last Thursday after the couple accused on passport officer Vikas Mishra of misbeahviour. Continued on Page 4

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1 he controversy surrounding Tan interfaith couple s passport case took an interesting twist on Tuesday when police found that applicant Tanvi Seth was not residing at her Lucknow address given in the application for passport for the last one year. Police have sent the address verification report to the Regional Passport Office (RPO). Officials in the passport department said they had received the police verification report and were examining it for suitable action, including revocation of the passport. n the fourth consecutive Oday of Chipko-like movement in Delhi, the green lovers are all set to file a contempt of court against National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) for violating High Court s order against felling trees till July 4. Tress were axed on Monday night on the direction of NBCC. Dr Kaushal Kant Mishra, the petitioner in the HC, told The Pioneer, I have prepared all legal documents, photos and videos pertaining to the matter. On our request, NBCC has stopped felling trees. Activists have launched a surveillance derive to protect trees from being chopped. Continued on Page 4 Lucknow SSP Deepak Kumar said they got the letter to conduct address verification on June 18. During the verification it was found that Tanvi was not residing at the address which she had mentioned in her application at the time of applying for a passport. The residents told police that Tanvi was residing in Noida. The entire finding was written in the verification letter and was sent to RPO office. Now it is for the RPO to forward the application to Noida police to verify it and initiate any action thereafter, he said. He clarified that police ven as the State is contem- to accord State Eplating anthem status to the song Bande Utkala Janani, Labour and Energy Minister Sushant Singh on Tuesday ruffled a few feathers with his suggestion to replace Utkala with Odisha in the song. The Government should consider the sentiments of western Odisha residents and change the Bande Utkala Janani to Bande Odisha Janani. So far, I am not aware of what the State Government is planning to do, said Singh. After Singh s comment, ruling Biju Janata Dal spokesperson Pratap Deb said that every individual has the right to express his personal opinion, but in this case a decision has already been taken. In a democracy, everyone can come forward and express their opinion as law is equal for everyone. But when a decision has already been taken in the State Assembly, any individual s view is untenable, Deb said. Responding to Singh s comment, BJP spokesperson Golak Mahapatra said, All the formalities have already been done. Whether the song will be changed or not, it is for the Government to decide. Notably, a few days back, protesters under the banner of the Ame Odia organisation took to streets demanding State song status to Bande Utkala Janani. The protesters had lamented that it is unfortunate that the song which had stirred the souls of Odias during the fight for a separate province is yet to get the State song status. n the wake of various non- ICongress parties raising voice against the Emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 43 years back, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, who was on a day s visit to the State on Tuesday, too targeted the Congress and termed the Emergency a Black Day in the history of Indian democracy. The Congress had declared Emergency only to give power to rule to a particular family. For this, people of the country were deprived of their democratic rights and the Judiciary and the Press lost their specialty. The day it was declared was really a Black Day, Irani told a Press conference here. Remembering Odisha people s contribution for safeguarding democracy during the 1975 Emergency, she said, I have come to pay tributes to 900 Satyagrahis and 300 MISA prisoners of Odisha for their sacrifices to protect democracy during the 1975 Emergency. Irani stated that leaders like ven as the outcry over the missing of the Jagannath E he Union Home Ministry Thas issued new security guidelines to the States in the wake of an all-time high threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and directed the clearances should be obtained from Special Protection Group for the persons to be allowed to be close to Modi. The Ministry said the Prime Minister is the most valuable target in the run up to the 2019 general elections. No one, not even Ministers and officers, should be allowed to come too close to the Prime Minister unless cleared by his special security, said a Home Ministry communication. According to security and Intelligence top brass, the SPG officials have advised Modi to take utmost care during the roadshows. Continued on Page 4 Harekrushna Mahtab, Biju Patnaik, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Rabi Ray and Biswabhushan Harichandan had worked hard for safeguarding democracy during such tough times. On the occasion, Irani also criticised the State s BJD Government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to provide healthcare to poor people. The Centre has targeted to provide health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to nearly 10 crore poor families in the country. I am hopeful that Odisha Government will respond to the health needs of people and implemented the scheme, the Union Minister Temple s Ratna Bhandar keys continues, the temple is once again in the news for another had no role in getting a passport cancelled. We are limited to verification of address only. It is on RPO to decide further course of action, he said. As per norms, an applicant seeking a passport on a particular address should have to stay at the address for a period one year or above. Tanvi Seth and her husband Anas Siddique had alleged that an official at the passport office in Lucknow had refused to entertain their forms while allegedly asking the man to convert to Hinduism and woman to use her maiden Hindu name. The Lucknow Passport Office had issued the passport to the couple within an hour on last Thursday after the couple accused on passport officer Vikas Mishra of misbeahviour. Continued on Page 4 added. Among others, BJP president Basant Panda, Legislature Party Leader KV Singh Deo, vice-president Sameer Mohanty, spokespersons Golak Prasad Mohapatra and Sudipta Ray, State secretary Simantini Jena and Mahila Morcha president Pravati Parida were present. Earlier, Irani had attended an intellectuals meeting organised by the BJP Intellectual Cell. Attending the party s Sampark for Samarthan programme, Irani met Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb and noted Sambalpuri weaver Padmashri Chaturbhuja Meher at their respective residences and narrated the Narendra Modi Government s achievements of the last four years before them. wrong reason. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has expressed strong displeasure over inappropriate behaviour of some servitors of the temple towards President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind during their visit to the temple in March. A discussion on the incident was held in the temple managing committee meeting recently. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has also decided to serve show cause Continued on Page 4 ocked by a scandal related Rto the alleged blackmailing and sexual abuse of a woman by five priests, who have been placed under suspension from officiating priestly duties, Kerala s influential Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on Tuesday said that there would be an impartial enquiry. The church leadership, which had failed to respond to the allegation despite the fact that the scandal had erupted several days back, was forced to issue a statement on Tuesday saying that it had received a complaint in this regard from the woman s husband who alleged the priests had used his wife s secret confession to blackmail and sexually assault her. Five priests accused of blackmailing and sexually abusing the woman, four of them working with parishes under the dioceses of the Kottayam-based church and one belonging to its Delhi diocese, were on Monday temporarily suspended from performing priestly duties as parish heads pending inquiry for which a committee has been formed. There will be an enquiry at the church and diocesan levels. If the accused priests are found guilty, appropriate action will be taken against them. There will be no attempt to shield the guilty or victimise the innocent. Those who have raised the charge will get the chance to prove their case, the church said in the statement. ontending that the Congress Cmove to impeach the Chief Justice of India and undermine the Election Commission through its criticism of EVMs reflected its Emergency mindset, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday charged the Rahul Gandhi-led party is creating fear of the unknown in the minds of the people about the danger faced by Dalits and Constitution under the BJP-led NDA regime. Addressing a party workers meeting here to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Emergency, Modi launched a vitriolic attack against the Congress by saying, In a party where there is no democracy, you can expect commitment towards democracy. Fear of unknown has been the Congress style over the years There was a time when they would create fear of the unknown about RSS and Jan Sangh by saying: These are from RSS and Jan Sangh. They would beat up and slay Muslims and spread canards about them Now they have started once again: Dalits are in danger. Dalits would be beaten up. They are once again creating fear of the unknown among the people. hief Minister Naveen CPatnaik on Tuesday expressed support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi s appeal for simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly. Speaking to mediapersons Patnaik said, Having elections throughout the year disturbs the working process for the people. Therefore, we support the Prime Minister s appeal for simultaneous elections. This will serve the country well. Law Commission of India Chairman Justice BS Chauhan had earlier written to BJD supremo Patnaik inviting him to attend the meeting and urging him to participate in interaction, share thoughts and suggestions. The commission asked him to nominate a representative from his party in case of he is not able to attend. Soon after Patnaik supported the Prime Minister s appeal, the BJD clarified that its Puri MP Pinaki Misra would attend a meeting of the Law Commission scheduled to be held in New Delhi on July 7 and 8.

2 he Odisha Consumer TWelfare Fund was set up under the aegis of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS and CW) Department to utilise the money to generate awareness among the consumers about their rights under the Consumer Protection Act through public meetings, rallies and cultural programmes. But of late, it has come to the fore that the department authorities are releasing the funds violating The Orissa Consumer Welfare Fund Rules, 2007 and the order passed by the Orissa High Court in this regard. It might be mentioned here that. in pursuance to the order of the High Court passed in OMC No 673 of 1995 (PIL Case) Consumer Welfare Fund he courses in the Odisha TUniversity of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) will be made more industry specific and growth oriented as per changing climatic conditions and market requirements. This was decided in a high level meeting held under chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi here on Monday. Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Secretary Sourav Garg outlined the issues and the Vice-Chancellor OUAT Prof Surendra Nath Pasupalak placed the OUAT s operational pan for ord Jagannath plays a cru- role in the life of Odisha Lcial and its residents. When it comes to the affairs of the indoor management of the temple, many matters are shrouded in mystery. It is commonly believed that Lord Jagannath and the temple have a substantial quantum of valuable ornaments and cash at their command. The Sunabesa (decked-up in gold) is an indication of the extent of wealth at the disposal of the deities. It has become more mysterious when the keys of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar have disappeared. The situation is a matter of concern for the entire community of devotees. Speculations have gone on in different directions, leading to public concern in the matter. The events unfolded themselves in the following chronology: April 5 Puri Collector discloses to the media about the disappearance of the keys of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar; June 3 His Highness Sankaracharya of Puri demands an inquiry into the serious matter and holds the Government accountable; June 4 the Chief Minister orders an inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act into the circumstances relating to the disappearance of the keys and related issues; June 6 the Government names retired judge of the Orissa High Court Justice Raghubir Das as the head of the commission; June 11 the Chief Administrator of the temple (Pradeep Kumar Jena) is transferred from the post with public and political outrage simmering outside; June 13 Puri Collector claims that his officials have found a sealed envelope containing the alleged duplicate keys of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar. These events have to be coupled with the fact that the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar was done in 1926 and In the inventory of 1978, 128 kg of gold jewellery and around 221 kg of puja has been formed and Odisha Consumer Welfare Fund Rules, 2007 was made. Sources said the FS and CW Department authorities are trying to release the consumer welfare fund to the persons and organisations outside Odisha ignoring the NGOs and VCOs in the State. Sources said the department has engaged a New Delhibased NGO as consultant to promote consumer awareness. To make matters worse it has sanctioned about Rs 3 lakh to the aforesaid NGO s consultant for the purpose of air ticket, hotel bills, taxi bills violating the guidelines. In the connection, a civil society organisation All India Anti- Corruption Organisation s State unit has written a letter to the FS and CW Department Secretary and Director to use their good office not to release the welfare fund to the persons staying outside the State or organisations having no knowledge about the rural and urban consumers Odisha. The All India Anti Corruption Organisation s convenor advocate Subrat Kumar Nanda said if the department authorities doesn t pay heed and continues to violate the rules and guidelines, they would have no option but to knock at the doors of the Orissa High Court to realise the sanctioned money. Nanda further alleged that recently the department spent Rs 30 lakh from the consumer welfare fund for a meeting at a luxury hotel. Instead the money could have been well-spent had the department allotted the money to the 30 districts to create consumer awareness. coming three years for discussion. The Chief Secretary advised the university to make its course more growth oriented keeping in view the changing climatic conditions. The university was also advised to make its course more industry specific so as to make the students work-ready when they pass out of the campus. Further, Chief Secretary Padhi advised the university to make the Krushi Vigyan Kendras ( KVKs) more vibrant and farmer -need oriented. They should operate like the connecting point between the laboratory and the field. The innovative research projects undertaken in KVKs be made outcome oriented leading to actual field level benefit for the sustainable agriculture. Replying to a media query after the meeting, Principal Secretary Garg that the meeting deliberated on quality enhancement in research, training, making the OUAT course more industry specific and adding new frontiers like climate change and environment, landscape architecture, conservation, wild life management, man-animal conflict management and IT applications in agriculture. The details will be worked out soon and steps would be expedited to implement those. Available data show that presently, the OUAT s extension activities are mostly carried forward through the 33 KVKs operating in different parts of Odisha. Each district has at least one KVK. Apart t s an alarming situation in IOdisha. Cases of child trafficking and sexual exploitation have been increasing at an alarming rate. This fact came to the fore in a Round Table on Sexual Exploitation of Children and Child Trafficking organized by ATSEC India in collaboration with ATSEC Odisha on Monday in Bhubaneswar. The speakers and experts opined that mass effort with the help of Government agencies as well as civil society groups and specific networks was required he Samajwadi Party (SP) TState unit has urged the from that there are additional KVKs in the districts like Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Ganjam. Around six scientists in each KVK lead the research and extension works. The OUAT is having its campuses at Bhubaneswar, Chipilima, Bhwanipatana and Rangeilunda. There are 10 polytechnic institutions of OUAT in different places. The proposal for having agro-business based polytechnic trades was discussed in the meeting. The meeting also decided that the OUAT students would have real time practice with the farmers at GP and village level as a part of their course. The Chief Secretary directed to scale up the quality of teaching and learning for training more entrepreneurs than that of jobseekers. items and silver are reported to be listed. It is strange that we are now informed that 14 types of gold article could not be listed during this inventory for unspecified reasons. Beyond the above information is a mass of unverified claims of the valuables that are stored in the Ratna Bhandar. Strangely, in April 2018, the Government disclosed the quantity of gold kept in the treasury. Relying on the last inventory of 1978, the Law Minister informed the State Assembly that the treasury contains 128 kg gold jewellery and 221 kg of silver utensils. It is common knowledge that there has been an organised opposition to a systematic inventory maintenance of the valuables of the temple and the deities. This resistance to appropriate recordkeeping and transparency comes from within the system itself. There has been murmurs from among the servitors opposing any inventory of the Ratna Bhandar with several excuses, including the supposed danger of entering the inner part of the Ratna Bhandar. There are allegations of blocking proposals of audit of the contents of the Ratna Bhandar. The present public concern relating to the missing keys has neutralised this opposition to a great extent. Many of the servitors now openly support a proper inventory and increased transparency. As per present practice, the temple administration makes public the amount of money and jewellery daily donated to the deities in the Hundi. Under such circumstances, there can be hardly any objection to prepare a proper inventory of the quantity of jewellery and other valuables kept in the Ratna Bhandar. The trend has taken a turn and there are large number of servitors blaming the Government functionaries for having misplaced the keys. They further believe that the present crisis could have been avoided if the concerned functionaries maintained a regular inventory of the treasury. This leads to the justification for an audit of the contents of the Ratna Bhandar. The so-called duplicate keys, kept in an envelope, purportedly in 1985, have not been accompanied by any supporting decision to keep a set of duplicate keys in the Record Room. The overall manifestation of the envelope, in which the alleged duplicate keys are kept, raised doubts as to its existence in That apart, in the governmental system of record keeping, making duplicates required a competent order of a competent authority. The Record Room does not appear to be a proper place where any keys are deposited for safe up keeping. For such situations, there are prescriptions under the governmental system for maintenance of records and accounts of the valuables. The mystery has thickened with the Puri Collector acknowledging the newfound alleged duplicate set of keys of the Ratna Bhandar. It must also be noticed that a responsible officer of the Government, who has been in charge of the Chief Administrator, has refused to comment on the duplicate keys issue. A Commission of Inquiry has been appointed with a reasonably elaborate terms of reference. The concern of the public at large relates to the situation in the interregnum. The original keys are missing and allegedly duplicate keys in a closed envelope have surfaced in a suspicious manner. The authorities are not forthcoming regarding the details of events with supporting official documents. The Commission of Inquiry will take some time to conclude its proceedings and finalise its report. The matter of public concern is whether the Government should hold its hand and not take any proactive steps to dispel all suspicions in the minds of devotees in general. There is an expectation that no proactive steps will be forthcoming till the report of the Commission of Inquiry is available and the Government takes action at its discretion. The need of the hour is, therefore, to fuse the two. The Government ought to facilitate a proper inventory of all the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar without getting repelled by a possibility of snakes guarding the wealth. The details of inventory can also be supplied to the Commission of Inquiry and it ought to be compared with the inventory of 1978 to scrutinise discrepancy. It should not be forgotten that any discrepancy in the matter has great emotive content. Mismanagement of the wealth of Lord Jagannath will not be a thing palatable to the devotees at large. It is necessary in this context to have an assertive public opinion. More than 50 per cent of the population of India is below 25. This fresh manpower should also study the details and pioneer a public opinion that should cleanse the system rather than continuously keeping it polluted. This calls for organised extended activities to reform the administration of the temple. All efforts are to be articulated towards a better-managed abode of faith and devotion. This ought not to be confined only to the initiative of those who project themselves asserting monopolistic exclusivity. (The writer, a Senior Advocate, is a former All India Service officer, a former diplomat, a former editor, a former President of Orissa High Court Bar Association and a former Advocate General of Odisha. jayantdas@hotmail.com) to prevent such inhuman trafficking of child and sexual exploitation. Sandhyabati Pradhan of the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights expressed her concern on rising child trafficking stating that despite having laws to protect children and women, cases of trafficking and sexual exploitation had been reported at an increasing rate in the State. She focused on alertness of the agencies and networks and appealed for a mass effort to curb the menace. Director of Vasundhara Manas Das informed that a majority of children were being left for exploitation because of absence of their parents as they migrate from rural areas to outside State efying an early morning Dshower, hundreds of participants on Tuesday took part in a rally on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking here. Students of various educational institutions, youth members of Biju Yuva Bahini, employees of BMC office, Excise Department and Commissionerate Police took part in the rally, which passed through Kalpana Square and Rajmahal Square before reaching its final destination. Inaugurating the rally, Finance and Excise Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera said, Drug abuse has become a major social he southwest Monsoon has Tcovered 24 districts with rains lashing most parts of the State. The remaining districts would be covered in a couple of days, forecast the Regional Office of Indian Metrological Department (IMD) here on Tuesday. Rain is likely at most places over north coastal and many places over interior and coastal Odisha in next 24 hours. However, the amount of rainfall will be less over south interior parts of the State during these hours, informed IMD Regional Director HR Biswas. iling BJD MLA Pravat ARanjan Biswal was on Tuesday granted regular bail by the Orissa High Court. The Cuttack-Choudwar legislator was arrested by the CBI on September 19 last year in connection with his alleged complicities with the Seashore Group of Companies, which duped hundreds of its small investors. The four-time MLA was immediately taken ill soon after in search of jobs. Consequently, the children at home and girls at home were left without any security cover. In most of the girls cases, they were being lured of good jobs and marriage for a better life. Majority of the girls were from southern and western parts of the State and they had been rescued from States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, etc. Vikash Das of CLAP informed the gathering while expressing his concern that parents were not interested to seek justice due to lack of awareness and thinking that the process would waste their time and money, though there were civil societies for legal assistance and the State for taking protection menace across the world and we should be adopting extra care for our young generations so that they would be away from the harmful effects and the addiction from drugs. Women and Child Development, MSME and SSEPD Minister Prafulla Samal requested the youths to adopt better lifestyle practices so that they would be away from drugs always.odia Language, Literature, Culture and Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, Chairman Odisha Film Development Corporation Satyabrata (Kuna) Tripathy, MLA Bhubaneswar (North) Priyadarshi Mishra, Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena and actress Arpita Kar, among others, also spoke. But rainfall is expected to increase after 24 hours and would occur in most parts of the State. Heavy to very heavy rainfall rain is likely to lash at one or two places north and coastal Odisha, said Biswas. Meanwhile, coastal parts of the State including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Puri and Ganjam have been receiving rainfall since the morning under the influence of the advancing monsoon. Besides, the cyclonic circulation over Bihar, West Bengal and north-west Bay of Bengal is also making the condition favourable for the advancement of monsoon in the State. his arrest and was hospitalised. While his condition had deteriorated at the SCB Medical College Hospital here, the High Court on April 24 this year had granted him a conditional interim bail for two months to facilitate his treatment at better facilities. While the MLA continues to be under treatment here, the High Court on Tuesday adjudicating his regular application allowed his plea. The bail was allowed with the same conditions that were imposed during the grant of interim bail two months ago.justice Biswanath Rath, while allowing Biswal to go on bail, asked him to deposit a cash of Rs 20 lakh in any nationalised bank and submit receipt of the deposit in the trial court. Biswal was also asked to furnish bail bonds by two sureties with Rs five lakh each, among other conditions. measures. He observed that there was possibility of rise in child trafficking because the racketeers were getting a handsome amount of profit. National convenor of ATSEC Manabendra Mandal, State convenor SM Farooque, Notably, the UN General Assembly held a Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in April This Special Session marked an important milestone in achieving the goals set in the policy document of 2009 as "Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug P radesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik on Tuesday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu urging him to name the Jharsuguda Airport after legendary freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai. Veer Surendra Sai was a heroic son of western Oidhsa. It will be proper to name the youth was detained for Aallegedly trespassing into the runway of the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here on Tuesday. According to reports, the detainee, a resident of Dumduma on the outskirts of the city, was spotted by CISF personnel roaming suspiciously on the runway. The youth scaled the boundary wall of the airport near Khandagiri and entered into the airport premises, reports said, adding that he had reached near an IndiGo flight scheduled to leave for Delhi. He was later nabbed by CISF personnel and handed Jagdish Pradhan of Vikash Abhiyan, former Chairperson of Odisha State Commission For Protection of Child Rights Bijaylaxmi Das, Sandeep Dutta of Child Fund India, Lalitendu Patnaik, Sneha Mohanty and Sneha Mishra of NAWO also spoke. Governor for steps to ensure welfare of the Other Backward Class (OBC) people who constitute around 52 per cent of the State population. In a memorandum to the Governor, SP Odisha unit president Rabi Behera demanded formation of Backward Class Commission to protect the constitutional rights of the communities, implement 27 per cent reservation in admission to State sponsored colleges and universities, including medical, engineering and MBA courses, 27 per cent reservation in State Government and PSU jobs as well as in all contractual and outsourcing jobs, activate the State Backward Class Financial Corporation for providing loans for self employment, provide financial assistance or scholarships to OBC students for higher studies, besides remunerative price to their product for which they can maintain their livelihood. Problem", which defined action to be taken by member States as well as goals to be achieved by 2019.Principal Secretary Excise Department Nikunja Bihari Dhal said the youths and young citizens should be exposed to more and more awareness activities so that they could imagine the ill effects of taking the banned substances and the society could be saved. Jharsuguda Airpor should after his name, mentioned Patnaik in his letter. Notably, the Jharsuguda Airport would be made operational from July 5, as per the Government plan. The airport has been added under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Admi) scheme. Patnaik also sent copies of his letter to the Prime Minister s Office (PMO), Jayanta Sinha, MoS for Ministry of Civil Aviation, Chief Minister s Office (CMO), Chairman of the Airport Authority of India and the Director General of the Civil Aviation. ity-based Kalinga Institute of CSocial Science (KISS) has agreed to implement 18 certificate programmes with 40 students in each one of the IGNOU from for their UG and PG students. In a formal communication over to the Airfield police. Investigation into the matter was underway. It was suspected that the youth is mentally-challenged. The CISF officials have been issued a show-cause notice in connection with the incident, informed BPIA Director Suresh Chandra Hota. issued by the KISS Registrar to the IGNOU Regional Centre Bhubaneswar Director, the former has requested to take necessary steps for opening an IGNOU centre in the campus during this year and in each admission cycle to enrol 720 students.

