- National

- Regional

- Science

- Edit

- Business

- Foreign

- Sports

- FR

National

- DGCA places SpiceJet under strict watch over ‘poor financial health’

- Supreme Court slams Telangana CM for his comments on Kavitha’s bail

- Nilgiris ration shops fortified to keep elephants, sloth bears at bay

- Actor-MLA Mukesh, 6 others booked in sexual abuse cases

- Aerial escape

- Pakistan invites Modi to attend SCO meet

- India, China hold 31st WMCC meeting to iron out issues

- FIA certificate mandatory for night street race in Chennai, orders HC

- Kharge slams Modi govt. over women’s safety, calls for a fear-free environment

- SC protects jobs of govt. employees whose castes, tribes were de-scheduled

- Alleged audio clips of calls from hospital to victim’s parents out

- NSA Ajit Doval arrives in Colombo on two-day visit

- Pakistan invites Modi to attend the SCO meet in Islamabad

- 3 terrorists killed in two operations in J&K: Army

- Assam law makes Muslim marriage registration must

- SHe-Box portal launched for women

- Brij Bhushan’s plea ‘oblique’, says HC; seeks detailed note

- A fearless author and lawyer who spoke truth to power

- Nadda tries to calm tempers in J&K unit ahead of election

- Kangana Ranaut meets Nadda after her remarks on farmers’ agitation

- Jharkhand Police deny spying on Champai Soren

- In House committee, JD(U) MP demands caste census debate

- Inform the public of government work, Modi tells Ministers

- Rahul Gandhi releases the teaser of ‘Bharat Dojo Yatra’

- J&K polls: 244 nominations cleared for the first phase

- EC calls for report on SP plaint on bias in postings

- Cong. slams BJP over list of rich people in the country

- Priyanka criticises U.P. govt.’s new digital media policy

- Submarine Arighaat set to add ballast to nuclear triad

- 14267

- Cong. gave Rahul ₹1.4 cr. for election expenses in Wayanad and Rae Bareli

- Union to organise campaign to restart MGNREGS in Bengal

- IMD warns of cyclone in Saurashtra, Bay of Bengal ‘depression’

- The effect of Rama nama

- Chhattisgarh: three alleged Naxalites killed in Bastar

- Southampton University to start campus in India

- DGCA suspends approval for Jamshedpur flying school

- Centre puts out four sets of draft rules under Telecom Act

- Decomposed body o Bangladesh leader’s decaying body found in Meghalaya

DGCA places SpiceJet under strict watch over ‘poor financial health’

Jagriti Chandra

NEW DELHI

Dubai airport refuses to check in passengers over delayed payments by airline ; aviation regulator plans to conduct more spot checks, night surveillance to ensure financial issues do not hit flight safety after an audit revealed ‘certain deficiencies’

On alert: The stand-off in Dubai forced SpiceJet to cancel some of the flights and fly empty aircraft back to India. File photo

India’s aviation safety regulator placed SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance on a day when the cash-strapped airline’s passengers were once again barred from checking in for their flights at the Dubai airport over delayed payments.

The move by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will entail increased spot checks as well as night surveillance to ensure that the airline’s poor financial health does not impact flight safety, a senior DGCA official said. He added that a special audit of the airline’s engineering facilities was conducted on August 7 and 8, revealing “certain deficiencies”.

The stand-off at the Dubai airport forced the airline to cancel some of the 11 flights it operates to Dubai daily, and fly empty aircraft back to India.

Industry sources said that the cancellations were due to delayed payments to ground-handling service provider Dnata, which told SpiceJet that they could either provide passenger facilitation or fuel. Since the airline wanted to utilise the aircraft for other flights as well, it decided to fly the aircraft back to India in an empty state.

“Due to operational reasons, a few SpiceJet flights from Dubai were cancelled. Affected passengers have been accommodated on subsequent SpiceJet flights, on other airlines, or provided with a full refund,” SpiceJet said in a statement, adding that all its flights from Dubai were now operating as planned.

The airline’s passengers at Dubai have been affected on multiple occasions in the recent past, but people in the know said these incidents had become more common over the last week. Commenting on the Thursday incident, a senior official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation said: “We are monitoring SpiceJet.”

The official added that the airline was going through a “challenging time”, referring to its poor financial health.

On August 12, Mumbai airport had issued an advisory to SpiceJet’s passengers about a likely disruption to their flights. The advisory was later withdrawn. Most domestic airports have placed SpiceJet under cash-and-carry restrictions, to ensure that the airline pays its dues in advance before flight departure is permitted.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet employees are upset over the airline’s failure to pay their salaries for two months.

In Guwahati, nearly 80 loaders, drivers, and cleaners refused to report for duty for the second day in a row on Thursday and held a demonstration outside the airport to protest the delay. Later in the evening, the airline released July’s salary for some of them.

“We earn a meagre ₹15,000 per month which the airline is unable to pay us ,” said one staff member from Guwahati on the condition of anonymity.

Another senior engineer wrote to The Hindu about his junior colleagues being forced to work as delivery agents to make ends meet.

Supreme Court slams Telangana CM for his comments on Kavitha’s bail

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

1 of 2

2 of 2 We are not bothered about which party politicians belong to… We are not bothered by politicians’ criticism of our orders. We do our duty as per the Constitution Justice B.R. GavaiSupreme Court judge

The Supreme Court on Thursday accused Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of making “irresponsible” comments amounting to “casting aspersions” on the court for granting bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case.

Mr. Reddy is reported in the media to have said that Ms. Kavitha got bail because of a deal between the BRS and the BJP. Other Congress and BJP leaders had also issued statements.

“Do we pass our orders in consultation with political parties? We are not bothered about which party politicians belong to… We are not bothered by politicians’ criticism of our orders. We do our duty as per the Constitution and our oath,” Justice B.R. Gavai addressed senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Mr. Reddy.

Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy and advocate Sravan Kumar appeared for the State of Telangana.

Justice K.V. Viswanathan, on the Bench, said a sense of mutual respect was as important as maintaining an arm’s length among the three organs of governance.

Both judges were on the Bench which gave Ms. Kavitha bail on Tuesday.

On Thursday Justices Gavai and Viswanathan, this time sitting in a three-judge combination with Justice P.K. Mishra, were hearing a petition filed by BRS MLA Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy to shift the trial in the 2015 cash-for-vote case, in which the Chief Minister is a prime accused, to a State outside Telangana.

The Bench, pointing to media reports of Mr. Revanth’s comments, accused him of challenging the authority of the Supreme Court.

In his turn, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for Mr. Jagadish Reddy, said Mr. Revanth had earlier threatened the investigating officers in the cash-for-vote case. Mr. Naidu said Mr. Revanth was “both prosecutor and accused in the case”.

He said if Mr. Revanth had the “audacity” to challenge the Supreme Court orders, one could imagine what he would do during trial court proceedings within the State of Telangana.

Mr. Rohatgi urged the court to give him time to speak to the Chief Minister. He successfully asked the court to defer the case to September 2.

Ration shops in the Nilgiris fortified to keep elephants and bears at bay

Rohan Premkumar

UDHAGAMANDALAM

Safety net: The fair price shop in Masinagudi has been remodelled with a three-tier security system.SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Wild elephants and sloth bears raiding fair price shops in the Nilgiris have given officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department food for thought.

Much like the rice-loving wild elephant Arikomban, which frequented ration shops in Kerala, these animals have been shoplifting, forcing the authorities to create a three-layer security to keep the granaries and godowns safe.

Joint Registrar of the Cooperative Societies (Nilgiris district), R. Dhayalan, said that in the past few years, fair price shops across the Nilgiris, especially in parts of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), have been damaged by elephants looking for rice and other edibles.

“At the fair price shop in Masinagudi, there have been three break-ins in the last few years, putting people and local wildlife at risk,” said Mr. Dhayalan. The shop in Masinagudi, managed by the Nilgiris Cooperative Enterprises, has been remodelled with a three-tier security system, designed to deter elephants. Apart from a hanging electric fence, the shop has stairs surrounded by a steel fence that can be closed after working hours. Officials hope that this will prevent elephants from gaining access to the store’s entrance, which has a reinforced rolling shutter. The shop has a warning sign to ensure that locals don’t accidentally get electrocuted, officials added.

There are plans to remodel the fair price shop in Vazhaithottam in the MTR buffer zone, as well as a few shops located near forested areas in the Nilgiris forest division. Sloth bears break into shops in Sholada, Halakkarai and Emerald. Mr. Dhayalan said the new rolling shutters would prevent such break-ins.

Welcome move

Forest Department officials welcomed the move.

“Keeping fair price shops off-limits for the wildlife will mean that there will be one less reason for them to enter human habitation. This will mean fewer negative interactions between humans and animals,” said a senior Forest Department official from the Nilgiris.

Actor-MLA Mukesh, 6 others booked in sexual abuse cases

The Hindu Bureau

KOCHI/Thiruvananthapuram

Police personnel deployed in front of the AMMA office in Ernakulam on Thursday. H VIBHU

The Kerala Police on Thursday registered cases against seven persons, including actor-legislator M. Mukesh, in connection with the sexual harassment allegations levelled by a woman actor in the wake of the release of the Justice K. Hema Committee report.

Six cases were registered in Ernakulam district and one was filed n Thiruvananthapuram.

The first information report against Mr. Mukesh, an MLA from the ruling CPI(M), was registered under Section 376 (rape), which is a non-bailable offence, Section 354 (assault or criminal force to women with intent to outrage her modesty), and 509 (insult the modesty of a woman by word, sound, gesture or object) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The District and Sessions Court, Ernakulam, directed the investigation officer on Thursday not to arrest him till September 3 after noting that there was no chance of him “fleeing from the clutches of law”.

The order came on an anticipatory bail plea moved by the actor, who submitted that he was ready to cooperate with the investigation and to appear before the investigation officer.

Actor and former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) Edavela Babu too was booked on the same charges. V.S. Chandrasekharan, who stepped down as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee legal aid cell chairman and president of the Lawyers’ Congress State committee, was booked under IPC Sections 376 (rape) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). Actor and former office-bearer of AMMA, Maniyanpilla Raju, and production controller Noble have been booked under IPC Sections 354 and 509.

These five accused are among the seven named by the actor in as many petitions filed with the special investigation team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Ajeetha Begum. Following this, a team of the SIT led by Ms. Begum recorded the statement of the petitioner at her apartment on Wednesday. The police also registered an FIR against a production controller identified as Vichu.

Actor Jayasurya has been booked for allegedly sexually harassing a female artist at the State Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram during a film shoot several years ago.

The Kerala Police have reportedly moved the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thiruvananthapuram, to record the statement of an artist who publicly accused actor Siddique of raping her.

Aerial escape

Water world: Men sitting in an Indian Coast Guard helicopter winch cradle during a rescue operation in the flood-affected Porbandar and Devbhoomi Dwarka districts of Gujarat on Thursday. People were stranded on rooftops and makeshift structures. ani (related report: page 6)

Pakistan invites Modi to attend SCO meet

Press Trust of India

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Thursday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of Government meeting.

Pakistan holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and will be hosting the two-day in-person SCO Heads of Governments Meeting in October.

India, China hold 31st WMCC meeting to iron out issues

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The two countries agree for intensified contact to narrow down differences, find resolution to issues; India reiterates that respect for LAC is essential for restoration of normalcy in bilateral ties

Peace pact: Both sides decided to ‘jointly uphold’ peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas.AFP

India and China had a “frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views” on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to “narrow down the differences” and find an “early resolution” of the outstanding issues, at the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in Beijing on Thursday, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The meeting comes within a month of the 30th WMCC meeting held on July 31 though the Corps Commander-level military talks were not held between the two meetings.

“In line with the guidance provided by two Foreign Ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024 to accelerate their discussion, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month, the two sides had a frank, constructive, and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the LAC to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of outstanding issues. For this, they further agreed for intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels,” the statement said.

The Indian delegation was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA, while the Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary & Ocean Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both sides decided to “jointly uphold” peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two governments. “It was reiterated that restoration of peace and tranquility, and respect for the LAC are the essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the MEA said.

Diplomatic efforts

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have met twice in the last two months, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan in July, and again last week at Vientiane in Laos. They highlighted the need to resolve the four-year-old military standoff at the LAC with “purpose and urgency”. The two countries have been holding the Corps Commander-level and WMCC talks, as part of efforts to resolve the stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

FIA certificate mandatory for night street race in Chennai, orders HC

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

Street race circuit created around the Island Groundsin Chennai.

The Madras High Court on Thursday gave the green light for the conduct of India’s first Formula 4 night street race on a 3.7-km circuit created on four public roads around the Island Grounds in Chennai on Saturday and Sunday, subject to grant of Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) homologation certificate.

The First Division Bench of the Acting Chief Justice (ACJ), D. Krishnakumar, and Justice P.B. Balaji ordered that the FIA certificate must be obtained on or before noon on Saturday since Advocate-General P.S. Raman submitted that it is generally issued by FIA officials only a few hours before a racing event starts.

The judges made it clear that the car race should not be conducted if the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) as well as Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL), which holds the licence for Formula 4 races, fail to obtain the FIA certificate within the time stipulated by the court.

The Bench ordered that a copy of the certificate should also be mailed to senior counsel V. Raghavachari and advocate Sunny Sheen Akara representing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson A.N.R. Prasad, who had filed a public interest litigation petition to restrain SDAT as well as RPPL from conducting the race.

Also taking note of an affidavit filed by V. Baskaran, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East), on the proposed traffic diversions in the city during the event, the judges directed the police to ensure free flow of traffic on the diverted routes without causing any inconvenience to the motorists.

State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohamed Jinnah told the court that a formidable police team — comprising three Deputy Commissioners, five Assistant Commissioners, 16 Inspectors, 35 Sub-Inspectors, and 86 constables — would be posted in the inner peripheral area of the event.

Further, taking note of another affidavit filed by the Director of Medical Education and Research with respect to accessing the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital at Omandurar Government Estate, the court ordered that patients should not be put to incovenience.

Kharge slams Modi govt. over women’s safety, calls for a fear-free environment

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Mallikarjun Kharge

Hitting out at the Centre over the issue of women’s safety, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talked about the issue many times in his speeches from the Red Fort, but his government had done little to prevent crimes against women.

Mr. Kharge’s comment comes a day after President Droupadi Murmu made a rare public statement on the rape and murder of a young doctor at the West Bengal government-run R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

He said that crimes against women were a serious issue, and preventing them was a challenge for the country. “We all have to unite and find solutions to this by taking along every section of society,” Mr. Kharge said in a post on X.

“... Women need safety, not protection. Every hour, 43 crimes against women are recorded in the country. Every day, 22 crimes are registered against women and children of the most vulnerable Dalit-tribal class of our country. There are countless crimes that are not even registered — out of fear, intimidation, social reasons,” he said.

Mr. Kharge said the government had not done anything concrete in the past 10 years to curb crimes against women. “On the contrary, his party has also assassinated the character of the victim many times, which is shameful,” he said. “Has our criminal justice system improved? Are the exploited and deprived sections of society now able to live in a safe environment?” he asked.

Mr. Kharge said that when the Nirbhaya incident took place in Delhi in 2012, the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee had been implemented, and asked if the recommendations were being fully implemented now.

Mr. Kharge asked if a fear-free environment for women existed at the workplace based on the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act passed in 2013.

“The Constitution has given equal status to women. Now the time has come for us to take every step that can ensure a fear-free environment for women,” he said.

SC protects jobs of govt. employees whose castes, tribes were de-scheduled

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Thursday protected the jobs of government and bank staffers who got employment on Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe certificates, but whose castes and tribes were later de-scheduled.

The judgment by a Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta concerned employees of Canara Bank, Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd., and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. who had secured jobs between 1978 and 1987 based on caste certificates issued by Karnataka.

These certificates were invalidated after the Supreme Court’s 2001 ruling in State of Maharashtra v Milind that only Parliament can modify Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe lists under Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution.

The key issue raised by the petitioners, represented by advocates K.V. Dhananjay and A. Velan, was whether employees who joined services based on SC/ST certificates issued by the Karnataka government could retain their positions after the caste/tribe was de-scheduled.

The petitioners asked the court to examine the validity and applicability of Karnataka government circulars of March 11, 2002 and March 29, 2003 protecting these employees. The effect of the Ministry of Finance’s communication of August 17, 2005 endorsing the Karnataka government’s approach also came under judicial scrutiny in the case. Justice Mehta, who authored the verdict, held that the jobs of the employees must be protected as they had obtained the certificates without misrepresentation and following due process under then-prevailing State circulars.

It upheld Karnataka government circulars that aimed to protect such employees. The court, however, clarified that the employees would not be entitled to any future SC/ST category benefits.

Alleged audio clips of calls from hospital to victim’s parents out

Shiv Sahay Singh

KOLKATA

People protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, in Kolkata, on Thursday.

Audio recordings of phone calls allegedly made by authorities of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata to the parents of the doctor who was raped and murdered surfaced on social media on Thursday sparking allegations that the hospital authorities had not only peddled disinformation but were insensitive to the bereaved patients.

Three audio clips were aired by a television news channel, which contains voices of the parents of the deceased doctor and a hospital official.

In the first two conversations, the hospital official is heard informing the parents that their daughter was very ill and they should come to the hospital immediately. In the third and final clip, the caller who identified herself as the assistant superintendent of the hospital says, “Yes, please listen… we were repeatedly telling you before… your daughter… may have… died by suicide… or, she may have passed away. The police are here. We are calling you to ask you to come down quickly”.

The Hindu has not independently verified the authenticity of the audio clips, and neither the parents of the victim nor the hospital authorities have said that the audio clips were fake.

Indrani Mukherjee, Deputy Commissioner of Central Division of Kolkata Police, said the audio clips prove that the Kolkata Police did not say that the death was due to suicide.

NSA Ajit Doval arrives in Colombo on two-day visit

Meera Srinivasan

COLOMBO

National Security Adviser (NSA)AjitK.Doval arrived in Colombo on Thursday morning, official sources told The Hindu, to follow up on the ongoing Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) initiative.

He is also scheduled to meet with political leaders in Colombo.

There is no official statement so far on Mr. Doval’s visit, which is taking place three weeks before Sri Lanka’s Presidential elections, scheduled for September 21.

Colombo-based sources from different political parties confirmed they were invited for meetings with the top Indian official.

To review deliberations

During his visit, Mr. Doval is scheduled to review deliberations of the conclave, a regional initiative, that began as a trilateral effort among India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. It has since expanded to include Mauritius and Bangladesh as members, and the Seychelles as an observer.

The sixth NSA-level meeting was hosted by Mauritius in December 2023, and the next meeting of the security chiefs will be held in India later this year, according to a Ministry of External Affairsstatement issued last month.

On July 10, the eighth Deputy NSA-level meeting of the CSC took place virtually.

India, Mauritius, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka welcomed Bangladesh as the fifth member state of the grouping set up to counter China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean Region. The Seychelles participated as an observer.

Pakistan invites Modi to attend the SCO meet in Islamabad

Press Trust of India

ISLAMABAD

Narendra Modi

Pakistan on Thursday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of Government meeting to be held here in October.

Pakistan holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and in that capacity, will be hosting the two-day in-person SCO Heads of Governments Meeting in October.

“Invitations have been sent to the heads of countries to participate in the meeting which will take place on October 15-16. An invitation has also been sent to the Prime Minister of India Narendra ,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a press briefing.

Some countries have confirmed participation, which will be informed to the public soon, she said.

When asked about ties with India, the spokesperson said: “Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India.” The Islamabad summit meeting will be preceded by a Ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings focused on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member States.

The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is an influential economic and security bloc that has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

3 terrorists killed in two operations in J&K: Army

Press Trust of India

Rajouri/Jammu

Three terrorists have been killed in two separate anti-infiltration operations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, the Army said on Thursday. Operations in the Machhal and Tangdhar areas were launched on Wednesday.

In a post on X, the Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said, “Based on intelligence inputs with respect to likely infiltration bids, a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police on the intervening night of August 28 and 29 in the general area Machhal, Kupwara.” “Suspicious movement was observed in bad weather and was engaged with effective firing by troops; two terrorists are likely to have been neutralised,” it said. The Army said another terrorist is believed to have been killed in an operation along the LoC in the Tangdhar area.

‘Muslim marriage registration is compulsory’

The Hindu Bureau

Guwahati

The 126-member Assam Assembly on Thursday passed a Bill to make the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces with the government compulsory.

The Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024, will replace the British-era Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935.

Terming the Bill historic, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government aimedto do away with the Qazi system, apart from preventing child marriage among Muslims.

“This Act will now make it mandatory to register marriages with the government and cannot contravene the legal age of marriage of 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. It will also act as a strict deterrent against teenage pregnancy and improve the overall growth of girls,” he said.

SHe-Box portal launched for women

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched SHe-Box, a centralised portal for registering and monitoring complaints of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

It serves as a centralised repository of information related to Internal Committees (ICs) and Local Committees (LCs) formed, encompassing both the government and private sectors.

It offers a common platform to file complaints, track their status, and ensure a time-bound processing of complaint by ICs. It also provides assured redressal of complaints and a streamlined process.

“This initiative is a critical step forward in providing a more efficient and secure platform for addressing workplace-related sexual harassment complaints,” Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi said.

Brij Bhushan’s plea ‘oblique’, says HC; seeks detailed note

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court on Thursday took exception to former Wrestling Federation of India chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s filing of a single petition against the order framing charges against him, and also seeking the quashing of the FIR, chargesheet and other proceedings in a sexual harassment case.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna termed the petition “oblique”.

She told Mr. Singh to submit a detailed note outlining each complaint against him, specifying the instances of the alleged offence, and providing the grounds for challenging each complaint. The judge posted the case for further hearing on September 26.

A fearless author and lawyer who spoke truth to power

Ziya Us Salam

One of India’s finest intellectuals, Abdul Ghafoor Noorani, a renowned Constitutional expert, distinguished lawyer, and political analyst, is no more.

Ailing for a long time, Noorani, or Ghafoor bhai, as his friends called him, was laid to rest at a cemetery in Mumbai after Isha prayers. He was 94. Not one to call it quits, he was in the process of putting together a fresh book on the Supreme Court’s Babri Masjid verdict, when death snatched him away.

A trained lawyer, he began his writing career in the early 1960s. He wrote long and passionately. Fearless and fair, he spoke truth to power. He called Narendra Modi the “Tughlaq” of our times for his Central Vista project in 2020 just as he had equated Indira Gandhi’s actions with those of Adolf Hitler when writing about the Emergency. Likewise, on the jacket of his book, The RSS: A Menace to India, he made bold to reproduce Jawaharlal Nehru’s quote on the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, writing, “It would appear that the declared objectives [of the RSS] have little to do with the real ones…these real objectives appear completely opposed to the decisions of the Indian Parliament…and the Constitution of India.”

An authority on the Kashmir affairs, his views were equally profound on the Ayodhya mosque-temple dispute about which he did three books besides scores of columns over the years. Equally, he could quote any Article of the Constitution with natural ease and often drew parallels with the Constitution of other countries in his writings. He was not a trained historian, but his facts were seldom disputed, and his interpretations widely debated.

Feared in legal circles and respected on the literary circuit, Noorani was a no-nonsense man who suffered no fools. Equally, he never forgot a good deed. Having written for long for dailies such as The Statesman and The Indian Express besides Dawn in Pakistan, Noorani was a columnist for The Hindu’s sister publication, Frontline, for a little over three decades before infirmities of advancing years made it increasingly difficult for him to put pen to paper for the widely read column. The column was often a mirror to India’s unending battles with its history and politics. Often running to about 3,000 words, when the issue overtook him, he let his pen flow like a river in the mountains. Then he wrote even 5,000 words on the subject.

An old timer, he used to do his column with a pen before getting his written words typed into neat sheets by a stenographer in Mumbai which were then faxed to the magazine’s office. His house was a book lover’s delight as was his library of newspaper clippings. Painstakingly, he used to first mark the articles of interest in the morning before neatly making the clippings and filing them according to the subject. Over the years, the files got overloaded, but he never once forgot about the placement of a particular file. He never used a writing table and did his writing sitting on his cot, surrounded with hundreds of books, and many cushions. For decades, he didn’t use a computer.

Not a great practitioner of field research, he read extensively, and quoted with generosity and accuracy. A devout Muslim who would not entertain visitors during his prayer time, he was a unique mixture of abiding humility and occasional fits of temper. Proud of his membership of the Gymkhana Club in Mumbai and the India International Centre in New Delhi where he used to stay only in room number 38, he had his eccentricities. Once on a flight, he was asked by the cabin attendant about his food preference, and he blurted out, “Anti-veg!” Indeed, he was a lover of food. He would read about food and make mental notes about going to a certain restaurant and even roadside eateries. In Delhi, he would often take a cycle rickshaw to the bylanes of old Delhi looking for a particular gola kabab or qorma.

Born in Bombay, he spent much of his life in the city where his unique wit, rare intellect and profound knowledge of Constitutional matters made him a man everybody looked up to. Even political leaders like Farooq Abdullah and Asaduddin Owaisi paid their respects to him.

Nadda tries to calm tempers in J&K unit ahead of election

Nistula Hebbar

NEW DELHI

A list of candidates for the Assembly polls was released ‘precipitately’ , sparking anger among senior leaders who have not been named, including two Deputy CMs and the State party chief

In support: BJP workers protest outside the party office in Jammu after the second and third list of candidates were released. ANI ANI

BJP president J.P. Nadda on Thursday dialled senior leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the party to calm tempers after several of them were left out of the three candidate lists released by the party for the Assembly election in the Union Territory.

Some leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, have not been given ticket. Candidates for seats that former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta and even State unit chief Ravinder Raina contested in the past have not been announced yet.

Rescinded list

On Monday, the BJP released a list of 44 candidates for seats across the three phases of polling, but then rescinded that list as it was “not supposed to be released altogether”. This rescinded list gave the first inkling to senior leaders and other aspirants that they would not be included, which led to protests and sloganeering in front of the local office of the BJP in Jammu.

“That list had been released precipitately, before these leaders had been taken into confidence over their being dropped. Which is why the list was withdrawn and then released piecemeal,” a senior BJP office-bearer said.

The official list of candidates released by the party so far have largely kept to the “original” rescinded list, with only one change for the Mata Vaishnodevi seat, where Rohit Dubey was replaced by Baldev Raj Sharma.

Building unity

Following this, Mr. Nadda spoke with senior leaders in J&K and tried to calm things down.

Ram Madhav, the newly appointed poll in-charge for J&K, then went on a charm offensive in Jammu, and met with aggrieved aspirants trying to get all the local units together to face the election with a united front.

In 2014, the last time Assembly polls were held in J&K, the BJP won 25 seats in Jammu, and it is the main catchment area for seats for the party. Following the reading down of Article 370 of the Constitution granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and making J&K a Union Territory without Ladakh, a new delimitation of Assembly constituencies was done. Now, 43 seats are accorded to Jammu alone, out of the 90 Assembly constituencies.

Polls will be held in three phases, on September 18 and 25 and October 1, with the counting and the announcement of results scheduled for October 4.

Kangana Ranaut meets Nadda after her remarks on farmers’ agitation

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Kangana RanautANI

Days after she was reprimanded for her controversial remarks on the farmers’ protest, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut met party president J.P. Nadda at his residence in New Delhi on Thursday.

This is the second time that Ms. Ranaut has met the BJP president since she stirred a controversy earlier this week with her disparaging remarks on the farmers’ agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws.

Ms. Ranaut had recently posted a clip from an interview to a media house in which she had suggested that a “Bangladesh-like situation” could have erupted in India during the farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws (later rolled back) but for the country’s strong leadership. She alleged that “bodies were hanging and rapes were taking place during the farmers’ protest”.

Ms. Ranaut’s comments had drawn criticism from all quarters, including the Opposition Congress and the farmers’ union Samyukta Kisan Morcha. The BJP had then released a statement distancing itself from Ms. Ranaut’s remarks, adding that she was not authorised to speak on policy issues. She alleged the involvement of China and the U.S. in the “conspiracy”, drawing flak from the Opposition parties.

The controversy around Ms. Ranaut’s remarks took an unseemly turn on Thursday, with objectionable remarks made against her by former MP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Amritsar president Simranjit Singh Mann.

Mr. Mann, 79, made the disparaging remarks when a reporter in Karnal asked him to comment on an interview given by Ms. Ranaut. He said that Ms. Ranaut could comment on “rapes” as she had knowledge of the crime.

