- Front Page

- Times Nation

- Times City

- A Deep Dive Into New Govt

- Feature

- Third Innings

- Times Global

- Editorial

- Times Business

- Times Sport

- Delhi Times

- Education Times

Front Page

- Under terrorist fire, pilgrim bus falls into gorge in J&K, 9 dead

- ESCAPE IN NEW YORK: INDIA WIN A THRILLER

- Speeding Audi crashes into DU footpath, 1 dead

- 70-yr-old stabbed at home, accused held

- B’deshi smuggler shot near border

- Plea for concurrent jail terms rejected

- B’desh MP murder: CID recovers bones

- Denied loan, help kills employer’s son

- 6 mths after quitting IAS, Pandian exits politics following BJD’s debacle

- Ved Lahoti from Indore tops JEE (A), scores highest-ever marks

- Sand mafia kills 2 cops, one each in UP & Bihar

- 2 planes come dangerously close in Mumbai

- 40°C+ temps for 32 days, longest streak in 14 yrs

- Modi Starts 3rd Term, On His Terms

- Purandeswari in race for Speaker; hunt for BJP chief

- Nadda, Kerala’s Kurian among surprise entrants

- NCP turns down MoS Ind, Praful calls it ‘demotion’

- Kharge attends swearing-in, rest of oppn boycotts

- In attendance: Ambani, Adani to SRK, Rajini

Under terrorist fire, pilgrim bus falls into gorge in J&K, 9 dead

Driver Was Hit & Lost Control; 33 Injured

Sanjay Khajuria | TNN

Jammu: At least nine pilgrims were killed and 33 were injured when their bus plunged into a gorge following a terrorist ambush near Teryath village in Reasi district of J&K around 6pm Sunday, police reported.

“The identities of the dead and injured have not yet been confirmed, but it is believed that the pilgrims are from Uttar Pradesh,” Reasi SSP Mohita Sharma said. A survivor named Santosh from UP confirmed that many of the passengers were from his state.

The bus was returning from the Shiv Khori cave shrine to Katra, a town known for the Vaishno Devi temple. It was travelling on a link road of NH144A, winding through thick forests and mountainous terrain.

“Prima facie, it appears terrorists were waiting for the bus,” SSP Sharma said. “The driver was hit by gunfire and lost control of the vehicle,” the officer said, noting that bullet shells were found at the scene. The injured have been taken to hospitals in Teryath, Reasi, and Jammu.

Locals and authorities participated in the rescue operations, while a security sweep involving police, Army, and CRPF personnel was initiated to catch the attackers. The area, located 100km northwest of Jammu, has been cordoned off.

Initial reports indicate that two masked terrorists opened fire on the bus, hitting the driver.

According to 30-year-old Santosh, currently undergoing treatment in Reasi, a masked terrorist in militarystyle combat fatigue stood in the middle of the road and fired indiscriminately. “I could hear intermittent gunshots when the bus was rolling down the mountainside,” he said.

Union minister Amit Shah condemned the attack and expressed his condolences, tweeting: “Deeply pained by the incident of the attack on pilgrims in Reasi, J&K. Spoke to the lieutenant governor and the DGP, J&K, and inquired about the incident. The culprits of this dastardly attack will not be spared and will face the wrath of the law.”

Related report, P 19

ESCAPE IN NEW YORK: INDIA WIN A THRILLER

➤ Rishabh Pant hit a battling 42 as India pulled off a dramatic 6-run victory against Pakistan in their T20 World Cup match on Sunday

➤ Put in to bat on a tricky New York pitch, India were dismissed for 119, their lowest all-out total against Pak in T20Is, but managed to restrict their rivals to 113/7

➤After Pak’s Naseem Shah & Haris Rauf both took 3/21 and Mohd Amir 2/23, India hit back through Bumrah’s 3/14 and Pandya’s 2/24

➤ India now boast a 7-1 record against Pak in T20 WC games. They also have an unblemished 8-0 record against Pak in ODI WCs

➤ The Men in Blue are well placed to qualify for the Super 8, with matches against Canada and the US left. However, Pak need to beat Ireland and Canada but could still be eliminated, thanks to their shock loss to the US

FULL COVERAGE | P 22 & 23

Speeding Audi crashes into DU footpath, 1 dead

A 45-year-old rickshaw puller was killed and another injured on Sunday as an Audi car, driven by an HC lawyer, crashed at great speed into a sidewalk bench the victims were resting on, outside the main gate of Ramjas College in north Delhi. The driver was arrested and later tested negative for alcohol.

P8

70-yr-old stabbed at home, accused held

A 42-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a 70-year-old at his Shastri Nagar house in north Delhi. The suspect claimed to have taken revenge over alleged ill-treatment of his friend, a maid at the victim’s home.

P 8

B’deshi smuggler shot near border

BSF shot dead an alleged Bangladeshi smuggler near the border at Kalamchera outpost in Tripura’s Sepahijala district during an area domination march Sunday morning. Police said a group of armed men were trying to smuggle goods and tried to encircle a BSF jawan when stopped. TNN

Plea for concurrent jail terms rejected

Noting that terrorism must be dealt with sternly, Delhi HC has rejected the plea of a terror convict seeking that his seven-year sentence in a UAPA case for conspiring to establish an IS base in India run “concurrently” with the eight-year sentence imposed on him in another case.

P 17

B’desh MP murder: CID recovers bones

West Bengal CID has reportedly recovered bones of murdered Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar from a canal in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas, Sunday. CID said Anar’s daughter has been summoned from Bangladesh to provide samples for DNA profiling.

P11

Denied loan, help kills employer’s son

UP police arrested two sisters for allegedly abducting and strangling a 6-yearold boy in Dhampur village of Meerut on Sunday. One of the sisters used to work at the house of the boy’s mother and was upset after the latter refused her a loan of Rs 10,000, police said. TNN

6 mths after quitting IAS, Pandian exits politics following BJD’s debacle

Debabrata.Mohapatra@timesgroup.com

Bhubaneswar: VK Pandian, who quit the IAS last November to join BJD and quickly graduated from ex-CM Naveen Patnaik's trusted aide to rumoured political heir, ended his innings in politics just as swiftly on Sunday with a statement saying he was “sorry if the campaign narrative against me has had a part to play in BJD's loss”.

“I have consciously decided to withdraw myself from active politics...I apologise to the Biju family and all workers of BJD. My only intent of joining politics was to assist my mentor Naveen Patnaik,” said Pandian, who had declared at a rally that he would qu- it politics if BJD didn't return to office with a 3/4th majority.

Tamil Nadu-born Pandian's resignation caps a week of setbacks for BJD, with Naveen missing out on a sixth consecutive term in office and the party drawing a blank in LS polls. BJP targeted him as a threat to “Odia asmita”.

 Related report, P 19

Pujari frontrunner for Odisha CM’s post

The field of contenders for the Odisha CM’s post narrowed down to Brajarajnagar MLA Suresh Pujari and three potential alternatives after the duo of Dharmendra Pradhan & Jual Oram were inducted into the Cabinet. Pujari faces competition from state chief Manmohan Samal.

P 17

Ved Lahoti from Indore tops JEE (A), scores highest-ever marks

A Ragu Raman, Hemali Chhapia & Yogita Rao | TNN

Chennai/Mumbai: Ved Lahoti from Indore shattered the JEE (Advanced) records by scoring the highest-ever marks of 355 out of 360 in the 2024 exam. Dwija Patel (332 marks) from Gujarat, who ranked 7 in the country, topped among the girls.

Of the 1.8 lakh candidates who took JEE (A), 48,248 qualified. Of them, 7,964 are girls. This year, 455 more girls have qualified compared to the previous year. The JEE (A) results were declared on Sunday by IIT Madras, the organising college for this entrance exam that is the final gateway for the country’s premier tech colleges.

Related report, P 19

As a kid, he questioned teacher for low score

Ved Lahoti’s self-assuredness got him a place in the record book as IITs raised his score by additional 3 marks after he challenged two questions. As a child too, if he scored low in any subject, he used to question his teachers.

P19

Sand mafia kills 2 cops, one each in UP & Bihar

The sand mining mafia continued its deadly run in UP and Bihar, resulting in the deaths of a constable each in the two states, both fatally run over by tractors within hours of each other over the weekend. In UP’s Farrukhabad, constable Rohit Kumar Pancholi, 24, was killed while attempting to stop a tractor-trolley involved in illegal sand mining Saturday night. In Bihar, constable Deepak Kumar, 29, was run over by a tractor in Aurangabad during a check for illegal sand miners.

P9

2 planes come dangerously close in Mumbai

In a close call at the Mumbai airport on Saturday, an IndiGo aircraft descended on the runway, touching down even as an Air India flight was taking off, breaching the safety margin, reports Manju V. The Air India plane lifted off a split second before the IndiGo aircraft touched down about 2,100 feet behind, said sources. On Sunday, a video footage went viral, prompting DGCA to initiate an investigation.

P9

40°C+ temps for 32 days, longest streak in 14 yrs

Maximum temperatures at Delhi base weather station, Safdarjung. have stayed above 40 degrees Celsius since May 14, making this the longest streak of scorching heat in at least 14 years for which records are readily available. The streak is set to continue as IMD has issued a yellow alert for heatwave till June 13, with temperatures predicted to touch 45 degrees C. Safdarjung logged 42.5 degrees C on Sunday.

P3

Modi Starts 3rd Term, On His Terms

Allies Get 15% Of Berths; Upper Caste Nos. At A Low

PM Modi at the swearing-in on Sunday. Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu were among seven foreign leaders from the immediate neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region to attend

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Narendra Modi was, on Sunday, sworn in as prime minister for the third time, equalling Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of three straight terms in the top office.

With 72 members including him, Modi’s latest team is bigger than the previous two, and, contrary to speculation, he had little difficulty in putting together the council of ministers despite leading a coalition govt. TDP and JD (U), in particular, chose not to haggle, as was generally expected after voters denied BJP an absolute majority.

Although portfolios have not been announced, the ease of ministry making is being seen as an indication that BJP may not have difficulty in retaining important ministries, not just home, defence, finance and external affairs, but also others crucial for ensuring continuity of policy trajectory.

The exercise was marked by the inclusion of experienced players, including four former CMs, but wasn’t marked by high-wattage exclusions. The govt has seven former CMs, including Modi, and four who have been BJP chiefs.

In terms of social composition, it carries forward the process of earmarking a progressively bigger share to “non-reserved” categories — SCs/STs and OBCs. The drop in stre- ngth of the “general category contingent” appears starker. It could partly be thanks to many heavyweights losing in UP and Bihar. But the messaging from lower upper caste representation is significant in view of losses BJP suffered because of the opposition’s allegation that it was out to scrap quotas.

It has not built upon the trend of progressively increasing the share of women in the cabinet, setting off a buzz about a likely compensation in the form of early action on women’s quota in legislatures. There are seven women in the council with Nirmala Sitharaman and Annapurna Devi, who got a promotion, designated cabinet ministers.

More striking, however, is the non-representation of Muslims; it is the first instance of a central govt taking office without any representative of the largest minority community on board.

Including the 30 members with cabinet rank, it is the largest council of ministers since 2014, the increase resulting from the need to accommodate 11 from among BJP allies.

J P Nadda, who will soon complete his tenure as BJP chief, made a comeback in govt, paving the way for an organisational recast. Nadda’s entry also meant that Anurag Thakur, MP from Hamirpur, missed out, but is likely to get a prominent party post. Dharmendra Pradhan’s inclusion in the Union cabinet for the third straight time is a confirmation that the party will look for a legislator from Odisha to be sworn in as chief minister on Monday. Pradhan had looked the obvious frontrunner for the post in Bhubaneswar.

Apart from BJP’s Shivraj Chouhan and Manohar Lal, the govt boasts two other exCMs in H D Kumaraswamy (JDS) and Jitan Manjhi (HAM) to add to the bench strength.

Continued on P 17

P 16

FULL COVERAGE: FLAP OPP & PAGES 2, 14-17, 20 & 21

EDIT: Swear By Growth

THIRD INNINGS: KNOW YOUR MANTRIS, P14-15

LARGER, RICHER, & A BIT YOUNGER

➤ 72 ministers (61 from BJP, 11 from allies), 31 Cabinet, 5 MoS with independent charge and 36 junior ministers

➤ 27 OBC, 10 SC, 5 ST, 4 minority, no Muslim

➤ 24 states represented. 18 ministers from North, 17 West, 15 East, 13 South, 6 Central and 3 NE

➤ Only 33 of 72 ministers from outgoing council back. 14 of outgoing ministers didn’t contest, 19 lost, 6 contested & won but dropped

➤ Average assets of ministers 107.9cr, up from 14.3cr in 2019, thanks largely to TDP’s Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani’s 5,705.5cr (almost 75% of total ministers’ assets)

➤ Average age is 58.8, a year younger than in 2019 (59.8)

➤ 7 women against 6 in 2019

➤ Ministers from RS: 11, LS: 58; 3 from neither House. 2019 council: 58 (11 RS, 45 LS)

➤ Kerala has 2 ministers but only 1 MP. No MP from TN but 1 minister. 3 of poll-bound Haryana’s 5 BJP MPs included

POLITICS BEHIND THE PICKS

Key Messages From Modi’s First Coalition Govt

1 BJP IS BOSS: Short of a majority, needing allies, Modi chose to signal the new govt is still his govt, not one created by bargain-hunting allies. Not just the top cabinet jobs — home, finance, defence, foreign affairs — BJP will likely retain most heavyweight ministries.

2 ALLIES LOOK FOR GOVT FUNDS: One reason TDP and JDU didn’t push a hard bargain was that Naidu and Nitish decided fights with BJP over ministries weren’t worth it if in return they can extract more govt cash for their states, even if Bihar, Andhra don’t get special category status.

3 FEWER COALITION SHOCKS: At least to begin with, allies going along with BJP’s dominance of key jobs means the govt can function without too many disruptions and policy reversals typical of other coalition regimes.

4 EX-CMS ADD HEFT: Of course, PMO will call the shots. But the inclusion of six former chief ministers will bring administrative and policymaking experience to the council of ministers, especially since several of them have helmed big, complicated states.

5 EYE ON POLLS: Three states —Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand — face polls this year. Ministers from Haryana signal BJP intends to stay with the same social engineering formula that helped it build a non-Jat coalition. That Praful Patel’s comments on not taking up a ministerial post were made in the presence of BJP netas reflects NDA’s keenness to keep the Maharashtra alliance intact. And picks from Jharkhand point to BJP’s strategy of shoring up non-tribal groups.

6 ABSENT MUSLIMS: Modi’s third govt will begin with not a single Muslim minister. This may change later. But as of now, a council of ministers without any Muslims may be read by some in the context of the community’s near-total support for the opposition in the elections.

7 HELLO SUPER-RICH, HELLO HINDUS: That Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani were both among invitees shows Modi isn’t keeping these billionaires away just because the opposition made ‘crony capitalism’ a big campaign theme. And the sizeable presence of Hindu civil society groups means concessions, if any, on BJP’s core Hindutva agenda will be minor.

Purandeswari in race for Speaker; hunt for BJP chief

Andhra BJP chief and MP D Purandeswari is among the probables for the post of LS Speaker. Sources said BJP believes elevating her will also be well-received by Chandrababu Naidu. The spotlight is also on appointing a BJP president as J P Nadda, whose extended term was to end in June, is now a minister. Gen secy (organisation) B L Santhosh may hold fort or a working president may be appointed before the National Council takes a call.

P17

Nadda, Kerala’s Kurian among surprise entrants

JP Nadda, on the verge of completing his term as BJP chief, was seen as a surprise inclusion in the list of Cabinet ministers, as was Kerala BJP general secy George Kurian, who has been a saffron loyalist since the 70s. Two berths to Kerala were seen aimed at consolidating the gains made by the party. Surprise omissions included five-time Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Anil Baluni.

P16

NCP turns down MoS Ind, Praful calls it ‘demotion’

NCP turned down BJP’s offer to accommodate Praful Patel as a minister of state with independent charge, and said it was assured of “remedial measures” after “some days”. Patel said since he had already served as a Cabinet minister in the Union govt, BJP’s offer would be a “demotion”. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde called on Patel soon after. NCP has two MPs and is likely to get two more in the next few months.

P 16

Kharge attends swearing-in, rest of oppn boycotts

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was at the ceremony, with the rest of the opposition boycotting it in protest at what they said was “Modi’s moral defeat”. Sources said the opposition felt the PM had indulged in “hate speech and lies” during the poll campaign, and had besmirched the dignity of his office. “It was decided that Kharge should attend as he occupies a constitutional post as leader of opposition in RS,” a Congress neta said.

P 16

In attendance: Ambani, Adani to SRK, Rajini

More than 8,000 people packed the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt on Sunday, including film industry biggies — Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar — and industry biggies Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Adani was accompanied by his wife and brother while Ambani came with son Anant. Kangana Ranaut, newly elected MP from Mandi, and actor Raveena Tandon were also present.

P16

Times Nation

- 5 accused of ’93 blast convict’s killing in jail sent to cop custody

- Close shave for 100s at Mum airport

- Sand smugglers kill 2 policemen in UP and Bihar

- Couple killed in Bihar, neighbour held:

- After 14-day search, 2 bodies found in Assam rat-hole mine

- India, Pak may hold Indus talks this month

- 2 bags with woman’s body parts found on train

- Monsoon reaches Mum two days in advance

- Bones found in canal belong to B’desh MP?

- NIA arrests man in Assam jail for murder of 4 in Manipur in Jan

- Rail jobs scam: HC orders medical test of Lalu aide

- New govt to decide on Army’s integrated battle group plan

- KERALA BOOST FOR MARINE LIFE

- Naveen nephew visits Odisha, sparks political successor buzz

- Maoist carrying `10L reward on head arrested

- Between 1999-2000 and 2022-23, dip in cereal consumption: Study

- 2 held in Goa for Mum hoarding crash, sent to police custody

- Terrorists from Pak suspected to be behind J&K bus attack

- At 11,180, most candidates qualify from Madras zone

- JEE topper questions wrong marking, improves score

- Gen Z teens ‘coming out’ younger with stronger family support

KOLHAPUR CASE

5 accused of ’93 blast convict’s killing in jail sent to cop custody

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolhapur:A Kolhapur court on Saturday awarded eight day police custody to five men accused of murdering a 1993 Bombay serial blast convict inside the Kalamba Central Jail on June 2.

Munna, alias Adil Khan alias Manojkumar Bhavarlal Gupta, who was convicted for helping Tiger Memon — the 1993 serial blast’s key accused — collect a shipment of arms and ammunition brought for the blasts, was killed by five Kalamba jail inmates.

The five were identified as Saurabh Sidh, Bablu alias Sandip Shankar Chavan, Pratik alias Pilya Patil, Ruturaj alias Deja Inamdar, and Dipak Netaji Khot. They battered Munna with a concrete and iron cover of a manhole.

The prison department began an internal inquiry and has decided to step up security, especially for four other convicts of the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blast case.

A senior officer said while witness statements have already been recorded, the real motive of the murder will be known once the five accused are interrogated. After the murder, all five accused were lodged in the anda cell separately.

Munna, the victim, was a habitual absconder and a criminal who had escorted Tiger Memon in a four wheeler from Mumbai to Raigad for the Shekhadi landing of a huge cache of arms, ammunition, hand grenades and RDX before the March 12, 1993, blasts.

He also helped in the transportation of the arms back to Mumbai (then Bombay). He completed his original 14-year sentence and was out of prison since 2007 when Supreme Court enhanced his sentence to a life term.

Close shave for 100s at Mum airport

IndiGo Plane Hits Runway Even As AI Aircraft Was Taking Off; DGCA Orders Probe

Manju.V@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: In a close call at Mumbai airport on Saturday, an IndiGo aircraft descended on the runway, touching down even as an Air India flight was taking off, breaching the safety margin. The Air India plane lifted off a split second before the IndiGo jet touched down about 2,100 feet behind, said sources.

At the busy Mumbai airport, which operates with one runway, the norm is that the aircraft taking off should lift off and cross the end of the strip before the aircraft landing can cross the beginning and proceed to touch down.

The incident, captured by plane spotters, showed the two aircraft, one behind the other, on the runway. On Sunday, the footage went viral on social media, prompting DGCA to initiate an investigation. From the angle the footage was recorded, the aircraft appeared dangerously close.

The investigation will primarily look into the sequence of events that led to the breach of separation, the safety margin, between the two A320Neo aircraft, one operated by AI as AI-657 from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram and the other, an IndiGo flight 6E5053 from Indore to Mumbai.

The runway meet-up of both these flights occurred around 6.20am. The air traffic controller concerned has been de rostered from duty to allow for the investigation.

“The AI aircraft was cleared by the air traffic control (ATC) to enter the runway and subsequently cleared for take-off. The AI aircraft continued with the take-off movement in accordance with laid down procedures,” said AI in a statement.

The IndiGo flight from Indore was given landing clearance by ATC, a spokesman for the airline said. “The pilot in command continued the approach and landing and followed ATC instructions,” IndiGo said.

Though both airlines said their commanders merely followed ATC instructions, pilots and controllers TOI spoke to highlighted the role played by pilots and the system that forces them to operate in a constrained space in heavy traffic.

“The domino was triggered by the AI aircraft,” said air safety expert capt Amit Singh, based on data gathered from Flightradar24. Given the heavy air traffic on the lone runway, aircraft land or take off in a tight, choreographic sequence. The series of events that led to the incident occurred in the 90 seconds after an Iraqi Airways flight took off and the AI aircraft entered the runway for take-off. “The AI aircraft was slow to take-off after it received the line-up clearance, assuming they received immediate take-off clearance,” he said. They should have informed ATC, who would have cancelled their take-off clearance.

According to the Mumbai airport Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), “when an aircraft is issued with a take-off clearance af- ter lining up on the runway it shall commence take-off immediately. If the controller observes a delay in aircraft commencing take-off, the take-off clearance will be cancelled and the aircraft shall be instructed to vacate the runway immediately at the nearest taxiway.”

The AI aircraft had not lifted off when the IndiGo aircraft crossed the beginning of the runway (runway threshold with piano key markings is further down the line). AIP also provides rules for landings. “Aircraft shall not land on an occupied runway even if landing clearance is received,” says the AIP, listing a commander’s responsibility. “Pilot should not hesitate to ask ATC about traffic on the runway. If pilots perceive at any point that it is not safe to continue approach, they must initiate go around,” it adds.

Capt Singh said: “The question is the degree of responsibility on each of them, the controller and the two pilots and most importantly, the runway infrastructure constraints at the Mumbai airport which puts the controllers and pilots in such situations.,” he added.

Sand smugglers kill 2 policemen in UP and Bihar

Faiz Siddiqui & Premenda Mishra

Kanpur/Aurangabad: The sand mining mafia continued its deadly run in UP and Bihar, resulting in the deaths of a constable each in the two states, both run over by tractors within hours of each other over the weekend.

In UP, constable Rohit Kumar Pancholi, 24, was killed while attempting to stop a tractor-trolley involved in illegal sand mining in Nagla Chandan area Saturday night. Pancholi, posted at Nawabganj police station in Farrukhabad district, was critically wounded and died of his wounds at a private hospital Sunday morning. A native of Bijnor district, he had joined UP police in 2012.

According to SP Vikas Kumar, two suspects were arrested Sunday night following a police raid that resulted in a shootout. “Pradeep Yadav and Bhupendra Yadav, both residents of Farrukhabad district, were named among five accused in the complaint by the constable’s family. Both were shot in the leg during the encounter and later admitted to Mohammadabad Community Health Centre,” Kumar said.

In Bihar, constable Deepak Kumar, 29, was run over by a tractor in Aurangabad during a routine check for illegal sand miners around 4am Sunday. Kumar, a native of Bhojpur district, was declared dead on arrival at the govt hospital in Daudnagar. Aurangabad SP Swapna G Meshram said driver Ramta Singh and tractor owner Dharmendra Yadav were arrested later in the day.

On June 6, the body of 25-year-old tractor driver Avanish Kumar was found buried in a sand mound in Bihar’s Begusarai. On Nov 14 last year, sub-inspector Prabhat Ranjan was similarly crushed to death by the sand mafia in Jamui.

These deaths are not isolated — at least 11 people have been killed across the country since 2023 for exposing or acting against illegal mining operations. Thirty-nine people, including police and activists, were killed between 2019 and 2022, according to a Down to Earth report.

Couple killed in Bihar, neighbour held:

A retired govt employee and his wife were hacked to death in their sleep allegedly by a neighbour at their house over a suspected land dispute in Bihar’s Bank a district in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, reports Faryal Rumi. Police has arrested the neighbour.

After 14-day search, 2 bodies found in Assam rat-hole mine

After a gruelling 14-day search operation, bodies of the remaining two illegal coal miners who were trapped inside a rat-hole mine in Patkai Hills of Tinsukia district in Assam were recovered on Saturday, reports Rajib Dutta.

The deceased were identified as John Nongrum, 39, and Phiniellin Umbah, 24, both residents of Ri Bhoi district in Meghalaya. Their bodies were retrieved from the mountain of rubble with the help of excavators by the NDRF, SDRF, and local rescue workers.

India, Pak may hold Indus talks this month

Sachin.Parashar@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: India may host a Pakistan delegation this month for a meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) that looks to resolve bilateral issues through dialogue under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Pakistan was a notable omission, along with Myanmar, in the Modi 3.0 inauguration guest list that included most other immediate neighbours but the World Bank- backed Indus talks remain ring-fenced from the turbulent nature of ties which have been bereft of any substantive diplomatic engagement in the past eight years.

The two countries are currently in touch to finalise the dates for the proposed visit in the third week of this month. Under the 1960 IWT, the two sides are required to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan. India refuses to engage Pakistan otherwise because of the latter’s support to cross-border terrorism.

If the visit happens, the delegation may also travel to J&K for talks related to IWT, which provides a framework for irrigation and hydropower development, allocating the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. As the World Bank says, the Treaty also allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other.

There was a renewed interest in IWT talks last year after India gave a notice to Pakistan for a modification of the Treaty because of the latter’s “intransigence and unilateral actions” on the issue of Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in J&K. India was upset that despite the World Bank asking both countries to find a mutually agreeable way, instead of seeking separate processes, to address Pakistan’s objections to the projects, Islamabad had unilaterally sought a parallel process to address the issue.

2 bags with woman’s body parts found on train

Indore: Two bags containing dismembered body parts of a woman were found tucked under a seat in a general compartment of a passenger train while it was being cleaned in a yard near Indore station late Saturday night, reports Karishma Kotwal.

Forensic experts suspect the woman was killed at least two to three days earlier. Police say whoever hacked the body knew how to cut it up and stop blood flow at the same time. The victim was yet to be identified but is believed to be from somewhere along the 149km route of the Nagda-Mhow passenger train.

“The head and upper part of the body were found in a trolley bag. Her thighs were kept in two separate polythene sacks. The body was highly decomposed and looked at least three days old. The woman was seen wearing a bindi and her hair was braided,” said GRP police station in-charge Sanjay Shukla. A cleaner, Rinku, was revolted by the stench and alerted police, Shukla added.

Shukla said that five teams have been formed to solve the mystery. They are checking CCTV footage at Indore, Nagda and all other halts of the train where the bags may have been carried into the coach. Officials are also checking missing persons’ reports and have alerted nearby districts and states.

Forensic expert Dr BL Mandloi said based on the level of decomposition, it seemed the body was “at least two days old”, adding the autopsy would help determine the weapon used in the murder.

Monsoon reaches Mum two days in advance

A gradual increase in rainfall activity is expected over parts of Maharashtra during the next 2-3 days, IMD said

Richa.Pinto@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: The southwest monsoon hit Mumbai on Sunday (June 9), two days before its expected arrival date, according to IMD. Previously, in the years 2021 and 2018, the onset of monsoon was declared on June 9 .

BMC has claimed that it has completed all the pre-monsoon works, including the required desilting of drains and winding up of road repairs, which would be restarted after monsoon. However, residents looked sceptical. “In Bandra, several road works are incomplete and the locality in a mess,” said a local resident.

The declaration about monsoon onset came after the city and other parts of MMR such as Thane and Kalyan saw significant rain activity in the intervening night of June 8 and 9. Rain recorded in the 24 hours ending 8.30am on Sunday by IMD’s Colaba observatory was 8.8mm while the Santacruz observatory recorded 19.8mm of rain.

IMD officials said that the monsoon onset was declared as the criteria set by the weather office had been fulfilled. “For declaring onset, at least 3-4 locations should record over 2.5mm rains and the westerly winds should be strong. Due to gradual strengthening of westerly winds in association with south west monsoon, a gradual increase in rainfall activity is expected over parts of Maharashtra during next 2-3 days. We are expecting rain activity to continue till June 14 after which we would monitor the situation,” said Sunil Kamble, the chief scientist of IMD Mumbai.

Meanwhile, owing to the rain activity a part of the road in Palghar district of Maharashtra caved-in, affecting traffic movement on the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway for more than four hours on Sunday morning.

(With PTI inputs)

Bones found in canal belong to B’desh MP?

Kolkata: In what may prove to be a breakthrough in the probe into the murder of Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar in a posh Kolkata flat on May 13, West Bengal CID reportedly recovered his body parts from Bagjola canal in South 24 Parganas district’s Bhangar area on Sunday morning, report Dwaipayan Ghosh & Mayukh Sengupta.

“We have recovered some bones. We have sent these for forensic analysis,” said CID IG Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi.

Mohammad Siam Hossain, in CID custody after his arrest in Nepal for disposing of Anar’s body parts, his SIM card, and murder weapons, led officials to the spot, around 300 metres deep into the canal from the main motorable road, said a CID source. “Jirangacha BPHC medical officer and CFSL experts were present during the recovery of the body parts from the southeastern bank of Bagjola canal at Krishnamati village,” said DIG Indra Chakraborty.

CID said Anar’s daughter has been summoned to provide samples for DNA profiling to match with the recovered body parts.

NIA arrests man in Assam jail for murder of 4 in Manipur in Jan

Guwahati: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a militant, who is currently in an Assam jail in connection with a case, for his alleged involvement in the killing of four civilians in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Jan 18, reports Mukut Das. It is the first arrest in the case in Manipur, which has been embroiled in ethnic strife since last year.

According to NIA’s statement, Lunminsei Kipgen, alias Langinmang, alias Mang, alias Levi, a resident of Manipur, was formally arrested by the investigating agency from the central jail on Saturday under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Arms Act.

On Jan 18, armed men had murdered four civilians near the water treatment plant at Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou, Bishnupur.

The four deceased were identified as Oinam Bamonjao Singh (63), Thiyam Somen Singh (50), Ningthoujam Nabadip Meetei (39) and Oinam Manitomba Singh (32).

Rail jobs scam: HC orders medical test of Lalu aide

New Delhi: Delhi high court has ordered the setting up of a medical board to evaluate the condition of RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s close aide Amit Katyal, who sought interim bail on medical grounds in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam in the Indian Railways.

HC said while the report from the jail did not indicate any “underlying medical condition,” the accused recently had a bariatric surgery. It, therefore, asked the AIIMS director to constitute a team of doctors from minimum three different specialties to ascertain the nature of ailments Katyal is suffering from. The court added that after the evaluation of medical records and examination of the accused, the medical board shall furnish a report on or before June 14.

TNN

New govt to decide on Army’s integrated battle group plan

7 Already Set Up, More In The Offing

Army remains all gung-ho about the role of integrated battle groups, which it believes will ensure a greater and swifter offensive punch

Rajat.Pandit@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Apart from the impending move to create unified tri-Service theatre commands, the new govt will also take a call on the longpending restructuring of some Army formations into self-contained integrated battle groups (IBGs) that can mobilise fast and hit hard, sources said.

The 12-lakh strong Army has already carved out two IBGs under the 9 ‘Pivot’ Corps (headquarters in Yol) on western front with Pakistan under Phase-1 of the ‘pilot project’. Five IBGs, in turn, have been created in 17 ‘Mountain Strike’ Corps (Panagarh) in eastern one with China in Phase-2.

“These integrated allarms IBGs have been successfully war-gamed and validated in multiple exercises. Army HQ had earlier submitted the report on Phase-1 of ‘IBG- isation’ to defence ministry. But MoD has also asked for Phase-2 report before official GSL (government sanction letter) can be issued,” a source told TOI.

Army remains all gungho about the role of IBGs, which it believes will ensure a greater and swifter offensive punch. But it remains to be seen how exactly the IBG model dovetails into the three proposed theatre commands to be constituted for China, Pakistan and the Indian Ocean region.

“Theatre commands constitute a strategic-level reform involving Army, IAF and Navy. IBG model is a tactical re-organisation within Army, which has already been delayed quite a bit. But since IBG-isation has some financial implications, a GSL is required,” another source said.

As reported by TOI earlier, a composite IBG will have 5,000-6,000 soldiers and a varying mix of infantry, tanks, artillery, air defence, signals, engineers and other units permanently deployed together. As of now, these units come together only during exercises or actual combat.

In effect, much more agile IBGs will be larger than brigades (3,000 soldiers each) but smaller than divisions (12,000 soldiers each) and will be headed by Major-Generals. Each IBG is to be configured as per the threat perception, the type of terrain involved and the operational task to be executed.

So, IBGs meant for China will revolve more around infantry, light artillery and light mechanised forces geared for mountain warfare, while those for Pakistan will be focused on main-battle tanks and heavy artillery due to the plains involved.

The original plan was to first carve out 8-10 IBGs, then wait for them to settle down, and finally create more over the years. Overall, the Army has 14 corps (40,000 to 70,000 troops in each), with four of them being ‘strike’ or offensive formations.

While the 17 Corps was raised with China in mind, the 1Corps (Mathura) was also “reoriented and equipped” for the northern borders after the military confrontation in eastern Ladakh erupted in May 2020. The two Pakistan-specific strike corps are 2 Corps (Ambala) and 21 Corps (Bhopal).

KERALA BOOST FOR MARINE LIFE

Fishing boats anchored during the annual trawling ban in Kerala’s Kozhikode district on Sunday. The 52-day ban in a bid to protect marine fisheries resources during the monsoon will end on July 31

Naveen nephew visits Odisha, sparks political successor buzz

 Continued from P 1

Former bureaucrat V K Pandian is copping much of the blame for his BJD’s electoral debacle, although his mentor has stood by him.

In what could be more than a coincidence, Naveen’s nephew Arun Patnaik landed in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, sparking a buzz of BJD baton being passed within the family. Naveen had recently clarified that he hadn’t anointed Pandian as his political successor, saying people of Odisha will choose who should wear that hat.

Pandian joined politics on Nov 27 last year, after taking voluntary retirement from IAS. He went on to play the lead role in BJD’s campaign amid allegations that Naveen had left all crucial decisions to him.

Pockets of resistance to Pandian getting precedence within BJD over those from the state played a role in the party’s strength in the 147-member assembly dwindling to 51. BJP won 78 seats.

In a four-minute video, his first since June 4 poll verdict, Pandian appeared to accept responsibility for BJD’s dismal show.

Maoist carrying `10L reward on head arrested

Gumla: Police on Saturday arrested an outlawed CPI (Maoist) zonal commander, carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh, from Jhalkapat hilltop area in Jharkhand’s Gumla, reports K A Gupta.

Police received a tip-off that Maoist regional commander Chhotu Kherwar, alias Sujit ji, along with others, was visiting villages under Ghagra police station area to extort levy for development projects and monitor the movements of security forces, said Gumla SP Shambhu Kumar Singh.

A quick response team led by SDPO Suresh Kumar raided the area, resulting in the arrest of Shambhu Ganjhu, alias Ravi Ganjhu, alias Ravi ji, added the SP.

Between 1999-2000 and 2022-23, dip in cereal consumption: Study

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi; The share of cereals in total expenditure in rural India varies from 3% in Haryana, Kerala and Punjab to 7% in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, survey results have shown.

Household Consumption Expenditure survey (HCES) for 2022-23 showed that in urban India, the share varies from 3% in Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu to 6% in Bihar and Jharkhand.

There has been a gradual decline in per capita quantity consumption of cereals in rural as well as urban areas between 1999-2000 to 2022-23 as greater prosperity has prompted people to shift to proteins, processed food and other items.

For instance, monthly per capita cereal consumption was highest in West Bengal at 11.2%, followed by Bihar at 11.1%. Kerala had lowest at 6.6%.

When it comes to percentage share of rice in total consumption of cereals, Assam was at 95.9%, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at 92.2%, Telangana at 92.1% and Odisha at 90.7%.

Lowest was in Rajasthan at 3.2% and Haryana at 9.8% and Punjab at 11.6%.

“As incomes go up, cereal consumption goes down and more of proteins, milk, meat and eggs, and fruits and vegetables are consumed,” said Ashok Gulati, Infosys chair professor of agriculture at economic think tank ICRIER, highlighting steady rise in incomes over the years which has helped income inequality to dip across country.

For wheat, highest consumption was Haryana at 88.6%, Punjab 87.5% and Rajasthan at 84.8%.

Lowest was in Assam at 4%, followed by Telangana at 5%, Tamil Nadu at 7.2%, Chhattisgarh at 7.8% and Odisha at 8.4%. Karnataka had highest share in coarse grains at 19.4%, followed by Gujarat at 16.7% and Maharashtra at 12.3%. Share of West Bengal was nil, followed by UP and Kerala at 0.1%, Punjab at 0.6%.

The survey results showed that the share of food in total consumption expenditure of rural households varies from 39% in Kerala to 54% in Bihar and Assam. For the urban sector, the share of food in consumption expenditure varies from 35% in Telangana to 47 % in Assam and Bihar.

Information in the survey was collected from 8,723 villages and 6,115 urban blocks spread over the entire country covering 2,61,746 households (1,55,014 in rural and 1,06,732 in urban areas).

2 held in Goa for Mum hoarding crash, sent to police custody

Mumbai:A day after former director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, Jhanvi Marathe, and civil contractor Sagar Kumbhar, were arrested from Goa Saturday in the May 13 Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case were produced in acourt on Sunday and sent to police custody till June 15.

Last week, sessions court rejected Marathe’s anticipatory bail plea. Marathe and Kumbhar were arrested from a hotel in Goa. Earlier, a special probe team of crime branch had arrested Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media, and structural engineer Manoj Ramakrishna Sanghu in this case.

Police in its remand paper said Marathe was director of the company from Sept 5, 2016 to Dec 21, 2023 and was a director from approval of the hoarding to installation work.

Terrorists from Pak suspected to be behind J&K bus attack

Jammu: Sunday’s ambush on a bus carrying pilgrims suggests a spread of terrorist violence to new areas, as Reasi district had remained unaffected by the recent spate of attacks in neighbouring Rajouri and Poonch, reports Sanjay Khajuria. Pir Panjal route, known for its arduous terrain, is frequently used by terrorists to infiltrate into Jammu from LoC in Poonch and Rajouri before moving towards Kashmir.

Union minister Rajnath Singh called the attack on pilgrims “extremely reprehensible”. “My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their loved ones in this heinous act against pilgrims. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” he posted on X.

Congress’ Rahul Gandhi expressed condolences to bereaved families. “This shameful incident is the true picture of the worrying security situation in J&K,” he wrote on X.

Sources suspect the involvement of ex-Pakistani army SSG commando-turned-LeT operative Illiyas Fauji and two other terrorists from Pakistan, who have been on the run since the fatal attack on an IAF convoy in Poonch on May 4.

According to Union home ministry data, eight civilians were killed in J&K in the first five months of this year up to May 31.

The last attack in Reasi was on May 13, 2022, when terrorists used “sticky bombs” on a bus carrying pilgrims from Katra to Jammu, resulting in four deaths and injuries to 13 others. Sunday’s strike is reminiscent of the July 10, 2017, assault on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims, in which seven were killed and 19 injured. On that occasion, the driver managed to save 52 passengers despite heavy gunfire.

An ‘affront’ to nat’l security, says Cong

Condemning the gruesome terrorist outrage in J&K, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the chestthumping of Modi govt has proved hollow in view of continuing terror attacks in the UT, pointing out the dastardly attack which took ten lives happened while Modi and NDA govt were taking oath of office for the third term. He termed the attack a ”deliberate affront” to national security. Rahul Gandhi said the attack is “true picture of worrying security situation” in J&K, adding that the country stands united against terror.

TNN

At 11,180, most candidates qualify from Madras zone

Continued from P 1

Students complained that the results website was slow and broke down twice. Topper Ved Lahoti had initially scored 352, also secured by Chirag Falor in JEE (A) 2020 who opted to pursue his education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, instead of joining an IIT.

Apart from bagging four spots in the top 10 ranks this year, the highest number of candidates — 11,180 — have qualified from IIT Madras zone, followed by IIT Delhi (10,255) and IIT Bombay (9480).

The board tilts northwards as one looks at the top 100 ranks. The IIT Bombay zone has 30 in the top 100 ranks, 29 from IIT Delhi, and 25 from IIT Madras. While nine candidates from IIT Roorkee zone secured ranks within the top 100, four from IIT Bhubaneswar, two from IIT Guwahati, and one from IIT Kanpur also secured ranks within the top 100. Last year, IIT Madras monopolised the top 100 merit list with 40 candidates. IITs have a total of 17,740 seats for admission this year, up from 17,385 in 2023.

This year, around 100 top rankers bagged scores above 300, a figure last recorded in 2017 when again IIT-Madras had organised the exam, observed a coaching class teacher.

Sreedhar Babu, an IIT Bombay alumnus and mathematics teacher from a tutorial, said the mathematics paper this time was easier compared to the previous years. “Students who are strong at mathematics, which is supposed to be the heart of engineering and science, could not get the advantage over others. The paper favoured students who had good memory and practice over those with intellectual aptitude,” he said.

The minimum qualifying aggregate score for the open category went up to 109 as compared to 86 last year — up 6.5% to touch 30.3%, which is the highest in the last four years. The cutoff for the OBC-NCL list and general EWS is 98, and 54 for SC, ST and persons with disabilities, said a release from the organising chairman, JEE (A ) 2024, IIT Madras.

For all categories, the qualifying marks have increased by 3% to 5.8% this year compared to last year. B Pavan Kumar from a tutorial said this was done mainly due to fewer difficult questions in the exam this year. “The number of easy questions has gone up, while the moderately difficult questions have remained more or less the same.”

JEE topper questions wrong marking, improves score

Lahoti was certain he couldn’t have got two questions wrong. The IITs acknowledged one answer to be correct and raised his score by additional three marks. He wants to study computer science at IIT-B

Hemali Chhapia, Yogita Rao & Litha Achari | TNN

Mumbai/Indore: Ved Lahoti’s self-assuredness got him a place in the record book. As a child, if he scored low in any subject, he used to take his maternal grandfather to school and question the teachers. This attitude endures.

The all-India JEE (Advanced) topper, who secured 355 marks in the 2024 exam, had initially scored 352, but after IITs released the provisional answer key, he was certain he couldn’t have got two questions wrong.

