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Front Page

- Heatwaves more than double of normal this year: IMD data

- Sensex, Nifty hit new intraday highs

- Nestle may face action at home

- Man finds human finger in ice-cream

- 11 sambars dead in Ranthambore

- Girl refuses to wed dowry suspect, killed

- SC tells Yamuna Board to decide on Delhi’s plea for more Hry water ASAP

- 45 Indians from 12 states killed in Kuwait fire; 23 from Kerala alone

- 50 cloth shops gutted in fire at Chandni Chowk

- 6 burned alive in blast in Nagpur explosives unit

- 5 of Gzb family choke to death in house fire

- National anthem must in all J&K schools daily

- MP bill aims to avert borewell deaths

- K’taka murder: Neta tried to shield actor?

- Elephant crushes man to death in MP

- J&K may return to deployment pattern of 1990s

- India slams Pak and China for J&K reference

- In U-turn, NEET grace marks for 1563 junked, re-test on June 23

- HC: BoB to pay firm `76L lost to cyber fraud

- After LS loss, Ajit Pawar’s wife files RS nomination

- Non-bailable warrant against BSY in Pocso case

- Modi, Biden to meet at G7; US to raise Pannun plot at ‘very sr levels’

- NSA Doval, principal secy Mishra get another term

Heatwaves more than double of normal this year: IMD data

Spell Likely To Continue Into Next Week

Vishwa.Mohan@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: This summer, India has faced what’s possibly the longest ever spell of heatwave days, with IMD data revealing that Odisha experienced the most extreme weather and topped the chart by recording the highest number of such days (27), followed by western Rajasthan (23), Gangetic West Bengal (21 days), and Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and west UP (20 days each) during March 1-June 9.

These numbers were more than double of what these regions normally get in a year.

And, heatwaves continue to scorch many of these regions. Delhi, for instance, has seen three more heatwave days since June 9, including Thursday, taking the total so far to 23. IMD on Thurs- day said “severe heat wave conditions” over northern parts of India are likely to continue in the next 4-5 days.

Related report, P 27

City station at 47.2°C on 5th day of heat spell, P 6

Fire in Binsar sanctuary kills 4 forest personnel

Four forest department personnel were burnt alive while fighting a forest fire at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand’s Almora district and four others were grievously injured, report Shivani Azad & Yogesh Nagarkoti. While 10 people have so far lost their lives in forest fires in the state this year, Thursday’s incident was the first where frontline forest workers lost their lives.

The personnel had rushed to the site to douse the blaze but the fire was raging so hard that they were soon engulfed, forest officials said. Binsar is a popular vacation spot, attracting thousands of tourists, and has several highend resorts.

FLAP INSIDE

Sensex, Nifty hit new intraday highs

Buoyed by lower inflation data in India and the US, domestic indices hit new all-time highs, with the BSE sensex touching a new lifehigh of 77,145 points and closing at 76,811, up 204 points on the day. On NSE, Nifty recorded a new all-time high of 23,481 points and closed at 23,399, up 76 points.

P 22

Nestle may face action at home

NGOs IBFAN and Public Eye have asked Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs to take action against Nestle’s ‘unethical and unfair business practices’ on baby food brands Cerelac and Nido in low and middle income countries.

P11

Man finds human finger in ice-cream

A Mumbai doctor found a portion of a human finger inside an ice-cream that he had ordered online. Police sent the finger for a forensic exam and filed an FIR against the managerial staff of the ice-cream brand, Yummo.

P 11

11 sambars dead in Ranthambore

A naturalist on a safari reported three dead sambars (deer) floating in a lake at Ranthambore National Park, two days after eight carcasses were found in another zone of the forest, amid fears that the deaths were caused by heat.

P11

Girl refuses to wed dowry suspect, killed

A 20-year-old BA student was murdered by her father, who slit her throat as her stepmother held her down in UP’s Gonda after she refused to marry a dowry-death case suspect, leading to the arrests of the undergraduate’s parents, police said. TNN

SC tells Yamuna Board to decide on Delhi’s plea for more Hry water ASAP

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Observing that it did not have expertise in deciding water sharing disputes among states, Supreme Court on Thursday asked Delhi govt to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to seek 150 cusecs more water from Haryana to sort out the crisis in the national capital.

Taking note of problems faced by Delhi residents, a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale directed UYRB to convene a meeting on Friday to decide on Delhi govt's plea for an additional 150 cusecs water from Haryana at the earliest. The court passed the brief order after Delhi and Haryana kept blaming and accusing each other of not complying with the watersharing agreement. The court said water disputes between states were complex and sensitive issues that should be adjudicated by an expert body like UYRB.

Govt: Water mafia, P 4

45 Indians from 12 states killed in Kuwait fire; 23 from Kerala alone

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

A devastating residential building fire in Kuwait on Wednesday claimed the lives of 45 Indians from across 12 states, including 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and UP, and two from Odisha, according to details shared by Kuwaiti authorities Thursday.

A person each from Bihar, Bengal, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra perished in the blaze that engulfed the seven-storey building housing 196 migrant workers — mostly Indians — in the southern city of Mangaf. Kuwaiti media said the fire originated in a kitchen of the building, rented by construction firm NBTC group.

Kuwaiti authorities reported 49 deaths, including three Filipinos, and injuries to 50 others. They said 48 bodies have been identified so far. “Some were charred beyond recognition. DNA testing confirmed identities,” an Indian embassy official said.

 Remains of victims, P 13

Man leaps from 3rd floor, survives blaze

Thazhathu Nalinakshan, a driver with NBTC for 25 years, got trapped on the third floor of the building as fire and smoke engulfed it. But he jumped onto the water tank below and landed on the sheet roofing on top of it. He sustained multiple rib fractures, but lived to tell the tale. TNN

50 cloth shops gutted in fire at Chandni Chowk

Around 50 garment shops were destroyed in Chandni Chowk’s Purana Marwari Katra after a fire broke out in one of them Thursday evening, possibly from a short circuit. The building housing the shop at Nai Sadak and another crumbled in the impact of the fire. No one was injured as a woman saw the spark and alerted everyone to evacuate the buildings. More than 42 fire tenders battled the blaze for more than six hours.

P5

6 burned alive in blast in Nagpur explosives unit

Five women employees were among six caught in a ball of fire after a blast tore apart an explosives factory in Dhamna, 25km off Nagpur, Thursday, reports Soumitra Bose. Their charred remains were found in metal wreckage. Three others were battling for life in hospital. A preliminary probe said sparks from the sealing section triggered the blast. Villagers blocked the highway, claiming victims were trapped and burned to death.

P11

5 of Gzb family choke to death in house fire

A three-storey house in Ghaziabad’s Loni turned into a death trap as a fire that likely started from a short-circuit engulfed the ground floor, killing five of a family, including a seven-month-old boy. With the terrace door locked, the victims suffocated to death near the stairwell on the second floor, waiting for firefighters to reach the house through narrow lanes and height barriers at the Behta Hajipur colony.

P5

National anthem must in all J&K schools daily

J&K administration has directed all schools to commence morning assemblies with the national anthem, requiring them to strictly follow a four-year-old norm whose compliance has been erratic. The circular, issued by the principal secretary of the school education dept, covers private institutions as well. Listing 16 steps, it sought school assemblies to be made uniform.

P 21

MP bill aims to avert borewell deaths

Billed as the first in India, MP govt is preparing a law to prevent deaths caused by open borewells — with guidelines on averting such tragedies, what to do if one occurs and fixing accountability. Nine incidents have been reported in MP in seven months.

FLAP OPP

K’taka murder: Neta tried to shield actor?

Police and political circles in Karnataka are abuzz with talk of a state minister’s alleged efforts to shield ‘Sandalwood’ star Darshan, an accused in the Renuka Swamy murder case, and how the neta even approached the state home minister, only to be rebuffed.

P11

Elephant crushes man to death in MP

A 36-year-old man, who was part of a nomadic group roaming with a captive elephant and seeking alms, was crushed to death by the animal in his sleep in Bhopal Wednesday. Narendra Kapadia was lying close to the elephant on an over bridge.

FLAP OPP

J&K may return to deployment pattern of 1990s

As PM Modi asked officials to deploy the full strength of the counter-terror apparatus against terrorists behind the recent strikes in Jammu, law enforcement agencies are seeing the escalation as an effort to open a new axis of violence and unrest in the region, reports Bharti Jain.

J&K DGP R R Swain said counter-terrorism strategies were being tweaked, including returning to the force deployment pattern of the 1990s, with more personnel guarding mountain tops, resuming and intensifying counter-terror operations sector-wise and strengthening village defence committees in Jammu region.

FLAP OPP

EDIT:Securing Kashmir

India slams Pak and China for J&K reference

India hit out at China and Pakistan for again referring to J&K in a joint statement, warning Beijing against legitimising Pakistan’s illegal occupation of Indian territory through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through the Gilgit-Baltistan region in POK. The govt reiterated in its response that the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh “have been, are and will always be integral and inalienable parts of India”.

Not for the first time, the two countries brought up the J&K issue in a joint statement issued after Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China during which both sides announced plans also to upgrade cooperation under CPEC.

TNN

In U-turn, NEET grace marks for 1563 junked, re-test on June 23

Result To Be Declared On June 30

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Two days after Supreme Court sought answers from National Testing Agency (NTA) on “sanctity” of NEET-UG 2024 being affected, the agency decided to rescind its decision to award grace marks to 1,563 students who could not get the full allotted time to take the test due to mismanagement. NTA told SC a re-test would be conducted for these candidates.

As soon as the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta took up the petitions opposing awarding of grace marks, advocate Kanu Aggarwal told the court the Ju- ne 4 decision on grace marks had been withdrawn and a retest would be conducted on June 23. The result would be declared on June 30 to ensure that counselling, which is likely to start from July 6, is not affected. The bench accepted the decision.

Ahead of the re-test, affected candidates will be infor- med about their actual scores in the test held on May 5, without the grace marks. Those who do not wish to appear for the re-test will retain these marks. Senior advocate Naresh Kaushik, appearing for NTA, told the bench the re-test would be notified Thursday.

 Hearing July 8, P 27

P 28

No evidence of leak, protests motivated: Min

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said there was no evidence of a paper leak in NEET-UG and indicated the protests were “motivated”, citing the success of rural and non-coaching students.

“Even in JEE (Advanced), students of rural areas and Navodaya schools have improved their scores and are among rank holders. They didn’t get any additional coaching. So, you can guess who has impacted them (coaching centres) adversely,” Pradhan said. The rise in the number of high scorers and successful non-coaching candidates was due to efforts to make NEET similar to Class 12 boards, he said.

P28

HC: BoB to pay firm `76L lost to cyber fraud

Citing an RBI circular and bank policy that a customer reporting a fraudulent online transaction in three working days has zero liability, Bombay high court on Thursday directed Bank of Baroda to return Rs 76 lakh to a company, reports Swati Deshpande.

The petitioners, Jaiprakash Kulkarni and Pharma Search Ayurveda Pvt Ltd, said certain “beneficiaries” were added to their bank account in Oct 2022 without intimation and Rs 76 lakh was debited in several tranches via online transactions.

P11

After LS loss, Ajit Pawar’s wife files RS nomination

A week after her defeat in the LS polls, NCP president and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra filed her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha seat left vacant by Praful Patel’s resignation. Since there’s only one candidate from the state, she will be elected unopposed. Patel was also re-elected to the RS a month ago.

In party circles, the decision drew criticism, with a section of MLAs expressing dissatisfaction over the sidelining of contenders like Chhagan Bhujbal.

P 13

Non-bailable warrant against BSY in Pocso case

Bengaluru: A fast-track court issued a non-bailable warrant Thursday against former Karnataka CM and BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa in a Pocso case involving alleged sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl.

The warrant, issued on a plea by CID, follows a summons to Yediyurappa the previous day to appear for questioning by the agency’s SIT. The former CM said he was in Delhi for work and could make it on or after June 17. The special prosecutor argued that the accused was stalling and evidence was being destroyed.

TNN

Spl prosecutor, P 27

P 13

Modi, Biden to meet at G7; US to raise Pannun plot at ‘very sr levels’

France’s Macron & Italy’s Meloni at the G7 summit

PM Narendra Modi is likely to meet US President Joe Biden Friday on the margins of the G7 summit in southern Italy’s Puglia region, reports Sachin Parashar. With Biden headed to Italy, White House officials aboard Air Force One said an ‘encounter’ was likely as the president expects to see the Indian PM there. They reiterated the US would continue to raise the alleged murder plot against pro-Khalistan separatist and US national Gurpatwant Singh Pannun at ‘very senior levels’ with India.

This is the first time Biden and Modi will meet after their bilateral talks over dinner at Modi’s residence on the eve of the G20 summit in India last September. While a formal bilateral meeting isn’t ruled out in Italy, it’s possible the two might just have a pull-aside because of scheduling constraints.

 Zelensky meet, P 27

INSIDE JACKET

Will talk on key issues for Global South: PM

As he departed for Italy to participate in the G7 outreach session as the leader of an invitee country, PM Modi said it will be an “opportunity to bring greater synergy between outcomes of the G20 Summit under India’s presidency and the G7 summit and deliberate on issues crucial for the Global South”.

P27

NSA Doval, principal secy Mishra get another term

Doval (L) and Mishra

New Delhi: PM Modi has retained his two trusted aides, national security adviser Ajit Doval and principal secretary P K Mishra, in his third term. Their reappointment with Cabinet rank was notified after the appointments committee of Cabinet cleared it and ended speculation over who would get the crucial jobs. Modi also opted to give another term to two of his advisers in PMO, Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor.

Coming after Modi kept his faith in the CCS team — re- taining Union ministers for home, defence, finance and external affairs — renewed terms for Doval and Mishra are seen as the second statement of continuity.

TNN

‘Pannun plot’, P 27

Times Nation

- In J&K, deploy full strength of counter-terror apparatus: PM

- Jumbo crushes sleeping man to death in Bhopal

- Elephant kills man making reels in Bijnor

- In a first, MP to table bill to stop borewell deaths

- 50 detained as search ops for ultras continue

- HEAT IN PLAINS HITS ROADS IN HILLS

- 4 forest staffers burnt alive in Binsar sanctuary

- PIB’s fact-check unit claims it ‘busted’ 12 fake news channels

- Two UP & Bihar towns, and also a scientist, now have twins on Mars

- K’taka minister tries to shield actor in murder case, but fails

- Sikkim CM wife quits day after taking MLA oath

- Haemorrhage, shock killed man: Autopsy

- Prosecute Nestle for Cerelac ‘scam’, NGOs tell Swiss govt

- Mumbai doc finds part of human finger in ice cream cone made by Ghaziabad co

- 11 sambars die within days in Ranthambore

- Blast at Nagpur explosives unit kills 6 people

- Return to petitioners `76L lost in cyber fraud, HC tells Bank of Baroda

- NCP picks Ajit wife for RS, leaves some MLAs upset

- Prez notifies Speaker’s poll amid suspense over NDA’s pick

- Banks can’t use LOC to recover debt: HC

- Missing considered dead after 7 yrs: HC

- Treat transgenders as special bloc: HC

- Rape-murder: 41 yrs on, man gets relief

- HC: Not abetment to suicide if hubby kills self after dowry case

- Why sack small fish? HC calls for top officials’ heads in Rajkot fire case:

- Remains of Kuwait fire’s Kerala victims likely to be brought home today

- Now, singing nat’l anthem in morning must in J&K schools

- Khandu sworn in as Arunachal CM for 3rd term

- Man being taken to CT scan room killed in Guj hosp

- Car-truck crash kills 3 in Raj:

- Guj HC stays release of OTT movie after Hindu sect’s protest

- NTA to release revised merit list after NEET re-test results

- No proof of NEET-UG paper leak, charges are baseless, says Pradhan

- Rains trigger Sikkim landslides, 3 killed:

In J&K, deploy full strength of counter-terror apparatus: PM

Valley Peaceful, Jammu Is Now Pak Target: DGP

Army conducts search operations in J&K’s Doda district on Thursday

Bharti.Jain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked officials to deploy the full strength of counter-terror apparatus against terrorists behind recent strikes in Jammu, law enforcement agencies are seeing the current jihadi escalation as an effort to open a new axis of violence and unrest in Jammu region.

On a day when PM Modi reviewed the uptick in terrorist violence with NSA Ajit Doval and others, J&K DGP R R Swain said counterterrorism strategies were being tweaked to beat the “unique challenge” represented by 40-50 terrorists who infiltrated from Pakistan and were now holed up in the mountainous terrain of Jammu — where road connectivity and communication facilities do not match those in the flat-floor Valley, making it longer for security forces to respond to information.

The shift in security strategy includes returning to the force deployment pattern of the 1990s, with more personnel guarding mountain tops, resuming and intensifying counter-terror operations sector-wise and strengthening village defence committees in Jammu by refining their training and equipping them better to bust terror strikes.

Maintaining that attacks in Reasi, Doda and Kathua were a recent phenomenon in that particular axis, the J&K police chief said, “After the Valley is relatively pacified, terrorist outfits like Lashkare-Taiba have shifted attention to Jammu, activating different axes that run through Chenab, Tawi and Ujh-Ravi rivers. It is a determined effort on part of Pakistan-based elements to ratchet up things for reasons that include boosting morale of their fighters and creating inter-communal tension in a region with mixed population (by religion),” Swain toldTOI over phone.

Citing the difficult topography and demography of areas within Jammu (with a 60:40 Hindu-Muslim population), Swain indicated the terrorists may be trying to target civilians from a particular community with a design to spark communal unrest, thus creating a law and order challenge. He, however, said the lack of separatist sentiment in Jammu, unlike how things were in Kashmir, was one less headache for security forces.

Reasi, where nine people died Sunday after terrorists fired on a bus, has 70% of contiguous mountainous terrain, which Swain said offered the hiding terrorists an advantage as there was invariably a time gap between information reaching the forces and follow-up action.

The plan now is to step up deployment in the mountain tops of Jammu to keep an eye on infiltration attempts and challenge the terrorists hiding there after crossing over from Pakistan, the DGP said.

 Jana Gana in schools, P21

Jumbo crushes sleeping man to death in Bhopal

Bhopal: A captive elephant crushed a man to death in his sleep in Bhopal on Wednesday night. The forest department will take a call on whether to take custody of the elephant.

The victim, 36-year-old Narendra Kapadia, was part of an 18-member nomadic group that roams around with the elephant, seeking alms. They had arrived in Bhopal earlier that day and had gone to sleep on an overbridge in Chhola area.

Investigators suspect Narendra rolled too close to the female elephant, named Nanki, in his sleep and the animal perceived him as a threat and reacted instinctively by trampling him. He suffered severe head injury and his right hand was crushed. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Narendra’s uncle, Bhupendra Kumar, told TOI their family has been with Nanki for two years and there wasn’t ever a hint of aggression.

TNN

Elephant kills man making reels in Bijnor

Bijnor: A 24-year-old man was trampled to death by a stray elephant in Dhampur area of UP’s Bijnor on Wednesday evening, reports Harveer Dabas. The man, identified as Mohd Murshleen from Bagdad Ansari village, had stepped out of his house with friends after hearing the trumpeting sound of an elephant near the Dhampur forest range. On spotting the jumbo, he started making a reel. This apparently irritated the elephant which charged at him, lifted him up and hurled him to the ground before trampling him, said eyewitnesses.

Bijnor sub-divisional forest officer Gyan Singh said, “The tusker likely came from Kalagarh area of Corbett National Park and had been roaming Bijnor’s jungles for three days. Efforts are on to push the tusker towards Sahuwala forest range away from populated areas.”

In a first, MP to table bill to stop borewell deaths

Bhopal:Madhya Pradesh govt is preparing a law — said to be the first such in India — to prevent deaths caused by open borewells, reports Ankur Sirothia. Over nine such incidents have been reported in MP in the past seven months.

State public health engineering minister Sampatiya Uike confirmed to TOI that the bill will be presented in the assembly’s budget session next month. “We will make sure such tragedies aren’t repeated,” Uike said. The proposed law will have detailed guidelines on how to avert such tragedies, what to do if one occurs, and how accountability is to be fixed, said sources.

50 detained as search ops for ultras continue

Jammu:Security teams assisted by drone crews and military dogs are scouring deep forests and high-altitude terrain in Jammu division to catch or kill suspected Pakistani terrorists responsible for four attacks on June 9, 11, and 12 in three districts of the region, reports Sanjay Khajuria.

Authorities have detained 50 local people for questioning regarding the June 9 ambush on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district. Nine people were killed and 41 injured in the attack.

J&K DGP RR Swain warned against aiding terrorists. “Some enemy agents are helping the terrorists for money and narcotics… They will be identified and dealt with sternly,” he added.

Search operations are also ongoing in Nowshera in Rajouri and adjacent Poonch, which have seen several attacks over the past two years. Security forces in Kathua, Samba, and Jammu districts are on high alert due to a tipoff about likely fidayeen attacks. Searches are being conducted in Narwal bypass area on Jammu’s outskirts after a woman reported suspicious movement of two men.

HEAT IN PLAINS HITS ROADS IN HILLS

Rohtang Pass on Thursday was chock-a-block with vehicles as people from the plains of north India, which are reeling under a severe heat wave, sought relief in the cooler climes of the hills. Other destinations like Kullu and Manali are also experiencing severe traffic congestion due to the summer rush and poor road conditions. Manali, with its narrow roads, has been particularly hard-hit

4 forest staffers burnt alive in Binsar sanctuary

Dehradun/Almora:Four forest department personnel were burnt alive while four others were grievously injured during a firefighting operation in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in Almora Thursday, report Shivani Azad & Yogesh Nagarkoti. This is the first such incident this year in which frontline forest workers lost their lives in a wildfire, taking the total number of casualties to 10 in this forest fire season. Of these, nine casualties have happened in the Almora area alone.

The incident occurred in the afternoon when the personnel arrived at the site in a departmental vehicle to extinguish the blaze. However, the fire was raging so hard that the workers were soon engulfed in the flames, suffering severe burns, as per officials. Those who died included forest beat officer Trilok Mehta, 56, fire watcher Karan Arya, 21, Prantiya Rakshak Dal member Puran Mehra, 52, and Deewan Ram, 35, a daily wage worker.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

The blaze is still raging in the area and firefighting efforts are underway.

PIB’s fact-check unit claims it ‘busted’ 12 fake news channels

The fake news is of diverse nature — from claiming ‘dismissal of PM Modi’ to Aadhaar holders getting free sewing machines under PM Viswamitra scheme

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Fact Check Unit of Press Information Bureau (PIB), under I&B ministry, on Thursday claimed to have “busted” 134 videos from 12 channels for spreading misinformation. The fake news is of diverse nature — from claiming “dismissal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” to all Aadhaar card holders getting free sewing machines under the PM Viswamitra scheme.

Sharing screenshots, PIB stated, “Fake news related to the Central Government and the Supreme Court is being broadcast on a YouTube channel named ‘akhandnews123’. The channel has more than 15,000 subscribers and more than 19 lakh views.” PIB posted 16 screenshots of headlines such as “Just now Modi has been dismissed from PM post” with tickers like “Modi-Shah petrified” (translated from Hindi). Another headline reads “Supreme Court comes down on Modi: CJI slapped 10 lakh fine” (translated from Hindi).

Sharing screenshots of another channel, PIB said: “KLOnlineStudy claims that PM Modi is giving Rs 15,000 to all Aadhaar card holders under PM Vishwamitra Yojana 2024/Free Sewing Machine Scheme,” adding “Beware of such fake news. These are false.”

Another channel highlighted for misinformation is “NITIGYAN4U”, which stated, “Indian Govt claims unemployed citizens above 21 years of age will be given Rs 1,000/1,500/3,000 per month under Unemployment Allowance Scheme”.

Two UP & Bihar towns, and also a scientist, now have twins on Mars

LEAVING A MARK

Ankur.Tewari@timesgroup.com

Lucknow: ‘Lal’, ‘Mursan’ and ‘Hilsa’. These are the names given to three craters on the surface of Mars recently discovered by Ahmedabadbased Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), that hint at the red planet’s wet past. Lal has been named after legendary cosmic ray physicist from Varanasi, the late Professor Devendra Lal. The other two have been named after Mursan town in UP’s Hathras district, and Hilsa town in Nalanda district of Bihar.

PRL director Anil Bhardwaj told TOIthey are named in accordance with interna- tional guidelines which state that small craters should be named after small towns and bigger ones after renowned personalities. Lal, a pioneer in the field of earth and planetary science, served as PRL director from 1972 to 1983.

The craters reside within the Tharsis volcanic re- gion, a vast volcanic plateau centered near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars. The region is home to the largest volcanoes in the solar system. ‘Lal’ is the largest and spans around 65km. It is covered with lava, but there is geophysical evidence of material other than lava in this crater with a 45m thick sedimentary deposit in the subsurface. The discovery provides compelling proof that water has moved large volumes of sediments into the crater. Two small superimposed craters on either side, ‘Mursan’ and ‘Hilsa’, provide timeline for the infilling process of ‘Lal’.

K’taka minister tries to shield actor in murder case, but fails

Law Will Take Own Course: Home Minister

SECURED TIGHT: The police station where actor Darshan and others are kept in custody in Bengaluru on Thursday

SantoshKumar.B@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: As more details of the Renuka Swamy murder case come to light, police and political circles are abuzz with talk of a state minister’s alleged efforts to shield Sandalwood star Darshan, one of the accused, from the long arm of the law.

Reacting to reports of the police force coming under pressure in the murder probe, home minister G Parameshwara told media persons on Thursday: “No one has tried to influence us. Law will take its own course.”

Sources said the minister in question was the first person to have been alerted by Darshan’s aides when the star was picked up by the police from a Mysuru hotel on Tuesday morning.

Fearing that his “celebrity friend” would be charged with murder, the minister made frantic calls to police officers, the state home minister, and even to CM Siddaramaiah’s office .

When his desperate knockings on behalf of the star didn’t elicit a response from any quarter, the minister rushed to meet Parameshwara at the latter’s residence in Sadashivanagar.

The minister wanted a verbal order issued to Bengaluru police to let Darshan go. However, much to his disappointment, the home minister told him that the law would take its own course and cut short the conversation.

By then, news of Darshan’s detention was all over television news channels and the police brass made it clear that they were duty-bound to get to the bottom of the case.

Meanwhile, other “well wishers” of the actor, including a BJP MLA, tried to contact senior police officers in an attempt to dilute the charges against the actor.

Sources said: “Based on CCTV footage and mobile phone call records, the cops initially decided to make Darshan ‘accused No. 1’. However, there was no let-up in political pressure to not project Darshan as the prime accused.”

In an attempt to ensure they didn’t ruffle the feathers of the political lobby, police decided to make Darshan “accused No. 2” and instead made his girlfriend, Pavithra Gowda, “accused No. 1”, a police officer said.

Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, referring to allegations that a senior state minister was running from pillar to post to shield Darshan, said: “I have no idea about Darshan’s case and there is no undue pressure on me. In fact, I came to know about it 24 hours after he was arrested.”

Sikkim CM wife quits day after taking MLA oath

Gangtok: Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang’s wife Krishna Kumari Rai on Thursday quit as an MLA, a day after taking oath, according to an official notification.

The reason behind her sudden decision is not yet known. She had won from the NamchiSinghithang seat in the recently concluded state polls, defeating Sikkim Democratic Front candidate Bimal Rai.

Speaker M N Sherpa has accepted the resignation, Sikkim Legislative Assembly secretary Lalit Kumar Gurung said.

Neither the CM’s wife nor the SKM leadership could be contacted for comments regarding the development.

CM Tamang is currently in Arunachal Pradesh to attend swearing-in ceremony of his counterpart Pema Khandu.

PTI

Haemorrhage, shock killed man: Autopsy

Bengaluru: S Renuka Swamy,bore 15 injuries and died of shock and haemorrhage, a post-mortem examination has revealed, report Rajiv Kalkod & Santosh Kumar. The 34-year-old died due to internal bleeding caused by injuries to the head and other parts, according to the autopsy conducted at Victoria Hospital.

Swamy was thrashed multiple times for four hours on Saturday afternoon in a seized-vehicle parking yard, police sources said. “The groin was attacked. There was bleeding in the abdomen. There was a strong blow to the head, while his other parts bled,” a hospital source said.

Soon after getting the report on Thursday, a police team seized a mini truck. The vehicle had earlier been seized by a bank for defaulting on EMIs and was parked in the yard. The truck was then taken to the police station for further investigation. Police have seized from the shed wooden logs, a leather belt and a rope that were allegedly used to fatally torture Swamy.

Prosecute Nestle for Cerelac ‘scam’, NGOs tell Swiss govt

DOUBLE STANDARDS

Rupali.Mukherjee@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Food giant Nestle India is in spotlight again over its widely-sold baby food Cerelac. Global civil society organisations, Public Eye and IBFAN, have submitted a formal request to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), urging legal action against Nestle “unethical and unfair business practices” in low and middle-income countries.

Accusing the Swiss major of “double standards”, the NGOs had in April said the company’s two best-selling baby food brands sold in developing countries, including India, have a high content of added sugar, which is prohibited under WHO guidelines. Nestle’s misleading and aggressive marketing and its double standard over added sugar are unfair business practices that affect hundreds of thousands of people in poor countries, they said. The cessation of unethical practices is important not only to protect children, but also the reputation of Nestle’s home country, they said.

When contacted, a Nestle India spokesperson said: “We understand that the authorities are conducting analysis of infant cereals and infant formulas sold by all companies in the country.” It maintained its commitment to compliance and highlighted a reduction in sugar content by up to 30% in its baby food products in India over the past five years.

In April, days after the issue became public, Nestle India’s chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan had said Cerelac complied with local food norms, saying added sugars in the baby food are much lower than what India’s food regulator permits.

The food giant controls 20% of the baby food market, valued at nearly $70 billion. With over $2.5 billion in global sales in 2022, Cerelac and Nido are some of Nestle’s best-selling baby food brands in low and middle-income countries.

Mumbai doc finds part of human finger in ice cream cone made by Ghaziabad co

After having lunch, the complainant, Brendan Ferrao, opened the butterscotch ice cream cone. While eating, he felt something odd in his mouth. On spitting it out, he found that it was a portion of a human finger with a fingernail on it

Nitasha.Natu@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: A Malad-based doctor found a portion of a human finger inside an ice cream that he had ordered online on Wednesday. Malad police sent the finger for a forensic examination and filed an FIR against the managerial staff for the ice cream brand, Yummo, on Thursday.

Brendan Ferrao, the 26-year-old complainant, told police that he and his sister had ordered three Yummo mango ice creams through the Zepto app . The order was delivered to their residence around 10.10 am. But instead of three mango ice creams, the delivery man brought two mango and one butterscotch ice cream, which was not as per the order.

After lunch, Ferrao opened the butterscotch ice cream cone. While eating, he felt something odd in his mouth. On spitting it out, he found that it was a portion of a human finger with a fingernail on it.

Ferrao told mediapersons that he was traumatised and felt like throwing up. He complained to Yummo ice creams via Instagram. A customer care executive soon called him. Ferrao told him that he had found a human finger in the ice cream. The customer care executive asked him to send the order details and a picture of the information on the ice cream pack.

Ferrao did as instructed and his family received a call from the customer care wing about 10-12 minutes later, stating that they would look into the issue. But there was no response thereafter. “I preserved the finger in ice and brought it to Malad police station along with the wrapper,” Ferrao told mediapersons. The wrapper had manufacturing date as May 11, 2024, and expiry date as May 10, 2025. The product was made by Laxmi Ice Creams Pvt Ltd in Ghaziabad.

The Yummo spokesperson said, “We have stopped manufacturing at this thirdparty manufacturing facility. We have isolated the said product at the facility, our warehouses and are in the process of doing the same at the market level. We are a lawabiding company and shall fully cooperate and support the authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly.”