Mr. Nadda’s meeting with Ms. Ranaut was in the way of reiterating the BJP’s view on such remarks, and to ensure that the reprimand would be taken as such and party discipline maintained.

Mr. Mann’s statement, however, has added fuel to the controversy, with Ms. Ranaut reacting sharply.

(With PTI inputs)

Jharkhand Police deny spying on Champai Soren

Amit Bhelari

Patna

Champai SorenANI

Former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Champai Soren on Thursday resigned as MLA and Minister in the Jharkhand Cabinet.

The former Chief Minister had resigned from the JMM on Wednesday. Mr. Champai, who represented the Seraikela seat, is set to join the BJP on Friday.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren recommended Ghatshila JMM MLA Ramdas Soren to be inducted into the Cabinet in his place.

The Jharkhand Police on Thursday issued a press note stating that the two Special Branch officials who were questioned by the Delhi Police for allegedly spying on Mr. Champai were on duty. The police denied any spying attempt.

“Traditionally the team of Special Branch in Delhi and other States has been collecting intelligence on important political, economic and social issues related to Jharkhand. Two sub-inspectors of Jharkhand Police in Delhi got caught in a misunderstanding during their duty. Through some mediums, the news is being circulated that a particular person was being monitored. In fact, both were deputed there for security arrangements. After the facts became clear, both the police officers were released. The matter of spying on someone by the team of the Special Branch is wrong,” the statement issued by the Jharkhand Police headquarters media cell read.

In House committee, JD(U) MP demands caste census debate

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Giridhari YadavANI

The Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes, in its first meeting called to decide the agenda for the year ahead, has picked “caste census” as one of the subjects that it will be deliberating on, after demand from several Opposition members who were supported by Janata Dal(U) MP Giridhari Yadav.

So far, the BJP ally JD(U), which occupies two berths in the Council of Ministers, has not strongly pushed for it.

According to sources, a list of 30 subjects were placed before the panel during the meeting.

DMK MP T.R. Baalu, was the first person to flag the need for a threadbare debate on caste census. He was backed by Congress MP Manickam Tagore.

It is learnt that Mr. Tagore said the committee must seek an explanation from the Home Ministry on the status of preparations for the long-anticipated decadal census, which will pave way for a caste count too. He was backed by Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee.

The Bihar example

Mr. Yadav, while giving the example of Bihar, where the government carried out a successful count and published the findings, said there is a need to carry out the exercise across the country. The JD(U) MP advocated for the panel to take the issue for in depth evaluation.

Inform the public of government work, Modi tells Ministers

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the first full interaction with the Council of Ministers in his third term on Wednesday, deputed Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya of the BJP and Rammohan Naidu of the TDP to liaise with ministerial colleagues on their 100-day agenda, and said the public should be informed of government work even while it is taken up.

“Reform, transform, perform, and now inform,” was the message that Mr. Modi reportedly gave to the Ministers.

While the first three parts of this message had been spoken about by the Prime Minister on multiple occasions, the part about informing the public is new, possibly reflecting new political realities following the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Prime Minister said that various avenues of communication need to be tapped on these matters. Apart from deputing Mr. Mandaviya and Mr. Naidu for the 100-day agenda of the government, the meeting saw the outgoing Cabinet Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, making a presentation on the 73 decisions taken by the third Modi government in the first 85 days of its existence.

“We need to talk not just of the work, but also the pace of the work being done,” said the Prime Minister.

These meetings with the full Council of Ministers were a regular feature in the last two governments of Mr. Modi.

Rahul Gandhi releases the teaser of ‘Bharat Dojo Yatra’

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday shared a martial arts video from one of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra campsites along with a teaser — ‘Bharat Dojo Yatra is coming soon’. A dojo is a training hall or school for martial arts. “Our goal was to introduce these young minds to the beauty of the ‘Gentle Art’ a harmonious blend of meditation, Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, and non-violent conflict resolution techniques,” Mr. Gandhi said.

J&K polls: 244 nominations cleared for the first phase

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Out of the 279 nominations filed for the first phase of the Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir, 244 were found valid and 35 were rejected, the Election of Commission of India (EC) said on Thursday.

The nominations for the first phase, in which 24 constituencies in seven districts are going to the polls, were scrutinised on Wednesday. According to the election notification, candidates can withdraw nominations till August 30, before 3 p.m., at the office of the respective returning officers.

More than 23.27 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase scheduled on September 18.

On Thursday, the EC issued the notification for the second phase of the Assembly election for which voting will be held on September 25 in 26 constituencies. Nominations will be accepted till September 5 and will be scrutinised the next day.

EC calls for report on SP plaint on bias in postings

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Election Commission (EC) has sought a detailed report from the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh on allegations made by the Samajwadi Party (SP) of bias in posting of officials belonging to certain communities ahead of the Assembly byelections in the State.

The SP on Wednesday complained to the commission that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was removing police and civil administration officials and booth-level officers from Muslim and Yadav communities from the districts where the byelections will be held.

Sources said that the poll body has sought a detailed report from the CEO, including information on which the BLOs were shifted after the Lok Sabha election, and the reasons for their transfers.

SP leader Ramgopal Yadav told presspersons that Yadav and Muslim communities were known to be party supporters.

Cong. slams BJP over list of rich people in the country

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Congress on Thursday said that the “billionaire raj” under the Narendra Modi government was more unequal than the British Raj, referring to the findings of a new list of rich people in the country.

Sharing a news report on the Hurun India Rich List, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “India has had one billionaire for every five days in 2023, and the non-biological Prime Minister’s closest friend is the foremost among them all.”

The 2024 Hurun India Rich List announced Gautam Adani as the richest Indian, replacing Mukesh Ambani.

“Modi’s Billionaire Raj is more unequal than even the British Raj. But it is also the cornerstone of the government’s economic policy-making,” Mr. Ramesh added.

Priyanka criticises U.P. govt.’s new digital media policy

Congress general secretary and former Uttar Pradesh in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday targeted the Uttar Pradesh government over the State’s new digital media policy, which stresses paid promotions, describing it as an attempt at “crushing” democracy. “Will say what you like, if you call day as night, it will be night. In which category will the voices of women seeking justice fall in the social media policy of the Uttar Pradesh government?...,” Ms. Gandhi said in post on X.

Submarine

Dinakar Peri

NEW DELHI

It is India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine; ‘technological advancements undertaken indigenously make it significantly more advanced than its predecessor, Arihant’

INS Arighaat was commissioned into service in Visakhapatnam in the presence of Rajnath Singh.ANI ANI

India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arighaat, was commissioned into service at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday. It joins the first such submarine, INS Arihant, which was commissioned in 2016.

“The Arighaat will further strengthen India’s nuclear triad, enhance nuclear deterrence, establish strategic balance and peace and play a decisive role in the country’s security,” Mr. Singh said at the induction ceremony.

The technological advancements undertaken indigenously on this submarine make it significantly more advanced than its predecessor, Arihant, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The presence of both INS Arihant and INS Arighaat will enhance India’s capability to deter potential adversaries and safeguard its national interests, it added.

As reported earlier by The Hindu, INS Arihant was quietly commissioned into service in August 2016. It has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes and is powered by an 83-MW pressurised light-water reactor with enriched uranium. INS Arighaat retains the same reactor and dimensions, but has several technological upgrades.

“It has the distinction of having the indigenous systems and equipment which were conceptualised, designed, manufactured and integrated by Indian scientists, industry and Naval personnel,” the Ministry statement said.

The completion of the nuclear triad was announced in November 2018, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on social media that INS Arihant had returned from its first deterrence patrol. The advanced technology project began in the 1980s and its first product, Arihant, was launched in 2009 by the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and eventually commissioned in 2016.

The third of these submarines, which is at an advanced stage of construction, is set to be larger and more capable than the current two.

Nuclear deterrence

INS Arihant is armed with a 750-km-range K-15 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), while a 3,500-km-range SLBM K-4 is under development, having been tested for the first time in 2020. The K4 will become the mainstay of India’s undersea nuclear deterrence, as it gives the stand-off capability to launch nuclear weapons while submerged in Indian waters.

(set by Vidwan)

1 of 4

2 of 4

3 of 4

4 of 4 Scan to play

Across

8 We drove the nanny mad occasionally (15)

9 ILO and OPEC's output (5,3)

10 Stale like some cold hate (3-3)

11 Stray behind devil's army, time for enrichment! (11)

16 Be patient! This cannot be an instruction to a male stripper! (4,4,5,2)

18 John's work at emergency room, fill up time! (5,6)

21 Coil space - time for mass (6)

23 Despot's gold going to cold traitor (8)

25 Model has cake mixed with harmful medicine, calms down (15)

Down

1 I've orders, perhaps for repeals (9)

2 Stepped back, right inside circle (4)

3 Completely on to it! Drunk! (2,4)

4 Alpha wolf is partly missing in action? (4)

5 One often turns cold and hot for data transfer systems (8)

6 Spot investigation! No conclusion! (4)

7 Untamed, tortuous fear of first love! (5)

12 Father with fruit (5)

13 Wrongdoing, queen runs with gold (5)

14 Ooh! These words can be smoother! (5)

15 Foreign Office flat-out played foul (9)

17 At length, they covered Western Australia in transit (2,3,3)

19 Extremely enjoyable time at the French base (6)

20 Power of sun? No sun for this cold region! (5)

22 Some manure, also used as animal feed (4)

23 Hurt during stomach exercises (4)

24 Manage company with empty purse (4)

Cong. gave Rahul ₹1.4 cr. for election expenses in Wayanad and Rae Bareli

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Rahul Gandhi had won from both seats, but retained Rae Bareli. AICC ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who fought the Lok Sabha election from Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh got ₹1.4 crore, or ₹70 lakh for each constituency, to meet election expenses from the party.

Mr. Gandhi won both seats, but retained Rae Bareli.

The leaders who got ₹70 lakh for their constituencies included Kishori Lal Sharma, who defeated Union Minister Smriti Irani from Amethi, K.C. Venugopal (Alappuzha in Kerala), Manickam Tagore (Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu), Radhakrishna (Gulbarga in Karnataka) and Vijay Inder Singla (Anandpur Sahib in Punjab), says the Part Expenditure Statement for the Lok Sabha election submitted to the Election Commission by the Congress last month and uploaded on the panel’s website.

Those who got more than ₹70 lakh for their constituencies included Vikramaditya Singh, who got ₹87 lakh and lost the election from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, and Rakibul Hussain, who got ₹75 lakh and won from Dhubri in Assam.

Senior Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Digvijay Singh, both of whom lost the election, got ₹46 lakh and ₹50 lakh, respectively.

The Part Expenditure Statement by the Trinamool Congress shows that the ruling party in West Bengal gave ₹75 lakh each to 48 candidates, while the DMK gave ₹70 lakh each to 22 of its candidates.

The Samajwadi Party gave its chief Akhilesh Yadav ₹60 lakh, while his wife and MP from Mainpuri, Dimple Yadav, got ₹72.15 lakh.

Senior leader Awadesh Prasad who won from Ayodhya got ₹20 lakh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s statement has not been uploaded so far.

Union to organise campaign to restart MGNREGS in Bengal

Sobhana K. Nair

New Delhi

In an attempt to “embarrass” the Centre into restarting the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal, the workers enrolled with the programme across the country will donate one rupee each to cover the wage dues that have not been paid to those in the State since the scheme was shut down there over corruption complaints in December 2021.

The NREGA Sangarsh Morcha, an umbrella body of workers, is organising the campaign. From next week, the job card holders associated with it will send in handwritten appeals on a postcard to the Prime Minister’s Office on the issue.

No fresh budget

Citing ground surveys that revealed large-scale corruption and violation of the guidelines, the Union Rural Development Ministry invoked Section 27 of the employment guarantee Act that allows for “stoppage of release of funds” in case of “improper utilisation” and stopped payment for the scheme in the State. The Centre, at present, owes ₹7,500 crore to the State with wages alone amounting to ₹2,744 crore of the sum. For two years in a row, no fresh budget has been approved for the State.

Morcha convener Anuradha Talwar says the suspension of the scheme is a clear violation of Section 27, which states that “appropriate remedial measures for its proper implementation within a reasonable period of time” has to be taken.

The Trinamool Congress says the BJP has politicised the issue and is withholding the funds to score a political point. The two have sparred over the issue both inside and outside Parliament. The State government started its own programme, Karmashree, which gives up to 50 days of employment. Ms. Talwar said no official or public representative has been held accountable for the “corruption” cases.

IMD warns of cyclone in Saurashtra, Bay of Bengal ‘depression’

Jacob Koshy

NEW DELHI

An Army personnel rescues a boy from flood-affected areas in Gujarat on Thursday. ANIANI

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that a ‘depression’ forming over Saurashtra is likely to become a cyclone on Friday.

This will be the first time since 1964 that a land-based depression in August is morphing into a cyclone over the Arabian Sea. The agency said on Thursday it was slowly moving westwards and expected to veer into the Arabian Sea off the Saurashtra and Pakistan coasts and intensify into a cyclone on Friday.

Forecasts expect it to move away from the Indian coast over the next two days. The consequence of this storm is the extremely heavy rainfall reported in Gujarat in the past few days.

A second depression has been formed in the sea in the northern Bay of Bengal. It is expected to move towards north Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining southern Odisha coast and likely to intensify into a ‘depression’ in 48 hours, the IMD said.

It is unusual for cyclones to form in August and during the monsoon. Cyclones largely occur in the India neighbourhood in May or October and November.

The effect of Rama nama

In one of His manifestations, Lord Narayana, after deciding to be born as the son of King Dasaratha, cherished calling Him Rama. The two-letter word is the most divine and powerful. Chanting Rama nama bestows a person with all good qualities. Hanuman, the great devotee of Sri Rama, derived strength, dexterity, courage, and fearlessness by chanting Rama nama.

Smt. Vasuki Manoharan said that wherever Rama nama is chanted, Hanuman is present. People receive the twin blessings of Sri Rama and Sri Hanuman. It is said that chanting Rama nama will help people feel like God is with them during difficult times. The letter “Ra” will destroy the concept of “I,” and “Ma” will “extinguish” Mine. Rama nama will grant the divine boon of immortality. Rama’s arrow tip hit Vaali’s chest deep and sucked his life up.

The indefatigable Vaali realised the arrow was powerful because it bore Rama’s imprint. Poet Kambar says (Raman enum semmai ser namam thanai tan kangalil kandaan) Rama nama is priceless. The benefit of chanting Rama nama is equal to or even more than witnessing hundreds of temple consecrations (kumbhabhishekas) and pradosha poojas.

While crossing the ocean, only by chanting Rama nama did Hanuman, contracting his body into a speck, come out of the mouth of a monster (who halted him) and continue to go into the sky.

“Japa” refers to reciting silently, and “likhita Japa“ implies chanting and writing the same simultaneously, which is more powerful.

Three alleged Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur

Three alleged Naxalites were killed in an operation carried out by security forces in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, on Thursday (photo shows injured security personnel being airlifted after a similar operation in the district on June 8). While searches were on till late evening, the police said the three deceased were women. When the team reached the place, there was an exchange of fire. Inspector-General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. said after the firing stopped and searches were done, bodies of three uniformed women Maoists, .303 rifles, 315 bore guns, a large amount of explosive material, and items of daily use have been recovered.

Southampton University to start campus in India

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Centre on Thursday issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the University of Southampton, United Kingdom, to establish its campus in India, making it the first university to get the LoI under University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations for setting up foreign universities.

UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar said the university is expected to start its academic programmes in July 2025 and also that the degrees awarded by the Indian campus will be the same as in the host university. Professor Kumar also said that the setting up of the campus will be beneficial for students in terms of extending course and study opportunities in the country, research, knowledge exchange, enterprise, and engagement.

DGCA suspends approval for Jamshedpur flying school

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday suspended the approval granted to Alchemist Aviation, a Jamshedpur-based flying training school, after a recent crash of a training aircraft that killed two aboard. “DGCA conducted a special safety audit of Alchemist Aviation Pvt. Ltd. from 23rd to 24th August. During the audit several serious deficiencies and non-compliances of regulatory provisions were found,” it said in a statement. The flying school will now have to undergo a recertification process afresh to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The regulator did not answer questions on the nature of shortcomings found during the audit.

Centre puts out four sets of draft rules under Telecom Act

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday published four sets of draft rules under the Indian Telecommunications Act, 2023. These rules, when finalised and notified, will replace the subordinate legislation of the Telegraph Act, 1885, which the Telecom Act repealed and replaced last year. Further drafts to enforce other sections of the Act may be forthcoming. Aside from this, recruitment rules for top bureaucratic leadership for the DoT have also been amended in line with the Telecom Act. The rules are open for public comment for a period of 30 days, after which the DoT is likely to finalise and notify them.

Body of Bangladesh leader found in Meghalaya plantation

The police in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya found the decomposed body of an Awami League leader from Bangladesh on August 26, officials said on Wednesday. The body was located in an areca nut plantation in the Dona Bhoi area, about 1.5 km inside the India-Bangladesh border. The area is in the Umkiang police station limits. The district’s Superintendent of Police, Giri Prasad, told presspersons that Ishaq Ali Khan Panna was identified from a passport found on his body. “The body was taken to the Khliehriat (district headquarters) Civil Hospital for an autopsy and further investigation,” he said.

Regional

- Mamata clarifies she did not threaten protesting doctors; protest rages on

- Bonda tribe student set to pursue MBBS programme in Odisha

- ED attaches ₹834.03 crore properties belonging to EMAAR India and MGF Ltd

- Brahmin group demands 20 seats each from BJP, Cong. in Haryana polls for support

- Woman, grandson thrashed in police station; 6 suspended

- Congress chief whip attacked outside residence in Jaipur

- PM to visit Maharashtra today to participate in fintech fest

- Joint panel to investigate collapse of Shivaji statue

- Punjab to amend candidacy rules for panchayat elections

- CPI(M) demands resignation of two Congress legislators

- Shun exotic trees, plant local species, says advisory from A.P. Forest Department

- Decked up

- Uttarakhand govt. reinstates IFS officers suspended for negligence in accidental death case

- Give records on nod for probe against CM, Karnataka HC tells Governor’s office

- Kavitha meets her father in Hyderabad

- 2 YSRCP MPs resign from Rajya Sabha

- INBRIEF

- HC cancels CBI plea against Shivakumar

- Resignation an act of cowardice, says actor

- Film director booked on complaint by trans woman

- Submit Aadhaar to buy laddu prasadam at Tirumala: TTD

- Police to probe ‘false case’, torture of actor in A.P.

Mamata clarifies she did not threaten protesting doctors; protest rages on

The Hindu Bureau

Kolkata

I have not uttered a single word against the medical students, says West Bengal Chief Minister ; more supporters of football clubs and civil society groups take out protest marches in Kolkata

Anger on the ground: Members of different football clubs and local residents stage a rally over the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident in Kolkata on Thursday.ANIANI

Amid the continuing protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, a fresh row has erupted over a speech by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday leading her to clarify on Thursday that she had not threatened the protesting junior doctors at State-run hospitals.

“Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc.) students or their movement. I totally support their movement. This allegation is completely false,” Ms. Banerjee posted on X.

“Junior doctors’ future will be ruined if FIR (First Information Report) is filed — they will not get any chance,they will not get passport, visa,” the CM had said on Wednesday. This was seen as a threat by doctors who vowed to continue their protests.

In her post on Thursday, Ms. Banerjee said she had spoken against the BJP. “I have spoken against the BJP because, with the support of the Government of India, they are threatening the democracy in our State and trying to create anarchy... They are trying to create lawlessness and I have raised my voice against them,” she said.

On Thursday, Union Minister and State unit BJP president Sukanta Majumdar met West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and accused Ms. Banerjee of inciting unrest through her statements. “We have requested the Governor to protect the rights of people and take all necessary measures to lift the State out of this dire situation,” Mr. Majumdar said.

On Thursday, supporters of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting football clubs and several civil society groups organised separate protests across the city.

In a related development, a two-day special session of the Assembly has been convened on September 2 to table and pass a Bill with provisions for capital punishment to convicted rapists.

Bonda tribe student set to pursue MBBS programme in Odisha

Satyasundar Barik

Bhubaneswar

‘I was first-generation learner from a family which relies on food from the forest. I never imagined that I could earn a livelihood through education’

New horizons: Mangala Muduli with his family. special arrangement

Mangala Muduli, a 19-year-old Bonda tribe student, has undertaken the 420-kilometre journey from Badbel village in Eastern Ghats in Odisha’s Malkangiri district to study medicine at MKCG Medical College in Berhampur. The journey represents not just a physical distance but a monumental generational leap.

After cracking this year’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), Mangala is set to become the first member of Bonda, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group and one of the oldest tribes of India, which a couple of decades ago was living in isolation and had little interaction with the outside world.

As he rushed through the final preparations for his much-awaited admission into the MBBS programme scheduled on August 30, Mangala pondered how challenging it had been to see his dreams come true, given the disadvantaged position he had started from.

“I along with my siblings was first- generation learner from the family which relies on food sourced from forest and other minor forest produce. I never imagined that I could earn a livelihood through education, and neither did most of the Bondas. While some members of our tribe have ventured into other cities, no one had ever set foot on a medical college campus to study,” he said.

One of four brothers and sisters, Mangala started his studies at the government-run Mudulipada Residential School. Now that a new road has been laid between Mudulipada and his village, Badbel, most of the time he would trek the five-kilometre distance between his school and village.

After achieving a 50% score in his matriculation examination, he enrolled in Class 11 at a school 25 kilometres away from his village — an accomplishment in itself, given that many from his tribe drop out after completing Class 10. His elder brother had dropped out and migrated to Andhra Pradesh in search of work.

His science teacher, Utkal Keshari Das, recognised his potential and became a guiding force in his life. Mr. Das mentored him through his studies, eventually getting him admitted to a coaching centre in Balasore, a coastal district. He had even arranged stay for Mangala at his ancestral home, giving wing to his dreams.

The Bonda student used to cycle 8 kilometres daily to prepare for the NEET examination. He secured 348 marks and got a rank of 261 among tribal reserved seats.

“This path from the secluded tribal community to the corridors of medical education signifies not only his personal achievement but also a historic moment for his fellow tribes, marking a new chapter in collective history of the Bondas,” said Mr. Das.

ED attaches ₹834.03 crore properties belonging to EMAAR India and MGF Ltd

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Taking action: The move is in connection with an alleged corruption case against the then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others. x/Enforcement Directorate Enforcement Directorate X handle

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth about ₹834.03 crore belonging to EMAAR India Limited and MGF Developments Limited in connection with an alleged corruption case against the then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others, it said on Thursday.

The attached assets of EMAAR India Limited (valued at over ₹501 crore) and MGF Developments Limited (valued at over ₹332 crore) are spread across 401.65 acres. They are in the form of land located in 20 villages of Gurugram and Delhi, said the agency.

“Both EMAAR India Ltd. and MGF Developments Ltd. are being investigated for money laundering in connection with licence no. 97/2010 dated November 18, 2010, obtained from the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) for residential plotted colony falling in Sector-65 and 66 of (erstwhile) Gurgaon,” it said.

The ED said its probe is based on a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Mr. Hooda, Trilok Chand Gupta, then DTCP Director; EMAAR MGF Land Limited and 14 other developers.

As alleged, the accused persons compelled the owners and (formerly) Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) by getting issued a notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, and subsequently under Section 6 of the Act for the acquisition of lands of the respective landowners, which compelled them to sell their land to the said coloniser firms at a rate lower than the prevailing price.

“Additionally, they fraudulently and dishonestly obtained Letter of Intents (LOIs)/licences on the notified land, causing loss to the respective landowners, the public at large, and the State of Haryana/HUDA, while wrongfully gaining for themselves,” the agency said.

Govt. notification

The Haryana government had issued the notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act on June 2, 2009, with respect to 1,417.07 acres of land falling under Sectors 58 to 63 and 65 to 67 of Gurugram. Subsequently, another notification under Section 6 was imposed on about 850.10-acre land on May 31, 2010.

“Therefore, during the intervening period nearly 600 acres of land was released in patches from the acquisition proceedings by the Haryana government for grant of LOIs/licences,” an official said.

Brahmin group demands 20 seats each from BJP, Cong. in Haryana polls for support

Ashok Kumar

GURUGRAM

The Haryana chapter of Brahmin Khap has written to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking 20 tickets each for members of the community in the upcoming Assembly polls. Brahmins are the second-largest community in the State following the Jats, who comprise around 25% of the total population.

Brahmin Khap’s Haryana president Ashok Sharma told The Hindu over phone that the community comprised over 15% of the State’s total population and wanted political representation in proportion to its population.

“We have written to the BJP as well as the Congress seeking tickets for our community members in 20 Assembly seats. It is around 20% of the total strength [90] of the Assembly. Our community candidates are capable of winning in these seats. We will decide on our support depending on the number of tickets given by each party. So far, neither of them has made any commitment,” said Mr. Sharma.

Both the BJP and the Congress had given around half-a-dozen seats each to Brahmin candidates in the 2019 Assembly polls.

Simmering resentment

Eyeing the substantial vote bank, the BJP had in July appointed its first-time MLA Mohan Lal Badoli, a Brahmin, as its State president. His appointment was also an attempt to address simmering resentment in the community over the party first appointing Manohar Lal, a Punjabi, as Chief Minister and then replacing him with Nayab Saini, an OBC leader, earlier this year even though the BJP had won a simple majority for the first time in Haryana in 2014 under a Brahmin State president.

A section of Brahmins has also felt “left out” in the party with Punjabis and Banias, who are almost half of the their population, cornering a lion’s share of the bureaucratic and political appointments.

In a bid to woo the community, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had last year promised to appoint a Brahmin Deputy Chief Minister, restore job reservation for the community under Economically Weaker Sections category and set up a “strong” Brahmin Commission if the Congress was voted to power.

Woman thrashed in M.P. police station; 6 officials suspended

Mehul Malpani

Bhopal

M.P. Congress chief Jitu Patwari with Kusum Bai Vanshkar in Katni district on Thursday. Special ArrangemenT

The Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday suspended six personnel from the Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly beating up a 60-year-old woman and her 15-year-old grandson at a railway police station in Katni district. The incident, which took place in October 2023, was captured in a video that went viral on Wednesday, leading to a probe into the matter.

The incident led to a political war of words between the ruling BJP and the Congress, which shared the video claiming that the victims belonged to a Dalit community. The party questioned Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, raising the matter of atrocities on Dalits and tribals.

Mr. Yadav said he has directed a probe into the matter and told senior police officers to ensure that such misconduct is not repeated in future.

According to officials, the suspended personnel include a woman police station in-charge, Aruna Vahane, head constable Ajay Srivastava, and constables Varsha Dubey, Omkar Sirsam, Soheb Abbasi, and Salman Khan.

Superintendent of Police (GRP, Jabalpur) Simala Prasad said the incident took place when the family members of Deepak Vanshkar, 35 — his mother Kusum Bai, 60, and his son Deepraj Vanshkar, 15, residents of Jharra Tikuriya — were summoned to the GRP station to know about Mr. Deepak’s whereabouts.

Mr. Deepak had been absconding for a while and had about 20 cases of murder, theft, and robbery against him, and a reward of ₹10,000 on his head, Ms. Prasad said.

Congress leader Kamal Nath said the incident showed that Dalits are not safe in M.P., while State BJP president V.D. Sharma termed the incident “unfortunate” and said no culprits would be spared by the BJP government.

Congress chief whip attacked outside residence in Jaipur

The Hindu Bureau

JAIPUR

Opposition Congress chief whip in Rajasthan Assembly Rafeek Khan was allegedly attacked outside his residence in Bani Park here on Thursday when he was leaving for the Assembly after holding a meeting with visitors. The assailant grabbed Mr. Khan’s collar and tried to slap him after having a heated argument with him.

Ex-CRPF personnel

The people present at Mr. Khan’s residence overpowered the attacker, thrashed him and handed him over to the police. The accused, who was arrested, was identified as Vikas Jakhar, who had resigned as Assistant Commandant of CRPF in 2021. Mr. Jakhar is also a Shaurya Chakra recipient.

Mr. Khan, the two-time Congress MLA from Jaipur’s Adarsh Nagar constituency, said the assailant hit in the chest and tried to choke him. “I have no knowledge about this man or his background and intention,” Mr. Khan, who defeated his BJP rival Ravi Nayyar with a margin of 14,073 votes in the 2023 Assembly election, said.

According to the police, Mr. Jakhar, 39, hailing from Jhunjhunu district, alleged that Mr. Khan was harassing his wife.

