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Regional

- Kejriwal gets interim bail in Delhi excise policy case

- Centralised hiring leads to language, cultural barriers in Eklavya schools

- Prachanda loses trust vote in Nepal

- June food inflation quickens to 9.4%; retail price gains rebound to 5.1%

- Three-tier security for Vikravandi vote count

- Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases: SC

- First step of process to get environmental clearance for Parandur airport begins

- ‘Performing arts help us express our deepest emotions, thoughts’

- Three babies rescued while being used for begging at signals

- Metrowater will conduct open house meetings today

- Memorial meeting for M.P. Narasimhan to be held today

- GCC begins survey of congested roads, to carry out widening for smooth traffic flow

- NGT impleads real estate firm in case relating to laying of access road on Perumbakkam wetland

- Two persons held for murder of youth in Kancheepuram

- Sixth Retina Summit features 50 Indian and foreign experts

- Kauvery Hospital launches family clinic in Vadapalani

- Sub-Registrars told not to take orders from police on registration

- Study finds lack of awareness about vulture conservation in Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves

- Sensitise stakeholders to gold hallmarking, BIS tells T.N. govt.

- VIT freshers’ induction programme inaugurated

- TNAU cancels exam held for admission to postgraduate courses

- Consider married govt. staff’s parents too for health insurance: HC

- Changing norms a challenge in managing ESG risks: survey

- Frame rules to add teeth to Disabilities Act: Confederation

- Karnataka dams likely to get 30 tmcft more this month, says Cauvery panel

- Police should probe link between BJP, Aarudhra Gold and Armstrong’s murder, Thirumavalavan tells CM

- ‘State is spending significantly on welfare of Adi Dravidar and tribal communities’

- Advocates cannot represent complainants before RBI ombudsman: Madras HC

- Over 100 people with fake tickets denied entry to Madurai airport

- Tamil Nadu secures the third spot in SDG index

- Politics of hate will find no place in T.N., says TNCC chief

- Sasikala to begin her ‘political tour’ on July 17

- DMK to organise seminar against new criminal laws

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

SC relief in the ED case will not see the Delhi CM released from jail as he is under remand in a related CBI case; top court leaves it to Kejriwal to take a call on stepping down from CM post

The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in money laundering charges linked to the excise policy case, but left him to take a call on whether he should now step down from office, in light of the allegations against him.

The relief would also not translate to an actual release from jail as Mr. Kejriwal was separately arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the same case on June 25. He is currently under remand in the CBI case.

“We are conscious that Arvind Kejriwal is an elected leader and the Chief Minister of Delhi, a post holding importance and influence. We have also referred to the allegations. While we do not give any direction, since we are doubtful whether the court can direct an elected leader to step down or not function as the Chief Minister or as a Minister, we leave it to Arvind Kejriwal to take a call,” a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta observed.

This is the second time the Supreme Court has allowed Mr. Kejriwal interim bail in the case. The first instance was on May 10 during the Lok Sabha election.

Justice Khanna said Mr. Kejriwal deserved interim bail. His rights of life and liberty were “sacrosanct”. He had been incarcerated for over 90 days. The court reiterated the same bail conditions imposed on Mr. Kejriwal in its May 10 interim order, including a bar on him from visiting the Chief Minister’s office or signing official files.

The two-judge Bench asked a larger Bench to frame questions and decide bail conditions that could be imposed by courts in future in cases like that of Mr. Kejriwal, a sitting Chief Minister in custody and facing money laundering charges.

Centralised hiring leads to language, cultural barriers in Eklavya schools

Abhinay Lakshman

NEW DELHI

Officials said the centralisation of hiring was meant to address a severe shortage of teachers in the EMRS system.file photoBISWARANJAN ROUT

The recent centralisation of recruitment for tribal residential schools across the country, which introduced Hindi competency as a mandatory requirement, has resulted in a flood of requests for transfers.

The large numbers of staff recruited from the Hindi-speaking States are protesting postings to the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) located in southern States, where the language, food and culture are unfamiliar to them.

Though Central officials point out that the willingness to be posted anywhere in the country was part of the requirement for those applying for jobs, the bigger worry may be the impact on tribal students being taught by teachers who are unfamiliar with the local language and culture.

Until last year, staff recruitment for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ flagship Eklavya schools was done by State authorities.

In the 2023 Budget Session of Parliament, however, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the responsibility was being shifted to the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), which has now been given the task of staffing 38,000 positions in over 400 Eklavya schools across the country.

Staff shortage

Officials said the centralisation of recruitment was meant to address a severe shortage of teachers in the EMRS system, and to standardise recruitment rules across States, which had earlier used varying criteria and applied reservation quotas as per their State legislations. The examination for this centralised recruitment process — the 2023 EMRS Staff Selection Examination — was entrusted with the National Testing Agency.

Sanjeev Satgainya

KATHMANDU

Pushpa Kamal Dahal NAVESH CHITRAKAR

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday lost his vote of confidence, leading to the fall of his one-and-a-half-year-old government.

Prachanda, 69, had sought a vote of confidence after his coalition partner, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), on July 3 withdrew its support to the government. After Friday’s vote, Speaker Devraj Ghimire announced that of the 258 parliamentarians present, 63 voted in the Prime Minister’s favour while 194 voted against. One lawmaker abstained. In the 275-member Parliament, 138 votes are needed to prove the majority.

President Ram Chandra Poudel on Friday called on parties to present a claim, latest by 5 p.m. Sunday, to form a new government.

As per a deal reached between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, the two largest parties in Parliament with 88 and 78 seats, respectively, the UML’s K.P. Sharma Oli is set to stake a claim to the government.

Earlier in the day, Prachanda said in Parliament he was betrayed by the UML and that a government by the two largest forces in Parliament was a threat to democracy. “I am worried about regression and authoritarianism,” he said. “An alliance of two largest parties fuels anarchy and weakens democracy.”

June food inflation accelerates to 9.4%

Vikas Dhoot

NEW DELHI

Costlier vegetables, cereals and fruits spurred the rise in food prices paid by Indian consumers to a six-month high of 9.4% in June, escalating the headline retail inflation pace to a four-month high of 5.08% in June, from a revised 4.8% in May. Rural inflation spiked to 5.66% from 5.3% a month ago.

Three-tier security for Vikravandi vote count

The Hindu Bureau

VILLUPURAM

All arrangements have been made for the counting of votes polled in the Vikravandi Assembly byelection at the Government Higher Secondary School on Saturday.

Official sources said that three-tier security — provided by the CISF, the Central Armed Police Forces, and the Tamil Nadu Special Police — will be in place till the counting of the votes was completed. In addition, special police teams — comprising three Deputy Superintendents of Police, three inspectors, and 24 sub-inspectors — will provide round-the-clock security at the counting centre, which has been brought under CCTV surveillance.

Postal ballots will be counted first, and the votes polled in the Electronic Voting Machines will be counted from 8.30 a.m. Mobile phones will not be allowed into the counting centre. The strong room will be opened in the presence of the agents of the political parties.

District Election Officer and Collector C. Palani said that 14 tables had been placed for the counting. There will be three persons at each table, including a micro-observer. The results will be announced at the end of each round.

Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases: SC

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Friday said an inclination seen among higher courts to stall bail creates a real and present danger to the rights of personal liberty and due process.

A Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the propensity to stay reasoned bail orders passed by trial courts was “shocking”. “Stay on bail should not be granted except in very rare and exceptional cases. Stay of a bail order should be given only if there is apparent perversity or if provisions of law mandating the satisfaction of certain special conditions were not satisfied or if the person is a terrorist,” Justice Oka said, adding that high courts cannot pass them mechanically.

Process to get environmental clearance for city’s second airport at Parandur begins

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

The Terms of Reference are currently under the review of the Expert Appraisal Committee . TIDCO will then have to organise consultations with stakeholders involved in the project and the public

Survey on: The consultant appointed by TIDCO is in the process of carrying out the Environment Impact Assessment for the airport to be constructed at Parandur. B. VELANKANNI RAJ B. VELANKANNI RAJ

As a first step to getting the environmental clearance for Chennai’s second airport proposed at Parandur, the Terms of Reference of the project are under the review of a high-level committee at the Centre.

There are a host of procedures involved to get the environmental clearance. To begin with, the Terms of Reference of the project were sent by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change sometime back, along with various other documents, including the pre-feasibility report, connectivity plan for the airport and the justification for building the project. “The first round of presentation to the Expert Appraisal Committee happened recently. The Terms of Reference are currently under the review of the committee and they have to approve it. Subsequently, in the coming months, the TIDCO will have to hold consultations with stakeholders involved in the project, including public consultations. This is a long-drawn-out process and is likely to go on for sometime,” a source said. TIDCO had sent the Terms of Reference some months back, but later took them back and reapplied after making a few changes in the document.

As soon as the State government announced the project, environmental activists explained about why it was not advisable to build such a massive infrastructure at this site where there were a lot of wetlands. In the airport which is proposed to be constructed over 5,368.93 acres, 26.54 per cent of the area is wetlands.

Meanwhile, Louis Berger, the consultant appointed by TIDCO, is in the process of carrying out the Environment Impact Assessment. Recently, a hydrogeological report too was submitted to the State government — it talks in detail about the measures to be taken to address the concerns and the ways to implement the project with minimal impact on the environment.

‘Performing arts help us express our deepest emotions, thoughts’

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Lively show: A dance performance at Kalakshetra Foundation on Friday. R. RAVINDRAN R. RAVINDRAN

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated dance cottages at the Kalakshetra Foundation here on Friday.

Speaking at the event, he said Bharatanatyam, with its rich history and graceful movements, embodied the essence of Indian culture and tradition. “Kalakshetra is a sacred space where the art of Bharatnatyam and other performing arts are being revered and nurtured along with the traditions of the country. Each step, each mudra,and each expression has a story of devotion, love, dedication, and spirituality. By practising these performing arts, we not only connect to our roots, but also express our deepest emotions and thoughts,” he said.

The discipline that was needed to focus and master the art is truly commendable, he said. Suresh Kumar Chikkala, Director, Kalakshetra Foundation, also spoke. Staff and students of the foundation performed at the event.

Meets Governor

Earlier in the day, Mr. Shekhawat called on Governor R.N. Ravi at the Raj Bhavan here on Thursday. The dignitaries exchanged flowers and books.

Three babies rescued while being used for begging at signals

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Three babies that were being used by women for begging at traffic junctions, were rescued by social activists and residents near the Kutchery Road signal in Mylapore on Wednesday and handed over to the police.

The police are awaiting directions from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) before proceeding further with the case.

A senior official of the Greater Chennai Police on Thursday said a group of social activists, led by advocate Stalin Abimanyu, had been tracking women with babies who begged at various traffic signals in the city.

On Wednesday, the social activists found three women with three babies and an elderly couple near the Kutchery Road signal junction in Mylapore.

A team from the Mylapore police station detained the three women and the couple, and informed CWC members.

Birth certificates

The CWC, after conducting an inquiry, directed the Mylapore police to hand over the babies to the custody of the Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust in T. Nagar. The CWC told the women to produce birth certificates to prove the babies belonged to them. They are yet to produce the documents, the police official said.

The police said that during investigation, the women, who said they were from Rajasthan, claimed the babies belonged to them and the elderly couple were their relatives.

Metrowater will conduct open house meetings today

Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) will hold open house meetings at all its area offices across the city on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to redress consumers’ complaints. A press release said such meetings were held every second Saturday of the month in the 15 area offices. Residents may register complaints related to water supply and sewage disposal and water and sewer charges at these meetings.

Memorial meeting for M.P. Narasimhan to be held today

A memorial meeting will be held to pay homage to M.P. Narasimhan, founder and secretary of The Triplicane Cultural Academy and The Kasturi Srinivasan Library at P.S. Higher Secondary School in Mylapore on Saturday at 4.30 p.m. R.K. Raghavan, president, The Triplicane Cultural Academy, will preside over the event. Nalli Kuppuswami Chetty, vice-president, T.S. Krishna Murthy, former Chief Election Commissioner, Sudha Seshayyan, former Vice-Chancellor, The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, among others will also pay tributes, a press release said.

GCC begins survey of congested roads, to carry out widening for smooth traffic flow

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Lattice Bridge Road, Paper Mills Road, and New Avadi Road will be widened in the first phase . Riding surface of roads must also be improved as they will affect traffic even after the widening, says former Chief Planner of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority

Eating up space: Of all the congested roads, Paper Mills Road has the most number of encroachments, an official said. M. VEDHAN M. VEDHAN

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has started a survey of congested roads for widening these stretches to ease traffic flow.

GCC Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan held a meeting on Friday with Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) officials, in the presence of its Member Secretary Anshul Mishra, to discuss road widening works. “In the first phase, four roads will be widened in Chennai,” a GCC official said.

Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai is to be widened to 30.5 m. Once this is done, traffic congestion is expected to ease in areas such as Mylapore, Royapettah, Thousand Lights, and Teynampet. Later, a land plan schedule for more stretches in the area will be prepared for widening more roads. The width of Lattice Bridge Road will be increased to 30.5 m, and Paper Mills Road and New Avadi Road to 18 m. Of all the congested roads in the city, Paper Mills Road has the most encroachments, an official said, and added that the road was around 12 m wide at most places due to this. “Issues during the widening exercise are more likely to crop up in the case of Paper Mills Road. Acquiring land or Transferable Development Rights are likely to take a longer as ownership may run into several hundreds on such roads,” said K. Kumar, former CMDA Chief Planner and visiting faculty, School of Architecture And Planning, Anna University.

Stressing the need to improve the riding surface of the roads in the city, he said the poor riding surface of roads would affect traffic flow even after the roads were widened. “Half the traffic problem will be solved if we have an efficient bus system. One should have a policy on how one will incorporate sustainability and priority measures for buses,” Mr. Kumar said. “Many traffic problems are caused by encroachments with political support. During his tenure as the Deputy Chief Minister earlier, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin used to conduct fortnightly meetings with officials to resolve such issues to ease traffic congestion. We used to participate in the meetings. Encroachments on roads were removed,” Mr. Kumar said.

NGT impleads real estate firm in case relating to laying of access road on Perumbakkam wetland

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

The Perumbakkam wetland is contiguous to the Pallikaranai marshland, which is a Ramsar site. File photo PRINCE FREDERICK

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has impleaded real estate developer Casagrand Builder Private Limited in a suo motu petition against the construction of a road inside the Perumbakkam wetland.

The Bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, was informed by the government pleader on Friday that although the building constructed by Casagrand in Perumbakkam was on a private patta land, the access road, which was created by dumping construction materials and sand, was on the wetland.

As the Perumbakkam wetland is contiguous to the Ramsar-designated Pallikaranai marshland, the Bench had earlier directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to file a report on whether any changes had been made in the Second Master Plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) after taking the eco-sensitive wetlands in and around the region into consideration. The Bench also remarked that in the case of Casagrand’s construction in Perumbakkam, the CMDA ought not to have granted the building permit as there was no access.

Subsequently, in its status report, the CMDA stated that without details on the survey numbers within the Ramsar site, the width of the influence zone around the Pallikaranai marshland, and the guidelines for granting development permits, it would be unable to make any modifications to the Second Master Plan. On Thursday, the Bench reiterated its question about issuing a building permit without an access road to the CMDA’s counsel, who requested more time to respond.

Two persons held for murder of youth in Kancheepuram

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The Walajabad police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder of a youth in Kancheepuram district.

The police said R. Dhanush, 21, had completed his degree and was preparing for the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) exam. On the night of July 6, Dhanush went missing. His father Ruthrakoti lodged a ‘man missing’ complaint at the Walajabad police station on July 8. Based on the complaint, the police started an inquiry and questioned Dhanush’s friends and relatives.

Meanwhile, residents of Koyyambakkam village, near Ayyanpettai, informed revenue officials about a body buried in the lake bed there. The police were alerted, and they sent the body to the Government Chengalpattu Hospital for a post-mortem. Later, Dhanush’s parents identified the body.

Monetary dispute

As per a preliminary investigation, the police believe the murder could have been committed due to a dispute over money.

After investigating, the Wallajabad police detained Vishwa and his friend Sundar, both students at a private college in Chennai. Vishwa had borrowed money from Dhanush and had failed to repay it.

As Dhanush kept demanding the money, Vishwa and Sundar murdered him. The police later arrested the two.

Sixth Retina Summit features 50 Indian and foreign experts

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The sixth Retina Summit, which is happening till July 13 at Sankara Nethralaya, features 50 Indian and international experts and has over 250 delegates participating from India and neighbouring countries.

The summit will focus on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in collaboration with the annual meeting of the Indian ROP Society (iROP), which was founded by specialists from Indian eye institutes, including Sankara Nethralaya. It focuses on uniform screening guidelines, treatment strategies, awareness campaigns, and specialist training, a press release said.

Sankara Nethralaya has been a pioneer in ROP treatment since the early 1990s. It has established itself as a centre of excellence for ROP surgical management and ophthalmologist training through its vitreoretina fellowship programmes. The Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Department at Sankara Nethralaya hosts a focused, theme-based meeting annually. The Retina Summit includes presentations, panel discussions on ROP management, medicolegal issues, and experience sharing through various formats, the release said.

Kauvery Hospital launches family clinic in Vadapalani

B. VELANKANNI RAJB. VELANKANNI RAJ

DMK MP Kalanidhi Veerasamy on Friday inaugurated a family clinic at Kauvery Hospital in Vadapalani. Speaking at the inaugural function, he suggested that the hospital adopt a ‘hub-and-spoke model’ and set up standalone clinics in neighbouring areas away from the hospital. The newly inaugurated clinic will be headed by family medicine specialists. The consultation fee will be ₹200, and those needing specialist or super-specialist consultations will receive them at no extra charge when referred by the family physician, a press release from the hospital said. Hospital co-founder Arvindan Selvaraj said: “The physician will offer the connection that people are missing.”

Sub-Registrars told not to take orders from police on registration

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI

In a series of instructions issued to the Sub-Registrars, Inspector-General of Registration Dinesh Ponraj Oliver said it was for the aggrieved parties to obtain appropriate orders from civil courts instead of using the police for registering documents

The Madras High Court disapproved of the practice of police officers issuing letters to the Sub-Registrars asking them to refrain from registering documents. File PhotoBASHKARAN N

The registering authorities across Tamil Nadu have been instructed not to refuse registration of documents based on the letters received from police officers.

In a series of instructions issued to the Sub-Registrars, Inspector-General of Registration Dinesh Ponraj Oliver said it was for the aggrieved parties to obtain appropriate orders from civil courts instead of using the police to prevent a Sub-Registrar from performing his/her statutory functions.

Referring to a specific case, he said the Madras High Court had deprecated the practice of police officers issuing letters to the Sub-Registrars asking them to refrain from registering documents. “It is hereby instructed that registering officers should not refuse registration of documents merely based on the letter issued by police officials,” Mr. Oliver said.

Reiterating an earlier order directing the Sub-Registrars not to insist that the applicants (registrants) produce ‘Chitta’, ‘Adangal’, ‘Field Measurement Sketch’, and rental value certificate for registering documents, he said severe disciplinary action would be initiated against those found to have cited such requirements while rejecting registration of documents.

Protest petitions

Mr. Oliver warned of action if registration of any document was rejected merely based on a protest petition with no documentary evidence. He said instructions were issued to protect the original owners of properties from spurious protest petitions.

Registering officers were told to return the protest petitions which were submitted without documentary evidence. However, if any protest petition was submitted by the genuine owner of a property, along with proof of his/her title to the property, such a complaint should be considered, he said.

In cases where undervaluation of property was found, Section 47A of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, provided for such documents to be referred to the Collector (District Revenue Officer/Special Deputy Collector-Stamps as the case may be) after registering the document for determination of market value. But it was observed in certain cases that the Sub- Registrars refused to register the document on the ground that the property had been undervalued.

Under the provisions of the Act, whenever undervaluation was suspected, the registering officer was bound to register the document and refer it in original to the competent authority for determination of market value of the property.

Sale certificates

Mr. Oliver said registration of sale certificates should not be refused on the ground that an attachment order issued by a court was subsisting upon the subject property. He said that in cases where some portions of land in a particular survey number had been sold as house site earlier, the rest of the land remained as an agriculture land, and a layout was not formed, there was no bar on registering the property as agricultural land.

The instructions issued on Friday come as the Registration Department is working on a plan to effect an upward revision of the market value guidelines for immovable properties in Tamil Nadu, sources in the department said.

Study finds lack of awareness on vulture conservation in Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves

Rohan Premkumar

Udhagamandalam

A file photograph of White Rumped Vultures, one of the four species found in the Nilgiris. Special Arrangement Special Arrangement

A study on the awareness of vulture conservation across the species’ key habitats in Mudumalai (MTR) and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves (STR) has shown that communities living in the region have to fully realise “vulture-safe” practices in raising livestock and the importance of the birds to the region. The lack of awareness could potentially pose a risk to the survival of the species, argue researchers.

Covert surveys

In a paper published recently in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, titled, ‘Harmonizing ecology and society: an integrated analysis of vulture conservation in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India,’ researchers S. Manigandan, H. Byju and P. Kannan undertook covert surveys in 82 veterinary pharmacies in four districts across the region – The Nilgiris, Erode, Coimbatore and Tiruppur, and conducted random surveys among 20 villages in the two tiger reserves, to ascertain the level of awareness among communities about the threats facing the four species of vultures commonly seen in the region.

Three of the four species – the white-rumped vulture, the long-billed vulture and the Asian king vulture, are resident to the landscape and are known to nest and breed within the two reserves, while the Egyptian vulture is believed to be a migratory species.

The researchers, during their covert surveys of veterinary pharmacies in the region, learnt that while the 82 pharmacies did not sell large veterinary-dose vials of diclofenac, the harmful Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) that is largely believed to have caused a crash in the vulture populations across India over the last few decades, smaller doses for human usage were sold in three shops.

More concerning, however, was that other NSAIDs harmful to vultures such as Ketoprofen, Aceclofenac and Nimesulide were still available in these veterinary pharmacies.

“There is a distinct lack of awareness about NSAIDs across the board, including diclofenac,” said researcher S. Manigandan, one of the authors of the paper. He explained that the availability of smaller vials of the drug meant for human use in pharmacies hinted at the probability of the drug being sold in smaller doses for use in cattle as well. “Multiple smaller vials can be bought and used together for treating cattle,” said Mr. Manigandan.

Knowledge parity

Surveys conducted among local residents in the 20 villages showed that Adivasi communities had more knowledge about vulture conservation, especially in MTR, while there was a distinct lack of knowledge about the need for vulture conservation and the reasons for the species’ drastic reduction among the eight villages in Sathyamangalam, the researchers noted.

Awareness about vulture conservation was also low in three villages in MTR, researchers found, including Bokkapuram, Chemmanatham and Thengumarahada.

In a statement, S. Manigandan said while many awareness programmes are conducted on vulture conservation in the two tiger reserves, that these campaigns have not altered public perception towards ensuring the protection of vultures.

The researchers suggested ensuring immediate compensation to cattle herders in case of predation by carnivores to help protect vultures by preventing retaliatory poisoning.

“Carcass poisoning has killed vultures in this study area as part of retaliatory action by livestock holders on carnivores. We have also found that pharmacies located in and around vulture habitats need to be sensitised to dangerous drugs such as Nimesulide, Flunixin, and Ketoprofen. Scientific awareness campaigns are frequently needed for local residents, pilgrims, livestock holders, veterinarians, and drug stores in the long-run, for the conservation of vultures in this region,” they added.

Sensitise stakeholders to gold hallmarking, BIS tells T.N. govt.

K. Lakshmi

CHENNAI

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Southern Region, has approached the Tamil Nadu government to sensitise stakeholders to gold hallmarking in districts where it is not mandatory to enhance the credibility of ornaments and establish hallmarking and assaying centres.

Hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts, which ensures authenticity of the gold offered in the market, was made mandatory in June 2021 with Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID). However, the districts of Ariyalur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Mayiladuthurai, Perambalur, Tiruvallur, Virudhunagar, Ranipet, and the Nilgiris are yet to come under the ambit of mandatory hallmarking.

BIS officials said establishment of assaying and hallmarking centres to test the purity of the ornaments was one of the criteria for mandatory gold hallmarking in a district.

Close to major cities

U.S.P. Yadav, Deputy Director-General, Southern Region, BIS, said, “We chose Virudhunagar and Tiruvallur districts that are close to major cities and have the potential for establishing assaying and hallmarking centres and sensitising stakeholders to the importance of consumer protection. This would help bring these districts under the ambit of mandatory hallmarking.”

In Tamil Nadu, nearly 14,056 gold jewellers and 1,366 silver merchants have registered themselves for BIS mandatory hallmarking since 2022.

G. Bhavani, Director and Head, BIS, Chennai branch, said consumers in some districts were deprived of hallmarked gold and quality assurance of ornaments for want of assaying and hallmarking centres. The BIS would hold meetings with stakeholders on the importance of hallmarking when the demand for gold was going up.

VIT freshers’ induction programme inaugurated

A month-long ‘Freshers’ Induction Programme - 2024’ for undergraduate programmes in Computer Science, Economics, Fashion Design, Law, Management and Commerce was inaugurated at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, on July 11. Addressing the gathering, former Chief Secretary Irai Anbu underscored the importance of discipline, communication and listening in every student’s career. Ramesh Bharath, assistant vice-president - Brand Management, Ramco Cement Ltd. and a VIT alumnus, shared his insights. Founder-chancellor of VIT G. Viswanathan pointed out that the long-pending demand for spending about 6% of GDP on education remained unfulfilled. Sekar Viswanathan, vice-president of VIT, was present.

TNAU cancels exam held for admission to postgraduate courses

The Hindu Bureau

COIMBATORE

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, has cancelled the PG Admissions Entrance Examination (2024-25) for Masters and Doctoral degree programmes it conducted last month, to enable UG students who are yet to complete their final year to apply.

The TNAU’s School of Post Graduate Studies conducted the entrance exam on June 23. Since a majority of the applicants were completing their UG degree by the end of September, technical difficulties were encountered in accommodating new applicants. Hence, the current admission process has been abolished.

A fresh announcement for the Master’s and Doctoral admissions will be made during September’ 2024. The application fee and processing fee collected will be refunded.

Consider married govt. staff’s parents too for health scheme: HC

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

The Madras High Court has directed the Chief Secretary to take a decision within three months on including married government employees’ dependant parents too under the compulsory health insurance scheme being implemented in the State.

Justice Mummineni Sudheer Kumar issued the direction after coming across many writ petitions filed in the court by married government servants against denial of medical reimbursement with respect to the treatment undergone by their parents.

“This court deems it appropriate to draw the attention of the Chief Secretary of the State of Tamil Nadu to look into this aspect with special attention and take appropriate steps to bring the New Health Insurance Scheme, 2016 or any other subsequent scheme in tune with the orders passed by this court,” the judge wrote.

The judge ordered that the Chief Secretary should take a decision on the issue as expeditiously as possible and at any rate within a period of three months.

Changing norms a challenge in managing ESG risks: survey

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

A recent survey of more than 70 financial institutions worldwide found that 52% of them identify regulatory compliance as the primary challenge in managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and climate risks.

Insights captured

The survey by BCT Digital, a fintech solutions organisation, captured insights from 77 financial institutions based in the Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, West Asia, and North Africa regions, according to its CEO Jaya Vaidyanathan.

ESG technology

It found that over 72% of the companies plan to spend up to $500,000 or more on ESG technology.

In this bid, over half of the institutions feel keeping up with changing regulations is the biggest ESG-related challenge.

Frame rules to add teeth to Disabilities Act: Confederation

The Confederation of Association for Persons with Mental Disabilities urged the Union government to frame rules that will add teeth to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD). The demand came in the light of 20 bodies of intellectually disabled and mentally-ill persons being found buried in a home in Udhagamandalam. “The Act lacks penal provisions to punish the offenders,” said M. Ravichandran, State general secretary of the Confederation.

Karnataka dams likely to get 30 tmcft more this month, says Cauvery panel

T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI

At Thursday’s meeting, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee asked Karnataka to ensure the realisation of one thousand million cubic feet a day, or about 11,500 cubic feet per second, by Tamil Nadu at the inter-State point of Biligundlu

The direction of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to Karnataka on the release of water to Tamil Nadu was based on its assessment that four Karnataka reservoirs would receive 30 tmcft more in the remaining period of the current month, going by the current trend of rainfall during the southwest monsoon, according to the minutes of the committee’s meeting held on Thursday.

At the meeting, the CWRC asked Karnataka to ensure the realisation of one thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) a day, or about 11,500 cubic feet per second (cusecs), by Tamil Nadu at the inter-State point of Biligundlu. Pointing out that the total live storage of Karnataka’s four reservoirs — Krishna Raja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathy — stood at about 59.88 tmcft on July 10 (about 26 tmcft more than the corresponding day last year), the minutes said that during the rest of the month (July 12-31), “the cumulative flows to be ensured at Biligundlu in a normal year, as per the Final Award of the CWDT [Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal], as modified by the Supreme Court, should be 20.15 tmcft.”

Though the CWRC considered the shortfall in the realisation — 8.358 tmcft — during the period from June 26 to July 9, it chose to adopt a “cautious approach” and ordered the quantum to be one tmcft per day (on an average, a flow of about 11,500 cusecs). Had the CWRC included the deficit for the 14 days, it would have been 1.42 tmcft a day.

Tracing the sequence of the rainfall in the Cauvery basin since the onset of the monsoon, the committee said that “after a very brief spell of good rain (up to June 10-13), the monsoon went into a lull period (June 13-23)”. It revived on June 25, and the combined flows realised from June 26 till date was in the range of 1.5 tmcft to 2.5 tmcft per day. The committee also considered the shortfall in the net realisation of water in the four Karnataka reservoirs during the period from June 1 to June 25. Against the 30-year-long average of 18.773 tmcft for the period in question, the realisation was 8.083 tmcft, a deficit of 56.9%. Between June 26 and July 9, the realisation was 33.568 tmcft, as against the average of 28.975 tmcft.

