kollam l monday l march 20, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION UBS offers to buy crisis-hit Credit Suisse for $1 billion Ripple effects to be felt globally The Swiss government is planning to change the country’s laws to bypass a shareholder vote on the transaction, the Financial Times reported Offer price a fraction of market value Swiss authorities are scrambling to rescue the 167-year-old bank, which is among the world’s largest wealth managers, before financial markets reopen on Monday. As one of the 30 systemically important global banks, Credit Suisse’s failure would ripple throughout the entire financial system. Reports said UBS offered 0.25 Swiss francs ($0.27) per Credit Suisse share ■ The buy offer is just a fraction of Credit Suisse’s current market value, considering the bank’s closing price on Friday was 1.86 Swiss francs ■ Credit Suisse shares lost a quarter of their value in the last week ■ The development comes at a time when banking stocks globally have been battered with the S&P Banks index falling 22% $153 billion Emergency liquidity sought by u.s. banks from the Federal Reserve CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Hike rubber price & win: Bishop’s recipe for seat-starved bjp Thalasserry Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany has stirred an hornets’ nest, saying if the Union government raised the rubber price to Rs 300 per kg, the Church would help the BJP in elections. The statement evoked sharp reactions on Sunday with the CPM and the Congress reminding the Bishop of the attack on minorities across the nation. The BJP welcomed the remarks. Speaking at a protest rally of farmers from the hilly region, organised by the Catholic Congress at Alakkode in Kannur, Bishop Pamplany said the farmers should realise that in a democracy, a protest that failed to influence votes would be deemed a non-starter. “We want to tell the Union government: fix the price of rubber at Rs 300 per kg and buy it directly from the farmer; we will resolve your problem of having no MPs from the state,” he added. The Church claims influ- ence among the rubber farmers in the state as a large section of them belongs to the Christian community. The rubber is currently traded in the range of Rs 130 to 150. As his statement snowballed into a controversy the , bishop clarified on Sunday that his remark was not the official stand of the Church. “What I had tried to say was that the farmers would support whoever offers help to them. If it is the state gover nment the farmers would extend their support to the state government. It was the general sentiment of the farmers which was expressed through the speech, There was no hidden political agenda,” he said. Bishop Pamplany, however, said the Church is not against any party “There is . no untouchability for any party to hold discussions with the Church. What I have expressed is the opinion of the far mers of the hills. Please don’t misinterpret it as the stand of the Catholic Church,” he ● More on P4 added.  Thalasserry Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany’s statement was an ‘emotional reaction’ after seeing the plight of rubber farmers. We should not read too much into the statement The remarks will hurt the pride of people of the hilly region. Through his statement, the bishop has unashamedly justified the BJP which leads attacks on minorities across the nation EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kochi/Kannur V D Satheesan, Leader of Opposition M V Jayarajan, CPM Kannur dist secy The car Amritpal Singh used for his escape and abandoned later | ANI Amritpal’s car found; four aides shifted to Assam jail H a rpree t B a j w a @ Chandigarh With pro-Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh on the run, the Punjab Police registered two fresh cases again him and his aides, one for breaking barricades while he was fleeing on Saturday and the other under the Arms Act following the recovery of a rifle from an abandoned car, which was his getaway vehicle. Also, 34 more people associated with him were arrested across Punjab on Sunday, taking the total number of such arrests so far to 112. For reasons that were not immediately clear, four of his close aides were taken to Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam by a special flight. Amritpal’s cavalcade was intercepted while he was on his way to Muktsar Sahib to launch a Khalsa Wahir (religious procession) on Sunday . The state government extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services till Monday noon to keep social media out of reach of mischief makers. Besides, security forces took out flag marches at several places led by senior officials in the state. Also, peace committee meetings were organised in all districts to ensure peace, tranquility and harmony . Rahul seeks time after police knock at his door Cong raps request for info on his claim on sexual assault of women P ree t h a N a ir a n d UJ W AL JALAL I @ New Delhi Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sent a four-page letter to the Delhi Police