PM to visit Maharashtra today to participate in fintech fest

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Maharashtra’s Mumbai and Palghar districts on Friday to participate in Global Fintech Fest (GFF) and lay the foundation stone of Vadhvan Port. Mr. Modi will reach the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai at 11 a.m., where he will address a special session of GFF, which will display the latest innovations in the fintech landscape. Later, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the ₹76,000 crore Vadhvan Port project in Palghar district, which aims to boost the country’s trade and provide direct connectivity to international shipping routes.

Joint panel to investigate collapse of Shivaji statue

Abhinay Deshpande

Mumbai

A joint technical committee led by the Indian Navy, with representatives from the Maharashtra government and technical experts, is being constituted to investigate the recent damage to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg.

The damage to the statue occurred due to exceptional weather conditions in the region, the Navy said on Thursday.

The Statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, during Navy Day celebrations and was a tribute to the legacy of the Maratha Navy.

The Indian Navy has reiterated its commitment to assist with all necessary measures to repair, restore, and reinstate the statue at the earliest.

Punjab to amend candidacy rules for panchayat elections

The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday decided to amend rules to debar candidates to contest elections for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) on party symbols. The last PRI elections in the State were held in January 2019. The Cabinet, chaired by CM Bhagwant Mann, gave its nod to amend Rule 12 of the Punjab Panchayat Election Rules, 1994, thereby debarring the candidates to contest elections on party symbols, said a statement.

The PRI polls in Punjab are not contested on party symbols, however, under the provisions of the Punjab Panchayat Election Rules, candidates can inform the Election Commission regarding their party, and seek allotment of the party symbol.

CPI(M) demands resignation of two Congress legislators

G. Anand

Thiruvananthapuram

Amid Opposition demand for Mukesh’s ouster , LDF convener Jayarajan asks Congress MLAs to set example by resigning; Kerala LoP says charges against ruling party MLA are recurrent in nature

Silent protest: KPCC Palakkad district committee members demand a probe into the findings of the Hema panel. K.K. MUSTAFAHK K Mustafah

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) attempted to turn the tables on the Opposition’s increasingly strident demand for the resignation of actor and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] legislator M. Mukesh by mooting the resignation of two Congress legislators facing arguably comparable charges of sexual abuse.

LDF convener E.P. Jayarajan said on Thursday that Mr. Mukesh’s continuation in the Assembly would become untenable if the two accused MLAs M. Vincent and Eldhos Kunnapillil of the Congress set an example by relinquishing their elected position.

Given its dismal showing in the Lok Sabha election, the ruling front also appeared reluctant to risk a byelection in the Kollam Assembly segment represented by Mr. Mukesh.

Moreover, the CPI(M) was acutely disinclined to yield the Congress another political trophy soon after director Ranjith, a self-professed left fellow-traveller, resigned as chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (CPI) State executive, which met here on Thursday, attempted to balance moral and ideological considerations regarding the politically touchy question of whether Mr. Mukesh should relinquish office and the pressures of realpolitik.

The Congress on Thursday held a Statewide protest at the district headquarters and marched to Mr. Mukesh’s residences in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. It was also wary of conceding political space to the BJP agitating for the same causes. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said there was no equivalency between the charges against Mr. Mukesh, which seemed recurrent in nature, and the individual cases registered against the Congress MLAs.

Shun exotic trees, plant local species, says advisory from A.P. Forest Department

V. Raghavendra

VIJAYAWADA

Green route: The Andhra Pradesh government plans to increase the green cover to more than 33% of the State’s total area. G.N. RAO

As part of its afforestation drive aimed at increasing green cover to more than 33% of the State’s geographical area, the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has recently recommended to the District Collectors, Municipal Commissioners and Zilla Parishad CEOs to choose trees from among a list of 25 indigenous species.

It directed them not to plant three exotic species, considered detrimental to the environment and human health.

PIL pending

According to official sources, one of these three species — Conocarpuserectus (called Buttonwood Mangrove) — is currently the subject matter of a PIL petition (in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh). The petitioners had opposed the cutting of these trees saying that there is no scientific evidence that they suck more water out of the soil than any other species and cause depletion of groundwater, and cause respiratory illness, cold, cough and allergies in people during winter.

Such trees are preferred over other species due to their rapid growth even in the areas that are extremely saline. The other two species are Alstonia scholaris (Devil’s Tree) and Terminalia mantaly (Umbrella Tree / Madagascar Almond).

The Devil’s Tree has robust growth, but reportedly causes gastrointestinal irritations and other ailments in human beings. The Umbrella Tree is vulnerable to destruction in cyclone-prone areas.

The Forest Department has, therefore, issued an advisory to avoid planting these three species.

Instead, the Collectors, Municipal Commissioners and Zilla Parishad CEOs have been told to grow in blocks, or as avenue plantations, indigenous species such as neem, tamarind, mango, pongamia pinnata, mimusops elengi and ficus varieties.

Decked up

With Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations around the corner, idols kept for sale on R.V. Road in Bengaluru. K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

Uttarakhand govt. reinstates IFS officers suspended over foresters’ accidental deaths

Ishita Mishra

New Delhi

The Uttarakhand government reinstated two senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers who were prima facie suspended for negligence following the death of four forest department employees who died while dousing a forest fire in Almora’s Binsar wildlife sanctuary in June.

‘Judgement error’

Two other staffers who got injured in the same accident also succumbed to the wounds later. The reinstatement took place after the departmental inquiry found that the deaths took place due to “judgement error”.

Uttarakhand this year saw over 1,300 forest fire incidents and 14 people have lost their lives in the same.

In the letter to reinstate Koko Rose, who was the forest conservator in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand when the accident took place, it is said that the Head of Forest Forces report concluded that the incident was completely accidental and was caused by a “judgement error”.

On the basis of the preliminary investigation and after due consideration by the State government, Mr. Rose, is reinstated to the post of Forest Conservator, North Kumaon Circle, Almora.

“.....he is reinstated along with warning,” the letter reads.

The government also revoked the suspension of Dhruv Martolia, the then Divisional Forest Officer, Almora who is now given the same charge in Bageshwar district. The condition for his reinstatement is same, that the deaths of the forest staffers happened due to judgement error and he has been warned for future.

According to the sources in the forest department, the reinstatement of the officers took place after senior members of the IFS expressed displeasure and anguish over the government’s action against the officers.

Give records on nod for probe against CM, Karnataka HC tells Governor’s office

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday asked the Governor’s office to submit records related to sanction granted for conducting investigation against CM Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna issued the direction while adjourning till August 31 further hearing on the petition filed by Mr. Siddaramaiah, who had questioned the legality of the sanction.

Earlier, the advocate appearing for the Governor said that office of the Governor would submit the records on grant of sanction. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction on August 17.

Appearing for Mr. Siddaramaiah, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi contended that the sanction was granted without application of mind as the Governor has not referred to the merits of the complaints with regard to allegations made against Mr. Siddaramaiah.

The only application of mind by the Governor exhibited in the order was on the issue of coming to the conclusion, citing a judgment of the top court, that the Governor need not abide by the advice given by the State Cabinet to reject the complaint against the Chief Minister, argued Mr. Singhvi. He also claimed that according sanction for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to private individuals is contrary to the provisions as it contemplates sanction to be accorded only to the investigating officer.

Kavitha meets her father in Hyderabad

Press Trust of India

Hyderabad

K Chandrasekhar Rao with his daughter K. Kavitha.ANIANI

Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s Member of Legislative Council (MLC) K. Kavitha, who returned to Hyderabad following her release from Delhi’s Tihar prison after the Supreme Court granted her bail in excise policy case, met her father and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday.

Ms. Kavitha met Mr. Rao at his residence in Erravelli near here and sought her father’s blessings, the BRS sources said.

Grand welcome

The BRS leader was given a traditional welcome at Mr. Rao’s residence.

Mr. Rao turned emotional as he met Ms. Kavitha, who walked out of Tihar jail after over five months, they said. Ms. Kavitha was released from jail on Tuesday after the top court granted her bail in cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Meanwhile, in a post on social media platform X, she said, “Satyameva Jayate”.

2 YSRCP MPs resign from Rajya Sabha

G.V.R. Subba Rao

VIJAYAWADA

Two YSRCP Rajya Sabha members, Mopidevi Venkataramana and Beeda Masthan Rao, submitted their resignations to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi on Thursday. While Mr. Venkataramana’s term was till June 21, 2026, and Mr. Mastan Rao’s term was scheduled to end on June 2028.

Mr. Venkataramana may join the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He was defeated in the 2019 election, but was inducted into Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Cabinet. As then State government decided to abolish the A.P. Legislative Council, he was made a Rajya Sabha member.

Mr. Venkataramana aspired to contest from Repalle constituency in the 2024 general election, but was denied ticket. Mr. Jagan reportedly did not accept his request to field Mr. Venkataramana’s brother instead of Ganesh from Repalle Assembly seat.

He announced that he had discussions with the TDP leaders over joining the party.

Mr. Masthan is yet to announce his future plans. According to information, six more YSRCP Rajya Sabha members are likely to submit their resignations. The YSRCP has 11 members in the Rajya Sabha.

Telangana CM’s brother gets notice for illegal construction

Amid an ongoing drive against illegal encroachments on lakes and other government properties in Hyderabad, authorities have slapped a notice on Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy’s brother and several others for the alleged construction of unauthorised structures. Tirupati Reddy said on Thursday that he received a notice for constructing house in the Buffer Zone. He said the property was purchased after getting the documents verified by a lawyer. No official has contacted me, he added. PTI

HC cancels CBI plea against Shivakumar

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday said it has no jurisdiction to decide the legality of the State government’s order of withdrawing sanction granted earlier to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe corruption cases in Karnataka as it is a dispute between the Central and the State governments.

Only the top court has an exclusive jurisdiction under Article 131 of the Constitution of India to decide such disputes between the State and the Centre, the High Court said. A Division Bench passed the order while dismissing the petitions filed by the CBI and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who had questioned the legality of the withdrawal of sanction.

Resignation an act of cowardice, says actor

The Hindu Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram

Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an advocacy group that champions women’s rights and equality of sexes in the Malayalam film industry, has termed the en masse resignation of 17 executive committee members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), including its president Mohanlal, “an act of cowardice”.

Speaking to a YouTube channel, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu said: “How cowardly of them to step away from a position where they are accountable to speak to the media.”

She said ideally the AMMA executive committee should have set an example by working with the Kerala government and other stakeholders to chart a course forward.

Film director booked on complaint by trans woman

The Hindu Bureau

KOCHI

The Kerala Police registered a case against five persons, including a film director and two online movie reviewers, on the charge of sexual abuse on a petition by a trans woman.

Among the accused are Vineeth, director, and online movie reviewers Alain Jose and Santhosh Varkey. The other two accused are Bright and Abhilash Attayam. The FIR describes their whereabouts as unknown. The police registered the FIR on August 13, though the alleged incident occurred on April 12. As per the 34-year-old’s complaint, she was abused after promising a role in films. The abuse took place at her rented house at Chittoor Ferry between 10 a.m. and midnight.

Submit Aadhaar to buy

In a move to eliminate the menace of middlemen, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) introduced Aadhaar validation for token-less devotees seeking laddu prasadams from Thursday with an aim to curb sale of laddus in black market and benefit common devotees. Addressing the media, TTD Additional Executive Officer (EO) Ch. Venkaiah Chowdhary clarified that the decision was taken to prevent touts from misusing the system. “Devotees without darshan tokens can now register their Aadhaar at the designated counters and get two laddus,” he said.

Police to probe ‘false case’, torture of actor in A.P.

A Mumbai-based Bollywood actor and a doctor by profession alleged that the Ibrahimpatnam Police had filed a false case against her and her family members and arrested them in February. After a complaint lodged by politician K.V.R. Vidyasagar that the actor had created forged documents to grab a piece of land located and extorted ₹5 lakh, the police registered a case on February 2, 2024. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said the police received an online complaint on the alleged false case and torture. An inquiry had been ordered, she said.

Science

- When physics merged with biology to revolutionise ophthalmology

- Why disconnecting from work is important for mental health

- Why the Union govt. banned 156 irrational fixed dose combinations

When physics merged with biology to revolutionise ophthalmology

C. Aravinda

Ophthalmologists, deeply familiar with the intricate workings of the eye, do not typically have the leisure time to spend in a physicist’s lab studying theories behind laser; yet these two seemingly disparate fields combined to modernise vision correction in refractive errors and cataract surgeries

The lasers work by emitting pulses of light that last only a few quadrillionths of a second, making them extraordinarily precise. Getty ImagesAntonio_Diaz

Recently, I underwent femtosecond laser surgery, a procedure that promised to correct my vision with incredible precision. While the results were astounding, I couldn’t help but wonder — how did physicists, who typically aren’t versed in the anatomy of the eye, end up creating a technology so pivotal in ophthalmology? After all, the physics of lasers and the biology of the eye seem like worlds apart. Ophthalmologists, deeply familiar with the intricate workings of the eye, don’t typically have the leisure time to spend in a physicist’s lab studying LASER. So how did these two seemingly disparate fields merge to revolutionise vision correction in refractive errors and cataracts?

The word ‘laser’ is actually an acronym for ‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’, a phrase that encapsulates the physics underlying this transformative technology. The fundamental concept of stimulated emission was first introduced by Albert Einstein in 1917. He theorised that when an electron in an excited state drops to a lower energy level, it can release energy as a photon. If this photon interacts with another excited electron, it can stimulate the release of a second photon of identical energy, phase, and direction — a process that amplifies light.

It wasn’t until 1960, however, this theory was practically realised. Theodore Maiman, a physicist at Hughes Research Laboratories, built the first working laser using a ruby crystal as the gain medium. The ruby laser emitted light at a specific wavelength (694 nm) in the red part of the spectrum and was the first of its kind to produce a concentrated beam of light with unique properties — coherence, monochromaticity, and the ability to be focused to a very small spot.

Chirped Pulse Amplification

Another breakthrough came in the 1980s with the development of Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA). This technique revolutionised the field of laser physics. Working at the University of Rochester, Gérard Mourou and his student Donna Strickland (the third woman to win a Nobel prize in physics) introduced CPA to amplify ultrashort laser pulses without damaging the amplifying material. Their innovation later earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018.

But here the question still remains alive: how did physicists, who likely had little knowledge of eye anatomy, create a tool that would become vital in eye surgery?

The answer lies in an accidental discovery that bridged the gap between the physics lab and the operating theatre.

A research assistant in Gérard Mourou’s lab was accidentally struck by a laser beam in his eyes without wearing the goggles he was supposed to wear — a potentially dangerous situation. Seeking medical attention, the assistant visited an ophthalmologist.

But instead of focusing on treatment, the doctor who saw him became intensely curious about the physical qualities of the laser that had caused the injury, hitherto not witnessed in the clinic. The ophthalmologist was intrigued by the ‘perfect’ or precise damage to the retina in his eyes. This unusual interaction sparked a deeper investigation into the laser’s potential, leading to the development of femtosecond ophthalmology.

This cross-disciplinary serendipitous accident — where a medical professional’s inquisitiveness about a physics tool met the physicist’s quest for practical applications — made room for perfect innovation. CPA allowed for the amplification of laser pulses in a previously-impossible way, opening the door to medical applications requiring extreme precision, such as in eye surgery.

Today, CPA-based lasers are at the heart of femtosurgery laser procedures, like the one I underwent for refraction correction. These lasers work by emitting pulses of light that last only a few quadrillionths of a second, making them extraordinarily precise.

The high-intensity, ultrashort pulses produced by CPA-based lasers allow for precise cornea reshaping with minimal damage to surrounding tissues, resulting in improved patient outcomes and faster recovery times.

This have also transformed cataract surgery, one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide. In traditional cataract surgery, a surgeon manually makes incisions in the eye and uses ultrasonic energy to break up the cloudy lens before replacing it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL).

In laser-assisted cataract surgery, a femtosecond laser is used to create precise incisions and soften the lens, reducing the need for ultrasonic energy and allowing for more accurate placement of the IOL. This technology has improved the precision and safety of cataract surgery, leading to better outcomes and faster recovery times.

A femtosecond laser is an infrared laser with a wavelength of 1053nm used in eye surgeries, especially for its precision. It creates tiny, rapid bursts that break apart the tissue without damaging surrounding areas. Compared to the Nd laser, which operates in nanoseconds (10-9 second) , the femtosecond laser’s pulse duration is much shorter — measured in femtoseconds (10-15 second). This shorter duration significantly reduces the risk of damaging nearby tissues, making the femtosecond laser much safer for delicate procedures like corneal surgery. The femtosecond laser causes a million times less collateral damage than the Nd laser, allowing for extremely precise and safe surgeries. More than 10 million femtolaser surgeries have been performed globally so far using laser technology.

Lasers in cancer therapy

Moreover, the future of high-intensity lasers holds promise in cancer therapy. Researchers are exploring using these lasers to target and destroy cancerous cells with extreme precision, minimising damage to healthy tissues. By focusing the energy of an ultrashort laser pulse onto a tiny area, it’s possible to induce a localised effect, such as generating shockwaves or heating, that can selectively destroy cancer cells. This approach is still in its experimental stages. It could one day lead to new, non-invasive treatments for cancer patients.

A bright future ahead

Reflecting on my experience with femtosurgery, I am grateful for the improved vision. From accidental discoveries to intentional innovations, the story of laser technology continues to unfold whether in the operating theatre, the physics lab, or beyond. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most impactful innovations come from the unlikeliest of collaborations—where the physics of light meets the biology of sight, and curiosity knows no disciplinary bounds.

(Dr. C. Aravinda is an academic and public health physician. aravindaaiimsjr10@hotmail.com)

Why disconnecting from work is important for mental health

Zubeda Hamid

CHENNAI

Average work week lasts 47.7 hours in India, 13 hours more than that in Germany.Getty ImagesGCShutter

It used to be a point of pride: working round the clock, at all hours and being known in the family as the workaholic. But increasingly over the last decade, employees, backed by health professionals and research, have begun to say ‘enough’. Being the first to arrive and last to leave the workplace is no longer seen as behaviour to be modelled; constantly taking calls and emails after office hours is frowned upon and being able to enjoy days off, without work intruding upon personal time, is the goal.

And in line with this, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic where the work from home culture was often blamed for blurring personal and professional boundaries, Australia, this week, became the latest in a list of countries that give employees the right to disconnect.

What does this mean? It means that workers in Australia can now refuse to respond to work-related communication outside of their working hours, unless doing so is unreasonable. This does not mean employers cannot contact employees outside work hours, but it does mean that the employee can choose to ignore this communication.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is reported to have said: “We want to make sure that just as people don’t get paid 24 hours a day, they don’t have to work for 24 hours a day. It’s a mental health issue, frankly, as well, for people to be able to disconnect from their work and connect with their family and their life.”

But how seriously is work impacting mental health taken in India, where CEOs/founders of companies have extolled the virtues of working long hours and eschewing weekends, where around 90% of the workforce is in the unorganised sector, where a gig economy thrives, often putting its workers at risk physically and mentally, and where a State government had considered extending daily work days to 14 hours?

According to data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) India ranks among the top 10 countries when it comes to the number of hours worked per week, at an average of 47.7 – over 13 hours more than average work week in Germany, at 34.3.

Long hours of work, combined with other factors can impact a person’s mental health, says Paulomi Sudhir, professor of clinical psychology, NIMHANS. “What you do and what your workplace is like also play a role in this. There are both systemic and individual factors – for some people there may not be a choice as to how many hours they work or how long they stay in office. For others there may be factors such as how much responsibility their role involves or how they plan their day,” she said.

The need to switch off

Overworking can decrease productivity and lead to burnout and the inability to switch off can lead to exhaustion and poor mental health, Dr. Sudhir pointed out.

“Most of us don’t practise this but switching off, both physically and mentally from work is very important. It’s part of self care – if you can’t switch off from work, and this perhaps affects your sleep and your eating habits, then all of these can affect your mental well being,” she said.

Leisure and breaks are crucial – studies have shown for instance that in high-stress jobs such as the military and paramilitary forces, not being able to get leave is a critical factor contributing to stress, she said. “Breaks play an important restorative function for positive mental health outcomes.” Long, unsocial or inflexible hours is listed as one of the risk factors to mental health, by the World Health Organization.

As much as disconnecting from work is healthy and vital, cultural constraints in India, where workers are trained to work long hours, pose a barrier, said Sona Mitra, principal economist at IWWAGE, a Delhi-based organisation that aims at facilitating the agenda of women’s economic empowerment

“While the hybrid work model is great for flexibility, the expectation to respond immediately in order to show accountability that developed during the pandemic, has persisted even now. This means there is no ‘off’ time for employees. Women especially, are disproportionately affected as they are still expected to be primary caregivers of the household. In India, women spend almost five hours per day more than men on unpaid work at home. Imagine the length of the work day plus the time spent doing household work – where is the rest? This is how their mental health begins to get impacted,” she said.

The right to disconnect apart, Ms. Mitra pointed to the fact that several countries have now moved to four day weeks, recognising the importance of weekends and time away from work. “Studies have shown that when these sort of arrangements are in place, it not only raises productivity, it boosts the mental health of the entire workforce. Why can’t the global south begin to think about this,” she asked.

(zubeda.h@thehindu.co.in)

Why the Union govt. banned 156 ‘irrational’ fixed dose combinations

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

FDCs are medicines that have two or more active ingredients in a single pill or shot. Getty ImagesJK1991

The Union Health Ministry has recently banned 156 “irrational” fixed dose combinations (FDC) medicines which includes antibiotics, painkillers, and multivitamins. FDCs are medicines that have two or more active ingredients in a single pill, capsule or shot.

As per a gazette notice issued under section 26 A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, the Ministry said that the production, marketing, and distribution of these drugs are now prohibited due to their associated health risks.

Speaking about the need to bring in such measures, a senior Health Ministry official explained that most of the drugs that made it to the banned list were approved by various State authorities but had no research or trials to backup its safe use in humans. “The new drugs and clinical trial rules of 2019 make it clear that fixed dose combinations are to be considered as new drugs and as such must be approved by the central drug regulator,’’ he said.

The move, according to the Union government, is aimed at safeguarding thepublic, ensuring that resistance to certain drugs do not develop in large numbers due to irrational use, and to also curb the misuse of drug administration (knowingly or otherwise) where not warranted.

Expert committee

Meanwhile, as per the government notification, the matter was examined by an expert committee appointed by the Central Government and other related authorities, with them recommending that there is no therapeutic justification for the ingredients contained in the said FDCs. “The Central government is satisfied that the use of the FDC drug is likely to involve risk to human beings whereas safer alternatives to the said drug are available,” notes the Health Ministry.

Mefenamic acid + Paracetamol injection, Cetirizine HCl + Paracetamol + Phenylephrine HCl, Levocetirizine + Phenylephrine HCl + Paracetamol, Paracetamol + Chlorphenamine Maleate + Phenyl Propanolamine and Camylofin Dihydrochloride 25 mg + Paracetamol 300 mg are some of the FDCs on the list.

Speaking about the ban, Anil Bansal, member of the Delhi Medical Association, said that irrational combination drugs can pose significant health risks in a community that is known to buy over-the-counter drugs. “The lack of knowledge and awareness can work against the patient’s welfare,” he said.

Dr. Bansal added that since these medicines are being introduced into the market without proper research and randomised controlled trials, their safety does come under scrutiny.

(bindu.p@thehindu.co.in)

Edit

- Connecting the dots in the Kyiv visit

- Moving the spotlight to grassroots democracy

- letters to the editor

- By another name

- Biotech enigma

- Should lateral entry in the civil services be encouraged?

- A leap of faith

- The bus to Kyiv

- Seats in Parliament for Sikkim: Bill soon

- Serious Railway collision

- Analysing the Gender Budget of 2024-25

- On the controversy over lateral entry into the civil services

- The biomechanical horrors of the xenomorph in the ‘Alien’ movie franchise

- Today marks the ninth anniversary of the assassination of scholar and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi by suspected fundamentalists. Here’s a quiz on famous rationalists

- Know your English

Connecting the dots in the Kyiv visit

1 of 2 Amitabh Singh teaches at the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

2 of 2 Vivek Pandey a doctoral candidate at the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

In a historical and widely publicised meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, drawing significant attention from academics and journalists worldwide. While India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasised that the meeting was not intended as an effort at mediation, the timing and the nature of this visit raise several questions, especially considering India’s traditionally cautious approach to foreign policy. Although the MEA was careful not to attract press attention due to the nature of the visit, much of the discussion in post-meeting briefings by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar centred around the potential role of India in mediating the conflict. The visit came at a difficult time for any immediate peace initiative by India as Ukraine opened a new front of war with a surprise incursion in the Kursk region.

A consistent foreign policy approach

Historically rooted in non-alignment and strategic autonomy, India’s foreign policy has always sought to balance its relationships with global powers and a peaceful negotiation of territorial disputes. Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, India has avoided taking sides, much to the ire of the western states, which have wanted India to condemn the Russian role in the conflict. This approach is consistent with India’s broader strategy of managing complex geopolitical landscapes without compromising its national interests. India has always advocated respect for the United Nations charter and peaceful settlement of disputes through institutions such as the UN.

In February this year, Mr. Jaishankar, in an interview with the German economic daily, Handelsblatt, hinted at the possibility of India’s interest in playing a mediating role in the conflict if approached. However, he emphasised that New Delhi would not take the initiative on its own.

Given this backdrop, Mr. Modi’s visit to Ukraine had some sort of peace initiative on the agenda. The possibility of enhancing bilateral relations with Ukraine appeared slim. India is not dependent on Ukraine for trade, defence, or technology. Opening a new front of bilateral engagement with Kyiv at this point would be risky and fraught with danger. However, if we carefully connect the dots, a possible rationale for the visit begins to appear.

The visit is being interpreted by many analysts as a balancing act by India, especially after Mr. Modi’s recent visit to Russia, which attracted criticism from western powers. By engaging with both Russia and Ukraine, India could position itself as a neutral player in the conflict, reinforcing its image as a responsible global actor committed to peace and stability while also projecting sovereignty in dealing with issues of international politics. This approach aligns with India’s historical role as a mediator in international conflicts, dating back to its involvement in the Korean War armistice negotiations and the Colombo Plan.

A possible broader strategy, the interests

Moreover, the visit could be part of a broader strategy to play a more active role as a mediator or “communicator” in the language of the MEA. During his visit to India in March, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba explicitly requested India’s help in restoring “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine. This appeal allows India to step into a more active role in the negotiation, leveraging its unique position as a country that maintains strong ties with both Moscow and Washington. This attempt is also being seen by analysts as putting weight to the already ongoing effort from Global South countries in the negotiation. India, as one of the prominent members of the Global South, is trying to play its role in achieving peace in this conflict.

To understand the full implications of Mr. Modi’s visit, it is important to consider the interests of key international stakeholders in this war, particularly the United States and European countries. The U.S. has consistently emphasised that any negotiations over the Ukrainian conflict should only occur from a position of strength.

The recent advances by Ukrainian forces, particularly in the Kursk region, could be considered as a part of this broader strategy to negotiate from a position of strength. A temporary cessation of hostilities or a limited peace agreement facilitated by a neutral party such as India might serve the interests of all parties involved. For the U.S., such an outcome could provide relief from the escalating conflict/war while allowing U.S. President Joe Biden to focus on other pressing foreign policy challenges such as the one in West Asia.

European countries, meanwhile, are desperate to see a resolution to the conflict, especially as the war continues to hurt their economies and increases energy security concerns. With winter approaching, European countries face the prospect of further economic hardship due to energy shortages and inflationary pressures. A temporary peace, even if not a comprehensive solution, would alleviate some of these challenges and provide breathing room for European policymakers.

Among all the stakeholders, Mr. Biden may be the most desperate for an end to the war. Since announcing his decision not to seek re-election in 2024, Mr. Biden has focused on solidifying his foreign policy legacy, particularly in areas where former U. S. President Donald Trump might diverge significantly. Mr. Biden’s decision to step back from the presidential race could free him from domestic political constraints, allowing him to pursue important diplomatic initiatives. One such initiative could be brokering a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Taking this forward, Mr. Modi also spoke to Mr. Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, probably to apprise them of his visit. For Mr. Biden, bringing Russia to the negotiation table before the end of his tenure would represent a significant foreign policy achievement, particularly in light of Mr. Trump’s stated intention to withdraw support from Ukraine unless it agrees to negotiate with Russia. Mr. Biden’s reliance on India, which enjoys good relations with Russia, could be crucial in achieving this objective.

