pegged him at T-34th. Woods had back-to-back birdies on the holes where Peterson made his eagles, getting him to 1 under. But he hit a poor wedge that led to bogey on the par-5 10th. He had a birdie on the par- 5 15th, only to give back that shot with a three-putt bogey from 15 feet on No 16. SANDHU LIES SECOND IN KOREA SEONGNAM: India's Ajeetesh Sandhu slipped into tied-second spot despite dropping three shots in the second round of the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship here on Friday. Sandhu, who carded four-under 67 on the opening day, shot an even par 71 on the second to be three-under for 36 holes. Sandhu trailed Korean Dongha Lee (68), while Heungchul Joo (70) joined Sandhu in tiedsecond place. It was a good day for the Indians as Shiv Kapur, despite carding one-over 72, moved up from tied 7th to tied 5th, while Gaganjeet Bhullar (72-70) and S Chikkarangappa (72-70) were tied 9th as four Indians figured in top-10. Arjun Atwal (75-73) just about squeezed inside the cut line with a birdie on his closing hole, the ninth, after a rollercoaster ride. Agencies AFP n MILAN uventus host Bologna in a final title push Jon Saturday which could see them crowned Serie A champions for a recordextending seventh straight time by the end of the weekend. Massimiliano Allegri's side need six points from their final three games to secure the Scudetto but could seal another crown if they beat Bologna and secondplace Napoli lose at Torino on Sunday. Allegri has urged his players not to lose focus after last weekend's thrilling 3-2 comeback against Inter Milan put them in the driving seat as Napoli lost 3-0 to Fiorentina, just a week after the euphoria of beating the champions. "We've won nothing yet," warned Allegri. With home games against Bologna and Verona to come either side of a difficult trip to Rome, the title looks like Juventus's to lose with Napoli having no room to manoeuvre in their final three games against Torino, Sampdoria and Crotone. While Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio, stalwarts since Juventus began their dominant run in 2012, are used to success it would be the first title for winger Federico AP n MADRID iego Simeone could only watch Dfrom the stands, closer to the fans than to his players. He was cheering, not coaching. But there was no doubt: Down on the field, that was Simeone's team. With a stout defence and an efficient attack - vintage Simeone - Atletico are back in a European final. It will be Atletico's fifth European final in nine years, and the fourth under Simeone. "I'm just someone who represents a group that has been working extraordinarily hard for the last six years," said Simeone, who earned his 50th win in 80 European matches with Atletico - 29 of them coming in the Champions League. Simeone couldn't be on the bench on Thursday because he was sent off early in the first leg in England for shouting at the referee. He watched Atletico's win from one of the club's boxes, with the fans nearby. He yelled, jumped, clapped, complained and, in the end, celebrated. As the crowd chanted his nickname "Cholo," Simeone joined the crowd by wildly waving a team scarf from the tribune, smiling broadly. "I saw and I felt what the fans feel," Simeone "I didn't have a great time because I'm not comfortable being in that position (away from the bench). I have to improve in this sense." Simeone may also have to stay far Juventus vs Bologna Live from 12:30am IST SONY TEN NETWORK Bernardeschi and defender Benedikt Howedes. "It is a fundamental match," said Italian Bernardeschi. "Winning Serie A would be my first major title, I've previously won the German Cup and German Supercup with Schalke 04 but never a league title," from the bench for the final because he faces a UEFA ban for his antics in the first leg. His ejection at the time came after Sime Vrsaljko was sent off 10 minutes into the match in England. Simeone admitted it was a mistake to go after the referee, but he had been right a few days before the match when he practiced with 10 men foreseeing a possible ejection. Players said that was crucial when it actually happened on the field. It was Atletico at their best in both matches against Arsenal, playing tight defensively and being efficient exploring their chances on the attack. Arsenal tried to control possession but struggled to break through the Atletico defence. Great defence has been a trademark for the team coached by added Howedes, who has started to settle into the team after an injury-marred debut to the season. "The club's slogan is 'Fino Alla Fine', and this is perfect because we've had a lot of games this season where we've been up against it, but we've stuck it out and struck right at the end. We never give up." ROMA RARING FOR EUROPE