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KV Thomas to attend CPI (M) party convention

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Parmesh S JAIN

Kochi :Sources close to KV Thomas have indicated to our correspondent that he will attend a seminar at the CPI (M) party convention in Kannur.

KV Thomas,who was mentally estranged from Delhi and the Kerala leadership,had recently taken a stand in favor of the Left Front.

He feels that the Congress-Central leadership has severely neglected and insulted KV Thomas in the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Although KV Thomas arrived in Delhi to secure a seat in Kerala in the Rajya Sabha elections which were finally vacated, the central leadership refused to meet him.

KV Thomas is very sad and disappointed in this.KV Thomas,who was invited to a seminar at the CPI party congress,wrote a letter to the Congress-Party seeking permission but Sonia did not give permission.

KV Thomas,who was disappointed that Sonia Gandhi’s permission was not obtained, remained silent.

KV Thomas will announce his future plans to the media at 11 a.m.today at his home in Thopumpady.

Al Qaeda chiefs video proves role of invisible hand: Jnanendra

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Parmesh S Jain

Statements made by Al-Qaeda chief on hijab row lend credence to the suspicion that ‘unseen hands’ were working to provoke youngsters in the state, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra said on Wednesday.

In an 8.43-minute video clip released by As-Sahab,the official media wing of terror outfit Al-Qaeda, chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri showered praises on Karnataka college student Muskan Khan for shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans to counter a group of boys who were chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ in her college early February.

Muskan’s actions were seen as one of the flashpoints of the hijab controversy.

We have been saying this from the beginning, and the High Court too during the hijab verdict had suggested the possibility of some unseen hands behind the hijab row.

Now it is proved, because Al-Qaeda people are now releasing videos,Jnanendra said, in response to a question on Zawahiri praising Muskaan.

How things are happening, what is the link. All these things are being looked into by the police,they will find out,” he added.

Jnanendra said that intelligence agencies were now investigating further to prove the link and that the Union and state home departments were monitoring the developments.

Condemning the statement by a terror group about the internal matters,higher education minister C N Ashwath Narayan said,Action will be taken against organisations and people linked to them”.

Meanwhile,distancing himself from the video statement,Muskan’s father termed the comments of the terror outfit’s leader as “wrong” and said he and his family were living peacefully in India.

Noting that such incidents are disturbing the peace,he said the police and state government can initiate an inquiry to ascertain the truth.

We don’t know anything about it (video),we don’t know who he is.I saw him today for the first time. He has said something in Arabic.We are all living here with love and trust like brothers,” Mohammad Hussain Khan told reporters in response to a question on Zawahiri’s video.

Queried on Zawahiri praising Muskan, he said, “People say whatever they want,this is unnecessarily causing trouble.

We are living peacefully in our country.We don’t want him to talk about us,as he is not related to us,it is wrong. It is an attempt to create division among us.”

In the video, Al-Zawahiri stated that Indian Muslims should “react to this oppression”.

We must shake off the delusions that confound us.We must stop being deceived by the mirage of the pagan Hindu democracy of India,which,to begin with,was never more than a tool to oppress Muslims,” said Zawahiri.

The hijab controversy first started at a government school in the Udupi district when six students were barred from entering classrooms because of wearing hijab.

A petition was then filed in the Karnataka high court, challenging the Udupi Government PU College’s decision.

A full bench, headed by chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, on March 15 held that Quran does not mandate the wearing of hijab for Muslim women and that the attire “at the most is a means to gain access to public places” and a “measure of social security”, but “not a religious end in itself” in its 129-page judgment.

PM instructs development of 75 lakes in the State: CM Bommai

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Parmesh S Jain

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assigned various tasks for the party leaders and he has instructed development of 75 lakes in the State.

A special programme for development of lakes in Kolar would be launched under the leadership of Modi,Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Speaking to media persons in New Delhi Bommai said,Prime Minister Modi addressed the party leaders and booth level workers as part of BJP’s Foundation Day celebrations.

I too participated in the programme and later met Union Finance minister Nirmala Seetharaman. I sought Finance Department approval for declaring the Upper Bhadra project as a National Project.

She informed me that the process is in its final stage.The issue of including 3 Energy department projects in the Green Corridor too are coming before the Finance ministry for approval.
The minister has responded positively to the request,Bommai said.

The issues related to the GST Group of Ministers too came up for discussion.The Finance minister has said that she will visit Karnataka.