In respect of Biligundlu, the realisation in the 25 days of June was two tmcft, whereas it should have been 3.3 tmcft, keeping the same quantum of shortfall as experienced by Karnataka. The two-week period (June 26-July 9) saw a net receipt of 2.242 tmcft when compared to the stipulated quantity of 10.6 tmcft.

‘Judicious use’

The CWRC advised the States concerned to make a “judicious use” of the available storage in the designated reservoirs in the basin, considering the fact that the previous year (2023-24) was a deficit year as far as the monsoon was concerned.

Police should probe link between BJP, Aarudhra Gold and Armstrong’s murder, Thirumavalavan tells CM

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

1 of 2 VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan calling on Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the Secretariat.

2 of 2 It is possible that there was a political plan behind Armstrong’s murder Thol. Thirumavalavan VCK leader

VCK founder and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday said that he had urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to ensure the arrest of those who planned and executed the murder of BSP State president K. Armstrong.

The VCK leader said that he suspected the hand of “BJP in particular” in the murder.

Addressing the media after meeting Mr. Stalin at the Secretariat, Mr. Thirumavalavan claimed that the BJP had a plan to systematically break down law and order in Tamil Nadu. He said that Mr. Stalin had promised to take appropriate action.

“It is possible that there was a political plan behind Armstrong’s murder. Immediately after the murder, even before the police began an investigation, a BJP leader – pre-empting the BSP – demanded an inquiry by the CBI, which is under the control of the Union government. In the last few months, there have been reports about a link between Aarudhra Gold Company, some people in the BJP, and Armstrong’s murder. Those who are connected to Aarudhra Gold hold posts in the BJP. The Aarudhra Gold company case is being spoken about in relation to Armstrong’s murder. These aspects should be investigated,” he said.

Mr. Thirumavalavan said that he had also urged Chennai Police Commissioner A. Arun to probe all aspects of the case.

He claimed that the BJP’s political roadmap always contained plans to disturb the DMK government and create law and order issues at every opportunity. “Ideological and political criticism can be made, but attacking Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi) personally would create tension. So, on the whole, several forces are working towards disturbing law and order in the State,” he said.

He sought the Chief Minister’s intervention to safeguard law and order in the State and monitor the organisations and political parties that provided refuge to such elements.

“We have also presented a petition for an all-party meeting to discuss NEET and the new criminal laws. NEET has become a national issue. The BJP is trying to cover up the corruption that has taken place in the conduct of the exam, and the DMK should intervene and pass a resolution to put pressure on the Union government and the Supreme Court,” he said.

Mr. Thirumavalavan said that the three new criminal laws were passed after sending all the Opposition MPs out of Parliament. “I also welcomed the State government’s decision to set up a commission headed by a retired judge to look into the criminal laws,” he said.

‘State is spending significantly on welfare of Adi Dravidar and tribal communities’

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The government has allocated ₹2,992.57 crore during 2024-25 to the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department and ₹2,252.51 crore has been earmarked for educational programmes.

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday listed the welfare schemes being implemented by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department in the past three years.

An official release said that projects worth ₹230 crore were under way this year under the the Iyothee Thass Pandithar Habitation Development Scheme. The scheme will be executed at a cost of ₹1,000 crore over five years. It is aimed at improving roads, street lights, and drinking water supply at Adi Dravidar habitations in urban and rural areas. As for compensation given to those who suffered atrocities, the government had also provided job opportunities to 154 persons, granted pension to 535 persons, and allotted a housing plot to one person, it said.

The government had allocated ₹2,992.57 crore in 2024-25 to the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, and ₹2,252.51 crore was earmarked for educational programmes. It had also offered ₹77.40 lakh in internship stipends to 774 students.

An internship stipend of ₹10,000 was being offered to final-year students of government law colleges to expose them to the emerging facets of law. A sum of ₹65 lakh had been granted to provide a stipend of ₹15,000 each to 15 students for interning with judges of the Madras High Court and its Madurai Bench, the release said.

A total of 54 youths from Adi Dravidar and tribal communities had benefited from the government incentive to pursue higher education abroad. The government was providing an assistance of ₹36 lakh to encourage students to pursue postgraduate and doctoral research studies abroad. Besides, 54 students had pursued engineering, finance, global health, global industry and law courses in countries such as the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, France, and Belgium, it said.

Advocates cannot represent complainants before RBI ombudsman: Madras HC

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

The Madras High Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the Reserve Bank of India-Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RBI-IOS) 2021, which prohibits complainants from engaging advocates to represent their cases in proceedings before the ombudsman.

A Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramanian and C. Kumarappan refused to declare provisions 3(1)(c) and 10(2(f) of the RBI-IOS 2021 unconstitutional. It held that advocates enjoy only a statutory right, and not a fundamental right, to appear before judicial and quasi-judicial fora.

N.A. Srinivasan, a practising advocate, had filed a writ petition in 2022 challenging the two provisions of the RBI-IOS 2021 which enables customers of banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), payment system participants, and credit information companies to get their grievances redressed.

The scheme permits the complainants to approach the ombudsman either directly or through authorised representatives, but makes it clear that the latter should not be advocates. The writ petitioner said that such a bar imposed on advocates was unreasonable and arbitrary. When the authorised representative of a complainant could be a chartered accountant or any other professional, there was no reason why advocates alone should be cherry-picked and prohibited from participating in proceedings before the RBI ombudsman, the petitioner argued.

On the other hand, senior counsel Vijay Narayan, representing the RBI, argued that the objective of the integrated ombudsman scheme was to resolve customer grievances related to deficiency in service on the part of banks and NBFCs in a speedy, cost-effective, and satisfactory manner. Therefore, the scheme consciously prohibits the process of engaging advocates, and it could not be faulted with. He relied upon a couple of Supreme Court judgments to support his argument that there was no unconstitutionality in the bar imposed on advocates.

Concurring with him, the Division Bench said that even the statutory right conferred on lawyers to represent their clients, under the Advocates Act, 1961, was not an absolute right but only a right subject to reasonable restrictions such as the requirement to be enrolled with the bar council, conforming to the rules of practice, and the permission to be granted by the judicial forum concerned. Therefore, advocates could be restrained from appearing before a quasi-judicial authority.

Over 100 people with fake tickets denied entry to Madurai airport

C. Palanivel Rajan

MADURAI

Over 100 passengers were denied entry to the Madurai airport on Friday after they were found to be in possession of fake travel tickets.

Police sources said that all the 106 passengers who had booked tickets on an Indigo flight through a travel agent in Salem to visit the Ayodhya temple were stopped at the airport’s entrance. They were supposed to start their journey from Madurai and go to Ayodhya through Delhi and Varanasi. The travel agent had collected ₹30,000 per person for travel, accommodation, and other expenses.

The tickets were found to be fake, and hence, they were not eligible to travel, the sources added.

Of the 106 passengers, 12 were from Dindigul and the rest from Salem. They were all brought to the airport in a bus, according to the sources.

The police said that the airport authorities found that the tickets were fake while cross-checking them with their database. Those who had booked the tickets must have cancelled them, which made the tickets in the hands of the passengers invalid, the sources added.

When the passengers contacted the travel agent, he, who happened to have arranged air travel for customers for the first time, had no idea. He explained that he had booked the tickets through another person and suspected that the latter was to blame for the fiasco.

While the flight was scheduled to depart from Madurai at 8 a.m., the passengers stayed at the airport till noon since the confusion over the tickets remained unsolved.

Following an assurance from the travel agent that he would make arrangements on July 18, the passengers decided not to register any complaint against the company and the owner, the police sources said.

Tamil Nadu secures the third spot in SDG index

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

Tamil Nadu has emerged as a frontrunner in the latest SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) India Index 2023-2024, unveiled by NITI Aayog on Friday. The State, which has increased its composite score from 66 in 2018 to 78 in the latest edition, is in the third spot in the index.

The upward trajectory places the State among the top performers across the nation, underscoring its commitment to social equity, economic growth and environmental sustainability, according to a Press Information Bureau release.

It said that the State had shown progress in a number of goals. In the SDG of ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’, the State had sustained its leadership in trade and industrial sectors, implementing effective policies that enhanced economic opportunities and promoted sustainable livelihoods. The Tamil Nadu government had initiated various skill development programmes, fostering entrepreneurship and supporting job creation.

In the SDG of ‘Good Health and Well Being’, the State’s health initiatives had shown substantial results, with a reported institutional delivery rate of 97.18% in 2023-2024. This was due to enhanced healthcare infrastructure and community health programmes prioritising maternal and child health, ensuring access to quality healthcare for all citizens, the release said.

The ‘Life on Land’ goal was another key highlight for the State. It had prioritised environmental sustainability, with nearly 25% of its geographical area designated as forest cover. It not only contributed to biodiversity conservation, but also played a vital role in combating climate change through carbon sequestration and promoting ecological balance, the release added.

Politics of hate will find no place in T.N., says TNCC chief

A certain brand of politics – of hate, polarisation, and personal attacks on leaders, “unmindful of age”, has reared its head in Tamil Nadu over the last two years, bearing the trademark of the RSS-BJP ideology and politics, TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai said in Krishnagiri on Friday. He, however, believed that the people of the State will stamp it out. He was speaking on the sidelines of a temple consecration ceremony. Alluding to BJP State president K. Annamalai’s string of attacks on various State leaders, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said that the leaders had been in politics for decades, and this brand of “politics of hate and polarisation along communal lines” that was practised in the BJP-ruled States will not find space in Tamil Nadu.

Sasikala to begin her ‘political tour’ on July 17

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

V.K. Sasikala VELANKANNI RAJ B

The former interim general secretary of the AIADMK, V.K Sasikala, will begin a State-wide tour on July 17.

She will start with Tenkasi and cover Kadayanallur, Vasudevanallur and Sankarankovil by July 20, according to a press release.

AIADMK sticks to stand

Meanwhile, the AIADMK has reiterated its position of having no reconciliation with Ms. Sasikala, former party coordinator O. Panneerselvam and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran.

DMK to organise seminar on new criminal laws

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s legal wing will organise a seminar to discuss the opposition to the three new criminal laws that came into force on July 1. The seminar will be conducted at Raja Annamalai Mandram in Chennai at 4 p.m. on July 20. The party will organise more such seminars on the same topic in Tirunelveli on July 27.

National

- Jagan, IPS officers booked for ‘custodial torture’ of ex-MP

- Anjitha from Kasaragod breaks ground as India’s first woman football video analyst

- SC posts Karnataka plea on relief funds after four weeks

- ‘Congress diverted funds for SC/ST welfare in Karnataka’

- Former Karnataka Minister Nagendra held in PMLA case

- ‘Vizhinjam to handle 50% more cargo than expected quantity’

- Yediyurappa will not have to personally appear in court

- Doval and Sullivan hold talks amid strain in ties over Russia

- Centre amends rules to broaden the administrative role of J&K L-G

- Video clip shows trainee IAS officer’s mother brandishing gun and threatening farmer

- Net tax receipts up 19.5%, corporate tax share at 36.6%

- NIA chargesheets 2 persons in IS terror conspiracy case

- Recruitment for tribal schools sets off row

- June food inflation quickens to 9.4%

- Bishops meet PM, ask him to ensure peace in Manipur

- ‘Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases’

- Kejriwal gets interim bail in excise policy case

- SC dismisses plea to form probe panel in Hathras case

- Centre declares June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’

- Opposition hits out at govt. over ‘high unemployment rate’

- Akhilesh corners U.P. govt. over plight of poor during floods

- What is Modi’s position on ‘billionaire tax’, asks Congress

- Mahayuti gets nine seats in MLC election, MVA bags two

- Don’t use derogatory language against Smriti Irani, says Rahul

- ED cannot make arrests under PMLA on a whim, says SC

- ‘India-U.S. tech partnership will grow to hundreds of millions of dollars’

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- Content determined by volunteer editors, says Wikipedia parent

- No controversial text will be included in DU syllabus, says Pradhan

- Lessons from Yoga Vasishtam

- India shows good progress on SDGs: NITI Aayog report

- New species of dogfish shark discovered in Kerala harbour

- West Bengal moves SC against Governor for sitting on Bills

- HC grants relief to Rahul in 2014 RSS defamation case

- Patna HC grants CBI custody of 13 accused in NEET case

Jagan, IPS officers booked for ‘custodial torture’ of ex-MP

Rajulapudi Srinivas

VIJAYAWADA

Raghu Ramkrishna Raju has alleged that he was arrested by CID in Hyderabad in 2021 and was subjected to third degree torture; he joined TDP before the polls and became an MLA from Undi

The police have filed a case against Jagan Mohan Reddy, two IPS officers, an ASP and a hospital Superintendent. File Photo10745

The Guntur Police have registered a case against YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, IPS officers P.V. Sunil Kumar and P. Seetharamanjaneyulu and others on charges of torturing former YSRCP Narsapuram MP K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju in 2021.

Mr. Raju quit the YSRCP and joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ahead of the 2024 election and won from Undi Assembly seat.

“Mr. Raju lodged a police complaint, alleging that P.V. Sunil Kumar, then Director-General of AP-CID; P. Seetharamanjaneyulu, then Additional D-G (Intelligence); and CID Additional Superintendent of Police R. Vijay Paul tortured him in custody and acting on the complaint, a case has been registered,” said a senior police officer.

Mr. Raju in his complaint said the AP-CID arrested him in Hyderabad in May 2021 and brought him to its office in Guntur, alleging that he was subjected to third degree torture when he was in custody.

“The police officers tortured me. The legal procedure was not followed. Dr. Prabhavathi, the then Superintendent of Government General Hospital (GGH), Guntur, gave false medical certificates,” he alleged.

“The officers beat me up and did not allow me to take medicines. They took away my mobile phone and tortured me to reveal the password,” the former MP alleged. The police registered cases against Mr. Jagan, two senior officers, an ASP, the then GGH Superintendent and others on various charges.

C.P. Sajit

KASARAGOD

M. Anjitha, first woman football video analyst, will join Gokulam Kerala FC. Special Arrangement

At 23, M. Anjitha from Bangalam in Kasaragod has already carved out a niche in the realm of football. Set to become the country’s first female football video analyst, Anjitha is poised to bring a new dimension to the sport. In late August or early September, she will join Gokulam Kerala FC as a video analyst for their senior women’s team on a one-year contract.

Her journey to this milestone began with her role as a freelance video analyst for Muthoot FC. Despite leaving the field as a player, her passion for football never waned. This passion drove her to explore sports management, strength conditioning and so on, before settling for video analysis, she said. She completed a specialised course at the Professional Football Scouting Association.

Ms. Anjitha said that support from Kerala Blasters women’s team coach Sharif Khan and analyst Anand Vardhan from Delhi was instrumental in her journey.

“Unlike as a player, the job is demanding and I cannot just watch or enjoy the game. The role will require close analysis in every area and the feedback should be provided to the team and management,” she said.

Football runs in Ms. Anjitha’s blood, thanks to her father, M. Mani, a former player for Cosmos Pallikkara. His love for the game inspired Ms. Anjitha from a young age. She attended Bengalam Government Higher Secondary School, where she joined the football team in Class 8 under coach Nitish. Her talent shone through during her undergraduate studies at St. Joseph’s College, Irinjalakuda, during which she earned spots on Kerala’s junior and senior women’s teams and played for the University of Calicut.

Her impressive career as a defender includes stints with Bengaluru Braves, Kerala Blasters, and Mumbai Knights. Currently, Ms. Anjitha is pursuing M.Com in Thrissur, balancing her academic commitments with her burgeoning career in football analysis.

SC posts Karnataka plea on relief funds after four weeks

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Friday scheduled the hearing of a writ petition filed by Karnataka, seeking a direction to the Centre to release over ₹18,000 crore for drought relief under National Disaster Response Fund after four weeks.

Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate D.L. Chidananda, for Karnataka, urged the court to list the case on a non-miscellaneous day for detailed arguments.

Mr. Sibal said some funds have been released, but not enough. He said Centre has made an allotment of ₹3454 crore only after Karnataka moved the apex court.

In an earlier hearing, the court had advised the Centre against entering into a “contest” with water-starved Karnataka over its request for drought relief.

“Let there be no contest here between the Union and the State,” Justice Gavai had told Attorney-General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, both appearing for the Centre, at the time.

‘Congress diverted funds for SC/ST welfare in Karnataka’

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Arjun Ram Meghwal SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The BJP has accused Karnataka’s Congress government of diverting funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in order to fulfil promises made during the campaign for last year’s State Assembly election.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal made these allegations on Friday. Pointing out that such diversion of funds is a violation of the Constitution, he demanded action.

“People are being deceived in Karnataka,” Mr. Meghwal said, claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s double standards have been exposed. “On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi is moving around carrying a copy of the Constitution, while Constitutional values are being violated in the State,” he said.

Citing a news report, he claimed that more than ₹14,730 crore out of the ₹39,121 crore meant for SC and ST welfare has been diverted to implement various sops which the Congress had promised as part of its pre-poll ‘guarantees’.

Former Karnataka Minister Nagendra held in PMLA case

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former Karnataka Minister B. Nagendra, Congress MLA, on Friday in connection with the alleged scam in the State-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd., where funds up to ₹88 crore were allegedly embezzled.

Following raids on multiple premises linked to him that started on Wednesday, Mr. Nagendra was brought to the ED office on Friday morning, when he was arrested. “I have no knowledge of any irregularities in the corporation. I am innocent and being framed in a political conspiracy,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ED concluded raids on the premises linked to another Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal, Chairman of the Corporation on Thursday night, but did not arrest him. Mr. Daddal appeared for questioning in the case before the SIT of the State Police on Friday. Both Mr. Nagendra and Mr. Daddal had appeared before the SIT for questioning on Tuesday and were asked to appear again before it on Wednesday.

The agency has filed a case under the PMLA.

The scam came to light when Chandrasekharan P., an employee of the Corporation, ended his life on May 26, mentioning embezzlement of funds in his death note.

(With PTI inputs)

‘Vizhinjam to handle 50% more cargo than expected quantity’

The Hindu Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram

Karan Adani, managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited (APSEZ), has said in 1991 when the Vizhinjam port project was first announced, the coastal village was just another village with ordinary prospects. Now, this port is going to be one of the world’s top destinations for global container shipping

Addressing the gathering at the Vizhinjam International Seaport, he announced that the port developer would complete the first phase of works before the deadline in December this year.

“Around 600 metres of operational quay length has been completed and we are preparing 7,500 container yard slots to accept cargo. While we are expected to handle one million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) per annum in Phase 1, we are confident that we will handle 1.5 million TEUs,” Mr. Adani said. On the completion of the project by 2028-29, the Kerala government and the Adani Vizhinjam Port would have invested ₹20,000 crore in the public-private partnership (PPP) project.

“As soon as we receive the environmental clearance and other regulatory approvals, the Adani Group will begin work immediately on the port’s remaining phases,” he said.

Appearance in court: Yediyurappa granted exemption for a day

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

B.S. Yediyurappa. PTISHAILENDRA BHOJAK

The Karnataka High Court on Friday granted a day’s exemption to former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa from personally appearing before the trial court on July 15 in the proceedings of the criminal case in which a chargesheet has been filed against him for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old girl at his residence. The court also granted a day’s exemption to the other three accused, Arun Y.M., 42, Rudresha Marulasiddaiah, 52, and Mariswamy G., 59, from personal appearance before the trial court on July 15.

Justice Krishna S. Dixit passed the order on the petitions filed by Mr. Yediyurappa and the three others questioning the legality of the chargesheet filed against them by the CID on June 27 and the legality of cognisance of offences taken against them by the trial court.

The exemptions were granted as the High Court has decided to hear their challenge to the chargesheet on July 26 after ordering the notice to the CID.

Suhasini Haidar

New Delhi

The conversation over a call comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow; Sullivan had earlier warned that considering Russia as a long-term, reliable partner was a “bad bet” as it would choose China over India if required

Jake Sullivan and Ajit Doval held a discussion on strengthening bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said.File photo

Amid a strain over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow this week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval spoke to his American counterpart Jake Sullivan on Friday evening, when they agreed to “work closely” to further advance bilateral ties. They also discussed the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers meeting to be held later this month, and the leaders’ summit that could possibly be held later this year.

The conversation followed days of statements by the U.S. administration, expressing concerns about India’s ties with Russia and the Modi-Putin meeting, as well as conversations between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra as well as U.S. State Department officials and India’s acting Ambassador in Washington. On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had warned that the U.S. should not be “taken for granted”, while Mr. Sullivan said in a television interview that India was placing a “bad bet” on Russia.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the two NSAs, who had met last in June in New Delhi, discussed a “wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern” and upcoming high-level engagements under the India-U.S.-Japan-Australia Quad framework. Sources told The Hindu that the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting was to be scheduled in Tokyo on July 29, after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers outreach meetings in Vientiane, Laos. The meeting has not been officially announced so far, and the MEA statement is the first sign that the Quad FM meeting has been confirmed for July. In addition, India is due to host the Quad Leaders’ summit in 2024, although that will depend on the U.S. elections in November.

Global challenges

“The NSAs agreed to work closely to further advance India-U.S. relations, which are built on shared values and common strategic and security interests. They reiterated the need to work collectively to address global challenges to peace and security and further expand the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the MEA statement said, but did not refer specifically to the Russia visit, nor did it clarify who had initiated the call.

On Thursday, at the end of the NATO summit in Washington where Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea were also invited for what Mr. Sullivan called a “commitment to a common defence” against adversaries like Russia and China. Speaking to MSNBC Television, Mr. Sullivan had said that the U.S. had told every country, including India, that a “bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet”. He warned that Russia was becoming a “junior partner to China” and that Russia would “side with China over India any day of the week”.

At least two U.S. news organisations, including the Washington Post and Bloomberg, also reported on a briefing by senior U.S. officials who said that the Joe Biden administration had reached out through several channels to the Modi government, and felt “frustrated” by Mr. Modi’s warm meetings with Mr. Putin. The officials quoted said that they had even asked that Mr. Modi reschedule his visit to avoid “deeply inappropriate” timing coinciding with the NATO summit in Washington that sought to show Mr. Putin as “isolated”.

Centre amends rules to broaden the administrative role of J&K L-G

Vijaita Singh

New Delhi

The amendments give the L-G of Jammu and Kashmir more say in matters pertaining to police and public order.PTI

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday widened the ambit of the administrative role of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir by amending the Transaction of Business Rules. The amendment gives the L-G more say in matters pertaining to police, public order, All India Service (AIS) which require prior concurrence of the Finance Department and also their transfers and postings.

Any proposal regarding appointment of Advocate-General, Law Officers and proposals regarding grant or refusal of prosecution sanction or filing of appeal shall be placed before the L-G first.

On August 5, 2019, the special status granted to J&K under Article 370 of the Constitution was revoked and the former State was divided into two Union Territories: J&K and Ladakh, the latter without an assembly. J&K has been under Central rule since June 2018. The government has said that Statehood will be restored after Assembly elections are held. The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has ordered the Election Commission to conduct elections to J&K Assembly before September 30, 2024. On Friday, the MHA notified the amended Rules under Section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 which inserted new Sections defining the L-G’s role.

“No proposal which requires previous concurrence of the Finance Department with regard to ‘Police’, ‘Public Order’, ‘All India Service’ and ‘Anti Corruption Bureau’ to exercise the discretion of the Lieutenant Governor under the Act shall be concurred or rejected unless it has been placed before the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary,” the notification said.

It added another provision which said, “Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs shall submit the proposal for appointment of Advocate-General and other Law Officers to assist the Advocate-General in the court proceedings, for approval of the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister.”

It said that any proposal regarding grant or refusal of prosecution sanction or filing of appeal shall be placed before the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

All matters connected with Prisons, Directorate of Prosecution and Forensic Science Laboratory are also to be submitted to the L-G.

Video clip shows trainee IAS officer’s mother brandishing gun and threatening farmer

Shoumojit Banerjee

Pune

A day after the Centre set up a panel to investigate trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, more skeletons tumbled out of the family cupboard with a video clip showing her mother brandishing a gun and threatening a farmer in Pune in a case of land dispute.

The video clip, said to be at least a year old, shows Ms. Pooja Khedkar’s mother Manorama Khedkar verbally browbeating a man, presumably a farmer, with a pocket pistol in her hand. The two-minute video shows Ms. Manorama, accompanied by bouncers, arguing about ownership of a plot of land in Pune’s Mulshi tehsil with the farmer.

“Show me the saatbara (land records). The documents of this plot of land bear my name,” Ms. Manorama Khedkar is heard shouting at the man in Marathi despite the latter’s protestations that the plot of land was in his name.

The person then says that the matter is in court. To this, Ms. Manorama Khedkar is heard warning the man not to “teach her the rules”.

It has been alleged that Ms. Pooja Khedkar’s father, retired government servant Deelip Khedkar, amassed property worth crores and purchased land at several locations, including in Mulshi taluk.

When farmers tried to lodge a complaint with the police over Ms. Manorama Khedkar’s behaviour, their supplications allegedly went unheeded. However, with Ms. Pooja Khedkar now under the scanner, the Pune (Rural) Police have decided to probe the video clip and were ascertaining the facts of the case. While authorities said they would investigate if Ms. Manorama Khedkar has a licence to own a firearm, her lawyer confirmed that she had one and that she had allegedly carried it for her ‘safety’ on the day of the argument.

Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Police have reported to the Maharashtra government that Ms. Pooja Khedkar had allegedly tried to pressure a DCP-rank officer to release a man held in a theft case.

Net tax receipts up 19.5%, corporate tax share at 36.6%

Vikas Dhoot

NEW DELHI

Growth in India’s net direct tax collections slowed slightly to 19.54% by July 11, relative to a 21% rise recorded by June 17, with revenues hitting ₹5.74 lakh crore, the Income Tax department said on Friday.

Personal income tax (PIT) receipts constituted 60.2% of the net collections at ₹3.46 lakh crore, rising 21.4% year-on-year, while corporate taxes yielded 36.6% of net revenues at ₹2.1 lakh crore, reflecting a 12.5% growth.

With stock market trading volumes rising, receipts from the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) soared to ₹16,634 crore, 2.3 times the receipts at the same time last year. Combined with STT receipts, net PIT collections were up 24.1%, almost twice the growth recorded in net corporate taxes.

By July 11, the Income Tax department had issued ₹70,902 crore as refunds to taxpayers, 62.5% higher than a year ago. Corporate taxpayers received 77.7% of these refunds, while personal tax payers got about ₹15,826 crore back.

Prior to refunds, gross tax collections stood at a little over ₹6.45 lakh crore, marking a 23.2% growth. Of this, corporate tax receipts were up 20.4% while PIT and STT revenues were up 25.3%.

In 2023-24, net direct tax revenues had risen 17.7% to ₹19.58 lakh crore, with PIT’s share rising to 53.3% from 50.06% in the previous year.

NIA chargesheets 2 persons in IS terror conspiracy case

Abhinay Deshpande

Mumbai

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday chargesheeted two persons, including a Libya-based terrorist, in the IS terror conspiracy case connected with the global terror network’s module in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad).

The accused, Mohammed Zoheb Khan, who was arrested by the agency in February following searches across multiple locations, was chargesheeted by NIA along with Libya-based Mohammed Shoeb Khan in the conspiracy to promote the IS anti-India agenda.

They had conspired to recruit vulnerable youth to carry out terror attacks at sensitive installations across India, the agency said. The duo was booked under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The NIA, in the chargesheet, has mentioned about international linkages in the conspiracy with involvement of foreign-based handlers of IS.

Investigations in the case had revealed a web of anti-India activities involving the two accused. The agency found out that the two men had taken a ‘bayath’ (pledge of allegiance) towards the self-proclaimed Khalifa of IS.

The accused, who had planned to flee to Afghanistan or Turkey after executing a series of terror attacks in India as part of the conspiracy, were also found to be actively involved in developing a website for the promotion of the extremist and violent ideology of IS.

Centralised hiring leads to language barriers

The examination was for the first round of 4,000 vacant teaching and non-teaching positions across the Eklavya schools.

In June, NESTS said that 303 Principals and 707 Junior Secretariat Assistants had been selected, along with thousands of other teaching and non-teaching positions. However, given the new requirement of Hindi competency, a large number of selected candidates hail from Hindi-speaking States, many of whom now want transfers from their postings.

Since June 20, when the NESTS office in Delhi opened a one-hour window to address candidates’ grievances in person, aggrieved candidates have been showing every day.

NESTS has been forced to post a notification on its website, saying, “All posted candidates are requested not to approach NESTS office for change of place of posting... Moreover, the transfers, whenever [they] happen, will be through the transfer portal on the NESTS website which will be made live once transfer policy is published.”

Government sources said there was “nothing unusual” about the requirement of basic Hindi language competency as this is mandatory for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas recruitment as well. Unlike in KVs, however, where students hail from across the country as they are often family members of Central government employees, most tribal students in Eklavya schools would benefit from teachers who understand their local cultural contexts.

June food inflation quickens to 9.4%

Urban consumers faced a price rise of 4.4% compared with 4.2% in May. Urban India faced a higher food inflation of 9.55% while it was 9.2% for their rural peers.

While retail inflation has now been below 6% since September 2023, it is still far from the central bank’s 4% target and June’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) print dims the prospects of an interest rate cut in this calendar year as the Reserve Bank of India is waiting for a durable return to its target rate. Retail inflation stood at 4.87% in June 2023 while the food price index was up 4.55%.

