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Front Page

- Bus hits food carts & wall, vendor dies

- Bulldozer driver destroys toll booths

- 49 migrants dead as boat sinks off Yemen

- 3 die in sewer gas leak in Puducherry

- 13-year-old sent bomb hoax email as test for cops

- SC: ‘Sanctity’ of NEET-UG affected, we need answers

- Days after bus attack, fresh strike in J&K leaves 2 critical

- Ministers came to know of portfolios at 1st cabinet meet, from envelopes

- Kannada actor, girlfriend held for abduction, murder of fan

- Amritsar youth fighting for Russian army killed on Ukraine battlefield

- Mohan Charan Majhi, a tribal, to be BJP’s first CM in Odisha

- RSS journal says poll results ‘reality check’ for ‘overconfident’ BJP netas

- Amid soaring heat, outages in many city areas

- IN THE COURTS

- UCC, ONOE part of govt agenda, says law minister

Bus hits food carts & wall, vendor dies

A bus ferrying staff of a private company ploughed through a row of food carts before crashing into the boundary wall of a housing society in Noida’s Sector 118 on Tuesday evening, killing a momo vendor and leaving his brother grievously injured. The driver fled leaving the vehicle behind.

P 4

Bulldozer driver destroys toll booths

A bulldozer driver, allegedly drunk, brought down apart of Chhajarsi toll plaza on Delhi-Lucknow highway in Hapur Tuesday after he was asked to pay toll fee. After vandalising two booths, he tried to knock down the staff too, cops said. Police arrested the driver after chasing him for a few kms.

P 9

49 migrants dead as boat sinks off Yemen

At least 49 migrants died and 140 went missing after their boat sank off Yemen’s coast, the International Organization for Migration said. Seventy-one people were rescued. The boat was carrying 260 Somalis and Ethiopians from the northern coast of Somalia when it sank Monday.

P22

3 die in sewer gas leak in Puducherry

A mother-daughter duo and a 16-year-old girl died of asphyxiation after inhaling toxic gas leaking from underground sewer lines connected to their houses at Reddiarpalayam in Puducherry Tuesday. Two others were hospitalised. District authorities are probing the tragedy.

P 9

13-year-old sent bomb hoax email as test for cops

Just for fun”, a 13-year-old sent a hoax bomb threat email which led to a Delhi-Toronto flight being rescheduled on June 4. No less than 301 pasengers and 16 crew members were made to disembark at IGI airport, and the aircraft was diverted to the isolation bay for security checks.

The technical investigation led cops to Meerut, UP, where the source of the email was traced, and eventually to the teenager. The boy said he was “inspired” by a bomb hoax in Mumbai and wanted to see if the police could track him down through an anonymous mail sent from a fake ID.

P3

SC: ‘Sanctity’ of NEET-UG affected, we need answers

Counselling To Continue; Next Hearing July 8

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Holding the prima facie view that sanctity of NEET-UG 2024 exam has been compromised, Supreme Court on Tuesday sought explanation from National Testing Agency (NTA) on reported irregularities in conducting the test, including allegations of a paper leak.

“Sanctity of the exam has been affected and we need answers,” a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah told NTA’s lawyer at the outset of hearing. It however, turned down the plea to stay the counselling process.

As the bench was convinced that the issue raised by 10 medical aspirants in their petition needed to be examined, it passed the order and decided to bring NEET 2024 under its scanner after a very brief hearing where their lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara did not have to make an effort to convince the court. The court directed NTA to respond to the allegations and posted the he- aring on July 8, the first day after summer recess. It asked the agency to file a response and hinted that it may stay counselling in case of delay in filing its reply.

As Nedumpara pressed for stay on the counselling process for admission in medical colleges, the bench declined the plea.

High NEET marks, P 17

EDIT: Who’ll Test Testers

UGC allows admissions twice a year in HEIs

University Grants Commission (UGC) has permitted higher education institutions (HEIs) with sufficient infrastructure to offer biannual admissions in regular mode starting from the current academic session to align with global standards.

“Universities worldwide follow a biannual admission system. If adopted, our HEIs can enhance international collaborations and student exchanges, improving our global competitiveness,” said UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar. Earlier, HEIs were allowed to enroll students only in a single academic session (12-month duration) each year, starting in July-August. The new system will add Jan-Feb to the admission calendar.

P9

Days after bus attack, fresh strike in J&K leaves 2 critical

Jammu: Security forces killed a terrorist in a shootout late Tuesday evening after a group of three gunmen threw a grenade and fired gunshots at a house in Seda Sohal village of Hiranagar tehsil in J&K’s Kathua district, leaving two villagers critically injured, sources said, reports Sanjay Khajuria. This comes after Sunday’s deadly ambush on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district, where nine people were killed and 41 wounded.

Officials are silent on the civilians getting injured in Kathua, which is close to the Pakistan border. The attack occurred after locals sounded the alarm over “suspicious movement” in the area.

 Locals’ alarm, P 28

 Reasi attack: High alert in Jammu, Rajouri, P 28

Ministers came to know of portfolios at 1st cabinet meet, from envelopes

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: For the 30 Cabinet ministers the suspense over their portfolios ended after nearly 18 hours. While the ministers and their staff were glued to television sets and kept checking websites for the “communique” from Rashtrapati Bhavan, the wait finally ended when they reached Lok Kalyan Marg for the first Cabinet meeting of the new govt.

Greeting them was an envelope on their seats, containing their portfolios as well as the names of the ministers of state attached to their ministries, sources told TOI.

During the previous two terms of PM Narendra Modi, the President’s secretariat had issued the communique by afternoon but this time the wait was longer. And unlike 2014, when several portfolios had leaked out on the day of swearing-in, this time it wasn’t until the Cabinet meeting that even the media got a whiff of it. As a result, names started being flashed on TV screens and websites after 6.30pm, when the Cabinet meeting ended.

 List out at 7.30pm, P 18

Pls remove ‘Modi ka Parivar’ tag: PM

On the day the photo of PM Modi bowing to the Constitution became the cover image of the official ‘PMO India’ social media account, he asked his followers to drop ‘Modi ka Parivar’ they had suffixed to their handles in March after a jibe by Lalu Prasad on family. Modi said it was time to shed the tag as “the message of all of us being one family” had been “effectively conveyed”.

P 18

Kannada actor, girlfriend held for abduction, murder of fan

Kannada actor Darshan, his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda and 11 others were arrested Tuesday on charges related to the murder of a 33-year-old fan who had allegedly posted derogatory comments about Pavithra.

The man’s body was found early Sunday in a drain in Bengaluru, about 200km from Chitradurga from where he was abducted the previous day. Investigations indicated that the pharmacy store employee was thrashed and tortured to death before his body was dumped. Darshan, 47, had been arrested earlier on the charge of attempting to murder his wife in 2011.

P 9

Amritsar youth fighting for Russian army killed on Ukraine battlefield

Tejpal’s family has sought govt help in repatriating his mortal remains

Amritsar: Tejpal Singh aspired to join either Army or police in India. Instead, the 30-year-old from Amritsar unexpectedly found himself enlisting in Russian army, ultimately losing his life on the battlefield in Ukraine, reports Yudhvir Rana. His wife Parminder Kaur said Tuesday he had travelled to Russia on Jan 12 on a tourist visa.

At least two other Indian men have been killed on the Ukrainian front lines this year — Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya, 23, from Surat and 31-year-old Mohammad Asfan from Hyderabad.

In a statement late Tuesday, govt said two Indian nationals recruited recently by Russian army had died in the conflict. MEA and Indian embassy in Moscow have taken up the matter with Russian ambas- sador Denis Alipov in Delhi and with Russian authorities in Moscow for early release and return of Indian nationals with Russian army. India also demanded a “verified stop” to further recruitment of Indian nationals by Russian army.

 Decided to join..., P 18

Mohan Charan Majhi, a tribal, to be BJP’s first CM in Odisha

K V Singh Deo, Pravati Parida To Be Deputies

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan (R) greets Mohan Charan Majhi as defence minister Rajnath Singh looks on

Ashok.Pradhan@timesgroup.com

Bhubaneswar: BJP picked four-time Santhal MLA Mohan Charan Majhi as Odisha’s 15th chief minister and its first in the eastern state on Tuesday, continuing the saffron party’s tribal outreach and preference for new faces that saw first-time CMs assume office in Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh and Haryana since last year.

As in MP and Rajasthan, BJP also named two deputy CMs-elect in Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, a first-time legislator.

Majhi has big shoes to fill after BJD patriarch Naveen Patnaik’s uninterrupted 24- year stint as chief minister.

When BJP was planning to announce the new CM on Tuesday, Majhi was in a hospital morgue, consoling fa- mily members of his favourite employee who lost his life in a road accident.

Oath on Wednesday, P 11

Amaravati to be sole capital of AP: Naidu, P 18

From farmer to 4th-term MLA, now CM

Mohan Charan Majhi has worn many hats — farmer, teacher in an RSS-run school, sarpanch, adivasi rights advocate, and a crusader against the mining mafia. The four-time Keonjhar MLA, who shares his Santhal roots with President Droupadi Murmu, is seen as a strategic pick by BJP months ahead of assembly polls in predominantly tribal Jharkhand. He studied law and taught for a while before being elected as an MLA in 2000. As secretary of BJP’s Adivasi Morcha, Majhi worked his way up the party ranks to become its chief whip in 2019.

P 11

RSS journal says poll results ‘reality check’ for ‘overconfident’ BJP netas

New Delhi: Lok Sabha poll results have come as a reality check for “overconfident” BJP workers and many of its leaders as they were enjoying the glow of PM Modi’s aura but did not have their ear to the ground, RSS organ ‘Organiser’ said in an article in its latest edition, reports Mohua Chatterjee.

The article by RSS member Ratan Sharda — ‘Modi 3.0: Conversation for course correction’ — came amid intense discussion on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech Monday in which he said a “true sevak has no ego (ahankar)”.

‘Not a field force’, P 16

EDIT: Bhagwat’s Right

‘400-paar’ root of all problems, says Shinde

The “char sau paar” slogan, aimed at setting a target of over 400 Lok Sabha seats, became counterproductive due to a negative narrative about the Constitution being changed, Maharashtra CM and president of BJP ally Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde said Tuesday. “...The ‘400 paar’ number created all the problems,” he said.

P9

Amid soaring heat, outages in many city areas

Delhi Tuesday found itself grappling with an acute power shortage triggered by afire at a power grid in UP’s Mandola. Several areas experienced blackouts lasting 2-3 hours. The disruptions coincided with a soaring mercury level in the city.

P2

Water supply: Atishi cites ‘Hry affidavit’, P 2

IN THE COURTS

➤ Delhi Police writes to JJB requesting 3 minors allegedly involved in Jafrabad murder be tried as adults

P 4

➤ Punjab & Haryana HC upholds dismissal of Punjab cop who took 2 pistols from Bhindranwale, was removed from service sans probe

P 12

➤ Delhi court acquits 9 after 9 years in corruption case in which it was alleged Canara Bank branch on Parl St was defrauded of 4.8cr, flags CBI’s ‘casual’ probe

P 3

➤ Provide lifelong medical care, accommodation to youth with mental illness, Madras HC tells TN after plea by daily wager parents

P 12

UCC, ONOE part of govt agenda, says law minister

Soon after assuming charge as law and justice minister on Tuesday, Arjun Ram Meghwal said uniform civil code and one nation-one election were part of the govt’s agenda, but refrained from giving a timeframe for their implementation. The two initiatives were part of BJP’s poll promises. However, reliance on allies TDP and JD(U) for govt formation has led to speculation whether NDA govt would be willing & able to push the twin key themes.

PAGE OPP

Times Nation

- ‘One nation, one poll’ & UCC very much part of govt agenda, asserts law mantri

- Manohar Lal to babus: Work on sanitation issues, flooding

- 100-day plans a priority, say Pralhad, Chirag

- Oppn’s job is to criticise, but fact is stable govt is in place: Jayant

- Will build Bharat as bulwark against terror, Naxals: Shah

- EAM: Terror export can’t be policy of a good neighbour

- Will keep PM’s vision on track, ensure railways remains affordable, convenient, says Vaishnaw

- Need not pull each other down on basis of numbers, says Rijiju

- ‘Talk of persecution is mere propaganda’

- Focus to remain on initiatives like LiFE, says Bhupender

- On top of Nadda’s to-do list: Insurance cover for the 70+

- Agri & rural devpt ministries will work as key links for Viksit Bharat, says Shivraj

- NDA ministry a ‘parivar mandal’, says Rahul

- Float depicting Indira killing part of parade in Canada

- Asked to pay toll, drunk bulldozer driver razes booth

- Lt Gen Dwivedi named next Army chief, as per seniority

- Toxic gas from TN sewer lines kills 3 people

- Kannada actor held for killing man for Insta posts against GF

- In line with global practices, UGC allows biannual entries

- Shinde: ‘400 paar’ call backfired, was linked to negative narrative

- Odisha CM-designate was once an MLA who slept on footpaths

- BJP picks Odisha CM with an eye on J’khand

- Majhi will take oath of office as CM today

- US NSA coming next week for first high-level engagement with Modi 3.0

- `1.2k cr payout for people hit by development in Ayodhya: DM

- DRDO turns to Pune firm for sub-launched aerial vehicles

- 2 dead, govt warns Russia against recruiting Indians

- HC upholds firing of cop with Bhindranwale ties

- Presumed dead, man walks home on his terhavi in MP

- RSS not a field force of BJP, party has own karyakartas, says Sangh neta

- Pavithra’s rise in Sandalwood tied to Darshan connect

- Darshan has been in limelight before, for wrong reasons

- BSF jawan attacked by intruders from B’desh, battles for life

- High NEET marks ‘statistically impossible’: Plea

- Officer hurt in attack by Buxar sand smugglers

- After bid to kill self, Chinese inmate dies

- Pappu pass ho gaya: How Rahul and Congress changed the narrative

- Tejpal decided to join Russian army 3 days into his trip

- PM, Tollywood stars to attend as Naidu takes CM oath today

- Amaravati sole capital, declares Naidu; Vizag & Kurnool to be hubs

- Time to drop ‘Modi ka Parivar’ tag: PM to social media users

- Final ministers’ list revealed at 7.30pm

- Kerala church: Firm belief new govt will preserve secularism

- BJP may pick Dalit, woman or OBC with strong RSS links as new chief

- Hate crime: Man called Khalistani, assaulted in Haryana town

- Modi should pay heed to Bhagwat’s advice on Manipur, say oppn parties

- 3 of family dead, 2 hurt as tanker hits bike:

- Amarnath yatra, polls to keep security forces busy in J&K

- Four MBBS students in HP suspended for ragging juniors

- Traffickers using T20 WC to sneak people into US

- Locals’ alarm over ‘suspicious movement’ triggered attack

- After protests, Raj offers `50L to 2 families of Reasi victims

- Forces step up hunt for Reasi attackers, sketch of an ultra released

‘One nation, one poll’ & UCC very much part of govt agenda, asserts law mantri

Bringing Down Pendency From All Courts Among Top Priorities Of Govt: Meghwal

Meghwal didn’t give a timeframe for implementation of UCC & one poll

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Soon after assuming charge as law and justice minister on Tuesday, Arjun Ram Meghwal said a uniform civil code (UCC) and ‘one nation, one poll’ were part of govt’s agenda, but refrained from giving a timeframe for implementation.

The two initiatives were part of BJP’s poll promises and the party’s loss of majority in Lok Sabha and the resultant reliance on allies TDP and JD(U) has led to speculation whether the Modi govt would be willing and able to push them.

On ‘one nation, one poll’, Meghwal said, “The report has been submitted and we will look into it. It is very much part of govt’s agenda.”

On UCC, the minister was not very forthcoming but made it clear that it was part of BJP’s poll manifesto.

In keeping with directives from PM Narendra Modi, Meghwal signed off on the National Litigation Poli- cy (NLP), which aims at bringing down pendency, on his first day in office. It will now be sent to the cabinet for approval.

Meghwal said NLP will facilitate ease of living for citizens and involve all stakeholders — lawyers, litigants and govt. “We have to develop a culture of ease of living, as envisaged by PM,” he added.

The policy has been in the works for at least a decade-and-a-half. UPA govt had first floated the proposal to bring down long pendency of cases in courts.

The idea was taken forward by NDA govt when it framed broad guidelines to reduce pendency. As part of the policy, it was made compulsory for all govts, both at the Centre and states, to encour- age incorporating arbitration and mediation clauses in contracts. Govt being the largest litigant in the country, a target was proposed for all departments to reduce cases and make it part of their results framework.

It also provided for meeting of secretaries of respective departments, both at central and state levels, to review implementation of the policy. Law departments were to periodically convene meetings of nodal officers and weed out infructuous cases with fixed timelines. If cases could be addressed through grievance redressal mechanism, such cases should be withdrawn.

Meghwal said providing ease of living and bringing down pendency of cases from all courts were among the top priorities of govt.

Manohar Lal to babus: Work on sanitation issues, flooding

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: After taking over as housing and urban affairs minister on Tuesday, former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal urged officers to see what steps can be taken up on campaign mode to prevent urban flooding, sanitation issues and waterborne diseases during monsoon season.

Sources said the minister who has served as CM for nine years also asked officials to focus on a massive cleanliness drive and take initiatives to convert waste to wealth. The minister’s call comes at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a case on the untreated solid waste in the NCR and has also sought the details of measures to deal with the crisis. Manohar Lal as CM also earlier dealt with instances of massive flooding in Gurgaon and Faridabad during monsoon.

TOI has learnt that he has asked officials to take all possible steps to achieve the task of one one crore new houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban for the poor, which the Cabinet approved on Monday. The minister will also soon review the implementation of ministry’s schemes at state-level.

100-day plans a priority, say Pralhad, Chirag

New Delhi: In a clear indication of how food processing and consumer affairs ministries have switched gears to fulfil PM Modi’s vision, the two ministers concerned on Tuesday said they will chart the 100-day plans.

After taking charge of consumer affairs ministry, Pralhad Joshi said, “I am grateful to PM for giving me the opportunity to serve in this ministry that is directly related to serving 80 crore Indians.”

He said his priority will be to implement planned activities in the first 100 days of govt.

LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan, who took charge of food processing industries ministry, said, “There is huge potential in the food processing sector to benefit farmers. The 100-day plans will be ready after discussion with officials.”

TNN

Oppn’s job is to criticise, but fact is stable govt is in place: Jayant

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Opposition’s work is to criticise and they are doing it, but the fact remains a stable govt is in place, said Rashtriya Lok Dal leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jayant Chaudhary, while taking charge as minister of state (independent charge) of ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship and MoS education on Tuesday. Chaudhary also said big responsibilities have been entrusted on him and he will work honestly towards PM Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed nation.

Having entered his office in Kaushal Bhavan for the first time, Chaudhary held up the white towel often seen on chairs in govt offices and asked, “Tell me honestly where did this towel tradition come from,” resulting in laughter among officials. Speaking to the media after taking charge of the skill development ministry, he said: “It’s a big responsibility, which I was not expecting. I promise to work with honesty and dedication.”

Will build Bharat as bulwark against terror, Naxals: Shah

Smooth rollout of the three criminal laws would be among the key and immediate priorities of the Shah-led home ministry

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Home and cooperation minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Modi govt, in its third term, “shall take its efforts for India’s security to the next level and build Bharat as a bulwark against terrorism, insurgency and Naxalism”.

Shah, who took charge both at the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and the ministry of cooperation — the two portfolios he held in the last regime as well — after paying homage to police martyrs at National Police Memorial here, said “MHA remains committed to the security of the nation and its people, as it always has been”.

Among the key and immediate priorities of the home ministry, as per senior officials, would be smooth rollout of the three criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam —that come into force on July 1; conducting Census which will be the basis for delimitation of seats ahead of implementation of women’s quota in legislatures; and arranging security and force logistics for holding assembly and local body polls in J&K.

Building on the gains made in countering terrorism in J&K, shrinking the area under the hold of Leftwing extremists and tackling insurgency in the North-East, Shah is expected to ensure that efforts are intensified in the days and months ahead to eliminate these challenges.

Also assuming charge of the cooperation ministry on Tuesday, Shah tweeted that the ministry will continue to work towards strengthening the country’s economy by empowering farmers as per the PM’s vision of ‘Sahkaar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity via Cooperation). “Our govt is committed to bring positive change in the lives of crores of people associated with this sector by giving new opportunities to them while empowering the idea of cooperation,” he said.

Shah was re-elected from Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency in Gujarat after defeating his Congress rival by over 7.4 lakh votes.

EAM: Terror export can’t be policy of a good neighbour

‘Will Make Efforts To Resolve Issues With China’

According to Jaishankar, Bharat First & Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam will be the guiding axioms for India’s foreign policy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Cross-border terrorism cannot be the policy of a good neighbour, S Jaishankar said Tuesday responding to questions about ties with Pakistan. Shortly after taking charge as external affairs minister for the second time, Jaishankar also said relations with neighbours will be the first and overriding priority for the new NDA govt’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to the minister, Bharat First and Vasudheva Kutumbakam will be the guiding axioms for India’s foreign policy. On China, he said the focus will be on completing the disengagement process in eastern Ladakh.

“With Pakistan, we have the issue of terrorism — cross-border terrorism — how do we find a solution to it…that cannot be a policy of a good neighbour,” said the minister, talking to reporters after assuming office. He was asked about former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s peace overture in his message to Modi and ties with Pakistan. On Nawaz’s message, Jaishankar recalled Modi’s response to it. Appreciating Nawaz’s message, Modi had stressed the significance of security in his response.

Asked about ties with China, Jaishankar said some issues remained along the border with that country and efforts will be made to resolve them. “Our focus with regard to China will be on how to resolve the remaining issues,” he said. India has repeatedly told China this is important for return of normalcy to ties.

“Bharat First” (India First) and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one) will be the two guiding axioms of Indian foreign policy. Together, we are very confident it will position us as ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ — a country which is in a very turbulent world, in a very divided world, a world of conflicts and tensions, it would actually position us as a country which is trusted by many, whose prestige and influence will grow, whose interests will be advanced,” he said.

Will keep PM’s vision on track, ensure railways remains affordable, convenient, says Vaishnaw

Ashwini Vaishnaw after assuming charge as railway minister on Tuesday

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: After assuming charge of railways, I&B, and electronics & IT ministries on Tuesday, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that PM Narendra Modi has made serving the poorest of the poor the motto of his life, and citizens have supported his vision to make India the fifth-largest economy.

He said PM Modi has a special emotional connection with railways which has seen huge developments in the past 10 years, including electrification, new tracks, introduction of new trains, station redevelopment.

“He entrusted me the charge of Railways to keep it as an affordable and a conve- nient mode of transport for the general public,” said Vaishnaw, who took office in the presence of MoS L Murugan and I&B secretary Sanjay Jaju.

Soon after taking charge as I&B minister, Vaishnaw said, “PM Modi has taken measures for the welfare of farmers, youth, and the empowerment of women.”

The 53-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician, known as a tough taskmaster, also holds key portfolios such as railways, and electronics and information technology. He was inducted as a minister for the first time in July 2021.

He was appointed deputy secretary in the office of then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002.

Vaishnaw, Rajya Sabha member from Odisha, is an IIT-Kanpur alumnus with an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, US. He succeeded Anurag Singh Thakur, who held the position for nearly three years in the previous Modi govt.

Need not pull each other down on basis of numbers, says Rijiju

Kiren Rijiju being greeted by former minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said there was no need for the govt or the opposition to pull each other down on the basis of numerical strength and asserted that he will reach out to everyone for smooth functioning of Parliament.

Assuming charge as parliamentary affairs minister, Rijiju said the govt is yet to take a call on the dates of the first session of Parliament after constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha. “The session dates are under discussion. I cannot share right now,” Rijiju said.

He assumed charge in the presence of his predecessor Pralhad Joshi and ministers of state Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan.

“People use muscle power outside Parliament, but inside the House, we should use vocal power for good debates,” Rijiju said when asked about the increase in opposition’s Lok Sabha strength.

Rijiju said people of the country were supreme and their decision reflected in the Lok Sabha elections results should be respected.

“Those entrusted with the responsibility to run the govt should do so, those tasked with the job of the opposition should discharge their duties,” the four-term Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh said.

Rijiju appealed to all political parties to uphold the dignity of Parliament. “I have come here on a positive note. We will make every effort to take everyone along and run Parliament,” he said.

“I thank PM Modi for entrusting me with this huge responsibility. I, along with AR Meghwal and L Murugan, will ensure the PM’s wish to run Parliament smoothly,” he added.

House session may start from June 24

Although an official announcement is awaited, sources said that govt is planning a Parliament session from June 24-July 3 for oath-taking, President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament, a discussion on her speech followed by Budget presentation. Sources said that the newly elected Lok Sabha members will take oath on the first two days and the election of a new Speaker will take place on June 26 evening.

‘Talk of persecution is mere propaganda’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Asserting that his focus as minority affairs minister will be on “inclusive politics and governance” to enable mainstreaming of all six minorities, Kiren Rijiju dismissed talks of persecution of communities in India as “propaganda”.

“We are not bothered about propaganda, we are interested in welfare of minorities,” Rijiju said. Besides Rijiju, minister of state George Kurian also took charge.

Asked about his priorities as minority affairs minister, Rijiju told journalists, he will be working in sync with PM Modi’s slogan of “sabka sath, sabka vikas”, and emphasised on pursuing a model that is “inclusive” and delivers on the mission of “Viksit Bharat” (developed India).

He reinforced his point by asserting that when the PM announces a scheme, it does not discriminate against anybody on lines of caste, creed or religion. “Nobody is unsafe in this country. Everybody is taken care of because of PM Modi’s inclusive approach and policies,” Rijiju asserted.

Congress slams choice of ministers

Congress on Tuesday said the allocation of the parliamentary affairs portfolio (to Rijiju and MoS Meghwal) inspires no confidence whatsoever that ‘one-third’ pradhan mantri Modi wants Parliament to function any differently than how he has run it over the past decade. Cong’s Jairam Ramesh asserted the INDIA bloc is more than determined to reflect the people’s will and mandate in both Houses of Parliament most effectively.

PTI

Focus to remain on initiatives like LiFE, says Bhupender

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The govt will continue to balance development with environmental protection and conservation, and his ministry would work to fulfil the vision and mission of PM Modi, Bhupender Yadav said after taking over as Union environment minister on Tuesday.

“I look forward to continuing work towards ensuring development and environmental protection as the country marches ahead towards becoming Viksit Bharat, championing the cause of sustainable development,” he said.

Minister of state in his ministry Kirtivardhan Singh also assumed charge.

Yadav’s role in the ministry will be crucial as the country would also prepare for hosting the 33rd session of the UN climate conference (COP33) in 2028. Yadav urged people to plant trees under a campaign — ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (a tree as a tribute to your mother) — launched by PM Modi on the World Environment Day on June 5.

Noting that the focus of his ministry will remain on initiatives such as Mission LiFELifestyle for Environment.

On top of Nadda’s to-do list: Insurance cover for the 70+

Health ministry officials briefed Nadda about rolling out the U-WIN platform to digitise all routine immunisation records

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: BJP president J P Nadda took charge of the health ministry on Tuesday. He also held a meeting with senior officials of the ministry who briefed him about ongoing projects. This includes the rolling out of the U-WIN platform to digitise all routine immunisation records.

The U-WIN portal, which is a replication of the Co-WIN platform that was used for Covid-19 vaccination and issuing certificates, is being used currently in multiple states on a trial basis to digitise records of routine immunisations.

Sources said the functioning of Ayushman Bharat Yojana and its potential extension to include senior citizens (70 years and above) was also mentioned in the meeting.

BJP had, in its election manifesto, promised to extend the beneficiary base of Ayushman Bharat, one of the largest health insurance schemes in the world that offers Rs 5 lakh health coverage on an annual basis to the poor and vulnerable families, to include elderly persons who are aged 70 years and above regard- less of their economic background.

This is a significant promise since many elderly people, especially those who retired from private jobs or did their own business, find it difficult to get health insurance and even if they manage to get one, the premium is prohibitively expensive. Nadda didn’t make any statement about his agenda for the ministry but, in a post on X, he wrote: “The ministry of health and family welfare plays a crucial role in the nation’s progress and the well-being of its people. As the backbone of the country, the health sector not only promotes public health but also stands as a strong force in addressing and overcoming health challenges.”

Agri & rural devpt ministries will work as key links for Viksit Bharat, says Shivraj

Farmer welfare is the top priority of the PM, agriculture minister Chouhan said

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday took charge of the agriculture and rural development ministries and said the two ministries would work as important links in realising the resolve of PM Narendra Modi to make India a developed country.

“Farmer welfare is the top priority of the PM,” Chouhan said, adding that he, his fellow ministers and officers work work together as a team. “We will put in all our hard work and efforts,” he added. The minister said he had handed over a ‘sankalp patra’ to his officers, which contained the PM’s guarantees and also steps to be taken for the welfare of farmers.

Observing that India lived in its villages, Chouhan said rural development was a priority for the govt and several schemes were being imple- mented to improve quality of life in the hinterland. He highlighted schemes like rural roadways, expanding asset creation under MGNREGA and delivering on the promise of making 3 crore women ‘Lakhpati Didis’.

Minister of state in rural development Kamlesh Paswan also took charge.

Chouhan said schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana had changed the rural landscape. Talking about MGNREGS, he said it was a “huge employment generator and there is now an emphasis on creating assets under the scheme”.

On the ‘Lakhpati Didis’ scheme, Chouhan said it was very close to his heart and the govt was committed to ensure justice for women in the country. The scheme aims to enable women to earn a minimum income of Rs 1 lakh per annum.

NDA ministry a ‘parivar mandal’, says Rahul

New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted the Modi government over dynastic politics and dubbed the NDA ministry a “parivar mandal” as he pointed out several ministers in the Modi 3.0 government who hail from political families.

“Those who call the tradition of struggle, service and sacrifice of generations as nepotism are distributing the will of power to their ‘sarkari parivar’,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

“This difference between the words and actions is called Narendra Modi,” he added.

Gandhi named H D Kumaraswamy, son of former PM H D Deve Gowda, Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of former Union minister Madhav Rao Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, son of first pro tem speaker of Arunachal Rinchin Kharu, Raksha Khadse, daughter-in-law of former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse, and Jayant Chaudhary, grandson of former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh as part of NDA’s “Parivar mandal”.

PTI

Float depicting Indira killing part of parade in Canada

New Delhi: Amid reports of more violent imagery depicting the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi in Canada, Canadian high commissioner Cameron MacKay asserted promotion of violence is never acceptable in Canada.

A float depicting the assassination was part of a parade marking the 40th anniversary of Operation Bluestar in Brampton. “The govt of Canada is aware of further imagery displayed in Brampton on Sunday. Canada’s position is clear: The promotion of violence is never acceptable in Canada,’’ said MacKay.

India has repeatedly said Canada’s refusal to act against Khalistan separatists is at the heart of the current strife in bilateral relations. TNN

Asked to pay toll, drunk bulldozer driver razes booth

Meerut: A bulldozer driver — allegedly in an inebriated state — brought down a part of the Chhajarsi toll plaza on the Delhi-Lucknow highway in Hapur on Tuesday after he was asked to pay toll fee, reports Rahul Singh. Police said that after vandalising two toll booths, Dheeraj Kumar, the driver, 25, tried to knock down the toll staff as well.

Chhajarsi toll plaza manager, Ajeet Chaudhary, said: “Around 8am, a bulldozer arrived at the toll plaza and the attendant asked him to pay the fee to cross over. The man, at first, argued that bulldozers were exempted at the toll. Then all of a sudden, he went berserk and rammed into two booths.” “Police personnel arrested the driver, who belongs to Budaun, after chasing him for a few kms. An FIR was registered against him,” said Abhishek Verma, SP (Hapur).

Lt Gen Dwivedi named next Army chief, as per seniority

Extension For Gen Pande Had Sparked Supersession Speculation

Lt Gen Dwivedi is well-versed with the threats posed by both China and Pakistan, having served a two-year tenure as GoC-in-C of Northern Command before becoming vice chief in Feb

Rajat.Pandit@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Lt General Upendra Dwivedi will take over as the next Army chief from Gen Manoj Pande on June 30, govt announced late Tuesday, junking all speculation that a supersession could be in the offing for the post. Govt has gone by the seniority principle in appointing Lt Gen Dwivedi, who was commissioned into the 18 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles in December 1984 and is currently the vice chief, as the 30th Army chief.

He will take over the reins of 12-lakh strong force at a time when India remains locked in a tense military confrontation with China along 3,488-km Line of Actual Control, which is into its fifth year now, while there has been no let-up in Pakistan’s attempts to actively aid and abet crossborder terrorism.

In an unusual move on May 26, govt had granted a month’s extension to Gen Pande just six days before his slated retirement, triggering speculation that a supersession in the military hierarchy was on the cards. TOI, however, had then quoted a top govt official as saying that “any speculation or controversy is unwarranted” be- cause it had been decided that the top military post would be filled only after the election process was completed.

An alumnus of Sainik School at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh like the new Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, Lt Gen Dwivedi is well-versed with the threats posed by both China and Pakistan, having served a two-year tenure as GoC-in-C of Northern Command before becoming vice chief in Feb.

China, which has till now rejected India’s push for sequential disengagement, deescalation and de-induction in eastern Ladakh, will be the foremost national security challenge that he will have to grapple with. The People’s Liberation Army, which has upped the ante in the eastern sector as well, has over 1.4 lakh troops ‘forward deployed’ along the entire LAC.

As the Northern Command chief, Lt Gen Dwivedi provided “strategic guidance and operational oversight” for planning and executing sustained operations along the northern and western borders with China and Pakistan, in addition to overseeing counter-terrorism operations inJ&K.

Toxic gas from TN sewer lines kills 3 people

Puducherry: Three people — including a mother-daughter duo and a 16-year-old girl — died of asphyxiation after inhaling toxic gas that leaked from underground sewer lines connected to their houses at Reddiarpalayam in Puducherry on Tuesday, reports Bosco Dominique.

On entering the restroom, Senthamarai lost consciousness. Noticing that her mother hadn’t come out of the washroom, Kamatchi went to inspect but fainted too. Senthamarai’s granddaughter Bakkialakshmi (28), who was near the toilet, was also rendered unconscious, police said. In another house, Selvarani was found unconscious on the washroom floor. Her neighbour, Balakrishnan also fainted.

Kannada actor held for killing man for Insta posts against GF

47-year-old star Darshan and the others have been remanded in six days’ police custody

TIMESNEWSNETWORK

Bengaluru: Kannada film star Darshan, his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda and 11 others were arrested Tuesday for allegedly murdering Renuka Swamy, a 33-year-old male fan from Chitradurga who had allegedly posted derogatory comments about the actor’s girlfriend.

Swamy’s body was found early Sunday in a drain in Bengaluru’s Kamakshipalya area, about 200km from Chitradurga from where he was abducted the previous day. Investigations indicated that the pharmacy store employee was tortured to death. Darshan and the others have been remanded in six days’ police custody.

Police sources said Swamy’s alleged comment against Pavithra, 37, on social media is said to have angered her 47-year-old star. Darshan is accused of getting Swamy kidnapped and being present along with Pavithra when he was beaten to death.

