20
Wednesday
February
2019
`3.00 Ÿ Pages 14
AHMEDABAD
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Opinion
Statins and ARBs could solve
India’s 2019 crisis on Swine
Flu vaccine shortage, writes
Chirantan Chatterjee  P6
City
PM Modi to flag off the
Ahmedabad Metro rail on
March 4, deputy CM Nitin
Patel said on Tuesday  P3
world
California and 15 other states
file a lawsuit against Donald
Trump’s call to fund a wall on
US-Mexico border  P8
sports
Indian boxers win 3 gold, 1
silver and 3 bronze to finish
their campaign at Strandja
Memorial tournament  P11
Afterhrs 
Salman to kick-start Dabangg
3 in March? The actor, who
is working on his
Eid release Bharat,
is said to have
already lined up
his next film
BJP seals deal
with AIADMK
for LS elections
G Jagannath
g.jagannath@dnaindia.net
Chennai: A day after it tied
up with the Shiv Sena for the
Lok Sabha polls in Maha-
rashtra, the BJP on Tuesday
sealed a seat-sharing deal
with the AIADMK-led alli-
ance in Tamil Nadu.
Its arch-rival DMK will
likely announce its deal with
the Congress on Wednesday,
said sources.
The alliance is for all the
39 seats in Tamil Nadu and
one in Puducherry. While the
BJP will contest in five, the
PMK, which enjoys support
of the numerically strong
Vanniyar community in
northern and parts of West-
ern Tamil Nadu will contest
in seven. It will also get a Ra-
jya Sabha berth.
AIADMK announced that
the BJP and PMK would sup-
port the AIADMK in the by-
polls to 21 assembly seats.
“We have agreed to contest
the elections at the state level
under the leadership of chief
minister Edappadi K the details of their perfor-
Palaniswami and deputy CM
O Panneerselvam and at the
national level as part of NDA
under the leadership of
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi,” said Union minister
and BJP’s Tamil Nadu in-
charge Piyush Goyal.
The alliance looks strong-
er in western and northern
Tamil Nadu if one goes by the
past performance of its con-
stituents parties in the 2014
Lok Sabha polls and 2016 As-
sembly polls.
Meanwhile, the Congress
is likely to contest in 10 Lok
Sabha seats in the DMK-led
alliance and an agreement is
expected to be signed on
Wednesday, said sources.
Q.Should India bother
to provide ‘actionable
intelligence’ to Pakistan
about the Pulwama terror
attack as demanded by
Imran Khan?
Yes No
Go to our Twitter handle
@dna, look for #DNAPoll and vote.
BSE Sensex 35,352.61
Centre trashes Pak PM’s ICJ snubs Pak, refuses
to defer Jadhav’s case
lame excuse on Pulwama
Will act if given
proof, says Khan;
MEA reminds him
of 26/11 dossier
Sidhant Sibal
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: India on Tuesday
dismissed Pakistani Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s state-
ment as a “lame excuse” for
offering to investigate, “if
given proof ”, the role of Pa-
kistan-based terror group
Jaish-e-Mohammed in the
Pulwama attack that killed 40
soldiers.
In a strongly worded state-
ment, the Ministry of Exter-
nal Affairs asked Khan to
“stop misleading the world”
and take “credible and visi-
ble action” against terror
masterminds operating from
Pakistan’s soil. In a televised
address Khan said Islamabad
will take action if New Delhi
shares actionable evidence
of last week’s suicide
bombing in Kashmir. In
the same breath, he
held out a warning, say-
ing his country will re-
taliate to a provocation.
The MEA hit out at
Khan, saying he has ignored
JeM’s claims, as well as by the
terrorist who blew up himself.
“These should be sufficient
proof for Pakistan to take ac-
tion,” read MEA’s statement.
It also noted that Khan has so
far neither condemned nor
condoled the terror strike.
Recalling how proof was
Guj announces sops for poor, farmers
`691cr `9,000
Lure figures
Deputy CM Nitin
One-time settlement Monthly allowance to
Patel presented a
for power bill dues of families of fishermen
vote-on-account for
6.74 lakh farmers
the first four months
of the coming financial
year, seeking approval
of the Legislative
Assembly for a Rs `5 lakh `7,200
64,255 crore interim Medical cover for 68
budget. It includes: lakh families
appraisal time Data to decide ticket worthiness
Show what you have done
so far, BJP asks its MPs
Sangeeta Pranvendra
sangeeta.pranvendra@dnaindia.net
Jaipur: As it prepares for the
upcoming Lok Sabha elec-
tions, the Bharatiya Janata
Party has asked all its Mem-
bers of Parliament to provide
mance over the past five years.
“It’s a simple instruction.
They have to provide a de-
tailed account of the works
done in their capacity as Par-
liamentarians,” a source told
DNA. Instructions to this ef-
fect were issued to the MPs
during the recently conclud-
ed Parliament session.
The information has to be
uploaded online as well as
sent to the Prime Minister’s
Office on mail by February
20. Other than sharing the
data with the public, the par-
ty leadership will use it as a
parameter in deciding on
fielding the MPs again, said
the source.
“The MPs will have to out-
Snap POLL
YESTERDAY’S POLL RESULT:
Will BJP-Shiv Sena alliance
sweep Maharashtra in Lok
Sabha elections?
Yes 
Can’t say No
Can’t say
145.83
tough message from Army, govt
Forces promise strict action on ground, government on diplomatic sphere
Meanwhile, scores of youths lined up at an Army recruitment camp in
Baramulla on Tuesday, sending out a strong message to terror elements
I request all Kashmiri mothers to tell their sons,
who have joined terrorism to surrender and get
back to the mainstream. Anyone who will pick up gun in
Kashmir will be eliminated unless he surrenders.
Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, GoC
given after the 26/11 Mumbai
attack and terror strike at the
Pathankot airbase, MEA said
“promises of “guaranteed ac-
tion” ring hollow given the
track record of Paki-
stan. It asked Pakistan
to stop fooling the world
about its fight against
terror.
Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley too slammed
Khan. “In the past evidence
when in relation to 26/11, both
evidence and intelligence was
given, we know the fate. It is a
diversionary statement.”
Khan in his statement also
tried to distance himself
from past actions of Paki-
stani governments. Turn to P4
 Related reports, P5
captured by Pakistan
Monthly pay of
Anganwadi workers
Assessment time
n MPs have been asked to
submit the data online as
well as by mail by Feb 20
n Apart from putting the
info in public domain, BJP
will use it as a param-
eter to decide if the MPs
deserve a ticket
n The move has created a
flutter among a section of
MPs, said sources
line and describe the works
they have recommended and
carried out in their areas.
They are also required to pro-
vide details about how effec-
tively they raised issues and
79%
17%
4%
NSE nifty 10,604.35
‘Pak army involvement
100%, JeM is its baby’
Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
Srinagar: Holding Pakistan
army and its spy agency `ISI’
directly responsible for the
Pulwama terror attack, the
Indian army on Tuesday said
Jaish-e-Mohammad is the
baby of Pakistani military
and there is no doubt about
their involvement in the Feb-
ruary 14 suicide bombing.
“Jaish-e Mohommad is the
baby of Pakistani army. JeM
is being controlled by Paki-
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat
government on Tuesday pre-
sented the vote on account in
the Assembly. With an esti-
mated expenses of Rs 63,000
crore, the state announced 26
new schemes for farmers,
fishermen and the needy, par-
ticularly keeping in mind the
upcoming Lok Sabha polls. At
the same time, it avoided im-
problems,” the source added.
They would also have to give
details about the private Bills
that they presented.
The MPs have been told in
no uncertain terms that they
should be honest with the
claims that they submit – as
they would be verified at the
government level and by the
RSS at the ground level.
Sources said the process for
this compilation has already
begun. The move has created
a flutter among several MPs
who feel their performance
may not be up to mark. “My
constituency is an urban one
and works are being done,
some are underway. I need to
see what I will submit,” said
a Parliamentarian.
The BJP now has 268 MPs
in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
BJP office bearers said
that the party MPs had earli-
er been instructed to publish
booklets about their work af-
ter the completion of one year
of the government.
36.60
We demand
Pakistan to
stop misleading the
international community
and take credible action
against the perpetrators
of Pulwama attack
MEA statement
If you have any
actionable
intelligence that a
Pakistani is involved.
Give it to us. I guarantee
you we will take action
Imran Khan,
Pakistani Prime Minister
stan army and ISI. Jaish has
admitted that their chief op-
erations commander has
been killed. Pakistan army
involvement (in suicide
bombing) is 100 per cent,”
said Lieutenant General KJS
Dhillon, General Officer
Commanding, 15 Corps of the
Indian Army.
Forty CRPF soldiers were
killed when a JeM suicide
bomber rammed his vehicle
into a CRPF convoy at Leth-
pora in Pulwama on Febru-
ary 14.  Turn to P4
posing new taxes on citizens.
The government has an-
nounced that the monthly al-
lowance to families of Pak-
captured Gujarati fishermen
will be doubled from Rs 4,500
to Rs 9,000. Farmers and fish-
ermen constitute a huge
chunk of voters in Gujarat.
Accepting the long-pend-
ing demands of Asha and An-
ganwadi workers, the govern-
ment has also increased their
remuneration.  Report, P2
Nine killed as 1 Surya Kiran pilot dead, 2 injured in mid-air mishap
truck rams into Bengaluru: An ace pilot of hearsing for the Aero India mander Sahil Gandhi, while
the Indian Air Force was show in Bengaluru. The five- the injured – Wing Com-
marriage party Hawk
killed on Tuesday when two day air show is scheduled to mander VT Shelke and
trainer jets of the begin on Wednesday.
Surya Kiran aerobatic team
Jaipur: A speeding truck
plowed into a marriage pro-
cession in Rajasthan’s Pratap-
garh district, leaving nine
people, including four chil-
dren, dead and 19 others in-
jured, police said on Tuesday.
The accident happened
near Ramdev Temple on Na-
tional Highway-113 on Mon-
day night when the truck go-
ing from Nimbahera to Ban-
swara rammed into the mar-
riage party moving on the
roadside, said Anil Beniwal,
SP Pratapgarh. Police had
earlier put the number of
those killed as 13.
Traffic was disrupted on
the highway on Tuesday for
nearly two hours as a group of
200-300 people, along with
family members of the de-
ceased, blocked the road de-
manding higher compensa-
tion. The state government
has announced Rs 50,000 to
aggrieved family members,
DSP Vijaypal Singh Sandhu
said, adding, traffic was re-
sumed after pacifying protest-
ers. Sandhu said bodies were
handed over to family mem-
bers after post-mortem. —PTI
Tells Pak to carry
on row in absence
of ad hoc judge
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi/ The Hague:
The International Court of
Justice (ICJ), hearing India’s
plea to release Indian national
Kulbhushan Jadhav on death
row in Pakistan jail, snubbed
Pakistan’s plea for its request
to replace its ad-hoc judge in
the world court at the Hague.
At the end of second day’s
hearing, Pakistani Attorney
General Anwar Mansoor
Khan requested to adjourn the
hearing of Kulbhushan Jad-
hav till a new judge from his
country is appointed to re-
place Tassaduq Hussain Jil-
lani – the present ad-hoc judge
from Pakistan at the ICJ. He
reportedly had suffered “car-
diac arrest” during the hear-
ing on Monday.
The ICJ President Abdul-
qawi Ahmed Yusuf rejected
Pakistan’s plea and asked it to
continue argument in the ab-
sence of the ad-hoc judge. “I
would like to ask you to read
SC pulls up Assam for
detention of foreigners
Abraham Thomas
abraham.thomas@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court reprimanded the As-
sam government’s efforts to
deal with the illegal immigra-
tion crisis on Monday as fig-
ures presented to the court
showed that in the past dec-
ade, out of 52,000 persons de-
clared foreigners by Tribunals
under Foreigners Act, only 166
could be deported. Around 938
are being held in six detention
centres in the state.
Finding the crisis too big
for the state to handle, the
bench headed by Chief Jus-
tice Ranjan Gogoi gave the
Centre and state government
three weeks to devise an al-
ternate mechanism to hold-
ing such individuals in deten-
tion centres. The Court di-
rected the Ministry of Home
Affairs, Ministry of External
The deceased pilot has are being treated, said offi-
crashed mid-air while re-
R.N.I. No. : GUJENG/2007/22424
Kulbhushan Jadhav
your statement if your state-
ment is ready. We are ready to
hear you and hear your side,”
the ICJ President told the Pa-
kistani Attorney General.
A day after the India
had argued that Jadhav was
sentenced to death by a mili-
tary court in an “opaque”
trial and demanded his forth-
with release, Pakistani
Attorney General made a se-
ries of bizarre allegations
against Jadhav.
Khan alleged that Jadhav
was sent to Pakistan to “assist,
plan and cause” terrorism in
Balochistan, Sindh and other
Past methods
As per an affidavit, 52,000
persons declared foreigners
in the past 10 years by the
Tribunals under Foreigners
Act. Only 166 were deported,
and around 938 are being held
in six detention centres in the
state for an average of 9 years.
Affairs and the Assam gov-
ernment to jointly work out a
scheme and present a suita-
ble alternative by March 13.
Shocking details of how
the Assam government has
been handling the illegal mi-
grant crisis came to the fore in
an affidavit filed by the state.
The affidavit was in response
to a PIL filed by Harsh Man-
der which detailed the alleged
inhuman living conditions of
such detention centres.
Full report, www.dnaindia.com
Squadron Leader T Singh –
been identified as Wing Com-
hazy Allegations
n Pakistani A-G quoted
articles written by Karan
Thapar, Praveen Swami and
Chandan Nandy to prove that
Kulbhushan Jadhav was an
‘Indian spy’
n A-G Anwar Mansoor Khan
argued that Jadhav was
“involved” on an “espionage
mission” in Pakistan
n India argued that Jadhav
was sentenced by a military
court in an ‘opaque’ trial
parts of the country, apart
from “hampering” China-Pa-
kistan Economic Corridor.
Interestingly, the Paki-
stani Attorney General quot-
ed articles written by Karan
Thapar, Praveen Swami and
Chandan Nandy to bring
home his point that Jadhav
was an “Ïndian spy” and was
“involved” on an “espionage
mission” in Pakistan. 
The hearing in the Jadhav
case opened on Monday
amidst heightened tensions
between India and Pakistan in
the wake of Pulwama terror
attacks.  Turn to P4
Trade ban on
Pak worries
cotton traders
Sudhir Suryawanshi
Sudhir_s@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: The Pulwama ter-
ror attack has impacted cot-
ton trade between the India
and Pakistan.
After Bangladesh, Pakistan
is one of the leading import-
ers of Indian cotton, and the
call for boycott of trade with
the Islamic nation as resulted
in a drop in cotton prices. On
Tuesday, cotton was sold at Rs
5,300 per quintal with in Ma-
harashtra against last week’s
Rs 5,800 per quintal.
Traders say that India has
signed an export contract for
five lakh cotton bales with Pa-
kistan for this year. However,
Vijay Javandiya, an agricul-
ture expert and farmer leader,
says that Pakistan ends up
buying around 25 lakh bales
each year. One bale equals to
170 kg of seedless cotton.
cials. — PTI  Report, P6

daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019
in brief
‘No demand has
been made for
Karnavati’
State government has
not made any demands
to central government
for changing the name
of Ahmedabad city to
Karnavati in past two
years, Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani said in a
reply to a question asked
by Abdasa MLA Pradyu-
mansinh Jadeja. Rupani
looks after Urban Devel-
opment Department. Ru-
pani had in November
2018, said that the state
government will change
the name of Ahmedabad
city to Karnavati before
Lok Sabha elections.
The statement was met
with widespread opposi-
tion, following which the
state government
shelved the idea.
1,800 oppose
bullet train land
acquisition
Almost 1,800 land own-
ers have opposed acqui-
sition of their land for
the Mumbai-Ahmedabad
bullet train project, the
state government said
on Tuesday. Six hundred
and ninety-three hectare
is needed to be acquired
in eight districts in the
state through which the
high speed rail corridor
will pass. The govern-
ment said in the House
that 214 owners have op-
posed land acquisition
in Valsad, 198 in Navsa-
ri, 370 in Surat, 408 in
Bharuch, 499 in Va-
dodara, 40 in Anand, 43
in Kheda, and 15 in
Ahmedabad.
‘No proposal for
Ahmedabad as
metro city’
CM Vijay Rupani, while
replying to a question by
Thasra MLA Kantibhai
Parmar in the state legis-
lature, said that the gov-
ernment has not made
any proposal in past two
years to the Centre to de-
clare Ahmedabad as a
metro city. It is the larg-
est city in the state and
its population is also ris-
ing rapidly. According to
the census of 2011, the
city had a total popula-
tion of 55.77 lakh. There
is a growing demand
from various quarters
that Ahmedabad be de-
clared as a metro city.
02 
Guj ‘presents’ sops Vote-on-account: State to raise
`42,000 cr public debt next yr
for poor, farmers
With an eye on polls, state govt loosens purse strings
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The Gujarat government on
Tuesday presented the vote
on account in the state As-
sembly. With estimated ex-
penses of more than Rs 63,000
crore, the state government
announced 26 new schemes
for the needy.
With the Lok Sabha polls in
mind, the BJP government in
the state loosened its purse
strings for farmers, fishermen
and the needy, and at the same
time, avoided imposing bur-
den of new taxes on citizens.
Finance minister and dep-
uty chief minister Nitin Pa-
tel presented the vote on ac-
count to approve expenditure
by the government for the
next four months. The inter-
im budget size for the finan-
cial year 2019-20 is estimated
at Rs 1,91,817 crore.
The schemes for farmers
include a one-time settlement
scheme with a waiver of Rs
691 crore for power bill dues
of 6.74 lakh farmers and poor
people, withdrawal of all
power theft cases against
farmers in the state, alloca-
tion of Rs 500 crore for re-
volving fund for zero-interest
loans to farmers in the state
and irrigation schemes for
farmers in tribal areas.
The government also an-
nounced that the daily allow-
ance to families of Pak-cap-
tured Gujarati fishermen
will be doubled from Rs 4,500
to Rs 9,000 per month, subsi-
dy on fuel for over 10,000 boat
owners would be increased to
Rs 15 from Rs 12 per litre and
a new fishing harbour will
developed at Valsad.
Farmers and fishermen
constitute a huge chunk of
voters in Gujarat and there-
fore, the schemes announced
in the vote on account are a
clear effort by the govern-
ment to please them.
Patel said, “Ours is a gov-
ernment that is transparent,
sensitive and decisive. The
vote on account presented
today reflects that the re-
sources of the state govern-
ment have been judiciously
allocated across various sec-
tors to accelerate Gujarat’s
strides in development. The
the vote-on-account
govt presents a `12K cr surplus interim budget
`623 crore for `6,945 cr
drinking water for Narmada
supply pipeline Yojana and for
from Sipu dam underground
to Tharad in pipelines in
Banaskantha Kutch
1 Tapi-Karjan Link pipeline lift
irrigation scheme at `715 cr
2 `185 crore for farmers in
Dahod district through
Kadana-Dahod pipeline
Increment of `2,000 in
3 Construction of ROBs at all
monthly remuneration to
Asha Facilitator workers
Monthly remuneration of
4 `500 crore for amenities
Anganwadi workers increased
to `7,200 from `6,300 and to
`3,650 from `3,200 for assistants
Monthly pension for 2.25 lakh
5 `329 crore will be spent
widows increased to `1,250
from `1,000 and all conditions have
been removed
6 Monthly pension for senior
citizens has been increased
fro `500 to `700
7 8 new Samras Chhatralay
hostels for SC/ST students
in the state
50% increase in assistance
8 to 8 corporations working
government has avoided in-
troducing any new taxes on
citizens in the vote on ac-
count. The full-size budget of
the government will be pre-
sented in the modified budget
that will be presented after
the Lok Sabha polls.”
Farmers of New 1,000
eastern belt in feeders at the
Panchmahals expense of
district will `3,600 crore
get water for under SKY
irrigation scheme
for upliftment of backward
classes, SC and ST communities
9 54 flyovers in municipal
corporation areas and 21
flyovers in municipality areas
including 20 in Ahmedabad city
10 37 railway crossings in
urban areas
11 like water, streetlight,
sewerage and roads in new town
planning schemes
12 after Jal Sanchay Abhiyan
for water conservation in state
Deep sea pipeline for
13 disposal of treated water
from industries in Ahmedabad,
Vadodara and Jetpur at the
expense of `2,275 crore
`304 crore to 37,000
14 beneficiaries under the
Vajpayee Bankable Scheme
The government also tried
to broaden the base of benefi-
ciaries of free medical
schemes by announcing an
increase in the annual medi-
cal expenditure assistance
under MA Vatsalya Yojana
from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
Chintan Acharya
chintan.acharya@dnaindia.net
The Gujarat government has
estimated its public debt for
financial year 2019-20 at Rs
42,000 crore. The same re-
mained at Rs 43,501 crore ac-
cording to the revised esti-
mates of financial year 2018-
19. As per the government’s
estimate presented in the
budget of 2018-19, the revised
estimate of public debt in
2017-18 had remained at Rs
2.17 lakh crore.
Looking at the total reve-
nue expenditure, the budget
expenditure for 2019-20 will
remain at Rs 1,45,022 crore as
against Rs 1,39,153 crore
shown in the revised esti-
mates of the previous finan-
cial year. The capital expend-
iture showed decrease in the
FY 2019-20 to Rs 45,107.91
crore against Rs 48,956.49
crore in previous year. This
shows that the government’s
expenditure on creating new
resources has been declining
and it seems like an exercise
to control the deficit.
Nitin Patel, Mevani spar over
bullet train land acquisition
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
A ruckus ensued in the House
after BJP and Congress
MLAs began shouting at each
other over a question by Vad-
gam MLA Jignesh Mevani.
Mevani had, in connec-
tion with a question on land
acquisition for bullet train,
had sought to know from
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin
Patel why the state was forci-
bly acquiring land from the
farmers.
Earlier several MLAs had
also said that the government
was not paying the farmer’s
market rate for the land and
instead was paying them as
per the jantri rates. The
‘No meeting of
women’s panel
in two years’
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Not a single meeting of the
Gujarat State Women’s Secu-
rity Committee has taken
place in the last two years,
the state government said in
the Assembly on Tuesday.
The information was pro-
vided by Chief Minister Vi-
jay Rupani, who also holds
the home portfolio, in re-
sponse to a question by Con-
gress MLA Jawahar Chavda,
who sought to know if it was
true that no meeting of the
committee had taken place
in the two years as of August
20, 2018.
“The Gujarat State Wom-
en’s Security Committee was
formed via a resolution dated
July 16, 2014, and its term
ended on July 15, 2016. As a
result, its meeting has not
taken place,” Rupani stated
in the written reply.
As per government rules,
the committee is required to
hold four meetings in a year,
i.e. once every quarter.
The committee is sup-
posed to propose various ini-
tiatives for women welfare,
and to supplement the gov-
ernment’s efforts.
‘VGS: No data about jobs for locals’
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The state government said on
Tuesday that it does not have
separate information about
the number of jobs created
for locals due to fructification
of Memorandums of Under-
standing (MoUs) signed dur-
ing Vibrant Gujarat Summits
over the years.
This was stated in written
replies by Chief Minister Vi-
jay Rupani in the House in
response to questions by
various MLAs regarding jobs
created for locals by compa-
nies that had signed MoUs at
the Summit in 2013 and 2015.
“In the MoUs/investment
intentions, investors give de-
tails about proposed employ-
ment generation. The infor-
mation regarding job crea-
tion for locals is not catego-
rised separately,” Rupani,
who also holds the industries
portfolio, said.
ah
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
Deputy CM Nitin Patel in the Assembly before presenting the vote-on-account
Public debt in 2018-19 will
be 16.16 per cent of gross
state domestic product
(GSDP) while the govern-
ment has kept a target of
bringing it down to 15.76 per
cent of the GSDP.
The revenue income esti-
mated for 2019-20 is Rs
1,54,885 crore against Rs
1,40,531 crore in 2018-19. As
per the classification given
by the state government, the
share of central taxes in rev-
Jignesh Mevani —file photo
jantri rates were much lower
than the market rate.
Mevani, who raised his
hand to put forth a question
to Patel, said that during a
visit to Nalasopara in Maha-
rashtra farmers there had
categorically refused to give
land for the bullet train pro-
ject. He said several farmers
from Gujarat had also joined
Over 2,000 units
closed in GIDCs
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
More than 2,000 industrial
units in various estates of the
Gujarat Industrial Develop-
ment Corporation (GIDC) are
closed, information provided
in the Assembly by the state
government on Tuesday
showed.
Information collated from
written replies to MLAs by
the chief minister showed
that 2,069 units were shut in
GIDCs in 31 districts as of
December 31, 2018.
Incidentally, 380, or almost
20 per cent of these closed
units, shut down within the
last two years.
Industry players said that
the number of shut units
would suggest that players in
some sectors, especially
small and medium sized
units, are not doing well.
The data shows that 196
units were shut in GIDC es-
tates in Ahmedabad district,
of which 25 closed down in
the last two years.
GIDCs in Bharuch were
home to 291 closed units, the
highest in the state. Of these,
35 units closed down in two
years. As many as 260 indus-
Photo for representation
In another written reply,
Rupani said that 2.95 lakh
jobs were created by MoUs
signed at the 2017 Summit.
“In MoUs signed at Vi-
brant Gujarat Summit 2017,
the proposed employment
generation was 42.97 lakh.
2.95 lakh jobs were created by
14,816 MoUs that went into
production,” he said.
Close to half of the 8,380
MoUs signed at the 2011 VGS
edabad
enue income would be Rs
26,047 crore against Rs 23,489
crore in revised estimate of
previous year. The govern-
ment estimated revenue re-
ceipts of Rs 1,00,124 crore
rising from Rs 89,900 crore
showed in revised estimate
of the year 2018-19. The gov-
ernment has estimated the
income through GST in the
year 2019-20 to remain at Rs
48,735 crore while through
VAT it is expected to remain
the protest.
An annoyed Patel said that
several people in the state
with anti development, anti-
Gujarat and anti-people
mindset, were bent upon en-
suring that projects that ben-
efited the masses and were a
matter of pride for the state,
did not materialise.
He said that the project
will ensure that the travel-
ling time between Mumbai
and Ahmedabad was reduced
considerably.
He also compared Mevani
to ‘Narmada Bachao An-
dolan’ leader Medha Patkar
who created hurdles in the
construction of the Sardar
Sarovar Project.
Full report on www.dnaindia.com
closing shop
„„196 units were shut
in GIDC estates in
Ahmedabad district
„„GIDCs in Bharuch
were home to 291
closed units, the
highest in the state
tries were shut in Surat, of
which 101 had downed their
shutters since 2016.
Vadodara (200), Valsad
(172), Bhavnagar (168), Rajkot
(119) and Porbandar (110)
were some of the other dis-
tricts with a high number of
closed industrial units.
Surendranagar (96),
Panchmahal (75), Kutch (50),
Amreli (44) and Anand (38)
were also home to closed in-
dustries in GIDC estates.
In Jamnagar, 36 units were
shut in GIDCs, but 19 of them
closed down since 2016.
have been dropped, the state
government admitted in the
assembly on Thursday. CM
Rupani said in a written re-
ply that 4,233 projects had
gone into production as of
December 2018, while 4,053
projects were dropped. It said
that Rs 2.49 lakh crore invest-
ment had taken place in 4,233
projects as against proposed
Rs 20.83 lakh crore.
At the 2015 Summit, 21,304
numbers’ game
„„As per the revised
budget estimate for 2018-
19, fiscal deficit stands
at 2.31 per cent of gross
state domestic product,
while it is estimated to be
1.08 per cent for 2019-20
„„The state’s GSDP
was Rs 13.15 lakh crore
during 2017-18, a 14%
growth compared to the
previous year, Deputy
Chief Minister Nitin
Patel said in the budget
speech
Rs 24,840 crore.
Finance minister and
deputy CM Nitin Patel said
in his Budget speech, “In the
last five years (2013-2017),
Gujarat’s average annual
economic growth rate has
been 9.9 per cent at constant
(2011-12) prices, highest
amongst the major states.
The state economy regis-
tered a growth of 11.2 per
cent during 2017-18.”
Full report on www.dnaindia.com
State Budget:
Bizmen laud
focus on infra,
environment
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Businessmen in the state
have welcomed the Budget,
saying that it focuses on in-
frastructure and environ-
ment. Since this is a Vote-On-
Account, they hoped that the
final Budget will make provi-
sions for a comprehensive
policy on retail trade and abo-
lition of Professional Tax in
order to improve Ease of Do-
ing Business in the state.
“The proposal to build 80
flyovers and underpasses in
cities would go a long way in
easing traffic woes. With
Metro train beginning opera-
tions in 2020, traffic will fur-
ther ease in the city,” said
Jaimin Vasa, President of
Gujarat Chamber of Com-
merce and Industry.
The government has also
made a provision of Rs 2,275
crore for a pipeline for deep
sea discharge of industrial ef-
fluents to create infrastruc-
ture of Common Effluent
Treatment Plants (CETPs), a
proposal welcomed by indus-
try as the latter is fighting a
tough battle to control pollu-
tion. “These are sincere ef-
forts of the government in its
commitment to control the
rising pollution,” said
Shailesh Patwari, chairman
of Naroda Enviro Projects Ltd
(NEPL). The pipleline will be
constructed on Public Private
Partnership (PPP) basis.
Traders’ representatives
said that they had expected
the Professional Tax to be
abolished and a comprehen-
sive policy for retail trade in
the country. The government
had recently amended Shops
and Establishment Act.
Full report on www.dnainda.com
Photo for representation
`4.99 cr for babus
„„Almost Rs 5 crore
were spent on the foreign
travels of 12 IAS officers
for promotion of VGS 2019
„„The senior officers
had visited 27 countries
in September & October
MoUs were signed, of which
15,034 MoUs had gone into
production, and investment
of Rs 2.86 lakh crore had tak-
en place.
Similarly, investment of
Rs 2.89 lakh crore had taken
place in 14,776 MoUs signed
in 2017.
The expenditure incurred
for hosting the VGS is on the
rise, figures tabled by the
government show. Rs 79.73
crore were spent for organis-
ing the VGS 2015, whereas Rs
81.06 crore had been spent
for the 2017 Summit as of
March 2018.
 ah
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
in brief
HC adjourns
hearing
The Gujarat High Court’s
division bench of Justice
SR Brahmbhatt and Justice
AG Uraizee on Tuesday ad-
journed the hearing on the
cross-appeals of BJP and
Congress councillors of
Gandhinagar Municipal
Corporation over the con-
troversial elections for the
position of mayor and
deputy mayor of the civic
body. While BJP council-
lors mentioned that the
matter has become infruc-
tuous, it was vehemently
opposed by Congress
councillors, after which
the court clarified that it
will hear the matter.
GNLU organises 4th
national competition
With a view to boosting
the startup ecosystem
across India, the Gujarat
National Law University
organised fourth national
B-Plan competition in
which a total of 19 teams
participated. Teams pre-
sented innovative ideas
that included dhobi.com
that acts as a mediator be-
tween customers and dho-
bis, Jalaj Books, e-Book
publishing in the domain
of law, SWC, providing
stay and food under one
roof to travellers, Shoon-
ya, a Youtube music chan-
nel for aspiring singers
and performers etc.
2 CEPT students get
Bhavan scholarship
Two second-year students
of CEPT university have
been awarded the Bhavan
scholarship to pursue re-
search in the USA for 6
months. Amanda Thounao-
jam and Saranya Anbarasu
from Masters in Technolo-
gy programme will conduct
research during their
scholarship. The Building
Energy Efficiency Higher
& Advanced Network schol-
arships are offered by the
Department of Science and
Technology, Government
of India and Indo-US Sci-
ence and Technology Fo-
rum to address Building
Energy Efficiency issues.
Govt opposes bail
petition of ex-IAS
Nirupam Banerjee
nirupam.banerjee@dnaindia.net
The state government on Tues-
day vehemently opposed the
anticipatory bail plea of for-
mer IAS officer Pradeep
Sharma pending before the
Gujarat High Court and
accused him of having
an “ulterior motive” in
allotting 65 acres of land
in Anandpar village of
Tankara block in Morbi
district to persons hav-
ing settled in London.
Notably, Sharma is appre-
hending his arrest in the case
after an FIR was registered
against him by the then mam-
latdar of Tankara for criminal
breach of trust and corruptly
making reports contrary to
law in judicial proceedings by
a public servant.
According to the state gov-
ernment, a plot located in
Anandpar measuring 65 acres
was allotted to one DJ Mehta
and others on the condition
that they would personally cul-
tivate the land. However, it
came to the revenue authori-
ty’s notice that the beneficiar-
ies of the land have migrated
to London and were not culti-
vating the land. The allotment
was forfeited by the govern-
ment in 2000. The cancellation
of allotment was challenged by
the affected persons after a de-
lay of seven years before the
collector.
It is the argument of the
on account highest was spent on food under the Shramik Annapurna Yojana
For labourers’ welfare, just 7.6% of funds spent
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Only 7.6% of the amount col-
lected by the Building and
Other Construction Workers
Welfare Cess Act has been
used for the welfare of labour-
ers in the state.
A question in the assembly
revealed that in the two years
of 2017 and 2018 (Jan to Dec)
the board collected Rs2333.10
crore by way of cess yet it
spent just Rs 177.10 crore for
the labourers and workers. Of
this Rs 172 crore was for vari-
ous schemes for the welfare of
workers while the rest was for
edabad
24x7 water supply still a mirage
4 yrs later, three areas are still in the process of getting connections, two others get water only for 6 hrs
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Four years after the pilot
project was initiated, the
Ahmedabad Municipal Cor-
poration’s ambitious plan to
provide the city with 24x7
water supply is nowhere
close to fruition.
In fact, a question in the as-
sembly revealed that even
Jodhpur ward that was select-
ed for the pilot project is also
yet to get the water supply.
Ongoing work on water-
line connections has en-
sured that the ward is still
waiting for the project to
take off.
In fact, the question posed
by MLA from Jamalpur
-Khadia Imran Khedawala
also revealed that of the five
areas that fall under the
ward, three are yet to get
pipeline connection while
two are getting water for just
10L ltr IMFL, 1.60cr ltr HC instructs govt to form
beer sold in last 2 years panel to tackle swine flu
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The Gujarat government’s
claim of strict implementa-
tion on liquor ban and at-
tempts to curtail liquor con-
sumption is challenged by
booze lovers in the state.
The details revealed in
Gujarat assembly on Tues-
day showed that 10 lakh litre
of Indian made foreign
liquor(IMFL) and 1.60 crore
litre of beer was sold from
licensed liquor shops across
the state.
The opposition MLAs had
sought details of liquor sale
and shop permits from chief
minister Vijay Rupani. Ru-
pani, who also holds the
home portfolio, gave surpris-
ing details and numbers.
Although questions on liq-
uor sale were not discussed
in the house, the reply from
state government that Shar-
ma, who was the collector at
the relevant point, condoned
the delay in preferring an ap-
peal by the affected persons
and re-allotted the land to them
on March 26, 2007, three days
after his transfer order as mu-
nicipal commissioner,
Bhavnagar, was issued
by the government. The
government contended
that the re-allotment of
land beyond jurisdic-
tion creates doubt and
suspicion with regards
to the conduct of the petitioner.
The state government has
also sought his custodial inter-
rogation clarifying that due to
a stay granted by the high
court, crucial investigation in
the case is yet to be carried out.
The government has also
pointed out the criminal ante-
cedents of Sharma citing that
there are seven offences regis-
tered against him in the state.
Sharma, on the other hand,
has contended that the FIR reg-
istered against him in the case
is false and motivated. He has
also submitted that the state is
having vengeance and there-
fore, multiple FIRs have been
registered against him to en-
sure that he remains behind
bars.
Meanwhile, the court has
directed the state government
to provide the documents
based on which the state is
making claims against the for-
mer bureaucrat.
A M C y e t t o c o m p e n s at e 2 3 s a f a i k a m d a r s
miscellaneous expenses.
Of the total spending, the
highest was spent on providing
food for the labourers under the
Shramik Annapurna Yojana.
The board spent Rs 38 crore for
Despite the promise of continuous water supply, several areas in the city
face water shortages during the summer —File photo
six hours.
The state also revealed
that it has so far spent Rs 35
crore on the project.
In reply to the question,
the government said that it
had so far got four represen-
tations about the lack of
the chief minister filed in the
questionnaire was tabled
and then put on assembly re-
cord.
As per the reply, IMFL and
beer were sold from licensed
liquor shops. The details
were sought for Ahmedabad,
Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Su-
rat, Rajkot, Jamnagar and
Junagadh districts. The op-
position MLAs enquired
about the number of liquor
shops operating, newly
opened shops and sale of liq-
uor in two years since De-
cember 31, 2018.
The chief minister also
replied that there were a to-
tal of 41 liquor shops in these
districts and two new per-
mits were given in
Ahmedabad city in the said
period. He gave details of the
revenue incurred from the
taxes levied on liquor and
beer sale.
Bhanushali case: Cops search for more accused
Sharadkumar
Sharad.kumar@dnaindia.net
After two sharpshooters in-
volved in the Jayanti Bhanush-
ali murder case were arrested
on Sunday by the SIT investi-
gating the case, officials cleared
up that Chhabil Patel was be-
hind the entire conspiracy.
However, during the investi-
gation, it was also revealed
that the suspect Manisha Gos-
wami was not involved in the
matter, although her group
member Surjit Bhau was. Ac-
The state government revealed in the assembly that the
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation was yet to pay 23 of
its safai kamdars the Rs10 lakh by way of compensa-
tion. The workers are those who were hired by the AMC
to clean gutters and had died after entering the same.
The state also said that the compensation was pending
because the kin of the deceased was yet to submit the
relevant documents. Kin of 16 safai kamdar in Surat
Municipal Corporation as also yet to be compensated.
the scheme while the second
highest spending was done to
provide educational facilities to
the children of labourers. Rs 35
crore was spent towards this
endeavour. It also spent an ad-
24x7 water supply. It further
added that it has construct-
ed five overhead tanks in
each of the five areas of the
pilot project ward with all
the necessary mechanical
and electrical connections.
The distribution network
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The Gujarat High Court on
Tuesday directed the state
government to form a high-
level committee comprising
of bureaucrats and health de-
partment staff to plan and
take the necessary measures
for the control of swine flu in
the state.
The direction came from
the division bench of Acting
Chief Justice AS Dave and
Justice Biren Vaishnav in
public interest litigation (PIL)
pointing out the poor state of
infrastructure in government-
run hospitals for the detection
and treatment of swine flu.
During the hearing on
Tuesday, Justice Dave said:
“As you form SITs (special in-
vestigation teams), form a
high-level committee under
the chairmanship of health
once in a blue moon
cording to senior police offi-
cials, while interrogating the
two arrested accused, identi-
fied as Shashikant Kamble and
Shaikh Ashraf Anwar, it was
revealed that they were in con-
tact with Patel and he had ap-
proached them with the con-
tract to kill Bhanushali.
Further investigation re-
vealed that Patel had no con-
nection in Pune, but he knew
that Surjit Bhau, a native of
Maharashtra, had some con-
nection and contacted him.
Bhau, who is in the same group
ditional Rs 23 crore to provide
special coaching for the chil-
dren of the labourers. A sub-
stantial Rs 12 crore was spent
on teaching them about safety
precautions on the worksite.
fact box
„„Ongoing work on
waterline connections
has ensured that the
ward is still waiting for the
project to take off.
„„The state revealed
that it has so far spent
`35 crore on the project.
„„Only Anandnagar and
Novex in Jodhpur have so
far got service connections
and the two areas initially
received water for 4
hours but now it has been
increased to 5 to 6 hours.
from the tanks has also been
made.
However, only Anandna-
gar and Novex in Jodhpur
have so far got service con-
nections and the two areas
initially received water for
92 more cases
The number of swine
flu cases in the state
touched 2,075 on
Tuesday, with 92 more
cases coming to light.
State health department
said that the swine flu
death toll rose to 72
with one more patient
dying. 37 fresh swine flu
cases were reported in
Ahmedabad city.
secretary to tackle the spread
of swine flu as per protocol”.
The court also clarified that it
is concerned about both the
preventive as well as the cura-
tive aspect of the contagious
disease.
This apart, the court also
directed advocate KR Koshti,
the counsel of the petitioner,
to visit the Civil Hospital in
of Manisha Goswami, contact-
ed Patel through a person
named Nikhil in Pune. Nikhil,
who knew Kamble and Ashraf,
arranged a meeting between
them and Patel in Mumbai.
Ashish Bhatia, DIG of CID
and Railway, said, “We are in-
vestigating Manisha’s involve-
ment in the matter, but until
now, we have found out that
her group member Surjit Bhau
was involved with Patel. There
are three more accused who
are wanted in the matter and
the search from them is on.
The other spending included
Rs 7 crore towards health and
safety, Rs 4 crore towards pro-
viding temporary accommoda-
tion and Rs2 crore towards pro-
viding Anganwadi services to
the children of the labourers.
Compensation to the labourer’s
kin who died in accidents was
a measly Rs 61 lakh. It should be
noted that time and against
those who work for the welfare
of construction labourers have
pointed out that a substantial
part of the fund collected by
way of cess is used for facilities
that hardly reach the labourers
while compensation payout for
accidental deaths remain a few.
Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019 I daily news & analysis
four hours but now it has
been increased to five to six
hours.
In the other three areas,
the process to provide pipe-
line connections to residents
was still in the process. It
said that the 24/7 supply can
come into force after the con-
nections are provided to all
the houses in the three areas.
It, however, did not give a
time period by which the
work will be finished. It
should be noted that the 24/7
water supply project (work
on which began in 2014) was
also to introduce water me-
ters. Earlier, it had been re-
ported how 4000 of the 10000
water meters bought for the
project had been stolen from
the civic body’s warehouse.
It should be noted that
apart from Jodhpur, the pi-
lot project was also extended
to Stadium and Vadaj wards
of the city.
Ahmedabad to ascertain the
problems faced by patients,
especially those suffering
from swine flu, in availing
treatment at the facility. The
division bench directed the
advocate to go with an open
mind and as a representative
of the high court.
The court also directed him
to refrain from focusing just
on the shortage of infrastruc-
ture and doctors. It asked him
to garner information on the
ground reality of the treat-
ment facilities available at the
hospital and the problems
faced by them.
The court also directed the
government to make sure that
Koshti does not face any diffi-
culty during his inspection of
the hospital. The bench has
directed Koshti to submit the
findings of his hospital visit
during the next hearing of the
matter scheduled on Friday.
The
supermoon
shines
bright in the
Ahmedabad
sky on Tuesday
evening. This
was the largest
supermoon of
2019
—Pravin
Indrekar/
DNA
Soon, they will be arrested.”
The three accused wanted in
the matter have been identified
as Chhabil Patel, the main con-
spirator behind the murder,
Surjit Bhau, the person who
got Patel in contact with the
sharpshooters and an uniden-
tified person who helped the
sharpshooters in Samakhaili.
As per senior police offi-
cials, the three partners of the
sharpshooters have been iden-
tified and he is also a resident
of Pune. A team has been sent
to nab him.
03
Modi to flag off
Metro on March 4
`10,733 CR
The estimated cost of phase-1
21.16 km East-West corridor
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Prime minister Narendra
Modi will flag off the
Ahmedabad Metro rail during
his visit to the state on March
4, deputy chief minister Nitin
Patel said in the assembly on
Tuesday.
Patel made the announce-
ment during the Question Hour
before presenting the vote on
account for the year 2019-20.
“Prime minister Narendra
Modi will flag off the Metro
rail between the 6.5 km stretch
from Vastral to Apparel park
on March 4,” the deputy CM
announced.
The 6.5 km stretch is a part
of the project’s 21.16 km East-
West corridor that stretches
from Thaltej to Vastral village.
A senior official of Gujarat
Metro Rail Corporation
(GMRC) confirmed that they
are ready for the big day.
“The Metro rail is ready.
Trial runs are going on in the
priority stretch. The Research
Designs & Standards Organi-
sation (RDSO) has also com-
pleted its inspection,” GMRC
managing director IP Gautam,
told DNA. Gautam, however,
declined to divulge the dates
for commercial launch of the
Man held for posting
photos of random girls
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
A local YouTuber was ar-
rested on Tuesday by the cy-
ber cell police for posting
random girls’ photos on his
Instagram page and tagging
the photos with inappropri-
ate site links. During inter-
rogation by the police, it was
revealed that the accused did
the whole thing because
wanted to increase the num-
ber of followers for his You-
Tube channel.
The accused has been
identified as Hitesh Babub-
hai Bhimani, a resident of
Nikol who runs a YouTube
channel. According to the
police, on January 12, a com-
plaint was lodged by a girl
with the cyber cell after her
photo was posted on an Insta-
gram account by an uniden-
in numbers
The 6.5 km stretch is
a part of the project’s
that stretches from
Thaltej to Vastral village.
Metro rail services.
CM Vijay Rupani said in a
written reply in the assembly
on Tuesday that construction
work of phase 1 of Ahmedabad
Metro project is going on, and
it is planned to be completed by
December 2020. This would in-
clude the entire East-West cor-
ridor, and also the 18.87 km
North-South corridor from
APMC to Motera Stadium. The
cost of phase 1 is estimated at
Rs10,733 crore. “As of Decem-
ber 2018, Rs2,987.91 crore were
spent on the project in the last
two years,” the CM said.
The CM also said that a de-
tailed project report for phase
2 of the Ahmedabad Metro rail
project was in the process of
being approved by the central
government. In the second
phase, Metro network would be
expanded from Motera Stadi-
um to Mahatma Mandir, and
also cover GNLU-PDPU-GIFT
City. The second phase would
be 28.26 km long.
DNA had reported last week
that the plan to connect
Ahmedabad airport with Met-
ro in phase 2 had been dropped.
Difficulties in acquiring land,
owing to the presence of De-
fence area in the vicinity of the
airport, were among the rea-
sons for the decision.
tified person and tagged with
inappropriate site links.
Regarding the matter, the
cyber cell police lodged a
complaint under IT act 66 (C)
and 67 and started an investi-
gation. During the investiga-
tion of the technical team of
the cyber cell, it was revealed
that the accused Bhimani
ran four fake Instagram ac-
counts and was taking pho-
tos of random girls from Ins-
tagram and posting them on
the fake accounts.
On Tuesday, the accused
was arrested from his house.
When questioned by the po-
lice, he said that posting
girls’ photos on the Insta-
gram accounts attracted fol-
lowers. He would share the
link to his YouTube channel
in the comments section to
get more people to subscribe
to it.

daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019
in brief
Seven people were killed in a
head-on collision between a
speeding ambulance and car
in Mathura. A crane lifts the
damaged car —PTI
Centre hikes DA
by 3 per cent
New Delhi: The Union
Cabinet on Tuesday in-
creased the dearness al-
lowance by 3 per cent ef-
fective from January 1,
2019, a move which will
benefit 1.1 crore central
government employees
and pensioners. The de-
cision in this regard was
taken at the Union Cabi-
net meeting chaired by
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi. The Cabinet
has approved additional
DA of 3 per cent over the
existing rate of 9 per
cent to government em-
ployees and dearness re-
lief to pensioners from
January 1, 2019, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley
told reporters after the
Cabinet meeting.
‘No state bungalows
for Bihar ex-CMs’
Patna: The Patna High
Court on Tuesday struck
down rules allowing the
Bihar government to al-
lot official bungalows to
former chief ministers
for lifetime, terming the
allotment as “unconsti-
tutional” and “misuse”
of hard-earned public
money. A bench com-
prising Chief Justice A
P Sahi and Justice Anja-
na Mishra said extend-
ing facilities such as
providing bungalows to
ex-CMs for lifetime is
completely wrong once
they demit office. The
judgement could ad-
versely affect former
chief ministers such as
Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi,
Jagannath Mishra, Sat-
ish Prasad Singh.
Much is happening in WB, says apex court
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: In the backdrop
of the ugly political spat be-
tween the Centre and West
Bengal government, the Su-
preme Court while hearing
a petition seeking CBI probe
into murder of three Bhar-
tiya Janata Party (BJP) ac-
04 
Varanasi hits project jackpot
PM unveils various infrastructural projects to tune of `3,350 crore; electrical locomotive flagged off
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: In the run up to
the 2019 elections, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday flagged off world’s
first diesel to electric con-
verted locomotives in his Lok
Sabha constituency Varanasi
after its mandatory trials and
unveiled a series of develop-
ment projects to the tune of
Rs 3,350 crore.
A complete ‘Make in India’
initiative, the project is a step
towards saving traction en-
ergy cost and cutting down
on carbon emissions. Accord-
ing to sources, the diesel loco-
motive works took only 69
days to convert two WDG
(Wide diesel goods) 3A locos
into a twin electric WAGC3
locomotive of 10,000 horse-
power (HP).
The Prime Minister also
unveiled a series of develop-
ment projects pertaining to
various sectors like health,
sanitation, smart city, con-
nectivity, power, housing to
the tune of Rs 3350 crore.
The Prime Minister inau-
gurated the newly construct-
high-level talks
Prince of Ghana Oheneba Yaw Otchere in one-on-one discussion with Subrata Roy Sahara. A high level delegation
of Ghana is in Lucknow for a two-day meet with Roy
tivists could not help but
observe that “much is hap-
pening” in the state. As soon
as the bench remarked, Ka-
pil Sibal, who is represent-
ing the West Bengal govern-
ment shot back, “Much is
happening in the CBI also.”
The petition was filed by
advocate and BJP leader
Gaurav Bhatia. A bench of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off an electric locomotive converted
from a diesel engine at the DLW in Varanasi on Tuesday —Photo Byline
ed Madan Mohan Malviya
Cancer Centre of Banaras
Hindu University. The 350-
bed hospital has been built at
a cost of Rs 500 crore. The PM
also inaugurated Homi Bhab-
ha Cancer Hospital Leharta-
ra, another big cancer treat-
ment facility. This was the
Prime Minister’s second visit
to his constituency within a
month.
Addressing a massive pub-
lic gathering at Aaure, on the
Justices AK Sikri, S Abdul
Nazeer and MR Shah said,
“Much is happening in West
Bengal also.”
Sibal, who represented
WB government submitted
that a closure report filed by
the state police was pending
and should not be gone into
by the SC. As soon as the
bench remarked, Sibal shot
back, “Much is happening in
outskirts of Varanasi, the
Prime Minister said his gov-
ernment is working on two
fronts to give a boost to the
development. “The first one
relates to building infrastruc-
ture like highways, railways
etc, while the second one is to
ensure that the benefits of
development reach out to the
people,” the Prime Minister
said.
Speaking on the Locomo-
tive Train flagged off at Die-
the CBI also.” Bhatia rebut-
ted claiming that the closure
report was a result of shod-
dy investigation as the ac-
cused were not arrested de-
spite victim’s kin naming
them.
He demanded a copy of
the charge sheet and the
post-mortem report. The
bench posted the matter for
hearing on Thursday for ar-
guments.
The same bench, in an-
other matter, directed the
West Bengal police not to ar-
rest a former IPS officer
Bharati Ghosh, against
whom the state police lodged
10 criminal cases soon after
she resigned from police du-
ties to join the BJP.
Prime Minister slams Opposition
leaders for targeting Vande Bharat Exp
Varanasi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Tuesday
hit back at Opposition lead-
ers for “targeting and
mocking” semi-high speed
train Vande Bharat Ex-
press, terming it an ‘insult’
to engineers and techni-
cians. The Prime Minister
was responding to the crit-
icism by Congress Presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi and SP
leader Akhilesh Yadav of
the train, which had devel-
sel Locomotive Works (DLW),
Varanasi, the Prime Minister
said such an initiative, under
Make in India, will help in
strengthening the capacity
and speed of Indian Rail-
ways.
Speaking about various
development and infrastruc-
tural projects in his Lok Sab-
ha constituency, PM Modi
said this is an effort towards
making Varanasi “an impor-
tant centre” of “new India.”
‘Pilot Gandhi was perfect hubby’
Chhavi Bhatia
chhavi.bhatia@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Just three
months ago, Wing Command-
er Sahil Gandhi who died in
the Surya Kiran crash in Ben-
galuru on Tuesday, had com-
pleted 10 years of marital life
with his childhood sweet-
heart Himani. The duo often
shared mushy posts on social
media, promising to “grow
old with each other” in mes-
sages exchanged on the plat-
form. Fate, however, cast its
long shadow on the couple as
Gandhi succumbed to inju-
ries on Tuesday while prac-
ticing aerobatics for the up-
coming Aero Show in the city.
The 37-year-old officer be-
longed to Hisar and was the
younger son of an academi-
‘Pak Army role
100%, JeM is
its baby’
From P1
“Ever since the attack, we are
tracking top JeM leadership
in the Kashmir valley. The
convoy attack was carried out
by JEM with active support of
Pakistan army and ISI. In less
than 100 hours, we eliminated
the JEM leadership which
was being handled from Paki-
stan,” said Lt Gen Dhillon.
Sending a tough message to
the youth who join terrorism,
the Army Commander said, “I
request all Kashmiri mothers
to tell their sons, who have
joined terrorism to surrender
and get back to the main-
stream. Anyone who will pick
up gun in Kashmir will be
eliminated unless he surren-
ders.” He mentioned that the
government had initiated
good surrender policy so that
terrorists who surrender can
join the mainstream.
tenders & Notices
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oped a snag on its return
journey from Varanasi to
Delhi on Saturday, hours
after its inaugural run.
“Some persons target-
ing and mocking at semi-
high speed train. This is
unfortunate. This is an in-
sult to engineers and tech-
nicians involved in the
project. People should re-
main alert against such
persons who are insulting
engineers.” the PM said.
The Prime Minister said
these projects will not only
ease transportation but also
lead to setting up of new en-
terprises in Varanasi,
Purvanchal and nearby are-
as.
Prime Minister said BHU
Cancer Centre and Bhabha
Cancer Hospital, Lahartara
will provide advanced treat-
ment to patients from Bihar,
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
and other nearby states.
Sahil Gandhi with his son Riaan,
who is now a five-year-old
cian and a bank officer. While
his mother taught at Home
Science College, Chaudhary
Charan Singh Haryana Agri-
cultural University, Hisar, his
father retired from State
Bank of India. His elder
brother is working in Ger-
Centre trashes Pakistan PM’s
lame excuse on Pulwama
From P1
“I am telling you clearly, this
is naya Pakistan. It is a new
mindset, a new way of think-
ing. We believe that it is in
our interest that our soil is
not used for carrying out ter-
rorist attacks in other coun-
tries, nor do we want outsid-
ers to come and carry out
terror attacks here. We desire
stability,” he asserted.
But the MEA rejected this
contention, reminding Khan
that his ministers were pub-
licly sharing platforms with
terrorists like Hafeez Saeed
who have been proscribed by
the United Nations. In Sep-
tember 2018, Pakistan’s Reli-
gious Affairs and Inter-faith
Minister Noor-ul-Haq Qadri
shared a platform with Hafiz
Saeed, where both made anti-
India statements. Last year a
video surfaced in which Paki-
indi
SC disposes petition
against Rao posting
Abraham Thomas
abraham.thomas@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Tuesday disposed
of a plea challenging the ap-
pointment of M Nageswara
Rao as the interim CBI Direc-
tor. The Supreme Court said
that the Selection Committee
led by Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi had given the Gov-
ernment the go ahead to ap-
point an interim Director for
Central Bureau of Investiga-
tion (CBI) in the meeting
called on January 9, 2019
when Director Alok Verma
was removed.
Revealing for the first time
what happened inside the
meeting attended by PM Nar-
endra Modi, Leader of Con-
gress in the Lok Sabha Ma-
likarjun Kharge and Su-
preme Court judge Justice
AK Sikri (nominee of CJI),
the apex court made public
the operative part of the min-
utes of the meeting which
showed how by majority, the
Committee approved the se-
lection of an officer to hold
fort till a new Director is ap-
pointed.
The verdict came on a plea
They were so
madly in love
like a fairy tale
match. We often joked
that they were still
teenagers. My heart
breaks by just
imagining how Himani
(wife) will cope
Neha B, friend
many. Gandhi, a National De-
fence Academy alumnus was
commissioned in 2004, and
was a first-generation air
force officer.
Manu, as he was fondly
called by family, school teach-
ers and friends, remember
NIA inspecting the spot—File photo
stan’s Minister of State for
Interior Shehryar Khan Af-
ridi supported Hafiz Saeed
and his organisation.
Khan had also said since
election are approaching in
India there have been talks of
action against Pakistan since
it boosts prospects. Slam-
ming this statement, the
MEA said “it is regrettable
that the Pakistani Prime
Minister has insinuated that
M Nageswara Rao
of NGO, Common Cause,
which had challenged the ap-
pointment of Rao as interim
CBI director.
The bench said, “It is ap-
parent from the decision of
the Committee that the Gov-
ernment was authorised to
post a suitable officer as in-
terim Director. Thus the sub-
mission raised in the petition
that the Committee has not
authorised the appointment
of interim Director is totally
misconceived...and the peti-
tion has been filed in undue
haste without verifying the
fact.”
Interestingly, Bhushan
had submitted to the Court
that the decision of the Com-
mittee was sought under RTI
but was refused.
him as a focused, self-con-
tained and disciplined child.
“Sahil was meticulous and
shone in academics. He knew
what he wanted from life early
on and it reflected in the way
he performed in the class. I do
not recall any incident where
I had to reprimand him for not
doing homework or missing
my class. We have lost a school
star,” said HL Sharma, who
taught him during high
school.
Gandhi was a family man-
who tried to be with his wife
and five-year-old son as much
as he could since Himani was
working in the US. She, how-
ever, frequently travelled to
India. Friends close to the
family shared that at the time
of the crash too, she was in
the US along with the son.
India’s response to the terror-
ist attack is determined by
the forthcoming general elec-
tions”, adding, “India’s de-
mocracy is a model for the
world which Pakistan would
never understand.”
India has mounted a diplo-
matic campaign to isolate Is-
lamabad since the terror at-
tack. Over 30 foreign envoys
from ASEAN, Africa, Central
Asia, permanent and non-
permanent members of the
UN Security Council have
been briefed about Pakistan’s
involvement in the Pulwama
terror attack. On economic
front, New Delhi has revoked
the Most favoured nation sta-
tus to Pakistan and increased
customs duty on the goods
coming from the other side of
the border to 200 per cent.
Both India and Pakistan have
also called back their envoys.
ICJ snubs Pak,
not to defer
Jadhav’s case
From P1
The hearing will go on for an-
other two days.
On Monday, India had
highlighted that Jadhav was
being used as a “pawn” by
Pakistan to build a narrative
against New Delhi. While ar-
guing the case on behalf of
India, former Indian Solici-
tor General Harish Salve
urged the ICJ to annul Jad-
hav’s death sentence as the
verdict by a Pakistani mili-
tary court was based on a
“farcical case”.
Emphasising that Paki-
stan has clearly “violated”
the Vienna Convention, Salve
told the world court that as
many as 13 requests by India
for consular access had been
denied by Pakistan.
The Pakistani Attorney, in
his counter said that the crea-
tion of military courts was
through the Parliamentary
process. On Wednesday, India
will rebut to Pakistan’s
charges.
Jadhav, a retired Indian
Navy officer, was sentenced
to death by a Pakistani mili-
tary court on charges of “es-
pionage and terrorism” after
a closed trial in April 2017.
 Attack aftermath 
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In short
Youth charged with
sedition for pro-Pak
slogan on WhatsApp
Noida: A 19-year-old man has
been arrested in Greater Noida
and charged with sedition for
his alleged anti-national ac-
tivities on social media, police
said Tuesday. The accused,
Shahzaad Solanki, was held
around 10.30 pm on Monday
during a security check on a
road near Dungarpur, which
comes under the jurisdiction
of Dankaur police station,
they said. According to police,
Solanki, a class 12 student,
was disturbing “communal
harmony” and “spreading ha-
tred” by using social media for
his “anti-national” activities.
“He was posting pro-Pakistan
slogans on WhatsApp,” a
police officer said.
Better to wage war
than suffer: Ramdev
Raipur: Yoga guru Baba Ram-
dev said Tuesday that in the
wake of the Pulwama terror
attack, India should “fight a
war” against Pakistan to teach
it a lesson. He also said India
should extend all kind of help
to the separatist movement in
Balochistan, a southwestern
province of Pakistan. “A befit-
ting reply has to be given to
Pakistan and terrorists. First of
all, we have to break Pakistan
into three pieces,” he said.
Lord Paul pledges
`1L each for victims
London: British Indian entre-
preneur and parliamentarian
Lord Swraj Paul has pledged
to donate Rs 1 lakh each to
the families of the soldiers
killed in Pulwama. Paul, also
Chancellor of the University of
Wolverhampton, made the an-
nouncement during a naming
ceremony of a building at the
university in central England
after his late son Angad Paul,
attended by Indian High Com-
missioner to the UK Ruchi
Ghanashyam.
Stay strong, united: Martyr Major’s wife to nation
Dehradun (U’khand): At a
time when the entire nation
is reeling under rage over the
ghastly terror attack in Pul-
wama, Nikita Kaul, wife of
Major Vibhuti Shankar
Dhoundiyal who was mar-
tyred in an encounter with
JeM terrorists on Monday in
Pulwama in J&K, has urged
every Indian not to “sympa-
thise but stay strong and
united” in this crucial hour.
“I will request everyone
not to sympathise rather be
very strong because this man
(V S Dhoundiyal) holds a po-
sition very larger than any of
us standing here. Let us sa-
lute this man. Jai Hind,” Ni-
kita said while bidding adieu
to her husband.
Holding back her tears dur-
ing the performance of last
rites of Major Dhoundiyal, the
proud wife Nikita blew him a
kiss and said: “I love you.”
Major Dhoundiyal, resi-
dent of Dehradun, was
among four Army men who
were martyred in the encoun-
ter with JeM terrorists in
Pulwama district. They
killed—JeM commander
Kamran—the mastermind of
February 14 terror attack on
CRPF convoy in which 40
jawans were killed.
Praising the Major for sac-
rificing his life for the nation
Good Samaritans encourage job rush Recruitment drive in Baramulla, Kupwara & Bandipora for 111 posts
Kashmiri students to stay put After Pulwama, 2,500 J&K youth want to join Army
Chhavi Bhatia
chhavi.bhatia@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Dr Inderjot Sin-
gh’s phone has not stopped
ringing since Saturday.
Whether day or night, he has
been on calls constantly. “I
have not slept a wink for the
past four days,” he says.
He is one of the liaisoning
officers tasked by the govern-
ment to help distressed stu-
dents from Kashmir who
have been working overtime
to redress their grievance in
an “amicable” way — from
accommodating PG students
into a hostel or organising
community meals in hostels.
Singh, who is handling
Chandigarh, Punjab, Hary-
ana and Himachal Pradesh,
has attended countless calls
from more than 1000 students
from City Beautiful and its
Rajnath’s J&K review: IB, Time for Pak PM to walk
the talk on terror: Parties
RAW & NSA bosses attend
Meeting takes stock of situation in state, plans devising new security policy
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: In the light of the
Pulwama terror attack that
left 40 CRPF personnel dead,
Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh held a meeting with
RAW chief AK Dhasmana, In-
telligence Bureau additional
director Arvind Kumar, Home
Secretary Rajiv Gauba and
National Security Advisor
Ajit Doval on Saturday to take
stock of situation in Jammu
and Kashmir and to devise a
new policy for the state.
Sources said the home
minister also looked upon the
status report of the case and
details of the wanted terror-
ists in the Valley.
CRPF Director General RR
Bhatnagar was also present
in the meeting wherein he
gave the details of steps tak-
en post attack and how he
need help from all the agen-
cies for a coordinated ap-
proach in the valley to tackle
the terrorists.
Also, the home minister
directed the officials to ensure
that all possible steps should
be taken against the terrorists
currently operating in Valley
and protection of innocent
Kashmiris living in different
parts of the country.
The minister was also con-
cerned about the infiltration
of Pakistan-based terrorists
into Indian soil with coming
up of summer season. He also
took stock of the steps being
taken to hunt down the terror-
ists operating in the Valley
and how to check attempts of
infiltrations from across the
border. He was also briefed
about the prevailing security
situation in the valley, includ-
ing along the border.
The minister was also con-
cerned over how the terror-
ists transported RDX from
across the border with help
of Kashmiri residents.
I LOVE YOU: Nitika Kaul, wife of Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal gestures
while paying her last respects to him at his funeral in Dehradun —PTI
homage paid
Thousands of people on
Tuesday paid their last
respects to Major Vibhuti
Shankar Dhoundiyal, who
died fighting terrorists in
Pulwama in J&K, at his
residence in Dehradun.
and the people he had never
met, Nikita said: “I am really
proud. We all love you. The
way you love everyone is en-
tirely different because you
sacrificed your life for the peo-
ple who you may have never
met, but still you decided to
give your life for them.”
“You are such a brave man.
I am very honoured to have
Muslims protest Pulwama terror
attack, in Bhopal on Tuesday
neighbouring states since
Saturday, with almost all of
them requesting to be sent
back home. “I have coun-
selled them personally and
over the phone to drop the
idea of going back and carry
on with their studies. Our
purpose is to assimilate them
back into the system instead
of sending them back home
where the current situation
Students hold candlelight vigil to pay tribute to 40 CRPF men killed in Pulwama, in Kolkata on Tuesday —Reuters
major bureaucratic reshuffle in Jammu & kashmir
„„J&K administration has
transferred 10 IAS and 24
Kashmir Administrative
Service (KAS) officers.
Handlers have admitted, proof is
in your home, Jaitley tells Imran
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Union Minister
Arun Jaitley on Tuesday
said the country’s security
forces are extremely confi-
dent of dealing with the situ-
ation. “The masterminds
have been liquidated. The
global community has en-
dorsed India’s stand,” he said.
“Regarding the statement
of Pakistan PM, three things
are obvious. There is not even
a pretext of outright condem-
nation. Second, let alone sym-
pathy for the bereaved, not even
Mortal remains of
jawan put to flames
you as my husband. I’ll love
you till my last breath. I owe
my life to you. Yes, it’s hurt-
ing that you’re leaving but I
know you will always be
around,” she said.
Hundreds of people paid
their tributes to the late Ma-
jor amid—“Vande Mataram”
and “Shaheed Dhoundiyal
Amar Rahein”--slogans.
Uttarakhand Chief Minis-
ter Trivendra Singh Rawat
also took part in the funeral
procession of the Major.
Earlier in the day, mother
of Army jawan Ajay Kumar
who lost his life in the encoun-
ter in Pulwama, said that In-
dia has the power to destroy
the neighbouring country in
a day.—Agencies
is more volatile,” he told
DNA. “Parents also called be
from Kashmir and advised
the same thing to them — dis-
courage your wards from
coming back home. All of us
are with them,” he stated.
The Chandigarh officer
was also instrumental in shift-
ing over 100 students of MM
College, Mulana living in
rented accommodation to the
campus after a video surfaced
of the village headman alleg-
edly asking them to vacate the
premises. “We are trying to
soothe frayed nerves, reiterat-
ing to students that this exo-
dus is unfounded and there is
nothing to fear,” Singh said.
He further said in places
where tension was simmering,
they held lunches and dinners
in hostels encouraging students
from other communities to in-
teract with Kashmiri students.
„„Director (Information)
among others who
were transferred with
immediate effect.
a lip sympathy for them. Third-
ly, a very shallow logic that ori-
gin of crime is not known.
“Actionable evidence can
only provide some clues.
Here, perpetrators have ad-
Ramgarh (Jharkhand):
The mortal remains of Bor-
der Security Force (BSF)
jawan, Avinash Dubey, who
died of cardiac arrest in Ko-
hima, were consigned to
flames Tuesday near river
Damodar here.
Dubey, who hailed from
Bhurkunda in Ramgarh dis-
trict was posted in Kohima
and died on February 16, fam-
ily sources said.
They claimed that Dubey
went into severe depression
after the Pulwama terror at-
tack in which 40 CRPF per-
sonnel were killed.
Union Minister of state for
Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha,
who attended the last rites of
the jawan, said that the
jawan’s family would be pro-
vided all possible help from
the government and he would
talk to Jharkhand Chief Min-
ister Raghubar Das for help.
Meanwhile, the Kerala
government on Tuesday de-
cided to give a permanent job
to the wife of CRPF personnel
V V Vasantha Kumar who lost
Ishfaq ul Hassan
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Srinagar: Less than a week
after the Pulwama attack,
more than 2,500 Kashmiri
youth swarmed the army re-
cruitment rally in Baramul-
la to apply for the 111 posts.
More than 6,000 youth are
expected to appear for the
physical tests during the
five-day army recruitment
rally that will end on Febru-
ary 22.
The recruitment drive
started on Monday for the
youth of three North Kash-
mir districts – Baramulla,
Kupwara and Bandipora.
Out of the 111 posts, 108 are
for general duty soldiers and
three for the tradesmen.
“The recruitment drive is
from February 18 to Febru-
ary 22 in three districts of
„„As many as 11 Deputy
Commissioners across the
state have been replaced,
said an official release.
mitted to the crime, there is a
confession by them...And
those perpetrators are admit-
tedly located in the country of
which shri Khan is the PM.
Two persons liquidated yes-
terday are Pakistani nation-
als. What do you need, some
actionable intelligence for
this purpose. The handlers
have admitted to this offence
and therefore, this claim that
provide us and we will act...
the evidence is in your home.
On 26/11, both evidence
and intelligence was given, we
know the fate. It is a diversion-
ary statement, said Jaitley.
Officials pay tribute to slain jawan
Ajay Kumar in Meerut on Tuesday
his life in Pulwama attack.
The late personnel’s wife
is currently working as an as-
sistant at the Government
Veterinary University
Pookode, Wayanad.
The government further
extended support to Kumar’s
family by giving Rs 25 lakh
aid - out of which Rs 15 lakh
will be given to the wife,
while a sum of Rs 10 lakh will
be given to his mother.
Also, the govt will bear the
cost of educating the deceased
personnel’s children, along
with building a new house for
the family.—Agencies
Youth lined up for recruitment rally in Baramulla on Tuesday —DNA
north Kashmir. It will con-
tinue till February 22 for the
physical part of it. We ex-
pect 5,000-6,000 people for
recruitment,” said Colonel
Ved Beniwal, commanding
officer.
The enthusiasm and zeal
of the youth to don the olive
Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019 I daily news & analysis
New Delhi: Pakistan Pre-
mier Imran Khan’s message
to India on Tuesday to share
‘actionable intelligence’ if
his country was involved in
the Pulwama terror attack
for any action was met with
skepticism by political par-
ties which said it is time for
him to ‘walk the talk’ on ter-
rorism.
While senior Congress
leader and Punjab chief min-
ister Amarinder Singh asked
what proof was Khan talking
about and whether India
should send the bodies of the
soldiers killed in the attack
last week, PDP president Me-
hbooba Mufti said Pakistan
was not being blamed with-
out any evidence.
Union minister Rajyavard-
han Singh Rathore said secu-
rity agencies have “strong
evidence” on Pakistan’s in-
volvement in the Pulwama
attack and this has been
clearly conveyed to the neigh-
bouring country.
The assertions by leaders
across the political spectrum
also came on a day when
General Officer Command-
ing of Army’s Srinagar-
based 15 Corps Lt General K
J S Dhillon said the Pakistan
Army and its espionage
agency ISI were involved in
the attack.
Khan had earlier in the
day said India holds Pakistan
responsible each time an inci-
dent happens in Kashmir and
makes his country its “whi-
pping boy” again and again.
“If you have any actiona-
ble intelligence that a Paki-
Meghalaya Guv
makes boycott
call, courts row
Shillong: Meghalaya Gover-
nor Tathagata Roy on Tues-
day supported a call for a
boycott of “everything Kash-
miri”, including the Amar-
nath Yatra and purchasing
products from the state.
Roy, who describes him-
self as a right-wing Hindu
socio-political thinker, writ-
er, ideologue on Twitter, went
on the microblogging site to
air his views.
“An appeal from a retired
colonel of the Indian Army:
Don’t visit Kashmir, don’t go
to Amarnath for the next 2
years. Don’t buy articles from
Kashmir emporia or Kash-
miri tradesman who come
every winter. Boycott every-
thing Kashmiri. I am inclined
to agree,” he tweeted.
The BJP leader turned
governor also referred to the
Pakistan Army “who are
handling the Kashmiri sepa-
ratists” and its role in “East
Pakistan”, mentioning war
crimes like slaughter and rape.
“... And they would have
kept East Pakistan but for the
whacking from India,” Roy
tweeted. “I am not suggesting
that we go that far. But at least
some distance?” he wrote.
Roy’s comments come in
the wake of the February 14
terror attack by Pakistan-
based Jaish-e-Mohammed
terror group in Kashmir.
on social media
„„The Governor said he
wanted to back an appeal
from a retired colonel
„„The colonel had
made a call to not visit
Kashmir, and not even
visit Amarnath for 2 yrs
greens can be gauged by the
fact that even bone-chilling
cold could not deter them
from appearing for the tests.
“Despite bad weather, the
response was fabulous. For
111 vacancies more than
6,000 people are expected to
show up,” said the com-
05
Crowd pay last respects to Major Vibhuti Shankar in Dehradun on Tuesday
‘courtesy isi pm’
„„Imran is a ‘Courtesy
ISI prime minister’, so
how else can one expect
him to react,” asked
Punjab CM Amarinder.
„„He said it was up to
the Centre to decide
what course of action it
should take against Pak.
stani is involved. Give it to us.
I guarantee you we will take
action - not because we are
under pressure, but because
they are acting as enemies of
Pakistan,” Khan said In a
video message to the nation
In a sharp reaction to Khan’s
remarks, Amarinder Singh
reminded Khan that Masood
Azhar was sitting in Baha-
walpur in Pakistan and mas-
terminding terror attacks
with ISI’s help.
“Go pick him up. If you
can’t let us know we’ll do it for
you,” Singh tweeted.—PTI
14 lakh workers of Sahara India Pariwar, at more than 5,000 units across
India, held a candlelight march to offer solidarity and salute the CRPF
jawans martyred in Pulwama on Tuesday. In Lucknow, more than 10,000
workers marched from Sarojini Naidu Park to Gandhi Statue to pay tributes.
Illegal Pak visitors in
Bikaner told to leave
Bikaner (Raj): The authori-
ties here have issued an order
asking Pakistani nationals
staying illegally to leave the
border district within 48 hours,
citing a threat to law and order.
The order issued by the
Bikaner district collector
days after the Pulwama ter-
ror attack that killed 40 CRPF
jawans has also banned the
use of any phone sim card is-
sued in Pakistan.
It appears to be directed
against Pakistani citizens
who overstay their visa, or
fail to register themselves
with the Foreigners Registra-
tion Office (FRO) if they are
on a long visit.
Bikaner collector Kumar-
pal Gautam said the order,
issued on Monday, does not
apply to Pakistani nationals
who have registered them-
selves with the FRO.
Gautam said his order ap-
plied to Pakistanis who find
employment here after arriv-
ing on a long-term visa and
those who start staying in
Bikaner even though their
visa restricted them to other
areas in the country.
Show of Strength
„„6,000 youth are
expected to appear for
physical tests
„„Army recruitment
drive from Feb 18 to 22
in 3 districts of north
Kashmir
„„Out of the 111 posts,
108 are for general duty
soldiers and three for the
tradesmen.
manding officer.
For the youth, the slain
22 year-old-old Lieutenant
Ummer Fayaz and slain
Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad
Wani are ideals from whom
they have drawn inspira-
tion to serve the mother-
land, officers said.
‘Not proof, but
befitting reply’
Jammu: Instead of giving
proof of their involvement in
the Pulwama attack, India
will give a befitting reply to
Pakistan, chief of J&K BJP
Ravinder Raina said.
The BJP leader accused
Pakistan PM of “shedding
crocodile tears” over the
deaths of 40 CRPF men who
died in the attack carried out
by Pakistan-based JeM.
Khan had in a video mes-
sage, assured India that he
would act against the perpe-
trators of the Pulwama terror
attack if New Delhi shares
“actionable intelligence”, but
warned against any “re-
venge” retaliatory action.
“Khan should stop shed-
ding crocodile tears... Paki-
stan by carrying out the attack
in Pulwama has started the
war and India will give a befit-
ting response,” Raina said.
The movement of
Pakistani
nationals in the
district may create a law
and order problem and
also pose a threat to their
own lives.
Kumarpal Gautam,
Bikaner Collector
Under a reciprocal arrange-
ment, India normally grants
visa to Pakistanis travelling
on pilgrimage or to meet their
relatives in the country, with
restrictions placed on the
places they can visit.
It is a sensitive zone so pro-
hibitory orders have been is-
sued, Gautam said. He said
hotels and other establish-
ments have been directed not
to allow Pakistanis staying
illegally in the district.
The official did not give
the number of Pakistanis in
the district. The districts of
Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer
and Srigaganagar share the
border with Pakistan.
Despite bad
weather, the
response was
fabulous. For 111
vacancies more than
6,000 people are
expected to show up.
Colonel Ved Beniwal,
Commanding officer
Terrorists had abducted
and killed Lieutenant Um-
mer Fayaz of the Rajputana
Riffles on May 10 2017.
Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad
Wani was awarded the coun-
try’s highest peace time gal-
lantry award ‘Ashok Chakra’
posthumously on Republic
Day for killing two top terror-
ists in Batgund area of Shop-
ian district in November.
 06
Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019
 opini n
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia

daily news & analysis

Old drugs in a new avatar
Research reveals statins and ARBs could solve India’s 2019 crisis on Swine Flu vaccine shortage

MBs in New Delhi

From recent reports,
swine flu cases in
2019 are again on the
rise in India and
India will raise terrorism issue with Pakistan’s key ally health authorities in
both urban and non-

M
ohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is urban areas have
been caught off
coming to India at a time, which is not exactly auspicious. guard in terms of
Not that he is to be blamed. After all, the supreme leader of Chirantan Chatterjee preparedness.
the highly influential West Asian kingdom could scarcely have Hospitals in Delhi,
divined that his twin visit to Pakistan and India, could have come for example, are reporting a shortage and
in such circumstances. Arriving in New Delhi, Mohammed bin doctors have privately expressed worries
Salman, also known by acronym MBS, is caught in the worst to this author on the scarcity of especially
adult flu vaccines.
possible Indo-Pakistan logjam. His visit comes days after the It also looks like given that the virus
Pulwama outrage that has vitiated the atmosphere between the might have mutated and with the shortage
two South Asian neighbours. New Delhi is likely to strongly raise of vaccines, the medical community is
the issue of Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism with the Crown preparing for alternative options like half-
Prince. That this agenda is likely to dominate the visit is more dose flu vaccine or intradermal lower dose
than clear. Ahead of the royal visit, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of influenza vaccine administration building
on some recent clinical evidence that these
State for Foreign Affairs said in Islamabad that Riyadh will try could be used in emergency situations.
to “de-escalate” tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake But is it also time to look for more struc-
of the deadly terror attack in Pulwama by Pakistan-based Jaish- tural solutions to the situation, especially
e-Mohammad. Indian officials insist that Saudi Arabia is no with an innovative mindset in how to ad-
longer willing to accept Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir and dress this issue sustainably.
cross border terrorism and that New Delhi will forcefully raise Healthcare authorities should change
the focus from targeting the virus (with
the issue of Pakistan’s support to terror groups during delega- the vaccines) to treating the host response,
tion-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the which is how patients respond when influ-
Crown Prince on Wednesday. The prevailing sentiment in India enza pandemic strikes.
can be gauged from the fact that MSB, who arrived in Islamabad, Building on a body of work pioneered
had returned to Saudi Arabia on Monday after New Delhi ex- by former University of Virginia professor
pressed reservations over his coming to India from Pakistan of medicine David Fedson, this line of Healthcare authorities should change the focus from targeting the virus to treating the host response —istock
thinking essentially comes from how
directly. New Delhi takes strong exception to this hyphenated statins and angiotensin receptor blockers man diseases like hepatitis C and improve past research has shown.
relationship. A top Indian Foreign Ministry official quoted Ri- (ARBs) led to remarkable improvements clinical outcomes. A timely response with a multi-stake-
yadh as strongly condemning Pulwama. The reality is that dur- in patient survival after the Ebola out- That said, more research certainly holder approach to this idea of old drugs
ing Narendra Modi’s tenure, New Delhi and Riyadh have devel- break in Sierra Leone in 2014. needs to happen here, given that some in a new avatar thus could solve the influ-
oped closer ties in the areas of security and counter-terrorism. Fedson and co-authors now have docu- other clinical journal discussions have enza pandemic crisis that keeps raising its
Saudi Arabia has provided India information and intelligence mented scientific evidence on this host arisen on the potential positive and nega- ugly head every year now in India.
response approach and the utility of tive relationships of statin consumption This is also an opportunity to generate
about terror networks. The two countries had inked a pact on statins herein, in medical journals and with implications for cancer. more clinical evidence on whether indeed
exchange of intelligence related to money laundering and ter- also in a 2014 New York Times (NYT) col- But in a world where pandemic prepar- the WHO line of thinking is correct or the
rorism during Modi’s visit to Riyadh in 2016 and it has paid rich umn. The idea is simple. It looks like edness in India has remained inadequate medical community can structurally pivot
dividends. A sign of this evolving relationship is that India has statins plus ARBs have beneficial effects despite the 2009-2010 swine flu crisis a dec- to a host response approach to treating
been identified as one of the eight strategic partners with whom on the host response, including restoring ade back, that too heterogeneously across influenza pandemic.
Saudi Arabia intends to deepen partnership in areas of security, the integrity of endothelial barrier (a con- states, this is an option worthy of evalua- deal with Nipah virus and other such pan- Suraj Parihar and co-authors have also
dition even with swine flu), and related tion. demic virus attacks that emerging econo- written about this approach using statins
trade, investment and culture. Besides, holding talks on cross medical outcomes (like mitochondrial bio- Herding, social influences, and behav- mies like India with fragile health institu- and ARBs in Nature Reviews; India can
border terrorism, the two countries will also look at further en- genesis and immunometabolism) benefi- ioural biases may make doctors and public tions are regularly being subjected to off take the lead here to build on these prior
hancing defence ties, including concluding a joint naval exercise, cial for the patient. health authorities in India inelastic to late. Domestic firms like Cipla, which scientific studies and offer a new solution
during the two-day visit of the Saudi Crown Prince. A sign of it So rather than targeting the virus change, but we are now 100 years past the produced Tamiflu during the 2009-2010 building on host responses to pandemic
is the joint statement, to be issued after talks between the two which keeps mutating (with an influenza 1918 influenza pandemic that killed many swine flu crisis (albeit with a lukewarm preparedness for the world.
sides, which is likely to have a strong reference about terrorism vaccine that tries to keep pace), this ap- and yet we see influenza pandemic strik- response in terms of adoption from the More generally, drug repurposing is
proach deals with the patient’s clinical ing not just India but repeatedly other medical community) could be roped in increasingly gaining attention in the biop-
and ways to deal with it. At $27.48 billion, Saudi is India’s fourth outcomes. The approach now is also sup- parts of the world. such efforts as well. harmaceutical world, as research by MIT
largest trading trading partner. It is also a key pillar of India’s ported by tests in a mouse model of influ- In addition, it is also a good time for the Cipla has a presence in producing ge- economist Ben Roin demonstrates. We
energy security, being a source of 17 per cent or more of crude enza. clinical community at large to reflect on neric statins and ARBs, so does other now have examples of using ketamine to
oil and 32 per cent of this country’s LPG requirements. Recently, It is true, however, that the World conducting more upstream research in prominent generic players like Dr. Red- treat suicidal tendencies, Thorazine for
Saudi ARAMCO in partnership with ADNOC of UAE has agreed Health Organization (WHO) has expressed this area, which given their daily down- dy’s. The idea is particularly pertinent in treating schizophrenia or non-cancer
to partner in the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petro-Chemical project concerns in the Ebola situation with such stream needs (of treating patients at over- a world where incentivising innovative drugs for anti-cancer activity, as recent
an approach of using statins to target host crowded outpatient departments in Indian work to produce next-generation swine flu articles in British Medical Journal and
Ltd which is a joint venture of $ 44 billion. responses because it could unintendedly public and private hospitals)may have vaccines have proved to be difficult glob- Scientific American have documented. So
increase viral replication. been neglected. ally. using statins to address influenza pan-

Social media & polls

David Fedson and Steven Opal note in Statins and ARBs have also proved to be Even advanced market commitments to demic may not be that unorthodox after
their NYT 2014 column however, that actu- effective not just in Ebola and influenza buy vaccines produced and soft loans have all.
ally statins reduce viral replication in hu- pandemic, but could also be an option to proved to be inadequate in India as my Author is IIM-A and Hoover Institution