hours after a police team visited his residence to question him on his claims during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in J&K on January 30 that “women are still being sexually assaulted”. In his letter, Rahul sought 8-10 days to furnish a detailed reply. On March 16, the Delhi Police had served a notice on him seeking information on the alleged victims. In his 10-point reply, Rahul wondered about the Delhi Police’s urgency to visit him thrice in a week, though the Yatra concluded on January 30. He asked whether the notice was in anyway connected with the questions he has been raising inside and outside Parliament on the Adani issue. Speaking to the reporters outside Rahul’s house, Special CP (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda said, “If there is any victim, who could also be a resident of Delhi, we want to provide help as early as possible. Even if the victim is from out- Senior police personnel (L) emerging from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi on Sunday; and Rahul driving away later | Parveen Negi side Delhi, we could immediately initiate legal action.” Soon after the police team landed at his doorstep, several Congress leaders launched scathing attacks on the BJP-led Centre terming the action as the “worst kind of political vendetta, harassment, and intimidation”. Calling it a diversionary tactic, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party will continue questioning the government on the Adani issue. Senior lawyer and Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said after serving the notice on March 16 along with a two-page questionnaire, the Delhi Police had gone back without raising any objection when Rahul sought 8-10 days to put together the details. Yet, they came back on Sunday wih a similar questionnaire, he said, adding, “it’s unprecedented and to create fear and intimidation after having waited for 45 days.” Party leader Jairam Ramesh said, “This is a deliberate attempt to divert attention. We will stick to the demand of a JPC on the Adani issue.” In his pushback, BJP president J P Nadda accused Rahul of overstepping all bounds of democracy and said he should be sent packing “lock, stock and barrel”. “Those who do not believe in democracy have no place in it,” Nadda said. No takers for new self-financing ayurveda colleges in Kerala Bitter pill 13 Unni k ris h n a n S @ T’Puram self-financing colleges following ISM in Kerala The low demand for ayurveda, unani and siddha courses has stalled the growth of self-financing colleges following the Indian systems of medicine (ISM) in Kerala. In the last three years, there have been no applications for setting up new colleges even when other states, including neighbouring Karnataka, have ramped up their numbers.The stalemate comes at a time when efforts are being taken to project Kerala as a hub of ayurveda. The National Commission For Indian System Of Medicine, the regulatory body for the education and practice of traditional healing methods, has given approval for setting up 83 new self-financing col- Vacant seats for ISM courses in Kerala New approvals for ayurveda colleges in India Till 2020 nil 2020-21 1 2021-22 30% 2021-22 35 2022-23 60% 2022-23 47 Reasons for vacant seats Delayed admission process Nativity and domiciliary restrictions Concerns of employment and remuneration Demand for courses abroad leges for ayurveda in different states.Yet, Kerala does not even figure in the list, revealed an RTI filed by Kannur-based health activist Dr Babu K V . It does not come as a surprise as the existing 13 self-financing ISM colleges in the state have struggled to fill their seats. There is a 60% vacancy for the BAMS undergraduate course this year. There are 476 ayurveda colleges in the country The 47 new . colleges approved in 2022-23 remain the largest addition to the list in the last three years. “The demand for ISM courses was low across the country this year,” said Dr K Thulaseedharan Nair, president of the Kerala State Indian Systems of Medicine Self Financing College Management Association ● More on P4 (KISMA).  Heading out Carrying a coracle on his head, Madhavan, a fisherman, gears up to venture into the Vembanad Lake near Goshree bridge in Kochi. Madhavan, who came to Kochi from Karanataka along with his father at the age of five, is among the few fishermen using the traditional basket boat | A Sanesh E X P RE S S READ Meet may end Ist FDI project post House stalemate A-370 read down T’Puram: Come Monday, attention will shift to CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, and the possibility of the two attempting to facilitate the smooth functioning of the assembly. If the rumour mills are to be believed, the two could hold talks to end the stalemate that marred the sessions in the second half of last week. Srinagar: Over three years after Article 370 was read down, J&K has got its first foreign direct investment project from Dubaibased Emaar Group, which developed Burj Khalifa. On Sunday, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mall of Srinagar, a