Darshan had been arrested earlier on charges of attempt to murder his wife in 2011. Pavithra, who has acted in a few films and now runs a boutique in Bengaluru, claims she and Darshan have been together for over 10 years. Darshan and his wife later reached a compromise in the murder attempt case and she withdrew her complaint through court.

On Tuesday morning, Darshan was picked up from a Mysuru hotel and brought to Bengaluru. He had been shooting in Mysuru since June 9 for ‘Devil’, which is being made after his phenomenally successful ‘Kaatera’.

The others arrested in the case — Raghavendra, Vinay, Lakshman, Nandeesha, Nikhil, Keshava Murthy, Kartik, Pradosh, Nagaraj, Pavan and Deepak — are friends, associ- ates and aides of the film star.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Pavan, who works at Darshan’s RR Nagar residence, created a fake Instagram account in Pavithra’s name and was chatting with Swamy for the past two months. Trusting it to be Pavithra, Swamy kept abusing her. Pavan then showed these chats to Darshan.

“Raghavendra and a few others abducted Swamy from Chitradurga Saturday morning and brought him to (Bengaluru’s) RR Nagar by 3.30pm,” a police officer said.

He added: “Raghavendra and others locked Swamy in a shed belonging to Vinay. First, Raghavendra, Jagadish, Raju, Karthik and Nikhil beat up Swamy. By evening, Darshan and others visited Swamy and a second round of thrashing took place. By late evening, Pavithra came and one more round of thrashing followed. Swamy died on the spot.”

On Sunday, some of them took Swamy’s body to Kamakshipalya. “They planned to dump it ina drain but in a hurry, they left it by the side. A guard of a nearbybuilding noticed it and alerted thecops,” police said.

 Related reports, P 16

In line with global practices, UGC allows biannual entries

Earlier, HEIs were allowed to enroll students only in a single academic session (12-month duration) each year, starting in July/Aug

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: University Grants Commission (UGC) has permitted higher education institutions (HEIs) with sufficient infrastructure to offer biannual admissions in regular mode starting from the current academic session to align with global standards.

“Universities worldwide follow a biannual admission system. If adopted, our HEIs can enhance their international collaborations and student exchanges, improving our global competitiveness,” said UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar.

The decision, made on May 15 by UGC, follows posi- tive feedback from students enrolled in biannual admissions, held in Jan-Feband July-Aug, in open and distance learning mode as well as online programmes, after the commission’s approval on July 25, 2023. Biannual admissions will enable HEIs to better plan their resource distribution, UGC said.

Delhi University VC, Professor Yogesh Singh, told TOI, “It’s a progressive move. For large universities like DU, it will be a challenge, but if allowed, we will start with a pilot run and gradually extend it.”

Earlier, HEIs were allowed to enroll students only in a single academic session (12-month duration) each year, starting in July/Aug.

However, SASTRA Deemed University VC, S Vaidhyasubramaniam, opposed the idea, saying that dual window of admissions may not be well suited in the Indian context “due to capacity, capability and credibility issues”.

Shinde: ‘400 paar’ call backfired, was linked to negative narrative

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: BJP’s slogan was “400 paar” and the objective was to win over 400 LS seats, but in certain regions, a negative narrative was set that the Constitution would be changed, and the “400 paar” target was linked to it, said Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Tuesday. “People kept this in mind and it backfired. Their vehicle could not even cross 300. In several states they got a major setback. In Maharashtra too, Mahayuti did not get the success it was expecting,” said the BJP ally.

Praising PM Modi, Shinde said he had worked for the last 10 years without a holiday. “But what happened? The narrative that was set harmed us in some places. We suffered losses in Maharashtra too. The Constitution will be changed, reservations will go… these were the discus- sions… nothing of this kind was to happen. But the ‘400 paar’ number created all the problems,” he said.

On the issue of support prices for crops, Shinde said India is an agricultural country and the farmer is the provider of food. “No one can be happy if the farmer is unhappy,” he added. He said he would soon meet the Union agriculture minister and demand minimum support prices for onion, cotton and soybean.

Odisha CM-designate was once an MLA who slept on footpaths

GAD Now Looking For A House For Mr Majhi

Majhi’s only brush with controversy came in Sept, 2023 when ex-speaker Pramila Mallik suspended him for allegedly throwing a fistful of dal at her in protest against an alleged scam

Ashok.Pradhan@timesgroup.com

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s CMdesignate Mohan Charan Majhi has worn many hats — farmer, teacher in an RSS-run school, sarpanch, Adivasi rights advocate, and a crusader against the mining mafia. Being named BJP’s first CM in its new eastern frontier marks the culmination of the 52-yearold’s almost unheralded journey to political prominence.

The four-time Keonjhar MLA, who shares his Santhal roots with India’s first Adivasi Prez Droupadi Murmu, is seen as a strategic pick by BJP months ahead of the assembly elections in predominantly tribal Jharkhand.

Growing up in Keonjhar Sadar, Majhi showed early promise as a student and someone keen to take up a cause for his community. He studied law and taught for a while at RSS-run Saraswati Shisu Vidya Mandir before plunging into politics as an elected sarpanch from 1997 to 2000, when he became MLA for the first time.

As secretary of BJP’s Adivasi Morcha, Majhi quickly hit his straps and worked his way up the party ranks to become its chief whip in 2019.

He previously had a stint as deputy chief whip when BJP was part of a coalition with BJD from 2005 to 2009.

On his return as Keonjhar MLA in 2019 after a decade since his last electoral victory in 2004, Majhi made headlines when he spoke in the assembly about being forced to spend several nights on a footpath due to delay in allotment of a govt quarter to him. Majhi told the then assembly speaker, S N Patro, that he couldn’t rent a house at short notice, and his mobile phone was stolen while he was asleep in the open.

In a quirk of circum- stance, general administration department is house hunting for him. Since outgoing CM Naveen Patnaik lived in his private residence in Bhubaneswar for past 24 years, the need to have a designated chief ministerial bungalow was never felt.

Majhi’s only brush with controversy came in Septlast year when former speaker Pramila Mallik suspended him along with Dalit legislator Mukesh Mahaling for allegedly throwing a fistful of dal at her in protest against an alleged dal procurement scam for midday school meals. He had contested the allegation.

In 2022, Majhi told the assembly that the lives of some MLAs were under threat from the mining mafia.

The previous year, he had escaped unhurt when motorbike-borne assailants hurled crude bombs at his vehicle in Keonjhar.

BJP picks Odisha CM with an eye on J’khand

Akhilesh.Singh@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: The elevation of Mohan Charan Majhi as Odisha CM, a few months after Vishnu Deo Sai’s appointment as CM in Chhattisgarh, is yet another indication of BJP’s desire to consolidate its appeal among tribals.

Choosing two tribal leaders as CMs in close succession is seen as a follow through on the election of Droupadi Murmu as the country’s first tribal woman President, a gesture seen as helping enhance BJP’s appeal among tribals even in far-off states like Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The nod for Manjhi did not come as a surprise, considering that Dharmendra Pradhan, the strongest contender for the job, was retained as Union minister after winning the Lok Sabha polls from Sambalpur. Importantly, Majhi is considered a close associate of Pradhan, with party circles seeing the latter as instrumental in selection of the Odisha CM-in-waiting.

The choice also appears to have been influenced by coming elections in neighbouring Jharkhand where the party lost all the seats reserved for tribals.

BJP celebrated Majhi’s elevation as the party’s continued focus on tribal empowerment, contrasting with Congress’s approach towards the community, which accounts for over 7.5% of the country’s population.

“Excluding the northeastern states, which are largely tribal-dominated, Congress has appointed no tribal CM in the 21st century. BJP has given four — Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Vishnu Deo Sai and Mohan Majhi. And even in Assam, BJP made Sarbananda Sonowal the CM, while Congress made no tribal CM,” railways and I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on X.

Majhi will take oath of office as CM today

 Continued from P 1

Majhi was among six contenders left in the mix after Odisha strategist Dharmendra Pradhan was inducted into PM Modi’s new cabinet along with prominent tribal face Jual Oram.

The CM-elect’s identity as an adivasi from Keonjhar who rose from humble origins to the helm of state govt aligns with BJP’s strategy of ring-fencing Odisha’s tribal community, which constitutes 23% of Odisha’s population. BJP sources said Majhi was likely to be among the star campaigners for assembly elections in Jharkhand later this year and in Bihar, which also has a sizeable tribal population, in 2025.

Singh Deo, who is from the Balangir royal family, was a minister in BJP-BJD coalition govt from 2000 to 2009. The Delhi University graduate was also state BJP president from 2013 to 2016.

Pravati, elected from Nimapara in Puri district, is a law graduate. She was BJP’s Mahila Morcha president from 2016 to 2022 and state party vice-president from 2022 until recently. As a member of the Khandayat community, which is part of the OBC list, she fits into BJP’s strategy of balancing caste and region in its selection of faces for the top three posts.

During his campaign, PM Modi had promised voters that “a young, healthy and native Odia who understands Odia culture” will head the next govt.

Union minister Rajnath Singh announced Majhi’s name after a meeting of the 78 newly elected BJP MLAs. “He will take the state forward on the road to progress and prosperity as the new CM,” he said. Majhi later met governor Raghubar Das to stake claim to form the new govt. He is scheduled to take the oath of office on Wednesday.

US NSA coming next week for first high-level engagement with Modi 3.0

This will also be the first meeting between NSAs since the US indicted an Indian national for planning a hit on a Khalistan separatist — a US national — claiming he did so at the behest of an Indian govt official

Sachin.Parashar@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: US national security advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan is likely to visit India next week for a meeting with his counterpart, Ajit Doval, to undertake a comprehensive review of cooperation under the initiative on critical and emerging technology (iCET). The meeting, previously scheduled for early this year, was put off twice because of Sullivan’s preoccupation with the Gaza conflict.

Sullivan is likely to meet Indian officials on June 18 in what will be the first high-level engagement between the two govts under PM Narendra Modi’s third term in office. Indian officials are waiting for US to formally announce the visit in a few days.

This will also be the first meeting between the NSAs since US authorities indicted an Indian national for planning a hit on a Khalistan separatist — a US national — claiming he did so at the behest of an Indian govt official. The Washington Post revealed the identity of the official in a report last month.

US president Biden and Modi had launched iCET in May 2022 to expand strategic technology partnership, with focus on co-production and co-development, and defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. The meeting will see talks on plans under the same initiative to address regulatory barriers and develop a new defence industrial roadmap for joint development and production, including of jet engines. Talks are also expected on progress in implementing GE-HAL jet engine technology deal which is expected to see unprecedented transfer of technology from US to India. The deal was announced during Modi’s state visit to US last year.

However, Sullivan’s meetings will also be closely followed for what he has to say on Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun foiled murder-for-hire plot which can potentially turn into a major irritant in the relationship. US is pressing India for action against the Indian official who allegedly masterminded the plot to eliminate Pannun, a US and Canadian national.

The two sides are expected to discuss progress in the probe that India is carrying out into the case since Nov last year, after having received information from the US. Indian govt maintains that it is investigating the leads shared by the US because these have a bearing on India’s own security.

The US has also been pushing India to join the Canadian probe into the killing of another Sikh separatist last year near Vancouver.

A White House readout of President Biden’s call with Modi last week had said they also discussed Sullivan’s upcoming travel to New Delhi to engage the new govt on “shared US-India priorities, including the trusted, strategic technology partnership”.

`1.2k cr payout for people hit by development in Ayodhya: DM

Ayodhya: In past two years, Rs 1,253.06 crore was distributed as compensation among people affected during construction of Ram Janmabhoomi Path, Bhakti Path, Ram Path, Panchkoshi Parikrama Marg, Chaudah Kosi Parikrama Marg, and Ayodhya airport, reports Arshad Afzaal Khan.

Responding to a video going viral on social media claiming BJP lost Ayodhya parliamentary seat as no adequate compensation was paid to affected people, district magistrate Nitish Kumar said every precaution was taken while carrying out developmental works in the temple town.

Roads were being widened by coordinating with local shopkeepers as well as house and land owners, he said, adding that the affected families were rehabilitated as per rules and ex gratia and compensation were paid to them.

DRDO turns to Pune firm for sub-launched aerial vehicles

New Delhi: DRDO has decided to develop underwaterlaunched unmanned aerial vehicles (ULUAVs) that will be launched from a submarine, reports Surendra Singh.

DRDO’s Technology Development Fund (TDF) has awarded a contract for ULUAVs to Pune-based defence startup, Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt Ltd, which had earlier developed a maritime spotter drone for Indian Navy.

Mridul Babbar, director & vice-president of business development, Sagar Defence, told TOI, “This project is highly advanced. However, the ULUAV technology they (US) have is inferior as its range is 7 km and can last for 30 minutes in one charge. However, DRDO has entrusted us to develop a ULUAV that can last for one hour in a single charge and can have a range of 20 km.”

2 dead, govt warns Russia against recruiting Indians

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Two Indian nationals recruited recently by Russian army have died in Russia-Ukraine conflict, govt said in a statement on Tuesday. MEA and Indian embassy in Moscow have strongly taken up the matter with Russian ambassador Denis Alipov in New Delhi and with Russian authorities in Moscow for early release and return of all Indian nationals who are with the Russian army.

According to the ministry, India has also demanded that there be a “verified stop” to any further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian army. “Such activities will not be in consonance with our partnership,” India warned Russia. Govt did not identity the men killed.

India has previously also raised this issue with Moscow urging it to release Indian men who were mostly working as helpers with the Russian army. “We regret to state that two Indian nationals who had been recruited by the Russian army have recently been killed in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” the statement said while urging Indian nationals to exercise caution while seeking employment opportunities in Russia.

“We offer our deepest condolences to families of the deceased. Our embassy in Moscow has pressed Russian authorities, including ministry of defence, for early repatriation of mortal remains,” it added.

HC upholds firing of cop with Bhindranwale ties

Says Terror Links Justify ’84 Ouster Without Inquiry

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana HC has upheld the dismissal of a Punjab police constable — who had taken two pistols from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale during the period of terrorism in Punjab — who was removed from service in October 1984 without holding an inquiry.

Upholding Punjab Police’s decision almost after 40 years, HC held that constable Jaswinder Singh’s dismissal was based on him having contact with terrorists. “At the relevant time, terrorism was at its peak in Punjab, therefore there were sufficient grounds for dispensation of regular inquiry against the cop as no witness would have come forward to depose. Inquiry would have taken a long time and keeping him in service till its completion during those days could have been risky and not in public interest. Hence it was not reasonably practicable to hold such an inquiry in this case,” held Justice Namit Kumar, while allowing an appeal filed by Punjab govt challenging the orders through which the cop’s dismissal was set aside.

Jaswinder joined service in 1977, and served until 1984 when he was suspended on account of filing of an FIR against him under Arms Act. On Oct 15, 1984, he was dismissed from service without in- quiry by invoking Article 311 (2) of Constitution. Authorities justified that the dismissal was legal and valid to maintain public order and security of the state as Jaswinder had links with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale but because of non-recovery of the weapon, the case under the Arms Act was returned as untraced.

Take custody, ensure lifelong medicare for mentally ill youth, HC directs TN

Observing that the state has to exercise its parens patriae jurisdiction in cases concerning those with mental health issues and without family support, Madras high court directed the state to take into custody a 20-year-old youth with mental health issues, house him in appropriate accommodation and provide him “lifelong medicare”, reports K Kaushik.

The court was hearing a plea filed by parents of a man whose has serious mental health issues. He was admitted to Tirunelveli Medical College and Hospital’s psychiatry ward on May 5, 2022 and discharged on June 6, 2022. He has been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder and has current episodic mania with psychotic symptoms. Unable to support their son, the petitioners, daily wage labourers, wanted govt to take over his upbringing.

Justice G R Swaminathan, allowing the plea, said: “The moot question that arises for consideration is whether the state can be saddled with liability in such cases. My answer is yes.”

He said the state must exercise its parens patriae jurisdiction in the case of the mentally disabled who are without family support. When the state fails to exercise its duty, the constitutional court, exercising jurisdiction under Article 226 of Constitution, will direct the authorities to discharge the aforesaid function. The judge observed that the state is obliged to set up residential homes for the mentally disabled in every district. This alone will reduce overcrowding. There are NGOs who have set up such shelter homes, the state should liberally support them financially.

Presumed dead, man walks home on his terhavi in MP

Amarjeet.Singh1@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:A labourer from Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur cremated after being presumed dead in an accident in Rajasthan walked home on his terhavi (13th day ritual), leading his family to realise that they had identified the wrong man and performed his last rites.

As the egregious episode of mistaken identity unfolded and Surendra Sharma (25) came back home on June 9, his family alerted Rajasthan Police. Cops arrived Tuesday along with the kin of the real deceased, now identified as Dhara Singh, and collected his ashes. Dhara’s kin have now objected to his cremation.

Surendra used to work in Jaipur. On May 26, an accident occurred in Sawai Madhopur’s Soorwal area and an unidentified injured man was referred to a hospital, where he died during treatment.

Soorwal station in-charge told TOI: “Normal procedure was followed for identification and pictures of the body were circulated. The kin of Surendra Sharma approached us, wrongly identified the body, took it home and cremated it. We are contemplating action against Surendra’s family.”

Asked about the mistake, Dharm Raj Sharma, Surendra’s uncle, said: “The videos and pictures were shared by Jaipur Police. The body resembled that of Surendra. Surendra’s elder brother (Devendra) identified the body.”

RSS not a field force of BJP, party has own karyakartas, says Sangh neta

 Continued from P1

Modi has consistently styled himself as the “pradhan sevak”. Sharda’s article said though RSS was not a “field force” of BJP, party functionaries and workers failed to reach out to its ‘swayamsevaks’ for their cooperation in electoral work.

Mohan Bhagwat had said: “He who is a real servant has no limitations. Everyone does the work. But it is important to follow the limits while working. We work with limits. The worker adheres to that limit. That limit is our religion and culture. One who follows limits does not engage in karma. He has no ego (ahan- kar). He is the true servant.”

During the campaign, BJP chief J P Nadda had said in a media interview that the party had grown and could handle its own affairs and did not need RSS the way it did earlier.

In his article, Sharda said, “Results of 2024 polls have come as a reality check for overconfident BJP karyakartas and many functionaries. They did not realise that PM Modi’s call of 400-plus (seats) was a target for them and a dare to the opposition.”

Sharda, who has authored numerous books on RSS, noted that targets were achieved by hard work in the field, not by sharing posters and selfies on social media. “Since they were happy in their bubble, enjoying the glow reflected from Modi ji’s aura, they were not listening to voices on streets,” he said.

The idea that Modi was fighting on all 543 Lok Sabha seats had “limited value”, Sharda wrote. “This idea became self-defeating when candidates were changed, imposed at cost of local leaders and defectors were given more importance. Sacrificing well performing parliamentarians to accommodate latecomers hurt. It is estimated around 25% of candidates were seasonal migrants,” he added.

Sharda also flagged “unnecessary politicking” as a reason behind BJP’s underperformance. “Maharashtra is an example of unnecessary politicking. NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joined BJP though BJP and split Sena had a comfortable majority. BJP supporters were hurt because they had fought against Congress ideology and were persecuted. In a single stroke, BJP reduced its brand value.”

On whether RSS worked for BJP in the polls, Sharda said, “Let me say bluntly, RSS isn’t a field force of BJP. BJP has its karyakartas. If BJP volunteers don’t reach out to RSS, they have to answer why they thought it wasn’t needed.

Pavithra’s rise in Sandalwood tied to Darshan connect

Daughter of a bizman in Bengaluru and without a film industry godfather, Pavithra Gowda tried to enter filmdom in the early part of the last decade. But, like any other wannabe, she didn’t find any takers

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: On her Instagram page, she describes herself as a “fashion designer, model, artist and managing director of a boutique”. But what catapulted her to fame in Sandalwood was her proximity to Darshan, dubbed “Challenging Star” by his fans.

In fact, not much was known about Pavithra Gowda’s background till she dramatically entered Darshan’s life, a source in the Kannada film industry said. Daughter of a small-time businessman in Bengaluru and without a film industry godfather, Pavithra, 37, tried to enter filmdom in the early part of the last decade. But, like any other wannabe actress, she found no takers.

She got her portfolio done through a popular film photographer and circulated it. But with offers not coming, she was forced to get married to a person named Sanjay. The couple had a daughter. But they got separated, and the old portfolio, which was doing the rounds, helped her bag a role in the 2013 movie ‘Chatrigalu Saar Chatrigalu’.

It was around this time that she was noticed by Darshan’s team, who had been scouting for a fresh face to cast opposite him. While she didn’t get to act with him, she did three other lesser-known Kannada movies in 2016.

“By then, the dynamics in Darshan’s family had changed and his differences with wife Vijayalakshmi had become public. Pavithra provided him mental comfort at that juncture and the two be- came quite close,” an industry source said. Subsequently, Pavithra spiked her Sandalwood dream and evolved as a fashion designer while focusing on her daughter.

Though no one in Sandalwood dared to comment about Darshan and Pavithra’s relationship, Vijayalakshmi took potshots at her last year on social media by referring to a photo in which Darshan is seen with Pavithra and her daughter. Pavithra reacted by posting, “Darshan and I have been happy together for the last 10 years.”

Pavithra has over 131,000 followers on Instagram and 21,000 on Facebook, most of them Darshan’s diehard fans. While some acknowledged her role in Darshan’s life, there is a section that loathes her for entering the actor’s life.

Darshan has been in limelight before, for wrong reasons

In 2011, Darshan was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife Vijayalakshmi. The couple later resolved the issue and his wife withdrew the case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: Actor Darshan’s arrest on Tuesday in connection with the murder of a man who allegedly sent obscene texts to his co-star isn’t the actor’s first experience with law enforcement agencies. He was arrested in 2011 on charges of allegedly assaulting his wife, and in Nov 2023 his men allegedly unleashed ferocious dogs on an advocate over a parking issue near his house in RR Nagar.

On Sept 9, 2011, Darshan, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife, Vijayalakshmi, was booked for attempt to murder and domestic violence, remanded in judicial custody, and later released on bail. The couple resolved the issue and Vijayalakshmi withdrew the case.

On Sept 24, 2018, Darshan, actor Devaraj, and Darshan’s friend Antony suffered injuries when their SUV rammed a streetlight in north Mysuru.

Darshan’s farm on the outskirts of Mysuru district was raided by forest officials on Jan 20, 2023, in the wake of a video clip in which Darshan is heard speaking about four bar-headed geese from Mongolia on his farm. The birds were rescued.

Last year on Oct 28, an advocate alleged that the caretaker of Darshan’s dogs had picked a quarrel with her when she was trying to remove her car, parked near the actor’s house, and that the dogs bit her. Police registered a case. The complainant alleged Darshan was behind the incident. Police issued notice to the actor, who gave his statement on Nov 14 denying any involvement

In Jan 2024, the actor was among eight people appear- ing before Subramanyanagar police for allegedly partying beyond 1 am Jan 4. Police registered a suo motu case against the bar owner and cashier for serving liquor beyond 1 am. Notices were sent to producer Venkatesh, Darshan, and others. They gave statements denying partying beyond 1 am, stating they had met for dinner to celebrate the success of Darshan’s movie, “Kaatera”.

BSF jawan attacked by intruders from B’desh, battles for life

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: A BSF head constable was attacked with sharp weapons Monday night by a group from Bangladesh who had crossed into Indian territory breaching an improvised fence on the border at Dhantala in Nadia district of Bengal. Gokul Mondal sustained serious injuries to his hip, waist and neck and is battling for life.

Due to BSF’s non-lethal strategy policy, Mondal tried to fire his pump action gun (PAG) in self-defence when he was surrounded but it misfired, emboldening the criminals to attack him.

In a strongly worded statement, BSF said, “This horrific incident of attack on a BSF jawan took place inside Indian territory. Bangladesh is a friendly country and BSF has adopted non-lethal strategy to avoid killing on the border. However, Bangladesh miscreants get emboldened with the adoption of non-lethal strategy and very frequently attack BSF persons on duty.”

“Despite repeated protest notes to Border Guards Bangladesh concerning illegal intrusions by smugglers and miscreants, they continue to cross the border deliberately and illegally after breaching the security grid of BGB and attack BSF jawans,” it added.

BSF and BGB later held a flag meeting where the issue of the attack was raised.

Around 10.45pm, Mondal spotted 6-7 intruders and alerted nearby patrol parties. Half an hour later, another constable spotted four persons crossing the international border. On being ordered to retreat, the intruders tried to encircle Mondal and attempted to attack him. He discharged his PAG, but it misfired. Hearing the shot, other jawan’s rushed to their colleague’s aid and started chasing the miscreants, but they fled towards Bangladesh.

High NEET marks ‘statistically impossible’: Plea

 Continued from P1

Around 24 lakh students took the exam conducted by NTA on May 5. The entrance was conducted across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad. But reports of paper leak surfaced after the test and few arrests were made. Controversy cropped up on the way in which grace marks were “arbitrarily” given to a few students.

Seeking quashing of exams , the petitioners alleged that four individuals, including two MBBS students, had been arrested for allegedly running a paper-solver gang for NEET but NTA was refuting the allegation. “NTA has published its own circulargiving a clean chit to the alleged offenders in the paper leak case before the ongoing investigations of various agencies...is concluded in the backdrop Shastri Nagar Police Station in Patna and investigation being further carried out by EOU Bihar Police,” the petition said.

Raising issue of grant of grace marks, advocate J Sai Deepak told the court that a fresh petition has been filed and the court should also examine the controversy along with allegation of paper leak but the bench said that it was for SC registry to take a call on listing of the case.

The petitioners alleged arbitrariness in grant of grace marks and said that high marks of 718 &719 out of 720 secured by several students were “statistically impossible”. It said the grant of grace marks was a mala fide exercise to give “backdoor entry” to certain students.

TIMES VIEW: Lakhs take the NEET examination. As SC has rightly observed, the alleged irregularities have shaken their faith in the “sanctity” of the system. Such erosion can have disastrous social consequences. Authorities should create tamper-free &transparent system. It is just not NEET. Unscrupulous elements in search of a quick buck are trying to subvert other competitive exams too. They should be caught and the sternest of punishment meted out. The law should be tough on those trying to ruin future of a generation.

Officer hurt in attack by Buxar sand smugglers

Members of a sand mafia attacked a mining officer, Krishna Kumar Gupta, when he raided their operations at Mahdah village in Buxar district of Bihar on Tuesday, reports K Kamlesh.

After bid to kill self, Chinese inmate dies

A Chinese national, who had attempted suicide in jail on June 9, died while undergoing treatment at a Bihar hospital, reports Faryal Rumi.

Pappu pass ho gaya: How Rahul and Congress changed the narrative

Humour, khatakhat responses and some behind-the-scenes smarts played a supporting role in doubling party’s tally

We made sure we set the campaign narrative rather than just countering our opponentsPRASHANT CHARI, BRAND STRATEGIST

HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE: Witty posts by INC Kerala’s X handle have garnered millions of views

Himanshi.Dhawan@timesgroup.com

So how did a ‘dynastic’ party that was accused of having lost touch with reality, and led by a man dubbed ‘pappu’ and ‘shehzaada’, change the narrative around it? That’s a question many are asking after the Congress turnaround in the recent Lok Sabha election.

While people are crediting influencers, some of whom have millions of subscribers, it isn’t as simple or unidimensional as that. Changing the perception of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from that of a part-time politician to one holding and upholding the Constitution has been a giant leap that began with the Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) in September 2022.

That leap was orchestrated by a dedicated war room, and savvy marketing professionals who knew how to use humour (the Congress Kerala handle on X is one great example) and a little drama (rolling out washing machines at rallies to wash BJP’s alleged ‘dirty laundry’ in public.) Political consultant Sunil Kanugolu had used mock ATM machines that were fed fake currency notes to highlight corruption during the Telangana election last year.

A panel headed by Ajay Maken and including experienced heads like KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh steered the ship in tandem with external teams from the party war room, as well as advertising and media agencies. They met daily initially, even thrice on some days, to ensure that the outreach machine kept humming. To quote a phrase Rahul Gandhi used often in the election, Congress counters came ‘khatakhat, khatakhat’.

Some of that behind-the-scenes work was handled by marketing and communications firm Teen Bandar, which was hired for BJY and its second leg Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. The plan was to capture Gandhi walking the length of the country, holding impromptu discussions and chats, says Prashant Chari, co-founder of Teen Bandar. “People did not believe that he would walk the whole day, for days on end. But through the daily release of multiple short snippets of his can- did interactions and usage of pop culture, the yatra became immensely popular on social media,” he says.

The long beard and white T-shirt created an image of an atypical politician who was consumed by the journey rather than his looks. “Gandhi appeared spontaneous, concerned and most of all sincere in his intentions towards the public,” says a media professional.

For the election campaign, DDB Mudra, Teen Bandar and other agencies created a mix of messages. Advertisements included a series of blogs and information videos attacking industrialists allegedly close to PM Narendra Modi, creating a counter-narrative to BJP’s ‘mangalsutra cheen lenge’ charge, and emphasising its intentions to “change” the Constitution and end reservations for backward castes. The Ram temple issue was deliberately kept low-key.

“The main tagline ‘Haath Badlega Halaat’ (Congress will change circumstances) took inspiration from the 2004 campaign ‘Congress ka Haath, Aam Aadmi ke Saath’,” says a communications professional. While the 2004 slogan beat NDA’s India Shining campaign and helped Congress sail to victory, this one didn’t go as far but it did pave the way for a resurgent opposition. The main slogan was supplemented by ads like ‘Mere Vikas Ka Do Hisaab’ and ‘Sab Theek Nahi Hai’ that addressed issues of unemployment, inflation and corruption.

It wasn’t just a negative campaign. Positive messaging underlined the Congress ‘panch nyay’ or promises of a lakh a year to women under the Mahalakshmi scheme. Other guarantees include caste census and providing employment for youth.

The change in perception was slow but steady. YouTube subscribers for Gandhi’s page rose from 500k in 2021 to 7.2 million at present while followers on Instagram increased from 1.7 million to 9.4 million.

“We made sure that we set the narrative by reaching out to people directly, without falling into our opponents’ narrative,” says Chari. It was not just about content, but timing too. A social media professional who was part of the party war room says, “At the beginning of the year, four teams were created based on language and region and each had 900-1,000 interns whose job was to coordinate with local cadre and create WhatsApp groups for easy dissemination of messages.”

Attack advertisements and statements by Congress leaders busting half-truths or responding to BJP attacks were quickly spread through this network.

Another example of the nimble-footed response came when, after the election results, Congress’ Kerala handle tweeted an image of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu sitting with SP leader Akhilesh Yadav. The caption read, “Don’t panic Modiji, it’s an old pic.” The post has been retweeted 9,400 times, attracting 4.2 million views in just a week.

P Sarin, coordinator of digital campaign of Congress in Kerala, said the account did pan-India content rather than Kerala alone. “We mainly focused on three things — myth busting, historical comparison, humorous presentation of facts. Verification of facts is a major factor, as social media platforms in India are polluted with fake news items and misleading messages,” he says, adding that all social media accounts of INC Kerala would be active in the coming years to act as a good ‘opposition’ to Modi 3.0.

— With inputs from Nijeesh Narayanan

Tejpal decided to join Russian army 3 days into his trip

 Continued from P1

Just three days into his trip, Tejpal had decided to join Russian army, undergoing both theoretical and practical training.

“He knew several people in Haryana and Punjab who had joined Russian army, which influenced his decision,” Parminder said.

During his two-week theoretical training, Tejpal main- tained daily contact with his wife. Once his practical arms training began, he frequently shared photographs of his rigorous regimen.

His last communication with Parminder was on March 3, when he informed her of his deployment to Tokmak, a city in south-central Ukraine, and mentioned that contact would be limited as they had to surrender their mobile phones upon arrival.

Concerned by the lack of communication, Parminder reached out to his acquaintances in Gurdaspur. On June 8, she sent a copy of Tejpal’s passport and her contact details to the Russian office. The next day, she received the devastating news that Tejpal had died in March. Tejpal is survived by his elderly parents, his wife, and two children.

Tejpal’s mother Sarabjit Kaur said his younger broth- er Gagandeep Singh had died of a heart attack in 2019. The responsibility of supporting the family now falls on his elderly father, who runs a small shop from their home.

Tejpal’s family has appealed to govt for assistance in repatriating his mortal remains. They have also requested support for the education and medical needs of the family and employment opportunities for his wife.

PM, Tollywood stars to attend as Naidu takes CM oath today

Pawan Set To Be Dy CM; Babu Dials Jagan But Ex-CM ‘Not Available’

Pawan Kalyan proposing the name of N Chandrababu Naidu as the leader of the House in Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada on Tuesday

Srikanth.Aluri@timesgroup.com

Vijayawada: TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu will take oath as the new chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday along with his council of ministers. The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union minister Bandi Sanjay and other NDA leaders.

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan is likely to be the deputy chief minister with a key portfolio. Jana Sena is likely to get three more cabinet berths, with Naidu leaving the decision on picking the candidates to Pawan.

Naidu was unanimously elected as leader of NDA legislature party in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. Pawan proposed his name while BJP state president D Purandeswari seconded it. The MLAs of the three parties passed a unanimous resolution electing Naidu as their leader.

The resolution was handed over to governor Abdul Nazeer by TDP state president K Atchennaidu, Purandes- wari, and Jana Sena PAC chairman Nadendla Manohar expressing willingness to form the govt. Subsequently, the governor formally invited NDA to form the govt and a notification was issued.

Later on Tuesday, Naidu met the governor and informed him about the swearing-in ceremony, which will be held at Kesarapalli near Vijayawada at 11:27am.

Shah, Nadda, and Sanjay arrived in Vijayawada on Tuesday night and called on Naidu at his home. Tollywood actors Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, Jr NTR, Mohan Babu, Tamil superstar Rajnikanth are also likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

BJP, which has eight MLAs, is likely to get one or two positions in the cabinet. The names of Sujana Chowdary, Vishnu Kumar Raju and Satya Kumar are doing the rounds. The upper limit of the Andhra Pradesh cabinet in the 175-member assembly is 26, including the CM.

If the alliance partners get six ministers, TDP will get the remaining 20 berths. Naidu is likely to give a major share to Backward Classes communities by inducting around eight members from this section. Kammas and Kapus are likely to get four ministers each while the Reddy community could get three. There could be two members from SCs, one from STs and one from the Vaisya community. Three women are likely to be inducted into the cabinet.

Among the TDP frontrunners for the new cabinet are Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh, P Narayana, Dhilipalla Narendra, K Atchannaidu, Kala Venkata Rao, Payyavula Keshav, Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy and Gottipati Ravi. Sources said Naidu did an elaborate exercise to select his cabinet members to balance caste and regional equations and give representation to all social groups.

Sources said Naidu tried to invite outgoing CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the swearing-in ceremony and himself called him on phone, but the latter was not available.

Amaravati sole capital, declares Naidu; Vizag & Kurnool to be hubs

TIME TO REBUILD

Srikanth.Aluri@timesgroup.com

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh CM-elect N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said Amaravati will be the only capital of Andhra Pradesh while his govt will develop Visakhapatnam as an economic powerhouse and Kurnool as the seed hub of the state.

After getting unanimously elected as the leader of NDA in Andhra Pradesh assembly, Naidu assured that there would be no vindictive politics in his govt but added that wrongdoers would be brought to book.