He challenged the two questions and after taking the feedback into consideration, IITs acknowledged one answer to be correct and raised his score by an additional three marks.

“I was determined to break the JEE (Advanced) score record,” says Lahoti.

Lahoti, who feels “nothing is impossible”, says he believes in finding logical answers to everything.

“If you are determined, everything is possible. There should be a goal in life, and it should be big. After this, hard work should also be of the same level,” he said.

“Have faith in your hard work. If you have worked according to the target, then you will definitely achieve success. To learn, it is necessary to practise as much as possible,” says Lahoti, who had set his sights on JEE (A) seven years ago and wants to join IIT Bombay’s computer science stream.

While Lahoti’s razor-sharp focus saw him through, Mulund boy Dhruv Doshi, who bagged an all India rank of 9 and got Mumbai a spot in the top 10 after three years, believes in taking life as it comes. He says he was unsure about preparing for JEE (A) till he took his Class X exams.

Now that he is among the top scorers, Doshi, who is the son of an anaesthesiologist and a dentist, is aiming to secure a computer science seat in IIT Bombay.

A student at Rahul International School, which offers integrated coaching, he had secured 96.6% in his CBSE Class XII exams this year.

“I have always loved mathematics. And my target was to get a seat comfortably in IIT Bombay as it is closer home. But I was not expecting such a good rank,” says Doshi, adding that the mathematics portion of the exam was simpler than other sections and even previous years. In his free time, Doshi loves to travel, and play cricket and football.

Rajkot’s Dwija Patel (18) from the IIT Bombay zone, who at rank 7 is the topper among girls this year, says she developed an interest in coding after being introduced to it in Class IX. “I learnt the basics and I liked it, and mathematics has always been my favourite subject. So, engineering was an obvious choice,” she says.

The daughter of a mathematics teacher, Patel learnt some of her Class XI and XII maths in her secondary school from her father. “I knew I would get a good rank but was not expecting to be in the top 10 category,” she says, adding that the paper was relatively easier. Patel, too, wants to pursue computer science from IIT Bombay. As the exam neared, she spent 8-10 hours on preparation.

Gen Z teens ‘coming out’ younger with stronger family support

Mohua.Das@timesgroup.com

Manav* was a typical 14-year-old boy—moody, defiant, with hormones in overdrive and attitude on the rise, when he decided to add the declaration of — “I’m bisexual” — to the mix. Initially his parents were taken aback. “Although my parents are aware of queerness and supportive of the community, it did come as a shock. I used to be moody during those days and they knew something was up but hadn’t quite predicted it was going to be this.” Yet, despite their initial confusion and apprehensions, they rallied around him. “They’ve been supportive and more careful with their comments now.”

For many queer individuals in India, the social pressure of ‘coming out’ — a metaphor used by LGBTQ+ persons to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to friends and family — is already daunting. But Manav’s decision to open up to his parents at 14 is just one example of a growing phenomenon of teenagers bravely owning their identities as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender while still a middle grader. What is remarkable is how families and schools are stepping up to guide them through this phase and find acceptance in ways that were once unthinkable.

Now 16, Manav’s realisation of his queer identity began as he entered his teens. “I was around 13 or 14 when I started getting drawn to queer literature,” he recalls. “The more I read, the more I could relate to queer love stories than heteronormative ones.”

Afamily vacation to Turkey further intensified his feelings. It was June, and the street was buzzing with a Pride Parade. “Seeing the parade and a subsequent police crackdown was a reality check,” recalls Manav. “I felt solidarity with the community.” He says it “sparked deeper introspection” and a need to share his truth.

Back at home, Manav summoned the courage to come out to his parents and a year later, to most of his friends at school. “My parents had some questions at first,” he recounts. “There were misunderstandings, too, mainly because they weren’t fully informed. They also worried about how others would react. But it’s been a positive transition for both of us since then.” Coming out to friends had its challenges — “I faced online bullying, with anonymous hateful comments on my Instagram stories which I learned to shrug off” — but brought unexpected rewards. “I’ve made new friends and moved into new social circles because of my gender identity.” While concrete data on whether kids are self-identifying earlier is scarce, speaking to schools, counsellors, and support groups reveals that teens and, in many cases, preteens as young as six are expressing their gender identity without being dismissed by parents or ridiculed at school.

Several social factors may be contributing to this early expression, educators believe. Positive queer portrayals in popular culture have made it safer for young students to open up about their feelings, points out Aachal Jain, pastoral care coordinator at Mumbai’s Aditya Birla World Academy (ABWA). “Students often explore their identities online or through creative outlets before coming out. They can also find a wealth of resources on the subject today, which likely leads them to self-identify and come out earlier,” she explains.

“It’s no longer a taboo subject at home, nor in school. I know many like me who felt safe and comfortable coming out to their friends and family at 14 or 15,” adds Manav, who found solace in his school environment, at Delhi’s Tagore International School particularly through Breaking Barriers, a club and support group for the LGBTQ community.

Priyanka Randhawa, the project director at Tagore International, knows that discussing identity with family isn’t always smooth sailing. “Sometimes, it’s during our outreach activities that they feel comfortable opening up,” she shares. She encourages students to reflect on what feels right for them personally. “When students want to dive deeper into their identities, we connect them with LGBTQ support groups and counsellors to ensure their journey is genuine, not just about fitting in or being ‘trendy’.”

As counsellor and founder of ABWA’s Rainbow Club, Jain challenges the idea that coming out as queer is about fitting in or being cool. “It comes with a lot of backlash and bullying,” she explains. “Teenagers may not always have the words to define their feelings, but they know when they’re different and are very aware of how the world sees them. It takes real courage to attach a label to themselves.”

Jain has observed more 15 and 16-year-olds opening up during their sessions, confidently identifying as gay, demigirl, or pansexual. “We also had a student who, at 13, revealed herself as bi and later identified as asexual when she was passing out of school. That’s how fluid these identities can be,” Jain explains. “The key is acceptance — recognising that whatever they’re feeling is valid.”

Stressing the importance of early parental support, Jain shares a recent case of a six-year-old boy whose parents reached out to her. He wanted to wear lipstick and skirts, and his parents sought advice—not to “fix” him, but to create a more gender-neutral environment at home. “They wanted to help him explore his identity without facing bullying and without negating his feelings,” she explains. “Parents making these efforts marks a positive shift.”

*Names changed for privacy

Times City

- Narela hottest at 45.7°C, brace for heatwave again

- Atishi seeks time from LG for emergency meeting on water

- 14-Year High! 32 Days Of 40°C+ Since May 1

- 2 minutes of fame over, Mungeshpur goes back to grappling with water, power woes

- Trafficked at 15 and HIV+ soon after, woman wages grim battle for aid despite court order

- Traffic action for defective plates up 286%, Mayur Vihar a hotspot

- Fire At Gaming Zone In CP, No One Injured

- Hanging by a thread: Shaheen Bagh fire deals a big blow, but it could have been far worse

- Narela factory fire: Probe points to air dryer blast, owners get bail

- Charges framed against six in Divya Pahuja murder case

- Truck rams bike, woman and son die in Ghaziabad

- Malhotra Delhi’s Only Rep In Central Council Of Ministers

- Flyer held at IGI with `25L red sandalwood

- IIT Delhi breaks new ground with undergrad courses in Abu Dhabi

- Elderly man duped

- 2 Rickshaw-Pullers Hit By Audi, 1 Dead

- Cops at your doorstep: An app to make elders’ life easy

- MCD seeks `221-crore grant from Delhi govt for health infra upgrade

- 70-year-old man stabbed in ‘revenge’, accused held

- 997 buses may go off roads soon, but city has no Plan B

- Don’t send demand notices in the name of possession offers, Rera directs builders

Narela hottest at 45.7°C, brace for heatwave again

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:Delhi saw heatwave conditions in isolated places on Sunday after agap of three days.

Heatwave conditions are likely to sear Delhi from June 10-13 and the maximum temperature is predicted to rise to 45 degrees Celsius. A few outer Delhi stations may record even higher temperatures.

India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert from June 10-13.

IMD’s data shows that the maximum temperature was recorded at 42.5 degrees, three degrees above normal, at Safdarjung, which is the city’s base station. It was 1.1 degrees higher than Saturday’s maximum.

No heatwave conditions were recorded at Safdarjung on Sunday, but Narela, Najafgarh, Pitampura and Sports Complex in CWG village near Akshardham reeled under a heatwave.

The maximum temperature reported at Palam was 43.5, Lodhi Road 43, Ridge 43.7, Ayanagar 43.9, Najafgarh 45.5,

Narela 45.7, Pitampura 44.8, Pusa 44.1, Sports Complex 44.8, and Raj Ghat 42.4.

The minimum temperature was 27.4 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity oscillated between 16% and 61%. The heat index was 41.5 degrees Celsius.

“The day temperature is likely to rise to 44 and 45 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, leading to heatwave conditions at some places. Due to dry and warm winds from Rajasthan and clear skies, the mercury is predicted to remain higher than normal temperatures over the next few days,” a Met official said.

Parts of Delhi were under agrip for 12 consecutive heatwave days till June 6. However, very light rain, cloudy skies and a change in wind direction to easterly caused a dip in temperature and brought respite.

The IMD calls a heatwave day when the maximum is 4.5 degrees and more above normal temperature and the maximum is at least 40 degrees Celsius. A heatwave is also considered if maximum temperature touches 45 degrees Celsius.%

Atishi seeks time from LG for emergency meeting on water

Atishi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Water minister Atishi on Sunday sought time from LG V K Saxena for an emergency meeting over the crisis plaguing the capital. She also wrote to Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, requesting him to ensure 1,050 cusecs of water was released from Munak Canal for Delhi.

In response, Raj Niwas stated in a post on X: “LG will meet Atishi at 11am tomorrow (Monday). In the interim, he has asked officials to ascertain the actual position of water released by Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, measures to check wastage and leakage of water in Delhi, and the status of desilting of Wazirabad reservoir, as directed by SC.” LG also “directed officers concerned to take up the matter with Upper Yamuna River Board to ascertain the facts with respect to the re- lease of water to Delhi”.

In her communication to Haryana CM, Atishi said Delhi was supposed to receive around 1,050 cusec water at Munak, but the supply had been reduced. “With the water from Munak Canal reduced to 840 cusecs, Delhi will be unable to produce adequate water from our seven WTPs,” she said, adding that the capital was stating at a major crisis in the next 1-2 days.

According to the agreement at the 53rd meeting of Upper Yamuna River Board, 1,050 cusecs (568 MGD) was allocated to Delhi at Munak, she said. “Considering the transmission loss, the allocation of 1,050 cusecs at Munak corresponds to about 1,013 cusecs (548 MGD). This is measured by Delhi at Bawana contact point, where the water enters the capital and flow meters have been installed by Del- hi. These flow meters were checked by representatives of Upper Yamuna River Board last week itself,” she said.

On average, the water received at Bawana contact point, even in the summers, was between 980 and 1030 cusecs, she said, adding there had been a drastic reduction in this.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, however, said Atishi was giving out incomplete data. “Atishi, while writing the letter, cleverly concealed the data of water drawn directly from Yamuna by DJB to show a shortage,” he claimed. He said DJB data made it clear that Haryana was consistently supplying the full amount of water to Delhi.

“If Delhi govt feels that lower amount of water is being received, it should first prove that the daily data issued by DJB is wrong,” he said.

14-Year High! 32 Days Of 40°C+ Since May 1

Streak Not Broken Since May 14, A New Record

Priyangi.Agarwal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: The Delhi heat has turned weather records to ash. From May 1 to June 10, the city has seen 32 days when the temperature has been above 40 degrees Celsius. This is the highest number of days in 14 years.

From May 14 to June 10, the city has continuously seen temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius for 28 days. This too is the highest number of days in 14 years.

This was clear from IMD data, gathered by TOI.

As a comparison, 2023 and 2022 saw 10 and 27 days, respectively, when the maximum temperature crossed 40 degrees Celsius during the same period.

The IMD’s data available in the public domain from 2011 onwards. It shows that before 2024, no year saw the maximum temperature crossing 40 degrees Celsius consecutively for 28 days.

Even the number of such days in this streak will increase as mercury is predicted to stay above 40 degrees Celsius for the next seven days.

Delhi has seen intense heat this summer. Between May 1 and June 10 this year, some stations, such as Narela, Najafgarh, Pitampura, Mungeshpur and Jafarpur, recorded the mercury consistently above 45.

Most weather records were broken on May 28 and 29 as many stations saw peak temperatures. The highest maximum temperature at Safdarjung was 46.8 degrees Celsius on May 29.

However, Narela and Mungeshpur recorded a maximum of 49.9 degrees Celsius each on May 28, which is the highest ever recorded in Delhi. Pitampura and Pusa saw 49.8 and 49, respectively.

IMD’s data shows that this current spell of intense heat is more severe than 2013 when mercury crossed 40 degrees Celsius for 31 days.

Experts said scanty rainfall this summer led to a high temperature. However, only 0.4 mm rainfall was logged on May 11 and May this year ended with a rain deficit of 99%. In June so far, Safdarjung has received 1.2mm rainfall and is staring at a rain deficit of 85%.

“In the absence of significant rain activity, Delhi has seen clear skies, which cause the surface heating up faster. On most days, westerly dry and warm winds have prevailed in the city. These winds, from Rajasthan and south Haryana that are also recording high mercury, cause the temperature to rise,” a Met official said.

“In the past years, rain would bring down the temperature to below 40 degrees Celsius and would provide respite to Delhiites from a spell of blistering heat. For instance, last year, the city logged excess rain — March (206%), April (23%), May (262%) and June (37%). Since no intense rain is expected in the next seven days, the mercury is expected to stay on a higher side,” the Met official said.

2 minutes of fame over, Mungeshpur goes back to grappling with water, power woes

SHOP OWNER SAYS With everyone focused on the extr eme heat, we hope they will now also realise that the villagers ha ve problems with electricity outages and water shortage during heatwaves

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: For a couple of days, the nondescript village of Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi was the hottest news across the nation, so to say. On May 29, India Meteorological Department’s automatic weather monitoring station in the village recorded the mercury touching an astonishing 52.9 degrees Celsius, the highest ever in India. Television camera crews and hyperactive media people, braving the heat, rushed to the hamlet to report through mirage-filled images and in breathless tones the making of a national record.

As the news of the unprecedented temperature hit the headlines across the world, everybody was talking about the village. Many turned to Google to find out where exactly it was located. For those who still don't know, Mungeshpur is on the north-western fringe of Delhi bordering Haryana.

A couple of days later, IMD sheepishly admitted that the record reading was a mistake, the result of a malfunctioning sensor. Burnt by the jeers rather than the sun, the Met department stopped reporting the temperature from that station.

But even as the enthusiasm about Mungeshpur cooled dramatically, the villagers recalled the torrid days. Ram Vilas, the 52-year-old proprietor of Vijay Sweets and Caterers, a roadside shop in the village, grumbled that the intense heat had caused his sweets to become dry and flaky. The scorching temperatures took a toll on his business, leaving his delectable treats in a less-thanappealing state. “The unrelenting heat wave had not only affected the quality of my products, but threatened the very viability of my small-scale enterprise,” he groaned.

The truth is that though Mungeshpur did not scale the unprecedented highs recorded by the weather station, it still was much hotter than other parts of the capital. The station in adjoining Narela recorded temperatures above 49 degrees, so Mungeshpur must have been as hot. Not surprising, because a soaring mercury level is the village’s annual calling card.

Villager Puran Singh Rana, who teaches at Delhi Public School on Mathura Road in a cooler part of the city, explained, “Mungeshpur has always been warmer than other parts of Delhi primarily because we are in an area that get buffeted first by the hot winds that blow from Rajasthan.” He also attributed the high thermometer readings to the rapid industrialisation taking place across the border in Haryana’s Ferozepur and the loss of green farmlands there.

Rajpal, 57, who has run his bicycle repair shop for 36 years at Mungeshpur, pointed out, “The temperature measuring instrument might have proved wrong, but it was precisely the installation of the weather station that allowed everyone to observe how the conditions in the area had changed for the worse from the previous years.”

On Saturday, TOIfound the narrow streets of the village deserted, bereft of the media crews that had thronged Mungeshpur a few days ago. The villagers shrugged off the dubious fame, having many other things to worry about.“Saari duniya ko ab pata hai Mungeshpur ke barey mein kyonki IMD ab yahan temperature monitor kar rahi hai (the world has heard of Mungeshpur because IMD began monitoring the temperature here),” smiled Rana.

The fame may be welcome, but not the heat. Farmer Vijay Singh, 47, suffered a significant loss when his jowar (sorghum) crop, which he had sown on three bighas of land, was destroyed by the unrelenting heat. Despite his efforts to water his crop regularly, the sun proved just too much.

Singh reminisced about the time when the area was primarily agricultural and the heat was not as oppressive as it is now. "There were farmlands here. But industries — units to manufacture plywood, nuts and bolts and many other things — came up. Now this village has reached a literal boiling point and anyone can feel it," he said.

Dara Singh, a 55-year-old confectionary shop owner, still sought to take a positive from Mungeshpur’s erroneous identification as India’s hottest spot: the heat has evaporated the obscurity of the unheralded village, he observed. “With everyone focused on the extreme heat, we hope they will now also realise that the villagers have problems with electricity outages and water shortage during heatwaves,” said Singh. “For 15 days, we suffered on both counts. We had to rely on water tankers for water supply and the intense heat caused the transformer to malfunction frustratingly often during the heat spell.”

The sweet seller also took the rare chance to report to the media about the village’s lack of development. The roads in the village are in poor condition and it is difficult for two cars to pass by on them, he said. The nearest college for girls and boys was 15-20km away. There was no hospital in the locality, and in case of an emergency, the villagers have to travel 12-15km for medical care. Now that the world knows about Mungeshpur, it would be cool, its residents hope, if they learnt about its backwardness too.

Trafficked at 15 and HIV+ soon after, woman wages grim battle for aid despite court order

SURVIVOR SAYS When I woke up, I realised the woman had discovered I had used her phone to call my mother and she assaulted me

Ridhima.Gupta@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: After being trafficked for sex when she was 15 years old, Ashi (name changed) hoped that govt compensation would help her get back on her feet. The teenager, who is now combating HIV, and the financial burden due to her illness has left the family struggling. After alengthy legal battle, the court awarded her an Rs 1 lakh last year to add to the Rs 1.75 lakh she had received, but Delhi govt hasn’t disbursed that extra sum. The young woman is now demanding an enhanced sum so she can continue her studies and also be treated for HIV.

Ashi is demanding compensation under the Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme for ‘rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking/ kidnapping, gang rape and physical abuse of minor’. According to the NALSAR policy, the family should have got around Rs 7.5 lakh as interim compensation but has only received a fraction of it.

In Dec 2017, the young girl from northeast Delhi quarrelled with her parents and left home in a huff and stayed with a friend. “Once my anger subsided, I was returning back home when Imet someone I was acquainted with and told him about my situation,” said Ashi, now 22 years old. “He convinced me that I should accompany him to Jaipur to work with his sister, who he said was an embroiderer.”

Ashi, recalling “my worst decision”, left for Jaipur with the man. “There, I met the supposed sister of the person, who asked me both to conceal my true identity and to cut off contact with my parents.” This made the teenager suspicious and she managed to surreptitiously call her mother and tell her she was in Jaipur.

“I was given food, soon after which I felt dizzy and lost consciousness,” she continued. All she remembers of that drugged day is that there were three people, all adults, in the room with her. “When I woke up, I realised the woman had discove- red I had used her phone to call my mother and she assaulted me.” Apparently, Ashi’s mother had called back the woman.

Ashi’s parents contacted the cops in Delhi and registered an FIR. Police were able to trace the trafficker and the woman who had taken her in. Realising they were in a bind, they abandoned the girl in a bus.

Ashi was reunited with her parents but her troubles were far from over. “Soon after she returned home, her health began deteriorating,” her mother said. “In a few months, we were told she had HIV.” The mother, an employee at a clothes factory, earns just Rs 6,000 a month. “I have three children. Ashi’s treatment put so much pressure on her that we had to pull her out of school,” she said.

Ashi, who has studied up to Class X, wistfully said, “I wish I were able to sit for my Class XII board exams. Maybe that isn’t my fate.” Each hospital visit underscores the urgent need for financial and emotional assistance. After receiving Rs 1.75 lakh in seven years, the family was granted an additional Rs 1 lakh by a court last year, but Ashi is yet to receive it. Litigation is on in Delhi High Court for a higher compensation.

Shaheen Malik, founder, Brave Souls Foundation, which is helping Ashi in her legal battle, said, “The treatment of the victim is not only tedious but also unaffordable for someone from her financial background. She wants to continue studying but is unable to do so. The state should take responsibility for her complete rehabilitation.”

Traffic action for defective plates up 286%, Mayur Vihar a hotspot

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The number of prosecutions for defective number plates saw a staggering 286% rise compared to last year.

Police identified Mayur Vihar as the area with the most prosecutions, followed by Nand Nagri and Khajuri Khas.

The data shows that 16,859 violators were booked for defective number plates, a significant rise from 4,363 in 2023. The data is from Jan 1 to May 31 for both the years.

A senior traffic officer stated that in the current year, Delhi Traffic Police intensified their crackdown on vehicles with defective number plates. This surge in prosecution is part of a broader effort to enhance road safety and enforce compliance.

“The initiative has led to a significant increase in the number of penalties imposed on vehicle owners. Defective number plates, which include those that are illegible, improperly formatted, or do not conform to the prescribed standards, have been identified as a major issue contributing to traffic violations and security concerns,” the officer added.

Delhi Traffic Police deployed additional personnel and resources to monitor and apprehend violators. Special drives and checkpoints have been established across the city with focus on high-traffic areas and entry and exit points.

The traffic police have also done a thorough analysis of the top ten traffic circles with the highest number of challans issued for defective number plates in 2024.

“This investigation has pinpointed the specific regions where violations are most prevalent. By identifying these areas, focused enforcement strategies can be employed to enhance compliance,” the officer said.

The top 10 circles are Mayur Vihar (926), Nand Nagri (917), Khajuri Khas (845), Samaypur Badli (826), Civil Lines (804), Bhajanpura (798), Ashok Vihar (736), Gandhi Nagar (699), Sadar Bazar (579), and Narela (565).

Police said that, in addition to on-ground enforcement, there has been a concerted effort to raise awareness about the importance of proper number plates.

Campaigns through social media and collaboration with automobile associations have been launched to educate vehicle owners on the legal requirements and the penalties for non-compliance.

Fire At Gaming Zone In CP, No One Injured

Children, Staff Members Evacuated In Time

Five fire tenders with 30 firefighters rushed to the spot

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A major tragedy was averted on Sunday after a fire ripped through a gaming zone in Connaught Place. No injuries or casualties were reported as all people were evacuated in time.

The incident took place at 3.21 pm at Mystery Rooms, situated in M Block near Shankar Market. Five fire tenders with 30 firefighters were rushed to the scene.

A fire officer said they received reports of children and staff members being inside the gaming zone, but everyone was evacuated safely before the fire escalated. The officer further stated that the two-story building was filled with smoke, making entry through the main gate impossible.

“The zone was primarily constructed of wood, which is highly combustible and fueled the fire’s spread,” the officer said.

Small racks caught fire, and one area, which the fire officer claimed was designed like amaze, was significantly affected. Firefighters were initially unable to spray water directly on the affected areas. They then called for a Bronto Skylift.

They reached the upper floor and broke windows, causing flames to erupt from within. They then began extinguishing the blaze. “It took nearly 20 minutes to control the fire. Thankfully, no one was injured," said Atul Garg, director of Delhi Fire Services.

The fire officer said that due to the fire, one person went to the terrace but was able to descend safely using the staircase. There was only one escape route from the building. There were fire safety arrangements within the ga- ming zone, he added.

One video online showed intense flames shooting from a window, with firefighters lining up their hoses. In another video, a crowd gathered near the scene, recording the incident on their phones.

The fire officer said a short circuit in the air-conditioner may have caused the incident.

Amit Gupta, joint secreta- ry of the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) and the owner of a shop in M Block, assured, "In Connaught Place market, all shops have proper fire safety arrangements."

Last month, a blaze at a two-story building in Ahmedabad's TRP Game Zone on Nana Mauva Road in Surat claimed the lives of 32 people, including nine children.

Hanging by a thread: Shaheen Bagh fire deals a big blow, but it could have been far worse

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:On Sunday, the usually vibrant 40ft road in Shaheen Bagh, renowned for its mouthwatering Mughlai cuisine, was grappling with the aftermath of a devastating fire that had engulfed three restaurants, two shops and residential apartments above the eateries the day before.

Parvez, an employee at Zaika restaurant, described the arduous task of trying to control the fire. The staff recognised the importance of removing the gas cylinders to prevent further damage, despite their best efforts.

Parvez recounted: “We used all fire extinguishers to control the situation, but due to strong winds, it was difficult to control the intensity of the blaze. Based on the training given to us, the first thing we remembered was to take out the cylinders before things went out of control. I still remember that when I lifted the fourth cylinder from the ground floor, the fire hadn’t reached the site. But when I came back, it had engulfed the entire façade area. Still, I decided to take a risk and remove the fifth cylinder.” Employees from neighbouring restaurants also pitched in to help with the rescue efforts.

Residents in the area expressed their discontent with the authorities for failing to address the issue of hanging wires, which could potentially cause serious accidents. According to reports, the fire started from a pole near the three affected restaurants — Zaika, Zahra, and Bismillah — and quickly spread, engulfing all three establishments within a short period.

Nizam, who owns a cloth shop in a nearby complex, pointed towards the dangerous cable wires that were either hanging or strung across several poles throughout the area. Although his shop was separated from the restaurants by a 25ft wide road, the façade of his establishment was completely burned in the incident.

“The fire quickly reached our shop because of these wires and strong winds. I was on my way back after offering namaz when someone told me about the incident. I rushed to the place and, haphazardly, pulled down the shutters of my shop. Thankfully, that stopped the flames from going inside. Looking at the population and footfall in the area, the safety of the people can't be compromised, and authorities need to find a solution for this issue,” he said.

Wasim, an employee at the restaurant next to the electricity pole (adjacent to Sir Syed Lane) where the fire originated, stated that a short circuit in the wires strung across the pole triggered the blaze. "Since our restaurant was also on the first floor, we immediately used fire extinguishers to control the situation to some extent. But a sudden spark ignited the bunch of wires dangling from the pole and there was no looking back. Our priority was to save lives," he said, standing opposite the building with his colleagues, unable to sleep after the incident.

The staff who worked relentlessly throughout the night to control the fire now face an uncertain future, as the shops destroyed by the flames will likely take months or even a year to reopen.

Mehboob, a resident living in a house opposite Zahra restaurant, said that a two-wheeler parked outside his house was also partially damaged by the flames. “We left our homes on Saturday out of fear. I wonder how long the place will take to get back to normal," he said.

Samir, owner of a salon shop affected by the fire, alleged that the delay in the arrival of the fire authorities worsened the situation.

“People made as many as 50 calls and many went unanswered. The fire tenders from the station in Jasola reached more than an hour after the first call was made. The products displayed outside my shop were damaged. Thankfully, the flames didn’t enter inside. A shoe shop also incurred heavy losses,” said Samir, who moved to the location two years ago and had no insurance for his shop.

“While officials cited traffic jam for delayed action, the fact is that the location was barely 200-250 metres from main road (GD Birla Marg)," he claimed.

A senior fire official said a crowd had gathered at the spot as soon as the blaze erupted, causing traffic snarls. The congested road further contributed to the delay in the arrival of fire tenders, he said.

Local councillor Ariba Khanconceded that despite repeated anti-encroachment drives, temporary extension on roads were rampant. "Illegal parking on main and internal roads creates hindrance in smooth movement of traffic. As for dangling wires, we had written to the department concern but no action was taken,” she said.

Residents are unhappy with the authorities for failing to address the issue of hanging wires

Narela factory fire: Probe points to air dryer blast, owners get bail

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:Initial police investigation into the fire at a factory in Narela has revealed that the incident was cau- sed by an explosion in the air dryer. The two proprietors of the factory, which processed raw green gram, have been granted bail. Three workers were killed in the incident.

A case was filed based on a sub-inspector’s account. According to the FIR, among the wounded in the incident on Satur- day morning were Pushpender, Akash, Mohit, Monu, and Lalu. “They were discovered during the search of the premises. I wanted to know about their injuries. However, they refused to give a statement due to severe pain. They mentioned that they sustained injuries due to the blaze triggered by a detonation in the air dryer of the factory's compressor,” the report said.

Employees of the factory said they worked in two shifts and were housed in two rooms within the factory compound. A fire officer pointed out that accommodating workers in close proximity to the machinery inside the factory was not a wise decision.

The officer further stated that the factory failed to adhere to regulations, noting the absence of proper housekeeping measures and the lack of fire safety training for workers. There weren’t enough technical staff on site, he said.

Meanwhile, the factory owners, Ankit Gupta and Vinay Gupta, residents of Rohini, were granted bail. A case has been registered under IPC Sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering the life or personal safety of others), and 304A (causing death by negligence). A senior officer said these sections were bailable. The factory, which has been functioning since 2010, did not have an NOC from the fire department. An MCD official said it had a valid factory licence, which was renewed in 2022 and was valid until March 31, 2025. The postmortem of the bodies of the three labourers — Shyam (24), Ram Singh (30), and Veerpal (42) — was conducted on Sunday and handed over to their families.

Charges framed against six in Divya Pahuja murder case

Mahesh.Buddi@timesgroup.com

Gurgaon: A city court on Friday framed charges against six of the seven accused in the murder case of former model Divya Pahuja. The main suspect, hotelier Abhijeet Singh (54), was charged for murder, criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and illegal possession of arms.

The other four accused – Balraj (55), Hemraj (25), Om Prakash (27) and Ravi Banga (30) – were charged for criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Abhijeet’s bodyguard Pravesh Loura (35), who gave the hotelier the gun that was allegedly used to kill Divya, was charged under the Arms Act. All six of them have pleaded not guilty and opted for trial.

Charges were not framed against the seventh accused, Megha (32), as she turned an approver in the case. She will appear before the court on July 20 to testify, according to the order.

Divya (27), the ex-girlfriend of gangster Sandeep Gadoli who was killed in a fake encounter in 2016, was shot dead at Hotel City Point – owned by Abhijeet – near the Old Gurgaon bus stand on Jan 2.

According to police, Abhijeet shot her dead, and two hotel staffers – Hemraj and Om Prakash – wrapped Divya’s body in a bedsheet and carried it down, where a BMW was waiting for them. Abhijeet’s friend Balraj and his driver Ravi Banga drove off in the BMW, with the body stuffed in the car’s boot. They went to Patiala, where they allegedly dumped the body in Bhakra canal and abandoned the BMW.

Abhijeet was arrested along with Hemraj and Om Prakash on Jan 3. Soon after, Megha, a delivery executive and housekeeping worker, was arrested for allegedly helping Abhijeet dispose of the murder weapon. Balraj was held in Kolkata on Jan 11. After questioning him, Divya’s body was recovered from the canal in Fatehabad’s Tohana. Ravi was held from Jaipur in Jan-end. Pravesh was also nabbed for allegedly giving Abhijeet the gun with which Divya was shot dead.

Truck rams bike, woman and son die in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: A mother-son duo was killed after the bike they were traveling on was hit by a truck from behind in Muradnagar on Sunday morning.

According to police, 48-year-old Anita Tyagi, a resident of Santhli village in Muradnagar, was on her way to a hospital with her son Ritik (22) when the incident occurred. Muradnagar SHO Ritika Chaudhary said they received information around 8.20am from a passerby that an accident took place between bike and truck in which two people were seriously injured. A police team reached the spot along with an ambulance and the two were brought to a nearby hospital, where both mother and son succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

“Initial investigation revealed that Tyagi was suffering from a fever and Ritik was taking her to the hospital for medical treatment. A speeding truck going towards Meerut hit the bike from behind. Due to the impact, both deceased fell off the bike and received severe injuries to the head and other parts of the body,” the SHO said.

TNN

Malhotra Delhi’s Only Rep In Central Council Of Ministers

Says Will Strive To Make Lives Of People In Capital, Rest Of India Better

MALHOTRA SAYS I have always believed in the party’s principle that any work we do, we should think whether it will benefit the last man standing in the queue or not

Harsh Malhotra (right) with BJP’s Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva

Abhinav.Rajput@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Harsh Malhotra, sworn in as a minister of state in National Democratic Alliance’s council of ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, can be described as a “dark horse” who secured the ministerial berth from Delhi quota.

Considered close to RSS, Malhotra contested from BJP stronghold of East Delhi parliamentary constituency, replacing former cricketer and MP Gautam Gambhir. While the names of three-time MP Manoj Tiwari and Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of BJP stalwart late Sushma Swaraj, were making the rounds, it was Malhotra who attended the event at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg for potential members of Modi-led govt’s third term in the afternoon. He secured 52.3% of the votes, defeating INDIA bloc's candidate, AAP Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar, by a margin of 93,663 votes.

Currently serving as general secretary of BJP's Delhi state unit and in charge of training department, Malhotra has been actively involved in the party's training camps and sessions conducted by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, a Mumbai-based organisation engaged in political training.

Malhotra's political journey began in 1984 when he joined BJP's youth wing. He has held various positions within the party, including Yuva Morcha Mandal president; secretary, district Yuva Morcha; and district general se- cretary (organisation). In 2007, he became district president of BJP and currently serves as an executive member of the party’s Delhi unit.

In 2012, Malhotra contested and won MCD elections from Welcome Colony with a substantial margin. He was appointed as Chairman of education committee of East Delhi Municipal Corporation, a position he held for three years.

“I would like to thank PM Narendra Modi for giving a common karyakarta like me a chance to serve in his ministry. I have always believed in the party’s principle that any work we do, we should think whether it will benefit the last man standing in the queue or not,” Malhotra said.

“During my tenure as head of education committee, I successfully launched and completed the suposhan programme, aimed at eradicating malnutrition among approximately 60,000 primary students in 398 municipal schools,” he said, adding that he now wanted to fulfil whatever responsibility was given to him by PM Modi with the same commitment.

He had also spearheaded the initiative to provide computer education to around 2.5 lakh underprivileged children in MCD schools.

He was elected as mayor of East Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2015. “During my mayoral term, I focused on waste management and initiated projects, such as converting construction and building waste into wealth and generating electricity from municipal garbage,” he said.

“My efforts have been directed towards creating a better Delhi for its citizens. I now have to work for making the life of people in the national capital as well as in India better,” he said.

Born on April 24, 1964, in Delhi, Malhotra is the eldest of three sons of Raj and Vijay Kishan Malhotra, both of whom were educators. He graduated with a degree in Botany and also holds a law degree from Delhi University. In 1986, Malhotra ventured into printing business.

As president of Delhi Printers Association, the largest association of printers in Delhi with over 6,000 members, Malhotra has been advocating for the welfare of the printing community.

He has also served as joint secretary of All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP), the apex body of printers in India. During the relocation of industries in Delhi in 1996, Malhotra played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth relocation of printers to Bawana Industrial area.

Malhotra's commitment to social causes extends to his involvement with "Dadhichi Deh Daan Samiti," an organisation he co-founded 24 years ago to promote organ and body donation. In Dec 2017, he was nominated as president of the samiti.

Flyer held at IGI with `25L red sandalwood

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A Vietnamese passenger has been nabbed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport with prohibited red sandalwood weighing 12kg, worth Rs 25 lakh. The forest department has confirmed that the two logs recovered from the passenger’s baggage were red sandalwood.

On Saturday at 9 pm, CISF surveillance and intelligence staff of Terminal-3 noticed suspicious activities of a foreign national at the check-in area based on be- haviour detection. The Vietnamese passenger was bound to travel from Delhi to Hanoi around 12.05 pm.

“On suspicion, he was diverted to a random checking point for a thorough checking of his check-in baggage. On checking his baggage through the X-BIS machine, some doubtful images of two pieces of logs were noticed,” said a CISF official.

“After clearing the check-in process and immigration formalities, the passenger was intercepted by CISF surveillance and intelligence staff and was bro- ught to the departure Customs office. On thorough checking of his check-in baggage, in the presence of customs officials, two pieces of logs were detected which were concealed inside his checkin baggage,” said an official.

Customs officials carried out an examination of the logs and raised doubts about their authenticity. “Forest officials were then contacted by CISF to verify the authenticity of the said logs. Later, forest officials confirmed the logs to be red sandalwood,” said an official.

IIT Delhi breaks new ground with undergrad courses in Abu Dhabi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, recently launched its first tranche of undergraduate (UG) programmes at its Abu Dhabi campus, marking a milestone in the institute’s journey towards leadership in global engineering education.

The two UG programmes — B.Tech in computer science and engineering and B.Tech in energy engineering — have a batch of 30 students each. Within each discipline, up to 10 seats can be taken by students who qualify in the JEE Advanced examination, while 20 seats will be allocated through the merit list of the Combined Admission Entrance Test (CAET), a new exam being launched by IIT Delhi specifically for the UAE.

CAET, conducted by the JEE office in IIT Delhi, is planned for June 23, 2024, in multiple centres in the UAE. The test is meant for candidates who are residents of the UAE, including UAE nationals and expatriates, as well as international students. The portal is open for registration till June 10, 2024.

Students who qualify JEE Advanced 2024 can use their rank to apply for admission to IIT DelhiAbu Dhabi through a separate portal that is accessible from the website after the declaration of JEE Advanced results. The seat allocation for IIT DelhiAbu Dhabi will take place through this portal for students coming through both routes, JEE Advanced and CAET.

All JEE Advanced-qualified candidates will need to pay the same fees as the Delhi campus, with the rest waived. Students will be entitled to a monthly stipend of AED 2,000. All JEE Advanced-qualified students will be entitled to double occupancy hostel accommo- dation, with accommodation charges waived and food provided at subsidised rates. All JEE Advanced qualified students will receive an annual allowance of AED 4,000 to support their travel expenses. Medical insurance and other welfare issues will be adequately taken care of.

Elderly man duped

A78-year-old Faridabad resident was allegedly cheated of Rs 12 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as private bank representatives. An FIR was registered at the NIT Cyber Crime police station on Saturday.

TNN

2 Rickshaw-Pullers Hit By Audi, 1 Dead

Accident At Gate Of Ramjas College, Driver Held

Police said the driver lost control of the Audi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 45-year-old rickshaw puller died, and another was injured on Sunday after an Audi car, driven by a high court lawyer, hit them at the gate of Ramjas College in north Delhi. The 56-year-old car driver has been arrested, police said.

Police are probing and checking CCTV footage to ascertain if victims were dragged for 10 meters, a senior police officer said.

The deceased Govind Sarkar lived in Mukundpur and his 45-year-old friend Ashok, also a rickshaw puller, was injured and is being treated, said Manoj Meena, DCP (north).

The alleged perpetrator Virendra Mehta, a resident of Mukherjee Nagar and a high court lawyer, was taken for medical evaluation, the DCP said. "Alcohol was not detected in his breath by the hospital; however, a blood sample has been taken for FSL examination," he added.

After receiving a PCR call at Maurice Nagar police station at 1.16 pm about the mishap, a police team rushed to the main gate of Ramjas College, where a white Audi Q3 was found in an accidental condition.

Police said it was ascertained that the Audi driver had lost control of the vehicle and collided with two men who were taking a rest on a bench. "The vehicle, which was travelling at high speed, didn't give them a chance to escape. Both were mowed down by the Audi," the DCP said, adding that both sustained injuries all over their bodies.

Hearing the loud noise, people rushed to help, and cops were alerted. The injured were taken to Hindu Rao Hospital. Critically wounded Govind was referred to LNJP Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment, the DCP said.

During interrogation, Mehta told cops that he was trying to press the brake but instead pressed the accelerator, which led to the incident. His testimony is being verified, and appropriate legal measures are being initiated against him, the DCP said.

The image of the vehicle reveals damage to its front section. Additionally, several pillars near the college entrance appear to have been shattered or destroyed, police added

Cops at your doorstep: An app to make elders’ life easy

Abhay@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Senior citizens in Shahdara now have a new tool that enables them to have the cops at their disposal. Whether it is a non-functional streetlight on their lane, domestic help verification or a health problem, the elderly can seek the help of police through a mobile app. The app also ensures that the beat officers don't miss out on their visits to the elderly in their jurisdiction. In addition, police can also send broadcast flashes to senior citizens via the app.

According to police, the mobile application has been designed with features to enhance the safety and security of senior citizens. “The app has been designed by the staff of the senior citizen cell of Shahdara police. It features a personalised questionnaire designed to address key safety concerns,” an officer said.

These concerns include personal safety, lighting, en- vironment and the verification of domestic help. Additionally, the app checks for the installation of CCTV and offers protection against cyber threats while also assessing health issues.

Surendra Choudhary, DCP (Shahdara), said the responses provided by the senior citizens were carefully analysed and a weekly monitoring carried out to identify and address shortcomings. “If there are any lacks, we take the necessary action to improve the situation, thereby enhancing the sense of security among the senior citizens in the district,” Choudhary said.

Police said the beat staff visit the houses of senior citizens to take stock of the security measures. The police personnel have now informed the elders about the app and how it can be used for their safety and security.

The app also serves as a tool for senior officers to monitor staff activities, such as tracking the frequency of personnel visits to seniors, to ensure that the latest geo-tagged photographs of seniors are uploaded, and to confirm that domestic workers have been thoroughly vetted.

Furthermore, the app provides senior citizens with features like access to educational content on cyber safety and health improvement, submission of feedback on their app experience and maintenance of a repository of essential emergency contacts such as police, fire services, ambulance, beat staff and the SHO.

And then police can use the app to send broadcast messages to all senior citizens, facilitating quick and efficient communication of important information.

The district police have developed another application for the upcoming election that will help the cops and Central Armed Police Forces streamline their operations during polling periods.

MCD seeks `221-crore grant from Delhi govt for health infra upgrade

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has requested Delhi govt for a grant-in-aid of Rs 221 crore for the current financial year.

The primary goal is to improve and upgrade healthcare services offered by the corporation. A substantial amount of funds will be directed towards enhancing the infrastructure in major hospitals, such as Hindu Rao, Rajan Babu and Swami Dayanand Hospital, among others.

An MCD official said: "We have demanded funds for projects or schemes pertaining to the hospital administration department and that includes both improvement or upgrade of centres as well as procurement of various essential equipment or reagents. The funds will be allocated for engineering and medical facilities."

The planned works include improving and developing roads at Swami Dayanand Hospital, developing sewer lines in various areas of Rajan Babu Hospital, installing new pipelines for drinking water at Mata Gujri Hospital, providing new wiring and fixtures at Hindu Rao Hospital, and implementing a firefigh- ting system at Veer Savarkar Aarogya Sansthan Hospital.