She has assured that she would convene a special meeting to address the issues related to Central projects which need to be taken up through the banks.

We have also decided to organise a conclave of Millet Farmers in Raichur on the occasion of International Millets Day,Bommai said.

I am trying to get an appointment to meet BJP National President JP Nadda and I am expecting to meet him today evening or tonight,Bommai said.

K Rail controversy: DYFI Ernakulam District Secretary A A Anshad opened his mind amidst the K Rail Controversy

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Kochi :The DYFI District Conference will be held from April 21 to 23 in Angamaly.DYFI District Secretary A A Anshad opens his mind to the Country and Politics News about the district conference to be held after the major crises, including the Corona.

How to look at the K Rail controversy

K Rail should not be seen as a controversy.The truth is that the second Pinarayi government is implementing the plan formulated during the Oommen Chandy government.

The implementation of corridor projects outside India, including the Metro and Speed ​​Train,is a political ploy by its leaders going to that country to mock India and Kerala while trying to stop the implementation of this project here.People who criticize now will take this project to heart tomorrow.

The most controversial issue right now is land acquisition.This is a matter of great concern to a section of the people of Kerala and how to overcome it.

When land is acquired for a project, 10 per cent of the land price is currently paid.That is the Law.

This is causing great loss to the common man. But the Pinarayi government brought in another law to make up for this loss.

The base price of the existing land has been increased tenfold.This is some what comforting.

Regarding surveys carried out inside the house without informing the homeowners

The aerial survey is now underway.The houses, buildings,businesses,churches,mosques and temples passing through this aerial survey need to be marked with the survey stone to know if they are included in the survey and the extent of the damage.

This will be followed by a social impact study.It is only after this study that the loss will be ascertained and people will be relocated only after paying the full loss declared by the government.

On the contrary,all propaganda is wrong.The project will move forward only after fully resolving the concerns of the people.

Kochi has now become a hub of intoxication. How do you see this ?

That is very true.A section of young people today are addicted to drugs.And many young people join in, knowingly or unknowingly.

DYFI has a clear position on this.If any party worker is involved in drug dealing or its activities, that person will be out of the movement. Anti-drug awareness,classes,seminars and counseling are being conducted not only in colleges and schools but also in other areas and DYFI has decided to go even further.That is the goal of drug-free youth.

What can DYFI do to bring the tribal community into the mainstream?

During the Corona period,DYFI was able to help the adivasi community by delivering food and clothing to the Kuttampuzha and tribes areas near Kothamangalam,my place of residence,as well as by bringing TV and other materials to every home for the tribes children to study.

Some members of the CPI (M) and DYFI are showing undesirable tendencies.Will this not affect the party and the movement?

Sure,The movement will not tolerate such tendencies. Neither the DYFI nor the CPI (M) has a policy to protect criminals.When Rajmohan Unnithan and a woman were caught in a bad situation here, the Congress leadership protected them.

As well as the solar case,There is no doubt that if any member makes such tendencies they will be out of the movement.

At present the Congress is in a state of disarray in India and Kerala.Youth Congress: Inactive.In the meantime,will SDPI become an alternative to DYFI?

It is a misconception.Such an extremist movement cannot set foot on this soil.DYFI is a secular values ​​movement.

You see,the BJP has raised the issue of hijab in Karnataka on a large scale.That was in view of the UP elections.

The Congress countered this extremist Hindu approach of the BJP with its soft Hindutva.At the same time, DYFI has always had a position.

The movement is committed to upholding secular values ​​and upholding the will of the people.

Is there an assessment that the second Pinarayi government is a failure?

What was the situation that led to the return of the first Pinarayi government to power?It is with the operational achievements of the government.

What you are saying now is related to the K rail issue.As I said earlier,any project can be implemented only by resolving the concerns and difficulties of the public.

It is not up to the government to evaluate now, not in the last days of the regime, you will allow the government to function first.

*What is the motto raised by DYFI at this conference?

Drug-free youth.Uphold secular values ​​and development of the country.Kerala ranks high on the world map he said in his statement.

BJP conspiring to make Mumbai a Union Territory, claims Sanjay Raut; says he has proof

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Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday accused the BJP of conspiring to make Mumbai a Union Territory, saying that a presentation to that effect has been made to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Talking to reporters here, Raut alleged that former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya and a group of party leaders, builders, businessmen were part of this conspiracy.