Police said there was a possibility of contamination during packaging. “An FIR has been registered under sec- tions 272 (adulteration of food intended for sale), 273 (sale of noxious food) and 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) of IPC against people responsible from Yummo,” said DCP Anand Bhoite.

“We have sent the finger to the state forensic science laboratory for a forensic examination. We will make inquiries at the factory where the ice cream was manufactured and with company officials,” said senior inspector Ravi Adane.

“If it is a human finger, experts may be able to ascertain the age of the person if there are some bones and not just ligaments,” said civic-run Cooper Hospital dean Dr Shailesh Mohite, a forensic specialist. “They may be able to ascertain the person’s gender,” he added.

Plastic surgeon Dr Nilesh Satbhai from Global Hospital said even if the digit was wellpreserved (as it was in freezing temperature used to store ice creams), it is unlikely it can be reattached. “We don’t know the timeline of the accident. Moreover, the part has been through multiple processes and could have been exposed to contaminants, thus rendering it unviable,” he added.

11 sambars die within days in Ranthambore

Jaipur: A naturalist spotted three dead sambars (deer) floating in a lake of Ranthambore National Park on Wednesday, two days after eight carcasses were found in another zone of the Rajasthan reserve amid fears the deaths have been caused by life-sapping heat, reports Ajay Singh Ugras.

The park has around 500 sambars, a protected species under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and classified as “vulnerable” on International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. TOI attempted to contact the park’s field director, Anup KR, and sent him a message but drew a blank, deepening the mystery about the exact cause of the deaths.

Daulat Shaktawat, a retired forester, said: “The heat has been excessive this season. It is possible the sambars died of dehydration. They walk long distances to reach ponds. There have been instances of some dying after drinking water. In such cases, the animals mainly die because of weakness.”

Blast at Nagpur explosives unit kills 6 people

Dhamna/Nagpur: Six persons, including five women employees, were trapped in a ball of fire and charred to death after a devastating explosion tore apart Chamundi Explosives Ltd in Dhamna, 25km off Nagpur on Thursday, reports Soumitra Bose.

While rescue operations were delayed, factory personnel couldn’t venture into the smoke-filled death trap, where dismembered body parts were found in metal wreckage when the fire was finally doused.

Three other employees are battling for life at different hospitals in Nagpur. A preliminary probe stated sparks from the explosive sealing section had triggered the blast.

Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis declared Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of the deceased, but the unit’s management was yet to announce relief to victims’ kin.

The unit, which manufactures safety fuses, gun powder, firecrackers and detonators is located on Amravati highway.

Return to petitioners `76L lost in cyber fraud, HC tells Bank of Baroda

Swati.Deshpande@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: Observing that a case before it was an example of how innocent persons are becoming victims of cyber fraud, Bombay HC on Thursday relied on a July 2017 RBI circular and directed Bank of Baroda to return to a company Rs 76 lakh it had lost to an online fraud.

The division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and F P Pooniwalla held that both the RBI circular and the bank’s policy say if a customer reports a fraudulent online transaction in three working days, a customer has zero liability. “When the unauthorised transactions occur due to a third-party breach where the deficiency lies neither with the bank nor with the customer but elsewhere in the system and the customer notifies the bank regarding the unau- thorised transactions within a certain time frame,” HC said. Hence, the petitioners’ liability would be zero as three cyber cell reports noted that the deficiency lay neither with BoB nor with the account holders —the petitioners and petitioners entitled to refund, HCnoted.

HC said bank had framed its own consumer protection policy. It placed zero liability on customers who report a fraudulent e-transaction within three working days of receiving the communication, but 100% liability if it is reported beyond seven working days.

High court order is rare, said the company’s lawyer Siddhesh Bhole.

NCP picks Ajit wife for RS, leaves some MLAs upset

No senior functionary of Shinde Sena and BJP was present when Sunetra Pawar filed her papers

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: A week after her defeat in Lok Sabha polls, NCP president and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat left vacant by Praful Patel’s resignation on February 14, ahead of his term expiring. Patel, who is NCP working president, was re-elected to RS on Feb 27 against another vacancy.

Since there’s only one candidate from the state, Sunetra will be elected unopposed.

Sunetra filed her nomination in the presence of NCP’s Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal. No senior functionary from allies Shiv Sena and BJP was present.

Patel played down the absence of leaders from allied parties saying since it was a by-election, they may have chosen not to be present. According to Patel, the decision to field Sunetra — who was beaten by a margin of 1.58 lakh votes in Baramati by Supriya Sule — was taken at a core group meeting on Wednesday night attended by Ajit Pawar, Tatkare and Bhujbal. “There was no dispute over the nomination of Sunetra, it was a consensus, and it was a foregone conclusion that she would be elected unopposed,’ he said.

However, a section of NCP MLAs expressed dissatisfaction over Sunetra’s selection and the sidelining of contenders like Bhujbal. One of them said NCP should have looked for a candidate other than a Pawar family member.

Bhujbal told TOI, “Perhaps my party felt that I am not the right fit for the Rajya Sabha bypoll. I have been loy- al to my party and abided by collective decisions. I was present when Sunetra filed her nomination.”

State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said neither Bhujbal nor any other leader was upset. “It was a unanimous decision taken by the core group. The senior leadership makes decisions considering what is good for the party for its future and it will continue to do so,” he added.

Priyanka for Wayanad?

New Delhi: A day after Rahul Gandhi said his decision on which LS seat to retain would leave voters in both Wayanad and Rae Bareli happy, Congress circles were speculating if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would make her entry into electoral politics. There is buzz of Rahul retaining Rae Bareli but sources said no decision had been taken yet. Meanwhile, posters have come up in Wayanad urging Rahul to stay on, but adding that if he had to leave, Priyanka should be his replacement. TNN

Prez notifies Speaker’s poll amid suspense over NDA’s pick

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday issued a notification fixing June 26, two days after the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha is scheduled to commence, for the election of LS Speaker amid growing interest about BJP’s likely choice for the office.

Incumbent Om Birla won the Lok Sabha polls from Kota once again and speculation that he might be continued with has gathered force since the formation of the Modi 3.0 govt and the PM retaining his CCS picks. BJP, with 240 seats, and allies who bring in another 53 should easily win the test. The speculation that TDP, which has 16 MPs, may seek the Speaker’s post as the price for extending support has worn thin after it decided not to leverage its numbers for outsize gains in ministry making. TNN

Banks can’t use LOC to recover debt: HC

A lookout circular (LOC) cannot be used as an “arm twisting tactic” by banks to recover debt, Delhi HC has stressed, reports Abhinav Garg. “This court is of the opinion that after resorting to all the remedies available in law, the bank cannot open a lookout circular as an arm-twisting tactic to recover debt from a person who is otherwise unable to pay,” Justice Subramonium Prasad said, in a recent verdict. With these observations, HC quashed an LOC issued against a former director of a company which failed to repay a debt for which he stood guarantee.

Missing considered dead after 7 yrs: HC

Actual death of a missing person can only follow the period of remaining untraced, Punjab & Haryana HC has held in a compassionate employment case. The law presumes and declares a person dead if untraceable for over seven years. “The civil death (date of declaring a missing person dead) would not relate from the date the person was missing but only when the period of seven years has expired,” a division bench held in a recent order. TNN

Treat transgenders as special bloc: HC

Transgender people should be treated as a special category, irrespective of caste, and extended requisite benefits in education and employment, Madras HC ruled on Thursday while asking the Tamil Nadu govt to direct all recruiting agencies to make and notify this change. “The age relaxation extended to other special categories shall also be extended to them. Transgenders, at no point of time in future, shall be clubbed with male or female,” Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan said. TNN

Rape-murder: 41 yrs on, man gets relief

Calcutta HC acquitted on Wednesday a lawyer named Banamali Chowdhury, who police had charged 41 years ago with raping, strangulating, and burning to death his niece, for which a Bankura court convicted and sentenced him last year to a life term. The HC judgment, granting Chowdhury the benefit of the doubt, discharged him due to inconsistencies and procedural lapses in the investigation. TNN

HC: Not abetment to suicide if hubby kills self after dowry case

A woman cannot be prosecuted for abetment if her husband commits suicide after she files a police complaint of dowry harassment, the MP high court has said, quashing an FIR registered against a wife and her parents.

Why sack small fish? HC calls for top officials’ heads in Rajkot fire case:

The Gujarat HC expressed dissatisfaction on Thursday with the state govt’s action after the Rajkot fire, saying lower-rung officials had been acted against but no measures were taken against those at the top who were actually responsible. While hearing a suo motu PIL on the deaths of 27 people at TRP Game Zone in Rajkot, advocate Amit Panchal drew the court’s attention to the suspension of lower-rank officers. The bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi said, “The officers at the helm of affairs have to be taken to task… the top ones have to go.” TNN

Remains of Kuwait fire’s Kerala victims likely to be brought home today

Continued from P 1

Three men from Uttar Pradesh died in the Kuwait fire on Wednesday. The three have been identified as Praveen Madhav Singh from Varanasi, and Jairam Gupta and Angad Gupta from Gorakhpur district.

The lone victim from Bengal was Medinipur native Dwarikesh Pattanayak. The 52-year-old had postponed his scheduled visit home this April to celebrate his daughter’s birthday during Durga Puja. His wife Antara and daughter are in shock after receiving the news from his firm on Thursday. Dwarikesh had been working in Kuwait for two decades.

“He always called home at 8am. On Wednesday, Didi did not receive the call. She called him twice, but he didn’t answer. Anxious, she called his friend in Kuwait, who was back home in Kerala and informed us about the fire. We held onto hope, as his name was listed as missing,” Dwarikesh’s brother-in-law Sayantan Pattanayak said.

An IAF aircraft is on standby to bring home the mortal remains of the Indians. Foreign ministry MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh reached Kuwait Thursday to oversee assistance for the injured Indians and to expedite the process of sending the bodies. The mortal remains of the Kerala victims are expected to be brought to Kochi Friday morning, according to state officials. CM Pinarayi Vijayan and cabinet members will receive the coffins at the airport.

Now, singing nat’l anthem in morning must in J&K schools

Srinagar: J&K administration has directed all schools to commence morning assemblies with the National Anthem, requiring them to strictly follow a four-year-old norm whose compliance has been erratic, reports Saleem Pandit.

A circular issued by the principal secretary of the school education to this effect also requires morning assemblies to be made uniform across the Union Territory. The order covers private institutions.

“It has been observed that such a significant ritual/tradition is not being carried out uniformly across various schools of JK UT,” the circular issued on Wednesday reads.

Department principal secretary Alok Kumar said morning assemblies helped nurture values of moral integrity, shared community and discipline.

The assemblies should be of 20 minutes, beginning with the National Anthem and requiring all students and teachers to gather in a designated area of the school.

The circular lists 16 steps for schools to follow. The school education department has advised schools to invite to their morning assemblies guest speakers, create awareness about environment and caution students against drugs.

Khandu sworn in as Arunachal CM for 3rd term

Guwahati: Pema Khandu was sworn in Thursday as CM of a BJP govt in Arunachal Pradesh for a third consecutive term, putting him in a small club of saffron high achievers with a hat-trick of chief ministerial stints, led by PM Narendra Modi in Gujarat, reports Prabin Kalita.

Khandu took the oath of office along with 11 ministers in the presence of home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda. Chowna Mein got another term as Khandu’s deputy.

At Khandu’s first cabinet meeting of a new term, a 100-day agenda for the govt was approved.

Man being taken to CT scan room killed in Guj hosp

Rajkot: Horror unfolded in the govt-run Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Gujarat’s Jamnagar as two persons stormed inside the health facility, grabbed by the hair a 32-year-old man going to the CT scan room, and stabbed him to death shortly after Wednesday midnight, reports Nimesh Khakhariya.

Police said the assailants suspected the victim had informed cops about their illicit activities.

Car-truck crash kills 3 in Raj:

Three of a family died and another was injured when their car collided with a truck near Jaipur in Rajasthan Thursday. TNN

Guj HC stays release of OTT movie after Hindu sect’s protest

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: Gujarat HC Thursday restrained OTT platform Netflix from releasing the movie ‘Maharaj’, which features actor Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan, based on objections raised by a religious sect called Pushtimarg. The film was to be released on Friday.

Eight members of the Pushtimarg sect, who are devotees of Lord Krishna and followers of Vallabhacharya, approached the HC claiming that the film, allegedly based on the famous Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, is likely to hurt religious sentiments, affect public order and incite violence against followers of the sect and the Hindu religion.

The petitioners contended that the Maharaj Libel Case, which was decided by a court during the British era, castigates the Hindu religion and makes “seriously blasphemous” comments against God and devotional songs and hymns. Their counsel submitted that reference has been made to excerpts from the court’s judgment that contains “scandalous and defamatory” language that affects the Pushtimarg sect.

Justice Sangeeta Vishen issued notice to Netflix, the production company and the authorities concerned, and posted the next hearing for June 18.

SC halts release of ‘anti-Muslim’ film

Just a day before controversial film ‘Hamare Baarah’ was scheduled for public screening, Supreme Court on Thursday stayed it’s release till Bombay HC decides petition against the film for allegedly distorting religious text to bring disrepute and defame Islam.

TNN

HC relief for KJo over film’s name

Bombay HC on Thursday restrained the makers of film ‘Shaadi ke director Karan aur Johar’ from using the name and referring to personal attributes of film producer and director Karan Johar in its title or in the film.Johar filed a suit against producers IndiaPride Advisory and Sanjay Singh and director Bablu Singh for “using his name without permission to capitalise on his goodwill and reputation.”

TNN

NTA to release revised merit list after NEET re-test results

Fresh Exam For 1.5k Students To Impact Number Of Toppers Too

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Cancellation of NEET-UG scorecards of 1,563 candidates who received grace marks due to loss of time and the re-test for them will impact both the overall merit list and the number of top rankers.

According to sources in National Testing Agency (NTA), after the re-test and its result on June 30, NTA is ex- pected to announce a new allIndia merit list. Cancellation of grace marks will reduce the number of top rankers from 67 to 61. 67 candidates had scored 720 marks, tying as joint toppers. However, their all-India ranks differ due to the tiebreak scheme. Six of these top scorers are among the 1,563 candidates who took the exam at a centre in Haryana.

Regardless of whether these candidates choose to take the re-test or accept their pre-normalisation marks, the ranks of these candidates, as well as others, could be affected, NTA said.

The counselling process for NEET-UG will begin on July 6. SC has refused to halt the counselling but clarified that admission of successful candidates to medical colleges and other institutions will depend on the outcome of petitions seeking cancellation of the May 5 exam.

Cong calls for probe monitored by SC

Congress Thursday warned PM Modi that the opposition will “bring the govt to its knees” if it continues stonewalling on people’s issues. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoislammed NTA inquiry into the NEET “paper leak” as “an inquiry against itself” and demanded that the probe should be done by a SC-monitored panel. TNN

No proof of NEET-UG paper leak, charges are baseless, says Pradhan

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan indicated that coaching centres instigated the protests

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday dismissed allegations of paper leak in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and said there was no evidence to back these claims. He said govt was committed to ensure no student was disadvantaged, and added that the controversy was “motivated”, indicating that the protest was instigated by coaching centres.

He also said more high scorers and more non-coaching candidates cracking the exam was due to concerted efforts of the last three years to make the difficulty level of NEET similar to Class 12 board exam instead of setting “tough” questions.

NTAconducted NEET-UG on May 5 and announced results on June 4. A little over 24 lakh aspirants registered for the test of which 23.3 lakh appeared and 13.6 lakh qualified.

“There is no evidence of paper leak in NEET-UG. Corruption allegations against NTA are baseless. It conducts exams for over 5 million school students annually, along with higher education exams,” Pradhan said.

He said NEET-UG results indicated that there was a significant increase in the number of students qualifying and scoring high marks from govt-run schools and from rural areas who didn’t attend coaching classes.

Without naming coaching centres, Pradhan said, “Even in JEE (Advanced), students of rural areas and Navodaya schools have improved their scores and are among the rank holders. They didn’t get any additional coaching. So, you can guess who has impacted them (coaching centres) adversely.”

On the controversy over grace marks, the minister said NTA was evolving. “We are not saying everything is foolproof. This is an evolutionary process and we are making our tests more scientific,” he said.

Rains trigger Sikkim landslides, 3 killed:

Incessant rains triggered multiple landslides in Mangan district in north Sikkim Thursday, claiming three lives. More than 1,500 tourists are stranded in Lachung and Chunthang towns, as the water level of river Teesta surged. TNN

Times City

- At Munak, Water Gets Protective Cover

- No child’s play, cops on foot, bikes and SUVs

- Atishi meets CM in jail, directs officials to plug leaks

- Vigilance asks DJB to provide info on tankers hired by it in past 5 yrs

- HC directs DU to assess water, other facilities at Law Faculty

- Crisis consequence of govt’s inaction: Swaraj

- Rumours Of Water Leakage False: Govt

- Delhi govt to SC: Water mafia active in Haryana

- Complaints aplenty from Vasant Kunj to Greater Kailash

- 2 Buildings Collapse In Fire, Close To 50 Shops Affected

- Fire at Asita East damages 30-acre green area, trigger unclear

- Trapped, five of Ghaziabad family suffocate to death

- Delivered! Happy result after seven failed pregnancies

- Pollution fight key focus area of govt’s summer action plan

- Heatwaves Unabated For 5th Day, Relief Unlikely For Next 5

- Bharadwaj asks chief secy for list of drains desilted till June 10

- Man beats father to death over property

- Junior Docs Can’t Decide On Referral

- ‘No exceptional circumstances’: Court denies interim bail to accused in waqf board case

- Two men robbed of `50L in east Delhi, one arrested

- Delhi zoo plans to up surveillance in animal enclosures

- Mock FIRs, App Training To Make Cops’ Hold On New Laws Strong

- DoE intensifies efforts to boost amenities in govt schools

- At hosp close to you: Latest version of Gamma Knife

- At meet with workers, AAP vows to bounce back in assembly polls

- History-sheeter, friend, 2 homeless injured in firing

- Caretaker of mosque gets a month to vacate premises

- Court seeks Crime Branch’s report on Bishnoi threat call

- Delayed, hence denied: Work pending for 6 months will be closed, says MCD

- CINEMA OF THE WEEK

- Man dies in car accident

- Two juveniles among six held for robbery of `70L in N Delhi

- ‘Consumer can claim refund even after being offered possession in a delayed project’

- MCD forms task force to control malaria

- 3 men with drugs held

- Day after ‘solid waste exigency’ declared, garbage on Ggn roads

- 28-year-old man shot at in west Delhi; two in police net

- 24-year run for ‘murderer’ ends with arrest in Bihar

At Munak, Water Gets Protective Cover

Patrolling Begins Along Canal, FIRs To Be Filed Against Thieves

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi Police have started a drive against the water mafia allegedly stealing water from Munak Canal.

While personnel from six police stations have been deployed to check water theft, police have started extensive patrolling on the banks.

On Thursday, a confidential report was prepared by the police and shared with lieutenant governor VK Saxena and the police commissioner, sources said. The police’s report comprised information about how Munak Canal was being monitored and intelligence being gathered against people supposedly involved in water theft.

Since Wednesday, police were seen patrolling on bikes and SUVs. An officer said that water flows from Haryana via Narela, Shahbad Dairy, Samaypur Badli and Bawana. The areas are being constantly checked. The policemen will monitor the canal in three shifts. Pickets are also being set up.

“We have deployed staff here. About 120 policemen will monitor Munak Canal 24 hours a day. If anyone is found stealing water, strict action will be taken,” a senior officer said.

Six permanent pickets will monitor suspicious movement. "They will be deployed in two shifts, starting from 8 am to 8 pm and from 8 pm to 8 am," the officer said. In the pickets, 24 police personnel will be there and 16 will be on motorbike patrol. Two emergency response vehicles have been deployed with three policemen in each.

Police said they have seized a tanker from Kacchi Sadak of the canal and a tractor. Deputy commissioner (outer north) Ravi Singh said a case has been filed under Environment Protection Act at Narela Industrial Area police station.

No child’s play, cops on foot, bikes and SUVs

KEEPING ILLEGALITY AT BAY: Perhaps because of the police presence, no tankers could be spotted along the canal on Thursday

Abhinav.Rajput@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: On a typical summer afternoon, the 4km stretch of the Munak Canal from Bawana JJ Colony to Gopal Cow Shelter presents a lively scene. Children, mostly boys, frolic in the canal at various points, engaging in friendly competitions to see who can make the longest leap into the water from the road. There are buffaloes and cows enjoying their baths, their owners idly keeping an eye on them from close by. Amidst these everyday sights, the police presence has become noticeable. There are cops patrolling the area in Scorpios and motorbikes and many on foot.

Near Bawana JJ Colony, the youngsters in the canal are abruptly disturbed by three policemen who arrive and tell them to come out of the water. The uniformed officers aren’t there as lifeguards. Rather, they have been assigned to monitor the Munak Canal stretch to curb illegal lifting of water by the so-called ‘tanker mafia’.

“We came after hearing that the water mafia is active at the Munak Canal,” said an officer. “More personnel have been deployed in the area for round-the-clock surveillance.”

The deployment of police at the canal comes after lieutenant governor VK Saxena directed Delhi Police to increase vigilance and patrolling at a time when water supply reaching Delhi from Haryana has become a political hot potato. Perhaps because of the police presence, TOI saw no tankers along the canal on Thursday.

Despite the absence of tankers, the locals insisted that tankers were seen pumping water into tankers only a few days ago. JJ Colony resident Aslam was certain: "A few days ago, tankers halted on that side of the canal and drew water from the canal.” Another resident, Manish Sahu, claimed that the tankers usually used the kutcha of the two roads crossing the canal.

Near the cow shelter, three policemen were on vigil close to a picketing point. One of them remarked, “The tanker mafia operates by drawing water from borewells rather than directly from waterbodies. This water is very dirty; you can see even buffaloes are taking a bath here."

The alleged depredations of the tanker mafia have rocked Delhi’s political scene, with BJP alleging that the state govt was shielding them. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and the party's North West Delhi MP, Yogendra Chandolia, met Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora at the police headquarters and demanded the formation of a special investiga- tion team and registration of an FIR for the alleged theft of water from the Munak Canal and other sources by the illegal water sellers. They handed the police chief their party’s complaint in which it requested police to register an FIR for the theft of water.

On its part, Delhi govt had asked the LG to form a committee for investigation and demanded the suspension of the state’s chief secretary and the CEO of Delhi Jal Board pending investigation so they cannot influence the investigation. Water minister Atishi alleged that despite repeated instructions, senior officials of DJB hadn’t increased the number of tankers deployed to meet demand from localities, a sign, she said, of possible collusion of officials with the tanker mafia. Because DJB is making an inadequate number of tankers, the water mafia is able to sell water it illegally draws from govt sources and expands its operations, she claimed.

Atishi meets CM in jail, directs officials to plug leaks

Atishi inspects the water distribution network near Akshardham

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Amidst a severe water crisis affecting several parts of Delhi, water minister Atishi met chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail on Thursday and briefed him about the situation on ground and efforts being made by govt to tide over it.

Earlier, the minister, along with the officials of Delhi Jal Board and the revenue department inspected the main pipeline network that carries water from Sonia Vihar treatment plant in northeast Delhi to various parts of south Delhi. During the inspection, Atishi directed the officials to increase the patrolling of the main water lines across the city and immediately plug the leakages fo- und anywhere in the network.

Talking to reporters after meeting the chief minister, Atishi said Kejriwal took a report from her on the status of electricity and water supply in Delhi and issued directions to MLAs to work on ground to solve the water problem.

“He has instructed me that whatever steps are required to be taken to overcome the water shortage should be taken as soon as possible,” Atishi said. She was accompanied by Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha during her visit to Kejriwal in jail.

To prevent pilferage and distribution losses due to leakages, Atishi said several teams led by additional district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates had started working on ground. She said no wastage of water would be tolerated. Teams of Delhi Police also conducted patrolling along Munak Canal, which brings raw water to Delhi, following reports that private tankers were lifting water illegally.

Atishi added that the cur- rent production of water in Delhi was down by 40-45 million gallon per day (MGD) due to shortage of supply and efforts were also being made to get additional water from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Against the targeted supply of 1,000 MGD, the total production from nine water treatment plants and from ranney wells and tubewells on Thursday was 951.2 MGD, Delhi Jal Board stated in its daily bulletin.

DJB said that the production at the Bhagirathi plant was less due to lesser raw water received from Upper Ganga Canal. It added that the production at Wazirabad was also less, which was compounded by power failure at the Sonia Vihar plant for nearly 13 minutes at 1am.

Vigilance asks DJB to provide info on tankers hired by it in past 5 yrs

Vigilance has sought details of water supplied to different areas and money collected to ascertain that water was not being sold illegally

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Amid reports that a large number of illegal water tankers are being run by private players who are selling water at a premium to the residents of Delhi, the directorate of vigilance has asked Delhi Jal Board to provide details of carriers deployed by it in the last five years.

In a letter sent by special secretary (vigilance) YVVJ Rajasekhar to Delhi Jal Board’s chief executive officer, several details of the functioning of the tanker system such as the details of suppliers (companies with their owners), who make the tankers available on hire to the agency to distribute water in the parched areas, the number of days they were deployed and source where the tankers fill have been sought.

The vigilance department has asked DJB to also provide the data of the number of days and the number of tankers made available to the agency each in the past five years apart from the actual quantity of water supplied and payment claimed by each owner of the tanker.

“This information shall be provided by DJB preferably by June 14 and not later than June 17 and also provide a copy of the contract made with the supplier,” the vigilance officer has said in the letter.

According to the data provided by Delhi govt, DJB deployed only 888 water tankers in Jan, which increased to 1,211 in June.

Sources said the data sought by the directorate of vigilance would help in understanding the tanker business and the alleged role of water mafia in selling illegally extracted water to people.

Delhi water minister Atishi, meanwhile, claimed that the primary cause of Delhi's ongoing water shortage was inadequate supply from Haryana and even if the tanker mafia were completely eradicated, the resulting increase in water supply would be negligible and won’t solve the crisis.

HC directs DU to assess water, other facilities at Law Faculty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has asked Delhi University to convene a meeting of stakeholders within a week on availability of water coolers/drinking water and infrastructure at the Faculty of Law.

While seeking a report in this regard, the vacation bench of Justice Amit Sharma recently issued notices to the Bar Council of India and the university's dean of students' welfare on the petition by three law students, raising concerns over the lack of basic amenities and infrastructure on the campus.

The bench, appointing advocate Rajesh Mishra as amicus curiae, directed that dean of students' welfare, dean (Faculty of Law), petitioners and the amicus meet to assess the facilities “with regard to the water coolers/ provision for purified drinking water as well as the other infrastructural facilities, including the availability of Wi-Fi services.”

The petitioners also raised concern over lack of air conditioning in classrooms, saying conditions become “unbearable” when temperatures in Delhi reach up to 48 degrees Celsius during the summer months.

“This situation is contrasted by the presence of multiple air conditioners in administrative offices and staff rooms, indicating a significant disparity in the allocation of resources. Furthermore, the third building, constructed with makeshift materials such as tin roofs and asbestos-lined walls, exacerbates the heat issue, creating an uninhabitable learning environment. The students have on many occasions suffered heat strokes, fainting etc, including the petitioner No 1,” the plea said.

“Overall, the campus lacks essential amenities and properly maintained classrooms and common areas. These deficiencies collectively create an environment that is not conducive to learning and pose significant safety risks. The lack of basic infrastructural facilities constitutes a violation of petitioners' fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and, by extension, the right to education,” the plea added.

Crisis consequence of govt’s inaction: Swaraj

Bansuri Swaraj

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The BJP MP from New Delhi, Bansuri Swaraj, accused AAP govt of failing to address the water crisis in the city. She termed the current situation, where several areas are grappling with a water crisis, not a result of natural factors but rather a consequence of Delhi govt’s “inaction”.

“AAP govt did not take any action despite warnings issued by IMD,” she said.

The MP further alleged that Delhi govt neglected to implement measures to tackle water issues, allowing tanker mafias to operate freely. Additionally, she claimed that it did not repair faulty lines, leading to lakhs of litres of water being wasted.

Swaraj, while addressing a press conference, said, “It is regrettable that Kejriwal govt, which failed to stop the water theft and wastage in Delhi, tried to put the blame on the ne- ighbouring states by calling the problem arising from its own mistakes a crisis of water shortage and also took the matter to the court”.

It is clear that Atishi has been engaging in dirty politics, she alleged. “Today, Kejriwal govt is answerable for Delhi Jal Board, which was earlier running at a profit during the tenure of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit but is now facing a loss of crores,” she stated.

Swaraj claimed that the network of water distribution in Delhi had been badly affected, which is why there was wastage of water. “Govt should have paid attention to the infrastructure of the jal board. The pipes should have been repaired, but this govt is only doing politics instead of working,” she said.

BJP media department head Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the state BJP president exposed the tanker mafia.

Rumours Of Water Leakage False: Govt

Atishi Says Govt Has Submitted To SC Details Of Steps Taken Over Past Few Years To Curb Misuse

TIMESNEWSNETWORK

New Delhi: Water minister Atishi on Thursday claimed that rumours were being spread that there was a lot of leakage in the pipelines at many places, which was not the case. “I assure the people of Delhi that the water being produced in Delhi is being supplied to the people of Delhi. And there is no leakage on a large scale anywhere and if there is any leakage, it is rectified within 12 hours,” she said.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said that DJB has also deployed enforcement teams to stop the wastage of water, which has been going to the field at 7am for the last 10 days and issuing challans if the water is being found wasted. Atishi said 1,323 challans had been issued so far while 179 illegal water connections had been disconnected. She said a command and control centre had been set up by the jal board, where the data of all flow meters was checked. Atishi said more than 2,000 pipeline leakages had been identified and fixed in the last six months through data and ground inspection by the leak detection cell.

“Delhi govt is taking every necessary step to stop the wastage of water. There is indeed a shortage of water in Delhi and 1,000-1,005 MGD water is produced in Delhi through water treatment plants and ranney wells. This production has decreased in the last one week,” Atishi said, adding that 1,002 MGD of water was produced in Delhi on June 6, which reduced to 993 MGD on June 7 and 973 MGD on June 9 and touched 951 MGD on June 12.

Atishi also claimed that transmission losses of water coming to Delhi through the channel line carrier, a sub-branch of Munak Canal, have come down by 25% while replacement and lay- ing down of new water lines has reduced the leakage of water below international standards.

Atishi said Delhi govt on Thursday submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court giving the details of measures taken by it to prevent the wastage of water and the steps taken in the past month to tide over the current water crisis. “Earlier, there was a transmission loss of 30% of water coming to Delhi from Haryana through Wazirabad and the unlined Delhi subbranch. But Delhi Jal Board constructed the carrier lined channel at a cost of Rs 500 crore and reduced the transmission loss to 5%,” she said.

The minister added that Delhi govt had replaced 3,500 kilometres of leaking water pipelines in the last 9 years while laying 7,300 kilometres of pipeline to bring water to unauthorised colonies and JJ clusters in a dignified manner.

Atishi, who took over the water department in Oct last year in a minor cabinet rejig, said Delhi govt installed 3,285 bulk flow meters at various points. “According to the recent water audit conducted, there is less leakage of water than the international standards,” she claimed.

While the apex court has directed Upper Yamuna River Board to hold meetings with Delhi and other stakeholders, Atishi appealed to Delhiites to use water judiciously.

Delhi govt to SC: Water mafia active in Haryana

 Continued from P1

The issue should be left to be considered by the body constituted with the agreement of parties in the MoU of 1994. Since UYRB has already directed Delhi to submit an application for supply of additional 150 cusecs of wa- ter on humanitarian grounds, such an application be made, if not already made, by today 5pm, and thereafter UYRB shall convene a meeting tomorrow (Friday) and take decision in the matter at the earliest. If need be, the board can convene on a day-today basis. The writ petition is disposed of,” the court ordered.