The official added: "We also need funds to carry regular maintenance of buildings. Maintenance of sanitary conditions, plumbing and carpentry work, day-today annual maintenance work is required in all building at Hindu Rao. Similarly, improvement of operation theatre, nursing home, gene- rator rooms, electric panel rooms is required there too."

"Construction of a new boundary wall and painting of existing and new boundary walls of Veer Savarkar Aarogya Sanathan (VSAS) Hospital is also planned from this year's budget," an official said.

In 2023-24, MCD received approximately Rs 118 crore, from Delhi government.

Of this amount, approxi- mately Rs 55 crore was approved for strengthening buildings, and the rest (approximately Rs 63.7 crore) was for procuring medical equipment. The civic body undertook a 659 infrastructure works, which are at various stages and targeted to be completed by March 2025, officials said.

Procurement of a dialysis machine, ventilators, monitors, and defibrillators for various departments at Hindu Rao, an ultrasound machine for the radiology department of Swami Dayanand Hospital, and a fetomaternal monitor unit at Kasturba Hospital are among the medical equipment already procured or soon to be procured, said the civic body.

Of the 659 infrastructure works taken up, over 150 projects have been completed.

"Prominent civil works already completed included the revamp of OPD, OT block of Kasturba Hospital, repair of the old children's ward, and augmentation of treated water supply in Kasturba, CCTV surveillance in Hindu Rao, improvement of electrical installation and allied works at OPD," officials said.

TOI sought Delhi govt’s response on the grant request but did not get any.

70-year-old man stabbed in ‘revenge’, accused held

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 42-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a 70-year-old at his Shastri Nagar residence in north Delhi. The suspect claimed to have acted in revenge over an alleged ill-treatment of his female friend, a maid at the victim's home, over minor issues, police said.

Police received information about the stabbing incident on May 28 from a hospital on New Rohtak Road. The injured, Kanti Prakash Garg, was not in a position to give a statement to cops on the day of the incident due to injuries, a senior police officer said.

Garg later told police that an unknown man came to his house with a muffled face, stabbed him in the abdomen without any argument, and ran away without attempting robbery or theft, said Manoj Meena, DCP (north).

Multiple teams were formed after registering a case under Section 307 (attempted murder) of the Indian Penal Code. During the analysis of CCTVs footage, it was found that the suspect had removed his helmet at Karnal Road, and his photo was extracted, the DCP said.

"We were able to zero in on him, and raids were conducted at his possible hideouts, but he was found absconding. Based on secret information, he was arrested from Shastri Nagar on June 6," said DCP Meena, adding that the suspect was identified as Amit, a resident of Roshanara Road, Malkaganj.

During questioning, Amit admitted to his friendship with a woman who works as a domestic help for Garg. He claimed the elderly frequently mistreated her over minor shortcomings and faults. "Motivated by a desire for revenge, the accused attacked him with a sharp knife, then fled the scene on a friend's scooter," the officer added.

997 buses may go off roads soon, but city has no Plan B

Abhinav.Rajput@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: In the next 10 days, 997 cluster buses that connect Outer Delhi areas to various parts of the city may be taken off the road as they have completed 10 years of life but there is no alternative transportation arrangement in place.

This situation has prompted transport minister Kailash Gahlot to express concern that the sudden phasing out of these buses without a plan will compel people to switch to private transport, thereby adding to the congestion and pollution. Additionally, workers' unions are on strike due to fears of job loss.

According to a communication from the transport department, the 997 buses operate on 109 routes. These could be phased out if the concession agreements are not extended beyond June 19.

Several routes would be affected, including Jahangirpuri to Dichaon Kalan, JLN Stadium to Daulatpur, Lado Sarai to Najafgarh, New Delhi Railway Station to Goyla Dairy, Mori Gate to Uttam Nagar, Samashpur Khalsa to ISBT Kashmiri Gate, Nehru Place to Najafgarh, and Pandwala Kalan to Tilak Nagar terminal, a senior official said.

The concessionaire has requested an extension, citing that these buses were inducted late due to the delayed allotment of depots.

The transport department, on the other hand, is reluctant to consider the request in view of the lack of “quality”.

In an internal communication accessed by TOI, minister Kailash Gahlot said that “it is not appropriate for the depart- ment to suddenly recommend phasing out of almost 1,000 buses without any alternative arrangement in place".

He warned that a shortage of buses, exacerbated by hot weather, will push people towards private transport.

Gahlot stressed that allowing these 997 buses to go off the road without any alternative arrangement should not be permitted.

He also pointed out that since financial approval for the electrification of many depots is yet to be issued, and it takes at least 12 months to complete the electrification of a depot, many depots will remain unutilised.

There is a provision for an extension of two years without the discretion to do it with the department. Transport commissioner Prashant Goyal said that there has been no final decision on it.

DTC Karmachari Ekta Union president Lalit said there has been a protest at depots such as in Rajghat, Dilshad Garden depots, Seemapuri, Kair and Dichaon Kalan due to it.

“The workers will lose their jobs if buses go so they are protesting,” he said. Faculty at the Asian Institute of Transport Development, Anil Chhikara, said: “If there is no alternate arrangement, then these buses can be given an extension, but there should be periodic inspection to see their condition to ensure that they are in usable condition,” said the former deputy commissioner. He said that similar situations had occurred while he was in office and buses were given extensions to meet passenger demand.

The city’s public fleet, which includes DTC and cluster vehicles, has about 7,500 buses.

Of these, 1,650 are electric buses, and the remaining are DTC and cluster CNG buses.

According to the Statistical Handbook, 2023, an average of 4.1 million passengers commute daily on buses in the capital annually.

In 2018, govt told the top court that the required number of buses in the city is 11,000. Since then, the population had only gone up. Connectivity to outer Delhi areas was a major issue in this year's poll, especially for connectivity to colleges and different parts of the city.

Don’t send demand notices in the name of possession offers, Rera directs builders

Aditya.Dev@timesgroup.com

Noida: Developers can issue possession letters only after getting occupancy certificates (OC) from authorities concerned, the real es tate regulatory authority (Rera) has said.

The order has elicited objections from both home buyers and realtors. While buyers said they would have to bear the brunt for any tus sle between the builder and authorities concerned over dues, developers pointed out Rera’s order would delay the handover of flats that were mired in legal tussle. “Possession letters should be sent out within two months of a developer getting the OC/CC. A copy of this certificate should al so be given to the allottees,” a senior Rera official said.

“After a project has been issued an OC/CC, possession letters can be sent to allottees as an email or through post at their residential addresses. They can also be informed through text. The promoter concerned should display all such information at the project site and head office,” the official added.

Occupancy or completion certificates are issued to developers after a project is ready with all its ameni ties.

According to realtors, linking OCs with possession letters would hit homebuyers. “Rera is now going back on its earlier order that was in favour of homebuyers.

Currently, a developer can allow possession after obtaining four NOCs for the strength of the buildings, fire safety, lift and electricity supply. Earlier, a builder had to wait for seven days for the authorities to respond. If they didn’t, the developer could go ahead and issue the possession letters,” said Dinesh Gupta, the Credai secretary in western UP.

A Deep Dive Into New Govt

- NDA’s MP Count Down In UP, But State Gets More Mantris

NDA’s MP Count Down In UP, But State Gets More Mantris

Big Gains For Bihar Too

There are 11 faces from UP in PM Modi’s newest council of ministers, the highest for any state. Bihar, Andhra, Gujarat each have 3 more ministers than they did last time while Maharashtra and Odisha saw their tally come down

Feature

- EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW GOVERNMENT

EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW GOVERNMENT

As the newly formed Government settles in Delhi, people of the country already have a lot of expectations from them. We talk to a few people to find out what they are…

A new Government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has been formed at the Centre. People have a lot of expectations from the newly elected Government and hopes are high. On their part the newly elected Indian government in the past has always had a comprehensive agenda aimed at fostering economic growth, enhancing social welfare, and promoting good governance. But this time around people can expect a lot more. There are some key areas and initiatives that people expect the Government to focus on.

Says Amit Agarwal, “There could be continued investment in large-scale infrastructure projects to boost economic growth and job creation. This may include projects in sectors like transport, energy, and digital infrastructure . Also, there could be further simplification of regulations and processes to make it easier to start and run businesses in India, fostering entrepreneurship and attracting foreign investments.”

Digital is a primary focus area in this day and age. There could be measures to enhance digital infrastructure and services to ensure that more citizens can access government services online. “Government initiatives can be expanded to cover more services and users,” says Madhuri Singh. There needs to be continued development of smart cities with advanced urban planning, technology integration, and sustainable practices to improve the quality of urban life . “They need to make an effort to develop the most underdeveloped districts by improving health, education, and economic indicators through targeted interventions. There should be measures to improve healthcare, education and employment opportunities for women and children, aiming for gender equality and better childhood development ,” says Mohit Maheshwari.

There should be right policies to increase agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes through better access to markets, technology and financial services. The need of the hour is to enhance rural infrastructure including roads, water supply, and sanitation to improve living standards in rural areas , say many.

Ensure greater transparency and accountability in government functioning, is what many people agree upon. Promoting renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change is something India should strive for. “Apart from the Government, we all should chip in to preserve natural resources and bio-diversity through conservation projects and sustainable practices ,” says Ranjita Puri.

In the Education sector, the need is to focus on transforming the education system with an aim on holistic development, critical thinking, and vocational training. Work has to be done towards expanding vocational training and skill development programmes to equip the workforce with the skills needed for the modern economy . Overall, people expect the Government to focus on sustainable and inclusive growth, leveraging technology for better governance, and targeted efforts to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

respedit.jaipur@timesgroup.com

SOME NOTABLE SCHEMES OF THE MODI GOVERNMENT FROM 2014 ONWARDS

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA (PMJDY)

This financial inclusion program aimed to provide affordable access to financial services like banking, credit, insurance, and pensions. It has been instrumental in opening millions of bank accounts for the unbanked population . SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN This nationwide cleanliness campaign aimed to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management. It included building millions of toilets in rural areas and promoting hygiene and sanitation practices.

PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA (PMUY)

This scheme aimed to provide free LPG connections to women from below poverty line (BPL) households to reduce their reliance on unhealthy cooking fuels like firewood and kerosene .

PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA (PMAY)

This scheme aims to provide affordable housing to urban and rural poor by 2022. It offers financial assistance for constructing and upgrading homes.

ATAL PENSION YOJANA (APY)

This pension scheme targets the unorganized sector to provide a guaranteed minimum monthly pension after retirement. It encourages workers to save for their retirement .

DIGITAL INDIA

This initiative aimed to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. It includes projects like DigiLocker, BharatNet, and e-governance services to enhance digital infrastructure and digital literacy .

PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA (PMFBY)

This crop insurance scheme aims to reduce the financial burden on farmers due to crop failure or damage. It provides insurance coverage and financial support to farmers facing crop loss due to natural calamities .

MAKE IN INDIA

This initiative aims to transform India into a global manufacturing hub by encouraging both multinational and domestic companies to manufacture their products in India. It focuses on 25 sectors, including automobiles, textiles, and electronics .

SKILL INDIA MISSION

This mission aims to train over 400 million people in different skills by 2022. It includes various programs like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to provide industry-relevant skill training .

AYUSHMAN BHARAT (PRADHAN MANTRI JAN AROGYA YOJANA PMJAY)

This health insurance scheme aims to provide free health coverage at secondary and tertiary care levels to over 100 million poor and vulnerable families .

Third Innings

- 30 in Cabinet 3.0: Meet The Men & Women Who Will Serve India

- MINISTERS OF STATE

- STAR TRACK

- BJP Train Rolls On, With Berths For Allies

- No Muslim MP in NDA, no minister from community

- Can’t accept ‘demotion’, will wait for new offer, says NCP

- SURROUND SOUND

- Besides Modi, 6 ex-CMs in cabinet

- Symphony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in a medley of languages

- Most seniors in ministry, new face likely for BJP chief

- 2 berths for Kerala signal BJP goals

- Amaravati works restart on Naidu nudge

- Andhra BJP chief among probable LS Speaker picks

- Beauty biz bares its Seoul

- Pradhan & Oram inductions throw open Odisha CM race

- HC rejects terror convict’s plea for 2 sentences to run together

- KR Naidu youngest cabinet minister at 36; 33 first timers in team

CABINET MINISTERS

30 in Cabinet 3.0: Meet The Men & Women Who Will Serve India

AMIT SHAH | 59

EXPERIENCE: 2 LOK SABHA TERMS

He will be the BJP-led coalition’s second-most powerful minister, after Modi. Just as he was in the previous govt, when BJP governed with a full majority, and his portfolios were home and cooperatives. He is Modi’s closest confidant, and will be a key player in ally management. He comes into the Cabinet with a massive 7.4 lakh victory margin in Gandhinagar, his biggest win in a political career that began as a booth-level party worker in Gandhinagar 30 years ago. He was elected MLA several times in Gujarat and held ministerial posts in Modi’s state govt. As home minister, he helmed key policies such as abrogation of Article 370 for J&K. And as party president (2014-2020), he oversaw key BJP elections wins. That part of his job will become even more important as BJP, short of a single party majority nationally, and facing tough elections later this year, will need to change perceptions.

RAJNATH SINGH |72

EXPERIENCE: 4 LOK SABHA TERMS

Among BJP’s top 3 — Modi and Shah being the other two — he is widely acknowledged as his party’s amiable moderate, who is respected across party lines. A soft-spoken politician who worked his way up, he’s back in the Lok Sabha after a hat-trick from Lucknow. A former RSS activist, whose CV includes a stint as a lecturer in physics, he was a protégé of Vajpayee. His first election win was in 1977, to the UP assembly. This was followed by two stints as a Rajya Sabha member, 1994-1999 and 2003-2008. In between, he was UP’s chief minister, from 2000 to 2002. In the Vajpayee Cabinet, he was surface transport minister in 1999-2000 and agriculture minister in 2003-2004. In 2005, he was BJP’s national president. He followed it with another term as party chief that began in January 2013, and was replaced by Amit Shah in 2014. In the outgoing Cabinet, he was defence minister.

NITIN GADKARI | 67

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

He was BJP president from 2009 to 2013, and his win from Maharashtra’s Nagpur seat this time marks a hattrick. He has been the longest-serving road transport and highways minister in India, overseeing a key infrastructure ministry. In 2014, he was also shipping minister and had earlier been given responsibilities for water and MSMEs. Before moving to the Centre, he was a prominent BJP face in Maharashtra, where he earned his reputation as a doer when, as PWD minister, he was credited with major successes in building roads, highways and flyovers across the state. He’s known as much for his good equations with the RSS brass as for championing entrepreneurship and innovation.

S JAISHANKAR | 69

EXPERIENCE: 2 RAJYA SABHA TERMS

His induction in Modi’s second govt was a big surprise, a rare case of a non-politician getting a plum Cabinet post. As foreign minister in the outgoing govt, he’s known in world capitals as an effective articulator of Modi’s worldview.

He’s been credited with shaping India’s diplomatic responses to big challenges like China’s LAC adventurism, crossborder terrorism from Pakistan and instability at the border with Myanmar. He was also a key player in the four-nation IndoPacific strategy, through the Quad group. He was aggressive in his counters to western critics, who took issue with India’s decision to buy Russian oil after Putin invaded Ukraine. His calling out of what he saw as western ‘hypocrisy’ — his point being that the West was buying petro products refined from Russian crude — earned him brownie points with the domestic rightwing audience, who also found his two books, The India Way and Why Bharat Matters, right up their alley.

NIRMALA SITHARAMAN | 64

EXPERIENCE: 3 RAJYA SABHA TERMS

She was India’s first full-time woman defence minister. She followed it up with becoming the first woman to be finance minister. These two heavyweight jobs ensured her status as a senior member of Modi’s second govt. Her appointment as FM was met with some scepticism. But she retained Modi’s confidence till elections. She was tasked with implementing Modi’s approach to post-Covid economic policy, which was centred around relative fiscal conservatism. That India didn’t face the kind of inflationary pressure that many other major economies did burnished her credentials. India’s robust growth figures in recent times meant that she ended her tenure in the outgoing govt with GDP growing at 8.2%. As FM, she also had to preside over fractious GST council meetings with states. A JNU-alumna, she had worked in a consulting firm. She was MoS in Modi’s first term. She was also the party’s second woman spokesperson after Sushma Swaraj.

SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN | 65

EXPERIENCE: 6 LOK SABHA TERMS

Credited with turning around MP both politically, by turning Congress into a weak rival, and economically, by overseeing strong agricultural growth, he wasn’t happy when the party brass replaced him as MP CM after BJP’s win late last year. He had told TOI then that ‘sometimes when you are waiting for raj tilak (coronation) you get exiled’. He moves to the Centre for the first time, after a big win in Vidisha, and with a solid reputation as a good administrator and policy implementer. His long experience as CM should help him quickly get on with the new job as Cabinet minister, and his new remit should at least partially address his personal disappointment.

JP NADDA | 63

EXPERIENCE: 3 RAJYA SABHA TERMS

He has segued into an influential position at the Centre just before his extended tenure as BJP chief was to get over. His appointment as a party chief had also come as a surprise to many, but not so to some insiders who were familiar with his knack for landing key jobs. His profile in Delhi started growing when he was nominated for the Rajya Sabha a decade ago and was made party general secretary. A former ABVP functionary, he headed BYJM, BJP’s youth wing, and served as health and environment minister in his home state of Himachal Pradesh. Known to have a good equation with Modi, who he had known as party’s Himachal in-charge, he was health minister in Modi’s first govt.

PIYUSH GOYAL | 59

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

The chartered accountant’s ease with numbers is well known. His election to the Lok Sabha has added another dimension to the hyper-active minister who straddled diverse portfolios — from commerce and industry to food and consumer affairs and textiles. He was leader of the Rajya Sabha, BJP treasurer until not so long ago and had two short stints as officiating finance minister. Goyal, who handled power, coal and renewable energy during Modi’s first term, was known to set stiff targets and try out new ideas while juggling responsibilities, be it negotiating FTAs, or getting on a call with investors like Elon Musk or monitoring import and procurement of crucial food products since he was also part of the ministerial panel dealing with price rise. He comes from a family of RSS old timers — his mother was an MLA and his father was BJP treasurer.

MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR | 70

EXPERIENCE: 1 LOK SABHA TERM

His appointment as Haryana CM 10 years ago had surprised many, with even party insiders unaware that he would be picked ahead of several state heavyweights. He sprang another surprise by surviving nine years in the job in a state long associated with political intrigue and intra-party battles. This, when BJP didn’t have a majority of its own. Removed as CM just before LS polls, his appointment as a cabinet minister had looked certain from the day he was given the ticket for Karnal. He’s known Modi for a long time, since the latter had the job as party in-charge of the Haryana unit. He won’t be a non-player in Haryana. But as Cabinet minister, he won’t have the freedom of action he had as CM.

HD KUMARASWAMY | 65

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

His first entry into the Union Cabinet is preceded by a political career full of drama and controversies. Son of Gowda family patriarch HD Deve Dowda, he has been Karnataka CM twice, once with BJP support and once with Congress backing, and failed both times to complete his term. Post-JD(S)’s disastrous assembly election performance, he was written off as a politician. But this firm believer in ‘divine force’ proved everyone wrong when JD(S) won two of the three seats given to it by BJP in LS elections. That performance, and BJP’s need to shore up its Karnataka political base, got him into the Cabinet. Serious sexual harassment charges against his nephew Prajwal Revanna obviously haven’t affected him politically.

DHARMENDRA PRADHAN | 54

EXPERIENCE: 2 LOK SABHA TERMS

Elected to the Lok Sabha for the second time from Sambalpur, Odisha, he played a key role in BJP’s election standout performance in the state. He had held big portfolios like petroleum & natural gas and education in the two previous Modi govts. His importance grew in Modi’s govts appointed as MoS in 2014, he was promoted to cabinet rank in 2017. Known as the “Ujjwala Man”, he is credited with the initial success of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, through which over eight million LPG connections were provided to women below the poverty line. Later, he was tasked with implementing the National Education Policy 2020, a key Modi initiative. His remit included skill development, another crucial job, given the skills shortage in India’s young workforce. During his tenure, the number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) increased by over 40%, and student enrolment rose by over 28% until 2019.

JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA | 53

EXPERIENCE: 5 LOK SABHA TERMS

The Maharaja is flying again. Jyotiraditya Scindia, a minister in the outgoing Modi Cabinet with the hefty portfolio of civil aviation, is back as minister. But a crucial change is that this time he will be a minister as member of the Lok Sabha after registering a big victory from Guna in Madhya Pradesh. Scindia, a graduate of Harvard and Stanford, a confidant of Rahul Gandhi in Congress, joined BJP after he led a band of Congress MLAs in pulling the rug from under the Kamal Nath govt’s feet in Bhopal during the Covid pandemic. He was nominated to RS immediately, but waited for over a year to become a minister. As MP from Guna in 2004-14, he was minister in the Manmohan Singh govt and played a key role in the opposition benches under the first BJP govt. He moved on from Congress after his shock defeat in the 2019 polls.

ASHWINI VAISHNAW | 53

EXPERIENCE: 2 RAJYA SABHA TERMS

This civil servant-turned-corporate executive grabbed headlines when in a cabinet reshuffle in Modi’s second term, he was assigned not one but three high-profile ministries: communications, railways, and electronics and IT. His political goodwill in his home state, Odisha, ensured he had the support of both BJP and BJD when contesting as a Rajya Sabha candidate. One of the few ministers thought to have a ‘hotline with the PMO’, this Wharton MBA was Vajpayee’s private secretary. His job in the outgoing govt was to lead modernisation projects in the railways. Bande Bharat trains were the showpiece of this effort. His biggest challenge came after the terrible rail tragedy in Balasore, Odisha. He was credited with a quick response to the tragedy. His tough task in communications was reviving moribund state telcos, BSNL and MTNL, and his solution was a big financial aid package for both. India’s better performance as a mobile phone manufacturer and exporter also came under his watch.

BHUPENDER YADAV | 55

EXPERIENCE: 1 LOK SABHA TERM

Although a senior minister in the outgoing Modi govt, his first Lok Sabha win came in this election, from Alwar in Rajasthan. He held big portfolios, labour and environment, in Modi’s second govt. Known for his organisational skills, he had two full terms as a Rajya Sabha MP. In the party, his jobs included national secretary, in 2010, and national general secretary, in 2014. He was frequently appointed as election manager across states — Rajasthan (2013), and Jharkhand (2014), Bihar (2020) and MP (2023). Of his ministerial remits, environment was the bigger challenge as he represented India in three UN climate conferences, where his core job was to defend India’s stand that developing countries can’t be expected to carry the same responsibilities as rich countries.

RAJIV RANJAN (AKA LALAN SINGH) | 70

EXPERIENCE: 4 LOK SABHA TERMS

The senior JD(U) leader has been one of the closest confidants of CM Nitish Kumar for many years. Known to be a good strategist, he was instrumental in stitching up JD(U)-RJD alliance in 2022. Singh recently won Munger Lok Sabha seat for the third time. His previous victories from Munger seat came in 2009, 2019 and 2024, but when he lost in 2014, Nitish nominated him to Bihar Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota and made him minister for road construction in the then Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet in June 2014. He has led JD(U) both at national and state levels, and belongs to the influential Bhumihar community.

MINISTERS OF STATE

RAM MOHAN NAIDU | 36

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

The 36-year-old, who studied engineering and did an MBA, is the youngest member of the Cabinet. The three-time Srikakulam MP entered politics in 2012 following the demise of his father, TDP leader Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu, who had served as Union minister. Initially drawn to a corporate career in Singapore, fate led him back to his roots in 2012. In 2014, he became the second youngest MP in the 16th Lok Sabha. Despite YSRCP’s landslide victory in the 2019 election, Ram Mohan was one of the three TDP MPs elected from Andhra. As national general secretary of TDP, he is a loyalist of Andhra CM-designate Nara Chandrababu Naidu (NCBN). During critical junctures, such as NCBN’s arrest in 2023, he played a pivotal role alongside TDP national secretary Nara Lokesh in Delhi.

KIREN RIJIJU | 53

EXPERIENCE: 4 LOK SABHA TERMS

A four-time MP from Arunachal West, he’s a BJP veteran and a Northeast politician who played a key role in building the party’s political base in the region. In the first Modi govt, he was appointed minister of state for home. His promotion as a Cabinet minister came midway in Modi’s second term. The high-profile law and justice ministry was his between 2021 and 2023. But following heated, and sometimes public, spats between GOI and Supreme Court, he was removed as law minister and put in charge of earth sciences. He was later given additional charge of food processing industries. During the poll campaign, he sparred with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma over CAA and relocation of persecuted Buddhist Chakmas and Hindu Hajongs, who had migrated to India six decades ago.

MANSUKH MANDAVIYA | 51

EXPERIENCE: 1 LS, 2 RS TERMS

He came in via a Cabinet reshuffle in Modi’s second term. Though his public profile was mainly as health minister, his portfolios included such crucial ones as chemicals and fertilizers as well as ports, shipping and waterways. A Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat until early this year, he was fielded by BJP from the state’s Porbandar LS seat this time. His victory margin was 3.8 lakh votes. He started his political career with ABVP and was elected to the Gujarat assembly from the Palitana seat in 2002, becoming the youngest MLA in the state. He belongs to the Leuva Patidar subsect of the Patel community, which has a sizable presence in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, and is influential, both politically and socially.

PRALHAD JOSHI | 61

EXPERIENCE: 5 LOK SABHA TERMS

A second Cabinet term consolidates the status of the man who, while serving as parliamentary affairs minister, made India’s billion-tonne coal production dream come true and fired up the commercial mining auction process by fixing gaps in the system and addressing practical issues like improving supply. With BJP having a comfortable majority in the last LS, the soft-spoken fifth-term MP from Dharwad in Karnataka, a quintessential organisational man, did not have to use his man-management skills. But as coal minister, he succeeded in carrying along stakeholders, especially state govts, for speedy expansion of mining operations. His stewardship saw formulation of the policy on opening up exploration and production of critical minerals for private participation and launch of critical mineral block auction.

GIRIRAJ SINGH | 71

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

One of the most rhetorically aggressive ministers in Modi’s first two govts, his inclusion in the third cabinet was a certainty. He has been a vocal supporter of Modi from the time the latter moved to national politics. A three-time MP, he served as the minister for rural development and panchayati raj in Modi’s second term as PM. Before his shift to national politics, he was cooperative minister and animal husbandry minister for eight years in the Bihar govt headed by Nitish Kumar.

HARDEEP SINGH PURI | 72

EXPERIENCE: 2 LOK SABHA TERMS

A career diplomat-turned-politician, Hardeep Singh Puri has been a minister since Sep 2017 when he joined the Modi Cabinet as MoS (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs. On being promoted as a cabinet minister in the last govt, he got charge of petroleum and natural gas as well. Re-elected as a RS member from UP, Puri has adopted Sonbhadra district in the state. His representation in the Modi Cabinet is from UP. Though the 72-year-old popular Sikh face had tried his electoral luck from Amritsar in 2019, he could not win. Prior to his political stint, Puri as a diplomat for 39 years served in senior positions in external affairs and defence ministries. A 1974 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and resident of Delhi, he had served as permanent representative of India to the UN and was also chairman of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.

CR PAATIL | 69

EXPERIENCE: 4 LOK SABHA TERMS

A police constable-turnedjournalist-turnedpolitician, he became Gujarat BJP’s first ‘non-Gujarati’ president in 2020. Under him, the saffron party has notched up spectacular electoral wins, right from local bodies to Lok Sabha. The four-time MP, known to be close to both PM Modi and Amit Shah, won Navsari seat in South Gujarat by 7.7 lakh votes, the highest victory margin in the state and one of the top five victory margins across the country. Recently, some BJP leaders, upset over the rise in Congress turncoats joining the party and getting preference over dedicated party functionaries, did question Paatil’s strategy. However, a robust performance ensured his inclusion. It also gives representation to South Gujarat region, where BJP won all parliamentary seats.

SARBANANDA SONOWAL | 62

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

His background as an influential tribal ensures his political viability — the reason why the former Rajya Sabha member won comfortably from Dibrugarh. This is his third term in the Cabinet. The former AGP leader also has the distinction of serving as BJP’s first chief minister of Assam. Though he was replaced in 2021, he was dignified in acquiescing to the turn of events. Few remember that it was on his petition that the Supreme Court passed the verdict for identification and deportation of infiltrators from Assam. Before moving to the state, he served as a minister of sports and youth affairs in the first term of Modi.

CHIRAG PASWAN | 42

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

This election saw him proving his mettle as a Dalit leader in his independent right. The sudden death of his father and founder of Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas Paswan in 2020 had sparked a crisis. He lost control of his party and its five MPs to his estranged uncle, who managed to persuade BJP to accept his claim to be the true inheritor of Paswan’s legacy. But Chirag, showing strength and sound judgement that few had associated with him until then, managed to convince BJP that he was Paswan’s legatee.

GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT | 56

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

This three-time Jodhpur MP was a shoo-in for a Cabinet berth in Modi’s third govt. He started his political career as a student union president in Jodhpur in 1993. After two decades of working as an RSS man in Rajasthan’s border areas, he was asked to contest the Jodhpur LS seat in Dec 2013. Many in the state, including Vasundhara Raje, had opposed his candidacy. But he clearly had the backing of the party brass and was appointed MoS agriculture in 2017. He’s had his share of controversies.

ANNAPURNA DEVI | 55

EXPERIENCE: 2 LOK SABHA TERMS

Few switches have paid off as beautifully as hers. A prominent RJD face in Jharkhand, her career graph progressed rapidly after she crossed over to BJP in 2019. Her maiden victory from Koderma constituency, which is home to Jhumri Tilaiya, was followed by an MoS slot at the Centre. The victory this time came against a powerful rival and the disadvantage of incumbency, compounded by the surge in expectations triggered by her ministerial perch at the Centre. She defied widespread predictions of defeat to post a convincing victory. A full-scale Cabinet rank is confirmation that she has fit in well in BJP’s calculations for Jharkhand which goes to polls later that year. She was thrust into politics after the sudden death of her husband Ramesh Yadav, an RJD legislator, in 1998.

JUAL ORAM | 63

EXPERIENCE: 6 LOK SABHA TERMS

His stature in BJP owes much to both the importance of tribal vote and his impressive win record. He was re-elected to Lok Sabha for the sixth time, winning Odisha’s Sundargarh seat by more than 1.3 lakh votes. That record extends to assembly elections, Except in 2009, when former CM Hemananda Biswal defeated him in Sundargarh LS seat, Oram has won every election he’s contested since 1998. In 2014, he was BJP’s sole MP from the state. One of five siblings in a poor tribal family, his early experiences with poverty shaped his politics. But his first job was as an assistant foreman at BHEL. His political innings started in 1990. Just nine years later, Vajpayee appointed him as India’s first Union minister for tribal affairs. In the outgoing Lok Sabha, he chaired the parliamentary committee on defence.

G KISHAN REDDY | 63

EXPERIENCE: 2 LOK SABHA TERMS

He was tourism minister in Modi’s second govt, and is a prominent BJP figure in Telangana. Affectionately known as Kishan anna, he was the party’s first state chief after the creation of Telangana, and had seen BJP grow from virtually nothing to a major force in LS elections in the state. His CV includes stints as Yuva Morcha national chief, chief of the BJP unit in undivided Andhra, and the party’s legislative leader. He had undertaken a 22-day Telangana “Poru Yatra”– a 3,500-kilometre (2,200 mi) journey through 986 villages and 88 assembly constituencies before the state was born. The second-time MP from Secunderabad is a veteran of state politics, having served three terms in the assembly.

JITAN RAM MANJHI | 78

EXPERIENCE: 1 LOK SABHA TERMS

He’s the only Cabinet minister who’s also the sole MP of his party, Hindustan Awam Morcha. He made headlines both when he was picked by Nitish Kumar to be Bihar CM and when he lost that job. Politically, though, he emerged stronger thanks to mobilisation of Musahars, the most marginalised of Bihar’s Dalit groups. Both BJP and RJD had wooed him prior to LS elections and his siding with the former positively impacted NDA’s Bihar performance. Musahars see him as their voice, discounting charges of nepotism against him. He is known for his outspokenness and for his frank and unabashed transactional politics.

VIRENDRA KUMAR | 70

EXPERIENCE: 8 LOK SABHA TERMS

He was Cabinet minister for social justice and empowerment in the last govt, and this LS win was his eighth. He was pro-tem Speaker in the Lok Sabha from June 17, 2019 to June 19, 2019. A Dalit leader from the Bundelkhand region in MP, he was appointed MoS for minority affairs and women and child development in September 2017. Later, during the Cabinet expansion of July 2021, Kumar was elevated to Cabinet rank. His political career began with ABVP, from where graduated to BJP’s youth wing.

INDEPENDENT CHARGE

RAO INDERJIT SINGH | 74

EXPERIENCE: 6 LOK SABHA TERMS

This is his third central stint. MoS (planning) in Modi 2.0, Singh is returning to Parliament as an MP from Gurgaon for the sixth time. The DU law grad, who cut his teeth in state politics with Congress, is former CM Rao Birender Singh’s son and the most influential politician in the Ahirwal region of south Haryana. He didn’t hold back on his disagreements with the state leadership of BJP when Manohar Lal Khattar was CM, but has been fully aligned with the PM.

JITENDRA SINGH | 67

EXPERIENCE: 3 LOK SABHA TERMS

Three wins from Udhampur and a minister each time, the soft-spoken diabetologist from Jammu is getting a leg up – from MoS to the Modi Cabinet. He has previously been a minister in the PMO, and was minister for science and technology during the successful Chandrayaan mission. He has also served as MoS personnel, overseeing initiatives like Mission Karmayogi to enhance govt-citizen interaction.

ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL | 70

EXPERIENCE: 4 LOK SABHA TERMS

The former Rajasthan administrative services officer (promoted to IAS) and BJP’s Dalit face in Rajasthan, the genial politician – conspicuous for his vibrant turbans and riding a cycle to Parliament – won a tight race to become MP for the fourth straight term from Bikaner. He is known to have won the PM’s confidence for his ability to reach out to opposition parties to ensure passage of bills. In Modi’s first two terms as PM, Meghwal served as MoS corporate affairs, parliamentary affairs, tourism, culture and law.

JAYANT CHAUDHARY | 45

EXPERIENCE: 1 RAJYA SABHA TERM

The young Jat neta who has been struggling for a toehold makes it to the Modi Cabinet as a crucial NDA ally in UP, where the tide turned against BJP in the LS polls. RLD won both seats it contested, Baghpat and Bijnor, paving the way for Jayant’s elevation. Son of RLD founder Ajit Singh and grandson of Chaudhary Charan Singh, Jayant was born in the US and graduated from London School of Economics. He contested the UP assembly poll in 2022 as a Samajwadi ally but moved to the BJP camp.

PRATAPRAO JADHAV | 63

EXPERIENCE: 4 LOK SABHA TERMS

The four-time MP from Buldhana in Vidarbha who chose Eknath Shinde’s side when Shiv Sena split moves straight to the Cabinet after being part of several parliamentary committees and heading standing committees. Sena’s Shinde group is now a crucial NDA ally from Maharashtra, another state where BJP performed poorly in the LS polls. Having been an MLA three times, Jadhav understands grassroots politics in the region.

STAR TRACK

Akshay Kumar, Gautam Adani & wife Priti, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Piramal

Photos: Piyal Bhattacharjee

Mukesh Ambani and son Anant

Rajinikanth and wife Latha

Raveena Tandon

BJP Train Rolls On, With Berths For Allies

What Led To Surprise Entries And Exits

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu (3rd from left) was among the seven foreign leaders from India’s immediate neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region who attended Modi’s oath-taking. Also seen in the photo are Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, Vice-President Dhankhar, President Murmu, PM Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The latest exercise of ministry-making, like all its previous editions, had its share of surprise inclusions, the most important one being Dharmendra Pradhan, and exclusions, though on closer examination, some of those did not look to be as puzzling as they initially seemed.

Take the case of Jagat Prakash Nadda. Though he was sure to be suitably accommodated after the end of his extended tenure as BJP chief later this month, few had sensed his return to the cabinet on Sunday. The “surprise”, however, did help dissipate the “mystery” about the exclusion of outgoing I&B minister Anurag Singh Thakur who scored his fifth consecutive victory from Hamirpur, the logic being that the tiny state of Himachal Pradesh, with four Lok Sabha seats, cannot be assigned two important cabinet berths.

Ditto for JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha. Easily the most trusted of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s lieutenants at this time, he, along with his friends in BJP, was instrumental in the rapprochement with BJP — an endeavour for which he was once publicly heckled. He was seen as a shoo-in. But the surprise factor wears thin in the light of the “one cabinet, one MoS” cap BJP insisted on in the case of TDP and JD(U). This helped Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’, who is senior in JD(U) and whose ties with Nitish remain strong despite their rollercoaster pattern.

Ravishankar Prasad’s failure to return to the cabinet also engaged the attention of many. In his case, there were no ready answers available. Although he was dropped midway through the last term, he would be consistently fielded by the party as spokesperson on important issues and during high-intensity skirmishes. He was also given a ticket in defiance of intense lobbying. The compulsion to take along the allies, whose support will be crucial in next year’s state polls, can be the only possible explanation for the omission.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was also dropped midway through the last tenure, has failed to make a return despite succeeding yet against against the formidable Lalu Prasad clan in Saran — something which became a topic of discussion because, after the defeat of power minister R K Singh, as well as a few others in the neighbouring region of UP, there were not too many strong claimants from the Rajput community.

George Kurian, only the second person after Ravneet Singh Bittu to have been brought in despite not being a member of either of the two Houses, looks like a wild card entry. But when seen along with the success of, and reward for, Suresh Gopi, the party’s maiden winner in Kerala, the choice may not look that intriguing. Gopi’s success was facilitated by significant support from the Christian community and the party could be hoping to expand the opening with Kurian.

Bittu’s inclusion and the retention of Hardeep Singh Puri also appears to be an extension of the PM’s reachout to Sikhs and his decision not to abandon the bridge building effort despite rebuffs.

No Muslim MP in NDA, no minister from community

Chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu, Manipur N Biren Singh and Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma at the event

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: This is perhaps the first time that no Muslim MP has taken oath as minister at a new ministry’s swearingin. Interestingly, the outgoing council of ministers did not have a Muslim minister after Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was not re-elected to Rajya Sabha.

The composition of the council of ministers sworn in after every general election had at least one Muslim MP in it. In 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath for the first time, Najma Heptulla was sworn in and was made minority affairs minis- ter. In 2019, Naqvi was sworn in and he too became minority affairs minister.

One of the reasons for no Muslim representation in this council of ministers is that no Muslim candidate from NDA allies got elected to the 18th Lok Sabha. Of the 24 Muslim MPs elected to the lower House, 21 are from the INDIA bloc and the remaining are Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM and two Independents — Abdul Rashid Sheikh or ‘Engineer Rashid’ and Mohmad Haneefa from J&K.

The council of ministers of 2004 and 2009 had four and five Muslim MPs respectively. Even in 1999, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee govt had two Muslims in the council of ministers — Shahnawaz Hussain and Omar Abdullah. In 1998, the Vajpayee-led ministry had Naqvi as minister of state.

Can’t accept ‘demotion’, will wait for new offer, says NCP

Praful Patel was earlier a cabinet minister in the Manmohan Singh-led Union government

Prafulla.Marpakwar@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: The NDA leadership on Sunday rejected Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s demand to induct NCP Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel as a cabinet minister.

After a meeting with J P Nadda, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh late on Saturday, NCP was informed there’s only one minister of state (MoS) post on offer for smaller parties, barring N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).

While Ajit Pawar and Patel accepted NDA’s contention, they decided “to wait till remedial measures are taken as early as possible”.

In view of his seniority, NCP was expecting that Patel would be granted a plum portfolio with cabinet rank. Patel said: “We were informed that NCP will get MoS with independent charge. I was earlier a cabinet minister in the Union government, so this would be a demotion for me. I had reservations on accepting the MoS post. We informed the BJP leadership and they told us to wait for a few days and they would take reme- dial measures.”

Pawar, who attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in Delhi along with state NCP president Sunil Tatkare, said, “Patel is a senior leader and has already held the post of MoS earlier. We have made it clear that either NCP gets a cabinet berth or we wait (till it becomes available). But we shall continue to support the NDA, there’s no question of us leaving the alliance.”

Pawar said that during his meeting with Nadda, Singh and Shah in the presence of Patel and state NCP president Sunil Tatkare, he pointed out that currently NCP has two MPs — one each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — but in the months to come, its strength will increase to four, with the possibility of two additional RS members. “Under such cir- cumstances, I argued NCP’s case for a cabinet berth. I also explained to the BJP leadership that Patel is a senior cabinet member...Under such circumstances, if NCP is given MoS post, it would be a great injustice...not appropriate. When the BJP leadership told us that NCP will have to wait for a cabinet rank, we agreed accordingly,” he added.

In the Lok Sabha polls, NCP managed to win just one seat — Tatkare wresting the Raigad seat — of the four it contested from.

Following whispers that NCP was unhappy, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday rushed to Tatkare’s residence where Patel and Pawar were already present. “Certain situations are to be accepted in coalition politics. The BJP leadership has taken certain decisions on the constitution of the cabinet for the partners. At his juncture, it will not be possible for us to change the formula for one ally. I am sure the NCP has understood the situation. It is not the end game, soon the cabinet will be expanded and issues raised by NCP will be answered to their satisfaction,” he said.

JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday

SURROUND SOUND

Modi pays tribute at the National War Memorial, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, in New Delhi on Sunday

Will work for Global South: PM

After his swearing-in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the visiting foreign leaders in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Thanking them for gracing the occasion, Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR Vision’.

“Prime Minister emphasized that in his third term, India will continue to work for peace, progress and prosperity of the region in close partnership with the countries, even as it pursues its goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. In this context, he called for deeper people-to-people ties and connectivity in the region. He further added that India would continue to amplify the voice of the Global South in the international arena,” said a government press release.

“The participation of leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region on the momentous occasion underlines India’s deep-rooted bonds of friendship and cooperation with the region,” it added.

Kharge attends, rest boycott

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attended the ceremony, with the rest of the opposition boycotting the event in protest of what they termed as “moral defeat of Modi”. It is learned that opposition party representatives including Sonia Gandhi got the invite for the mega event, and a discussion was held among them. Sources said the opposition in unison felt that the PM had indulged in “hate speech and lies” during the election campaign and had besmirched the dignity of the high office of the PM. Most of them felt “he had lost the moral right to occupy the PM’s office”, and were of the view that they keep away from the oath to convey their disagreement with the PM’s conduct.

“The opposition believes the govt lacks legitimacy and PM Modi has suffered a moral defeat. It was decided that Kharge should attend the event, as he occupies a constitutional post of leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha. Else, the INDIA bloc has boycotted the event,” a Congress functionary said. Others, like TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, had announced in advance that her party would not be attending the event.

