First India-Mumbai Edition-1st October 2022

J&K: TWO JeM TERRORISTS KILLED IN ENCOUNTER

Cong Chief’s surprise move as Kharge files nomination

Mallikarjun Kharge’s entry was a lastminute twist after Gehlot dropped out. The message was delivered to him by Venugopal, a trusted leader of Gandhis

New Delhi: As Mall

ikarjun Kharge formal ly joined the Congress president election by filing his nomination papers on Friday, he was flanked by 30 lead ers, including Raj CM Ashok Gehlot, previ ously the front-runner.

Kharge’s entry was a last-minute twist after Ashok Gehlot dropped out. The message was delivered to him by KC Venugopal, a trusted leader of the Gandhis.

Though the Gandhis said they would be neu tral, Mallikarjun Kharge’s nomination at

the Congress office made it clear that he has the blessings of the leader ship. His papers were signed by a galaxy of leaders. Digvijaya Singh, who was all set to file his nomination until Mr Kharge came into the picture, was also one of his proposers.

The others include AK Antony, Ambika Soni, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Deepender S Hooda, Sal man Khurshid, V Naray anasamy, Tariq Anwar and Rajiv Shukla. Kharge also received support from leaders of the “G-23” or group of 23 dissenters who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020

calling for big reforms in the party, including elec tions for top posts. Mukul Wasnik, Anand Sharma,

Bhupinder Hooda and Manish Tewari, the most prominent of dissenters, who were discussing put

Gehlot to stay as CM!

Venugopal’s announcement of holding CLP meeting is postponed for time being Meanwhile, Gehlot takes up Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh tour as usual

The filing of nominations of Congress presidential poll was held from Sep tember 24 to September 30. As the nomination filing has come to an end, only three leaders are in the fray — Shashi Tharoor, Mallikarjun Kharge, and K N Tripathi. The leaders have claimed that the election is not a battle.

OVER 25 DEAD AFTER SUICIDE BOMB BLAST AT KABUL INSTITUTE

ting up a candidate, have all come out in support of the Gandhis-backed candidate. More on P6

READ Crucial ‘CONNECTIVITY IS PROGRESS, PROSPERITY’

India will become developed nation in 25 years, says Modi

Kabul: A suicide bomb attack on an education center in Kabul has killed at least 25 people, most of whom are believed to be young women, in the latest sign of the deteriorating security situation in Afghan capital. The explosion took place on Friday morning.

NATURAL GAS RATE HIKED BY 40%; CNG, PNG TO COST MORE

New Delhi: Prices of natural gas, which is used to generate electricity, make fertiliser and is converted into CNG to run automobiles, were on Friday hiked by a steep 40% to record levels, in step with global firming up of energy rates. This will be the third increase in rates of the natural gas since April 2019.

IMAM GRANTED BAIL IN SEDITION CASE, IN JAIL OVER DEL RIOTS

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: PM Nar endra Modi on Friday said cities will shape the destiny of India and they will ensure that it becomes a developed nation in the next 25 years. He said that new cities are being built in country as per the glob al business demand.

Addressing gathering after inaugurating Gan dhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express train and inaugurating phase-1 of the Ahmedabad metro rail project, he also made a pitch for modernising cities as per the changing times and called for the creation of twin cities.

PM

district of Gujarat. —Full Report P5

New Delhi: Delhi court Friday granted bail to ex-JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a sedition case in which he was accused of instigating Jamia riots, taking into account SC’s order effectively keeping in the abeyance colonial era sedition law.

RAJ HIGH COURT EXTENDS STAY ON RCA ELECTION

Jaipur: Rajasthan HC on Friday extended the stay on holding fresh election to the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) till further orders. The RCA election in which CM Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav was in the fray for the post of president was scheduled to be held on Friday. The matter has now been placed for hearing on October 11.

PM Modi flagged off the updated version of the Vande Bharat Ex press train from Gandhi nagar-Mumbai and took a ride on the high-speed train to Kalupur station in Ahmedabad, he said that once people experi ence Vande Bharat trains they would prefer it over flights.

Further, he said, “to day is a big day for India in the 21st century, for urban connectivity and for India to become selfreliant.” Under FAME scheme, electric buses will be manufactured for poor, middle-class comrades in cities to get rid of smoky buses.

Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Indore, Jaipur — these cities will shape the destiny of India in the next 25 years. These investments are not limited to connectivity alone, but smart facilities are being put in place in dozens of cities; basic facilities are being improved and suburbs are being developed. —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

ABOUT VANDE BHARAT TRAINS

PM Modi addresses public without mic after 10 pm in Manpur

PM Modi reached Manpur airstrip of Abu Road late on Friday where BJP workers and public gave warm welcome to PM. Modi reached stage at 10 pm, he addressed crowd without mic, as there is court prohi bition on sound amplifiers after 10 PM.

PRIME MINISTER MODI TO LAUNCH 5G IN INDIA TODAY

Jaipur: There is a new twist in an ongo ing Rajasthan Con gress ‘drama’, where now, according to higly placed sources in the grand-old party, Ashok Gehlot will re main the Chief Minis ter for the time being.

On Friday, Gehlot held a long consulta tion with Mallikarjun Kharge and after this, Gehlot also had a long consultation with Anand Sharma and the leaders of G-23 and agreed to make Kharge the official candidate instead of Digvijaya.

Turn to P6

In yet another twist in the tale of the Congress president polls, Digvijaya Singh on Friday said he was dropping out of the race for the top post and announced his support for Mallikarjun Kharge, who is likely to be in the fray. Singh had said on Thurs day that he would file his nominations on Friday.

RBI hikes repo rate by 50 bps to 5.90%; impact on car loans

New Delhi: Reserve Bank of India has in creased the repo rate or prime lending rate by 50 basis points to 5.90 per cent, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said while announcing the decisions of the Mone tary Policy Committee (MPC). The central bank had hiked repo rate four times since May to the recent 5.90 per cent. The recent re vision in repo rate has been made to keep infla tion level within target.

The world has witnessed two major shocks –Cóvid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. Now, we are in the midst of a third major shock arising from monetary tightening and aggressive communications from advanced countries’ central banks.

—Shaktikanta Das, RBI Governor

CARD TOKENISATION TO APPLY FROM TODAY APRIL-AUGUST FISCAL DEFICIT AT $66.56 BN

About 35 crore cards have been tokenised and the system is ready for the new norms which set in from October 1, the Re serve Bank said on Friday.

The fiscal deficit for the five months through Au gust touched 5.42 trillion Indian rupees ($66.56 bn) or 32.6% of annual esti mates, govt data showed.

Will defend our land by using all means: Putin

Moscow: Russian Pres ident Vladimir Putin on Friday announced the annexation of four re gions in Ukraine after holding ‘referendums’ last week. Donetsk, Lu hansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have been formally incorporated into Russia in a Krem lin ceremony. “We will defend our land by all means. This is the lib eration mission of the Russian people,” Putin said on addressing me dia on Friday.

Mumbai to undergo complete transformation in 90 days: CM

from Oct 01 to Dec

l Inside Vande Bharat train,

l Vande Bharat express will reach Mumbai from Ahmedabad in

l These trains will

India

over 75 Vande Bharat trains

Vande Bharat express train gathers the speed within 52 seconds

PM Modi will officially launch 5G in India on Saturday, October 1 at the 6th edition of India Mobile Congress in New Delhi. Modi would be joined by top industry leaders like Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani, Airtel’s Sunil Mittal, and Vi’s India head Ravinder Takkar during 5G event.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Chief Minis ter Eknath Shinde on Friday said Mumbai would undergo a trans formation in 90 days un der the new urban re newal plan unveiled by

the state government.

He was speaking after the launch of the ‘Swachha Maharashtra

Abhiyan (Urban) 2.0’ in Mumbai. Cleanliness in cities should become a mass movement, Shinde said, adding that sanita tion workers are the brand ambassadors of the new campaign. My government has prepared an ambitious plan for Mumbai’s trans formation under which 450 roads will be concre tized and health infra structure in the city will be strengthened, said the chief minister. Turn to P6

Srinagar: Two local terrorists linked to proscribed JeM were killed in encounter which broke out in J&K’s Baramulla district on Friday. “2 terrorists killed, both local terrorists linked with proscribed terror outfit JeM,” ADGP, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said.

lZelenskyy summons emer gency meeting on security and defence forces

l Russian strike kills 25 as Kremlin looks to annex more Ukraine regions

l Zelenskyy calls Russia ‘bloodthirsty scum’ as Putin strikes Ukrainian region

Lt General (Retd) Anil Chauhan is the new CDS

General Anil Chauhan on Friday took charge as India’s second Chief of Defence Staff, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. He will also be permanent chairman, COSC.

People will prefer Vande Bharat train over flights: PM Modi

Under FAME scheme, over 7,000 electric buses approved in India

(Top) PM Narendra Modi bows to the public at Abu Road on late Friday.

PM Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail project, flagging off Vande Bharat train, in Ahmedabad on Friday. Also seen here are (From Left) Ashwini Vaishnaw, Acharya Devvrat, Bhupendra Patel and Hardeep Singh Puri.

ASHA PAREKH RECEIVES DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD BY PREZ

New Delhi: A The 68th National Film Awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday where Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur was also present. Veteran actress Asha Parekh was conferred with the 52nd Dada Saheb Phalke Award in Delhi.

Amit Mishra

Aditi Nagar

Mallikarjun Kharge files his nomination papers for the post of party President, at the AICC HQ in Delhi on

Friday. Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ashok Gehlot & others are also seen.

Kharge made the right decision. Position is not important for me, rather I want to give my everything to strengthen the Congress. If it was under my control, I would not take any position. —Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan CM

CONG PREZ POLLS: THAROOR, TRIPATHI FILE NOMINATION TOO

DIGVIJAYA DROPS OUT OF CONGRESS PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Chavan had met Shinde with alliance proposal, says Sattar

Maha min claims Congress had approached Sena leader to snap ties with BJP in 2014

First India Bureau

Jalna: Maharashtra minister Abdul Sattar has claimed that Con gress party leader Ashok Chavan had met with Chief Minis ter Eknath Shinde with a proposal to forge an alliance with the Shiv Sena in the state, when the latter was in power with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014.

His statement came in the wake of some re gional news channels reporting Chavan’s “revelation” that Shin de was part of the dele gation that had met him with a proposal to form a Sena-Congress alli ance government.

As per reports, Chavan also claimed that Shinde had come with a proposal to snap ties with the BJP, after which the former had asked him to consult Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. He had

said that if Pawar agreed, he (Chavan) would talk to the Con gress central leader ship, but nothing hap pened after that.

vention of the party.

Replying to a query on Chavan’s claim, Sat tar said it was actually Chavan and he himself who had approached Shinde with a proposal to form a Sena-Con gress alliance for gov ernment formation back then.

“When I was in the Congress, Ashok Chavan and I had re quested Shinde to form a government,” said the agriculture minister.

Shinde was then a minister in the govern ment led by BJP’s Deven dra Fadnavis and Chavan was the presi dent of state Congress.

Koshyari, Rupala flag off 11 vet ambulances

Sattar, a legislator from the Shiv Sena fac tion led by CM Shinde, was in Jalna on Thurs day to attend ‘Hindu Garva Garjana’, a con

When asked about this, Uddhav Thackeray loyalist and Sena Spokesperson Vinayak Raut said, “The claim made by Ashok Chavan is true. It was Eknath Shinde, who would crit icize the BJP when he was a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis gov ernment, and wanted the Sena to step out.”