As the bench on the previous hearing raised the issue of tanker mafia working in the national capital, senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Delhi, refuted the allegation and said the water mafia was active in Haryana and the court should ask the neighbouring state to take action. He also said loss of water during supply to households was not abnormal in Delhi and a similar situation was prevailing in other cities and states. He also suggested that the court appoint a committee to resolve this issue.

UYRB is a subordinate office under the department of water resources, ministry of Jal Shakti. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Utter Pradesh, Rajasthan and National Capital Territory of Delhi on May, 12, 1994 on allocation of utilisable surface flow of Yamuna river up to Okhla barrage among the co-basin states.

Complaints aplenty from Vasant Kunj to Greater Kailash

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Residents from various areas expressed concerns on Thursday about the inconsistent supply and poor quality of water amid the ongoing water shortage.

The Federation of RWAs of Vasant Kunj reported that each pocket in the locality needed 35-40 tankers every day because the single filling of the main reservoir in B1 Pocket disrupts the overall supply, especially for apartments located at the end of the distribution network.

Ameena Talwar, general secretary of the organisation, said, "On average, 6.2 million gallons per day (MGD) of water is supplied to the main underground reservoir at B1 Pocket from Malviya Nagar at night and early morning. From here, water is distributed to the local reservoirs in A, D1-D2, D7, D6, CI and C9 sectors for supply in the morning. Due to short supply from Malviya Nagar for the last one month, sufficient pressure cannot be created and this automatically compromises uniform water distribution to some flats or sectors."

In Model Town III, the RWAs highlighted how the water supplied through Wazirabad had become increasingly contaminated with dirt and a foul odour. They believe this problem is due to the insufficient supply and the increasing use of motors in the area. The situation has become so severe that residents have to depend on other sources of water to meet daily requirements.

Sanjay Gupta of Model Town III RWA said, "We anyway get water once a day and the timing for supply has been curtailed for the last 20 days. People are using motor pumps due to low pressure and water is getting contaminated. Foul smelling water is another problem. We have certain blocks, such as R block, where water was plentiful, but even there residents are complaining about short supply."

The RWAs in Chhatarpur, where water supply is restricted to alternate days, are highly disgruntled. "Summers are problematic for us due to just three hours of supply on alternative days with insufficient pressure," complained Vani Aggarwal, general secretary, Chhatarpur Enclave Phase 2 RWA.

Residents across the city are urging the authorities to take immediate action to resolve these problems. “In Greater Kailash II, power disruption at Sonia Vihar water treatment plant caused us three days of problems. Certain lanes in S block consistently suffer short supply,” said Sanjay Rana of GK II Welfare Association.

Some fortunate residents, such as in New Friends Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Mayur Vihar and Krishna Nagar, reported no water issues. "In comparison to our locality, mornings in neighbouring Safeda Basti are a complete mess,” said Krishna Nagar resident BS Vohra. “People can be seen standing in lengthy queues for the tankers the arrive in the morning.”

2 Buildings Collapse In Fire, Close To 50 Shops Affected

CHANDNI CHOWK:Short Circuit Probable Cause, Over 200 Firemen Deployed As Thick Cloud Of Smoke Envelops Walled City

Abhay & Shubham Sehrawat TNN

New Delhi: A massive fire brought down two buildings in Chandni Chowk on Thursday evening and scorched several others. However, no casualties or injuries were reported though the narrow approach roads and the congested area made rescue and firefighting a challenge.

Over 42 fire tenders were engaged in the firefighting for over eight hours after a call at 5pm alerted Delhi Fire Service to the blaze at the cloth market. When the fire kept rekindling due to the presence of inflammable material, more fire tenders were dispatched to assist the firemen. Nearly 200 firemen were deployed to extinguish the flames and for the cooling operations, DFS chief Atul Garg said. “Two buildings had collapsed which posed a major problem in dousing the fire,” he added.

Police have filed an FIR and are working with DFS to ascertain the cause of the inferno. The initial probe showed the probable cause being an electrical short circuit. Shop numbers 1580-81 at Purana Marwadi Katra in Nai Sadak were first affected, an official said.

Deepak Mahendru, president, Nai Sarak Traders Association, said that the fire originated from a short circuit in an air conditioner on the ground and upper floor of the building. "A guard’s wife saw the spark and alerted everyone and people hurriedly vacated the building," Mahendru said.

The fire engulfed a building and then spread to Purana Marwadi Katra, resulting in the destruction of around 40 shops. "All of them were garment shops,” said Mahendru, who estimated that goods worth over crores of rupees were gutted in the blaze.

Fire officers said that weak structures, water shortage and narrow lanes hampered firefighting operations. The crowd that gathered was another problem.

While nearby shops were shut down as a precautionary measure, traders waited for the inferno to be extinguished, their faces covered with handkerchiefs, a trick they said they had learned from the numerous fires in the market over the years.

Narender, 60, who runs a shop in the market, said the fire started at 4.30pm. It took the fire brigade 15-20 minutes to arrive. Another shopkeeper, Jaspal Singh, 54, said that upon seeing smoke, everyone grabbed fire extinguishers and rushed to control the flames, but proved unsuccessful. The fire was so severe that fire engines emptied their thanks within 30 minutes.

Those who lost their shops mourned the fact that they had lost their only means of livelihood and contemplated a bleak future. Kamaljeet, 50, whose two sari shops were ravaged by the fire, stood in the crowd with a look of despair on his face. He said that there wasn’t enough time to save his stocks because the fire spread rapidly and they just had to abandon their shops and run to safety.

Minsiter Atishi said, “I am in constant touch with dis- trict administration regarding the fire in Chandni Chowk area. It is by God's grace that no life has been lost in this incident. The fire brigade will soon bring the fire under complete control. In this season of scorching heat, I request all of you to not allow any possibility of short-circuit around you, take precautions and stay safe," she said.

Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal alleged that the negligence of the power distribution companies and Delhi govt had caused the fire and they should compensate the shop owners. He said that it was shocking that none of the newly installed fire hydrants on the Chandni Chowk main road were working, forcing fire brigade engines to travel long distances to bring water.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed the fire spread due to cables hanging all around, proving how important it was to set up a permanent fire station at Town Hall.

Discom sources said that the fire started on the fourth floor of the first building. “The meters are installed on the ground floor and the distribution network is intact. The discom, thus, has no connection with the incident. The fire is reported to have started on account of sparks from welding,” claimed one source.

In March, DFC said that the fire hydrants and pump system in Chandni Chowk would be ready for use in the coming week. In a meeting with various market associations, it had also promised that the traders would be provided training on fire safety regulations, the process of obtaining a fire safety certification and techniques to manage emergencies.

Fire at Asita East damages 30-acre green area, trigger unclear

Firefighters took over three hours to bring the blaze under control at the spot near Ramesh Park in Laxmi Nagar on Wednesday

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Afire erupted on the Yamuna floodplain, near gate number 11 of Asita East, on Wednesday evening. After receiving a call around 5.15pm, the fire department promptly sent nine fire tenders with 50 firefighters to the spot near Ramesh Park in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar, and the situation was brought under control by 8.50pm.

Delhi Development Authority (DDA), responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the Yamuna floodplain, confirmed that the fire had damaged bushes in the af- fected area, and the full extent of the damage was being evaluated. The authority is also collecting information on the impact of the fire on the surrounding environment.

Sources said the fire had impacted approximately 30 acres of green space, and information was being collected to evaluate the extent of the damage to native trees and the plantations in the affected area.

“The possible cause of the fire may be high temperature or miscreants. An FIR has been lodged with Delhi Police to investigate the fire. Contingency plans are also being devi- sed to avoid any such incident in the future,” said a DDA official. DDA intends to enhance surveillance measures and arrange for water tankers and other facilities, he added.

A senior official of the fire department said bushes and green areas at Khadar had caught fire. “Due to this, smoke started rising in the surrounding areas. It is fortunate that there were no casualties of any kind. The cause of the fire is not clearly known,” said the official.

Asita East, one of the 10 floodplain restoration projects along the Yamuna, spans around 200 hectares from Old Railway Bridge to the ITO barrage on the eastern bank. DDA manages 90 hectares of this area while Uttar Pradesh irrigation department oversees the rema- ining portion, which is also being restored by DDA.

The entire area had suffered severe damage during last year’s flood and remained submerged in floodwater for an extended period. Subsequently, the authority had conducted a survey to assess the damage and carried out fresh plantation once the water receded.

“The plantation done prior to the 2023 monsoon was damaged. It took us time to remove silt, do fresh plantation. Based on the impact of the recent fire, we may carry out another round of plantation,” said the DDA official.

Trapped, five of Ghaziabad family suffocate to death

The house that caught fire at Hajipur in Ghaziabad on Thursday

Avishek.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Ghaziabad:A fire that likely started from a short circuit in the wiring and engulfed the ground floor turned a threestorey house into a death trap for a family. Five persons, the youngest of them a sevenmonth-old boy, suffocated to death waiting for help on Wednesday evening at Loni’s Behta Hajipur colony.

When firefighters found their way into the house, all five were found dead near the stairwell on the second floor, their path to the terrace — the only passage to survival — blocked by a locked door and a thick layer of smoke. Shaiful Rehman (35), his wife Nazra (26), their daughter Ikra Rahman (7), Shafiul’s sister-inlaw Parveen (28) and her seven-month-old son Mohammad Faiz died.

Additional CP Dinesh P Kumar said two other family members, Usma (26) and Arsh (4), were rescued from the ground floor and taken to Delhi’s GTB Hospital. Usma is slated to be critical.

Flames appeared to have leapt swiftly across the ground floor as fabric foam, a compressor and mould machine stored on the ground floor to make undergarment accessories, the family’s business, caught fire.

A scooter and a car parked on the ground floor were also damaged.

Chief fire officer Rahul Pal said the firefighting operation was impeded because of a height barrier and narrow roads leading to the colony. “Fire engines had to take a 13km detour to reach the colony delayed the operation by nearly 30 minutes. The engines had to stop at least 500 metres ahead of the house as the roads leading to it were too narrow. Subsequently, hosepipes were laid to take water to the building,” Pal said.

The CFO said the fire broke out between 8pm and 8.15pm, but the fire department was called at 8.42pm. “Neighbours initially tried to douse the fire using local resources. Once our team reached the spot, they split into groups: one led the firefighting operation and two others tried to enter the house to rescue the seven persons trapped in the house. One group of firemen broke down the main iron gate and entered the house. But as they tried to take the stairs to the first floor, a portion of the first-floor ceiling collapsed. The team then entered the house from the terrace after breaking down another iron door,” he said.

A third team climbed the terrace of an adjacent building to enter the first floor where Usma and Arsh were stuck. “As there were no windows on this side, the team made three holes into the wall of the house to enter it,” the CFO said.

Delivered! Happy result after seven failed pregnancies

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: After facing seven failed pregnancies, a young woman from Haryana in her twenties recently gave birth to a healthy girl at AIIMS. This was made possible by the successful transfusion of O D -phenotype red cell units obtained from Japan to help the fetus survive. The procedure is said to be the first of its kind in India and the eighth successful one in the world.

These specialised blood units were used for intrauterine transfusion, a procedure that helped ensure the health and survival of the unborn child suffering from severe anaemia due to haemolysis (destruction of red blood cells) caused by antibodies transferred from the mother. This condition is called haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN).

HDFN is a significant cause of fetal morbidity and mortality in the antenatal period and immediate postnatal period, said doctors. This case study was published recently in PubMed. The woman's case marks the first successful pregnancy of its kind in India, where the use of internationally sourced O D -phenotype red cell units played a crucial role in overcoming the challenges posed by her previous unsuccessful attempts at childbirth. All her pregnancies were earlier managed at primary or secondary-level centres and she never received a blood transfusion.

According to doctors, intrauterine transfusion involves the injection of donor red blood cells directly into the fetus. Two common causes of fetal anaemia are Rh incompatibility and maternal Parvovirus B19 viral infection.

Dr K Aparna Sharma of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at AIIMS explained that Rh incompatibility arose when the mother and fetus had differing blood types. In this particular case, the mother's blood contained anti-RH17 antibodies, which attacked and destroyed the fetal blood cells. This led to a severe decrease in the fetus' red blood cell count, necessitating an intrauterine transfusion to prevent further complications.

Since there is no rare donor registry in India, the International Rare Donor Panel was contacted to arrange O D -phenotype red cell units. Though a blood donor from India was registered on the panel, he refused to ma- ke a donation.

"To ensure the safety and well-being of the fetus, we reached out to the Japanese Red Cross, which has a registry of 32 donors with the rare O D --blood type. It agreed to transport the blood,” said Dr Vatsal Dadhwal. “To save the fetus throughout the pregnancy, three units of O D -red blood cells were sent from the Japanese Red Cross to our facility at intervals, specifically for the purpose of intrauterine transfusion."

According to the head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department, Dr Neena Malhotra, there have been just 18 cases globally of Rh– pregnancy with anti-Rh17 reported. Out of these, only eight pregnancies had successful outcomes. This was the first successful case in India.

Dr Anubhuti Rana, also of the obstetrics and gynaecology department, disclosed the expenses related to the blood transportation was Rs 4,10,596. The cost was covered by two NGOs on separate occasions. “Rs 1.37 lakh was given by Relaxo and Rs 1.37 lakh by Sai Trust," she said. Additionally, Rastriya Arogya Nidhi contributed Rs 1,36,590 for the transportation in the third instance.

Rana added that fetal therapy was offered in a few centres in the country and the department at AIIMS was one of the leading centres among them. However, timely referral was crucial to save the life of the baby.

Dr Hemchand Pandey of the department of transfusion medicine also deserved recognition for pinpointing the issue at hand. The successful identification of the problem was the key advantage in this particular case.

Pollution fight key focus area of govt’s summer action plan

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi govt on Thursday released a summer action plan, focusing on steps to reduce pollution. It plans to revise the tree transplantation policy to improve the survival rate of transplanted trees.

The plan will be implemented from June 15 to Sept 15. The summer is expected to last in the city till June-end and the air quality is usually the cleanest in Delhi during the monsoon months.

Environment minister Gopal Rai, who held a meeting with officials of 30 departments at Delhi Secretariat, said the plan focused on 12 points —tree transplantation and its policy, dust pollution, open burning, industrial pollution, development of city forests, lakes or ponds or waterbodies, and parks, setting up of e-waste eco parks, eco-club activities, solid waste management and dialogues with neighbouring states.

For the tree plantation campaign, a meeting has been called at Delhi Secretariat with all greening agencies on June 18. For the policy, Rai said, govt is emphasising on ensuring the survival of the maximum number of transplanted trees and a special team will be formed to monitor it.

Rai admitted that the feedback from agencies showed that the survival rate in the past few years had been fairly low against the 80% target. “The average rate has been 50-60%, with it dipping to around 40% in some places. Some species are not surviving anywhere in Delhi while some others are doing well,” he said. “Agencies have been asked to prepare reports on the factors impacting the survival rate, based on which we will revise the policy.”

An anti-dust campaign will be run from Saturday, with the deployment of 85 mechanical road sweeping machines and 276 sprinklers.

Seven city forests will be improved with eco-friendly trails, cycle tracks, bird watching decks, canopy walks, sitting areas, open interpretation signage, etc. Three new city forests may also be created.

Rai said a reality check of the presence of 1,367 lakes would be done while 73 waterbodies would be restored.

Claiming that Delhi’s air pollution condition has improved, he said the number of good, satisfactory and moderate days had increased to 206 in 2023 from 159 in 2018.

Heatwaves Unabated For 5th Day, Relief Unlikely For Next 5

Pusa Station Hottest At 47.2°C, Air Quality Improves To Moderate

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Heatwaves continued in the city for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday. The spell is likely to continue for the next five days, with the maximum temperature hovering around 44-45 degrees Celsius. However, there is a possibility of a thunderstorm or lightning with drizzle at one or two places on Friday afternoon or evening.

At 47.2 degrees Celsius, Pusa was the hottest station in Delhi on Thursday. India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data shows that Safdarjung, the city’s base station, also recorded a heatwave for the second straight day, with the maximum temperature at 44.8 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal, against Wednesday’s 44.7. Safdarjung has already seen four heatwave days in June while some stations have been reeling under heatwaves continuously since June 9.

The maximum temperature at Jafarpur was 46.6 deg- rees Celsius, 46.4 at Ayanagar, 46.3 at Ridge, 45.8

at Palam, 45.4 at Lodhi Road, 45.3 at Narela, 45.2 at SPS Mayur Vihar, 45.1 at Najafgarh, and 44.9 at Raj Ghat. Both Najafgarh and Narela, which had recorded a maximum of 47.7 and 47.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Wednesday, saw a dip in the maximum temperature on Thursday. The temperature for Pitampura was unavailable.

The minimum temperature was 29.4 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. The relative humidity oscillated between 15% and 58% and the heat index or feellike temperature was 44.2 degrees Celsius.

The Met department has sounded an orange alert for Friday and Saturday. Though heatwave conditions are likely on Friday, there is a possibility of a thunderstorm or lightning with drizzle at one or two places in the afternoon or evening.

The maximum temperature is predicted to hover around 44-45 degrees Celsius for the next five days, IMD stated. Some stations are even expected to record a higher temperature by one-two degrees.

The department has issued a yellow alert from June 16 to 19 as heatwave conditions are likely at a few places. IMD defines a heatwave day when the maximum is at least 40 degrees Celsius and 4.5 degrees and more above normal temperature. A heatwave is also considered if the maximum temperature touches 45 degrees Celsius or above. A severe heatwave is declared when the maximum is 6.5 degrees and more above normal or when it surpasses 47 degrees Celsius.

Delhi’s air quality, meanwhile, improved from the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday to the ‘moderate’ category on Thursday, with the air quality index (AQI) at 193. According to Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, AQI is likely to deteriorate to the ‘poor’ category on Friday and is likely to remain so till June 16.

Thunderstorm or lightning with drizzle is likely at some places on Friday

Bharadwaj asks chief secy for list of drains desilted till June 10

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: In preparation for the upcoming monsoon season, Delhi’s urban development minister Saurabh Bharadwaj directed chief secretary Naresh Kumar on Thursday to provide a list of drains desilted till June 10 by various agencies.

The minister also instructed the chief secretary to ensure an independent third-party audit of the desilting work before the onset of monsoon (by June 30) to verify the claims made by agencies regarding the completion of the desilting process.

However, a Delhi govt official claimed that the additional chief secretary (UD) had already forwarded desilting reports received from three departments on June 6 and the remaining three departments’ reports on June 7 to the minister. “Not just that, earlier on May 27, the additional chief secretary (UD) had informed all departments that they were asked to get third party audits done,” said the official.

The minister, in his note to the chief secretary, mentioned that on June 5, instructions were given to send a report on the desilting progress, reminding the chief secretary of the waterlogging situation in the national capital during the previous monsoon season, but no response was received.

Bharadwaj emphasised the importance of verifying the claims made by agencies regarding the completion of desilting work on the ground level. “As per the experience of the previous years, most of the desilting work is not completed on ground while reports are presented on papers,” stated the minister.

However, a separate note written by the CS to the minister on June 5 indicated that the issue of waterlogging has been actively considered by Delhi High Court since Feb. “Accordingly, the departments concerned have been submitting action taken reports to the integrated drain management cell, which presented the report to the court,” stated the note.

The note to the minister also mentioned that the irrigation and flood control department was aiming to collect 15 lakh tonnes of silt by June 15 and had already collected 10 lakh tonnes. Other agencies have removed less amount of silt.

However, the CS, in a note to the minister on June 13, stated that “considering the claims made by the I&FC dept is very high in comparison to other agencies, the ground truthing is required to be verified and the direction in this regard is still awaited from the minister”.

Man beats father to death over property

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 65-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by his son with a stick and a brick over a property dispute in northeast Delhi’s Nand Nagri on Wednesday. Arun Singh, the 35-year-old son, has been arrested.

The deceased was identified as Kehar Singh, who lived with his family in a two-and-a-half-storey house in Nand Nagri. The elder brother of the accused, Ram Bahadur Singh, a supervisor at a hospital, informed police at 2pm that his father had died and he needed help. A team from the local police station immediately went to the spot and found the ground floor locked. The gate at the staircase was also bolted from the inside.

Police found a man, later identified as the caller, on the first-floor balcony and he claimed that his father had gone upstairs. Initially, he refused to open the door, but eventually gave in, said an officer. The team found an empty li- quor bottle, some cooked food and a cellphone without the battery on the floor.

On the second floor, police found the body of an old man lying with several head injuries in an open area. Another man was found sitting nearby. He was identified as younger son Arun, who had allegedly killed the man. Nearby, a bamboo stick, a brick and a stone were found, said police. Arun was heavily intoxicated and had bloodstains on his body. He was wet and it appeared that he had poured water on himself, said the officer.

Arun, who lived with his father, had frequent fights with him. “Arun had been pressuring his father to give him the entire property. But Singh wanted to give the ground floor to his daughters and the second floor to his elder son,” the officer said. On Wednesday, Arun allegedly assaulted his father after a verbal spat and the elderly man died on the spot, he added. The accused works as a nursing orderly.

Junior Docs Can’t Decide On Referral

DGHS Norm For Inter-Hospital Transfer

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Whether to accept or deny an inter-hospital referral should not be left to junior doctors, guidelines issued by the director general of health services (DGHS) in the health ministry said.

According to the guidelines on inter-departmental referral (within hospital), which has been sent to all leading public hospitals in Delhi including AIIMS, Safdarjung and RML, post-graduate residents should not close referrals on their own without discussing with senior resident/consultant. According to the guidelines, “Departments can prepare a roster with names of officers in various units with contact numbers and availability of units on different days, time, place where referral needs to be sent. This should be available on the website as well as well circulated within the institution.”

The DGHS added that surgical units may also indicate availability of alternative unit(s) on OT days and that it should be updated periodically.

Inter-departmental referrals typically occur when a patient requires services or expertise beyond the sco- pe of an admitting department.

This may include specialised consultations, diagnostic procedures, therapeutic interventions or ongoing management by a different specialty. According to the guidelines issued by DGHS Atul Goel, a patient can have multiple co-morbid medical conditions and a single medical condition can have multi-system manifestations. “For comprehensive medical care, inputs from different departments are essential, which requires a robust referral policy,” the guidelines said.

It added that departments shouldn’t assume that all referrals are routine or non-urgent and that a careful assessment of a patient's clinical presentation should be carried out to determine appropriate level of prioritisation.

The DGHS guidelines also suggested ensuring communication with patients regarding the referral process, including informing them of the reason for referral, expected next steps and any necessary follow up appointments and said all referrals needed to be documented in the patient's medical record or electronic health record (EHR) for accuracy and accountability.

‘No exceptional circumstances’: Court denies interim bail to accused in waqf board case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A Delhi court has denied interim bail to an accused in the Delhi Waqf Board money laundering case stating that there was no exceptional or extraordinary circumstance for granting him relief.

The court of special judge Rakesh Syal rejected the application of Kausar Imam Siddiqui, who had sought interim bail for 30 days stating that his mother was in hospital and his children need support.

"It is considered that there does not appear to be any compelling reason i.e. excep- tional or extraordinary circumstances which may justify the grant of interim bail to the applicant. The application is, accordingly, dismissed,” the court said in the June 7 order.

Siddiqui said in his application that he was arrested on Nov 24, 2023, and was in custody since then. He said that he was the sole breadwinner of the family.

The case relates to alleged money laundering in the purchase and sale of a Rs 36-crore property at the behest of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan.

Two men robbed of `50L in east Delhi, one arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Two men, working for a chartered accountant, have been robbed of Rs 50 lakh near Akshardham Temple in east Delhi. One suspect has been nabbed in this connection, police said.

Police received a PCR call on Wednesday about the robbery incident at gunpoint between 2 pm and 2.30 pm near Manglam cut on National Highway-9 towards Ghaziabad.

The victims, Mohit Sharma and Arun Tyagi, had collected Rs 50 lakh from a client in west Delhi and were on their way to Ghaziabad when the robbery occurred. Upon approaching NH-9, both were confronted by four gun-wielding men on two motorcycles, a senior police officer said.

“The men asked them to stop their vehicle. In a desperate attempt to evade robbers, Sharma and Tyagi tried to flee the scene,” the officer said.

However, the robbers rammed their motorcycles into the duo’s vehicle, causing them to fall onto the road. During the ensuing scuffle, one of the assailants also lost his balance and fell to the ground and other three suspects snatched the bag with money from the duo by brandishing pistols, the officer said.

Delhi zoo plans to up surveillance in animal enclosures

New Delhi: Delhi zoo authorities have announced plans to add more CCTV cameras to animal enclosures following a recent bout of aggression between two male chinkaras that led to the death of one of them.

The fierce fight between two male chinkaras occurred on June 1.

Delhi zoo director Sanjeet Kumar explained that such conflicts among animals are not uncommon. “For dominance, males often engage in fights both in the wild and in zoo conditions. Unfortunately, in this case, the fight led to severe injuries. The affected male suffered from an intestinal injury and was rushed to a hospital, but it succumbed to injuries during treatment,” Kumar said.

The surviving chinkara, which sustained minor injuries, has been kept in an enclosure with other animals, including one born last month.

After this incident, several measures have been taken to enhance animal safety and monitoring, Kumar said, adding, “We are also working to reduce our response time through advanced technology and optimal use of manpower.”

“We are planning to increase the number of CCTV cameras and expand coverage in animal areas to ensure quicker information relay during emergencies. We cannot change their core behaviour, but we strive to prevent such incidents from escalating,” he said. PTI

Mock FIRs, App Training To Make Cops’ Hold On New Laws Strong

Policemen To Be Trained On Uploading Videos Directly To Tracking System

Rajshekhar.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Starting Monday, investigating officers (IOs) of Delhi Police will begin training on the app that has been built to help them fulfil the requirements of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). New law codes are set to be rolled out on July 1. The police brass will also be conducting extensive mock scenarios to test their personnels’ training in new laws over the next two weeks, sources said. During this exercise, they will file dummy FIRs and make arrests under different sections of BNS.

The police brass on Thursday rolled out the training schedule for the app training. TOI had reported on Thursday that such an app was in the works. The app is yet to be unveiled and is likely to be named ‘e-praman’, sources added.

The policemen will be trained on uploading videos directly to the crime and criminal tracking and network system. The sanctity of digital evidence is the top priority for cops and the plan is to use a cloudbased service besides the regular storage to save their crime scene videos, photographs and audio files, officials said.

In the new app, the cops are heavily relying upon the “hash values” to establish that there has been no tampering with the digital evidence. “If the hash value chang- es, it would mean there has been some modification or tampering. All changes will be recorded,” said an official. The cloud service will also ensure that there is a backup of case files and evidence.

Regarding the mock exer- cises, officials said that there would be around two dozen scenarios based on different genres of crimes which would have to be dealt from scratch to finish by IOs under the new laws. Dummy cases like that of murder, cheating, rape, fatal accident or robbery and snatchings will be randomly assigned to cops from different police stations.

Senior officers said on Thursday that each IO would be given a particular case in which he or she would have to visit the ‘crime scene’, videograph it and record the statement of people concerned under the new Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). They will then register a dummy FIR as per new sections specified in BNS.

“The IO will also have to use the new proformas of arrest memos and carry out mock arrests. Not just that, a chargesheet under the new Evidence Act will also be simulated,” a senior officer said. Those who pass the tests with flying colours will be asked to assist others in getting accustomed to the new setup.

Police have less than two weeks for the rollout. From July 1, Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Evidence Act will cease to exist and all first information reports of criminal offences shall be registered under provisions of BNS. BSA will kick in instead of the Indian Evidence Act.

DoE intensifies efforts to boost amenities in govt schools

New Delhi: Department of education has intensified efforts to improve basic services and amenities in Delhi govt schools. Education secretary Ashok Kumar has issued stringent directives to ensure adequate desks, stationery, clean water, maintaining clean toilets, performing minor repairs, and implementing essential safety measures in the schools.

Despite clear instructions in May, a review by the director of education and additional director/state project director on June 6 revealed that several schools were yet to comply.

To address the non-compliance, authorities recommended disciplinary action against principals and vice principals who failed to improve their school's infrastructure. However, no recommendations have been submitted to date.

On June 11, the secretary has directed regional directors of education (RDEs) to identify the schools with inadequate infrastructure and propose disciplinary actions against the responsible district deputy directors of education (DDE).

The RDEs have been given a 10-day deadline to comply, failing which they will face disciplinary action. They are also required to submit proposals for action against the concerned district DDEs within seven days.

Education department on Thursday supplied free textbooks to all students (classes 1 to 8) in govt schools for the academic year 2024-25. All DDEs have been instructed to ensure textbooks are delivered to students before schools reopen. TNN

At hosp close to you: Latest version of Gamma Knife

Experts and doctors from around the world at the launch event

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gurgaon: The latest generation of Gamma Knife, which is used for radiotherapy to treat a tumor or a lesion with a beam of gamma rays, was unveiled at Fortis hospital on Thursday.

The instrument — Gamma Knife Esprit — is a technological advancement over the five gamma knife machines India has, experts said. Gamma knife Esprit is a non-surgical, high-precision way of treating brain tumors, enhancing therapeutic options for both malignant and benign growths and other abnormalities of the brain.

“The Gamma Knife employs computer-guided precision to target brain tumors without actual cutting, making it an optimal choice for treating both malignant and benign tumors, including multiple brain metastases, meningiomas, acoustic tumors, and pituitary adenomas. Its precision is crucial for tumors in sensitive or hard-to-reach brain areas with sparing healthy brain tissues and allows patients to return to daily activities almost immediately,” said Dr Dheerendra Prasad, chief of Gamma Knife radiosurgery and professor and medical director, radiation medicine, at Roswell Park Cancer Institute who was present at the event.

Experts pointed out that other forms of radiation therapy for multiple brain tumors requires almost 30 sessions. In contrast, Gamma Knife radiosurgery consolidates the entire treatment into a single session with same-day discharge. Doctors at the event said the treatment will cost around Rs 4-5 lakh per person and the technology can be used on five people in a day.

The machine was invent- ed in the 1950s by Swedish neurosurgeon Professor Lars Leksell at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. “India is hoping to collaborate with Sweden in science and technology. Collaborative research between the researchers in Sweden and India can improve the outcomes and lead to new innovations,” said Abhay Karandikar, secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, at the event.

Swedish ambassador Jan Thesleff emphasised the need to bridge gaps in advanced medical treatments to ensure patients here have access to cutting-edge care.

At meet with workers, AAP vows to bounce back in assembly polls

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday accepted that it got fewer seats than expected in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, but it would come back with renewed energy in the next polls.

The party claimed that all seven seats of Delhi would have fallen in AAP’s kitty if its national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, had contested as a contender for the post of Prime Minister. “We fought on seven seats in Delhi in adverse conditions; we may have lost, but our vote percentage has increased,” Delhi convener Gopal Rai said after a meeting of senior functionaries with AAP office bearers and workers.

The meeting was called to understand the reason be- hind AAP’s poll debacle and plan strategy for future elections. Of the 22 seats it contested in five states, AAP could win only three out of 13 in Punjab. In Delhi, where AAP stitched a pre-poll seat arrangement with Congress, the alliance failed to win a seat. In Punjab, it contested without an alliance.

The assembly elections are due in Delhi early next year. In the last two assembly polls, AAP scored a brute majority despite losing all seven Lok Sabha seats only a few months ago. Party functionaries said they would soon start preparing for the assembly polls and score a hat-trick, riding on the welfare schemes and development work of AAP govt.

AAP national general se- cretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said Kejriwal was arrested and incarcerated in an excise policy case within five days of the announcement of the poll schedule. AAP had contested the poll with the dual objective of defeating BJP govt at Centre and winning maximum number of seats, the Rajya Sabha member said. “If not today, then tomorrow our victory is certain. Haryana-Delhi elections and Punjab by-elections are ahead. We will fight unitedly again and win.”

Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh claimed that in the political history of India, no party had seen so many ups and downs like AAP.

Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj also addressed party workers.

History-sheeter, friend, 2 homeless injured in firing

AN OFFICER SAYS Waseem and Asif were roaming in the area, and at least five assailants were waiting for them at 65 Foota Road

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A history-sheeter, his friend and two 70-yearold homeless men sleeping on the footpath were injured after five assailants fired at least a dozen rounds in northeast Delhi's Welcome on Thursday. The assailants opened fire when the history-sheeter and his friend, traveling on a motorcycle, approached 65 Foota Road, police said.

The injured were identified as Waseem (33), a historysheeter from Shastri Park with 17 criminal cases, including robbery, attempted murder, extortion, snatching, and assault; his friend Asif (30), and Shareef and Sultan, a senior police officer said.

Police received a PCR call about the firing incident at 3.02 am. “It was found that some boys had opened fire at Waseem and Asif while they were traveling on a motorcycle near Shaitan Chowk. Shareef and Sultan were sleeping on the footpath,” the officer said.

“Waseem and Asif were roaming in the area, and at least five assailants were waiting for them at 65 Foota Road. As soon as they arrived, bullets were rained on them,” said the officer, adding that assailants escaped after firing about a dozen shots.

Shareef and Sultan were the collateral victims of this indiscriminate gunfire. While Waseem sustained gunshot wounds to his abdomen and right hand, Asif sustained gunshot injuries to his right hand and left chest, the officer said, adding, “Waseem and Asif are being questioned. We suspect that some insider had given the information about their movement.”

A case has been registered under Sections 307 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and is being probed from multiple angles, police added.

It was not the first time that bystanders were shot at. In July last year, a construction material seller was shot at in southeast Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin area, and a labourer was hit by a stray bullet in the attack. In Feb, a shooting incident in southeast Delhi’s Bhogal market left two passersby injured.

Caretaker of mosque gets a month to vacate premises

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has given a month’s time to the caretaker of a mosque and madrasa to vacate the Hazrat Nizamuddin-based premises, slated to be demolished by the civic bodies.

The high court, on Wednesday, asked Delhi Development Authority and a local religious body to grant one month’s time to the petitioner, Faizyab Masjid and Madrasa, saying no further time will be extended to vacate the premises. The mosque and madrasa are situated near ISBT bus depot at Sarai Kale Khan in Hazrat Nizamuddin. The court was hearing a plea seeking to declare the action of Delhi Police and DDA officials of planning demolition of the masjid on June 13 to be illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional.

However, the authorities told the court that Delhi religious committee has decided to remove unauthorised religious structures from public land, including the said structure. Opposing the move, the petitioner sought to direct the authorities to supply a copy of the order and minutes of meeting and other file noting related to the decision to demolish the structure and grant appropriate time to the petitioner to avail legal remedies.

The plea sought that till such time no coercive action be taken against the masjid and madrasa. However, during the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel sought the court’s indulgence to grant time to vacate the premises within one month. The court then recorded the statement of the mosque’s caretaker and authorised representative that they should vacate the premises within one month and no one would make any further endeavour to stall the drive undertaken by the authorities.

The court allowed the petitioner’s request to withdraw the plea and added that the petitioner should abide by the undertaking given by their caretaker and authorised representative.

Court seeks Crime Branch’s report on Bishnoi threat call

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A Delhi court has sought a report from Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on the investigation into an alleged extortion case against Lawrence Bishnoi and others.

The court of Deepika Devesh issued a notice to the investigation officer and assistant commissioner of police and directed them to file a proper reply. “Let a notice be issued to the concerned IO as well as concerned ACP, crime branch, to file a proper report regarding further ongoing investigation in the present matter by the next date of hearing,” the court said. The next hearing is scheduled for July 18.

The court asked for a report after going through the supplementary chargesheet that said further investigation of some accu- sed persons evading the law — Anuj and Anmol Bishnoi — is to be filed.

In July 2023, the court took cognizance of the chargesheet filed against Lawrence Bishnoi and three other accused persons in an extortion case.

Lawrence Bishnoi was arrested in the matter on May 31, 2023.

This case is related to firing and extortion calls that were brought by advocate Ramandeep Singh in April last year in South East Delhi's Sunlight Colony.

The FIR was lodged following which the case was transferred to the crime branch.

Singh in his complaint alleged that he had got a call from an unknown international number in March last year and the caller had demanded Rs 1 crore, threatening him and his family.

Delayed, hence denied: Work pending for 6 months will be closed, says MCD

MCD CIRCULAR SAYS If the work has substantially started, any extension of time beyond the date of completion may not be allowed to the contractors, without approval of the engineer-in-chief

Vibha.Sharma@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has ordered closure of all projects where the work order was given over six months ago but no progress was made on the ground.

The circular from the additional commissioner of the engineering department pointed out that despite the commissioner's directives, work orders remained open in many instances, leading to blockage of funds that adversely affecting MCD's overall condition.

The recently issued circular said: “The cases where the work order or contract has been awarded for more than six months and work has not yet started, may be deemed as closed and action reported to the next higher authority. Further, if the work has substantially started, any extension of time beyond the date of completion may not be allowed to the contractors, without approval of the engineer-in-chief.”

The circular specified that similar standards would be applied to projects under the MLALADS and Mukhyamantri Sadak Punarnirman Yojna (MSPY) schemes.

The official clarified that an exception could be made if it MCD found it necessary to keep the work order active because of larger public interest of the work. In such instances, an extension would be granted with the specific approval of the engineer-in-chief, mentioning the particular reason for the extension.

The circular also stressed that the department concerned would take appropriate actions against agencies that delay starting work as per CPWD guidelines, and under no circumstances would an extension be granted.

The circular mentioned that if work has started but could not be completed due to any obstacle at the site, it should be considered closed, and appropriate measures should be taken in accordance with the CPWD manual's provisions.

“A provisional extension of three months beyond the date of completion can be provided in certain cases after consultation and the formal approval from the engineer-in-chief, though,” the official said.

The circular instructed all divisions to adhere to the guidelines by the MCD commissioner. “While the superintending engineer is responsible for ensuring compliance and monitoring the status of all pending work orders in the division, a compliance report must be submitted to the chief engineer in 10 days,” an official said. The circular also warned of strict action if directions were not followed.

CINEMA OF THE WEEK

A fascinating sports biopic

Chandu Champion (Biopic, Sports)★★★½

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora, Rajpal Yadav

Direction: Kabir Khan

Duration: 2 hours 23 minutes

Language: Hindi (U/A)

■ Based on a true story, the film celebrates the fascinating and surrealistic life of Murlikant Petkar, an army man and athlete, who won India its first Paralympic gold in 1972. His achievements and remarkable tryst with destiny lurked in anonymity, until he decided to claim the honour and respect he deserved.

We often hear that it’s wise to leave the table if respect is not served. But what if you decide to sit at the table, compelling people to acknowledge your presence? Victory belongs to the most tenacious after all. Kabir Khan’s film celebrates this thought. It’s about building yourself as a champion, even when the world labels you as a chandu, chomu or looks at you as a laughing stock.

Oscillating between past and present, the story takes us through Petkar’s life, right from the 1950’s to 2018, when he was finally awarded the Padma Shri. We discover that the man who nurtured an Olympic dream since his childhood has a strange love-hate relationship with fate and God. He survived when he didn’t hope he would and was left devastated when he least expected. However, never defeated.

The film has Forrest Gump’s free-flowing nature and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’s essence to it, but unlike the two, this one feels a tad rebellious without a pertinent cause or conflict. Being ridiculed unleashes Petkar’s aggression, giving an outlet to his talent and persistence. He dared to question the naysayers, ‘Hasta kayko hai’, which ignited the fire within him. Medal se izzat milti hai, he tells himself.

Most sports biopics follow athletes who pursue a certain sport and excel in it against the odds. Kabir Khan’s film feels different because it’s about a man who desperately wants an Olympic medal, for which he tries everything – wrestling, boxing and swimming. Sounds preposterous and ridiculously ambitious but that’s the fun of it. Petkar makes you wonder if being delusional to a certain level helps. Only then can you see yourself as a champion, even when no one thinks you are in the reckoning.

In many ways, Kartik Aaryan’s ambition to be taken seriously as an actor, coincides with the inner turmoil of the character he essays here. You almost hear him say, “Ae hasta kayko hai? Actor hai main actor.” Kabir Khan’s choice of leading man is a clever casting move. Kartik shows considerable restraint, spontaneity and brings a certain ease to his character that we haven’t seen from him before. He is impressively uninhibited in ‘Satyanaas’, a well-shot train song. Along with undergoing physical transformation, he does justice to the character’s emotional arc. Bhuvan Arora deserves a special mention as Petkar’s likeable sidekick. Rajpal Yadav and Vijay Raaz add a lot of depth to the story with their presence. For a sports drama, the music could have been far more inspiring though.

Kabir Khan loves to make feel-good cinema and CC (Chandu Champion) falls into that category, too. Be it Salman Khan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev in 83 or Kartik as Petkar, he extracts the best out of his mainstream actors. He loves to infuse humour, sports and earnestness into his stories, but he can dig deeper than that. There’s more focus on what happened to a person than their inner conflict. Things get monotonous and tiring beyond a point, making the climax less effective. CC is engaging and heartwarming even, but it seems to follow a template. Staying the course is fine, but breaking the rules is not a bad idea.

–– Renuka Vyavahare

To review any movie and check show timings visit etimes.in

Man dies in car accident

Noida: A 34-year-old man died while his friend was injured after their car hit a divider in Sector 71 around midnight on the intervening night between Wednesday and Thursday. No case has been registered yet. Further probe is ongoing.

TNN

Two juveniles among six held for robbery of `70L in N Delhi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi Police has apprehended six people, including two juveniles, who were involved in a robbery case of Rs 70 lakh in Naya Bazar.

Police received information that on June 9, complainant Chaggo Mal Pande (76), who works as a cash collection staff at Govind Agency in Naya Bazar, Lahori Gate, was present on the third floor of the office when four individuals entered the premises and robbed him of Rs. 23 lakh in cash. Additionally, another bag containing uncounted cash was also taken away. "At the time of the robbery, another victim and witness from Kashmere Gate was present, having just collected a payment of Rs. 5 lakh from Chaggo Mal. The robbers also looted this amount," stated the officer. The owner of the premises, Pawan, who has been in business for the last 20 years, discovered that his nephew Srikumar was the rightful owner of the stolen cash. "Srikumar disclosed the actual amount of money that was stolen. The investigation revealed that the looted sum was approximately between 60 to 70 lakhs," the officer added.

DCP (north) Manoj Meena formed multiple teams to solve the case. Team of eight officers to outstation raids at Mussoorie, Saharanpur and Dehradun whereas other other carried out raids in Delhi. "Finally cops got information about the presence of suspects in Mussoorie. A raid was conducted and three suspects were apprehended," the officer said adding that from their interrogation four more suspects were apprehended from Delhi.

The accused were identified as Chinar Amariya (23),Paras (20), Rohit(20), Sharad (19) and two juveniles.

"Analysis of the CCTV footage to trace out the bikes used in crime and One Bike recovered in Delhi. Use of new phones by the suspects after the crime. Tracking the social media profile and history of the key suspect led the teams to zero in on the cities," the officer said.

‘Consumer can claim refund even after being offered possession in a delayed project’

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: National consumer forum has ordered a Delhi-based builder to refund Rs 1.4 crorewith12% interest to an aggrieved homebuyer for offering to deliver possession of an “incomplete” flat one year after the promised date.

Gurgaon-based Rameswar Dayal Gupta signed an Apartment Buyer’s Agreement (ABA) with Almond Infra build Ltd on Oct 29, 2013, for a flat, making an initial payment of Rs 16.4 lakh.

“The payment in terms of this order shall be paid within two months from today, failing which, the amount payable at the end of two months from the date of this order, shall carry interest @15% from the expiry of two months from date of this order till the actual date of payment,” National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) single member bench of Inderjit Singh ordered.

The builder assured possession by Apr 2017 but failed to meet the deadline. After paying Rs 48.6 lakh by Aug 23,2

014, Gupta discovered a high tension line passing through the tower of his booked flat.

Despite the builder's assurance that the line would be laid underground later, it didn't happen, leading Gupta to demand a refund.

The builder then proposed an alternative flat in a new tower, signing a new ABA with Gupta in Feb 2015, and promising handover by Aug 2018. However, it failed to fulfill this commitment, prompting Gupta to purchase a flat in Bangalore. Almond Infra build offered possession of the incomplete flat in Aug 2019, demanding Rs 18.3 lakh, which Gupta refused, seeking a refund instead.

Gupta then sought relief from the national consumer forum, which was objected by the builder.

NCDRC rejected the buil- der’s arguments against Gupta’s claims, asserting that an aggrieved buyer can seek a full refund of payment with 12% interest and terminate the contract in case of possession delay as per the ABA.

The commission ordered the builder to refund the entire principal amount of Rs 1.4 crore to the complainant, along with 12% interest and Rs 25,000 as litigation costs to the buyer, with the refund to be used first to repay any outstanding bank loans.

MCD forms task force to control malaria

New Delhi: The MCD has roped in various agencies, including PWD, police, ASI and Delhi metro, to prevent vector-borne diseases in Delhi ahead of the monsoon season. As per the MCD’s action plan for 2024-25,the civic body has readied anti-larval measures to spread awareness about malaria and dengue.

TNN

3 men with drugs held

Three men suspected to be transporting cannabis from Odisha were arrested near the Sector 62 roundabout on Wednesday. About 800kg of cannabis worth Rs 4 crore was seized from their possession. The narcotic was being transported in a truck registered in Rajasthan.

TNN

Day after ‘solid waste exigency’ declared, garbage on Ggn roads

Vishakha.Chaman@timesgroup.com

Gurgaon: Govt’s declaration of a ‘solid waste exigency’ in the city didn’t quite see the response on war-footing a day after it was invoked under the Disaster Management Act.

In areas such as Southern Peripheral Road, Golf Course Road Extension, Jharsa, Sikanderpur and Sadar Bazar, waste dumps remained as they were.

A large section of Gurdwara Road, the same spot where former CM Manohar Lal Khattar had pulled up MCG officials over sanitation in Dec 2023, was covered in garbage of all kinds --plastic, horticulture, wet waste and so on.

In Jharsa, rancid odour from accumulated waste filled the air. Though the area has a secondary waste collection site, garbage that is collected and dumped there is not removed regularly.

“The corporation’s vehicles collect waste, but the volume is so much that this dumpyard is never cleared,” said Pankaj Kumar Yadav, a street vendor who sells samosa in a nearby market.

Ruchika Sethi Takkar, an environmentalist and founder of citizens’ initiative ‘Why Waste Your Waste’, said she has seen even biomedical waste being dumped at the Jharsa collection point.

“The situation calls for a more comprehensive approach to waste management to effectively tackle the issue,” she said.

As part of the declaration, Haryana govt on Wednesday formed a sixmember committee to implement the Solid Waste Environment Exigency Programme (SWEEP) in the city. The main role of this committee is to establish a threetier system for waste management – collection and segregation, transportation, processing and disposal.

Apart from this, the panel has to identify infrastructure gaps and work on addressing complaints by residents. A 24x7 control room with a dedicated helpline was activated on Thursday.

28-year-old man shot at in west Delhi; two in police net

New Delhi:A 28-year-old man was shot at in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden on Thursday. Two suspects have been arrested and cops are probing whether extortion and gambling led to the shooting. Police were alerted around 2.30 am by a hospital about the admission of a person who had been shot. The victim was identified as Vikas, a resident of Tagore Garden, a senior police officer said. Vikas informed cops that he was shot at by Sandeep, also known as Nepali, and one of his associates while he was on his bike near Goan Wala Chowk in Raghubir Nagar, said Vichitra Veer, DCP (west). Following the statement by Vikas, a case was registered under sections 307 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC, the DCP said, adding that multiple teams were formed and one suspect Lakshay, also known as Lakki, was nabbed. Subsequently, police received information that a person named Sandeep was admitted to a hospital with a gunshot wound to his hand, which doctors believed to be self-inflicted, the officer said. “Lakshay and Sandeep were arrested. CCTV footage is being reviewed to determine if there was any provocation for the shooting,” the officer added.

TNN

24-year run for ‘murderer’ ends with arrest in Bihar

New Delhi: A 24-year run for a murder accused ended after his arrest in Bihar. The accused was identified as Pappu Yadav, a native of Nalanda, Bihar. In the year 2000, he, along with his brother and associates, killed Ramswaroop Yadav following an altercation. They dumped the victim's body, concealing it under layers of raw plastics in a room within the factory. They then locked the room from the outside, leaving the body to decompose in isolation. Yadav absconded from Delhi and lived in various cities to evade arrest. Initially, he resided in Surat for 2-3 years, where he worked in a cloth mill. Subsequently, he moved to Kolkata, where he worked as a laborer for the next 6-7 years. Later, he settled in Patna, Bihar, until the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Yadav has a B,Sc in Chemistry from Magadh University.

TNN

Times Global

- US Supreme Court unanimously rejects bid to restrict abortion pill

- Pak anti-terrorism court judge accuses ISI of harassment to get desired verdicts

- ‘Too offensive’: AI refuses to copy top French author’s style of writing

- Russia: Warships in Cuba not a worry for US, West deaf to diplomatic signals

- Green Party’s losses at EU vote to hit climate goals?

- Why Russia, China and the Big Tech use faux females to get clicks

- AROUND THE WORLD

- Russia: Detained US reporter will stand trial over ‘CIA work’

- G7 agrees on $50bn loan deal to back Ukraine with frozen Russian assets

- In a first, pope plans to attend G7

- US, Ukraine ink 10-yr def pact billed as Nato precursor

US Supreme Court unanimously rejects bid to restrict abortion pill

The justices rejected the lawsuit saying the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue. Medication abortion accounted for 63% of the abortions in the country last year, up from 53% in 2020

Washington: The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a bid to restrict an abortion pill widely used in the United States to terminate pregnancies.

The court, in a unanimous opinion, said the anti-abortion groups and physicians challenging the medication, mifepristone, lacked the legal standing to bring the case.

Abortion rights are one of the key issues in the Nov polls and the administration of Democratic Prez Joe Biden had urged the court to maintain access to the drug, which was approved by FDA in 2000. His opponent Donald Trump leads a Republican Party broadly favouring blocks to abortion access.

The mifepristone case was the first significant abortion case heard by the conservative dominated Supreme Court since it overturned the previously long-held constitutional right to abortion two years ago. “We recognise that many citizens, including the plaintiff doctors here, have sincere concerns about and objections to others using mifepristone and obtaining abortions,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who wrote the 9-0 opinion. “But citizens and doctors do not have standing to sue simply because others are allowed to engage in certain activities,” Kavanaugh said.

The conservative justice said the federal courts were “the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiffs’ concerns about FDA’s actions” and they could present their objections through regulatory procedures or through the “political and electoral processes”. Abortion opponents have been seeking to restrict nationwide access to the pill, claiming it is unsafe and that anti-abortion doctors were being forced to violate their conscience by intervening on patients who suffered complications after using it.

Medication abortion accounted for 63% of the abortions in the country last year, up from 53% in 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Some 20 states have banned or restricted abortion since the SC in June 2022 overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that enshrined the constitutional right to abortion for half a century.

AP

Pak anti-terrorism court judge accuses ISI of harassment to get desired verdicts

Lahore: An anti-terrorism court judge, hearing the cases related to attacks on military installations in May last year by workers of jailed ex-PM Imran Khan’s party, has accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI of harassing him and his family members to get desired verdicts. Muhammad Abbas made the allegation in a letter to Lahore high court chief justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan.

The judge has been hearing the cases against opposition leader in parliament Omar Ayub and other workers of Imran’s PTI party in connection with the May 9, 2023 violence. Ayub had alleged last week at a hearing that the judge was “hostage” of the intelligence agencies.

CJ Ahmad Khan summoned Punjab IGP Usman Anwar on Thursday and asked him why the roads leading to antiterrorism court (Sargodha), some 200 km from Lahore, were closed by police when the judge refused to meet an ISI officer. The IGP replied: “The roads were closed as the judge was facing serious threats”. The chief justice reserved his verdict.

In March, six judges of the Islamabad high court reached out to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) informing alleged intrusion of intelligence operatives in judicial matters.

PTI

‘Too offensive’: AI refuses to copy top French author’s style of writing

Paris: The world’s favourite French misanthrope writer Michel Houellebecq is too controversial for the world’s new AI tools, which find his views so offensive that they cannot be repeated. The president of renowned French publishing house Gallimard wrote an article published Thursday saying he had asked Meta’s Llama to write a scene in the style of Houellebecq. Llama responded in French that it could not write something considered “offensive or discriminatory”. Instead, it offered in English to write a scene that was “respectful and inclusive”. Houellebecq is known for novels with a deeply pessimistic view of the modern world, in which the sexual revolution, consumerism and globalisation have led to alienation and societal decline.

Antoine Gallimard said that the AI was failing to account for “the complexity of human experience” and was applying values “from the west coast of the US to say what is good and what is not good to think.”

AFP

Russia: Warships in Cuba not a worry for US, West deaf to diplomatic signals

The Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, half submerged with its crew on deck, sailed to Cuba Wednesday after conducting ‘high-precision missile weapons’ training in the Atlantic Ocean. Cuba said the vessels carried no nuclear weapons

Moscow: Russia said Thursday that the US should not be nervous about Russian warships in Cuba but that the West appeared “deaf to any diplomatic signals” from Moscow and only took notice when the army or navy took action.

A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine churned into Havana harbour Wednesday, a stopover the US and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force.

US NSA Jake Sullivan said there was no evidence of Russia transferring any missiles to Cuba, but that the US would be vigilant. Asked about purported nervousness in Washington over the fear that Russia could transfer military personnel to Cuba or even create a military base on the island, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such exercises were common. “So we don’t see any reason to worry.” When asked what signal Moscow was sending, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said: “Why do only signals related only to our army and navy reach the West?”

REUTERS

Green Party’s losses at EU vote to hit climate goals?

Vishwa.Mohan@timesgroup.com

Loss of Green Party in European Parliament elections may be bad news for EU countries’ new climate ambition at a time when RussiaUkraine war has already dragged it down, although it is not expected to make a major dent in long-term goals. The impact of the setback to the Greens may be felt when the EU’s 27 members assemble to take a call on a new global climate finance goal as a part of a larger group of developed countries at the 29th session of the UN climate summit (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan in Nov.

Even if a tectonic shift in overall plan does not take place, the pressure is already being felt during the ongoing negotiations at the UN conference in Bonn where the countries are trying to arrive at broad contours of new global climate finance before it takes final shape in Baku. Climate finance is meant for helping developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Over the last few years, the EU has cleared a package to curb emissions and taken a series of measures — seen as trade barriers by several developing nations, including India —which may be tough to undo, but their implementation may be weaker if the support for the Greens remain feeble.

It is unlikely that the results will spell an end to “climate-progressive” Europe. Experts insisted that EU’s commitments on climate diplomacy may not be diluted. “The EU both can — and has to — continue to act as a positive force in climate diplomacy globally. With much work remaining, Europe shall remain serious about fulfilling its climate commitments,” said Dan Jorgensen, minister forglobal climate policy, Denmark. Interestingly, the Greens have either held or gained seats in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands despite a poor performance overall. They had major setbacks in France and Germany — the two major EU economies that have been quite proactive on climate actions.

Why Russia, China and the Big Tech use faux females to get clicks

FAKING AN HONEST WOMAN Female social media profiles get on average more than three times the views compared to those of males, according to an analysis. People tend to see women as warmer and more agreeable than men

Washington: When disinformation researcher Wen-Ping Liu looked into China’s efforts to influence Taiwan’s recent election using fake social media accounts, something unusual stood out about the most successful profiles. They were female, or at least that’s what they appeared to be. Fake profiles that claimed to be women got more engagement, more eyeballs and more influence than supposedly male accounts. “Pretending to be a female is the easiest way to get credibility,” said Liu, an investigator with Tai- wan’s ministry of justice.

Whether it’s Chinese or Russian propaganda agencies, online scammers or AI chatbots, it pays to be female — proving that while technology may grow more and more sophisticated, the human brain remains surprisingly easy to hack thanks in part to age-old gender stereotypes that have migrated from the real world to the virtual. “You want to inject some emotion and warmth and a very easy way to do that is to pick awoman’s face and voice,” said Sylvie Borau, an online resear- cher in Toulouse, France, whose work has found that internet users prefer “female” bots and see them as more human than “male” versions. People tend to see women as warmer, less threatening and more agreeable than men, Borau said. Men, meanwhile, are often perceived to be hostile. Because of this many people may be, consciously or unconsciously, more willing to engage with a fake account that poses as female.

When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was searching for a new voice for the ChatGPT AI programme, he approached Scarlett Johansson, who said Altman told her that users would find her voice — which served as the eponymous voice assistant in the movie “Her” — “comforting”. Johansson declined Altman’s request and threatened to sue when the company went with what she called an “eerily similar” voice. OpenAI put the new voice on hold.

Feminine profile pictures, particularly ones showing women with flawless skin, lush lips and wide eyes in revealing outfits, can be another online lure for many men. Female social media profiles receive on average more than three times the views compared to those of males, according to an analysis of over 40,000 profiles. Female profiles that claim to be younger get the most views, it found.

Areport from the UN suggested there’s an even more obvious reason why so many fake accounts and chatbots are female: they were created by men. It said greater diversity in programming and AI development could lead to fewer sexist stereotypes embedded in their products.

AP

AROUND THE WORLD

BUENOS AIRES ROCKED BY CLASHES: Argentina’s Senate narrowly approved Prez Javier Milei’s sweeping proposals to slash state spending on Thursday, handing the libertarian leader a much needed first legislative victory. As senators clashed over the bill inside Congress on Wednesday, thousands of protesters poured into the streets outside, burning cars and throwing Molotov cocktails

Taylor Swift made ‘ground shaking’ UK debut: Seismologists

Taylor Swift fans literally made the earth move as the US singer-songwriter began her UK tour, the British Geological Survey said on Thursday, with seismic activity recorded 6km away. The American pop sensation kicked off the UK-leg of her Eras tour with three shows in the Scottish capital Edinburgh attended by over 200,000 fans between Friday and Sunday. Each show broke the record for the most-attended stadium concert in Scottish history, with the BGS detecting earthquake readings generated by the concerts. The BGS also revealed the fan favourites “Ready For It?”, “Cruel Summer” and “Champagne Problems” resulted in the “most significant seismic activity each night”. During “Ready for It?”, the crowd was transmitting 80 kilowatts of power — equivalent to some 6,000 car batteries. This is not the first time Swift has got her fans to “shake it off”, with her concerts in Seattle in the US last July generating seismic activity equal to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake according to a geologist.

Nasa astronaut distress message broadcast in error on its live feed

Nasa on Wednesday night accidentally broadcast on its live YouTube feed a simulated emergency of astronauts being treated for decompression sickness on the International Space station (ISS), raising public alarm about the health of US crewmembers. Nasa said there was no real emergency and that “audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space and is not related to a real emergency”. Hours later, Nasa said on Thursday a ‘spacesuit discomfort issue’ forced the cancellation of a planned spacewalk outside the ISS by two US astronauts on Thursday, roughly an hour before their repair mission was poised to begin.

Russia: Detained US reporter will stand trial over ‘CIA work’

Gershkovich

Russian prosecutors said Thursday they had sent the case of detained US reporter Evan Gershkovich to court after concluding he had been collecting information for the US Central Intelligence Agency about a Russian tank factory. Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on March 29, 2023, in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison after the FSB, the main successor agency to the KGB, said it had caught him “red-handed” trying to obtain military secrets.

Gershkovich and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, have flatly denied the charges and the newspaper has repeatedly called for his immediate release. The White House has called the charges “ridiculous”, with Prez Biden calling the detention “totally illegal”.

The office of Russia’s General Prosecutor said in a statement it had approved Gershkovich’s criminal indictment and that his case would be heard by a court in Yekaterinburg, where he was originally arrested. It did not say when the case would be heard or whether the trial would be closed to the public as is common in such cases.

“The investigation has established and confirmed with documentary evidence that Gershkovich, on the instructions of the CIA, collected secret information in the Sverdlovsk region in March 2023 about the activities of the defence plant NPK Uralvagonzavod JSC on the production and repair of military equipment,” the prosecutors’ statement said. Prosecutors did not release any documentary evidence to back the charge. Gershkovich, the first US journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War, is currently being held in pre-trial detention in Moscow and has been the subject of so far fruitless prisoner exchange talks between Moscow and Washington.

The Uralvagonzavod factory, which has been sanctioned by the West, is based in the city of Nizhny Tagil in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region and, according to the Russian defence ministry, plays a crucial role in supplying tanks for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

REUTERS

G7 agrees on $50bn loan deal to back Ukraine with frozen Russian assets

Moscow Says Such A Move Will Be Criminal, ‘Our Response Will Be Painful’

The US and the other large G7 economies agreed on Thursday on a plan to give Ukraine a $50 billion loan to help it buy weapons and begin to rebuild damaged infrastructure at a crucial moment in the war, when Russia has the momentum on the battlefield.

The loan is expected to be repaid using interest earned on $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, which are mostly in European banks. Announced at a G7 summit in southern Italy, the loan will be underwritten by the US, but American officials say they expect their allies, including members of the European Union, to provide some of the funds. The promise of much-needed financial support comes as Ukraine has been forced to sell some state assets.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that all the G7 member countries would participate, including the EU itself, but the extent of each country’s participation was being worked out by finance ministers and other technical experts. The EU might contribute up to half the money, a senior European official said, speaking anonymously, while American officials said that Washington would make up any remaining difference.

The issue is complicated because if the Russian assets are unfrozen or if interest rates drop significantly, then the interest and profits may not cover the loan, requiring a burden sharing arrangement with ot- her countries to guarantee repayment. The idea of a loan using the assets is an American one, given the need to get money to Ukraine quickly and before the Nov US election that could return Donald Trump, who has been more critical of aid to Ukraine, to the presidency.

Russia regards attempts by the West to take income from its frozen assets as criminal, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday, adding that Moscow’s response would be very painful for the European Union.

Many of the G7 heads of state are struggling at home but determined to make a difference on the world stage as they also seek to counter China’s economic ambitions. “There is a lot of work to be done...,” Italian PM Giorgia Meloni told her G7 guests as their talks started in a luxury hotel resort in Pug- lia region. While Meloni is flying high after triumphing in last weekend’s European parliament polls, leaders of the other six nations — the US, Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Canada — face major domestic woes that may undermine their authority.

NYT & REUTERS

Zelensky urges G7 to OK WWII-like ‘Marshall Plan’ for reconstruction

Ukrainian Prez Zelensky asked the G7 leaders on Thursday to approve a “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine’s reconstruction after the damage caused by Russia’s invasion. “We need a clear plan for the recovery of Ukraine. Similar to what the Marshall Plan was for Europe after the war,” he told the G7according to a readout of his speech posted on the presidential website.

The Marshall Plan was a multi-billion dollar programme of economic aid delivered by the US to its European allies after the WWII, and is credited for revitalising those economies after the conflict’s devastation. The World Bank has estimated that rebuilding Ukraine will cost nearly $500 billion.

Zelensky also said that the recent lifting of curbs on use of Western weapons on targets inside Russia had given Ukraine added protection from air strikes. “However, we are still in search of additional Patriot (air defence systems),” he said.

REUTERS

In a first, pope plans to attend G7

As leaders from the G7 nations gather in Italy, they will be joined for the first time, with the Holy See. Pope Francis, the Vatican announced, will take part in a discussion Friday on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence at a session. Italy PM Meloni said the pope’s presence would “make a decisive contribution to defining a regulatory, ethical and cultural framework” for AI. The pope’s G7 presence breaks with along tradition in the Catholic Church of refusing such invitations on the basis that a pontiff does not need state leaders or anyone else to offer him a platform to speak, said Alberto Melloni, an Italian historian.