No God, only Constitution for 5

While all ministers took the oath of office in the name of God and the Constitution, there were five who invoked only the Constitution. In all, 72 were sworn in to be part of the new NDA govt, of which 18 took oath in English. All ministers from BJP, including PM Narendra Modi, took their oath in the name of God and the Constitution. Among those who took oath in the name of only the Constitution were cabinet ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM (Secular) and Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ of JD (U); and ministers of state Anupriya Patel of Apna Pal, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani of TDP and Ramdas Athawale of Republican Party of India.

Many ministers from the south, east and North-East took their oath in English, including cabinet ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, H D Kumaraswamy and Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.

Halfway into the swearing-in, Modi was seen passing on a message to the ministers waiting for their turn, and then they were seen ready before their names were announced for the oath. Prior to that, ministers were leaving their seats only after the announcement of their names.

In a 1st, transgenders attend event

Sonam Chisti, who has been voicing the concerns of her community through the UP transgender Kalyan Board, was one of the transgender community members who were among the guests who participated in the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Overwhelmed, Chisti cited the invitation for transgender political activists and supporters as a message of inclusion. This was the first time a TG community delegation was invited to be a part of a swearing-in. There were around 25 members from the community at the ceremony. Chisti, who is associated with the the UP BJP unit said she along with other community members from different states had come to the ceremony to give blessings to the new govt. “We have full confidence in our PM,” she said.

People from the transgender community as well as sanitation workers and labourers, who were involved in the construction of the new Parliament building, were also invited to attend the event. Before the ceremony, BJP MP and former social justice and empowerment minister Virendra Kumar felicitated the community members at his residence.

Busy foreign policy calendar

Modi 3.0 is expected to play a crucial role in global diplomacy. The first assignment for India’s foreign policy will come with the Brics foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled to take place on June 10-11, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The next big assignment for India will come with the G7 Summit 2024 in Italy, scheduled from June 13 to 15. Modi will himself participate in the event.

The global peace summit in Switzerland, which aims to chart a path to the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, will also be a challenge. This is slated for June 15 & 16. However, India has not confirmed its presence at the event.

Besides, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will be coming to India for an official visit. Recently, during a telephone conversation, US President Joe Biden congratulated Modi on his third consecutive win in the general elections. The two leaders also discussed about Sullivan’s upcoming visit. Sullivan’s visit aims to engage the new government on shared US-India priorities, including the trusted, strategic technology partnership.

Besides Modi, 6 ex-CMs in cabinet

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Seven ex-CMs are part of the Modi cabinet, another rare combination set to come handy for the govt since they are seen as a value addition for governance with vast administrative experience under their belt.

Six ex-CMs — Rajnath Singh (UP), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP), Manohar Lal (Haryana), Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam), Jitan Ram Manjhi (Bihar) and H D Kumaraswamy (Karnataka) — have been inducted as cabinet ministers in the govt headed by Modi, who was Gujarat CM thrice before taking over as PM in 2014.

Seated next to the PM was Rajnath, CM of UP for a brief stint of two years from 2000-2002. He was Union home minister from 2014-2019 and defence minister from 2019 onwards. It is speculated that he will continue with his existing portfolio.

Popularly known as ‘Ma- ma’, Chouhan was MP CM four times before he was replaced by Mohan Yadav after the state polls recently.

The first BJP CM in Haryana, Manohar Lal resigned in March in the final months of his second tenure, paving the way for party colleague Nayab Singh Saini to take over. He won the Lok Sabha polls from Karnal and his inclusion was expected.

The first BJP CM of Assam, Sonowal made way for Himanta Biswa Sarma in 2021 although the party had won the state polls under his leadership. Kumaraswamy, whose father H D Deve Gowda is an ex-PM, won from Mandya. His party’s alliance with BJP is seen as a crucial factor in NDA doing better in Vokkaliga-dominated constituencies in south Karnataka.

Manjhi, president of Hindustan Awam Morcha, was Bihar’s CM between 2014-2015 as a leader of JD(U) when Nitish Kumar quit the chair for national ambitions.

Symphony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in a medley of languages

Rashtrapati Bhavan wears a festive mood on Sunday

Mohua.Chatterjee@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Celebrities, industrialists, political leaders, friends, supporters, foreign dignitaries, and even transgenders, labourers and sanitation workers were among a crowd of 10,000 that applauded and cheered as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath for a third consecutive term in office on Sunday. Just as the sun went down on a warm summer evening, the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan with its dome, arches and pillars lit up in the national colours of saffron, white and green provided the ideal backdrop for the grand unveiling of Modi Govt 3.0.

All eyes were on the look out for surprises as four rows of ministers, seven of them women, followed Modi in taking the oath of office administered by President Draupadi Murmu in a two-and-half hour ceremony.

After Modi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan recieved the loudest cheer. Loud cheering for young Rammohan Rao (TDP), seasoned veteran Jiten Ram Majhi (HAM), and BJP seniors Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari were heard when their names were called.

Besides Modi, 30 Cabinet ministers and five ministers of state with independent charge were sworn-in as were the members of his council of ministers.

Typically, the young and old were busy clicking selfies and photos on their phone cameras, while some YouTubers could be heard doing live commentary for their shoots from the spot. Several local Hindi dialects, Telugu etc created a medley of di- verse languages interestingly at a time a coalition govt was being sworn in. This BJP-led Modi govt has several ministers from the south, including from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and even Kerala, where BJP has won its first Lok Sabha seat.

The chatter in the benches was obviously about who will get which portfolio after the swearing-in. Among those who attended Modi’s third swearing-in were seven top leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.

The front row of VIPs also included film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor and Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and Anupam Kher among others. Industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and their families were also in the audience.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was present with his wife as were former Presidents Ram Nath Kovind and Pratibha Patil.

Also unmissable were the several religious leaders attending the ceremony. Congress president and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was there but most other opposition leaders skipped the ceremony.

Most seniors in ministry, new face likely for BJP chief

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: As most senior party functionaries have made it to the council of ministers, all eyes are now on who will be the next BJP president as the incumbent chief J P Nadda has been inducted into the Cabinet.

Besides Nadda, several senior faces, including Bhupender Yadav, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dharmendra Pradhan, have been sworn in as Cabinet ministers, paving the way for a new face to lead BJP.

Some former ministers who did not figure in PM Narendra Modi’s new council of ministers are also expected to be drafted in for roles in the party. Nadda replaced Amit Shah as the party president in Jan 2020, while the other ministers who have led the party in the past include Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh.

Nadda’s extended term as BJP chief is scheduled to end this month. Although the party constitution allows him to hold two positions, there is a possibility that the party brass will appoint a working president who is likely to continue as the fully fledged head following the internal poll process.

For the new president, a woman, an OBC and a prominent face from south India may be the likely considerations.

Annamalai-Tamilisai rift widens in TN BJP

The rift between K Annamalai and Tamilisai Soundararajan, current and former Tamil Nadu BJP chiefs, respectively, widened Sunday with their supporters indulging in social-media mudslinging in the wake of the party’s poll debacle in the state, reports Yazh Iniyan. Both Annamalai and Tamilisai lost as LS candidates.

State general secretary of BJP OBC Morcha Tiruchi Suriyaa Siva hit back at Soundararajan for her comments earlier that “anti-social elements” were inducted into the party. “It was during the presidency of L Murugan, who was appointed on your recommendation, people with criminal backgrounds were inducted... I can produce a list of such names,” Siva said. This led to volleys from both sides. Those criticising Annamalai blamed him for BJP’s loss. Annamalai’s supporters defended him saying there was a rise in BJP’s vote share. They also slammed Tamilisai for discussing party affairs in public.

2 berths for Kerala signal BJP goals

A Bid To Woo Both Hindus & Christians

President Murmu administers oath to BJP MP Suresh Gopi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram: If winning the first-ever Lok Sabha seat from Kerala was one of BJP’s high points, the allocation of two ministerial berths for the state — for Thrissur’s MP and actorpolitician Suresh Gopi and George Kurian, the party’s Roman Catholic face — signals BJP’s strategic goals.

With both a Hindu and a strong Christian face in the cabinet from Kerala, BJP aims to solidify its presence in the state before the next assembly polls.

Kurian, a close aide of Narendra Modi and loyal BJP soldier since 1980s, is a surprise entry in Modi 3.0 govt. BJP, seeking to capitalise on CPM’s alleged appeasement of Muslim voters, hopes to secure support from Christian church through Kurian, a former vice-chairman of National Minorities Commission.

BJP has already gained from its outreach programme to Christians in the state by securing a majority in 11 assembly constituencies in Lok Sabha election. To further expand its base, it needs support from both Christians and Hindus.

A new Sainik School allotted to Nair Service Society (NSS) recently is seen as a step to a ttract the community organisations. While NSS brass maintained a neutral stand in Lok Sabha polls, several of its taluk unions showed support for BJP, especially in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Thrissur. BJP believes it can win five to eight seats in state assembly by winning over Christians.

Sukanta & Shantanu Bengal’s 2 faces in Team Modi; state unit to get new chief

Two BJP MPs from Bengal took oath as ministers in PM Narendra Modi’s team, including Shantanu Thakur and Sukanta Majumdar, the state party chief. The earlier Modi-led govt had three junior ministers from the state, among them Bongaon MP Thakur. Majumdar’s appointment will leave vacant for now the post of the state BJP chief. “We have provisions in the party constitution (to fill the slot). The position of state president will follow the same principle,” said Majumdar, the MP from Balurghat. Majumdar had taken over as state BJP chief in 2021, replacing Dilip Ghosh. It may take nearly two months to pick the new state president, BJP sources said.

Thakur and Majumdar had been invited to Modi’s residence Sunday morning for tea and were informed about their inclusions then, said the sources.

TNN

Amaravati works restart on Naidu nudge

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh authorities have swung into action on new capital Amaravati, restarting and speeding up projects after sensing the priorities of the incoming TDP-led NDA govt, reports Srikanth Aluri.

Chief secretary Neerab Kumar made a surprise visit to Amaravati on Sunday and said CM-designate N Chandrababu Naidu had given instructions to fast-track the projects.Amaravati had been a signature initiative of Naidu in his previous term till he was unseated by YSRCP in 2018.

He said works would start after the swearing-in ceremony expected later this week.

Andhra BJP chief among probable LS Speaker picks

Purandeswari played a key role in BJP’s alliance with TDP and Jana Sena. BJP believes elevating her to the Speaker’s post will alse be received well by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu’s wife and Purandeswari are sisters

Umamaheswara.Rao@timesgroup.com

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh BJP president and Rajahmundry MP Daggubati Purandeswari is among the probables for the post of Speaker in the 18th Lok Sabha.

According to sources within BJP, the former Union minister and daughter of TDP founder NT Rama Rao may have been excluded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new Cabinet — sworn in Sunday — specifically to appoint her as LS Speaker.

If Purandeswari is elected LS Speaker, she will be the second Andhra Pradesh MP to hold the coveted p osition in Parliament. The first was former Amalapuram MP Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2002.

Sources said BJP believes that elevating Purandeswari to LS Speaker will also be received well by Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister-designate N Chandrababu Naidu. Notably, Naidu’s wife and Purandeswari are sisters.

As a three-time MP and current Andhra BJP chief, Purandeswari played a pivotal role in BJP’s alliance with TDP and Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh in the 2024 election. This alliance yielded impressive results, with the NDA winning 164 out of 175 assembly seats in the state. Moreover, the alliance boasts 21 MPs in Andhra Pradesh — 16 from TDP, three from BJP, and two from Jana Sena. TDP emerged as the second-largest party in the NDA alliance, after BJP.

Prior to being elected MP from Rajahmundry in the just concluded polls, Puran- deswari served as MP for Bapatla and Visakhapatnam in 2004 and 2009, respectively. She emerged as the right choice for the position of Andhra Pradesh BJP chief when the party was struggling to establish a foothold in Andhra Pradesh.

She led the party to tremendous success, with eight MLAs (out of the 10 contested seats) and three MPs (out of the six contested LS seats) in the recently held election.

An eloquent speaker, Purandeswari enjoys a positive image among different sections of society and political parties in Andhra Pradesh.

Beauty biz bares its Seoul

Snail mucin, hydrafacial or a trip to Korea — Chennaiites go the distance for the elusive ‘glass skin’

OLDEST KOREAN SKIN HACK: Let rice water (leftover water in cooked rice) sit for 24 hours and use it as a face pack. Wash off after 15-20 minutes

Asha.Prakash@timesgroup.com

If you can’t go to Korea to get authentic skincare products for the much soughtafter glass skin, they now come to your doorstep. And if the products don’t cut it, skin junkies in the city go all the way to Seoul for a peel, to get it right from the horse’s mouth—or rather the snail’s. That’s how obsessed Chennaiites are about getting dewy, glowing, ‘glassy’ skin just like Jennie from the K-pop band BlackPink.

When Anisha Fathima from Chennai visited Seoul, South Korea, for a holiday, she decided to try a glass facial. “I’d heard a lot about it but had no clue what I was going in for when I booked a session,” she says. “People visit Seoul from across the world for skin treatments and cosmetic surgeries and all the salons there are booked out. The one-hour facial cost us `15,000 each but at the end of it my skin did have a mirror effect, which lasted for more than two weeks.”

The steps involved in the facial were more or less what’s done in India, says Anisha, together with a fractional erbium glass laser and LED treatment, but it was the products that made all the difference. “I also bought products from the Myeong-dong cosmetics market in Seoul. They turned out to be amazing, it’s not just a hype. The salon was also ready to provide us with fillers or skin correction surgeries on the spot.”

The idea of achieving the smooth skin of K-drama stars and K-pop idols has long been a goal for Gen Z. The difference now is that it’s accessible to everyone and achievable to an extent, thanks to influencers sharing their care routines, city salons offering Ktreatments, and exclusive stores with Korean skincare products popping up in the city.

Shanti Prince, who is based in Seoul and has been in the beauty business for years, recently launched in Chennai’s Panayur, KLove a home store which exclusively sells cosmetic products imported from Korea. “Some of our most popular products are sun creams, moisturisers, retinol and snail mucin. We have even started an academy for training in Korean beauty care.”

But what is this glass skin? Is it real or fake? Can Indians get it? These are some of the most searched Google queries on the subject in the recent past.

A ‘flawless, smooth and intensely hydrated complexion that resembles glass in its clarity and luminosity, characterised by a poreless, dewy and almost translucent appearance’ is how celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Dr Chytra V Anand describes it. “And it is achievable with a meticulous skincare routine focused on hydration, exfoliation and protection, and regular medical grade treatments. It requires tailoring the routine to suit the unique characteristics of Indian skin, which can be more prone to pigmentation and sensitivity. Consistency in using the right products and medical grade treatments are key.”

A common misconception is that glass skin means fair skin, says Megna Maaran, a beauty influencer from Chennai. “The aim is natural radiance without makeup.” And this is why Indians prefer to follow South Asian beauty influencers for Korean skin care rather than Koreans. “The results depend on the levels of dedication you are ready to put in. For me, it took a lot of research, experimenting with different products and techniques till I found out what worked for my skin.”

People go wrong when they blindly copy influencers as their skin type might be different, she says. “The first step is to treat your skin issues like acne. The next is to identify your skin type and start the routine, which is not just about using a bunch of products day and night, but regulating your lifestyle—sleep, food habits, gut health and water intake. Glass skin is one step above healthy skin.” Megna starts her day with a green juice and uses sunscreen religiously.

Whether glass skin aspirants achieve the results or not, Korean skincare will only benefit in the long term as it means taking steps to a healthy lifestyle, says Olivia Anugraha, make-up artist. “Also, no harsh chemicals are used. Some of the major ingredients in their products include licorice roots, aloe vera and fermented rice water. The products are mild and more suited to Indian skin. They are expensive, but people are willing to spend on them.”

Shanti, who has lived in South Korea for 25 years, says skin care is part of life for Koreans. “Even an 80-year-old looks after their skin. They are updated on international trends and their formulations are perfect, especially sunscreens.” At the same time the genetics, weather and food habits of Koreans are different as they have a lot of seafood and seaweed, and one should never aspire for a 100% result, she cautions. “You won’t get results overnight, but in a year, you will.”

IN-CLINIC DERMATOLOGICAL PROCEDURES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE GLASS SKIN EFFECT

Chemical peels | Exfoliate the skin to remove dead cells, improve texture, and promote cell turnover

Microneedling | Stimulates collagen production and improves skin texture, reducing the appearance of fine lines and scars

Hydrafacial | A multi-step treatment that cleanses, exfoliates, extracts impurities and hydrates the skin with serums

LED Light Therapy | Uses different wavelengths of light to address various skin concerns, such as acne, inflammation, and signs of aging Injectables—hydrators, microtox, polynucleotides. They help stimulate hydration of the skin, boost collagen and enable fibroblast activity

The aim is natural radiance without makeup, says beauty influencer Megna

SLIME SO FINE: Mucin is a secretion snails leave behind when they crawl on a surface. It is said to contain collagen, elastin and antioxidants, all of which work miracles on the skin. But some might be allergic to it, so test all such products before using

Pradhan & Oram inductions throw open Odisha CM race

Dharmendra Pradhan, thought to have the strongest CV to become Odisha CM, was inducted into Modi Cabinet Sunday

Ashok.Pradhan@timesgroup.com

Bhubaneswar: The field of contenders for the Odisha chief ministership narrowed down Sunday to Brajarajnagar MLA Suresh Pujari and three potential alternatives after the duo thought to have the strongest CVs—Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram—were inducted into PM Modi’s new Cabinet.

The emergence of a new frontrunner in Pujari coincided with BJP moving the swearing-in from Monday to June 12, apparently to ensure a consensus on who should lead its first govt in the state. The reason officially cited by BJP for delaying the event was the PM’s official engagements.

Pujari faces competition from BJP’s state president Manmohan Samal despite the latter losing the assembly election in Chandabali. Two-time MLA Mukesh Mahaling and four-time legislator Rabi Naik are also in the race.Samal is from northern Odisha while the other two are from western Odisha, considered BJP’s stronghold.

Pujari represented Bargarh in LS from 2019 until this election. A lawyer by training, the 64-year-old was BJP’s state president from 2006 to 2009 and is credited with significantly enhancing the party’s reach in the region during that period. Samal, 65, an OBC face, is seen as a contender because BJP unseated BJD under his stewardship. His supporters draw a parallel with Uttarakhand, where Pushkar Singh Dhami was given the CM’s job despite losing his assembly contest.

Mahaling, 51, an SC representative with moorings in RSS, voluntarily retired as a scientist of the state pollution control board in 2019 to contest the assembly poll. He secured a second term from Loisingha, also in western Odisha.

If Mahaling gets the top post, he will make history by being the first SC to become CM of a state where over 17% of the population is from that community.

If Kuchinda’s tribal MLA Naik, 55, makes the cut, he will be a surprise pick. Besides four terms as a legislator, he has been president of BJP’s state ST Morcha.

HC rejects terror convict’s plea for 2 sentences to run together

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Noting that terrorism must be dealt with sternly, Delhi HC has rejected the plea of a terror convict seeking merging of two sentences in two different cases.

The petitioner pleaded that since he had voluntarily pleaded guilty in both cases, HC should allow his seven-year sentence in a UAPA case for conspiring to establish an IS base in India run “concurrently” with the sentence imposed upon him in another case, wherein he conspired to carry out an attack in Haridwar during the Ardh Kumbh Mela and raised funds for the same. The petitioner said he was a young, poor and illiterate man who had a genuine desire to reform himself, obtain an education and become a productive member of society.

Dismissing the petition, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma emphasised that the offence committed by petitioner Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed was grave and had impacted national security and communal harmony. “Terrorism not only threatens the national security of the country but also the very fabric of society by targeting innocent civilians and institutions indiscriminately, with an aim to instil fear among the common and innocent citizens of a country,” the court noted in a recent order. “They also result in loss of innocent lives, destruction of property and destabilisation of regions. These impacts are often long-lasting. Thus, the gravity of such crimes lies in their potential to cause widespread harm, both physically and psychologically, and their challenge to fundamental values of peace, tolerance and coexistence in a nation,” it stated. “Since a lenient view has already been taken by trial courts at the stage of sentencing, no further leniency can be granted to the petitioner by allowing concurrent running of sentences... ,” it concluded.

KR Naidu youngest cabinet minister at 36; 33 first timers in team

Continued From P1

Among prominent allies, NCP opted out of the cabinet, at least for the time being, with its representative, former cabinet minister Praful Patel, publicly saying the offer of MoS was not acceptable to him because it would have meant a demotion.

Overall, there were 33 first time ministers, with seven of them from alliance partners, including TDP’s K Rammohan Naidu and Chandra Shekhar Pemmasani, JD(U)’s Lallan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary, LJP’s Chirag Paswan and Kumaraswamy from JD(S). Naidu is the youngest cabinet minister at 36 years. The prime minister sought to strike a regional balance, while ensuring that states such as Maharashtra and Haryana, where elections are due, get adequate representa- tion. Despite electoral setbacks in Uttar Pradesh, the state retains its primacy in terms of representation with 11 ministers, followed by Bihar (eight), Maharashtra and Gujarat (six each).

The party think tank has also opted to go with those who have won their Lok Sabha seats, ignoring the claims of several candidates who lost the election, with Ravneet Singh ‘Bittu’ and L Murugan being exceptions. Murugan is the only member from Modi’s team from the previous term who has found a berth despite losing the election.

Rajnath Singh (Lucknow), Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur), Jitendra Singh (Udhampur) and Kirti Vardhan Singh (Gonda) are the four ministers from Thakur community, which had a far bigger representation from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in first two terms of Modi govt.

Times Global

- Gantz, member of Israel war cabinet, resigns over lack of postwar plans

- Iran OKs 6 prez hopefuls, blocks Ahmadinejad

- Biden visits WWI cemetery in France in rebuke to Trump

- AROUND THE WORLD

- Hamas: 3 hostages died in Israel’s rescue raid

- Ukraine: Struck Russia’s most advanced fighter jet at base 600km from front line

- Clooney protested Biden slamming ICC warrants, a case that his wife worked on

- Missing British TV doctor found dead in Greece

- SUPPORT TRUMPS HEAT

- Big Gains For Far-Right In EU Vote

- US says Russia offensive against Kharkiv ‘stalled’

- Roadside blast kills 7 soldiers in NW Pakistan

- #BookTok to blame? English-language books are filling Europe’s stores

Gantz, member of Israel war cabinet, resigns over lack of postwar plans

Jerusalem: Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-man war cabinet, announced his resignation on Sunday. The move does not immediately pose a threat to PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who still has the parliamentary majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. But the Israeli PM now becomes more heavily reliant on his far-right allies.

“Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory. That is why we are leaving the emergency govt today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence,” Gantz said at a televised news conference. He also said that the govt needs to put the return of the hostages taken by Hamas “above political survival”.

Netanyahu appealed to Gantz to reconsider. “Benny, this is not the time to abandon the battle — this is the time to join forces,” PM said in a post on X.

Gantz, the popular former military chief joined Netanyahu’s govt shortly after the Hamas attack in a show of unity. His presence also boosted Israel’s credibility with its international partners. Gantz has good working relations with US officials. Gantz had previously said he would leave the govt by June 8if Netanyahu did not formulate a new plan for postwar Gaza.

He scrapped a planned news conference Saturday after four Israeli hostages were rescued from Gaza in Israel’s largest such operation since the eightmonth war began.

AGENCIES

Iran OKs 6 prez hopefuls, blocks Ahmadinejad

Dubai: Iran’s Guardian Council on Sunday approved the country’s hard-line parliament speaker and five others to run in the country’s June 28 presidential election following a helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others. The council again barred former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a firebrand populist known for the crackdown that followed his disputed 2009 re-election, from running.

The council’s decision represents the starting gun for a shortened, two-week campaign to replace Raisi. The Guardian Council also continued its streak of not accepting a woman or anyone calling for radical change to the country’s governance. AP

Biden visits WWI cemetery in France in rebuke to Trump

Biden travelled to the cemetery in France on Sunday in a visit seen as ajab at his predecessor Trump who in 2018 skipped the visit, reportedly calling American war dead ‘losers’

Belleau (France):US Prez Joe Biden travelled to a WWI cemetery in France Sunday in a visit seen as a jab at his predecessor Donald Trump who in 2018 skipped the visit, reportedly calling American war dead “losers”.

Biden, an 81-year-old Democrat, is set to face Trump, a 77-year-old Republican, later this year in a presidential election.

On the last day of his fiveday tour, Biden visited the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near the village of Belleau in northern France. The cemetery contains the graves of 2,289 war dead, most of whom fought in the vicinity and in the Marne Valley in 1918.

Then-president Trump cancelled his visit to the site in 2018, officially due to poor weather that made helicopter travel risky. But the Atlantic magazine, citing sources, said Trump refused to visit the cemetery because he did not think it was important and because he was also concerned about his hair.

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” the magazine quoted Trump as telling his staff members. In a separate conversation, Trump called the marines who perished at Belleau Wood “suckers”, the Atlantic reported. Trump has denied making those remarks.

Biden has repeatedly needled Trump over the report. “He said they’re ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’,” Biden said at a recent fundraiser. “Who in the hell does he think he is? This guy does not deserve to be president.”

AFP

AROUND THE WORLD

UN DOS TRES... PRIDE: Ricky Martin performs during LA Pride

UK foreign secy falls victim to hoax call from Ukraine ex-prez’

British foreign secretary David Cameron exchanged messages and held a video call with someone purporting to be former Ukrainian prez Petro Poroshenko, but the interactions were later determined to be a hoax, the foreign office said on Friday. “Whilst the video call clearly appeared to be with Mr Poroshenko, following the conversation the foreign secretary became suspicious,” it said. The statement gave no details of what was discussed, other than to say that the caller asked Cameron for others’ contact details. The foreign office said Cameron was making the hoax public “in case the video of the foreign secretary is manipulated and misused”. Britain, which holds elections on July 4, did not say who it believed was responsible for the hoax Cameron is not the first UK foreign minister to be caught out by a hoax. In 2018 then foreign secretary Boris Johnson discussed international relations and rude poetry with a hoax caller who pretended to be the Armenian PM. In 2022, Britain blamed Russia for hoax calls to two ministers and an attempted call to a third.

S Korea restarts loudspeaker broadcasts on North border

South Korea on Sunday resumed anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in retaliation for the North sending over 1,000 balloons filled with trash and manure over the last couple of weeks. The move is certain to anger Pyongyang and could trigger retaliatory military steps as tensions between the war-divided rivals rise. Hours after the South resumed loudspeaker broadcasts, the powerful sister of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un warned that the South created a“ prelude to a very dangerous situation.” She said South Korea would witness an unspecified “new response” from the North if it continues with the broadcasts and fails to stop civilian activists from flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.

Hamas: 3 hostages died in Israel’s rescue raid

Tel Aviv’s Euphoria To Be Short-Lived? Medics Say The Op Claimed 274 Palestinian Lives, Worst 24-Hr Toll In Months

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters in Washington converged around the White House on Saturday, urging Prez Biden to stop all military aid to Israel and calling for an immediate ceasefire in war in the Gaza Strip

Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades said in a video posted on its Telegram channel on Sunday that three hostages were killed, including a US citizen, in an Israeli military operation on Saturday in which four hostages were freed. The group did not release the names of those said to be killed, but the video showed what appeared to be three unidentifiable corpses using censor bars over their faces. A Hamas assertion on Saturday that some hostages had died had been rejected as “a blatant lie” by the Israeli military.

In its update on Sunday, the Gaza health ministry said 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 were injured when Israeli special force commandos stormed into the densely populated Al-Nuseirat camp on Saturday to rescue the four hostages held since Oct by Hamas.

Palestinians remained in shock over Saturday’s death toll, the worst over a 24-hour period of the Gaza war for months and including many women and children, Palestinian medics said.Sixty-four of the dead were children and 57 were women, the Hamas-run Gaza govt media office said.

Seeking to explain the civilian toll and damage from the raid, Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner told US network ABC that forces “came under fire from a 360-degree threat. RPGs, AK-47s, explosive devices on the way, mortar rounds. It was and is a war zone.”

The audacious rescue of four living hostages has raised morale in Israel and offered at least a momentary victory for the country’s embattled PM Be- njamin Netanyahu. But the euphoria was already giving way to a harsher reality. The heavy civilian toll punctures Israel’s claims that the operation was a resounding success, at least internationally. And the operation failed to resolve any of the deep dilemmas and challenges vexing the Israeli govt, according to analysts.

Israel’s foreign minister rejected accusations “of war crimes” in the operation. “We will continue to act with determination and strength, in accordance with our right to self-defence,”Israel Katz said.

AGENCIES

No White House word on whether Biden will meet Bibi in US

The White House declined to say on Sunday whether Prez Biden will meet Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli PM visits Washington next month to address the US Congress. “He’s coming to address the Congress. The prez talks to him all the time,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on July 24. There have been tensions between the two men over how Israel is conducting the war.

REUTERS

Father of hostage died on eve of son’s Gaza rescue: Family

The father of an Israeli hostage held in war-torn Gaza for eight months died just one day before his son was rescued in a special forces raid, relatives said Sunday. Ever since the Oct 7 attack, Yossi Jan had desperately waited for news on his son Almog Meir Jan, 22, who was among those abducted from the Nova music festival. “My brother died of grief and didn't see his son return,” Yossi Jan’s sister said. His funeral was held on Sunday, attended by Almog.

AFP

Ukraine: Struck Russia’s most advanced fighter jet at base 600km from front line

If confirmed, it would mark Ukraine’s first known successful strike on a Su-57 fighter plane. It comes after Western allies allowed Kyiv to use their weapons for limited strikes inside Russia

Kyiv: Ukraine on Sunday said its forces hit an ultra-modern Russian warplane stationed on an air base nearly 600 km from the front lines, after its Western allies allowed Kyiv to use their weapons for limited strikes inside Russia.

Kyiv’s main military intelligence service shared satellite photos it said showed the aftermath of the attack. If confirmed, it would mark Ukraine’s first known successful strike on a Su-57 fighter plane, a twin-engine stealth fighter lauded as Moscow’s most advanced military aircraft.

In one photo, black soot marks and small craters can be seen dotting a concrete strip around the parked aircraft. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s ministry of defense, the strike took place on Saturday at the Akhtubinsk base in southern Russia, some 589km from the front line.

It wasn’t immediately cle- ar what weapons were used, but the airfield’s distance from Ukraine suggests that it was likely hit by drones.

The strike comes after the US and Germany recently authorised Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to Kyiv.

The Ukrainian agency said that the plane, which is capable of carrying stealth missiles across hundreds of kilometres, was among “a countable few” of its type in Moscow’s arsenal. According to reports by Russian agencies, Moscow’s armed forces obtained “over 10” new Su-57s last year, while 76 are set to be produced by 2028. Moscow did not comment on the reports.

AP

Clooney protested Biden slamming ICC warrants, a case that his wife worked on

Amal and George Clooney

Washington:George Clooney contacted a top White House official in May to complain after Prez Biden criticised the International Criminal Court’s move to seek a warrant against top Israeli officials over Gaza war, a case the actor’s wife had worked on, two people familiar with the situation said.

Amal Clooney, a prominent human rights lawyer, served on an advisory panel that helped conduct the court’s investigation, which resulted in warrant requests for Israel’s PM and defence minister and three senior Hamas leaders, accusing them of illegal conduct that has led to thousands of civilian deaths.

George Clooney lodged his protest with Steve Ricchetti, a counsellor to Biden who played a pivotal role in his fundraising efforts four years ago. It had no effect on US policy, a senior official said. Nonetheless, Clooney’s decision to contact the White House (in the form of a text message) underscores the problems that Israel’s actions have caused for Biden as he tries to reconcile his support for a stalwart ally. Clooney is scheduled to appear at a June 15 fundraiser for Biden in Los Angeles.Aspokespersonfor the actor declined to comment about Clooney’s interaction with Ricchetti but said his client “has every intention of attending the fundraiser”.

NYT

Missing British TV doctor found dead in Greece

Athens/Symi: British TV presenter Michael Mosley, 67, has been found dead in a rocky area of Symi, days after he disappeared during a walk on the Greek island, local officials and police said. The healthy living advocate, who was had been a prominent face on British TV for two decades, was found on Sunday morning, ending a four day search that included aircraft, drones and sniffer dogs. Symi mayor Lefteris Papakalodoukas said the discovery was made after he and others, including journalists from state TV channel ERT, filmed the area from a vessel. “We analysed the recorded evidence and it was obvious that it was, unfortunately, Mosley. He was found 10m away from the sea, 10-15m from his destination, the beach of Agia Marina...,” the mayor said, adding it was unclear what had happened. REUTERS

SUPPORT TRUMPS HEAT

Former US Prez Donald Trump’s campaign is hiring extra medics, loading up on fans and water bottles and allowing supporters to carry umbrellas to an outdoor rally Sunday in Las Vegas, where temperatures are expected to exceed 37.8°C. Trump is returning to Nevada for his second rally since he was found guilty in a hush-money scandal. The unprecedented conviction of an ex-prez has juiced fundraising and galvanised Trump supporters, but it remains to be seen whether it will sway swing voters.

AP

Big Gains For Far-Right In EU Vote

In Germany, Hard-Right AfD Jumps To 2 nd Place & Olaf Scholz’s SPD Sees Its Worst Show; In France, Le Pen’s Party Trounces Macron’s: Exit Polls

Brussels: The far-right was seen scoring big gains in Germany and France in EU elections, opinion polls showed, joining the Netherlands in offering the first signs that an expected rightwards shift in the European Parliament is under way.

In France, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party won around 32% of the votes, a10 point increase on the last EU election in 2019 and some 17 points ahead of Prez Emmanuel Macron’s party, according to the first exit polls.

More mainstream conservatives were also forecast to do well across Europe, with early estimates for both groups in line with an expected broader shift in the European Parliament which covers a bloc of 450 million citizens. All this means the new European Parliament is likely to be cooler on policies to address climate change while eager to support measures to limit immigration to the EU. The parliament could also be more fragmented, which would make adopting any measure trickier and slower as the EU confronts challenges including a hostile Russia and increased industrial rivalry from China and the US.

Early exit polls showed that parties grouped in the centreright European People’s Party (EPP) were projected to remain the largest bloc across five countries, including Germany and Greece. That would put the EPP’s candidate to head the European Commission, incumbent Ursula von der Leyen of Germany, in pole position for a second term.

In Germany, the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took second place behind conservative CDU/CSU alliance’s 29.6% with 16.5% of the vote, up from 11% in 2019, according to an exit poll published by public broadcaster ARD. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Soci- al Democrats (SPD) crashed to their worst-ever result in European Parliament elections, falling to third place. According to projections, it received around 14% of the vote, below the 15.8% they managed in 2019.

Meanwhile, in Austria, the far-right Freedom Party is the likely winner. It is the first ti- me the group has topped a nationwide ballot in the Alpine country. In the Netherlands, exit polls showed nationalist Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration party was set to win seven of the 29 Dutch seats in the EU assembly, just one short of the combined seats of a Socialist Democrat-Greens alliance.

AGENCIES

US says Russia offensive against Kharkiv ‘stalled’

Paris: US Prez Joe Biden’s national security adviser said on Sunday that Russia’s advance on Ukraine’s Kharkiv “has stalled”, after Washington partially lifted restrictions on using US-donated weapons to strike inside Russia. “The momentum of that operation in Kharkiv has stalled out,” Jake Sullivan told the CBS broadcaster. “Kharkiv is still under threat but Russians have not been able to make material progress on the ground in recent days in that area.” Washington has given the green light for Ukraine to use US weapons to defend Kharkiv region. “From the president’s perspective, this was common sense. It didn’t make sense not to allow the Ukrainians to hit Russian guns and emplacements that were firing at Ukrainians,” he said. AFP

Roadside blast kills 7 soldiers in NW Pakistan

Islamabad: A bomb blast targeting a military truck killed seven soldiers on Sunday in northwestern Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan, the army said. The incident took place in the Lakki Marwat district which is on the edge of a lawless tribal region divided on both sides of the border.

The improvised explosive device exploded near the military vehicle, killing seven soldiers including an officer, the army said in a statement. “The perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice,” it said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The tribal region has long been a safe haven for Islamist militants who operate on both sides of the border. Militant group called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has been waging a war against the state to try to overthrow the govt. REUTERS

#BookTok to blame? English-language books are filling Europe’s stores

VIRAL MANIA: English sales have accelerated in recent years, in part because books now go viral on social media, especially TikTok. And, it’s the English version of the books that youngsters see in #BookTok posts

Amsterdam: When Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan was in the Netherlands a few years ago promoting her most recent novel, “The Candy House”, she noticed something unexpected. Most of the people who asked her to sign books at author events were not presenting her with copies in Dutch. “The majority of the books I was selling were in English.” Her impression was right. In the Netherlands, according to her Dutch publisher, De Arbeiderspers, 65% of sales for “The Candy House” were in English.

As English fluency has in- creased in Europe, more readers have started buying American and British books in the original language, forgoing the translated versions that are published locally. This is especially true in Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and, increasingly, Germany, which is one of the largest book markets in the world. Publishers in those countries, as well as agents in the US and Britain, worry this could undercut the market for translated books.

The English-language books selling abroad are generally cheap paperbacks, printed by American and British publishers as export editions. Those versions are much less expensive than hardcovers available in the US, for example, and much less expensive than the same books in translation, which have to observe minimum pricing in countries like Germany.

English sales have accelerated in recent years, in part because books now go viral on social media, especially TikTok. Booksellers in the Netherlands said many young people prefer to buy books in English with original covers, even if Dutch is their first language, because those are the books they see and want to post about on BookTok. Christian Schumacher-Gebler, CEO of the Bonnier Publishing Group in Germany, said this could hit authors in many ways. They would miss out on royalties from translated editions, which are higher than the payment they receive from inexpensive export copies.

In an effort to combat the English-language appeal of TikTok, some Dutch publishers have started to release translated books under their English titles, with covers that are similar, or the same, as the original designs. “We are in the middle of a transition,” said Simon Dikker Hupkes, a commissioning editor at a Dutch publisher.

Bookstores have adapted to the trend too, buying more English-language versions of popular book. In fact, some booksellers said they were pleased that people were buying books, regardless of the language. Jan Peter Prenger, chief buyer at Libris, a large group of independent bookstores in the Netherlands, saidfor the first time since the 1960s, 15-year-olds are back in bookstores in droves. “That’s gold,” he said.

NYT

Editorial

- Third Time Tricky

- Safety Not First

- Both jock & geek

- Fortifying NDA Against Storms

- Why BJP Partly Lost Its Way In Rajasthan

- Let’s Put The Polite Back Into The Polity

- CONTRAPUNTO

- Sacred space

Third Time Tricky

Political compulsions of coalition govt may test BJP, on reforms and on the fisc

As Modi-led NDA assumes office with 72 ministers, BJP heavyweights have returned. They include, perhaps in a first, seven former CMs, bringing their considerable experience to the new govt. The coalition has a daunting task that 10 years of BJP govt struggled with – jobs, jobs and jobs. The new govt will need no reminder that NDA’s, especially BJP’s, performance tripped over cracks on the highway of speedy economic growth.

Inequality a deal-breaker | The new govt must take on board the reality that a central issue this election has been the uneven distribution of fruits of growth – variously seen in faster growth in consumption of better-off classes, pockets of rural distress, and joblessness and underemployment. Specific policies that promote low-skilled employment will be a priority.

Welfare by itself no solution | Filling such craters on the multi-trillion-dollar highway with a rash of welfare schemes can only paper over the fundamental problem. Handouts have been every govt’s fallback option. But they have failed to kickstart the jobs engine and expand livelihood options and markets, especially for small and medium enterprises. Modi govt expanded free rations to more people and by 5 years more, earlier this year. Free food grain for 80cr of India’s 142cr population is a sobering reminder of the economic precarity of 60% of India’s population.

RBI & hurting food prices | The upcoming Budget is one reason RBI didn’t cut the repo rate in the recent monetary policy. More important was that it acknowledged the stickiness of inflation, especially of food. As food prices, especially those of milk and vegetables increase, exceptional heat and low water reservoir levels will likely cause more stress on summer vegetables and fruits, RBI has noted. Its optimal 4% inflation rate is at present far below the rural food inflation rate of 8.75% recorded in May.

Coalition dharma | As portfolios find their ministers after hard bargains, the days ahead are a test for Modi, who has never headed a coalition. India’s macroeconomic indicators are strong, but it’s the micros where political compulsions of coalition will test NDA. Special status category for Andhra and Bihar, as Naidu and Nitish have demanded, will add to fiscal burden. Reforms will likely be slower. To run a stable coalition govt will be a new experience, and a challenge, for the third-term PM.

Safety Not First

Yet another Delhi fire underlines no lessons are being learnt. Regulations are up in smoke

On Saturday morning, there was yet another fire in Delhi. This time, it was at a food processing unit in Narela and left three workers dead. The seemingly endless chain of such tragedies underlines the callousness with which worker safety is treated in India. Statistics also stress that no lessons are learnt from such incidents: fires have been reported from as many as 194 factories in the capital in the first five months of this year alone.

A pan-India problem | Unfortunately, such incidents occur even in the more industrialised western and southern parts of the country, with a larger organised sector. In May, a boiler explosion at a chemical unit in Maharashtra’s Thane district killed 8 workers.

In Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district, fire incidents in fireworks units killed 8 workers in May and 10 in Feb.

Migrants worst sufferers | More often than not, it is migrant workers who end up as victims of such horrific and completely avoidable accidents. With agriculture an unrewarding proposition, millions are migrating to cities and towns in search of jobs. But they often find themselves working long hours in inhumane and unsafe conditions, as has been reported from Narela. Factory owners flout rules and cut corners with impunity. Because regulators turn a blind eye.

Implementing rules key | Western Europe faced up to the underbelly of capitalism as long back as the 19th century. India is running too far behind. It must regulate the conditions under which labour works in factories and other enterprises, very strictly. And regulation does not imply merely laying down rules but their proper implementation. As things stand, greasing the palms of visiting govt officials is enough for it to be ‘business as usual’ at commercial establishments in urban areas.

Both jock & geek

How Netravalkar stars in the boyhood multiverse

Arnab Ray

What do young boys dream of? If you grew up in the 90s, in my time, you dreamt of being a good student. Wanting parental approval was burnt into our DNA, but it wasn’t just that. He who studies well drives a car, is an English translation of a Bengali proverb.

As you can see, ambitions for financial well-being then were modest, capped by the possession of a personal vehicle. In any case, getting into a prestigious institute and studying an in-demand subject was the surest way to a secure future. And what could be more prestigious than getting into the best of the “phoren”, a Stanford or an MIT, and in Computer Science too, for that was where we were told the future was.