The heatwave and delayed monsoon onset in parts of the country spurred vegetable prices 29.3% higher in June, from a 27.3% rise in May, making it the eighth successive month of double-digit rise in prices. Prices of pulses rose 16.1%, the thirteenth successive month of 10% inflation, while the price rise in fruits accelerated to 7.15%.

Crisil chief economist Dharmakirti Joshi hoped that the monsoon’s progress should cool food inflation in coming months. However, non-food inflation which hit a record low of 2.3% in June, could rebound due to the recent firming up in international freight costs, crude prices and telecom tariff hikes, he cautioned.

Another worry, Bank of Baroda chief economist Madan Sabnavis said, is that half of India’s States have recorded an inflation rate above the national average of 5.1%, with Odisha seeing the highest uptick of 7.2%.

Bishops meet PM, ask him to ensure peace in Manipur

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

A delegation of bishops, representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and urged him to ensure peace in Manipur. The bishops conveyed their apprehensions on the “rumours” that the reservation for Dalit tribals will be stopped and expressed concerns about the “increasing attacks” against Christians for alleged forced conversions.

CBCI president Andrews Thazhath told reporters that the PM had conveyed to them that the government was taking all steps to ensure peace in Manipur. “He said it is an ethnic conflict and it does not have a communal colour,” Mr. Thazhath said, adding that they did not ask Mr. Modi to visit Manipur.

They also raised the issue of regulations under Foreign Contributions Regulation Act on NGOs. They said many Christian NGOs are facing undue challenges during the renewal of their FCRA registration.

‘Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases’

The court said it would formally address in a judgment the issue of “casual” orders passed by High Courts staying or suspending bail granted by trial courts. The court was reserving for judgment an appeal filed by Parvinder Khurana, an accused in a money laundering case, whose bail was stayed by the Delhi High Court for more than a year.

“This is shocking. What signals are we sending by passing such stay orders? Can bail be stayed as a matter of course like this? How can bail be stayed for a whole year? Was he a terrorist? What was the reason to stay his bail?” Justice Oka asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Justice Oka said bail conditions set by the trial court were safeguard enough to prevent an accused from absconding or influencing witnesses.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, for the ED, said suggested that the top court, in its judgment, could insist that High Courts give reasons while staying a trial court bail order.

Kejriwal gets interim bail in excise policy case

The court also referred to a larger Bench questions raised by Mr. Kejriwal on whether an arrest under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) could be quashed on the ground that such an arrest was both needless and unnecessary.

Mr. Kejriwal had argued that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had registered the case related to the now-scrapped excise policy way back in August 2022 and only found it “needful and necessary” to arrest him nearly two years later on March 21, within a few days after the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the General Election 2024.

Friday’s judgment came on a petition filed by Mr. Kejriwal against his arrest by the ED under the PMLA on March 21.

SC dismisses plea to form probe panel in Hathras case

Krishnadas Rajagopal

New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking the constitution of an expert committee to inquire into the Hathras stampede which has seen more than 121 deaths.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud asked petitioner-lawyer Vishal Tiwari why he had not approached the Allahabad High Court.

The writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court on July 3 to appoint a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.

Mr. Tiwari had also asked the court to lay down safety guidelines for the conduct of such mass meetings and public gatherings.

Centre declares June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

It will commemorate the massive contributions of all those who endured the inhuman pains of the 1975 Emergency, says Shah; Congress dismisses it as a ‘headline-grabbing exercise’ in hypocrisy

Home Minister Amit Shah said the observance of the day will help keep alive the eternal flame of individual freedom.PTI-

The Union government has decided to observe June 25 — the day Emergency was imposed in 1975 — as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Friday.

“This day will commemorate the massive contributions of all those who endured the inhuman pains of the 1975 Emergency,” Mr. Shah posted on X.

The Gazette notification on the decision does not provide any English translation for the name of the day, simply using the Hindi words in Roman script. A literal English translation, however, would be ‘Constitution Assassination Day’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the day would serve as a reminder of what happens when the Constitution of India is trampled over.

“It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency, a Congress-unleashed dark phase of Indian history,” Mr. Modi said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the announcement was “yet another headline-grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological Prime Minister who had imposed an undeclared Emergency for 10 long years before the people of India handed him a decisive personal, political, and moral defeat on June 4, 2024 — which will go down in history as Modi Mukti Diwas [or Liberation from Modi Day]”.

The Gazette notification issued on Friday said that a proclamation of Emergency was made on June 25, 1975, following which “there was gross abuse of power by the government of the day and people of India were subjected to excesses and atrocities”.

It added that the people of India have abiding faith in the Constitution and the power of India’s resilient democracy.

“Therefore, Government of India declares 25th June as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas to pay tribute to all those who suffered and fought against the gross abuse of power during the period of Emergency and to recommit the people of India to not support in any manner such gross abuse of power, in future,” the notification said.

‘Dictatorial mindset’

Mr. Shah said the government’s decision was “intended to honour the spirit of millions who struggled to revive democracy despite facing inexplicable persecution at the hands of an oppressive government”.

He added that “the observance of the day will help keep the eternal flame of individual freedom and the defence of our democracy alive in every Indian, thus preventing dictatorial forces like the Congress from repeating those horrors”.

“On June 25, 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in a brazen display of a dictatorial mindset, strangled the soul of our democracy by imposing the Emergency on the nation. Lakhs of people were thrown behind bars for no fault of their own, and the voice of the media was silenced,” Mr. Shah said.

Opposition hits out at Centre over ‘high unemployment rate’

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Flagging a viral video of a stampede-like situation in Bharuch district of Gujarat, where over 800 people turned up for a walk-in interview held by a firm for 40 vacancies, the Opposition renewed its attack on the government over the high unemployment rate in the country.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, posting the video on X, said the “disease of unemployment has taken the form of an epidemic in India and BJP-ruled States have turned into the epicentre of this disease”.

In the video, aspirants are seen jostling with one another over a narrow ledge to enter the interview venue. The railing of the ramp, on which the aspirants were standing, collapsed under their collective weight.

‘Future of India’

In the post, Mr. Gandhi said, “The ‘future of India’ standing in queues for a common job is the reality of Narendra Modi’s ‘Amrit Kaal’.”

“This video is proof of the ‘cheating model’ that BJP has played on the people of Gujarat for the last 22 years,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.

“The BJP’s promise of providing two crore jobs annually — paper leak, recruitment corruption, education mafia, keeping government jobs vacant for years, knowingly not filling SC/ST/OBC/EWS posts, recruitment on contract by bringing schemes like Agniveer, and leaving crores of youth to wander from door to door’ — has fallen prey to all these!” he said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the video reveals the “truth” about the Gujarat model of “false development”. The youth, he said, will remove the BJP government because as long as the BJP is there, there is no hope for them.

“This is PMNarendra Modi’s legacy – record unemployment, desperation & chaos!” the Trinamool Congress posted on X.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He gives knowledge to everyone about ‘vikas’ but he isn’t able to give employment to the people of Gujarat,” he said.

Akhilesh corners U.P. govt. over plight of poor during floods

The Hindu Bureau

Lucknow

Akhilesh YadavANI

After a video from Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district emerged on Friday in which a man is seen carrying the body of his teenage sister who died due to typhoid as no medical help could reach her due to the floods, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav urged the government to make arrangements for emergency medical facilities in the flood-affected areas.

“The helpless brother tried his best to take his sister to the hospital by carrying her on his shoulders, but the sister died on the way. The government is expected to make additional arrangements for emergency medical facilities in flood situations and remember that the life of a poor person also has some value,” Mr. Yadav wrote on X.

He also posted a video in which the deceased is seen lying on the road, while her brother along with some well-wishers is seen trying to lift her. Later, the brother holds her on his shoulder, with tears rolling down his cheeks. The girl, Shivani, was carried by her brother to their house as incessant rain had washed away roads in her village.

Twelve districts of the State are facing the fury of floods. So far, 633 villages across 33 tehsils have been hit, affecting 17.97 lakh people and 18,000 heads of cattle. More than 1.45 lakh hectares of agricultural land have been submerged.

What is Modi’s position on ‘billionaire tax’, asks Congress

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Congress on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spell out his position on imposing a 2% wealth tax on billionaires, ahead of the meeting of G-20 Finance Ministers in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro later this month. The meeting is scheduled to discuss a proposal on this subject.

Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said that all over the world, there is a growing consensus that billionaires must pay their fair share of taxes. As proposed by Brazil and endorsed by France, Spain, South Africa and Germany, the world is moving towards a 2% wealth tax on these billionaires.

“India has 167 dollar billionaires. A 2% wealth tax would raise 1.5 lakh crores each year — almost 0.5% of our GDP. This could pay for schools, hospitals, renewable energy, and many more essential investments in the future of our country,” Mr. Ramesh said. “What is the non-biological PM’s position on a “billionaire tax”? What will be India’s position when it will be discussed at the G-20 meet in Rio de Janeiro later this month?” he asked.

Mr. Ramesh’s comments came following an open letter by former Presidents and Prime Ministers to current leaders of the G-20, urging support for a global tax on billionaires.

Brazil’s G-20 Presidency put the proposal on the table as it seeks to build support for a declaration at the grouping’s meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors later this month.

MLC election, MVA bags two

The Hindu Bureau

Mumbai

After two years, once again, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) legislators have cross-voted to defeat one of their candidates in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) election. This time, sitting MLC member Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party of India (PWPI), who was backed by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), lost.

There were a dozen candidates in the fray for 11 seats of the Upper House — nine of them from the ruling Mahayuti alliance, two from the MVA, and one MVA-backed nominee.

The 288-seat Assembly has a current strength of 274 members, and each candidate required a minimum of 23 votes to secure a berth.

Viewed as a precursor to the Assembly election due later this year, it was a clean sweep for the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

The BJP fielded five candidates — Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe and Sadabhau Khot. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena nominated former MP Krupal Tumane and Bhavana Gawali, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fielded Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje.

From the Opposition, only two candidates — Pradnya Satav of the Congress and Milind Narvekar of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) — secured adequate votes to get elected.

The results indicate that six or seven Congress MLAs voted for non-MVA candidates as Ms. Satav bagged 25 first preference votes against the fixed quota of 30 and Mr. Narvekar got 22 first preference votes.

“This indicates that we will win Maharashtra Assembly election as well,” Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said after the results.

Don’t use derogatory language against Smriti Irani, says Rahul

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made a public appeal asking Congress workers and others to refrain from using “derogatory language” against former Union Minister Smriti Irani. His remarks come amid a flurry of remarks and memes on Ms. Irani after she vacated her official bungalow following defeat in the Lok Sabha election to the Congress’s Kishori Lal Sharma in Amethi. “Winning and losing happen in life. I urge everyone to refrain from using derogatory language and being nasty towards Smt. Smriti Irani or any other leader for that matter. Humiliating and insulting people is a sign of weakness, not strength,” Mr. Gandhi said. Ms. Irani had defeated Mr. Gandhi from Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but lost to Mr. Sharma by a margin of over 1.6 lakh votes in the 2024 election.

ED cannot make arrests under PMLA on a whim, says SC

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

The judgment was based on a petition by Arvind Kejriwal ; ED’s power to arrest must be based on objective, fair consideration of material, says SC

The Bench said the power of arrest given to ED officers under the PMLA ran the risk of violating the right to life and liberty.REUTERSANUSHREE FADNAVIS

The Supreme Court on Friday held that the power to arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cannot be exercised on the “whims and fancies” of officers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The court wondered if the ED even had a consistent, uniform and “one-rule-for-all” policy on when they should arrest people. It said the ED’s power to arrest must be based on objective and fair consideration of material against a person.

Under the PMLA, ED officers can arrest a person if they have reasons to believe, based on the material in their possession, that the individual is guilty.

A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, in a judgment, said the power of arrest given to the ED officers under Section 19 (1) of the PMLA was drastic and ran the risk of violating the right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The judgment was based on a petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, challenging the validity of his arrest by the ED on money laundering charges. The court granted him interim bail.

Pulling out data on the ED cases from 2023, Justice Khanna, who authored the verdict, said 5,906 Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) were registered as of December 31, 2023. However, search was conducted in 531 ECIRs by issue of 4,954 search warrants. The number of ECIRs against former MPs, MLAs, and MLCs was 176. The number of persons arrested was 513 whereas the number of prosecution complaints filed is 1,142. “The data raises a number of questions...,” he noted.

Highlighting that the PMLA allowed arrests on the subjective opinion of the ED officers, the court said an officer’s “reasons to believe” that a person was guilty and deserved arrest should not be based on mere suspicion.

Justice Khanna agreed with Mr. Kejriwal that an accused should be given in writing the reasons which had led an investigating officer to believe that he was guilty and deserved to be arrested.

‘India-U.S. tech partnership will grow to hundreds of millions of dollars’

Nihal Krishan

New Delhi

Sethuraman PanchanathanHANDOUT E MAIL

India and the United States are expected to dramatically ramp up funding and resources to hundreds of millions of dollars for a bilateral agreement around critical and emerging technologies in the coming years, a top U.S. official said after a June meeting between key political and industry leaders where there was a focus on reducing tech regulations, simplifying government processes between the two nations, and responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI).

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, chaired the second meeting of the bilateral Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) at the end of June in Delhi with a focus on areas including AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and wireless telecommunication, which have collectively been given a few million dollars of funding for research and scaling technologies so far.

The initiative was launched in January 2023 to strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership and drive technology and defence cooperation and was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in May 2022.

Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent agency of the U.S. government with a $10-billion budget, helped lead the iCET bilateral meeting in Delhi and said that the U.S.-India dynamic would grow dramatically based on common principles, values, simple processes, and good ideas as the foundation.

“I understand the desire to have tens of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars, supported in the future that is a natural expectation and our U.S.-India growth in tech is on that trajectory it’s heading towards that, but that is based on for established partnership between entities that share common constructs of working together,” Mr. Panchanathan told The Hindu.

“People always like money up front, right? Nothing wrong with that. I am a firm believer that resources follow good ideas and good partnerships. So as things scale, resources will definitely be brought to the table on both sides,” he said.

However, Mr. Panchanathan added that the key challenges remain for the two governments and tech industry players primarily around “processes, procedures, regulations, all of these things can be made simpler on both sides. We can have more productive, more seamless interactions. So that we’re enabling much more of a stronger partnership from industry to industry. That was what was discussed during iCET”.

(set by Pixie Dust)

1 of 4

2 of 4

3 of 4

4 of 4 Scan to play

Across

1 Hero primarily wears Maxim's extremely luminous capes (6)

5 Geometric shape usual with a South American weapon (8)

9 Standard tirade, it's obvious (8)

10 Peeled open tins to get nuts (6)

11 Handyman assembled robust auto (10)

12 She is not a hit! (4)

13 Sweet tele models helping to make flipped egg dish (8)

16 Fearless, much-loved but left out! (6)

17 Impression originally found on sea shell, is lasting (6)

19 Spooner's lover could be a shooter (8)

21 School member is arrested between first of February and end of March (4)

22 Cocktail on a deck? (3,3,4)

25 Fussy or insanely neat (6)

26 Fresh, hot and extremely advanced (8)

27 First of eleven records describing sex to snobs (8)

28 International organization returns Byzantine coin to a Papal Ambassador (6)

Down

2 Ignoring boundaries she yells, "Joe! Howdy?" (5)

3 Rewards from SWAG Estimates (5)

4 Reportedly spots a vacant loft, it can be used for preserving food (3,4)

5 Spooner exclaims, "Sexy European in depression!" (7)

6 Plant covers position, it is rumoured (7)

7 A cream craftily stolen by brother-in-law (one having two houses) (9)

8 Fancy church burying crime ages ago (4,5)

14 Tubular contractile fibre from unusually firm, oily top of body (9)

15 Bleed after declaring, "Free earth is destroyed!" (4,5)

18 The French recipe takes wine from the south, basically stored in pantries (7)

19 Seminar about relics (7)

20 Raven is only devouring meat (7)

23 Pass working organ (5)

24 Jack in trouble, ignoring Charlie's symbolic form of communication from the east (5)

Content determined by volunteer editors, says Wikipedia parent

Aroon Deep

NEW DELHI

A news agency has sued Wikimedia for ₹2 crore. Eric Risberg

The Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organisation of Wikipedia, has responded to a lawsuit filed by news agency Asian News International (ANI).

ANI has sued the organisation, demanding ₹2 crore for what it said were defamatory allegations in the introduction section of its page on the online encyclopaedia, such as its alleged pro-government bias and tendency to cite misinformation.

“It has come to our attention via press reports that the Hon’ble Delhi High Court has issued a summons to the Wikimedia Foundation regarding a defamation case filed by ANI against the Foundation,” it said in a statement. “As a technology host, the Wikimedia Foundation generally does not add, edit or determine content published on Wikipedia. Wikipedia’s content is determined by its global community of volunteer editors (also known as the ‘Wikimedia Community’) who compile and share information on notable subjects.”

The foundation said it had not yet received any summons, and would determine the next steps when it did.

The case pits, potentially for the first time in such a significant way, Wikipedia’s volunteer-centric editorial norms against Indian regulations like the IT Rules, 2021, which require all loosely defined Internet “intermediaries” to take action against content online if it is, among other things, defamatory, and a court or government order is issued against them.

One of the main constraints in this case is that Wikipedia abstains from the kind of article-level control over its content that such regulations demand of online platforms, deferring instead to its vast network of volunteer editors. Having content run by volunteers opens the encyclopaedia up to such legal claims, while also risking vandalism. In 2022, for instance, then Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar called out the platform for derogatory remarks added to cricketer Arshdeep Singh’s page.

No controversial text will be included in DU syllabus, says Pradhan

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Friday that the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University (DU) had rejected the proposal to include ancient Sanskrit text Manusmriti in its undergraduate law course.

Mr. Pradhan said the Education Ministry was committed to the Constitution and to a “futuristic approach”.

“There is no question of including any controversial portion of any script...,” he said.

On Thursday, after it came to the notice of the Ministry that Manusmriti had been proposed to be a part of the law course at the university, Mr. Pradhan said he enquired about this and spoke to the Vice-Chancellor. “He [Vice-Chancellor] assured me that some law faculty member had proposed changes in the jurisprudence chapter and that such a proposal had been received by the DU administration. However in the Academic Council meeting there was no endorsement of any such proposal. The V-C has rejected that proposal. The government is committed to upholding the true spirit and letter of the Constitution,” Mr. Pradhan said.

The DU Academic Council for Academic Matters convened on Friday, and readings on Manusmriti were proposed to be included in the course material as part of efforts tointroduce Indian perspectives in line with the National Education Policy, 2020.

Lessons from Yoga Vasishtam

A number of enlightened souls found their calling at 16 years of age, including Rama, who manifested on earth as a royal in order to show mankind how to lead a dharmic way of life. When one reaches that state of inner stillness and detachment, forces will work together to elevate such a person to a higher level, said Sri Ramanacharana Tirtha Swami in a discourse on the ancient text Yoga Vasishtam.

At 16, Rama’s friends found him to be detached, sitting as still as a painting and focused on inner thoughts. At this juncture, sage Viswamithra, who arrived there, asked Rama what had been gnawing him like a rat working away at a building. “What ails your adhi (mind)?” A relieved Rama says, “You are my bandhu, only you can help me. I am weighed down by all the happenings in this world.”

Viswamithra assuages his fear, assuring Rama that there is a way to cross this bridge of samsara, preparing Rama to be initiated by guru Vasishta. Rama, then in all humility, says he is an agnani, seeking guidance, showing mankind the way to approach a guru. Rama further asks, “There is a churning of thoughts within me. What is the meaning of life? What is the use of a kingdom? My mind is like the embers within the bole of a tree. How can my mind find santi?” The answer lies in looking inwards, in self-realisation. Only then can one find nirvriti.

India shows good progress on SDGs: NITI Aayog report

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

NITI Aayog on Friday released its fourth evaluation report of India’s progress on the 16 sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 by all United Nations member countries, giving India a score of 71 out of 100, as compared to 57 in 2018.

“SDGs are directly linked to people’s welfare, well-being and quality of life,” B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, NITI Aayog’s CEO, told presspersons at the report’s launch.

Health conditions have improved, he said, thanks to better public health and insurance coverage. Education was helped by high teacher-student ratios but teacher quality needed targeted interventions, Mr. Subrahmanyam added.

Income and gender inequality were the SDGs which have seen a drop in the score.

The report noted a slight drop from 0.75 last year to 0.73 in the ratio of women’s earnings compared to men.

The report’s release comes ahead of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to be held under UN auspices in New York on July 18.

New species of dogfish shark discovered

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of deep-water dogfish shark, Squalus hima, from the Sakthikulangara fishing harbour in Kerala. Squalus is a genus of dogfish sharks in the family Squalidae, commonly known as spurdogs, and are characterised by smooth dorsal fin spines. The discovery, made by a team of scientists led by scientist Bineesh K. K, was published in the journal Records of the Zoological Survey of India. The shark species from the genus Squalus and Centrophorus are often exploited for their liver oil which is in high demand in pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Bineesh said.

West Bengal moves SC against Governor for sitting on Bills

West Bengal has moved the Supreme Court against the Governor for sitting on eight crucial Bills without giving any reasons for the delay. The State argued that the Governor’s omission would “defeat and subvert” democratic good governance. The proposed laws include the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill; West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences (Amendment) Bill; West Bengal Private University Laws (Amendment) Bill; West Bengal Krishi Viswavidyalaya Laws (Second Amendment) Bill; West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill; Aliah University (Amendment) Bill; West Bengal Town and Country Bill; and the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill.

HC grants relief to Rahul in 2014 RSS defamation case

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed in 2014 by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker Rajesh Kunte. He alleged that Mr. Gandhi had made a false and defamatory statement in an election rally, holding the RSS accountable for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. A single judge Bench of the High Court passed the order in a writ petition filed by Mr. Gandhi, challenging an order of the Bhiwandi magistrate court, which had allowed Mr. Kunte to “belatedly” submit the transcript of the speech as additional evidence in the criminal defamation case.

Patna HC grants CBI custody of 13 accused in NEET case

The Patna High Court on Friday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the custody of 13 people arrested by the Patna police in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case. The agency will now be in a position to question the accused in custody and also confront them with Rakesh Ranjan, alias Rocky, one of the key accused in the case. The CBI had sought the remand of the 13 accused but the application was earlier rejected by the Exclusive Magistrate, CBI, Patna. However, Justice Sandeep Kumar of the High Court stayed the order, considering the seriousness of the case.

Edit

- The verdict of 2024, its amplified message

- The PDS impact on household expenditure

- letters to the editor

- Crash course

- A wobbly walk

- Freedom and control in Xinjiang

The verdict of 2024, its amplified message

Sanjay Kumar a professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) and a political commentator

The final turnout in the 2024 general election (66.2%) is a clear indication of the continued interest in, engagement with and participation of the Indian voter in India’s democratic processes. This has put to rest the initial and rather hurried speculation about the disenchantment of the Indian voter with Indian elections, going by the initial figures of a lower turnout. The turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was only 1% lower when compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but this was still the third highest turnout ever in an Indian national election.

An engagement with the electoral process

Voter turnout is the most robust indicator of voter’s electoral participation, and the turnout figures for 2024 only indicate a high level of participation among Indian voters, more so among women voters. There were issues with regard to the schedule and the long duration of the election period. But, finally, voters braved the heat, set aside other important engagements and participated in the general election with great enthusiasm.

The enthusiasm shown by Indians for the 2024 election continued even after voting was over. There was keen interest in the exit poll predictions. That there was much debate among Indians on these on the evening of June 1, 2024, is a clear indication of this. The actual results — which were contrary to the exit poll estimates — resulted in continued discussion about the verdict and its fallout. This goes to indicate the intense and continued engagement of Indians with the electoral process. There is not even the smallest hint of any disenchantment with elections and the electoral process, despite anxieties about the reliability of the electronic voting machines (EVM), increasing defections from one party to another, the declining role of ideology in elections and the quality of representatives getting elected to Parliament, election after election. A Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) survey indicates 17% of Indians showing no trust in EVMs, while another 43% indicated some trust in it. Nearly 30% of Indians also mentioned decreased trust in EVMs.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party but as it fell short of a majority, it formed the government along with its allies. Clearly, larger numbers of people are in support of the ruling BJP, but there is a plurality of opinion among Indians which the new government must take into considerations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi still remains far more popular when compared to any other leader, his popularity rating being 41% when compared to the Congress’s Rahul Gandhi at 27%.

Some of the concerns, key issues

But in the Lokniti-CSDS survey, 28% of Indians mentioned that Mr. Modi’s image has dented to a great extent. Another 33% mentioned that his image has dented to some extent due to the BJP’s induction of leaders from various political parties which has tainted this image.

Findings of the Lokniti-CSDS survey clearly also indicate an anxiety about the nature of vindictive politics which has risen in the last few years. In the survey, 44% of people mentioned that Opposition leaders have been arrested due to political reasons but only 23% negated this view. In the survey, 67% of Indians also expressed the view that citizens should have the right to ask questions to their elected leaders; 20% did not hold this opinion. It is important to note that 58% of Indians believed that change of government is important for development of the country, while 32% said continuity of the same party in government was better for development. The importance of courts/the judiciary needs to be taken into account, as in the Lokniti-CSDS survey, 58% of Indians mentioned that courts are important in checking the powers of the government. Only 27% believed this may not be necessary. There was a strongly shared view (66%) that people should have the power to oppose the decisions of the government if necessary, while only 19% were against this view.

The verdict of 2024 has also indicated that issues of national pride, national identity, and national security are important. But at the same time, and equally important, are the day-to-day issues of the people such as unemployment and price rise which no political party can afford to ignore for long. The findings of the Lokniti-CSDS survey indicate that unemployment and price rise were the twin issues of disenchantment with the Modi government; a large number of them also did not want this government to be re-elected. The BJP emerged as the single largest party but suffered a major setback in Uttar Pradesh, the State where the Ram Mandir was built and inaugurated with much pomp and show. This development is an indication of the mistake the BJP made in depending too much dependence on the issue of Hindutva at the cost of the bread and butter issues. The defeat of the BJP’s candidate in the Faizabad constituency (Ayodhya) goes to strengthen this point further. The verdict of 2024 has indicated that there is a limit to identity politics, whether it is about caste or religion.

More or less an ideal democracy

In a functioning democracy, it is important to have a strong Opposition along with a stable and strong government. The verdict of 2024 resembles the true character of an ideal democracy. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a majority in the Lok Sabha with 293 seats, with the BJP being the single largest party with 240 seats. The INDIA bloc/alliance has a strength of 234 MPs in the Lok Sabha with the Congress being the largest Opposition party with 99 seats.

The numbers in the 18th Lok Sabha are a reflection of people’s views on various issues related to governance. In theory there could not be a better government than this in a functioning democracy, though we know there lies a difference between theory and practice, glimpses of which were seen in the tussle between the ruling coalition and the Opposition on the issue of election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. There are many other issues which are likely to be a bone of contention between the ruling party and the Opposition. This writer only wishes that the views expressed by the people of India are taken seriously and both the ruling party and the Opposition work in tandem for the next five years, trying and resolving issues rather than complicating them.

The views expressed are personal

The PDS impact on household expenditure

1 of 2 Amitava Saha Deputy Director General, Survey Design and Research Division, National Sample Survey Office, Kolkata

2 of 2 Gopal Saha Deputy Director, Survey Design and Research Division, National Sample Survey Office, Kolkata

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is an important social security programme in India. Its objective is to ensure food security. Today, up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population are eligible for subsidised foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. If the cost of consuming foodgrains from the PDS is subsidised, this then frees up resources for a household to spend on other items such as vegetables, milk, pulses, egg, fish, meat and other nutrient and protein-rich food items. It is an empirical question whether households indeed diversify their food consumption. With the release of data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES):2022-23, there will be renewed interest in the above line of inquiry, i.e., the impact of consumption of free food items from the PDS on expenditure on items other than foodgrains.

On representativeness

To the extent possible, the HCES:2022-23 canvassed information on food and non-food items received by households free of cost through various social welfare programmes. In the HCES:2022-23 report published by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and available on the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation website, there is detailed information on pages 15 to 18. The objective of the survey is not to provide precise estimates of the proportion of households receiving benefits under every scheme. In most cases, survey estimates of coverage of a programme will be lower than that suggested by the administrative data. A common conjecture in the literature on the PDS is inclusion error (when an ineligible household consumes from the PDS) and exclusion error (when an eligible household is not consuming foodgrains from the PDS). For this purpose, researchers will compare the proportion of households consuming PDS items with the coverage under the NFSA. While care should be exercised in terms of interpreting the estimates, one advantage of the survey data is that it allows us to examine the characteristics of households that report benefits from the programmes.

Unless detailed information is sought on the nature of an ailment or disease in the case of health shocks, and waiver of fees or reimbursement in school or college, imputing the value of free medical services and education services received by the households is not possible. In the case of education and health, the NSSO conducts separate surveys where detailed information is canvassed on out-of-pocket expenditure and free services that are availed by a household. One might ask why one cannot use data on information paid by households to impute the value of medical services. Insurance products are treated as an investment and not consumption. The relevant information is sought as part of the All India Debt & Investment Survey, and not as part of the HCES.

In order to provide guidance to analysts and researchers, the NSSO, for the first time, decided to impute the value figures of selected food and non-food items which were received free. This allows us to compute two metrics. The first is the Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) of a household, which is the ratio of monthly consumption expenditure to household size. The second metric is the value of household consumption in a month considering the imputed value of free food and non-food items, i.e., ‘MPCE with imputation’. Both metrics are published by the NSSO in its report.

Imputation of values

The NSSO has suggested two sets of values for each State and by sector (rural, urban) for imputation of food and non-food items received free of cost — modal unit price and the 25th percentile unit price. Consumption expenditure refers to out-of-pocket expenditure while value of consumption would include free and subsidised items consumed by households. In the report published by the NSSO, imputation has been done using the modal price only for items received free. The operative word is free and not subsidised. Thus, no imputation is done for the purchase of food items from the PDS at nominal regulated prices.

