SUNDAY www.thehindu.com September 17, 2023 FOLLOW US facebook.com/thehindu twitter.com/the_hindu instagram.com/the_hindu CHENNAI CITY EDITION 34 Pages ₹ 10.00 Vol.146 앫 No.38 Printed at Chennai » » Coimbatore » Bengaluru Hyderabad » » Madurai » Noida » Visakhapatnam » Thiruvananthapuram » Kochi » Vijayawada » Mangaluru » Tiruchirapalli » Kolkata » Hubballi » Mohali » Malappuram » Mumbai » Tirupati » Lucknow » Cuttack » Patna HIGH DEMAND, LOW YIELD Saffron the new silver in Kashmir highlands Selling now at ₹3.25 lakh per kg, this sought­after condiment from Valley is costlier than the precious metal Why Nipah virus outbreaks are occuring only in Kerala Mohamed Muizzu, the frontrunner in Maldives election India locks horns with Sri Lanka in Asia Cup final SCIENCE » PAGE 15 PROFILES » PAGE 17 SPORT » PAGE 22 » MAGAZINE PAGE 4 NEARBY 쑽 AI cameras gun for poachers Jacob Koshy Congress Working Committee resolution says the formation of the INDIA bloc has rattled the PM and the BJP; the alliance’s success will free the country from divisive and polarising politics NEW DELHI None should talk about eradicating religion: Minister CHENNAI Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said whatever maybe one’s ideology, nobody, especially a Minister, has the authority to speak about eradicating a religion. Ms. Sitharaman was referring to Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent remarks on Sanatana Dharma. » PAGE 8 » MAGAZINE 8 PAGES CLASSIFIEDS PAGES 19, 20 & 21 DOWNTOWN 8 PAGES » » (TABLOID) (IN SELECT AREAS) Wildlife officials at one of the most populous tiger zones in India are experimenting with a new set of camera traps — or cameras with in­ frared sensors deployed in forests to count wild animals or monitor the movement of potential poach­ ers — that harness the power of Ar­ tificial Intelligence (AI). In experiments under way at the Kanha­Pench corridor in Madhya Pradesh, the system has, for the first time, caught poachers on cam­ era that — a year down — helped forest authorities secure a convic­ tion, according to a person in­ volved in the experiment. Cameras set up in remote re­ gions are a key tool in surveys and census counts of tigers and ele­ phants but have limitations such as requiring personnel physically ac­ cess the machine to prise photos. Will make INDIA bloc an electoral success: CWC Sandeep Phukan HYDERABAD T Poachers caught on an AI camera. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT They are also bulky and are not al­ ways optimised to conserve charge to keep the instruments running. The new kind of camera set­up, called the TrailGuard AI camera­al­ ert system, being tested are slim devices that can be inconspicuous­ ly set up within the foliage of trees. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 » he newly constitut­ ed Congress Work­ ing Committee (CWC), at its first meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday, welcomed the “continuing consolidation” of the In­ dian National Develop­ mental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and resolved to make it “an ideological and electoral success”. Claiming that the Oppo­ sition bloc has rattled Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, the reso­ lution said, “The CWC reit­ erates the Congress party’s Loud and clear: The party also made it clear that it would refuse to get drawn into the Sanatana Dharma debate. NAGARA GOPAL resolve to make the INDIA initiative an ideological and electoral success so that our country is freed from divisive and polaris­ ing politics; the forces of social equity and justice are strengthened; and the people get a Union govern­ ment that is responsible, responsive, sensitive, tran­ sparent and accountable”. The Congress also made it clear that it would refuse to get drawn into the Sanatana Dharma debate and reiterated its stance of res­ pecting all religions. While former party chief Rahul Gandhi, said a source, re­ ferred to the issue as a “dis­ traction,” senior leader Digvijaya Singh advised a cautious approach. CONTINUED ON » PAGE 11 ‘RAISE QUOTA LIMIT’ » PAGE 12 Karnataka’s claims are baseless: Stalin The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI Close vigil: Army personnel seen near the encounter site in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. NISSAR AHMAD 3 infiltrators killed amid Pak. fire cover Peerzada Ashiq SRINAGAR The Indian Army on Satur­ day accused the Pakistan Army of providing fire cov­ er to infiltrators in Uri Sec­ tor of Baramulla, where three infiltrators were killed close to the Line of Control (LoC). “Three infiltrators were killed in twin gunfights in Hathlanga area between 6.40 a.m. and 9.45 a.m. Two bodies were reco­ vered. However, one in­ jured infiltrator exfiltrated with the help of fire cover provided by Pakistani posts. The Army’s quad­ copters also came under fire from the Pakistan Ar­ my. However, the third mil­ itant too died [on the other side],” Brigadier P.M.S. Dhillon said. CONTINUED ON » PAGE 11 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday said the recent statements by the Karnataka govern­ ment, terming Tamil Na­ du’s demand for Cauvery water as unjustified and al­ leging that the State had in­ creased its ayacut area, were baseless and unacceptable. He accused the Karnata­ ka government of provid­ ing wrong information in its letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday. It had stated that the Cauv­ ery delta region in Tamil Nadu had adequate groundwater, and the State would receive enough rain­ fall during the northeast monsoon. Mr. Stalin said Tamil Na­ du’s Minister for Water Re­ sources Duraimurugan, ac­ companied by MPs of all political parties in the State, would submit a memorandum to Mr. Shek­ hawat, asking the Union government not to take in­ to consideration the un­ true statements of the Kar­ nataka government. IMD forecast He pointed out that the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) had predicted normal rainfall in the Cauvery region of Karnataka for the 15­day period from September 13, based on the India Meteor­ ological Department’s fore­ cast. CONTINUED ON » PAGE 8 MPS TO MEET SHEKHAWAT » PAGE 8 To heaven and back at the roll of a dice The Indian Knowledge Systems, under Education Ministry, has developed 6 indoor games that are rooted in indigenous knowledge; these will be introduced in schools from the next academic year Sreeparna Chakrabarty NEW DELHI A t a glance, the board game of Sarp­Rajju (snakes and ropes) looks like a regular set of snakes and ladders. A closer look reveals that there are ropes instead of ladders, with 72 (9x8) squares, and not 100, with nine being the number of sensory windows of the body and eight being its parts. Players start at cell 68, named vaikuntha (eternal bliss). The other cells too are named after elements CM YK The board game of Sarp­Rajju. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT from Hindu philosophy, like moha (delusion) and kaama (desire). Each throw of the dice indicates the number of cells the player must advance tracing their ‘karmic path’ back towards vaikuntha. Sarp­Rajju and five other indoor games have been developed by Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), an innovation cell founded at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2020, under the Union Ministry of Education, to promote interdisciplinary research on aspects of indigenous knowledge. The games have been divided into three segments: dice­based, strategic, and those based on engagement. This is in keeping with the Ministry’s focus on the shift from rote­based to fun­filled learning that is one of the themes of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The aim is to promote creativity and a multi­faceted growth. These indoor games will be introduced to schoolchildren in the next academic year, under the Bharatiya Games programme. CONTINUED ON » PAGE 11 M CH-CHE THE HINDU 2 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Chennai CM YK M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 3 Chennai Chennai Corporation told to take stern action against contractors for delay in drain construction INBRIEF 쑽 Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena reviews work; Greater Chennai Corporation and other agencies given deadline of October 15 to complete the work The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI SICA Culinary Challenge and Exhibition to conclude today TTDC chairman K. Manivasan inaugurated the sixth edition of South Indian Chefs Association (SICA) Culinary Challenge and Exhibition 2023. It is being held with the approval of World Association of Chefs’ Society at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam. Celebrated chef and SICA president Damu and SICA general­secretary chef Sheetaram Prasad were present. The contest will end on Sunday with prize distribution to be held on Monday. TANKER Foundation invites nominations for two awards TANKER Foundation has invited nominations for the annual ‘The Renny Abraham TANKER Foundation Love for Service Award’ for the most outstanding doctor in India and service rendered to the poor. There will be a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a citation and a gold medallion. TANKER and K.V. George Foundation have invited applications for the annual award for the most outstanding young researcher in nephrology in India and for the K.V. George Kottukulam Memorial TANKER Foundation Young Investigator Award 2024. It will carry a cash prize of ₹2 lakh, a citation and a gold medallion. The last date to submit nominations is December 15. For details, call 044­28341635, 044­43090998 or mail info@tankerfoundation.org. 11 umbrellas for Tirupati Brahmotasavam leave city Eleven decorative umbrellas meant for the annual Brahmotsavam at Tirupati left the city on Saturday. The umbrellas are specially made using cloth, teakwood and bamboo and carried every year from Chennai. This year too, the Thirukkudai Utsavam event organised by the Hindu Dharmartha Samiti (HDS) began at the Sri Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple on Devaraja Mudali Street after a small puja. C hief Secretary Shiv Das Meena on Sa­ turday asked the of­ ficials to take action against contractors who delayed the storm­water drain work in at least three plac­ es in Greater Chennai Cor­ poration limits. At a meeting to review the flood­mitigation mea­ sures being taken in Chen­ nai city and suburban areas ahead of the north­ east monsoon, he said that action should be taken against the contractors res­ ponsible for delaying the work on Barakka Road in Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena has asked the GCC to fast­track the storm­water drain construction. M. SRINATH Zone 6, Parathasarathy Road in Zone 8, and Aru­ mugam Street in Tiruvallu­ var Nagar in Zone 12. Meanwhile, the Corpo­ ration and other agencies have been asked to com­ plete the ongoing work on storm­water drains by Oc­ tober 15. The agencies were earlier given a dea­ dline of September 15 to complete the work. The Corporation has completed desilting of 78% of the storm­water drains. Most of the drains along Prakasam Salai and Rajaji Salai had been desilted. Monitoring officers, in coordination with other departments, will conduct field inspection and re­ solve issues pertaining to Chennai Metropolitan Wa­ ter Supply and Sewerage Board and the Tangedco lines. The storm­water drain project, which has been taken up with fund­ ing from the Asian Deve­ lopment Bank (ADB), had been completed in 60% of the areas in Tiruvottiyur, Manali and Madhavaram zones. Priority projects would be completed by Oc­ tober 15, officials said. More work would be taken up under the ADB funding and the project would be completed in 2024. Joint inspection Officials have been asked to increase carrying capac­ ity of canals such as Otteri Nullah and Captain Cotton Canal ahead of the north­ east monsoon. Work alon­ g Tanikachalam Canal in zones such as Madhavaram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar had been taken up. The GCC will start joint inspection of the canal along with Tan­ gedco shortly. The Chief Secretary has directed the GCC officials to take steps to prevent dumping of waste in canals to prevent flooding during the monsoon. “The Corpo­ ration will form 25 flying squads to monitor the dumping of waste in major canals,” said an official. The civic body will link the CCTV near the canals with the integrated com­ mand and control centre to monitor dumping of waste. For instance, the GCC has identified roads such as EB Link Road near Anna Salai for monitoring. History­sheeter gunned down in police encounter R. Sivaraman CHENNAI A 34­year­old criminal was gunned down by the police on Saturday at Sogandy vil­ lage near Sunguvarcha­ tram as he allegedly tried to escape after attacking a police team that went to nab him in connection with a criminal case. The police gave the name of the dead man as A. Viswanathan, alias ‘Kul­ la’ Vishwa, 34, of Kiloy vil­ lage in Sriperumbudur ta­ luk. He was categorised as an A+ criminal in police re­ cords and had at least 25 cases for offences, includ­ ing murders and attempt to murder in Sriperumbu­ dur, Oragadam, Sunguvar­ chatram, Manavala Nagar, Somangalam, Manimanga­ lam, Puzhal and Thimiri police station limits. The police said he had indulged in extortion from the scrap businessmen and used to hold kangaroo couts around Sriperumbu­ dur. Additional Director­ General of Police A. Arun said: “While he was being pursued by the police in connection with an investi­ gation of a case, he assault­ ed two police personnel with a knife to evade ar­ rest. To prevent further as­ sault and to safeguard the life of the policemen, sub­ inspector Murali had to open fire.” The injured criminal was taken to Government General Hospital but was declared as brought dead at the hospital. The injured policemen were taken to Meenakshi Medical College Hospital, Sriperumbudur. Mr. Arun, along with se­ nior police officers, visited the policemen. Mr. Arun said: “Fre­ quent gang rivalry has been reported in Sripe­ rumbudur, Sunguvarcha­ tram, Oragadam and ad­ joining areas in the last one decade, leading to a few killings over disputes in getting scrap deals from the factories in the area. We will take stringent ac­ tion and put an end to the menace.” Usha Uthup gets lifetime award Based on the theme ‘Power of Possibilities’ through nine dimensions of wellness (physical, spiri­ tual, financial, intellectual, technological, and so on), the conclave sought to fo­ cus on the importance of wellness in society. Several well­known per­ sonalities such as PMK pre­ sident Anbumani Rama­ doss, journalist Barkha Dutt, actor Revathi, Major­ The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI Veteran singer Usha Uthup received the Lifetime Achievement Award from State IT Minister Dr. Palani­ vel Thiagarajan, Renuka David and Col. David Deva­ sahayam at the annual Ra­ diant Wellness Conclave, an event about holistic wellness, held in Chennai on Saturday. 70­year­old woman robbed, murdered in Peerkankaranai Timings CHENNAI SUNDAY, SEP. 17 RISE 05:58 SET 18:09 RISE 07:33 SET 19:39 MONDAY, SEP. 18 RISE 05:58 SET 18:08 RISE 08:20 SET 20:16 The Hindu Bureau TUESDAY, SEP. 19 RISE 05:58 SET 18:08 RISE 09:10 SET 20:57 General Vikram Dev Do­ gra, Shriram Madhav Nene, and Raju Venkatara­ man spoke. Speaking on the felicita­ tion, Ms. Uthup said: “It has been 54 years since I started singing in Madras.” The Radiant Wellness Conclave is a not­for­profit event organised by Radiant Foundation, a CSR initia­ tive by the Radiant Group of Companies. CHENNAI A 70­year­old woman was robbed of her gold jewellery and murdered at her resi­ dence in Peerkankaranai near Tambaram on Friday night. The victim was identified as Rajammal, 70, of Vel Nagar, Peerkankaranai. The pol­ ice said that she was staying alone at her house after the death of her husband a few years ago. She ran a tailoring unit and was into mo­ ney lending. As she did not come out of her house on Saturday morning, the neighbours entered the premises and found the front door open. They found her lying dead. On information, the Peerkankaranai pol­ ice reached the spot and took up investiga­ tion. The police have launched a search for the suspects. Idol stolen Meanwhile, burglars stuck at Selva Vinaya­ gar Koil at Erikkarai near Peerkankaranai and took away a panchaloha idol weighing 50 kg from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The police suspect that both the offences were committed by the same set of crimi­ nals. 0 DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested to verify and make appropriate enquiries to satisfy themselves about the veracity of an advertise­ ment before responding to any published in this newspaper. THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., the Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not vouch for the authenticity of any advertisement or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s products and/or services. In no event can the Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be held responsible/liable in any manner whatsoever for any claims and/or damages for advertise­ ments in this newspaper. Published by Nirmala Lakshman at Kasturi Buildings, 859­860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT.LTD. and Printed by Ra Babu Vijay at THG PUBLISHING PVT.LTD. Plot B­6 & B­7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengalpattu Taluk, Chengalpattu Dist., Pin 603209. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). Regd. TN/ARD/68/2012­2014 RNI No. 1019/1957 ISSN 0971 ­ 751X ● CM YK ● M CH-CHE THE HINDU 4 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Chennai Vijayalakshmi withdraws complaint against Seeman The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI Actor Vijayalakshmi has withdrawn her complaint against Naam Thamizhar Katchi chief coordinator Seeman. Ms. Vijayalakshmi had alleged that Mr. Seeman had cheated her after hav­ ing a relationship and pro­ mising to marry her. The Valasaravakkam police had registered a case based on her complaint in 2011 against Mr. Seeman. The issue took a new turn with Ms. Vijayalaksh­ mi filing a fresh complaint at the Commissioner’s of­ fice recently and seeking action against Mr. Seeman besides demanding his ar­ rest. The Valasaravakkam police revived an inquiry into her allegation and re­ corded her statement be­ fore a magistrate. She was subjected to a medical ex­ amination. Following this, the police issued summons twice to Mr. Seeman asking him to appear for the in­ quiry. On Friday night, Ms. Vi­ jayalakshmi said: “I have decided to withdraw my complaint. I am leaving for Bengaluru. No one has compelled me.” Chennai City to experience moderate rain till tomorrow, says IMD State will witness wet weather and on­and­off rain until September 28; heavy rain is likely to occur at one or two places today in several districts including Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam Woman successfully gives birth after placenta complications The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI A 37­year­old woman with severe pregnancy compli­ cations involving the pla­ centa has successfully deli­ vered a baby at MIOT International, Chennai. Priyadharshini, a work­ ing professional and moth­ er of a 13­year­old, was diagnosed with Grade IV Placenta Previa with Focal Placenta Accreta — a condi­ tion in which the placenta gets lodged very low in the uterus, completely cover­ ing the cervix and making normal delivery impossi­ ble — in the 28th week of her second pregnancy. The condition can occur to 1 in 100 women, who have had either past sur­ geries in the uterus, in vitro fertilisation treatment, uterine fibroids, or family history with the same com­ plication, said doctors who performed the hybrid procedure. Karthikeyan Damoda­ ran, Director, Vascular and Interventional Radiologist, A flood of problems: Sheets of water covered East Coast Road and the main road in Medavakkam after a spell of sharp showers on Saturday evening. Those commuting by two­wheelers had a tough time driving on water­logged roads in several areas in the city. M. KARUNAKARAN & R. RAVINDRAN The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI Mallika Mohandas, Chairman, MIOT International, holding the baby successfully delivered through C­section, in Chennai on Saturday. S.R. RAGHUNATHAN and Saraswathy Gokulraj, head of Obstetrics and Gy­ necology, said the condi­ tion could cause torrential bleeding during the deliv­ ery and it would have made an immediate hyste­ rectomy necessary. To avoid these, Dr. Da­ modaran, at the MIOT’s Bi­ plane Cath Lab, performed a procedure wherein two catheters were inserted in­ to the artery that supplies blood to the uterus to con­ trol the blood flow during delivery. Subsequently, Dr. Go­ kulraj safely carried out the C­section. However, Pri­ yadharshini continued to bleed despite the shrinking uterus after the baby was delivered. “So, we released tem­ porary biodegradable par­ ticles through the cathe­ ters to avoid excessive bleeding,” said the doc­ tors. The procedure eliminat­ ed the need for any blood transfusions or removal of the uterus, they added. Ms. Priyadharshini and the baby were discharged three days after the deliv­ ery. S cattered rain and thunderstorms will continue for a few more days in the State. Chennai will receive light or moderate rain with thunderstorms in some areas until Monday. According to the Re­ gional Meteorological Centre forecast, heavy rain may lash isolated places in 10 districts on Sunday. There have been reports of rain in many districts, particularly in the north­ ern parts, since Saturday afternoon as a line of in­ tense thunderstorms moved through the region. The rain gauges in Pallika­ ranai (3.3 cm), Nandanam (2 cm), Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam (1 cm) received light to mod­ erate rain between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Sa­ turday. Kamudhi in Ramanath­ apuram district, Valparai in Coimbatore district, and Periakulam in Theni dis­ trict also received rain. Officials of the India Me­ teorological Department (IMD) said that Tamil Nadu would experience wet Wind velocity convergence occurs due to changes in the speed of westerlies may trigger rain weather and on­and­off rain until September 28. However, the intensity of the rain and the regions co­ vered may vary. On Sunday, heavy rain is likely to occur at one or two places in several dis­ tricts, including Cudda­ lore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiru­ chi, Pudukottai, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts. P. Senthamarai Kannan, director of the Area Cy­ clone Warning Centre, said that scattered rain and thunderstorms were fa­ voured by wind velocity convergence, a weather phenomenon that occurs due to changes in the speed of westerlies. Spo­ radic rainfall activity would continue until the end of September as the southwest monsoon is in its normal phase. Surplus rain in city According to the IMD data, the State has registered an overall seasonal rainfall of 26.5 cm, which is 1% less than the average since June 1. However, Chennai tops the list of districts that have received surplus rain this southwest monsoon. It has so far received 63% more rain than its share. The weather station in Meenambakkam has re­ corded nearly 79 cm of rain, against its seasonal normal of 36 cm. In his social media post, weather blogger Pradeep John noted that this is one of the wettest southwest monsoons for the city in the past 75 years. . CM YK M CH-CHE Sunday, September 17, 2023 Chennai CM YK THE HINDU A Space Marketing Initiative 5 M CH-CHE THE HINDU 6 Sunday, September 17, 2023 TAMIL NADU Chennai A vital link: A herd of elephants in the Mudumalai tiger reserve, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Reserve is home to the largest population of Asian elephants. The Segur corridor is vital for these elephants to move between habitats.M. SATHYAMOORTHY A jumbo right of passage A Supreme Court­appointed committee recently declared 12 private resorts, along the Segur elephant corridor, illegal. The committee considered the objections raised by the resorts’ owners, who had challenged the validity of the elephant corridor notification issued in 2010. The owners had mainly contended that the corridor did not comprise any elephant habitat. Experts say the order will help to protect the corridor for generations to come, writes Rohan Premkumar he Kalhatti Ghat Road plunges into the Segur plateau on the outskirts of Ud­ hagamandalam. The road aprons are ideal points for viewing the vast ex­ panse of the magnificent plateau in almost its full splendour. Looking down with a pair of binoculars from the 13th hairpin bend of the road, tourists can see the Kalhatti stream meandering down the pla­ teau, eventually meeting the Sigurhalla River, the Moyar and the Bhavani Sagar Dam further down­ stream. The area, comprising Mudumalai, Nagar­ hole, Bandipur, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad, forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a tract measuring over 5,000 square kilometre, which is home to the largest population of Asian elephants in the world, numbering over 6,000, says Priya Davidar, a conservation biologist who lives in the Segur plateau region. Ms. Davidar adds that the Segur elephant corridor, notified by the Tamil Nadu government in 2010, is a critical “elephant corridor that links these habitats to the Eastern Ghats”. T Orders on objections A Supreme Court­appointed committee recently ruled in favour of protecting the corridor. It passed orders that declared 12 private resorts, along the corridor, illegal. The court had mandat­ ed that the committee, comprising a retired judge and two prominent conservationists, look into the objections raised by the owners of the 12 resorts who had challenged the validity of the elephant corridor notification. The committee passed its recent orders on the objections from the resort owners. The court had ordered the clo­ sure of 27 other resorts in 2018. Ms. Davidar explains that the Segur elephant corridor is of global importance not only for ele­ phants but also for other animals like tigers. “It is also home to the largest population of three crit­ ically endangered species of vultures in southern India.” Illegal structures in land used by elephants The Segur Corridor Inquiry Committee, in the or­ ders passed against illegal resorts, said the resort owners had put up “illegal structures” invariably in the land abutting reserve forests and streams frequently used by the elephants. “...By erecting power fences, the resorts have hindered the movement of elephants in critical parts of the corridor.” The committee also said, “…unless their [Asian elephants] migratory corridors bet­ ween their habitats are preserved”, the habitats would be fragmented, resulting in the extinction of the elephant population. One of the main contentions of the resort own­ ers was that parts of the elephant corridor did not comprise elephant habitats. But the commit­ tee highlighted the High Court’s observations while upholding the validity of the notification. “The High Court also held that any absence of elephants from the areas surrounding the appel­ lants’ resorts was, in fact, due to the construction activities of the appellants, whereby access of the elephants has been restricted through erection of electric fencing,” the committee said. Samuel Cushman, of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the University of Oxford’s De­ partment of Biology, says in an email that wildlife corridors are often “networks of multiple and dif­ fusive pathways that individuals use in part at dif­ ferent times... Corridor effectiveness is judged on how it facilitates movement across the land­ scape, which may include individuals traversing CM YK We have passed conditional orders, allowing some people using their buildings only for residential purposes to stay there. However, we have ordered the closure of houses being used for commercial purposes. The Adivasi houses inside the corridor have been exempted from demolition and the members of these communities from eviction JUSTICE K. VENKATRAMAN, chairman Segur Plateau Elephant Corridor Inquiry Committee the full length of the corridor, or more often, tra­ versing parts of it.” The committee also flagged the apparent con­ flict of interest in one of the documents used by the resort owners to claim that the area in which the resorts were built did not comprise an ele­ phant corridor. “…the Right of Passage report, heavily relied upon by the applicants, has been prepared by a non­governmental organisation — Wildlife Trust of India — in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and others. One of the trustees of the said organisation is also the editor of the report, who owns a property... in Bokkap­ uram, Sholur,” along the notified elephant corri­ dor. It went on to add that while the editor had updated the number of elephant corridors in In­ dia from 88 to 101 in the second edition of the Right of Passage, he had “inexplicably” failed to include areas notified by the Government Order number 125, issued in 2010. The committee said a closer analysis of the Right of Passage in 2017 revealed that the editor, who owns a property at Bokkapuram, which is surrounded by survey numbers wherein the re­ sorts of the appellants are located, had omitted the specific portion of the corridor, though it was confirmed by the High Court in 2011. “The glar­ ing omission of a specific portion of the elephant corridor cannot be overlooked and justified as normal,” it said. in the region as anti­poaching watchers and un­ der eco­tourism initiatives organised by the go­ vernment. He adds that with the closure of the re­ sorts, the Forest Department should absorb more youths into its staff. “The resorts hired these workers to do menial jobs, and it is imperative for the Forest Depart­ ment and also the government to help the com­ munities to farm and make a living from their land,” says Mr. Mohanraj. The Forest Depart­ ment, he stresses, should utilise the skills of these communities in tracking wildlife and living off the land. “In future, when the Forest Department re­ quires trackers and workers for protecting the forests, there should be enough people from the communities who have the skills and expertise. However, their skills will be lost if the communi­ ties leave the forests and work in non­forest jobs.” When contacted, Justice K. Venkatraman, chairman of the Segur Plateau Elephant Corridor Inquiry Committee, said the committee had sent 203 final reports to the objectors, and some of the orders to the district administration. “We have passed conditional orders, allowing some people using their buildings only for residential purposes to stay there. However, we have or­ dered the closure of houses being used for com­ mercial purposes,” he said, adding that the Adiva­ si houses inside the corridor were exempted from demolition and the members of these com­ munities from eviction. Backbone of animal migration Jean­Philippe Puyravaud, of the Sigur Nature Trust, says scientific methods to study elephant pathways have established that the regions bet­ ween Masinagudi, Bokkapuram and Mavanallah form the backbone of animal migration, includ­ ing that of Asian elephants, across the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. “I liken human settlements to the bubbles on Swiss cheese, around which animals have to pass to get to other parts of their habitat. It is not just a case of targeting one resort or house, but limiting the urban sprawl that re­ sults in elephant pathways being closed off,” Mr. Puyravaud argues. Explaining how elephants prefer gentle, un­ dulating slopes to move between habitats, Mr. Puyravaud says that if a settlement or building were to come up on such a pathway, it would re­ sult in disturbance to elephant movement. “Again, it doesn’t mean that all elephants will stop moving through the area. There might be a few individuals that do, but much of the popula­ tion, including herds with young calves, will be discouraged from using these paths owing to noise, light and other factors that come up with urbanisation.” Loss of livelihood Despite the broad consensus on the need to pro­ tect the elephant pathways in Segur, the closure of the resorts has come at a cost to some of the Adivasi communities in the region. According to V. Maari, headman of Thottlingi village at Bok­ kapuram, the residents of the village and, to a lesser extent, the four surrounding Adivasi villag­ es relied on the resorts as their primary source of employment. “Many of the families had jobs as cooks and cleaners, while the resorts sponsored the education of a few students at private schools. However, now that they have closed, the job opportunities have dried up and children have been admitted to government schools,” he says. Mr. Maari says they were earning ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 each at the resorts, but have become daily wage workers. “Our fear is that once the re­ sorts cease to function, we too will be forced out of the tiger reserve.” However, conservationists and Forest Department officials point out that the existing laws, including the Forest Rights Act, will ensure that the Adivasis will not be moved out of the buffer area of the tiger reserve. According to N. Mohanraj, a Nilgiris­based conservationist, the Forest Department has been employing members of the Adivasi communities Over 40 buildings ordered demolished According to sources, 40­50 buildings in the cor­ ridor, including resorts and residential houses, have been ordered demolished, while construc­ tion on farmland without the approval of the dis­ trict administration has been banned. Mr. Cushman adds that while preserving corri­ dors are important, they “are best used as part of a comprehensive landscape­scale conservation design in which core habitat areas for the main population concentrations are prioritised and protected first, then these are often buffered to protect them from degradation or encroach­ ment, and then they are linked with corridors de­ signed to facilitate movement between the most important core areas”. The region around the Se­ gur corridor is an important core area for the ele­ phants. It should be identified, prioritised and protected along with other such core areas. Then corridors should be designed to link these path­ ways, he suggests. A Forest Department official says that the com­ mittee’s