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Partnership Summit 2020: CII conducts annual flagship event on digital platform

The CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) Partnership Summit, CII’s yearly flagship event was organized for the first time on a virtual platform this year with the theme being “Partnership for lives, livelihood and growth”, from 15th December to 18th December, 2020. The event, which was chaired by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Railways, Government of India and cochaired by Uday Kotak, President CII and Managing Director and CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank, marked a special occasion as CII celebrated its 125th anniversary this year. The Partnership Summit 2020 captured perspectives of leading experts across a wide array of major fields, namely, geopolitical and strategic developments, international trade and multilateralism, economy and finance, investments, technology disruptions, socio-cultural and sustainability aspects, and cooperation in healthcare. Government welcomes industry input for a unique budget Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government is seeking growthinducing big ideas and inputs derived from introspection by industry, which would be used for creating a ‘budget as never before’. Speaking at the CII Partnership Summit 2020, Sitharaman said that the next Union Budget will help India emerge as the engine for global growth and economic resurgence. The minister noted that health and investment in health would be the top priority for the government in near future. This would entail more funding not only for buildings and infrastructure but also for creating capacities for front line workers such as doctors, technology and skills for use of telemedicine, among others. The budget would take note of all the inputs received from the health sector to take this forward, she said. She further said that India was fortunate to have the facility and capacity to not only produce the vaccine but also export the same for humanity’s sake. She invited private participation to help the health sector scale up, by investing in medicinal R&D, biotech, and pharma R&D, among others. Doors open for greater FDI in India Addressing the inaugural session of CII’s Partnership Summit 2020, Indian Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Piyush Goyal invited foreign investors to be a part of India’s growth story. The Minister said continuing on an open path; India has been systematically opening up new sectors of the economy. He said that FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) flows in India have been continuously growing.”During the first nine months of this year, at the peak of Covid-19 pandemic, our FDI has grown. We have one of the most facilitative FDI policies in the world. During the AprilSeptember period, FDI inflows are at $40 billion, which has been higher than last year by about 13 per cent,” he said. In 2019, India announced one of the most attractive tax rates available anywhere in the world at 22 per cent tax for businesses in India and 15 per cent tax for new manufacturing units. Goyal cited that a number of new schemes have been introduced, including ‘Production-Linked Incentive’ scheme to attract industries to come to India.”India is introducing conducive reforms and facilitation measures to encourage greater global involvement in our V-shaped recovery. I invite you to board the bus of development, growth and prosperity that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is crafting for the people of India,” said Goyal. Security, stability and peace in Indo-Pacific vital for world Speaking on the session “Future Construct of the Indo-Pacific”, at the Partnership Summit 2020, Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar highlighted the global significance of security, stability and peace in the IndoPacific region. Defining the Indo-Pacific construct, he stated that the Indo-Pacific signifies the confluence of the Indian and the Pacific Oceans that can no longer be handled as distinct spheres. Commenting on India’s IndoPacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) which was announced during November 2019 at the East Asia Summit, he asserted that the global initiative aims to foster practical cooperation and is underpinned by the seven critical pillars of maritime security, maritime ecology, maritime resources, capacity building and resource training, disaster risk reduction and management, science, technology and academic cooperation, and finally trade, connectivity and maritime transport. Emphasising that India will be a driving force for all the areas identified under IPOI, the Minister added that India is seeking partnerships with like-minded countries and that countries including Australia, Japan and ASEAN member states have already expressed willingness to work with India in these areas. Promising future for IndoJapanese ties Speaking about the collaboration between India and Japan during pandemic times, Shigehiro

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Indian Minister of Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal

Tanaka, Vice Minister, Ministry during COVID and Beyond” of Economy, Trade and Industry, during the CII Partnership Government of Japan, said that Summit 2020.Tanaka further India presented a huge market delineated the three initiatives for Japan in trade and investment being pushed by the Japanese because of the availability of Government in the context of local talent, growing digital India namely, digital cooperation, literacy, human resource which was necessary to accelerate development, diversification of transformation through supply chains and the potential internet of things in medical for trilateral export promotion. care and education; industrial He was speaking at a session on competitiveness partnership and “Promoting India Japan Strategic human resource development and Economic Cooperation in the manufacturing sector, for which Japan agreed to train 30,000 Indian workers over the next 10 years in the Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing; and forming economic trilateral alliances. In this case, the Asia Africa Growth Corridor served as a cooperation mechanism for India and Japan to jointly drive economic prosperity and sustainable development in the continent.

Anil Wadhwa-led Australia Strategy initiates Jugalbandi with Peter Varghese’s India Strategy

and business engagements during their illustrious careers and are also masters of global politics. They understand the pulse of global trade and diplomacy and have an acute sense of timing and delivery. Their rich experiences have informed the two incisive strategies which auger well for companies, traders, agriculturists, entrepreneurs, educationists among others in opening up new vistas of trade, supplies, research and The much-awaited India’s development and investments Australia Strategy led by opportunities. former Indian diplomat and At the launch of the report a Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa buoyant Simon Birmingham, is released. Commissioned by former Australian Minister for the Confederation of Indian Trade, Tourism and Investment Industries, in conjunction observed that the new strategy with KPMG and the Ministry of will bolster exchanges in External Affairs, the Australia technology and cybersecurity, strategy was launched on Artificial Intelligence, quantum December 18 in New Delhi. computing and robotics and Speaking at the launch of waste management and thereby the strategy report entitled, catapult the “comprehensive “Enhancing India Australia strategic partnership into an Bilateral Economic and Trade upward bilateral and trade Relationship”, Piyush Goyal, trajectory with India”. He had led Minister of Commerce & Industry a trade delegation to New Delhi in and Railways, Consumer Affairs, February, before the lock down, Food and Public Distribution and as tensions grew with China said, “India’s opening up of he said, “Australia must look engagement and activities with into alternative markets in the Australia is a great morale booster European Union and India.” The for the entire world, especially report assumes greater salience during the current crisis.” The as Australian looks to diversify report is expected to complement businesses from China. the Peter Varghese led “An India The historic virtual summit on 4 Economic Strategy to 2035: June between the Prime Minister Navigating from potential to Scott Morrison and Prime Delivery” launched in November Minister Narendra Modi proved a 2018. The Wadhwa report comes shot in the arm for the Strategic at a critical time when both sides Partnership, now upgraded as have been grappling with tensions “comprehensive”. Both sides have with China and desperately formalised over 20 MoU last June looking for alternative ways for covering some of these areas not only bolstering business and during the Modi-Morrison virtual trade ties but also ensuring a summit. Their two-way trade has safer Indo-Pacific. risen from $13.6 billion to $30.4 Compartmentalised into seven billion in 2018, but it is still below broad chapters the report is their full potential. By 2035, both expected to boost India’s business sides aim to double their bilateral and trade engagements in gems trade and Australia seeks to bring and jewellery, pharmaceuticals, India in its top 5 trading partners auto and spare parts, healthcare, (currently 8th). agribusiness, apart from the Ambassador Anil Wadhwa has mining and resources sector. very aptly provided the context It is also expected that the for the report saying, “Changed new strategy will deepen geo-political relations offer collaborations in space, defence some great opportunities for and education and emphasises both countries.” But there on the diversification of supply should be no doubt that the two chains for managing the current reports provide only the board transitions in global value road map and since bulk of chains. What is interesting is the recommendations in both that the report recommends reports are based upon the pre-integrating Micro Small and COVID-19 geopolitical and global Medium Enterprises of other settings, some recalibration and countries into the global value adjustments will be required on chain to insulate global trade both front across several sectors. from disruptions as witnessed in There is much to be achieved in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak. terms of ironing out differences Minister Goyal noted that “India over Comprehensive Economic can provide a core pathway for Cooperation Agreement, but the linking supply chains and provide finalisation of the two strategies trusted and reliable suppliers to is a potent symbol of prevailing the world”. mutual understanding for taking It should not be lost to the readers bilateral ties into a higher orbit. that both reports have been led Rapidly altering geopolitical by two remarkable diplomats who realities are only making it more have shaped diplomatic, trade urgent.