NYT

US, Ukraine ink 10-yr def pact billed as Nato precursor

BOOSTING TIES

US Prez Biden and Ukraine Prez Zelensky signed a10-year bilateral security agreement on Thursday aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defence against Russian invaders. The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, is meant to be a step towards Ukraine’s eventual Nato membership, according to the text of the deal. “The parties recognise this agreement as supporting a bridge to Ukraine’s eventual membership in the Nato alliance,” the text says.

Zelensky has long sought Nato membership but the allies have stopped short of taking that step. The Western alliance regards any attack launched on one of its 32 mem- bers as an attack on all under its Article Five clause. In the event of an armed attack or threat of such against Ukraine, top US and Ukrainian officials will meet within 24 hours to consult on a response and determine what additional defence needs are required for Ukraine, the agreement says.

Under the agreement, the US restates its support for Ukraine’s defence of its sovere- ignty and territorial integrity, amid a renewed push by Russia on Ukraine’s eastern front.

“To ensure Ukraine’s security, both sides recognise Ukraine needs a significant military force, robust capabilities, and sustained investments in its defense industrial base that are consistent with Nato standards,” the text says. “The US intends to provide long-term materiel, training and advising, sustainment, intelligence, security, defense industrial, institutional, and other support to develop Ukrainian security and defense forces that are capable of defending a sovereign, independent, democratic Ukraine and deterring future aggression,” it says.

REUTERS

Biden hints no Gaza ceasefire deal soon

Prez Biden said he doesn’t expect to reach a ceasefire deal for Gaza in the near future, as US-backed proposal with global support has not been fully embraced by Israel or Hamas. Biden said international leaders had discussed the ceasefire at the G7 summit, but when asked by reporters if a truce deal would be reached soon, he replied simply, “No,” adding, “I haven’t lost hope.” Earlier, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan pushed back against assertions that Israel isn’t fully committed to the truce plan. “Israel has supplied this proposal,” he said.

REUTERS

Times Business

- Fresh trouble for Byju’s as NCLT blocks rights issue

- Mondelez to bring Biscoff to India with Lotus tie-up

- Adani buys Penna Cement from Reddys in `10k cr deal

- Sensex hits new high as inflation dips

- ‘Merc to invest `3k cr in Maha’

- Voda Idea to issue shares to clear Nokia, Ericsson dues

- ‘Want to make air travel accessible to everyone’

- Asked to quit, Paytm employees cry foul

- Tesla investors set to OK Musk’s $56bn pay package

- Rate rejig may come back on GST Council table

- ‘Consumer mkt driven by youth’

Fresh trouble for Byju’s as NCLT blocks rights issue

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: The National Company Law Tribunal in a fresh order directed Byju’s to not proceed with the second tranche of $200-million rights issue.

The Bengaluru bench of the NCLT also restrained it from using any funds that have been collected so far since the opening of the issue on May 13. It also directed the troubled edtech company to maintain status quo with regard to existing shareholders and their shareholding. TOI has seen a copy of the order, which was issued on June 12.

The second rights issue is part of the same issue through which the cash-starved company sought to raise $200 million. With certain investors not participating during the first round, the issue was not fully subscribed and hence it was split into two tranches. In the second round, the unsubscribed portion was put up for existing investors to invest on a super pro rata (a provision which allows investors to buy a larger percentage of the company) basis, sources said. Byju’s did not comment.

In their petition, a group of Byju’s investors have reiterated that due to the siphoning off funds by the startup’s management, the company is in “dire straits” and therefore, they should not be allowed to raise further money by going ahead with the second rights issue. Earlier this year, Byju’s had launched its $200-million rights issue at a valuation of $225-230 million, a 99% drop from its peak valuation of $22 billion. Byju’s had earlier claimed that its rights issue had been fully subscribed.

Mondelez to bring Biscoff to India with Lotus tie-up

‘THE AIRLINE COOKIE’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: US snacking biggie Mondelez International has partnered Belgian biscuit manufacturer Lotus Bakeries to make, market and distribute the latter’s flagship Biscoff brand in India.

The companies will also develop new chocolate products, combining the caramelised, crunchy Biscoff taste and texture with Mondelez’s Cadbury, Milka and other key chocolate brands in Europe, with the option to expand globally, said a statement. This partnership provides opportunities to accelerate their growth ambitions in the attractive cookie and chocolate categories, with potential options to expand into additional markets and/or adjacent segments.

The move will help Mondelez to widen its portfolio in the premium cookie segment in the growing Rs 45,000-crore biscuit market, dominated by Britannia, Parle and ITC. At present, Biscoff is imported in the country and has a premium price tag.

Adani buys Penna Cement from Reddys in `10k cr deal

Expansion Spree: Ambuja’s 4th M&A After Adani Takeover

Reeba Zachariah & Swati Bharadwaj TNN

Mumbai/Hyderabad: The Gautam Adani family owned Ambuja Cements is buying Penna Cement Industries in a deal valued at Rs 10,442 crore including debt, expanding its presence in the south. The transaction marks Ambuja’s fourth M&A after Adani checked into the sector through the former in Sept 2022.

Hyderabad-based Penna, promoted by P Prathap Reddy and family, has an annual production capacity of 14 million tons (of which 4 million tons is under construction). It also has limestone reserves and captive power plants.

The Penna acquisition, to be financed by internal accruals, will improve Ambuja’s share by 8% in south India and comes months after market leader UltraTech Cement ramped up its play in the region by buying Kesoram Industries’ building materials units. As of April end, Ambuja had cash of Rs 24,338 crore on its books, having received warrant money of Rs 8,339 crore from the Adani family.

The Penna transaction will help Ambuja and its arms, including ACC and Sanghi Industries, beef up capacity to 89 million tons, moving towards its larger goal of 140 million tons by 2028. UltraTech, owned by Kumar Mangalam Birla, has a capacity of over 150 million tons. In April, India’s third-largest player Shree Cement, led by Hari Mohan Bangur, inaugurated a3-million-ton plant in Andhra Pradesh to bolster its capacity to 56 million tons.

Ambuja previously acquired Gujarat-based Sanghi, My Home’s cement unit in Tamil Nadu and Asian Concretes and Cements’ plants in Hima- chal Pradesh and Punjab.

Prathap Reddy had earlier looked at an IPO for his cement business but subsequently changed plans. In Oct 2021, Penna received markets regulator Sebi’s nod for a Rs 1,550-crore IPO but did not proceed with it. “Initially we thought (of an IPO) but it got delayed. I have decided to do (away) with (the cement business),” Reddy told TOI.

The businessman, known as ‘Penna’ Reddy in Hyderabad circles, was considered a confidant of former Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the unified Andhra Pradesh CM who died in a chopper crash in Sept 2009. Reddy was made an accused in the Penna chargesheet in the Jagan disproportionate assets case that is being probed by CBI and ED. Jagan’s YSR Congress Party lost the recent Andhra assembly polls to Nara Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party.

Incorporated in Oct 1991, Penna had a turnover of Rs 1,241 crore in FY24. In FY22, its turnover was Rs 3,204 crore. In May 2019, Penna had acquired Sri Lanka-based Singha Cement that operates a 0.5 mtpa cement packing terminal in Colombo.

Penna’s seven plants in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan (under construction) and limestone reserves “provide an opportunity to increase cement capacity through debottlenecking and additional investment”, said Ambuja Cements CEO Ajay Kapur . “Importantly, the bulk cement terminals will prove to be a game-changer by giving access to the eastern and southern parts of peninsular India, apart from an entry to Sri Lanka, through the sea route,” Kapur added.

Sensex hits new high as inflation dips

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:Buoyed by lower inflation data in India and the US, leading domestic indices hit new all-time highs in intraday trades on Thursday and after a steady session both closed higher. However, a hawkish tone of the chief of the US central bank left some investors cautious, market players said.

On Thursday, the sensex opened higher and touched a new life-high at 77,145 points and closed at 76,811, up 204 points on the day. On NSE, Nifty recorded a new all-time high at 23,481 points and closed at 23,399, up 76 points.

According to Siddhartha Khemka of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, lower inflation data in India and the US helped the market touch yet another new high. “Further, though the US Fed kept interest rates unchanged and the tone was hawkish, but (its chief) did hint at one rate cut towards the end of the year. (Hence) the broader market gained with buying interest seen in capital goods, consumer durables, defence, ship building and sugar stocks.” The day’s gains in the leading indices came despite net selling by foreign and domestic institutions.

‘Merc to invest `3k cr in Maha’

Mumbai: German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will invest Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra, state industries minister Uday Samant said on Thursday. In a post on X, Samant said while on a tour of Germany, he met top executives of Mercedes-Benz on Thursday and discussed investment opportunities. “This will help create employment opportunities,” he said.

AGENCIES

Voda Idea to issue shares to clear Nokia, Ericsson dues

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea (VIL) will allocate shares worth Rs 2,458 crore to key infra vendors — Nokia and Ericsson — to clear partial dues.

VIL’s board cleared the allotment of shares on a preferential basis at about 35% higher price compared to the follow-on offer price, and this comes with a lock-in of 6 months, the company said in a regulatory filing.

“The Board approved preferential allotment of about 166 crore equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each, at an issue price of Rs 14.8 per share, for an aggregate consideration of up to Rs 2,458 crore, to… Nokia Solutions and Networks India and Ericsson India,” the filing said.

Nokia and Ericsson will participate for up to Rs 1,520 crore and Rs 938 crore respectively, subject to approval by VIL shareholders at the EGM to be held on July 10.

“Nokia and Ericsson both have a long-term partnership with VIL, as key suppliers of network equipment, and this preferential allotment will enable VIL to clear part of their outstanding dues,” the filing said.

Post this preferential issuance, the shareholding of Nokia and Ericsson in the company will be 1.5% and 0.9%, respectively.

The cumulative shareholding of VIL promoters — Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone — will stand at 37.3%, while govt’s shareholding will come down to 23.2% and the balance 37.1% will be public shareholding.

Earlier, VIL has issued Rs 1,600 crore worth optionally convertible debentures (OCDs) to mobile tower vendor ATC, out of which the tower vendor has picked stake worth Rs 1,440 crore in the debt-ridden telecom operator.

With this equity issuance, VIL has raised around Rs 24,000 crore of equity comprising OCDs issued to ATC India, Rs 18,000 crore FPO issue in April and preferential issue to promoters in May.

‘Want to make air travel accessible to everyone’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: High airfares are top on the mind of Ram Mohan Naidu, the TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh who took over as civil aviation minister on Thursday. He said rising fares pose a challenge to the common man.

“Govt’s goal is to make air travel accessible to everyone, and this can only be achieved if it becomes more affordable. Since the time I have been announced as aviation minister wherever I go, people have been mentioning prices have some- how increased over the last few years, especially after Covid. I need a thorough understanding of the issue, so, I am going to sit with the stakeholders,” Naidu, the youngest Cabinet minister at 36, told reporters. “I am going to hold review meetings. Definitely, my intention would be to bring down (ticket) prices because that is a challenge for the common man. Our intention is to take air travel to the common man, unless you make it affordable, it is not going to happen,” said Naidu.

Airfares have been high due to a serious demand supply mismatch. While demand for air travel has touched new highs post Covid, almost 80 IndiGo planes are grounded due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues; GoAir stopped flying last May; SpiceJet is operating lesser flights due to fund crunch and both Boeing and Airbus are not able to deliver new planes to Air India Group, IndiGo and Akasa at expected rate due to global supply chain crunch.

Son of senior TDP leader and former Union minister Yerran Naidu, Ram Mohan has been representing Srikakulam since 2014.

Asked to quit, Paytm employees cry foul

Say No Prior Notice Being Given, Severance Pay Denied As Well | Co Refutes Allegations

Asmita.Dey@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:“I started crying at the meeting. I told them that I was willing to work even at a lower salary and designation,” said a Paytm employee who is staring at an imminent job cut. Executives from the HR department reached out to him over a call late last month, stating that his role would be eliminated as part of an organisational restructuring and asking him to tender his resignation by early June.

Facing an uncertain future in the wake of RBI’s decision to put an end to Paytm Payments Bank and the wallet business, scores of employees are being asked to “voluntarily resign” without being given any prior notice, several have been denied severance pay and many are being asked to pay back their joining and retention bonuses to the company, several former and present employees of Paytm told TOI.

The fintech has not furnished any formal communication outlining the restructuring process and the resultant job losses to any of the impacted employees and has warned them against recording any of the HR meetings. “The calls with HRs are being labelled as ‘connect’ or ‘discussion’. There is no formal documentation of any kind,” an employee alleged.

A review of a few of Paytm’s offer letters showed that the amount of joining and retention bonuses will be “recoverable” by the company if they “leave the employment” before 18 months of taking up the role. In some cases, the same clause applies in cases of termination “for any cause” as well.

For those whose offers letters do not include the termination clause, Paytm’s justification is that it is mentioned in their appointment letters which were provided after joining. Employees said that many of them did not receive any appointment letters either via mails or postal deliveries and those who did were never asked to sign the papers and acknowledge.

Some of the employees TOI spoke with alleged that their offer letters do not mention pay back of bonuses in case of termination.

Paytm has refuted the allegations. “We strongly deny allegations pertaining to any forced action on employees or unfair treatment. We have rigorously ensured that our HR teams have informed employees about their termination through official channels only. Further, we would also emphasise that all transitions are duly undertaken as per norms laid out in the appointment letter of these employees. To help them adjust and plan their next move, we are honouring full notice periods of these employees while also extending additional support such as outplacement, and processing of due bonuses at the time of their full and final settlements. Our focus remains on building a leaner organisation that is well-positioned to deliver long-term sustainable growth and value to our stakeholders. We remain committed to supporting our employees during this transition,” a company spokesperson said in response to queries from TOI.

A former employee whose services were recently terminated by the company because he refused to resign sa- id Paytm did not furnish an experience letter.

While several employees voluntarily resigned over the past few months, fearing the repercussions of being served with a termination notice, a section of employees are waging a silent battle — they have refused to resign, raised concerns with Paytm’s internal employee escalation team and are seeking a “fair exit process”.

The impacted employees have also formed a social media group to deliberate and decide on the next course of action. Some of them are consulting lawyers with at least one employee having already filed a complaint with the labour ministry.

If an employee raises a complaint with Paytm’s employee escalation team, the company is supposed to investigate the matter and present a report to the employee. An affected employee with the lending team is still awaiting a report to the complaint raised.

“Just two months ago, (founder) Vijay Shekhar Sharma in a townhall had said that no one from the lending team will be laid off. I thought my job was safe,” the person said.

Some employees said that layoffs have been happening since Oct“I was abruptly laid off on Jan 5. My finances were strained and I had to take a loan to pay back my bonus of Rs 2lakh,” alleged former staffer Prakher Srivastava.

Tesla investors set to OK Musk’s $56bn pay package

Tesla shareholders were set to approve Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package in what is being seen as a thumbs-up to his leadership — and an enticement for keeping his focus on the electric vehicle maker.

Musk posted a chart on his social media platform X late Wednesday that showed the resolution and another vote to move the company’s legal home to Texas—were set to pass by wide margins, though shareholders are allowed to change their vote up to the start of the annual meeting.

A person familiar with the preliminary voting tally confirmed that Musk posted an accurate count of the figures. “Thanks for your support!” Musk said.

The Tesla CEO could still face a long legal fight to convince a Delaware judge who invalidated the package in January, describing it as “unfathomable”. He may also face fresh lawsuits over Thursday’s vote on the package, which dates from 2018 and would be the largest in US corporate history.

Shareholder approval would serve as both an endorsement of Musk’s tenure and an acknowledgment that investors don’t want to risk the company’s future. Tesla’s share price has dropped about 60% from its 2021 peak as EV sales have slowed and Musk’s attention has wavered between Tesla and other companies he runs.

“This vindicates Musk and allays some investor concerns around his waning interest in Tesla,” said Sandeep Rao, senior researcher at Leverage Shares, which owns Tesla’s stock.

REUTERS

Rate rejig may come back on GST Council table

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The all-powerful GST Council is scheduled to meet on June 22, the first meeting in eight months and the first after the NDA govt returned to office.

While several important issues, including review of the tax on online gaming, pushed by a vocal lobby, may be on the agenda, there may be some fireworks too, given that Opposition-ruled states are sensing a weaker Centre after the latest election mandate. This is despite the scales tilting further in favour of BJP and its allies after the saffron party swept to power in three states ruled by Congress — Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Odisha — and its ally TDP regaining control of Andhra Pradesh. With finance ministers from states and UTs in town, Union FM Nirmala Sitharaman will also seek their inputs for next month’s Budget.

While the agenda for the meeting is yet to be finalised, there is speculation around rationalisation of rates coming back on the table, an issue on which a group of ministers under then Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai had made some recommendations, which were not implemented. Since then Uttar Pradesh finance minister Suresh Khanna has become the chairman of the panel.

“As far as GST is concerned, what we are saying there can be three slabs and there are areas like petroleum real estate that are outside the am- bit... be included in the GST,” said ITC CMD Sanjiv Puri, the newly elected president of industry chamber CII.

With the indirect tax regime completing seven years in a little over a fortnight, there have been calls to reduce the number of slabs and also rejig the rates, a decision that the Council had postponed.

“The next GST Council meeting comes after a significant interval from the last meeting and will need to take up the keenly awaited rate rationalisation discussion. In addition, a preliminary effort to include low impact petroleum products, such as natural gas, within the GST ambit would be highly beneficial to business. The stability established in GST collections together with the fact that GST changes are outside the Union Budget proposals should provide an impetus to the GST Council in addressing various issues that need to be addressed,” said M S Mani, partner at consulting firm Deloitte India.

Industry has cited inverted duty structure, with the final product attracting lower levies, as well as classification problems to seek rationalisation of rates.

“This meeting is expected to address a considerable number of issues. Multiple clarifications are being looked after to including taxability for the online gaming sector before October, taxability of ESOPs, corporate guarantee taxability, and various rate-related clarifications are also anticipated due to recent litigations. Another aspect which most businesses are looking forward to is the new regulations on Input Service Distributor and its implementation date,” said Abhishek Jain, indirect tax head and partner at KPMG.

‘Consumer mkt driven by youth’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: India’s consumer market presents a long-term structural opportunity driven by a young population, a growing middle class, rapid urbanization, increasing disposable incomes, and rising aspirations, said Tata Consumer Products chairman N Chandrasekaran at the company’s annual shareholder meet. He added that the company is well-positioned to capitalise on this significant opportunity and unlock value creation opportunities.

Tata Consumer, which started as a tea player, is now among the top 10 FMCG companies in India, with a turnover of Rs 15,200 crore. Its market cap crossed Rs 1 lakh crore in FY 24, a new milestone for it.

Chandrasekaran said the India economy has been growing “very strongly” and the current momentum continues to be high. In FY 24, India’s growth rate was 8.2%.

He said the growing middle class will create opportunities “India’s middle class is expected to grow from about 30% of the population to 50% by 2030, meaning an additional 300 million people will enter the middle/consuming class, (which is) a huge opportunity.” Tata Consumer recently acquired Capital Foods and Organic India to grow its portfolio.

Times Techies.AI

- Solving the mysteries of the universe

- LAWYERS & AI ARE AN IDEAL FIT

- AI is not just a computer science subject anymore

- How enterprises can get the best out of AI solutions

- WINNERS OF AI IMAGE CONTEST

- AI IN-GROUP LINGO AGENTIC WORKFLOWS MIMIC HUMAN THOUGHT PROCESS

Solving the mysteries of the universe

Sandip Patel | MD, IBM INDIA & SOUTH ASIA

IS AI RESHAPING THE WORLD?

In Scientists estimate that only 5% of our universe is made of regular matter. The remaining is made up of mysterious substances called dark matter and dark energy, which we know very little about. Imagine if we were able to study even a little more about these substances. Maybe we can understand how to use dark matter to power extremely long space voyages! The possibilities are astronomical.

Generative AI has made the calculations and simulations needed to find those answers significantly faster and within our reach. It can help perform more accurate calculations by aiding prediction tasks based on real or generated synthetic data. Using these tools, we can fill data gaps and turn raw observational data into actionable insights to study various aspects of the universe including the make-up of dark matter.

Generative AI can also be used to design experiments for particle accelerators (machines used for colliding charged particles at near light speed) to provide faster and more powerful predictions about the origins of our universe. Some of these efforts are already underway like IBM’s work with CERN to apply time series foundation models for modelling particle collisions.

LAWYERS & AI ARE AN IDEAL FIT

Notorious for using complex language, the field of law is poised to be disrupted by Gen AI

Akhil.George@timesgroup.com

SpotDraft is a software company, it is not a law firm, stresses Shashank Bijapur, co-founder & CEO of SpotDraft. Yet, law is what this Bengaluru and US company is simplifying for multinational firms like Airbnb, Crunchbase and Notion.

In the real world, Shashank notes, legal costs are high. It’s something that gets paid by the hour. So how do you do it at scale to reduce costs? How do you do it exactly the way an organisation wants it to get done, according to their rules?”

The answer that SpotDraft came up with initially in 2018, when the company was formed, was to build an AI review tool to help legal teams review NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) faster. “We spent a lot of time training our own models but could never hit economies of scale, with the lack of sufficiently varied data required to train our models,” Shashank says.

By the end of 2019, the company had pivoted into building out a CLM – a contract lifecycle management platform – and launched it in 2020. But when GPT-3 was released, Shashank and his co-founders at the company realised that everything had changed. “We could now create the best experience for legal use-cases by leveraging foundational models and adding a layer of proprietary technology.”

Now, thanks to advances in Gen AI, and their own proprietary tech and training, SpotDraft’s AI-driven contract automation platform helps businesses create, manage, analyse, and collaborate on contracts.

Gen AI tools are getting incessantly better at dealing with complex language, the kind that legal contracts are notorious for. “Managing contractual obligations demands deep expertise in legal language, understanding nuances like `may’ vs `might’ and `shall’ vs `should’. Skilled resources to manage such contracts are expensive, making contract management unaffordable for many companies,” says Rishi Agrawal, co-founder & CEO of Teamlease Regtech.

This complexity, Rishi says, is easily managed by Gen AI. “Gen AI can help by composing contracts with minimal resources, ensuring faster, more accurate, and more effective drafting. It can break a contract into manageable tasks, improving drafting, review, and compliance to finer points. With the right input parameters, Gen AI can create a tailor-made contract based on predefined templates. It can also review contracts to identify relevant laws and regulations and flag clauses of sig- nificant importance.”

Gen AI tools, Rishi says, can also quickly go through large volumes of contracts to extract key data and has the ability to simplify obligations and responsibilities within the contract for ease of understanding.

PLENTY OF CHALLENGES

There are, however, multiple challenges in deploying these tools in a field as sensitive to mistakes and privacy as law. Aadya Misra, counsel at Spice Route Legal, says that accuracy is a big concern. “AI hallucinations can significantly impact legal advice and strategy if not identified and culled.”

A related problem is the accuracy of data sources, he says. “Notifications, rules, regulations, guidance, and circulars form the bedrock of legal advice – together with the actual laws and rules. In India, these `supplements’ to existing laws are haphazardly organised among various government and public sources. There is no guarantee that Gen AI training sources account for these aspects. In the absence of an efficiently digitised government database across all ministries and regulators, it’s unlikely that the training sources will be up to date.”

Another major issue is privacy, says Siddharth Chandrashekhar, lawyer and counsel for the Bombay High Court. “AI tools often require access to sensitive client data, raising concerns about maintaining confidentiality and ensuring compliance with data protection laws. We must also remember that AI uses machine learning. This means that sensitive client data could be stored for future reference to train the AI algorithm.”

LAWYER+AI

So, legal jobs are nowhere close to going away. Anandita Sen, DGM of corporate legal at L&T, says it’s also worth understanding that a large portion of legal work includes tasks like interaction with businesses and clients, development of strategy, drafting of innovative solutions and contracts to address specific problems and risks, negotiation and advocacy, and so on – none of which can be replaced by AI-powered tools.

SpotDraft’s Shashank says he does not see a world where lawyers will lose a job to AI. But, he says, a lawyer is definitely going to lose their job to a lawyer with AI.

AI is not just a computer science subject anymore

HEAR THE PROF

Akhil.George@timesgroup.com

AI should not be considered just a computer science subject anymore, instead it should be taught to students and professionals in every field, says Arnab Bhattacharya, professor of computer science and engineering at IIT Kanpur.

Arnab, who did his PhD in computer science from the University of California in Santa Barbara, says Gen AI is everywhere now and that all educational fields must change in response to it.

“Just like we teach Programming 101 to everybody, AI 101 should be taught to everybody. Everyone need not know the mathematical details, but what AI can and cannot do should be known by everyone now. It is very, very important.”

Arnab points out that AI is already being used extensively in most engineering fields, and engineers in crucial fields like civil, mechanical, and chemical engineering need to understand that using AI systems that are black boxes can have serious consequences.

“What’s going on inside the AI system? What is the integrity of the data? How much bias is there? Can you believe the output? How much can you believe? How much is explainable? These are the things that a person who is applying AI, or influencing some policy on AI, should know.” He says there’s no threat of job losses from AI in the immediate future, because right now the world is riding the rising wave of AI. “But once it stabilises and saturates, then AI will take over more and more jobs, even skilled jobs,” he says.

However, this period of flux that AI is ushering in will also elevate certain job profiles and skills, and create many that didn’t exist previously. “Take for example data. AI is very much data dependent. So, understanding the domain of data is extremely important. If you want to understand data, if you want to know which features to look at, which features to engineer, which features to avoid, what is going on in the data, all of that requires deep domain knowledge, that is a skill that needs to be developed,” he says.

WHAT TO STUDY

Computer science students looking to specialise in AI, Arnab says, should do it deeply. “When I say deeply, I mean both in terms of the technical aspects – like what goes on inside neural networks, how to program them, what exactly fine-tuning means, what a tokenizer is exactly supposed to do, etc – and also the social science part of it.”

The social science part includes areas like AI bias, AI ethics, fairness, etc, all of which are expected to have an outsized effect on the field.

General computer science students, Arnab says, need not focus on the technical aspects of AI but should still not ignore the social science aspects of it. “They need to know how AI can affect things.” They should also focus, he says, on being proficient in programming languages and ensuring mediocrity is kept at bay, because that leaves them susceptible to being replaced by AI.

How enterprises can get the best out of AI solutions

Sujit.John@timesgroup.com

Some hedge funds and PE/VC firms are making algorithms sit in the boardrooms, taking decisions on behalf of the board, or along with the board, says Sameer Dhanrajani, founder of consultancy AIQRATE and networking platform 3AI. That, he says, is thanks to AI machines crunching decades of data.

But getting there, he says, requires a lot of effort, and will be a long-drawn one. A marathon, he calls it.

Given the excitement surrounding AI, enterprises are seen to be either stunned by its advance and unable to decide what direction to take, or rushing into it and making investments that are not delivering the results they expect. What’s the best way forward? That was what we discussed the other day in a panel that included Sameer, Gaurav Makkar, engineering director at NetApp, and Prinkan Pal, founder of gen AI-powered analytics platform LegoAI.

Prinkan says it’s absolutely critical for enterprises to start off with developing an AI strategy that is unique to it. He says organisations must understand the specific business areas they need AI to provide insights and predictions in, and then go about collecting and organising the data required, and building the models. “The business requirement needs to get translated into something we call as analytical requirement, which then gets translated into an analytical solution. And then it gets translated into a final business solution, which is that automated solution that can be consumed by a non-technical business user,” he says.

Data is at the root of this. Gaurav notes digital transformation of operations is the first step towards collecting data. And once that data is collected, it needs to be organised in a way that analytical tools can be applied to it. Organising that data itself can be a humongous task. Data is of different kinds, including text, video, image. Each piece of data contains other information. A video, Gaurav says, is the core data. But then there is the metadata that describes things like where the video was taken, its level of resolution. And then there’s telemetry data – how long did a user play that video, did they press forward on that video, did they return to the video some days later.

“Different organisations play with each of these classes of data differently. A person in the sales organisation may be interested in how interactive the content is. Someone else may be keen to cache videos that are used more frequently. Someone may find the metadata showing people are playing on low-resolution devices, in which case there’s no reason to create a 4k video,” Gaurav says.

To make such decisions, you need to annotate the data, and today there are auto-annotating tools that are available that can analyse the content and understand what it is. “And then you link the data up, and the more you link up data, it becomes a source of intelligence,” Gaurav says.

In the enterprise context, Prinkan says, another element that needs a lot of thinking through is around security, compliance, and governance. Gaurav too underscores that. “Data can have privacy sensitive information. Should I be sending this data outside a certain domain? Who should handle this data? Ethics comes in,” he says.

Getting people in an organisation to adopt a solution too can be challenging, because of scepticism or fear of job loss. “Which is where I think human and AI intelligence have to work together to give desired results. Just producing glamorous AI systems will not work,” Sameer says.

WINNERS OF AI IMAGE CONTEST

Safal Mutha | PUNE Create a heartwarming scene in a futuristic care home where robots provide compassionate care to the elderly. Imagine robots assisting with mobility, engaging residents in stimulating activities, and offering companionship. The image should capture moments of genuine connection, showcasing the positive impact of robots in enhancing the quality of life for seniors

We had asked our readers to generate images with the help of AI on what they thought co-living with robots would look like. And we asked them to be really creative. Here are the winners, their winning images, and the prompts they used

Aryan Ghatak | KOLKATA Robotic chefs helping humans in the kitchen in the future, realistic image

Akash Dey | BENGALURU Generate a wideangle high-quality image for a common room/ chilling area of a co-living PG where some humans and robots are playing together and some are eating together happily. The name of the PG is ‘Hu-Bot Co Living PG’ and it should be clearly and accurately mentioned in the image

Himanshu Chhabra | DELHI A film still of a robotic arm conducting an orchestra alongside an Indian human conductor in a realistic setting

Afreen Bulsara | MUMBAI Imagine a small cute baby cradled by a humanoid robot babysitter. The humanoid is feeding the baby with a milk bottle lovingly and independently. On a separate desk, the baby’s mother with a laptop and doing her work. Show both the mother and the humanoid

AI IN-GROUP LINGO AGENTIC WORKFLOWS MIMIC HUMAN THOUGHT PROCESS

Agentic workflows are a design approach where artificial intelligence systems, particularly large language models, engage in a dynamic, iterative process to improve their performance and outputs. This concept contrasts with traditional non-agentic methods, where an AI provides a single, direct response to a prompt without further interaction or refinement. The essence of agentic workflows lies in their ability to simulate a more humanlike process of creation and refinement. For example, in a traditional workflow, an AI might generate a piece of code or a written response in one go. However, in an agentic workflow, the AI would engage in a series of steps that involve generating an initial output, reflecting on it, receiving feedback (either from itself or another AI agent), and then revising the output based on that feedback.

This process can be broken down into several key components:

Reflection: The AI reviews its own work, identifies potential improvements, and iterates on its output.

Tool Use: AI agents are equipped with tools that extend their capabilities, such as web search for fact-checking or code execution environments for testing code snippets.

Planning: The AI breaks down complex tasks into manageable steps and plans out the sequence of actions needed to achieve a goal.

Multi-Agent Collaboration: Multiple AI agents with different roles or expertise collaborate, with one agent generating output and another providing constructive criticism, leading to enhanced results.

Agentic workflows enable AI to produce higher-quality, more accurate, and contextually relevant outputs by mimicking the human process of drafting, reviewing, and revising work. This approach is particularly useful for tasks that require a high degree of accuracy and creativity, such as coding, content creation, and problem-solving.