orders have ensured the protection of the Segur corridor for generations to come. “You have to understand that it is not just a question of resorts and homestays, but what their presence in the landscape entails. These resorts draw thousands of tourists at weekends, leading to a huge pressure on the local ecology, waste man­ agement systems, and forest management.” He hopes the orders will also deter landhol­ ders in Segur from building illegal resorts. “There have been many instances in which elephants have died or been injured either in retaliation by tourism operators or by falling into sewage tanks and cutting themselves on litter discarded by visitors.” On Friday, the resort owners again ap­ proached the High Court with a writ petition, challenging the orders passed by the committee. A Division Bench orally observed that unless the Supreme Court clarified whether the High Court could entertain the petition, it would not hear this case. It adjourned the case to October 6. M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 7 Chennai Chennai WRD begins work on Manapakkam channel to prevent flooding issues Madras Crocodile Bank conducts snakebite awareness programmes Geetha Srimathi The temporary work will solve the problem of waterlogging in areas such as Moulivakkam and also in areas upstream such as Iyappanthangal, Mangadu, Nazarathpet during the northeast monsoon. It will carry an additional 300­400 cusecs of water The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI I n an effort to alleviate flooding in areas around Adyar, the Wa­ ter Resources Department has started work to bridge a missing link in the Mana­ pakkam channel. The de­ partment is now forming a portion of floodwater chan­ nel on the land belonging to the Officers Training Academy in the city. With the experience of flooding in the previous years, the department ob­ tained “enter­upon permis­ sion” from the Army to form a stretch of the chan­ nel to drain additional quantity of floodwater into Adyar. The Manapakkam channel passes through various localities downstream of Chembarambakkam reservoir. FILE PHOTO Officials said the seven­ km­long Manapakkam channel passed through va­ rious localities down­ stream of Chembarambak­ kam reservoir before joining the Adyar river. The inadequate flood carrying capacity of the channel and missing links used to cause waterlogging in the neighbouring areas. “We are creating an ear­ then channel now for a dis­ tance of 500 metres and linking it to the existing channel. Two culverts will be built,” said an official. The temporary work would solve the problem of waterlogging in areas such as Moulivakkam and also in areas upstream of the channel such as Iyappan­ thangal, Mangadu and Naz­ arathpet during the ensu­ ing northeast monsoon. Once the work is complet­ ed, the channel would car­ ry an additional 300­400 cusecs of water. Simultaneously, the de­ partment is carrying out work to construct a con­ crete channel to provide permanent solution to in­ undation in several locali­ ties around Manapakkam and Moulivakkam. Various other interventions are be­ ing carried out to improve floodwater channels in and around Porur lake and those draining into the Adyar at a cost of ₹88 crore. Similar work is being ex­ ecuted to improve the ca­ pacity of waterbodies in Kolathur and Madhavaram Retteri and Thanikachalam drain, which was inspected by Sandeep Saxena, Addi­ tional Chief Secretary of Water Resources Depart­ ment, on Friday along with officials. CHENNAI Snakes are one of the big­ gest reasons for deaths due to wildlife in India, says Gnaneshwar Ch, project lead, snake conservation and snakebite mitigation, at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT). To highlight the wides­ pread occurrences of sna­ kebites, the Madras Croco­ dile Bank Trust (MCBT) has been conducting snakebite awareness programmes for students and rural com­ munities for several years now. On September 15, the MCBT team held sessions at two Primary Union Mid­ dle Schools in Uthirame­ rur, Kancheepuram, for around 200 students and 14 teachers in total. ‘Several root causes’ “The problem of snakebite has several root causes. Even after reaching the hospital, doctors are hesi­ tant to give anti­venom as it may cause allergies, and the primary health centres might not have ventilator support,” Mr. Gnaneshwar says. Indira Naidu, project coordinator, snake conser­ vation and snakebite miti­ gation, said, “We also taught them precautions to take to prevent snakes from entering their homes and what they are sup­ posed to do when they see a snake.” Launch of book and online education series to mark 100th birth anniversary of M. Viswanathan The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI To commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of M. Viswanathan, a pioneer of diabetes treatment in In­ dia, Andrew Boulton, im­ mediate past president of International Diabetes Fed­ eration released a book of a compilation of the form­ er’s research publications on Saturday. An online education series for doc­ tors in India was also Vijay Viswanathan, left, V. Mohan, Andrew Boulton, A. Ramachandran and Shobhana Ramachandran at the event. M. VEDHAN launched on the occasion. The family of Professor Viswanathan, along with several doctors, recounted the contributions made by him towards diabetes treat­ ment. Addressing the gath­ ering, Professor Boulton said that he was a “great clinician and a great obser­ ver”. Clinical observation was key to diabetes, he ad­ ded. “He was a great pioneer of diabetes in the country,” he said. Vijay Viswanathan, head and chief diabetolo­ gist, M.V. Hospital for Dia­ betes, said they were launching the online edu­ cation series from October. It would include remission of diabetes and pre­dia­ betes. V. Mohan, chairman of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Dr. Mo­ han’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, said Professor Vis­ wanathan was far ahead of his time and his passion was treating diabetes. A. Ramachandran, chairman and managing director of Dr. A. Rama­ chandran’s Diabetes Hospi­ tals was present. Three innovators honoured The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI Following a nationwide search for outstanding and enterprising entrepre­ neurs, three innovative ventures and their foun­ ders were honoured at the 12th Chinnikrishnan Inno­ vation Awards by Cavin­ kare in partnership with the Madras Management Association. Bonny Dave and Akshita Sachdeva from Trestle Labs Pvt Limited were ho­ noured for their innova­ tion Kibo (Knowledge­in­a­ Box), an AI­powered pa­ tented end­to­end product suite that allows users to listen, translate, digitise and convert to audio con­ tent from printed, hand­ written or digital format across many languages. Lithium-ion batteries Arvind Bhardwaj, Founder and Anupam Kumar, Co­ founder of MiniMines Cleantech Solutions Pvt. Limited has been recog­ nised for their proprietary technology, ‘Hybrid Hy­ drometallurgy’, which can help recover up to 96% of all materials found in lithi­ um­ion batteries, thereby reducing the environmen­ tal impact of discarded batteries. For his innovation, an Intelligent Vision Analyser (iVA) which is a virtual real­ ity­based device for screen­ ing and diagnosing glauco­ ma, Sandal Kotawala, from Alfaleus Technology Pvt Li­ mited was also awarded. Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India and C.K. Ranganathan, Chair­ man and Managing Direc­ tor, Cavinkare, and K. Ma­ halingam, President, Madras Management Asso­ ciation, spoke. CM YK M CH-CHE THE HINDU 8 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Tamil Nadu From Page One Karnataka’s remarks are baseless: Stalin Taking that into consideration, he said the memo­ randum would urge Mr. Shekhawat to advise the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to issue orders for the release of 12,500 cusecs of wa­ ter and also to advise the Karnataka government to release the water in a timely manner as per the orders of the CWRC and CWMA. In a statement, Mr. Stalin pointed out that as per the pro rata sharing formula provided in the fi­ nal verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribu­ nal in 2007 and in the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2018 for rain­deficit years, Tamil Nadu should have received 103.5 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water till September 14 of this year. Ho­ wever, it had only received 38.4 tmcft, with a def­ icit of 65.1 tmcft, he said. Petition in SC He highlighted that the Tamil Nadu government had already filed a petition in the Supreme Court on August 14, since Karnataka failed to release wa­ ter and the regulatory authorities were unable to resolve the issue. INBRIEF 쑽 Income scheme launched with an eye on LS poll: EPS AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said on Saturday that the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam was launched with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha election and “not out of concern”. In a statement, he said it was the “vain hope” of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to secure the votes of women after having delayed the implementation of the scheme (a poll promise made by the DMK) for 28 months. After the DMK came to power, electricity tariff, property tax, water charges and the prices of dairy products had been hiked, he said. In the past two months, the price of rice went up by ₹20 a kg and the cost of vegetables had increased. Consequently, the monthly expenses for a family, on an average, touched ₹10,000. In such circumstances, providing merely ₹1,000 each to women was “an act of deception”. AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressed concern over the prevalence of dengue in the State. Woman from Odisha sexually assaulted by gang in Sivaganga A woman from Odisha was sexually assaulted by a gang at Manamadurai in Sivaganga district on Friday. Two suspects have so far been arrested, Superintendent of Police B.K. Arvind said. The police said the woman and her husband had come from Odisha to Manamadurai six years ago and were working in a brick kiln. Even after her husband’s death in a road accident some time ago, the woman continued to work in the kiln. On Saturday, she lodged a complaint with the All Women Police Station in Manamadurai that she was sexually assaulted. After an inquiry at the Manamadurai police station, Mr. Arvind said the woman was friendly towards a local young man, who had brought his friends to the village to rape her. The police had booked a case of rape against five persons. The two persons, who were arrested, were being interrogated. Special teams had been formed to apprehend the others, the SP said. Chennai Delegation of all-party MPs PMK: Stalin should to meet Shekhawat, push for meet Siddaramaiah water release by Karnataka over Cauvery issue The Hindu Bureau Led by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, the delegation will urge the Jal Shakti Minister to direct Karnataka to release water to T.N. as per the orders of CWMA/CWRC, says CM Stalin The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI A delegation of all­ party MPs from Ta­ mil Nadu, led by Minister for Water Re­ sources Duraimurugan, will meet Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and urge him to prevail upon the Cauvery Water Management Auth­ ority (CWMA) to order the release of 12,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Saturday. In a statement here, he said the India Meteorologi­ cal Department (IMD) had predicted normal rain in the Cauvery catchments in Karnataka between Sep­ tember 13 and 15. “The de­ legation would submit a memorandum to the Mi­ nister urging him to direct Karnataka to release water based on the orders of the CWMA/Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC),” he said. Mr. Stalin said a long le­ gal battle resulted in the Supreme Court fixing the quantum to be realised at Biligundlu on February 2, 2018. Moreover, as per the final direction of the Cauv­ ery Water Disputes Tribu­ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin chairing a meeting of DMK MPs on Saturday. It was decided that parties that are a part of INDIA would highlight in Parliament the failure of the BJP government. nal (CWDT) and a Supreme Court order, water should be shared on a pro rata ba­ sis during distress period. “As per the orders, Tamil Nadu should have received 103.5 tmc till September 14. But it has received just 38.4 tmc,” he said. Mr. Stalin said the stor­ age at the Mettur dam was 69.25 tmc and water was released on June 12 for Ku­ ruvai and Samba cultiva­ tion on the basis of normal monsoon predicted by the IMD. “Since Karnataka has not released Tamil Nadu’s share and the CWMA and the CWRC could not find a solution, Tamil Nadu filed a petition in the Supreme Court,” he said. Recalling the Karnataka government’s statement that Tamil Nadu’s demand was unjustifiable since the State had increased its aya­ cut area and the State’s let­ ter to the Union Jal Sakthi Minister stating Tamil Na­ du would get adequate wa­ ter during the northeast monsoon, Mr. Stalin said, “Karnataka’s claims are not true.” Meeting of MPs Earlier in the day, Mr. Sta­ lin chaired a meeting of DMK MPs, at which it was decided that the parties, which are part of INDIA, would highlight in Parlia­ ment the failure of the BJP government. The resolution decided to fight against the Centre’s Vishwakarama Yojana, stating that it would en­ courage traditional family avocation and prevent youths from attending col­ leges. Making a strong case for increasing the slab for creamy layer among the Backward Classes to ₹25 lakh per annum, the reso­ lution demanded imple­ mentation of the Mandal Commission recommenda­ tions in the Central govern­ ment employment. CHENNAI PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Mi­ nister M.K. Stalin to meet his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah as it could change the State’s stand (on the release of Cauvery water). The Karnataka govern­ ment has organised two all­party meetings in two weeks. The Tamil Nadu go­ vernment should also call an all­party meeting to dis­ cuss the issue, Dr. Anbu­ mani told The Hindu. “Mr. Stalin must go to Karnata­ ka, meet his counterpart and explain the situation. Some good may come out of it. As many as 22 dis­ tricts in Tamil Nadu are de­ pendent on the Cauvery for agriculture and drink­ ing water needs. The posi­ tion being taken here [by Karnataka] is political, keeping in mind the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” he said, adding that Karnata­ ka not changing its stand that it would not release water could result in a law and order issue. Having strongly criti­ cised the Union govern­ ment for several of its poli­ cies, including the refusal to exempt Tamil Nadu from the National Eligibili­ ty­cum­Entrance Test (NEET), Dr. Anbumani said any possible alliance (with Cauvery dispute: CWMA to hold emergency meet tomorrow as Karnataka rejects directive T. Ramakrishnan CHENNAI The Cauvery Water Man­ agement Authority (CWMA) is going to hold an emergency meeting on Monday in the light of Kar­ nataka’s refusal to comply with the latest direction of the Cauvery Water Regula­ tion Committee (CWRC) on September 12 to continue releasing 5,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of wa­ ter to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days. According to sources, the meeting’s agenda is to discuss the quantum of wa­ ter release to Tamil Nadu. Though the meeting will take place in hybrid mode, representatives of the Ta­ mil Nadu government, led by Sandeep Saxena, Addi­ tional Chief Secretary (Wa­ ter Resources), will take part in the deliberations in person. Though Karnataka had implemented the CWMA’s decision of releasing 5,000 cusecs for 15 days (August 29­September 12) and re­ This comes in the wake of Karnataka’s refusal to comply with Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s direction to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to T.N. for another 15 days. E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN leased 7.17 thousand mil­ lion cubic feet (tmc ft) as against the stipulated 6.48 tmc ft for the period, it did not agree with the CWRC’s fiat. Karnataka Chief Minis­ ter Siddaramaiah, in a let­ ter to Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat a few days ago, said the pa­ nel’s decision could not be “practically implemented” without endangering the interest of farmers with respect to irrigation, and of humans and livestock. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar met Mr. Shekhawat in Jaipur on September 14 to hand over the letter. The State’s stand has been to await the outcome of the Authority’s meeting, even as the case in the Su­ preme Court is due for hearing on September 21. Tamil Nadu’s Water Re­ sources Minister Duraimu­ rugan had earlier contend­ ed that the refusal to release water would amount to “deceiving” the farmers of Tamil Nadu as Karnataka had enough wa­ ter to spare and it was ex­ pected to receive more flows in the near future. Sources in Chennai said that going by the realisa­ tion at Biligundulu on the inter­State border, it is evi­ dent that Karnataka was not releasing water as per the CWRC’s directions. On September 13 and 14, the realisation varied from 2,500 cusecs to 3,100 cu­ secs. From June 1 to Sep­ tember 14, the cumulative realisation was 38.37 tmc ft, of which the first half of September accounted for 6.79 tmc ft, according to the data furnished by the Central Water Commis­ sion. On Saturday, the water level at the Mettur dam, the lifeline of the Cauvery delta, stood at 41.76 ft with the storage being 13.014 tmc ft. With the discharge be­ ing 6,500 cusecs, the reser­ voir is fast approaching dead storage. It is only a matter of days before the dam is closed for irriga­ tion. the AIADMK front for the 2024 election) would be conditional. “Alliance and policies are different. Al­ liances are formed for elec­ tions, but policies are for long­term purposes. Defi­ nitely, if we go for an al­ liance, there will be condi­ tions [for it]. We have not decided yet. There is still time for that,” he said. Asked about the newly launched Kalaignar Maga­ lir Urimai Thogai Thittam, through which around 1 crore women would re­ ceive ₹1,000 a month, Dr. Anbumani said, “It is a good welfare scheme, but welfare schemes are not enough. We need develop­ ment schemes. There is a need to generate more jobs and improve livelihood and water management in Tamil Nadu...” Dr. Anbumani said he would comment on the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ concept after the Centre takes a final de­ cision. “If elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assem­ blies are held on the same day, it will only benefit na­ tional parties. The regional parties will be at a disad­ vantage. Our position is that the Lok Sabha election should be held in 2024 and the Assembly elections for all States at the same time should be held in 2026. An election every two­and­a­ half years will be a good so­ lution,” he said. ‘CM must meet his alliance partners to resolve issue’ The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI BJP MLA Vanathi Sriniva­ san on Saturday asked Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to meet Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, his alliance partners and “close friends”, to resolve the Cauvery issue. Alleging that Mr. Stalin was “enacting a drama” by asking the Centre to order Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu, she said he did not worry about the is­ sue when he visited Benga­ luru to meet Congress leaders. Stating that Cauvery wa­ ter was crucial for agricul­ ture in the delta region and various drinking water schemes in Tamil Nadu, the BJP Mahila Morcha na­ tional president con­ demned the DMK for “be­ traying” the interests of Tamil people and farmers for political gain. Meeting on dengue control held No one has the authority to speak about eradicating a religion, says Nirmala The Hindu Bureau Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday that whatever be one’s ideology, accord­ ing to the Constitution and after taking oath of public office, no one, especially a Minister, has the authority to speak about eradicating a religion. On the sidelines of an event in Chennai, she spoke to reporters about DMK Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Deve­ lopment Udhayanidhi Sta­ lin’s remarks about Sanata­ na Dharma. “Making such remarks in a public meeting is wrong. The HR&CE Minis­ ter was present at the CHENNAI A State­level meeting on prevention and control of dengue and seasonal ill­ nesses was held here on Saturday. A total of 296 Health Department offi­ cials took part in it. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, who took part in the meeting, said the deans of all govern­ ment medical college hos­ pitals, joint directors and deputy directors of health services and corporation health officers were pre­ sent. The State reported 4,048 dengue cases and three deaths since January. CM YK The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI meeting. Issuing a clarifica­ tion on the remarks later is unacceptable. The Minis­ ters, who have taken oath, have to speak responsibly and not in a way that insti­ gates violence,” Ms. Sitha­ raman said. “I grew up in Tamil Na­ du where the image of Lord Rama was beaten with chappals. Questions were asked if Lord Rama was an engineer. But the followers of Sanatana Dharma did not respond through violence despite being provoked. That is Sa­ natana Dharma,” she said, and further asked: “Does the [DMK] have the spine to speak about other reli­ gions?” Earlier, speaking at the 90th year valedictory cele­ Ministers, who have taken oath, have to speak responsibly and not in a way that instigates violence... NIRMALA SITHARAMAN Union Finance Minister brations of The Society of Auditors, she said char­ tered accountants should flag issues of tax evasion. The CAs should advise their clients not to evade tax or divert their funds. “If you find instances of evasion, alert the authori­ ties,” Ms. Sitharaman said. She also pointed out that there was a hue and cry about the Enforcement Directorate being misused. “...Today, through the pow­ er of Artificial Intelligence, you can go behind evaders. If the authorities and I, as a Minister, do not take ac­ tion, the Comptroller and Auditor­General [CAG] will pull us up,” Ms. Sithara­ man said. Within just 10 years, the government had achieved what the previous govern­ ments could not in the last 60 years in the digital pu­ blic infrastructure domain. It was the World Bank that stated this, she said. “We have a narrow win­ dow of the next 25 years to make India a developed nation. Many professionals have to play a vital role in achieving that goal,” she added. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaking at the 90th year valedictory celebrations of The Society of Auditors in Chennai on Saturday. M. SRINATH M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 TracKD application makes it easy to monitor the movement of criminals The complete profiles of around 30,000 history­sheeted anti­social elements from across T.N. have been digitised for constant supervision; they include photos, mobile numbers, Aadhaar details, addresses and record of cases against them INBRIEF 쑽 L. BALACHANDAR ‘DMK has always been in forefront of women’s progress’ 9 Tamil Nadu Chennai The Hindu Bureau COIMBATORE taken against anti­social elements in a systematic manner.” The digitised criminal records help jurisdiction officers check antecedents of accused persons and en­ sure real­time monitoring, both on a monthly and dai­ ly basis. For instance, the number of history­sheets across districts, sub­divi­ sions, and police stations can be checked in the app. R. Sivaraman CHENNAI Citing the implementation of Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai scheme entit­ ling over one crore women in the State to ₹12,000 per year, Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Udhaya­ nidhi Stalin on Saturday said the DMK has always been in the forefront of upholding women’s rights. The scheme has come in for appreciation from the beneficiaries to whose bank accounts monthly be­ nefit of ₹1,000 was credit­ ed a day in advance, he said. The free bus travel scheme for women already entails each individual be­ nefit valued at ₹1,000 per month, the Minister said, taking part in the marriage reception in the family of a party functionary Ravi at Thondamuthur. Taking a dig at the AIADMK, the Mi­ nister said it was too fac­ tion­ridden and that there was a ‘BJP faction’ as well. T he Tamil Nadu pol­ ice has implement­ ed TracKD, an ap­ plication and integrated data management system for criminal profiling and tracking. Profiles of around 30,000 history­sheeted an­ ti­social elements were dig­ itised for constant watch by supervisory police offic­ ers. Prem Anand Sinha, Ad­ ditional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, South, Greater Chennai Police, conceptualised the app called TracKD (Track­ ing Known Delinquents) and ensured its implemen­ tation across the State. In­ itially, the app was rolled out on a pilot basis when he was Madurai Commis­ sioner for tracking the his­ tory­sheeters in the city. Later, additional fea­ tures were incorporated into the app with the help of software developers, Praveen Sood, Director of Central Bureau of Investigation, handing over the prize to Prem Anand Sinha, Additional Commissioner of Police, South, at a hackathon in Delhi. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT and it was rolled out across the State. With this, around 30,000 criminal records of all police sta­ tions were digitised, with even additional informa­ tion. Over 3,500 profiles of criminals in the Greater Chennai Police limits were entered into the system. Police personnel in all dis­ tricts and cities have uploaded data in the app, and its usage is high in dis­ tricts with an increased in­ cidence of gang rivalry of­ fences. Mr. Sinha said: “The new system has a complete profile of criminals, with photos, mobile phone numbers, Aadhaar details, addresses, and details of cases against them. It is a good tool in the hands of supervisory officers like the Superintendent of Pol­ ice, Deputy Commissioner, and Commissioner of Pol­ ice as they can track action Improved checking Mr. Sinha said: “One of the main features allows juris­ diction sub­inspectors and beat police constables to update the criminal’s whe­ reabouts in the area. It in­ creases the involvement of local personnel in history checks. The new system was upgraded to send out alerts whenever a history­ sheeter is released from prison or security bonds expire. Case details, such as investigation status, pending trial, and convic­ tion/ acquittals, are availa­ Religion of humanity will take us forward, not divisions created by people, says Union Minister ble in the system. We have a dashboard displaying the number of incarcerated and released criminals and their most recent wherea­ bouts.” The app has been given to all eligible officers in the State on their An­ droid mobile phones and office desktops. Mr. Sinha said the new system helps monitor gangs and prevent rivalry related murders. The new application re­ ceived the third prize un­ der the category “Compa­ rative Evaluation of Technical Application Available with States/U.T. police” at the fourth Crime and Criminal Tracking Net­ work System (CCTNS) Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2023, which was organised recently by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in Delhi. Mr. Sinha received the prize from Praveen Sood, Director of Central Bureau of Investigation, for the successful implementation of the tool. CHENNAI Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Road Transport and Highways, Gen. (retd.) V.K. Singh, centre, presenting a medal and certificate to a student at the convocation on Saturday. R. RAVINDRAN Union Minister of State for Ci­ vil Aviation, Road Transport and Highways General (retd.) V.K. Singh on Saturday asked the youth to follow the reli­ gion of humanity as only that will take society forward and not the divisions created by people. Delivering the convocation address at the 14th convoca­ tion of Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS) here, Gen. Singh said: “Religion is a personal affair, your personal faith. It should give you strength.” Recalling his days in the army before re­ tiring as the Chief of Army Staff, he said the army was the “most secular, in the right way”. Pointing out that the country now ranked second in the world in the number of start­ups, he said opportuni­ ties were aplenty for graduat­ ing students. A total of 1,457 students received their de­ grees. Sudhanshu Mani, form­ er General Manager, Integral Coach Factory, and Pablo Gandara, team leader, Inter­ national Urban and Regional Cooperation, were awarded honorary doctorates. Mechanised fishing boats from Rameswaram stayed away from the sea on Saturday in protest against the arrest of 17 Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday. A total of 750 boats remained anchored on the sea shore in Rameswaram. The fishermen demanded that all three boats from Rameswaram, Pudukottai, and Mayiladuthurai be released along with the fishermen. P. Jesuraja, of All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association said the Centre and the State should find a permanent solution. Watchman beaten to death by colleague near Minjur Murali, 48, a watchman of an apartment complex near Minjur, was beaten to death on Friday by his colleague Udhayan, 42, who is a resident of Thirupalaivanam, Ponneri. An argument broke out between them while they were working on Friday. Udhayan hit Murali with a log repeatedly and killed him before fleeing the scene. He later surrendered at the Kaattur police station. State­wide coastal clean­up drive held The Hindu Bureau CHENNAI The Hindu Bureau Protest held in Rameswaram over arrest of 17 fishermen On the occasion of In­ ternational Coastal Cleanup Day on Satur­ day, the Tamil Nadu Police Coastal Security Group (CSG) has taken the lead in cleaning up the 1,076­kilometre coastline of the State, from Marina beach in Chennai to Kanniyaku­ mari beach, covering 42 marine police sta­ tions jurisdictions. A total of 450 police personnel of the CSG, National Cadet Corps members, volunteers from the National Ser­ vice Scheme and non­ governmental organisa­ tions, college students, and members of the pu­ blic participated. As per a directive from Additional Direc­ tor General of Police, Coastal Security Group, Sandeep Mittal, CSG of­ ficers have taken up this initiative raise awareness on keeping beaches clean and pro­ mote marine conserva­ tion, a press release said. DEATH DEATH SMT CHEMBAGALAKSHMI Kasturirangan aged 77 yrs Passed away on 13.09.2023 leaving behind husband Kasturirangan, Children: Srikanth, Sridhar, Shyam Sundar, Anupama & their family. Ph: 9902180022 The drive will cover Tamil Nadu’s 1,076­km coastline. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT DEATH ANNIVERSARIES BIRTHDAY REMEMBRANCE Annamalai’s remarks on Annadurai invite flak The Hindu Bureau MADURAI Former Minister and AIADMK Madurai urban district secretary Sellur K. Raju came down heavily on BJP State president K. Annamalai for making “de­ rogatory” remarks against former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai. Speaking at a meeting here on Friday, he said it was Anna who made it possible for those on the streets to assume power and serve the people. “An­ na’s sacrifices should be respected.” Politicians should res­ pect late leaders, he said adding: “Even the AIADMK leaders who criticised former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi when he was alive, address him respect­ fully after his death. Tamil society will kick those who do not respect them.” CM YK DEATH DEATH ANNIVERSARIES DEATH ANNIVERSARIES DEATH M CH-CHE THE HINDU 10 Sunday, September 17, 2023 South No fresh case of Nipah in Kerala Second wave unlikely, says Kerala Health Minister; 11 high­risk contacts test negative; educational institutions in Kozhikode shut for six days; Central team visits affected pockets; one held for spreading misleading information on social media The Hindu Bureau KOZHIKODE T he current Nipah outbreak in Kerala seems to be under control and there are few chances of a second wave of the infection, Health Mi­ nister Veena George has said. She told presspersons on Saturday evening that no fresh cases were report­ ed during the day. Eleven more body fluid samples of suspected patients had tested negative for the vi­ rus. All of them were high­ risk contacts of the infect­ ed persons. Six persons had so far tested positive for the vi­ rus. Two are dead and four are under treatment. Right now, 1,192 people are on the contact list of the in­ fected persons. “Indications are that the situation is under control now because all the other patients got infected from the first patient who died on August 30. At this stage, there is no secondary wave. The results of some more samples are expect­ ed,” Ms. George said. The Minister said 21 pe­ ople, including two chil­ dren, were under isolation at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhi­ kode. Those under treat­ Meanwhile, the police recorded the arrest of a person who spread mis­ leading information about the infection through so­ cial media platforms. On the safe side: A deserted beach in Kozhikode on Saturday after officials imposed restrictions in view of the Nipah virus spread. PTI ment were reported to be stable. The Central team of offi­ cials visited the house and surroundings of the se­ cond deceased. They also collected areca nut sam­ ples and sought details of the presence of fruit­eating bats in the area. Online classes allowed All educational institutions in Kozhikode district will remain shut from Septem­ ber 18 to September 23 to prevent the spread of in­ fection. The district admi­ nistration will permit on­ line classes during the period. The order will be applic­ able to all tuition centres, private coaching centres, anganwadis, and madrasas in the district. Central agencies first exposed Naidu’s role in scam: Jagan INBRIEF 쑽 T. Appala Naidu NIDADAVOLU Krishna water sharing issue in limbo due to BJP: KCR Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday blamed the BJP government at the Centre for not making any an effort to resolve the Krishna water sharing issue, owing to which the Telangana had not got its share despite nearly 10 years of the State formation. He also asked the people to be wary about the Congress’ plans to “deceive” people of the State yet again. Mr. Rao was speaking at Kollapur after commissioning the first pump of Palamuru­Rangareddy project. Senior BRS leader Tummala Nageswara Rao joins Cong. Senior Bharat Rashtra Samiti leader and former Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao joined the Congress in the presence of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in Hyderabad on Saturday. State Congress president A. Revanth Reddy and other leaders were present on the occasion. Mr. Rao, an influential leader from Khammam district, had served as a Minister during the BRS regime and under the TDP government in undivided Andhra Pradesh. However, he did not get BRS ticket to contest the Legislative Assembly election to be held in a couple of months. PTI Malayalam writer­teacher C.R. Omanakkuttan no more C.R. Omanakkuttan, Malayalam writer and beloved teacher to students across generations, died in Kochi on Saturday. He was 80. C.R., as he was popularly known, won the Kerala Sahithya Akademi award for his book Sreebhoothavilasam Nair Hotel in 2010. But his famous work was a series titled Shavam Theenikal (corpse eaters) published in the Deshabhimani daily on the heart­wrenching tale of the forced disappearance and custodial murder of engineering student Rajan during the Emergency. Andhra Pradesh Chief Mi­ nister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday claimed that the Central agencies, primarily the En­ forcement Directorate (ED), had exposed the di­ rect role of former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with all the docu­ mentary evidence in the ₹371­crore AP Skill Deve­ lopment scandal. The AP Crime Investiga­ tion Department (CID) con­ tinued the investigation, which unearthed further evidence on the direct role of Mr. Naidu in the scandal, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Mr. Reddy said at a public meeting here. On September 10, Mr. Naidu was sent to the Ra­ jahmundry Central Prison on judicial remand in the alleged scam. Mr. Reddy said the ED probe had established that the agreement, signed with the SIEMENS group for the skill development project, was fake. The signature of Mr. Naidu had been found on 13 files in this regard. “Mr. Naidu created a fake agreement and he himself flouted all the go­ vernment procedures to sign such a pact for the AP Skill Development project. However, SIEMENS com­ pany had claimed that it did not receive the ₹371 crore and confirmed in its written statement that it did not sign the said agree­ ment. The ED has conclud­ ed that Mr. Naidu is the kingpin in the scandal,” said Mr. Reddy. Chennai 18 conditions WEATHERWATCH set for Ganesh 쑽 Rainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday pandal at Idgah Maidan, say organisers The Hindu Bureau HUBBALLI The Hubballi­Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), in a late night de­ velopment on Friday, al­ lowed organisers to erect a Ganesh pandal for three days at Idgah Maidan adja­ cent to Kittur Chennamma Circle, subject to condi­ tions. However, the organisers expressed their displea­ sure at the multiple condi­ tions. Addressing pressper­ sons along with the festival committee office­bearers, Rani Chennamma Maidan Gajanan Utsav Mahaman­ dali president Sanjeev Ba­ daskar said the corpora­ tion had imposed 18 conditions this time, unlike last year. ‘Unwarranted curbs’ “Apart from restrictions on the size of the pandal and idol, the corporation has fixed the time to install the idol. There is also a condi­ tion that the immersion procession should be com­ pleted within an hour, which is unwarranted. We have taken exception to such conditions and con­ veyed our concerns to the Municipal Commissioner,” he said. Mr. Badaskar said the Municipal Commissioner had promised to issue a re­ vised order after consult­ ing senior officials and the police. He also suspected the role of vested interests in the Congress govern­ ment behind the imposi­ tion of so many conditions. TEMPERATURE DATA: IMD, POLLUTION DATA: CPCB, MAP: INSAT/IMD (TAKEN AT 18.00 HRS) Forecast for Sunday: Heavy/very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places over Gujarat, Saurashtra & Kutch, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, west Madhya Pradesh, central Maharashtra, Konkan & Goa, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands CITY RAIN MAX MIN Pollutants in the air you are breathing CITIES SO 2 NO 2 Ahmedabad ..... Bengaluru ........ Chennai............ Delhi ................. Hyderabad ....... Kolkata............. Lucknow........... Mumbai ............ Pune ................. Visakhapatnam ...6 ...7 .28 .17 .10 .27 ...9 .32 125 .16 ..46 ..26 ..39 ..33 ..48 ..22 ..19 ....9 197 ..40 CO .52 .71 .60 .40 .13 .18 .52 .32 110 .72 PM10 ..... 63 ..... 60 ..... 37 ... 104 ..... 48 ..... 29 ..... 36 ..... 99 ..... 41 ..... 53 ....95 ....86 ....41 ...112 ....68 ....34 ....79 ...181 ....36 ....93 MIN CODE ......* ......* ......* ......* ......* ......* ......* ......* ......* ......* In observation made at 4.00 p.m., Dhanbad, Jharkhand recorded an overall air quality index (AQI) score of 184 indicating a moderate level of pollution. In contrast, Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh recorded a healthy AQI score of 16 Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI) SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short­term exposure can harm the respiratory system, making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues and monuments. NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters. CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death. PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease Yediyurappa bats for son’s elevation as Karnataka BJP chief Press Trust of India HYDERABAD K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the cele­ bration of Hyderabad Lib­ eration Day, the day the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad merged with the Indian Union on Sep­ tember 17, 1948. The event, to be held at the Parade Grounds in the city on Sunday, is being or­ ganised by the Centre. The Telangana govern­ ment has organised an offi­ cial function, observing September 17 as National Integration Day. Chief Mi­ nister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is scheduled to attend. The Asaduddin Owaisi­ led AIMIM will hold a Ti­ ranga bike rally. KOCHI CM YK MAX Yesterday PM2.5 Shah to attend Back to bench Hyderabad Liberation Day function K.A. Martin Troubled waters: The viruses can cause severe diseases in many species of ornamental fish, leading to mortalities. FILE PHOTO Kochi. According to PAGR Director U.K. Sarkar, the institution is engaged in conducting disease surveil­ lance in ornamental fish farms in the State as part of the pan­India programme on the National Surveil­ lance for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD), which RAIN Kozhikode .......................69......31.4...... 24.2 Kurnool ........................... —......34.7...... 25.4 Lucknow.......................... —......33.4...... 27.6 Madurai ........................... —......37.2...... 25.2 Mangaluru.......................90......29.2...... 23.7 Mumbai .............................3......30.3...... 26.6 Mysuru............................. —......32.1...... 23.0 New Delhi..........................1......33.8...... 26.9 Patna............................... —......35.3...... 27.8 Port Blair .........................20......29.6...... 24.1 Puducherry ..................... —......36.2...... 26.8 Pune ................................ —......27.9...... 22.5 Raipur.............................. —......31.3...... 24.8 Ranchi ...............................8......30.6...... 23.6 Shillong ........................... —......25.9...... 16.7 Shimla ............................. —......22.8...... 17.0 Srinagar........................... —......30.8...... 19.0 Thiruvananthapuram ............2......33.0...... 25.0 Tiruchi ............................. —......36.1...... 26.4 Vijayawada...................... —......35.2...... 26.0 Visakhapatnam................ —......32.1...... 27.4 (Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius) BENGALURU Time to brush up: Candidates writing the Class 10 equivalency examination at a school in Kochi in Ernakulam district on Saturday. Anyone who has passed Class 7 can take the exam conducted by the Kerala government. THULASI KAKKAT PAGR discovers three viruses that can Karnataka govt. approves 91 put ornamental fish industry in a bind projects worth ₹7,660 crore The Centre for Peninsular and Marine Fish Genetic Resources (PAGR) here has discovered three different viruses — Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), Cyprinid herpes­ virus­2 (CyHV­2) and Carp edema virus (CEV) — that can threaten the ornamen­ tal fish industry. Sources at the PAGR say the viruses are not usually found in Kerala but if mea­ sures are not taken to con­ tain them, they can land the ornamental fish indus­ try in trouble. PAGR is part of the ICAR­National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, CITY Agartala .....................1......35.2...... 26.2 Ahmedabad...............5......31.0...... 26.8 Aizawl ........................2......33.1...... 22.2 Allahabad ..................3......34.8...... 27.4 Bengaluru...............1.4......28.5...... 21.2 Bhopal ..................... —......... —..........— Bhubaneswar .......... —......31.3...... 25.7 Chandigarh.............. —......35.2...... 24.9 Chennai ...................10......35.0...... 26.6 Coimbatore ............. —......32.0...... 23.0 Dehradun...................1......30.6...... 22.6 Gangtok ................... —......24.9...... 18.5 Goa..........................0.9......31.5...... 25.4 Guwahati ................. —......36.8...... 25.1 Hubballi................... —......29.0...... 23.0 Hyderabad............... —......31.4...... 23.6 Imphal ..................... —......33.4...... 21.5 Jaipur ...................... —......31.2...... 27.0 Kochi........................33......28.4...... 23.6 Kohima .................... —......24.5...... 18.4 Kolkata ...................0.3......34.6...... 27.4 receives funding under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Worry for farmers Sources say that the virus­ es are known to cause sev­ ere diseases in various spe­ cies, leading to mass mortalities. This can result in substantial economic losses for ornamental fish farmers and traders in the State. International trade is highly vulnerable to the diseases as they can affect the reputation and sustain­ ability of the industry. The PAGR centre is working closely with local fish farmers, traders and regulatory authorities to develop strategies for dis­ ease prevention and man­ agement, ensuring the continued growth and prosperity of the ornamen­ tal fish industry in Kerala. Meanwhile, the NBFGR has ranched two species of endangered catfish in the Chalakudy river as part of its efforts to conserve na­ tive resources. The Hindu Bureau BENGALURU The State Level Single Win­ dow Clearance Committee (SLSWCC) on Friday cleared 91 industrial invest­ ment proposals worth ₹7,659.52 crore within Kar­ nataka. These projects have the potential to gener­ ate around 18,000 jobs. The SLSWCC committee headed by Minister for Large and Medium Indus­ tries and Infrastructure De­ velopment M.B. Patil ap­ proved 26 projects involving an investment of more than ₹50 crore, to­ talling ₹5,750.73 crore. These projects alone have the potential to create 13,742 jobs. Some of the top inves­ tors include Maruti Suzuki India, Aequs Consumer, South West Mining and Ta­ ta Semiconductor, and Krypton (India) Solutions Private Ltd. among others. Job generation Of the total 91 proposals, about 57 investment pro­ jects were worth between ₹15 crore to ₹50 crore, to­ talling ₹1,144.94 crore, with an employment generation potential of 4,404. Eight projects with an additional investment of ₹763.85 crore were also ap­ proved by the clearance committee. Some of the major in­ vestment/project propo­ sals approved include Pra­ tibha Patil Sugar Industries at Kannur village in Vijaya­ pur district, with an invest­ ment of ₹489.50 crore; Gu­ rudee BioRefineries & Allied Industries Private Li­ mited at Tadavalaga in Vi­ jayapura district with an investment outlay of ₹488.49 crore; and Devash­ ree Ispat Private Limited, planned at Halwarti village in Koppal district that in­ volves an investment of ₹470 crore. Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industries Department S. Selvaku­ mar, Commissioner for In­ dustrial Development Gun­ jan Krishna and Secretary of Department of Labour Mohammad Mohsin at­ tended the meeting. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa is reportedly seeing a fresh opportunity to push for his son B.Y. Vi­ jayendra to be anointed the BJP chief in Karnataka, with the party going for a pre­poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular). Mr. Yediyurappa, who was in New Delhi last week to attend a Parliamentary Board meeting, is report­ edly pitching hard for his son’s elevation to the post. Earlier, Mr. Yediyurappa had pitched for former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to be elected Leader of the Opposition and a non­Lingayat for the post of party president. However, the proposed al­ liance with the JD(S) ahead of the Lok Sabha election has “disrupted the caste calculations”, sources in the party said. “Mr. Yediyurappa has al­ ways been opposed to any alliance with the regional party. Though he was un­ happy with it initially, he seems to have fallen in line with the party’s decision. More importantly, he smells an opportunity to push for his son’s elevation to party president’s posi­ tion,” a senior BJP leader close to him said. However, there is in­ tense opposition to the idea within the party fold, it is learnt. “Mr. Vijayendra is far junior to many lead­ ers in the party, and won a narrow victory in a safe seat for the first time. More than anything else, making him the party president will compromise our plank against dynastic politics,” said a senior BJP leader. M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 From Page One Will make INDIA bloc an electoral success: CWC Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi is said to stressed on protecting the Con­ stitutional values. The tone and tenor for the meeting was set by Congress president Mallikar­ jun Kharge’s opening remarks that claimed that the country is facing “serious internal challeng­ es”. He accused the Modi government of spread­ ing the fire of violence from Manipur to Nuh in Ha­ ryana. Monting a scathing attack on the government for “failing on all fronts,” Mr. Kharge demanded that the process of the 2021 census should be im­ mediately started along with a caste­based census. He said the delay in holding the census had result­ ed in 14 crore people from being deprived of the right to food law and nearly 18% people being left out of the MGNREGA. The 14­point final resolution also demanded the passage of the women’s reser­ vation Bill, called for increasing the upper limit of reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs, rejected any call for a new Con­ stitution or a debate on its basic structure and claimed that the idea of “one nation, one elec­ tion” was an assault on federalism. The resolution slammed the BJP for “insulting the sacrifice of the security personnel in J&K by holding a celebratory extravaganza in the party headquarters to con­ gratulate themselves for the G­20 success when a tragedy was unfolding”. AI cameras set to curb poaching Shaped like a pen, 13.8 cm long and 1.4 cm wide, it is wired to another ‘communications’ unit, the size of a notepad. The system has embedded software that can be instructed to take pictures of specific species of in­ terest. In the usual camera set­ups, the motion­ triggered devices will snap pictures of anything — from a falling leaf to a jungle fowl that comes in its line of sight. The TrailGuard system can be set to specifically capture humans or species of interest — lions, tigers, cheetahs. A team of researchers and developers involved in developing and testing the system, in an article published in the journal Biosciences report that 12 TrailGuard AI camera­alert systems were tested from mid­May to mid­July 2022 on the Kanha– Pench corridor along with seven camera­alert sys­ tems in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in early Sep­ tember 2022 to mid­December. “Researchers and forest department officials received notifications of tiger presence via email or push notification between 30 and 42 seconds after detections. These notifications included tig­ er detections from three units that were within 300 meters of a village and from which there were also daily notifications of villagers grazing cattle or collecting forest products,” they note. 3 infiltrators killed amid Pak. fire cover The Army further accused the Pakistan Army of violating the ceasefire agreement, renewed in Fe­ bruary 2020. It said the Pakistan Army’s actions have once again established their involvement in infiltration “by providing fire cover and moral support”. “It shows the Pakistan Army is involved to harm peace in Kashmir,” Brigadier Dhillon said. He said the infiltration bid was made at a time when Hatlanga area was witnessing inclement weather and fog. Operation enters fourth day Meanwhile, on the fourth day of the anti­militancy operation in Anantnag, the Army deployed high­ tech gadgets for precision attacks on the hideouts of militants holed up in the Gadool hill. Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding­in­Chief Northern Command, re­ viewed the operational situation on the ongoing operations at Kokernag forest area in Anantnag. The area resounded with loud explosions and intermittent gunfire on Saturday too, officials said. Three officers, two from the Army and one from the J&K Police, were killed in a gunfight with mil­ itants on Wednesday. One soldier is missing and two others were injured in the ongoing encounter. India­Middle East­EU corridor to have multiple routes, but hurdles remain Several ports, including three in India and one in Israel, have been shortlisted; there are missing links in many of the proposed routes, though rail connectivity is being upgraded in West Asia; common standards should be maintained in construction and technology across the IMEC Maitri Porecha Suhasini Haidar NEW DELHI ays after India, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries launched the In­ dia­Middle East­Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), officials said many of the details are still being ironed out, and multiple route options are being considered that will in­ clude ports such as the one at Haifa in Israel and Pi­ raeus in Greece, The Hindu has learnt. Among the ports that could be connected on the west coast of India are those at Mundra and Kan­ dla in Gujarat, and the Ja­ waharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai. In West Asia, at least five ports have been shortlisted to be connected to the Indian ports which include those at Fujairah, Jebel Ali, and Abu Dhabi in the UAE as well as Dammam and Ras Al Khair ports in Saudi Ara­ bia. Apart from government­ owned ports, the Mundra port and the Haifa port are privately controlled by the Adani Group, and have been highlighted in propo­ sal documents that The Hindu accessed. The on­ ward rail route connectivi­ ty from five ports in the UAE and Saudi Arabia D stretching up to the Haifa port in Israel will be a mix of already existing brown­ field projects and fresh greenfield projects to con­ nect missing links. Official sources said that a study was conducted to establish the extent of al­ ready existing and under­ construction railway lines in West Asia cutting across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while missing links have been identified, which will need fresh construction. For instance, a 605­km net­ work extending from the UAE’s Fujairah to Ghuwei­ fat on the Saudi Arabian border is under construc­ tion as part of Phase 2 of the Etihad Rail project, which aims at transporting freight and passengers. There is a missing link between Ghweifat and Ha­ radh, which will need to be constructed. Further, Ha­ radh and the Riyadh Dry Port are connected via rail and there is also an exist­ ing 1,242­km lline from Ri­ yadh to Qurayyat managed by the Saudi Arabia Railways. “There is a missing stretch between Qurayyat in Saudi Arabia and Beit She’an in Israel which will have to constructed,” the official said. Of the total rail route length of 2,915 km stretching from the Fujai­ rah port to Haifa, there are missing portions of 1,095 km, with work in progress on 536 km. Hence, 559 km still has to be constructed. Similarly, proposed rail routes from the Jebel Ali port to Haifa span 2,565 The programme has already launched 75 outdoor games from different parts of the country in the current school year. Some popular ones are Lang­ di­Taang (hopscotch), javelin throw, Patang Ud­ dayan (kite flying), Seeta Uddhar (prisoner’s base), Mardani Khel (a form of martial arts). “Through these games, we plan to introduce the Indian world­view to children as well as adults,“ says Anuradha Choudhry, a coordinator with the IKS. The programme, available in 13 languages, was launched by Union Education Minister Dharmen­ dra Pradhan last year, and has been developed under the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), one of the key components of the NEP. The Jadui Pitara comprises playbooks, toys, posters, flash cards, and indoor games. These games are availa­ ble through an online portal buddhiyoga.in. CM YK km, with 745 km lacking connectivity. Here, work is already in progress across 186 km. Another route, the Abu Dhabi port to Haifa, runs across 2,449 km, with 629 km yet to be linked. On the fourth proposed route from the Dammam port to Haifa, via Haradh, which is 2,149 km long, 289 km is yet to be constructed, while for the rail route from the Ras Al Khair port to Haifa passing through Buraydh, 269 km of the 1,809 km is yet to be linked. As per the preliminary alignment plans accessed by The Hindu, from Haifa in Israel, landing destina­ tions for Europe include the Piraeus port in Greece, Messina in south Italy, and NIA searches 31 locations in T.N., Telangana in IS recruitment case R Krishnamoorthy COIMBATORE The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday carried out searches at 31 locations in Tamil Nadu and Telangana as part of a crackdown on a radicalisa­ tion and recruitment cam­ paign by the Islamic State (IS) terror group. No arrest has been made so far, sources said. The agency seized sev­ eral digital devices, docu­ ments, and incriminating books in Indian and Arabic languages during the searches, in addition to ₹60 lakh in Indian curren­ cy and $18,200. The NIA is in the process of examin­ ing the data in the seized mobile phones, laptops and hard discs, it said in a press release. The NIA teams searched NIA officials proceed to conduct searches in Coimbatore city on Saturday. S. SIVA SARAVANAN 22 locations in Coimba­ tore, three in Chennai, one in Tenkasi district, and five in Hyderabad. The case pertains to clandestine operations by a group of individuals to radicalise gullible youth. This was being carried out in the garb of holding Arabic language classes conducted through their regional study centres. Such activities were being flashed online through so­ cial media platforms and mobile applications, the NIA said. The investiga­ tions revealed that IS­in­ spired agent provocateurs were engaged in propaga­ tion of Khilafat ideology, which is inimical to India’s constitutionally esta­ blished principles of secu­ larism, the agency said. The group of persons in­ volved in the case had en­ tered into a conspiracy to radicalise and recruit youth who were later found involved in terrorist as well as unlawful acts and activities. One such terror attack related to the Coim­ batore car bomb blast case of October 23, 2022, it said. The agency said that in­ vestigations in the case were continuing, as part of the NIA’s efforts to thwart the IS attempts to initiate vulnerable and susceptible youth into the terrorist net­ work that is working ac­ tively to spread terror in the country with the ove­ rarching aim of disturbing and disrupting its peace and communal harmony. Kuno cheetahs to be released into the wild in winter with collars on mals, a particular cause of worry has been the death of two cheetahs reportedly by parasitical infections from open, untreated wounds around their necks. Mr. Yadav dismissed suggestions that the collars were responsible. Jacob Koshy To heaven and back at the roll of a dice 11 News Chennai NEW DELHI The cheetahs in Kuno are likely to be released into the wild after the onset of winter, and they will have their collars fitted back on them, S.P. Yadav, head of the National Tiger Conser­ vation Authority (NTCA) and key official with Pro­ ject Cheetah told The Hindu. A year after Prime Mi­ nister Narendra Modi re­ leased the first of eight African cheetahs, flown from Namibia into enclo­ sures at the Kuno National Park , Madhya Pradesh, the plan was to have the ani­ mals — later joined by a co­ hort of 12 cheetahs from Wild wise: A cheetah with a radio collar. Using one is the easiest way to monitor the animal in the forests. PTI South Africa — range in the 748 sq. km of the park. However, a year later, six of the 20 animals had died, and of the quartet of the first litter born to one of the animals, three suc­ cumbed to Kuno’s heat, with the surviving cub be­ ing hand­reared by park of­ ficials. While ailments and adapting to Indian condi­ tions are believed to be be­ hind the death of the ani­ Collars on All the cheetahs had been checked and treated, in­ cluding those requiring medication. “In some cheetahs, there was no need to remove the collars and so, they are still wear­ ing them. When we release all of them back into the wild, they will all have their collars on. It’s the on­ ly way to monitor them,” Mr. Yadav added. Marseille in France. Initial estimates suggest that de­ veloping each of these IMEC routes could cost anywhere between $3 bil­ lion to $8 billion, but offi­ cials say it is too early to peg costs. West Asia, especially Saudi Arabia, has a huge role in IMEC where a rail­ way corridor is being pro­ posed to be built, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. “This will open up a new dimension in trade and transportation for the region. It is a very complex programme and will require everything to be brought to common standards. For instance, trains should run on the same gauge, similar tech­ nologies for engines should be used, dimen­ sions of containers should be similar. Such important technical points have been outlined and preliminary alignments are being final­ ised, to achieve seamless transportation. However, it will take a lot of work to achieve this,” he added. While the IMEC has been proposed to counter the Belt and Road Initiative of China, Chinese presence cannot be wished away along the IMEC route, offi­ cials said. “This is because the Piraeus port is con­ trolled by China Ocean Shipping (Group) Compa­ ny which is a Chinese state­ owned company. Also, Chi­ nese companies such as PowerChina, China State Construction Engineering Corporation and so on have qualified for multiple packages for Phase 1 and 2 of Etihad Rail,” a senior of­ ficial from a public sector undertaking said. Currently, all trade bet­ ween India and Europe happens via the sea route, that passes through Suez Canal, controlled by Egypt. “The all­sea route is con­ venient as we are assured that our cargo will land from point to point. It moves seamlessly without any obstructions. Howev­ er, in the alternatively pro­ posed IMEC, the number of times the cargo will get offloaded as it changes hands from ship to rail will increase the handling costs which include terminal­ handling charges, contain­ er yard charges and so on. That seems like a bit of a challenge,” said Anil Devli, CEO of Indian Ship Owners Association . The diplomatic sources said that Egypt, which could lose revenue if the Suez Canal is bypassed, could also raise objections to the plan. The IMEC MoU was signed by India, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the European Union, Italy, France and Germany, in the presence of all their leaders. With lessons from Ukraine war, Army revises artillery plan Dinakar Peri NEW DELHI Drawing lessons from the Ukraine war, the Indian Ar­ my has revised the profile of its artillery regiment, with focus on a mix of mo­ bility and augmented long­ range firepower. The Army expects to achieve its target of con­ verting the entire artillery to medium 155­mm gun systems by 2042, a defence source in the know said. “The Regiment of Artil­ lery has done a detailed study along with the Oper­ ations Branch. In the re­ vised Artillery profile, the Army is going for more self­ propelled and mounted gun systems,” the source said. The source said that the first lesson learnt was that of firepower being a “bat­ tle­winning factor” and the need for a judicious mix of guns and missiles. Another important aspect is that the time, from acquiring the target to shooting, had gone down from five to 10 minutes to a mere minute or two. The war also brought out the matter of increased survivability, the source said, referring to reports which suggested that Rus­ sia had lost 5,000 guns and rocket systems so far. There is a need for methods for force preser­ vation as well as to adopt shoot­and­scoot tech­ niques. “The Russia­Uk­ raine conflict also shows that we need to be pre­ pared for such a prolonged war,” the source said, pointing to the strong de­ fence industrial ecosystem that Russia has. Outlining the priorities for the Army’s artillery, sources said that the focus is on development of rock­ ets and missile regiments with longer ranges and There is also a major focus on indigenisation of munitions. SANDEEP SAXENA precision, development and modernisation of mu­ nitions with increased ranges and accuracy, reor­ ganisation of surveillance and target acquisition (SA­ TA) units for efficient sur­ veillance, data manage­ ment, coordination and targeting tasks, and deve­ lopment of effective sen­ sor­shooter networks and processes. The Army inducted the M777 Ultra Light Howitzer (ULH) in November 2018. It has since inducted all 145 guns contracted. In addi­ tion, 100 K9­Vajra Self Pro­ pelled Guns have been in­ ducted and the Defence Acquisition Council has ap­ proved procurement of 100 more. “Limited trials have been conducted for that and the contract is ex­ pected very soon. Based on it we may go for more guns in future,” a source said. The Army has also placed orders for 114 Dha­ nush guns, indigenously upgraded based on the Bo­ fors guns, and 300 Sha­ rang guns, which are up­ graded from 130mm guns to 155 mm. This is referred to as “upgunning”. There is a major focus on indigenisation of muni­ tions, officials said, stating that four types of muni­ tions were currently under trials. M CH-CHE THE HINDU 12 Sunday, September 17, 2023 News Chennai At meet, Congress calls for increasing existing upper limit of reservation CWC meeting in Hyderabad rejects the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal as yet another brazen attack on the federal structure of the country; it voices opposition to the proposed Bill to change the appointment procedure of the Chief Election Commissioner and other commissioners of the EC duties and other trade dis­ torting measures. These are not the answer to In­ dia’s economic challenge,” former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram told presspersons. R. Ravikanth Reddy HYDERABAD oting the stubborn refusal of the Bhara­ tiya Janata Party (BJP) to conduct a caste­ based census in the coun­ try, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), at its first meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday, called for in­ creasing the existing upper limit of reservations for the Scheduled Castes, Sche­ duled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Taking a serious view of what it perceived as a se­ rious assault on the Consti­ tution by the Narendra Mo­ di government, the CWC rejected the “one nation, one election” proposal as yet another brazen attack on the federal structure of the country. The committee voiced its opposition to the pro­ posed Bill to change the procedure of appointment of the Chief Election Com­ missioner and the Election Commissioners. The party called upon N Action plan: Party leader Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi at the Congress Working Committee meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday. NAGARA GOPAL all the democratic forces to oppose the Modi govern­ ment’s deliberate attempts to undermine the princi­ ples of cooperative federal­ ism and its implementation. The party’s highest deci­ NDA will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, says Amit Shah sion­making body also took a serious note of “in­ creasing unemployment and continuous rise in prices”. The CWC resolu­ tion called the Rozgar Me­ las (employment fairs) con­ ducted by the Prime Minister a hoax. “So, we have inflation, unemploy­ ment, slowing growth, fall­ ing exports, falling imports and the government’s res­ ponses... completely going back to the olden days of market distortion, import INDIA bloc’s proposed first joint rally in Bhopal cancelled, says Kamal Nath Shubhomoy Sikdar The Hindu Bureau Nath to be CM if Cong. wins in M.P. RAIPUR PATNA Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the BJP­led National Democrat­ ic Alliance (NDA) would win all 40 seats in Bihar in the Lok Sabha election next year. Addressing a public meeting at Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district, Mr. Shah alleged that under the Mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) regime, in­ cidents of crime were in­ creasing in the State. The Home Minister also took a jibe at Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal(U) chief Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad. “I am reading the new­ spapers of Bihar and every­ day there is firing, looting, kidnapping, murder of journalists and murder of Dalits taking place in the State. I want to tell the peo­ ple of Bihar that the selfish alliance will once again take Bihar to ‘Jungle Raj’. Do the people of Jhanjhar­ pur want Jungle Raj? Laluji has once again become ac­ tive and Nitishji has be­ come inactive. You all can understand how Bihar will function if Laluji becomes active and Nitishji turns in­ Amit Shah active,” Mr. Shah said. He said that Mr. Kumar was ignoring the scam cas­ es against Mr. Yadav. “The alliance of RJD and JD(U) is an alliance of sel­ fishness. Laluji wants to make his son the Chief Mi­ nister and Nitishji wants to become the Prime Minis­ ter. Nitishbabu aapki daal nahi galegi. (Your plans won’t work out Nitishji). There is no vacancy for Prime Minister’s post be­ cause once again Narendra Modiji will occupy it,” he said. Mr. Shah also expressed anger over people speak­ ing against Sanatana Dhar­ ma and the Ramcharitma­ nas. “These people have on­ ly one job, that is appease­ ment. Laluji is ready to do anything for vote bank pol­ itics,” Mr. Shah said. 14­point resolution In the 14­point resolution, the CWC recalled Mr. Mo­ di’s call for a 10­year mora­ torium on casteism, com­ munalism and regionalism. “Ironically, the three evils have aggravated in the last nine years thanks to the divisive and discrimi­ natory policies adopted by the Prime Minister, his go­ vernment and his party,” the CWC resolution said. “The political discourse of the BJP, inside and out­ side Parliament, is laced with poison, promotes hate speech and violence, encourages divisive forces, and polarises society,” it added. Contributions of past Prime Ministers, especially of Jawaharlal Nehru, have been belittled and distort­ ed, the resolution said. Stating that farmers were burdened with grow­ ing debt and that agricul­ ture and the rural econo­ my are in deep distress, the meeting reminded the Mo­ di government of the com­ mitments it made to the farmers and farmers’ or­ ganisations on the issue of minimum support price (MSP) and other demands. The resolution passed by the CWC includes a de­ mand for a joint parliamen­ tary committee ( JPC) into the revelations against the “Adani business group that has been the prime benefi­ ciary of the Prime Minis­ ter’s close friendship” and incursions by China into In­ dian territory. The committee also highlighted the transfor­ mational moment in In­ dian politics brought about by the Bharat Jodo Yatra even as many members urged former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to launch a second edition of the yatra soon. The first proposed joint ral­ ly of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in Bhopal in the first week of October on the issues of “rising prices, unemployment and corruption of the BJP go­ vernment” may be a non­ starter with Madhya Pra­ desh Congress president Kamal Nath announcing on Saturday that it has been cancelled. “It is not going to hap­ pen,” Mr. Nath told press­ persons on the sidelines of a press conference called to announce the party’s RAIPUR The Congress on Saturday said that its current State president and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath will be the Chief Minister if the party wins the Assembly polls due later this year. Kamal Nath Jan Aakrosh Yatra. Even as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at­ tributed the move to “pu­ blic anger” over the ongo­ ing Sanatana Dharma row, there appeared to be some ambiguity among Con­ gress leaders on the can­ cellation itself and the pos­ sible reason. “There is anger and sor­ row among the people of Madhya Pradesh (over the anti­Sanatana Dharma re­ marks). They (the Opposi­ tion) were afraid the peo­ ple might express their anger and hence cancelled the rally,” he said. At the press conference earlier, the party’s Madhya Pradesh in­charge, Ran­ deep Singh Surjewala, said that a final decision had not been taken on the rally and it was being discussed by Congress chief Mallikar­ jun Kharge with other al­ liance partners. At the Congress Work­ ing Committee meeting, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said he was not aware of the reasons for the cancellation but re­ jected Mr. Chouhan’s charge. Naidu is victim of a ‘politically vindictive’ govt.: Nara Lokesh Nistula Hebbar NEW DELHI Nara Lokesh, general se­ cretary of the Telugu De­ sam Party (TDP) and son of the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu, has accused the Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the State of political vindictive­ ness. His remarks come af­ ter his father was arrested by the police in a corrup­ tion case. Mr. Lokesh also said that he feels “let down” by the BJP and the Congress, which have maintained a studied silence on the is­ sue. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Lokesh said the TDP would be fighting the As­ sembly and Lok Sabha elections, both due in 2024 in the State, in an alliance with the Pawan Kalyan­led Jana Sena Party ( JSP). “The JSP’s continuance in the NDA while being in alliance with the TDP is so­ mething they [JSP] have to answer. Mr. Pawan Kalyan, in fact, had been asked this question, and he said that the BJP has to decide what it wants to do, since our al­ liance is now a done thing,” Mr. Lokesh said. Mr. Naidu was arrested on September 9, in con­ nection with a case of cor­ ruption regarding the And­ hra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation, and is currently under jud­ icial remand at a jail in Rajahmundry. Delhi visit Mr. Lokesh arrived in Delhi for what he said was an ef­ fort to “put before the peo­ ple of the rest of India” the way his father was being treated. He said that while the YSRCP­led government in the State had been lodg­ ing cases — as many as 22 cases against him — against anyone speaking against it, the trigger for reviving the skill development case was a pre­poll survey. “There was a survey that came out, the C­Voter­ India Today survey, which gave 15 [out of the 25 seats in A.P.] Lok Sabha seats to Nara Lokesh us. This was seen as an ef­ fect of my padayatra across the State, Naiduji’s bus yatra, and Mr. Pawan Kalyan’s yatra finding reso­ nance. I think they [the Andhra Pradesh govern­ ment] felt they had to act,” he said. “Jagan Mohan Reddy was given absolute power — he got 151 out of 175 As­ sembly seats in Andhra Pradesh — and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and corrupt people trouble honest people, which is what has been happening in Andhra Pradesh since 2019,” he said, adding that Mr. Naidu was “just the lat­ est victim” of a politically vindictive government. ‘Let down by BJP, Cong.’ He said it was unfortunate that the BJP and Congress both felt unable to con­ demn Mr. Naidu’s arrest. “I feel let down since eve­ ryone knows Mr. Naidu, that he stands for some credibility, and if someth­ ing like this happens to so­ meone like him, everyone should stand by him. He has been in public life for over four decades and the only mistake he has made was that he came in the way of this vindictive go­ vernment,” he said. He said that the TDP was taking to the streets in And­ hra Pradesh to drum up public support against the arrest, and that in Delhi, TDP MPs have sought time from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which has, till now, not been allotted. Mr. Lokesh said he was confident that the case in which Mr. Naidu has been arrested would not stand legal scrutiny. Situation in Manipur is tense, govt. has to take decisions: RSS Ishita Mishra NEW DELHI The situation in Manipur is worrisome but it is the go­ vernment that needs to take decisions as the con­ flict is between two com­ munities, Manmohan Vai­ dya, joint general secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamse­ wak Sangh, said on Saturday. Mr. Vaidya was speaking to presspersons at the end of the three­day annual coordination meet of the RSS in Pune. “The situa­ tion in Manipur is tense and this is what our volun­ CM YK teers reported to us in the meeting. We are all doing our work but the govern­ ment has to take decisions for the conflict that exists between the Kuki and Mei­ tei [communities]. As part of the RSS’s work, our vo­ lunteers are in touch with both groups and service work is being done for both,” he added. Speaking on the ‘India and Bharat’ naming issue, he said that no country had two names. “The name Bharat has civilisa­ tional value and this is why it should only be Bharat,” he said. M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 INBRIEF 쑽 13 News Chennai Centre publishes disability database stripped of socio­economic figures Ministry doubts ‘quality’ of socio­economic data collected; not many filled the socio­economic fields as they were not mandatory, say officials; earlier this year, a parliamentary panel had raised doubts about the department’s ability to collect accurate population through UDID mechanism in time Abhinay Lakshman 84 artists get Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit awards Vice­President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday presented the one­time Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit awards to 84 artists from varied fields of performing arts. The award was instituted to honour Indian artists aged above 75 who have not been accorded any national honour in their career so far. Mr. Dhankhar said this is the first time in the nation’s history that these artists are being recognised for their work. “All these artists are those who have never been given their due in the past 75 years. By giving them respect, we give respect to the Indian culture; it increases India’s glory in the world,” he said. The Vice­President added it is important to help such artists in a “structured manner” through several schemes. Brij Bhushan has not been exonerated by panel: police The Delhi police on Saturday submitted in the Rouse Avenue Court that the oversight committee constituted by the Union Sports Ministry to probe sexual harassment allegations against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had never exonerated him. The submissions were made in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal who is currently hearing the arguments on framing of charges against Mr. Singh and one other co­accused in this case. “Mr. Singh was not exonerated by the oversight committee. The committee had given certain recommendations,” public prosecutor Atul Srivastava said. All hospitals to get organ harvesting units: Minister Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday that an arrangement for organ retrieval would be made in all hospitals and medical colleges of the country by the end of 2024. He said this while he was inaugurating a super­specialty block at the Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra. The government has also decided to give financial assistance of ₹10,000 per month to all the poor people undergoing organ transplant. “Arrangements will also be made for their regular check­ups,” the Health Minister added. Mr. Mandaviya said that there can be no greater service to mankind than donating organs to save another life. ICMR to expand its network of BSL­3, BSL­4 laboratories The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is collaborating with eight premier scientific organisations in India to establish the National Institute of One Health to roll out the National One Health Mission across the country to strengthen multidisciplinary approaches in health research. The ICMR is also working to expand its network of BSL­3 and BSL­4 laboratories to strengthen diagnostic infrastructure and enhance access to laboratory services, Rajiv Bahl, Director­General, ICMR, said at a press conference earlier this week outlining the council’s vision for health research in India. SUDOKU 쑽 NEW DELHI he Union govern­ ment is shelving whatever socio­ economic data it had col­ lected while registering about 94 lakh Persons with Disabilities across the country for the issue of Un­ ique Disability ID (UDID) cards in the past six years, The Hindu has learnt. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is justi­ fying the move by ques­ tioning the “quality” of the socio­economic data collected. The data being shelved include information such as socio­economic catego­ ry (caste), level of educa­ tion, employment status, income (personal and fa­ mily) and marital status of PwDs, with officials saying the focus of the form was always to collect disability data and hence all these fields were made optional. Consequently, many skipped them. Rajesh Aggarwal, Secre­ tary, Department of Empo­ werment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of the Social Justice Ministry, said, “The data are not be­ ing released because of quality issues.” When asked if the department in­ tends to pursue collecting socio­economic data for fu­ ture UDID registrations, he said, “The basic purpose of the form is to get a disabil­ T ity certificate… and also, we cannot afford to make the form too lengthy by seeking information we cannot verify.” The department this week published aggregat­ ed data from the around 94 lakh UDID registrations, minus the socio­economic data, with a statement alongside spelling out the objective of the project — to “create a national data­ base for all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) along with their socio­economic details” so that policy­mak­ ing and interventions can be targeted. The government has not officially disclosed the ex­ act number of people who filled in the socio­econom­ ic fields for which data are being shelved. The first UDID card was issued in Ja­ nuary 2017. The Centre has said the aggregated UDID data were meant to influence e­com­ merce organisations to de­ sign their platforms in a way that increases usabili­ ty and purchase cycles among PwDs. It has added that the data were also to help efficient allocation of resources to address the specific needs of PwDs from various communities. Further, the department said the data were sup­ posed to influence the edu­ cation sector to introduce special educators and spe­ cial requirements for PwDs. The basic purpose of the form is to get a disability certificate and also, we cannot afford to make the form too lengthy by seeking information we cannot verify RAJESH AGGARWAL Union Secretary to PwDs, four of seven are related to special educa­ tion and vocational train­ ing programmes, skill training and scholarships. Unique identity: The Union government is issuing unique disability ID cards. G.N. RAO However, the fate of these objectives is now in limbo — with the govern­ ment choosing not to pu­ blish whatever data were collected in the fields of personal and family in­ come (spouse and father), whether they were Below Poverty Line, employment status, occupation, socio­ economic category (SC/ST/ OBC/General), and level of education. A senior government of­ ficial told The Hindu, “For instance, marital status — only about 15% of those re­ gistered have filled it in. It is not enough data to be significant. Again, for in­ come, just 40% have filled it in. The department has no way to verify the extent to which this information is accurate.” Another offi­ cial aware of the pro­ gramme’s implementation said that “not enough” PwDs had responded to fields such as education and socio­economic cate­ gory (SC/ST/OBC/General) either, adding this was among the primary rea­ sons for discounting this data. “On the other hand, the medical data and dis­ ability­related data is high­ quality because that is ver­ ified by doctors. And since the purpose was to register people for disability certifi­ cates to make them eligible for the department’s schemes, only those fields were made mandatory,” they said. Even among the bene­ fits offered by the DEPwD UDID information The data that has been re­ leased on the data.gov.in portal contains UDID infor­ mation district­wise, gen­ der­wise, age­wise, and dis­ ability type­wise (including level of disability). The go­ vernment said it hoped this will help NGOs in the social sector and research­ ers to build physical infras­ tructure that is accessible for persons with specific types and levels of disabili­ ties. This data are meant to be updated every quarter, the government has said. It had added that the da­ tabase was also meant to help design accessible websites and applications and “connect PwDs to digi­ tal India”. However, nowh­ ere in the UDID form is any section seeking informa­ tion on existing computer, mobile, and Internet usage among PwDs. Canada, India trade talks paused Gita Mehta, writer and 1971 war over ‘certain issues’, says Goyal correspondent, passes away Satyasundar Barik Kallol Bhattacherjee NEW DELHI Union Commerce and In­ dustry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday con­ firmed that the ongoing trade negotiation with Ca­ nada has frozen due to dis­ agreements on “certain is­ sues”. His remarks came soon after Canada can­ celled a trade mission to India that was to arrive in Mumbai in October. “We have given the trade dialogue with Cana­ da a pause. We need to make sure that geopoliti­ cally and economically we are on the same page…we have had certain issues which are of serious con­ cern and have been high­ lighted in the bilateral meeting [between PM Na­ rendra Modi and PM Justin Trudeau],” he said. Earlier this month, In­ dian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma had indicated that the talks had stalled. “The Canadian side has requested that, let us take a pause and then we will res­ tart. There is an honest re­ quest from the Canadian side,” Mr. Verma told The Canadian Press on Septem­ ber 1. This was followed by re­ marks by Canadian offi­ cials who accompanied Mr. Trudeau to the G­20 sum­ mit here during which they said that India had strongly objected to certain politi­ cal developments within Canada. India and Canada have held six rounds of trade talks for Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) so far and the sixth round of the discussion was held in Ottawa in the first week of May between Mr. Goyal and Mary Ng, Canada’s Mi­ nister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Eco­ nomic Development. BHUBANESWAR Gita Mehta, writer, journal­ ist and elder sister of Od­ isha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, passed away in New Delhi on Saturday. Mehta (80) had been ail­ ing for quite some time. Daughter of former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, Mehta was a war corres­ pondent for a foreign tele­ vision channel during 1971. She had extensively co­ vered the creation of Ban­ gladesh. Her documentary films on Bangladesh were then widely appreciated. She has written five books — Karma Cola, Gita Mehta Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India, A River Sutra, Raj, and Eternal Ganesha: From Birth to Rebirth. Mehta was married to Sonny Mehta, former head of the Alfred A. Knopf publishing house, who died in 2019. Born in 1943 to Biju and Gyan Patnaik in New Delhi, Dolls from Manipur camps to spread smiles globally Training is being imparted to displaced people living in five relief camps to make amigurumi dolls for export; those who fled their homes and lost everything in the ethnic violence are finding new hope in crocheting various characters The Hindu Bureau GUWAHATI/IMPHAL olls crocheted by displaced people living in relief camps in ethnic conflict­hit Manipur are set to go global. 1 Million Heroes, a multi­platform entertainment brand for children, has undertaken a project to train the State’s internally displaced people in crocheting amigurumi dolls for export. The ethnic violence, which broke out on May 3, has so far claimed 175 lives, injured 1,108 and displaced 60,000 people. More than 4,780 houses have been set on fire. The training is being imparted in five relief camps across Manipur, one of them in Khangabok of Thoubal district D Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku CM YK As the government’s plans to create a unified da­ tabase of disability and so­ cio­economic data for PwDs goes into cold stor­ age, a Parliamentary panel had, earlier this year, doubted the Department’s ability to even collect accu­ rate population data through the UDID mechan­ ism in time. The government had told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on So­ cial Justice and Empower­ ment that data on PwDs are largely taken from the decennial censuses con­ ducted by the Office of the Registrar­General and sam­ ple surveys on disability conducted by the National Sample Survey of the Na­ tional Statistical Office. With the 2021 Census delayed indefinitely, the government had explained that UDID forms were meant to elicit enough in­ formation to design target­ ed policies for them. To this, the panel, in its July report, had said, “By the department’s own admis­ sion, it has issued 94.09 lakh UDID cards so far whereas the PwD popula­ tion even 10 years ago was more than double that number.” The Centre has already been under attack from experts, activists, and Opposition leaders for dropping disability­related questions from the forms issued for the sixth round of the NFHS this year. 1 Million Heroes is also engaging with corporate houses to market the amigurumi dolls produced by the inmates. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT housing 210 people. Laishram Geeta Leima, a 36­year­old mother of three, is one of the trainees who hopes to sustain her family by producing the dolls on a larger scale. She had fled her home when armed miscreants attacked Sugnu Awang Leikai village in the Kakching district on May 27. “I have almost mastered the art, which is satisfying and productive as well. I hope the new skill would ensure a future for my children during and after such tough times,” she said. Agom Sangeeta Leima, 48, who also fled her home in Sugnu, said the doll­making training had boosted her confidence by showing her a way to overcome financial challenges. Trainers assigned by 1 Million Heroes have been visiting the five relief camps since the first week of August, concentrating on five characters conceived as the first line of the global amigurumi doll brand — Buddy the pet dog, Mitten the cat, Raja the tiger, Oliver the bear and Bola the teddy bear. Training programmes Master trainer Utpala Longjam said the training programme has been progressing well. “It was not difficult to train as most of them knew the basics of crochet. We are teaching them the pattern and the right way to go about it. Once they become comfortable with the needle, crochet and patterns, we would be providing them with the cotton yarn for the actual product,” she said. Monish Karam, the founder of 1 Million Heroes, said the project had germinated in Singapore where he was living when the violence started in May. “We wanted to do something for the people back home to help rebuild their lives sustainably. The dolls were thought of because our women are quite good in handicraft and handloom,” he said. “What they are producing are not mere dolls. We believe they are the symbol of hope and vessels of storytelling,” Mr. Karam said, adding that 1 Million Heroes is handling the entire gamut from designing and supplying raw materials to marketing the products. she had her education in India and University of Cambridge. In 2019, Mehta had declined the Padma Shri award bestowed on her by the Union govern­ ment. She had then said her acceptance of the civi­ lian award would be mis­ construed just ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Political leaders across party lines expressed con­ dolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I am saddened by the passing away of noted writer Gita Mehta Ji. She was a multifa­ ceted personality, known for her intellect and pas­ sion towards writing as well as film­making.” V­P to hoist Tricolour at new House building today Press Trust of India NEW DELHI Vice­President Jagdeep Dhankhar will hoist the Na­ tional Flag at the new Par­ liament building on Sun­ day. The flag hoisting ceremony will take place a day before the five­day Par­ liament session beginning Monday which may see parliamentary proceed­ ings shift from the old to the adjacent new building. According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Mr. Dhankhar will hoist the flag atop the “Gaja Dwar” of the building. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be present. Leader of the Opposi­ tion in Rajya Sabha Malli­ karjun Kharge, however, said he would not be able to attend the flag­hoisting function and expressed disappointment over get­ ting the invite “quite late”. M CH-CHE THE HINDU 14 Sunday, September 17, 2023 World Chennai LAHORE LONDON HONG KONG MOSCOW Pak. court objects to reopening case of Bhagat Singh’s sentencing U.K. comedian Russell Brand accused of sexual assault: media Lesbian couple in Hong Kong register victory in IVF court case Kim Jong­un inspects key weapons along with Russian defence chief FILE PHOTO X A Pakistan court raised an objection on a plea to reopen the case of Independence war hero Bhagat Singh’s sentencing in 1931 and to set it aside by exercising the principles of review and honour him with posthumous state awards. The Lahore High Court also turned down the constitution of a larger Bench to listen to the petition. PTI REUTERS X British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse during a seven­year period, according to the results of a media investigation published on Saturday. Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 when Brand was at the height of his fame. AFP X REUTERS A Hong Kong court sided with a lesbian couple who argued that both women should have parental status over their child born via “reciprocal IVF”, a ruling hailed as a win for the LGBTQ community The medical procedure allows two women to share in the process of childbearing and is credited with helping couples start families. AFP X AFP North Korean leader Kim Jong­un met on Saturday with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Vladivostok, where he inspected state­of­the­art weapons including a hypersonic missile system on the latest leg of a rare visit outside his country. The pair also inspected some of Russia’s nuclear bombers at an airfield. AFP Iran marks one year since the death of Mahsa Amini Foreign aid arrives in flood­hit Libya but hopes to find survivors dwindle Security forces detain her father for a brief while; officials deployed in Kurdish areas of the country in anticipation of unrest; Amini was killed at the hands of morality police Agence France-Presse Reuters I being released, the Kurdis­ tan Human Rights Network said. Iran’s official IRNA news agency denied that Amjad Amini was arrested, but it did not say if he was briefly detained or warned. Social media and re­ ports by rights groups spoke of security forces taking up positions around Amini’s home in Saqez. In a statement, U.S. Pre­ sident Joe Biden said: “Mahsa’s story did not end with her brutal death. She inspired a historic move­ ment — Woman, Life, Free­ dom — that has impacted Iran and influenced people across the globe.” ranian security forces briefly detained the father of Mahsa Amini on Saturday and spread across mainly Kurdish areas of the country, a year after her death in police custody set off some of the biggest protests since the fall of the Shah in 1979. Authorities prevented the family from holding a cere­ mony to commemorate the instance. State­affiliated media re­ ported arrests of several “counter revolutionaries” and “terrorists” in diffe­ rent Iranian cities and said security forces had foiled plots to create disturbanc­ es around illegal demonstrations. The death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22­year­old Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police last year for allegedly flouting mandatory dress codes, triggered months of some of the biggest protests against the Islamic Repu­ blic’s Shi’ite clerical rule ever seen and drew inter­ national condemnation. On Saturday, the first an­ niversary of her death, a massive security force pre­ sence was deployed in Iran’s mostly Kurdish areas on Saturday in anticipation of unrest, according to hu­ man rights groups. One video posted on so­ Pakistan spy agency chief gets one­year extension Former U.S. diplomat gets probation for ethics violations Taliban detain staff members of Swiss NGO in Afghanistan Press Trust of India Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse ISLAMABAD WASHINGTON KABUL Lieutenant General Na­ deem Anjum will remain the chief of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI for one more year after the caretaker go­ vernment extended his te­ nure, according to a media report on Saturday. Lieutenant General An­ jum was appointed as Di­ rector General (DG) of In­ ter­Services Intelligence (ISI) on November 20, 2021 when he replaced Faiz Hameed. A summary to grant an extension to Mr. Anjum was approved late on Thursday, The News new­ spaper reported. Mr. Anjum was earlier the commander of Karachi Corps where he had served since his promotion to three­star general in Sep­ tember 2019. Richard Olson, a former U.S. Ambassador to Pakis­ tan and the UAE, was sen­ tenced to three years of probation for violating fed­ eral ethics laws. The 63­ year­old Mr. Olson was also fined $93,400 after plead­ ing guilty to charges he misused his official posi­ tion for personal gain. Mr. Olson, who served as the U.S. envoy to Pakis­ tan from 2012 to 2015, pleaded guilty in June of last year to making a false statement and violating laws governing lobbying for a foreign government. Mr. Olson was accused of helping the government of Qatar influence U.S. pol­ icymakers shortly after re­ tiring from the State De­ partment in 2016. According to the U.S. At­ Afghanistan’s Taliban auth­ orities have detained 18 staff members of a Swiss­ registered NGO, including a foreigner, the group said on Saturday. The International Assis­ tance Mission (IAM) said the staff members were picked up from its office in Ghor province, central Af­ ghanistan, and taken to the capital Kabul. IAM has operated in Af­ ghanistan since 1966, when it started specialising in eye care but has since branched out into other areas of health and education. Its website describes the organisation as based on Christian values, but says it does not provide aid ac­ cording to political or reli­ gious belief. Wrong signal: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi meeting with families of security personnel killed in last year’s mass protests. AFP cial media showed a group of demonstrators in Gohar­ dasht chanting “We are a great nation, and will take back Iran” while drivers honked their horns and shouted encouragement. Reuters could not imme­ diately authenticate the video. Mahsa’s father, Amjad Amini, was warned against marking the anniversary of his daughter’s death before Richard Olson torney, Mr. Olson, while serving as the U.S. envoy to Pakistan, also received fa­ vours from a Pakistani­ American businessman identified in documents only as “Person 1.” They included $25,000 paid to Mr. Olson’s then­ girlfriend to help pay her tuition at Columbia Univer­ sity in New York and $18,000 in first class travel for the Ambassador to at­ tend a job interview in London. Sanctions imposed Britain on Friday imposed sanctions on four Iranian officials and the U.S. said it was sanctioning more than two dozen individuals and entities connected to Iran’s “violent suppression” of protests. DERNA Shipments of international aid began to arrive in Libya on Saturday, offering a life­ line to thousands despite dwindling hopes of finding more survivors days after deadly flash floods. Sunday’s floods sub­ merged the port city of Derna, washing thousands of people and homes out to sea after two upstream dams burst under the pres­ sure of torrential rains trig­ gered by a hurricane­ strength storm. Conflicting death tolls have been reported, with the Health Minister of the eastern­based administra­ tion, Othman Abdeljalil, putting the number of lives lost at 3,166. The World Health Or­ ganization said “the bodies of 3,958 people have been recovered and identified”, Tall cost: A car damaged in the aftermath of the floods in Derna in Libya on Saturday. REUTERS with 9,000 more still mis­ sing, as it announced 29 tonnes of aid had arrived in the eastern city of Benghazi. ‘Epic proportions’ “This is a disaster of epic proportions,” said Ahmed Zouiten, the WHO’s Libya representative. “We are saddened by the unspeaka­ ble loss of thousands of souls,” he added. An AFP correspondent saw two aid­laden planes, one from the United Arab Emirates and another from Iran, land in Benghazi, more than 300 kilometres west of Derna. A steady stream of vehi­ cles trickled into Derna on a makeshift road as diggers toiled to shift rubble near an apartment block with a missing facade. In Al­Bay­ da, 100 km west of Derna, people worked to clear roads and homes of the mounds of mud left behind by the flash flood. The floods were caused by hurricane­strength Storm Daniel, compound­ ed by the poor infrastruc­ ture in Libya, which was plunged into turmoil after a NATO­backed uprising toppled and killed long­ time dictator Moamer Kad­ hafi in 2011. The Islamic Relief aid or­ ganisation warned of a “se­ cond humanitarian crisis”, pointing to the “growing risk of water­borne diseas­ es and shortages of food, shelter and medicine”. But the Red Cross and the World Health Organiza­ tion pointed out that con­ trary to widespread belief, the bodies of victims of natural disasters rarely pose a health threat. Yet another hike smashes fuel price record in Pakistan, triggers furore Press Trust of India ISLAMABAD Amid double­digit infla­ tion, Pakistan’s caretaker government has effected yet another hike in the prices of petrol and diesel taking them to a historic high — over (Pakistani) Rs. 330 per litre — prompting immediate protests and a CM YK legal challenge too. As on Saturday, $1 was equivalent to 296.41 Pakis­ tani Rupee. The Ministry of Finance on Friday night announced the price hike of petrol by Rs 26.02 and diesel by Rs 17.34 per litre. After the hike, petrol and high­speed diesel (HSD) are costing over Rs 330 at the filling stations, “a psychological barrier that has been crossed for the first time in the coun­ try’s history,” the Dawn newspaper wrote. The fuel price hike comes on the heels of over 27.4% increase in the rate of inflation in August, put­ ting an unbearable burden on the masses. The caretaker govern­ ment on September 1 jack­ ing up the petrol and diesel prices by over Rs 14. The rise is on top of Rs 32.41 and Rs 38.49 per litre increase in petrol and HSD prices since August 15. Petrol and diesel have