India’s Australia Economic Strategy report: Heralding historic opportunities

By Ambassador (retd) Anil Wadhwa*

I am personally delighted that the Australia Economic Strategy report, which I have been working on along with the CII and KPMG teams over the past two years, was released on 18 November 2020 in the presence of the Ministers Piyush Goyal, and Simon Birmingham and several stakeholders in the bilateral relationship. It complements the Australia India Economic Strategy led by Peter Varghese in 2018. The Australia strategy is informed by 100s of think tanks, states, government ministries, businesses and universities in India and Australia. It has identified 12 key sectors namely mining, services and startups, pharmaceuticals, health care and medical technologies, education and skills, agribusiness, infrastructure, power and renewable energy, railways, gems and jewelry, automotive spare parts, and tourism, witnessing collaboration already. It crystal gazes for opportunities in emerging areas like labor intensive services, defense, sports, textiles and textile designing, digital gaming and animation, water management and commercial ferries/ shipbuilding, space and education technologies – all of which are expected to gain increased relevance. The altered regional and global geopolitics presents excellent prospects for enhancement of bilateral economic ties in some critical areas. Disruptions in global and regional value chains are a potent reminder to rely on trustworthy partners believing in the Rule of Law. Ministers Piyush Goyal and Simon Birmingham announced a Resilient Supply Chains initiative with Japan on 1 September. In this context, in India, the pandemic has underpinned a number of reforms, and incentives have been announced for boosting manufacturing. These will attract further investments from Australia and bolster trade. The Australia–India agreement on cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths is especially relevant, as these two countries have complementarity of interests; while Australia is keen to find alternative export markets for its minerals, India needs rare earths for its advanced manufacturing sector and for its e–mobility programme. The new mining policy in India will renew the scope for diversification and expansion of the existing resources partnership through mining and processing of critical and strategic minerals. 400 million Indian youth need training by 2022 and Australian VET sector has a huge opportunity in training curriculum, aligning Indian accreditation and assessment to global standards, and improving trainer quality. Opportunities for sustainable solutions for water and water recycling across India and in immunology, vaccine development, circular economy, surface coal gasification, and waste-to-wealth processes have emerged for Australian companies. Australia is ideally placed to partner in grains management, rationalization of costs and logistics driven by the ongoing bilateral agribased programmes. Australian Super funds and infrastructure companies can enter the highways and toll roads sector. The defense and space related companies as well as shipyards in Australia and India are buoyant at new opportunities. Australia has announced massive investments in its cyber security wherein India can complement with tech pool as per Australian requirements. The Indo-Australian scientific collaborations in research & development, manufacturing equipment and identifying treatments to face global health emergencies is expanding. Australian investments and technology have been identified for collaborations in food technology and processing in the dairy sector. 100% FDI has now been permitted in India for renewable energy projects, which can be availed by Australian companies. India needs to pumped storage projects to manage large scale integration of RE and grid balancing which will be of deep interest to Australia. Australian investments in India’s heritage and religious tourism, eco and coastal tourism and hospitality can secure huge returns once global travel normalizes. Both can also collaborate to integrate e-learning solutions into existing curriculums and in enabling teachers to develop online curricula. Australian businesses will benefit immensely from opportunities and market in India for scaling up technologies in med tech, health tech, Edu tech and EdTech. Australian and Indian companies should collaborate in digital gaming and animation, textile designing, sports technologies and equipment, auto components, renewable energy and power, healthcare, and clinical trials. India has reduced corporate tax rate to 25%, and rolled out the production Linked Incentive (PLI) in electronics and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), as well as Phased Manufacturing Plan (PMP). PLI has now been extended to 10 more sectors including battery manufacturing, auto components, network products, textiles, food processing, solar photovoltaic cells etc. Genomics, artificial intelligence, 5G, robotics and drones are all on the radar. Overall, India has identified 24 focus sectors in manufacturing in which Australian companies can collaborate. But the following steps are now necessary. First, under the directions and supervision of the two Ministers of Commerce and Industry and Trade, both sides need to form a special working group comprising officials from foreign and other ministries and organizations to

Ambassador (retd) Anil Wadhwa

review implementation of the two reports on a 6-monthly basis. Their task will be to identify trade and investment barriers, facilitate businesses engagements across federal and state levels, and ministries. This will also include looking at issues like easing of visas and other consular issues, taxation, banking, phytosanitary and other regulatory barriers. Second, relevant departments in both countries must be committed and supportive, allocating requisite funds for dissemination of information and contents in the reports. This report contains several pointers and recommendations for action by various ministries in India. Third, India and Australia should seriously look at their Free Trade Agreement negotiations, stalled due to RCEP. There are huge mutual gains from its realization and will also help them align their Resilient Supply Chains initiative with Japan. Fourth, big businesses on both sides must explore the investment route to drive trade traffic. The business-to-business linkages need strengthening through periodic meetings between trade bodies and associations, and sector specific, specialized business dialogues. The CEOs Forum between the two counties must be revived with the right partnership and specific working groups to operate during the intersessional period with recommendations. Fifth, we recommend that à la Australia India Strategic research fund, both sides should start a joint start up and innovation fund as well as a humanities and social sciences collaboration fund with a modest contribution of US $10 million by each side over 5 years for each of these funds. Sixth, post-pandemic, both should diligently work towards starting direct flights between major commercial and tourist hubs which will help increase trade, investments, and tourism. Finally, India must strengthen manpower in the Indian Embassy and Consulates, explore opening new Consulates in Adelaide and Brisbane, strengthen CII’s presence, and revive Indian tourism offices in Australia to lend institutional push to the implementation and follow up on the report’s recommendations. *Ambassador Anil Wadhwa has served as Secretary (East) in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and as Ambassador to Italy, Thailand, Oman and Poland. He is the Chairman of India’s Australia Economic Strategy Report task force.

Is Kashmir’s terror heartland turning its back to militancy?

By Ahmed Ali Fayyaz New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS):

Southern Kashmir’s Tral in Pulwama district has for long retained several dubious distinctions in the last 31 years of armed insurgency in the valley. This was the crucible from where Burhan Wani to Zakir Musa, and scores of top-notch militants emerged. Wani’s death in an encounter in July 2016 led to a four-month-long street turbulence in which over 70 demonstrators and arsonists got killed and thousands, civilians as well as security forces personnel, sustained injuries.

Dadsara, a village in Tral, is said to have created the maximum number of militants among all villages and towns across the valley. It was because of the people of Dadsara and other villages that a two-lakh strong procession gathered to form Wani’s funeral procession. Four

Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani

No one ever thought of the scale and magnitude of disruption that was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the aftermath, the resurgence would be equally trying especially in a country like ours with a complex economic framework. However, we need to applaud the government for paving the way for an impressive recovery, with a judicious mix of spending and structural reforms. The outcome of the efforts visible in the Q2 numbers which showed a single-digit economic contraction of 7.5 per cent as compared to 23.9 per cent in Q1. The figure beats the global average, where according to an analysis, 49 economies declined at an average of 12.4 per cent. The jubilations and optimism mirrored in the financial markets, business houses, and the government. If the current optimism and rally gets carried unabated then as per the official and unofficial forecasts, India’s economy is likely to return to the pre-Covid levels by the end of the current fiscal year which is a much shorter timeframe than expected. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prediction of a positive growth in the H2 FY21 is substantiated by the fact that in the recently published Q2 data, the manufacturing years later, Dadsara is singing to a different tune. On December 8, three local cadres of ‘Albadar’ outfit-Merajuddin Lone, Umer Ali and Owais Farooq- were killed in an encounter with Police and security forces at Tiken in Pulwama. One of them was a resident of Dadsara. The bodies were buried as per the Covid-19 protocol in the distant Baramulla area in northern Kashmir. Unlike on scores of similar killings and encounters in the past, Dadsara and all other villages in Tral were calm in the morning after. Hardly anyone

gathered to offer condolences to the militant’s family and nobody demanded burial the dead body at the local cemetery, let alone an effervescent funeral procession and a gun salute at the tombstone. There was no shutdown in Tral. The voter turnout was thinner in Pulwama and its contiguous PMI is above 50 for the fourth straight month which is only 11 percentage points lower than pre-Covid-19 levels. It is worth noting that unemployment levels are currently on a decline; the 6.7 per cent the unemployment rate for September was lower than the pre-Covid-19 level of 7.6 per cent in February. Like always the world has taken notice of the positives and showed faith in India’s story once again as visible in the growth numbers of segments such as foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign policy investment, and corporate bond market inflows. It all points to strong investor faith in India’s economic resilience. Besides, upwards revisions by rating agencies in India’s GDP forecast are all repeating the same story that we have kicked in the rebound phase. The ripple effect The unleashing of structural reforms and the stimulus packages announced by the government did take effect in various sectors as the fiscal response has been calibrated to reap maximum benefit. The one that stands out is the extension of the 100 percent credit guarantee scheme to 27 stressed sectors. Besides, fiscal stimulus and tax rebates for growth-critical sectors, such as housing, would district of Shopian as compared to eight other districts in the valley in the District Development Council elections. However, the scenes of defiance, demonstration and protest, that marred over a dozen elections after 1990, were nowhere there across Kashmir. The residents of Pulwama still remember the separatists’ anti-election campaign, coupled with terror attacks, which subverted several democratic processes in the past 24 years particularly in that district. “In many elections, we saw militants attacking the polling parties. Even in 2014, a polling party returning with EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) was subjected to a fatal attack. I remember senior Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Abdul Gani Lone reaching here with their Police guards armed with AK-47 rifles like the Ministers’ escorts and provoking the people to fail the elections. Several times, I remember, there were violent demonstrations and teargas shelling by Police. Not a single such incident has been reported from anywhere in the valley during the DDC elections.” One-odd incident of a militant attack occurred in Srinagar where some unidentified gunmen shot dead the personal security officer of the People’s Democratic have spill-over effects, thus indirectly boosting demand-led growth. Reforms and timely fiscal interventions in other critical sectors are already showing positive results: the Gross Value Added (GVA) for three sectors-- agriculture, manufacturing, and utilities-- has been positive in Q2, as compared to just one, the agriculture sector, in Q1 this year. Similarly, the expansion of production linked incentive (PLI) schemes --that give incentives to firms-- worth?1.46 lakh crore for 10 new sectors will give a boost to the manufacturing sector, and result in long-term benefits for the economy. The liberalization of the notoriously rigid formal labour market would expedite India’s upward movement in the ease of doing business rankings, and attract further investments., India has moved up 79 positions in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business’ rankings since 2014. Fears of fiscal deficit The stimulus packages and therefore, additional nonbudgeted spending --along with falling tax revenue,-- by the government to wean off the COVID crisis has led to pushing India’s budget gap wider to 8 percent of GDP in the current financial year, more than double the targeted 3.5percent. The Party activist Haji Pervaiz. This is not the only manifestation of change in the last over one year. It has been widely noticed that many of the Twitter handles and Facebook accounts, which used to bully, troll and intimidate anybody not toeing the Pakistani line until May this year, have silently disappeared. While hundreds of such accounts have been removed by their users after the Cyber Cell of the Jammu and Kashmir Police began filing FIRs over ‘anti-national’ and ‘subversive’ content, many others have deleted objectionable and intimidating posts. According to senior Police officials, the security and the intelligence agencies had, immediately after the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in a car bomb attack, identified all the vehicles used by the “militants and their Pakistani handlers”. “First of all, we called or detained temporarily some of such elements after August 2019. Secondly, we shut down the internet for a purpose. We knew about their plans to create a mayhem like 2016, 2010 and 2080. Thirdly, we let them off but made it clear that the age-old practice of running an anti-India tirade alongside armed insurgency wouldn’t be tolerated any more. Most of them responded positively and stopped indulging in subversive and anti-Indian activities,” said an officer. The officer referred particularly to the Twitter accounts of two women activists, one a journalist based in Mumbai and another a expanded support package-- to rescue companies and save jobs amid the pandemic--given by the government amounts to 15 per cent of the economy, adding to the global stimulus that has touched $12trillion. The fear that the fiscal deficit will loom large on the government in the future to manage fiscal prudence is not unfounded. However, the finance minister has assured time and again that fiscal deficit fears won’t derail government spending as government spending is important to bring the economy on track. The forthcoming union budget will focus on public spending on Infrastructure to ensure sustainable economic revival. There is a dire need to reinstitute Infrastructure Development Bank for long term funding of infrastructure projects. Globally countries that have committed to stimulus spending as high as 20 per cent of their GDP is now resorting to additional taxation, helping fuel a recovery in the economy. In India, the government is finding other routes to keep fuelling the economic engine as the FM said that the government will push PSUs to accelerate spending as the government can’t afford to curb spending at this juncture of economic crisis. Kashmiri scholar in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), to prove his point that the world was “misled” by the social media, as well as the foreign press, with regard to the “real situation” in Kashmir after August 5, 2019. “For months they ran a tirade that we had jailed and tortured thousands. They reported that the Kashmiris were defiant, and thus suppressed, and that there was lockdown and curfew. As a matter of fact, we had detained less than 4,000 persons of proven subversive history. We have released almost all of them. Our lockdown was for less than two months. In October, November and December 2019, there was a shutdown sponsored by the separatists and the terrorists. They gunned down wholesalers and fruit dealers and spread a wave of terror to ensure that the signs of normalcy do not go out. This election called their bluff and exposed everybody,” said the same officer. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with