‘NOT IN FAVOUR OF ALLIANCE WITH BJP FOR SILLOD POLLS’ Aurangabad (PTI): Maharashtra minister Abdul Sattar on Fri day said he was not in favour of an alli ance with the BJP for local body elections in his Sillod Assem bly constituency of Aurangabad district. Sattar is part of the Shiv Sena faction led by CM Eknath Shinde and he is a minister in the current Maha Yuti government, of which the BJP is a part. Speaking to a regional news channel, Sattar said he had conveyed his stand to Shinde, adding that the latter would take a call on it. “I just spoke about my Sillod constitu ency. There should not be any turmoil among us.”

First India Bureau Mumbai: Maharash tra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dair ying, Parshottam Ru pala, flagged off 11 veterinary ambulanc es from Raj Bhavan (Governor’s House) in Mumbai on Friday.

The vet ambulances manned by a veterinary doctor will be equipped with an operation thea tre for injured animals and birds. They will of fer medical treatment at 11 zones in and around Mumbai city.

Services of the vet ambulances will be available in Vasai-Virar Nalasopara, Bhayander, Dahisar to Malad, Gore gaon to Parle - Juhu, Bandra- Khar-San tacruz, Dadar, south Mumbai, Sion to Mu lund, Thane, Bhiwandi and Navi Mumbai areas.

Every ambulance will be equipped with an op eration theatre, anaes thesia, oxygen cylinder and concentrator, refrig erator, geyser, fire safety equipment, among oth

Ravikant Rathod defects to Thackeray’s Shiv Sena group

First India Bureau

Mumbai: In a major setback to Maharash tra-based Vanchit Ba hujan Aghadi (VBA)

Founder and Presi dent, Prakash Ambed kar, a senior leader of the party Ravikant Rathod joined Ud dhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in Mumbai on Friday.

Latur earthquake victims remembered on 29th anniv at ‘Samadhan camp’

Latur (PTI): Floral tributes were paid to victims of the earth quake that rocked la tur district in 1993 at the memorial in Kil lari village on Friday.

Bharatiya Janata Par ty (BJP) MLA Abhiman yu Pawar of Ausa As sembly constituency, Collector Prithviraj BP, Deputy Collector for re habilitation Nitin Wagh mare and other senior officials and villagers

observed a two-minute silence on the occasion. Police fired three rounds in the air as a mark of respect.

“After the devastating earthquake in 1993, many issues were raised,

and the administration did a good job in this area at the time,” said Praveen Sinha Pardeshi, Central Secretary. Pardeshi was speak ing at a ‘Samadhan camp’ (resolution camp) organized at Killari to mark the 29th anniver sary of the earthquake and to take action against pending issues of the people from af fected villages of Ausa and Nilanga tehsil.

Ravikant, a member of the Banjara commu nity (a nomadic tribe), served as the VBA’s sec ond in command and enjoyed a sizeable follow ing among Banjaras in different regions .

He tied a ‘Shivband han’ band on his wrist, along with 15 other members of the com munity, including Ma hant Sunil Maharaj of Poharadevi temple in Yavatmal district, to show their support for the Thackeray-led Sena.

Thackeray’s faction was in search of a prom inent Banjara face as Cabinet minister Sanjay

Rathod, who belongs to the Banjara community, was second in command in VBA and had a sizeable following amongst Banjaras in Maha

Rathod who represented the community in the Sena had defected to the faction led by Chief Min ister Eknath Shinde. Sanjay is an MLA from Digras constituency in Yavatmal district.

According to sources, Thackeray’s Sena is likely to field Ravikant against Sanjay in the next Assembly polls.

Ravikant who is orig inally from Majalgaon,

NEW ASSIGNMENTS

in Beed district of Mar athwada, had for long been with the VBA.

“VBA has limited po litical scope. The prob lems of Banjara went unaddressed. So, we de cided to join the main stream Sena led by Thackeray,” he ex plained.

Ambedkar said his or ganization is not going to be affected “by one or two persons leaving.”

er facilities. Veterinary doctors will be able to operate on birds and animals inside the am bulances safely.

Minister of Tourism and Women and Child Welfare, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Principal Secre tary Animal Husbandry, JP Gupta, Trustee of Sa mast Mahajan and Mem ber of Animal Welfare Board, Girish Shah, and donors were also present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Rupala hailed the state of Ma harashtra for making quick progress in the animal husbandry sec tor like its neighbour ing state Gujarat.

The Union minister, who was in Bhayander in Thane district, said the Gujarat model of development was being adopted by several states.

He hailed the Gujarati community for being steadfast supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and exuded confidence that the party would win the MiraBhayander Municipal Corporation polls to be held soon.

PARENTS OF GIRLS BORN ON NAVRATRI TO GET SILVER COINS

Chandrapur: Chandrapur MLA Kishore Jorgewar, on Thursday said that Shree Mahakali Mata Seva Samiti will gift silver coins to parents of girls born within the municipal corporation’s limits during the nine-day festival. For this, parents have to register their names with birth certificates of newborns with the Mahakali temple office during the festival, said Jorgewar. A four-day Mahakali festival will also be organized in Chandrapur and will be inaugurated by state Minister Sanjay Rathod on October 01.

Major bureaucratic reshuffle in Maha; 44 officials transferred

lll

Jayshree Bhoj, MD of the Maharashtra Tourism Devt Corporation (MTDC) has been appointed as DG of Information and Public Relations

First India Bureau

Mumbai: In a major bureaucratic reshuf fle, the Eknath Shin de-led Maharashtra government trans ferred 44 senior offi cials, including IAS officials, on Thursday.

Managing Director of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC)

Jayashree Bhoj has been appointed as direc tor general of the Direc torate General of Infor mation and Public Rela tions (DGIPR), an offi

cial release stated.

Bhoj replaced Deep ak Kapoor, who was holding an additional charge at DGIPR. Ka poor, who was also the vice chairman and managing director of the Maharashtra Air port Development Com pany, has been named additional chief secre tary of Water Resourc es Department.

Sanjay Khandare, chairman and MD of the state power genera tion company, has been appointed as principal secretary public health,

succeeding Pradeep Vyas. Vyas will now serve as an additional chief secretary in the

Tribal Development De partment.

Tukaram Mundhe, secretary, state Human

Rights Commission has been transferred as commissioner, Family Welfare and director of

the National Health Mission while Valsa Nair, principal secre tary tourism, civil avia tion and state excise will now handle the Housing Department in place of Milind Mhaiskar. Mhaiskar will be in charge of the departments held by Nair till now.

Shraddha Joshi, mem ber secretary of the state Women’s Commission, will be MD of the Maha rashtra Tourism Devel opment Corporation.

Pravin Darade, MD of Maharashtra Small

Scale Industries Devel opment Corporation has been posted as sec retary, environment and also given addition al charge as member secretary of the state Pollution Control Board.

Deepender Kush awah, Commissioner, Skill Development, Em ployment and Entrepre neurship has been transferred as develop ment commissioner, In dustries in place of Harshdeep Kamble, who is now principal secretary, Industries.

Abdul Sattar with former Maha CM Uddhav Thackeray during his Shiv Sena induction. —FILE PHOTO

Ravikant Rathod has left Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. —FILE PHOTO

‘UDDHAV SHOULD ACCEPT SHINDE’

Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari (centre left) and Union minister Parshottam Rupala (centre right) at the launch.

Every vehicle will offer treatment to injured birds and animals in 11 zones

IAS ABHIJIT BHANGAR APPOINTED AS THANE’S NEW MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER Thane: IAS Abhijit Bhangar has been appointed as the new commissioner of the Thane Municipal Corporation, accord ing to an official communique. Bhangar suc ceeds Vipin Sharma as the civic commissioner and his appointment comes just before the upcoming municipal elections. It is to be noted that Bhangar was the first collector of Palghar, when it was carved out as a separate district from Thane in the year 2014. He also has served a municipal commissioner of Nagpur and held the same post in Navi Mumbai before his current appointment. He has also served as collector of Amravati, Satara and Raigad.

SIGNAL GLITCH AFFECTS SEVERAL LOCAL PASSENGERS

Mumbai: Several thou sands of commuters faced inconvenience when the Suburban train services on the CSMT-Kalyan section of the Central Railway were affected on Friday evening due to a signaling fault at Thane station. The fault occurred at 6.57pm and resulted in halting of trains one after the other affecting thousands of commuters who travel back to their home from work. Train services on the CSMT-Kaly an Down fast line were restored at 7.23pm and all lines were operational at 7.35pm, said an official.

CRUCIAL

This is the first major reshuffle since Shinde-Fadnavis govt came to power in June.

—FILE PHOTO

JAI JAI DURGE!

NEWS MUMBAI | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 02 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia On the eve of Durga Puja festival, a worker puts finishing touches to the goddess’ idol at the Bengali Club in Shivaji Park area of Mumbai on Friday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

Man assaulted by crowd on suspicion of being child-lifter

He helped a girl who was knocked down only to be beaten up and hospitalized First India Bureau

NO RELIEF

HC rejects bail plea of 2012 Pune blast accused

First India Bureau

Thane: A man was se verely beaten up by a mob on the suspicion of being a child-lifter at Diva in Thane city, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday af ternoon and the victim, Pintu Nissar, was res cued by the police and admitted to a local hos pital. He is currently undergoing treatment for multiple injuries, said an official.

“Nissar, who works in a local hotel, was standing by the road side in Diva when a speeding truck went past him. As he stepped back a bit, a girl stand ing behind him got pushed back and fell down. But when Nissar tried to lift her up, her mother raised an alarm suspecting him to be a child-lifter,” said an of ficial of Mumbra police station.

“Soon, people gath ered around him and started beating him up. They thrashed him with whatever they could lay their hands on, including a log of wood and iron rod. Dur ing all this, the victim

kept pleading with them that he was not a child-lifter as they sus pected him to be. But the mob continued to attack him,” he said.

After being alerted about the incident, Mumbra police rushed

Model ends life by hanging self; suicide note found

First India Bureau

STUDENTS COLLECT 500 KG GARBAGE FROM BUS STAND

Mumbai: Many students from the institute of Forensic Science collected 500 kg garbage including plastic bottles and single use plastic items at the Parel Bus Stand on Thursday. The event was held under the National Service Scheme, informed an official. Around 60 students were a part of the cleanliness drive organized at the bus stand, a statement said.

MAN ATTACKS ‘FRIENDS’ WITH HAMMER, ONE DEAD

Navi Mumbai: One Jitendra Patwa allegedly attacked three of his friends with an iron hammer on Wednes day for not allowing him to play Garba on Tuesday night in Navi Mumbai. This resulted in death of Akash Jaiswal, one of Pahwa’s friends, while two others were seriously injured and were admitted in a hospital. The friends on Tuesday night were in a drunken state, said a police official.

THREE ARRESTED FOR BEATING UP LAB TECHNICIAN IN A LODGE IN THANE DIST

Thane: Three persons were arrested in Thane district on Friday for allegedly trying to kill a lab technician over a love affair. The three accused abducted a lab technician and assaulted him in a lodge in Shahad area,an oficial at the Kolsewadi police station. “The three are histo ry-sheeters and have been arrested for attempt to murder and other offences,” he said.

Mumbai: A 30-yearold struggling woman model allegedly com mitted suicide by hanging self in a ho tel room at Versova in suburban Andheri, an official said on Fri day.

Police have recovered a suicide note from the spot.The deceased was identified as Akanksha Mohan, and her body was recovered on Wednesday evening, he said, adding the police suspect that she took the extreme step out of depression as her note says she was “unhap py” and needed “peace”.

People gathered around Nissar and started beating him up. They thrashed him with whatever they could lay their hands on, including a log of wood and iron rod. During all this, the victim kept pleading with them that he was not a child-lifter as they suspected him to be. But the mob con tinued to attack him.

—Mumbra police station official

to the spot and rescued the man from the clutches of the mob. He suffered multiple inju ries in the attack and was admitted to a hos pital, he added.

