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Archives for November 2018

Ranji Roundup: Jadeja show helps Saurashtra beat Railways

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 India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja helped Saurashtra beat the Railways on the final day of Round 2 of the Ranji Trophy at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.

Chasing 186 to win on the final day after Railways put in a solid effort for 331 in their second innings, Saurashtra were in a spot of bother at 65/4, but Jadeja scored an unbeaten 48 to take his team home with three wickets in hand.

Jadeja first combined with an 86-run stand with Sheldon Jackson (54) to put Saurashtra on course and then, despite, losing two more wickets, used all his experience to see his team through.

Earlier, it was Jadeja’s 178 not out in the first innings that had propelled Saurashtra take a 148-run lead over the Railways.

The Railways were skittled out for 200 in the first innings with Jadeja bagging four wickets.

However, in the second innings, the Railways batted well and scored 331 riding Harish Tyagi’s 93 and Anureet Singh’s 44.

Jadeja again got three wickets in the second innings.

In reply, chasing 186 for victory, Railways’ Avinash Yadav dented Saurashtra claiming the first four wickets to fall, before Jackson and Jadeja put their team on course for a victory. Yadav finished with 5/88.

The win takes Saurashtra to nine points and to the top of the table for the time being.

In another Group A game, Manprit Juneja came good for Gujarat to help the side draw with Chhattisgarh.

Gujarat bagged three points to consolidate its position in second place in Group A after a first-innings lead proved crucial.

Gujarat, who had defeated Baroda by nine wickets in the opening round, are neck and neck on nine points with table-toppers Saurashtra, sitting with a higher net run-rate.

In Nagpur, left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith’s nine for 103, his best bowling figures in first-class cricket, helped Karnataka bag three points against defending champions Vidarbha on the final day of their Group A game.

At the Motibaug Cricket Ground in Vadodara, Baroda bagged their first three points owing to a first-innings lead against Maharashtra.

In Group B, left-hander opener Aryaman Birla cracked his maiden first-class hundred to help Madhya Pradesh salvage a draw following on as Bengal had to settle for three points in their first home match of the season.

Scion of the Birla family, Aryaman was unbeaten on 103 in his third first-class match, while Shubham Sharma gave him fine support with an unbeaten 100 on the final day.

Bengal, who had a first innings lead in their last match in Himachal Pradesh, now have six points from two matches. Having taken a first innings lead over Tamil Nadu in the last match, MP now have four points.

Himachal Pradesh‘s Nikhil Gangta and Rishi Dhawan halted Delhi on the fourth and final day at the Feroz Shah Kotla to ensure a draw.

IANS

ICC Women’s WorldT20: Mithali half-ton lifts India to 145/6 vs Ireland

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 Former skipper Mithali Raj once again came to India’s rescue with a fluent half century to help the women-in-blue post a below-par 145/6 against Ireland in their third match of the ICC Women’s World T20 at the Providence Stadium here on Thursday.

Mithali, who top-scored with a 56-ball 51, laced with 4 fours and a six, did not find a stable partner at the other end, thanks to some casual batting from her teammates and immaculate bowling from the Irish women.

In the process, the veteran right-hander also created a new record of being the highest run-getter for India in T20Is with 2283 runs. Rohit Sharma (2207 runs) is the second in the list, followed by men’s team skipper Virat Kohli.

Put in to bat, India got off to a steady 67-run start from Mithali and Smriti Mandhana (33 off 29 balls; 4X4, 6X1) before the southpaw once again departed after getting a decent start.

The young Jemimah Rodrigues (18 off 11; 4X3) got off to a brisk start and quickly added 40 runs for the second wicket with Mithali before being stumped off Irish captain Laura Delany’s bowling.

Thereafter, the in-form India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (7) and No.5 Veda Krishnamurthy (9) departed in quick succession, leaving India reeling at 127/4.

Mithali, however, waged a lone battle bringing up her sedate half century off 54 deliveries but perished soon, caught behind off Kim Garth.

Towards the end, Dayalan Hemalatha (4), Deepti Sharma (10 not out) and Radha Yadav (1 not out) failed to accelerate the scoring rate as India ended up with 145.

Brief Scores: India 145/6 (Mithali Raj 51, Smriti Mandhana 33; Kim Garth 2/22) vs Ireland.

IANS

167 against Australia gave me confidence: VVS Laxman

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 While the epic inning of 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens is what defines V.V.S. Laxman, but it is knock of 167 against the same team at Sydney which is close to the heart of the former Indian cricketer.

The stylish batsman revealed this at the release of his autobiography ‘281 and Beyond’ here on Thursday night.

Laxman, who shot to the limelight with a knock of 167 in 2000, believes this was closer to his heart as it was first international hundred and it gave him confidence and belief that he was capable of playing at the highest level.

“From 1996 to 2000, I never had a hundred. I never ever felt I was able to establish myself in the Indian team. If I had not got that 167, probably I would not have got another chance to play. The fashion in which I got these runs and against quality bowling on a challenging wicket and tough conditions gave me the confidence.”

“It removed doubts and apprehensions I had about my game. I started to feel that I belong to international cricket and that I can go out and perform against the best bowlers,” added Laxman in a chat with popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle.

Laxman, who retired from international cricket in 2012 after a career spanning 16 years, is known for his historic knock of 281 in 2001. His inning and record stand with Rahul Dravid, set up a stunning victory for India after following on.

Laxman believes this was turning point for his career and also in the fortunes of the Indian team.

He also revealed that this knock of 281 did not come as a surprise. Known as ‘Very Very Special’ in cricketing circles, Laxman said with the extensive fitness training and hard work, he was physically and mentally ready to play that kind of inning.

He did not agree with Harsha Bhogle that 281 trapped him as people started to have huge expectations from him.

“I learnt after the first 4 years of struggle at highest level that especially in our country you can’t afford to fall into a trap. Everyone will have expectations. I never played game to fulfill expectations of others.”

The event saw Harsha Bhogle in free and frank conversation with Laxman, his family members, former cricketers Arshad Ayub, Venkatapathi Raju and autobiography co-writer R. Kaushik.

Telangana’s Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao and badminton coach P. Gopichand also shared their views at the event attended by former cricketers, coaches and friends of Laxman.

Laxman, who preferred cricketing career over becoming a physician like his parents, said the toughest decision for him was giving up as an opening batsman.

In 1996 when Laxman was included in the Indian team he was announced as an opener. “I took it up as a challenge. It was one of the tough decisions,” he said.

When he was dropped in 2000, he joined the Hyderabad team and started playing first class cricket. “I told myself that I am going to lead the life as a first class cricketer. I decided I will work hard but I will never ever open the batting. It was toughest decision because there was no guarantee of getting into playing XI of India,” he said.

He recalled that at that time the middle order was packed with experienced players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly.

Laxman represented India in 134 Tests, scoring 8781 runs at 45.97. He scored 17 test centuries, six of which came against Australia.

IANS

CBI Director Verma asked to respond to CVC report on him

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 CBI Director Alok Verma was on Friday asked by the Supreme Court to respond to the Central Vigilance Commission’s (CVC) inquiry report on allegations of corruption brought against him.

The allegations were levelled by his deputy, Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph said certain areas of the report were complimentary to Verma, while some were not so

The bench added that there were some areas which needed to be further probed.

Chief Justice Gogoi said that the CVC report would be given to senior counsel Fali Nariman in a sealed cover and the response to the report too would come in a sealed cover — to be submitted before the next hearing on November 20.

Nariman who appeared for Verma said they would like to file the response as early as possible, indicating a response by Monday.

 

IANS

Bollywood Buzz – A Special Report

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Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone Finally Enter Into A Wedlock

Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone finally sealed the deal & got married in a traditional Chitrapur Saraswat style ceremony on 14th Nov, 2018. The Sindhi Anand Karaj ceremony took place on 15th Nov, 2018. The couple have been together since the year 2013 & finally announced their wedding in late Oct, 2018.

Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone tied the knot at Lake Como in Italy after dating for over 6 years.

They exchanged the rings post a Phool Muddi ceremony.

Singer Harshdeep Kaur performed on numbers like “Kala Sha Kala” at the sangeet.

Karan Johar took to Twitter to congratulate the happy couple. “Such a stunning gorgeous & beautiful couple! Nazar utar lo! Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh!! Badhai ho!!! Love you both!!! Here’s to a lifetime of love & joy!” he wrote.

So Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone are by now married after the traditional Chitrapur Saraswat style wedding at Lake Como, Italy. They solemnized their relationship after 6 years of dating each other. Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padokone had first met each other on the sets on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela.

The dress code for the ceremony for the guests was color white.

With the strict no photo policy at the VeerDeep Shaadi, fans may just have to rely on screenshots to satisfy their curiosity for a while. With the likes of drone interceptors in the sky & guests being made to wear special wrist bands & scan unique QR codes on their phones in order to gain entry, the security at the venue was tight. Deepika Padukone’s sister, Anisha Padukone changed her social media bio to reflect her status as the #Ladkiwale with a bride emoticon.

Shah Rukh Khan, Farah Khan & Sanjay Leela Bhansali reached the wedding venue by 9 am on the D – Day. They were amongst the few from the film fraternity who were a part of the official wedding. The guest list had mostly been restricted to family & close friends.

And the security arrangements were tight at the venue. From special wrist bands to patrolling boats to no mobile phone policy, every little detail had been taken care of. There were boats patrolling the area surrounding the wedding venue to decapitate any drone in the vicinity.

The couple had also requested singer Harshdeep Kaur to delete a photo that the singer had shared with her husband, by the lake, because they did not want any photos of the high profile wedding to surface online.

The mehendi ceremony which was held on Tues afternoon had both Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone donning Sabyasachi creations as the wedding party grooved to Harshdeep Kaur’s tunes. The designer himself was also present & the men also applied henna on their palms.

Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh wore similar rich shades of red & pink & the bride reportedly got misty-eyed more than once. The doting groom-to-be was by her side the whole time.

The couple was expected to have 2 wedding ceremonies. A Chitrapur Saraswat style wedding was slated to take place on the morning of 14thNov, 2018, since Deepika Padukone belongs to the Konkani speaking community originally from Karnataka. This was followed by a Sindhi style ceremony on 15th Nov, 2018, as Ranveer Singh naturally hails from a Sindhi Community.

For the Chitrapur Saraswat ceremony, Deepika Padukone was dressed in a traditional white & gold silk sari & wore a red lehenga on day 2. Ranveer Singh had donned a heavily embellished sherwani. The couple’s outfits were all a Sabyasachi Mukherji creations.

While most of them had speculated that the Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone’s wedding is taking place at Villa Del Balbianello, the venue was actually Casta Diva Resort & Spa located in Blevio village on the eastern side of the Lake Como.

The wet weather had indeed prompted the wedding planners to change the venue at the last minute.

The couple had officially exchanged rings post a Phool Muddi ceremony, while the couple had welcomed their guests personally at the entrance of the venue. Both the bride & the groom had worn western outfits. Deepika Padukone was in a white dress & Ranveer Singh in black. The engagement ceremony was followed by a formal sit – down dinner & the guests were also requested to not share any pictures on the social media platforms.

Day one of the wedding festivities had kicked off at Lake Como with the sangeet. Harshdeep Kaur & her band had set the mood just right with dance numbers like “Kala Sha Kala”, “Mehendi Hai Rachney Wali”, “Mehendi Ni Mehendi” & “Gur Naal Ishq Mitha”. Ranveer Singh had even taken to the floor to sing & dance to his Gunday number “Tune Maari Entriyaan”

If you were wondering what Ranveer Singh would be wearing on his big day, the clue perhaps lied in the Sabyasachi Mukherji bags that his stylist Nitasha Gaurav was spotted carrying on her way to Italy.

Deepika Padukone’s wedding ensemble was in a vibrant red with intricate thread work. Ranveer Singh, on the other hand, was seen in a gorgeous Kanjeevaram sherwani.

Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh’s wedding was the talk of the town & everyone had wanted to know every little detail of this celebrity wedding. But who do you think had made this dream wedding come true? Of course, a wedding planner & for Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh, the celebrity wedding planner was none other than Vandana Mohan, who had turned a fairy godmother. So who is Vandana Mohan? Well! She is a celebrity wedding planner in her own right

The wedding was captured for the posterity sake by the same crew that had filmed the wedding of Virat Kohli & Anushka Sharma in Tuscany. Vishal Punjabi’s The Wedding Filmer. TWF had also shot the wedding sequence in Deepika Padukone’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

Ranveer Singh’s hair stylist Nitasha Gaurav had posted an update on the couple on the social media platforms.

They had asked the lucky guests to not bring their cell phones to the ceremony. Considering the fact that it will be a destination wedding, there will be fewer people & all the arrangements will be in place. While the 2, in all likelihood, will share pictures with their fans eventually, they hoped that this step will help them guard their privacy”

 Moreovrer 12 florists were specially flown in from Florence to decorate the wedding venue Villa Del Balbianello. The Lake Como resort where the guests were staying was about 45 minutes away from the wedding venue & the guests used the golf carts for transport within the location. With an outdoor floating pool, the location also boasted of an alfresco terrace overlooking the lake. Surrounded by the botanic park, the resort was spread across an area of about 26,000 sq meters. The location appeared to be the property of Lac De Come Hotels.

The groom-to-be then reportedly made a flamboyant entry on a seaplane with a seating capacity of 14 people. Chefs from Switzerland reportedly arrived at the venue. The wedding was reportedly held in the morning on 14th Nov, 2018 followed by a grand lunch.

Playback singer Harshdeep Kaur posted a photo of herself in a plane with a cryptic caption that read, “Off to a very special place for an even more special occasion. Arrivederci”.

The villa was closed for the public starting a day before the wedding day. The families were staying at a hotel 10 minutes from the venue because the venue itself didn’t have a boarding facility.”

“Since they are both from non-filmy families, they wanted a quiet wedding away from the prying eyes of the world.” The source went on to say that the Mumbai & above all the Bengaluru receptions are all set to be ritzy affairs, with the Mumbai reception to be held on 28th Nov, 2018 & the Bangalore reception yet to be finalized. The wedded couple had requested the guests not to get any gifts but donate instead to Deepika Padukone’s “Live Love Laugh Foundation”, which works towards raising awareness about the depression. “Both Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone are deeply committed to the cause & wanted to involve all their guests in the good deed.

Cyclone Gaja set to cross TN coast near Nagapattinam

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 The severe cyclonic storm Gaja, which lay centred about 126 km east of Karaikal in Puducherry, is expected to cross the Tamil Nadu coast near Nagapattinam on Thursday night, Indian Meteoroligcal Department (IMD) said.

According to IMD, Gaja is expected to cross the coast south of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu by 11 p.m. Thursday with a wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph.

The IMD officials said the outer rim of the Gaja cyclone is touching Karaikal and strong winds have already started blowing in the coastal districts.

Rains have started in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Thiruvarur districts.

The IMD predicted rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy at a few places over Tamilnadu and Puducherry.

Extremely heavy rain measuring about 20 cm at isolated places is also likely over Cuddalore, Nagappattinam, Karaikal, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts, IMD said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has set up relief centres in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur and Thiruvarur.

People in living in low-lying areas have been shifted to relief centres.

Universities and colleges have postponed their exams slated for Friday.

Similarly, schools and colleges in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Thiruvarur will be closed on Friday.

According to the AIADMK government, telecommunication companies have said they would have oil stocked for a minimum of five days in the cyclone-expected zone and for 15 days at their headquarters.

The mobile telephone companies also assured the government of moving their mobile telecom towers or cell on wheels to Nagapattinam and Cuddalore.

According to a statement from the state government, arrangements have been made to send bulk SMS to mobile subscribers warning about the weather issued by the emergency control centres.

The Indian Navy is also on high alert and is ready to render any assistance, a statement said.

Two Navy ships – Ranvir and Khanjar – are standing by to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake humanitarian aid, distress relief, evacuation, and logistic support, including proviging medical aid, the Navy said.

Additionally, aircraft from Naval Air Stations Dega, Rajali and Parundu and patrolling boats from naval detachments in Ramnathapuram, Nagapattinam have been warning the fishing vessels about the approaching storm, the Navy said.

Naval aircraft are also standing by to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty, evacuation and air drop of relif material to the stranded.

IANS

SC issues directions to 8 HCs, state governments on appointment of judges

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The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a series of directions to eight high courts and state governments on the appointment of judges to the vacant positions in the subordinate judiciary, including infrastructure and court staff in a time-bound manner.

The states included Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa, NCT Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Manipur, and Meghalaya.

The hearing saw the court pulling up the Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and other state governments for their lackadaisical attitude in providing infrastructure and manpower for the functioning of the subordinate court.

Uttar Pradesh, with more than 1,000 vacancies in the subordinate and higher judiciary, was directed to complete the process of appointment in a time-bound manner by adhering to the time-lines given to it for the filling of vacancies, court infrastructure, supporting staff and accommodation for the judges.

The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul and Justice K. M. Joseph took a dim view of the way the things were progressing in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The court asked Delhi to state on affidavit indicating difficulties it was encountering and the possible solutions.

The court order came as Delhi said it faced with serious financial constraints. The court was broadly satisfied the way things were progressing in Maharashtra and Assam.

The today’s proceedings saw Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi making it abundantly clear that top court wants vacancies in subordinate judiciary to be filled up coupled with required infrastructure for their functioning.

“We need judges, we need court rooms and the staff”, declared CJI Gogoi.

Making it clear that it would not let the proceedings be hostage to reports, proposals and recommendation of the committees, CJI Gogoi said: “We will ensure that posts of judicial officers are filled up and it was incumbent upon the state governments to provide both the infrastructure and the manpower to run the courts.”

IANS

India, US, Japan, Australia discuss cooperation in Indo-Pacific

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 Officials of the quad, revived last year comprising India, the US, Japan, and Australia that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, met in Singapore on Thursday on the sidelines of this year’s East Asia Summit.

According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, the four sides held consultations on regional and global issues of common interest.

“The discussions focused on cooperation in areas such as connectivity, sustainable development, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and maritime and cyber security, with a view to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in an increasingly inter-connected Indo-Pacific region that the four countries share with each other and with other partners,” the statement said.

Reflecting India’s view, the participants reaffirmed the centrality of the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc as the cornerstone of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

In his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a Track I annual inter-governmental security forum organised by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank in Singapore in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India does not see the Indo-Pacific region as a strategy or as a club of limited members.

“It includes all nations in this geography as also others beyond who have a stake in it. Southeast Asia is at its centre. And, Asean has been and will be central to its future,” Modi said.

The Indo-Pacific region extends from the eastern coast of Japan to the eastern coast of Africa.

According to Thursday’s ministry statement, the four sides “agreed to partner with other countries and forums in the region to promote a free, open, rules-based and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific that fosters trust and confidence”.

“They committed to strengthening connectivity and quality infrastructure based on sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of all nations, as well as transparency, economic viability and financial responsibility,” it said.

The meeting assumes significance given China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific and its belligerence in the South China Sea region.

The quad officials also exchanged views on recent developments in the regional situation.

The four sides agreed to continue the consultations, according to the statement.

IANS

Rahul targets Modi over Rafale: “Watchman sold out”

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning if the pact to buy 36 Rafale jets from France was at all a government-to-government deal.

“The latest skeleton to tumble out of the Rafale cupboard: No guarantee by the French government backing the deal.

“But, our Prime Minister says there’s a letter from the French promising to be faithful! That’s enough to call this a government-to-government deal,” Gandhi tweeted, adding “#BikGayaChowkidar” (watchman sold out).

Gandhi’s latest jibe at Modi comes a day after the Centre told the Supreme Court that there was no sovereign guarantee by the French government backing the deal but only a letter of comfort.

The submission was made by Attorney General K.K. Venugopal before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph, which reserved its verdict on PILs on the fighter jet deal.

IANS

As India fails to clean up its air, China is winning war on pollution

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 While New Delhi and other Indian cities choke amid worsening air conditions and half-hearted government measures, neighbouring China — the world’s largest polluter — is slowly winning its war against pollution.

Over a dozen Indian cities today are where their Chinese counterparts used to be some five years ago.

Until 2009, 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities were in China. This year, the first 14, including New Delhi, are in India, and only the last four — minus Beijing — are in China.

China is notorious for pollution and it’s not just an offshoot of four decades of furious industrialisation. The problem stretches back centuries when dynastic leaders ignored the environmental costs of development.

China had no environmental institution until 1972, six years after which the country went into an almost four-decade-long economic frenzy that saw smoke-billowing factories sprout across its landscape.

The government woke up to the problem only in late 2013 when a severe smog descended on Beijing — dubbed “airpocalypse” — and an eight-year-old girl in Jiangsu province was diagnosed with lung cancer attributed to air pollution, making her the youngest cancer patient in the country.

This triggered a huge public outcry and, surprisingly, the state-owned media joined the chorus.

“That was a watershed moment. People were angry. It was then that the government decided to monitor PM (particulate matter) 2.5 in 74 cities and make the data public,” Ma Jun, Director at the Institute of Public Environmental Affairs, a Chinese NGO, told IANS.

The stability-obsessed Chinese government also realised that merely disseminating data was not enough and announced an ambitious plan to wage a “war on pollution”.

Green activists say although China has a long way to go to curb pollution, its efforts have begun to pay off.

The Chinese Environment Ministry said in September that over half of some 650 cities saw air quality improve year-on-year. Now the skies over Beijing are blue — and on some days exceptionally clean.

“Political will and ambitious targets set by the government in 2013 have delivered very impressive gains, but the level of determination going forward needs to be reaffirmed,” Lauri Myllyvirta, senior global campaigner, coal and air pollution, Greenpeace, told IANS.

“Of course, things could still change this year if the first month or two of the winter period show negative progress,” he added.

China is the world’s largest coal producer and burns half of it itself, causing severe air pollution. But over the years, China has shut many coal-fired power plants and shifted to natural gas heating. This leaves many homes outside Beijing and other provinces extremely cold in winter but reduces smog.

In a bolder decision this October, the Chinese government said it will switch another 1.18 million residential households in the country to natural gas heating this winter.

“If you look at Beijing, the capital’s coal consumption has dropped from 22 million tonnes in 2012 to five million tonnes this year,” said Ma. “Beijing’s 2.5 PM has dropped from 90 to 58 in 2018.”

The Chinese standard for PM 2.5 is 35.

China has also cracked down heavily on polluting factories, shutting tens of thousands of them. It has a “green police” which has the power to send its inspection teams to any part of the country, a privilege enjoyed only by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

In 2017, 18,000 companies for were punished for pollution and fines worth $125 million were levied.

The green police also has the power to sack officials for being lax in controlling pollution. Last year, 12,000 officials were disciplined.

Setting off crackers is completely banned in 444 cities, including Beijing.

The glut of cars in Beijing is responsible for 30 percent of the city’s air pollution. And to tackle this, the government has placed a limit on license plates of cars. Car rationing is implemented with ease when pollution shoots up.

In another major decision last month, the Chinese market regulator decided to set up a system to recall vehicles that violate the country’s pollution and emissions standards. Besides, China has the most number of electric vehicles in the world and it subsidises their manufacture.

The country is, in fact, spending heavily on clean energy — more than twice the amount invested by the US.

“More actions are needed. The coal consumption has stagnated but we need to reduce it further,” Ma said.

“There are many cities in China’s coal-belly, Shanxi, which still cannot meet the modest air quality standards. Things have improved, but we have a long way to go.”

The World Health Organisation has acknowledged China’s efforts in curbing pollution and reckons that India can take a cue from it.

IANS

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