Decoding recovery path of the Indian economy

indianarrative.com) Authorities to the rescue A multipronged policy response -- the efforts and intelligent balancing act done-- by the apex bank in India, the RBI, during the Covid crisis is praised by the government and the people of India, equally. The reduction of key interest rates along with the restructuring of outstanding loans, moratorium of given to the borrowers and extension of on-Tap TLTRO to 26 stressed sectors under the Emergency Credit Linked Guarantee Scheme(ECLGS 2.0) are some of the strategies that has helped the businesses tide over the crisis. The way RBI is trying to resolve the shadow banking crisis that has plagued the country since 2018 has found many takers including the government. The government on the other hand is rooting the idea of privatising a couple of state-run banks that have received cabinet approvals. Conclusion The year 2020 may not have belonged to India, but the future certainly belongs to this nation for its resilience, faith, and sheer optimism. (The author is the national president of the industry body, ASSOCHAM and NAREDCO. The views expressed are personal.)

‘Atmanirbhar’ initiative to give pvt coal power plants more liquidity: Report

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS): The Centre’s ‘Atmanirbhar’ package, along with Coal India’s credit move, may improve liquidity of private sector coal-based power generators (gencos) by up to Rs 40,000 crore this year, Crisil Ratings said in a report on December 22. The report cited liquidation of overdue receivables from state power distribution companies (discoms) due to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package and Coal India Ltd allowing thermal power plants to avail credit period for purchasing coal as factors that might improve liquidity of private sector coal-based power generators. The central government announced a Rs 1.2 lakh crore loan scheme under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package to enable discoms to pay for outstanding dues to gencos. The scheme required the first tranche, accounting for half of the total package, to be disbursed immediately and the balance upon discoms committing to operational improvements. The scheme was much needed, with state discoms delaying payment to gencos due to their weak financial position, the Crisil Ratings report said.

New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS):

India’s largest renewable energy generation park will come up in Gujarat with a generation capacity of 30 gigawatts (GW). The foundation stone of Hybrid Renewable Energy Park near Vighakot village in Gujarat’s Kutch district was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15, the PMO said. During his day-long visit to his home state, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of a desalination plant and a fully automated milk processing and packing plant in Kutch, the statement added. The Renewable Energy Park will be spread over 72,600 hectares, and have dedicated zones for wind and solar energy storage as well as an exclusive zone for wind park activities. Harnessing its vast coastline, Gujarat is taking a significant step to transform seawater to potable drinking water with the upcoming desalination plant at Mandvi, Kutch. The plant with capacity of 10 crore litre per day (100 MLD) will strengthen water security in Gujarat by complementing As per the report, weakening of cash flows during Covid-19-led lockdowns further stretched the cash flows of discoms. This has ratcheted up overdues to private gencos to Rs 59,000 crore as of October 2020, the report said. “To reduce the overdues, discoms have already begun signing into this scheme under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package. As of end-November, nearly half of the first tranche has been disbursed. Given the policy thrust, we expect full disbursement by the end of this fiscal,”said Nitesh Jain, Director, Crisil Ratings. “Private coal-based power plants should see a liquidity relief of about Rs 30,000 crore, given that half of the overdues are owed to them.” In addition, gencos received relief from their principal coal supplier - Coal India Ltd - which caters to 80 per cent of their coal requirements. “Coal purchases form nearly three-fourths of gencos’ operational costs. As against cash advances for these coal purchases, Coal India has begun allowing letter of credit facility of

PM Modi lays foundation stone of India’s largest renewable energy park

90-180 days,” the report said. the Narmada Grid, Sauni network and treated waste water infrastructure. It will be an important milestone for sustainable and affordable water resource harvesting in the country. Nearly 8 lakh people across the regions of Mundra, Lakhpat, Abdasa and Nakhatrana talukas will receive desalinated water from this plant, which will also help in sharing the surplus with upstream districts of Bhachau, Rapar and Gandhidham. It is one of the five upcoming desalination plants in Gujarat -- Dahej (100 MLD), Dwarka (70 MLD), Ghogha Bhavnagar (70 MLD), and Gir Somnath (30 MLD). Modi also laid the foundation stone of the fully automated milk processing and packing plant at Sarhad Dairy Anjar, Kutch. The plant costing Rs 121 crore will have the capacity to process 2 lakh litres per day. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was present on the occasion. The Prime Minister also undertook a visit to the White Rann, followed by participation in a cultural programme.

India likely to be Australia’s next big trading partner

Brisbane, Dec 21: Adani Australia has welcomed India’s trade roadmap, the Australia Economic Strategy Report, outlining Australia’s path to its next economic boom by partnering with the world’s fastest growing large economy. India is currently Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade exceeded $22 billion in 2018 and Australia has the potential to strengthen and diversify its international trade and investment portfolio by lifting India into its top three export markets. Adani Australia CEO and Country Head, Lucas Dow said India offered tremendous trade and investment opportunities for Australia, which could result in significant uplift to our domestic economy. “According to the United Nations, India’s population will grow by 287 million people between 2018 and 2050, and by 2025 one-fifth of the world’s working population will be Indian,” Mr Dow said. “That population growth means substantially more people who want affordable energy, education, technology, health care, employment and other commodities that ultimately provide for a better lifestyle. “With that national drive and ambition comes opportunities New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS): Indian Ministry of Power has introduced new rules laying down the rights of consumers, a first initiative towards consumer empowerment in the power sector. Issuing the rules Minister of State for Power R.K. Singh said that these shall empower the consumers of electricity. These rules emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the consumers and the consumers have rights to get the services and reliable, quality electricity, he said. Distribution Companies across the country are monopolies -- whether government or private -- and the consumer has no alternative. The new rules empower consumers through a system of laid down rules and a system for enforcement of these rights. Under the new rules covered under Electricity (Rights of consumers) Rules, 2020, codes have been specified establishing rights of consumers and Obligations of Distribution licensees. It had also defined ways for Release of new for countries like ours to help India deliver new products, infrastructure, resources, and improved living standards for its people, while also creating a growth catalyst for our own national economy,” he said. The Australia Economic Strategy Report was written by Ambassador Anil Wadhwa for the Confederation of Indian Industry, in response to Australia’s own trade report – An Indian Economic Strategy to 2035, which was authored by Peter Varghese for the Australian Government in 2018. The Report said two-way trade between the two countries has grown in value from $9.3 billion in 2007 to $ 30 billion in 2019, well below the true potential of the relationship. Key recommendations are subsequently made that encourage better awareness of private sector business opportunities on both sides and trade policy reform that drives economic growth across the two international markets. Mr Dow said Adani’s own operations in Australia are a clear example of the potential that the burgeoning trade and investment relationship holds between the two nations. “Since commencing operations in Australia in 2010, Adani has connection and modification in existing connection, Metering arrangement, billing and Payment, Disconnection and Reconnection, Reliability of supply, Consumer as Prosumer, Standards of Performance of licensee, Compensation Mechanism, Call Centre for Consumer Services, Grievance redressal mechanism. The new rules also established that it is the duty of every distribution licensee to supply electricity on request made by an owner or occupier of any premises in line with the provisions of Act and it is the right of consumer to have minimum standards of service for supply of electricity from the distribution licensee. The rules have also specified Maximum time period of 7 days in metro cities and 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas identified to provide new connection and modify an existing connection. It also had provisions for advance payment of bills by consumers. The distribution licensee shall supply 24x7 power to already invested billions of dollars in our local mine, rail, port and renewable energy assets, which will result in lasting infrastructure and commercial ventures that benefit regional communities for generations to come,” Mr Dow said. “Yet the potential stretches so much further than the energy and resources sector. There are major export opportunities available in education; food and agribusiness; mining equipment, technology and services; tourism; infrastructure; health care; defence, and advanced technology. “We have the skills, capability and resources in Australia to deliver in these areas and seize on opportunities provided by India’s willingness to improve policies and regulation that encourage bilateral trade and investment. “The timing and conditions are ideal for Australia to capitalise on India’s rapid development trajectory and ensure our own economy gets the welcome boost it needs off the back of the global pandemic impacts. “I encourage government agencies, industry and entrepreneurs to read the Australia Economic Strategy Report and see the potential benefits for both yourselves and

New rules to foster consumer empowerment in Indian power sector

our country as a whole,” he said. all consumers. However, the Commission may specify lower hours of supply for some categories of consumers like agriculture, the rules suggests. It has also given power to consumers to set up Renewable Energy (RE) generation unit including roof top solar photovoltaic (PV) systems -- either by himself or through a service provider. The rules also provide for Compensation amount to be paid to the consumers by the distribution licensees for violation of standards of performance. A Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) including consumer and prosumer representatives had also been provided. The consumer grievance redressal has been made easy by making it multilayered and the number of consumer’s representatives has been increased from one to four. The licensee shall specify the time within which various types of grievances by the different levels of the forums are to be resolved. Maximum timeline of 45 days specified for grievance redressal.