He said the n ew g ovt would work with a positive governance approach by putting the state first and he would “work as a common man, n ot as chief minister”. He even changed the special chair arranged for him and sat in one similar to those for Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and BJP state president D Purandeswari.

Terming the huge mandate as historic, Naidu said that though he has faced many elections, this poll was special to him for many reasons. People have rejected “anarchic and dictatorial” govt, he said, adding that the majorities secured by NDA’s MLAs are equivalent to that of Lok Sabha elections. This showed the anger of people against the YSRCP govt which had “destroyed all democratic institutions”, he said.

Appealing to MLAs to be humble and grounded, he warned them that they would also meet the same fate as YSRCP leaders if they behaved in an arrogant manner. Naidu was all praise for Pawan for his unconditional support and TDP during the difficult times. He said that the three parties worked in tandem and the kind of coordination that they achieved is unprecedented.

Pawan said AP needs Naidu’s experience and vision. He recalled the meeting between him and Naidu in Rajahmundry central jail when the latter was arrested in the alleged skill development scam. Emotions ran high among all the members when Pawan spoke empathically for Naidu and hugged him. “I have seen how Naidu struggled in jail. How Bhuvaneswari faced hardships. I assured her that bad days will fade away and a new dawn will set in, and the people of Andhra Pradesh made his wish come true,” he said.

Time to drop ‘Modi ka Parivar’ tag: PM to social media users

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: On the day the photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowing to the Constitution became the cover image of the official ‘PMO India’ social media account, he asked his followers to drop ‘Modi ka Parivar’ they had suffixed to their handles.

In March, several BJP leaders and supporters added ‘Modi ka Parivar’ to their social media bios in solidarity with the prime minister after RJD chief Lalu Prasad took a dig at him for having no family of his own and the latter responded by saying that he considered the entire country to be his family, something that was seen as aimed at drawing a contrast with the opposition INDIA bloc, which he had accused of being a collective of dynastic outfits.

“With the message of all of us being one family having been effectively conveyed, I would once again thank the people of India and request that you may now remove ‘Modi ka Parivar’ from your social media properties. The display name may change, but our bond as one parivar striving for India’s progress remains strong and unbroken,” the prime minister posted on X on Tuesday.

Reacting to Modi bowing before the Constitution, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “This is the direct impact of Rahul Gandhi’s single-minded focus on protection of the Constitution as the defining issue of the 2024 elections.”

Final ministers’ list revealed at 7.30pm

Continued from P1

Govt watchers said that this may perhaps be the first time when ministers were informed about their portfolios written on paper and kept inside envelopes.

The final list of portfolios was made public only around 7.30 pm – this is when the MoS, including those holding independent charge, got to know their ministries.

Kerala church: Firm belief new govt will preserve secularism

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kottayam: Kerala’s Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has lauded the Narendra Modi-led NDA govt for taking its first decision after swearing-in related to farmers’ grants, saying it showed the importance the new dispensation gave to a section that made up the majority.

Church head Baselios Marthoma Mathews III expressed his wish that the new govt would lead India to greater heights, along with a “firm belief” that it would preserve its secularism and integrity.

The endorsement comes against the backdrop of BJP’s outreach to Christians in Kerala, where it opened its account in the LS polls after years by bagging one seat.

A real ruler is a person who treats all sections of people equally and ensures their welfare, the Church’s press note said, stressing that secularism is India’s hallmark. The Church also expressed hope that the Centre would try to ensure that the “black days in Manipur” are not repeated in the country.

BJP may pick Dalit, woman or OBC with strong RSS links as new chief

Party Also Planning Extensive Campaign To Boost Number Of Women Members

The election of the new chief comes ahead of polls in Maharashtra and Haryana, where BJP is incumbent and where it performed badly in LS polls

Akhilesh.Singh@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: After formation of Modi-3.0 govt, the focus now shifts to who will be the next BJP chief amid looming electoral battles, including in Maharashtra and Haryana, where the party is incumbent and where it performed badly in Lok Sabha polls.

J P Nadda, who has been inducted as a key cabinet minister in Modi govt, has completed his tenure as party chief and the process to elect his successor is likely in the next few days. A decision on nominating a working president pending election of a full-time chief will be taken by the party brass. Though replacements have been smooth affairs, party circles and others will be watching whether it will be in- fluenced by the desire for fresh reachouts to OBCs and women.

With many prominent faces, including those with long spells in the organisation, joining govt, there is a possibility of someone from grassroots level, preferably awoman, a Dalit or an OBC, with strong RSS background, turning out to be the pick.

The exercise has taken on an additional dimension because of speculation of view that RSS, always an important stakeholder, might take against background of its widely discussed estrangement from the party. Importantly, the outgoing chief’s remark where he said BJP had grown powerful enough to do without RSS’s support is said to have annoyed the Sangh leadership.

His shift to govt notwithstanding, Nadda, whose three-year ten- ure got over in Jan and was extended by six months because of Lok Sabha polls, will continue as party president until the process to elect his successor is completed. Although there is no bar on a person simultaneously serving in the organisation and govt, adherence to one person-one post policy has been the convention.

As per the party’s constitu- tion, the national chief is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of national and state councils. Any 20 members of the electoral college of a state can propose any person who has been an active member for four terms and has 15 years of membership. The joint proposal, however, should come from not less than five states where elections have been completed for the national council.

There is speculation that a woman could be elevated as the chief in view of the emphasis BJP has laid on women in the recent past with PM Narendra Modi acknowledging women voters’ decisive role in his three consecutive wins. No woman has headed the party so far.

BJP is planning an extensive outreach campaign to increase the number of women members in the organisation — one of the main reasons why many see the next party chief being a woman a reasonable prospect.

Hate crime: Man called Khalistani, assaulted in Haryana town

Kaithal: Two unidentified men on a motorcycle attacked a Sikh while calling him a “Khalistani” in an alleged hate crime in Haryana’s Kaithal on Monday night, reports Vijender Kumar.

Police registered a case on Tuesday, assuring the accused would be arrested soon.

The victim, Sukhwinder Singh, runs a furniture shop. He is undergoing treatment in a hospital. On Monday, he was going home on his motorcycle after closing shop near Kaithal bus stand at around 10pm. “I was waiting at a railway crossing when two unidentified youths on a motorcycle asked me to move aside while shouting, ‘Khalistani, bike hata le nahi toh 1984 wala haal kardenge (Khalistani, move your bike, else we’ll make you remember 1984).’” “When I objected, they hit me on the head with a brick,” he said.

Modi should pay heed to Bhagwat’s advice on Manipur, say oppn parties

New Delhi:Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday said PM Narendra Modi should pay heed to the ‘advice’ of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and visit Manipur which has seen violence for over a year now, a day after Bhagwat said the situation in the strife-torn state must be considered a priority.

While Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Bhagwat can perhaps prevail upon the “former RSS office-bearer” to go to the northeastern state, independent MP Kapil Sibal said it is “not in DNA” of the PM to listen to advice of opposition but he should pay attention to the words of the RSS chief.

RJD functionary Tejashwi Yadav said Bhagwat has aired his concerns a bit too late and claimed that the Prime Minister has maintained “silence” on every crisis including Manipur. “The PM, on his part, has merely kept silent on every crisis, be it violence in that state, or protests by farmers and female wrestlers in Delhi,” he said.

Manipur plunged into violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May last year. Since then some 200 people have been killed, while thousands have been displaced following large-scale arson that has gutted homes and govt buildings. Fresh violence has been reported from Jiribam over the past few days.

Taking a swipe at the PM,Ramesh in a post on X said, “If not the ‘one-third’ PM’s conscience or the repeated demands of the people of Manipur, perhaps Mr Bhagwat can prevail upon the former RSS office-bearer to go to Manipur.”

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said, “ Bhagwat is saying so based on his experience. He must have said about the arrogance that is visible. Bhagwat’s remarks on Manipur after a year show that the differences between BJP and RSS, which were highlighted by JP Nadda, are evident now.”

Bhagwat on Monday expressed concern over peace eluding Manipur even after one year.

Addressing a gathering of RSS trainees in Nagpur, Bhagwat said conflict in various places and in society is not good.

Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi said he does not expect the prime minister to pay attention to Bhagwat’s words but people have chosen INDIA bloc to speak on their behalf.

PTI

3 of family dead, 2 hurt as tanker hits bike:

Three of a family died and two sustained injuries after a speeding tanker hit their bike near village Puthiya of Etah district on Monday, police said. All five of them were on a bike, reports Mohammad Dilshad.

Three of them were declared dead by doctors, while two are in critical condition. The driver fled the spot, leaving the tanker behind. A case under IPC section 304-A was registered.

Amarnath yatra, polls to keep security forces busy in J&K

Assembly Election Likely After Aug 19 And Before SC’s Sept 30 Deadline

Amarnath yatra is due to start on June 29 and stretch till Aug19. Tying up assembly polls with local body polls may not be advisable as each candidate must be given security cover against possible terror strikes

Bharti.Jain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir, which witnessed record turnouts in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, has a rather busy security calendar in the months ahead. With the Amarnath yatra due to start on June 29 and stretching till Aug19 and the impending polls at various levels — panchayat, urban bodies and assembly, of which the latter even faces a Sept 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court — the security arrangements involving large-scale deployment of central para-military forces across the UT, are unlikely to see any letup.

The back-to-back, high-security events may have to be managed such that the assembly polls in the Union Territory are completed by Sept 30, honouring the SC direction dated Dec2023. Sources in the security agencies indicated that holding polls while the Amarnath yatra is underway may not be a feasible option as both events demand undivid- ed attention and engagement of the security forces. Not only this, tying up the assembly polls with the panchayat/urban body polls in the UT may also not be advisable given that each candidate must be given a security shield against possible targeted attacks by terrorist outfits. In fact, this very reason was cited by Election Commission in March, for not holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in J&K.

Sources in J&K govt indicated that the ideal timing of J&K poll, going by security logistics and forces availability, may be soon after the Amarnath yatra winds up on Aug19. This will leave EC adequate time to complete the exercise by the Sept30 deadline. As for panchayat polls, they may have to wait until after the assembly polls. J&K govtis likely to set up a commission soon to re-verify the OBC castes to be extended reservation in panchayats. The panel will have a limited tenure; a source hinted it could be asked to submit its report in less than two months. Panchayat polls are likely to be held only after implementation of the panel’s recommendations.

Though EC decides the J&K assembly poll schedule, the local polls are conducted by the state election commission. However, before deciding the timing of any election in J&K, an assessment of the security situation in the UT is made in consultation with the Union home ministry.

While the annual Amarnath yatra anyway requires elaborate security arrangements that include heavy mobilisation of central forces, Sunday’s terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi, which left nine including the driver dead after the latter, hit by a bullet, lost control of the bus and it ended up in a gorge, has added further to the threat assessment, said an officer. With Jammu region seeing heightened terror activity in the past two years, sources said the counter-terror grid is being reoriented to focus on intelligence based operations there, though the difficult terrain makes the response time longer as compared to Kashmir region.

Four MBBS students in HP suspended for ragging juniors

It was alleged that the junior students were beaten and their clothes torn during ragging

dents of Rajendra Prasad Govt Medical College and Hospital, better known as Tanda medical college, in Himachal’s Kangra district have been suspended and fined up to Rs 1 lakh on charges of ragging their juniors.

According to a college official, nine junior students were ragged by the accused af- ter calling them to their hostel in the evening. It was alleged that the junior students were beaten and their clothes torn apart during ragging.

The victim students complained about the incident to National Medical Commission. Following an inquiry, the anti-ragging committee of the college decided to suspend the accused students belonging to 2019 and 2022 batches.

Two senior students were fined Rs 1 lakh each and suspended for a year. The remaining two were fined Rs 50,000 each and suspended for six months.

TNN

Traffickers using T20 WC to sneak people into US

About 18 months ago, traffickers began targeting US following the rising popularity of cricket there

Ashish.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad: Forget “donkey flight” for the nonce, say hello to bat, ball, and kabootar baazi. The New York leg of T20 World Cup is proving exciting not only for cricket fans but also human traffickers from Gujarat, who are using the game as a means to sneak people into the US.

These smugglers facilitate their clients’ entry into the US by posing them as cricketers. The clients are signed up with local cricket clubs and participate in small-time tournaments in India to secure sponsorships from US-based clubs. This enables them to obtain sixmonth sports visas. Once in the US, they vanish and live there illegally.

A source said on Tuesday that this method has replaced previous schemes where people entered the US with artist visas by pretending to be Bollywood or television actors. Due to tighter immigration rules, smugglers have shifted to using cricket as their new strategy.

Aman from Kalol successfully used this scheme. “I played cricket professionally from an academy in Gandhi- nagar, participated in leagues organised by a religious group here, and got entry into the US to play a cricket league,” he said. He and his brother have been living illegally in the US for eight months.

Another case involved Monty Patel of Gandhinagar, who vanished after entering the US last Sept. Similarly, Ashish Patel of Navsari succeeded after multiple failed attempts. He initially entered the US seven years ago as a TV serial crew member but had to return. After another failed attempt 3 years ago, he finally managed to enter the US last year by posing as a cricketer for a New Jersey tournament.

An Ahmedabad police crime branch officer acknowledged the trend, but said no legal action can be taken in India as the crimes occur on foreign soil. “No case of this nature has been officially reported. But these do violate visa norms,” Gujarat DGP Vikas Sahay said.

This racket surfaced about five years ago when people from Gujarat were sent to countries like Russia, where cricket was gaining popularity. About 18 months ago, traffickers began targeting the US following the rising popularity of cricket, particularly in North and South Carolina, which have cricket clubs.

Operated by agents in northern Gujarat, this scheme charges clients Rs 40 to 45 lakh for each person seeking illicit immigration — known popularly as kabootar baazi, a term derived from the game of pigeon racing. Sources said traffickers either organise tournaments themselves or collaborate with organisations to conduct them. Participants receive certificates as “players”, which are then used to secure US sponsorships and visas. This method is also considered safer than “donkey flight”.

Locals’ alarm over ‘suspicious movement’ triggered attack

 Continued from P 1Kullu:Four senior MBBS stu-

Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) MoS Jitendra Singh, who is also the MP for Kathua in Jammu division, tweeted being in contact with district SSP Anayat Ali Choudhary and the owner of the attacked house via mobile phone.

“One terrorist neutralised so far,” Singh posted.

The attack on Seda Sohal occurred after locals sounded the alarm over “suspicious movement” in the area, prompting the gunmen to attack and escape to nearby forests. “A manhunt was launched, resulting in the death of one terrorist,” an official said.

Panic spread through the area following the attack as it happened just two days after the pilgrim bus ambush in Reasi, which is close to LoC.

Earlier, on May 18 and 19, a search was prompted by reports of suspicious movement of three men in the area. Before that, villagers in Jathana of Kathua district had reported spotting six suspicious men, leading to a similar search operation on May 14, but no arrests were made.

After protests, Raj offers `50L to 2 families of Reasi victims

Jaipur: Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh each for two Jaipur families that lost four members to the terror attack in Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

The exceptional assistance was approved by relaxing guidelines of the chief minister’s relief fund, CM’s office said.

The ex gratia was announced after protests erupted outside the Murlipura and Chomu police stations of Jaipur on Tuesday as the bodies of four members of a family, including a child, killed in the attack were brought back to the city. Thousands of people protested here demanding compensation and jobs for the bereaved families.

The police used mild force to disperse the crowd. Protests ended in the evening after the assurance of financial assistance. Police and administration also promised a dairy booth and a contractual job, to the next of kin.

Demonstrations demanding compensation for family members of those killed began when the bodies reached Jaipur by Pooja Express around 9.30am on Tuesday.

TNN

Forces step up hunt for Reasi attackers, sketch of an ultra released

Sanjay Khajuria TNN

Jammu: Security forces have heightened vigilance and intensified checks in Jammu and Rajouri districts of J&K after intelligence reports indicated that terrorists involved in Sunday’s deadly ambush on a pilgrim bus in neighbouring Reasi may have infiltrated these areas to escape a sweeping search operation spanning over 30km of challenging terrain, characterised by dense forests and deep gorges near the attack site, official sources said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, at least 20 local residents have been detained for questioning to determine if they saw the terrorists or inadvertently assisted them. J&K police released a sketch of one of the terrorists and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information about him.

The suspected kingpins of the attack include former Pakistani army SSG commando turned Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Illiyas Fauji and three other Pakistan- based LeT terrorists: Abu Hamza, Handoon, and Sajjad Jutt. “They are also believed to have orchestrated a previous attack on an IAF convoy on May 4, which resulted in the death of an airman,” an official said.

According to sources, at least three Pakistani LeT terrorists, acting on orders from their commander Abu Hamza, ambushed the bus with sophisticated weapons, including a US-made M4 Carbine, near Teryath village in Poni area of Reasi. The bus, en route from Shiv Khori cave shrine to Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Katra, veered off the road and tumbled down the mountainside.

The attack resulted in nine fatalities, including a two-year-old child and a 14-year-old boy, and left 41 others wounded. The casualties included four family members from Rajasthan’s Chomu, three people from UP, and the bus driver and conductor, both Reasi natives. The bodies of the four victims from Rajasthan arrived in Jaipur by train Tuesday.

Times City

- Cruel Summer: Delhi Sweats Over Power, Water

- BJP: AAP govt colluding with tanker mafia

- Atishi cites ‘Haryana affidavit’ to back her water supply claims; ‘lies’, says LG

- Heat tightens grip again, Narela sizzles at 47.1°C

- Rai to head inter-dept meet on summer action plan tomorrow

- Govt sends files for premature release of 14 convicts to LG

- This city tech university loves planet Earth — and it shows!

- Sent Hoax Email To IGI For ‘Fun’, 13-Yr-Old Held

- 61-yr-old to plant 30 saplings in lieu of end to criminal case: HC

- 3 cops transferred for organising Eid event for gangster

- Dwarka park wall defaced, case filed

- 4 employees among 9 freed in bank fraud case

- Nehru Park’s Cycling Facility Loses Track

- Kanwar yatra: Atishi shares action plan for preparations

- Part-time mason, his associate held for thefts in city

- Bus crashes into food carts, condo wall; 1 dies

- Jafrabad murder: Police ask JJB to try 3 minors as adults

- Fire erupts in petrol tanker at Dabri pump

- PEOPLE'S TREE THAT FELL IN 2018 STORM RESURRECTED

- No Repeat Of Last Year’s Floods, Says Bharadwaj

- NDMC to plant 1,500 saplings, 4L shrubs as part of monsoon plan

- Mid-summer nightmare for Delhi family in Reasi

- UP revokes order cancelling land allotments to M3M

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- Kalkaji Temple stage case: HC asks police to finish probe

Cruel Summer: Delhi Sweats Over Power, Water

Fire At Mandola Grid In UP Causes Outages In Large Parts Of City, Atishi Seeks Time With Union Minister

Abhinav.Rajput@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: The city found itself grappling with a dual crisis on Tuesday: an acute power shortage coinciding with a soaring mercury level. The outage, which began at around 2pm, was triggered by a fire at a power grid in Mandola, Uttar Pradesh, which supplies 1,500MW to the capital. The duration of the power cuts varied across different areas, with some experiencing blackouts lasting up to an hour, while others were without power for two to three hours.

The power disruptions, combined with daytime temperatures exceeding 43 degrees Celsius in several parts of the city, created a challenging situation for people in ITO, Laxmi Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Jamia, Narela, Model Town, Rohini, Kashmere Gate, Civil Lines, Mukherjee Nagar, Jahangirpuri, Sarita Vihar and Sukhdev Vihar.

The residents had to endure the sweltering heat without fans and AC. Other conveniences like lifts and escalators too went out of operation during the outage. As Sanjay Gupta of Model Town said, “Several blocks of Model Town had power failure for an hour. The RWA WhatsApp groups started buzzing. Even lifts were out of operation, making it especially difficult for old people to go out or come home.”

BS Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWAs Joint Front, said there was no electricity in his area for over an hour and a half. “The situation has been bad in the past week, and worsened today,” he said. “Both of my daughters are studying for their exams and it was tough for them without electricity.”

With traffic lights not working either, there were jams in some areas. A traffic officer said the power outage from 2.10pm to 3.45pm affected traffic signals at ITO, Krishna Nagar, East Azad Nagar, Bihari Colony and GTB Enclave. Among the affected areas across the city were prominent junctions such as Rajghat crossing, Delhi Gate crossing, Daryaganj, Guru Nanak Chowk, Ajmeri Gate, Kamala Market, Minto Road and Deendayal Upadhyaya-Kotla Road. Also affected were Kalka Das Marg, Liberty Cinema, Munjal Chowk, Khadda Point, Shadipur Chowk and Kalinga Chowk.

Traffic personnel managed the affected traffic intersections manually and ensured a smooth flow without any congestion being reported in the traffic circles.

Power minister Atishi said she has sought time to meet Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the chairperson of Power Grid Corporation of India, saying the consequences of a power failure in the national capital due to a national grid problem could prove serious.

“Very little electricity is produced in Delhi, so we buy electricity from other states. This reaches us through NTPC and PGCIL. It is very worrying that today the national power infrastructure collapsed,” she said. “If the power infrastructure in the country's capital fails like this because of the national grid, then it can have very serious consequences.”

Discom Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, which provides power in north Delhi, claimed it swiftly restored electricity to homes. It said that load shedding of 440MW affected four lakh consumers, starting at 14.11pm. “Almost immediately, alternate supply was arranged from other grids and supply restoration started by 14.58pm,” a company statement said.

BJP: AAP govt colluding with tanker mafia

New Delhi: Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday accused Arvind Kejriwal’s govt of colluding with the tanker mafia to steal water from Munak Canal.

At a press conference, Sachdeva presented photos and videos purportedly showing tankers drawing water from the canal, claiming that this theft was a“premeditated conspiracy” by AAP govt to turn the water crisis into a profit-making venture. He also questioned the “delayed operational status” of the Chandrawal and Dwarka water treatment plants.

Sachdeva accused govt of turning the situation into a revenue generating avenue in connivance with its ministers and MLAs.

He alleged that water released by Haryana was stolen by the tanker mafia between Munak Canal and Kakori with Delhi govt's support. “If Delhi residents are struggling for every drop of water, the responsibility lies with the water minister, the Jal Board, officials, chairman, and Delhi govt,” he said.

Delhi BJP media department head Praveen Shankar Kapoor said hundreds were posting videos showing wastage due to leaks in Jal Board pipelines. He said govt was misleading the public with false statements.

Sachdeva said: “On June 9, Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj inspected the canal area, where Jal Board officials confirmed that Haryana is supplying more than enough water. Still, they blame Haryana govt.”

TNN

Atishi cites ‘Haryana affidavit’ to back her water supply claims; ‘lies’, says LG

DELHIITES BEAR THE BRUNT AMID POLITICAL BLAME GAME

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Citing an affidavit purportedly filed by Haryana govt in Supreme Court on June 10, Delhi water minister Atishi on Tuesday alleged that the neighbouring state was “deliberately” and “illegally” halting water supply to the capital.

At a press conference, Atishi claimed that as “less” water was being released by Haryana, Delhi was unable to meet its daily water requirement.

Accusing Haryana govt of “lying”, she added that she would write to the chief minister of that state and inform Supreme Court on Wednesday during the hearing in the ongoing case related to Delhi’s water supply.

“Haryana govt has been lying that they have released adequate water to Delhi. Their affidavit filed in Supreme Court presents the data on actual discharge of water which has exposed their lie,” Atishi said.

The minister claimed that Haryana govt in the affidavit gave the figures of water it released through CLC (carrier line channel) and DSB (Delhi sub-branch) — the two arms of Munak Canal — from May 1 to June 10, which “exposed” how the supply was “reduced”.

“The figures of the affidavit... show that from May 1 to 22, Haryana released 719 cusecs of water in CLC and 330 cusecs of water in DSB through Munak Canal. That me- ans 1,049 cusecs were released daily. But after this, it started decreasing from May 23. That means, that when there were elections in Delhi, Haryana reduced the water,” Atishi said.

“Compared to 719 cusecs of water in CLC and 330 cusecs in DSB, the supply became 675 cusecs and 283 cusecs. These are not ours, but Haryana’s figures. The elections in Delhi were on May 25, before that, the water supply to Delhi was reduced for four days,” she said.

The minster claimed that on June 7, 8, 9 and 10, Haryana was supposed to release 719 cusecs of water in CLC, instead of which only 675 cusecs were released, and in DSB, instead of 330 cusecs, 310 cusecs of water was released.

“It has become clear that Haryana is releasing only 985 cusecs of water, instead of 1,050 cusecs, which is becoming even less in Delhi due to transmission loss,” she said.

Atishi said that Delhi was falling short of 40-45 million gallons per day of water due to the reduced supply from Haryana.

The minister said that Delhi govt's quick response team had been tasked to inspect the distribution plants to check for leakage.

Referring to the statement from the LG’s office on Monday about water being lost in transmission due to poor maintenance of Munak Canal, Atishi said the responsibility of repairing and maintaining the channel lay with Haryana govt. She added that if the water was being stolen by tankers, the LG should ask Delhi police to take action.

“The way BJP holds a press conference and puts every problem on the head of Delhi govt, LG sahab also tries to do the same. No matter who makes a mistake, he puts the responsibility on Delhi govt,” she said.

The LG’s office said Atishi was again “lying”.

Officials said the question of shortfall was irrelevant since, by Atishi’s admission, all WTPs, barring one, were producing more water than their capacity, from water supplied by the Munak Canal from Haryana.

“The only one that is not is the Wazirabad WTP which lifts water from the reservoir behind Wazirabad barrage which is filled with silt up to 96% of its capacity and has not been desilted for 10 years, said an official.

Officials added that Haryana govt repairs the canal but at the demand of and payment by Delhi govt. “Obviously, Delhi govt has never tried to ascertain the disrepair and never asked for its repair,” the official said.

On the issue of tankers stealing water from the canal, officials said DJB has never filed a police complaint. “This is because there is connivance between the tanker mafia and AAP. Let her file a complaint, LG will ensure strictest action,” the LG’s office said.

The officials from Haryana irrigation and water resources department chose to be silent on the issues raised by Atishi.

Requesting anonymity, officials said their stand was that Delhi was getting the mandated supply of water.

Heat tightens grip again, Narela sizzles at 47.1°C

RIDING THE HEATWAVE: Met department issued an orange alert for Wednesday

HEAT IS ON

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Several parts of Delhi reeled under a heatwave for the third straight day in a row. Narela, which was under the grip of a “severe heatwave,” sizzled at 47.1 degrees Celsius, seven notches above normal.

The blistering heat is likely to intensify on Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department has predicted "heatwave" conditions at many places and “severe heatwave” conditions at isolated places. While the met department has issued an “orange” alert for Wednesday, a “yellow” alert has been placed from June 13 to 17.

An orange alert warning by the met department asks people to ‘be prepared’ about a weather phenomenon, while a yellow alert urges people to ‘be aware’.

Safdarjung, which is the city’s base station, did not record a heatwave as the maximum temperature was 43.8 degrees Celsi- us, four notches above normal. However, a heatwave was reported at Lodhi Road, Ridge, Jafarpur, Najafgarh, Pitampura and Pusa. The maximum temperature at Palam was 44.1 degrees Celsisus, Lodhi Road 44.4, Ridge 45, Ayanagar 44.8, Jafarpur 45.3, Najafgarh 46.6, Pitampura 46.2, Pusa 45.7, SPS Mayur Vihar 43.2, and Raj Ghat 43.3.

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 28 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity oscil- lated between 22% and 58%. The heat index or feel-like temperature was 46.3 degrees Celsius.

The met department has predicted that the day temperature is likely to touch 45 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung on Wednesday, and it may lead to a heatwave. Since many stations are recording a higher mercury level than Safdarjung, these stations may see a rise in temperature by one to two degrees. The minimum temperature is likely to hover around 30 degrees Celsius.

“Due to the high temperature, there is an increased likelihood of heat illness symptoms in people who are either exposed to the sun for a prolonged period or doing heavy work. High health concern for vulnerable people, including infants, elderly people with chronic diseases,” stated IMD.

Asking people to avoid heat exposure, IMD advised them to wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose, and cotton clothes. “Cover your head by using a cloth, hat or umbrella. Drink sufficient water, even if not thirsty. Use ORS, homemade drinks like lassi, torani (rice water), lemon water, buttermilk, etc., to keep yourself hydrated,” it stated.

The maximum temperature is predicted to remain around 45 degrees Celsius for the next seven days with heatwave conditions. Delhi’s air quality, meanwhile, worsened from the “moderate” category on Monday to the “poor” band on Tuesday. The Air Quality Index was 221.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain in the “poor” category until June 14.

Rai to head inter-dept meet on summer action plan tomorrow

SUMMER WOES CONTINUE

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai will hold a meeting with senior officials of the departments concerned regarding the “summer action plan” on June 13.

Rai said Delhi govt had started working on the summer action plan to deal with the problem of pollution in summer. A high-level meeting will be held on Thursday with officials of the environment department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, development department, forest department and other related departments. The main points of the summer action plan on which govt will work in the coming days will be discussed in this meeting.

The environment minister said the pollution control works done by various departments last year would be reviewed in the meeting. All the activities of the previous few summers will also be reviewed, he added.

“Air pollution can increase in Delhi- NCR during the summer season. Dust, vehicle pollution and incidents of fire contribute to this. Through the summer action plan, we will run many campaigns so that the people of Delhi can get relief from pollution. We will ensure maximum public participation in these campaigns. Apart from this, we will appeal to govts of neighbouring states to cooperate with us and adopt anti-pollution measures so that not only Delhi but also the entire NCR can get rid of pollution,” Rai said.

Govt sends files for premature release of 14 convicts to LG

New Delhi: Delhi govt has sent the file pertaining to premature release of 14 convicts to lieutenant governor VK Saxena for approval, an official statement said on Tuesday.

Home minister Kailash Gahlot held a meeting of the Sentence Review Board (SRB) with other members, including additional chief secretary (Home), director general (Prison), principal secretary (Law), principal district judge, special commissioner of police and director of social welfare on February 23.

In the meeting, the board has considered total 92 cases and 14 of them have been recommended for premature release of convicts from prison. The proposal has been submitted to the lieutenant governor for approval, the statement added.

“The Sentence Review Board has thoroughly considered each case on its individual merits, keeping in mind the principles of justice and rehabilitation,” Gahlot said, as per the statement.

“The recommended premature releases reflect our commitment to reintegrating reformed individuals back into society and reducing the burden on our prison system. We believe in offering second chance to those who have shown genuine improvement and remorse during their incarceration,” he added.

PTI

This city tech university loves planet Earth — and it shows!

Shreya.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: The oppressive heat gave way to refreshing coolness when TOI entered the Delhi Technological University campus in Rohini on Tuesday. This was thanks to a lush canopy of over 5,000 trees. Back in 2019, when construction began on two new academic buildings, a dilemma had arisen. What was to be done with the 111 mature trees on the site? DTU opted to transplant them to other parts of the campus. The cooler environs of the campus today prove sustainability is not just a concept but a practised reality.

But DTU has set other benchmarks for campuses too. Its new buildings are eco-friendly marvels, providing cooler interiors, clean electricity and prudently used water. The solar panels on the terraces generate 954kW of energy, while the newly constructed hostels have solar hot water systems. “By reducing the demand for electricity and gas, the water heating system helps decrease carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels,” said Anil Haritash, professor of environmental engineering at DTU.

And the green initiatives don't stop there. The campus is a zero-liquid discharge zone, meaning every drop of wastewater is treated and reused, thereby reducing the strain on natural resources. The heart of this system is an advanced sewage treatment plant that employs vermifiltration — a process during which composting worms help purify water. Around 5 lakh litres of treated water are reused for flushing the toilets on the campus and anot- her 50,000 litres for horticulture and construction projects.

There are five rainwater harvesting units and blue trunks filled with plants and encased in grills in the parks form DTU's constructed wetland system for greywater treatment. Professor Haritash explained, “We conduct experiments in these trunks in which plants process wastewater and remove most pollutants. We've extended this concept to the pond.” This picturesque pond not only supports biodiversity, attracting birds and ducks, but also collects the runoff and recharges groundwater as a wetland does. The result is a self-sustaining water ecosystem that nourishes the campus’s greenery and conserves a precious resource.

Waste management also showcases DTU’s innovation. A 1TPD (tonne per day) waste-to-energy plant converts food waste from the hostel mess and canteens into biogas and electricity. “1TPD of waste can generate biogas of 100-120 Nm3/day and 50-100 kWH per day of net electricity and 150kg of compost. Our plant is currently functioning at 50% of its capacity and generates 1kW of energy per hour of operation,” revealed Haritash. The resulting slurry is used by the horticulture department as biofertiliser.

To reduce pollution, DTU does not allow commercial transport into the campus. There are electric golf carts for movement of students on the campus. A 35-seater CNG bus brings students and staff from Badli and Rithala metro stations to the campus for free. The environment audit report claims that the air quality on the campus is monitored regularly by the environmental engineering department. The report says a monitoring station on the campus gives real-time data every 15 minutes. Apart from that, external monitoring is also conducted once every six months.

The campus has a designated junkyard where all types of scrap are managed and disposed of through an e-auction process. It has diesel generator sets of 320KVA and 500KVA capacities installed in five substations for power backup. “Waste from these DG sets is temporarily stored in drums onsite and collected by vendors selected through the university's online tender process. The electronic waste generated by various departments and administrative buildings is stored in the scrap yards. Disposal of both e-waste and other wastes is conducted through the GEMPORTAL e-auction process,” said Haritash.

Prateek Sharma, vice-chancellor, an environmentalist himself, plans to expand its environmental engineering department and offer BSc and MSc degrees in environmental science. He also wants to set up a centre of excellence in climate science and sustainability. “DTU is an environmentally conscious institute with its roots instilled deep in a glorious past of 83 years of society-centric academics and research,” said Sharma. “We strongly believe in creating an atmosphere for catalysing new ideas for designing solutions and putting the knowledge into action for better environmental quality and sustainability.”

Sent Hoax Email To IGI For ‘Fun’, 13-Yr-Old Held

Says Wanted To See If Police Could Trace Him

Earlier this month, there was a bomb scare at IGI Airport for a flight bound from Varanasi to Delhi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 13-year-old boy was apprehended for allegedly sending a bomb threat email targeting a flight scheduled from Delhi to Toronto on June 4. The boy allegedly sent the email “just for fun” to test if the authorities could trace him.

The email had triggered a full-scale security response at the Delhi airport. The aircraft, carrying 301 passengers and 16 crew members, was evacuated and taken to the isolation bay for security checks. “The email was eventually determined to be a hoax,” said deputy commissioner of police (airport) Usha Rangnani.

A team, led by inspector Vijender Rana, the station house officer of IGI Airport police station, was formed to investigate the incident. Despite initial challenges, relentless investigation and technical efforts led the team to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and the boy was apprehended.

The boy confessed to his actions and revealed that he had got the idea from a news report about a bomb hoax at the Mumbai airport. He claimed that he wanted to see whether police could track him if he sent the email anonymously. He also admitted to creating a fake email ID on his mobile phone and using his mother’s mobile internet via Wi-Fi to send the hoax email. He had deleted the email ID immediately after sending the mail.

Two mobile phones, believed to be linked to the transmission of the hoax email, were seized by police. The boy was presented before the juvenile justice board and later released to his parents as per the board’s order.

Delhi Police has urged citizens to refrain from making hoax calls or emails for amusement, highlighting the serious consequences and potential imprisonment such actions can lead to.