ECI needs a robust mechanism to oversee paid content

QUOTE HANGER slowburn

S
ince social media will play an instrumental role in deciding
the outcome of the general elections, political parties will
spend crores on Facebook and Google to make their presence Rajnath Singh Manjinder S Sirsa Speed up efforts to prevent climate change
@rajnathsingh @mssirsa
I
felt. This means the tech giants are going to reap a windfall in nternational climate goals are likely to implementing these actions and often
the coming days. However, a PIL in the Bombay High Court, Am grateful to all who Just like a typical Pak PM be missed due to the slow pace of the situation has actually worsened. Our
“seeking restrictions on advertising and paid content pertain- changing the way land is used, a new research says many of the plans for
ing to election matter on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube” 48
came forward to support families of @ImranKhanPTI expressed no regret, report suggests. Academics from Scot- mitigation in the land system were un-
hours before a state goes to polls, has forced the behemoths to India’s bravehearts by contributing sorrow, pain or even sympathy for land and Europe say the pace of change realistic, and now threaten to make the
must be stepped up dramatically to Paris target itself unachievable.”
ensure transparency in the manner they secure ads. FB and to the @BharatKeVeer portal victims or empathy for the families of avoid catastrophic climate change, re-
Google will work closely with the Election Commission allow- #PulawamaTerrorAttack ports The Scotsman. Limiting average
ing only India-based advertisers to run political advertisements
and releasing a transparency report on the person who pur-
Dr David Frawley global temperature increases to 1.5C
above pre-industrial levels, as set out in
After gender change,
@davidfrawleyved
chased the advertisement. FB will mention the name of the
Chhatrapati Shivaji is in
the Paris Agreement, relies heavily on
improving the way agricultural land
a civic wall in Japan
advertiser on the advertisement itself. There will be an intense
Congratulations to our
many ways the father of modern
E
and forests are managed. Many coun- lin McCready, a transgender woman,
online battle for 900 crore Indians and paid political content
will flood social media and networking sites along with fake India, at a political and military engineers. The 10K HP tries have set out plans to prevent defor-
estation, plant new woodlands over
has been married for 19 years, but reg-
istering her female identity and name
news. While a blanket ban on political ads 48 hours before polls
may not be possible, the ECI must play a more active role in this
level. His example remains crucial locomotive flagged off by PM @ large areas to absorb carbon dioxide has thrown her union into jeopardy be-
from the air and reduce greenhouse gas cause Japan doesn’t recognise gay mar-
regard. An RTI report had earlier said that the ECI has recom- narendramodi will emissions from agriculture. However, riage. “We’ve effectively broken the sys-
mended that social media and online platforms like Facebook, Shesh Paul Vaid boost make in India. making such changes usually takes dec- tem,” said McCready, a 45-year-old Amer-
ades – far too long to sufficiently cut the ican, who has three children with her
Twitter, and Google only carry political advertisements that @spvaid —Arun Jaitley, rate of warming, according to the re- Japanese wife Midori. “Their options are
have been pre-approved by the commission, and has called for Our fight is against port. Study leader Dr Calum Brown, to say ‘Okay, we allow your marriage’, in
the creation of mechanisms that enable it to rapidly take-down senior BJP leader,
from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of which case they have set a precedent for
objectionable political content. These mechanisms need to be terrorists & handful of stooges in on the world’s first
Technology (KIT), said: “The 195 coun- same-sex marriage, or to say ‘No, we
Kashmir on payroll of ISI & Pak Diesel to Electric
robust and the EC should appoint experts to check whether FB tries that signed the Paris agreement in don’t allow your marriage,’” McCready
Locomotive
and Google are living up to their commitment. It’s not just the Army & not against common Engine at DLW,
2015 set out a range of actions. “In most changed her gender marker in Texas last
cases little progress has been made in year as part of her transition process.
Big Brothers, smaller platforms such as ShareChat, which is Kashmiris who are Indians by heart Varanasi, UP
quite popular in rural India, also needs to be reined in.
send your feedback to editor@dnaindia.net

The Sino-Pak entente poses a grave threat to the world

However much we
feel angry over
China’s fresh re-
fusal to back In-
dia’s demand to
designate JeM
chief Masood
Azhar as a global
terrorist by the
Prasenjit Chowdhury UN, which would
paralyse his terror
network, there is practically nothing
that we could do, because we have
buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear
blackmail, facilitated by China that
gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to
counter and stunt India. When it
came to Pakistani transfers of West-
ern technology to China’s nuclear
programme, the United States was
ambivalent — and some in the US gov-
ernment were even tacitly supportive.
Now, when we see Azhar on the
rampage, causing incalculable harm
to India’s strategic interests, it is
worth our while to recall that ever
since Pakistan acquired nuclear
weapons, they exploited it to the hilt,
mounting attack after attack on us
with little wherewithal for India ei-
ther to punish Pakistan or change its
behaviour. While Pakistan got away
by inflicting a 26/11 on India or
mounting an attack on Indian Parlia-
ment, or later at Uri, Pathankot and
Pulwama — bleeding us to “thousand
cuts” — we have thus far remained
content with a few symbolic hangings
and strikes and unsubstantial, effete
cries for revenge. We took little notice
of the implications of Pakistan’s
growing nuclearisation for managing
the situation in Kashmir since 1991, a
fact highlighted by the Subrahmany-
am Committee probing the Kargil de-
bacle. Perhaps the fuller implications
of Bhutto’s famous pronouncement
in 1965, that “If … India builds the
atom bomb…. Pakistan will eat grass
or leaves, even go hungry, but we will
get one of our own” are on display
now.
If we are particularly appalled by
the carnage at Pulwama unleashed
Chinese President Xi Jinping
by JeM, and particularly miffed over
China’s dogged intransigence, it is
important to understand the India-
centric foundations for the China-Pa-
kistan relationship seen in the prism
of the three crucial wars. The Sino-
Indian war of 1962 made the value of
strategic cooperation fully apparent
to the Chinese and the Pakistanis and
brought a rapid resolution to their
own outstanding border dispute. The
Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 in which
there was a real prospect of Chinese
intervention on Pakistan’s behalf
formed the basis of China’s status as
the “all-weather friend” in the Paki-
stani public imagination. The 1971 In-
do-Pakistani war — in which though
Beijing failed to come to Islamabad’s
aid — set in motion security coopera-
tion of an even more significant na-
ture. After Pakistan’s devastating de-
feat, China helped the country devel-
op a set of military capabilities to en-
sure that it would never face the same
fate again. Central to this was Chi-
na’s backing for Pakistan’s nuclear
ambition which, as it stands today,
has given Pakistan the near-sover-
eign right to inflict substantial dam-
age on India without the prospect of
incurring any substantial retaliation.
In reality, China’s greatest contribu-
tion to Pakistan’s security is some-
thing more important than that: the
ultimate means of self-defence. That’s
the reason why India cannot tinker
with Pakistan despite grave provoca-
tions, or can do little even as Pakistan
continues to harbour terrorists like
Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-
ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Perhaps that’s also the reason why
India’s best bet is not militarism but
diplomacy. Rightly, it appealed to all
members of the international com-
munity to “support the proposal to
list terrorists, including JeM chief
Masood Azhar, as a designated terror-
ist and to ban terrorist organisations
operating from territories controlled
by Pakistan.” Though nations like
the US, the UK, Russia, and France
have expressed solidarity with India
in combating terrorism, China kept
its stand on Masood Azhar un-
changed perhaps because supporting
Azhar could be a handle to needle In-
dia and appease Pakistan to extract
strategic benefit from it.
Pakistan’s autonomy and even sur-
vival as a state have been preserved
by its nuclear capacity. But, its de-
pendence on China to achieve this
comes with a threat of spillover ter-
rorism to the world community, and
this threat arising out of Sino-Pak
entente cordiale has to be appreciat-
ed by the UNSC. China is a looming
threat to the security architecture of
Southeast Asia with a verifiable re-
cord to trigger irresponsible prolifer-
ation if one is mindful of an un-
checked fissile material trade as one
of the consequences of the break-up
of the Soviet Union. It is only a mat-
ter of time before terrorists get a nu-
clear weapon. And the worse fallout
of this adventurism is that akin to In-
dia having to contend with Kashmir,
China has Xinjiang, and Pakistan
Baluchistan to deal with, where a ‘nu-
clear deterrent relationship’ cannot
be established with non-state actors,
as targeting them with even a small
nuclear weapon would be impossible
without incurring unacceptable col-
lateral damage and provoking global
outrage. We all know what’s sauce for
the goose is sauce for the gander.
The author is a commentator on geopolitical
affairs

Vol 12 n Issue No. 107 RNI: GUJENG/2007/22424. Printed and Published by Prashant Saxena on behalf of Diligent Media Corporation ltd. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, Survey No.148 P, Nagdevta Mandir, Changodar, Bavla Highway, Sanand, Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Published at Diligent Media Corporation
Limited, Venus Atlantis Building, Unit No. 201 to 208, 2nd Floor, 100 Feet Road, Prahladnagar, Satellite, Ahmedabad 380015. Phone: 079 4060 2000. Editor: Deepak Lokhande Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act.

daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019
in brief
US, China resume
trade talks in
Washington
Washington: The US and
China resumed talks on
Tuesday aimed at ending
a fight over Beijing’s tech-
nology ambitions ahead
of a deadline for a mas-
sive US tariff hike. The
White House said that
meetings between mid-
level delegations were to
begin in Washington fol-
lowing talks last week in
Beijing that US Trade
Representative Robert
Lighthizer said “made
headway” on key issues.
On Thursday, Lighthizer
was to lead higher level
talks, joined by Treasury
Secretary Steven
Mnuchin, Secretary of
Commerce Wilbur Ross,
WH economic adviser
Larry Kudlow and trade
adviser Peter Navarro.
Leading the Chinese team
was Vice Premier Liu He.
Suicide bombing
kills 3 in Cairo
Cairo: The death toll
from a late-night suicide
blast near Cairo’s famed
tourist market rose to
three on Tuesday after a
police officer died of his
wounds, Egyptian securi-
ty officials said. The fa-
talities in the attack near
the Khan el-Khalili ba-
zaar in the heart of Cairo
were all policemen. The
explosion late Monday
also wounded two other
policemen and a woman,
the officials said.
EU’s Juncker, UK’s
May to meet today
Brussels: British Prime
Minister Theresa May
will travel to Brussels on
Wednesday for more talks
with European Union offi-
cials, part of a renewed
push to get her Brexit deal
passed by parliament.
Meetings between EU and
British officials in recent
days have yet to produce a
breakthrough after the
British parliament re-
soundingly defeated the
divorce deal May agreed
with the EU in November.
IS fighters face surrender or US rabbinical pupils reach out to Palestinians
death: Syrian Kurd-led force
Baghouz: Jihadists defending
their last dreg of territory in
Syria will be “killed in battle”
if they don’t surrender, a Kurd-
ish-led force said Tuesday
ahead of a final showdown.
The US-backed Syrian Dem-
ocratic Forces (SDF) said they
are trying to evacuate civilians
trapped in the last half a
square kilometre of the Islam-
ic State group’s once-sprawling
“caliphate” before storming
the jihadist holdout.
“We are working on seclud-
ing and evacuating civilians
and then we will attack. This
could happen soon,” spokes-
man Mustefa Bali said, declin-
ing to provide more details on
the operation. IS fighters “have
only two options, either they
surrender or they will be killed
in battle,” he said.
IS declared a “caliphate”
across large swathes of Syria
and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.
A small hamlet of buildings
in the village of Baghouz is all
that is left of the proto-state,
which at its height spanned an
area the size of the United
Kingdom.
The United Nations on
Tuesday expressed concern
over “the situation of some 200
families, including many wom-
en and children, who are re-
portedly trapped” in the IS
Hair Force Un what started as fun, has become quite a popular trend with the vietnamese
Vietnamese barber marks meet with free Trump-Kim cuts
Hanoi: For those who like to
push the cutting edge of
style, two of the world’s most
talked-about haircuts are
now available for free, in Vi-
etnam.
In honour of an upcoming
summit between US Presi-
dent Donald Trump and
North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un on February 27-28, a
Hanoi barber is offering free
haircuts to anyone wanting to
copy their distinctive locks.
“I feel happy with this
haircut because people will
think I look like the leader of
North Korea,” said nine-year-
old To Gia Huy, whose hair
had been moulded to perfect-
ly match the slicked-back top
and shaved sides of Kim’s
unique coiffure.
08 
US emergency: 16 80 graves vandalised at French
Jewish cemetery ahead of rallies
states sue US Prez
Trump accused of ‘treating rule of law with contempt’
Sacramento: California and
15 other states filed a lawsuit
Monday against President
Donald Trump’s emergency
declaration to fund a wall on
the US-Mexico border.
California Attorney Gener-
al Xavier Becerra released a
statement Monday saying the
suit alleges the Trump admin-
istration’s action violates the
Constitution.
“President Trump treats
the rule of law with utter con-
tempt,” Becerra said. “He
knows there is no border cri-
sis, he knows his emergency
declaration is unwarranted,
and he admits that he will like-
ly lose this case in court.”
Joining California in filing
the lawsuit are the attorneys
general of Colorado, Connecti-
cut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois,
Maine, Maryland, Michigan,
Minnesota, Nevada, New Jer-
sey, New Mexico, New York,
Oregon, and Virginia. All the
states involved in the lawsuit
have Democratic attorneys
general. Trump declared a na-
tional emergency to fulfill his
promise of completing the
wall. The move allows the pres-
ident to bypass Congress to use
money from the Pentagon and
other budgets.
The states say diversion of
military funding to wall-build-
ing will hurt their economies
and deprive their military
bases of needed upgrades.
They say taking away funds
from counter-drug efforts for
the wall will also cause dam-
age. California and New Mexi-
co, the two Mexican border
states in the lawsuit, say the
wall will harm wildlife.
California has repeatedly
challenged Trump in court.
“President Trump is manu-
facturing a crisis and declar-
ing a made-up ‘national emer-
gency’ in order to seize power
and undermine the Constitu-
tion,” said California Gov.
Gavin Newsom in a statement.
“This ‘emergency’ is a national
disgrace.” —AP
Fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ride on a pickup
truck in the frontline Syrian village of Baghouz on Tuesday —AFP
holdout.
“Many of them are appar-
ently being actively prevented
from leaving by ISIL,” the UN
said in a statement, using an-
other acronym for IS.
‘Nightmare is over’
The frontline in Baghouz was
quiet Monday afternoon. Tat-
tered buildings and the twisted
skeletons of cars dotted the
side of the road.
At the entrance of the vil-
lage, the SDF had turned an
embattled building into a tem-
porary base.
Dino, a 26-year old fighter
who has battled jihadists for
years, said “the nightmare is
To Gia Huy, 9, gets a haircut in North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s style at a
haircut salon in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday —Reuters
Tuan Duong Beauty Acad-
emy is running the promotion
until February 28 as thou-
sands of officials and journal-
ists descend on the Vietnam-
A protester wearing a mask depicting US President Donald Trump
demonstrates against Trump on President’s Day in Washington —Reuters
Bernie launches 2nd
run for US president
Washington: Senator Bernie
Sanders on Tuesday launched
his second bid for the White
House, taking direct aim at
Donald Trump in an announce-
ment that calls the US presi-
dent a “pathological liar.”
Sanders, 77, joins an already
crowded field of candidates
seeking to win the Democratic
nomination and take on Presi-
dent Donald Trump in 2020.
He made the announcement
in a radio interview with a sta-
tion from his home state of
Vermont.
“I wanted to let the people
of the state of Vermont know
about this first,” Sanders said
on Vermont Public Radio.
The self-described Demo-
cratic socialist gave an outline
Tuesday of how he will cam-
paign.
“What I promise to do is, as
I go around the country, is to
take the values that all of us in
Vermont are proud of -- a be-
lief in justice, in community,
in grassroots politics, in town
meetings -- that’s what I’m go-
ing to carry all over this coun-
try,” he said.
In a video announcing his
candidacy, Sanders called
over. We have saved the people”
from the IS group.
“The first battles were dif-
ficult. We did not know our
enemy very well but today we
know them intimately.” Thou-
sands of people have streamed
out of IS turf in recent weeks,
but no civilians have made it
out in the past three days.
Those that managed to es-
cape have been ferried on
trucks to Kurdish-held camps
for the displaced to the north.
The International Rescue
Committee said Monday that
62 people, mostly children, had
died on the way to the Al-Hol
camp or shortly after arriving
in past weeks. —AFP
ese capital for the second sum-
mit between Trump and Kim
since their historic first meet-
ing in Singapore last June.
“I was doing this for fun
Senator Bernie Sanders
Trump pathological liar and a
racist.
“We are living in a pivotal
and dangerous moment in
American history. We are run-
ning against a president who is
a pathological liar, a fraud, a
racist, a sexist, a xenophobe
and someone who is under-
mining American democracy
as he leads us in an authoritar-
ian direction,” Sanders said.
“Now more than ever, we
need leadership that brings us
together, not divides us up,” he
said.
He also highlighted policies
he will advocate on the cam-
paign trail: healthcare for all,
raising the minimum wage to
a “living wage,” and combat-
ting climate change. —AFP
At-Tuwani: Young American
rabbinical students are doing
more than visiting holy sites,
learning Hebrew and poring
over religious texts during
their year abroad in Israel.
In a stark departure from
past programs focused on
strengthening ties with Israel
and Judaism, the new crop of
rabbinical students is reaching
out to the Palestinians. The
change reflects a divide be-
tween Israeli and American
Jews that appears to be widen-
risky publicity
„„Although warmly
welcomed by some,
publicity stunts at the
expense of the North
Korean leadership have
the potential to get hairy
„„North Korea is very
sensitive about anything
that could be construed
as an insult to the
dignity of its “supreme
leadership”, a phrase it
uses to refer to the ruling
Kim family
only but was surprised at
how people have responded,”
said Le Tuan Duong, who
owns the salon.
“I love peace. I hate war so
Paris: Around 80 graves were
daubed with swastikas at a
Jewish cemetery in eastern
France, authorities said
Tuesday, hours ahead of na-
tionwide marches called to
denounce a surge in anti-Se-
mitic vandalism and hate
speech.
The damage was discov-
ered at a cemetery in the vil-
lage of Quatzenheim, close to
the border with Germany in
the Alsace region, a state-
ment from the regional secu-
rity office said.
Photos show the Nazi sym-
bols in blue paint on the dam-
aged graves, one of which
bears the words “Elsassis-
ches Schwarzen Wolfe”
(“Black Alsacian Wolves), a
separatist group with links to
neo-Nazis in the 1970s.
The top security official
for the region, Jean-Luc
Marx, condemned “in the
strongest possible terms this
awful anti-Semitic act and
sends his complete support to
the Jewish community which
Back Guaido or lose it all:
Trump to Venezuela military
Washington: US President
Donald Trump on Monday
urged Venezuela’s military to
accept opposition leader
Juan Guaido’s amnesty offer,
or stand to “lose everything,”
as a crisis deepened over
President Nicolas Maduro’s
refusal to let in desperately
needed humanitarian aid.
Bringing in humanitarian
aid is crucial to the viability
of Guaido, who has de-
nounced Maduro’s re-elec-
tion last year as fraudulent
and in January declared him-
self interim president, a
move recognized by some 50
countries.
Addressing supporters
and Venezuelan expatriates
in Miami, Trump said he had
a message for officials help-
US rabbinical students at the village
of Attuwani, West Bank —AP
ing. On a recent winter morn-
ing, Tyler Dratch, a 26-year-old
rabbinical student at Hebrew
swathed in red
much. So many people in my
family have died, so I support
this summit very much,” said
Duong, who lost two of his un-
cles during the Vietnam War.
Le Phuc Hai, 66, said he
was relaxing by a nearby lake
when Duong asked if he
would like to get his hair cut,
and dyed, like Trump’s. Hai
agreed, out of curiosity.
“I’m not afraid of this
bright orange hair colour be-
cause after this promotional
campaign, the hair salon
owner said he would return
my hair to normal,” Hai said.
“I like Donald Trump’s
haircut. It looks great and it
fits my age,” said Hai.
Although warmly wel-
comed by some, publicity
stunts at the expense of the
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
Graves desecrated with swastikas seen in the Jewish cemetery in
Quatzenheim, near Strasbourg, France on Tuesday —Reuters
has been targeted again”.
“It just doesn’t stop, it’s
shock after shock,” Maurice
Dahan, the regional head of
France’s main Jewish insti-
tution, the Israelite Central
Consistory of France, said.
In December nearly 40
graves as well as a monument
to Holocaust victims were des-
ecrated at another Jewish
cemetery near Strasbourg in
Herrlisheim, about a half-
hour drive from Quatzenheim.
US President Donald Trump
ing keep Maduro in place.
“The eyes of the entire world
are upon you today, every day
and every day in the future.
“You cannot hide from the
choice that now confronts
you. You can choose to accept
president Guaido’s generous
offer of amnesty to live your
College in Boston, was among
some two dozen Jewish stu-
dents planting olive trees in
the Palestinian village of At-
Tuwani in the southern West
Bank. The only Jews that lo-
cals typically see are either Is-
raeli soldiers or ultranational-
ist settlers.
“Before coming here and do-
ing this, I couldn’t speak intel-
ligently about Israel,” Dratch
said. “We’re saying that we can
take the same religion settlers
use to commit violence in or-
A performer
dances during
a folk art
performance
celebrating
the Lantern
Festival on
the last day of
Chinese Lunar
New Year
celebrations in
Beijing, China
on Tuesday
—Reuters
North Korean leadership
have the potential to get hairy.
North Korea is very sensi-
tive about anything that
could be construed as an in-
sult to the dignity of its “su-
preme leadership”, a phrase
it uses to refer to the ruling
Kim family.
In 2014, officials from the
North Korean embassy in
London complained to a bar-
ber who had used the phrase
“Bad Hair Day?” under a pho-
tograph of the portly Kim to
offer discounts on haircuts.
Huy, the nine-year-old Kim
lookalike, said he was happy
with his haircut though none
of his schoolmates would be
able to pull off the look.
“No one in my class is as
fat as me,” Huy said. —Reuters
w rld
President Emmanuel Ma-
cron will travel to the ceme-
tery to inspect the damage
Tuesday, before visiting the
Paris Holocaust memorial,
Interior Minister Christophe
Castaner told RTL radio. Ral-
lies are planned for later
Tuesday in Paris and other
cities to denounce a flare-up
of anti-Semitic vandalism in
recent weeks, often coincid-
ing with “yellow vest” anti-
government protests. —AFP
saturday deadline
Donald Trump gave the
Maduro government
until Saturday to let
shipments of mainly
US aid into the country,
which is in the grip of a
humanitarian crisis due
to shortages of food and
medicine exacerbated
by hyperinflation
life in peace with your fami-
lies and your countrymen.
“Or you can choose the
second path: continuing to
support Maduro. If you
choose this path, you will find
no safe harbour, no easy exit
and no way out. You will lose
everything.” —AFP
der to commit justice, to make
peace.”
This year’s student program
also includes a tour of the
flashpoint West Bank city of
Hebron, a visit to an Israeli
military court that prosecutes
Palestinians and a meeting
with an activist from the Ha-
mas-controlled Gaza Strip,
which is blockaded by Israel.
The program is run by “T’ruah:
The Rabbinic Call for Human
Rights,” a US-based network of
rabbis and cantors. —AP
Want to win an Oscar?
Spend millions on the
film campaign trail
Los Angeles: Making an un-
forgettable movie is not the
only requirement to win the
prestigious best picture Oscar.
Add millions of dollars for TV
and digital ads, plus actors’
travel, hair and makeup for
events to promote their work
on the busy film campaign
trail.
If the race is close, as it is
heading into Sunday’s awards
ceremony, studios must dig
deeper to gain an edge with the
roughly 8,000 voters in the
Academy for Motion Picture
Arts & Sciences.
Netflix Inc and AT&T Inc’s
Warner Bros. are among the
distributors opening their
checkbooks to try to land the
most-coveted golden statuette.
“You have to spend money,”
said Matthew Belloni, editorial
director at The Hollywood Re-
porter. “You have to shake
hands. You have to have a mes-
sage for your movie.”
“It’s about working the peo-
ple out there and getting the
academy to know you and to
believe in your film,” he added.
Pieces of salmon shaped like Oscar statues displayed during a media
preview of Academy’s Governors Ball in Los Angeles —Reuters
Poland seeks
Israeli apology for
racist remarks
Warsaw: Senior Polish
officials on Tuesday de-
manded Israel apologise
for comments on the al-
leged anti-Semitism of
Poles in a row which led
Warsaw to pull out of a
Jerusalem summit.
Israeli authorities
must “reject this declara-
tion... and apologise”,
Junior Foreign Minister
Szymon Szynkowski
said.
He was referring to Is-
raeli Foreign Minister
Israel Katz’s comments at
the weekend that “Poles
suckle anti-Semitism
with their mothers’
milk”. Katz also said
“there were many Poles
who collaborated with
the Nazis.” —AFP
Iran Guards say
suicide bomber
was Pakistani
Geneva: The man who carried
out a suicide bombing which
killed 27 members of Iran’s
elite Revolutionary Guards
near the border with Pakistan
last week was Pakistani, a sen-
ior Revolutionary Guards com-
mander said on Tuesday, ac-
cording to the Tasnim news
agency.
One other member of the
militant cell that planned the
attack was also a Pakistani
citizen, the head of the Guards’
ground forces, Brigadier Gen-
eral Mohammad Pakpour said.
Iran has repeatedly blamed
Pakistan for sheltering mili-
tants connected with attacks in
the border area, although
Tuesday’s remarks appear to
be the first time Tehran has
said Pakistani citizens were
directly involved in the attack.
Iran also accuses regional
rival Saudi Arabia of promot-
ing violence among members
of Iran’s Sunni Muslim minor-
ity. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
deny any role in attacks in
Iran. Three Iranians from
Sistan and Baluchistan prov-
ince in southeast Iran were
also part of the cell and two of
them have been arrested, ac-
cording to Pakpour. The guards
announced three arrests in the
case on Monday.
The Sunni group Jaish al
Adl (Army of Justice), which
says it seeks greater rights and
better living conditions for eth-
nic minority Baluchis in east-
ern Iran claimed responsibili-
ty for the attack. —Reuters
For the eventual winner, the
investment will pay off. A best
picture trophy brings in extra
box office dollars, plus cachet
to help attract A-listers for fu-
ture projects.
So from December through
late February, actors, direc-
tors, producers and writers at-
tend a heavy schedule of
lunches, screenings, cocktail
receptions and panel discus-
sions, crisscrossing the coun-
try to get in front of voters in
the industry hubs of New York
and Los Angeles.
Aside from the movie’s
stars, studios recruit A-list
fans to host events, such as a
“Roma” screening with Ange-
lina Jolie, part of Netflix’s
push to secure the first best
picture award for a streaming
service.
The “Roma” publicity cam-
paign cost roughly $25 million,
according to estimates from
Hollywood publication Variety.
The tab for Warner Bros.’ “A
Star is Born” was just under
$20 million, Variety said.
—Reuters
20
Wednesday
February
2019
ahmedabad
www.dnaindia.com
Sensex
35352.61 145.83 q
Gold 10 gram 33555.00
US $ 71.36 Closed
news in numbers
moneyedit Loan converted into equity can’t be treated as debt: NCLT
Why is Tata
Motors stock
slipping?
T
ata Tiago, a compact
hatchback that won the
hearts of customers
with its value for money
proposition, along with
other brands such as Tig-
or and Nexon and its com-
mercial vehicle business
may have breathed fresh
life into Tata Motors. But
the domestic auto giant is
staring at trouble as its
British subsidiary Jaguar
Land Rover (JLR) has
been in the throes of a de-
mand recession over the
past few quarters due to
continued uncertainties
around diesel vehicles in
Europe, deteriorating
market conditions in Chi-
na and the Brexit issue.
The sustained losses in
the December quarter
have forced the company
to take a one-time excep-
tional non-cash charge for
asset impairment of near-
ly 3.1 billion pounds, lead-
ing to its worst-ever con-
solidated quarterly loss of
Rs 26,960.80 crore. Surely,
it has not gone down well
with the analysts and rat-
ing agencies.
CARE Ratings on Mon-
day downgraded the com-
pany’s credit rating, citing
deterioration in JLR per-
formance and increase in
leverage. In response, JLR
has proposed £2.5 bn invest-
ment as part of its turna-
round plan, but the fire
fighting is not expected to
be easy after the company
recently slashed its global
workforce by 4,500 people
Going forward, chal-
lenging times may persist
for Tata Motors. Analysts
and rating agencies are un-
likely to go for an upgrade.
ST smart
Disclosure as per
norms: YES Bank
Private sector lender
YES Bank on Tuesday
said the disclosure of
‘nil divergence’ was as
per the regulatory
guidelines, days after
the Reserve Bank of
India threatened to
take action for making
a confidential report
public. The bank was
of the view that the
information received
under Risk Assessment
Report regarding
“divergence” was an
unpublished price
sensitive information
and which is likely to
be misused or leaked,
YES Bank said in a
clarification to NSE. “It
was deemed expedient
to share this
information through
the stock exchanges to
all market participants
and not to withhold the
same till finalisation of
the annual results,” it
said.
India has world’s
worst NPA ratio
India holds the dubious
distinction of having
the worst non-
performing loan ratio
among the world’s
major economies,
having surpassed Italy.
Reserve Bank of India
said in December that
the ratio for banks fell
for the first time since
2015, though it’s still
“high for comfort.” A
$190 billion pile of
soured and stressed
debt has cast the future
of some lenders in
doubt and curbed
investments. Italy
succeeded in quickly
reducing its bad-loan
ratio, with non-
performing loans falling
to about 200 billion euros
($227 billion) last year
from their peak of over
€360 million in 2016.
Nifty
10604.35 36.60 q
190.00p
EURO 80.85 Closed British pound 92.27 Closed
Rs 11,814 cr - Centre’s financial support for the second phase of grid-connected rooftop solar programme
Sumit Moitra
m_sumit@dnaindia.net
Kolkata: In a judgement that
would have far-reaching con-
sequences on the banking sec-
tor, National Company Law
Tribunal has ruled that loans
converted into equity prior to
the start of bankruptcy and
insolvency process for a com-
pany can’t be considered as
debt at the time of settling
dues of financial creditors.
In the ongoing resolution
of the erstwhile construc-
tion major IVRCL, Hy-
derabad bench of NCLT has
Start-ups get angel tax relief
Total investment limit up to which start-ups can avail full tax concession raised to Rs 25 cr
Praveena Sharma
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: In what is being
viewed as a breather by
start-ups, the government on
Tuesday relaxed tax norms
and announced various oth-
er measures to give a boost to
entrepreneurial activity.
The investment limit for
angel tax exemption has been
raised to Rs 25 crore and from
Rs 10 crore earlier and the
need for approval of exemp-
tion from angel tax every time
the start-ups raised funds has
been done away with. This
tax, which is levied at 30% on
investments made by exter-
nal investors, had become a
raging issue with taxmen is-
suing notices to start-ups.
Further, the definition of
a start-up has also been wid-
ened by raising the turnover
limit for an eligible start-up
to Rs 100 crore from the ear-
lier Rs 25 crore. Also, now
businesses or ventures will
be considered a start-up up
to 10 years from the date of
incorporation against the
earlier seven years.
Climbing down a little on
the issue of fair market value
(FMV), the commerce minis-
try has exempted considera-
tion for share sale, including
premium up to Rs 25 crore,
from the provisions of Sec-
tion 56 (2) (viib) of the In-
GST rates for realty D-Street sees longest losing streak
may be slashed today
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Goods and
Services Tax (GST) Council
is likely to decide on lower-
ing tax rates on real estate in
its meeting scheduled today.
The Council meeting, to
be chaired by finance
minister Arun Jaitley
through video confer-
ence, will decide on low-
ering GST for under-con-
struction houses from 12% to
5% and for affordable hous-
ing from 8% to 3%. Mean-
while, the benefit of the in-
put tax credit (ITC) available
to the builders is set to be
withdrawn. This is likely to
big support The ARC infused additional finance of Rs 300 cr and another Rs 175 cr to complete the project
Edelweiss ARC salvages Kohinoor project in Mumbai
Manju AB manju.ab@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: In the city’s real
estate market which is rid-
dled with incomplete pro-
jects, Edelweiss Asset Recon-
struction Company is reviv-
ing the prestigious Kohinoor
Square, a residential-cum-
commercial development at
Dadar. The project has been
mired in litigations and con-
struction was stalled in 2012.
The building, erstwhile Ko-
hinoor mills, was bought by
the Kohinoor group (promot-
ed by Unmesh Joshi, son of
former Maharashtra chief
minister Manohar Joshi), Ma-
harashtra Navnirman Sena
chief Raj Thackeray and his
Silver kg 40260.00 115.00 p
also ruled that bank guaran-
tees be considered as debt,
which would bring relief to
the banking system that
regularly issues such under-
takings to corporates.
Canara Bank in its plea
claimed that conversion of
debt of erstwhile construc-
tion major IVRCL into equity
as part of a debt restructur-
ing plan is only an arrange-
ment to attract a strategic
buyer and that the dues re-
tain the nature of debt.
The lender argued that
such converted equity is not
required to be disclosed un-
getting
wings
No case-to-case examination of
start-ups for exemption
Valuation of shares no more a
criterion for exemption of
investments
Investments by listed firms with a net worth of
Rs 100 cr or turnover of Rs 250 cr into an eligible
start-up to be exempted from Section 56(2)(viib) of
Income Tax Act beyond the Rs 25 crore limit
Fund raised cannot be invested in residential buildings, shares and securities, jewellery or vehicles above Rs10 lakh
come Tax Act. This section is
used to tax share premium in
excess of fair market value.
Commerce minister
Suresh Prabhu tweeted on
Tuesday, “Delighted to in-
form you that a Gazette Noti-
fication will be issued today
simplifying the process for
start-ups to get exemptions
on investments under Sec-
tion 56(2)(VIIb) of Income
Tax Act, 1961”.
The Department for Pro-
motion of Industry and In-
ternal Trade (DPIIT) notifi-
cation offers relief to eligi-
bring relief to homebuyers
as the benefits are not being
passed on to them.
Currently, premium hous-
ing attracts 12% GST while
an effective rate of 8% is ap-
plicable on the affordable
housing segment for under-
construction property or
ready-to-move-in flats
where completion cer-
tificate has not been is-
sued at the time of sale.
The GST, however, is not
levied on the properties
where the completion cer-
tificate has been issued.
A proposal by the Group
of Ministers (GoM) will be
discussed in the Council
meeting.
business partner Rajan Shi-
rodkar for Rs 421 crore. Thack-
eray exited the partnership in
2009. Kohinoor CTNL Infra-
structure Private Ltd, a sub-
sidiary of Kohinoor group,
began construction of the pre-
mium residential and com-
mercial establishment in 2009.
This is one of the rare in-
stances where an asset recon-
struction company (ARC) has
taken over the debt from a
clutch of banks and financial
institutions to revive an in-
complete real estate project.
Besides taking over the Rs
1,000 crore debt, the ARC has
also provided priority fi-
nance to complete the project.
In the next few months, the
FTSE 100
7219.47 17.21 q
Brent Crude
der Accounting Standard 23,
the objective of which is to
set out principles and proce-
dures for recognising in the
100cr
` 25cr
Annual turnover limit for a business
to be considered a start-up
ble start-ups on share pre-
mium received by them if
they were registered with it.
However, the government
has attached conditions for
exemption from angel tax. It
has barred start-ups from in-
vesting the share premium in
land or residential building
other than those held as stock
in trade or occupied, rented
or used by the business or in
shares and securities, jewel-
lery or in vehicles priced
above Rs 10 lakh other than
those used by the entity in the
ordinary course of business.
Ahana Chatterjee
ahana.chatterjee@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: Equity market in-
vestors continue to plunder
stocks at will as bears fur-
ther tightened their grip on
the market, leaving key eq-
uity benchmark indices reel-
ing under the twin effects of
mixed global market senti-
ment and persisting foreign
fund outflows.
On Tuesday, the 30-share
benchmark Sensex fell for
the ninth straight session,
registering its longest losing
streak since 2011. The broad-
er Nifty50 index also fell for
eight straight session.
Investors remained cau-
tious following a sell-off in
IT stocks with geopolitical
concerns and oil prices surg-
in progress
„„In the next few
months, OCs for part of
the commercial tower of
the project are expected
to be handed out
„„Few lenders like
BoB and IL&FS own
some units in the
commercial premise in
lieu of unpaid loans
occupation certificates (OCs)
for part of the commercial
tower of the project are ex-
pected to be handed out. Few
lenders like Bank of Baroda
and IL&FS own some units in
Nikkei 225
21302.65 20.80 p
$/barrel 65.99 0.02 q
UAE dirham 19.44 Closed
shedding light
„„Canara Bank claimed
that uninvoked bank
guarantee of Rs 304.15
crore and Rs 137.33 crore
of debt converted into
equity be treated as debt
„„NCLT rejected the
argument against
treating guarantees
as debt
consolidated financial state-
ments the effects of the in-
vestments in associates on
the financial position and
Up to 10 yrs
` After incorporation and
registration a business would
The previous limit be considered a start-up
age
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
cap
Up to 7 yrs
Earlier age cap
Investments into eligible start-ups by
non-residents, alternate investment
funds - category I - shall also be exempt
beyond the limit of Rs 25 cr
Start-ups have also got an
exemption from angel tax for
receipts they get from share
sales to listed companies
with a net worth of Rs 100
crore or sales of Rs 250 crore.
They will also not have to
pay the levy on premium re-
ceived from non-residents
and alternative investment
funds, Category 1, registered
with the Securities and Ex-
change Board of India.
A statement issued by the
National Association of Soft-
ware and Services Compa-
nies (Nasscom), which had
S&P BSE SENSEX
36254.57
Jan 1, 19
ing to a three-month high
further worsening the senti-
ment, said dealers.
“Markets opened on a posi-
tive note as the transfer of in-
terim dividend from Reserve
Bank of India to government
helped the indices to rebound
after several days of correc-
tion. However, the reversal
was short lived due to mixed
global market sentiment and
the commercial premise in
lieu of unpaid loans.
“First, we bought the debt
from various banks. After
aggregating the debt, we in-
fused additional finance of
operating results of a group.
“The applicant bank has
not been able to show any pro-
vision of the scheme under
Corporate Debt Restructuring
(CDR), Strategic Debt Re-
structuring (SDR) or any reg-
ulations or guidelines issued
by the Reserve Bank of India
that the amount converted
into equity will revert to the
category of debt the moment
the CDR/SDR fails,” Judge
Anantha Padmanabha Swa-
my said in a 14-page verdict.
Aggregate claims against
the construction major were
arrived at Rs 13,406 crore af-
called for abolition of angel
tax provisions said, “The is-
sue of angel tax has been a
continuous issue for the over-
all growth of Indian start-up
ecosystem and ease of doing
business. Nasscom had ear-
lier raised specific concerns
towards the abolition of an-
gel tax provisions to boost
investments in start-up eco-
system. The new notification
is a seminal move from the
government for angel invest-
ing and a step in the right di-
rection towards the founda-
tion of Start-up India 2.0.”
37075
36700
36325
35950
35575
35352.61
35200
Feb 19
investors’ strategy to book
profit on every rally,” Vinod
Nair, head of research at Geo-
jit Financial Services, said.
Although the markets
started on a positive note,
Sensex ended weak at
35352.61, tumbling 145.83
points, or 0.41%, after touch-
ing an intra-day low of
35287.16. In the last nine ses-
sions, the index has slumped
Rs 300 crore and another Rs
175 crore to complete the pro-
ject. In the next few months,
a part of the commercial
tower of the building will be
getting the occupational cer-
tificates to be handed over to
the investors,” said a source
at Edelweiss ARC.
The initial plan was to
build a five-star hotel, the larg-
est in Asia. But later on, the
plan was revised to have two
towers of 52 floors and 32
floors which will have both
commercial and residential
space. The construction was
on schedule but litigation over
the floor space index (FSI) in
2012 slowed down the project.
The Rs 2,000 crore Kohi-
ter accounting for claims
from about 38 financial insti-
tutions, over 2,815 operation-
al creditors and 3,368 unpaid
workers. Among the major fi-
nancial creditors, ICICI Bank
tops the list with a claim of Rs
913.30 crore, followed by Ca-
nara Bank at Rs 899.90 crore.
Canara Bank also claimed
that uninvoked bank guaran-
tee of Rs 304.15 crore and Rs
137.33 crore of debt converted
into equity be treated as debt.
Resolution professional Suta-
nu Sinha had argued that
these were not actual debts
and rejected both the claims.
Cabinet approves
electronics policy
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Cabinet on
Tuesday approved the new
National Electronics Policy,
2019, which targets a turno-
ver of $400 billion for the
electronics system design
and manufacturing (ESDM)
sector by 2025.
“The new policy will
make India a manufacturing
and export hub. Many Chi-
nese companies are looking
towards India as a manufac-
turing destination,” Minis-
ter for IT and Electronics
Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
It will also create employ-
ment for one crore people,
Prasad said, adding the focus
would be on promoting new
technologies such as artifi-
cial intelligence and medical
electronics. The $400 billion
turnover will include tar-
geted production of one bil-
lion mobile handsets by 2025,
valued at $190 billion and 600
million mobile handsets val-
ued at $110 billion for export,
according to a senior official
from the ministry.
A framework for compre-
hensive start-up ecosystem
will be created in emerging
technology areas such as 5G,
internet of things (IoT), ma-
chine learning, drones, ro-
botics, and their application
in areas such as defence, ag-
riculture, health, cybersecu-
1,618.48 points, or 4.38%,
since February 7.
After a flat opening, the
broader Nifty also lost 36.60
points, or 0.34%, to settle at
10604.35. During intra-day
trade, the index touched a
low of 10585.65. Since Febru-
ary 8, the 50-share index has
shed 339.25 points, or 3.10%,
in the past eight sessions los-
ing 339.25 points, or 3.10%.
“A volatile session ended
in red as Nifty forms an In-
verted Hammer at crucial
supports of 10600-10620,”
Mustafa Nadeem, CEO of
Epic Research wrote in a
note on Tuesday. An Inverted
hammer is a reversal pattern
that has a higher shadow
which is as twice as the real
body and a negligible or
small lower wick.
noor project is being complet-
ed by Sandeep Shirke And
Associates (SSA), a Prabhade-
vi-based architectural firm.
Manohar Joshi’s son Unmesh,
who initially owned the Kohi-
noor Square, lost control of
the property which was one of
the most ambitious real estate
projects in Mumbai to SSA.
Edelweiss Asset Recon-
struction company moved the
National Company Law Tri-
bunal after Kohinoor group
failed to repay a mounting
debt of Rs 1,000 crore in 2017.
The NCLT court allowed SSA
to take over the project after
the resolution professional S
V Ramkumar proposed the
architect’s name.
NCLT has accepted reso-
lution professional’s stand
on converted debt. “The or-
der has a far-reaching im-
pact as it clarifies the view
of the law on bank guaran-
tees and converted debt as
both of these are widely
used financial instruments,”
Sinha told DNA Money.
NCLT, however, rejected
Sinha’s argument on the bank
guarantee issue. “In case the
uninvoked bank guarantee is
not admitted as a claim, it will
be seriously jeopardising the
interest of the applicant
bank,” the order said.
big on
production
$400bn
Turnover targeted for the electron-
ics system design and manufactur-
ing sector by 2025
$1bn
Targeted mobile handset
production by 2025, valued at
$190 billion
rity, smart cities and automa-
tion with a special focus on
solving real-life problems.
The policy has come out
with new schemes which
will replace existing Elec-
tronics Manufacturing Clus-
ters (EMC) scheme as well as
Modified Special Incentive
Package Scheme (M-SIPs).
The new schemes include
interest subsidy and credit
default guarantee to encour-
age new units and expansion
of existing units in electron-
ics manufacturing sector.
Ordinance on
unregulated
deposits gets
Cabinet nod
New Delhi: The Union Cabi-
net Tuesday approved prom-
ulgating an ordinance with
regard to the Banning of Un-
regulated Deposit Schemes
Bill, to protect gullible inves-
tors from ponzi schemes.
The lower House, or the
Lok Sabha, had passed the
Bill on the last day of the
budget session by a voice-
vote, but could not get the
approval of the Rajya Sabha.
This was informed by fi-
nance minister Arun Jaitley
after meeting of the Union
Cabinet chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
The Cabinet has request-
ed the President of India for
promulgation of the Unregu-
lated Deposit Schemes Ordi-
nance, 2019.
Speaking about the need
for promulgation of various
ordinances including on un-
regulated deposits, Jaitley
said these matters were
pending for months.
“On many of the matters,
the discussions have taken
place...Three of the legisla-
tions are such which are in
larger national interest...if
you don’t allow the Upper
House to function, some-
thing which is eminently in
the larger public interest you
don’t allow, Indian democra-
cy can’t be helpless. There-
fore, these extraordinary
situation do call for such
steps,” he said.
The proposed Ordinance
will immediately tackle the
menace of illicit deposit-
taking activities in the coun-
try launched by rapacious
operators. —PTI
 20
Wednesday
February
2019
Ahmedabad
www.dnaindia.com
CRICKET
HOt on Heels
Bengaluru FC
offer to play
in Srinagar
Indian Super League
(ISL) outfit Bengaluru
FC on Tuesday offered to
play an exhibition match
against Real Kashmir in
Srinagar to support the I-
League debutants after
defending champions
Minerva FC pulled out
of their match, citing se-
curity concerns in the
wake of Pulwama terror
attack. Real Kashmir
thanked the ISL club and
invited them in March
for a friendly fixture.
Meanwhile, East Bengal
once again appealed to
the AIFF to postpone
their I-League match
against Real Kashmir but
ruled out defying the na-
tional governing body if
it sticks to the schedule
Man City seek to
conquer Europe
As their Premier League
title rivals Liverpool
sunned themselves in
Marbella last week, Man-
chester City were getting
muddy in Newport on
Saturday to keep alive the
prospect of a historic
clean sweep of four tro-
phies. City’s focus switch-
es from south Wales to
Schalke on Wednesday
for the first leg of their
Champions League last
16 tie.
Playing tonight: Atletico
Madrid vs Juventus;
Schalke 04 vs Man City
Calicut Heroes
reach PVL final
Calicut Heroes defeated U
Mumba Volley 3-0 (15-12,
15-9, 16-14) in the semifi-
nal of the inaugural Pro
Volleyball League in
Chennai on Friday and
become the first team to
reach the final. Skipper
Jerome Vinith led the
scoring for Calicut with
12 points (10 spikes and 2
serves) whereas Vinit Ku-
mar was the leading scor-
er for U Mumba with 7
points (4 spikes and 3
blocks).
on the tube
(All Live)
CRICKET
Star Sports Select 1
03:30 NZ vs Bangladesh,
3rd ODI
Sony ESPN
20:30 Windies vs England,
1st ODI
VOLLEYBALL
Sony Six
19:00 Pro Volleyball
League
FOOTBALL
Star Sports 1 & 3
19:30 NorthEast United FC
vs FC Pune City
Sony Ten 2
20:30 UEFA Europa
League, Sevilla vs Lazio
UEFA Champions League
Sony Ten 2
01:30 (Thu) Atletico vs
Juventus
Sony Ten 1
01:30 (Thu) Schalkevs
Manchester City
1 Strandja Memorial Boxing
2 among the men while former
3 Rani (48kg) had to settle for sil-
Send in your answers to
sportsdna@gmail.com. Names
of the first 10 winners will be
published tomorrow
ATHLETICS Double Olympic 800
metres champion Caster Semenya says that
proposed rules that would oblige her to lower
her testosterone levels “do not empower”
SA pacer Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka to be played in Port Elizabeth on Thursday
‘To be a part of a historic win
in debut series tops list’
Mayank Agarwal, India’s Test cap No. 295, could not have asked for a better start to his
international career. The right-handed opening batsman from Karnataka who turned 28 four
days ago, recalls the experience of walking out to bat on Boxing Day in Melbourne and what
it feels like to be a Test player in this exclusive chat with G Krishnan. Excerpts:
„„ Could you have asked
for a better start to your
Test career? Debuting at
MCG on Boxing Day, be-
ing part of a historic se-
ries win and scoring two
fifties in three innings.
To be a part of a historic
win in your debut series tops
the list. To make a debut at
MCG was a very very big mo-
ment and a big experience
for me.
„„ Can you recall the mo-
ment when you walked out
to an almost-packed MCG
in your debut? Were you
nervous?
I was nervous walking in,
to be honest. When I walked
in to the rope and looked
around, I was like ‘Wow!, I
am in the middle of some-
thing big’. Packed stadium,
huge ground, a lot of noise. I
was very nervous. I just kept
telling myself that I have a
plan and need to keep stick-
ing to it, no matter where I
am and in what situation. If
I keep sticking to my plan,
let’s see as it comes. Being in
the middle for a couple of
overs, the nerves started to
ease out and it became a lot
easier.
„„ Can the huge MCG
ground be intimidating
for a debutant, consider-
ing its rich history?
It can be intimidating for
the history it has. The stadi-
um is huge. The amount of
noise, the amount of buzz can
be intimidating but as a play-
er, you have got to leave those
things aside and focus on the
things that you can control
and focus on going out there
and giving your best with a
proper in mind.
„„ Who eased you into
your Test debut?
The whole team was very
welcoming, very warm. As
soon as I reached and went to
the practice sessions, I felt at
home.
„„ You could have got a
century in each of your
The confidence of playing in Australia and
getting runs there, having experienced
playing Test cricket was one of the best,
being part of a series win in Australia that has
never happened before was elating
–Mayank Agarwal, India opener
Gold rush for India in boxing
as Amit, Nikhat, Meena win
DNA Correspondent
sports@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Indian boxers col-
lected a rich haul of seven
medals, including three gold,
one silver and three bronze
medals to finish their cam-
paign on a high at the 70th
tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria,
on Tuesday.
Asian Games gold medallist
Amit Panghal (49kg) became
the only Indian to win a gold
world junior champion Nikhat
Zareen (51kg) and Maisnam
Meena Kumari Devi (54kg)
tasted the yellow metal from
the women. Debutante Manju
ver on the final day of the sea-
son-opening tournament.
The 2018 Commonwealth
Games silver medallist
Panghal looked dialled-in right
from the start against Kazakh-
stan’s Temirtas Zhussupov and
didn’t face much resistance on
his way to a thunderous 5-0 vic-
tory. This was the 23-year-old’s
second consecutive gold medal
from this tournament.
The 22-year-old Zareen was
absolutely ruthless in her bout
against Magno Irish of the
Philippines. With a flurry of
TENNIS Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki
has withdrawn from the ongoing Dubai Open due to
illness. The 28-year-old expressed disappointment but
asserted that she needs to be fair to herself, as well
„„ You took a brilliant
catch to dismiss Aaron
Finch...
The plan was to bowl
straight to Aaron Finch and
look to get him out by not
giving him too much width.
I had gone there (short mid-
wicket) a couple of balls be-
fore that. I was standing
there ready. As a fielder, you
know when the bowler is go-
ing to bowl in that area and
the plan is there, you have
got to be ready for the catch-
es. We were very very happy
because it was plan executed
well and a plan that worked
for us, to get his wicket. That
joy was tremendous. It was
very very nice to actually
plan a wicket and execute it.
And when things go as per
plan, it was fantastic. The
bowlers discussed their
plans at the bowlers meet-
ing. And, as a fielding unit,
we have discussed about
half chances and difficult
chances that we can convert
and create pressure.
two Tests – 76 at MCG, 77 „„ Did you prepare extra
at SCG. What happened? for Lyon?
At MCG, just the ball be- We had prepared well for
fore tea, the ball (from Pat him with Sanjay Bangar sir.
Cummins) kicked from We created the rough at
length, climbed on me and practice. We had a clue of
took the glove off. I wasn’t how and at what pace he
very very disappointed with bowls, what are the areas he
that. I thought I batted well, was looking to bowl. We had
it was my first innings. I that clue and we had pre-
was quite happy with the pared for him accordingly.
way I played. It was a quick After that, it was about go-
bounce, something I did not ing there, executing the
expect. That was fine. I was plans, trusting your in-
more disappointed with the stincts and trusting your
way I got out in Sydney. But game.
my plan was to attack him „„ You shared a half-cen-
(Nathan Lyon) so I could put tury and a century stands
a lot of pressure on them with man of the series
(Aussies). It did not work Cheteshwar Pujara. What
out and a lesson learnt. The did you learn from him?
plan was to keep attacking I really enjoyed watching
him and if we could keep him grind a bowling attack
scoring runs off him, it out, watch him spend time
would have been extremely (in the middle). He is so calm
hard for them. and very composed. He
did you know?
Mayank Agarwal played the Ranji
Trophy semifinal for Karnataka
against Saurashtra after return-
ing from Australia, scoring 2 &
46. He also played in Irani Cup
for Rest of India against Vidarbha
last week, scoring 95 & 27
India’s Amit Panghal (49kg) poses with his gold medal in Sofia on Tuesday
Maisnam Meena Kumari Devi won NIkhat Zareen won gold in 51kg
gold in 54kg category category
punches, the two-time nation- Championships bronze med-
al champion never allowed her allist was made to work hard
opponent to settle into the for it.
match and was declared a All the three gold medal-
unanimous 5-0 winner. lists dedicated their wins to
Nagaland’s Maisnam Mee- the victims of the Pulwama
na Kumari collected the sec- terror attack last week in
ond gold medal from the wom- which 40 CRPF personnel
enalthough the former Asian were martyred.
knows his game and always
stuck to his strengths. What-
ever was not his strength, he
just defended or kept leav-
ing. That’s something that
we can all learn from him.
„„ You were in New Zea-
land with India ‘A’ be-
fore going to Austral-
ia? Did NZ prepare
you well, though the
conditions may
have been differ-
ent?
Playing in
New Zealand
was definitely
helpful. Also,
the conditions
weren’t very
very different.
They were a lit-
tle similar to
some extent.
Having played
with the Kookaburra
ball and pitches that had
bounce and seam, it did help
in preparing for Australia.
„„ What have been the les-
sons learnt since you first
made it to the Test squad
at home against the Wind-
ies and then making it to
the XI?
Well, handling pressure is
one thing, understanding
your role, going out there and
executing it, and doing what
is required for the team was
something that we spoke
about and practiced a lot.
„„ Does the approach to
domestic cricket change
once you taste interna-
tional cricket?
I don’t believe so. The ap-
proach remains the same.
You are going out there to
represent your side, you are
going out there to win. You
have got to do whatever prep-
aration you do, keep working
as hard as you did for any
other tournament you play.
„„ Now that you have
made it to the Test side,
how difficult is it to stay
there?
I think, it is about prepar-
Agarwal in first-class cricket
Agarwal
in Tests 50 matches
76 & 42 77 85 innings
in in Sydney
Melbourne 6 Not out
(debut)
3,964 runs
CSK face RCB
in IPL opener
New Delhi: Defending cham-
pions Chennai Super Kings
will take on Royal Challeng-
ers Bangalore in the opening
encounter of the 12th Indian
Premier League for which a
provisional two-week sched-
ule was announced by the
BCCI on Tuesday.
The opening game has
been scheduled for March 23
in Chennai, the BCCI an-
nounced in its schedule com-
prising 17 games.
The IPL will be off to an
earlier-than-usual start this
year owing to the general elec-
tions, dates of which are yet
to be announced. Any change
in the provisional itinerary
— from March 23 to April 5 —
will be revised accordingly.
“These are still subject to
the announcement of the
Lok Sabha 2019 election
dates. Once these have been
released, the BCCI will ad-
dress any issues with the
first two weeks and will also
prepare a schedule for the
remainder of the season
working with the local au-
thorities around the polling
dates,” read an official state-
ment from the IPL.
All teams will play a min-
imum of four games with
Delhi Capitals and RCB com-
peting in five matches each
during this time. —PTI
11
ing well, believing in your
ability, going out there and
executing your plans. Having
a clear-cut plan, understand-
ing what your game is and
playing to your strength is
what needs to be done.
„„ What should you be do-
ing to break into the lim-
ited-overs side?
Obviously, it is every play-
er’s dream to play all formats
for the country. That’s the
plan. It would be nice repre-
senting the country in all the
three formats. That said, the
only way to go about is to go
out there and keep scoring
runs.
„„ Looking ahead, what
goals have you set for
yourself?
I don’t discuss my goals. I
keep them very tight to me.
We (Karnataka) are heading
in to the Syed Mushtaq Ali
Trophy (T20) tournament
and the thing is to go out
there and win the tourna-
ment for your side.
(This interview was facilitat-
ed by CEAT, who signed a bat
deal with Mayank Agarwal
recently)
50.17 average
8 hundreds
*
304
23 fifties
30 catches highest
BCCI CEO undergoes gender
sensitisation counselling
Chander Shekhar Luthra employees of the BCCI were
shekhar.luthra@dnaindia.net summoned inside the meeting
room for an interactive ses-
New Delhi: The Board of Con- sion.
trol for Cricket in India’s “It was when Gowda was ex-
(BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri un- plaining matters related to offi-
derwent gender sensitization cial conduct with all the women
counselling in Mumbai on employees, one of the employee
Tuesday.
It was recommended by law-
who made sexual harassment
complaint against BCCI CEO
yer activist Veena Gowda, Rahul Johri broke down and left the room,”
member of the three-member an insider narrated the entire
panel investigating the sexual poned by a day citing BCCI top incident.
harassment allegations officials urgent meeting with It has been learnt that Gow-
against the high-profile cricket
administrator.
new amicus curie appointed by
Supreme Court on Monday.
da, who is a women’s rights
lawyer dealing with sexual har-
The session was conducted Rainmaker has online assment at the workplacwe and
by a company called “Rain- training modules that deal pri- sexual abuse and a part of BC-
maker” which specialises in marily in ensuring a safe work- CI’s commitee, apparently lost
PoSH (prevention of sexual ing environment. “We raise her cool at this point. She also
harassment) and raising
awareness amongst the em-
employee awareness through
training in an engaging man-
is said to have blamed board’s
internal system for covering up
ployees at a workplace. The ner and enable employees to the sexual harassment episode.
counselling lasted for almost relate to the various case-sce- Gowda was the lone dissent
two hours which was attended narios,” was how a source in voice in the three-member com-
by only Johri. Rainmaker told DNA on Tues- mittee which cleared CEO
Tuesday was fixed for the day. Johri of any misconduct.
purpose in the wake of Guru The other two members,
Ravidas Jayanti, a public holi- Gowda not impressed who found allegations against
day, when the entire BCCI of- On Monday, the three-member Johri baseless and fabricated,
fice was empty. Internal Complaint Commit- were Justice (Retd) Rakesh
As per a top official, the date tee of BCCI met in Mumbai Sharma and Barkha Singh.
earlier set for gender sensitisa- without GM Cricket Opera- The committee was formed by
tion counselling was fixed for tions, Saba Karim, who was Committee of Administrators
February 18 (Monday) during away for an official work in (COA) chief Vinod Rai without
a committee meeting on Febru- Bangalore. Going by the in- consulting his other colleague,
ary 15. But it was later post- sider account, all the women Diana Edulji.
 20
Wednesday
February
2019
Ahmedabad