Juventus and Napoli are already assured of their place in the Champions League with the remaining two berths still up for grabs. Eusebio Di Francesco's Roma, sitting third equal on points with Lazio, will want to assure their position in the tournament after their heartbreaking semi-final exit to Liverpool despite a rousing comeback to win the second leg 4-2. Roma travel to Sardinian side Cagliari who are fighting for their Serie A survival just two points above the drop zone. "We're going to have to ask the lads to produce that little bit more," said Di Francesco. "It would be great if we could play in another semi-final. We still have to qualify for next year's Champions League in Serie A but our performance should make us realise that we can compete in the Champions League." Simeone, the former Argentina defensive midfielder. Atletico have the Spanish league's best defence this season with 18 goals conceded in 35 matches, and it hasn't been scored against in 12 straight home matches at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. But Simeone's Atletico can also thrive in offence. Thursday's winner was scored by Diego Costa, who represents another right move by the coach. He worked hard to bring the striker back from Chelsea even though Atletico were enduring a signing ban from FIFA. "He came for these types of moments," Simeone "He came to be important for the team, to be crucial. We needed an angry type of striker like Costa in the team." Simeone will be trying to win his second European title with Atletico, adding to the Europa League trophy he won in 2012, soon after taking over the club. Simeone led Atletico to two Champions League finals, losing to Real Madrid in both 2014 and Simeone's Atletico also lost to their city rivals in the 2017 semifinals. The Europa League title would help Atletico save a season that started with high expectations but had mostly disappointed until now. The team was eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in five seasons, and fell in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. PTI n NEW DELHI he list of Indian javelin thrower Neeraj TChopra's admirers has grown with reigning world champion Johannes Vetter predicting a bright future for the Commonwealth Games Gold medallist. After winning Gold at Gold Coast Games with his second career-best throw of 86.47m, the 20-year-old Neeraj has said that he would like to join the '90m club' soon. "He (Neeraj) is really young. He is able to throw between 88 and 90m, this year of course," Vetter, who has a personal best of 94.44m, was quoted saying. Neeraj is competing against Vetter in the season-opening leg of the Diamond League series in Doha. The star-studded field includes Olympic champion Thomas Rohler and Rio Olympics Silver medallist Julius Yego of Kenya, besides Vetter. Neeraj's personal best stands at 86.48m, that won him Gold at the U-20 World Championships in 2016 in Bydgoszcz (Poland), which is also the existing world junior record. Only 18 athletes have ever thrown over 90m, including six who are still in action. However, none of these stars had inched past 80m in their teens - a fact that is not lost on Yego. always been our strength," defender Adil Rami "It will be a great match against Atletico. We want to win that final." The late goal denied Salzburg a chance to become the first Austrian club to reach a European final since Rapid Vienna was beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the 1996 Cup Winners' Cup. "We are very disappointed. We had a great Europa League season but forgot to give ourselves the reward for that," Salzburg coach Marco Rose Marseille had few problems in a first half that lacked clear scoring opportunities. The French side went close in the sixth minute when Rami just failed to meet Payet's curling free kick. Payet guided Marseille to victory a week ago, setting up both goals, and again he orchestrated most of the team's attacks. Salzburg dominated possession after the opening 10 minutes but created little danger. Its fast-paced combinations often lacked precision while Marseille defended well. The home team's only shot on target came after 13 minutes when striker Munas Dabbur tested goalkeeper Yohann Pele with a low strike from just outside the penalty area. Salzburg stepped up a gear in the second half. Soon after Valere Germain's volley from another Payet cross went wide, Haidara picked up a pass by Stefan Lainer and dribbled past four defenders before beating Pele with the outside of his right foot. It set off a 15-minute period of frenetic play from the home team and Salzburg drew level on aggregate in the 65th minute. Rami tried to clear a cross by Haidara but sent the ball straight to Xaver Schlager. The midfielder's effort looked like going