Earlier this month, there was a bomb scare at IGI Airport for a flight bound from Varanasi to Delhi. A woman caller informed Delhi International Airport Limited’s security staff that her husband, who was arriving from Varanasi to Delhi on an IndiGo flight, was carrying a bomb in his handbag. Nothing suspicious was eventually found.

In another incident on May 28, a note reading “bomb blast at 5.30” was found in an aircraft’s lavatory and created chaos at IGIA, leading to the evacuation of all 176 passengers through emergency exits.

61-yr-old to plant 30 saplings in lieu of end to criminal case: HC

The continuation of the case would be nothing but an abuse of the process of the court, Justice Mendiratta said, after the woman agreed to the settlement

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has ended criminal proceedings against a 61-year-old after he resolved the matter with the woman who had accused him of outraging her modesty. The relief was granted on the condition that the man will plant 30 saplings.

While dealing with a petition seeking to quash the FIR under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her mo- desty) of the Indian Penal Code registered against the man, Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta observed that since the matter has been amicably settled, no useful purpose would be served by keeping the case pending.

The continuation of the case would be nothing but an abuse of the process of the court, Justice Mendiratta said, after the woman agreed to the settlement.

“Consequently, FIR under sections 354 IPC registered at police station Vasant Kunj, South, and proceedings emanating from them stand quashed,” the court noted in a recent order.

“Instead of imposing the costs upon the petitioner, he is directed to plant 30 saplings of trees, which are up to three feet in height in the local park or in the area of PS Vasant Kunj, South after getting in touch with the competent authority…,” it directed.

The court made it clear that the upkeep of the saplings shall be undertaken by the authorities concerned and in case of non-compliance of the directions for planting of the trees, the petitioner shall pay a cost of Rs 30,000 to Delhi State Legal Services Authority.

In Nov 2016, the woman accused the petitioner of outraging her modesty. The petitioner told the court that the FIR was lodged on account of some differences which have been amicably resolved.

The court observed that heinous and serious offences involving mental depravity or offences such as murder, rape and dacoity cannot be quashed despite a settlement but offences which have a predominant element of civil dispute or those involving minor incidents, where the complainant or the victim has been compensated, stand on a different footing.

After interacting with the parties, the court said both of them wanted to put an end to the proceedings and the settlement would promote harmony and permit them to move forward in life. It also said the chances of conviction are also bleak given the amicable settlement.

3 cops transferred for organising Eid event for gangster

New Delhi: Three policemen from the special staff unit of northeast district, including the unit head, have been transferred following allegations of hosting an Eid celebration for gangster Hashim Baba within their office premises. The action was taken after an inquiry.

According to an order by the DCP (northeast), a sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector were sent to district lines, while the inspector was attached to the district investigation unit. "The transfers/postings in respect of the following police personnel are hereby ordered on administrative grounds with immediate effect," read the June 10 order.

"They may be relieved at once with the direction to report at their new place of posting and a compliance report may be sent to DCP office," it added.

According to sources, it was alleged that the cops had apprehended Baba for interrogation in a case and subsequently brought him to their office, where a gathering took place, attended by his associates and family members.

In light of these allegations, a senior officer had issued a directive on June 1 for a thorough inquiry into the matter.

TNN

Dwarka park wall defaced, case filed

New Delhi: An objectionable piece of graffiti was discovered on a wall in Dwarka on Monday. The graffiti, which read “Free Kashmir”, was found on the wall of a DDA park in Dwarka Sector 13. It was discovered by the patrolling staff who alerted senior officers. A case was filed under relevant sections of IPC and the Defacement of Property Act at the Dwarka North police station.

TNN

4 employees among 9 freed in bank fraud case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A court recently acquitted nine people in a corruption case in which it was alleged that the Canara Bank branch on Parliament Street in Delhi was defrauded of Rs 4.8 crore. Four of them were bank employees.

Flagging the “casual manner” of investigation conducted by CBI, the court of special judge Hasan Anzar said none of the employees of the sister firms of the private accused company was questioned by the agency.

The casual manner of the investigation and the conduct of the prosecution were reflected in the fact that an unsigned and unknown email containing the name of accused-3 and accused-5 were brought into record without any certificate under section 65B of Indian Evidence Act, the judge said on June 3, adding that the document that was presented by the prosecution to allege culpability was not enough.

The case was registered in 2011 and the trial began in 2015. CBI had alleged in its chargesheet that four criminal conspiracies to defraud the bank were hatched between 2003 and 2007 by the accused, including the four bank employees. Funds were allegedly diverted via 47 cheques to the sister companies of Harpreet Fashion, the main accused, which was granted a loan by the bank.

The court, however, said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the public servants and could not also establish that there was any conspiracy between them and the private accused people. Observing that CBI did not investigate the final balance sheet of the company, it expressed displeasure over the “feeble explanation” that the bank did not provide proper documents.

The court observed that the prosecution had also not examined or analysed the bank accounts, statement of accounts, balance sheet and the relevant income-tax return of the sister companies. It noted that Harpreet Fashion came into existence only in March 2004 while the prosecution’s charge was that the conspiracies were hatched between 2003 and 2007.

The court also held that the agency didn’t take into account the role of the bank’s circle office and head office, which used to grant credit extensions to Harpreet Fashion despite its poor financial condition.

Nehru Park’s Cycling Facility Loses Track

Yet To Open Despite Completion 2 Months Ago

NDMC OFFICIAL SAYS Now that the model code is lifted, we are waiting for an appropriate time to announce the opening

The track is designed to allow the movement of two cycles simultaneously

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: The laying of a 2.7-km cycling track around Nehru Park was completed by NDMC nearly two months ago, but the facility is yet to be thrown open for use, making cycling enthusiasts wonder why.

The track is designed to allow the movement of two cycles simultaneously. Light poles too have been installed.

According to an official, the construction was over in Feb, but the painting work was put on hold due to rain in the city. "But that work was also completed later in AprilMay. To make sure there is enough light on the track and cyclists can enjoy their rides, lamp posts have also been installed," the official said.

NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay confirmed that lighting and other tasks were complete. "However, with the announcement of Lok Sabha elections and with the model code of conduct kicking in, everything was put on hold. Recently, the chairman of NDMC was transferred. Now that the model code is lifted, we are waiting for an appropriate time to announce the opening," he said.

The dedicated cycle track was developed by NDMC around the boundary wall of Nehru Park to encourage enthusiasts to safely cycle along the lush green park's perimeter. "Cycles can be parked in the parking areas later and people can go inside the park," the official added.

"The track has been prepared with the latest specification of techniques with a 150 mm thick concrete layer, 6 mm thick micro surfacing and 2 mm cold plastic paint overlay and cycle logos have also been painted here," the official added.

In mid-January 2023, the LG laid the project's foundation.

Nehru Park in Chanakyapuri, spanning 75 acres, is en- circled by various embassies, high commissions, residences of diplomats and highprofile dignitaries, as well as state bhawans and homes of central govt employees.

In addition to this 2.7-km cycle track, the council has also planned another track project spanning 9-10 km. It aims to link govt housing colonies with offices near North Block, South Block, Nirman Bhawan, Central Secretariat and New Moti Bagh areas. However, financial approval for this project is pending.

The Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (planning & engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) has already approved the project, and the School of Planning and Architect has prepared a detailed project report. Nevertheless, no progress has been reported on this matter.

Kanwar yatra: Atishi shares action plan for preparations

The district magistrates have been asked to submit weekly report on preparations to the minister’s office

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: With kanwar yatra starting on July 22, Delhi revenue minister Atishi held a meeting with officials on Tuesday to discuss the preparations.

After the meeting, Atishi said that nearly 200 camps will be set up in Delhi for the 10-day yatra of Lord Shiva’s devotees, who bring the holy Ganga water from Rishikesh and Haridwar. Most of these devotees cover this over 200-km distance on foot.

Atishi met district magistrates and senior officials of revenue department to discuss the arrangements for the kanwar camps. Most camps are set up in east and north east and Shahdara districts – the primary entry points for kanwariyas to the city from UP.

The revenue minister said that waterproof tents, furniture, mobile toilets, water, medical and other necessary facilities will be made available in the camp for kanwariyas. “Instructions have been given to all district magistrates to ensure every necessary step for the safety of kanwariyas,” she said.

The district administration will also connect with local hospitals and dispensaries to provide medical facilities to the pilgrims. “CAT ambulances will be available for any emergency. Hospitals will be instructed to make special arrangements for the treatment of kanwariyas,” the minister said in a statement.

The district magistrates have been asked to submit weekly report on preparations to the minister’s office, Delhi govt said.

Part-time mason, his associate held for thefts in city

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 45-year-old man, who worked as a part-time mason during day, transformed into a thief during the night, skilfully sneaking through dark alleys to commit burglaries across several parts of the city. The suspect and his one associate have been arrested, police said.

Upon receiving information that someone had entered a house in north Delhi's Civil Lines by breaking the locks, a police team rushed to the spot, but the suspect managed to escape, cops said.

After registering a case on June 4, several teams were formed, and they examined approximately 50 CCTV’s footage to extract the suspect’s photos and vi- deos which were circulated among the staff and informers, the officer said. Eventually, one informer provided crucial information about the suspect and a trap was laid, leading to the arrest of suspect Mohammad Akram near Tikona Park, the officer added.

During the interrogation, Akram claimed to have committed burglaries all over Delhi and had committed at least four burglaries in posh houses in north Delhi since last Dec, the officer said, adding that his associate Khalid, whom Akram sold the stolen properties, was also arrested at his behest. Khalid lives in Lajpat Nagar.

Over the past 20 years, Akram claimed to have committed 33 burglaries in affluent areas across various police stations in the city, the officer said. Since 2004, he has been committing crimes and has been involved in burglaries in Hauz Khas, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Greater Kailash, Harsh Vihar, Safdarjung Enclave, South Campus, New Friends Colony, Tughlak Road, Defence Colony, Gokulpuri, and Civil Lines, added the officer.

The suspect operated alone, from conducting reconnaissance to committing the theft; he did everything by himself as he thought that this was an easy way to evade police, the officer said, adding, "He used to commit burglaries at night, and he also used to conduct reconnaissance during that time. He would check which houses were locked".

Bus crashes into food carts, condo wall; 1 dies

The bus was ferrying 15-20 people

Advitya.Bahl@timesgroup.com

Noida: A bus ferrying employees of a private company ploughed through a row of food carts before crashing into the boundary wall of a housing society in Sector 118 on Tuesday evening, killing a momo vendor and leaving his brother grievously injured.

Police said the bus driver — who fled leaving the vehicle behind — lost control while negotiating a turn and crashed into the carts outside Shri Ram Apartments. According to witnesses, there were 15-20 people inside the bus when the accident occurred around 7.30pm.

According to cops, a passerby called to inform them about the accident. “A team rushed to the spot from Sector 113 police station. Two persons were under the chassis of the bus that had already crashed into the wall of the society. We came to know that the driver was negotiating a turn at high speed and ploughed the bus into some carts and finally the wall,” said Vidyasagar Mishra, DCP.

Originally from Nepal, brothers Deepak and Sushil were at a momo stall when the bus crashed into them. Deepak succumbed to injuries during treatment.

“Initial investigation has revealed that the bus is regis- tered in the name of Awana Tours and Travels. The driver fled the spot after the accident. We are getting in touch with the owner to get details about the driver. We hope to arrest him soon,” an official said.

The bus, sources said, was attached to a private company and was ferrying its employees home. It was on its way to Sector 122 from the 7X sectors.

Shri Ram residents were left in a shock.

“Before crashing into the food carts and the wall, the bus hit a bike left by the road. Fortunately, none from our society was injured. There were so many of them out for evening walks when the accident occurred. We are in shock,” said Anoop Kumar, the RWA president at Sri Ram Apartments.

Bhagat Singh, who owns the momo cart where the two brothers worked, said he had almost caught hold of the driver. “Since I did not have anyone to support me, he freed himself from my clutches . He appeared to be drunk.”

Jafrabad murder: Police ask JJB to try 3 minors as adults

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi Police has written to the juvenile justice board (JJB) requesting that three minors allegedly involved in a murder case in northeast Delhi’s Jafrabad be tried as adults. The suspects claimed that the victim had threatened them a few days earlier, police said.

The deceased was identified as Nazir, who lived in northeast Delhi’s Chauhan Bangar. Nazir (35) was a witness to the murder of his brother Amir, allegedly by the gang led by Almas, also known as Allu, police sources said.

One of the minors was 16-year-old and above, while bone ossification tests were being conducted on the other, the sources said, adding that the third suspect turned out to be less than 15 years old.

A purported video of the incident showed that a man was being stabbed repeatedly by a group of four boys in the first week of May.

Regarding one of the minors turning out to be above the age of 16 years, the JJB stated that the offense committed is heinous in nature, thus requiring a preliminary assessment under Section 15 of the JJ Act to be conducted.

Fire erupts in petrol tanker at Dabri pump

New Delhi: A major tragedy was narrowly avoided when a fire erupted in a petrol tanker parked at a pump in Dabri.

Police said they received a PCR call about the incident. Flames had just begun to errupt from the top of the tanker, but thanks to the quick response of the pump staff, the fire was swiftly extinguished. ‘The petrol station staff were present at the site at and the situation had become chaotic,” an officer noted. Fortunately, no significant damage or loss was reported. Additionally, a fire tender also arrived at the scene.

TNN

PEOPLE'S TREE THAT FELL IN 2018 STORM RESURRECTED

1 A peepal tree in New Friends Colony fell during a storm in May 2018, also damaging a few cars in its wake

2 The tree's roots were weakened due to concretisation

3 The authorities wanted to dispose of the tree, but residents who offered prayers there wanted to save it

4 Verhaen Khanna, founder, New Delhi Nature Society, an NGO, contacted agencies and residents and convinced them that the tree could be saved

5 The work to save the tree began in June 2018 first week

6 Branches were cut to clear the road and to make the tree lighter to lift

7 MCD provided mud and labourers, Delhi Police gave crane, BSES removed wires to make safe for the workers and residents provided refreshment to the team

8 The pit was dug deeper

9 A crane was used to lift the tree into its place

10 The original soil was put back without the rocks. The tree was stabilised and more soil and fertilisers added

11 Residents started watering it daily

12 New leaves started growing in two weeks

Text: Priyangi Agarwa

No Repeat Of Last Year’s Floods, Says Bharadwaj

Cites Novel Experiment To Prevent Water Accumulation

Last year, the ITO barrage caused significant flooding in the Yamuna, said an official

Abhinav.Rajput@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Irrigation and flood control minister Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed confidence on Tuesday that the city would not experience flooding this monsoon as the Yamuna would have an unobstructed path for its flow. During an inspection of the ITO Barrage to assess the progress of desilting work, he pointed out that the barrage fell under the jurisdiction of Haryana govt and attributed last year's flood in Delhi to the "blocking of its gates".

According to Bharadwaj, the Delhi irrigation and flood control department has implemented a novel approach called the "Pilot Cut" for the first time to prevent water accumulation in the Yamuna and to mitigate the risk of flooding.

This experiment involves excavating small channels from the accumulated soil in front of the barrage, extending a considerable distance. As a result, small islands of soil are created between the artificial channels formed in the Yamuna.

"When rainwater is released from Haryana, it will flow swiftly through these artificial channels, carrying with it the small soil islands, thereby eliminating any possibility of water stagnation and allowing the water to flow swiftly ahead. This procedure ensures that there will be no likelihood of water accumulating in the Yamuna, terminating all potential flood scenarios due to unhindered water flow," he added.

Last year, Delhi was hit by floods that required the evacuation of more than 23,000 people to govt shelters, tents and under flyovers at Mayur Vi- har, Sonia Vihar and Geeta Colony. More than 8,000 people had taken refuge on the Delhi section of the Noida Link Road.

Several parts of the city, including ITO, were hit by waterlogging. People in Civil Lines were forced to leave their bungalows or were rescued as water entered the homes.

A senior official said that flood-mitigating action has been taken at vulnerable sites, including Minto Bridge, Pul Prahladpur, Ring Road opposite WHO and Jahangirpuri metro.

“Last year, the ITO barrage caused significant flooding in the Yamuna, leading to waterlogging and severe inconvenience for nearby residents. Learning from past experience, govt has proactively commenced preparations,” the official said.

Bharadwaj said the amount of rainfall last year and the volume of water released into the Yamuna from Ha- ryana was unprecedented in decades. “Although this barrage falls under the jurisdiction of Haryana govt and its operation is their responsibility, this time, the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department has coordinated with the Haryana government to prepare for the potential issues,” he said.

The department has made such preparations that even if the same amount of water as last time flows into the Yamuna, there will be no flooding, he said.

Regarding large machines present on site that were being used to remove accumulated silt around the barrage gates, the minister said that this work was on for the last three months and a significant amount of silt around all the barrages had been removed. “Some barrage gates, which could not be opened, have been cut and removed to ensure that there is no obstruction to the water flow,” he said.

NDMC to plant 1,500 saplings, 4L shrubs as part of monsoon plan

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has developed a detailed monsoon plantation plan that involves growing 1,500 saplings of native species along with about 4 lakh shrubs and various other plants.

An official said: "A survey is already being done to identify gaps on avenue roads where trees were old, uprooted or damaged in the past, and now plantation will be done accordingly. We have set an exact target for 1,553 saplings and 3,97, 521 shrubs or bushes this year."

The saplings and shrubs will be strategically placed in gardens and along roadsides throughout the city. NDMC officials have confirmed that preparations have been made in nurseries to ensure success of this initiative. The planting will be done as soon as monsoon hits the city.

NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay said: "The tree saplings to be planted included neem, amaltas, peepal, tamarind, amla, ashoka, jamun, pilkhan etc. The selection of these varieties was made to match the trees already planted on avenue roads."

NDMC has also identified locations of uprooted trees, such as Lodhi Road, Shanti Path, Prithviraj Road, Safdarjung Road, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road and Ashoka Road.

Officials said: "New saplings will be planted here on priority. To ensure their sur- vival, irrigation arrangements will be made by running water tankers available with the horticulture department in two shifts."

NDMC has also planned to plant various shrubs and bushes, including hamelia, pinwheel flower (chandni), murraya, bougainvillea, and uganio, to fill the gaps between existing beds and in newly created beds.

"These shrubs will be basically used for filling the gap between existing beds as well as in newly created beds. The target was decided by surveying various sites. Most of these bushes will also help in dust suppression, go well according to Delhi's weather and cover the ground easily," Upadhyay said.

Places where 10,000 and more shrubs will be planted include Firozeshah Road, Ranjit Singh Flyover, Ashoka Road, Central Park Connaught Place, Mandir Marg, Copernicus Marg, Humayun Road, Nehru Park, Max Mueller Marg.

By focusing on key locations such as major roads, flyovers, parks and public spaces, NDMC hopes to create a visually appealing and environmentally friendly urban environment for residents and visitors.

NDMC is responsible for maintaining vast green spaces, spanning 1,500 acres and encompassing 135 green avenues. These areas include the well-known Nehru Park, Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden and Sanjay Jheel.

Mid-summer nightmare for Delhi family in Reasi

SHANKAR SAYS My children are still in shock. Last night, one of them started screaming ‘bachao, bachao’ in the middle of the night. I hope they recover soon

Ridhima.Gupta@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: A summer vacation holiday turned into a nightmare for a Delhi-based family in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district when the bus they were travelling in came under terrorist attack on Sunday. Bhawani Shankar, a resident of Tughlaqabad Extension, had taken his family on a trip to Vaishno Devi and they were, in his own words, “excited to make new memories, but were left with scars for life”.

The driver with a private company in the city said, “We had not taken a vacation as a family for a while. So, with my children on a summer break, we suddenly decided to visit Vaishno Devi, which we had never visited.” Shankar, 35, his wife Radha, 27, daughter Deeksha, 5, and son Raghav, 3, left Delhi for Jammu and reached Katra on June 6. “We had a darshan at the shrine in Vaishno Devi the next day and then took a day’s rest before taking alocal bus to Shiv Khori for sightseeing on June 9,” Shankar told TOI on phone from Jammu.

At around 6pm, when the family were riding back to Vaishno Devi from Shiv Khori, shots suddenly rang out. Recounting the moment of horror, Shankar said, “When I heard the loud noise, I did not understand that these were gunshots and that it was a terror attack. My first thought was a tyre blast or a mechanical failure. But the next few minutes, probably the toughest time of my life, made me realise that terrorists were shooting at us.”

The survivors recalled how soon after the first barrage of gunfire, the bus veered off the road and fell into a gorge. “Amidst the panic of trying to get out of the bus, the next round of firing started. It went on for a few minutes. It was only when it became silent that we cautiously began to get out of the bus,” said Shankar.

The family is undergoing treatment in Jammu. Radha suffered a leg fracture and a head injury, while Deeksha and Raghav sustained injuries requiring medical atten- tion. “My children are still in shock. Last night, one of them started screaming ‘bachao, bachao’ in the middle of the night. I hope they recover from the trauma soon. We are leaving Jammu with a new lease of life,” Shankar said.

He added, “I am still shaken and I keep seeing the horrific visuals in my mind. Forget about returning to Vaishno Devi, itna darr bhet gaya hai kay ab ghar se bahar hi na nikal paun (I am so jittery that I might not be able to step out of the house even).”

Five others from Delhi were also injured in Reasi and are undergoing medical treatment.

UP revokes order cancelling land allotments to M3M

Aditya.Dev@timesgroup.com

Noida: UP govt has revoked its order cancelling the allotment of two commercial land parcels to M3M Group subsidiaries, Lavish Buildmart and Skyline Propcon, in sectors 94 and 72.

The allotments were cancelled on May 10 after complaints that the land parcels were awarded to the company based on a solitary bid, which marginally exceeded the reserve price by Rs 5 lakh. On June 3, Noida Authority sealed the Rs 176.5-crore plot allotted to Skyline Propcon at Sector 72 in Feb last year for a commercial project, M3M The LINE –Luxury Retail and Pentsuites.

In a letter to Noida CEO Lokesh M, state industrial development department principal secretary Anil Kumar Sagar on Tuesday stated after due consideration of a report provided by the Authority and M3M India’s request to be heard in the matter, the govt has stayed the allotment cancellation order. With this, M3M will likely resume construction at its Sector 72 site.

“The order has instilled our faith in the state govt. We are committed to our investment in UP and will ensure jobs and opportunities,” arepresentative of M3M said.

M3M had earlier written to UP govt expressing their dismay over the cancellation of the land allotment without hearing their side. The realtor claimed over 1,400 customers had invested in its two projects since the allotment while over Rs 1,500 crore was invested by the realtors, including payment made to the Authority. The second plot was allotted to the M3M subsidiary, Lavish Buildmart, in Sector 94 worth Rs 827.4 crore through a commercial plot scheme in Nov 2022. The company had launched M3M The Cullinan on the 13-acre project with over 4 million square feet of saleable area.

The allotment cancellation order issued by the principal secretary in May stated that “there was a provision to consider a single bid after extending the tender date twice by the Authority, the aim of any tender is to get a competitive rate, which was not the case here”. It added the rules on net worth, insolvency and turnover were not followed.

5 Years On, Hospital Still Awaits Its Trauma Centre

Blame Game On Over Facility At Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hosp

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL SAYS All the 362 beds here will be emergency beds, which means we will require round-the-clock care in all the wards

Ridhima.Gupta@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: In September 2019, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal laid the foundation stone for the construction of a 362-bed trauma facility at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri. Five years later, despite regular claims that the centre would be ready soon, the almost-ready hospital building doesn’t look like it will be functioning any time soon. Now there is already a blame game going on between the state govt and the LG’s office on who is responsible for the delays.

The latest of numerous deadlines that the centre, being constructed by PWD, missed was May 31. The building is now expected to be ready by June-end, after which fire and pollution clearances will be sought. These would take a few months.

The Delhi cabinet note on the project touted the facility as the biggest trauma facility in the city. “All the 362 beds here will be emergency beds, which means we will require round-the-clock care in all the wards,” said a hospital official, requesting not to be named. “The staff will need to work in three shifts. Keeping the number of patients we expect, we have proposed a staff of around 2,700, including surgeons, doctors, nursing and technical personnel, paramedics and security people.”

The recruitment proposal, it is learnt, has been under the consideration of the administration reforms and public grievance department for the last two years.

When asked if the procurement of equipment and machinery had been initiated, TOI was told that Delhi govt’s health department had been given a list of needs. These were ascertained after a team from Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital visited other trauma centres, including at AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and GB Pant Hospital. “Based on the visits, we have submitted a tentative list of equipment, their specifications and costs to the health department,” said a hospital official.

When TOI wondered why there was a delay in recruitment and machinery procurement, govt sources said no allocations had been made for these in the 2023-24 state budget. A source claimed there was “no budget support for HR and infrastructure” at the trauma centre.

A govt statement however added, “There are multiple hospitals being constructed by govt of Delhi and these will add almost 10,000 beds to the govt health infrastructure of Delhi. However, the most important component of any functional hospital is manpower which includes doctors, specialists and nursing staff. As of today, there has been an undue long delay in hiring of this manpower even for vacant positions in existing Delhi Govt hospitals. As the hiring of doctors, specialists and nurses is directly under lieutenant governor, several letters have been written to him about the recruitment.”

The statement said that a special committee formed by Delhi High Court had in- deed highlighted the lack of doctors and specialists as a major problem in the city’s govt hospitals. “The high court is expecting the services department directly under LG to expedite the hiring process. The hospitals are almost ready, but they require doctors and specialists to run them. Without doctors and nurses, the buildings and equipment will start deteriorating if they are not used. The power to hire doctors and specialists was given to the elected govt of Delhi by the Supreme Court but the central govt has passed on this power to LG. This is very unfortunate that LG is not doing justice to the power that has been snatched from the elected govt and given to him.”

Responding to Delhi govt’s accusation about the LG being the cause of delay in recruitment, the LG’s office said that Delhi govt’s services department recruits and hires personnel on the basis of demands placed by other departments, including health, which is fully a transferred subject under the law. “The health minister and his predecessors deliberately delayed regular appointments by the services department so that they could employ people on ad hoc and contract basis through corrupt and political means. Besides, the idea was to hand over public health infrastructure to chosen and favoured private players,” the statement alleged.

It went on, “Whenever a request has been submitted, LG has personally ensured that the required recruitments are done at the earliest through due process. Ever since LG Saxena took over in May 2022, more than 25,000 permanent vacancies have been filled and thousands are under way.”

Smouldering waste: 839 cases kept firemen on their toes last month

Abhay@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: There has been a staggering 62% increase in calls about waste and garbage burning in Delhi this year compared with last year. These frequent incidents not only strain firefighters but also significantly contribute to air pollution in the city.

Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has received 2,425 calls regarding garbage burning so far this year in comparison to 1,498 calls during the same period last year. The data also shows a rise in monthly calls, with firefighters attending to 759 calls in April this year compared with 433 in April last year. Similarly, May saw 839 calls compared to 280 in the month last year.

A fire official explained that garbage fires often occur due to spontaneous combustion. This happens when decomposing organic materials in the garbage pile generate heat, and if the heat cannot escape, it can build up to the point of ignition. There are two other common causes—burning of garbage and carelessly discarded cigarette or bidi butts.

Additionally, improperly discarded hot ashes can smolder and reignite within garbage bins, leading to fires. In one of the cases reported in Feb, a major fire ripped through a slum cluster in Shahbad Dairy, gutting 130 shanties. The area was filled with highly combustible materials. Slum residents were found to be storing large quan- tities of waste items, including plastic bottles, near their temporary shelters. These flammable materials acted as catalysts, rapidly spreading the fire within seconds.

“The recent heatwave has seen a rise in fire calls, placing a strain on our resources. To help us manage this situation, we urge residents to properly dispose of their garbage in designated bins. Please avoid accumulating trash and absolutely never light it on fire. Disposing of waste re- sponsibly is crucial for everyone’s safety,” said Atul Garg, director, DFS.

Another fire official added that burning garbage not only increases the risk of fires but also contributes to air pollution. “The smoke from burning garbage is so thick that it can hinder rescue operations. It’s also hazardous for people to breathe,” he explained.

“The fire department dispatches fire tenders based on the severity of the call,” a fire official explained.

Typically, two tenders are sent initially, and the firefighter at the spot decides if additional resources are needed, the official added.

TIMES VIEW: Delhi is a pollution hotspot for multiple reasons. Some reasons are difficult to eliminate. But waste and garbage burning isn’t one of them. It can be minimised by watchful authorities and an alert citizenry. A helpline can assist in this.

Chariot to drive up beauty of Lutyens’, RML Hospital rotary to get a makeover

HORSEPOWER

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has recently installed a stonecarved sculpture at the junction of Sardar Patel Marg and Simon Bolivar Marg in Lutyens’ Delhi.

The sculpture, which was selected by lieutenant governor VK Saxena during his visit to Dausa, Rajasthan last year, depicts a horse-driven chariot of Partha Sarthi Krishna with Arjuna. The installation is part of the council’s ongoing efforts to beautify Lutyens’ Delhi with various artworks and water features.

An NDMC official said, “An imposing and painstakingly carved horse-driven chariot of Partha Sarthi Krishna with Arjuna now adorns the junction of Sardar Patel Marg and the Simon Bolivar Marg in the diploma- tic enclave of the capital. Made out of Dholpur Stone, this 17x5x9 ft sculpture, comprising four horses and two statues, was prepared by the artisans from Rajasthan.”

Initially, the chariot was intended to be installed before the G20 summit. However, during the installation process, the LG noticed that the horses in the original sculpture were disproportionately small. As a result, the sculpture was recreated and recently installed. The sculpture sits on a 22-foot diameter platform and is surrounded by colourful geyser fountains with 25 nozzles spanning 60 feet. These fountains, which reach up to 6 feet in height and feature eight warm colours, are expected to provide a delightful experience for passersby in the evening.

To further enhance the aesthetic appeal of the installation, plantations have been added around the chariot, and the total size of the platform is 86x37 feet. The NDMC official also mentioned plans to install more artefacts and sculptures at other locations.

Additionally, NDMC is working on the redevelopment of the roundabout opposite RML Hospital, which connects to several important roads in the area.

“The revamp plan includes the installation of five elephant family sculptures, medium-height fountains, tiling work, the development of a paver pathway around the water channel and periphery of the roundabout for walking purposes, as well as the installation of lamp posts and kerb stones. The project is expected to be completed by the end of June,” said officials.

Aravalis: Panel of 4 states meets to decide definition

Ipsita.Pati@timesgroup.com

Gurgaon: The process to come up with a common definition of what constitutes the Aravalis began last week as a panel appointed on the directions of the Supreme Court earlier this month sat for its first meeting.

Haryana forest officials said on Tuesday that the panel will study the report of Forest Survey of India (FSI) submitted to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on its endorsed definition of the ancient hills, along with Rajasthan’s criteria.

“The process to find a common definition has started. The first meeting for discussion was held. Haryana will carefully study all reports and discuss it with all stakeholders,” said Pankaj Goyal, principal chief conservator of forests, Haryana.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a case on illegal mining in the Aravalis on May 9, told Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat govts that they can’t renew leases or issue new ones for stone or sand quarrying in the hills without its permission.

SC, when told by amicus curiae K Parmeshwar that the issue was complicated due to the lack of consensus over what are the Aravalis, formed the committee to come up with a uniform definition of the hills in two months.

This eight-member panel, headed by the Union environment secretary, comprises forest department secretaries of the four states where the Aravalis lie (Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat), and representatives of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), FSI and CEC.

SC will take up the case next in August. SC’s direction is important as Haryana govts, over the years, have sidestepped defining the Aravalis, which would entail giving environmental protection to the hills. In 2016, govt told the NCR Planning Board that there are no Aravalis recorded in Haryana, so it can’t mark any natural conservation zones (NCZ) in the state.

The other contention is that of Rajasthan’s definition of Aravalis, which are spread in 15 districts there. According to its maps, hills with peaks at least 100 metres above ground level are marked as Aravalis. It is only in these hills that mining is prohibited in Rajasthan.

Six goats stolen ahead of Eid-ul-Adha

New Delhi: Six goats, worth Rs 2.5 lakh, were stolen from north Delhi’s Wazirabad early on Monday. The complainant, Sakib, said that he had purchased the goats for Eid-ul-Adha. The incident took place around 4am. “Three people were seen stealing the goats from my house on CCTV footage,” he said. Cops are analysing the footage to track the offenders.

TNN

Tracks Laid, Roof Done: Stn At New Ashok Ngr Almost Ready

RAPID RAIL: Trial Run On 12km Stretch Likely By Year-End

Priyangi.Agarwal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: New Ashok Nagar station, one of the four in the Delhi section of Delhi Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS), is nearing completion. Officials said the tracklaying work had finished and final touches were being given to the station, which would be the first RRTS facility in the Delhi section to be completed.

However, three foot overbridges (FOB), which are being constructed to connect this RRTS station with New Ashok Nagar metro station and nearby areas, will be ready only by the year-end.

The height of New Ashok Nagar RRTS station is about 22 metre. “The construction of New Ashok Nagar station is almost complete. Tracks have been laid, the roof has been constructed, and some minor works are being finished,” said an official of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is executing the project.

The official added that trial runs on the 12km stretch from Sahibabad to Anand Vihar and New Ashok Nagar RRTS stations in Delhi might start by the last quarter of the year.

New Ashok Nagar RRTS station will have three foot overbridges, which will be ready before the trial runs start. Since New Ashok Nagar metro station on Blue Line is just 100 metres away, NCRTC will provide a 100-metre-long and 6-metre-wide FOB to connect both facilities. The height of the FOB will be around 8 metres.

“The FOB will connect the concourse level of the metro station to the floor below the concourse level of the RRTS station. The area between the ticket gate of the metro station and below the concourse level of the RRTS station where the FOB is connecting will be a non-paid area,” said an official.

To provide better connectivity and access to the station, two more FOBs are being constructed. On one side of the RRTS station, a 41mlong and 6.5m-wide FOB will provide connectivity to the nearby areas of Chilla village and Mayur Vihar Extension. On the other side, a 49-metrelong and 8-metre-wide FOB will be built near the ancient Shiv temple for ease of access to the people residing in New Ashok Nagar.

“The construction of Anand Vihar RRTS station is also in the advanced stage,” said an official. The construction of Sarai Kale Khan station is also underway. However, the fourth station in Del- hi, Jangpura, will come up later as it is being developed along with a stabling yard.

Of the 82km-long corridor, a 14km stretch lies in Delhi while the remaining 68km is in Uttar Pradesh. A 34km section between Sahibabad and Modi Nagar North, which has eight stations, is operational. Another 8km stretch from Modinagar to Meerut South is going to open soon. The entire corridor is likely to be ready by the next year.

Skywalk to link Noida metro stations may be ready by Aug 15

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Noida: The skywalk designed to link Aqua Line’s Sector 51 station with Blue Line’s Sector 52, is set to be ready in two months. Currently, 80% of the civil work and 50% of the electrical work has been completed. Officials said the project would be ready by Aug 15.

The skywalk, which will be airconditioned, features a travelator operating at a speed of 0.5m per second to facilitate easy commuting. Designed in an 'L' shape, the structure spans 420m in length and is five metres wide.

“The installation of the travelator is in process. It will take nearly two months to complete the pro- ject. We hope to complete the project by August 15,” said Vijay Rawal, deputy general manager (Civil) at Noida Authority.