3 n a major challenge to the Idistrict police, unidentified miscreants in a series of loots robbed as many as six SBI ATM kiosks in Brahmapur city and its nearby areas on Monday night. The total amount of money robbed was yet to be ascertained. Reports said unidentified robbers looted more than Rs 5 lakh from an SBI ATM at Haladiapadar under the Golanthara police station in the city by breaking it open with a gas cutter. The dacoits also looted money from SBI ATMs at ower plants in the southern PStates may face fuel shortage as coal mining operations in the Talcher coalfields on Monday faced undue and uncalled for stoppage by contractors workers leading to about 2.6 lakh-tonne coal dispatch loss. Around 6,000 contractors workers in coal mining and transportation works went on a strike following the directions of local MLA, paralysing supplies to the consumers, which has a majority of power producers. The strike was instigated after a meeting held on June 24 at Jagannath Area headquarters on 5- point agenda given by Mahanadi Coalfields Contractual Transport Workers Union (MCCTWU), Talcher second bridge over the ABrahmani was not only the dream project of senior BJP leader and Rourkela BJP MLA Dilip Ray but also it was his commitment to the denizens of Rourkela during 2014 election campaign. Even in a mega election meeting in April 2014 PM Narendra Modi had assured and during his maiden visit to the city as PM on April 1, 2015, he also declared for the early construction of the bridge. But despite the declaration he All Odisha Power TEngineers Federation held its executive committee meeting here on Sunday. The meeting organised by the Southco Power Engineers Association was presided over by federation president Ankuli, Goilundi, Khodasingi, Gosain Nuagan. Fortunately, their attempt to loot money from an ATM at Gopalpur junction in the district failed as the miscreants spotted a police patrolling party. Although miscreants managed to damage the CCTV camera installed inside the ATM and were about to break open the machine, they fled after spotting a police patrolling vehicle. According to sources, huge amount of notes was burnt while the dacoits tried to cut open the ATM at Gosain Nuagaon with a gas cutter. Three cash trays of ATMs were also found abandoned near Engineering School Chhak in general secretary Narahari Sahoo. The meeting, which was attended by Director (Personnel) himself along with Area General Managers and other officials of Talcher from management side and the MLA, Talcher along with members of the MCCTWU, concluded on a happy note after the management agreed to all the points but one which was not legally feasible. The management had not agreed on the demand of deployment of 131 contractors employees at (Railway) Sidings No. III & IV of Jagannath Area as the siding operations are being carried out departmentally and there is no scope of reverting back to contractual mode of operations. This was discussed at the level of Chief Secretary in the past and MCL management had categorically expressed its inability to engage contractors workers as the siding was already of the PM, the initiation of construction work delayed inordinately which becomes a cause of unrest for Ray. While the existing bridge in dilapidated stage and the work for new is delayed, it also leads to unrest among the people of Rourkela and gets political discontent against the BJP. So to make face saving a couple of week back, the construction work was started which is only for name shake and if the work goes on at the present pace, then the duration for completion is uncertain, alleged Ray after visiting the spot. In his reaction, Ray said he he Academy of Yoga and TOriental Studies (AYOS) organised an all-india seminar on Dhyana and its Perspectives here to mark the International Day of Yoga on June 21. The seminar was inaugurated by Swami Sivachidananda Saraswati. Eminent Sanskrit scholar Pandit Govinda Chandra Mishra was guest of honour. The meeting was presided over by AYOS president Sudarsan Nayak. AYOS member Mihir Kumar Mishra welcomed the guests and the audience and AYOS director Dr Indulata Das delivered an introductory speech. Swami Sivachidananda Sarawati discussed the process and necessity of Dhyana from various angles. Govinda Chandra Mishra said that when one realises how tiny he is and surrenders at the feet of the Lord only then he practises real Dhyana. Sudarsan Nayak said it is great that the whole world is aware of the greatness of yoga now. Prof Pramod Chandra Mishra thanked the audience and the guests by his instantly Biswaranjan Mishra. Irregularities in consumption of power in the State and future course of action of the federation were the focus point at the meeting. The members have demanded filling up the vacant posts in power distribution companies (discoms), filling up of the junior class posts as per the State Government rule and promotion. the town. Robbery of ATMs located in such prominent spots is shocking. There were no security guards in any of the ATMs. Besides, the police have to intensify night patrolling to prevent such loots, said a resident Prakash Swain. Similarly, another SBI ATM was looted at Kuanarmunda in Rourkela of Sundargarh district on Monday night. Some unidentified miscreants looted around Rs 9 lakh from the ATM machine by breaking it open with a gas cutter, sources said. Later, on being informed, police and a scientific team rushed to the spot and started an investigation. operating departmentally. On this ground, stoppage of all the contractual operation of mining/transportation of coal in all the areas of Talcher coalfields was resorted to. The work stoppage today resulted in coal production loss of 2.3 lakh tonne and despatch loss of 2.6 lakh tonne from Talcher Coalfields, which is likely have a negative impact on coal consumers, particularly power plants in southern States, including Odisha. Besides, a day-long work stoppage resulted in estimated loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 20.6 crore to MCL, and consequently Odisha exchequer will suffer a loss of Rs crore while the Central exchequer will undergo a loss of Rs 1 crore. The company also suffered loss to the tune of 1.22 lakh cubic meters over burden removal, which has a negative impact on coal production in future. inspected the construction site of the second bridge over Brahmani. He was surprised to see only 14 workers being employed in a project with a budgetary cost of above Rs 380 crore. The pace at which the work is being executed is greatly disappointing. It will now be one year since the day the foundation stone for the bridge was laid and the only visible progress is the piling work of 20ft. At this speed, one can only wonder how many more years it is going to take for the work to be accomplished, Ray opined. The existing bridge is in a completely dilapidated state composed Sanskrit Slokas. Many research papers like Dhyana Yoga in the Dharmasastra, Dhyna Yoga in the Bhagavata, Dhyana Yoga, an Analysis, Dhyana on Gayatri, Discussion on Dhyana Yoga from various dimensions, Relevance of Dhyana in the modern age, Dhyana and the Problem of Individuality were discussed in the seminar. Reputed scholars from various universities and other institutes contributed their papers for the seminar. The valedictory function took place with former bureaucrat Sundar Rajan and journalist Sugyan Choudhuri as guests. Sundar Rajana said it is a great thing that a seminar is being held on a great topic like Dhyana. Choudhury said. This is an opportunity for Satsanga or association with spiritual. Satsanga yields tremendous results. Dr Indulata Das said, We have discussed very worthy papers which will take the form of a book and will be published very soon. Federation general secretary Brahma Prakash Paital lamented that even as 20 days passed since the association submitted a memorandum seeking early fulfilment of their 22 demands, no action has been taken yet. Among others, Jagannath Barik, Pravat Kumar Dash, Ananta Kumar Bisoyi, Tanmaya Mishra, Sunil Kumar Swain and Pravat Kumar Kar were present. he idea was fantastic. The Tcaptain blew the whistle and it kept everybody from top to bottom on their toes. The event was to test the preparedness of all the stakeholders to rise to the occasion on the event of a disaster that pounces upon the state or in any of its region possibly during a high floods and cyclone. The captain was none but the Special Relief Commissioner who made the things to happen. Accordingly, the regional office of the India Meteorological Department delivered a dummy warning message on June 19 to the State Emergency Operations Centre (State EOC) functioning in the office of the Special Relief Commissioner at Bhubaneswar. Mock exercises on flood and cyclone management was organised by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) across the State to test the preparedness at different levels and strengthen the disaster management capabilities of different stakeholders. For the purpose, a dummy warning message was sent by the regional office of the India Meteorological Department at Bhubaneswar to the State Emergency Operations Centre (State EOC) functioning in the -- could result in a major mishap anytime. A major crack surfaced again in bridge 2-3 days back and it is highly unfortunate that despite seeing the wretched condition of the bridge which was constructed nearly six decades back, the executing agencies are moving at a snail s pace. He is not at all satisfied seeing the speed at which the construction is being executed and sincerely hope that the executing agencies take due cognizance of the urgency and importance of the bridge for the region and take immediate measures to expedite the construction, Ray added. iterature is an Linstrument for social change. Good literary works both entertain and enlighten people, said the speakers at a book release programme held at the State Archives here last week. Releasing "Sauntaphula" and 'Ehipari Kete Katha', a poetry collection and a short stories collections, respectively, written by octogenarian Benudhar Rath, the guests said that life experiences along with imagination make the very basis of good literature. The programme was chaired by Prof Narayan Satapathy, renowned critic and dramatist, and graced by Dr Basanta K Panda, eminent essayist and Sadananda Tripathy, Akademi award winner fiction writer, who discussed on the works of Rath. office of the Special Relief. The dummy message was in turn transmitted by the State EOC to all the District Offices across the State. On receipt of the dummy message, the district EOCs immediately decoded and disseminated the same among other offices at the district level, sub-ordinate offices and to the Multi-purpose Cyclone/ Flood Shelter Management and Maintenance Committees. Then mock exercises on the line of action to be taken in case of a real disaster were conducted at different levels. The mock drill was enacted at 552 Multi-purpose Cyclone Shelters and 288 Multi-purpose Flood Shelters constructed in 25 districts for providing shelter to the people likely to be affected by disasters like cyclone and flood. At the grassroots level, the members of the Multi-purpose Cyclone/ Flood Shelter Management and Maintenance Committees and the community members participated in the drill. The districts like Baleswar, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Subarnapur, Gajapati, Koraput, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Boudh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Rath said life and society have immense potentials to have meaningful creative pursuits. The programme was organised by the Bhubaneswar Sahitya Samaj in which its president Surya Mishra, cine artist Prof Suresh Mishra, Bibudhananda Satapathy, journalist Pradosh Pattanaik, B Panigrahi and poet Rakshyak Nayak also spoke. It was announced by the Bhubaneswar Sahitya Samaj that the fourth poetry and prose collections of Benudhar Rath would be published by the spring of ramod Behera, Pa local resident, on Tuesday told a Press conference here that the Phulbani Town police have not taken any action to trace out his kidnapped daughter even though he had filed a complaint on May 10, 2018 in this regard. My daughter has been kidnapped by someone. Even though over 45 days have passed since I informed police about it, the latter has not taken any action, lamented Promod. He said he has informed the matter to the SP and the Kandhmal Childine recently. He demanded that higher-ups intervene and trace out his daughter as soon as possible. Jharsuguda and Keonjhar in which Multi-purpose Cyclone/ Flood Shelters are available took part in the event. The taskforces constituted at the shelter level displayed the search and rescue and first-aid techniques. The emergency equipment like tower light, mechanised cutter, generator, stretcher and megaphone supplied to the shelters were test operated during the mock drill. The ODRAF, NDRF and Fire Service personnel also took part in the drill and supervised the mock exercises by the taskforce members. Representatives from the Block/ Tehsil level administration, local voluntary organisations, members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and common people also attended the mock drill. This apart, meetings were conducted at different levels in which discussions on management of disasters were held. Awareness rally was also taken up at many places. Under the guidance of the Special Relief Commissioner, the Mock drill was coordinated at the State level by the officers of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority with Managing Director, Bishnupada Sethi remaining at the helm of affairs. Similarly, the emergency wing of the Collectorates organised the drill in the district. esearch Academy For Rural REnrichment (RARE) is implementing a programme, Strengthening Capacities and Leadership of Elected Women Representatives in around 15 Gram Panchayats of Tarbha Block with the support of the Hunger Project India. A Gender and Panchayat Resource Centre (GPRC) was inaugurated by Tarbha Block Chairman Sasmita Mallik at Charbhata on Monday as part of the programme. By attending as chief guest, Mallik said the resource centre will reorient people of village by imparting information on empowerment. RARE general secretary Ashutosh Hota said the objective of the centre is to disseminate and provide information for empowering people especially women in the community. he Visakhapatnam- TAmritsar Express was halted near Shyamacharanpur in Dhenkanal district due to power failure in the train engine on Tuesday. According to reports, the incident took place while the express train was moving at a slow pace on up line as repairing of track was being carried out near Shyamacharanpur. On being informed, railway staffs reached the spot and carried out restoration work. An engine arrived from the Dhenkanal railway station and the train amesh Chandra Naik, RSarpanch of Birikala GP under Joda block of Keonjhar district has filed a complaint in the local beat house against senior Tata Sponge officer Sital Kumar Swain for alleged misbehaviour on Monday. Sources said that Ramesh had gone to attend a marriage function in the local Birikala gram panchayat. After reaching there as a local public representative, he exchanged pleasantries with people present there. Suddenly, Sital came near him and reportedly asked, Who are you? You are a Bhuyan. Who has elected you Sarpanch? alleged Ramesh. Later, feeling humiliated for being misbehaved in public, Ramesh filed the police complaint. When contacted, beat house in-charge Naresh Chandra Saw said he has forwarded the matter to the Joda police station, but the Barbil SDPO is the right person to take action in the case. he District Devottar TDepartment managing the day-to-day affairs of the Sidha Balarm temple has geared up for the Rath Yatra. Now, it is busy to observe the Debasnana Purnima on the instruction of the royal priest. The deities after being brought on to the Snanamandap will take the holly bath our Thursday. Sidha Balaram though is worshipped here in the temple as the savior of Dhenkanal, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra only visit to Gundicha Mandir, by two separate chariots, on the occasion of the Rath Yatra as a unique tradition of the Rath Yatra in Dhenkanal. Lord Balaram, Lord Jaganath, Lord Narayan, Goddess Rukmini and Goddess Subhadra were worshiped in the 70-feet high temple of Sidha Balaram, endowed at the foot hill of Paniohala, during the reign of the king Nrusingha Bhamarabara Singh Vidyadhar in Unlike other shrines, the life size idols here of Lord resumed its journey after being connected with the new engine. n yet another elephant attack Iin Sundargarh district, a 35- year-old person was trampled to death in Biramitrapur forest range of Rourkela forest division, during late night on Monday. Similarly, a tusker damaged one house whereas the house owner was injured in Bargaon forest range, also on the day. The body of the youth was recovered from the spot by forest officials on Tuesday and was handed over to the family members after post mortem. Sources said, a six member elephant herd, which has been creating panic among the villagers under Kuanrmunda forest range, had entered some village areas on Monday night. A team of forest officials were doing a drive- away operation. Separated from group, one Balaram and Lord Krishna are beautified with beard and moustache. The 50- foot high Mukhasala was made by king Kunja Bihari, the son of king Nrusingha. The Jaga Mohan is situated to the east, adjacent to the Mukhasala. Meanwhile, separate temples of Lord Jagannath, Lord Siva, Lord Rama, Laxman and Sita, Goddess Durga, Goddess Maha Laxmi and God Hanuman have been constructed within the temple premises. In 1781, king Trilochan Mahindar Bahadur, by obtaining the blessing of Lord Balaram, could put fierce resistance to the Marahata invaders at Sana Sathiebatia and near Jaunlipokhori. Besides, myth also claims the plan of Gajapati ruler of Khurdha to attack Dhenkanal was given up due to the order of Lord Jagannath as His elder brother is worshipped as the protector of Dhenkanal. The Minaketan Danda presented by the Gajapati Maharaja of Khordha was earlier carried by an elephant. But now it is carried in a jeep in front of the chariots during the Rath Yatra. elephant on its way had entered in to a sugarcane field in Lamkei village, under Biramitrapur forest range. The owner of the sugarcane field, who was present on the spot to guard his sugarcane, had suddenly come in front of the elephant. The elephant crushed him under its feet, following which the youth died on the spot. The deceased was identified as Mukesh Lugun (35).