Editorial

- Securing Kashmir

- Those Ten Digits

- Mahatma memories

- Haj Is Akin To Visiting The Almighty

- Opposition Needs An Economic Plan. Here’s One

- CONTRAPUNTO

- Sacred space

- 8%: Why Some Muslims Voted For Modi

Securing Kashmir

Terror attacks in J&K part of strategy to disrupt peace. GOI must rise to the challenge & hold assembly polls

Terrorists attacking four places in four days in the Jammu region of J&K have brought back bad memories. It’s no coincidence these attacks come at a time when a new govt is taking office in New Delhi – Modi yesterday chaired a J&K security review meeting. Terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan want to send out a clear message: they can disrupt peace in J&K at any given time and that nullification of Article 370 hasn’t mitigated the strategic objectives of the Pakistani deep state.

Changing terror tactics | It’s clear that terrorists are trying out different tactics to try and outfox security forces. In 2022, targeted killings were their modus operandi. However, since last year, terrorists have reverted to conventional manoeuvres, especially south of the Pir Panjal – an area that has seen relative calm for almost two decades. This will force security forces to once again reorient their strategies.

Threat to normalisation | Terrorists are desperate to undermine the normalisation process and the “naya Kashmir” narrative. This is precisely why the Reasi ambush of a bus carrying pilgrims that killed nine and injured 41 is worrying. Around 2.11cr tourists visited J&K last year – a big win for local tourism. Terrorists want to disrupt these stakeholders in peace.

Plus, the successful conduct of Lok Sabha elections in J&K – the first since nullification of A370 – hasn’t gone unnoticed across the border. Terrorist handlers now want to subvert J&K assembly polls, slated to be held by Sep 30. Under no circumstances should GOI and EC cave in. They must hold those polls on time.

Pak factor | GOI needs to be wary of Pakistan too. While Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif have been sending conciliatory messages, Gen Asim Munir has just aced his biggest test by establishing his choice of govt in Islamabad. He is yet to fully reveal his strategy vis-à-vis J&K. Also, India has quietly made connections with Afghanistan’s Taliban amidst problems in Kabul-Islamabad ties. Pakistan’s ISI-military complex will see this as a big threat and might have plans to create trouble in J&K as a counter-strategy. GOI must keep its guard up, hold J&K polls, and tighten its security dragnet in the region.

Those Ten Digits

Assigning mobile phone numbers is not costless. Telcos or users should pay for them

Trai’s proposal to levy a charge on phone numbers it allocates to telecom companies should go through. Pointing out that phone numbers are an “exceedingly valuable public resource which is not infinite”, the regulator is giving telcos the option to pass on the cost to consumers. Telecom has been one of India’s success stories. As of March 2024, there were as many as 1.16bn mobile subscribers in India, next only to China. But, as a Trai consultation paper has highlighted, just over 19% of the total numbers (219mn) fall under the ‘service suspended pending disconnection’ category.

System has its limits | Telcos are holding on to phone numbers with low or zero utilisation, fearing a loss of user base. With SIMs cheap to procure, it is common for consumers to own more numbers than they need. Forgotten amidst this waste of resources, is the reality that there’s only so much demand the telecom system can meet. India has a 10-digit series number system. This imposes a limit on the number of connections that can be allotted. For a mobile number is more than just a number. It is formatted in a certain way that syncs with the larger system. And moving to a different series is not easy and would entail problems and costs. It is not for nothing that telcos/consumers are charged for mobile connections in a host of countries around the world.

Demand will only rise | In an age of hyper-connectivity, the pressure on telecom’s system capacity can only grow, whether it is from IOT and M2M, or cars and gadgets with chips. There are other costs this imposes on the system. Authorities have a responsibility to keep tabs on how connections are used, especially given the rise in cyber crimes. Charging for phone numbers is particularly justified for ‘vanity numbers’ telcos auction at high prices. The quantum of the charge Trai has proposed can always be worked out – a ‘nominal’ fee is what it has in mind. But putting a price on the resource would ensure both telcos and consumers value it more.

jugularvein

Mahatma memories

Like a jack-in-the-box Gandhiji has had a way of popping up for us in the most unexpected places

Jug Suraiya

In 1973, Bunny and I were on a shoestring trip through Europe. In Rome we stayed at the least expensive accommodation we could find, Pensione Katy. Our room could have passed muster as a walk-in closet. The bathroom was down the corridor.

We had our meals at a nearby Tavola Calda – Hot Table – an eatery serving no-frills food at no-frills prices. On our first visit, the waiter asked, Vino? Wine in Italy being as much a part of a meal as food.

Regretfully we shook our heads; our thrifty daily allowance permitting only free tap water. Looking quizzical, the waiter in an admixture of tourist English, Italian, and the dialect of gesture, enquired where we were from.

When we said India, his eyes lit up in a combination of delight and comprehension. Ah, India! Gandhi! Gandhi! Si, si! he exclaimed, obviously familiar not only with the name of the Sabarmati Sant, but also aware of his principle of temperance.

After that, each time we came in, he would greet us with cries of Gandhi! and bring us a carafe of suitably abstemious water.

In 1991 Bunny and I were in Moscow, which was basking in the morning sun of glasnost and perestroika, with Boris Yeltsin having succeeded Mikhail Gorbachev as the country’s president.

We went to see a performance of Swan Lake. During the interval Bunny went to the washroom. The venerable lady attendant asked where she was from. When she heard India, her eyes glowed with a rapturous fervour. Gandhi! she said and then, indicating her eyes, in halting English she continued in an awed voice: When I was little girl, these eyes have seen him.

In Buenos Aires in 2001 we were in a restaurant specialising in Argentina’s famous steaks. India? said our server, having asked from where we were, Gandhi, yes?

He asked us how we’d liked our steaks, knowing the name but, unlike the Roman waiter, ignorant perhaps of the dietary dos and don’ts of the Mahatma and, by extension, those of his countryfolk.

David Attenborough? Ben Kingsley? Don’t ring too many bells.

THE SPEAKING TREE

Haj Is Akin To Visiting The Almighty

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, is a profound act of worship in Islam. It is obligatory only for those in good health and who can afford the journey. Those who are indigent, sick, or disabled are excused from this duty.

To perform Haj, a pilgrim leaves their home and travels to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Upon entering Mecca, the pilgrim first goes to the Kaaba to perform the Tawaf, which is the circumambulation of the Kaaba. Next, the pilgrim performs Sa’i, a brisk walk between the two hillocks of Safa and Marwa. The rites also include a halt at the plain of Arafat, where pilgrims stand in prayer and reflection. Additionally, pilgrims cast stones at a pillar in Mina, symbolically stoning Satan. The culmination of these rituals is the sacrifice of an animal.

These essential rites of Haj are performed during the month of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

What is Haj? It is a journey undertaken for God. It involves spending one’s time and wealth to reach those places associated with the memories of God and His true servants. All the rituals of Haj are a practical demonstration that a person is striving for God, centring his life around Him.

Haj is akin to visiting the Almighty. It represents the highest form of nearness to one’s Lord during worldly life. If other acts of worship are reminders of God, Haj itself reaches directly to God.

Haj has always held extraordinary significance among Islamic acts of worship. In one hadith, it is referred to as the most virtuous act of worship. It encompasses all acts of worship and invigorates all of them. However, its true importance lies in its spiritual essence, not merely in the external rituals and ceremonies.

In other words, Haj is not just about going to the sacred land, performing certain rituals, and returning. Regarding the essence of Haj, the Quran states: The pilgrimage is in the appointed months. Whoever intends to perform it during them must abstain from indecent speech, wicked conduct, and quarrelling while on the pilgrimage. Whatever good you may do, God is aware of it. Make provision for yourselves – but surely, the best of all provision is God-consciousness. Always be mindful of Me, you that are endowed with understanding. (2:197)

Whenever a few people gather or live together, some grievances inevitably arise. This situation manifests on a much larger scale during Haj as people of various kinds gather in vast numbers at a single location. Consequently, during Haj, people frequently cause discomfort to each other. If individuals start quarrelling over personal grievances, the spirit of worship would be lost, and the purpose of Haj would not be fulfilled. Therefore, quarrelling and losing one’s temper are strictly prohibited during Haj.

This prohibition makes Haj a means of training for a significant aspect of life. Just as fighting nullifies Haj, it also distances a believer’s ordinary life from Islam.

The writer was an Islamic scholar and founder, Centre for Peace and Spirituality International

Opposition Needs An Economic Plan. Here’s One

Politicians opposed to BJP can’t only rely on the latter’s mistakes. The best proactive approach would be to form cooperatives for farm produce. It will increase supply, incomes, credibility & stable voter support

T K Arun

Can the opposition do anything more than exploit the mistakes and weaknesses of the governing party and its govt? Can it position itself as an agent of redemption, while fervently hoping voters would not recall its own less-than-stellar performance while in office? Yes, it can. It can form cooperatives.

Sardar Patel led the formation of Khaira District Milk Producers’ Union, which became the kernel around which the Amul ecosystem grew. Senior communist politician AK Gopalan led the dismissed workers of India Coffee Board to form different cooperative societies of coffee workers, and these set up a string of Indian Coffee Houses across the country. There are many other such tales.

Huge food processing industry a dire need | Why recall such tales now? Because India desperately needs a revolution in food processing to bring down inflation. Its economy is subject to the consumer price index’s vagaries, even as RBI tries to contain the index within the 2-6% band. The most volatile item in CPI is vegetable prices. The only way to stabilise vegetable prices is to create a massive food processing industry that would ensure a steady supply of vegetables – frozen, processed or fresh – round the year. And the most viable channel to build such an industry is to create a cooperative network that replicates the magic of milk cooperatives.

Can this be done by govt? It could, if it somehow conjured up another Verghese Kurien. But it is not sufficient to come up with another Kurien. It is also necessary to provide that person with unstinted political backing against local vested interests, of the kind India’s Milkman got.

That looks as easy as getting the Mumbai municipal authority to build roads without potholes. The alternative is to get political parties to form cooperatives, which would directly enhance people’s livelihoods and incomes, increase the supply of vegetables, and help parties establish their credentials as pro-people, pro-growth agents of change. A laughable suggestion, you would think. But politicians have done things to change life for the better in the past. And they still can.

State of co-ops in India | Why did our political class move away from forming cooperatives? Actually, they have not. They run sugar cooperatives in Maharashtra, milk cooperatives in areas with motorable rural roads, credit cooperatives in many states, handloom cooperatives, cooperative banks, and so on.

But few of them are genuine cooperatives. Most states have laws that subordinate co-ops to the state registrar of cooperatives if they owe money to state govt. This makes most cooperatives appendages of state govt, and they function as bureaucratic bodies, answerable to politicians, rather than to their members. The only exceptions are Amul-type co-ops, which are outside the control of state bureaucracy.

In India, co-ops are seen as part of the public sector, whereas they are a part of the private sector in the rest of the world. According to World Cooperative Monitor, the top 300 co-ops have a combined turnover of $2.4tr. These span sectors like farming, finance, retail, healthcare, and education.

Co-ops vital part of EU’s economy | According to European Commission, EU has 250,000 cooperatives, owned by 163mn citizens or one-third of EU population, and employing 5.4mn people. They account for significant shares of several sectors of the economy: agriculture – 83% in Netherlands, 79% in Finland, 55% in Italy and 50% in France; forestry – 60% in Sweden and 31% in Finland; banking – 50% in France, 37% in Cyprus, 35% in Finland, 31% in Austria and 21% in Germany; retail – 36% in Finland and 20% in Sweden.

Nor are co-ops only a European favourite, although 166 of the world’s largest 300 co-ops by turnover are in Europe. Of the rest, 73 are in US, 12 in Brazil, and 41 in Asia-Pacific, including 21 in Japan, 5 in New Zealand, 4 in South Korea, and 3 in India.

Rural infra ready for co-ops network | India today has a decent network of rural roads, and rural electrification has brought power connection to a good many villages, even if not all. Stable power supply from the grid during the day is essential for a food processing industry to work. Miniand micro-grids running on solar/wind power and connected to the main grid for evacuation of surplus power and to make good any deficit during the plant’s working hours can be devised.

To realise economies of scale, food processing plants will need to source fruit and vegetables from scores, if not hundreds, of villages in a region. Organising people is the natural forte of political parties. Instead of organising them only to agitate, parties can and should organise them to produce, as well. Prosperous co-ops would give political parties that set them up credibility and stable support, while increasing production and stabilising supply. What are the politicians waiting for?

CONTRAPUNTO

Paradise is too perfect for humanity

–DARIO ARGENTO

Sacred space

I sent my Soul through the Invisible, Some letter of that After-life to spell: And by and by my Soul return’d to me, And answer’d: I Myself am Heav’n and Hell

Omar Khayyam

8%: Why Some Muslims Voted For Modi

A tiny proportion of the community accepted BJP, for different reasons. State-level factors dominated. Labharthi card worked. Class was a determinant as well

Hilal Ahmed

There is a popular argument that Muslims always prefer to support anti-BJP forces, to keep BJP out of govt. This argument has been evoked rather assertively this time to explain the success of INDIA bloc. It is claimed that Muslims decided to do strategic voting to defeat BJP candidates at the constituency level. This explanation is not at all incorrect.

CSDS-Lokniti post-poll survey shows that an overwhelming majority of Muslims at the national level enthusiastically voted for non-BJP parties. It does not mean, however, that BJP did not get Muslim votes.

The survey shows that the party managed to get around 8% of Muslim vote at the national level. This figure is almost insignificant. Yet, there is a need to discover the crucial factors that led a section of Muslims to vote for Modi-led BJP in this election.

There are two very different aspects of BJP’s Muslim policy, at least in an electoral sense.

Hindutva’s othering function | First, the party does not deviate from its Hindutva-driven narrative of cultural nationalism. In this framework, Muslims are either projected as a problematic entity or they are almost invisibilised to assert nationalism in overtly Hindu terms.

This narrative of cultural nationalism is always invoked to reach out to the core, committed and loyal Hindutva voter. Derogative and anti-Muslim remarks made by a section of senior BJP members during the election campaign are a good example in this regard.

BJP’s inclusive campaigning | Secondly, and almost paradoxically, BJP under Modi’s leadership has presented the slogan sab ka saath sab ka vikas as a reference point to reach out to all sections of society, including Muslims.

Banning of triple talaq has been presented as a political achievement. Similarly, the party has made efforts to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims, which also supports the claims of its sab ka saath policy.

In fact, an impression has been created that BJP has managed to influence the political choices of Muslim women and Pasmanda groups in its favour. Interestingly, this expression of inclusiveness has certainly helped BJP to satisfy a significant section of its Hindu voters, who expect the party to work for social and religious harmony.

Party’s 2024 positioning | BJP’s electoral strategy for Muslims in 2024 was straightforward. The party, it seems, decided to downplay the sab ka saath policy. BJP’s manifesto did not have any poll promise for religious minorities. Although the Ram Temple issue was not given any prominence in the manifesto, the party campaign became entirely Hindut-vacentric.

Party seniors, including Modi, did try to create a balance by making positive remarks about Muslims. Yet, the focus of the campaign remained almost onesided.

This highly volatile political context influenced Muslim voting in a significant manner. The 8% Muslims who preferred to vote for BJP this time, were almost one percentage point below the 2019 Muslim vote share for the party.

CSDS-Lokniti post-poll survey is also useful to unpack this category of BJP’s Muslim voters. Two points are crucial.

Gujarat vs UP | First, Muslim support for BJP is a state-centric phenomenon. For example, BJP received around 29% Muslim vote in Gujarat while its performance in Hindi belt remained very poor. It got only 2% Muslim votes in UP. This state-centric Muslim voting pattern underlines how LS elections were entirely governed by state-level issues and considerations.

Ashrafs vs Pasmandas | Second, the socio-economic profile of these Muslim voters of BJP is also a significant factor. Almost 12% of Ashraf Muslims voted for BJP at the national level. On the other hand, the party received only 5% OBC Muslim vote.

This finding goes against the popular view that Muslim OBCs or Pasmanda communities are more inclined to support BJP. Ashraf Muslims seem to be more open to embrace BJP. It also shows that BJP’s attack on OBC reservation has affected the voting behaviour of Pasmanda communities.

Middle-class vs the rest | The economic background of these 8% Muslim voters of BJP is equally interesting. Our data demonstrates that the party was a popular choice among the poorest and economically marginalised sections of Muslims. It received 11% vote from this class of Muslims. Muslim middle-classes did not find BJP attractive in this election. However, around 6% of rich and well-off Muslims voted for it.

This economic analysis indicates a clear pattern. Welfare schemes introduced by the BJP dispensation to reach out to the society’s poor and marginalised sections somehow worked in favour of the party. Despite being rejected by the majority of Muslim voters, BJP was able to secure the vote of poor Muslims. These Muslims, it seems, behaved like other labharthis of welfare schemes. The changing attitude of rich and elite Muslims is also understandable. These groups always remain open to political bargains.

Overall, this brief assessment of BJP’s Muslim vote underlines how the party could not produce a clear, workable electoral strategy to mobilise effective Muslim support in this election.

The writer is Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies

Times Sport

- A VIRAT-SIZED PROBLEM

- USA become first team to be hit by ‘stop-clock’ penalty

- ‘An emotional moment for me to get Kohli’s wicket’

- Pak fret over US-Ireland clash

- Shakib, Rishad help B’desh sink the Dutch

- Dube adapts to tough pitch and shows he’s not a one-trick pony

- Rampaging Rutherford drives Windies into Super Eight

- ‘Hope Josh’s comments were tongue in cheek’

- ROLL UP FOR THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

- World wakes up to bagpipes as Scots go first-up against hosts

- MBAPPE ABSENT FROM TRAINING

- THE FRESH FACES

- BSY will erase more evidence if given time: Spl prosecutor

- India’s Divya is world’s best

- AIFF set to tell coach Stimac to find new job

- Bindra backs NRAI’s Oly selection process

- Paris Olympics going to be very, very special: Bopanna

- PM-Zelensky meet likely but none with Trudeau fixed yet

- Will discuss issues of Global South, say s PM

- New term for Doval comes amid bid to link him to ‘Pannun plot’

- Even cool high-altitude regions like HP saw 12 heatwave days

- SC hearing on larger issue of ‘NEET-UG paper leak’ on July 8

- GALLERY

- Ingebrigtsen collects record sixth Euro gold:

- ‘MIAMI WILL BE MY LAST CLUB’

TIMES IN THE US

A VIRAT-SIZED PROBLEM

The Batting Superstar’s Poor Run As Opener Is The Only Jarring Note; Team Heads To Miami Next For Final League Engagement AP

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: Indian cricket fans got everything they wanted from the New York leg of the World Cup. In the makeshift Nassau County Ground, which will be dismantled over the next few days, the Men in Blue played three games which offered completely different flavours.

While Ireland was a standard walk in the park, the Pakistan game had all the highs and lows that you can expect from a top-of-the-chart encounter. The match against USA, meanwhile, was a battle of attrition in which India triumphed after enduring a few difficult phases.

Amid all this, there was one note that went just a little off-tune: the form of Virat Kohli. The thousands who filled the stands on all three days had one common wish, a meaningful contribution from their favourite superstar.

Low scores of 1, 4 and 0 in three consecutive games isn’t something that we have seen too often from the modern master, who came into the World Cup on the back of some magnificent knocks in the IPL.

Kohli was a superhit as an opener in the IPL, prompting captain Rohit Sharma to book that slot for him in the T20 World Cup. The captain was also very categorical when he said that his and Kohli’s are the only two slots that are “fixed”, while the rest will move up and down “as per the situation”.

But in the three games here, Virat seemed to be unsure where his offstump is, a problem that has plagued him in the past, notably during India’s 2014 tour of England, when he had aggregated 137 runs from four Tests. That, however, is now ancient history and Kohli subsequently was able to completely turn things around against the moving ball.

The conditions here in New York have been quite unique. The ball has completely dominated the bat. It’s not just the movement but also the up-anddown nature of the track that has kept batters on their toes.

What could have gone against Kohli was the fact that he joined the team a little late. He missed the practice match against Bangladesh at the venue and went into the tournament slightly undercooked. But the champion batter has put in a lot of effort in the nets to get it all sorted out. Two days before the Pakistan game, he batted for almost two hours and everything seemed to be coming from the middle of the bat.

“We know what Virat brings to the table and how good he can be. Yes, he joined a bit late, but he is putting in all the hard work to get used to the conditions,” Rohit had said on the eve of the match against Pakistan.

It is true that Virat has looked good at the nets, but that form somehow hasn’t translated into performances in the World Cup so far. The worrying bit is that there is a serious rain threat in Miami — the venue of India’s final league game against Canada — and there could be a case where all their practice sessions get washed out. There is a question mark on the game itself on Sunday and that could mean Kohli might not get too much time to work on his batting before the Super-8s start.

The team, however, has enough belief in their No. 1 batter. Shivam Dube, who also endured a bit of a rough patch explained, said, “Who am I to talk about Kohli? If he hasn’t got runs in three games, he may well get three hundreds in the next three and there will be no more discussions.”

Rohit, of course, has the option of bringing in Yashasvi Jaiswal in as his opening partner and drop Kohli down to his regular No. 3 spot. But the captain doesn’t want to do that because he believes the former skipper is best suited at the top and the team will not be able to include four allrounders if Kohli comes down the order.

It’s the faith the team management has in Kohli that has stopped them from taking any harsh decisions. It’s now on the batting great to flick on that switch which will once again make us believe in the cliché that ‘class is permanent’.

USA become first team to be hit by ‘stop-clock’ penalty

Umpire Paul Reiffel (R) explains the penalty rule to US skipper Aaron Jones

New York: The United States became the first team to be penalised five runs under the new stop-clock rules in their T20 World Cup loss to India on Wednesday. The sanction has been introduced by the ICC in an effort to speed up play. A team is penalised if after two warnings they still take more than a minute between overs.

On Wednesday, the US were penalised at the start of the 16th over and instead of needing 35 runs off 30 balls to reach their 111-run target, India’s task became 30 off 30 deliveries instead. “We had a few warnings in earlier games, and it’s something we do talk about to get through faster between the overs,” said coach Stuart Law.

“We’re only a fledgling team. There’s plenty to learn. There’s not just the cricket aspect of the game of cricket, but there’s also the other intricacies that need to be embedded. It’s a rule that’s only just come in. A lot of our players wouldn’t have heard about it before we played in the Bangladesh series or the Canada series earlier this year.”

Despite the penalty, the former Aussie batter said the five-run sanction would not have impacted the outcome of the clash.

REUTERS

‘An emotional moment for me to get Kohli’s wicket’

USA’s Netravalkar, Who Also Dismissed ‘Old Mate’ Rohit, Says He Is Still Trying To Process The Attention & Adulation

SAURABH NETRAVALKAR

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: From being a journeyman cricketer in Mumbai to becoming a coder for Oracle to now getting Virat Kohli out for a first-ball duck in a T20 World Cup, it has been a long and winding road for Saurabh Netravalkar. The left-arm pace bowler was the talking point of the World Cup after his match-winning Super Over against Pakistan. Now, just to prove he is no flash in the pan, Netravalkar has followed up that performance with the wickets of Kohli and “old mate” Rohit Sharma.

It’s a surreal turn of events for the 32-year-old who once nearly gave up on the game. “It is difficult to explain that journey in a couple of sentences. It’s been really very long. Back then, I had to take a practical call when I saw that my career as a cricketer in India wasn’t really taking off because of the talent around. I got a chance to study in a reputed university here and it was a decision to pursue my other love, coding,” Netravalkar said.

Indian journalists, incidentally, chose to skip the media interaction with Man of the Match Arshdeep Singh just to have a conversation with this mild-natured boy who has seen difficult days in his life.

Netravalkar is multi-talented. He plays the ukulele as well quite well, which he says he does for “fun”. “I see Youtube videos and try to get the tune right, it’s just a hobby,” the boy from Mumbai, who now works in Silicon Valley, said. “I am just happy that I can pursue both my passions. It is all happening very fast and I am in the process of digesting it. These last two games were really high-profile,” he added, as references to his dismissal of Rohit and Kohli. “It was an emotional moment to get Virat’s wicket. I was looking to hit off-stump and it worked out well,” he said.

While Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav know him well and congratulated him on his performance, Virat, too, acknowledged his effort after the game got over.

“I know Surya from my U-15, U-17 days, we were talking about our dressing-room banter. I didn’t know Virat personally but he did congratulate me,” Netravalkar said, exuding humility.

India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, a Mumbai man himself, said the other day that Netravalkar is an “inspiration”. “If there is a seed of hope, keep watering it. The plant will happen, it may take time, but it’s going to happen,” Netravalkar said, getting slightly emotional with all the adulation.

For USA, there is serious business up ahead with Ireland up next. The game is in Fort Lauderdale in Miami and if it gets washed out, the co-hosts will go through. “We are not thinking about the rain. Ireland are a good side and we have to beat them. If our performances help the sport grow here and become part of the school and college curriculum, we will know we are on the right track.”

PREVIEWS

Pak fret over US-Ireland clash

Lauderhill: In a strange scenario, a non-playing Pakistan will be more keen on the result of USA and Ireland Group A match at Lauderhill, Florida on Friday. A win for USA, currently second in this group with four points, will put an end to the World Cup campaign of Pakistan, who have two points from three matches.

Of course, it will also take the co-hosts into the Super Eight from this group along with India. Ireland are a competitive side with experienced players in their ranks, but they look woefully out of sync here and the task might be heavier against the US, who are playing some very good T20 cricket at the moment.

They will be keeping an eye on the fitness of skipper Monank Patel, who missed the match against India on Wednesday with a left-shoulder injury. Aaron Jones did the duty of skipper against Rohit Sharma’s men in New York.

There is also a strong rain threat to the match as per weather predictions, and even a washout can end the campaign of Pakistan. It will take the USA to five points and beyond the reach of Pakistan, who can now log a maximum of four points.

Afghans eye win over PNG

Meanwhile, in Tarouba, Afghanistan will eye another all-round effort to crush an inexperienced Papua New Guinea here and enter the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup, and the result will have another underlying effect—knock out New Zealand.

The win will carry Rashid Khan’s side to Super Eight from Group ‘C’ alongside the West Indies, who have qualified on Thursday with a win over New Zealand. It will also mean curtains for the 2021 finalists New Zealand who have lost two out of two.

AGENCIES

Shakib, Rishad help B’desh sink the Dutch

SHAKIB AL HASAN

BANGLADESH VS NETHERLANDS

Kingstown (St Vincent): Shakib Al Hasan regained form with a sublime halfcentury before leg-spinner Rishad Hossain struck twice at a crucial juncture as Bangladesh inched closer to the Super Eight stage with a 25-run win over Netherlands in the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.

Set a target of 160, the Netherlands ended at 134 for eight in their allotted 20 overs at the picturesque Arnos Vale Ground, which was hosting an international for the first time in 10 overs.

The result meant Sri Lanka were knocked out of the tournament.

Shakib roared back to form with a 46-ball 64 as Bangladesh posted a competitive 159 for five after being asked to bat.

Besides Shakib, Tanzid Hasan struck 35 off 26 balls and Mahmudullah chipped in with 25 off 21.

In their chase, Netherlands lost two wickets with just 32 runs on the board, and most importantly, with the powerplay about to end.

Vikramjit Singh (26 off 16 balls) hit three sixes and was looking dangerous when Mahmudullah had the batter stumped to leave Bangladesh at 69 for three in the 10th over.

Sybrand Engelbrecht (33 off 22 balls) and skipper Scott Edwards (25 off 23) added 42 runs for the fourth wicket before leg-spinner Rishad struck twice to the turn the game on its head.

Left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman, bowling brilliantly at the other end, sent back Edwards and Rishad returned to dismiss Logan van Beek cheaply to almost seal the match in Bangladesh’s favour.

Netherlands needed 86 off 60 balls and tried to make a match of it but then, all of a sudden, they lost four wickets as the trio of Taskin Ahmed (2-30), Rishad (3-33) and Mustafizur Rahman (1-12) came up with excellent performances.

Earlier, with Bangladesh starting their innings with two left-handers, Edwards tossed the new ball to off-spinner Aryan Dutt in the second over, and the move paid instant dividends as they got the big wicket of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (1). Dutt also accounted for Litton Das at the beginning of fourth over thanks to a stunning catch in the deep by a sprinting Sybrand Engelbrecht. After Das swept Dutt towards square leg, Engelbrecht covered a lot of ground and dived full-length to pull off the catch. Shakib then knuckled down to help his side to a decewnt total. AGENCIES

Brief scores: Bangladesh 159-5 (Shakib Al Hasan 64*, Tanzid Hasan 35, Mahmudullah 25; Paul van Meekeren 2-15, Aryan Dutt 2-17) bt Netherlands 134-8 (Vikramjit Singh 26, Sybrand Engelbrecht 33, Scott Edwards 25; Taskin Ahmed 2-30; Rishad Hossain 3-33) by 25 runs.

Dube adapts to tough pitch and shows he’s not a one-trick pony

SHIVAM DUBE

Dwaipayan.Datta@timesgroup.com

New York: Going into the game against USA, the form of Shivam Dube was a bit of a concern for the Indian team. He has been selected as a ‘designated hitter’ in the middle-overs but things were not falling in place for the lefthander. In fact, Dube’s lean patch didn’t actually start in the T20 World Cup either, but in the latter half of the IPL when he was playing for Chennai Super Kings.

He had a magnificent first phase which got him the ticket to the World Cup, but after that the performances tapered off. Dube, who scored 31 not out off 35 balls to help India cross the line against the USA, conceded that he was feeling the heat of a lean patch over the last one and a half months.

“Yes, I was thinking about it, but there was no self-doubt. Here the conditions are such that I can’t bat the way I bat for CSK. It demands a different way of batting and I was looking to do that,” Dube said.

There were phases in Wednesday’s game when the left-hander struggled, but to his credit he didn’t give his wicket away. It took him a while to hit his first six of the tournament, which went a long way in releasing the pressure. “This long a wait to hit a six? It might have happened in Ranji Trophy, but not in IPL, but the pitch is really difficult here. The ball sometimes shoots up, sometimes keeps low, moves around. I’m sure you have never seen a pitch like this in a T20 World Cup before,” Dube said.

Range hitting is something that the man with long levers is used to doing, but that hasn’t been the case for him here. In fact, even during training, it has been more about survival than hitting, which Dube concedes is “a little difficult”.

“But the coaches, support-staff told me that I have the ability to deal with this and I will definitely not delete this from my memory,” the 30-year-old said.

His 67-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav finally helped India win beat the USA and the Mumbai cricketer said that the pair knew it all was about dealing with the difficult phase. “We knew we could hit the big shots even on this pitch, if he could get settled. Thankfully it happened that way.”

He might have liked to get a bit of bowling as well, given the fact that he is playing as the fourth allrounder. “A six was hit off me and that’s why I didn’t get to bowl much, but that’s fine,” he said.

Going forward, the indications are that the team will stick with him for a while and the left-hander has to keep doing what he did for CSK if India are to come close to winning the World Cup.

Rampaging Rutherford drives Windies into Super Eight

SMASHING SHERFANE

WEST INDIES VS NEW ZEALAND

Tarouba (Trinidad): Sherfane Rutherford rescued the West Indies with the bat and their bowlers contained New Zealand to complete a 13-run victory in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup in Trinidad on Wednesday.

Rutherford’s unbeaten 68 off 39 balls (two fours, six sixes) lifted the home side from the depths of 30 for five in the seventh over to a competitive 149 for nine after they were put in. Thrashed in their opening match by Afghanistan in Guyana and therefore in a virtual must-win situation, the Black Caps never developed any momentum in the chase in being restricted to 136 for nine.

Pacer Alzarri Joseph (4 for 19) and spinners Gudakesh Motie (3 for 25) and Akeal Hosein (1 for 21) kept the home side in control to clinch their third consecutive victory and a place in the Super Eight phase of the com- petition with one group match still to come against Afghanistan on Monday in St Lucia.