But what boys truly dreamt of was cricket, of the glory of the Gods, of bowling the last over or hitting a last ball six in an India-Pakistan encounter, that too in a World Cup, winning the game, as the nation cheered in one voice, shouting out your name.

Unreal, these dreams all seemed, the best of study and the best of play, but what is a dream if not an impossible hope? Even when adrift from all reality, the heart still remained anchored to the fact that both couldn’t be true together. If you went to the cricket field, the dream of being a stud in study would wane away. If you buried yourself in math books, why, of course, you would never play.

But we were wrong. It is possible. There does walk, in the realms of men, one such Titan.

He is a Computer Science graduate from Cornell. He is also a professional cricketer, not just any cricketer, no sir, but the one who won a World Cup game against Pakistan representing USA, bowling the stuff of dreams that curl up like tendrils of steam on a hot afternoon, that last over, that strike of sporting glory forever echoing in eternity.

Rise, Sir Saurabh Naresh Netravalkar. You are the personification of the impossible dream of boys. For you have straddled the multiverse of the jock and the geek.

All we, humble mortals, who have taken only one of the paths and not gotten far in either, can do is gaze in jealous admiration at the perfection that is you.

Fortifying NDA Against Storms

A large council of ministers is meant to project BJP strength in Modi’s first coalition govt. It’s a message to allies & opposition. It’s also prep for Maharashtra, Jharkhand & Haryana polls

Unstated message is BJP doesn’t lack high-quality political talent. Modi’s fortifying his cabinet with people who’ll hold their own when push comes to shove

R Jagannathan

The defining characteristic of the new NDA cabinet is not the induction of ministers from non-BJP allies like TDP, JDU or Shiv Sena, but the strengthened presence of battle-hardened senior politicians from BJP itself.

Yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony had the usual hallmarks of a Modi political extravaganza, with PMs from neighbouring countries, CMs and powerful politicians, showbiz and business celebs in attendance. The real hint, that this time things are different from 2014 and 2019, came from the overall ministry’s sheer size, with more than 70 ministers sworn in, including 30 of cabinet rank. More parties and interests had to be accommodated.

4 political priorities | Choice of ministers reflects Modi’s major political priorities:

● To emphasise that BJP is still calling the shots despite a 20% decline in the number of members elected to Parliament

● To send a message to voters ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana later this year, states where BJP did not do as well as expected in the Lok Sabha contest

● To underline NDA 3.0’s commitment to the inclusion of Dalits and backward classes in its rainbow coalition of castes

● To decisively jettison the idea that BJP is a Hindi-heartland party, with poor traction in the south. Modi wants the north-south divide story to be buried forever.

Strength projection | While all the high-profile ministers from Modi’s previous cabinet remain – Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan, to name just a few – PM has added more ballast by including Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Manohar Lal Khattar, both former CMs, with Chouhan being a very successful one in MP.

To this we can add the political experience of two more former CMs from smaller allies, HD Kumaraswamy of JDS and Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM. In contrast, the two major allies, JDU and TDP, seem to have got two ministers each, though this could be corrected later. However, it is equally possible that these parties would like their backing to Modi to be paid for in terms of economic benefits for their states rather than just ministries. Even during Vajpayee’s govt, Chandrababu Naidu offered outside support and extracted economic benefits for his state.

Moving from party to cabinet is JP Nadda, whose term as BJP president ends this month. Missing are two major ministers from Modi 2.0. Smriti Irani may be a casualty of the party’s UP debacle, but Anurag Thakur may have yielded a place to Nadda, who is also from Himachal Pradesh. Both Smriti and Thakur may be given larger roles in the party, though this cabinet is far from complete and will be expanded later.

Caste arithmetic | The Dalit contingent has at least four prominent faces apart from Manjhi. Ramdas Athavale of RPI and BJP’s own Arjun Ram Meghwal and SPS Baghel will now be joined by Chirag Paswan of LJP (Ram Vilas). These inductions are important because BJP was seen to have lost Dalit support in some states in these LS elections. With Arjun Munda losing in Jharkhand, Jual Oram of Odisha seems to be the cabinet’s replacement tribal face.

Southern gesture | Most states now have a minister in the cabinet, and Kerala, which elected its first BJP MP, Suresh Gopi, got two ministers, including George Kurian. This not only makes a bold statement about BJP’s arrival in the deep south, but also seeks to reassure the estranged Christian community. Telangana, where BJP won 8 of the 17 seats, and Karnataka, where the Lingayat-Vokkaliga alliance worked well, also get due representation. From Tamil Nadu, there is L Murugan. The state did not give the party any seats, but it saw a strong show on vote shares.

Message to allies, opposition | The unstated message in this choice of ministers is that while BJP does not have a majority of its own, it does not lack high-quality political talent to serve as a counterweightto the new inductees from powerful regional allies.

This is sensible, for unlike the last cabinet, which was deferential to the PM in most meetings, this time there could be pushback from ministers sent in by the allies. Modi is fortifying his cabinet with people who can hold their own when push comes to shove.

A significant absence from the ministry was Ajit Pawar’s NCP, which got only one seat in Maharashtra and was reportedly offered only an MoS position. Praful Patel, working president of NCP, has gone on record to say that he could not accept an MoS position, having already served as cabinet minister in UPA.

This could also be an indirect hint to NCP that equations in Maharashtra could change again before the assembly elections. Who knows, a reach-out to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena – which can’t happen without an implicit understanding or merger with Shinde Sena – may be the option BJP is working on behind the scenes!

The presence of such a high-power BJP list may also be intended to give the party a strong presence in parliamentary debates, where opposition will be more aggressive than before. The allies may not always want to speak up on issues they are uncomfortable with.

Modi 3.0, or NDA 3.0, is preparing for the storms ahead.

Why BJP Partly Lost Its Way In Rajasthan

● Party misjudged local political relations ● It imported the ‘wrong’ caste leaders ● Parachuting a Brahmin debutant MLA into the CM’s position proved costly ● Farmer protests took a toll

Anastasia Piliavsky & Bharat Hun

For decades, Rajasthan has been a jhula-state swinging hard between BJP and Congress, with opposing camps locked in searing debates on its streets and village chabutaras. This year, however, the state wavered.

In 2014 and 2019, BJP did not only sweep the state, it also gained a 25 percentage point vote-share advantage. This time, while it did secure most seats, it received only 12 percentage points more votes. For the first time since 1996, the national rivals have both secured seats in double digits: BJP 14 and Congress-led INDIA 11.

Meena-Gurjar miscalculation | It all began last year, when BJP decided to parachute a Brahmin and debutant MLA into the CM’s position (the first Brahmin in 33 years to occupy the seat in Rajasthan), swiping aside both the two-time CM and royal Vasundhara Raje and the silverback MP Kirodi Lal Meena. And so, in one fell swoop, Modi alienated the powerful Meena community – losing 4 of 6 seats in Meena-dominated eastern Rajasthan – and the many Rajasthanis for whom Raje is “the Maharani”. In the east, Om Birla, Modi’s long-time associate and outgoing Lok Sabha speaker, scraped to a narrow victory against a BJP rebel. If in 2019 he won by 2.8L votes, this time he got only around 40k more.

BJP missed another major opportunity by drastically misjudging local political relations. In 2019, Gurjars, another powerful local community, abandoned Congress for refusing to make their neta, Sachin Pilot, the state’s CM. This alone could have gifted BJP several seats, but it didn’t. Sidelining many Gurjar heavyweights, BJP fielded but one imported Gurjar, believing that caste identity alone would do the trick. But in Rajasthan, as in much of India, political loyalties do not work in identitarian ways. Substantially, they track vertical, cross-caste patronal relations, which imported candidates lack. This is also how BJP lost Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, which went to a local neta fielded by Congress. This is how it lost Jhunjhunu, Churu, Sikar, Barmer and Nagaur, where BJP fielded “the wrong” import-Jats.

Bhil blow | BJP’s misjudgment of local affairs, which cost it dearly in this election, has much to do with its centralisation. Party surveys, which give critical local feedback, and were historically conducted for BJP by committed party workers, are increasingly passed over to professionals, often Delhi-based youths on bikes prone to faking the surveys.

A young independent Rajput, Ravindra Singh Bhati, generated much media buzz as an anti-establishment rebel, in whom young Rajputs placed their hopes. Bhati lost, but the real star of this election, whom the media overlooked, is Rajkumar Roat, a Bhil from Bhartiya Adivasi Party, who beat a BJP silverback in Banswara by almost 2.5L votes. This is more than an isolated victory. It displaces Congress as BJP’s main rival in southern Rajasthan, where from now on the battle will rage between BJP and BAP.

In northern Rajasthan, BJP’s anti-farmer policies took a further chip out of their mandate. Much as in Haryana and Punjab, in Ganganagar the Jats and JatSikhs who led farmer protests against corporate price control of agri products, took revenge on BJP by voting for Congress.

Urban bastion | BJP nonetheless held on to urban constituencies. Here, inflation and unemployment had little effect on BJP loyalties and Ram Mandir did have its desired effect. BJP also brought scores of urban middle-class women to the polls, many for the first time.

Fears of Rajput rage against BJP in response to outgoing Union minister Rupala’s anti-Kshatriya comments proved unfounded. On the contrary, Rajputs rallied around BJP this year in Rajasthan. In the very Jalore-Sirohi constituency where Rajputs took public anti-BJP oaths, the Congress candidate, son of Rajasthan’s three-time CM Ashok Gehlot, lost by 2L votes to BJP. Rajputs also helped carry BJP to victory in Kota, and delivered its biggest state victory in Rajsamand, a Rajput stronghold where the party won by nearly 4L votes.

BJP’s Agnipath army recruitment scheme backfired. In Sikar, which sends more men to the army than any other district in India, this resulted in the surprising election of a CPM MP.

Laying bare every one of BJP’s troubles – from problematic army reforms to its sidelining of local politics to farmer neglect – Rajasthan is BJP’s wake-up call. It can as ill-afford to snub India’s countryside, where two-thirds of the country still lives, as try to displace the complex world of local political relations with a centralised politics of identity-as-caste.

Piliavsky teaches anthropology and politics at King’s College London. Hun is a social anthropologist

Let’s Put The Polite Back Into The Polity

THE SPEAKING TREE

Jug Suraiya

The protagonist in a John Barth novel always puts on his best clothes when he has to perform a manual chore, particularly if it’s a messy one, like topping up the engine oil in his car.

He does this in a conscious departure from the convention of having separate ‘work clothes’, rough and ready wear, often stained and grubby, that we put on when we have to, literally and metaphorically, roll up our sleeves to perform a task that involves getting ourselves a bit mucky and grimy.

His reason for doing this is that sloppy clothes lead to sloppy work. When he puts on his best shirt and suit before performing a job that involves getting his hands dirty, he makes himself mindful of what he’s doing, and how he’s doing it, with precision and care, both for the work at hand and for the need to keep his clothes clean.

The words we use are said to be the clothes of our thought, of what we think and feel, or what we might call our mental wardrobe.

This wardrobe, so to speak, often reflects what we think and do. This is why different clothes are deemed suitable for different occasions. The festive finery we would sport at a celebratory event such as a wedding is very different from the sober raiment we would don to attend a memorial service, and in each case we would modulate what we say and do to suit the situation.

Such reflections on how we clothe our thoughts and deeds, how we address ourselves in public life, are not mistimed when we emerge from the heat and dust, the sound and the fury, of the biggest battlefield of the ballot box ever witnessed on earth, a Kurukshetra of democracy involving a billion participants.

Now, as “The tumult and the shouting dies;/ The Captains and the Kings depart”, it might be appropriate to take a pause to consider and distinguish between the rough and ready verbal garb of the polemics of the electoral fray, and the original meaning of the word ‘politics’.

The term is derived from the Greek ‘politika’, affairs of the city or polis. When Greece was made up of city states, like Athens and Sparta, the citizens were ‘polites’, residents of the polis.

The words polite, politeness, and politic, being prudent or wise, all have the same root. Similarly, the words civic, and civility, come from the Latin civilis, meaning citizens.

It was the obligation of citizens, inhabitants of the polis, to be care-ful not only about the administration of the city, civics, but also mindful of their interactions with each other, regulated by civility and politeness.

Politics is not just about elections, and the people who fight in them. Politics, like civics, is about how we, as citizens who supposedly share rights and responsibilities, behave towards each other, tempering even our disagreements with fellowship and good humour.

If words are indeed the garments of thought, if we pay regard to what we say to and about each other, like Barth’s hero, we can get the often gritty job of democracy done without soiling the attire of our civic, and civil, discourse.

CONTRAPUNTO

Any coalition has its troubles, as every married man knows

–ARTHUR HAYS SULZBERGER

Sacred space

Above all else: go out with a sense of humour. It is needed armour. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.

Hugh Sidey

Times Business

- Navigating eco in uncertain world a challenge for new FM

- India Inc expects reforms agenda to continue under coalition govt

- D St’s eyes on ministry allotment, US Fed’s stance on rates, inflation

- In Volatile Market, Use MFs For Optimal Asset Allocation

- Sebi proposes stricter rules for stocks in F&O list

Navigating eco in uncertain world a challenge for new FM

Sustaining Growth, Creating Jobs Immediate Priorities

TEAM TOI

New Delhi: With the swearing-in of Narendra Modi’s council of ministers over, the question uppermost on everyone’s mind is who will be the next finance minister? Will Nirmala Sitharaman stay in the wood-paneled office on the first floor of North Block, which is home to the finance ministry or will she move to another ministry on Raisina Hills.

The task before the new FM is tough against the backdrop of a challenging geopolitical landscape. Sustaining growth, ensuring price stability and creating jobs by getting the private sector to invest are immediate priorities. Then there is the mammoth task of energy transition for Asia’s third largest economy that stares the new administration as climate challenges mount.

The theme of sustaining growth and getting private investment going again is expected to run through the Budget that is likely to be presented next month as well as the 100-days agenda of the new govt and Modi’s third term as PM.

While India remains on course to grow at over 7%, inflation has moderated although RBI governor Shaktikanta Das has cautioned that lowering it to 4% will not be so easy. Weatherproofing the farm sector against heatwaves and other weather shocks is a priority to keep the supply chain steady.

The key focus is going to be investment, especially by the private sector. Following the interim Budget, Sitharaman had suggested that investment should not be measured in the traditional sectors alone but also in newer areas such as global capability centres, space and artificial intelligence. But economists and industry players still believe that there is no alternative to creating jobs in factories and manufacturing plants, especially at a time when the lack of adequate employment seems to have emerged as a major issue in the general elections. That may require govt to offer some incentives, which Indian industry is never averse to.

Jobs and skilling are seen to be crucial, including in services such as tourism and hospitality. Govt will also need to address the issue of two-paced growth which economists and companies often talk about in the postCovid period.

While govt has been focusing on areas such as production-linked incentives, the FM will need to ensure that the schemes see actual payouts and the private sector is not left chasing officials and the administrative ministries to get the promised funds.

Unlike the last two times, when BJP enjoyed absolute majority, this time the new FM will also have to be conscious of the political compulsions, which will include addressing demands of special category states from its two key allies as well as setting up the eighth pay commission to decide on salary revision for govt employees. Pay hikes for central govt staff are due in 2026, the year which will also see the implementation of the award of the 16th Finance Commission. Besides, there is the pending demand of assuring that the pension under NPS (new pension system) is at least half the last pay drawn. While Sitharaman had set up a committee headed by expenditure secretary T V Somanathan, the recommendations are yet to be submitted.

Some of the recommendations will also require the Centre to mobilise resources, while sticking to the fiscal glide path that it has charted for itself. That may mean govt will have to revive its asset monetisation and disinvestment drives, something that was suspended ahead of general elections, while ensuring that allies are on board.

Also on the agenda is the revamp of the seven-year-old GST regime which has multiple slabs, often creating classification issues.

India Inc expects reforms agenda to continue under coalition govt

Industry captains who attended the swearing-in ceremony included Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Kumar M Birla & Ashok Hinduja

TEAM TOI

Mumbai: The country’s top industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and Ashok Hinduja attended the swearing-in ceremony of PM Narendra Modi and his Cabinet at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi on Sunday. Several business leaders took to X and congratulated Modi for becoming the PM for the third time.

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra wrote on X: “Hope the new term will prove to be important for the development and prosperity of India.”

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said “You have strengthened India’s position as a source of innovation for global progress in sectors like health, agriculture, women led development, and digital transformation. Look forward to a continued partnership to enhance the lives of people across India and the world.” Industry expects Modi, under the coalition govt, to continue with his reform agenda as he looks to lift India’s global standing.

Gautam Adani’s wife and chairperson of Adani Foundation, Priti Adani posted on X: “Under your able leadership, the country has touched new heights of progress in the last 10 years. And we are confident that in the coming years your ‘Developed India’ campaign will move forward at double the speed.”

JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal said on X: “With the new Cabinet, I’m optimistic about the conti- nued progress and development of our nation. Together, let’s build a stronger and more resilient economy.”

While Modi will continue to focus on infrastructure, manufacturing and technology, contentious policy reforms could be delayed as his coalition partners are unpredictable as well as the emergence of a strong opposition, according to analysts.

Essar Capital director Prashant Ruia said he is looking forward to “continued transformation and growth under your (Modi’s) leadership to realise the vision of #ViksitBharat2047”.

Banker Uday Kotak and Piramal Group chairman Ajay Piramal were also present at the event. Next-generation leaders like Anant Ambani and Karan Adani too attended the ceremony.

Anil Agarwal of Vedanta said: “Bharat has crossed many milestones under your visionary leadership. We are confident that the country will continue on its remarkable growth trajectory.”

PwC India chairperson Sanjeev Krishan expects govt will prioritise allocation of resources on research and development to bolster India’s innovation landscape, collaborate with industry and academia to build regulatory frameworks to transform technologies and will move sustainability from a risk-protocol to a strategic opportunity. Industry body Ficci said it is looking forward to progressive policies that will foster economic and social development.

D St’s eyes on ministry allotment, US Fed’s stance on rates, inflation

TEAM TOI

Mumbai: After a brief setback last week, the sensex is on track to go beyond the 77,000 milestone as the new trading week starts after the formation of the new team of ministers in PM Narendra Modi’s third term.

Dalal Street investors are expected to react to who helms the most important ministries — the finance ministry, the home ministry and to some extent the foreign ministry — in new govt, market players said.

After scaling a new-all time high at 76,795 points in late trades on Friday, the sensex closed at 76,693 — less than half a percentage point off the 77K mark. On the NSE, Nifty is now eyeing the 23,500-point mark, having closed on Friday at 23,290 points.

In addition to the allocation of various portfolios, the Street will also closely watch the incoming data for the manufacturing industry (IIP), the country’s consumer and wholesale inflation numbers for May, and also what the US Fed has to say after its rate setting committee concludes their meeting by mid-week. Trading trends of foreign funds that have already net sold about Rs 10,500 crore worth of stocks in the month so far will also be closely watched.

The high valuations of the Indian market could weigh on its ability to attract money from foreign portfolio investors, said V K Vijayakumar of Geojit Financial Services. “FPIs regard Indian valuations to be very high and therefore capital is getting shifted to cheaper markets. The FPI pessimism regarding Chinese stocks appears to be over and there is a trend of investing in Chinese stocks listed (in Hong Kong) since their valuations have turned very attractive,” Vijayakumar said in a note.

In India, a recent trend among foreign funds is that they have been selling aggressively through the exchanges but buying through the primary market route. But high valuations will attract further selling by FPIs in the secondary market, Vijayakumar said.

TOI IN THE CLASSROOM

In Volatile Market, Use MFs For Optimal Asset Allocation

With stocks turning volatile after the elections, financial planners believe mutual fund investors must not act in haste. They should stick to an asset allocation approach to managing their portfolios. There are several products available from mutual funds across equity, fixed income and gold, making it easy for an investor to allocate.

What Does Asset Allocation Mean?

Asset allocation is a process where you decide how much of your total corpus should be allocated to different categories such as equity, fixed income, gold and cash — the most common components of an asset allocation strategy. Financial planners believe this helps minimise volatility and maximise returns. This also helps divide money among asset categories that do not respond to the volatility in the market in the same way at the same time. For example, when equities go down, gold could go up or fixed income could remain stable. Asset allocation will vary from one investor to another and will be determined based on age, lifestyle, goals, and risk appetite. A conservative investor may choose to hold 30-40% in equity funds, 50-60% in debt funds and 10% in gold funds.

Why Is This Process Necessary?

It is difficult for any investor to predict when equity will go up or when it could correct. There could be many factors affecting it. So, when equities go down, and all your money is in it, you will be hit hard. However, if some part of it is allocated to gold and debt, it will protect your portfolio. Hence, spreading money across assets gives the best risk-adjusted returns. Wealth managers believe that in the long term, as high as 90% returns come from proper allocation.

How Often Should Reviews Be Done?

Asset allocation plays an important role in the success of any financial plan. Investors should review it at least once a quarter or in six months. If any asset moves up or down sharply, say by over 10% of the targeted allocation, they could look at rebalancing the portfolio.

How Can MFs Be Used To Diversify?

Asset allocation can be done using a combination of mutual fund schemes. Typically, a financial planner or wealth manager suggests an allocation based on the investor’s profile and risk appetite. For example, an aggressive investor with a 10 lakh portfolio could have 60% allocation to equity funds, 30% to debt funds and 10% to gold funds. Within equities, it could be split into half for a large-cap fund and the remaining to a mix of mid-cap, small-cap and thematic funds. In debt, it could go to a mix of ultra short and duration funds, while the rest could go to a gold ETF or gold saving funds. Investors could also combine hybrid funds to meet this allocation. The allocation mix has to be regularly monitored. In the above example, after say six months, due to a rise in stocks, the equity allocation could rise to 65%, then it should be brought back to the original level of 60% by switching equity funds to debt and gold.

PRASHANT MAHESH

Sebi proposes stricter rules for stocks in F&O list

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Markets regulator Sebi on Sunday proposed to tighten the selection criteria for stocks that could be traded in the derivatives segment. As part of the proposed rule, it could eliminate those stocks that have low investor participation and yet are included for trading in the futures & options (F&O) segment of the bourses.

In the consultation paper, Sebi said that it was in 2018 that the rule for selection of stocks to be included for trading in the derivatives segment was revised. Since then while the trading turnover in the cash segment has jumped about 3.5 times, the number of securities traded in the derivatives segment has fallen from 207 to 182.

Average daily delivery value in these stocks has also gone up by over three times. “The broad market parameters have shown significant growth. In turn, the criteria for entry and exit of stocks in the derivatives market should keep pace with the evolving market,” it said in the paper.

Since Covid, turnover in the F&O segment has also gone up manifold, raising concerns among govt and the policymakers to tighten rules for trading in the segment, especially for retail investors. Recently the FM and the chief economic adviser had both raised such concerns on public forums.

According to a Nuvama report, about 24 stocks could be excluded from the current list of those in which derivatives trading is allowed, while 78 stocks could be added.

Times Sport

- A CARNIVAL OF CRICKET IN NY

- Ruthless Aussies are too good for England

- Akeal shines in West Indies’ record win against Uganda

- Pulling out of IPL best thing for me: Zampa

- GALLERY

- England must not rely solely on Bellingham, says Southgate

- Leverkusen sign French defender Belocian

- Suarez to play in his fifth Copa

- PGA Tour reports ‘progress’ with Saudi wealth fund leaders

- Nagal wins Challenger title, all but seals Oly berth

- Czech midfielder Sadílek to miss Euro due to bicycle accident

- Pedri brace helps Spain drub Northern Ireland

- BOWLERS GET UNLIKELY WIN

- South Africa wary of plucky Bangladesh

- CLAY KING CARLOS

- THIRD TIME’S A CHARM FOR COCO, PAOLINI LOSES 2 FINALS IN 2 DAYS

- Champion Swiatek serves up a Wimbledon warning

A CARNIVAL OF CRICKET IN NY

Fans Come From Far Off Places To Cheer For India, Pakistan Teams

FRENEMIES: India and Pakistan fans had a gala time witnessing the match between the arch-rivals

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: Ayush, the trucker from Toronto, was a saviour. When the request on the app for a 20-minute cab ride on a Sunday morning in Long Island tells you the waiting time is one hour, you know there’s something really big happening in the vicinity.

It’s just that you happen to meet the boy from Bhatinda, who has driven for eight hours from across the border, and is ready to help the Indian journos in distress. “Come along, India ko jitana hain,” he says, and we all feel obliged.

Ayush wasn’t the only one who had come from far for this historic occasion -India vs Pakistan in cricket’s ‘newfoundland’ – the United States of America.

Rizwan and Zeeshan, two businessmen from London, are in New York just to watch Pakistan play. Pakistan had a bad start to the World Cup, but that didn’t matter. “It’s the passion, how can we stay away from this…We have spent $3000 dollars on this, hope the rain goes away,” Rizwan told TOI.

The Sunday morning rain looked like a real threat for quite a while. While we were apprehending the worst -a wash-out on ‘debut’ – the locals gave us hope: “Look at the app, it’s a passing shower and it will clear by 11 am.”

“Rang me bhang nahin hona chahiye yaar,” Navjot Singh Sindhu said in his characteristic style, walking towards the makeshift elevator, where he was greeted by an old ‘frenemy’ Rameez Raja. The two openers of the 80s and 90s from two sides of the border embraced, and there was immediate banter in chaste Punjabi, as if they were back to the playing days. And when somebody asked Rameez if Nassau County Ground reminded him of any off-shore venue, the former captain said: “Has to be Toronto”.

It was in Toronto from 1996-98 that India and Pakistan played three back-toback Sahara Cups -a bilateral ODI series -which saw Sourav Ganguly shaping up as a top limited-overs player and Saqlain Mushtaq weaving his magic.

The two teams have stopped playing bilateral cricket over the years and one could feel the craving for India-Pakistan rivalry to be renewed. While Sidhu had said a couple of days ago that “cricket should be a unifier with India-Pakistan playing more often on off-shore venues if needed,” the fans echoed a similar sentiment. Haider, an IT professional from Maryland, who tries to watch IndiaPakistan matches across the globe, said: “We just love to see the two teams playing. Imagine Virat Kohli and Babar Azam retiring without playing against each other in a Test match…It’s just sad.”

The Pakistan fans were thoroughly outnumbered on Sunday, but that hardly mattered. When Sachin Tendulkar, one of the guests for the match, took a walk around the Nassau County ground, one could feel how he is loved as much by Pakistan fans, as he is by Indians. “We have grown up watching him… How can he not love him,” Rizwan, wearing the green of Pakistan, said.

The rains kept coming and going, the match became a stop-start affair, but those who are associated with cricket in the United States knew that the aim had been achieved. Sanjay Parthasarathy, the owner of Seattle Orcas, a team in Major League Cricket, told TOI: “The game has made a mark. If you are following the top news channels in the USA, they are all following it. Add to that the win of the USA team …Cricket is here to stay,” Parthsarathy said.

We’ll know in the next few years, but the signs are truly good.

Ruthless Aussies are too good for England

England’s Phil Salt is bowled by Adam Zampa on Saturday

Bridgetown (Barbados): Australia crushed England by 36 runs in Barbados on Saturday to leave the defending champions’ T20 World Cup hopes in the balance. Defeat means Jos Buttler’s men are still winless after their opening game against Scotland was wrecked by rain.

But Australia, who posted 201/7, are top of Group B with two wins after restricting their fierce rivals to 165/6 in their 20 overs. Australia’s openers raced out of the blocks and the team posted the first score of 200-plus at the tournament even though no batsman reached 40.

Phil Salt and Buttler gave England a solid platform in their reply, reaching 54/0 after six overs before going up a gear, taking 19 off Mitchell Starc’s third over. But spinner Adam Zampa bowled Salt (37) with his first ball to leave England 73/1 in the eighth over and took the prized wicket of Buttler in his next over for 42.

Will Jacks was caught by Starc in the deep off Marcus Stoinis for 10 as Australia turned the screw, conceding just 11 runs in three overs. Moeen Ali took three sixes off a Glenn Maxwell over but Jonny Bairstow went cheaply and Moeen perished for 25, caught by David Warner in the deep as England’s situation became increasingly desperate.

England became bogged down against disciplined bowl- ing as the run rate climbed and Zampa finished with impressive figures of 2-28 off his four overs.

Earlier, Buttler chose to bowl at the Kensington Oval but quickly lost control as openers Travis Head and Warner went on the rampage. Spinner Jacks went for 22 runs in his first over, conceding three sixes as Australia’s openers savaged the bowling.

Paceman Mark Wood also conceded 22 runs in his opening over as Australia raced to 55/0 in four overs, relishing a short boundary on one side of the ground. Moeen made the breakthrough England desperately needed in the fifth over, bowling Warner for 39 and paceman Jofra Archer flattened the stumps of Head (34), leaving Australia 74-2.

BRIEF SCORES: Australia 201/7 (D Warner 39, M Marsh 35, T Head 34; C Jordan 2-44) beat England 165/6 (J Buttler 42, P Salt 37; P Cummins 2-23, A Zampa 2-28).

AGENCIES

Akeal shines in West Indies’ record win against Uganda

Providence (Guyana): Leftarm spinner Akeal Hosein’s career-best figures of five for 11 decimated an inept Ugandan batting line-up as the West Indies romped to a 134-run victory in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium on Saturday.

Set a daunting target after the tournament co-hosts posted 173 for five batting first, the World Cup debutants looked completely out of their depth in being routed for 39 off 12 overs. The score equalled the record of the Netherlands against Sri Lanka at the 2014 tournament for the lowest innings total in the T20 World Cup.

West Indies’ second win in as many matches pulls them level at the top of the table on points with Afghanistan although the Afghans remain in first position by virtue of a better net run-rate.

Now regularly entrusted with the responsibility of opening the bowling for the Caribbean team, Hosein felt the spectacular success on the night was just reward for continuous hard work and improvement.

“I needed this. In the nets and in the previous series we’ve played I felt the ball was coming out nicely but I just wasn’t getting the rewards,” he said after collecting the “Man of the Match” award.

Just four days after an historic victory over Papua New Guinea, the Africans were made acutely aware of the yawning gap in class in the batting department, even if their bowlers still emerged from the match with considerable credit.

Opener Johnson Charles led the West Indies batting effort with a top score of 44 off 42 balls (four fours, two sixes), yet none in the celebrated power-hitting middle-order were able to cut loose.

Captain Brian Masaba earned the two important wickets of Nicholas Pooran and opposite number Rovman Powell with his wrist-spinners, while seamers Cosmas Kyewuta and Juma Miyagi impressed with their pace and accuracy.

It was left to Andre Russell with a 17-ball unbeaten 30 (six fours) to the West Indies innings late acceleration.

“It’s a very steep learning curve for us, especially in the batting department and we have to learn from this experience and understand what we need to do to keep ourselves in the game,” said Masaba in assessing the overall effort of his team.

“It’s a huge challenge (this World Cup debut) but it’s something we’re enjoying and we understand if we are going to get better we need to be playing against opposition like this a bit more and over time we will be able to narrow the gap.”

For West Indies captain Rovman Powell, the improvement from a scrappy opening victory over PNG nearly a week earlier was particularly pleasing.

“That last game we were a little bit flat so coming into this game we just wanted to improve as a team and I think we’re up to 70-80 per cent now and it’s good to see guys getting performances under their belts because moving forward it’s going to get tougher,” he noted.

“We have been playing good cricket as a team for the last 12 months or so it’s just for us to continue to improve because we understand the conditions and cricket isn’t easy in the Caribbean.”

BRIEF SCORES: West Indies 173/5 (J Charles 44, A Russell 30*; B Masaba 2-31) beat Uganda 39 (A Hosein 5-11, A Joseph 2-6).

AGENCIES

AKEAL HOSEIN

Pulling out of IPL best thing for me: Zampa

Bridgetown (Barbados): Australia spinner Adam Zampa said that pulling out of IPL 2024 was the “best thing” to do coming into the T20 World Cup, adding that skipping it also allowed him to spend time with family and tend to injuries.

“Yeah, obviously made that decision a little while ago to pull out of the IPL and I thought it was the best thing for me moving forward into this World Cup,” Zampa told reporters.

“I was tired, I had some niggles and I’m a family man as well, so trying to put them first over work sometimes is pretty important. I actually am a bit of a slow starter and I put in a little bit of extra work. My body feels great and I just did that bit of extra work. Maybe a bit more bowl- ing than I usually would before a tournament like this. And then the practice games and everything just feels nice at the moment,” he added.

Cricket pundits have started drawing comparisons between Zampa and the legendary Shane Warne, following the former’s crucial role in Australia’s title-winning run at the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Zampa feels his skills had improved over the years. “I reckon I did the work when I was young, I went through some rough patches for sure, I got dropped I was in and out of the team a little bit and then I was probably in the team and not bowling that well – but in the last few years that skill is definitely better than it was eight years ago when I started.” PTI

GALLERY

Sanjivani bags top spot in 10000m event

Portland: Asian Championships bronze medallist runner Sanjivani Jadhav won the gruelling women’s 10,000m race at the Portland Track Festival HighPerformance Meet, clocking a personal best time of 32:22.77 seconds here. Another Indian in the fray, Seema finished fifth clocking 32:55.91. Commonwealth and Asian Games medallist, Avinash Sable clocked 8:21.85 seconds in men’s 3000m steeplechase to finish second.

Russell takes Canadian GP pole: George Russell edged Formula 1 points leader Max Verstappen on a tiebreaker for the pole position in the Canadian Grand Prix. Russell and Verstappen had identical laps of 1 minute 12.000 seconds at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with the Mercedes driver getting the top spot Sunday by setting the time first.

Rivaan, Rehan, Atiqa finish on podium at FMSCI National: Atiqa Mir, a promising young driver from Kashmir, secured the second runner-up spot, while Rivaan Preetham and Rehan Khan occupied the top two slots in the first round of the FMSCI Rotax National Championship in Bengaluru on Sunday.

AGENCIES

ACTION TODAY

CRICKET: ICC T20 WC, SA vs Bangladesh, 8 pm (Star Sports)

BASKETBALL: NBA, 5.30 am (Jiocinema)

England must not rely solely on Bellingham, says Southgate

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham brings a lot to the table but England manager Gareth Southgate has said his side won’t win anything by relying on one key player for success in the European Championship in Germany. Bellingham, who last played for England during the international break in March, has had a superb season with his club, winning LaLiga and the Champions League as well as individual awards.

“We are not putting everything on Jude,” Southgate said after the defeat at Wembley. “We’ve got a lot of good players and it is a collective thing to go and try to win this tournament. If we are relying on one person that isn’t going to be a team that wins. I’m sure he will give the squad a lift but it is not his responsibility to do that. It is for all of us to get the focus right, to make sure individually our mentality is right.”

REUTERS

Leverkusen sign French defender Belocian

Leverkusen: Bayer Leverkusen signed 19-year-old French defender Jeanuël Belocian Friday in the first new arrival since Xabi Alonso’s team won the German league and cup double. Belocian, who has played twice for the France Under-21 national team, arrives from Rennes on a contract through 2029. He played 39 times for Rennes since making his first-team debut in March 2022, including in the Europa League. Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes praised Belocian’s passing skill and athletic ability.

AP

Suarez to play in his fifth Copa

Montevideo: Luis Suárez, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer, will play in his fifth Copa América.

The 37-year-old Suarez, who plays for Inter Miami, was in the 26-man squad named by national coach Marcelo Bielsa on Saturday.

Suárez said on social media he was “very happy and proud” to be picked.

Uruguay face hosts United States, Bolivia and Panama in Group C. “Let’s go Uruguay, let’s go,” Suarez wrote. He won the Copa America in 2011 and was the player of the tournament. He was picked for 2016 but injury kept him on the bench, and played in 2019 and 2021.AP

PGA Tour reports ‘progress’ with Saudi wealth fund leaders

New York: The PGA Tour reported progress without details from a face-to-face meeting between its negotiating committee and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia as it tries to work toward a deal. “We want to get this right, and we are approaching discussions with careful consideration for our players, our fans, our partners and the game’s future,” the tour said in a statement released Saturday morning.

The meeting in New York on Friday evening involved the “transaction committee” of PGA Tour Enterprises and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund that pays for rival LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy is on the committee and said he was encouraged by the progress. He referred to the three-hour meeting as “very productive, very constructive, very collaborative.”

“Definitely things are heading in the right direction,” McIlroy said after the third round of the Memorial. He participated on a video call. “A lot of progress was made. I can’t really say much more than that, but it was really positive.”

PGA Tour Enterprises is the commercial group that came out of the framework agreement announced a year ago among the PGA Tour, PIF and the European tour.

PGA Tour Enterprises brought on Strategic Sports Group, which invested an initial $1.5 billion earlier this year. Negotiations are ongoing to bring in PIF as a minority investor, and there has been more activity than previously believed.

McIlroy, who joined Tiger Woods and Adam Scott on the transaction committee, said i t has been meeting with PIF representatives every Monday, Wednesday and Friday over the last couple of weeks. The tour referred to negotiations as “accelerated” in recent months.

Friday’s meeting was the first in-person discussion since players and board members met with Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas the day after The Players Championship in March.

The tour said the committee and PIF have been meeting “multiple times weekly to work through potential deal terms and come to a shared vision on the future of professional golf.” It said only that “more progress was made” in New York.

“We remain committed to these negotiations, which require working through complex considerations to best position golf for global growth,” the tour said.

AP

Nagal wins Challenger title, all but seals Oly berth

Sumit Nagal

TIMESNEWSNETWORK

Helibronn: Sumit Nagal virtually sealed his spot in the Paris Olympics tennis competition by winning the 120,000-euro ATP Challenger men’s title in Helibronn, Germany, on Sunday.

Third seed Nagal overcame Alexander Ritschard of Switzerland 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in two hours and 41 minutes in the final of the clay-court tournament.

The 100 ranking points the Indian gained from his sixth Challenger crown saw him climb to a career-best ranking of 77 on the ATP Tour and confirm his direct entry in the singles event for Paris.

The singles draws will feature 64 players with the first 56 reserved from the best ranked players.

As per ITF regulations, each nation can pick six players each in the men’s and women’s sections w ith four entries allowed in singles and two in doubles.

With countries like Australia, Spain and Italy featuring more than four players in the top-100, Nagal’s entry is a matter of official announcemen t.

Czech midfielder Sadílek to miss Euro due to bicycle accident

Prague: Czech Republic midfielder Michal Sadílek will miss the European Championship after sustaining a leg injury while riding a bicycle, the Czech team said on Sunday.

The accident took place at the team’s training camp in Schladming, Austria. Coach Ivan Hašek called the injury of the Twente player a serious blow.

The 25-year-old was one of seven players who were on the Czech team that reached the quarterfinals at the previous Euros. He played 24 internationals for the Czechs, scoring a goal.

Hašek said a decision on who might replace him will be made soon. The Czechs play their final warm-up game against North Macedonia on Monday.

AP

EURO FRIENDLIES

Pedri brace helps Spain drub Northern Ireland

Pedri celebrates after scoring Spain’s third goal on Saturday

Palma De Mallorca: Pedri Gonzalez struck twice for Spain as they thumped Northern Ireland 5-1 in their final friendly ahead of Euro 2024 on Saturday.

Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Oyarzabal also netted for Luis de la Fuente’s side in Mallorca, with wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal oozing menace on the flanks.

Spain, in a Euros ‘group of death’ with Italy, Croatia and Albania, are aiming to win the competition for the fourth time. Northern Ireland surprised the hosts by taking the lead through Dan Ballard, who headed home a Caolan Boyd-Munce free-kick after just two minutes.

Isaac Price came close to a second before Spain recovered their poise and took complete control. Pedri pulled Spain level with a low drive from the edge of the box, before Alvaro Morata nodded La Roja ahead from Jesus Navas’ cross.

Barcelona midfielder Pedri struck again after a neat move and Fabian Ruiz headed home Lamine Yamal’s cross for the fourth. The second half was a calmer affair although Mikel Oyarzabal did net Spain’s fifth after electric 16-year-old Barcelona winger Yamal set him up.

Spain won the Euros in 2008 and 2012 but largely struggled since then until lifting the Nations League trophy last year.

De la Fuente’s side face Croatia in their opening Group B fixture in Berlin on June 15, a day after the tournament in Germany begins.

AFP

BOWLERS GET UNLIKELY WIN

TALISMAN: Jasprit Bumrah celebrates after getting the wicket of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam at the Nassau County Cricket Ground

TIMES IN THE US

India Defend 119 Against Pakistan In Crucial T20 World Cup Game

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: It was a comeback of dreams as India showed what they are truly capable of. The six-run win over Pakistan in New York’s initiation to serious top-flight cricket was truly the spectacle that the sport was so desperately waiting for.

Down, out and virtually nailed into the coffin, the bravehearts in blue rose from the ashes as India’s entry into Super-8s looks well assured.

The toss went against India, a spectacular collapse led to them being dismissed for 119, and when Pakistan score read 80-4 in the 15th over, the game looked all but gone.

But that’s when India’s greatest white-ball matchwinner of all time showed his magic. Jasprit Bumrah pitched the ball in the right area and Mohammed Rizwan, who had battled on to 31 till then, played a poor shot to get bowled. The celebration told the story, the Indian bowlers knew they were back in the game.

Everyone chipped in after that, with Axar giving two off the 16th and Hardik Pandya removing Shadab Khan off a short ball in the 17th, as the Pakistan wheels started coming off spectacularly.

It all boiled down to the 19th over with Pakistan needing 21 and Bumrah back in action. The champion chose to bowl back of the length as Ifthikar Ahmed and Imad Wasim just couldn’t get it going. And when Ifthikar departed off the last ball of Bumrah’s spell, a blue wave engulfed the stadium.

Eighteen off the last over was way beyond Pakistan’s reach as Arshdeep, who had scored a vital few runs with the bat as well, did just enough to take India home.

Earlier, with the score reading 89-3 in the 12th over, the game looked fairly under control for India. Rishabh Pant (42 off 31 balls), in two gutsy partnerships with Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav, seemed to have weathered the early storm.

But with the sun coming out and the pitch drying out just a bit, the two-paced nature of the track was slowly coming to the fore. And it was this slight advantage that the Pakistan bowlers utilized brilliantly.

Haris Rauf, who had looked ordinary till then, removed Surya, the batter failing to connect his bread-andbutter inside-out shot over mid-off, the pitch playing its part. It sparked off a collapse where India lost seven for 28, a kind of a batting debacle that the Indian fans haven’t witnessed in a while. But it didn’t matter in the end.

South Africa wary of plucky Bangladesh

IN FORM: David Miller scored an unbeaten 59 vs Netherlands to help South Africa win a close World Cup match on Saturday

New York: South Africa will hope for a better batting performance when they take on a plucky Bangladesh in their Group D match of the T20 World Cup here on Monday.

Both teams will have their task cut out as they will have to navigate the unpredictable surface at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. While South Africa may have a slight edge having played their previous two games here, Bangladesh are somewhat familiar with the conditions having faced India in their warm-up fixture at this venue.