The main item that a large proportion of households received free was foodgrains from the PDS. Not surprisingly, at the all-India level, we find that in rural and urban India, about 94% and 95%, respectively, of the value of imputed items is attributable to food items. When we consider all the households, i.e., even those who did not receive any free items, the imputed value for food is ₹82 and ₹59 in rural and urban areas, respectively.

The report published by the NSSO has the average value of MPCE among those in the bottom 5% of distribution by the MPCE, 5-10, 10-20, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 70-80, 80-90, 90-95 and top 5% of distribution. Each interval is called a fractile class. The average MPCE of those in the bottom 5% of MPCE distribution is ₹1,373 in rural and ₹2,001 in urban. This means that the MPCE of 5% of Indians is less than this cut off. When we focus on the imputed value of consumption of those in the bottom end of the rural distribution, we find that 20% of those in this fractile class, or about 1% of India’s rural population is actually in the next fractile class, i.e., 5%-10%. In absolute terms this is about 86 lakh individuals in rural India. Similar patterns are observed till the sixth fractile class. In urban areas too, we see upward movement. There are different patterns observed across the major States. Needless to say, depending on their use case, researchers can impute the modal value for calculations for purchases from the PDS at the subsidised rate. This will increase the average MPCE with imputation. In short, there is evidence that even a limited imputation exercise establishes that in-kind social transfers help increase the value of consumption of poorer households.

Implications for poverty

Ever since the release of the report, there have been calls for a larger discussion on where the poverty line should be drawn. Among the issues that need to be considered is whether one needs to estimate the number of poor households based on the expenditure or based on the total value of consumption which includes the value of free items consumed. Needless to say, in-kind social transfers have implications for the well-being of households that are at the bottom end of consumption or income distribution.

The views expressed are personal

Myanmar and democracy

I commend The Hindu’s recent coverage of Myanmar and the question of how peace can be achieved. The old approach of Myanmar’s neighbours was to indulge the murderous and venal Sit-tat/Tatmadaw for fear of complete anarchy. However understandable that view was, the Sit-tat is now the principal source of chaos. Some in India — inter alia in this daily’s pages (‘Parley’ – Opinion page, “Should India review its Myanmar policy in view of the humanitarian crisis?”, July 5) — have started to demand a less passive Indian policy. They should, more boldly, embrace the cause of a federal democracy as the only path to peace. Caution but prolongs the agony. Today, the people of Myanmar are bombed, beaten, robbed, and raped. But they have shown that they can only be governed by consent.

J.P. Loo,

Oxford, U.K.

On NEET

In settling for NEET counselling from the third week of July, the government seems to have assumed that there will be a favourable judicial order. It was not long ago that the Chief Justice of India had said that cancelling the examinations already held could affect the lives of 23 lakh students.

Choosing IIT Madras to look into the extent of malpractices was a wise move.

The data from a credible agency like the IIT would certainly help the top court in its decision making.

However the National Testing Agency should treat the entire episode as a warning to set its house in order. The conduct of such examinations must not be taken lightly and there should be the required checks at all levels.

Gopalaswamy J.,

Chennai

There is much space being given to ‘pro-retest for NEET 2024’ letters, without understanding the ground-level reverberations. The voices of students who appeared for the test well prepared and who scored high marks in NEET 2024 need to be heard too.

Dr. P. Suresh,

Namakkal, Tamil Nadu

The examination system

Nothing seems to be going right as far as competitive examinations are concerned.

The trajectory of events in examinations from NEET(UG) to the UPSC-civil services now (Inside pages, “Controversial probationary IAS officer joins duty, July 12) is appalling. These issues should be scrutinised and the facts presented to the public. The question ‘why is this happening with the education sector’ needs to be answered.

Sreyas M. Purackal,

Kozhikode, Kerala

The NEET scandal has highlighted the need for systemic reform in India’s education sector. The centralised exam model has exacerbated the pressure on students. India’s diverse educational landscape needs a more flexible and nuanced approach. Decentralising exams and empowering State boards could foster a more equitable system. India’s future depends on it.

Lakshminarayanan P.,

Chennai

Crash course

There must be better monitoring of the road-worthiness of transport vehicles

On July 10, in Uttar Pradesh, a private double-decker bus collided with a milk tanker, killing 18 people. Local reports claimed the bus’s insurance had not been renewed and that it lacked an alarm system to alert the driver if the bus drifted from its lane, among other issues. Should the State government’s inquiry bear these details out, they will highlight the importance of the multidimensional nature of road safety, which banks on road and highway design, presence of roadside businesses, speed and access control, and visibility, among other factors, to protect lives. The details should also highlight the reluctance of municipal authorities and local bodies to scrutinise public and licensed private infrastructure until lives are lost. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 1.71 lakh people died and 4.23 lakh were injured in 4.46 lakh road accidents in 2022. A 2023 IIT Delhi report estimated there were 11.3 road-accident deaths per lakh population in 2021, which, after accounting for official data inconsistencies and underreporting, is constitutive of a public health crisis. Speed control is particularly important: it is implicated in most deadly road accidents in the country. Following the bus accident, police also told news agencies the collision had flung passengers out of the bus. Public officials know how to control speed in urban and rural areas — with strategically placed speed-breakers and roundabouts and increased police monitoring, for example. Similarly, it should be clear which portions of the Automotive Industry Standards that the bus’s condition at the time of the accident violated.

There are three ways forward. First, local authorities must enforce existing standards and have skilled personnel and proper equipment for this purpose. They must also be allowed to impose harsher penalties on transport service operators who fail to meet safety requirements. Municipal bodies must also be prevented from diluting standards painstakingly specified by engineers in order to, say, facilitate local businesses. Second, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways needs to collect and publish better, ideally complete, data on vehicle registrations, safety certificates, testing centres, criteria, and reports and audits. It also needs to improve the quality of data about injuries and deaths, both of which remain undercounted. Finally, there is a need for greater public awareness of how the health of transport vehicles is ascertained and for access to each vehicle’s latest test report. This may be a bridge too far given both the generally complacent attitude towards quality control and unscrupulous operators’ ability to escape sanction — but it remains the bridge that will have to be crossed.

A wobbly walk

India did well to assert its ties with Russia, but the optics were bad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Moscow visit was billed as his first “stand-alone” visit during this tenure, with officials laying stress on the purely “bilateral” framework. However, while the visit had strong bilateral components, its impact has been felt globally, with unprecedented criticism from Kyiv and Washington on its timing and optics. On the bilateral front, the visit, his first to Russia since 2019, and the first “annual” summit in three years, resulted in a number of outcomes. There was a reaffirmation of India-Russia ties as well as Mr. Modi’s obvious personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Modi also received Russia’s highest civilian award. He praised Mr. Putin’s efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, that had appeared to be flagging, given the war in Ukraine, and growing Russia-China ties. In formal talks, the leaders focused on bettering the economic and trade relationship, which has often been a neglected part of the largely government-to-government engagements, and announced a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030, which should be easily met given India’s massive increase in oil imports from Russia specially discounted due to western sanctions. Mr. Modi also won an assurance from Mr. Putin that Indian recruits enlisted in the Russian Army will be allowed to return to India. Unlike in the past, the visit lacked any announcements of military purchases that have been the mainstay of ties, due partially to Russian delays in supplies of deals already announced after the invasion of Ukraine and to also avoid international censure. Mr. Modi’s statement that there was “no solution on the battlefield” to the conflict, as well as his decision to travel further to Vienna, were seen as attempts to balance the trip, his first since the conflict began.

In an increasingly polarised world, this was easier said than done, especially as Mr. Modi’s visit happened even as Ukraine was hit by a devastating missile attack. There were also NATO, western alliance leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy converging in Washington for a summit that was aimed, albeit unsuccessfully, at showing Russia’s isolation. It is another matter that the stance reeks of hypocrisy, as the NATO countries have failed to show similar concerns over the killing of innocents in Gaza due to Israel’s relentless bombardment. The U.S. State Department and Ukraine have been openly critical of Mr. Modi’s visit, and New Delhi’s task will be to limit the damage in ties with the U.S. and Europe. In the long term, India will have to assert its interests and convince the West that it is futile to force India to choose, or to push a country known for its independent stance, to become a camp follower in this conflict.

Freedom and control in Xinjiang

The north-western province in China is home to more than 50 ‘ethnic minorities’, most of whom are Uyghur Muslim. For several years, the Chinese Communist Party has been accused of persecuting the community and attempting to erase their culture. Radhika Santhanam reports on the overarching emphasis on assimilation and nationalism in Xinjiang, a rapidly developing province which is crucial to the country’s Belt and Road Initiative

1 of 6 The Shaanxi mosque in Yining, which is is built in the traditional palace style of Chinese architecture. (Right): Abud Rakev Tumunyaz, the Imam at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute at Kuqa, Xinjiang. Radhika Santhanam Radhika Santhanam

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4 of 6 An assembly workshop of the Guangzhou Atutomobile Group Co Ltd, Xinjiang. The province is crucial to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Radhika Santhanam Radhika Santhanam

5 of 6 All the three young men, one of whom was a minor then, fled to India saying Uyghurs were being persecuted in their country. Mohammad Shafi Lassu Lawyer

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Nine musicians dressed in bright outfits assemble on stage at the centre of an accordion museum in Yining city in Xinjiang province, China. It is June 17, the day of Eid-Ul-Adha, and everyone is in celebratory mood. Thousands of tourists and locals have gathered on Liuxing street despite the heat to enjoy street food, watch graceful performances, and drink chilled fresh juice and beer.

In the museum crammed with instruments, each musician holds an accordion. Before bursting into song, they introduce themselves, not by name but by ethnicity – Uyghur, Kazhak, Mongolian, Uzbek, and so on. Then, in chorus, they shout cheerfully in English, “We are all part of the Chinese nation.”

The proclamation of national unity and the carefully curated diversity on stage, particularly on the occasion of Eid, is significant. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, located in northwestern China, is home to 56 ethnic groups, including the Uyghur, Kazakh, Mongol, Manchu, Uzbek, Xibe, and Russian, who are all termed “ethnic minorities” by the state. The vast province is home to followers of many religions such as Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity.

For years, China has faced accusations from human rights groups of committing crimes against humanity of mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the region. According to several reports, including by the United Nations Human Rights Office, and Human Rights Watch, the Chinese were detaining Uyghurs, who form the majority of the ethnic minorities, in “detention centres” and subjecting them to abuse.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has rubbished these claims. It has repeatedly argued that these are not “detention centres” but “education and vocational training centres”. A booklet issued by the State Council Information Office says these centres were established with the “goal of educating and rehabilitating people guilty of minor crimes or law-breaking, and eradicating the influence of terrorism and extremism.” In 2019, however, the Chairman of the Xinjiang regional government announced that these centres would be gradually wound down “if society no longer needed them.”

Various studies have also claimed that the population of the Han Chinese, the country’s dominant ethnic group, has grown in the region, while the Uyghur population has declined ever since the People’s Republic of China took over the province in 1949.

However, official data show that the Uyghur population, which was 3.6 million in the first national population census of 1953, grew to 11.6 million (222%) in the seventh census of 2020. The increase has been attributed in part to the fact that Uyghurs and other minorities, along with the rural population, were exempt from China’s decades-old one-child policy.

The ‘Sinicisation’ of religion

At the Shaanxi mosque, an important heritage site in Yining, the Imam, Ma Jirong, says all these accusations are “greatly exaggerated”. He points towards the mosque, where 1,300 Muslims had assembled to pray that morning. “Since you are here, you can see for yourself,” he says. “Foreign countries have a hatred towards China. It is like a tumour in their body.”

The centuries-old mosque behind him, painted in red and dark blue, is built in the “traditional palace style of Chinese architecture,” according to the guide. The structure is made of wood and brick and showcases the characteristically Chinese upturned eaves. The dome and minarets, commonly found in several mosques around the world, are missing. The call to prayer can be heard only within the premises. The ceiling is painted with flowers and plants, and journalists from West Asia wonder loudly about the absence of Arabic script on the inside walls.

Ma shrugs off these observations. “It is a Chinese mosque,” he says. “Mongolian, Uyghur, and many other ethnic communities participated in its construction. It shows that Xinjiang is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.”

This adaptation of religion to Chinese characteristics, and specifically to Chinese socialism, is what Abud Rakev Tumunyaz, the Imam at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute at Kuqa, 280 kilometres away, refers to as “Sinicisation”.

“Religion has no national boundaries, but believers have a motherland. Chinese people belong to the People’s Republic of China, so religion should adapt to socialism in China,” Tumunyaz, 62, contends.

Ma believes there is no contradiction between Chinese socialism and Islam. “Both prioritise the happiness of the people,” he says.

The mosque at Kuqa has a dome and minarets. Inside the Islamic Institute’s sprawling library, which houses about 30,000 books, the Imam flips through the copies of the Koran laid neatly on a table. The bound books look new and the pages crackle when flipped. There are copies in Uyghur, Arabic, and Chinese. Newspapers in Mongolian, Uyghur, and other languages are stacked in a rack in the reading area.

However, just like the rest of the country, Xinjiang promotes standard Chinese in public educational institutions; students say lessons are not taught in Uyghur or other languages. Uyghur is spoken everywhere, but shop signs are mostly only in Chinese.

A government booklet claims that ethnic minorities are “enthusiastic” about learning and using standard Chinese. It says ethnic groups are “encouraged to learn spoken and written languages from each other... (emphasis added)” and ethnic languages are “extensively used in areas such as judicature, administration, education, press and publishing, radio and television...”

A small newsroom and the printing press of a county-level newspaper called Chabuchar Daily, brought out in the Xibo or Xibe language, are showcased as evidence of this. The four-page tabloid, which translates newspaper reports into Xibo, which is closely related to Manchu, a nearly extinct language, is brought out twice a week for the 30,000 speakers of Xibo in Xinjiang. “As you can see, the government cares about ethnic cultures and languages,” says one of the editors, Zhao Jinxiu.

Deradicalisation programme

Both Ma and Tumunyaz emphasise the importance of “laws and regulations” and firmly state that Islam should “develop accordingly”. When asked to cite an example of how the law dictates the practice of religion, Tumunyaz says, “The government designates areas where prayers and other religious activities can take place.”

At the Islamic Institute at Kuqa, students are given religious education, which includes learning to recite the Koran. They are taught Chinese culture and history, and Islamic history from the time it was introduced in China about 1,300 years ago. They study lessons about the civil code, and laws and regulations regarding religion. They also undergo a ‘deradicalisation programme’.

The Chinese argue that this stems from Xinjiang’s troubled history. In the last two decades, the region has seen many terror attacks. In 2012, knife-wielding terrorists attacked civilians in Kashgar, leaving 15 dead. In May 2014, attackers crashed cars into shoppers and threw explosives, killing more than 30 people in the capital city of Ürümqi. In July the same year, an Imam in Kashgar was stabbed to death. China has blamed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which was founded by militant Uyghur separatists, for some of these attacks.

The fight against what the government calls the “three evils of extremism, terrorism, and separatism” is also China’s rationale for the “education and vocational training centres.” In written communication with the media, the CCP says through these centres, Xinjiang has “destroyed 1,588 violent and terrorist gangs, arrested 12,995 terrorists..., punished 30,645 people for 4,858 illegal religious activities, and confiscated 3,45,229 copies of illegal religious materials” since 2014. The curriculum at the centres, it says, “begins with learning standard spoken and written Chinese language, then moves onto studying the law, and concludes with learning vocational skills”.

Waiting for freedom

However, several Uyghurs have publicly spoken and written about how they did not choose to go to these centres. Many critics have also raised questions about why prominent Uyghur intellectuals, writers, and artists were sent to places that purportedly provide “vocational skills”.

Many ethnic minorities have also fled China fearing ill treatment at these centres. In 2013, three Uyghurs — Adil, Abdul Khaliq, and Salamu — from Kargilik in southwest Xinjiang crossed the border into Ladakh in India without any travel documents. They were apprehended by the Indian Army, which handed them over to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Later, the three of them were handed over to the local police. They have been in jail since.

“All the three young men, one of whom was a minor then, fled to India saying Uyghurs were being persecuted in their country,” says Mohammad Shafi Lassu, a lawyer in Leh who is representing them. “They said they had seen all kinds of atrocities. They came to India because they knew that Pakistan would hand them back to China. But in India, after completing their sentence, they were booked under the draconian Public Safety Act in 2015.” The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, is a preventive detention law under which a person is taken into custody so that they will not act in a manner that is prejudicial to “the security of the state or the maintenance of public order”.

Lassu sounds tired. “I have little hope for their future,” he says. Apart from the stringent law, he also cites India’s neutrality on the Uyghur question as a reason for his despair. In 2022, the country abstained on a draft resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Commission on holding a debate on human rights in Xinjiang, arguing that it “favours a dialogue to deal with these issues” instead.

It is common refrain in China that “international forces were influencing people over the web”; this is why the government also further tightened its control over the Internet, a move defended as ‘cyber sovereignty’. Confident now that terrorism is a thing of the past, Xinjiang also has an ‘exhibition of anti-terrorism and anti-extremism’.

The fear of attack had turned Xinjiang into a security zone by all accounts. This seems to have mostly dissipated, except in parts such as the International Grand Bazaar in Ürümqi, where men in uniform check foreigners’ passports at the entrance and a security van with armed men is permanently stationed outside.

Tumunyaz says “religion is not extremism and vice versa”; yet displays of overt religiosity are clearly frowned upon and could land people in prison. “The deradicalisation programme is not about targeting any religion or ethnic minority,” he says. “We will strike down any separatist.”

Tumunyaz, who is also the president of the Xinjiang Islamic Institute and vice chairman of the Chinese Islamic Association, is expecting two more delegations in the afternoon. He says delegates from the United Nations visited him last week. He appears to be the designated point person in Kuqa for all Islam-related questions.

Thrust on development

The message that the nation comes first, before ethnicity and religion, is assertive also given Xinjiang’s strategic location. The province borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and India. As a consequence, it is of great importance to China’s mammoth Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which facilitates trade and commerce across the ancient Silk Road routes that connected Asia, West Asia, and Europe for about 1,500 years, from the beginning of the Han dynasty in 130 BCE. Xinjiang was an important section of the ancient Silk Road, which is why the province, characterised by three mountains and two basins, is now called the core area of the Silk Road economic belt.

This has always been one of China’s poorest regions, but the thrust on development is clear to the eye. Ürümqi, Yining, and Kuqa all boast excellent infrastructure, delivered with what the guide calls “Chinese efficiency”. There are wide roads with cycling and walking paths lined with trees. Industries including textiles, power, manufacturing, and petrochemicals have sprung up everywhere. Xinjiang’s GDP rose from about $167.2 billion in 2017 to $278.4 billion in 2022.

Being central to the BRI has also meant that Xinjiang now generates significant revenue from tourism ($14.1 billion in 2022). In Jiayi village in Xinhe county in Yining, tourists flock to an exhibition centre of musical instruments, which is presented as ‘intangible cultural heritage’. In Kuqa Qiuz Alley, a sprawling old Uyghur home, whose residents have long since moved out, has been converted into an area for tourists to “experience Uyghur culture”. The Grand Bazaar contains a museum of giant naans, and shops selling Uyghur caps and outfits made of Atlas silk. Professor James Leibold at La Trobe University, Melbourne, who is an expert on the politics of ethnicity and race in China, refers to this as “museum-style multiculturalism”, while the Chinese in Xinjiang are at pains to point out how this is in fact “protection of ethnic minority culture”.

Everywhere journalists are taken, there is an emphasis on how ethnic groups are part of the BRI. At the assembly workshop of the Automobile Guangzhou Car Motor Company, where staff and robots work together, the General Manager, Luo Haitian, says, “Our staff is diversified; about 20% of them are ethnic groups.”

At the Xinjiang Software Park, established in 2015, Yang Qing, director of the department of communications, says, “The development of this park is part of our strategic plan to develop five hubs in the economic belt of Xinjiang. Our goal is to be a carrier of the Digital Silk Road. We provide technical support for the stability of society of Xinjiang and for high-quality economic development.”

Yang points to various products and applications that have made both the daily lives of the people as well as surveillance by the state and the people — of traffic, grazing cattle, movement, etc. — easier.

Her point on high-quality economic development is borne out by data. But how does technical support ensure stability? “This region was once influenced by terrorism,” Yang explains. “So now, we monitor everything.”

The writer travelled to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as part of a delegation of international journalists from 16 countries hosted by the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China

Business

- ‘Boost financing for green projects’

- GST system reforms panel rejigged

- Durables, power output surge lifts May IIP to 7-month high

- Auto sales rose 16.4% in Q1 to more than 64 lakh units: SIAM

- Apple abused position in apps market, finds antitrust probe

- HCL Tech’s Q1 net profit rises 20.5% to ₹4,257 crore

- NABARD unveils ₹750-cr. agri fund to promote innovation

‘Boost financing for green projects’

Ajay Shankar

Harnessing the sun: The production of solar panels with full value addition in India over the next five years is an achievable goal. AFP STR

The Finance Minister’s Budget speeches have been giving increasing emphasis to green growth. This has followed PM Modi’s announcement at COP26 that India would have 500GW fossil fuel-free capacity by 2030 and become net zero by 2070.

Affirmation of the commitments in the Budget speech would send the right signals. For reaching net zero, the sooner the use of fossil fuels peak, plateau and then begin to dip, the lower would be the cost of getting to net zero for firms and the economy.

Investors need to appraise options through this prism for major investment decisions. This would prevent sub-optimal, lumpy, capital investments in fossil-fuel economy.

Renewable Energy (RE) capacities are being created by private investment with declining costs in a competitive industry structure. RE, combined with storage for round-the-clock supply, is now cheaper than new thermal power. Scaling up and achieving 500 GW of fossil fuel-free capacity by 2030 requires a huge increase in the capacities for which RE bids need to be invited.

This intention with numbers should be announced. RE now requires large-scale storage as its generation is intermittent and inflexible whereas the demand to be met is variable. An ambitious plan for creating storage by the invitation of bids should also be in the Budget Speech. This would get potential investors to prepare for the large storage market that would be created. Both river and off-river hydro pump storage are attractive options. The technology of concentrated solar thermal energy being stored in molten salt to run a conventional thermal turbine has also become mature and cost effective. These storage projects have a large capital cost, a very long life and nominal running costs.

Cheaper debt

The bid prices would be considerably lower if long-term rupee debt at fixed rates is made available to potential developers. The FM could announce this. Instruments such as government green bonds are already in place. Conceptually, government needs to assume some contingent liability for long-term fixed interest rate lending. India can become a global leader in large scale grid storage.

The ambition to become self-reliant should be a major theme of the Budget. The production of solar panels with full value addition in India over the next five years is an achievable goal. Our market size is large enough to support globally cost-competitive manufacturing with new, state-of-art production plants. The PLI (Production Linked Incentive) policy instrument should be crafted to get investors to put up plants with full value addition in India. A simple way of achieving this is for government to invite bids for procurement of solar panels with full value addition in India and for supplies to be for five years from a future date giving reasonable time for a new plant to be built.

With assured offtake at a price which gives returns, the investment would become risk free, resulting in a good investor response. This government procurement would not be in contravention of WTO commitments. Repeated bids should be used to create a competitive industry structure as has been done for development of grid scale solar projects and get lower prices through competition. There should, if required, be a willingness to initially pay somewhat higher prices compared with the price of panels imported from China.

The use of these government-procured panels can be made mandatory for the roof-top solar panel programme for one crore households announced early this year, using solar panels for pumping groundwater for irrigation, by the Railways, in government buildings, Defence establishments and campuses of government-financed institutions.

The Budget could also announce the goal of becoming self-reliant in the production of batteries for electric vehicles and the electronics that go into them over the next five years by extending and fine-tuning the PLI and FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) programmes.

Hydrogen Mission

The National Hydrogen Mission is positioning us well for the use of green hydrogen produced at a globally-competitive cost for downstream carbon-free production. This gives us an opportunity to leapfrog and become a competitive green manufacturing hub.

We need to welcome, rather than oppose as a new non-tariff barrier, the new European tax on import of goods depending on the carbon content of the entire value chain going into its production, the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism).

Firms, especially MSMEs, exporting to Europe would gain by government support in reducing carbon footprint. The easy part would be mandating real-time supply of carbon-free electricity, albeit at a higher price to industrial customers who demand such electricity.

A small firm could buy carbon-free electricity for production and EV charging stations could use such electricity making the logistics of supply-chain carbon-free.

For capital investments, a dedicated financing facility may be created.

Where necessary, government could provide credit guarantees and/or an interest subsidy. We can then hope for a surge in low-carbon goods exports.

(The writer is Distinguished Fellow, TERI)

GST system reforms panel rejigged

Vikas Dhoot

NEW DELHI

Reconstituted GoM is tasked with identifying possible sources of revenue evasion, improving coordination between central and State tax authorities, reviewing IT systems; move aimed at including new ministers from AP, Odisha and Chhattisgarh

Leadership change: The panel is now headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary. Nagara Gopal

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has reconstituted a ministerial group tasked with identifying possible sources of revenue evasion, improving coordination between central and State GST authorities, and reviewing the IT systems in place for implementing the indirect tax.

These changes have been effected in order to bring in new ministers from the States of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh where new governments have been installed in recent months, as well as to replace the representative from Haryana. The reconstitution of this key GST panel comes soon after the Council reformulated the ministerial group tasked with recommending a rationalisation of the GST rate structure and its tax rates. The panel, originally headed by former Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, is now headed by Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary.

The Council, which met in late June after an almost nine-month hiatus, plans to take stock of the progress made by this GoM so far, and discuss the roadmap for the much-awaited GST rate restructuring exercise in its next meeting that is expected to be held in August.

Formed in late 2021 after the Council decided to dovetail two separate Groups of Ministers (GoMs) dealing with IT challenges and revenue mobilisation, the GoM on GST system reforms was rejigged for the fourth time on Thursday.

Odisha is now represented by deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, following the Biju Janata Dal’s defeat in recent Assembly polls. AP Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav replaces his predecessor Buggana Rajendranath, after the TDP’s resounding victory in State polls.

Durables, power output surge lifts May IIP to 7-month high

Vikas Dhoot

NEW DELHI

With India in the grip of a heatwave in May, power generation hit a record high even as production of consumer durables such as air-conditioners and refrigerators jumped 12.3% to touch the second-highest level in at least 14 months, pushing industrial output growth to a seven-month high of 5.9% in May.

The two segments bolstered the recovery from a three-month low growth of 5% in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in April, even as manufacturing growth remained underwhelming at 4.6% and half the use-based segments witnessed growth deceleration from April.

Generation of power jumped 13.7% in May compared with a 10.2% uptick a month earlier, and was 8.2% over the output recorded this April. Consumer durables grew 12.3%, from a 10% rise in April.

Consumer non-durables’ output saw a minor 2.3% growth in May compared with a 2.5% contraction in April.

Within manufacturing, which constitutes 77.6% of the IIP, six of 23 sectors reported contractions, the same number as April. Food products (-5.5%), textiles (-0.7%), chemicals (-0.5%), rubber and plastic (-0.9%), and other manufacturing (-8.6%), were among the sectors that recorded a downturn.

The IIP growth will likely ease to a range of 4% to 5% in June based on trends in the available high frequency data, according to Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA.

Auto sales rose 16.4% in Q1 to more than 64 lakh units: SIAM

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Total automobile sales during the first quarter of FY25 rose 16.4% to 64,01,006 units from 54,98,752 units in the year-earlier period, according to data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Friday.

Passenger vehicle (PV) sales during the quarter grew 3% to 10,26,006 units year on year (YoY).

However, passenger cars, as a segment, degrew 17% to 3,41,293 units YoY.

The commercial vehicles (CV) segment reported a YoY growth of 3.5% at 2,24,209 units. Passenger cars, as a segment, grew 52.8% to 16,854 units.

Three-wheeler sales during the quarter grew 14.2% YoY to 1,65.,081 units, while two-wheeler sales saw a 20.4% YoY growth to 49,85,631 units.

“All segments posted growth in Q1 of FY25 over the Q1 of last year,” SIAM President Vinod Aggarwal.

“While PV and CV segments have witnessed moderate growth, two-wheelers and three-wheelers have posted a very handsome growth in double digits,” he added.

Apple abused position in apps market, finds antitrust probe

A probe by India’s antitrust body has found that Apple exploited its dominant position in the market for app stores on its iOS system, engaging “in abusive conduct and practices”, a confidential report seen by Reuters showed. The CCI’s investigations unit, in its 142-page report which is not public but seen by Reuters, said Apple wields “significant influence” over how digital products and services reach consumers, especially via its iOS platform and App Store.

HCL Tech’s Q1 net profit rises 20.5% to ₹4,257 crore

HCL Technologies’ first-quarter net profit rose 20.5% to ₹4,257 crore, from ₹3,534 crore a year earlier, while revenue from operations increased 6.69% to ₹28,057 crore. CEO C. Vijayakumar said the firm logged 5.6% revenue growth on constant currency basis. “We are confident of decent growth in the coming quarters, positioning us well to deliver our revenue guidance for the year as clients continue to spend on GenAI and other emerging technologies,” he added.

NABARD unveils ₹750-cr. agri fund to promote innovation

NABARD has announced an agri fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (Agri-SURE), with an initial corpus of ₹750 crore to be managed by its wholly owned subsidiary Nabventures. While the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and the agriculture ministry are contributing ₹250 crore each, the rest ₹250 crore is from other institutions. The fund is structured to support about 85 start-ups with investment sizes of up to ₹25 crore each by end of its term.