become costlier by 20% since the caretaker govern­ ment took over in August. M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 15 SCIENCE Chennai Over 75% of European bumblebee species threatened The Hindu Bureau More than 75% of Euro­ pean bumblebee species may be threatened in the next 40­60 years according to worst­case­scenario pro­ jections of bumblebee populations, according to a paper published in Nature. Degradation of habitats and alterations of climate due to human activity are identified as key drivers of these estimated popula­ tion declines. The findings underscore the importance of climate change mitigation policies to protect bumblebees. Key drivers of wildlife “Our results underline the critical role of globa­ l change mitigation policies as effective levers to pro­ tect bumblebees from manmade transformation of the biosphere,” the auth­ ors write. Around 90% of all wild plants and most crop plants benefit from pollination by animals. The bumblebee (Bombus) is a genus of bees considered to be especially important for the pollination of crops in the cold and temperate regions of the northern he­ misphere. Human­generated trans­ formations of natural habi­ tats and increases in tem­ perature are implicated as key drivers of wildlife col­ lapse; understanding the trajectory of insect popula­ tions is important for de­ vising conservation efforts. Guillaume Ghisbain from Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgi­ um and others quantify past, present and future ecological suitability of Eu­ rope for bumblebees. Ob­ servational data cover the periods 1901­1970 (past) and 2000­2014 (‘present day’), and projections are made up to 2080. Around 38­76% of European bum­ blebee species currently considered as non­threa­ tened are projected to see their ecologically suitable territory shrink by at least 30% by 2061­2080. In particular, species from Arctic and alpine en­ vironments may be at the verge of extinction in Eu­ rope, with an expected loss of at least 90% of their ter­ ritory in the same period. The authors report that parts of Scandinavia may potentially become refuges for displaced or threatened species, although it re­ mains unclear whether these regions may be af­ fected by human activity­ driven changes. Why Nipah virus outbreaks are occurring only in Kerala With fruit bats positive for Nipah virus antibodies seen in other States, it is likely that Nipah virus infection and deaths may be going undetected in other States while they get picked up in Kerala, especially in Kozhikode district R. Prasad S ince May 2018 when Kerala re­ ported the first Ni­ pah outbreak in Kozhikode district, there have been three more out­ breaks of Nipah virus in­ cluding the latest one in late­August 2023. For rea­ sons still not known, three of the four Nipah out­ breaks in Kerala in 2018, 2021 and 2023 have been in Kozhikode district; the 2019 outbreak was in Er­ nakulam district. Even five years after the first out­ break, and four outbreaks in all, it is still unclear why three of the four outbreaks have been in Kozhikode district in Kerala. Fruit bats that can cause Nipah virus outbreaks in humans are not restricted to Kozhikode district. As per a 2021 study, Ni­ pah virus was found to be in circulation in fruit bats (Pteropus species) in “ma­ ny districts” in Kerala. An ongoing survey in 14 States by NIV Pune has found Ni­ pah virus antibodies in fruit bats (Pteropus medius) in nine States, including Kerala, and the Union Ter­ ritory of Pondicherry. While date palm sap was linked to Nipah virus out­ breaks in Bangladesh, and pigs acting as intermediate hosts were responsible for Nipah outbreaks in Malay­ sia, the route of virus trans­ mission from bats to hu­ mans has not been clearly established in Kerala. The four outbreaks in five years may be because the virus has either be­ come endemic in bats in Kerala or is a reflection of Kerala’s superior health­ care system that thorough­ ly investigates undiag­ nosed fever cases for possible Nipah virus infec­ tion or both. However, with fruit bats positive for Nipah virus antibodies be­ ing found in other States, it is likely that Nipah virus in­ fection and deaths may be going undetected in other States while they get picked up in Kerala, espe­ cially in Kozhikode district. “Whenever we have un­ diagnosed fever cases, a team involving virologists is formed and we under­ take a detailed investiga­ tion which helps us diag­ nose Nipah virus and other new virus outbreaks early. In other States, Nipah cas­ es might be going unde­ tected,” says Dr. Anoop Ku­ mar A.S., Director of Critical Care Medicine, North Kerala Cluster, Aster MIMS Calicut, Kerala. Dr. Kumar played a pivotal role in detecting the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in 2018 and 2023. In the 2019 and 2021 outbreak, there was only a single case without any hu­ man­to­human transmis­ sion. “Nipah virus infec­ tion and deaths might have happened in different parts of India in people with undiagnosed fever, which might have gone un­ detected. Also, there is no Nipah testing facility anywhere in India except NIV Pune. Only Kerala screens for Nipah virus routinely in a molecular lab in Calicut Medical Col­ lege,” he says. “While oth­ er States may not be rou­ tinely sending samples for Nipah virus testing, we test for Nipah whenever there are cases with unusual symptoms. That might be the reason why Kerala is detecting Nipah cases.” Usually, people with Ni­ pah virus infection present with encephalitic symp­ toms. But in the latest out­ break, patients presented with pure respiratory symptoms, not reported anywhere in the world be­ fore. “But we could still identify them as Nipah on­ ly because we have a high index of suspicion,” says Dr. Kumar. In 2018 and in 2023, the index case had died with encephalitis in 2018 and severe pneumo­ nia in 2023 that went un­ noticed. In 2018, a cluster formed and Nipah virus was diagnosed among three contacts who were admitted with unusual symptoms about two weeks after the death of the index case. “There was a [possible] index case, clustering and unusual symptoms seen in the con­ tacts. There was a high in­ dex of suspicion and that led us to diagnose Nipah vi­ rus in 2018,” recalls Dr. Ku­ mar. In the latest outbreak, there was a death in anoth­ er hospital in Kozhikode ci­ ty on August 30 and four of the family members deve­ loped unusual symptoms on September 9 and were admitted two days later at Aster MIMS Calicut. Nipah virus was diagnosed the ve­ ry next day after admis­ sion. “We noticed a clustering of cases after the death of the person. During a de­ tailed history taking we came to know that the per­ son who died had unusual symptoms. And the family was from a locality quite close (10­15 km) to the 2018 outbreak epicentre. There was a high index of suspi­ cion of a new emerging vi­ rus or Nipah due to the combination of a [possible] index case, clustering of cases, unusual symptoms and proximity to the first outbreak epicentre. So we first tested for Nipah vi­ rus,” he says. At the time the deaths happened in the index case in 2018 and 2023, Nipah virus was not diagnosed. In 2019 and 2021, only a single case was detected (ending in death in 2021 unlike in 2019). This raises the possibility of several people getting infected with Nipah virus and even dying without a diagnosis in other parts of Kerala and other States, es­ pecially when only one or a few cases occur, he says. SNAPSHOTS 쑽 In songbirds, complex vocal learning predicts brain size Vocal learning complexity, or the ability to imitate sounds, is associated with better problem­solving abilities and larger brains in songbird species, a study found. Whether vocal learning complexity was linked with such cognitive phenotypes was previously unknown. Complex vocal learning is a crucial component of human spoken language and has been assumed to be associated with advanced cognitive abilities. Outside of humans, it has been observed in a small number of taxa, including songbirds. New neural network enables autonomous drone to race A new neural network system enabled autonomous drones to race at velocities of up to 108 km per hour, beating counterparts piloted by competitive human drone racers on the same aerial racetrack. The work emphasises the value of reinforcement learning as a training method over other optimal control methods, which researchers considered just as useful for agile autonomous flight. Autonomous drones require control systems that enable adaptable movement and split­second decision­making during flight. Solar­powered microfliers gather environmental data A new design for solar­powered, origami­based microfliers — robotic designs that float like seeds — supports more effective collection and transmission of environmental data. In outdoor tests, these microfliers dynamically changed shape after dropping from drones, gliding and gathering details about air pressure and temperature during their descent. They transmitted these data to nearby Bluetooth receivers for record keeping. Evasive nutritional support for TB patients The Hindu Bureau Undernutrition is the leading risk factor for TB disease. In 2019, Preeti Sudan, Secretary in the Health Ministry noted letter that undernutrition at the population level contri­ butes to 55% of annual TB inci­ dence in India. A 2022 study noted that 45% of people in India are un­ dernourished, accounting for nearly 1.2 million TB cases each year. Yet, nutrition sup­ port became a part of the na­ tional TB programme only in April 2018 when Nikshay Poshan Yojana — a direct be­ nefit transfer (DBT) scheme for nutritional support to TB patients — was launched. Un­ der this programme, ₹500 per month is credited into the ac­ count of a person with TB for the duration of treatment. In September 2022, India launched another nutrition support programme called Ni­ kshay Mitra to consented TB patients. And in 2022, Tamil Nadu became the first and on­ CM YK ly State to launch the Differen­ tiated TB Care programme to reduce the mortality rate among TB patients. Severe un­ dernutrition is one of the three parameters used for triaging TB patients at the time of diagnosis. During triaging as part of the Differentiated TB Care programme, it became evi­ dent that 52% of notified TB patients in Tamil Nadu had undernutrition, and 25% had severe undernutrition. If un­ dernutrition among TB pa­ tients is so high even in Tamil Nadu, the situation might be far worse in many northern States which have higher le­ vels of undernutrition in the general population. All the three initiatives pro­ vide nutrition support only to TB patients to reduce mortali­ ty and not to the family mem­ bers also to prevent TB dis­ ease. The nutrition status of TB patients at the time of diag­ nosis is largely a reflection of the family’s nutrition level. The 2017 guidance document Huge: Undernourishment causes nearly 1.2 million TB cases each year in India. AP on nutritional care and sup­ port for patients with TB in In­ dia had recommended that the family members are pro­ vided with a “food basket as they likely to be food inse­ cure, chronically energy defi­ cient and at high risk of con­ tracting TB”. This is yet to become a reality. The RATIONS trial in Jhark­ hand has underscored the im­ portance of providing nutri­ tion support to family members to prevent TB dis­ ease. In the trial, TB disease among household contacts was prevented in 39% (all forms of TB) to 48% (pulmon­ ary TB) through nutritional support. Nikshay Poshan Yojana As per the India TB report 2023, of the 2.4 million noti­ fied TB cases, only 1.6 million (66%) received at least one month’s payment in 2022 un­ der the Ni­kshay Poshan Yoja­ na programme. There has been very little increase in the number of beneficiaries in the last three years. For instance, in 2021, only 62.1% of the 2.1 million notified cases in India received at least one payment. In 2020 too, only 62% of noti­ fied TB cases received at least one month payment. A January 2022 retrospec­ tive cohort study carried out during January­September 2019 among 426 patients found that the assistance was not reaching the poorest among the poor who need nu­ tritional support the most due to the lack of basic docu­ ments. The study also record­ ed a delay of 56 days to receive the first instalment. Also, 49% of patients received the last in­ stalment after treatment com­ pletion. TB patients perceived the assistance provided under the Ni­kshay Poshan Yojana programme was “insufficient to buy nutritious food throughout the course of treatment”. Question Corner Keeping it at bay Is it possible to reduce the risk of depression? A healthy lifestyle that involves moderate alcohol consumption, a healthy diet, regular physical activity, healthy sleep and frequent social connection, while avoiding smoking and too much sedentary behaviour, reduces the risk of depression, new research has found (Nature Mental Health). To better understand the relationship between these factors and depression, the researchers turned to the U.K. Biobank. By examining data over a nine­year period, the team was able to identify seven healthy lifestyle factors linked with a lower risk of depression. Of all of these , having a good night’s sleep made the biggest difference, reducing the risk of depression by 22%. Frequent social connection, reduced the risk of depression by 18% and was the most protective against depressive disorder. Moderate alcohol consumption decreased the risk of depression by 11%, healthy diet by 6%, regular physical activity by 14%, never smoking by 20%, and low­to­moderate sedentary behaviour by 13%. Readers may send their questions / answers to questioncorner@thehindu.co.in M CH-CHE THE HINDU 16 Sunday, September 17, 2023 FAQ What is driving the Global Biofuels Alliance? What type of biofuel is the alliance going to concentrate on? Why are countries trying to find alternatives? Kunal Shankar The story so far: n September 10, on the sidelines of the annual G­20 summit in New Delhi, an India­led grouping came together to give impetus to the production and use of biofuels, an alternative to fossil fuels like petroleum and diesel. The grouping, called the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) would attempt to bring countries together to co­develop, accelerate technological advances in production processes, and advocate for the use of biofuels particularly in the transport sector. The three founding members, India, the U.S. and Brazil, were joined by Argentina, Canada, Italy and South Africa, who are also G­20 member countries. O What are biofuels? The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines biofuels as “liquid fuels derived from biomass and used as an alternative to fossil fuel based liquid transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels.” Why is Google on trial in the United States? What are the allegations brought against the Silicon Valley giant by the Department of Justice? Will the hearing have a bearing on how other mega Internet companies such as Amazon and Meta have dealt with ‘anti­trust’ issues? P.J. George The story so far: n September 12, Justice Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia started hearing what is being described as the most important case about the future of the Internet. Over the course of the next 10 weeks, Justice Mehta will hear arguments of the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and several U.S. States to the effect that Google used illegal tactics to maintain a monopoly in online search. Several top officials from Google, including CEO Sundar Pichai, are expected to be called in as witnesses. If the allegations against the $1.7 trillion Silicon Valley giant are upheld, Justice Mehta will begin a separate trial to decide on the action that needs to be taken. Other mega Internet companies such as Amazon and Meta are keenly watching the trial, as it will have major implications on how their own ‘anti­trust’ issues are dealt with. O Do biofuels aid energy transition? Most biofuels today are blended with petrol or diesel at varying degrees. For instance, India blends about 10% of biofuels and has plans to double this in the coming years. While some experts feel that accelerating EV adoption and developing alternatives like green hydrogen must be the focus of the ongoing energy transition, others argue that 2G ethanol would soften the impending disruption. It would do so by allowing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions even while stretching the life of internal combustion engines, giving time for automakers to develop robust alternatives, while increasing farmers’ incomes and providing jobs. What happens next? The three founding members of the GBA produce 85% of global biofuels and consume about 81% of it. In line with the renewed push to enhance biofuel use and production, the U.S. announced its latest amended “Renewable Fuel Standard” to substantially increase the production of biofuels and substitute about 1,40,000 barrels per day of crude oil imports by 2025. Similarly, India had announced the setting up of 12 new refineries as early as 2018 with the aim to meet 20% ethanol blending by 2025. This becomes even more significant following India’s announcement to become net zero (removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as human activity emits) by 2070. The IEA predicts that about two­thirds of the global biofuel demand will come from three emerging economies – India, Brazil and Indonesia, and that they have “ample domestic feedstocks, additional production capacity, relatively low production costs and a package of policies they can leverage to increase demand.” However, it remains to be seen if this would indeed hasten decarbonising of the energy sector. CM YK The DoJ is expected to show how the default search position for Google on various devices limited options for consumers What is the charge against Google? The key allegation against Google is that its “arrangements” with Apple and other companies to be the default search engine on Are biofuels an alternative to fossil fuels? Experts in the field make a distinction between biofuels and sustainable biofuels. The former is derived from crops grown specifically to produce biofuels such as sugarcane, corn, or soybean, and the latter is from agricultural waste, used While opinion is cooking oil and processed animal divided on this, some experts say 2G ethanol residues like fats. The former is will allow the colloquially reduction of referred to as 1G greenhouse gas ethanol, or emissions even while first­generation stretching the life of biofuel, and the latter as 2G, that is internal combustion engines, giving time for second­generation. automakers to develop This distinction has now come into robust alternatives sharp focus as climate change accelerates, with fears of threat to food security and increased loss of forests and biodiversity due to greater land required for farming. Estimates suggest that well over half of all vegetated land is under cultivation today, and that agriculture is one of the world’s largest carbon emitters. The GBA has emphasised that its focus would be to develop 2G ethanol. Why is there a renewed focus on biofuels? With severe disruptions to global crude oil supplies following the Ukraine war, several countries have been scrambling to find alternatives to the import dependence on petrol and diesel. India, for instance, imports 87% of its crude oil, and it is the main reserve currency expenditure for the country. With transport accounting for about one­quarter of global carbon emissions, there have been renewed attempts to accelerate the decarbonising of this sector, with several countries announcing battery production and electric vehicle (EV) policies and legacy automakers entering the now thriving EV sector. But some modes of transport like aviation, shipping and long­haul trucking will find it harder to reduce carbon emissions than say, self­driven cars or motorbikes. It is here that some experts feel that 2G ethanol could be a valuable substitute. Chennai AP their devices, is unlawful monopoly building. The DoJ filed the charges on October 20, 2020, arguing that Google throttled competition from other search engines and caused harm to consumers, making it a prime anti­trust — targeting monopolies — case. “Two decades ago, Google became the darling of Silicon Valley as a scrappy start­up with an innovative way to search the emerging internet. That Google is long gone,” the DoJ had said in its initial filing. Since the extent of harm that has been caused to consumers is the key deciding factor in anti­trust cases, the DoJ is expected to show how the default search position for Google on various devices limited options available to consumers. Focus may also fall on how a lot of the real estate on Google’s search result pages is often taken up by the company’s own non­search services — such as user reviews — at the cost of rival services. Google’s default position also creates a ‘feedback loop’ in which consumers are regularly giving the search engine their personal preferences, allowing Google to fine­tune its algorithm and deliver better search results and advertisements. “Google’s contracts ensure that rivals cannot match the search quality ad monetisation, especially on phones,” Kenneth Dintzer, the main lawyer for the DoJ in this case told the Associated Press. “Through this feedback loop, this wheel has been turning for more than 12 years. It always turns to Google’s advantage.” However, Google argues that the reason it controls 91% of the global search market is that it provides better quality of services, rather than a lack of competition. Google says that consumers can always choose to change the default option, and that any deals it has with device manufacturers like Apple are above board. Is there a deal between Apple and Google? While both Apple and Google have been secretive about their cooperation, several reports indicate that such a deal was renewed in 2017. According to The New York Times, while Google paid Apple to the tune of $1 billion in 2014, the latter now receives between $8 billion and $12 billion, amounting to 9% of its annual gross profits. Google’s willingness to pay such a huge amount is driven by the fact that 75% of its search revenue comes from iPhone and iPad users. It is also a precautionary measure as it holds back the creation of a rival search engine by Apple, one of the few companies that have the wherewithal to take on Google. Google also understands a key lesson from behavioural economics — most people will not bother to change the default options made available to them. Why is there a ‘techlash’ on anti­trust issues? Google is no stranger to anti­trust cases, though not in the U.S. In 2017, it was fined $2.7 billion by the European Union for showing undue preference for its own services in search results. The EU has imposed a total fine of 8.25 billion euros on Google over three anti­trust investigations. The EU has also trained its anti­trust guns on other U.S. online giants such as Meta and Amazon. On the other hand, the U.S. has been slow to act against homegrown behemoths, who also spend considerable amounts of money and effort on political lobbying. However, a massive ‘techlash’ has been building up in the U.S. in recent years with calls from both sides of the political aisle to restrict the influence that these companies can exert on aspects ranging from teenage mental health to personal privacy and the success of small businesses. The current case against Google has the potential to redefine how anti­trust laws are wielded in the technology era against new business models. A key test of consumer harm under anti­trust law is the amount of monetary loss that has been sustained by consumers due to the monopolistic behaviour of companies. However, Google offers its search services for free. It remains to be seen how the DoJ, which has another anti­trust case in the pipeline against Google over its dominance in online advertising, will prove its point on consumer harm in this case. Why are anti­trust cases important? Anti­trust cases have the potential to completely revamp a sector of the economy. Such cases in the U.S. also have far reaching impact across the globe. The last major anti­trust case was over two decades ago, when the U.S. government took on the Bill Gates­led Microsoft that had near­total monopoly over the operating systems running personal computers. In 1995, the Internet revolution was taking off with the Netscape browser being the key software for accessing the World Wide Web. Microsoft tried to squeeze out Netscape by bundling its Internet Explorer web browser for free with its Windows OS. The government took Microsoft to court in 1998, and in 2001 arrived at a deal that made Microsoft keep a more open Windows environment. Critics of this case say that it did not do much to shake Microsoft’s monopoly; Netscape lost its market leadership and eventually morphed into the Firefox browser from Mozilla Foundation. Others, however, say that the open environment that the deal ensured saw to it that Microsoft did not crush the smaller technology companies that were developing products around the Internet, including one that was formed in 1998 in a garage in Menlo Park, California — Google. How will Middle East corridor impact trade? What is the blueprint of the India­Middle East­Europe Economic Corridor? Will it also influence the politics of the region? Is it going to pose a challenge to China’s Belt and Road Initiative? Is it looked upon as an endeavour which can normalise ties between Israel and the Arab region? Saptaparno Ghosh The story so far: t a special event on the sidelines of the recently concluded G­20 summit in New Delhi, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed to establish the ‘India­Middle East­Europe Economic Corridor’ (IMEC). Other than the two co­chairs of the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden, the signatories included leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the European Union (EU), Italy, France and Germany. The project forms part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). A ‘Indian goods shipped by this route could arrive in Europe in 10 days, 40% faster than through the Suez Canal’ What is the corridor? The proposed IMEC will consist of railroad, ship­to­rail networks (road and sea) and road transport routes (and networks) extending across two corridors. While the east corridor will connect India to the Gulf, the northern corridor will connect the Gulf to Europe. As per the MoU, the railway, upon completion, would provide a “reliable and cost­effective cross­border ship­to­rail transit network to supplement existing maritime and road transports routes”. It would enable the transportation of goods and services from India to the UAE, Saudi New beginnings: Prime Minister Modi delivers his remarks during the launch of the IMEC on the sidelines of the G­20 summit on September 9. ANI Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Europe, and back. The corridor is expected to increase efficiency (relating to transit), reduce costs, generate jobs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. This in turn will translate into a “transformative integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East.” The MoU states that participants intend to enable the laying of cables for electricity and digital connectivity, as well as pipes for clean hydrogen export along the railway route. The MoU points out that participants will “work collectively and expeditiously” to arrange and implement all elements of the transit route. These relate to technical design, financing, legal and relevant regulatory standards. A meeting is planned in the next 60 days to carve out an “action plan” with “relevant timetables”. How has it been received? While Mr. Modi suggested the corridor “promises to be a beacon of cooperation, innovation, and shared progress,” Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said the corridor was “more than ‘just’ a railway or a cable, it is a green and digital bridge across continents and civilisations.” She called it the “most direct connection” between India, the Gulf and Europe: with a rail link that would make trade between India and Europe 40% faster. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country will be a part of the corridor, also welcomed the move. On the other hand, with the corridor being suggested as a competitor for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the announcement did not draw enthusiasm from the Chinese media. An editorial in the Global Times highlighted doubts from Chinese experts about the project’s credibility and feasibility. “It is not the first time for Washington to make empty pledges to various countries and regions,” it read. What geopolitics is at play here? It has often been believed that China is utilising the BRI from the Indo­Pacific to West Asia to further their economic and political influence, particularly on sovereigns with relatively unstable economies. The Financial Times points out that, for the U.S., the project could also serve to counter Beijing’s influence “at a time when Washington’s traditional Arab partners, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are deepening ties with China, India and other Asian powers.” Professor Michaël Tanchum, Senior Fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, said in August 2021 that a corridor connecting India to Europe via West Asia and the Mediterranean region could serve as an “alternative trans­regional commercial transportation route” to the troubled Chabahar­based International North­South Transit Corridor. He said that from Mumbai, Indian goods shipped by this route could arrive on the European mainland in as less as 10 days — 40% faster than through the Suez Canal maritime route. Professor Tanchum also observed that India’s “careful cultivation” of a multilateral economic cooperation with such a corridor “was of paramount importance.” According to him, “despite India’s favourable demographics, geography and commercial transportation infrastructure are not alone sufficient to ensure that India will realise its potential as a Eurasian economic power.” He further elaborated that, “commercial corridors only emerge where requisite large investments in port and rail infrastructure are coupled with an industrial base anchored in manufacturing value chains”— precisely the purpose of the present corridor. How does this affect Israel and Gulf ties? Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have diplomatic ties — primarily because of differences of opinion about the Israel­Palestine conflict. In fact, Israel has official ties only with Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco in the Arab region. In this light, the transit network which seeks integration on multiple fronts assumes particular significance. The Financial Times learnt from a person briefed about the discussions, that the corridor’s passage through Jordan and Israel could also support the Biden administration’s effort to build on the recent normalisation of ties between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE. This may push Saudi Arabia to follow suit and formalise ties. “China is one factor. The U.S. is also trying to refocus attention on the region, to reassure traditional partners and to maintain influence,” the publication learnt. With Saudi Arabia being the world’s top exporter of oil and the UAE being West Asia’s dominant finance centre, FT says that both are “seeking to project themselves as key logistics and trade hubs between east and west.” M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 17 PROFILES Chennai Winds of change in global governance Global South From last year's climate change conference in Egypt to the G­20 summit in Delhi, there is a growing consensus among the world's powers that the agenda of developing countries should be given top priority ILLUSTRATION: R. RAJESH for inequality in the world, and would cause future wars as well. The term seemed to stick, and in the early 1970s, discussions around organising countries of the Global South also resulted in the setting up of the UN Office for South­South Cooperation (UNOSSC) by the UN General Assembly in 1974. Its mandate: to coordinate South­South (between countries of the Global South) and triangular cooperation (with Developed countries or multilateral agencies), working in tandem with the G­77. Suhasini Haidar A fter decades of being ignored, it would seem that the Global South has come into vogue. At the G­20 summit in Delhi this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was the Global South’s priorities that drove India’s Presidency, and with developing countries Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa as consecutive hosts of the grouping, the direction seems set. Earlier this year, PM Modi hosted a virtual summit for the “Voice of the Global South”, with about 125 countries included to seek their opinions on how to set those priorities. “We, the Global South, have the largest stakes in the future. Three fourths of humanity lives in our countries. We should also have equivalent voice. Hence, as the eight­decade old model of global governance slowly changes, we should try to shape the emerging order,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, at the opening of the virtual meeting for the Voice of the Global South Summit in January. At the G­20 summit itself, the induction of the 55­nation African Union was seen as one of the substantial outcomes of the conference. At last year’s Climate change conference, CoP 27 in Egypt, the proclamation of the ‘Loss and Damage fund’ was seen as a victory for the Global South, and in the upcoming CoP 28 in the UAE, the Global South will also drive conversations on mitigating climate change while keeping the development priorities of what was once called ‘The Third World’. Outreach of the rich Even at the G7 — the grouping of the world’s richest countries — Japan, as host this year, invited developing countries, including India, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Comoros and the Cook Islands, in what was seen as an outreach to the Global South. The BRICS summit in South Africa last month credited its expansion from five to 11 members to a pitch for the Global South. And this weekend, the G­77, the grouping of developing nations at the UN, held its high­level Summit in Havana, Cuba, putting the region centre­stage. “After all this time that the North has organised the world according to its interests, it is now up to the South to change the rules of the game,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz­Canel said on Saturday, calling developing countries the biggest victims of the “multidimensional crisis” in the world, that stems everything from “abusive unequal trade” to global warming and climate change, according to international news agencies. Speaking at the summit in Havana, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the “voice of the G­77 plus China will always be essential at the UN”, adding that it is necessary for the Global South to “champion a system rooted in equality... ready to the UN system”. Today, the G­77, which has retained its name, despite multiple expansions across countries in Asia, Africa, South America, Caribbean and Oceania (or Asia­Pacific), includes 134 countries. Since China doesn’t technically belong to the grouping, it is referred to as ‘G­77+China’ in most multilateral fora. Ironically, the term ‘Global South’ is believed to have been coined in the U.S. In 1969, at the height of the Cold War, American anti­war activist Carl Oglesby, who campaigned against what he called the oppression by ‘the North’ (the US, Europe, Russia, etc.) of the ‘Global South’. Oglesby, once the president of an organisation seen as subversive and radical, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), was a musician, an author and a professor, who had dropped out of college, protesting America’s wars and discrimination. In an essay about the Vietnam war, he wrote that "the North's dominance over the global South” was responsible reverse the injustice and neglect of centuries... and champion a system that delivers for all humanity and not only for the privileged.” Informal grouping’ So what is the Global South, and how organised are countries in this ‘informal grouping’, that has for decades loosely referred to the developing, often deprived, former colonised nations around the world? By 1964, the developing world was already beginning to organise. In 1964, the Group of 77 (G­77) countries became signatories to a ‘Joint Declaration’ at the first session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva, becoming the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries. Its mandate was to “articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within The ‘Brandt Line’ The term Global South, however, was an inaccurate representation of the countries it was meant to represent — many like India are more broadly in the Northern Hemisphere, while some like Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, are bracketed with the Global North. In the 1980s, economists developed the ‘Brandt Line’, a curve that more accurately divided the world into the economic North and South. Despite the organisations and studies, however, interest in the South declined in the first decades of the 21st century, particularly in countries like India and Indonesia that were seen as discarding their Third World origins for a place at the “high table” as they reformed and grew their economies. Many reasons are proffered for the revival of the Global South’s cachet — the COVID pandemic and economic downturn that has affected South countries the most; and the war in Ukraine and western sanctions against Russia, whose combined impact has been felt across the developing world are chief amongst them. As a result, the sense that the centre of gravity of global governance has now shifted Southwards is growing, as organisations like G7, G­20, BRICS, the EU, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Quad, the Indo­Pacific Economic Forum and global players all make their play for the Global South’s participation in decision making. THE GIST 쑽 The term ‘Global South’ is believed to have been coined in the U.S. In 1969, American anti­war activist Carl Oglesby, who campaigned against what he called the oppression by ‘the North’ (the U.S., Europe, Russia, etc.) of the ‘Global South’ 쑽 In the early 1970s, discussions around organising countries of the Global South also resulted in the setting up of the UN Office for South­South Cooperation by the UN General Assembly in 1974 쑽 In recent past, global organisations as well as powers all make their play for the Global South’s participation in decision making Deadly outbreak The frontrunner Nipah virus Mohamed Muizzu A zoonotic disease that jumped from animals to humans, NiV underlines the fact that anthropogenic causes are driving the new pandemics of the world The former Housing Minister and current Mayor of Male, who was seen as ‘Plan C’ by the opposition, has secured the highest share of votes in the first round of presidential elections PHOTO CREDIT: AFP Ramya Kannan T he Nipah virus out­ break in Kerala in 2018 was, in retros­ pect, the first true out­ break people had wit­ nessed in living memory. For a population fed, on screen, with pacy narra­ tives, dizzying tales of dis­ ease, horror and death, the 2018 Nipah virus (NiV) out­ break was a horrifying reel­ to­real conversion. In the latest outbreak in Kozhi­ kode, six have tested posi­ tive and two died. NiV, with its periodic outbreaks in Kerala (fourth, now), has come to symbolise the fear and paralysis that encircle emerging diseases in mod­ ern times. A zoonotic disease that jumped from animals to humans as a consequence of a ‘zoonotic spillover’, NiV underlines the fact that anthropogenic causes are driving the new pan­ demics of the world. As these diseases emerge with stunning regularity, with their power to disrupt life, and alter the social fabric, it is incumbent upon those who rule, and those who heal, to acknowledge the dramatically changing dis­ ease factors, and the need to address health care more holistically. 'Nipah' comes from the Malaysian village where the first such outbreak was reported in 1998. There were reportedly over 250 cases among farm and workers in slaughter hous­ es. Sayantan Banerjee et al record in Intractable Rare Disease Research, in 2019, CM YK that initially encephalitis­ like symptoms came to notice, but doctors soon discovered that apart from the neurological manifes­ tations, there was acute respiratory distress syn­ drome and respiratory fai­ lure with multi­organ dys­ function syndrome. Slowly, the world learnt of this new strain of disease where the pathogen was a paramyxovirus, and the vectors included pigs and fruit bats. Since then, India has seen several outbreaks of NiV, mainly in Kerala (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023), but also in Siliguri in 2001, and a relatively small outbreak in 2007 in Nadia, West Bengal. No licensed treatment The closest reservoirs of in­ fection in Kerala are fruit bats, and it is believed that consumption of fruits or berries contaminated with bat spittle might have caused the outbreaks. In other areas — Bangladesh and West Bengal — the con­ sumption of date palm sap, again contaminated by bats, was behind the out­ breaks. As far as therapy goes, the Centers for Dis­ ease Control and Preven­ tion notes that currently there are no licensed treat­ ments available for the NiV infection. Treatment is li­ mited to supportive care, including rest, hydration and treatment of symp­ toms as they occur. A few doctors have reported that the anti­viral, Favipiravir, has some activity against NiV. The m102.4 monoclo­ nal antibody is under deve­ lopment and evaluation. It was when NiV hit Koz­ hikode district, in Kerala, in 2018, where 21 of 23 per­ sons infected died, that the attention of not merely the health system, but also the public in general was willy nilly drawn towards the vi­ rus. Notably, Kerala’s han­ dling of the outbreak also provided solid lessons for public health emergencies — isolating patients, con­ tact tracing, quarantining, triaging, implementing in­ fection control protocols, etc. Human­to­human trans­ mission turned out to be how Patient Zero — Mo­ hammed Salih — of Peram­ bra in Kozhikode contract­ ed his infection. His brother had died just the previous week, and had had similar symptoms. Health care workers were also affected, even in the recent outbreak, so it can be transmitted via the no­ socomial route too. The high mortality rates, along with the risk to health care workers and plausible mul­ timodal transmission, emerged as causes for concern. It is clear now that a pie­ cemeal handling of the particular outbreak will not do. Larger factors are at play, and a more com­ prehensive approach to­ wards health care itself is needed. Nations must be cognisant that anthropo­ genic activity, in terms of rapidly expanding agricul­ tural fields, and destruc­ tion of the original habitats of wild animals, and over­ all pan­seasonal changes wrought by climate change are contributory factors. Increasingly, the One Health approach is being advocated. According to the WHO, ‘One Health’ is an integrated, unifying ap­ proach to balance and op­ timise the health of peo­ ple, animals and the environment. It is key to prevent, predict, detect and respond to health threats. Ideally, it involves mobi­ lising multiple sectors, dis­ ciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to ad­ dress root causes and create long­term, sustaina­ ble solutions. One Health involves the public health, veterinary, and environ­ mental sectors, and is par­ ticularly relevant for con­ trol of zoonoses. ILLUSTRATION: SREEJITH R. KUMAR Meera Srinivasan I t was no secret that Mohamed Muizzu en­ tered the Maldives’s presidential race only be­ cause former President Ab­ dulla Yameen could not. In fact, local media often called him the opposition People’s National Con­ gress­ Progressive Party of Maldives combine’s ‘plan C’, after the Supreme Court barred Mr. Yameen from contesting, and party members ruled out Dr. Mo­ hamed Waheed, another former President. Nonetheless, observers in the Maldives knew that ‘Dr. Muizzu’ — he holds a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Leeds, U.K. — was the op­ position’s most credible challenger to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He proved their assess­ ment right, securing the highest share — of 46.06% — of the ballot in the Sep­ tember 9 elections, while Mr. Solih secured 39.05%. Since neither candidate got over 50% necessary for vic­ tory, the top two will face a run­off on September 30. It was not an easy cam­ paign for Mr. Muizzu. After the top court made clear Mr. Yameen could not run, the jailed leader, convicted on corruption and money laundering charges, asked his party to boycott the polls. However, with the party membership refus­ ing, the opposition bloc had to swiftly find a candi­ date agreeable within the coalition, and formidable as an electoral rival to the incumbent. After consider­ able internal debate, Mr. Muizzu was named. He had barely a month to campaign and convince the 5.2 lakh­strong coun­ try’s electorate of 2.8 lakh voters. But, he was no new face in Maldives politics. In 2021, Mr. Muizzu became the Mayor of capital Male, after beating the ruling Maldivian Democratic Par­ ty’s (MDP) candidate with a huge margin. Prior to that, he served as the Minister of Housing twice, in the Cabinets of former Presidents Mr. Wa­ heed and Mr. Yameen. While in the latter’s go­ vernment, he oversaw the construction of the $200­ million China­Maldives friendship bridge, linking the capital to the neigh­ bouring Hulhumale island, where the country’s main airport is located. Last month, while marking the fifth anniversary of the bridge’s opening, Mr. Muiz­ zu praised the “visionary leadership” of Mr. Yameen and Chinese President Xi Jinping. His experience in deal­ ing with housing challeng­ es in the country, as a Mi­ nister earlier and Mayor now, gives him the insight and vocabulary to address mounting concerns over housing that many Maldi­ vians are preoccupied with. His manifesto out­ lined a plan to allocate 65,000 flats in and around the capital, better electrici­ ty connectivity and water network, and enhanced in­ frastructure in the atolls lo­ cated to the north and south of the capital. ‘India out’ campaign Although he was left with little time ahead of the polls, it was not as if Mr. Muizzu had to craft a cam­ paign from scratch. The Opposition had already built considerable momen­ tum, chiefly from the “In­ dia Out” drive spearhead­ ed by Mr. Yameen. A strong anti­incumbency senti­ ment against the Solih ad­ ministration, amid allega­ tions of corruption and repression, saw some vo­ ters grow sympathetic to the Opposition’s critique of President Solih’s “India first” policy, although they were well­aware of the ob­ vious China tilt of Mr. Ya­ meen’s administration from 2013 to 2018. Seen through a geopolitical prism, the contest in the Maldives is an India­China one. Outside of it, the cur­ rent dynamics reflect the churn that continues after the Indian Ocean Archipe­ lago transitioned to de­ mocracy in 2008. The outcome of the first round could be read as a “revolt against the govern­ ment”, according to U.K.­ based Maldivian academic Ahmed Shaheed. Further, former President Mo­ hamed Nasheed’s decision to break away from the rul­ ing MDP also impacted Mr. Solih’s chances. “With Mr. Nasheed’s split, the moth­ erboard of the MDP was gone,” observed Mr. Sha­ heed, a former Foreign Mi­ nister of the Maldives. With just a fortnight left for the second round of the presidential race, both Mr. Solih and Mr. Muizzu are negotiating with the other contestants, seeking their support. Ahead of the first round of the polls, every opposition election poster and hoarding in capital Male, in the party’s hot pink colour, screamed that Mr. Yameen is still boss. They foregrounded Mr. Ya­ meen’s image, placing photographs of Mr. Muizzu and his running mate be­ hind his. Now considered the frontrunner, Mr. Muizzu, 45, has vowed to double the salaries of the police and army, and defer their rent payments, among oth­ er fresh promises. In two weeks from now, it will be clear if they were enough to tip the electoral scales the second time. M CH-CHE THE HINDU 18 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Business INBRIEF Chennai Fall in tea prices hits small farmers 쑽 Small growers in Nilgiris have been realising prices that are less than the cost of production; Farmers in Tamil Nadu’s main tea growing region have been staging a hunger protest for more than two weeks now demanding ‘reasonable prices’ M. Soundariya Preetha COIMBATORE Stellantis unveils lower­priced Jeep Compass compact SUV Stellantis India has introduced new Jeep Compass compact SUV with added features but at a lower price compared with its earlier version to increase segment coverage from 10% to 40%. Vehicle prices would begin at ₹20.49 lakh with the automatic range costing ₹23.99 lakh onwards, ex­showroom. The revised Jeep line­up makes the automatic transmission Compass affordable by almost 20% (almost ₹6 lakh) compared with the earlier version, according to the company. Redington to offer latest iPhone, Apple watches across India Information technology solutions provider Redington Ltd. would offer the latest range of iPhone and Apple Watch series across the country, the company said. Redington Ltd. has partnered with HDFC Bank for cashback offers to customers preferring to purchase the latest smartphones from Cupertino­based company, a press release here said. The iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max would be offered in 7,000 retail locations across the country. PTI Volvo unveils C40 Recharge electric car at ₹61.25 lakh Volvo Car India unveiled its electric car C40 Recharge in Bengaluru. This is the second EV from Volvo in India and would be assembled at the firm’s plant at Hosakote in Karnataka. The EV comes with an 11 kW charger. The Swedish luxury carmaker said its core offerings of safety and luxury form an integral part of the EV whose introductory ex­showroom price is ₹61.25 lakh. Bookings are exclusively online and can be done on the Volvo Car India website. C40 Recharge also features a 360­degree camera and 7 airbags. EV maker BNC to invest ₹100 cr., raise production S mall tea farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district have been hit by a drop in tea leaf prices over the last few months. Small and micro farm­ ers in the Nilgiris harvest almost 40 crore kilogram (kg) of tea leaves annually and this year the produc­ tion has risen by almost one crore kg, said H.N. Si­ van, promoter of Nilgiris Nectar Organic Farmer Producers’ Organization. Growers got on average ₹20.99 for a kg of green leaf during the COVID pan­ BENGALURU India has great potential to significantly expand its lux­ ury­car market with the help of a stable tax policy, said Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head, Audi India. “A stable tax policy re­ gime is required to let the luxury segment generate greater volumes,” Mr. Dhil­ lon told The Hindu. On sales outlook for lux­ ury cars, he said, the se­ cond half of the calendar traditionally outperformed the first half and the forth­ coming festive season was set to mark the best­ever sales season for India’s lux­ ury­car market. N. Anand TVS Supply Chain Solu­ tions Ltd. (TVS SCS) has drawn up a plan to figure among the top 50 logistics companies worldwide, MD Ravi Viswanathan said. “We want to continue to grow and grow profitably,” he said during an interac­ tion with analysts. “We want to leverage our capa­ bilities and expertise to double our scale to be one of the top 50 logistics com­ panies worldwide.” The end­to­end supply chain provider posted strong growth in Q1, ex­ panding at 20% across all the three geographies — In­ dia, U.K., Europe and North America — with N. Anand CHENNAI CM YK “Robust sales perfor­ mance on the back of strong demand, growth in the luxury­car segment, evolving demographics and favourable economic conditions are leading to growth in the industry. “For the upcoming fes­ tive season, we are confi­ Structural shift Mr. Dhillon said the luxury­ car segment had witnessed a structural shift, with a younger demographic en­ tering the segment. Fac­ tors such as favourable economic conditions and rising income levels have led to the growth. “First­generation entre­ preneurs, young profes­ sionals and entertainment and sports celebrities and an increasing number of high and ultra­high net­ worth individuals have emerged as new­age cus­ tomers who are the new segment, and we see growth in the market through them,” he added. To a query on whether the line between luxury and utility was blurring, he elaborated, although luxu­ ry would always continue to differentiate itself from utility, it was a fact access to luxury had expanded from being limited to old money. Young and dynam­ ic achievers had emerged, creating a new demo­ graphic that is significantly younger, falling between the ages of 30­45. In the first half of 2023, Audi India retailed 3,474 cars, with growth almost doubling year­on­year. situation was getting worse, affecting farmers’ li­ velihoods. The average cost of production was esti­ mated to be ₹22.29 a kg. “Labour and input costs are increasing every year. But the price for tea leaves is not,” observed Mr. Sivan. C. Shreedharan, presi­ dent of the United Planters Association of Southern In­ dia, said that globally and in India there was excess supply of teas, with output growth outpacing growth in consumption. He said it was important to encour­ age exports by promoting value addition and access to emerging markets. IBBI open to ideas to cut delays, aid recovery Press Trust of India MUMBAI Urging stakeholders for suggestions that can be in­ corporated in the policy to cut delay, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Chairman Ravi Mital said the board was also working to raise recover­ ies, and sought suggestions at an Assocham event. Suggesting amend­ ments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), he said IBC’s objec­ tives were revival of firms as well and the National Company Law Tribunal had been resolving more than 35 cases a month. Press Trust of India HYDERABAD While India becoming the fifth­largest economy in the world is an ‘impressive achievement,’ there is a need to grow fast to in­ crease the per capita in­ come from the present le­ vels, former Reserve Bank of India Governor C Ranga­ rajan said on Saturday. Addressing the 13th Convocation of the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Mr. Rangarajan said post COVID­19 and the Russia­Ukraine war, there is a need to lay down a clear roadmap for India’s future development and the first and foremost task is to raise the growth rate. “In 2020, India’s rank with respect to per capita income was 142 out of 197 countries. This only shows the distance we have to tra­ vel… All the same, we have no choice but to grow fast, given the present level of per capita income,” the former chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council said. According to calcula­ tions, he said, if the coun­ try achieves a 7% rate of growth continuously over the next two decades and more, it will make a sub­ stantial change to the level of the economy and India may almost touch the sta­ tus of a developed economy. “Employment must come out of increased growth. Employment en­ hancement without growth is not sustainable,” Mr. Rangarajan remarked. TVS SCS eyes slot among top 50 global logistics players Ravi Viswanathan EBITDA growing by 190 ba­ sis points. Strong growth driver “India grew by 14.3% in the ISCS (integrated supply chain solutions). So, clear­ ly, India continues to be a very strong driver of growth. Europe and North America together made VST Group eyes expansion across verticals in India, abroad VST Group plans to ex­ pand business in all the three verticals it operates in, Managing Director Arun V. Surendra said. The 113­year­old Benga­ luru­headquartered con­ glomerate is a franchise dealer for luxury and sports cars in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, manufac­ tures farm equipment and runs deposit­taking NBFC Gove Finance Ltd. In the automotive dea­ lership business, VST Group plans to double its touchpoints to 100 in the next three to four years, and in the farm equipment space aims to triple reve­ nue to ₹3,000 crore by base price fixed by the Tea Board India this August for the Nilgiris farmers was on­ ly ₹14.54 a kg, said K. Mani­ vannan, secretary of the dent this growth will conti­ nue, leading Audi to end the year with high double­ digit growth.” Mini Tejaswi M. Soundariya Preetha Electric vehicle maker BNC Motors, plans to invest ₹100 crore over the next 18 months to produce three lakh more two­wheelers annually and introduce new models. Anirudh Ravi Naraya­ nan, CEO and co­founder of BNC Motors said in an interview that the compa­ ny would unveil a scooter named ‘Perfetto’ soon, de­ veloped in partnership with Musashi Seimitsu, a Japanese company. BNC would also unveil a motorcycle named ‘Boss’, which had been developed in­house at the company. demic (August 2020). But the prices started declining gradually and in August 2022, their crop fetched on average ₹14.38 per kg. The Stable tax regime will unlock India’s luxury car market potential: Audi CHENNAI COIMBATORE Losing flavour: Small tea growers have been staging protests, demanding ‘reasonable prices.’ M. SATHYAMOORTHY Naaku Betta Badagar Wel­ fare Association. Growers who supply to a couple of INDCO facto­ ries received ₹11 ­ ₹15 a kg. And the average price that they got in the market was about ₹12. The small grow­ ers had been staging a hun­ ger protest for more than two weeks now demand­ ing “reasonable prices”, Mr. Manivannan added. Mr. Sivan and Mr. Mani­ vannan said small tea growers, numbering al­ most one lakh in the Nilgi­ ris, were realising prices that were less than the cost of production for almost two decades now. But, the ‘Beyond economy’s ranking, per capita income must also rise’ Arun V. Surendra FY26 by investing in emerging markets and through product innovation. ‘Luxury car sales rising’ “Due to the changing lifes­ tyles, we are seeing a rise in luxury car sales in Tamil Nadu. It has crossed the pre­COVID level by more than 30­40% across all brands. Hence, it calls for expansion,” he said in an interview. VST Group is the pre­ ferred partner for 11 major brands including Mer­ cedes­Benz, Jaguar­Land Rover, Porsche, Kia, Volks­ wagen, BYD, Ducati, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Honda, according to the Managing Director. The dealership business clocked revenue of ₹2,000 crore in FY23. Stating that more than 90% of VST tractors and tillers were sold in the In­ dian market, Mr. Surendra said the group planned to increase the share of ex­ ports to about 8­10% in the coming years by entering new markets such as the U.K. and Mexico. the rest. The revenue from Network Solutions seg­ ment slid by 35.1%.” On FY24 outlook, Mr. Viswanathan said TVS SCS is expected to post a very high, teen year­on­year growth in revenue from ISCS and it might be ‘closer to 20%.’ “As a company overall, we are encouraged with the consistent growth in ISCS which ensured the impact of freight rates was softened. This showcases the strength in our model where business portfolio balances very well.” TVS SCS planned to in­ cur capex of ₹100­110 crore every year till FY26, which would be under 1% of reve­ nue, said Global CFO Ravi Prakash Bhagavathula. ‘Gen X, millennials eager to use AI at work’ Press Trust of India MUMBAI With companies adopting new technologies to en­ hance productivity, a ma­ jority of millennials and Gen X professionals are cu­ rious and eager to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) at work, according to a sur­ vey report. Over 75% of millennials and 74% of Gen X profes­ sionals surveyed opine that AI will take boring tasks off their plate giving them the time to focus on tasks that excite them, LinkedIn In­ dia said in a report. Also, 70% of Gen Z are eager and curious to adapt to the world of AI. M CH-CHE Sunday, September 17, 2023 19 Chennai thehinduads.com GENERAL REQD 1.SITE Supervisor with 3 years Experience in interior work. Office : Kottivakkam Ct.9500019601 Send details by whatsapp (or) FINANCE email. Email id: EXP. ACCTS Manager Reqd. Office @ versatilecreators7@gmail.com Adyar. Con: 98410 75582, 98847 WANTED FOR Wheecon Instruments Pri99292 vate Limited, Madras 1. Assistant FEMALE ACCOUNTANT for packaging In- Manager (Service) Location − dustry, Vanagaram. Ct: 9444233514 Madras : M.Sc/B.E. Electronics with 8−10 years filed service experience in diagnostic industry, hanGENERAL dling corporate clients and lead REQ TELECALLERS (F) Fresh, Exp for service team.2. Executive (SerLoan Products Vadapalani 9841280131 vice) Location : Madras/Bangalore/ Hyderabad/Pune/Delhi : M.Sc. DEE WORK WHEN free Retd no Target. Electronics with 3−5 years experiBoss 9840094845. RBI rtd 74. ence in servicing machines.3. Trainee (Service) :M.Sc electronWANTED EXP/ Fresher Telecallers, ics with interest in field service Field Executives For Bank Collec- job. After training in HQ shall be tion, DRA Certification Preferred. posted at major cities. Apply to : Contact 7695952284/ 9841682300 hr@wheeconindia.com. Salary packWANTED CHINESE, Tandoori and West- age matches the best in industry. ern Experienced Cook from 9am to Jobs involve travelling and two 2pm Flexible.Apply in person wheeler a must. 17.09.2023 at 10am W.99 2nd Avenue, Anna Nagar,chennai−40.Ct: ROYAL INFRASTRUCTR Exp Female Telecaller Age30/ 6374777063/ 9841044411 8124449988 HOUSEKEEPING COMPANY Needs Executive for Operation Dept, Accounts WANTED FOR Guindy Office Males − Dept, Field officer fcs828opn@ B.E./ Diploma (Civil) for industrial services. fluency in english, gmail.com conversant with verbal & on line communication, willing to travel. salary plus travel exps. contact: 95000 21555 email: finance@ ecomaterials.in VACANCIES BUSINESS FOR SALE MEDICAL FINANCE CIBIL DEFAULTERS Welcome (small problems only) Business, Personal, Housing Loans. Min Sal 40K, Self− Employed Current A/C Must: 7395959400 5L−10L FOR Busines& Mortgage Low Int Ashok Ngr 9841654104 / COMPANY LOOKING for investors to 9094087799 achieve up to 200 Crs. Exit op- PERSONAL, BUSINESS, Property, 3rd tions with good returns. Min 2 Party Collateral, Low Int. Crores Call : 7305069579 7305912765 PHARMA MANUFACTURING Running Facil- WANTED 35L Good Running Realestate ity available for Sale with all In- Business @ Kanchipuram. 9443350281. frastructure with Power Backup 250 kva Genset at Puducherry Ct 5L−100CR FOR PL/Pension/Car/ BusiMortgage 9551778844/ 9444904226, Mail:pharmaenquiry2023@ ness/ 8610138826 gmail.com BUSINESS BUSINESS FOR SALE GENERAL OVERSEAS BMW TYPIST &AUTOCAD draftsman wanted for Electrical Contracting Firm in Mylapore. Male/ Female Office Assistant with Ms Office word typing with / without Stenography.Autocad Certified / Experienced Draftsman. Salary Matching with Experience. Apply hr@powertrac.net / whatsapp 9940001195 MARIAS (REGD) Provides Housemaids, Cooks, Patient Attenders. Little Mount, Ch−15. 22350602/ 9840309975 WANTED EXP. Accountant For Pvt Ltd Company @ Saligramam.Salary25K,Mail: singmerl ion@hotmail.com:9840037133 ACCOUNTS MANAGER 25K−40K /Asst 12K− 20KExp in Tally,Excel Must − PVT Ltd Co Ch−30. 8838527587/ 9941045678 10YEARS EXP ACCOUNTANT for Furniture Factory in AmbatturCt: 9941911116 ACCOUNTANT REQUIRED min 10 yrs exp, Graduate with Tally and Excel knowledge for factory near Thandalam, Sriperumbudur. Contact: 98409−48476 MARKETING NETLON SAINTGOBAIN SS Doortype SV Trading Authorised Dealer:9940386715 FINANCE BUSINESS LOAN Arranged.Pvt Finance min. turn over 15 L,P.M.−7305234075 FURNITURE TECHNICAL OFFICE ADMIN for Arbitration Law Firm Slry 30k, Any Degree Excellent in Excel Exp 10 yrs. Ct: 9841352129 REQUIRES PART Time/ Full Time Marketing Exe/SM/ BDO/BDM. Ct:7305700700 1) TEAM LEADER − Tele Calling with min 3 yrs exp as TL and Exposure to CRM software.2) Textile Merchandiser − Domestic Women’s Ethnic Wear, min 3 yrs exp in Shop in Shop inventory handling. Shreesha Fabs & Handlooms Pvt Ltd., Anna Nagar,Chennai. hr@manamchennai.com DYNAMIC LIFTS Hiring GM for HR / Ct: 8125839195 SALES and SALES ENGINEER. Send WANTED ACCOUNTS Asst (F) & Market- your CV to : dynamiclifts.customerc ing exec (M) Magnoteck ct: are@gmail.com/ Ph:9384010666 9840056007 WANTED FLATS Sales Executive for BILLING CLERK/SALES girl for Wom- Adithi Deep Housing 200ft bypass ens clothing showroom at Annanagar Road, Mogappair West Extn. Basic East. Send resume to sakhichennai@ pay+ 1% commission on sale. Freegmail.com or WhatsApp 9176346159 lancers can also apply Ct: 9840062213/ 7200096344. Email: EXP. MALE Staff Req. for Admin & adithideep8@gmail.com / Accounts.Ct: 9840050762 9710263902 MARKETING HEAD Required for a ReMANAGEMENT CONSULTANT Req Age abv puted Real Estate Company. Good 55 (Retired) Good Income. Renumeration as per Industries Standards . 5 − 10 years experi7200688891 ence in a Senior Marketing Position in Plots / Flats Sales . Fluency in English and Tamil is a must.Our office is in Nandhanam . Current Projects are Near Mahabalipuram and Mahindra World City.Integrity Intelligence and Energy are what we looking for in the candidate.Ct: 9500631381, Mail id : raguvaran2304@gmail.com RECLINER, ALL Sofas Recondition, Re Upholstery @ KNS Rajan 7667133233 ONE YEAR old Venue, White (Automatic, Top end), Doctor owned with premium seat covers 18,000 km for sale. Contact : 9940622590 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUYING MARUTI GENERAL Maruti Suzuki Alto 2009 Manual ExWANTED ANY Car/ 2Wheeler Best cellent Condition Chn. M. 7010487735 priceSpot settlement. Muthu: 9884549939 2017 WAGON R Automatic VXI, I own Excellent broker’s Excuse GT REDDY Cars Shifted:80/55 Bazu- 9840016189 lah Rd T.Nagar Buy Used Car. 9841055555 MARUTI 800 Petrol 2own AC No−PW/PS Lfe Tx FC 2027 150000 Ct:6379601370 ACCOUNTING SERVICE: Your filing requirement under GST Act, eTDS, annual IT Returns, ROC compliance is undertaken by us under professional guidance. We perform book keeping, back office support, payroll SELLING preparation, PF & ESI compliance & Accounts book finalisation, registration/approvals from statutory AUDI authorities. Contact Narasimhan @ 99406 51101 / email: nachukl9@ Q2 TECHNOLOGY pack 2020 model, gmail.com 2022 Regn 25000 km Blue 35L. 9176367854 OLD AGE HOME SRI PADMAVATHI Male/Female Old Age Home Mangadu/Poonamallee Pure Vegetarian only Low Cost Ct 9282234541. PALLIATIVE CARE at your home Trained Nurses, 24/7, Dr., Physio visits, Lab tests 1800−313−1883 tikotra.com/seniors LIONS CLUB Run Senior Citizens Paradise. Excellent Food & Service Independent Room attach bath 7299910004 EXCELLENT OLD AGE Home in Madipakkam. Cont: 9884056233 / 9884056203 NURSING CARE: Elders Bedridden StrokeDementia Goldage Porur 9282216333 TRINITY SENIOR Citizen/ Patient Care at W.Mambalam/ Sai Nagar Virugambakkam with all Amenities 9790947162 SHRIDI SENIOR care Home. Hygienic, comfort stay in ECR Chennai. Approved. Pls contact 8015012127 SITE ENGINEER DCE/BE (Fresher OnHOME SERVICES ly) for Construction Co @ Chennai. 044−43561370/ wberecruitment@ SAIBABA WE Arrange Cooks / Maids / gmail.com Babycaretakers /Patient Attenders. T.Nagar. Ct.044−24341775/7338891662 SEWAGE TREATMENT Plant Operator, Supervisor, Manager. Qual;ITI, TRAVEL BUYING Dip, Degree, Exp;3 years. BABA WOMENS Provides NV/Veg Cooks BMW / Maids / Babycaretakers / Patient 9841037154 WANTED USED Bikes Any Model/CondiAttenders. Nr Mylapore Baba Tem- VIETNAM TOUR − 5 Days From Kochi CIVIL SITE Supervisor Diploma/ BE ple. Ct:24950679 / 42109364 / 6th Nov − All Inclusive 69000/− BMW 730LD 2019 single owner 17000 tion Best Price Spot Cash. Fresher to 10yrs exp. Ct: 9962544297 9841002826 +919633444670 kms White 83 Lakhs. 9176367854 7338854076 PRODUCTION MANAGER / mechanical for Engg Co − Ct:97909 45776 COMMERCIAL SITE ENIGNEER BE/DCE 3−5yrs exp in Chennai with 2wheeler 9840078747 VIRUGAMBAKKAM− COMMERCIAL space for rent on main road stilt + 3 floors each floor 2300 Sft carpet area− Opp: Vembuli Amman Koil. Contact: 98845−09656 / 98841−33450 ACCOMMODATION WANTED − COMMERCIAL WANTED CIVIL Engineer with 3 to 5 years Experience.Contact: Hari Constructions 8072497971 / 9841286736 WANTED DRAUGHTMAN and Design Engineer with 5 to 10years Exp in Heat Exchanger & Pressure Vessel. Retired Persons can also apply. Apply to dapl@dynatherm.co.in 9959058765 SALES EXECUTIVES, Technical Engineer (Retd) Expd Qfd 2 market indl power products, connectors, relays Gud prospects. subrahmaniann@ gmail.com ADMIN/ FRONT Office / Accounts / Senior Civil Engineers / Draftsmen / Architects. Apply to: archjobs0001@gmail.com, Mob: 9840320001. MEDICAL WANTED CONSTRUCTION Site Supervisor Min 2yrs exp 9841047790/ 8939004500 Ophthalmologist Doctor required for Lions Club Hospital, Velachery, for Eye out patients. Contact: 94441 87487. MDS (ENDO/ Prostho) full/part time for clinic in Annanagar. 