Senior inspector Ashok Kadlag of Mum

bra police station said strict action would be taken against those who were involved in the incident. However, no case has been registered in this connection so far, said sources.

GRACEFUL MOVES

Mumbai: The Bom bay High Court has rejected the bail plea of an accused in the 2012 Pune bomb blasts case, noting that there was a pri ma facie case made out against him.

A division bench comprising Justice Re vati Mohite Dere and Justice Sharmila Desh mukh in its order dated September 27 rejected the bail plea of Munib Memon and directed to expedite the trial. The order copy was made available on Friday.

On August 01, 2012, five low-intensity blasts occurred across Pune, and while there was no death reported, a few persons had suffered injuries.

The bench in its or der said that the perus al of the confessional statements made by the co-accused in the case prima facie shows the complicity of Memon, that he had attended the conspiracy meeting and was aware of the of

As per the NIA, blasts were planned to avenge an Indian Mujahideen terrorist

fence to be committed.

“Considering the confessional state ments, prima facie, it is difficult to come to a conclusion that there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the appellant is not guilty of the offences with which he is charged,” said the court.

“Similarly, the mate rial on record shows

that there are reasona ble grounds for believ ing that the accusation against the appellant are prima facie true,” it added.

The bench directed the special court to ex pedite the trial in the case and conclude it by December 2023.

Memon, who was ar rested in 2012, has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Un lawful Activities (Pre vention) Act (UAPA), Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA), Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act.

Maha sees 459 new nCoV cases, five fatalities

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Maharash tra on Friday record ed 459 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths linked to the coronavirus infec tion, which took the state’s overall case tally to 81,21,413 and death toll to 1,48,343, said an official.

Among the fresh cor onavirus-linked fatali ties, two deaths took place in the Kalyan-

Dombivali area of Thane district, and one each in Kolhapur, Va

BIRTHDAY PRESENT

sai-Virar in Palghar dis trict and Sindhudurg. Mumbai accounted

for 115 of the new cases, the official informed.

With the addition of 43 positive cases, the overall infection tally in Thane district has grown to 7,45,004, a health official said on Friday.

These cases were re ported on Thursday and there are now 390 active cases in the district, he said.

MAHARASHTRA MUMBAI | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 03 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia “The incident came to light after the hotel manager informed the police that despite the staff knocking on the room’s door, there was no response from in side. The deceased, who lived in the city’s Ya muna Nagar Society in Lokhandwala, checked into the hotel around 1pm on Wednesday and locked herself inside,” a police official said.

The death toll re mained unchanged at 11,962 as nobody suc

cumbed to the infection on Thursday, while the count of recoveries has reached 7,33,377, added the official.

The recovery count increased by 538 in the last 24 hours and touched 79,69,878, leav ing the state with an ac tive caseload of 3,192.

State health depart ment data revealed that the fatality rate in Ma harashtra was at 1.82% and the recovery rate stood at 98.13%.

Pan-India film festival to mark Amitabh Bachchan’s 80th b’day

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PVR Cinemas, in association with the Film Heritage Foundation, will screen 11 of veteran actor’s early blockbusters in 22 Indian cities

First India Bureau

Mumbai: To celebrate acting legend Am itabh Bachchan’s 80th birthday, the Film Heritage Foun dation will organize a film festival featuring his movies in 17 cities across the country, it announced on Friday.

The not-for-profit or ganization, founded by filmmaker and archi vist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, has curated 11 of Bachchan’s block

buster films, including ‘Don’, ‘Kaala Patthar’ and ‘Kaalia’, in partner ship with multiplex chain PVR Cinemas.

The four-day day event, titled ‘Bachchan Back to the Beginning’, will commence on Octo ber 08 and end on the actor’s birthday, Octo ber 11. The movies will be played on big screens across 22 cinema halls all over India.

“It is a remarkable initiative…to showcase not just my work, but

the work of my direc tors, fellow actors and technicians of the time

“It brings back an era that is gone, but not forgotten….I hope that this is just the begin ning of many festivals that will celebrate land mark films of Indian cinema on big screen.”

his gratitude to PVR Cinemas for agreeing to screen Bachchan’s icon ic films.

who made these films possible,” the actor said in a statement.

“It has been a mam moth task putting to gether the best of his early films…so that au diences across the country can enjoy the films the way they were originally screened on the big screen,” said Dungarpur expressing

PVR Cinemas has made available a movie pass priced at Rs400 that can be purchased online and be redeemed across all days at any of the 22 cinemas where Bachchan’s movies are running. Single movie tickets would be priced Rs80, a release stated.

He also thanked pro ducer Siddharth Roy Kapur for his support

that enabled them to put organize an exhibi tion—curated by film historian, author and archivist SMM Ausa ja—of Bachchan’s mov ie memorabilia at a PVR theatre in Juhu.

The exhibition will include rare vintage posters, unseen shoot ing stills from the su perstar’s career, com missioned artworks, photographs, LP jack ets, magazine covers, and a giant seven-feet standee of Bachchan.

WOMAN BEATS TODDLER STEPSON TO DEATH IN THANE DISTRICT, ARRESTED Thane: A three and half year-old boy, who was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition after being beaten mercilessly by his step mother in Dombivili town of Thane district on Wednesday, died due to injuries in a local hospital, informed a police official. Amitadevi Sanjay Jaiswal (28), the stepmother of the deceased was arrested by the police on Thursday.

Amitabh Bachchan

—FILE PHOTO

CRUCIAL READ

On Day 05 of the ongoing Navratri festival revellers were seen dancing to the tunes of garba songs at a venue in Mumbai.

—-PHOTOS BY ANI

Bombay High Court

—FILE PHOTO

ADOPT A NEW DIRECTION TO SUCCESS

FOURTH RAISE IN RATES TO FIGHT INFLATION, MORE HIKE MAY COME

Be it Steve jobs or Harish Hande, either if it’s a company or an 0rganization one thing was common in such personalities; they created their own path. A known path is easy to tread upon but there are very few people who make their own path. Risk-takers have such intentions and so should you to adopt a new way of thinking for making your own path

Every unique way of thinking starts with keeping in mind the inclusion of all factors. Only When we start observing things from everyone’s per spective; new and innovative imagination start forming in our minds. Inclusion here means taking into considera tion the feelings of people whom we hate or ignore some times. The only way to change their perspective or respect towards is generally through our innovative work. Let’s take an example of Nissan. Nissan wanted to design a car for the European market. So in order to do so, the company sent its auto designer to Eu rope and he took different cars on rent and travelled thou sands of miles to experience what European motorists Ex perience while Driving.

They drove various areas like Alps of France, the whole of Italy, Autobahn of German in those cars. Then on arriv ing back, he designed a car that was perfect for the Euro

A PROGRESSIVE VERDICT BY SC

pean market. So innovative thinking means considering the end-users needs. Innova tive thinking has always had risks. We feel unsatisfied if our child won’t study in high paying fields like engineering and medicine, and also if he is not superior to his cousins and neighbors. But if we al low our child to follow his/ her then there are high pos sibilities of the child turning out to be an Innovator. How ever, all of it is about taking a risk. As Steve jobs once said in a very apt manner, we don’t allow our children to do experiments; we don’t allow them to fail in his subject of interest. In India, there is no respect of a person who failed once, well in case of Silicon Valley such person assumed more valued.

If we take the ex ample of Harish Hande, Har ish Hande experienced the importance of innovative thinking while he was pursu ing doctorate at Boston Uni versity in the USA. He got a chance to visit the Domini can Republic once. It was there when he understood the relationship between poverty and darkness for the first time. After that, his heart belonged there and he decided to contribute his en

Every unique way of thinking starts with keeping in mind the inclusion of all factors. Only when we start observing things from everyone’s perspective; new and innovative imagination start forming in our minds. Inclusion here means taking into consideration the feelings of people whom we hate or ignore sometimes

tire life in producing afford able energy sources for poor and needy people.

After that he started spend ing sometime in the villages of Sri Lanka to understand the needs and struggles of such people. There was no body who knew English over there. He invented the solar devices, not keeping in mind how it would benefit the city but from the perspective of the village area. People of the village of Sri Lanka told Mr

Harish that scarcity of heat or solar light is not our prob lem. But the problem was of the cluster of elephants that comes in the night and they destroy crops and harts and also kill people many times.

Harish made solar operat ed fencing to protect the lives and wealth of people. Then he came to India to establish SELCO. The main aim of tak ing this risk of Four Million Dollars was only to identify new uses of energy and im prove the lives of villages as well as cities by that continu ous innovation.

Harish had the ability to take a high paying job any where in the world. But he took social responsibility for people who were at the bot tom of the economic pyra mid by ignoring the strug gles. Be it Steve jobs or Har ish Hande, either if it’s a company or an 0rganization one thing was common in such personalities; they cre ated their own path. A known path is easy to tread upon but there are very few people who make their own path. Risk-takers have such inten tions and so should you to adopt a new way of thinking for making your own path.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

The difference be tween a developed and a developing nation lies in how much freedom women are allowed over their bodies. In a widely criticised and regressive judgment the US Supreme Court overturned an over 40-year-old judgment to ban abortion in the country.

The 1973 Roe vs Wade order which made abortion a consti tutional right cast aside that verdict on June 24 with a sixthree majority to turn the clock back on women. The In dian Supreme Court in a his toric judgment did the exact opposite of the US court’s rul ing and allowed abortion un der the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

The ruling, which should

The progressive judgment has been cheered by women across the country. In contrast the US Supreme Court’s verdict was condemned not only by women but also by President Joe Biden as a near-total ban came into effect across half of America

serve as template for the US Supreme Court, allows a woman who is in a live-in re lationship and also a married woman to terminate a preg nancy from 20-24 weeks. To ensure autonomy to a wom an, the court said that no third party interference will

be required. The other first in the judgment is that it rec ognises marital rape, which has been much debated.

The progressive judgment has been cheered by women across the country. In con trast the US Supreme Court’s verdict was condemned not only by women but also by President Joe Biden as a near-total ban came into ef fect across half of America.

The so-called developed Europe still has an abortion ban in The Vatican and Po land, besides a couple of other countries. Once Geor gia Meloni takes over as prime minister the whole of Italy could see a ban on med ical termination of pregnan cies due to her Catholic be liefs to take control of a

After last week’s inter est rate hike, the third in a row, by the US Federal Reserve by 75 basis points the Bank of England also raised its key in terest rate from 1.75 percent to 2.25 percent to combat inflation, it was a matter of time for the Re serve Bank of India to follow suit. On Friday the Monetary Policy Committee raised the interest rate by 50 bps points since May to fight inflationary pressures. This is the fourth rate hike by the RBI as the inflation continues to be beyond its comfort level. The “ag gressive” monetary policies be ing pursued by central banks of developed countries facing the threat of recession in view of Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Russian invasion has led to prices of food, especially cere als, to go beyond the common man’s reach. With August infla tion at 7 percent, economists predicted that a rate hike was inevitable. More such hikes can not be ruled out if inflation re mains beyond control.

TOP TWEETS

l Vol 1 l Issue No.145

l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652

Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701. Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Phone 022-46031417.

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

Buddha

Bhupender Yadav @byadavbjp

Participated in a plantation and cleanliness drive at Swami Vivekananda College organised by BJP Mahila Morcha in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Great to see our women karyakartas so filled with energy and enthusiasm to work in the service of the Nation.

Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju

Please join. I will kick start the “Fit India Freedom Run” at Dhyan Chand Stadium, New Delhi on 2nd Oct. The event is organised by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports as part of the #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav & continue till 31st October 2022 to make India, Nation of Fit Citizens.

BHAVESH UPADHYAY

PERSPECTIVE MUMBAI | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 04 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia The writer is a Businessman and HR Expert

PM Modi lays foundation stone of multiple projects in Ambaji

Banaskantha (ANI):

Prime Minister Naren dra Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone and dedicated various projects worth over Rs 7,200 crore in Ambaji.