4 ive days after Aam Aadmi FParty (AAP) MLA from Roopnagar Amarijit Singh Sandoa was attacked, the main accused in the case, Ajwinder Singh, was arrested on Tuesday after he surrendered before the district police chief along with a co-accused Bachitar Singh. The arrest came a day after AAP held a statewide protest on Monday against the attack and illegal mining in Rupnagar district. Roopnagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raj Bachan Singh Sandhu said that two key accused Ajwinder Singh and Bachitar Singh wanted in the case were absconding after the incident on Thursday past week. Sandhu said that the Police had built a pressure on them and as a result, they were forced to surrender. Police was interrogating the accused about the incident, he said. Five other persons, nominated in the FIR fled on June From Page 1 As per the jurisdiction, a native of Noida is eligible to get passport made only from Ghaziabad. Mishra, who has been issued a show-cause, transferred to Gorakhpur for the alleged misbehaviour with the couple. Mishra had told the media persons that he had questioned the couple as to why it wanted passports from Lucknow when they have been staying in Noida for the past ten years. Besides, the woman wanted to get the passport on her maiden name when her Nikahama showed her name as Sadiya Anas Siddique. 21, 2018, have already been arrested. They have been identified as Jaswinder Singh Goldi, Amarjit Singh, Manjit Singh, Devinder Singh and Amrit Singh. AAP MLA Sandoa had alleged that sand mafia had attacked him and his gunmen after he tried to stop an act of illegal mining. Sandoa had entered into an altercation when he went with some of the media persons to the site where alleged illegal mining was being done using giant JCB machines. He was beaten up mercilessly by goons of the mining mafia, and even removed his turban and beat up a gunman accompanying him. Minutes after the attack, it was alleged that the attackers owe allegiance to the ruling Congress party who is also in race for the post of Ropar District Congress unit president. Hours later, Sandoa s pictures went viral on the social media sitting along with his attacker Ajwinder Singh. A video clip and a picture reparations for ensuing POdisha Men s Hockey World Cup-2018 have picked up. The progress of the work was reviewed by Chief Secretary AP Padhi at the 5th Executive Committee Meeting of Odisha Hockey Men s World Cup at the State Secretariat on Monday. Sports & Youth Services Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev presented the updates. Taking a project-wise review of the progress, Padhi asked the Idco and the Works Department to complete infrastructural works by September keeping space for other works to be finished in time. The proposal for organisation of a City Festival during the World Cup was approved. The festival with Odishan cultural flavour would consist of International Food Festival, Story Telling Festival, Art & Craft Festival, etc. In addition to the existing two committees, seven other committees were finalised to manage various aspects of the grand event. The existing committees are the Governing Body under the chairmanship of the Sports and Youth Services Minister and the Executive Committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. The review showed that the reconstruction of the swimming complex in the Kalinga Stadium has been completed and it would be given the finishing touch soon. The construction of new galleries and expansion of existing galleries for enhancing sitting capacity in the stadium have been fastened. Repairing of shock-pad From Page 1 The SPG officials are believed to have expressed concerns over the vulnerabilities in the roadshows and difficulties in creating a fullproof secured environment. The Close Protection Team (CPT) of the Prime Minister s security has been briefed about the new set of rules and the threat assessment and instructed them to frisk even a Minister or an officer, if necessary. The Prime Minister s security apparatus was reviewed threadbare recently after the Pune Police told a court on June 7 that they had seized a letter from the Delhi residence of one of the five people arrested for having links with the banned CPI (Maoist), another official said. The purported letter allegedly mentioned a plan to assassinate Modi in another Rajiv Gandhi-type incident, the of a written hand note, by the main accused Ajwinder Singh, was also circulated on the social media by the evening wherein he alleged Sandoa of extorting money from him, and the scuffle ensued when he refused to pay him more money. Illegal mining has virtually attained a status of a menace in Punjab. Past week, five forest guard officials too received serious injuries, including two undergoing treatment at the PGI for head injuries, after they intercepted a tractor-trolley near Seonk village in Mohali. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also pitch is completed. A target was set to complete laying of new turfs during first fortnight of July before conduct of pitch certification exercise. It was decided to bring in 50 standard AC and 50 non-ac buses under the City Bus Modernisation Plan. The projects for renovation and construction of bus depots at Patrapada, Patia and Pokhariput have also been finalised. Wi-Fi network coverage would be provided in all priority corridors with 75 locations and 300 access points before the event. It was also decided to set up additional roadside urinals and public toilets. So far, the BMC has already constructed 60 public toilets and 50 hybrid toilets across the city. It was decided to construct 60 more public toilets and 100 urinals. The matches for the World police had told the court. Besides, during a recent visit to West Bengal, a man was able to break through six layers of security to touch the Prime Minister s feet, sending the security agencies into a tizzy. Following the two developments, Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain to review the Prime Minister s security in the wake of inputs about threats. In that meeting, the Home Minister had directed that all necessary measures be taken in consultation with other agencies to suitably strengthen security arrangements for the Prime Minister. Maoist-hit States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal were termed sensitive by the Home Ministry and the police chiefs of these States were told to be extra careful when the Prime Minister visits their states, the official said. sought a detailed report from Rupnagar Deputy Commissioner into the incident besides directing the state DGP Suresh Arora to investigate the role of security officers attached with the MLA in the entire episode. Besides Sandoa, his gunman Head Constable Sukhdeep Singh was also injured in the attack which reportedly took place in the afternoon, said the spokesperson. They were taken to Civil Hospital Sri Anandpur Sahib, in Rupnagar district, from where Sandoa was referred to PGI Chandigarh for further check-up after he complained of chest pain. Cup would be played from November 28 to December 16. Each day two matches would be played from 5 pm onwards. Quarterfinals would be played on December 12 and 13. Semifinal and Final matches are scheduled on December 15 and 16, respectively. Champion teams from 16 countries would participate in the event and matches would be played in four pools. Argentina, New Zealand, Spain and France would be in Pool-A. Australia, England, Ireland and China would be in Pool-B. Belgium, India, Canada, and South Africa would be in Pool-C; and the Netherlands, Germany, Malaysia and Pakistan would be in Pool-D. apitalising on monsoon Crain, wholesale vegetable vendors have sharply pushed up prices of vegetables across the country. Tomato is a case in point. Due to cartelisation, its price has gone up from 20 a week ago to 60 now. Market watchers say there is neither shortage of supply nor any urgent reason for steep rise in the prices. Vegetable prices go up during monsoon for three months July, August and September. But this time, prices have gone up ahead of time. According to market watchers, this is an indication that vegetable price will be dearer when monsoon covers across the country. Market watchers say wholesale price of vegetables has increased sharply in the past few days. If the price of wholesale touches 20 a kg, then it will be sold at 40 and above in the retail market. It seems that a group of big vendors are hand in glove. Local vendors at Azadpur mandi also blamed the wholesalers for price rise of vegetables. There is a huge difference between wholesale and retail prices. The game of price increasing is being played mainly due to cartelisation of vendors and wholesale suppliers of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), said market watchers. Potato and Onion Merchants Association president Trilok Chand Sharma has said that the production area under vegetables is going down day by day as farmers are dividing their land under different crops. As per agriculture marketing produce data, tomato is being sold at a kg in all metros including Chennai, unjab Chief Minister Capt PAmarinder Singh on Tuesday termed as shameful and ridiculous Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal s tweet on the issue of compensation to the Jodhpur detinues, pointing out that the only compensation paid to them was during his previous tenure in Reacting strongly to Harsimrat Badal s tweet that he was sitting on Punjab s share of the compensation awarded to the detainees by the District Court Amritsar, the Chief Minister termed it a sheer reaction to his announcement that his government was ready to pay the full amount if the Centre did not want to come to the rescue of the detinues. It is obviously a panic reaction on the part of Harsimrat Badal, said Capt Amarinder, asking why the Akalis had failed to do anything for the detinues during 10 years of their rule. Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi. In Mumbai, the tomato rate has touched 80 a kg due to ongoing monsoon rain in the city. Similarly, pahari potato is being sold between a kg in several cities while normal potato is being sold at a kg. The rate of onion is between 25 and 30 a kg depending on the quality and profile of the colonies. The retail price of most vegetables including bottle gourd (kaddu), pinted gourd (parwal), brinjal (baigan), have touched 40 a kg. Cauliflower is being sold at 30 a piece. Similarly, prices of beans, ginger, methi has touched over 90 a kg in the retail market. Similarly, one kg capsicum (shimla mirch) is available at 109; ginger at 125 a kg; carrot 80 a kg, on online vegetable shops. Bottle gourd is being sold at 35 a kg in online shops while it is being sold at 40 a kg by neighbourhood vendors. Bitter gourd is also being sold 92 a kg. Broccoli is being sold at 229 a kg while beans (cowpea) rate is 53 a kg. On the other hand, local vendors have stated that the price of wholesale rate is higher as compared to last week despite the fact that there is no short supply especially in the national Capital. Vendors are paying more for wholesale rate that s why the rates are high, they said.adil, who is chairman of Asia s largest fruits and vegetables market, claimed there is no shortage of supply in Delhi. There is nothing new in steep rise of vegetables prices. Prices go up every year in June, July and August due to monsoon. The vegetables are being supplied from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in Delhi, added Adil. From Page 1 Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister has ordered to file an FIR against the violators. It is pertinent that earlier also, NBCC violated the orders of the Supreme Court by building offices of NATGRID and CISF in a forest zone. Anil Sood, an activist and petitioner in NGT in this case, said NBCC is habitual offender and has not learnt lessons from its past mistakes. he Chandigarh Prisons TDepartment has decided to open a showroom here for the sale of the wide range of products, including sweets and furniture, made by Burail jail inmates. Till now, the department has been marketing the sweets, snacks, sandwiches, herbal gulal and other products through an online platform. "We are coming up with a showroom at Sector 22 here within a month, wherein all products made by inmates will be displayed," Chandigarh Inspector General (Prisons) O P Mishra said here om Tuesday. There will be separate sections for all each kind of product made by the prison inmates, he said, adding, "Once this showroom comes up, apart from the n yet another elephant Iattack in Sundargarh district, a 35-year-old person was trampled to death in Biramitrapur forest range of Rourkela forest division, during late night on Monday. Similarly, a tusker damaged one house whereas the house owner was injured in Bargaon forest range, also on the day. The body of the youth was recovered from the spot by forest officials on Tuesday and was handed over to the family members after post mortem. Sources said, a six member elephant herd, which has been creating panic among the villagers under Kuanrmunda forest range, had entered some village areas on Monday night. A team of forest officials were doing a drive- away operation. Separated from group, one elephant on its way had entered in to a sugarcane field in Lamkei village, under Biramitrapur forest range. The owner of the sugarcane field, who was present on the spot to guard his sugarcane, had suddenly come in front of the elephant. The elephant crushed him under its feet, following which the youth died on the spot. The deceased was identified as Mukesh Lugun (35). DFO Sudhansu Swain said, "We have also paid an he Loknayak Jayprakash TNarayan International Study Centre New Delhi, Odisha committee in association with the Loktantra Senani Sangh, Odisha Pradesh organised a campaign on protection of democracy here on Tuesday. Former Union Minister and centre s national president Braja Kishore Tripathy inaugurated the meeting which was presided over by eminent social activist Prasant Mishra. Recalling the days during the Emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, Tripathy said now the situation in the country and the State is more darker than Emergency. Stating that it is high-time olice on Tuesday arrested Pfour miscreants in connection with the firing incident occurred at Olara Haat of Padmapur gram panchayat under Erasama block on June 22. The arrested were identified as Sushant Mandal of Dasmatha village, Toffan Khuntia and Bijaya Das of Padmapur village and Tapas Swain of Borikina village under Balikuda block. Sources said six motorcycleborne miscreants reached a fish shop of Ashok Mandal and Ramakanta Mandal and asked them to give extortion of Rs 4 Lakh. When they refused to pay the same, the goons fired in the air about six rounds of bullet and fled from the spot. The victim fish traders had lodged a police complaint. After gathering information from villagers and the victims, the police raided several hideouts and arrested the four accused. From Page 1 notice to the erring servitors over the matter. As per reports, during the visit of the first citizen of the nation and his wife to the temple on March 18, some servitors allegedly nudged the two while both were having darshan of the deities. This apart, a Khuntia Mekap servitor allegedly did not make room for the President while he was offering prayers in the sanctum sanctorum, reports added. Notably, the Supreme Court, after hearing a petition filed by one Mrinalini Padhi highlighting difficulties faced by devotees at the temple and their harassment or exploitation by servitors, had recently directed the Odisha Government to take adequate measures to prevent such incidents. fter Prime Minister ANarendra Modi s attack on the Congress and the Gandhi family over the Emergency, the party retorted he is more cruel than Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The party said Modi was launching an attack on the Congress only to hide his own failures and the false promises and jumlas he had made to the public before coming to power. The party also termed former PM Indira Gandhi as the tallest leader of her times and she can never be equated with Modi or German dictator Adolf Hitler. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel questioned if the BJP will apologise for the undeclared emergency of the past four years Will they apologise for the undeclared emergency for the last 4 years? People are being lynched & threatened, agencies are being misused, economic and civil liberties are being curtailed and enslaved democracy in the country for the past 49 months, he tweeted. online platform, we will have physical display of goods." "If we get bulk orders and the demand picks up, then we can have some separate arrangements for delivery of the products," an official said. The IG (Prisons) said there was already a shopping complex near the jail where people can taste food items prepared by the inmates. Asserting that that department has plans to advertise the products, he said, "Another aspect of this whole exercise is that once the convicts come out of prison, they have some kind of skill." amount of Rs 20,000 to the deceased s family members, towards funeral expenses, whereas the remaining amount of Rs 3.8 lakh, towards compensation, would be paid after completion of all formalities." Similarly, a tusker entered into Koreibaga village and chased a person who had come in front of him. The tusker damaged the house, but the person inside the house had escaped narrowly with minor injury. Significantly, the elephant attack casualty in Rourkela forest division have gone up to as high as eleven persons, including the casualty on Monday night, since January. to save the democracy, he said the social transformation programme advocated by Jayprakash Narayan need to be followed and that can be obtained through a third freedom struggle. In a proposal, the members have demanded that more facilities be provided for the freedom fighters and Satyagrahi of the State in line with other 10 States. They need to be given social recognition, pension and free medical treatment Among others, former MLA Jagneswar Babu, senior journalist Rabi Das, former Minister Panchanan Kanungo, eminent social activist Krushna Chandra Patra, Sarada Prasanna Swain, Pravat Samantray, Sudarshan Das, Krushna Chandra Maharana, Prafulla Samantara, Kamalakant Pandey, Kishore Dash, Pradip Pradhan, Amiya Pandav and Manoj Jena were present. T he Commissionerate police here on Tuesday seized over hundred tins of adulterated edible oils from a makeshift godown located in the Jagatpur area and arrested a person in this connection. The police also seized several empty tins, chemicals, stickers and logo of various branded companies dealing with edible oils from the godown, said city DCP Akhileswar Singh. Singh said an unscrupulous trader, Anadi Behera, of Mangalabag of the city was doing business at Jagatpur. Getting a tip, the Jagatpur police raided Behera s godown and seized huge quantities of adulterated products of both mustard and refined oil packed in new tins with stickers and logos of branded companies on it, Singh said, adding that Behera was arrested. Fake and adulterated goods packaged having levels of branded companies on them are now marketed rampantly in the Cuttack market. Traders dealing with such items are targeting particularly small and retail shop owners of rural areas. The city police had recently also unearthed two adulterated packaging units dealing with fake edible oils from Khan Nagar and Ranihat of the city. Units engaged in dealing with fake and adulterated food items and consumer products are operating on the outskirts of the city. These unscrupulous traders even deal with baby foods, milk powder, edible ghee, pickle, talcum powder and detergents. From their makeshift godowns, these fake products packed neatly having stickers of popular brand names are supplied to rural areas.

5 emanding that hard Dlessons of emergency should be taught in the textbooks, the BJP on Tuesday said the Congress was continuing with its past image and tendencies and pointed to its recent impeachment move against Chief Justice Dipak Misra. While attacking the Congress for undermining Parliament, Judiciary and the Press, Union Law Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP s commitment to free Press is absolute and as a proof cited publication of baseless report about demonetisation and a Gujarat cooperative in which the BJP president is one of the directors. The Law Minister refuted suggestions that the Modi Government also used strong arm tactics to silence critical voices. He said the BJP was devoted to freedom as our leadership has struggled against emergency excesses and curtailment of press, Parliament and judicial freedom. Answering a question, the Minister said at the Press conference that hard lessons learnt during emergency days should be part of the textbooks ome to rare flora and Hfauna and locally revered as a mother provider of life to all Loktak Lake in Manipur is facing serious ecological threats due to intensive human activities, siltation and pollution, environmentalists have cautioned. In a study published in the latest journal of the Current Science, they said North-East s largest lake, spread over 287 square km area needs urgent conservation, being one of the most productive ecosystems so as to create awareness in the next generation about the dark chapter of the Indian history. ndia and Pakistan on ITuesday held talks on the Directors General Military Operations (DGMO) hotline. The parleys held between two Director level officers of both sides comes in the backdrop of mutual agreement between the two Armies on May 29 to observe ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border. Terming the talks as routine, officials said the issue of ceasefire did not figure. As part of confidence building measure, the two armies hold talks on the DGMO hotline every espite siding with Pakistan Don the issue of Kashmir in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Government in United Arab Emirates (UAE) feels that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and that both countries should work with each other to sort out their differences. Top sources in the UAE Government added that several countries in the OIC feel that Pakistan is not doing enough to contain radicalisation and terrorism the main concern for Attacking the Congress, the BJP said its image, identity and footprints continues to be influenced by the Emergency as its recent impeachment move against Chief Justice Dipak Misra was part of an attempt to threaten the judiciary. On a day top BJP leaders spoke across the country to mark the 43rd anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency, Union Law Minister said the Congress had tried to silence the judiciary then and, in a similar manner, has sent out a message to it now by raking up several cases. The support for the Emergency is in the DNA of the Congress, he said. When it loses elections, it blames the electronic voting machine and the Election Commission and its leaders also attacked the Army chief, Prasad added. that support livelihood of locals as well as diverse and unique habitats, including that for Sangai, endemic and endangered deer found only in Manipur. The most unique feature of the Loktak Lake is the presence of a series of floating islands locally known as phumdis the massive heterogenous masses of soil, vegetation and organic matter in different stages of decay and present in various sizes. Locals use these structures for agriculture purpose and even build houses on them. On one week on Tuesday or Wednesday. The agreement to observe ceasefire on the LoC as done in 2003 was arrived at when the DGMOs of two countries talked to each other on the hotline on May 29. Since then, the 750-km long LoC has not seen any incident of cross-border firing. Earlier, the Pakistan Army used to fire to provide covering fire to terrorists trying to infiltrate into Kashmir from across the LoC. India and other countries. They said while the world lauds the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach out to Pakistani leadership and extend hand for friendship, same efforts are yet to be seen from the Pakistani side. Both Pakistan and India are close friends of ours. We do not deal with Pakistan or India of the largest phumdis lies world s largest floating park, Keibul Lamjao National Park. However, the researchers have noted that the construction of the Ithai barrage without proper planning has led to uncontrolled proliferation of Phumdis, thus reducing the open lake area. This has blocked the migratory pathways of a number of fish species and degradation of catchment areas. Thus, owing to versatility of this natural habitat of diverse groups of micro and macroflora, there is an urgent he Housing and Urban TAffairs Ministry on Tuesday notified the composition of the E Sreedharan-headed committee, set up to recommend indigenous benchmarks on layout of platforms, size of tunnels and disaster management system of metro rail network in the country. The committee has been asked to submit its report within three months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the proposal last week, following a meeting at the PMO to review ongoing and upcoming metro projects, one of the officials cited above said. The standards, once finalised by the committee, will be mandatory for all metro projects coming up with Central assistance. According to notification, other members of the committee are Delhi Metro s former director for Rolling Stock HS Anand, Executive Director (Carriage) of Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Railway for Rolling Stock Sameer Lohani, Director, Operations Kochi Metro Rail (for signaling) DK Sinha, Dehradun Metro MD (for civil engineering) Jitendra Tyagi, and Railway Board executive director track modernisation (for Track & Civil Structure) ongress president Rahul CGandhi on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of women s safety, and said it was a shame that a survey found India was the world s most dangerous country for women due to the high risk of sexual violence. Taking to Twitter, he also poked fun at Modi s fitness video and tagged a news report that said India is the most dangerous country to be a woman, citing a survey on the high incidence of rape and violence against women. While our PM tiptoes around his garden making Yoga videos, India leads Afghanistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia in rape and violence against women. What a shame for our country! he tweeted. Rahul has been attacking the Prime Minister on various issues, including women s safety, in the run-up to the 2019 through the prism of each other but we have independent relations and views on them. We want to see our relations growing without undermining each other. We would regret if India and Pakistan are not able to resolve their differences, Sources said. They added the world community feels that Pakistan is not Vipul Kumar. The other members are Prashanth Rao (Automatic Fare Collection System) Director Systems of Ahmedabad Metro, Anoop Gupta (Traction, Power Supply, Ventilation) Director, Electrical of Delhi Metro, Mukund Kumar Sinha, (Member Secretary) OSD (UT) and Ex Officio Joint Secretary, MoHUA. After three months, based on specific task of standardisation, Sreedharan could co-opt the relevant expert members for the task for a specified period of time, the notification said. need for conservation of this fragile ecosystem. The life of thousands of people living in this area is dependent of the lake itself. The destruction of this lake will ultimately result in the loss of natural habitat for birds, fishes, wild animals, livelihood and also industrially and agriculturally important microbes, said the team of researchers including Komal Salkar, Milind Mohan Naik and Vishwanath Gadgil from Goa University, Santosh Kumar Dubey from BHU and Radha Raman Pandey from parliamentary election. An online survey by Thomson Reuters Foundation has found that India is the world s most dangerous country, followed by war-torn Afghanistan and Syria, for women due to the high risk of sexual violence. Somalia and Saudi Arabia are ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of about 550 experts on women s issues. doing enough on terrorism front and that it will get more respect if it works to eliminate terrorism. It would need a lot of efforts to help Pakistan understand that it will get more respect. We are encouraging Pakistan to do more. We wish to see more efforts from Pakistan but we won t see that unless Pakistan sees that it is respected and has to gain, they added. The top leadership in the UAE believes that radicalisation and terrorism are the biggest threat to the world at present and the world has to collectively work to eliminate the menace. According to the Ministry officials, the indigenous standards will ensure that metro rail sub-systems for all new metro projects conform to the prescribed standards, thus incentivising manufacturers to plan for long-term investments in the country and set up manufacturing units. There are numerous other areas for which indigenous standards need to be formulated. These are layout of metro station, platforms, signage, displays, size of tunnels, fire protection systems, disaster management systems, environment he Union Environment TMinistry on Tuesday released a manual, containing guidelines and a first-of-itskind in the world on design parameters, to be followed while setting up zoos in the country. After releasing the manual, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan asked the authorities concerned to develop courses on zoo management too. Today, I released a book - Design Guidelines for Zoos, the first of its kind in the world on design parameters for zoo, jointly written by Prof Rommel Mehta, a well-known architect and Dr DN Singh, Member Secretary of #CentralZooAuthority, Vardhan said in a tweet. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) oversees all zoos in India. The Minister added It will also help zoo authorities across the world as a manual. I have asked the Central Zoo Authority to ensure, any redevelopment of Indian zoos should be according to these guidelines. These courses would help the personnel, trained in zoo management, sensitise the visitors as regards various aspects of environmental protection, the Minister said. However, ironically while the Ministry has framed ambitious guidelines for new zoos, it is sitting over a damning report against the National Zoological Park in Delhi. The report prepared by the CZA has accused the Delhi Zoo of fudging the data on animal deaths in its annual inventory report for According to the report prepared by CZA Member Secretary DN Singh, the Delhi zoo recorded 325 deaths in Manipur University. The lake is home to a rich ecosystem harbouring 81 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles, six species of amphibians and 22 species of mammals, migratory fish from Chindwin-Irrawaddy basin of Myanmar, migratory waterfowl and an endangered species of Eld s deer, the Sangai. People of Manipur are dependent on Loktak Lake and phumdis for different economic activities like fishing, agriculture, fish farming, trading of lake products, traditional handicraft made of lake products such as mats, baskets and other woven goods, etc. The ethnic group of Manipur, Meitei see the lake as a mother-provider of life to all. The lake has been included under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. The study has been supported by SERB-DST Fast track Young Scientist Project, Science and Engineering Research Board - Department of Science and Technology from an opening stock of 1,259 animals. The closing stock of the zoo during this period stood at 1,202 animals. However, it failed to report the deaths as per the norms. The report claims that the city zoo not only misreported on the number of animal deaths during , it also faltered on maintaining proper postmortem reports. The zoo did not include the deaths of several animals, including endangered species such as the brow-antlered deer, sambar deer, black buck, white buck, spotted deer, barking deer, red jungle fowl and palm civet, as per the report submitted to the Ministry seeking serious action against the errant officers. While the Ministry is taking its own time to take action on the report for the reason fter the successful long Amarch of farmers in Maharashtra, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is now planning to hold a similar rally in the national Capital to demand a special session of Parliament to discuss agrarian crisis. A meeting of the Central office-bearers of the AIKS held today in Delhi decided to support the idea of a long march of the dispossessed to Delhi to demand a special session of Parliament called entirely to discuss the serious agrarian crisis in the country, AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah said. The farmer organisation said the date of the long march would be finalised after wider consultation with other organisations and individuals. It could be held anytime after September 5, when the AIKS will hold a farmers rally. The AIKS has also friendly and waste management systems, standards for solar panels at stations. These indigenous standards will ensure that metro rail sub systems for all new metro projects conform to the prescribed standards thus incentivising manufacturers to plan for long-term investments in the country and set up manufacturing units. This will also bring down the cost of the metro rail constructions and operation, the statement said. There would also be a big scope to push for make in India arrangements, the official added. Presently, 490 km of metro lines are operational in ten different cities in the country and more than 600 km of metro rail projects are under construction in various cities. In the coming years, more than 350 km of new construction will be started as more and more cities are planning for expansion or new constructions of metro rail. In addition to metro rail network, Regional Rapid Transport System is also being introduced to decongest Delhi and the National Capital Region, it said. best known to it, the mismanagement in the Delhi zoo has already come under the scanner of the Delhi High Court. A petition filed in the court has alleged irregularities including suppression of news of animal deaths, illegally capturing animals to replace the dead, expired drugs being administered to animals, illegally procuring Ketamine and portions of a rhino horn going missing. The PIL has been filed based on at least eight reports by the CZA and other agencies filed since This is not the first time that the zoo has been found floundering the rules. In the first week of May, Delhi Zoo officials allegedly didn t record the deaths of six spotted deer, according to a complaint lodged with the Ministry. appealed to the broadest sections of progressive, democratic and secular organisations and individuals in the country, who are sensitive to the intensive pain and hardships being faced by farmers, to support this idea of a long march. Talking about the plight of the farmers, the AIKS alleged that the last four years thoroughly exposed the NDA Government as being the most anti-farmer, anti-worker, procorporate in independent India.