Only Glenn Phillips (40 off 33 balls) caused any real worries for the West Indies but when he fell to Joseph in the 18th over the match was effectively over as a contest, despite Mitchell Santner belting three sixes off Romario Shepherd in the final over.

This second consecutive setback effectively ends New Zealand’s hopes of advancing out of the group stage, unless other results can contrive to work in their favour.

“Keeping it simple and backing my skills, I think that was the key,” said Rutherford in explaining his formula for success after being named Man of the Match. AGENCIES

Brief scores: West Indies 149-9 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 68 no; Trent Boult 3-16, Tim Southee 2-21, Lockie Ferguson 2-27) bt New Zealand 136-9 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 40; Alzarri Joseph 4-19, Gudakesh Motie 3-25).

‘Hope Josh’s comments were tongue in cheek’

North Sound: England coach Matthew Mott said he hopes Josh Hazlewood’s comments that Australia might look to secure only a narrow victory over Scotland that would see England knocked out of the T20 World Cup were tongue in cheek.

“I am very much hoping it was an off-hand remark by a really good bloke who is having fun,” Australian Mott told BBC Sport. “Knowing Josh, he has got a pretty dry sense of humour. I am hoping it was very much tongue in cheek.”

England were due to play Oman later on Thursday. Their first match was a wash-out against Scotland and they lost to Australia by 36 runs.

REUTERS

ROLL UP FOR THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

It’s Sommermarchen! Germany Hosts Europe’s Marquee Football Event, 36 Years After West Germany Hosted A Famous Eight-Team Euro In 1988

Euro 2024 kicks off on Friday in Germany as the continent’s footballing heavyweights prepare to fight it out over the next month with the aim of taking the crown away from reigning champions Italy.

Germany play Scotland in the opening game in Munich and the host nation are hoping their journey will continue all the way to the final in Berlin on July 14.

It is the first time the country has hosted a major men’s international tournament since the 2006 World Cup, and it is a mouth-watering setting after the underwhelming nature of the last European Championship. Euro 2020 was delayed by a year because of the pandemic, finally taking place in 2021 in front of limited crowds. It was also staged in cities all across the continent, from Seville to Baku, and those factors stripped away much of what makes these tournaments so special.

This time all supporters will descend on Germany, where matches will be played in 10 stadiums, from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south. Germans are hoping for a repeat of 2006, when many fell in love with their national team again after a period in the doldrums similar to what they have experienced in the years leading up to this competition. Philipp Lahm, the captain of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team and now Euro 2024 tournament director, also hopes the competition will bring people together at a time of division and disunity across the continent. The tournament begins less than a week after far-right parties made significant gains in EU parliament elections, while Europe is still dealing with the crisis of the war in Ukraine. “I hope at the very least the Euro will lead to a more united Germany again,” said Lahm.

A good performance by Germany on the field would help, and the outlook is more positive for Julian Nagelsmann’s team now than a few months ago. A group also containing Hungary and Switzerland should be straightforward enough given the quality in Germany’s ranks, from veteran playmaker Toni Kroos to younger stars Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

“We have gone through difficult phases as a national team, but something big can happen here,” Musiala, of Bayern Munich, told Sportbild.

However, there are good reasons why France and England are so strongly fancied to raise aloft the Henri Delaunay trophy on July 14.

France are Europe’s top-ranked nation and have been in the last two World Cup finals. Fresh from sealing his move to Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe is eager to make up for a disappointing showing at the last Euros, when his penalty miss sealed a shootout defeat to Switzerland in the last 16. “Kylian is our captain and a great leader. We will need him to be at his best,” admitted France coach Didier Deschamps. England have never been European champions, although they came close in 2021 when they lost the final on penalties to Italy. Optimism about their prospects is fuelled by the fact that star players Harry Kane, of Bayern, and Jude Bellingham, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, should feel so at home on German soil. “We want to make history,” said England midfielder Declan Rice. England begin their tournament against Serbia on Sunday. The French and English will be on course to meet in the semifinals if they both top their groups. The prospect of Italy — who are in the same group as Spain — successfully defending their title seems slightly remote, but it would be foolish to rule them out.

Portugal, champions in 2016, are genuine contenders even if they are still led by Cristiano Ronaldo, now aged 39 and playing club football in Saudi Arabia. This Euros is the third since the competition was expanded to feature 24 teams, a move that has afforded a chance to some smaller nations, including Georgia, debutants this time. However, injuries at the end of a long season are taking their toll on some leading players.

Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona and Netherlands playmaker, has been ruled out with an ankle injury, while his club colleague Robert Lewandowski will not play in Poland’s opening match due to a thigh problem.

AFP

WHO’S ON THE PLAYLIST?

THE STARS WE HAVE OUR EYES ON...

PHIL FODEN ENGLAND

Nurtured by Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s Foden has taken some time to break through to world-class level. A star of the 2017 Under-17 World Cup in India, he’s firmly established as one of the big game players in England. As the Premier League’s player of the season, Foden forward heads into a major event as a key player for England. While eyes will be on Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, Foden could benefit, whether as an attacking midfielder or on one of the wings.

FLORIAN WIRTZ GERMANY

Florian Wirtz carries the hopes of a home nation enduring a fallow period internationally since their World Cup triumph in Brazil a decade ago. Wirtz comes into the Euros after a starring role in Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten Bundesliga and Cup double. Both a goalscoring threat and creative hub, the German player of the season offers hope that a new generation can rejuvenate the fortunes of the three-time European champions under Julian Nagelsmann.

RAFAEL LEAO PORTUGAL

Recognising the need to move on from the Cristiano Ronaldo era, Portugal have begun to build around Rafael Leao. He has the ability, and as one of the world’s most exciting wingers and few are able to run with the ball with such pace and power. A reported release clause of 175m euros at AC Milan is testament but there’s still room for improvement with Leao, particularly when he hasn’t got space to run into and he is tasked with breaking down packed defences.

RODRI SPAIN

Manchester City’s FA Cup final defeat was Rodri’s first defeat for club or country since March 2023 in open play. In a Spain squad lacking the star names of the past, the 27-year-old is now the standard bearer. Rodri’s tenacity out of possession and poise on the ball will be the foundation on which Luis de la Fuente can build. The three-time champions will need it as they are in an unforgiving group alongside defending champions Italy, Croatia and Albania.

LUKA MODRIC CROATIA

Now 38, Modric finished the season at Real Madrid as a second-half sub who lent grace, balance and telling bite to proceedings. Don’t worry: for Croatia, Modric is still the main man. His technique, vision and game awareness stays at a level that will set him apart from most central midfielders at Euro 2024. Football fans are savouring the opportunity to see Modric at perhaps his final major international tournament. Make the most of this version of a vintage great.

World wakes up to bagpipes as Scots go first-up against hosts

STAR CAST: Scotland train under the clouds in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

PREVIEW GERMANY VS SCOTLAND

Munich: The sound of bagpipes, and men in kilts on the streets of Munich — Scotland is in town and the excitement is ramping up ahead of the European Championship curtainraiser on Friday.

Host nation Germany play Scotland at Allianz Arena in the opener of the month-long tournament. The final is in Berlin on July 14 and Germany are even keener to get there after three straight fiascos at major tournaments.

“We are not here just to say hello but we still have to be humble,” Germany defender Antonio Rudiger said. “We don’t have to talk about past tournaments.

“The first match is very important and then we’ll see what happens during the rest of the tournament.” A good first match and group stage would set off a new wave of excitement in Germany, even though scenes similar to when it brilliantly hosted the 2006 World Cup (and reached the semifinals) are hard to imagine in a changed political landscape.

While the Scots are out in droves in Munich, there is hardly a sighting of a Germany shirt or flag. Political extremists are flourishing, anxiety pervades the country, and the national team has under-performed. It is under- standable the home fans are going about their daily life in contrast to the partying visitors.

While the Germans are bemused by their raucous Scottish counterparts, there should still be plenty of more colours on matchday.

“First and foremost, there’s a lot of anticipation because it’s a huge event,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said. “It’s prob- ably not just Europe, but the whole world that will be watching how the Euros will go ... we’re really looking forward to it.”

Germany went out at the group stage of both previous World Cups and was eliminated by England in the Round of 16 at Euro 2021. But defeat to Scotland would be a shock, even though the Scots have improved a lot in recent years.

AP

MBAPPE ABSENT FROM TRAINING

Paderborn: France striker Kylian Mbappe was absent when the squad took part in an open practice session at its European Championship base on Thursday. Mbappe and Kingsley Coman were missing from the group of players that emerged for training at the Home Deluxe Arena in Paderborn.

An estimated 4,000 people were there to watch the session.

French sports daily L’Equipe reported that Mbappe, who trained normally on Wednesday, was doing individual work in the gym instead. He was later seen signing autographs for fans. France’s first game is against Austria in Group D on Monday.

Mbappe, who recently moved to Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, is expected to be one of the stars of the tournament. AP

THE FRESH FACES

AMONG THE 622 PLAYERS, TOI PICKS OUT FIVE WHO ARE LIKELY TO BE THE BREAKOUT STARS OF THIS SUMMER’S EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

ARDA GULER

This 19-year-old Turkish midfielder is being seen as the future of Real Madrid, having been bought by the Spanish giants for $22m last season. He has since had an average La Liga season – just 6 goals and 4 starts. His performance for Turkey since his 2022 debut has been sketchy – scored once against Wales in the qualifiers – but manager Montella seems to have confidence in the prodigy. Even though Real didn’t pencil him in for the Champions League, their victory meant his market price jumped to $44m.

JOAO NEVES

Another prodigious 19-year-old, Portugal’s Neves has been a regular for Benfica as defensive midfielder, with an impressive 27 starts and goal assist rate of 5, with 3 goals and 2 assists. He played two games in the Euro qualifiers following his international debut in 2023, and seasoned manager Roberto Martinez might be impressed to give him a few starts.

WARREN ZAIRE-EMERY

Another prodigy from the French football factory, this 18-year-old has reposed PSG manager Luis Enrique’s faith in him with 21 matches, two goals and three assists. He was also included in 10 of 11 PSG matches in the Champions League, providing three assists and one goal. How Deschamps views him will be interesting since he already has a wealth of talent and experience at his disposal. Could be used as a substitute during the knock-outs.

JEREMIE FRIMPONG

Was one of the stalwarts of Bayer Leverkusen’s dream season, where they went unbeaten in 51 games losing just the Europa final. The Dutch right wingback scored 18 goals in all competitions this season. Vastly experienced despite being just 23, he could be one of Dutch manager Ronald Koeman’s main man in Germany especially with Frenkie de Jong ruled out with injury.

COLE PALMER

Caught the eye after leaving English champions Manchester City for Chelsea at the start of last season for want of game-time. At 22, had a brilliant season for Chelsea with 22 goals and 11 assists. It is a season good enough for England manager Gareth Southgate to put faith in him for the Euros, where he could partner another prodigious youngster, Jude Bellingham.

Ishayu Mazumdar

BSY will erase more evidence if given time: Spl prosecutor

 Continued from P 1

Special prosecutor Ashok Nayak told fast-track court judge NM Ramesh at the hearing that CID had been facing legal and other hurdles in investigating the case. “If called for inquiry, the accused is asking for time and ignoring notices. Some evidence has already been destroyed. More evidence will get destroyed by the accused, if given time.”

Nayak alleged that the accused “forcibly stuffed Rs 2 lakh into the purse of the girl’s mother” on the day of the crimes, saying “they might need it”. “The mother recorded a few minutes of the conversation on her mobile... the audio in its original form is with investigators,” he said.

The Pocso case was filed at Bengaluru’s Sadashivanagar police station on March 14, based on a now-deceased woman’s complaint that her teenage daughter was sexually assaulted by Yediyurappa when they visited him in Feb this year.

Yediyurappa, too, approached the court, seeking anticipatory bail and quashing of the Pocso case.

India’s Divya is world’s best

18-Year-Old Nagpur IM Emerges World Junior Girls Chess Champion

Divya Deshmukh in action. (Right) The champion with the trophy

Amit.Sampat@timesgroup.com

Nagpur: India’s best Divya Deshmukh is the new world junior girls chess champion. The two-time reigning national women’s chess champion is now the U-20 queen of the world. In her second appearance at the Worlds, which concluded at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Thursday, Nagpur’s Deshmukh remained unbeaten to win her maiden U-20 crown collecting 10 points.

Exactly 21 days after winning the classical open Sharjah Challengers title, where the 18-year-old participated to gain some match practice, Divya played with confidence and proved her mettle in the U-20 championship. This triumph, without losing a single game, takes Divya’s tally of international gold medals to 21 while representing India in 38 age category tournaments. Despite becoming the Asian Women’s Chess champion last year, the U-20 world crown was missing in Divya’s kitty.

Divya, the top-ranked among Indian girls in U-20 category, was playing her second international tournament after a break which she took for the Std XII board examinations.

In an exclusive chat with TOI, Divya said, “This was my second world juniors tournament and I wanted to make my mark. Since I was participating in an international tournament after my Std XII board examinations and before the world juniors, I wanted to have some match practice. Since I got an invitation to play in Sharjah Challengers, I played freely, and the Open tournament went my way. I am happy to win the world juniors where I played some good games.”

After winning the sixth round of the world juniors against Ayan Allahverdiyeva, Divya took the lead and maintained the advantage to lift the title. In a tense 11th and final round, Divya played for over five hours to pull off a thrilling win over Bulgaria’s third seed Krasteva Beloslava in a marathon battle of 57 moves.

On the podium, Divya was followed by Armenia’s second seed Mariam Mkrtchyan at 9.5 points and Ayan of Azerbaijan (8.5).

After taking a handy half-point advantage at the end of the penultimate round, Divya was just a win away from winning the title. In the final round, Divya chose the English Opening with her white pieces and Beloslava opted for the Nimzo-Indian defence.

After all the minor pieces had been exchanged, Divya became a pawn up on the 36th move. Despite losing a pawn, 2289 Elo Beloslava came up with some attacking play, but Divya continued to make accurate moves. While both players lined up their rooks to make a breakthrough, Divya placed her queen in attacking mode. On the 49th move, Beloslava brought her queen ahead but wasn’t able to break Divya’s defence. On the 52nd move, Divya’s extra pawn threatened Beloslava’s king, and the Bulgarian tried some repetitive moves but in vain. Within the next five moves, Divya made Beloslava resign.

“I would rate the sixth round as my toughest outing, and it gave me the lead. Thereafter it was like maintaining that advantage. Today’s game was a bit tense where I tried to build some pressure.”

AIFF set to tell coach Stimac to find new job

...But The Croatian Is Unlikely To Quit

IGOR STIMAC

Marcus.Mergulhao@timesgroup.com

Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will initiate talks with Igor Stimac about mutually parting ways but that is unlikely to happen without compensation being paid to the national team coach who’s been at the helm of affairs for more than five years.

Stimac has a contract till June 2026 that fetches him approximately Rs 25 lakh on a monthly basis, and even though he had told a special AIFF committee that he would part ways if India does not make it to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Croatian is unlikely to quit.

After India’s 2-1 loss against Qatar, Stimac told players that he will remain head coach of the national team.

“Stimac knows that it’s difficult for him (to continue) after the results in the second round of the qualifiers but he does not want to take the entire blame,” a source told TOI. “He feels the AIFF didn’t do enough to support him and did not deliver on the promises that were made.” According to another source, the Croatian coach feels dubious refereeing decisions also held India back with references to the Qatar equaliser, goal denied against Malaysia in Merdeka and a dubious penalty awarded to Iraq in the King’s Cup.

Within the AIFF, and its technical committee, there is no doubt that India must start looking for a new coach. An Indian taking over on a fulltime basis has been ruled out.

“Stimac’s contract situation is the biggest stumbling block,” a senior AIFF official told TOI. “If the new contract had the same termination clauses like the previous one, we could have simply paid three months’ salary and parted ways. Now it’s much more difficult.”

Bindra backs NRAI’s Oly selection process

ABHINAV BINDRA

Gaurav.Gupta@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: Abhinav Bindra, the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist, has backed the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) over the controversial exclusion of 10m air rifle shooter Rudrankksh Patil from India’s shooting squad for the Paris Olympics.

Rudrankksh was excluded from the squad despite winning an Olympic quota for India as the NRAI stuck to its guns, opting for trial-winners over medal-winners. He finished third in the national Olympic shooting Trials.

“See, it’s not a call. It’s a matter of selection. There’s a due process laid out and they (NRAI) followed the process. In case the process was not followed, there would be questions asked. But if a fair process was put out for everybody, it was followed. Of course, I feel bad for Rudrankksh, who’s been a good athlete and who’s been doing consistently well. However, he’s young and I’m sure that there will be many more opportunities for him in the future,” Bindra on Thursday.

Explaining his point further, Bindra, talking at the IISM Convocation Ceremony 2024, said “That is the process laid down for the country. Not just India, many countries follow that process. The quota doesn’t belong to an athlete per se. It belongs to the country. And a process was put out in time, well in advance. Credit to the NRAI for following the process. As athletes, what do we need? We need a clear system and process.

“We need clear policies followed, and that is what has been done, which is fair. When the athlete doesn’t make it, there will be a few who will be disappointed, which is normal.”

Paris Olympics going to be very, very special: Bopanna

World No. 4 Picked For The Games With Balaji As Partner

ROHAN BOPANNA

Kumaraswamy.K@timesgroup.com

Pune: It has been a hugely successful year for Rohan Bopanna, winning his maiden doubles Grand Slam at the Australian Open and becoming the World No. 1. And the India star says he is elated to be nominated to represent India at the Olympics for a third time in his career in Paris later this year.

“This one feels really very, very special. Eight years ago I didn’t even think I would play for India (at the Olympics) again. I missed Tokyo and I wasn’t anywhere close to representing the country,” Bopanna said on Thursday.

The 44-year-old will be pairing with Tamil Nadu’s Sriram Balaji in Paris after the All India Tennis Association went along with Bopanna’s choice of partner.

Bopanna earned automatic qualification by virtue of his world No. 4 ranking — the top 10 ranked players in men’s and women’s doubles are given direct acceptance and can choose a player ranked in the top-300 as their partner. Sumit Nagal, ranked 77 in singles as on Monday — the ranking cut-off date for Olympics entries — is on the list of alternates.

June 14 is the deadline for national federations to submit their nominations to the ITF, which will announce the final list on July 4. The tennis competition will be played at Roland Garros, where Bopanna had won the mixed doubles crown with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017.

“I have been playing very good tennis. Got into the top-10 in rankings and qualified for the Games, the only way I could do it. I have been able to do it twice (having done it in 2016 as well). I am really happy.”

The past two editions when he competed in the quadrennial showpiece had been marred by controversies with AITA initially refusing to pair him with the partner of his choice before climbing down due to public backlash. This time, however, the selection committee headed by former Davis Cupper Nandan Bal, who had also nurtured Bopanna in his formative years, has respected his decision to pair with Balaji. “It is going to be a new experience, playing with someone who will be making his debut at the Olympics,” Bopanna said.

PM-Zelensky meet likely but none with Trudeau fixed yet

Pannun Topic Will Continue To Come Up: US

PM will have a hectic bilater al schedule, with meetings confirmed with French Prez Macron, UK ’s Sunak, Japan’s Kishida, German Chancellor Scholz and Italy PM Meloni

PM Modi in New Delhi before leaving for Italy on Thursday

 Continued from P 1

PM Modi will have a hectic bilateral schedule at G7 with meetings confirmed with French Prez Emmanuel Macron, UK PM Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. He is also likely to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. He had met him at the G7 summit in Hiroshima too last year. Zelensky had invited Modi for peace summit in Switzerland, but India never considered participation at the highest level because of efforts to keep Russia out. There was no meeting scheduled with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau till late Thursday. Asked by reporters accompanying the President aboard Air Force One about the alleged murder-for-hire plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, US NSA Jake Sullivan said the US would continue to raise the issue, as it has in the past, at the highest level with India. “We have made our views known on this issue, and it will be a continuing topic of dialogue between the US and India, including at very senior levels,” added the official.

Diplomatic sources did not rule out the possibility of the issue coming up in the Modi-Biden meeting.

Biden had taken up the issue during his meeting with Modi in Sept and Sullivan is likely to discuss progress, or lack thereof, in the probe India is conducting into the US allegations — that an Indian official masterminded the plot — during his visit to India next week. While the visit has not been officially announced yet, Sullivan is scheduled to be here on June 18.He’s expected to meet his counterpart for a comprehensive review of the initiative on critical and emerging technology (iCET) that Modi and Biden had launched in May 2022.

“He (Biden) expects to see PM Modi here. It’s up to the Indians to formally confirm his attendance, but our expectation is the two of them will have the opportunity to encounter one another. The nature of that encounter is still fluid because so much of the schedule is fluid,” said Sullivan.

Will discuss issues of Global South, say s PM

New Delhi:As he departed for Italy to participate in G7 outreach session as leader of an invitee country, PM Narendra Modi said focus in the session will be on artificial intelligence, energy, Afric a, and the Mediterranean. Modi is expected to address issues related to the Global South in the session.

“It will be an opportunity to bring greater synergy between the outcomes of G20 Summit held u nder India’s Presidency and the forthcoming G7 Summit, and deliberate on issues that are crucial for the Global South,” said the PM, adding he’s also looking forward to meeting other leaders partici pating in the Summit. He will meet Pope Francis on the sidelines.

Modi said he was glad his first visit abroad in the third consecutive term is to Italy for G7 S ummit. “We are committed to consolidate IndiaItaly strategic partnership,” he said.

TNN

New term for Doval comes amid bid to link him to ‘Pannun plot’

 Continued from P 1

The reappointment of 79-year-old Ajit Doval for an unprecedented third term indicates his cruciality in Modi govt’s response to different security challenges. A renewed term for Doval, who played a key role in planning and executing surgical and air strikes against terrorists inside Pakistan, is significant also because of a loud campaign, abroad as well as back home, to link him to the controversies over the alleged plot to kill proKhalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The only IPS officer to have been awarded a Kirti Chakra and seen as the best “operations person” India has had, Doval played an important role also in evacuating Indian nationals from the war zones of Russia and Ukraine and other disaster-hit areas. Known for his extensive contacts in West Asia, he was involved in concept ualising and pushing strategic initiatives such as the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor.

His personal rapport with his counterparts across the world has played a crucial role in getting results from the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Tech- nology as also in restoring trade relations with the US.

Mishrais someone whom Modi has trusted enormously since his days as Gujarat CM. In an interview, he had acknowledged how the Gujarat cadre officer had helped him pick up administrative nuances after he took over as CM.

The 75-year-old retired civil servant had joined Modi’s PMO as additional principal secretary and took over his current role after Nripendra Misra decided to step down. An expert in disaster management, all appointment related issues are handled directly by Mishra.

Even cool high-altitude regions like HP saw 12 heatwave days

IN HOT WATER: A tiger in a water tub at a Ranchi zoo on Thursday

Vishwa.Mohan@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: Data shared by IMD for March 1-June 9 shows that 14 of 36 meteorological subdivisions in country have recorded over 15 heatwave days. These subdivisions are spread across country, with east and north India the worst hit. Even relatively cool high altitude regions such as Himachal reported 12 heatwave days followed by Sikkim (11), J&K(6) and Uttarakhand (2).

Heatwaves are spells of unusually high temperatures as compared to what is normally expected over a region. Thus, temperatures at which heatwaves are declared differ from place to place based on the historical temperatures of that region.

“IMD’s map shows a high number of heatwaves over India. This was expected and predicted in advance. In the year following an El Niño year (2023) we tend to g et more heatwaves. That is due to favourable atmospheric circulation for heatwaves,” said Madhavan Rajeevan, climate scientist and former secretary, ministry of earth sciences.

He attributed the longer spell to global warming, saying it is adding to the natural varia- bility. “We will tend to get more frequent, longer and stronger heatwaves. We, therefore, need to be well prepared,” said Rajeevan while flagging the current longer spell against the normal 6 -8 heatwave days averaged over central and northwest India per year. A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature of a weather station is at least 40°C in the plains and at least 30°C in hilly regions, and it is 4.5 to 6.4°C above the normal temperature. If it’s 6.5° or more above normal, a severe heatwave is declared. Also, heatwave is automatically considered if the temperature touches 45°C and a severe heatwave declared if it reaches 47°C. In coastal area, a heatwave is declared if maximum temperature is 37°C or more and departure is 4.5° or more above normal.

The criteria of declaring heatwaves is, however, not the same in the other countries as quantitatively, there are different thresholds used around the globe. “It is usually defined based on the temperature thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its departure from normal,” the Met department said.

“Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to continue over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and UP during next five days (till June 18) with a reduction thereafter in terms of areas and intensity,” said the Met department in its extended range forecast for next two weeks.

It predicted a similar situation for Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh and Odisha till June 16, saying these regions will see a reduction in intensity thereafter due to occurrence of rainfall activities over east India. Himachal, Jammu, Uttarakhand, northwest MP and north Rajasthan will also experience reduction in intensity after June 16.

SC hearing on larger issue of ‘NEET-UG paper leak’ on July 8

Continued from P 1

Having considered the submissions and material placed on record, this court finds that the recommendations made by the committee on June 12, 2024, after deliberations held on June 10, 11 and 12 are fair, reasonable and justified.

Accordingly, the respondent NTA may proceed for holding the re-test as indicated above, Justices Nath and Mehta said.

NEET-UG, taken by over 24 lakh students on May 5, has been marred by allegations of paper leak, mismanagement and awarding of grace marks. Some students approached SC and various high courts while many took to the streets to protest.

The 1,563 students were given grace marks since they did not get the full 3 hours 20 minutes to take the test. The marks were awarded on the basis of recommendations of the grievance redressal committee constituted by NTA. As protests broke out over the decision, a second committee reconsidered the issue and recommended reversal of grace marks.

Advocate J Sai Deepak insisted that 1,563 candidates were only those who had approached courts and the num- ber of students who did not g et the stipulated time was much higher. He said all those students who suffered should be allowed to appear in re-test but NTA objected to his plea and said the problem was confined to only six test centres.

The court, after hearing all sides, closed the case on the issue of grace marks while keeping the larger issue on question paper leak pending which will be heard on July 8.

The entrance test was conducted across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad. Reports of paper leak surfaced after the test and a few arrests were also made.

GALLERY

Celtics on brink of title after win over Mavericks

Dallas: The Boston Celtics, fuelled by their star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, held off a Dallas rally to beat the Mavericks 106-99 on Wednesday and take a 3-0 stranglehold on the NBA finals. Tatum broke out of his scoring doldrums to score 31 points. Brown scored 15 of his 30 in a scorching third quarter and the Celtics held on to move within one win of a recordsetting 18th NBA crown.

Prannoy, Sameer enter Australian Open quarters: Shuttlers HS Prannoy and Sameer Verma progressed to the men’s singles quarterfinals of the Australian Open with contrasting wins on Thursday. While fifth seed Prannoy beat Israel’s Misha Zilberman 21-17, 21-15, Verma upset eighth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 21-14, 14-21, 21-19. Prannoy will be up against second seed Kodai Naroaka of Japan in the next round, while Verma will play Chinese Taipei’s Chun-Yi Lin.

Wimbledon serves up record prize money of £50m: Wimbledon will have a record £50 million ($63.94m) prize money pot this year with singles champions taking home 2.7 million each, the All England Lawn Tennis Club said on Thursday. The total prize money is 11.9%, or £5.3 million, more than offered at last year’s tournament. First round singles losers will each get £60,000.

AGENCIES

Flamingo excels: Flamingo Dancer, Cavarozzi, NRI Fairy, Aabhushan and Beautiful Bloom excelled during the test-trials at Mysore on Thursday.

TNN

ACTION TODAY

BADMINTON: Aus Open, QFs, 7.30 am (Jiocinema)

CRICKET: ICC T20 WC, AFG vs PNG, 6 am; USA vs Ireland, 8 pm (Star Sports)

FOOTBALL: Euro 2024, Germany vs Scotland, 12.30 am Saturday (Sony Sports)

Ingebrigtsen collects record sixth Euro gold:

Norway’s Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 1,500 metres in Rome on Wednesday for a record sixth European Championship gold. The 23-yearold charged down the final metres and was all by himself when he crossed the finish in 3:31.95, a championship record, to become the most decorated male athlete ever in the continental championship.

The win established him as Europe’s leading male athlete, beyond Britons Mo Farah and Roger Black and then-West Germany’s Harald Schmid, who all also won six European medals, but whose tallies included five golds and a silver.

AGENCIES

‘MIAMI WILL BE MY LAST CLUB’

Atlanta: Lionel Messi says Inter Miami will be “my last club.” The 36-year-old World Cup champion isn’t thinking about joining an Argentine club to write the last chapter of playing career. “I think Inter Miami is going to be my last club. Today I think it is going to be my last club,” the Argentina captain said in an interview with ESPN.

Lionel says he won’t play for Argentina in Paris: Lionel Messi said he will not be part of Argentina’s squad for the Paris Olympics as he is no longer at an age where he can play in every tournament. “I talked to (manager Javier) Mascherano and the truth is we both understood the situation,” Messi told ESPN. “It’s hard (to think about the Olympics right now) because we’re in Copa America. It would be two, three straight months of not being with the club, and more than anything I’m not at an age to be in everything. I have to choose carefully.”

Borussia Dortmund coach Terzic resigns: Edin Terzic has resigned as coach of Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund, the German club said on Thursday. Meanwhile, former Roma coach Paulo Fonseca is to return to Italy as the new boss of AC Milan, the Serie A club announced on Thursday.

AGENCIES

Delhi Times

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- I’ve never played a negative role before, it is fun, says Manas Shah

Teaser is so offensive: SC halts screening of Hamare Baarah

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the release of Hamare Baarah and asked the Bombay High Court to take an expeditious decision on a petition alleging that the film was derogatory to the Islamic faith and married Muslim women,” says a Bar and Bench report. The SC bench ordered that the till the disposal of the petition challenging the movie’s certification, the screening of the movie shall remain suspended.

The movie was slated to be released today. “We request the High Court to dispose of the plea expeditiously,” the SC said, while halting the screening of the movie. The court passed the order after hearing a petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s refusal to stay the release of the movie. The counsel representing the petitioner submitted that the High Court had directed an “interested party” – the CBFC – to form a committee to screen the movie.

However, the counsel representing the moviemaker said all the objectionable scenes were removed from the teasers. The SC rejected the claim. “We saw the teaser today morning and all scenes are there,” it said. When the makers said he would have to incur losses on ac- count of the stay order, the court said, “If teaser is so offensive then what about the whole movie... Prima facie it seems you have failed since you yourself deleted the scenes from the teaser.” Agencies

It seemed like lazy casting: Cameron on not wanting to cast Kate in Titanic

James Cameron

Titanic established Kate Winslet as a superstar, but her role in the film wasn’t always guaranteed. According to the 1997 Best Picture Oscar winner’s writer-director James Cameron, Winslet’s reputation as “Corset Kate,” as a recent Variety profile dubbed the actress, caused him to hesitate in casting her. “It seemed like lazy casting,” he said, considering Winslet, now 48, was known for previous work in period pieces like 1995’s Sense and Sensibility and 1996’s Hamlet — playing roles perhaps too similar to Titanic’s wealthy socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater. “But then wiser heads pre- vailed, and I could see what everybody was talking about,” recalled Cameron, 69. On the screen, he added, Winslet is “very alive. She comes into a room with a great deal of confidence.” TNN

Kate in still from Titanic

There’s a cat among the lawmakers. So what’s new?

POV

Much to the disappointment of conspiracy theorists, the “mysterious creature” strolling around Rashtrapati Bhawan during the swearing in ceremony turned out to be – not an animagus or an actual leopard – but a common cat. The assurance came after the majestic structure was combed by a team deployed to find out if there was indeed the possibility of an unidentified animal making itself at home with the country’s most powerful women and men. After all, lawmakers have had a rather uneasy co-existence with certain creatures, especially the rhesus macaque.

