DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA BY UNNY Temporary house in Germany, special horse feed: How Olympic cell paved road to Paris COUNTING MEDALS Medal projections by 5 key sports federations for the Paris Olympics Boxing 3 Badminton 2-3 Athletics 2 Archery 1 Weightlifting 1 E AN XPRESS RTI APPLICATION MIHIR VASAVDA MUMBAI, JULY 7 Shinde Sena leader held as his BMW kills woman; son at wheel, say cops `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW MUMBAI HIT & RUN POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JULY 8, 2024, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL ● IN LESS than three weeks, when India's athletes touch down in Paris for the Olympic Games, they will be travelling from different corners of the world — Japan to Germany, US to Turkey. For the Indian sports ecosystem, these journeys may well be thesignoffonthreeyearsofpreparations for the mega world event — on a scale never seen before, documentsaccessedbyTheIndian ExpressundertheRTIActshow. They range from living quartersinGermanyforabadminton entourage to special feed for horses in the equestrian event, according to the minutes of meetings held almost every Source: Mission Olympic Cell. Assessments of other major sports like hockey, wrestling and shooting were not provided. P V Sindhu with the members of her entourage in Germany's Saarbrucken city. Instagram Thursday afternoon over the past three years by India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC). Consider this: ■ A team of 12 specialists helping badminton ace P V Sindhu in her quest for a third Olympic medal at a boot camp intheGermanindustrialtownof Saarbrucken. ■ A table of the same make thatwillbeusedattheOlympics imported from China for table tennis star Manika Batra to get usedtoitspace,spinandbounce. ■ Special horse feed for equestrian prospect Anush Agarwalla’s dark chestnut gelding along with equipment, including saddle pads, boots and blankets. ■ iPad and high-speed cam- eras for weightlifter Mirabai Chanu. The MOC includes former athletes, Indian and foreign coaches, high-performance directorsandofficialsfromthefederationsandgovernment.Andits meetingsaresignificantbecause even though such preparation is normal for major sporting nationsliketheUSAandChina,they showthatIndiansporthasfinally caught up with global standards — at least in scale. Overall,officialssay,`72crore was spent under the Target OlympicPodiumScheme(TOPS) during the three-year Olympic cycle from Tokyo in Covid-hit 2021 to Paris — almost double that of Rio 2016. And, according to the RTI documents, the MOC approved 403 proposals from about 100 Paris hopefuls under TOPS, while rejecting 50, between May 2023 and May 2024. The approved proposals covered a range of equipment, facilities and customised training plans: shoes to sunglasses, highendsportswatchestohigh-speed cameras, traditional equipment tocutting-edgetechnologies,and clothes, food and supplements. Officials acknowledge that expenditureisn'tproportionalto the final medal count. Yet, if the projectionsmadebyfederations of five sports central to India’s hopes come true (see box), the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ISSUED BY CONTROLLER GENERAL OF PATENTS Express The BMW car at a Mumbai police station on Sunday. VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, JULY 7 A WOMAN was killed when a speeding BMW car owned by a ShindeSenaleaderrammedinto atwo-wheeleronwhichshewas travellinganddraggedheronthe bonnetfornearlytwokilometres before flinging her on the road, in Mumbai on Sunday morning, police said. The victim has been identifiedasKaveriNakhwa(45),aresident of Worli Koliwada, who was heading back with her husband, Pradeep Nakhwa (50), to sell fish bought from Crawford market. Pradeep Nakhwa was injured in the incident. The vehicle is owned by Rajesh Shah,aShivSena(Eknath Shinde) leader from Palghar district. His son, Mihir, 24, was driving the vehicle, while their driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, was with him, police said. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against Mihir. While Mihir is absconding, his father and driver have been arrested, police said. Police did not specify the charges against the duo, but sources said they have been arrested for allegedly helping Mihir after the accident. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Commerce scraps 259 show cause notices to patent officers: ‘Not in line with procedure’ ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, JULY 7 THEMINISTRYof Commerceand Industry has withdrawn 259 showcausenoticesissuedbythe officeof theControllerGeneralof Patents,DesignsandTrademarks (CGPDTM)topatentofficers,saying the notices were “not in line of established procedure”. On January 3 this year, the All India Patent Officers’ Welfare Association had approached the ministry against the “unlawful show cause notices”. It sent another representation on April 1, saying the notices amounted to interference in the discharge of their statutory duties, intimidation and harassment by the CGPDTM. While the ministry “expresseddispleasureanddirected the CGPDTM not to initiate proposal for transfer of Group A officers until further orders”, it did not take any decision on the show cause notices. The Association then approached the Central AdministrativeTribunal(CAT).On May 27, the CAT principal bench askedtheministrytoconsiderthe Association's complaint alleging “illegitimate show cause notices and intimidation of officers”. Inanofficememorandumissued on June 26, the ministry withdrew the show cause notices.Sayingthatithadexamined the notices, it said it was of the opinion that they were not in “line of established procedure”. “Therefore, it has been decided by the competent authority to withdraw the 259 show cause noticesissuedbytheofficeof the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks to the 259 officials,” it said. The officials had contended thatsuchnotices,issuedwithout the authority of law, had made it difficult for them to perform their quasi-judicial work. Advocate Gyanant Kumar Singh, who represented the Association, contended that the CGPDTM could not issue the show cause notices as the competent authority was their appointing authority, which is the ministry. “The applicants are aggrieved as show cause notices to officersrecruitedbytheMinistry CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MUMBAI, JULY 7 ‘Caste census must happen... This time, Opposition said the same thing that Kanshi Ram used to say 40 years ago’ CHANDRASHEKHAR AAZAD PRESIDENT, AZAD SAMAJ PARTY (KANSHI RAM) PAGE 11 OFTHE`125croreannouncedby the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the T20 World Cup-winning team, `5 crore each will go to the 15 players, including three who didn't get to play a game, and head coach Rahul Dravid; `2.5 crore each to the rest of the core coaching group — batting coach Vikram Rathour, fielding coach T Dilip, bowlingcoachParasMhambrey; 15-member World Cup team and head coach Rahul Dravid `2.5 cr each: Batting coach Vikram Rathour, fielding coach T Dilip, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey Day after J&K encounters, toll up: 2 soldiers and 6 militants Big milestone, indicates flow of human intelligence, says DGP SRINAGAR, JULY 7 WHILE TWO soldiers, including a Para commando, were confirmed killed in separate encounters which broke out in Chinigam and Modergam villages, both in Kulgam district of South Kashmir, on Saturday evening, the militant toll rose to six on Sunday. The soldiers who were killed have been identified as Para commando Pradeep Nain, 27, fromJinddistrictof Haryana,and Prabhakar Janjal, 26, from Akola district in Maharashtra. “From the confirmation of bodies, we have reports that six terrorists have been killed,” Director General of Police (DGP) R R Swain told reporters. “This is a big milestone, a substantial progress. Thesesuccesseshave a lotof meaninginthesecurityenvironment”. “This is an indication that the security architecture and in- President Droupadi Murmu and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi at the Rath Yatra in Puri on Sunday. A devotee died of suffocation while pulling a chariot at the yatra. ANI REPORT,PAGE4 and `1 crore each to the five members of the senior selection committee, including chairman Ajit Agarkar, The Indian Express has learnt. The rest of the backroom staff will also be rewarded. The three physiotherapists, three throwdown specialists, two masseurs andthestrengthandconditioning coachwillreceive`2croreeach. The four reserve players — batsmen Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill, fast bowlers Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed `2 crore each: 3 physiotherapists, 3 throwdown specialists, 2 masseurs, 1 strength and conditioning coach `1 crore each: 5 selectors and 4 reserve players The team’s video analyst, BCCI staff members at the World Cup, including media officers, and the team’s logistics manager will also receive prize money CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 volvement of people is leading totheflowof humanintelligence andthisfight(againstterror)will be taken to its logical conclusion,” he said. On Saturday, a joint team of JammuandKashmirPolice,Army and paramilitary forces had cordoned off Modergam village followingintelligenceinputsonthe presence of militants in the area. As the team zeroed in on them, themilitantshidingthereopened indiscriminate fire, prompting the forces to retaliate, security sources said. The Para commando, Pradeep Nain, was killed in the initial exchange of fire. The gunfight resumed Sunday morning. After a brief exchange of fire, the bodies of two militants were recovered from the encounter site. While there was no official word on the identity of the militants, police sources said both were local residents and one of them had joined the militant ranks just two months ago. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Were expecting him home for child’s birth, say kin of dead soldier PRESIDENT AT PURI RATH YATRA `125 CRORE: WHO WILL GET WHAT `5 crore each: GUNFIGHTS IN KULGAM BASHAARAT MASOOD How T20 prize will be split: `5 cr each for players, Dravid; selectors, staff to get share DEVENDRA PANDEY Soliders pay homage on Sunday to Pradeep Nain and Prabhakar Janjal who died in the Kulgam encounters. PTI THE WORLD FRANCE VOTES IN RUN-OFF POLLS, TURMOIL AHEAD ISRAELI STRIKE KILLS 16 AT CENTRAL GAZA SCHOOL PAGE 8 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE CHANDIGARH, JULY 7 PRADEEP NAIN, 27, was supposed to go back home for the birth of his first child. On Saturday, the Para commando from Haryana’s Jind district was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district. His pregnant wife Manisha was admitted to a hospital on Sunday, her condition deteriorating after receiving the news, family members said. Pradeep’s body was expected to reach the village on Monday morning. Hailing from Jind’s Jajanwal village, Pradeep joined the Army in 2015 and was inducted in the Jat regiment. He subsequently became a Para commando. Balwan Singh, Pradeep’s father, recalled how his son made multiple attempts to get into the Army. “He tried twice earlier but couldnotmakeit.Hedidnotgive upandeventuallygotselectedin Para commando Pradeep Nain was 27 the third attempt. He not only brought honour to us, his village but the entire nation. I am proud of my son,” he said. Pradeep’s village was in mourning Sunday, as many remembered a man known for his gentle nature. Jajanwal Sarpanch Janak Singh Nain said: “In his childhood, wherever Pradeep used to see soldiers in uniform, he would salute them on the way. He was an extremely social person and villagers loved him like their own son. Wearing Army’s uniform was always a passion for him.” Pradeep’s uncle Mahender said: “We all are in acute shock. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Central Asia, Vietnam new buzzing destinations on Indian tourist map 61,385 1,80,467 36,214 46,701 21,793 ■ SecondhalfofFY23 ■ SecondhalfofFY24 ■ Increase 86,666 Azerbaijan Georgia Uzbekistan Vietnam Kazakhstan 751.5% 195.1% 114.3% 108.2% 69.5% Source: DGCA E EXPLAINED International passenger traffic data for scheduled direct flights 12,554 SOCIAL MEDIA platforms like Instagram and YouTube are brimming with posts from Indians travelling to Silk Road countries such as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia,andSoutheastAsia’slatest tourism hotspot, Vietnam. Before the pandemic, these destinations largely attracted more discerning travellers from INDIANS HEAD TO NEW DESTINATIONS 4,254 NEW DELHI, JULY 7 Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The jump was around 115 per cent in the case of Uzbekistan, 108 per cent for Vietnam, and 70 per cent for Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, India’s total outboundpassengertrafficoninternational flights in H2 of FY24 grew 16.5 per cent y-o-y, the DGCA data shows. In the case of countries in CentralAsiaandtheCaucasus,all of which were part of the erstwhile Soviet Union, the jump in traffic came on a low base and was largely due to the introductionof directflightsfromIndiaby the country’s largest airline 28,039 SUKALP SHARMA India. But now, with a combination of enhanced direct flight connectivity, swift and hasslefree visa regimes, and relatively more affordable prices than the conventional touristy destinations, these countries are drawing price-sensitive Indian travellers in droves. Considerthis:Passengertraffic on direct flights from India to Azerbaijan in October-March (H2) 2023-24 (FY24) jumped by a whopping 750 per cent yearon-year (y-o-y), while for Georgia, it shot up by nearly 200 per cent, as per The Indian Express’sanalysisof international air traffic data released by the 3,293 PAGE 1 ANCHOR ● Price point BESIDES SIMPLE visa rules and easy connectivity, these countries have an added allure: they cost nearly as much or only moderately higher than a holiday at a popular domestic destination. And Indian airlines are taking notice of the demand, increasing routes as well as frequency. Jaipur IndiGo in 2023. The airline felt that these markets were underserved and also saw an opportunitytostimulatedemandfurther. Before IndiGo’s flights to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, most of these markets were served from India by their respective statecarriers,essentiallymaking them monopoly routes. The other option was to travel via a hub airport in a third country. While that would have served existing demand, it was unlikely to have significantly stimulated demand and grown the market. There is no publicly available official data on the number of travellers from India who flew to overseas destinationsviaathirdcountry.Allthese countries have a sizable number of Indian students, mainly those pursuing medicine. This provides a base demand, which is now being augmented by rapidly growing leisure travel. IndiGo’s entry, industry watchers say, has brought in competition on these routes, madefarescompetitive,andprovided more options to passengers, which, along with other factors, have led to demand creation. IndiGo’s announcement last month that it will run daily CONTINUED ON PAGE 2