9840137927 DUTY DR Req. Hospital− North Chennai Full registration must 7418522525 GENERAL REQUIRED CIVIL Site Engineer 2 to 5 years Exp. in Construction. Ct: 9444012247/ raviengineerrss@ yahoo.com WALK − IN COMMERCIAL FACTORIES & SITES 4BHK FUNSD service apartment NR INDUSTRIAL SPACE available for SBI urapakkam ready for ooccupa- Lease with Infrastructure & Power tion subrahmaniann@gmail.com Back of 250KVA at Pondicherry COMMERCIAL Ct.9952967114, Email: proplease2k@ FURNISHED BHK available for daily gmail.com stay NR MGM hospital subrahmaniann@ POONAMALLEE TRUNK Road 7800sft ADYAR GANDHINAGAR Showroom 1300sft gmail.com stilt + 4 floors CMDA appd. 1st Floor Road Facing Ct:9500004328 RESIDENTIAL 9840873224 KK.NGR 100FT Rd Nr. SALIGRAMAM ARCOT Rd Opp Avichi Sch LaxmanaSruthiSignal 1000Sft Office ADAMBAKKAM 1000SF Office on Road GF 900sqft Ct:9042337130/9444070302 2Flr; 9841043899 ALWARPET Nr Mount Railway/Metro Stn 9962770875 Royapettah Pycrofts Road Near EA 2200SFT 3BHK North Facing G.Fr Ser1st Floor 1100 Sqft. Ph: 89395 48600 vant Room Genset 2OCP. 6369866623 22F GUINDY Indl Estate 3000sft IIIFlr Rs.60/Sft 9176212452/ GNT NH Main Rd Janapanchatram 9884730764 EAST COAST ROAD 21000sft Vacant Land Compound. Build to Suit. Godown/Factory etc 9841036456 ANNA SALAI nr Thousand Lights GROUND PLUS 2 Floors Independent Metro, Road Facing Shop 900sf in 3BHK house with Lift & 3 Covered GF for Rent.Suitable for Bank.Ct ✔ OFFICE SPACE readily available Car Park 4200 Sqft Commercial or 8925899962. Mail Id contact@ for rent 1. @ Sardar Vallabhai Pa- Domestic Right on ECR, Kanathur, theworkvilla.com tel Road, Kasturbai Nagar, (LM: Am- Reddykuppam Opposite Mayajal. Rent bica Appalam Depot) Adyar − 1860 Rs. 1.50 Lakhs. Ct: 9003215046 ✔ KORATTUR BUSSTAND 1ST FLR 700 VACANT PLOT measuring 4000 sq ft. sq.ft 2. @ Kalakshethra Avenue 2nd sqft & grndflr 120 sqft Commercial at Tuticorin, close to Railway Sta- Street, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai − KILPAUK Fully furnished office space with Rent 9884116393 car parking tion. Ideal for Banks/ Insurance/ workstations upto 30 nos−Available MNC. Will be built on need basis. as plug and Play desks also. Con1000SFT 2BHK Flat Nr Kellys Signal Contact: 9176680251 tact: 9841866999, 9150561677 3rd Flr Lift, CP, 25K. 94446 10256 KODAMBAKKAM, 1000/ 800sft, Grd ADYAR GANDI−NGR 1st MainRd 450Sft flr, Commercial Space for Rent/ 2nd flr SemFurn 8W/S,CP; 98840− KODAMBAKKAM Lease. Suitable for Office/ Coach- 67525 ing / Tuition Centre. Ct: 98400 59193. EKKATTUTHANGAL SIDCO Factory for NICE INTERIOR 2BHK FF Aircon CP Veg Nr Menaka Cards/Rly Stn CHETPUT A−GRADE 8950sft Fully Fur- Rent − Land 0.25 Acres − Factory 9840089132 nished 160WS Conf,Cabins, 100% 8500 sqft, Furnished Office 2500 Back−up 80/−per sft 9841044802/ sqft, Conference Room, Generator, EOT, Power 60 HP, Available for NUNGAMBAKKAM 9840499982 lease. Direct Client preferred. Ph:9444065596 RENTAL/ LEASE, IT / ITES 8115 TAMBARAM ON Gst Road 900sft 1st THIRUMURTY NGR Indp.House G+1, Floor Furnished With A/C. Sq.ft of "A" GRADE Space @ Guindy KODAMBAKKAM, OPP Liberty Medway 5000Sft 4BHK Corporates 1.9L Ct: 99625 00893 Email: mcminfra@ 9840763301 Heart Hospital, 2200 Sqft, Ground 9840807181 gmail.com Floor, Commercial. Ct: 98402 28168 Kilpauk, Comm. A/c Office Space, CHETPET FULLY Furnished Office T NAGAR 1,450 Sq.ft. @ Kellys Road, Ready to space 9000 Sft with ample car park- NUNGAMBAKKAM, THIRUMURTHY Ngr, Move, Contact: 98400 74484. ing available. Sanjay & Sunil 2400Sft GF Ideal for Office 9444250977 T.NAGAR 3BHK attached bathroom Be9841025208 hind KVB bank CCP Veg Only PORUR JUNCTION Nr. On Main Rd 480sft G.Flr Suit Off, Clinic VADAPERUMBAKKAM (MADHAVARAM by- VELACHERY, VIJAYA Nagar 600Sq.Ft 9710447299 Space for rent. 9841142823 pass) 2400 sq.ft. Godown Concrete Commercial 8778717485 Roof, 30feet road. ct: 9840888945 THIRUVANMIYUR ACCOMMODATION WANTED − RESIDENTIAL SITE/PROJECT ENGINEER Wanted with 2 Years Experienced (Excel & CADD Must) for Chennai & Cochin APTS/ BUNGALOWS for our MNC clients −Raheja Associates: 99622 7305769584 84800. PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR, Store Keeper 1 to 2Yrs Exp, Office Asst. COMMERCIAL Sales BE with 1−2Yrs Exp Scope of Work Purchase Order, Enquiry, Quo- KILPAUK HARLEYS Rd office I/II flr tation Mail Checking & Customer 2000/ 1000sft. 9962024023/ 42741874 Discussion. Whatsapp 9840052102 WAREHOUSE FOR Rent@ Valarpuram− WANTED 5YR Exp Dip/B.E Civil engg 6100sft. Ready to occupy. Ct age 30yr send CV to skdgjs@ 6380733468 gmail.com KORATTUR& KOLATHUR 100sft & 150sft ATM space available. Sam:9884093553 COIMBATORE KALAPATTI Pvt Villa ADMIN FEMALE (Good communication 4000Sft 5BHK Fully furnished with skill English / Hindi) Ct:97909 added amenities in 30 cent,7km from Airport. Ideal for SPA’s, 45776 FineDining, Corporate GuestHouse, CARRIER OPORTUNITY meet at 19th Office space, PreSchool, Gaming Centre 9790931581 Sep.23. Reg. Cont. 9789604941. CM YK HYUNDAI PEST CONTROL MANAGER FOR Wedding Hall Nr Porur. Marriage Hall exp must. Ct:9500004859 WANTED MALE / Female Accounts Asst., TALLY, GST, E−Way Bill & E− Invoice, Expense & B.R.S. Very known Knowledge Any degree Exp: min. 10yrs. Age: below 45yrs. Good Salary. Company Appointment. @ Korattur Senthil Nagar, In & Around 5km Ct : 9629333000 BMW GT 620D Luxury Line , 2019 Chairman Driven Lucky Car Showroom Condition Rs.60L Negotiable. Ct:73582 99904 / 98412 99099 HOME SERVICES LADY BEAUTICIAN experienced in REQS EXPD/ Freshers for Automobile Bridal Make−up @ Anna Nagar. Accessories Marketing.Ct 9841010283 9840712010 WANTED MALE Sales Executive. FluenCOOPER ELEVATORS Req.Accounts, cy in MALAYALAM reqd. The Perfect Technician(Erection/ Commissioning Corporation, No.90/2, Broadway, Maintenance) Field Engineer(Fresh) Chennai − 600108. Mob: 6369776005. & Helper (Skilled/Unskilled). 9380902467 ACCOUNTANT REQUIRED for small scale Automobile parts manufacturer at Sipcot Vallam− Vadegal. Experienced candidates with Commerce background with working knowledge in Tally, online GST filing, capable of finalization of accounts, and willing to join immediately only, may apply with stating salary expected to: kicmail@ rediffmail.com or Ct 8248549010 OVERSEAS STUDIES GOOD NEWS to students opt to study in Foreign universities. We will get Govt of India loan at lowest Rate of interest .No charges. Pls Call: 8939679253 / 8939679288 INVESTORS REQUIRED for a electrical sales and services firm 9940040090 BANQUET CAPTAIN exp in Hotel Industry Civil & Maintenance Supervisor (min 3−5yrs) Tiruvanmiyur 9789033907 MNC COMPANY’S Distributor Requires Accountant / Accounts Assistant. Female Candidate Only with the Knowledge of Accounting, Tally Prime, GST, and TDS. Good Salary / In and Around Perungudi. Send Resume to Whatsapp : 98407 88441 Loans for Business and Mortgage. 1 Crore above India and abroad Call: 9182543918, 6304403743 EXCEL GROUP of Schools TMvoyal Nr TMvoyal Rly Station Wanted PGT Chem, Tamil, Eng, Science, MONTESSORI trained Teachers. Salary: CONSULTANTS 12k− 35k, Apply in person on TuesMED− PARA Med Deg/Dip in CMS & Ed day @10am. Ct: 044− 26385200, (Access to Allopathy) UGC App Ins/ xlnp2015@gmail.com Off & Online for Alt.Med. Drs & Others Pass Easily− Dr. Hari: 8825769012 FREE ONLINE share Market Training VACANCIES in all Segments @Anna Ngr. REQ P/F Time M/F All Sub / Lang 7845540622 Home Tutor All Over Chennai 9840333799 PARTNERSHIPS ✔ MBA STAFF Female Preferred Req. FINANCE WANTED MONTESSORI / B.Ed Trained Graduate Teachers for Kindergarten & Primary Classes, Principal & Hindi Teacher with CBSE Experience for a new School "PERIYAR ACADEMY" proposed to be started soon. Contact Principal in Person, Periyar Matric.Hr.Sec.School, 5th Street, Periyar Nagar, Chennai− 600082. Phone No: 044−25500118, Mobile No: 9840711782. Email: periyarmhss1981@gmail.com A LEADING Apparel (Franchise) Showroom in Chrompet 1000 Sq.feet Genuine Buyers Please Contact: 8438251566 EXP.ACCOUNTANT &CIVIL Eng. M/F Ph:7200003980 Mail:career@ pearlbeach.in Raj WELL−EXP. MALE Candidate ADMIN MANAGER (Transport field must) required (Age: 40−50) for Staff Bus WANTED LADY Tally Accountant. Part− Operating Co. Ct: 044− 22743225 or walk in 1/526, G.S.T Road, Next to time. T.Nagar. Desikan 9841082640 IOCL Petrol Bunk, Vandalur, ChenRTD GOVT. Officials&Higher Offi- nai− 48. cials for Administrative M/F 9123520374 REQ TEACHERS (SCERT/NCERT) Collecter IAS Academy 9962603939/ 9962605552 ESTABLISHED ENGG MSME @ Chennai for 40+yrs, Press, Fab unit for Sale/ Partnership 7845572577 No Liability AGE 60 Just Retrd frm Renowned Corp MBA MLS Mphil 37yrs of rich Exp in all Gamuts of HR/IR/Corp Training/Talent Mgt /HR System/ statutory/carrier counselling/ / Visitng Faculty in many colleges/ / Active & Fit Seek F/T Flexi :98842 91701 BE 34 yrs exp in Machining Mixing Moulding capable of running a unit meeting PQCDSM metrics 9940094942 RETIRED ENGINEERING General Manager with 30 years of Experience in Elevator Looking for Consultancy / Work from Home. Call 9902017192 REQ FIELD Sales, Qunty Surveyor, Site Eng, Graphic Designer, Acctnt, Telecaller & Video Editor 8124317777 Company. ST.JOHNS, MHSS Villivakkam requires Experienced PGT in Business Maths & Tamil Teacher. Ct: 044− 43331112 Mail: stjohnsbabangr49@ gmail.com 3 Years Fully Functioning Dental Clinic for Sale in Kelambakkam Main- 1st Flr. For Details Contact: 96295 08187. FINANCE SECTOR Rtd/House wife/NRI Very Good income. Shankar 9940240472 for Logistics 9840326659 VACANCIES RESTAURANT SALE@ Nolambur, Mogappair West Including Full Dine in Setup Owner Moving 2 Foreign. 9150162001 PALLAVARAM ON Road 16 Room Hotel VELAPPANCHAVADI VERY close to Residency for Lease. Ct: 99412 Poonamallee High Rd 13,500sft (4500x3) S+3, Lift, 18 CCP. Ct: 66660 9944939827 NEAR VELACHERY Railway Junction Godown for Rent 4800Sft Suit for FACTORIES & SITES Logistics / Cloud Kitchen Ph:94441 25488 CHENNAI LOCATED at K.S road Tiruvallur DisMYLAPORE CIT Colony 3000sft Base, Kavaraipettai, Hospital, Godown, Office. trict, 45,000 Sft Covered Shed Plus 2 Acre Land with Factory Set9841064941 up. Ready to Occupy. Landmark: SVK Mahal. Avoid Brokers Ct: ADYAR GANDHINAGAR Prime Brand New Near 94455 69406, 8973739698 Fully AC Office Space for Rent with easy access to all clients, IFlr 1000sft, IIFlr 1100sft. Suit- PRIME LOCATION in Ambattur Est. 9 able for Backoffice/Bank/ Tuition Grounds Corner plot suitable for Centre/Conf Hall etc. 9962802999/ Automobile or Mfg. Company 9841662060 9841010509. THIRUVANMIYUR VALMIKI Ngr 2000 sq 3BHK 60K CCP 2 Power bkup 9500114007 VADAPALANI VADAPALANI APPASAMY Flat 2BHK Rent 36,000/− Near Metro Ct: 9342916477 VELACHERI VELACHERY 1350SFT 3BHK, 2 Baths, Lift, Gym, CCP, 2 A/C Modified Kitchen, Wardrobe, 2 Balconies & 2 Geyser Rent 35K. 9840120637, 9790005629 5000 SQFT high roof inside mezza nine also for warehouse, office cum Godown service center near Nelson manickam road − 9841040129 M CH-CHE THE HINDU 20 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Classifieds Chennai TAMIL COMPUTER / INFO.TECH TAMIL CHETTIAR (CNB) : 25/170, MBA, Hav✔ BRAHMIN GIRL 1984/BTech/Em- ing Own Education Inst, Business ployed. Need Unmarried, any lan- Family,Seeks groom − Business /Docguage Brahmin Boy−employed in In- tor / Eng − 8939012419 dia/USA/Abroad. Ph: 9791111321. DKV MAY 94/167 Fair BE. TCS Chennai, Parents Hindu / CSI. Seeks COSMOPOLITAN Groom Dr /Er. Govt Emp. Ct: HINDU 38 Pharma HYD never married 8056143638 looking for suitable working groom DOCTOR/ PHYSICIAN / MD Gen. Mefrom HYD CNB 9094770007 dicine 30/155 seeks Doctor/ Engineer/ 48/ MALLU female 154cm/ 65kg/ PG/ Govt. Officer grooms (Kerala / Tamil ready to relocate wanted a well Nadu). 9447493034/ 9497168001 settled man under 55 years 7701927910 VELLALAR, 38/164, MDS, M.Sc (UK), Employed, Divorcee (with 10yrs old DIVORCEE son) seeks educated Groom with clean SEEKING ALLIANCE for Divorced Fe- habits. Caste No Bar. Ct: 8903485955 male, Tamil, Iyer, Bharadwajam, Avittam, 30 yrs, B.Tech, M.S Soft- SENGUNTHA Mudaliar 37 yrs Fair ware, works in Ireland. Ph − pooradam BE MBA Manager MNC 9677030966 Email: meera.ch66@ seeks good looking well educated groom same/subsect. Ct: 94434-28948 gmail.com COSMOPOLITAN AGE 48, PhD, central government, good looking, wheatish, never married bride seeks well educated, never married, employed groom below 51 years of age from a decent family background; Contact: 9443553063 AGE 28, B.Com., 164cm, Divorce, Groom wanted 1st, 2nd Marriage OK. Contact: Amaidhas Nadar 7200435192 TAMIL IYER Girl 33/162cm,Bharathwaja, Punarpoosam Settled in US (Citizen) Seeks US based Groom 9381330019 AGAMUDI MUDALIAR Elite Family 32/ 165 Mirugasim, Raghu in Lagnam PG RC Vellalar 27/5'8" Fair Girl, B.com, M.CH II yr, 28yrs, 175cms, Rohini, (HR MNC) Seeks IIM/PG Groom. CMA seek Well Placed RC Vellalar Groom. Ct: cthivy@gmail.com fair seek DM /M.Ch /MD /MS vegetar- 9176780777 ian groom from Chennai. 6383189302 AUG 1979, ME, Phd, Associate Pro- SEEKING NEVER Married Tamil/ TelTAMIL VISWAKARMA, 28/165cm, fessor in Engg.College, Hastham ugu speaking Groom age(41−43) workMBBS, M.D.,Own Clinic seeks suitable star, Kanni Rasi Fair Homely Girl ing in Chennai or US for Naidu seeks Educated Groom from Thuluva Bride B.E, MBA(USA) working as Doctor Groom. Ct: 98421 70149 Vellala Mudaliyar. Ct:9840477890/ Software engineer. Contact: BALIJA NAIDU M.B.B.S Kettai, 9176471222 9962805093/ 9444054922, Mail: Viruchikam 25/165 fair good lookhemapriya.h@gmail.com ing girl, Kanchipuram seeks Doctor HINDU Arunthathiar 35 ME (CS) Asst (or) Higher qualified from same Professor Pvt Engg College 4 Lakh p.a caste Contact: 9443380196, Revathi Meenam Raghu Kethu. CT: 95248-29734. 9442202555 HINDU NADAR Girl, ME, MOB 8/1994, Ht 168 cms, 65 kg, Wheatish brown, Thiruvathirai, Mithunam, JRF, Upper middle class Seeks suitable boy. Ct. 9626515511 REDDIAR 26 yrs girl, MS (OG), 5ft SC(AD), 26YRS, B.Tech, Working in 4inch, family of doctors in Madu- Bangalore (MNC). Seeks Suitable rai, 6381879948. Groom. Contact: 9710093999 / 8939691888 DOCTOR BRIDE 39yrs Fair, Good Looking affluent, Divorcee, working as ELITE AGAMUDIYA Mudhaliyar Sub Associate Professor of an Intercaste Caste Very Fair BDS 30 Employed Doctor Parents (SC/BC), seeks doctor Chennai seeks Groom Medicine IT bridegroom only. Caste No Bar. Business. 8637481104 & 9486531194 Cont: 9442292451 / 9443167551 HINDU DEVAR (Kallar) 1992, Sep, GROOM WANTED Elite Mudaliyar, 5.3. MBBS, MD employed in UK, upMBBS, MS, 27yrs, Own Hospitals, per middle class seeks groom employWell Educated Family 9710093999/ ed / employable in UK. Dr / Eng / CA | 8939691888 Ph.D. Preferred OBC & FC Community 9447963141 / 9677111602 Parents of Hindu Vaniya Chettiar Girl MBBS Good looking Seeks MBBS/MD/DOCTOR Grooms below 28 Years from the same CommunityEmail: kanna5187@gmail.co WhatsApp 9100553027 Hindu Adidravida Hastham 28/156cm BE MNC16L Pa seeks suitable alliance from Govt, PSU, IT. Ct: 94441 55781 Dentist Girl seeking Alliance from Dentist/ Engineers (Hindu Fmly) Contact: 9444340841 Govt -Doctor MD, 36yrs never Married fair seeks RC/CSI Christian, Engineer/ Doctor. MBC/ BC/ FC. Ct: 9600573068 ENGINEER HINDU MUTHURAJA / Ambalakarar , 29, M.Tech.,MNC Chennai Seeks Suitable Groom from Same Community. Either Father / Mother belongs to the above Caste / Sub−Caste 9840173645 MALAYALAM RAJAKA, Telugu, NRI, Australia sett- ORTHODOX BOY, 35/166, B.com, Audiled, 33 yrs, seeking South Indian Bri- tor(pvt), middle class SHREE HALL A/C T.Nagar− de. Contact: 8585899285 Con:9496183233 Marriage&Other Functions 9444467090/ 9884885282 SEEKS VEGETARIAN Girl for WANTED POST graduate, tall & underBrahmin Bachelor, 44 Asst Professor, standing girl for our son. Menon / AADITH HALL A/C TNgr Nr Bus Stand. B'lore. Language no bar. 9535225419 Nair / Brahmin community. Age 28 − Veg. Mini−Hall also avlb 8105488030 32. Ht: 5ft 6inch − 5ft 8inch. Contact Immediately − 99620 88861 / DIVORCEE VIDYA BHARATHI, Mylapore,Ph: 90727 60393 / 99622 60393. Slight 24991248 / 9884053422, Available papam in jathakam 39, 5FT 10inch Engg grad.Nair. for 2023 December & 2024 January Bride from decent & educated famiOnwards. ly. Caste No bar. Reach @ 39, EZHAVA, BE MBA Chennai Settled, Pvt, Caste No Bar,Seeks SuitRAJALAKSHMI KALYANA MANDAPAM, 205/ 9841757356 able Bride.No Brokers. Con1, Velachery Main Rd, DhanHINDU 44 Vannan B.E American compatact:9791160230 deeswaram, Velachery, A/C, Full Facility, Ample Carpark. ny Divorcee seeks Bride from the same / other caste No Brokers AMBALAVASI, KERALITE, 46, Avittam, Ph:22435353/ 9840545585 6238462214 Admin Manager in Chennai, first marriage seeks alliance from any VASANTHAM MODERN A/C Marriage Hall opp.Ayodhya Mandapam,West Mambalam LOOKING FOR a suitable girl di- Ambalavasi/ Nair bride from Hindu vorcee / widow without kids. Hindu Religion. Ct: 9495452020 Dates Sep to Dec’23 all muhurtham second divorcee boy age 58/178 cm. dates available.Ct: 24854785 caste no bar. Look into peace. SUITABLE Malayalam Bride for Nair SRI PADMAVATHY Venkateshwara Ct.63857 54610 Intercaste groom settled in Coimbatore Kalyan Mandab Ac Mini HallAc 100yr MNC, 38/183, B.Tech, Sadhayam. CT: trust celebration offer Sep Oct TALL SLIM Widow Divorcee from Rich 88076-59287. Nov Dec Some dtsAvailable T.Nagar. family for Specialist MBBS doctor 9442264610, Immediate marriage 7845089089 Looking for Suitable match for Mannadiar Boy (Star Uttaram), Aged 34, DIVORED 33, Sathayam B.E MCA, Tech. Sol. Consultant, hailing WEDDING PLANNERS CHETTIAR, (ECE) USA (JOB) 99945 22010 / from Chittoor, Palakkad (Mannadiar, ICO EVENT Management: Matrimony. 96293 33431 Nair, Menon Girls preferred). Contact Catering. Photography. Videogra8754493480, arun.k746@gmail.com phy. Etc. We say no to nothing. DOCTOR NAIR BOY Thrissur/Ottappalam based What’s app 8680025486 Chennai NEED A tall, very fair, PG doctor/ 32/181, Bharani Suddha Jathakam, CA bride, below 28 years with no- B.Tech., MBA, On shore Ship ManageTAMIL ble character, fluency in english, ment MNC, Mumbai, seeks alliance tamil from kongu vellalar, pillai proposals from parents of ProfessioPillai, 27F, B.E, SE, Seeks Engineers, castes for a super spl doctor, nally qualified Nair Girl. Contact: Age - 27-31 Years. Contact: presently working in Kochi (very 9822032541, 9823263039 8122827464 fair, athletic,185 cm,Dec−91, hastham)− Parents: 93425−29547(WA) MARATHI / 90721−18800 TELUGU ALLIANCE FOR Smartha Desastha BrahGROOM WANTED Rich Naidu, BE, HINDU NADAR MBBS MD 29/175cm, Sal− min Boy 35 /5ft 8inch /BE, MS /SW 27yrs, Working in MNC, Chennai, 100000p/m, Seeks Suitable Bride. Dev working in Canada from well Rich Family. Contact: 9710093999/ K.A Raman Nadar 9380791999/ qualified any Brahmin girls. Con8939691888 9047192999 tact 9845830683 / 9480616626. DEVENDRA KULA Vellalar, 27, MBBS PVT. Hospital seeks Doctor Groom from Good Family. Ct: 9789191938 / 6383860917. MDS Lady Doctor RC 32/163 Seeks Alliance from Dentist / Doctors. Ph: 9818368455 GROOM REQUIRED For 29 Yr Old Scientist Working In Chennai, Passed M Tech From IIT Chennai, SC, Parents Doctors From Kerala Star Vishakam Ph 9447763685 MALAYALAM MARRIAGE HALLS DOCTOR NAIDU, 36/170, Thiruvadirai, Midunam, MBBS, MD, DNB, DM, Working, Fair,well settled, seeks Groom, Engg, Dr, settled in Bangalore. 9952094499 TAMIL LINGAYAT (CNB), Meenam, Uttrattathi, 30/170cms. Dip., Business Veg Cbe. Seeks Edu. Bride. 8903918683. BALIJA NAIDU business family from Chennai seeks alliance for daughter born September 1996. Masters in Economic Sciences from UK, currently working in India & preparing for MBA admission. Looking for well educated groom from metro cities. Caste no bar. Contact: MUDALIAR 25/V.FAIR & Beautiful, 9025712459 B.A (Hons) contemporary jewellery designer (UK), Father Business, Hindu Nadar 35/165cms ME, working Elite Family − Seeks groom Abroad in Chennai & Bangalore, 30 lacs PA, / Business − 9843999500 , Own House, Divorcee, No issue, Dha8939012419 nusu, poradam 4. Seeks Suitable Edu. 35-39 yrs, Groom working in chennai & BE, MS (mechanical), Singapore 3 Bangalore.94441 74503/ 94444 75113 yrs MNC experience, Hindu girl, 26, 157 cms, inter caste parents, fair, pleasing personality seeks SC/AD CSI, 39/165, M.Sc (Medical Engineer / Doctor / Professional sociology), Master‘s in Public Health, working as Senior Consultant in World Groom 6369259019 Bank Washington, DC. Seeks Suitable RICH MUDALIYAR, 28yrs, MBBS, MD, Groom, Well Qualified, Employed, Elite Business Family. Seeks Suit- Working in USA. Caste Religion No able Groom. Ct: 9710093999 / Bar. Ct: 98844 39700/ 94446 54932. 8939691888 SAIVA PILLAI 31Yrs 165Cms Tiruvathirai B.Tech MBA MNC Seeks Qlfd MUSLIM, DOCTOR, MS(Gen. Surge- Well Employed & Never Married ry), Kochi, 30/173, Fair, Professionals Grooms 32−35Yrs Earning Rs 20Lacs Family, seeks matching groom. 094471 PA & Above Ct: 9643003640 / 044− 42209 48041602 NRI BE MBA 27Y fair/ Dubai wkg seeks upto 32Y qualified veg teetotaller non−traditional, wkg in or ready to work in Dubai. 9445670471 TAMIL CSI CHRISTIAN, 1994 born, MS from Germany working as IT consultant in Munich, Germany, caste no bar, looking for suitable match, preferably working/moving to Germany/Europe Contact - 96638 47672 CHRISTIAN GIRL 52 yrs, Born again Vellalar, Canadian Citizen Fair Issueless Divorcee doing Business at Canada. Invites proposal from Christian boys, Born again settled in Canada. Email: rrpr2410@ gmail.com HINDU 27.04.1992 Working as an Asst.Prof (HOD, Dr ) in University Chennai, Seeks working groom 9443118355 CSI CHRISTIAN Girl 33 BE, Working TAMIL VISWAKARMA. 33/150.Veg. Ayin MNC seeks BE/ME Bridegroom with ilyam/ Wheatish/ Finance/ BangaGood Job. Contact: 90430-19165. lore. Seeks Groom@T.N/B’lore. 99524 85069. CHRISTIAN 34/164 cm Handsome Girl Working CTS (SWE) in USA H1B HINDU NADAR, Doctor, AnesthesioloVisa seeks Good looking Groom gist, 1994/ 152cm/ Uthradam/ Seeks working with SWE/Doctor in USA. Doctor/ Engineer/ Professionals/ CNB. Ct:81488-25673.Brokers Excuse CNB. Contact / Whatsapp: 9840772648 AFFLUENT RC Christian family seeks Professionaly Qualified well settled Groom from respectable family for 32yrs Bride, MCA,Divorcee(issueless). 9443569083/ selvarajcecri@gmail.com AGAMUDAYAMUDALIYAR kettai/ virichigam 25yrs MBBS doing Post Graduation. Seeks suitable Groom preferably Doctors Ct:6369385926 EMPLOYED QUALIFIED bridegrooms is MUSLIM 24, PG, Tidel Park IT job, wanted for SC/AD/MSC/DB 1983/ Fair/ Beautiful/ Pious/Soft Na- Vishakam ,Dhulam bride 9498313625, ture/ seeks educated groom Ct: 9444866276 8136875449 MARUTHUVAR /ISAIVELLALAR − 47, RC NADAR Age 33 Very Fair MBA(UK ) M.Sc, M. A, Government Employed − P.A.40 Lac Divorce No Issues Chen- Salary Rs75000, Seeks well Educatnai SuitableGroom 35−37yrs ed and Well Employed Bride. 9840600026 Ct:8300867757 TELUGU DOCTOR USA B.Tech SWE 38 yrs / 177 Slim, Fair, Telugu Kamma never married. Caste nobar, seeks USA settled groom. Cell No. 8008913979. Email: madhukar.raob@gmail.com ELITE MUDALIYAR, 30yrs, MBBS, MD in Chennai, Elite Family. Seeks Suitable Bride Ct:9710093999/ 8939691888 NRI HINDU, KERALA Iyer, Vadhoolam Gothram, Thiruvonam ACCA (UK), CFA (USA), 28/192, Finance Manager in Fintech Division of an International Bank Dubai, UAE need suitable MS(Gen. Surgery), 30, Viswakarma, andwell−educated and employed UAE GROOM WANTED, Reddy PG Doctors, Mayiladuthurai seeks viswakarma or based bride +971556503241, +91 General Surgery, Medicine Or- any BC/FC MBBS/PG bride contact 9894062114 thopaedic, 31yrs to 35 Yrs,. 9442398206 Ct:9962220283 ORIYA Balija Naidu, 27/152cm, PG Graduate 30, SURGEON, MS, MCh (AIIMS), 5ft 11inch, Hindu (OBC), searching Fair, MNC- Chennai, seeks well settled 47/166cm/68kg Handsome, Cheerful, Groom below 30yrs. Ct: 63809 84534, home loving doctor bride (Hindu Fit, Teetotaler,Multilingual, Yoga OBC) (Kannada/ Tamil/ Telugu/ Hine-mail: saanvigklr@gmail.com Expert, Young and Vibrant with di), ( below 28 yr). 8618607705. Pleasing Personality seeking a loving HINDU SC, 46/180 Govt. Doctor MS, and kind woman. Widow, Separated, 1st Marriage, Bride wanted. Early Mar- Divorced welcome wa. 9176339566 riage. Ct: 98403 74285 / 86680 90209. ENGINEER URDU URDU MUSLIM Sheik/ Syed BE−Architect 24, 160cm religious, slim seeks groom from Educated and good family. What’s app 9841741885 Post Graduate & above, 32-36y, >5’9”, Fair, Good looking Boy from Educated, Affluent Family for BE/MBA, Beautiful Girl, 32y/5’7”, Asst. Manager, MNC, Chennai. Contact: 9445249683 TAMIL CHRISTIAN NADAR, Doctor, Divorcee FOR 29 years old IT professional 35yrs/178cm, MBBS, Dip in Cardiology pursuing M.Tech in data science, better earning lives in Nagercoil seeks Reddiar boy working in Chennai. qualified/ Divorced Bride. 9003983230 Contact 9600052620 /7338864346. CHRISTIAN NADAR. 28, 170cm, MBBS, Ms, Handsome Boy, Seeks Suitable HINDI Bride. Ch / Any district : 7824023030 1985/175CM, 50 Lakhs PA, Never Married, Bangalore. WhatsApp: 96290 ✔ RC CHRISTIAN, 41yrs/170, B.E 12248 Software Engineer, Chennai, caste Wanted Beautiful Bride for Kayastha no bar, CT−9500188067 Indian Forest Service Officer 32/170cm, B.Tech, M.Tech from IIT SEEKING BRIDE for Vanniya Kula Kanpur. Father Renowned Neurologist kshatriya B.E 38/172 Barani wrkg Owning a Hospital. Call: 7985670572, in bank Canada 9443283821 / drspradhan@rediffmail.com 04428132996 HINDU BRAHMIN, 50, Divorce or Remarriage, State Govt Employee monthly salary 1,00,000/- (Eligible for full pension) seeks any Brahmin Bride. Ct. 0461-2338755, Ct: 8903724659 SEEKING ALLIANCE from good family for graduate boy Gowrishankar, 34 years working in UK, Punarpoosam, kadaka raasi.Contact 96770 90227. SENGUNTHAR 38/165 Widower,NRI Salary 65Lacs B.E. 2Kids living together No expectations Looking for unmarried family oriented girl 7904495268 RC MUDALIAR Tamil, B.Tech, MBA, 6ft tall, 30yr groom from Chennai, doing business, well off family. Seeks educated girl from decent family, caste no bar − 9042476539 VISWAKARMA VEG 37/178 BE Mech Hastham good looking 50k pm seeks suitable bride CNB Only Veg 9884352960 TAMIL TAMIL HINDU NADAR, 35/175, MDS, Elite Family, Divorcee, Seeks Suitable Bride. Contact: 9380791999/ 9047192999 IYENGAR VADHOOLA / VADAKALAI 37yrs, Doctorate in Management, Pvt Institute, Puducherry, Seeks Bride from any Hindu Brahmin (Subsect no bar) Ct: 9944369225 / 0413-4069565 RC NADAR, 25/172, BE, Elite Family, Rich, Monthly Income 20Lakhs Seeks Suitable Bride Contact: 9380791999 TAMIL IYER Boy 34/165 cm, Kasyapa / Poosam, Settled in US (Citizen) seeks US based Bride. Ct. 9381330019 HINDU NADAR (Caste No Bar), 39/ 185, M.Tech (IIT Madras), Principal Engineer (Chip Design) in an MNC in Bangalore, eggetarian, seeks educated, never married, SAIVA PILLAI 35 Utthirattadhi Self suitable bride (upto 36 yrs). Veg/ Employed (CA) Chennai Divorcee Eggetarians preferred. Ct: / 9840117920. Seeking Bride 9080758003 9443278455 / 9500085794 MUDALIAR, 37, B.E. M.S (USA) emVANNIYAR 37/168 BE, 1.45L, Visagam ployed in USA. Looking for suit4th, Working in TATA Group of Com- able bride from decent family livpany seeks Suitable Bride same ing in Chennai or USA. Contact: Caste Ct:9944330445/mpragathees@gma 94451 95689, 044−24938959 il.com SAIVA PILLAI CNB M.Sc MBA 4Lakh/ Monthly Company owner 20 Crores Property only Son 173cm Visagam 46yrs Unmarried. W.app- 98415 53677 RICH NAIDU 32yrs BE,MS(US),Working US 10L &above,Elite business Family.Seeks Bride 9710093999/ 8939691888 MBBS, MD, MS, MDS, BE, IT,MBA, Abroad All Caste, Hindu / Christian 1st, 2nd Marriage: Ph: 9363570731 HINDU 31 years 185 cm belongs to BC. Currently working in Germany as a Senior Logistics Program Manager after doing MS in USA. Well Settled Family. Seeks well Educated Bride (Caste No Bar) for their only Son willing to move to Germany/abroad. Mobile 9500061041 NZ CITIZEN/ Australian PR bridegroom 26yrs old, NonVeg Karuneegar, Master in biomedical seeks alliance from Tamil Hindus Bride with MBBS,BDS,B.E (CS) willing to migrate can nly watsapp 9841021247 /61422140583 Iyer Brahacharanam sadayam 31/160 B.Sc, MBA, working in Chennai 7.2Lac PA seeks working Bride. 89396 97821 YADAVARC, 1978/ 170cm, Ph.D., Sr. Scientist, US Citizen, Divorcee seeks suitable Bride. Ct: 9176850816/ Email: jeeca2022@gmail.com Vaniyakula Kshatriya anusam 35/177 BTech(NIT) MS(USA)workng California Vadama Iyer Bharathvaja Visaka seeks equally Qulfd Bride.9940469265 38, 164CM Naidu Trichy Private seeks Bride Age upto 33 Caste no 30/178 BE MS Working in Fortune 500 SC TAMIL HINDU Boy 37/160 cm BE, in US seeks Tall Slim Iyer Girl.Contact: bar. brokers excuse. Ph: 8754434942 Software Engineer. Seeking qualified, 9498037268 working girl from Educated, Well SettAGAMUDAIYAR 39 MSc IT Consultant led family, Preferably Bangalore based. seeks Bride from OBC shunmugavalli@ AGAMUDAYA MUDALIYAR, Divorced, 41 Caste No bar. Email : prabhuiMirugasiridam PhD TN Govt Job Rs gmail.com Mob − 9444865135 1.25 LP/M, Slim. NoBrokers: se@gmail.com. Contact number 9036163592 HINDU NADAR BE, 30/175, 250000, 7904550883 Seeks Suitable Bride. Contact: KA MUSLIM (TAMIL) 55Yrs, Engineer, RAMAN NADAR 9380791999/ 9047192999 HINDU NADAR, 28/180cm, BE, 1Lac/ handsome healthy Broad-Minded, Art pm, Seeks Suitable Bride Contact: lover (Books, Music,Travel) own House HINDU THEVAR/MUKKULATHOR 39, 5’8", KA Raman Nadar 9380791999/ Separated seeks kind hearted, good Unmarried, BE, Software Profession- 9047192999 looking, Genuine life partner. widow/ al, 35L/annum, Eggetarian, residManagable Handicap can also ing in Chennai, seeks suitable MUDALIAR, PHD, College Professor, welcome Watsapp: 93633 71020. tamil bride (BC/MBC). Email:kganpat Divorcee,50, seeks Graduate/PG Widmail@gmail.com/whatsapp:9841958995 ow/Divorcee without Child (age 40− TELUGU 45), FC/OBC, No Expectation HINDU 55, Rich Gentlemen, Own Busi- 9677041894 ALLIANCE INVITED for Telugu, Kapu ness,6 Lakhs per Annum Well Setboy (29) 6.1, B.Tech from IIT Kantled Groom. Seeks Suitable Life KAMMA TELUGU, 35/177, B.Tech, pur, Class I Gazetted Officer in Partner. Ct: 9342807004, Caste no Business, 20 - 35 lakhs per Annum, Central Govt. Contact 9453045661 bar well settled seeks Doctor, Software Engineering Bride. Watsapp: 84289 ELITE NAIDU FAMILY in Chennai, VANNIYAKULA KSHATRIYA 25/5’6" fair 37163/ gasl1@rediffmail.com Seeks Alliance for their only son, slim Rohini Rishabam Aircraft Tech5.8" Very Fair, MBA, born August nician seeks fair slim UG/PG bride SUDHAKAR/ 40/ IT/ 1 lakh p.m/ Any 1999, Meenam, Uthiratathi, Seeks Caste no bar CT: 9444193014 in Same Caste. Ph: 0− Brahmin/ No expectations/ 88073 Alliance 9444071701 BE. 36. 5ft 7inch own business in 55640. Telegu Boyar 49/170cm, Widower, No Chennai, from affluent family F / Pillai, M /Iyer. Both doctors. DEVENDRAKULA VELLALAR Karthi- Issue seeks bride below 37- 43yrs, any gai 28/164 BE Jr. Engineer (Southern degree CNB 9444950542/9940110818 Veg. Contct 9442026869 Railways) 70000 PM Seeks Suitable URDU BE from IIT 6'2 Height Mudaliar 31 Employed Girl. 9443764038 Tech Lead at Top MNC Hyderabad Sal 65 lacs seeks Bride Height from 5 4' HINDU DKV Pallan Age 41/167cm MUSLIM HANAFI, TCS-software conSame or Allied Castes Doctor BE, CA. Manager Nationalised Bank, Salary sultant, 84k, 31/180 cm seeks suitable Rs.14 Lakhs PA, wanted Suitable Bri- bride. Ct: 9710920266. Mobile - 7382620365. de. Ct: 99652 11259. HINDU 32 /170/ BE/ SWE/ Sc / Ayilam −Katagam /Affluent family/ Ban- MUDALIAR 28/177, Handsome, MBBS, galore−Settled. Seeks Bride from MD, Govt Hospital, 1000000.PA, Afeducated family. Con 9845401461 fluent Fmly, CNB. 7299576644,7299576666 BE, MBA, 42, Cyber security, IT, Chennai Tamil boy seeks Good char- VANNIYAKULA Kshatriya 41/173, Baacter Girl for his 1st Mrg: chelor, Diploma in Automobile Engr, 9742033888 Asst Manager, B'lore seeks same casCOSMOPOLITAN te bride. Ct: 09886322900 YADAVA (CNB) 31/180, Handsome,B.E. Cultured well to do Parents - Own (Mech, Anna University), Mi- MUDALIAR (CNB) : 26/Handsome, MBBS Buz-Mumbai, Karnataka, Agri Farms, crosoft, Product Manager,Chennai, (Australia), Registrar in Westmead Own Houses Invite Alliance 1) For only 40 Lakhs PA, Father Business, Hospital, Australia, Elite Family, Son aged about 47/179 Cm. Wheat Elite Family, Seeks good looking Australian citizen, Seeks Bride − Complexion, Aridra-II Bharadwaj, With bride− 9789332695 willing to relocate Sydney,− good health Civil Engr./Practg. Architect (Mumbai H.Q) from any resp. Iyen7338945368, +971545923325 HINDU, 42 years, French National, gar / South Indian - Never Married settled in Bengaluru, Software EngiBhrahmin Girls upto 38 - (R.P.A). No neer, leagally divorced needs bride. MUDALIYAR AGE 44, Well Settled expectation early marriage. 2)Their Groom, Seeks Well Settled IndividuCall : 94420 69718 al Bride, Broad Minded. Age, Caste Beautiful Daughter 36 P. Phalaguni / 170 Cm. Double Graduate / Karnataka MUDALIAR 24/180 BE Business High No Bar. Contact : 8838225041 Music. Well versed in H /hold works Profile Chennai Seeks Good looking early good Marriage. Send curriculum Educated Bride. Geetham 9884858014 EX AIRFORCE Age 69 needs life part- vitae with Photo : irtpl@hotmail.com. ner widows divorced caste religion Ph: 9820035704/9167136877. CHETTIER (CNB) 29/173 M.S, Working no bar. Contact: 9283111999 in Australia. Bride willing to setIYENGAR, AVITTAM, 28/176, BE−CS − tle in Australia contact 9841084538 BITS PIlani, MS − University of WaMARRIAGE BUREAU SC(AD), BE 27yrs,Govt.Bank Manager, terloo, Software Engg in Amazon Chennai 80K/pm,Well Educated Toronto, Fair, Veg, Teetotaler USA UK Canada All Caste Religion Family.Seeks Bride 9710093999/ seeks Alliance from BRAHMIN Girls. 1st Marriage Remarriage. 8610413789 8939691888 Ct:8248757840 BRAHMIN, 42, Sr. Project Manager Kalpita Technologies Bengaluru seeks any Brahmin Girl. 