From Moscow’s perspective, India represents the best option for mediation. The long-standing friendship between Russia and India, forged during the Cold War and maintained through decades of military and economic cooperation, provides a level of trust that would be difficult to replicate with other potential mediators, even not so with China. For Mr. Putin, engaging in negotiations through a neutral party such as India could offer a honourable exit from the conflict/war without appearing to surrender to western pressure.

Impact on India

For Mr. Modi, this diplomatic initiative could be a legacy-defining moment. Despite his considerable achievements on the international stage, he has faced significant challenges on the domestic front, including a disappointing performance in the 2024 general election and growing economic concerns. A successful mediation effort in the Russia-Ukraine conflict could bolster his reputation as a global statesman and enhance his standing both at home and abroad.

Mr. Modi’s involvement in resolving the conflict would align with his broader vision of India as a “Vishwamitra”, a country that contributes to global economic and technological advancements and plays a central role in maintaining international peace and security.

Despite the potential benefits of India’s involvement, the path to achieving even a temporary peace in Ukraine is fraught with challenges. Both the parties to the war have taken maximalist positions, with either side refusing to budge from its stand. The geopolitical interests of the U.S. and Russia are deeply entrenched, and both powers are unlikely to agree on a peace deal proposed by the other. Moreover, the involvement of various international actors in this war, make any negotiation process highly complicated.

However, India’s unique position as a trusted partner of both Russia and the West could allow it to facilitate a temporary ceasefire or a limited peace agreement that serves the immediate interests of all parties involved. Such an outcome, while not a permanent solution, would be a significant step towards de-escalating the conflict and providing much-needed relief to all the parties involved.

Moving the spotlight to grassroots democracy

1 of 2 Srikanth Viswanathan CEO at the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy

2 of 2 Santosh Nargund Head, Participatory Governance at the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy

The Election Commission of India (ECI), with its track record of conducting free and fair elections, and on time, to Parliament and State legislatures, has emerged as one of independent India’s most credible institutions. Yet, there are 34 State Election Commissions (SECs) that need serious attention and strengthening.

Systemic disempowerment of SECs

The SECs were brought into existence by Articles 243K and 243ZA of the Constitution (introduced by the 73rd and 74th amendments in 1993), which vested them with the superintendence, direction, and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to panchayats and urban local governments (ULGs). In reality, however, SECs are increasingly disempowered and, in certain cases, even in litigation with their State governments.

In a recent case, the Karnataka SEC filed a contempt petition against the Government of Karnataka for reneging on its commitment to the High Court in response to an earlier petition filed by the SEC to allow it to proceed with the delimitation of panchayat raj institutions and conduct elections (already delayed by over three and a half years). The Karnataka government had assured the High Court in December 2023 that it would publish the delimitation and reservation details within two weeks to enable the SEC to conduct elections. In another set of cases filed by the Andhra Pradesh SEC and several others in 2020, the Supreme Court struck down an ordinance of Andhra Pradesh, which hindered elections to the panchayat raj institutions.

Our analysis of the performance audits of the implementation of the 74th Constitutional (Amendment) Act by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India across 18 States shows that 1,560 out of 2,240 urban local governments (70%) did not have an elected council at the time of the CAG audit. The CAG, in its Karnataka report, observed that the disempowerment of SECs is, more often than not, the cause for delays in on time elections. Such delays undermine local governments and erode the trust of citizens in these important public institutions.

Janaagraha’s Annual Survey of India’s City Systems (ASICS), 2023 shows that only 11 out of 34 States and Union Territories have empowered SECs to conduct ward delimitation. These States and Union Territories (namely, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Ladakh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal) account for only 35% of India’s population, as in the 2011 Census.

Electoral reforms to strengthen third tier

Regular and fair elections to local governments are non-negotiable for meaningful grass-roots democracy and ensuring effective first-mile service delivery in the cities and the villages of the country. The requirement to conduct elections before the expiry of the five-year term of elected local governments is a constitutional mandate and must be as sacrosanct as the elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas. To ensure this, SECs must be fully empowered on all matters of local government elections, on a par with the Election Commission of India, as observed by the Supreme Court in Kishan Singh Tomar vs Municipal Corporation of the City of Ahmedabad and Others (2006). The following reforms are a must in order to bring about this change:

First, there is a need to bring SECs on a par with the Election Commission of India in terms of transparency and independence in constitution and appointment. Notwithstanding the recent dilution in the case of the Election Commission of India, can we not aspire to a three-member SEC which is appointed by a committee that comprises the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha), and the Chief Justice of the High Court? A State government-appointed SEC is just not working. The Union government should amend the 74th Constitutional (Amendment) Act in this context.

Second, the delimitation of ward boundaries and reservations of seats must be mandated only at fixed intervals, say once in 10 years. The absence of this check can lead to State governments acting arbitrarily, causing undue delays in elections to local governments.

Third, the powers of ward delimitation and reservation of seats for local governments must be vested in the SECs. Further, the SECs must be entrusted with reservations to the positions of mayors/presidents, deputy mayors/vice-presidents of the local governments, say once in 10 years, where applicable. Elections to these positions are delayed inordinately after local elections as State governments fail to publish the reservation roster to these positions on time.

Finally, malpractices by presiding officers appointed by the State governments have also emerged — an example is the election of the Mayor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Council in 2024. SECs, therefore, should possibly be entrusted with the election of mayors, presidents, chairpersons, and standing committees.

The views expressed are personal

President’s anguish

The rape and the murder of a trainee lady doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata is an unpardonable crime.

It is heartening that the President of India (Page 1, “Counter mindset that sees women as less capable: Murmu”, August 29) has declared that “enough is enough”. However, could the ruling party at the Centre be gunning for the ouster of the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal? This is an unanswered question in the minds of the people.

Tharcius S. Fernando,

Chennai

Rising crimes against women are a jolt to society. We have a fundamental duty to contribute towards bringing order to ensure dignity and respect for women, so that they can live with a sense of pride, freedom and confidence.

R. Sivakumar,

Chennai

Rarely does an incumbent first citizen of the country express his/her concern over incidents that have an adverse impact on the well-being of society.

The phrase ‘enough is enough’ is apt and cogent.

V. Johan Dhanakumar,

Chennai

The remark made by the President, that ‘enough is enough’, has not come a day too soon. But her words would have carried greater moral authority had she referred to the atrocities in Manipur and crimes in BJP-ruled States.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Mental health on campuses

Mental health on college campuses has become a prominent issue as students face rising academic, social, and financial pressures. There is stress. There are burnouts. According to the American College Health Association, 60% of students were reported to have felt anxiety and 40% experienced depression that was severe enough to impact daily college life. Academic pressure, a lack of support, personal challenges and financial stress contribute to depression. There is a need for comprehensive mental health-care systems that can support students holistically. Institutions must invest more in mental health resources to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and create an environment where students feel comfortable seeking help.

Jessica Olive,

Chennai

By another name

Courts should act against fake medicine, not just control advertising

On August 27, a Bench of the Supreme Court of India found itself reaching, once again, for idioms over a matter involving misleading advertisements of ayurveda, siddha, and unani products. Earlier this year, another Bench had concluded proceedings against Patanjali Ayurved over its defiance of an order to not publicise unproven or unprovable medicinal claims attached to its products. Towards the end of that matter, various State-level regulatory agencies were finally roused to act against Patanjali Ayurved over these claims while the Court ordered it to publish media advertisements apologising for its actions. While the responses of the State bodies to the company are still evolving, the Court’s own verdict seemed to embody a belief that nothing more could be done — and this belief casts the Court’s current ire against the Ministry of AYUSH in a particular light. India’s drug manufacturers and regulators are caught between ensuring high quality, which leads to higher manufacturing costs, while keeping consumer prices down so that patients can access the drugs they need. Unfortunately, neither regulators nor manufacturers have navigated this tension in the patients’ favour. The AYUSH Ministry’s actions have further complicated this scenario by allowing businesses to register all sorts of products as “Ayurvedic” (as illustrated in the case of its licence, and later cancelled, to a Bengaluru-based company to sell milk as “Ayurvedic proprietary medicine”) and by attempting to evade existing quality rules, presumably to grease the wheels of businesses.

With the Ministry’s cynical attempt now to sidestep Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945, which penalises misleading advertisements of ayurveda, siddha, and unani products, the Court confronts an old tendency in a new disguise. Public apologies and post facto action by regulatory bodies may have been the end of the line against one company. The Court may also seem sated by a demand, as it spelled out in its May 7 order, that all advertisers self-declare that they will not publish misleading advertisements. But similar concessionary measures will falter against a Ministry. Medicine quality and manufacturer inspections are disuniform, more so in the alternative medicines space, and regulating advertisements has emerged as a last-ditch backstop against bad products entering the market. In the face of progressively weakening protections against what is ultimately fake medicine, the most preferred outcome in the present matter would be for the Court to look at past declarations — self-made or otherwise — and into rectifying the quality-control regime, particularly to empower it, protect it from political capture, and bring alternative medicines under its purview.

Biotech enigma

Biotechnology initiatives need long-term capital investments

Earlier this week the Cabinet cleared a proposal, though without specifying a budget, called BioE3 or Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment. Its thrust is to boost manufacturing in the biotechnology sector. Since 1986, India has had a dedicated department for biotechnology, and which deserves substantial credit. For instance, the progress in vaccine development, diagnostics and biologicals, that has bolstered India’s reputation as a ‘vaccine factory’, is due to the initiatives of this department. However, biotechnology did not quite spawn the equivalent of the IT revolution. There is much more to an industrialised biotechnology sector beyond vaccines. There are billion-dollar conglomerates today that rest on high-value microbes, gene-modification technologies, bio-plastics, bio-materials, and high-precision medical devices. However, despite the know-how and human resource capital, only a few Indian biotechs have global resonance, as there are few local manufacturers who can supply Indian laboratories/startups with the ingredients and devices to make products. The reliance on imports means that India loses its international competitiveness. The BioE3 policy aims to correct this.

In the last four decades, India has funded biotech research institutions but now sees that it needs to be going beyond and setting up companies, in public private partnership mode, to bolster biotechnology manufacturing. There are six verticals that this initiative envisages: bio-based chemicals and enzymes; functional foods and smart proteins; precision biotherapeutics; climate-resilient agriculture; carbon capture, and futuristic marine and space research. Futurists have been saying that the era of fossil-fuel industrialisation is over and humanity will have to rely on the natural world — for food and for making consumer products. This is to solve the global problem of non-biodegradable waste and carbon emissions. Future industries must be grounded in environmentally benign products, and this is impossible without sophisticated biotechnology. By setting up bio-foundries and bio-artificial intelligence hubs, the policy hopes there will be avenues for a variety of biotechnologists to congregate. Well intentioned this may be, but India’s woes with manufacturing have chronic causes. Without establishing enabling grounds for long-term capital investment — and these have little to do with biotechnology per se — top-down initiatives will have limited impact. The BioE3 policy must be a deeply collaborative effort between Centre and States. Rather than expect quick returns, the government must provide financial and infrastructural support over the long term.

Should lateral entry in the civil services be encouraged?

1 of 5 Family members of aspirants wait outside an examination centre during the UPSC civil services preliminary exam in New Delhi. The Hindu The Hindu

2 of 5 Ashok Vardhan Shetty   retired IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre and former vice chancellor of the Indian Maritime University

3 of 5 Harsh Shrivastava, a former CEO of the Microfinance Institutions Network, was deputy speech writer to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and consultant in the Planning Commission

4 of 5

5 of 5

Last week, just days after issuing an advertisement for 45 lateral entry posts (10 Joint Secretary positions and 35 Director and Deputy Secretary positions), the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) withdrew it after receiving a massive backlash. The Opposition parties accused the government of attempting to bypass reservation policies and “snatching away” jobs from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Should lateral entry in civil services be encouraged? Ashok Vardhan Shetty and Harsh Shrivastava discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Priscilla Jebaraj. Edited excerpts:

What is the need for hiring people from outside the IAS (Indian Administrative Service)?

Ashok Vardhan Shetty: We definitely need expertise. Nobody objects to hiring experts as advisors or as consultants. What is objectionable is hiring people as Deputy Secretaries, Directors, and Joint Secretaries because these are administrative posts, they are secretarial posts; an expert is not suited for these kinds of posts. The combined civil services exam is one of the toughest. Last year, out of 13 lakh applicants, only 1,016 were selected, of which about 180 were selected for the IAS. People go through this tough exam and then put in nine years of service to become a Deputy Secretary in the Central Secretariat, they put in 12 years to become a Director, and at least 16 years to become a Joint Secretary. Lateral entrants, on the other hand, will walk in on the basis of a resume and a half-an-hour interview.

Harsh Shrivastava: The advertised posts for about disaster management, semiconductors, FinTech, investment, emerging tech... they are very specialised posts. Regular officers may not have this expertise. I would like to differentiate between implementation and policymaking. These officers who are being hired as lateral entrants are for policymaking; that is where their expertise is needed. For implementation, which is typically in the State and not in the Union government, you would need IAS officers who are generalists.

AVS: It is not true that policymaking is separate from implementation; they are intimately connected. You cannot make good policy unless you also have experience of implementation. When policymaking is divorced from implementation, you end up making airy-fairy policies, which will flop.

You must also look at what happened in Pakistan. In 1972, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto set up an administrative reforms commission which said the same things — that the civil services of Pakistan is full of generalists, and what we need is specialisation. So, Bhutto said, lateral entry is necessary. And he started appointing party people, party loyalists, in posts from Deputy Secretary to Secretary. After he fell from power, General Zia Haq dismissed Bhutto’s appointees. But he started inducting military people through lateral entry into the Pakistan civil service. Today, the Pakistan civil service is a mess.

Lateral entry, by whatever name it is called, is just a euphemism for the spoils system. That is, political parties trying to favour their partypersons under the guise of bringing in specialists. I don’t mind if these people appear for a tough written test on their domain of expertise and then go through a rigorous interview. But selecting them purely on the basis of their resume and conducting an interview is very dangerous. Even if it is done properly in the initial few years, in the long run, it is bound to degenerate into a spoils system. Political loyalties, cronyism, nepotism, and corruption will creep in.

What would you suggest to prevent such a crony system from taking root?

HS: This argument can be extended to anything. What is to stop the UPSC, when it conducts interviews of IAS aspirants, from looking at their ideological leanings and leaving out people who are not ideologically aligned?

Also, nowadays, we know everything about everybody. We have LinkedIn profiles, social media feeds. If the UPSC took somebody who had nothing to do with semiconductors as the Joint Secretary for semiconductors, I’m sure questions will be asked, PILs will be filed, and the Supreme Court will hold the UPSC chairperson in contempt.

AVS: An interview alone is insufficient to test expertise. The recent case of Puja Khedkar is an example of why the interview can be misleading. She scored more marks in the interview than most IAS toppers. The UPSC interview board could not spot that she was faking her identity. So, an interview alone is not a reliable guide of expertise of a person’s attitude and personality.

At what ranks do you think it would be most suitable to bring in people from outside?

AVS: Either you select people at the entry level through a tough competitive exam or you should bring in lateral entrants at the Secretary level. At the highest level, if you bring in somebody like a Manmohan Singh or a V. Krishnamurty or a M.S. Swaminathan, there is no problem because their expertise is beyond doubt. But at the mid-level, the expertise of the person is open to question. I’m not ruling out the possibility of someone like a Bill Gates or a Mark Zuckerberg doing wonderful things in their 20s and 30s, but those are not the kinds of people who are going to apply for the posts of Director, Deputy Secretary, and Joint Secretary in government.

HS: I would say at the Joint Secretary level because they have experience and can be of help in policymaking. The point of being an officer and not a consultant is that you have the authority of getting something done and you can direct people beneath you and you are responsible to the people above you. Somebody who has worked in a top company, assuming they want to take a salary cut and join the government, would bring a certain style of working, of conducting meetings, of not just going through endless rounds of papers and not taking a decision. They will get things done and make out-of-box suggestions. We should learn from some companies about how they take on board outsiders as seniors.

The reason the policy was actually rolled back was the Opposition’s accusation that the government was bypassing reservations for lateral entry hires. Is the Opposition right?

HS: No. First, the government did not say, ‘We were hiring 500 officers every year and now we will hire only 455 officers under the existing reservations and will take 45 directly.’ These are additional officers. Second, the government could have said that at least in one third of these seats, preference will be given to women or SCs and STs. But these are additions. They are not going to take away existing jobs.

AVS: I beg to differ. These are not additional posts. These posts are carved out of the existing posts of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary. They are affecting the promotion prospects of existing career bureaucrats. In fact, during the UPA (United Progressive Alliance)-2 government, there was a recommendation that 10% of the total posts be earmarked for lateral entry. Of course, it was never acted upon.

Regarding reservations, there are already standard norms saying there is 15% reservation for SCs, 7.5% for STs, 27% for OBCs, and 10% for EWS (economically weaker sections), among other classes. The Department of Personnel and Training’s own instructions are that reservations must apply for any post, even if it is a contractual post, if it is of more than 45 days duration. These posts are three years to five years. So, reservations should have applied to them.

But there is another provision which says if it is a standalone post, or what they call a single-post cadre, reservations need not apply. This applies to situations where there is one post of Vice Chancellor or one MD of a public sector undertaking. The UPSC has treated each of these Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary posts as subject-specific, and through this narrow definition, it has converted non-standalone posts into standalone posts and then called them as single-post cadres and not applied reservation.

The government at the highest level has realised that there is a problem here. So, the Minister for Personnel, Jitendra Singh, wrote to the UPSC saying the government would like to re-examine this matter, which I think was the right thing to do. Otherwise, theoretically, each post’s job description is unique, so you can always argue that every post is a stand-alone post and reservations won’t apply.

A leap of faith

Devotees help a man jump as he tries to reach the dahi handi or curd pot, suspended in the air above a water well, during Janmashtami, which marks the birth of the Hindu god, Krishna, in Kurdus village near Alibaug, Raigad district, Maharashtra. EMMANUAL YOGINI

The bus to Kyiv

Dinakar Peri

Takeaways from a journey from Poland to Ukraine

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a train journey from Poland to Ukraine. It may be an odd mode of transport for a Prime Minister, but all the leaders of the world have been taking this train, labelled ‘Rail Force One’, ever since Ukraine’s airspace was closed following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Mr. Modi was to arrive in Kyiv on the morning of August 23. After briefly attending the diaspora event addressed by Mr. Modi, I climbed into a bus bound for Kyiv in Ukraine, along with three other Indian journalists, at the Warsaw West Bus Station in Poland, at 9:15 p.m. on August 21. We chose to travel by bus since the direct train from Warsaw to Kyiv was fully booked. The other option was to change trains at Chelm, a city in Poland bordering Ukraine, but that would have been an 18-hour journey and there were again no tickets at short notice. The bus was scheduled to reach Kyiv at noon on August 22 (Kyiv is an hour ahead of Warsaw). It was scheduled to be a 15 hour-long journey. We had been warned by some journalists that the border crossing would take time, especially by road, but nothing prepared us for the journey.

The bus ride itself indicated how Ukraine was a nation at war. Nearly all the travellers were Ukrainian women since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has banned men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving, arguing that they should instead stay back and defend their country. Some men have reportedly found a way around this, but it is mostly women who travel outside and to Ukraine nowadays.

We left the station at 9:30 p.m. as scheduled and reached the border crossing at around 3 a.m. We were already a couple of hours behind schedule. At the large complex, we were first stopped by Polish immigration authorities. An officer from the Polish border control collected our passports. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had issued a note verbale with the names of all the journalists travelling to cover the Prime Minister’s visit, so we assumed it would be a smooth ride. But we were forced to wait for an hour to get our passports back.

The next stop was 200 metres ahead. It was the Ukrainian border control. There again authorities collected our passports and disappeared. Another long hour went by. Finally, an officer summoned the four of us and we trooped behind him into an office. Ten minutes later, I was the first to be called into a room. The immigration officer, accompanied by another officer in plain clothes, asked me many questions: what was the purpose of my visit? Which media house did I belong to? What beat did I cover? He checked the MEA’s note verbale, my hotel booking, my return ticket, and my office ID.

Then he looked up, eyebrows raised. “You have been to Russia?” he asked. “Why? Where did you go?” I explained that India has a long-standing relationship with Russia in the field of defence and as a defence correspondent, I had visited the country to cover a defence expo. It was only after half an hour of interrogation that he finally seemed convinced. He asked me to tell the other three journalists to have their documents ready. They had it easy and returned grinning from his room, each within 10 minutes of being summoned. The officers took some more time to stamp our passports.

To add to the delay and frustration, there were no functional wash rooms. We felt guilty that all the women on the bus were stranded because of us. But they did not grumble and we finally boarded the bus. Hours later, in Ukraine, we stopped at a wash room only to encounter a new problem: while the Polish zloty is accepted in many areas in Ukraine, it was not allowed there. No one spoke English either. As I wondered what to do, a young woman from the bus, who was behind me in the queue, promptly went to the counter and paid eight hryvnia (about ₹16) for me.

Nearly 21 hours later, we reached Kyiv after having learned that there can be many hurdles even if we carry a note verbale from the MEA and that even during war time, strangers can be patient and kind.

dinakar.peri@thehindu.co.in

Seats in Parliament for Sikkim: Bill soon

New Delhi, Aug. 29: The Union Cabinet to-day accepted Sikkim’s request for representation in the Indian Parliament, but Sikkim will continue to retain its protectorate status without becoming an integral part of the Indian Union as a result of its new political “association”.

A Constitution Amendment Bill, enabling Sikkim to have one elected representative each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, will be passed by Parliament next week to empower the “association” of this Himalayan territory with the Indian Union, within the framework of the recent resolutions adopted by the Sikkim Assembly seeking participation in the Indian political institutions, planning processes and parliamentary system.

Serious Railway collision

Lahore, Aug. 29: A serious collision took place this morning shortlyafter 1 a.m. between 24 down and 43 up passenger trains near Harappa Road. Owing to interruptions in telephone line, full details are still lacking. The train containing the injured is expected at Lahore station at about 1 p.m. Line is blocked, but passengers are being transhipped.

Analysing the Gender Budget of 2024-25

Sruthi Kutty

What are the different components of the Gender Budget Statement? Have instances of missing allocations been reported by experts with respect to the Gender Budget? How should these anomalies be rectified by the government?

The story so far:

Women-led development remains at the core of announcements made by the Finance Minister (FM) in this year’s Budget. This commitment to women empowerment was reflected in Budget allocations to pro-women programmes, as reported by the Gender Budget Statement (GBS). The GB reached 1% of GDP estimates in 2024-25 for the first time, and overall allocations currently stand at more than ₹3 lakh crore for pro-women programmes.

What is the reason for the increase?

The GBS, since it was first introduced in 2005-06, consistently reported an average share of 5% of the total budgetary allocations, with marginal ups and downs. This year is special as the share of allocations to pro-women schemes stands at approximately 6.8% of the total budget expenditure for 2024-25, which is way above the usual trends and marks a positive departure from status quo.

The increase in GB allocations are driven by two factors. A part of this increase has been on account of the newly included Part ‘C,’ a third part in the GBS that reports pro-women schemes with less than 30% provisioning for women. The PM Kisan scheme in the agriculture sector has been reported in part C with an outlay of ₹15,000 crore. This is 25% of the total outlay of the programme. The second factor driving the overall increase is the increment in part A of the GBS. Part A reports expenditures in schemes with 100% allocation for women.

Part A had previously constituted 15-17% of overall allocations reported in the GBS till BE 2022-23. Since BE 2023-24, there was a sudden increase in the allocations in part A that raised the share of pro-women schemes with 100% allocations for women to almost 40% (figure 1). This was mainly due to a change in the reporting where the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) — rural and urban — started getting reflected in part A instead of part B. Part B of the GBS reports programmes with allocations of 30-99% for women. Hence, only a part of PMAY was reported earlier. Beginning last year, the entire allocation of ₹80,670 crore in PMAY for 2024-25BE has been reported under part A thus driving the up allocations. Such reporting of PMAY may not be entirely accurate as not all beneficiaries are women.

Have there been other instances of over-reporting/under-reporting?

Over-reporting may also be found in other instances such as the PM Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which aims to assist entrepreneurs in setting up micro businesses in the non-farm sector. The GBS reported an allocation of ₹920 crore or 40% of the total allocation to PMEGP, without providing any explanation for such reporting.

On the other hand, missing allocations often deflate the amount spent by programmes on women’s needs. For example, this year for the first time the entire allocation to the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) is reflected in part A of the GBS, indicating that 100% of its outlay is dedicated to women and girls, which is technically correct and should have been done earlier. In 2023-24BE, only 50% of the scheme’s total outlay used to be reflected in part B of the GBS. The GBS this year has also correctly reported increased allocations for the Ministry of Electronics & IT. But it missed out reporting pro-women allocations in the schemes for women entrepreneurs such as PM Vishwakarma, SVANidhi, and Stand-Up India.

In another instance, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which has the third highest allocation among schemes for women in the GBS, is currently reported under part B with ₹28,888.67 crore which is 33.6% of its total outlay. It is important to note that women constituted 59.3% of all person days under MGNREGA as of December 2023, and should have received commensurate wages from the total MGNREGA budget, yet only 33.6% gets reflected in the GBS.

What next?

These anomalies can be minimised by incorporating explanations for the entries made in the GBS. Incorporating explanations for allocations in GBS would not only ensure accounting accuracy but will help in gender audits and provide pathways for improved gender outcomes in government programmes. Several years of advocating for improved reporting in the GBS by experts is reflected in the inclusion of a third part. The above anomalies in reporting are reflections of the GBS still not having a scientific and systematic approach.

Efforts to reduce misreporting and improve the quality of the GBS is evident, but there is still a long way to go. The need for including rationale is also to maintain that detailed reporting is not a mere exercise in increasing the quantum of allocations reported for women’s development — it is to ensure actual spending for women in all government programmes, that are well planned and designed to include women’s needs from its inception. Gender responsive budgeting is a powerful tool to close the gender gaps in an economy.

Sona Mitra and Sruthi Kutty work with IWWAGE, an initiative of LEAD at Krea University, and Sonakshi Chaudhry works at The Quantum Hub (TQH Consulting).

On the controversy over lateral entry into the civil services

Rangarajan. R

Why did the Prime Minister’s Office intervene and withdraw the advertisement regarding lateral entry for different positions in government? What is a spoils system and how does it work?

The story so far:

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had withdrawn its advertisement pertaining to lateral recruitment for 45 posts of Joint Secretaries (JS), Directors and Deputy Secretaries (DS) in the government. This follows objections raised by coalition partners and the Opposition as well as the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the need for reservation in such lateral recruitment.

What is merit versus spoils system?

Merit system entails appointments to government posts after a rigorous selection process by an independent authority. In India, this commenced in the year 1858 when the British introduced the Indian Civil Service (ICS) to select officers for administering the country. After independence, the UPSC conducts exams to select officers for IAS, IPS and other central services. The merit system is aimed at building career bureaucrats who are expected to function without any political leanings and provide independent advice to the incumbent political executive.

The spoils system on the other hand works on the adage ‘to the victor belong the spoils.’ It is a system where the incumbent political executive appoints its supporters to various posts in the government. It has its origins in the U.S., and continued until 1883 when it was replaced largely by a merit system. At present, out of more than 2.8 million federal government posts, only around 4,000 senior posts are directly appointed by the President.

What is lateral entry?

IAS and other central service officers with more than 15 years of experience are generally posted as JS to head various departments. It is a cutting-edge post where the officers prepare cabinet notes, handle parliamentary questions, liaise with officers of other ministries and State governments.

Lateral entry is when executives from the private sector, public sector undertakings and academia are appointed to senior and middle management positions in the government. There have been instances of lateral entrants who were technocrats being appointed at secretary level posts since independence. Notable examples include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan etc. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005) and the NITI Aayog in 2017 had also recommended lateral entrants to bring specialised knowledge and skills into governance.

What are the pros and cons?

Lateral entry brings with it certain tangible benefits. First, it brings much needed specialisation for niche areas of governance like emerging technologies, semiconductors, climate change, digital economy, cyber security etc. Second, it results in infusion of fresh ideas from experts to reinvigorate the system. Third, it also has the potential of making career bureaucrats more responsive thereby bringing in a positive change.

However, it has its own set of significant limitations. The domain expertise and specialisation of IAS officers is their field experience that is hard to match by outside entrants. There can be coordination issues with career bureaucrats. It may also result in opaqueness and conflicts of interests while hiring recruits from private sector.