Last month, Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M inspected the project and instructed officials to speed up the work. The project had commenced in March last year and was slated for completion by March 2024.

Convenience stores to come up on vacant floors of Noida metro stations

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:As part of its ongoing efforts to accelerate projects aimed at enhancing civic services, Uttar Pradesh govt has initiated the process of converting commercial spaces on the ground floor of six out of 29 operational metro stations in Noida into ‘convenience stores’. The initiative seeks to enhance facilities at metro stations and at the same time increase revenue of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation.

The NMRC initiative targets revitalisation of vacant commercial spaces at the metro stations in Sectors 50, 51, 76, Alpha One, Delta One and at the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority office. The process of converting vacant spaces into kiosks and convenience stores, with a focus on improving civic amenities, is now underway.

Additionally, steps are being taken to engage manpower for efficient operation of various metro stations. It is noteworthy that Yogi govt is also paving the way to expedite completion of pending phases of metro rail expansion project in the state. Licence will be issued for an operational period of five years.

All these vacant commer- cial spaces are located near the staircases on the ground floor of the respective metro stations, and preparations are now underway for their rejuvenation. To complete the process and to give concrete shape to the process of construction, operation and licensing of convenience stores, applications have been invited through a request for proposal (RFP).

Licences for convenience stores will be issued for a period of five years, including a mandatory lock-in period of one year, with possibility of extension for up to three years, based on performance. The project involves converting a total of 310 square metres across six metro stations into convenience stores.

Applicants seeking a licence agreement must provide a detailed plan of vacant commercial spaces, including sectional and elevation plan, architectural front elevation, structural stability certificates, quality and structural safety reports, work safety protocols, and details regarding electric power, sanitary, and water supply.

The NMRC has invited applications for engaging technical and non-technical manpower on a contractual basis through RFP format.

Prez accepts Anand’s resignation

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of former Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Tuesday.

Earlier in April, Anand resigned from AAP and as minister of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet, alleging corruption in the party.

Anand faced raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Nov last year in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

Reportedly, around nine premises linked to Anand, including his official residence, were raided by the ED.

Anand was elected to the Delhi assembly in 2020 and represented the Patel Nagar assembly constituency.

ANI

Dusib officials to visit night shelters

New Delhi: After some media reports and human rights activists flagged the issue of “lack of amenities” at several shelter homes run by Delhi govt, urban development minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday directed Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (Dusib) officials to visit five night shelters daily, commencing from June 12, and provide a report to him next week. In a notice, the minister stated that he had already insisted to the department that proper arrangements for availability of water and air coolers should be ensured at all the night shelters. “However, a media report shows that not much has been done by the department.”

TNN

SUV goes up in flames on DME, driver jumps out in nick of time

Lack of coolant in the radiator can also cause fires in vehicles, said the chief fire officer

Avishek.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Ghaziabad: A Tata Safari headed for Delhi went up in flames on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Dasna on Tuesday. The driver jumped out of the SUV to save his life. The flames were doused in about 20 minutes. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Manav Banerjee, a businessman from Dehradun, was on his way to Delhi when he saw smoke coming out of the bonnet. He was alone in the car.

“It was around 1.30pm and he had reached Dasna. Moments after he saw smoke coming out the car, it burst into flames. But he managed to slam the brakes, steer the car to one side of the speedway and jump out. He also dialled 112 to inform police,” said Vivek Yadav, DCP (rural).

Rahul Pal, the chief fire officer, said a team reached the spot within 15 minutes of getting a call. The fire was brought under control in 20 minutes.

“There was a traffic snarl for some time, but the road was unclogged soon. We also removed the charred SUV from the road using a crane,” he added.

According to Pal, the city has seen more than 35 instances of vehicles going up in flames in the first five months of this year.

“With temperatures reaching the 45-degree mark, people should avoid driving vehicles for hours at a stretch. It could lead to overheating of the engine and cause leaks in the fuel tank. The lack of coolant in the radiator can also cause fires in vehicles. In this heat, we have had instances of parked vehicles catching fire. People should avoid parking their vehicles directly under the sun in this heat,” the CFO said.

Want Solar Unit At Home? Details Just A Click Away

Portal To Guide People On Installation Process, Benefits

Abhinav.Rajput@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: AAP govt has set the ball rolling to implement Delhi Solar Policy 2023 by launching a dedicated portal, which will guide people interested in installing solar panels on rooftops.

A list of empanelled vendors authorised to carry out installation will soon be updated on the portal, said a senior official. Govt will also add features such as a shadow area assessment process to adjust the panel placement to maximise sunlight exposure and the calculation of the solar capacity required for a household, said the official.

“Govt hopes to ensure that the public become well informed and can make educated decisions about embracing solar energy in their homes,” he added.

Delhi Solar Energy Policy 2023, notified this March, aims to increase the installed rooftop solar capacity and offers multiple benefits to consumers in the form of state capital subsidies and generation-based incentives, in addition to the central financial assistance (CFA).

Under the policy, the capital subsidy for all residential projects will be Rs 2,000 per kW, which can be maxi- mum Rs 10,000 per consumer. As generation-based incentives, govt will pay Rs 3 per unit for additional power if the solar plant is up to 3kW and Rs 2 per unit for 3-5kW plants for five years, if they fulfil certain conditions. While under the 2016 scheme, a consumer had to produce at least 1,000 units to get paid, there’s no such cap in the current policy.

Detailing the installation process, the portal states that the consumers who want to avail CFA under the PM Sury- aghar Muft Bijli scheme should register on the national solar portal as the first step and then on the national rooftop solar portal. A consumer then logs into his account and submits an application for a rooftop solar (RTS) system. The discom concerned will conduct a technical feasibility check before issuing an approval letter via email.

The consumer can then approach any registered vendor in the respective discom jurisdiction and submit detailed information of the sy- stem to the power distributor. Once the installation is complete, the consumer will submit the installation documents to the discom and on the national portal.

After a successful site inspection, the discom will install a net meter and a solar meter at the site, and the system can be energised. After the discom updates the net meter installation details on the national portal, an online commissioning certificate will be generated, which will be visible on the consumer’s account, said an official. The consumer will receive the national subsidy, CFA, in his registered bank account within 30 days of submitting the account details.

An official said consumers who had access to a roof and could afford to buy an RTS system could directly approach a solar vendor.

For consumers with roof constraints, a share of a third-party-owned solar system can be bought under the community solar model. Many such consumers can also get together to install a collectively-owned solar plant on a rooftop owned by a participating consumer. The electricity exported to the grid will be pro-rata credited into the electricity bills of each participating consumer based on their ownership share.

Kalkaji Temple stage case: HC asks police to finish probe

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has asked police to conclude the investigation into the stage collapse incident at the Kalkaji temple here in Jan during a religious congregation that left a woman dead and act against all those responsible for it.

Justice Prathiba M Singh noted that Delhi Police have filed a chargesheet in the case against six people, including the organisers, and the permission to hold the event was given by the temple's Mahant even when the control and management of the Kalkaji temple premises was with the court-appointed administrator. The court's order came on a batch of pleas on the issue of civic amenities and cleanliness in and around the temple complex.

The court was told during an earlier hearing that the event was organised by Shri Kalkaji Sajja Sewadar Mitr Mandal, and as per police report, the permission for it was given by Surender Nath Avdhoot, who claimed to be the temple’s Mahant.

“The abovementioned persons who have been charge-sheeted were in fact permitted by the Mahant to hold the event in his Parisar and No Objection Certificates were also obtained through the Mahant's representative from various authorities,” said the court in its May 27 order.

PTI

Times Ascent

- Cos Are Biased Towards Superstar CEOs, But Are They Right Fit?

Cos Are Biased Towards Superstar CEOs, But Are They Right Fit?

By Raj Bowen

Over the past year, there has been optimism around economic growth picking up and organisations ramping up CXOlevel positions. This is also a time when top executives scout for a change. We also hear of established high-growth brands in turmoil, retrenching staff in hundreds and struggling with financial turbulence.

The larger-than-life aura of such leaders often precedes them as they walk into a room. This is when we must pause and see if all is as good as it looks, through a lens of hazards most such leaders bring with them.

Pied Piper Syndrome

We have seen cases where the overarching purpose that drives such leaders is flawed — very soon, one finds the entire organisation being pushed towards its destruction. When an organisation takes this collective nosedive, its impact is not just on employe- es but on entire families, suppliers, dealers, customers and a host of direct and extended stakeholders.

Poor Copies Of Icons

Such charismatic leaders run the risk of being emulated across the organisations they lead. So, over time, the organisation finds itself saddled with weak copies of the icon, leading to a succession crisis as the copy is never going to be as good as the original.

Emperor’s New Clothes

Many charismatic and loudimpact leaders stand out for their unusually high level of self-confidence. This can be very dangerous in a world where the best minds admit that ‘I don’t know’ is often the most sensible response to a situation. Unfortunately, the humility to say that does not feature in their list of strengths. This can end up silencing all voices of constructive dissent below them, leading to proliferation of yes-men lacking guts to tell the emperor that he is running around with no clothes on.

Divide And Rule Play

When such leaders take charge, word spreads that ‘no one is safe’ as s/he creates a network of cronies who keep feeding him with the buzz in the ranks, to crush any sign of rebellion even before it surfaces. The organisation develops a culture marked with fear, mistrust and blaming as employees are al- ways worried about who may be snooping on them.

My Way Or The Highway

Over time, in such environments, truly talented leaders start walking down the disengagement road, headed to their exit — since the only way of doing things is now being decided by a single ‘know-it-all’ and creativity or independent thinking has no place there. Such talent loss often hurts the organisation deeply.

Human nature being what it is, we will always remain vulnerable to getting overwhelmed by the persona and track record of such leaders. Most such leaders are usually ‘onetrick ponies’ and their claim to fame is often anchored in a single organisation only. The message is clear: humble inspiration wins over loud charisma any day.

(The writer is an executive coach & leadership adviser)

Times Global

- Report: French PM tried to dissuade Macron from polls, offered to resign

- 49 feared dead, 140 missing after a migrant boat sinks off Yemen, says UN

- With 14-0 vote, UNSC backs Biden’s Gaza ceasefire plan

- US prez’s son convicted of all 3 felonies in federal gun trial

- FIRE SCARE AT VERSAILLES PALACE

- Malawi veep dies in a plane crash

- 4 instructors from US stabbed in public park in China, suspect held

- Will ban all Apple devices at cos if OpenAI integrated at OS level: Musk

- Sharif returns from China, calls his trip a ‘success’

- AROUND THE WORLD

- British Hindus launch manifesto of demands ahead of UK election

- Imran has given green signal for talks with govt: PTI chairman

- In Germany, a teen has been living on trains for 2 yrs. And he has found love too

Report: French PM tried to dissuade Macron from polls, offered to resign

Paris:When French Prez Macron told his PM of his decision to call a snap election just hours before announcing it on TV, Gabriel Attal tried to dissuade his boss, asking him to accept his resignation instead, two sources said. “I can be the fall guy,” Attal implored Macron, after his efforts at dissuasion went nowhere, according to a minister and another govt source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Macron declined Attal’s offer, and a few hours later, as exit polls showed Marine Le Pen’s National Rally trouncing his ticket, he dissolved parliament.

The resignation bid by Attal, initially reported by Le Monde newspaper and other French media, underlines how Macron’s shock decision to bet the House on snap elections was not universally applauded by his camp and threatened to prematurely curtail their political project. Attal’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Attal, 34, France’s youngest ever PM when he took office in Jan, has been mooted as a potential Macron successor in 2027, but now risks losing his job to the RN’s 28-year-old party president Jordan Bardella.

Attal was unaware of Macron’s plans, which he had kept from all but a tiny circle of advisors, the sources said.

REUTERS

49 feared dead, 140 missing after a migrant boat sinks off Yemen, says UN

Cairo: A boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Yemen, killing at least 49 people and leaving another 140 missing, the UN agency said Tuesday. The boat was carrying about 260 Somalis and Ethiopians from the northern coast of Somalia on the 320-km journey across the Gulf of Aden when it sank Monday off of Yemen’s southern coast, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement. Seventy-one people have been rescued and the search is ongoing, the group said, noting that 31 women and six children are among the dead. Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work.

AP

With 14-0 vote, UNSC backs Biden’s Gaza ceasefire plan

Russia Abstains; Israel, Hamas Signal Openness, But Stop Short of Accepting It

SONG OF HOPE: Unable to continue with her medical studies, a Palestinian student has been using her passion for music to entertain children in Gaza

The UN Security Council Monday overwhelmingly backed a proposal outlined by Prez Joe Biden for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a sign of the growing frustration among the world’s major powers over the eight-month war and the desire to bring it to an end.

Russia abstained from the UN vote, while the remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution supporting the three-phase ceasefire plan laid out by Biden on May 31 that he described as an Israeli initiative. “Today we voted for peace,” US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council.

Aday after, both Israel and Hamas emphasised that they were open to the plan, even as it remained unclear whether either would formally embrace it. An Israeli govt official said Tuesday in a statement that the proposal “enables Israel to achieve” its war goals, including destroying Hamas’s capabilities and freeing all the hostages in Gaza. But the official stopped short of saying whether Israel would accept the agreement. PM Netanyahu has repeatedly declined to take a firm stand on the plan.

A senior Hamas official, Husam Badran, said the group had “dealt positively” with the proposal despite “no clear and public stance” from the Israeli govt. Earlier on Tuesday, US se- cretary of state Antony Blinken had said that the fate of the deal rested with Hamas’s chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who has not said whether he supports it. “All parties involved and following the negotiations know: Netanyahu is the sole obstacle to reaching an agreement that would end the war,” Badran said in a text message.

The statements offered litt- le clarity to the fate of a ceasefire proposal. The 14-0 vote at UNSC came as Blinken met with Israeli politicians on his eighth wartime visit to West Asia. Blinken said he had got explicit assurances from Netanyahu in their meeting that he supported the proposal. The Israeli PM sowed doubts last week when he called the idea of a negotiated permanent ceasefire — which Hamas has called essential — a “non-starter.”

Netanyahu has said he will not accept any deal that ends the war before Israel is ready. The Israeli govt official who released the statement on Tuesday doubled down on that view, saying: “Israel will not end the war before achieving all its war objectives: destroying Hamas, freeing all the hostages and ensuring Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel in the future. The proposal enables Israel to achieve these goals and Israel will indeed do so.” But at the Security Council, Israel’s representative pointedly did not say whether her country backed the ceasefire proposal endorsed in the resolution.

The UNSC resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations on reaching a permanent end to fighting, and says that if those talks take longer than six weeks, the temporary truce would be extended. That appears to open the door to a longer pause, one that Tel Aviv has been loath to accept.

NYT

4 Israeli soldiers dead in ambush in Rafah

The Israeli military said Tuesday that four Israeli soldiers had been killed and several more wounded after militants blew up a building where the troops were operating in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Seven of the soldiers were in critical condition after the attack Monday, the military said. The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said that it had booby-trapped the building where the soldiers were operating.

NYT

Deaths in rescue op may be war crime: UN

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday the killings of civilians in Gaza during the Israeli operation to free four hostages, as well as Palestinian armed groups’ holding of captives in densely populated areas, could amount to war crimes. The operation reportedly killed over 270 Palestinians. In response, Israel’s permanent mission to the UN accused of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of “slandering Israel”.

REUTERS

US prez’s son convicted of all 3 felonies in federal gun trial

Hunter Could Face Up To 25 Yrs’ Jail, But First-Time Offenders With No Violent Crime History Typically Get No Prison Time

Hunter Biden leaves the court in Wilmington on Tuesday with first lady Jill Biden (L) and wife Melissa

Wilmington: Hunter Biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

Jurors found Hunter Biden guilty of lying to a federally licenced gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.

Biden, 54, said in a statement that he was “disappointed” by the verdict, but that he was grateful for the love and support of his family and friends. He could face up to 25 years in prison, but first-time offenders who did not use their weapons to commit a violent crime typically receive no jail time. No sentencing date has been set.

The judge in the case, Maryellen Noreika, said sentencing would typically be about 120 days after the verdict — that’s early Oct, or about a month before the election.

Now, Hunter Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, both have been convicted by American jurors in an election year that has been as much about the courtroom as it has been about campaign events and rallies.

In a statement, Prez Joe Biden said he and the first lady, Jill, were proud to see their son be “so strong and resilient in recovery” from his addiction. “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support,” he added. “Nothing will ever change that.” The president also said Tuesday that he “will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”

Allies of the Democrat president have worried about the toll that the trial will take on the 81-year-old. Hunter Biden and Trump have both argued they were victimised by the politics of the moment. But while Trump has continued to claim the verdict was “rigged”, Joe Biden has earlier said he would not seek to pardon his son.

The prosecution devoted much of the trial to highlighting the seriousness of Hunter Biden’s drug problem, through highly personal testimony and embarrassing evidence. Jurors heard Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend testify about his habitual crack use and their failed efforts to help him get clean. Jurors saw images of the president’s son bare-chested and disheveled in a filthy room, and half-naked holding crack pipes. And jurors watched video of his crack cocaine weighed on a scale. Hunter Biden did not testify but jurors heard his voice when prosecutors played audio excerpts of his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” in which he talks about hitting bottom after the death of his brother Beau in 2015, and his descent into drugs before his eventual sobriety.

AGENCIES

FIRE SCARE AT VERSAILLES PALACE

The Palace of Versailles was briefly evacuated Tuesday afternoon after plumes of smoke were spotted amid renovation work on the roof near the Marble Court, an area of the original chateau built in 1623 by French King Louis XIII. The palace press office said there was no fire, but smoke was emanating from a ‘hot zone’ in the wood in the roofing. The office said local firefighters quickly put out the smoke. The palace office said there were no injuries or damage to the building or the heritage collections. Investigations were under way. The Palace is a major tourist attraction, with 8 million annual visitors. Later this summer it will host the Olympic Games’ equestrian events. In 2019, Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris was devastated by a fire that swept across the roof and caused the spire to collapse.

AP

Malawi veep dies in a plane crash

Blantyre: Malawi’s vice-president Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others on board a military aircraft that went missing on Monday were killed in a plane crash, Prez Lazarus Chakwera said on Tuesday. The aircraft carrying Chilima, 51, left the capital Lilongwe at 09.17am (local time) Monday but was unable to land at Mzuzu airport as scheduled at 10.02am due to poor visibility. It was ordered to return to Lilongwe but went off the radar and aviation authorities could not make contact with it. “The search and rescue team has found the aircraft near a hill... completely destroyed with no survivors,” Chakwera, said.

REUTERS

‘RANDOM ATTACK’

4 instructors from US stabbed in public park in China, suspect held

Beijing: Four American instructors from a Iowa university were injured in a stabbing attack in a public park in China’s Jilin province Monday.

Local police said the incident occurred shortly before noon on Monday at a park in Jilin city and the suspect, a 55-year-old local man surnamed Cui, was detained the same day. “Cui collided into a foreigner while walking in Beishan Park, and then stabbed the foreigner and three fellow foreigners with a knife, as well as a Chinese tourist who tried to stop him,” police said, adding, the victims’ injuries were “not life-threatening”. No fur- ther motive for the attack was disclosed in the statement.

The educators from Cornell College were on a teaching exchange programme with a partner university, Beihua, in Jilin City.China’s fo- reign ministry said it believed the incident was a random attack and that it would “not affect people-to-people exchanges between China and US”. A probe into the incident is on.

Iowa representative Adam Zabner said his brother was one of the victims. “My brother, David Zabner, was woun- ded in the arm. He is recovering.” The state department said US officials were monitoring the incident, but gave no details. The White House said it was deeply concerned.

China and the US have recently sought to bolster their educational ties to help stabilise their tense relationship. In Nov, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, announced a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to participate in exchange and study programs over aperiod of five years. Xi has a personal connection to Iowa, having lived there with a host family in 1985 as part of an agricultural exchange.

REUTERS

Will ban all Apple devices at cos if OpenAI integrated at OS level: Musk

Billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday he would ban Apple devices at his companies if the iPhone maker integrates OpenAI at the operating system level. “That is an unacceptable security violation,” Musk, who is the CEO of electric-vehicle maker Tesla and rocket maker SpaceX and owner of social media company X, said in a post on X.

“And visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage,” he said.

Apple and OpenAI did not immediately comment. Earlier in the day, Apple announced a slew of AI features across its apps and operating platforms and a partnership with OpenAI to bring the ChatGPT technology to its devices. “It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!” Musk said on X.

REUTERS

Sharif returns from China, calls his trip a ‘success’

Shehbaz Sharif

Omer Farooq Khan I TNN

Islamabad: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that his trip to China last week was successful, while the opposition parties took him head-on, describing the tour as one that focused mainly on the security of Chinese people in Pakistan.

Sharif’s visit came as Islamabad is seeking more foreign investment and looking to boost exports in a time of economic crisis. Accompanied by army chief General Asim Munir, Sharif took more than 100 Pakistani businessmen with him.

Apprising cabinet members of his visit, Sharif said that despite the security issue highlighted during engagements with the Chinese leadership and business community, his five-day visit concluded on a “positive note”. He said a high-powered Chinese delegation would vi- sit Pakistan soon.

A joint statement issued at the end of the visit had stated that China and Pakistan had signed 23 agreements and MoUs in different fields. The declaration, however, noted that Beijing would not push businesses to take unwarranted risks or make concessions to Pakistani companies. Instead, it said, Beijing will support businesses to invest in Pakistan in line with market principles.

Pakistan’s current foreign debt, media reports suggest, is close to $130 billion, and Chi- nese officials say 13% of it is owed to China. During Sharif’s visit, no statement was issued on restructuring debt but experts believe the issue is crucial and cannot be ignored.

Sharif also held talks with Prez Xi Jinping for over three hours, indicating that the security of its nationals in Pakistan is a key concern for Beijing. Five Chinese workers were killed in an attack in in March.

AROUND THE WORLD

CHARLES PORTRAIT VANDALISED: Animal rights activists Tuesday targeted the first official portrait of Britain’s Charles since he became monarch, pasting an image of the popular animated character ‘Wallace’ over his face to protest violation of animal husbandry rules at farms. Buckingham Palace made no comment. Animal Rising said its posters can be easily removed without causing damage to the painting

Turkish student arrested for using AI to cheat in exam

Turkish authorities have arrested a student for cheating during a university entrance exam by using a makeshift device linked to artificial intelligence software to answer questions. The student was spotted behaving in a suspicious way during the exam at the weekend and was arrested. Another person, who was helping the student, was detained. A video released by police showed how the student used a camera disguised as a shirt button linked to artificial intelligence software via a router hidden in the sole of the person’s shoe. A police officer in the video scans a question to show how the system works, with the AI software generating the correct answer, which is recited through an earpiece.

Dog runs 6km to get help for owner after car crash

A dog has helped his owner get rescued after a car crash in a steep ravine in Oregon. The man was driving with his four dogs on a remote road on June 2when he crashed into a ravi ne below. One of the dogs travelled nearly 6kms to the campsite where the man was staying with family. His family located his car the following day and called 911 as they couldn’t reach it in the steep terrain. The man was airlifted to a hospital. His other dogs were found alive at the crashsite

Elephants call each other by names too: AI-aided study

Over the years, researchers who study elephants have noticed an intriguing phenomenon. Sometimes when an elephant makes a vocalisation to a group of other elephants, all of them respond. But sometimes when that same elephant makes a similar call to the group, only a single individual responds. Could it be that elephants address each other by the equivalent of a name? A new study involving wild African savannah elephants in Kenya lends support to this idea. The researchers analysed vocalizations made by over 100 elephants. Using a machine-learning model, the study found that elephants “address one another with something like a name,” according to its lead author & behavioral ecologist Mickey Pardo of Cornell University.

British Hindus launch manifesto of demands ahead of UK election

Naomi Canton

London:For the first time UK Hindus have released a manifesto of their demands from a future govt ahead of the July 4 general election. The 32-page document reflects their expectations from politicians of all parties that seek to win their vote. They are asking candidates to publicly endorse it on social media. As of Tuesday, four Conservative candidates, Bob Blackman, Robert Buckland, Rahesh Singh and Theresa Villiers, had endorsed it.

Thirteen major British Hindu organisations, including Hindu Council UK, Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Mandir Network UK, National Council of Hindu Temples, and Iskcon UK, have jointly drafted the manifesto. There are over a million Hindus in UK.

The manifesto calls for an- ti-Hindu hate, which is on the rise in UK, to be recognised as areligious hate crime and for those engaged in violence against Hindus and attacking the sovereignty of India to be monitored and proscribed.

It notes there has been an increase in hate-motivated vandalism, burglary and threats against Hindu temples and calls for exclusive security schemes and funding for them. It also calls for it to be made mandatory that Hinduism is taught at GCSE level, for a greater number of language schools teaching Indic languages, and calls on candidates to champion the funding of more statefunded Hindu faith schools.

The manifesto recommends Hindu chaplains are appointed in all prisons, hospitals and schools and for articles of Hindu faith, including Hindu deities, to be made available in prayer rooms in these places. It calls for a more streamlined visa process for Hindu priests and the dependants of UK Hindus — often elderly parents — to come to Britain, pointing out the process is cumbersome and expensive and seeks longer time limits on such visas.

MPs are asked to consult Hindu organisations before legislating on issues concerning UK Hindus. The manifesto advocates for a memorial for Hindu soldiers who served the UK and demands that more crematoriums are built and for the coroner’s process to be sped up to allow Hindu cremations to take place within three days of death. The manifesto also calls for candidates to recognise that the connection of UK Hindus to India is primarily spiritual rather than political and calls for candidates to “understand the dharmic way of life”.

Imran has given green signal for talks with govt: PTI chairman

Islamabad:Pakistan’s jailed former PM Imran Khan has given a green signal for talks with the govt and is “ready to forgive” what has happened to him, his party’s chairman Gohar Khan said on Tuesday.

“We told the PTI founder that dialogue is necessary as the distance is widening. He agreed with us,” he told the media outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. According to Gohar, Imran, 71, is “ready to forgive... for reconciliation”. The cricketer-turned-politician has been lodged at the highsecurity jail since his arrest 10 months ago in multiple cases.

Sources told Geo News that the party’s leadership was directed to hold talks political parties outside the parliament, while its lawmakers were asked to enhance its ties with parties in the coalition govt. The ex-PM has told his party’s three-member committee to establish contact with the “establishment”, they said.

PTI

In Germany, a teen has been living on trains for 2 yrs. And he has found love too

ROOM WITH A VIEW: Setting off in Aug 2022, Lasse Stolley, 17, has travelled 650,000km, the equivalent of going around the Earth over 15 times, while sitting on trains for more than 6,700 hours. ‘I can just look out of the window and watch the landscape quickly zipping by’

Frankfurt: Lasse Stolley was looking for a change in scenery after a planned apprenticeship fell through. So nearly two years ago the teenager began living on German trains. The epic journey has taken the 17-year-old from a small community in Germany’s windswept far north to the country’s southern borders and beyond. Setting off in Aug 2022, he has travelled a staggering 650,000km, the equivalent of going around the Earth over 15 times, while sitting on trains for more than 6,700 hours. “Being able to decide every day where I want to go is simply great — that’s freedom,” Stolley told AFP in a cafe at Frankfurt train station. “I like that I can just look out of the window while travelling and watch the landscape quickly zipping by... and the fact that I can explore every place in Germany.”

He travels with just a rucksack and lives mainly on pizza and soup which — as a holder of atrain pass — he gets for free in rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s station lounges. With his broad smile, the lanky teen seems an unlikely figure to have decided to swap the comfort of his family home for the rigours of life on the rails. He had little interest in trains growing up. He never owned a model railway, and had only travelled twice on Germa- ny’s high-speed ICE trains before deciding to start living on the network just after he turned 16.

But after finishing secondary school, a planned apprenticeship in computer programming fell through. Searching around for what to do next, he stumbled across a documentary about someone who had lived on trains. “I thought I could do that,” he said. After initially trying to dissuade him, his parents decided to support him. He bought a rail card that granted him unlimited travel on the network and set off from his home in Fockbek in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. The early days were difficult. Stoll- ey could not sleep at night — his railcard does not allow him to use night trains with beds — and returned home frequently to see his family. But he soon got used to living on the trains. He bought an airbed that he used to sleep in large baggage areas.

And after a year, he upgraded his travel card to a firstclass one — costing ¤5,888 a year — allowing him access to more spacious carriages and Deutsche Bahn’s lounges. Now he no longer needs the airbed and can sleep so comfortably upright in atrain seat that he struggles in aregular bed. “In a normal bed, Imiss the rocking of the train.”

Stolley even works while on the move, doing a part-time job programming apps for a startup. He frequently travels to major cities, such as Berlin or Frankfurt. He also has been to Basel in Switzerland and Salzburg in Austria, just over the German border — the points covered by his railcard.While life on Germany’s creaking railways can sometimes be a headache, it can also have unexpected upsides — Stolley found romance during his travels, meeting his girlfriend at the Cologne rail station lounge. Stolley said he doesn’t know how long he will continue — maybe for another year, or five. “At the moment, I am having a lot of fun.” .

AFP

Times Business

- Comparing non-life policies, claim process to get easier

- ‘In Madurai, health cover to cost 40% less than Mumbai’

- WB ups India’s FY25 growth forecast to 6.6% from 6.4%

- Rupee logs new record low of 83.57 vs dollar

- Adani defence unit inks deal with UAE group

- Bhatia sells 2% in IndiGo to fund group’s hotel, other biz

- NBFCs to RBI: Ease project fin norms

- Edelweiss ARC CEO’s extension rejected by RBI

- Ola Electric’s `5,500cr IPO gets Sebi nod

- Micromax’s Bhagwati seeks govt nod to buy Vivo’s unit

- China’s Hisense gets LG’s Rana as India CEO

- Kotak Alt invests in Matrix buyout of Viatris’ API biz

- ‘India GitHub developers to pip US in ’27’

Comparing non-life policies, claim process to get easier

Irdai Aims To Boost Transparency In General Insurance Biz

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:Insurance regulator Irdai has brought in several reforms in non-life covers aimed at improving transparency for policyholders.

Irdai has asked non-life companies to have a ‘base product’ in every line of business. The base product will define the minimum coverage addressing a target segment of prospects/insurance buyers, enabling comparison with other policies available in the market.

One of the key changes allows policyholders to cancel their policies without providing a reason as well as receive a refund for the remaining period. Stricter timelines for claim settlements have also been implemented. Moreover, non-compliance with an ombudsman’s order can result in a penalty of Rs 5,000 per day for the insurer.

“According to Irdai’s guidelines, insurance compani- es are mandated to offer a ‘base product’ in every insurance category. This move aims to standardise insurance options and expand customer selections through add-ons over the base product.” said Rakesh Jain, CEO, Reliance General Insurance.

Under the new norms, insurers are required to give customers the option to choose insurance policies for durations less than 1 year, annu- ally, or extending beyond 1 year. There is also an assurance that insurers would not resort to underwriting at the time of a claim. All necessary documents must be called for during the proposal underwriting stage, ensuring a smoother claims process.

To streamline claim settlements, customers are only required to submit documents directly relevant to the claim. Additionally, the allocation of surveyors — facilitated by the general insurance council’s tech-based solution — is promised to occur within 24 hours of the claim. Upon allocation, surveyors must submit their reports to the insurer within 15 days. Subsequently, insurers are to decide on claims promptly, aiming to provide resolution within 7 days of receiving the survey report.

If a policyholder holds multiple policies, insurers are prohibited from invoking the contribution clause. The contribution clause allows the insurer to pay a proportionate share of the loss, preventing the policyholder from claiming the entire amount. The reforms come on the back of the regulator’s reforms for the health segment which require providers to ensure coverage for all segments including senior citizens and settle claims within three hours of discharge.

‘In Madurai, health cover to cost 40% less than Mumbai’

Star Health Looks At Location-Specific Policies

Mayur.Shetty@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: Star Health, which pioneered health insurance in the country, is using data it has collectd over 18 years to offer differentiated pricing based on customers’ location. It is also exploring new products that are either location-specific or network-specific.

Star Health MD & CEO Anand Roy told TOI that a customer in Madurai will pay 30-40% less for a product than someone in Mumbai.

“Our experience over the last 18 years is that customers in different cities have different expectations. We know exactly what is the right price for somebody living in a tier III city versus someone in a metro,” said Roy.

According to him, regulations introduced by the insurance regulator in April creates opportunities to launch long-term products. “We are exploring the possibility of creating 10-year products. We have observed the success of long-term health savings products in South Africa. Currently, we can offer discounts. We are considering providing additional value-added services related to health and healthrelated services that we can cross-sell to our customers,” said Roy.

On composite licences, Roy said that should the regulator allow such licences in future, Star Health would explore offering newer protection plans in life and nonlife segments in future.

Star Health is the only insurer to have a combined ratio (ratio of claims and management cost to premium) below 100. The company has been able to achieve this by segmenting the market based on the target group’s expectations.

“We are able to tailor make products to different cohorts of customers. For instance, our Youngstar plan is targeted towards the younger age profile of people up to 40 years of age. We found that what is relevant for them is maternity cover and wellness and health rewards,” said Roy

WB ups India’s FY25 growth forecast to 6.6% from 6.4%

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The World Bank on Tuesday raised India’s growth projection for the current fiscal to 6.6%, compared with 6.4% estimated earlier, driven by domestic demand.

“India will remain the fastest-growing of the world’s largest economies, although its pace of expansion is expected to moderate. After a high growth rate in FY24 (8.2%), steady growth of 6.7% per year, on average, is projected for the three fiscal years beginning in FY25. This moderation is mainly due to a slowdown in investment from a high base,” it said in the latest Global Economic Prospects.

The multilateral agency said that investment is expected to remain strong for the next three years with strong public investment accompanied by the private sector. “Private consumption growth is expected to benefit from a recovery of agricultural production and declining inflation. Govt consumption is projected to grow only slowly, in line with the govt’s aim of reducing current expenditure relative to GDP,” the World Bank said. It also said that strong revenue flows are expected to help reduce the fiscal deficit.

For South Asia, it, however, cautioned against the risk of commodity price spikes due to geopolitical tensions as well as climate change and cited higher than expected US growth and faster moderation in inflation as potential upsides.

Rupee logs new record low of 83.57 vs dollar

Weaker Currency To Add To Price Pressure, Make Foreign Travel & Education Costlier

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: The rupee weakened to a new low of 83.57 against the dollar in the interbank foreign exchange market on Tuesday. The dollar gained against most Asian currencies ahead of the US Fed’s meeting on Wednesday.

The rupee has been under pressure this week. After closing lower at 83.51 on Monday, the currency opened weak on renewed demand for dollars. It would have slipped further but for dollar sales by public sector banks ostensibly on behalf of RBI. “I expect the rupee to come under pressure... it could slip to 83.75-83.90 within a month. There are no substantial flows expected before the Budget. Even the $2 billion expected later this month on account of the country’s inclusion in the JP Morgan emerging bond indices will be easily absorbed,” said KN Dey, aforex consultant.

Dealers said that a large private equity firm had taken dollars out on Tuesday, leading to pressure on the rupee. Foreign Institutional Investors were net sellers in the stock markets, having sold shares worth Rs 111 crore, according to exchange data.

