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Power of Thoughts

DEADLY

VIRUS

NOT INFECTED BUT AFFECTED

OUTLOOK 2020

TOURS & TRAVEL

BIG LOSS IN MUTUAL FUND SIP? KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

INVESTMENT

DEFENCE

Power of Thoughts

Letter from the

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India to Approach Another Era of Development

arlier, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, accentuated the Union Government’s commitment to achieving India’s energy-security goals. It all comprises enhancing the country’s renewable energy capacity to 175 GW till 2022. In just a short period of time, the target appears very challenging and ambitious, especially for the sector, which is already in distress. Over the past few months, it has witnessed multiple challenges related to land availability, financing, evacuation readiness and timely payments for generation exacerbated due to the unprecedented COVID pandemic. The factors are adversely impacting the key issues around energy security and cost of electricity. However, the good news is that despite these challenges, there is the only country, that is India on this planet, that can pull off such a deep transformational revolution. This major transformation of India’s energy landscape is, in fact, already underway, driven by the strategic policy thrust on promoting renewable energy. With an installed capacity of over 87 GW the RE sector in the country has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of an impressive 17 per cent during the years 2014-2020. The key factors are already in place, including power demand recovering post COVID, low Renewable Energy (RE) generation prices, significant capital already invested in reputable blue chip companies eager to grow their renewable asset base and yet more capital waiting for investment opportunities. In addition, there is an existing and deep industrial manufacturing base with thousands of job opportunities for local people, particularly in India’s wind sector, to support the Government’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat agenda. This apart, the inclusion of Biofuel Policy with the purpose to identify and boost to infrastructure for manufacturing and distribution of clean, green fuels like Green Diesel, CB, bio coal, etc will play an important role in all around the development of the country. Besides, the ongoing war against COVID-19 in India has apparently reached a decisive point with scientists on the verge of developing the indigenous required vaccine. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited three vaccine developing facilities in the country and held virtual interactions with some others has not only given hope to the people of the country but also to the world. On the other hands, the recent reforms in Farm Bill 2020 have not only released farmers from unnecessary troubles, but also offered them new rights and opportunities. These new rights have begun to ameliorate woes of farmers. Under this law, it was decided that all dues of farmers should be cleared within three days of procurement, failing which the farmer can lodge a complaint. As such, this issue of our esteemed magazine, Observer Dawn, deals with how the various interventions of the Government as well as the other organizations are helping the economy recover during the pandemic. In the true spirit of Jaan Bhi Aur Jahan Bhi and turning crisis into opportunity, the commitment of the Government to bring the economy to the growth path, once again, is being witnessed in the visible green shoots and various sectors moving northward. The Union Government is not only cautious, but optimistic with its long-term approach. Looking at the future possibilities and prosperities, this Edition of the Observer Dawn English casts a true reflection of the year 2020. Wishing you all a very happy new year!

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BRIEFING COVER STORY

TORCH BEARER DR. PIYUSH KUMAR DWIVEDI CHAIRMAN NEXGEN ENERGIA LIMITED

NATIONAL

PM Modi Emphasizes Timely Roll out of 5G in India

INTERNATIONAL

ASEAN Countries to Get COVID-19 Vaccine from India

OPINION

BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Brexit Turns to be a Messy Divorce for EU & UK

False Commitment by Citizens, Major Reason behind Covid Crisis in Delhi

IN-DEPTH

New Virus Figures Confirmed in Turkey

January 2021

DAWN

BRIEFING

SPECIAL STORY Pollutions the Biggest Drawbacks Human Animals

56 8

TOURS & TRAVEL The Serenity of Panchgani is Calling You

REAL ESTATE 2021 Property Prices & the Coronavirus Outbreak Projection 2021

DEFENCE China Improves Its Preparedness After Stand-off with India

DAWN January 2021

LIFESTYLE A Curse called Dependency

YOUNG TURK Kids Born with a Silver Spoon

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Power of Thoughts

DEADLY

VIRUS

NOT INFECTED BUT AFFECTED

OUTLOOK 2020

TOURS & TRAVEL

BIG LOSS IN MUTUAL FUND SIP? KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

INVESTMENT

DEFENCE

national

PM MODI EMPHASIZES TIMELY ROLL OUT OF 5G IN INDIA

tressing on the ardent need for the timely rollout of 5G to leapfrog in days to come and empower millions of Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the captains of the telecom industry. PM Modi said that the country would embark on one of the world’s largest Covid-19 vaccination drive with the help of mobile technology.

While speaking during the inaugural ceremony of the India Mobile Congress, PM said, “India is emerging as one of the most preferred destinations for mobile manufacturing. We have also come up with the production linked incentive scheme to promote telecom equipment manufacturing in India”. “We are embarking on a plan to ensure that over the next three years, every village will have high speed fibre-optic connectivity. We have already linked up

and Krishna Murari dealt with relevant provisions of the National Highways Act, 1956, the National Highways Rules, 1957 and the National Highway Authority of India Act, 1988 while examining the Madras High Court’s decision that a prior environmental clearance was needed for the project.

UNION GOVT NEED TO GET PRIOR ENVIRONMENTAL/ FOREST CLEARANCE

The High Court verdict on April 8, 2019 had held as illegal and bad in law the notifications issued under Section 3A(1) of the National Highways Act for acquisition of specified lands for construction of the new highway which was part of the larger “Bharatmala Pariyojna– Phase This significant I5 project. observation was made by Ju stice Kh a nwilka r, in th e the top court in 140-judgement, said: “There is its judgement nothing in the 1956 Act, which upholding the impels the Central Government notification for to obtain prior environment acquisition of clearance before exercise land for the Rs of that power and in issuing 10,000-crore notification under Section 2(2), Chennai-Salem much less Section 3A expressing eight-lane green its intention to acquire the corridor project designated land”.

n another major order, the Apex Court has held that the Union Government need not to obtain prior environmental or forest clearance under the laws before declaring a stretch as national highway (NH) and expressing its intention to acquire the land for building, maintenance or operating such roads.

“None of these enactments/rules specify any express condition requiring Central Government to obtain prior environmental/forest clearance before issuing notification under Section 2(2) declaring the stretch/ section to be a national highway or Section 3A of the 1956 Act to express intention to acquire land for the purpose of building, maintenance, management or operation of a national highway, as the case may be”.

This significant observation was made by the top court in its judgement upholding the notification for acquisition of land for the Rs 10,000-crore Chennai-Salem eight-lane green corridor project. A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, B R Gavai

The Centre has framed rules under the 1956 Act and even they do not “remotely suggest” that the government is obliged to obtain prior permission under environmental or forest laws.

DAWN January 2021

national

the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with fibre optic cable. We are coming out with programs that focus exclusively on places which can make the best out of such connectivity — inspirational districts, Left wing extremism-affected districts, North Eastern states, Lakshadweep islands etc. We are keen to ensure greater spread of fixed line broadband connectivity and public wi-fi hotspots”. Declaring that “the future that lies ahead will make the present system appear primitive”, Modi said “it is important to think and plan how do we improve lives with the upcoming technology revolution. Better healthcare, better education, better information and opportunities for our farmers, better market access for small businesses are some of the goals we can work towards”. “It is due to your innovation and efforts that the world was functional despite the pandemic. It is due to your efforts that a son connected with his mother in a different city, a student learnt from his teacher without being in the classroom, a patient consulted his doctor from his home, a trader connected with a consumer from a different geography”, he said.

DIFFERENTLY-ABLED FIND NEW WAYS PROFESSION

latform Visually impaired photographer from Pune, a wheelchair-bound voiceover artiste from Bengaluru, and a Kerala-based graphic designer with hearing difficulties are among the scores of differently able persons who may have found a new ways of profession with Atypical Advantage, through an online platform. The website offers hiring services exclusively for such creative artists, enabling the sale of their products and services. The unique e-commerce site, touted to be India’s first of its kind, showcases their wares and helps individuals or institutional clients engage with them professionally. Siddhi Pawar, a Pune-based woman photographer with hearing impairment, for instance, is listed and is now looking out for assignments from anywhere. Specializing in portraits, landscapes, and macro photography, her work samples are featured on the www.atypicaladvantage.in. Aluva, Kerala-based Abdul Shukoor KM is a hearing-impaired graphics designer who is also listed, offering designing, video-editing, web-designing, and 3D animation services.

BORIS JOHNSON MAY BE THE NEXT RD CHIEF GUEST OF INDIA

nited Kingdom, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson could be the sixth British leader to be the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations. It has been reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had formally invited Johnson during their last phone conversation on November 27. Other media reports have also cited ‘sources’ to state that UK prime minister would be the chief guest for the Republic Day event, which will likely have a different flavor in 2021 due to COVID-19 protocols. There has been no official confirmation either from the Ministry of External Affairs or the British High Commission. However, the phone conversation which had taken place on November 27, was publicly confirmed. The Downing Street spokesperson had said that Johnson had told his Indian counterpart that 2021 was going to be an important year for UK-India ties. “The leaders discussed the work that the UK and India are doing together across trade, climate change, defense, security and health. The Prime Minister said 2021 would be a year to deepen and strengthen the UK-India relationship”, he stated. The last British prime minister to be chief guest for the Republic Day event was John Major in 1993. The first UK leader was invited as chief guest just nine years after Independence – in 1956. Then chancellor to the exchequer Rab Butler was one of two chief guests, - - Tanaka. with the other being Chief Justice of Japan, Kotaro

Others enrolled include people with a range of disabilities, including visual impairment, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and locomotors disability. The 200 products and services listed include sign language interpretation, physiotherapy, graphic designing, restaurant and bakery services, modeling, motivational speaking, dance and music, and voiceover services, among others. Atypical Advantage aims at a tenfold rise in listing within a year, creating 5,000 livelihood opportunities and garnering up to `10 lakh worth in sales a year. It must, however, be noted that the platform does not charge anything from those enlisting or recruiting, except a 15-20 per cent commission in sales alone, towards operational costs. It ensures quality through an in-house team of experts. Ultimately, it all leads to a more dignified and satisfying public and professional life for those involved. Dhanya Ravi, 31, is a Bengaluru-based model with orthogenesis imperfecta, a condition better known as brittle bone syndrome. Ms Ravi said, “This attempt adds meaning to our life and such livelihood opportunity would mean dignity ”. Saraiwala, the 30-year-old visually-impaired management professional and a post-graduate of IIM Bangalore, recalled his own struggle.

January 2021

DAWN

International

AVIAN FLU CASES ON RISE IN UK, RESTRICTIONS ON BIRD KEEPING

ore cases of bird flu have been detected in the United Kingdom, prompting the authorities to obligate all bird keepers to keep them indoors at all times beginning from December, the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said. “The Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland and Wales have agreed to bring in new measures to help protect poultry and captive birds, following a number of cases of avian influenza in both wild and captive birds in the UK,” the press release read. A stay-home order for birds was declared, even though the authorities stressed that bird flu’s risks for human health and food safety are “very low.” “The new housing measures, which will come into force on 14 December, mean that it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors and to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease,” the agency said, urging the owners to use the remaining time to put in place provisions for implementing the new restrictions without jeopardizing animal welfare. The necessary measures, as listed in the press release, include cleaning and disinfecting equipment, clothing and vehicles, limiting access to nonessential people on their sites, and workers changing clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures. A succession of bird flu hotbeds was detected across the UK during the NovemberDecember period. More than 40,000 farm birds were culled and thousands more will be in order to curb the spread of the disease.

HARI SHUKLA OF INDIAN-ORIGIN AMONG FIRST TO RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE

n 87-year- old Indian- origin man from the North-East of England will become one of the first people in the world to get a vaccine against COVID-19, as he receives his Pfizer/BioNTech jab at a hospital in Newcastle. Hari Shukla from Tyne and Wear said he feels it is his duty to receive his first of the two-dose vaccine, a moment UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed as a ‘huge step forward’ as was dubbed “V-Day” or Vaccine Day in the UK. “I am so pleased we are hopefully coming towards the end of this pandemic and I am delighted to be doing my bit by having the vaccine, I feel it is my duty to do so and do whatever I can to help”, Shukla said.

DAWN January 2021

ASEAN COUNTRIES TO GET COVID-19 VACCINE FROM INDIA

mong other major developments, India is likely to collaborate in drug development with 10 ASEAN countries whenever it is available. This apart, it will also share the COVID-19 vaccine with ASEAN, said the Minister of State for External Affairs (MSEA), V Muraleedharan. He also said, India believes the search for effective pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 is a continuous and collaborative effort. “We look forward for an enhanced cooperation and collaboration between ASEAN countries on vaccine and drug development even as we are ready to share COVID vaccine with them, whenever it is made available”, he added. The Minister was addressing the 6th India-CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam) business conclave organised by industry chamber CII here at the weekend. The assurance follows Indonesia urging India to mitigate the adverse effects lingering pandemic. President Joko Widowdo at the ASEAN-India Summit last month said that India as ASEAN’s strategic partner can serve in strengthening medical capacity in the region, particularly to

International

SECOND DRAGON CAPSULE LAUNCHED TO SPACE BY SPACEX

paceX has launched its latest and advanced of Dragon supply ship to the International Space Station (ISS). For the first time, SpaceX has has two capsules in orbit at the same time.

mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, including increasing the production capacity of COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, raw materials for the production of medicines, and conducting joint research and development in the health sector. Days before Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had made a similar assurance to immediate neighbor Nepal. Muraleedharan reminded the audience at business meets about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that India would contribute USD 1 million to ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund. Over the months, India has played a key role in keeping open the global supply chains for essential medicines and deploying Medical Assistance Teams comprising doctors, nurses and paramedics during this crisis to several countries. India has provided medicine and medical supplies to Lao PDR and Myanmar. Further, as a capacity building measure, Medical officers from Armed forces of CLMV countries participated in an e-ITEC Defence Medical Course on COVID-19 organised from July 6-9, 2020.

Loaded with Christmas treats and presents, the Dragon is expected to reach the space station and join the Dragon that delivered four astronauts last month. The Deputy Space Station Program Manager of NASA, Kenny Todd said, “Dragons everywhere you look”. With NASA’s commercial crew program officially underway, SpaceX expects to always have at least one Dragon capsule at the space station. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasted off with the latest Dragon from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The first-stage booster - making its fourth flight - landed on an ocean platform several minutes after the liftoff. The shipment, weighing 2,900 kg, includes billions of microbes and crushed asteroid samples for a biomining study, a new medical device to provide rapid blood test results for astronauts in space, and a privately owned and operated chamber to move experiments as big as refrigerators outside the orbiting lab. Apart this, 40 mice also are flying for bone and eye studies, two areas of weaknesses for astronauts during long space stays. Todd said all this research is “the ultimate Christmas present” for NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, a virus hunter who performed the first DNA sequencing in space a few years ago. Todd said, “There are four Americans, two Russians and a Japanese on the board. I don’t like to get out in front of Santa Claus. I fear it might mess up my own Christmas”. The station crew watched a live broadcast of the launch, from 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. This updated cargo-carrying model - as large as the SpaceX crew capsule - will dock to the orbiting lab by itself. Previous SpaceX cargo ships needed the station’s robot arm for anchoring.

“Having been in contact with the NHS (National Health Service), I know how hard they all work and the greatest respect for them - they have a heart of gold and I am grateful for everything they have done to keep us safe during the pandemic”, he added. Shukla was notified by the NHS based on the criteria set by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization as part of a phased rollout plan based on those at the highest risk of death from the deadly virus. People aged 80 and over, care home workers as well as NHS workers who are at higher risk will be first in line to receive the “life-saving jab”. “Now marks a huge step forward in the UK’s fight against coronavirus, as we begin delivering the vaccine to the first patients across the whole country. I am immensely proud of the scientists who developed the vaccine, members of the public who took part in trials, and the NHS who have worked tirelessly to prepare for rollout,” said Johnson. However, the UK PM struck a note of caution to warn that mass vaccination will take time and urged the public to remain “clear-eyed” and continue to follow the lockdown rules over the winter months ahead.

January 2021

DAWN

Business Outlook

BREXIT TURNS TO BE A MESSY DIVORCE FOR EU & UK

FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS, CHINA IMPORTS INDIAN RICE IN 2020

or the first time in almost 30 years, China has imported Indian rice due to tightening supplies. The move is also a result of sharply discounted prices offered by India, according to officials who spoke to news agency Reuters. While India is the world’s biggest exporter of rice, China is the biggest importer. The Reuters report said Beijing imports around four million tonnes of rice annually but avoided purchased from India due to quality issues. However, China has again started importing due to tightened supplies this year. The development comes at a time when tension continues to simmer between India and China due to the ongoing border dispute. Speaking to the media, the President of the Rice Exporters Association, BV Krishna Rao said, “For the first time China has made rice purchases”. He added that China might buy more rice ‘after seeing the quality of Indian crop’.

hen Britons voted for Brexit in 2016, they were promised a smooth transition to a new economic relationship with the European Union. Now the two sides are hurtling toward a tumultuous split that threatened billions dollar worth of trade, apart from hundreds of thousands of jobs. “Divorces are never easy,” Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of the EU member Luxembourg, said. “I did a lot of weddings when I was a mayor. But I also did divorces as a lawyer, and it’s always difficult”, he added. The messy EU-UK divorce has been years in the making. Britain’s 2016 EU membership referendum was dominated by whether the country should quit the bloc it had joined in 1973. What would happen after that got less attention. “Brexit was a mandate to leave the European Union. There was never a blueprint for what did leaving look like”, said Jill Rutter, program director at the Institute for Government think-tank. Leaders of the pro-Brexit campaign — including Boris Johnson, who is now Britain’s Prime Minister — said striking a new relationship with the bloc after a UK exit would be easy, though they provided few details. When pressed, some leading Brexit campaigners suggested Britain could have a relationship like Norway or Iceland, which have strong economic access to the EU, and in return agree to follow many of bloc’s rules and standards.

DAWN January 2021

The report, quoting officials, noted that Indian traders have entered a contract to export 1 lakh tonnes of broker rice for December-February shipments at around USD300 per tonne. China has been forced to buy more from India as its traditional suppliers such as Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Pakistan have limited surplus supplies for exports. Moreover, these countries were quoting at least USD30 more in comparison to the prices offered by Indian exporters. Important to mention here that India’s rice exports in the January-October period jumped 43 per cent from a year ago as buyers purchased lower-priced Indian supply to rebuild inventories after rival exporters trimmed shipments due to drought, as per government data.

Business Outlook

platforms. MetLife says that access will allow Farmers to reach 3,800 employers and about 37 million eligible employees. Shares in MetLife, based in New York City, slipped more than 1 per cent. Analysts expect more consolidation in the insurance sector, which has seen significant losses due to the coronavirus outbreak.

ZURICH FARMERS OWN HOME, AUTO BUSINESS OF METLIFE

Last month, RSA Insurance, one of the UK’s oldest insurance companies, agreed to a takeover by Canada’s Intact Financial Corp. and Denmark’s Tryg in a cash deal that valued it at about USD 9.4 billion. Even before the virus outbreak, companies were seeking acquisitions to cut costs. Late last year, New York Life acquired the group life and disability coverage business of the insurer Cigna for more than USD 6 billion. MetLife and Farmers are hoping to close the deal in the second quarter of 2021.

etLife has started to sell its home and auto insurance business to the groups of farmers for USD 3.94 billion. This deal is the part of a decade-long strategic partnership in which Farmers, owned by Switzerland’s Zurich Insurance Group, will get access to MetLife’s network of agents and take over its property and casualty policies. Farmers will also be able to sell personal insurance products through MetLife’s group benefits

MetLife expects to be divested of its property and casualty business in the first quarter 2021. Farmers was founded in 1928 in Los Angeles and acquired by Zurich in 1998.

INDIA’S RETAIL INFLATION REMAINS ABOVE RBI’S ACCEPTABLE TARGET OF 4 PER CENT

he retail inflation of India may have softened in November 2020 from October but remained above 7 per cent, well above the RBI’s acceptable target of 4 per cent (+/-2). High food and fuel prices may have been the key factors behind the elevated inflation. For seven consecutive months, retail inflation has stayed above the central bank’s comfort zone of 2 per cent to 6 per cent. This kind of streak has not been seen in over six years and threatens to derail India’s economic recovery progress. If inflation levels remain elevated, it will hurt the country’s millions of poor households in the country. According to the economists polled, inflation is likely to have dropped to 7.10 per cent in November from October’s 7.61 per cent. If the prediction for November comes true, it will be the third straight month where inflation remained above 7 per cent. Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Care Ratings told the news agency that inflation in November is likely to be lower due to moderation in prices of vegetables and pulses. However, rising fuel prices could offset it.

An elevated inflation level could gradually become a concern for the government, as the central bank will not be able to ease rates any further. In its last monetary policy review, RBI had kept the key repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent while retaining its accommodative stance. The RBI had mentioned that inflation would remain elevated for some time before normalizing. However, persistent inflation during a recession could prove to be a major hurdle obstructing economic growth in the long run.

January 2021

DAWN

Business Outlook

JANUARY

THE WAY YEAR

2020

APPEARED FROM

SPACE

anuary witnessed unusually intense wildfires in Australia known as The Black Summer. An estimated 18.6 million hectares of trees were destroyed, causing an extreme wildlife crisis. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had to call off his visit to India because of the wildfire.

Let us imagine ourselves in a spaceship, circling around the earth for the entire year with no direct communication with the earth. We hardly think over the facts that can make a sense of what the year 2020 felt like back home. Using satellite imagery from space firm Maxar technologies, we try to show you how some of the major events of the year 2020 were spotted from space.