wide but it was deflected by Sarr and left Pele stranded. Marseille bounced back strongly in the last 15 minutes of normal time with Payet finding Florian Thauvin, but his header landed on top of the crossbar. Salzburg had an escape in the closing minutes when referee Sergei Karasev denied Marseille a penalty although TV replays suggested defender Duje Caleta-Car had handled. Both teams missed a handful of clear-cut chances in extra-time, most notably Caleta-Car, who had a well-placed header saved by Pele's spectacular dive minutes before Rolando struck. Also, Haidara was sent off with a second booking after pushing his elbow in Payet's face. "I think we were the better team and had our chances in extra-time," Schlager "It was still a super performance from us." Juventus host Bologna in Serie A Neeraj can throw close to 90m Atletico remain Diego Simeone's team PNS LUCKNOW kana International Stadium Ein Lucknow has lost the battle to Eden Gardens, Kolkata, for hosting the two play-off matches of Indian Premier League, leaving the cricket enthusiasts of the city dissappointed. The historic Eden Gardens will host two play-off matches that were originally scheduled in Pune, IPL governing council confirmed on Friday. The GC has confirmed that Kolkata will host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 on May 23 and 25 respectively, IPL GC chairman Rajeev Shukla said in Kolkata. Kolkata and Lucknow were the front-runners for the playoffs with Rajkot being the third stakeholder. As per sources, Ekana never hosted an international match which may have not worked in its favour. So far, the Neeraj Chopra in a file picture AFP "It's possible (for Neeraj to throw 90m). He is a great talent and has a great, bright future. He has the qualities of becoming an elite thrower. He already holds the world junior record. He is way ahead of me," said Yego. If Neeraj, who now trains under world record holder Uwe Hohn, hits 90m, he would be the youngest thrower to go past the javelin Gold standard. A fresh challenger from a 'non-javelin' nation gives his sport a welcome boost of energy, according to Vetter, who competed alongside Neeraj earlier in the season in Offenberg, Germany, where the Indian had a three-month stint before the CWG. "Javelin is going more and more all over the world There are a lot of young guys who are trying this and have good potential in Africa, Asia, and I think it is developing each year," said Vetter. Heartbreak for Lucknow cricket fans IPL play-offs shifted to Kolkata LOCAL EVENTS KV LUCKNOW CANTT WIN KV Lucknow Cantt defeated IIT Kanpur by 14 runs in the KVS Regional Sports Meet at KV AMC, Lucknow on Friday. BRIEF SCORES: KV: 65 (Deepak Mishra 22, Prashant Yadav 23; Sudhanshu Pandey 4/1, Harsh 5/1, Somil 14/1) IIT: 51 (Sujal 16, Ujjwal 13; Parvej 15/2) STATE UNITED ENTER FINAL State United edged past Dragon FC 5-4 in a tie-breaker to enter the final of the 2nd DFA Cup at La Martiniere ground on Friday. State United stadium had hosted Ranji and day/night Duleep Trophy matches. It was a heartbreak for Lucknow as the Ekana International Stadium, with a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators, is fully ready to host big matches but the organisers chose otherwise. will now face DPS, Eldeco in the final on Sunday. ABHISHEK SLAMS TON Abhishek Roshan slammed aton to help Yorker Club crush BBD Group by 144 runs ina league match of the 14th BBD C Division League at NR Stadium on Friday. BRIEF SCORES: YCC: 292 (Abhishek 118, Atul 51, Shardul 38, Sunil 30; Shekhar 37/3, Shailendra 42/2, Ashish 60/2) BBDG: 148 (Ashish 54, Shailendra 21; Abhishek 27/4, Om Prakash 32/3)

16 boundarymeter 4s 917 6s 501 HARSHIT BISHT n NEW DELHI n the back of four consecutive home games, Virat Kohli-led ORoyal Challengers Bangalore will face a tough test against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in Pune on Saturday. Chennai will be eager to return back to form following a surprise loss against Kolkata Knight Riders in Eden Gardens on Thursday. RCB will aim be keen to build on their 15-run victory against Mumbai Indians in their last game. Following a rampaging start this season, winning five of the first six games, Chennai's momentum have been shattered a bit following two defeats in their last three games, which allowed Sunrisers Hyderabad to leapfrog them into the top position. With a star studded line-up including the likes of Ab de Villiers, Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock and Kohli, RCB have impressed with their bat so far. They are at the fifth position with six points after three wins from eight games. In the previous meeting at M Chinnaswamy stadium, Dhoni's unbeaten 70 from 34 deliveries and Ambati Rayudu's 82 helped CSK go past RCB's 205 