Thousands of people cheered as PM Modi dig itally pressed the launch. The programmes in Am baji include laying the foundation stone of over 45,000 houses built under the PM Awas Yojana.

Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone of Taranga Hill — Ambaji — Abu Road New Broad Gauge Line and development of pil grimage facilities at Am baji temple under the PRASAD scheme.

The new rail line is

expected to benefit lakhs of devotees visit ing Ambaji, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas and will enrich the worship experience of the devo tees at all these pilgrim age places. Other pro jects whose foundation stone will be laid in clude the construction of the runway and as sociated infrastructure at Air Force Station, Deesa; Ambaji Bypass Road among others.

Earlier, zeal and fer vour echoed in the streets of Ambaji in Gu jarat when Prime Minis ter Narendra Modi held a roadshow on Friday.

Thousands of people thronged the area as they raised slogans.

IN THE COURTYARD

JUDGMENT OR DECREE OBTAINED BY FRAUD IS TO BE TREATED AS A NULLITY, SAYS SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court observed that a decree obtained by fraud is to be treated as a nullity. Non-disclosure of the relevant and material documents with a view to obtain an undue advantage would amount to fraud, it said. In this case, the Allahabad High Court had set aside the order passed by the Deputy Collector, Rasoolabad cancelling the fair price shop licence of petitioner. It was found that the cancellation was done without following the inquiry process.

BAIL TO OWAISI’S ATTACKERS: SC

SEEKS UP’S REPLY

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought the response of UP govt on a plea by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi challenging the bail to two persons who are accused of firing at his vehicle in February this year. A bench issued notices to the UP government and the two accused — Sachin Sharma, Shubham Gurjar — on the limited issue.

SUPREME COURT DISMISSES PLEA OVER EVMS

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea which claimed EVMs were “controlled” by some companies and not the Election Commission, saying the court is not a place where everybody walks in just to get “some publicity”. It said the election process under is monitored by the Election Commission and EVMs are being used in polls for decades now.

HOLD ROUTE MARCH ON NOVEMBER 6: MADRAS HIGH COURT DIRECTS RSS

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday directed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to hold its ‘route marches’ and public meetings in 51 places in Tamil Nadu on November 6, instead of the originally proposed October 2. Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan, who gave the direction to this effect, while entertaining a contempt application from the RSS, also directed the state government and the police to give the permission and inform the court on the same by October 31. If no decision is taken or permission is not given, the court will take up the contempt application and proceed to pass orders, the judge warned.

STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW HOW METRO IS CONSTRUCTED: NARENDRA MODI

Gandhinagar: PM Modi said the students should know about the cost of the metro. “I want students of classes 9-12 and engineering to ask how metro work has been done, the cost incurred, ... it will make them accountable; they will not participate in any protest to destroy public property. They will feel pain as if their own property is being damaged,” said Modi while flagging off the Vande Bharat Express train here.

PM RIDES TRAIN THAT OFFERS FLIGHT-LIKE EXPERIENCE

AUTO DRIVER WHO HOSTED KEJRI SAYS HE IS MODI FAN

Ahmedabad: He may have invited Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to his house in Ahmedabad for a much-publicised dinner 2 weeks ago, but auto driver Vikram Dan tani says he is a big fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a staunch supporter of his party BJP. On Friday, Dantani was spotted at a public rally of Modi, who is on a two-day Gujarat visit, in the Thaltej area of the city, donning saffron scarf and cap, the BJP trademark attire.

Many PFI members went to ISIS to join jihad: Govt

New Delhi (PTI): The PFI members, who joined the dreaded ter ror organisation ISIS, always took a long cir cuitous route to avoid the security dragnet be fore arriving in conflict theatres like Syria to take part in jihad, gov ernment officials said.

The PFI was banned on Tuesday for five years for allegedly hav ing “links” with global terror organisations like the ISIS and trying to spread communal ha tred in the country.

According to docu ments prepared by NIA, there were a few cases of youths getting killed or arrested at foreign soil and later being de ported back to India.

In 2017, Kerala Police received information that some Muslims had migrated to Syria and some were planning to join hands with ISIS in its jihad and most of the accused in the case were PFI members.

JP Nadda kickstarts Odisha visit with prayers in Puri

Puri (ANI): BJP na

tional president JP Na dda kickstarted his twoday visit to Odisha’s Puri by offering prayers at Shree Jagannatha Temple on Friday morning.

He was accompanied by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Nadda arrived in Puri late Thursday evening where he was welcomed by the party workers.

This is Nadda’s first visit to the state after taking over the party’s topmost post in 2019.

The BJP chief had programmes lined up in the day.

He paid homage to late party leader Bish nu Sethi at Tihidi Kali padia.

Sethi passed away at 61 on September 19 this year due to kidney fail ure at AIIMS hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Later, Nadda will par ticipate in an event at

Swami Vivekanand Na tional Institute of Reha bilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) in Cuttack.

Nadda is visiting vari ous states of the country and holding meetings with the party’s state units and reviewing the poll preparedness of the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Before his visit to the state, BJP in-charge Sunil Bansal took stock of the preparedness in

Bhubaneswar. He had held meetings with the party workers and as signed tasks. He had also taken part in the training camp on Sep tember 13 and 15.

According to the sources, Nadda will ad dress nearly 30,000 workers during his visit to the state. The party believes that an address by the national presi dent would fill them with new energy for the upcoming polls.

ARRESTED PFI LEADERS IN KERALA SENT TO JUDICIAL CUSTODY TILL OCTOBER 20

Kochi (PTI): A special court here on Friday sent 11 Popular Front of India (PFI) activists, who were arrested by the Na tional Investigation Agency (NIA) recently, to judicial custody till October 20. The accused were produced before the court as their NIA custody period ended on Friday. The court has asked the NIA to produce the accused on October 20.

Meanwhile, the NIA has sought seven day custody of the third accused, Abdul Sathar (in pic), who was recently arrested.

Kozhikode (ANI): The National Investigation Agency on Friday sealed the state headquarters of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kozhikode in Kerala, days after the government banned the radical outfit for having “terror links”. The NIA sealed the office in Meenchanda area and pasted a notice on its wall in presence of local police officials.

DIDI’S

Sharat K Verma

New Delhi: In West Bengal, the sword of Enforcement Directo rate (ED) hangs over more than two dozen MLAs and ministers of Mamata Banerjee gov ernment. Apart from this, Leader of Opposi tion in the Assembly Shubhendu Adhikari has said that he is going to give a list of 99 such MLAs to the ED, who have assets dispropor tionate to their known sources of income. These 25 people are also included in those 99 people. The sword hangs on the current list of 25 legislators be cause of the Kolkata High Court where a PIL to probe the alleged un accounted assets of these leaders is pending since 2017. This petition

has been filed by Biplab Dev Choudhary. Recent ly, state government minister Partha Chat terjee’s establishments were raided, cash was found and he was ar rested, then Biplab Chaudhary again reached the High Court.

While hearing this

case, the High Court has also made the ED a party in it. Against this decision of the High Court, three min isters of the state gov ernment — Firhad Hakim, Jyotipriya Ma lik and Arup Roy — have reached the court. They have contested

PM MODI’S CONVOY STOPS TO ALLOW AN AMBULANCE TO PASS

Some allergic to India’s growth story: Dhankhar

New Delhi (PTI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said there are “some” people who are “allergic” to sharing India’s achieve ments, and asserted there was a need to re buff and challenge them.

“India’s pursuit for self-reliance is different from other countries’. It is not about being selfcentred but seeing the whole world as one vil lage,” the vice president said at an event of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

The Vice President said India today is a na tion not bound by what others say. “This situa tion was never witnessed ever before since 1947.”

VICE PREZ LAUDS INDIA’S VIBRANT MSME SECTOR

New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday called upon trade and industry bodies to fully leverage the ‘entre preneurial culture that is taking roots in hinterlands of the country through the vibrant MSME sector’. He called for ‘hand-holding these new entrepreneurs and allowing them to blossom’. At the 117th Annual Session of the PHDCCI here, the Vice President lauded the thriv ing Indian startup sector and said that with over 75,000 in number, “Indian business landscape now has a number of game changer startups”.

Afer praise of RSS chief, head of Imams’ body gets threats

that the ED should not be involved in this case as the Election Com mission and Income Tax Department have not got any unaccount ed property from them. However, from the stand of the court, it seems that the ED will be a party in this and the court will give its investigation to the ED. Those whose as sets are to be investi gated include Firhad Hakim, Jyotipriya Ma lik, Malay Ghatak, Bratyavrata Basu etc and the name of BJP MP Arjun Singh is also included in this. He has recently returned to the Trinamool Con gress. The names of big leaders like Gau tam Deb, Amit Mitra, Abdur Razak Mollah, Madan Mitra are also included in this.

New Delhi (ANI): All India Imam Organisa tion chief Umer Ahmed Ilyasi received repeated threats after he termed RSS chief Mohan Bhag wat a ‘rashtra pita’ (fa ther of the nation).

Earlier on Thursday, All India Imam Organi sation chief Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, on Thurs day termed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat a ‘rashtra pita’ and added that Bhagwat had visited Madarsa Ta jweedul Quran in north Delhi at his invitation.

A complaint has been filed at Tilak Marg po lice station.

PM Narendra Modi waves to crowd as he reaches Banaskantha where he laid the foundation stone of various projects worth over Rs 7200 crore, in Ambaji on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

NIA SEALS PFI HQ IN KOZHIKODE

Gandhinagar: After flagging off the semi-high speed Vande Bharat 2.0 from Gandhinagar on Friday, PM Narendra Modi also took a half an hour ride on the train between Gandhinagar and Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the video of the PM taking a ride on the train.

Ahmedabad: PM Modi’s convoy stopped for a brief time to give way to an ambulance while travelling to Gandhinagar on Friday. A video shared by the Gujarat BJP’s media cell shows two SUVs, which were part of the PM’s convoy, slowly moving to give way to the ambulance.

Security personnel patrol during Friday prayers, days after the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI), in Kanpur, on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar addresses the 117th Annual Session of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in New Delhi on Friday. His wife Sudesh Dhankhar and other dignitaries are also present.

Thousands throng the event and cheer as the PM dedicates projects worth over `7,200 cr in Gujarat town

MUMBAI | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 05INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia JP Nadda being felicitated by party supporters at the ‘Sanyukt Morcha Sammelan’ in Bhubaneswar, on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

RaGa’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ enters poll-bound K’taka

Congress leaders hoped that the Karna taka leg of the yatra which commenced here in Chamarajanagar dis trict would enthuse the party cadres in pollbound state. The yatra, which entered from Gu dalur in Tamil Nadu, will traverse across seven districts covering a distance of about 500 km in Karnataka, where Assembly polls are just six months away. It will pass through Chamarajanagar, Mysu ru, Mandya, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Ballari and Raichur districts. The yatra will cover seven Lok Sabha segments and 22 Assembly constituen cies in Karnataka.

According to sources in the Congress, there will be three major pub lic meetings in Gundlu pet, Mysuru and Ballari in Karnataka.

FROM PG 1

Gehlot to… G-23 leaders also agreed after talks with Gehlot and all these people became propos ers for Mallikarjun Kharge. As a result, now G-23 has not field ed any candidate and thus now Kharge is al most certain to become the Congress Presi dent. Notably, Kharge is Gehlot’s old ‘ally’. Meanwhile, as far as the question of legisla ture party meeting to elect a new chief min ister is concerned, now that issue has also got stuck because no CLP meeting is taking place for the next few days. Thus the work of choosing the new Chief Minister has also been postponed.