During the G20 summit held last year in the capital, civic authorities had to install life-size cutouts of langurs at strategic locations – to scare away the marauding smaller monkeys. Earlier, the old parliament blocks were witness to everything from professional monkey catchers to people dressed up as langurs, to keep the primates at bay. In fact, in 2014, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation hired 40 such men to tame the monkeys running wild in what they evidently believed, was their territory and the humans – no matter how important in their world– were either a source of food, or just intruders. The then Minister of Urban Development had to assuage the fears of his colleagues by detailing the efforts being made to deal with the monkey trouble. It included the acquisition of rubber bullets among other things.

The turf war between parliamentarians, government officials and monkeys is stuff of legend. It inspired a dark social satire called Eeb Allay Ooo!, and had correspondents from BBC and NYT chasing this…very Indian story.

In the web series, Poacher, one of the recurring themes is that of creatures watching us from the nooks and crannies of cities and towns. The idea, said the makers, was to convey how they were always there, even before we arrived.

The appearance of the cat in the Rashtrapati Bhawan on one of its busiest days is thus a reminder, that no matter how tight the security or how sanitised our urban spaces, the animal world will always find a way to make its presence felt.

Agree? Disagree? Got a POV idea? Write to us at: pov@timesgroup.com

All Deol men cry, we aren’t embarrassed about it: Bobby Deol

My brother and my dad have been my inspiration when it comes to action

Onkar Kulkarni

The Deols are known to wear their emotion on their sleeve, and they have never shied away from expressing themselves in the presence of their fans and the media. Last year saw the Deols enjoying a fabulous run at the theatres – both Sunny and Bobby’s films (Gadar 2 and Animal) broke box office records, and papa Dharamji’s romantic turn in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani melted hearts. Post the success, and what was called the return of Bobby Deol, the brothers-in-arms were seen at several events and TV shows getting teary-eyed while sharing stories about their family and individual journeys in cinema.

“I think everybody cries, it’s just that most don’t talk about it. The Deols are emotional people, and we are happy to be that way,” says Bobby Deol

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

Papa lifts the energy of a room when he walks in: Shriya Pilgaonkar

Holding Shriya in my hands for the first time was the biggest joy of my life We speak about work, but I don’t give advice unless she asks me for it. Now, we like to travel and just chill together, discussing film & music – Sachin Pilgaonkar

Papa is an incredible teacher... He is a one-man army & it’s amazing to see him work with so much passion He lifts the energy of a room... One of his life lessons to me is that one should learn not just from their seniors but also from juniors – Shriya Pilgaonkar

Shriya Pilgaonkar with her father, Sachin Pilgaonkar

Natasha Coutinho

Shriya Pilgaonkar still remembers how her father, Sachin Pilgaonkar, would sit by her bed when she was a child and tell stories as she fell asleep. “Each night, it was a new story with different characters. Papa is an amazing storyteller, and I think that is where my love for stories and performing comes from,” says Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar’s daughter.

While both her parents are actors, she didn’t fully realise how well known they were till the time came for the school parent-teacher meetings. “Everyone would be excited to see them, and those moments made me realise the impact they had as actors on people’s lives. At other times, they were my hard-working parents, who were very involved in my life,” Shriya adds.

Travel buddies

“Her mannerisms are like Supriya’s, but her personality is like mine,” says Sachin, adding that Shriya is a foodie just like him. The father-daughter duo bonds over their shared love of travel. “One of our most memorable trips was the family holiday we had in Maldives last year. Papa loves to swim, but not in the ocean. I wanted him to try snorkelling and though he was scared at first, he finally overcame his fear. Like me, he’s always up for a good adventure,” Shriya remembers.

IND V/S USA: AADHAR CARD TRUMPS GREEN CARD

Talk of the town

Despite a low-scoring match and Saurabh Netravalkar’s brilliant opening spell for USA, Team India managed to win their first international match against the United States

Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa all set to entertain with Kudi Haryane Val Di

Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa

The buzz for Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa’s upcoming Punjabi and Haryanvi cross-cultural film, Kudi Haryane Val Di, is reaching beyond traditional Punjabi audiences. Producer Pawan Gill says, “Right from the start of the film’s marketing, Ammy & Sonam have promoted it across the country and left no stone unturned. A recent social media reel made by Sonam and Ammy has touched more than 28.2M views, showing the wide reaching appeal and engagement of the film’s campaign.”

The film is releasing in both Punjabi and Haryanvi. The film will have a balance of both languages. The upcoming film stars Yograj Singh, Yashpal Sharma, Ajay Hooda, Hardeep Gill, Honey Mattu, and Deedar Gill, among others.

The film is a comedy romance entertainer set in the world of wrestling, where both Sonam and Ammy’s families belong to wrestling backgrounds. The movie shows how the two meet and how their wrestling and cultural worlds collide. Pawan adds, “This will be the widest-releasing film starring both Ammy and Sonam across India, and essentially uniting the Jatt and Jaat people.”

The film is releasing worldwide on June 14. It is written and directed by Rakesh Dhawan, who has written blockbuster hits like Honsla Rakh and Chal Mera Putt, and produced by Pawan Gill, Aman Gill, and Sunny Gill, who have produced the all-time entertainers Shadaa and Puaada before under their banner Ramara Films.

KARAN ON RISING STAR FEES: ‘MANY ACTORS ARE NOT IN TOUCH NOT IN TOUCH WITH REALITY’

The remuneration of the actors has critical for all the actors to understand exactly how the times are

The remuneration of movie stars need to be looked at again and many of them are not in touch with reality, filmmaker Karan Johar said on Wednesday as he weighed in on the debate around the rising star fee in Bollywood. “The main remuneration of the actors has to be looked at again. It’s very critical for all the actors to understand exactly how the times are, how the climate of our movies are, and how difficult it is to maneuver through making a massive motion picture or a motion picture of any magnitude,” Karan said at an event in Mumbai.

He added, “Every single movie star has to review what they are asking for, because many a times, there will be certain producers that will pay that money because they want to make that film, but it will eventually cause a lot of damage to the entire system and the ecosystem. The real issue is the cost. So they have to look at that and say that there can be backend deals or there can be percentages of profit. But every actor has to look within, because a lot of them are not really in touch with reality.” PTI

BUZZ STOP

FIRING OUTSIDE HOUSE: POLICE RECORD SALMAN’S STATEMENTS

Mumbai Police has recorded statements of SALMAN KHAN and his brother Arbaaz Khan regarding the firing outside their residence Galaxy Apartments in Bandra in April, an official said on Wednesday. A four-member crime branch team visited them on June 4, he said. Salman’s statement was recorded for nearly four hours, while his brother’s statement was recorded for more than two hours, the official said. PTI

AN ARIJIT-MARTIN COLLAB IN THE WORKS?

Fans of both Martin Garrix and Arijit Singh have not been able to contain their excitement since the two shared a picture together on Instagram. “Incredible week, thank you Arijit Singh,” Martin wrote in the now-viral post

Add mulch, make pebble trays: Protect plants amid heatwaves

While paying extra attention iscrucial, some plants like money plant, monstera, areca palm, ZZ plantare still doing well indoors. Snake plant, syngonium, cactus, dragon fruit, jade, aloe vera are faring well outdoors in this weather

Leaves are getting scorched in Delhi summers even if they are kept in places that don’t get direct sun. Plants like traveller’s palms and ficus, which enjoy direct sun, are suffering too – Sanchaita, plantscape designer and owner of a farm cafe

As the temperatures soar, IMD predicts heatwaves in the coming days and humidity remains in the 15%-20% bracket

Shivika Manchanda

As the capital continues to battle the summer heat, like you and your pets, your plants and terrace gardens need extra care and attention too. We ask Delhi-based plant care experts for some tips.

‘PLANTS MAY EXPERIENCE-HEAT SHOCKS IN THIS WEATHER’

“The heatwave is harsh on everyone. The hot air burn up the leaves, making them crisp. Low humidity levels add to the stress. Tropical houseplants suffer the most because they thrive best in humid areas. The current situation is causing browning of leaves, pre-mature shedding of flowers and stunted fruit growth. Plants may experience heat shock and fail to survive,” says Aditi Khattar, an urban landscape designer.

Annu Sharma, a plant expert, says, “This year, plants are either drying up or their leaves are getting burnt due to high temperatures and hot air. Just like humans, plants also experience garmsard if water is given during the day, damaging their roots. Indoor plants are also affected due to the excessive use of air conditioners that lower the humidity in the room. I suggest plant parents make DIY pebble trays, fill them with water, and let their plants sit on them to enjoy muchrequired humidity.”

Tending tips

● Check your watering schedule – water your plants in the early morning hours or late evening to ensure absorption

● Mulch the soil with organic materials like husk and coco peat to help the soil retain moisture. You can add organic kitchen scrap, wood chips or dried neem leaves

● If your plants are getting sunburns, shift them to a shaded area

● If you have a sun-facing balcony or a terrace garden, use a green net providing 75% shade

● Keep humidity-loving plants huddled together. Keep plants on top of pebble trays filled with water or use affordable, electric humidifiers to help plants stay healthy

● Spray water on plants in the evenings

● Avoid repotting plants, until necessary. Plants take time to adjust after repotting and they may experience shock too, so it is not advised to repot plants during peak summers

● Prune dead branches regularly

● – inputs from landscape designer Aditi Khattar and plant experts Annu and Varun Sharma

TRIPPIN

NARGIS FAKHRI is chasing blue skies at MYKONOS, GREECE and her pics are perfect for our summer travel goals

Govinda has my style, Ranveer my energy: Ganesh Acharya

Social media is a very important platform now because of its reach. We’ve to put out content that’s worth one’s time as there is so much variety

Ganesh Acharya

Sundas Jawed

From Coolie No. 1 to What Jhumka?, Ganesh Acharya has blown away the Indian audience with his hook steps and energy for decades now. The choreographer spoke to us recently about his fitness journey, hook steps, his favourites and more.

‘ART HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BODY SHAPE OR SIZE’

“Be it martial arts or dance, art works on soul and not body strength. So weight is of no significance. But, one must try to stay fit for mental well-being and overall health,” says Acharya. He adds, “Trolls are like a mirror, but dealing with them is not difficult. The only thing important is to keep yourself humble.”

‘KIDS JUMP FROM ONE TREND TO THE OTHER QUICKLY NOW’

Acharya reflected on how kids change their career choices and art forms without a second thought but according to him, indecisiveness is not the only rea- son behind this. “Yes, kids these days lose interest very easily, but it is also about lack of opportunities. Every end should have a new beginning, and we have to create those platforms for them,” says the choreographer.

THE OG OF HOOK STEPS

Dance is less about steps and more about the energy an actor brings to it. “One actor who does justice to the energy of my steps is Ranveer Singh but if I have to choose one whose dance style matches mine, it is Govinda, we have the same grace, masti and flow,” says Acharya, adding, “We spontaneously shot many songs. Nowadays song shoots take up to 10 days but back then, hum log masti mein pura song ek din mein shoot kar lete the.”

On Husn Hai Suhana steps going viral Acharya says, “Content from the past is like gold. The present generation lacks that so they try to recreate content from the past. It’s important to upgrade with time but the content is the crux of everything and that should be the focus. Husn Hai Suhana is a hit among youngsters even now as the content was solid. Content naya ho ya purana usmein power hona chahiye.”

‘Any movement is a step for me’ Ganesh says most of his iconic steps were inspired by random acts of people. “I am a creative person, any movement I see is a step for me. If a person is enjoying scratching their head, then a population of 140 crores will also enjoy it — that is how the Tattad Tattad step originated.”

A still from Tattad Tatta d

Is your cab rating the latest dating flex?

Uber ratings have found a place in dating app bios

In the ever evolving landscape of modern dating, a new trend is emerging – the Uber rating flex. Social media is abuzz with discussions about how your Uber rating might be the newest indicator of dateability. More dating app users are now showcasing their high ratings in their bios, setting a new standard – if your rating is below 4.5, it might be seen as a red flag.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ameesha Patel wasn’t the first choice for Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai

While Ameesha Patel did a fabulous job in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai opposite Hrithik Roshan, she was not the first choice of Rakesh Roshan. Initially, Kareena Kapoor was cast to debut in the film but dropped out and made her debut in Refugee (2000).

DILLI MEIN EID BAHUT ZYAADA AALISHAAN HOTI THI: AASIF

Shivika Manchanda

During his recent work trip to the capital, Aasif Sheikh’s quick visit to Connaught Place proved to be a nostalgic one, as he spoke to us about his early years in Delhi, how celebrating Eid has always meant hosting multiple daawats at home and more.

‘EID PAR HUMARE YAHAN KHOOB RAUNAK HOTI HAI, DAAWAT HOTI HAI’

“On Eid, all my friends come to my house. Eid ke din humare yahan bahut hulchul aur khoob raunak hoti hai. Mere bachchon ke bhi dost aate hain. We feast the entire day. Our friends look forward to the Mughlai food in our home, so we make sure there’s biryani. For my vegetarian friends, we have homemade dahi bhalle, poori with sabzis,” he says.

Aasif enjoys cooking and prepares a special dish for the Eid spread at home or for friends on the sets. He adds, “I make yakhni pulav, nihari or Dilliwale style ka korma for Eid. There’s a lot of food, saath mein gappe chalti hain, mazaa aata hai. For Eid alAdha this year, we will definitely be making kebabs, biryani and keema-kaleji.”

Aasif moved to Mumbai from Delhi in the late ’80s. Remembering his Delhi days, he says, “Dilli mein Eid bahut aalishaan hoti thi. My mother used to

make sheer khorma. She used to start preparing two days before Eid. Daawaton ka silsila toh tabse chala aa raha hai.”

‘Used to walk down to CP from Basant Lane everyday after dinner’

Sharing his Delhi memories, the Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai! actor says, “I remember walking down to Connaught Place with my friends everyday after dinner to relish paan. We used have Nutty Buddy ice cream at Nirula’s on some days. We were regulars there. On Sundays, we used to go to Janpath and have coffee at Depaul’s. I used to play for hours in Central Park on the weekends. Iss area mein bahut waqt bitaya hai.”

The actor prefers eating light and shares, “Though I am particular about what I eat, I enjoy my food... Nothing beats Delhi food. Dilli ke khane mein jo lazzat hai, aroma hai, that’s missing elsewhere. Delhi food has soul. Yahan ki dal-roti bhi bahut swaadisht lagti hai, yahan ka paani hi kuch aisa hai.”

While the actor still enjoys Delhi food, he says the city has changed quite a lot. “The city feels alien to me... I visited the Basant Lane area in Panchkuian Road two years back to visit my old house, lekin sab badal gaya hai,” he says.

Aasif’s yakhni pulav

INGREDIENTS

● Mulmul cloth potli

● Spices like cardamom, dhaniya, star anise, saunf

● Ginger juliennes

● Garlic cloves

● Green chillies

● Salt

● Shahi jeera

● Rice

● Mutton

● Ghee

RECIPE: Roast mutton in ghee. In a potli, mix cardamom, saunf, star anise, ginger, garlic, 1-2 green chillies, along with other khade masale. In a cauldron, put the roasted mutton, water and drop the potli. Bring it to a boil. Strain the mutton and save the stock (yakhni). Now, in the cauldron, pour ghee, add cumin and mutton – cook for 4-5mins. Then add rice, yakhni and salt (as per taste). Then, cover the lid and seal it with dough. Cook on medium flame for 35-40 mins and open the lid after 20mins. Serve it with burhani raita.

Aasif also shared his favourite yakhni pulav recipe with us, a dish he learnt to make from his mother

Review

BOBACHEE Global kitchen, bar, terrace cafe

Chef and entrepreneur Yuvraj Kohli counts legacy restaurants – multi-cuisine spaces that have been around for almost three generations – as personal favourites. These served as an inspiration for his new concept, Bobachee, an anglicised name for bawarchi, an all-day diner that serves Indian and British inspired dishes from the pre and post-Partition era, popular picks from the 1980-90s and modern Asian and European treats for the new generation.

ATMOSPHERICS

In a steep real-estate market like Delhi where rentals have gone through the roof, owning the physical space for your restaurant is a huge help. The building where Bobachee is housed on South Extension main road used to be the Kohli family home and today, it is a sprawling commercial unit with an electronics store, a gym and now, this lavish new diner. You won’t miss Bobachee’s signage as you cross the bustling ring road. Indoors, it is an elaborate all-day diner with over 200-cover spread across two levels and alfresco seating. The terrace offers an unmatched view of the market and traffic passing by, while the inside is modern and tastefully done. White and beige theme dominates the colour palette with planters adding natural green hues across the outlet. The high ceiling and spacious seating add to the expansive look.

FOOD

Think of your favourite legacy family restaurants in Connaught Place or famous clubs of Delhi such as Gymkhana or Delhi Golf Club — where we’ve all loved to dine — to picture the menu offerings at Bobachee. Cream of tomato soup, Caesar salad, potato cutlets, sandwich, fish and chips, chicken pepper steak, chicken junglee maas and railway mutton curry are all there on the menu. With the reins in the hands of younger entrepreneurs, find contemporary favourites on the menu such as a full Oriental section with sushi (our picks: crunch vegetable `725 and prawn tempura `845) and dimsums (exotic vegetable and chilli oil crystal dumplings `535, chicken and bird eye chili gyoza `725 are worth a try). Also worth your while are Neapolitan pizza in thin crust (`655 onwards), a selection of pasta (`625 onwards) and Mezze platters (`1,295 onwards). The cocktail and mocktail menu is decent and adds to the dining experience. The outlet is already a popular family dining spot in the area.

PLUS AND MINUS

The family owns and operates a few Moti Mahal Delux restaurants in the city and abroad. So, they are well-aware of what makes a family diner tick. Bobachee, though, is a whole new concept by their third generation. – Amin Ali

TIMES FOOD GUIDE

Bobachee: Third floor, D Block, D-14, South Ex 2, Delhi 110049;

Tel: +91 77019 77588;

Meal for two: `2,500;

Timings: Noon – Midnight; Credit cards accepted, Alcohol served

RATING: ■ Food: 3.75 ■ Service: 3.25 ■ Décor: 3.75

Do you agree? Write your own review and give it a rating at whatshot.in

(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Average (1) Poor

MUST TRY: Chicken ala kiev, mutton ghee roast, pizza, Indian and Continental mains

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Aamras and mango chutney among top global mango dishes

While the temperatures are soaring, one good thing about this season is the arrival of the king of fruits – mangoes. From chatpata mango achaar to khatti meethi mango chutney, every household in the country savours the fruit in various forms. Many Indian mangobased recipes have now found a place on the ‘Best Mango Dishes in the World’ list by Taste Atlas.

While aamras topped the list, with mango chutney securing fifth place. Other Indian mango-based recipes that made it to the list include aam dal, amba, and mango kadhi, ranking 13th, 17th, and 26th, respectively. TNN

Mango chutney is a traditional Indian chutney which can be prepared with ripe or unripe mangoes

>> Aamras is traditionally made in Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is savoured with puri or kurdai (a type of string papad)

Uff, uff mirchi! Denmark recalls Korean ramen over spiciness levels

Denmark’s food agency has recalled three varieties of South Korean instant ramen noodles, warning consumers that its spice level might cause acute poisoning.

Three hot flavours of the noodles are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken, and Hot Chicken Stew. In an statement, the Danish body said to its citizens: “If you have the products, you should discard them or return them to the store where they were purchased.” It also issued a warning for children, urging parents to contact the medical helpline if kids showed acute symptoms.

According to a news report, the company, Samyang Foods, stated that this is the first time its products have been recalled for being too hot. “We understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality but because they were too spicy,” the firm told BBC.

■ The company’s products are popular in many countries. In 2023, their operating profit touched a record high of over $110 million (`835 crore)

■ After the buldak carbonara ramen went viral on social media, the company witnessed its stock price skyrocket 70% in recent months

I have always wanted to do films like my brother, says Bobby Deol

I think my whole family is extremely emotional. All Deol men cry. We are not embarrassed about it. It is an emotion that is just there. The Deols are emotional people

Bobby Deol says, “I think an action film always works when there is an emotion behind it”

CONTINUED FROM FLAP FRONT

Talking about the high emo quotient in their family, Bobby says, “It’s like when you see sportsmen playing in the stadium, when they win, they cry. I think when you achieve something big after so much hard work, what you see are tears of joy. It’s a normal phenomenon that happens to anyone.” He adds, “I think my whole family is extremely emotional. All Deol men cry. We are not embarrassed about it. It is an emotion that is just there. I think everybody cries, it’s just that most don’t talk about it. The Deols are emotional people.”

‘MY BROTHER AND MY DAD HAVE BEEN MY INSPIRATION WHEN IT COMES TO ACTION’

In his last release, Animal, Bobby Deol surprised everyone with his never-seen-before avatar as Abrar. The actor was seen doing some gory action with Ranbir Kapoor in the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial and won praise for his hotheaded performance. He will be soon seen doing some more action in an upcoming pan-India film. He says, “My brother and my dad have been my inspiration when it comes to action. I have always wanted to do films like my brother, but I wouldn’t get those films because bhaiya was doing them (laughs).”

‘I DON’T ENJOY BRAINLESS ACTION’

Bobby’s favourite action film is the Sunny Deolstarrer Ghayal. “I loved Ghayal. I think an action film always works when there is an emotion be- hind it. I haven’t really enjoyed brainless action. I mean, I did enjoy John Wick. It was brainless action, but there’s something about Keanu Reeves that you just enjoy watching on screen,” he shares.

Bobby Deol with brother Sunny Deol

I’ve never played a negative role before, it is fun, says Manas Shah

Manas Shah, who is currently playing a negative role in Yeh Hai Chahatein, says that he is “enjoying the experience.” The actor, who started his journey on TV with Hamari Devrani (2008) and made a comeback on the small screen last year, tells us, “I took a break from TV after Spy Bahu (2022) as I was busy shooting for a web series. When I took up Yeh Hai Chahatein initially, I was playing the parallel lead. When the character became a negative lead later, I was excited because I’ve never played such a role before. Playing a negative role is more fun.”

He adds shares, “I don’t think OTT has impacted TV viewership. TV has a loyal audience, and not every OTT show can be watched with the family. Good content works in any medium.”

Soumitra Das

Manas Shah is excited about playing the negative lead in Yeh Hai Chahatein (inset)

Table of Contents

TOI Print Edition Jun 14, 2024

Front Page

Heatwaves more than double of normal this year: IMD data

Sensex, Nifty hit new intraday highs

Nestle may face action at home

Man finds human finger in ice-cream

11 sambars dead in Ranthambore

Girl refuses to wed dowry suspect, killed

SC tells Yamuna Board to decide on Delhi’s plea for more Hry water ASAP

45 Indians from 12 states killed in Kuwait fire; 23 from Kerala alone

50 cloth shops gutted in fire at Chandni Chowk

6 burned alive in blast in Nagpur explosives unit

5 of Gzb family choke to death in house fire

National anthem must in all J&K schools daily

MP bill aims to avert borewell deaths

K’taka murder: Neta tried to shield actor?

Elephant crushes man to death in MP

J&K may return to deployment pattern of 1990s

India slams Pak and China for J&K reference

In U-turn, NEET grace marks for 1563 junked, re-test on June 23

HC: BoB to pay firm `76L lost to cyber fraud

After LS loss, Ajit Pawar’s wife files RS nomination

Non-bailable warrant against BSY in Pocso case

Modi, Biden to meet at G7; US to raise Pannun plot at ‘very sr levels’

NSA Doval, principal secy Mishra get another term

Times Nation

In J&K, deploy full strength of counter-terror apparatus: PM

Jumbo crushes sleeping man to death in Bhopal

Elephant kills man making reels in Bijnor

In a first, MP to table bill to stop borewell deaths

50 detained as search ops for ultras continue

HEAT IN PLAINS HITS ROADS IN HILLS

4 forest staffers burnt alive in Binsar sanctuary

PIB’s fact-check unit claims it ‘busted’ 12 fake news channels

Two UP & Bihar towns, and also a scientist, now have twins on Mars

K’taka minister tries to shield actor in murder case, but fails

Sikkim CM wife quits day after taking MLA oath

Haemorrhage, shock killed man: Autopsy

Prosecute Nestle for Cerelac ‘scam’, NGOs tell Swiss govt

Mumbai doc finds part of human finger in ice cream cone made by Ghaziabad co

11 sambars die within days in Ranthambore

Blast at Nagpur explosives unit kills 6 people

Return to petitioners `76L lost in cyber fraud, HC tells Bank of Baroda

NCP picks Ajit wife for RS, leaves some MLAs upset

Prez notifies Speaker’s poll amid suspense over NDA’s pick

Banks can’t use LOC to recover debt: HC

Missing considered dead after 7 yrs: HC

Treat transgenders as special bloc: HC

Rape-murder: 41 yrs on, man gets relief

HC: Not abetment to suicide if hubby kills self after dowry case

Why sack small fish? HC calls for top officials’ heads in Rajkot fire case:

Remains of Kuwait fire’s Kerala victims likely to be brought home today

Now, singing nat’l anthem in morning must in J&K schools

Khandu sworn in as Arunachal CM for 3rd term

Man being taken to CT scan room killed in Guj hosp

Car-truck crash kills 3 in Raj:

Guj HC stays release of OTT movie after Hindu sect’s protest

NTA to release revised merit list after NEET re-test results

No proof of NEET-UG paper leak, charges are baseless, says Pradhan

Rains trigger Sikkim landslides, 3 killed:

Times City

At Munak, Water Gets Protective Cover

No child’s play, cops on foot, bikes and SUVs

Atishi meets CM in jail, directs officials to plug leaks

Vigilance asks DJB to provide info on tankers hired by it in past 5 yrs

HC directs DU to assess water, other facilities at Law Faculty

Crisis consequence of govt’s inaction: Swaraj

Rumours Of Water Leakage False: Govt

Delhi govt to SC: Water mafia active in Haryana

Complaints aplenty from Vasant Kunj to Greater Kailash

2 Buildings Collapse In Fire, Close To 50 Shops Affected

Fire at Asita East damages 30-acre green area, trigger unclear

Trapped, five of Ghaziabad family suffocate to death

Delivered! Happy result after seven failed pregnancies

Pollution fight key focus area of govt’s summer action plan

Heatwaves Unabated For 5th Day, Relief Unlikely For Next 5

Bharadwaj asks chief secy for list of drains desilted till June 10

Man beats father to death over property

Junior Docs Can’t Decide On Referral

‘No exceptional circumstances’: Court denies interim bail to accused in waqf board case

Two men robbed of `50L in east Delhi, one arrested

Delhi zoo plans to up surveillance in animal enclosures

Mock FIRs, App Training To Make Cops’ Hold On New Laws Strong

DoE intensifies efforts to boost amenities in govt schools

At hosp close to you: Latest version of Gamma Knife

At meet with workers, AAP vows to bounce back in assembly polls

History-sheeter, friend, 2 homeless injured in firing

Caretaker of mosque gets a month to vacate premises

Court seeks Crime Branch’s report on Bishnoi threat call

Delayed, hence denied: Work pending for 6 months will be closed, says MCD

CINEMA OF THE WEEK

Man dies in car accident

Two juveniles among six held for robbery of `70L in N Delhi

‘Consumer can claim refund even after being offered possession in a delayed project’

MCD forms task force to control malaria

3 men with drugs held

Day after ‘solid waste exigency’ declared, garbage on Ggn roads

28-year-old man shot at in west Delhi; two in police net

24-year run for ‘murderer’ ends with arrest in Bihar

Times Global

US Supreme Court unanimously rejects bid to restrict abortion pill

Pak anti-terrorism court judge accuses ISI of harassment to get desired verdicts

‘Too offensive’: AI refuses to copy top French author’s style of writing

Russia: Warships in Cuba not a worry for US, West deaf to diplomatic signals

Green Party’s losses at EU vote to hit climate goals?

Why Russia, China and the Big Tech use faux females to get clicks

AROUND THE WORLD

Russia: Detained US reporter will stand trial over ‘CIA work’

G7 agrees on $50bn loan deal to back Ukraine with frozen Russian assets

In a first, pope plans to attend G7

US, Ukraine ink 10-yr def pact billed as Nato precursor

Times Business

Fresh trouble for Byju’s as NCLT blocks rights issue

Mondelez to bring Biscoff to India with Lotus tie-up

Adani buys Penna Cement from Reddys in `10k cr deal

Sensex hits new high as inflation dips

‘Merc to invest `3k cr in Maha’

Voda Idea to issue shares to clear Nokia, Ericsson dues

‘Want to make air travel accessible to everyone’

Asked to quit, Paytm employees cry foul

Tesla investors set to OK Musk’s $56bn pay package

Rate rejig may come back on GST Council table

‘Consumer mkt driven by youth’

Times Techies.AI

Solving the mysteries of the universe

LAWYERS & AI ARE AN IDEAL FIT

AI is not just a computer science subject anymore

How enterprises can get the best out of AI solutions

WINNERS OF AI IMAGE CONTEST

AI IN-GROUP LINGO AGENTIC WORKFLOWS MIMIC HUMAN THOUGHT PROCESS

Editorial

Securing Kashmir

Those Ten Digits

Mahatma memories

Haj Is Akin To Visiting The Almighty

Opposition Needs An Economic Plan. Here’s One

CONTRAPUNTO

Sacred space

8%: Why Some Muslims Voted For Modi

Times Sport

A VIRAT-SIZED PROBLEM

USA become first team to be hit by ‘stop-clock’ penalty

‘An emotional moment for me to get Kohli’s wicket’

Pak fret over US-Ireland clash

Shakib, Rishad help B’desh sink the Dutch

Dube adapts to tough pitch and shows he’s not a one-trick pony

Rampaging Rutherford drives Windies into Super Eight

‘Hope Josh’s comments were tongue in cheek’

ROLL UP FOR THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

World wakes up to bagpipes as Scots go first-up against hosts

MBAPPE ABSENT FROM TRAINING

THE FRESH FACES

BSY will erase more evidence if given time: Spl prosecutor

India’s Divya is world’s best

AIFF set to tell coach Stimac to find new job

Bindra backs NRAI’s Oly selection process

Paris Olympics going to be very, very special: Bopanna

PM-Zelensky meet likely but none with Trudeau fixed yet

Will discuss issues of Global South, say s PM

New term for Doval comes amid bid to link him to ‘Pannun plot’

Even cool high-altitude regions like HP saw 12 heatwave days

SC hearing on larger issue of ‘NEET-UG paper leak’ on July 8

GALLERY

Ingebrigtsen collects record sixth Euro gold:

‘MIAMI WILL BE MY LAST CLUB’

Delhi Times

Teaser is so offensive: SC halts screening of Hamare Baarah

It seemed like lazy casting: Cameron on not wanting to cast Kate in Titanic

There’s a cat among the lawmakers. So what’s new?

All Deol men cry, we aren’t embarrassed about it: Bobby Deol

Papa lifts the energy of a room when he walks in: Shriya Pilgaonkar

IND V/S USA: AADHAR CARD TRUMPS GREEN CARD

Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa all set to entertain with Kudi Haryane Val Di

KARAN ON RISING STAR FEES: ‘MANY ACTORS ARE NOT IN TOUCH NOT IN TOUCH WITH REALITY’

BUZZ STOP

AN ARIJIT-MARTIN COLLAB IN THE WORKS?

Add mulch, make pebble trays: Protect plants amid heatwaves

TRIPPIN

Govinda has my style, Ranveer my energy: Ganesh Acharya

Is your cab rating the latest dating ﬂex?

DID YOU KNOW?

DILLI MEIN EID BAHUT ZYAADA AALISHAAN HOTI THI: AASIF

Review

Aamras and mango chutney among top global mango dishes

Uff, uff mirchi! Denmark recalls Korean ramen over spiciness levels

I have always wanted to do ﬁlms like my brother, says Bobby Deol

I’ve never played a negative role before, it is fun, says Manas Shah