FEBRUARY

APRIL

nknown pneumonia in Wuhan, China, which started in December, last year, caught the eyes of satellites in February when China started building rapid makeshift hospitals. Here is a before and after imagery of Leishenshan emergency field hospital, which was built at a parking lot of the athletes' village in Wuhan.

4 W

hat was witnessed in March was just an indication of things to come. In April, more effects of intense lockdowns were visible from the space. In a first, Pope Francis live-streamed the Palm Sunday Mass in an empty St. Peter's, Basilica, during the pandemic. Here is a comparison of a usual Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican from an earlier year with this year's virtual mass.

MARCH

5 T

3 F

rom space, March looked like an unusually weird month on earth. Typically crowded public places started to shutdown fearing the spread of the virus and airlines suspended operations, grounding never seen before fleets of passenger aircraft all across the world. The devastating effects of the pandemic had expanded outside China. Iran was one of the first countries outside of China to suffer the virus. Satellite images showed newly dug mass graves and trenches in the city of Qom, amid the pandemic.

DAWN January 2021

MAY

he pandemic stopped almost everything, but the human resilience and the longing to touch the skies can never be stopped. In the month of May, The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard the NA SA Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center for the International Space Station.

Business Outlook

SEPTEMBER

JUNE

n June 15, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brutal hand to hand combat near Patrol Point 14, in the Galwan river valley in Ladakh. 20 Indian soldiers including an officer were martyred.

9 E

urope's largest migrant camp was destroyed by a fire that left nearly 13,000 people without shelter. The Moria camp in Greece was originally designed to accommodate only 3,000 people.

JULY

OCTOBER

nly six weeks after dealing with Hurricane Delta, the town of Cameron in Louisiana faced another Hurricane called Laura. The images showed the devastation caused by the two back to back Hurricanes. In the same month, a powerful earthquake rocked the Turkish city of Izmir causing even high-rise buildings to collapse.

7 I

mages of a giant mockup of a U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier near the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas were captured from space. Iran had created this dummy for the purpose of target practice during its naval wargames, however, the images suggest that the dummy aircraft career may have accidentally drowned during the exercise.

NOVEMBER

category five hurricane devastated Colombia's Caribbean island of Providencia.

AUGUST

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n 7 August 2020, an Air India Express Flight 1344, which was part of the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian nationals stranded due to the COVID-19 pandemic took off from Dubai. The aircraft skidded off the runway at the Calicut International Airport presumably due to heavy rain and tailwind. 19 passengers and both pilots lost their lives whereas four cabin crew members and 165 passengers survived. Another visible incident from the skies was the Beirut explosion on August 4 which involved a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port.

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recibo, one of the most powerful telescopes of the world that has survived many earthquakes and storms finally collapsed after a series of incidents earlier this year. The platform weighed 900 tons and had a 1000 ft wide radio dish.

January 2021

DAWN

Cover story

DAWN January 2021

Cover story

OD Desk

he world seems to be crumbling with a ton of burning issues and a gruesome pandemic. Global Warming and Climate Change problems are turning fiercer day by day and at times, the situation seems to be going out of hand. At around the same time, there are some people trying to bring a solution in this direction. Dr. Piyush Kumar Dwivedi is one such revolutionary.

about the options. He also knew that Auraiya is not his fortune maker so he moved out of the district in 1997 and came to Delhi.The results of his risk-taking and hard-working attitude encouraged him to take the next big step towards his dream. His wife, Sangeeta Dwivedi, with whom he has shared all the credit for his success, also inspired him to take the leap.

Chairman of NexGen Energia, Dr. Piyush Kumar Dwivedi with his entrepreneurial skills and commitment developed a unique business model to build a nationwide network of CBG production and distribution. The aim of this renewable energy movement of converting waste into wealth is to make an explicit contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals of the government such as Swachh Bharat, Make in India, and a self-sufficient India via Vocal for Local. By putting in more than 16 hours per day, Mr. Dwivedi takes great interest to improve the needs of consumers, increasing farmers’ income, generating employment, reducing pollution, promoting organic farming, and hosting other ideas that the company places it in a better league of enterprises.

Piyush used to be an average student in childhood. The success stories of business tycoons like Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, Ratan Tata used to be his guiding light. He loved reading the biographies of top businessmen. He used to get inspired by the fact that everyone has started from scratch and through hard work and dedication they have reached the pinnacle of success. He then used to wonder, if they can reach there, why not us? Also, his confidence in his own self and meeting people even in difficult times is another quality that he holds.

Dr. Piyush Kumar Dwivedi comes from a small town in Uttar Pradesh. He is one of the few people who have made their own way and reached the heights of success. Coming from Auraiya, a small district of Kanpur, Piyush wanted to get into business since childhood and wanted to make a special place for himself. His father late Mr. M.M. Dwivedi was a multitalented man. By profession he was a lecturer in a government school and also owned a bookstore. His father is his source of inspiration: he was hard working and was very strict. He used to get up at four o’clock in the morning to reach his workplace- a government school, and after school he used to run his bookshop. His sound technical knowledge of rious equipment was the talk of the town. His engineering skills were so famous that many times, engineers from abroad used to visit him in his village. Today, Piyush, who bears his father’s attitude of hard work, is managing many top-notch multinationals. After completing post-graduation in arts, he decided that he wanted to do business but he was unclear

The constant pursuit of learning new technology and business ideas is a factor in the development path of Piyush. “I try to attend every trade fair, seminar and exhibition around the world. When you go and participate in these fairs, you get to know about technological progress and new business endeavor,”he shares. Decoding the secret of his accomplishment, he confirms, “One must always be open to taking risks in life. I am a 200 per cent risk taker. Take new risks and be innovative in your business style. I give all my clients ensured benefits. Franchises offer attractive plans like buy-backs. Always try to think about what customers want from you and what difference you can make to your customers. Also, for any start-up, an employee is the main asset. In my company I select the best brains from other top companies and everyone makes goaloriented efforts without pressure.”

One must always be open to taking risks in life. I am a 200 per cent risk taker. Take new risks and be innovative in your business style. I give all my clients ensured benefits. Franchises offer attractive plans like buy-backs

Today, the Dwivedi couple is blessed with two children: son Aayush and daughter Aadrika. The family loves to go on vacation and their holidaying hotspot is Dubai. They also share a common liking for cars.

January 2021

DAWN

interview

THE CBG PLAN WILL PROVE TO BE MULTI BENEFICIAL DR. PIYUSH KUMAR DWIVEDI The world together is seeking new alternate sustainable resources in order to save our planet. Fortunately, Dr. Piyush Kumar Dwivedi, Chairman of NexGen Energia, is working towards one such project. He is all set to revolutionize the fuel world by bringing in CBG Production in India. Hariom Tyagi, Group Editor of Observer Dawn interviewed him in this regard. Here is an excerpt from the conversation.

DAWN January 2021

interview

Observer Dawn: You’re a personality that many people look up to in the current times. How was your early life and family background? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: My father was a multitalented man. By profession he was a lecturer in a government school. My father was a very hard working person. Seeking inspiration from him, I decided to start my own business. I started by stepping into the field of Plant machinery. We started providing plant machinery for top-notch brands of India. We used to install machineries of water treatment plants. Overtime, we installed over 1000 units of water treatment plants. Observer Dawn: How was your early childhood?

your question, I do not wish for a superhuman power anymore. Observer Dawn: After completing your higher studies, how did you start with your professional journey? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: My professional journey started from Kanpur. My first thought was to look up for a business idea. I researched a lot for this and finally started by setting up a water treatment plant. Setting up a water treatment plant basically involves mechanisms of water purification and its packaging as drinking water bottles. Observer Dawn: So what are the procedures and mechanisms involved with setting up a water treatment plant?

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: To be honest, I was a mischievous child during high school. I used to be very innovative with my pranks. I used to skip my exams during my half yearly examinations just for the sake of watching movies. My father used to scold me a lot as he was very strict. It is due to his reprimands that I finally started to mend my ways.

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: The setting up of a water treatment plant involves advanced automation machinery that processes with a speed of 20 thousand litres per hour. It also involves a lot of procedures like filling, capping and packaging.

Observer Dawn: During our childhood, we often wish for a special superpower. If granted, what superpower would you want to have today?

Observer Dawn: Recently, you were all over the media on account of your revolutionary steps towards green energy. What procedure does it entail and how is the common man going to be benefitted from these steps?

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: I always wished to make a unique identity of mine in the world and this wish of mine has come true to a certain extent. Overtime in my life, I’ve realised that if you truly wish for something, you end up getting it. It’s almost as if your dreams start manifesting as a reality. Hence, to answer

We are working towards Green Energy and we are the only ones who are bringing it in corporate culture in India. We are undertaking these steps in lieu of the Swachch Bharat Mission of the Government of India

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: We are working towards Green Energy and we are the only ones who are bringing it in corporate culture in India. We are undertaking these steps in lieu of the Swachch Bharat Mission of the Government of India. I would like to tell the readers that

Hariom Tyagi, Group Editor Observer Dawn is sitting with Dr. Piyush Kumar Dwivedi, Chairman of NexGen Energia while taking interview

January 2021

DAWN

interview

Initially we imported the CBG plants, but now we have decided to manufacture the plants in India from scratch which in turn will become a source of employment for many people. It will also promote the idea of Make in India

till now, there wasn’t an apt way to dispose of the heaps of garbage loitering around. Government of India introduced the Bio Fuel Policy (Jaiv Indhan Neeti) in 2018 which we are implementing in our progressions. To start with, we set up a Bio fuel plant and then process the garbage and other waste materials in order to produce a useful product called Compressed Bio Gas or CBG. It is an advance version of CNG which will be used as an automobile fuel in similar ways to CNG. We are going to set up about 40000 CBG Plants and CBG Pumps. The total cost of setting up the CBG Plants and Pumps will total up to about 9 lakh crores. We are working on the franchise model and currently signing up Pumps and Plants all over the country. About 1 lakh entrepreneurs and 40000 workers in every state will get employment opportunity via this project. This will also help to make India clean and provide a way to get rid of garbage economically. We plan to put the finishing touches in upcoming five years. The CBG Plan will prove to be multi beneficial. Observer Dawn: You’re working towards Swachch Bharat Mission and also involved with Make in India scheme. Where did you get the inspiration to work in the field of green energy from? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: When the Government of India introduced the policy of Local for Global, we started thinking in this direction during the lockdown. During this process, we came across the techniques that companies from Germany are utilizing for manufacturing Bio fuel. Seeking inspiration from them, we decided to bring this technique to India. Initially we imported the CBG plants, but now we have decided to manufacture the plants in India from scratch which in turn will become a source of employment for many people. It will also promote the idea of Make in India. Observer Dawn: You said that several entrepreneurs are going to get involved during the process. If someone wants to associate with you for this purpose, what steps should they follow? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: This is completely going to be based on Franchise model. The Investment in Pumps is going to be ranging from 1-1.5 crores. The ROI is about 15 Lakh per month. On the other hand setting up of a Plant will range from 5-25 crores. In this regard, Government of India will provide a subsidy of upto 10 crores. The plant will process about 250 tonnes of garbage daily. The final products are CBG and Organic Manure. The introduction of Organic Manure will further help in cutting down the usage of Chemical fertilisers during Farming, which in turn will cut down the chemical intake in form of food items. The Organic Manure will be available on meagre rates. The benefits to the entrepreneurs that want to associate

DAWN January 2021

interview

with this project include subsidy on rates, up to 5 years of relaxation from Income tax, and many more. For setting up a pump, the guidelines are similar as directed by Government of India. A land of 35 square metres would be required. Observer Dawn: How are you going to source garbage for this purpose? Is there any particular mechanism that you’re going to follow? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: The Government is currently spending a cost of INR 2/kg for disposal of garbage. We have addressed the state and central government to redirect the garbage to our plants to dispose it of in a more productive manner.

reality. Sometimes people don’t take steps towards their dreams because of unfavourable conditions, but all they need to do in times like those is to have a lot of patience, and take small steps. Observer Dawn: Recently, you’ve been felicitated with a doctorate degree. How do you feel about it? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: I’ve been felicitated for Business Management by an American University Global Council for Professional Education. I’m the only industrialist in Uttar Pradesh who was honoured with a doctorate degree. I secured this degree due to my works in the field of Green Energy. I feel honoured. Observer Dawn: What is your hobby?

Observer Dawn: Has any CBG plant been set up by your organisation yet? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: Our first plant has been set up in Ambala, Haryana. The production has also geared up. Our first pump would be set up in Gurugram, followed by Baghpat and Sonipat. The pumps are expected to become functional by March 2021. Observer Dawn: Your lifestyle is quite fast paced. Do you get any time for social welfare? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: From the beginning of my career, I’ve taken up professions that actually are meant for welfare of the society. If you think about it, coming up with a solution for garbage disposal and green energy simultaneously is also a kind of social welfare. I’m immensely proud of the works that I’ve taken up and I think I am doing my part for the world. Observer Dawn: Personally, how do you maintain a work life balance? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: First of all, work wise, we’ve a very sound system. I don’t nag my team members; only a few people coordinate with me on work issues and hence, even though we are working a lot, I don’t feel any pressure or stress. I give my family ample amount of time and enjoy quite a lot. Family means a lot to me, and that does not just mean my relatives. My family extends to my friends and people who constantly support me and have always been there for me.

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: I’ve a special place for cars in my heart. I own many branded cars like Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, but Mercedes is definitely my favourite. I love its comfort. I also am really passionate about movies of all kinds. Observer Dawn: What is the one thing that you absolutely hate? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: I hate lies. Sometimes in the professional world, people would lie to you just in order to get benefitted in some way or the other and I can’t stand that. I would rather hear an honest truth than hearing ear pleasing lies. Observer Dawn: In your current industry, there must be some changes that you would want to see. What steps should the government take in order to eliminate those problems? Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: We have been communicating and suggesting our points to the government throughout, and it’s good to see that many of the suggestions are being implemented. I would additionally request the government to offer the lands on lease for setting up CBG Plants, as it would be highly beneficial. If implemented properly, we can reduce import of fuels and gases which cost about 1.75 lakh crores per year.

Observer Dawn: What are your weaknesses as a person? Also tell us about your strengths.

Observer Dawn: You are working on one of its kind of project which will probably bring in a new kind of revolution and will inspire many young minds and they would love to connect with you. What would you like to tell them?

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: I’ve a weakness that I make immediate decisions without proper analysis of situation sometimes, which leads to a chaos. On the other hand, my biggest strength is my determination and strong will power. I strongly believe in the power of our thoughts and manifesting our visions into

Dr. Piyush Dwivedi: We are quite active on our social media handles where you can gain information and reach out to us. You can also download our app from play store and connect with us following simple steps. If you join us, you will ultimately contribute in the success of the nation.

January 2021

Our first plant has been set up in Ambala, Haryana. The production has also geared up. Our first pump would be set up in Gurugram, followed by Baghpat and Sonipat. The pumps are expected to become functional by March 2021

DAWN

Cover story

INDIA IS EXPERIENCING A FRESH WAVE OF GREEN ENERGY REVOLUTION

Green energy is a sustainable source that is not very harmful to both the environment and human health. In fact, green energy is generated from natural renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind, water, geology and plants.

ue to its pulsating and emergent economy, India accounts for a large amount of fuel consumption over the world. That makes it dependent on imports at very expensive costs that not only burdens the country’s finances, but also makes it vulnerable to unstable pricing and foreign exchange erosion. Apprehended by the fragile situation, the Government of India introduced Bio fuel Policy in the year 2018 with the purpose to identify and boost to infrastructure for manufacturing and distribution of clean green fuels like Green Diesel, CBG (compressed bio gas), bio coal, etc. CBG is an alternate of imported CNG. According to estimates, India has the potential to generate 62MMT of CBG per annum and to take advantage of this possibility, the Government has decided to offer subsidy of up to INR 10 Crores to entrepreneurs setting up CBG Production Units. Government has also given the directive to use bio-coal for co- burning with normal coal in thermal power projects etc., for which private entrepreneurship has been openly educed for meeting the sustainable energy goals of the country. NexGen Energia Ltd, accordingly started production of clean fuels like CBG and Green Diesel at multiple locations along with its franchise partners. Green energy is a sustainable source that is not very harmful to both the environment and human health. In fact, green energy is generated from natural renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind, water, geology and plants. At present, the cost of fuel is increasing due to the continuously increasing population of the world and parallel to this, there is a continuous

DAWN January 2021

decrease in the conventional fuel reserves. In such a situation, everyone has started searching for alternative sources of energy. Green energy with immense potential for the future is becoming a need today. In the last three decades, an immense amount of research and development has taken place in the field of green energy. The green technologies are coming out to reduce dependence on traditional energy sources like oil and natural gas. It is gradually becoming clear that green energy sources can prove to be a better alternative than fossil fuels. Guided by the passion to drive and innovate the future energy needs in an environmentally sustainable conduct, NexGen Energia Ltd, is the best one-stop destination for all the green alternate energy requirements with plans to become a global unit in the manufacturing and distribution of green energy for sustainable growth in the world. NexGen Energia is set to transform the rapidly increasing Indian energy demands with latest technology, experience and innovation by diversifying into CNG/ CBG Production, CBG Retail Outlets, Green Diesel Production, Green Diesel Retail Outlets, Bio Coal, EV Charging, etc. Green Diesel Production Plant is one of its kind technologies developed by NexGen Energia Ltd. It can produce high-quality green diesel which is mostly compatible with all types of automobile engines, reduces pollution, enhances engine life and efficiency thus making optimum utilization of all resources including vegetable oil, palm oil, soybean oil, used cooking oil, etc. This will create enormous opportunities

Cover story

ACHIEVEMENTS OF GREEN INDIA v Solar capacity increased in the last 5.5 years from around 2.6 GW to more than 34 GW v World’s largest renewable energy expansion programme 175 GW till 2022 v Renewable energy has a share of 23.39 per cent in the total installed generation capacity in the country i.e. 368.98 GW v India now at 5th global position for overall installed renewable energy capacity v Solar power tariff reduced by more than 75% using plug and play model v About 19 times higher solar pumps installed between 2014-19 | 2.25 lakh versus up to 2014 - 11,626 v Renewable energy installed capacity increased 226 per cent in last 5 years v Solar park scheme doubled from 20GW to 40GW v Record low solar tariff INR 2.44/unit achieved in Bhadla, Rajasthan v Highest ever wind capacity addition of 5.5 GW in 2016-2017

to penetrate into the diesel production industry. NexGen has developed a process which is efficient, economical, safe and simple. This diesel is perfect for corresponding industrial, transportation and other applications. The advantage of this plan is that the company will provide assistance and guidance at every step of the business. At present, India has formulated a detailed strategy for meaningful exploitation of green energy options in the name of renewable energy. It aims to establish a capacity of 175 GW by 2022, four times the current 46 GW. Indian scientists, policy makers and environmentalists are also busy devising new technologies and models of green energy. International collaborations are being exchanged to obtain reliable and cost-effective technology in solar, wind and hydropower systems and to develop and strengthen associated facilities

and capabilities. Government assistance of 210 billion rupees is planned to the solar panel manufacturing industry to increase India’s photovoltaic capacity. Under this scheme, India is committed to generate 40 percent of the total energy from green energy by 2030. With the expansion of wind and water energy from solar energy to seaside areas in the world, power generation from geothermal energy can meet the world’s maximum power needs. By adopting green energy, air pollution can be reduced significantly which in turn will improve the quality of the world environment. This requires immense use of green energy as well as strengthening of its storage capacity. For people to adopt green energy happily, it has to be connected emotionally and socially. To amplify their credibility, more control over green energy resources and better performance will have to be ensured.

January 2021

For people to adopt green energy happily, it has to be connected emotionally and socially. To amplify their credibility, more control over green energy resources and better performance will have to be ensured

DAWN

Opinion

FALSE COMMITMENT BY CITIZENS, MAJOR REASON BEHIND COVID CRISIS IN DELHI By Sidharth Mishra

Taking example of Delhi, the nation’s capital and also considered microsome of the country, the hospitals made hay as patients died in hundreds

s the country battles unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, a report submitted by a parliamentary panel has pointed that absence of adequate beds in government hospitals and absence of specific guidelines for COVID treatment resulted in private hospitals charging exorbitant fees. The panel, headed by senior parliamentarian Ram Gopal Yadav, has also asserted that a sustainable pricing model could have averted many deaths.

power, water and transport, will certainly be short on funds to add to social sector infrastructures like health and education. Despite the tall claims made about its education model, it fell like a pack of cards during the pandemic with a large number of teachers, both school and college, made to go without salaries. The much vouched Mohallah Clinics of Delhi, instead of providing succour in the time of the pandemic, proved to be super-spreaders of the virus. If the inadequacy of the government infrastructure needed any evidence, it was visible in the admission of city Health Minister Now what’s a sustainable pricing model? Taking example of Delhi, and Deputy Chief Minister in a private hospital, the nation’s capital and also considered microsome which made a killing profiteering on the misery of the country, the hospitals made hay as patients of the Covid-struck patients. The duplicity of the died in hundreds. Delhi in fact is third only to large Now Delhi finds government was also visible in a video message states of Maharashtra and Karnataka in the number itself in a too released by deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, of dead COVID positive patients. Its political where he claimed that he was under treatment leadership has repeatedly failed at rising to the non-enviable at government-run LNJP hospital, and soon challenge posed by the pandemic needing Central situation. It intervention for the second time within a period after shifted base to the corporate hospital in would actually of six months. South Delhi.

need great

The grim situation in the national Capital has been Now Delhi finds itself in a non-enviable situation. effort and best summarized in the orders passed by the It would actually need great effort and some some luck to Delhi High Court in the matter during the past luck to overcome the crisis. What can save the overcome the week, which mentioned, “the crematoriums are situation? First and foremost, the Ministers in the crisis overflowing and the funeral pyres are burning Delhi government should send the several media throughout the night.” Why did such a situation and publicity teams employed by them, over and arise? The answer to this also lies in the High above sanctioned in the statues, on leave and Court’s rap, which said, “While Delhi government Ministers were focus on the demands of the situation. Playing to gallery is proving giving press statements to the effect that third wave of COVID-19 to be catastrophic for the city, the need of hour is sincerity. The infections has reached its peak and the numbers are going down, government must realize that there is merit in what the High Court the same is not reflected in the daily figures and the status report is saying, the Ministers should save themselves from committing before the court”. The difference in the submissions made before perjury in public life. The good work done by them would get the court and the statements released by Ministers in public is reflected in the general upkeep of the city and good health of its for certain not inadvertent but a part of a well thought out media citizens without the need for a media blitzkrieg. And why worry policy to cover up for its failings. Now what are the failings? The about polls now; tax-payers money can be squandered on power answer has been given in the report of the parliamentary committee and water subsidies to buy votes all over again. mentioned above. A publicity driven government, strategizing its electoral campaigns through subsidy on public utility bills like (Courtesy: Capitalkhabar)

DAWN January 2021

Opinion

SAFFRON LEADERSHIP APPEARS TO BE DOMINATING OVER RULING TMC IN WEST BANGAL By Swati Chaturvedi, Senior Journalist

Suvendu Adhikari, saying “Forgive me, I would not be able to continue”

want to keep him so that such corruption does not become ardly, we see any WhatsApp message showing upset, public public”. Unlike Mukul Roy, who Amit Shah poached before the loss of temper and embarrassment as the one reportedly last election, Adhikari is a popular grassroots leader with an iron sent a night. The message was shared by a Trinamool fist control over the Haldia region. Adhikari could deliver both leader, Suvendu Adhikari, saying “Forgive me, I would not be able money and muscle power for Mamata Banerjee. Significantly, like to continue”. The recipient was reportedly Saugata Roy, an MP and Roy, Adhikari also has Enforcement Directorate cases against senior leader of Mamata Banerjee’s party. The WhatsApp dropped a him. Trinamool leaders attribute his imminent defection to the day after a high-level meeting between Adhikari, Abhishek Banerjee pressure from investigative agencies that is now who is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata part of the oeuvre of the BJP. But the expanding Banerjee, election strategist Prashant Kishor who prominence allowed to Kishor by Mamata Sourav is working with the Trinamool for next year’s Banerjee and his big upping of himself at the cost election and Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Trinamool Ganguly, the of Trinamool leaders has also upset the party core. leader. After the two-hour meet, the Trinamool former Indian It was Abhishek Banerjee who introduced PK to claimed that Adhikari, who resigned from the cricket team his aunt. Now, the men reportedly take all the big cabinet a week ago, would not in fact be following captain and decisions that Mamata Banerjee doesn’t. I reached that up by quitting the party and, by implication, currently the out to Prashant Kishor for a reaction but he refused move to the BJP. Adhikari was upset that while chief of the to comment. With the Bengal elections just months none of his issues with the TMC were addressed powerful Board away, the BJP’s formidable electoral war juggernaut in the two-hour meeting, the media was briefed of Control is set to roll. For “Mission Bengal”, the party has with an all-is-well spiel. Adhikari is a popular leader, for Cricket in formed an 11-member core team, including the one with a huge base in Purba Medinipur district. India tops Amit chief of the infamous IT cell, Amit Malviya. Shah His father is Sisir Adhikari, former Union Minister Shah’s wish list has asked that the constituencies be divided into of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan five zones, each under the charge of a central party Singh government. When Mamata Banerjee staged secretary. The final calls will be taken by him. And her famous protest against the Tata Nano factory in 2006, alleging it was gypping farmers off their land and rights, he is busy trying to finalize a chief ministerial face. Sourav Ganguly, he was a key accomplice, mobilizing Nandigram for his boss. His the former Indian cricket team captain and currently the chief of dissatisfaction with Mamata Banerjee began a year ago over sidelining the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), tops Amit Shah’s wish list. him and allowing the influence of her nephew and PK to grow. Adhikari has for a while been talking sotto voce about his discomfiture with Abhishek Banerjee’s role transitioning from enlarged to outsize for this election. The 49-year-old is also allegedly upset with the bulk influence of Prashant Kishor on Mamata Banerjee. A source close to Adhikari told me “Dada will go public on December 6, 2020. He has been very upset that Didi now only listens to her nephew and PK. Why should that man run our election campaign? Have we forgotten how to fight? Didi is showing her fear of the BJP by getting a Modi agent into the Trinamool”. Adhikari, now apparently determined to consummate the option of quitting the Trinamool, yields a bonanza for the BJP. Kailash Vijayvargiya, the party leader in charge of the Bengal elections said “Adhikari has raised his voice on the corruption in the Trinamool leadership including “bhaipo” (nephew). Now they

Among Ganguly’s colleagues at the BCCI is Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, who serves as Treasurer. Ganguly has had several one-on-one meetings with Shah, the most recent just weeks ago; he has not quite said yes but, more significantly, not said a definitive no either. Shah does have a few niggling issue to work out - because he has ensured an open door for all leaders to join, the party is faction-riven as a result. The old Sangh guard can’t stand the newbie Trinamool entrants led by erstwhile Banerjee lieutenant Mukul Roy. None of the local leaders or Delhi imports like singer Babul Supriyo quite makes the cut. The departure of leaders like Adhikari portrays Mamata Banerjee as a leader struggling to keep her flock together, unable to ward off the allure for her party members of the BJP. But if there is one thing she is known for, it is as a fighter.

January 2021

DAWN

Opinion

WHETHER THE

GANDHIS SHOULD GO NOW! By Ramachandra Guha

n a recent headline, the Hindustan Times has summed up all that is wrong with the Congress Party in present context. It also included some facts about its present leadership. The party cannot present an effective or credible alternative to the saffron Party. The headline reads – Sonia Gandhi not to celebrate her birthday in view of farmers’ protests, COVID-19. The vanity and self-regard in this public pronouncement was staggering, if entirely characteristic. Do the Gandhis think they are akin to royalty, so that the cancellation of one of their birthday parties becomes a mark of identification with their suffering subjects? Consider these facts. The three most important individuals in the Bharatiya Janata Party are named Modi, Shah, and Nadda. They are unrelated to one another. They grew up and continue to live in three different households. None had a family member who was previously in state or national politics. In professional terms, Modi, Shah and Nadda are all wholly self-made. They have got to where they are through their own efforts. The three most important individuals in the Congress Party are named Gandhi, Gandhi, and Gandhi. They are all part of the same nuclear family - one is the mother of the other two.

All entered politics because another person in their family had occupied a position of power which was sought to be passed on to them

For much or most of their lives they have lived under the same roof. All entered politics because another person in their family had occupied a position of power which was sought to be passed on to them. In professional terms, Gandhi, Gandhi and Gandhi are all entitled and privileged. They are where they are because of their surname. Modi, Shah and Nadda are united by a shared political ideology, that of Hindutva. Their commitment to their party and ideology transcends personal or familial interest. It animates them to work

DAWN January 2021

hard, so as to win and consolidate power, so as to enable the construction of a theocratic state run in the interests of Hindus alone. On the other hand, it is hard to see any sort of common ideological thread uniting the political careers of Gandhi, Gandhi and Gandhi. Sonia and Rahul claim to be principled secularists one day and promote soft Hindutva the next. They take credit for the free-market reforms promoted by past Congress governments one day but pour scorn on entrepreneurs the next.

In her brief spell in politics, Priyanka has not revealed her views on major policy questions. Perhaps all that unites the family is their shared belief that they have a divine right to run the Congress Party. The top leadership of the BJP differs from the top leadership of the Congress in three fundamental ways. First, they are self-made. Second, they have an ideology beyond family privilege that animates them. Third, they work incredibly hard. Midway through the recent election campaign in Bihar, Rahul Gandhi left to take a holiday in Himachal

Opinion

for photo-ops prompts extravagant praise by their supporters on social media, although these photo-ops are rarely followed through. When she was stopped on the road to Hathras, her fans immediately saw in Priyanka Gandhi a Chief Ministerial alternative to Adityanath, such talk subsiding after the Congress’s pathetic show in the UP by-elections. There is a final reason that the association of the Congress with this crop of Gandhis works to the advantage of the BJP. So long as descendants of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi lead the principal Opposition party, the ruling regime can deflect criticisms of its policies in the present by pointing to the mistakes of Congress governments in the past. Thus, the Modi Government’s attacks on the press and their subordination of the judiciary shall be answered with whatboutery about Indira’s Emergency, their capitulation at the hands of the Chinese with whataboutery about Nehru and 1962. Altogether, it suits Modi, Shah, and Nadda very well indeed to have a Gandhi, another Gandhi, and yet another Gandhi as the three main leaders of the Congress Party.

In professional terms, Gandhi, Gandhi and Gandhi are all entitled and privileged.

Pradesh, prompting a senior leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal to remark, “Elections were in full swing here and Rahul Gandhi was having a picnic at Priyanka-ji’s house in Shimla. Is the party run like that? Allegations can be levelled that the manner in which Congress party is being run, it is benefitting BJP”.

Some students of Indian politics who are not themselves Modi bhakts have come to see the Prime Minister as unstoppable. I do not share their sense of resignation. Modi is not invincible, no more so than Indira Gandhi was in the high noon of her power in the early 1970s. Consider last month’s Bihar elections. Despite the NDA’s overwhelming superiority in terms of money and organization, their control of the media and of the apparatus of state power, the ruling alliance only narrowly squeaked through. The vulnerability of the ruling regime lies in their incompetence as administrators. Masters in political propaganda and organization, they are nonetheless absolute novices at managing the economy. And while Modi may still be popular at home, he is disliked by our neighbors and distrusted by the world at large.

More recently, an even older ally of the Congress, Sharad Pawar of the NCP, has also called into question Rahul Gandhi’s capacity for leadership. After the NDA won the Bihar elections, rather than rest on his laurels, the BJP President, JP Nadda, immediately announced that he would undertake a The original hundred-day yatra to strengthen the party in areas Congress led where it was perceived to be weak. He thought the freedom that notwithstanding the BJP’s control of the centre and of most states in the North and West, it struggle, had to increase its footprint in the South and East. and after

The economy was in decline even before the pandemic hit; a full-blown recovery after it ends is impossible, precluded by the inwardness of the government’s policies and its bending of rules to favor its favorite crony capitalists. How long will the regime succeed in diverting and distracting farmers, workers, artisans, the youth and the unemployed by stigmatizing Muslims and by Independence, However, while victory encouraged Nadda to bringing in laws prohibiting cow-slaughter and helped build take to the road and work even harder, defeat inter-faith marriages? The future of our Republic the basis of encouraged Rahul Gandhi to take refuge in his may hang on the answer to this question. For, a democratic favoured and, for the most part, only theatre of the incompetence and nepotism of the present political activity-namely, Twitter. While this writer leadership of the Congress has indubitably helped and secular is a critic of the Congress in its present avatar, he the BJP to further their grip on power. The Republic is an even greater critic of the BJP. If he does owe persistence of the Gandhis at the head of India’s allegiance to a political party, it is to the Congress principal opposition party makes it much easier for of Mahatma Gandhi, a party to which the Congress of the faux the ruling regime to divert public attention from the government’s Gandhis bears absolutely no resemblance. The original Congress own errors and crimes. Had the Congress a more focused and led the freedom struggle, and after Independence, helped build the energetic leadership, as well as a less entitled one, such distraction basis of a democratic and secular Republic. Hindutva as represented would become much harder. by Modi and Shah threatens to extinguish that Republic entirely. However, the costs of Hindutva will not be restricted to the social There are still three years for the next general election, time enough and political realm alone. for the Congress to rebuild them under a new leadership as well as forge alliances with other opposition parties. In the interests of For, apart from undermining independent institutions and their party, and of their country, the Gandhis should go now - go not persecuting minorities, the Modi Government has run the economy merely from the top leadership of the Congress, but from the party into the ground as well as lowered India’s standing in the world. And entirely. For, if they stay, they shall represent an alternate centre of yet, despite all its manifest failures, the Modi-Shah regime shall be authority, serving only to fuel intrigues and dissension. Whether or difficult to dislodge electorally, at least so long as the Gandhis lead not Sonia Gandhi celebrates her birthday this year will not affect the principal Opposition party. the nation’s future. The sacrifice she should make is to retreat from politics, and take her children with her. For, apart from being entitled and ideologically confused, the family that heads the Congress is incapable of working hard. Sonia Gandhi (The writer, Ramachandra Guha, once was, but with age and ill-health, she has lost that capacity. is a Bengaluru based historian. The views are personal) Her children never had it in the first place. Their episodic search

January 2021

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In-Depth

NEW VIRUS FIGURES CONFIRMED IN TURKEY

s soon as Turkey changed the way it had reported daily on COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties suspected for long — that the country had been facing an alarming surge of cases that exhausted the Turkish health system very fast. President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government resumed the reports of all positive coronavirus tests. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit. It all surfaced as no surprise to the Turkish Medical Association, which had been warning for months that the government’s previous figures were concealing the graveness of the spread and that the lack of transparency was contributing to the surge. No country can report exact numbers on the spread of the disease since many asymptomatic cases go undetected, but the previous way of counting made Turkey look relatively well-off in international comparisons, with daily new cases far below those reported in European countries including Italy, Britain and France. That changed as Turkey’s daily caseload almost quadrupled from about 7,400 to 28,300. The country’s hospitals are overstretched, medical staffs are burned out and contract tracers, who were once credited for keeping the outbreak under check, are struggling to track transmissions, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, who heads the association, said.

numbers, reaching 13,373 with 182 new deaths, in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. But those record numbers remain disputed too.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said 186 people “It’s the perfect storm”, said Fincanci, whose had died of infectious diseases in the city on “We can group has come under attack from Erdogan and his November 22, 2020. The mayor also said around only beat nationalist allies for questioning the government’s 450 burials are taking place daily in the city of the outbreak figures and its response to the outbreak. Even 15 million compared with the average 180-200 through a though the health minister has put the ICU bed recorded in November the previous year. “We process that is occupancy rate at 70 per cent, Ebru Kiraner, who can only beat the outbreak through a process heads the Istanbul-based Intensive Care Nurses’ that is transparent”, said Imamoglu, who is transparent”, Association, says intensive care unit beds in from Turkey’s main opposition party. Russia and said Imamoglu, Istanbul’s hospitals are almost full, with doctors Germany have announced a high death toll. Health who is from scrambling to find room for critically ill patients. Minister, Fahrettin Koca, has rejected Imamoglu’s Turkey’s main There is a shortage of nurses and the existing claims saying, “I want to underline that all of the opposition nursing staff is exhausted, she added. “ICU nurses figures I am providing are accurate”. Recently, party have not been able to return to their normal lives Erdogan announced a series of restrictions in a since March”, she said. Erdogan said, however, bid to contain the contagion without impacting there was “no problem” concerning the hospitals' the already weakened economy or business capacities. He blamed the surge on the public’s failure to wear activity. Opposition parties denounced them as “half-baked”. He masks, which are mandatory, and to abide by social distancing rules. introduced curfews for the first time since June, but limited them to weekend evenings, closed down restaurants and cafes except for Demonstrating the seriousness of the outbreak, Turkey last takeout services and restricted the opening hours of malls, shops and hairdressers. month suspended leave for health care workers and temporarily banned resignations and early retirements during the pandemic. Both Fincanci and Kiraner said the measures don’t go far enough to Similar bans were also put in place for three months in March. The contain transmissions. “We need a total lockdown of at least two official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record weeks, if not four weeks which science considers to be the most ideal amount”, said Fincanci. Koca has said that the number of seriously ill patients and fatalities is on the rise and said some cities including Istanbul and Izmir are experiencing their “third peak”. Turkey would wait, however, for two weeks to see the results of the weekend curfews and other restrictions before considering stricter lockdowns. Meanwhile, the country reached an agreement to receive 50 million doses of the vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company SinoVac and hopes to begin administering it to medical staff and the chronically ill next month. It is also in talks to purchase the vaccine developed by Pfizer in cooperation with the BioNTech pharmaceutical company. A Turkish-developed vaccine is scheduled to be ready to use in April.

DAWN January 2021

In-Depth

GREENHOUSE EMISSION GOES DOWN BY 24 PER CENT IN EU

The leaders discussed the offer last month but could not immediately agree on an updated goal as reducing emissions by another 30 per cent within the next decade poses a big challenge to many EU countries.

he greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union have by at least 55 per cent compared to 1990 levels. The leaders been reduced by almost 24 per cent compared to 1990 levels, discussed the offer last month but could not immediately agree according to the bloc’s annual climate report. However the on an updated goal as reducing emissions by another 30 per cent EU says that it still needs to intensify efforts to keep to its target of within the next decade poses a big challenge to many EU countries. making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by mid-century. They will try to find a consensus during a December summit ahead Executive arm of the European Union has on December 1, 2020 of the adoption of the first-ever European climate law. Under the said that emissions in the 27-nation bloc have 2015 Paris climate change agreement, countries decreased by 3.7 per cent in 2019 compared to are due to submit updated climate targets by the the previous year, while gross domestic product end of this year. World leaders agreed five years Under the rose 1.5 per cent over the same period. Due to ago in Paris to keep the global warming increase to 2015 Paris the coronavirus pandemic, the commission expects below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), climate change “an unprecedented fall in emissions” in 2020, along and ideally no more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 F) by the lines of 8 per cent. In a report prepared by the the end of the century. Scientists say countries will agreement, commission, it has been said, “As experienced in miss both of those goals by a wide margin unless countries are the past, a swift economic recovery may lead to drastic steps are taken to begin cutting greenhouse due to submit a strong and rapid rebound in emissions, unless gas emissions. updated policy gears its stimulus measures toward the green transition”. The EU Commission, President Ursula In its report, the commission said emissions climate targets Von der Leyen, who recently celebrated his one covered by the Emissions Trading System — a by the end of year in the office, has made the fight against global cap-and-trade scheme for industries to buy carbon this year warming as the priority of her term. In the EU’s credits covering about 40 per cent of the EU’s coronavirus recovery strategy, the commission greenhouse gas emissions — saw the biggest has pledged to stay away from fossil-fuel projects. drop in 2019, falling by 9.1 per cent, or about 152 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. The commission “The European Union is proving it is possible to reduce emissions said, “This drop was driven mainly by the power sector, where and grow your economy”, said Frans Timmermans, the commission emissions fell by almost 15 per cent, primarily due to coal-fired vice-president in charge of the European Green Deal. However, electricity production being replaced by electricity production from today’s report again confirms we need to step up our efforts renewable and gas”. Greenhouse gas emissions in the European across all sectors of the economy to reach our common goal of Union have been reduced by 24 per cent compared to 1990 levels, climate neutrality by 2050. In order to accelerate the transition, the according to the bloc’s annual climate report. The EU had on commission has also proposed that member states raise their climate November 30, 2020 said that it needed to intensify the efforts to ambitions above the existing target of a 40 per cent reduction in make its target of making Europe the first climate neutral continent emissions by 2030, proposing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.

January 2021

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In-Depth

PFIZER, AN AUTHORIZED COVID-19 VACCINE DURING EMERGENCY IN UK

rugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech have said that they have got permission for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world’s first coronavirus shot that was backed by rigorous science. This is being termed as a major step towards eventually ending the pandemic.

at ultra-cold temperatures. Two doses three weeks apart are required for protection. The U.K. government says frontline health care workers and nursing home residents will be first in line to get vaccinated, followed by older adults. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that even once the vaccine begins to be used it would first navigate a hard winter of restrictions.

The move allows Britain to become one of the first countries Every country has different rules for determining when an to begin vaccinating its population as it tries to curb Europe’s experimental vaccine is safe and effective enough to use. Intense deadliest outbreak. The Department of Health and Social Care, in political pressure to be the first to roll out a rigorously scientifically a statement, said, “The vaccine will be made available across the tested shot colored the race in the U.S. and U.K. from next week”. The National Health Service has decades of experience in delivering large scale Britain, even as researchers pledged to cut no vaccination programs and will begin putting their corners. In contrast, China and Russia have offered In the United extensive preparations into action to provide care different vaccinations to their citizens ahead of States and the and support to all those eligible for vaccination. late-stage testing. The shots made by U.S.-based Other countries are not far behind. Regulators in Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech were European Union the United States and the European Union also are tested in tens of thousands of people. And while also are vetting vetting the Pfizer shot along with a similar vaccine that study isn’t complete, early results suggest the the Pfizer shot made by competitor Moderna Inc. vaccine is 95 per cent effective at preventing mild along with to severe COVID-19 disease. The companies told British regulators also are considering another shot regulators that of the first 170 infections detected a similar made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The in study volunteers, only eight were among people vaccine made media have reported that hospitals in England have who’d received the actual vaccine and the rest had by competitor been told to get ready to start doing vaccinations gotten a dummy shot. for medical workers as early as next week. Pfizer Moderna Inc. said it would immediately begin shipping limited Dr Ugur Sahin said, “This is an extraordinarily supplies to the U.K. — and has been gearing up strong protection”. BioNTech’s CEO, recently for even wider distribution if given a similar nod by the U.S. Food told The Associated Press. The companies also reported no and Drug Administration. But doses everywhere are scarce, and serious side effects, although vaccine recipients may experience initial supplies will be rationed until more is manufactured in the temporary pain and flu-like reactions immediately after injections. first several months of next year. The CEO, Pfizer, Albert Bourla, But experts caution that a vaccine cleared for emergency use called the UK decision a historic moment. is still experimental, and the final testing must be completed. Still to be determined is whether the Pfizer-BioNTech shots Bourla said, “We are focusing on moving with the same level of protect against people spreading the coronavirus without showing urgency to safely supply a high-quality vaccine around the world”. symptoms. Another question is how long protection lasts. The While the U.K. has ordered enough Pfizer vaccine for 20 million vaccine also has been tested in only a small number of children, people, it’s not clear how many will arrive by year’s end. Adding none younger than 12, and there’s no information on its effects to the distribution challenges, the Pfizer vaccine must be stored in pregnant women.

DAWN January 2021

In-Depth

“We have had to suffer under five years of horror, plots, conspiracies and failure”, said Maduro

MADURO STEPS-UP TO TIGHTEN HIS GRIP OF MASSES

s the political contenders of President Nicolás Maduro boycott recent election for the National Assembly, his socialist party is expected to dominate the vote. The situation however offered him a control of the last major institution in Venezuela outside his grasp.

across Venezuela and won support from dozens of nations. The Trump administration took the lead by hitting Maduro with punishing sanctions, targeting the state-run oil firm PDVSA and cutting him off from billions of dollars annually. The U.S. Justice Department also indicted Maduro as a ‘Narcoterrorist’ offering a USD 15 million reward for his arrest. But he remains in power with backing from Venezuela’s military and international support from nations like Iran, Russia, China and Cuba. Maduro’s domestic allies also control the Supreme Court, prosecutor’s office and elections commission.

The opposition contends the election is rigged and has called its own referendum to counter it. Both votes are playing out in the waning days of the Trump administration, which leaves office with Maduro firmly, entrenched despite its efforts to bring about his departure through diplomacy and sanctions. By taking over the Maduro has campaigned for his party’s congressional candidates National Assembly, some experts say Maduro’s United Socialist including his son and wife, promising to finally silence the right-wing Party of Venezuela will effectively smother the last remnants opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent protests. Ahead of democracy in the country. Michael Shifter, of the election, state TV has broadcast video of president of the Washington-based Inter-American large campaign rallies with cheering crowds led by Dialogue said, “Everything indicates that he will Maduro and his political allies, despite polls showing “We have had achieve what he has always sought, which is to he is widely unpopular. to suffer under have total, authoritarian, hegemonic control of all five years of the country’s institutions”. “We have had to suffer under five years of horror, horror, plots, plots, conspiracies and failure”, said Maduro. He expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who People are aware that it was a mistake to elect the conspiracies and has not hesitated in calling Maduro a dictator opposition. International bodies like the European failure”, said to maintain a tough position against the South Union have refused to send observers to recent Maduro. People American leader, and even refine the strategy election. Guaidó’s once-high approval has fallen are aware that further, such as taking steps to work more closely since early last year as Venezuelans grow frustrated it was a mistake with European allies. Once an oil-producing that the opposition hasn’t been able to topple to elect the powerhouse, Venezuela has been embroiled for Maduro and restore stability. Rejecting Sunday’s years in a deepening political and economic crisis. vote, the opposition will instead hold a referendum opposition. More than 5 million people have fled the country asking Venezuelans a series of questions to gauge in recent years, the world’s largest migration support for ending Maduro’s rule, holding new after war-torn Syria. The International Monetary Fund projects a elections and seeking international help in solving Venezuela’s crisis. The referendum is being held over several days immediately 25 per cent decline this year in Venezuela’s GDP, while hyperinflation following the congressional election. diminishes the value of its currency, the bolivar. Maduro, the hand-picked successor to the late President Hugo Chávez, won a second term in 2018. But Washington and several nations accused him of fixing the outcome by banning his most popular opponents from challenging him. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó, 37, rose to head the National Assembly in early 2019, declaring presidential powers and vowing to oust the 58-year-old Maduro. The dramatic move sparked massive street demonstrations

Venezuelans can register their votes digitally and in person in cities across Venezuela and abroad. Civil organizations are organizing it without any independent audit or observation. Guaido is banned from television and radio broadcasts in Venezuela. Instead, he has appeared in public by talking with people waiting in long lines to buy gas, or speaking to representatives of a teachers’ union. He urged them to take part in the referendum.

January 2021

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Contributing to ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT PBD Convention 2021

he Union Government has planned to observe this Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) with an ambition to make every Indian self reliant. As such, the theme of PBD 2021 has been chosen as – ‘Contributing to Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas – 2021 Convention, scheduled to be held in virtual format on January 9, 2021. The website for the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas – 2021 will be launched by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan marking the commencement of online registration for participation in the convention, the MEA said in a statement.

to engage and connect with the overseas Diaspora. The theme of PBD 2021 is "Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. In run up to the 16th PBD Convention, five PBD Conferences are being held virtually in 2020-2021. These are – (i) "Role of Diaspora in Promotion of Indian Culture” on 09 December 2020 from 12:00 -14:00 IST and 19:30-21:30 IST, (ii) "Dialogue with

In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 16th PBD Convention will be held in virtual format on January 9, 2021. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India and provides an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas Diaspora. The theme of PBD 2021 is “Contributing to Atmanirbhar Bharat”. On the forenoon of January 9, Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, the MEA said. The winners of ‘Bharat ko Janiye Quiz’ will also be announced in the inaugural session.

Diaspora Business Leaders & CEOs – Targeting USD On the forenoon The PBD Convention 5 Trillion Aatmanirbhar of January 9, will include two Plenary Bharat Economy by Sessions - ‘Role of boosting MSMEs” on 10 Prime Minister Diaspora in Atmanirbhar December 2020 from Modi will Bharat’ and ‘Facing 17:30 -19:30 IST, (iii) Post Covid Challenges"Regional PBD – GCCinaugurate Scenario in Health, India Pravasi Bharatiya the Pravasi Economy, Social and Divas Conference” on Bharatiya Divas International Relations’. 11 December 2020 from The website for the 16th 11:30 -13:30 IST and 15:30Convention, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 17:30 IST, (iv) The Forging MEA said 2021 was inaugurated by Media & Entertainment the Hon’ble Minister of Partnership to showcase State for External Affairs, India at 75 on 21 December Shri. V. Muraleedharan on 08 December 2020 at 16:00 – 18:00 IST, (v) Youth PBD 2020, launching the commencement of Conference on "Bringing together India’s online registration for participation in the Young Achievers and Diaspora Young Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2021. Achievers from different walks of life” on 08 January 2021 in collaboration with Ministry In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, of Youth Affairs and Sports. the 16th PBD Convention, 2021 will be held in virtual format on January 9, 2021. On the forenoon of 09 January, 2021, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will the flagship event of the Government of inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas India and provides an important platform Convention. The winners of Bharat ko

DAWN January 2021

Janiye Quiz will also be announced in the Inaugural Session. The PBD Convention will include two Plenary Sessions - (i) Role of Diaspora in Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and (ii) "Facing Post COVID – 19 Challenges - Scenario in Health, Economy, Social and International Relations”. This will be followed by the Valedictory Session where the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards will be announced to honour eminent overseas Indians for their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad. President of India, Ramnath Kovind, would participate in delivering the Valedictory address to the Diaspora. The PBD convention as well as the preceding PBD Conferences will be streamed live across Ministry ’s virtual platforms to enable every Indian and Diaspora member to engage and participate in the PBD Celebrations.

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DIASPORA TO PLAY VITAL ROLE IN PROMOTING INDIAN CULTURE THROUGH PBD –2021

he Ministry of External Affairs has entrusted the responsibility to Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) for organizing the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) Conference on "Role of Diaspora in Promotion of Indian Culture Abroad” in collaboration with the Diaspora Research and Resource Centre (Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad) on 9 December 2020 in virtual mode. The Conference will be held in two zones namely Eastern Region (Africa, South, South East Asia & Far East) from 1200 hrs to 1400 hrs (Indian ST) and Western Region (Europe, Americas and the Caribbean) from 1930 hrs to 21.30 hrs(Indian ST). It will aim at creating cultural bonds and an ecosystem for cultural propagation among the Diaspora. Indian Diaspora and various Diasporas organizations have played a very important role in spreading Indian culture in different parts of the world. This conference would bring together eminent Diaspora personalities and associations involved in propagation of Indian culture to discuss innovative ways of leveraging the Diaspora to enhance India’s soft power. Our partnership with Indian Diaspora for cultural preservation and promotion has worked very well. Building on this strength, it is high time to explore the new ways of enhancing the Diaspora’s role in further deepening and expanding the Indian culture abroad and also establish a better connect with the millennial. Indian Diaspora represents valuable bridges of goodwill for strengthening the Indian connect with the world, as full partners in the process of growth and development for wider well-being and prosperity. With its civilization values of peace, plurality and universal fraternity in the true spirit of

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India has traditionally been a pivot of soft power exercise for promoting global peace and progress, and the Diaspora has played that role to its true meaning. The Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan will be the Chief Guest at the Conference and address the Inaugural Session while Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, ICCR will deliver Welcome Address.

Indian Diaspora and various Diasporas organizations have played a very important role in spreading Indian culture in different parts of the world

The virtual conference will have eminent speakers from more than 15 countries from all over the world along with speakers from India who will share their experiences and suggest ways and Indian Diaspora and various Diasporas organizations have played a very important role in spreading Indian culture in different parts of the world

means to (i) promote Indian culture abroad and role of Diaspora (ii) improving cultural exchanges between India and other countries (iii) projection of India’s soft power abroad and (iv) engaging the youth.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

The highest honor conferred on overseas Indian is the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA)’. It is conferred by the President of India as a part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conventions organized annually, since 2003 on a Non-Resident Indian, Person of Indian Origin or an organization or institution established and run by the Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin, who has made significant contribution in any one of the following fields: Better understanding abroad of India, Support to India’s causes and concerns in a tangible way, Building closer links between India, the overseas Indian community and their country of residence, Social and humanitarian causes in India or abroad, Welfare o f t h e l o c a l I n d i a n c o m m u n i t y, Philanthropic and charitable work, Eminence in one’s field or outstanding work, which has enhanced India’s prestige in the country of residence or Eminence in skills which has enhanced India’s prestige in that country.

January 2021

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he environmental pollution, directly and indirectly, affects the quality of life more than one can imagine. All this is mainly caused by human activities which harm the environment in ways more than one. Nowadays pollution prevention is a major global concern because everyone on the earth is entitled to clean air to breathe, water to drink, and to enjoy public lands.

POLLUTIONS THE BIGGEST DRAWBACKS

HUMAN ANIMALS By Pravin Kumar Mishra

Wangari Maathai once said, "If we heal the earth, we heal ourselves." Thus, to spread awareness on managing and controlling industrial disasters and to prevent the pollution produced by industrial processes or human negligence every year National Pollution Control Day is observed. Every year December 2 is observed as National Pollution Control Day every year in India. The day is observed in the memory of those who have lost their lives in the Bhopal Gas tragedy on the night of December 2nd and 3rd, 1984. Many people died due to poisonous gas Methyl Isocyanate also known as MIC. Bhopal Gas Tragedy is considered as one of the biggest industrial pollution disasters. According to the National Health Portal of India, every year around 7 million people globally die due to air pollution, 4 million of whom die from indoor air pollution. The pollution level is so high that nine of ten people globally do not have access to safe air. Notably, the pollutants present in the air are so tiny that it can pass through mucus membrane and other protective barriers to damage the lungs, heart, and brain. It is the air pollution that is responsible for the damage of the ozone layer and climate change. However, to mark this day here are some quotes that you can share with your friends and family and inspire them to fight against pollution. You can even share these quotes social media platforms like: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp status, LiknkedIn stories and others. Various experts, laureates and analysts across the world have put forth their views. Few of these are as follows: The great laureate, Al Gore once said, "Today we're dumping 70 million

MANY PEOPLE DIED DUE TO POISONOUS GAS 36

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“The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future”.

tons of global-warming pollution into the Rules of 2000, Noise Pollution (Regulation environment, and tomorrow we will dump and Control) Rules of 2000, Municipal more, and there is no effective worldwide Solid Waste (Management & Handling) response. Until we start sharply reducing Rules of 2000, Batteries (Management global-warming pollution, I will feel that I and Handling) Rules of 2001, Environment have failed”. Another expert, Marya Mannes Impact Assessment Notification of 2006, said, “The earth we abuse and the living The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, things we kill will, in the end, take their Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, revenge; for in exploiting their presence Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management we are diminishing our future”. Water and and Transboundary Movement) Rules, air, the two essential fluids on 2016, Bio-Medical which all life depends, have Waste Management The great become global garbage cans Rules, 2016, Plastic laureate, Al Gore -Jacques Yves Cousteau. Waste Management once said, "Today Rules, 2016, E-Waste (Management) Rules, Important methods to check we're dumping 2016, Construction air pollutions or other form 70 million tons of and Demolition Waste of pollutions were accepted global-warming Management Rules, under following acts. These pollution into 2016. are: Water (Prevention and the environment, Control of Pollution) Act of and tomorrow 1974, Water (Prevention and In 1974, the Central Control of Pollution) Cess Pollution Control Board we will dump Act of 1977, Air (Prevention (CPCB) was constituted more and Control of Pollution) in under the Water Act of 1981, Environment (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Further, CPCB was (Protection) Act of 1986, Environment (Protection) Rules of 1986, Manufacture, entrusted with the powers and functions Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical under the Air (Prevention and Control of Rules of 1989, Manufacture, Storage, Pollution) Act, 1981. It provides technical Import, Export & Storage of Hazardous guidance to the Ministry of Environment, Micro- Organisms Genetically Engineered Forests & Climate Change, Government Organisms or Cells Rules of 1989, of India. Chemical Accidents (Emergency, Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules of Major Significance 1996, Bio-Medical Waste (Management & It was actually started raise awareness Handling) Rules of 1998, Recycled Plastics about the problems of increasing pollution Manufacture and Usage Rules of 1999, and to commemorate the thousands of Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation) people who lost their lives in the Bhopal Gas

METHYL ISOCYANATE ALSO KNOWN AS MIC January 2021

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Tragedy in 1984. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, or Bhopal disaster, took place on the night of 2-3 December in 1984 when a gas leak in the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant resulted in over 5 lakh people getting exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. As per the official records of the government of Madhya Pradesh, a total of 3,788 people were killed in the gas release and 5,74,366 injured victims sustained injuries. The day was later marked as National Pollution Control Day to raise awareness about air, water, soil, and noise pollution and educating people on how to control and manage industrial disasters. But a good ten years before the Bhopal Disaster, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was constituted in India in September 1974 to work towards the protection of the environment. In the years that followed, the government launched more acts and rules to control pollution in the country. The main motives of the day are to educate people about how to manage and control industrial disasters, create awareness about the importance of pollution control acts, and to prevent air, soil, noise, and water pollution caused by human negligence or industrial processes. The National Health Portal of India data reveals that around 7 million people die every year due to air pollution. The data also reveals that nine out of ten people globally do not have access to clean and safe air. India has some of the most polluted cities in the world. According to a latest report, as many as 9 Indian cities are on the list of10 most polluted cities in the world, with levels of Particulate Matter (PM) exceeding 200 in some places. This year is also marks the 36th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, listed by the International Labour Organization as among the world’s major industrial accidents in the last century. National Pollution Control Day is observed as a reminder of the extent of

damage environmental effectively clamp down Create degradation through air, on illegal industries and awareness about water and soil pollution strictly enforce emission can have on human norms. In India, long-term the importance life. The day is about exposure to outdoor and of pollution raising awareness and household air pollution control acts, and public conscience with contributed to over 1.67 to prevent air, regards to the ecology million annual deaths, soil, and water and its protection from across all age groups, pollution caused human activities. Among from stroke, heart attack, by human the acknowledged diabetes, lung cancer, negligence objectives of the day is chronic lung diseases to educate people on the and neonatal diseases in or industrial management and control India in 2019, according processes of industrial disasters, to a State of Global Air prevent pollution caused 2020. The Coronavirus by industrial processes or human negligence pandemic has worsened the situation. and create awareness about the importance Evidence suggests that people with heart of pollution control laws. and lung conditions are vulnerable to a more severe form of COVID-19. Hence there is a growing concern that exposure to high Relevance levels of air pollution during winter months Over the past few years, the discussion could exacerbate the effects of COVID-19. on matters of pollution, particularly air pollution, has gained prominence. Every winter, scenes of the national capital Delhi Ways to Combat Pollutions and other big Indian cities wrapped in a The advancements made in the technology thick blanket of smog flash on TV screens of pollution monitoring can be used to keep and newspapers. Dust, industrial emissions a tab on industrial units for emissions and and vehicle exhaust gasses bring a sharp effluents discharged into the environment. spike in air pollution levels. A lack of Targeted action through the use of data resources means local authorities cannot can be done to check industrial emissions. Better enforcement of environmental laws is needed to ensure no repeat of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. A robust push towards cleaner and greener technology in the fields of mobility, electricity generation and consumption, water supply, industrial manufacturing, etc. is another step in combating pollution. National Pollution Control Day can be counted as an occasion for policymakers and the public to discuss the issue at large and explore new ideas in the fight against pollution.

Theme of the year The theme of National Pollution Control Day 2020 is like any other year - raise awareness about the importance of pollution control and educate people on how to prevent pollution.

DAWN January 2021

Real Estate 2021

This development is a good indicator of improved consumer confidence and growth

INDIA’S REAL ESTATE

MAY WITNESS QUANTUM JUMP IN 2021 With India having entered the unlock phase and an encouraging response seen in real estate during the festive season, one can surely be optimistic about the sector’s growth prospects in 2021.

ver the past few years, the real estate sector has witnessed a rapid evolution in the policy landscape in India. Consistent government initiatives laid the groundwork for transparency and facilitated ease of doing business in the past few years. The year 2020 began on a positive note, but a global lockdown, together with disrupted supply chains, temporarily frayed hopes. However, with India having entered the unlock phase and an encouraging response seen in real estate during the festive season, one can surely be optimistic about the sector’s growth prospects in 2021.

and watch’ approach. Moreover, in June this y e a r, t h e S e c u r i t i e s Exchange Board of India declassified the status of a sponsor for REIT and InvIT. This move is likely to restore investor confidence in a sector that had slowed down in the face of unintended consequences of the lockdown.

rapid urbanization and expectation of economic stability in 2021. The overall hygiene and wellness concerns imply that consumers are more likely to have confidence in organized developers with sound credentials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend of digitization in real estate to boost efficiency and enhance the customer experience. In the retail space, we foresee trends India is among such as video shopping, omni-channel delivery the fastestand high-street retail growing to gain currency. The economies. retail spaces built on the Moreover, many ‘under one roof’ concept NRIs are eyeing with integrated facilities India for real for shopping, food and estate investment entertainment will be the amid the norm.

pandemic that has accelerated the sense of insecurity

A report by Colliers India has highlighted the commercial space absorption shot up to 58 per cent for the quarter ended September 30th, 2020. This development is a good indicator of improved consumer confidence and growth. It is likely to sustain the retail segment for now while boosting the demand for commercial real estate in the long term.

Following the SEBI’s amendment of the rules of REITs, one can expect an inflow of investment in commercial real estate that guarantees stable and lucrative returns, as compared to alternative segments. India is among the fastestgrowing economies. Moreover, many NRIs are eyeing India for real estate investment amid the pandemic that has accelerated the sense of insecurity.

While India is witnessing a wave of COVID-19 cases, the plummeting of the positivity rate to below 5 per cent has inspired confidence. Most Indian corporates have returned to office, while international corporates seem to have adopted a ‘wait

Real estate has traditionally been considered a safe investment and continues to dominate the preference of investors. This trend of continued investment in the real estate sector is likely to accelerate further in the wake of a politically stable environment,

We also expect a tectonic shift in commercial and retail spaces investment. Savills India predicts an uptick of 42 per cent in the leasing activity by co-working spaces in 2021. With global companies inching towards the option of flexible working, one can expect a robust demand for co-working spaces. Our iconic projects, Elan Mercado and Elan Town Centre, are too ready for possession and we will see globally renowned brands opening their retail stores here. A combination of the conducive policy landscape, re-opening of workplaces, restored consumer confidence and increasing interest from international investors augur well for commercial real estate to embark on a growth trajectory in 2021.

January 2021

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FARMERS (E&P) AGREEMENT ON PRICE ASSURANCE AND FARM SERVICES ACT, 2020 FACTS FINDING AND MAIN FOCUS OF THE BILL

n September 14, 2020, three bills “aimed at transformation of agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income” were introduced in the Lok Sabha – the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The first of these listed here, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill was introduced by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, and Food Processing Industries. Consequently on September 27, 2020, it turned be an Act. The Act provides for a national framework on farming agreements that ‘protects and empowers’ farmers to engage with agribusiness firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters and large retailers, for farm services and selling “…future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative

price framework in a fair and transparent manner”. There have been nationwide protests by farmers – especially in Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh – against the three bills, which, the government states will open up the agricultural sector to private investors and global markets.

Focus and Factoids Who is a ‘farmer’ under this Act? What is a ‘farming agreement’? A farmer is defined as an individual engaged in producing farming produce by themselves or with the help of hired laborers. It includes farmer producer organizations, which are associations or group of farmers registered or promoted under central or state government laws or schemes. A farming agreement is a written agreement entered into between a farmer and a ‘sponsor’, another farmer, or any third party, prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce of a predetermined quality, in which the sponsor agrees to purchase such produce from the farmer and provide farm services. A sponsor refers to the person who has entered into an agreement with the farmer to purchase farming produce.

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Farming agreements may include ‘trade and commerce’ or ‘production’ agreements, or a combination of the two. In a trade and commerce agreement the ownership of the commodity remains with the farmer during production, and they get the price of the produce on its delivery as per terms agreed with the sponsor. In production agreements, the sponsor agrees to provide farm services either fully or partially, and to bear the risk of output, and also agrees to make payments to the farmer for services rendered by the farmer. Farm services include supplying seed, feed, fodder, chemicals, machinery and technology, advice, non-chemical and other farm inputs. No farmer shall enter into a farming agreement “in derogation of any rights of a share cropper.” Parties to a farming agreement may – with mutual consent – alter or terminate the agreement for any ‘reasonable’ cause. Farming agreements may contain the terms and conditions for the supply of farm produce – including the time of supply, quality, grade, standards and price of the produce – and farm services. The minimum period of these agreements shall be one

Special Story crop season or production cycle of livestock, and the maximum period shall be five years. If the production cycle of any farming produce may go beyond five years, the maximum period may be mutually decided by the farmer and the sponsor, and explicitly mentioned in the agreement. The central government may issue guidelines along with model farming agreements, as it deems fit. The parties entering into a farming agreement may require “…the performance of such agreement [to be in] compliance with mutually acceptable quality, grade and standards of a farming produce.” Such standards shall be compatible with ‘agronomic practices’, climate and other factors; they may be formulated by the state or central government, or any agency authorized by the government.

Price Market Committee yards (which are established for regulating markets and trade in farm produce under various state government laws), or electronic trading and transaction platforms (set up to facilitate the trade and commerce of farming produce through a network of electronic devices and internet applications). Where farming agreements relate to seed production, the sponsor shall pay the farmer not less than two-thirds of the agreed amount at the time of delivery, and the remaining amount ‘after due certification’, but not later than 30 days after delivery.

In other cases, sponsors may pay the agreed amount at the time of accepting the delivery of farm produce and issue a receipt slip with details of the sale. The state government may prescribe the manner in The quality, grade and standards for pesticide which payments shall be made to farmers. If, residue, food safety, ‘good farming the delivery of any farming produce is practices’ and ‘labour and social to be taken by the sponsor under THE PARTIES development’ may also be the farming agreement, they shall ENTERING INTO A adopted in the agreement. The take such delivery within the FARMING AGREEMENT parties to the agreement may agreed time. Before accepting MAY REQUIRE “… require that such mutually the delivery, the sponsor THE PERFORMANCE acceptable quality, grade may inspect the quality or OF SUCH AGREEMENT and standards shall be any other feature of such monitored and certified produce as specified in the COMPLIANCE WITH during the process of agreement. MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE cultivation or rearing, or QUALITY, GRADE AND at the time of delivery, by A farming agreement may be STANDARDS OF A third parties. Unless otherwise linked with insurance or credit FARMING PRODUCE.” mentioned in this Act, a farm instruments under any scheme of service provider may become a the central or state government, or party to the farming agreement. In such through any financial service provider, to case, the role and services of the provider shall ensure ‘risk mitigation’ and flow of credit to the be explicitly mentioned in the agreement. farmer, sponsor or both. The Act does not say about the sponsor acquiring ownership rights to, or modifying, farmers’ land or premises

The price of farmers’ produce may be mentioned in the farming agreement. In the event that such price is subject to variation, the agreement should expressly state a guaranteed price to be paid to the farmer for their produce, and a clear price reference for any additional amount to be paid – including a bonus or premium “…to ensure best value to the farmer.” This price may be linked to prevailing prices in specified Agricultural

The Act does not say about the sponsor acquiring ownership rights to, or modifying, farmers’ land or premises. No farming agreement shall be entered into for the transfer – including sale, lease and mortgage – of the farmer’s land or premises, or for raising any permanent structure or modifying the land or premises. These provisions apply unless the sponsor – at their own cost – agrees to remove such structures or restore the land to its original condition once the agreement ends. If such a structure is not removed by the sponsor, its ownership shall lie with the farmer after the conclusion of the agreement or the expiry of the agreement period. The farm produce mentioned in agreements under this Act shall be exempt from the application of any state law that aims to regulate the sale or purchase of agricultural produce. Not withstanding the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, or any orders in force at the time, such produce shall be exempt from ‘any obligation related to stock limit’. The provisions of this Act shall apply despite any inconsistent provisions in any state government law or instrument in force. If a farming agreement or contract has been entered into under any state government law before this Act came into force, the agreement shall continue to be valid for the period mentioned in the agreement or contract.

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FARMERS’ CONCERN OVER WIDESPREAD PROTESTS FARM BILL 2020

lthough, the farmer protests against the three new agriculture-related laws have gathered momentum, still one thing seems obvious. In fact, much of the opposition really is just to one of the three laws. Even in that one — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act — there are only some contentious provisions, which, although key, can still leave doors open for negotiation. Let us consider the two laws that ought not to be serious cause for farmer angst. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is about doing away with the Centre’s powers to impose stockholding limits on foodstuffs, except under “extraordinary conditions”. These could be war, famine, other natural calamities of grave nature and annual retail price rise exceeding 100 per cent in horticultural produce (basically onions and potato) and 50 per cent for non-perishables (cereals, pulses and edible oils). Given that stock limits apply only to traders — the amendment exempts processors, exporters and other “value chain participants” as long as they don’t keep quantities beyond their installed capacity/demand requirements — it shouldn’t concern farmers at all. Farmers, if anything, would gain from removal of stocking restrictions on the trade, as it potentially translates into unlimited buying and demand for their produce. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act has to do with providing a regulatory framework for contract cultivation. This specifically concerns agreements entered into by farmers with agri-business firms (processors, large retailers or exporters) ahead of any planting/rearing season for supplying produce of predetermined quality at minimum guaranteed prices. Again, there is little rationale for objecting to an Act that merely enables contract farming. Such exclusive agreements between companies and farmers are already operational in crops of particular processing grades (the potatoes used by beverages and snacks giant PepsiCo for its Lay’s and Uncle Chipps wafers) or dedicated for exports (gherkins). The processors/exporters in these cases typically not only undertake assured buyback at pre-agreed prices, but also provide farmers seeds/planting material and extension support to ensure that only produce of desired standard is grown. The point to note is that contract cultivation is

voluntary in nature and largely for crops not amenable to trading in regular APMC (agricultural produce market committee) mandis. There is hardly any domestic market for gherkins, just as the high dry matter and low sugar content potato that PepsiCo needs for its chips is different from the table aloo used in kitchens. Farmers don’t sell sugarcane and milk in mandis either. The produce sugar mills and dairy plants source from them is practically contract farming. An Act that formalises contract cultivation through a “national framework” and explicitly prohibits any sponsor firm from acquiring the land of farmers – whether through purchase, lease or mortgage – should actually be welcomed.

Matter of Contention That leaves the only law – the FPTC Act, for short – which is a bone of contention. It permits sale and purchase of farm produce outside the premises of APMC mandis. Such trades (including on electronic platforms) shall attract no market fee, cess

DAWN January 2021

THE FARMERS (EMPOWERMENT AND PROTECTION) AGREEMENT ON PRICE ASSURANCE AND FARM SERVICES ACT HAS TO DO WITH PROVIDING A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR CONTRACT CULTIVATION.

or levy “under any State APMC Act or any other State law”. At issue here is the very right of the Centre to enact legislation on agricultural marketing. Article 246 of the Constitution places “agriculture” in entry 14 and “markets and fairs” in entry 28 of the State List. But entry 42 of the Union List empowers the Centre to regulate “inter-State trade and commerce”. While trade and commerce “within the State” is under entry 26 of the State List, it is subject to the provisions of entry 33 of

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the Concurrent List – under which the Centre can make laws that would prevail over those enacted by the states. Entry 33 of the Concurrent List covers trade and commerce in “foodstuffs, including edible oilseeds and oils”, fodder, cotton and jute. The Centre, in other words, can very pass any law that removes all impediments to both inter- and intra-state trade in farm produce, while also overriding the existing state APMC Acts. The FPTC Act does precisely that. However, some experts make a distinction between agricultural “marketing” and “trade”. Agriculture per se would deal with everything that a

farmer does — right from field preparation and cultivation to also sale of his/her own produce. The act of primary sale at a mandi by the farmer is as much “agriculture” as production in the field. “Trade” begins only after the produce has been “marketed” by the farmer. Going by this interpretation, the Centre is within its rights to frame laws that promote barrier-free trade of farm produce (inter- as well as intra-state) and do not allow stockholding or export restrictions. But these can be only after the farmer has sold. Regulation of first sale of agricultural produce is a “marketing” responsibility of the states, not the Centre. Farmers, for their part, would want no restrictions on

The Centre, in other words, can very pass any law that removes all impediments to both inter- and intra-state trade in farm produce, while also overriding the existing state APMC Acts

the movement, stocking and export of their produce. Maharashtra’s onion growers have vehemently opposed the Centre’s resort to ban on exports and imposition of stock limits whenever retail prices have tended to go up. But these restrictions relate to “trade”. When it comes to “marketing” — especially dismantling of the monopoly of APMCs — farmers, especially in Punjab and Haryana, aren’t very convinced about the “freedom of choice to sell to anyone and anywhere” argument. The reason for this is simple: Much of government procurement at minimum support prices (MSP) — of paddy, wheat and increasingly pulses, cotton, groundnut and mustard — happens in APMC mandis. In a scenario where more and more trading moves out of the APMCs, these regulated market yards will lose revenues. “They may not formally shut, but it would become like BSNL versus Jio. And if the government stops buying, we will be left with only the big corporate to sell to,” said a Panipat farmer.

Matters to be Negotiated If the protesting farmer union leaders were to sit down at the negotiating table, the government can possibly get them to agree to drop the demand on repealing all the three laws. Their problem is essentially about the FPTC Act and its provisions that they see as weakening the APMC mandis. There is also disquiet on the dispute resolution mechanism for transactions outside the mandis. The Act proposes these to be referred to offices of the subdivisional magistrate and district collector. “They aren’t independent courts and cannot deliver us justice, leave alone guarantee timely payment,” alleged the same farmer. These may be just fears, but they aren’t small. From the government’s standpoint, the elephant in the room would be if the farmers insist on an additional demand: Making MSP a legal right. That would be impossible to meet, even if the three farm laws were to be put on hold. Farmer protest in India’s national capital has created quite a flutter globally too. But very few know exactly what the farmers are protesting. Here’s a primer or an explainer on the contentious Farm Bills. Since 26th November 2020, the borders of Delhi have been witnessing a huge agitation being carried out by farmers, most of them from Punjab and Haryana. The farmers are protesting against 2 Farm Bills that the Rajya Sabha recently passed: (1) the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and (2) the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The two bills had already cleared the lower house – the Lok Sabha. When they were introduced in the Rajya

January 2021

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Sabha, there was ruckus and finally, the Bill was passed through a voice vote.

Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce This Bill allows the farmers to sell their produce outside the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) regulated markets. The APMCs are governmentcontrolled marketing yards or mandis. So, the farmers clearly have more choice on who they want to sell. The government’s logic, economic expert Gurcharan Das writes in TOI, is that the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) is an obsolete institution from an age of scarcity, meant to protect the farmer but has now become his oppressor, a monopoly cartel fixing low prices for the farmers’ produce, forcing distress sales.

Farmers Agreement This Bill makes provisions for the setting up of a framework for contract farming. The farmer and an ordained buyer can strike a deal before the production happens. According to PRS India, a “Standing Committee on Agriculture (2018-19)” observed the APMC laws needed reforms as cartelization had begun to crystallise due to a limited no. of traders in APMC mandis. Therefore the following law was passed in September 2020. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 allows intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of APMC markets. State governments are prohibited from levying any market fee, cess or levy outside APMC areas.

THIS BILL MAKES PROVISIONS FOR THE SETTING UP OF A FRAMEWORK FOR CONTRACT FARMING. THE FARMER AND AN ORDAINED BUYER CAN STRIKE A DEAL BEFORE THE PRODUCTION HAPPENS

written guarantee that MSP will not be withdrawn. Farmers’ lobby is not ready to buy that and demands the repeal of the recently passed Farm Bills. Harvard alumni and bestselling author Gurcharan Das, a former CEO of Procter & Gamble India, writes in The Times of India that the agitating farmers of Punjab are looking at short term monetary games while the Farm Bills were coined with long-term economics in mind. And that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the world’s greatest communicators forgot to take all stakehoders into confidence before the Bills

Gurcharan Das, expert as he is in the field of economics, points out that the three farm laws offer three basic freedoms to the farmer. These are: Defeat the monopoly cartel at the APMC mandi and sell the produce anywhere to anyone, Bypass the Essential Commodities Act and be free to store inventory which was constrained so far by stocking limits of ESCA and Free to make contracts and transfer risk to businessmen in deals made over a crop even before yield is made or met.

Union Govt Yet to Reach Out the Protestors The Central ministers and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have tried reassuring the farmers that the government has no plans to end the government procurement system nor the MSP policy. But fear, misconceptions persist and the two sparring parties have not had meaningful negotiations. Despite four rounds of talks with two of them involving a 3-minister panel of the government and a few dozen representatives of the farmers’ unions, he impasse has not been broken. The Centre is also said to have offered a

Farming agreements may contain the terms and conditions for the supply of farm produce – including the time of supply, quality, grade, standards and price of the produce – and farm services

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were tabled, thus leading to false rumours that the price subsidy (MSP) is going to be withdrawn. Gurcharan Das also points out that a small, organized, and well-funded group in a democracy can hijack the nation’s interest when the majority is silent and unorganized. Das claims that behind these protests are the arthiyas, buying agents in PMC mandis who stand to lose Rs 100 crore a year in commissions, as well as the rich farmers of Punjab who are part of the 6 of India’s farmers who benefit from the MSP regime.

23 agricultural crops have MSPs, though the governments primarily buy only rice and wheat. Farmers fear the two recent bills as they feel these agriculture reform processes will kill the government procurement process as well as the MSP. And why do we see most protesters from Punjab and Haryana? That is because they are the biggest beneficiaries of this safety net.

MEANWHILE, THE PROTESTING KISAN UNIONS HAVE ANNOUNCED TO OBSERVE BHARAT BANDH ON DECEMBER 8 AGAINST THE CENTRE’S NEW AGRICULTURAL LAWS

Farmers of Punjab and Haryana

Reasons That Made Sections of Farmers Upset The farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana are angry with the provisions of these Bills as they are afraid that these Bills may be the platform that the government (at the Centre) is setting up for the replacement or scrapping of the otherwise robust support system prevalent in their states for the purchase of their crops. They fear that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee that was their safety net since the Green Revolution of the 1960s kicked in, maybe snatched away from under the pretext of giving the farmers more playing ground and better platforms. The state-government driven crop produce procurement infrastructure in these areas is very good. Procurement through the Food Corporation of India at promised MSP to farmers, which is declared before every agriculture season, encourages farmers to focus on taking more yield.

As per certain reports, nearly 89 per cent of the rice produced by the farmers in Punjab is procured by the government. In Haryana, it is 85 per cent. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana face no price risk and price risk and are in fact incentivised to grow paddy and wheat. But the nation has been facing a shortage of pulses and the wheat and rice instead have been a surplus in FCI’s godowns. Also, rice is a water-intensive crop and farmers from areas with water shortage too grow it as there is an MSP assured in the end. Continuous adoption of rice-wheat cropping system in North-Western plains of Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh has resulted in depletion of groundwater and deterioration of soil quality, posing a serious threat to its sustainability,” says a government study. Also, these Farm Bills are encouraging farmers to strike deals with large corporates, and farmers do not trust corporates. Meanwhile, the protesting Kisan unions have announced to observe Bharat Bandh on December 8 against the Centre’s new agricultural laws. They have threatened to block all the entry points at Delhi borders and occupy all the highway gates.

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Childhood Lost in Hidden Depth of

PALM OIL INDUSTRY By Robin Mcdowell & Margie Mason

hey are two young girls from two very different worlds, linked by a global industry that exploits an army of children. Olivia Chaffin, a Girl Scout in rural Tennessee, was a top cookie seller in her troop when she first heard rainforests were being destroyed to make way for ever-expanding palm oil plantations. On one of those plantations a continent away, 10-year-old Ima helped harvest the fruit that makes its way into a dizzying array of products sold by leading Western food and cosmetics brands.

Ima is among the estimated tens of thousands of children working alongside their parents in Indonesia and Malaysia, which supply 85% of the world’s most consumed vegetable oil. Investigation by a top media agency reveals that the most earn little or no pay and are routinely exposed to toxic chemicals and other dangerous conditions. Some never go to school or learn to read and write. Others are smuggled across borders and left vulnerable to trafficking or sexual abuse. Many live in limbo with no citizenship and

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fear being swept up in police raids and thrown into detention. According to the U.S. Customs records and the most recently published data from producers, traders and buyers to trace the fruits of their labor from the processing mills where palm kernels were crushed to the supply chains of many popular kids’ cereals, candies and ice creams sold by Nestle, Unilever, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo and many other leading food companies, including Ferrero – one of the two makers

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Olivia Chaffin, a Girl Scout in rural Tennessee, was a top cookie seller in her troop when she first heard rainforests were being destroyed to make way for everexpanding palm oil plantations

January 2021

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of Girl Scout cookies. Olivia, who earned a badge for selling more than 600 boxes of cookies, had spotted palm oil as an ingredient on the back of one of her packages but was relieved to see a green tree logo next to the words “certified sustainable”. She assumed that meant her Thin Mints and Tagalongs weren’t harming rainforests, orangutans or those harvesting the orange-red palm fruit. Later, the whip-smart 11-year-old saw the word ‘mixed’ in all caps on the label and turned to the internet, quickly learning that it meant exactly what she feared, i.e. sustainable palm oil had been blended with oil from unsustainable sources.

“I am dreaming one day I can go back to school,” she told the media, tears rolling down her cheeks. Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $65 billion global palm oil industry

Thousands of miles away in Indonesia, Ima led her class in math and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Then one day her father made her quit school because he needed help meeting the high company targets on the palm oil plantation where she was born. Instead of attending fourth grade, she squatted in the unrelenting heat, snatching up the loose kernels littering the ground and knowing if she missed even one, her family’s pay would be cut. Sometimes, she worked 12 hours a day, wearing only flip flops and no gloves, crying when the fruit’s razor-sharp spikes bloodied her hands or when scorpions stung her fingers. The loads she carried, sometimes so heavy she would lose her footing, went to one of the very mills feeding into the supply chain of Olivia’s cookies. “I am dreaming one day I can go back to school,” she told the media, tears rolling down her cheeks. Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $65 billion global palm oil industry. Though often denied or minimized as kids simply helping their families on weekends or after school, it has been identified as a problem by rights groups, the United Nations and the U.S. government. With little or no access to daycare, some young children follow their parents to the fields, where they come into contact with fertilizers and some pesticides that are banned in other countries. As they grow older, they push wheelbarrows heaped with fruit two or three times their weight. Some weed and prune the trees barefoot, while teen boys may harvest bunches large enough to crush them, slicing the fruit from lofty branches with sickle blades attached to long poles. In some cases, an entire family may earn less in a day than a $5 box of Girl Scout Do-si-dos. “For 100 years, families have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and they know nothing else than work on a palm oil plantation,” said Kartika Manurung, who has published reports detailing labor issues on Indonesian plantations. The investigation into child labor is part of a broader in-depth look at the industry that also exposed rape, forced labor, trafficking and slavery. Reporters crisscrossed Malaysia and Indonesia, speaking to more than 130 current and former workers – some two dozen of them child laborers – at nearly 25 companies. Their locations are

DAWN January 2021

not being disclosed and only partial names or nicknames are being used due to fears of retribution. The children were found working on plantations and corroborated accounts of abuse, whenever possible, by reviewing police reports and legal documents. Reporters also interviewed more than 100 activists, teachers, union leaders, government officials, researchers, lawyers and clergy, including some who helped victims of trafficking or sexual assault. In much smaller neighboring Malaysia, a newly released government report estimated more than 33,000 children work in the industry there, many under hazardous conditions – with nearly half of them between the ages of 5 and 11. The study was conducted in 2018 after the country was slammed by the U.S. government over the use of child labor, and it did not directly address the large number of migrant children without documents hidden on many plantations in its eastern states, some of whom have never seen the inside of a classroom. Many producers, Western buyers and banks belong to the 4,000-member Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a global association that provides a green stamp of approval to those committed to supplying, sourcing, financing or using palm oil that’s been certified as ethically sourced. The RSPO has a system in place to address grievances, including labor abuse allegations. But of the nearly 100 complaints listed on its case tracker for the two Southeast Asian countries in the last decade, only handfuls have mentioned

top Story children. “It is an issue, and we know it’s an issue”, said Dan Strechay, the RSPO’s global outreach and engagement director, adding that the association has started working with UNICEF and others to educate members about what constitutes child labor. Strechay said many parents in Indonesia and Malaysia believe it’s the ‘cultural norm’ for their kids to work alongside family members, even if it means pulling them out of school. “And that is not correct”, she said. Palm oil is contained in roughly half the products on supermarket shelves and in almost three out of every four cosmetic brands, though that can be hard to discern since it appears on labels under more than 200 different names. And in a world where more and more consumers are demanding to know the provenance of the raw materials in the products they purchase, many companies are quick to issue assurances that they are committed to “sustainable” sourcing. But supply chains often are murky – especially in the palm oil industry – and developing countries that produce commodities in large volumes cheaply often do so by disregarding the environment and minimizing labor costs. Most people take words like “organic,” “fair trade” and “sustainable” at face value. But not Olivia. She became increasingly worried about palm oil, rifling through the kitchen cupboards in her family’s century-old farmhouse in Jonesborough, Tennessee, to inspect the ingredients printed on cans and wrappers. Then she began digging through her shampoos and lotions, trying to make sense of the scientific-sounding names she saw there. Now 14, Olivia has fired letters off to the head of Girl Scouts of the USA, demanding

answers about how the palm oil is sourced for the organization’s cookies. She’s started an online petition to get it removed. And she and some other members of Troop 543 have stopped selling them. The Girl Scouts did not respond to questions from the media, directing reporters to the two bakers that make the cookies. Those companies and their parent corporations also had no comment on the findings. “Let them enjoy it,” said Abang, a skinny 14-year-old who dropped out of the fifth grade to help his father on an Indonesian plantation and has never tasted ice cream. He has accepted his own fate, but still dreams of a better future for his little brother. “Let me work, just me, helping my father”, Abang said. Though many consumers aren’t familiar with it, palm oil became ubiquitous nearly two decades ago after warnings about health risks associated with Trans fats. Almost overnight, food manufacturers began shifting to the highly versatile and cheap oil. Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil producer and, with a population of 270 million, there is no shortage of strong backs. Many laborers migrate from the poorest corners of the country to take jobs that others shun, often bringing their wives and children as helpers in order to meet impossibly high daily quotas. Others have been living on the same plantations for generations, creating a built-in workforce – when one harvester retires or dies, another in the family takes his place to hold onto company-subsidized housing, which often is a dilapidated shack with no running water and sometimes only limited electricity. It’s a cycle that 15-year-old Jo was trying to break. Even though he had to help his family in the fields each day, heaving palm fruits high over his head and lobbing them onto trucks, his parents let him keep $6 a month to cover school fees so he could attend morning classes. But for many migrant children in neighboring Malaysia – which relies almost entirely on foreign workers to fill constant labor shortages – the hurdles to a brighter life seem insurmountable. Male harvesters technically are not allowed to bring their families to plantations on Borneo Island, which is shared by both countries. The perilous border crossings to the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak can take place at night, either on foot across winding jungle paths or in packed speed boats racing without lights, sometimes colliding or capsizing in the dark. An official estimate says 80,000 children of illegal migrants, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines, are living in Sabah alone, but some rights groups say the true number could be nearly double that. Without birth certificates and with no path to citizenship, they are essentially stateless – denied access to even the most basic rights, and at high risk of exploitation.

The Girl Scouts did not respond to questions from the media, directing reporters to the two bakers that make the cookies. Those companies and their parent corporations also had no comment on the findings

Migrant workers without documents are often treated “inhumanely” in Malaysia, said Soes Hindharno, an official from Indonesia’s

January 2021

DAWN

top Story

Alex was 12 when he began working 10 hours a day on a small plantation with his father, hoisting fruits so heavy his aching muscles kept him awake at night

Manpower Ministry. He said he had not received any complaints about child labor occurring in his own country, but an official from the ministry that oversees women and children’s issues acknowledged it was an area of growing concern in Indonesia. Malaysia’s Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but Nageeb Wahab, head of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association, a government-supported umbrella group, called allegations of child labor very serious and urged complaints to be reported to authorities. Children of migrant parents grow up living in fear they will be separated from their families. They try to remain invisible to avoid attracting the ever-watchful eyes of police, with some keeping backpacks with supplies ready in case they need to flee their houses and sleep in the jungle to avoid raids. Many never leave their guarded plantations, some so remote that workers must climb hills to search for a phone signal. And for those who dare to go out, trouble can come quickly. Alex was 12 when he began working 10 hours a day on a small plantation with his father, hoisting fruits so heavy his aching muscles kept him awake at night. One day, he decided to sneak off to visit his favorite aunt in a nearby village. With no passport, Alex said authorities quickly found him and carted him off to a crowded immigration detention center where he was held for a month.

it. In Malaysia, the problem is even bigger: Without legal documents, tens of thousands of kids are not allowed to go to government schools at all. It’s such an extensive problem that Indonesia has set up learning centers to help some of its children on plantations in the neighboring country, even sending in its own teachers. But with such heavy workloads on plantations, one instructor said he had to beg parents to let their sons and daughters come for even just a half-day of classes. And many children, especially those living in remote, hard-to-reach areas, still have no access to any type of education. “Why aren’t companies playing a role in setting up schools in collaboration with the government?” asked Glorene Das, executive director of Tenaganita, a Malaysian nonprofit group concentrating on migrant issues for more than two decades. “Why are they encouraging the children to work instead?” Medical care also is woeful, with experts saying poor nutrition and daily exposure to toxic chemicals are undermining child laborers’ health and development. Many Indonesian plantations have their own basic clinics, but access may be available only to full-time workers. Travel to a private doctor or hospital can take hours, and most families cannot afford outside care. Migrant children without documents in Malaysia have no right to health care and often are too scared to seek medical help in villages or cities – even in life-threatening emergencies.

“There were hundreds of other people there, some my age, and also younger children, mostly with their mothers”, he said. But the biggest obstacles faced by Alex and other child workers in the two countries are lack of access to adequate, affordable education and medical care.

Many young palm oil workers also have little understanding about reproductive health. Girls working on remote plantations are vulnerable to sexual abuse, and teen pregnancies and marriages are common. Ana was just 13 when she first arrived in Malaysia, quickly learning, as she put it, that “anything can happen to the female workers there.” She said she was raped and forced to marry her attacker, but eventually managed to break free after years of abuse and return home to start a new life. Now a mother with kids of her own, she abruptly left Indonesia last year again to look

Some companies in Indonesia provide rudimentary elementary schooling on plantations, but children who want to continue their studies may find they have to travel too far on poor roads or that they can’t afford

DAWN January 2021

top Story for work in Malaysia. Many children do not have the option to ever leave. They are born on plantations, work there and sometimes die there. Overgrown headstones and crosses marking graves in crude cemeteries are found on some plantations near the towering palm trees. A month after the palm oil harvester’s death, Anna lovingly tended his plot at the Christian site in Sabah, crammed with the bodies of hundreds of other migrants. She said her son, whose own newborn baby was buried in the adjacent grave, had inherited his father’s job. He is the family’s main breadwinner now. The cycle continues. Olivia is not the first Girl Scout to raise questions about the way palm oil makes its way into the beloved American cookies. More than a decade ago, two girls in a Michigan troop stopped selling S’mores and other seasonal favorites because they worried palm oil’s expansion in Indonesia and Malaysia was destroying rainforests and killing endangered animals like orangutans. After they campaigned for several years, the Girl Scouts of the USA became an affiliate member of the RSPO and agreed to start using sustainable palm oil, adding the green tree logo to its roughly 200 million boxes of cookies, which bring in nearly $800 million annually. The RSPO was created with the best of intentions and it attempts to factor in the interests of a wide array of groups, including environmental organizations, industry leaders and banks. Its mission was not to flip a switch overnight, but to encourage the mammoth palm oil industry to evolve after years of breakneck growth and little outside oversight. Still, for many food and cosmetic companies facing increased pressure from conscientious consumers, the association’s stamp of approval has become the go-to answer when questions are raised about their commitments to sustainability. Monitoring the millions of workers hidden beneath palms covering an area equal to roughly the size of New Zealand, however, is next to impossible. Some women and children on remote, sprawling plantations told the media and labor rights groups that they are ordered to hide or stay home when sustainability auditors visit. They said only the optimal, easiest-to-reach parts of a plantation are typically showcased, with poor living and working conditions in distant areas hidden from outside eyes. “The RSPO promises sustainable palm oil. But it doesn’t mean that that palm oil is free of child labor or other abuses”, said Robin Averbeck of the Rainforest Action Network, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that has found pervasive problems on plantations, including those certified as sustainable. “It has simply become a tool for green washing.” The Companies reaffirmed their support of human rights for all workers, with some noting they rely on their suppliers to meet industry standards and abide by local laws. If evidence of wrongdoing is found, some said they would

immediately cut ties with producers. “We aim to prevent and address the issue of child labor wherever it occurs in our supply chain,” said Nestle, maker of KitKat candy bars. Unilever – the world’s biggest ice-cream maker, including Magnum – noted that its suppliers “must not, under any circumstance, employ individuals under the age of 15 or under the local legal minimum age for work or mandatory schooling. There was no response from Mondelez, which owns Oreo cookies, or Cap’n Crunch parent company PepsiCo. Consumers have their own challenges in trying to buy responsibly. Those, like Olivia, who want to make sense of where their palm oil really comes from often find themselves confused, since the dense terms used to explain what makes palm oil sustainable can sometimes raise even more questions. Take Girls Scout cookies, for instance, which are made by two different U.S. bakers. Boxes from both are stamped with green palm logos. The maker of Olivia’s cookies, Little Brownie Bakers in Kentucky, has the word “mixed” beside the tree, meaning as little as 1 percent of the palm oil might be certified sustainable. The bakers’ parent companies – Italian confectionary brand Ferrero and Canadian-based Weston Foods – would not comment on the issue of child labor, but both said they were committed to sourcing only certified sustainable palm oil. Weston Foods, which owns ABC Bakers, would not provide any information about its palm oil suppliers, citing proprietary reasons, so the AP could not determine if its supply chain was tainted. Palm oil, the highest-yielding vegetable oil, is an important part of the two Southeast Asian countries’ economies and the governments bristle at any form of criticism, saying the industry plays an important role in alleviating poverty. They have banned products touted as “palm oilfree” from supermarket shelves and created slogans calling the crop “God’s gift.” And when students at an international school in Malaysia were criticized last year for staging a play questioning the industry’s effect on the environment, school administrators responded with an apology. Back in Indonesia, Ima could give a very different classroom presentation about palm oil, but she has no chance. She continues to toil full time on the plantation alongside her family, even though her mother had promised she eventually could resume her studies. After learning about Ima, Olivia is even more determined to fight on. She sent letters to her customers explaining her reasons for no longer selling Girl Scout cookies, and many responded by donating money to her Southern Appalachian troop to show support. Now, Olivia is asking Girl Scouts across the country to band with her, saying, “The cookies deceive a lot of people. They think it’s sustainable, but it isn’t.

Weston Foods, which owns ABC Bakers, would not provide any information about its palm oil suppliers, citing proprietary reasons, so the AP could not determine if its supply chain was tainted

(Courtesy: AP)

January 2021

DAWN

Real Estate 2021

PROPERTY PRICES & THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

PROJECTION 2021 OD Desk

oon after the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, on June 3, 2020, said that the builders needed to sell housing projects at reduced prices and let go of the high-priced unsold stock, the developer community in India caught in a tizzy. If a demand slowdown keeps a price growth in India’s residential real estate market in check, the Coronavirus pandemic, which threatens to drastically impact global economic growth would wipe off any chances of value appreciation in the property market. In the near future, expecting price appreciation would be nothing but wishful thinking. On Knight Frank’s global house price index, which tracks the movement in mainstream residential prices across 56 countries and territories worldwide, India slipped seven spots to rank 54th in the July-September period of 2020 against 47th rank in the same period last year, with a decline of 2.4 per cent year-onyear in property prices. Compared to the previous quarter, however, the country’s the ranking remained unchanged, at 54th. The report points out that India was among the countries that saw the weakest price growth, year-on-year. PropTiger. com numbers also indicate the nine major residential markets in India registered only negligible price growth in the past half a decade amid consumer sentiment hitting a new low.

prices are already much higher than the national average, price growth has been quite slow. Only the housing markets in the National Capital Region have undergone some correction. Elsewhere, the growth has been largely insignificant. According to a recently-unveiled report by international property consultancy Knight Frank, the top six housing markets in India underwent a price correction in the range of 2 per

While there has not been any significant upward or downward movement in terms of pricing, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad’s real estate markets have seen some appreciation over time. In the MMR, where property

If a demand slowdown keeps a price growth in India’s residential real estate market in check, the Coronavirus pandemic, threatens to drastically impact global economic growth

DAWN January 2021

cent-7 per cent during the July-September period in 2020. A poll conducted by Reuters also shows average house price is expected to fall 6 per cent this year and 3 per cent in 2021. The poll, in which 15 analysts participated between September 16-28,2020, a region-wise house prices decline of 7.5 per cent, 7.0 per cent, 5.0 per cent and 3.5 per centwas also predicted for Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru, respectively. As for the future, the effects of the pandemic, say some experts, would result in property prices dropping by at least 10 per cent. “Prices in most markets have held steady, despite the lending and shadow banking crises. They may come down by 10 per

Real Estate 2021

cent-20 per cent across geographies, while land prices could see an even higher reduction of 30 per cent”, Pankaj Kapoor, chief executive of real estate consultancy firm Liases Foras was quoted as saying. According to HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, developers should be prepared for up to a 20 per cent fall in housing prices. However, beg to differ from the likes of Kapoor and Parekh. This segment is of the opinion that those expecting any reduction in property prices, in the medium to long term, might be disappointed as property values, if anything, are likely to show an upward movement in the post-Coronavirus world, based on several factors.

Whether India’s Property Prices to Drop Due to Coronavirus Pandemic “If any one of you feel that government will

The Economic Survey 2019-20 also pointed out that builders should allow prices to drop, by taking a haircut as a remedy to reduce their inventory burden

be able to finance in such a way that you can hold longer and wait for the market to improve — because market is not improving in a hurry — your best bet is to sell”, Goyal said during a video conference meeting organised by industry body National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO). He added, “You can choose to be stuck with your material (inventory), then default with the banks. Or, you can choose to sell it even if you have bought it at high prices and move forward”. The statement came as a rude shock to the NAREDCO, which has sought USD 200 billion in relief, to deal with the aftermath of the Coronavirus crisis. Before things went bad, because of the pandemic, the sector was already grappling with a USD 120 billion-bad debt situation with banks. Coming down heavily on the community, currently saddled with bad loans and huge inventory, the minister added, “You have to complete your projects before you sell, because buyers will not buy under-construction projects. In my life, I will not buy an under-construction flat from anybody”. The Economic Survey 2019-20 also pointed out that builders should allow prices to drop, by taking a haircut as a remedy to reduce their inventory burden. Similar views were aired by the HDFC chairman when he said builders should sell their inventory at whatever prices they get to generate liquidity. However, a number of issues are at play, which makes accepting such suggestions difficult. Till September 30, 2020, developers were sitting on an unsold stock consisting of over 7.23 lakh

January 2021

DAWN

Real Estate 2021

units worth over Rs 6 lakh crore in the top nine residential markets. With buyers becoming fence-sitters, almost-completely making any chances of profit-making for a large number of builders out of question; sources of liquidity are also fast drying up with the ongoing non-banking finance companies (NBFC) crisis. As it is, several big developers in the country have been dragged to the insolvency court by banks over non-payment of large-scale dues. If the demand slowdown problem persists for a longer period, more builders might have to face the same fate — a highly likely scenario in the backdrop of the contagion. Recall here that the total outstanding loans of real estate developers from commercial banks, NBFCs and HFCs are estimated to be around Rs 4.5 lakh crore as of March 2020. While the government has already decided to set up an Rs 25,000-crore stress fund to help builders complete their pending projects and infuse more liquidity into the system through a COVID-19-focused stimulus package, an overall economic downturn would limit its capacity to focus on real estate and offer substantial relief. In a complex scenario like this, earning by way of home sales remains a builder’s only option. “Residential real estate in India is likely to see a further slowdown in the coming months, given that attendant activities are at a standstill. With construction already coming to a grinding halt, project completions are slated to be postponed. If this situation prolongs, the deployment of funds, including the Rs 25,000-crore

Dropping prices in a scenario like this is hardly the answer. However, the government might launch measures that might make it more lucrative for buyers to invest in property

alternative investment fund (AIF), will remain on hold”, says Anurag Mathur, CEO, Savills India, had said earlier. “Housing sales may see a sharp dip for at least the next one quarter as consumers’ biggest priority currently is health/safety and income preservation”, Mathur adds. Data available with Housing.com show home sales in India’s eight key residential markets fell by 57 per cent during the July-September period in 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019. A total of 35,132 units were sold during the period between July and September 2020, data show. While the recent RBI move to lower the repo rate to 4 per cent and offer a moratorium on loan EMIs would provide developers some cushion against the overall shock, reducing property prices does not seem to

DAWN January 2021

be a possibility, especially as buyers remain elusive from the market. In the meantime, project launches could drop significantly. In the September 2020 quarter, in fact, only 19,865 new units were launched across the eight markets, data show. This is a decline of 66 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile, project delays are on cards as supply of building construction materials that India imports from China is hampered in the wake of the pandemic and amid rising tension between the two countries. The impact of the situation would be more prominent on premium-luxury housing projects which rely heavily on supplies of fixtures and furnishings from China, the country where the source of the contagion has been tracked down to. The time gap will not only delay housing projects but also ultimately increase the overall cost of project building since builders here will have to rely on alternative sources to meet their building requirements. The centre’s ‘Make in India’ program might get a boost from this difficult situation in the medium to long term, but short-term pains for developers are inevitable. Dropping prices in a scenario like this is hardly the answer. However, the government might launch measures that might make it more lucrative for buyers to invest in property. It is also expected to support real estate, the second-largest employment generator in the country, by waiving off tax on unsold inventory. “Depending upon the duration and depth of the current crisis, prices may or may not see a downward movement

Real Estate 2021

as the holding cost of the developers will go up while the pressure to liquidate unsold inventory will increase. It would be too early to predict the extent of price change in the near-to-medium term”, Mathur added.

Interest Rates at Record Low The RBI has reduced the repo rate to 4 per cent, making borrowing cheaper for home buyers. Consequently, home loan interest rates are already as low as 6.95 per cent. This would act as a booster for buyers to invest in property at a cost advantage, once clarity on the impact of COVID-19 on the job market is known. “It is important for (banks) to immediately transmit the (repo) rate cut (by the RBI) to the home buyer, which will boost consumer sentiment”, says Ramesh Nair, CEO and country head of JLL India. While the government has already extended the benefits offered under Section 80EEA till March 2021, it might also consider extending it further, in order to give a boost to first-time home buyers. Experts are of the view that anxiety over impending job loss among consumers is likely to persist, even after the worst is over and normalcy returns. The government will have to continue extending support till that period.

The RBI has reduced the repo rate to 4%, making borrowing cheaper for home buyers. Consequently, home loan interest rates are already as low as 6.95%.

However, some correction would still be expected from developers’ side, as cheap home loans alone would not to the trick in a weak job market. Property investments might, in fact, rise if developers were to offer some reduction. According to a survey conducted by Housing.com in collaboration with NAREDCO, 47 per cent tenants would like to invest in a ‘rightly-priced’ property. Moderation of prices would also attract tenants, who have so far been favoring renting over buying, primarily because of

price benefits. With an aim to further boost buyer sentiment and reduce the overall cost of purchase for buyers, some states have also announced reductions in stamp duty—the tax that buyers have to pay to the state government as the percentage of the transaction value—in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic. For example, Maharashtra has announced a temporary reduction in rates for a period of six months. Buyers in that state, which is home to the most expensive property market in India (Mumbai), can currently register a property by paying 2 per cent of the property value as stamp duty. Karnataka has also reduced the stamp duty to 3 per cent on properties worth up to Rs 30 lakhs. On September 7, 2020, the Madhya Pradesh government also announced a reduction in the Cess on stamp duty charged for registration of properties by 2 per cent. Housing prices in some of the mega cities of India have witnessed significant correction. While expecting appreciation in the near future would not be a wise idea, this present scenario does provide investors with an opportunity to put their money in residential real estate at a low price point. Since prices are unlikely to undergo any further correction, this could prove be an ideal opportunity for buyers, if they are able to arrange the funds.

January 2021

DAWN

Business Tips

INCREASE YOUR BRAND VISIBILITY WITH RULE OF SEVEN By Issac Thomas

Shanelle Mullin, a marketer in her 2017 conversion XL blog post, gave a fascinating explanation on why she chose Slack over HipChat as a platform for online communication and messaging.The reason was, Slack seemed to be everywhere. She used to use HipChat as a primary messaging and communication platform. Her preference changed to Slack because she read about Slack countless times on different mediums. From high authority publications like TechCrunch, The Next Web, and Fast Company to everyone talking about it, Shanelle heard about Slack a lot more than HipChat making the app more familiar to her. Shanelle wouldn't have chosen Slack if she didn't hear about it so often in a short period. If you want to be successful in marketing, you must increase the visibility of your product and interactions with your customers. The rule of seven is an old concept that originated during the advent of cable TV. The rule states that the customer needs to see your marketing message at least seven times before they decide to buy from you. Yes, your prospects can view your marketing message more than seven times, but seven is the minimum. Once you cross the barrier of seven times, your prospect could remember you amidst all the marketing clutter on the web, helping you better results.

Why is the rule of seven needed? The rule of seven is needed to overcome these seven hurdles: Awareness- Your audience needs to know you exist; their first interaction with you isn't enough to leave a lasting impression. For you to stay longer in their subconscious mind, you need to increase the number of interactions you have with your potential customers. Need- Your customer wouldn't always need your product or service. Maybe when they see your message the first time, there won't be any need to buy from you, but it won't be the case all the time. Keeping the interaction going would keep nurturing them and make them sales-ready when they get ready to buy from you. Building trust- Now that your prospect knows you exist, and they do have an idea about the kind of product you have, a prospect won't buy from you that easily. The reason being trust is not established that easily. We all encounter a lot of fake marketing messaging who make outrageous claims which would be far from the truth. You would be a genuine seller selling a great

DAWN January 2021

The price you offer makes sure you convey your value proposition effectively to your prospects. Unless they don't understand the kind of value, they will get buying your product or service, they won't buy from you

product, you know it, but your prospect doesn't unless you have more interactions with them. Price- The price you offer makes sure you convey your value proposition effectively to your prospects. Unless they don't understand the kind of value, they will get buying your product or service, they won't buy from you. Time- Now that the prospect has got a fair idea about who you are and what you do, from adjusting your pricing in their budget to taking time to set a meeting with you, it takes time. Prepare yourself to wait, and during that waiting period, keep the interaction with your prospect going. Choices- It entirely depends on the kind of competition you have and the options you are offering. Memory- You need to stay in the mind of your prospects. They might have every intention of buying from you, but what if they forget. That is why it is imperative to have regular interactions; that way, you stay fresh in the minds of the prospect.

Business Tips

behaviour of your ideal customer. You need to understand the characteristics of your target customer to get an idea about the platforms they use.

The psychology behind Rule of Seven When you continue interactions regularly, you tend to stay in the minds of your prospects. People have an attention span of a mere eight seconds in today's digital era. They tend to forget and get easily distracted. How do you learn a new language or a new skill? By constant practice and repetition! The rule of seven abides by it. You need to keep repeating the name of your brand before your prospects until they become familiar with it. Having repeated interactions with customers make sales conversations easy. Ask any sales professional, and they will tell you, at what point did the prospect hear about the brand. It is a proven fact

Create a roadmap- Have a clear roadmap on how you could make your brand visible in the eyes of your prospects. Based on the buyer persona, develop a roadmap on the kind of events they attend, the content they consume, and the websites they visit.

Leverage channels like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to make your brand visible among your potential customers. Make sure when you run ads, you target an audience based on your buyer persona

Leverage digital remarketing- As per Brafton, the average bounce rate is more than 60 per cent for B2B websites. It means six out of 10 website visitors leave without browsing another page. Through digital remarketing on platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you can increase the visibility among your prospects. Not only is it a low-cost tactic but it is a great way to increase visibility among people who showed interest in your products or service. Go digital- Leverage channels like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to make your brand visible among your potential customers. Make sure when you run ads, you target an audience based on your buyer persona.

that better brand visibility leads to better sales. The reason being these constant interactions generate awareness across multiple decision-makers which is extremely important when it comes to B2B marketing as there are numerous stakeholders involved. Put in serious efforts to make your brand look appealing to each type of decision-maker involved. Also, if you take into account the duration of a B2B sales cycle, rule of seven is extremely beneficial when it comes to maintaining your visibility for long periods. Apart from that, when you are in a state of continuous interactions with your prospects, you learn their pain points, and you would make efforts to resolve it through blogs, whitepapers, and case studies.

Have a documented content marketing strategy- based on your buyer's lifecycle, draft a content marketing plan. A buyer goes through various stages before they finally decide to buy from you. Based on these stages, create content pieces that sync well at every step of the buyer’s journey. Amplify your content reach through paid campaigns - It is not the best content; instead, it is the most promoted content that wins the race of content marketing. Your content once posted will boost your SEO, but you can use it to do much more. Refurbish your old content to create social media posts and through paid campaigns, let it reach, a good number of people.

So, if the rule of seven comprises of encouraging repeat interactions with prospects, how do you do this?

Leverage email marketing - Email marketing is a great way to have fruitful interactions with your prospects. You can leverage email to nurture your prospects at every stage of the buyer's cycle. Target prospects with relevant content based on the stage they are in and drive email marketing campaigns by offering premium content for free. Doing these seven things can help you capitalize on rule of seven. It will help you create excellent visibility for your brand, which in turn will lead to more searches, enquiries and eventually more sales.

Know who your customers are- Have a buyer persona made based on the

(The writer is a Content Marketer, Storyteller and Perceived as a Best-Selling Author)

How can B2B marketers capitalize rule of seven? B2B marketers can capitalize on rule of seven by ensuring interactions happen with prospects regularly and on the right platforms.

January 2021

DAWN

Defence

CHINA IMPROVES ITS PREPAREDNESS AFTER STAND-OFF WITH INDIA

n recent times, China has started to improve its military preparedness since the standoff with India that began in eastern Ladakh in May this year. The latest changes are being observed through satellite imagery at Hotan in occupied East Turkestan, now Xinjiang, which is one of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) major fighter airbases. Latest satellite images show the construction of an underground automated command and control centre at Hotan, China’s nearest base to eastern Ladakh. For the first time, a Y-20 strategic transport aircraft has been observed at the airbase, indicating a probable deployment of additional troops. India Today had first reported about the deployment of China's fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighters at Hotan airbase in July and August 2020, albeit for a short period. Located 250km north-east of Karakoram Pass, the Hotan airbase can pose a serious threat to Indian forces, especially around Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. The satellite images over Hotan indicate that air activity at this airfield increased in October this year. Although the construction work that began on the runways in June has slowed down the operational work is progressing steadily. In order to prepare the Hotan airbase for

any eventuality, the PLAAF has started underground constructions. As per the information, there are three underground constructions noticed which are likely to be deeply buried complexes. The size of 15m x 6m with other signatures suggests that these three underground deeply buried structures are going to be possible headquarters and operations rooms of the PLAAF and PLARF. The constructions observed in October this year strongly indicate that this could be a command control and intelligence center (C2I) likely to be connected soon with the C4I grid of the PLAAF and PLARF.

GROWING PRESENCE OF CHINESE VESSELS, CAUSES SECURITY CONCERN FOR INDIA

ndian Government India has found that there is an increasing trend of Chinese research vessels and fishing vessels operating in the Indian Ocean Region, raising security concerns for countries in the ocean. While the Chinese fishing vessels indicate the country’s growing footprint in the Indian Ocean Region, the research vessels have raised security concerns as they could be surveying the characteristics of the sea water for improving submarine warfare capabilities. Sources revealed, “There has been a steady rise in the deployment of Chinese research vessels in Indian Ocean Region. The general area of deployment has been observed in ninety-degree East Ridge and South-West Indian Ridge”. The source also stated that there is also an increasing trend of Chinese Fishing Vessels in high seas in the Indian Ocean Region. Around 300 Chinese fishing vessels sail every year but last year almost 450 vessels sailed. “The fishing activity has a

DAWN January 2021

seasonal behavior wherein the fishing vessels withdraw from Arabian Sea prior to the onset of monsoon and return in September and October”, the internal sources said. The concentration of Chinese fishing activities has been observed in the Central Arabian Sea and South West Indian Ocean. It was further pointed that the Chinese Navy ships including their submarines frequent the waters on the pretext of anti-piracy operations. The Indian Navy is aware of China’s growing maritime prowess in the Indian Ocean Region as it is expanding its naval operations. Further, China has also been shifting a lot of resources from other arms to the Navy, keeping in line with their aim of becoming a global power. In September 2019, a Chinese vessel close to the Indian waters was whisked away after it was suspected to be on a spying mission. These research vessels come in the Indian Ocean Region also to either survey areas for deep sea mining or to study the characteristics of the water.

defence

INDIAN ARMY FORCED PLA TO QUIT BATTLE GROUND: RAJNATH SINGH

ndia’s Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, has said that the Indian armed forces have forced the Chinese ‘People’s Liberation Army to go back’ from the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Addressing the 93rd annual general meeting of FICCI, Singh indirectly blamed China for violating established agreements and pushing power ‘not just in Himalayas’, but across the ‘Indo-Pacific’. The Defense Minister said, “As you are aware, there is a big build-up of Armed Forces at the LAC in Ladakh. In these testing times, our forces have shown exemplary courage and remarkable fortitude. They fought the PLA with utmost bravery and forced them to go back”. Emphasizing that unprovoked aggression on the Himalayan frontiers is a reminder of how the world is changing. He also said that the standoff along the LAC is a testimony of ‘how power is being asserted not just in the Himalayas but across Indo-Pacific’. The defense Minister said, “The coming generations of this nation will be proud of what our forces have managed to achieve this

year. Whenever there is a situation at the LAC, the most obvious outcome is a comparison between India and China’s military strength”. Slamming Pakistan for using non-state actors against India, Singh said that the entire world has, today, understood that Pakistan is the fountainhead of terrorism. He added, “We have been victims of cross-border terrorism, yet have fought the scourge alone even when there was no one to support us but later, they understood we were right about Pakistan being the fountainhead of terrorism”. Speaking shortly afterwards, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said that China’s attempt to change the status quo on Line of Actual Control along the northern border amidst COVID-19 pandemic necessities high-level preparation on land, sea and air.

“There will be no need to raise any additional forces or a new strike corps in view of the ongoing conflict. The existing fighting formations can be given dualtasking to look after both fronts”

INDIA CONTEMPLATES OVER DUAL-TASK FORMATION TO PROTECT BORDERS

mong other major steps taken towards India’s preparedness for a two-front war scenario, the Indian Army is discussing proposals to create dual-task formations. These formations will simultaneously look after both the Pakistan and China borders. The proposals are part of the discussions that are going on within the services to further enhance their preparedness along the border with China in view of the ongoing military standoff. Sources from the concerned Government agency said, “There will be no need to raise any additional forces or a new strike corps in view of the ongoing

conflict. The existing fighting formations can be given dual-tasking to look after both fronts”. The need for rebalancing the troops’ focus on the two borders has been necessitated in the wake of the Chinese border becoming an active zone since April-May, and just like the Pakistan front, a large deployment is required there as well. Secondly, there has been deepening of military ties between China and Pakistan in the Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir areas. Different proposals in this regard are being considered by the Army headquarters and suggestions have also been sought from the different Army commanders. A need to further enhance preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been felt, the sources said in the view of changing dynamics on the frontiers. The way these formations could be made dual tasked would be decided as per the discussions and decisions based on them. The Strike Corps on the western front including the 21 Strike Corps in Bhopal along with the Strike One in Mathura and the Kharga Corps in Ambala are heavy-armoured and have their formations located all over the western, central and northern sector. Some of them are very close to the China border. The reorientation of the fighting formations of the 1.3 million-force would be a major exercise. It is expected to prepare the defence forces for a two-front war in real senses. The BMPs, T-90s and T-72s of the Indian Army have been deployed heavily to more than match the Chinese presence opposite the Ladakh sector.

January 2021

DAWN

Tours & Travel

The Serenity of

PANCHGANI

is Calling You By Shrishti S. Nagar

f you are a nature lover and want to enjoy it, Panchgani might just be the right place for you. Panchgani is situated 18 km from Mahabaleshwar, and 48 km from Satara. It is a famous hill station and one of the best places to visit near Mumbai. It is one of the popular tourist destinations of Maharashtra and it must be included in your Maharashtra tour checklist. Located at an elevation of 1334 meters, Panchgani is surrounded by the Yai, Bavdhan and Nagewadi dams in the east, Gurgarh in the west, Khingar and Rajpuri in the south and the Dhom dam in the north. Panchgani is surrounded by five hills in the Sahagarhi mountain ranges. There are also four villages of Panchangi which are Dandeghar, Khingar, Godavali, Amral and Taghat. The city of Panchgani was established by the British in the 1860s as a summer resort. Mahabaleshwar was a summer resort option for the British, but it was uninhabited during the monsoon. Panchgani was developed as a retirement place for the British as the weather here remains pleasant throughout the year. John Chesson, the British Superintendent, was responsible for the change in the summer resort of Panchgani. It is also said that, during exile, the Pandavas spent some time in the Panchgani cave where they lived, the famous Devil’s Kitchen.

Panchgani has many beautiful tourist attractions. Table Land, Parsi Point, Kamalgadh Fort, Devil’s Kitchen, Rajpuri Caves, Sydney Point, Mapro Gardens, Dhom Dam, etc. are some of the major tourist destinations in Panchgani. Panchgani is dotted with old British style bungalows and Parsi houses. It is also known for being a favorite destination for many residential educational institutions and health resorts.

How to reach Panchgani Pune International Airport is the nearest airport to Panchagani, which is about 111 km from Panchgani and has daily flights from Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata and Goa. Satara is the nearest railway station, which is about 52 km from Panchgani. It has trains from Goa, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hubli, Kochi, Kolhapur, Tirunelveli, Mysore, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Gorakhpur, Ajmer and Jodhpur. Panchgani is well connected by bus with Mahabaleshwar, Mumbai, Pune, Satara, Bangalore, Goa, Ahmedabad and Shirdi. The best time to visit Panchgani is from September to February, but the peak tourist season of Panchgani is the monsoon and winter season from September to December.

DAWN January 2021

THE CITY OF PANCHGANI WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE BRITISH IN THE 1860S AS A SUMMER RESORT

Panchgani is dotted with old British style bungalows and Parsi houses. It is also known for being a favorite destination for many residential educational institutions and health resorts

Tours & Travel

TABLE LAND

t a distance of about 2 km from Panchgani, Table Land is the highest point in Panchgani Hill Station, and is situated at an elevation of 4550 feet above sea level. It is one of the best tourist places to visit in Panchgani. Table Land is a vast expanse of flat laterite rock surrounded by hills, hence the name Table Land. This volcanic plateau is the second longest mountain plateau in Asia after the Tibetan plateau. This place offers a beautiful view of the entire Panchgani and the nearby valleys. These hills are naturally a good attraction for nature lovers and adventure seekers. The place also has many activities such as horse riding, fun go rounds, mini trains, food stalls and some game counters. Due to the elevation, the place also offers beautiful views of the Rajpuri caves. Table Land is a popular Bollywood shooting spot. Many films like Raja Hindustani, Mela, Taare Zameen Par, and Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam have been shot at this place.

DHOM DAM

t a distance of 21 km from Panchgani, the Dhom Dam is an earth and gravity dam built on the Krishna River near Wai in Satara district of Maharashtra. It is one of the famous picnic spots for a day trip near Pune.

The construction of the dam was started in 1976 and was completed in 1982. It is one of the largest civil engineering projects in India at that time and also the first dam to be built on the Krishna River in Maharashtra. The main objective of the construction of Dhom Dam was to ensure adequate water supply for industries in the region for agricultural activities and to supply potable drinking water to the population of Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar and Wai areas located in the vicinity of the dam. The dam is also the main source of water supply for the farmers of Koregaon, Javali and Khandala taluk of Satara. The Dhom dam is 50 feet longer than the lowest foundation and runs a length of 2,478 meters. The lake has a water capacity of 14 TMC while the basement power house of the dam is designed to generate 4 MG of electricity. The Dhom Lake is formed by the backwaters of the dam and is about 20 km long. The Dhom Dam attracts a large number of tourists due to the beautiful natural surroundings and boating activities. To enjoy water activities, tourists can hire water scooters, speed boats, boats and motor boats from Boat Club near the dam. The boat club also provides horse riding and camping facilities for tourists. Dhom village was earlier known as Virat Nagar. This place is famous for its scenic beauty and temples along the banks of the river. Narasimha Temple at Krishna Ghat is a very beautiful temple and is a favorite location by Bollywood for film shooting.

January 2021

DAWN

Tours & Travel

PARSI POINT

t a distance of 2 km from Panchgani Bus Stand, Parsi Point is a scenic spot located on the way to Mahabaleshwar in Satara district, Maharashtra. It is one of the best points of Panchgani to have a picturesque view. This place is located at the entrance of Panchgani city while coming from Mahabaleshwar. Parsi Point offers spectacular views of the mountains, the Krishna valley and the backwaters of the Dhom Dam. This popular picnic spot has gained its name from the fact that in earlier days, it was a favorite place of the Parsi community.

SYDNEY POINT

ydney Point is situated on a hill facing the Krishna Valley. It was named after Sir Sydney Beckwarth, Chief Commander, who succeeded Sir John Malcolm as Governor of Bombay in 1830. Sydney Point is famous for providing attractive views of the Krishna Valley, DhomDam, Kamalgad Fort and Wai City. The hill also provides scenic views of the hill ranges of Pandavgarh and Mandhardio.

RAJPURI CAVE

t a distance of 7 km from Panchgani Bus Station, Rajpuri Cave is one of the oldest attractions of the Panchgani region. There are four caves and these ancient caves are surrounded by many water pools. These caves are believed to have been used by Lord Kartikeya for penance and religious rituals. It is also supposedly the house of the Pandavas during their exile. Devotees believe that taking a bath in these holy pools will provide relief from all kinds of diseases and evils. The main attraction of Rajpuri caves is the Lord Kartikeya temple, which is believed to have been built with sand taken from the caves. The entrance to the cave has several stone plates with inscriptions on them. Two traditional idols of Nandi are located in front of the caves. One of the two idols is just opposite the entrance to the cave. Thaipoyam festival is the main attraction of this temple which is celebrated in the months of January / February. One of the four caves is kept separate from the others. An old idol of Lord Karthikeya can be seen here. The other three caves are connected by underground tunnels. The first cave has a pond which is constantly filled with water flowing through the mouth of a sacred Gomukh.

DAWN January 2021

Tours & Travel

DEVIL’S KITCHEN

evil’s Kitchen is situated to the south of Table Land in Panchgani Hill Station. According to the mythological stories, this is where the Pandavas of Mahabharata stayed for a while during their exile. This place was used for cooking. Some claim that the Pandavgarh caves are also built by them and are named after them. The place is now a beautiful sightseeing spot which is popular among tourists. The place is located near the table land and visitors can either take a short walk or hire a private taxi for sightseeing.

KAMALGAD FORT

amalgad, also known as Bhelanja or Kattalag, is a square hill fort located near Wai in Satara district. It is located at an elevation of over 4511 feet. The fort offers breathtaking views of the magnificent Dhom Dam. The builder of the fort is unknown. During the Maratha period, Kamalgad, Pandavgarh and other forts of the region were administered by Mokasaddar from Bijapur. The earliest documents written in the Marathi-language Modi script refer to the fort as a fortnight. In April 1818, Kamalgad surrendered following the resistance of the British army commanded by Major Thatcher. Under the British, the fort was used to execute prisoners of war.

January 2021

DAWN

Highlight

SOON AFTER AUSTRALIAN FREED, THAILAND APPROVES TRANSFER OF IRANIANS

he authorities of Thailand have approved the transfer back to Tehran of three Iranians who were involved in a botched 2012 bomb plot, as Iran released a 33-year-old Australian academic who was imprisoned for more than two years on spying charges. Thai officials did not go so far as to call it a prisoner swap or say what involvement Australia might have had in the arrangement. Iranian state TV said Tehran released British-Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert in exchange for three Iranians held abroad. Chatchom Akapin, Thailand's deputy attorney general, told The Associated Press that Thai authorities had approved the transfer of the prisoners under an agreement with Iran. “These types of transfers aren’t unusual," he said. In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “thrilled and relieved” that Moore-Gilbert had been released but added it would take time for her to process her “horrible” ordeal. Flight data obtained by the AP showed the plane filmed on the tarmac at the Tehran airport had this week twice flown from Bangkok to Tehran, and then on to Doha, Qatar.

was very uplifting, particularly given what she has been through,” Morrison told Australia’s Network Nine. When asked about the swap, Morrison said he “wouldn’t go into those details, confirm them one way or the other” but said he could assure Australians there had been nothing done to prejudice their safety and no prisoners were released in Australia. In a statement, Moore-Gilbert thanked Australia’s government and diplomats for securing her release, as well as supporters who campaigned for her freedom. Despite her ordeal, Moore-Gilbert said she had “nothing but respect, love and admiration for the great nation of Iran and its warm-hearted, generous and brave people”.

The plane's tail number links it to an Australian private air carrier called Skytraders, which describes itself as a “principal provider Moore-Gilbert was a Melbourne University of air services to government”. The bomb plot of lecturer on Middle Eastern studies when she the three Iranians was exposed in 2012 when an was picked up at the Tehran airport as she tried accidental explosion blew apart the Bangkok villa The plane's tail to leave the country after attending an academic where they were staying. Israeli and Thai officials number links it conference in 2018. She was sent to Tehran’s have said the plot was aimed at Israeli diplomats in to an Australian notorious Evin prison, convicted of spying and Bangkok — though Iran denied the allegations and private air sentenced to 10 years. She had vehemently denied the men were never charged with terrorism. Two the charges and maintained her innocence. She of the men, Saeid Moradi and Mohammad Kharzei, carrier called was one of several Westerners held in Iran on were convicted in Thailand in 2013. Moradi was Skytraders, which widely criticized espionage charges that activists sentenced to life for attempting to murder a police describes itself and U.N. investigators believe is a systematic officer, while Kharzei was sentenced to 15 years for as a “principal effort to leverage their imprisonment for money possessing explosives. Moradi, a factory technician provider of or influence in negotiations with the West. Tehran from Tehran and a former soldier, lost parts of air services to denies it. Moore-Gilbert wrote in letters to both legs as he tried to flee the villa on a crowded Morrison that she had been imprisoned “to extort” Bangkok street. He was carrying explosives from government”. the Australian government. the house and dropped them in the street as police tried to stop him. The third suspect, Masoud Her detention had strained relations between Iran and the Sedaghatzadeh, was detained in Malaysia. In 2017, a federal court there ordered his extradition to Thailand. Israeli officials had no West at a time of already escalating tensions, which reached a immediate comment on the release of the Iranians. Iran's report of fever pitch earlier this year following the American killing of a top the prisoner swap was scant on detail, saying only that the Iranians Iranian general in Baghdad and retaliatory Iranian strikes on a U.S. had been imprisoned for trying to bypass sanctions on Iran. Morrison military base. Iran state TV aired footage showing her clad in a gray said he had spoken with Moore-Gilbert. “The tone of her voice hijab sitting at what appeared to be a greeting room at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. She was later seen getting on an Australian-flagged white aircraft, shown to her seat by a man in a suit. The TV report did not elaborate on the Iranians it described as “economic activists” freed in exchange for Moore-Gilbert. They wore Iranian flags draped over their shoulders, black baseball caps pulled down over their eyes and surgical masks, outfits apparently designed to conceal their identities. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, welcomed the three Iranians at the airport. International pressure has been building on Iran to release MooreGilbert. She has gone on repeated hunger strikes and her health has deteriorated during long stretches in solitary confinement. Over the summer, she was transferred to the remote Qarchak Prison, east of Tehran, as fears escalated over the spread of the coronavirus in the country’s notoriously crowded prisons. Moore-Gilbert had appealed to the Australian government to work harder for her release. In her letters to the Prime Minister, she wrote that she had been subjected to “grievous violations” of her rights, including psychological torture.

DAWN January 2021

Highlight

“I told my daughter Mbaye was lucky. But she told me we had been the lucky ones with him,” says Gil, 74, an artist and retired art teacher.

ODYSSEY OF MIGRANT FROM BOAT TO COVID NURSING JOB IN SPAIN

would peak three years later, with hundreds of lives swallowed by the sea. Babacar still remembers the silence on the wooden fishing boat when, on the seventh day of their second attempted crossing, they encountered dozens of floating corpses.

“That’s when you realize that there is no way back”, he says. Either you make it or you die. The boats are again departing in droves. And migrant-trafficking mafias continue extending their tentacles deep ltogether six migrants listen attentively to Mbaye Babacar into European soil, tracking their victims wherever they go and Diouf, whose own journey across the Atlantic to a charging them for a place to sleep, documents that can open doors job nursing COVID-19 patients in Spain and giving back to healthcare, or petty illegal jobs. Some never escape the vicious to the community through his own nonprofit would seem to circle of debt and irregularity. “Nothing has changed,” says Babacar. scream success. “The journey on the boat can last just a few tough days, but adapting to a system that leaves us in But Babacar warns the men who've arrived from limbo, on European soil but without permission to Senegal, Ghana and Morocco that he's no role Babacar legally work, is like being born again and having to model. Behind the appearance of triumph, he's washed dishes relearn everything”. Life took a sharp turn for the scarred from years of humiliation and exploitation at a bar. Gil better when he met Juan Gil, the man he now calls trying to repay a 4,500-euro debt to human needed some “Aita," father in Basque. Babacar washed dishes at traffickers. “I wish every one of you achieves a bar. Gil needed some refurbishing work done at your life goals, but I don’t desire for anybody refurbishing home. Soon, the young worker became a guest the complicated and tough journey that I went work done at at every meal. Gil had lost his mother recently through”, Senegal-born Babacar, 33, tells the group. home. Soon, the and his daughter had moved out, so he persuaded He's keen to make the point that Europe offers young worker Babacar to move in — leaving his overpriced bed in no panacea if the price is drowning at sea or living a four-room apartment shared with 15 other men. forever in society's shadows. He acknowledges it's became a guest a strange message from somebody who's built a at every meal “I told my daughter Mbaye was lucky. But she told career that allows him to fly home to Dakar to visit me we had been the lucky ones with him,” says a family he supports with remittances. Dressed in Gil, 74, an artist and retired art teacher. “And she a crisply-ironed blue uniform the dreadlocked and was absolutely right”, at 28, after a lengthy and expensive battle bespectacled man smile generously. He speaks perfect Spanish, against bureaucracy, Babacar was officially adopted by Gil — the displaying a mix of kindness and self-confidence ahead of his night surname now listed on his Spanish passport. He was able to pay shift at Bilbao's 700-bed Basurto University Hospital. back his remaining debt, send more money to relatives, enroll in nursing school and, upon graduation, secure a job with the Basque Dealing with the coronavirus has been stressful and emotional. “I’ve regional public health service. But his eyes are already set on his seen people die at sea, but this is different”, he says. “I love my job, next goal: studying medicine and returning to Senegal to continue, but there have been situations that have churned my stomach”. as a physician, with the work of his NGO, Sunu Gaal, or Our Long before Babacar could call the Basque city his home, there were tough nights sleeping in the open, surviving by street-peddling Fishing Boat in Senegal's Wolof language. The organization for migrant traffickers. The times when he couldn't dodge police works to help both migrants in Bilbao and youth back in Senegal, raids and landed in a cell, his dream of becoming a nurse seemed where it's trying to build a school. “The idea is not to tell them elusive. The idea grew on him upon arrival in the Canary Islands. At to migrate or to stay put”, explains Babacar. The goal is to infuse 15, hungry and dehydrated after a 10-day journey among 8-meter them with critical thinking to make informed decisions and waves, he was touched by the care Red Cross volunteers showed not to fall prey to the mafias. “One Good Thing” is a series that him and 137 others in his boat. “That instant, I promised myself that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard one day I would be a nurse”, Babacar recounts. It was 2003 and times — stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no the Atlantic route of migration to Europe was seeing a surge that matter how small.

January 2021

DAWN

Lifestyle

A Curse Called

DEPENDENCY

Dependency is like you want to move your hand but 66

DAWN January 2021

Lifestyle

Men and women, both are a victim of dependency but let’s see how partial dependency can act sometimes

By Paridhi Bichchhal

othing is scarier than your state of dependency on others for anything. Being in arms of a situation where you are not able to do anything but lament is the most painful place you can ever stick at.

conscious, dependency is something we cannot run from but once we become mentally conscious, dependency becomes a choice. It’s up to us whether we want to stay dependent or become independent. Under the shade of a mature mind, emotionally stable heart and a viewpoint different from others, dependency is always a self-made and self-chosen way of living.

It never hits us until our brain is in constant battle with our soul Dependency is gender neutral by the by, but it is the women to move out from the place where we are not happy at category of every age that is the worst sufferer. With all and the saddest thing is that we have to shut our no intention of demeaning powerfully evolving brain down every time. The only reason to do that community of women, I would like to bring out is we are not able to do anything because we DEPENDENCY IS the fact that there are still a high percentage are dependent on some people for something GENDER NEUTRAL of women who are living under a condition or the other. BY THE BY, BUT of dependency. Be it physical, emotional IT IS THE WOMEN or financial, women always top the list of Dependency is like you want to move your incapacitated people. What hurts an already hand but you can’t move it because you were CATEGORY OF independent woman is to know that a woman not taught how to move your hand without EVERY AGE THAT can be fully independent but still there are the help of someone else. Dependency is the IS THE WORST so many women who willingly give up their lack of knowledge or ability to do anything SUFFERER potential and right of becoming independent. about a situation. They believe that it would disrespect the males of Not being able to do something might not hurt in an their family or sometimes females too if they would unconscious state like when you are a baby and you don’t demand their independency. To this, I would like to let even know the principle behind the basic tasks of life. But not being them know that demanding your own right or standing for your able to do anything in your conscious state of mind is always dreadful. own self is not an act of disrespecting others but it is an act of You think you are fully capable of doing something but then there awareness, courage and respect towards your own strengths, also exists a fear of what might happen if you go from a state of views and above all, your own life. Women just willingly let others dependency to independency. That fear makes you stay or worse, dominate them, dictate them and let them tell how they should feel comfortable in your long ago created seat of dependency in live their lives. Their perception of limited choices, limited wishes, your mind. limited viewpoints and limited dreams is just a mindset they have been holding on to irrelevantly. So that you don’t have to come out in a real world where people are actually self-sufficient, you tend of tolerate what you are not Men and women, both are a victim of dependency but let’s see how supposed to. To tell the truth, until we are not fully mentally partial dependency can act sometimes-

you can’t move it because you were not taught January 2021

DAWN

Lifestyle

• Financial dependency - No doubt girls are better at saving money than boys but still boys tend to have more money than girls even at an early age. When these boys become men, they already have started earning because this is what is taught to them. From an early age, it is taught to boys that their work in life is to earn money so they start preparing a financially independent mindset when they are just a kid. But girls are not taught to become independent and it is a bitter pill to swallow but some girls are still not taught this thing. Financial independency is not only important for big events but day to day basic needs also require financial independency. When girls who were not taught to become financial independent get married, they suffer a lifetime of pain or humiliation because they have to beg even for 5 rupees in front of their husbands. When they get tired of begging even for a small amount of money, they start stealing and hiding money from their husbands and this leads to a daily cause of conflict between married couples. A brutal willingness of a husband to keep his wife financially dependent on him makes his wife go out in search of a job where some men might take advantage of her helplessness. In order to earn money, a woman then has to lose her dignity and engage sexually with a man other than her husband. Financial dependency surely makes married women’s life a hell but it must not be forgotten that unmarried people also suffer from this disease called dependency. Financial dependency kills potential of people needing resources to fulfill their dreams. It becomes more difficult when a child wants to pursue something else his/her parents have chosen for him/her. This can lead to depression and anxiety among them and grey clouds of suicidal thoughts may start to roam inside their heads because they might feel unwanted. It is not only a wife’s financial dependency on her husband that is painful but a financial dependency of a mother on her son, a daughter/ son’s dependency on her/his parents, or parents’ dependency on their children is also a cause of continuous anguish.

An emotionally dependent person needs someone not only for huge emotional attacks but for minor emotional support too.

• Physical Dependency - Physical dependency and financial dependency are intermixed per se. It is no hidden fact that men and women are interdependent for their physical needs. But this form of interdependency gets converted into co-dependency in no time when a man decides that he has lost interest in his wife or vice versa. The ratio of women making their husbands co-dependent is much lesser in comparison to men making their wives co-dependent for sexual needs. Since, a woman’s body is something sacrosanct, getting her sexual needs fulfilled by a man other than her husband is a disgrace on her piousness. But it is also a stain on manhood when a husband makes his wife go in search of a pleasure only he had the authority to provide her. Not only sexual but physical dependency in terms of strength also brings pain. Women are not as physically strong as men, so they have to face problems in many aspects. In account of their weak physicality, they are harassed sexually, which is the biggest inhuman act and barbarity seen against them. It can’t be said that women can ever stand equally with men in terms of physical strength because men and women both are built differently for different purposes, but women can become strong so as to keep them safe from minor attacks.

DAWN January 2021

Lifestyle

feeling is sown, there is no turning back unless and until that person completes his/her share of depression on this earth. Emotional dependency acts like woodlouse eating a human mind and heart leaving it hollow making it unable to come back to stable state for a long period of time. An emotionally dependent person needs someone not only for huge emotional attacks but for minor emotional support too. Henceforth, instead of believing that we are humans and we need someone to share are emotions and feelings with whether that makes us strong or weak, what we need to believe is that we surely are humans but before that we are individuals who are given an individual life and we have to support our individuality, we have to take care of our emotions ourselves and depending on someone else for our emotions is like giving the half share of our individual life to someone else. It takes time to realize that nothing weighs you down more than your dependency on others for anything. If we are sharing this habitat with other people then an absolute absence of dependency is not possible but making dependency a way of living life is grievous in long term and dangerous for one’s personal growth, mental and physical health and above all a disrespect of one’s life and potential. • Emotional Dependency- Being a human and being emotionless is rare to be found. Some are emotionally strong and some are not. But there never exists a complete absence of emotions. Both situations are normal because not everyone is same and we have to deal with our emotions differently.

Choosing to be dependent or independent depends entirely on how a person wants to live his/her life. People who have comprehended the value of their lives and have developed dreams for themselves can never choose a state of dependency. While, people who still live under an umbrella of a chosen life and limited or no dreams do not think twice before agreeing to a state of dependency.

We can’t completely affirm that women are emotionally weak or men are emotionally strong or vice versa because men and women both can fluctuate in the strength and weakness of their emotions. When and where the problems arise is when one person feels or is made to feel that he/she is not emotionally strong and has to rely on the other person to feel emotionally secure. Emotional dependency can affect a person for a lifetime. Once an emotionally dependent

Dependency is not just a decision but a lifestyle, a mindset and a habit we cultivate for us. So, we have to be careful while choosing between dependency and independency because it is going to affect us in a long run and sometimes for a lifetime. Being dependent on anyone wretchedly for accommodation, food, clothes, happiness, companionship and togetherness for a lifetime is, indeed, a curse.

Financial independency is not only important for big events but day to day basic needs also require financial independency

January 2021

DAWN

Young Turk

KIDS BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON OD Desk

You might already be aware with the richest tycoons of the country. But do you really know about the rich kids of India, other than from news about their fancy weddings and lifestyle? We are talking about the kids who are the Top one per cent of the Top one per cent. Fortunately, these children have already begun working towards the escalation the family business. In fact, in the subsequent few years, the biggest Indian corporations will witnessthe next generation of leaders. Here are the ones that you should definitely keep an eye out for:

AKASH AMBANI

Director, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Reliance Retail

ukesh Ambani’s eldest son, Akash Ambani has already started creating ripples into his father’s gigantic empire. Akash owns a degree in Economics from Brown University. He also enjoys the privilege to sit on the Board of Directors of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and is furthermore the Chief Strategist and heads business development of the company. Under his leadership, Jio has procured over a dozen tech startups that work with AI, last-mile delivery and music streaming. As a matter of fact, since its introduction in 2016, Jio has become one of the country’s biggest mobile carriers and its astonishingly low rates have put its competitors at the risk of pulling down their shutters. Considering that he is the heritor to the richest man in India, his wedding to diamond heiress Shloka Mehta had guests akin to Google CEO Sundar Pichai to former UN General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon and Bollywood’s biggest stars in attendance. He recently made into headlines when he was blessed with a baby boy.

DAWN January 2021

ISHA AMBANI

Director, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Reliance Retail

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kash’s twin sister, Isha Ambani, also plays just as big a role in her father’s substantial empire. Isha has completed her double majors in psychology and South Asian studies from Yale University. Prior to assuming her role in her father’s massive empire, she worked as a business analyst at global consultancy firm McKinsey & Co. Inc. for a few months. At present, she keeps an eye on the branding and marketing aspect of Jio but she is furthermore involved with the Reliance Foundation. She recently played a fundamental role in building a partnership between Jio and the Connected Women Program at GSMA, a global group of mobile carriers, to help Indian women obtaindigital access. Additionally, in 2016, she also unveiled the company’s online fashion portal, Ajio. com. Her wedding to Anand Piramal also took place in late 2018, just a few months before Akash. The celebrations featured private performances by global superstar Beyoncé and John Legend.

3 RISHAD PREMJI Executive Chairman, Wipro Ltd

ishad Premji is the son of the well-known billionaire Azim Premji. He succeeded his father as the executive chairman of Wipro, which is India’s fourth largest software service provider, in July 2019. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Wesleyan University as well as an MBA from Harvard. He linked up with his father’s empire in 2007 as the Chief Strategy Officer. Under his headship, Wipro acquired a lot of tech firms. In fact, it is among one of the most aggressive Indian IT services companies which has spent over USD 1.14 billion to buy five firms. Rishad is also the mastermind behind the USD100 million Wipro Venture fund, which has invested in multiple startups across India and other countries.

January 2021

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ADAR POONAWALLA CEO, Serum Institute of India

dar Poonawalla is the son and inheritor to the 12th richest man in the country, Cyrus Poonawalla. He studied at the University of Westminster and presumed his father’s office in 2011. For those of you who don’t know, Serum Institute is the world's leading vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced. It was under Adar’s guidance that Serum began exporting its products internationally. Most recently, Adar set up Poonawalla Finance to provide loans to low income consumers and small businesses. Within four moments of starting, the company has already lent USD 110 million. Other than that, the company is also working towards launching new lowcost vaccines for diseases like dengue and pneumonia. Serum Institute is also developing COVID-19 vaccine in India. He also owns the Poonawalla Stud Farms, which has won 13 Champion Breeders' Awards. Adar is wedded to philanthropist and fashion enthusiast Natasha, who is often seen chilling with the greatest Bollywood personalities.

ROSHNI NADAR MALHOTRA Executive Director and CEO, HCL Corporation Pvt Ltd

oshni is the only child of the sixth richest man in the country, Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL Technologies Ltd. Despite being among the richest people in the country, Roshni is quite the philanthropist. Roshni became the CEO of IT company HCL in 2009 at just 28 years old. The very next year she became the executive director of the corporation. HCL, which works for technology, healthcare and info systems, is worth about 48 thousand crores and takes all its strategic decisions. She is also a trustee of Shiv Nadar Foundation, whose focus is on education and this foundation has established some of the top colleges and schools in India. Roshni is married to Shikhar Malhotra and they also have a son. His husband also helps her in the Shiv Nadar Foundation.Roshni Nadar, the only daughter of Shiv Nadar, has been educated in Delhi. Roshni then did her graduation in media from North-western University. During this time she was also an intern in CNBC channel. After graduation, he also worked in the London office of Sky News. After this, at the behest of his father, she left this job. After this, she did his MBA from Social Enterprise Management and Strategy from Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In October 2008, Roshni returned to India from abroad and joined her father's HCL Corporation. She was recently named as the wealthiest woman of India.

DAWN January 2021

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ADITYA BURMAN Director, Dabur India

ditya is the sixth-generation descendant of the Burman Family that owns and runs Dabur. The family ranks 13th in the list of the 100 Richest Indians. Aditya studied Chemistry from the University of Kansas and joined Dabur Pharma Limited as an intern in 2003. Recently, his father Anand Burman stepped down as the Dabur’s Chairman to make way for his cousin Amit and Aditya was also given a position among the Board of Directors in July 2019. He is also a Director on the board of Oncquest Laboratories Ltd., which attentions on Oncology and Genetics. He has been contributory in streamlining operations, reinforcement of its research function, and giving it a pan-India presence to propelgrowth. Besides that, Aditya is also the director for Dabur Nepal Pvt Ltd as well as the President of the Delhi Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, which is a global network entirelyfor entrepreneurs. The Delhi-based heiralso supports several charities in the health care and awarenessbay. Aditya is married to Shivani Sud, a trained classical Hindustani singer from a Hoteliering family. Their pre-wedding celebrations encompassed the creation of an entire Matrix film set from the scratch.

KALLI PURIE

Group Editorial Director, India Today Group

alli Purie is the daughter of Arun Purie, the founder and former editor-in-chief of India Today Group. She is particularly known in the industry for creating synergy between India Today Group's superiority in traditional journalism and New Media.

Kalli Purie has a lot of experience in running all media properties including TV channels, apps, digital newspapers, besides organizing international events and creating social media strategies for the group. Currently, Kalli has the editorial reins of three other channels including the undisputed number one channel. She is also leading all the events of the group. Apart from this, she is also promoting digital media in a seamless manner. Kalli Purie, who has a very clear vision about the future of news, is an important member of the team whose architecture of the news room is designed keeping in mind the future, which is a suitable place for multimedia and related devices. Kalli has been the speaker of many international (FIPP, GEN) and national media (AIM, E4M, FRAMES) industry events. She has graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, UK.

January 2021

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KAVIN BHARTI MITTAL Founder and CEO of Hike

avin Bharti is the son of Sunil Bharti Mittal- the founder and chairman of the Bharti Enterprises Limited. Just like his father, Kavin is also an entrepreneur. Unlike all the others future business tycoons, Kavin has not joined in the family business. He holds a master's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Management from the Imperial College London. While studying there, he worked as an intern in McLaren, Google and Goldman Sachs. He created innumerable applications like AppSpark and MoviesNow before going on to launch Hike, the instant messenger app, in 2012. Within 3 years, Hike has become the biggest Indian internet company in terms of users—with a tally of 100 million users.

ANANYA BIRLA

Singer, Founder of Svatantra Microfin

he eldest daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla, Ananya also took a rain check to join her father’s business empire. She went to Oxford to acquire her bachelor’s degree in economics and management, but dropped out soon after. At present, she is signed with Universal Music and has released one EP and over nine singles. She is also the founder of Svatantra Microfin, which arranges for rural women with small loans to buy equipment for home-run businesses. The daughters of the billionaires of the country are famous for their unique hobbies besides earning a name in the business. Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla's daughter Ananyashree is now fulfilling her music hobby. Her debut video was viewed by more than 5,172,515 people. 22-yearold Ananya decided to stand on her feet without resorting to her parents' name at just 17 years old and started her own microfinance company Svatantra Microfinance. People felt that Ananya has spread her wings and she is ready to fly in the business sector like her father. Ananya had her first international album 'Livin' The Life' launched in November 2016 which went viral on social media. Within 2 years, she performed in over 70 live shows. Ananya Birla is the daughter of Kumar Mangalam and Neerja Birla. Ananya is also associated with the business world. She has launched his e-commerce company Cureocrat.

DAWN January 2021