Meanwhile, a source related to Delhi gave indication that if Ge hlot continues to be the CM, then Pilot could be made PCC Chief a new post, that of Organiza tion General Secretary for the States of North ern India, may be cre ated. But the million dollar question is: Whether Pilot will agree to this new ‘of fer’, which has already been rejected by him,

KHARGE TO BE 2nd PREZ FROM K’TAKA Bengaluru (PTI): Popu larly known as “Solillada Saradara” in his home-State of Karnataka Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, who on Friday filed nomination for the Congress’ presidential polls, is a hardcore loyalist of the Gandhi family. If elected, he will be the second AICC president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa, and also a Dalit leader to hold the post.

CONGRESS SHOULD STAND FOR CHANGE, NOT SURPRISED BACKING KHARGE, SAYS THAROOR

New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he has a vision to strengthen the party which should be a vehicle for “change” as he filed his nomination for the party president poll. The former Union minister called his rival Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also contesting and is being seen as the favourite to win, ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the Congress.

YATRA ONLY WAY OF EXPRESSION, SAYS RAHUL Gundlupet (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ was the only option left with the party to reach out to the masses as all other fora for expression are shut. His ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ entered Karnataka here in Chamarajanagar district from Gudalur in Tamil Nadu. “There are various institutions in democracy. There’s media and Parliament too but all these have been shut for the oppo sition and media doesn’t listen to us. There’s total government control. Our mics are muted in Parliament, Assemblies are not allowed to func tion and opposition is harassed. In this situa tion, the only option left with us is ‘Bharat Jodo Yata,” Gandhi said at a public meeting here. Gandhi said no force in the country can stop this yatra because this is ‘India’s March’.

BJP takes potshots at Kharge’s candidature

New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Friday took a swipe at the Congress after senior leader Mall ikarjun Kharge emerged as the favourite to win the poll for party presi dent, suggesting that he will be a “proxy” and “remote-controlled”.

“Mallikarjun Kharge at 80 is an inspiring choice for the Congress. He is young, energetic and just what the Con gress needed to ensure its revival. He should just pick Dr Manmohan Singh’s manual on ‘Liv ing by the Remote Control’ and it is all sorted,” BJP IT depart ment head Amit Malvi ya said in a tweet. Shashi Tharoor contin ues to hang in, he add ed, referring to the Con gress MP, who has also

filed his nomination for the Congress presi dent post.

Most senior Congress leaders, however, rally around Kharge, who is seen to have the back ing of the Gandhis even though they have con veyed that they will re main neutral in the election.

JAIRAM RAMESH HIGHLIGHTS PARTY CONSENSUS

Chamarajanagar (ANI): With the Congress president polls just weeks away, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday highlighted the party’s “consensus” and said that his party was the only one to have a system for the party supremo’s post. “Congress is the only party which has a system for electing a president. Congress’ greatest contribution to Indian politics has been consensus.

Cong’s Siddaramaiah warns ruling BJP Gundlupet (Agencies): A senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah has warned the BJP not to obstruct the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra led by party MP Rahul Gandhi as it entered Karna taka on Friday. The former Karnataka chief minister also warned the state police officials saying those colluding with the ruling party would be taught a befitting lesson.

more than once. The Gehlot camp has adopt ed the strategy of ‘Wait and Watch’ as Gehlot returned to Jaipur on Friday evening after a three-day stay in Delhi following which sever al ministers and MLAs rushed to CMR to meet Gehlot. Gehlot, focus sing back on Rajasthan, has resumed his tours to observe Rural Olym pics & will tour Bikan er, Sri Ganganagar Ha numangarh today.

Mumbai to... and health infrastruc ture in the city will be strengthened, said the chief minister.

Speaking on the occa sion, Deputy Chief Min ister Devendra Fadnavis said cities are centres of growth which generate employment. Under the ‘Swachha Maharashtra’ campaign, the state’s ur ban areas would be com pletely transformed, he said. The campaign is modelled on the Union government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. It will be carried out from Oc tober 02 to December 31 and best-performing cit ies will be felicitated with prizes.

Meanwhile, a Diwali

bonus for health work ers, BEST employees and teachers was also announced by CM Shin de on Thursday.

Addressing media persons, Shinde said, “An amount of Rs22,500 will be given to employ ees of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), BEST and teach ers. A month’s salary will be disbursed as a Diwali bonus to health workers.”

A total of 93,000 BMC employees, 29,000 BEST workers, teachers, and health workers will re ceive a bonus this festive season.

Lauding the work of all workers, the CM said, “The BMC employees have done a good job amid the COVID-19 pan demic. Doctors and all health staffers have also played a vital role in keeping the pandemic situation in Mumbai un der control.”

The CM also urged people to celebrate Di wali with joy. “Obstacles related to development works and BMC employ ees will be resolved on a priority basis. Everyone should now work whole heartedly for Mumbai kars.”

Primary aim should be to serve nation: Prez

president at Rashtrapa ti Bhavan in Delhi.

Addressing the offic ers, Murmu said that after becoming part of the respective services, their primary aim should be to serve the nation and its people with utmost sincerity. In their journey as pub lic servants, they will get opportunities to bring about changes which can transform the lives of people, the

‘Probe illegal diversion of Central funds by WB govt’

Kolkata (ANI): West Bengal Leader of Oppo sition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday requested Fi nance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to probe the alleged irregularities and illegal diversion of central government funds from the Wage and Means head of the consolidated funds and PFMS to the SERF ac count by the West Ben gal government.

“I am writing this let ter to you in order to ap

KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED

prise you about the mal practices the West Ben gal Government has been engaged in, and the unethical and illegal di version of funds provid ed by the Central Gov ernment,” said Adhika ri in the letter.

president said. She was confident that if young offices pursue the path of serving the people, they will earn a great

deal of job satisfaction.

MUMBAI | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 06INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia New Delhi: The SC col legium has recommend ed appointment of 3 new CJs while recom mending the transfer of CJs of 2 HCs. It also rec ommended the transfer of 3 HC judges, Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra of the Uttarakhand HC is to be transferred to the Jharkhand HC, Jus tice K Vinod Chandran of Kerala HC to Bom bay HC, Justice Aparesh Kumar of Jharkhand HC to the Tripura HC.

Prez urges Indian DESO to utilize technology to the maximum possible extent for effective administration New Delhi (PTI) : Pres ident Droupadi Mur mu on Friday said that primary aim of public servants should be to serve the nation and its people with utmost sin cerity. She was speaking to the officers/officer trainees of Indian De fence Estates Service, Indian Skill Develop ment Service, Indian Trade Service and Indi an Telecom Service, who had called on the

The president was happy to note that the Directorate General of Defence Estates has adopted technologies like satellite imagery, geo-spatial techniques and artificial intelli gence for management of defence estates. She urged Indian Defence Estates Service Officers to utilize technology to the maximum possible extent for effective ad

ministration of the can tonments. The presi dent said that technolo gy has even more cen tral role to play in the career of Indian Tele com Service officers. India has undergone a telecom revolution dur ing the last two decades, she said. Launch of mo bile telephony and fast er internet networks in India have enabled the country to tap its vast digital potential.

SC collegium suggests transfer of CJs of 2 HCs and appt of 3 CJs

COLLEGIUM RECOMMENDS TRANSFERS OF...

Will the decision regarding giving symbol to Shiv Sena be different from ECI’s decision on LJP?

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: It is a mil lion dollar question whether the Election Commission will take the same decision on Shiv Sena as it has done in the case of Lok Jan shakti Party or will its decision on Shiv Sena be entirely different? This question has been aris ing ever since the Su preme Court ordered that the Election Com mission should decide about Shiv Sena. At the same time, it is also be ing said that the deci sion of the Supreme

Court is a major victory for the Eknath Shinde faction and a huge blow to the Uddhav Thacker ay faction. It is also sur prising as to why is there a perception that the decision of the Elec tion Commission in the Shiv Sena case will go against the Uddhav Thackeray faction?

The model of Lok Janshakti Party is in front of the Election Commission. After the death of Ram Vilas Pas wan, there was a split in the Lok Janshakti Party and five out of the six MPs of the party came

together and claimed themselves to be the rep resentatives of ‘real’ LJP. The Speaker also gave them recognition in the Lok Sabha. The leader of that faction,

Pashupati Paras, is a minister in the central government. Later, when the real party’s claim reached the Elec tion Commission, the commission gave a bal

ancing decision. The commission confiscated the Lok Janshakti Party name and election sym bol. So, the name of the party of Pashupati Pa ras faction is Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party and the name of the party of Chirag Paswan faction is Lok Janshakti Party Ramvilas. So, the commission has a previous prece dent to take a similar decision in the case of Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena’s name and its ‘arrowbow’ election symbol should be confiscated and separate names and

symbols should be allot ted to both the groups. But if it has to happen then how will it be a ma jor victory for the Shin de faction? A big victory for the Shinde faction will happen when it gets the name and election symbol of Shiv Sena. Only then will it have any advantage in the municipal elections to be held in the next few days. Like LJP, in Shiv Sena too, most of the MPs and MLAs are with the Eknath Shinde fac tion but the party organ ization is still with Ud dhav Thackeray.

JUSTICE MITHAL WILL BE NEW CJ OF RAJ HC

Jaipur: CJ of J&K and Ladakh HC Pankaj Mithal, a native of Allahabad, will be next Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court as the Supreme Court Collegium has rec ommended his transfer. The post of Chief Justice of Rajasthan HC is lying vacant after CJ SS Shinde retired on July 31.

Dhami meets victim’s parents, assures action

Pauri (Uttarakhand) (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met An kita Bhandari’s parents on Friday. The state chief also assured her parents of strict action against the culprits.

“Today, after reach ing Dobh Srikot village of Pauri district, ex

pressed condolences while meeting the fam ily members of daugh ter Ankita. I assured them that by taking the strictest action against the cul prits of this heinous crime, we will get the matter heard in the fasttrack court,” tweeted CM Dhami.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirah Paswan addresses a press conference, in Patna. —FILE PHOTO

BHANDARI MURDER CASE

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami meeting parents of Ankita Bhandari on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

The Yatra entered from Gudalur, will traverse across seven districts covering a distance of about 500 km in K’taka, where Assembly polls are just six months away Gundlupet (PTI): Ra hul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ entered Karnataka on Friday.

GANDHI’S EXPIRED DRUGS, SAYS SARMA New Delhi (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken a swipe at Congress over its dwindling fortunes in the electoral polls under the leadership of Gandhis over the last eight years and said “Gandhi family are expired drugs”.

CONGRESS PREZ POLL

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with AICC General Secretary & Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, KPCC President DK Shivakumar, Opposition leader in Assembly Siddaramaiah and other leaders during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, at Gunlupet in Chamarajanagar district on Friday.

—PHOTO BY PTI

l Orissa HC CJ S Muralid har as CJ of Madras HC

l Justice Jaswant Singh as Orissa Chief Justice l Justice PB Varale of Bombay HC as CJ of

Karnataka High Court

l Justice AM Magrey as CJ of HC of J&K, Ladakh l CJ Pankaj Mithal of J&K and Ladakh HC as Ra jasthan HC Chief Justice

New Delhi: Gold price in the national capital rose by `406 to `50,722 per 10 grams on Friday amid a rally in the international yellow metal prices, ac cording to HDFC Securi ties. In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at `50,316 per 10 grams. Silver prices also jumped by `905 to `57,436 per kilogram from `56,531 per kg in the previous trade. In in ternational market, gold was quoting higher at $1,671.33 per ounce, while silver was up at $19.15 per ounce.

—PTI

INDIA’S ELECTRONICS

EXPORTS TO REACH $120 BN BY 2025-26

RBI hike repo rates for 4th straight time

Mumbai (PTI): Home, auto and other loan EMIs are set to rise further after the RBI on Friday raised the key interest rate by 50 basis points, the fourth straight increase since May, with more hikes ex pected to rein in inflation.

The monetary policy committee (MPC), com prising three members from the RBI and three ex ternal experts, raised the key lending rate or the repo rate to 5.90% - the highest since April 2019 - with five out of the six members vot ing in favour of the hike.

Since the first unsched uled mid-meeting hike in

May, the cumulative in crease in interest rate now stands at 190 basis points and mirrors similar ag gressive monetary tighten ing in major economies around the globe to contain runaway inflation by dampening demand.

The MPC also decided by a majority of 5 out of 6 members to remain fo cused on the withdrawal of the accommodative pol icy stance to ensure that inflation remains within the target going forward, while supporting growth, said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

“The inflation trajectory

FY23 inflation forecast retained at 6.7% by RBI

Mumbai (PTI): The RBI on Friday retained its infla tion projection for FY23 at 6.7% amid geopolitical con cerns triggered by RussiaUkraine war, and expected inflation to be under con trol from January.

Chennai: India’s electron ics exports would reach $120 billion by 2025-26 and that would happen with state governments partnering with the Gov ernment of India, Union Minister Rajeev Chan drasekhar said on Friday.

The country’s electronics manufacturing was val ued at $70-75 billion and PM Narendra Modi has set a target to reach $300 billion by 2025-26, the Minister of State for En trepreneurship, Skill De velopment, Electronics & Technology said.

—PTI

CORE SEC GROWTH SLOWS TO 3.3% IN AUGUST THIS YEAR

The central bank is man dated to keep retail infla tion in a band of 2-6%. In flation has remained above RBI’s upper tolerance level of 6% since January 2022. It ruled over 7% in April, May and June. July saw a breather with inflation sliding to 6.7%. Last month, inflation touched 7%.

At the beginning of this fiscal year, pressures due to imported inflation were acute which have now eased, but it remains at el evated levels across food and energy items, RBI Gov ernor Shaktikanta Das said.

ABOVE UPPER TOLERANCE LEVEL

z Inflation has remained above RBI’s upper tolerance level of 6% since January 2022. It ruled over 7% in April, May and June.

July saw a breather with inflation sliding to 6.7%. In August, it touched 7%

Edible oil prices are like ly to remain contained due to improved supplies from producing nations as well as steps taken by the gov ernment on price front.

remains clouded with un certainties arising from continuing geopolitical tensions and nervous glob

Working on law to promote ease of doing biz: Goyal

New Delhi (PTI): Com merce and Industry Minis ter Piyush Goyal on Friday said the ministry is work ing on a law to decriminal ise certain provisions to promote ease of doing business.

A bill in this regard is expected to be introduced in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament, he added.

“We have focused on ease of doing business...We con tinue to reduce the compli ance burden for our busi nesses...Give us, feedback quickly because, in the winter session, we are pro posing to come out with a very holistic amendment to the laws related to busi nesses to ease the burden, and reduce compliances,” Goyal said while address ing PHDCCI’s Annual Ses sion 2022.

al financial market senti ments,” he said. “If high inflation is allowed to lin ger, it invariably triggers

second-order effects.”

The rise in repo rates would translate into higher borrowing costs for corpo rates and individuals.

Pledging to “remain alert and nimble” and data-de pendent, he said “calibrat ed action” will be taken to shield the economy amid fears of a global recession.

“In this backdrop, MPC was of the view that persis tence of high inflation, ne cessitates further calibrat ed withdrawal of monetary accommodation to restrain broadening of price pres sures, anchor inflation ex pectations and contain the second-round effects.

‘CURRENCY MOVEMENTS NOT GUIDING FACTORS FOR MONETARY POLICY’

Mumbai (PTI): Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said that currency movements are not the guiding factors for monetary policy decisions. He said currency management is the domain of RBI and that it will deploy all the appropriate measures on the same. The Monetary Policy Committee takes into account domestic factors on inflation and growth while formulating its rates strategy, Das told reporters. He said the primacy is given to inflation while the aspect of growth is also looked into.

RBI cuts growth forecast to 7% for current fiscal on global headwinds

Mumbai (PTI): The Re serve Bank of India on Fri day cut the economic growth projection for the current financial year to 7% from 7.2% estimated earlier on account of ex tended geopolitical ten sions and aggressive mon etary policy tightening globally.

The headwinds from ex tended geopolitical ten sions, tightening global fi nancial conditions and pos sible decline in the exter nal component of aggre gate demand can pose downside risks to growth, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said.

The central bank in April had cut GDP growth estimate to 7.2% from its earlier forecast of 7.8%.

“Taking all these factors into consideration, real GDP growth for 2022-23 is

Sensex snaps 7-day losing run, up 1,017 pts

New Delhi: The output of eight core infrastructure sectors grew 3.3% in Au gust -- the lowest in nine months -- as against 12.2% in the year-ago pe riod, according to official data released on Friday.

The previous low was in November 2021 at 3.2%.

The production growth of eight infrastructure sec tors -- coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery prod ucts, fertiliser, steel, ce ment and electricity -was 9.8% during AprilAugust this fiscal, com pared to 19.4% a year ago. Crude oil and natural gas production contract ed by 3.3% & 0.9%. —PTI

INFLATION HITS 10% IN 19 EU COUNTRIES THAT USE THE EURO

Mumbai (PTI): Bench mark indices bounced back on Friday after fall ing for the previous seven trading sessions, with the Sensex climbing 1,017 points following the Re serve Bank of India’s in terest rate decision.

Bouncing back after seven straight sessions of decline, the 30-share Bom bay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark jumped 1,016.96 points or 1.80% to settle at 57,426.92.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty climbed 276.25 points or 1.64% to end at

17,094.35.

Among the 30-share Sensex pack, Bharti Air tel, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Titan, Kotak Ma hindra Bank, HDFC Bank,

MUCH-AWAITED EVENT

and Tata Steel were among the major gainers.

However, Dr Reddy’s, Asian Paints, ITC and Hindustan Unilever were the laggards.

` RISES 37 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.36 AGAINST US DOLLAR Mumbai (PTI): The rupee extended its initial gains and settled 37 paise higher at 81.36 against US dollar on Friday, after the RBI raised the benchmark lending rate by 50 bps. At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 81.60 against the greenback. It witnessed an intra-day high of 81.17 and a low of 81.69 during the ses sion. It finally ended at 81.36, up 37 paise from its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee recovered from record lows to settle 20 paise higher at 81.73 against the dollar.

PM Modi to launch 5G services in India today

Frankfurt: Inflation in the European countries using the euro currency has broken into double digits as prices for electricity and natural gas soar, sig nalling a looming winter recession for one of the globe’s major economies as higher prices under mine consumers’ spend ing power. Consumer prices in the 19-country eurozone hit a record 10% in September, up from 9.1% in August, EU statistics agency Eurostat reported on Friday.

—PTI

New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the much-await ed 5G services in India on October 1, 2022, an official release said on Friday.

5G to be launched by the PM in select cities, will pro gressively cover the entire country over the next cou ple of years. The cumula tive economic impact of 5G on India is estimated to reach $450 billion by 2035.

Capable of supporting ultra-high-speed internet services, the fifth genera tion or 5G is expected to unleash new economic op portunities and societal

benefits, serving as a trans formational force for Indi an society. “Prime Minis ter, Narendra Modi will

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

z According to the release, 5G to be launched by the Prime Minister in select cities, will progressively cover the entire country over the next couple of years

z

launch 5G services in India on October 1, 2022 and also inaugurate the 6th Edition of India Mobile Congress

The cumulative economic impact of 5G on India is estimated to reach $450 billion by 2035

2022 to be held from Octo ber 1-4, 2022, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi,” the release added.

projected at 7.0% with Q2 at 6.3%; Q3 at 4.6%; and Q4:2022-23 at 4.6%, with risks broadly balanced. The growth for Q1:2023-24 is projected at 7.2%,” he said.

AFTER NOTING ALL FACTORS...

z Real GDP growth for 202223 is projected at 7.0% with Q2 at 6.3%; Q3 at 4.6%; and Q4:2022-23 at 4.6%, with risks broadly balanced

Real GDP grew 13.5% in the first quarter of FY’23, surpassing the pre-pan demic level by 3.8%. This was led by robust growth in private consumption and investment demand.

RBI expects CAD to come under 3% in FY23

Mumbai (PTI): The Reserve Bank expects the current account deficit to be under 3% of GDP in FY23, Deputy Governor Michael Patra said on Friday. The CAD will “modestly widen” in the first half of the fiscal year and narrow in the second half, Patra told reporters. “Overall, we expect the current account deficit to be under 3% of GDP (in FY23),” Patra said. The comments come a day after official data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed that the CAD widened in the first quarter of the fiscal to 2.8% of GDP. In FY22, the CAD had stood at 1.2% of the GDP.

OTHER STORIES

AI TO INTRODUCE 20 MORE WEEKLY FLIGHTS TO BIRMINGHAM, LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO

New Delhi: Air India will introduce 20 additional weekly flights to Birmingham, London and San Francisco in next three months as the Tatas-owned airline seeks to strengthen its international pres ence. With 5 additional flights a week to Birmingham, 9 additional flights to London and 6 additional flights a week to San Francisco, more than 5,000 additional seats will be offered every week to customers, the carrier said in a release on Friday. The airline’s current schedule of 34 flights every week to the UK will now go up to 48 flights.

PADDY ACREAGE FALLS

4.76% IN KHARIF

SEASON THIS YEAR

New Delhi: Area under cover age for paddy declined by 4.76% in the Kharif season to 402.88 lakh hectares as due to er ratic monsoon rains in some states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. The paddy acreage stood at 423.04 lakh hectares (LH) in last year’s Kharif season. The agriculture ministry on Friday released the final area under coverage for Kharif season of 2022. The total area under coverage for all Kharif crops declined to 1102.79 LH from 1112.16 LH last year. Pulses acreage too declined to 133.68 LH from 139.21 LH. —PTI

—PTI

IBBI ALLOWS IPEs TO ACT AS INSOLVENCY

PROFESSIONALS

New Delhi: Regulator IBBI has allowed Insolvency Profes sional Entities (IPEs) to act as insolvency professionals, a move that is likely to help in speedier reso lution process. Till now, only individuals were permitted to register as insolvency profes sionals under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code. “Consider ing the limitations on the part of an Insolvency Professional (IP), being an individual, in dealing with processes under the Code requiring concurrent efforts, and multi-disciplinary expertise, the board decided to institutionalise the profession of IP,” the regulator said.

GAS PRICES HIKED 40%; CNG, PNG TO COST MORE New Delhi: The prices of natural gas, which is used to generate electricity, make fertiliser and is converted into CNG to run auto mobiles, were on Friday hiked by a steep 40% to record levels, in step with global firming up of energy rates. The rate paid for gas produced from old fields, which make up for about two-thirds of all gas produced in the country, was hiked to $8.57 per million British thermal units from the current $6.1, according to an order from the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC).

—PTI

GOLD PRICES UP BY `406; SILVER ALSO SEES RISE OF `905

2ND FRONT

‘Need single planning body for pothole-free roadways’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday told the Bom bay High Court that the city cannot be free of pothole menace un less it becomes the “single planning au thority” to look after maintenance of roads.

A division bench comprising Chief Jus tice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik, heard BMC Commis sioner Iqbal Singh Cha hal during a presenta tion at court. “Over 2,050km of the city are under the civic body’s jurisdiction and around 500km falls under the purview of 15 other agencies,” said Chahal.

“The problem is, apart from the BMC, we have 15 other agencies who own 500km of roadways.

I am not supposed to spend my fund on those roads but the most num ber of complaints we re ceive are from these are as. If these 15 agencies do not pull up their socks, then we will not have a pothole-free city,”

said the commissioner.

“I have written to the state government on this matter and asked it to hand over the entire planning and maintenance to BMC for holistic develop ment,” he added.

Chahal further told the court the state government too was working towards mak ing the city’s roads pot hole-free. The state gov

ernment had handed over Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade areas to them from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for mainte nance and upkeep.

When all the areas in Mumbai are handed over to one single au thority, then the devel opment in the city will be better, he said.

The BMC commis

sioner also offered a so lution for long-term pothole-free roads. Con sidering the kind of rain Mumbai faces eve ry year, concretization is the only way to have pothole-free roads, and the plan was that “every lane, bylane, every inch under BMC will be con cretized in three years”, Chahal said.

“Concrete roads have a life of 30 years. As

phalt roads have (life of) only five years. So far, 990 km of roads have been concretized, work orders for 265km have been given, and orders are in progress for 397 km,” he said.

The HC bench said it will keep the petitions regarding potholes for hearing once every two months so that a check can be kept on the con dition of roads.

Satish Sarin, a loco pilot posted in Ahmedabad division, says PM interacted with him and his copilot KK Thakur, and took a lowdown of various features

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The loco pi lot who operated the upgraded Vande Bharat 2.0 train to Ahmedabad after Prime Minister Naren dra Modi flagged it off from nearby Gandhi nagar in Gujarat on Friday morning said it was the “most memo rable event” of his life.

Satish Sarin, a loco pi lot posted in Western Railway’s Ahmedabad division, said the prime minister interacted with him and his co-pilot KK Thakur for a few min utes and took a lowdown of the various features of the state-of-the-art train and aspects of pi loting it.

“It was a brief interac tion that lasted for three to four minutes, but it is the most memorable

Suspected Naxalite killed in encounter in Gadchiroli dist

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Pune: A call centre linked with instant loan apps, which of fered small-amount loans to people in Ben galuru, was busted by the police and 18 peo ple were arrested, an official said on Friday.

According to source, the arrested were in volved in threatening and harassing payment defaulters.

“We have seized data of more than 1 lakh cus tomers from the ac cused at the call cen tre,” the official said, adding that Rs70 lakh have also been recov ered from the accounts in which the defaulters

deposited money.

The cyber police sta tion in Pune received more than 4,700 cases between 2020 and 2022, where people com plained of abuse and harassment for default

ing on loan repayment, said Police Commis sioner Amitabh Gupta.

Mobile phone app stores have these appli cations that offer in stant loans—ranging from Rs500 to Rs7,000— and “these apps seek ac cess to the camera, pho tos, contacts and stor age on personal cell phones,” said Gupta.

“The apps levy huge in terests, processing charges and resort to harassment and threat en defaulters.”

Constant harassment has resulted in several suicides and murders across the country, and one such incident of suicide was reported in Pune, he asserted.

Gadchiroli: A sus pected woman Naxalite was killed by the police in an encounter in Gadchi roli district of Maha rashtra said a senior official on Friday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Ankit Goyal in a release said that the encounter took place in Kapewancha forest pm Late Wednesday even ing. The woman, who was killed in the en counter is yet to be iden tified, he said.

According to intelli gence reports received by the police, around 30 to 40 Naxalites from the Ahei and Permili

Dalams (squads) had gathered in Kapewan cha forest to carry out attacks against securi ty forces. After this, commandos from the Special Operation Squad (C-60) of Gadchi

roli Police started a search operation.

Around 40 Naxalites started firing on the po lice team at around 6pm on Wednesday. The Naxalites continued fir ing even after the com mandos appealed to them to stop firing and surrender. As firing in tensified, the comman dos opened retaliatory fire. Soon, the Naxalites fled from the spot.

Later, the commandos found the body of a woman Naxalite in dark green uniform. An 8mm rifle and ammunition was also recovered from the spot. She is yet to be identified, said the SP. The operation is still un derway, added the SP.

Maha to get India’s highest cable-stayed road bridge

from ground level, and this would also be the highest in any road pro ject in India,” said Ran jit Jha, Project Manager at Afcons.

It was a brief interaction that lasted for three to four minutes, but it is the most memorable event of my life as the prime minister spoke with me. The PM first asked us our names and later interacted with us on the features of the train and aspects of pi loting it. —Satish Sarin, Loco Pilot in Western Railway

event of my life as the PM spoke with me,” Sa rin, with 35 years of rail way service behind him and the senior most loco pilot in WR’s Ahmedabad division, said.

Sarin, who has helmed prestigious superfast trains in the zone like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express, Tejas Express and DoubleDecker express trains, said, “The PM first asked us our names and later interacted with us on the

features of the train and aspects of piloting it.”

Sarin further said he was told a few days ago he would be helming the train that would be flagged off by the PM, adding that he has taken centre-stage among his kin, including musician son Brijesh, due to this proud feat.

PM Modi also inter acted with other people on board the train as it travelled from Gandhi nagar to Ahmedabad.

CRUCIAL READ

Mumbai: The Finger Print Bureau has won the first prize for the smart use of fingerprint science in its investiga tion into the Sakinaka rape and murder case. It won the prize at the 23rd All India Fingerprint Director Conference organized by the National Crime Records Bureau.

Finger Print Bureau’s Assistant Police In spector Sarika Tilekar had presented the investigation into the rape and murder that had occurred at Sakinaka in Mumbai last year.

First India Bureau

Pune: Maharashtra would soon be able to boast of being home to India’s highest cablestayed road bridge, when the 132m high structure, being con structed by Afcons, would be completed as part of the MumbaiPune Expressway Missing Link project.

Currently, the exist ing Mumbai-Pune Ex pressway from Khopoli

exit to Sinhgad Insti tute is about 19km long. The Missing Link Pro ject will bypass the Khandala Ghat section and will reduce the dis tance of the expressway by over 6km, cutting the travel time by more than 25 minutes.

This Missing Link project has been divid ed into two packages. Afcons is executing Package-II, which com prises widening of the existing expressway

“At present, the con struction work of the foundation, piers and pylons is being under taken in Viaduct-II. The highest pylon in this viaduct would be 182m

As such the project has been rife with ex treme engineering chal lenges. To widen the existing expressway from six to eight lanes, authorities must carry out blasts for “hill cut ting” in allotted slots.

During the blasting, not only traffic but also work near blasting loca tions are halted, and manpower and machin ery are moved to a safe area far from the im pact zone.

Palghar: Passengers escaped unhurt after a civic transport bus caught fire in Nalla Sopara area of Palghar district on Friday. The incident took place around 3.30pm near Dhaniv Baug locality, where flames erupted in a bus belonging to the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC). All passengers trav elling in the bus jumped out in the nick of time after noticing the flames. However, firemen arrived at the scene and put out the blaze in about one hour. The bus was completely gutted in the blaze, the cause of which is yet to be ascertained.

Thane: A 13-year-old boy was killed after he fell into a duct near a water pipeline in the Bhiwandi area of Thane district on Friday, informed a civic offi cial. The boy named Jahid Mansuri was flying a kite when he accidentally fell into the duct filled with water, said a fire brigade official. The body of the boy has been recovered and sent for post-mortem, said the official. A case of accidental death has been registered, informed a Bhiwandi police station official.

from six lanes to eight lanes, construction of two viaducts, including a cable-stayed bridge in one of the viaducts, ap proach roads, and slip roads, among various

other features. The bridge will be at a height of 132m from ground level, which will be the highest for any road project in the country.

PM (right) interacts with loco pilot Satish Sarin who operated the upgraded Vande Bharat 2.0 train on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

CIVIC TRANSPORT BUS CATCHES FIRE IN PALGHAR, NO CASUALTIES REPORTED

FINGERPRINT BUREAU BAGS 1ST PRIZE FOR USE OF TECH IN RAPE & MURDER CASE

13-YR-OLD BOY DIES AFTER FALLING INTO DUCT NEAR WATER PIPELINE IN BHIWANDI

PHOTO

Mumbai roads; pushes for hand over to civic body STATUS QUO

The problem is, apart from the BMC, we have 15 other agencies who own 500 km of roadways. I am not supposed to spend my fund on those roads but the most number of complaints we receive are from these areas. If these 15 agencies do not pull up their socks, then we will not have a pothole-free city.

—Iqbal Singh Chahal, BMC Commissioner

Potholes are a menace to commuters on Mumbai city roads, especially during monsoon season. —FILE PHOTO

The woman, who was killed in the encounter is yet to be identified, says SP Goyal

‘Life’s most memorable event’ Vande Bharat loco pilot on interaction with PM

SHOULDERS TAKE THE WEIGHT OFF YOUR

Off shoulders are chic and make you look super elegant effortlessly. City First brings to you the significance of off-shoulder fashion and how you can style them to complete your look.

SHUBHANSHI PATHAK cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

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It can be accessorised with some classy picks such as pointed heels and a basic watch to complete the look. An off-shoulder is definitely appropriate for a casual outing. An offshoulder is always com fortable and simple to wear for the ideal summer appearance, whether it’s for a luncheon or a day of shopping. It’s incredible how this straightforward design can be dressed up to seem utterly edgy. The nicest aspect is that they are so versatile because they are made of so many different materials and patterns. Without experi mentation, one cannot improve their style, but if that has failed, blacks ap pear to be the best option.

Keep in mind that you can wear practically any col our if you are confident. Remember to always ex periment to see what matches your personality the best.

SNEHA SADHWANI SEWLANI cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

How do we Increase Weight in Kids?

Weight gain in kids can be difficult because they do not eat everything that is put on their plate.

With a little planning and the addition of ener gy-dense healthy foods to their diet, weight gain is achievable. Parents need to first find out the child’s weight status category:

Less than the 5th per centile: underweight 5th percentile to less than 85th percentile: normal or healthy weight 85th to less than 95th percentile: overweight Above 95th percen tile: obese

With the help of this “Height and Weight Cal culator for Children”, parents can easily calcu late the ideal height and weight of the children according to their gender and age.

What Is the Need for Introducing Healthy Foods in Kids’ Diet?

The best time to estab lish healthy eating pat terns is early childhood because these habits and patterns will impact how kids eat as adults. A nu tritionally-balanced and wholesome diet is re quired for optimal growth and development.

Being underweight or malnourished increases the risk of acquiring in fectious diseases. There fore, it is important to introduce healthy foods one at a time and speak to your little one about their amazing benefits for the body.

TOP 10 HEALTHY WEIGHT GAIN FOODS FOR KIDS

BREAST MILK

PURE GHEE WHEN

T

he unique composition of breast milk makes it a perfect source of nutrition for the infant. Six months of exclusive breastfeed ing in the first year of life is recommended. Breast milk contains long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that help in the normal growth and development of the baby. These fatty acids also help the immature brain to develop. Breast milk increases the concen tration of growth factors in the body, which cause weight gain in underweight infants.

EGGS

Eggs are power-packed with high-quality proteins and healthy fats. One egg contains approximately 6 grams of protein. Daily consumption of eggs enhances muscle gain and weight gain in underweight children. Whole eggs also contain vitamin A and vitamin B12, which are required for the growth and development of a child. It further promotes the healthy development of the brain and the central nervous system.

BANANAS

Bananas are a great source of energy and one banana has around 100 calories. Bananas con tain less moisture content and more carbohydrate content that help in healthy weight gain. You can give this energy-dense nutri tious fruit to your child in different forms, like:

Mashed banana

Banana milkshake or smoothies

Banana topped with peanut butter Or plain banana

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Dairy products like milk, curd and cheese are packed with the goodness of proteins and calcium and other vital nutrients as well. Calcium supports the healthy growth and development of bones in children. Make sure you give your little one two glasses of milk per day. If your kid does not like plain milk, give milk in the form of milkshakes.