After
www.dnaindia.com

Vidya Balan, who played a radio jockey in Lage Raho Munnabhai and Tumhari Sulu, is all set
Vidya to turn one in real life, too. The actress will be hosting a radio show through which she will
encourage women callers to share the various problems they face. The Begum Jaan actress will
turns RJ be accompanied by lawyer and activist Abha Singh. The two will talk to the women and provide
legal solutions to their problems. The duo has already shot for the first episode of the show.

Total Dhamaal is Salman to kick-start

a one-of-a-kind Dabangg 3 next month?
comic entertainer Hiren Kotwani

S
alman Khan, who is
currently working on
his Eid release
Bharat, has already
lined up his next film,
Dabangg 3. The third
instalment of the
successful franchise has
been in the news since the
time of its announcement.
Now, we have learnt that
the superstar will don the
khaki for his role as
Chulbul Pandey on March
26. A source says, “Salman
is expected to complete his
portions for Bharat in the
next few weeks. He’s keep-
ing a buffer of a few days
in case he needs to shoot
any patch work.” The
source further adds, “The
launch of Dabangg 3,
Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Pitobash, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Anil Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, which was previously
Esha Gupta, Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Mishra in Total Dhamaal scheduled for April 4, has
now been advanced to next

I
ndra Kumar’s adventure comedy
Total Dhamaal has become a
talking point among cinegoers,
thanks to its fun-filled trailer
and foot-thumping songs. The
movie, which is a one-of-a-kind
month. Salman will kick-
boggling stunts that will leave you their comic timing), Anil Kapoor- start the movie with a
in splits. Total Dhamaal is a Madhuri Dixit-Nene’s famous jodi
and new partners in crime Riteish
shoot at Mehboob Studios
in Bandra. His entire
The chase gets bigger perfect mix of Deshmukh-Pitobash, who have a family will be present
The Dhamaal franchise is known
to be one of the best treasure
adventure and comedy. desi touch. for the launch.”

comic entertainer, promises to be
an edge-of-the-seat laughter riot.
Here are a few elements that
make this third instalment of the
successful Dhamaal franchise a
film to watch out for.
Adventure comedy
Total Dhamaal is a perfect mix of
adventure and comedy. While its
hilarious scenes will make you
laugh, the actors’ escapades on
screen will also give you an
adrenaline rush! For the first time,
they will be seen doing some mind-
hunt/chase series and this time
around, the hunt is bigger and
better! While the prize money at
stake is much larger than the
previous instalments, the ensem-
ble’s quest to attain it is something
you would definitely not want to
miss out on!
Comical duos
Writer-director Indra Kumar is
known for giving us quirky
onscreen characters that stay with
us long after the film is over. The
most memorable being Arshad
While its funny scenes
will make you laugh,
the actors’ escapades
will give you an
adrenaline rush
Warsi-Jaaved Jaaferi, who were
seen in the first two outings. This
time around, they will be joined by
other duos such as Ajay Devgn-
Sanjay Mishra (who are known for
Animal kingdom
Dabangg 3’s earlier
Apart from the star-studded en-
semble, the makers have added a launch dates
special star cast in the movie, Initially, Salman Khan
which are none other than the
various animals comprising lions,
had reportedly planned
to launch Dabangg 3 on
tigers, elephants and gorillas.
September 16 last year.
Total Dhamaal, presented by
Fox Star Studios, produced by Fox According to sources, he
Star Studios, Ajay Devgn Ffilms, later decided to complete
Ashok Thakeria, Sri Adhikari Bharat first. Then, it was
Brothers, Anand Pandit, and co- supposed to kick off on
produced by Sangeeta Ahir and April 4.
Kumar Mangat Pathak, releases
on February 22. Salman Khan

‘I could qualify for the Taapsee replaces

title of Sequel Man’ Parineeti!
Says Anil Kapoor who has acted in a number of instalments
T
aapsee Pannu has been having a good run at the
movies. With some terrific performances in
Pink (2016), Mulk (2018), Manmarziyaan (2018)
Meena Iyer and now the upcoming thriller Badla (March 8)

A
t 62, Anil Kapoor’s
spirit is infectious
and his charm
undeniable. While
promoting his Friday
release Total Dhamaal, the
actor said, “Even as we
speak, I am thinking that
perhaps I could qualify for
the title of Sequel Man.”
He laughed and added,
“There are so many of my
films that have the definite
possibility of being made
into successful franchises.
For eg, for some reason the
sequels to Mr India (1987)
and No Entry (2005) haven’t
taken off. Welcome (2007)
has had two successful
instalments. People keep
asking me why I haven’t
agreed to a sequel for
Nayak: The Real Hero (2001)
because this socio-political
Anil Kapoor
board. I am happy to team
up with Madhuri (Dixit-
Nene) with whom I have
done 18-odd films and of
whose trailer looks promising, her career graph has
been on the rise.
Meanwhile, Parineeti Chopra has had to lie low for
some time now. Despite the comedy franchise Golmaal
Again (2017) doing wonders at the box office, the
actress hit a road block especially after (Namastey
England, 2018) came unstuck. However, she is gearing
up for her March release, the historical, Kesari, in
which she teams up with Akshay Kumar.
Having said that, there are certain brands, who
have got slightly impatient with PC’s slow turn at the
movies. And, one of them has decided to replace her
with Taapsee.
Says a source, “A popular chips brand was looking
for a new face and they zeroed in on Taapsee. They
have already shot for their first ad together last
month. The team wanted a complete makeover and
someone whose energy matched with theirs. While
Parineeti was the face of the brand for years, they
didn’t renew her contract this time around.”
Of course, several brands are known to be myopic
and they constantly play musical chairs with
celebrities. Nothing too alarming, we say. What goes Parineeti Chopra
Taapsee Pannu up also comes down and vice versa.
There are so
many of my

Sanjay, Kapil get emotional

drama has so much rele-
vance even today and will
definitely lend itself to a
mind-blowing second part.”
Anil exclaimed that he
course, with Ajay (Devgn)
as well as the rest of the
films that have the
cast which includes Riteish definite possibility
(Deshmukh), Jaaved of being made into
(Jaaferi) and Arshad

was proud of the fact that
he was a part of the Race
franchise. Now, he is excit-
ed about Total Dhamaal
that he has just joined.
“Indu (Indra Kumar)
(Warsi). We had the most
fun shooting this film and
today I feel happy to be in
the last leg of the promo-
tions as well. Some movies
just make you happy. Total
at an anti-drug campaign
successful
franchises. For eg,
for some reason the
sequels to Mr India
Nayandeep Rakshit
(1987) and No Entry

didn’t have to say much to
convince me to get on
The actor in No Entry
As the patriarch in Race 3
Dhamaal is one of them,”
he signed off.
R
(2005) haven’t ecently, several Bollywood as well as
international actors joined hands to support
taken off. Welcome a drug-free India campaign. The first event
(2007) has had for the same took place in Chandigarh.
two successful Sanjay Dutt and Kapil Sharma, too, joined the
movement. Says a source, “Sanjay flew in from
instalments Jaipur where he was shooting for Panipat. He
wanted to be part of the campaign and share his
story with the youth present. He shared his tryst
with drugs and how it completely broke him. He
said his dad Sunil Dutt helped him overcome this
trying phase.”
Sanjay said, “I appeal to everybody to join this
Kapil Sharma important movement and save the future of our
youth.” Kapil, too, teared up while sharing his
Sanjay Dutt experience. The stand-up comedian and TV host hit
Kapil spoke about how he a career low when his love for alcohol had an
Sanjay shared his tryst with drugs was consumed by the bottle. adverse effect on his profession as well as his
relationships.
and how it completely broke him. He recalled seeing his mother “Kapil spoke about how he was consumed by the
He said his dad Sunil Dutt helped him break down. That’s when he bottle. He recalled seeing his mother break down.
overcome this trying phase decided to kick the habit That’s when he decided to kick the habit,” added
the source. Sonakshi Sinha and rapper Badshah,
As the protagonist in
A source
Nayak:The Real Hero A source who were shooting for their next film in Punjab,
also pledged their support for the cause.