total. Former Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Rayudu leads the run scoring chart in IPL this season with 391 runs from nine games. Dhoni is at fourth in the list after scoring 329 runs from nine innings at an average of Besides, former RCB allrounder Shane Watson (317) and Suresh Raina(236) are also going good with the bat. Their bowlers, however, have failed to match their batsmen's levels and have been a tad bit disappointing this season. If you look at teams in IPL, they are all very strong. So, every game is tough KANE WILLIAMSON LUCKNOW SATURDAY MAY 5, 2018 UPNEXT Massive CSK test for Bengaluru Live on Star Sports 1 CSK vs RCB PUNE SATURDAY 4:00 PM Promising young duo of Shardul Thakur (8 wickets) and Deepak Chahar (7 wickets) have done well on their part but have failed to pose threat to the opposition batsmen. While the spin trio of Harbhajan, Jadeja and Tahir have also looked off-colour. On the other hand, RCB s story is no different. Like every other season, Batting is their biggest strength and with the likes of Ab and Virat they have lived up to the expectations of their fans. Skipper Virat is their highest run getter this season with 349 runs from eight innings. De Villiers has also lived up to his billing, scoring 280 runs in six games. But their bowling department looks pretty ordinary. Their spin duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar have not impressed much. The management tried various options from Umesh Yadav to Mohammed Siraj along with Tim Southee and Chris Woakes, but none have clicked as a unit, adding to their team's struggles this season. MATCHAFTER HEAD TO HEAD M 21 CSK 13 RCB 7 PTI n INDORE ohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya delivered Rin desperate times as Mumbai Indians stayed alive in the IPL with a tense six-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab here on Friday. Captain Rohit (24* off 15) and Krunal (31* off 12) shared a match-winning 56-run stand off just 21 balls as Mumbai Indians reached the 175-run target in 19 overs. The three-time champions needed 75 runs off the last seven overs but eventually got over the line rather comfortably. Mumbai s thrilling chase came after the heroics of Chris Gayle, who continued his explosive run in the IPL with a 50 off 40 balls to propel Kings XI Punjab to 174 for six. The much needed victory pushed Mumbai up to fifth from the bottom position in the points table while KXIP remained in fourth spot with five wins from eight games. Mumbai, who have now won three out of their nine games, are tied on six points with RCB, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. Suryakumar Yadav (57 off 52) too made a significant contribution in the successful chase while Hardik (23 off 13) came up with a timely cameo before Rohit and Krunal got the job done. Earlier, Chris Gayle continued his explosive run in the IPL with a 50 off 40 balls, propelling Kings XI Punjab 174 for six. Gayle collected just one run off the first eight balls he faced before racing to his half century, his fourth fifty plus score in five innings of the IPL so far. He alongside Lokesh Rahul (24 off 20) gave KXIP another cracking start as the destructive duo shared a 54-run stand off 40 balls. Rahul too was in sublime touch and looked set for a big score. He got the innings a move on with couple of lofted cover drives that went all the way into the stands. At the other end, Gayle got going by smashing Hardik Pandya for three fours in the fourth over. The 38-year-old was on song, having got a much needed week's break in an otherwise hectic tournament. Two overs later, Gayle pulled a short ball off Mitchel McClenaghan out of the Holkar Stadium. Mumbai Indians heaved a sigh of relief when the big-hitting could not go past the 50- run mark. Yuvraj Singh (14 off 14) made a disappointing comeback after being dropped in the previous game. This time the luck was also not on Yuvraj's side he got run out after a mix-up with Karun Nair (23 off 12). The stylish southpaw is yet to cross the 20-run mark in the tournament. The home team was well-placed to post a big total after being 78 for one in 10 overs. However, KXIP lost their way in the middle overs with Nair and Axar Patel (13 off 12) getting out after promising starts. Jasprit Bumrah and Co were able to tighten things up. Bumrah especially was brilliant conceding just 19 runs in four overs. F U L L TIME 16 Krunal helps Mumbai beat Punjab Ben Cutting of the Mumbai Indians celebrates the wicket of Chris Gayle of the Kings XI Punjab during IPL match at Holkar Stadium in Indore on Friday QUOTEUNQUOTE If it was not for Marcus Stoinis, KXIP would have ended up way short of the expected mark. His unbeaten 15-ball 29 ensured his team reached close to 180. The 22-run last