What can be the way forward?

Notable lateral entrants in the past have been appointees at the secretary level which is the highest position in government departments. At this level, the lateral entrant will be capable of influencing policy decisions. Their performance will also be subjected to greater scrutiny. Even if appointments are to be made at more operational levels of JS, Directors and DS posts, it should be in line with public policy.

In his book The Tyranny of Merit, political philosopher Michael Sandel discusses the flaws of placing too much emphasis on merit without pursuing equity. Hence, appointment at these levels should coalesce technical competence with reservation and social justice. Therefore, the intervention from the PMO in the recent episode is welcome.

However, excessive focus on lateral entrants is missing the larger picture. The issues plaguing the system cannot be set right with just a handful of lateral recruits. While there can be genuine grievances about the red-tapism, inefficiency and corruption in administration, it is equally true that career bureaucrats work in a challenging environment. Since governments deal with public money, the system is bound by a plethora of rules. Government performs various roles where the objectives are intangible, which the private sector would not do. Compounding these operational challenges is excessive political interference. A merit system being morphed into a spoils system is a serious threat to Indian bureaucracy and various institutions headed by career bureaucrats.

Autonomy of career bureaucrats is essential for their effective functioning. This includes reasonable independence with respect to postings, tenures and transfers. In this regard, as per Supreme Court judgment in the T.S.R. Subramanian case (2013), Civil Service Boards headed by top bureaucrats should be effectively constituted and strengthened at the Centre and States.

Rangarajan. R is a former IAS officer and author of ‘Polity Simplified’. Views expressed are personal.

The biomechanical horrors of the xenomorph in the ‘Alien’ movie franchise

Ayaan Paul Chowdhury

The iconic titular hellspawn from the ‘Alien’ franchise is both phallic and feminine , both predator and parasite, a creature that subverts and perverts the very idea of reproduction. It is, as its creator intended, a living nightmare

Living nightmare: The xenomorph in a scene from Alien: Romulus. AP20th Century Studios

A Swiss artist whose name has become synonymous with the very concept of bionic horrors — Hans Ruedi Giger — forever altered the landscape of science fiction with the creation of the xenomorph. Emerging from the shadows in Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi cult classic, the titular alien has since become a symbol of primal terror, its grotesque elegance and relentless carnage tapping into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. But to understand the xenomorph, one must first delve into the mind of its creator, whose distinct biomechanical art style gave birth to one of the most iconic monsters in cinematic history.

Origin story

Born in Chur, Switzerland, in 1940, Giger was raised in the aftermath of the war. His early years were marred by vivid nightmares. But rather than succumb to these fears, Giger embraced them, channelling his anxieties into art that defied convention and embraced the bizarre. These early experiences laid the foundation for what would become his signature style. His work, which he termed “biomechanical,” was a macabre vision of a future where the boundaries between flesh and machine had all but dissolved in disturbingly erotic ways, leaving behind a surreal world that had a strange beauty to its menace.

Giger’s influences were varied. The surrealist master Salvador Dalí recognised a kindred spirit in the Swiss man and was instrumental in bringing Giger’s talents to the attention of the Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, who in-turn enlisted him for the infamously ill-fated Dune project. Though the film never came to fruition, Giger’s concept art for Dune remained testament to his ability to conjure unsettling realities.

However, it was Giger’s 1977 book Necronomicon — a collection of his most disturbing and evocative works — that would ultimately catch the eye of Ridley Scott as he was preparing to bring Dan O’Bannon’s script for Alien to life. One look at the dark, elongated being with an oblong head in Giger’s lithograph Necronom IV, and Scott knew he had found his monster.

The original xenomorph that terrorised the crew of the Nostromo in 1979 was a creature of elegance and efficiency, straddling the line between the organic and the synthetic. The creature’s sleek, black, phallic exoskeleton, dripping with a glistening sheen, and brought to life by Italian special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi, was just as beautiful as it was terrifying — a stark contrast to the clumsy bug-eyed invaders of previous genre films. It was a creature that did not need to be understood — only feared.

The evolution of the xenomorph

Giger’s original design, however, was only the beginning. Over the years, as the franchise expanded, so too did the xenomorph’s many forms. Each new iteration of the alien, while retaining the core elements of Giger’s original design, introduced new variations that reflected the changing themes of the films.

In James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens, the xenomorphs were reimagined as part of a eusocial hive, led by a towering Queen — a regal matriarch whose sole purpose was to propagate her species by any means necessary. This Queen, with her massive egg-laying ovipositor and crown-like crest, was an unholy fusion of insect and machine, of motherhood twisted into something horrifying.

The xenomorph’s next evolution came in David Fincher’s Alien 3 (1992), where it took on the traits of its host. The “Runner Alien,” also known as the “Dog Alien,” was born from a quadrupedal host, and as such, it adopted a more animalistic form. Sleek, fast and feral, this version of the xenomorph was a predator that hunted on all fours, its movements fluid and graceful, yet no less deadly. It was here that the xenomorph began to show its versatility, a creature that could adapt, becoming whatever it needed to survive.

But it was in Alien: Resurrection (1997) that the xenomorph underwent its most radical transformation. Genetic tampering had given rise to a new breed of alien, one that bore disturbing traces of its human creators. The Newborn, as it was called, was a grotesque parody of humanity — a creature with pale, translucent skin, a skull-like face, and eyes that stared with unsettling intelligence. Born of scientific hubris, this creature was a reminder that the xenomorph, like Giger’s art, was constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of what was possible — and what was terrifying.

The evolutions of course, were far from over. In Scott’s prequels, which began with Prometheus (2012) and continued with Alien: Covenant (2017), the creature was reimagined yet again, this time as a precursor to the xenomorph we know today. The Deacon, a creature birthed from a race of god-like beings known as Engineers, was a pale, elongated entity characterised by eel-like jaws. Its life cycle closely mirrored that of the xenomorph, but with a more streamlined and less biomechanical design. Covenant’s Neomorph was even more divergent, its pale-white skin, pointed head and spiny back, a stark contrast to the sleek black of the original xenomorph.

In Fede Alvarez’s latest Alien: Romulus, a horrifying climactic reveal bore us what has since been dubbed “The Offspring,” a fusion of xenomorph DNA and human genetics that’s unleashed when an ill-fated character injects a sinister Newtonian serum into their neck. The towering Romanian basketball phenom Robert Bobroczkyi, donned prosthetics, animatronics, and just a touch of CGI to bring this violently birthed creation to life, which rapidly evolves into an eight-foot terror with fleshy skin, obsidian eyes, a tail, and that signature xenomorph tongue — dorsal tubes and all.

Yet, despite these many variations, the core of Giger’s design has remained intact. Having endured more than four decades of cinematic evolution, Giger’s mesmerising incubus continues to adapt, its many forms a reminder of our mortality, of the fragility of the human body, and of the horrors that lie beneath the surface of our conscious minds.

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the assassination of scholar and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi by suspected fundamentalists. Here’s a quiz on famous rationalists

Srinivasan Ramani

1 of 2 Visual question: Name this prominent scientist, one of the authors of A Statement on Scientific Temper. The HinduV RAMAMURTHI

2 of 2

Question 1

Founder of the Committee for the Eradication of Blind Faith (Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti) after leaving his medical practice, he was also the editor of the Marathi weekly magazine Sadhana, which promoted scientific temperament and liberal thought. Name this rationalist who took up cudgels against religious superstition and was also assassinated in 2013.

Question 2

Name the Indian philosopher who lived in the 6th century BC and is considered the first known proponent of “Indian materialism”, also understood to be the forerunner of the Charvaka school of materialist philosophy.

Question 3

Lokayata philosophy (otherwise known as Charvaka) was propounded by a prominent atheist school in ancient India. Although there has been a loss of original works in the tradition and is quoted largely through secondary texts or critiques, there have been contemporary assessments. Name the Indian Marxist whose book, Lokayata: A Study in Ancient Indian Materialism is widely quoted.

Question 4

One of the foremost proponents of rationalism in public life and the forerunner of a successful political movement in India, this person led an organisation that is now presided by a nonagenarian leader, K Veeramani. Name him.

Questions and Answers to the previous day’s daily quiz: 1. The predecessor of the Paralympics was called this. The first Paralympics was held in this year and this place. Ans: The Stoke Mandeville Games; Rome in 1960.

2. The only sports in the Paralympic programme that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Ans: Boccia and goalball

3. The unique distinction of Pal Szekeres. Ans: Only athlete to win both Olympic and Paralympic medals

4. This athlete is the most decorated Paralympian of all time. Ans: American swimmer Trischa Zorn

5. Since this edition, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been held in the same city. Ans: 1988

6. Agitos in the context of the Paralympic Games. Ans: It is the symbol of the Games made up of three waves

7. This is special about the category of medallists in para athletics, para triathlon, and para cycling. Ans: The guides and pilots are also awarded medals

8. Apart from para swimming, these two disciplines are open to athletes with an intellectual disability. Ans: Para athletics and para table tennis

Visual: Identify this man. Ans: Murlikant Petkar in 50m freestyle swimming

Early Bird: Seema Das

Know your English

K. Subrahmanian

1 of 2

2 of 2

“Congratulations. I hear you’ve been made captain of the cricket team.”

Who told you that?”

“Your grandfather.”

“I’m sorry to say this, you’ve been disinformed.”

“You mean ‘misinformed,’ don’t you?”

“Disinformed or misinformed. They mean the same thing, don’t they?”

“First of all, the word is ‘disinformation’ not ‘disinformed.’ It is only the noun form ‘disinformation’ that is generally used.”

“Well, I know the meaning of ‘misinform’; so tell me what ‘disinformation’ means.”

“Before I do that, you tell me what you understand by ‘misinform’.”

“It means giving somebody the wrong information about something.”

“Excellent. But that’s only part of the meaning.”

“What do you mean?”

“You see when you misinform someone, you can give him the wrong information either intentionally or unintentionally.”

“In other words, I can give you the wrong information deliberately or unintentionally. Now tell me, what does ‘disinformation’ mean?”

“The act of spreading false information deliberately.”

“Spreading false information deliberately! But who would do that?”

“Spies.”

“Spies! You mean secret agents like James Bond?”

“Exactly. One of the jobs of secret agents is to give false information to foreign agents so that it confuses or misleads them. In fact, the word ‘disinformation’ was once mainly used in the spy business.”

“Really? That sounds really exciting.”

“But things are beginning to change now. The word ‘disinformation’ is beginning to be frequently used in the world of business and politics.”

“Business and politics, eh? That’s understandable. Disinformation would certainly come in handy there. There are so many lies being told in business and politics that no one really knows what the truth is.”

“By the way, ‘disinformation’ is not found in all dictionaries. And the ones that contain it define it as ‘deliberately false information especially given out by governments or services’. You generally talk about the ‘disinformation campaign’ by governments or political parties.”

“Well my grandfather doesn’t work for the government or the secret service. So I guess he misinformed you about my being made captain.”

“Was I misinformed deliberately or unintentionally?”

‘I have to ask my grandfather.”

“Where will you find him?”

“Where else? In the bedroom, watching T.V.”

“Your grandfather is a couch potato, isn’t he?”

“Couch potato? What do you mean?”

“A couch potato is a very lazy person. Someone who prefers to sit down and watch T.V. rather than do something.”

“That does sound like my grandfather.”

Published in The Hindu on March 23, 1993.

Business

- Vadhavan Port to boost exim trade through West Asia, Europe: Sonowal

- Moody’s, Fitch flag concerns about jobs, private investments

- RIL mulls 1:1 bonus issue; eyes ₹75,000 cr. in ‘New Energy’ spend

- SEBI moots UPI-like block mechanism for securities market

- FinMin lowers entry barrier for Gift City listing

- Gangwal’s family trust sells 5.24% in IndiGo worth ₹9,549 crore

- ‘Monsoon likely to extend, threatening ripe summer crops’

- LIC pays ₹3,662.17 crore dividend to Govt. of India

- Adani Enterprises to raise ₹800 cr. via NCD issue

- Adani pips Ambani to become ‘richest Indian’

- Natco seeks U.S. FDA nod for copy of Novartis’ cancer drug

- Centre lifts curbs on ethanol production from cane juice

- Foreign lenders lured by stake sales in Indian banks, but tighter rules weigh

- LME open-outcry trade lives on as SocGen quit sparks no rush

- Asian firms’ earnings outlook improves as chip sector shines

- Energy guzzler

- Auto dealers’ revenue to lag

Vadhavan Port to boost exim trade through West Asia, Europe: Sonowal

Abhishek Law

New Delhi

Different league: The terminals will be capable of handling mainline mega vessels plying on international shipping lines.ANIANI

The ₹76,220-crore Vadhavan port, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, will play a ‘crucial role’ in the proposed India–Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEEC) and the International North–South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) projects, said Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal.

The capacities at the port will aid export-import trade flow through the IMEEC and INSTC, he told businessline.

The upcoming terminals will be capable of handling mainline mega vessels plying on international shipping lines between the Far East, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, he said.

“Vadhavan port is crucial for enhancing India’s connectivity with the Middle East and Europe. The port’s deep draught will accommodate mega container vessels, facilitating trade through IMEEC and the INSTC,” Mr. Sonowal said.

Survey for the IMEEC is underway, sources said. RITES Ltd., the railways PSU, has started feasibility studies along the India–Middle East segment.

The Maharatna company has set up an ‘IMEEC Cell’ and is “working with stakeholders” to “provide ease-of-doing-business”, the sources said.

RITES signed an MoU with Abu Dhabi Ports Group, the developer and regulator of ports and related infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, in February. The two organisations are analysing the feasibility of filling the missing links along the existing rail corridor that passes through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.

The areas under study include simplification of customs procedures, integration of IT systems, logistics connectivity, support systems, and so on.

Spotting infra gaps

It is also exploring the feasibility of connecting India’s ports on the west coast to the Dedicated Freight Corridor and identifying infrastructure gaps.

Sources said Vadhavan port will make India ‘fully ready’ to handle any additional demand generated by the IMEEC. Expansion is underway at existing ports such as Mundra, Kandla, JNPT and Mumbai.

“The Vadhavan port project will add 23.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) to India’s container handling capacity. It will involve the construction of a new all-weather port with advanced terminal facilities, supporting India’s growing exim trade,” he said.

According to Mr. Sonowal, the project would be funded through a mix of public-private partnership (PPP) and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) models. The Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL) — the special purpose vehicle for carrying out the construction activities — will fund the core infrastructure (on EPC), at ₹21,267 crore

The private funding (under the PPP model) will include two components — reclamation and dredging, at a projected cost of ₹17,709 crore; and the setting up of terminals and other commercial infrastructure at ₹37,244 crore.

The creation of additional road and rail connectivity will cost an estimated ₹2,881 crore and ₹1,765 crore, respectively, and will be funded through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH). The special purpose vehicle will have a 74:26 stake between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Moody’s, Fitch flag concerns about jobs, private investments

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Moody’s raises India’s 2024 GDP growth forecast by 0.4 percentage point to 7.2% on signs of a revival in rural demand; Fitch retains rating at ‘BBB-’

Key risk: Fitch cautions that ‘private investment cycle may not materialise due to subdued consumption. Thulasi Kakkat

Moody’s Ratings on Thursday raised its India GDP growth forecast for 2024 by 0.4 percentage point to 7.2% citing signs of a revival in rural demand, while Fitch Ratings retained the country’s long-term foreign-currency issuer rating at ‘BBB-’ with a stable outlook, even as it noted that fiscal metrics remained a credit weakness along with governance and GDP per capita trends.

“We have raised our real GDP growth projections for the Indian economy [and] now expect 7.2% real GDP growth in 2024, and 6.6% growth in 2025 versus our earlier estimate of 6.4%,” Moody’s said in a global update. “These forecast changes assume strong broad-based growth and we recognize potentially higher forecasts if the cyclical momentum, especially for private consumption, gains more traction.”

Pointing to signs of a revival in rural demand, Moody’s said it expects household consumption to grow as headline inflation eases toward the central bank’s 4% target even though it noted that retail inflation’s easing to 3.5% in July, was driven by “favourable base effects”.

Asserting that the Indian economy was “in a sweet spot, with the mix of solid growth and moderating inflation,” Moody’s flagged that growth prospects over the medium- and longer-term would, however, “depend on how well the country can productively tap its substantial pool of labour.” The extent to which the country ultimately reaped its demographic dividend would depend on the success of government policies for employment generation and skilling, it underlined.

‘Credit weakness’

Separately, Fitch Ratings noted that although India’s strong medium-term growth outlook and achievement of deficit targets had improved prospects of a modest downtrend in government debt, fiscal metrics still remained a credit weakness as “deficits, debt, and debt service burden” were all high compared to its peers.

“Lagging structural metrics, including governance indicators and GDP per capita, also weigh on the rating,” Fitch said.

Retaining its GDP growth estimate for 2024-25 at 7.2%, followed by 6.5% next year, Fitch pegged India’s medium-term potential GDP growth at 6.2%, “underpinned by the infrastructure push, strong services sector, and solid private investment outlook”.

While healthier bank and corporate balance sheets should pave the way for a positive investment cycle, Fitch said that a key risk was that the ‘private investment cycle may not materialise due to subdued consumption, which would weigh on job creation and dampen potential benefits from India’s demographic dividend’.

RIL mulls 1:1 bonus issue; eyes ₹75,000 cr. in ‘New Energy’ spend

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Green fuels,AI-based solutions will become long-term growth engines for RIL, says Ambani.

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) said its board would meet on September 5 to consider 1:1 bonus issue.

“When Reliance grows, we reward our shareholders handsomely,” Mukesh D. Ambani, CMD, told shareholders at the company’s Annual General Meeting.

He said with strategic adoption of Deep-Tech and Advance Manufacturing, RIL would be placed in the top-30 league of most valuable companies globally in the near future.

New Energy unit

Stating RIL was on track to fully commit and invest up to ₹75,000 crore in ‘New Energy’ business to establish a manufacturing ecosystem, extensively enabled by emerging technologies, including AI, IoT, Machine Learning, and Robotics, he said the firm’s complete ownership and automation of the integrated value chains would allow RIL to maximise margins that would be higher than those of stand-alone, non-integrated players.

“Our New Energy business will be the new jewel in Reliance’s crown. I foresee it becoming as big and profitable over the next 5-7 years, as our O2C business which we had built over the past 40 years,” he said.

“And, I am confident that Green fuels and AI-based solutions will become long-term growth engines for Reliance. Overall, the Reliance Group is well on track to more than double in size before the end of this decade and grow faster in the decades ahead.”

On merger of Disney India with the media assets of RIL, Mr. Ambani said, “Just like Jio and retail, our expanded media business will be an invaluable growth centre in the Reliance ecosystem.”

Emphasising RIL made the bold promise of bringing the benefits of AI to every Indian, everywhere, he said the company was on track to fulfill that promise.

AI tools

“Jio is developing a comprehensive suite of tools and platforms that span the entire AI lifecycle. We call this Jio Brain,” he said.

“By perfecting Jio Brain within Reliance, we will create a powerful AI service platform we can offer to other enterprises as well. With Jio’s AI Everywhere For Everyone vision, we are committed to democratising AI, offering powerful AI models and services to everyone in India at the most affordable prices,” he added.

SEBI moots UPI-like block mechanism for securities market

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed mandating Qualified Stock Brokers (QSBs) to offer the facility of trading in the secondary market using the UPI-based block mechanism to their clients, similar to the ASBA facility.

Per UPI block facility, clients can trade in the secondary market based on blocked funds in their bank accounts, instead of transferring it upfront to the trading member.

The facility is optional for investors, and not mandatory for Trading Members to offer as a service.

Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA)-like facility is already available for the primary market, which ensures that money from an investor gets moved only when an allotment happens. Also, it was suggested that QSBs offer a ‘3-in-1 trading account facility’ as an alternative to making the ASBA-like facility mandatory.

FinMin lowers entry barrier for Gift City listing

K.R. Srivats

New Delhi

In a bid to attract both Indian and foreign firms to list on the international stock exchanges at Gift City, Gandhinagar (Gujarat), the Finance Ministry has reduced the minimum public float requirement to 10% from 25%.

The Finance Ministry amended the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules on Wednesday to facilitate the new norm.

The move is expected to especially enable Indian start-ups and unicorns to access a larger pool of foreign capital, experts said.

Start-ups in the technology and other emerging sectors can target direct listing on the bourses at Gift City, they added.

In January, the Finance Ministry had allowed domestic public companies to issue and list shares directly on global stock exchanges operating in GIFT City.

Currently only foreign investors and non-resident Indians can undertake share transactions on the IFSC exchanges.

On the latest relaxed public float norm, Mayank Arora, Director-Regulatory, Nangia Andersen India, said, “The amendment has been brought to encourage Indian and foreign companies to list their securities in stock exchanges located in IFSC, mandating lower dilution of ownership.”

Mohit Chaudhary, Managing Partner,Kings & Alliance LLP, however, said, on the flip side, a reduction in public float would leave fewer shares for the public, which can have many implications for a stock.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Gangwal’s family trust sells 5.24% in IndiGo worth ₹9,549 crore

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

InterGlobe Aviation promoter Rakesh Gangwal’s family trust on Thursday sold a 5.24% stake in the airline for ₹9,549 crore through open market transactions.

The share sale is part of Mr. Gangwal’s decision in February 2022 to trim his shareholding after a bitter feud with co-founder Rahul Bhatia over alleged corporate governance issues.

Over 2.02 crore shares of InterGlobe Aviation were sold by the Chinkerpoo Family Trust in three tranches in a price range of ₹4,714.95-4,715.89 per scrip, according to bulk deal data on BSE. This took the combined transaction value to ₹9,548.95 crore. The scrip closed with a discount of 2.06% against the benchmark Sensex ending in the green territory.

InterGlobe Aviation is the parent of no-frills carrier IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of more than 60%.

‘Monsoon likely to extend, threatening ripe summer crops’

Reuters

MUMBAI

The southwest monsoon is likely to be prolonged into late September this year due to a mid-month low-pressure system, two senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials told Reuters.

Above-normal rainfall due to delayed withdrawal of the monsoon could damage India’s summer-sown crops like rice, cotton, soybean, corn, and pulses that are harvested from mid-September.

Crop damage could fuel food inflation, but the rains may raise soil moisture, aiding the planting of winter-sown crops like wheat, rapeseed and chickpea.

“There is an increased probability of a low-pressure system developing in the third week of September, which could delay the withdrawal of the monsoon,” said an IMD officer asking not to be named.

Any produce loss due to extreme rainfall could force New Delhi to extend export curbs on wheat, rice and sugar.

LIC pays ₹3,662.17 crore dividend to Govt. of India

Life Insurance Corporation of India on Thursday paid a dividend of ₹3,662.17 crore to the Centre. CEO and MD Siddhartha Mohanty presented the cheque to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman towards the Government of India’s share of dividend approved by shareholders in the AGM on August 22, LIC said in a release. With the ₹2,441.45 crore interim dividend paid on March 1, the total dividend paid to the Centre for 2023-24 totalled ₹6,103.62 crore, LIC added.

Adani Enterprises to raise ₹800 cr. via NCD issue

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Adani Enterprises Ltd. has announced its maiden public issue of secured, rated, listed redeemable, non-convertible debentures (NCDs) to raise up to ₹800 crore, including green shoe option of ₹400 crore.

The company is offering up to 80 lakh NCDs each with a face value of ₹1,000.

The issue will open on September 4 and close September 17. The minimum application size will be ₹10,000 and multiples of ₹1,000 thereafter. The proceeds would be primarily used for prepaying or repaying debt and general corporate purposes.

Adani pips Ambani to become ‘richest Indian’

Press Trust of India

Mumbai

Recovering from the dent caused by the Hindenburg Research report, Gautam Adani’s networth surged 95% last year to ₹11.6 lakh crore, helping him replace Mukesh Ambani as the richest Indian, Hurun India said on Thursday.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s overall networth rose by 25% to ₹10.14 lakh crore, as per the 2024 Hurun India Rich List.

In the 2023 report, Mr. Adani’s wealth declined by 57% to ₹4.74 lakh crore, and Mr. Ambani was way ahead with a fortune of ₹8.08 lakh crore.

Natco seeks U.S. FDA nod for copy of Novartis’ cancer drug

Natco Pharma has submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration an abbreviated new drug application for a generic version of Novartis’ cancer drug Tabrecta (capmatinib hydrochloride). Tabrecta, indicated for treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with a specific type of mutation, had $126 million sales in the U.S. for 2023. Natco is seeking approval for generic version of Tabrecta Eq 150 mg base and Eq 200 mg base tablets.

Centre lifts curbs on ethanol production from cane juice

The Centre has lifted restrictions on production of ethanol from sugarcane juice, b-heavy and c-heavy molasses for the next ethanol supply year that begins in November. The Department of Food and Public Distribution and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will review the diversion for ethanol periodically. The department had restricted ethanol production since last December to ensure the domestic market had adequate supply of sugar.

Foreign lenders lured by stake sales in Indian banks, but tighter rules weigh

Reuters

MUMBAI

Demand for bank credit in India is growing at twice the expected economic growth pace and gross bad loans are currently at multi-year lows ; but stricter rules related to capital requirements and ownership restrictions, and state domination of the sector have weighed on foreign banks

1 of 2 Rare event: Banking sector deals in India, especially those involving foreign entities, are rare.REUTERSADNAN ABIDI

2 of 2 India’s growth story is promising. The problem, however, is that the Indian banking system is fiercely competitive Ashvin Parekh MD, Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services

Talks to sell majority stakes in two Indian banks have attracted interest from foreign peers in Japan and the Middle East betting on a fast-growing economy, but tighter regulations and valuation concerns could curb their appetite, analysts and sources say.

The rare opportunity for foreign banks to take controlling stakes in a market dominated by state-owned banks comes as existing investors in Yes Bank and IDBI Bank look to divest their holdings.

Banking sector deals in India, especially those involving foreign entities, are rare. A full takeover of troubled Indian lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank by Singapore-based DBS Group in a regulatory-driven transaction in 2020 was the last major deal.

The top shareholders are looking to exit from the two banks about four years after they were roped in by the regulator and the government to help them recover from sharply worsening asset quality due to rampant lending that threatened their stability.

Private sector lender Yes Bank, in which shareholders are looking to sell a 51% stake, has drawn interest from Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) and Emirates NBD, Reuters has reported.

IDBI Bank, in which the Indian government and the Life Insurance Corporation are collectively selling a 60.72% stake, has seen Emirates, Canada’s Fairfax Group, as well as local rival Kotak Mahindra Bank express interest.

The foreign interest in the two banks comes as the Indian economy is forecast to grow at 7.2% this year, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.

Demand for bank credit, which includes corporate loans and mortgages, is growing at twice the expected economic growth pace and gross bad loans in the domestic banking sector are currently at multi-year lows of 2.8% of total assets.

Similar to other major markets, inbound banking sector deals are tightly scrutinized in India. Given the sector’s importance and linkages with the broader economy, New Delhi is expected to field interest from bidders in countries it has good political ties with, analysts said.

“India’s growth story is promising, and corporates are looking to expand their businesses,” said Ashvin Parekh, managing director of Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services, which provides services to investors in banks. “That is enticing these (foreign) players,” Mr. Parekh said.

Despite those attractions, stricter rules related to capital requirements and ownership restrictions, and state domination with government-backed banks accounting for nearly 52% of the bank credit have weighed on foreign banks’ operations in India.

Regulations in India also require that the largest shareholder of a local bank, termed as ‘promoter’ under Indian regulations, must reduce their shareholding to 26% over a 15-year period.

Foreign lenders, including HSBC and Standard Chartered, accounted for only 3.4% of the banking sector credit as of March 2024, less than half of the 8.4% share they held in March 2000, according to the central bank data.

‘Fiercely competitive’

SMBC has been in advanced talks with Yes Bank and its lead investor State Bank of India over the past few weeks for the majority stake acquisition, said three sources with knowledge of the talks.

The core banking unit of Japan’s No.2 banking group Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has sought Yes Bank operational data and its executives have met with the officials at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central bank, said the sources. after bad loans soared.

Emirates NBD is also in talks for a stake in Yes Bank. It is also participating in the stake sale process for IDBI Bank, said one of the three sources above and a fifth person familiar with the talks in India.

The government plans to invite financial bids for IDBI Bank by the end of this financial year, divestment secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey told Reuters last month. IDBI Bank was rescued by the government in 2019. RBI has approved Fairfax Financial, Emirates NBD, and Kotak Mahindra as potential bidders, Reuters reported earlier this month.