Disclaimer: Note to reader: Some of the content/coverage that appear in our special ‘feature’ page/s may be paid for by the concerned brands. Such page/s will be appropriately declared as ‘features pages’ (e.g. reader engagement feature, etc.)
 After
Etc daily news & analysis
Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019
13
Salman-Kat: song
Three shoot postponed
looks for
T
his year, the audi-

Shahid in
ence will not only
see Salman Khan
and Katrina Kaif
sharing screen space in

his next!
Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat
but the two actors will
also be dancing together
to a reprised version of
the superstar’s hit track O
O Jaane Jaana. The Tiger

S
Zinda Hai co-stars will
hahid Kapoor is currently busy wrapping up work on his gyrate to the beats of the
next, Kabir Singh. Ask him about the two different looks latest version for Sooraj
he dons in the film and he corrects us, “Not two, I have Pancholi and Isabelle
three different looks in Kabir Singh. The need for change Kaif-starrer Time To
is there in the original (Arjun Reddy) because of the way the Dance. But we hear that
subject unfolds in the narrative. There’s a certain mind space the shoot of the track had
and the present which the character is in and there’s also the to be pushed ahead. Says a
past which he has been part of. Along with this, there’s the source, “Two versions of
culmination. So, there are three distinct energies that the film the song were supposed to
needs. It was about us rediscovering it and making it be shot — one with the
honest and more original and not forced. We have done that film’s younger leads and
and that’s what I loved the most about the movie.” one with Salman and Kat-
rina. But after Kat hurt
No Health scare her ankle, she has been
Although there was news of a possible health scare for the advised to take rest and
actor, he says they were ‘baseless rumours’ and he is perfectly not aggravate her injury.
fit and fine. When we meet him and ask him about the same, he They will still shoot the
laughs, “I didn’t know how else to react. I got several messages track, but only at a later
and calls, including yours. I just felt like laughing at the news. date. The plan has been
No, I’m not suffering from any life-threatening disease as pushed by a few weeks
mentioned. I also feel we should be sensitive about such things now. Once Katrina’s
because cancer isn’t a joke.” injury heals, she will get
back to rehearsals and
Shahid Kapoor Salman Khan Katrina Kaif
perform.”

pick your brain crossword hidato Baby Blues

Down 19 Bark sharply (3)
1 Helplessly drunk 20 Limited in short?
(6) (3)
2 Begins (6) 21 Printing in two
3 Fine and delicate colors (7)
? (4) 22 Tax consultant,
4 Large wild oxen often (3)
(7) 23 Saturday in Paris
5 Ocean boat (5) (6)
6 Engaged (2,3) 24 Anti-antis? (4)
8 Stead (4) 25 Aim (6)
9 His, hers or ___ 26 Tabla maestro
(3) ___ Hussain (5)
12 Flight Guidance 27 Reverence for
Sys. (3) God (5) The Pajama Dairies
13 Supporting ac- 28 Augustine’s pet
tress ___ Lagoo name ? (3)
(5) 30 Harbour boats
15 Abominable (4)
snowmen (5)
18 Desert region of
Israel (5)

Across 10 One score and ten (6) 23 Tiff (4)

1 Astronomer who performed
the first accurate measure-
ment of the distance to a star
(6)
7 Reference (8)
8 Not of the clergy (4)
11 Proposals or bids (6) 26 4th Marx brother (5)
14 U.F.O. pilots (3) 28 Needlefish (3) The goal of Hidato is to fill the grid
with consecutive numbers that
16 Concur (5) 29 Fly (6)
connect horizontally, vertically, or
17 Burden (4) 30 A swollen part (6)
diagonally from first to the last
19 Shouts (5) 31 Applications (4)
number in the grid. The first and last
21 Likewise (5) 32 Reciting in singing voice (8)
22 The little love god (5) 33 Small in amount (6)
numbers of a puzzle and some other Tina’s Grove
numbers are already filled in.

spellathon How good is your vocabulary? Spell out sudoku

as many words of four or more letters
as you can from the letters in today’s To solve a Sudoku
diagram. In making a word, each letter puzzle, every digit
must be used only once and each word must appear once
must contain the letter in the centre. in: Each of the
There should be at least one nine-letter vertical columns;
word! Plurals, foreign words, and Each of the
proper nouns do not qualify. horizontal rows;
Rate yourself Each of the boxes.
15 Average; 17 Good; 19 Wow!

Tinkersons
crossword
solutions

sudoku
hidato

loch, logic
finch, flinch, GOLDFINCH, icon, inch,
codling, coif, coil, coin, cold, filch,
child, chin, cling, clod, clog, coding,
spellathon

Marjorie Orr
Your year ahead will be serious about pulling your weight in friendships and team relationships even if it takes some effort. You will be keeping a clear
IF IT’S YOUR eye fixed on your long-term goals and plans. Your pet projects should be progressing well with praise and recognition coming your way from the right
BIRTHDAY TODAY people. You will also be throwing yourself with gusto into improving your personal finances. Taking the initiative and being persistent will pay off.

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO

Mar 21 - Apr 20
You will be very sharp about
details. In areas where you
have specialised or really
significant tasks to do, you will
crack along. Though you won’t necessarily
find it very easy to communicate with
other people. Saturn around now can
sometimes create barriers, or maybe the
truth is, you are just putting yourself
across much too cautiously. You can turn
one dream into reality but you will have to
find more self-discipline.
Apr 21 - May 20
You are being realistic and
facing the bottom line in one
tricky situation. The influences
around today are good if you’ve
got work to do that require disciplined
thinking. Later on you’ll be light hearted and
socially charming, wanting to mix with a
much wider range of people, and explore
new leisure activities. You want to be out of
your normal rut to find stimulation with
companions who will stretch your mind as
well as keep you entertained.
May 21 - June 21
If there are delays around, don’t
get discouraged. Give it a few
days and it will work itself out.
Attitude of mind may be more
important than anything else. Think
positively and it will work. In your romantic
life, you want more drama than usual — a
grand passion — or paradoxically, you
could be shutting off your emotional needs
altogether. Maybe you’re wary that if you
open up to what you want it could bring
uncomfortable feelings to the surface.
June 22 - July 23
Don’t run yourself or your
talents down but try to be fair
minded. Remember your sense
of humour as well as your
sense of what’s wrong with life. It is
important to break through one
communication barrier but that requires
you get companions to listen respectfully to
what you have to say. You need to prepare
the ground in advance by softening them
up. See where you can iron out difficulties
and put your best diplomatic foot forward.
July 24 - August 23
If you can push frivolities to
one side and do practical tasks,
then you could get a lot of stuff
cleared out of the way once and
for all. Then you will deserve a break and
can disappear off to play truant. Maybe you
are being just a touch too analytical about
your feelings, standing back to dissect
them rather than plunging into emotional
situations around you. If you can let go,
you would find deeper connections and
more fulfilling relationships.
Aug 24 - Sep 23
Don’t try to fly too high. This
is very much a day to focus
in on the small things. Try to
see things exactly as they are,
which is never as much fun as looking on
the bright side, but might be more useful.
Later on, your ability to sparkle in the
spotlight will attract a stream of
compliments and new admirers. You will
be flirting, having fun, and trying to duck
out of boring chores, ruts and routines as
much as possible.

LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

Write to Sept 24 - October 22 Oct 23 - November 22 Nov 23 - Dec 22 Dec 23 - Jan 20 Jan 21 - Feb 19 Feb20 - March 20
Marjorie If you are holding back from Your self-esteem is maybe not You may be looking too much In practical matters, it is You do have a clear view of life, Trivial amusements may not be
Orr a serious discussion with great at the moment. Don’t for what’s wrong around you, important that you fix your but it won’t endear you to close uppermost on your mind early
workmates maybe you need judge yourself by other people’s seeing flaws rather than eagle eye on the things that companions if you continually on, which is just as well since
with your
to think of some way of standards. Just because not benefits. It may not be easy to need looking at. Then you’ll point out to them everything they won’t work well. If you are
queries at breaking the ice. There may have been everyone fits in with your point of view, open up to other people because you fear that’s wrong. Love may not come as easily too optimistic, you’ll end up feeling
find you can pick up the details that need
afterhrs@ more criticism around recently, but you doesn’t mean you’re wrong. Give yourself a they may be critical, but try all the same. To to be sorted out, which others have at the moment, partly because you are thwarted. Whereas if you try to be serious,
dnaindia. could also be misconstruing something pat on the back for what you have make yourself feel better you’ll be looking missed. This is not the time to keep your holding back, oversensitive to rejection. you’ll make by far the best of the Saturn
net you only half heard. Check it out before accomplished recently. Luckily, thoughtful around for treats. If your extravagances head in the clouds or amble along relying You would rather shut yourself away than influences around. Later will be a more
www. jumping to conclusions. Adding elegant gestures from everyday companions will look like outrunning your budget, turn your on luck to see you through. In your social let your feelings be seen. Maybe you do light-hearted patch when you’ll have a gang
star4cast. touches at home is a top priority. Having make you feel appreciated. You will find you creative skills to earning more money. All it life, you’ll be wearing your heart on your need a quiet time, just don’t let of buddies around. You will be spreading
com beauty around will make you feel happier. don’t have to move far from your normal takes is imagination and effort. Then you sleeve, expressing your feelings of opportunities for romance slide by because your social favours in all directions, not
See what you can do. routines to find affection. can afford a good many more treats. affection and getting what you want. you can’t speak out about what you need. tying yourself down at any point.

14 www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
snapshot
‘Idea of karma
most beautiful
in Hinduism’
Missy Franklin, US Olympic
gold-medallist swimmer
I have been studying
1 religion for a year
now (at University of
Georgia) and it is so fascinat-
ing and eye-opening. I love
learning different cultures,
people and their faith.
My own religion is
2 Christianity, but two
classes I have found
so intriguing are Hinduism
and Islam. Because those are
the religions I did not know
a lot about and after reading
and learning about them, I
think they are beautiful.
I think the most
3 beautiful aspect
of Hinduism is the
idea of Karma and of being
good to one another, doing
good deeds and how that all
comes back to you, how the
universe works.
The family names in
4 Mahabharata would
always confuse me,
but I remember learning
about Ram and Sita in the
Ramayana. How Sita lived
her life, how loyal she stayed
to Rama.
Another thing on my
5 to-do list is visiting
India.In the west,
I think the spiritualism of
Yoga was left out and that is
a huge generalisation. But it
is great leaning about what
Yoga is all about and how it
is about that connection with
the divine and creating that
oneness. —PTI
Kolkata top cop transferred, EC order cited
Arshad Ali
arshad.ali@dnaindia.net
Kolkata: Putting rest to spec-
ulation and in compliance
with the guidelines of the
Election Commissioner of
India (ECI), Kolkata police
commissioner Rajeev Kumar
was transferred on Tuesday
and made the additional di-
rector general (ADG) and in-
spector general of police
(IGP), Criminal Investigation
Department (CID). Mean-
while, Present ADG (law and
order) Anuj Sharma has been
made the new commissioner
Kumar’s transfer had been
necessitated after the ECI or-
dered that officers who com-
SC separates sport
from Sikh turban
Abraham Thomas
abraham.thomas@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Tuesday refused
to make an exception for a
Sikh cyclist from wearing
a helmet and junked his
claim that the rule disre-
spected his religious prac-
tice of wearing a turban.
Categorically separating
religion from the game,
the bench said that the cy-
cling sport makes helmet
mandatory to ensure per-
sonal safety. However, the
court also left open a win-
dow as it left it to the Cen-
tre to determine whether
turbaned Sikhs can —
without helmets —take
part in cycling events.
The issue was debated
on a plea by a Delhi-based
cyclist Jagdeep Singh
Puri, who claimed that
wearing a turban is essen-
tial for Sikhs, but since
wearing a helmet is man-
datory to participate, he
should be granted an ex-
ception. However, the
bench of Justices SA
Bobde, SK Kaul and Deep-
ak Gupta felt that the hel-
met rule had nothing to do
with religion. “Why are
you thinking some disre-
spect is being caused to
religion? Instead, they are
insisting on your safety. Do
not bring a religious tone
to this matter.” Suri also
Navjot Singh Sidhu ji apne dost Imran
bhai ko samjhaiye. Uskii vajah se aap
ko gali padh rahi hai (Convince your
friend Imran. You (Sidhu) are getting
abused because of him).
—Digvijaya Singh, senior Congress leader
‘Israel will help unconditionally’
Envoy to India, Dr Ron Malka says ‘no limit to its assistance in defending against terrorism’
New Delhi: Israel has of-
fered unconditional help to
India in defending itself, es-
pecially against terrorism,
asserting that “there is no
limit” to its assistance, an as-
surance that assumes signifi-
cance amid demands that the
government should consider
Israeli-type retaliation to ter-
ror strikes.
The comments by newly-
appointed Israeli envoy Dr
Ron Malka came in response
to a question on up to what
extent Jerusalem will go to
help India, which has been a
victim of terrorism.
Last Thursday, in one of
the deadliest attacks in Jam-
mu and Kashmir, Pakistan-
based terror outfit JeM killed
40 CRPF personnel after
which there have been grow-
ing demands that the govern-
ment should explore Israeli-
type anti-terror operations.
Israeli military is known for
its precise and quick strikes.
grand greeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives his trademark hug as he welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman upon his arrival at the airport in New Delhi on Tuesday —reuters
Rajeev Kumar
plete three years of service at
any particular place as of
May 31, 2019, would have to be
transferred ahead of the
polls. Sources said that col-
leagues and other senior of-
ficers had given him a fare-
well on Monday.
Jagdeep Singh Puri
Do not equate
fighting in the
Army with a
cycle race. You have a
choice not to cycle. But
by joining the Army, you
perform a public duty.
Supreme Court
submitted that in the de-
fence services, Sikhs are
allowed to wear turbans,
equating his disqualifica-
tion to discrimination.
The bench then re-
marked, “Do not equate
fighting in the Army with
a cycle race...You have a
choice not to cycle. But by
joining the Army, you per-
form a public duty. You
cannot choose not to go to
battle. There you have to
respect each religion.”
Senior advocate CU Sin-
gh pointed out that the
country has produced great
sportsmen who were Sikhs.
File photo of PM Modi with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu
“Whatever India needs to
defend itself there is no limit.
We are here to help our close
friend India to defend itself
specially against terrorism
because terrorism is the
problem of the world and not
only of India and Israel,”
Malka told PTI in an inter-
saradha link
Transfer also comes soon
after it was alleged that
Kumar had tampered with
evidence in the Saradha
and Rose Valley chit fund
scams. Following the
fracas with CBI, he was
questioned in Shillong.
To that end, the state gov-
ernment notification on Tues-
day has ordered the transfer
of 14 IPS officers. A 1989-batch
officer, 53-year-old Kumar be-
came the commissioner in
early 2016. However, during
the 2016 Assembly elections,
view early last week.
Emphasising that the
world should fight terrorism
and eliminate it by collabo-
rating, he said, “So, we help
India, share our knowledge,
share our technique because
we really want to help our re-
ally important friend.” The
the ECI replaced him, but he
was reinstated soon after the
Mamata Banerjee-led TMC
returned to power.
Interestingly, the new com-
missioner’s first interaction
with the press barely lasted for
five minutes where he simply
assured that the Kashmiris in
Kolkata had nothing to worry
post the Pulwama incident.
Political leaders, however,
were not too pleased as they
said ‘Sharma is an equal yes-
man of the CM’. State BJP
and Congress leaders have
even said that they will write
to the EC as Sharma was also
seen at the stage when Mama-
ta had staged her dharna
against the Centre.
52-year old Malka, who was
in Israeli military service
from where he retired with
the rank of Full Colonel, said
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu told him that In-
dia was a very “important
partner, very important
friend and he wants to col-
laborate to enhance ties and
deepen them....to share our
knowledge.” He further said
that by strengthening India,
Israel was contributing to the
world stability and sustaina-
bility because India has a
very important role in the
world stability. “We are just
doing it to make the world a
better place to live...” After
the Pulwama attack, Malka
had also tweeted that “Israel
strongly condemns the terror
attack in #Pulwama and
stands by our Indian friends
during this difficult hour. We
send our deepest condolences
to the CPRF and their fami-
lies.” —PTI
Final catwalk for iconic
couturier Karl Lagerfeld
Paris: Fashion polyglot and
German haute-couture de-
signer Karl Lagerfeld, artis-
tic director at Chanel has
died aged 85. He was an icon
of the fashion industry with
his extravagant outfits and
striking catwalks.
Instantly recognisable in
his dark suits, pony-tailed
white hair and sunglasses,
Lagerfeld was best known for
his association with Chanel,
but delivered collections for
LVMH’s Fendi and his own
eponymous label.
Rumours of Lagerfeld’s
ill-health had swirled after he
failed to show up at Chanel’s
January show in Paris for his
customary bow.
Chanel chief executive
Alain Wertheimer recalled
how he had given carte
blanche to Lagerfeld in the
early 1980s to reinvent the
brand, from the Chanel jack-
et and suit to its tweeds and
two-tone shoes. “Thanks to
his creative genius, generos-
ity and exceptional intuition,
Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of
his time, which widely con-
tributed to the House of
Chanel’s success throughout
the world,” Wertheimer said.
A true craftsman who
combined artistic instinct,
business acumen and com-
mensurate ego, Lagerfeld
was known for his strikingly
visual fashion show displays.
Born in Hamburg in 1933, La-
second
front
page
Ahmedabad I Wednesday, February 20, 2019 I daily news & analysis
‘Toilet paper’ not
Pak flag: Google
New Delhi: Tech giant
Google on Tuesday said it
has not found any evi-
dence that search for ‘toi-
let paper’ on its site was
showing images of Paki-
stani flag. The clarifica-
tion came after screen-
shots of purported search
results posted by users
went viral in the after-
math of the Pulwama at-
tack. “We have not found
any evidence that Google
Images was ranking the
Pakistani flag in response
to this particular search,”
Google spokesperson said,
adding, it was an old
screenshot from a meme
website that was incon-
sistent with Google’s UI
and dated to 2017. —PTI
1933-2019
Lagerfeld was affectionately nicknamed ‘Kaiser Karl’ and ‘Fashion Meister’
tributes pour in
n LVMH chairman & chief
executive Bernard Arnault,
said the fashion world had
lost a creative genius who
helped make Paris the
‘world’s fashion capital’
n American Vogue editor
Anna Wintour says the
world has lost “a giant
among men”
gerfeld made his debut with
designer Pierre Balmain as
an apprentice before moving
on to Patou and Chloe and
then Fendi. But it was after he
joined Chanel in 1983 that he
gained rock-star status, cred-
ited with helping jazz up the
112: India’s one-stop
helpline gets going
New Delhi: Sixteen states and
Union territories Tuesday
joined a pan-India network of
single emergency helpline
number ‘112’ on which imme-
diate assistance can be sought
by anyone in distress.
The 112 helpline is an inte-
gration of police (100), fire
(101) and women (1090) hel-
pline numbers. The health
helpline (108) will be inte-
grated with it
soon.
Launch-
ing the ‘112’
helpline, un-
der the Emer-
gency Response
Support System
(ERSS), Home Minis-
ter Rajnath Singh said the
central government is com-
mitted to the safety of citi-
zens, particularly women, for
whom laws were changed to
ensure the guilty is punished
in a time-bound manner.
“The helpline number
‘112’ will be activated across
the country by next year and
label founded by Coco Chanel
in 1910 and attracting younger
clients. But in recent years,
Lagerfeld had visibly weak-
ened, even if his extraordi-
nary creative stamina showed
little sign of flagging on the
catwalk. Friends had always
said that the the iconic coutu-
rier would die with a pencil in
his hand, and just last week
his own fashion line Karl La-
gerfeld was still announcing
new design collaborations.
Italian designer Donatella
Versace led the tributes as
news of the Kaiser’s death
broke. “Karl your genius
touched the lives of so many,
especially Gianni and I,” she
wrote on Instagram, referring
to her murdered brother who
founded her brand. —Agencies
anyone in distress can reach
the helpline by pressing a sin-
gle key of phones which will
be pre-programmed,” he
said.
The 16 states and UTs in-
clude Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Pun-
jab, Madhya Pradesh, Ra-
jasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kera-
la, Puducherry, Lakshad-
weep, Andaman among oth-
ers. The’ helpline has
already been
launched
Himachal
in
Pradesh
and Naga-
land.
To ac-
cess emergency ser-
vices, a person can dial ‘112’
on a phone or press the
power button of a smart
phone three times quickly
to send a panic call to the
Emergency Response Cen-
tre. The single number for
emergency services is simi-
lar to ‘911’ in the United
States. —PTI
‘Upset’ tummy
upsets Vadra’s
date with ED
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi’s
son-in-law Robert Vadra
failed to appear before the
Enforcement Directorate on
Tuesday citing food poison-
ing. The businessman is be-
ing probed in a money laun-
dering case registered by the
agency.
Vadra’s lawyer KTS Tulsi
told ED that his client won’t
be able to attend the hearing
because he had a bout of food
poisoning on Monday that
triggered acute
diarrhoea and
nausea.
“I have sub-
mitted his
medical
ports and doc-
tors prescrip-
tion and have
re-
asked for a fur- Robert Vadra
ther date ow-
ing to his medical grounds.
He will appear whenever he
is summoned again,” said
Tulsi. ED has asked Vadra
to join the probe on Wednes-
day.
The ED case against Vadra
relates to allegations of mon-
ey laundering in the pur-
chase of a London-based
property located at 12, Bryan-
ston Square worth £1.9 mil-
lion, allegedly owned by him.
Earlier this month, ED had
questioned him for 23 hours
over three days.
Vadra has denied having
any foreign assets acquired
through ill-gotten money.