South Africa laboured to victory against the Netherlands on Saturday and their batters didn’t look comfortable in the win against Sri Lanka either while chasing 103 and 77 respectively.

The Proteas are not expected to tinker with their fourpronged pace attack comprising Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Ottneil Baartmen that has served them well in the tournament so far with Keshav Maharaj taking on the spin duties. The batters, however, will have to do better. Against the Netherlands, South Africa managed just 33 after 10 overs.

Had it not been for their No. 4 Tristan Stubbs and David Miller, who walked in at number six to score an unbeaten fifty, the Porteas would have been staring at a hattrick of defeats at the hands of the Dutch at the World Cups. A win will put South Africa firmly in the driver’s seat for a Super 8 spot.

History is also on South Africa’s side as they haven’t ever lost to Bangaldesh in T20Is and have beaten the Tigers in each of the last two editions of the World Cup. PTI

TIMES IN PARIS

CLAY KING CARLOS

SPAIN REIGN: Alcaraz Outlasts Zverev To Claim Maiden French Open Title, Becomes Youngest Man To Win Grand Slam Titles On All Three Surfaces

Prajwal.Hegde@timesgroup.com

Carlos Alcaraz fell on the clay, clenched his fists, and let out a triumphant shout. The French Open has a new king. The 21-year-old Spaniard claimed a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win over German Alexander Zverev in four-hours and 19 minutes to become the youngest player to capture Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces the sport is played on.

Court Philippe Chatrier was on its feet with the chorus of the evening, chants of ‘Carlos, Carlos’.

Alcaraz, the third seed, with three major titles in his kitty, is the first person in the Open Era to win the semifinals and final at Roland Garros in five sets. He took home €2.4 million and the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

The first set was all about getting a handle on the bruising conditions. Zverev, the older, more seasoned, struggled with his ball toss, the wind was gusting it up, moving the ball, shifting the goalpost almost. Alcaraz used spin cleverly, giving the ball air, cutting the pace and shaping the play with angles. He brought Zverev in and pushed him back, keeping the big German guessing. Zverev, who was looking at his box, asking his father for answers, was broken a third time in the opening set, giving Alcaraz the early advantage.

The first game of second set was a see-saw sequence, Alcaraz led 40-0, then Zverev had three chances to break. The German pumped his fists and looked at his box suggesting he was in the game. The Spaniard won the game, but Zverev weighed in to level set scores.

Alcaraz, in his third Grand Slam final, and Zverev in his second, were battling nerves as much as they were the wind, blowing in the northwesterly direction and making the baseline increasingly difficult to patrol. The third seed led 5-2 but Zverev broke in the ninth game when the flashy Spaniard was serving for the set. Alcaraz, who joined the Novak Djokovic chorus on complaining about the condition of the court, asking if it was normal to play a Grand Slam final on a windswept Chatrier, even calling it a hardcourt.

Meanwhile Zverev won five straight games to take a twosets-to-one lead. Alcaraz, who had pickle juice reinforcements earlier in the match, believed to help with cramping, led 4-0 in the fourth set. Zverev pulled one back in cold, windy conditions and Alcaraz took a medical time out, the trainer arriving on court to attend to his quads. The third seed held in a tricky seventh game to take the final into the decider

The 27-year-old, on a 12-match winning streak coming into the final, started the decider confidently, but a sixth doublefault in the third game opened the door for Alcaraz, who took the lead. The Spaniard then produced the game of the final, coming back from 0-40 in an 11-minute exchange in the fourth, saving four breakpoints and finishing with a dropshot that was as gentle as it was deadly. Alcaraz then got himself the insurance break in the seventh.

YOUNGEST MEN TO WIN SLAMS ON THREE SURFACES IN THE OPEN ERA

1. Carlos Alcaraz: 21 years, 1 month at French Open 2024

2. Rafael Nadal: 22 years, 7 months at Aus Open 2009

3. Mats Wilander: 23 years, 5 months at Aus Open 1988

4. Jimmy Connors: 26 years at US Open 1978

5. Roger Federer: 27 years, 9 months at French Open 2009

6. Novak Djokovic: 29 years at French Open 2016

YOUNGEST MEN TO WIN THEIR FIRST THREE GRAND SLAM FINALS

1. Bjorn Borg 20 years at Wimbledon 1976

2. Carlos Alcaraz: 21 years, 1 month at French Open 2024

3. Jimmy Connors 22 years at US Open 1974

4. Stefan Edberg 22 years, 5 months at Wimbledon 1988

5. Roger Federer 22 years, 10 months at Wimbledon 2004

ZVEREV WITH BJORN BORG

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM FOR COCO, PAOLINI LOSES 2 FINALS IN 2 DAYS

COCO GAUFF (L) & KATERINA SINIAKOVA

Paris: Coco Gauff is a Grand Slam champion in singles and doubles, something she did not expect to happen so soon. The 20-year-old American won her first major doubles title on Sunday by teaming with Katerina Siniakova for the French Open trophy. They defeated Italians Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 7-6 (5), 6-3, giving Gauff her second major after winning the US Open singles last year. “I think it’s just one of those things that when you least expect it to happen, it happens,” Gauff said, reflecting on her doubles triumph.

Victory finally came for Gauff in her third women’s doubles final, having been the runner-up in championship matches at Roland Garros in 2022 and the U.S. Open in 2021. Paolini was also the runner-up in the singles final. “The last two weeks were very nice, very emotional,” Paolini said. Siniakova owns a career Slam in women’s doubles alongside partner Barbora Krejcikova and has won eight majors.

AP

Champion Swiatek serves up a Wimbledon warning

POLE MODEL: IGA SWIATEK

Prajwal.Hegde@timesgroup.com

Paris: Iga Swiatek, the queen of clay, who on Saturday claimed her fourth Roland Garros title, turned her attention to the grass court season, which is just round the corner.

The world No.1 briefly considered doing her pre-season on grass in the hope that it would be easier to adapt to the surface when she got on it six months later. Tomasz Wiktorowski, the Pole’s coach, who knows a thing or two about playing on grass, nipped the idea in the bud.

The 23-year-old, who had her best result at the All-England Club last year, making the quarterfinals, played a tournament before The Championships.

“I feel like every year it’s easier for me to adapt to grass,” she said. “I need to continue the work that I’ve been doing. It’s been easier, especially with my coach (Tomasz Wiktorowski) who worked with Radwanska. They had great results on grass and he kind of feels grass well.”

The Pole, who has had a physically challenging clay-court swing, is unsure if she’ll play a warm-up event before Wimbledon this year.

“Last year was the first time I played a tournament before Wimbledon,” she said. “To play some matches before Wimbledon is good, but on the other hand, I played basically almost every match in Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome and here. We need to take care of my body, as well. We’ll see what the plans are.”

“The biggest progress on grass I can make right now is using my serves, which has been better,” Swiatek said, adding, “Also I don’t expect a lot. The balls are different. Overall tennis is different on grass.”

Swiatek’s work on her serve in the pre-season has reflected glowingly in statistics in the first half of the year.

In the lead-up to the French Open, she had won a whopping 83.6 percent of her service games, saving 71.4 percent of break-points. The world No.1 then upped the ante at Roland Garros, winning 85 percent of her service games.

The Pole will arrive at the AllEngland Club in two weeks’ time armed with those statistics.

“I think playing Wimbledon every year, preparing for two weeks before that, makes me progress anyway,” she said of the surface. “Every year when I go there, it becomes easier to transition, easier to adapt.”

Swiatek has plans for the serve, which is more of a weapon on grass, than any other surface in the sport.

“It will be good to use the progress I have made on my serve on grass,” she said.

It sounded like a warning.

Delhi Times

- ‘BEING LAAPATA IS A WISH FULFILLMENT THEME FOR WOMEN CHARACTERS’

- Actors should be mindful of expenses on set: Kriti

- FIR on Elvish Yadav quashed by Punjab and Haryana HC

- Demand for wellness retreats rise ahead of Yoga Day

- BUZZ STOP

- What’s hot in salons: Cooling facials, pedis, short haircuts

- Why there should be no shame in looking your age

- ‘A lost character in ﬁlms can have inﬁnite possibilities, making it a tempting trope’

- They say ﬁlms have a lobby, but so does OTT: Zain Imam

- ‘Not scared of being typecast in comedy as I love the genre’

- It’s party time for B-Town

- Shamita pens a b’day note for Shilpa

- AT THE END OF THE DAY, PRODUCTION EXPENSES SHOULD MAKE SENSE: KRITI

- Amitabh shoots for upcoming Gujarati ﬁlm

- TRIPPIN

‘BEING LAAPATA IS A WISH FULFILLMENT THEME FOR WOMEN CHARACTERS’

The reality of our society is that often the so-called ‘safe space’ of a home is the most restrictive place for a woman to be in. It’s the freedom from judgement by her own people that sets her free – Pooja Tolani, who wrote the segment The Mirror in Lust Stories 2

Phool in Laapataa Ladies, as portrayed by Nitanshi Goel, who at the beginning refuses to say her husband’s name, later shouts his name out in public to be found, decides to help him out in life and earn a living

Niharika Lal

I’m really interested in women running away and finding their own happiness and their lives. It’s a theme that appears in all the stories I have written – women just leaving behind the responsibilities that tie them – family, jobs, whatever it is,” said Kiran Rao during a discussion on her film Laapataa Ladies, which tells the story of two women who get lost and ultimately discover their identities and self-worth. It was a similar thought that led Imtiaz Ali to his film Highway – “if a girl is taken away from her life, will she want to come back?”

Writers share that being laapata is a wish fulfillment theme, and as find-yourself stories go, there have been plenty of films in recent years that reiterate that. Whether it’s Phool in Laapataa Ladies, who realises she wants to work no matter how inconsequential it maybe, Shashi Godbole in English Vinglish, who overcomes her insecurities by learning a new language in a new city, or Rani in Queen, who learns to embrace her identity independent of a man, these films celebrate the self-discovery and realisation of these women and the journeys they undergo to reach them. Writers share what it is about this theme that intrigues them.

CONTINUED ON 3

Sridevi’s portrayal of Shashi Godbole in English Vinglish struck a chord for its authentic depiction of the insecurities carried by Indian housewives. In travelling to a new country by herself and mastering a new language, Shashi undergoes a journey of self-discovery

Rani, portrayed by Kangana Ranaut in Queen, goes to Paris alone after her to-be groom ditches her on their wedding day. In running away from her grief, Rani finds her identity independent of a man

Actors should be mindful of expenses on set: Kriti

The actress, who is also a film producer now, shares her views in a chat on the ongoing discussion about stars’ fees and rising production costs

Actors should obviously get paid what they deserve, however, there are a lot of things that should be checked. There are certain areas where a lot of unnecessary expenditure happens

Kriti Sanon

Vinay MR Mishra

In recent months, there has been a lot of discussion within the film industry about the rising costs that go into a film’s production. This subject has become a growing concern given that several big budget Bollywood films lately have been unable to create the desired impact at the box office.

CONTINUED ON 4

FIR on Elvish Yadav quashed by Punjab and Haryana HC

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed an FIR lodged against Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav. The complaint was lodged by Sagar Thakur, also known as Maxtern, accusing Yadav of assault and threats. A Bench of Justice Anoop Chitkara clarified, “If they engage in such behaviour, the state of Haryana may apply to this court for recalling of this order and for restoration of the FIR.”

The High Court was hearing petitions filed by Elvish Yadav and others who were booked in an FIR registered by Sagar Thakur. The FIR alleged assault and criminal intimidation at Sector 53 police station, district Gurgaon, in March of this year.

Agencies

Demand for wellness retreats rise ahead of Yoga Day

Beside the regulars, each year there are also new guests who want to begin their yoga journey with a wellness retreat. Regular visitors on Yoga Day include those who have been practicing yoga and look for specific programmes – Lalita Bhandari, manager of a yoga retreat center in Himachal Pradesh

“Guests include either those who travel 4-5 hour distance, and others who have 2-3 destinations planned and come from afar. The demand primarily lies in the lower Himalayan belt in and around Rishikesh,” adds Arindam C Bahel, general manager of a luxury retreat in Mussoorie

Divya Kaushik

Checking into a wellness retreat or a luxury hotel at a picturesque location that offers a detox experience is an ideal way to celebrate International Yoga Day for many. International Yoga Day on June 21 has become an opportunity for many to take a short break and explore yoga retreats. Vikas Nagar, hotel manager of a luxury property in Haridwar says, “We see a mix of inbound and domestic travellers who are seeking both wellness and luxury.”

‘Many people now plan at least one wellness vacation in a year’

Post pandemic, there has been a rise in the number of people who take at least one holiday to focus on their well-being. Some have made it an annual ritual to plan their wellness holiday around Yoga Day. “We have observed a significant increase in demand for yoga retreats ahead of International Yoga Day. This year, we have already seen a 30% rise in bookings compared to last year, with retreats filling up quickly. This surge in interest has been consistent with the growing popularity of the day,” shares Abhilash K Ramesh, executive director of a popular yoga and healing center in Kerala.

‘Visitors seek stress management, improved health’

From young corporates to those in their late 50s trying yoga for overall well-being, age is no bar among tourists when it comes to yoga. “The profile of guests at our resort is diverse but generally includes individuals seeking stress relief, improved health and personal growth. They are often professionals, ranging from their late 20s to 50s, who are looking for a break,” informs Manish Goyal, founder of a Dehradun-based yoga and spa retreat.

‘Aesthetic appeal of the place matters’

Some particularly look for picturesque locations. “Many guests look for picturesque locations ahead of Yoga Day to capture visually appealing photos and share them on social media. Scenic settings such as beaches, mountains, parks, rivers add an aesthetic element to yoga poses, making the photos more engaging and shareable, ” says Manish Goyal.

Things to do at a yoga retreat

■ Detox retreats thatfocus on body cleansing through diet

■ Retreats also includenutritional guidance and detoxifying treatments

■ Ayurveda retreatscombine traditional yoga practices with ayurvedic treatments to balance body, mind, and spirit, often personalised to individual doshas

■ Meditation andmindfulness retreats

■ Customised wellnessretreats focus on stress management,weight loss, andoverall rejuvenation

■ Specialised yogapractices like Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa flow

– Manish Goyal, founder of a Dehradunbased yoga and spa retreat and Abhilash KRamesh

BUZZ STOP

HUNGER GAMES PREQUEL TO BE BASED ON COLLINS’ NEXT NOVEL

A new Hunger Games movie is in development, Hollywood studios have announced, based on author SUZANNE COLLINS’ new novel. Collins announced the fifth book in the dystopian franchise last week. Titled Sunrise On The Reaping, the novel will be released next year. Meanwhile, the studio revealed that they will be developing the screen adaptation of the latest chapter, setting it up for theatrical release on November 20, 2026. PTI

Summer Splash

What’s hot in salons: Cooling facials, pedis, short haircuts

This year, we’re seeing a lot of demand for shorter haircuts with layers. While Bob cut is a popular choice, the Baroque Bob is a great option if you’re looking for something easy to style and maintain – Audrey D’Souza, Lakme’s National Creative Director (Hair)

“Since people get tanned due to sun exposure, we have facials that help reduce it,” says Bharti Taneja, founder & Director, Alps Group

Riya Sharma

If Priyanka Chopra’s new bob cut is making you wonder if you should also join the short hair club then you are not alone. Salon owners share that summers are when plenty of customers decide to chop off their hair – while the sun is out, the length is out, they say. Along with short hair, customers also opt for de-tan services and treatments that use ingredients with cooling properties in services like facials, manicure and pedicure.

‘Facials with cooling effect are in’

“Cooling, soothing rituals based on chamomile, allantoin, botanical extracts for post-sun care are in demand. Revitalising treatments like Vita C are also apt for this weather,” says Hemangi, Lakme’s National Creative Director (Skin).

“People like to go for facials which have a cooling effect with ingredients like aloe vera, musk melon and mint. Facials with fruity ingredients are also requested along with de-tan services in manicure, pedicure and facials,” adds Aashmeen Munjaal, Director, Star Salons & Academy.

‘Demand for hair wash increases during summer’

Due to excessive sun exposure, many customers choose to get their hair washed at salons during summer. Simran Singh, a 30-year-old social media manager, says, “I would wash my hair at home but due to the heat, it turns frizzy. So, in May I asked my stylist if I could drop by twice or thrice for a hair wash and he told me that there were many who were opting for this service.”

Zakir Khan from Creme Salon says, “Most of our customers request if we can wash their hair twice or thrice a week. It is hassle-free and their hair ends up looking perfect despite the humidity.”

Demand for pedicures rises

“Nearly 70-80% of our customers who come in for hair or skincare treatments also get pedicures done,” says Zakir.

“I probably got one or two pedicures done the entire winter because the feet are not exposed. But in summers, you switch to slippers, open flats and heels, which requires your feet to look beautiful,” says Kavita Srivastava, a 29-year-old home chef.

Men are also getting pedicures done during summer. “Often when they are accompanying their partners to the salon, men will get pedicures done,” says Asif, who works at a salon chain in South Extension.

Priyanka Chopra recently debuted a chic short hairstyle, which is a popular choice this season

POV

Why there should be no shame in looking your age

A recent video of Malaika Arora came with a compliment from a pap who shared it on social media. “She proves age is just a number,” said the caption. Malaika is one of the few showbiz personalities who attracts a disproportionately high number of comments as someone who ‘does not look her age.’ Ironically, that ‘age’ makes itself conspicuous by its absence in the so called compliments.

In our effusive praise for ‘age-defying’ youthful looks, we reinforce certain aesthetic standards which may be impossible to achieve for the rest. There is also the implication that a woman who looks her age has failed somehow. It is ageism, just cleverly worded.

Age is not ‘just’ a number. It is a serious number that should tell us how far we should go in our pursuit of longevity and youthful appearance. It should tell the well-informed how our skin, hair, teeth, digestive system and heart health is likely to function. It should also tell us, how despite all our efforts to chase immortality, our genes ultimately have a lot to say in how much hair we lose at what age, among other things.

As per reports, the anti-ageing industry has seen an exponential rise, with 20 somethings seeking more products, services and technology that address their “fears of ageing”. And it includes everything from menopause to dark patches. While some health concerns are rooted in the pandemic experience, there is also the burden of living up to unrealistic beauty standards set up by ‘ageless icons’.

Let’s face it. You either put in a lot of effort and fortune trying to reverse the natural markers of your 50 or 60 years, or you are blessed with incredible genes. But just as there is nothing wrong in wanting to look younger there should be no shame in refusing to do so either. Unless of course you wilfully ignore a health risk.

So the next time you wish to compliment Malaika Arora, do so on her agility, her ability to work a crowd, her dance moves. Not how she “does not look like a 50 year old”. Because there is nothing wrong in looking like a woman in her 50s, for a woman who is in her 50s.

Agree? Disagree? Got a POV idea? Write to us at: pov@timesgroup.com

‘A lost character in films can have infinite possibilities, making it a tempting trope’

Women eloping in films in some way represents that they want to break some shackles and elopement is the physical act of that desire. As a writer, if the theme is strong enough, it’s interesting to put that woman into quite a few adventures as they may lead her to a self-discovery – Saiwyn Quadras, who has written Neerja and Mary Kom

In Laapataa Ladies, when Jaya (portrayed by Pratibha Ranta), who grew up in a patriarchal household and was married off against her wishes, comes across an opportunity, she escapes from her marriage to fulfill her dreams and make the most of the chance life has given her

CONTINUED FROM 1

‘THE CONCEPT OF LOSING ONESELF AND FINDING A TRUER SELF PROVIDES INFINITE NARRATIVES’

Be it Queen, Highway, Jab We Met or Laapataa Ladies, an underlying theme that recur through these films is that the protagonist finds her voice, rejects norms and gains more agency. Writers suggest that women escaping their familiar scenarios for a life beyond can lend itself to dramatic storytelling. Sneha Desai, writer of Laapataa Ladies, shares that the growth and character development arc of the two women in the film, comes only after they are lost. She says, “Phool, who at the outset refuses to take her husband’s name, shouts his name out in public to be found, decides to help him out in life and earn a living, and Jaya, who has impulsively run away, strategises fearlessly to make the most of a chance that life has given her.” She says the concept of losing oneself and then finding a truer self provides infinite narratives. Desai adds, “The lost character can encounter bad people, good people, ghosts, meet with an accident, can learn, unlearn. Anything is possible, and hence it is a tempting trope for filmmakers and writers. Phool meeting Chhotu and Manju Maai, Jaya helping Deepak’s mother and sister-in-law evolve are examples of how one’s being changed and how one can influence others in the process. Some beautiful paths cannot be discovered without getting lost, and some beautiful films would not have been made but for this premise.”

‘EVERY TIME A WOMAN ESCAPES HER ILL-DESERVED SITUATION IN A FILM, SHE GIVES HOPE TO MILLIONS’

The concept of women running away to find themselves is not new to Indian cinema. Writer Anu Choudhary says, “Dig deep and we will find several women in our mythology on this quest of standing up for themselves and fearlessly running away from a situation that doesn’t serve them. We can’t have enough of this theme in our films, for every time a woman escapes an ill-deserved situation forced upon her by deep social conditioning, she gives hope to millions of other women. Bhumika (1977, starring Smita Patil), where a woman chooses to step away from the spotlight to turn into a recluse, is a film that shows the power of a woman’s choice. More recently, we had Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Happy Bhaag Jaayegi with a thread of women running away in search of a better future.”

Women eloping in films in some way represents that they want to break some shackles and elopement is the physical act of that desire. As a writer, if the theme is strong enough, it’s interesting to put that woman into quite a few adventures as they may lead her to a self-discovery – Saiwyn Quadras, who has written Neerja and Mary Kom Zama Habib, General Secretary, The Screenwriter’s Association of India says, “Lajja (2001) is one film that comes to my mind. Vaidehi (Manisha Koirala) runs away to escape her husband and save her unborn baby. Through her journey she meets many women (interestingly all named after Sita -– Maithili, Janaki, Ramdulaari). Vaidehi witnesses the plight of Sita in different forms in today’s world and musters the courage to fight back. Jab We Met (2007) is one example where Geet believes in love and runs away only to discover that she has been betrayed. She doesn’t have the face to go back to her family. Aditya helps her re- gain her self-belief.”

‘THE SO-CALLED SAFE SPACE OF A HOME IS OFTEN THE MOST RESTRICTIVE PLACE FOR A WOMAN’

Pooja Tolani, who wrote the segment The Mirror in Lust Stories 2 (2023), shares, “The reality of our society is that often the so-called ‘safe space’ of a home is the most restrictive place for a woman to be in. It’s the freedom from judgement by her own people that sets her free. When we talk about women’s safety, we almost always talk about the issue in context to public spaces. But so many times these public spaces feel safer. The conditioning of families wanting to ‘protect’ their women, at the cost of their potential and desires, is claustrophobic, to say the least. Perhaps this is why such stories find resonance.”

‘Making a fresh start is a theme we all can relate to as an audience’

Debashish Irengbam, writer of upcoming film Jigra starring Alia Bhatt, says, “Not only does it denote a rebellion against a certain system and patriarchy, but it also signifies a fresh start that allows individuals to fulfill their goals and desires. We all can relate to this as an audience, regardless of our gender. If you look at films like Queen, Jab We Met, or Laapataa Ladies, it’s like being a part of a setup and then making a hero’s journey into the unknown. The risk is that you could get lost, and the reward is that you could finally live the life that you always wanted. It is a wish fulfillment theme. This theme appeals to me a lot.”

In Lajja (2001), Manisha Koirala’s character, Vaidehi, runs away to escape her husband and save her unborn baby. Through the course of her journey, she meets many women – interestingly all named after Sita, like Maithili, Janaki (played by Madhuri Dixit Nene) and Ramdulaari, who inspire Vaidehi to fight back

In Shyam Benegal’s Bhumika (1977), Smita Patil’s character Usha is a successful film star, who had been forced into showbiz by her family. But despite her success, Usha chooses to step away from the spotlight to turn into a recluse. It’s the freedom to live her life on her own terms that brings her contentment in life

They say films have a lobby, but so does OTT: Zain Imam

I made a decision to stay away from TV and it wasn’t a bad decision, but unfortunately, the timing was wrong. There weren’t many OTT shows happening, so I was in a fix

Zain Imam

Zain Imam made a conscious decision to take a break from television after his last show Fanaa: Ishq Mein Marjawan wrapped up in 2022. He wanted to focus on OTT. But now he’s back and will soon be seen on the small screen in Prateek Sharma’s yet-to-betitled daily soap.

Ask him what prompted him to return to TV, and he says, “I was missing TV and this show seemed perfect to return to television.” He adds, “I made a decision to stay away from TV and it wasn’t a bad deci- sion, but unfortunately, the timing was wrong. There weren’t many OTT shows happening, so I was in a fix and finally decided to get back.

While pursuing a career on OTT, Zain admits that he experienced resistance. “They used to say that films have a lobby, but so does OTT. I know that I gave many good auditions and should have got a call, but I didn’t. Casting directors have their favourites, but I feel TV actors, too, should also get a chance,” says Zain. — Vinay MR Mishra

‘Not scared of being typecast in comedy as I love the genre’

If I can make someone smile, I think it is the biggest blessing I have got, and I will not stop doing that just because main yeh genre zyada kar raha hoon

Varun Sharma

Abhishek Shukla

In a candid chat with us, Varun Sharma, aka Choocha of Fukrey fame, talks about being typecast in films, love for comedy, his marriage plans and more. Excerpts:

Doing comedy is difficult, to make someone laugh is not an easy task, but you make it look easy.

To be honest, I never thought I would do comedy in my life. When I was doing theatre back in Chandigarh, aspiring to be an actor, I used to do intense plays like Ashwathama and Andha Yug Comedy was something that I never attempted because I always thought that it is a very tough genre until Fukrey, my debut film, where director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba polished me to try comedy. Whatever appreciation character Choocha has got, it’s all because of him. After that, I did a lot of comedy roles and started enjoying it.

Would you say that you have been caught in a mould of comedy?

Many people often ask me this question that aren’t you scared of getting typecast? But mujhe mazaa aata hai comedy karne mein. If I can make someone smile, I think it is the biggest blessing I have got, and I will not stop doing that just because main yeh genre zyada kar raha hoon. There are different shades in comedy too which you will be seeing in my next few projects. But comedy is something I really love doing!

On his plans for marriage

As such there are no plans for marriage. My mother keeps on asking the same thing again and again, and every time I give her a big hug and reply ‘very soon’. But I am a firm believer that whenever marriage has to happen it will happen. Even if I say no, if it has to happen, it will definitely happen.

On whether he prefers to do theatre or cinema

For me, both cinema and theatre have been very different journeys. Theatre gives you a lot of confidence and a lot of scope for improvisation, it gives a lot of scope to understand yourself better. But acting remains acting, whether be it on stage or in front of a camera. I think I love both mediums.

Varun with Pulkit Samrat in a still from Fukrey

It’s party time for B-Town

Arjun Kapoor

SNAPSHOTS From Tania Shroff’s intimate house party

Tania Shroff

Orry

Bhumi Pednekar

Meezaan Jafri

Suhana Khan

Arhaan Khan

Ibrahim Ali Khan

Alaviaa Jaaferi

Samiksha Pednekar

Shamita pens a b’day note for Shilpa

Shamita Shetty with Shilpa Shetty Kundra

Shamita Shetty penned a heartfelt note and shared a video of throwback moments on her sister, Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s birthday on Saturday.

“Your kindness, strength and love inspire me every day. Wishing you a day and year as beautiful as you are, my angel, heart and soul, my protector... words can’t describe how grateful I am to have you in my life… I love you to the moon and back, Munki (sic),” she wrote on Instagram, addressing Shilpa by her pet name, Munki.

Shilpa’s husband, Raj Kundra, called the actress a superwoman in his social media post and wrote, “SUPER blessed to have married the perfect life partner! Happy birthday my Superwoman. I love you unconditionally @theshilpashetty (sic).” He accompanied his message with a video that consisted of candid shots from their family vacations, glamorous red carpet events, and heartfelt moments at home.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, PRODUCTION EXPENSES SHOULD MAKE SENSE: KRITI

When I was doing Mimi, I was supposed to be on a particular diet and I was supposed to gain weight, which I was doing only for the film. So, in such a case, it makes sense for the production to take care of it

No matter what you’re paying people or whether you think you’re paying them more, if you’re not focusing on the main thing which is the content, I don’t think rest matters

Kriti in a still from Mimi

CONTINUED FROM 1

The Crew actress tells us, “Actors should obviously get paid what they deserve, however, there are a lot of things that should be checked. There are certain areas where a lot of unnecessary expenditure happens. At the end, it is the content that wins.”

‘A LOT OF MONEY GOES INTO THE PARAPHERNALIA,’ SAY PRODUCERS

Lately, multiple filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap and Farah Khan in their interviews, have spoken about the rising issue of stars’ unnecessary expenses while shooting. “A lot of money that is spent doesn’t go into making the film. It goes into the paraphernalia; it goes into the entourage. You’re shooting in the middle of a jungle, but one car will be sent to the city three hours away specifically to get you that five-star burger you want. You don’t get into the process of it,” Anurag had said in an interview with Humans Of Cinema.

Ask Kriti about the paraphernalia, from the point of view of an actor and a producer, and she replies, “I’ve not experienced any of that myself, so I wouldn’t be able to comment on it. But it should not be ridiculous. At the end of the day, it should make sense. For instance, if you are giving an actor a certain kind of food or a trainer – is that the requirement of the script and the role he/she is playing? That is the question... But yes, we should be mindful of costs. We need to be mindful of everything on set.”

Kriti Sanon

Amitabh shoots for upcoming Gujarati film

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan recently shot for the upcoming Gujarati film Fakt Purusho Maate, a sequel to the 2022 film Fakt Mahilao Maate (Bachchan had played a cameo in that film too), and the film’s team says that it turned out to be “a great experience for everyone”. Talking to us, Vaishal Shah, producer of the film, shares, “Amitabh Bachchan plays God in this film and it’s a small but important role. The entire team was real- ly excited when they got to know that he is a part of the film and on the day of the shoot, there was pin-drop silence on the sets.

That’s the kind of aura he has, and his dedication and professionalism are unmatched.”

He adds, “When we had narrated the story to him, he liked it and immediately allotted us dates. He is excited about doing another Gujarati film. It’s a great privilege to have him in our film and we are optimistic that it will be received well by the audiences.”

— Soumitra Das

A still from Fakt Mahilao Maate

TRIPPIN

It’s chill time for NUSHRRATT BHARUCCHA as she enjoys a holiday in CAPRI, ITALY. She recently gave a glimpse of her vacation and captioned the post, “When it’s freezing cold but u just have to take pictures, keep a blanket close by you can run to! (sic)”

Education Times

- NCERT MOOCs to help students prepare for JEE Main, NEET UG

- Aspirants worried about counselling as 67 students score AIR 1 in NEET UG

- CBSE issues advisory on variation between theory and practical marks

- IGNOU revises term end examination schedule

- A collapsed lung and dengue could not stop Divyansh from scoring 720/720

- Juggling between JEE Main and NEET, Prachita aims to be a doctor at AIIMS and crack UPSC

- Always wanted to be a doctor to fulfil his grandfather’s dream

- Trimmed syllabus was a boon for students who wanted to be thorough

- Keeping your head cool during gap years is most important

- Pandemic-induced hardships motivated Rupayan to be a doctor

- Strong dislike for Maths encouraged her to pursue Medicine

- Interactive AI teachers enhance communication skill

- NMC issues show cause notice to 70% of medical colleges for not meeting MSR guidelines

- BCI updates legal education with Blockchain, E-discovery, Cybersecurity, Robotics, AI and Bioethics subjects

- Intertwining CS, and industrial design for better HCI outcomes

- Technology can empower small and marginal farmers

- Embracing Hindu Studies is a gateway to appreciating Indic cultural tapestry

- Develop the art of asking questions for success

- Women are doing well in academia

- Inclusive strategies to implement liberal education

- IGNOU admission process for July 2024 academic year underway

- Technological advancement and its impact on education system

- Understanding the new wave of liberal arts education

- NEP 2020 emphasises on reviving diverse arts

- EVs foster innovation among automobile design students

- AI can promote phygital campuses, analyse learner interests

- Students must have a world-centric education

- Third edition of Change Maker Fellowships

- Why PTE is rising in the popularity stakes

- Incorporating sustainable principles in buildings

- Does competency-based assessment overlook needs of average learners

- Fast-expanding food processing industry calls for more startups to bridge the producer-market gap

- ALERTS

NCERT MOOCs to help students prepare for JEE Main, NEET UG

Sonal.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

In May, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) introduced the newly designed, 28 Massive Open Online Courses in 11 subjects for Class XI and XII students on the SWAYAM portal. The MOOCs will offer free learning material to help students prepare for competitive exams such as JEE and NEET. The MOOCs are structured into four distinct quadrants: Video Lectures, specially crafted reading material, self-assessment tools, and online discussion forums where students can seek clarification from mentors, engage in discussions, and address doubts with their peers. Class XI MOOCs include subjects such as Accountancy, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Mathematics, and Physics, among others. MOOCs for Class XII include Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and Sociology.

High-quality resources

Speaking to Education Times , Amarendra P Behera, joint director, CIET-NCERT, said, “They are advantageous in providing voluntary access to high-quality educational courses from anywhere, regardless of student's geographic location. These courses also provide access to quality content for students who don’t have access to teachers’ expertise in these subjects or even when they miss out on classes due to illness or any other personal reasons. Students can revisit difficult concepts, learn at their own pace, and manage their schedules better. This is especially useful for balancing schoolwork with learning other skills and appearing for competitive exams such as JEE Main. NEET etc. These courses often cover the curriculum in a structured manner, which can help students understand the topics in depth.”

Aspirants worried about counselling as 67 students score AIR 1 in NEET UG

The challenge for candidates who have scored decent marks is getting a seat in a desiredmedical college

In the NEET exam, each right answer gets 4 marks, while 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer

Ayushi.Gupta1@timesgroup.com

With as many as 67 candidates scoring 720/720 marks, announced in the NEET UG 2024 results, there is a growing chatter over the number of toppers. In 2023, there were only two toppers, in 2019 and 2020 there was only a single topper in both the years. On social media, several aspirants have been vehemently demanding a re-examination and a section of aspirants are pointing towards irregularities in the exam and making a reference to the paper leak in May. However, the biggest challenge for the students who have scored decent marks is getting a seat in a desired college during the counselling round. With a large number of students scoring top marks, most toppers wanted to get a seat in AIIMS Delhi.

Impact on counselling

A health ministry official spoke to Education Times and expressed concerns over an unrealistic number of students making it to the AIR 1. “It is hard to believe that there are so many toppers this year. With 67 candidates scoring perfect scores of 720/ 720, the biggest challenge will be faced during the allotment of seats in medical colleges. There are only 30 to 40 seats in AIIMS Delhi for generalcategory students, these 67 students will find it difficult to find a seat at AIIMS Delhi. This will create problems for the counselling authorities, as there are limited seats under all categories. There was a need to find an evaluation criterion that could have allotted different ranks, even if the scores were the same.”

In the NEET exam, each right answer gets 4 marks, while 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer. Clarifying the scores of 718 and 719 that two students have received this year, the NTA circular read, ‘NTA has gran- ted grace marks to the students based on the loss of examination time that was ascertained using the CCTV footage and such candidates were compensated with marks based on their answering efficiency and time loss.’ The circular also stated that 1,563 candidates have been compensated and the revised marks of such candidates vary from -20 to 720 marks. Amongst these, the two candidates’ scores are 718 and 719, respectively, due to compensatory marks.

Contradicting NTA’s circular, Dr Rajeev Ranjan, former medical superintendent, Patna Medical College, Bihar says, “NTA, in its clarification, has stated the use of scaling formula and have granted grace marks based on the time loss of the students. The students who have checked their scorecards and have scored well might not be able to get admission into the required medical colleges due to so many similar ranks and reservation policies in these topranking government medical colleges, which will further demotivate the students.”

Wrong question

NEET UG 2024 exam question paper included topics from the NCERT class XII physics textbook, which has created discrepancies in the scores. Out of the 67 candidates who got 720/720 marks, 44 are on account of the revision in one answer key of Physics and 6 are on account of compensatory marks for loss of time. Dr Ranjan says, “If there was a question with two right answers, logically, the NTA should have eliminated that question instead of granting marks to the students who selected any one of the two correct answers. Such decisions will increase the ambit of selection instead of elimination.” Marks for one question, which had two right answers, will not lead to making additional toppers, as only one question cannot make this huge difference, says the health ministry official. The NTA has stated that the number of candidates who appeared in 2023 was 20,38,596, while the number of candidates who appeared in 2024 increased to 23,33,297. The increase in candidates has led to an increase in the high scorers due to a larger pool of candidates.

Dismissing the possibility of students scoring well after NMC reduced the NEET syllabus to 79 chapters from the previous 97 chapters, retaining the topics focusing on core concepts, the health ministry official says, “The reduction will not help students score this well, as it depends on the kind of question paper that was set for the exam. There are claims that the question paper was quite easy. Usually, there are questions of three categories: Easy, Medium, and Tough. There is also a provision for negative marking; maybe the marking was not done properly. There are possibilities that there were flaws in setting the question paper for NEET UG 2024.”

NTA forms a grievance committee

Amid the ongoing protests surrounding the NEET UG 2024 results, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced the formation of a Grievance Redressal Committee consisting of a four-member team that will look into the issues raised by 1,600 aggrieved students who lost time while appearing for the exam held in May, in six centres across India. The committee will comprise the former chairman of UPSC and members from academia and health institutions. Subodh Kumar Singh, director general, NTA, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi recently, said, “The NTA is still examining whether to hold the exam again or not. The Committee will share the findings post which a decision will be taken.” The admission process will not be impacted by the committee. Singh clarified that out of the 1,563 candidates who were compensated with grace marks, only 790 candidates passed the exam.– Shehwaaz Khan

CBSE issues advisory on variation between theory and practical marks

The advisory has been issued to review the internal assessment processes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued an advisory directing its affiliated schools to accurately evaluate practical exams due to a significant variation between theory and practical marks in certain subjects. The advisory has been issued to review the internal assessment processes to ensure a more robust and transparent system. The CBSE in a notice stated that they have found “a significant variation between theory and practical marks in certain subjects among 50% or more students in about 500 CBS Eaffiliated schools, based on past years’ result statistics” that were detected through advanced AI tools. The board said that this variation highlights the need for a “meticulous assessment during practical examinations in schools.” Hence, the Board has issued an advisory to such schools to review their internal assessment procedures. “The aim is to implement a more robust, transparent, and reliable mechanism to ensure that the assessment process is realistic and adds substantial value to the student’s academic journey.” In recent years, questions have been raised about the rising pass percentage and those scoring above 90% in their class X and XII board exams having gone up in the state boards as well.

IGNOU revises term end examination schedule

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has rescheduled the termend exam from June 18 to June 23, 2024, due to a clash with the UGC NET exam. IGNOU has received various representations from the students of PG programmes regarding the UGC NET examination being held on June 18, 2024, which was earlier scheduled on June 16, 2024. To safeguard the interests of the learners and ensure equal opportunity, the IGNOU rescheduled the entire set of examinations from June 18 to June 23, 2024.There will be no IGNOU term-end examination on June 18, 2024, at any of the examination centres across the country and abroad. Necessary changes are being made in the hall tickets of the concerned learners. Candidates can download the revised hall ticket from the IGNOU website, www.ignou.ac.inby entering their enrolment number and selecting the programme.

A collapsed lung and dengue could not stop Divyansh from scoring 720/720

A look at the top performers who broke new grounds

Divyansh completed his syllabus two days before the exam and refused to study on D-day, instead, he played football to relax his mind

NEET UG 2024 witnessed 67 toppers, a record-breaking number as compared to last year when only two students managed to score a perfect 720/720 . Education Times presents some of the brightest minds who developed their own methods to keep their brains active and gave their best in the exam that was in the eye of the storm right from the word go

Staying calm and collected throughout, more particularly on the exam day, is important to excel

Sonal.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

Divyansh Sangwan did not let a severe illness like pneumothorax, which causes a lung to collapse, get in the way of achieving a perfect score of 720/720 in NEET UG 2024. Hailing from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, 18-year-old Divyansh was 100% focused on recovering from his illness, motivated by his dream of clearing the NEET UG exam and pursuing Medicine at AIIMS Delhi.

Before the illness struck, Divyansh used to study for 10-11 hours every day. “We had almost six hours of classes, and I devoted four to five hours to self-study. I wanted to study; even when I was unwell, I would think I had to go back and complete the syllabus,” says Divyansh, who started preparing for MBBS in 2022 when he was in class XI.

“My focus was on complete recovery, post which I relied on the notes prepared by my friends. My teachers also helped me and answered all my questions patiently,” says Divyansh, who attended Siddharth Public School, Delhi and cleared NEET UG on his first attempt, securing 99.99 percentile and AIR I.

Hailing from a joint family, his father and uncle serve in the Indian Army. “Our family has a history of serving the nation in the Armed Forces; my grandfather and great-grandfather were also in the Army. Inspired by them, I also wanted to join the Army and was planning to take the NDA exam. But my father encouraged me to become a doctor and serve society,” says Divyansh.He is the only child of his parents, and his mother is a homemaker. Once he decided to pursue Medicine, he discussed it with his friends and moved to Allen Kota to prepare. Initially, Divyansh felt out of place in Kota, but soon he found his rhythm. “Kota is one of the best places to prepare for the NEET UG exam. The national-level competition here motivates us to strive for excellence through healthy competition as the best students from across the country study at coaching centres in Kota. There were quite a few stories of students committing suicide, but Kota ranks among the top 50 cities with a high suicide rate. The coaching centres in Kota also have counsellors, and students who feel depressed can reach out to them,” says Divyansh, who planned his study of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics depending on each subject’s difficulty level and syllabus.

He recounted that he began experiencing breathing problems in July 2023. “I had pneumothorax, one of my lungs had burst. I was hospitalised for a week. Yet I continued to focus on preparing for the minor test and scored 686 out of 720. This was encouraging for me.”

Later, Divyansh’s condition worsened. His father took him first to the Army Hospital in Chandigarh and later to Delhi for further treatment, where he spent another two weeks.

“I fell ill on July 1 and returned to Kota in September after treatment in Chandigarh and Delhi,” says Divyansh. He began studying in Kota after three months of treatment. Soon after, he contracted dengue. When he recovered, his mother got dengue. Divyansh took care of his mother and visited the hospital daily. When he returned to coaching, he was behind his batchmates and had to start from scratch.

Divyansh adds that Krishna’s advice to Arjun on the battlefield resonates with students preparing for competitive exams. “Krishna told Arjun to focus on his duty and not think about the fruit of his action. Similarly, students should remain calm and not think about the results. I followed my teachers’ advice to the hilt, as listening to one’s teachers is important. Also, staying calm on the day before the exam is important. Students who were reading till the end panicked just before the exam, which impacted their scores,” says Divyansh.