“A presentation about making Mumbai a union territory has been made to the MHA (by this group). Meetings have been held and funds are being collected for this purpose. This has been going on for the last two months and I am saying this with full responsibility. I have proof to substantiate what I am saying. Chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) is also aware of this development,” Raut said.

In the next few months, the group led Somaiya is likely to move court saying the percentage of Marathi people in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, has gone down drastically and hence the city should be made a union territory under the central government rule, the Sena MP claimed.

Raut said Somaiya had earlier challenged the state government’s decision to make Marathi a compulsory language in schools.

Card-less cash withdrawal facility across all banks’ ATM network soon: RBI

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Mumbai: In a bid to check fraud, the Reserve Bank on Friday decided to permit all banks to introduce card-less cash withdrawal through ATMs.

Currently, card-less cash withdrawal through ATMs is a permitted mode of transaction offered by a few banks in the country on an on-us basis (for their customers at their own ATMs).

“It is now proposed to make card-less cash withdrawal facility available across all banks and ATM networks using the UPI. In addition to enhancing ease of transactions, the absence of the need for physical card for such transactions would help prevent frauds such as card skimming, card cloning, etc,” RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said while announcing bi-monthly monetary policy review.

It is proposed to enable customer authorisation through the use of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) while settlement of such transactions would happen through the ATM networks, a statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies said.

Separate instructions would be issued to NPCI, ATM networks and banks shortly, it said.

With regard to Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), he said, it is an interoperable platform for bill payments, which has seen an increase in the volume of bill payments and billers over the years.

To further facilitate greater penetration of bill payments through the BBPS and to encourage participation of a greater number of non-bank Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units in the BBPS, it is proposed to reduce the net worth requirement of such entities from Rs 100 crore to Rs 25 crore.

The necessary amendment to regulations will be carried out shortly.

Users of BBPS enjoy benefits like standardised bill payment experience, centralised customer grievance redressal mechanism, prescribed customer convenience fee, etc.

BBPS is an interoperable platform for bill payments and the scope and coverage of BBPS extends to all categories of billers who raise recurring bills.

It is observed that there has not been a corresponding growth in the number of non-bank Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units (BBPOUs).

Observing that payment systems play a catalytic role in facilitating financial inclusion and promoting financial stability, the statement said, maintaining the safety and security of these systems is a key objective of RBI.

With greater adoption of digital payment modes, it is important to ensure that payment system infrastructures are not only efficient and effective but also resilient to conventional and emerging risks, specifically those relating to cyber security, it said.

“To ensure that our payment systems remain resilient to conventional and emerging risks, specifically those relating to cyber security, it is proposed to issue guidelines on Cyber Resilience and Payment Security Controls for Payment System Operators,” he said.

Mask mandate may not be necessary for now, say experts

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New Delhi(PTI): Setting at rest fears over Covid restrictions being relaxed, several experts say the two-year stringent mask mandate has led to fatigue and can be removed from public spaces for now just as many countries have done.

While the message around the benefits of masking should continue, it would be wise to lift the mandate and reintroduce it if there is another Covid wave for better compliance, experts said, pointing to the futility of ill-fitting masks and lack of community consensus on the matter.

The issue is of compliance fatigue, Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of Washington’s Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, told PTI while noting that many countries around the world have removed mask restrictions.

I would urge messaging around the usefulness of masking in closed spaces, but would not suggest that it needs to be enforced punitively, added Gautam Menon, professor, Departments of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University in Haryana.

The assurance comes as India’s Covid graph dips on Friday 1,109 new coronavirus infections were reported and also one case of a new Covid strain in Mumbai.

On Wednesday the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported India’s first case of the Omicron recombinant strain XE. However. INSACOG, which monitors genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2 in India, has decided to take up another round of genomic sequencing at a national lab for confirmation.

Recombinant’ means the genome of XE is a combination of the genomes of the BA.1 and the BA.2 sub-variants of Omicron.

With India seeing the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in two years, several states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana, have done away with the mandatory use of masks.

Epidemiologist Laxminarayan said it may be necessary for the public to start using masks again in the future if there is another variant and wave. But keeping these requirements in place indefinitely causes the public to not take them seriously. It is therefore better to remove them and then reintroduce them when necessary, Laxminarayan explained.

Scientist and modeller Menon agreed.

Given that the BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus variant drove the surge in India during the third wave, it should be possible to relax masking restrictions in public spaces, he said.

Getting compliance with Covid boosters is probably more important than enforcing masks.