“The rupee traded weak, due to the rising dollar index near 105. Participants are keenly awaiting the US CPI data release on Wednesday, which is crucial for market move- ments,” said Jateen Trivedi, VP research analyst (commodity and currency), LKP Securities. “Additionally, the upcoming US Fed policy and statement are significant, as they will provide projections and guidance on future economic conditions. These events will heavily influence the dollar and, consequently, the rupee’s performance,” added Trivedi. Ahawkish Fed will keep the dollar strong as higher rates in the US will hold back capital flows from the US.

According to a report by Emkay Global, despite easing political uncertainty, the rupee will be under pressure in the short term because of renewed demand for dollars from local importers and Indian equity outflows. However, potential intervention from RBI might support the Indian rupee, limiting the upside for the currency pair.

While a weaker rupee will add to inflationary pressures and make offshore expenditure on travel and education costlier, many expect RBI to ease its grip on the currency and allow some depreciation. This is primarily to improve export competitiveness.

According to India Ratings, the nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) and real effective exchange rate (REER) indicate a widening gap since FY21, with NEER declining and REER remaining flat. This divergence suggests increasing inflation differentials between India and its trading partners, which is eroding India’s export competitiveness. NEER measures a country’s currency value relative to a basket of other major currencies, while REER adjusts NEER for inflation differentials between the country and its trading partners.

Adani defence unit inks deal with UAE group

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Adani Group’s defence & aerospace unit has signed an agreement with UAE’s Edge Group to collaborate on drones, missiles, unmanned ground vehicles and cyber technologies. The duo will also explore setting up R&D facilities in India, the UAE, and other global markets. The move will enhance Adani’s defence & aerospace capabilities as well as Edge’s ties with India’s defence industry. The AdaniEdge platform will evaluate cooperation across missiles & weapons covering airborne, surface, infantry, ammunition, and air defence products, among others, the two companies said in a joint statement.

`3.3K CR DEAL

Bhatia sells 2% in IndiGo to fund group’s hotel, other biz

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: InterGlobe Enterprises (IGE) group MD Rahul Bhatia on Tuesday sold about 2% of his stake (77.2 lakh shares) in IndiGo for about Rs 3,292 crore in a block deal to fund IGE’s hospitality and other businesses. Bhatia will remain IndiGo’s largest shareholder and will continue as promoter-MD of the company, driving the “strategic direction of IndiGo.”

IGE shares closed 4.3% lower at Rs 4,368 on BSE on Tuesday. About 77.2 lakh shares of InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) “were crossed via a block trade on behalf of IGE Tuesday on the Indian stock exchanges,” IGE said in a statement, adding, “The proceeds will be utilised for scaling up IGE’s hospitality and other businesses it is incubating, as well as for general corporate purposes.”

Bhatia said: “The strong response received from both existing and new investors demonstrates the competitive strength and long-term prospects of IndiGo. IndiGo is a standout success and I am immensely proud of our company’s journey so far and remain very excited to continue to oversee IndiGo’s next phase of growth. I believe there is a long runway for growth as India continues to remain the fastest growing aviation market globally and we have the right strategy and management team in place to capture this opportunity.”

NBFCs to RBI: Ease project fin norms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: The Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC), representing non-banking finance companies, has requested RBI to reconsider its proposed guidelines on project finance.

The FIDC has raised concerns about proposed minimum exposure limits in consortium arrangements and requested RBI to remove these limits. It also sought clarity on the applicability of the framework to existing loans. Additionally, the Council raised concerns about reporting credit events to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credit (CRILC) and requested NBFCs be granted access to the repository.

The council also recommended a uniform extension period of two years for the Date of Commencement of Commercial Operations (DCCO) and suggested removing the cap on funding cost overruns. Regarding general provisioning of 5% during the construction phase, the FIDC requested the standard provision rate of 0.4% and application of enhanced provisioning only to projects with a DCCO extension.

Edelweiss ARC CEO’s extension rejected by RBI

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:RBI declined to approve a proposal by Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company to re-appoint R K Bansal (66) as its MD & CEO, the company said. In an exchange filing, Edelweiss ARC said that RBI has communicated that “the company’s request has not been acceded to”. The company did not disclose why the regulator rejected its re-appointment proposal.

Bansal had been MD & CEO of the company for two terms of three years each. His term ended on May 31. The company had sought RBI’s permission for a second extension a few months ago.

The development comes within a fortnight of RBI banning Edelweiss ARC from purchasing new stressed loans on its books. RBI also prohibited ECL Finance, a subsidiary of Edelweiss Group, from undertaking new businesses.

Ola Electric’s `5,500cr IPO gets Sebi nod

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Ola Electric has received markets regulator Sebi’s approval for its IPO, taking it a step closer to its public debut, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The company, which plans to get listed on the bourses in about a months’ time, will be the first electric vehicle firm in India to go public. Ola Electric declined to comment. “Sebi’s nod came in today at the close of market hours,” a source said. The approval is not yet official.

Market sources said that the Bengaluru-based company is seeking a valuation of $7-8 billion through the IPO. Ola Electric is looking to raise Rs 5,500 crore through issuance of fresh shares. In addition, 10 shareholders are selling part of their holdings, aggregating a little over 9.5 crore shares through this offer. The selling shareholders in the IPO include promoters Aggarwal and Indus Trust as well as some early backers of the company including SoftBank and Matrix Partners. Bhavish Aggarwal’s Ola Electric would also be the first auto company to go for an IPO in over 20 years since Maruti Suzuki (then Maruti Udyog) went public in mid-2003.

The money raised through the issuance of new shares would primarily be used for the expansion of the company’s cell manufacturing plant, investments in R&D and repayment or pre-payment of debt by one of its subsidiaries, the draft IPO papers filed with Sebi in Dec had said.

Micromax’s Bhagwati seeks govt nod to buy Vivo’s unit

Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: In one of the biggest Chinese smartphone makers to localise its Indian operations amid regulatory heat, Vivo is close to selling one of its factories at Greater Noida to Bhagwati Products (Micromax). Vivo had revenues of around Rs 30,000 crore in FY23 and led the Indian smartphone market in sales in JanuaryMarch of this year.

Bhagwati will contractmanufacture smartphones for Vivo from the factory through a tie-up with the Chinese company’s original design manufacturing (ODM) partner Huaqin, sources said. “The companies have app- lied to govt for approval of the deal and this will be a big leg-up to the Make in India initiative that wants more and more global players, including Chinese, to Indianise their operations,” one of the sources told TOI.

Vivo has two factories in Greater Noida, but the deal is for the company’s first location which is understood to have been built on a 14-acre area. Vivo has also created a new manufacturing location spread over a 169-acre area, where it is investing over Rs 5,000 crore.

The move with Bhagwati will help Vivo gain benefits from govt’s productionlinked incentive (PLI) scheme for smartphones as the Indian maker is among those selected under PLI programme. Sources said Bhagwati will pass on part of the incentive benefits it receives from govt to Vivo for the manufacturing contract. Questions sent to Vivo on the matter remained unanswered.

When contacted, Rajesh Agarwal, director of Bhagwati Products, refused to give details, but confirmed the companies have filed an application with the ministry of electronics and IT to seek approval for the deal. “It’s at a very nascent stage now. We are awaiting govt approval before going ahead with formalising the proposal.”

China’s Hisense gets LG’s Rana as India CEO

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:Chinese company Hisense has appointed top electronics industry exec Pankaj Rana to lead its local operations as CEO. Rana has previously worked at LG India, Panasonic, Benq and Reliance Retail. As CEO of Hisense India, he will lead the company’s strategic initiatives, focus on expanding the customer base, strengthen brand presence and drive business growth, the company said.

Steven Li, MD of Hisense India, said Rana’s industry knowledge will help fuel the company’s expansion in the country. Rana said Hisense will strengthen its focus on products and services to maintain its market position.

Kotak Alt invests in Matrix buyout of Viatris’ API biz

New Delhi: Kotak Alternate Asset Managers (Kotak Alt) announced an investment of Rs 1,445 crore in the acquisition process of API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) business of drug company Viatris by Matrix Pharma. The acquisition has been consummated by Kotak Strategic Situations Fund II, says a company statement. Further details were not made available.

After the acquisition, Matrix will be second largest Indian API player with global leadership in antiretroviral APIs. Srini Sriniwasan, MD , Kotak Alt said “This buy-out underscores our ability to create a platform to build a robust API business.”

TNN

‘India GitHub developers to pip US in ’27’

Akhil George & Shilpa Phadnis TNN

Bengaluru: Microsoft-owned developer platform GitHub has onboarded an additional 2.2 million developers in India in 2024, bringing the country’s tally to 15.4 million. India’s developer community on GitHub is projected to surpass that of the US — which currently stands at 21 million — by 2027.

Last year, GitHub had added 3.5 million developers, increasing India’s developer base to 13.2 million. The momentum has been palpable, with the developer base in the country having grown threefold from 5.8 million in 2021. “About 200,000 computer science graduates are coming out of engineering degrees, and that creates a convergen- ce. India could be the leader, not only in software but also in AI. Children and adults alike will learn to code in their native language, leading to a prolonged groundswell of developers,” said GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke.

During the Dec quarter of last year, developers in India owned more than 36.9 million repositories on GitHub, compared to 27.4 million during the year-ago period. Over 3.8 lakh developers from India made more than 9.7 million contributions to open-source last year. In comparison, in 2022, over 3.2 lakh developers from India had made more than 8.1 million contributions to open source.

From reaping the benefits of AI pair programming to accelerating the next era of software development, GitHub is improving developers’ productivity. Last year, GitHub surpassed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue. Recently, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said GitHub revenue accelerated to over 40% year-overyear, driven by the growth and adoption of GitHub’s AI developer tool Copilot.

Copilot has 1.8 million paid subscribers and has been embraced by over 50,000 firms globally, including Autodesk, Dell, and Goldman Sachs. In India, GitHub counts Cognizant, Infosys, MakeMyTrip, and Paytm among its top customers. Among its recent AI features, Copilot Enterprise tailors Copilot to a company’s codebase and allows developers to converse with it in natural language.

Dohmke grew up in the Berlin suburb Marzahn on the East side of the wall, before it fell. “The complexity of software systems has increased compared to the early 90s. There wasn’t much software back then, but today you can’t imagine a world without software,” he said. When asked about how GitScore, along with GenAI, could be the ultimate litmus test in understanding developer proficiency, Dohmke said that in many interviews, instead of asking the developer to write code, interviewers ask them to use Copilot to write the same piece of code. “This shows their prompting and reasoning skills. It provides good insights into whether the developer not only understands how to work with models, but also how they’re validating the code that was written,” he said. GitScore offers a comprehensive overview of a developer’s GitHub profile statistics and code analysis results.

Editorial

- Bhagwat’s Right

- Who’ll Test The Testers?

- Ad nauseam

- Q: What’s The Best Way To Test Merit? A: Don’t Know

- They Are Scheduled, Not Same

- Sacred space

- Competent Leaders Transcend Personal Bias

- CONTRAPUNTO

Bhagwat’s Right

RSS chief makes a point on Manipur. New GOI minister for Northeast must make the state his priority

In his first comments after LS results, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has singled out the situation in Manipur, as the one needing to be addressed on priority basis. His point on the contrast between the scale of wreckage in the state and the attention it received during the long national election, is spot on. A brutal civil war has divided the state into Meitei and Kuki “areas”, with neither tolerating “outsiders”. And while GOI has poured security resources into the state, what has been missing is a similarly muscular political response. This is the only way to achieve a real solution.

Can Congress help? | The party launched its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Thoubal, when the state govt refused permission for it to start from Imphal. That it has now won both Inner and Outer Manipur LS seats is being seen as a clear thumbs down to the “double engine sarkar”. But while voters may have high expectations that the two new MPs will help alleviate their sufferings, the heavy lifting has still to be done by the central and state govts.

What about Biren? | For many experts, the CM has been part of the problem from the very start, and therefore cannot be part of the solution. He is widely perceived to be partisan. His administrative failures are in plain view. Why is he still there? A plausible reason is the massive mandate he delivered for BJP in 2022 assembly elections. But while the Meitei vote may still stick to him, return to normalcy won’t be possible without setting accountability for the current state of anarchy.

Jiribam warning | Last week’s violence in Jiribam, which had until now not seen any, has made clear there is simply no room for complacency. Once again, thousands have been displaced, this time to Assam. Meanwhile, most of those displaced earlier have not been able to return to their schools, jobs, homes. Plus, reports suggest that those who have fled to the hills have had disproportionately little govt aid. Jyotiraditya Scindia, new Union minister for Northeast, must take up all such complaints with urgency. He should coordinate between the state and Centre in mission mode. Since the Manipur crisis is unprecedented, so must its redressal be. And since Manipuris have been failed by all levels of govt, repair must also take place at all levels.

Who’ll Test The Testers?

Take a long, hard look at National Testing Agency. Integrity of several competitive exams is at stake

Supreme Court has put 7-year-old National Testing Agency on guard with its remark “Sanctity has been affected, we need answers.” Multiple allegations of malpractices, and mismanagement of NEET, the elimination exam to select medical students, have not only caused an upheaval in the lives of over 13L students who qualified and their families. NTA’s mishandling has also compromised the consistency and integrity expected of India’s autonomous nodal exams administrator.

No transparency | NTA did itself no favours by being opaque, denying the allegations and providing inadequate answers at the first instance of alleged irregularity of paper leak. It was left redfaced when Gujarat and Bihar police made arrests – one lot for solving papers of six Gujarat candidates for `10L each, another 13 for allegedly providing NEET-UG 2024 question papers and answers to 35 medical aspirants in Bihar.

Nothing’s addressed | NTA’s claims of tamperproof, smooth conduct of exams for 23L medical aspirants went poof once results showed inflated marks, clustering of toppers from specific tuition centres and an amazing 67 toppers – in 2023, there were just two. The anomalies are dubious given the steep cut-off this year compared to last year. Questions on how ‘loss of time’ was determined to allot ‘grace marks’ to over 1,500 candidates were met with misinformation. The response that login time was considered, as in the case of online law test CLAT, falls flat. NEET is an offline exam. NTA has been shredding its own credibility.

No respite | A re-exam is no solution. Why should 13L students’ futures be jeopardised? NTA attempts to hang all problems on the ‘teething issues-tech glitches’ hanger. Not NEET alone, it also messed up its college entrance qualifier CUET, and engineering entrance JEE. Careers of future generations cannot be what giant centralised systems experiment with, or cut their systems’ teeth on. Given the scale of harm done, NTA should get its house in order before the 2024 NEET chaos, on the back of previous failures, leads to a class action/representative suit beyond PILs.

Ad nauseam

second opinion

Sometimes too much hype about a forthcoming event can lead to an equally great anticlimax

Jug Suraiya

Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement, said Dr Johnson. But what happens when the projected promise is too large for the advertisement? Or, conversely, the advertisement too much for the promise?

Say, a mega blockbuster movie is announced. The all-star cast is led by an icon of the industry whose face and name are indelibly imprinted on the collective public psyche by ever-recurring exposure through a blanket bombardment of advertisements, in the press, on TV, and kiosks and hoardings, for all products for all people, from paan masala to penthouse apartments, from A-class automobiles to Ayurvedic treatment for piles (getting to the bottom of your problem).

The screenplay for the film has been scripted by a writer whose inexplicable omission from the roster of winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature reveals a lamentable lack of discernment on the part of the judges.

The musical score for the epic has been composed by a maestro who, had they been around today, would have given Tansen and Tchaikovsky a run for their melodious money.

The director of the film has been hailed by critics as being a worthy successor not only to Satyajit Ray and Sergei Eisenstein, but also to Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers and The Three Stooges.

Finally, to a rising crescendo of drumrolls and clashing of cymbals, the long-awaited movie is released. As audiences stream out of the theatres their comments are solicited.

“I never actually saw the movie. I went to get popcorn in what I thought was the interval, and I saw everyone coming out, so I went home.”

“I was too busy talking on my cell to Auntieji about all the celebs who were there, to look at the screen.”

“It was fantastic! The best cure for insomnia ever invented.”

Sometimes too large a promise can turn advertisement into hadvertisement. As in, make people feel they’ve had enough.

Q: What’s The Best Way To Test Merit? A: Don’t Know

Competitive exams are tricky business, as the NEET controversy shows. Problem is, as they say for democracy, other options on the table are worse. An explainer

Ananya Khera

NEET is in the middle of high controversy, with questions being asked about the process of arriving at this year’s results. But there is a larger issue. How should students transition from school to college? What’s the fairest way to do this? The challenge is hardly unique to India.

Fair standard in unequal world | National Testing Agency runs exams ranging from NEET for medical admissions, to CUET for admission to all central universities, and JEE for admission to IITs.

NEET replaced multiple entrance exams conducted by different institutions and states. CUET represents a shift from board exam-based admissions to college, where format and content varied across regions and schooling systems, CBSE, ICSE, state boards. CUET offers a single standard. It is a high-stakes test, but so were board exams, which placed enormous stress on students.

Exams are a test of competencies. They are also rationing devices, to allocate scarce resources (college seats) in a legitimate way. They decide merit and rank. In societies of inherited privilege, they were meant to be an objective gauge of ability.

However, it’s hard to deny that social circumstances of exam-takers affect their performance. Marginalised social groups have to go a greater distance – for instance, those less comfortable with the prescribed test language are at a disadvantage.

Tensions around equity and excellence are inevitable. How objective can a standardised test be when schooling is segregated between elite and budget private schools, and state schools of various kinds? Sometimes, exams are also gamed, as NEET examinees have alleged this year. To sum up, the question of justice is central to the idea of the competitive exam.

Striking a balance | Exit exams, like board exams, are meant to transition students from one stage to the next. They certify skills and mastery of curriculum. Meanwhile, entrance exams like NEET, JEE, and so on, are gatekeeping tests. There has been democratic pressure on exit exams to be looser, but entrance exams are pushed to be more selective.

The whole world struggles with testing and ranking – they are complex ‘wicked problems’ that will never have a clear solution. Should a student be evaluated by a single test, or through dynamic, continuous assessment? Exam format is also a contentious topic. Multiple choice questions are an efficient test of knowledge and less prone to grader’s bias. Essay-type questions allow more complex assessments. Competency-based evaluation like pass/fail tells you whether the student has mastered a skill, yes or no. The absence of grades and ranks reduces competition and gaming.

However, some element of distinction is needed to grade students for college. Minute rank-ordering is a poor indicator of true merit – difference between 92 and 95 is not a definitive gap in ability. Ranking also causes great heartache and competition, as JEE-rank madness attests. And yet, this kind of competitive exam is the only way a country like India can funnel a large and diverse student population through higher education.

How world gets to college | Ideally, we should assess students with more measures than a single test score. At US universities, a holistic evaluation includes school grades, extra-curricular activity, standardised test scores, recommendation letters and a personal essay.

In Britain, after getting their secondary school certificates, students do two years of advanced study and take A-level exams that determine their university or specialised training paths.

In France, after the secondary school baccalaureate, students work towards a vocational licence or a degree at a public university. There are competitive entrance exams, and highly selective grand ecoles.

In Finland there are no standardised tests until the college entrance exam.

In China, the national college entrance exam, gaokao, is a high-stakes affair. Korea screens students for college through school records, a college scholastic ability test, and universities’ entrance exams. Japan has a two-day common university admissions test, and the big national universities add their own tests or essay requirements. Exam culture in east Asia is brutal. Shiken joguku means ‘exam hell’ in Japan.

In all countries that have them, mass exams are an event of huge significance. There are striking similarities: adulation of ‘toppers’, stress and suicides, cheating scandals. Cramming and coaching industries that promise a key to the exam are also a common feature.

In a globalised world, as more students apply to universities outside their home country, standardised tests help to evaluate and place them in a consistent way. SAT is one of the elements used in college admissions in US, and it is now in wider use internationally.

However, some 1,800 colleges in US, including Harvard and Stanford, had dropped the requirement for test scores, holding that systematic discrimination is baked into them. Some have brought them back since. This only illustrates the dilemma of standardised tests: like democracy, it’s the worst form of selection, except for all the others.

They Are Scheduled, Not Same

LS polls saw SCs & STs respond differently to the alleged threat to reservations. The reason SCs largely voted against BJP & STs stuck with it, is explained by their different social histories

Unlike STs, SCs lived within Hindu society, condemned to so-called ‘polluting’ jobs. Their route to respectability was via education and job mobility. That’s why reservations are so central to them

Dipankar Gupta

Evidence suggests that in 2024 Scheduled Castes (SCs) voted against BJP for they feared NDA would kill reservations if it got re-elected. While this might hold for SCs, it wasn’t the case with Scheduled Tribes (STs). Looking at the results it appears that the bulk of SC voters, in prized constituencies, and not just in the cheap seats, headed for the exit door as if the fire alarm had been sounded.

While much of this began even before the movie had properly started, STs, however, stayed back firmly where they were. It’s puzzling why they did not react the way SCs did to the threat that BJP might revoke reservations. After all, STs would be equally hurt if this policy is indeed lifted. Yet, NDA did remarkably well where the proportion of STs was much higher than the national average.

UP LS results clearly show that SCs left NDA in numbers. The BJP-led alliance lost 17 of the 22 UP constituencies where SCs exceeded 20% of the population. These hits didn’t knock BJP out but were hard body blows. BJP even lost Ayodhya, notwithstanding the Ram temple and earlier victories in assembly elections there.

Contrast this with NDA’s performance in the six major states where the proportion of STs is far greater than the all-India figure. NDA won convincingly in all of them – MP, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand and Tripura. Jharkhand may have seen a clean NDA sweep but for the sympathy wave that was set off favouring the INDIA bloc after the arrest of its CM Hemant Soren.

Such correlations are compelling enough and they do not need any added commentary. Yet, they lead us to a disconcerting conclusion that while SCs and STs both benefit from reservations, their worlds are not alike. The first reason that strikes one off the bat is that STs did not have a national hero like Babasaheb Ambedkar in their ranks, as SCs did – a man who led the Constitution-making team boldly from the front.

Still, that doesn’t entirely explain why STs did not rear up as nervously as SCs did once the talk of taking away reservations started gaining decibels. True, STs are also poor, they too have been historically deprived, but their social backwardness does not come from performing ‘polluting occupations’ but rather from geographical distance. There was little, or no, stigma attached to the occupations that STs followed.

Even today, about 80% of STs are in the ‘non-polluting’ primary sector (such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing) and this is well above 53% for the general population. As a matter of fact, there were tribal rulers in pre-modern India who, according to anthropologist and Gandhian activist NK Bose, were accepted as Kshatriyas. Some of them exist even today, airbrushed lightly with Hinduism, and nobody is pointing a finger.

Again, there are tribes like the Mundas, Tana Bhagats, and Tripuris whose route to Hinduism was via the Bhakti movement. They were not regarded as inferior by neighbouring Hindus and some like the Hill Bhuiyans enjoyed high ritual status. It’s also claimed that Odisha’s Jagannath cult probably has a tribal past. The chair of the All-Adivasi Cultural Committee asserted in 1973 that several Hindu deities are actually Santhali.

Not only are Hinduised Gonds of western Odisha considered a ‘clean’ caste, but, in addition, tribals such as the Bhils also appeared in Mewar and Kushalgarh royal coat of arms where they rubbed shoulders with Rajputs. The most renowned Bhil is the iconic Rana Punja, who is said to have fought horseback to horseback with the mighty Maharana Pratap in the Battle of Haldighati.

These historical features of STs suggest why their response to the reservations scare was more muted than that of SCs. Unlike STs, SCs lived within Hindu society and were condemned to so-called ‘polluting’ and ‘unclean’ occupations. Consequently, SCs’ route to respectability was principally via education and upward job mobility. This explains why reservations are so central to them.

There is also some consensus among experts that it’s because of this original difference between SCs and STs that they haven’t yet thrashed out a common leadership in spite of their overlapping hardships. Yet, ironically, even though they are not undermined by the larger Hindu society as SCs are, STs lag behind them on several developmental indices, such as education, representation and stable employment.

Their positional distance from the ‘mainstream’ economy and polity places STs at a disadvantage. SCs, in contrast, are in daily contact with the broader society, and have learnt how to operate power levers much better than STs have managed to do so far. Had reservations not acted like a lightning rod in 2024 elections, we might have overlooked the differences between SCs and STs.

From the outside they are both poor, but to paraphrase Leo Tolstoy: Rich communities are all alike, but each poor one is poor in its own way.

The writer is a sociologist

Sacred space

Confounding the dignity of man with mere usefulness arises from conceptual confusion that in turn may be traced back to the contemporary nihilism transmitted on many an academic campus and many an analytical couch.

Viktor E Frankl

Competent Leaders Transcend Personal Bias

THE SPEAKING TREE

Swami Swaroopananda

Visionaries alone can lead a generation. Only those with the foresight to anticipate future needs can be true guides to others. Intelligence is a prerequisite, without which farsightedness is not possible. A vision provides direction and the incentive to reach the goal, which cannot happen without intelligence.

We all work hard and set targets for ourselves, but often lack the vision to back up our work and goals. Understanding the ultimate purpose of our endeavours is essential. For instance, the opening of a school may fulfil immediate goals. However, it is essential to know its ultimate purpose. Is it to earn money or fame, to achieve power, or for social welfare? A visionary leader possesses clarity of purpose and a long-term perspective. His wisdom-empowered decisions benefit the community, society, and the world.

When confronted with eagerness and commitment – obstacles fade away. True leaders face difficulties head-on, devising solutions without succumbing to setbacks. They are exceptional motivators with an unending zest for life and the desire to live and handle challenges. Equanimous, regardless of external circumstances, they inspire confidence in others. They take learnings from all experiences and appropriately apply them to deal with the vicissitudes of life.

Upholding values is crucial for effective leadership. Leaders who demonstrate integrity, honesty, and ethical conduct inspire respect and set examples for others. They must be humble enough to listen to and accept other opinions when appropriate. Listening is important for gaining knowledge, whether in one’s profession or on the path of spirituality. Often, we become so inflexible that we do not listen to others. Sometimes, opportunities come, but we become blind to them; sometimes, solutions are simple, but we do not listen.

There is a case that illustrates this point. A Japanese company received complaints from customers that some of their cartons were arriving empty. After an investigation, they found a defect in the packaging unit. Every hundredth carton would go empty. Numerous engineers were approached to find a solution to repair the machine. Meanwhile, a worker in the department requested an audience with the CEO. The CEO thought the worker was approaching him for personal gain or favour and disregarded him. Eventually, the worker barged into the CEO’s office and told him that he had a solution to the packaging problem – only a hundred dollars were needed to install a powerful fan that would compel the empty cartons to fly off. Sometimes solutions are straightforward if only we pay attention; a CEO, a leader, must listen.

A competent leader reflects on the obvious, larger issues and detects subtle and hidden concerns. He transcends personal biases, exercising control over his ego to ensure impartial decisionmaking. In an organisation, the evaluation of a person should be based on the quality of his work and not on the boss’ likes and dislikes. Favouritism can cause immense damage to any organisation.

The above key attributes of leadership apply to those in formal positions and to anyone who aspires to lead by example.

The author is global head, Chinmaya Mission

CONTRAPUNTO

Catch on fire and people will come for miles to see you burn

–JOHN WESLEY

Times Techies

- What GCCs in India must do to become centres of innovation

- Meril’s heart valve certified world-class

- Believe in yourself!

- TARGET CEO SAYS INDIA WILL PLAY BIGGER ROLE

- GLOSSARY OF IN-GROUP TERMS USED

- IT’S OUR 5th ANNIVERSARY

What GCCs in India must do to become centres of innovation

Critical to position centre as equal to peers, align culture

Sujit John & Veena Mani | TNN

We’ve been writing about the huge expansion of the global capability centre (GCC) ecosystem in India. The older of these tech and operations arms of MNCs, which began as largely back-office operations, are trying to move towards doing innovative and value-added work. Many newer ones are coming in, sometimes with ambitious plans of hiring thousands of engineers and doing cutting-edge work out of here.

What lessons do the more mature GCCs hold for the upcoming ones on building a culture of innovation? That was the question we discussed with a panel of GCC leaders recently.

Everyone concurred that it’s crucial to position the India centre as equal to its peers, including the headquarter, and the centre should be seen as an integral part of the whole. “We need to build the mindset that we are one organisation,” Neeraj Goyal, country head of NAB Innovation Centre India, said. If the centre started years ago for reasons of cost arbitrage, or has been seeing itself as an execution centre, then it’s critical for employees to change that mindset, Goyal said, and focus on how they are impacting the end customer.

Ashish Jain, head of engineering at Lloyds Technology Centre, noted management guru Peter Drucker’s quote `culture eats strategy for breakfast’, and said cultural alignment between GCCs and the headquarters is very important. “We are putting a lot of stress on how we can have that alignment on core values. It’s part of our leadership training, our induction programme,” he said. Teams, he said, must also understand the headquarter’s core objectives and the key results they deliver, and how the teams can align to those.

Manasvi Sharma, VP of technology at Lowe’s, said this kind of alignment inevitably reflects in roles. “If we have a leader in India, then they will have teams across India and the US, and if a decision is taken in India or the US, it’s applicable to the entire organisation,” he said.

Vijay Veerachamy, analytics delivery lead at Cargill, said the way they ensure alignment is by assigning every GCC employee to one of the company’s business units. “So, when you join, you don’t join the GCC, you join the business unit, like say our agricultural supply chain business. They are tied to the goals of the business, their leadership is the leaders that represent the business,” he said.

Sanjay Menon, EVP & MD at Publicis Sapient, said to build a GCC with an innovation culture, it’s important to have a “why not”, and not a “why” orientation. “If you are starting something, and if your orientation is `why’, you’ll look for the first reason to slow it down. But if it’s `why not’, if you see an issue, you will solve it because you have to keep going,” he said. Menon also stressed the need to design the system to ensure all teams across centres feel like peers. He said the minute you feel there’s a different expectation from you because of the geography you operate in, work will not happen in an optimised manner.

EASY TO UNDERSTAND CUSTOMERS

Everyone also felt that given the digital world we live in, it’s entirely possible for GCCs to innovate for global customers sitting out of India. “With digital, even if you are in the parent location, be it US or Australia, you are as close to the customer as someone in India,” Goyal said, referring to customer data that is easily accessible from anywhere.

Given that India is also home to the contact centres of many MNCs, that’s another significant customer touch-point. Jain noted that they make colleagues from the engineering team sit with colleagues in the contact centre to get instant feedback on what customers are saying.

Sharma and Veerachamy said they also make it possible for colleagues to travel to home markets to understand customers better.

DO IT NOW

As we ended the discussion, we asked each panellist what their message was to those looking at establishing GCCs in India, and Jain quipped: “Do it, you are already late.”

Meril’s heart valve certified world-class

CUTTING-EDGE MADE IN INDIA

Akhil.George@timesgroup.com

Here’s a great India story. Gujaratheadquartered Meril Life Sciences has successfully demonstrated, through what’s called the Landmark trial, that the Myval transcatheter heart valves (THV) it manufactures are just as good as the ones made by the biggest medical technology companies in the world. The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, has published the study in a recent issue.

Myval is a balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve that is used during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (Tavi) procedures that help improve a damaged aortic valve.

Before Tavi procedures became common, open-heart surgery was the only way to fix a damaged aortic valve. With Tavi, a small puncture is made in the thigh and the catheter is sent to the heart where the valve is deployed. Meril said that such valves have for the past many decades been dominated by a few select medical technology firms.

India imports 80% of the medical devices it uses, so domestically designing and manufacturing high-end medical products like the Myval is a huge step, notes a Meril executive, who did not want to be named. Meril was founded in 2006 by the Bilakhia Group. It started in the field of orthopaedics, offering a diverse range of orthopaedic implants, including knee and hip re- placements. It has also developed devices such as drug-eluting stents, bioresorbable scaffolds, and balloon catheters, and products such as surgical sutures, tissue sealants, and absorbable hemostats. Its products are sold in over 100 countries.

The Myval THV trial results, revealed at the EuroPCR conference in Paris, showed that the heart valves were safe at 30 days and were “noninferior” to other heart valves in the market – specifically Edwards Lifesciences’ Sapien BEV and Medtronic’s Evolut SEV devices.

Landmark clinical trials are practice-changing and highly influential studies. Meril says getting accepted into the trial itself was a big deal.

“The study is important for India, and this is a very important milestone for all those who aspire to innovate in the medical devices space and challenge the western world with newer products that can help patients in a better way,” the company says.

Meril’s heart valves, the company says, are also lighter on patients’ wallets by around 25%. “The cost to patients for the complete procedure with Meril’s valve will be about Rs 15 lakh, compared to about Rs 20 lakh when using valves of other companies,” it says.

The Landmark trial was a prospective, randomised, multicentre, openlabel, non-inferiority trial involving 768 patients who underwent a Tavi procedure for the treatment of aortic stenosis. The patients were spread across 31 sites in 16 countries.

Believe in yourself!

CAREER LADDER FOR WOMEN

Pallavi Arora

I have worked for over 30 years in the IT/technology industry, of which over 25 years have been in my current organisation. I have crystallised my career and personal journey to believing in myself. Believing in one’s capabilities and how one can add value to an organisation and others is imperative to creating a high impact. I abide by these three beliefs:

Cherishing the balancing act | Early in my career, as a new mother, I communicated with my manager that I wanted to prioritise motherhood, which meant fewer projects and stretch assignments that would otherwise strengthen my career growth and performance review. I also had a transparent conversation with a peer in the team for support. I credit my company culture, which empowered individuals with flexibility and encouraged transparent discussions. My unshakeable belief in myself and understanding that life is a marathon, not a sprint, has helped me balance my career aspirations and priorities.

Lifelong learner | Sometime back, I had to present a technological innovation on stage to hundreds of customers. As preparation, I asked a technical leader for a demo to understand the functionality, user experience, the challenges it resolves, and everything else I could learn so I could express the actual value of the innovation. I started a practice somewhere mid-career to align my overall skills (functional, technical, leadership, etc.) with my career goal. I challenge myself to acquire a new skill or learn a new domain each year. I continue to learn about aspects of finance, effective leader communication, generative AI, and beyond.

Invest in myself | Self-investment in growth and development is non-negotiable. I invest in my well-being by blocking time for fitness training in my schedule. I was fortunate to have an early-career role model – a woman leader who has since become the CEO of a leading IT organisation. Mentors hold the potential to influence the career trajectory. However, I couldn’t have just walked up and asked to be mentored without investing and working on myself. I am grateful to my mentors who invested in me as much as I invested in myself. I am continuing the chain by mentoring and sponsoring future business and technology leaders.

To everyone struggling to believe in themselves – be confident in your hard work. Know it and believe in it. Give it everything you have. You can do it! Pallavi Arora is vice president at Cisco’s customer experience (CX) centres

TARGET CEO SAYS INDIA WILL PLAY BIGGER ROLE

Section of Target’s 4,500-strong India team at the annual event in Bengaluru

➤ Brian Cornell, CEO of the $107-billion US retailer Target, was in India recently along with other members of the leadership team including Cara Sylvester, chief guest experience officer, Rick Gomez, chief food, beauty, and essentials officer, Gretchen McCarthy, EVP & chief supply chain & logistics officer, and Brett Craig, EVP & chief information officer. They participated in Target’s India annual meeting, an event that brought together the company’s over 4,500 team members in Bengaluru for a day of celebration and deeper understanding of Target’s roadmap and strategy for growth.