Offbeat experiences New Year Resolutions: Make in desi locales 2021 the year of adventure

December 19, 2020 (IANSlife):

One-of-a-kind activities designed and hosted by locals gives you a feel of the destination like nothing else can. Airbnb Experiences go beyond the activities themselves and offer a deep-dive into the local host’s world through their passion. Hosts offer their guests special knowledge, unique skills, and inside access to local places and communities that guests couldn’t find on their own, creating lasting connections and treasured memories.

Hilloferry - A guided Bike Ride in Dharamshala

Experience the joy of riding a mountain bike amidst beautiful views of Dhauladhar ranges, enjoy sight-seeing, cherish the nature closely and explore hidden treasures. One will be provided with a well-equipped mountain bike, suitable costume for cycling and helmet for safety. Witness beautiful landscapes close to nature and beautiful tea gardens!

Colonial Walking tour in Pondicherry – Puducherry

The Colonial Walking tour has been created to give tourists the real French colonial experience in the Pondicherry. France is still in the food, the architecture, the games of boules played by local Tamils and the language French is spoken widely in the city. Know more about local history, food, festivals, customs, street names, connections with French with this mind blowing experience.

Himalayan village hike & Nepali lunch - Kalimpong

These handpicked walks will take you through the adjoining villages and introduce you to the rural, rustic and peaceful life beyond the hustle-bustle of cities. You get to interact with the local communities and gain tremendous traditional knowledge on their lifestyle, history, culture besides learning more about the flora and fauna of the surrounding landscape. The walks are of different levels of difficulty, from easy to moderate, and can be tuned to your needs and preference. You will be served with a sumptuous Nepali vegetarian lunch prepared just for you using fresh local produce.

Kalimpong coffee or Darjeeling tea will follow before you make your journey back.

Bangalore Desserts Safari –

Bengaluru

In this 3 hour tour, you will be taken around to the choicest spots in Bengaluru to sample the tastiest desserts. You will also learn about what goes into making them, the different techniques used, the different variants of the same dessert across countries and so on. This will include a walk in the alleys of Bangalore parking your sweet tooth at best desserts cafe on the way tasting both local Indian and international desserts.

Kayaking’s Sal Backwaters in Goa

This popular and celebrated excursion on flat dammed up waters, takes you on a winding journey through narrow waterways deep in the mangroves, sighting different birds, fish, otters and exotic local plants like cashew, bamboo and mango. Red and white lotus and migratory birds, make this a must do trip for all ages.

Learn Honey Beekeeping in Himalayas – Bhimtal

At Silent Valley-Alchauna, observe the sophisticated structure of bee civilization. From the guards at the hive entry, to the nurses tending the little, to the “energetic females” and “lazy males,” to the glaring elusive queen, each bee has a place inside this complex community. A memorable experience to “suit up” in a beekeeping suit, and get up close and intimate with the bees for a thrilling experience and a great photo opportunity.

December 28, 2020 (IANSlife):

2021 brings with it the promise of a vaccine on the horizon, and a sense of freedom and adventure as the world is eager and hopeful of travelling and returning to normalcy once again. After a year of staying home, travellers are looking to stretch their limbs and embark on an adventure of a lifetime. South Africa, with over 3000 adventure activities, is undoubtedly the adventure capital of the world. The country has options across shark-cage diving, zip lining, bungee jumping, quad-biking, horseback safaris, mountain biking, river rafting – and just about any other extreme sport you can name, all supported by dedicated and authorized operators. In addition, attractive currency exchange rates make South Africa a lucrative, value for money longhaul destination – especially when it comes to adventure activities.

Must Do Adventure Activities Big Rush Big Swing, KwaZuluNatal

It has been officially named the world’s tallest swing by the Guinness Book of Records since May 2011. Not your average swing, the aptly named Big Swing allows you to take the thrilling leap swinging out into a massive 220m arc where you soar into the center of the stadium. Bloukrans Bridge Bungee, Eastern Cape The highest commercial bridge bungee jump in the world at the Bloukrans Bridge has a 216 meter gorge below. It is one of the ultimate activities to feature on any adrenaline seeker’s bucketlist while visiting South Africa. The growing popularity is evident by the fact that 12000 Indians jumped off the Bloukrans Bridge in 2017, making Indians the 3rd highest participating nationality for the activity

Abseiling from Table Mountain, Western Cape

The 7th Natural Wonder of the World offers a spectacular view of the Mother City with its bustling city life and the blue ocean. Abseiling from the top of Table Mountain gives you a view of the city that you will never see without indulging in the activity. One can also opt for cable car or trek.

Shark-cage diving

Great White Shark spotting is one of the biggest draws to South Africa. A trip to Rainbow Nation is incomplete without attempting the hair-raising shark-cage dive.

In fact, Indians are the top 3rd nationality to undertake Sharkcage diving in South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal is often credited as a hub for shark-cage diving, with shark cage-diving outfits operating out of Durban and from the stunning coral reef – Aliwal Shoal. You could also explore options at Simon’s Town, Mossel Bay, Dyer Island, Seal Island, and Port Elizabeth, among other places.

Gorge Swing, KwaZulu-Natal

The highest gorge swing in the world is located on a waterfall cliff in the Oribi Gorge in southern KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Lowveld is full of adventure highs and Graskop’s gorge swing takes the cake. Prepare to freefall 68 m, plummeting 0 - 160km/h in 3 seconds, swinging out like a human pendulum across the gorge – the views are spectacular and so is the after-rush.

Helicopter Ride, Western Cape

South Africa also offers luxurious helicopter rides. Helicopter flips in Cape Town allow travelers the joy of a bird’s eye-view of the beauty that the Mother City in South Africa is. Take a helicopter flip for a change of scenery and enjoy a view of the entire countryside in a single trip before choosing your drive-to destination, or swoop low over the ocean on a coastal flip and watch the dolphins at play in the breakers below. Helicopter tours with a destination beyond Cape Town might include wine tasting or whale watching, while a similar trip in KwaZulu-Natal offers a visit to the scenic midlands or a Drakensberg helicopter tour to visit exotic and breathtaking destinations like Cathkin Peak, Vultures’ Retreat, Cleft Peak and the Organ Pipes.

Befitting that Military Literary Fest is conceived in Punjab: Rajnath

Chandigarh, Dec 18 (IANS):

Indian Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 18 dedicated the Military Literature Festival (MLF) 2020 to all the great warriors who have made supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. Inaugurating the festival virtually, he said it is only befitting that the MLF has been conceived and conceptualised in Punjab, the land of heroic martial traditions. Regretting his inability to attend the gala event last year due to the extended Parliament Indian Defence Minister Rajnath session, the Defence Minister Singh congratulated the organisers and in defence field and Bollywood, expressed great satisfaction to the Defence Minister expressed see the platform developing into confidence that the platform a steady and meaningful means of would keep providing stimulating enhancing greater understanding conversations for greater regional about matters military among the and national significance. public at large. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab MLF, a joint initiative of Punjab Governor Badnore said given Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, “the rich martial traditions of who is also a military historian, Punjab, it comes as no surprise and Punjab Governor VP Singh that this region is a treasure trove Badnore in collaboration with the of military events since times Western Command, has steadily immemorial”. earned brand presence in the Lt Gen T.S. Shergill (retd), a region since its inception in 2017. senior advisor to the Punjab Chief Lauding the wide ranging topics Minister, lauded the Western chosen for MLF 2020, including Command for providing immense ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’, self-reliance support in organising the MLF.

Manmohan was preoccupied with saving coalition: Pranab Mukherjee in memoirs

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS)

Manmohan Singh was preoccupied with saving his coalition during his second stint while Narendra Modi was “autocratic” in his first term as Prime Minister, India’s former President Pranab Mukherjee wrote in the fourth and concluding volume of his memoirs to be posthumously published next month. He also doesn’t subscribe to the theory that the Congress would not have been drubbed in the 2014 general elections had he been made the Prime Minister in 2004 but says the Congress “lost focus” after he was elevated to President in 2012. Laying bare his thoughts on his relationship with the two Prime Ministers he worked with, who belonged to two parties and who were (and are) fiercely opposed to each other, Mukherjee writes in ‘The Presidential Years’ (Rupa), “I believe that the moral authority to govern vests with the PM. The overall state of the nation is reflective of the functioning of the PM and his administration. “While Dr Singh was preoccupied with saving the coalition, which took a toll on governance, Modi seemed to have employed a rather autocratic style of governance during his first term, as seen by the bitter relationship among the government, the legislature and the judiciary. Only time will tell if there is a better understanding on such matters in the second term of this government.” He is also frank about the reasons for the dismal showing of the Congress in the 2014 general elections, admitting candidly, “Some members of the Congress have theorized that had I become the PM in 2004, the party might have averted the 2014 Lok Sabha drubbing. “Though I don’t subscribe to this view, I do believe that the party’s leadership lost political focus after my elevation as President. While Sonia Gandhi was unable to handle the affairs of the party, Dr Singh’s prolonged absence from the House put an end to any personal contact with other MPs.” Mukherjee also brings the reader closer to the inner workings of the Rashtrapati Bhavan as he reveals a minor diplomatic issue that arose during the visit of US President Barack Obama in 2015 when the US Secret Service insisted that Obama travels in a specially armoured vehicle that had been brought from the US, and not in the car designated for the use by the Indian head of state.

BLBA 2020 winners stress on need for public libraries for children

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANSlife):

Subhadra Sen Gupta and Rajiv Eipe, winners of this year’s Big Little Book Award (BLBA) that recognizes and honours significant contribution of authors and illustrators to children’s literature in Indian languages, say that there is a desperate need to provide free libraries for children in communities where all they see are textbooks, as these spaces nurture an environment that encourages the joy of reading Winners of BLBA 2020 Rajiv Eipe and Subhadra Sen Gupta and exchange of ideas among children. Instituted by the Parag initiative of Tata Trusts, this was the fifth edition of the Big Little Book Award. The chosen language this year was English. In the previous years, the award considered children’s literature in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and Kannada. many. Asked what excites her about writing for children, Sen Gupta, winning author, BLBA 2020 said, “Children make the best readers and I love opening the world of history to them. They read carefully and keep the books to go back to them again and again. I find it very important book, and even come back to me when they don’t like something. Children are involved in a way that adults never are in a book.” On how access to reading and learning spaces has taken a massive hit due to Covid-19, she said: “COVID-19 is a problem that would hopefully go away. Our problems are deeper. We Sen Gupta, who has written to be talking to children about desperately need to provide over sixty books, a majority of important things that they have free libraries for children in them for children, was awarded questions about and we can also communities where all they the Bal Sahitya Puraskar of the answer. What I do is, I mention see are textbooks. Children Sahitya Akademi in 2014. She has my email in my books. I get emails of plumbers, electricians and a special interest in history, and from children every week. They labourers would attend it. All has authored popular books like share questions about history and they had seen were textbooks. So, ‘The Constitution of India for questions about anything that’s having interesting, bright books, Children’, ‘The Secret Diary of bothering them. It’s like I have games, and computers was like a the World’s Worst Cook’, ‘History this circle of friends who come magic place for them.” Mystery Dal Biryani’, among back to me after they have read a

Book on Mirza Ghalib opens a new window to the renowned poet

New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS): Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was born in Agra in the closing years of the 18th century. A precocious child, he began composing verses at an early age and gained recognition while he was still very young. He wrote in both Urdu and Persian and was also a great prose stylist. He was a careful, even strict, editor of his work who took to publishing long before his peers. His predilection for writing difficult, obscure poetry peppered with complex metaphors produced a unique commentary tradition that did not extend beyond his work. Commentaries on his current Urdu ‘divan’ collection of poetry) have produced a field of critical writing that eventually lead to the crafting of a critical lens with which to view the classical ghazal. The 19th century was the height of European colonialism. British colonialism in India produced definitive changes in the ways literature was produced, circulated and consumed. Ghalib responded to the cultural challenge with a far-sightedness that was commendable. His imagination sought engagement with a wider community of readers. His deliberate switch to composing in Persian shows that he wanted his works to reach beyond political boundaries and linguistic barriers. Ghalib’s poetic trajectory begins from Urdu, then moves to composing almost entirely in Persian and finally swings back to Urdu. It is nearly as complex as his poetry. However, his poetic output in Persian is far more than what he wrote in Urdu. More important is that he gave precedence to Persian over Urdu. Ghalib’s voice presents us with a double bind, a linguistic paradox. Exploring his life, works and philosophy, “Ghalib: A Wilderness at My Doorstep” (Penguin) by Mehr Afshan Farooqi, an authoritative critical biography of the poet, opens a window to many shades of India and the subcontinent’s cultural and literary tradition. Mehr Afshan Farooqi grew up in Allahabad. A well-known translator, anthologist and columnist, she is the editor of the pioneering two-volume work “The Oxford India Anthology of Modern Urdu Literature”. More recently, she has published the acclaimed monograph “The Postcolonial Mind: Urdu Culture, Islam and Modernity in Muhammad Hasan Askari”.

Ashalata aims to inspire next generation of Indian footballers

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS): India captain Ashalata Devi, who will be getting an opportunity to play in the AFC Asian Women’s Cup scheduled in 2022 in front of her home fans, wants to inspire the next generation of women footballers in the country. “It will be a huge honour to represent India on such a big stage. The whole team is excited about it and we are preparing really well for it. We saw the U-17 World Cup in 2017 and the kind of support that the team got. We are hopeful of getting the same support,” said Ashalata as per the-aiff.com. “I hope the two tournaments that we are hosting next year - AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 inspire new girls to take up football. When they see us playing in front of packed stadiums, it will definitely motivate them,” she added. According to Ashalata, it is important for footballers to start at a young age as it helps in formation of a player and learning the basics. “I started playing football when I Sydney, Dec 20 (IANS): Australia’s iconic yacht race, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, has been canceled, the first time in its 76 years of history, due to concern about a Covid-19 cluster that recently occurred in Sydney. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) announced the decision with “great regret” on December 19 night, just six days from the start of the race. “We are bitterly disappointed to cancel the race this year especially considering the plans and preparations we had put in place to have a Covid safe race,” said CYCA Commodore Noel Cornish in a press release. The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, also known as “The Hobart,” sees competitors racing from Sydney Harbour via the Tasman Sea’s unpredictable waters to the city of Hobart over 1,000 kilometres south. This year, the race planned to go ahead even though many international competitors could not contest due to ongoing global restrictions. However, a Covid-19 cluster occurred in the Northern Beaches of Sydney recently. As confirmed cases continued to grow, Tasmania’s government, where Hobart is located, listed Greater Sydney as a “medium

Indian women’s football captain Ashalata Devi

was 12 or 13 but you have players starting at 7 or 8. Those 4-5 years are really important in the formation of the player and learning the basics.” The All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently launched its bid for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and the 27-year-old is optimistic about India’s chances of winning the bid. “We have the infrastructure and would have already hosted a few big tournaments by then. It will also be a great chance for other Asian fans to see India and the passion that the country has for football. I hope we can pull this

Iconic Australian yacht race called off due to Sydney Covid concerns

off,” said Ashalata. risk” area, and anyone who wants to enter Tasmania from Greater Sydney needs to undergo a 14-day quarantine. It is reported that about 150 sailors, about a third of the fleet’s crew, live in the Northern Beaches and were affected by the restrictions. “Following the announcement by the Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein, it is now impracticable for the CYCA to conduct the Race under prevailing Covid-19 restrictions,” the press release said. CYCA said alternative races had been carefully considered; however, as the state of New South Wales urged all residents to limit their non-essential travel and interactions with others, it was felt that there were no other options that would allow for a Covid safe replacement race. “This race has a long and proud history, and we look forward to continuing this exciting tradition next year,” Cornish said.

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Budget for 2022 Olympics hiked by 22 per cent

Tokyo, Dec 22 (IANS): The final budget for the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been increased by 22 per cent to 1.64 trillion yen (15.8 billion US dollars) because of the postponement of the Games. The Tokyo 2020 organising committee said at a news conference on December 22 that the additional cost caused by the postponement is about 294 billion yen (about 2.83 billion US dollars), with the operational cost for the delay 198 billion yen (about 1.91 billion US dollars), and the Covid-19 countermeasures cost of 96 billion yen (about 920 million US dollars), Xinhua news reports. Of all the costs, Tokyo 2020 will cover 45 per cent, the metropolitan government 43 per cent, and the Japanese central government will account for 12 per cent. The cost for Covid-19 countermeasures will be paid by the two governments, with the central government covering 58 per cent and the Tokyo government 42 per cent. The Tokyo Olympics, postponed by one year due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

High time India’s coaching staff needs to be made accountable

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS): when the Board of Control R Sridhar is India’s fielding coach Ever since Ravi Shastri and his for Cricket in India (BCCI), is and Bharat Arun the bowling support staff took over the reins targetting the ICC World Test coach. of the Indian cricket team in Championship final in 2021. Madan Lal says there is no excuse August 2014, following India’s If India are to call themselves as for dropping catches and, adds disappointing loss to England the world’s best, the team needs that you have to plan to get the in the Test series, the national to show up with results across all tail. India have had problems team’s overseas performance countries, especially the SENA with catching throughout this -- in South Africa, England, New nations. tour, dropping close to 20 catches Zealand and Australia, also known as SENA in cricket parlance -- has continued to be unsatisfactory as earlier, despite their 2-1 historic win in Australia in 2018-19. The latest debacle in the first Test at Adelaide recently when India squandered away a strong position from the second day onwards summarised the in seven international games, including four in Adelaide Test’s first innings. They also dropped catches in New Zealand, England and South Together with the two wins on problems India are facing in all Africa prior to that. their last tour of Australia, India three departments and how the They have got stuck into tail in all have won just four of their 19 coaching staff has failed to help the countries with Sam Curran of Tests since August 2014, when the players sort out issues. England holding them off multiple the Shastri-headed support staff took charge of the team. Although Anil Kumble was head coach of the team between mid-2016 and mid-2017, India did not tour any of these countries under his stewardship for Test matches. India’s other two wins in the period in the SENA nations have been one in England and one in South Africa. As against that, Sri Lanka have notched up two wins (both in South Africa) in 16 matches and Pakistan have won three (all three in England) in the SENA countries, deemed to be the toughest for south Asian nations. India failed with the ball, allowing the last three wickets get 80 vital runs, they failed on the field dropping catches, including that of Tim Paine who took Aussies to within 53 runs of India’s lead on the second day, and then the batting collapsed for 36 on the third day. Previously, batting coach Sanjay Bangar was replaced with Vikram Rathour after favourites India failed to reach a modest 240-run target. But it does not seem to have made any improvement. The team has now failed to get to 250 runs in the last six innings. times on the 2018 tour. The Kapil Dev-headed Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) had renewed Shastri’s contract in 2019 till 2021 world T20. However, the new CAC, which includes Madan Lal, can only decide or review only if they get any intimation from the BCCI. “We can’t take any decision on the coach. It is outside our purview. It comes to the CAC only after the BCCI decision,” added Lal. Key members of India’s support staff: Head coach: Ravi Shastri For the Indian cricket board, with such vast resources and talent pool, a world class T20 league where the world’s best current It managed 165 and 191 in the first Test at Wellington and then 242 and 124 in the second Test at Christchurch during the tour of Bowling coach: Bharat Arun Batting coach: Vikram Rathour Fielding coach: R Sridhar and former Test cricketers like New Zealand in February-March. Manager: Girish Dongre Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, AB de Villiers, Trent Boult, Ricky Ponting etc. feature and guide youngsters, this record makes for a poor reading. This, especially The visitors made 244 in the first innings at Adelaide but were shot out for 36 in the second. No wonder India lost all the three matches. Throwdown specialists: D Raghavendra, Nuwan Seneviratne. Three-member medical team, physiotherapist etc are also there.

India needs to do something magnificent to overcome 1st Test loss: Tendulkar

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): The players. The batting maestro, who with the last match being with the only way out for the Indian aggregated 34,357 runs and 100 pink ball. That would have been cricketers to overcome the centuries in international cricket, an ideal transition from white ball crushing defeat to Australia in the says it were technical flaws that to red ball to pink ball. first Test is to “fight it out” and impacted the top-order batsmen. But India began the Test series do “something magnificent” in He, particularly, noticed one big with a pink ball day-night the remaining three matches that shortcoming in most frontline encounter, which Virat Kohli’s would change negative thinking, batsmen -- absence of a solid team India lost by eight wickets, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has forward defence, a technical flaw and now trail 0-1. But there are said in an exclusive interview with that became more pronounced by three more matches to go in IANS. the lack of a big stride forward. the series for India to stage a Failure of top-order batsmen was Also, Tendulkar points out that it comeback and retain the Borderlargely responsible for India’s would have been better if India Gavaskar Trophy. In 2018-19, eight-wicket mauling in Adelaide, would have started the tour with India had won the previous but Tendulkar, 47, doesn’t feel the T20I series, then played the series 2-1 -- their first ever on that it was due to pressure on the ODIs, and finally the Test series -- Australian soil.

India men at 4th spot in latest FIH rankings, women at 9

Lausanne, Dec 21 (IANS): The Indian men’s hockey team is placed at the fourth spot in the latest FIH team rankings while the women’s team is placed at the ninth position. Belgium men and the Netherlands women finished the year at the top of the rankings, confirmed the International Hockey Federation. In the men’s rankings, reigning world and European champions Belgium (2496.88 points) sit at the summit in front of Australia (2nd place - 2385.70), Netherlands (3rd place - 2257.96) and India (4th place - 2063.78). Olympic champions Argentina (1967.39) are in fifth, followed by Germany (6th place - 1944.34), England/Great Britain (7th place - 1743.77), New Zealand (8th place - 1575.00), Spain (9th place - 1559.32) and Canada (10th place - 1417.37). In women’s rankings, The Netherlands (2631.99 points) are 457 ranking points ahead second- placed Argentina (2174.61), with Germany (2054.28) occupying third position, climbing one place following their Pro League results against Belgium in September. Australia (2012.89) finish the year in fourth place, with England/ Great Britain (1952.74) and New Zealand (1818.98) fifth and sixth respectively. Spain (7th place Tennis Association (KITA) Ryu - 1802.13), Ireland (8th place - 1583.09), India (9th place - 1543.00) and China (10th place - 1521.00) complete the top ten. In January, FIH had introduced its new match-based model for the calculation of the world rankings, with the Pro League matches that were played in early part of the year seeing regular fluctuations in the standings before the Covid-19 global health pandemic brought the competition - and all international hockey - to a standstill in March. The brief return of the competition between September and November saw further exchanges of points between the men’s and women’s national teams of Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Great Britain. The Indian men’s hockey team’s campaign in the ongoing Pro League is scheduled to restart on April 10 and 11, 2021 with a tie against Argentina away from home. They will then play Great Britain away from home on May 8 and 9 before travelling to Spain where they play on May 12 and 13. They then face Germany away on May 18 and 19 and will finally play a home tie on May 29 and 30 against New Zealand. The Indian women’s team is not part of the

Table tennis world team championships canceled amid Covid-19

Seoul, Dec 22 (IANS): The 2020 Seung-min was informed by ITTF World Team Table Tennis the South Korean authorities Championships was cancelled that it would not allow major amid the COVID-19 resurgence international sporting events over in South Korea, the International the next few months. Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) The ITTF said in a statement announced on December 22. that the 2021 World Table Tennis The ITTF executive committee Championships will be held met on December 21 with after the Tokyo Olympic and representatives from the Paralympic Games, saying it will continents to cancel the announce the finalised details of championships, originally the event in January. scheduled to take place in March In addition, the ITTF executive in Busan, the South Korean committee approved the 2021 southeast port city, Xinhua news world rankings, the document of reports. which was made public recently The competition was already together with an event schedule postponed three times in 2020 in for the first part of 2021 leading light of the COVID-19 pandemic. up to the Olympic Games. The daily number of infections The ITTF said the new world here have hovered around 1,000 rankings will see the WTT Grand in recent days, raising the total Smash events have equal world cases to 51,460 as of midnight ranking points to the Olympic December 22. Games and World Table Tennis President of the Korea Table Championships. Pro League tournament.

India shouldn’t be satisfied with 1-2 medals in 2028 Olympics: Sports Minister

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): Union (KISCEs) across the country. Stadium, Aizawl Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has “This is a very important day for 5. Odisha - Kalinga Stadium, said that India should not be sports in India and it is a very Bhubaneshwar satisfied with only one or two medals at the 2028 Olympic Games and instead aim to be in top 10 at the Los Angeles Games. “The central and state government has to work important beginning to develop sports culture and excellence in the country. The youth in India is looking for initiatives from the government of India and the state governments,” said Rijiju. 6. Telangana - Regional Sports School Hakimpet 7. Karnataka - Sh. Jayaprakash Narayan National Youth Centre Bangalore together and we will provide all necessary financial assistance The Sports Ministry had identified sports facilities in the following 8. Kerala - GV Raja Sr. Sec. Sports School Thiruvananthapuram so they develop with proper eight states to be upgraded to the With a vision to make India one infrastructure and manpower, KISCE. The centres identified are: of the top 10 countries in 2028 sports science, high quality training and so on. We cannot be satisfied with only one-two 1. Nagaland- State Sports Academy, IG Stadium Kohima Olympics, the KISCEs would ensure that athletes proficient in a certain sport can be given the medals, we have to be in top 10 2. Manipur - Khuman Lampak world-class specialised training in 2028 Olympics,” Rijiju said on Sports Complex, Imphal and these centers become the December 22. 3. Arunachal Pradesh - Sangey best facilities in the country to He made these comments while Lhaden Sports Academy, Chimpu train athletes in the priority virtually inaugurating eight Khelo Itanagar sport for which they have been India State Centres of Excellence 4. Mizoram - Rajiv Gandhi earmarked, as per the sports ministry.

Indian spinner asks for removal of name from Ferozeshah Kotla stand

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): Bishan immediate effect. Also, I hereby Singh Bedi, the legendary left- renounce my DDCA membership. arm spinner and former India I’ve taken this decision with captain, has asked the Delhi sufficient deliberations,” the and District Cricket Association 74-year-old wrote in an 841-word (DDCA) to remove his name from long letter emailed to DDCA a stand named at the Ferozeshah president Rohan Jaitley late on Kotla stadium, just a little over December 22 night. two years after he was honoured The Kotla stadium has been at an impressive function. Bedi, renamed the Arun Jaitley Cricket who captained Delhi to two Stadium. Ranji Trophy titles in late 1970s, has also renounced his DDCA membership. Bedi is disappointed and angry at the way the DDCA is functioning under its current president Rohan Legendary left-arm spinner and former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi“I pride myself as a man of immense tolerance and patience, but all that, I’m afraid, is running out. DDCA has truly tested me and forced me to take this drastic action. So, Mr President, I request you to remove my name from the stand named after me with Jaitley, son of late Arun Jaitley, who was also a DDCA president and against whom Bedi had contested -- and lost -- for the DDCA president’s post in 1999. The proverbial last straw seems to be the manner in which the Delhi senior selectors for the 2020-21 season were chosen recently, through a process that was far from transparent, particularly the bar on the upper age. The age bar of 60 years ruled out former Delhi Ranji Trophy-winning captain Kirti Azad, 61, who had applied for the job. Azad is close to Bedi.

Messi surpasses Pele to become top goal scorer for a single club

Barcelona, Dec 23 (IANS): Star striker Lionel Messi has set yet another all-time world record as he has moved past the legendary Pele to become the highest goal scorer ever for a single club. Messi achieved the feat during Barca’s 3-0 win against Valladolid on December 22 evening. The Argentine ace has now scored a staggering 644 goals, all wearing a Barcelona FC shirt, across 17 seasons and 749 games. That surpasses the 643 goals that Pele scored for Santos, until now the world record and one that few people thought would ever been broken. “When I started playing football I never thought I would break any records. And even less the one I achieved today,” Messi posted on Instagram shortly after the game. “I can only thank all those who helped me over the years, my teammates, my family, my friends and all those who support me every day,” he added. Pele had earlier congratulated Messi when the latter had equalled his record. “When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path. Like you, I know what it’s like to love wearing the same Star striker Lionel Messi shirt every day. Like you, I know added. that there is nothing better than Pele, who played his last game for the place we feel at home,” Pele Santos in 1974, is counted among had said in an Instagram post. one of the greatest players ever to “Congratulations on your historic grace the game. record, Lionel. But above all, There’s another Pele record that congratulations on your beautiful Messi has in his sights. The 77 career at Barcelona. Stories like goals that the Brazilian scored ours, of loving the same club for for his country are still a South so long, unfortunately, will be American record. But Messi has 71 increasingly rare in football. I for Argentina, and needs just six admire you very much,” he had more to equal that number.

