The NEWS you like - July 2019

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PAGES: 68 VOL.7 | ISSUE: 6, JULY, 2019

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VOL:7 I SSUE:6 I JULY, 2019 `30 Editor A Rammohan Rao

Special Correspondent D. Bal Reddy Correspondents Mallesh Babu Mandha Ravi Kumar G.P. Nagaraju

Reporters M.Praveen Kumar, P Vishnuvardhan Reddy Photographers M Vijay S Sridhar, Shair Ali Baig Cover & Layout T. Srinivasa Rao

General Manager Mohd Nizamuddin

Chief Executive (Marketing) Venkata K Ganjam (GK) Chief - Business & LifeStyle K. Bharath Reddy Marketing Associate M. Akhil Raj Shaker

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EDITORIAL

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enny saved is a penny earned! This primary school level wisdom is the basic lesson our rulers need to be reminded of. Like a family that ignores these golden words, the governments too will end up in debts and total bankruptcy.

Telangana state which began as a surplus and ‘richest’ state is fast losing that financial strength.

Its debt burden is increasing year after year.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has warned the state government about this in last November itself.

Telangana has borrowings to the tune of 1.8 lakh crore till last (201819) financial year of which 1.22 lakh crores were borrowed during the last five years of TRS government. Addition to that it has decided to borrow afresh with the total liability reaching to the tune of 2.3 lakh crore. Government sources said that most of the amount borrowed would be due for repayment after 25 years and it had been paying interest every month.

The government argues that the money borrowed is spent on irrigation and power projects. It says there is nothing wrong in borrowing from the market and according to them, the loans were being spent on key irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram and other infrastructure projects. It was true of TRS‘s first term. But what KCR's government is doing now is not in the larger interest and aspirations of Telangana people. had high hopes on the leader and expected him to take care of their larger interest.

But it’s proving to be contrary now.

The present Secretariat and Assembly buildings are in good condition. Andhra Pradesh government has recently vacated and handed over buildings in the secretariat complex which were under its occupation for the last five years. With all this, there is a huge space, in fact, more than sufficient buildings, to accommodate the Telangana State administration.

The Assembly building which was constructed in the late 1980s and inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Dr M.Chenna Reddy in 1990. It was built to cater to the needs of the legislature of united Andhra Pradesh with 295 members and also to provide separate accommodation for key leaders of ruling and opposition parties.The new structures for which Chief Minister KCR had laid foundation stone is going to cost a burden of around Rs.1000 crores on the state exchequer.

The issue of bothering informed citizens of Telangana is “where is the need to for new Assembly building when there are only less than half of the legislators in the new state as competed to the United AP. Why should we go for a new Secretariat building demolishing the existing one when the present structure is in good condition to last for at least another 25 years?

What the government is proposing to spend is Taxpayer hard-earned money. In a democracy, it is answerable to people.

(A Rammohan Rao) THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

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CONTENT

Irrigating Telangana.

Creating world records 8

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 Most complex moon mission

AP Minister have 30 months initial term

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Kerala Govt. under church pressure Cartoon triggers controversy 33

No to apartments in Bengaluru?

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THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

CONTENT

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India's 1st in Gujarat Dinosaur Museum Park

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Now India has it’s own dinosaur museum and Fossil Park. It is developed at Raiyoli village, which is two hours away from Ahmedabad in Gujrat on the national Ahmedabad to Indore highway.

Mekathoti Sucharita First Dalit woman Home Minister Fertility rates are falling India & the world are ageing fast 46 in AP

Dr. Shobha Raju’s Column

Worst effect on global 53 economic growth

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THE NATION

Dr.APJ’s birthday as W

National Students Day

THE NEWS BUREAU

e have Children's day, Teachers day. These special days are celebrated throughout the country. But there is the missing link between them, a day dedicated to students. You may wonder why no one thought of it. But no more.

Former Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader Rapolu Anand Bhaskar have written a letter to Union HRD Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank to observe October 15, the birth anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as National Students Day. He has proposed to observe Dr Abdul Kalam's birth anniversary as Students Day throughout the country, in correlation with the United Nations, where this day has

already been declared as World Students Day. "I pray for your prompt expeditious initiative to declare October 15 as National Students Day and ensure to observe befittingly in all the educational institutions of all levels, so that as the Missile Man dreamt you can utilize the day as the occasion to ignite the minds of our students" Anand Bhaskar mentioned in the letter he has written the third week of June. The Journalist turned politician has said that earlier he has represented Union Minister of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Prakash Javadekar about the declaring Dr Abdul Klam’s birthday as National Students day.

Anand Bhaskar, who was

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known as intellectual politician when he was in Congress till recently has highlighted the importance of the National Students day.

He reminded that BJP has played a pivotal role in electing Dr Abdul Kalam as the President of India and the Union Government also commemorated his memory by naming an important(Aurangzeb Road) road in the national capital after him Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road.

The former member of the upper house urged the HRD Minister to observe this day with same ignite and enthusiasm, just like the entire nation observes other sensitizing events like June 21 as World Yoga Day and August 7 as National Handloom Day. Since the day the former President Abdul Kalam's demise in July 2015 there had been an increased interest in his teachings and glorious vision he had and his memory inspires Indians. Accepting the than East Delhi BJP MP Mahesh Girri proposal the move to “correct the mistakes made in our history”. from a Mughal emperor to the “Missile Man”, Aurangzeb Road in Lutyens’ Delhi has been renamed as Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Road in honour of the late President. several universities and institutions are observing October 15 in their own way, throughout the nation.

Now if Anand Bhaskar’s proposal is accepted by the Union Government ‘the wings of fire’ ignited by Dr Abdul Kalam can inspire generations to come.

STATES

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The new ‘New MLA & MLC quarters’ H

THE NEWS BUREAU

yderabad city now has a new landmark. The ‘New’ quarters complex for MLAs and MLCs has come up at Hyderguda where ‘old’ MLA quarter use to be. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao(KCR) along with the Assembly speaker Pocharam Srinivas inaugurated the complex.

The project, which had kickstarted in 2010, took nine years to materialise and is built on a sprawling 4.26 acres of land.

Designed at an estimated cost of Rs 166 crore, the government has spent a total of Rs 144 crore on the project so far. The old quarters(which were known as ‘New MLA quarters for last five decades) at Adarsh Nagar is now lying in a

dilapidated state The complex stands in the heart of the city and is a 12-storeyed building with 10 apartments on each floor except the ground floor.

As many as 120 quarters were built in 12 storied-buildings and every quarter of 2500 sq feet each has three bedrooms.

They also comprise facilities like bank, clubhouse, supermarket and parking for 240 vehicles The the ground floor has meeting halls for the MLAs and MLCs to gather and interact with their constituents.

The complex also has 36 quarters for housekeeping staff and accommodation for security personnel. There is also a separate commercial building that would supply all basic amenities to the legislators living within the THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

complex. The quarters also comprise facilities like bank, clubhouse, supermarket and parking for 240 vehicles.

The work on the buildings had begun way back in 2010, before the state bifurcation, but inordinate delays on the side of the construction agencies prolonged the completion of the structure. The foundation stone was laid for the construction of these quarters by the then Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, K Rosaiah, in March 2010. After the new government of Telangana was formed in 2014, the then Roads and Buildings Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao made sure there weren’t any further delays, prompting the construction agencies to finish the work soon.

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STATES

Kaleshwaram

Irrigating Telangana..

Creating world records I

THE NEWS BUREAU

t is said to be one of the biggest irrigation and drinking water supply projects in the world. Expected to provide water to 45 lakh acres of land across the Telangana state. Project is extending up to 1,832 km for agriculture, drinking water and industrial purpose. The Kaleshwaram is the world’s largest irrigation and drinking water system—This Multipurpose Lift Irrigation Project Lift Irrigation Project’s first phase was inaugurated in the third week of June.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has dedicated this project built at a cost of Rs 80,000 crore which is expected to rise to Rs 1,00,000 crore on its completion to the state.Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has participated in the inaugural functions as chief guests.

Water from the Godavari at Medigadda, which is about 100 meters below sea level, will be lifted in six stages and supplied to Kondapochamma Sagar, which is at a height of 618 metres above sea level. Some of the biggest pumps have been set up at various locations to lift 2 TMC feet of water every day this year.

When completed, the project is expected to supply water to 70 per cent of the state’s 31 districts. On inauguration day KCR has announced that water would be pumped from July month onwards.

By next year, the capacity will be

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ramped up to lift 3 TMC of water every day. A total of 20 water lifts and 19 pump houses will be used in the project.

With the construction of barrages at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla, the water would be

STATES pumped to fill reservoirs constructed at Yellampally and Sriram Sagar Projects. According to officials, this means the river will be diverted to flow approximately 200 Kms into the state.

The power requirement for the project is also enormous. According to estimates, 4992.7 MW of power will be needed to lift 2 TMC of water and 7,152 MW will be needed to lift 3 TMC. For the first time in the country, the state’s electricity supply boards are using 139 MW pumps for the project in Ramadugu Water-sharing agreement with Maharashtra

On March 8, 2016, the Telangana government had entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra State government, putting an end to the decades-old differences and objections over construction a dam or barrage. Maha state government agreed to Telangana’s proposal for water-sharing.

This agreement has paved the way for the construction of Kaleshwaram project at Medigadda in Jayshankar Bhupalpalli district.

With this friendly agreement Maharashtra Chief Minister has personally come for the inauguration of Kaleshwaram project. Why this gigantic water project?

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

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The Kaleshwaram project had to be built at such a size and scale because while the Godavari flows at 100 metres below Mean Sea Level(MSL), geographically Telangana is located at 300 to 650 metres above MSL. The massive project is divided into seven links and 28 packages and involved digging of 20 reservoirs in 13 districts with a total capacity to store 145 TMC.The reservoirs are interconnected through a network of tunnels running about 330 km, the longest underground tunnel is 21 km long connecting Yellampalli reservoir with Medaram reservoir.

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STATES

While the intricate canal network covers approximately 1,832 km, the farthest point is Narketpally in Nalgonda district which is 500 km away from the source.

The project had to be built at such a size and scale because while the Godavari flows at 100 metres below Mean Sea Level, Telangana is located at 300 to 650 metres above MSL. Except for pumping water using gigantic pumps with mindboggling capacities, there is no other option, according to officials.

The project is designed keeping Telangana states diversified needs.

It will provide water for drinking and irrigation purpose to about 45 lakh acres in 20 of the 31 districts in Telangana, apart from Hyderabad and Secunderabad. This project is unique because Telangana will harness water at the confluence of two rivers with the Godavari by constructing a barrage at Medigadda in Jayshankar

Bhoopalpally district and reverse pump the water into the main Godavari river and divert it through lifts and pumps into a huge and complex system of reservoirs, water tunnels, pipelines and canals.

The project has set many records with the world’s longest water tunnels, aqua ducts, underground surge pools, and biggest pumps. By the time the water reaches Kondapochamma Sagar, the last reservoir in the system about 227 km away in Gajwel district, the Godavari water would have been lifted to a height of 618 metres from its source at Medigadda.

The project is all set to create a world record in July when seven gigantic pumps with a capacity of 139 MW each in a pumping station built 330 metres below the surface will start lifting 2 TMC of water per day received from Medigadda Barrage on the Godavari through a 14.09 km long the underground THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

tunnel, the longest irrigation tunnel, in the world. The pumps would be operating at a cavern and surge pool which also holds a record for being the biggest in the world with a capacity to hold 2 crore litres of water.

About 141 to 180 TMC would be harnessed during the 90 flood days of Godavari from August to October.

The total length of Kaleshwaram project is approximately 1,832 km, of which 1,531 km is gravity canals and 203 km comprises water tunnels. There are 20 water lifts and 19 pump houses in the project.

Once the project reaches its full operational capacity, it is expected to make Telangana an economic power because farmers will be able to sow two crops, and thousands of crores worth of fishing industry would flourish in the fresh water in this project alongside tourism and water sports.

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COVER STORY

Opposition parties in TS & AP

THE

T

ACTS A.Rammohan Rao & D.Bal Reddy

heir vanishing acts will put greatest magicians wonder. In these cases subjects are more than willing to perform the act of political magic of ruling party supremos. With this kind series in Telangana, the collective of opposition party politicians suddenly disappeared. Andhra Pradesh related show has also begun.

As American businessman and diplomat, puts it, “The greatest power is not money power but political power.� It suffices to say that the heady mix of economic and political power is even more intoxicating than either of its stand-alone constituents. A politician in both Telugu states

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have understood this better many of their counterparts in the country. They just can not stay out of power and miss the shade of ruling party umbrella.

The Congress and Telugu Desam Party Legislators, Members of Parliament played strictly keeping anti-defection law, that seeks to prevent opportunistic defections (like that of Haryana MLA Gaya Lal who changed his party thrice in a day in 1967) requires at least two-third MLAs or MPs of a party to form a group, or merge with another party without getting disqualified. The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

COVER STORY 13

One of the main reasons this practice has been able to flourish is that the anti-defection law is allowed to be violated by the ruling party. The law says a defector can be disqualified by the Speaker on the basis of a petition by any other member of the House. However, the practice of naming Speakers from the ruling party mean defections are allowed in nearly all circumstances, with no regard for the motive behind defections. After 2014 in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, this has led to a farcical situation, where dozens of opposi-

tion legislators have switched sides to strengthen the ruling party while the Speakers have looked the other way. Some were made ministers even before they officially changed their party tag, thus becoming “opposition party ministers in the government".

Though the new AP Chief Minster Jaganmohan Reddy clearly announced his party and government is not ready to admit any opposition party legislator unless he or she resigns Assembly Membership before joining ruling YSRCP. In the case of Telangana ruling,

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TRS is no such concerns and had opened gates without hesitation.

The picture emerging benefitted from defections by disgruntled Congress and Telgugdesham leaders is rosy for TRS in Telangana and BJP at the national level for the present.

Political scientist pointed out that of all the pending legislative reforms before the next Indian government, tightening and cleaning up the anti-defection law is among the most urgent—if only to tend to the health of the world’s largest democracy.

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COVER STORY

‘Timely’ shift to BJP

I

Business of politics

- A.RAMMOHAN RAO

t’s not just a simple change of colour, but complete shift loyalties. When four MP opted for Safron(BJP’s colour) leaving Yellow (Telugudesham’s colour) the regional party saw looming darkness over its immediate future. Within a month after its defeat in the 2019 polls, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh lost four of its MPs in the Rajya Sabha. These industrialists and businessmen turned politicians have switch sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). CM Ramesh, Y. S. Chowdary, T. G. Venkatesh, and G. Mohan Rao wrote to Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu, asking him to merge the TDP’s legislature party with the BJP. Switching sides was risk-free for them as the 4 MPs won’t draw the anti-defection law, which allows defections if two-thirds of a party’s legislature switch sides.

The TDP has six MPs in the Rajya Sabha.

Four Rajya Sabha members who have shifted loyalties to ruling BJP from TDP are business tycoons.

Richest among Indian parliamentarians. Their economic interest is both within and outside of Telugu states. Brief profiles of these businessmen turn politicians.

Chawdary, a former union minister with the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, and Ramesh are believed to be close toTDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu Naidu. During previous two sessions of Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions and adjournments with TDP MPs often storming the well of the House and staging walkouts, demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh, The two MPs in recent times have faced a series of searches by the Income Tax department, Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate. Some TDP leaders allege that the BJP has used central agencies to strongarm the MPs into switching sides. Losing someone like Y. S. Chowdary will also impact the party in terms of funding they feel.

On June 20 morning the TDP Rajya Sabha members have met under Y. S. Chowdary and they proposed to Amit Shah that they want to join the BJP. Amit Shah agreed, BJP national working president J.P Nadda tock them to Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu

YS Chowdary

A

close aide of N. Chandrababu Naidu. Yalamanchili Satyanarayana Chowdary, popularly known as Y. S. Chowdary or Sujana Chowdary (58) is one of the richest MPs with assets worth Rs 190 crore. YS Chowdary entered national politics in 2010 when he was elected as Member of Parliament into the Rajya Sabha, representing the Telugu Desam Party from Andhra Pradesh on 22 June 2010. He.had served as union minister until the TDP pulled out of NDA in 2018. YS Chowdary was one of the strong voices against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He was an entrepreneur and headed the Sujana Group of companies before taking the political plunge.He is currently under the CBI and Enforcement Directorate scanner in connection with a bank fraud case.

On 23 and 24 November 2018, searches were conducted by Enforcement Directorate, at the residence and office of Sujana Chowdary in Hyderabad and Delhi. The agency claimed, the group of companies belonging to him defrauded banks to the tune of Rs 5,700 crore. The documents seized by the agency indicated that the group was controlling over 120 companies that were only on paper without any genuine business activities.[9] Chowdary alleged that he was being targeted for political reasons and said he would take legal recourse against the ED. He claimed his companies were maintaining all records and the allegations made by the ED were baseless.

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COVER STORY 15

CM Ramesh

H

e was an official spokesperson of National Telugu Desam Party, representing the party as a Member of Parliament(Rajya Sabha) from Andhra Pradesh. He won his second consecutive Rajya Sabha term in 2018. Chintakunta Munuswamy Ramesh (54) is the Founder Chairman of Rithwik Projects Pvt. Ltd., which was set up in 1999 and it has grown to a turnover of more than 1000 Crores within a span of 14 years. The company is one of

Garikapati Mohan Rao

H

the leading Infrastructure Developers in India and has interests in energy, roads, irrigation projects and property development.

CM Ramesh was the target of Income-Tax raids last year in connection with a probe into dubious transactions worth Rs 100 crore.

e has been a member of Rajya Sabha since 2014.

Garikapati Mohan Rao(71) is presently representing Telangana State as a member of parliament, Rajya Sabha. He has investments in Jyothi Group of companies which have interests in infra, hospitality, green power, Plantations, fuel distribution.

T G Venkatesh

H

Calling it an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intimidate TDP, Ramesh had said, “I have been targetted because I belong to the TDP. This is an attempt to intimidate everyone who is against Modi and BJP. Anyone who questions the Centre is being raided by IT.”Ramesh, who was elected to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in August last year, said he had declared an income of Rs. 200 crore in the last four years and promptly paid tax.

e has been described as being among the richest people living in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.Industrialist and former minister. T. G. Venkatesh (69) served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh from 1999 to 2004 and from 2009 to 2014. He was Minister for Minor Irrigation during the government headed by Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy.

He had joined TDP from Congress before 2014 elections but lost the Kurnool Assembly seat to YSRCP’s SV Mohan Reddy. He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2016.

with their proposal and as well as our agreement and gave it to him. Nadda said that the MPs who had joined the party “would get to work with the BJP which beliefs in politics inclusiveness and sabka saath sabka vikaas and sabka Vishwas". Y.S Chowdhury, who was one of the MPs to join the BJP added that the move was in the larger interest of the state But why did BJP allowed TDP Rajya Sabha members knowing allegations/cases against them? Political observers say the saffron party is playing a safe game which doubles as weakening it’s the latest foe in Andhra Pradesh on one side and help increase the ruling party’s strength for immediate needs. The Rajya Sabha has 245 MPs, of which 241 are elected and four are nominated (who generally vote alongside the treasury benches). The majority mark is 123. The BJP is the largest party with 71 members (as on June 20). Its allies — JDU (6), SAD (3), Shiv Sena (3), RPI-A (1),

AGP (1), BPF (1) and SDF (1) — take the NDA tally to 87. AIADMK, with 13 members usually back the ruling NDA. This takes the number to 100. The NDA also enjoys the support of three nominated members (the sole UPA-nominated retires early next year) and three independent members taking its tally to 106. Regional parties like TRS (6), YSRCP (2) and BJD (5) extend issue-based support to NDA. If we include these to the NDA total, the four TDP MPs will take the tally to the halfway mark of 123. NDA's numbers are likely to rise after bypolls to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5 reducing its dependence on outside support further.

In the last five years, lack of numbers in the upper house prevented NDA from getting key bills passed or debated. In 2016, the opposition embarrassed the government by passing amendments to the President's speech.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

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COVER STORY

TDP & CONGRESS HIT BY DEFECTIONS

P

Sailing the same boat

- D.BAL REDDY

roblems aplenty for the opposition as three more leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and two of the Congress party today joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). TDP leaders E Peddi Reddy, Bode Janardhan and Suresh Reddy joined the BJP after Later it turned out that TDP’s Business Cell Secretary Koneru Venkata Krishnan has also joined the BJP. A two-time MLA, a general secretary of TDP Peddi Reddy had served as minister during the tenure of TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu as Chief Minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh. TDP had won two seats in the Assembly elections in Telangana last December. One of them has announced his

decision to join the TRS. TDP did not contest the recent Lok Sabha polls in Telangana and also fielded candidates for a limited number of seats in the Assembly polls six months ago. With MLAs from TDP and Congress joining the ruling TRS after elections, people see BJP as a strong party as its MLAs did not switch sides, Peddi Reddy said.

The former chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had earlier tried to make light of the defection of party MPs to BJP. He had said, “We fought with BJP only for Special Category Status & state’s interests. We sacrificed Central Ministers for Special Status, condemn attempts of BJP to weaken TDP. The crisis is not new to the party. Leaders & cadre have nothing to be nervous about.”

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Dinakar’s defection is interesting in particular because he has been particularly critical of the BJP-led NDA. Earlier this year, he had accused the BJP of doing “vendetta politics” by “using the Income Tax department” to conduct raids at various properties of Andhra Pradesh minister P Narayana.

“This is vendetta politics. BJP B team is in Andhra – Jagan Mohan Reddy, with Telangana Chief Minister (K. Chandrashekar Rao). They had asked P Narayana not to contest the election on behalf of TDP. He didn’t accept the proposal, so they are using the Income Tax department with the help of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP,” Dinakar had told them. The TDP minister had also said it was time

for the public to teach YSRCP Chief Jaganmohan Reddy and Prime Minister Modi a “lesson”.

The TDP stands practically decimated in the state after securing only 23 seats in 151-member Assembly. It also won only three out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The strength of TDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha has also fallen to two after four MPs resigned Congress is set to suffer a blow in two states as several leaders are planning to join the BJP and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, respectively. It is reported that the delay is from the BJP leadership’s side which is not taking any decision, otherwise several Congressmen, including MPs and MLAs and district level leaders in Telangana and AP wish to join BJP, Some senior leaders in Andhra Pradesh are all set to join YSRCP. In Andhra Pradesh, the Con-

gress is in shambles after drawing a blank for the second time with not a single MLA or MP being elected since 2014. All the 175 Congress Assembly and Lok Sabha candidates lost their deposits in the recent elections.

YSRCP has replaced Congress in AP as the alternative to TDP. Till the time YSRCP and TDP remain powerful, Congress won’t have a chance of making a comeback, mainly due to the anti-Congress feeling among people due to the bifurcation of the state. In the next couple of years, YSRCP may emerge even stronger so Congress leaders are making their moves.

They see no future in the Congress,” former APCC spokesperson Y Ramchandra Reddy, who recently joined the YSRCP said.

During the first week, June 12 Congress MLAs joined the TRS after submitting a memorandum that they were the CLP and sought

COVER STORY 17

a merger with TRS. Telangana Assembly Speaker P Srinivas Reddy accepted the memorandum which left the Congress with just six MLAs. While many Congress leaders have kept their plans a secret, the party’s Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy said the Congress was facing a leadership crisis at the national and state level.

He said that he did not think the present Congress leadership can counter the BJP. Congress is losing its base in Telangana to the BJP and there won’t be much of the Congress left soon.

Senior Congress leaders said that they doubt if the party can remain a cohesive Opposition party in Telangana in the face of BJP’s efforts to gain control. “In the next two or three years, BJP is likely to become stronger than Congress in Telangana and as the main opposition party to the ruling TRS.

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COVER STORY

TRS achieves its ‘goal’

I

Congress loses Opposition Party status D.BAL REDDY

t is complete now. Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) party’s alleged ‘goal’ of reaching 100 members in Telangana Assembly is achieved. At the same time, it has also made Congress lose it’s the main opposition. What has begun few weeks after early elections to Assembly in last December was completed in the first week of June.

Giving a big jolt to their parent party as many as 12 of its 18 Telangana Congress in MLAs have merged their Legislature Party (CLP) in TRS Legislature party.

They were recognised as members of the ruling TRS by the Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy

in hours after they moved him seeking a merger of their group. He has acceded to the request of the 12 MLAs considering the fact they constituted two-thirds of the Congress Legislature Party, a requirement for the merger under the anti-defection law. "Accordingly seats are allotted to them along with members of Telangana Rastra Samithi Legislature Party in the House," the assembly bulletin said.

With this, the Congress is set to lose its Opposition Party status in the assembly as its strength has come down to seven. With the merger, the TRS strength in the 118-member House with one vacancy has risen to 100, including the Speaker.

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In what appears to be a calculated move, the decision of Rohit Reddy to desert the party came a day after the Congress strength in the assembly came down to 18 following the resignation of state party (TSPCC) chief Uttam Kumar Reddy as MLA on his election to the Lok Sabha. Rohith Reddy earlier on the day, met TRS working president and KCR’s son KT Rama Rao to pledged his loyalty to the ruling outfit. Rohith Reddy's decision boosted the strength of the defectors to the twothirds figure, thus insulating them from any possible action under the anti-defection law or the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. Since early March, as many as 11 Con-

Talking to reporters after petitioning the Speaker, senior legislator Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy He claimed the people of the state were with them and supported their move..

gress MLAs had switched loyalties.

Talking to reporters after petitioning the Speaker, senior legislator Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy said the 12 MLAs decided to work with the Chief Minister for the ‘development of the state.’ "We held a special meeting of Congress Legislature Party. All the 12 members support the leadership of Chief Minister KCR and requested to work with him," Ramana Reddy said. He claimed the people of the state were with them and supported their move.

The Speaker's decision came

even as the embattled Congress cried foul, accusing the TRS of purchasing its MLAs and filed a petition in High Court. The setback to the Congress in Telangana comes at a time when the party has been on the backfoot in several states following dissidence among its ranks after the Lok Sabha elections trouncing. Slamming the Speaker's decision, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Congress would move the Telangana High Court challenging it. He alleged Rohith Reddy was threatened by TRS leaders.

"This is completely illegal. KCR (TRS President and Chief Minister THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

COVER STORY 19

K Chandrasekhar Rao) is cheating the mandate of the people of Telangana," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

He along with CLP leader M Bhatti Vikramarka and senior party leaders also held a protest on the Assembly premises.

Anticipating the move by the TRS, CLP leader M Bhatti Vikramarka, who is the Leader of Opposition, had recently met the Assembly Speaker and urged him to issue a notice to the Congress before taking any action on the merger issue."People voted for them as Congress candidates.

Buying those (Congress) MLAs by KCR is shameful. People of Telangana will not tolerate him for such shameful activities. He alleged Speaker Srinivas Reddy was not available despite repeated attempts to reach him. "We will fight this out democratically. We have already filed a petition in the High Court (on the defections issue)," he further said.

AIMIM led by Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Akbaruddin Owaisi has seven members in the assembly, while the BJP one. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had won two seats in the December polls, but one of them had also announced his decision to join the ruling party.

The assembly also has an independent and a Forward Bloc MLA. Even in the last Assembly, TRS managed to lure 12 out of 15 TDP MLAs who won in the 2014 polls.

In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, the Congress won three seats, improving its tally from two in the 2014 polls.

“You cannot remove the main opposition party (from the Assembly). You better shift the Assembly to your (KCR's) farmhouse" said angry Uttam Kumar Reddy during the protest.

20 STATES

Sections & Regions balanced

AP Minister have 30 months initial term

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t is an unprecedented cabinet in Indian politics. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s decision to have five deputy Chief Minister in his cabinet has created history. In a bid to represent all sections of society after a landslide victory, he had announced that Andhra Pradesh will have five deputy CMs — one each from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, minorities and the Kapu community. AP’s Chief Minister also announced that these Dy.CM along with all other cabinet members will get two-andhalf-year tenures. And if they do not perform well or if he feels that

they should be replaced, he would do so. Jaganmohan Reddy has also stated that he would make the way for new faces halfway through his term.

Hours after Jaganmohan Reddy occupied his office in the State Secretariat in Amaravati, his cabinet was sworn in, inducting 25 Ministers in one go. There are three women in the cabinet. It includes a mix of senior politicians who were loyalists of his father and former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and new faces who had worked their way up from the ground in the YSRCP since it was founded in 2011. Jaganmohan Reddy has also created history by alloting the portfolios of Home and THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Disaster Management to one of the three women, Mekathoti Sucharithra who is first Dalit women to handle home ministry.

The new Cabinet has 25 ministers, who will all be sworn in the second week of June. His cabinet has equal representation from all regions of Andhra Pradesh—North Coastal Region (4), East and West Godavari (6), Krishna and Guntur (5), Prakasam and Nellore (4), Rayalaseema (6). According to sources in YSRCP Jaganmohan Reddy has said people of all sections and castes put their faith and trust in the party and he is trying to have representatives of all castes and communities in the Cabinet.

Senior leader Botsa Satya-

STATES narayana was a former minister under YSR and a long-time Congress member. He also headed the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) for a brief period.

He joined the YSRCP in 2015 and quickly rose through the ranks of the party. He will be the state's new Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) A senior party leader, Buggana Rajendranath was elected from Dhone in Kurnool district. Rajendranath is also the former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman. He has been allotted the portfolios of Finance, Planning and Legislative Affairs.

Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy hails from a politically

prominent family. Just earlier this week, his son Midhun Reddy was re-elected as an MP from Rajampet and nominated as the YSRCP leader in the Lok Sabha. He is the state's Minister for Panchayati Raj & Rural Development and Mines and Geology. His family was responsible for ensuring the victories of several YSRCP candidates in Chittoor district, the home turf of Chandrababu Naidu.

A former state minister, Balineni Srinivasa Reddy was recently elected to the state Assembly from Ongole for the fifth time. He was also a confidant of YSR and had served in his cabinet in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He is now the Minister for Energy, Forest, Envi-

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

21

ronment, Science and Technology.

Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, more popularly known as Avanthi Srinivas, was the sitting TDP MP from Anakapalle when he defected to the YSRCP in February this year.

An educationalist turned politician, he is presently the MLA from Bheemli, a prominent suburb of Visakhapatnam city. He has also been allotted the portfolios of Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education.

It seems that Jaganmohan Reddy has rewarded long-time loyalist and Gudivada strongman Kodali Nani for ensuring the loss of Devineni Avinash, who hailed from a prominent family whose loyalties lie with the TDP for decades. Nani also enjoys a lot of support among party cadre. He will be the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister.

A relatively young MLA, 38year-old Anil Kumar defeated sitting Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister P Narayana, who also owns the Narayana group of institutions, and managed to retain his Nellore town constituency. Known for his firebrand speeches, Anil usurped a veteran businessmanpolitician, surprising many people.

He is now the state's Irrigation and Water Resources Minister.

Soon after stepping into his office at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S He stepped into his new office in Block 1 of the Secretariat he signed the first file officially increasing the salaries of Asha (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 per month. He also signed the file for Central approval for Anantapur Express Highway, and a file to renew health insurance for journalists.

22 SHORT PROFILE

Mekathoti Sucharita

First Dalit woman Home Minister in AP

Photos by: T. Srinivasa Reddy

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

SHORT PROFILE 23

S

D.BAL REDDY

he has entered into public life during late Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy (YSR) historic ‘padayatra’ in 2003. Now joined in his son and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cabinet.

Mekathoti Sucharita created history by became first Dalit women Home Minister in the state and also by becoming first woman minister from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community from Guntur district.

Groomed by YSR during his tenure as chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, Sucharita’s rise to the cabinet rank began in 2006 when she won the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) election from Phirangipuram in Guntur as a Congress candidate. She served for two years as ZPTC member.

Sucharita hails from Phirangipuram in Guntur. She is married to IRS officer M Dayasagar who is now posted as Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) in Mumbai. Her father N Anka Rao was a medical doctor at a government hospital. He later ran a clinic in Phirangipuram. She completed her BA in Political Science in 1990.

In 2009, YSR got allotted her the party ticket for Prathipadu Assembly Constituency in Guntur district from where she won comfortably. After YSR’s death in September 2009, she swore allegiance to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and resigned from Congress when Jagan launched YSRCP in March 2011. She again won from the seat on a YSRCP ticket in the bye-elections held in May 2012.

Sucharita used to regularly ac-

company Jagan’s mother Y S Vijayamma during the 2014 assembly election campaigning. In fact, Sucharita was a constant companion of Vijayamma until she withdrew from public life. “I was a social worker when I first met Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy when he arrived in our district during his padayatra. I was very impressed by him, his dedication and commitment to understand and know the issues and problems faced by the people. I decided to join him then.

I have always remained loyal to YSR family because of their commitment to work for the welfare of people,” the 45-year-old said.

Despite conceding her seat to the TDP in 2014, Sucharita’s loyalty to the YSR family was rewarded with Jagan again allotting her the YSRCP ticket in the 2019 assembly elections. She defeated two heavyweights, former minister D Manikya Vara Prasad of the TDP THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

and former TDP minister Ravela Kishore Babu, who joined Jana Sena Party. Jagan Mohan Reddy appointed Sucharita, as a cabinet minister. With the move, Sucharita has become the first woman Dalit Minister to join the cabinet of 24 ministers. Reports suggest that Jagan Mohan Reddy was inspired by his father and chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy who had inducted a woman home minister – P Sabita Indra Reddy for the first time in the history of the state.

Calling it an honour to be given the home portfolio, Sucharita said, “YSRCP has got a huge mandate and it puts a lot of responsibility on us. Jagan’s commitment to the welfare of the people can be understood from the huge representation that backward communities got in the Cabinet. As a Dalit woman, it is a privilege to be made Home Minister”.

24

STATES

Water shortage woes

No to apartments in Bengaluru?

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o water no life. No water no apartment house too. The Karnataka government is contemplating a ban on construction of new apartments in Bengaluru for the next five years. This under consideration as one of its measures to combat the growing shortage of water. The India's technology capital witnessing one of the most severe water shortage in the country.

Bangalore has gone from being the city of lakes to the city of concrete. Because of this, all the water has disappeared. Years of rapid urbanisation, a swelling population and poor water management have led to drying taps, falling groundwater levels and filth-frothed lakes

that can burst into flames.

Bengaluru is paying a heavy price for its success since marketing itself as a tech hub in the late 1990s and attracting top firms including Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Google.While job opportunities have soared in the sprawling city, millions have no piped water and instead rely on an army of privately-run tankers that suck water from wells inside and outside the city and deliver it to homes.

Other families dig unauthorised private wells in search of water for drinking, bathing, laundry and other daily needs. Even those living in long-established neighbourhoods with piped water often find water trickling, rather than gushing, from the tap. Even as the city struggles to quench its current

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

thirst, towering residential condominiums and glass-and-steel office blocks sprout to accommodate an inflow of migrants.

Officials admit that city authorities, unprepared for the speed of the city's tech boom, did not adequately plan for Bengaluru's growing water needs. The size of the city has more than tripled in just over a decade to 800 square km (198,000 acres) - nearly half the size of London - by swallowing dozens of settlements and villages.

Bengaluru's population has more than doubled to about 12 million since 2001 and is predicted to hit 20 million by 2031. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is the main agency that manages drinking water - but it can provide it to only about 60% of the city. With land for water reservoirs and other infrastructure difficult and expensive to acquire.

Each day, the city pushes 1.4 billion litres of water through its pipes - but still falls 800 million litres short of meeting the city's ballooning needs. One of the biggest difficulties, he said, is that much of the water comes from the Cauvery River more than 100 km (60 miles)

STATES 25

away. To get to Bangalore, the water must be pumped uphill, at a cost of Rs. 40 crore a month in electricity. Then, on the way to homes, more than 20% is lost to leaks from old and corroded pipes and storage units.

Karnataka's deputy chief minister G.Parameshwara told that there's a gap between the construction of new residential apartments and the amenities provided to these spaces.

"There are enough apartments being built in the city but while selling them there is no assurance of providing drinking water or other basic amenities," Parameshwara, who is also, the Bengaluru in

charge minister said.

The announcement comes at a time when Bengaluru and other mega urban cities like Chennai are facing their worst water crisis mostly due to over the exploitation of existing resources, which happened owing to the rapid rate of migration and unplanned growth.

Considered the growth engine of Karnataka, authorities in Bengaluru have relied on bringing in water to the city by depriving surrounding districts instead of reviving its own resources like lakes that have been lost to pollution and illegal encroachments, mostly used for the construction of apartments and other commercial buildings.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Karnataka, like other states in the country, has been reeling under a severe drought due to failing rains and drying up rivers and reservoirs. Even the quality of water provided to these apartments are poor. Most of these apartments depend on borewells or getting water delivered by tankers that are drawn from unclean lakes, which could pose a health risk. Many people complain of skin diseases as well.

Apartments in Bengaluru also add to the already messy traffic situation as there is no additional infrastructure to support the same.

Already crumbling under intense pressure, Bengaluru sees over 1,500 new vehicles entering the roads each day in a city that has over 7.5 million vehicles and a population exceeding 10 million.

The deputy chief minister said that the state government will hold talks with stakeholders and get their opinion on the subject. For many Bengaluru residents, the solution to worsening water woes lies in better efforts to control "rampant, unchecked construction, even in water-stressed areas". Their government it seems listening.

26 THE NATION

UK magazine’s readers poll

PM Modi ‘World’s Most Powerful’

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rime Minister Narendra Modi World’s Most Powerful Person’ now. He has beat Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump to emerge as the ‘World’s Most Powerful Person 2019’ in the reader’s poll conducted by UK-based British Herald magazine. The readers have voted for Narendra Mod beating out other world leaders and politicians. Modi will be featured on the cover page of the July 15 edition of the magazine which earlier featured New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern in the May-June issue and Putin in its March-April issue.

“More than 25 world icons were in the nomination list and a judging panel of experts named four final candidates for the prestigious title,” the British Herald magazine wrote in an article.“Unlike regular voting system, the British Herald readers had to vote through a mandatory one-time password (OTP) process to validate their vote. Surprisingly, while the voting was on, our website crashed as many voters were trying to vote for their preferred leaders, generating about three million hits in a week,” the magazine said.

Good or bad, power is a

combination of many important factors that enable leaders to shape the world. But only a select few possess the political clout to effect global change. For better or worse, their decisions affect millions and change nations. However, these poll results provide a look at how the world More than 25 world icons were in the nomination list and a judging panel of experts named four final candidates for the prestigious title. The evaluation of the selection process was based on extensive study and research of all these figures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi branded as #Namo is a big brand built on the same tenents as any other good product would have been marketed. And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, can give any celebrity marketers of India a run for their money. Brand gurus also believe, PM Modi has built his political campaign on the very same tenets of a strong promise and strong leadership, the result of

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

which has been an overwhelming victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

Modi raised his profile as a world leader in recent years during official visits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. He has emerged as a key figure in the Asian region who is seen active with his act east policy. His effort to tackle climate change has been seen positively by the world, as warming affects millions of his country’s rural citizens. ”In recent months, Modi saw high approval ratings from Indians, according to Indian media reports, in the run-up to 2019 general elections largely due to his stand against terrorism and the airstrike on the terror camps in Ballakot, Pakistan earned him supporters.

Besides, the implementations of schemes like Ayushman Bharat — a health insurance scheme for 500 million citizens, Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojna — free LPG connection for 60 million people below the poverty line and Clean India scheme building toilets all around the country earned him remarkable support,” wrote British Herald in the cover story of the issue which will be featuring Narendra Modi on the cover page of magazine releasing on 15th July 2019.

THE NATION 27

Target 2021 Assembly polls

BJP’s blueprint for WB E

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ncouraged by its stupendous victory in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is preparing a blueprint, which includes putting in place a check and balance mechanism to induct TMC leaders and strengthening its grassroot level organisation, to win “at least 250 seats” in the state assembly elections.

The saffron party won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal in the recently-concluded parliamentary polls, only four less than the

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress’s 22. Election to the 294member state assembly is scheduled to be held in 2021. Emerging as a party fighting for the cause of Bengalis to counter the TMC’s issue of Bengali pride, the BJP will give weightage to industrialisation to create jobs and implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, if voted to power.

The ruling TMC in West Bengal, however, did not give much importance to the BJP’s

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

plans and asserted it will bounce back to power in 2021, saying the saffron party’s dream of coming to power in the state will fall flat. The BJP recorded a staggering 40.5 per cent vote share in the general elections and at present, has six assembly seats of the state in its pocket.

For the Lok Sabha polls, BJP had set a target of 23 Lok Sabha seats and won 18. Now, their new target is 250 seats in the state (assembly) and preparing the poll strategy to work towards achieving this target. BJP sources said in consultation with the central leader-

28 THE NATION

ship, the party’s state unit is drawing up a strategy to ensure its victory in the assembly polls. The Lok Sabha poll results have indicated a tectonic shift in Bengal politics, with the BJP emerging as a key player and successfully tilting the political equation in its favour by eclipsing the ruling TMC and opposition Congress and CPI (M).TMC’s seat tally dropped from 34 in 2014 to 22 in this general elections, and the Congress from four to two. The CPI (M) failed to open its account.

For the time being, induction of TMC leaders into the BJP, especially MLAs and senior leaders, has been put on hold. The saffron party is brought in a cross-check mechanism into place before inducting TMC leaders in the party.

“Only those who are good leaders with good public image and organisational skills will be inducted into the BJP,” a senior central BJP leader privy to the development revealed on the condition of anonymity.

This decision has been taken in the backdrop of protests over TMC MLA Manirul Islam joining the party. His induction has sent out a wrong message to the masses and BJP wants to emerge as a better alternative and not as a replica of the TMC. The BJP’s West Bengal unit has been divided over Islam’s induction into the party, as a section feels that people like him will bring bad repute to it in the state, where the party is trying to oust the TMC government. In the wake of protests in the party, he offered to resign.

The BJP has also decided to revamp the organisation to bring better organisers and political workers into the fold. It has begun with revamping the party organisa-

tion in districts and areas where they are weak. In districts and local areas where leaders were earlier appointed just for the sake of appointment are being removed with good and efficient persons. But old-timers who are good organisers and leaders would be kept in the new committees.

The party has also decided to categorise assembly segments as ‘A, B, C and D’ based on the performance in the seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The 130 seats where BJP has taken a lead would fall under category ‘A’ and the 65 seats where the party is in the close second position would fall under category ‘B’.“The rest of the seats where they are second with a distant margin would fall under the ‘C’ category and the seats where BJP candidates are third would fall under the ‘D’ category. The party will increase its political activity in the entire state West Bengal and reach out to the masses. But the special focus will be on seats cateTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

gorised as ‘A, B and C’ according to a senior BJP leader.

They planning to work towards ensuring victory in seats in these three categories. The party has also decided to prepare a roadmap based on state and constituencywise issues. For example, the industry would be a major poll plank in the state especially in areas like Singur, where Tata Motors couldn’t complete its factory due to the TMC’s negative politics.In border areas and districts, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to grant citizenship to refugees and NRC to weed out infiltrators will be major poll planks. Similarly, in various districts they have identified some specific issues related to agriculture, industries, and will be working towards them The 18 MPs, six MLAs and the municipalities that have been taken over the party will act as a model of development and good governance to inspire confidence about BJP among the masses.

29

Mayawati’s gives top jobs to kin

Party rules flouted A

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year after announcing amendments to her party’s constitution that no relative of the national president would hold party positions, BSP chief Mayawati appointed her brother Anand Kumar as the party’s national vice-president and his son Akash Anand as its national coordinator.The decision was taken at an all-India meeting of Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) leaders in Lucknow that included most party office bearers, members, legislators and MPs. Anand was appointed BSP vice-president after the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, but in May 2019, Mayawati announced that her brother had resigned from the post to counter allegations of nepotism.

At the BSP national convention in Lucknow on May 26 last year, Mayawati had said: “… after the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections (2017), on special request of the party, I gave my younger brother Anand Kumar (who was made BSP vice-president now) a position in the office to look after paperwork.

Unfortunately, the media then started raising questions of nepotism in BSP, just like the Congress and other parties.”

Mayawati had also said that no close family member of the party chief, including her, would ever hold any post of any level in the organisation even after the death of

the party chief. The family member, she had said, can help as a common worker for the party with selflessness The BSP also announced that its Amroha MP Danish Ali was appointed as the leader of the BSP in Lok Sabha now. Party has named Nagina MP Girish Chandra the party whip. Earlier, Ali was named

arate meetings were organised for states, mainly Haryana and Maharashtra, where polls are scheduled later this year. The BSP also directed Ali and Rajya Sabha member Satish Chandra Misra to tour all Scheduled Castes-reserved assembly segments across UP after the Parliament session and hold mass contact programmes. In a state-

chief whip and Chandra the party leader in the LS. When Chandra, a Dalit, was made the party’s leader in Parliament, it was after nearly 15 years that the BSP had chosen a Dalit MP as floor leader in the House. Confirming the development, a party leader said that the objective of the change was to give representation to minorities.

After the all-India meeting, sep-

ment, Mayawati said that the BSP meet was organised following the BJP’s “suspicious” win in Lok Sabha elections to discuss the national concern of “hijacking democracy and people’s mandate through EVMs”. After the all-India meeting, separate meetings were organised for states, mainly Haryana and Maharashtra, where polls are scheduled later this year.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

30 THE NATION

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

The rise of grassroots politician I

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t has been a long wait for Om Birla. The dynamic leader who cut his teeth as a politician in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP’s youth wing first had to wait for a chance to get a party ticket in an assembly election. Now he got elected unopposed as speaker of 17th Lok Sabha and took charge.

Om Birla(57) is a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha from the Kota constituency in Rajasthan.

He was re-elected for a second term after defeating Congress’s Ramnarayan Meena by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes. The NDA had proposed the name for the post of Speaker and he was elected unopposed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have proposed Birla’s name for the post. His election to the high office is certain given the commanding position of the ruling NDA in the House and the absence of any other candidate. Birla has the backing of not only NDA partners, including the AIADMK, but the YSR Congress Party and the Biju Janata Dal as well.

Active in student politics from an early age, Birla was president of the student union at the Government Senior Secondary School, Gumanpura, in 1979Birla has been associated with the BJP since a young age. He served as district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

THE NATION 31

the party, for four years. He was then appointed as Rajasthan state president of the organisation for six continuous years before being elevated to national vice-president of All India Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha for another six years. This stint in the mainstream national politics helped him meet party leaders across the country.

Incidentally, Birla won his first election at age 17, when he became the president of student’s union at the Government Senior Secondary School, Gumanpura, Kota, in 1979.

Later, he became the district president of the BJYM for four years, then its state president from 199197, and eventually the youth wing’s national vice president for six years.

He got a break only in 2003 when senior leaders like Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi and Raghuvir Singh Kaushal hold weakened and

Vasundhara Raje, then the chief ministerial candidate wanted leaders who were not under the wings of established party veterans.

Incidentally, once the old-guard was marginalised and Raje gained full control of the state BJP, Birla, too, fell out of favour. Unable to make his way forward in Rajasthan, Birla had to wait again and sought solace elsewhere, devoting his time to the youth wing. So, when Raje swept back to power in 2013, he shifted to national politics, contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. His rise and now nomination as Lok Sabha Speaker is a second setback for Raje after her detractor Gulab Chand Kataria was named Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, overlooking her claim.

Birla is also credited with a key role in the development of the party system of booth-management. Articulate, he defies conventional asTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

sumptions about a run-of-the-mill politician and can serve as a consultant to many Lok Sabha MPs about winning elections. He can also readily demonstrate the software he used for his booth-level management, which he continues to use to keep track of social activities (birthdays, marriage anniversaries, death anniversaries) that he needs to attend and to remain in constant touch with his electorate.

He keeps updating it regularly.

However, Birla is not a manager-politician who wins elections with the help of technology and resources. Far from it, he remains a grassroots-level politician who has risen through the ranks. In Kota, Birla is known as a relentless worker, never shying away from his social commitments.

BJP’s Kota city district president Hemant Vijayvargiya said Birla loves interacting with his constituents and partaking in their social events. According to his profile on the Lok Sabha website, he is a member of the RSS, was imprisoned during the Ram Temple movement, and in 2001, led a team of 100 volunteers, including doctors, following the earthquake in Gujarat.

Birla holds a graduate and postgraduate degree in Commerce, completing them in 1985 and 1987, respectively, and has been associated with various Cooperative associations in the state and at the national level. Birla has previously served as director of Coal India, chairman of Rajasthan State Cooperative Consumer Association and vice president of the National Cooperative Consumer Association He was arrested in Uttar Pradesh due to his active participation in Ram Mandir construction movement.

32 THE NATION

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury:

Congress’ strongman to the leader in Lok Sabha N

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ot everyone in that sleepy town Baharampur may be familiar with the story of the outlaw but Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who made his name first as the local strongman has ensured permanence in the hearts of the electorate through his constant presence and vigilance. He has been the face of Congress’s fightback in West Bengal. Now, this five-time MP is the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha. Chowdhury has left nothing to chance when it comes to nurturing his constituency. The Congress, of course, could use some of his famed aggression against political opponents in the state to infuse some energy into its Lok Sabha charge.

Adhir Chowdhury has had his ups and downs in the party organisation though, which is why his choice as the Congress’s Lok Sabha leader is interesting. He was removed as state Congress president and replaced by his mentor, Somen Mitra, apparently to facilitate state-level tie-ups for the party.

The tie-ups never fructified but rumours flew thick and fast about Chowdhury’s “flirtations” with the saffron party. But Chowdhury has steadfastly remained with the Congress. That Baharampur has over 50 per cent Muslim voters obviously limited his choices.

As Lok Sabha leader of Con-

gress, though, Chowdhury will have to play an important role in floor coordination with other Opposition parties. In the depleted Opposition benches, one of the important parties is the TMC, with which he has a confrontational history — on the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha, Chowdhury, in his speech on chit fund scams, had not minced words about the alleged involvement of TMC leaders in the Saradha scam.

Chowdhury is confident and said: “Floor coordination is a team effort. All of us will do it, the chief whip (Congress’s Kerala MP K Suresh) and me. Sonia Gandhi herself is CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader – we all need each other. This is exactly what a Trinamool MP asked me today, I THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

told him, ‘Act Local, Think National’. ” Adhir Chowdhury’s enjoying the trust of Congress high command, according to sources was most evident almost a decade back. When Pratibha Devisingh Patil was nominated as the UPA’s choice for President in 2007, Sonia Gandhi, the alliance chairperson, had hosted a dinner at Delhi’s Ashok Hotel to introduce coalition MPs to her. Sonia, according to others present there, introduced Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who had walked in with former Congress Lok Sabha MP and Union minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi, as the “Tiger of Bengal”.

That the epithet is not misplaced, given the aggression which Chowdhury has made his political hallmark, fighting first the CPI(M) and now the Trinamool Congressrun state machinery, and the persistence with which he has held on to his “fortress” — Baharampur.

Adhir Chowdhury had made his electoral debut from jail. He never looked back after that 1996 victory from Nabagram Assembly constituency in West Bengal. He won from Baharampur Lok Sabha seat first in 1999 — he was among five leaders over whose Lok Sabha tickets Mamata Banerjee, then in the Congress, had fought with state unit president Somen Mitra that finally resulted in the birth of the TMC.

CONTROVERSY 33

Kerala Govt. under church pressure Cartoon triggers controversy A

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cartoon that bagged the Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi award on has stirred up a political row in Kerala. The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) launched a protest against the Akademi’s decision. Protesters claim the cartoon insults Christian religious symbols.

Hours after the protest, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government — which is facing backlash from sections of Hindus over its decision to allow young women to enter the Sabarimala temple in the wake of a Supreme Court order —sought to quell the KCBC’s anger. Senior CPM leader and Minister for Cultural Affairs A K Balan said the government did not want to hurt religious sentiments and that it has asked the Akademi to review its decision.

The cartoon in question is a caricature of rape-accused Bishop

Franco Mulakkal who belonged to Jalandhar diocese. Following the allegations of raping a nun and his arrest in September 2018, Mulakkal was removed as head of the diocese. The cartoon, which won Kerala Lalithakala Akademi award, depicts Franco as a cock, propped up by MLA PC George, who openly supported him, even as the nuns who spoke up are seen fleeing the scene. Interestingly, though PC George is holding up Franco, the latter is seen standing on a police cap, suggesting that officials were lax in their duty. Also in the frame is PK Sasi of the CPI(M), who has been accused of sexual harassment.

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Both the bishop and PK Sasi are wearing the same headdress, making it clear that they are only versions of each other. There's also a woman's underwear drawn in the bishop's staff that Franco carries. And right above the cartoon is written, 'Vishwasam rakshati', which sarcastically says "your faith will save you".

KCBC spokesman Father Varghese Vallikkatt said the Akademi’s decision was highly deplorable. “We question if the CPM’s review of the recent election that the Christian minority did not stand with the party, has influenced the selection of the award. Akademi office-bearers should recall the award and should apologise to the Christian community,” he said.

Cartoonist K K Subash said the caricature had originally appeared in a Malayalam publication last year. “Nobody protested against the cartoon then. Everyone should realise that it is a satirical cartoon. I don’t want to get involved in the decision of the Akademi. The cartoon was not meant to hurt any religion,’’ he said.

Akademi chairman Nemom Pushparaj said they would review the decision. “Neither the Akademi nor the government has a role in the selections. The decision was taken by a three-member jury. We have a great level of tolerance and usually appreciate the cartoons,’’ he said.

34

EDUCATION

Telangana University

An arena of social maladies!

C

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onverting of some certain regular courses into self-financing courses. Insufficient permanent teachers.

Outsourcing of employees' recruitment. Cast and group politics.

There is no shortage of issues agitating the minds of students, staff and leading to controversies. In a way, it seems Telangana University (TU) and controversies go hand in hand. The academic centre is fast turning into an arena of social maladies Telangana University which was established in thirteen years back(2006) within a short span of time, has gotten caught up in caste politics and competition for oneupmanship among faculty. This vitiating academic atmosphere is still continued and future of students is stake. The lack of funds and power politics among faculty members are hampering the growth of this varsity. Set up on the sprawling 579-acre land, abutting the NH-44 near Dichpally, 20 km away from the district headquarters, Nizamabad town is constantly in some problem or other.

From the inception of the university recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff is always was a matter of controversy. Allegations that ineligible persons made way into the corridors of the university with the blessings of some political leaders. Now during the last twothree years, key persons in the university administration started

having a major share in recruitments on contractual basis. Apart from money, lobbying now cast consideration playing a major role in recruitment to key posts than merit. For example K.Ganesh, who is working as a part-time Physics lecturer South campus in Bhiknoor for more than three with a meagre salary of Rs. 11,000 was ignored while recruiting Asst.Professors(Contractual) and terminated abruptly. According to information available, the Univesity did not even inform HoD of Physics about recruitment and candidates “favoured by VC� were selected for the posts of Asst.

Professors. And within no time

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they are promoted from Part-time lecturers to Asst.Professors (Contractual) and paid a full salary as per Go. Executive committee(EC) not conducted for the last two years.

Because of this No post stating from Principal, Registrar, controller of examinations, Director Academic audit cell to down the line both in teaching and nonteaching were approved. Key persons in the administration who are recruiting their choicest persons with the cast, financial consideration on a contractual basis are simply making them permanent ignoring other eligible candidates in the university and people applied.

EDUCATION The Asst.proffers who are appointed on merit earlier alleging that they are discriminated. These Asst.Professors who have joined University in the year 2010 are not being paid as per GO 11 and 30. On the other hand, many times influential persons in the regular faculty who are close to university administration are getting recruited their own people as part-time faculty and changing them into Asst. Professors (contractual). Many of these ‘special’ recruitee Asst. Professors are paid full salaries according to those GOs. The faculty members are divided into SC and BC groups and keep on faulting each other on trivial issues, only to gain supremacy in the university affairs.

Compared to the other three universities in the state, namely Satavahana University in Karimnagar, Mahatma Gandhi University in Nalgonda and Pala-

Prof. P. Sambaiah

muru University in Mahabubnagar, the Telangana University in Nizamabad has gained a dubious distinction of being a hub of controversies. Appointing Professors as Head of the Departments and to other administrative posts this cast, personal favours allegedly have become important. In some cases Asso. Professors are appointed as HoDs ignoring available senior professors. Similarly, administrative posts are filled with favouritism who support top management activities which are

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

35

against rules and government orders.

Looking at all these irregularities one may ask a question: ‘What is Vice-Chancellor(VC) the response?’ But according to highly placed sources in the university “ Everything is happening with his knowledge. Encouragement.”. The alleged role of VC, Prof. P. Sambaiah in the mismanagement of University was taken note by the state government and an enquiry was also conducted.

Student unions are actively fighting both academic and financial mismanagement in Telangana University. They being vigilant and bringing out irregularities and complaining & demanding the action to control proliferate of funds illegal appointment. This naturally antagonised them to administration. Yet in many cases, their fight has saved university funds and protected the academic interest of students. But they are getting dissolutions with the administration. The Telangana University, which has a strength of over 2,000 students, offers around 25 courses. They say a frequent change of Registrars is also having a negative impact on university image. The MLCs and other leaders of political parties demanding the State government to provide additional funds for the university to improve infrastructure facilities and to maintain the education standards.

Some students expressed their anguish saying “Should study and understand subjects or should we learn to play politics, from the faculty members.” There is increased demand from students and their parents that university administration should be dealt with strictly to improve the state of affairs in the varsity.

36

EDU-VOICE

PROF. G. NARSIMULU

Kakatiya University

Center for Studies & Struggles

T

he Kakatiya University, Warangal established in the year 1976 to fulfil the aspirations of the Telangana people for higher education. The founding of the university was, in fact, a historic event that heralded a new era into realms of higher education of this region.

The university began its journey as PG Centre Warangal in 1968 under the aegis of OU with only four departments namely Telugu, English, Chemistry and Maths and physics, Botony, Zoology, commerce and public administration were added.

B Pharmacy course was started by Osmania University in the year 1974 was shifted to Kakatiya in the year 1975.The university situated in a sprawling area of about 640 acres and seven colleges on campus with a network of 18 constituting colleges,529 affiliated colleges.

From the beginning of the university there were eleven vice chancellors with their rich experience and vision improved academically and physical appearance of the university. The learned Vicechancellors contributed rural-based university to strong foundations in research and extension outreach programmes. The committed teaching faculty in Kakatiya university nourished the students to

Like Vijayawada in united Andhra Pradesh state Warangal in Telangana is often politico-cultural nerve centre. The in Warangal youth generally respond to the societal problems quickly and in many cases massively. With this, the capital city Kakatiya rulers witnesses protest marches, agitations, conferences etc. Like university in any world city where educated are aware, alert and conscious social responsibility The Kakaitya University is a mirror of its social ecosystem. observe the social and political issues of sons of the soil and formulate their course of action and the youth of Kakatiya are very much attached to the critical study of their course work and struggle.

The Kakatiya students are not narrowly based but having a pragmatic approach to real situations. The eloquence in their communication and personal approach made them leaders of the field they were groomed in political, Academic and other areas of their choice, The almanack of Kakatiya university were occupied very importantly positions in political and prominent persons in India and abroad. Even in the Naxalite movement the students of Kakatiya played a very prominent role during the years 1978 and 79 and among them, Late Puli Anjaiah shot dead by police in an encounter was a topmost leader on that day. During those THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

days teaching faculty include professor Haragopal, Balagopal, Jayashanker and others motivated the students to study and understand societal problems in detailed and suggest suitable solutions.

During second time Telangana movement led by K.Chandrasheker Rao(KCR) of T R S the students and teaching faculty of Kakatiya university were played major role till separate state was achieved.

During the tenure of professor B.Venkat Ratnam as Vice-chancellor the academic standards of Kakatiya university were not up to the mark due to the disturbances and closing down of the class work.

The present Vice-chancellor Dr R. Sayanna was chosen by the state government on purely merit and his commitment to the welfare of the students and bring normalcy in Kakatiya University. He could enlist the Cooperation of teaching

and non-teaching staff and local elite and this enabled NAAC team on 12-9-2017 accorded A grade and granted Autonomous status to Kakatiya University. At present university is offering 222 programmes in Undergraduate and postgraduate level with an intake of more than 90 000 students During the year 2003, NAAC gave B+ grade and in the year 2009 reaccredited A grade. Under the jurisdiction of Kakatiya University, PG centres are located in Subedari, Hanmakonda, Nirmal, Khammam, Bhoopalpally, Mahabubabad, and university engineering college. At present under Kakatiya University 395 Arts and science colleges,8 Engineering colleges, 53 Colleges of Education, 38 Management colleges, 24 Pharmacy colleges and 8 MCA Colleges are being run as affiliated institutions.

Apartment regular courses the school of Distance learning and continuing education is offering more than 54 programmes in distance mode.

Under the leadership of present Vice-chancellor professor R Sayanna could able to get Rs. ten crores from various central and state agencies towards research grants, and in campus various agencies Dr BR Ambedkar study centre, coaching centre for SC/ST students, Kakatiya adhyana kendram, centre for women studies and NSS are actively serves the special categories of the students as well as the community.

The local leaders and professional student leaders always attempt to influence the administration to get favours by hook or crook. When the prof. R Sayanna, a tough administrator heading the University stopped to the postings

EDU-VOICE 37

of research scholars as squad members and observers to the distance examination centres spread over Telangana and Andhra states thus curbing mass copying. All sorts of malpractices in Kakatiya the university is slowly reducing but still, there are certain irregularities were reported in media and students organisations are bringing in certain areas of administration where officials are not looking it serious may be in the examination branch and Doctoral admissions and appointments of contract and part-time teaching staff and construction work in university.

The state government is not paying attention to provide enough funds and development grants and recruitment of teaching and nonteaching staff as and when vacancies arise .unemployment among the postgraduates and Doctoral students create problems to the university The districts like Warangal in Telangana area having less number of employment avenues, it is difficult to provide employment to thousands of graduates. The government jobs are limited and unemployed persons are in large numbers. Our present education system failed to provide individual growth and community enrichment.

Professor R Sayanna who is completing three years tenure as Vice-chancellor as on 24-7-2019 THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

said that within his tenure he could able to restore academic excellence and providing an opportunity for skilled and hard working and committed students. He has declared that his aim is to “Learn to Teach and Teach to Learn.” Further prof.R Sayanna said,” Education is an empowering mechanism that inculcates a spirit of belonging and humanity, a sense of oneness and compassion among its partakers.

The universities are intended to generate original ideas, promote culture and produce thoughtful leaders.”

Under the leadership of KCR the state the government should provide enough financial assistance as well as appoint qualified teaching and non-teaching staff on merit basis from among the local natives.

The tenure of Vice-chancellor, the period may be extended from three years to five years on par with central universities so that the Vicechancellors have enough time to implement various programmes for quality improvement of the university and extending its innovative programmes to the villagers. The teaching community is encouraged to equip necessary skills so that they will mould characteristic of their wards for the betterment of the society.

(Authour is Principal, Palamuru University College of education, Mahabubnagar Telangana state)

38

SPACE SCIENCE

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2

Most complex moon mission A

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ll set for Chandrayaan -2. would be launched on July 15.

It India's second visit to the moon.

ISRO has (Indian Space Research Organisation) has announced the date as it is all set for the most complex mission ever undertaken by it. Nearly Rs 1,000 crore

mission involves landing on the moon near the South Pole would be on September 6 or 7 on uncharted territory. The mission cost of Chandrayaan-2 with regard to the satellite was Rs 603 crore. The cost of GSLV MK IIIis Rs 375 crore.

The Lander, named after the father of the Indian space programme, Vikram Sarabhai, will THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

touch down on a rugged lunar surface in the final descent, which, according to ISRO chairman K Sivan would be the "most terrifying moment" of the mission. "This 15 minutes is going to be terrifying to all of us not only people from ISRO but for entire India because the space agency has never undertaken such type of complex flight.

SPACE SCIENCE 39

This 15 minutes flight is the most complex mission ISRO has ever undertaken," he said. The landing site, at about 70 degrees south latitude, is the southernmost for any

mission, not attempted before by any country. Indian space agency eyed this ambitious feat after missing many dates. "From the science point of view, the south pole is under shadow region more than the North Pole, so because of this special aspect of the south pole, water is expected to be more there and also more minerals are expected to be there," Sivan added.

The launch would take place at 2.51 am on board the GSLV MKIII vehicle, the heaviest rocket built

by ISRO, from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The ISRO had earlier kept the launch window for the mission from July 9 to July 16. Soft-landing on the south pole of the moon, a territory that has never been visited by any spacecraft, is considered the most challenging part of the mission.

The spacecraft, with a mass of 3.8 tonnes, has three modules -Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan). If all goes well, India would be the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to perform a soft landing on the moon and put a rover on it.

The Orbiter will be orbiting around the moon in 100 km orbit. From the time of Lander landing on the surface to the Rover to come out and land on the surface will take four hours, according to ISRO Chairman.

"Subsequently the rover will be rowing on the moon on its own propulsion at the speed of 1 cm per second and will cover 500 metres in its lifetime," he added.

LED BY WOMEN DIRECTORS:

Chandrayaan 2 will also have

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the credit of being India's first interplanetary mission to be steered by two women- as Project Director and as Mission Director. For the first time in the history of ISRO, two women will head the deep space mission. “For Chandrayaan2 mission, two women — Ritu Kridel and M Vanitha — are leading as project and mission directors respectively,” said Sivan Chairman ISRO. Declining to reveal the exact number of women scientists involved in the mission, Sivan said, “We have about 30 per cent of women working in our organisation.” On the patriotic fervour, Sivan said, The lander and the rover will have the tricolour painted on them. The Ashoka Chakra will be imprinted on the rover’s wheels on one side and ISRO’s logo on the other. On the whole, the Chandrayaan-2 mission depicts the true spirit of indigenisation; about 620 companies, universities and laboratories will be playing a vital role in the mission.

Explaining the mission objectives, Sivan said, “It engages with the public. Chandrayaan-2 will inspire the whole nation and motivate the youth to undertake real-life applications of science and technology — to be second to none in solving the problems of man and society.” He says that the mission will also expand the country’s footprint in space. Moon is the perfect test-bed for proving technologies required for future space exploration, as well as institute resource utilisation. India plays a big role “ in future, India will contribute in a big way to exploring and uncovering the secrets of the universe, an aspiration shared by the global community,” said ISRO’s Chairman.

40 TECHNOLOGY

At 9.8GB per month

India tops in data usage I

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ndia has the world’s highest data usage per smartphone at an average of 9.8GB per month, a new report by Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson said, adding this will double to 18GB by 2024, fuelled by rich video content. North East Asia comes second with 7.1GB per month while West Asia and Africa's region is the lowest at 3GB per month, the report for the year 2018 said.

“Improved device penetration, affordable data tariff plans and increase in data-intensive content such as videos are driving this growth in India," Nitin Bansal, head of Ericsson India and head of the network solutions, South East Asia, Oceania and India, said at the launch of The Ericsson Mobility Report during the third week of June. Triggered by Reliance Jio’s entry in September 2016, India’s data consumption has exploded, with all other operators also offering cheap data tariffs. Mobile data traffic is growing as more Indians spend time streaming videos, which is expected to account for 75% of overall mobile traffic by 2024.

The report predicts that total mobile data traffic per the month will grow at a CAGR of 23% from 4.6 exabytes in 2018 to 16 exabytes in 2024. Smartphone user base in India will reach 1.1 billion by 2024, whereas mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to grow

from about 610 million in 2018 to 1.25 billion in 2024.

Streaming 360-degree videos and augmented and virtual reality should be significant factors to aid mobile data growth and enhance the user experience with the rollout of 5G, the report said. Interestingly, the report also claims that Indian smartphone users are willing to pay more than 66% premium for futuristic 5G services.“In fact, early adopters in India are willing to pay a premium of ₹320 over their average monthly spend for 5G services," Bansal said, adding that the report also found that more than half the smartphone users in India expect their own provider to switch to 5G or will wait for a maximum of six THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

months before moving to a provider that does.

The findings come at a time when the government is in the process of finalising a road-map for the roll-out of 5G services, the next-generation technology for wireless communications that is expected to improve data speeds and propel the Internet of Things.

The Digital Communications Commission, the highest decisionmaking body in the Department of Telecommunications last week asked the sector regulator to review within one month its recommendations for spectrum auctions, including reserve prices, providing relief to operators clamouring for lower spectrum prices and easier processes for 5G trials.

DEFENCE 41

HTDV TEST SUCCESSFUL

Second to the US in the defence world

I

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n a unpresidental manner, India has set the perfect ground for the development of long-range cruise missiles. The path-breaking attempt conducted the first test of Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HTDV) from a defence test facility for this off the Odisha coast. the aircraft which was tested today forms an important component of the country's ambitious programme for the development of a hypersonic cruise missile system.

Defence authorities claimed that the vehicle was launched successfully and India became the second country in the world after the US to have developed the hypersonic technology. While Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) G Satheesh Reddy monitored pre-mission activities, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra reportedly witnessed the test.

Mounted on an Agni series the missile, defence sources said, the technology demonstrator vehicle was launched in autonomous mode from the world-class missile complex located at Kalam Island.

Powered by scramjet engine it can cruise at Mach 6 and have multiple civilian applications, including the launch of satellites at low cost besides long-range cruise missiles. “The maiden launch of the technology demonstrator vehicle has been successful. Data generated during the mission are being

analysed. We are trying to achieve what no country has attained. The vehicle will help prove a number of technologies for futuristic missions,� an official reported having confirmed. The six-meter long air vehicle with a launch weight of around one tonne features a flattened octagonal cross-section with wings on mid-body and tail fins.

The scramjet engine is placed at the mid-body while the portion towards the tail serves as exhaust nozzle. In between, there is a rectangular component of about 12foot for air intake.

The technology was under development for the last over a decade as part of an ambitious plan for the hypersonic cruise missile.

Though Indian missile arsenal boasts BrahMos cruise system developed jointly with Russia, it is supersonic in nature and can travel at a speed of Mach 2.8. A longrange missile with hypersonic technology could be a strategic killer.

The hydrocarbon-fuelled scramjet engine developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

already completed ground-based tests using moderate size hypersonic wind tunnel and conventional shock tunnel.

After a couple of laboratory tests, the initial flight of the vehicle was aimed at validating the aerodynamics and aero-thermodynamics of the air vehicle and performance of the scramjet engine along with the audience system. The mission involved launching of the hypersonic air-breathing cruise vehicle with the help of a rocket at an altitude of 25 km.

HSTDV (Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle) is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft for hypersonic speed flight.

It is developed under a special project, the sources said. Under the HSTDV programme, a demonstrator flight vehicle has been conceptualised to demonstrate the scramjet technology for a short duration of about 20 seconds, the sources said. Once it is achieved successfully, India will join another select club of countries having such technology.

42 DEFENCE

The new arms race

A more dangerous world?

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ine nuclear-weapon powers — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea — had an estimated 13,865 nuclear weapons at the start of 2019, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported. Deployed warheads and those held in reserve or awaiting dismantlement are included in the estimate.

The number is down by around 600 nuclear weapons from the previous year, driven mainly by Russia and the United States reducing their arsenals under the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty. Russia and the United States have 6,500 and 6,185 nuclear warheads respectively, about a quarter of which are deployed.

There are no talks planned between Moscow and Washington to extend New START once it expires in 2021."The prospects for

a continuing negotiated reduction of Russian and US nuclear forces appear increasingly unlikely given the political and military differences between the two Countries," said Shannon Kile, SIPRI's director of nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation program.

"In 2018, the US Department of Defense set out plans to develop new nuclear weapons and modify others to give them expanded military roles and missions," SIPRI said in its briefing. "The nuclear arsenals of the other nuclear-armed states are considerably smaller, but all are either developing or deploying new weapon systems or have announced their intention to do so."

Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, which have 130 to 140 and 150 to 160 nuclear warheads respectively are increasing the size of their arsenals while also developing new systems. "India and Pakistan are expanding their military fissile material production capabil-

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ities on a scale that may lead to significant increases in the size of their nuclear weapon SIPRI highlighted a trend of Russia and the United States pursuing extensive and expensive programs to replace and modernize their nuclear arsenals, missiles and delivery systems.

North Korea has an estimated 20 to 30 nuclear warheads, which SIPRI said was a priority for the country's national security strategy.

However, it noted that North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon or long-range ballistic missile since it entered into denuclearization talks with the United States in 2018.

France has 300 nuclear warheads, China 290, the UK 200 and Israel 80 to 90.

Meanwhile Non-nuclear states discussed weapons proliferation in Sweden. Foreign ministers from 16 non-nuclear countries gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, during the second week of June to discuss the state of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), urging nuclear powers "to shoulder their responsibilities for disarmament. As German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas added, "at the same time we need to prevent further countries from obtaining nuclear weapons."

Maas called the spread of nuclear weapons: "a danger to world peace.

We must counteract this negative development."Maas also said Germany was willing to hold a follow-up meeting in Berlin next year. A conference is also being organised to review the state of the NPT is slated to convene next year.

ARCHAEOLOGY 43

Prehistoric settlement in Turkey

Telltale signs of modern woes found O

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vercrowding. Violence. Infectious Diseases. Environmental degradation. It may sound like the worst of modern mega-cities. But people encountered these very same problems when the first large settlements were being established millennia ago as humans began to swap a nomadic hunter-gatherer existence for a lifestyle centred on farming, scientists said, based on findings from a prehistoric site in south-central Turkey.

The researchers examined 742 human skeletons unearthed at the prehistoric ruins of Catalhoyuk, inhabited from 9,100 to 7,950 years ago during a pivotal time in human evolution, for clues about what life was like at one of the earliest sizable settlements in the archaeological record. At its peak, 3,500 to 8,000 people lived there, with the researchers calling it a “proto-city.”

The residents experienced a high rate of infections, as seen in their teeth and bones, probably caused by diseases spreading in crowded conditions amid challenges to proper hygiene, the researchers said. Overcrowding may have contributed to interpersonal violence. Many skulls bore evidence of healed fractures to the top or back of the cranium, some with multiple injuries. The shape of these injuries indicates they may have been caused by hard clay balls found at Catalhoyuk that researchers suspect were used as projectiles from a sling weapon. “A key message that people will take from these findings is that our current behaviours have deep roots in the history of humankind” said Ohio State University, the biological anthropologist Clark Spencer Larsen, who led the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

“The people living in this community faced challenges of life in settlements addressing fundamental issues: what to eat, who produces the food, how is the food distributed, what are the social norms for the division of labour, the challenges of infection and infectious disease in settings where there is limited sanitation, the strategy of interpersonal relationships involving animosity in some instances,” Larsen added.

As the world emerged from the last Ice Age, with warmer conditions conducive to crop domestication, there was a shift from foraging to farming beginning 10,000 to 12,000 years ago among people in numerous places. The people grew crops including wheat, barley and rye and raised sheep, goats and eventually cattle. Some homes boasted wall murals, and other art included stone figurines of animals and corpulent women.

Catalhoyuk’s residents lived in clay brick structures akin to apartments, entering and exiting through ladders that connected the living areas of houses to the roofs. After death, residents were buried in pits dug into the floors of the homes.

Catalhoyuk, measuring about 32 acres, was continuously occupied for 1,150 years and appears to have been a largely egalitarian community. It was eventually abandoned perhaps because of environmental degradation caused by the human population and a drying climate that made farming there harder, the researchers said.

44 BLUE PLANET

INDIA'S 1ST IN GUJARAT

Dinosaur Museum Park N

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ow India has it’s own dinosaur museum and Fossil Park. It is developed at Raiyoli village, which is two hours away from Ahmedabad in Gujrat on the national Ahmedabad to Indore highway.

There are two more such parks in

the world.

Raiyoli village located near Balasinor town of Mahisagar district is well-known globally for being the second largest dinosaur hatchery, from where around 10000 dinosaur eggs were found.

The village is also popular for being the third largest fossil site in THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

the world. It is believed that the place and other spots surrounding it used to be a dwelling place for these gigantic creatures. The Balanisor region had seen several dinosaur fossil and egg find in The 1980s. It was inaugurated by Gujrat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in the second week of June. While inau-

BLUE PLANET 45

gurating the park stated that the state the government would be allocating INR 10 crore fund to promote this spot for tourism internationally. Referring to this, he added that this museum will be the latest global attraction for world tourists Credit: Getty Images The museum features around 50 sculptures of dinosaurs, including one life-size Rajasaurus Narmadensis, the fossil of which was found in Gujarat. Quite interestingly, the museum will also have 3D projections, which will provide

360-degree virtual reality presentations, gaming consoles, interactive kiosks, and many other high-end facilities.

Museum has a lot to offer to those who are very keen on exploring the ancient reptile with detailed information from its origin to extinction. The entire infrastructure was built by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. Society has also been formed to maintain and operate the museum Tourist can enjoy both the museum and the fossil park.

The fossil park: It is spread in a 72 acres area. You can get to see the fossilized remains of the dinosaurs in the natural form here.

It’s an open area and requires a good amount of walking. So, it is advisable to wear sensible walking shoes and hats/caps etc. They also conduct exclusive tours to the park which are 45 minutes long. On these tours, you get to see the fossil THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

site and their collection of fossils and eggs.

You can also hold a Fossil/egg in your hands. It cannot get cooler than that, you guys! The kids also get a chance to clean the fossils themselves. This way they get to have a first-hand experience of what it is like to be a palaeontologist! It is considered to be the world’s 3rd largest dinosaur fossil excavation site and 2nd largest hatchery! Isn’t that amazing?

The museum: The museum complex is owned by the Gujarat tourism and has 10 galleries. You will get to see the earth’s inception, world dinosaurs, Indian dinosaurs and Gujarat dinosaurs. You also enjoy 3D movies, interactive kiosks, gaming zone for children and fossils exhibits here. There is also a cafeteria in case you get hungry and other facilities such as washrooms, cold drinking water etc.

46 BLUE PLANET

Fertility rates are falling

India & the world are ageing fast

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or the first time in last(2018) year persons aged 65 years or over worldwide outnumbered children under age five. Projections indicate that by 2050, there will be more than twice as many persons above 65 as children under five.

The next 30 years will see the population add 2 billion people to today’s 7.7 billion, and reach 11 billion by the end of the century. In the United Nations report that proj-

ects India will overtake China as the most populous country by around 2027. Other trends and projections include an ageing population and an improving sex ratio, both globally and in India. Some of the key takeaways from ‘World Population Projections 2019 are: While the report projects the world population to some 9.7 billion by 2050, it says the overall growth rate will continue to fall.

The next 30 years will see the population add 2 billion people to

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

today’s 7.7 billion and reach 11 billion by the end of the century.

The countries expected to show the biggest increase are India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

However, fertility rates are falling worldwide. The average number of births per woman globally, from 3.2 in 1990, fell to 2.5 by 2019 and is projected to fall further to 2.2 births by 2050. To avoid decline in a national population, a fertility level of 2.1 births per woman is necessary (in the absence

BLUE PLANET 47

The populations of 55 countries are projected to decrease by 1% or more between 2019 and 2050 because of sustained low levels of fertility, and, in some places, high rates of emigration.

of immigration).

In 2018, for the first time, persons aged 65 years or over worldwide outnumbered children under age five. Projections indicate that by 2050, there will be more than twice as many persons above 65 as children under five. By 2050, the number of persons aged 65 or over will also surpass the number of adolescents and youth aged 1524.

In India, children under age five still outnumber the over-65 population, who are projected to overtake the under-five group between 2025 and 2030. By 2050, persons over age 65 will make up about one-seventh of India’s population.

By then, the 15-24 group in India (13.8%), too, will outnumber the over-65 group (13.6%). Children under age five are projected to con-

stitute less than 6% of India’s population in 2050, as compared to 7% globally.

Although overall life expectancy will increase (from 64.2 years in 1990 to 77.1 years in 2050), life expectancy in poorer countries is projected to continue to lag behind.

Today, the average lifespan of a baby born in one of the least developed countries will be some 7 years shorter than one born in a developed country, the report said. The main reasons cited in the report are high child and maternal mortality rates, conflict and insecurity, and the continuing impact of the HIV epidemic.

The populations of 55 countries are projected to decrease by 1% or more between 2019 and 2050 because of sustained low levels of

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

fertility, and, in some places, high rates of emigration. The largest relative reductions in population size over that period, with losses of around 20% or more, are expected in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and the Wallis and Futuna Islands.

Migration flows have become a major reason for population change in certain regions, the report said.

Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines are seeing the largest migratory outflows resulting from the demand for migrant workers; and Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela are the countries where the largest numbers are leaving because of insecurity or conflict, it said. But at the same time, Males are projected to continue to outnumber females until the end of the century, but the gap will close

48 STATES

BIKE-LIKE MACHINE

to climb trees T

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he machine, developed by a 60-year-old farmer, K Ganapathi Bhat, is modelled on a bike and allows a person to sit on it to scale the trees up and down with ease.

In a bid to solve the problem of labour shortage, a farmer from Mangaluru district in Karnataka has developed a machine that will help arecanut growers spray pesticides and harvest nuts from the trees. The machine is modelled on a bike and allows a person to sit on

it to scale the trees up and down with ease.

The machine, which costs around Rs 75,000, consists of a break as well as a clutch for the smooth movement of the machine while climbing the trees. Bhat said he is planning to modify the same to use it for climbing coconut trees.

Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts in the state are known for arecanut plantations but due to severe labour shortage, the farmers are unable to harvest on time

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

A video of Bhat’s invention has gone viral on social media and has also earned the praise of business tycoon Anand Mahindra who described the machine as elegantly designed with minimum weight.“How cool is this? The device not only seems effective & does the job, but also looks elegantly designed with a minimum of weight. @rajesh664 can your team look at this more closely & see whether we can market Bhat’s device as part of our Farm solutions portfolio? “ said Anand Mahindra Ganapathi revealed that he developed this machine due to the shortage of climbers to pluck the arecanut from the trees. Using this equipment, farmers can climb and cultivate their trees. “The machine has been tested in my own farm and has received a lot of appreciation,” he said.

Explaining its mechanism, the science graduate said, “The machine weighs 28 kg and has a two-stroke engine. Any person weighing up to 80 kg can climb a tree in 30 seconds and can alight from the tree by switching off the engine. A person can climb around 80 trees using one litre of petrol.

The use of hydraulic drum with a shock absorber in the engine ensures one’s safety, in case the engine slips to the ground.”

LAND GRABING 49

Land sharks have a field day in Mahabubnagar

TRS leader allegedly behind the land grabbing

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ome land grabbers seem to be operating at their will in Mahabubnagar town of Telangana.

Creating documents on the strength of non-existent survey numbers, land worth around Rs 40 crore seem to be all set for grabbing.

According to documents available with The News, the land in question is to an extent of 0.19 guntas in Sy.No. 207/2, situated at Yenugonda village, which is on the outskirts of Mahabubnagar.

Documents show that the land remained open after the original survey number 207 was subdivided into three parts, i.e. Sy.No. 207/1 admeasuring Ac. 3-00 guntas, Sy.No. 207/2 admeasuring 0-19 guntas and Sy.No. 207/3 admeasuring 0-18 guntas in late 1970s.

The land in survey numbers 207/1 and 207/3, i.e. Ac. 3-18 Guntas in all was acquired for the purpose NGOs Cooperative House Building Society for construction of houses for its members.

However, certain office bearers of the society made plots of open land in Sy.No.207/2 by showing the same as part of Sy.No.207 and sold them out, notwithstanding the fact that the old survey number 207 do not exist anymore.

This was known to the officials of registration department and the municipal authorities. Yet, the officials allowed registration of the

plots with non-existent survey number while the municipal authorities issued building permissions allegedly in collusion with the land sharks.

It is said the land sharks have the blessings of a TRS leader who was ones NGOs leader. Since the land sharks have influence in the ruling party, there was no stopping them from carrying out construction.

However, a social activist D. Praveen Kumar, took initiative to

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

stop the land grabbing activities and illegal construction. He approached almost every officer and department concerned with this illegal act by way of submitting representations and complaints but to no use. “I have been lodging complaints and seeking information under the Right to Information Act with regard to this particular land grabbing and illegal construction activity. But officials are not parting with information apparently under pressure from the political leaders and land sharks,�

Praveen Kumar said.

He also said that he has all the documents necessary to prove his contention and he will knock the doors of the highest court of the state to stop the land grabbing and illegal construction.

50

SUGGESTION BY MO

A GLOBAL CONFERE The News Bureau

The two days of hectic meetings at the G20 Summit held in Osaka were dominated by two major concerns of the world, climate change (Paris climate agreement) and US-China trade talks, The summit concluded in Japan’s Osaka on June 29 after, bilateral talks and series of dialogues between leaders of the top 20 economies of the world. On the

final day of the summit, 19 countries committed to the Paris climate agreement, with the US reiterating President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the pact “because it disadvantages American workers and taxpayers”.

Apart from committing to the Paris agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate bilateral meetings with leaders of Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, Australia, Singapore and Chile besides participating in the Japan-US-India trilatTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

eral meeting. Modi discussed a host of key issues, including trade, counter-terrorism, defence, maritime security and sports.

During the meetings, Modi pitched his idea for a global conference on terrorism, which he had proposed in the Maldives earlier this month. Meanwhile, India Friday refused to become a signatory to the Osaka declaration on digital economy that was signed by 24 countries and groupings. The issue of data for development was

51

ODI AT G20 SUMMIT

NCE ON TERRORISM flagged by India at the BRICS leaders’ meeting, which Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said had emerged as a “major issue” in international rule-making.

During his meeting with Trump, Modi discussed a host of key issues, including trade, defence and 5G communications networks.

PM Modi stressed on the need to stop all the mediums of support to terrorism and racism. “Terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity. It not only kills innocents but also se-

verely affects the economic development and social stability,” he said.

During his meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the two countries set an ambitious $50 billion target for bilateral trade by 2025. Modi also invited the G20 countries to join a global coalition on disaster resilience, saying disasters require quick and effective remedial measures as they invariably affect the poor the most.

While Trump’s decision to THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

restart trade talks with China remained the highlight of the twoday summit, several other issues also garnered global attention in Osaka. India stresses on ending support to terrorism 19 countries vow support to Paris agreement In the final communique at the G20, world leaders vowed to tackle climate change, which is showing its impact globally with rising temperatures and everchanging weather patterns.

According to reports, leaders, in

52

the document released at the end of the two-day summit said they would try to lower emissions by financing sustainable development and better innovation. Japan has pushed for the Osaka summit to become a landmark for progress on environmental issues, including tackling the global problem of plastic waste and recommitting to efforts to counter climate change.

The stalled trade negotiations between the United States and China are set to return as President Donald Trump and Chinese premier Xi Jinping agreed to recommence dialogue. The decision came after a marathon meeting between the two leaders where Trump assured that no further tariffs would be levied on Chinese exports. “We’re right back on track and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters after an 80minute meeting with Jinping.

Trump said he would not lift existing import tariffs but would refrain from slapping new levies on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods – which would have effectively extended tariffs to everything China exports to America.

“We’re holding back on tariffs and they’re going to buy farm products. If we make a deal, it will be a very historic event,” Trump said. “China is sincere about continuing negotiations with the United States … but negotiations should be equal and show mutual respect,” the foreign ministry quoted Xi as saying.

China also held a meeting with three African leaders and said protectionism and “bullying” were threatening the world order, AFP reported. President Xi Jinping held talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Senegal President Macky Sall.

“All leaders in the meeting stressed that unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying practices are on the rise, posing severe threats to economic globalisation and international order, and severe challenges to the external environment of developing countries,” Chinese foreign ministry official Dai Bing told reporters.

Ahead of closing of the Osaka Summit, Trump expressed that he would like to see North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un this weekend THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.

North Korea said a meeting would be “meaningful” if it happened.

The two leaders have met twice in the past. Trump made the offer to meet Kim in a comment on Twitter about his trip to South Korea.

“While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!” he said. Trump later told reporters his offer to Kim was a spur-of-the-moment idea: “I just thought of it this morning.”

Meanwhile, Xi Jinping agreed “in principle” to pay a state visit to Japan next spring at the invitation of Prime Minister Abe. Last year, Abe had visited Beijing, the first official visit by a Japanese prime minister since 2011.

On last day of the summit, he extended the spring invitation to Xi during a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka. “I want to enhance Japan-China relations to the next height by welcoming President Xi Jinping to Japan during cherry blossom next year,” Abe said.

BUSINESS 53

The US trade war

WORST EFFECT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC GROWTH

P

THE NEWS BUSINESS BUREAU

resident Donald Trump’s trade war is a chilling business investment, confidence and trade

flows across the world, a development that foreign leaders and business executives say is worsening a global economic slowdown that was already underway.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Recent softening in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world coincides with Trump’s intensified trade fight with China and other partners. Economists warn that further escalation by Trumplike tariffs on more Chinese goods or levies on foreign autos - could slow global growth to a crawl.

“With these trade tensions, the global economy, in a sense, is getting close to a crossroads,” said Ayhan Kose, the director of the World Bank’s Prospects Group.

Weakness in China, driven in part by fallout from the trade war, has spread to Germany, Australia and other nations, raising supply chain costs, chilling exports and worrying political and economic leaders.European Central Bank preparing to inject more stimulus into the eurozone economy to combat the economic slowdown.

The effects of Trump’s trade war have been particularly hard on Germany, Europe’s largest economy, which has been bracing for a decision about whether the United States will impose tariffs on auto imports. Trade anxiety has led to a decline in business sentiment and spending: Overall German industrial production contracted sharply in April, falling 1.9% on the month versus the 0.5% analysts expected. The risks that have been prominent throughout the past year, in particular, geopolitical factors, the rising threat of protectionism

54 BUSINESS

and vulnerabilities in emerging markets, have not dissipated. The prolongation of risks has weighed on exports and in particular on manufacturing.

Trump lashed out at this proposal accusing that by announcing stimulus it’s trying to weaken Europe’s currency to get a leg up in global trade by making its goods cheaper to buy overseas. “Announced more stimulus could come, which immediately dropped the Euro against the Dollar, making it unfairly easier for them to compete against the USA,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “They have been getting away with this for years, along with China and others.”

The American president’s aggressive approach to trading partners comes as developed and developing nations are already pulling back on the rapid globalization that dominated two decades of economic policymaking. Global Flows of foreign direct investment fell by 13% last year, to their

Trump has made steady use of tariffs to punish trading partners like China, Europe, Canada and Mexico that he says have destroyed American jobs by flooding the United States with cheap products and erecting unfair economic barriers at home. lowest level since the financial crisis, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported last week.

It was the third consecutive annual decline, which officials blamed on multinational corporations bringing cash back to the United States after Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul. Officials warned that trade tensions posed a “downward risk” for a rebound in investment growth this year.

Trump has made steady use of tariffs to punish trading partners like China, Europe, Canada and Mexico that he says have destroyed American jobs by flooding the United States with cheap products THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

and erecting unfair economic barriers at home. The president and his top officials insist that the trade war is lifting the U.S. economy and that any slowdown in global growth is not related to the administration’s trade policies.

But a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy — one that’s deeply enmeshed in global trade networks — affects other economies. But China is the biggest trading nation in the world and the idea that you could slow down the global growth engine and not affect other countries is just not credible.

Multinational companies are already shifting supply chains and

delaying capital spending in response to Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods and foreign metals.

Data increasingly suggest trade tensions are weighing on economic confidence, globally and in the United States. The chance that Trump could make a similar move against another trading partner has caught the attention of global companies and foreign leaders.

The World Bank cut its forecast for global growth by 0.3 percentage points for this year in response to unexpected weakness in trade and manufacturing across advanced and developing economies. Global trade growth has slowed to its the lowest rate since the 2008 financial crisis as exports from Europe and Japan have plummeted, particularly to China.

The bank noted that heightened policy uncertainty, including trade tensions had been accompanied by slowing global investment and weakening confidence. It warned in a report this month that risks to its outlook were “firmly on the downside, in part reflecting the possibility of destabilizing policy developments, including a further escalation of trade tensions between major economies.”

International Monetary Fund economists estimate that if Trump follows through on his threat to broaden the Chinese trade spat, tariffs added this year alone will subtract 0.3% off the global gross domestic product in 2020, with an additional 0.2% drag coming from tariffs the administration put in place last year.

Manufacturing, which is especially vulnerable to trade, is slowing across advanced economies even as service industries hold up. Factory gauges have dipped lower across Europe and are

BUSINESS 55

wavering in Japan. In the United States, the Institute for Supply Management’s factory index dropped to its lowest reading of Trump’s presidency in May. Trade policies aren’t the only culprit behind slowing production.

A continuing, structural slowdown in Chinese growth and tensions from Britain’s attempted exit from the European Union are among other factors. China posted its weakest economic growth in 28 years in 2018, pullback analysts blame partly on structural reforms and long-running trends and partly on the trade spat. Analysts at Moody’s Investors Service expect a further slowdown in 2019, to 6.2% from 6.6%, amid continued trade uncertainty.

Europe, where the IMF estimates 70% of exports are linked in global supply chains, is particularly THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

sensitive to trade disputes. And Germany highlights how the trade war between the United States and China can spill over. The nation’s car industry is the backbone of its economy and is dependent on China for growth. As trade tensions exacerbate China’s economic weakening, manufacturers in Germany pay the price.

Volkswagen, the world’s largest carmaker, said recently that sales in China fell 7% from January through May, to about 1.2 million vehicles. Largely because of China, Volkswagen’s global sales fell 5% during the same period. If coming trade negotiations don’t end in a resolution, the United States and its companies could also pay a price, leaders of the Business Roundtable, a corporate lobbying group in Washington warned during June second week.

56 CINEMA

Psychiatric Society objections sustained

K

‘Mental Hai Kya’ to ‘Judgemental Hai Kya’

THE NEWS BUREAU

angana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao’s Mental Hai Kya has finally released as Judgementall Hai Kya during last week of July. This film is a dark comedydrama directed by Prakash Kovela-

mudi. The Ekta Kapoor produced project came under the radar amid allegations by the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) that the earlier title, Mental Hai Kya, trivialised mental health issues. In a letter addressed to CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi, the IPS had objected

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

to the title of the movie and said it was “discriminative, stigmatising, degrading and inhuman in projecting mental disorders and persons who suffer from mental disorders.”

A spokesperson of Balaji Motion Pictures says, “Given the sensitivity attached to the issue of

mental health and our intention of not offending or hurting anyone’s sentiments, the makers have decided to change the title of the film Mental Hai Kya to Judgementall Hai Kya. Both Kangana and Rajkummar has outdone themselves in this thriller and we can’t wait for audiences to witness it on the big screen.”

Now the film’s team has muted the word ‘mental’ and released the film with a change in their title.

The film’s producer Ekta Kapoor had earlier stated that her film is sensitive to mental health issues and that the film encourages the audience to “embrace their individuality”.With a few minor changes, the Central Board of Certification has cleared the film with U/A certificate. The spokesperson added, “CBFC has cleared the film with U/A certification with minor changes, which the makers are happy to comply with. With the CBFC clearance”.

Kangana Ranaut also gave her two pence on the subject and said, “We had a trailer launch scheduled for last week. The trailer went for certification a few days before that and we got to know that there are several cases and legal notices from All India Psychiatry department. We are happy to get the changes made because it’s a government body and it needs to be respected. They absolutely loved the film and there were no cuts in the film. The only thing they asked for was to never use to word ‘mental’.

Since last year, there were a few specific words that the Board has deemed problematic. Words like Pagla, Paagal must be avoided.

Now, it’s different from what it was earlier. We have made this film very responsibly and there’s nothing derogatory about it. Even

CINEMA 57

the Censor Board watched the whole film and felt the same. The problem was only the title and it’s just a few weeks before the release.

We had to figure a new title, get it registered and then get a certificate.

So this was a long procedure. It took a week to ten days so the only thing we feel bad about is the delay it has caused.”

“My character’s name is Bobby Grewal Batliwala so we thought of calling the film by my character name. Then, there was one called Bobby Mental Hai Kya. The title should also give out the nature of the film. And it’s a tedious process to get the title. We had a few other suggestions like Sentimental Hai Kya which came up. Ekta (Kapoor) didn’t feel it sounded nice or aligned with our theme. We needed to show a condition and this wasn’t doing justice. Then someone even though we can call it just Bobby.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

But RK Films already own rights to it and we couldn’t get it. Things were getting complicated and I was like let’s go with whatever sails our boat because we had already shifted three release dates and I didn’t want to delay it any further. All the other big days are completely choc-abloc. Then, Judgementall Hai Kya happened and even the Censor was happy with it. They also agreed that it went nicely with the concept of our film which is aimed at the prejudices and the ways we judge people who behave differently.

There were a few from the team who had an objection to Judgementall Hai Kya because they felt it wasn’t doing justice to what we want to show. They felt we are compromising on our film. But they were very few in number so they were in the minority. So, it is now what it is. We are going ahead with this,” added the actor.

58 THE NATION

Miss India Telangana Sanjana

Miss India 2019 Runner Up

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THE NEW BUREAU

anjana Vij is Femina Miss India 2019 Runner Up. Suman Rao from Rajasthan is Miss India 2019 winner of Femina Miss India Grand Finale, has been crowned the winner. Femina Miss India 2019 was the 56th edition of the Femina Miss India beauty pageant.

It was held at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium, Mumbai on June 15, 2019, and was be hosted

by Karan Johar and Manish Paul and Manushi Chhillar. At the end of the event, Anukreethy Vas of Tamil Nadu crowned Suman Rao of Rajasthan as her successor. She will represent India at Miss World 2019 in Thailand.

Meenakshi Chaudhary of Haryana crowned Shivani Jadhav

of Chhattisgarh as Miss Grand India 2019. Gayatri Bhardwaj of New Delhi crowned Shreya Shanker of Bihar as Miss United Continents India 2019. Sanjana Vij of Telangana was Runner-Up at the end of the event.

Beauty Pigeon Femina Miss India 2019 has been announced at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel stadium in Mumbai. Suman Rao of Rajasthan is Miss India, Shivani Jadhav of First Chain of Chhattisgarh First Runner Up and Shreya Shankar Second Runner Up of Bihar Sanjana Vij of Telangana has come in fourth and the runner-up has been declared. Sanjana Vij's \photos and videos are becoming viral fast on social media. Sanjana Vij has represented the state of Telangana in Beauty Pigeon THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Femina Miss India 2019 and won the Miss India Telangana 2019 title.

Besides being a beauty queen, this diva has pursued Masters(She has done M.Tech) in Biotechnology from Amity Institute of Biotechnology. Moreover, she describes herself as a strong-willed, progressive and energetic individual.

Talking about her other interests, Dancing, acting, playing basketball and shooting can make a count on it. In an earlier interview . Sanjana said failures have motivated her.

Each time she fails she gives herself enough time to accept that failure and think what went wrong. Never rush. ” It’s okay to feel sad and heartbroken but I never let it break me. I accept my weaknesses, find new strengths and work on them.”

Sanjana explains.

BUSINESS 59

L&T completes its hostile takeover

Mindtree changes hands T

THE NEWS BUREAU

he first hostile IT takeover complete. The Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) gained a controlling interest in Mindtree Ltd, raising its stake to 60% in the Bengaluru-based company and successfully concluding India’s first hostile takeover of a software developer.

L&T completed buying the 31% additional stake it targeted to acquire in Mindtree for ₹4,988.82 crore through an open offer as large investors rushed to sell their holdings. The offer to purchase 50.9 million shares of Mindtree from public shareholders was subscribed

1.2 times on Wednesday, two people with direct knowledge said the condition of anonymity. The 60% stake in Mindtree gives L&T complete control over the software company’s board and management.

The purchase of additional shares through an open offer by L&T after acquiring a 20.4% stake in MindTree from coffee baron V.G. Siddhartha and affiliate firms mark the culmination of a yearlong effort by the Mumbai-based engineering giant to gain control of THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Mindtree through a hostile bid.

Such takeovers are uncommon in services businesses as people are their key assets.

Despite opposition from Mindtree’s promoters, L&T managed to get enough public shareholders of the software company to tender their shares at ₹980 apiece and complete the open offer two days before its closing date of 28 June.

According to sources, the open offer was 120% subscribed. UTI Asset Management Co. Ltd sold its full 2.97% stake in Mindtree to L&T. Arohi Asset Management Pte Ltd, too, has sold most of its stake it held in Mindtree through two en-

60

BUSINESS

tities. So far, L&T has bought shares worth around ₹10,000 crore in Mindtree.

“Post the takeover, L&T is most likely to change the top management of Mindtree. Some of the top officials, who were hired by the erstwhile promoters, could be replaced. Improving the company’s performance will be the key aim.

Eventually, L&T will look at a possible merger of L&T Infotech and Mindtree after two financial years revealed a source close to L&T management. According to him now, L&T does not need to have an AGM for making management changes. L&T can directly call for a board meeting and make the changes.

Almost all the large institutional investors in Mindtree have sold their stakes to L&T in the open offer. They include Singaporebased Nalanda Capital (10.61%), UTI Mutual Fund (2.97%), Amansa Holdings Pvt. Ltd (2.77%), Arohi Asset Management (2.74%), Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd

(1.06%), alternative investment funds (1.49%) and a few more mutual funds.

Mindtree’s erstwhile promoters N. Krishnakumar, N.S. Parthasarathy, Subroto Bagchi and Rostow Ravanan, along with their families, own 13.32% in the company.

After buying Siddhartha’s stake in March, L&T bought additional shares of Mindtree from the open market, raising its holding to 28.9%. L&T has the option to buy a total of 15% of Mindtree’s shares from the open market.

“So far, L&T has bought around 9% from the open market.

After 28 June, L&T will look to buy the remaining 6%," said the first person. If L&T achieves all its share purchase targets, the engineering company will end up holding 66.32% in Mindtree worth at least ₹10,800 crore.

With L&T now set to control Mindtree, the board’s decision to give shareholders a special dividend of ₹20 a share runs the risk of being overturned. Bengaluru-based

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Mindtree announced a special dividend in April to mark its 20th anniversary and crossing of the $1 billion milestones in revenue. L&T was unhappy with this decision, according to an executive familiar with the development.

The decision to pay shareholders a special dividend will be put to vote at Mindtree’s annual meeting on 16 July. The comments made by Bagchi and when they (founders of Mindtree) tried to fend off unsuccessfully the takeover make their continuation under L&T untenable, the source said. Bagchi has left. So now it remains to be seen for how long Rostow will continue. Also, L&T will like to have its executives in what is called as enabling functions, like the position of HR, legal and finance.

Last week, Mindtree’s board agreed to induct three of L&T’s executives—chief executive S.N. Subrahmanyan, chief financial officer R.S. Raman and senior executive vice president of L&T’s defence business Jayant Damodar Patil

CYBER CRIME 61

Preventing cybercrime C

Awareness is key

THE NEWS BUREAU

ybercrimes have now become multifarious and omnipresent.

Recently, a woman posing as a medical practitioner created a fake matrimonial profile on a website.

An NRI man got in touch with her.

The woman, meanwhile, collected Rs 30 lakh from the man on the pretext of donating it to patients suffering from chronic diseases in the hospital she was ‘working’. He paid the amount but the woman fled with it. Later, the man lodged a complaint with the CID Cybercrime Wing.

In another incident, a 60-yearold man, who wanted to date a woman, was taken for a ride by a Nigerian woman by who ‘stole’ Rs 40 lakh from him. The amount was deposited by the man in various bank accounts as per the directions of the woman.

Despite the police taking up several initiatives to create awareness among the public about the cyber offences, the police officials also see no respite in bringing down the crimes unless the public is cautious while sharing their personal information to the strangers or in some instances with the known persons.

In most financial fraud cases, the police observe either greed or fear as a reason for victimisation, while in the cases related to social media, it is the ignorance that causes that lands the netizens in

some sort of trouble. The police say that they are registering the cases irrespective of the amount lost by the victims. 250 accused persons have been arrested in connection with cyberfrauds based out of Jamtara in Jharkhand by the Telangana police.

The district is now being monitored by a team of police personnel led by a senior IPS officer. The team has been coordinating with the states neighbouring Jharkhand, as well as Telangana, to zero in on the offenders.

Cybercrime police officials say that they have also noticed by the investigators that either greed or fear, are the factors for the denizens lose money. Police officials are making it clear that It is either greed or fear, that drives a person falls prey to financial cyber fraud.

In the cases of phishing calls, a denizen is put under the fear that he/she would get the debit/credit card blocked for failing to update them, and the OTP (One-time password) is collected, leading to a fiTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

nancial loss. Whereas in the cases of lottery and Olx frauds, the denizen’s greed of getting easy money or any article for very cheaper than that of the market price, is the prime reason for the loss.

Banks would never ask people their details. Everyone should know that. However, thousands of citizens having bank accounts and using debit and credit cards provide their details to miscreants without crosschecking. These offenders make calls to mobile numbers posing as bank officials so as to extract details from the victims,” cybercrime officials say.

The awareness campaigns will make a person aware of an occurrence of certain fraud. The public need to realise about it when they are approached by the crooks to update their debit and credit cards, updating of Aadhaar card details, and other lottery frauds, and restrain themselves from sharing details of depositing money.

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CRIME

Marijuana chocolates seized

Dirty business in Hyd

I

P VISHNUVARDHAN REDDY

n a major bust, marijuana chocolates were seized in a Hyderabad pan shop. The rides conducted by Telangana's Excise Department in the state's Medchal-Malkajgiri district two people were held with 1,400 marijuana chocolates. The officials who conducted the ride has found that the marijuana was mixed in the chocolate and wrapped in normal chocolate covers, before being sold in a pan shop.

"After being caught once, the accused in this case decided to change their modus operandi and began preparing marijuana chocolates so that they could sell it to customers more easily," said Bal-

anagar Prohibition and Excise station inspector Jeevan Kiran.

Based on a tip-off, they have raided the pan shop and found a few packets with 40 chocolates each.

After questioning him, officials have conducted another raid at a warehouse where they found 33 such packets and have seized 1,400 chocolates in total with marijuana weighing 9.4 kg inside them After their arrest, the accused were presented in front of a local court and sent to judicial remand.

Many drug peddlers in the city are ditching conventional methods of smuggling marijuana and adopting new ways Just last month, officials of Telangana's Vigilance and Enforcement department on raided a flat in THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

Hyderabad and arrested two people who were allegedly involved in the procurement and sale of liquid ganja, also known as marijuana oil.

The raid and the arrest was carried out at an apartment in Ameenpur village at the outskirts of the city, which falls under Sangareddy district. The police said that a total of 1,934 grams of liquid ganja, which was worth roughly Rs 7.8 lakh in the market, was seized from the accused.

The accused were using 600 ml Dabur Honey bottles to smuggle the liquid into the city. Thereafter, they’d fill 10 ml food colour containers with the liquid and sell them to potential customers for about Rs 3,000 per bottle, officials had said at the time.

63

Be monsoon

ready in M

THE NEWS BUREAU

onsoon has already arrived in some parts of India. So, it's time to make your wardrobe ready to suit the changing weather.

Don't let the humid weather during this rainy season make you feel less fashionable.

Here are some tips to help you in this monsoon:

TO DRESS UP

Colours: Monsoon 2016 is all about lively yet subtle colours. One

Style

can experiment with bright pastels such as deep greens, turquoise blue, deep beige, olive green, light copper, rose gold, peach, lemon yellow, fuchsia pink and sea green.

Pastel coloured clothes always look great only during summer time as they are the low conductors of heat.

Cuts and silhouettes: Asymmetrical tunics and dresses are a hit this season. The silhouette should be clean, the cut should not have too many layers or too many tailoring details that make the garment look messy and untidy. Wear simple shirts and crop tops that are easy to dress in. Well-cut dresses with short hemlines are very apt for monsoon clothing.

Fabrics: Prefer Polynylons,

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

rayons, nylon, mixed cottons. It is best to avoid denims and materials that bleed colour. Soft cottons and poly-fabrics are the best bet.

Nylons, cotton blends, mixed fabrics, blended cottons and nets are the fabrics for monsoon. You need something that dries fast and keeps you warm at the same time.

No crepes or chiffons as these don't keep up well in the wet weather and get crinkled easily. Floral prints would be another option for a cloudy day.

Shoes: During the monsoon season avoid leather and go for canvas as they will dry easily in case they get wet. For your favourite leather footwear, if you want them to last a few seasons we

64

LIFE STYLE

suggest you keep them locked safely at home and step out in a pair of gumboots instead. They come in a variety of prints and colours and they are high up on the style quotient as well.

Accessories: Carry waterproof bags so as to save your accessories such as Mobile phone, makeup, books, wallet etc. from getting spoilt. Carry colourful umbrellas and rain gear. Pick up the one which suits your style. They can be floral, checked, polka dotted, plain bright or even retro black and white.

HAIR AND MAKE-UP.

Avoid oil-based products and heavy make-up and make sure you apply astringent or a toner every night before sleeping during the monsoon season, says an expert.

Here are some tips to be monsoon-ready.

Skin: Keep your skin clean and clear using a foamy cleanser or a face wash with micro-granules.

Since rains bring with moisture that causes breakouts, make sure you apply astringent or a toner every night before sleeping. In case you are battling acne try applying ice on your face, as it's one of the most popular ways to minimize the appearance of pores and lends a natural glow to the skin.

Make-up: The rule of thumb is to avoid oil-based products and

heavy make-up in general. Stick to waterproof or a gel-based eyeliner during this season. Lip glosses tend to smear and run through the lines when moisture levels are high, so opt for matte lip colour. Mineralbased foundations and water-based products are the best bet for the season.

Hair: The humidity in the air can have an adverse effect on your hair. If you have not been oiling your hair because of the humidity, it is time to bust that myth. A scalp massage with little oil or serum only does the best for your hair in all seasons. Anti-frizz serums and hair products are a great way to keep your hair looking nice. You may keep your hair tied in a messy ponytail, a fish braid or a ballerina bun.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

SHOBHA’S PAT ON MIND 65

DR.SHOBHA RAJU

Water has a mind!

“Gangecha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jalesmin sannidhim kuru”

number of instances in our Puranas (epics).

How scientific is this belief in the water?

Modern researches have given an evidential report that the molecular structure of water changes depending on the human emotions it is exposed to. When it is y father used to chant the above slokam (hymn) exposed to positive feelings like love, compassion, while taking a bath. I asked the meaning. “It’s gratitude etc, the molecular structure shown is like a praying the holy rivers to make their holy waters beautiful design of a jewel and when it is exposed to present here”, he said. He was bathing at our negative passions such as anger, greed, lust, house in Tirupati. “Mere chant of slokam hatred etc, the molecular structure would bring the holy waters of those shown is not orderly and is unrivers?”, I doubted. But I kept on pleasant. This was proved in rethinking and observing..... search by Japanese scientist I remembered a scene Masaru Emoto. When is in from “LavaKusha”. plastic containers, it Valmiki Maharshi sprinderives harmful emiskles water on Seetamma, sions of plastic and it who faints on hearing the has a harmful effect on news that Lord Rama was humans. When retained performing “Ashin a copper container, wamedha Yaagam”. (A water is restructured man is not supposed to also revealed in an experform Yagnyas without periment, the presence of his wife. She I had been drinking worries how could Rama mineral water from a plastic perform when he abandoned her container. One day, my assison a comment of a washerman). tant gave me a glass of water in Her subtle body gets up and goes to the gym in our community. It tasted Ayodhya, finds a statue of golden Seeta in very nice and different from the usual Water molecule the royal palace, made ready as a substitute to water I consumed. As I checked the water, her, to perform Yagnya, Seetamma feels happy that her it was in a copper container but the outward cover of fears of Rama getting married again are not real and it was steel. So pls do not drink water from plastic concomes back to her physical body. tainers. If helpless, put it in copper containers for a few Ancient Rishis (saints) gave a blessing or a curse, hrs to restructure itself and drink, it improves health. taking out some water from “Kamandalam” (a small Hold a glass of water, say a prayer, later drink or offer vessel containing water, which they always carried) to someone. It becomes a tonic. If one offers water and sprinkling on the targeted person. We have a with negative feelings. It sure becomes poison.

M

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

66

SHOBHA’S PAT ON MIND

I have noticed cleansing happening at a higher level than in the physical level, when you are serenely in tune with water. I realized why Annamayya sang in praise of “Koneru” (water tank at Tirumala, near the temple) addressing it as the Holy Mother : “Devuniki Devikini teppala konetamma Vevelu mokkulu lokapavani neekamma!”

I prefixed the slokam, “Gangecha Yamunechaiva” to the above song after experientially realizing the Consciousness in the water. We have many Stotras (Praising hymns) composed on holy rivers by our ancient saints.

Devotees crave to take a dip in Holy Ganga, particularly during “Kumbhamela”, A sacred event that comes once in twelve years, as a holy river bears a special sanctity & energy in a certain specific period.

I had been to Kumbh Mela in Ahmadabad in 2013 along with Ramana, my assistant and Rajarajeswari, one of my old students.

That was the last day of Kumbhmela and important days were over.

There was no rush except a few people.

We hired a boat to go into the river, Ganga and have a dip. As we went to a distance, I thought, “Mother! if you are happy with my coming, can you kindly show me evidence?” In a few moments, another boat came close to us from which a woman traditionally dressed with “Sindhooram” (traditional mark) on her forehead, bangles etc said, “Shobha Raju!

You sing very beautifully. I am very fond of your songs. Very happy to see you here”. Those words, there, at that moment felt like the answer to my mental

Water molecule with positivity

request. We have seen the fiery and devastating floods of river Mandakini in 2013. When I watched in TV, it felt as if she was coming with a fit of anger. When her peaceful way and the place of her beloved in Kedarnath is selfishly occupied disturbing the ecobalance, for selfish motives of money making, is she offended and was furious? Maybe yes!

Even for inauguration of “Kaleswaram” project, Sringeri Shankaracharyaji sent Pandits who performed puja to Mother, Godavari. We have seen rains pouring down when “Varuna Yagnyam” (a VEDIC ritual performed to please God of Rains) was performed, when there were no rains at all.

As a snake has hearing faculty though it has no ears, water may not resemble animals or humans in having body organs but surely has

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | JULY 2019

a life force and mind. Each part of nature is unique in its nature. Let’s us treat the water reverentially, not mishandle it.

Let’s save water....rivers. As I said long ago, future wars may be for water, not petrol.

Let’s use water prayerfully. The prayer should be “Dilse“ (heartily) not just from the lips!!

There is “Apassooktam” in Vedas, which is a bunch of tributary hymns to water : इदमापः प्र वहत यत्किं च दुरितं मयि । यद्वाहमभिदुद्रोह यद्वा शेप उतानृतम् ॥ Water! Kindly wash away whatever bad tendencies that are in me. Wash away the treacherous thoughts that are vibrant within me.

Wash away from the falsehood of my mind.

(The author is a well-known musician, Devotional singer, writer and composer)

The News You Like July, 2019

RNI No: APENG/2013/48048 P.R. No. RNP/HD/1187/2017-19 (DOP: 1st of Every Month; DOP: 8/9-7-2019)