➤ “I really love that Target in India will be playing a bigger role than ever in delivering on our roadmap and driving our growth,” Cornell said. He said the work done by the India team “continues to fuel our objective of designing, delighting, and delivering great experiences to our guests, and their role will become even more important as we sharpen our focus on being a growth company.”

➤ Target’s India centre, based in Bengaluru since 2005, supports headquarters’ activities across marketing, technology, finance, digital, supply chain, data sciences, analytics, product and more.

➤ The India team played a critical role in the revamped Target Circle programme – one of the biggest loyalty programmes in the US, with more than 100 million members. The revamped programme, which brought in elements similar to that in Amazon Prime like free sameday delivery and free two-day shipping, was launched in April, and saw an immediate and sharp increase in new users. Work involved enhancing the front-end user interface, enhancing personalisation of offers through an analytics platform and lots more.

➤ India also recently played a central role in Roundel, Target’s retail media business that helps brands create smart, personalised advertising campaigns. Teams here were involved across the business, in areas such as creative, ad operations, trading & optimisation, media planning and programme management. Cara Sylvester said Roundel grew more than 20% last year and drove $1.5 billion dollars in value for Target.

Cara Sylvester

Brian Cornell

Andrea Zimmerman, President, Target in India

GLOSSARY OF IN-GROUP TERMS USED

ON THIS PAGE

BIORESORBABLE SCAFFOLDS

They are temporary structures used in medical applications to support the regeneration of tissues and organs. These scaffolds are made from materials that can gradually degrade and be absorbed by the body, eliminating the need for a second surgery to remove them. They serve as a framework for cells to grow and form new tissue, aiding in the healing process. Over time, as the natural tissue regenerates and takes over the structural role, the scaffold is broken down by the body’s natural processes. These scaffolds have applications in areas such as bone regeneration, cardiovascular stents, and soft tissue engineering.

BALLOON CATHETERS

They are medical devices with an inflatable balloon at their tip, used for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In angioplasty, they open blocked blood vessels by inflating the balloon to compress plaque against vessel walls. For stent placement, the balloon expands the stent to keep the vessel open. In valvuloplasty, they widen narrowed heart valves. Additionally, balloon catheters can control bleeding by inflating to apply pressure, as seen in cases of esophageal varices or postpartum hemorrhage. Made from biocompatible materials like silicone or latex, these catheters are vital in minimally invasive medical procedures, enhancing patient outcomes.

IT’S OUR 5th ANNIVERSARY

We turned 5 today. The first issue of Times Techies appeared in Bengaluru and Hyderabad on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. It’s been an incredible journey since then. The success of the weekly page in the two cities encouraged us to take it to TOI’s six other big editions – NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata and Ahmedabad – in January 2021. The response from readers, including younger readers, across India was phenomenal.

As the world came out of the Covid pandemic, we noticed an acceleration in global demand for tech, and in global companies establishing tech bases in India, driven by their need to digitally transform themselves, and India’s supply of great talent at scale. We recognised that India was becoming one of the world’s biggest and most sophisticated tech hubs, and that the tech industry here was by far the single biggest contributor to white-collar jobs. That persuaded us to launch, in September 2022, a second weekly page on Fridays. Through all this, we also created related properties – Times Techies Webinars, Times Techies Talks, Campus Connect – that brought experts together for live virtual and physical discussions.

Times Techies has redefined technology coverage with its focus as much on people in tech, as on technology. We have showcased inspirational stories. We have showcased teams in India doing cutting-edge work that have had global impact. We have focused on helping youngsters understand potential career paths. We have done special pages on occasions like Women’s Day, Women in Engineering Day, Mother’s Day, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and Pride Month, all of which have received touching responses from readers. Sunil Agarwal and Ian Baker’s cartoons have poked fun at tech and techies with great effect.

Our newest initiative has been the launch of a page focused on AI, given that AI is transforming every industry and every profession. The page you see alongside is our first issue in 2019. Even then, AI was what was most exciting for the tech industry. But today, AI is everywhere, and it’s reached a stage where all of us can use natural language to create apps – maybe not very sophisticated apps, but we’ll likely get there too.

As we move forward, we hope to continue to be on top of these stunning changes in technology. Thank you, to all readers and participants in our stories, for being part of this amazing journey.

Times Sport

- Hosts search for pride in a conflicted world

- LET IT B!

- Ronaldo’s Portugal training session tickets on offer for up to 800 euros!

- ‘Confident of double-digit medal finish’

- India’s WC hopes end in heartbreak

- It’s us vs the US!

- India await on allrounder Dube to deliver on big stage

- ‘Netravalkar an inspiration for budding players in US’

- Mohun Bagan appoint Molina as head coach

- ACTION TODAY

- The template which shaped USA’s rise

- Triple start for Manu; Rudrankksh misses Oly bus

- Pak stay alive with win over Canada

- India set to host Junior Hockey World Cup in 2025

- AKMAL APOLOGISES FOR INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS

Hosts search for pride in a conflicted world

Berlin: When Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, it unleashed an unexpected burst of national pride across the country. For many Germans, it was the first time they felt they could wave the flag unburdened by the country’s dark past.

As Germany gets ready to host another major tournament, such scenes of patriotic fervour are hard to imagine happening again. The country itself is going through difficult times politically, with a far-right surge making many uncomfortable about public dis- plays of national pride.

Even with Germany’s opening game on Friday against Scotland just days away, there are few German flags hanging from balconies or windows, few national colours on show.

“It’s not going to be like 2006, because we’ve moved on 18 years and there are conflicts everywhere,” said Stephan Uersfeld, a sports columnist for broadcaster NTV. “Conflicts within German society, conflicts within Europe. It hadn’t been the case in 2006.”

Germany was one of the countries where the far-right made significant gains in elections to the European Parliament on Sunday. Alternative for Germany, or AfD, came second.

In 2006, the country wasn’t as polarized. Germans still refer to the World Cup that year as a “Sommermärchen,” or summer fairy-tale. It was the first time Germany hosted a major football tournament since reunification. The economy was recovering from a deep depression with unemployment at 12.6% in 2005 – the highest it’s ever been since the war – and new Chancellor Angela Merkel promised better times to come. She enthusiastically cheered as a young Germany team coached by Juergen Klinsmann reached the semis.

“It was just a great atmosphere,” Uersfeld said. “I think the entire country was proud to be such a great host. They couldn’t believe that people liked what they saw in Germany.”

Anxiety over the rise of AfD, which uses the German flag frequently in campaigning, and more extremist groups has put many Germans off from displaying national symbols. “Nobody wants to be confused with the rightwing stuff,” said Axel Lischke, a sound engineer in Berlin.

He said he would likely root for Scotland in Friday’s opening match. “I would love to see German society treating everyone equally,” said Lischke, who suggested the image of the multicultural German national team is only a vision. He pointed to the treatment of former Germany international Mesut Ozil, who has Turkish roots, after the team flopped at the 2018 World Cup. The president of the football federation, DFB, at the time, Reinhard Grindel, later regretted not giving him more support.

Just before Euro 2024, a TV documentary questioned the German national team’s role in fostering integration in a multicultural society. Germany defender Jonathan Tah and former internationals Shkodran Mustafi and Gerald Asamoah talked about the racism and hostility they faced. The programme on public broadcaster ARD included a survey asking 1,304 participants if they would prefer more white players on the team. One in five replied they would. “It’s absurd to ask such a question when the aim is to unite the whole country,” midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. AP

LET IT B!

Spain, Italy And Croatia Collide In Group B, Widely Ranked As This Edition’s Group Of Death. Albania Complete The Lineup

HERE WE GO AGAIN: Spain’s Alvaro Morata (L) and Croatia’s Luka Modric battle it out in the Round of 16 match of the last Euro (2021) in Copenhagen. Spain won a 5-3 thriller. What will be the score this Saturday?

Heavyweights Spain, defending champions Italy and Croatia will duke it out in the dreaded group of death as they battle to reach the latter stages of Euro 2024. A durable Albania side join the strong trio in the fascinating Group B, determined to do more than just make up the numbers in Germany.

Spain are favourites to progress after defeating both Italy and Croatia to win their first UEFA Nations League title in 2023, but those hard-fought matches revealed there is little between the three powerful teams.

Luis de la Fuente took Spain to their first trophy since La Roja won Euro 2012, their third Euro victory. With young wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams embedding themselves in De la Fuente’s plans, Spain have the flair and speed missing in the past to complement their deep reserves of technical ability.

La Roja are still without a reliable goalscorer, with Atletico Madrid’s Alvaro Morata badly out of form in the second half of the season and yet likely to lead the line.

Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri adds consistency and steel to hold things together at the back.

Italy, who triumphed against England to win Euro 2020, are a tough prospect on paper despite their failure to reach the 2022 World Cup. Former Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti took over in August after Roberto Mancini’s unexpected resignation. The two-time winners boast several players from Serie A champions Inter Milan’s side, led by playmaker Nicolo Barella. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was key in Italy’s triumph at Wembley.

Similarly to Spain, Italy lack a clear first choice, top quality centre-forward, with Genoa’s Mateo Retegui the current best bet to lead the line, while Juventus’ Federico Chiesa will be a danger from out wide.

Croatia were knocked out by Spain in the last 16 at Euro 2020 but their blend of experience and emerging talent could take them far further on this occasion. Runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third in Qatar two years ago, Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia will try to give 38-year-old Luka Modric a superb swansong.

Osasuna forward Ante Budimir is in fine form in Spain, while with Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic in midfield and Josko Gvardiol at the back, Croatia have top talent sprinkled throughout the team.

Albania, by contrast, boast no star names but are capable of defending deep and setting out to frustrate more illustrious opponents. AFP

YOU’VE GOT THE LOOK!

Belgium’s away kit is a tribute to a much-loved cartoon character, Tintin. Croatia’s shirt will not go unnoticed. Germany’s home jersey is a classic white, but the away shirt is a bold pink and purple. These are some kits that will surely catch the eyes of fans and fashionistas...

FRANCE GOES RETRO

France’s jerseys, both home and away, deserve a place at the top of the charts. The away shirt combines a white base with a royal blue, with pinstripes going from blue to red, reflecting the colours of the national flag. The home shirt is simple, featuring a striking bright blue. The only downside, perhaps, is the extra large Gallic rooster — a national symbol of France as a nation. But because of that XXL badge, the jerseys are reminiscent of the kit the French team wore at the 1984 tournament, when the Tricolores, guided by Michel Platini, won their first major title.

TINTIN TRIBUTE

Belgium’s home kit has the traditional red colour worn by the national teams. But Belgium is the land of surrealism and likes to do things differently, with humour. The away kit is a tribute to the lategreat Belgian cartoonist Hergé and the character that first made him famous in 1929: Tintin, the intrepid reporter. The light blue of the jersey will please the Man City fans who adore Kevin De Bruyne. The brown shorts might result in an arrest by the fashion police.

EXTRA LARGE

France are not the only team taking the oversize trend. The Croatian home shirt will feature extra large red and white checks. Critics say players now look more like jockeys at a race track. But the larger squares give it a modern and relaxed look.

GERMANY’S BOLD MOVE

The away kit, with its pink and purple colours, is an unprecedented bold move in the Mannschaft’s history. The look is rounded off by purple shorts and socks. It got Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz really excited: “The away shirt is really cool!.”

NUMBER 44 CONTROVERSY

Some social media users pointed out that the font of the two fours together on jerseys with the number 44 resembled the stylized SS used by the Nazi Party’s Schutzstaffel group. Adidas subsequently stopped offering personalization of jerseys, and the federation halted the delivery of ‘No. 44’ from its online shop. AP

UNITED COLOURS OF GERMANY? The away jersey represents the ‘new generation of fans as well as diversity of the country’

Ronaldo’s Portugal training session tickets on offer for up to 800 euros!

SHORT PASSES

Berlin: Tickets to watch Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo train with the national team in an open session on Friday at their Euro 2024 tournament base in Westphalia are on sale for as much as 800 euros ($858.32). Ronaldo, the leading scorer in men’s international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches, will be playing in his sixth Euros, having reached the final on his tournament debut in 2004 and winning the competition in 2016.

The 6,000 free tickets for Friday’s training session were snapped up in a few minutes when they went on sale and some are now being offered in small ads for hundreds of euros. There were several tickets offered for 400 euros while others were on sale for 800 euros on the German kleinanzeigen small ads website.

Southgate says Euro 2024 could be his final event with England: Gareth Southgate accepts the European Championship could be his final act as England manager. Southgate’s contract expires after the Euros, which kick off on Friday when Germany plays Scotland. He believes it could be his final tournament unless he ends the nation’s search for a first major trophy since the World Cup in 1966.

“If we don’t win, I probably won’t be here anymore,” Southgate told German newspaper Bild. “Then it might be the last chance. I think about half of the national coaches leave after a tournament — that’s the nature of international football.” AGENCIES

‘Confident of double-digit medal finish’

India’s 2036 Oly Bid Going Well But EC Members Must Stop Infighting First, Say s IOA P r esident Usha

MAKING HER POINT: Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha

TOI EXCLUSIVE

Sabi.Hussain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha has been working overtime to ensure that the country’s athletes get the best support in their quest to win medals at the Paris Olympics. Usha, a legendary athlete herself who became the first woman president of the IOA in the sports body’s 95-yearlong history, sat down for a chat with TOI on Monday afternoon at the IOA Bhawan, speaking on a variety of top- ics ranging from India’s Olympics preparations, medal expectations, overall contingent size, dealing with athletes’ last-minute requests for personal coaches and support staff and progress made on India’s ambitious bid to host the Summer Games in 2036. Excerpts...

■ With the Paris Olympics round the corner, how has the IOA been supporting athletes to maximise India’s medal chances?

The preparation of our athletes is on the right track. Some of the medal contenders have requested additional support staff in terms of personal coaches, mental conditioning experts and physios and, we at the IOA, are accommodating their demands looking at the priority. For the first time, we will have a specialised team of sports science experts, with Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala as the Indian contingent’s chief medical officer (CMO).

He will be a ssisted by deputy CMO Dr Tvisha Parikh. There’s a full-fledged team of 10 such experts which includes physiotherapists, nutritionists, wellness specialists and a sleep advisor and therapist.

Also, for the first time, we have set up a round-the-clock recovery centre inside the Olympics Village which will have physiotherapy benches, in addition to six offered by the Games organisers, and sleeping cots.

IOA has been given 600 square feet of land inside the Village to set up a recovery centre only for our athletes. Separate sleeping cots would also be there at the shooting venue which will allow our shooters to recover during competition breaks.

The CMO, deputy CMO and two physios will stay inside the Village and the rest of the medical team will stay in a hotel outside.

All of them will be available 24 hours at the centre to address injury issues faced by our athletes.

■ What will be the likely contingent size for Paris?

The athletes’ contingent size will be somewhere between 115-120. Till now, a total of 94 Indian athletes have qualified for Paris. The overall contingent size could be somewhere around 210. IOA will be sending 13 people, which will include CDM, deputy CDMs, doctors, physios and other staff. In addition to it, the sports federations (NSFs) have sent names of 51 support personnel and then there are another 30 such personnel who the NSFs and athletes have individually requested for. These 30-odd people will be staying outside.

■ There’s a trend that as the Olympics or any other multisport event is near, some athletes start demanding personal coaches and support staff be allowed to accompany them. How would the IOA deal with such a situation?

Look, we can’t accommodate everyone. We will have to give priority to medal contenders and those who stand a good chance to land a podium finish. Coaches and physios have to be inside the Village, but someone like a mental conditioning coach can be given day passes to visit their athletes. All such support staff personnel can stay outside. If everybody starts asking for 4-5 personal support staff, it’s impossible.

■ What is IOA’s medal projection for Paris?

I don’t want to put pressure on athletes by spelling out the number of medals we are expected to win. Of course, the expectation is to surpass our Tokyo tally of seven. It will be more than that. I am confident that India will have a double-digit medal tally.

■ What’s the progress on India’s bid for the 2036 Olympics?

In any bid, there are three phases. One is the ‘Expression of Interest’, then there is ‘Continuous Dialogues’ in which the interested host nation will engage in discussions with the IOC. The third phase is called the ‘Targeted Dialogue’ which will happen at a later stage. Right now, the IOA i s in the p hase of Continuous Dialogues. During the Paris Olympics, India will have two sets of teams of officials which will be interacting with the organisers and IOC. The representatives of all those nations who have shown interest will be there. There will be two sets of meetings which they call ‘Executive Programme’ and ‘Observers Programme’. In the former, there will be a combined team of the govt and IOA which will interact with the IOC officials and look to understand what g oes into hosting an Olympics. In the Observers m eet, the team will be informed about the sports facilities that’s been created, the thought behind creating those facilities and their sustainability and the feasibility of hosting the Games. Once we are back from the Olympics in August, the IOA will initiate the third phase of Targeted Dialogues. This entire process will take about two years.

■ IOA has been witnessing a lot of infighting between you and EC members since the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as the NOC’s CEO. Your comments…

We talk about hosting the Olympics. But to host it, we first need to have good governance in the IOA. The CEO’s appointment has still not been ratified by the EC, whereas it’s been accepted by both the Indian govt and IOC. EC members are only worried about power…they don’t want to perform their duties. They want me to work alone as an IOA president and not to be assisted by my office staff or CEO who has been appointed after following due process. My executive assistant, Captain (retd) Ajay Narang and CEO haven’t drawn salaries for months because of the unnecessary problems created by the EC members.

India’s WC hopes end in heartbreak

Asian Champions Qatar Score Controversial Equaliser in 2-1 Win

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Marcus.Mergulhao@timesgroup.com

Lallianzuala Chhangte scored India’s first open-field goal in eight matches, spanning about 682 minutes and going back to November last year. It sparked real hope that Igor Stimac’s side could put it across Qatar and book a place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time.

But when the referee blew the final whistle, it all ended in disappointment and some controversy as Qatar secured a come-from-behind 2-1 win at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday.

Chhangte’s goal in the first half gave the visitors the lead in the first 45 minutes. Qatar, though, turned it around after the change of ends with the equaliser in the 75th minute being a controversial one. It occurred from a corner kick with the ball clearly over the line but the r eferee, and his assistant, allowed play to continue. Al Hassan quickly pulled the ball back and Yousef Aymen pushed it into the net.India protested fiercely but the match officials didn’t budge. Qatar’s second was a deserving one with Ahmed Al Rawi hammering it past goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from outside the box in the 85th minute. The defeat ended India’s hopes. With Qatar already making it to the next stage, the second spot in the group was secured by Kuwait who put it across Afghanistan at home with a late goal. Stimac made five changes to the team that was forced to share the spoils against Kuwait at home. With Nikhil Poojary injured and Sunil Chhetri retiring, the coach opted for three at the back. Mehtab Singh was one of them, while Brandon Fernandes, Jeakson Singh, Manvir Singh and Rahim Ali also forced their way into the starting 11. Qatar had a relatively weaker side with coach Bartolome Marquez making 7 changes and showing faith in a young side.

This young Qatar side proved quite a handful for India at the start. Alhashmi Mohialdin forced a smart save from Gurpreet in the second minute itself from a corner. Ten minutes later, Mehtab had to dive on the goalline to keep Al Rawi’s close-range attempt out.

India took time to get into the groove. Brandon was the one who kept the team ticking while Manvir, Rahim and Chhangte all pressed high up the pitch, forcing mistakes from the opposition defence.

In one such move j ust after the half an hour mark, Manvir robbed the ball from Hazem Shehata, forced his way inside the box, but ended up hitting the onrushing keeper’s body.

TIMES IN THE US

It’s us vs the US!

Game Against Co-Hosts Offers Rohit Sharma’s Team Chance To Smooth Out Some Rough Edges

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: The difficult part has been dealt with. India’s first hurdle — qualification to the Super8s — looks like a formality now.

The win against Pakistan on Sunday at the Nassau County ground underlined the depth that this Indian team has, and on paper, the Wednesday game against minnows USA shouldn’t be a matter of concern.

But is it that straight-forward? There’s a little bit more to this United States team that we knew of. It’s a group built around players who might have dreamt that one day they would play for India. For the likes of Saurabh Netrawalkar, Monank Patel, Nitish Kumar or Harmeet Singh, their primary goal might not have been successful. But the land of opportunities has given them a second chance and it seems all of them are determined to make the most of it.

A USA victory against Pakistan in Dallas a few days ago was one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far and now there’s suddenly a bit more in the offing. When the tournament started, they wouldn’t have given themselves a chance to make the Super-8s, but now it is a realistic possibility. Two more points will help them seal that trip to West Indies, but for a team that is not used to winning, the fear of the finish line sometimes becomes the biggest impediment.

Against India though, they’re not supposed to win and that should unshackle them just a little bit. Add to that the pitch at the Nassau County ground, where anything is possible.

After the low-scoring rollercoaster that was the India-Pakistan game, the drop-in pitch at the new venue made Bangladesh on Monday appear way more threatening against South Africa than they would have seemed in flatter conditions, even though the Proteas were finally able to deal with the challenge.

For the likes of USA pacers Ali Khan, a former Kolkata Knight Riders player, Nosthush Kenjige or Netravalkar, winning the toss may open up a great chance to test the Indian greats.

USA’s biggest test will come if the toss goes against them. The Indian pace quartet — led by the magnificent Jasprit Bumrah — has too much variety and quality in its arsenal for the hosts, especially on a helpful pitch. “USA looked very wellorganised and the way they stood up to that Pakistan attack in Dallas, one of the best bowling units at the World Cup, you have to give them huge kudos. They will now look to cash in on this result and they can absolutely reach the Super 8s,” former West Indian opener Chris Gayle wrote in his column for ICC.

But all this talk around the USA shouldn’t really worry the Indian team, who took a deserved break on Monday and turned up for an optional training session on match eve. The team would ideally prefer Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube to hit a bit of form. While Kohli has batted in both games so far at the most difficult times and the practice sessions suggest that it is a matter of time before he comes good, time might be running out for Dube.

India have come here with certain plans and now that the Pakistan game is out of the way, skipper Rohit Sharma’s aim will be to fine-tune those rough edges so that the machine runs smoothly when it matters most.

UP NEXT, GIANT-KILLING MINNOWS: Jasprit Bumrah (centre) and teammates celebrate the fall of Mohammad Rizwan’s wicket in the game against Pakistan

India await on allrounder Dube to deliver on big stage

Big-Hitter Has Struggled To Get Going So Far

SHIVAM DUBE

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: There aren’t too many areas that may concern India as they go into their game against the United States, the form of Shivam Dube being an exception. But then, the pitch at the Nassau County Ground hasn’t been batter-friendly and the big Chennai Super Kings basher hasn’t exactly been brought into this World Cup to play sheet anchor.

But what should be a real worry for the team management was the sitter that Dube dropped off Mohammed Rizwan on Sunday at fine-leg, a spill that came close to taking the game away from India.

It smacked of self-doubt. Is there a lack of confidence that is hurting the 30-year-old, who has struck a bit of a lean patch since his name was announced for the T20 World Cup? He struggled in the back-end of the IPL and now with the World Cup moving into higher gear, the man with long levers has to step up.

What exactly is prompting captain Rohit Sharma to persist with the Mumbai cricketer? From the few interactions that he had with the media in New York, it seems quite evident that the skipper, after the disappointment of the ODI World Cup final, has come here with some set plans.

Prime on his agenda is “flexibility in the batting lineup”, whereby no one else other than Virat Kohli and Rohit himself, has a fixed slot. “I have told them that it will be a case of horses for courses. Barring the opening slot, anyone can come anywhere,” Rohit said.

He walked the talk in the Pakistan game, when Axar Patel was sent ahead of Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. The move did pay dividends, to an extent.

The two players who can replace Dube in the XI — Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson — are primarily top- three batters and Rohit, probably, is a little reluctant to curtail his flexibility.

The second important factor, which Rohit prefers to keep a secret, is his plan for the West Indies, where India will play from the Super-8s. As per the skipper’s calculations, the spinners will call the shots in some of the Caribbean venues and that’s where a batter like Dube might be the most dangerous.

His monstrous hitting against slower bowlers was one of the talking points of the first phase of the IPL and Rohit, one feels, is trying his best to build Dube’s confidence.

In India’s nets sessions at Cantiague Park, another important aspect is the amount of bowling that Dube has done. Owing to the ‘impact sub’ rule, he didn’t get too many chances to bowl his medium-pace in the IPL, but the team management wants to keep him ready as a back-up option for Hardik.

“Four allrounders (Hardik, Axar and Jadeja being the three others) allows the team to have a lot of flexibility. I have a lot more options to choose from, which is very important in today’s T20 cricket,” Rohit had said.

It’s this template that the skipper has set in his desperation for the elusive ICC silverware that is helping Dube’s cause for the time being.

One feels he will get a little more time — specifically the games against USA and Canada — to hit some form so that India can stick to the plans and push for ultimate glory.

‘Netravalkar an inspiration for budding players in US’

SAURABH NETRAVALKAR

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: Saurabh Netravalkar’s brilliant Super Over against Pakistan helped the United States notch up a win that can be a game-changer for the sport in the country.

Cricket is slowly creating a buzz and the Mumbai boy’s performances against India at the Nassau International County Ground on Wednesday will be followed with a lot of interest. India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who is also from Mumbai, remembers the days when Netravalkar was coming up the ranks in domestic cricket. “Saurabh is an inspirational story, I am really happy for him,” Mhambrey said ahead of India’s optional training session on Tuesday.

Elaborating on the 32-year-old’s early days, Mhambrey said: “I remember seeing him in some of the training sessions and he looked quite promising. He played a few games for Mumbai and it must have been difficult for him to leave that and find a niche for himself here,” Mhambrey said.

The fact that he is a coder with Oracle and that he has come up this far, despite cricket not being his No. 1 profession, really surprises Mhambrey. “It is really a great story. It will show the way to many others who want to play cricket here,” Mhambrey said.

For the likes of Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh, Monank Patel, Milind Kumar, the Wednesday game will really be an occasion to remember. The USA vice-captain Aaron Jones, who played a match-winning innings against Canada in the first game, said the Indians in their team were looking forward to the game.

“They are really excited, to be honest. Most of them have grown up playing in India and there are so many following their performances back home. I am quite certain they will be very keen to do well against their friends,” Jones said.

The one thing that will be interesting on Wednesday will be where the loyalty of the fans lies. The Nassau International County ground has been a sea of blue all these days and there is a feeling that even though the home team will be playing, it won’t be any different on Thursday. “I think it will be 50-50…people are noticing how we are playing. Cricket has now become part of the Olympics and it is a matter of time before the sport takes off in the US,” the vice-captain added.

USA are on the verge of a historic qualification to the Super-8s. Even if they lose on Thursday, there is a storm brewing in Miami and there is a significant chance that most of the games will be washed out there, including India’s game against Canada and USA’s qualification duel with Ireland.

In that case, USA may not need to do anything else to qualify. “Yes, it will be massive if we go there. But for now, it’s the India game that we have in mind. We have our plans, we won’t be intimidated by the stars that India have and will look to play our games,” Jones said.

Mohun Bagan appoint Molina as head coach

Kolkata:Mohun Bagan Super Giant on Tuesday appointed Jose Francisco Molina as the club’s head coach for the upcoming season, replacing compatriot Antonio Lopez Habas.

Habas helped the Mariners win their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) shield last season and also took them to the final of the championship, where Mumbai City beat them 3-1.

PTI

ACTION TODAY

CRICKET: ICC T20 WC, Aus vs Namibia, 6 am; USA vs India, 8 pm Wednesday (Star Sports)

The template which shaped USA’s rise

Fledgling Cricket Nation Attracted Talent By Offering $50K Contracts To Play, Develop & Nurture The Game

Arani.Basu@timesgroup.com

When India take the field on Wednesday, there will be some familiar faces in the USA camp. For example, Suryakumar Yadav will square up against his age-group Mumbai teammate Saurabh Netravalkar, while Rishabh Pant will have a chance to catch up with Delhi’s Milind Kumar, who has seen Pant grow at the Sonnet Club.

USA’s competitive show in the ongoing T20 World Cup — which has seen them become surprise table-toppers with India — has caught everyone’s attention.

This American cricket dream started taking shape in 2020-21. While the squad still has players like Netravalkar, who started out as amateurs in the US circuit, it was the influx of professionals through Major League Cricket (MLC) and mushrooming local tournaments that raised the level of cricket.

This was despite the infrastructure being nowhere close to professional standards. “In 2020-21, a lot of us who were still playing first-class cricket in our respective countries were offered contracts by MLC to move to the USA and earn a living as cricket professionals,” Milind told TOI from New York.

Milind, who hit a century for Delhi on his Ranji Trophy debut in 2011, had recorded the highest number of runs in a Ranji season while playing for Sikkim after falling out of favour with Delhi. He now represents the Texas Super Kings team in the MLC.

The likes of Unmukt Chand, Harmeet Singh and New Zealand’s Smit Patel also moved at the same time. Corey Anderson from New Zealand and Sami Aslam from Pakistan were other big names to also shift base.

For these cricketers, it was a jump into the unknown. MLC was yet to be launched. They were allotted teams in different states to play in the Minor League Cricket. The deal was simple. They were awarded visas on terms that they would be working for the development of cricket in the US. The base price of a contract was $50,000 a year.

“We work at academies around the country. When we are not playing, we are coaching. Most of the kids have origins in the Indian subcontinent. We are not allowed to take up any other job. This is our job. When we moved here, we never thought about playing a World Cup for USA. But things happened and we have enjoyed our time here,” Milind said.

Professionalism is still a distant goal. The minor league is played in makeshift grounds which are mostly public parks. There is no concept of a coaching staff in those teams and playing XIs are largely picked by the promoters of the clubs.

How did this competitive edge come into their cricket, which saw them rout Bangladesh in the lead up to the World Cup before defeating Pakistan? Milind laughed: “We know these Pakistani players very well. We play with them.”

He added: “A lot of short private tournaments are played here. The promoters have been bringing active international cricketers like Mohammed Amir, Azam Khan, Shai Hope, Oshane Thomas and Martin Guptill to play in these tournaments for a few years. Playing with international players is not new to us. Azam is a good friend. We have learned so much from them.”

According to Milind, there’s now a certain awareness about the sport. Cricket gear and equipment is easily available, curators around the country have started understanding the art of making a pitch. But he asserted that there’s no culture of pleasing the bigger names to get into the USA team.

“Even Anderson has had to earn his spot. Aslam, who had played for Pakistan, was not picked because he didn’t perform as well. The country has just two stadiums but it seems like a good beginning,” Milind said.

GREENER PASTURES: Milind Kumar (top) and Harmeet Singh moved to the US at the same time to ply their trade

Triple start for Manu; Rudrankksh misses Oly bus

Tushar.Dutt@timesgroup.com

Pune:The National Rifle of India (NRAI) announced the rifle and pistol squads for the Olympics on Tuesday. Manu Bhaker will take part in three events but former World champion Rudrankksh Patil will miss the bus to Paris.

Quota winner Rudrankksh, who had finished third in the national Olympic Shooting Trials, behind Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta, was not included in the squad. Rudrankksh had written to the NRAI asking them to consider his case, given his experience at the international level.

Manu, who had participated in three events at the Tokyo Olympics, will once again start in the women’s 10m air pistol, 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed event matches in Paris. She had originally won the quota place in the 25m pistol event but eventually topped both 10m air pistol and 25m trials to be part of the team. In the 10m event, she will participate with Rhythm Sangwan, while quota winner in this category, Palak Gulia, was not selected. Since Manu will start on her 25m quota, Palak’s quota will have to be surrendered by NRAI. It will be the first time that India will have to surrender a quota pla- ce as according to the International Shooting Sports Federation’s communication to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs), quota exchange from rifle-pistol to shotgun may not be possible due to small filed in the shotgun events. India had won all possible 16 quotas in the r ifle-pistol category and five in shotgun to take the tally to highest-ever 21.

“As the number of starts which can be accommodated in the shotgun events is limited, the ISSF kindly asks you to consider – if necessary – to request any change of a Quota Place to rifle or pistol instead of shotgun events. It is possible that requests for changing a Quota to a shotgun event cannot be accepted,” the ISSF communication reads.

ISSF president Luciano Rossi told TOI that they have received India's request to swap the quota and they will try their best to help the NRAI. “We have received the request and we will try our best to accommodate it. It is not in the hands of the ISSF alone and we will have to consult this with the International Olympic Committee before taking any decision,” Rossi said. NRAI’s senior vice-president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo told TOI that they will try to exchange the quota with women’s trap event.

PAKISTAN VS CANADA

Pak stay alive with win over Canada

New York: Mohammad Rizwan, captain Babar Azam and the fast bowlers starred as Pakistan stayed alive in the T20 World Cup with a seven wicket win over Canada on Tuesday. Knowing defeat would condemn them to a shock first-round exit, Rizwan and Babar put on a match-winning second-wicket partnership of 63 as Pakistan reached their target of 107 with 15 balls to spare.

Opener Rizwan finished undefeated on 53 off 53 balls with two fours and a six for his 29th T20I half-century while Babar made 33 off as many balls with one four a six.

Earlier, Pakistan’s pace-attack was instrumental in restricting Canada to 106-7 despite opener Aaron Johnson hitting his sixth international fifty.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions and runners-up in 2022, had lost both their first two Group A fixtures before recording this win. A stunning super-over humiliation at the hands of USA was followed by a six-run loss to bitter rivals India in a game where they failed to chase down a modest 120-run target.

Johnson demonstrated his attacking intent from the start, cracking successive boundaries off the first two balls he faced from Shaheen Shah Afridi. The Jamaican born 33-year-old opener made 52 off 44 balls with four boundaries and four sixes before he was eventually out in the 14th over with the score on 73-6, clean-bowled by Naseem Shah.

Johnson was the only batsman in the top six to reach double figures as Pakistan’s seamers took wickets on a regular basis. Mohammad Amir cleanbowled Navneet Dhaliwal with a 141 kph delivery which sliced through the defences of the opener.

Shaheen recovered from conceding 10 runs off his first over to get rid of Pargat Singh before Nicholas Kirton was run out by a superb throw by Imad Wasim. Haris Rauf sent back Shreyas Movva for his 100th wicket in the format — and Ravinderpal Singh in the space of three balls — as Canada reached 55-5 after 10 overs.

AGENCIES

Brief scores: Canada 106/7 (A Johnson 52; M Amir 2/13, H Rauf 2/26) vs Pakistan 107/3 in 17.3 overs (M Rizwan 53*, B Azam 33; D Heyliger 2/18)

India set to host Junior Hockey World Cup in 2025

Lausanne: India will host next year’s men’s Junior Hockey World Cup, marking the event’s return to the country after nine years, the Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation announced on Tuesday. The tournament will be held in December and it will be the first time ever that a Hockey Junior World Cup will include as many as 24 teams.

FIH President Tayyab Ikram who said: “Giving more opportunities to play to a lar- ger and more diverse number of National Associations is one of the key pillars of our empowerment and engagement strategy.” “We saw at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman this year how more diversity brings a huge added value to our events.

“Therefore, I’m very happy that we’ve increased the number of participating teams for the Junior World Cups and I look forward to seeing these 24 young teams,” he added.

