The City Standard 11th February 2019- 5th issue

z VOL : 01 z ISSUE : 05 z Monday, FEBUARY, 11, 2019

PRAYAGRAJ

z PAGES : 12

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Budget 2019 : FM showers dole before poll

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NEW DELHI Making a big populist push in its final budget before elections, the Narendra Modi-government Friday exempted people with an earning of up to Rs.5 lakh from payment of income tax, announced an annual cash dole-out of Rs. 6,000 to small farmers and provided a monthly pension of Rs.3,000 to workers in the unorganised sector.

Converting what was supposed to be an interim budget or a vote on account into an almost fullfledged budget announcement in the Lok Sabha, finance minister Piyush Goyal proposed an array of incentives for both middle-class and farmers, whose disenchantment was said to have cost the BJP dearly in recent assembly elections.

Over 3 crore salaried class, pensioners, selfemployed and small businesses with total income of up to Rs.5 lakh will have to pay nil tax now against their current liability of Rs.13,000 (including health and education cess) in view of the relief Goyal provided in form of a 'rebate'. Individuals with gross income up to Rs.6.5 lakh will not need to pay any tax now, if they make tax saving investments of Rs.1.5 lakh under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. However, very senior citizens (aged 80 years and above) are not impacted by this change as their total income up to Rs.5 lakh was anyway not subject to tax. The rebate will cost the government `18,500 crore in revenue.

At a post budget press conference, Goyal promised to look into giving relief to taxpayers with an income of over Rs. 5 lakh in the main budget to be presented in July.

In the Budget for 2019-20, he also raised stan-

dard deduction by Rs.10,000 to Rs.50,000 which will provide a benefit ranging from Rs.2,080 to Rs.3,588 depending on income levels.

Other proposals include increase in the TDS exemption limit from Rs.10,000 to Rs.40,000 for bank interest, on rental income from 1.8 lakh to 2.4 lakh, extending housing income exemption from one to two self-occupied houses, capital gains from sale of house property being allowed to be invested in two properties instead of one and the 10-year window for registration of affordable housing projects for getting tax relief.

As was widely anticipated, Goyal announced an as an "account for votes" and not a "vote on income support scheme for 12 crore small and account".

The farm income support scheme will marginal farmers by providing result in the government breaching its Rs.6,000 in their bank accounts 3.3 per cent fiscal deficit target from in three equal installments in the current year and slipping on 3.1 a year, which will cost per cent target for the next. Fiscal Rs.75,000 crore a year to deficit for both the years has been the government. The eligiput at 3.4 per cent of the GDP. bility for the scheme, Wooing farmers, an interest called Pradhan Mantri subvention of 2 per cent to Kisan Samman Nidhi, will those pursuing animal husbe ownership of less than bandry and fisheries and to two hectares of cultivable farmers hit by natural calamiland. ties was announced in the Though the finance minister Budget. An additional 3 per cent said the scheme will be impleinterest subvention will be mented from the current fiscal given to farmers for timeyear, where it will cost Rs. 20,000 ly repayment of loans. crore, it wasn't clear how the benefiWhile defence allocaciaries would be identified. tion has been raised A mega pension scheme by 7 per cent to over was introduced to provide Rs.3 lakh crore, suba monthly pension of Rs. sidy bill has gone up 3,000 with a contribution to Rs.2.97 lakh crore of Rs.100 per month for from Rs.2.66 lakh workers in the unorgancrore. ised sector after 60 years of age.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the interim budget was merely a "trailer" of what will guide India towards prosperity after the Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that the government was giving Rs.17 a day to farmers after "destroying" their lives in last five years.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram termed the Union Budget

HIGHLIGHTS Income up to Rs 5 lakh exempted from income tax Standard Deduction raised to Rs 50,000 from Rs 40,000 - Direct tax proposals to provide Rs 23,000 cr relief to 3 cr taxpayers - Persons with gross income up to Rs 6.50 lakh not required to pay any income tax if they make investments in provident funds, specified savings and insurance.

Target for revenue from disinvestment of government stake in PSUs has been raised to Rs.90,000 crore from Rs.80,000 crore and dividend from the RBI and other banks has been pegged at Rs.82,900 crore.

The relief in income tax for the middle class came in form of a rebate. A rebate is different from a general exemption which would have meant income up to Rs.5 lakh for all would have been exempt from taxes and taxes would have to be paid only on income in excess of that.

For anyone earning more than Rs.5 lakh annually will continue to pay taxes at the prevailing rates - no tax on first Rs.2.5 lakh, 5 per cent on income between Rs.2.5 and 5 lakh, 20 per cent on income between Rs.5 lakh and Rs.10 lakh and 30 per cent on earnings of over Rs.10 lakh. Justifying inclusion of tax proposals in an interim budget which normally is only to seek approval of Parliament for spending for an interim period until a new government is sworn in, Goyal said, "Though as per convention, the main tax proposals will be presented in regular budget, small taxpayers especially middle class, salary earners, pensioners and senior citizens need certainty in their minds at the beginning of the year about their taxes."

"Therefore, proposals, particularly relating to such class of persons should not wait." The NDA government, he said, has laid the foundation for India's growth and development for times to come.

India is poised to become a USD 5 trillion economy in the next five years.

Rs 1.58 lakh crore allotted to Railways, highest ever allocation New Delhi: Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced Friday a capital expenditure allocation of Rs 1.58 lakh crore for the Railways, the highest ever for the national transporter, in an effort to put its flagging revenues back on track.

Last year, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had allocated an amount of Rs 1.48 lakh crore for the Railways in his budget.

Goyal, who is also the Railway minister, said so far 2018-2019 has been the safest for the Indian

Railways and all unmanned level technology by our engineers will 'Make in India' programme and give an impetus create jobs," Goyal said in his crossings on the broad gauge netto the debut budget speech. work have been completely elimThe budget estimates under inated. revenue for the year 2019"Capital expenditure programme 20 (gross) is Rs of the Railways is at all-time high 2,72,705.68 crore, of Rs 1.58 lakh crore in next recording an increase financial year. 'Vande Bharat of Rs 22,854.67 crore Express', the indigenously over the revised estideveloped semi-high speed mates of Rs train, will give Indian 2,49,851.01 crore for passengers world 2018-19. In the budget, class experience. funds of Rs 7,255 crore have "This major leap in been allocated for construction of wholly developed

new lines, Rs 2,200 crore for gauge conversion, Rs 700 crore for doubling, Rs 6,114.82 crore for rolling stock and Rs 1,750 crore for signalling and telecom.

No railway fare hike was announced in the Railway Budget for 2019. It is expected, keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha elections soon.

Developing passenger amenities has been allocated a sum of Rs 3,422 crores which is an additional outlay of around Rs 1,000 crore for the comfort of rail users.

z 12 crore small, marginal farmers to be provided assured yearly income of Rs 6,000 under PM-KISAN Scheme z TDS threshold raised to Rs 40,000 from Rs 10,000 on interest earned on bank/post office deposits z Tax exempted on notional rent on a second self-occupied house z TDS threshold for deduction of tax on rent to be increased to Rs 2.40 lakh from Rs 1.80 lakh z Tax benefits for affordable housing extended till March 31, 2020 z Tax exemption period on notional rent on unsold inventories extended to two years from one year z Allocated Rs 20,000 crore in 2018-19, Rs 75,000 crore for FY2019-20 for PM-KISAN Scheme z Interest subvention of 2 pc during disaster to be provided to farmers for the entire period of reschedulement of loan z 2 pc interest subvention to farmers for animal husbandry and fisheries activities; additional 3 pc in case of timely repayment z Rs 3,000/month pension for 10 cr unorganised sector workers with contribution of Rs 100/55 per month under PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Scheme z Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.4 pc of GDP for 2019-20; target of 3 pc of fiscal deficit to be achieved by 2020-21 z Current Account Deficit pegged at 2.5 pc of GDP for FY20 z Total expenditure to rise by 13 pc to Rs 27.84 lakh cr in FY20 z National Education Mission allocation increased by about 20 pc to Rs 38,572 cr z Allocation for Integrated Child Development Scheme increased by over 18 pc to Rs 27,584 cr z Disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 cr in 2018-19 likely to be met; Target for FY20 set at Rs 90,000 cr z 25 pc additional seats in educational institutions to meet the 10 per cent reservation for the poor z Defence budget to cross Rs 3,00,000 cr for the first time z Allocation for North East increased by 21 pc to Rs 58,166 cr in FY20 z Railways to get capital support of Rs 64,587 cr in FY20 z Indian filmmakers to get access to single window clearance for ease of shooting films; regulatory norms to rely more on self-declaration z 2 pc interest subsidy for MSMEs on an incremental loan of Rs 1 crore for GST-registered entities z At least 3 pc of the 25 pc sourcing for the government undertakings to be from women-owned SMEs z One lakh villages to be transformed into digital ones in 5 years z New portal to support national programme on Artificial Intelligence z Reforms in stamp duty; amendments to ensure streamlined system for levy of stamp duties to be imposed and collected at one place z A separate Department of Fisheries to be created for welfare of 1.5 crore fishermen z 22nd AIIMS to be setup in Haryana z Rs 60,000 crore allocation for MGNREGA in 2019-20 India poised to become USD 5 trillion economy in next 5 years; aspires to become USD 10 trillion in the subsequent 8 years.

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Rs 6,000 to small farmers, Rs 5 lakh income exempt from income tax, monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to workers in informal sector

RAJEEV RANJAN MISHRA

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PRAYAGRAJ The nation seems to have entered into election mode. All moves by the various political parties whether they are ruling or in Opposition are focussed only on 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The statements of some leaders particularly those who feel are well saddled in their home turf are smacking of arrogance. The advantage such parties have is that there is no voice of dissent.

During Emergency, voice of the common man was muzzled but there used to be hush hush talk and Opposition grew among the voters which took the form of a Tsunami and threw the Congress out of power. But now the situation is different. Parties in power are trying to introduce control over various institutions including the media.

In some States, particularly in the southern part of the country, the attitude of the party in power is 'take what we give, write what we say.' What is more interesting is such words roll out during the speeches given by the top most leaders including Chief Ministers and party presidents. The saddest part is that those who should raise their voice seem to have sealed their lips whatever the reasons be.

Political parties may feel that everything is under control. But they should not forget that the voter is far more intelligent and knows

when to strike hard. While in 2014, there was sort of an emotional wave in favour of Modi, this time the voter is thinking seriously as to who their leader should be. They are watching all machinations with hawk eye and there could be many surprises. It appears that the saffron party has sensed that all is not well, and Modi-Shah duo's charisma is on the wane.

Hence, it is now coming up with strategies to woo the voters.

The BJP hopes that the ten percent reservation to the economically weaker sections would rain in votes. Well, to what extent it will help the party to get back into driving seat remains to be seen. If the present trend and the people's perception are any indication, the BJP has an uphill task. One argument is that BJP has advantage as it would come up with several offers for the voters in its budget and that the Opposition unity is still not clear, and many parties would be fighting against the BJP and the many-cornered contest will help Modi stage a comeback. But if one goes by what the Opposition says and is doing, there will be direct fight between two parties or coalitions.

According to political analysts, there could be a direct fight between the BJP and the coalitions or parties that are strong in those regions in over 400 seats.

In other seats, there could be triangular contest particularly in States like West Bengal, Odisha and Delhi. Maharashtra presents a different scenario. It remains to be seen what stand the

Shiv Sena would ultimately take. Sena has been attacking the BJP and if the coalition breaks, it could turn into a triangular contest which can be big loss for the BJP. But the general experience in the past has been that on the eve of elections, they bury their differences. If that happens, there will be direct contest between Sena-BJP and Congress-NCP in the State.

Coming down south, in Tamil Nadu, it is going to be a direct fight between the DMKCongress alliance and the AIADMK-BJP. In Telangana, it will be a triangular fight as there would be no alliances. In Andhra Pradesh, the scenario is more complicated. The TDP has successfully created an anti-BJP wave and here the fight would be among the TDP, YSRCP, Jana Sena and the Congress.

In 2014, the poll scenario was one where people were tired of a decade of Congress-led government and wanted a change. An impression had gone around that there was an accidental Prime Minister. Allegations of corruption had touched a new high. Inflation was at its peak.

But this time issues are different. The negative impact of demonetisation, the fall in farm incomes and growing rural debt seem to be taking centre stage.

Similarly, the issue of jobs and the rift between the Centre and the State on several issues and the growing feeling that the Centre had not followed the principle of cooperative federalism could pose a challenge for the ruling party.

Though caste plays a significant role in the elections, this time the slogans of the BJP may not hold the key. Even reservations and the emotive mandir issue may not help them as they expect. Rural distress in Maharashtra and problems faced by sugarcane farmers could adversely affect the fortunes of the ruling BJP. The BJP in the north has huge cadre which has well penetrated into the rural areas, but economic policies can strain such organisational gains.

In the last five years, Modi had firm hand on the wheel and had great mass appeal after Indira Gandhi. But history shows that such an appeal has its own limits if voters decide that enough is enough. The fact is that Modi while having his hand firm on the wheel did not take care to avoid over centralisation of power. The question the voters are asking themselves is are they better off now than 2014?

The BJP leaders refuse to accept the fact that that they have a rough road ahead even in States like Andhra Pradesh where the writing on the wall is very clear. They claim that the recent Assembly results in the Hindi States cannot be an indication of change of winds and that it was a semi-final.

If you take a peak at the elections held in 2018, one would find that the BJP faced a tough situation in Gujarat, the home turf of Modi and Amit Shah. Though it came back to power, it got 16 seats less than the previous election. It also lost in Punjab.

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Hurdles many for BJP, yet high on hopes

MY CITY

The City Standard

When cinema halls closed down for 13 days So absorbed our we in the present

that we have started forgetting the sanctity that was associated with some solemn days. One of these days was the 30th of January, 1948 when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. I distinctly remember that day-rather that gloomy afternoon when we heard the news and suddenly it did seem that there was darkness everywhere.

Newspapers did come out with special evening bulletins because in those days there was no TV and radios were found in very few houses because there wasn’t any radio station in Allahabad.

We would tune in to AIR Delhi for the latest news. It was fairly late in the night that the identity of the assassin was revealed. He turned out to be a Maharashtrian-Nathu Ram Godse. Till then people were speculating what would happen if the killer was a Punjabi. Would the Punjabis be shunted out of Allahabad? What if the killer was Muslim? There was panic among both the Punjabi refugees and the Muslims.

We keenly heard Nehrus’s broadcast at 8.30pm, ‘Friends , the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere…’ He too didn’t mention the identity of the killer. He had only referred to him as ‘a mad man…’

However, once the identity of the killer was known, things calmed down.

Two unprecedented mourning gestures were announced that day —which have never been repeated for anyone else on his or her demise. All the cinema halls of the city closed down for 13 days and All India Radio too played mournful music throughout that period of 13 days. How dull must have Allahabad become for 13 days with no cinema hall showing any movie!

Vishwambar Theatre was showing ‘Sindoor’ having a bold widow-remarriage theme and was drawing huge crowds.The film was abandoned midway when report about the Mahatma’s assassination spread like wild fire.

But the clamping of mournful music on AIR continuously for 13 days was indeed painfully astounding!

Between the playing of mournful tunes and vocals without tabla, we were served devotional songs ( bhajans)on the radio for nearly two weeks. The most popular song was by M.S.Subbulaxmi: ‘Hari tum haro jan ke bheer’. She was a south Indian classical singer. Why was she foisted on the north all of a sudden and that too from Gandhiji’s assassination-day onward?

There was a special reason for this.

Gandhiji wanted her to do that.

Essentially an expert in the field of Karnataka music, Subbulaximi (later Bharat Ratna)ventured into the Hindi music domain after she was inspired to do so by no less a person than Mahatma Gandhi. Subbulaxmi’s south Indian devotional songs had appealed deeply to the Mahatma who had said that when she sang there was a glimpse of the divine in her music. She and her husband had called on the Mahatma in September 1947, perhaps in the last week. Gandhiji was very perturbed in those days. The partition of the country had almost shattered him. And the partition riots had shaken him up badly. In such circumstances the appearance of Subbulaxmi must have given him some respite as she represented a personality that was dedicated to the cause of music and through music to reach the unreachable Almighty. It was in this meeting that Gandhiji casually told her: `Why have you confined yourself to Carnatak music. Why don’t you sing Meera’s bhajans?’. Subbulaxmi was deeply touched by this request. Yes, why not Meera ? she thought. On reaching Madras, she started working on Gandhiji’s advice; and lo and behold ! Her gift for the Mahatma on his birthday was ready. Subbulaxmi recorded two songs on a 78 RPM disc of the HMV and carried the gramophone record all the way to Mahatma

Gandhi’s camp. There she presented him the first copy of the record on his birthday-Oct 2, 1947. On the label was mentioned specifically, `Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan’. I have that record.

The song was `Hari tum haro jan ke bheer’. On the other side of the disc was another Bhajan of Meera, `Pyaare darshan dijo aye, tum bin raha na jae’.

Till then, only Juthika Roy had been singing Meera Bai’s bhajans. And she too had done a wonderful job. But Juthika Roy sang them in fast rhythm whereas Subbulaxmi recorded them in the exact mood in which Meera might have rendered them. In both these songs no tabla was played. Why that was so I cannot say. Probably she thought that when Meera Bai composed them, she must have rendered those verses in solitude, all by herself and to herself. Where then could there be any tabla around ? But Juthika Roy rendered them musically and befittingly too. That is why her recordings carried full orchestra with attractive rhythmic accompaniments. But you listen to Subbulaxmi rendering `Hari tum haro jan ke bheer’ and you will find none of the rhythmic frills. It was a rendering straight from the heart, conveying the core feelings of pain suffered by Meera while rendering those lines.

All India Radio (till then it had not assumed the additional name of Akashvan) has a tradition that when mournful music is played for the first day there is no `tabla’ in the songs presented. On the second and third day of the 3-day mourning, rhythmic music is played. When this tradition started I know not. But when Gandhiji was assassinated on Jan 30, 1948, and AIR plunged into a 13-day period of mourning ( not observed for anyone else subsequently), the perfect song that they got to play over and over again was Subbulaxmi’s `Hari tum haro jan ke bheer’. This record was daily played umpteen number of times

by AIR Delhi which was the most widely listened-to station in the country. It need hardly be emphasized that in those days there were very few radio stations in the country. In UP we had only Lucknow. Allahabad came a year later on the AIR map. There were limited number of radios too as these were costly, they carried an annual license fee of Rs.15 and only the powerful sets could catch Delhi from here on the short-wave. So what Delhi broadcast was the national broadcast. For 13 days Subbulaxmi’s this one Bhajan scored over the rest. Whenever I listen to it, the original one, I cannot help recalling those tragic moments when on the afternoon of Jan.30, 1948, we could not see the sunshine but only darkness everywhere.

Now I will narrate a sidelight.

When the song, ‘Suno suno ai duniya walo Bapu ki yeh amar kahani’ was released, I mugged it by heart. We had a book in Hindi(elementary) in High School titled, ‘Bapu’. So I answered all questions as I could give the replies based on the lyrics of the song I knew by heart.. The teacher called me, pulled my ears and asked, ‘Why have you written “Ardhangi” for ‘Ardhangini’? I told him, Sir, In that song a line comes wherein it is said, ‘ Jail ke andar honi ne phir apna teer chalaya, …Bapuji ki ardhangi ko ant bulawa aya’. The teacher flared up. ‘ That is wrong’. Later on I learnt that the mistake had crept in because the lyricist was ignorant about the correct word. And why did that happen? An elder told me: ‘Easy—those fellows are Punjabis. They mispronounce Hindi words’. I checked up and found that to be correct. The lyricist was Rajinder Krishna- a Punjabi; the music directors were Husanlal Bhagat Raam—Punjabis again. And the singer was Mohd Rafi—also a Punjabi.

Above all—I too happened to be a Punjabi!

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CULTURAL KUMBH

Random Thoughts : RAMBLER MEMORIES OF BAPU’S ASSASSINATION

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

Saints gave message of weaving nation into thread of unity PRAYAGRAJ Under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh Rajshri Tandon Open University (UPRTOU), Prayagraj in association with Government of India and Uttar Pradesh Cultural Department organised 'Sarv Samaveshi Sanskriti Kumbh' (All Inclusive Cultural Kumbh) in divine & grand way.

Thousands of saints belonging to different cults and sects, who have arrived here from various states, expressed their views on 'Sadravipra Bahuda Vadanti Dheyay Vakya'. The event kicked off with illumination of lamps, Ganesh vandana and haribhajan.

Medical & Health Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Siddharth Nath Singh participated in the function and said, "Learned seers & saints who have arrived here to attend all inclusive cultural Kumbh have assembled at the function to unite the society under a common thread. Our aim is to ensure social unity and strengthening nation by bringing people of different culture residing in India under a roof."

Vice Chancellor of UPRTOU, Kameshwar Singh welcomed the guests and saints. "All inclusive Cultural Kumbh is providing us the knowledge on how to lead life. There are different geographical conditions, sects and cults from Himalaya to Indian Ocean but our nation is one," he said.

Jagat Guru Swami Hansdevacharya while presiding over the function said, "Holding cultural Kumbh will usher a new era and script history. This is a historic occasion, which will go a long way in spreading the message of brotherhood in the society and people will learn a lot from the views and experience narrated by saints."

Learned speaker, Bhaiyaji Joshi gave vote of thanks and expressed gratitude towards Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath for providing support in every step of the way in organising this function and said that is the fifth ideological Kumbh of saints.

Here there is an exhibition, which provides glimpse of life messages by great personalities. This exhibition is

inspiring and motivating people.

Yog guru Swami Ramdev appealed for a putting a lid on the growing menace of smoking and expressed inspiring thoughts on women empowerment. "We need to build our character on self-glory so that people around the globe should emulate us."

Govind Giri said that the soul of India resides in Vedas. Our rivers and culture is attracting the entire world.

Mahamandaleshwar

Awdheshanand said, "India has extensive thoughts on truth. There is perception around the globe that world is a market but in India, we regard whole Earth as a family.

Swami Chidanand Saraswati said, "All inclusive cultural Kumbh has given a new direction to this world's largest religious congregation. Vice Chancellor of Central Tibet University, Riv Konchi said, "Indian culture is all about non-violence and satisfaction, which has given birth to

all religions and sects." Jagadguru Vasudevanand Saraswati said, "there are several ways of worship and different literature but our Indian culture wishes for the prosperity of the entire world."

Kamalmuni Jain, Jitendraji Maharaj, Sadhvi Prachi, Satyaspalji Maharaj, Priyamvada, Umesh Nath Valmiki, Dr. Vijay Ram and several other saints gave the message of ideological unity through their meaningful and inspiring thoughts.

CHASING LIGHT AT THE KUMBH Leading photographers share pro tips and guides to help you get the best shots at the Kumbh Mela PRAYAGRAJ: It is the largest human gathering in the world, drawing millions of devotees, onlookers and pilgrims over the course of eight weeks.

The Kumbh Mela, currently underway in Prayagraj (Allahabad), rotates between the cities Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain over a 12-year cycle. Back in 2013 (the last time the Kumbh was in Prayagraj), the social media landscape was very different and photographs from the colourful event came largely from magazines and news outlets.

Today, search for #KumbhMela2019 on Instagram, and you will find tens of thousands of stunning photographs, many of them from recreational shutterbugs on the 'gram. Photo tours timed to coincide with the auspicious dips in the river Ganges (the next one is on February 4) also abound.

If you are looking to capture some of the colour, crowds and splendour at the Kumbh this year, here are some tips from photographers who have been there, done that. Plus, a round-up of apps to help you take the best photos, and guided tours so you can ace your Insta-game.

Weapons used by Naga seers to protect 'Sanatan dharma' drawing huge crowds STAFF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ The weapons used by Naga seers and Hath yogis to protect the 'Sanatan dharma' which are over 2,000 years old, are drawing huge crowds to the akhara's cams during the ongoing Kumbh Mela here. Some of these belong to the Pre-historic times and the weapons included Trishul (trident), pharsa (axes), swords, bows and arrows and chimta (tongs) that were used by the saints centuries ago .

Mahant Suman Giri of Juna akhara said devotees arriving at the akhara and seeking blessings were keen to know about the history of the weapons. They were surprised

when told that some of these weapons date back to the tenure of emperor Ashok.

Ascetics carried these ancient weapons whenever they went and would be seen by devotees the Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh Mela only, said Giri. City based religious scholar Pandit Ram Naresh Tripathi said as per Hindu mythology, Naga seers were responsible for guarding sanatan dharma ever since Adi Shankaracharya established the akharas. Of all the seers of the 13 akharas, Naga saints were the only ones who were armed and their camps were also known as chhavni. Naga Saints had fought several battles against intruders using these weapons for protection of sanatan dharma. The Hindu mythology explained that these weapons were always needed to safeguard the dharma, he maintained.

Shemaroo Bhakti Mela inaugurated OUR CORRESPONDENT PRAYAGRAJ Mayor, Abhilasha Gupta 'Nandi' inaugurated Shemaroo Bhakti Mela at Tulsi Marg Crossing, sector 15 by cutting ribbon. Shemaroo Mela, an initiative by Shemaroo Entertainment Mumbai aims to delve devotees in devotion by offering a myriad range of services including religious gathering, historical inheritance of India, religious & cultural heritage, stotra aarti and bhajan aarti via You Tube app. It will also provide an opportunity for online visit of popular temples and platform to hear & watch bhagwat katha. Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd is in the field of entertainment for the past 50 years and satiating the devotional needs of people by broadcasting nearly 250 documentaries. They have made documentaries of all 20 sectors of Kumbh Mela area and are available on You Tube. Mayor, Abhilasha Gupta 'Nandi' said, "this religious program will increase devotion among people by leaps and bounds. Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd has organised Bhakti Mela for lakhs of devotees thronging Kumbh area.

In the mela, people will get the unique opportunity to view religious movies and watch Bhagwat Katha by Bhajan Sandhya Maharaj (Ayodhya). This is the world's largest religious gathering and religious, cultural & historical heritage of India, which is visited by people from across the globe." Various information including religious significance of Kumbh, main bathing days, rituals to be performed, arrangement of stay & dates of shahi snan are connected with mobile calendar & available on You Tube.

The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store by giving a missed call on 8824022011.

Swachhagrahis take out awareness rally on Voter's Day STAFF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ With the aim of realizing the concept of Swachh Kumbh-Swasthya Kumbh (Clean & Healthy Kumbh), under Swachhh Bharat Mission (Rural), 1500 Swachhagrahis are being deployed at 20 sectors in a sprawling Kumbh Mela area of 3200 hectares. They are working under the guidance of Chief Development Officer (CDO), who informed that Voter Awareness Rally was taken out on January 25 by Swachhagrahis in all 20 sectors of the mela area. Devotees arriving at mela area were inspired and motivated to exercise their right vote, the move was appreciated by devotees.

On the occasion of 70th Republic Day, following the instructions of CDO, national tricolour flag was hoisted at the residential localities of Swachhagrahis in sector 4, 7, 10, 13, 17 & 19 and constitutional oath was administered to them for maintaining unity & integrity at all places, inspiring voters and ensuring sanitary & hygiene in Kumbh Mela area. Later, Swachhagrahis took out the rally with the banner of clean Kumbh. They also raised the slogans of Swachh Kumbh, Bhavya Kumbh.

To ensure cleanliness in sprawling Kumbh Mela area and Ganga river, Swachhagrahis played cleanliness song, raised slogans and spread the message of sanitation. To raise the morale of sanitary workers, District Panchayat Raj Officer was also present on the occasion. Swachhagrahis are making exemplary contribution in keeping the mela area clean.

Annaprashan, baby showers & b'day parties held at exhibition of CDN Dept OUR CORRESPONDENT PRAYAGRAJ Child Development & Nutrition Department (CDN Dept, Uttar Pradesh is holding baby showers and birthday parties in Kumbh Mela area. Special Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Government, Gaya Prasad visited the exhibition premises of Information Department and viewed 48 different dishes prepared by aanganwadis at the stall of Child Development & Nutrition Department, which is to be distributed among kids and pregnant women. He started the noble initiative by feeding kids of labourers and pregnant women.

Gaya Prasad said that kids of labourers & sanitary workers are being given cereals & kheer under annaprashan (first food feeding ceremony). Their birthday parties are also celebrated by cutting cakes. Baby shower rituals of pregnant women are also being organised at the stall by aanganwadi activists. Birthday party of a kid, Prince was held by cutting cake at Labour Colony of Kumbh Mela area.

Similarly, annaprashan (first food feeding ceremony) of Urmila Devi's kid, Lucky was held by offering cereals & kheer and baby shower ceremony of Suman Kumari organised at Labour Colony in sector 2.

He further added that kids under six years of age are being weighed and nutritious items are distributed to them. There are no malnourished kids in the mela area. We are giving adequate attention towards the health of mothers

and their kids.

Senior commandant of CISF, NK Verma, Assistant Director, Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India, Jai Singh, former district food grain marketing officer, Ram Aasrey, district program officer, Manoj Rao, CDPO, aanganwadi activists and beneficiaries were present on the occasion.

Need to create awareness about pollution of river Ganga PRAYAGRAJ

Prof DN Shukla, secretary of Ganga Evam Yamuna Jal Pradushan Nivaran Pradarshini Evam Prakarti Sancharan said that it is the responsibility of each an every segment of society to create awareness about the pollution of river Ganga and contribute to ensure clean Ganga.

Interacting with the people who came to witness to exhibition on river Ganga and Yamuna, Prof Shukla said that he had putting up the exhibition since 1980's with the aim to create awareness among the masses about the pollution of river Ganga. He said that Ganga is not just a river but it is our Mother, that is why it is known as Mother Ganges. It gives life to millions to people who reside on the banks of river Ganga and provides a soul stirring effect to those who take a dip in river Ganga. Hence, it is our prime responsibility to ensure "Pure Ganga, Aviral Ganga" and desist from polluting it.

MY CITY

The City Standard

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

SAFETY IN EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

Securing devotees in miniature model of Hindu civilization CHIEF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ To manage the massive floating crowd at the temporary Mela district spread across 3,200 hectares (32 sq km), compared to 1,900 hectare-wide Mela area of 2013, an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) has been set up, which includes two command and control centres with four viewing centres and 20 video wall cubes, which are connected with 1,135 CCTV cameras installed at 268 locations.

To man the ICCC, 120 viewing operators and 30 call centre operators have been engaged. This integrated ICCC will help manage the crowd, maintain heightened surveillance and secure the area in case of any emergency.

THERE WERE ONLY 85 CCTV CAMERAS SET UP DURING THE 2013 MAHA KUMBH FOR SURVEILLANCE: This edition of the Mela has been secured with the deployment of several special forces like the National Security Guard (NSG), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and the Uttar Pradesh AntiTerrorism Squad (ATS), apart from more than 30,000 personnel of UP Police, 20 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), 54 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), 10 companies of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), 6,000 Home Guards, 15 teams of dog squads and more than 20 companies of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and Anti-Sabotage squad, according to the Prayagraj Mela Authority.

The security arrangement in

the 2013 Maha Kumbh involved 12,461 UP Police personnel, 46 companies of PAC, 40 companies of central paramilitary forces, and 30 police stations.

The Kumbh Mela district this year has been divided into four police lines, which incorporate 40 police stations, three female police stations and 62 police outposts,

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system has also been introduced to track and trace vehicles entering the Mela district.

More than 2,000 digital signboards spread across the Mela area will inform people about traffic congestion, guide through various routes and warn of emergency situ-

mock drill at the tent city was conducted by the ATS commandos on 12 January.

Prepared for the worst The Prayag Mela Authority also mentions that a disaster management plan has been developed in consultation with experts, State Disaster Management Authority and all departments working on

Prayagraj from various cities, including New Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Bhopal, Dehradun, Indore, Bengaluru, Ahmadabad, and Lucknow has also been started after a new civil airport was developed at the Bamrauli Air Force Base earlier last year.

The Uttar Pradesh government has made massive investments to

apart from 40 fire stations. Of the total budget of Rs 4,236 crore approved for the Ardh Kumbh 2019, Rs 84.8 crore had been allotted for construction, development and renovation work of police stations and hostels for the personnel.

As many as 40 watchtowers have been set up for surveillance and quick response teams (QRT) have been deployed to cover the entire expanse of the Mela area. Jal (water) police have also pressed three units in service while mounted police have been deployed to control and guide the crowd.

Anticipating a larger congregation of pilgrims and tourists this time, real-time video analytics will be used to manage the areas where crowd swells and 54 holding areas for crowd control have been set up.

ations.

Dial 100 service of UP Police will be available at all hours with a fleet of 50 four-wheeler vehicles and 200 two-wheeler vehicles. This is expected to bring the response time below five minutes in any case of emergency.

Terror alert Intelligence sleuths, based on the interrogation of youths arrested in terror-related cases in the past, suspect that terrorists - either from the city or those with good knowledge of the topography of the city and that of the Mela area - will try to create disturbances during the Kumbh Mela. Acting on these inputs, the state government has involved the UP ATS, which has deployed two units of 54 commandos each to guard the Mela area. A

Kumbh Mela 2019.

During the last Maha Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad in 2013, the lack of smart surveillance gadgets and other crowd management systems was certainly felt when on 10 February, 2013, the day of Mauni Amavasya, a stampede broke out at the Prayag railway station killing 42 people and injuring more than 45. The Mela Authority, in order to prevent such untoward incidents this time, have opted for digital signboards, and set up the ICCC to manage the crowd.

The UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has introduced more than 500 buses to bring pilgrims to the Mela district from the Prayagraj town and railway stations. Air connectivity to

facilitate this most sacred of Hindu pilgrimages. An area of 3,200 hectares along the banks of Yamuna and Ganga has been taken over, divided in nearly a score of administrative zones where officials are on duty to ensure all arrangements. A parallel township has been created with 1,500 'premium' tents and night shelters, and 1,22,500 toilets. An effective sewerage system has been laid out in the entire township and its flow is taken to a nearby sewage treatment plant (STP) to prevent any dirty discharge in the river. The government has also capped some drainage systems that have been discharging toxic effluents in the rivers.

The place where devotees take the holy dip at the sangam has been effectively fenced and its water

level is maintained at four feet or below. Its fence is bookended by nets in order to fish out anyone who might happen to drift towards depths. In essence, the government has pulled all its sinews to ensure a seamless celebration of the Kumbh which hosts the biggest gathering of humans on the earth. Given the complexities involved in it, the Kumbh is no doubt the toughest administrative challenge.

That the Kumbh Mela is the greatest leveller becomes apparent if one looks at the scale of the human participation and heightened spirituality. There is a possibility that a privileged few may have found a better access through official contacts, they do not seem as contented as those who have travelled thousands of miles and walked on foot and took a holy dip to satiate their spiritual quest. It goes to the credit of the herculean efforts by the administration that these ordinary devotees find their trekking to the sacred spot at the confluence better managed than in the past.

The Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh Mela of 2019 will be on till 4 March. More and more devotees will arrive here, looking forward to cleanse their sins with a Kumbh dip. Apart from the holy bath, they will have an opportunity to do a darshan of grand Ganga aarti, watch Ram Lila or a 'laser show' on the history of the Kumbh. There is an amusement park, planned sangam walks and heritage walks, virtual reality kiosks and yes, a selfie point.

Soaking in the Kumbh, they will have come face-to-face with a veritable microcosm of real India where faith and religiosity is hardly confined to a straitjacketed notion.

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Array of patriotic events held at cultural stage of Info Dept PRAYAGRAJ Patriotic cultural programs were organised at UP Sanskritik Samvad Manch (UP Cultural Dialogue Stage) of Information & Public Relation Department on the occasion of Republic Day. Popular folk singer, Pratima Yadav of Ambedkarnagar presented song, dance & Batohiya song showcasing the glory of India, which enthralled the audiences. Policies, schemes, welfare programs of UP & Central government were propagated among public through song, which left everyone mesmerised and craving for more. Saraswati Seva Sansthan presented program on cleanliness, Mohd. Hanif of Prayas Bhajan Mandal presented bhajan on national integrity.

Dhirendra Magic Group on dowry, Lok Kala Kendra performed magical program to raise awareness on female infanticide and Dwarika Nautanki Mandali presented various programs on national integrity by performing puppet show.

Audiences remain glued to their seats till night to view these programs.

Meeting of Regional Rajbhasha Implementation UP Board commencing from Feb 7 Committee organized at CORE STAFF REPORTER

STAFF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ A meeting of Regional Rajbhasha Implementation Committee was organized in the makeshift office of Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE) at Kumbh nagri here on Thursday under the chairmanship of its General Manager Ratan Lal. In his presidential address, the General Manager said that it is a pleasant coincidence that we all got an opportunity to get together to discuss about the dissemination of the official language in Kumbh nagari Allahabad. A few days ago, on January 10, World Hindi Day was observed worldwide. In this way we were moving forward in a direction to get the Hindi Language recognition on the national level. He urged everyone that whatever decisions are taken in the meeting, they should be implemented in a practical manner. Earlier, Chief Rajbhasha Officer and Principal Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer Vinod Kumar Verma welcomed all present officials said that this was the first meeting on banks of Sangam during the ongoing Kumbh meal which commenced from the Makar Sankranti san on January 15. Officers and delegates from Regional Offices should enjoy the hues of this fair as the use of the official language in the fair, along with religious and spiritual social significance, provided a pleasant feeling, he added. Prominent among those present on the occasion included Alok Gupta, Chief Administrative Officer, Satyak Prakash, Principal Chief Engineer, DK Gupta, Chief Financial Advisor (Storage), R. S. Mina, Co-Head, Security Commissioner and Deputy Chairman , and contact officer (Official Language) of all departments and representative. The meeting was conducted by the Senior Official Language Officer and Member Secretary- Sunila Yadav and a vote of thanks was proposed by Akash, deputy chief Rajbhasha officer.

PRAYAGRAJ

Railways decides to run semi high speed train T-18 in every 6 hours PRAYAGRAJ: Passengers travelling between Prayagraj and Delhi could not reach either destinations in just 6.30 hours as the Railways has decided to run the semi high speed train T-18 which has been named 'Vande Bharat Express' from February onwards.

According to railway officials, the train will be run between Delhi and Varanasi with halts at Allahabad and Kanpur junction during its trip. As per the railways' decision the train will leave Delhi at 6:00 am and reach Kanpur at 10:20 am Prayagraj at 12.25 pm and Varanasi at 2:00 pm.

On the return journey, the train will depart from Varanasi at 3:00 pm and reach Allahabad at 4.35 pm. It will reach Kanpur at 6:30 pm and Delhi at 11:00 pm. Other superfast trains like Prayagraj Express, Duronto and Humsafar Express took over 8 hours to reach Delhi from Allahabad. T-18 would cover the distance between the two destinations in 6:30 hours, said Public Relations officer (PRO) of NCR, Manish Singh.

Railway taking extra precaution to avoid any untoward incident for Mauni Amavasya PRAYAGRAJ: In view of huge turnout of pilgrims that is expected to visit Prayagraj on Mauni Amavasya on February 4, the biggest bathing day of Kumbh Mela, the railway is taking extra precaution to avoid any untoward incident.

During Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013, at least 60 people had died in a stampede which took place at Allahabad Junction on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. Public Relations officer North Central Railway (NCR) Manish Singh said one of the most important steps which the railway had taken this time was barring the entry of pilgrims from Civil Lines side of Allahabad Junction. This was not done on Mauni Amavasya in 2013. Pilgrims would be given entry from the city side of the junction only. They would not be allowed to go directly towards the platforms. They would be allowed to go to platforms from their enclosures only when special trains of their destinations arrived, he added.

He said the number of special trains had been doubled as compared to the last Kumbh for the convenience of pilgrims. The main highlight of the preparation was the decision to run special trains on time. This would help authorities is to ensure that pilgrims board trains on time and vacate the enclosures for others, Singh added.

The PRO also said that foot over bridge (FOB) connecting the City and Civil Lines sides of the junction had also been widened for the convenience of pilgrims. During the last MahaKumbh, the width of the FOB was just 6m but it had now been widened up to 12m. This would help pilgrims to move on the FOB easily, he pointed out.

Examinations of the Secondary Education Council, Uttar Pradesh will start on February 7.

For the first time, examinations of 10th and 14th exams will be completed in just 16 days. This time Police Duty will not be put inside the examination center.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Dinesh Sharma said that the attempt was made to conduct board examinations in less time and in a transparent manner since last year. The exam was completed in a month. In this short time, arrangements have been made to complete the examination.

The high school examination will begin on February 7 and will be completed on 28 February ie 14th of February.

Intermediate examination will be done in 16 working days and will end on 02 March.

915846 examinees decreased compared to last year Dr. Sharma said that compared to 2018, 509933 in High School examination in 2019 and Intermediate examination 405913 total 915848 candidates have been reduced.

Examination centers have

been set up for 409 states, 3372 serviced and 4573 non-financed 8354 examination centers. The number of examination centers in the year 2011-2016 was 11514, compared to the previous year's 195 less examination centers.

CCTV and Voice Recorder will stop copying CCTV and voice recorders will be installed to prevent duplication of sensitive and highly sensitive examination centers.

448 highly sensitive and 1314 sensitive examination centers are marked.

Complain on upboardexam2019@gmail.com Email and What's Ape Group for information related to examinations have been prepared. The general public will be able to give any kind of information related to the examination upboardexam2019@gmail.com on the mail ID. Control room has also been set up in the council office for information. It will work 24 hours.

The control room number is 0532-2622767, 2623182 and 2623139. Cannot answer rants in answer sheets. Dr. Sharma told that arrangements for numbered answer sheets are provided for all the districts for the prevention of duplication and answer papers.

According to the number of

registered examiners, a total of 043.7 million answer papers will be prepared and sent to the districts. The candidate will write the answer booklet's answer and his serial number on all the answers pages. Entrance letters have been sent to the districts.

Number of exams for external states dropped due to duplication Since strictly in the examination of 2018, there has been a huge reduction in the number of test takers coming to the UP board examination from outside states. In the year 2017 examination, the number of such test takers was 150209, 112891 in 2018 and now in 2019 this number has gone up to 6595.

- 37 subjects in Highschool examination, 36 subjects written and ethical sports and physical education examination at school level -Intermediate has 106 subjects, 269 specimen papers are prescribed, written examination of 105 subjects. It includes 41 trades of business education - 4 crore 37 lakh notebooks are being prepared for the exam - To prevent caps change, the candidate will write his serial number on every page of the answer sheet. -The test result will be announced by April 30.

Priyanka's daring debut in politics holds promise, challenges RAJEEV RANJAN MISHRA PRAYAGRAJ The grand old party has finally got its leader, feels Dr. Rakesh Mishra, MD, who runs a pathology laboratory in Prayagraj. "Sanjivani hai Congress ki," he remarked, adding "People see Indira Gandhi when they look at Priyanka because she appears to be a more mature politician than Rahul Gandhi and the manner in which she talks to people, she is able to establish a connect with the people which is missing in Rahul," said Dr. Mishra.

Dr. Rakesh Mishra, 55, is not the only one with such views in this holy city where the world famous Kumbh Mela is going on. "Congress has found the new Indira Gandhi, her face is disturbing all political parties. Congress is going to benefit from her arrival in the political stage. She is being compared to Indira Gandhi; people feel their leader has come back," said Siddharth Tiwari, a 40-year-old district court lawyer. He believes two controversial issues -demonetization and the way the goods and services tax was rolled out-will work against Modi's and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections.

This gushing first response is a cause for elation in the Congress but it also brings concernnot just for the BJP but, ironically, the Congress

party too. While the injection of a high-profile personality in the campaign could galvanize the Congress cadres and make it that much harder for the BJP, the popular enthusiasm could also pose a distraction for the leadership of Congress party president Rahul Gandhi.

The mystique: Even though the appointment comes at a time when the Congress under Rahul Gandhi is on an unprecedented high after vanquishing the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the popularity of Priyanka and curiosity among voters is growing -and that's even before she holds a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh. The first public meeting of Priyanka is expected to be in Lucknow on 10 February when she launches the Congress's Uttar Pradesh campaign along with her brother Rahul Gandhi.

"The Congress has worked for the people but the problem is Rahul Gandhi doesn't connect with the voters, not many people take Rahul Gandhi seriously. Priyanka is different, she inspires hope," said 21-year-old Nalini Gupta, a first year commerce student at Allahabad University.

"Priyanka Gandhi is the Mesiah of Congress because people feel that she has the political acumen and personality to take on Modi, besides, she can inspire because she resembles her grandmother," feels Mr. Ravindra Ojha who runs a bullion shop in the city. He fur-

ther said that not only for the Congress supporters, but for all those voters who are not with the BJP, Priyanka comes as a beacon of hope, adding that she is the saviour, the one leader who can fight against the BJP nationally."

Expectations are running high in a party that has been reduced to a fringe player at the moment-managing to win only in Rae Bareli and Amethi in the 16th general election. This is exactly why regional heavyweights, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), left the Congress out of a statelevel alliance.

The state unit of the Congress party believe that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's appointment could script a revival for the party.

"We feel that the self-belief of common Congress workers is back after the decision.

Priyanka Gandhi will focus only on eastern UP; this kind of focused attention was missing for long. In 2009 general elections Congress had won 21 seats, out of which 13 seats were from east Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is coming to eastern Uttar Pradesh because she knows that Congress has a good chance of repeating its 2009 Lok Sabha polls performance. We want her to not just campaign but also contest elections from Prayagraj," said a local senior Congress leader. He quipped that by making eastern Uttar Pradesh a prestige contest between the Congress and BJP, the party can upset PM Modi's national campaign.

However, the arrival of another member of the Gandhi clan poses the risk of splitting the opposition vote.

The Modi factor: On the hand many

like,Vinod Tiwari are of the opinion that the single biggest achievement of Modi is that he has successfully managed to change the agenda of the elections, both national and assembly.

"Earlier people were only talking about electricity, water and security but now there is discussion about jobs and rural distress. ," said, the 50-year-old general store owner.

There is a section of voters who feel Modi's charisma and the work done by state and central BJP governments will eclipse Gandhi Vadra's appeal. They speak about the recent public works and the beautification undertaken by Modi and Yogi in Prayagraj, particularly the construction of roads and crossings, cleaning of the Ghats or banks of Ganga, and improvements in the power situation, sanitation and law and order.

UP is important for the BJP as the party and its allies won 73 out of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats. The gamble to get Modi contest from Varanasi paid off for the BJP as it ended up dominating the region.

"There is no competition. The PM's popularity and the work done by the Central and State governments will be the key for us. These people have nothing else so they want to showcase caste, religion and personality," said Dr. Narendra Kumar Singh Gaur, former UP Minister and in-charge of six Lok Sabha constituencies.

CITIFIED

The City Standard

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

4

KanjKiri kicks off zero profit Container-Five Star SJC holds annual exhibition Hotel Tent City Kumbh for discerning pilgrims 2019 - Creative Quest OUR CORRESPONDENT

STAFF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ The KumbhMela is going on at the TriveniSangam in Prayagraj formerly known as Allahabad. A pilgrimage of faith, the mela draws crores of devotees from all over the world, who come to wash away their past sins, by taking a holy dip in the sacred river at Sangam Ghat. Ducks, cormorants, egrets, herons, Siberian cranes and black headed gulls from Ladakh feed on crumbs thrown by pilgrims. It is a bird watchers paradise. Kumbh is also a paradise for photographers and explorers. Kumbh gives insight into the spiritual life of Sadhus, Nagas, Aghoris, and Akharas along with the pristine beauty of nature.

Capture the grandeur of religion and ancient tradition in the land where the souls of a million people converge into one in the sacred land and waters of the Kumbh - a unique manifestation of Indian culture and values like ahimsa, sanatan dharma (eternal order) and the sterling faith of devotees. It is unique, impressive, extravagant by its sheer size, organisational capabilities and spirituality.

With that in mind, rest assured that you will be sharing space with thousands of people from all walks of life.

Therefore, it is wise to have some safety and precautionary tips handy before proceeding to experience one of the largest gatherings around the world.

The hosting city gets jam

packed during the mela and finding a decent place to rest your head becomes an issue.

Guess what this year' snazziest attraction is? No, we aren't talking about the babas.

It's the KanjKiri ContainerTent City Kumbh that has

taste & preferences of even the most discerning customers and ensures a pleasurable & memorable stay in every step of the way.

Inspired by the social aspect of KumbhMela, bunkhouse units display unique elements

erected. So, if you are looking forward to visit Kumbh Mela without compromising on your comfort level, we offer luxurious bunkhouse arrangement for the discerning pilgrims to the Kumbh Mela on Arail road. There are

been creating a lot of buzz.

Always book your stay in advance from trustworthy accommodation providers such as KanjKiri ContainerTent City Kumbhby Kiri& Company to avoid being stranded in the Kumbh crowd.

Are you looking to experience spiritualism and divine grandeur of world's largest religious gathering? If yes, then you need not go anywhere else. As you have already arrived at the right place - KanjKiri ContainerTent City Kumbh provides luxurious steel frame portable bunkhouse units (Porta Cabins) to suit the

of life, spirituality, jubilation and the age-old legacy of human congregation at the Kumbh.

Chairman, Kiri& Company, Lalit Kumar Kiri said, "From providing basic amenities to world-class hospitality, the authorities are on war footing to ensure that the KumbhMela becomes a precedent to follow. Hosting the Mela, Prayagraj has been decked up to provide premium services for accommodation to those who want to take pilgrimage with a tinge of luxury and in this bid, a 'KanjKiri Container-Tent City Kumbh' comprising of luxurious tents has been

124 bunkhouses of five different categories. We have been roped in to provide pilgrims an once-in-a-lifetime experience. The venue will be an amalgamation of various Vedic rituals and heritage."

Claiming that he is inspired by innovative idea of PM Narendra Modi & CM Yogi Adhtyanath, Chairman, Kiri & Company, Lalit Kumar Kiri opined, "The Kumbh Mela is graced by millions of devotees who travel to the pilgrim centre from all cultures and walks of life to take the holy dip at the sacred 'Triveni Sangam'. Depicting this spirit of Kumbh and syn-

Digital exhibition to showcase cultural, spiritual & bio diversity of Ganga River STAFF REPORTER

ergising it with our belief of transforming India through transforming lives, we found it opportune to connect with international & domestic pilgrims by showcasing our homage to the city /the festival by providing glorious accommodation. With quality being nerve centre of all our actions you can stay rest assured of getting excellent accommodations with unique features and grand eminence all the way. We have successfully established these accommodations in Rajasthan & recreating the same aura & grandeur in Kumbh."

Elaborating the salient features of bunkhouses, which makes them stand apart from the rest include: Completely secured with key-lock system, safety from harsh weather, rain, storm and fire, houses all amenities of luxury hotel like AC, TV, riding table, bed lamp, side table, electronic kettle, room heater, almirah, geyser (warm water 24x7), smoke detector, metal framework to ensure safety from natural calamities, luxury toilet/bathroom attached to rooms, serve pure vegetarian food in eco-friendly stoneware crockery. The chefs are from different regions including north India, south India, Gujarat, West Bengal and Rajasthan. Trained caterers, room service men, luxurious dining hall and special preparation for maintaining top notch sanitary & hygiene arrangements round the clock.

And the best part of all‌provision of Rajasthan folk dance every evening to enthral and mesmerize the guest.

For foolproof safety fire brigade dept gears up with advanced firefighting bikes

PRAYAGRAJ

STAFF REPORTER

'Namami Gange Programme', kicked off in 2015 to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of river Ganga.

Namami Gange Digital Exhibition is being organised in sector 1 to spread awareness among public about the cultural & spiritual significance of river Ganga.

Communication Expert, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Atharva Raj informed that Namami Gange Digital Exhibition is serving as an excellent platform to spread awareness through digital films about the need to clean & conserve Ganga. "Via NamamiGangeDigital Exhibition, we are providing no-holds-barred information about clean Ganga fund, Ganga Vichaar Manch, bio diversity, Ganga conservation program, sewage project, industrial pollution control program, river front development program, historical and mythological significance of river Ganga.

The exhibition is also serving as a medium to exhibit the importance of Ganga River in daily life and to ensure bio diversity. Variety is the spice of life! And a visit to digital exhibition will make visitors come across different kinds of stalls. Different programs are explained in detail at these stalls. Under 'Jalaj' an initiative, trained Ganga police personnel's are being provided with elaborate details about Mobile Livelihood Centre in Varanasi. 'Jalaj' program also aims to aware people about the need to keep Ganga clean and conserve its bio diversity.

With the aim to connect common public with 'NamamiGange', a program 'Clean Ganga Fund' is being operated to ensure people's participation in Ganga conservation.

In addition, via NamamiGangeVichaarManch - government, non-government organisations and voluntary organisations are being connected with the program along with the participation of common people. Ganga VichaarManch also organises chaupaal, nukkadnatak and cultural programs.

PRAYAGRAJ "In bone-chilling temperatures that prevail during most of the KumbhMela period, sadhus, kalpavasis and other visitors depend majorly on campfires and wood-fired stoves to keep warm and cook. Blazing chillums and sadhus' dhunis are a common sight at the fair.

And with this wide use of organic fire, the risk of accidents at the religious congregation is high.

However, 920 fire brigade personnel's always remains on tenterhook to ensure security arrangements of devotees &kalpvasis. To rule out the possibility of fire incidents in mela area, the fire brigade department is ensuring optimum utilization of cutting edge technology & equipment. We are conducting adequate publicity measures for prevention and spreading awareness among masses for ensuring safety from fire in every step of the way," said Pramod Kumar Sharma, the chief fire officer (CFO) of the mela administration.

The administration has recently inducted a fleet of 63 Fire Petrolim Motorbike, which can reach the corners of the massive tent city faster than a fire tending vehicle, "The personnel riding these bikes have been trained to reach the sites of fires in no time. It will be very useful in the shoulder-rubbing lanes of

the KumbhMela, which are tough for tankers to navigate through," he said, adding that this will be the first time that fire tenders on bikes will be used at the fair.

He appealed public to extinguish matchstick, bidi&cigarette before throwing them away. Ensure participation in fire safety training. The tent city has been divided into nine zones and 20 sectors, and fire officers deployed at each of these sectors and zones will report to the CFO and the district magistrate of the Mela administration, Sharma said.

"We have tried to set up at least two fire stations in each sector, with each housing water tankers, MBFFS and an adequate number of firefighters," he added.The mela administration has installed more than 4,000 fire hydrants (a connection point for firefighters to tap into for water supply) across the tent city. Apart from this, LED signages are also being put up, Sharma said, adding that these variable boards will help guide people towards safe exit points in case of an accident and reduce the chances of a commotion at the mela ground.

"It is unfortunate that minor incidents of fire have been reported in the mela area. We are zeroing in on shopkeepers who have set up shops but failed to comply with fire safety norms. Strict action will be taken against them. We are spreading awareness among masses by staging nukkadnatak, pamphlets and loudspeakers.

PRAYAGRAJ On Friday, St. Joseph's College organised the 4th edition of the Annual Educational exhibition entitled Creative Quest where students from all classes participated with great rigor and excitement. The chief Guest was Professor M. M. Gore (Asst. Director MNNIT) and was accompanied by the Principal Rev. Fr. Rolfie D'Souza, the Vice Principal Rev. Fr. Joseph Sagayanathan, Administrator Mr. A. McGowan and the Chief Co-ordinator Mr. J. Dube.

The exhibition was a grand success where charts, models both working and non-working, Art and Craft were displayed by students from KG to Class XI students from the Junior Sections made beautiful exhibits and models where they showcased their talents and creativity Classes VI to XI also displayed models and charts both technical and non- technical in different subjects be it Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. It was amazing to see students displaying beautiful charts and models on History and Geography where some students displayed structure of Historical places and monuments. There were beautiful charts made by the Junior and Senior students on Social studies, Computer Science and English. Class IX and XI Commerce stream also displayed their talents by making informative charts on GST, Unemployment in India, Insurance etc. Class XIth Commerce students displayed an Auto Expo where cars of different Segments were displayed and students meticulously explained the contribution of the Automobile industry in Industrial Development and how automobile industry has grown in the last decade.

There was a live music show during the exhibition by the college band. St. Mary's Convent Allahabad and St. Anthony's Convent visited the College during the event and appreciated the efforts of all students and teachers for putting of a grand show. After a grand show St. Joseph's College set an example for everyone to follow when the students of the Red House took the Cleanliness Drive to the next level matching the vision of our Prime Minister Mr.NarendraModi of Clean India and Green India.

Annual Day function of Air Force School organised STAFF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ Annual Day of Air Force School, Bamrauli woven around the theme "PARAMPARA" was organised with grandeur. The Chief Guest, Air Commodore Shankar Srivastava, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Bamrauli and the Guest of Honour, Mrs Amita Srivastava President AFWWA (L) were received by Mrs T Chandravathy Vishnu, Principal Air Force School Bamrauli, along with the Head Boy and the Head Girl. The cultural evening began with the lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest.

Mrs T Chandravathy Vishnu, Principal, read the School Annual Report making the audience aware of school's achievements in the academic as well as in co-curricular arenas. The Chief Guest handed over the trophy for the "Best Senior Secondary School" among Air Force Schools of Central Air Command to the Principal Mrs. T. Chandravathy Vishnu. In his address to the students, he appreciated the show and motivated the students to work hard for achieving their goals.

ISC batch of 2019 bids adieu to IPEM International School STAFF REPORTER PRAYAGRAJ Staff and senior students of IPEM International School and College gathered at the Liddle Hall on Friday, February 1 to bid 'adieu' to the outgoing ISC batch of 2019. The events of the day were specially dedicated to reminiscing on countless happy memories, as seniors recalled their years spent at their beloved alma mater. The function was conducted by the students of Class XI, and included songs, memories and emotional speeches. Seniors were bestowed with titles based on their personalities.

The 'Mr. IPEM' title was given to Shivaang Singh, (Sports Captain) while PrakratiTiwari (Ms. Beauty on Duty) was named 'Miss IPEM'. School Captain for the 2018-19, MuskanSrivastava, was given the 'Student of The Year' title.

In his message, Director and Principal Dr. S.D. Liddle told students to believe in themselves and to keep the IPEM flag flying high. Additional Director Mrs. S. Liddle gave her blessings and encouraged the seniors to always strive for excellence. The event came to a close with personalized mementoes being presented to the class of 2019 by the Principal.

Why flying cars are impossible dream: Is dream getting closer!

ADITYA SINGH PRAYAGRAJ

Last week, aviation giant Boeing Co. tested its first flying car, the prototype of its autonomous passenger air vehicle completed a controlled takeoff, hover, and landing during the test.

"Propelled by electricity, the model is designed for fully autonomous flight, with a range of as much as 50 miles", Boeing said. Not only making a flying car a reality but also practical.

There is no bigger symbol as the futurism than the flying car.

However, the concept of flying automobile is nothing new. It's been around as long as the invention of the automobile. But why do people dream of the flying car when the airplane had already existed. Since the inception, aviation has always been dangerous, expensive and not for everyone.

Flying an aircraft requires extraordinary aptitude, in-depth technical knowledge with the expensive machine and ground infrastructure, whereas, a car is both

affordable and easy to operate.

But flight has always been a human's greatest dreams, the concept of driving and flying started mixing around. Human start looking for a personal vehicle, which is both flyable and roadable, that provides door-to-door transportation by both ground and air and is as affordable as the road car.

Attempts were made to build a flying car, in 1917, Aviation pioneer Glenn Curtis attempt to build a road able aircraft called "Curtiss Auto-plane" was capable of lifting off the ground, and it never achieved full flight.

Automobile tycoon Henry Ford also got the "Flying Car" bug, the after great success of "Ford Model-T" as an "everyman's" vehicle, Henry Ford tried to put planes in everyone's garage. In 1926 Ford designed "Flivver", in an attempt to make "everyman's" aircraft. After a fatal crash of a prototype into the ocean off Melbourne, Florida, production

plans were halted. Many proto- personal use. Most flying cars stories. four-rotor design allows quadtypes of flying cars such as don't operate well in either However, in recent years small- copters are relatively simple in Aerocar, Terrafugia Transition, capacity, thereby, has not scale unmanned aerial design yet highly reliable, PAL-V, Moller Skycar, have manoeuvrable and less expensive. Even the drone technology, was once a high-end technology is now in everyone's reach. Fixed-wing radio-controlled drones are still expensive and difficult to fly, whereas, a quadcopter relatively easier to fly. Future flying cars are likely to be based on "Multi-rotor Helicopter" design.

Nowadays, the automated flight controls with driver only inputting, direction, speed, and altitude has become more common, making it easier to fly. But, it will not be as easy as driving a car.

Reckless driving, which is unacceptable in the domain of aviation, cannot be tolerated in flyable cars as well.

The concept of autonomous Quadcopters (Multi-rotor taxis is also much talked about. actually flown successfully, but reached production status. So, Helicopter) used for many appli- It required a complicated, flawtheir expensive and complicated the flying car could only be seen cations, which could become a less Air Traffic Control System. design making it impractical for in fantasy and science fiction base for future flying cars. The An airliner, which almost

becomes autonomous when autopilot engaged, are still monitored and handled by most experienced pilots. However, this will not be with flyable cars, as the flyers are not trained as commercial pilots. It takes almost 5 years to become a fully operational pilot; this is not with the flyable car operators. Unlike the aircrafts, flying cars will be separated few feet apart instead; airplane separates each other thousand feet part. So, suppose, if the automation fails, it will be really difficult to control the vehicle.

No matter how cheap it will become, it will still be really expensive, too expensive for personal use. The vehicle requires extensive ground infrastructure.

So, it will not be seen as a personal vehicle in near future.

However, it does have a bright future, flying cars will be seen as an expensive air taxi, and it can extensively be used as an air ambulance. Flying cars could also be used in military, as it could become a workhorse of military aviation.

POINT BLANK

The City Standard

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

EVM issue Pot calling kettle black NEW DELHI The concern expressed by the leaders of the opposition parties at Mamta Banerjee's United India Rally in Kolkatta on the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) is not only perplexing but confusing as well.

The opposition is so serious about the misuse of EVMs that it has appointed a four member panel comprising Manu Singhvi of the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Satish Mishra of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to press the Election Commission on wider use of voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs) and campaign against malfunctioning of the EVMs. While many opposition leaders raised the issue of EVMs the loudest of them all was none other than the maverick Kashmiri politician Farooq Abdullah, President of National Conference, who has earned the reputation of one who "changes colour with each season" and is hardly taken seriously by the voters. "The EVM is a chor (thief) machine.

Honestly speaking, it is so. Its use must be put to an end," he thundered at the rally in his usual theatrical style. However, Chief Election Commissioner of India has criticised the opposition parties and blamed them of treating the EVMs like a "football" by using the EVMs as alibi to their poor electoral performances. He has further emphasised that the EVMs were foolproof as far as fears of manipulation were concerned. According to his predecessor OP Rawat the political parties only question the EVMs when they lose elections. "Generally this has been the trend. When they win, they don't give credit to EVMs, but when they lose they all blame the EVMs," Mr. Rawat said.

Though the opposition parties have formed an election cartel in the form of "Mahagathbandhan", yet they are not sure of their victory in the impending 2019 general elections.

Hence, they are trying to create a public perception about the EVMs by stating that these can be easily hacked and hence misused by the ruling party. In doing so, they are not only casting aspersions on the inde-

pendent functioning of the Election Commission of India but also creating an adverse international opinion about the Indian democracy. They are also casting aspersions on the nation's judicial system since numerous courts including the Supreme Court have ruled in favour of the fairness of elections conducted with EVMs. The reality is that the unity

in Kerala and were used for the first time in the entire state of Goa during the election of 1999 which Congress won handsomely. 2004 Lok Sabha elections were held using only the EVMs. With the introduction of EVMs, the chances of rigging of elections, through booth capturing, that had been mastered by the Congress to remain in power were

detailed analysis of the elections revealed that the defeat of BJP was not due to a popular vote shift towards Congress but due to the provision of NOTA (None of the Above).

Unsure of the NOTA coming to its rescue once again in the 2019 general elections, Congress has continued with its tirade against the EVMs. Coming closer home, it is not at all

of the opposition is not guided by any ideological glue but the urge to survive. It is somewhat similar to the Panchtantra story about animals of all hue and cry who formed the cartel against the king of the jungle the lion.

There are inherent contradictions among the Mahagathbandhan, which the people of the country understand because similar endeavours in the past have proved as disastrous and weakened our nation and its well defined institutions. The nation can ill afford to handover its reins to ambitious regional satraps whose vision is limited to the vote bank in their respective states and for whom national interests or nation's economy is secondary to their regional interests. Ironically, Congress is willing to play a second fiddle because it sees no future in the coming elections. Like the poorly trained handyman always blames his tools, the election cartel formed by the regional parties sensing imminent defeat has begun to raise the bogey of EVMs. It would be interesting to note that EVMs were first introduced in the country by the Congress Government in 1982 in a by-election

minimised. Though the Congress won the 2004 and 2009 general elections it failed to gain absolute majority on its own and had to enter into alliances to form the Government.

But Congress made no noise since it was able to form the Government on both occasions. Decreasing popularity of Congress reached its nadir in 2014 and it started to blame the EVMs for its every electoral loss thereafter. Modi wave which hit the nation as Tsunami swept away the regional parties as well who also like the Congress began to put the blame on EVMs. Isn't it perplexing that the party which introduced the EVMs in the country and hailed it as the biggest electoral reform found nothing wrong with the machines till 2014, when all of a sudden it became the biggest critic of the machines? The reason is obvious. As long as the going was good, everything was hunky dory but unable to swallow the disgraceful defeat of 2014 and subsequent state elections it started blaming the EVMs rather than respecting the peoples' verdict gracefully. The Congress saw a glimmer of hope when it managed to win the election in the three BJP ruled states towards the end of 2018. However, a

surprising that Farooq Abdullah is making loud noises against the EVMs and terming them as "Chor Machines." Farooq knows that his party has been exposed so badly that it stands no chance of returning to power if free and fair elections are heard. He doesn't want to be held responsible for the decline and subsequent demise of the Abdullah dynasty in Kashmir. He wants the state to return to those days when his father Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah had pioneered the art of rigging elections since he wanted J&K to be a "Single Party State" and abhorred opposition.

Beginning in 1951, NC or later its converted avtaar Congress depended on rigged elections to remain in power. Introduction of EVMs in the state reversed the trend and sounded the bugle of the decline of NC. The unprecedented rigging done by Farooq and his alliance partner Congress led by Rajiv Gandhi is considered as the raison d'etre for eruption of militancy in the state.

Incidentally, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed ex Chief Minister and father of Mehbooba Mufti was the Congress boss in the state. Wish EVMs had been introduced in 1987, our state would have been saved from the

vagaries of ongoing militancy and Pak sponsored proxy war since Abdullah and Co would not have been able to rig the elections.

To ensure free and fair elections in J&K, NDA Government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the first time introduced EVMs in 2002 assembly elections. NC got a rude shock when its seat share declined to just 28 from 57. The vote share of NC nosedived in every subsequent election. In 2008 its seat share remained unchanged but managed to form the Government with the support of Congress.

Surprisingly, neither NC nor Congress found anything wrong with the EVMs but failed to read the growing unpopularity among the voters. In 2014, both NC and Congress were decimated but still they did not blame the EVMs. Farooq won a parliamentary election in 2017 polling seven percent votes.

Till then everything was fine.

However, the conduct of local bodies and panchayat elections in the state gave a rude shock to NC and Farooq woke from a deep slumber. He realised that his party has lost its mass base and is no longer acceptable to the people of J&K, particularly, Kashmiris its core constituency. It is this awakening that has prompted Farooq to term the EVMs as "Chor Machines." Incidentally, Farooq is under a wrong impression that voting with postal ballots will win back the mandate for his party. Kashmiris will not allow him to re-enact 1987.

Sensing the nation's mood, the opposition parties are disheartened but pretending to put up a bold effort. "Jo garajtehain who barastenahi" , people know that loud noises being made by these parties carry no meaning but are meant only to ensure saving of their skins as majority of their leaders are facing judicial proceedings for corruption and misuse of authority. The electorate has matured over the years to not be misled by the fake campaign launched by them. Their defeat in the forthcoming elections is a foregone conclusion and hence they are preparing ground to justify their defeat by blaming the EVMs. Is the machine "chor" or their "niyat" (intent) chor, only the time will tell?

In a democracy, people are the ultimate deciders.

Quiet but decisive shift in India's foreign policy NEW DELHI With general elections approaching, there will be a lot of debate on how things have or haven't changed under the last five years of the Narendra Modi government. In particular, on the foreign policy front, we have already been hearing how there is hardly any substantive change. However, there has been change and a fundamental one.

In a significant shift, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale asserted during the 2019 Raisina Dialogue organized by the Observer Research Foundation earlier this month in Delhi that "India has moved on from its non-aligned past. India is today an aligned state-but based on issues." Underscoring that it's time India becomes part of the rule-making process, Gokhale argued: "In the rules-based order, India would have a stronger position in multilateral institutions." The foreign secretary was categorical that India's future would be largely shaped by the kind of role New Delhi manages to play in the G-20 and the Indo-Pacific, signalling clearly the changing priorities of the Indian foreign policy establishment.

The reason Gokhale's assertions did not raise many eyebrows is that for the last five years, the government has gradually but decisively shifted the discourse on Indian foreign policy without many in the Indian strategic community even recognizing it. Critics of the government have continued to be sceptical about anything substantive changing even as the Modi government has continued to redefine Indian foreign policy priorities, both in substance and style.

While delivering the Fullerton lecture at the International Institute for Strategic Studies on India, the United States and China in 2015, Gokhale's predecessor and then foreign secretary S. Jaishankar had suggested that today's India "aspire[s] to be a leading power, rather than just a balancing power" and as a consequence, it was willing "to shoulder greater global responsibilities". He, of course, was taking his cue from Modi himself who, soon after taking office, had challenged his senior diplomats "to help India position itself in a leading role, rather than [as] just a balancing force, globally".

In the last five years, Modi has

sought to transform India from being merely an important player in the global order into one that is able and willing to define the priorities of the international system. He has been unabashed in shedding

spiritualism to the diaspora.

This transition is not merely an expression of this nation's greater self-assurance but also driven by an ambition to be a rule-maker, not merely a ruletaker. It has imbued Indian for-

any diffidence about India's great power aspirations and in so doing he has been underscoring the confidence of an aspirational society that is willing to reassert its civilizational soft power.

This has resulted in a hyperenergetic diplomacy that not only seeks an ever-greater global footprint but also places an emphasis on the nation's soft power attributes from yoga and

eign policy with a certain amount of risk-taking, unlike the risk aversion of the past.

India, from perpetually being a cautious power, is seemingly ready to take on a larger global role by being more nimble than ever in playing the great power game.

In a revealing statement, Jaishankar's candid take on American presence in the region was a testament to

The rich-poor gap on the rise MUMBAI As the 4-day World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, the yearly conclave of the brightest business and political minds from across the world, got underway at Davos in the Swiss Alps, UK-based Oxfam showed us the other side of coin: poor.

A confederation of 20 independent charitable organisations which work for the elimination of poverty, Oxfam International releases its annual study 'Public Good or Private Wealth' ahead of Davos conclave every year. It has done so this time too. Sadly, its latest study revealed the disturbing reality of growing gap between the world's rich and poor at faster rate than we had seen in the past.

In 2016, 61 billionaires owned as much wealth as 50 per cent of world's population.

The number of billionaires owning that much wealth fell to 43 in 2017. Further, the number fell by almost half to 21 in 2018. That means just 21 richest persons in world are so ultra rich now that their cumulative wealth is equal to what half of the world's population - 3.8 billion people - own.

For instance, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a fortune of $112 billion. That equals to nearly Rs 8 lakh crore, which is more than two times of the combined annual budgets of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Rs 3.65 lakh cr in FY19).

Besides, a new billionaire was created every second day between 2017 and 2018.

Interestingly, financial crises have not created any hurdles for billionaires. The study showed that the number of billionaires doubled in last one decade i.e. since 2008 financial crisis. That's the stark reality of wealth concentration across the world now.

But if we think India is any better, we are dead wrong. The top 1 per cent of India's richest people, which holds 51 per cent of the total national wealth, saw its wealth grow by a whopping 39 per cent while the country's billionaires added Rs 2,200 crore a day to their wealth pile in 2018.

Compare that with what the poor could manage in the same period. The wealth of the bottom half of the population inched up by meagre one per cent. In India too, rich are getting richer whereas poor are getting poorer.

However, we need to remember that global wealth is growing because of industrialists, entrepreneurs and their ideas. Governments have no major role in it. So, there is no way the gap between poor and rich could eliminated completely. We also need to remember that we are living in a capitalist world.

Therefore, the only solution is to tax the wealthy and use the proceeds so accrued for the development of the poor in a transparent and non-corrupt.

greater realism in Indian foreign policy. He had suggested that "from an Indian perspective today, for us the fact that the US is both a source of supply and a military partner helps to create enough uncertainties that could actually strengthen security in the Indo-Pacific region". As the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific undergoes a dramatic shift, New Delhi's assessment of this balance will be key in preserving its equities in this flux.

The Modi government is redefining strategic autonomy as an objective that is attainable through strengthened partnerships rather than the avoidance of partnerships. By doing so, it seems to be underlining that in today's complicated global scene, strategic autonomy and non-alignment are not necessarily a package deal. When India engages in the so-called "Quad", it enhances its strategic autonomy vis-Ă -vis China.

When it sits together with Russia and China for a trilateral, it enhances its strategic autonomy vis-Ă -vis a Trump administration intent on challenging the fundamentals of the global economic order.

The sheer audacity with which Modi has challenged the for-

eign policy shibboleths of the past is striking. The non-alignment ideologues in India stand confounded. For years, the nation has been told that the only way the foreign policy establishment can secure Indian interests is by working within the rubric of non-alignment. Under the Modi government, India is charting new territory in its foreign policy, predicated on the belief that rather than proclaiming nonalignment as an end in itself, India needs deeper engagement with its friends and partners if it is to develop leverage in its dealings with its adversaries and competitors. India is today well positioned to define its bilateral relationships on its own terms and would do well to continue engaging more closely with those countries that can facilitate its rise to regional and global prominence.

As India conceives of a new role for itself in global politics, the critical issue remains one of state capacity which subsequent governments will continue to grapple with. But there should be no doubt that Indian foreign policy has shifted the goal posts in the last five yearsboth in style and substance.

5

India can't afford to guarantee a minimum income During election season, which we're entering in India, everyone likes the idea of giving voters more money. Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi, the de facto opposition leader, says his party will guarantee a minimum income for the country's poor if victorious. Reports suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government may compete by announcing some form of direct transfer of cash to farmers in the interim bud-

Press reports say the government's idea would be to replace existing subsidy programs with a direct cash transfer. But, realistically, the chances of any Indian government, no matter how committed to fiscal rectitude, cutting down India's gigantic maze of welfare programs is negligible, probably zero. In fact, it's hard to name any government welfare scheme that has ever been abolished in India. Many have been renamed, tweaked, often expanded, but never elimi-

get to be revealed on Friday, which could cost the exchequer nearly $10 billion annually.

While governments everywhere should take care of their most vulnerable citizens, the idea of guaranteeing a basic income is wrong for India right now.

Fundamentally, it would only work if two conditions were met. First, large sections of the population would have to be mired in absolute poverty. And second, all other subsidies and welfare programs for them would have to be abolished in order to free up the necessary funds without completely blowing open India's fiscal deficit, which is already strained.

Neither condition prevails in India. While there's no recent government estimate of the number of people living below the poverty line, credible research by the Brookings Institution suggests that extreme poverty in India, defined as those living on less than $2 a day, now afflicts only five percent of the population.

Granted, that's still more than 70 million people.

But, for the vast majority of Indians, the challenge is no longer subsistence, it's aspiration. No basic income guarantee will be able to address rising aspirations unless it's a very large sum of money. At India's level of national income, providing anything more than a subsistence income would simply be unaffordable.

nated altogether. Given the reality of an extremely competitive polity, no politician will risk being labeled anti-poor by abolishing even one, let alone the entire gamut, of welfare schemes. Any cashtransfer scheme will thus likely be a top-up over everything else.

Perhaps the biggest problem with such ideas taking center stage in India's political economy right now is that it distracts attention from the more pressing task at hand - creating high-quality jobs.

Whoever wins the next election, whether Gandhi's Congress or Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party or a third alternative, may end up implementing some version of an income guarantee. That would probably yield a short-term political dividend.

Ultimately, however, any new government will be judged by whether or not it can create jobs. Welfare can never be a substitute for productive employment. For politicians who have shied away from jobcreating but politically difficult economic reforms in banking, as well as land and labor laws - a welldelivered welfare scheme may buy time. It would be so much better for India, though, if the case for reform was argued with the same intensity and implemented with equal alacrity. India might, after all, be able to afford one more welfare measure if it were accompanied simultaneously by big-bang market reforms.

NEW DELHI

George Fernandes stared at adversity and did not blink MUMBAI By the end of his political career, George Fernandes, ravaged by a debilitating disease, had become a mellow figure--a far cry from 'George the giantkiller', who had felled S.K. Patil, one of Congress' 'biggest boss' in the 1967 general elections. He had an arresting persona--the dishevelled hair, crumpled clothes and the look of defiance--not afraid to look the establishment in the eye. In a way, the 1967 general elections was the first election that seriously challenged the Congress' monopoly at the Centre and in the states. In Tamil Nadu and the entire belt between Punjab and Bengal, to Odisha and Gujarat, it either lost power, or was reduced to winning less than half the seats to the Lok Sabha. It barely scraped through at the Centre to form the government. In many ways, the 1967 elections set the stage for the 2014 mandate.

The transition from being the challenger in Mumbai, who had so effectively galvanised taxi drivers, hotel and restaurant staff and others in the services sector, to a national leader under whose leadership,

the country was almost brought to a complete halt during the 1974 railway strike, was seamless. His successful challenge to authoritarianism was best captured in the famous photo of him in chains, hands raised high, when the opposition parties came together and dislodged Mrs Gandhi in 1977, partly fulfilling what Fernandes set out to do 10 years earlier. His visceral opposition to the Congress remained the leitmotiv of his lifelong politics, which took him to many partiesSSP, SP, Janata, Janta (S), Janata Dal, Samata, JD (U), and Samata again- and so on. He was conscious about the limitations of consistency and modified his position when the circumstances demanded, for which he was often pilloried.

The famous defence of the Morarji regime during the 1979 Janata party crisis followed with him joining the challenger Charan Singh within days.

Faced with chaos and large-

scale corruption in Bihar, he formed the Samata party with Nitish Kumar, faced electoral washout during the 1995 elections and then had the courage to team up with the BJP to take on Laloo Yadav, which was difficult but which finally paid-off

in 2005. However, by then he was fast becoming irrelevant in his own party.

While we have had many allIndia leaders, George, as he like to be called, was probably the only one who was at home everywhere-among the villagers in Bihar, the taxi-drivers of Mumbai or among the coffee house workers across India.

The voters of Muzaffarpur and Nalanda never felt they were

not voting for one of their own.

Fluent in Marathi, Hindi, English, Kannada and his mother tongue Konkani, he could easily switch languages to make his listeners comfortable.

Personally, I felt very proud of his principled stand in support of the oppressed, whether from Myanmar, Tibet or Nepal.

His doors were always open to all, not just figuratively, but literally when he had it physically removed.

I remember meeting him in his bedroom since he was slightly indisposed. It was very simply furnished, he lay on a double bed, with more than half the space occupied by books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets and files. Never one to stand in formality, he was equally at ease everywhere--at the Pentagon, among the jawans in Siachen or the Dalit tolas of Magadh.

I remember him chomping away at the bebinca that Dr

Luis Proto Barbosa, the then chief minister of Goa, brought for him, when we went to discuss the Konkan railways project in 1990 with the then railway minister. He got it approved in record time and the agreement was signed in Panaji on Good Friday, a day of quiet reflection among the Catholics who form more than a quarter of Goa's population.

The dinner was low-key, but the feeling was joyful and satisfying-finally Goa would get connected to Mumbai and beyond.

Having slept many a time on the footpath and benches of Chowpatty, his empathy with the jawans of the Indian army was legendary. Not only did he visit Siachen regularly, he forced officers of the defence ministry to do the same so that they could imbibe a bit of that empathy. While correct in his dealing with the top brass, he was not one who would let discipline be undermined. I remember the anxious discussions leading to the removal of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, a difficult decision under any circumstances. He endured the attacks that followed calmly since there was no personal feelings involved.

LIFE STYLE

The City Standard

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

6

Perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Diet for super shiny hair Day in long distance relationship If your are off to a good start for a mirror like shine for your hair, you need to work on it from inside too.

All you need is super nutritious food. Which will trans-

OYSTERS one of the most powerful beauty boosters on the planet are oysters. Which contain highly concentrated levels of nourishing vitamins and minerals. Including hair strengthening frolic acid, iron, protein

COTTAGE CHEESE Low in fat, high in hair and nail strengthening protein and calcium? Try incorporating a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese into your diet for a quick and easy beauty boost.

BROCCOLI

form your dull and lack lustrous mane in a matter of weeks. Most of these foods are great for glowing skin, bright eyes and strong nails too...

Mackerel: for thick lustrous locks you need to eat plenty of oily fish which is an absolute must. Apart from containing nutrients proven to improve brain power, they contain omega 3 and fatty 6 acids, which prevent hair loss, hydrate the scalp and strengthen the follicles. Give it a try.

SALMON As well as fatty acids, fish boasts high supplies of iron and vitamin B12, both of which are essential to skin and hair health. Meanwhile rich sources of protein and vitamin D. Which you can also absorb from the sun. Improve hair strength and prevent breakage.

SHRIMP Shellfish, like shrimp, pack and similar hair nourishing punch, these come fully loaded with a arsenal of fatty acids, vitamin D, B12, iron, Zinc, selenium and protein. All great components to healthy hair and glowing skin.

and skin clearing selenium and zinc for a relatively tiny amount of calcium.

EGGS Similarly, eggs are hair enhancing mineral bombs just waiting to be consumed. As well as containing many of the minerals and vitamins oysters contain, they are also rich in Biotin which helps to improve lustre. In fact, if you take a peek at the label in the back of your shampoo or conditioner, you might just find biotin listed in the ingredients too.

LEAN CHICKEN Chuck a couple of lean chicken breasts under the grill instead.

Chicken is a great, low fat source of protein essential for hair shampoo and scalp health.

LENTILS Are you a vegetarian? Make sure you eat plenty of lentils.

As well as proteins and carbs.

The pulses are packed full of folic acid, or iron which is essential for transporting oxygen from your blood to your scalp and hair follicles. Good scalp circulation means quicker stronger hair growth and faster cell renewal.

The real hair hero. As it is the only veggie filled with vitamins and minerals including folic acid zinc and calcium.

SPINACH Everyday a small portion of mixed greens with all that lean protein and oily fish you'll be eating for Dinner for now on, leafy greens like spinach, provide an excellent source of vitamin A,C folic acid and Zinc and. Strengthening natural collagen among other nutrients.

CARROTS: The vitamin A contained carrots helps the scalp to produce sebum oil an important fluid that provides natural hydration to dull dry looks.

BANANAS For a quick, lock boosting snack on the go, make sure you pack yourself a B vitamin and Zinc rich banana.

Many more to go on like green tea, dark chocolate, sweet potatoes, cashews, pumpkin seeds, braid beans, blue berries, Greek yogurt, kiwi, bell peppers, tomatoes will help to prevent hair loss and damage as a result of consumed on a daily basis.

CHENNAI

even harder. Fill envelopes with small gifts and sweet letters to cheer up your loved one based on how they're feeling at that moment. Do not forget There are perfect significant ways to show the other that you care even when to label the enevelop as to when to open them such as when you're missing you're miles away. me and when you're feeling loneAs we all know the ly.

Valentine's day is the 3. Be the first person cuddlies, most they hear in the romantic day of the morning and the year for coulast person they ple everyhear at night where. But it 4. Send him or can be supes her somehard and thing hand lonely for made: For a people who person who live half you love way across hearfully the country. gift need'nt Just because be an you and expensive your bae are one to be apart and good. A heart not physifelt card or cally togetha photo er for the album, or lovers day you any gift that can still take you've made part and indulge in yourself shows you love. Here are few put time and thought cutest ways to celeinto your gift and will brat evalenties day even serve as a reminder of how when you're in a Long much you care even when Distance Relationship. you're not around.

1. Gift them a special playlist 5. Send a cute video of yours (songs): Why dont you include Maybe you're singing and dancing to all the bops that remind you of your your couple song, or maybe you're boo, plus the songs that have a special readimg out loud a love note that you meaning to you and your relationshipwrote. sometimes it can be so much more like, the song that was playing the first time intimate and lovely for your partner to see you were in the car together, or maybe even the and hear you, rather than to read something song a passerby was humming while you shared themselves. your first kiss. Keep the playlist private between 6. Plan a surprise trip to see him/ her: what only you two and listen whenever you're feeling is more romantic than showing up when lonely. The mementos will let them know you're not expecting to seeother? if you you're thinking of them actually. can swing the expense of a plane ticket and 2. Send Bunch of letters to open at different take time off from work, the ultimate gift times you can give your significant other is time LDR- are as hard as they sound, and spending spent together on arguably the most romantic holidays like Valentine's Day apart make them day of the year.

NEW DELHI

Do your duties without any expectations Glow like a star with

The New YOU! Stay Healthy Health is wealth. Drink a glass of water when you wake up in the morning to start your day fresh.

Do some exercises. If you are unable to hit the gym at least go for a walk. Sweat as much as possible.

Get good sleep. When you get better sleep you get enough rest, you will be energetic and happy. You will perform better.

Plan your Day If planning is done properly, half of the work is done. Every morning make a list of three things which you want to finish on priority. Follow rules. Spend quality time on the task. Have focus and work on one task for fifty minutes and then take a break of 10 minutes. Self-evaluation. At the end of the day evaluate yourself. It will not take more than ten minutes; every day end your day with reflection and self-evaluation.

Keep Learning Read. Reading increases knowledge, vocabulary and also keeps you inspired. If you don't read you will stop learning.

Browse. Use your free time sensibly. Watch some useful tutorials; researching will help you increase your capabilities.

Brainstorm. Pay importance to brainstorm as much as importance you pay to learn, this can turn out to be a gold mine for you. Focus on Positivity Express gratitude. Make a habit of thinking about 10 things that you are grateful for every morning. Learn to express gratitude for those things. Expressing gratitude makes you happier. Keep your room clean. Mess creates stress. Neat and clean surroundings give you loads of energy and inspiration and allow you to focus better.

Do your favourite things. Take out time for yourself where you can take out some time for yourself and can do things which you like or love doing. It can be cycling, playing with your pet or anything else.

As long as you are alive, you cannot stay without performing karma. But is it possible that although actions happen, there is no bondage of karma? Why look far - see the life of Krishna himself. Did he stay engrossed in samadhi all his life? On the contrary, his life was full of diverse, colourful actions. He had to deal with one or the other troublemakers all through his life, right from childhood - be it the demon Bakasur, or his uncle Kansa, followed by a succession of enemies in his adulthood. There were occasions when he had to physically fight his enemies.

And then, there were times when he had to flee from the battlefield, and hence, he was also known by the name Rancchoddas. Krishna could do that too. For if his wisdom guided him to flee the battlefield, then that is precisely what he did with no compunction whatsoever.

It doesn't matter what Krishna did or didn't do, because for him karma was just a makebelieve game.

It is a fact that all actions, per-

Give your taste buds an extravagant treat Pull quote: many places in Hyderabad do not offer crab curries on the menu. The only available is the Andhra style crab curry. So, we wanted our patrons to try three different styles of curries from three different regions SodaBottleOpenerWala, the quintessential Bombay Irani cafĂŠ and bar in Hyderabad has turned 5 this year. And to celebrate the anniversary the Parsi outlet is conducting a month-long food 'Rum & Crab Festival'.

"We are conducting this promotion in all our nine outlets across the country. And the menu is the same in all the outlets and so far, we have received a good response for the fest," Chef de Cuisine, Shashikant Kalyanee, informs.

About the Rum & Crab festival Shahsikant says, "The winter is at its peak and rum is the favourite drink of the season, be it white or dark. And we have introduced a refreshing range of rum cocktails and thalis with three varieties of crab preparations as crab pairs well with rum." "The cocktail options are available in white, dark or Cuban rum mixed with sugarcane juice, raspberry and saffron puree, pomegranate and passion fruit syrup and fresh apple juice

along with other ingredients to suit your preference and mood," he adds.

The crab preparations are available in Matunga style, driven by Mangalorean flavours, along with Maharashtrian and Parsi style. There is also an option of a Veg Thali available for the vegetarians.

"Recently we have conducted a tribal food fest and crab curries were a hit there.

And many places in Hyderabad do not offer crab curries on the menu. The only available is the Andhra style crab curry. So, we wanted our patrons to try three different styles of curries from three different regions. We are using fresh water crabs for the festival," Shahsikant shares.

Along with an option of the three crab preparations, the non-veg thali consists of a range of accompaniments which include green chilli thecha, red coconut chutney, raita, Maharashtrian style mini vada, baingan bharta, bhaji dana, dal moringa, steamed rice, Ragi Rotli and Saria Papad. There is Strawberry Raspberry Mousse and Anjeer and Apple Kheer for the sweet lovers.

The veg thali offers Mushroom and Paneer Masala with the same wide range of accompaniments and sweets.

formed after attaining the discerning knowledge of what the truth is and what the untruth is, are no more than part of a mirthful play. That is why Krishna's physical presence on this earth is referred to as his lila, which means his divine play.

Be it frolicking with gopis,

in the real sense of the word.

And he performed all his life's actions with detachment, being firmly established in the absolute truth, securely rooted in the eternal, indestructible, omnipresent existence. Such an attitude towards actions, s u c h

romancing Radha, marrying Rukmini, relating the Gita to Arjuna, or getting his entire clan destroyed by instigating infighting amongst his descendants - it was all no more than a play to him. Whatsoever he did, he did with love and wisdom, with no regrets.

Krishna was the embodiment of the supreme consciousness, flawlessly perfect and complete

karma performed without any underlying selfish desire, without any expectation of getting anything in return is known as nishkama karma.

Such a person has no desires left, none whatsoever - not even the desire for yoga-kshema, meaning there is no desire even for safeguarding the attainment of that which is unattainable.

Krishna says that for such evolved beings, who have tran-

scended all duality and are firmly established in their true nature, the Lord takes on the responsibility of their yogakshema. They need not worry about anything.

You have the choice to perform actions. And how you perform those actions is also up to you. But, says the Lord, you cannot dictate the fruits of those actions - it is not in your hands.

Hence, don't perform actions for any desired results.

Furthermore, the Lord adds that don't think on the lines of why should I perform any action if I am not going to receive the desired fruit of the action. This too is inappropriate. Just perform your duties without any expectation of appreciation and without any desire for the fruit neither gross nor subtle. Failure and success should not stop you from doing your duty, your karma. Do virtuous deeds, as this will make your intellect pure, and the supremely blissful satchidananda will be reflected in this refined intellect. You will overflow with such joyous contentment that you will spontaneously share it with one and all.

make up essentials

Mumbai: The festive season calls for unique looks for every occasion. In addition to chic ethnic outfits, a glamorous make up look will define your beauty in the best way possible. " Bronzer: Bronzers are available in different shades. Opt for the one that matches your skin tone. A bronzer helps in creating an even skin tone and highlights the natural shadows on the face, giving it a more defined and angular appearance.

Achieve the perfect look with baked, mineralised bronzers. If applied correctly it can help create a sun-kissed day or a glamorous night look. " Shimmery or metallic eye-shadows: Such eye shadow not only luminates, but also drives attention towards the eyes. Use light colours such as golden bronze, pink shimmers for a delicate shine apt for day wear or opt for brighter and darker colours like pops of green, blue and purple for a bolder evening look. " Use beige eye shadow as base on your eyelids to make bright, vibrant colours stand out. One can also use eye shadow instead of an eyeliner for a soft, smudged liner look.

Accentuate your eyes further with mascara and eyeliner to finish the look. " Glossy lipstick: Glossy lips are back in vogue. Opt for high gloss lip colours or lip oils in bright reds, hot pinks, crimson and shades of orange for the envious pout. Use a lip liner for better definition. You can also dab some gold dust or illuminator at the center of the lip for additional lustre. Further, If you prefer a bold look, go for a smokey eye and pair it up with bright glossy lips "The radiant highlighter: Create make-up looks with the glamorous glow this festive season. A highlighter improves one's natural radiance adding a gorgeous finishing touch to your festive look. The highlighter base should preferably match the base of the foundation. Ishita Khanna, a celebrity make-up artist on Tata Sky Beauty, too feels that festive occasions call for louder make up than your everyday appearance. "Try Violet, Green and Yellow colours - that are not usually on your makeup palette for daily application but these darker shades would work wonders for a festive look!

It's best to apply these colours on your eyes - winged or smokey look is a sure shot to get it right. "If you're a pro with handling the make-up brush, you can try out a few geometrical patterns on your eyelids for a more dramatic appearance.

Stick to a nude palette for your face and lips and allow your eyes to do the talking with these shades. Play up the look with matching accessories to stand out in a crowd," she said.

Give your airport look a fashionable twist NEW DELHI What makes for a perfect airport outfit? It is one that is a perfect amalgamation of style, comfort and practicality.

Vedang Patel, Co-founder and Director at The Souled Store, and Sanjeev Mukhija, Founder at Breakbounce Streetwear, share some pointers that will help you make a fashion statement while you are travelling: " Multi-pocketed outfits: To ensure that all the essential items like passport, boarding pass, keys, phone and wallet are carried along, multi-pocketed clothes offer a smart alternative. To keep the necessary stuff handy, you can sport a cargo pant or a jacket with multiple pockets to add to your coolness quotient on the go. " Breathable fabrics: Especially for the long haul flights, breathable fabric like cotton helps maintain the cleanliness and comfort.

These materials are lightweight and allow air to circu-

late keeping the body sweatfree. " Cool contemporary tops: To break the airport fashion code, switch to top wear that provides compara-

" An added layers: The temperature during takeoff and landing is usually higher while it is significantly lower mid-air. Layering yourself up can help in adapt-

" Graphic T-shirts: A breathable T-shirt is exponentially comfortable than the other options you may consider, and going for a graphic T-shirt will up the cool-factor

tive ease and a personal touch. A smart shirt with rolled up sleeves over a plain t-shirt and jeans at bottom will give a fashionable edge to your outfit.

ing to the dynamic temperature by providing an option to remove or add a layer accordingly. It also takes care of the climate change at the source and destination.

of your look instantly. " Comfortable socks: Long flights can quickly turn into a nightmare if you are someone who has a low tolerance for cold. Not everyone

is immune to the low cabin pressure, so it is better to keep yourself amped up with necessary layers. The best way to deal with ice block for feet is to wear socks. They are a must have to keep your feet warm on a long flight.

Don a pair of comfy yet statement-making socks to let your feet do all the talking. " Caps: Want to draw attention to your airport outfit despite keeping it casual?

Pair your outfit with a statement-making cap and stand out amongst the crowd. Caps are a cool style trick to amp up your outfit and to help disguise your slept-on hair. " T-shirt dresses: Tshirt dresses are perfect for a short flight. Hit that sweet spot between comfy and cool with a bright, funky Tshirt dress and club it with your favourite pair of white sneakers. " Hoodies: Don't want to put in much effort but still want to rock the in-flight fashion? Well, your hoodie got you covered. Go for a statement-making hoodie.

I don't believe in labels says Sonam Kapoor National award winning actress Sonam Kapoor, who is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming film 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga', has said she doesn't believe in labels, which are associated with the actors in the film industry.Sonam Kapoor was interacting with the media at the promotional press conference of 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga' along with his co-actors Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Juhi Chawla, director Shelly Chopra Dhar and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in Mumbai on Monday.

Sonam Kapoor is essaying an LGBTQ character in the forthcoming movie.Same-sex relationships continue to be a taboo in India, despite the Supreme Court scrapping Section 377 that criminalised "unnatural intercourse". And when it comes to lesbians, there is a further lack of acknowledgement or understanding.However, 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga' seems to be talking on a pertinent issue - marriages of middle class, queer and Indian women. The trailer of the film has received a positive response from the audience. When asked whether she had second thoughts while playing a bold character in the film or not, Sonam said, "I don't know about bold character but there is one thing that I don't believe in and that's 'labels'.

When I decide to

do a film or a character, I get encouraged by the fact that nobody else would say yes to it except for me." When asked Sonam whether she thinks that she is pushing the envelope for Indian actresses by playing these kind of characters, she said, "I don't think I am immodest enough to say something like that. I am humble enough to understand that I am certain kind of person and actor. I can't do what other people do so, I can only do what I can do. I don't think I am talented enough to do what other people do, So, I am very happy in my space. I am just trying my very best to do what I can do."Anil Kapoor is collaborating with his actress daughter Sonam Kapoor in 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga' for the first time.

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

Vidya Balan And Ajith Kumar in Pink Remake!

Bollywood Actress Vidya Balan is all set to make her Tamil debut with the remake of Pink, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu. The film's producer Boney Kapoor, who is foraying into southern filmdom with this project, said in a statement. Vidya has been paired opposite Ajith Kumar in the remake being directed by H Vinoth. The shoot is underway in Hyderabad.

"Happy to introduce Vidya Balan to Tamil audiences. She is paired with Ajith and her role is very special.

Shraddha Srinath has also been roped in for a pivotal role. Rangaraj Pandey plays a very important character" Kapoor said in the statement. The film also stars Adhik Ravichandran, Arjun Chidambaram, Abhirami Venkatachalam, Andrea Tariang, Aswin Rao and Sujith Shankar among others. Apparently, it was late Sridevi's wish that Ajith does a film in her husband's production.

"While working with Ajith in English Vinglish, Sridevi had expressed her desire that Ajith does a Tamil film for our home production. Nothing exciting came up till one day last year.

"Ajith suggested remaking Pink in Tamil. She immediately agreed as she thought it was the most appropriate and timely film to make and Ajith would bring all the elements required to make it into a great Tamil film," Kapoor had previously said. "We hope to bring the remake of Pink to theatres on May 1. We are subsequently doing another film together and that will be scheduled to go on the floors in July 2019 and will be released on April 10, 2020," he added. The film, slated to release on May 1, will feature music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

7

Hrithik Vs Tiger is a dream come true Says Tiger Shroff

Tiger Shroff, who will be seen sharing screen space with Hrithik Roshan in the untitled Siddharth Anand film, says that working with superstar is dream come true.

Tiger Shroff was interacting with media on the sidelines of Dabbo Ratnani calendar launch here in Mumbai. Talking about working with Hrithik Roshan in a film, Tiger Shroff said, "I am currently shooting for HrithikVsTiger, which is a dream come true. Every time I look at the monitor, usually when we look at the playback monitor, I feel like I am dreaming. It has been a childhood fantasy to work with him (Hrithik), so whenever there is a high-speed shot or action shot, I feel grateful that I got to work with him, so early in my career" Besides Siddharth Anand's untitled film, Tiger also has Baaghi 3 and Punit Malhotra's Student Of The Year 2, co-starring Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday in

the pipeline and Baaghi Franchise.

Talking about working in two different franchises at the same time, Tiger quipped that there is a lot of pressure. He said, "There is pressure because, with Baaghi 2, I didn't expect it to do the numbers it did. So with that there comes a certain amount of expectation with Baaghi franchise, and I am doing SOTY2, which is also a big franchise, so I am stepping in the shoes of three-star shoes along with new beautiful girls, so we have a lot of pressure on us, it is a big film and we want the franchise to live on, so I am keeping my fingers crossed" Tiger Shroff also confirmed that the shoot for Student Of The Year 2 is complete and the film is ready. Student of the Year 2 is a romantic comedy-drama dance film directed by Punit Malhotra. It is a sequel to the 2012 film Student of the Year. It is set to release on 10 May 2019.

Celebrations hail queen Kangana Vidya Balan - Set tered the biggest ever opening weekend collection for a woman-led film in the history of Indian cinema. Her acting and gravity defying stunts have been lauded. "I honestly think Kangana Ranaut was possessed by the spirit of Bruce Lee. Even the gravity defying stunts looked believable because of the searing intensity on her face," opined filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma.Is this the return of Kangana?"Return? She has always been around," industry expert Vinod Mirani said.

"Well established stars, especially good actors don't fade out. A lot of stars like Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn have given a line-up of flops but they come back when a script is good."

She is outspoken like few in the industry are, and

has faced her share of rows with industry bigwigs. But above all, Kangana, as Mirani said, is a "great actor".Actress Raveena Tandon, for one, is impressed."Directing this magnificent extravaganza seems like a challenge which you have successfully and effortlessly fulfilled," actress Raveena Tandon wrote on Instagram.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who gave Kangana a career-defining role in 'Fashion', said the actress is a "one man army in life and also a one woman show in the film 'Manikarnika'".

"Your flawless performance is captivating, intense, controlled, with sheer brilliance. You deserve all the accolades and awards for 'Manikarnika', hands down," Bhandarkar tweeted.

Literacy essential to battle poverty : Aditi Rao Hydari

Naysayers be damned. With her latest film 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi', which crossed Rs 40 crore in its opening week and is being praised for a power-packed performance, actress Kangana Ranaut is proving why the epithet 'Bollywood's queen' suits her.According to trade analyst Atul Mohan, 'Manikarnika...' regis-

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari says education is essential to break the cycle of poverty."I truly believe that literacy and education are essential for an individual to realise their full potential and to break the cycle of poverty," Aditi said in a statement. Aditi has been one of the foremost supporter of the NGO Teach For Change, which works to improve literacy and reading skills among children from low income communities studying in government schools. She will also unveil a nationwide launch of the Pega Teach For Change movement -- which is an expansion of the initiative to eight Indian cities for the upcom-

ing academic year. "I am very glad that Teach For Change is launching a nationwide movement and I pledge my support to the initiative and encourage all committed citizens who want to make a difference to sign up for the program and volunteer to teach," she added

I am proud of Manikarnika says Mishti Chakraborty Actress Mishti Chakraborty, who plays the role of Kashibai in Manikarnika says that she is proud of the film. Mishti Chakraborty and RAW director Robbie Grewal graced the launch of Dilip Sahu's Flyking Film Academy in Mumbai. Kangana Ranaut's act and directed Manikarnika made 8 crores on its opening day. Talking about the film and its firs day collection, Mishti said, "I am proud to be part of such a film which has such a noble subject. Rani Laxmibai resides in every Indian's heart. So I really proud that I am part of such a film" "I don't believe in numbers a great deal, but I guess I need to, because that is the trend, we always count success. The film success is calculated by numbers, so whether I personally believe in it or not, but this is our requirement. I am happy that the film made good money on the first day. I want it to

cross 500 Cr" The actress Mishti relies on the shoulder of the produc- such an academy started, which teaches production. A lot of individalso hailed Dilip Shau for starting a tion team, from the uals come here to do production, but film academy, which emphasizes on beginning they spent a good chunk of time in production as the entire process learning it, see if you don't have knowledge about production, the budget goes up, and once that happen, we have to compromise on the quality of the production, issues like these can be sorted out if we starts to impart production knowledge, through such academy as Flyking" Mishti made her Bollywood debut with Subhash Ghai's film Kaanchi: The Unbreakable and added that even the master filmmaker encouraged her to understand production.

She said, "I have seen production closely during my first film Kaanchi with Subhash Ghai in 2014.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai always stressed on one thing that I should o f till the end. Things like budget, pay, also remain back to the scene and filmmaking depends food and everything else depends on understand how they are made. I on the shoulders of productions the people in the production team. have his entire production team, so I team. She said, "The entire film So it is a very noble concept that have the importance of production"

for Tamil debut

Actress Vidya Balan, last seen on screen in Telugu film NTR Kathanayakudu, will be making her Tamil debut via upcoming yet-untitled Tamil remake of Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu starrer Pink.

The film's producer Boney Kapoor, who is foraying into southern filmdom with this project, said in a statement. Vidya has been paired opposite Ajith Kumar in the remake being directed by H. Vinoth. The shoot is underway in Hyderabad. "Happy to introduce Vidya Balan to Tamil audiences. She is paired with Ajith and her role is very special. Shraddha Srinath has also been roped in for a pivotal role. Rangaraj Pandey plays a very important character," Kapoor said in the statement. The film also stars Adhik Ravichandran, Arjun Chidambaram, Abhirami Venkatachalam, Andrea Tariang, Aswin Rao and Sujith Shankar among others.

Apparently, it was late Sridevi's wish that Ajith does a film in her husband's production.

"While working with Ajith in English Vinglish, Sridevi had expressed her desire that Ajith does a Tamil film for our home production. Nothing exciting came up till one day last year. "Ajith suggested remaking Pink in Tamil. She immediately agreed as she thought it was most appropriate and timely film to make and Ajith would bring all the elements required to make it into a great Tamil film," Kapoor had previously said.

Megha Chakraborthi-Tearfully real Actress Megha Chakraborty says she doesn't use glycerine to emote onscreen.

Megha is currently seen in StarPlus show Krishna Chali London as Krishna.

"In an unfortunate turn of events on the show, Radhey (essayed by Gaurav Sareen) gets killed in a car accident which leaves Krishna devastated to lead her life on her own. It was the most emotionally

challenging scene I have been in," Megha said in a statement.

She added: "To get into the zone and relate to Krishna's pain of losing her husband, I isolated myself for a few hours on set before shooting the scene. I realised that her grief is unfathomable and wanted my performance to be absolutely natural on the show.

"Being an actor who believes in internalising my characters, I do not use glycerine to emote on screen. As difficult as it was to shoot for it, I hope viewers resonate with Krishna's character on screen."

Sushmita Sen - Lively joy Former Miss Universe and actor Sushmita Sen has said she was waiting for the right script to make her comeback and might even don the cap of film producer in the near future. The style icon also said that she felt more comfortable directly interacting with her audience as a professional model than facing the camera in films. "Since my days as a girl, I have been doing fashion shows. I always feel at home in events where I can have live interactions with audience," she told reporters recently.

Asked if she had plans to take up film projects any time soon, Sen, who has acted in top grossers like Sirf Tum (1999), Biwi No 1 (1999) and Main Hoon Na (2004) said, "I have to wait for the right thing.

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ENTERTAINMENT

The City Standard

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Expenses you shouldn't overlook when planning to study abroad NEW DELHI Aradhana George, 23, and her parents chalked out a budget when she went for her masters in marketing from Texas A&M University, US, in August 2016.

They figured out that all expenses included, the 16-month program and stay would cost not more than Rs.50 lakh. "This was for the full course.

Rs.30 lakh was financed by my parents, and for the rest, I took an education loan. But I wasn't able to cover all my expenses," said Aradhana, who is now a marketing analyst in a Dubai-based company.

Most universities provide an estimated list of expenses for international students planning to study on their campus. Aradhana received these estimates too and planned her expenses accordingly. "The university estimated the accommodation to cost $600 a month but since Aradhana stayed off campus, she ended up spending $1,200 a month for a furnished flat, including the maintenance cost. Like this, a lot of expenses went overboard," said her mother, Anita George. By the end of the course, Aradhana's parents had paid up another?20 lakh.

According to data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), spending on tuition and accommodation by Indian students studying abroad spiked by 44% from $1.9 billion in 2013-14 to $2.8 billion in 2017-18 (read here). A report in a quarterly journal from the Boston College Center for International Higher Education shows that the number of Indian students studying abroad has increased to about 255,030 in 2016 from 55,444 in 1999. While numbers show that more Indians are pursuing education abroad, it is still a task to make a budget that accounts for all possible expenses. Here's what you can do.

DRAW A BUDGET: Once you've zeroed down on the university, the next big step is to figure out how much money you'll need. "Ideally, one should make an annual budget, including the sources of money such as

family contributions, loans, financial aid or scholarships, and income that the student may generate through part-time jobs," said Priya Sunder, director and co-founder, PeakAlpha Investment Services Pvt. Ltd. Once you have this in place, create a separate list of fixed

ensure she got home safe at night," said Anita. This wasn't a cost they had foreseen.

CURRENCY FLUCTUATION: Most people tend to ignore rupee fluctuation while planning their education abroad. Between January 2014 and

expenses such as fees, accommodation, meal plan or food, health insurance, internet and phone bills, travel and personal care expenses. "What remains is the student's discretionary spend. This money can either be used for planning local travel or vacations, entertainment, or eating out," added Sunder.

Aradhana said although a portion of her discretionary expenses were factored into the budget, she didn't realise how much she would need for basic spending like going to the salon or eating out until she actually moved. "The cost of living is very expensive. It is only when you stay abroad you realise the costs and it is difficult to budget earlier," said Aradhana. Her university has a huge campus with buses that ply frequently and the fares are included in the fees.

"Students pick up courses depending on their sleep cycle and convenience.

Aradhana picked evening courses because she liked sleeping in till late so it would get late in the night by the time her classes would end. We ended up buying a second-hand car for ?7 lakh to

2019, rupee depreciated 11.15% against the dollar. This is how it plays out.

Suppose your tuition fee is $13,500 each year, you will have to pay ?9,60,457 as on 28 January for 2019.

Assuming the depreciation rate remains at 11.15% between 2019 and 2024, you will end up shelling out?10,67,889 for the same amount of annual fees at the end of 2024. "Currency fluctuation can affect your calculations. The Indian rupee is depreciating at a faster pace and this will affect your budget negatively. Unless you plan for this, you will fall short of the required amount," said Melvin Joseph, Sebi-registered investment adviser and founder, Finvin Financial Planners.

If you are enrolling for a four-year course, make sure you have the funds for all four years by the end of the first year. This will allow you some time to arrange for more funds in case the rupee depreciates. "You will get blindsided if you don't factor inflation and exchange rate fluctuations," said Sunder.

"Sometimes the exchange rates become

unfavourable when large outflows are imminent, such as semester fees."

LIFESTYLE EXPENSES: Pooja Umesh, 22, is currently pursuing her masters in computer science and engineering at University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. Though she had a budget in place before moving to New York, she didn't realise the smaller things that could shake it. "I did not account for the initial expenses incurred in setting up the accommodation. Also bills for mobile phone and Wi-Fi weren't calculated. Utility bills which vary according to the season also went unaccounted for. Gas bill in the summer is four times less than in winter," said Umesh. "I had to buy a high computing laptop too as I am enrolled in a technical course, which cost me quite a bit. Then, we didn't consider the security deposit I had to pay initially."

Umesh has taken up an on-campus job that pays her $11.10 an hour which is helping her cover living expenses such as groceries and utility bills. However, her craving for desi food often lands her in Indian grocery stores where products are quite expensive when compared to a Walmart. "There's $1-2 difference in vegetables, $4 difference in dry fruits and Indian brands like Haldirams and MTR you don't find in Walmart. You have to buy these from Indian stores which are relatively expensive," said Umesh. To make sure she lives within her means, Umesh avoids eating out as much as possible. "Eating out is an expensive affair here," she added.

When you're stepping out of home, the idea of boarding and a meal plan may sound fancy but by the end of the first semester, it could become a boring routine. Take into account the costs you will have to bear in case you plan to move off campus. Personal grooming is yet another aspect to budget for. Salons and spas are expensive abroad and if you're dependent on such services, it's important you include that in your budget.

Movie tickets are expensive too, so don't forget the Netflix and Spotify subscriptions.

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

8

Matrimony gets love, dating apps not so lucky BENGALURU When Tinder made hooking up as easy as the flick of a finger, many homegrown dating apps followed, all trying to transform how young Indians find love.

More than four years since these apps flooded the market, traditional matrimonial websites remain the preferred choice, underlining the fact that when it comes to marriage, young Indians are less likely to push traditional boundaries.

This is borne out by the fact that sites such as bharatmatrimony. com, shaadi.com and jeevansathi.com continue to dominate the market, even as online dating platforms struggle to grow revenues and attract investors. Some of them have been acquired by larger firms or have shut shop.

A dating app generates revenue when users opt for paid services such as accessing more profiles, sending messages or curated emojis. In contrast, matrimonial websites offer a chance to find a partner for marriage, making them more successful in attracting subscriptions.

"Someone who is in their late 20s and is looking for a serious relationship does not have time to experiment and so does not mind paying if the service gives them the stability as compared to a 22-year-old," said Able Joseph, founder and chief executive of dating app Aisle.

Typical dating app users are, however, in their late teens to mid-20s and many are not even looking for committed relationships. Sometimes, they log in to these apps just to find friends.

That more than half the population is below 25 years made these dating apps-with TrulyMadly leading the chargeconfident that they had a significant advantage over matrimo-

nial sites when they began.

Most dating apps were targeted at the young, urban Indian.

These apps gave consumers a platform to experiment with relationship options that might not end in marriage, but offered flexibility in the form of flings, short-term relationships, companionship or love.

But even the best of them have struggled to make money, although matrimonial sites continue to enjoy double-digit revenue growth.

"We are not like Western countries, where people are exposed to the other gender since a very young age. We do not have the concept of dating from a young age and that is why it becomes difficult to have a fling or a short-term relationship," said Siddharth Mangharam, chief executive of Floh, a platform that connects singles through events.

TrulyMadly (Trulymadly Matchmakers Pvt. Ltd), founded by former MakeMyTrip executive Sachin Bhatia, along with Rahul Kumar and Hitesh Dhingra, reported a 50% drop in revenue in FY18, according to its latest filings with the Registrar of Companies. The firm's revenue halved to ?3.60 crore in FY18 from ?7.20 crore in the year earlier, documents sourced from intelligence platform Paper.VC showed.

"This is for TrulyMadly India.

Our main company Truly Madly Pte. Ltd. Is based in Singapore, and all revenues are booked at the Singapore company, these are just India, Truly Madly India. Our revenue from subscription has almost doubled from ?1.14 crore to ?1.94 crore.

We have cut down our team from about 50 people to 15 members. We have removed the advertisement model because that was falling flat for us. The company has realigned and now

we are only focusing on the subscription model. We have launched a few new features like Spark, TM forever and so on," said Snehil Khanor, chief operating officer of TrulyMadly.

Frivil, another dating app, was acquired by shaadi.com for an undisclosed amount in 2016.

ICrushiFlush, which got a seed round from IDG Ventures (now Chiratae Ventures) in 2015, has not been able to raise more funds. Even TrulyMadly, which managed to raise $5.7 million in a Series A round in 2015, has been struggling to bring in funds.

In comparison, matrimony.com, which owns bharat matrimony.com, recorded a 15% growth in FY18 revenue to?308.45 crore. Similarly, Info Edge (India) Ltd, which runs jeevansathi.com, saw a 17% increase in revenue to ?864.62 crore last year.

Also, the dating market is overcrowded and most apps end up offering identical services. A user can always switch from one to another if the features offered are not affordable.

"This is essentially a cash-burning business if a company does not have a sustainable model," said Pawan Gupta, founder of Betterhalf.ai. The company, backed by former Google India managing director Shailesh Rao, among others, helps people find partners with "serious intent".

Apart from revenue woes, home-grown apps have seen a decline in downloads and ranking. Data from app-tracker Sensor Tower shows that Tinder has consistently been the top grossing app in the lifestyle category for the past three months, whereas Truly Madly has been juggling between the 15th and the 16th spots. Grossing apps are the ones that have in-app purchases.

You can be stoned and Let's suffer from Good Health alert at the same time If you're still looking for that one NEW DELHI

NEW DELHI

Statistics from credible sources indicate a sharp upswing in the volume of substance abuse in the world today. We may soon reach a point when entire populations turn chemically dependent - unless there is a massive upsurge in human consciousness.

As a yogi, I am not against pleasure. I am only against limited pleasures. The human need for intoxication is understandable. Several years ago, an Israeli scientist discovered that there are cannabis receptors in the human brain.

This means that every individual is biologically equipped for intoxication!

Since there was never any time when humanity was collectively consuming cannabis, this means that we are capable of producing our own narcotic and consuming it too. Hence, the yogic description of the innermost human core as the 'anandamayakosha,' the bliss body. Once you access this dimension, you are effortlessly stoned, with no side effects whatsoever!

If your alertness and intelligence are not compromised, inebriation is a great way to be.

Another word for this condition is simply meditation. Instead of getting drunk, if people meditated, they could be stoned and alert at the same time.

They would also turn phenomenally productive because nothing would feel burdensome

any more. The reason people want to get drunk every weekend is that they want to shed the burdens of the week. If they tried just a little meditation, they could stay drunk all week long!

What accounts for the steep rise in substance abuse? Survival is no longer an issue for a large segment of society. When people move out of survival mode, they need other areas of interest and passionate involvement. If not, the search for other triggers for intoxication will naturally rise.

Secondly, if you are unfit or unable to enjoy the vitality of your own system, you invariably turn to external stimulants. Most importantly, the old sops offered by traditional religious systems no longer satisfy the modern intellect. The heaven promised to believers is collapsing. And we have nothing else to replace it with.

Yoga works in the modern world because it addresses the fundamental human need for intoxication. It also does not ask us to outsource our pleasure to heaven. There is a great natural human longing to be boundless, to expand to a dimension beyond physicality.

If you die, that happens anyway. But your desire is to be rooted in the physical and still have a taste of the beyond. What you are seeking is, in fact, a twilight zone: you want to be rooted in the day and still taste the night.

People turn to drugs for the very same reason.

It's no coincidence that four of the six letters in HEALTH are HEAL and you need to keep in mind that your health is more important than the test, the interview, the lunch date, the meeting, the family dinner and the grocery run Take care of yourself. Health emergencies often come unannounced. Besides accidents, there has also been a rising incidence of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cancer and cardiac episodes even among people in their 20s & 30s.

In such a scenario, money crunch can add to stress and hamper healing. So what's the solution- besides making healthier lifestyle choices, plan a health cover that will see you through a bad situation safely. Start as early as you can, with as little as you're able to afford, as being young gives one the advantage of compounding benefits.

The earlier you start, the better the benefits. But savings also require proper planning. Setting away a specific portion of your monthly salary is good to start with, but it's not the only thing you need to do.

Here are few key points for you to keep in mind while planning for a health emergency fund.

First and the foremost, you need to learn to save. The idea is not to stop having fun, but to set a cap on spending now so that you're more secure later.

With increased disposable income at hand, the youth is oriented towards spending it all. A focussed approach for building a pool for any contingencies should be the top priority. One has to start thinking of such savings right from the beginning, because the benefits are much more than the cost. Cutting down the extra expenses will do you more good than harm.

Work out, eat well, be patient and your body will reward you. In simpler terms, a man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs!

person who will change your life, take a look in the mirror

Medical expenses are as important as your groceries, power bills and all other must-spends. Ideally, you should have three to six months of your monthly income as emergency cash balance or a liquid fund deposit of that amount, in case you land up in a hospital without cashless cover. Start with keeping aside a certain amount the moment your salary gets credited every month. Put this amount in a separate savings account or set a recurring scheme in place. With the latter, the money gets deducted directly from your saving account and is beyond your reach for random expenses. This amount can come handy any time of the year for basic health issues or unexpected medical bills.

Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings and it's always good to have health insurance, but even better to create an emergency corpus.

There may be times when the health insurance may not work. Invest in a liquid fund and as you build the corpus, you can move to short-term funds or even long-term investments. Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die and as such it is recommended that you need to get insured. Having a separate savings account is the first step to building a health fund but in the long term, a proper health insurance plan is a must. Health and life insurance are the building blocks of financial planning, together with liquid funds for contingencies.

Also, you ought to get an accident cover for a nominal amount. You need to find the right kind of health insurance for your requirements. Your financial advisor can help you check the claim settlement ratio of an insurance company.

While choosing an insurance policy, pick a company that is reputed for settling claims smoothly and on time.

These days, most employers provide medical insurance, as well. Keep track of how much coverage your company is offering you. But relying solely on your company's insurance policy is not a good idea. It's best to have your own cover.

Buying health insurance is like fixing a leak in your roof, the longer you wait, the more expensive it gets. All of us believe that, family comes first and every family member must have medical coverage, preferably with cashless facility. The age of an individual is also important when zeroing in on a plan.

Chances are your parents already have their insurance in place. But, in case, they don't, you need to talk to them and sketch a secure plan for the entire family. Similarly, if you are married and have kids, go for a secure family plan after considering the cover that both you and your spouse prefer. Plan and save together so the pressure isn't just on one person and either of you can use your savings in case of an emergency.

Fitness is the key and another easy way to avoid untoward health incidents is to stay up-to-date with your medical checkups. Schedule one every six months to keep track of your metabolism, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, etc. In case there's a reason for concern in the reports, you can start treatment without any delay or check with your physician for an immediate plan of action. Basic idea is to recover from any illness or medical exigency without having to worry financially and if you're still looking for that one person who will change your life, take a look in the mirror.

Get a credit card that gives you travel benefits, not just the cheapest fee MUMBAI I have been using credit cards since 2001. My first credit card, from Citibank, landed in my snail mail. Many years later, that credit card was converted to a Jet Airways Citibank co-branded credit card (now discontinued), and this was where my journey of using miles for (almost) free air travel began.

A business-class ticket between Mumbai and New York's JFK airport on Jet Airways, roughly about 16,000 miles flown, cost all of Rs.23,000 and 188,000 JPMiles back in 2011 instead of Rs.3 lakh when paid in cash. The best part is, most of those JPMiles for my ticket came from my credit card, and not from actual flying.

Credit cards today make it very easy for everyone to collect frequent-flyer miles. And yet, a lot of people I know are usually looking out for the cheapest credit cards, rather than ones that will get them the most miles and benefits they or their families can use.

When looking for options, look at the offerings across the market

rather than just looking at the bank you have an existing relationship with-your bank may perhaps not have the best fit for you to maximize your spending.

Moreover, private and foreign banks are going to have much better options than the PSU banks.

Another decision would be about what kind of rewards you want to collect. For instance, you could collect credit card points which can be transferred to different airlines or hotels, or you could go with credit cards known as cobrand cards, which transfer to one airline only.

JetPrivilege, India's largest frequent-flyer programme, has a cobrand tie-up with four banks to help you earn JPMiles. Between HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank and American Express, they have 15 credit cards with fees to suit all budgets. ICICI Bank and American Express even have corporate credit cards for earning JPMiles. If you are a JetPrivilege Platinum tier, fees are waived on most Jet Privilege cobrand cards. JP Miles earned can then be used for redemption tick-

ets on Jet Airways (even Jet Airways HDFC Bank Diners means you also get tier points in co-brand tie-up with Axis Bank to upgrades), Etihad, KLM, Air Club Black credit card, which the Jet Privilege programme as issue credit cards. Each card France and at least 20 other air- would give you 24 JPMiles/ ?150 you spend on their co-brand cards, comes with free tickets on payment of annual fees, and, if you opt for the highest variant, the Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card, you get Vistara Gold status and up to four free business-class tickets, one on payment of annual fees and one every time you cumulatively spend ?2.5 lakh on the card (up to ?7.5 lakh). On everyday spending, you earn Vistara points, which can then be redeemed for tickets on Vistara or Singapore Airlines.

In the case of Air India, SBI Card offers you a couple of options too.

You can earn up to 100,000 bonus Flying Returns miles every year on spending on their co-brand card, which can then be used for redemptions or upgrades on Air India and Star Alliance member airlines.

However, if you are looking for an all-round product which helps you meet your travel and lifestyle needs and does not tie you down lines that Jet Airways partners spent booking Jet Airways tickets making it easier to upgrade or to one airline, there are some great with. directly with the airline. HDFC retain your Jet Privilege status. options out there. Citibank issues At the top end, you can have the Bank's tie-up with JetPrivilege Vistara, on the other hand, has a the Premier Miles (entry level)

and Prestige credit cards, both of which allow you to earn points which can be transferred to 14 airline partners and two hotel programmes. If you are a Citi Gold member, you could get a 30% bonus on rewards earned through the year on your Citi Prestige Card.

American Express Platinum Charge Cards allow you to move Membership Rewards points to 10 airlines and a couple of marquee hotel chains such as Marriott and Hilton. HDFC Bank issues Diners Club cards in India, and it has been offering a lucrative promotion for many years now: You get up to 33% of your money spent as points at specific merchants, which can then be used to buy travel or transfer to partners such as British Airways, Jet Airways, Singapore Airlines, Trident Hotels and others.

To sum up, even if you don't care about them, those reward points are piling up on your credit card.

And you would perhaps be better off using them for a life experience (think flying your better half to Australia in first class!) rather than buying a toaster.

BUSINESS

The City Standard

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

Climatic variability and agriculture NEW DELHI New Delhi: India has a wide range of climatic conditions. The northern region of the country experiences extreme winters whereas in southern peninsular region tropical conditions prevail. The Northeastern regions experience hot and humid climate whereas the North-western regions are characterized by dry and arid climatic conditions. Rainfall during the monsoon season is the major element of the Indian climate and continues to be the main source of water for the rainfed agricultural regions in the country. Variability in monsoon related weather and climatic conditions is considered as the primary cause of spatial and temporal fluctuations in agricultural crops yields. The difference in minimum and maximum temperatures above or below the optimum value affects plant physiological conditions such as respiration, water requirement and growth, thereby affecting crops yields. Extreme weather conditions such as flash floods, droughts, heat and cold waves, cyclones, hail storms, frost etc. always affect the agricultural production. Even subtle fluctuations in weather conditions during critical phases of crop development have substantial impact on yields. As most of the cultivated land in India is rain fed and agricultural production is mostly dependent on the monsoons, agricultural productivity and the well being of the Indian farmer is sensitive to climatic variability. On the one hand, agriculture sector is affected by the climate change; on the other hand, this sector can join hands with other sectors in controlling emission of Green House Gases (GHGs).

Risks to the agricultural system from changing climatic conditions can be identified at three levels: the crop level, the farm level and at the food system level.

Climatic variability directly impacts crops yields and also affects soil quality; water resources; insect- pests, diseases and weeds, etc. further aggravating the impact on the cropping system, thereby reducing the yield per hectare of land or per unit of livestock at the farm level. At the crop level, in the short term, increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is likely to compensate the negative effect on yields due to increase in temperature, but as temperature increases further, it would result in yield losses. Most crop studies have predicted a decrease in the crops yields with an increase in temperature.

Also adverse temperature and moisture conditions affect the quality of food grains. Climate change is also likely to have significant effect on the quality of plantation and cash crops such as cotton, fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, aromatic & medicinal plants, etc.

The damage to crops caused by pests, pathogens and weeds increases due to increase in temperature.

It has been observed that with rise of 2 degree C of

atmospheric temperature, 15-17% of wheat and paddy yields are decreased. Change in climate is likely to bring about a change in the population dynamics, growth and distribution of insects and pests thereby, disturbing crop-pest balance. Drought conditions would increase pathogen and insect survival rate due to change in plant nutrient level and decrease in plant defense system. These changes

increased respiration rates, decrease in feed intake, etc. Indirect impact would be observed in the form of reduction in grazing land and water availability, decline in available cattle feed, emergence of new diseases, etc. Increase in temperature would impact animal production and profitability in dairying due to lower feed intake, milk production and reproduction. Although small ruminants are more toler-

could lead to enormous crop losses in altered environment. The impact of climate change causes in global warming, changes in precipitation patterns, increased frequency of flash floods, land sliding, rise in sea level etc. would affect the water balance and water quality in different parts of the country.

Changes in rainfall patterns can cause water shortages in some regions which, combined with thermal stress due to higher mean temperature, can adversely affect crops. Moreover, change in precipitation patterns and variation in temperature may degrade soil quality, reduce soil moisture content and affect micro biodiversity, which in turn affect crop growth. An increase in temperature also increases evapotranspiration, thereby lowering groundwater table and adversely affecting irrigation potential. At some places, increased surface temperature coupled with reduced rainfall may lead to accumulation of salts in upper soil layers. Also, a rise in sea level associated with increased temperature may lead to salt-water ingression in the coastal lands.

Impact of climate change on livestock are felt in the form of elevated body temperatures,

ant to climatic extremities than from other farm animals, yet empirical evidences indicates adverse impact of heat and cold stress on the growth, production and reproduction performance of these animals. Besides being susceptible to increased heat stress from climate change, the livestock is also exposed to the risks associated with extreme events. India is among 27 countries that are most vulnerable to increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as heat waves, storms, droughts, floods, land sliding etc. Severe drought conditions are likely to affect livestock due to decline in feed and fodder availability and also water shortages. The impact of climate change induced decline in pastoral land would further aggravate the severe constraints on livestock farming. Changes in the climate would also affect the fisheries sector in many ways. Climate change would induce changes in the abundance and distribution of exploited species. These changes would increase further with the degree of severity of extreme events, such as changes in floods and storms, which in turn affect fishing operations and infrastructure. Climate change

would also indirectly affect aquatic habitats, ecosystem productivity and the distribution and abundance of aquatic competitors and predators/diseases thereby affecting the livelihood and food security of fishing communities. It has already been observed that the breeding of the Indian major carps as well as the distribution of important fish species and plankton has been affected due to changes in temperature and rainfall patterns over the catchments of the Ganga River.

Agricultural sector releases a number of Green House Gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. These GHGs include Methane, Carbon Dioxide, and Nitrous Oxide. Digestion process of ruminants, application manures and wetland rice cultivation are the main contributors to Methane emissions. Use of nitrogenous fertilizers causes Nitrous Oxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions arise mainly due to the use of diesel pumps in irrigation. Other sources of carbon dioxide include burning of agricultural wastes, burning of biomass, microbial decay etc.

Risks associated with climate change threaten livelihood opportunities within the food production sectors mainly in two ways: Firstly, increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events would expose the agricultural sector to greater risks to productivity resulting in loss of revenue and secondly, changing weather and precipitation patterns would require expensive adaptation measures such as relocating crop cultivation, changing the cropping pattern and increase in use of agro-inputs such as feed, fertilizers and pesticides which may lead to economic denigration and job loss. IPCC (2007) projects that small landholder and subsistence farmers, pastoralists and artisanal fisher folk will suffer most due to the complex and localized impacts of climate change. While the lack of sufficient income to purchase food is a major factor contributing to food insecurity, hunger itself contributes to poverty by lowering labour productivity, reducing resistance to disease and depressing educational achievements. In some areas where livelihood sources are limited, decrease in crop yields may threaten famines, or where loss of landmass in coastal areas is anticipated, migration might be the only solution. Another noteworthy dimension of the problem is the likely implications for global and domestic trading regimes and market prices of farm inputs and outputs under the changing climate scenarios. The agriculture and allied sectors in India are exposed to potential risks arising from climate variability and climate change induced stresses. These risks coupled with the existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, high population density, depletion of important natural resources, shrinking cultivable land, insufficient rural infrastructure, etc. are expected to exacerbate the stress on Indian agriculture through a range of direct and indirect impacts.

Transformation through tech can drive jobs growth NEW DELHI

achieved. Mainstreaming the application of technologies to all industries The potentially slowing rate of global whether it is restaurants, hotels, heavy growth and India's continuing growth engineering, handlooms and handitrajectory present both opportunities crafts or logistics and transportation and challenges. As our country of over 1 for things as basic as automating billion people prepares for this year's invoicing and payments to complex interim budget later this week as well as for the upcoming general elections in May, a focus on development-led governance and inclusive growth will be key.

There are expectations that agriculture and social sectors may see higher budgetary allocations and ameliorative measures in the wake of some natural calamities and less than optimal crop performance/output in certain parts of the country.

On the other hand, the world expects the best of us. From the expected 7.5% growth rate in 2019 to 7.7% in 2020, there is much to look forward to and prepare for. For us to retain and possibly improve our recent ranking as the fifth largest economy in the world while taking India to a $20 trillion GDP, we have to convert present opportunities into tasks like inventory control and manreality and that too fast. agement can not only help skill buildAs some states rue over jobless growth, ing on shop floors but also create more while some others are concerned over a entrepreneurial opportunities for indidrop in tourist footfalls, we need to viduals and startups to service these address the elephant in the room. needs while adding to the efficiency of Creating jobs has to be linked to the cre- operations. Digital India has made the ation of economic opportunities where right overtures by reducing leakages none existed. Technology here has and building greater accountability. played an enabling role in opening More national, state-level and local doors to new industries and new roles enterprises need to embrace the digital most notably in fintech, foodtech, revolution. rideshare, e-commerce deliveries and While the contribution of the formal logistics and now in hospitality. economy of salaried employees is When regulations and realities of busi- more easily identifiable, there is a ness go hand in hand, a lot can be growing upswing in the informal econ-

omy of entrepreneurs. So for every data point around how 11 million people who may have lost their jobs last year, the contribution of the informal economy of professionals as well as the transportation sector itself accounted for 14 million economic opportuni-

ties over the same period. The economic growth in 12 of the Reserve Bank of India's 17 non-special states beat India's economic growth of 6.7% in fiscal 2018, but it did not open more avenues for jobs. Eleven of these 12 states saw a fall in growth in otherwise employment-intensive sectors. In contrast, opportunity creation in the informal sector is booming even at the street level.

The more pertinent questions then become whether we are able to incentivise entrepreneurs-micro, small or medium, whether we are enabling regulations that assist the growth of enter-

ICICI Bank must answer for CEO scandal NEW DELHI New Delhi: ICICI Bank Ltd. is seeking to claw back bonuses and stock options paid to departed chief executive officer Chanda Kochhar. That gives shareholders of the nation's second-biggest private sector lender some justice. But the board should be made to hang its head in shame.

Allegations of conflict of interest against the CEO first arose in October 2016. At the heart of the scandal was a Rs.3,250 crore ($456 million) loan to Videocon Group.

Kochhar's husband had beneficial business dealings with Videocon managing director Venugopal Dhoot, yet the CEO didn't recuse herself from the credit committee that sanctioned the loan in 2012.

For more than a year, the board of directors sat on a whistleblower's complaint. Worse still, when the media started asking questions, chairman Mahendra Kumar Sharma gave Kochhar a hasty vote of confidence in March last year. Finally, when it became clear to everyone except the board that her continuing at the bank was a problem, it ordered an inquiry by a retired judge. Even then, Kochhar agreed only to go on leave. Shortly afterwards, Sharma finished his term and was gone.

It's only now that the inquiry has found Kochhar violated the bank's code of conduct that ICICI has decided to treat her October resignation - ten-

dered while she was on leave - as a termination.

Kochhar says she is "utterly disappointed, hurt and shocked' by the decision.

She's right to be shocked. Which Indian board willingly reopens a book after making every effort to close it? Even now, the new directors would have liked to forget the whole thing and move on. That's impossible, now that the government's investigative agency has charged Kochhar, her husband and Videocon's Dhoot with criminal conspiracy and cheating. The Central Bureau of Investigation's first information report also names Kochhar's predecessor and successor among people who could be investigated in the future.

Suddenly it has become important for ICICI to draw a line between Kochhar and the bank; this time last year, she was the bank. The directors who helped her cultivate that image of invincibility abdicated their duty to uphold governance. Leave aside the Videocon loan, and the "illegal gratification and undue benefit" Indian sleuths allege she received via her husband. Ask instead why the board was giving her a performance bonus that it now wants to take back.

For piling up bad loans?

ICICI directors shouldn't get a free pass from regulators. Otherwise, they'll just show up at other boards, perpetuating a culture of CEO worship that's at odds with their role as stewards of public shareholders. Indian investors deserve better.

prise and facilitate vocational training and skill building over traditional learning.

The answer to continuous/relentless job growth lies in finding solutions to these issues.

India sees over 15 foreign million tourists annually. Buoyed by domestic demand, we have the opportunity to empower local tourism as well as business and personal travel while also looking to build on international footfalls. All of this is possible when we marry great convenience and quality with the right price. Therefore, the affordable hospitality opportunity map for India extends far deeper from just the metros and popular tourist destinations to even the tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India including the likes of Prayagraj for Kumbh, Bareilly for overnight business trips from Delhi and Karnal for a weekend trip to meet relatives.

Several countries including China and Indonesia have realized the potential of expanding the use-cases of domestic travel through the right price and product with the result that the local hospitality industry and its associated local industries of travel, food and tourism are booming in largely undiscovered cities.

There is no reason why India can't take advantage of the billion-dollar opportunity as well.

Some ways to harness this can be through simplifying existing rules, streamline state government guidelines that govern the management and supervision of hotels, bed and breakfasts, homestays, etc., across the country.

9

How NDA reduced the gap between allocations, spends MUMBAI The department of space is trusted with the responsibility of steering India's space programme. Come every budget, successive finance ministers allocate more money to it: from?2,731 crore in 2004-05 to ?10,783 crore in 2018-19. However, in 12 of the past 13 years for which complete spending data is available, it has spent anything between 6% and 42% less than the budgeted amount.

The department of space is not alone in practising such frugality, which generally stems either from the ministry's inefficiency in planning and spending, or from the government channelling the money elsewhere. Since 2004-05, a majority of Union ministries have not spent the amount allocated to them each year, though this government has improved on this aspect significantly in the two middle years of its tenure.

This underspending, or overspending, can be assessed only for two years. For example, in February 2017, when he presented the budget for 2017-18, finance minister Arun Jaitley announced allocations for various ministries (termed 'budget estimates'). In February 2018, the government released what it expected to spend in 201718 ('revised estimates'). It's only in February 2019 that it will state the exact amount spent by it in 2017-18 ('actuals'). Thus, this difference between the budget estimates and actuals is the overspend or underspend.

We looked at this data for the past 13 years to 2016-17, the latest available. This spans 10 years of the Congress-led UPA government and three years of the current BJP-led NDA government.

In three of its 10 years, the UPA spent less than what it budgeted for at the overall level. It also showed a high level of variance across years, overspending by 17.7% in 2008-09, partly to absorb the contagion of the financial crisis and partly to fund a farm loan waiver.

Similarly, in 2010-11, it overspent by 8% and then underspent by 5.4% in 201213 and 6.4% in 2013-14. The bout of underspending continued during the NDA's first year in 2014-15. But in the two years since, the variance over the budgeted amount has been marginal (see chart 1).

Both governments have seen many of the 53 ministries seeing a shortfall in spending. In just four of the 13 years have more than 40% of these 53 ministries used their allocated amount. This happened in 2008-09 and 201011 under the UPA, and 201516 and 2016-17 under the NDA. The years 2012-13 and 2013-14 were the worst on this count, when 77% and 73% ministries, respectively, underutilized their allocations by above 5%. In its first year, 2014-15, the NDA struggled to get going on ministry-wise spending, with this figure staying at 73%. It did much better in the subsequent two years: 60% of ministries have either spent all their allocations or had a shortfall of up to 5% (see chart 2).

As derivatives markets head into expiry, shorts are ruling the roost NEW DELHI Indian markets have corrected by about 3% in the past five trading sessions, which is a worrying sign especially with the equity derivatives markets heading into expiry this week. "Spreads demanded by traders to roll over positions to the next expiry cycle have decreased, while the quantum of rollovers done with three days left to expiry is higher than earlier months, indicating shorts are being unusually aggressive in taking their positions forward to the next month," said the head of derivatives desk at a domestic brokerage firm.

Traders with outstanding derivatives position have the option of squaring them off ahead of expiry or rolling over positions to the next cycle by doing a simultaneous buy-and-sell trade across the current and next month's expiry cycles.

It's little wonder that shorts are ruling the roost.

Apart from worries of a global slowdown and the uncertainty around the general election, concerns about corporate governance are becoming bigger.

While investors were still grappling with the fallout of the financial crisis at Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), recent news about the Zee Group and ICICI Bank Ltd have compounded worries about corporate governance.

Analysts say that the spread of bad news on the corporate governance front to large-sized companies is a troubling sign.

"Issues related to corporate governance or lack of enough transparency with respect to handling finances of companies, that we saw in mid-caps last year, may now be spreading to the largecaps," said Dhananjay Sinha, head of research

and economist and strategist at Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd. Shares of mid and small-sized firms were thrashed last year after a series of corporate governance issues erupted. Indeed, the BSE MidCap index is only 6.45% higher from its lows in October 2018, indicating most of those worries remain.

Another factor troubling investors is the liquidity in the system.

"Developments at special purpose vehicles of IL&FS Group, ICICI Bank and Zee Group have come back to back and that is a bad coincidence for the stock market.

The liquidity in the debt markets has tightened again and with the negative news flow, investors' sentiments have weakened further," said Pramod Gupta, partner at Ajarva Partners.

Further, dismal December quarter earnings of Dewan Housing Finance Corp. Ltd raises further worries about the performance of other NBFCs (non-banking financial companies).

Shares of a number of financial services firms fell sharply on Monday.

So far in 2018, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have been heavy sellers of Indian equities, with net sales of Rs.3,160.44 crore. Purchases by domestic mutual funds worth Rs.6,637.34 crore continue to compensate for FII outflows.

Domestic fund managers, flush with liquidity, are chasing shares of large-sized companies in spite of rich valuations, given the dearth of options in the battered broader markets. With issues now cropping up at large companies, the impact on mutual fund performance and eventually inflows into these funds remains to be seen.

Minimum support price price,to Yet to born baby reduce poverty Chennai: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says that agriculture connects economic growth and the rural poor. Its importance goes beyond incomes, reduces poverty by lowering and stabilizing food prices, improving employment for poor rural people, increasing demand for consumer goods and services, and stimulating growth in the nonfarm economy. As such support to agriculture is essential if we have to reduce poverty and ensuring food security to all.

To revitalize the agriculture sector in the country the National Democratic Alliance Government led by Primeminister Narendra Modi has rolled out so many schemes and announced many farmer friendly incentives.

Although some of them have started showing positive results, many others are still in the initial stages and yet to show their positive impact. It is not that there was dearth of farm centric schemes, but yes given the prevailing scenario in this vital sector there seems to be some serious flaw in their implementation or on some other aspect. The debt ridden farmers, the rising incidence of suicides, the prevalence of many farmers outside the formal credit structure and from any sort of crop insurance and a credible and fool proof buy back arrangement from the farming community bear testimony to this. What can be more disgusting that farmers of the country going on a crop holiday to register their protest against the non remunerativeness of the agriculture sector? A few years back thousands

of hectares of land in Andhra Pradesh was left fallow and uncultivated; the reason being low profitability.

The present article dwells on the Minimum Support Price; a government's market intervention to insure agricultural

Support Price for 22 crops and also fair and remunerative price (FRP) for Sugarcane. It is announced at the beginning of sowing season by the government of India on the basis of recommendations of Commission of

producers against any sharp falls in farm prices. It is meant to provide a more remunerative price to the farming community. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the price of the agricultural produce set up by the government of India to purchase directly from the farmers. The main objective behind announcing the MSP is to prevent farmers from distress selling and to safeguard the farmers to at least a minimum profit of their produce if the open market has lesser price than the cost incurred on such produce. It is here pertinent to mention that the government every year announces the Minimum

Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

The 22 crops include 14 crops of the Kharif season which include Paddy, Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Ragi, Arhar, Moong, Urad, groundnut, Soybean, sunflower, Sesamum, Niger seed and Sesamum. In the rabi season the MSP is announced for 6 crops which include wheat, Barley, gram, lentil, rapeseed/mustard and sunflower. The two other commercial crops covered under MSP are jute and Copra.

Unfortunately although the years it has remained a bone of contention between the farming community and the respec-

tive governments from the very beginning. Farmers and various farmer organizations have been demanding an increase in MSP to cover the rising input costs and other fixed as well as variable cost associated with the production of different crops. What is worse is that the peasantry is being exploited on the name of MSP for fetching votes and forming government. Farming community has been demanding an increase in MSP to 1.5 times the cost of production. Even M. S. Swaminathan has also been advocating the increase in MSP to this level.

The present government on Fourth of July 2018 took the historic decision of raising the minimum support price to 1.5 times the cost of production of different crops. The revised MSP were to be implemented with effect from kharif 2018-19 season. Let me take the example of Maize (Zea Mays). It is an important kharif crop being cultivated in the rainfed Kandi regions. In the year the 2017-18, the MSP for the maize crop announced by the government was rupees 1425 per quintal. In the next season i. e Kharif 2018-19, after working out all the related production costs and with 1.5 times the cost of production formulae, the MSP for maize was announced at rupees 1700 per quintal. It was supposed to be a big relief for the farmers; but much to the shock of everyone things are still the same. Even after the government announced the hike in MSP, the farmers are still forced to sell the produce at low rates. In the market at the time of harvest farmers sold the maize at 1400 per quintal to private players.

SPECIAL

The City Standard

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

10

World Cancer Day 2019

The theme for 2019 is "I am and I will" - all about your story and your commitment NEW DELHI World Cancer Day is celebrated every year on 4th of February all over the world to commemorate all the efforts done by the WHO, United Nations, governmental and nongovernmental health organizations towards making the strategy to fight against cancer as well as distributing the real message about this epidemic disease and its treatments including its precautionary measures by uniting all the people a day on global basis.

It is celebrated to plan some new strategies as well as implement some new programs which help to aware more people about this disease. This event is organized on annual basis under the supervision of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and other leading health organizations involved for cancer fighting.

World Cancer Day 2019 will be celebrated all across the world on 4th of February, at Monday.

History of World Cancer Day World Cancer Day celebration was planned in the Geneva, Switzerland in 1933 under the direction of UICC (Union for International Cancer Control) and with the support various other well-known cancer societies, research institutes, treatment centers and patient groups. The World Cancer Day event was founded to fulfill all the needs to fight and control this deadly disease.

According to the report it has been noted that Report people more than 12.7 million are diagnosed with cancer as well as people more than 7 million are dying of cancer every year. The day was planned to start its annual celebration in order to save millions lives from the cancer as well as instruct people to check its symptoms, follow its preventive measures and gets saved from the risk of this epidemic disease. The day, 4th of February was established specially for raising the cancer awareness among people, teaching them about healthy diet, regular and proper physical activity and a lesson on how to get prevented from the environmental carcinogens.

How World Cancer Day is Celebrated To spread the special messages about the cancer awareness and its prevention, the leading health organiza-

tions as well as nongovernmental organizations takes part by organizing the camps, awareness programs, rallies, lectures, seminars and etc. Variety of control measures policies gets implemented and people are promoted to join in masses.

Common public, health organizations and other nongovernmental organizations are requested and promoted through many ways before the day celebration to take part during the event celebration. Common people are the main target of the event celebration to which the message is to be spread and shared to get more control over the cancer. A toolkit, having templates, leaflets and direction for various organizations accordingly, is provided by the UICC for better assistance.

This event is celebrated every year by using a particular theme to make this event more result oriented among people. According to the report, people (of low and middle income group) with various types of cancer and death ratios per year are liver cancer/6,10,000, lung cancer/1.3 million, colorectal cancer/6,39,000, stomach cancer/8,03,000, breast cancer/5,19,000 and etc.

During the event celebration, people are targeted to let them known about the risk factors causing the cancer such as tobacco use, overweight or obese, low fruit or vegetable intake, less or no physical activity, alcohol use, sexual transmission of HPVinfection, urban areas air pollution, indoor smoke, genetically risk factors, over exposure to sunlight and etc. People are also get aware about the vaccination method against the human papilloma virus and hepatitis B virus.

Why World Cancer Day is Celebrated World cancer day is celebrated to make aware the normal people about the risk factors and preventive mea-

Foods to fight cancer such as prostate and lung cancer. Be sure to cook the tomatoes, as this method releases An anti-cancer diet is an important strategy the lycopene and makes it available to your you can use to reduce your risk of cancer. body.

NEW DELHI

The American Cancer Society recommends, for example, that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and eat the right amount of food to stay at a healthy weight. In addition, researchers are finding that certain foods that prevent cancer may be an important part of an anti-cancer diet.

Although selecting cancer-fighting foods at the grocery store and at mealtime can't guarantee cancer prevention, good choices may help reduce your risk. Consider these anticancer diet guidelines: " Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and nutrients that are thought to reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Eating more plant-based foods also gives you little room for foods high in sugar. Instead of filling up on processed or sugary foods, eat fruits and vegetables for snacks. The Mediterranean diet offers foods that fight cancer, focusing mostly on plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. People who follow the Mediterranean diet choose cancer-fighting foods like olive oil over butter and fish instead of red meat. " Sip green tea throughout your day.

Green tea is a powerful antioxidant and may be an important part of an anti-cancer diet.

Green tea, a cancer-fighting food, may be helpful in preventing liver, breast, pancreatic, lung, esophageal, and skin cancer.

Researchers report that a nontoxic chemical found in green tea, epigallocatechin-3 gallate, acts against urokinase (an enzyme crucial for cancer growth). One cup of green tea contains between 100 and 200 milligrams (mg) of this anti-tumor ingredient. " Eat more tomatoes. Research confirms that the antioxidant lycopene, which is in tomatoes, may be more powerful than beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and vitamin E. Lycopene is a cancer-fighting food associated with protection against certain cancers

" Use olive oil. In Mediterranean countries, this monounsaturated fat is widely used for both cooking and salad oil and may be a cancer-fighting food. Breast cancer rates are 50 percent lower in Mediterranean countries than in the United States. " Snack on grapes. Red grapes have seeds filled with the superantioxidant activin.

This cancer-fighting chemical, also found in red wine and red-grape juice, may offer significant protection against certain types of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic degenerative diseases. " Use garlic and onions abundantly. Research has found that garlic and onions can block the formation of nitrosamines, powerful carcinogens that target several sites in the body, usually the colon, liver, and breasts.

Indeed, the more pungent the garlic or onion, the more abundant the chemically active sulfur compounds that prevent cancer. " Eat fish. Fatty fish - such as salmon, tuna, and herring - contain omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fatty acid that has been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. If you don't currently eat fish, you might consider adding it to your anti-cancer diet.

Another way to add omega-3s to your diet is by eating flaxseed.

Be proactive, and make more room in your diet for the following foods that prevent cancer.

Add Garlic to Your Anti-Cancer Diet: Research shows that garlic is a cancer-fighting food. Several large studies have found that those who eat more garlic are less likely to develop various kinds of cancer, especially in digestive organs such as the esophagus, stomach, and colon. Ingredients in the pungent bulbs may keep cancer-causing substances in your body from working, or they may keep cancer cells from multiplying.

Experts don't know how much you need to eat to prevent cancer, but a clove a day may be helpful.

sures of the cancer to get prevented or its early detection. Generally, people suffering from the cancer are hated by the normal people in the society and behaved like an untouched person. There are various other social myths related to the cancer that normal people think that they would got cancer if they would touch or

live with the person having cancer.

The day is celebrated as well to remove such type of the social myths related to the cancer. It is celebrated to make the normal aware about all the reality of the cancer like its symptoms, causing factors, treatment, and etc.

Variety of events are organized at this day to show people that the person with cancer should not be treated

separately, they should have equal rights to live like a normal person in the society and any relation should not be changed for them. They should be fulfilled their wishes by their relatives even if they have less chances of survival. It is very necessary to make them feel better like a normal person and should not make them feel that they are given some treatment for survival as they are dying. They must feel self respect and find a normal environment in their home and society.

Normal person should avoid being over-sympathetic to them or sharing their unsuccessful stories as it may make their pain and fear intolerable. They should be shared some positive stories to get boost their morale and make them feel energetic and self-confidence in order to defeat cancer or make their journey easy and happy.

According to the statistics, it has been noted that most of the cancer cases and cancer deaths (47% and 55% respectively) occur in less developed areas of the world. If it is not controlled, this condition may get worse by 2030. So, it is very necessary to get control over such situation at all the corners of the world.

During this event celebration people are promoted well about their healthy lifestyles, balanced diet, regular physical activity and weight management in order to reduce the risk of occurrence of cancers. They are promoted to get rid of their alcohol habits, unhealthy diet

People get scared of cancer because of illiteracy : Dr. Arpit Bansal PRAYAGRAJ Cancer is a multi-factorial disease, it doesn't discriminate, says Dr. Arpit Bansal, Director, Jeevan Jyoti Hospital. Our Correspondent, Aditya spoke to Dr. Bansal on various aspects of cancer disease. Here are some excerpts. Dr. Bansal opined that it is a disease which can and does affect us all regardless of social status, race, gender, religion and sexuality. Patients suffering from cancer are everywhere, and they are in Allahabad as well. Due to low literacy rate in Allahabad, people easily get scared. We have cured so many cancer patients.

Cancer has 4 stages; most of the cancers are curable at initial 2 stages, it means patient can be cured and could live entirely normal life. Here, people are not aware about this. Most people rushed to Delhi or Mumbai if cancer is detectDr.ARPIT ed. Here in Allahabad, we have treated many patients, who were at stage four.

There were patients, who were at stage three of their Breast Cancer, were treated successfully and now living normal life. I think people do not nave faith about the treatment, here. We have same facilities as it is there in Delhi or Mumbai, and we charge one-third of the cost of what is charged elsewhere. So, why are we running everywhere, if we have a same facility in our town.

Ques: Robotic technology is being used in big cities? It is said; patients had high survival of 100 percent.

Ans: No, it's not. Robotic technology is more precise, but if talking about cancer, we do not have any clear proof about it, except for few cancers and one of such is prostate cancer.

Robotic Technology has played very important role in treating prostate cancer. Other surgeries such as, abdomen, rectum etc, where robots are specially used, the result is almost the same with Laparoscopy. All scientific papers proved that the result of robotic technology is the same

as Laparoscopy (except prostate cancer). In India, the cost of robotic technology is 10 times more expensive than Laparoscopy. So, there is no point in getting treated with robot. Use of robot will not be cost effective, until it is manufactured in India, it will take some time. We use Laparoscopy, which is almost as effective as Robotic. We have same equipments and technology as it is in other metro city.

Ques: To make people more aware, do you do counselling?

Ans: "I myself do the counselling mostly, my staff councils as well. Others are getting aware from my patients. Before, cancer was usually treated with open surgery, due to its incapability and limitations, patient were further treated with Chemo radiation, which is good only for short term relief, and it cannot completely cure the disease."

"It requires quite aggressive method to cure the cancer, BANSAL because it is technically challenging. Some of my friends support me in this, especially if it is 7-8 hours long major surgery, they come here to help me and I also visit Delhi and help them operating the difficult surgery."

Ques: There are some stages in cancer. At what stage patients usually visit?

Ans: People usually visit us, at their 3rd stage or 4th stage of cancer. Actually, this is an issue; people think that cancer is impossible to cure.

So, they get scared and do nothing, or they wait for the problem to arise and then come to us, or they opt for traditional Chemo Radio. Chemo is only adjuant treatment in most cancers.

Ques: How should a patient realise this, and come at the earliest?

Ans: "Cancer has two major symptoms, loss of appetite and weight loss. Others, such as pain, are a associated symptom. People are very much aware about breast cancer; normally patients suffering from breast cancer come early, at initial stages," said Dr. Bansal.

and physical immobility.

Common Myths and Facts about Cancer Below are listed some common myths and facts about the cancer among people which are necessary to be removed and well understand the reality about the cancer to get control over it. > Generally people think that cancer tissues are just health issue however it is not. > Common people think that cancer is a disease for wealthy and old age people however it is a global and epidemic disease which can affect all age group. > Common people think that suffering from the cancer is just like a punishment however most type of the cancer are now well treatable. > Common people think that having cancer is their fate however approximately 30% of the cases can be cured and prevented for whole life.

World Cancer Day Theme: World cancer day is celebrated every year using a particular theme; some of the year wise themes are listed below: The theme of the World Cancer Day 2007 was "Today's children, tomorrow's world".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2008 was "give children and young people a smoke-free environment ".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2009 was "I love my healthy active childhood".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2010 was "Vaccinating to prevent virus related liver cancers ".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2011 was "Teaching Children and Teenagers to limit their sun exposure by being SunSmart!".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2012 was "Together it is possible".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2013 was "Cancer - Did you know?".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2014 was "Debunk the Myths".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2015 was "Not beyond us".

The theme of the World Cancer Day 2016, 2017 and 2018 is "We can. I can."

Foods that may prevent cancer MUMBAI A bowl full of bright green steamed broccoli. You say either "Yum!" -- or "Where's the double cheeseburger?" But you know the broccoli is good for you, especially without melted cheese. The question is, how good? And more to the point, can it -- or any food -help prevent disease, such as cancer?

The answer is yes -- some foods do show cancer-fighting properties, though no one is yet able to say one food or another can prevent or stop cancer in its tracks. Still, a body of research suggests an overall healthy diet filled with colorful fruits and vegetables is the key to skirting heart disease, diabetes, and possibly cancer too.

In fact, scientists know more about what not to eat -processed meats, salty foods, sugary drinks, huge helpings of red meat -- than which fruits and vegetables to pile on your plate. But they do know those foods matter.

A comprehensive review of thousands of studies on diet, physical activity, and weightconducted for the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research pointed to the benefits of eating mostly foods of plant origin. Foods such as broccoli, berries, and garlic showed some of the strongest links to cancer prevention.

They're low in calories and fat and power-packed with phytochemicals and antioxidantsthat may help reduce your cancer risk.

Antioxidants, Phytochemicals, and Cancer: You've heard of antioxidants,

such as vitamin C, lycopene, and beta-carotene, which are in many fruits and vegetables.

Studies suggest that people who eat meals that are rich in fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of cancer. A variety of chemicals from plants known as phytochemicals also seem to protect cells from harmful compounds in food and in the environment, as well as prevent cell damage and mutations, says Jed W. Fahey, ScD, MS, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and its School of Medicine who studies how cruciferous vegetables help protect against disease.

A diet that could ward off cancer really doesn't look that different from the healthy foods you should be eating anyway, says Wendy DemarkWahnefried, PhD, RD,associate director for Cancer Prevention and Control at the University of Alabama's Comprehensive Cancer Center. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains and lean meat or fish. And weight matters too. Keep the scale at a healthy number and shed some pounds if needed. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing esophageal cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and others.

So what foods should you load up on to give your body the best chance of steering clear of cancer? WebMD scrutinized research, sometimes conflicting, to tease out some foods you'll want to eat plenty of, starting right now.

Cancer control in India PRAYAGRAJ

The term cancer refers to a group of diseases which share similar characteristics. Cancer can affect all living cells in the body, at all ages and in both genders. The causation is multifactoral and the disease process differs at different sites. Tobacco is the single most important identified risk factor for cancer. A host of other environmental exposures, certain infections as well as genetic predisposition play an important role in carcinogenesis. Diagnostic work-up, treatment methods and outcome of treatment are not uniform for all cancers. Advanced technology is required in many situations and ongoing research initiatives might lead to better understanding of the disease and its control. The control of cancer requires the effective implementation of knowledge derived from more than two decades of successful research. It is now known that over one-third of cancers are preventable, and one-third potentially curable provided they are diagnosed early in their course. The quality of life of patients with incurable disease can be improved with palliative care. A rational concept to put science into practice has to be formulated to counter this disease. I cancer, even with limited resources, an impact can be achieved if the right priorities and strategies are established and implemented. The carcinogenic agents that people breathe, eat, drink and are otherwise exposed to,

largely determine the occurrence if the ing habits. Manipuri tobacco is very disease. Personal habits such as the use popular in West of Uttar Pradesh, so of tobacco play a key role; people Manipuri Cancer is quite common develop such habits in response to the there. In Telangana, people had the social circumstances of life. Thus, the habit of reverse smoking; they mostly social origin of lifestyle must be con- suffer from Palatal Cancer. Kashmiris sidered in cancer prevention. The high mostly suffers from Cancer in their rates of cervical and breast cancers have food-Pipe, due to their hookah smoking created a higher cancer burden in habits and their spicy food. People in women than men and hence these dis- Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra are affected by stomach eases are of major socicancer due to their red etal and familial consechilli and spicy food. In quence. In Prayagraj, India, one particular the most common cancancer we noted here, is cer, patients are suffering, are caused by highest in the world, is tobacco. Here, 58% of the Cancer in Gall men and 15% of women Bladder, affected are suffering from canpatients mostly found cer related to tobacco; residing in the area of this is because of their Trans Gangetic Plains, habits and addiction Dr. B Paul Thaliath these people have high towards tobacco. Director, Regional Cancer chances of developing Another one of the most stones in Gall Bladder, if Centre common cancer here is it remains for a very long Kamala Nehru Memorial cervical cancer; it time it produces cancer Hospital occurs with particular in Gall Bladder. Around lifestyles such as lack of 19.5% women and 9.5% hygiene, marriage and childbirth at men living in Trans- Gangetic plains are young age are more prone to it. Another suffering from Gall Bladder cancer, most common cancer is the breast can- which is highest in the world. cer in women, it also occurs due to par- We have only hospital records, now we ticular lifestyles. These three cancers are going to the whole district, surveying are quite common in this area. the patients coming to various clinics, Here , most people have habit of chew- hospitals, diagnosis centres, where these ing. So, here, most of them suffer from cancers are reported, we are getting data mouth, tongue, cheek, and gum cancer. from them, and we are following it up.

In western countries lung cancer, throat Once the data is available, we will be cancers are common due to their smok- able to recommend the government how

and what remedial step should be taken to control this particular cancer in particular area. We will be able to control the disease.

We will also get the data from this particular district; here people are coming from other districts as well. We will be getting data from all Trans Gangetic areas right from Rishikesh to Kolkata; we will be able to control this Gall Bladder Cancer. This cancer is hardly seen abroad. If you look at non TransGangetic areas it is just 1 percent, here it is around 19.5 % in women and 9.5% in men.

National Cancer Control Program conducts awareness program and screening, through this program, we go to the villages, and we are going to the villages creating awareness among people. Early detected cancers are very much easy to treat, almost all the cancers, if the stage advances it will become more complicated.

Majority of people used to come in stage 3 and 4 of their cancer. If talking about cervical cancer we have created the awareness in the last 20-25 years, now we have found more people are coming in stage 1 and 2. In stage 1, it can be cured to almost 100%, in stage two; it can be cured up to 80-90 percent and in stage 3, it comes down to 50-60 percent.

In Allahabad, patients suffering from cancer are high, if you put all the cancer centres in the state together, and compare with our number, still our number is much higher, and this is also because people from other places are also coming for treatment.

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

Mithali Raj becomes first female cricketer to play 200 ODIs

HAMILTON On Friday India women cricket team captain Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer to play 200 ODIs, adding another feather to her cap. She made her ODI debut in 1999 and has played in 200 games out of the 263 ODIs which India has played. She also played 10 Tests and 85 T20Is. This 36-year-old is also the highest run-getter in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33, including seven 100.

Mithali did not make a big impact in her 200th game; scoring nine off 28 balls as India were bowled out for 149 in the third and final ODI against New Zealand. She had hit an unbeaten 63 in the second ODI, helping India take

an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Mithali made her ODI debut way back in 1999 and out of the 263 ODIs India have played so far, she has participated in 200. She has also played 10 Tests and 85 T20s.

She is also the highest run-getter for India in T20 internationals.

Mithali was in the centre of a huge controversy when during the T20 World Cup in November last year, she was axed from the team for the semifinals against England.

The Women in Blue and repercussions were far and wide.

Mithali's international career is the longest among all female players, and fourthlongest after Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Javed Miandad.

200 is just a number, says Mithali Raj Hamilton: Back in 1999, 16-year-old schoolgirl Mithali Raj was simply happy wearing the India colours for the first time and not much changed even after two decades as the coveted milestone of 200 ODIs "is just a number" for the 36-year-old legend.

Mithali made her ODI debut against England in Milton Keynes in January 1999 and on Friday became the first woman to complete in 200 matches in the 50-over format. Not to forget, she is the top run-getter in the world with 6622 runs.

"200 is just a number for me but it feels nice to come so far," the unassuming India's ODI captain said after completing a 2-1 series win. "I have seen different stages of women's cricket across the globe since I made by debut way back in 1999 under IWCC (International Women's Cricket Council). Coming under

ICC, we could see the difference. I am just happy to represent the country for so long," Mithali said.

For Mithali, it is a surreal feeling that she could continue for so long at the top level. "When I started, I didn't think that I will come so far. Initially, my aim was to only wear the India colours, be one of the core members of the team but never did I think that I will continue to play for so long," said Mithali with a sense of satisfaction in her voice.

Mithali has had her share of ups and downs including the very recent public difference of opinion with COA member Diana Edulji, whom she alleged was trying to finish her career along with former coach Ramesh Powar.

According to Mithali, her only endeavour has been to suit her game as per team's needs.

"When you have a long career, you have different elements and reasoning that comes into factor. But one thing has been to constantly thrive and change my game to suit different conditions," she said.

11

CMYK

CMYK

SPORT

The City Standard

FROM PAIN TO PLEASURE

Novak Djokovic's rocky road to magnificent seven NEW DELHI Twelve months after exiting the Australian Open with fitness, form and career doubts swirling, Novak Djokovic on Sunday struggled to keep his emotions from reducing him to tears.

The Serb world number one had just lifted the Norman Brookes trophy for a record seventh time, after completing a Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows and Melbourne Park hat-trick that would have seemed scarcely possible this time last year.

His 6-3, 62, 6-3 rout of Rafael Nadal saw him stretch his lead at the top of the world rankings, just a few months after he plummeted outside the top 20 for the first time in 12 years.

"I'm just trying to contemplate on the journey in the last 12 months," said an emotional Djokovic, pausing for breath to compose himself and not become tearful.

"To be standing now here in front of you today and managing to win this title and three out of four Slams, this is amazing. I am speechless."

After missing the 2017 US Open with a bothersome elbow and losing in the last 16 at the Australian Open in January 2018, Djokovic underwent surgery to fix the nagging problem.

His return was not smooth, his form tanked and when he lost in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2018 he slumped to 22nd in the rankings and even briefly threatened to pull out of Wimbledon.

Now Djokovic heads to the next major, at Roland Garros, aiming to hold all four Grand Slam titles concurrently for a second time in his career -- he first achieved it when winning the French Open in 2016 -- despite only managing to be competitive for the second half of 2018.

He opted to play on the grass after all and romped to a fourth Wimbledon crown, a 32nd Masters title in Cincinnati and then a third triumph at the US Open in September.

Despite a 22-match winning streak ending with defeat to young tyro Karen Khachanov in Paris, followed by a loss to another NextGen force, Alexander Zverev, at the ATP Finals in London, he finished the year on top of the world.

"Reflecting on what I've been through in the last year, it's quite a phenomenal achievement," said Djokovic after knocking Nadal from the top spot in November.

"I'm very, very happy and proud about it. Five

months ago, it was highly improbable considering my ranking and the way I played and felt on the court."

Heart-breaking Djokovic is now just two behind Nadal's total of 17 Grand Slams and five shy of Roger Federer's record of 20. Djokovic's ability to thrive among the greats has never been in doubt, but the size of his heart often led to questions in his early days. At Wimbledon in 2007, he retired with a back injury in the third set of his semi-final against Nadal.

He also quit at the 2006 and 2007 French Opens at the third round and quarter-final stages respectively, while at the 2009 Australian Open, where he was defending champion, he pulled out of his quarter-final with Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion.

Where does centre's, 1,575 crore sports budget go?

Grassroots or international?

The construction of 22 indoor sporting halls for public use in a state whose default weather setting is cold and which is torn by strife?

Or, the construction of new stadiums in the national capital that will be used sparingly?

Those are the kind of competing priorities that confront the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports, which is tasked with the responsibility of promoting sports in India and which was handed a budget of ?1,575 crore in 2018-19 to do so. Its choice, over the last 20 years, has been clear.

It's an inherently Indian choice: events and glory. The last time that India organized a large multi-disciplinary international sporting event was the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010, which saw Indian sportspersons reel in a record 101 medals and administrators at many levels being implicated for corruption.

To make those games happen, between 2005-06 and 2010-11, the centre spent ?5,882 crore through the ministry of youth affairs and sports to upgrade or set up new

Plain Facts Sports BudgetGovernment Sports SpendingSports Authority of India

sporting venues. The biggest chunk of spending, of ?2,875 crore, happened in 2009-10.

That year, the spend unrelated to 2010 Commonwealth Games of this ministry stood at ?473 crore. In other words, the funds the centre was channelling into an international event of this scale could have funded the sporting budget of that year six times over.

It could have been channelled to set up good sporting facilities at the grassroots, enable federations of individual sports to widen their scope of activities, incentivize sportspersons with awards and scholarships-all the things the ministry does with its regular annual budget.

It's a choice that will confront India in the years to come. Last year, the government said it plans

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India favourites for World Cup : Rahul Dravid THIRUVANATHAPURAM: FORMER captain Rahul Dravid is confident that the Indian team under Virat Kohli will "peak during next few months" as they go into the World Cup in England as one of the tournament favourites.

India have now won three away ODI series in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and are considered by many as the team to beat at the global event which begins on May 30.

"I think India are playing very good cricket at the moment and go in as one of the favourites.

Hopefully, we will peak in the next few months," Dravid told reporters on Thursday after India A clinched the one-day series against England Lions by 4-1 margin.

Dravid, who was the top scorer (461 runs) in the 1999 World Cup held in England, feels that there should not be any comparison between the two editions as conditions will be

very different.

"Wickets will be very flat in England and I expect it to be quite a high-scoring World Cup. When we were in England with A team, 300 was regularly scored," Dravid said, citing how things have changed in the last two decades. Not too worried about KL Rahul's form: There been no change in KL Rahul's wretched form even after his comeback from suspension but India A coach Rahul Dravid is not worried as he has confidence in the talented opener's quality.

The Karantaka opener, who made a comeback to competitive cricket with India A assignment, had scores of 13, 42 and 0 against England Lions in three one-day games.

"He has got a hundred in T20, ODI and Test and not many batsmen have that record.

He is a proven performer and I am not too worried about his form."

to bid for three mega multi-disciplinary sporting events: the 2026 Youth Olympics, the 2030 Asian Games and the 2032 Olympics.

In the last 20 years, a period covering four governments of two different political dispensations, such events have been the only occasion when the ministry has received a spike in allocations for sports. Otherwise, the compounded annual average increase in spend by the ministry on sports for these four terms has been a steady, inflation-beating 9% to 18%.

While this period has seen a widening and deepening of sporting culture-people playing, events being held and spectator interest beyond cricket-it's difficult to establish a correlation between the centre's spending and progress in performance. During this 20-year period, India's medal tally at Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, both of which are held once in four years, has twice seen a surge.

The first was in the 2006 Asian Games, when India's over-

all medal count increased from 36 to 53. The second was in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, when India capitalized on the widely acknowledged home advantage in such events, and doubled its count. However, four years later, it ceded most of those gains. India's medal count has mostly been range bound, making incremental gains in 2018

Even as the centre is increasing its spend, where it is directing this spend has also evolved, with a greater focus on enabling possibilities for top sportspersons. Thus, the share of funds received by autonomous bodies, the lion's share of which goes to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), has declined from 63% in 2014-15 to 47% in 2016-17. SAI is the apex national sports body responsible

for the development of sport in India and its mandate is to provide enabling infrastructure at multiple levels, including public participation in sports.

Instead, a greater share of the central sports budget is being directed to national sporting federations as assistance. In 2009-10, this figure was 11%. In 2016-17, it stood at 34%.

This money is largely meant for federations to send teams abroad for training and participation in internationals tournaments, for holding international and national tournaments in India, and for procuring sports equipment.

Thus, it targets the best sportspersons in the country. In 2016-17, as many as 42 national sporting federations received support from the Centre. Between 2014-15 and 2016-17, the body that runs the sport of shooting in India has received the maximum assistance ( ?42.4 crore). It is followed by hockey, wrestling, and badminton.

Interestingly, the top 10 federations in terms of financial assistance received are among the more prolific in medal returns and five of them also run professional leagues.

Last game was an aberration, have faith in middle-order : Bangar WELLINGTON

rounder said. "It is also one of those what they can do better. series where our top order hasn't got a "It was an one-off game for us. We Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar believes hundred, so it has given a lot of time to know we played well below our potenIndia's batting collapse in the fourth ODI the middle order to go out there and tial and our expected levels, the boys was an "aberration" and reposed faith on the middle-order, saying it has mostly delivered whenever put in a tough situation. India's batting came a cropper in the Hamilton game as they were dismissed for their seventh lowest total of 92. However, Bangar said it was an one-odd failure. "The middle order has rose to the occasion many times and delivered. Yes some situation has been trying but it is not that the middle order hasn't performed," Bangar told reporters ahead of the fifth ODI against New Zealand here Sunday.

"When required, more often than not whenever it has been put in a situation, it has delivered, may be the last game was an aberration," he added.

Bangar explained his point by giving example of games - Cuttack (India vs England, Jan 2017), Indore (India vs play situations ‌ and they have fin- realise it and we just need to put that SA, Oct 2015) and MCG final (India vs ished games when they have got an game behind and look to the next game," he said. "It gives us an opportuAustralia, Jan 2019) - where the middle opportunity."

India's batting unit without skipper nity to reflect in case if we miss out order contributed to win matches. "‌if they (top order batsmen) are Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni players due to fitness issues. World Cup batting well then the middle order does- didn't have any answers to Trent Boult's will be a long tournament, there will be n't get the opportunity required to main- devastating spell but Bangar said such injuries and players are going to miss tain the groove," the former India all- games actually help them reflect on out and it gives us a reflection as to how

players will cope up in their absence and we were found wanting in that situation in the last game. "But they are quality players, even in the third game, Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu had stitched a partnership of 82 to finish the game, so we can't really draw too many conclusion after one-odd failure."

Bangar said the team management is trying to rotate the players to give everyone some game time.

"We are trying to balance out opportunities, trying to keep them hot and give them enough game time. This is a conscious effort specially in Australia and here where we have rotated our players," he said. "There are going to be time where a player doesn't get 5-6 games on a row, so we are trying to make that balance. In the number of games that we had we have made sure that everybody is getting some sort of hit by rotating the players around."

Talking about the World Cup squad, Bangar said: "Probably the selectors have got that list down to 20, most of them are going to be part of the world cup squad and we have assessed potential of lot of players ‌ selectors are also watching intently and going forward we will settle into a nice team which covers all bases."

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NEW DELHI

Febuary 11, Monday, 2019

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Owned, published and printed by Sandeep Mitra. Editor: Sandeep Mitra. Head office : 1A, Hashimpur Road, Tagore Town, Prayagraj-211002 Mobile: 7905230036, Email : thecitystandard1@gmail.com. Printed at Amar Ujala Publications limited, Bamrauli, GT Road, Prayagraj. RNI Title code UPENG04273 Letter No.91. Verification date - 27.03.2017