over from Pandya made all the difference with Stoinis smashing him for two sixes and as many fours. BRIEF SCORES: KXIP: 174/6 in 20 overs (Gayle 50, Stoinis 29 not out; Bumrah 1/19) MI: 176/4 in 19 overs (Yadav 57, Rohit 24 not out, Krunal 31 not out). Gayle has made my life easier: Rahul BCCI Delhi's batting vs SRH's bowling KARTHIK RAMAN n NEW DELHI n yet-another must-win battle, Delhi Daredevils face the mighty ISunrisers Hyderabad at their backyard on Saturday. With an improved batting performance of late, Saturday's clash in Hyderabad will be about Delhi's batsmen against Sunrisers' bowlers. Hyderabad, who boasts the best bowling unit among all the eight teams, are sitting at top of the IPL table, with six wins from eight matches. Delhi, on the other hand, have just moved out of the bottom position, to be placed in sixth. Saturday's hosts have been an expert in defending low scores this season. In their last game, SRH bundled out Kings XI Punjab for just 119 while defending a modest target of 132. Notably against defending champions Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers defended 118, by bowling Mumbai out for just 87. It will be difficult for Delhi batsmen to handle SRH s bowlers. But, that is one area Delhi have improved tremendously of late. Their batting has been top notch since Shreyas Iyer's appointment as captain. After scoring 219 against Kolkata Knight Riders, Daredevils scored 198 against Chennai Super Kings and 196 in just 17.1 overs against Rajasthan Royals. Rishabh Pant (375) and Shreyas Iyer (307) have been carrying the run-scoring burden throughout this campaign. Adding Prithvi Shaw in the thick of things helped Delhi get a solid start from the top order. Live on Star Sports 1 SRH vs DD HYDERABAD SATURDAY 8:00 PM HEAD TO HEAD M 20 SRH 10 DD 10 He has been a revelation in the four matches he played so far. The only problem is he is running out of solid opening partners. Gautam Gambhir, who played alongside Shaw in one match before being dropped from the side, and Colin Munro have failed to support him at the top order. Another foreign recruit Glenn Maxwell is enduring a torrid time this season. In the bowling, Trent Boult with 13 wickets, has been their stand out performer, while the experienced Amit Mishra has been doing a decent job. Barring them, the others have struggled to make a consistent impact. On the other hand, Sunrisers' bowlers have performed splendidly as a unit. The likes of Siddharth Kaul, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi and Shakib Al Hasan have all delivered in a regular basis. There is a possibility Bhuvneshwar Kumar might from injury for Saturday's clash. Their batting hasn't been sparkling this season, but they have done the necessary job required from them. With 322 runs, skipper Kane Williamson has been leading the batting attack. PTI n CHENNAI ings XI Punjab batsman KL Rahul Ksays opening the batting along side an in-form Chris Gayle has made his life easier as opposition bowlers are always focussed on the big-hitting West Indian, which gives him time to build his innings. Rahul said he is enjoying his cricket now and learning from his flamboyant teammate Gayle, who "always plays with a big smile on his face and is a complete entertainer." "He is the most destructive T20 opener in the world. It is a privilege to open the batting with him and it makes my life so much easier," Rahul said during an interaction. "When the opposition bowling is focusing on him, that takes a little bit pressure out of me. I can just take my time and I can enjoy my cricket," he added. The stylish India batsman, who has so far scored 268 runs from seven IPL games at a strike rate of , said he is used to Gayle's company as they have played together for a few years at Royal Challengers Bangalore previously. "We have played together for a few years now at RCB and now we are together. We enjoy each other's company. A great human being. So much fun to be around. A complete entertainer," Rahul Asked if Gayle's aggression had rubbed off on him, the Karnataka batsman said: "Like I It is good to be playing with him. We understand each other's game really well. It is about just going and enjoying my cricket. "That is what I learnt from Chris. He is always playing the game with a big smile on his face. And he enjoys entertaining the crowd even when PTI n KOLKATA loppy fielding and lacklustre Sbowling let Chennai Super Kings down against Kolkata Knight Riders but coach Stephen Fleming strongly backed the side, saying one bad game does not mean it's time for "chopping and changing" The loss also unsettled CSK from the top spot but Fleming hoped it's a one-off game as they hoped to get back to winning act quickly when they host Royal Challengers Bangalore at their adopted home Pune on Saturday. "We were exposed and I think sometimes it reflected on the bowling. Certainly we were on the backfoot with some good fielders making mistakes, it hit down a little bit," Fleming said referring to Jadeja's double blip. "Look, that can happen in a long tournament... It's not a great performance by any means but we have got hours rather than days to rectify. A loss just is a little slap on the face and hopefully it has not affected in day and half's time and there's still going to be hardwork." Their skipper MS Dhoni is well known for backing his players to make the best use of the resources as Fleming said it's not the time to "chopping and changing" yet. "We got to be careful that we don't get too carried away after one bad game where the bowling looked a little bit off. It's too easy to start chopping and changing after one bad game. Giving credit to KKR spinners, Fleming said: "Their spinners were one of our main concerns. Narine is quality both at the start or at the end of the innings. The way he bowls, he takes a couple of overs out of your innings. He stunted momentum." "It's just another night where we were just fractionally off and as a team we just can't afford to do that. We were not that good a side where we can have bad days and still get win. We can compete but the result is probably appropriate. under pressure. I think when the opposition is up against him they are always under pressure," he added. Rahul said at present he is enjoying is batting but there is always scope for improvement. "I am very happy with the way I have been batting, the way I have been hitting the ball. But, obviously there is always scope for improvement. I have got a couple of 50s but I feel like I should have closed a couple of games and stayed not out at the end. That is the thing I am looking to improve in the second half of IPL," he He hailed the captaincy of Ravichandran Ashwin and said the Tamil Nadu off-spinner had been very proactive. "It has been brilliant so far. He (Ashwin) has been very proactive since the time the IPL has started and the camps begun. He has been very proactive. He is interacting with the IANS n KOLKATA easoned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Swrist spinner Piyush Chawla feels Shubman Gill is a special talent following the young batsman's unbeaten 57 that helped the team beat the more-fancied Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game here on Thursday. "Before the start of the matches, during our camp...i had said that he is a special talent. Today he proved it," Chawla told reporters at the post match press conference. In the absence of injured Nitish Rana, Gill was promoted to No 4 in the batting order, a slot where he is more comfortable in, rather than at No 7. Gill and skipper Dinesh Karthik (18- ball 45 not out) joined hands for an unbroken 83-run stand for the fifth wicket to guide the team to victory with 14 balls to spare on Thursday. The star of India's U-19 World Cup winning team became fourth-youngest to score an IPL half-century. "Nitish was injured and he was doing well for us. We needed somebody who can graft the innings and he did exactly the same, what the team demanded from him," Chawla said when asked about Gill being pushed up the order. boys and. He is really focused on helping the team and helping the youngsters out. Five wins in seven games and a lot of credit goes to him," Rahul He also said former India batsman Virender Sehwag, who is Kings XI Punjab's mentor and director of operations, was supportive of Indian players in the squad, especially youngsters. "He (Sehwag) has been really supportive and helpful with the Indian players, especially youngsters. Lot of people, even the foreign players look up to him. And, having seen him bat for the country and making so many records, they obviously want to learn from him," Rahul "With someone as a director, he has given the boys a lot of freedom. The atmosphere and composition of the dressing room has been fun," he signed off. Chopping and changing not required Gill is special talent Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming speaks during press conference Chris Gayle (L), KL Rahul during KXIP s game BCCI Piyush Chawla speaks during press conference BCCI "Batting at No 7, I guess if you see the team combination, it's a team game so team comes first," he added. Speaking about next game against Mumbai, Chawla said although Rohit Sharma and Co are at the foot of the points table, they can be dangerous. "T20 is a kind of format where no team is easy. If you see Mumbai Indians they have proved it in the IPL. They are at the bottom of the table right now but these kind of teams are even more dangerous. So we have to play good cricket to come on top."