Foreign

- Oli set to return to power in Nepal as Maoist leader Prachanda weighs options

- More Democrats call on Biden to quit race after his news conference

- Sindhu, Prannoy get easy groups, while it could be tough going for Lakshya and Tanisha-Ashwini at the Paris Games

- Imran Khan’s PTI party ‘eligible’ for reserved seats in Pak. parliament

- IBSF under-17 and 21 Worlds from Aug. 23

- Amid deadlock in parliament, PM vows to ‘guard against’ extremes

- 63 missing after Nepal landslip sweeps two buses into a river

- Japan punishes defence officials for mishandling classified data

- Philippines will ‘stand our ground’ in South China Sea dispute: official

- Saudi Arabia to host first Esports Olympics in 2025: IOC

- Independent govt. must run post-war Gaza, says Hamas

Oli set to return to power in Nepal as Maoist leader Prachanda weighs options

Sanjeev Satgainya

Kathmandu

K.P. Sharma OliNAVESH CHITRAKAR

A political drama triggered 10 days ago by the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) capped off with the ouster of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday.

Prachanda, the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), failed his vote of confidence, fifth in one and a half years since he was elected Prime Minister in December 2022, leading to the fall of his government.

As per a deal reached between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, the two largest parties in Parliament with 88 and 78 seats, respectively, the UML’s K.P. Sharma Oli is set to stake the claim to lead the government, according to their leaders.

Speaking in Parliament, Prachanda said he wasbetrayed [by Oli] and that he waswell aware of who “brought” the NC and the UML together but stopped short of naming anyone. He also said the NC and the UML were making attempts to reverse the Constitution to 1990 and rob people of the achievements like inclusion and social justice. The Constitution promulgated in 1990 after the restoration of democracy maintained the constitutional monarchy.

“The Maoists have made the highest contribution to the current Constitution. So the Maoists will not let this Constitution weaken,” said Prachanda.

As the NC and the UML signed a deal to form a new government, it was a foregone conclusion that Prachanda would lose the confidence vote. The two parties said they had to come together to form a new government so as to establish political stability, amend the Constitution, address the plight of the people and boost the economy.

According to the deal, Mr. Oli would govern for a year and a half and set the ground for constitutional amendments and then hand over power to NC’s Sher Bahadur Deuba to oversee the 2027 elections.

There have been over a dozen governments since the country abolished the centuries-old monarchy and turned into a republic in 2008.

“Government change has been the only constant in Nepal, what’s missing is governance,” said Chandrakishore, a political commentator. “The new government inspires little hope when it comes to basic governance issues.”

Ever since the Maoists laid down arms in 2006 after a decade-long war against the state, Prachanda, 69, has been at the centre of Nepal’s politics. With the fall of his government, Prachanda, who was in his third stint as Prime Minister, has now been thrown into the Opposition after nine years.

Despite fighting the November 2022 general elections under an alliance with the NC, he joined hands with the UML to become Prime Minister in December of that year. But in February 2023, the UML withdrew support in protest of Prachanda’s decision to support the NC’s Ram Chandra Poudel for the post of President. A year later, Prachanda ditched the NC to join hands with the UML again.

“His ouster was just a matter of time,” said Jhalak Subedi, a left-leaning commentator. “Prachanda may be down but not out, as there are questions galore over the longevity of the NC-UML alliance.”

Oli’s return to power

Two House dissolution moves had cost Mr. Oli his job in July 2022 after the Supreme Court ordered the appointment of Mr. Deuba as Prime Minister.

Mr. Oli had capitalised on India’s reservations about the Constitution in 2015 and made nationalism his plank for the 2017 general elections. A merger decision between the UML and the Maoist Centre catapulted Mr. Oli into power as the leader of the largest party, controlling almost two-thirds majority in Parliament.

During his speech in Parliament, Prachanda made scathing remarks against Mr. Oli and warned the NC of a possible dissolution attempt, reminding Mr. Oli’s two dissolutions in 2020 and 2021.

More Democrats call on Biden to quit race after his news conference

Reuters

WASHINGTON

At least 17 congressional Democrats have called for Biden to drop out; at the conference, the President refers Kamala Harris as ‘Vice President Trump’, hours after introducing Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as ‘President Putin’ at the NATO summit

Behind heavyweights: President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference following the NATO Summit in Washington. AP Matt Rourke

President Joe Biden faced more calls from fellow Democrats to abandon his re-election bid on Friday, following a news conference in which he delivered nuanced responses but occasionally stumbled over his words.

It was unclear whether Mr. Biden’s performance would convince doubters in his party that he is their best bet to defeat Republican Donald Trump in the November 5 election and serve another four-year term in the White House.

At least 17 congressional Democrats so far have called for him to drop out and allow the party to pick another standard-bearer, including some who announced their positions after the news conference on Thursday night.

Democrats are worried that Mr. Biden’s low public approval ratings and growing concerns that he is too old for the job could cause them to lose seats in the House and Senate, leaving them with no grip on power in Washington should Mr. Trump win the White House. “If I show up at the convention and everybody says they want someone else, that’s the democratic process,” Mr. Biden said, before shifting to the stage whisper he often uses for emphasis to add, “It’s not gonna happen.”

Biden’s gaffes

At one point, he referred to his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump”. That came just hours after he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” at the NATO summit, drawing gasps from those in the room.

Mr. Biden occasionally garbled his responses at the news conference, yet he also delivered detailed assessments of global issues, including Ukraine’s war with Russia and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Some Democrats were not reassured. “We must put forward the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism. I no longer believe that is Joe Biden,” said Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, who called on the President to end his campaign after the news conference.

A senior campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity called the performance the “worst of all worlds.”

Sindhu, Prannoy get easy groups, while it could be tough going for Lakshya and Tanisha-Ashwini at the Paris Games

Press Trust of India

KUALA LUMPUR

Good prospects: Given the draw, Sindhu has the chance to claim a third Olympics medal.Getty Images

P.V. Sindhu and H.S. Prannoy were on Friday handed easy groups for the Paris Games beginning on July 26.

Sindhu, who won silver at the Rio Games and followed that with a bronze in Tokyo Olympics, has been seeded 10th.

The World No. 13 has been drawn in Group M of the women’s singles alongside Kristin Kuuba of Estonia (WR 75) and Maldives’ Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq (WR 111).

Sindhu could face China’s sixth seed He Bing Jiao in the round of 16 and if she gets past Jiao, the Indian will likely face Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China in the quarterfinals.

In men’s singles, Prannoy, who will be making his Olympic debut, has been seeded 13th and will have to play Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat (WR 70) and Fabian Roth (WR 82) of Germany in Group K.

Lakshya Sen, ranked 19, has been drawn in Group L.

The unseeded Lakshya has third seed and World No. 3 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in his group. They are joined by Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon (WR 41) and Belgium’s Julien Carragi (WR 52).

If both Prannoy and Lakshya top their group, they will meet each other in the round of 16.

World No. 19 Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa has been drawn in a difficult Group C in women’s doubles.

The Indians have been clubbed alongside World No. 4 Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist South Korea’s Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong (WR 7) and Australians Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu (WR 27).

The star Indian men’s pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has been seeded third in men’s doubles event.

However, the men’s doubles draw for the Paris Olympics was postponed due to a Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) hearing over the number of pairs in the draw.

Imran Khan’s PTI party ‘eligible’ for reserved seats in Pak. parliament

Reuters

ISLAMABAD

Historic victory: Supporters of Tehreek-e-Insaf party react after the Supreme Court verdict in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday.APAnjum Naveed

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party was eligible for over 20 extra reserved seats in the national legislature, ramping up pressure on the country’s weak coalition government.

Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party candidates contested the February 8 election as independents after it was barred from the polls. They won the most seats but the election commission said independents were ineligible for the grant of 70 reserved seats, meant for political parties only.

The commission had ordered the reserved seats instead to be distributed among other parties, mostly to those in the ruling coalition.

“As a political party, the PTI is entitled to its reserved seats,” said Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, which was supported by eight judges and opposed by five of the 13-member full court bench.

The granting of 23 reserved seats does not affect the parliamentary majority of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government.

IBSF under-17 and 21 Worlds from Aug. 23

Sports Bureau

BENGALURU

The IBSF World under-17 (boys) and under-21 (boys and girls) snooker championship will be held at the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA) here from August 23 to 31.

Around 100 players from 25 countries are expected to compete in the tournament, it was announced here on Friday.

The KSBA last hosted the IBSF World boys’ under-21 championship in 2000. The event was won by England’s Luke Fisher.

The city also has fond memories of hosting the 1991 edition of the tournament. The event was won by a then teenaged Ronnie O’Sullivan, who would go on to become one of the greatest snooker players of all time.

Matches will be played on 10 tables at the KSBA here. Philanthropist and avid snooker player Daulat Chabria is the main sponsor.

“The International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) requested us to host the tournament. We were happy to accept,” Billiards and Snooker Federation of India president S. Balasubramaniam said here on Friday.

India will receive six entries per category. This number could increase if there are drop outs from other nations, Balasubramaniam said.

Amid deadlock in parliament, PM vows to ‘guard against’ extremes

AFP

France’s political parties scrambled Friday to break a parliamentary deadlock brought on by an inconclusive snap election, as the outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal vowed that he would seek “to guard against any government” that included far-right National Rally (RN) or hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) ministers.AFP

63 missing after Nepal landslip sweeps two buses into a river

AFP

At least 63 people were missing in Nepal on Friday after a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains swept two buses off a highway and plunged them into Trishuli river, authorities said. Search and rescue personnel are combing the site for survivors of the accident along a remote stretch of road in the central district of Chitwan.aFP

Japan punishes defence officials for mishandling classified data

AP

Japan’s Defence Ministry announced disciplinary action on Friday against more than 200 senior officials and service members over mishandling of classified materials and other misconduct. Defence Minister Minoru Kihara apologised, saying the problems were “significantly damaging to the public trust” for the Ministry.AP

Philippines will ‘stand our ground’ in South China Sea dispute: official

AFP

The Philippines will “stand our ground” in a dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea, a top security official said on Friday. Tensions over the strategic waterway, a key passage for sea-borne trade, have soared in the past 18 months following a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese ships.AFP

Saudi Arabia to host first Esports Olympics in 2025: IOC

Reuters

Lausanne

Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympics Esports Games in 2025, the International Olympic Committee announced on Friday.

The IOC said the partnership with the Saudi National Olympic Committee would be for 12 years. The announcement was made during the two-month Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

The decision will be ratified at the IOC session to be held on the eve of the Olympic Games in Paris, after which work will begin on selecting a host city.

Independent govt. must run post-war Gaza, says Hamas

Agence France-Presse

Gaza City

Hamas is suggesting during ceasefire negotiations that an independent government of non-partisan figures run post-war Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a member of the Palestinian Islamist movement’s political bureau said on Friday.

“We proposed that a non-partisan national competency government run Gaza and West Bank post-war”, Hossam Badran said.

Sports

- Alcaraz overcomes the initial jitters, powers past Medvedev

- Anderson’s loyalty was to the science of fast bowling

- Krejcikova and Paolini vie for their maiden Venus Rosewater Dish

- England wallops WI in Anderson’s farewell

- Rohit watches Alcaraz-Medvedev semifinal clash on Centre Court

- Anderson signs off as the third highest wicket-taker in Tests

- I am just proud of what I have achieved, says Anderson

- ‘He has just been an incredible inspiration to so many people’

- The results

- Zimbabwe will try to stay alive, India will go for the kill

- Kapil makes a fervent appeal to help Aunshuman Gaekwad

- Spain is lighting up the tournament with much-needed thrills

- Champions Way for feature event

- It’s surreal to return to team, says Myers

- Mukund exits in the last eight at Tianjin

- Uruguay players defend decision to enter crowd

- Philipsen at the double on 13th stage sprint

- LiVE TELECAST

- I believe I can win a medal, says steeplechaser Sable

- Jarmanpreet, who once served doping ban, geared up for Olympics debut

- Destination Paris: Ryan Murphy longs to reclaim top spot on medal podium at the Olympics

- Around THE CITY

- India showed resilience to win T20 WC and celebrations told that story, says Laxman

- Engagements

- Why the 2024 F1 season has the makings of a blockbuster

- stacking up

- How do you make India’s fastest faster? Tear down invisible barriers

- Balcony exit

Alcaraz overcomes the initial jitters, powers past Medvedev

N. Sudarshan

LONDON

The Spaniard gets into the groove after suffering a reverse in a topsy-turvy first set while the Russian hurts his chances with some ill-advised approaches and rank-bad volleying; Djokovic sweeps past Musetti, makes it a repeat of last year’s final

Acing the challenge: Once he settled down, Alcaraz was on top of his game. Getty ImagesSEAN M. HAFFEY

Successful sporting careers depend on three things — talent, hard work and luck. That Carlos Alcaraz was talented was never in doubt. No one who doesn’t work hard wins three Majors in a jiffy. And these last 10 days at Wimbledon have shown that he has some luck on his side too.

On Friday at the Centre Court, the 21-year-old first wobbled like he had all tournament, weathered a first-set storm from Daniil Medvedev before hitting a purple patch to win 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In a repeat of last year’s final, the third seed will meet seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, who quelled Italian Lorenzo Musetti's challenge 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4.

“I feel like I am not new anymore,” defending champion Alcaraz said about being in the final. “I know how I’ll feel before it and I will do the things I did last year. I hope it’s going to be a good day for Spanish people.”

That last sentence was in reference to Sunday’s Euro final between Spain and England, and the Brits at the stadium duly rang in the boos. Alcaraz tried to over-explain but the truth was that he had already done enough to please the crowd with his tennis for a good part of the previous three hours.

The opening set was topsy-turvy, with Medvedev and Alcaraz breaking each other twice. The latter’s penchant to play first-strike tennis did not always come off and his love affair with the drop shot had tragic endings. But what kept him in the set was his excellent return game as he blocked or sliced many a monstrous serve from Medvedev back.

The Russian hurt his chances with some ill-advised approaches and rank-bad volleying, often holding the racquet like an axe. He also got away with a mild reprimand, a warning for “unsportsmanlike conduct” for seemingly swearing at the lady chair umpire.

In the tie-break, however, Medvedev’s level lifted. The serve placement was better and his shot-making smarter as he raced to a 6-1 lead. A 120mph rocket second serve sealed the set in his favour. In the second, Medvedev’s serve swayed. From 76%, his first-serve percentage dropped to 56. At 2-1, Alcaraz made the play, reeling off three winners, two on the forehand and one on the backhand, to break Medvedev. It was one-set all not long after.

“I just tried different things,” Alcaraz said. “Not to play long rallies, try drop shots and go often to the net. It was basically to try and not play his game.”

The third set was its best representation. The service that had deserted him returned and the hyper-extended forehand — almost Federeresque in full flight — found the right corners. Alcaraz being Alcaraz didn’t dilute his fondness for the theatre by continuing to drop shot but this time had a fair amount of success.

Shoelace volley

The duo traded early breaks in the fourth. Alcaraz, though, was unruffled. He broke Medvedev in the seventh game, and held to 5-3 with a shoelace volley that would have made the greatest grass-courters proud. Medvedev’s shoulders dropped and he soon trudged off the court a deflated man.

Anderson’s loyalty was to the science of fast bowling

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Chennai

1 of 2 Making the ball talk: Anderson kept probing the batters, thanks to his mastery in swinging the red cherry.Reuters

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There was a moment inside Lord’s hallowed dressing room on Friday. The West Indies had just capitulated and the Englishmen were victors by an innings and 114 runs in the first Test. Inside the change-room, James Anderson was having a chat with Nasser Hussain, who was holding the Sky Sports microphone.

Conversation over, and then Hussain, not the type to reveal a softer emotion, said a thank-you and did a half-lean from his chair for an awkward sideways hug, and there was a tremor in his voice.

The greatest athletes, while basking in all the adulation from their followers, always yearn for the respect of their peers.

This was Anderson’s moment as Hussain was the great seamer’s captain during his debut Test at Lord’s in 2003. For 21 summers, the lad from Burnley, steamed in, momentum harnessed, action precise and delivered balls that tempted and deceived the greatest of batters. In the process, Anderson became a weather-beaten man and even if the pace dropped, he was always asking questions.

Staggering achievement

To play 188 Tests, finish third in the all-time wicket-taker’s tally with 704 scalps and to still hold his place largely on merit and not on sentiment, speaks volumes about the skill-sets that Anderson possessed. His was a knife that sliced without a murmur while willow-wielders were not even aware of their death-rattle.

Anderson in tandem with Stuart Broad (604 Test wickets) was a great sight. Just like the West Indian Curtly Ambrose-Courtney Walsh combine, Anderson and Broad aged together.

It is never easy being a fast bowler. Ankles, knees, back, shoulders and wrists all endure a steady pounding and the body’s bio-mechanics suffer multiple stress points.

To bowl at the highest level till 41 while the comforts of an air-conditioned commentary box beckoned for the last few years, must have been tough.

The reality though is that Anderson had to be nudged to leave as in his mind he was still good enough to deliver in whites.

To be placed behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800 Test wickets) and Shane Warne (708), and to have shouldered England’s pace bowling over two decades, is a staggering achievement.

Anderson competed hard and at times he could get abrasive, but his overall loyalty was to his Test cap and the science of fast bowling. Rival batters will heave a sigh of relief for the next time they see England in a Test, Anderson won’t be there.

Krejcikova and Paolini vie for their maiden Venus Rosewater Dish

N. Sudarshan

LONDON

1 of 2 Up for it: Krejcikova or Paolini will become the eighth different singles champion at the All England Club in as many years.REUTERSHannah McKay

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A fortnight ago, a Wimbledon women’s singles final between Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini would have been no tipster’s recommendation. On Saturday, they will compete for their maiden Venus Rosewater Dish and become the eighth different singles champion at the All England Club in as many years.

Both women come into the summit clash on the back of tough three-set wins. While Krejcikova blunted the big-hitting Elena Rybakina’s challenge 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, Paolini outlasted Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) in an epic that lasted nearly three hours.

Krejcikova may have spent 44 minutes less on the court, but it was as difficult a win as Paolini’s, for the Czech was also in the doubles draw until late on Wednesday, losing a three-set quarterfinal with partner Laura Siegemund.

But Krejcikova and Paolini will be sufficiently rested ahead of the weekend final and it may be tempting to pick the former as the favourite simply because she has Slam-winning experience (French Open 2021) and has tasted title success on Centre Court by securing the doubles trophies in 2018 and 2022. Krejcikova’s all-round skills will also stand her in good stead.

Flavour of the season

Paolini, however, has been the flavour of the season, and has impressed with her boundless energy. She started the year with just four main draw match wins at the Majors — three of them at the French Open — but has now reached not one but two finals. If ever anyone needed an example of a sophomore act done well, Paolini’s will qualify.

The 28-year-old Italian is also a smart operator on the court. She is fast across the turf, is blessed with explosive footwork and can both redirect pace and generate plenty of her own. She is gutsy and has a never-say-die attitude, facets that helped her immensely in the semifinal versus Vekic.

Krejcikova and Paolini have met once, way back in 2018 in the first-round qualifying at the Australian Open when neither player was fully formed. “It just shows it has been an unbelievable journey,” Krejcikova told Tennis Channel. “We are the same age, grew up and played juniors together. So incredible to be playing in the Wimbledon final.”

England wallops WI in Anderson’s farewell

Associated Press

London

Unforgettable memory: Anderson walks through a guard of honour from both teams on his final Test appearance.Getty Images

It’s 704 wickets and out for Jimmy Anderson.

The most prolific fast bowler in Test history bowed out of international cricket by helping England complete a win by an innings and 114 runs over the West Indies at Lord’s on Friday.

The 41-year-old Anderson’s 188th and last Test ended with him taking three for 32 in the West Indies’ second innings as it was dismissed for 136 a little over an hour into the third day’s play.

One of those wickets came on Friday, with Anderson enticing an edge behind off Joshua Da Silva with a delivery that seamed away. It was classic Anderson.

The scores:

West Indies 121 & 136 in 47 overs (Gudakesh Motie 31 n.o.; Anderson 3/32, Atkinson 5/61) lost to England 371. Player-of-the-Match:

Gus Atkinson.

Rohit watches Alcaraz-Medvedev semifinal clash on Centre Court

APMosa'ab Elshamy

India skipper Rohit Sharma attended the Wimbledon semifinal clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev on Friday. “Welcome to Wimbledon, Rohit Sharma,” said the official X handle of Wimbledon while sharing the picture of the Team India skipper. Dinesh Karthik and his wife Dipika Pallikal also attended the match.

Anderson signs off as the third highest wicket-taker in Tests

ReutersPETER CZIBORRA

James Anderson bowed out of Tests with 704 wickets in 188 matches. Only spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) had more scalps. Anil Kumble (619), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563), Nathan Lyon (530), Courtney Walsh (519), R. Ashwin (516) and Dale Steyn (439) complete the top-10.

I am just proud of what I have achieved, says Anderson

Getty ImagesGareth Copley

James Anderson said he felt “really proud” after bringing down the curtain on a remarkable Test career. “It’s been quite an amazing week. I’ve been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground, and the lads as well. I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

‘He has just been an incredible inspiration to so many people’

APSTEVEN PASTON

England captain Ben Stokes hailed James Anderson. “He has just been an incredible inspiration to so many people... the amount of games and the amount of wickets he’s taken are just absolutely phenomenal. Sometimes you can be lost for words but if you gave me 15 minutes I wouldn’t be able to compliment him enough.”

Semifinals: Men: 3-Alcaraz (Esp) bt 5-Medvedev (Rus) 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

2-Djokovic (Srb) bt 25-Musetti (Ita) 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4.

Zimbabwe will try to stay alive, India will go for the kill

Press Trust of India

Harare

After an unexpected defeat in the first match, the Gill-led side rediscovered its mojo in the second and third games to take a 2-1 lead and will look to usher in a new era with a series win

Reliable: Washington and Bishnoi have been in good form for Gill’s side.AFP

Back to their collective best, a clutch of young Indian stars will be eager to usher in a new era in the shortest format with a series victory when they face Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I here on Saturday.

After an unexpected defeat in the first match, the Shubman Gill-led side rediscovered its mojo in the second and third games to take a 2-1 lead.

A series win over Zimbabwe will certainly spark ambitions inside some young players who are keen to take the team forward post the retirement of some modern-day greats.

None provide more compelling cases of that scenario than Washington Sundar and Abhishek Sharma.

Whenever the selectors sit together to pick the Indian squad for the upcoming white-ball tour to Sri Lanka, they now will have to consider Washington’s name seriously.

Abhishek bludgeoned a 47-ball hundred in the second T20I, underscoring the hope around him as a long-term India material.

Abhishek will hope to further buttress his claim for the other vacant top-order spot, for which there are other strong contenders in Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad, with a bruising knock against the African side.

The remaining two matches of this series will also be an opportunity for Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson to keep themselves in the front row of players who will carry India into the future, producing some valuable efforts.

Indian management will also be pleased by the outing of their bowlers, particularly that of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.

On other hand, Zimbabwe has slipped a few rungs below after beating India in the first match. There have been lonely sparks in its line-up like searing spells by impressive pacer Blessing Muzarabani and a well-paced fifty by Dion Myers. But it needs to harness them to meaningfully challenge this Indian unit, which is currently operating at one level higher.

The teams (from):

India: Shubman Gill (Capt.), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Tushar Deshpande.

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (Capt.), Akram Faraz, Bennett Brian, Campbell Johnathan, Chatara Tendai, Jongwe Luke, Kaia Innocent, Madande Clive, Madhevere Wessly, Marumani Tadiwanashe, Masakadza Wellington, Mavuta Brandon, Muzarabani Blessing, Myers Dion, Naqvi Antum, Ngarava Richard, Shumba Milton.

Match starts at 4.30 p.m.

Kapil makes a fervent appeal to help Aunshuman Gaekwad

Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI

Hopeful: Kapil is optimistic fans will heed his call.File photoVIVEK BENDRE

Kapil Dev is happy India won its fourth World Cup title after 1983, 2007 and 2011. “It is great to see the players capitalising on the support from the Board. Indian cricket is in a very healthy state,” said the World Cup-winning skipper.

But Kapil is also in distress at the state of former India opener and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, who is battling blood cancer and struggling to meet the medical expenses.

“It is a sad state of affairs. Very depressing,” said Kapil when we reached out to know what Gaekwad’s contemporaries are doing to help him.

“I am in pain because I have played alongside Aunshu and can’t bear to see him in this state. No one should suffer. I know the Board will take care of him” Kapil told Sportstar.

Kapil, Mohinder Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, Madan Lal Ravi Shastri and Kirti Azad are actively contacting friends and corporates to support Gaekwad in his difficult times.

“We are not compelling anyone. Any help for Aunshu will have to come from your heart. He took blows on his face and chest when standing up to some of the ferocious fast bowlers. Now is the time for us to stand up for him. I am sure our cricket fans will not fail him. They should pray for his recovery,” an emotional Kapil stressed.

How best to tackle such medical contingencies? Kapil was candid: “Unfortunately, we don’t have a system. In our time, the Board did not have the money. Today, it has and should take care of the senior players from the past,” stated Kapil.

Forming a trust

Kapil agreed with the suggestion that fans and former players should contribute handsomely. “But where do they send their contributions? If a trust is formed they can put their money there. But we don’t have a system. There should be a trust. I think BCCI can do that. They do look after the players, former and present.”

Gaekwad had travelled to London and returned a month ago to continue the treatment in Vadodara. He is all set to get a commitment package from the 1983 World Cup-winning team. “We are ready to contribute by donating our pension amount if the family allows us to,” Kapil added.

The Board should form a three-member committee of eminent cricketers to handle medical cases for former players and decide who deserves financial help. The former India captain had a point. “Cricketers from my generation and the previous one did not make enough money from playing cricket. Many of them have lived and died in poverty. We must care for them when dealing with medical treatment. If we don’t look after our parents, who would?, he asked.

The 71-year-old Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 205 First Class matches in a career spanning 22 years. He later took over as coach of the Indian team. His glorious moments came at Sharjah in 1998 and Ferozeshah Kotla when Anil Kumble took all ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan in 1999.

Spain is lighting up the tournament with much-needed thrills

Agence France-Presse

Berlin

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2 of 2 Pure joy: Spain’s sublime football has warmed the cockles of the heart of football lovers. AFP

England and Spain face off in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final after taking very different routes to Berlin in a tournament that has at times lacked for thrills.

Spain has been a class apart despite a devilishly difficult draw that has seen it beat 2022 World Cup semifinalists Croatia, holder Italy, host Germany and the pre-tournament favourite France.

By contrast, England has stumbled its way into a first ever final on foreign soil thanks to a series of late goals to paper over the cracks despite the wealth of talent available to manager Gareth Southgate.

Yet Southgate was far from the only coach who stood accused of failing to maximise bountiful resources by deploying overly-cautious tactics.

France advanced to the semifinals without one of its players scoring a single goal from open play.

Despite that, coach Didier Deschamps was defiant when questioned by a Swedish journalist over the lack of entertainment offered by his side.

“If you are bored you can watch something else. It’s ok. You are not obliged,” the French boss hit back when criticised over his side’s lack of goals.

Bucking the trend has been Spain’s new generation, looking to follow in the steps of the all-conquering side that won three consecutive major tournaments between 2008 and 2012.

Drawn into the toughest group, Luis de la Fuente’s men shone from the start, scoring three times in the opening half in a 3-0 win over Croatia.

A 1-0 victory over Italy did little justice for the scale of Spanish domination in Gelsenkirchen.

Spain ended German dreams in Stuttgart with its own piece of late drama as Mikel Merino’s header edged the highest quality game of the tournament 2-1.

Lamine Yamal’s stunning strike to become the youngest ever Euros goalscorer lit up the 2-1 semifinal win over France.

“They’ve been the best team,” added Southgate, on the challenge of facing Spain. “We’ll have to get the ball off them first.”

Champions Way for feature event

BENGALURU:

BENGALURU: Champions Way, who has been well prepared, is expected to score in the Racing Patrons Cup (1,200m), the feature event of the races to be held here on Saturday (July 13). False rails (width about 6m from 1,600m to the winning post) will be in position.

WELCOME CUP (Div. II), (1,200m), maiden 3-y-o only, (Terms), 1-30 p.m.: 1. Golden Light (2) Akshay K 56, 2. Roman Knight (5) Tousif 56, 3. Chotipari (1) Darshan 54.5, 4. Crimson Flame (8) S.J. Moulin 54.5, 5. Days Date (4) Salman Khan 54.5, 6. Desert Goddess (6) Sandesh 54.5, 7. Havaska (7) Antony 54.5 and 8. Queen Of Kings (3) Vinod Shinde 54.5.

1. DESERT GODDESS, 2. GOLDEN LIGHT, 3. CHOTIPARI

ICH DIEN STAKES (Div. II), (1,400m), rated 00 to 25, 2-00: 1. Friya (3) Dhanu S 61, 2. Sunlit Path (7) C. Hemanth 60.5, 3. Tankinika (5) Vivek 60, 4. Sling Shot (2) Indrajeet S 59, 5. Estefania (1) Antony 58.5, 6. Sacred Creator (8) Angad 58, 7. My Visionary (4) Arvind K 57.5, 8. Amazing Luck (9) Saddam H 56.5 and 9. Recreator (6) Shreyas S 56.5.

1. SUNLIT PATH, 2. MY VISIONARY, 3. ESTEFANIA

ICH DIEN STAKES (Div. I), (1,400m), rated 00 to 25, 2-30: 1. Avicena (2) Antony 62.5, 2. Quick Witted (6) Sandesh 62.5, 3. Sea Jack (10) Saddam H 62.5, 4. Fire Within (4) Indrajeet S 62, 5. Tropical Mist (9) J. Chinoy 62, 6. Walvis Bay (5) Chethan K 62, 7. Super Sapphire (3) Suraj 61, 8. Lady Godiva (8) Arvind K 60.5, 9. Ice Storm (1) Kiran Rai 59.5 and 10. Striking Eyes (7) P. Siddaraju 58.