6 utting an end to all specula- about the BJP toppling Ption the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S)-Congress coalition in Karnataka, BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa spiked all the rumours and said BJP would concentrate on 2019 Lok Saba polls. He told the media in Bengaluru on Tuesday that his party would silently watch the goings-on in the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition without trying to take any advantage of the confusing situation and instead focus on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. After Yeddyurappa went to meet BJP president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad on Monday the rumours of BJP trying to topple one-month-old HD Kumaraswamy Government went reverberating in the corridors of power. He had an hour long meeting on the political situation with Shah. Yeddyurappa said his party would play the role of a responsible opposition and focus on winning maximum seats in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. "... There is a confusing situation... Siddaramaiah (CLP leader) makes some statement and Kumaraswamy (Chief Minister) makes a different statement. In this confusing situation we don't want to intervene," he said. "I have requested all our BJP leaders that in such a situation we should silently watch the political developments, without speaking much," he said. "They (Congress-JDS) are fighting against each other, it is left to them," he said. Yeddyurappa said the party did not have anything to do with the political uncertainty and added that media speculation (about BJP) have no basis Differences have emerged between the Congress and the JDS on a host of issues, including presentation of a fullfledged budget. Former Chief Minister and chairman of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee Siddaramaiah had openly suggested that there was no need for a fresh budget and insisted that a supplementary budget would do. But Kumaraswamy went ahead and asserted that he would present a full budget on July 5. Yeddyurappa's trip to meet Shah had fuelled speculation that several disgruntled Congress MLAs were in touch with him and ready to switch over to the BJP, which might again try its hand to form a Government in the state. Clarifying on his visit, the BJP leader said he had gone to invite Shah for the party state executive meeting on June 29. On Sunday, a video clip purportedly showing Siddaramaiah expressing displeasure over presentation of a fresh budget to some Congress MLAs went viral. Kumaraswamy had on Monday sharply reacted to this and said an attempt was being made to create confusion about presentation of the full-fledged budget. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah's expectation is that we win the maximum number of seats from Karnataka. So we will begin our work on this. We will discuss about it," Yeddyurappa added. JP s president Amit Shah on BTuesday felicitated those from Gujarat who not only opposed the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhiled Congress Government in June 1975 but also went in jail under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, Addressing the gathering at Ahmedabad Shah said the Emergency was the darkest spot in the history of free India and hence BJP observe June 25 as Black Day every year. On that day in 1975 then Indira Gandhi declared the Emergency across India. Then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed official issued notification under Article of 352 of the Constitution because of the prevailing internal disturbance. The Emergency was in effect till 21 March According to BJP chief during almost two years of the Emergency people were tortured, especially those who were associated with RSS and Jan Sangh. He said that Congress ruled for long period but the oldest party only promoted family owned and community based politics coupled with politics of appeasement. He went on to say that Congress party continuously tried to weaken democracy. Taking a dig on the Congress he said those who didn t believe in democracy brought the Emergency. The BJP had lost Government in 13 days but always respected democratic values, he said, adding the BJP has never ever thought to impose Emergency. During the Emergency 43 years ago most of the popular leaders were put behind the bars. However, the Congress had to face the result as in the Lok Sabha elections of 1977, both the top leaders of Congress Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay pparently buoyed by the ABJP s impressive performance in the last month s panchayat elections when the party secured an impressive 24 percent vote share, BJP president Amit Shah will visit Bengal for two days beginning Wednesday. The party chief will hold a series of crucial meetings in Kolkata, Birbhum and also in Purulia where Shah will also meet the kin of the party men who were allegedly murdered by the Trinamool Congress goons soon after the rural elections. The news hit national headlines last month. With the general elections less than a year away Shah's visit assumes importance --- particularly in the wake of the BJP's steady emergence as the principally opposition party in Bengal shoving the once mighty Left Front to a distant third position. Shah is likely to reach Kolkata mid noon where after he will hold a series of crucial meetings with the cyber cell and extended core committee members. Later on Wednesday he will proceed to Birbhum where he will offer prayers at Tarapeeth Temple before holding parleys with senior party leaders of the district. The BJP president is likely to focus on key strategic issues with an eye on the general elections, sources maintained. The meeting with the cyber experts assumes importance in the backdrop of Shah's strategy to start cyber campaign ahead of the hustings, insiders said. Thereafter the BJP chief will go to Purulia where he will meet the kin of Trilochan Mahato and Dulal Kumar who were bumped off by the Trinamool goons for joining the saffron outfit. Gandhi lost from their respective constituencies, he said. Meanwhile Shah also remained present in review meeting of Daman, Diu, Dadara and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha constituency at the State BJP headquarters Shri Kamalam. T erming Congress a history-sheeter, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abaas Naqvi said that the party was guilty of clamping Emergency in the country and suggested that a chapter on Emergency be introduced in the text books so that today s children could know the tyranny of the ruling Congress then. The Congress has failed to shed its dictatorial attitude and it is a history-sheeter in throttling democratic values. The party believes in the undemocratic mentality of Emergency, Naqvi said while addressing a programme organised in Lucknow on Tuesday to mark Black Day on the 43rd anniversary of Emergency. The country suffered Emergency thrice twice during the 1961 and 1971 wars and then in The Congress crushed democratic rights of the people for their own vested interest, he said. Advocating introduction of a chapter on Emergency in the text books, Naqvi said that n a major sop to politicians Iand others, who were jailed during the Emergency, the Yogi Government on Tuesday announced to hike their pension by 5,000 per month. A Loktrantrik Senani will now get 20,000 per month as pension against the existing pension of 15,000. An announcement was made by the CM on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of Emergency which passed off on Monday. The Government is committed to safeguarding the values of democracy, Yogi said in a written statement issued in Lucknow on Tuesday. The decision will put an additional burden of crore on the state exchequer. As per officials, there were 5900 Loktrantrik Senani pensioners in the state. Presently, the pension was being given to jailed persons or their spouses along with free medical and travel facilities in government buses along with a companion. The Loktrantrik Senani pension was startedduring Mulayam Singh Yadav regime in 2005 with a monthly pension of 500. the students should know what happened in 1975 and who were responsible for it. Those who have not seen Emergency, they should know what happened, what dictatorship was, how people were harassed and faced torture of politicians and how the Constitution was crushed to save Indira Gandhi, he said. Naqvi also supported the demand of Loktrantrik Senani (those who went to jail during Emergency) to give them more government facilities. State BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey said that to meet vested interests, Emergency was clamped in the country. He said that due to Emergency, several families were disintegrated and politicians were insulted. Pandey, who is himself a Loktrantrik Senani, said that he too had to face several hardships during Emergency and even had to go to jail. Senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon said that he was an eyewitness to the torture made on politicians during the Emergency. In the function, several Loktrantrik Senanis were honoured by the Union minister. ahujan Samaj Party chief BMayawati on Tuesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) over 'undeclared emergency' in the country for the last four years alleging that Dalits and backwards were being pushed to the corner and efforts were being made to deny them their democratic right of reservation facility. "The country is going through a state of undeclared emergency as democratic rights of the people were being snatched and the people were feeling 'suffocated' due to the prevailing situation, charged Mayawati. "Demonetisation was yet another move to clamp economic emergency in the country," she pointed out while reacting to the 43th anniversary of Emergency on Tuesday. "The situation now is similar like 1975, when Emergency was clamped in the country," she said. Claiming that the BJP has lost the right to say anything on Dalits and backwards, the BSP chief said that atrocities against these communities have increased during the BJP regime while the poor, farmers, labourers and members from other communities were being harassed. The BSP chief also criticised the BJP for trying to snatch reservation facilities from the backwards and Dalits. "As the Government was promoting private sector in the Government, hence reservation could be severely affected," she asserted. "The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi need to introspect on the undeclared emergencylike situation. They should find a solution to problems such as poverty, unemployment and inflation and prove their patriotism," Mayawati claimed. She alleged that the BJP Government resorts to 'new gimmicks' and whip up communal passions on a regular basis to run away from its constitutional obligations towards people. "Making tall claims about patriotism has become the BJP's habit to conceal its antipeople policies," she said. The BSP chief said that the BJP leaders had a 'casteist' record and their morale was so high that they were openly threatening the media.

7 reiterated that a mangpatra (charter of demands) would be given to the Government demanding that besides Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura also be given to Hindus. Around 10 lakh Hindu workers will go to the houses of 10 crore Hindus and will get erming the BJP their signatures on the mangpatra, he said. TGovernment as pseudo- Hindu Government, Togadia expected that International president of newly formed Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) Pravin Togadia put the Modi Government on notice daring it to bring a legislation on construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya or face an intense agitation. The saints will start a march from Lucknow to around 20 crore Hindus would sign the mangpatra along with the draft law bill of Ayodhya and then it would be sent to the Union government in next four months. Claiming that he had no difference with Modi, the AHP president said that the national executive in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh in 1987 too had passed a resolution that there should be a Ayodhya in October if the Modi Government failed do grand temple at Ayodhya. It pass a Bill in favour of construction was also resolved that when the of Ram temple at Ayodhya in the next four months, Togadia said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday. The AHP chief said, We will give the present BJP Government at the Centre four months to bring a legislation from Parliament otherwise the Government will face the ire of the saints. The erstwhile Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Dr Togadia also clarified that they did not support pseudosecular parties before 2014 but after the BJP came to power in 2014, they have made up their mind not to support even pseudo-hindu party. I won t take any names but the present Government could easily be termed as a pseudo -Hindu party because it has failed to fulfill the promises made to the people during 2014 elections, he said. Promises of providing employment to the youths, abolishing Article 370, banning cow slaughter, ouster of Bangladeshis, ending the woes of farmers and good education to children etc were promises which were made by the BJP but were not fulfilled even in four years, Togadia said. The AHP chief also discarded the Modi Government s slogan of `sabka saath sabka vikas saying that he only believed in `Hindu ka saath aur Hindu ka Vikas. Togadia also released a draft law bill of Ayodhya Shriram Janmasthaan temple on the occasion and BJP came to power it would pass a law like Dwaraka for the early construction of Ram temple. But even after four years in power, no law was passed as promised. I think Modiji is too busy in his foreign visits, so we have prepared a draft of the bill to be sent to the Government, he added. Later in the day, Togadia left for Ayodhya in a motorcade where after having a darshan of Ram Lalla, he attended the birthday function of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. T he reshuffle move of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) organisation resulted into chaos within Gujarat Congress as large number of party workers staged protest at GPCC headquarters in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Sources close to the development said that nearly 200 Congress workers shouted slogans against appointment of Shashikant Patel as Ahmedabad city president. They wanted senior Congress leader Nirav Baxi as the city president, said a GPCC executive committee member adding that the agitating Congress workers also damaged GPCC President Amit Chavda s office. On Monday evening GPCC had announced names of 12 new district presidents including that of Ahmedabad and Rajkot. Within couple of hours of the announcement, Rajkot City president and former MLA Indranil Rajguru tendered his resignation. In 2012 assembly polls Rajguru won from Rajkot - 3 assembly constituency which is considered as BJP bastion. In the last assembly elections, he opted to contest against sitting Chief Minister Vijay Rupani from Rajkot West constituency. Though he was defeated, but gave tough fight to Rupani. He also drew attention as richest Congress candidate by declaring wealth over 140 crore in 2017 Gujarat polls. Apparently unhappy with GPCC leadership s decision, Rajguru claimed that there was complete T amil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami tore into the allegations made by the Opposition DMK and other parties against the proposed 10,000 crore Green Corridor (eight lane highway) connecting Chennai and Salem. While addressing the legislative assembly on Tuesday, Palaniswami said that the proposed Green Corridor in no way affects the ecology, environment or the livelihood of poor people. Tamil Nadu is on the verge of a revolution in economic and industrial development. This highway will bring down the travelling time between Chennai n a sensational incident in ISahajahenpur, a 30-year-old Nepalese woman taking shelter at a gurudwara with her family, was raped by two sewadars (volunteers) on Monday night. The victim reported the matter to the police after which both accused were taken into custody for interrogation. As per reports, the Nepalese woman and her two children were on the way to Uttarakhand and took shelter in the gurudwara near Longapur jungle on Sunday night. They stayed for the night there as they failed to get conveyance for her onward journey. The victim claimed that in the night, two sewadars called her out and sexually assaulted her. They also threatened her to keep quiet but the victim decided to inform the police. Senior officials visited the spot along with local police and said soon after getting a complaint, a case was registered, the place was raided and both accused, identified as Amrik Singh (55) and Gagandeep (30) were taken into custody. The police said that investigations were on and the victim was medically examined to confirm the charges. malfunction in party s Gujarat unit. He however appreciated Rahul Gandhi s leadership and said that Congress party s principles were best among all parties in India. On Tuesday 17 Congress councillors of Rajkot Municipal Corporation have come out openly in support of Rajguru and demanded to reinstate him as Rajkot City Congress president. He went on to say that those who gave speeches from BJP platform during 2017 assembly polls have been nominated at state level by strategically removing party loyalists. He said that when he tried to point out the fact, he got surprising reply from an important functionary that this is how the party would run! He however denied joining ruling BJP saying that he would never join the saffron brigade.not only Rajguru, Koli leader and former MP Kunvarji Bavalia, former Jamnagar MLA Vikram Maadam and sitting MLA from Wankaner Javid Pirzada from Saurashtra region are unhappy with the current leadership of GPCC. The resignation of Rajguru could hit Congress hard in coming Lok Sabha elections, especially in Saurashtra region, with several senior leaders from this region voicing their concerns with workings of state Congress chief Amit Chavda. Recently, Congress leaders from Saurashtra, Kunvarji Bavalia and Vikram Maadam have openly expressed their resentment with state party leadership. There has been discontent in Bhavnagar district also. and Salem by almost half the time taken now, said the Chief Minister. The existing national highway connecting Chennai and Salem is 313 km long and it takes six hours to commute in the stretch. The proposed Green Corridor for which the survey is being carried out will be of km long and vehicles need just three hours to reach the destination, said Palaniswami. The opposition DMK and other fringe outfits have been alleging that 2300 hectares of agricultural land would be acquired for the project and most of the land would be fertile agricultural land. An agitation is underway in Salem district where land acquisition works were on. he war of nerves between TTamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin took a curious turn on Tuesday with the Chennai Raj Bhavan coming out with a release containing the statement by SG Aney, noted constitutional expert and former Advocate General of Maharashtra about the duties, responsibilities and power of the Governor. The statement by Aney is in response to a query by Governor Purohit on the issue Whether the meeting held by the Governor with the district officials of Coimbatore district is in conformity with his role as Governor of a State under the provisions of the Constitution of India. The Governor had raised this issue following the controversy created by the DMK and the Tamil chauvinistic outfits which questioned the propriety of him visiting the districts and hold meetings with the officials. Interestingly, Stalin had stated on Monday that his party would continue with the black flag demonstrations against the Governor if the latter visits the districts. The Governor visiting the districts and holding meeting with officials is a clear violation of the State s autonomy. I am ready to spend a lifetime in jail to uphold the idea of State autonomy, Stalin told reporters outside the Secretariat on Monday. The Raj Bhavan chose the right time to educate the DMK working president and his alliance partners about the power enjoyed by the Governor under the Constitution. Aney said that it was unfortunate that the role of the Governor is often mistakenly perceived as purely ornamental. In fact there are several provisions in the Constitution that stipulate otherwise, said the constitutional expert who then explains in his lucid style various provisions in the Constitution which makes it clear that the apprehensions expressed by Stalin about State autonomy were out of place and unfounded. There are specific areas where the Governor would be within his power to act independently, i.e. without aid and advice by the council of ministers. These may include powers under Articles 168(1), 175 (1) and 201. Special Powers contained in Articles 371(2) and Articles 371 A to J empower the Governor with reference to his state to exercise certain executive powers without the aid and advice of his council of ministers and to even commit the administrative and financial resources of the State for certain actions specified in those articles, said the note given by Aney to Governor Purohit. D(U)'s top leader and party Jpresident Nitish Kumar's closest confident RCP Singh has snubbed the spokesmen of the party and asserted that the party would remain in the NDA and there was no question of aligning with Congress and RJD. But he added that 2019 election would be fought in the name and works of Nitish Kumar. He coined the slogan "Badhta Bihar, Nitish Kumar." Bureaucrat turned politician Singh's statement came on Tuesday amid the wide speculations and rumours over the stand of JD(U) and possible alliance with RJD and Congress. Party spokesmen during the past few days had been uttering against BJP leadership and one even went t6o the extent of saying that BJP was free to contest all the Lok Sabha seats if it belittled the JD(U) and its president. "The report of differences among NDA partners over seat sharing is more a media creation than the reality. The elections are still far away and so far there had been no talks among them over any poll related issue," said JD(U) national secretary Shyam Rajak. CM Nitish Kumar too had earlier stated the same. Even when talks on the top level were yet to be held, speculations are rife in the politic al circles that JD(U) was apprehending that it might not get more seats for obvious reasons. First, the JD(U) was not a coalition partner of NDA in last parliamentary election in 2014 and had contested alone winning only two seats. The NDA then had three allies: BJP, LJP and RLSP. The three parties together won 31 of 40 seats. Now of allies has risen to four with the entry of JD(U) last July. Seemingly the ball is in the BJP's court as to how it would accommodate the Nitish's party without annoying its other allies LJP and RLSP. These two parties are also apprehensive that they might be deprived of some of their sitting seats. However, the JD(U) is likely to stake claim on the seats on the basis of the 2015 Assembly election in which the party won maximum seats only after RJD. The two parties, as well as Congress, then were allies and had left far behind BJP and its allies. The BJP and other NDA partners are unlikely to accept this formula. Senior BJP leader and Road Construction department Minister Nand Kishore Yadav said that there would be no problem in seat sharing. "We will sit together once the election is announced and sort out all issues," he added. The JD(U) is holding its national executive meet in New Delhi on July 8 where the party might reveal its plans and seat sharing issue. On the other hand BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive here on July 11 and expected to discuss poll related issues with his party's state unit as well as the top leaders of the allies. he farmers support scheme Tof the Telangana Government has run into trouble with the Hyderabad High Court issuing a notice to the Government about its method of choosing the beneficiaries. The notice was issued by the High Court asking the Government to file its reply in two weeks on the basis of a letter written by a lawyer from Nalgonda Yadgiri Reddy. The lawyer alleged that the funds under the scheme were being misused. Under the Rythu Bandhu or the customer support scheme the state government was extending 4000 per acre per crop to every farmer. The scheme benefitting 56 lakh farmers was estimated to cost 8000 crore per annum. The lawyer in his letter alleged that as the scheme was aimed at all the farmers and even rich farmers and those having govt jobs were also benefiting from it the funds were being misused. He demanded that the scheme should be confined only to the small and marginal farmers. The High Court accepted the letter as a public interest litigation and issued the notice.