From ignominy to triumph: Rise of a captain extraordinaire

By Vijay Lokapally

The triumph of Melbourne should bury the ignominy of Adelaide. It must have been tough for fans of Indian cricket to counter the jibes following the humiliation of being bowled out for 36. It was bizarre and it was obviously unthinkable, given the fabulous batting line up that Virat Kohli commanded. The debacle hurt, and it really hurt the team to an extent that they just worked with one aim – to hit back hard at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was a venue that had been kind to the Indians on their previous visits to Australia and it was no different this time too. A thumping victory meant that parity was restored and India could look at the remaining Tests with some sense of confidence. It can never be easy to come back from a situation that one saw at the end of the Adelaide Test. Some former cricketers made snide remarks about India’s capabilities to make it a competitive series. Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Brad Haddin and former England captain Michael Vaughan dismissed India after the crushing defeat at Adelaide. “Told ya…India are going to get hammered in the Test series… #AusvInd# 4-0,” was Vaughan’s view. Even Waugh had a “4-0” result in Australia’s favour. They must have been shocked at the turn around. Ravi Shastri described the MCG show as one of India’s finest. “I think this will go down in the annals of Indian cricket - no, world cricket - as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game. You know to be rolled over for 36 and then three days later to get up and be ready to punch was outstanding. The boys deserve all the credit for the character they have shown. Real character.” The team was not as bad as the 36 all out collapse suggested. But Ajinkya Rahane was handed a team that was low on morale. It was the greatest challenge of his career as he walked out for the toss. Losing the toss was not the best start for Rahane was replacing Kohli as the captain. The team was without Mohammad Shami and lost the experienced Umesh Yadav in the second innings to an injury after he had bowled just 3.3 overs. The team had debutants in Shubman Gill, for Prithvi Shaw, and Mohammed Siraj for Shami. The experienced Wriddhiman Saha made way for Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja came in as a batting all-rounder in place of Kohli. Four changes in the playing XI were going to test the character of the team. It was not surprising that Indian cricket found a winning combination at the MCG. “We had a lot of positives in Adelaide but at the end of the day it is the result that counts. We were blown away in the second innings in one hour. So when you are blown away, you are blown away,” said Shastri at the end of the recovery at MCG. He had to thank Rahane and the likes of Jadeja and Siraj, not to forget the wily off-spinner R. Ashwin, for the resilience at MCG. Rahane earned praise for his leadership. His composure in testing situations was an innate quality built over years of patience. It was remarkable that Rahane stepped into his new role with such ease. He has never looked flustered on the field but his exceptional calmness at MCG was a confirmation that he was well prepared for the assignment. “A bowler’s captain” was how Ishant Sharma had described Rahane and the Mumbaikar proved it with his firm control over the team. The faith that Rahane had in his bowler comes from his nod to the field they would ask for. In Ashwin’s case, the leg-side trap, and the bowler coming into the difficult to score runs throughout the series, former fast bowler Zaheer Khan has said. Pujara, who scored 521 runs at an average of 74.42 on India’s previous tour of Australia in 2018, has been dismissed three out of four times by Cummins in the first two Tests of the four-match series. The batsman is yet to score a half-century. “There is no doubt that it is a topic of concern. But it is similar to the way we were talking about Steve Smith, that he will get the attack within the first hour of play, was a throwback to the era when spinners led the attack. “I liked the line of attack that Ashwin pursued,” remarked spin great Bishan Singh Bedi. Kapil Dev had praise for Siraj. “For a debutant he was exceptional. He can be lethal when the conditions suit him but I was impressed with the fact that he knew his limitations and bowled well within them. Jadeja’s contribution as a batsman lent the balance to the team and the icing on the cake was Rahane with his captaincy and batting. His knock was so crucial in the victory.” Shastri also analysed Rahane’s role aptly. “He is a very shrewd leader, has a good understanding of the game. I thought his calm composure out there helped the debutants as well, helped the bowlers as well. There was a calming influence. In spite of losing Umesh (Yadav), he did a great job.” Rahane indeed did a splendid job and reconfirmed the fact that India does not lose a Test when he scores a century. He has 12 Test centuries along with Gundappa Viswanath’s 14 and Sourav Ganguly’s 16. India never lost the Test in which Viswanath and Ganguly hit a century. Adelaide was an aberration. “Once in fifty years,” was former India all-rounder Madan Lal’s comment on the collapse in the first Test. He should know since he was part of the team which was bowled out for 42 by England at Lord’s in 1974. The Lord’s episode was remembered in the media as India hit a new low. Having started 2020 with two Test defeats in New Zealand, it was good to see India sign off on the dreadful year on a high with the win at Melbourne. Can they repeat the feats at Sydney and Brisbane? Indian fans look forward to such gifts from their heroes. Mr Vijay Lokapally has been a sports journalist for four decades. He writes for The Hindu and

Warner names himself ‘ICC Male Tiktoker of the Pujara’s troubles against Cummins a ‘concern’, says Zaheer Melbourne, Dec 30 (IANS): Australian speedster Pat Cummins having the upper hand over Indian batting mainstay Decade’ Cheteshwar Pujara is an area of concern for India but it is also symptomatic of batsmen finding it Sportstar. Melbourne, Dec 30 (IANS): David was supposed to be playing for in feel, he said he found his grip in Warner posted a photo of himself the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the one-dayers,” said Zaheer on being named in the ICC Awards of that time of the year. Sony Sports Network. the Decade for the ‘Sir G.P. Muthu Award for ICC Male Tiktoker of the Decade’ on his Instagram handle and said that he thought he would be a joint winner with India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. “No, sir, you the best,” Chahal said in an equally tongue-in-cheek reply on the post. The IPL was, however, postponed due to the pandemic and was held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. Warner made it to the ICC’s team of the decade for ODIs and and Tests as an opener along with Rohit Sharma and Alastair Cook respectively. He, however, missed “He has to figure out that thing because it was the same attack against whom he had scored three centuries in the last series. Yes, the angle of Cummins’s deliveries are troubling him and somewhere or the other I feel this is formrelated.” Zaheer said that Pujara may Warner became an Instagram out on individual awards while have to reconsider his trigger and Tik Tok celebrity due to the videos he posted on the social his Australia team mate Steve Smith was named ICC Men’s Test movement and could be helped by revisiting the 2018/19 tour. not exploited his weakness like this, then it would have been a the top ranked Test bowler in the world. Zaheer feels that it is only media platforms with his family Cricketer of the Decade. “It could be the trigger movement; different thing but he has played a matter of time before the India’s when the cricket calendar was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year. Most of the videos were of the family dancing to Telugu songs, in tune with him being the captain of SunRisers Hyderabad whom he After missing out Australia’s first two Tests against India due to a groin injury, Warner is set to return for the third Test that will be played in Sydney from January 7. he might have to go back down memory lane and think about it. He just has to get that feel,” he said. “Yes, if Pat Cummins had not played in the previous series and him in the last series and scored centuries when he was there.” Commentators have often observed that Pujara has been felled by extremely good deliveries from Cummins, who is Test batting stalwart comes good. “I think it is a matter of time. We should see it from that viewpoint but at this moment, you can say that it has become a slight area of concern,” he said.

Akshay, Sara, Dhanush shoot in Agra for ‘Atrangi Re’

Agra, Dec 22 (IANS): Shooting for the last schedule of the film ‘Atrangi Re’ featuring Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush continued for the second day in local marketplaces, after a stint at the Taj Mahal on December 21. Actor Akshay Kumar was seen dressed up as emperor Shah Jahan during the shoot. A big crowd followed the actors when they were shooting at the city’s Ghatia Market on December 22 morning. Agra has emerged as a favoured graphics in Indian films grows government is forming a Centre shooting locale for a number of filmmakers in the past couple of years. In October 2019, ‘Rooh Afza’ starring Janhvi Kapoor was shot here. Sources said that due to favourable conditions and open invitation from UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a number of films are likely to be shot in and around Agra. The Greater Noida film city project has also drawn positive

India to host Global Film Summit in 2021: Indian Broadcasting minister

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS): India entrepreneurship and encourage will host a Global Media and Film start-ups in the sector. Summit next year and it will Speaking on the occasion, also set up a special pavilion at Secretary, Ministry of Information Cannes in 2022 on the occasion and Broadcasting, Amit Khare of Cannes Film Festival’s 75 years referred to amendment in celebrations, Union Information allocation of business rules in and Broadcasting Minister November saying the idea behind Prakash Javadekar said on the change was to bring content December 16. at one place while keeping Javadekar made the platforms at another place. announcement while addressing Khare also said that the media the CII Big Picture Summit and entertainment industry has through video conferencing in grown and we must facilitate which he mentioned that “we the industry. This pandemic, he are a country where growth said, has opened new avenues of communication technology like educational technologies and is phenomenal and this Indian gaming which also have an presents a tremendous scope export potential. for entertainment and media industry”. With the year 2022 being the 75th year of India’s independence, The minister remarked celebrations of which will take “Animation, Visual Effects, place within the country and Gaming and Comic (AVGC) is a outside, the secretary invited the sunrise sector and our experts are industry to help project India’s providing back-end support to soft power through media and top filmmakers of the world”. entertainment. He added that it was time that Khare also invited the these professionals started doing participants of the summit to the more of this for our own films 51st IFFI which will be celebrated so that the use of animation and in a hybrid mode. manifold. Javadekar also announced that the ADVERTISE WITH US reactions from the film fraternity. of Excellence in cooperation with IIT-Bombay where courses in AVGC will be provided. Call us at Moreover, he said, the Centre will undertake initiatives to promote 1300 859 066

CIU to probe Hrithik Roshan’s ‘impersonation’ case

Mumbai, Dec 14 (IANS): The Police Commissioner Param Mumbai Police has transferred Bir Singh, the case will now a complaint of stalking and be probed by the elite Crime impersonation lodged four years Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the ago by Bollywood actor Hrithik Crime Branch. Roshan, to the Crime Branch, In the past, the police forensic officials said here on December experts could not ascertain any 14. facts about the email ID which In the complaint against an was located in the US and hence unknown person, Hrithik had filed a nil report in June 2017. said the accused was allegedly speaking with actress Kangana Ranaut on his behalf from an Hrithik’s lawyers pointed out to Singh that despite the Magistrate’s order directing the complete the probe and catch the real culprit. email ID. police to return the actor’s laptop Officials are hopeful that with the Following a request by Hrithik’s and mobile phone submitted for case now having been handed lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani and the probe, he had not collected over to the CIU, the real culprit Gunjan Mangla to the Mumbai it yet to enable the police to may be traced in the case.

Gal Gadot hints at crossover between Wonder Woman and Black Adam

Los Angeles, Dec 22 (IANS):

Hollywood actress Gal Gadot says she would be keen on her superhero avatar Wonder Woman teaming up with Black Adam, soon to be portrayed by Dwayne Johnson. In an interview to MTV News, Gadot teased a crossover between Wonder Woman and Black Adam, reports dailymail.co.uk. “I think that first of all, let’s give Black Adam the respect of Black Adam. I don’t want to come and steal anybody’s thunder. It’s The Rock, come on, I can’t steal his thunder. But maybe in the future, who knows,” said the 35-year-old. Hollywood actress Gal Gadot Gadot will soon be seen with make a return to the franchise. be superheroes when she was Johnson and Ryan Reynolds in Asked about returning to the growing up. “Red Notice”, and admitted that franchise, the actress said: ‘Oh “When I grew up, there weren’t she enjoyed reuniting with her wow, I don’t know. I have no idea. many strong female characters co-stars after working with them Right now it’s not on my to-do to look up to. I remember being on previous projects. list.” a kid and a scaredy cat. I was She played the role of Gisele At the moment, she is excited afraid of the dark, and whenever I Yashar in three “Fast & Furious” about the release of Wonder thought a thief was going to come, movies. She has shared that there Woman 1984. She said she or whatever, my dad, Superman, are no plans for her character to never thought women could was going to save the day,” she

Katrina Kaif champions right to education

Mumbai, Dec 22 (IANS):

Bollywood star Katrina Kaif on December 22 posted a video emphasising on right to education and increased access to quality education without discrimination. In the Instagram video, Katrina urges everyone to come forward and contribute towards creating classrooms, so that children coming from underprivileged homes can access quality English medium education. “So proud to present to you all, the school built from the ground up by my mom and her charity. Since 2015, Mountain View School in Madurai has actively been working to provide quality English-medium education to lesser privileged children. They currently teach two hundred students, have classrooms up to grade four and need to add 14 more,” Katrina captioned the video. “Let us do our bit so that more and more children can fulfil their dreams. Considering the tough times we are in, it is even more important to be there for one another,” she added. Katrina has extended a helping hand to a school in Madurai, Tamil Nadu that has actively been working towards educating children, especially girls, since 2015. “Educating children has many positive effects. They have the power to transform society and shape mindsets. Educating boys will help bring about a shift in their attitude towards girls. Education is empowering. It makes you confident and selfreliant. I have always seen my mother actively engage in causes related to the upliftment of the underprivileged and she has always motivated me to do my bit,” said Katrina. said. The school currently has classrooms up to standard five. They are now in need of 14 more rooms, which include 10 classrooms that will take the school to standard eight, besides a teachers’ room, a computer lab, a science lab and a library. As a part of the campaign by Relief Projects India, Katrina has urged to make donations so that the school can continue its work towards providing education to underprivileged village children. The actress will join hands with Relief Projects India and Mountain View School to work towards an increased level of education for children of the village community and a higher level of awareness on issues such as female infanticide and foeticide, and the importance of the girl child.

Mona Singh opens up on journey from ‘Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin’ to ‘Black Widows’

Mumbai, Dec 22 (IANS): Actress Mona Singh has opened up about her journey from Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin in the 2000s, to her latest series, Black Widows. She says the common thing between the two shows is that both were adaptations that released in over 100 countries. “The common thing between the two shows is that both were adapted and released in 119 countries,” Mona said. Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin was adapted from the show Ugly Betty, featuring America Ferrera, while Black Widows is a remake of a Nordic series of the same name. Black Widows follows three best friends who are in abusive marriages, and whose lives are in for a twist when their husbands die suddenly. Mona says her journey has been incredible. Mumbai, Dec 22 (IANS): Actress Raveena has resumed studio work in the city, after returning from a marathon shooting schedule in Himachal Pradesh recently. She jokingly says that life in the studios amid the new normal takes some getting used to. This is because the atmosphere in the studios, with crew dressed in PPE New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): Actress Radhika Apte has realised she was doing a lot of work just because of the fear of missing out (FOMO), and says she is now determined not to take up work under pressure. The realisation dawned on her when the world was under lockdown due to the Covid-19 crisis. “I realised that I’m grateful to get a lot of work and I have chosen work only when I wanted to do it. But there were a lot of other things I was doing with work, which are part of work and are a part of my job. I was doing these just out of FOMO,” Radhika told IANS via zoom call. “I did so just because I didn’t want to miss out or just because others were doing it. In this time, when no one was doing anything, I was really chilled. I didn’t want to do it either,” she added. The actress continued: “I realised, ‘Oh, I wanted to do it because others were doing it. If others don’t do it, I don’t want to do it’. So, just to distinguish between what you really want to do and what you’re doing out of pressure -- that’s what I’ve learned in these few months and I don’t want to do things out of pressure anymore. Let’s see how long that lasts.” Radhika entered the industry with

Indian TV actress Mona Singh

“I never looked back after doing ‘Jassi’. I am fortunate enough to keep getting good roles and things that challenge me, I have done theatre, I have done hosting and now OTT. I’m completely happy about the fact that people have been kind to OTT platforms and are watching different kinds of shows and content. It is very satisfying for an actor as well as a viewer,” she said.

New normal shoots feel like operation theatres, says Raveena

gear, looks more like an operation theatre! Raveena was at a dubbing studio when she made the observation. She posted a picture from inside the studio, where one can see crew members in PPE suits. Raveena clicked a selfie wearing a mask. Along with the selfie she also posted a few pictures seemingly from an ethnic photo-op. “Back to Mumbai and getting used to working ,#thenewnormal way. Seems like operation theatres more than a dubbing theatre. But then, the show must go on and we all need to learn to be safe and adapt,” she wrote on her verified Instagram account with the images.

Radhika Apte: Won’t opt for work out of pressure anymore

enjoying this space, and I’m also a small role in the 2005 release “Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!”, and went on to do films like “Shor In The City”, “Kabali”, “Phobia”, “Badlapur” and the short film “Ahalya”. The actress is credited for breaking the stereotypical image of the Bollywood heroine with her roles in “Phobia”, “Badlapur”, “Manjhi: The Mountain Man”, “Lust Stories”, “Sacred Games”, “Pad Man” and “Ghoul”. Radhika is currently seen in “A Call To Spy”, the international production capturing the story of three female spies Bollywood actress Radhika Apte during World War II. In the film, that you can watch. It’s just Radhika plays British spy Noor literature and photographs. She Inayat Khan, also known as Nora is a very unique personality, not Baker, who served in the Special just because of a geographical Operations Executive during the diversity, but because of a war. spiritual inclination, and her Looking back at the challenges of playing the role, Radhika shared: philosophy, and her reasons behind participating in the war.” “The biggest challenge is when The spy drama is directed by you are trying to portray a real life Lydia Dean Pilcher, written person. It is so difficult because and produced by Sarah Megan you have a huge responsibility, Thomas, who also stars in the you can’t just come up with film along with Stana Katic. The things. So, it was difficult because film released in India on Amazon there are no clips or anything Prime Video.

New Jersey Senate and General Assembly honour Dharmendra

New York, Dec 22 (IANS):

Bollywood veteran Dharmendra was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the State of New Jersey in the United States, by a Joint Legislative Resolution passed by the Senate and the General Assembly. Both houses of the Legislature approved the Resolution recognising the actor’s immeasurable contribution to Hindi cinema over the course of his career of six decades and across 300-odd films in which he appeared. Acknowledging the award, Dharmendra thanked Bollywood Insider, and said: “I am extremely happy with this honour and proud to receive this one-of-a-kind award.” introduced the Resolution in the Senate joined India’s Consul General in New York, Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra The award was conferred upon Bollywood Insider publisher the veteran actor via a zoom event Bhalla, Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir organised by Bollywood Insider, Parikh, publisher of News a premier publication of Hindi India Times, and Assemblyman cinema in the United States. Upendra Chivukula to confer the Dharmendra was considered “for award to Dharmendra via zoom the first ever historic award by a conference. Senator Doherty US State Legislature for an Indian announced that the Resolution actor, for his contribution to was unanimously passed by all 40 bringing international recognition Senators and 80 members of the to Indian cinema, through tens General Assembly.of millions of his fans around the world,” said its publisher Varinder Bhalla. Ambassador Jaiswal thanked Senator Doherty for leading the Resolution in the New Jersey Initial plans to invite the actor Legislature to honour “a timeless to receive the award at the New hero and a great son of India, Jersey Senate were shelved which was not only a matter of due to Covid-19 related travel pride for Dharmendra and his restrictions. family but also for India”. Senator Michael Doherty, who

Society, cinema, media played praiseworthy role in pandemic too: Indian minister

New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS): Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on December 14 said that the government, society, cinema and media in India have played a commendable role with courage, commitment and caution during the coronavirus pandemic. In his address at the “International Coronavirus Short Film Festival” at the New Delhi Municipal Corporation Convention Centre, he said that short films played a crucial role in making the people aware of challenges of the corona pandemic. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, renowned film personalities, diplomats, journalists, intellectuals and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. More than 2,800 films from 108 countries are participating in the festival and are based on cure, safety measure and lives during the pandemic. In his address, Javadekar said that the idea of organising a film festival to celebrate short films made on coronavirus was wonderful. Naqvi said that due to the corona pandemic, shooting of films had largely been postponed for a long time. During this crisis, short films not only entertained the people but also made them aware of corona challenge. Different channels, be it news channels, entertainment channels, sports or business channels, all played a praiseworthy role regarding spreading awareness, he added. He said that history is a witness to the fact that whenever there is a crisis in the country, the government, society, cinema and media all have together performed their respective responsibilities with complete honesty in national interest and human welfare.

Indian Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi