NEW DELHI 21 FEBRUARY 2021 SUNDAY `9 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  twitter.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in PLUS: 12 PAGES Ladies Only, Please! MAGAZINE That Gut Feeling How to Tame the Mind EXCLUSIVE VOICES TJS George Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Ravi Shankar A Stitch in Time Saves Lives Pushpesh Pant Gautam Chintamani Namita Gokhale Neil McCallum The Year for Colour and Curves Date with Forgotten History AMMA SPEAKS Defying All Odds The Way to a Bright Future PM for Centre-state collaboration AP Modi says youth cannot wait for development, favours larger role for private enterprises Reiterating issue of women’s empowerment M A N I S H A N A N D @ New Delhi a few weeks later now, which can be synchronized for multiSAYING that the youth cannot plier effect,” said the Prime wait for development any long- Minister, while stressing the er, Narendra Modi on Saturday need for states to unveil their asked the states to embark on own infrastructure pipelines. the reform journey . Setting the tone for the delibSpeaking at the sixth govern- erations, the Prime Minister ing council meeting of the Niti dwelt at length on India’s bid to Aayog, the Prime Minister ex- become a global manufacturing horted chief ministers to align hub, saying that the states state budgets with the union should set up district export budget, asking them to work on promotion council, while identheir respective pipeline of in- tifying one product each for exfrastructure projects, besides porting. The Prime Minister setting up task forces to lessen said the “nation has shown the compliance burdens mood with an overfor the people and whelming endorsebusinesses. ment of the union Modi said private budget.” The Centre enterprises, which Seeking alignment have shown much en- advanced the union of the district, state thusiasm, should be budget by a month and the Centre, Modi, e m b r a c e d by t h e and state budgets while stressing that come a few weeks states for faster and later now, which can mere improvement in accelerated develop- be synchronized for the ranking on ease ment. “Focus should of doing business was multiplier effect be on ease of doing not enough, said task Narendra Modi, business for the interforces should be conPrime Minister national audience,” stituted to lessen the he said, while making compliance burden a mention of the liberalization for the people and obstacles for of geospatial data, adding that the private enterprises. had it been done a decade earHe said the Centre weeded lier “there would have been a out 1,500 redundant laws from Google from India.” the statute book and the states The governing council meet- should also identify such obsoing, coming close on the heels lete provisions for deletion. of the union budget, deliberat- “There’s an all round eagered on a fixed agenda arrived ness to push forward with ecoafter extensive discussions nomic development. The youth with state chief secretaries for of the country cannot wait.” a week. “It’s important to have The chief ministers listed policy frameworks and close out measures to address key iscoordination. The Centre ad- sues in various spheres, includvanced the union budget by a ing the economy health, educa, month and state budgets come tion and nutrition. Ravi says toolkit does not sow disaffection, bail order reserved S T E P S Maharashtra chief secretary has asked local authorities to increase testing at least by 20% FEB 16 39 3,663 THE online “toolkit” was merely a “resource document,” it did not “sow disaffection” and there is no evidence to show that the toolkit on farmers’ protest is responsible for the January 26 violence, climate activist Disha Ravi told a Delhi court on Saturday seeking bail. , “If highlighting the farmers’ protest globally is sedition, I’m better (off) in jail,” 21-year-old Ravi said through her lawyer in court, which will give its decision on the bail on Tuesday . The bail plea was strongly opposed by the Delhi police, which alleged that Ravi was preparing the toolkit with those advocating Khalistan and she was part of a global conspiracy to defame India and create unrest in the country in the garb of the farmers’ protest. “This was not just a toolkit. The real plan was to defame India and create unrest,” the police told additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana. The prosecution also submitted that Ravi deleted WhatsApp chats, emails and other evidence and was aware of legal actions she could face. The deletion of chats, the police argued, showed Ravi’s “sinister design.” These allegations were rejected by Ravi’s counsel who said, “I am 22, from Karnataka. I have no connection with the Khalistan movement. There is no single chat or conversation between me and the (banned organisation) Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). And even if I (Ravi) meet someone, there is no symbol on him that he is a secessionist.” Police said Poetic Justice Foundation had close ties with SFJ and that makes Ravi an accomplice to alleged Khalistanis. Politicising everything is affecting progress: Naveen E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi ODISHA Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik lamented attempts to politicise every crime or action of an elected government, saying these steps hinder development of the country . “Elections are an essential feature of democracy However, . the hallmark of a mature democracy is that once elected, governments are meant to work for people, beyond party lines,” Patnaik said at the sixth gover ning council meeting of the Niti Aayog on Saturday . “The kind of atmosphere where every incident or every action of the government is given political angles is a threat to the pace of development and peace in the country,” he said, reiterating his demand for ensuring higher women participation in elected legislatures. In Mumbai, buildings are sealed if more than 5 cases are found in them TALLY ON THE RISE FEB 17 40 4,787 CONTINUED ON P4 FEB 19 44 6,112 Positive tests Deaths MAHA OFFICIALS BLAME IGNORANCE FOR COVID SPIKE @ Mumbai THE recent surge in Covid-19 cases has set alarm bells ringing. According to data released by the Central government, Maharashtra and Kerala are witnessing a steep rise. Punjab, Chhattisgarh and MP are near the danger zone. Numbers are scary in Maharashtra, with the last 24 hours recording 6112 positive cases. At the peak of the pandemic, this figure was around 10,000 a day . Experts attribute the Maharashtra second wave to public carelessness. Dr Avinash Supe, head of the committee that recommends ways of reducing mortality said this wave can , be more dangerous than the first one. “The major reason behind this spike is the casual approach of the people. They feel Covid-19 is gone. Even if they get infected, they will be cured. Also, the vaccine is round,” he said. He notices a large number of people moving from one place to another place with- out following social distancing and not using masks. “There were large gatherings during the gram panchayat elections. The wedding season is also on. Earlier, 50 -200 people were allowed to attend social functions. Now, it is 500 and beyond,” Dr Supe added. The state gover nment clarified that after testing samples, no foreign strain was detected. “Due to a strict lockdown, the virus was weakened but now it is again spreading after the large movement of people. Schools, colleges and market places are open. Local train is also a reason behind this rise,” said a senior fellow of ICMR working in Maharashtra. Local trains may have also played a part. In Mumbai, 30 to 40 lakh commuters travel from suburban to South Mumbai on them every day . “This has resulted in a super transmission in Mumbai. If the crowd is not controlled, cases will increase. Face mask should be mandatory ,” said a senior doctor from Sir JJ Hospital. Open domination Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open women’s singles title on Sunday. The player, born in Japan, beat American Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 in the final. The talking points... 4 This is Osaka’s fourth Grand Slam title CHANGE MAOIST-HIT AREA IFS officer in Jharkhand is stopping deforestation and playing a major role in ushering transformation | P5 EXPRESS READ Bihar resident held in J&K for supplying arms Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir police has arrested a suspect from Bihar for allegedly supplying arms to militants and brought him to Jammu on transit remand for further questioning and investigations. $2.13 MN PRIZE MONEY FOR OSAKA GRAND SLAM CABINET US OPEN (2018, 2020), AUSTRALIAN OPEN (2019, 2021) | P11 0 21 Yet to lose Grand Slam final. First since Monica Seles Osaka is on a 21-match winning run 2 She will be World No 2 when rankings are released on Monday It feels really incredible for me. I didn’t play my last Grand Slam with fans so just to have this energy it really means a lot Naomi Osaka, Australian Open champion India, China special reps on border talks to meet soon M AYA N K S I N G H & P U S H K A R BA N A K A R @ New Delhi TURNS TOURIST HUB FEB 18 38 5,427 S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I The remarks of the Odisha chief minister that elected governments should be allowed to work came in the backdrop of the spokespersons of the NDA gover nment at the Centre claiming on a number of occasions that protests are being orchestrated against any decision taken by the Centre. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar stressed the need for “one nation, one rate” while arguing for rationalization of electricity rates. He is learnt to have sought a special port in Odisha, saying his landlocked state needed facilities to tap the export market. Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy reiterated his demand for special status for the state while his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot sought attention on efforts for employment generation and healthcare improvements. TA K E N Local bodies forming vigilance squads for surprise raids to wedding functions, social gatherings to check if norms are followed FEB 15 23 3,365 E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Raising the issue of women empowerment, Patnaik said national parties had promised women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. “History will not forgive us if we renege on this commitment. This calls for serious deliberation.” AS the 10th round of IndiaChina corps commander-level talks were held on Saturday to disengage troops from other friction points along the line of actual control (LAC), government sources indicated that the special representatives of the two countries on the boundary dispute were likely to meet soon. The sources said the two special representatives, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will meet to iron out the differences in the perception of the LAC. The two special representatives last held a video conference in June last year, setting the ball rolling for the disengagement. Sources said the two leaders have been in touch ever since. The 10th round of talks is being held between Lt Gen P G K Menon and Chinese Major General Lin Liu. “First a re- view of the process completed will be taking place and then other sectors where the standoff is taking place will be discussed. The modalities of the disengagement will be dependent on agreements the two sides will reach during the talks,” a senior Army officer said, adding that it was important that a politico-military will to act was demonstrated. Sources said both the governments had taken steps to normalize ties. The Indians had made it clear to the Chinese that the use of force would not be tolerated but discussions to ensure a positive result with regard to all outstanding issues of the LAC can be held. “The change in the approach resulted after both sides agreed to restore status quo ante at the Pangong Lake,” the sources said. Defence minister Rajnath Singh revealed the details of the disengagement process from the northern and southern banks of the Pangong Tso in Parliament. The PLA and the Indian Army since then have disengaged with armoured vehicles, artillery guns and soldiers moving back. The PLA has moved to the east of Finger 8 on the north bank and Indian Army is back to the Dhan Singh Thapa Post, which is short of Finger 3. Also, the structures erected during the standoff have been brought down. Significance of Kailash Range Similar actions have taken place in the south bank, which includes the withdrawal of Indian soldiers frpm the important Kailash Range, which was occupied in August 2020 end. Kailash Range has dominating features that gave an advantage to the Indian Army HIDDEN TREASURE Gold worth the weight of late PM Shastri! R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur A man worth his weight in gold! That was Lal Bahadur Shastri. Just how much did he weigh? Going by the heap of gold stored in the Udaipur Collectorate treasury, the answer is 56 kgs. About 55 years after the death of the former Prime Minister, this gold will be handed over to the gover nment. This was meant to weigh the late Prime Minister 56 years ago. The Sessions Court in Udaipur on Friday directed that the gold should be handed over to the Central GST Department. In 1965, the gold collected was worth `4.76 lakh. Now, it is valued at around `27.69 crore. After weighing the former Over to GST Dept The gold weighing 56 kgs with a market value of `27.69 crore will be handed over to the Central GST Department. In 1965, value of this gold was `4.76 lakh. Prime Minister, who died of a heart attack while on an official visit to Tashkent (now in Uzbekistan) where he had gone for a peace summit with Pakistan, the money was supposed to be donated to the National Defence Fund. However, the ceremony could not be held because of Shastri’s sudden demise in Tashkent. This gold has a long history . It originally belonged to an af- fluent business family in a small town called Chhoti Sadri in Chittorgarh district. The gold was handed over to one Ganpat Lal for safe custody after it was found in an old haveli of the family of Gunwant Lal. Later, when Gunwant demanded the gold back from Ganpat, he returned only a part of it. Subsequently Gunwant lodged , an FIR against Ganpat in December, 1965. Once the FIR was lodged against him, Ganpat deposited the gold with the Udaipur Collector and requested that Prime Minister Shastri be weighed with it during his visit to Udaipur. The gold then was to be deposited for the National Defence Fund. But since Shastri passed away in Tashkent, the gold remained in the custody of the Udaipur Collector. After that, Ganpat and Gunwant were involved in a longdrawn legal battle over the ownership of the gold. In 2009, an application was made in the Udaipur CJM Court to hand over this gold to the Excise Department. The court has now ordered the gold be handed over to the Central GST Department.