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After being pulled up by Odisha Assembly Speaker Suryanarayan Patra for frequent power cuts, the Tata Power has got into the act to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply through its four distribution companies in the state. The company has firmed up ambitious investment plans. According to Sanjay Banga, President (T&D), Tata Power, the company will spend Rs 1,200-1,500 crore for each Discom in the next five years (around Rs 5,000 crore for four discoms). The capex for 2021-22 has already been finalized and submitted to the OERC. Most of the Capex budget will go for reliability improvement, loss reduction and technology upgradation. In the coming winter of 2021, TPC will go in for planned outages – a new initiative to work upon preventive maintenance. Banga says from March 2022 onwards, TPC customers in Odisha will experience better power supply connection with fewer trippings as Tata Power will spend Rs 300 crore towards preventive maintenance to address summer season reliability. “Odisha power reliability will be as good as Mumbai and Delhi sometime in 2023,” Banga added. It is learnt that the power networks, which have structural weakness as experienced in Odisha due to redundancy of single-source supply, will be changed to multiple-source power supply assurance. This will ensure reliable power. Tata Power has 51% stake in the Odisha entity with management control and the state-owned GRIDCO has 49% equity stake.
The de facto head honcho of Chennai Super Kings summed it up all by saying “Dhoni is CSK and CSK is Dhoni.” That is how much Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain with the magic touch, has captivated the IPL franchise as well as its host city. Dhoni might appear to be well over the hill but T20’s short duration gives him a chance to keep himself in the thick of action as wicket-keeper and a batsman who can finish a game with just his experience and the awesome power of his willow when he connects. Dhoni would love to have an emotional farewell season at CSK as a player and the team is willing to use its first available retention card to keep him out of the general auction pool. It’s only the lack of clarity on player retention for IPL-15 that keeps the guessing games going. In his 12 seasons with CSK in which time he led them into nine finals winning four, Dhoni has become a fixture of the franchise and the host city where his once famous night rides on super bikes kept cops on tenterhooks. Chennai’s favourite son will be seen in canary yellow as a player again and we have the word of vice chairman & MD of India Cements, N Srinivasan, for it.
In a major boost to UP tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to open Kushinagar International Airport on October 20. Kushinagar is of significance to Buddhists all over the world as it is here that Lord Buddha is believed to have attained Mahaparinirvana after his death (2500 BE). It is famous for the Reclining Buddha image inside the Parinirvana Stupa. Prime Minister will participate in an event, organized to mark Abhidhamma Day. The day symbolises the end of three-month rainy retreat – Varshavaas or Vassa – for the Buddhist Monks, during which they stay at one place in vihara & monastery and pray. The event will also be attended by eminent Monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, Nepal, Bhutan and Cambodia, as well as Ambassadors of various countries. The inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport will be marked by the landing of flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Led by Namal Rajapaksa, son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Lankan delegation of over 100 Buddhist monks and dignitaries, including the 12-member Holy Relic entourage, is bringing the Holy Buddha Relics for Exposition. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore, the Kushinagar International Airport will facilitate domestic and international pilgrims to visit the Mahaparinirvana-sthal of Lord Buddha. The airport will also serve nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
A Congress Working Committee meeting is specially convened by Sonia Gandhi to tell an unenthused Congress cadre that it has no choice beyond Gandhi family or how she is still full-time party chief and there is no such thing as interim president. Sonia got what she wanted; managed to get all 38 members to endorse whatever AK Anthony and three Chief Ministers said — that is to urge Rahul Gandhi to return as Congress President. Yet, what added spice to the discussions was not a call to Rahul but the sycophantic remarks purportedly made by CWC member from Kashmir Valley, Tariq Hameed Karra who extolled Jawaharlal Nehru’s role in getting Kashmir to become part of India. He apparently claimed that Sardar Patel had colluded with Jinnah and was keen to keep Valley out of India. The BJP reacted by asking if Sonia would drop Karra from the CWC. New to Congress, Karra didn’t seem worried about Patel’s role or legacy. The CWC story is not Karra’s remarks but who leaked the closed door CWC proceedings to the media? Fingers apparently are pointing to a few G-23 members. By giving out details of Karra’s remarks at the proceedings, the defiant Congress leaders finally seem to be getting their back at Sonia who took a swipe at them in her opening remarks.