1. SUPER SAPPHIRE, 2. AVICENA, 3. LADY GODIVA

NEWMARKET STAKES (1,200m), rated 00 to 25, 5-y-o & over, 3-00: 1. Benzema (1) Rayan 62.5, 2. Mega Success (—) (—) 61, 3. Southern Warrior (8) Salman Khan 60.5, 4. Pettes Love (6) Sandesh 58, 5. Emeraldo (3) Antony 57.5, 6. Quevega (10) Angad 57.5, 7. Burning Arrow (5) Kiran Rai 56.5, 8. Meghann (11) Sai Kiran 56.5, 9. Akasi (9) Arvind K 56, 10. Air Blast (2) Darshan 55.5, 11. Infinite Spirit (4) P. Siddaraju 54.5 and 12. Sea Kalakar (7) P. Sai Kumar 52.5.

1. EMERALDO, 2. PETTES LOVE, 3. AKASI

KUNIGAL STUD STAKES (1,400m), rated 40 to 65, 5-y-o & over, 3-30: 1. English Bay (2) Tousif 62, 2. Aherne (7) Antony 60.5, 3. Golden Time (3) Vivek 57.5, 4. Tignanello (4) B.R. Kumar 56.5, 5. Southern Force (5) Akshay K 53.5, 6. The Perfect Choice (6) Sai Kiran 53.5, 7. Sekhmet (8) Saddam H 52 and 8. Memorable Time (1) G. Vivek 51.5.

1. TIGNANELLO, 2. THE PERFECT CHOICE, 3. AHERNE

RACING PATRONS CUP (1,200m), rated 80 & above, 4-00: 1. O Hansini (7) Akshay K 60.5, 2. Dun It Again (4) Dhanu S 57, 3. Champions Way (6) Suraj 56, 4. Shubankar (2) Darshan 54, 5. Isnt She Beautiful (3) Sandesh 53.5, 6. Yukan (5) Trevor 53.5, 7. Aldgate (8) G. Vivek 51.5 and 8. Slainte (1) Neeraj 51.5.1.

1. CHAMPIONS WAY, 2. ALDGATE, 3. O HANSINI

WELCOME CUP (Div. I), (1,200m), maiden 3-y-o only, (Terms), 4-30: 1. Adelanto (2) Arvind K 56, 2. Amusing (4) Arshad 56, 3. Complete Package (3) Antony 56, 4. Don Carlos (8) Trevor 56, 5. Feeling Good (7) G. Vivek 56, 6. Noble Cause (6) Sai Kiran 56, 7. Puranjaya (1) J. Chinoy 56, 8. Stentorian (5) M. Prabhakaran 56 and 9. Supercharge (9) Darshan 56.

1. DON CARLOS, 2. PURANJAYA, 3. COMPLETE PACKAGE

MAY DAY STAKES (1,400m), rated 20 to 45, 5-00: 1. Breeze Bluster (8) Shreyas S 62.5, 2. Victoria Doresaani (4) L.A. Rozario 62.5, 3. Anadale (3) Arvind K 61, 4. Del Aviz (9) Trevor 59.5, 5. The Grey Geranium (1) Vivek 59, 6. Turkoman (5) Arshad 59, 7. Norwegian Wood (2) Antony 58.5, 8. Golden Legend (7) G. Vivek 58 and 9. Bleue Dali (6) B. Nayak 54.

1. DEL AVIZ, 2. GOLDEN LEGEND, 3. VICTORIA DORESAANI

QUASAR STAKES (1,400m), rates 20 to 45, 4-y-o & over, 5-30: 1. August (10) Antony 61, 2. Southern Power (3) Arshad 60.5, 3. Treasure Chest (9) B. Nayak 60, 4. Sassy (7) Shreyas S 59, 5. Super Marvella (4) Sandesh 59, 6. Asagiri (12) M. Chandrashekar 57.5 7. Grizzly (6) Sai Kiran 57, 8. My Vision (11) Arvind K 56, 9. Vyasa (5) Akshay K 55, 10. Regal Aristocracy (8) S.J. Moulin 54, 11. Schafenberg (2) Saddam H 53.5 and 12. Phoenix Surprise (1) P. Sai Kumar 52.5.

1. AUGUST, 2. VYASA, 3. SUPER MARVELLA

Day's best: SUPER SAPPHIRE

Double: EMERALDO — DEL AVIZ

Jkt: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; Tr (i): 1, 2 and 3; (ii): 4, 5 and 6; (iii): 7, 8 and 9.

It’s surreal to return to team, says Myers

Press Trust of India

Harare

Showing his mettle: Myers, back in the mix after a three-year break, made a half-century against India in the third T20I. AFP

Dion Myers announced his return to cricket after a three-year hiatus with an energetic fifty against India in the third T20I and the Zimbabwe middle-order batter termed the innings “surreal.”

Myers, who took a break from the game in 2021 to pursue a university degree in England, stroked his way to a 49-ball 66 albeit in a losing cause. India leads the five-match T20I series 2-1.

Before the ongoing series against India, Myers’ previous appearance for Zimbabwe was against Ireland in September 2021.

“It’s surreal (to return to team). It’s something that you dream about as a young boy. I really thank my team-mates and my family for the support. Times were tough in the past few years, but I managed to find a way, so very proud of it,” Myers said in a press meet.

“Being back in the team… it’s such a nice vibe. So, I expect a lot more from this team going forward and very excited for the future,” he added.

The time away from cricket, Myers said, was a “blessing in disguise for him.” “It just helps sometimes when you’re out of the system or set-up to be able to look from a panoramic view and see what you can achieve or what you can do better to give to the team.”

However, getting back to cricket was not an easy process for the 21-year-old. He got out for a duck in the second T20I before Indian opener Abhishek Sharma whacked him for 28 runs in an over.

Myers said he managed to keep his confidence going despite that below-par outing.

Mukund exits in the last eight at Tianjin

Sports Bureau

Bai Yan of China beat S Mukund 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the $25,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament in Tianjin, China, on Friday.

In the €148,625 Challenger in Braunschweig, Germany, Sriram Balaji was in the doubles semifinals with Gonzalo Escobar of Ecuador.

The results:

€148,625 Challenger, Braunschweig, Germany: Doubles (quarterfinals): Sriram Balaji & Gonzalo Escobar (Ecu) bt Marcel Demoliner (Bra) & Guillermo Duran (Arg) 6-4, 6-2.

€120,950 Challenger, Iasi, Romania: Doubles (quarterfinals): Cezar Cretu & Bogdan Pavel (Rou) bt Anirudh Chandrasekar & Arjun Kadhe 7-6(6), 4-6, [10-2].

€120,950 Challenger, Trieste, Italy: Doubles (semifinals): Daniel Dutra Da Silva (Bra) & Courtney Lock (Zim) bt Rithvik Bollipalli & Niki Poonacha 6-4, 3-6, [10-5].

$25,000 ITF men, Tianjin, China: Singles (quarterfinals): Bai Yan (Chn) bt S Mukund 7-5, 6-4.

$15,000 ITF men, Nakhon Si Thammarat: Doubles (quarterfinals): Adil Kalyanpur & Vishnu Vardhan bt Mitsuki Leong (Mas) & Stefanos Sakellaridis (Gre) 6-4, 6-4.

$40,000 ITF women, Corroios-Seixal, Portugal: Doubles (quarterfinals): Matilde Jorge (Por) & Elena Micic (Aus) bt Riya Bhatia & Chiara Girelli (Ita) 6-2, 6-2.

$25,000 ITF women, Aschaffenburg, Germany: Doubles (quarterfinals): Sapfo Sakellaridi (Gre) & Marie Vogt (Ger) bt Stefania Bojica (Rou) & Zeel Desai 6-2, 6-3.

$15,000 ITF women, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand: Doubles (quarterfinals): Monique Barry (Nzl) & Alicia Sith (Aus) bt Humera Baharmus & Akanksha NItture 6-1, 6-3.

Pre-quarterfinals: Humera & Akanksha bt Laquisa Khan (Aus) & Sofia Nagornaia (Isr) 3-6, 6-3, [10-4].

$15,000 ITF women, Lakewood, USA: Doubles (quarterfinals): Amelia Honer (USA) & Teja Tirunelveli bt Jane Dunyon & Marika Jones (USA) 6-2, 6-3.

Uruguay players defend decision to enter crowd

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez defended his teammates’ decision to enter the stands and a brawl following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in the Copa America semifinals, saying the action was necessary to defend families and supporters. “Obviously when one has your woman, your little child, your father, elderly people you want to go and see if they’re OK,” Suarez said. “(They) were trapped and things were falling on them and you felt helpless,” Suarez said.

Philipsen at the double on 13th stage sprint

Belgian Jasper Philipsen took his second win of this year’s Tour de France on Friday as a group of riders came down hard in the dash to the line at Pau. Wout van Aert was second and Pascal Ackermann third, but Biniam Girmay kept the green sprint jersey and Tadej Pogacar stayed in the race leader’s yellow after 13 stages.

TNPL: Star Sports 1 (SD & HD) & FanCode, 3.15 & 7.15 p.m.

Zimbabwe vs India: 4th T20I, Sony Sports Ten 5 (SD & HD) & LIV, 4.30 p.m.

Wimbledon: SS Select 1, 2 (SD & HD) & Hotstar, 6.30 p.m.

Cycling: Tour de France, Eurosport (SD & HD), 7.30 p.m.

I believe I can win a medal, says steeplechaser Sable

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

The 29-year-old, who recently broke his own national record , will be competing in his second Olympics; he will face at least seven competitors who have run a better time this year

Raring to go: Sable had clocked 8 minutes and 9.91 seconds to rewrite his National record earlier this month.file photoALASTAIR GRANT

India’s top 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable does not want to be just a participant at the Olympics and believes he can a win a medal at the Paris Games beginning later this month.

The 29-year-old Sable, who recently broke his own national record, will be competing in his second Olympics. He had failed to make it to the finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“I don’t want to just participate, I believe I can win a medal.

“I am working hard with my eyes set on that goal, if everything falls into place I win a medal,” Sable said when asked about the Paris Olympics.

“I used to think Olympic medallists had a unique and difficult approach to training, but my experience over the past two years have boosted my confidence,” he said.

Sable had clocked 8 minutes and 9.91 seconds to break his earlier national record while finishing sixth at the Paris Diamond League earlier this month. At Paris, he will face at least seven competitors who have run a better time than him this year.

“My goal has always been self-improvement rather than focusing on the competition. This mindset has allowed me to break the national record ten times,” said the reigning Asian Games gold medallist.

He said his silver-medal winning performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games gave him the confidence that he can compete against the best in the world.

“My aim at the Commonwealth Games was to compete against the Kenyan athletes. Finishing second by a fraction of a second gave me the confidence that we can compete against the best in the world,” said Sable, who had broken Kenyan medal monopoly in 3000m steeplechase in the CWG.

Jarmanpreet, who once served doping ban, geared up for Olympics debut

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

Break: Jarmanpreet said sitting out for two years is a big gap in the sport.FILE PHOTO: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

A frustrating doping ban jolted Jarmanpreet Singh’s career in 2016, but he has long forgotten that bitter episode and the defender is all geared up for his Olympics debut in Paris later this month.

Jarmanpreet, a regular member of the Indian hockey squad in the last few years, was picked in the 16-member Indian team for the Paris Games.

“It was not easy. It was one of my darkest phases with many uncertainties,” said Jarmanpreet on the doping ban from 2016 to 2018.

“Players don’t usually emerge from a setback like this. To sit out of matches for two years is a big gap in the sport,” he recalled.

Jarmanpreet was then a promising player on his way to playing for India at the Junior World Cup 2016 when he was slapped with the doping ban.

The Punjab player did not give up and served out the two-year period in exile before making a return to competitive hockey and then to the Indian senior team. “But I was persistent and I knew I had to bounce back. I don’t think I could have done this without a strong domestic structure where I could show the selectors that I still had it in me,” said Jarmanpreet, who is now an Income Tax officer, in a Hockey India release.

“In 2018, after the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship, I was among the 50 probables in the camp. Hockey India gave me a chance to rebuild my career. I was selected for the national programme for senior men where I was given an opportunity to catch up with my peers and make my senior India debut.

“They saw that potential in me and I didn’t give up on my dream to play for India at the Olympic Games,” he noted.

Destination Paris: Ryan Murphy longs to reclaim top spot on medal podium at the Olympics

Associated Press

Indianapolis (USA)

Ryan Murphy longs to reclaim the top spot on the medal podium at the Paris Olympics.

America’s backstroke star was relegated to silver and bronze in his individual races at Tokyo — a performance that still irks him just a bit.

“There’s definitely no shortage of motivation from my end,” said Murphy, who will be competing in the men’s 100 and 200-meter back for the third Olympics in row. “I feel like I’ve always got a fire under my butt.” The 29-year-old Floridian has been a worthy successor to the long run of backstroke success in the U.S.

“I try to be as consistent as possible every day,” Murphy said. “I think the biggest thing in a sport like swimming, where we kind of have few opportunities to race at this level, you have to pull motivation from a lot of different parts of your life.”

Even now, after all these years, “I’m really motivated to try to improve,” he said.

Where Murphy does his best work in the pool While it’s not uncommon in swimming to bounce around from one coach to another, Murphy has maintained a more than decade-long partnership with Cal coach Dave Durden.

“The biggest thing that you want as an athlete is to know that your coach is constantly thinking about how you can improve,” Murphy said.

“I’ve always thought that I’ll appreciate my career a little bit more when I’m done swimming, and I can kind of zoom out,” Murphy said. “For right now, I’m really zoomed in on everything I’m doing on a day-to-day basis.”

1 of 2 Purple and Green: Blazers and Invaders shared the trophy after rain played spoilsport. Special Arrangement

2 of 2 Standouts: Kaveen Raj, Nitheesh, Pramiti, Preshetha, and Shreenithi who ruled the pool on Friday. Special Arrangement

Five new meet records set on opening day

V. Kaveen Raj set a new meet record to clinch the group-I boys’ 400m freestyle gold in the Tamil Nadu State Aquatic Association (TNSAA) 40th sub junior and 50th junior State championship on Friday.

Four other new meet records were set on the day — M.S. Nitheesh in group-II boys’ 50m breaststroke, P. Preshetha in group-I girls’ 50m breaststroke, Pramiti Gnanasekaran in group-II girls’ 100m backstroke, and Shreenithi Natesan in group-II girls’ 200m breaststroke.

The winners (day one):

Boys: Group-I: 50m breaststroke: B. Sagaya Sithin (SAV Titans) 00:32.06s; 100m butterfly: V. Kaveen Raj (Turtles) 00:58.84; 400m freestyle: V. Kaveen Raj 04:15.16 [NMR; OR: 04:16.15 Jaywant Vijayakumar 2011].

Group-II: 50m breaststroke: M.S. Nitheesh (TDSA Tirunelveli) 00:31.35 [NMR; OR: 00:32.02 M.S. Nitheesh 2023]; 100m butterfly: M. Abdullah (SDAT Chennai) 01:01.94; 400m freestyle: A. Jasim Rayan (SDAT Chennai) 04:39.29.

Group-III: 100m backstroke: Arya Sathar (SDAT Dolphin) 01:13.13; 200m freestyle: Mohamed Zidan Jawed (SDAT Dolphin) 02:30.24.

Girls: Group-I: 50m breaststroke: P. Preshetha (SDAT Dolphin) 00:34.56 [NMR; OR: 00:34.98 A.V. Jayaveena 2014]; 100m backstroke: Deeksha Sivakumar (ORCA) 01:10.59; 4x200m freestyle relay: SDAT Chennai 09:56.07; 1500m freestyle: S. Dayanitha (Waves Academy) 18:32.72.

Group-II: 50m breaststroke: Shreenithi Natesan (St. Britto’s) 00:36.25; 100m backstroke: Pramiti Gnanasekaran (SDAT Chennai) 01:09.72 [NMR; OR: 01:11.23 Praniti 2022]; 200m breaststroke: Shreenithi (St. Britto’s) 02:47.05 [NMR; OR: 02:50.81 Shreenithi 2023].

Group-III: 100m backstroke: Sai Meera Janarthan Janani (ANSA Dubai) 01:23.69; 200m freestyle: R.R. Poshika (SAV Titans) 02:39.46.

Purple Blazers and Green Invaders

joint winners

The final of the TNCA Women’s T20 league for the Freyer Cup between the Purple Blazers and Green Invaders was abandoned after the first innings due to persistent rain, resulting in both teams sharing the trophy.

The scores:

Purple Blazers 124/4 in 20 overs (S.B. Keerthana 43 n.o, C. Shushanthika 38) vs. Green Invaders. Match abandoned.

Special awards: Best batter & all-rounder: Arshi Choudhary (Green Invaders); Best bowler: Ishwarya Lakshmi (Silver Strikers).

Tiruvallur bowls out Chengalpattu for 150

S. Kiran Raj Yadav’s four for 31 and S. Sarvin Raj’s three for 28 helped Tiruvallur bowl out Chengalpattu for 150 in its first innings in the final of the TNCA inter-district under-14 tournament on Friday.

Earlier, A.I. Aswin scored a half-century (51) to propel Chengalpattu to its first-innings total.

The scores: Chengalpattu 150 in 84.5 overs (A.I. Aswin 51, B. Akshadh Rao 30, S. Kiran Raj Yadav 4/31, S. Sarvin Raj 3/28) vs Tiruvallur 17/0 in 8 overs.

Carrom tournament

Chengalpattu District Carrom Association (CGDCA) will conduct its district-ranking carrom tournament in six disciplines — senior singles (men & women), open doubles, non medalist singles, sub junior u-14 boys & girls singles, cadet u-12 boys & girls singles — on August 17 and 18 at the Medavakkam Samuganala Koodam.

India showed resilience to win T20 WC and celebrations told that story, says Laxman

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

It was a special feeling keeping in mind we had come close six months back in the 2023 ODI World Cup, adds the 49-year-old

Cherished: Laxman said the entire country is rejoicing the ICC T20 World Cup triumph. FILE PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMARMURALI KUMAR K

Batting great V.V.S. Laxman hailed India’s “resilience” while winning the recent T20 World Cup “from the jaws of defeat”, and said the passionate celebration by players and former head coach Rahul Dravid exemplified the value of that triumph to them.

India won its first ICC trophy after 11 years and its second T20 title after 17 years when it beat South Africa by seven runs in the final. “The kind of finish we had after we were under pressure with South Africa batters needing 30 runs off 30 balls. And from there to show character, resilience and self-belief to pull off the match from the jaws of defeat, it shows the character of the entire team,” Laxman said in a video posted by the BCCI.

“The amount of hard work they put in, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the bigger story behind this victory.” The 49-year-old Laxman, who is currently heading the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, said the fervent celebrations by the team showed how much the victory meant to each of the players and the support staff.

“The entire country is rejoicing this win. It was a special feeling keeping in mind we had come close six months back. We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire tournament but not being able to cross the final hurdle,” he said.

Chess: Chairman’s Trophy-International Open FIDE rating rapid tournament, S. Ponnusamy, Registrar, SRM IST, inaugurates (8 a.m.), SRM IST, Kattankulathur campus.

Cricket: TNCA league, III-A: RKS vs Falcon (Tagore); IOB vs Prem (Agni); Sir M.CT.M Old Boys vs Ranji (TI-Murugappa); Sumangali vs Mambalam Mosquitos (VB Nest); Nungambakkam vs Hunters (Jones Krish), 9 a.m.; IV-B, Bharathi vs Kumbhat (Stag), 9.30 a.m.; V-C: Vepery vs Prasad (Wahe Guru ‘B’); Chennai P & T Audit vs Triplicane RC (Wahe Guru ‘A’); BSNL vs Free Lancers (SMK Fomra ‘B’); Unicorn vs Youngstars (CPT-IP); Grove vs St. Mary’s (Sumangali), 9.30 a.m.; VI-A: HSBC vs Ethiraj (Gandhi Nagar), 8 a.m.; VI-B: Companions vs Eccentrics (Gandhi Nagar), 1 p.m.; G R CA u-16 inter academy tournament, Kabilan sports Park, Mambakkam, 12.30 p.m.

Why the 2024 F1 season has the makings of a blockbuster

S. Dipak Ragav

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Last weekend’s British Grand Prix at the iconic Silverstone circuit served up one of the season’s best races so far. The famed fickle British summer — periods of glorious sunshine interspersed with spells of rain — helped spice things up at the front. As many as five drivers across three teams were in contention for the win before Lewis Hamilton took a record ninth victory on home soil — the most by any driver at one circuit — and his first since 2021.

With 12 races completed, the 75th Formula One championship has reached its midpoint. A lot has changed since the start of the year, and the dramatic upheaval in the pecking order means an intriguing second half of the year beckons.

Dispiriting early signs

In 2023, F1 saw the most one-sided campaign in the sport’s history. Max Verstappen won an astounding 19 of the 22 races en route to his third drivers’ crown, while Red Bull won 21. And when the same combination won four of the first five races in 2024, there was trepidation it would be a repeat of the last two years, with Verstappen sleepwalking to the title without a fight.

However, things have turned exciting over the last seven races. After the Chinese GP, four different drivers and three teams other than Red Bull have climbed onto the podium’s top step.

The recent uptick in the form of McLaren and Mercedes — Ferrari is somewhere in the mix, having won two races but is on a downward trend — has reinvigorated the championship.

At the season’s halfway stage, Verstappen and Red Bull lead the drivers’ and constructors’ standings. Verstappen is 84 points ahead of Lando Norris, and Red Bull has a 71-point lead over Ferrari. The frontrunners might appear comfortable, but the competitive order, much like the British weather, has become unpredictable, whetting the appetite for the 12 remaining races.

In the first third of the year, Red Bull and Ferrari were the top two, followed by McLaren and Mercedes. But in the seven races starting with the Miami GP, when McLaren brought its first significant upgrade, it has scored the most points, 199 compared to Red Bull’s 178.

The new parts helped Norris win the Miami race, his first in F1. Since then, Red Bull and McLaren have been on par, in terms of pace, with the latter even a nose ahead on some circuits.

Red Bull has shown a remarkable ability to out-develop its rivals in the past, but has struggled in recent times to pull clear of the field. It will be interesting to see how the reigning champion, which has lost technical genius Adrian Newey, develops the car through the rest of the year.

At the same time, McLaren’s long exile from fighting at the sharp end has diminished its ability to seize moments. It arguably lost wins in Imola, Canada, Spain and Britain due to strategic errors and driver mistakes.

Max proves his worth

Even as rivals have significantly eaten into Red Bull’s advantage, Verstappen has shown why he is widely considered the best driver on the grid and is so highly paid. Though he doesn’t enjoy the significant car advantage he once did, the 26-year-old has proved his worth by executing stellar drives to snatch opportunistic wins in Imola, Canada and Barcelona.

Now that Red Bull’s superiority has all but evaporated, Verstappen will be forced to battle wheel-to-wheel, something he hasn’t had to worry about since 2022. While he is ruthless and often clinical in combat, he has also on occasion crossed the line of what is acceptable.

And it all came to the fore in Austria when the early-years Verstappen resurfaced, trying to defend his lead from a hard-charging Norris. The three-time champion moved under braking, was aggressive when they were alongside each other and triggered a collision, damaging both their cars and helping George Russell take his second career victory.

It was Mercedes’ first win since 2022 and the German marque seems to have found its feet after the struggles of the last two years, securing back-to-back wins in Austria and Britain. The ‘Three-pointed star’ was swift to pick up the pieces when the opportunity opened up.

The introduction of a new front wing in Monaco seems to have unlocked the car’s potential to be consistent across a wide range of conditions.

Russell took pole position in Canada and Britain, showing that his side had caught up to the frontrunners. Even if the race pace still seems a few tenths per lap slower than Red Bull and McLaren, the team has, at least, discovered the right path after being lost for a few years.

Unlike McLaren and Mercedes, Ferrari has gone the other way. The Scuderia started out as Red Bull’s closest challenger, winning in Australia (Carlos Sainz) and Monaco (Charles Leclerc) but has struggled in the developmental race. The upgrades introduced in Imola and Spain seem to have failed. To make things worse, Ferrari had to remove those new parts in Silverstone because they introduced handling issues.

The lack of pace has forced the Prancing Horse into adventurous strategies such as running dry tyres on a wet track (Canada) and vice versa (Britain), in a desperate bid to stay ahead of the weather forecast. The Italian giant might still be competitive on certain tracks but the alarm bells should start ringing in Maranello as it starts to slip further behind.

Since the high of 2021, when Verstappen and Hamilton battled for the title until the last lap of the season, F1 has struggled to deliver an intense, exciting title fight. Although 2021 was iconic, it was eventually just a two-horse race.

F1 has longed for a situation in which multiple constructors are in contention for victories, and out of nowhere in 2024, it has just manifested. More importantly, the four teams that have won races this year have outstanding driver lineups, which allows for great racing.

Plenty to play for

Though the titles are far from done — 336 points (including three Sprint races) are up for grabs in the drivers’ championship — it is hard to see anyone push Verstappen off his perch. The Dutchman may reap the rewards of his early-season hard work. However, the constructors’ title, more significant because it determines the teams’ prize money, is very much in play.

Both Ferrari and McLaren, 71 and 78 points behind Red Bull respectively, have objectively better driver pairings than the reigning champion, which is overdependent on Verstappen. Sergio Perez has had a horrid seven-race stretch, scoring only 33 points and putting the energy drinks giant’s lead in jeopardy.

At the start of the year, many racing fans would have reluctantly settled for Verstappen and Red Bull being made to sweat it out for wins, given their previous dominance. Now, over the course of two months, things have turned to such a degree that at least one of Red Bull’s titles is under threat. The stage has been set for an exhilarating second half. Bring it on!

Lando Norris

How do you make India’s fastest faster? Tear down invisible barriers

Uthra Ganesan

The country’s young sprinters are beginning to break records and shift perceptions. One of the facilitators of this change is Reliance Foundation athletics director James Hillier, who has helped create a structured environment that guides athletes to figure things out and take ownership of their progress

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Animesh Kujur

Usain Bolt. Carl Lewis. Asafa Powell. Maurice Greene. Jim Hines. Over the years, the world’s fastest men, officially, have come from either Jamaica or the USA, with a smattering of outsiders occasionally trying to break into the club.

For the past five years, a Welshman has been trying to convince people that an Indian could, someday, join that league. While India has had success in the middle-distance and the 400m has been the shortest route to recognition, James Hillier is on a mission to prove they can go fast over a shorter distance, too.

Integrated approach

“We have always had good sprinters here but it’s been in pockets — so a sprinter would be really good for a couple of years, then another will come and the first one gets injured. Hopefully, we have shown people how we can be consistent. I believe we have brought a level of professionalism and an integrated approach. So the athlete sits in the middle but it’s focused on the coach and the supporting services on the outside,” Hillier, the athletics director at Reliance Foundation, tells The Hindu.

Shifting with his family to the Odisha High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar wasn’t easy but Hillier has adapted well and admits his kids, five and three years old, are now as Indian as they come. His other set of ‘kids’ are some of the fastest Indians on the track. Tejas Shirse, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Amlan Borgohain, Jyothi Yarraji, Animesh Kujur — the names making waves today were all either written off or clueless about the future before coming into the Reliance-Hillier fold. Consider this: Jyothi was mentally and physically broken when she started training with Hillier in 2021. Shirse was an uncertain youngster with little focus and a lot of stubbornness. Animesh, who is monitored by Hillier but primarily trains under athletics head coach Martin Owens, only knew he wanted to run fast but had no idea how to go about it. Amlan was simply a talented lad. No one knew Hoblidhar six months ago. Today, they hold the national records in 100m, 100 and 110m hurdles, and 200m, all set in the last 18-24 months.

With the next batch of exciting talent starting to come through and the Athletics Federation of India planning to decentralise training after Paris, things are only expected to get better.

“It is a team project,” says Hillier. “If we look at women’s hurdles, when I first got here people said ‘Oh, it’s not possible to break the 13-second mark’. And I asked why? Who came up with that rule? Once Jyothi broke it, she created belief and now there are other girls coming up as well.

“In the men's 100m, Amlan’s there, Animesh, Gurindervir Singh is back to fitness which is fantastic for the sport. There’s a few other young guys knocking around as well. That can only be good. I want to see a final of eight athletes and not know who’s going to win. We have to work on strength in depth. I think that internal competitiveness will help drive things forward.”

It’s a mutual admiration club. “Today I’m running 13.06 here [at the 2024 Inter-State Championships] because of him [Hillier],” says Jyothi. “Because it’s not only the training, it’s the mindset. A month ago I was unable to lift my leg because of a grade-2 muscle tear [suffered during competition in Finland]. He never tells me to beat someone or run a specific time or try to be something I am not. He only teaches me how to manage myself.”

A coach who doesn’t coach

It’s a constant refrain — the coach who doesn’t coach. “My coach always likes his athletes to think. We sit together and then he asks me how I will run faster. I then tell him what I want to do and we make plans accordingly,” the ever-smiling Amlan says.

“James coach’s main role is being a facilitator,” says Shirse. “He lets you think, asks you what you want, then moulds you into a pattern where you can thrive yourself. I have seen many athletes even at the top level in India who don’t know why they are doing what they are doing, they don’t know their own bodies. But James guides us to know ourselves better.”

The athletes’ comfort around Hillier is visible. “I don’t over-coach. It’s about putting an athlete in an environment and then let them flourish, figure stuff out themselves. Athletes need to know so they can prepare, they can plan, they can start to take ownership of things because the athlete must be involved in the process.

“Create challenges in training and let them solve it. If you don’t have that structure, if you don’t periodise your training or progress, there’s going to be problems. My athletes know exactly what they’re doing every day of the week. I think the biggest thing that I brought is that structure. A by-product of that environment is improved performances,” Hillier explains.

Hillier’s sprint mission means he has an eye on every noteworthy performance. Case in point is Gurindervir Singh, who won the Inter-State meet and has been consistently impressive this season. Although the Punjab sprinter trains in Jalandhar, Hillier is all praise. “He’s phenomenal. Few know this but I knew about Gurindervir even before I came to India. He was probably the only one — besides Neeraj [Chopra].

“I’m a big fan of his and he deserves to win. He’s had a tough 3-4 years, he hasn’t got a huge amount of support and I was really chuffed he won. I know he beat my guys but it’s good for Indian sprinting,” Hillier gushes. He has also invited Gurindervir to train at the Reliance HPC post the Olympics as he plans to take the next step towards his sprint-coaching goals — a 100m national relay team with the brightest Indian runners.

A training pack

“Having a group together with everyone pushing each other can be a big help. That’s what I want to do, create a strong group. I want training to be more competitive. But you have to get the right people in and I believe Guri is a good fit,” Hillier says.

Shirse agrees. “There are days when you don’t want to get up and train but when there is someone to prod you, you are motivated to go out. We trained in Tenerife earlier this year, where there were several elite athletes including Finn Elmo Lakka. I trained with him for three sessions, absorbed everything and then beat him, in Finland.”

Hillier acknowledges Indian runners are still a long way from the very best but insists it’s not a weakness. “See, if we try to take on the Jamaicans right now, we’re just going to get killed and that’ll be demoralising. So let’s dominate Asia first, and that’s getting harder. Let’s get that one ticked off, then let’s create a culture of success.

“We don’t want to create invisible barriers of ‘we can’t do this’ and ‘they’re better than us’. They’re not, they’re just 20 years ahead and it’s an advantage because we can learn from them. If the conditions are right, I wouldn’t be surprised if [an Indian] runs 10.1 this year.”

Balcony exit

In this handout image, Nikita Fedotov dives from the 26-metre balcony during the third stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Polignano a Mare, Italy.

The World Series, which began in 2009, features elite cliff divers — 12 men and 12 women — competing at eight of the world’s most picturesque locations. Their dives are scored by a panel of judges, based on acrobatic skill and artistry.

At the end of every season, a champion is crowned in the men’s and women’s categories.

Cliff diving — the world’s oldest extreme sport — dates back to the 1700s. King Kahekili — after whom the champion’s trophies in the World Series are named — was a Hawaiian chief who is thought to have first leapt from the cliffs of Kaunolo.

Divers enter the water feet-first at estimated speeds of up to 85kmph and experience an impact deceleration of 10Gs (a force equivalent to 10 times the force of gravity).

Given the sport’s inherent dangers, divers undergo very specific and intense training, perfecting their skills at much lower heights before working their way up.

Weekend

- Just for the record

- Crisp despatch from Mysore

- Broachas in Bali

- Wheels Up

- The wine investment files

- ‘I have become a student of Kamal Haasan’

- Roland’s vision of Rome

- Catching coral

- Bride in full bloom

- The blue-and-yellow super villains

- Emma Roberts leads a silly, hotchpotch underdog comedy

- The heat is on with Eddie Murphy

- A nexus between crime and politics

- A propulsive bloodfest

Just for

Anasuya Menon

Here is a look at India’s vinylheads, including collectors and independent store owners, who are popularising the charm of the retro music format

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2 of 7 Turning the tables (Clockwise from right), A brightly-coloured vinyl; a Jimi Hendrix listening session at The Revolver Club, Mumbai; a vinylhead at JD’s Jukebox, Kochi; collection of vinyls at JD’s Jukebox; and Reuban Jacob with a prized Michael Jackson vinyl. Special Arrangement and Thulasi KakkatThulasi Kakkat

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As Sujit G Ponoth drops the needle on the record, Amy Winehouse’s deliciously deep voice pervades the room. She sings ‘Rehab’ from her final and autobiographical album Back to Black and Sujit asks: “Hear the difference?” Amy Winehouse on vinyl sounds markedly different, I agree, more intimate and warm. “This is how authentic vinyl sounds,” he says.

Sujit wants everyone to experience the joy and warmth of analogue music, the traditional way of recording music on physical formats such as vinyl records, and cassettes. “For a generation that is used to streaming music for free, this could be a revelation,” he says.

Sujit, who grew up listening to records his grandfather and mother used to play, converted his childhood home at Kaloor in Kochi into a record store, JD’s Jukebox, where he has curated a collection of over 5,000 records spanning 24 genres including progressive rock, metal, soul, and alternative, among others. He started collecting 10 years ago, crate-digging in obscure places in India and abroad; but it was when COVID struck that he catalogued and shared his collection on social media. “People started asking me if they could buy the records and I found that there was a burgeoning market for vinyl.”

The cosy space is for anyone who loves music, buys it or simply talks about it.Sujit is part of a growing tribe of vinylheads in India, who are preserving the analogue experience. It is a sort of conscious slowing down, they say. As the analogue format records sound as continuous waveforms and is not immune to ambient sounds, the music feels organic.

For most vinylheads, it is this vulnerability that makes the romance with vinyl real. Founder of record store, Kinjal Gosar from Mumbai, recounts her experience listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon at a vinyl listening session her friend took her to in Mumbai in 2017. “I knew the album inside out. But that day, on vinyl, I could hear things I had never heard before,” she says.

There was no looking back since for Kinjal, who started collecting records and invested in a player and speakers before launching her online store, Drocer Records in 2022. Drocer now hosts events in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune, selling records, turntables and more. “We have tied up with Mumbai-based music school Adagio to host vinyl nights every Thursday,” adds Kinjal.

In the past decade, retro musical formats have made a comeback globally with vinyl taking the lead. Reports indicate that the market is set to see a spike between 2023 and 2028. In 2023, Taylor Swift became the first best selling artiste on vinyl, with one of every 15 vinyl albums sold in the US being hers. Things may not be as swift in India, but it is growing. Though there are no pressing plants in India, new releases are being pressed abroad.The collectors are predominantly millennials, but Gen Z is hooked too.

“Gen Zs are my biggest clients,” says Nehal Shah, founder-director of India Record Co., an independent record store in Mumbai. “It is beautiful to see this interest among younger listeners. All the artistes they listen to are on vinyl now and they are looking for a connection with the artise. They believe in fair pay and that is the thing about vinyl; it pays its artiste. Some of these young buyers cannot afford a player, but they buy records to preserve,” says Goa-based Nehal, who grew up listening to the records her grandfather used to play.

“I have always wondered why I couldn’t find my favourite Indian independent artistes on vinyl and often thought of what I could do about this.” And that is how her store was born, in 2021. Listeners can buy records across genres, including Hindi vinyl LPs (Bollywood, ghazals and classical); turntables, stereos, amplifiers, even record cleaning kits and vinyl sleeves. If you are an artiste, India Record Co. will help get your music pressed on vinyl, too.

Vinyl owes part of its charm to the artwork. Art is a huge part of what drew Chinmay Madhusoodanan, from Bengaluru to vinyl. This includes posters, stickers, cover art and inlays. “Even the records come in different colours, some have stuff put into them, such as leaves imprinted,” says Chinmay. With over 500 vinyl records in his collection, Chinmay enjoys this tangible aspect as much as the music.

Stories to tell

Lovers of vinyl are also storytellers, collecting experiences as they go crate-digging. Reuban Jacob, a vinyl enthusiast who started collecting in 2016-17, made a documentary Back to Grooves, which features 17 vinyl collectors from across India and one from South Africa to document this revival story. The 45-minute documentary, which won an honourable jury mention at the 11th Delhi Short International Film festival, 2022, will be released on YouTube soon. A Government of Kerala employee in Thiruvananthapuram, Reuban says it was a labour of love. “I just wanted to document the journeys of the keepers of analogue music.” A Beatles fan, he has over 500 records.

For the serious audiophile such as Rajdeep Mukherjee, technique is as important as nostalgia. A copy-writer based in Kolkata, he believes one needs to understand how records are pressed to be able to appreciate them. “A record groove has left and right channels and both your ears pick up the sounds. That is how the human body is designed to hear,” says Rajdeep. “Of course, you need to have a good player, cartridge and amplifiers,” he adds. Hailing from Asansol in West Bengal, Rajdeep is a fan of psychedelic and progressive rock and dug out most of his collection (over 300)from Lenin Sarani, Wellington Square and Free School Street in Kolkata. “From a basic turntable with a ceramic cartridge, I have progressed to a Project Debut 3 turntable, made in Austria,” he says.

Vinylheads unanimously agree that it is an expensive hobby. Records are available even on e-retail platforms such as Amazon costing ₹1,000 upwards, depending on the artiste, vintage and label. A basic turntable model costs ₹5,000 upwards.

The Revolver Club (TRC), a store specialising in vinyl and music equipment in Mumbai, has been at the forefront of the revival in India. Launched officially in 2018, TRC grew organically, selling records across genres, then players, stereo systems and home theatres. “We started slowly, but thoroughly,” says Jude de Souza, CEO, TRC. Today, it has branches in Kolkata, Indore, Goa and Hyderabad, and plans to expand to other cities. It is not just for the niche hobbyist, says Jude. “We want everyone to learn about vinyl. We want to tell people who love vinyl that we get them,” adds Jude.

Ultimately, it is about going back in time, says Trinayan Baruah, for whom the ritual of listening to a full album is key. “We have lost the connection of listening to a full album. The sequence of the songs are laid out for the listeners in a vinyl record; and that was how it was intended to be listened to,” says the musician and advertising professional from Guwahati, who lives in Bengaluru. He inherited much of his collection (over 600) from his father, Hemendra Kumar Baruah.

For all those who need to slow down, take the advice of these vinyl heads. Just spin the record and soak in the music.

despatch from

Shreya Banerjee

Kolkata’s newest restaurant, Mysore Canteen, brings a taste of Bengaluru with its golden-crisp dosas and strong filter coffee

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2 of 3 (Clockwise from left) Masala idli; thatte idli; and filter coffee. Special Arrangement Special Arrangement

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The tables at Mysore Canteen are still warm from the touch of a previous customer — stains of coconut chutney, blots of sambar, and a few crumbs of thatte idli lie scattered. It is 11am at Kolkata’s business district and the newly opened Mysore Canteen is already busy.

Nestled at the intersection of Salt Lake Sector V’s Webel and TSC eco station at EP block, Mysore Canteen is serving Kannada-style dosa, idli, Mysore palkova and more. In a neighbourhood where most restaurants offer Indian, Chinese or Continental meals, it brings an indissoluble essence of Bengaluruto the city.

Started by Prem Prakash, a supply chain professional and his wife Shwetha Kotian, a former hospitality industry professional, Prem says that Mysore Canteen is his first venture and a tribute to his family. “My father is a Malayali from Kerala, my mother, a Bengali from Kolkata, but I was raised in Bengaluru. When I come to Kolkata I often crave Kannada-style dosas which are golden crisp on the outside but soft and slightly thick on the inside,” explains Prem.

Currently, in a soft launch stage, the canteen started operating last month and has been registering an average of 120 orders daily. “Our numbers are gradually increasing, and people in Kolkata are receiving the flavours very well. As a customer places an order a token is issued and within 10 minutes the food is served hot,” says Shwetha.

Barring vegetables, all ingredients such as ghee, rice, urad dal and the popular Cotha’s coffee are sourced from Bengaluru.

The canteen is dotted with kolam designs on its walls, and the powerful scent of coffee blankets the sunny space. No matter how long Kolkata’s food arc may be, it willingly bends before crunchy, ghee-spumed dosas and strong frothy filter coffee.

“The idea behind keeping a short and simple menu was to not give customers a brain freeze while looking at the menu,” chuckles Prem.

We order the gheepodi dosa, thatte idli, masala idli, Mysore palkova and a cup of filter coffee. On placing the order, a TV screen in the canteen allows us to track the food preparation. Within six minutes, a golden brown dosa generously sprinkled with podi comes our way, accompanied by three kinds of chutnies. We dip it in the sepia-tinted goodness of a balanced sambar and what comes across is a thick yet crunchy dosa, soft on the inside.

The warm spongy masala idli is imbued with vegetables, and a secret mix of ground spices which feels like a hug from home. As we wash down the food with freshly brewed filter coffee, the Mysore palkova arrives in a bowl made of sal leaves. Mysore Canteen gives a spin to the original palkova from Tamil Nadu by breaking away from its original thick texture. It is sticky and gooey, infused with almonds, khoya, and milk powder.

Outfitted with a team of experienced cooks from Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Kolkata, Mysore Canteen proves that too many cooks certainly do not spoil the broth.

The Mysore Canteen is at Netguru Building, 4, GP Block, Sector V, Bidhannagar. A meal for two costs approximately ₹400.

in Bali

Cyrus Broacha

As the Broacha family holidays in Bali, Kunal Vijayakar joins in as the slowest member of the entourage

Satheesh Vellinezhi

It was Aarti Shastri, who, before she transitioned to Agastya Shastri, wrote in her epic work The Monsoon of Hindustan that a family holiday is the ultimate test of love, tolerance, and friendship. Having just returned from a family holiday, I realise that Aarti, sorry Agastya is India’s greatest writer since just after Kalidas, and just before Chetan Bhagat. But why tell you? Most of you are part of families. You know the pressure, anxiety, the occasional glance at other happier families at airports, wishing you were with them.

The first challenge for the Broacha family was the Mumbai Airport, which I like to call the Mumbai scareport. However, first let’s meet the main actors in this theatre of the not too absurd. First, there’s my wife Ayesha, who we call Major General, (and not in an affectionate way). She’s the person that all families have. The one most of us dread. The enthusiastic one. Tell me, in the modern world, what can be more tedious then being around an enthusiastic individual? They can be a real obstacle to others, as they use every second of the holiday seeing things and doing things. We have to constantly remind her that we are not Hannibal crossing the Alps, we’re just mundane desi travellers going to Bali, slowly. Very slowly.

Speaking of slowly, there is a second character — Shree Kunal Vijayakar. The slowest member of our entourage. To understand his walking style, you’ll have to imagine a group of three adult humans, and a small immobile crab. Ayesha’s speed, and Shree Vijayakar’s lack of the same means we’re always going forward and backward at the same time. Oh, and whoever said just like our economy, er…. please calm down. Why is Shree Vijayakar on a Broacha family holiday? The answer is nobody knows. But just like a good old government job, if you don’t know what you are doing, you can do it successfully forever. Whatever it is, he’s always there, like Orry in an Ambani wedding video.

The third character is my 17- year-old daughter Maya. Now, which 17 year old wants to be stuck with three aging adults for more than four minutes? As for me, I have one and only one function on these holidays. Not to have fun, not to chill out, not to enjoy R&R, no I’m there for the singularly noble act of paying the bills. Of course, as if nothing else, I’m known for my generosity, so I’m very happy getting Shree Vijayakar to share in this act of bill payment.

Sadly, as it often happens, every time I sit down to write this column, I start running out of column space, before I reach my main point, my actual plot, my real body of work. We have two choices then, dear reader, wait for a part two, or abandon the main point and end with a quote mistakenly credited to Winston Churchill. I’ll take a show of hands. Thank you, the verdict is clear, nobody wants to see Winston Churchill misquoted. Thereby, using the scientific method of the process of elimination, I am forced to get back to you with a second part, of the Bali Diaries. Till then, as we say in Balinese……. ‘Too much traffic’.

The writer has dedicated his life to communism. Though only on weekends.

Riaan Jacob George

We get an exclusive first look at the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and take it for a spin in a rather challenging setting

The previous Maybach models that I have driven have always been in plush, urban settings, through tony neighbourhoods in Mumbai or Delhi. Taking a Maybach on a cross-country road trip, in a desert, with significant bits of offroading, is not something I would imagine. But in the spirit of myth busting, this is exactly what I am doing right now with the new Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, which launched in India, in the end of May with a hefty price tag of ₹3.35 crore.

I get an exclusive first look at this ultra-luxe SUV as I test it through Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, both on smooth tarmac and on offroad stretches. Which leads me to my next question: is the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 a driver’s car or a car to be driven around in, given its appeal to Bollywood celebrities and heads of State? While the public consensus might be leaning towards the latter, I cannot get enough of it in the driver’s seat

The SUV has certain design cues that classify it as a Maybach — its signature Art Deco metallic badge near the rear door, the front grille and its unmistakable vertical chrome bars and the air inlet grilles with a Maybach motif and chrome accents, along with redesigned LED headlamps and tail lights. The 22-inch alloy wheels are striking. As soon as you open the door, the car projects a logo on the ground.

On the inside, I find a host of smart design elements. For starters, I absolutely love the steering wheel design, with touch controls on the spokes for most of the key functions that I would require during a drive. Since the Maybach customer does like the occasional coddling, the backseat features a built-in chiller, with space for a bottle of bubbly and two flutes. The centre console that runs from the front to the rear gives me the impression of a first class airline seat, replete with rear infotainment screens and controls.

Switching between drive modes on this Maybach to match the different terrains shows me how this car performs. It fairs well when switched to Offroad mode, with the car level raised, and the suspension along with torque distribution performs well. On empty country roads, I switch to Comfort and it is a breeze. Just for kicks, I run the car aground on a sand dune and then turn on the Instagram viral ‘jump mode’ (officially called Free Driving Assist), which makes this mega-SUV literally jump and get out of the sand.

To summarise the performance indicators of this SUV, the engine pumps out an impressive 557 Horsepower (hp) and a maximum torque of 730 Newton Metres Torque (Nm). This engine power comes through rather seamlessly while flooring the accelerator on empty desert highways, and it delivers sufficient torque to enable me to get over moderately rocky conditions when in offroad mode. The specifications of this car promise a 0-100 kmph sprint in 4.2 seconds, an impressive feat for a car of this size and claims a top speed of 250 kmph.

Our verdict: While we do not predict the average Maybach user to take this ₹3.35 crore SUV to rough it out in the desert, it was a pleasure to drive it in these unlikely conditions. As opposed to the standard GLS offering from Mercedes-Benz, the Maybach variant does stand out in terms of luxe design. What I give full marks to, though, is the renewed technology, in the form of the MBUX user interface, which seems to be getting more intuitive with every new model, and the overall cabin design, which gave me little or no cabin fatigue despite a 12-hour cross-country drive. And for this, there will be many takers in the Indian market, the hefty price tag notwithstanding.

Magandeep Singh

For people interested in alternative assets like NFTs and crypto, it may be worthwhile to understand investing in wine

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3 of 3 (Clockwise from right) Bartender at wine cellar; two glasses of red wine on a wooden barrel in the vineyard; and friends drinking wine in a restaurant. Getty Images/iStock Rostislav_Sedlacek

Everybody wants to get rich quick but nobody wants to break a few eggs, or a bank. In light of such laziness (and legal complications), one usually turns to standard investment models — shares, bonds, insurance, and the even commoner, “An uncle’s son’s start-up idea”. Sadly, not many rags-to-riches tales start with the term, “mutual funds”.

I speak to Suman Bannerjee, CIO at Hedonova (an AIF firm that invests in alternative assets like wines, NFTs, crypto, and P2P lending), to understand how wine investments work.

Yes, it is a first-world thing, to invest in things that we mostly consider indulgences or whims, but people are curious about how it works (online through exchanges or through companies like Hedonova), whether it is more lucrative than art and watches (yes, it can be and less risk of fakes), and can it outperform equity markets (21% return on wines versus 16% on equity markets since 1998). What follows are the questions which came after that exchange.

Q:How does wine investment really work?

A: Wine investment involves purchasing wines expected to appreciate over time due to their rarity, demand, or aging process. Hedonova acquires bottles and collections through auctions, direct purchases from wineries, or secondary markets, focussing on wines with proven appreciation from reputable vineyards. When market conditions are favourable, the wine is sold at a higher price to other investors, collectors, or through auctions.

Q:If I invest in wine, do I have to pay duties and taxes in India for it?

A: We structure wine investments by pooling funds from investors into securities of a syndicate or a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that holds the physical wine. The advantages: first, investors do not directly own the wine bottles. Second, it provides tax efficiency as investors own shares in the investment vehicle, not the wine itself, thereby avoiding duties and taxes. Third, investors still enjoy the capital appreciation of the wine, benefiting from potential profits when the wine is sold while mitigating risks associated with storage, transportation, and market fluctuations.

Q:Should one only buy aged wine for investment?

A: Deciding between aged and new wines involves weighing factors like reputation, demand, and risk tolerance. Aged wines from renowned and historic houses often present a safer investment option, as they typically have established track records of appreciation and enduring demand. These wines are prized for their quality, rarity, and, often, their storied history, making them less susceptible to market volatility.

On the other hand, investing in new wines from emerging regions offers the potential for higher returns but comes with increased risks as these wines may showcase innovative techniques and flavours but their market success and longevity are less certain.

Investors keen on diversification and willing to accept higher risk levels might consider allocating a portion of their portfolio to new wines.

Still, aged wines from prestigious houses remain preferred in wine investment for stability and reliability.

Q: What is the maximum return that you have seen wine give as an investment product? How did gold perform in the same period?

A: Hedonova has generated an average return of nearly 20.9% since its inception, showcasing wine as a lucrative investment vehicle.

This performance highlights the benefits of investing in carefully selected fine wines, which can be appreciated significantly over time due to their rarity, demand, and aging process.

In comparison, gold has provided a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 14% over the same period. While gold remains a stable investment, often used as a hedge against inflation and economic volatility, its returns are generally lower than those of wine investments... Both investment options offer unique advantages, with gold providing stability and wine offering the potential for substantial capital appreciation.

Q:How does it compare to products like fixed deposits and mutual funds?

A: Fixed deposits are among the safest investment options with low risks and guaranteed albeit low returns. Mutual funds provide diversified exposure which mitigates the risk but their value is prone to market fluctuations.

While potentially offering higher returns, wine investment is considered a niche and alternative investment. It involves specific risks related to market demand, storage conditions, and liquidity. However, fine wine can significantly appreciate in value and has a low correlation with traditional financial markets, making it a valuable diversification tool in an investment portfolio. Despite the risks, the potential for high returns and the benefits of diversification can make wine investment an attractive option for those looking to enhance their investment strategy beyond conventional methods.

Bhuvanesh Chandar

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2 of 2 (Left) Kamal Haasan in stills from Indian 2; and (below) Siddharth. special arrangement and s Shiva Raj. S Shiva Raj

When director S Shankar and actor Kamal Haasan’s Indian was released in 1996, actor Siddharth was just a teenager with lots of love for cinema. In just about seven years since then, he was launched in a Shankar film, Boys, and went on to become a prolific actor-producer who has starred in some stellar titles in three languages. What has not changed, according to Siddharth, is the vision he had in cinema, his ever-growing love for Kamal, and the belief he had in Shankar’s world of Indian.

“When I saw Indian for the first time, it made me angry about the common man’s helplessness and made me empathetic to his pain,” says Siddharth, who is now reuniting with Shankar and getting to rub shoulders with Kamal in their much-awaited sequel films, Indian 2 and Indian 3. “Even today, I feel the same anger. That’s why Indian 2 has become more relevant. Nothing has changed on the corruption front, so we need a larger-than-life solution mixed with a lot of logical, real-life solutions.”

Stating how the film is not just about the vigilante justice that Kamal’s character Senapathy metes out, Siddharth says that he sees these sequels as an honest attempt at franchising since it is also meant to teach and guide future generations on politics, social awareness and social concern.

In this chat ahead of the release of Indian 2, Siddharth speaks about working with his gurus and how his character in the film is closest to his real-life personality.

Excerpts:

Q:What do you think young directors could learn from Shankar on how he manages a film of this scale?

A: Shankar sir and I are at opposite ends of the cinema paradigm; I’m an indie film producer, and he’s a big studio filmmaker. However, what I continue to learn from him is how he rules his film sets. It isn’t easy, but how calmly he controls one of such scale is a lesson. And from both Kamal sir and Shankar, I have learnt that misplaced anger is pointless.

Q: You have always been vocal about your love and admiration for Kamal Haasan. Can you specify something about him that has made a huge impact on your life in cinema?

A: Twenty years ago, my list of favourite actors would have included Kamal Haasan, SV Ranga Rao, Balraj Sahni, and Dilip Kumar. These, according to me, are India’s greatest actors. I hadn’t met three of them, but I had seen Kamal sir from afar. I never dreamt then that I would eventually get to meet him, talk to him, or have the chance to show him who I am. Importantly, acting alongside him was beyond my wildest dreams. So just being in Indian 2 is quite something.

See, cinema is forever. Mani sir (Mani Ratnam) said that once the camera rolls, it’s forever. Now I am a part of the Indian franchise forever. And as much as I have become a student of Kamal Haasan — who is a university in himself — I have also competed with him in this film. And he democratically let me compete as well.

My biggest preparation for this film was not to let the Kamal Haasan fan in me come in the way of me performing. Kamal sir and Shankar sir also ensured I had the space to prepare.

Q: Pan-India is the trend in cinema now, but Shankar, Kamal and you made pan-Indian films even decades ago.Did that experience and first-mover advantage help you in understanding the business?

A: If I see an opportunity to be in a good film, I’d selfishly take part in it. Secondly, I enjoy learning new languages, imbuing the mannerisms of the locals from that milieu and so on. So, I didn’t do those films for a reward or for a bigger paycheck. I am an actor who likes to dub in other languages as perfectly as my own language.

Also, I’ve truly been lucky because all Tamil speakers know about Boys and I have that identity in Tamil Nadu. Telugu people from across the world know of a film called Bommarillu, and that’s my luck. The same goes for Hindi speakers with Rang De Basanti. And now, incorporating all these languages, if there’s an Indian anywhere in the world, he’d know about Indian 2 — that’s pan-India for me. Both Kamal sir and I have dubbed our lines in our own voices in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Q:They say that when you learn a new language, it sensitises you to the life and culture in that milieu. Do you agree with this?

A: Definitely. When you learn a new language, unused parts of your brain are used for the first time. It’s like a right-hander using their left hand to write. Moreover, learning a new language also teaches you empathy. Because I will understand a man’s lament in yet another language. It takes me closer to their pain and closer to their reality. So if I can speak a language like a local, I can feel like a local.

Q:After Chithha’s release, many appreciated the film for how it depicted sexual abuse, something many other Tamil filmmakers continue to be criticised for...

A: Since the beginning, the one thing I told director Arun Kumar was that if we were touching upon such a sensitive topic, we had to do justice to it. We had to ensure that it didn’t come across as if we were doing it without a proper understanding of the subject, just for mere shock value, or to monetise a film with a sensational topic. Before the release of the film, we screened it for leading psychiatrists, child psychologists and survivors of sexual abuse; if they had pointed out something improper, I would have removed it from the film.

Q:Did the success of such a film give you a lot of validation as an artiste?

A: I didn’t do the film for validation, but I am very grateful for it. Because one of the biggest tragedies is for a good deed to not get any validation. Making a good film is a penance. So when a film like Chithhagets awards in so many categories, it tells us that there is a pay-off to that penance. So a filmmaker who looks at our success will know that there is a reward for making real films about real people, real pain and real hope.

Q:So what does the future hold for you?

A: I have been running here for over 20 years since Boys. For the next 20 years, Chithha will be the seed, while Indian 2 and 3 will be the fuel that pushes me forward. This is my time, and when it’s your time, you have to work at the same level and be as crazy as before. Next up I have Miss You and Test coming up; I have also signed three films that come after that, for which I start shooting soon.

Indian 2 is currently running in theatres

Ayaan Paul Chowdhury

The German director on developing Those About To Die , his own filmography, and a fond look back at an Oscar-winning reptilian icon

1 of 3 (Clockwise from left) Stills from Those About To Die. PEACOCK PEACOCK

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The Colosseum roars back to life this summer with German director Roland Emmerich’s first official tryst with television, thanks to his ambitious new series Those About to Die.

Celebrated for his mastery in large-scale, high-stakes filmmaking, Emmerich — known for blockbusters like Independence Day, and 2012 — directs five of the episodes with his undiminished passion for storytelling.

In our exclusive interview with Emmerich, he shares insights into the series’ development and his directorial approach, and drops hints about future projects.

Excerpts:

Q:How did you navigate the fine line between fact and fiction while depicting the Flavian dynasty?

Roland: Well, it’s an interesting period because Vespasian, who became emperor, came from a family of mule breeders. He became a significant general and was sent to Judea to quell the rebellion there in his old age. He was the last of the four emperors after Nero killed himself. There were three other generals fighting for the emperorship, and Vespasian was the last one standing. He brought stability after the civil war and rebuilt Rome, including constructing the Colosseum, a grand gesture at the time. He had two sons, which was unique among emperors before him and his reign lasted 12 years.

Q: The show features a diverse cast of characters, and you have Spanish horse breeders, a Numidian family, even a Judean princess; how important was it for you to showcase such a variety of perspectives in ancient Rome?

Roland: We wanted to show how multi-coloured and multi-ethnic Rome truly was. Don’t forget, a third of everybody who lived in Rome was a slave. They had to come from somewhere, right? And they were not Romans; they were conquered people who were taken as slaves and made to work. This led to a significant influx from other countries, and we wanted to represent that. Rome was also the centre of the world at that time; it was a city with more than a million people.

Q: Was it easier to translate the representation of queer characters onto the screen, given that ancient Rome was at the height of sexual fluidity?

Roland: Yes, that was an idea we had. Amongst the characters, we made Domitian who was openly gay, and he had his boy with him everywhere. It was widely accepted in Rome at that time, so we could portray that aspect authentically.

Q:This was your first collaboration with Sir Anthony Hopkins. What was it like having him on set, and did his performance inform or alter the writing of Vespasian?

Roland: He had the character completely figured out and portrayed him as a soldier who never shows weakness. Even when weak, he hides it and wants to die standing. His performance was incredibly impressive.

Q:The series will probably be compared to modern television greats like Game of Thrones or Succession. Do you think the series will build upon these preset foundations?

Roland: I don’t know how successful the show will be — time will tell. At its core, it has a nearly Shakespearean element where the old man has to choose one of his two sons to succeed him, and naturally he chooses the military dude because he kind of likes him more and he’s more like him. It’s about succession, but it’s also very much like a sports show of that era. If they had TV back then, they would have had sports shows like this.

Q: Did technology play a major part in enhancing your vision of ancient Rome, or did you rely more on practical sets?

Roland: We shot in Rome and had the advantage of a volume stage, which made everything look big even if it wasn’t. We also used a super accurate model of Ancient Rome built by German guys for a museum and rendered it in Unreal Engine. It was complicated and I don’t want to belittle it. You don’t have much time to begin with, and have to work much faster than you normally do because every problem lasts half a day or so.

Q:Is there any word on a new Independence Day film?

Roland: The last one wasn’t as successful as we’d hoped for and then Will Smith opted out... and now he slapped somebody else. I don’t think it will happen again, but I did really have a clear blueprint in mind for the film.

Q: Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki just won Godzilla its first Oscar in its 70-year existence and praised your Godzilla movie for its technical achievements and execution. Do you look back fondly at the film 25 years later?

Roland: Yes, I like the film and never understood the criticism. It was a clever way to tell a modern Godzilla story, much more realistic than previous versions. The old Godzilla was a suit that had to be bottom-heavy to work. I thought our Godzilla was better, faster, and could procreate, which made it more dynamic and I really thought it was a very, very clever film.

Those About To Die premieres on Prime Video on July 18

Geetha Srimathi

We check into an eco resort set on one of the largest islands in the Andaman chain, famed for its white sand beaches

1 of 3 (Clockwise from left) A tourist diving in the Andamans; and snapshots from Tilar Silo. Special Arrangement Special Arrangement

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As island hopping is emerging as a new trend among travellers, what other place can one turn to in India if not the Andamans? Comprising over 300 islands, this archipelago boasts of pristine beaches, lush rainforests, and vibrant marine life.

Having said that, decades of poaching and a rapid population increase have left the islands fragile — a reason why sustainability is a crucial aspect in tourism.

This is where Tilar Siro, a property by CGH Earth set on Havelock island, stands out. After a two-hour ferry ride from Port Blair, I checked into the property on a pleasant afternoon. Taking its eco-commitment seriously, Tilar Siro — meaning the land near the open sea, according to the Great Andamanese tribe who named it ‘Thi-Lar-Siro’ — does not use single-use plastics, prepares food on order to avoid wastage, and ensures a significant green cover to minimise the environmental footprint on its surroundings.

Anil Kumar, general manager of Tilar Siro, describes the property — which has 16 sea-facing rooms and eight garden cabins — as “functional” and “aesthetically good”. “The place is not overly luxurious. Any other resort would have made this place a bustling cash cow with one bar counter here, a snack unit there,” he says, pointing around the grove. Amidst the bustling tourist activity that characterises Havelock, finding solace in the serenity of a sunrise or sunset can sometimes prove challenging. However, away from the throngs of tourists lies Tilar Siro’s own Vijaynagar Beach (Beach number 5), where I caught a breathtaking sunrise the next morning.

Nestled amidst lush greenery, the property is a tranquil sanctuary. After sunrise, led by Tilar Siro’s naturalist Akhil Viswanath, a few of us went birdwatching. We sighted the Andaman coucal, Asian koel, and the ever-flying plume-toed swiftlet. Among the foliage, we also saw a collared kingfisher and the chestnut-headed bee-eater, red-breasted parakeet, Asian glossy starling, and a black-naped oriole, flitting about gracefully.

On the second afternoon at Tilar Siro, we were taken on a short trek through the jungle from Kalpatharu village to a “secret beach” for a picnic and a swim. To be in a secluded beach, away from the clamour of tourists wanting to shoot the perfect ‘reel’, is a luxury.

At Havelock, the intertidal walk is unmissable. Timed meticulously to coincide with low tide hours, we waded through cool waters as the sandy shores teemed with life. From the elusive hermit crabs scuttling across the sand to the quick pallid ghost crab, the walk is a wondrous activity for children and adults alike.

Beneath the surface, a colourful array of marine life greeted us — gobies darting between crevices and needlefish shimmering in the sunlight.

One of the island’s standout features is, of course, diving and the abundance of diving centres. Lacadives, Tilar Siro’s diving partner, offers PADI-certified courses to suit all skill levels and comprehensive training and guidance to ensure a safe experience.Beginners are first given confined training, followed by open water training. “We teach them three to four skills to make sure they understand how the equipment works, or how to solve a problem underwater. We also teach them communication,” says Kirti Shanbhag, divemaster at Lacadives.

Once underwater, under the guidance of certified instructors, you can navigate through vibrant coral gardens, and swim alongside schools of colourful fish. Divers are greeted by a kaleidoscope of coral formations, including the intricate pore corals, honeycomb corals, and brain corals. Whether diving without prior training or exploring advanced dive sites, Havelock offers an unparalleled diving experience in the crystal-clear Andaman Sea.

The writer was in Havelock at the invitation of CGH Earth Experience Hotels

Priyadarshini Paitandy

1 of 3 (Clockwise from above)Floral choker and earrings; Radhika Merchant draped in the nine-by-two foot phool dupatta; and kaleera. Special arrangement

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Hours before Radhika Merchant’s haldi ceremony, a group of five karigars sat huddled around a mound of fresh flowers at Srishti Calcuttawala’s Floral Art Studio in Vile Parle, Mumbai. They then deftly stitched them together to create an ornate floral dupatta and jewellery. Little did they know that in a few hours, this handiwork of theirs would be trending on social media. This is the phoolon ki chadar dupatta that Radhika Merchant wore for her haldi ceremony along with a custom Anamika Khanna silhouette.

“It was done at very short notice. The function was on July 8 and we got a call from Rhea Kapoor’s team on the evening of the 7th,” says Srishti, who specialises in floral jewellery. She normally get orders a month in advance but did not want to pass up this opportunity. “The brief given to us was that they wanted tagar kali detailing. It gives a very Indian look,” explains Srishti. So, the next day, Srishti and her team went to the Dadar flower market to source tagar kali, yellow button daisies and Thai crown flowers. It then took them six to seven hours to complete the order.

The dupatta measures nine feet by two feet, and is bigger than the floral dupattas most brides wear. “We also made a choker, long necklace, haath phool and kaleera (worn on the wrist by brides) for Radhika,” says Srishti.

This is not the first celebrity wedding that Srishti’s company has crafted floral jewellery for. In the past they have made kaleera for Sonam Kapoor, dry flower kaleera and earrings for Katrina Kaif, fresh flower bracelets for Alia Bhatt, fresh flower matha patti for Karishma Tanna, among others. The trend of floral jewellery has picked up in the last 10 years, she adds.

When Floral Art first launched in 2002, they started off making bouquets, home decor and trousseau packaging. “It was started by my mother Kavita Kapur, an ikebana expert. Around 15 years ago we began experimenting with floral jewellery. Wearing flowers has been part of Indian culture for many years. It took us a year to understand this skill,” she says.

Floral accessories usually stay for a day. The jewellery and dupatta together cost around ₹27,000, says Srishti. While phool dupattas are not uncommon, the one worn by Radhika has piqued interest. “What we are used to seeing is brides wearing the dupatta on their heads but here its draped around the bride. It’s grander and overall the vibe worked well. And now, enquiries are pouring in even from brides who are getting married in November and December,” laughs Srishti.

The blue-and-yellow super villains

Mini Anthikad Chhibber

New vamps, villains, fans, mega-minions and wicked school principals populate this busy summer film which is enjoyable to the last ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ sing-along

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The sixth entry in the Despicable Me franchise and a sequel to 2017’s Despicable Me 3, Despicable Me 4 sees Felonious Gru (Steve Carell) heading to his school Lycée Pas Bon for a reunion. But he is also undercover for the Anti-Villain League (AVL) to capture Maxine Le Mal (Will Ferrell).

Maxine and Gru have a long-standing rivalry from their school days especially after Gru sang Culture Club’s ‘Karma Chameleon’ dressed as Boy George at the talent show. Maxine, who was planning to sing the same song, also dressed as Boy George, could not do so as everyone would think he was copying Gru (shudder).

Maxine has developed many villainous properties including a machine to turn people into enhanced bugs. Gru arrests Maxine who promptly escapes the AVL’s maximum security prison with help from his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara) and swears vengeance on Gru and his family.

The former director of AVL Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) comes out of retirement to get Gru and his family, which includes his wife, Lucy (Kristen Wiig) adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan) and son Gru Jr, (Tara Strong) to a safe house in the upscale Mayflower neighbourhood.

Though the Grus, with the cover name of Cunningham, try to blend in, they do stick out. Gru’s attempt at making friends with his neighbour the super-rich Perry Prescott (Stephen Colbert) fall flat while Lucy’s efforts at the hair salon end up in an epic fail with burning a customer, Melora’s (Laraine Newman) hair. Perry’s wife Patsy (Chloe Fineman) invites the Cunninghams to a game of tennis, which Lucy knows is no sign of being accepted.

The Prescott daughter Poppy (Joey King), however recognises Gru and blackmails him to joining her on a heist to steal the school mascot. Apart from the three minions (Pierre Coffin) who accompany the Gru family, the rest are at AVL headquarters and Silas puts five into a programme for the creation of super-powered Mega Minions. The programme is quickly shut down as the Mega Minions unleash all kinds of mayhem under the guise of helping.

The voice work is fun with most of the gang reprising their roles. Romesh Ranganathan as Gru’s quarter master Dr. Nefario and Chris Renaud as the tough-as-nails principal Übelschlecht have a blast as do Ferrell and Vergara. Some of the sequences are inventive, especially the one with the mega minion and the Swiss cheese.

Stuff keeps happening through Despicable Me 4’s 94 minutes and before you know it, the credits are rolling, which might be a good thing if you want to pounded into submission with a relentless procession of gags. Despicable Me 4 is fun while it lasts, but might not stand as a synonym for enduring.

Despicable Me 4 is currently running in theatres

Emma Roberts leads a silly, hotchpotch underdog comedy

Bhuvanesh Chandar

For much of the initial portions of Space Cadet, you might spend your mind just figuring out the kind of film it wishes to be. On paper, Prime Video’s latest comedy seems like a funny take on the routine American underdog story about an unbridgeable gap between the commoner and the Man. However, in telling this story about how a college dropout gets into NASA’s top astronaut training programme by fluke, the film alternates in its tonality between being a whimsical satire and a serious drama.

The extent to which this happens, and the outright silly plotline that plays out in front make you wonder if the writers decided to turn a serious first draft into a comedy because nobody would take it seriously… or vice versa. We are introduced to Tiffany ‘Rex’ Simpson (Emma Roberts); this party girl and bartender had to let go of her dreams of flying to Mars, and we are told of her dreams through… an astronaut fangirl scrapbook she had. Rex also gets repeatedly reminded of her skill, aptitude and knack to build innovative machines that go unnoticed in small-town Florida — either by her best friend and partner-in-crime Nadine (Poppy Liu), or her high-school crush and now-CEO of a space tourism company, Toddrick Spencer (Sebastian Yatra).

For most of the film, Rex remains a hotchpotch of a character, with the writing lending no chance to take anything she says seriously. You naturally feel for the bright girl who lost her future because of unexpected family circumstances, but how do you take her seriously when — after she realises how impossible her NASA dreams now seem — she points to the crescent moon and talks to it?

The writers manifest Rex’s dream through silly chance occurrences, and this manic pixie dream girl gets onboard NASA’s astronaut training programme when her email to NASA, doctored by Nadine, lands on the table of programme directors Pam (Gabrielle Union) and Logan (Tom Hopper) — they are immediately interested because “she is unlike others.” In the programme, Rex is joined by fellow competitors, Dr Stacy Kellogg (Desi Lydic), Violet Marie Vislawski (Kuhoo Verma), Grace Jackson (Yasha Jackson), Captain Jack Mancini (Andrew Call), Miriam Osprey (Josephine Huang) and Hector Kaneko (Troy Iwata) — stale, unidimensional characters coming together to form a typical, insipid motley crew.

Taking a comical route is fine, but be it how the background checks are conducted, the manner in which top scientists at NASA behave, or why none of the characters pose any emotional or intellectual depth, Space Cadet leaves you wishing for it to be a satire through and through. Or to pull up its astronaut pants and tell a novel story. However, it ends up meandering somewhere in the middle. At one point, this imposter turns over a new leaf within mere days and becomes a tough competitor to trained scientists in the programme, just because she had a dream about how all of us are made of the same stardust. Campy much?

The writing gets lazy when one too many plot twists happen as a result of something ridiculous, and the silliness peaks when Rex is put into the pilot seat of a NASA jet. Emma Roberts succeeds in making Rex the most infuriating protagonist, while Hopper plays a robotic archetype nerd, armed with the constant expression of being mind-blown on meeting someone with real emotions and individual thinking.

If anything, the fact that you end up wishing for the underdog protagonist’s plans to crash and burn says enough about this silly and totally forgettable comedy.

Space Cadet is currently streaming on Prime Video

The heat is on with Eddie Murphy

Mini Anthikad Chhibber

That opening with our favourite motor-mouth, Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), cheerfully grinning as he trades insults with the good people of Detroit as Glenn Frey sings ‘The Heat Is On’ is enough to bring a smile to one’s face.

There are other returnees including Billy (Judge Reinhold), Chief Taggart (John Ashton), Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) as Foley’s partner in the Detroit Police Departmentand art/weapons dealer, Serge (Bronson Pinchot).

Foley is doing his stuff in Detroit chasing bad guys from a hockey game in a snow plough before Billy calls to say his estranged daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige), a criminal defence attorney, is in over her head with some very bad people. Foley immediately packs a bag and heads for the City of Angels to set things right.

And he is straight away in the thick of action, getting rid of scary goons who were tossing Billy’s office. Billy, incidentally, has retired from the Beverly Hills Police Department and become a private investigator. Jane is defending Sam, who is accused of killing an undercover policeman, as she feels something does not add up.

Foley is not taken in by the shiny police captain Grant (Kevin Bacon). The detective in charge of the case, Sam Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is Jane’s ex-boyfriend. Abbot and Jane reluctantly team up with Foley as there is no way he is going to give up the trail. There are musical cartel kingpins, cocaine in hideous statues, crooked cops, ugly, ostentatious mansions and $1000-a-night hotels.

First-time director, Mark Molloy, approaches Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F with the lightest of touches. The nostalgia is there but not a solemn, kneeling-down-at-the-altar, worshipful affair. It is a fun way of remembering why we liked Beverly Hills Cop 40 (wow!) years ago and liked Pankaj Parashar’s Hindi movie avatar, Jalwa (1987) as well.

Murphy in his jeans, jacket and sneakers with that killer rowdy smirk and bright beady eyes holds one transfixed through the hectic happenings. From telling a movie-mad person he is a producer for “a new Liam Neeson revenge thriller called Impound” to the completely unhinged low-flying chopper chase—it is all good and enormous fun. Gordon-Levitt and Bacon give good account of themselves (the former more than the latter) while Paige is mostly forgettable.

Thirty years might have been a touch too long to wait for Harold Faltermeyer’s electronic instrumental, ‘Axel F’ to play in the background as a quick-thinking Detroit police lieutenant set things right, but the wait has been worth it. And though Friedman tells Foley “they don’t want swashbucklers, they want social workers,” we know that as long as Axel F is on the streets, we have nothing to worry and plenty to smile about.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is currently streaming on Netflix

A nexus between crime and politics

Anuj Kumar

In its third season, Mirzapur has become a well-oiled machine that scores on carpet bombing of expletives and carnage but has lost sight of destination

In the fifth episode of the third season ofMirzapur, the makers introduce a young man Rahim (Pallav Singh). Obviously, he recites couplets that speak truth to power but in a form where the poetic first line is followed by a punchline filled with expletives. While the opening verse prepares the audience for the profound, the latterwins applause. Living with emasculated dreams, we are told that he wanted to become a civil servant but is currently in prison with a purpose that is as prosaic as the choice of abuses in his poetry.

To my mind, Rahim personifies whatMirzapur is all about. Once again, it takes off like an earnest take on how the nexus between crime and politics in the hinterland fascinates or hallucinates young minds but soon changes gears to provide forbidden pleasures oflugdi sahitya (pulp fiction) that used to sell in large numbers on railway stations before the youth got mobilised towards fantasies made available by cheap data.

The series is mounted with a consciousness that the interplay of crude language and violence with dollops of sex garners attention and seeks applause by dressing it up like an art form. The good thing is the synergy between the contrasting stanzas remains well-greased in the third canto in what is conceived as an epic.

Directors Gurmmeet Singh and Anand Iyer keep the unpredictability of the series going as Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal), yet again, presents a capricious combination of delight and dread, the hallmark of the series dotted with internecine battles for power and control over the drug business between emotionalbahulbalis and pragmatic politicians.

With Munna (Divyendu) dead and Akhandanand Tripathi (Pankaj Tripathi) out of the picture for the most part, it is Guddu who is ruling the roost in Mirzapur. But he has yet to win the suzerainty over Purvanchal, for his peers feel he can’t strike a balance between bullets and business. The biggest contender is Sharad Shukla (Anjumm Shharma) from Jaunpur, who seeks to fulfill the ambition of his father, who was killed by Guddu when he was on the payroll of the Tripathis. With the political cover on his side, Shukla has the cards in his favour. But, the mercurial Guddu, supported by the sharp Golu Gupta (Shweta Tripathi), proves equal in the game despite being short-changed by his hormonal rush.

The hapless police led by Manu Rishi, who has made a career by depicting the plight of helpless characters, shows some spine this season and makes for a delightful encounter sequence that involves a Bhojpuri star.

The Bihar segment led by Bharat/ Shatrughan Tyagi (Vijay Varma) continues to be a digression despite the writers trying hard to tie it up with the main strand. In comparison, druglord Lala (Anil George) and his daughter Shabnam’s story make an organic shift.

Unbridled violence is the flavour of the season, as we have seen in the other release of the week where the makers, unlike Mirzapur, don’t name the film ‘train’ and go with what happens inside it to simply call itKill.

Here, it is as much about the vehicle. Advocate Ramakant Pandit (Rajesh Tailang), the conscience of the series in the first two seasons, has concluded after spending some episodes in prison that Darwin was right when he said it is about the survival of the fittest. So, heads are chopped off with impunity, and bullet wounds are pressed to generate unrequited romance in the name of providing catharsis to an audience that seems to be becoming increasingly hard to move.

Set to a background score that can keep the Soho crowd jiving, the series scythes through the liberal criticism of celebrating alpha males by making its female characters very much part of the scheme. The problem is Shweta expands her eyes a bit too much, perhaps in a bid to appear Alpha before Alia Bhatt becomes one. Her performance is in line with the motives of the makers which are very much on display. Isha Talwar, as Madhuri Yadav, is repeating thegoongi gudiya(dumb doll) prototype milked many times since conceived for Indira Gandhi in Indian politics. Rasika Dugal’s Beena Tripathi remains the most realistic female character, reflecting the craft of surviving the minefields in a patriarchal space. Ali impresses with his transition, but Anjumm takes the role of a sedate gangster literally. Vijay gets hardly tested, and Pankaj, seen in a cameo, shows how much he is needed to keepMirzapur on track.

However, for those who know a thing or two about the region’s politics, the caste calculus of mafiosi looks facile. Depicting the dissonance in a political Yadav family is a little too predictable. The series finds Tyagis in Bihar but misses representation of Bhumihar and Rajput strongmen in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Muslim strongman from West UP is mistakenly defined only by his chaste Urdu.

More importantly, in a 10-episode series, writers often indulge in a game of one-upmanship with the audience. When they suck dry every opportunity to manipulate, the audience is left either emotionally parched or cheated. You feel like that surprise gift offered by Guddu to Shukla at thebaithak called for peace.

Mirzapur Season 3 is streaming on Prime Video

A propulsive bloodfest

Shilajit Mitra

Kill, featuring newcomer Lakshya in the leading role, is a 105-minute brawl on a moving train.

Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat trims more fat than I thought was possible from a Dharma screenplay; Sikhya Entertainment, a far-hipper banner with an international outlook, is their co-producer on the film and was likely the countervailing influence. Amrit (Lakshya), an NSG commando, is unwinding from a recent assignment when a new crisis presents itself: his girlfriend, Tulika (Tanya Maniktala), is getting engaged to someone else. The match has been made against her will, at the behest of Tulika’s wealthy, influential father (Harsh Chhaya). With just a day to go, Amrit, a man of instant, indefatigable action, turns up in Ranchi to spirit Tulika out of the function. She declines — “Abort mission,” Amrit quickly alerts his tag-along Army buddy, Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) — promising to reconvene in Delhi and elope on safer ground.

The following day, Tulika and her family board an overnight train to Delhi. Amrit shadows them on the journey, proposing to his beloved in the washroom before hunkering down with Viresh in a different coach. Also aboard is a gang of raggedy robbers, led by the lusty, psychotic Fani (Raghav Juyal). They seal off four compartments and jam off the signal — the train, thus, can barrel on unimpeded as they scare and loot the passengers. Then the fighting starts.

This is one of the gnarliest Hindi action films set to hit theatres in a long, long while. The action is slick, frantic, propulsive and all the other adjectives you can lavish on a Bollywood film with raw fight choreography and unembarrassing CGI. The sealed-off compartments of an Indian passenger train become the perfect sandbox for blood-soaked mayhem. Action directors Se-Yeong Oh and Parvez Sheikh have worked on expansive productions — War, Tiger 3 — but they are no less inventive in these cramped spaces. The drapes of an AC sleeper coach are refurbished as death traps; there is a steady stream of clever decoys.

It soon emerges that the thieves are blood relatives; grief flows on both sides, catapulting the drama into a macabre waltz of revenge. Ketan Sodha’s music has distinct Western inflections.

Lakshya, hyped as Hindi cinema’s new ‘killing machine’, is sweaty, strong and seething. The young actor spurns the athleticism of a Tiger Shroff or Vidyut Jammwal, opting instead for a more centred, abrasive fighting style. What he lacks, perhaps, is a gift of the gab. The wisecracks mostly flow from Juyal, who is enjoyably loose-limbed and rapacious as the wild-eyed Fani.

As a furious Amrit rampages to and fro on this train of death, beheading, braining and setting human heads on fire, one wonders if Kill is the kind of recruitment ad the armed forces are expecting Bollywood to produce. This is a tremendously gory genre piece, fastidiously satisfying its own (and the audience’s) bloodlust.

Kill is currently running in theatres.

Table of Contents

The Hindu Jul 13, 2024

Regional

Kejriwal gets interim bail in Delhi excise policy case

Centralised hiring leads to language, cultural barriers in Eklavya schools

Prachanda loses trust vote in Nepal

June food inflation quickens to 9.4%; retail price gains rebound to 5.1%

Three-tier security for Vikravandi vote count

Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases: SC

First step of process to get environmental clearance for Parandur airport begins

‘Performing arts help us express our deepest emotions, thoughts’

Three babies rescued while being used for begging at signals

Metrowater will conduct open house meetings today

Memorial meeting for M.P. Narasimhan to be held today

GCC begins survey of congested roads, to carry out widening for smooth traffic flow

NGT impleads real estate firm in case relating to laying of access road on Perumbakkam wetland

Two persons held for murder of youth in Kancheepuram

Sixth Retina Summit features 50 Indian and foreign experts

Kauvery Hospital launches family clinic in Vadapalani

Sub-Registrars told not to take orders from police on registration

Study finds lack of awareness about vulture conservation in Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves

Sensitise stakeholders to gold hallmarking, BIS tells T.N. govt.

VIT freshers’ induction programme inaugurated

TNAU cancels exam held for admission to postgraduate courses

Consider married govt. staff’s parents too for health insurance: HC

Changing norms a challenge in managing ESG risks: survey

Frame rules to add teeth to Disabilities Act: Confederation

Karnataka dams likely to get 30 tmcft more this month, says Cauvery panel

Police should probe link between BJP, Aarudhra Gold and Armstrong’s murder, Thirumavalavan tells CM

‘State is spending significantly on welfare of Adi Dravidar and tribal communities’

Advocates cannot represent complainants before RBI ombudsman: Madras HC

Over 100 people with fake tickets denied entry to Madurai airport

Tamil Nadu secures the third spot in SDG index

Politics of hate will find no place in T.N., says TNCC chief

Sasikala to begin her ‘political tour’ on July 17

DMK to organise seminar against new criminal laws

National

Jagan, IPS officers booked for ‘custodial torture’ of ex-MP

Anjitha from Kasaragod breaks ground as India’s first woman football video analyst

SC posts Karnataka plea on relief funds after four weeks

‘Congress diverted funds for SC/ST welfare in Karnataka’

Former Karnataka Minister Nagendra held in PMLA case

‘Vizhinjam to handle 50% more cargo than expected quantity’

Yediyurappa will not have to personally appear in court

Doval and Sullivan hold talks amid strain in ties over Russia

Centre amends rules to broaden the administrative role of J&K L-G

Video clip shows trainee IAS officer’s mother brandishing gun and threatening farmer

Net tax receipts up 19.5%, corporate tax share at 36.6%

NIA chargesheets 2 persons in IS terror conspiracy case

Recruitment for tribal schools sets off row

June food inflation quickens to 9.4%

Bishops meet PM, ask him to ensure peace in Manipur

‘Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases’

Kejriwal gets interim bail in excise policy case

SC dismisses plea to form probe panel in Hathras case

Centre declares June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’

Opposition hits out at govt. over ‘high unemployment rate’

Akhilesh corners U.P. govt. over plight of poor during floods

What is Modi’s position on ‘billionaire tax’, asks Congress

Mahayuti gets nine seats in MLC election, MVA bags two

Don’t use derogatory language against Smriti Irani, says Rahul

ED cannot make arrests under PMLA on a whim, says SC

‘India-U.S. tech partnership will grow to hundreds of millions of dollars’

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Content determined by volunteer editors, says Wikipedia parent

No controversial text will be included in DU syllabus, says Pradhan

Lessons from Yoga Vasishtam

India shows good progress on SDGs: NITI Aayog report

New species of dogfish shark discovered in Kerala harbour

West Bengal moves SC against Governor for sitting on Bills

HC grants relief to Rahul in 2014 RSS defamation case

Patna HC grants CBI custody of 13 accused in NEET case

Edit

The verdict of 2024, its amplified message

The PDS impact on household expenditure

letters to the editor

Crash course

A wobbly walk

Freedom and control in Xinjiang

Business

‘Boost financing for green projects’

GST system reforms panel rejigged

Durables, power output surge lifts May IIP to 7-month high

Auto sales rose 16.4% in Q1 to more than 64 lakh units: SIAM

Apple abused position in apps market, finds antitrust probe

HCL Tech’s Q1 net profit rises 20.5% to ₹4,257 crore

NABARD unveils ₹750-cr. agri fund to promote innovation

Foreign

Oli set to return to power in Nepal as Maoist leader Prachanda weighs options

More Democrats call on Biden to quit race after his news conference

Sindhu, Prannoy get easy groups, while it could be tough going for Lakshya and Tanisha-Ashwini at the Paris Games

Imran Khan’s PTI party ‘eligible’ for reserved seats in Pak. parliament

IBSF under-17 and 21 Worlds from Aug. 23

Amid deadlock in parliament, PM vows to ‘guard against’ extremes

63 missing after Nepal landslip sweeps two buses into a river

Japan punishes defence officials for mishandling classified data

Philippines will ‘stand our ground’ in South China Sea dispute: official

Saudi Arabia to host first Esports Olympics in 2025: IOC

Independent govt. must run post-war Gaza, says Hamas

Sports

Alcaraz overcomes the initial jitters, powers past Medvedev

Anderson’s loyalty was to the science of fast bowling

Krejcikova and Paolini vie for their maiden Venus Rosewater Dish

England wallops WI in Anderson’s farewell

Rohit watches Alcaraz-Medvedev semifinal clash on Centre Court

Anderson signs off as the third highest wicket-taker in Tests

I am just proud of what I have achieved, says Anderson

‘He has just been an incredible inspiration to so many people’

The results

Zimbabwe will try to stay alive, India will go for the kill

Kapil makes a fervent appeal to help Aunshuman Gaekwad

Spain is lighting up the tournament with much-needed thrills

Champions Way for feature event

It’s surreal to return to team, says Myers

Mukund exits in the last eight at Tianjin

Uruguay players defend decision to enter crowd

Philipsen at the double on 13th stage sprint

LiVE TELECAST

I believe I can win a medal, says steeplechaser Sable

Jarmanpreet, who once served doping ban, geared up for Olympics debut

Destination Paris: Ryan Murphy longs to reclaim top spot on medal podium at the Olympics

Around THE CITY

India showed resilience to win T20 WC and celebrations told that story, says Laxman

Engagements

Why the 2024 F1 season has the makings of a blockbuster

stacking up

How do you make India’s fastest faster? Tear down invisible barriers

Balcony exit

Weekend

Just for the record

Crisp despatch from Mysore

Broachas in Bali

Wheels Up

The wine investment files

‘I have become a student of Kamal Haasan’

Roland’s vision of Rome

Catching coral

Bride in full bloom

The blue-and-yellow super villains

Emma Roberts leads a silly, hotchpotch underdog comedy

The heat is on with Eddie Murphy

A nexus between crime and politics

A propulsive bloodfest