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Seeks Groom Ct: 9710093999/ 8939691888 MUDALIAR 24/V.FAIR M.Sc Doing Family Business Chennai, Rich Family, Seeks Groom Business/Doctor 8925019776 CM YK M CH-CHE Sunday, September 17, 2023 Chennai CM YK THE HINDU 21 M CH-CHE THE HINDU 22 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Sport Chennai CHANGES IN TEAMS FINGERS CROSSED GREAT START FOR YOU, GRANDMA Asian Games: Akash replaces Mavi; Pooja in for Anjali Southee may miss World Cup after fracturing thumb bone Rohit bhai’s dismissal was a dream wicket, says ODI debutant Tanzim Murray skips family funeral to play in the Davis Cup Finals X X X X Team India’s men’s selection committee on Saturday named Akash Deep, in pic, as replacement for Shivam Mavi (back injury) in the Indian squad for the 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou. Meanwhile, the women’s selection committee named Pooja Vastrakar, earlier a standby, as replacement for Anjali Sarvani (knee injury). New Zealand paceman Tim Southee faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup after dislocating and fracturing a bone in his right thumb on Friday. Less than three weeks before the start of the World Cup in India, Southee suffered the injury while dropping a catch off England's Joe Root in the final ODI in Lord’s. Bangladesh ODI debutant Tanzim Hasan, who bowled a scintillating opening spell, described Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s dismissal as a “dream wicket.” Tanzim sent back Rohit for a two­ball duck. “First wicket of Rohit bhai was a dream. I concentrate on line and length. That is how I get success. We are going back with a very good win.” Andy Murray wept on Friday after revealing he missed his grandmother’s funeral to play in the Davis Cup Finals. Murray came from behind to beat Leandro Riedi and give Britain a winning start over Switzerland in the group stage of the finals. “I’m sorry to my family that I’m not able to be there but, gran, this one’s for you.” India and Sri Lanka to battle it out for continental supremacy We are trying to improve our chasing on slow turners: Gill The host will give the Men in Blue, who are keen to win a multi­nation tournament, a stern test ahead of the World Cup; Washington replaces injured Axar while Arachchige drafted in for Theekshana who has been ruled out of the final Amol Karhadkar COLOMBO Washington Sundar’s in­ clusion in place of the in­ jured Axar Patel for the Asia Cup Final squad has an underlying message. The all­rounder is ahead of his Tamil Nadu teammate R. Ashwin, in India’s World Cup scheme of things. The left­handed batter, whose off­spin prowess has come to the fore frequent­ ly, especially in T20 crick­ et, joined the squad on Sa­ turday afternoon as the team management awaited Axar’s scan reports ahead of Sunday’s title clash against Sri Lanka. Trump cards: Kohli and Wellalage will have key roles to play in the marquee contest for their respective teams. AFP he curse of the Asia Cup has persisted. It’s not going to be India versus Pakistan, in sync with the tourna­ ment’s 39­year history. Nevertheless, with the World Cup less than three weeks away, there will be much more at stake than bragging about the conti­ nental supremacy when India take on Sri Lanka in what is expected to be a scintillating Sunday. against a Sri Lankan outfit — backed by a 35,000­ strong home crowd — that has nothing to lose at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Contrary to most of the last week, the weather in the port city has been brighter and hotter with every passing day. Despite the radar alert­ ing a couple of thunder­ storms predicted on Sun­ day afternoon, a combination of a reserve day provision and an effi­ cient ground­staff will in all likelihood result in either Rohit or Dasun Shananka lifting the coveted trophy on Sunday night itself. Injury concerns While both the teams are dealing with injury con­ cerns, Rohit Sharma and Co. will have to come up with a near­perfect show Title drought For India, the match be­ comes even more impor­ tant considering the pres­ sure it will be carrying for repeating the 2011 wonders ASIA CUP Amol Karhadkar COLOMBO T at home starting next month. Having wilted under pressure in ICC tourna­ ments for a decade and not having won a multi­nation tournament title for five years, it will be paramount for India to carry the confi­ dence into the global show­ piece event. On pitches that have ex­ pectedly become slower with every passing match over the last week, India will have to get its act right in the final. Axar Patel, having hurt his wrist and elbow during a valiant knock in Friday’s run­chase against Bangla­ desh, has been replaced by Washington Sundar. India will be tempted to get Washington in the play­ ing XI with an eye on bol­ stering its batting depth and spin department. Sri Lanka, has been dealt with a severe blow, with mystery spinner Ma­ heesh Theekshana having been ruled out of the final. Spin bowling all­roun­ der Sahan Arachchige joined the Sri Lankan squad for its pre­match training session on Satur­ day afternoon ahead of the big match. Shreyas may not play Shreyas Iyer is unlikely to be risked, considering the next week’s series against Australia to be served as the final fitness test for the batter. India will rely on the big three — captain Rohit, his opening partner Shubman Gill and run­machine Virat Kohli — to come to the occasion. Can it return to India high on confidence? Or will Sri Lanka ­ having survived a scare in the first round and pulling off a heist against Pakistan ­ carry the brownie points by defend­ ing its Asia Cup title? Over to Sunday! The teams (from): India: Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Hardik Pandya (Vice­capt.), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, K.L. Rahul (wk.), Ishan Kishan (wk.), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar. Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (Capt.), Kusal Mendis (Vice­capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushan Hemantha, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan and Sahan Arachchige. Batting depth Washington’s addition is al­ so in sync with the team management’s insistence of bolstering lower­order batting. On the slow tur­ ners in Sri Lanka, batting deep, especially in a mod­ erate run­chase, is para­ mount. It was highlighted during India’s loss against Bangladesh on Friday. Bat­ ting on pitches that assist­ ed the tweakers has been an issue for India. It strug­ gled in Bangladesh at the end of 2022, then versus Australia in Chennai in March this year. The latest addition to this was on Friday, at Khet­ tarama, after having rested key batters, including Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. Shubman Gill, the cen­ turion on Friday, admitted India has been working on this area. “It is not a con­ cern. But it is definitely an area that we are trying to improve on. We had a camp in Bangalore before coming here, and we were Djokovic. AFP Gill. AFP practising on similar wick­ ets,” said Gill, whose 121 went in vain as India lost by six runs. “We know the World Cup is such a long tourna­ ment and as we go deeper into the tournament, the wicket tends to get slower. “But, it is not easy for batters who are coming in to rotate the strike and mi­ nimise those dot balls. That’s what we are looking to work on.” Despite anchoring the chase with his fourth ODI hundred in 2023, Gill failed to finish the game off. The youngster acknowledged it as a learning. “There is so much adre­ naline when you are bat­ ting. Sometimes you mis­ calculate and it was a miscalculation on my part. If I would have batted a bit normally or not that ag­ gressive then we should have gotten over the line,” he said. “These are the kind of learnings that I would like to take as a bat­ ter and fortunately this wasn’t the final.” Gill added that winning the final is important for India to create “a winning habit” and start “peaking at the right time” ahead of World Cup. “Winning here will give us a lot of momen­ tum and confidence going into the event.” Royal return for Djokovic, Serbia enters knockouts DAVIS CUP Agence France­Presse VALENCIA Novak Djokovic wrapped up a Davis Cup quarterfinal place for Serbia on Friday, beating Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He won 6­3, 6­4 to give Serbia a 2­0 lead in Valen­ cia after Laslo Djere’s ear­ lier 6­4, 6­4 victory over Al­ bert Ramos­Vinolas. Nikola Cacic­Miomir Kecmanovic duo’s victory made it 3­0 for Serbia. The results: Group A: In Bologna: Italy 3 bt Chile 0 [Arnaldi bt Garin 2­6, 6­4, 6­3; Sonego bt Jarry 3­6, 7­5, 6­4; Musetti & Sonego bt Vera & Tabilo 6­7 (3), 6­3, 7­6 (2)]. Group B: In Manchester: Britain 2 bt Switzerland 1 [Murray bt Riedi 6­7 (9), 6­4, 6­4; Norrie lost to Wawrinka 5­7, 4­6; Evans & Skupski bt Stricker & Wawrinka 6­3, 6­3)]; Australia 3 bt Switzerland 0 [Kokkinakis bt Stricker 6­3, 7­5; de Minaur bt Huesler 6­4, 6­3; Ebden & Purcell bt Huesler & Stricker 6­2, 6­4]. Group C: In Valencia: Serbia 3 bt Spain 0 [Djere bt Vinolas 6­4, 6­4; Djokovic bt Fokina 6­3, 6­4; Cacic & Kecmanovic bt Fokina & Granollers 6­4, 7­6 (15)]. Group D: In Split: Finland 2 bt Croatia 1 [Virtanen bt Prizmic 6­4, 3­6, 6­3; Ruusuvuori bt Gojo 7­6 (7), 6­4; Heliovaara & Salminen lost to Dodig & Pavic 4­6, 6­7 (7).] Inter, rampant in the Milan Nagal breezes past Moundir to break even after derby, is two clear at the top Mukund limps out of the opening singles EURO LEAGUES N. Sudarshan LUCKNOW Reuters MILAN Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored twice to help Inter Milan crush AC Milan 5­1 in the Serie A on Saturday and maintain its perfect start to the season. Inter moved two points clear at the top of the standings on 12 points from four games. It is two points above se­ cond­placed Juventus, which beat Lazio 3­1 ear­ lier, and three clear of Mi­ lan in third. Manchester City fought back from a goal down to beat West Ham United 3­1 in the Premier League. The results: Premier League: Wolves 1 (Hwang 7) lost to Liverpool 3 (Gakpo 55, Robertson 85, Bueno 90+1­og); Aston Villa 3 (Duran 87, Luiz 90+9­pen, Bailey 90+11) bt Crystal Palace 1 (Edouard 47); Fulham 1 (Vinicius CM YK Two-goal hero: Mkhitaryan is mobbed by teammates after scoring Inter’s opener. AP 65) bt Luton 0; Manchester United 1 (Mejbri 73) lost to Brighton 3 (Welbeck 20, Gross 53, Pedro 71); Tottenham 2 (Richarlison 90+7, Kulusevski 90+9) bt Sheffield United 1 (Hamer 73); West Ham 1 (Ward­Prowse 36) lost to Manchester City 3 (Doku 46, Silva 76, Haaland 86). LaLiga: Valencia 3 (Duro 5, 34, Guerra 54) bt Atletico Madrid 0. Serie A: Juventus 3 (Vlahovic 10, 67, Chiesa 26) bt Lazio 1 (Luis Alberto 64); Inter Milan 5 (Mkhitaryan 5, 69, Thuram 38, Calhanoglu 79­pen, Frattesi 90+3) bt AC Milan 1 (Leao 57). Bundesliga: RB Leipzig 3 (Simons 6, Openda 11, Raum 27) bt Augsburg 0; SC Freiburg 2 (Hoeler 45+2, Hoefler 45+7) lost to Borussia Dortmund 4 (Hummels 11, 88, Malen 60, Reus 90+3). On Friday: Bundesliga: Bayern Munich 2 (Kane 7, Goretzka 86) drew with Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Grimaldo 24, Palacios 90+4­pen). Sumit Nagal saved India’s blushes by beating Adam Moundir 6­3, 6­3 to help the hosts finish day one of the Davis Cup World Group II tie against Morocco 1­1 here on Saturday. After debutant Sasiku­ mar Mukund retired from his opening singles match against Yassine Dlimi, down 1­4 in the deciding set — in a performance that appeared to call into ques­ tion his physical condition­ ing and mental make­up — the pressure was on Nagal, the India No.1, to calm the nerves. The 26­year­old an­ swered the call in expert fashion, dismantling Moundir in an hour and 15 minutes. The latter had the more power­packed game, but his penchant to find the point­ending shot early Getting level: Nagal pulled one back for India. SANDEEP SAXENA in every rally proved his undoing. It wasn’t as if Moundir didn’t compete. He broke Nagal’s serve once in the first set and stretched the Indian to a long hold in the fifth game of the second. But the World No.156 was calm when it mat­ tered, defending superbly to come out victorious. Earlier in the afternoon at the Vijayant Khand Mini Stadium, play started an hour­and­a­half late owing to rain. Humidity soared but it didn’t seem to bother Dlimi, who showed his in­ tent to finish off points with a couple of crunching one­two punches. But the match soon slipped into a battle of at­ trition, with the two fight­ ing each other to a stand­ still (6­6). In the ensuing tie­break, Mukund found his attacking mojo, taking it to four points. The fans erupted with joy and the time they took to settle back into their seats annoyed Dlimi. He was broken in the first game, and when Mukund led 4­3, 40­15, the match seemed as good as over. The contest however took an inexplicable turn. Mukund slipped back into being passive and his serve wobbled. All he did was to retrieve and the resultant short balls were picked off by Dlimi. The 20­year­old Moroccan broke in the 12th game to level the match. Mukund called for the trainer towards the end of the second set. At the changeover, he appeared to have some discomfort in his right arm. The net ef­ fect was that even when he broke Dlimi in the opening game of the deciding set, the rubber didn’t look his. The 26­year­old Indian asked for the trainer again at 1­2, and soon fell behind 1­4. From the sidelines, Ro­ han Bopanna gestured that it was the mind that mat­ tered. But it wasn’t long be­ fore the body dropped as well. The results: India 1 vs Morocco 1 (Sasikumar Mukund lost to Dlimi Yassine 7­6(4), 5­7, 1­4 [retd]; Sumit Nagal bt Adam Moundir 6­3, 6­3). M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 23 Sport Chennai Sainz on pole with Russell alongside him in front row INBRIEF 쑽 Safety car and bike arrive at the venue Red Bull’s runaway championship leader Verstappen and teammate Perez fail to make the top 10; Aston Martin’s Stroll crashes heavily at the final corner in the dying seconds of opening session SINGAPORE GP Head suffers fracture in left hand, raises WC concerns Australia can suffer a big blow in its ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign as star batter Travis Head was forced to retire hurt during the fourth ODI against South Africa at Centurion on Friday. Australia is waiting to see whether Head will be fit in time to play at the World Cup as head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed after the game that the left­hander had picked up a fracture. Abhimanyou stays in contention for bronze Abhimanyou remained in contention for a bronze medal in freestyle 70kg even after losing to American Zain Allen Retherford in the quarterfinals, on the opening day of the World wrestling championships in Belgrade on Saturday. Fighting in the non­Olympic weight, Abhimanyou outclassed Ukraine’s Ihor Nykyforuk 19­9 and Moldova’s Nicolai Grahmez 13­2 before losing 9­2 to Retherford. If Retherford reaches the final, Abhomanyou will compete in the repechage matches. Akash Dahiya (61kg), Sandeep Singh Mann (86kg) and Sumit (125kg) lost their respective second­round contests and could not make it to the repechage round. The Indians competed under the United World Wrestling flag owing to the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India. Reuters SINGAPORE arlos Sainz put Fer­ rari on pole posi­ tion for the Singa­ pore Grand Prix on a shocking Saturday for do­ minant Red Bull whose re­ cord run of 15 wins in a row appeared to be reaching the end of the road. The pole was the Spa­ niard’s and Ferrari’s se­ cond in succession as well as the Italian team’s third in four races. Red Bull’s runaway championship leader Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez both failed to make the top 10 shootout, an astonishing turnaround for a team that had been in a league of its own but sud­ denly looked lost. Verstappen’s hopes of a record­extending 11th suc­ cessive victory looked a long shot on a city circuit where overtaking is never easy. The Dutch 25­year­ old qualified 11th but was facing a potential further drop after stewards’ enqui­ ries for allegedly impeding. “That was shocking, ab­ solutely shocking expe­ C All in readiness: The safety car BMW M5 CS and safety bike BMW M 1000 RR at the Buddh International Circuit. MOTO GP INDIA Topping the charts: Sainz arrives in the pit lane after the qualifying session of the Singapore Grand Prix. AFP rience,” Verstappen said at the end of phase two after realising he would play no further part in qualifying. Perez qualified only 13th for what will be his 250th Formula One start. Without the Red Bulls on track, rivals had eve­ rything to play for and Sainz made his lap count with a best time of one mi­ nute 30.984 seconds. Leclerc looked like se­ curing a front row sweep for the Italian team but Russell came through in 1:31.056 to beat the Mone­ gasque by a mere 0.007. Second in a row The pole was a second in a row for Ferrari and Sainz. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed heavily at the final corner in the dy­ ing seconds of the opening session, bringing out the red flags and delaying the start of the second phase. The starting grid: Front row: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), George Russell (Mercedes) Second: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lando Norris (McLaren). Third: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Kevin Magnussen (Haas); Fourth: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Esteban Ocon (Alpine). Fifth: Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri); Sixth: Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Pierre Gasly (Alpine). Seventh: Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Alexander Albon (Williams); Eighth: Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo). Ninth: Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Logan Sargeant (Williams); 10th row: Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin). Sports Bureau GREATER NOIDA Ahead of the inaugural In­ dianOil Grand Prix of India MotoGP race, the safety car and bike arrived at the Buddh International Cir­ cuit on Saturday. They landed in New Delhi via air freight and were transport­ ed to the venue in the early hours of the day. Three safety cars, in­ cluding a BMW M5CS, will be present at the venue during the races. The rest of the safety cars — BMW M2 (G87), and BMW M3 touring will land at the venue on Sunday. Its presence is essential to ensure prompt medical assistance in case of an in­ cident on the opening lap. Additionally, the safety car is dispatched to assess track conditions when needed. The safety bike — BMW M 1000 RR — will also be used during the race wee­ kend at the Buddh Interna­ tional Circuit. The safety car is posi­ tioned at the rear of the grid at the commencement of a race. During the first lap of the race, it trails the riders before retreating into the pit lane. LIVE TELECAST 쑽 Badminton: Hong Kong Open, Sports 18­1 (SD & HD) & Jio Cinema App, 11. 30 a.m. Davis Cup: India vs Morocco, DD Sports, Sony Sports Ten 2 (SD & HD) & LIV, 1 p.m. onwards South Africa vs Australia: 5th ODI, Star Sports 2 (SD & HD) & Hotstar, 1.30 p.m. Asia Cup: Star Sports 1 (SD & HD) & Hotstar, 3 p.m. LaLiga: Sports 18­1 (SD & HD) & Jio Cinema App, 5.30, 7.45, 10 p.m. & 12.30 a.m. (Monday) Formula One: Singapore GP, F1 TV & F1 TV Pro App, 5.30 p.m. Premier League: SS Select 1 (SD & HD) & Hotstar, 6.30 & 9 p.m. Davis Cup: (Group­Stage, finals), Sony Sports Ten 2 (SD & HD) & LIV, 6.30 p.m. Diamond League: Sports 18­1 (SD & HD) & Jio Cinema App, 12.30 a.m. (Monday) ENGAGEMENTS Cricket: Tiruvallur DCA league, III div., Thiruthani vs Stag (1 p.m.); IV div., United vs SS CA (8 a.m.), MM. (Turf), Thirupachur. Volleyball: Chennai District B­division (men & women) championships, Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium, 4 p.m. 쑽 Sai Kishore sets up Vijay CC’s easy win Skipper and left­arm spinner R. Sai Kishore picked up five for 21 to help Vijay CC defeat India Pistons by 10 wickets in the third­round Group­A of the VAP Trophy one­day cricket tournament on Saturday. The scores (third round): Group­A: Sea Hawks 229/7 in 50 overs (S. Abishiek 48, R. Rajan 45, V. Subramania Siva 42 n.o.) lost to Globe Trotters 146/4 in 30 overs (A. Badrinath 77 n.o.). (By VJD method) Points: Trotters 4 (8), Sea Hawks 0 (2). AG’s Office 163 in 44.3 overs (G. Gogul 43, M.S. Sanjay 4/50, Siddarth S. Ahhuja 3/19) lost to AIFF comes out with a final list for the Asian Games FOOTBALL Neeladri Bhattacharjee CM YK Sai Kishore (Vijay, 5/21). Alwarpet 127/2 in 28 overs (M. Mithul Raj 69 n.o.). (By VJD method). Alwarpet 4 (8), AGORC 0 (2). India Pistons 75 in 31.3 overs (R. Sai Kishore 5/21) lost to Vijay 79/0 in 12.3 overs (N. Jagadeesan 48 n.o.). Vijay 4 (12), Pistons 0 (4). Group­B: MRC­A 316/9 in 50 HYDERABAD: The four­year­old filly Mysterious Angel, who re­ tains her form, is poised for a hat­ trick in the Chief Minister’s Cup, the feature event of Sunday’s (Sept. 17) races. GREEN HAVEN PLATE (1,200m), rated up to 25 (Cat. III) — 1.40 p.m.: 1. Deccan Ranger (6) Ajay Kumar 60, 2. Solar Prin­ cess (7) Sonu Kumar 60, 3. Star Cruise (1) A. Imran Khan 60, 4. Creative Art (4) Kuldeep Singh ( Jr) 58, 5. Blue Brigade (2) A.A. Vikrant 57.5, 6. Canterbury (8) B.R. Kumar 57.5, 7. Double Bon­ anza (5) Surya Prakash 57.5 and 8. Protocol (3) Md. Ismail 57.5. 1. STAR CRUISE, 2. DECCAN RANGER, 3. CANTERBURY CHAITANYA CHAKRAM PLATE (1,400m), (Terms) Maiden, 3­ y­o only, (Cat. II) — 2.15: 1. Ashwa Gajraj (7) B.R. Kumar 56, 2. As­ sured Success (4) P. Sai Kumar 56, 3. Decoy (5) Suraj Narredu 56, 4. Encore (11) Akshay Kumar 56, 5. Lucky Nine (2) Surya Prakash 56, 6. Tango Punch (8) Vivek G 56, 7. Alcahol Free (6) A.M. Tograllu 54.5, 8. Duck Hawk (10) Md. Is­ mail 54.5, 9. Exeter (1) G. Naresh 54.5, 10. Proud Girl (3) Mohit Singh 54.5 and 11. She’s Magic (9) B. Nikhil 54.5. 1. ENCORE, 2. DECOY, 3. ASSURED SUCCESS MANCHERIAL PLATE (Div. II) (1,200m), rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III) — 2.45: 1. Its On (8) B. Nikhil 60, 2. Only The Brave (2) Kiran Naidu 58.5, 3. Colt Pistol (4) Ak­ shay Kumar 58, 4. Wandring War­ rior (3) A.A. Vikrant 57, 5. Divine Connection (7) R.S. Jodha 54.5, 6. Ok Boss (5) G. Naresh 54.5, 7. Golden Inzio (6) P. Sai Kumar 52 and 8. Sweet Talk (1) S.K. Paswan 51. 1. ITS ON, 2. COLT PISTOL, 3. DIVINE CONNECTION DIRECTOR GENERAL OF PO­ LICE CUP (Div. II) (1,600m), 5­ y­o and upward, rated 40 to 65 (Cat. II) — 3.15: 1. Miss Marvellous (6) Akshay Kumar 60, 2. Galwan (8) Afroz Khan 57.5, 3. Thunder­ struck (4) A.A. Vikrant 56.5, 4. Just Incredible (2) P. Sai Kumar 56, 5. Wallop And Gallop (3) P. Ajeeth Kumar 55, 6. Aurele (1) Vivek G 54.5, 7. Ice Berry (7) Md. 2 Key player: The presence of central defender Sandesh Jhingan will bolster the Indian squad. K. MURALI KUMAR team,” Igor Stimac, India’s head coach said. The AIFF, in the last few weeks, has remained at loggerheads with the In­ dian Super League — which is organised by the Foot­ ball Sports Development Limited (FSDL) — clubs to release their important players for the Asian Games. The clubs have been re­ luctant as the Asian Games is outside the FIFA interna­ tional window and they are not obligated to release their players for the same. Doing so just before the ISL season would, natural­ ly, make the teams vulner­ able, with three sides — Mumbai City FC (AFC Champions League), Mo­ hun Bagan Super Giant (AFC Cup) and Odisha FC (AFC Cup) — also playing continental tournaments. The final list, thus, does not feature any key player from these three sides. Mo­ reover, the ISL clubs which have released first­team players, have also request­ ed some of their matches to be rescheduled. FC Goa and Hyderabad FC, the teams of Jhingan and Chinglensana, respec­ tively, have rescheduled their match for September 22 but the new date is yet to be confirmed. More match dates in the ISL are expected to change. overs (K. Mukunth 89, M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar 48, B. Anirudh Sitaram 84, Rohan Raju 4/66, N. Kabilan 3/59) lost to Jolly Rovers 174/1 in 32 overs (R. Vimal Khumar 72 n.o., Dhruv Shorey 60). (By VJD method). Rovers 4 (8), MRC­A 0 (8). Grand Slam 170/8 in 50 overs (Nidhish S. Rajagopal 53) bt Young Stars 88 in 22.2 overs (Jhathavedh Subramanyan 3/28). Grand Slam 4 (4), Young Stars 0 (8). Nelson 316/9 in 50 overs (T. Saran 83, Shoaib Mohd. Khan 56, Maan K. Bafna 43, W. Antony Dhas 47, Joy Gupta 3/56) bt UFCC (T. Nagar) 232 in 46.3 overs (Rahul Ayyappan Harish 40, S.J. Arun Kumar 41, M. Abhinav 66, W. Antony Dhas 4/50). Nelson 4 (4), UFCC 0 (4). Mysterious Angel is poised for a hat­trick 1 CHENNAI The All India Football Fed­ eration (AIFF) finally cut the clutter to announce its final squad for the Asian Games — set to be played in Hangzhou, China, from September 19 to October 8, 2023 — when it named a 21­ member team on Saturday. The list had five changes from the one announced by the AIFF on September 13, with three central de­ fenders, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh and Lalchungnunga, added to the squad. Rohit Danu re­ placed Liston Colaco and Dheeraj Singh Moiragthem replaced Vishal Yadav. Naorem Mahesh Singh is another name awaiting medical clearance and might join the team if de­ clared fit. Though the Sports Mi­ nistry announced a very different list on Friday, the AIFF stuck to the core of the team, announced on September 13, to finalise the side for Hangzhou. “It’s a wonderful deve­ lopment that some expe­ rienced players have been added to the Asian Games squad, who will certainly help the cause of the AROUND THE CITY VAP TROPHY 3 4 Ekram Alam 52.5 and 8. Starwalt (5) Surya Prakash 52. 1. MISS MARVELLOUS, 2. WALLOP AND GALLOP, 3. THUNDERSTRUCK 5 DIRECTOR GENERAL OF PO­ LICE CUP (Div. I) (1,600m), 5­ y­o and upward, rated 40 to 65 (Cat. II) — 3.45: 1. Icicle (3) P. Sai Kumar 60, 2. Thanks (1) Kuldeep Singh ( Jr) 59, 3. Nightmare (8) Sonu Kumar 56.5, 4. Despang (2) Surya Prakash 56, 5. Team Player (6) Md. Ekram Alam 54.5, 6. Sun Dancer (5) Akshay Kumar 53.5, 7. Southern Act (4) Md. Ismail 53, 8. Aerial Combat (7) S.K. Paswan 50.5 and 9. Dream Station (9) B. Nikhil 50.5. 1. ICICLE, 2. DESPANG, 3. SUN DANCER 6 CHIEF MINISTER’S CUP (1,600m), rated 80 and above (Cat. I) — 4.15: 1. Watch My Stride (10) A. Imran Khan 62.5, 2. Mysterious Angel (11) P. Ajeeth Ku­ mar 60.5, 3. Soloist (8) Shivansh 60.5, 4. Akido (1) Akshay Kumar 60, 5. New Look (7) B. Nikhil 59.5, 6. Kingston (4) R.S. Jodha 59, 7. Top Secret (2) Mohit Singh 58.5, 8. Yesterday (9) Surya Prakash 54, 9. Ashwa Morocco (6) Sonu Ku­ mar 53, 10. Silverita (3) P. Sai Ku­ mar 53 and 11. Makhtoob (5) S.K. Paswan 50. 1. MYSTERIOUS ANGEL, 2. ASHWA MOROCCO, 3. AKIDO MANCHERIAL PLATE (Div. I) (1,200m), rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III) — 4.45: 1. Star Racer (3) A. Im­ ran Khan 60, 2. Ambitious Star (9) R.S. Jodha 59, 3. Sangreal (4) P. Sai Kumar 58, 4. Char Ek Char (7) Surya Prakash 56.5, 5. Golden Forza (2) Kiran Naidu 56.5, 6. First Class (6) B. Nikhil 54, 7. Sil­ ver Lining (8) Afroz Khan 53, 8. Sound Echo (5) G. Naresh 52 and 9. Good Tidings (1) Ajay Kumar 51. 1. STAR RACER, 2. SANGREAL, 3. FIRST CLASS Day’s Best: ICICLE Jackpot: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7. Mini Jackpot: (i) 1, 2, 3 & 4. (ii) 4, 5, 6 & 7. Treble: (i) 2, 3 & 4. (ii) 5, 6 & 7. Tanala: All races. 7 쑽 A. Ranjan (MCC, 5/16). Rakesh (S. Rly Chandru Churchil Abishek (Vijay’s Sasidharan Instt., 107 n.o.). (Royapettah, 5/18). (Gandhi, 6/22). RC, 6/20). (Garnet, 5/8). Ranjan bowls MCC to victory A. Ranjan (five for 16) starred in MCC’s 92­run win over National RC in the second division of the TNCA league here. The scores: II div.: MCC 187 in 49.5 overs (Aniroudh Baskaran 56, T. Ravi Teja 34, P. Arjun Thapa 3/23) bt National Recreation Club 95 in 29.5 overs (A. Ranjan 5/16). S. Rly Inst. 230/4 in 38 overs (A. Rakesh 107 n.o., Jafar Jamal 39) lost to TI Cycles 231/4 in 37.1 overs (S. Sri Abisek 62, S. Saurabh Dubey 48, Adhithya Giridhar 46, S. Saurabh Dubey 48 n.o.). It was a 38­over game. III­A: Bunts 83 in 26.2 overs (R. Vivek 46 n.o., R. Sasidharan (5/8) lost to Garnet 84/5 in 16.5 overs (Advaith Sharma 3/27). Triplicane CC 176 in 48 overs (K. Martin Sanjeev 66 n.o., M. Sudharsanamoorthi 40, S. Vijaya Kumar 3/12, T. K. Gowthama Raj 3/19) lost to Sir M.Ct.M. 178/8 in 40.1 overs (P. Prabhakaran 74, A. Jones 3/26, S. J. Abu Shajith 3/47). Reserve Bank 152 in 33.3 overs (S. Gokul Bharathi 45, P. Elaya Raja 4/21, S. Gunaseelan 4/28) lost to SKM 153/3 in 28.5 overs (K. Vignesh 49, V. Tharun Kumar 43, P.S. Shiva Ramakrishnan 34). Triplicane SC 110 in 22.3 overs (R. Vigneshwaran 43, I. Syed Imran Ahmed 3/15, Himalaya 3/13) lost to Sumangali Homes 111/1 in 17.4 overs (P. Arun 50, Himalaya 36 n.o.). IV­C: TANGEDCO 77 in 23 overs (R. Naveenraj 43, K. Chandru 5/18) lost to Royapettah 78/4 in 19 overs (R. Arun Kumar 43). GE T&D India 134 in 42.3 overs (S. Mohammed Irshad 30, G. Maharaja 4/34, H. Muhamad Raafi 4/14) lost to MUC 137/8 in 24.2 overs (S. Manikandan 65, R. Sarath Kanna 4/33, M. Jayakumar 3/59). Jubilee 157/9 in 50 overs (C. Dhilipan 65 n.o., S. Manchanda Singh 43, D. Sharan 3/34) bt Chatnath 50 in 23.4 overs (S. Harish 4/5, S. Raja Ravi Varma 3/3). Tiger 109 in 39.3 overs (M. Parthiban 3/15, S. Gunaseelan 3/43) lost to SBI 110/8 in 30.4 overs (M. Sathish 31, S. Kumar 3/43). Vigneswara 139/5 in 25 overs (J. S. Athish 48 n.o., T.T. Kishore 32 n.o.) bt Rising Stars 136/7 in 25 overs (D. Govindaraj 65, P. Venkatesan 3/30). It was a 25­over game. V­D: Gandhi 78 in 30.5 overs (N. Abishek 6/20) bt Vijay’s 65 in 18.1 overs (K. Yuvaraj 36, M. Churchil 6/22, Sri Ram Santhosh 3/15). ICI 179 in 45.4 overs (M. Manikandan 44, R. Ahillan 35, B. Jaffer Salim Sadiq 4/47, M. Mohammed Younus 3/23) bt Shivaji 108 in 28.2 overs (M. Arul 4/37, R. Rithik Varshan 3/15). NUC 108 in 34.2 overs (A. Adarsh Bagmar 4/34) lost to Harnath 111/5 in 24.2 overs (Kishore Kumar 64 n.o., B. Sanjeevan 3/27). CFC ropes in Serbian defender Cirkovic Chennaiyin FC, on Saturday, announced it has signed Serbian defender Lazar Cirkovic ahead of the 2023­24 Indian Super League season. The club has signed the defender subject to ITC approval ­ as its fifth foreigner. “We’re delighted to bring Laz out to the club. He’s played at the highest level and he’ll able to impart that knowledge and that quality. A terrific signing for the club,” Chennaiyin’s head coach Owen Coyle said. Cirkovic has played most of his senior football in the Serbian first division, making 146 appearances for FK Rad, FK Partizan Belgrade and Kisvarda FC. I’m very excited for the Indian challenge. I can’t wait to get onto the pitch and fight for my new colours, teammates and fans. See you soon, Chennai,” Cirkovic said. Asian Games Village inaugurated Press Trust of India HANGZHOU (CHINA) The Hangzhou Asian Games Village was inaugu­ rated here on Saturday with acting director gener­ al of the Olympic Council of Asia, Vinod Kumar Tiwa­ ri, describing it as “beauti­ ful and outstanding” dur­ ing the opening ceremony. In front of government leaders and officials of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee, Ti­ wari said he had been visit­ ing Hangzhou for eight years and had always been impressed with the plans and preparations for the 19th edition of the mega Grand launch: The Asian Games Village was inaugurated on Saturday with just over a week for the opening ceremony. event. He praised the “in­ novative” concept of the village, which will accom­ modate 20,000 people in three communities: Ath­ letes’ Village, Media Village and Technical Officials’ Vil­ lage. “I would like to thank and congratulate HAGOC for all their hard work and dedication, and I wish all success to the Chinese de­ legation competing here in the 19th Asian Games.” M CH-CHE THE HINDU 24 Sunday, September 17, 2023 Chennai CM YK M CH-CHE THE HINDU Sunday, September 17, 2023 I News in Frames Chennai X X X Behind the scenes: Men lifting the Koombu, a bronze structure to be fitted at the front end of the palliyodam. Final touches: The palliyodam being decorated with garlands. Hands on deck: Oarsmen waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. X Ready to row: Palliyodams lined up at the Pampa river in Aranmula. Palliyodams of Aranmula Aranmula, a river-side village in Kerala, is known for its grand set of traditions involving enchanting snake boats, festive choruses and delicious feasts J Thulasi Kakkat thulasidas.pv@thehindu.co.in CM YK ust as the monsoon over Kerala enters its second leg, Aranmula, a river­side village in Pathanamthitta — a part of former Travancore, kicks off preparations to host a flotilla of snake boats along its banks. Men, on board decorated boats called Palliyodams, will soon start dropping in here from the 52 villages along the serene banks of the Pampa — from the hilly Edakulam upstream to the backwater landscape of Chennithala, in Alappuzha. Dressed identically in white dhotis and melmundu, they ignore the harsh noon sun by rowing to the tune of the rhythmic vanchipattu (boat songs) to reach Aranmula and are received with much fanfare at the ghats here. In an atmosphere charged with devotion, they climb the flight of steps that lead to the Sree Parthasarathy temple and proceed to the temple and circumambulate it for sometime — grooving to the verses all the while, before finally entering it. The music session resumes soon afterwards as the crew enter a dining hall here to feast on the Vallasadya, a ritual offering to the presiding deity Lord Parthasarathy. This time, the songs do not intend to praise the deity but to request refills of their dishes. Each item a couplet has to be recited, which spices up the sumptuous lunch. Typically incorporating up to 64 dishes, this Vallasadya is the largest of its kind and is popularly called ‘the feast of feasts’. The Vallasadyas are organised by the devotees every year from the second leg of July, or when the Malayalam month of Karkidakam kicks off, for a period of 72 days. And as Onam sets in, rituals meet revelry as the Thiruvonathoni, which set off from Kattoor on the previous day, reaches the temple ghat early in morning. The special boat, accompanied by a regatta of palliyodams , brings in the provisions and vegetables for preparing the Onam feast. Four days later, the palliyodams will line up once again on the Pampa here, for a regatta called the Uthrattathi Boat race. Then comes the grand feast on the Ashtami Rohini day, which is served to all the devotees converging at the temple. The vallasadya ritual will continue for a few more weeks afterwards and will draw to a close on October 2. By that X time, over three lakh people will have attended the celebrations here. All aboard: The journey to the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple begins. Text: Hiran Unnikrishnan S CH-CHE THE HINDU II News in Frames Sunday, September 17, 2023 Chennai X Rhythmic rowing: Oarsmen sing the vanchipattu to keep the rowing tempo during their journey to the temple. Y Destination reached: Oarsmen arrive at the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. X In line with tradition: Oarsmen circumambulating the temple singing the vanchipattu as per tradition. CM YK Y Feast time: The vallasadya being served. S CH-CHE