However, some potential bidders are expected to baulk at the high valuations of the targets, analysts say, clouding the prospects of the deals being sealed. It was not immediately clear how soon the two deals will be finalised.

Yes Bank is currently valued at $10 billion, and trading at 1.58 times the 12-month forward price-to-book value, according to LSEG, compared with the sector median price-to-book value of 1.45 times. IDBI Bank trades at a 12-month trailing price-to-book value of 1.97 times, LSEG data shows.

The “legacy” of asset quality issues at the two banks would also feed into the cost of acquisition for the prospective foreign buyers, said independent research analyst Hemindra Hazari.

“The real problem, however, is that the Indian banking system is fiercely competitive,” said Mr. Parekh. “A foreign player would need significant branch network, distribution and franchise to be able to sustain in the banking system.”

LME open-outcry trade lives on as SocGen quit sparks no rush

Reuters

LONDON

Trader’s worry: Digital trading can distort prices linked to deals in physical metals, some say. REUTERSReReut

The future of ring trading on the London Metal Exchange looks assured for now after almost all the firms involved told Reuters they remained committed to open-outcry trading at one of the last venues to still support it. But with critical mass dropping towards the level at which LME management has said it would suspend the process after Societe Generale said last week it would no longer take part, its longer term outlook is less sure.

The ring has its roots in the early 19th century when the Royal Exchange, the world’s first commodities market, became so crowded that metal merchants gathered at the Jerusalem coffee house on Cornhill in the City to conduct business.

In the 1980s, about 30 firms dealt in the LME ring, which features a circle of padded red leather seats for traders who use arcane hand signals during five-minute bursts of intense trading in copper, aluminium and other metals.

Now, just seven participants remain, and the LME has said the floor will close if the number of ring members falls below six, or if their trading in the second ring falls to less than 75% of last year’s level.

The LME, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd., said on Friday that trading volumes remain above the 75% threshold, but did not say by how much. It declined to comment further.

Several sources said high costs for ring-dealing firms and a global trend towards electronic trade threaten to undermine the minimum number of participants required to keep the age-old trading method afloat. The loss of the ring, which involves four sessions of trading a day, would be a blow for miners and industrial firms that value floor trading. They regard open-outcry dealing, used to crystalise official prices for physical deals using a complex structure of multiple forward dates, as absent of speculative influences.

For years, there has been tension between traditional physical users and the financial community that includes hedge funds, speculators and Commodity Trade Advisor investment funds and funds driven by algorithmic programmes.

Many long-standing users see a risk too that an excess of computer-driven speculative flows can distort prices that are key to deals in physical metal.

“It’s that second ring close, the official price, that’s void of algos, void of CTAs, void of specs, that still has an appeal,” said Marc Bailey, CEO of ring-trader Sucden Financial.

Viability questions

An outcry from physical LME users saved the ring three years ago when the 147-year-old LME proposed to close the trading floor and join the bulk of other financial exchanges that have moved to pure electronic trading.

The exchange argued that a temporary switch to full digital trading during COVID-19 proved that the ring was not essential.

But the LME eventually compromised and now operates on a hybrid basis, using open-outcry trading for official prices used by physical users as benchmarks for their deals and an electronic system for closing prices.

Longstanding questions about the viability of the ring resurfaced on Aug. 23 when Societe Generale said it would drop the top-tier membership that allows floor trading.

Commitment to ring

A Reuters survey showed there is still a commitment to the ring for now by the bulk of existing ring members, backed by miners and companies that use physical metal.

“There are enough people that still want an independent price for physical trading,” said Sucden’s Bailey. Marex Group also said it would continue ring trading, while StoneX Financial said it had no current plans to change its approach to the ring.

Asian firms’ earnings outlook improves as chip sector shines

Reuters

Bright spot: Asia’s semiconductor firms benefit from the boom in generative artificial intelligence.REUTERSFLORENCE LO

A key Asia stock index has gained its biggest lift in earnings projections in more than three years, as the region’s semiconductor firms benefit from the boom in generative artificial intelligence.

Also helped by robust second-quarter results across a wide range of industries, the average of 12-month earnings per share forecasts for companies in the MSCI Asia Pacific index climbed 3.9% over the past month, according to LSEG IBES data that collates analysts’ estimates.

It was a particularly sharp jump after downward revisions and smaller increases for the first seven months of this year.

Projections for South Korean firms surged 8% while those for Taiwanese and Japanese companies rose 5%.

Samsung Electronics, for example, forecast strong Artificial Intelligence-driven demand for chips this year after logging a more than 15-fold rise in second-quarter operating profit.

Taiwan’s TSMC, the wolargest contract chipmaker in the world , has raised its full-year revenue forecast.

“The upgrades in Asian companies’ earnings expectations are mainly due to upgrades in South Korea and Taiwan on the back of improving semiconductor earnings,” said Minyue Liu, an equity investment specialist at BNP Paribas Asset Management.

The data also showed forward 12-month EPS forecasts for Chinese firms have been lifted 1.5% in the past month.

“Many investors are choosing to ignore China even though some companies’ earnings have beaten market expectations,” said Elizabeth Soon, head of Asia ex-Japan equities at PineBridge Investments.

Energy guzzler

Big bet: Technicians at the crypto mining plant show the dry cooler machines in charge of cooling of the factory, in Hernandarias, 350km east of Asuncion, Paraguay. In the Paraguayan city of Hernandarias, a data centre with rows upon rows of supercomputers stands as a testament to a burgeoning crypto-mining sector attracted by the South American country’s abundance of cheap, green electricity. AFPDANIEL DUARTE

Auto dealers’ revenue to lag

Aroosa Ahmed

Mumbai

Slow lane: Lower profitability and inventory rise will keep dealers’ working-capital debt elevated. PTI-

Automobile dealers’ revenue growth is expected to slow down to between 7-9% this fiscal. According to Crisil, after a healthy 14% rise last fiscal, the revenue growth will enter a slow lane. Higher discounts and offers by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and dealers over the past few months will reduce dealer profitability. Further, lower profitability and an increase in inventory will keep working-capital debt elevated for dealers this fiscal.

“Moderation in sales volume growth to 6-7% this fiscal (8% last fiscal) will be led by the PV and CV segments, while two-wheelers ride well. PV volume may grow slower at 3-5% on a high base of the past three years. CV sales are seen flattish, again on an increased base created by the volume growth momentum of the past 2-3 fiscals, amid healthy demand from the infrastructure sector. Two-wheelers may provide some respite growing by 8-10% on a low base backed by recovery in rural and semi-urban markets following a likely normal monsoon this season,” saidMohit Makhija, Senior Director, Crisil Ratings.

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Association flagged the rise in PV inventory levels and approached Society Of Indian Automobile Manufacturers to assist in regularising the stocks. With an inventory up to 72 days worth ₹70,000 crore, the body plans to approach financiers asking them to stop overfunding the dealers.

“We expect inventory to ease a bit in the second half as sales pick up in the festive season amid higher discounts and offers. Yet, it will end higher than normative levels this fiscal, too,” Crisil said in the report.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Foreign

- Gloom prevails in Sri Lanka’s hill country

- Nature’s fury

- France's Macron hosts Starmer as UK seeks to reset Europe ties

- Ukraine F-16 crashes, pilot killed during Russian attack: Kyiv

- Telegram CEO faces charges of allowing alleged crime on app

- Germany announces tougher knife laws

- Hong Kong outlet Stand News and editors found guilty of sedition

- Death toll rises as Israeli raids in West Bank enter second day

- Israel, Hamas agree to three-day pauses for Gaza polio vaccinations

- Russia claims two more villages in Donetsk and Luhansk regions

- China’s Xi meets with Jake Sullivan in an attempt to improve relations

- 16 dead in Yemen floods as search goes on: rebel media

- Why Russia has struggled to respond to Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk region

- ‘U.S. ready with range of options to deal with South China Sea aggression’

- Climate catastrophe

- Social media images reveal Sudan war crimes: HRW

- Oscar winner blasts Trump’s handling of migrant children

- ‘Turkiye’s Syria presence is to counter terror groups’

Gloom prevails in Sri Lanka’s hill country

Meera Srinivasan

Kandy

Following decades of marginalisation, Malaiyaha Tamils, who were further hit by economic crisis, see no imminent relief as the country is preparing for election; the govt. has promised to increase daily wage but companies tied it to targets that estate workers say are nearly impossible to meet

Poor plight: Women tea estate workers of the Malaiyaha Tamil community in Sri Lanka.Meera SrinivasanMEERA SRINIVASAN

“There is little to look forward to in Sri Lanka,” says Kathir*, who will board a plane to Dubai later this month for an electrical maintenance job, leaving behind his parents, wife, and two children. “There’s no other option,” says the 35-year-old, who paid 4 lakhs (roughly ₹1,11,500) to an agent to get on a list of workers seeking employment abroad.

Weeks after his planned departure, Sri Lanka will go to the polls to elect a new President. Citizens will have a say for the first time since the painful economic crash in 2022, when they took to the streets amid acute shortages and long power cuts. The mass uprising booted out former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country and resigned.

“How does it matter who comes to power, when our situation remains the same?” he asks dejectedly. Even with two jobs, as an electrician and autorickshaw driver, Kathir struggles to support his family in the central Kandy district, which is teeming with tourists.

The government is targeting more visitors, so the dollars they bring can refill its coffers that ran dry two years ago. Further, it is hoping to boost its foreign exchange earnings from exports and remittances of workers — $5.9 billion in 2023 — who have flown out.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who replaced Mr. Gotabaya, is seeking a mandate to take forward his government’s economic recovery programme. He unfailingly reminds the electorate that fuel queues have vanished, there is no shortage of gas, and the country is on a path of recovery with the nearly-$3 billion International Monetary Fund package he obtained.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands like Kathir are leaving the country to escape precarity.

Families like his, living in the towns of Sri Lanka’s hill country, may still be relatively better off, compared to those working and residing on the tea estates, according to Ponniah Logeswary, of the Kandy-based Human Development Organization. “Their plight is dire,” she says.

Kandy is one of the three districts in Sri Lanka’s scenic Central Province that is home to a sizeable population of Malaiyaha (hill country) Tamils, apart from Sinhalese and Muslims. The Malaiyaha Tamils, whose ancestors were brought down from India by the British to work in plantations two centuries ago, are among Sri Lanka’s poorest.

Some 1.5 lakh workers, mostly women, from the million-strong community work on tea and rubber estates across central and southern Sri Lanka. The Wickremesinghe administration promised to increase their daily wage to (Sri Lankan) Rs. 1,700 (about ₹475). After fiercely resisting the wage hike initially, some of the companies grudgingly agreed to the revised rate more recently, but tied it to targets that estate workers say are nearly impossible to meet.

“The promise of a higher wage is a joke, because almost no one gets paid the amount,” Ms. Logeswary says. Decades of neglect made the community more vulnerable than most others in Sri Lanka during the island nation’s worst economic downturn since Independence. The jolt of the crisis and its enduring aftermath is also severely impacting children’s education in the estates, according to Kanchanadevi Kirubakar, a member of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union. Parents are increasingly unable to afford school transportation, stationery, or electricity owing to the high costs. Families are forced to skip meals.

Poll pledges

Addressing an election rally at a ground in nearby Digana town last weekend, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who is also running for President, underscored the need to improve digital aids and technology in education and governance. “You may ask how we can afford all this. We will cut all unnecessary state expenses, punish the thieves and weed out corruption,” he said loudly as supporters cheered.

While Mr. Premadasa’s speech focused mostly on national issues, voters, especially in the hill country, tend to base their judgment on their immediate needs, observes D. Mathiyugarajah, senior political activist and Kandy district organiser of Mr. Premadasa’s Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). “In my experience, voters in the hill country do not always vote for ideology. They vote based on issues that need urgent attention. In that sense, they vote for a promise made by an emissary of a national politician.”

Sri Lanka is headed for a national election. While some voters are looking for provincial solutions, even as they navigate the national economic crisis, few voice optimism about any candidate delivering on their demands. There are 38 presidential aspirants contesting this election but many voters in the hill country say they are not spoilt for choice.

(*name changed upon

request)

Nature’s fury

Workers remove a fallen tree brought down by strong winds from Typhoon Shanshan in Usa, Oita prefecture on Thursday. Typhoon Shanshan hit Japan with full force on Thursday, injuring dozens as howling winds smashed windows and blew tiles off houses. AFPYuichi Yamazaki

France’s Macron hosts Starmer as U.K. seeks to reset post-Brexit ties with Europe

Agence France-Presse

Paris

Emmanuel Macron with Keir Starmer prior to a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on Thursday. AFP

U.K. premier Keir Starmer was welcomed warmly on Thursday in Paris by French leader Emmanuel Macron, as the new centre-left British government seeks to relaunch post-Brexit ties with Europe.

Paris is the second leg of Mr. Starmer’s trip to key European Union capitals, after he visited Berlin and announced treaty talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Mr. Macron strode out to meet Mr. Starmer for a demonstrative hug, slapping the recently-elected leader’s back and shaking his hand.

French Presidents usually wait beside uniformed Republican Guards standing rigidly to attention at the top of the steps in the presidential palace’s courtyard when welcoming visitors.

The pair have plenty to discuss. Like Germany, France is a key security partner for Britain — Paris and London hold permanent seats on the UN Security Council and are Western Europe’s only nuclear-armed powers.

The two countries share strong support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion since 2022.

More fraught is the issue of migrants crossing the Channel to the U.K. on boats, which the two countries’ security forces have cooperated for years to try to contain.

Ukraine F-16 crashes, pilot killed during Russian attack: Kyiv

Reuters

KYIV

Deadly warrior: The Ukrainian Air Force’s F-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. APEFREM LUKATSKY

An F-16 fighter jet used by Ukraine crashed on Monday, Kyiv’s military said, the first such loss reported since the long-awaited arrival of the U.S.-made planes in the country was confirmed this month.

The jet came down and its pilot was killed while it was approaching a target during a Russian air strike, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Thursday in a statement on Facebook.

The F-16s had “demonstrated high efficiency” and downed four Russian cruise missiles, it added. “Connection with one of the aircraft was lost while it was approaching the next target. As it turned out later, the plane crashed, the pilot died,” the statement added.

Ukraine has not given detail on the size of its new fleet, though the loss is likely to have left a significant dent. The Times of London has cited a source as saying Ukraine had six of the jets.

Monday’s crash did not appear to be the result of Russian fire, and possible causes from pilot error to mechanical failure were still being investigated, a U.S. defence official said.

Telegram CEO faces charges of allowing alleged crime on app

Associated Press

PARIS

Pavel Durov TATAN SYUFLANA

French authorities handed preliminary charges to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Wednesday for allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app and barred him from leaving France pending further investigation.

Both free-speech advocates and authoritarian governments have spoken in Mr. Durov’s defence since his weekend arrest. The case has also called attention to the challenges of policing illegal activity online, and to the Russia-born Durov’s own unusual biography and multiple passports.

Mr. Durov was detained Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a sweeping investigation opened earlier this year, and released earlier on Wednesday after four days of questioning. Investigative judges filed preliminary charges on Wednesday night and ordered him to pay 5 million euros bail and to report to a police station twice a week.

Allegations against Mr. Durov, who is also a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information with investigators.

Germany announces tougher knife laws

Agence France-Presse

Berlin

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday the government would toughen knife controls and curb benefits for some illegal migrants in response to a suspected Islamist stabbing.

Three people were killed and eight others injured at a festival in the western city of Solingen, in an attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State group.

The knife attack has inflamed the debate over immigration in Germany and put pressure on the government to act ahead of key regional elections on Sunday.

The stabbing has “shocked us deeply”, Ms. Faeser said at a press conference on Thursday.

The threats highlighted by the attack demanded a packet of “tough measures”, including tightening weapons controls and strengthening security services, Ms. Faeser said.

There will be reasoned exceptions to the ban, she added.

Media in Hong Kong ‘guilty of sedition’

Agence France-Presse

Hong Kong

Hong Kong pro-democracy news outlet Stand News and its two former chief editors were found guilty of sedition on Thursday, the first conviction of its kind since the city came under Chinese rule in 1997.

The verdict is part of a crackdown on free speech in the former British colony that has seen critics of China jailed or forced into exile.

Editors Chung Pui-kuen, 54, and Patrick Lam, 36, are the first journalists to be convicted of sedition since 1997, and the ruling drew resounding international condemnation.

Chung and Lam were in charge of Stand News, a Chinese-language website that gained a massive following during the protests in 2019. On Thursday, the court said the pair were guilty of “plot to publish seditious publications”.

Death toll rises as Israeli raids in West Bank enter second day

AP

The death toll climbed on Thursday as Israel pressed a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank for a second day, despite UN concerns it is “fuelling an already explosive situation”. The Army said it killed five militants in Tulkarem, bringing to 14 the overall death toll since the launch of the West Bank operation. AFP

Israel, Hamas agree to three-day pauses for Gaza polio vaccinations

AFP

The Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to three separate, zoned three-day pauses in fighting in the Gaza Strip to allow for the vaccination of some 640,000 children against polio, a senior WHO official said on Thursday. The vaccination campaign is due to start on Sunday. Reuters

Russia claims two more villages in Donetsk and Luhansk regions

REUTERS

Russia said on Thursday that it took two more east Ukrainian villages — in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — as its forces continue their advance deeper into the country. The Defence Ministry said Russian forces captured the village of Mykolaivka in Donetsk, as well as Stelmakhivka in Luhansk region. AFP

China’s Xi meets with Jake Sullivan in an attempt to improve relations

REUTERS

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday in Beijing, on a visit with the stated aim of keeping communications open between the two powers, as the relationship between China and the United States has become increasingly tense in recent years. AP

At least 16 dead in Yemen floods: rebel media

Agence France-Presse

Dubai

At least 16 people have been killed in flash floods in a rebel-held district of Yemen, rebel media reported on Thursday, as search efforts continued for others still missing.

Landslides triggered by torrential rains had crashed through homes in Melhan district on Tuesday night. Civil defence teams recovered the bodies of 16 of the 38 people posted as missing.

Why Russia has struggled to respond to Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk region

The Associated Press

President Putin does not seem to view the first occupation of Russian territory since the Second World War as a grave enough threat to warrant pulling troops from Ukraine’s Donbas, his priority target; observers say Moscow does not have enough coordinated resources to tackle the offensive

Losing ground: Russian Army trucks damaged by shelling by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.APANATOLIY ZHDANOV

After three weeks of fighting, Russia is still struggling to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, a surprisingly slow and low-key response to the first occupation of its territory since the Second World War.

It all comes down to Russian manpower and Russian priorities. With the bulk of its military pressing offensives inside Ukraine, the Kremlin appears to lack enough reserves for now to drive out Kyiv’s forces.

President Vladimir Putin does not seem to view the attack as a grave enough threat to warrant pulling troops from eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, his priority target.

“Putin’s focus is on the collapse of the Ukrainian state, which he believes will automatically render any territorial control irrelevant,” wrote Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

Months after launching the full-scale invasion in 2022, Mr. Putin illegally annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as part of Russian territory, and their full capture has been a top priority. He declared in June that Kyiv must withdraw its forces from parts of those regions it controls as a condition for peace talks, a demand that Ukraine rejects.

Slow advance

Even as Ukrainian forces pushed into Kursk on August 6, Russian troops continued their slow advance around the strategic city of Pokrovsk and other parts of the Donetsk area.

“Russia is very keen on continuing the attacks toward Pokrovsk and not taking resources away from Pokrovsk to Kursk,” said Nico Lange, senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis.

Unlike Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces have built extensive fortifications, other parts of Donetsk still under Ukrainian control are less protected and could be significantly more vulnerable to the Russian onslaught if Pokrovsk falls.

Speaking about Kursk in televised meetings with officials, Mr. Putin described the incursion as an attempt by Kyiv to slow the Russian campaign in Donetsk, where he said the Russian advance only has accelerated despite events in Kursk.

Focused on capturing Ukraine’s four regions, Mr. Putin has sought to attach little importance to Kyiv’s foray into Kursk.

Faced with the reality of the occupation of Russia’s territory, the state propaganda machine has sought to distract attention from the obvious military failure by focusing on government efforts to help over 1,30,000 residents displaced from their homes.

State-controlled media cast the attack on Kursk as evidence of Kyiv’s aggressive intentions and more proof that Russia was justified in invading Ukraine .

Ms. Stanovaya noted that while many Kursk residents could be angry at the Kremlin, the overall nationwide sentiment could actually favour the authorities.

“While it is certainly a blow to the Kremlin’s reputation, it is unlikely to spark a significant rise in social or political discontent among the population,” she said. “The Ukrainian attack might actually lead to a rallying around the flag and a rise in anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western sentiments.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the push into the Kursk region is meant to create a buffer zone to impede Russian attacks. His chief military officer, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Kyiv’s forces control nearly 1,300 square kilometres and about 100 settlements in the region, a claim that could not be independently verified.

Observers say Russia does not have enough well-coordinated resources to chase the Ukrainian forces in Kursk.

Until the Kursk incursion, Mr. Putin has refrained from using conscripts in the war to avoid a public backlash. Young conscripts drafted for a compulsory one-year tour of duty have served away from the front, and those deployed to protect the border in the Kursk region became easy prey for Ukraine’s battle-hardened mechanised infantry units.

Commentators observed that Mr. Putin also is reluctant to call up more reservists, fearing domestic destabilisation like what happened when he ordered a highly unpopular mobilisation of 3,00,000 in response to a Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2022.

Since then, the Kremlin has bolstered its forces in Ukraine with volunteers attracted by relatively high wages, but that flow has ebbed in recent months.

It would take tens of thousands of troops to fully dislodge the Ukrainian force that used the region’s dense forests as cover.

Clearly lacking resources for such a massive operation, Russia for now has focused on stemming deeper Ukrainian advances by sealing roads and targeting Kyiv’s reserves — tactics that have been partially successful.

Logistics disrupted

Ukraine, meanwhile, has confounded the Russian military by destroying bridges across the Seym River, disrupting logistics for some Russian units in the region and creating conditions for establishing a pocket of control.

By capturing a chunk of Russian territory, Ukraine has embarrassed the Kremlin and reshaped the battlefield. But diverting some of the country’s most capable forces from the east is a gamble for Kyiv.

An attempt to create a foothold in Kursk would further extend the more than 1,000-kilometre frontline, adding to the challenges faced by the undermanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces. Defending positions inside Russia would raise serious logistical problems, with the extended supply lines becoming easy targets.

“The Russian system is very hierarchical and stiff, so it always takes them a significant amount of time to adapt to a new situation,” Mr. Lange said, “but we will have to see how Ukraine can sustain there, once Russia has adapted and comes with full force.”

‘U.S. ready with range of options to deal with South China Sea aggression’

Associated Press

BAGUIO

USINDOPACOM chief Adm. Samuel Paparo, left, with Philippines military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., in Baguio on Thursday.APAaron Favila

American forces are ready with a “range of options” to deal with increasing acts of aggression in the disputed South China Sea if ordered to carry them out jointly and after consultations with treaty ally the Philippines, a U.S. admiral said on Thursday.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) chief Admiral Samuel Paparo, who heads the biggest number of combat forces outside the U.S. mainland, refused to provide details of the contingency options.

Adm. Paparo’s comments came when asked at a news conference what the longtime treaty allies could do to deal with China’s so-called gray-zone tactics in the disputed waters.

Gray-zone tactics refer to types of assault, like water cannon fire and the blocking and ramming of rival ships in the disputed waters, that are under the threshold of an actual armed attack and would not allow the Philippines to invoke its 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty with the U.S. The treaty obligates either country to help the other in case of an armed external attack.

“We certainly have prepared a range of options and USINDOPACOM stands ready, if so called, after consultations in accordance with the treaty to execute those shoulder to shoulder with our ally,” Adm. Paparo said.

Detailing those U.S. military options would allow “the potential adversary” to “build a countermeasure to those,” he said.

Adm. Paparo held a joint news conference with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romero Brawner Jr., after both led an annual meeting in the northern Philippine mountain city of Baguio to discuss security challenges and military plans. They include the Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) — the treaty allies’ largest combat exercises — which in April involved more than 16,000 American and Filipinos forces and were partly staged in the South China Sea.

In response to a question, Adm. Paparo repeated that the U.S. military is open, after treaty consultations with the Philippines, to escorting Philippine ships in the South China Sea amid a spike in hostilities between Beijing and Manila in the disputed waters.

Such a prospect would risk putting U.S. Navy ships in direct collisions with those of China.

Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over China’s increasingly assertive actions to defend its territorial claims in the South China Sea, and Beijing’s stated goal of annexing Taiwan, by force if necessary.

Gen. Brawner said the Philippines could still fend for itself in the disputed waters, where hostilities with the Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships have alarmingly spiked since last year.

Last resort

“If we exhaust all the options and nothing works, then that’s the time we can ask for help,” Gen. Brawner told presspersons. When Filipino forces in the disputed waters “are at the verge of dying,” because food supplies were being blocked by Chinese forces, “then that is the time that we are going to seek the help of the United States,” Gen. Brawner said, but added that “we still have a lot of options.”

China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard ships with powerful water cannons, a military-grade laser, blocking movements and other dangerous maneuvers in the high seas near two disputed South China Sea shoals. They have led to minor collisions that have injured several Filipino navy personnel and damaged supply boats.

Climate catastrophe

Grim sight: Dead fish surround boats after washing up in tonnes in the port of Volos, Greece, on Wednesday following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. REUTERSALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS

Social media images reveal Sudan war crimes: HRW

Agence France-Presse

PORT SUDAN

Members of Sudan’s armed forces take part in a military parade held on Army Day in Gadaref on August 14, 2024. AFP -

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused both sides in Sudan’s more than 16-month conflict of committing war crimes including summary executions, torture and the mutilation of dead bodies.

Since April 2023, Sudan’s army, led by de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been locked in a devastating war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

The New York-based rights group said its analysis of social media images indicated mass executions of at least 40 people, alongside the torture and ill-treatment of 18 detainees.

It said nine of the 20 videos analysed showed the mutilation of at least eight dead bodies, mostly by people in military uniforms, though some were in plainclothes.

“In all the incidents, detainees appear to be unarmed, posing no threat to their captors, and in several they are restrained,” HRW said.

“Forces from Sudan’s warring parties feel so immune to punishment that they have repeatedly filmed themselves executing, torturing, and dehumanising detainees, and mutilating bodies,” said Mohamed Osman, HRW’s Sudan researcher.

“These crimes should be investigated as war crimes and those responsible, including commanders of these forces, should be held to account,” he added.

Oscar winner blasts Trump’s handling of migrant children

Agence France-Presse

VENICE

People protest the separation of children from their parents at the U.S.- Mexican border. FIle photo JOE RAEDLE

Film legend Errol Morris said the separation of thousands of migrant children from their parents by Donald Trump’s U.S. administration was “inhumane and cruel” as his new documentary about the policy premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday.

“Do we need borders? Do we need immigration law? We do,” the Oscar-winning U.S. director said ahead of the screening of his film Separated. “But the idea is laws should be fair and humane.” “And this particular policy struck me, still strikes me, as inhumane, as cruel as mean.”

In 2017, during Mr. Trump’s first year as U.S. President, his administration raised the idea of separating children from their parents as a way to deter illegal immigration — a key plank of his campaign. Officially launched in April 2018, the “zero-tolerance” policy allowed criminal proceedings to be brought against anyone who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, resulting in parents being immediately taken into custody without their children. According to the documentary, which cited official government figures, at least 4,227 children were taken from their parents.

“What horrifies me is that they did not keep records. They separated families in such a way that it might be impossible ever to reunite them,” said Mr. Morris. The veteran director won an Oscar in 2004 for The Fog of War, an astonishingly frank account of the Vietnam War.

His new film — being shown out of competition in Venice — is based on a book by U.S. journalist Jacob Soboroff, who helped expose the desperate plight of the children.

‘Turkiye’s Syria presence is to counter terror groups’

Agence France-Presse

ISTANBUL

Turkiye’s presence in neighbouring Syria is to stop the war-torn country falling under the sway of terror groups, a Turkish Defence Ministry source said on Thursday after Damascus said a withdrawal of troops was not a prerequisite for better relations with Ankara.

Turkish forces and Turkiye-backed rebel factions control swathes of northern Syria, and Ankara has launched successive cross-border offensives since 2016, mainly to clear the area of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the U.S. but which it mistrusts.

Turkiye sees the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which dominate the SDF, as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it considers a “terrorist” group. “Turkiye’s presence in Syria prevents the division of Syrian territory and the creation of a terror corridor there,” the Ministry source told presspersons speaking on condition of anonymity. “We want to see a democratic and prosperous Syria, not a Syria plagued by instability and terrorist organisations,” the same source added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who had supported rebel efforts to topple Syria’s Bashar al-Assad — has in recent months sought rapprochement with Damascus, inviting Mr. Assad to Turkey. Mr. Assad said on Sunday that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from its territory was not a prerequisite to a rapprochement.

Sports

- Sheetal sizzles, qualifies for the round of 16

- Clinical Smashers prove too good for Patriots

- Sinner sails through; Djokovic racks up 90th US Open win

- All you need to know about Chennai’s night street race

- Real to face Dortmund and Liverpool

- Important results

- Root notches up record-equalling ton against SL in the second Test

- Groot wins the first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics

- ‘Emotional’ return for Britain’s wheelchair basketball captain Pratt

- Azarenka dons sunglasses for interview after battling migraine

- The Goldies

- TNCA XI piles on the misery for Mumbai

- Siddharth and Siddarth ensure TNCA President’s XI semifinal berth

- Norris has the momentum as the caravan heads to Monza

- Clarity of what to do helped, says skipper Siddharth

- No practice is equal to playing a match, says Sai Kishore

- Mandaviya launches RESET scheme

- Atletico held by Espanyol in a goalless encounter

- Kush Maini completes second F1 test at Imola

- Chouhan beats Srikanth, makes the last-16 stage

- Romelu Lukaku signs for Napoli from Chelsea

- Shannon Gabriel retires from international cricket

- Top athletes to miss the 63rd National Open championships

- Firouzja is king; Pragg and Gukesh tie for fifth

- ‘When you go home with an Olympic medal, you feel proud’

Sheetal sizzles, qualifies for the round of 16

Press Trust of India

PARIS

The armless archer eclipses the ranking round world record of 698 with a score of 703 ; Indian shuttlers make a strong start; cyclist Gaderiya finishes 10th, makes an early exit

1 of 2

2 of 2 Superb show: Sheetal advanced with a fantastic display on Thursday.Getty Images

India’s armless archer Sheetal Devi finished second in the women’s individual compound open ranking round to directly make the round of 16 at the Paralympics on Thursday.

The 17-year-old, who shoots with her legs, scored a total of 703 points out of possible 720 to finish second behind Oznur Girdi Cure of Turkey, who set a ranking round world record of 704 points.

The top-four finishers in the ranking round, including Sheetal, got byes from the round of 32 and they will feature in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Sarita, the other Indian in the fray, finished ninth with a score of 682 and will face Abdul Jalil Nur Jannaton of Malaysia in the round of 32 on Friday.

In the men’s individual recurve open ranking round, Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist Harvinder Singh finished ninth with a score of 637. He will face Tseng Lung-Hui of Taiwan in the round of 32 on September 4. In the individual compound open ranking round, Rakesh Kumar and Shyam Sundar Swami finished fifth and 15th with scores of 696 and 688.

In women’s individual recurve open ranking round, Pooja finished seventh with a score of 585.

In cycling, Jyoti Gaderiya bowed out of the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit event after finishing 10th and last in the qualifying round.

Indian para-shuttlers, including Tokyo silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj, made a strong start with eight singles players securing victories in their respective opening group matches on Thursday.

In the SL4 category, Suhas, Sukant Kadam and Tarun won their opening matches. Nitesh Kumar (SL3), Palak Kohli (SL4), Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5), Manisha Ramadass (SU5), and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan (SH6) also cleared the first hurdle.

Clinical Smashers prove too good for Patriots

Amol Karhadkar

CHENNAI

Paying back: Jeet gave his Bengaluru teammates a lot to cheer about with a win over Snehit. R. RAGURAGU R

Jeet Chandra swept past S.F.R. Snehit in a battle of India’s NextGen paddlers as Bengaluru Smashers continued its red-hot form to move closer to a knockout berth after crushing debutant Jaipur Patriots 11-4 in a Season 5 contest of the Ultimate Table Tennis league on Thursday.

Jeet’s 3-0 win ensured that the reverse Smashers suffered in mixed doubles — Cho Seung-min was the difference between the sides — did not hurt them.

With Manika Batra winning two golden points against Suthasini Sawettabut in the final rubber, Smashers completed the rout.

Eight points clear

The resounding win pulled Smashers (32 points) eight points clear of the second-placed Ahmedabad SG Pipers at the top of the table.

Jeet, who had made an impressive UTT debut midway through the 2023 edition, justified the faith the Bengaluru team has shown in him by negating Snehit’s powerful forehands; equally impressive was the manner in which he covered the table with his forehand.

With Jeet handing Smashers an unassailable 8-4 advantage, Manika played freely against a familiar rival in Suthasini. On the golden point in the decider, the Indian produced a perfect twiddle — flipping her otherwise preferred long-pimpled rubber with the plain rubber midway through the rally — and played a backhand counter that turned out to be too quick for Suthasini.

Lily Zhang, the American sensation, was also in fine form and proved too good for Nithyasree Mani. However, the day’s most entertaining clash was between southpaws Alvaro Robles and Seung-min.

Despite both players producing strong forehands, it was the lanky Spaniard who set the ball rolling for Smashers. The Bengaluru outfit sustained the momentum before Manika provided a perfect finish.

Meanwhile, a viral infection forced the promising Pritha Vartikar of Ahmedabad SG Pipers to pull out of the league. She was replaced by Krittwika Sinha Roy.

Pritha returns home

Pritha had been suffering from the infection since last week and had to return home to Pune.

The UTT authorities allowed the Ahmedabad franchise to sign Krittwika — Goa Challengers captain Harmeet Desai’s wife — as Pritha’s replacement as she had travelled to Chennai.

The league accepted the replacement request on Wednesday and Krittwika formally joined the squad the same day. Ahmedabad's next clash is against Smashers on Saturday.

The results: PBG Bengaluru Smashers bt Jaipur Patriots 11-4 (Alvaro Robles bt Cho Seung-min 11-6, 11-7, 10-11; Lily Zhang bt Nithyashree Mani 11-5, 11-10, 11-5; A. Amalraj & Zhang lost to Cho & Nithyashree 7-11, 9-11, 9-11; Jeet Chandra bt S.F.R. Snehit 11-8, 11-9, 11-6; Manika Batra bt Suthasini Sawettabut 11-10, 11-4, 11-10).

Sinner sails through; Djokovic racks up 90th US Open win

Agence France-Presse

New York

Short work: Sinner needed just an hour and 39 minutes to get past Michelsen.AFPKENA BETANCUR

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, aiming to add the US Open title to the Australian Open crown he won in January, breezed into the third round on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Alex Michelsen.

Italy’s Sinner needed just an hour and 39 minutes to get past the 49th-ranked Michelsen, giving himself a match point with a crisp forehand winner down the line and polishing it off with a crosscourt forehand volley.

He’ll next play Australian wild card Christopher O’Connell as he aims to stay on course for a semifinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion who won both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.

O’Connell advanced with a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci.

On Wednesday, defending champion Novak Djokovic racked up his 90th win at the US Open by defeating Serb compatriot Laslo Djere who retired in the third set of their second round clash.

Djokovic was leading 6-4, 6-4, 2-0 when Djere called it quits.

The World 109, who pushed his countryman to five sets in New York last year, had required a medical time-out to treat an injury just before dropping the second set.

The 37-year-old Djokovic had himself required a visit from the trainer for what appeared to be a side strain after sealing the first set.

Djokovic is now the only man to have won 90 matches at all four Grand Slams.

N. Sriram Balaji and his Argentine partner Guido Andreozzi overcame a one-set deficit to beat New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Mexico’s Miguel Reyes-Varela 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(10) in a close doubles contest.

All you need to know about Chennai’s night street race

S. Dipak Ragav

Chennai

Getting ready: Technicians give the race cars a once-over prior to this weekend’s races.B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

With less than 48 hours to go before racing cars vroom around the streets of Chennai in the second round of the Indian Racing Festival, the mechanics and engineers were busy working on the cars in the temporary paddock at the Island Grounds on Thursday.

The 3.5-km Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, with 19 corners, goes around the Island Grounds with the start-finish straight on the beach road. However, most of the track consists of long straights interconnected with chicanes, and the layout lends itself to cars going flat out on the straights, reaching very high speeds that should thrill the audiences.

Lap times are expected to be quick, with the average around 90 seconds for F4, and the IRL cars could be faster by a couple of seconds.

The F4 championship uses a Mygale F4 Gen 2 car powered by an Alpine 1.3-litre turbocharged engine prepared by Oreca. These open-wheel and open-cockpit cars can reach a top speed of 210 kmph on the straights.

The IRL, meanwhile, uses Wolf Racing Cars (Wolf Thunder GB08) with an Aprilia RSV4 1.0 engine that can reach a top speed of 240 kmph. Unlike the F4 cars, the IRL cars are closed-wheels.

While the long straights allow the drivers to take the cars to the limit, even a tiny mistake can prove costly since street courses don’t have a lot of run-off areas.

The drivers need to be aware of the barriers, and the challenge will be how they thread the needle between finding the limit without going over it even by a millimetre.

Real to face Dortmund and Liverpool

Agence France-Presse

Monaco

Holder Real Madrid will face Liverpool away and host Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of last season’s final in the league stage of the new-look Champions League, the draw for which took place on Thursday.

Every team will play eight games against eight different opponents in the new format of Europe’s elite club competition, with all 36 clubs now pooled together into one league rather than split into groups.

Madrid will also play AC Milan at home and will go to Atalanta.

Liverpool will also meet Milan and take on tournament debutant Girona apart from hosting German champion Bayer Leverkusen.

Manchester City, winner in 2023, will play at home to Italian champion Inter Milan and go to both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

Other standout head-to-heads will include Bayern Munich against both PSG and Barcelona, and Arsenal against Inter and Paris.

At the end of the group phase the top eight in the 36-team classification will advance directly to the last 16.

Those ranked between ninth and 24th place will go through to play a play-off round from which will emerge the remaining eight sides advancing to the last 16.

Men: Second round: 30-Arnaldi (Ita) bt Safiullin (Rus) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4; Machac (Cze) bt 16-Korda (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; Thompson (Aus) bt 7-Hurkacz (Pol) 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-5; 1-Sinner (Ita) bt Michelsen (USA) 6-4, 6-0, 6-2; O'Connell (Aus) bt Bellucci (Ita) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Etcheverry (Arg) bt 29-Cerundolo (Arg) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; 20-Tiafoe (USA) bt Shevchenko (Rus) 6-4, 6-1, 1-0, retd.; 4-Zverev (Ger) bt Muller (Fra) 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-1; 28-Popyrin (Aus) bt Martinez (Esp) 6-2, 6-4, 6-0; Comesana (Arg) bt 17-Humbert (Fra) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; 6-Rublev (Rus) bt Rinderknech (Fra) 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2; 13-Shelton (USA) bt Bautista Agut (Esp) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; 18-Musetti (Ita) bt Kecmanovic (Srb) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5; 12-Fritz (USA) bt Berrettini (Ita) 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-1; 8-Ruud (Nor) bt Monfils (Fra) 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3); 2-Djokovic (Srb) bt Djere (Srb) 6-4, 6-4, 2-0, w/o.

Doubles: First round: Andreozzi (Arg) & Sriram Balaji (Ind) bt Reyes-Varela (Mex) & Daniell (NZ) 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(10).

Women: Second round: 15-Kalinskaya (Rus) bt Bondar (Hun) 6-2, 6-4; 30-Putintseva (Kaz) bt Wang (Chn) 6-1, 7-6(4); 5-Paolini (Ita) bt Pliskova (Cze) 0-0, retd.; Bouzas Maneiro (Esp) bt 31-Boulter (Gbr) 7-5, 7-5; Krueger (USA) bt 21-Mirra Andreeva (Rus) 6-1, 6-4.

7-Zheng (Chn) bt Erika Andreeva (Rus) 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2; 19-Kostyuk (Ukr) bt Dart (GBr) 7-6(10), 6-1; 2-Sabalenka (Blr) bt Bronzetti (Ita) 6-3, 6-1; 29-Alexandrova (Rus) bt Jovic (USA) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; 13-Navarro (USA) bt Rus (Ned) 6-1, 6-1; 24-Vekic (Cro) bt Minnen (Bel) 7-5, 6-1; 20-Azarenka (Blr) bt Burel (Fra) 6-1, 6-4; 3-Gauff (USA) bt Maria (Ger) 6-4, 6-0; 27-Svitolina (Ukr) bt Kalinina (Ukr) 6-1, 6-2; Stearns (USA) bt 12-Kasatkina (Rus) 6-1, 7-6(3).

Root notches up record-equalling ton against SL in the second Test

Getty ImagesGareth Copley

Joe Root hit 143 for his 33rd hundred, tying with Alastair Cook’s tally for most Test tons for England, as the host reached 358 for seven against Sri Lanka on the first day of the second Test at Lord’s.

The scores: England 358/7 in 88 overs (Duckett 40, Root 143, Atkinson 74 batting) vs. Sri Lanka. Toss: Sri Lanka.

Groot wins the first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics

Getty ImagesAlex Slitz

Track cyclist Caroline Groot of the Netherlands won the first gold medal of the Paralympic Games on Thursday. Groot finished on top in the final of the C4 and C5 classifications in the 500-metre time trial in women’s track cycling. It was the first medal event of the Games that opened with a spectacular ceremony on Wednesday.

‘Emotional’ return for Britain’s wheelchair basketball captain Pratt

Getty ImagesNAOMI BAKER

Great Britain men’s wheelchair basketball captain Philip Pratt said his return to Paralympics was “very emotional” after missing the Tokyo Games for mental health reasons. The 30-year-old, who won bronze in 2016, chose to rule himself out of the 2020 Games in order to focus on his mental health and spend time with his dying grandfather.

Azarenka dons sunglasses for interview after battling migraine

APMatt Rourke

Victoria Azarenka overcame migraine as well as opponent Clara Burel to reach the US Open third round, ending her testing evening by donning sunglasses to conduct an on-court TV interview. Azarenka had to have her blood pressure taken in the second set. She buried her head into her towel and wept before composing herself.

Caroline Groot (Ned):Cycling Track: Women’s C4-5 500m

Zhangyu Li (Chn):Cycling Track: Men’s C1 3000m Individual Pursuit

Xiaomei Wang (Chn):Cycling Track: Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit

Tristan Bangma (Ned):Cycling Track: Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit

Didier Ugo (Fra):Men’s 400m Freestyle-S9

Zsofia Konkoly (Hun):Women’s 400m Freestyle-S9

Kamil Otowski (Pol):Men’s 100m Backstroke-S1

Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo (Bra):Men’s 100m Backstroke-S2

Pin Xiu Yip (Sgp):Women’s 100m Backstroke-S2

Alexander Hillhouse (Den):Men’s 100m Butterfly-S1

Poppy Maskill (GBr): Women’s 100m Butterfly-S14

Takayuki Suzuki (Jpn):Men’s 50m Breaststroke- SB3

Yuyan Jiang (Chn):Women’s 50m Freestyle-S6

Thomas Gallagher (Aus): Men’s 50m Freestyle-S10

Yi Chen (Chn):Women’s 50m Freestyle-S10

Ihar Boki (NPA): Men’s 100m Butterfly-S13

TNCA XI piles on Mumbai’s misery

Sankar Narayanan E.H.

Coimbatore

The visiting team chases an improbable 510 for outright victory and needs a miracle to achieve it; Sai Kishore finishes with a five-for

Reason to smile: Sai Kishore, who picked up five wickets, obliges fans with selfies. M. Periasamy

TNCA XI piled on the misery for Mumbai, dismissing the visitors for 156 in the first innings before going on to score 286 in its second essay on day three of the Buchi Babu tournament at the Sri Ramakrishna College Cricket Ground here on Thursday.

Chasing an improbable target of 510, Mumbai was six for no loss at stumps.

The home team has one foot in the semifinals, with three points all but sealed from this match (first-innings lead).

Mumbai captain Sarfaraz Khan, who could not bat due to illness on day two, came in at No. 10 alongside Divyansh Saxena (70, 199b, 8x4, 1x6).

However, Sai Kishore accounted for them both in no time, completing his five-wicket haul in the process.

There was no respite for Mumbai as the host chose to bat again and had a mammoth 142-run opening wicket partnership between S.R. Athish (57, 113b, 8x4) and S. Lokeshwar (73, 126b, 8x4).

Despite tweakers Shams Mulani (four for 73) and Tanush Kotian’s (five for 91) inspired show, Mumbai never got the upper hand as the damage was done in the first innings itself.

Suryakumar Yadav — who had bowled the final over before lunch — did not field in the later part of the innings after suffering a blow to his hand while fielding in the slips in the second session.

Miracles do happen in sport and Mumbai will need just that for a win and a place in the next stage.

The scores (round three, day three):

At Coimbatore: TNCA XI 379 & 286 in 79.2 overs (Athish 57, Lokeshwar 73, Mokit 52, Mulani 4/73, Kotian 5/91) vs Mumbai 156 in 63.2 overs (Divyansh 70, Sai Kishore 5/36) & 6/0 in two overs.

At Salem: Gujarat 371 & 58 in 31 overs (M. Siddharth 8/21) lost to TNCA President’s XI 211 & 220/5 in 38.4 overs (C. Andre Siddarth 115 n.o., Siddharth Desai 4/87); Points: TNCA President’s XI 6 (9), Gujarat 0 (0).

At Tirunelveli: Madhya Pradesh 207 & 124 in 47 overs (Shubham Kushwah 44, Aniketh Reddy 5/46) lost to Hyderabad 560/6 decl. in 129.3 overs (Hima Teja 50, Varun Goud 63 n.o., Rahul Radesh 44, T. Ravi Teja 54 n.o.). Points: Hyderabad 7 (13); MP 0 (0).

At Dindigul: Baroda 327 & 9/0 in 2 overs vs Chhattisgarh 427 in 136.5 overs (Anuj Tiwari 114,Amandeep Khare 66, Gagandeep Singh 77 n.o.).

Siddharth and Siddarth deliver semifinal berth for TNCA President’s XI

S. Prasanna Venkatesan

SALEM

1 of 2 The standouts: TNCA President’s XI skipper Siddharth set the ball rolling with his incisive eight-for while Andre Siddarth earned himself a player-of-the-match award with his batting. E. LAKSHMI NARAYANANLAKSHMI NARAYANAN E

2 of 2

Skipper and left-arm spinner M. Siddharth scripted a turnaround win for TNCA President’s XI.

His eight for 21 helped his team bowl out Gujarat for 58 and chase down a 219-run target with five wickets to spare on day three of the Group-B match in the third round of the Buchi Babu cricket tournament at the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground here on Thursday.

By virtue of this win, TNCA President’s XI topped its group to qualify for the semifinals.

Siddharth picked up six wickets on the day. He finished with a match haul of 14 for 97.

The pitch initially seemed a spinner’s delight, with the ball turning, bouncing, and at times keeping low. The batters had to bat with the caution of navigating a minefield. Often, they seemed to genuinely but deludedly think that the front-foot block would block out all the discomfort in the world.

Thus, it allowed Siddharth and his fellow left-arm spinner P. Vignesh to use the arm-ball to trap three unsuspecting batters plumb in front.

Urvil Patel tried otherwise and looked to counter-attack, but missed his slog sweep on the second ball he faced to be bowled by Siddharth.

TNCA batters, seemingly having sensed that playing positively was the best approach on the wicket, attacked in the chase.

Player-of-the-match C. Andre Siddarth, who’d hit an unbeaten 55 in TNCA’s first innings, slammed an unbeaten 115 (94b, 15x4, 4x6).

He hit back-to-back sixes off Rinkesh Vaghela’s off-spin — a pull to deep midwicket, and a down-the-track hit to long off.

He produced the winning shot too — a slog sweep off left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai to deep midwicket for a six.

Norris has the momentum as the caravan heads to Monza

Reuters

LONDON

Lando Norris won by a mighty margin in Formula One leader Max Verstappen’s Dutch backyard last weekend and the McLaren driver aims to carry the momentum to Ferrari’s home Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Briton will need more than another commanding victory, however, to slash the 70-point lead enjoyed by Verstappen, winner for the last two years at Monza’s superfast ‘Temple of Speed’.

Ferrari, Mercedes and his own Australian teammate Oscar Piastri — who had the fastest lap at the circuit near Milan last year — could all help if they were to finish between Norris and Verstappen.

Sunday’s race is the last European round of the season and Ferrari will want to give its fans some cheer after an up and down campaign so far.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, on pole last year, celebrates his 30th birthday on race day with Ferrari bringing upgrades to both its cars.

Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton winning at the fast Spa and Silverstone circuits, could also be contenders after a run of three triumphs in four races ended in an ‘off weekend’ at Zandvoort.

Red Bull, now on a five-race losing streak and only 30 points clear of McLaren in the constructors’ standings, cannot be counted out either on a track that has been completely resurfaced for the first time in more than a century.

“Anyone could be on top. Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, us,” shrugged Norris when asked at Zandvoort, where he finally managed to win from pole for the first time, whether McLaren could take its form to Italy.

“Monza is a completely different circuit. So we’ll keep our heads down and keep chipping away.”

The British team had a one-two at Monza in 2021, with Norris second to then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Verstappen, second at Zandvoort with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third, said he would wait and see.

Future Ferrari driver Hamilton meanwhile has the chance to win at Monza for a record sixth time.

Clarity of what to do helped, says skipper Siddharth

S. Prasanna Venkatesan

SALEM

A come-from-behind win in a First-Class match may be an onerous task, but it helps when the trailing team knows exactly what needs to be done.

TNCA President’s XI skipper and left-arm spinner M. Siddharth highlighted that clarity as his team’s rallying force in its turnaround win by five wickets over Gujarat here on Thursday.

“We let them get away with a few partnerships in their first innings.

“When it came to their second innings, we knew what to do,” he said after the win.

“When we got out for 211 (to Gujarat’s 371 in the first innings), we had only one thing in mind — that we need to get them out for at least 100 runs. We thought, ‘If we do that, we are in the game.’

“The message to our team was to get them bowled out for as fewer runs as possible within the 100-run mark (Gujarat folded for 58).

“It was conveyed that only then, we’ll be in the game.

“And I felt that they were short of a spinner. So, we thought we’ll take advantage of that. We thought if it’s less than 250 (219 was the target), it’ll be our advantage.”

Siddharth himself took up the responsibility and single-handedly turned it around for his team with his eight for 21 in Gujarat’s second innings.

Match awareness

He said that he has better match awareness after his stint with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

“I feel that I understand situations better after coming back (from the LSG camp in IPL 2024).”

No practice is equal to playing a match, says Sai Kishore

Sankar Narayanan E.H.

Coimbatore

I consider myself a tool, the tool is doing its best to be ready

R. Sai Kishore said he’s making it a priority to sharpen his red-ball skills to be in the best position to grab the chances that come his way. The left-arm spinner has been backing his ambition with the numbers as well.

After being the highest wicket-taker in the previous Ranji Trophy (53 scalps), Sai Kishore has proved that he is not just the flavour of the month by starting the new season on a strong note (14 wickets in the Buchi Babu tournament so far).

“If I am ready for something, the opportunity will come my way. In terms of confidence, I think that I am ready.

“I consider myself a tool, the tool is doing its best to be ready. If there is an opportunity somewhere, they could call me,” Sai Kishore said after the third day’s play against Mumbai here on Thursday.

The Tamil Nadu player will have a bigger role to play in the upcoming Duleep Trophy for his side India-B as fellow left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja won’t be taking part in the competition.

Sai Kishore added that he was happy with his decision to play the Buchi Babu before the tougher assignments.

“There was an option to go to the NCA in Bengaluru for a spinners camp. I felt ‘if I cannot handle the pressure in Buchi Babu, how will I handle it in Duleep Trophy’.

“So I looked at Buchi Babu as a good preparation. No practice is equal to playing a match. Luckily, it has panned out very well.”

Mandaviya launches RESET scheme

Sports Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launched the Retired Sportspersons Empowerment Training (RESET) programme on the National Sports Day on Thursday.

“The RESET program is aimed at empowering our retired sportspersons who have played for the country and brought laurels for the nation.

Support

“The program will support retired athletes on their career development journey by empowering them with necessary knowledge and skills, making them more employable”, said the minister.

Sportspersons at various levels from local to international standard will be eligible to apply for the courses under RESET programme. There will be a broad division of athletes with educational qualification till 11th standard, and the other, 12th standard and above. The Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education will implement the programme.

The learning will be self-paced through a dedicated portal, along with on-ground training and internship.

Atletico held by Espanyol in a goalless encounter

Atletico Madrid couldn’t find the net from 25 attempts and had two goals disallowed in the second half of a 0-0 draw at home against promoted Espanyol in the Spanish league on Wednesday.

The results: Athletic Bilbao 1 (Prados 44) bt Valencia 0; Valladolid 0 drew with Leganes 0; Atletico Madrid 0 drew with Espanyol 0; Real Sociedad 1 (Mendez 32) lost to Alaves 2 (Villalibre 45+5-pen, Martinez 77).

Kush Maini completes second F1 test at Imola

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

Kush Maini, India’s sole representative in Formula 2 series, has completed his second Formula 1 test at Italy’s Imola circuit as a member of Alpine’s junior driver program.

He had driven Alpine’s 2022 car for the first time at Red Bull Ring in June. The two-day test at Imola saw Maini behind the wheel of the Alpine A522, the 2022 season race car.

Maini was a part of a two-day testing event for the Alpine team alongside Jack Doohan, who recently secured a promotion to Formula 1.

This latest test comes at a crucial time, as the team’s reserve driver spot opened up earlier last week, presenting a significant opportunity for Maini.

Representing Invicta in Formula 2, Maini will return to action at Monza over the weekend.

Chouhan beats Srikanth, makes the last-16 stage

Ashwin Achal

BENGALURU

Mahendra Chouhan outclassed fellow Indian Srikanth Gadda 61-17, 78-7, 70-51 in the first knockout round of the IBSF World under-21 men’s snooker at KSBA here on Thursday. Chouhan made a 53 break in the third frame to finish the match.

Aarav Sancheti, Rahul Williams and K. Vibhas were the other Indians to enter the last-16. Christian Richter was edged out by Iran’s Shahin Sabzi.

The results: Mahendra Chouhan bt Srikanth Gadda 61-17, 78-7, 70-51; Shahin Sabzi (Irn) bt Christian Richter (Ger) 42-66, 0-78, 68-9, 64-26, 85-32; Aarav Sancheti bt Tathya Sachdev 59-70, 43-36, 64-27, 85-22.

Rahul Williams bt Sky Chan (HK) 27-79, 58-23, 75-56, 29-62, 71-24; Kwan Chun Wong (HK) bt Sham Alwin 75-11, 79-25, 80-8; K. Vibhas bt Mohamed Musarraf (SL) 64-45, 82-10, 67-39.

Romelu Lukaku signs for Napoli from Chelsea

Napoli has signed Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea for three years, the Serie A club announced on Thursday. Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the deal, worth a reported €30 million.

Shannon Gabriel retires from international cricket

West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has quit international cricket with immediate effect, the 36-year-old said on social media. Since his West Indies debut in 2012, the right-arm quick played 59 Tests, 25 ODIs and two T20Is finishing with 202 wickets across the three formats.

Top athletes to miss the 63rd National Open championships

The cream of India’s athletics fraternity will miss the 63rd National Open athletics championships that gets underway in Bengaluru on Friday. Coming just after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, and at a time when the best of the under-20 talent is away in Lima (Peru) for the World athletics under-20 event, the competition, in all probability, will be a subdued affair. Of the very few notable names in the entry list are long jump specialists Nayana James and Ancy Sojan, sprinters Amlan Borgohain and Srabani Nanda, hurdler Vithya Ramraj, high jumper Abhinaya Shetty and 20k race walker Priyanka Goswami.

Firouzja is king; Pragg and Gukesh tie for fifth

French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja drew his final game with India’s R. Praggnanandhaa to emerge the champion of the Sinquefield Cup and also win the Grand Chess Tour 2024 in Saint Louis (USA). Winning three and drawing the remaining six games, Firouzja remained undefeated throughout the event. Pragg and D. Gukesh finished tied for the fifth spot on a 50% score with both of them ending with nine draws.