8 Despite the staunch protest by his own party, Dr Pranab Mukherjee remained resolute in his decision to participate in the closing ceremony of the Tritiya Varsh Sangh Shiksha Varg of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His conviction in the democratic principle of open engagement is worth acknowledging with gratitude. During his visit to Nagpur, the former President visited Dr KB Hedgewar s ancestral home and offered homage to a man he considered a great son of India. He also paid his respects at Smriti Mandir, dedicated to the memory and service of Dr Hedgewar and Shri Guruji Golwalkar at the RSS headquarters and went on to place his thoughts before the gathered audience with unflinching honesty. Before the program and away from the camera lens there was a meet-and-greet program with senior RSS functionaries and special invitees, in which he participated with endearing simplicity. At the time of personal introductions, he suggested all present introduce themselves and, leading by example, offered: I am Pranab Mukherjee. For a man who needs no introduction, his simplicity was heart-warming. Pranab da had come with a written speech in English whilst RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Rao Bhagwat spoke in Hindi. Both speeches, however, met at the confluence of Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadantior That which exists is ONE, sages call it by various names. Furthermore, Pranab Da explained very clearly that the Bharatiya concept of the nation based on a unique, integral view is entirely different from the state-nation concept in the West. He emphasised our year old civilisational history with eloquence, highlighting the beliefs embedded in our view of life Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam and Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina which are values of diversity, secularism and tolerance that are further enshrined in our Constitution. Dr Bhagwat also expressed the same views in different words. Instead of tolerance he used acceptance of all. He emphasised that no Bharatiya can be treated as other or alien as we all come from the same ancestors.both stalwarts emphasised in their speeches that the national life of Bharat did not flourish on the basis of one religion, language or race but on the basis of a spirituality-based integral, holistic view of life and the values that stemmed out from it. Dr Bhagwat also clearly articulated that the Sangh would remain the Sangh and Pranab da, Pranab da as this is the Bharatiya tradition of acceptance; neither imposition nor appropriation but acceptance. This very view of life and value system is reflected in our Constitution. This humane worldview is also our greatest inheritance.our neighbour Pakistan (which was once a part of Bharat) also gave itself its Constitution at the same time as us. However, its Constitution does not speak of these values that are inclusive; it neither takes note of inherent diversity nor celebrates it. Now the obvious question that arises is that when both were one country and one people, then why did this distinction emerge going forward? The answer lies in the very spirituality-based, integral and holistic view of life which we have inherited. Former President Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore have described it as the Hindu View of Life. Pakistan rejected it and Bharat accepted it. Actually, our Constitution is not the reason for our liberal and inclusive values enshrined in it but the result of our age-old integral and holistic view of life.these liberal, plural values have not come to us from our Constitution but through our Constitution. As Kahlil Gibran writes in his poem Children Your children are not your children.they are the sons and daughters of Life s longing for itself.they come through you but not from you. And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. Similarly, we are traditionally liberal, secular and inclusive not because of our Constitution but our Constitution has enshrined these values because we have been like this since ages, for at least 5,000 years. Hence, it is our duty to honour and follow the Constitution. The RSS has stayed steadfast in this pursuit. Despite the unfair, unjust ban on the RSS imposed by the then regimes twice, the satyagraha carried out in protest on both occasions was countrywide, disciplined and peaceful; an unparalleled example of protest in the history of independent Bharat, and one that was absolutely Constitutional. No other organisation or party can claim such a history. But consider the dissonance those who violate every tenet of the Constitution, take the path of violence, attack our own armed forces, and those who support divisive, unconstitutional activities are the ones who preach the virtues of the Constitution to the RSS. On April 2 this year, the Bharat Bandh called only in six BJP-ruled States which witnessed despairing scenes of unprovoked violence was actively supported by Rahul Gandhi and the secular-liberal lobby, without any consideration for the Constitutional and democratic values propounded by Dr BR Babasaheb Ambedkar and enshrined in our Constitution. After Pranab da s speech, those who had been anxious about what this engagement might reveal were quick to come up with sanctimonious summations that explained away this engagement. These reactions confirmed that the Left still has influence over the political and intellectual space of our country. This very Left ideology lacks space for dissent, liberty and tolerance and being non-bharatiya does have something to do with it. Left intellectuals discarded analysis and commented with farcical haste that Pranab da had. shown the RSS a mirror by speaking of secularism and Jawaharlal Nehru from an RSS platform et.al. It is important to note, however, that critics of Pranab da s visit to Nagpur had nothing to say of Dr Bhagwat s speech. It s possible that they didn t hear his speech; maybe it wasn t worth their time. After all, that would be in sync with their elitist definition of free speech which prescribes that all they say is correct and all else is falsehood. Essentially, they were saying We are right and you are wrong, on the lines of Four legs good, two legs bad, the famous analogy used by George Orwell in Animal Farm to expose the authoritarian tenets and hypocrisy of the communists. Hence, listening to two legs would obviously be blasphemy. The inclusiveness of Vasundhara Parivar Hamara (the song recited before the speeches in Nagpur) includes everybody, even those who practice intolerance. But those who believe four legs only are good would prefer to reside in the darkness of their ignorance. In all those negative articles that followed the Nagpur visit, not one writer spoke of his/her own experience of interaction with the RSS as to be in conversation with the RSS is considered blasphemous and results in instant ostracisation by the liberal left, an oxymoron if there ever was one. Under such pressure, paying heed to what the RSS Sarsanghachalak says is not even an option. (To be continued in these columns tomorrow) (The writer is Sah Sarkaryavah, RSS) Sir This refers to the editorial, Treenomics vs Babudom (June 26). The Delhi High Court s stay on felling trees in the capital came as a huge relief not just for Delhiites but for all friends on the Earth. We applaud Delhi s children for lending voice to the voiceless trees with the placards Help me and Save me. Hugging the trees symbolises the urge to cling on to life. The question is whether we should preserve Delhi s green patches or convert the city into a concrete jungle and a gas chamber. Delhi, already in the news for high pollution levels, simply cannot countenance the cutting down of trees. The importance of trees, rightly called the green lungs for ecology and human survival cannot be overemphasised. The tangible and intangible benefits of trees are so well-known. And yet, the Government dares to commit the folly of chopping down trees for building residential complexes for babus and VIPs. Housing or re-development projects upset the city s ecological balance. The living quarters for the bureaucrats can be built on the treeless outskirts of Delhi. The babus may be privileged and influential, but they cannot insist on houses in the heart of the city at the cost of tress that sustain our lives. It is a pity that the convenience and comfort of Central Government employees and VIPs is allowed to override environmental concerns. The sad part is that most of our netas are environment-illiterate and are under the illusion that humans are apart from and not a part of nature. Development that requires deforestation has to be disregarded and discarded as dubious. It is of paramount importance that caring for trees takes a deep root in our culture. G David Milton Noida Sir The Doomsday Clock has recently been moved forward 30 seconds as a result of world tensions and the Trump Government s response to these issues. Thirty out of 86,400 seconds (one whole day) doesn t seem too alarming, but when you consider it as 30 out the remaining 120 seconds, a different picture is painted. The two main factors that contributed to this are nuclear weapons, which are enthusiastically supported by a number of the world s leaders and climate change, enthusiastically denied by a large number of the world s leaders. Scientists have a reputation for being cautious, double checking their facts and processes and only publishing results they can stand behind, so perhaps we should listen to them and learn from them. The same characteristics are hardly ever seen in the leaders that are currently in charge. The clock is only symbolic, but the problems are real. Beware our nuclear winter is coming. Dennis Fitzgerald Australia

9 T he Bharatiya Janata Party s (BJP) win or defeat in the upcoming election depends on the unity of the Opposition. If the Opposition remains divided, the party just might get lucky once again. Going by the aggressive statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party chief Amit Shah, it seems that the BJP is getting ready for the polls. Also, media advertisements indicate a Modi shining mood ahead of the 2019 General Election. Shah, known for micro-management, has already started working at the constituency level, identifying several weak States. New coalitions are taking shape and by 2019, the political equations are expected to change. Interestingly, there are already speculations on whether the Modi magic is waning or will the BJP return with a majority in 2019? Added to that is the fact that three of four BJP s major alliance partners Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) are not in alliance with the party anymore. While the BJP was able to win 282 seats in 2014, the party has to work hard in at least 15 States to do the same now. The BJP has come a long way from Today, it is the richest party with 100 million members. It has spread its tentacles far and wide and has become a pan-national party, even capturing some States in the North-East. However, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are difficult States where the party is not strong. The recent break up with PDP in Jammu & Kashmir indicates an uncertainty in the state as well. The party has no allies in the Risks faced by firms can be divided into three categories: Market, commercial and external events. Market risks relate to price movements in financial markets and include interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk and commodity price risk. In many cases, such exposures can be managed using financial derivatives. Commercial risks are inherent in the operation of the firm and are generally subject to a certain extent, to managements control or influence. Among such risks are failures of internal processes and actions by competitors. The management of such risks, although a concern of business executives, cannot typically be accomplished with derivatives or other kinds of financial contracts. External events risks are not necessarily firm-specific, and can stem from non-market events such as natural catastrophes or changes in tax or regulatory policies. Hedging by utilising derivatives is one of the risk management strategies used by firms to manage risks. Corporations use hedges to protect themselves against a quartet of exposures: Swings in interest rates, commodity prices, foreign exchange rates and equity values. However, using derivatives is like a double-edged sword. If a manager gains expertise in using them, they can be beneficial for organisations else create havoc. What is hedging? Hedging is reduction of financial price risk (exposure to risk of loss resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates, commodity prices and interest rate changes) through usage of off-balance sheet financial instruments (ie, derivatives) such as interest rate or foreign exchange forwards, futures, swaps and options. However, since the past two decades, hedging is being referred to as an activity which helps reduce or cancel out the risk imposed by another investment. Many associate financial markets mostly with equity market. However, the financial market is much broader, encompassing bonds, foreign exchange, real estate, commodities and numerous other asset classes and financial instruments. Of all markets, the derivatives market has seen the highest growth in recent years. According to the most recent data from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the total notional amount outstanding for contracts in the derivatives market stood at an estimated $542.4 trillion which is several times the size of the world economy. The growth of derivatives is tremendous and this due to several factors like technological enhancements leading to development of sophisticated risk management tools, increased integration of local financial markets with global markets and increased volatility in asset prices in financial markets. History is a witness. Since the 1990s, companies worldwide have got into derivative deals, believing that prices of currencies, bonds and commodities or any other underlying asset would be generally predictable. This was not to be so and during the global financial crisis, there were turns in the road and many companies, that did not anticipate these turns, ended up in the ditch. To name a few big companies, Enron, in 2001, filed for bankruptcy for trading energy derivatives and guaranteed to give equity stock if the counter party s assets declined in value. Lo behold, the dot-com bubble, burst in 2001 worldwide, causing huge compensation to counter parties. In 2004, China Aviation Oil Corp faced a loss of $550 million by betting heavily on a fall in the price of oil during October 2004 and going short on oil futures. On the contrary, New York oil futures surged to a record $55.67 a barrel in October and creditors were forced to close a number of derivative contracts. Similarly, Amaranth Advisors lost six billion dollars in 2006 by speculating in natural gas futures. And who can forget Barings Bank, with a long standing history of 225 years, being brought down by negligent decisions and lack of internal controls. Indian companies, particularly exporters, also faced losses during the 2008 global meltdown due to derivative holdings. An example is Ludhianabased hosiery and cycle industry, which according to experts had estimated notional losses of two to three billion rupees in derivative products and had also moved court against banks for misselling. Nahar Industrial Enterprises and Jawaharlal Oswal Group had moved court against Axis Bank while Garg Acrylics Ltd, with interests in steel and textiles, had moved court against ICICI Bank. These companies used derivatives for cost-reduction purposes but lack of knowledge about the instruments and dependency on banks led to their downfall. Therefore, extreme caution needs to be exercised while using derivatives. Hedging should be the main motive of firms using financial derivatives rather than as a tool of speculation. But with the large intensity of losses faced by companies, will using financial derivatives for hedging be worthwhile? And should they be feared? The answer appears to be no and several studies have proved that using derivatives to minimise risk is likely to enhance firm value but derivatives should be properly understood and the risks measured before applying. The dramatic increase in the use of derivatives worldwide has generated great interest in how firms used derivatives and the factors that determined its usage. Hedging using derivatives can help companies in different ways. Firstly, financial derivatives mostly help firms with the possibility of financial distress to reduce the costs associated with it. A firm is said to be in the state of financial distress when a fall in its earning power creates a possibility that it will not be able to pay off its debts. Secondly, firms which have an south after the TDP quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) this year. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, regional satraps K Chandrashekhar Rao and Chandrababu Naidu are firmly in place. The state of affairs in Tamil Nadu is confusing with fighting amongst the Dravidian parties reaching its peak. Despite this, the BJP will have difficulty in improving its position as it has not yet developed strong leaders in the State. Though it narrowly missed forming the Government in Karnataka recently, if the Congress- Janata Dal (Secular) coalition works, the BJP will be at a disadvantage. Kerala continues to oscillate between the United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front. In Puducherry, the Congress is firmly established. In 2014, out of the 248 seats in six major States, the NDA managed to get 224. But this time around, it might not be able to do so again. The Gujarat results show that the party has to pull up its socks as it will be underinvestment problem when they are not able to make capital expenditure due to the fact that external funding is costly and at the same time they do not have enough internally generated funds, can use derivatives for hedging as it can improve their net cash flows and thirdly, financial derivatives are particularly helpful for firms with a high exposure to foreign exchange rate risk and their use can enhance value. What type of firms in India use financial derivatives and is it valueenhancing? A study conducted by the author of 120 companies listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) over a period of eight years, shows that larger firms in India have significantly higher use of derivatives, suggesting that larger firms have the capability of engaging in derivatives trading due to economies of scale in establishing and at the same time maintaining the expertise. In addition, it is found that hedging using derivatives is value-enhancing as firms that use derivatives have higher liquidity, higher revenue and more assets as compared to firms that do not use derivatives. Usage of derivatives also have a positive influence on performance indicators like market capitalisation, enterprise value and income of firms. Although derivatives are referred to as weapons of mass destruction by Warren Buffet and they are considered ticking time bombs but with caution, expertise and focusing more on need than greed can ensure that financial derivatives help firms hedge their risks and reduce costs. (The writer is Assistant Professor, Amity University) difficult to win all the 26 seats it won last time in the State. Farmers and the youth are disenchanted with the party and it was the last minute Modi campaign that saved it in the Assembly polls. Uttar Pradesh, the most populous State which is in the pocket of the BJP, is a matter of concern after the recent by-poll defeats that the BJP faced in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. The stakes are high this time unlike in 2014 when the BJP won 71 seats and performed exceedingly well in the subsequent Assembly polls. The BJP is not in a position to ignore the changing mood. In Rajasthan, the BJP won all 25 seats in But going by the current atmosphere, it seems that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is not popular anymore even as the party is stuck with her. Anti-incumbency is staring the party in its face in Rajasthan. The Congress seems to be reviving in Rajasthan, if we go by the recent by-poll results. The forthcoming Assembly polls will indicate the future scenario. In Madhya Pradesh too, the party is facing anti-incumbency with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan bidding for power for the fourth consecutive time. This will be one of the dominant factors in the forthcoming Assembly polls. If the Congress forms a coalition, then the chances of BJP winning will be slim. Here too the party won 27 out of 29 seats in Bihar is an interesting case after the return of Nitish Kumar led Janata Dal (United) to the NDA fold. Last time, Nitish was part of the grand alliance with the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. In 2014, BJP and its allies won 31 of the 40 seats. However, with the changing political environment, it is imperative for the BJP to do well. For this, the party has to keep its alliances with smaller parties intact. In Maharashtra, the oldest BJP ally Shiv Sena has at last broken its ties with it and declared that it will go in alone in the next polls, despite the fact that its minister remains in Modi s Cabinet. Sena was the first ally to break away from the NDA alliance. While the BJP-Sena combination won 42 of the 48 seats with Sena getting 18, if the Congress and the Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance works together, the BJP might be in trouble. However, the BJP also has many advantages. It has a committed cadre, unlimited financial resources, articulate leaders, effective alliance partners in some States and above all, it has good communication skills. Ultimately, what matters is the mood of the voters. If the BJP is able to manage the economy with the expected GDP growth at 7.6 per cent and has a proper selection of candidates along with effective alliance partners and a good campaign, it might just be able to form a Government. The BJP s win or defeat depends on the unity of the Opposition. If the Opposition remains divided, the saffron party may just get lucky again. (The writer is a senior political commentator and syndicated columnist)