PTI

AKMAL APOLOGISES FOR INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS

Lahore: A day after being called out for making disrespectful comments against India pacer Arshdeep Singh, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal apologised for his “inappropriate” remarks while analysing the recent T20 World Cup clash between the two sides. In a viral video, Akmal was seen making fun of Arshdeep’s religion, prompting a furious response from cricketer-turned-commentator Harbhajan Singh. “I deeply regret my recent comments and sincerely apologise to Harbhajan Singh and the Sikh community. My words were inappropriate and disrespectful. I have the utmost respect for Sikhs all over the world and never intended to hurt anyone. I am truly sorry,” Akmal posted on X, tagging Harbhajan.

Akmal’s remarks came during the tense penultimate over of the clash, bowled by Arshdeep, when Pakistan needed 17 runs off the last over in their chase of 120. “Kuch bhi ho sakta hai, dekhe last over karna Arshdeep Singh ne hai. Waise uska rhythm nahi laga. 12 baj gaye hai (anything can happen. The last over will be bowled by Arshdeep Singh. He hasn’t looked in a great rhythm. And it is already 12 o ’clock),” Akmal said.

PTI

Delhi Times

- Breaking down the ABCs of pronouns

- India doesn’t support the kind of cinema that was at Cannes: Anurag Kashyap

- THE MANY SHADES OF ONSCREEN DADS

- BUZZ STOP

- VOICES

- Hydrating & refreshing: Sip some wellness with iced teas

- Indian chutneys rank among top 50 dips globally

- Bolly divas up their OTT fashion game

- HOW TO: Properly store your jams

- As an actor, I feel fortunate not to have an expiry date, says Shilpa

- An artistic affair in the capital

- Gauri plays host for her friends from tinsel town

- More India vs Pak matches please

- FUN ACTIVITIES TO PLAN WITH YOUR DADDY COOL

- BOLLYWOOD’S FAVE DADS’ FAMOUS DIALOGUES

- Sonam receives the first edition of Gitanjali from hubby as a birthday gift

- For good offers, I will travel from Dubai to Mumbai, says Pallavi

- India didn’t have any moment at Cannes: Anurag

- Nayanthara and Vignesh celebrate second wedding anniv with twins

- Thank you: Matthew McConaughey to his wife on 12th anniversary

- Billie Eilish was ghosted by a boy

- Nicole & Sandra to return for Practical Magic 2?

Breaking down the ABCs of pronouns

Ever wondered what the letters in LGBTQIA+ stand for? When one is referring to their “pronoun”, beyond mere grammatical correctness, what do they mean exactly? If you consider yourself an ally, it’s time to learn the basics.

Difference between LGBTQIA+ and 2SLGBTQIA+

 LGBTQIA+ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning their gender, intersex, and asexual people. The “+” represents identities like pansexual, agender, non-binary, and gender fluid, while also leaving a space for understanding diverse sexual identities, and genders.

 2SLGBTQIA+ has an addition of 2S, meaning Two-Spirit. It’s a term used by the indigenous North American population to describe a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits.

Things to keep in mind as an ally

 Familiarise yourself with terminologies, pronouns, and history of the LGBTQIA+ community

 In case you are confused, simply ask a person for their pronoun, politely  If you use the wrong pronoun, apologise, and correct yourself

 If you are corrected, take it as a learning opportunity

 Respect boundaries, some people might not be comfortable with handshake or hug

Decoding LGBTQIA+ pronouns

While it can be confusing for some to understand the significance of pronouns, using the correct pronouns is a fundamental way to show respect to an LGBTQIA+ person. They help address a person without using their names, and commonly include he/ him, she/her, and they/ them.

Then there are Neopronouns that are less common but used by people to better express their gender identity. Misgendering (using the wrong pronouns) can be hurtful and invalidating.

—Compiled by Shourya Jha

Jonathan Van Ness identifies as non-binary and uses he/ him, they/ them, she/ her

Tommy Dorfman, who came out as a transgender woman, uses she/her

Miley Cyrus, who identifies as non-binary, uses she/her as pronouns

India doesn’t support the kind of cinema that was at Cannes: Anurag Kashyap

All We Imagine As Light

India didn’t have any moment at Cannes,” says filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, stressing that the victory of independent filmmakers at the European gala is theirs alone and the country doesn’t support that kind of award winning cinema.

India won an unprecedented three awards at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival last month – Payal Kapadia became the first ever director from India to win the Grand Prix for her movie All We Imagine As Light, Anasuya Sengupta was awarded best actress in the Un Certain Regard strand for The Shameless, and FTII student Chidananda S Naik earned the best short film award at the La Cinef section for Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know. “I get very upset when it’s said ‘India@Cannes’. This is a boost… a shot in the arm for a lot of independent filmmakers but their victory is their own,” Kashyap told PTI in an interview.

CONTINUED ON 6

‘This obsession India has with Cannes... More than Cannes, it’s about the red carpet’

This obsession India has with Cannes... More than Cannes, it’s about the red carpet. That’s on another level. I get more angry when I hear these things... Geetanjali Rao got three awards at Cannes (for ‘Printed Rainbow’) in 2003, I wrote an article on it, but it was not recognised, rarely anyone wrote about that here. There’s no support system here.

‘No funding support’

Payal Kapadia’s film (All We Imagine As Light) happened because of the French fund, India did not even give the rebate promised to that film. Sandhya Suri’s film (Santosh) was funded by the UK film lottery fund. Karan Kandhari’s film (Sister Midnight) was funded from the UK. Konstantin’s film (The Shameless) was almost self funded and the company that funded it got no support from India.

Anurag Kashyap

Santosh

Sister Midnight

The Shameless

THE MANY SHADES OF ONSCREEN DADS

Whether it’s Amrish Puri’s iconic Jaa Simran Jaa, jee le apni zindagi or Dangal’s Mhaari chhoriya chhoro se kam hai ke…, cinema is full of one-liners that capture the unique bond we share with our fathers

Even though Piku’s Bhashkor Banerjee is sometimes accused of being selfish, he is a father who supports his daughter even when she is constantly reminded by society that it’s time to settle down. He tells Piku that it would be foolish to move into the husband’s home and serve another family. In one scene he tells a prospective groom that his daughter is financially and sexually independent and is only looking for emotional partnership. In another, he stresses, “Shaadi bura nahin hai, par purpose hona chahiye.”

Aamir Khan portrays the real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who coaches his daughters Geeta and Babita to win laurels for the country, taking his sporting legacy forward. The Haryanvi punch in this line immediately struck a chord. It shows the father’s pride and implies that daughters are as capable of achieving their dreams as boys.

CONTINUED ON 6

Dangal (2016)

BUZZ STOP

BTS’S V ON PATROL DUTY, VIDEO VIRAL

BTS member Kim Taehyung, also known as V, is currently serving his mandatory military service in the South Korean army. While the K-pop idol is busy with his military duties, V was recently seen at a special military event in Chuncheon, where he interacted with Big Mama’s singer Lee Ji Young during his patrolling duty. A video of him meeting the senior Korean artiste has gone viral. In the video, Lee Ji Young initially didn’t recognise V in his uniform. However, V introduced himself and greeted her warmly. Agencies

VOICES

Effortless is a myth. People would say my play was effortless. Most of the time, they meant it as a compliment... But it used to frustrate me when they would say, “He barely broke a sweat!” The truth is, I had to work very hard... to make it look easy… Yes, talent matters. I’m not going to stand here and tell you it doesn’t. But talent has a broad definition. Most of the time, it’s not about having a gift. It’s about having grit. But in tennis... like in life... discipline is also a talent. And so is patience

–Roger Federer at a graduation ceremony in Dartmouth

TIMES FOODIE

Hydrating & refreshing: Sip some wellness with iced teas

Hibiscus iced tea is great for hydration, detoxification, and offers antioxidant, liver-supporting, and diuretic benefits. Mint matcha iced green tea is another flavourful and healthful choice – Ankita Poojari, director of a chain of restaurants — Compiled by Aditi Pancholi

Packed with antioxidants and refreshing flavours, iced teas are the perfect way to stay cool and hydrated on hot summer days. From invigorating green teas to soothing fruity infusions like watermelon and berries, iced teas are ideal to beat the heat.

ICED TEAS FOR HYDRATION

Hibiscus tea: Contains electrolytes, which can help maintain the body’s fluid balance, especially important during hot weather

Matcha tea: The high chlorophyll content in matcha helps cleanse the body by supporting the liver Lavender ice tea: Lavender is known for its calming and soothing effects, which can provide relaxation

– Passang Sherpa, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager of a luxury hotel

Natural sweeteners that can be added to your iced tea

Ankita Poojari, director of a chain of restaurants, says, “To sweeten iced tea naturally, use alternatives like stevia, which is much sweeter than sugar and caloriefree. Honey, maple syrup, and agave syrup also offer unique flavours and health benefits for different tastes and dietary needs.”

TIP

Black tea: Brew for 3-5 minutes

Green tea: Brew for 2-3 minutes

Herbal tea: Brew for 5-7 minutes

White tea: Brew for 4-5 minutes

Oolong tea: Brew for 3-5 minutes

Note: If you’re cold brewing iced tea, steep the tea in cold water for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator for a less bitter flavour

Kiwi iced tea is a perfect summery drink

Lavendar iced tea has soothing qualities

Hibiscus iced tea is a great antioxidant

Indian chutneys rank among top 50 dips globally

Coriander chutney

Taste Atlas, a food and travel guide, recently shared the list of 50 best dips in the world in which three Indian dips found their spots. While chutney (collectively) grabbed the 42nd position, coriander and mango chutney bagged 47th and 50th rank, respectively.

The guide has described chutney (collectively) as “India’s national condiments.” “These fresh homemade relishes consist of pickled or stewed fruit and vegetables that are cut into small chunks, then delicately seasoned with a variety of spices such as cumin, cardamom, tamarind, ginger, and turmeric,” it further adds.

Coriander chutney is also known as the “traditional Indian chutney.” It is made with chopped fresh coriander leaves, and is seasoned with ginger, green chilli peppers, lemon juice, cumin powder and salt.

A summer staple, mango chutney with its sweet, sour and spicy taste is popularly paired with curries, chicken dishes, snacks and sandwiches. Elaborating on the mango chutney, the guide said, “Made with fresh mango as the main ingredient, it includes ginger, garlic, red chilli peppers, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, brown sugar and vinegar.”

TNN

Top ten dips

1) Toum, Lebanon

2) Aji criollo, Peru

3) Leskovacki domaci ajvar, Serbia

4) Guacamole, Mexico

5) Tzatziki, Greece

6) Ajvar, North Macedonia

7) Mutabal, Lebanon

8) Salsa De Rocoto, Peru

9) Makalo, North Macedonia

10) Hummus, Lebanon

Bolly divas up their OTT fashion game

Sharvari Wagh

Sharvari ‘rose’ to the occasion in a red corset and skirt that highlighted her curves. With minimal accessories and dewy makeup, the outfit stole the show

From fidget spinners to flower power, these leading ladies are adding oodles of drama to their apparel and grabbing eyeballs

Shanaya Kapoor

Shanaya took flower power to the next level with an oversized floral motif as the top half over her white silk gown. In Shanaya’s own words ‘bloom baby, bloom!’

Janhvi Kapoor

Janhvi’s love for dramatic outfits can be seen here, as she poses in a ‘garden of Eden’ themed outfit, complete with a crown and golden embellishments

Shanaya Kapoor

Shanaya took flower power to the next levelwith an oversized floral motif as the top halfover her white silk gown. In Shanaya’s ownwords ‘bloom baby, bloom!’

HOW TO: Properly store your jams

USE CLEAN AND DRY JARS

Make sure that the jars you use to store your jams are clean and completely dry. Any moisture or bacteria left in the jar can cause the jam to spoil quickly. You can sterilise your jars by boiling them in water for 10 minutes or washing them in hot, soapy water and then drying them in the sun.

STORE IN A COOL, DRY PLACE

Store your organic jams in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Heat and light can cause the jam to spoil quickly, so it is best to store them in a pantry or cupboard.

USE AIRTIGHT CONTAINER

Using airtight containers will help to prevent moisture and bacteria from getting into the jam. You can use glass jars with screw-top lids or plastic containers with tightfitting lids.

LABEL AND DATE YOUR

JARS This helps in keeping track of when they were made and how long they have been stored.

As an actor, I feel fortunate not to have an expiry date, says Shilpa

People make assumptions and form perceptions about me without knowing me. That has happened to me a lot

Shilpa Shinde

Last seen in a cameo role in Maddam Sir, in which her track ended abruptly, Shilpa Shinde is set to return to TV after over a year with the 14th season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. Speaking about the gap between projects, she says, “People often ask me why I haven’t been working. It’s not that I don’t want to work, but I should get an offer that truly excites me... As an actor, I feel fortunate not to have an expiry date, and that’s because I feel content with what I have done and don’t panic. I want to be selective about my work, and for that, patience is key.”

‘I FEEL PEOPLE ARE INTIMIDATED BY ME’

Shilpa seems to attract controversy. Whether it was her exit from Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai a few years ago, her remark that “the judges should think before commenting” during her stint on Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa in 2022, or her clash with Gulki Joshi during Maddam Sir, she has been in the news.

Ask her about this, and she says, “Controversy ho jaati hai; create nahi kar sakte aap. The problem is that my truth becomes controversial. Regarding Jhalak, I just said what I felt. It was a normal message from my end that snowballed into a controversy. Sachhai kadvi hoti hai, and I feel people are intimidated by me. However, when they work with me, they tell me I am very simple and realise they fell for hearsay.”

‘I DON’T REGRET QUITTING BHABIJI...’

In hindsight, does she regret her departure from Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai? “I don’t have any regrets and look at it positively. If I had stayed, I would have continued playing the same role and wouldn’t have explored other opportunities,” she says.

— Neha Maheshwri

Shilpa in Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai

An artistic affair in the capital

Shahnaz Husain recently attended the inauguration of Anjanna Kuthiala’s painting exhibition which was hosted in the capital recently

Gauri plays host for her friends from tinsel town

Shanaya Kapoor

SNAPSHOTS Gauri Khan’s private dinner party in Mumbai

Gauri Khan

Bhavana and Chunky Panday

Maheep Kapoor

Seema Sajdeh

POV

More India vs Pak matches please

Nadal-Federer, Barcelona-Real Madrid, Tyson-Holyfield… there are rivalries galore in the world of sports. But there’s something special about an India-Pakistan cricket match (or an Ashes Test series clash). As Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah battled it out in the field on Sunday, the New York stadium saw a packed 34,000 turnout – probably the first such instance in this edition of the T20 World Cup.

When the two neighbours face off on the pitch, audience engagement – both on and off the field – regularly reaches record levels. Three of the top five most-watched cricket matches of all time reportedly involve India and Pakistan, with viewership hovering between 30 and 50 crore eyeballs. In comparison, the New York Times has noted, this year’s Super Bowl had just over 12 crore viewers. Over a two-decade period, India Pakistan matches are said to have generated over `10,000 crore in revenue from sponsorships and marketing, says a FICCI release. However, the strained political relations between the two nations mean that the two countries have played only 13 matches since T20 cricket started internationally about 20 years back (and India has won nine of them). The fact that they play so infrequently only adds to the hype and the pressure on the players when a clash does happen. We don’t always realise that the teams play against each other mostly on neutral venues or in multilateral tournaments. The last time Test cricket saw an India vs Pakistan series was in 2007 – 17 years back.

The best India-Pakistan matches have been full of heroic turns, uplifted hearts, drowned hopes and, of course, crazy TRPs. Both teams and fans on both sides would have more nail-biting contests if we saw more of these across formats – T20, ODI, Tests. On current form, the Men In Blue would more often than not have the upper hand.

For this to happen, of course, there is a need for the Pakistani establishment to actually walk the talk. “Let us replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia”, Nawaz Sharif posted in a message to PM Modi on Monday. Replacing hate with a sporting spirit is what the region needs, but it is easier said than done. And on that note, trash talk about Indian players by the likes of Kamran Akmal (who has apologised subsequently) doesn’t help. As they say, if you have a point to make, let your bat do the talking.

Agree? Disagree? Got a POV idea? Write to us at: pov@timesgroup.com

FUN ACTIVITIES TO PLAN WITH YOUR DADDY COOL

If being outdoors is your father’s go-to leisure activity, organise a day packed with activities like boating or kayaking. You could also plan a trek with him. Indoor rock climbing can also be an option. These activities will give just the right amount of adrenaline rush without being too risky. Don’t forget to carry your camera along!

Akayak ride at sunset, a movie night, or a trip down the memory lane – what would your ideal pick be to plan a fun activity for daddy cool? Besides gifting him something, here’s a list of things that you could plan together or just for him to mark Father’s Day.

For dads who are movie buffs, what better than planning a movie marathon! Considering the genres he usually likes, pick two or three movies for you to watch together. You can also setup a projector at home, throw in some popcorn and order his favourite meal.

MOVIE MOVIE NIGHTNIGHT

Caught in the daily routine, one often doesn’t get a chance to revisit memories from places that they grew up around. Father’s Day could be a good occasion to take your dad on a trip down memory lane. Take him around places that remind him of his growing up years. You may discover some hidden gems in the process.

Your dad deserves some TLC as well. A self-care gift coupon might just be the best thing you set him up for. Take him out for a day of relaxation, complete with a fresh haircut, facial, pedicure, and manicure, probably a massage as well! Join him and catch up on what’s happening in your respective lives.

Food is always a great way to bond, and cooking together can leave you with memories to cherish. So, book an in-person or virtual cooking class for the two of you. Doesn’t matter if your preparation is perfect, but you are sure to bond and share a laugh. Who knows, it may even ignite love for cooking in you your wary-of-cooking dad.

BOLLYWOOD’S FAVE DADS’ FAMOUS DIALOGUES

In his final onscreen appearance, the late Irrfan tugged at heart strings with his portrayal of Champak Bansal, a widower from a small town who is determined to help his daughter in pursuing her dream of studying abroad. This line from the film explains the feelings of love, attachment and difficulty of letting go when it comes to a father watching his daughter growing up and becoming independent.

CONTINUED FROM 1

— Compiled by Natasha Coutinho

This line comes at a point where Bunny (played by Ranbir Kapoor) wants to travel the world and pursue his dreams. His father (Farooq Shaikh) encourages Bunny, even though he admits that he is being selfish as a father and does not want to lose him. This perfectly sums up a father’s emotions, where he is putting his son’s happiness first.

Pankaj Tripathi played Lt Colonel Anup Saxena, a father who was equally supportive of his son’s and daughter’s dreams. He utters this line when his son tries to belittle Gunjan’s aspirations, and he reminds the two children that gender does not matter when it comes to becoming a pilot.

Be it pursuing dreams or a career choice, the usually strict Indian fathers finally agree to let their kids make their own decisions. The iconic train station scene from DDLJ, where Chaudhary Baldev Singh lets daughter Simran (Kajol) unite with the love of her life, Raj (SRK) after much opposition, remains a classic. 3 Idiots too

had its own emotional father-son moment where R Madhavan’s strict father (Parikshit Sahni) relents and lets him pursue his dream career instead of studying engineering.

Sonam receives the first edition of Gitanjali from hubby as a birthday gift

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja; (below) a picture of the book that the actress posted

Sonam Kapoor received a thoughtful gift on her birthday from her husband, Anand Ahuja. He gave her the first edition of Gitanjali, a collection of poetry by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, published in India in 1910. Sonam took to her Instagram stories to share a picture of the book and wrote, “Birthday present from my amazing husband... First edition of ‘Gitanjali’ by Tagore, translated into English. Thank you @ anandahuja. I don’t know what I did to deserve you (sic).”

The couple tied the knot in 2018 and welcomed their son, Vayu, in 2022. IANS

For good offers, I will travel from Dubai to Mumbai, says Pallavi

Pallavi Kulkarni

Pallavi Kulkarni, who was last seen in the TV show Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar and recently acted in the web show 1962: The War in the Hills, has relocated to Dubai with her family. However, the actress shares that she will continue to travel to Mumbai for work. Pallavi says, “I never thought that I would ever leave Mumbai and settle elsewhere, but destiny had other plans. But if there are any good work opportunities, Dubai is not too far.”

— Tanvi Trivedi

India didn’t have any moment at Cannes: Anurag

India didn’t have any moment at the Cannes, not a single of those films are Indian. We need to address it the way it should be addressed. India has stopped supporting such cinema, the kind of cinema that was at Cannes

Anurag Kashyap

CONTINUED FROM 1

Anurag Kashyap said Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, which was also the first film from India in 30 years to feature in the main competition at Cannes known for giving a platform to new voices, received funding from a French company. The Malayalam-Hindi feature, which earned the second highest award at Cannes after Palme d’Or, is an Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos from France and Chalk and Cheese Films from India.

There were several films at Cannes with either Indiaset stories or Indian talent at the helm, but most were co-productions with banners from other countries. Indian-British filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s Santosh and Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight were funded by the UK, while Konstantin Bojanov’s The Shameless was almost self-funded. However, Chidanand’s Sunflowers... is a production of the TV Wing one-year programme under the FTII. “India just likes to take credit for a lot of things, they do not support these films, and they don’t even support these films to have a release in cinema,” Kashyap said.

‘STOP TAKING CREDIT FOR CANNES SUCCESSES’

In 2021, Kapadia had won an award at Cannes for the documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing but that is yet to be released in India. “Stop taking credit for it. Let’s stop this fake celebration... Even if the film is released, no one will go to watch it in the theatre,” the 51-year-old said. He also cited the example of Shaunak Sen’s documentary All that Breathes, which won the Golden Eye award at Cannes 2022, that didn’t release on Indian screens and went straight to a streamer. The filmmaker said, “We have made many independent films, I’ve seen how much support they get and don’t get. At the end of the day, in India everyone is here to do business. No one wants to do good work, everyone wants to do hit work (success).”

Kashyap, whose films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly, and Kennedy have screened at Cannes over the years across sections like Director’s Fortnight and Midnight Screenings, said he was also surprised when former FTII chairperson Gajendra Chauhan took credit for Kapadia’s win. In 2015, Kapadia was one of the students who protested against the appointment of Mahabharat actor-BJP politician Chauhan as the FTII chief. Kapadia was among the 35 students charged under various Indian Penal Code sections for offences related to unlawful assembly and rioting. The chargesheet was filed in 2016, and the next hearing is scheduled for June 26, according to the defence lawyer representing the students.

“The worst part is the man who put the case against her, and sent some students to jail, is the first man who took the credit and said, ‘I’m proud I was the FTII (chairperson)’. What is his name? Yudhishthir ji (his ‘Mahabharat’ role), Gajendra Chauhan said, ‘I’m so proud that she was the student when I was the head’. You are the one who put the case against her,” Kashyap added. PTI

‘Small films can’t spend too much on visibility either’

Asked about critically acclaimed smaller films like Joram and All India Rank not being marketed well to reach the audiences, Kashyap said such movies can’t match up to the marketing of a big film. “The pressure is on a small film too; they can’t spend much on visibility. Besides those films are unable to make the recovery, you don’t get good show timings, as good show timings are covered by big films,” he said, lauding the South movie industry for fixing marketing and ticket pricing for both big and small movies.

Nayanthara and Vignesh celebrate second wedding anniv with twins

Nayanthara and Vignesh with their children, Uyir and Ulag

Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan celebrated their second wedding anniversary on June 9. On the occasion, the couple posted adorable pictures of themselves with their children, Uyir and Ulag, from their Hong Kong Disneyland vacation. Nayanthara shared a series of candid pictures and wrote, “You are the bestttt my uyir ul- agam I love youuuuu forever (sic).” The director captioned that getting married to Nayan was the best thing that’s happened in his life. “Love you a lot my wife thangameyyyy. to more fun times, memories and successful moments. long way to goo (sic),” Vignesh captioned and added, “I pray to God to always stand by us and safeguard us.” TNN

Thank you: Matthew McConaughey to his wife on 12th anniversary

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey first met at a club in 2006

Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey celebrated 12 years of marital bliss. The actor marked the occasion by sharing a photo on social media. The post featured a photo of the actor kissing his wife on the forehead. “Thank you”, he captioned the post adding the hashtag “#happyanniversary”.

Matthew and Camila, a model and entrepreneur, first met in 2006 at a club. The actor had earlier revealed that it was love at first sight for him. “Out of the corner of my eye, this sort of aqua-green figure went floating across the frame about 20 feet in front of me,” the Oscar winner had said in an interview, recalling the moment he and Brazilian-born Camila met.

They had tied the knot in 2012 at their Austin, Texas, home.

Agencies

Billie Eilish was ghosted by a boy

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish recently revealed that she was “ghosted” by a boy. The Lunch singer, 22, said that the individual she was getting to know cut all communication with her, and it turned out, he was dating someone else. “It was literally unbelievable. To this day, (he) never texted me again,” she said on a podcast. Eilish added that she has lost a lot of friends since she became famous. She said, “I suddenly was famous and I couldn’t relate to anybody. It was tough.”

Nicole & Sandra to return for Practical Magic 2?

Gryphon Dunne directed Practical Magic is an adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are in talks to return for Practical Magic 2, a sequel to the 1998 romantic fantasy, according to Deadline. Akiva Goldsman, who wrote the original film with Robin Swicord and Adam Brooks, will write the screenplay.

The film’s plot revolves around two sisters, Sally (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman), who come from a long line of witches. But, their family is cursed and any man who falls in love with an Owens woman will meet an untimely demise.

Nicole Kidman; (right) Sandra Bullock

Table of Contents

TOI Print Edition Jun 12, 2024

Front Page

Bus hits food carts & wall, vendor dies

Bulldozer driver destroys toll booths

49 migrants dead as boat sinks off Yemen

3 die in sewer gas leak in Puducherry

13-year-old sent bomb hoax email as test for cops

SC: ‘Sanctity’ of NEET-UG affected, we need answers

Days after bus attack, fresh strike in J&K leaves 2 critical

Ministers came to know of portfolios at 1st cabinet meet, from envelopes

Kannada actor, girlfriend held for abduction, murder of fan

Amritsar youth fighting for Russian army killed on Ukraine battlefield

Mohan Charan Majhi, a tribal, to be BJP’s first CM in Odisha

RSS journal says poll results ‘reality check’ for ‘overconfident’ BJP netas

Amid soaring heat, outages in many city areas

IN THE COURTS

UCC, ONOE part of govt agenda, says law minister

Times Nation

‘One nation, one poll’ & UCC very much part of govt agenda, asserts law mantri

Manohar Lal to babus: Work on sanitation issues, flooding

100-day plans a priority, say Pralhad, Chirag

Oppn’s job is to criticise, but fact is stable govt is in place: Jayant

Will build Bharat as bulwark against terror, Naxals: Shah

EAM: Terror export can’t be policy of a good neighbour

Will keep PM’s vision on track, ensure railways remains affordable, convenient, says Vaishnaw

Need not pull each other down on basis of numbers, says Rijiju

‘Talk of persecution is mere propaganda’

Focus to remain on initiatives like LiFE, says Bhupender

On top of Nadda’s to-do list: Insurance cover for the 70+

Agri & rural devpt ministries will work as key links for Viksit Bharat, says Shivraj

NDA ministry a ‘parivar mandal’, says Rahul

Float depicting Indira killing part of parade in Canada

Asked to pay toll, drunk bulldozer driver razes booth

Lt Gen Dwivedi named next Army chief, as per seniority

Toxic gas from TN sewer lines kills 3 people

Kannada actor held for killing man for Insta posts against GF

In line with global practices, UGC allows biannual entries

Shinde: ‘400 paar’ call backfired, was linked to negative narrative

Odisha CM-designate was once an MLA who slept on footpaths

BJP picks Odisha CM with an eye on J’khand

Majhi will take oath of office as CM today

US NSA coming next week for first high-level engagement with Modi 3.0

`1.2k cr payout for people hit by development in Ayodhya: DM

DRDO turns to Pune firm for sub-launched aerial vehicles

2 dead, govt warns Russia against recruiting Indians

HC upholds firing of cop with Bhindranwale ties

Presumed dead, man walks home on his terhavi in MP

RSS not a field force of BJP, party has own karyakartas, says Sangh neta

Pavithra’s rise in Sandalwood tied to Darshan connect

Darshan has been in limelight before, for wrong reasons

BSF jawan attacked by intruders from B’desh, battles for life

High NEET marks ‘statistically impossible’: Plea

Officer hurt in attack by Buxar sand smugglers

After bid to kill self, Chinese inmate dies

Pappu pass ho gaya: How Rahul and Congress changed the narrative

Tejpal decided to join Russian army 3 days into his trip

PM, Tollywood stars to attend as Naidu takes CM oath today

Amaravati sole capital, declares Naidu; Vizag & Kurnool to be hubs

Time to drop ‘Modi ka Parivar’ tag: PM to social media users

Final ministers’ list revealed at 7.30pm

Kerala church: Firm belief new govt will preserve secularism

BJP may pick Dalit, woman or OBC with strong RSS links as new chief

Hate crime: Man called Khalistani, assaulted in Haryana town

Modi should pay heed to Bhagwat’s advice on Manipur, say oppn parties

3 of family dead, 2 hurt as tanker hits bike:

Amarnath yatra, polls to keep security forces busy in J&K

Four MBBS students in HP suspended for ragging juniors

Traffickers using T20 WC to sneak people into US

Locals’ alarm over ‘suspicious movement’ triggered attack

After protests, Raj offers `50L to 2 families of Reasi victims

Forces step up hunt for Reasi attackers, sketch of an ultra released

Times City

Cruel Summer: Delhi Sweats Over Power, Water

BJP: AAP govt colluding with tanker mafia

Atishi cites ‘Haryana affidavit’ to back her water supply claims; ‘lies’, says LG

Heat tightens grip again, Narela sizzles at 47.1°C

Rai to head inter-dept meet on summer action plan tomorrow

Govt sends files for premature release of 14 convicts to LG

This city tech university loves planet Earth — and it shows!

Sent Hoax Email To IGI For ‘Fun’, 13-Yr-Old Held

61-yr-old to plant 30 saplings in lieu of end to criminal case: HC

3 cops transferred for organising Eid event for gangster

Dwarka park wall defaced, case filed

4 employees among 9 freed in bank fraud case

Nehru Park’s Cycling Facility Loses Track

Kanwar yatra: Atishi shares action plan for preparations

Part-time mason, his associate held for thefts in city

Bus crashes into food carts, condo wall; 1 dies

Jafrabad murder: Police ask JJB to try 3 minors as adults

Fire erupts in petrol tanker at Dabri pump

PEOPLE'S TREE THAT FELL IN 2018 STORM RESURRECTED

No Repeat Of Last Year’s Floods, Says Bharadwaj

NDMC to plant 1,500 saplings, 4L shrubs as part of monsoon plan

Mid-summer nightmare for Delhi family in Reasi

UP revokes order cancelling land allotments to M3M

5 Years On, Hospital Still Awaits Its Trauma Centre

Smouldering waste: 839 cases kept firemen on their toes last month

Chariot to drive up beauty of Lutyens’, RML Hospital rotary to get a makeover

Aravalis: Panel of 4 states meets to decide definition

Six goats stolen ahead of Eid-ul-Adha

Tracks Laid, Roof Done: Stn At New Ashok Ngr Almost Ready

Skywalk to link Noida metro stations may be ready by Aug 15

Convenience stores to come up on vacant floors of Noida metro stations

Prez accepts Anand’s resignation

Dusib officials to visit night shelters

SUV goes up in flames on DME, driver jumps out in nick of time

Want Solar Unit At Home? Details Just A Click Away

Kalkaji Temple stage case: HC asks police to finish probe

Times Ascent

Cos Are Biased Towards Superstar CEOs, But Are They Right Fit?

Times Global

Report: French PM tried to dissuade Macron from polls, offered to resign

49 feared dead, 140 missing after a migrant boat sinks off Yemen, says UN

With 14-0 vote, UNSC backs Biden’s Gaza ceasefire plan

US prez’s son convicted of all 3 felonies in federal gun trial

FIRE SCARE AT VERSAILLES PALACE

Malawi veep dies in a plane crash

4 instructors from US stabbed in public park in China, suspect held

Will ban all Apple devices at cos if OpenAI integrated at OS level: Musk

Sharif returns from China, calls his trip a ‘success’

AROUND THE WORLD

British Hindus launch manifesto of demands ahead of UK election

Imran has given green signal for talks with govt: PTI chairman

In Germany, a teen has been living on trains for 2 yrs. And he has found love too

Times Business

Comparing non-life policies, claim process to get easier

‘In Madurai, health cover to cost 40% less than Mumbai’

WB ups India’s FY25 growth forecast to 6.6% from 6.4%

Rupee logs new record low of 83.57 vs dollar

Adani defence unit inks deal with UAE group

Bhatia sells 2% in IndiGo to fund group’s hotel, other biz

NBFCs to RBI: Ease project fin norms

Edelweiss ARC CEO’s extension rejected by RBI

Ola Electric’s `5,500cr IPO gets Sebi nod

Micromax’s Bhagwati seeks govt nod to buy Vivo’s unit

China’s Hisense gets LG’s Rana as India CEO

Kotak Alt invests in Matrix buyout of Viatris’ API biz

‘India GitHub developers to pip US in ’27’

Editorial

Bhagwat’s Right

Who’ll Test The Testers?

Ad nauseam

Q: What’s The Best Way To Test Merit? A: Don’t Know

They Are Scheduled, Not Same

Sacred space

Competent Leaders Transcend Personal Bias

CONTRAPUNTO

Times Techies

What GCCs in India must do to become centres of innovation

Meril’s heart valve certified world-class

Believe in yourself!

TARGET CEO SAYS INDIA WILL PLAY BIGGER ROLE

GLOSSARY OF IN-GROUP TERMS USED

IT’S OUR 5<sup>th</sup> ANNIVERSARY

Times Sport

Hosts search for pride in a conflicted world

LET IT B!

Ronaldo’s Portugal training session tickets on offer for up to 800 euros!

‘Confident of double-digit medal finish’

India’s WC hopes end in heartbreak

It’s us vs the US!

India await on allrounder Dube to deliver on big stage

‘Netravalkar an inspiration for budding players in US’

Mohun Bagan appoint Molina as head coach

ACTION TODAY

The template which shaped USA’s rise

Triple start for Manu; Rudrankksh misses Oly bus

Pak stay alive with win over Canada

India set to host Junior Hockey World Cup in 2025

AKMAL APOLOGISES FOR INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS

Delhi Times

Breaking down the ABCs of pronouns

India doesn’t support the kind of cinema that was at Cannes: Anurag Kashyap

THE MANY SHADES OF ONSCREEN DADS

BUZZ STOP

VOICES

Hydrating & refreshing: Sip some wellness with iced teas

Indian chutneys rank among top 50 dips globally

Bolly divas up their OTT fashion game

HOW TO: Properly store your jams

As an actor, I feel fortunate not to have an expiry date, says Shilpa

An artistic affair in the capital

Gauri plays host for her friends from tinsel town

More India vs Pak matches please

FUN ACTIVITIES TO PLAN WITH YOUR DADDY COOL

BOLLYWOOD’S FAVE DADS’ FAMOUS DIALOGUES

Sonam receives the first edition of Gitanjali from hubby as a birthday gift

For good offers, I will travel from Dubai to Mumbai, says Pallavi

India didn’t have any moment at Cannes: Anurag

Nayanthara and Vignesh celebrate second wedding anniv with twins

Thank you: Matthew McConaughey to his wife on 12th anniversary

Billie Eilish was ghosted by a boy

Nicole & Sandra to return for Practical Magic 2?