In popular TV serials the on-screen characters played by actors seem so real that it becomes difficult to separate the two. Audience not only falls in love with these screen characters but start empathizing, sympathizing and identifying with them. So be it Tulsi (Smriti Irani) in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi; Manav (Sushant Singh Rajput) in Pavitra Rishta or Dayaben (Disha Vakani) in Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma they all became synonymous with the characters. So, this brings us to the larger question, can these stars be replaced? When Shaheer Shaikh was announced as a replacement for Manav in the popular TV serial Pavitra Rishta 2 played by Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) the producers, pressurized by SSR’s fan club, had to clarify that Shaheer was replacing Hiten Tejwani, the second Manav as he was not accepted by the audience. Likewise Smriti Irani had to come back as the audience refused to accept Gautami as Tulsi in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu. The makers of Tarak Mehta Ka Olthah Chashma have been waiting for over three years for Dayaben (Disha Vakani) to return to the show instead of replacing her. In Ballika Vadhu Shashank Vyas as Jagya was a huge hit. So, when he decided to move out of the serial, the makers showed him going to the US so that the audience continues to wait for him to return to the show.
Amit Khare’s appointment as adviser in the PMO (upon his retirement as Secretary to Government of India) for a two-year period indicates he is probably set for much longer innings. The Jharkhand cadre 1985 batch IAS officer, who officially retired on September 30, may not have superannuated as Cabinet Secretary but he can still hope to have higher career goals. Valued as an upright, efficient officer who helmed two crucial policy decisions for the Modi Government — the National Educational Policy 2020 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rule 2021 or the IT Rules — Khare has always enjoyed the confidence of his bosses. In the UPA years, he served ministers such as Kapil Sibal and Pallam Raju. So, what made PM Narendra Modi pick Khare for his team? It is said that credit for zeroing in on Khare should actually go to incumbent Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. It is said Gauba was approached by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das to take over as state Chief Secretary. At that time Gauba was posted in the IT ministry. It was Gauba who picked Amit Khare as Additional Chief Secretary (Finance & Planning) in Jharkhand. Given his administrative track record, Khare could eventually hope to become principal secretary to the PM.
From the noble cause for which the Sheikh Abdul Rahman promoted Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), (founded in the 1980s, to honour and present a handsome purse ranging from $15,000 to $50000 to the present and past icons of the game, mostly from India and Pakistan), cricket has travelled a long way in the last 40 years from Sharjah to the nearby outposts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now recognised as a popular and profitable destination to conduct major competitions like the IPL and an ICC signature event and the people who have taken these two high profile tournaments are the BCCI which has been averse to playing Pakistan in a bilateral series at the neutral venues in the petro-dollar region. The game thrived there in the 1980s and 90s as the expats from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh saw much entertainment value in the thrilling matches played by the arch-rivals of Asia, and also were excited to see the legends in action. The BCCI, which is the host of the ongoing ICC Men’s World Twenty20, has scheduled a few matches in the Sultanate of Oman, but it’s the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah that deserve a shabhash for making it happen — two big events in two months
Why does Navjot Singh Sidhu come across as a problem child throwing tantrums every other day? Barely two days after it was announced that he had withdrawn his resignation following a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Harish Rawat, and it was assured that he would be back working as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Sidhu flagged a 13-point agenda on his Twitter handle for the forthcoming assembly elections. Ironically, he was mainly listing all the non-achievements of the local Congress Government in the last four and half years. Sidhu’s critics in Punjab Congress were livid that he had gone public with his letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi particularly on a day when she had told members of the Congress Working Committee that they must communicate directly with her and not go to the media. The former test cricketer is a very frustrated man and is so very unpredictable ever since Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit leader has been appointed as CM replacing Capt. Amarinder Singh. Not that Channi’s appointment has enhanced Congress prospects. “If Channi and Sidhu continue to be at loggerheads, Congress will be wiped out,” fear party seniors. Support for the Aam Admi Party seems to be surging even without a Jat Sikh face. And this is Sidhu’s frustration.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.