10 hrowing a victim card at Tthe Government, fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is being pursued by Indian authorities over unpaid loans tied to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, said on Tuesday he has become the poster boy of bank default and a lightning rod for public anger. Mallya also denied the fact that that he was a wilful defaulter in which controversy shrouded him in the over 9,000-crore Kingfisher Airlines loan default case. There s nothing I could do if politically motivated extraneous factors interfere with my efforts to settle the dues, he said. Meanwhile, Mallya also has sought the Karnataka High Court s permission to let him and his holding firm UBHL sell their assets under judicial supervision and repay creditors, including state-run banks. United Breweries Holding Ltd (UBHL) and myself have filed an application before the Karnataka High Court on June 22, setting out available assets of about 13,900 crore, said Mallya in a letter released here on Tuesday as well. Tired of relentless pursuit of him by the Government and its criminal agencies, Mallya said he had even written letters to both the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister on April 15, 2016 to explain his side of the story. No response was received from either of them, he said in a statement issued, seeking to state factual position in response to the controversy surrounding him. Mallya, who also made public the letters he had written to the PM and the Finance Minister, said he has been accused by politicians and the media alike of having stolen and running away with 9,000 crore that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Some of the lending banks have also labelled me a wilful defaulter, he added. However, he also claimed that he made two settlement offers to the banks when proceedings were filed by them in the Supreme Court on March 29, 2016 and April 6, 2016 but both the offers were rejected by the banks. I respectfully submit that my conduct does not amount to wilful default, Mallya said. Currently, undergoing an extradition trial in a UK court over fraud and money laundering charges by Indian authorities, the liquor baron said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have filed charge sheets against him with various untenable and blatantly false allegations acting at the behest of the government and lending banks. The ED have also attached assets belonging to me, my group companies and companies owned and/or controlled by my family under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) currently valued at approximately 13,900 crore, he added. Lamenting that all his efforts are either ignored or misunderstood, he said, I am tired of this relentless pursuit of me by the government and its criminal agencies. Insisting that he had made and continue to make every effort, in good faith to settle with the public sector banks, Mallya said, If politically motivated extraneous factors interfere, there is nothing that I can do. The 62-year-old liquor baron, who fled the country in March 2016, has been living in London since then despite summons from Indian courts and law enforcement agencies to appear before them for trial in various cases. he Government has finally Tdecided to soon appoint chiefs in three public sector general insurance firms New India Assurance (NIA), National Insurance Company (NIC) and United India Insurance (UII) as its much-talk about merger plan is likely to be put off this fiscal. As the merger plan of three PSU general insurers is unlikely, names of the three names are expected to be appointed for the post of Chairman and Managing Directors (CMDs) of the three insurance companies. While the positions for CMDs at National and United India are already vacant, New India Assurance will become headless from next month as its CMD G Srinivasan will retire by next month, sources in the know told The Pioneer. The three names that are doing the rounds include Atul Sahay of Oriental, Hemant G Rokade (General Manager & Director of New India) and Tajinder Mukherjee, who is currently working as GM of New India, it said, adding that the name of New India GM, Girish Radhakrishnan who is currently posted in London, has been kept as standby. Keeping its merger plan, the Finance Ministry delayed ainting a gloomy picture of Pthe banking sector, the RBI today said Gross NPA ratio of banks is likely to rise from 11.6 per cent in March 2018 to 12.2 per cent by the end of the current fiscal. In its Financial Stability Report (FSR), the RBI said stress in the banking sector continues as gross non-performing advances (GNPA) ratio rises further. Macro-stress tests indicate that under the baseline scenario of current macroeconomic outlook, SCBs (scheduled commercial banks) GNPA ratio may rise from 11.6 per cent in March 2018 to 12.2 per cent by March 2019, it said. Referring to the 11 stateowned banks under prompt corrective action framework (PCA), the RBI said they may experience worsening of their GNPA ratio from 21 per cent in March 2018 to 22.3 per cent by this fiscal-end. Of the 11 banks, six are likely to experience capital shortfall relative to the required minimum CRAR (Riskweighted Assets Ratio) of 9 per cent. The 11 banks under PCA framework or RBI watchlist of their high bad loans are - IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Central Bank of India, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Dena Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of Maharashtra, United Bank of India, Corporation Bank and Allahabad Bank. the appointment and finally conducted the interviews of ten candidates in mid-may to select the new CMDs of three public general insurance firms - New India Assurance (NIA). National Insurance Company (NIC) and United India Insurance (UII). While the post of CMD at NIC has fallen vacant as K Sanat Kumar retired in April, both the posts at UII and NIA will fall vacant when MN Sarma and G Srinivasan retire in May-end and July-end, respectively. The Ministry of Finance had short-listed 10 names, such as Hemant G Rokade, General Manager & Director, rime Minister Narendra PModi said here on Tuesday that being one of the most investor-friendly economies in the world, India provided an environment which is efficient, transparent, reliable and predictable. Speaking at the third annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) here, Modi said: India is one of the most investorfriendly economies in the world. Investors look for growth and macro-economic stability. They want political stability and a supportive regulatory framework to ensure protection of their investment... From the point of a foreign investor, India counts as an extremely low risk NIA, three senior most GMs of Delhi-based Agriculture Insurance Company (AIC) Malay K Poddar, Rajeev Chaudhry, Avinanda Ghosh Dinesh Waghela, GM of GIC Re, Siddharth Pradhan, GM of NIA, Girish Radhakrishnan, GM of NIA, Atul Sahai,GM of Oriental Insurance Company (OIC), Tajinder Mukherjee, GM of NIA and SN Rajeswari, GM of NIA. The Government s move to political economy. From the point of larger scale of operations and higher value addition, an investor is also attracted by a large domestic market size, availability of skilled labour and good physical infrastructure. On each of these parameters, India is well placed and has performed very well, he said. The Prime Minister said that the Government had taken a number of steps to boost investment. We have simplified rules and regulations for businesses and undertaken bold fill up the posts of CMDs at NIC and UII, two of the merging companies out of the three third being the Oriental Insurance Company to create a new general insurance behemoth has once again the kept the industry guessing about the deadline for the mega merger that is supposed to be completed by the year end. The next round top level vacancies in the industry will now happen in 2019 when Alice Vaidyan, CMD, GIC Re, PJ Joseph, member, IRDAI retire in July 2019 and January 2019, repectively. However, state-run Life Insurance Corporation(LIC) will see a series of retirements from September onwards including Usha Sangwan, MD, LIC, who will be retiring in September 2018 and VK Sharma, Chairman, retiring in December 2018 and other three existing MDs following them. reforms. We have provided investors an environment which is efficient, transparent, reliable and predictable, he said. We have liberalised the FDI regime. Today, most sectors are on automatic approval route. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is one of the most significant systemic reforms that our country has undergone, he said. Modi said that India had emerged as a bright spot in the global economy which is driving global growth as well. With a size of 2.8 trillion US Dollars, it is the seventh largest in the world. It is the third largest in terms of purchasing power parity. In the fourth quarter of 2017, we grew at 7.7 per cent. In 2018, we are projected to grow at 7.4 per cent, he said. nsurance behemoth LIC is Ilooking to enter the Banking space by acquiring majority stake in IDBI Bank as the deal is expected to provide business synergies despite the lender s stressed balance sheet, sources said. As the Government makes efforts to revive the fortunes of IDBI Bank, which is saddled with huge amounts of bad loans, LIC becoming a major stakeholder in the lender could be beneficial for both Stateowned financial players in the long run, they added. While a final decision is yet to emerge on whether LIC would be snapping up over 50 per cent stake in IDBI Bank, official sources said the preliminary contours of such a plan is being worked out. A possible scenario would be the insurance major making IDBI Bank as a subsidiary on the line of its housing finance and mutual fund businesses. According to the sources, there would be business synergies in case the LIC-IDBI Bank deal materialises. A listed entity, IDBI Bank is grappling with mounting toxic loans with gross non performing assets rising to a staggering 55,600 crore at the end of latest March quarter. During the three months, the lender s net loss stood at 5,663 crore. The bank has a market capitalisation of nearly 23,000 crore while its real estate assets as well as its investment portfolio are estimated to be worth over 20,000 crore. Among its non-core assets are investments in the National Stock Exchange, IDBI Federal Life Insurance IDBI Mutual Fund, IDBI Capital Markets and National Securities Depository Ltd.

11 Bill enacting Britain s deci- to leave the European Asion Union has become law after months of debate, the House of Commons speaker announced on Tuesday, to cheers from eurosceptic lawmakers. Speaker John Bercow said the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which repeals the 1972 European Communities Act through which Britain became a member of the bloc, had received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II. The bill transfers decades of European law onto British statute books, and also enshrines Brexit day in British law as March 29, 2019 at 11pm (2300 GMT) midnight Brussels time. Prime Minister Theresa May said the approval was a historic moment for our country, and a significant step towards delivering on the will of the British people. The bill has undergone more than 250 hours of acrimonious debate in the Houses of Parliament since it was introduced in July Eurosceptics celebrated the passing of the bill through parliament last week as proof that, despite continuing uncertainty in the negotiations with Brussels, Brexit was happening. Lest anyone is in any doubt, the chances of Britain not leaving the EU are now zero, International Trade Minister Liam Fox said. Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, a staunch Brexit supporter, said: The legal position is now so much stronger for a clean Brexit. Crucially this makes the prime minister s negotiating hand much stronger. able to get us to their knees, he deal with world powers and said. restore sanctions on the country. ranian President Hassan Rouhani s comments came IRouhani on Tuesday said after protesters angered by It wasn t immediately clear his country is in a fight with the US, a day after protesters angered by Iran s tanking economy confronted police in front of parliament. In a televised speech, Rouhani blamed the US for Iran s woes and said the US is trying to damage the country by creating an economic war. The US cannot defeat our nation, our enemies are not Iran s tanking economy confronted police in front of parliament yesterday. It was the first such confrontation since similar demonstrations rocked the country at the start of the year. The demonstration signalled widespread unease in the wake of President Donald Trump s decision to withdraw the US from Tehran s nuclear who led yesterday s protests. Iran s semi-official news agencies, Fars, ISNA and Tasnim, described the protests at the Grand Bazaar as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country s black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate. Videos posted to social media showed protesters at the bazaar heckling shopkeepers who refused to close. A short time later, about 2 kilometres from the Grand Bazaar, videos shared by Iranians on social media appeared to show a crowd confronting police at parliament. Iran s semi-official ISNA news agency reported today that authorities detained many of the rioters. Department should agree on a policy where adults who bring he director of US border their kids across the border - Tcontrol has said migrant who violate our laws and risk parents crossing in from Mexico illegally will for now no longer be referred for prosecution, US media reported, effectively suspending a key plank of the zero tolerance policy. US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, who made the announcement yesterday to reporters in Texas, and other officials insisted however that the policy remains in effect. McAleenan said that he stopped referring parents for prosecution shortly after President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order ending the policy of separating families entering the country illegally. The policy of separating children from their parents - including toddlers and even babies - drew scorn in America and around the world and forced Trump to make a rare retreat. The president did, however, congratulate himself for ending a much-criticized policy that he was responsible for. McAleenan said the reason for suspending prosecution of parents was in fact Trump s order and that his agency does not have detention space for all the families coming across the border. We re not prosecuting those parents, McAleenan said, according to Politico. According to the New York Times, the official said his agency and the Justice their lives at the border - can be prosecuted without an extended separation from their children. Border control agents will continue to refer for prosecution single adults who cross over illegally. They will also separate children from adults if the child is in danger or if the adult has a criminal record, McAleenan said. The border control chief also said he is working on a plan to resume prosecution of parents who cross over with kids. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted the zero tolerance policy remained in effect, at least officially. She said the bottom line was the government lacks the means to detain all the families crossing the border. visually impaired lawyer Afrom Lahore in Punjab province on Tuesday became Pakistan s first blind judge as he took oath of office, according to a media report. Yousaf Saleem was first denied the position despite being a topper but was reconsidered and recommended for the position of civil judge after intervention by Pakistan s Chief Justice Saqib Nisar last month, Geo TV reported. Saleem had worked as an assistant director (legal) in a department of the Punjab Government and was among 21 of 300 candidates who passed the written test for the civil judge position. However, he was denied the position in interview as he was blind. After his ordeal was reported in the media, the chief justice took suo motu notice and directed the Lahore High Court chief justice to review the case. On May 12, Saleem received a letter from the LHC about his appointment as Civil Judge-cum-Magistrate. Saleem who is the son of a charted accountant is blind by birth. He has four sisters and two of them are also blind. One of his sisters, Saima Saleem, is the first blind person to pass her civil service exam in 2007 and currently works in the Prime Minister Secretariat as a deputy secretary while his other sister is a lecturer in a university in Lahore. he Netherlands has Tapproved a limited ban on face-covering clothing in public places, including Islamic veils and robes such as the burqa and niqab but not the hijab, which covers only the hair. Firebrand far-right politician Geert Wilders had pushed for the ban for over a decade. Parliament s upper chamber made the final approval in Beijing: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has arrived in Beijing for meetings with senior Chinese leaders, as the world waits for indications North Korea is taking steps to dismantle its nuclear programme following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North Korean negotiations are expected to be a primary discussion during Mattis meetings. Beijing is considered a key influencer on Pyongyang and Chinese President Xi Jinping said last week that China would as always play a constructive role in the process. Kim was in Beijing for a two-day visit last week and met with Xi. The Chinese president said at the time that he hoped that Pyongyang and Washington could fully implement the outcome of the summit earlier this month between Trump and Kim. AP a vote Tuesday. The Dutch law is described by the Government as religion-neutral, and does not go as far as more extensive bans in neighboring countries like France and Belgium. It applies on public transport and in education institutions, health institutions such as hospitals, and Government buildings. Studies suggest that only a few hundred women in the Netherlands wear niqabs or full-face burqas. man rammed a van into Athe Amsterdam headquarters of one of the Netherlands major national newspapers before setting the vehicle alight on Tuesday, an attack that the Dutch Prime Minister called a slap in the face of a free press and Dutch democracy. No one was injured in the pre-dawn attack on the De Telegraaf building. The newspaper released video of the attack on its website, showing a man ramming a white van into the building twice, before walking out and setting the vehicle on fire. He then moved away and drove off in a waiting car. It was the second attack on a media outlet in as many weeks after weekly Panorama s office building was hit last week with an anti-tank weapon. No one was injured and one suspect was detained. Both companies are known for their robust coverage of organised crime. The European Union condemned the two attacks today. We would like to express our full support and sympathy with the Dutch media and journalists and defend the right to report freely, said EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas. NOTICE INVITING e-tenders The Executive Engineer (E) PWD DHC & ND/CENTRAL, Ground floor MSO Bldg, New Delhi on behalf of President of India invites ONLINE item rate bids from the approved and eligible contractors registered with CPWD in appropriate composite category or those of appropriates list of MES, BSNL, Railway and other state Govt. Department dealing with buildings and Roads and other experienced non registered contractors/ who satisfy the criteria of execution of similar works, Provided they meet Eligibility Criteria as stipulated in the NIT:- of the following work(s):- which shall be received by E-Tendering upto :00 for the work:- N/W:- R.M.O. Specialized Electrical & Mechanical Services of Tis Hazari Court, Delhi (SH:- (1) Servicing and overhauling of fans and replacement of worn out fans (2) Providing drainage system for Air conditioner units (3) Repairing/replacement of Fire Fighting's Yard hydrant system) NIT No: 97 /EE(E)/PWD DHC & ND/CentraI/ Estimated Cost: Rs /- Earnest Money: Rs /- & period of completion*one Month, Last Date and time submission of Tender upto 3:00 PM on The tender forms and other details can be obtained from the website: at Tender I.D. NO. 2018_PWD_153303_1 DIP/Shabdarth/0910/18-19