‘When you go home with an Olympic medal, you feel proud’

Y.B. Sarangi

Rohidas, a vital cog of the bronze-winning Indian hockey team in Paris, looks back on his red-card, the match against Spain, his three roles in the side and the journey ahead

1 of 2

2 of 2 Getty ImagesLINTAO ZHANG

Amit Rohidas, an important cog in the wheel of the Indian hockey team, played a crucial role in the side’s second successive bronze medal victory in the Paris Olympics.

Rohidas, who has improved well as a player over the years and plays a three-in-one role, was in the news when he was red-carded during India’s quarterfinal match against Great Britain in Paris.

Despite being reduced to 10 men for three quarters, India played out of its skin to beat the formidable Great Britain through penalty shoot-out, missed the suspended Rohidas in the semifinals against Germany before utilising his services again in the bronze medal match against Spain to pick up back-to-back medals in the Olympics after 52 years.

While hopping from one felicitation ceremony to another to celebrate the team’s rare success, Rohidas, hailing from Saunamara village (which also produced former India captain Dilip Tirkey) of Odisha’s hockey cradle Sundargarh district, found time to speak to The Hindu about his eventful journey in the French capital. Excerpts

Having been part of a side that won its second consecutive bronze medal in the Olympics, how do you look back at the Tokyo Games?

Tokyo was different. We had not won a medal for many years. It was a younger team. Some players who had competed in the Olympics earlier had shared their experience and had told us that Tokyo (held during Covid times) would be different from the previous Games.

We were determined to win a medal, no matter whether it’s first, second or third spot. We were determined to stand on the podium. We experienced a lot of ups and downs in the league and semifinal as well. But we did not give up and won the bronze medal. It was a matter of great delight for all of us.

The whole country was delighted with the revival of hockey. We were able to put hockey where it belonged, people in villages and all over the country knew about our achievement. There was a marked enthusiasm among kids (in the hockey belts) as there was increased participation in the sport. It was a great experience.

And how different was Paris?

In Paris, our motto was to change the colour of the medal, whether we finished first or second. We played well from the beginning till the end. You must have seen in the quarterfinal against Great Britain. I got a red card. We played with 10 men (for nearly three quarters) and playing an international match with 10 men is extremely difficult. When a team gets a card for two minutes or five minutes, the opponent takes the advantage of that. We played with a certain structure before I got the card. We had practised a lot on how to play with one man down.

Then we had one more player who got another card (and was temporarily suspended). Just think, in an Olympics match and against a team like Great Britain, it was really tough to defend with a man down. Every member played for others in the team, not for himself.

We were determined to not let a goal in, no matter what. We prioritised saving our home first for which we could not attack well. Finally, we won through shoot-out after a 1-1 deadlock. It was a historic moment.

After that I was suspended for one match, in the semifinal against Germany. We played well that day, got opportunities, we could have scored more goals. The team missed me during penalty (corner defence), I also missed being there out in the middle. But we prepared for the bronze medal match. Playing a bronze medal match is always difficult. It’s difficult for both the teams (to push yourself again and) after losing (the semifinals). In our meeting, we decided to forget the past and get on to the pitch with a fresh approach and rhythm as we had another medal to go for. How we would get it was up to us. We thought, ‘If we play well, then we can win it. Or else, return home empty-handed.’ So we were determined and beat Spain 2-1 and got consecutive bronze medals.

How do you see the incident because of which you were red-carded?

I did not hit him (William Calnan) intentionally. He came from behind and got hit (on his head). There was no bleeding. Had he bled, then I would have accepted a red card. Since nothing serious happened and that player played the full match, nobody accepted the decision of the third umpire.

It was debated all over the world as to why a red card was issued (to me). A yellow card would have been good enough. The punishment was much bigger (than the mistake I made). Since my teammates and the whole country backed me, I was confident and I was not morally down. And I prepared for the next match.

Did anything happen between the two of you before that incident?

Nothing happened before that incident. It just happened accidentally.

How did you feel after that?

I felt bad sitting out and watching the semifinal against Germany from the stands. I supported the team, I had full confidence in the team. We got more opportunities, but could not score enough goals. In my absence, Manpreet (Singh) performs the first rusher’s job well. He tried his best, but that day, luck was not on our side.

How different was playing under a new coach (Craig Fulton) this time?

Playing under every coach is a different experience. The current coach was an assistant coach with Belgium, the champion side in Tokyo Olympics. He is an experienced coach. Even though he worked with us for only 14-15 months, he gave his best and produced results. He made us train in the areas where we needed improvement.

How have you improved as a player and where do you want to improve?

My fighting spirit has improved in the last few years. Combination with other fellow players is at a good level. I want to continue like this in the future. I can improve in penalty corner conversion, the drag-flicking part. Otherwise, the going has been good.

Who is your idol?

Dilip Tirkey is my idol. The way he played for the country (for so long) was an achievement. His tackling, ball passing and his behaviour (towards others) are a few things about him which I like.

How do you approach your role as a first rusher while saving penalty corners?

I rush out first, block from my side, mind the possible variation (from the opposition). My experience helps. I do not fear (facing a drag-flicker). If the ball hits the stick, well and good. But sometimes it hits my legs or body. In such a scenario, there is a chance that you can pick up an injury. The (protective) equipment really helps me.

Who is the most difficult drag-flicker to face?

I don’t feel any difficulty facing different drag-flickers from various countries. I just focus on my job. We analyse the flickers through video analysis. It is important to observe how a flicker moves and how he flicks. If you study these well, then there is no problem.

You have to see whether the main flicker is at work or the second flicker is there. You have to see their set-up and do your work with composure. You have to observe, who are the pusher, stopper, main flicker and the second flicker. Then you have to defend it. We don’t know how many penalty corners the opposition is going to get, so there is no such target as to how many I need to stop. I just focus on my job no matter how many penalty corners we concede.

Of your three roles as a rusher, defender and drag-flicker, which one is your most favourite job?

I give equal priority to each one of my roles. I try to give my best to the roles I am responsible for.

How do you feel when you go home as an Olympic medal winner?

When you go home with an Olympic medal, you feel proud. No other moment can be bigger than that. Our villagers, family celebrate.

FR

- In tune with the muse

- Sky is the limit

- Liberating lens

- A bright idea

Aruna Sairam writes about Krishna’s abiding influence on her art

1 of 2

2 of 2

Rewind to Chaya Building, Parsi Colony, Dadar-Matunga, Mumbai.

Each morning, as the first rays of the sun filtered through the window of our small apartment, I would look at the image of Kalinga Narthana Krishna hanging above my bed.

His divine form filled the room with a presence, both powerful and playful. I often found myself in conversation with him, sharing my fears and joys. At times, his gaze seemed intense, almost overwhelming, but at other times, he appeared as a mischievous child, playing with a serpent. After being fully awake, I would turn to the beautiful shrine in a corner of the room, where Radha and Krishna resided, their forms bathed in the soft glow of the morning light. My mother would come with a glass of milk, singing Mira’s bhajan, ‘Jago bansi wale, jago more pyare’. She offered the milk to Krishna, a ritual of love and devotion, leaving it at his feet. I would check every now and then if he drank it.

First abhang experience

It was a Sunday. The house buzzed with energy. That evening, Shri Mohan Pai and his abhang mandali were to perform at our house. We awaited the arrival of fellow devotees, kindred spirits who shared our love for Panduranga. I was particularly excited with the thought of joining the chorus and chanting ‘Vithala, Vithala’. As dusk fell, the room echoed with Vithala Nama and bound us all in its energy. Years later, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’s rendering of ‘Teertha Vithala Kshetra Vithala’ became my favourite abhang.

Mid-week melodies

It was a Wednesday, and my mother’s friends arrived for their weekly Mira Bhajan Mandali session. When I returned from school, the house reverberated with their voices. My mother gently beckoned me to join them. I knew she would ask me to sing ‘Maadu meikkum kanne’ at the end, a tradition I cherish to this day.

There is something indescribably beautiful about gazing at Krishna’s form as I sing for him, feeling a connection that transcends the music itself.

Balamma’s divine dance

I was in class five. We went to watch a dance performance by Balasaraswati, who was affectionately referred to as Balamma. We eagerly awaited her rendition of ‘Krishna nee begane baro’. As she stepped onto the stage, her eyes remained fixed at just two feet above the stage. It appeared as if she was looking at little Krishna. Throughout the song, her gaze never moved. I was mesmerised by the love, music, and dance that unfolded before me. Balamma’s performance was not just dance; it was a conversation with the divine.

Learning from Brindamma

As a youngster seated among a small gathering of senior singers, I felt special. Brindamma began teaching a new composition ‘Chetashree Balakrishnam Bhajare’ and I followed along as best as I could.

Some phrases were too intricate for me, but I lingered on the words and the tune, especially the line that began with ‘Nalina Patra Nayanam’. I asked Brindamma what ‘Vata Patra Sayanam’ meant, and she explained that it referred to an endless expanse of blue water, with a small Banyan (aalilai) leaf floating on it, upon which lay little Krishna, all curled up, sucking his toe, a smile on his radiant and alluring face. In Tamil, we call him ‘Aalilai Kannan’. As she described it, I got lost in the lyrics.

Festive ambience

It was Gokulashtami and the preparations were underway. Pictures of Krishna’s various leelas were cut and pasted on a cardboard and carefully arranged around our little Radha-Krishna shrine. I heard someone sing the viruttam ‘Nalliravil pirandu, nadi kadandu, valiya pillai endru emmai aala vanda tavame’, followed by ‘Karuttil niraindai kannil maraindai kanna’ (the latter composed by Tiruvarur Ramamurthy Bhagavatar).

A chance encounter

Many years later, perhaps in 1994, during a visit to Tiruvarur, my father’s birthplace, we attended the Mummoorthigal Vizha, conducted exceptionally by Lalgudi Jayaraman sir. A fellow rasika, Chandrashekhara Raja, accosted us and offered us a precious recording — a cassette of Kalinga Narthana thillana rendered by Needamangalam Krishnamurthy Bhagavatar. He wanted us to copy it immediately and return the original. Back home, when I finally played it, I was moved to tears. This was the song that I had carried in my heart since I was 10. I had heard Needamangalam Bhagavatar sing this thillana through his two-hour upanyasam. He would stop at every line and narrate a Krishna story.

Later that year, I travelled to Switzerland for a concert tour, where I found a cow shed near the house of my friends and hosts Eva and Oti. It was there, with a cassette player in my hand and surrounded by robust Swiss cows, that I relearned the Kalinga Nartana thillana. That weekend, I performed it for the first time. Since then, it has belonged to Krishna and to all bhaktas and rasikas.

Oothukkadu Venkata Subba Iyer must have had a vision of Krishna on Kaliya. To me, this thillana is pure sound born out of a clear vision and emanating from an unconditional love for Krishna — a life in Krishna’s melody.

Sky is the

Charumathi Supraja

Bindhumalini’s ‘Many Moons’ takes music to a new space

1 of 3 Immersive Bindhumalini; Gurupriya Atreya; and Abhaydev Praful. Photos: Sumukh Bharadwaj

2 of 3

3 of 3

‘Many Moons’ by Bindhumalini inhabited the liminal spaces between sound and music, cognitive understanding and intuitive knowing. The layered musical experience offered at Courtyard Koota, Bengaluru, during their sixth anniversary celebrations, invited audiences to travel through shape-shifting soundscapes. Beginning with a meditative immersion into a sound sculpture or musical installation, the programme led the audience towards a new space of listening to and thinking about music in its second part, which was somewhat like a concert but not quite.

Moving from silence, sounds and musical question marks to lyric-free melodies, tune tributes and formal compositions, ‘Many Moons’ treated audiences to a heart-to-heart between disparate entities in music making, without a trace of dissonance. Does sound have to be arranged for music to emerge? How does the heart instinctively hear oneness in harmony that actually has notes from different registers as its building blocks? These were just some of the questions that came up.

The first few offerings of the concert were happily unrestricted by words and carried their foundations in ancient knowledge structures ever so lightly. The singers Bindhumalini and Gurupriya Atreya effectively employed body rhythms and humming, serving up music with generous helpings of ta-ra-ra-ras and la-la-la-las to the vibrant strumming (sometimes singing, sometimes sound-making) by classical guitarist Abhaydev Praful. The composition ‘My sweet golden moon’ paid tribute to Illayaraaja’s ‘Yen iniya ponn nilave’ while baring the intimate connection between music and memories. ‘Rain and smoke’ was energetic and continued in the style of swara-strings. ‘Auto-tune,’ it turned out, was so titled because it was created in an auto — not because it was a lofty contemplation on the relationship between music and spontaneity.

These pieces defied classification though they resonated with multiple musical genres including jazz, classical and film music. The next few pieces echoed familiarity — one a song of lament, another a lullaby, and the third — a timeless classical composition, all set to the Carnatic raga Bhairavi. While the first two were presented in snatches, the magnificent ‘Kamakshi’ was presented as the grand finale, in all fullness. This piece came as a complete surprise, even stoking resistance in my mind, attuned by then to the explorative approach of the concert. Yet, how long can the heart or head hold out against Bhairavi and such a rich ode to the divine feminine as is ‘Kamakshi’? Also, by the end, the concert held out its promise of leaving loose ends untied, which felt just right.

Bindhumalini marvels at the “magic, hiding in plain sight,” while speaking of an “underlying unity of notes” in what is called Natabhairavi in Carnatic music, Asavari in Hindustani music and the Natural Minor scale in Western music. Having stumbled on a host of cross-cultural approaches to this scale during research for another musical composition, she delved further into Natabhairavi’s offshoots and worldwide avatars to make ‘Many Moons’. She wished for the processes behind the show to be seen, for the output to be “a warm welcome into a shared experience” than a “display” of the raga’s range and manifestations.

This was the intent behind sharing with the audience — playlists from the research phase and voice recordings from other musicians on their relationship with the scale, both of which played outside the venue, before and after the show. The audience was also invited to soak in “the study material” that got created and then became the musical installation, a crucial part of the programme. She credits Natasha Iype (architect and artistic curator of Courtyard Koota) and the creative team with enabling such an experimental work.

Bindhumalini carries many accolades earned at the national and international level with much lightness, makes music for films, sometimes works as an actor in the theatre and engages with multiple musical genres through performance, composition and research. She’s constantly collaborating with artistes from diverse backgrounds because, she says, it opens a “common space of shared creativity” that is greater than the individual artistes and their talents.

She shares a story from her school life while speaking about the title. She and her friend had gleefully gotten away to the terrace to view the moon. They both didn’t have their glasses (that they needed) but saw what they saw in the moon and even described it to each other. Though there was a single moon, they feasted together on many moons. This is the essence she sought to bring into ‘Many Moons.

K. Hariharan

The camera captured a new perspective of choreography at the Manifest Dance Film Festival

1 of 3

2 of 3 Wide angle view (Clockwise from top) From Stork; Where Do Ants Sleep at Night and Until. Photos courtesy: Manifest Dance Film Festival Courtesy: Manifest Dance Film Festival

3 of 3

Should not the performing arts be primarily a joyful and positive experience, so that we strive to create an atmosphere of fun and inclusivity? Or should it be necessarily presented in a disciplined form/ template, as witnessed in our classical dance and music, in the name of creating meaningful ‘art’ for the final audience? Can we not give priority to our intuitive feelings , instead of obeying codified notations as passed down to us through our elders? Do we have to believe that those traditions handed down to us by renowned performing artistes are sacrosanct? Have they never undergone serious changes by themselves, over the centuries?

These were some of the questions raised at the Manifest Dance Film Festival held last month in Puducherry. Over 100 dance films of varied durations, from three minutes to 72 minutes, were screened along with a range of dance workshops conducted by contemporary practitioners from all over the world.

What is so unique about Dance Films?Firstly, they are not films about dancers trying to explain their feelings, methods and journeys . Secondly, they do not necessarily tell a conventional story with a beginning, middle and an end. These films are about experiencing and representing life in the way we undergo, say the reality of a chaotic traffic junction or an overcrowded market place.The dancers portray ‘living’ in that experience while also articulating through ‘body language’ the thoughts and feelings that arise in us at the same time. It is like composing a song while writing and scoring the music for it at the same time.

Undoubtedly this is a recipe for chaos but Dance Films are about how do we engage with the chaos of a cascade and still manage to hold our heads high and sane enough to survive. Take a film like Until by Tarin Torabi. It was shot on an iPhone in Tehran during the Woman Life Protests movement in 2023. With the facility to switch freely between the front and rear camera lenses, the dancer/ cameraperson without a ‘hijab’, walks through a traffic escaping, as if, from the eyes of law. And in a flash, the camera passes on to more such comrades taking over the camera like a baton. The entire escape is now choreographed as they run from one alleyway to another in one single shot. This experience is the story of what is objective v/s subjective, its form and content. In short, the grammar is original and yet, the language communicated is easily recognisable.

Such a film festival helps us to distinguish at one level, between Contemporary Dance and Modern Ballet, while also telling us that the only way to engage with modernity in these disturbing ‘post-modern’ times is to use the film medium as a mode of praxis rather than working to a specific script. This means that while improvisation might seem spontaneous, it often evolves through a deep understanding of the body, space and relationships.

And when one recognises the fact that one of the crucial origins of Contemporary Dance is in Somatic Therapy, which explores how the body expresses deeply painful experiences and then goes about finding alternative systems to help recovery from trauma. Films such as Layers from the Netherlands, Stork from France and Where Do Ants Sleep At Night from China deal with loneliness, deprivation and concerns with climate change in intertwined manners.

And there was Q5- The Quintessentials by Sarada Sarita from the Netherlands, paying tribute to a vibrant form called ‘Waacking’, a style that emerged in the multicultural gay clubs of Los Angeles in the 1970s. For all of us at the Manifest Dance Film Festival, curated by Vajrasara and Abhyuday, it was an eye-opener to empathise with various layers of distress experienced, especially by the millennials who are subjugated to rigid and formulaic modes of entertainment and its proliferation in the name of popular culture.

The writer is a director and film historian

A bright idea

Neha Kirpal

The tracks of Swarathma’s latest studio album, Raushan, will make listeners think

1 of 2

2 of 2 Eco-conscious notes The band during a performance and the members. Photos courtesy: Swarathma Courtesy: Swarathma

Seldom do we come across a band that not only plays soulful music, but often stands up for important social issues too. Bengaluru-based folk/fusion band Swarathma’s fourth studio album, Raushan, talks about being in a state of liberation and floating in a state of feeling light within.

The band has taken a different approach with its latest album, and decided to release each song separately. This has given them time to work on each track, while in the midst of their tour. “There is no running theme to this album, so each song has its own thing going on. It’s interesting even for us, because we don’t know how the next one is going to turn out,” said Varun Murali.

‘Bas’ is a comment on the state of the country or world at large and how the band chooses to respond to it. “I’ve heard a couple of my friends interpret it quite differently, and that’s actually great. So, I would love to hear how people interpret it,” added Varun.

First Tamil track

The next track to be released from the album is ‘Aiyanar Kudurai’, a song about the journey of a horse. This is the first time Swarathma is attempting a Tamil song, for which they have collaborated with Anthony Dasan, a renowned folk/fusion artiste from Tamil Nadu. Undergoing final mixing and mastering at the moment, the band has been playing the song live to see how people respond to it. “We enjoy such collaborations as they bring forth fresh ideas and styles that sometimes contrast beautifully with our own,” said Sanjeev Nayak.

Challenging project

In their current series of eco-tours, Swarathma has used solar and clean energy for key concert systems in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Lucknow among other cities. The initiative has been one of the most enriching and challenging projects the band has ever done. It began when they worked on a music project with SELCO Foundation, which works on accessible renewable energy across communities. “In the course of composing a song for them, we came up with a wild idea of powering a 1,000-person concert with renewable energy,” recalled Jishnu Dasgupta.

The conversation sparked off a beautiful chain of events that culminated in SUNNY, the 100KVA clean energy system that is travelling with the band on an eight-city concert tour in which the sound, visuals and sometimes even the lights of the show are fully powered by solar or clean energy, eliminating the need for the standard diesel gensets that are otherwise used at concerts. “We hope to set a new standard for environmentally-conscious entertainment and promote the adoption of sustainable practices within the music industry. This idea resonates with the kind of music we make, and it has been heartening to see the response from audiences and organisers alike,” added Jishnu.

Recently, Swarathma also supported retaining Bengaluru’s green cover with an acoustic jam inside Cubbon Park.Under the ‘Tour of Trees’, the band partners with groups working to protect green cover in urban areas, a cause that is very close to their hearts. “On the appointed day, we move from tree to tree performing acoustic versions of our songs for the trees as well as tree lovers. The announcements go like ‘9.00 am: Peepal Tree’, ‘9.30 am: Banyan Tree’, etc. It’s a humorous take on the concert tour format, but with a purpose,” explained Jishnu.

“As artistes we tend to be open and vulnerable to things happening around us. We are blessed to have music as a means of expressing and healing; whatever affects us gets an outlet in the form of music,” said Vasu Dixit.

In the past, the band has also made music around issues such as child sexual abuse, urbanisation as well as a satire on politics in daily life among other things. “Music is a great way to communicate and start a conversation about difficult things, and we know that it might not be an answer to everything or anything. But music definitely helps build bridges in our hearts,” concluded Vasu.

Table of Contents

The Hindu

National

DGCA places SpiceJet under strict watch over ‘poor financial health’

Supreme Court slams Telangana CM for his comments on Kavitha’s bail

Nilgiris ration shops fortified to keep elephants, sloth bears at bay

Actor-MLA Mukesh, 6 others booked in sexual abuse cases

Aerial escape

Pakistan invites Modi to attend SCO meet

India, China hold 31st WMCC meeting to iron out issues

FIA certificate mandatory for night street race in Chennai, orders HC

Kharge slams Modi govt. over women’s safety, calls for a fear-free environment

SC protects jobs of govt. employees whose castes, tribes were de-scheduled

Alleged audio clips of calls from hospital to victim’s parents out

NSA Ajit Doval arrives in Colombo on two-day visit

Pakistan invites Modi to attend the SCO meet in Islamabad

3 terrorists killed in two operations in J&K: Army

Assam law makes Muslim marriage registration must

SHe-Box portal launched for women

Brij Bhushan’s plea ‘oblique’, says HC; seeks detailed note

A fearless author and lawyer who spoke truth to power

Nadda tries to calm tempers in J&K unit ahead of election

Kangana Ranaut meets Nadda after her remarks on farmers’ agitation

Jharkhand Police deny spying on Champai Soren

In House committee, JD(U) MP demands caste census debate

Inform the public of government work, Modi tells Ministers

Rahul Gandhi releases the teaser of ‘Bharat Dojo Yatra’

J&K polls: 244 nominations cleared for the first phase

EC calls for report on SP plaint on bias in postings

Cong. slams BJP over list of rich people in the country

Priyanka criticises U.P. govt.’s new digital media policy

Submarine Arighaat set to add ballast to nuclear triad

14267

Cong. gave Rahul ₹1.4 cr. for election expenses in Wayanad and Rae Bareli

Union to organise campaign to restart MGNREGS in Bengal

IMD warns of cyclone in Saurashtra, Bay of Bengal ‘depression’

The effect of Rama nama

Chhattisgarh: three alleged Naxalites killed in Bastar

Southampton University to start campus in India

DGCA suspends approval for Jamshedpur flying school

Centre puts out four sets of draft rules under Telecom Act

Decomposed body o Bangladesh leader’s decaying body found in Meghalaya

Regional

Mamata clarifies she did not threaten protesting doctors; protest rages on

Bonda tribe student set to pursue MBBS programme in Odisha

ED attaches ₹834.03 crore properties belonging to EMAAR India and MGF Ltd

Brahmin group demands 20 seats each from BJP, Cong. in Haryana polls for support

Woman, grandson thrashed in police station; 6 suspended

Congress chief whip attacked outside residence in Jaipur

PM to visit Maharashtra today to participate in fintech fest

Joint panel to investigate collapse of Shivaji statue

Punjab to amend candidacy rules for panchayat elections

CPI(M) demands resignation of two Congress legislators

Shun exotic trees, plant local species, says advisory from A.P. Forest Department

Decked up

Uttarakhand govt. reinstates IFS officers suspended for negligence in accidental death case

Give records on nod for probe against CM, Karnataka HC tells Governor’s office

Kavitha meets her father in Hyderabad

2 YSRCP MPs resign from Rajya Sabha

INBRIEF

HC cancels CBI plea against Shivakumar

Resignation an act of cowardice, says actor

Film director booked on complaint by trans woman

Submit Aadhaar to buy laddu prasadam at Tirumala: TTD

Police to probe ‘false case’, torture of actor in A.P.

Science

When physics merged with biology to revolutionise ophthalmology

Why disconnecting from work is important for mental health

Why the Union govt. banned 156 irrational fixed dose combinations

Edit

Connecting the dots in the Kyiv visit

Moving the spotlight to grassroots democracy

letters to the editor

By another name

Biotech enigma

Should lateral entry in the civil services be encouraged?

A leap of faith

The bus to Kyiv

Seats in Parliament for Sikkim: Bill soon

Serious Railway collision

Analysing the Gender Budget of 2024-25

On the controversy over lateral entry into the civil services

The biomechanical horrors of the xenomorph in the ‘Alien’ movie franchise

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the assassination of scholar and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi by suspected fundamentalists. Here’s a quiz on famous rationalists

Know your English

Business

Vadhavan Port to boost exim trade through West Asia, Europe: Sonowal

Moody’s, Fitch flag concerns about jobs, private investments

RIL mulls 1:1 bonus issue; eyes ₹75,000 cr. in ‘New Energy’ spend

SEBI moots UPI-like block mechanism for securities market

FinMin lowers entry barrier for Gift City listing

Gangwal’s family trust sells 5.24% in IndiGo worth ₹9,549 crore

‘Monsoon likely to extend, threatening ripe summer crops’

LIC pays ₹3,662.17 crore dividend to Govt. of India

Adani Enterprises to raise ₹800 cr. via NCD issue

Adani pips Ambani to become ‘richest Indian’

Natco seeks U.S. FDA nod for copy of Novartis’ cancer drug

Centre lifts curbs on ethanol production from cane juice

Foreign lenders lured by stake sales in Indian banks, but tighter rules weigh

LME open-outcry trade lives on as SocGen quit sparks no rush

Asian firms’ earnings outlook improves as chip sector shines

Energy guzzler

Auto dealers’ revenue to lag

Foreign

Gloom prevails in Sri Lanka’s hill country

Nature’s fury

France's Macron hosts Starmer as UK seeks to reset Europe ties

Ukraine F-16 crashes, pilot killed during Russian attack: Kyiv

Telegram CEO faces charges of allowing alleged crime on app

Germany announces tougher knife laws

Hong Kong outlet Stand News and editors found guilty of sedition

Death toll rises as Israeli raids in West Bank enter second day

Israel, Hamas agree to three-day pauses for Gaza polio vaccinations

Russia claims two more villages in Donetsk and Luhansk regions

China’s Xi meets with Jake Sullivan in an attempt to improve relations

16 dead in Yemen floods as search goes on: rebel media

Why Russia has struggled to respond to Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk region

‘U.S. ready with range of options to deal with South China Sea aggression’

Climate catastrophe

Social media images reveal Sudan war crimes: HRW

Oscar winner blasts Trump’s handling of migrant children

‘Turkiye’s Syria presence is to counter terror groups’

Sports

Sheetal sizzles, qualifies for the round of 16

Clinical Smashers prove too good for Patriots

Sinner sails through; Djokovic racks up 90th US Open win

All you need to know about Chennai’s night street race

Real to face Dortmund and Liverpool

Important results

Root notches up record-equalling ton against SL in the second Test

Groot wins the first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics

‘Emotional’ return for Britain’s wheelchair basketball captain Pratt

Azarenka dons sunglasses for interview after battling migraine

The Goldies

TNCA XI piles on the misery for Mumbai

Siddharth and Siddarth ensure TNCA President’s XI semifinal berth

Norris has the momentum as the caravan heads to Monza

Clarity of what to do helped, says skipper Siddharth

No practice is equal to playing a match, says Sai Kishore

Mandaviya launches RESET scheme

Atletico held by Espanyol in a goalless encounter

Kush Maini completes second F1 test at Imola

Chouhan beats Srikanth, makes the last-16 stage

Romelu Lukaku signs for Napoli from Chelsea

Shannon Gabriel retires from international cricket

Top athletes to miss the 63rd National Open championships

Firouzja is king; Pragg and Gukesh tie for fifth

‘When you go home with an Olympic medal, you feel proud’

FR

In tune with the muse

Sky is the limit

Liberating lens

A bright idea