Divyansh completed his syllabus at least two days before the NEET exam. “I did not study on May 3 and 4. Instead, I preferred to play football. I realised that if becoming a doctor was my destiny, nothing could stop me from achieving my goal,” he says.

He would talk to his friends to overcome stress. “My friends did not let me feel depressed. Casually hanging out with them after the coaching classes helped me relax. I love playing football, and Messi is my favourite player,” says Divyansh, who avoids social media like the plague.

He would see his batchmates spending hours on social media and created his own Instagram account, but soon he abandoned it, realising that his attachment to Insta was growing. “Spending time on social media does not help. I am happy with my achievement, but now I am preparing for the MBBS journey ahead and hope many more achievements will follow,” says Divyansh, adding, “I have to be careful regarding my diet and stop drinking cold drinks to stay healthy,” says Divyansh. His experience reminds us that it is rewarding not to give up in the face of challenges.

Juggling between JEE Main and NEET, Prachita aims to be a doctor at AIIMS and crack UPSC

The Maths enthusiast is grateful to her joint family for being a part of her success story

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

Rajasthan girl Prachita (17) is known for her paradoxes, and she likes to keep it that way. A maths enthusiast, she has cracked both JEE Main and NEET UG 2024 but aspires to be a doctor before attempting the Civil Services. Preparing for India’s top two career entrance exams is no mean feat, but Prachita thinks nothing of handling both, and excelling at the two exams without taking the stress.

In NEET UG 2024, she has bagged a cool 99.9971285 percentile score, among the 14 girl candidates who secured AIR 1, while in JEE Main, her score was an equally impressive 99.34 percentile.

Long years of hard work at her CBSE school ensured she could juggle both Maths and Biology with effortless ease. “When my Biology syllabus got too taxing, I would solve Maths problems, to take my mind off the rigours of a demanding schedule,” says Prachita, who hails from Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, and is a product of a joint family which is both her lifeline and pillar of strength.

Her mother Uma Jhajharia, superintendent in a government ITI, and father Vinod Jhajharia, principal in a government senior secondary school, encouraged her to pursue Medicine, because of the job stability associated with the profession and the opportunity to serve society. “The same cannot be said about Engineering always, as the volatile job market and the corporate culture can make girls feel like misfits,” Uma says.

Maths, for Prachita, was an additional sub- ject in the CBSE boards, and one where she did not receive any tutoring to complete the syllabus. A self-motivated learner, Prachita is known to have high levels of concentration, so despite being in a joint family, she was able to give her 100%. “I took Maths to improve upon my Physics, and it worked well to my advantage,” Prachita says.

A student of Jhunjhunu Academy and Allen, she was part of their school integrated program to crack both JEE Main and NEET UG. With a score of 97% in CBSE class XII boards and 99.34 percentile in JEE Main, Prachita took the JEE Advanced as well, scoring 186 marks as per the provisional answer key released by the NTA. Now that the NEET UG results are out, she has resolved to pursue MBBS from AIIMS Delhi and become a doctor. Not one to keep any backlogs, she took pains to be thorough with the modules and topics. “It also helped me iron out all the silly mistakes as I made a mental note not to repeat them again,” says Prachita, grateful that she was able to prepare for the exams at home without having to go all the way to Kota, to get a taste of what true competition means. “The environment at home kept me stress-free and while it may have wasted some of my precious hours of preparation, it put me in a positive frame of mind. Being at home makes a world lot of difference since parents can motivate the test taker in a way few people can. So, if a coaching institute opens locally, the student should enrol for it rather than going to Kota and be away from the family,” she says. Besides Maths, her strength in Physics ensured she did not have to spend too much time labouring over it. It also gave her ample time to focus on Biology, and Inorganic and Organic Chemistry. She relied mainly on NCERT textbooks and would spend hours practising mock tests, starting from one mock test in 3 weeks and moving towards a mock test almost daily.

Till date, she does not have a mobile phone to call her own and would use her mother’s device to keep herself updated about her lesson plans. For that matter, she does not know what it means to be a part of social media, a reason why she had books and preparation materials for company that never let her down.

Always wanted to be a doctor to fulfil his grandfather’s dream

Aditya assessed his mock tests and created notes to prepare for his weak areas. He then worked on the identified areas to score better

Shehwaaz.Khan@timesgroup.com

Aditya Kumar Panda from Chengalpattu district, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, who has secured AIR 1 in NEET UG 2024 exams, says that he developed an interest in Medicine when he learned that his maternal grandfather could not pursue his dream of becoming a doctor due to poverty. A son of engineer parents, he wishes to fulfill his grandfather’s dream and pursue an MBBS from AIIMS Delhi.

“My maternal grandfather inspired me to become a doctor,” says the 17-year-old, adding, “I have always had respect for doctors since my childhood and I believe it is the most noble profession.” He scored 96.2% in his class XII board exams with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as core subjects. “At the beginning of class XI, I was not serious about my NEET exam. However, in class XII, I started to take my studies seriously and focused more on tests conducted by the Aakash Institute,” he says. Aditya evaluated his mock tests and created notes about his weak areas. He then worked on the identified areas to score better. Cracking the exam in his first attempt, Aditya says, “I was not scoring a perfect 720 in my mock tests but my teachers said that I would be able to achieve it since mock tests are usually harder than the original exam.”

Aditya did not have a set study plan but made sure that he studied 12 hours a day and took breaks while he was studying. “I did not assign time to subjects; instead I focused more on my weak subject. I knew that my strength was Biology and I understood all the concepts and topics of the subject. However, I was struggling with Physics and Chemistry a lot. So, I started to focus on these two subjects, especially topics such as Rotational Objects in Physics,” he says.

Aditya’s mother has been a constant support and a motivation for him while he was preparing for the exam. She left her career as a software engineer to raise Aditya. “My mother has made a lot of sacrifices for me. Besides the hard work, half of the credit for my achievement goes to her,” says Aditya, whose father works as a software engineer for Infosys in Chennai.

Trimmed syllabus was a boon for students who wanted to be thorough

Ayushi.Gupta1@timesgroup.com

He was only 16 when he left his home in Darbhanga, Bihar, to take NEET UG coaching in Kota, little did he know that his hard work would bear fruit in a few years. Securing 720 marks out of 720 in NEET UG 2024, Mazin Mansoor from Darbhanga secured AIR 1 and a percentile of 99.99. Hailing from a family of doctors, Mazin was always inclined to be a top-notch doctor.

He scored around 87% in the class XII Bihar Board exams with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as his core subjects. “I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor. I come from a family of doctors; I have seen my maternal grandfather helping patients and so has my father, who is a dedicated doctor. My mother too has pursued a PhD in Psychology, and she has always motivated us to chase our dreams,” Mazin told Education Times. Cracking the NEET UG exam in his first attempt, Mazin says, “I was very focused on my study routine. I never calculated the time or made any timetable. Instead, I used to set small targets and never slept without achieving them. Consistency is the only strategy that can lead students to success in any competitive exam.”

“I joined Allen Career Institute in Kota. Living away from home was difficult initially, as I missed my family, but soon I started enjoying the silence. I want to be in the top ranks at AIIMS Delhi, which is my desired college.” In 2023, NMC decided to reduce the NEET UG syllabus. The syllabus was brought down to 79 chapters from the previous 97 chapters. “The decision has helped me in my preparations. A few chapters from Inorganic Chemistry were removed, which were extensive and a bit complicated.

Moreover, practising mock tests regularly and tests with a determination to improve my performance has helped me score well in the NEET UG exam,” says Mazin.

Keeping your head cool during gap years is most important

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madhubani boy Tathagat Awatar was so determined to have a glorious score that he opted to take two gap years after completing his class XII boards in 2020. A confirmed nerd, who enjoyed studying science subjects, practised extensively to score the perfect 99.99 percentile, which is 720/720 to position himself as AIR 1 in the NEET UG 2024.

Son of government schoolteachers in Madhubani (Bihar), Tathagat got drawn towards Biology, Physics and medical science in class IX as his school textbooks opened a new world that incited curiosity. “If one clears the basics of any topic in the junior classes, the journey becomes smoother for students in the later years. This gives clarity on the academic trajectory,” said Tathagat, in a chat with Education Times. Despite being a PCB student, Tathagat took the JEE Mains only to test his knowledge of Physics. “Most students find Physics complicated because of their perception about the subject. It is only after understanding the chapters, which one must read like a story- book that one realises the simplistic logic related to the subject,” says Tathagat, who regularly took online lessons of Physics Wallah, besides relying on self-studies while completing his schooling in Madhubani. Hailing from an academically inclined family, Tathagat knew the value of education for a successful and enlightened future. Having appeared for NEET twice earlier, helped Tathagat understand the gaps in his preparation. “Gap years can be stressful and studying under pressure can be challenging. The biggest pressure is to live up to the expectations of your parents. It is the responsibility of the parents to stop pressuring their child if they do not want them to be unnecessarily anxious,” adds Tathagat who suggests meditation to all the students trying to make it big. Hoping to get a spot in AIIMS Delhi, he wants to serve society after completing his studies.

Pandemic-induced hardships motivated Rupayan to be a doctor

Shuddhanta.Patra@timesgroup.com

The NTA has released the results of the NEET UG-2024 in which. Rupayan Mandal of Nawab Bahadur’s Institution, Murshidabad, West Bengal, has come out with flying colours. Securing AIR 1 in the exam, he says the Covid-induced pandemic highlighted the dedication and hardships faced by the doctors. This motivated him to join the profession and prepare for NEET. After scoring well, Rupayan hopes to study at AIIMS Delhi.

Elated over his results, Rupayan says, “Hard work and consistency have helped me succeed in the exam. I started preparing for NEET UG in class IX which started with online tuition classes and later moved to phys- ical classes.” He says better preparation in Physics helped him crack the NEET exam.

For Rupayan, his grandmother’s illness pushed him towards understanding medicines and piqued his curiosity. This inspired him to prepare for NEET for a career in medical science. “I was very close to my grandmother who was diagnosed with dementia. Her illness helped me develop insights into neuroscience motivating me to choose medicine as a career,” adds Rupayan, who aspires to become a surgeon. When asked about sharing rank 1 with 67 other students, he says, “I had expected a decent rank in NEETUG since my exam went well. With over 60 candidates topping the exam, it clearly shows that the students have decoded the exam pattern and mastered the technique. The exam-conducting body must take note of this.”

“The increase in the number of toppers is also because of easy access to online educational resources which earlier was not available. This has bridged the rural-urban education divide facilitating students from mofussil towns like me to fulfill their dreams,” says Rupayan who passed the West Bengal Higher Secondary Examination with 95.8%.

Strong dislike for Maths encouraged her to pursue Medicine

Shehwaaz.Khan@timesgroup.com

To excel in Biology and clear the NEET exam was the only option for Palansha Agarwal from Mumbai, Maharashtra, who secured AIR 1 in NEET UG 2024 exams. She disliked Mathematics in class IX and after class X, she chose to pick PCB to prepare thoroughly for NEET UG, where she scored 720/ 720 marks. Palansha credits her love for Human Physiology that drove her to study hard.

“In class IX, I developed a dislike for Maths as I stopped enjoying learning about the laws of triangles, circles, and other formulas. Although I was not particularly bad in Maths, my inclination was more towards Biology,” she says, adding, “I was intrigued to learn about Biology, especially about the function- ing of the human organs and learning about their different mechanisms.”

Palansha woke up as early as 4 am to start studying for the exam, before leaving for school. “I had a very tight schedule but I would always ensure to take breaks. In these breaks, I would spend quality time with my family and play with my dog,” she says. Her mother Payal Agarwal is a teacher who helped Palansha set strategies during the preparation. “My mother was always there for me and helped me with the study plans. She always motivated me to do better,” says Palansha, whose father works as an engineer in Reliance.

Cracking the exam in the first attempt is possible if the preparation is thorough. She says, “There were times when I scored low marks in my mock tests. I would be disappointed if I underperformed but my parents always trusted me. The results are all because of my parents’ encouragement.”

Not the type to completely cut herself off from entertainment, Palansha did spend time watching web series on OTT. Her favourite shows are The Good Doctor and The Vampire Diaries.

“I get anxious easily, so, whenever I had the free time, watching random shows helped me to release anxiety,” she says.

Interactive AI teachers enhance communication skill

The AI teacher Iris can enhance classroom learning, take attendance and address queries to unburden the students

There has been a huge demand for Iris, which costs around Rs 3 lakh. Schools from remote places are also planning to introduce Iris

Students at a school in Kerala interact with Iris

Shehwaaz.Khan@timesgroup.com

To enhance the classroom learning experience and offer interactive experiences to students, private schools in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Punjab have installed AI teacher Iris in their classrooms. These humanoid robots, dressed in saree and adorned with bindis, actively engage with students and promptly answer their questions, even those beyond their standard syllabus.

The Royal Global School in Guwahati installed Iris, a humanoid robot, making it the first AI teacher in northeast India. The robots are developed by Makerlabs Edutech, a Kerala-based startup that aims to integrate AI into the classroom learning experience. So far, the startup has installed 11 AI teachers in schools across the country.

Speaking to Education Times, Shyam Babu, chief technology officer, Makerlabs Edutech, says, “Initially, we were planning to develop a generative computer-based AI software that will be integrated into classrooms. However, when we had conversations with the princi- pals of schools, they showed interest in developing a humanoid and they agreed on funding the project. We installed the first AI teacher Iris in KTCT Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.”

The cost of Iris is Rs 3 lakh, with additional charges for delivery outside of Kerala. There has been a huge demand for Iris from across India, which includes schools in remote places. “We are receiving as many as 15 calls a week from schools inquiring about the installation of Iris. Schools located in remote regions in northeast India have reached out to us to understand the functioning of Iris. Around 80% of these calls are converted into business. Recently, we also received calls from Altus Public School from the US,” says Hari Sagar, chief executive officer, Makerlabs Edutech.

Main features

The AI teacher has been desig- ned with a traditional appearance to help students relate to them easily. In addition to verbal interaction, which uses Google Conversion for audio inputs, Iris also moves around the classroom and even shakes hands with stu- dents and teachers. The humanoid can speak in multiple languages, including Hindi, English, and the regional language to support students from any area. It can take attendance, control the speed of fans, and turn on the lights in the class.

“The robot is also equipped with a camera that determines the students' ages and answers their queries accordingly. For example, if a class V student asks a question, it will provide a diffe- rent answer than it would for a class X student asking the same question,” Babu says.

Popular among primary class students

Raghu Kankanala, founder and chairman, NextGen Schools, Hyderabad, says that the AI teacher works as an accessible resource for students and allows them to ask unlimited questions, which is not possible in the case of human teachers. “Students from UKG to class V are particularly fond of the AI teacher. For them, it is a cartoon character or a robot that makes their learning experience more engaging. We have observed that kids of this age ask questions regularly and find it delightful that a robot is answering their questions. We are planning to install more such teachers in the future,” he says.

The schools are conducting as many as three classes for different students in a day. “We have seen that students in senior classes – class VII and VIII – tend to challenge the robot with difficult questions so that it answers incorrectly. However, this is not possible. This also makes the learning more interactive,” says Babu.

“While the primary class students are wonderstruck and ex- cited to learn from Iris, middle and high school students are more curious to know about the functionality and programmes used behind the working of the AI teacher,” says Kanwaljeet Singh Randhawa, principal, Montgomery Guru Nanak Public School, Jalandhar.

Improving communication skills

AI operates by receiving and processing commands from users, often written or spoken in clear and precise language. So, when the students interact with Iris, it also helps students improve their communication skills by encouraging them to frame their questions with clarity. “Unlike human teachers, Iris is an AI-enabled robot at the end of the day. It cannot comprehend face gestures or the mood of the students. So, more students are learning to communicate better with Iris. They are also improving their English language skills,” says Babu.

Sagar says that the company has conducted workshops to train students to operate the AI teacher. “We create a group of 5-6 students who learn about how to control and operate Iris. Students are more eager to learn from AI teachers rather than the real teachers,” he says.

NMC issues show cause notice to 70% of medical colleges for not meeting MSR guidelines

The medical experts have raised concerns over the standards set for biometric attendance

These colleges do not have OPDs, they lack in indoor beds and lab intruments that are essential for medical education

Shuddhanta.Patra@timesgroup.com

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a show cause notice and slapped fines on at least 500 medical colleges out of the 706 colleges across the country, for failing to comply with the Minimum Standard Requirement (MSR) suggested by NMC.

Lack of infrastructure

Dr Aruna V Vanikar, president, of the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UMEB), says, “The Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) is not being followed in many colleges. NMC, during the assessment of medical colleges, has observed poor biometric attendance of doctors and a lack of faculty and infrastructure in at least 500 medical colleges till now.”

As per MSR 2020, medical colleges must follow certain guidelines for setting up new medical colleges and initiating new courses, besides regulating student intake capacity. “The colleges do not have OPDs, lacking in indoor beds, radiological infrastructure, and surgical parts which are essential for medical education. Besides this, few institutions are found fabricating death rates and birth rates. We must check such practice,” adds Dr Vanikar.

“Following the assessment, the NMC has spoken to administrators of medical colleges about the lack of faculty and clinical material. Fines have also been imposed on colleges ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 crore based on the issues. We have observed that the exams in a few medical colleges are not conducted fairly, which has degraded the credibility of exams and medical education. The colleges have also been asked to install cameras and action has been initiated against institutes that have not complied with the NMC directions,” adds Dr Vanikar. Meanwhile, the assessment process is still underway. The medical colleges have been given two months to fix the issues.

Ahealth ministry official on the condition of anonymity says that most of the medical colleges in the country including central government institutions such as Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, New Delhi, have been fined after they were found falling short of the NMC standards for running medical colleges. “This time NMC has not reduced seats, instead it has imposed monetary penalties,” adds the official.

Faulty biometric attendance

Dr Anup Kumar Barman, Director of Medical Education (DME), Assam, says, “It is challenging to maintain the NMC standard. As many as 12 medical colleges in Assam including Lakhimpur Medical College have been show caused either due to mismanagement or irregularities in biometric attendance of faculty staffs. In Assam, we witness frequent network issues and as a result, the attendance punch is not always recorded which has created discrepancies. Besides this, we do have faculty deficiencies similarly like other parts of the country. The colleges have been fined around Rs 2-10 lakh for the MSR deficiencies.”

Dr Pradip Kumar Mitra, former Director of Medical Education (DME), West Bengal, says, “The major issues in the colleges are meeting the attendance criteria of faculty staffs. Almost all the colleges have received NMC letter in West Bengal particularly the newly built ones in district hospitals. Most of the colleges in the state are reeling under severe faculty shortages and this is because the government is not promoting faculty staffs to higher levels while some professors are hand in glove with the senior government officials who are helping them avoid rural posting, creating crisis in medical colleges.”

As per sources, RG Kar Medical College and NRS Medical College in Kolkata have received show cause notice from the NMC. “Several private medical colleges somehow manage to pass the physical inspection while the government colleges fall short of required data as most of the verifications are online today. Also, biometric attendance is not fool proof as there are hits and misses compelling NMC to act. Medical education can only be improved with the help of local administration,” adds Dr Mitra. Dr Girish Tyagi, registrar, Delhi Medical Council, says, “Few medical colleges in Delhi-NCR are lacking in basic infrastructure such as MRI machines, cadavers necessary for anatomy. Medical education will suffer if the infrastructure is inadequate. The NMC must ensure that all the students get proper medical education. However, the doctors struggle to keep up with the necessary Aadhaar-based biometric attendance.”

Monetary penalty

Till now, the NMC has sent showcause notices to five medical colleges in Gujarat taking note of severe shortages of medical teachers, tutors, and resident doctors. The Lakhimpur Medical College in Assam has been slapped with Rs 1 crore fine for mismanagement. In Chhattisgarh, the NMC imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Kanker Medical College, Rs 4 lakh on Durg Medical College, and Rs 3 lakh each on medical colleges in Bilaspur, Ambikapur, Mahasamund, and Jagdalpur. Besides this, Mahasamund, Kanker, and Raigarh medical colleges received show-cause notices regarding faculty shortages. In Tamil Nadu, three medical colleges have been fined Rs 3 lakh for faculty and clinical material deficiencies including colleges in Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, and Nagapattinam. The NMC has also issued show-cause notices to colleges for deficiencies in Aadhaar-based biometric attendance. The list includes the Government Medical College in Madurai. The Medinirai Medical College (MMC) in Daltonganj, Jharkhand has been fined Rs 12 lakh for the inadequate number of teaching faculty and infrastructure.

BCI updates legal education with Blockchain, E-discovery, Cybersecurity, Robotics, AI and Bioethics subjects

Following the guidelines for tech upgradation of curriculum, experts are concerned about the limited knowledge of computers in law colleges

These subjects should not be confined to NLUs and prominent private law colleges

Ayushi.Gupta1@timesgroup.com

The Bar Council of India (BCI) released guidelines to reform legal education. In a recent notification, the BCI released a list of reforms and mandatory guidelines to technically upgrade, diversify and expand the reach and introduce critical and interdisciplinary thinking in the legal education system. Experts are concerned that many colleges do not even offer computer education as a subject in UG Law courses.

Lack of computer literacy

The BCI circular reminded all the CLEs to include computer education and emerging technologies in the legal curriculum. Computer education is already a part of the Legal Education Rules, 2008. Moreover, the BCI, in its circular dated January 24, 2024, reiterated the mandatory inclusion of computers in the curriculum. “Computer education should be more widespread as most legal research and drafting, pleading and conveyancing, analysis and stacking of norms, etc, are facilitated through computers. In the cyber age dominated by AI, law students must have profound skills in computer operations. NLUs and other private institutions have the budgets for the infrastructure to impart knowledge on emerging technologies. However, state-run law colleges have limited resources due to which there is a lack of infrastructure. The absence of resources and faculty members degrade the educational standards for students learning in these colleges,” says Arpit Jain, assistant professor, Government Law College, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. In January 2024, BCI intimated law colleges in the country to add computer education as a subject, particularly in threeand five-year under- graduate Law courses. In the recent regulation, BCI has again reminded HEIs to implement the same. “It is a welcoming decision by BCI, as computer literacy is asignificant skill that lawyers of this age should have. However, several rural students have limited knowledge of computers. BCI should make computer education mandatory as several colleges have not updated the curriculum in the last decade,” adds Jain.

Technical subjects are important

The BCI has incorporated emerging subjects such as Blockchain, Electronic discovery, Cybersecurity, Robotics, AI, etc, into the legal education curricula. The reform has been made keeping in view the need for lawyers to be updated and ready to meet contemporary legal challenges. Upskilling of faculty members is also important as it helps in training law students so that they can comprehend issues, investigate and analyse evidence, says Vageshwari Deswal, professor, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi (DU). “Law is a dynamic discipline, faculty members are required to keep themselves updated with the latest developments including technology. The judiciary has been grappling with cybercrimes, and jurisprudence (the principles on which law is based) in this area has grown largely due to the scholarly work of academicians who search for answers. Teaching and answering students’ queries prepare faculty members to deal with upcoming issues. Cybercrimes, Law &Technology were already part of the legal curriculum but they were optional,” sa- ys Deswal. Moreover, few law school libraries have computers that provide students with access to online journals and other e-resources, adds Deswal. Introducing the latest technologies and related jurisprudence to law students would benefit students’ litigation practice, says Nitin Saluja, advocate on record, Supreme Court. “Over the years, law colleges have steadily incorporated subjects related to cyber law in their academic curriculum. Many universities are already offering courses such as Information & Technology Law, Ecommerce Law, Cyber Law, etc, and have now included new topics that deal with cryp- tocurrencies, blockchain, etc,” says Saluja. While computer literacy in a few colleges is limited, BCI has released new guidelines without making it mandatory. “BCI will have to set up aregulatory system to control the education. These subjects should not be confined to NLUs and prominent private law colleges. The regional and remote law colleges still have a long way to go in terms of the infrastructure and funds, to be able to teach these subjects,” says Saluja, adding, colleges can earmark a portion of their funds for infrastructure and the employment of teachers or part-time professionals with technical knowledge.

TECH TALK

Intertwining CS, and industrial design for better HCI outcomes

It is vital to adeptly use these advancements to craft devices and tools with corresponding applications to address the user demands, writes Somjit Amrit

The role of HCI lies in amalgamating these advancements to craft intuitive devices and tools with corresponding applications, placing user needs at the forefront

Advancements in technology typically occur through incremental changes. However, once an inflection point or a tipping point is reached, the technology and its adoption become widespread. It might seem like the change appeared suddenly to outside observers, but to those working in the field, it looks like a natural trajectory. Predicting the future trajectory of Human-Computer Interactions (HCI) is easier said than done. Let me explain why. Advancements in technology typically occur through incremental changes. However, once an inflection point or a tipping point is reached, the technology and its adoption become widespread. It might seem like the change appeared suddenly to outside observers, but to those working in the field, it looks like a natural trajectory. Predicting the future trajectory of Human-Computer Interactions (HCI), a field we at the Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Mandi are deeply involved in, is easier said than done. Let me explain why.

Harmonious technology

In most fields, we envision technological progress following a somewhat linear trajectory. Take, for instance, Moore's Law, which posits that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years. While the actual growth is exponential, our human minds simplify this into the notion that we'll have more powerful computers every two years. However, in the realm of HCI, such linear inferences prove challenging. HCI is not a standalone discipline; it's intricately intertwined with other fields like Computer Science, Industrial Design, Cognitive Psychology, and Linguistics, each dictating its trajectory with potential independence and insularity. Consequently, for every technological advancement, HCI must pivot its response by spiralling aro- und it and drawing relevance from these adjacent domains. Thus, for breakthroughs or advancements to materialise in HCI, it’s imperative for relevant and inclusive progress to occur across its associated fields. Consider the famous 1968 event led by Douglas Engelbart, where he unveiled a functioning computer system with capabilities that are now commonplace, such as word processing, real-time collaboration, video conferencing, and using a computer mouse to navigate the computer screen, among others. This event is widely referred to as ‘The Mother of All Demos,’ as it offered a glimpse into the future of HCI. However, it would take another two decades for Engelbart's vision to materialise fully. The realisation of this future necessitated advancements such as the development of Graphical User Interfaces based operating systems, invention of the internet, enhancement of computing power in microchips, and the evolution of more intuitive interactions, ultimately leading to computers becoming truly personalised.

In essence, the goal of the field of HCI is to adapt technological advancements for widespread human use. However, in many instances, HCI also drives their progress, aiming to make technology's benefits accessible to the majority. HCI is adept at identifying pertinent problems to address because it puts the needs of the humans (the end user) at the centre. For instance, one researcher at our technology hub is working on developing ‘Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based Early Detection of Parkinson’s Disease’ as a substitute for commonly known MRI scans. Administering MRIs to patients with the disease is challenging due to their involuntary movements. However, utilising the easy-to-deploy EEG device on the patient presents its challenges: handling vast amounts of data and effectively applying data analytics to isolate signals crucial for accurate detection. Data analysis of EEG output is more complex to read for the medical technician than reading an MRI report. Preparing the patient for an EEG is easier than for an MRI scan. If EEG data analysis is made simpler, EEG-based data output could potentially supplant MRI scan reports for the patients. This is an example where HCI should help as- sess the needs of the end users (the patient and the medical technician both need to benefit) and push for innovation to make life easier.

Generative immersive worlds

With this background, let us plot a trajectory of HCI amidst the rapid advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Generative Design. At the core of this revolution is the demonstration of the ability of computers to genuinely ‘comprehend’ human intentions and deliver results aligned with their expectations. In less than a year since their debut, Large Language Models (LLMs) have already evolved into Large Multimodal Models (LMMs), capable of generating information across various data types or modalities, including text, images, audio, and video.

However, the most pivotal advancement would be their capacity to ‘think,’ ‘decide,’ and ‘take action’ autonomously. This capability marks a significant step towards their inevitable evolution into Large Action Models (LAMs). With LAMs, these models will be able to execute frictionless actions on behalf of users, requiring minimal input. Similarly, the field of generative design has witnessed an evolution from generative images to an early stage of generative videos.

The current and forthcoming advancements indicate a transition from hardware-led innovations in software to software-led innovations in hardware. The objective is to develop interfaces and tools where the system adapts to the user rather than the user adapting to the system. The role of HCI lies in adeptly amalgamating these advancements to craft intuitive devices and tools with corresponding applications, placing user needs at the forefront. We may soon call HumanCentred Interaction as the new HCI!

(The author is CEO, IIT Mandi iHub)

Incremental changes

Over the last few decades, incremental changes have been occurring across fields, leading to the emergence of revolutionary prototypes based on augmented reality-based, brain-computer interfaces, virtual reality, screenless, designing keyboardless, and voice-controlled devices.

Technology can empower small and marginal farmers

Students can set the tone for a progressive farming model, writes Ashok Kumar

It is important to not exclude farmers from aconversation about agricultural diversity

Koleswar Bediya, a farmer, 45, from the tribal community of Chokarera village, Ramgarh district in Jharkhand, used to focus on basic crop cultivation without considering options such as mixed farming. He learnt about the benefits of cultivating various crops through the Millionaire Farmer Development Program (MFDP) in 2018 and started using a 0.75-acre patch for a mixed plantation of fruits like guava, pomegranate, lemon, sweet lime, mango, Thai ber, and papaya and intercropping vegetables, that is, growing two or more crops in close proximity. He initiated seasonal vegetable cultivation on the remaining land by adopting modern practices like polythene mulching, drip irrigation, and multilayer farming.

With increasing access to highspeed internet and smartphones, digital tools are emerging as potent resources to educate and train farmers. These intelligent tools can access curated content according to the hyperlocal context and facilitate linkages to reach out to a large number of farmers across remote villages.

India is home to over 126 million small and marginal farmers (SMF), but they own just about 47% of the country's crop area. With varying resource endowments, farming skills and aspirations, they grapple with unique socio-economic challenges. Among them are subsistence farmers cultivating crops with little surplus for sale and surplus farmers who can grow crops beyond subsistence. Then, there are star farmers like Koleswar Bediya, who have high aspirations and skills and adopt technology and innovations to succeed. The agriculture education system needs to evolve to understand SMFdominated agriculture's nuances and learn from the first-hand experiences of a smallholder's challenges. The Rural Agriculture Work Experience (RAWE) is a semester-long programme that can be leveraged for ‘functional engagements’ with farmers. By working directly with farming communities, students can come up with workable, technological solutions and set the tone for a progressive farming model for the future.

Multidimensional approach

This generation of MFDP farmers can exemplify success, inspire other local farmers, and draw lucrative opportunities and markets to their underserved geographies.

Even as we focus on technology and resource management, it is important to understand the socio-economic context, skills, and aspirations of the farmer. MFDP initiative is an example of how interventions can be curated following the articulation of a farmer's aspirations and an assessment of their resources. Subsequently, market opportunities are explored, and technologies are chosen thoughtfully. Skill enhancement training is also designed carefully, considering the specific challenges and available resources.

Increasing opportunities

Farmers trained in agriculture technologies can ensure proper resource utilisation and are also helped in accessing beneficial government schemes. Like Koleswar, they learn to farm high-value produce like papaya, guava, Thai ber, pomegranate, custard apple, capsicum, and exotic vegetables, as well as low-gestation fruit under protected cultivation along with intercrops of vegetables and flowers.

(The author is associate director, Farm Prosperity, Transform Rural India)

Embracing Hindu Studies is a gateway to appreciating Indic cultural tapestry

Under the NEP 2020, students can explore Hindu Studies with subjects such as Computer Science, and Data Analytics as minors, write Arunansh B Goswami and Sumit Kaushik

Hindu Studies are an exploration of Indic oral and textual traditions — an endeavour akin to exploring the intricate branches of a vibrant, living tree that embodies Indian culture, philosophy, rituals and spirituality. Among the rich tapestry of worldviews, Hindu Studies emerge as a beacon offering intense insights that resonate across time and space. The relevance of Hindu Studies for today's youth lies not only in preserving cultural heritage but also in fostering wisdom, compassion, and a holistic understanding of life. Tolerance and coexistence are important parts of the wider Hindu world view. Adherents of this religion, which is internally so diverse with a spectrum of views from theistic (Bhakti) to atheistic (Lokayata) within its ambit, have readily accepted diversity outside of it too. In India, the birthplace of Hindu civilisation, Jews did not and still do not face anti-Semitism; Zoroastrians found refuge after their oncemighty empire was obliterated by the Arabs, and several sects of Islam found a peaceful home. Hindu Studies will help the younger generation of Indians learn about the culture that promoted a tolerant world view and help them fulfil their fundamental duties mentioned in Article 51A (e) and Article 51A (f) of the Constitution, which will promote communal harmony in a country as diverse as India. Philosophical underpinnings Several prestigious western institutions, such as Oxford University, the University of Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, have long incorporated courses focused on Hindu studies. While Bharat, with its Hindu majority, has in- troduced the subject relatively late in educational institutions. Today, the subject aligns with the progressive provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Under the NEP, students can explore Hindu Studies alongside contemporary subjects such as Computer Science, Data Analytics, Commerce, and Political Science as minors. There is a need to frame a comprehensive programme that aims to elucidate Hinduism through the exploration of anci- ent Indian literary references, delving into subjects such as Gyan Mimamsa, Tattva Mimamsa, Dharma-karma, art skills, society, culture, and more. Hinduism is a way of life; introducing the youth to Hindu Studies provides them with a unique lens to explore universal themes such as the nature of existence, the pursuit of knowledge, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. This way of life attracted the Greek Heliodorus ambassador of King Antialcidas Nikephoros, to describe himself as a Bhagavata of Vishnu Vasudev. Participants from different parts of the world in the first Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893, gave a standing ovation for two minutes after Swami Vivekananda completed his speech. Understanding heritage The study of Hinduism serves as a gateway to appreciating Bharat's rich cultural and historical tapestry. As the world increasingly looks towards Bharat for its economic, scientific, and cultural contributions, a nuanced understanding of Hinduism becomes pivotal for fostering cross-cultural collaborations and partnerships. In encouraging the pursuit of Hindu Studies, the aim is to delve into the reservoir of wisdom surrounding Hindu dharma and its spiritual heritage. This endeavour seeks to unveil the essence of spiritual Hindu literature, unravelling its foundational tenets. The exploration encompasses both prominent and lesser-known texts, accompanied by pivotal commentaries. It accentuates the pertinence of Hindu Studies in the dynamic tapestry of the modern world, acknowledging its relevance in the global paradigm.

(The authors are advocate, Supreme Court of India, and PhD candidate, OP Jindal Global University,

respectively)

Develop the art of asking questions for success

Questioning helps one understand the problem, its root causes and find possible solutions, writs Rajesh K Pillania

The most important step for this skill is to start, and start now

If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes,” said Albert Einstein.

Insights from successful people from different walks of life show the importance of the right questions, which help us increase our curiosity and creativity. They also help us think differently and be more innovative. Research shows that questioning is one of the most important skills for successful people.

The importance of answers is overhyped. Questions and the right questions are a true measure of intelligence. One might know the answer to a question because of past experiences, or one might have just crammed the answers. Answers are not the true measure of one’s intelligence. In interviews, an increasing number of people have stopped focusing only on asking questions from applicants. They also ask the applicants to ask questions as this tells what they are thinking, what their focus or concern is, and what their intelligence is.

Unfortunately, three institutions in India prevent children from as- king questions. First is the family – where it is considered rude if the children ask questions or question the elders. Second is the school – where the focus is on cramming the answers and regurgitating them in examinations. Third is religious places – where children are not encouraged to ask questions or question the prevailing religious wisdom. Thus, these three institutions diminish the ability of children to question. Students need to focus on asking questions and develop good questioning skills. Questioning is askill, and anyone can develop it. Here are three simple ways to increase one’s questioning skills:

● Start asking questions. Do not be shy, or overthink. Later in the day, one can also evaluate the quality of the question one asked. Once someone starts asking questions and keeps analysing and trying to improve, one will get good at the skill of questioning.

● Whenever one faces a problem, instead of jumping to a solution, try to write down all the questions surrounding that problem. Moreover, while go- ing through these questions, one could find a hint or clue to solve the problem.

● Start monitoring how many questions you ask and the number of answers you give. Try to increase the number of questions you ask rather than the answers you give.

These are three simple but powerful ways to improve one’s questioning skills. Problems are everywhere in life—to solve them, one must understand the problem and its root causes. Questioning helps one understand the problem and its root causes and find possible solutions. The most important step for this skill is to start, and start now, start today.

(The author is professor, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon)

Women are doing well in academia

Sonal.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

Professor Naima Khatoon is the first woman vice-chancellor of the almost 150-year-old Aligarh Muslim University. Yet, Professor Khatoon is modest about her achievements.

She says, “The glass ceiling was broken long ago by women, especially in higher education. With the heartening boost in the figures of enrolment in HEIs and with so many women being vice chancellors today in central and state universities like JNU, JMI (recently completed the tenure), Allahabad University, and Punjab University, to name a few, to say that women are doing very well in the HEIs of India will not be an overstatement. The narrative is shifting towards the normalised presence of women as academic leaders and brilliant pursuers of higher education in our country. The increased percentage of enrolment into higher education displays the positive fructification of persistent efforts to provide a push to women in HEIs in our country. Yet, I feel that while much has been done, there is still a lot to be done.”

Changing norms

Professor Khatoon says that societal norms and expectations around gender roles impact women’s careers to a formidable extent. “However, I am an optimist and would not ignore the brighter side of the picture because academics and higher education are the most sought after career options among educated women. Hence, over the decades, a certain kind of adjustability has grown towards academics as a career choice for women in society. We need to make the best of this silver lining. Instead of becoming dismissive towards academics as a cliched career choice, we must rather celebrate and promote it more as a career option among young women because when I meet young women, I find many of them a little less enthusiastic towards academics as a career choice. In present times, it becomes immensely important to propagate higher education as a field for women’s participation as students and teachers because this is the sure shot way to a nation’s development,” says Professor Khatoon.

She points out that social mindsets are changing owing to various success stories globally wherein women are emerging as achievers. “Social media has lent an outreach to the cause of women. We see pictures and videos of women achieving in one part of the globe getting celebrated worldwide. Using the words ‘success’ and ‘women’ together has become normal because of the acceptability that the social spaces exude,” adds Professor Khatoon.

Inclusive strategies to implement liberal education

The Major-Minor system is a paradigm shift, since it brings to the centre the student’s choice, writes YSR Murthy

Varsities can prepare students for life by kindling their curiosity and sowing in them the seeds for lifelong learning

Several higher educational institutions have embraced the idea of liberal education. The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP), through its emphasis on the study of arts and, in particular, the shift from STEM to STEAM, has given a big fillip to it. While the Western models of liberal education mainly hold sway, there are attempts in some quarters in India to decolonise liberal education, thus expanding its epistemological grasp and global application. There is a need to evolve appropriate strategies while implementing liberal education.

The student body is diverse and so are their learning needs. In the pre-NEP period, it was the faculty members who would decide what subjects would be offered. The Major-Minor system under liberal education is a paradigm shift, since it brings to the centre the student’s choice. For example, they can combine the study of Mathematics along with Music, or Filmmaking with Philosophy, and many other such combinations. Higher educational institutions need to provide a wide choice through a variety of major and minor subjects and, additionally, a large number of cross-listed electives across different disciplines. This may involve significant financial and human resources but it is at the core of liberal education.

While the strategies adopted by institutions differ, some conduct a major and minor fair, where students and their parents are informed of the wide array of minors and electives on offer. The students and parents may meet with faculty members during the fair and clarify their doubts, if any, before making an informed choice. Timetable coordination also enables a seamless movement of students across different schools for cross-listed electives. Even within a class, the pedagogy adopted is tailored to address the diverse learning needs of students.

Respecting diversity

Besides teacher-driven pedagogy, universities must also promote peer-to-peer learning. This can happen through inclusivity and respect for the inherent dignity of everyone, regardless of dis- tinctions. Though India has an amazing diversity, one finds that this is not often reflected in many institutions; top institutions could be exceptions. One needs to understand the profile of the students in a class and, in particular, be cognisant of differences on account of parameters such as rban-rural, rich-poor, North-South, gender, and many other distinctions that hinder social interaction among students.

Thereis a need to diversify the student body and teachers. It is very easy to end up as a regional university but it takes a conscious effort, as a part of strategy, to recruit students and teachers from across India and even from other parts of the world. Members of the academic community must respect cultural diversity and even celebrate it. These steps will go a long way in fostering inclusion.

Are universities future ready? Do they equip students with skills which enable them to cope with rapid technological changes and enable them to reinvent themselves or embrace a new career, should there ever be a need? These are very important practical questions with which educators must be concerned with. Liberal arts education can help us humanise the use of technology that is often disruptive in nature.

Lifelong learning

Universities can prepare students for life by kindling their curiosity and sowing in them the seeds for lifelong learning, which involves augmenting knowledge and skills on a regular basis. In this context, tools followed under liberal education, which include, among others, experiential learning, project and problem-based learning, community projects and internships are very helpful. Life-skills and civic engagements form the core of liberal arts education.

We must inculcate 21st century skills in students to prepare them to face ever-evolving technologies. We must also teach them critical life skills for their own well-being at a personal and social level. If education is oriented to engender curiosity and inculcate creativity, innovation, complex problem-solving skills, digital skills, collaboration, communication and an entrepreneurial mindset, it will immensely benefit students. As John Dewey famously remarked, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”.

(The author is vice-chancellor, RV University)

Fostering inclusion

There is a need to diversify the student body and teachers. It is very easy to end up as a regional university but it takes aconscious effort, as a part of strategy, to recruit students and teachers from across India and even from other parts of the world. Members of the academic community must respect cultural diversity and even celebrate it.

IGNOU admission process for July 2024 academic year underway

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has initiated the admission proceedings for undergraduate, postgraduate, and other programmes for the July 24 academic year.

The university will introduce five new postgraduate courses and a bachelor’s degree course from this July session including MSc degree in Zoology, Physics, Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry and Industrial Safety. The university is also offering a BSc degree in Applied Science-Energy this year. The programme will cover topics such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable energy management.

Interested candidates can register on the official websites of IGNOU at ignouiop.samarth.edu.in and ignouadmission.samarth.edu.in. IGNOU offers several certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, postgraduate diplomas, and degrees. The deadline for applying for various programmes is June 30.

The university provides more than 40 programmes that are only available online. It offers over 290 UG, PG, PG diploma, diploma, certificate and awareness programmes through online distance learning (ODL) and online (OL) mode. The ODL courses are available for students in certificate, diploma, and degree formats at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Undergraduate scheduled tribe and scheduled caste students from arts, science and commerce streams will not have to pay the admission fees.