12 W hile two-thirds of our population is below 35, half of it is actually under the age of 25. At this rate, India is expected to have the world s largest workforce within a decade. But when you juxtapose this workforce against skill and employability, there is a vast gap. The purpose of stating this upfront is to justify the fact that the true driving force which can transform modern India, is the Power of Knowledge. We need to develop the latent potential of this vast workforce into an economic advantage and the only way to do so is by imparting skills mapped against industry requirement. The competition for employment in the next decade is likely to get harder and only those that rise to relevance will flourish. With an increasing number of graduates entering the market every day and limited job opportunities, only those with value-added resumes will pass muster with businesses and employers. Resumes that boast of additional relevant qualifications will have an edge for employability as well as growth opportunities. Hence, this demographical transition has given rise to a need for acquiring knowledge and experience for the personal and professional advancement of mid-career professionals who are looking to re-skill to keep up with new and emerging skillsets. With the future of the work force looming as an unsolved mystery, people need access to quick re-skilling to remain in their position, if not grow. For this reason, the country has seen a rise of online courses for working professionals and graduates entering the industry. Although graduate students are willful to learn, there is a huge disconnect with what a prospective employer wants and what the student has learnt. The job profiles and skill requirements are ever evolving as per the profession, thus nonspecific and outmoded courses don t suffice. Online courses aim to disrupt the age old pedagogy and curriculum of colleges and bring a fresh industry perspective to the learning methodology ready for real-time application in the work environment. The courses choose practical, vis-à-vis, academic knowledge sharing having relevance and use to add value to ones profession. Online courses are specific, flexible and relevant. They equip the students with appropriate learning opportunities without disrupting their usual routines. It is an impeccable structure for working professionals who do not wish to take a hiatus from work but at the same time wish to expand the horizons of their skills for accomplishing professional goals. Additionally, these courses are inexpensive in comparison to full-time offline alternatives, whilst imparting the same skill set. At the click of a button, it is now possible to access a variety of programmes and courses certified by established institutions. From technology to art, it s possible to secure a certificate or degree in any field. These set of courses are not just a stepping stone on an already chosen path, they also act as a medium to explore and comprehend something entirely different from one s existing occupation. It can often provide a steady foundation for those looking to change their field of work while reducing the risk that exists with any such transition. To elaborate further, we are in the middle of a technological uprising. A lack of awareness required to navigate new digital systems, in an employee, is a definite deal breaker for an employer looking to hire. Basic online courses designed for beginners satisfy this deficit with ease without occupying several resources. Data shows that there is an increase in the number of executives looking to cultivate abilities in the recent developments in fields like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, machine learning and even cyber security. This is partially a result of the Government s Go Digital campaign, so in support of that, it is now possible to learn more about digital developments and keep pace with new technologies. Before the era of online certification courses, the entire process of securing a graduation was a mammoth task that required premeditated and detailed planning, not to mention sizable financial resources. From picking the right course, the right colleges, the budgets to be able to take a gap from work. This tedious process reduced the number of people who were willing to take this risk for their growth. The digital revolution has facilitated the availability of knowledge at a marginalised cost and has made learning comfortable and convenient. An argument arises that these courses are not interactive which happens to be a crucial element in the process of learning. However, enabled by technology, these courses can actually replicate the classroom environment streamed live to a personal device. Lectures are live, allowing for interactive dialogue and a deep interface with the faculty; accessible anywhere to anyone. The larger idea behind the success of this format is that it adjusts to each individual s routine and not the other way round, which happens to be a vital factor for a vast majority of our youth. No one wants to be at a standstill and stop their incomes once they enter an industry in a professional capacity and they don t have to be in this position for the reason that there exist credible portals that provide these educational services in our country. These courses are certified, backed by reputed institutions and often work on a credit based system like any other establishment. For the greater pool of unemployed graduates or working professionals looking to get enhanced opportunities, certification courses from institutes like IIM, XLRI, online interactive learning solutions are significant. There are skill enhancing online courses in the field of finance, cyber security, and event management. The idea behind courses of short durations is to upgrade an existing area of expertise or add a different vertical of knowledge under the same. The demand for cyber security experts is at an all-time high, so awareness of effective steps to prevent cyberattacks and detect adversaries is a necessary progression for tech professionals lacking this knowledge. It definitely adds measurable value to one s resume. Similarly, courses like equity research, financial modeling and company valuation boost capabilities of financial consultants as it equips them with insights that are important for both short-term and long-term decisions as they are privy to these proficiently curated set of courses. These are in affiliation with established institutions and mostly very significant to present scenarios. So we do start with an advantage of a large workforce, but it only remains an advantage if they acquire relevant skill-sets and remain relevant. Online courses support this need and are hence here to stay as an important cog in the wheel for skill development in India. The SRM University, AP Amaravati, has announced applications for admission to its School of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences (SLABS). The courses offered are BA, BBA, BCom and BSc programmes across 12 disciplines Commerce, Economics, English Studies, History, Journalism, Psychology, Business Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics. Students have an option to take up departmental or general electives to carve a unique learning experience as per their interests. They also have a choice of opting for minors during the three-year course duration to establish expertise in two-different fields (Majors and Minors). The course also provides a choice to get a diploma in their chosen field of study by spending one additional year at SLABS. This extra year enriches their knowledge and opens the door for them to enroll in the leading universities of the world for further studies. Selection criteria: Apart from the marks secured in the Board examinations, SRM expert counselors understand the potential of each candidate through a lengthy discussion before rolling out the admission offer. Provisional Admission Letter (PAL) will be rolled out to selected students based on performance in Class XII examinations and interviews. Counselling time: Till July 15, Deadline: The last date to apply is July 15, For more details, log on to he Middlesex University, TDubai, has come up with International Foundation Programme (IFP) to prepare the students for the competitive university life. With the new academic year commencing on September 23, 2018, students enrolling to start their studies with the University can now apply for IFP. It provides students with the basic understanding of the educational landscape, helping them transition from High School to University by teaching the use of academic conventions, fostering a learnercentred environment and encouraging independent learning, whereby, students become actively involved in their education. Students will be introduced to a range of subjects taught in the University s undergraduate programmes, as well as being offered support in choosing and applying for the degree they wish to study. It also enables students to settle into student life at Middlesex University Dubai. Upon successful completion of the IFP, students may progress directly onto any one of the UG programmes offered by the University. These programmes include accounting and finance, business management, marketing, finance, human resources, innovation, tourism, international business, project management, graphic design, journalism and communication, film, advertising, PR and branding, psychology, LLB, early childhood studies, computer engineering, information technology and information systems. Eligibility: Students from British Curriculum O levels, AS levels, IGCSE, GCSE, American High School diploma holders, CBSE and Indian Board students, who don t meet the direct entry to year one threshold and all other countries students who pass internationally recognised high school with good grades, are eligible to join IFP after meeting the entry requirements. For more information, log on to Lawrence School, Sanawar, is more than 100 years old. How has the journey been? It s been amazing. The school, established in 1857, was meant for military training only. But after Independence, it was opened to Indian students and NRIs. Over time, it has become more or less Indian, but a lot of British traditions still prevail. How has its objective changed over the years? The objective is no more confined to defence training. The school focuses on overall development of students. Most institutes prepare students for IITs and IIMs but we prepare our students with a strong character and values. We build individuals who can take charge of their lives. We prepare them with basic life skills which are helpful later in life. How is the second edition of Sanawar Leadership Camp going on? Most schools are churning out students as memory machines but we produce leaders. With that in mind, we ve made Sanawar a medium that passes on leadership skills to students at a young age. We started this journey of The Sanawar Leadership Camp (TSLC) last year. We have 20 participants who are years of age. We have chosen this age group specifically because children in this age group are impressionable. These students are taught how to provide social service work in villages where they work with villagers who construct small roads, they attend sessions on personality development and communication skills. We teach them survival through treks. How do such camps help students? What are the selection criteria? All activities done in the camp help children learn what they could never have learnt from books. After hours of hard work, when students bite into the first morsel of food, they get to know how important food is. How are you taking Sanawar s long legacy forward? We prepare a child for life beyond school. The camps are an integral part of the school s curriculum. Sports are mandatory, extracurricular activities in terms of Drama, Art and Music are important and compulsory. People, who we are proud of, are the people who believe in what we at Sanawar believe. The first name that comes to mind when I talk about Legacy is Mr Arun Khetrapal, the youngest posthumous recipient of Param Vir Chakra. He was our student and within 3-4 years of passing out of the school, he laid down his life in the Indo-Pak war. We get to hear from his fellow soldiers, that he used to believe in the philosophy of Never Give in, which is the motto of our school. We are passing on the same kind of legacy to our present students. The NCC is an integral part of the syllabus. We are among the few schools in India that have Girl s Boxing. We also have these oath sectarians who speak to our children. Ajit Bajaj, who recently climbed Mt. Everest with his daughter, is an alumnus. He recently delivered a speech for Sanawar students. What is the school s philosophy about how children learn the best? It is Do Things Hands-On. Handson experience helps imbibe relevant skills. What is the teaching module like? We follow guidelines by the CBSE. We also have a tutorial system in which a group of students is assigned to one teacher who is their tutor. The tutor s responsibility is to keep ne of the leading test Oprep institutes Jamboree Education has come up with the inimitable Dream College Programme (DCP) to help students earn a coveted seat at top colleges abroad. Talking about how DCP is different from the regular Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Aryama Dutta Saikia, COO, Jamboree Education, said: For the first time, students will be able to prepare for SAT from Class XI onwards. DCP offers a more holistic approach to SAT and admissions. We come across students who want to study at top colleges abroad, have the means to do so but they have begun too late. When is the right time to begin SAT preparation? That depends on the individual. Most students join us during Class XI summer break. But then they are also juggling school studies with IIT coaching and extra-curricular activities. They work hard and may or may not make it to foreign universities and later settle for private engineering colleges. a track of the child s overall progress, which includes Health too. What s the criteria for admission? Regular admissions are primarily in Classes 5, 6 and 7. The admission is based on a written examination held in every November. The shortlisted students interact with us and it is on their performance that we select them. What is the student-teacher ratio in the school? We are about 1:10. We have 715 boarders and 70 teachers. Any expansion plans? We are not thinking of expanding geographically but we are doing a lot in terms of facilities. We are planning to get the ratio of the boys and girls studying in the school from 60:40 to 50:50. Since it is a co-educational school, the number of girls should be equal to boys. To implement that, we are increasing dormitory space for girls accommodation. Also, Shooting is coming up as a sport in the school. How does the school encourage extra- curricular activities? It is mandatory to take up a sport and practice it daily, barring Sunday. Students practice after class. Where do pupils go on to from your school? At the moment, a larger number of students have chosen to study in India. We have 15 per cent students on an average who prefer to study abroad. Largely, We have students with decent SAT scores but are unable to make the cut because Indian students have weak profiles when it comes to the Ivy League, Oxford or Cambridge. They may be academically stronger than an average US applicant, but typically they have less exposure to meaningful activities. Or they don t know how to present their achievements properly, Saikia explained. The DCP will not only help the student to score a high SAT, but also groom them for top colleges right from pre-high school. The aim is to groom the student s personality and make their profile stand out. We conduct aptitude tests and give career advise. We help them apply to international summer programmes, hold writing workshops and create convincing digital footprint. We also help with TOEFL/IELTS preparation. Post-SAT, we help with application essays, interviews, financial planning and visa, Saikia said. in India, a lot of students go to universities like Narsee Munjee University and Christ College in Bangalore. Pune is another destination and Punjab University is also a popular option. How do you help students with career knowledge? We have a dedicated counselor. We also have a tie-up with ICA, they have experienced people who, twice or thrice in a term, conduct group and solo sessions with students to talk about all the subjects and information needed by the students to prepare for their desired universities. How does the Lawrence School provide a strong military training to its students? The NCC is compulsory Class IX upwards. One of the main attractions of our annual function is an NCC parade which surprises even Armymen. Our students who get into NDA tell us the routine they follow which we follow in school. Barring cricket, girls play all other sports. One of our girl students is serving in the Indian Naval Services. Do you plan to launch any other education board in the school? My efforts as a headmaster will be to get an International Board in Sanawar. This will not replace CBSE but run simultaneously. The proposal is with the governor. If things go well, the IB board will be functional by he Entrepreneurship TDevelopment Institute of India (EDII) will be conducting Family Business Clinics across major cities to help and mentor second and third generation of MSMEs for boosting family business. The institute has already enabled over 400 next-gen entrepreneurs through its flagship program PGDM in Business Entrepreneurship (PGDM-BE). Research studies show that over 80 per cent of family businesses in India do not have a robust, documented and communicated succession plan. These clinics include sessions on creating leadership culture, incorporating strategic planning in running business, solving capital access issues and use of digital media for promoting one s enterprise. The clinics would sensitise the next generation about the importance of participating and contributing to the family business. The participants will be able to introspect towards their own leadership style and learn the importance of imbibing new leadership styles that not only inspires internal organizational collaboration to extend it to next generations, but also empower them to help their family business expand across industries and beyond borders. The institute has already conducted few such clinics at industry associations in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jodhpur and Bhopal to sensitise MSMEs about succession planning and family business management. Similar clinics will be held in other tier-ii cities across India. Emphasising on the need for boosting family business in India, Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya, faculty, EDII said: India ranks in top five when it comes to contribution of family-owned businesses to total market capitalisation and GDP. However, many MSMEs fail to grow because they lack succession planning. The clinics are designed to help the participants create a leadership culture in family business so that their one-leader model transits to become a leadership team model and leads the organisation to become a multigenerational family business. he social awareness cam- need to be under- Tpaigns taken in order to promote and raise awareness for pre-school education, Anil Swarup, secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development said at an ASSOCHAM interactive session held recently in New Delhi. Right now, the age for preschool level is not defined. The child psychology should be made compulsory in all teachers training programmes. The training of teachers needs to include special emphasis on handling pre-school students. The standards need to be set, to institutionalise the appropriate certifications for teachers, Swarup said while addressing industry interactive session on Participation of Private Industry Players with Government in pre-school education. ASSOCHAM has run a national campaign called Pehle Preschool to promote and raise awareness for the need of formal pre-schooling in India. Swarup emphasised that the sole aim of the education policy should be to provide quality education to children. While the newer ideas are welcome, they should be practical and workable at the ground level. A special curriculum had been developed by NCERT which was being refined and the necessary facilities and equipment were being decided to ensure children receive the much needed pre-school education that prepares them for further learning when they reach Class I.

13 ashion has been a hotbed for Finnovation from the invention of the sewing machine to the rise of e-commerce. Like tech, fashion is forward-looking and cyclical. It s also a huge industry. But at the same time it is a challenging profession, and most designers learn early on in their careers that there are two ways to do it. Some choose to take the entrepreneurial route and launch their own brand, electing to deal with the challenges of production, marketing, and e-commerce. The latter limits the creativity and autonomy of the designer even though it shields them from all the hustles of running a company. However, new trends have emerged that have combined these two approaches to entering the fashion design world. Keeping up with fashion isn t always a breeze. Something may be in style one day and it s out the next. It s also confusing to pick up on trends since fashion is personal and what s in trend is really all about how you style it anything can be in trend if you pull it off well. There are a few trends that every designer who is planning to take the entrepreneur route should know. One should have an idea whether everyone is wearing skinny jeans or not. Knowing what s in trend will let you know what the public is buying and what designers are creating. Listen and practice the art of networking: You can learn something from everybody, from the people in your office to those you meet at industry events. Talk to everyone and listen to what they have to say. The fashion industry may seem huge but it's actually pretty small you never know who you could meet. Empowerment of designers: The increase of online users that is being experienced every day gives designers an opportunity to gain from e-commerce, however, it does not eliminate the challenges that are part and parcel of launching a new company. Some of these challenges include production and marketing. A designer can come up with a stunning design for clothes or shoes but they can t monetise it if they do not have the money to open a manufacturing firm that will produce the products. Millennial prefer to buy designer products: Millennial have a robust consumer behaviour compared to the older generation. They have a taste for specialty products and also have a great influence on how fashion companies are behaving in the market. A designer who intends to succeed in today s market should take advantage of this trend and target this segment of the population. Teenagers have a trendy consumer behaviour as compared to elder generation as well. They have different taste and have great influence on how fashion companies are behaving in the market. A designer who wants to succeed in the long run should take advantage of this segment of the population too. Teenagers are the key segment when it comes to trendy wear. They like to wear clothes which are comfortable, new and want a product that should be entirely different. As a fashion designer one should know about the demand of the teenagers and should know their mindset when it comes to designing clothes. Social Commerce: In this modern age of information, social media is crucial for any brand. There are many who buy accessories and clothing due to social media influence. Posting content on social media and or having an influential figure review your designs online is not enough; people want to hear the story behind the product. As an entrepreneur, you should capitalise on this phenomenon and share your story with your target audience because it will help them connect with your brand and buy it. Understanding texture, colour, and fabric: Design requires a good sense of texture, colour, and fabric. For example, you ll need to know whether a garment would work best in silk chiffon or another fabric. You ll also need to know which combination of colours will be most flattering. It is these details that make a design stand out. D espite hundreds of jobs offered by private sectors, Government jobs still remain the most preferred ones for the youth. A large number of people between the age group of 20 to 25 are seen preparing for various competitive exams while working with a private company. Working and in meantime studying is a difficult job to do. But nothing is impossible if one has determination and willingness. Most of the written exams conducted for filling vacancies of Government jobs are more or less on the same pattern. However, few have a different pattern but this does not make any difference on your exam cracking strategies. Cracking any entrance exam is not an easy task. It takes dedication and smart thinking to crack any exam. Knowing how to crack any written exam becomes easy when you have the ability to reflect on your habit especially in case of scheduling and the routine that you may or may not follow on daily basis. As you are working all day, time management becomes essential for you. You need to make optimal use of your time by planning a strategy towards your goal. Some people think that they might have to leave their ongoing job to prepare for the exams with full devotion but that is just a myth. How should you schedule your life during preparation time: Rise early in the morning 5.30 and study for two hours. Initially, it will be difficult but think of your goal. Make a habit of waking up early. Generally, the people come home from office at 8 pm. So, you have two hours from 9.30 to pm to study. Just make a rule in your life that you will not sleep without studying for two hours and you will wake up early in the morning so that you can give two hours easily to your study. You can easily utilise travelling time to prepare for English. In this time you can learn one-word substitution, idioms and phrases. Make it your habit. Give one hour daily to current events. Then divide the time left in two parts. Read one subject at one time. Don t mix it with the other subject. For example, if you are reading polity read polity only and if you are doing mathematics do mathematics only. But when you are studying don t read too much at one time. Take 5-10 minute breaks. Now, on weekends, try to study 9 hours per day. So, in a whole week, you manage to give 42 hours (24 on weekdays and 18 on weekends) to study. On an average, 6 hours per day which is sufficient to crack the exam. Also, if you intend to prepare for SBI PO, IBPS PO, SSC, CGL exams then you can join weekend classes with any reputed coaching institute near your residence or even workplace. Never fall prey to temporary pleasures, make a commitment to yourself that you will use this precious time to make your life dynamic, vibrant and a life of permanent pleasure. Never think negatively and always be optimistic. Therefore, if you plan your schedule with a goal in your mind and work very hard towards it, there is no force that can stop you from doing it. This is one hard-fought battle which can have glorious results and can land you a job in the public sector. The School of Management at University of Bradford is offering two 3000 scholarships for pursuing Executive MBA (Dubai). Students from all countries, who meet the criteria, are eligible. Eligibility: Entrance Requirements: To be considered for a scholarship, ensure that your application for admission is submitted on time. Applications for the course will stay open after this date but will not be considered for a scholarship. English language requirements: If English is not your first language then you will need to show that your English language skills are at a high level to succeed in your studies. How to apply: You do not need to make a separate application for the scholarship, you will be automatically considered for this award provided that you submit your application on the due date. Application deadline: The last date to apply is August 31, The University of Alberta is offering International Undergraduate Student Bursary. To be eligible, students must be registered in Fall 2018 term and in the previous winter term (Winter 2018). Eligibility: At the time of application, applicants must: Be an international student in an undergraduate degree programme at the University of Alberta, Be currently paying international student differential fees, Have satisfactory academic standing, Have a valid study permit, Not be a previous recipient of an International Undergraduate Student Bursary, Have demonstrated financial need. English language requirements: The candidate should have a very good command over English language. Therefore, the application should be written in English. How to apply: Download, complete, and the budget, seclaration, and document checklist form, supporting documents as listed in the document checklist. All supporting documents must be labelled and organised accordingly. Send your completed application package with attached documents to Jenny Kleininger: jkleinin@ualberta.ca Online IUSB application and supporting documents must be received by Friday, July 20, When sending supporting documents by , use the following subject line: IUSB 2018 Application: First name, last name. Attend a mandatory interview session in person or via Skype. QUERY: My name is Ritika Gupta. My date of birth is November 18, I am pursuing Science. I am a bit confused about the career options. Please suggest the best suited options for me? BHATT: Your zodiac sign is Scorpio and element is Water. The ruling planet of your horary is Mars. This shows you are brilliant, perceptive and hard working. You perform your responsibility without any distraction. You are naturally curious and love to discover secrets but at the same time value your privacy. The planetary condition indicates your interest in all the deep, dark and hidden things which cover a range of activities. Hence you can become a psychologist, therapist, a researcher, an archeologist, detective or a member of mysterious religious cult or a political party. Law: Your thoroughness, resourcefulness and independence set you up to be an appropriate fit for the law. Although there are several divisions of law, you may prefer roles representing the government in court or writing laws. If you want to opt for self-employment, you may gravitate toward intellectual property law. Research: You can perform well in scientific labs, whether working for pharmaceutical companies or doing research for private industry or Government. This is because you have the ability to penetrate the problem and come up with a solution that will evaluate it and show results. Leader: This career is not for everyone. But for those Scorpions with a strong personality and lots of need for control, this job could be very lucrative and satisfying. There is the opportunity to work from home and do interesting work. This is not for the faint of heart or the passive, but can be a way to access the dark side without causing too much harm. Business: Mars shows that you can successfully run the business and do well as a trader, businessman, property dealer, owner of land, factory or property, manufacturer or dealers in arms, weapons, dealer of medicines or poisonous drugs or electrical goods. Forensics: You are perfectly suited for this work, which could horrify others. Your sign makes you daring hence don t easily get scared and able to work tirelessly. As a forensic expert, you can investigate to determine the cause of death because you have a surgeon s eye and a penchant for detective work Psychiatrist: The ability to hear the problems of countless clients and figure out their issues is the kind of life that Scorpio relishes. You understand human psyche and therefore make a career as a psychologist and or a psychiatrist. You have approach of always playing safe, it can sometimes create hurdles so take calculated risks for the progress of your career.