CHICKEN

Chicken is an amazing source of protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B6, B12, copper, phosphorus and selenium. This power-packed lean meat helps in building muscles, which is the best way to make your child put on weight. Muscle gain does not make your little one

look flabby.Chicken is easy to cook and a versatile ingredient. It can be used to prepare curries, pulao, sandwiches, soups or chicken can be simply grilled or baked.

NUTS AND DRY FRUITS

Dry fruits are a dense source of calories and nutrients. They are a healthy snack option, which can give your little one a much-needed energy boost. They are rich in dietary fibre and other nutrients, which strengthen the immune system and keep infections at bay. Besides this, nuts contain healthy fat that promotes weight gain as well as the healthy development of the brain and the central nervous system.

OATS

People think oatmeal is diet food, but when combined with whole milk and topped with healthy nuts and dry fruits, oatmeal porridge can be a perfect recipe to boost weight gain. This nutritious food ingredient is loaded with dietary fibre that aids healthy bowel movements and prevents constipation. If the bowel movements are healthy, your child will feel hungry and eat properly from time to time. A proper eating timetable can help your little one gain a healthy weight.

AVOCADOS

Avocado is a fruit with high amounts of healthy fat. Unlike other whole fruits, its sugar content is low, whereas its fat content is on the higher side. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, avocado has a creamy and rich texture. Such a composition of avo cado makes it calorie dense and promotes weight gain. You can make the avocado dip, milkshake or simply bake avocado slices for your toddler.

Added to the diet of underweight kids, helps in weight gain and boosts immunity too. It strengthens the bones and improves hair and the skin. Though it is one of the foods known to help gain weight, initially start with a half teaspoon and never give more than a teaspoon because it can render the digestive system sluggish. Replace other cooking oils with pure ghee once in a while to boost weight gain.

POTATOES

M ashed potatoes or baked ones can be a good snack option for kids who are underweight. Potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates, which can help in putting on weight. Children who are underweight tend to get tired soon. Starchy foods like potatoes increase the muscle glycogen stores, which is the main source of energy for most activities. How to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy? Make your child eat small, frequent and nutrient-dense meals. Eating just deep-fried foods and sugar-laden foods can cause unhealthy weight gain. Give your little one food contain ing protein and healthy fats to promote healthy weight gain. Introduce new foods slowly and one at a time. If kids are not eating plain vegetables or fruits, pair them with hummus, avocado dip or nut butter. Often kids do not enjoy plain milk. Add some fruits or dark chocolate to the milk to enhance its taste. Parents can replace water and add milk to soups or use milk to knead the dough.

10 SUPER HEALTHY WEIGHT GAIN FOODS FOR KIDS

FLAWLESS

DAD DUTY B

Kiara Advani is one of the most loved ac tresses in Bol lywood. A few days ago the actress had begun shooting for her next with Kartik Aaryan, SatyaPrem Ki Katha and now

she leans on the table kept in front of her. Her hair is neatly done and with subtle makeup and a coffee mug kept in front of her. Sharing this pic ture, she wrote, “Goooood Morning!!! Let's roll.”

Charismatic look

riyanka Chopra is one of the most stylish actresses.

PeeCee is currently in Washington DC for work and she shared a small clip of her looking stunning as she steps out of her room. In the clip which she shared, Priyanka Chopra looked gorgeous in a lime

green slit dress. She left her tress es open and stunned in subtle makeup. Priyanka completed her look with stilettoes and lime col oured small purse. The clip which she shared begins with a closeup selfie of her with a text written ‘where to next?’ Then comes a mir ror selfie of her giving us a glimpse of her entire look, followed by yet another selfie in the dark.

Gun Training

ollywood actress Parineeti Chopra is gearing up for the release of her upcom ing film Code Name: Ti ranga, in which she will star alongside Harrdy Sandhu. The actress has now given fans a glimpse of her training. In her caption, she wrote, “When you’re gun training but wanna use your skills on the action director himself, because he doesn't let you REST!”

EFFORTLESSLY ELEGANT

ajal Aggarwal is slowly getting back in the groove post her delivery. The mother re cently dropped a few glimpses from her latest photoshoot in a floral brown ethnic attire. Her look was tied up with statement jhumkas, and brown-toned makeup. Her latest post was captioned, "C O N T E (N T) M P L A T I O N." Actress Raashii Khanna reacted to the post with, "Stunning!" After enjoy ing her maternity break, Kajal Aggarwal is all set to get back on the silver screen once again with Kamal Haasan starrer Indian 2. The diva is also learning new skills like martial arts and

WEDDING FESTIVITIES

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal are very hap py as they are finally getting mar ried. On Friday the couple’s pre-wed ding ceremonies started. Richa has been sharing up dates from the func tions. She shared two pictures of her and Ali Fazal look ing dreamy in tradi tional wear.

Richa is seen wearing a pastel col our lehenga by Ra hul Mishra that has shimmery embroi dery and looks mes merising. While Ali opted for a chi kankari kurta paired with a churidar by Abu Jani and Sand eep Kho sla. Sharing the pic tures,

Richa wrote, “Mo habbat Mubarak’. Yesterday, she shared a glimpse of her me hendi. It was looking very beautiful.

ipasha Basu is expecting her first child with hubby Karan Singh Grov er. Just a while ago, the Bachna Ae Haseeno actress and Karan were seen at a hospital together in the city for reportedly a regular check up. Taking to her Instagram han dle, Bipasha shared a picture of Karan and said that he is on 'Dad duty.' She captioned the picture: "Hospital. Dad duty. Always has to carry my bag too. My cutie." In it, Karan is seen donning a black round-neck T-shirt and teamed it up with grey pair of denim jeans. He is also seen carrying Bipasha's orange colour tote bag around his neck as he posed for the picture.

Parineeti Chopra

Her post...

Kajal Aggarwal

Richa Chadha

Priyanka Chopra

Her post...

Her post...

Her post...

post...

Her story...

ETC www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia MUMBAI | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 11 Bipasha Basu

KARAN CONFESSES

STRUGGLING WITH ANXIETY

she said you shouldn't. So, at least I started talking about this fact to people because I was not even telling people that I was in therapy and

ADITI CHAVAN cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Koffee with Karan S7 has wrapped up but to say that everyone is still reeling from the fabu lous season that it was might be true. Because it gave some shocking revelations, hilarious memes and obviously, a sassy Karan that had all the celebrities wrapped around his finger. But to top it all, Karan had invited none other than influencers, Kusha Ka pila, Tanmay Bhatt, Danish Sait and Nihari ka M. It resulted in a riot of jokes, roasts and some deep and personal revelations from Karan Johar.

Karan revealed that he suffered from anxie ty five years ago and the reason was all the so cial media trolling that

targeted him and his family. He stated that although he thought he had a thick skin and was dealing with it, it was after therapy that he realised that all he did was push the prob lems and feelings fur ther down. “They come down to even abusing my kids. Those are times when I feel like f***, just leave them out of it. I'm like, you can say whatever you want about me, my sexuality or about all the conspir acy theories they have that are down and dirty. It doesn't bother me and it's not like I have not

been in therapy and I haven't had issues in the past,” Karan said.

He added, “There was an anxiety issue that I combatted 5 years ago and that was when I opened up. You know, when I spoke to my doctor and she was a psy chologist and she said that you are brush ing everything so deep within that you think that you are dealing with it and that you have thick skin but you are shoving it into a dark, deep area and that's all going to pop up at some time. So,

ADIPURUSH: Prabhas Looks extremely promising as Lord Rama

The first-look poster and teaser of Prab has's upcom ing film, Adipurush, will release on October 2 in Ayodhya. Ahead of that, the makers have dropped the teaser post er of the film.

Taking to his Insta gram account, Prabhas shared the posters of the film in English, Ta mil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. In the poster, Prabhas was

of his knees as he looked towards the sky holding a bow and ar

is the first look at Prab has’s character and it absolutely shows him in complete glory, embrac ing the warrior that his character indeed is.

Prabhas is reuniting with Tanhaji actor Saif Ali Khan in the film, who will be playing Lankesh. Sunny Singh portrays Lakshman, while Kriti Sanon plays Sita. The teaser and the first look of the poster are scheduled to happen on October 2nd in Ayod hya with the entire cast.

that I was going through an issue of anxiety for 3 or 4 years.”

After all the intrigu ing confessions on the show, it was a breath of fresh air to see the host

Vicky-Samantha to shoot soon!

icky Kaushal is currently busy

hadur and will wrap with the schedule in February. According to a report, after that, he will start work

The film will star Samantha Ruth Prabhu as well. It will be helmed by Uri's director, Aditya Dhar. The report suggested that the actor-director duo ject. As the film is like a dream that they saw together, hence, Adi could not go ahead with it without Vicky. While previously there were some issues with fixing the budget of the film, it is all geared up to go on floors by summer

opment revealed that the film will be a two-part series with an extremely gle go and then divided into two

In the past three years, Aditya Dhar has worked very hard to have all the source material in place. He pressing all the executives at Jio. ligned, the cost has been reduced for the cast and crew while keeping the production cost of

ELLI’S OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

ASHISH TIWARI

Elli AvrRam and Dhanush’s muchawaited film, Naane Varuven has been released and left the audience spell bound. The movie has been extremely well re ceived by the audience and fans alike with all of them showering their love, praise, and best wishes for the ac tor duo.

It is interesting to know that this movie marks Elli’s Tamil de but and she fearlessly yet effortlessly essayed her role and nailed her

Alia's new endeavour

contemplated buying over sized clothes or raiding Ran bir Kapoor’s wardrobe, the Raazi actor stated that just because her body changes do not necessarily mean that her sense of style needs to change too.

Alia revealed how she start ed making her maternity clothes by adding elastic to her favourite jeans, designing shirts that were bump-friend ly and wearing flowy dresses to avoid unwanted belly touching. Concluding, she wrote, “What started off as me trying to fill a gap in my existing wardrobe, led to an entire maternity collection. And I can't wait to give you a sneak peek tomorrow!”

character of a mute woman just as expected. It is interesting to know that Elli learnt sign lan guage right from the very first day itself and this shows how she can

and acted throughout the film merely with her expressions and eyes which surely is a difficult feat to achieve!

Dhanush and Elli’s chemistry has also been spoken about in this film which is certain from the glimpses we have seen in the past.

mould herself into any character she is re quired to portray. What's more? Critics and fans alike have been stumped by how the actress has emoted

Ayushmann's smart move!

Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana has made a mas sive producer-friendly move during the pandemic.

A trade source says, “Ayush mann is maintaining his price point of 25 crores as signing fee but he has structured it differently during the pandemic to benefit pro ducers. For films that he has signed during or right after the pandemic, Ayushmann has charged about 15 crores as a signing fee and the re maining 10 crores plus profit share is staggering basis the outcome of the film. This way, he ends up mak ing more if the film is a blockbuster and his producers are also benefit ed as the entire cost of Ayushmann doesn’t come to them while mount ing a project! This is the smartest thing that Ayushmann could have done because post-pandemic, the landscape of cinema has become completely different. Actors and producers have to work hand in hand for the industry to recover. Such moves help the bigger picture as films need to be made in a costeffective way across the board and when the film is a hit, the star can end up making more!”

After her, drastically different roles in mov ies like Malang the stunning and versatile actress has surely suc ceeded in making the right impression with this film and one can only expect her to climb higher and beyond when it comes to her ex

quisite and carefully selected choice of roles. She has much to cele brate as she is all set to essay varied roles in her projects this year from a mute woman in Naane Varuven to a vi vacious character in the Amitabh Bachchan film Goodbye. Speaking on the re sponse she has received for Naane Varuven, Elli says “it’s surreal to get such a response in my debut film. I was so nervous wondering whether the audience would accept me in a drastically different role and I tried my best.

Karan Johar

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Elli AvrRam

Poster of the film...

Ayushmann Khurrana