Technological advancement and its impact on education system

AI can free up time for faculty, allowing them to provide personalised feedback to students, writes Dishan Kamdar

Continuous attention and investment are needed for equitable access to technology

A few years ago, the digital revolution stood poised on the cusp of transforming our world. However, the unforeseen events of 2020 served as a powerful catalyst, accelerating this transformation at an unprecedented pace. Today, we find ourselves in a landscape redefined by cutting-edge technology. These advancements have permeated every aspect of our lives, becoming not just ubiquitous, but indispensable.

Accessibility of knowledge

When Covid-19 led to the shutdown of schools, over 1.2 billion children were out of the classrooms globally. This saw education change dramatically, with a distinctive rise in online learning. What started as an existential solution for academic institutions has become crucial for imparting education now. Adopting technology and digital tools such as virtual tutoring, video conferencing tools, or online learning software in higher education has, in a way, globalised and democratised the knowledge-gaining process, making learning more accessible.

Students are increasingly accessing these online tools to acquire new skills. Indeed, the number of students attending online courses has seen a vast jump over the last few years. While the number of hybrid and distance-only students at traditional universities increased by 36% between 2012 and 2019, this growth rapidly accelerated by an additional 92% in 2020. Elearning has had far-reaching impacts on liberal education. Li- beral education offers a well-rounded and expansive intellectual grounding essential to the allround development of students. It teaches them how to think rather than what to think.

The availability of the course in online mode has only further increased its accessibility and importance, creating opportunities for students from a wide range of backgrounds and encouraging an inclusive and diverse learning environment.

AI sheds workload

The emergence of generative AI presents a transformative opportunity for the future of learning and teaching. The job roles of an educator are multifaceted and require meticulous plan- ning, crafting engaging assignments, developing assessment rubrics, and even conducting research and authoring papers and presentations. Generative AI tools can become invaluable allies in this endeavour, empowering educators to reclaim precious time and refocus on the core principles of each subject. For instance, AI-powered tools that generate creative assignment ideas, draft comprehensive course plans or even personalise learning materials in real-time.

Such advancements could free up some time from the tight schedules of faculty members, allowing them to provide more in-depth, personalised feedback to students – a cornerstone of effective learning. One could envision a classroom where an exam is administered, and students receive immediate results alongside tailored feedback based on their performance. This newfound efficiency would enable educators to shift their focus towards fostering a stimulating learning environment that ignites intellectual curiosity and empowers students to reach their full potential.

Generative AI can be a game-changer for both educators and students. For students, AI unlocks a universe of knowledge sources, enriching the learning experience. The advancement of technology has also revealed opportunities that will complement traditional pedagogical methods and enhance the teaching-learning experience in liberal education programmes.

(The author is vice-chancellor, FLAME University)

Feedback, support

Generative AI allows students to pursue their interests and passions while receiving personalised support and feedback. On the other hand, it will support educators in creating dynamic and engaging learning environments that stimulate intellectual curiosity and foster deeper engagement.

Understanding the new wave of liberal arts education

In all liberal arts traditions, the emphasis is on holistic, non-binary ways of thinking where the sciences and the arts are brought together, writes Ananya Mukherjee

Unless proactively harnessed for the good of humanity, the consequences of technological and scientific progress may be far from beneficial

The new impetus to liberal arts education in India is extremely encouraging. NEP, National Curriculum and Credit Framework are strong enablers for a good liberal arts education. While there are established traditions of the liberal arts in the East and West to draw upon, the hope is that through the current discussions, we arrive at a new kind of liberal arts relevant and meaningful in today’s context. Going beyond the dominance of American and European traditions, it is the Global South that should lead the formation of a bold new framework of liberal arts education.

New knowledge

First, we must stop thinking aboutthe liberal arts as the opposite of science and technology. In all liberal arts traditions, the emphasis is on holistic, non-binary ways of thinking where the sciences and the arts, theory and practice, textual and experiential learning are brought together. It arms students with some key capacities: critical thinking and reflection, self-awareness, the ability to communicate, and a deeper understanding of their connection to their fellow human beings and nature. It should inspire one to challenge the linear and the simplistic, to imagine what does not exist today, and in doing so, to overcome the fear of failure. This is critical for the Global South, which cannot advance by copying what already exists elsewhere, especially where the negative consequences on society and nature are already known. New knowledge cannot come about without an education that kindles curiosity and courage.

Tech integration

In this context, perhaps the most important task of liberal arts education is to help us make sense of the exponentially expanding prowess of technology. Unless proactively harnessed for the good of humanity, the consequences of technological and scientific progress may be far from beneficial. This is not a new concern. In the sciences, fields like bioethics have focused exactly on such questions. Discussions on engineering education have been taking place globally and in India for a long time. In the pages of Bridge, US National Academy of Engineering journal, we read repeatedly about the skills engineers need to have in the 21st century: to be able to shift from problem solving to problem formulation, to communicate effectively, to understand ethical implications and different social contexts. In India, elements of the liberal arts have been introduced into the engineering curriculum.

To realise the full potenti- al of liberal arts education, we need a curriculum that is meaningful to students. It must bring together text-based and experiential knowledge. Liberal arts cannot be about big, long books difficult to read and digest. While the value of books cannotbe minimised, we now have at our command many new immersive technologies.

Skilling for jobs

When it comes to the question of jobs, as per the World Economic Forum 2023 Jobs Report, strong cognitive skills are increasingly valued by employers, reflecting the growing importance of complex problem-solving in the workplace. The most important skills for workers in 2023 are seen to be analyti- cal thinking and creative thinking, and this is expected to remain so in the next five years. The National Credit and Curriculum framework identifies a comprehensive set of attributes that students should graduate with, based on a holistic education. It enables a variety of pedagogies, with emphasis on experiential and work-integrated learning.

The words of a young student struggling with terminally ill parents and dependent younger siblings may best explain the need for a liberal arts education. She said, “But I want to come to university. I want to learn everything…history, science, coding, theatre.. everything.”

If we believe this is the aspiration we need to nurture, we have some ways to go.

(The author is vice-chancellor, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR)

Key capacities

In liberal arts traditions, the emphasis is on holistic, non-binary ways of thinking where the sciences and the arts, theory and practice, textual and experiential learning are brought together. It arms students with some key capacities such as critical thinking, reflection, self-awareness, and more.

NEP 2020 emphasises on reviving diverse arts

We need to teach a gamut of learnings across a spectrum of subjects that endows wisdom and not just knowledge, writes Somak Raychaudhury

Education must teach the student to be critical and discerning in order to effectively use all the information available around us

Will brain implants such as neuralink end the need for education? Leading architect of artificial intelligence systems Nikolas Kairinos believes so. He thinks that over the next 15 years, we are likely to end up with implants in our heads that will allow us to learn everything. “You won’t need to memorise anything.” In that quote sits an important ticking bomb for the conventional educational systems, be it Oxbridge-style collegiate institutions or elite institutes of technology: ‘Memorise.’ In afashion, a large part of ‘I-knowthis-because-I-was-taught’ education went out of fashion when search engines on the web became widely available. Now you not only know way more than that, you know much more than what even your personal life experiences taught you.

Nurturing critical thinking

With all this information at one’s disposal, the most important skill that one has to learn is to how to sort out the good from the bad and the ugly. To be effective, education has to teach the student how to be critical and discerning in order to effectively use all the information that is available. Take for instance, the biggest bugbear of doctors faced with knowledgeable patients who have diagnosed their own symptoms and had recommendations on prescriptions after diligently browsing the net with Google, or more advanced AI tools.

Unprecedented challenge

AI powered in the near future by quantum computers, could have billions of times faster ‘OODA loop’ than a human. This creates an unprecedented challenge for humanity – machines move from ‘doing things that it is asked’ to ‘doing things that it decides needs to be done’. There is a common lesson from these experiences of humanity over the centuries; at the core of human progress has been the very human ability to take command of technologies, by taking decisions based on a broader understanding of the world around.

Role of education

Here lies the nub of why education needs to, and must transform, and is transitioning. We will have more and more power of information and knowledge. How good we get at managing this information and knowledge will be based on how our ‘education’ is enabling us to overlay data, information, trivia and automatically processed conclusions with morality and ethics, in the background context of history, climate, environment and natural resources, together with relevant knowledge of human psychology and subjective value systems. This is not a new thought. It is as old as Nalanda and Takshashila, or At- hens, where grammar and arithmetic, geometry and philosophy, rhetoric and ethics, music and poetry were taught. Madhava of Sangamagrama, for instance, devised his own system of infinite series and calculus in order to understand not just the motions of planets but many aspects of quantitative philosophy. Pythagoras of Samos in his time was better known for his political and religious teachings, than for the rightangled triangle. As a nation, we have set that as lodestar too

in the NEP 2020 which calls for bringing back to Indian education “knowledge of many arts or what in modern times is often called the liberal arts.” The challenge for education, practised today, will be to transition to the space where we accept that knowing is less important than being able to ‘marshal knowledge,’ much of which will sit outside us in superfast, very high IQ machines, to take decisions in every sphere of our lives.

Securing the future

We need to grasp the existential reality of less than a decade from now where every device would be a philosopher’s stone that also carries Midas’ curse. We need to hurry to teach a gamut of learnings across a spectrum of subjects that endows wisdom and not just knowledge so that pharma researchers are able to discern if their AI machines need to be stopped from unleashing wonder drugs that endow amazing longevity at a great cost to humanity. We need specialists who can build, manage and develop further the machines that will be smarter than us, but we also need to educate those scientists to weigh the scales of progress. We will soon be coping with intelligence that is far smarter than the smartest human ever has been.

(The author is vice-chancellor, Ashoka University, Sonipat)

EVs foster innovation among automobile design students

As the automobile industry grows rapidly, there is scope for lucrative opportunities for aspirants in this field

EVs have completely changed the technology, internal machines, and design of automobiles

Priyadarshini.Gupta@timesgroup.com

India has emerged as one of the largest automotive markets globally. With a growing demand for automobiles, opportunities have been created for automotive designers to innovate and cater to the diverse needs of Indian consumers.

With the advent of electric and hydrogen vehicles, and increased personalisation, the scope of automotive design in India has magnified, says Sugandh Malhotra, professor, coordinator, Mobility and Vehicle Design programme, IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. “Consumers are seeking vehicles that reflect their individual tastes and preferences, leading to a greater variety of design options in the market,” he says.

Simplifying machines

EVs have completely changed the technology, internal machines, and design of automobiles. “It has simplified the overall structure of vehicles, presenting new opportunities for innovation in design. This shift towards EVs opens avenues for designers to explore creative ideas and solutions in vehicle design. As EVs become increasingly prevalent, automobile designers get more flexibility to relook at the configuration of the vehicles. The removal of complex components associated with internal combustion engines allows for are-evaluation of vehicle layouts,” says Malhotra.

Evolving designs

The EV curriculum is increasingly finding its place in design schools. The evolving focus on EVs is necessitating new design considerations such as aerodynamics for improved range and sleeker exteriors, innovative interior layouts, and a focus on sustainability with the use of recycled materials. “EVs offer a fertile ground to establish distinct brand identities centred around innovation and environment,” says Sanjay Gupta, vicechancellor, World University of Design, Sonipat.

AI in automotive sector

Design colleges are incorporating AI into their programmes due to evolving needs of the automotive industry. “AI can play acrucial role in streamlining the design, optimising performance, and enhancing user experience in EVs,” Malhotra adds.

“AI-powered tools and algo-

rithms are being utilised for tasks such as generative design, virtual prototyping, simulation, optimisation. These AI applications help designers through design concepts efficiently, accelerating the overall product development cycle,” says Gupta.

AI integration may impact the nature of jobs in the automotive design sector. However, smart institutions are already adapting to this changing landscape by developing skills that complement AI technologies. This may involve gaining proficiency in using AI tools and software, understanding data analytics and machine learning concepts relevant to design, and focusing on areas where human creativity, intuition, and critical thinking are difficult to replicate by AI.

Market potential

Recognising the potential of the Indian automotive market, XLRI recently announced the establishment of the Indian School for Design of Automobiles (INDEA), in collaboration with Avik Chattopadhyay, an automobile industry expert. The school plans to offer courses focusing on automotive design, complementing existing design schools in the country.

“Indian institutes try to solve the challenges consumers are facing on a day-to-day basis. They do look at the beauty aspect too, but the main concern is solving the problems,” says Malhotra.

AI can promote phygital campuses, analyse learner interests

The constraints of resources, be it financial, infrastructural, or intellectual human capital, can be overcome by the effective use of AI, digital modalities of instruction, and AR/VR/XR, writes Vistasp M Karbhari

Technology has taken education to the learners through digital/online means, rather than forcing the learners, and the experts, to be geographically co-located with the institution

The National Education Policy (NEP 2020) set aggressive and impressive goals to completely re-envision India’s educational system over the next decade. The intent was not just to enhance the quality of education but to increase access, multidisciplinary approach, and internationalisation. A prominent goal includes increasing GER by 2035 to at least 50% (from about 28% in 2021-2022), and having at least one multidisciplinary institution in each district by 2030.

While significant progress has been made over the years, Indian higher education is severely disadvantaged by a scarcity of institutions, the level of curricula available, and the number of doctorate students. Given the constraints in terms of resources – financial, infrastructure, and intellectual human capital, traditional mechanisms of growth will not suffice. Success will require a re-envisioning of the approach moving from the traditional time in the seat, rigid modalities, and a scarcity mindset to one that is innovative and catalysed by unique partnerships, and appropriate use of technology including AI, digi- tal modalities of instruction, and AR/VR/XR.

Scarcity of access: The traditional model of higher education based on physical campuses and face-to-face instruction inherently limits access. Over decades, this has been controlled through barriers for admission such as selectivity based on highly debated criteria of past performance, price, and even location. Technology can enable higher education to take education to the learner through digital/online means, rather than forcing the learner, and the expert, to be geographically colocated with the institution, thereby substantially enhancing reach. The emergence of ‘phygital

campuses’ integrating both physical and virtual functionalities

and modalities removes past barriers while still enabling learners to benefit from rich ex- periences regardless of location.

Challenge of location: Lack of financial resources to build campuses closer to groups of learners and our inability to rapidly change curricula and structures to meet changing demographic and workforce needs also make it difficult to establish traditional physical campuses. Innovations in Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR), have opened promising avenues of learning and training through virtual immersion often at levels of engagement and depths not possible in face-to-face interactions, let alone at scale. The use of AI tutors, guides, and mentors at the individual and group levels can foster a sense of community and engagementirrespective of the learner’s location. In addition to simulated classroom environments engaging individuals and or groups of non-collocated students, the combination of AI with AR/VR and XR technologies allows for direct immersion such as virtual visits to museums and art galleries, and exploration of archaeological digs.

Dearth of experts: In addition to space and resources, the shortage of experts places a limit on enrolments and access to knowledge. Most often this is al- so the rationale for insisting on the use of a ‘for-credit’ modality rather than one of continuous learning. In addition to online and blended programmes, AI tools can further simulate the instruction and mentorship provided by seasoned educators, delivering multilingual and culturally responsive instruction and engagement. In addition to multiplying the number of experts, they can also serve as highly skilled ‘personal assistants’ for instructors, assisting in routine and repetitive tasks to enable instructors to have more time and focus on the primary mission of enabling the acquisition and understanding of knowledge by learners. AI-enabled platforms can also analyse learner interests and potential workforce needs to match the learner with relevant experts globally.

Paucity of pathways: The predominance of a single pathway – that of a degree, can be a significant constraint for an increasing number of learners, for many of whom a continuous focus on education is impossible due to other ongoing responsibilities. It would necessitate modalities that would allow a carousel with the learner stepping on and off as needed, gaining credentials along the journey thereby enabling better jobs, greater resources, and increased security along the path. AI-driven platforms make the offering of multiple options easier, effectively merging the previously distinct roles of degree-based education with that of individual courses and certificates offered directly or as part of continuing/professional education, and in doing so, also encouraging the move from standardisation to personalisation with inbuilt flexibility in meeting new and changing needs.

Simultaneously, in the context of millions of employees with some or no degree, academia can now play an increased role in facilitating the continued employability of people already in the workforce through short-term credentials and certifications, enabling an updating of their knowledge and skills base, and thereby enabling greater socioeconomic mobility.

(The author is professor, Departments of Civil Engineering, and Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, where he served as president from 2013-2020)

Students must have a world-centric education

Finland’s HEI Schools make inroads into India with new branches coming up in Gurugram and Bengaluru

Finland has always supported equal opportunity for learning. The benefits of quality education are reflected in the society that boasts of being at the top in the happiness index

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Finnish education has a child-centred approach which promotes a stress-free early education. The curriculum combines the inclusion of physical activity, arts, academics and learning about lifeskills. The schooling system is specially crafted to prepare young minds academically, socially, and emotionally strong.

Business Finland, a government organisation for innovation, funding and trade, travel and investment promotion has been helping the expansion of Finnish schools to India.

Lasse Lipponen, professor of early childhood education at Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki and co-founder of HEI Schools has been working on developing an educational model which transforms a child-cent- red education into worldcentred education. “The right kind of schooling at an early age can help change the world. The students must acquire acumen to have a planetary civilisation,” said Prof Lipponen.

With the focus increasing towards sustainability, the students need to learn about climate change, environmental awareness, and recycling. “To expand the idea of having a green planet, we need to highlight sustainable education. The core concept is built on care and compassion,” added Prof Lipponen.

Underlining the importance of increasing observation in children, Prof Lipponen, who has extensively researched education for young children to nurture them into strong human beings, advocates change in the schooling systems. The schools should focus on holistic learning to retain the intrinsic talent in children. “The purpose of a genuine education system is to prepare a student to face the world,” added Prof Lipponen. “Observation in students raises empathetic concerns and compassionate acts. This also includes — help, share, include, comfort, and protect,” added Prof Lipponen, addressing an event organised to launch HEI schools in India.

The first two branches consisting of Kindergarten and Preschool will start in Gurugram and Bengaluru. “HEI schools are based on Finnish education model. The unique pedagogy and concepts offered by the school are aligned with NEP 2020,” said Heikki Vartia, director of Global Partnerships, HEI Schools.

Tito Gronow, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland, New Delhi, pointed at the strong education model being the cornerstone of Finnish society. “Finland promotes equal opportunity for learning. The benefits of quality education are reflected in the society that boasts of being at the top in the happiness index and gender parity,” he said.

Dr Liisa Toivonen, counsellor (Education and Science), Embassy of Finland, New Delhi, highlighted the need for strong education cooperation betweem India and Finland to promote early childhood learning and vocational education.

Third edition of Change Maker Fellowships

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

ESMT Berlin and the BMW Group are entering the third year of BMW Group Change Maker Fellowships with a focus on digitalisation. The 10 full-tuition fellowships for the ESMT Global Online MBA will aid young mathematics or technology professionals to accelerate meaningful change.

Curriculum flexibility

The ESMT Global Online MBA is the first fully online programme at the international Bschool. Decision-making, analytics, and innovation are at the core of the programme. The course design is modular and allows students to study at times that fit their schedules and at their own pace. Students may complete the programme in 24 months or take up to five years. There is no physical attendance required, so students may participate from any location.

Round 1 application deadline: Monday, July 1, 2024

Round 2 application deadline: Thursday, August 15, 2024

The Global Online MBA programme starts on September 30, 2024. For more details , visit: https://esmt.berlin/degrees/bmw-changemaker-fellowship

Why PTE is rising in the popularity stakes

Globally, its volume grew by approximately 50% in 2023, administering over 1 million tests per year as per Pearson’s annual report 2023

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

Proficiency in the English language plays a crucial role for overseas aspirants who need to mandatorily take English proficiency tests in their pursuit of higher education abroad, better job opportunities, higher salaries and a better social life. In the context of colleges worldwide, these tests ensure that students can understand lectures, read academic materials, participate in classroom discussions, and write research papers.

Globally, the English assessment market is £1 billion. “In India, over 1.8 million English proficiency tests were conducted in 2023 specifically for opportunities to study, immigrate, or work abroad,” says Özhan Toktas, senior vice president, Pearson English Language Learning (ELL), who is in India for the launch of two products: Versant English Certificate and MondlyWORKS, which are targeted at corporate employees' learning and development (L&D). “The newly launched products integrate AI as the key component in language learning and assessment, enabling the streamlining of recruitment and the accurate evaluation of candidates' language proficiency,” he says.

AI is a key enabler of the Pearson Test of English (PTE) as well, which is a part of the company’s global mobility initiative and witnessing growth in India. “The two-hour assessment, being AI-enabled, is unbiased,” emphasises Toktas highlighting the exam’s recognition in destina- tions such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. Total 99% of Canadian universities, 100% of Australian universities, and over 3,300 universities worldwide including Oxford University, Harvard Business School, Yale, Stanford University, University of British Columbia, among others, accept PTE Academic scores. “The popularity of the test has increased, with PTE’s acceptance by the Canadian government for economic migration and student visas. Globally, its volume grew by around 50% in 2023, administering over 1 million tests per year as reported in our annual report 2023,” Toktas says.

As to its demand across various programmes for overseas study, he explains, “The United States offers numerous opportunities for STEM courses, while countries like France and Switzerland are preferable for hospitality programmes. PTE is used by a diverse range of learners for their study abroad plans, not limited to any specific field or course.” Talking about the effectiveness of the exam’s format, Toktas explains test takers can book online up to 24 hours in advance, take advantage of the year-round worldwide test centre slots and receive their results on average within 1.3 days. This seems to make it the fastest among the other proficiency tests that release the results anywhere between 7-13 days.

While the two other assessment tests – IELTS and TOEFL – are in both pen and paper, and online formats, PTE, however, is a fully computerised AI-based test. “This makes the exam stress-free for the test taker, without the need for human intervention,” Toktas adds. Highlighting the difficulty levels of the assessment exams, he says different tests have different scores, but they are all mapped to a single score (which is the standard) as laid down by the regulatory authorities of a particular country where the tests are recognised. “We do have a suite of preparation materials, from books to question banks and practice papers but ultimately it is the skill and practice which will help candidates do better in the exams,” he adds.

Evidently, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are the leading areas for study-abroad opportunities in India. Moreover, India sends the maximum students abroad followed by China.

English is a strong employability skill, Toktas says, adding, the use of AI or ChatGPT has increased the need for English language proficiency in recent years. “The demand for English language learning has consistently risen globally, driven by increasing globalisation, cross-border trade, and communication. Our recent report highlights this trend, with 85% of respondents stating that English is important for their work life

and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. Additionally, 79% believe that English is important today, with this num- ber rising to 81% for personal life importance infive years,” he elaborates. “While we see AI as an enabler, a language skill developed with English makes a learner more resilient and adaptive. Combining both AI and English proficiency, learners can become globally competitive,” he adds.

Key differentiators

Based on the purposes and catering to distinct audiences depending on the countries’ requirements, PTE can either be PTE Academic or PTE Core. Both tests assess the four key English language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. However, the content and structure of the tests differ.

PTE Academic primarily targets academic test takers, such as students applying to universities or colleges, focusing on evaluating language skills within academic contexts. In contrast, PTE Core is specifically designed for vocational test takers, emphasising real-life, non-academic scenarios relevant to professions and daily interactions. Additionally, the scoring criteria and test format may vary between the two tests to accommodate their respective target audiences.

Further, PTE Core is for Canadian economic visa purposes only at present. People wanting to study in Canada for both Student Direct Stream (SDS) visas or worldwide and to liveor work in the UK, Australia or New Zealand need to take PTE Academic as usual. Test takers should consider their specific objectives and linguistic competencies when choosing between the two tests.

Incorporating sustainable principles in buildings

In the professional landscape, architects and designers can work in firms of varying sizes, each with their own approach to sustainable design

MARKET MANTRA

The demand for professionals in sustainable architecture will increase significantly due to climate crisis concerns

Sonal.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

With the looming climate crisis and increasing awareness of environmental impacts, the demand for professionals skilled in sustainable building design is on the rise. A degree in Environmental Building Design from an American university not only equips students with relevant knowledge but also opens doors to various rewarding careerpaths including careers in green building design consulting, energy modelling, and daylight analysis.

Tanya Kataria, AIA, WELL AP, project architect at Weber Thompson in the US, says sustainable architecture is not a separate niche; it has become an integral part of architectural practice. “Many firms are actively engaged in creating environmentally friendly buildings without necessarily labelling them as such. Due to the climate crisis, the onus is on architects to incorporate sustainable principles into their designs and deliver highperformance buildings, considering the urgent need for more eco-conscious structures,” says Tanya, a DPS RK Puram alumnus, who attended Sushant School of Art and Architecture in Gurugram for her graduate degree and pursued Master’s in Environmental Building Design from the University of Pennsylvania in the US.

New avenues

She says that for individuals interested in pursuing a career in environmental building design, there are several avenues to explore:

●Green building consultancy: Firms specialising in green building consulting offer servi- ces aimed at reducing the environmental impact of construction projects. Professionals in this area assess designs and systems to ensure they meet sustainability standards.

● Daylight analysis: Specialists evaluate how natural light interacts with a building’s interior, helping optimise lighting solutions for energy efficiency and well-being.

● Energy modelling and building simulation: Energy modelling involves using specialised software to simulate a building’s energy performance. This process helps architects make informed decisions regarding heating, cooling, and lighting systems to minimise energy usage and operational costs. To em- bark on a career in sustainable building design, prospective students must carefully consider their educational path. Kataria emphasises that a well-crafted portfolio that reflects one’s design sensibilities is important. “The portfolio should reflect what an individual is and what are his/her design sensibilities. The project can be small or not fully fleshed out but what matters is how the story is presented,” explains Kataria. “While academic credentials such as CGPA and standardised test scores are essential, applicants should also focus on developing strong relationships with professors for obtaining relevant references,” she advises.

Visa specifications Applicants

must understand the specific requirements of each institution and customise their applications accordingly. “For international students, familiarity with visa regulations, such as the H-1B visa for employment, is crucial. If the applicants want to increase the number of chances at H-1B visa, they could aim at a three-year-long Optional Practical Training (OPT). Medium-le- vel firms in the US do not know what OPT or H-1B is, so it is important to begin the conversation early,” says Kataria. Overall, the licensure process for architects in the US, often referred to as the “three Es” (Education, Experience, and Examination), requires dedication, commitment, and perseverance. By completing the necessary educational requirements, gaining practical experience, and successfully passing the licensure exam, individuals can obtain a license. “It is also important that the university degree should be National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited, if the degree is not NAAB accredited then the candidates are required to show some other certifications which can be a complicated process,” says Kataria. “Students can choose if they want tobe a generalist in overall project design in an architecture and engineering firm or be a specialist focusing only on energy modelling and analysis in an engineering firm,” says Kataria. As sustainability continues to shape the future of architecture, the demand for professionalsin the field willgrow.

Does competency-based assessment overlook needs of average learners

Some academics believe that it embraces diversity in classrooms, while others feel that it can be daunting for learners in a rural setting, long used to rote memorisation

While in class X, the target of 50% CBQs has already been achieved, in class XII, it will be achieved by 2025

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

From the 2024-25 academic year, there will be an increased focus on Competency-Based Questions (50%). In that, there will be three question types to give a higher weightage to questions that assess students’ ability to apply knowledge and rational thinking. This raises the obvious question as to whether such a question pattern might overlook the needs of the average learner. Academics have a mixed bag of reactions as some claim that it can assess the different skills in a diverse classroom, while others reason that its largescale implementation will be stressing the average learners as the questions require higher-order thinking skills which can tax those long used to rote learning.

The Competency-Based Questions (CBQs) may include questions in three formats: Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) with application scenarios; case studies that analyse real-life situations related to the subject matter; and sourcebased integrated questions that evaluate students’ ability to interpret data and in- formation from various sources. As per the new exam pattern, there will however be less emphasis on Long Answer Questions (30%).

Validating the reasons for increasing the percentage of CBQs, Sanyam Bhardwaj, controller of examinations, CBSE, says, “The CBQs were already there, and its increasing percentage in the boards has not adversely impacted students’ performance. On the contrary, in the 2024 class XII boards, there has been a 0.65% increase in the pass percentage as compared to last year. In 2023, the CBQs were increased from 30% to 40%, so the increase in such question types is an ongoing process ever since its imple- mentation four years ago.”

Eliminating rote learning

“The increase in CBQs to 50% which, as of now is the final limit, is aimed at improving the cognitive function of students, and they still have another year to get more accustomed to the model,” he says. In 2020, CBQs (10%) were first implemented in class X boards, thereafter, they were introduced in the class XII boards in 2021. While in class X, the target of 50% CBQs has already been achieved, in class XII, the same percentage will be achieved in 2025. “CBQs also provide students with an added edge in the competitive exams such as the IIT entrance test and make them better decision-makers and problemsolvers. We are offering training to the teachers at 17 Centres of Excellence(CoE) in CBQs to bring about a qualitative improvement in the teaching-learning process,” Bhardwaj explains.

Beyond textbooks

Reforms in the education system – NEP 2020 and NCF – have ushered in a tectonic shift in the teaching learning methodology and made changes in the question paper format inevitable. “With the change in focus from content based to competency-based learning, it becomes imperative to assess the varied skills and competencies in a diverse classroom. The question types in CBQs offer the right mix to assess the varied skills of learners – from recalling simple facts to evaluating a given scenario, to critical analysis and suggesting solutions,” says Sudha Acharya, principal, ITL Public School and chairperson, NPSC (National Progressive Schools’ Conference) adding, the pedagogical shift has been incorporated in almost all schools, and teachers are focusing on competencies and skills and not just delivering facts. “The exposure to vocational education and experiential learning has empowered the students to go beyond the textbook and assess real-life situations and become problem solvers,” she says.

Talking about the challenges in CBQs, a HoD of Political Science and Legal Studies of a Delhi-based school, says, equitable and quality education being a far cry in remote and rural areas makes the implementation of Competency-Based Assessments (CBAs) somewhat challenging. As it calls for first unlearning the traditional teaching and assessment methods and then relearning the application of new pedagogical tools for CBA, resistance from the senior educators accustomed to established methods of assessment cannot be ruled out.” Moreover, CBQs require higher-order thinking and application of knowledge, which might be challenging for those used to rote learning, her colleague adds.

Fast-expanding food processing industry calls for more startups to bridge the producer-market gap

Startups have been enhancing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, processing residues and wastes, and creating specialised nutritional diets

Shuddhanta.Patra@timesgroup.com

With rapid urbanisation and increasing demand for processed food, the food processing industry is now seen as a sunrise sector, which has also created several opportunities for young entrepreneurs. As Agritech startups find a strong position in India, fresh graduates are trying to carve a niche in the food processing sector by helping farmers, improving productivity, reducing costs and controlling surplus production loss.

Growing demand

The food processing sector contributes around 12% to the country’s GDP, with India being in the fifth position in terms of output, consumption, exports, and projected growth. India supplied 23% of its agricultural exports to the sector in 2022–2023, placing it sixth in the world for exports of processed food and agricultural products. By 2025–2026, the food processing industry in India is projected to generate $535 billion in revenue.

Speaking to Education Times, Harinder Singh Oberoi, director, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), says, “For an agricultural country such as India, the food processing sector is crucial since this is a conduit between agriculture, manufacturing sector and service industries. With the industry expected to be valued at $543 billion by 2025, the future of the food processing industry lies in startups, which are tapping into the unique needs of customers by promising delivery of healthy, nutrient-dense food, which is a fad among youngsters. India is expected to be the fifth largest consumer of processed food products by 2030.”

NIFTEM, under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) , has funded around 40 startups run by alumni and students. These ventures spread across India are involved in a wide array of activities including plant-based products, innovative solutions such as in-home seedling patches for microgreens rich in nutrients, utilising agricultural scraps for sustainability, gut health-improving probiotic drinks, plant-based meat products tailored to Indian tastes, specialised seasonings and flavours, introducing sprouted millets based staples, healthy snacks, among others. A total of 30 startups have been incubated in four cohorts with 11 of them being provided with seed grants. These startups have been working on technologies and solutions to enhance the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, processing residues and wastes, and specialised nutritional diets.

Increase in startups

“Startups have a crucial role in fostering growth within the food processing sector through several key contributions by introducing innovative processing, packaging and preserving food products and hence enhancing quality and safety of products and also through the development of novel value-added products. Some of the startups are also engaging themselves in solutions to improve shelf life of perishable food commodities. These startups are also making pioneering attempts in using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance traceability, quality control, and supply chain efficiency. The issue of sustainability is also being welladdressed by the startups by focusing on ecofriendly processing techniques and reducing wastes,” says Oberoi.

Farmer-market gap

The country incurs loss of about Rs 92,000 core every year due to post production surplus. “We can check this post production loss by creating better infrastructure, efficient supply chain and improving the processing system as the processed food product has much higher shelf life than a fresh produce. Apart from this, we also need to have the right processing variety of fruits and vegetables for getting the required processed products. Presently, our consumption of processed food products is low, but is expected to rise in the coming years,” adds Oberoi.

Reducing wastage

Demand for processed food will increase. We can increase the shelf life of vegetables such as tomatoes during their surplus production by processing them into items such as ketchup and dried tomatoes.

ALERTS

■ IIM Sambalpur invites applications for the dual-degree doctoral programmes for working professionals

Eligibility: At least 5 years of work experience, with a master’s degree from a recognised institute

Deadline: June 15, 2024

Link: https://iimsambalpur.ac .in/about-program-dba/

■ Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida invites applications for online PGDM and MBA programmes

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree with 50% marks or equivalent CGPA from arecognised university

Deadline: June 30, 2024

Link: https://online.j aipuria.ac.in/

■ University of Strathclyde, Glasgow invites applications for its MSc Artificial Intelligence & Applications course

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university

Deadline: Not announced

Link: https://www. strath.ac.uk/courses/ postgraduatetaught /artificialintelligence applications/

Table of Contents

TOI Print Edition Jun 10, 2024

Front Page

Under terrorist fire, pilgrim bus falls into gorge in J&K, 9 dead

ESCAPE IN NEW YORK: INDIA WIN A THRILLER

Speeding Audi crashes into DU footpath, 1 dead

70-yr-old stabbed at home, accused held

B’deshi smuggler shot near border

Plea for concurrent jail terms rejected

B’desh MP murder: CID recovers bones

Denied loan, help kills employer’s son

6 mths after quitting IAS, Pandian exits politics following BJD’s debacle

Ved Lahoti from Indore tops JEE (A), scores highest-ever marks

Sand mafia kills 2 cops, one each in UP & Bihar

2 planes come dangerously close in Mumbai

40°C+ temps for 32 days, longest streak in 14 yrs

Modi Starts 3rd Term, On His Terms

Purandeswari in race for Speaker; hunt for BJP chief

Nadda, Kerala’s Kurian among surprise entrants

NCP turns down MoS Ind, Praful calls it ‘demotion’

Kharge attends swearing-in, rest of oppn boycotts

In attendance: Ambani, Adani to SRK, Rajini

Times Nation

5 accused of ’93 blast convict’s killing in jail sent to cop custody

Close shave for 100s at Mum airport

Sand smugglers kill 2 policemen in UP and Bihar

Couple killed in Bihar, neighbour held:

After 14-day search, 2 bodies found in Assam rat-hole mine

India, Pak may hold Indus talks this month

2 bags with woman’s body parts found on train

Monsoon reaches Mum two days in advance

Bones found in canal belong to B’desh MP?

NIA arrests man in Assam jail for murder of 4 in Manipur in Jan

Rail jobs scam: HC orders medical test of Lalu aide

New govt to decide on Army’s integrated battle group plan

KERALA BOOST FOR MARINE LIFE

Naveen nephew visits Odisha, sparks political successor buzz

Maoist carrying `10L reward on head arrested

Between 1999-2000 and 2022-23, dip in cereal consumption: Study

2 held in Goa for Mum hoarding crash, sent to police custody

Terrorists from Pak suspected to be behind J&K bus attack

At 11,180, most candidates qualify from Madras zone

JEE topper questions wrong marking, improves score

Gen Z teens ‘coming out’ younger with stronger family support

Times City

Narela hottest at 45.7°C, brace for heatwave again

Atishi seeks time from LG for emergency meeting on water

14-Year High! 32 Days Of 40°C+ Since May 1

2 minutes of fame over, Mungeshpur goes back to grappling with water, power woes

Trafficked at 15 and HIV+ soon after, woman wages grim battle for aid despite court order

Traffic action for defective plates up 286%, Mayur Vihar a hotspot

Fire At Gaming Zone In CP, No One Injured

Hanging by a thread: Shaheen Bagh fire deals a big blow, but it could have been far worse

Narela factory fire: Probe points to air dryer blast, owners get bail

Charges framed against six in Divya Pahuja murder case

Truck rams bike, woman and son die in Ghaziabad

Malhotra Delhi’s Only Rep In Central Council Of Ministers

Flyer held at IGI with `25L red sandalwood

IIT Delhi breaks new ground with undergrad courses in Abu Dhabi

Elderly man duped

2 Rickshaw-Pullers Hit By Audi, 1 Dead

Cops at your doorstep: An app to make elders’ life easy

MCD seeks `221-crore grant from Delhi govt for health infra upgrade

70-year-old man stabbed in ‘revenge’, accused held

997 buses may go off roads soon, but city has no Plan B

Don’t send demand notices in the name of possession offers, Rera directs builders

A Deep Dive Into New Govt

NDA’s MP Count Down In UP, But State Gets More Mantris

Feature

EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW GOVERNMENT

Third Innings

30 in Cabinet 3.0: Meet The Men & Women Who Will Serve India

MINISTERS OF STATE

STAR TRACK

BJP Train Rolls On, With Berths For Allies

No Muslim MP in NDA, no minister from community

Can’t accept ‘demotion’, will wait for new offer, says NCP

SURROUND SOUND

Besides Modi, 6 ex-CMs in cabinet

Symphony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in a medley of languages

Most seniors in ministry, new face likely for BJP chief

2 berths for Kerala signal BJP goals

Amaravati works restart on Naidu nudge

Andhra BJP chief among probable LS Speaker picks

Beauty biz bares its Seoul

Pradhan & Oram inductions throw open Odisha CM race

HC rejects terror convict’s plea for 2 sentences to run together

KR Naidu youngest cabinet minister at 36; 33 first timers in team

Times Global

Gantz, member of Israel war cabinet, resigns over lack of postwar plans

Iran OKs 6 prez hopefuls, blocks Ahmadinejad

Biden visits WWI cemetery in France in rebuke to Trump

AROUND THE WORLD

Hamas: 3 hostages died in Israel’s rescue raid

Ukraine: Struck Russia’s most advanced fighter jet at base 600km from front line

Clooney protested Biden slamming ICC warrants, a case that his wife worked on

Missing British TV doctor found dead in Greece

SUPPORT TRUMPS HEAT

Big Gains For Far-Right In EU Vote

US says Russia offensive against Kharkiv ‘stalled’

Roadside blast kills 7 soldiers in NW Pakistan

#BookTok to blame? English-language books are filling Europe’s stores

Editorial

Third Time Tricky

Safety Not First

Both jock & geek

Fortifying NDA Against Storms

Why BJP Partly Lost Its Way In Rajasthan

Let’s Put The Polite Back Into The Polity

CONTRAPUNTO

Sacred space

Times Business

Navigating eco in uncertain world a challenge for new FM

India Inc expects reforms agenda to continue under coalition govt

D St’s eyes on ministry allotment, US Fed’s stance on rates, inflation

In Volatile Market, Use MFs For Optimal Asset Allocation

Sebi proposes stricter rules for stocks in F&O list

Times Sport

A CARNIVAL OF CRICKET IN NY

Ruthless Aussies are too good for England

Akeal shines in West Indies’ record win against Uganda

Pulling out of IPL best thing for me: Zampa

GALLERY

England must not rely solely on Bellingham, says Southgate

Leverkusen sign French defender Belocian

Suarez to play in his fifth Copa

PGA Tour reports ‘progress’ with Saudi wealth fund leaders

Nagal wins Challenger title, all but seals Oly berth

Czech midfielder Sadílek to miss Euro due to bicycle accident

Pedri brace helps Spain drub Northern Ireland

BOWLERS GET UNLIKELY WIN

South Africa wary of plucky Bangladesh

CLAY KING CARLOS

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM FOR COCO, PAOLINI LOSES 2 FINALS IN 2 DAYS

Champion Swiatek serves up a Wimbledon warning

Delhi Times

‘BEING LAAPATA IS A WISH FULFILLMENT THEME FOR WOMEN CHARACTERS’

Actors should be mindful of expenses on set: Kriti

FIR on Elvish Yadav quashed by Punjab and Haryana HC

Demand for wellness retreats rise ahead of Yoga Day

BUZZ STOP

What’s hot in salons: Cooling facials, pedis, short haircuts

Why there should be no shame in looking your age

‘A lost character in ﬁlms can have inﬁnite possibilities, making it a tempting trope’

They say ﬁlms have a lobby, but so does OTT: Zain Imam

‘Not scared of being typecast in comedy as I love the genre’

It’s party time for B-Town

Shamita pens a b’day note for Shilpa

AT THE END OF THE DAY, PRODUCTION EXPENSES SHOULD MAKE SENSE: KRITI

Amitabh shoots for upcoming Gujarati ﬁlm

TRIPPIN

Education Times

NCERT MOOCs to help students prepare for JEE Main, NEET UG

Aspirants worried about counselling as 67 students score AIR 1 in NEET UG

CBSE issues advisory on variation between theory and practical marks

IGNOU revises term end examination schedule

A collapsed lung and dengue could not stop Divyansh from scoring 720/720

Juggling between JEE Main and NEET, Prachita aims to be a doctor at AIIMS and crack UPSC

Always wanted to be a doctor to fulfil his grandfather’s dream

Trimmed syllabus was a boon for students who wanted to be thorough

Keeping your head cool during gap years is most important

Pandemic-induced hardships motivated Rupayan to be a doctor

Strong dislike for Maths encouraged her to pursue Medicine

Interactive AI teachers enhance communication skill

NMC issues show cause notice to 70% of medical colleges for not meeting MSR guidelines

BCI updates legal education with Blockchain, E-discovery, Cybersecurity, Robotics, AI and Bioethics subjects

Intertwining CS, and industrial design for better HCI outcomes

Technology can empower small and marginal farmers

Embracing Hindu Studies is a gateway to appreciating Indic cultural tapestry

Develop the art of asking questions for success

Women are doing well in academia

Inclusive strategies to implement liberal education

IGNOU admission process for July 2024 academic year underway

Technological advancement and its impact on education system

Understanding the new wave of liberal arts education

NEP 2020 emphasises on reviving diverse arts

EVs foster innovation among automobile design students

AI can promote phygital campuses, analyse learner interests

Students must have a world-centric education

Third edition of Change Maker Fellowships

Why PTE is rising in the popularity stakes

Incorporating sustainable principles in buildings

Does competency-based assessment overlook needs of average learners

Fast-expanding food processing industry calls for more startups to bridge the producer-market gap

ALERTS