14 MUSCOB TES MOTION PICTURE F rance secured first place ahead of Denmark in Group C on Tuesday following a 0-0 draw in Moscow that could set up a heavyweight World Cup clash with Lionel Messi's Argentina in the last 16. Didier Deschamps' side dominated possession but struggled to create any clear-cut chances against a determined Denmark, who will likely meet Croatia for a place in the quarter-finals. France have scored just three times in three games in Russia, including a penalty and an own goal, and it was another disjointed display from one of the title favourites. They will discover their opponents in the next round later on Tuesday, with Argentina needing to beat Nigeria in Saint Petersburg to stand a chance of qualifying. Deschamps rested captain Hugo Lloris and Paul Pogba, with the Manchester United midfielder a booking away from suspension, while Kylian Mbappe was also left out among six changes. Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, 33, made his first appearance at a major tournament, having been an unused substitute at the last three European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. After much debate about the video assistant referee (VAR) following further controversy on Monday, it was inevitable any penalty area tussles would prompt strong appeals at the Luzhniki Stadium. There have already been 20 penalties given at this World Cup, a tournament record before the group stage has even concluded. Denmark's Martin Braithwaite laid an early claim after going down under pressure from Presnel Kimpembe, although there appeared minimal contact at best. France had a penalty shout of their own when Henrik Dalsgaard slid in on Lucas Hernandez, with Kasper Schmeichel tipping behind Olivier Giroud's looping follow-up effort. ristiano Ronaldo missed a Cpenalty before Portugal conceded an injury-time spot-kick in a 1-1 draw with Iran at the World Cup on Monday as the European champions set up a last-16 clash with Uruguay. Ricardo Quaresma curled in a trademark trivela goal on the stroke of half-time at the Mordovia Arena, but Karim Ansarifard's late penalty dropped Portugal to second in Group B behind neighbours Spain. Ronaldo won a second-half spot-kick after a video review but saw his effort saved, with the Real Madrid star unable to add to his four-goal tally at the tournament. Portugal will face Uruguay in Sochi on July 30 for a place in the quarter-finals after ending Iran's hopes of reaching the knockout phase for the first time. "I think we did very well, we have achieved our goal and now we have to recover and think about the next match," said Quaresma. "We know the difficulties we'll face, they're a big team with very good players." Fernando Santos will hope Joao Moutinho recovers after the Monaco midfielder was restricted to a late substitute appearance in Saransk because of illness, with Quaresma one of three changes to the team that defeated Morocco 1-0. Quaresma fired Portugal ahead just before the interval when he exchanged passes with Adrien Silva before bending home in style from the edge of the area with the outside of his right foot. Ronaldo had the chance to double the lead five minutes into the second half after he was upended by Ezatolahi, with a spot-kick Committed play from Thomas Delaney saw him release Andreas Cornelius down the left flank but Christian Eriksen was unable to apply a finishing touch as Mandanda and Hernandez combined to clear. Antoine Griezmann then shot tamely at Schmeichel from 20 yards, the Atletico Madrid forward's biggest contribution coming just before the break when he sparked a threatening counter that drew a cynical foul from Mathias Jorgensen. A bystander for long periods, Mandanda was nearly caught out by a speculative Eriksen free-kick as he spilled before pouncing on the rebound just ahead of Cornelius. A miscued clearance from Djibril Sidibe soon presented Eriksen with another chance, the Tottenham star dragging wide of the target on this occasion. Nabil Fekir was introduced for Griezmann for the final 20 minutes, and the Lyon forward looked lively right away as he hammered a shot just the wrong side of the post. Mbappe was introduced late on for an ineffective Ousmane Dembele, but it was again Fekir who went closest to ending the impasse with a low, bouncing shot that forced Schmeichel into a sharp save. Loud jeers from a sold-out crowd of 78,011 greeted the final whistle although it was a result that suited both sides as Denmark, now unbeaten in 18 matches, reached the latter stages of the World Cup for the first time since Denmark has a tough defense anchored by veteran captain Simon Kjaer, and a high-class goalkeeper in Kasper Schmeichel. Even the top World Cup teams will have difficulty scoring against the Danes. France has won Group C and will open the round 16 on Saturday afternoon in Kazan, playing the Group D runner-up. That could still be any of Croatia, Nigeria, Iceland or Argentina before their final games later Tuesday. Denmark gets an extra day off and plays the Group D winner, likely Croatia, on Sunday evening in Nizhny Novgorod. awarded following consultation with the video assistant referee (VAR). But the Portugal captain was denied by Beiranvand who dived to his left to smother Ronaldo's attempt. Ronaldo caught the Iran defender with a forearm across the face, Pouraliganji falling to the ground in a heap as the Portugal forward ultimately escaped with a yellow card. Iran earned a stoppage-time penalty, again with the help of VAR, when Sardar Azmoun's header struck the arm of Cedric after the pair contested a deep cross. Substitute Ansarifard buried his effort into the roof of the net to set up a dramatic finish. Mehdi Taremi could have snatched a stunning winner after a deflected shot rolled into his path, but he fired into the side netting as Iran fell agonisingly short. video replay in injury time gave Spain Athe goal it needed to win Group B at the World Cup. Spain substitute Iago Aspas scored the late equalizer on Monday in a 2-2 draw with Morocco. His clever deflection off a cross from Dani Carvajal was initially disallowed for offside, but the video assistant referee overruled the call at Kaliningrad Stadium. The decision set off a touchline melee among players from both sides. Another substitute, Morocco forward Youssef En Nesyri, headed in a goal in the 81st minute to give already-eliminated Morocco hope of a victory. Earlier, a mixup by Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos gifted Morocco its first goal of the World Cup, with Khalid Boutaib pouncing on the loose ball and scoring in the 14th minute. Iniesta made amends five minutes later by setting up Isco at the other end to bring Spain level at halftime. With Portugal also drawing with Iran, Spain progressed as group winner because they scored more goals and next plays host Russia on Sunday in Moscow, while Portugal plays Uruguay in Sochi a day earlier. "We haven't really won anything yet. It's been a very tough match," Isco said. "Maybe we weren't focused from the very beginning. We needed them to score on us to force us to react." Spain may be through and is now on a 23-match unbeaten run, but it was far from convincing in group play and again displayed defensive frailties to concede twice against a Morocco team that hadn't scored a goal in its two previous group matches. Earlier in the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Spain in a 3-3 draw with Portugal and only managed a 1-0 win against Iran. While Spain controlled the game against Morocco with 68 per cent of possession, Isco thinks that Spain can do better. "Maybe what we're missing to better control the game is more ball possession," the man of the match said. "Maybe that's what's missing." "We would have loved to win over Spain," Morocco coach Herve Renard said. "This is why we came here tonight. We suffered, just like any other team who takes on Spain. When you look at the lineup, it's a mix of Real Madrid and Barca, so these are outstanding players." lready-eliminated Peru ended Australia's hopes of advancing to Athe knockout round at the World Cup with a 2-0 victory on Tuesday. The Australians had to beat Peru and hope Denmark lost to France in the other Group C match, but neither result happened. France and Denmark drew 0-0 in Moscow. Andre Carrillo's 18th-minute goal - a half-volley from inside the area - was Peru's first in a World Cup since 1982, the last time the South Americans played in the tournament. Peru hadn't won a World Cup match since defeating Iran in Peru captain Paolo Guerrero, who almost missed the tournament because of a doping suspension, scored the other goal in the 50th with a left-footed strike after getting to a loose ball inside the area. Australia striker Tim Cahill, a 38-year-old veteran who entered the match in the second half, had a chance to become only the fifth player to score in four World Cups, joining Pele, Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose and Cristiano Ronaldo. But he had few chances after entering the match in the 53rd minute. Australia needed the victory to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2006 but it had a slow start at Fisht Stadium, unable to get near the opposing area. The Peruvians, boosted by a loud crowd that heavily outnumbered the Aussies, took advantage of their chances and gave their team an honorable finish after two opening losses. The whole squad saluted the boisterous Peruvian fans after the match, spending several moments near their sections in the stands. Australia's best chance to score came in the 27th minute when Tom Rogic made a run through the Peru defense and had his shot saved by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Peru almost added its third goal when Edison Flores' shot hit the post following a fast breakaway. GERMAN FA SUSPENDS 2 STAFF MEMBERS MERKEL WISHES GERMANY GOOD LUCK ENGLISH FANS RUSH TO RUSSIA BITTER LOSS MADE SWEDEN STRONGER' IRAN'S COACH SAYS VAR NOT WORKING

15 MUSCOB TES MOTION PICTURE Live on Sony Ten Network D efending champions Germany will go for the kill against South Korea to enter the FIFA World Cup pre-quarterfinals when they faceoff in their final Group F contest at the Kazan Arena here on Wednesday. Germany have three points from two games, while South Korea are currently last in Group F with two losses, but they still have a chance to advance to the Round of 16. If South Korea beat Germany and Sweden (three points) lose to Mexico (six points), then the three teams, excluding Mexico would be tied at one win and two losses, meaning the second and last position to qualify from the group will be down to goal difference, goal scored, head-to-head record and then fair play rules. Since FIFA has operated the World Cup with 32 teams, only Chile have advanced to the round of 16 after earning three points in the group stage. At the 1998 World Cup in France, Chile had three points from three draws and finished as the runners-up in Group B, reports Yonhap news agency. However, no team has passed the group stage after losing its first two matches at a World Cup with 32 nations. Even at the 2018 World Cup, those with two losses have all been denied entry to the knockout stage regardless of the last matches in their respective groups, with South Korea looking to become the only exception. Chances, however, appear to be very slim. Germany, four-time World Cup winners, are the top-ranked team in the world, while South Korea sit at only No 57 in the latest FIFA rankings. Germany lost their opener to Mexico but they kept their chances alive by a Toni Kroos' last-minute winner against Sweden. It could be a turning point for the reigning champions and that all their problems in build up to the World Cup and against Mexico (and the previous 94 minutes against Sweden) were swept away by that magnificent free kick. If that is the case, expect the Germans to hit top gear against a South Korean side that needs a miracle to qualify. South Korea will rely on the attacking prowess of Son Heung-min, who notched up the team's first goal in the tournament against Mexico on Saturday. Son is one of the players who is familiar with the Germans after having stints with German clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg before signing with London-based Tottenham Hotspur. South Korea are likely to stick to their familiar and try to bank on their counter-attacks using quick attackers like Son and Hwang Hee-chan. The question, however, will be whether South Korea can feed attackers with accurate passes and make quick transitions from defence to offence. South Korea will likely miss their captain and midfield control tower Ki Sung-yueng after he sustained a left calf injury during the match against Mexico. Ki's absence means South Korea will have to form a new combination in the central midfield. One possibility is starting Koo Jacheol, who is also familiar with German football after playing for clubs like FC Augsburg, Mainz and Wolfsburg. Jung Woo-young and Ju Se-jong are also central midfielders who can feature in the match. South Korea should have learned they should be more careful when defending in the box as they gave up opening goals to Sweden and Mexico on penalty kicks. Germany are known for their starstudded squad featuring Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Toni Kroos, but certain players will not feature against South Korea. Ozil was benched for the match against Sweden and it will be interesting whether Joachim Loew picks him this time. Germany will be without experienced centre-back Jerome Boateng, who was sent off during the match against Sweden. His partner Mats Hummels, however, has reportedly recovered from a neck injury and is looking to compete in the match. Boateng's absence is likely to be filled by Antonio Rudiger or Niklas Sule. Sebastian Rudy is also likely to miss the match after he suffered a broken nose from taking a stray cleat to the face from Sweden's Ola Toivonen on Saturday. Germany, however, can easily replace the Bayern Munich midfielder with players like Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira or Leon Goretzka. exico will aim to cement their place Mat the top of Group F while Sweden will battle for survival in what could be a tricky World Cup clash at the Ekaterinburg Arena here on Wednesday. Mexico have been one of the biggest attractions of this World Cup. They started their campaign in spectacular fashion, stunning defending champions Germany 1-0. A 2-1 win against South Korea in their next match strengthened their position at the top of the group. A draw will see them make sure of a berth in the next round and cement their status as group winners. Star striker Javier Hernandez became the first to score 50 goals in a Mexican jersey when he struck against South Korea -- his 104th international appearance. But the West Ham United star is not in a mood to celebrate that goal too much and is only focused on Wednesday's match "It meant only three points, and it wasn't even enough to secure our ticket. It was good to achieve the record but also because it was a distraction, now I can focus on the most important thing: helping the team reach the Round of 16," Hernandez was quoted as saying by FIFA.com. Mexico must play counter-attacking football and can switch from the to the formation according to the situation. Sweden however will not be a walkover. The team from northern Europe have a strong defence and are well organised in midfield. They gave the formidable Germans a tough time before Jimmy Durmaz conceded the foul that allowed Toni Kroos to score a dramatic late winner for the Live on Sony Ten Network defending champions. That denied the Swedes a chance to cement the second spot in the group. They will have to gather themselves once again for what should be yet another difficult contest. Sweden must win in order to make sure of a second round spot. In case of a draw or a loss, their chances will depend on whether South Korea manage to beat Germany in the other Group F match. That will be a difficult task for Sweden as they are primarily a defence minded team dependent on counter attacks. The Mexicans are also adept at counter attacks and the Europeans will have to be cautious. "We showed that we can match the reigning champions almost all the way to the end and that strengthens the selfconfidence. We will go into the match with a strong belief that we again can make a top performance. Mentally we are very very strong and with a belief in what we do," Sweden manager Janne Andersson was quoted as saying by FIFA.com. LUKAKU SKIPS BRLGIUM TRAINING GRANQVIST MAY HANG BOOTS AFTER WC razil will look to build on Btheir morale-boosting 2-0 win over Costa Rica and seal a berth in the knockout stages when they take the field in their final Group E match here on Wednesday. Brazil need just a draw to secure qualification for the last 16. For Serbia, a win would guarantee their progress although a draw could see them through if Switzerland lose to Costa Rica by more than one goal in the other group game. Pre-tournament favourites Live on Sony Ten Network Brazil haven't been at their best in the first two games, playing out a 1-1 draw against the Swiss and having to wait until injury time to finally secure the goals and the win against lowly Costa Rica. Although the manner of victory should give them a lot of confidence, coach Tite will know they need to up their game in all departments, more so with the talent in their ranks. Brazil are expected to be unchanged from the side that beat Costa Rica. The onus will again be on Neymar to lead a bunch of excellent footballers to a triumph. The five-time World Cup winners' most expensive player in the world has not lived up to the hype and broke down in tears after the last-gasp win the other day. Serbia, meanwhile, are coming into the game on the back of a deflating 1-2 loss to Switzerland. witzerland will be aiming for a pre- berth when they face the Squarterfinal already eliminated Costa Rica in a Group E tie here on Wednesday. A win or even a draw will be enough for Switzerland to book themselves a ticket for the knockout stages. Switzerland have four points the same as Brazil who are at the top of the table with a better goal difference. Serbia, who play Brazil at the same time, have three points. Costa Rica, on the other hand, will be looking to wrap up their 2018 FIFA World Cup journey with a victory after failing to enter the Round of 16. The Swiss side will be high on confidence after they held tournament favourites Brazil to a 1-1 draw before beating Serbia 2-1 on Friday. Vladimir Petkovic-coached Switzerland showed remarkable defensive solidity and enough potency in attack in their past two games to suggest that they might create problems for Costa Rica on Wednesday. For Switzerland, Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji are likely to play in central defence and there is a chance Johan Djourou could also start. Captain Stephen Lichtsteiner and Live on Sony Ten Network Ricardo Rodriguez will be the full backs with Granit Xhaka, Blerim Dz i and Valon Behrami in midfield. Up front Xherdan Shakiri, Steven Zuber and centre-forward Haris Seferovic will provide pace on the break. Switzerland midfielder Gelson Fernandes felt that it wouldn't be an easy outing for his team on Tuesday. "We know how much quality they have they will play with their hearts, it is their last game, they are proud to be in the World Cup," Fernandes said. Costa Rica, on their part, have nothing to lose and will be eyeing nothing but just a consolation win which might end Switzerland's run in the tournament. Quarter-finalists in the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Costa Rica have lost seven of their last nine matches and scored only five goals in the process. The Óscar Ramírez-coached side will have to come out with something special to stop a tough opponent. FIFA has fined three Swiss players for making hand gestures to celebrate goals in the last match, a 2-1 win over Serbia. The gestures seemed directed against the Balkan nation with many Swiss players having ties to the former Serbian province of Kosovo.Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami said "of course we are happy that nobody was suspended." Behrami has roots in Kosovo, but pushed the focus to Wednesday's match.

16 I t's the dress rehearsal before the the actual test but India would do well not to let the guard down when they take on a lowly but effervescent Ireland in a two-match T20 rubber, starting on Wednesday. The games will mark the onset of a long summer for the Indian team, with sterner tests against England to follow this short series in Malahide on the outskirts of Dublin. England have just hammered Australia in an ODI series and most of their top players are in sublime form. Perhaps it was a marker of this crucial impending assignment that India decided to stay on and practice in London on Monday. While the contingent had arrived from Delhi on Saturday, this was a first training session on-tour, held at the Merchants Taylor School cricket ground. Reportedly, the players were split into three groups while practicing all facets of the game. Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar headed the pace group along with allrounder Hardik Pandya, while a few others practised fielding drills. Among batsmen, openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed a first stint together. Skipper Virat Kohli and the in-form KL Rahul batted together in adjacent nets against spin and pace respectively. While Rahul has been a constant part of the T20I squad, Ajinkya Rahane's omission from the ODI squad means that he is once again a contender for the number four spot when the three-match series against England begins on July 12. Since the tour of South Africa, this is the first time a fullstrength Indian team will be seen in action. Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and MS Dhoni were rested for the T20 tri-series in Sri Lanka in March. The former trio also missed the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru recently. With Rahul in contention heir campaign off to a dream start with back-to-back wins, India Twould look to continue the giant-slaying spree when they take on world champions Australia in their third match of the FIH Champions Trophy hockey tournament, here on Wednesday. In pursuit of their maiden Champions Trophy title in the 37th and final edition of the event, the Indians could not have asked for a better start, mauling arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 before stunning world No 2 and reigning Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 in their opening two games. India are now leading the six-team standings with six points from two wins, just ahead of Australia (4 points). The top two teams in the round robin league will face each other in the summit clash on Sunday. The Commonwealth Games debacle behind them, the Indians came out with new vigour and purpose here under new chief coach Harendra Singh, who swapped roles with Sjoerd Marijne as the women's team coach. Under Harendra, who took over for the fourth time in his career, the Indian team looked a completely transformed side, desperate to make amends for the Gold Coast disaster. Preferring to field youth alongside experience, Harendra has managed to instill confidence among the players and it is evidently visible in India's impressive performances in the opening two games here. While the Indian strikers looked in imperious form, scoring brilliant field for a starting spot in the middle order, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik will be left jostling for two spots. As part of the full-strength Indian side, the three had featured in the T20 series against South Africa. Raina had been used as a pinch-hitting, aggressive number three option, but the current situation might warrant a re-think. Nevertheless, Raina provides a sixth bowling option as well. India would also not want to drop Dinesh Karthik, who is in sizzling form since March. It could mean that Pandey eventually warms the bench, despite scoring 255 runs in 8 T20Is this year against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at an average of 85. On the bowling front, Kohli will be tempted to field both legspinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, giving them an early taste of conditions here. However, the pace department is an area of concern, as the second-choice fast bowlers have not enjoyed enough game time. Since the 2017 Champions Trophy, India have played 32 ODIs and 18 T20Is, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah handling the new ball in 26 ODIs and 9 T20Is, respectively. Umesh Yadav last played an ODI in September 2017 against Australia at Bengaluru. Siddharth Kaul was in the Indian squad for the home ODIs against Sri Lanka in December, but was not picked ahead of Kumar-Bumrah. Kaul is also yet to make his T20I debut, while Yadav played his only T20I back in It remains to be seen if the think tank will bench either Kumar or Bumrah against Ireland to give other pacers some much needed overs. India and Ireland do not have a rich playing history. Despite touring England in 2011 and 2014, this is the Men in Blue's first visit here since 2007 when they played a solitary ODI at Belfast. Rohit, Dhoni and Karthik goals, the backline, the team's perennial concern, has also produced a stellar show and was rock solid against Pakistan and Argentina. Young Dilpreet Singh has been phenomenal upfront along side Mandeep Singh, SV Sunil and Lalit Upadhayay but Ramanadeep Singh will not take any further part in the tournament after fracturing his right knee in the opening match against Pakistan. He is set to return home. The seriousness of Ramandeep's injury was confirmed after an MRI scan, which means the striker could be out of action for a period of four to six months. The midfield, under the talismanic Sardar Singh, too rose to the occasion and has been building good link-ups with the forwards, resulting in the field goals. But the Kookaburras would not be easy to edge past given their record of rising to big challenges effortlessly. Australia drew 3-3 with Belgium before beating Pakistan 2-1 to garner four points. And when it comes to playing against India, they have always managed to be at their best. In fact, it is Australia against whom India lost in a shoot-out in the final of the last Champions Trophy in London. And that result would definitely be on the Indian players' minds when they take the turf on Wednesday. After facing Australia, India would take on Belgium on Thursday before drawing curtains to the round robin campaign with a match against hosts Netherlands on Saturday. were part of that squad, albeit Karthik was picked ahead of Dhoni in the playing eleven for that one-off game. Overall, India and Ireland have played only four times, in three ODIs (the other two during 2011 and 2015 ODI World Cups) and a T20I in 2009 during the World T20 in England. India had won that game at Nottingham by eight wickets with Rohit scoring an unbeaten half-century. Dhoni and Raina are the other 'current' members from that playing eleven nine years ago. For Ireland, skipper Gary Wilson, former captain William Porterfield and all-rounder Kevin O'Brien are the ones to have T20 experience against an Indian team. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Punjab-born off-spinner Simranjit Singh will enjoy the spotlight of playing against his erstwhile nation. INDIA: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul. IRELAND: Gary Wilson (c & wk), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Kevin O'Brien, William Porterfield, Stuart Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson.