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PAGES: 68 VOL.6 | ISSUE: 9, OCTOBER, 2018

VOL:6 I SSUE:9 I OCTOBER, 2018 `30 Editor SUDHAKAR

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EDITORIAL Editorial

RS supremo, K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the Assembly nearly nine months before the assembly to complete its term and announced candidates for 105 seats the same day. His move baffled all as there was no crisis or political instability in the state to make such a move. There are hardly any takers for his argument that 'political fragility' and 'unlimited idiocy' of the opposition prompted him to go to the people's court because opposition parties making allegations of corruption against those in power is quite common in every state. It appears KCR plans to achieve many objectives with the move. Delinking the assembly and Lok Sabha polls will ensure that TRS' prospects to retain power in the state are not marred by other factors in general elections. KCR apparently feels that several welfare schemes implemented during last four years will be overshadowed in simultaneous elections. KCR, who led the Telangana movement, has hinted that he will seek fresh mandate on the slogan of 'self-respect'. He appealed to the people not to become slaves to Delhi, an obvious reference to Congress. The dissolution was also to deny time to the opposition parties to regroup. KCR is so confident of retaining power that he wasted no time in announcing candidates for 105 seats. Confident that there is no anti-incumbency and opposition offering no strong alternative, KCR opted for early polls. For several months, TRS circles are abuzz with the talk of KCR's plans to anoint his son K.T. Rama Rao as his successor. KTR, as the cabinet minister is widely known, is number two in both the government and the party and is seen by many as the defacto Chief Minister. By going for early polls, KCR apparently wants to pave the way for KTR to take over. The TRS chief may contest Lok Sabha polls shift to national politics. (Sudhakar)

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

4 Content

Hyderabad police gets its own Rapid Action Force 6

Perhaps the first of its kind in the entire country, the Hyderabad City Police has launched a specialised wing to deal with riots, riot-like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest.

Modi government approves ordinance on triple talaq

Ahead of Assembly elections in ďŹ ve states, the Union Cabinet on September 19 approved an ordinance making triple talaq a criminal oďŹ&#x20AC;ence, with the government stating that there was a "compelling necessity" and "overpowering urgency" to do so.

AP cops take responsibility on killing of Araku 9 MLA, ex-legislator 23

TRS and MIM are engaged in shadow boxing: Amit Shah THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

KCR to play important role after LS poll: TRS leader

Your best 27 Facebook The Telangana Rashtra friends may be Samiti chief K hurting you Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is likely to play an daily important role in national politics after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, if the party leaders are to be believed.

Content

Incredible achievement by Srinivas Chamarthy In an incredible achievement, a scientist, who is alumnus of Osmania University, completed the milestone of travelling 1, 02, 746 kilometers across the country on a motor cycle...

Facebook posts from your friends can make you feel left out in the virtual world and that feeling, as innocuous as it might seem, is not easily dismissed.

Have milk for breakfast to lower 53 blood glucose

IT searches Congress leader's 30 houses in Telangana

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

6 Telangana

Hyderabad police gets its own Rapid Action Force P

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erhaps the first of its kind in the entire country, the Hyderabad City Police has launched a specialised wing to deal with riots, riot-like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest. The City Rapid Action Force (CRAF) was formed after selecting young personnel with 'quick reflexes, maturity and un-biased views'. "They have a distinctive uniform and have to act in zero response time. The force currently has 40 personnel (20 male and 20 female) who are specially trained officers of the rank of Police Constables. This force is equipped with non-lethal weapons for dispersing

the crowd with minimum harm and losses," the city police said in a release. The police said that the motto of the wing was 'Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing' and they would always be kept ready to be deployed as and when the situation demands. "CRAF will be deployed only by the orders of the Commissioner of Police on specific duties only, and are normally not deployed for a long duration. This unit will be used to deal with communal violence, law and order duties, festival and election duties and agitations for carrying out prompt rescue and relief operations as and when required," the press release added. City Police Commissioner

Anjani Kumar launched the CRAF at his office in Hyderabad along with his team of officers. In August this year, Hyderabad became the second city in the country to have a dedicated Disaster Response Force, after Mumbai. Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) KT Rama Rao launched the Enforcement Vigilance Disaster Management (EVDM) with 120 dedicated staff while vehicles will function under Greater Hyderbabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The DRF will reach out to the people during emergency situations such as flash floods, heavy rains, building collapses, fire mishaps and any other emergency situations.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Telangana

Second phase of Hyd Metro begins

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overnor ESL Narasimhan formally inaugurated the second phase of Metro Rail on September 24. The 16 kms stretch between Ameerpet and L B Nagar was thrown open to the public in the evening. The Governor, who travelled in the inaugural service from Ameerpet to LB Nagar, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I urge all the citizens of Hyderabad to use the Metro extensively to reduce the pollution and fuel consumption". Lauding the efforts of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd and L&T Metro officials to make Hyderabad project world class, Narasimhan said that the Hitech City route should be completed by December 15. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Taraka Rama Rao said that every station of Metro was built to the international standard and the project was winning international awards. "It can compete with any Metro Rail project in the world", he said pointing out that with 46 kms long Metro already operational Hyderabad Metro had become the second biggest such project after

Delhi leaving other cities including Chennai and Bengaluru behind. "This is a 16 km stretch with 16 stations. With this, the entire 29 km of Corridor-I from Miyapur to LB Nagar will be operational," Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director N V S Reddy said. In November 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 30 km Miyapur-Nagole stretch out of the 72 km long elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail project,the world's largest publicprivate partnership project in the sector. "With its operation on Ameer-

pet to L B Nagar route, the Metro will be 46 km, the second largest in the country, next only to Delhi," Reddy said. The 10 km Ameerpet-Hi-Tec city line will be open from December 2018 while services between Jubilee Bus Station and MGBS will be launched mid 2019, Reddy said. HMRL is developing a heritage precinct along with continuous and wide footpaths for seamless pedestrian movement on a five km stretch between Police Control Room and Rangamahal Junction, covering five stations of Assembly, Nampally, Gandhi Bhavan, OMC and MGBS in Corridor-I.

Balapur laddu auction fetches record price T

he auction of renowned Balapur Ganesh Laddu fetched the organizers a record price of Rs 16.60 lakh this year. Balapur Mandal Arya Vysya Sangham stood as the highest bidder for the Ganesh Laddu. Sangham president, T Srinivas Gupta participated in the auction. Sweet maker, Uma Maheswar Rao of Honey Foods of

Tapeswaram in East Godavari prepared the laddu weighing 21 kg and donated it to Balapur Ganesh. The tradition of auctioning the Laddu prasadam in

Balapur began in 1994 when it fetched Rs 450 and successfully completed 25 years. Last year, Balapur laddu fetched Rs 15.60 lakh. About 1.5 lakh people witnessed the Balapur laddu auction on September 23. The bidders for Balapur laddu believe that they will have a bright future and prosperous business if they succeed in the auction.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

8 Telangana

Memorial for Vajpayee in Hyderabad T

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he Telangana government has decided to build a memorial for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here, caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on September 27. Orders have been issued to officials, who are now on the job, he said in the Legislative Council. "The state government has decided to allocate one acre in Hyderabad to build memorial for late Vajpayee and to install his statue as per his stature," he said. Rao recalled that BJP member in the Council N Ramachander Rao and other BJP leaders had met him on the issue. He was speaking on the motion taken up by the House to condole the death of Vajpayee who passed away few weeks ago. The Council also condoled the death of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi and renowned mimicry artist Nerella Venu Madhav, recipient of the Padma Shri award. Venu Madhav, who was also a member of the Council, hailed from Warangal in Telangana. The Upper House also expressed its deep sense of sorrow on the death of more than 60 people in a ghastly bus accident at Kondagattu in Jagtial district recently, and also on the loss of lives in the

Kerala deluge. Rao, Leader of Opposition in the Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Deputy Leader of Congress in the House P Sudhakar Reddy, BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao and other members recalled the services of Vajpayee, Chatterjee

and Karunanidhi. Council Chairman K Swamy Goud then adjourned the House sine die. The Council met for the day as per the obligation that the House should sit at least once in six months.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

A.P.

AP cops take responsibility on killing of Araku MLA, ex-legislator

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ndhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) RP Thakur has said that his department took responsibility for the murder of two politicians in the tribal area of Visakhapatnam district on Sunday. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA, Kidari Sarveswara Rao, his party colleague and former MLA Siveri Soma, were gunned down by the Maoists when they were visiting a village to attend a party programme. Speaking to reporters after visiting the crime scene, the DGP said, "It is an act of cowardice by the Maoists. I have met with officers and discussed how they carried out the killing. We will take strict action against the culprit. There will be no softness there. We have formed a special investigation team with a SP-rank officer to ascertain what exactly happened." Thakur landed in Visakhapatnam directly from the US, where he had gone on an official visit,

before rushing to the spot. “As of now, the SIT team is probing all angles and we can’t say failure of police or not till then...Intelligence, Greyhounds work under me. So yes, we take the responsibility. We can’t dismiss it and say that nothing has happened. We will do something," he told reporters, when asked if the police could have acted before. Thakur also told the media that attempts had also been made in the

recent past, to attack police personnel. "Their activity has decreased and incidents of violence have also decreased, but it is an ongoing battle. They make plans like we make plans. They have been planning attacks of revenge on the police. We have credible information about this. One or two times, we missed the attack by a whisker. We also took precaution and escaped," he said. "Maoists are roaming in the border area. We have a disadvantage because of jurisdictional issues but we are coordinating with Odisha officials and we will take action and ensure that such incidents are not repeated," the DGP added. The police chief also met families of the deceased later in the day and expressed his condolences. Police said they were trying to identify the Maoists involved. Special police teams have launched a hunt for the guerrillas involved in the attack.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

10 National

One nation, one code: RSS chief on UCC, population policy M

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aking a case for Uniform Civil Code and implementation of a uniform population policy, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on September 19 said that people of one nation should be governed by a common law. "When people talk about Uniform Civil Code, they usually talk in the context of Hindus and Muslims. But that is not all. When such a code is implemented, there will be change in customs of all communities including Hindus," he said in response to a query during a question-answer session at the concluding day of the outreach event in New Delhi. He said there should be an attempt to bring a consensus among the society for a uniform code while taking into account the diversity of the country. "People of one nation should live under a common law," Bhagwat told the gathering. He said the Uniform Civil Code was meant to bring unity in the country and should be brought gradually in a way that it does not create any divide. "This has also been suggested by those who drafted the constitution that the government should take the country in that direction... that it figures out what kind of a code there should be, how to convince the society in its favour and then enforce it," he said. Asked about population control and what would be the position of Hindus after 50 years, the RSS

chief made a strong case for planning for India's rising population with a 50-year perspective. "Population is thought of as a burden. If population increases, food consumption also increases, pressure on land increases and environmental problems also increase. But population also provides the human resource," he said. "There should be demographic balance. There should be a population policy applicable to everyone and should be uniformly implemented without exception. "Where there is a problem, it should be implemented first like in families where there are more chil-

dren and not enough resources," he said. However, he added, it cannot be achieved only through enactments but there should be a change in mentality in the society. Bhagwat said that India is a young nation with a significant young population and one needs to consider the kind of population mix the country will have in 30 years: whether it will be a young or an old population as in the case of China. "We have to see population with this perspective looking at a 50 year horizon and then plan for that: how much resources will we need then and how much impact on environment that kind of population will have," he said.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

National 11

Honorarium hike for Anganwadi, ASHA workers

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he Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on September 19 approved a hike in honorarium for Anganwadi and ASHA workers. The Anganwadi worker would now get a monthly honorarium of Rs 4,500 per month instead of Rs 3,000 earlier. The Anganwadi helper would get Rs 2,250 per month in place of Rs 1,500 earlier. The Anganwadi worker at a mini Anganwadi centre would get monthly Rs 3,500 instead of Rs 2,250, the government said. In addition, the monthly performance linked incentive of Rs

250 has also been approved for Anganwadi helpers for facilitating proper functioning of Anganwadi centres. The enhanced rate of honorarium and performance linked incentive would be effective from October 1 this year and would cost of Rs 10,649 crore for the period between October 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020. The ASHA workers would now get Rs 2,000 per month in place of Rs 1,000 earlier, with an approved package of Rs 1,224.97 crore till 2020 under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). "Nearly 27 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers will be bene-

fited. Anganwadi services (umbrella Integrated Child Development Scheme) is a universal scheme and beneficiaries are spread all over the country," a government release said. "The programme through targeted interventions will strive to reduce the level of malnutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies, ensure empowerment of adolescent girls and provide safe place for day care to children of working mothers," it added. The Anganwadi services (ICDS) are aimed at holistic development of children under the age of six years and its beneficiaries are children of this age group and pregnant women and lactating mothers. "The rate of honorarium paid to the Anganwadi workers and helpers was last revised in 2011. Since then the cost of living has increased and the cost norms for the administration of supplementary nutrition have also been revised recently in 2017," the release said. ASHA and ASHA facilitators meeting the eligibility criteria will be enrolled in government's social security schemes -- Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), it said. More than one crore ASHAs and ASHA facilitators will be covered under PMJJBY and more than nine lakh of them will be covered under PMSBY, according to the statement.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

12 Cover story

Asian Games 2018

How India's sports stars overcame tough personal odds! E

D BAL REDDY

ver since she was a kid, Hima Das woke up every morning before the crack of dawn and would go to the local grazing ground in a remote Assam village. With no proper gear or even a playground, she practiced

running at this grazing ground, around 50 metres from her house, before the villagers let their cattle loose post sunrise. Daughter of rice farmers, the same teenager left the world awestruck when she ran at a track and field stadium in Finland during

the 400-metre final at the U-20 World Championships, becoming the first Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event. The 18-year-old from Kandhulimari village in Dhing -- a small town situated approximately 20 km

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

from Nagaon -- followed that with a gold in the women's 4x400 metres and silver medals in the women's 400 metres and mixed 4x400 metres events at the recently-concluded Asian Games at Jakarta, Indonesia. There are numerous such stories of Indian athletes who came from poor, underprivileged families but who showed true grit and fought extreme odds to make their families and the nation proud. Swapna Barman, daughter of a van-rickshaw puller and tea-estate worker from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, overcame extreme poverty

to become the first Indian woman to achieve a top podium finish in the gruelling heptathlon event at the Asian Games. The Indian Army rower Dattu Baban Bhokanal did all sorts of odd jobs from digging wells to selling onions to working at a petrol pump in his arduous journey to the gold in men's quadruple sculls event at the Asiad. Harish Kumar, who was a part of Indian sepak takraw team that won bronze at the Asian Games, used to sell tea at his father's shop in Delhi to support his family. These are not isolated instances. According to one of India's most celebrated athletes Anju Bobby George, this is more a norm than an aberration. Perhaps because due to their tough lifestyle and the absence of too many options in life, "they have an insatiable hunger to succeed", George said. "Children from rural areas or poor backgrounds engage in physical activities as part of their normal daily routine. After returning from school, they either work in the fields or play sports. So naturally, most of our sports stars come from rural areas," he said. Recalling Hima's childhood, her mother Jonali recalled she was always competitive and hated losing and related how she practiced running at a local grazing ground every morning before dawn as the villagers came there with their herds of cattle after sunrise. Swapna Barman, from Jalpaiguri town in northern Bengal, was born with six toes. She never found a shoe that fit her perfectly and pain was part of her life ever since she started walking. But enduring that constant pain, she won gold at heptathlon at the Asian Games. The heptathlon is a grilling seven-event

Cover story 13

contest which covers a range of track and field events and is spread over two days. Swapna's father Panchanan Barman has been bedridden for the last few years. "It was not easy for her. We could not meet her expectations all the time but she would never complain," Swapna's mother Basona said in an emotion-choked voice. The extra width of her feet makes landing painful and shoes wear out quickly. She found it difficult to meet the expenses of her equipment, said her childhood coach Sukanta Sinha. "I was her coach from 20062013. She comes from a very poor family and could barely meet the expenses of training. I saw a spark in her when she was in the fourth standard. I started training her," said Sukanta who could not get past the state level himself, his best being a third-place finish in the triple jump in an inter-district meet in Bengal in the 1980s. "She was extremely stubborn and that worked in her favour. We at Raikot Para Sporting Association club supported her with all the equipment and shoes. Today I cannot express in words how happy I am," he added. In Maharashtra, Dattu Baban Bhokanal endured unimaginable suffering and hardships before achieving the pinnacle of sporting success. The Indian army rower won gold in the Men's Quadruple sculls event at the Asiad. The 27year-old, who had claimed a silver medal in the men's single sculls at the Asian Rowing Championships in 2015, is currently one of the top rowers in the continent. But his upbringing and early struggles is typical of millions of sportspersons in the country. From

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

14 Cover story

digging wells to selling onions to working in a petrol pump to representing India at the Rio Olympics while his mother was in a coma, Dattu has overcome every obstacle in life. "We could not even afford two meals a day and it was then that I decided to start working with my father, who used to dig wells," Dattu said. After the death of his father, Dattu joined the Indian Army, a decision which was driven more by the need to feed his family than serving the nation. "In 2013, I was selected for the Army Rowing Node (ARN) in Pune for better training. After six months of practice, I struck two gold medals at the national championships and that was a confi-

dence-booster," he said. Boxer Amit Panghal, another rising star, hails from the small Mayna village in Rohtak district of Haryana. His father Chaudhary Bijender Singh Panghal owns just an acre in his village and the family struggled to make ends meet. "My elder brother was a boxer as well. He introduced me to boxing. But my family did not have the resources to support both our careers. So my brother decided to sacrifice his dreams for me and joined the army," Amit said. "He told me before going to the army that he will take care of the family and my training expenses and asked me to focus on my boxing career. His words left a deep impression on me and I have

been striving to live up to his expectations ever since," he added. The 22-year-old started training in 2007 at the Sir Chhotu Ram Boxing Academy in Rohtak. Trained by coach Arjun Dhankar, Amit enjoyed an explosive start to his career at the national and international levels. The light flyweight (49 kg) boxer won the gold medal in his debut appearance at the national championships in 2017 and took bronze at Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Tashkent in May last year. He took silver at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year before defeating reigning Olympic and Asian champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the Asian Games final.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

National 15

Muslims, STs, Dalits made most progress in combating poverty: UN

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hile India has taken tremendous strides in combating poverty in the past decade, Muslims, members of the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Dalits saw the most progress in in reducing the impact of poverty, according to data compiled in a UN project. The "very positive trend" during the decade between 2005-06 and 2015-16 in India is that "the poorest are catching up", Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHDI), said on September 20 at the presentation of the 2018 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) here. The MPI prepared by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the OPHDI, takes into account various indicators of development rather than just income and aligns them to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while serving as a measure of the intensity of poverty felt by different groups. While ST members were still the poorest group, they have seen the fastest reduction in MPI, as have the Dalits, Alkire said. Explaining it, Diego Zavaleta Reyles from OPHDI said that the average number of deprivations or "the intensity of their poverty" measured by the MPI fell for these groups even though the proportion of poor people in these categories was relatively the same or unchanged. Between 2006 and 2016, the MPI of the STs came down from 0.447 to 0.229 even though the percentage had fallen only from

79.8 to 50 during the decade, according to OPHDI data. During the same period, the MPI of Dalits fell from 0.338 to 0.145 while the percentage of poor came down from 65 to 32.9. "If we look at the religious groups, the Muslims are the poorest and they again had the fastest reduction in MPI," Alkire said. While MPI for Muslims was 0.331 in 2006, it fell to 0.144 in 2016, and the percentage of the poor in the community came down from 60.3 per cent to 31.1 per cent. Nationally, 54.7 per cent of the people in all groups taken together were poor in 2006, but only 27.5 per cent in 2016, and the MPI came down from 0.279 to 0.121, the data show. In terms of numbers, 271 million people had moved out of poverty during the decade, with the number of poor people coming down 635 million in 200506 to 364 million according to the MPI standards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we are seeing a shift of global proportions occurring in India over a ten-year period and that is really encouraging", Alkire said. India is the only country for which changes of this magnitude are taking place at this time, she added. Bihar remains the poorest state, but along with other high-poverty states - Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhatisgarh - had the fastest reduction in multi-dimensional poverty, she said. In spite of the progress,

these states still remain the poorest. Among age groups, children, who are still the poorest, saw the fastest reduction in MPI, she said. Such reduction in poverty among these groups or states did had not happened in India in the earlier periods according to a previous study for the period 19981999 to 2005-06, she said. UNDP Administrator Adam Steiner said that when governments start looking carefully at who the poor are and where they are, the analysis leads to programmes that help the poorest of the poor, whether by ethnicity, religion or geography, and results like those in India can be achieved. Traditional poverty measures often calculated by numbers of people who earn less than $1.90 a day - shed light on how little people earn but not on whether or how they experience poverty in their day-to-day lives, according to UNDP. On the other hand, MPI takes into account health, education and living standards in areas like access to clean water, sanitation, nutrition and primary education, with those lacking in at least a third of these defined as multi-dimensionally poor. According to the incomebased measurement, only 270 million Indians are considered poor but according to the MPI standards a far larger number - 364 million - were categorised as multi-dimensionally poor in 2016.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

16 National

Modi government approves ordinance on triple talaq A

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head of Assembly elections in five states, the Union Cabinet on September 19 approved an ordinance making triple talaq a criminal offence, with the government stating that there was a "compelling necessity" and "overpowering urgency" to do so. The ordinance, which will be sent to the President for approval, comes against the backdrop of the government's inability to get a bill on the issue passed in the last monsoon session of Parliament. The government then brought some changes in the original bill providing for only the women or their blood relations to file complaints against the erring husbands in a bid to get support from the Congress and other parties in the Rajya Sabha but did not succeeded in passing it. Briefing reporters after a meeting of the union cabinet on why it was resorting to an ordinance, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that instances of instant triple talaq have "continued unabated" in spite of the Supreme Court declaring it unconstitutional and Lok Sabha passing a bill that is now pending in the Rajya Sabha. He attacked the Congress and said it had not supported the bill in the Rajya Sabha due to "vote bank politics".

Prasad said the issue pertained to respect for women and not to religion or path of worship. "The issue of triple talaq has nothing to do with faith, mode of worship. It is pure issue of gender justice and gender equality." He said triple talaq was still being given on flimsy grounds such as chappapti getting burnt and wife

waking up late. There were instances of the instant divorce having being given on social media platform WhatsApp, he said. "Women are being oppressed, they are suffering. Most instances are taking place in Uttar Pradesh," he said. Giving out figures of triple talaq cases between January 2017 and

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

September 2018 from several states that totalled 430 including 229 before the Supreme Court judgement and 201 later, he said there could be many other unreported cases. "The bottomline is that cases of triple talaq continue unabated. Whatever we have collected is shocking," he said. Prasad said several Islamic countries have banned instant triple talaq but it still prevailed in a secular country like India. He said the offence will become cognizable (with provision of three years imprisonment) if the FIR is filed by the woman or by her blood relations. A compromise can be reached at the initiative of woman and with appropriate conditions imposed by the magistrate con-

cerned. Prasad also said that bail can be given by the magistrate after hearing the woman who has filed the case. The custody of minor children will go to the mother and she will be entitled to maintenance for herself and her minor children. He said the purpose was not to break families and a compromise will have the court's seal. Prasad appealed to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to support the efforts for giving justice to women by rising above the considerations of "vote bank politics." He made a similar appeal to BSP chief Mayawati and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "Support it by rising above politics," he said. Prasad said the Congress sup-

National 17

ported the bill in the Lok Sabha but not in the Rajya Sabha. "Let them publicly say when the session commences we will support it. We would appreciate their support in the House, not before TV channels," he said. He said the government tried to take the Congress along. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had, on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met Congress leaders to seek their support for the passage of the bill in the Rajya Sabha. Asked if steps will be taken for empowerment of Muslim women, including BJP giving ticket during elections, Prasad said the issue should not be reduced to political empowerment: "We are consciously keeping this bill away from political divide. It is for gender justice." Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) has welcomed the ordinance making instant triple talaq a punishable offence with a three-year jail term. "It would have been ideal if both houses of Parliament had passed the Bill unanimously, especially after some very important amendments were made to the original Bill. Nonetheless it is a much-awaited and a much wanted legislation," it said in a statement. "These are much appreciated amendments to the Bill for which BMMA had been asking for," it said. "We are thankful to the central government for heeding to the voice of Muslim women who demanded the above amendments. And we urge all political parties to recognize, acknowledge and extend their support to the demands of Muslim women."

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

18 National

Over 8 lakh infant deaths reported in India in 2017: UN

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bout 8,02,000 infant deaths were reported in India in 2017, the lowest in five years, according to the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME). A new UNIGME report said 6,05,000 neonatal deaths were reported in India in 2017, while the number of deaths among children aged 5-14 was 1,52,000. About 8,02,000 infant deaths were reported in India in 2017, the report said. "India continues to show impressive decline in child deaths, with its share of global under-five deaths for the first time equalling its share of childbirths," Yasmin Ali Haque, Representative, UNICEF India said. "The efforts for improving institutional delivery, along with countrywide scale up of special newborn care units and strengthening of routine immunization, have been instrumental towards this," she said. The number of infant deaths has come down from 8.67 lakh in 2016 to 8.02 lakh in 2017. * In 2016, India's infant mortality rate was 44 per 1,000 live births * In 2017, sex-specific underfive mortality rate was 39 in 1,000 for male and 40 in 1,000 for females "Even more heartening is the fourfold decline in the gender gap in survival of the girl child over last five years," Haque said.

The investment on ensuring holistic nutrition under the POSHAN campaign and national commitment to make India open defecation-free by 2019 are steps that will help in accelerating progress further, she added. According to the report, an estimated 6.3 million children aged below 15 died in 2017, or 1 every 5 seconds, mostly of preventable causes, according to new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organisation

(WHO), the United Nations Population Division and the World Bank Group. A vast majority of these deaths 5.4 million occur in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half of the deaths. Without urgent action, 56 million children under five will die from now until 2030 half of them newborns We have made remarkable progress to save children since

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

1990, but millions are still dying because of who they are and where they are born With simple solutions like medicines, clean water, electricity and vaccines, we can change that reality for every child Globally, in 2017, half of all deaths under five years of age took place in sub-Saharan Africa, and another 30 per cent in Southern Asia. In sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 13 children died before their fifth birthday. In high-income countries, that number was 1 in 185. Princess Nono Simelela, Assistant Director-General for Family, Women and Children's Health at WHO, said: Millions of babies and children should not still be dying every year from lack of access to water, sani-

tation, proper nutrition or basic health services We must prioritize providing universal access to quality health services for every child, particularly around the time of birth and through the early years, to give them the best possible chance to survive and thrive Most children under five die due to preventable or treatable causes such as complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis and malaria, the report said. By comparison, among children between 5 and 14 years of age, injuries become a more prominent cause of death, especially from drowning and road traffic. Within this age group, regional differences also exist, with the risk of dying for

National 19

a child from sub-Saharan Africa 15 times higher than in Europe, it said. "More than six million children dying before their fifteenth birthday is a cost we simply can't afford," said Timothy Evans, Senior Director and Head of the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice at the World Bank Group. "Ending preventable deaths and investing in the health of young people is a basic foundation for building countries' human capital, which will drive their future growth and prosperity," the report read. For children everywhere, the most risky period of life is the first month. In 2017, 2.5 million newborns died in their first month. A baby born in sub-Saharan Africa or in Southern Asia was nine times more likely to die in the first month than a baby born in a highincome country. And progress towards saving newborns has been slower than for other children under five years of age since 1990. Even within countries, disparities persist. Under-five mortality rates among children in rural areas are, on average, 50 per cent higher than among children in urban areas. In addition, those born to uneducated mothers are more than twice as likely to die before turning five than those born to mothers with a secondary or higher education. Despite these challenges, fewer children are dying each year worldwide. The number of children dying under five has fallen dramatically from 12.6 million in 1990 to 5.4 million in 2017. The number of deaths in older children aged between 5 to 14 years dropped from 1.7 million to under a million in the same period.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

20 National

All guidelines were followed in NDA's Rafale deal

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ll guidelines laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure were followed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government during the procurement of the Rafale jets, according to the official sources. According to the sources, reports that have surfaced recently in the media seek to "create confusion" about the controversial Rafale deal, "through distorted and selective presentation of facts," adding that the report also suffers from several factual errors. The sources further said that the government has categorically stated that all provisions laid down in the Defence Procurement

Procedure and other relevant guidelines were fully followed in the acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by the Defence Minister, accepted the necessity for the acquisition of Rafale aircraft and mandated the Contract Negotiating Committee, the sources said, adding that the Cabinet Committee on Security had accorded its approval to the acquisition on August 24, 2016, and not in September 2016. The deal to buy 36 ready-tofly Rafale fighter jets was signed in 2016 between the NDA government and the French government under the then-President

Francois Hollande, after scrapping the United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) deal to buy 18 ready-to-fly jets and assemble a further 108 in India. The Congress has been targeting the Centre of irregularities in the high-profile contract, alleging that the NDA government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the then UPA government. The controversy took a new twist after former French President Francois Hollande, with whom Prime Minister Modi had cleared the deal in 2016, claimed that the Indian government had proposed Reliance Defence's name as the offset partner for Dassault Aviation.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

National 21

Pakistan more aggressive after Imran took charge: BSF DG

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akistani military had become "more aggressive" since Imran Khan became the Prime Minister in Islamabad, BSF Director General K K Sharma said on September 28, two days before his retirement. Referring to the killing of BSF Head Constable Narender Singh on September 18 in Ramgarh sector along the International Border, Sharma said: "This incident happened after Imran Khan took over as Prime Minister." He said the killing was a "BAT" (Border Action Team) operation. "Nothing has changed on the border. Now we are witnessing BAT action on the International Border, which never happened earlier. Generally, BAT action happens at the LoC. There is more aggressive stance from the other side compared to the past," said the BSF chief. "We are taking precautions steps to avoid such incidents," he added. Explaining the killing, Sharma said the BSF team had gone to clear elephant grass on the border. "Generally, whenever our troops do these exercises, the other side objects and fire a few shots in the air. We used to withdraw, talk to them and the exercise would recommence. In this case, when the fire came, our personnel made a tactical retreat. "Then they realized that one of their men had been left behind. They went back to examine and

found the helmet and a cap and found some signs of a person being dragged to the other side... "We could not cross over because (it was the International Border). Then the counterparts took quite some time to get in touch with us. "They allowed us to search the area on the other part and our party found the body. The feet were tied. There were three bullet wounds on the chest and there was a slit mark on the throat," he said. Sharma, however, clarified that there was no other mutilation on the body. The BSF chief said that there had been no firing since the incident happened and that Pakistan Rangers were in denial mode over the killing. "The moment this incident took

place, we noticed that the other side simply vanished. They have also got their villages vacated." In the past, the BSF always gave a very tough and befitting reply. "We will do the same again. In this case, it was very important for us to retrieve the body first and then think of something else. In the near future we will do something." Sharma said, "There are many training camps as well as launch pads along the border where hundreds of militants are present. "There are a number of launch pads along the International Border and particularly the LoC. Sometimes the militant camps are five to seven kilometres from the border and sometime they are further deep," he said. "We know it is Pakistan's policy to push militants into India."

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

22 Global

Over 300 mn children not in school: Unicef

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ver 300 million children globally between the age of five and 17 years of age were not in school, the Unicef said in a report. More than one-third of them, or about 104 million, are in countries affected by conflict or disaster, the report titled "A future stolen: young and out-of-school" revealed on September 19. Additionally, it said one in five young people between 15-17 years old in countries affected by conflicts and disasters have never even entered any school and two in five have never completed primary school, reports Xinhua news agency. "When a country is hit by con-

flict or disaster, its children and young people are victimized twice," said Henrietta Fore, Unicef Executive Director. "In the near term, their schools are damaged, destroyed, occupied by military forces or even deliberately attacked, and they join the millions of young people out of school, and as the years progress they seldom return. "In the long term they -- and the countries they live in -- will continue to face perpetuating cycles of poverty," she said. By current trends, the number of 10 to 19 year-olds will rise to more than 1.3 billion by 2030, an increase of 8 per cent, the report said. Providing this future workforce with quality education and

better employment prospects will yield greater economic and social dividends. With less than 4 per cent of global humanitarian appeals dedicated to education, the report calls for more investment in quality education where children and young people can learn in a safe environment, from pre-primary to uppersecondary, in countries affected by complex humanitarian emergencies and protracted crises. It said that by current trends, poverty remains the most significant barrier to education globally with the poorest primary school age children four times more likely to be out of school compared to their peers from the richest households.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Politics 23

TRS AND MIM ARE ENGAGED IN SHADOW BOXING: AMIT SHAH B

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haratiya Janata Party President Amit Shah ruled out any alliance with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for the coming Assembly polls in the state and said that the TRS owed an explanation to the people for imposing additional expenditure by going for early elections. Replying to a query at a press conference on September 15, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao during his speech in Parliament was in a different context and it cannot be interpreted as an understanding between the two parties. He denied reports that the BJP

was hand-in-glove with the TRS and alleged that it was the TRS and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) which were engaged in "shadow boxing". The BJP chief wanted to know why the TRS imposed early polls on the state when the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are slated to be held nine months later. Shah said Rao had initially supported Modi's idea of "one nation one election" but he was surprised when he suddenly changed his stand. "Rao and TRS have forced a small state to bear expenditure of two elections. BJP believes that TRS has put an additional burden of crores of rupees on people to further its political interests," said

the BJP chief. Shah said that the BJP was ready to give a tough fight to both the TRS and the opposition Congress in every constituency. He was confident that the BJP will emerge as a strong and decisive force in the state. Shah said there was no chance of the TRS getting a fresh mandate. "If the TRS government comes back to power, it will continue its politics of appeasement," he said slamming it for passing a resolution to provide 12% reservation to Muslims and sending it to the Centre for its approval. Claiming that the Modi government provided Rs. 2.3 lakh crore to Telangana during the last four years against the Rs 15,000 crore given during the Congress rule, Shah said the BJP showed no discrimination towards any state but was opposed to the politics of appeasement. Shah also dared the TRS to name a Dalit as its chief ministerial candidate. Shah recalled that KCR had promised before the 2014 elections that a Dalit would be made the Chief Minister but when TRS won the elections, he took the post for himself. "I want to ask KCR, will you fulfill this promise at least this time or will make your son as the Chief Minister?" said Shah. Referring to Congress President Rahul Gandhi's statement that the Congress will form the next government in Telangana, Shah said Rahul is daydreaming. He listed the states where Congress lost the elections since 2014. The BJP leader said people of Telangana have not forgotten the treatment meted out to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and former Chief Minister T Anjaiah by the Congress.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

24 Politics

Congress constitutes nine committees for poll-bound Telangana

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head of the ensuing Assembly elections in Telangana, the Congress party has constituted nine committees besides naming two working presidents of the state unit. A. Revanth Reddy, who had quit Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to join Congress late last year, and former Member of Parliament Ponnam Prabhakar were appointed working presidents. Congress President Rahul Gandhi constituted a 15-member core committee, which will be headed by R.C. Khuntia, a central leader in-charge of party affairs in Telangana. Other members include AICC secretaries N.S. Bose Raju, Saleem Ahmed and Srinivas Krish-

nan and party's Telangana unit President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy. Khuntia will also be chairman of 53-member coordination committee, which will have Uttam Kumar Reddy as convener. The party's working President in Telangana, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, will

head a 17-member campaign committee. Rahul Gandhi also constituted 41-member Pradesh Election Committee, which will be headed by Uttam Kumar Reddy. Former Deputy Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, Damodar Rajanarasimha will be the chairman of the manifesto committee. Senior leader V. Hanumantha Rao will head Strategy and Planning Committee. The central leadership has also announced a nine-member panel for coordination with the Election Commission. It will be headed by Marri Sashidhar Reddy. Telangana Assembly was dissolved early this month to pave way for early elections, which may be held in November-December.

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Politics 25

Mayawati jolts Congress, ties up with Jogi in Chhattisgarh T

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he Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on September 20 jolted the Congress by announcing an electoral pact with former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi in poll-bound Chhattisgarh. As per the agreement between the two parties, Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh will contest 55 of the 90 Assembly seats in the state while the BSP will field candidates in the remaining 35 segments. BSP chief Mayawati said that Jogi will be the Chief Minister in case the alliance won the state polls. She said that the "historic alliance will bring development and prosperity to the downtrodden, the poor, Dalits, minorities, tribals and marginalised sections of society". The 62-year-old

Dalit leader also said that the two parties had come together to boot out the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state and ensure that there is fair and not selective development, as is taking place under the watch of the present dispensation. The development is seen as huge blow to the Congress, which was hoping for an alliance with the Dalit powerhouse from Uttar Pradesh and thus brighten its chances against the Raman Singh-led BJP government in the tribaldominated state. Known for springing surprises on foes and friends alike, Mayawati has also named 22 party candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, also due this year. For some time now, she has been warning wannabe allies of not taking her lightly and to be respectful to her party. By tying up with Ajit Jogi, a Congress rebel and the first Chief Minister of separate state of Chhattisgarh, the mercurial Dalit leader has once again proved that she cannot be taken for granted.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

26 Politics

Konda couple joins Cong

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enior politician and former minister Konda Surekha joined the Congress party along with her husband, MLC Konda Murali, in New Delhi on September 26. This comes days after the fourtime MLA from Warangal East constituency threatened to quit the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and contest independently, after caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had denied her a ticket. Surekha joined the Congress after meeting party chief Rahul Gandhi along with senior Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) leaders like N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponnala Lakshmaiah. Later, speaking to the media,

Surekha said, "The TRS has put aside the problems of the people and has only focused on the welfare of the Chief Minister's family ever since Telangana came into existence. They are sidelining leaders who have worked on the ground for years.â&#x20AC;? Surekha was first elected as MLA in 1999 on a Congress ticket and held important posts within the party over the years. She was also the Women and Child Welfare Minister during the tenure of late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. She quit Congress in 2011 after YSR's son YS Jaganmohan Reddy was not made the Chief Minister and resigned from the YSRCP in 2013, citing ill treatment from leaders within the party. Speaking about re-joining Congress after several years, Surekha

said, "We began our political journey here and we have good ties with the Gandhi family, so we have decided to return to the Congress." When asked if she was promised a ticket, Surekha said that they would stand by whatever the Congress party decides. A day earlier, addressing reporters in Hyderabad, Surekha accused KCR of sidelining caretaker Minister T Harish Rao and leaders who are close to him. They also accused KCR of actively working to ensure that it was his son, KT Rama Rao, who would succeed him as the Chief Minister of the state. "They know we are close to Harish Rao. It is openly there for everyone to see. Just look at the leaders who got the ticket and those who didn't," Surekha said.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Politics 27

KCR to play important role after LS poll: TRS leader T

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he Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is likely to play an important role in national politics after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, if the party leaders are to be believed. Top leaders of the TRS also say that KCR would not hand over the reins to his son and Minister K T Rama Rao after the Assembly elections. KCR recommended dissolution of the Telangana Assembly on September 6 and opted for early polls. The Election Commission is yet to announce the poll schedule. The TRS leaders said that the role of regional political parties will be very important after 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Dismissing criticism on going for early polls, the TRS leaders said that Congress started practice and BJP implemented it. More or less all the political parties in this country went for early elections one or other time. This is not too-early elections, just three-four months before the schedule. Anyhow, elections may be held in the last week of November or first week of December. In the normal course the elections could have come in March end or April first week. It's a matter of three to four months, that's all, the leaders said. On TRS being dubbed as "family party" by opponents, the TRS leaders claimed every politi-

cal outfit in the country -- right from the Congress to regional ones -- are led by some individuals and they have their own family clout on it. Referring to Farooq Abdullahled National Conference and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-founded PDP and the DMK in Tamil Nadu, they said every political party right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is having that.

Referring to the grand alliance in the state, the TRS leaders said that all political parties coming together means the Congress had already accepted defeat. On BJP President Amit Shah attacking the TRS on different fronts during his recent visit to Telangana, they said the Telangana people are peculiar, they will not accept any communal politics.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

28 Politics

Karnataka Cong legislators vent ire against coalition government T

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he Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bengaluru turned out to be a platform where the party's MLAs expressed their anger against the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state. The meeting was convened by former chief minister and head of the coalition coordination committee Siddaramaiah, against the backdrop of news that several Congress MLAs including MTB Nagaraj from Hoskote, B Sudhakar from Chikballapur, Anand Singh from Ballari and Ramesh Jarkiholi from Gokak, were threatening to revolt against the party's hierarchy. Barring Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar and Shivajinagar MLA Roshan Baig, who had both taken prior permission to skip the meeting, all the Congress legislators attended the meeting. It is learnt that ST Somashekar, MLA from Yeshwanthpur, vent his ire against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, particularly over his preference for a firm from Ramanagar district while granting permission for mining activities. Somashekar, Sudhakar and Hebbal MLA Byarthi Suresh raised the issue of favouritism in funds allocated for developing constituencies. The leaders urged the Congress party hierarchy to take more control of the activities of the government. The legislators further pointed fingers at Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara accusing him of not doing anything to

protect the party's interests. "There are no differences in the Congress party. There are some MLAs who want to become ministers. There is nothing wrong about it. But none of the MLAs are with BJP, that is clear from the outset. If the BJP had some MLAs who would support them, they would have contested the MLC elections but we can see that they have withdrawn from the fight", said Con-

gress legislator Zameer Ahmed Khan, while speaking on the sidelines of the meeting. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah reiterated to his party's legislators to resist attempts of the opposition BJP to switch allegiances and to not take decisions in haste. He further added that Congress President Rahul Gandhi had asked the party to keep the coalition government in power in the state.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Politics 29

TRS MLA caught on camera promising voters `5 lakh if he wins unopposed

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ormer TRS MLA from Yellareddy, E Ravinder Reddy has been caught on camera promising voters Rs 5 lakh if he is elected to the Assembly, unopposed. In the video, which has gone viral, Ravinder Reddy can be seen telling a group of villagers to form 50 units, conduct meetings and find ways to elect him unopposed.

He then promises to give them Rs 5 lakh, even as voters complain that Rs 5 lakh is not enough. This is the third poll code violation by the TRS to be caught on camera. Three days ago, a video of caretaking Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy surfaced in which a group of Muslim men could be seen pledging their support to him in a mosque. Similarly, TRS candi-

date from Armoor, A Jeevan Reddy, made devotees at a Ganesh pandal promise their support to him by taking oath in front of the deity. Subsequently, the Telangana Congress registered a complaint with the State Election Commission. However, it seems that the Commission has not taken a serious view of the situation as the Model Code of Conduct was yet to be implemented then. “There were some newspaper reports and complaints too. Since the Model Code of Conduct is not on, if a voter takes oath, I don’t think it falls within the purview of electoral code violation. But we have asked the district electoral officer concerned to give a report on that,” state Chief Election Officer Rajat Kumar told reporters. It now remains to be seen if Ravinder Reddy will be booked by the Election Commission as the Model Code of Conduct has come into force since September 27. The Election Commission of India on September 27 said that the model code of conduct would be in force in all the states and Union Territories immediately after the Cabinet is dissolved. The Telangana government, led by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, was dissolved prematurely by caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on September 6, thereby forcing the Election Commission to conduct early elections.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

30 Politics

IT searches Congress leader's houses in Telangana

he Income Tax Department on September 27 conducted searches at the residences and offices of the Congress Working President in Telangana. The Congress called it an act of political vendetta by the TRS and BJP. IT officials searched the residences of A. Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad and in his native place Kodangal. The searches were also carried out at the houses of his relatives. The searches were reported to be in connection with the financial dealings of his real estate company

Sri Sai Mourya Estates and Projects and some other companies of his relatives. Revanth Reddy, who was appointed Congress Working President in Telangana last week, described the raids as witchhunt by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Addressing a public meeting at Kosagi in Mahabubnagar district, he said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to jail him in a false case as they were afraid

of him. Revanth Reddy said the IT raids cannot deter him from working for the defeat of TRS and BJP. Before leaving for Hyderabad, Revanth told people of at Kosagi in Mahabubnagar district that this could be his last public meeting. He said that even if he was sent to jail, he would once again contest the elections for Telangana Assembly from Kodangal constituency. Congress Telangana unit President Uttam Kumar Reddy also termed the IT raids as vendetta by

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Politics 31

CBI books Hyd firm for cheating banks of Rs 1,700 crore T

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the TRS and BJP. He said the TRS government was targeting Congress leaders due to fear of losing the Assembly elections. Revanth, who quit the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to join the Congress last year, is the key accused in a cash for vote scam of 2015. Then a legislator of TDP, he was caught while offering Rs 50 lakh to Elvis Stephenson, a nominated member of the Telangana Assembly to make him vote for TDP candidate in the elections for the state legislative council. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was also dragged into the sensational case when a CD of his purported telephonic interaction with Stephenson went public.

he CBI said it has a registered a case against a Hyderabadbased telecom equipment manufacturing company VMC Systems and its directors over an alleged bank fraud case to the tune of Rs 1,700, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank (PNB). The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that it carried out searches at over three locations in Hyderabad at the residence and office premises of the directors. A senior CBI official said that it has named Vuppalapati Hima Bindu, Vuppalapati Venkat Rama Rao and Bhagvatula Venkat Ramanna under various sections of the IPC for criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, based on the complaint of the bank. The PNB is already burdened with Rs 13,500-crore fraud committed by fugitive jewellers

Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi of the Gitanjali Group. In its complaint to the CBI, the PNB alleged that the company had defaulted on repayment of loans worth Rs 1,700 crore to a consortium of banks. The bank alleged that about Rs 539 crore outstanding was due to it from the company, while over Rs 1,207 crore is pending towards the State Bank of India (SBI), Corporation Bank, Andhra Bank and the JM Financial Assets Reconstruction Company. According to the CBI, the VMC Systems -- manufacturer of telecom and power sector equipment -- had availed working capital credit facilities on August 12, 2009 to the tune of Rs 1,010.50 crore. The PNB further alleged that the VMC Systems diverted the funds given to it as loan by the consortium of banks.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

32 Crime Records

NCRB to maintain sexual oďŹ&#x20AC;endersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; database

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n a first, the government on September 20 came out with a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), containing a list of 4.5 lakh convicts with photos of about 3.5 lakh of them available. The offenders face charges of rape, gangrape and eve-teasing. The database, which was rolled out by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD) here, will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The NDSO which is accessible only to law enforcement agencies will assist in effectively tracking and investigating cases of sexual offences and employee verification. The registry which was approved by the Cabinet in April 2018 makes India the ninth country in the world to set up and maintain a national database of sexual offenders. According to MHA, the state police have been requested to regularly update the database from

2005 onwards. The database includes name, address, photograph and fingerprint details for each entry. However, the database will not compromise any individual's privacy. MHA has already released a grant of Rs. 94.5 crore to states/UTs for establishing cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories to strengthen cybercrime investigation and conduct training programmes to enhance capabilities of police officers, public prosecutors and judicial officers. According to the WCD ministry, the sex offenders listed in the database will be classified on the basis of criminal history to ascertain if they pose a serious danger to the community. "It is a matter of great pride and joy as two initiatives that my Ministry (WCD) and I had been pursuing for three years have been executed. The launch of National Registry of Sexual Offenders and Cybercrime Reporting Portal is one more step taken by our government for the safety of our women and children," Union WCD Minister

Maneka Gandhi said. Another web portal, "Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children (CCPWC)", an initiative under the Nirbhaya Fund was also launched which will enable complainants in reporting cases without disclosing their identity. "Government has taken several measures to check crime against Women and Children, including provision of stringent punishment and creation of modern forensics facilities to improve investigation, creation of the Women's Safety Division in the MHA and launching of Safe City projects for Women's Safety," Union MHA minister Rajnath Singh said. The complaints registered through this portal will be handled by police authorities of respective State/UTs and complainants can also upload the objectionable content and URL to assist in the investigation by the state police. The NCRB will proactively identify such objectionable content and take up with intermediaries for its removal. For this NCRB has already been notified as the Government of India agency to issue notices under the IT Act. "A positive aspect of this portal is the provision for anonymous reporting, which will encourage more people to come forward with such complaints. This portal comes as a relief by providing time-bound solutions to a huge number of women and children who are being exploited in cyber space," Gandhi added.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Crime 33

Man attacks daughter, son-in-law over inter-caste marriage

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man attacked his daughter and son-in-law with a machete and baldy injured them on September 19, in another case of assault for family honour. Madhavi, 22, was battling for life while her husband Sandeep, 24, too suffered grievous injuries in the attack by Manoharachary. The incident occurred in the busy SR Nagar area, police said. Manoharachary, who was opposed to the marriage because Sandeep comes from another caste, had called the couple to meet and give them some presents. As soon as they reached the meeting point, he took out a machete from his bag and attacked them. The assailant first targeted his

son-in-law and when the latter fell to the ground, he attacked his daughter. Madhavi too collapsed and bled profusely. They were shifted to a hospital, where the condition of Madhavi is stated to be critical. She suffered deep cuts on the neck and a hand. According to police, Madhavi and Sandeep were in love for last five years and wanted to marry. However, her upper caste family opposed it. Manoharachary wanted her to marry his sister's son but she refused and had come to Sandeep's house a few days ago. They went to Arya Samaj and married some 10 days ago. The girl's family refused to accept the marriage but at the counselling conducted by the police

they agreed to accept it. Manoharachary later conveyed to her daughter that he wants to meet them at a location in S. R. Nagar and buy some clothes for them. When they reached there, he attacked them. The attacker later went to police station and surrendered. The incident came close on the heels of killing of a Dalit youth by his father-in-law in Miryalguda town of Nalgonda district. Pranay Kumar was hacked to death when he was coming out of a hospital with his wife Amrutha Varshini on September 14. Police have arrested seven accused including the girl's father Maruthi Rao, who had struck Rs.1 crore deal for the contract killing.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

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Cyber threat 35

Indian companies leave 39 percent of security alerts unattended C

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ompanies in India receive a whopping 500,000 security alerts every day and 39 per cent of them, or up to 200,000 alerts, go unattended due to lack of required skill sets, said a Cisco study released on September 19. The number of security alerts that companies in India get is nearly thrice the number of alerts faced by global companies, according to the study, "Cisco 2018 AsiaPacific Security Capabilities Benchmark Study". "As India is taking huge strides in transforming into a digital economy, cybersecurity threats could pose a serious risk for its success," Vishak Raman, Director, Security, Cisco India and Saarc, said in a statement. "Companies and governments

alike should consider adopting advanced security technologies that include Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence capabilities and also look at bridging the gap of skilled cybersecurity professionals in the country through relevant training and support," Raman said. Interestingly, India witnesses the second-highest instances of legitimate threats in the Asia-Pacific region behind Australia, the findings showed. While Australia sees 65 per cent legitimate cybersecurity threat, India is at par with the regional standard at 44 per cent. So a whopping 56 per cent of the investigated alerts in India turn out to be false, adding to the burden of existing security defenders who need to ensure that they are

working on the right alerts. Indian breaches, however, caused a lower financial impact as compared to its regional counterparts, with 27 per cent of the Indian respondents reporting the cost of a breach to b less than $100,000. A fifth of them reported a breach cost between $5 million and $10 million. The cost of a breach is highest in Australia, with 52 per cent reporting that an attack costs between $1 and $5 million, compared to Japan (23 per cent) and India (25 per cent), added the report, based on insights on security practices from more than 2,000 respondents across 11 countries. The security breaches include costs from lost revenue, loss of customers and out of pocket expenses among other things.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

36 FB menace

Your best Facebook friends may be hurting you daily

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acebook posts from your friends can make you feel left out in the virtual world and that feeling, as innocuous as it might seem, is not easily dismissed. The interesting part is that your friends never mean to harm you with their messages but users tend to develop a feeling of "social exclusion" that may actually inhibit intelligent thought, according to a University at Buffalo study. The short-term effects of these posts create negative emotions in the users who read them, and may affect thought processes in ways that make users more susceptible to

advertising messages, the researchers added. "These findings are compelling. We're using these technologies daily and they're pushing information to users about their networks, which is what the sites are designed to do, but in the end there's negative effect on people's well-being," said Michael Stefanone, Associate Professor and an expert in computer-mediated communication and social networks. The results, appeared in the journal Social Science Computer Review, raise questions about how exposure to these interactions affect one's day-to-day functioning. Offline research suggests that

social exclusion evokes various physical and psychological consequences such as reduced complex cognitive thought. "Considering the amount of time individuals spend online, it is important to investigate the effects of online social exclusion," said lead author Jessica Covert. Social exclusion, even something that might seem trivial, is one of the most powerful sanctions people can use on others and it can have damaging psychological effects. "When users see these exclusion signals from friends - who haven't really excluded them, but interpret it that way - they start to feel badly," Stefanone noted. For the study, Covert and Stefanone created scenarios designed to mirror typical interactions on Facebook, and 194 individuals participated in an experiment ensuring exposure to social exclusion. The other group saw a feed that presented no social exclusion information. Results indicated that individuals exposed to social exclusion information involving their close friends experienced greater negative emotions than the control group. "The most important thing we all have to remember is to think carefully about our relationship with these corporations and these social networking platforms. They do not have our best interests in mind," Stefanone suggested.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

News Bytes 37

Jayalalithaa case:

CCTV footages verwritten automatically, Apollo tells panel

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he CCTV recordings of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's stay in the hospital have been overwritten several times automatically, Apollo Hospitals has told the Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission. The Commission is probing the circumstances leading to hospitalization of Jayalalithaa on September 22, 2016 and the treatment provided to her till her death December 5, 2016. "The CCTV recordings get overwritten automatically after 30 days. This information was shared with the Commission on September 11," Maimoona Badsha, counsel for Apollo Hospitals, said. The hospital has informed the Commission that it is unable to submit the requested footage as it pertains to the period when Jayalalithaa was in the hospital - between September 22, 2016 to December 5, 2016. The Commission had earlier asked the Apollo Hospital to submit the CCTV footages of certain areas within the hospital. Badsha said it has been the procedure at the hospital to store the CCTV footages for 30 days after which new images are recorded. When asked about Apollo Hospitals Executive Chairman Prathap C Reddy's earlier statement that the CCTV cameras were switched off, Badsha said "that is a different issue."

50% Indians may be hoarding e-waste: Survey

s many as 50 per cent Indians may be hoarding at least two unused electrical or electronic devices constituting hazardous e-waste for up to five years, a survey has revealed. The survey, conducted by Cerebra Green and MAIT, said that another 30 per cent kept 34 articles whereas 20 per cent hoarded five or more unused e-waste devices for several years, thereby increasing the possibility of their incorrect disposal. However, eight out of 10 Indians are aware of ewaste and the importance of special measures to dispose of it properly, but they do not use the right methods owing to lack of proper avenues for disposal, said Cerebra Integrated Technologies Managing Director V. Ranganathan. Around 68 per cent participants in the survey said that they did not consider local waste collectors as a viable option to dispose e-waste, a view which was supported by the waste collectors themselves as 72 per cent of them don't collect e-waste in their areas. "This forces 90 per cent of the people to dispose their e-waste either through local electronics vendors or online exchanges," Ranganathan said. Presently, he said, India's e-waste output is estimated to touch a staggering three million tonnes by December 2018, which would need effective, safe and environmentfriendly disposal. While industries generate 70 per cent of the e-waste, households contribute 15 per cent and the rest comprises discarded 'end of life' electrical and electronic equipment (EEEs). Cerebra Green has now tied up with Manufacturers Associations of Information and Technology (MAIT), Ministry of Electronics and IT and the Ministry of Environment to launch an 'India Cleanup Week' (October 13-19), which could be the biggest initiative of its kind for proper disposal of e-waste. E-waste comprising EEEs will be collected from homes by collection officers. Public collection centres will be opened for people to deposit their ewaste while pick-up trucks will be deployed for big establishments across major cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

38 News Bytes

RBI slaps Rs 5 crore penalty on Karur Vysya Bank T

Withdraws permission to open new branches of Bandhan Bank

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he Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Karur Vysya Bank for noncompliance of its directives. According to a RBI statement on September 28, the penalty was imposed for non-compliance with its directions on "Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms, reporting of frauds, and on the need for discipline at the time of opening of current accounts". "This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers," the statement added. Meanwhile, private-lender Bandhan Bank has said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has withdrawn its general permission to open new branches and frozen the remunera-

tion of the lender's MD and CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh till further notice as it failed to comply with a licensing condition. "RBI has communicated to us that since the Bank was not able to bring down the shareholding of Non Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC) to 40 per cent, as required under the licensing condition, general permission to open new branches stands withdrawn and the Bank can open branches with prior approval of RBI and the remuneration of the MD & CEO of the Bank stands frozen at the exist-

ing level, till further notice," it said in a regulatory filing. The Bank is taking necessary steps to comply with the licensing condition to bring down the shareholding of NOFHC in the Bank to 40 per cent and shall continue to engage with the RBI in this regard, it added. According to RBI's new banking licensing norms, any bank offering "universal" services will have to bring down the promoter holding to 40 per cent in three years from the date of commencement of business. Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank, which was the first instance in the country of a microfinance entity transforming in to a universal bank, completed three years of operations this August. According to information available in the bank's website, it has 937 branches and 2,764 doorstep service centres.

No plastic in Nagaland from November

ome November, Nagaland will be declared a 'No Plastic' state, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said on Friday. In order to replace the use of plastic, Rio asked local entrepreneurs to start alternative ways from bamboo and other village products. In a statement issued here, the Chief Minister also requested the district administration to select the

entrepreneurs who are interested to start producing local products in the district and submit it to the government. Meanwhile, Rio also called for a strict check of Inner Line Permits (ILP) and called upon all concerned, specially house owners, to verify before renting out their premises. The permit system, still in force in Nagaland

as well as Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, derives from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, and entails issue of official travel documents by the central government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected or restricted area for a limited period. It is designed to preserve ethnicity and culture of the northeastern tribals.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Business 39

Half of retail bank customers unhappy with services: Report A

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t a time when non-traditional competition is posing a challenge to traditional banking services, a new Capgemini report showed that globally just half of the customers are satisfied with their banking experiences. Nearly a third of customers (32.3 percent) are willing to consider big tech companies for financial products and services, showed the findings of the report titled "World Retail Banking Report 2018". The report based on insights of customers and senior banking executives in over 40 countries, including India, charts the current perspectives and potential evolution of traditional banks amid the continued emergence of big technology and financial tech players in the financial services space. "With fintechs, bigtechs, and other non-financial services firms finding their place in the market, retail banking today is all about the customer experience when interacting with their financial institution,"

said Anirban Bose, CEO of Capgemini's Financial Services Strategic Business Unit. The open banking ecosystem, emerging technologies, and soaring customer expectations, are among the new challenges that retail banks across the world are now facing in addition to traditional challenges, the report said. "As a new, open ecosystem -comprised of customers, traditional banks, non-traditional firms, regulators, and developers -- takes shape, there is now a clear opportunity for banks to leverage digital transformation to retain customer relationships by re-inventing the customer journey and creating new revenue streams," Bose added. The findings suggest that retail banks need to collaborate and personalise customer experience. Satisfaction was notably higher among those customers who had been offered personalised digital experiences proactively (49.1 percent) than those who had not (39.5 percent), showed the research conducted in collaboration with

Paris-headquartered global nonprofit Efma. The report also surveyed banking executives about the main causes of industry disruption. The most-cited factor was rising customer expectations, with nearly three out of four executives (70.8 per cent) stating that positive experiences in other sectors mean customers now expect more from their banking provider. A majority of executives (58.3 per cent) also said that regulatory pressure was a cause of disruption, while 54.2 per cent identified the increasing demand for digital channels as a factor. A significant majority of banking executives (70.8 per cent) think they can "generate non-traditional revenue" via collaboration with major technology companies. "The retail banking industry is at an inflection point and needs to determine its role going forward in the open banking ecosystem. There is opportunity to innovate through collaboration as well as reinvention," said Vincent Bastid, Secretary General of Efma.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

40 Business

Global carmakers offering zerosafety cars to India, says GNCAP

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K-based charity Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) on Thursday said global automobile manufacturers are still producing cars that offer "sub-standard and zero safety" in India. According to GNCAP Technical Director Alejanro Furas: "It is surprising and matter of great concern that global car makers are still producing cars that offer sub-standard

and zero safety in India, the same models will be considered illegal in their own countries." Furas' observations come after crash test results on three cars -- Renault's Lodgy, Maruti's Vitara Brezza and Tata's Nexon -- were made public on September 27. As per the results, Renault's Lodgy which was crashtested without airbags got "zero star" rating in adult protection crash test and a "two star" rating in child protection, however, Maruti's SUV

Vitara Brezza and Tata's SUV Nexon scored "Four Star" rating. "In the adult occupant protection category both Maruti's Vitara Brezza and Tata's Nexon scored a four star rating, while in the child occupant protection rating Brezza scored two stars and Nexon scored one point higher and got three stars," a GNCAP statement said. The UK-based charity is organising its first-ever World Congress in New Delhi.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Legal 41

SC upholds Aadhaar but with modiďŹ cations

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he Supreme Court on September 26 upheld the validity of the Aadhaar document but with modifications holding that the unique identity number will not be needed for opening bank accounts, admissions in schools or for getting mobile phone connections. A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act which allows private entities to demand Aadhaar to access their services. The court also said that as of today "we do not find anything in Aadhaar Act which violates right to privacy of individual citizen". The judgement, read out by Justice A.K. Sikri on behalf of the bench, also struck down the provision in Aadhaar law allowing the sharing of Aadhaar data, citing grounds of national security. The judges who gave majority ruling were A.M. Khanwilkar, Ashok Bhushan, Misra and Sikri who approved the provision of money bill. "We are of the view that there are sufficient safeguard to protect data collected under Aadhaar scheme," the judgement said. Linking of Aadhaar to issuing mobile phone connections and opening bank accounts was unconstitutional, the court held. In a separate judgement, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the Aadhaar Act cannot be treated as money bill. Passing a legislation

which was not money bill as money bill was a fraud on the Constitution. He also observed there was a risk of surveillance of people on the basis of data collected under Aadhaar scheme and that the data could be misused. The majority of the bench held that Aadhaar was valid for linking with Income Tax returns. The verdict said that it was better to be unique than the best because being the "best makes you number one, but being unique makes you the only one. "Uniqueness is the fundamental difference between Aadhaar and other identity proofs. There is a fundamental difference between Aadhaar and other identity proof as Aadhaar cannot be duplicated and it is a unique identification," it said. The judgement said that UIDAI was established as a statutory body, providing for authentication and all residents were eligible to get Aadhaar which cannot be reassigned to anyone. "Minimal demographic and biometric data of citizens are collected by UIDAI for Aadhaar enrolment. We are of the view that there are sufficient safeguard to protect data collected under Aadhaar scheme," it said. The court said that Aadhaar was meant to give dignity to marginalised sections.

However, authentication of data through Aadhaar cannot be stored for more than six months. It said Aadhaar was meant to help benefits reach marginalised sections and it took into account the dignity of people not only from the personal but also the community point of view. "No person will be denied benefits under social welfare scheme because of failure of authentication through Aadhaar," the court said. "We direct the government to ensure that illegal migrants are not issued Aadhaar to get benefits of social welfare schemes." The court said that institutions like the CBSE and UGC cannot make Aadhaar mandatory. "Aadhaar for school education would not be necessary because it is neither welfare nor subsidy," the court said, holding that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan does not require Aadhaar.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

42 Legal

Women can't be treated as cattle: SC strikes down adultery law

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he Supreme Court on September 27 struck down Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, an adultery law dating to the British era, terming it unconstitutional, archaic and manifestly arbitrary, with one judge saying women can't be treated as "cattle". "Mere adultery can't be a criminal offence. It is a matter of privacy. Husband is not the master of wife. Women should be treated with equality along with men," Chief Justice Dipak Misra said. Most countries have abolished adultery as a crime. "It shouldn't be a criminal offence, other people are also involved in it," Misra said, reading out the judgement, also on behalf of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar. Any discrimination shall invite the wrath of the Constitution, the Chief Justice said, adding that a

woman cannot be asked to think about the way society desires her to do. Justice Rohinton F. Nariman, reading out his judgement, said: "Women can't be treated as cattle". Justice D.Y. Chandrachud in a concurring but separate judgment said society has two sets of moral-

ity in sexual behaviour -- one for women and another for men. Society treating women as embodiment of virtue leads to things like honour killings, he said, adding that the archaic law is against dignity, liberty and sexual autonomy guaranteed under the Constitution.

Aadhaar verdict vindicates government's stand: BJP

alling the Aadhaar judgment a big victory of the Modigovernment, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the Supreme Court has repeated what the Prime Minister has been saying: "the card gives strength to the poor". "As far as the judgement of the Supreme Court on Aadhaar is

concerned, we see this as a big victory of the pro-poor Modigovernment," BJP's National Spokesperson Sambit Patra told the media. The Supreme Court, he said, has repeated what Modi has been saying that the poor are the power of the nation and the card gives strength to them.

Patra also said that the court has made it clear that Aadhaar cards cannot be duplicated. "It is totally safe. This is also what we have been saying," he said. He said this will also help in checking illegal immigration as "the court said the card is not for illegal immigrants.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Legal 43

SC allows live streaming of court proceedings

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upreme Court of India has held that the Court proceedings shall be live-streamed in the larger public interest. The Bench has said that appropriate Rules in that regard needs to be framed under Article 145 of the Constitution of India. On July 9, the idea of live streaming of court proceedings in all matters, except in rape cases and matrimonial disputes, had found favour with the bench as well as Attorney General KK Venugopal. While considering the petition filed by Indira Jaising, Senior Advocate, the Court had earlier observed that live streaming of court proceedings would help litigant instantaneously know what happened to his case and how his lawyer performed his case before the Court.

Along with Jaising’s petition, the Court also considered a petition by law student Swapnil Tripathi, who challenged the bar imposed on interns entering courtrooms on miscellaneous days. On August 3, CJI Misra had asked petitioner intern Swapnil Tripathi to submit guidelines to the Attorney General KK Venugopal regarding creation of a live streaming room in the apex court premises exclusively for law interns and law students The Attorney General KK Venugopal had suggested that the live telecast of the apex court proceedings be done only in constitutional matters on an experimental basis. “The government is taking this very seriously. My recommendation is that (the live streaming of hearings) may be initially restricted to only cases involving constitu-

tional issues, which the Chief Justice decides, and no other matters, to see the reactions and the responses. Then a decision may be taken one way or the other”, the AG had submitted. Senior Counsel and Petitionerin-person Indira Jaising, while advocating live-streaming, had highlighted the need to include safeguards to prohibit unauthorised reproduction of broadcasts- “The proceedings will be aired live and hence, it may be open for people to make clippings and create their own copies. Your Lordships must prohibit such production of clips, no matter how big or small, without the authorisation of the court” She had also urged that there may not be any commercial exploitation of the exercise of broadcasting.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

44 Legal

SC puts onus on Parliament to bring in law Barring criminals from contesting polls

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he Supreme Court on September 25 declined to disqualify candidates against whom courts have taken cognisance of chargesheets from contesting elections and urged Parliament to enact a law to address the malaise of criminals entering legislatures. The apex court said it could not add any further disqualification to the law. At the same time, it directed political parties to post on their websites full details of the criminal charges the candidates they are fielding in elections were facing. The information should also be publicised in the media. Pronouncing the judgment, a five-judge Constitution Bench

headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also said that the law on criminals entering politics should also address fake cases being instituted against political opponents. The court directed that: * Each contesting candidate must state in bold the criminal cases pending against him/her in the forms to be filed up at the time of filing nomination papers. * The candidate aspiring to contest an election would be required to inform the political party about the criminal cases pending against him. * Political parties should put up on their website the criminal antecedents of the candidates being fielded by them in the

elections. * Political parties and the candidate will give wide publicity to the criminal cases pending against the contesting candidate both in print and electronic media after filing their nomination papers. The apex court said it could not add any further disqualification to the law and it was now up to Parliament to make a law to prevent persons with serious criminal cases against them from entering the legislature. The Chief Justice wished that such a law might come sooner than later before criminalisation of politics sounds the death knell for democracy. It is necessary to cure the cancer of criminalisation of politics.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Legal 45

Abolishing 497 akin to giving licence for adultery: DCW chief D

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elhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal criticised the striking down of British-era adultery law by the Supreme Court, saying that the decision is tantamount to extending "open licence" to cheating among men. In what was hailed as a landmark judgement by many, the apex court decriminalised adultery by striking down Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, terming it as unconstitutional, archaic and manifestly arbitrary, with one judge saying women cananot be treated as "chattel". "Mere adultery can't be a criminal offence. It is a matter of privacy. Husband is not the master of wife. Women should be treated with equality along with men," Chief Justice Dipak Misra said earlier in the day. Taking exception to the widely praised verdict, Maliwal said that it undermines the "sanctity of marriage". "It is tantamount to giving an open licence to commit adultery to all. How can this be right? If this (decriminalisation of adultery) is right then what is the sanctity of marriage? They should ban marriages as well. "Majority of the women who come to the DCW are those who have been cheated upon by their husbands... Today's judgement will only aggravate the pain of women,"

Maliwal told reporters after the verdict. National Commission for Women Chairperson Reha Sharma, however, did not share Maliwal's view on the matter and welcomed the decision as a step towards equality for women.

"We have equal laws ensured in our Constitution. But there were some laws, like this law, which were not touched. Now they are being addressed. I am happy that we have begun thinking on the line of equality a little," Sharma said.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

46 Legal

SC opens Sabarimala to women of all ages, many unhappy T

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he Supreme Court ruling on September 28 allowing women of all ages to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala has left its priests and many others, including women, unhappy. Some of them plan to file a review petition against the verdict that came after 12 years of legal battle and nearly a month ahead of the annual pilgrimage starting in November. Expressing disappointment, Sabarimala 'tantri' (chief priest) K. Rajeevaru said: "While I will respect the court's directive, I wish tradition and culture are allowed to continue. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) will decide on an appeal challenging the decision." He said that as of now, there were no facilities in the temple complex to attend to the needs of a large number of women. Until now, the temple, located on a hilltop in Pathanamthitta district, about 130 km from the state capital, has remained closed to women in the age group of 10 to 50 years. Over the years, the Left government has always supported the opening of the Sabarimala temple for all women. TDB President A. Padmakumar said that they were now duty bound to see that the directive of the apex court was implemented. Former TDB president G. Raman Nair called Friday a black day for Sabarimala. "One can speak of equality and freedom but the verdict is breaking a tradition that was in existence much before

the Constitution came into effect." The President of the Ayyappa Seva Sanghom and a veteran Congress leader, Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, said that while the rule of law has to be adhered to, the traditions, culture and ritualistic practices were equally important. "I am yet to see one woman who says she will be going to the temple while several have said they will not," he said. Said businessman C.B. Shaji: "I have been going to Sabarimala for the past 30 years

Varma, said the palace was disappointed with the verdict. "The long-standing traditions of Sabarimala have been changed and that is very sad. Every religious place has its own traditions and culture which have their own reasons," he said. The Pandalam Palace is the custodian of Sabarimala temple jewels. Meanwhile, Rahul Eashwaran, a family member of the Sabarimala tantri, said they were deeply saddened by the verdict and would file

and for certain I will never even dare to ask my wife if she will come with me. "There is definitely a tradition and a legend associated with the temple and any woman who knows that will not go." Bharatiya Janata Party leader P.S. Sreedharan Pillai said while his party believed in equal rights to all, every religious place has a culture and tradition and any breach can lead to tensions. A spokesperson for the Pandalam Royal Family, which has an integral role in the affairs of the Sabarimala temple, Sasikumar

a review petition. "Various Hindu organisations will now get together and conduct special prayer sessions. We have time till October 16 to file a review petition. "This is not a balanced judgement and Article 25 of the Constitution has been overlooked," said Eashwaran. P. Geetha, a teacher by profession and a popular face in TV debates, said she welcomed the ruling. "The verdict is welcome and now all those women who wish to visit the temple can do so now," she said. But there were other women who disagreed.

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Entertainment 47

I want to be pan-India entertainer: Kiara Advani

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ctress Kiara Advani says that she wants to entertain audiences from across the country without differentiating between Bollywood and regional cinema. "I want to be a pan-India entertainer and entertain everyone who wants to watch me. If there are

good scripts regardless of the language, I would like to take them up and entertain as many people as I can," Kiara told reporters. "I am very fortunate that my first South film â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bharat Ane Nenu' did so well and became such a big blockbuster. It has been such a great experience that I would surely love to keep entertaining that audience as well," she added. Though Kiara started her career in 2014 and worked in several films, she got noticed by the audience and the film fraternity after the Netflix release "Lust Stories". It was an anthology where she acted as a housewife in the segment directed by Karan Johar. She is also making a special appearance in "Kalank", a film which will be produced by Karan. "Karan is a person who has done incredible films. He is somebody that I have always wanted to work with and he has put so much faith in me. I really want to make him proud and I want to work hard because he has been a huge support in my life," said the actress, who shared how her life changed after "Lust Stories". "I have been getting a lot of exciting offers from writers and exciting scripts my way. There's a lot of trust in me to play a lot of different characters and I would probably want to try all of it and work hard and live up to the expectations," said the "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story" actress. Soon, she will start shooting for "Good News". "I have started prepping for this film to get into this character", she said. While Kiara is enjoying her popularity in the film industry and on social media, she said that she takes the tag of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;influencer' with responsibility.

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48 Science & Tech

India will fly its 1st small rocket next year: ISRO Chairman T

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he Indian space agency expects to fly its first small rocket with a carrying capacity of about 500-700 kg sometime next year. "The developmental work for our small rocket that can carry satellites weighing around 500 kg is on. The first flight of the small rocket is expected to happen sometime next year," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, K. Sivan said. He said the small rocket would be launched from the existing rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Sivan also said the ISRO is evaluating the various proposals it has received for its lithium-ion battery technology and is expected to complete the process in a month's time. In a month or so the first level of screen of the proposals will be over, he said. Over 130 companies had shown interest in the Indian space agency's lithium-ion cell technology. In June this year, ISRO had announced its decision to transfer this technology to the Indian industry on a non-exclusive basis for usage in automobiles for Rs 1 crore. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre located in Kerala, will transfer the technology to the successful Indian industries or start-ups on a non-exclusive basis to establish production facilities in the country that can produce cells of varying

sizes, capacities, energy densities and power densities catering to the entire spectrum of power storage requirements, ISRO had said. At present, the lithium ion battery is the most dominant battery system finding applications for a variety of societal needs in-

cluding mobile phones, laptops, cameras and many other portable consumer gadgets apart from industrial applications and aerospace. Recent advances in the battery technology have made it the preferred power source for electric and hybrid electric vehicles also.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Space News 49

NASA charts roadmap for human missions to Moon, Mars R

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evealing its human explorations plans, NASA has told the US Congress that the agency is currently focusing on developing technologies and systems that enable a series of human and robotic lunar missions that are extensible to Mars. The "National Space Exploration Campaign" that NASA submitted to the Congress on September 24 calls for human and robotic exploration missions to expand the frontiers of human experience and scientific discovery of the natural phenomena of Earth, other worlds and the cosmos, the US space agency said in a statement on Thursday. The campaign has five strategic goals, including returning US astronauts to the surface of the Moon to demonstrating the capabilities re-

quired for human missions to Mars and other destinations. NASA said it intends to transition from the current model of human space activities in low-Earth orbit to a model where the government is only one customer for commercial services. The US space agency is building a plan for Americans to orbit the Moon starting in 2023, and land astronauts on the surface no later than the late 2020s. A key component of establishing the first permanent American presence and infrastructure on and around the Moon is the Gateway, a lunar orbiting platform to host astronauts farther from Earth than ever before, NASA said. Some elements of the Gateway already are under construction at NASA centers across the United States, including facilities in Ohio, Texas and Alabama, and at com-

mercial partner facilities. The Gateway will be assembled in space, incrementally, using the Orion spacecraft and SLS, as well as commercial launch vehicles. The first element, providing power and propulsion, will launch from Florida in 2022, NASA added in the statement. "The lunar surface will serve as a crucial training ground and technology demonstration test site where we will prepare for future human missions to Mars and other destinations," NASA said, adding that by the late 2020s, a lunar lander capable of transporting crews and cargo will begin trips to the surface of the Moon. NASA said its series of crewed missions to Mars, planned to start in the 2030's and culminating in a surface landing, would be supported by the work it does on the Moon in the coming years.

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50 Research

Email distractions prevent bosses from being good leaders

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f you want to be a better boss, check your emails less often. Distractions from email can impact managers, their productivity and their role as leaders, suggests a study. The findings showed that while employees spend more than 90 minutes every day -- or seven-and-a-half hours every week -- recovering from email interruptions, managers' distractions have far-reaching implications. "Like most tools, email is useful but it can become disruptive and even damaging if used excessively or inappropriately," said Russell Johnson, Professor at the Michigan State University in the US. "When managers are the ones trying to recover from email interruptions, they fail to meet their goals, they neglect manager-responsibilities and their subordinates don't have the leadership behaviour they need to thrive," he added.

For the study, the team collected surveys from a group of managers twice a day for two weeks. On days when managers reported high email demands, they reported lower perceived work progress as a result, and in turn engage in fewer effective leader behaviours. Beyond failing to complete their own responsibilities, email distractions cause subordinates to suffer from a lack of leader

behaviours, or those that motivate and inspire, the findings, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, showed. "When managers reduce their leader behaviour and structure behaviours, it has been shown that employees' task performance, work satisfaction, organisational commitment, intrinsic motivation and engagement all decrease, and employees' stress and negative emotions increase," Johnson said. Importantly, leader behaviour has a strong correlation to employee performance which, unfortunately, were the behaviours that got put on the back burner because of email distractions, Johnson said. "The moral of the story is that managers need to set aside specific times to check email. This puts the manager in control rather than reacting whenever a new message appears in the inbox, which wrestles control away from the manager," Johnson suggested.

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Life Style 51

Long gaps between meals can boost health, longevity

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o you eat food more often? According to a study, longer daily fasting times or increasing the duration between meals, regardless of calorie intake as well as diet composition, can make men more healthy and help them live longer, compared to those who eat more frequently, researchers say. In the study, meal-fed and calorie-restricted male mice showed improvements in overall health -- common age-related damage to the liver and other organs -- and an extended longevity. The calorie-restricted mice also showed significant improvement in fasting glucose and insulin levels. "Increasing daily fasting times,

without a reduction of calories and regardless of the type of diet consumed, resulted in overall improvements in health and survival in male mice," said lead author Rafael de Cabo, from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Perhaps this extended daily fasting period enables repair and maintenance mechanisms that would be absent in a continuous exposure to food," de Cabo added. For the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the team randomly divided 292 male mice into two diet groups. The first group of mice had access to food round the clock. A second group of mice was fed 30 per cent less calories per day than the first group. The third group was meal fed, getting a single meal that added up

to the exact number of calories as the round-the-clock group. "This study showed that mice who ate one meal per day, and thus had the longest fasting period, seemed to have a longer lifespan and better outcomes for common age-related liver disease and metabolic disorders," said Richard J. Hodes, Director at the NIH. "These intriguing results in an animal model show that the interplay of total caloric intake and the length of feeding and fasting periods deserves a closer look," he noted. The findings may encourage future studies on how these types of time-restricted eating patterns might help humans to maintain healthy weight and reduce some common age-related metabolic disorders.

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52 Life Style

Add Tulasi to your diet to boost health I

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ntegrating Tulasi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) to your diet may not only help you look good but can also boost your physical and mental health, say Ayurveda experts. Various studies in the past have suggested that there are tangible benefits to physical and mental health after consuming Tulasi -often been called "The Queen of Herbs". "Tulasi is an excellent allrounder when it comes to maintaining overall wellness. It prevents a multitude of ailments and is a great way to stay healthy naturally," Shruthi Hegde, Ayurveda Expert at The Himalaya Drug Company, said

in a statement. The herb is known as an effective combatant against stress. It is an adaptogen (anti-stress agent) which is known to promote mental wellness. It also regulates cortisol (stress) levels and helps reduce anxiety and emotional stress. "Regular consumption of Tulasi is beneficial in relaxing and calming the mind and offers many psychological benefits that include anti-depressant activity, positive effects on memory, and cognitive function," Hegde added. Tulasi also provides relief from congestion in the lungs, as well as alleviates the symptoms of cold and fever. "Tulasi is exceptionally effec-

tive in preventing respiratory infections. It has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties, which make this herb an excellent choice when it comes to preventing infections," the expert said. The herb contains detoxifying properties and antioxidants, which rejuvenate the skin. It aids in removing toxins responsible for causing pimples, thus helping in the treatment of acne and leading to a reduction in the occurrence of breakouts. The herb leaves are effective in the treatment of oral infections. It is found to offer preventive properties to patients with periodontal diseases. "One of the most effective and easiest ways of consuming this herb is including Tulasi supplement in your diet. By making Tulasi an integral part of your daily routine, you can help your system relax and your body functions more effectively," the expert noted.

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Life Style 53

Have milk for breakfast to lower blood glucose W

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hether you pour a glass or have it with cereal, consuming milk for breakfast is the perfect energy boost your body needs to get you through the day. A team of scientists headed by H. Douglas Goff from the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit at the University of Guelph, in collaboration with the University of Toronto, examined the effects of consuming high-protein milk for breakfast on blood glucose levels. Milk consumed with breakfast cereal reduced postprandial blood glucose concentration compared with water, and high dairy protein concentration reduced postprandial blood glucose concentration compared with normal dairy protein concentration. The high-protein treatment also reduced appetite after the second meal compared with the low-protein equivalent. Goff and his team said, "Metabolic diseases are on the rise globally, with type 2 diabetes and obesity as leading concerns in human health. Thus, there is an impetus to develop dietary strategies for the risk reduction and

management of obesity and diabetes to empower consumers to improve their personal health." Although the team only found a modest difference in food consumption at the lunch meal when increasing whey protein at breakfast, they did find that milk consumed with a high-carbohydrate breakfast reduced blood glucose

even after lunch, and high-protein milk had a greater effect. Milk with an increased proportion of whey protein had a modest effect on pre-lunch blood glucose, achieving a greater decrease than that provided by regular milk. The full findings are present in the Journal of Dairy Science.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

54 Life Style

Regular bedtime may boost your heart, metabolic health E

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ver thought why a good night's sleep is incredibly important for your health? A new study has found that regular bedtime and wake time may help you revive yourself and boost your heart and metabolic health. The study found that people with irregular sleep patterns weighed more, had higher blood sugar, higher blood pressure and a higher projected risk of having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years than those who slept and woke at the same times every day. People with irregularity in sleeping pattern were also more likely to report depression and stress than regular sleepers, suggests the study, published in the journal Scientific Report.

People with irregularity in sleeping pattern were also more likely to report depression and stress than regular sleepers

"From our study, we can't conclude that sleep irregularity results in health risks, or whether health conditions affect sleep. Perhaps all of these things are impacting each other," said lead author Jessica Lunsford-Avery, Assistant Professor at the Duke Health in Durham. For the study, the research team involved 1,978 older adults aged between 54 and 93. They used devices that tracked sleep schedules to learn whether even subtle changes -- going to bed at 10:10 p.m. instead of the usual 10 p.m. -were linked to the health of participants. The study also tracked the du-

ration of participants' sleep and preferred timing -- whether someone turned in early or was a night owl. According to these measures, people with hypertension tended to sleep more hours, and people with obesity tended to stay up till late. The team also found that people with irregular sleeping habit experienced more sleepiness during the day and were less active -- perhaps because they were tired. The researchers are planning to conduct more studies over longer periods in hopes of determining how biology causes changes in sleep regularity and vice-versa.

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Environment 55

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS COULD WEAKEN YOUR KIDNEYS

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nvironmental pollutants may be the reason for deteriorating kidney health in individuals, according to a study. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of manufactured non-biodegradable compounds used in industrial processes and consumer products, and they are everywhere in the environment. Humans are exposed to PFAS through contaminated soil, food, water, and air. Recently, they have been detected in military bases, where they are used in aqueous fire-fighting foams, as well as in public water supplies from industrial contamination and in agricultural and crop products. To

investigate whether PFAS exposure may be affecting kidney health, John Stanifer of Duke University and his colleagues searched the medical literature for relevant studies. “Kidneys are very sensitive organs, particularly when it comes to environmental toxins that can get in our bloodstream. Because so many people are now exposed to these PFAS chemicals, and to the newer, increasingly-produced alternative PFAS agents such as GenX, it is critical to understand if and how these chemicals may be contributing to kidney disease,” he said. In the 74 studies identified, there were many adverse outcomes linked to PFAS exposure,

including degrading function, derangements in the proximal tubules (the resorptive structure of the kidney), and deregulated metabolic pathways linked to kidney disease. It was also particularly alarming that children were exposed to these chemicals to a greater extent than adults. “We concluded that there are several potential ways in which these chemicals can cause kidney damage,” said Dr. Stanifer. “Further, we discovered that there have already been multiple reports suggesting that these chemicals are associated with worse kidney outcomes”. The study has been published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Cops & Crooks

56 Cops & Crooks

DITCH A COMMON MAN I

Grab 6 acres of land worth crores of rupees

P VISHNUVARDHAN REDDY

n yet another case of alleged nexus between cops and crooks, a gullible land owner was cheated and robbed by a team of financiers apparently with the support of a couple of police officials from Rachakonda. This incident of cheating took place in 2011 and the victim Mohammed Saleem has been running from pillar to post since then for justice. According to Saleem, he owned six acres of land situated at Kongara Kalan village, which is worth around Rs 12 crore today.

Out of need, he approached financers Boddupally Ramesh, Musuku Murali and Adulla Kondal Reddy at their office in Gunti Jangaiah Colony in the year 2010 and obtained a loan of Rs 27.50 lakh. The financiers, instead advancing the loan on mortgage, forced Saleem to sign a sale deed al-

legedly by threatening him with the help of dreaded gangster Nayeem, who was alive then. Saleem says that the unidentified person claiming to be gangster Nayeem, asked him to sign the sale deed but assured that the same would be cancelled on repaying the loan. Subsequently, Saleem repaid

Amarender Reddy, The then, Assistant Commissioner of Police

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Rs 34 lakh within a year including the interest @ 5 percent per month and requested the financiers to cancel the sale deed. However, the financiers demanded an additional Rs 39 lakh to cancel the sale deed and threatened to sell away the land if he failed to pay the additional money. Realising that he had been cheated, Saleem lodged a complaint with the LB Nagar in December 2011. It was after this the cops and crooks nexus allegedly began. The then Assistant Commissioner of Police, Amarender Reddy, known to be an influential cop in Telangana, allegedly assured the victim that the financiers would be arrested and the fraudulent sale deed would be cancelled within 48 hours, if the victim was ready to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to him and Rs 1 lakh to Sub-Inspector Jahangir.

Cops & Crooks 57

The then Assistant Commissioner of Police, Amarender Reddy, known to be an influential cop in Telangana, allegedly assured the victim that the financiers would be arrested and the fraudulent sale deed would be cancelled within 48 hours, if the victim was ready to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to him and Rs 1 lakh to Sub-Inspector Jahangir.

Banda Chandra Reddy

Saleem says he had no other option but to agree and paid Rs 2 lakh to Amarender Reddy and Rs 50,000 to Jahangir as advance. Within no time the financiers were picked up and negotiations began between the financiers and the cops behind the back of the victim. According to Saleem, the financiers struck a deal with the ACP as a result of which the financiers were let off and soon the land was registered to Banda Chandra Reddy, husband of former GHMC Mayor, Banda Karthika. Aghast at this, Saleem met the ACP and sought to know what happened but he did not get any satisfactory reply. Instead, the FIR was closed on January 30, 2012 on the ground that it was civil dispute, which the victim says he came to know after filing an application under RTI Act. Saleem says he approached the ACP again but the influential cop allegedly threatened him to keep

silent and accept Rs 30 lakh from Chandra Reddy in installments spanning over a period of three years from 2011-13. After being cheated by the police too, the victim filed a complaint before the Minorities Commission seeking justice. After enquiry, the Commission found that Saleem was indeed cheated by the financiers and the ACP and Sub-Inspector of LB Nagar have colluded with the accused and further cheated the victim. The Commission made certain recommendations in 2016 directing the Stamps and Registration Department to take steps for the cancellation of illegal sale deed related to the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s property. The Commission also directed action against erring cops. However, the victim is still fighting for cancellation of the illegal sale deeds related to his six acres of agricultural land, while the erring cops were given a clean chit by the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which submitted a report to the Minorities Commission after conducting an alleged enquiry. The victim says CID being a wing of the police department had protected erring officials at the cost of a common man. If this situation continues in Telangana, people will definitely lose faith in the police despite tall claims by the police and the government of providing transparent, efficient and corruption free policing.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

58 Milestone

Incredible achievement by Srinivas Chamarthy

Travels over 1 lakh kilometers as part of ‘A Journey to Realise SELF’

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n an incredible achievement, a scientist, who is alumnus of Osmania University, completed the milestone of travelling 1, 02, 746 kilometers across the country on a motor cycle, during which he delivered 260 lecturers and participated in 337 interactions with students, as part of ‘A Journey to Realise SELF’, on ‘Make in India’. This incredible task was achieved by young scientist Srinivas Chamarthy without any assistance from anyone. The

department of biomedical engineering, Osmania Univeristy organized one day conference on Integrated Engineering and Product Development through Innovation on September 8, to commemorate the incredible achievement of Srinivas. Speakers at the conference lauded Srinivas Chamarthy for taking lots of pain and sacrificing comfortable life to achieve the incredible task in the interest of society. The speakers expressed gratitude to the lord for giving strength and vision to the young

scientist. The speakers also thanked the family of Srinivas, especially his parents and his wife Sridevi for sacrificing family comforts. Speaking on the occasion, distinguished scientist and director, Research Center Imarat, DRDO, BHVS Narayana Murthy said young generation should have perseverance to innovate new systems and products. He recalled how Dr APJ Abdul Kalam always focused on learning, experimenting, understanding and sharing knowledge with fellow scientists.

Distinguished Scientist and RCI Director, DRDO, Naranyana Murthy congratulating Srinivas Chamarthy for completing the first 1 lakh kilometer milestone. Prof Ramachandram VC, Osmania Universtiy is also seen

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Milestone 59

He stressed that system engineering is the most important stage of any product design and without proper understanding of system design, building a reliable product is incomplete. He also said that developing medical products indigenously is essential and engineers shall focus on innovation. Addressing the conference, Vice-chancellor of Osmania University, Prof S Ramachandram congratulated Srinivas for his incredible achievement. He also stressed on the need to think on start-ups and becoming entrepreneurs. He said that innovation is key to the sustained growth and young engineers shall focus on methods of innovation. Addressing the participants, Chairman, SIMS Healthcare Pvt Ltd, BVSS Prasad, shared his views on becoming entrepreneurs useful to the nation. “The association with Srinivas Chamarthy has motivated us to form a strong vision for establishing Center for Excellence on Product and Process Innovation to build Effective

Srinivas Chamarthy

Health Ecosystem. Sacrificing time, effort and energy, staying away from family working on his mission, traveling length and breadth of the country is highly appreciable and I congratulate Mr. Srinivas and Ms. Sridevi for working on such a noble cause”, BVSS Prasad said. IRS officer, M Mohan Babu stressed on the need for technology development and innovation to improve create employment and eradicate poverty. Addressing the gathering, Scientist, Research Center Imarat, DRDO, G. Krishna Rao, said Chamarthy’s motiva-

tional levels are remarkably high which propelled him to travel over 1 lakh kilometers all alone and meet students to inspire them. Advanced Lead Engineer, GE Transportation Systems, V Praveen Kumar and Scientific Officer, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, BARC, Department of Atomic Energy, MLN Narendra shared their experiences of working with Srinivas Chamarthy from the initial days of their career. Speaking on the occasion, Srinivas Chamarthy shared his experiences in achieving the first milestone of completing over 1 lakh kilometers and urged the students to be focused and not to get confused in achieving their targets. He thanked all the scientists and engineers who inspired him to think of product development. Concluding the conference, head of department of biomedical engineering, M Venkateswara Rao shared his experience on product development. Medi Srinivas and other staff and students played key role in organizing the conference.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

60 Research

Feeling sleepy during the day may trigger Alzheimer's

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n a significant finding, Johns Hopkins researchers have revealed that those who feel sleepy during the day are nearly three times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who have a good night's sleep. An analysis of data captured during a long-term study of ageing adults showed that those who report being very sleepy during the day were nearly three times more likely than those who didn't to have brain deposits of beta amyloid -- a protein that's a hallmark for Alzheimer's disease -- years later. The finding, reported in the journal SLEEP, adds to a growing body of evidence that poor quality sleep could encourage this form of dementia to develop, suggesting that getting adequate night-time sleep could be a way to help prevent Alzheimer's disease. "Factors like diet, exercise and cognitive activity have been widely recognised as important poten-

tial targets for Alzheimer's disease prevention, but sleep hasn't quite risen to that status -- although that may well be changing," said Adam P. Spira, Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health. Spira led the study with collaborators from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Bloomberg School and Johns Hopkins Medicine. "If disturbed sleep contributes to Alzheimer's disease, we may be able to treat patients with sleep issues to avoid these negative outcomes," Spira added. The study used data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) -- a long-term study started by the NIA in 1958 that followed the health of thousands of volunteers as they age. Before adjusting for demographic factors that could influence daytime sleepiness, the results showed that those who reported daytime sleepiness were about three times more likely

to have beta-amyloid deposition than those who didn't report daytime fatigue. After adjusting for these factors, the risk was still 2.75 times higher in those with daytime sleepiness. The unadjusted risk for amyloid-beta deposition was about twice as high in volunteers who reported napping, but this did not reach statistical significance. It's currently unclear why daytime sleepiness would be correlated with the deposition of betaamyloid protein, Spira said. One possibility is that daytime sleepiness itself might somehow cause this protein to form in the brain. Based on previous research, a more likely explanation is that disturbed or insufficient sleep due to other factors, causes beta-amyloid plaques to form through a currently unknown mechanism, and that these sleep disturbances also cause excessive daytime sleepiness. "However, we cannot rule out that amyloid plaques that were present at the time of sleep assessment caused the sleepiness," added the researchers.

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Research 61

Human brains are naturally attracted to laziness: Study

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ome people are often called lazy, because of their brains, say researchers who found that our brain is innately attracted to sedentary behaviours. The findings, led by researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, suggest that our brains may simply be wired to prefer lying on the couch and that human brains work harder to pick physical activity over relaxation. "We knew from previous studies that people are faster at avoiding sedentary behaviours and moving towards active behaviours," said Matthieu Boisgontier, a postdoctoral researcher at UBC. "The exciting novelty of our study is that it shows this faster avoidance of physical inactivity comes at a cost -- and that is an increased involvement of brain resources. These results suggest that our brain is innately attracted to sedentary behaviours," Boisgontier said. For the study, published in the journal Neuropsychologia, the team recruited young adults, and made them sit in front of a computer, and gave them control of an on-screen avatar.

They then flashed small images, one a time, that depicted either physical activity or physical inactivity. Subjects had to move the avatar as quickly as possible towards the pictures of physical activity and away from the pictures of physical inactivity--and then vice versa. Meanwhile, electrodes recorded what was happening in their brains. Participants were generally faster at moving toward active pictures and away from lazy pictures, but brain-activity readouts called electroencephalograms showed that doing the latter required their brains to work harder. Boisgontier noted that the failure of public policies to counteract the pandemic of physical inactivity may be due to brain processes that have been developed and reinforced across evolution. However, the question is whether people's brains can be re-trained or not. "Anything that happens automatically is difficult to inhibit, even if you want to, because you don't know that it is happening. But knowing that it is happening is an important first step," Boisgontier said.

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62 Health

New blood test to detect secondary heart attack beforehand

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ustralian scientists are developing a simple blood test that quickly and easily detects whether a person is at risk of a secondary heart attack. The simple blood test, similar to the process and cost of having a cholesterol test, could be operated out of hospital pathology laboratories that already contain the necessary equipment. It will reclassify a patient's risk of heart attack and stroke and will better identify who, within the "intermediate" risk category, are in fact at higher risk, and help guide physicians in the appropriate treat-

ment of patients. The team led by Professor Peter Meikle at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne identified plasma lipid biomarkers (fats in the blood) that improve upon traditional risk factors in predicting heart disease and stroke. "We hope to identify those individuals who are at greatest risk of a second heart attack so that they can be closely monitored and treated accordingly," Meikle said. "While there are thousands of lipids in the blood, our challenge is to identify which ones best predict disease outcomes," he noted. The test, published in the journal JCI Insight, will use upto

ten lipid markers to better diagnose heart disease. "Once the protocols for a diagnostic heart disease blood test are in place, it will be possible for additional markers for the test to also be used in predicting diabetes and potentially Alzheimer's disease as well," Meikle said. It was developed after a study looked at 10,000 samples to find the biomarkers that will determine whether a person is at risk of having another heart attack. According to Meikle, the revolutionary test is proposed to be trialled in Australia over the next 2-3 years as part of a broader personalised precision health programme currently under development.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Sports 63

Indian women boxers shine at Turkish event, win 7 medals

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ndian women boxers put up a stellar display at the 32nd Ahmet Comert boxing tournament, sweeping seven medals in as many categories, including three gold, two silver and two bronze. While Mary Kom won the gold and the junior women boxers created history winning 13 medals in Poland, the Indians once again established themselves as a boxing powerhouse with a splendid medal haul. Monika, Bhagyabati Kachari and Simranjeet confirmed the yellow metal, while Pinki Jangra and Meena Kumari settled for

silver. In the first final of the afternoon, Monika got the better of Turkish pugilist Ayse Cagirir in the 48 kg category, securing a unanimous 5-0 win. Following it up in the 81kg category was 2012 Asian Championship bronze medalist Bhagyabati Kacahri who not only put up a dominant display but exhibited technical precision and finesse to secure the gold, forcing Selma Karakoyun to a 0:5 submission. Following her sublime display, she also received the award for the most scientific boxer at the event. Pinki Rani, however, suffered an unfortunate result, being downed by yet another Turkish op-

ponent, Busenaz Cakiroglu, in a 14 verdict and had to settle for a silver. Meena Kumari too suffered a similar fate in the 54 kg category against Romania's Maria Nechita. One of the most enthralling bouts on the final day, Meena lost by a narrow margin with a split 2-3 decision. Capping off the tournament in style, Simranjeet showed strong character to win the gold in the 64kg category. Dubbed as an underdog ahead of the bout, she beat the odds and looked on top of her game, eclipsing past Turkey's Sema Caliskan in a unanimous 5-0 decision to secure the third gold for India.

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64 Sports

ASIA CUP FINAL

India pips Bangladesh in last ball thriller

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In a match going down the wire, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar's sensible knock helped India pip Bangladesh by three wickets in a thrilling Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on September 29. The win also shattered Bangladesh's dream of their maiden Asia Cup title while the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side clinched the prestigious title for a record seven times. Chasing a modest 223-run target, India lost wickets at regular

intervals to make the contest unpredictable, thanks to a disciplined Bangladesh bowling attack. However, in a match going down the wire, Jadeja (23) and Bhuvneshwar's (21) rose up to the occassion and their knock came at at a time when their team needed the most. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started the proceedings well as India raced away to 35 runs in 4.3 overs however, the joy was shortlived as left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam came with the first breakthrought for Bangladesh.

Dhawan (15), while trying to go over Nazmul's head, gave an easy catch to Soumya Sarkar at mid-off. With just the addition of another 11 runs, India received another blow as incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (2) fell cheaply off a Mashrafe Mortaza ball, leaving India at 46/2. Rohit and Dinesh Karthik then tried to put things in control as they took their side near the three-digit mark. But, just when the Indian skipper was two runs away from his half-century, Rubel Hossain handed another jolt to the opponents, dismissing a good-looking

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

Rohit to leave the men in blue reeling at 83/3. Karthik was then joined by M.S. Dhoni and they gave some respite to India, adding a crucial 55 run for the fourth wicket. Just when the partnership seemed developing, off-spinner Mahmudullah struck to add another twist in the tale, packing back Karthik (37) as India's scorecard read 137/4. As India managed to add 27 runs to reach a total of 160 with incoming batsman Kedar Jadhav and Dhoni oncrease, Mustafizur Rahman put India in deep trouble, sending back the latter on 36 runs. Dhoni's thick edge of the bat landed in the gloves of Mushfiqur Rahim in the 37th over before Jadhav left the field after being retired hurt with India still 56 runs away from victory. Jadeja and part-time batsman Bhuvaneshwar's sensible knock then not only gave India a hope but also inched their side on the doors of victory. The duo were involved in a 45-run partnership as India crossed the 200-run mark. However, with India just 11 runs away from their seventh Asia Cup title, Jadeja (23) became a victim of Hossain in the 48th over. His fall saw Jadhav once again joining the pitch but very soon, the issue once again turned in Bangladesh's way as Bhuveneshwar, while trying to drive a delivery by Mustafizur Rahman, was caught brilliantly by stumper Rahim, who dived his right to take an excellent catch. Denying the opponents any further onslaught, Jadhav (23) and Kedar (5) guided India home in a match which went to the final ball. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain picked

Sports 65

two wickets each while Nazmul, Mortaza and Mahmudullah bagged one wicket apiece. Earlier, opener Liton Das' brilliant century had helped Bangladesh post 222. Bangladesh got off to a flying start but lack of support from the middle and lower order batsmen and some brilliant fielding from Indian players saw Bangladesh only managing to score a modest total. Das played 117 balls and slammed 121 runs which include 12 boundaries and two sixes and built a perfect platform for a big score but some poor shot selection from other batsmen cost the Bangladesh camp. Put in to bat, Das and Mehidy Hasan (32) played handsomely and forged a brilliant 120-run partnership before Hasan was dismissed by Jadhav. The two played sensibly and often thrashed Indian bowlers all around the park. Unperturbed by the fall of Hasan's wicket, Das kept on

playing his natural game but middle-order batsmen Imrul Kayes (2), Mushfiqur Rahim (5), Mohammad Mithun (2) and Mahmudullah (4) failed drastically. All of them gifted away their wickets, thanks to careless shot selection. With five batsman back to the pavilion at 151, Das, along with Sarkar (33), tried to reconstruct the innings but was dismissed in the process. Wicketkeeper Dhoni stumped Das off Kuldeep in the 40th over. Mortaza (7) fell prey Kuldeep after playing nine balls. Sarkar kept playing at the other end but was run out in the penultimate over while trying to increase the run rate. His 45-ball knock was laced with one boundary and one six. In the very next ball, Jasprit Bumrah clean bowled Hossain (0) to wrap up the innings in style. For India, Kuldeep scalped three wickets while Jadhav took two wickets.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

66 Spiritual

Dussehra, End of Ravan

reation is run on energy. That energy is for all of us only, the question is, what is our desire and how much energy can we hold. Take the example of sun, sun is a phenomenal source of energy, the closer you go to it, the more heat is felt by you, but then how much heat do you desire and can bear, decides how close you can be to it. At times, even if one has the desire, it so happens, that as you near that energy, since you start reflecting that energy, the ego comes into play, and because of that ego you separate yourself from that energy thinking yourself to be the source of that energy. Similarly when you come close to the Guru, you start reflecting his radiance and energy, at that time if you take that glow to be your own, you err. The life cycle of Ravan is a perfect example. Ravan, in a previous birth, was the gatekeeper of Lord Vishnu and lived in Vaikunth. Being so close to the Supreme Lord, his ego grew and he started wielding his power over others, deciding who could meet the Lord and who could not. Once he denied the entry to SanathKumars, the monks then cursed him to be separated from his Lord and be born on earth. As Ravan, once again he started his journey, acquiring the gyan of

the Vedas and various sciences of energy. Through his tapa and sadhna, he was able to access Lord Brahma, but then he desired not the Lord but a part of his shakti – the boon to be unconquered among devs and danavs (by now, he considered humans to be no match to him, and so did not ask for immunity from them). With his newfound shakti, he went to Kailash, and tried to lift the Kailash with his arm-strength. Lord Shiva, with a mere toe press pushed the mountain back in its place, crushing the hand of Ravan, indicating how every shaktiin the physical is limited and that reality is much beyond that. Ravan was humbled and began the tapasya of Lord Shiv…to access his power, again a desire for the physical. He was able to please the Lord, who granted him more power, and once again Ravan’s ego increased. This time to give him an indication, he was humiliated in the court of Janak, where despite his phenomenal power and boons from Lord Brahma and Lord Shiv combined, he was unable to lift the dhanush of Lord Shiva, which was lifted effortlessly by Rama, a mortal. Veiled by ego and avidya, Ravan left the court in anger, unable to

YOGI ASHWINI

identify his Lord, for the purpose of returning to whom he had taken a human birth. The Lord arranged for Ravan to meet him once again, this time in the battlefield…to not just be defeated but also slain, by a mere human being. All the power, all the vidyas, all the knowledge, and the armor-like body, brought to an end…with a single arrow that pierced his navel indicating the unreality of everything in the physical world, which comes to an end sooner or later. Dussehra is the day that marks the end of Ravan inside us, so that we may return to the source, from where we started our journey. Regular practice of SanatanKriyaand AshtangYog, under the guidance of Guru takes a being through the experiences he desires and puts him on the path of final merger, the pleasure of which far exceeds the pleasure of any physical power or possession and is endless.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | OCTOBER 2018

The News You Like October, 2018

RNI No: APENG/2013/48048 P.R. No. RNP/HD/1187/2017-19 (DOP: 1st of Every Month; DOP: 8/9-10-2018)