We will have to think about how to return to normal life and this time appears to be as good as any, given what we know. Hopefully the lessons of the pandemic will stick and dealing with any future uptick in cases from a new variant will be easier, since people are now habituated to restrictions, he added.

Immunologist Satyajit Rath said it is a mistake to pretend the pandemic is no longer the responsibility of the state but simply of individual people.

Persistently using ‘law-and-order’-style policies, such as all the restrictions is a mistake, especially when used widely and long, Rath, from Delhi’s National Institute of Immunology (NII), told PTI.

He also cautioned that removing mask restrictions may lull people into thinking the pandemic is over and lead to lowering of overall guard against the disease.

It certainly will, but neither has it helped very much to ‘mandate’ masking without providing people with accessible, cheap, reusable, effective masks in the first place, and without building a community consensus about masking, he added.

As numbers fall and mandates lift, people are wondering if it is possible to avoid trade-offs between returning to pre-pandemic lifestyles and an uptick in Covid related deaths.

A recent modelling study in the US found that relaxing masking mandates and other restrictions resulted in some “rebound” in COVID-19-related deaths in most states.

The analysis, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum, assumed the current pace of vaccination in the US is maintained into the future, and modelled different dates of lifting mandates.

“The inevitable rebound in mortality was directly attributable to the Omicron variant — when we repeated the analysis, assuming the infectivity of the previous Alpha and Delta variants, the model did not project such rising mortality after relaxing mask mandates,” said study co-first author Benjamin P. Linas, a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

In March, the World Health Organization warned that a combination of factors, including misinformation that the pandemic is over, the lifting of mask mandates, ending physical distancing – and a more transmissible Omicron BA.2 variant – are causing an increase of COVID-19 cases globally.

Many countries, including China, are still witnessing an uptick in new Covid cases.

Addressing concerns, Menon said that given the current level of vaccination and population exposure in India, it is unlikely that a future wave will cause as much damage as the second wave of the Delta variant last year.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 185.20 crore.

In Rath’s view, while the ‘seriousness’ of the disease is waning with widespread prior immunisations or infections, it is true that the more rapidly the virus spreads, the more problems will arise for the healthcare system.

Also, the more widely the virus circulates, the more the chances of a variant with new characteristics emerging, he added.

Menon added that since cases are at an all-time low at the moment and test positivity is very small, masking won’t have a significant effect.

He suggested that the time is right to consider opening up, but also to ramp up surveillance for any unusual rise in cases as well as genomic analysis for new variants.

Such surveillance could also incorporate testing for the presence of the virus in waste-water, since this has proved to be a good advance indicator of the disease trajectory.

Sri Lanka medical group warns of catastrophic shortages

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Colombo (AP): Sri Lanka’s national medical association warned Thursday that hospitals will be unable to provide even emergency services in coming weeks because of critical shortages of drugs and medical equipment caused by the country’s economic crisis, leading to a catastrophic number of deaths if supplies aren’t replenished.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in decades and has endured months of shortages of fuel and other essentials. Protests over the economic troubles have spread nationwide and expanded to criticism of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his politically powerful family.

The Sri Lanka Medical Association sent a letter to Rajapaksa on Thursday saying that hospitals have already decided to curtail services such as routine surgeries and limit the use of available medical materials to treatment of life-threatening illnesses.

Unless supplies are urgently replenished, within a matter of weeks, if not days, emergency treatment will also not be possible. This will result in a catastrophic number of deaths,” the letter said.

Thousands of people, including health workers, have been demonstrating this week demanding a solution to the crisis and Rajapaksa’s resignation for economic mismanagement.

Rajapaksa has resisted the demands to step down, even after members of his own coalition joined them this week, with governing party lawmakers calling for the appointment of an interim government to avoid possible violence.

Rajapaksa earlier proposed the creation of a unity government, but the main opposition party rejected the idea.

His Cabinet resigned Sunday night, and on Tuesday, nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.

This has turned the economic crisis into a political one, with no functioning Cabinet including crucial finance and health ministers. Parliament has failed to reach a consensus in three days of debate on how to deal with the crisis.

The president and his older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, continue to hold power, despite their politically powerful family being the focus of public ire.

Five other family members are lawmakers, including Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Irrigation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa and a nephew, Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa.

The government estimates the COVID-19 pandemic has cost Sri Lanka’s tourism-dependent economy USD14 billion in the last two years. Protesters also allege fiscal mismanagement.

The country has immense foreign debts after borrowing heavily for infrastructure and other projects. Its foreign debt repayment obligations are around USD7 billion this year alone.

The debts and dwindling foreign reserves leave it unable to pay for imported goods.

Rajapaksa last month said his government was in talks with the International Monetary Fund and had turned to China and India for loans, and appealed to people to limit the use of fuel and electricity. 

De Kock dazzles as Super Giants slay Delhi Capitals

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De Kock dazzles as Super Giants slay Delhi Capitals

Navi Mumbai: Quinton de Kock showed imperious form in his 80 off 52 balls as Lucknow Super Giants outplayed Delhi Capitals by six wickets for their third successive win in their debut IPL season here on Thursday.

Delhi Capitals lost their way after a sizzling knock from Prithvi Shaw (61 off 31) to end at 149 for 3 after Lucknow predictably decided to field first.

With the resources that Lucknow possess, 150 should have been a comfortable chase and the K L Rahul-led side made sure it was, getting home with two balls to spare on a tricky surface.

De Kock was at his destructive best as he shared a 73-run stand with his opening partner Rahul (24 off 25).

The South African wicketkeeper-batter was particularly harsh on compatriot Anrich Nortje who was playing his first game since November. The fit again pacer, playing his first IPL game in India, was smashed for three fours and a six by de Kock in an over leaking 19 runs.

In what turned out to be a forgettable night for Nortje, the South African pacer had to be taken off the attack later after bowling two waist-high no balls.

After Rahul’s fall, his team needed 76 off the last 10 overs. De Kock, who collected nine fours and two sixes, put the team on the cusp of victory with his second 50-plus score of the tournament.

With the pitch not the easiest one to bat on, Lucknow struggled to finish the game with even the in-form Deepak Hooda and experienced Krunal Pandya not finding the big hits.

Lucknow eventually managed to get the job done with the young Ayush Badoni hitting the decisive four and a six off Shardul Thakur in the final over.

Earlier, Shaw’s knock was all class before Lucknow bounced back in the game with an impressive bowling performance. Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/22) was the standout performer for the new IPL entrants.

David Warner (4 off 12), returning to the franchise where he made his IPL debut back in 2009, struggled in his first innings of the season.

Off-spinner K Gowtham (1/23) was given the ball in the second over and Shaw did not let him settle, dispatching a full ball over cover for his first four of the innings.

Jason Holder was at the receiving end in the following over when Shaw pulled him for a six over mid-wicket. Then came the turn of pacer Avesh Khan who was hammered for three consecutive fours in the fourth over.

It seemed Shaw was batting on a different surface while the others struggled around him. He used his quick hands to cut the ball and was equally quick to drive anything full over cover.

It was a promising powerplay for Capitals who reached 52 for no loss in six overs. However, Lucknow fought back after the powerplay with wickets of Shaw, Warner and Rovman Powell (3 off 10) in a space of 18 balls.

Shaw was caught behind off Gowtham after he hit him for a straight six. Warner fell to a poor shot off Bishnoi and Powell saw his stumps disturbed as he went for the slog-sweep off a googly from the young leg-spinner, leaving Capitals at 74 for three in the 11th over.

The onus was on skipper Rishabh Pant (39 not out off 36) to take the team to a respectable total and he did that in the company of Sarfaraz Khan (36 not out off 28) who was playing his debut game for the franchise.

Pant mainly targeted the straight boundaries and Sarfaraz, without taking much risks, showed skills that has fetched him a bagful of runs in domestic cricket.

Father lits son on fire for losing cash in Bengaluru

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Father lits son on fire for losing cash in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a tragic incident occurred in Azad Nagar here, a man has reportedly set his son on fire for losing an amount of Rs 12,000, the video of which has gone viral on social media.

The deceased has been identified as Arpit who was killed by his own father Surendra, reports said.

It was revealed that the horrifying incident captured in the viral video occurred earlier on 1 April where a father sets his own son on fire in broad daylight.

After learning that the son has lost Rs 12,000, Surendra poured petrol over him, threatening to set him on fire with a lit match stick, while following him outside their house is captured in the viral video.

The CCTV footage showed the boy screaming and running around on the streets after he was burnt by his father.

Although the boy was admitted to the Victoria Hospital by the locals, he breathed his last on Thursday due to ineffective treatment of severe burns.

Meanwhile, it is learned that a case has been registered in this regard with the DJ Halli Police Station and the accused has been arrested.

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