mall to be spread over 10 lakh sq ft in Srinagar. Showing the way forward In Munnar’s tea estates, waste segregation begins at home N e j m a S u l a i m a n @ Idukki The sleepy tea plantations of Munnar make the case for segregation of waste at source. And, this assumes greater importance at a time when the massive fire at the Brahmapuram dumpyard, in Kochi, has kicked up a statewide debate on the way forward on waste management, especially in urban centres. The labour quarters, where plantations workers live with their families, have for long been showing the way forward, even before state and central projects, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Haritha Ke r a l a m M i s s i o n , w e r e launched. This becomes evident to visitors to the tea estates, where colour-coded gunny bags — in blue, green, yellow and red — can be seen hanging in front of each line of houses that residents use to separate the trash. The waste is then handed over to panchayat authorities for processing at a facility in Kallar. The residents have been practising this system for nearly a separating the trash Gunny bags with colour codes are used to collect plastic, metal, glass and bio waste separately from households The gunny bags hung in front of estate workers’ quarters to deposit segregated waste decade and their efforts have had the wholehearted support of Kanan Devan Hill Planta- tions Ltd (KDHP), which owns the tea estates in Munnar. A KDHP spokesperson told TNIE the system of segregating waste at source has been practised successfully in all 92 divisions of Munnar’s tea estates for the past 10 years. “The gunny bags with colour codes, hung in front of the workers’ quarters, are being used to collect plastic, metal, glass and bio waste separately from households. While the biowaste is turned into compost and distributed to workers for use in farmlands, plastic and other waste are handed over to panchayat authorities for recy● More on P4 cling,” he said.  Hamza: League MLA met RSS leaders at behest of Kunhalikutty E xpress N ews S ervice @Kozhikode Two days after he was expelled from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), former state secretary K S Hamza on Sunday alleged that it was at the behest of national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty that an MLA from the party met RSS leaders. On Saturday, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders said they had recently held discussions with a few Muslim leaders, including a League MLA, in Malappuram. Hamza said the Sangh Parivar would be the ultimate beneficiary if Muslim League forges a tie-up with the CPM. “A major chunk of Hindu voters of the CPM will favour BJP if such an alliance is formed. The CPM may get some immediate benefits, but in the long run such a tie-up will be detrimental to the party he said, adding ,” that idea of IUML-CPM alliance is the brainchild of the RSS top brass. Hamza claimed he was ousted from IUML a day before the council meeting to prevent him from taking contesting the organisational election. Hamza asserted that he will move the court against his expulsion and seek to declare Saturday’s election null and void. Hamza claimed that he was ousted for questioning certain activities of Kunhalikutty related to the AR Nagar Bank and the Chandrika fund.  ● More on P4 A student, an embalmer & boxer all rolled into Danisha An m o l G Ur u ng @ New Delhi If she is not boxing or studying, she is embalming bodies of the deceased. Of course, like boxing, embalming bodies too is her passion and finds it calming. Danisha Mathialagan comes across as a regular 25-year-old. She looked highspirited while revealing her fascinating journey on and off the boxing ring. Part of the Singapore national boxing team in the ongoing IBA Women’s World Championships, she is a part-time embalmer. Unlike elite boxers, she and her teammates are self-funded. “I’m a freelance embalmer. It’s my passion. It’s very calming and peaceful. You get to wind down a bit, especially after hard training. It’s nice to give back to society every once in a while. I do it during the weekends on my off days,” Danisha said, after a successful outing inside the ring at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Sunday . “I have embalmed close to 300 bodies. I have also been part of autopsies before. It’s very much part of life.” Up against Tajikistan’s Ru- hafzo Haqnazarova in the 50kg, Danisha showed her boxing acumen to post a 4-0 win. To casual viewers, the result might seem nothing out of the ordinary but it’s a massive lift for the Singaporean who’s competing at the world event for the first time. “It wasn’t easy for us to come here because most of us are self-funded. Our women’s team is relatively new. We’re just trying to see where we stand at the world level,” Danisha said with a smile. Interestingly, her next challenge is not inside the ring, but off it. “I have an exam tomorrow (Monday) at 11 am (Singapore time), which is 8.30 am here. I’m pursuing Diagnostic Radiography (X-rays and CT scans), University UG course,” P11 she said.