First India-Jaipur Edition-02nd January 2023

PRICE OF COMMERCIAL GAS CYLINDER UP BY `25

Coach alleges that she had to quit social media due to constant harassment

HARYANA MINISTER BOOKED

Haryana sports Minister Sandeep Singh has been booked on charges of sexual harassment and outraging modesty of a woman after a junior athletics coach filed a complaint against the Olympian.

A case under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A, 354-B, 342 and 506 of the IPC has been registered against The woman, junior

ATTEMPT TO SPOIL MY IMAGE:

Sports Minister Sandeep Singh has handed over his portfolio to the Chief Minister ML Khattar, and dismissed the allegations as an attempt to ‘spoil his image’. “There is an attempt to spoil my image. I hope there will be a thorough investigation into the false allegations levelled against me. I hand over the responsibility of the Sports department to the CM until the report of the investigation comes out,” he said.

More such women who have been harassed will come forward if the Sports Minister is arrested. After all, how long will a person remain silent? The Sports Minister has officially, mentally harassed me. Singh invited me to his home and forcefully engaged me in sexual misconduct.

athletics coach, held a PC at office of Opposition INLD, which has demanded that Manohar Lal Khattar govt, Haryana HM Anil Vij to set up a Special Investigation Team to probe matter.

Politicians, well-wishers attend prayer meet for Modi’s mother

Ahmedabad: A prayer meeting was organized in memory of Heeraben ‘Hiraba’ Modi, the mother of PM Narendra Modi in Vadnagar on Sunday. The prayer meeting was held between 9:00 am and 12:00 noon at PM’s birthplace Vadnagar. Heeraben Modi, 100, passed away at around 03:30 am on Friday at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in

Jammu: Three civilians were killed and six others were injured in a suspected terrorist attack in a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday evening. ‘The firing incident happened at upper Dhangri village of Rajouri district’ Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu Zone, said after the incident.

Ahmedabad, according to a bulletin from the hospital. She was hospitalized on Wednesday

7-storey hostel

built for girl students in Udaipur

Indoor stadium, gym and coaching room facility will also be available

Hostels will prove to be milestone for the tribal students here

Jaipur: The State government is committed for the all-round development of the tribal areas of the State. In this direction, Chief Minis-

after her health deteriorated. Modi performed last rites of his mom in Gandhinagar on Friday.

—Junior athletics coach

She said Singh harassed her from February to November last year, by repeated messages on social media. He touched her inappropriately and also threatened her in messages, she alleged.

India, Pakistan exchange list of the nuclear installations

First India Bureau

New Delhi: In continuing a 32-year practice, India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral pact which prohibits the two sides from attacking each other’s atomic facilities. The exchange of the list took place under the provisions of the agreement on the prohibition of attack against nuclear installations and facilities, the MEA said.

RELEASE PRISONERS

India

Sunday asked Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of 631 Indian fishermen and 2 Indian civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan.

Tragic! 12 lives lost in Sikar, 11 more in 5 mishaps in Raj

First India Bureau

Jaipur: 23 people died in separate accidents in the State on Sunday and Saturday night.

Sikar: 12 people, 7 of a family, died in a fierce collision of three vehicles in Sikar on Khandela-Palsana road on Sunday evening. 20 people in the pickup were returning after visiting Ganesh Dham temple in Khandela. A pickup and a bike collided near Maji Saheb’s Dhani and both the vehicles collided with the truck coming from the front.

Hanumangarh: 5 persons died on Saturday

night after their car collided with a truck on the Rawatsar- Sardarshahar Megha Highway in Pallu PS area.

Kota: Couple was killed and three others were injured when a speeding car lost its balance and rammed into a tree on NH near Sehnali.

Chomu: Two people were killed while half-adozen people were injured in Hadota area on Sunday evening after two speeding cars collided with each other.

Jaisalmer: Two minor girls were killed when car overturned while returning to Sumerpur in Pali. Full Report on P2

First India Bureau

Kabul: At least 10 people were killed and eight others seriously injured in an explosion that rocked Kabul military airport on Sunday. Abdul Nafee Takkur, a spokesman for the Taliban Interior Ministry, reported that an explosion caused injuries close to the military airport’s main gate in Kabul. No one has taken responsibility for the attack as of yet.

7-STOREY HOSTEL IN UDAIPUR

With this approval, a 7-storey hostel (Centre

HOSTEL OF 50 PAX IN RAJSAMAND

THAKUR RINGS IN NEW YEAR IN

GOLDEN CITY

Suryaveer S Tanwar

ter Ashok Gehlot has approved an additional financial proposal of Rs 14.80 crore for various schemes. With this,

sports facilities will be made available for the students in the area including construction of hostels, classrooms.

CLASS ROOMS WILL INCREASE IN SCHOOLS

Jaisalmer: Union Minister for I&B Anurag Singh Thakur celebrated his New Year in Jaisalmer. The minister visited a number of tourists places in Jaisalmer during his two-day visit and interacted with locals. Thakur visited shooting range in Dabla, indoor stadium and Akashwani Kendra during his tour. “The tourists here are welcomed by the beauty of this place and people.

Jaisalmer has a glorious history and we take

pride in its art and culture. I wish everyone a happy 2023,” said Thakur. He also appreciated shooting range.

Naresh Sharma

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI & MUMBAI

ANIL LAHOTI TAKES OVER CHARGE AS NEW CRB CHAIRMAN

New Delhi: The price of commercial gas cylinder has increased after seven consecutive reductions. The price of a 19-kg LPG commercial cylinder has increased by `25 kg on Sunday. Domestic cylinders cost remain unchanged.

New Delhi: Anil Kumar Lahoti has taken over the charge of new Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Railway Board (Ministry of Railways) on Sunday. The appointments committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment.

20 PLAYERS SHORTLISTED BY BCCI FOR WORLD CUP ’23

New Delhi: BCCI secy Jay Shah has opened up on India’s plans for the 2023 ODI World Cup which will take place later this year on home soil. Shah revealed that the board has already shortlisted a total of the 20 players for quadrennial event. P6

Sandeep Singh, accused of sexual harassment, Complainant is a junior athletics coach, she urges CM Khattar to set up SIT probe

SINGH

3 DEAD, 6 INJURED IN SUSPECTED TERROR ATTACK IN RAJOURI

RALLY IN GUNTUR

Hyderabad: 3 women have died in a stampede at a rally of Telugu Desam president and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in AP’s Guntur district. This is 2nd incident in a span of 4 days that people lost their lives at a public event of Naidu.

First India Bureau

A prayer meeting was organised in memory of PM Modi’s mother Hiraba at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, at Vadnagar on Sunday.

10 die, 8 injured after big blast outside Kabul’s military airport

SOON: IND ASKS PAK

MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING INSPIRATIONS: PREZ MURMU, MODI GREET CITIZENS

on

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu greeted people on the occasion of New Year and hoped that the year 2023 brings new inspirations, goals and achievements in the lives of people. PM Narendra Modi also extended New Year greetings and hoped that it will be filled with hope, happiness and lots of success.

Anurag Thakur being greeted by locals in Jaisalmer on Sunday.

Devotees offer prayers at the Moti Dungri Temple on the occasion of NY in Jaipur on Sunday. P3 —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Fierce collision of 3 vehicles on Khandela-Palsana road on Sunday.

Sandeep Singh

CM Ashok Gehlot

12 KILLED, 5 INJURED IN SIKAR

Ramesh Sharma

Sikar: Twelve people died and five were injured in a fierce collision of three vehicles in Sikar on Sunday. Seven deceased were from the same family The accident took place in Khandela area on KhandelaPalsana road at 4.30 pm on Sunday. 20 people in the pickup were returning after visiting Ganesh Dham temple in Khandela.

According to the police, a pickup and a bike collided near Maji Saheb’s Dhani. Meanwhile, both vehicles collided with the truck coming from the front.

The accident was so gruesome that twelve people died on the spot while one died later.

The dead include husband and wife riding a bike and eight people riding a pickup.

After the information of the accident, MP Sumedhanand Saraswati and former Union Minister Subhash Mahariya reached SK Hospital Sikar to meet the injured.

5 die, 1 injured in car-truck collision

Hanumangarh (ANI):

A total of five persons died on Saturday night after their car met with an accident in the Pallu police station area of Hanumangarh.

According to the police, the car carried six persons when it collided with a truck on the Rawatsar- Sardarshahar Megha Highway, of which five died on the spot while the sixth per-

Mercury below 10 degrees in major cities across State

son

referred to a hospital in Bikaner as he was critically injured.

People protest in Rawatbhata over Deva Gurjar murder

First India Bureau

Kota: In the case of Rawatbhata’s famous Deva Gurjar murder case, police lathi-charged at Deva supporters, taking out a rally demanding speedy trial and punishment for the murderers, at Phase II Ambedkar Circle. According to police sources, an attempt was being made to spoil the atmosphere of the city by calling outsiders to Rawatbhata through social media.

Naresh Kumar (28), Danaram (32), Bablu (28), and Murli (28), all belonging to Bisrasar village in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh. Meanwhile, the injured person was identified as Ashok Kumar (30) of Bisrasar.

The bodies of all the dead have been kept in the mortuary of the Pallu Government Hospital.

Ashok Gehlot @ashokgehlot51

It is very sad that many people died in road accident on Palsana-Khandela road in Khandela area of Sikar. My deepest condolences to bereaved family members. May God give them strength to bear this loss, may souls of the departed rest in peace.

Wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Om Birla @ombirlakota

The death of many people in the horrific road accident in Sikar (Rajasthan) is heartbreaking. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this loss. My deepest sympathies are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.

COUPLE KILLED, 3 INJURED AS

RAMS INTO TREE

CAR

IN KOTA Kota: A couple was killed and three others were injured in Kota when a speeding car lost its balance and rammed into a tree. Police informed the incident occurred at Sehnali village on Kota-Etawah-Sheopur State Highway - 70. “The deceased has been identified as Ramsiya Meena and her husband Shiv Charan Meena, residents of Jini Manpur in Madhya Pradesh. The victims were heading towards Kota when the speeding car rammed into a tree. The collision was so strong that the car was damaged Two of them died on the spot while three others, including two women, were critically injured.

2 GIRLS DIE IN CAR ACCIDENT IN JAISALMER

Jaisalmer: In a horrific road accident, two died and one was severely injured. The accident took place on the National Highway near Ramdevra.

The family that came to Jaisalmer from Sumerpur (Pali) to celebrate the New Year became a victim of a painful road accident.

The accident of the Swift car took place when the family was returning to Sumerpur from Jaisalmer.

The car became uncontrollable and overturned after overtaking a passenger bus when a stray dog suddenly came in front of it. Apart from the husband and wife, their two sons and two daughters were travelling in the car.

JAN AAKROSH YATRA

CHOMU: 2 DEAD & SIX INJURED AS CARS COLLIDE

Chomu: Two people were killed while half-a-dozen people were injured in the Hadota area of Chomu on Sunday evening after two speeding cars collided. Police officials informed the driver of the swift car lost its balance after an animal suddenly came in front of the car and rammed into a Tavera car coming from the opposite direction. “Due to fog on the highway, the car driver could not spot the animal and realized only after coming near to the animal. The driver lost the car’s balance and rammed it into another vehicle. The bodies of the deceased have been kept at mortuary and are yet to be identified.

BJP leaders attack Congress Govt for making a mockery of democracy

Ashish Choudhary

Jaipur (PTI): Cold conditions prevailed in most parts of Rajasthan where all major cities recorded minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said on Sunday.

At 1 degree Celsius, Fatehpur of Sikar was the coldest on Saturday night, followed by Churu, which recorded the minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius.

Hanumangarh and Chittorgarh recorded 3.3 de-

grees, Sikar 3.5 degrees, Bhilwara 4 degrees, Karauli 4.2 degrees, Alwar and Pilani 4.8 degrees, Dabok 6 degrees, Phalodi 6.2, and Anta 6.3 degrees Celsius. Other places recorded minimum temperatures between 6.5 degrees and 10 degrees Celsius.

Shallow to moderate fog engulfed a number of places in the state. Some places were reported to be weathering a cold to severe cold wave.

Despite no permission granted by the city administration, a rally was being taken out in Rawatbhata. Seeing the deteriorating atmosphere during the demonstration near Phase II Ambedkar Circle during the rally, the police used mild force to disperse the people involved in rally.

Rajsamand: Senior BJP leaders including BJP State President Satish Poonia, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari on Sunday participated in Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajsamand. The leader in their address attacked Congress govt over various issues. MP Diya Kumari said that earlier women were afraid to step out of the house only at night, but now women are not safe even in the afternoon.

“New records of crime against women are being made in Rajasthan. In 2023, the BJP will also win the Nathdwara assembly constituency, and we must work hard for this,” said MP Diya Kumari. BJP State President Satish Poonia visited Rakt Tawai, Chetak memorial, and Pratap Memorial and paid his floral tributes.

Jan Aakrosh Rally organised in Adarsh Nagar of Jaipur

Jaipur: BJP leaders including Dausa MP Jaskaur, MP Ramcharan Bohra, Ashok Parnami, Gyan Deo Ahuja on Sunday took part in the Jan Akrosh Rally in Adarsh Nagar assembly constituency. The public rally was organised in KK Paradise located on Agra Road under the Adarsh Nagar assembly constituency. The BJP leaders

Rathore takes suggestions from locals

Jaisalmer: RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore reached Jaisalmer in the luxury train Palace on Wheels on the first day of the New Year on Sunday. Rathore visited tourist places and enjoyed boating in Gadisar Sarovar and saw sand dunes from the helicopter joyride in Sam’s Dunes. Many office bearers and workers of the lo-

cal

way

During his visit, var-

ious suggestions related to the further development of tourism were taken from the people including the tourists present there. He also visited the Tanot Mata Temple along the Indo-Pak border with his family and offered special prayers. He discussed with the people living in the border areas and officials of BSF and the administration regarding the possibilities of border tourism.

Ashok Parnami addresses the rally on Agra Road.

attacked the Congress government over issues like law and order and others. Large number of BJP office bearers and workers were present in the rally.

Congress established Jungle Raj in the State: GS Shekhawat

Ashok Kumawat

Sirohi: Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday took part in the Jan Aakrosh Rally in Sirohi. While addressing the gathering, Union Minister Gajendra Singh targeted the Congress govt and said that ‘Jungle Raj’ has been established in the state in the past four years of the Congress government. “Rajasthan tops in rape cases and crimes against Dalits and poor has also increased in the state. There is strong opposition against the Congress govern-

ment in the state. UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal has insulted men of state by making controversial remarks,” said he said. “The government has played with the future of 70 lakh youths as papers of various competitive exams have been leaked since 2018.”

Jaipur: It is

state that vigorous investment is now being received in the petroleum sector as well. ACS mines and petroleum Dr. Subodh Aggarwal said that due to departmental efforts, Rs. 20,000 crore by Cairn Vedanta, Rs 663 crore by Oil India, Rs 1050 crore by ONGC in the petroleum sector, and Rs 1125 crore by Focus Energy

under Invest Rajasthan have been committed.

He said that all four investors have started bringing the investments to the ground and works of the companies worth Rs 6,200

crore have started. The largest investment in the petroleum sector is being made by Cairn Vedanta. Exploration and other development works are being done in PML and PEL blocks in Barmer and Jalore districts against the investment agreement of Rs 20,000 crore of which works worth Rs 5671 crore have been done.

Due to this, the exploration and mining work in the petroleum sector has gained momentum in the state.

20 people in the pickup were returning after visiting Ganesh Dham temple in Khandela on Sunday

was

The police have identified the deceased persons as Raju (24),

Car blown into pieces on the Rawatsar- Sardarshahar Mega Highway.

A pickup and a bike collided near Maji Saheb’s Dhani. Both vehicles then collided with a truck coming from the front on Sunday.

Farmer working in a field during a cold winter on New Year morning in Ajmer on Sunday. —PHOTO BY HIMANSHU SHARMA

Satish Poonia, Arjun Ram Meghwal & Diya Kumari participate in Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajsamand on Sunday.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Yatra in Sirohi.

First India Bureau

—Lalit Bansal

Nirmal Tiwari

the result of a better environment for investment in the

Suryaveer S Tanwar

Congress welcomed him. Jaisalmer Congress District President

Ummaid Singh Tanwar and other office bearers and workers at the rail-

station also welcomed him.

FROM SANDS DUNES OF JAISALMER

Dharmendra Rathore enjoying view of sand dunes from the helicopter joyride in Sam Dunes in Jaisalmer on Sunday.

2023 STARTS WITH PRAYERS, REVELRY

Jaipur/Dausa/ Sujangarh: A large number of devotes offered prayers at Govind Dev Ji temple in Jaipur, Moti Doongri Ganesh temple in Jaipur, Mehendipur Balaji temple in Dausa, Galtaji temple in Jaipur and Salasar Balaji temple in Sujangarh.

On the occasion of the New Year unique decoration was done at Balaji temples and other temples. On the other hand, devotees welcomed the new year by standing in front of Balaji’s gate reciting Hanuman Chalisa. Fireworks were done outside temples and hotels across nearby hotels.

At most of the temples special arrangements were made by local police and temple administration to ensure safety of devotees.

Kingpin and 2 others of Akki gang held, weapon recovered

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Three members of the Akki Gang were nabbed by Vaishali Nagar Police and DST west team on Sunday.

Noted criminal and prime accused Akram Mirza and two others were arrested by police.

The police also recovered a country-made weapon and a live cartridge from the possession of the accused.

“The miscreants had committed a crime on December 26. A boy, identified as Shahid, was brutally beaten by the accused.

The miscreants also

fired gunshots in the air and fled from the spot.

Special teams were formed to nab the accused and based on specific inputs, the accused have been arrested and are being interrogat-

ed,” police said.

Akram Mirza has seven cases registered against him in the past, including those under the Arms Act, attempt to murder, robbery, kidnapping and theft.

Liquor worth `111 cr consumed on NY Eve

First India Bureau

Jaipur: People consumed liquor worth Rs 111 crore in New Year’s celebrations across the State, highest in the last two years. This time 150 temporary licences were issued for New Year celebrations in Jaipur.

According to the report of the Excise Department, on two days (30 and 31 December), beer worth Rs 19.95 crore was sold in Rajasthan, while Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) i.e. English liquor worth Rs 87.82 crore was sold. This was the highest ever record liquor sale at the year end this year.

Jaipur in

Jaipur: In 8 days from December 24 to December 31, the arrival of more than 3.39 lakh tourists in Jaipur has not only brought back the beauty of the travel trade, but also showed strength of Rajasthan’s rich cultural heritage to whole world. More than 42,000 tourists visited city on an average daily, which is a new record after Corona. Dr Mahendra Singh Khad-

Earlier in the year 2019, liquor worth Rs 104 crore was sold from godowns on 30 and 31 December. At that time also there was no restriction on event. Peo-

gawat, director of Archaeological Department, said that the forecast made by the department regarding the arrival of tourists was accurate. This is the reason that even after arrival of large number of tourists at monuments, there was no shortage of any kind in the system.

Hundreds of tourists also reached Jhalana Leopard Reserve, Amagarh Leopard Reserve and other places.

ple jammed heavily in hotels, pubs, farm houses & resorts.

Along with beer and IMFL, this time imported liquor was also in great demand. Within 2

POLICE REMAINED ALERT,

4447

PEOPLE FINED

Jaipur:

days, foreign liquor worth Rs 35.26 cr was sold in state. Additional Excise Commissioner Rakesh Sharma said more than 150 licences were issued in Jaipur.

Two more held in gangster Raju Thehat murder case

First India Bureau

Bikaner: In the Raju Thehat murder case, the Gujarat ATS and SOG arrested main arms supplier supplier Vijaypal from Mehsana. The action was taken on the inputs given by the Bikaner police.

Meanwhile, another accused Dhanraj Gehlot, who lives near Panchmukha Hanuman temple, was also arrested and handed over to the Sikar police. Accord-

ing to the Sikar police, accused Dhanraj Gehlot had provided weapons to the shooters.

The Sikar police will now interrogate the ac-

cused thoroughly about when and what kinds of weapons were made available from Bikaner.

Sikar Police has so far arrested Manish alias Bachchiya, Vikram Gurjar, Jatin Verma alias Johnny Pahalwan, Satish Kumar alias Pahalwan, Sakil Khan, Ganesh Ojha, Rakesh Ojha, Mukesh alias Ballu, Sarjit Singh, Gulzhari alias GL, Nemichand Gurjar and Umesh Gehlot, in the Raju Thehat murder case.

Nirmal Tiwari

First India Bureau

Morning aarti and special prayers were offered at temples across Rajasthan; devotees were seen waiting in queues to offer prayers

BSF troops, who are keeping away from their families, began the New Year with aarti of Tanot Mata located on the border of India and Pakistan.

Walled City witnessed traffic snarls due to New Year. People were on outing with families for shopping and visit to tourist spots.

Police checking vehicles at Sanjay Circle on Sunday. More than 4447 people were challaned.

Prasadi of paush vada was offered at Galtaji Temple on Sunday morning.

Devotees offer prayers at Govind Dev Ji temple, Jaipur with special aarti in the morning.

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA RHB’s City Park in Mansarovar witnessed huge footfall on Sunday as tourists and locals rushed to the park to ring in New Year.

Accused in the Vaishali Nagar police custody on Sunday.

Tourists and school children throng Amer Fort on New Year morning on Sunday.

The traffic police and officials of Jaipur Police Commissionerate remained on their toes on December 31. The cops kept a close eye on incidents of drunken driving in the New Year Eve. Officials informed that extra police personnel were deployed at more than 50 check points in the city. “The police force was deployed between 8am to 1am on Sunday. In order to maintain law and order on New Year Eve, police officials from traffic, police stations and reserve police lines were deployed. A total of 4,447 people were fined (Challan) in a single day while the number of drunk driving cases were 17,” Additional Commissioner Ajay Pal Lamba said during a media briefing on Sunday.

Devotees offer prayers at Salasar Balaji Temple on New Year’s Eve. Prasadi was served at various places to the devotees (inset) Deities decorated with garlands. —PHOTO BY TANUJ LATA

PAST CASES

Dhanraj Gehlot in custody.

PM NARENDRA MODI WANTS 350 BJP MPs IN 2024

India’s Prime Minister played the role of a catalyst, even providing Rs 3,000 crore in funding, for the accelerated development of a vaccine against nCov through publicprivate enterprise that proved crucial in the battle against the nCov. Not only that, he also exported the Indian vaccine free of cost to less developed nations of the world that were reeling under the impact of the pandemic even as exorbitant costs demanded by European vaccine manufacturers ruled out their ability to purchase those vaccines.

ASENIORBJPLEADER TOLDFIRSTINDIA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to be in perpetual election mode with a current focus on the north-eastern state of Tripura in India where the next round of state assembly elections are scheduled as well as the southern state of Karnataka in the coming months. And yet, the Modi juggernaut has also upped the ante on the international political landscape for a high stakes gambit likely to transcend India as a major world player to pitchfork the Indian premier into the race for the next Nobel peace prize.

The latest endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came a couple of days ago when Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called him up ostensibly to congratulate him on ascending to the presidency of the G20 formation of nations. Zelenskyy tweeted thereafter and said, “I had a phone call with@PMOIndia.”

Narendra Modi wished a suc-

cessful G20 presidency. It was on this platform that announced the peace formula and now, I count on India’s participation on its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN (United Nations).” Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had also paid glowing tributes to an emergent India under PM Modi’s leadership evidencing his amiability to India playing a mitigating role to end the Russian conflict with Ukraine.

While Modi plays peacemaker on the global stage currently, his international role during the global Covid 19 pandemic has also been acknowledged as a game changer by the world.

Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) had acknowledged India’s professional and sanitized response to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic right since its outbreak in February 2020 considering the herculean task of protecting and vaccinating a 1.38 billion plus population in India was concerned.

PM Modi’s emphasis on the development of an indigenous vaccine in the country that was also subsequently distributed free of cost to several underdeveloped nations of the world came in for particular ac-

PM MODI PLAYS PEACEMAKER ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

in the battle against the nCov. Not only that, he also exported the Indian vaccine free of cost to less developed nations of the world that were reeling under the impact of the pandemic even as exorbitant costs demanded by European vaccine manufacturers ruled out their ability to purchase those vaccines,” a senior BJP leader told First India. He added, “While Balakot played an important role to ensure a 300 plus Lok Sabha result in favour of the BJP in 2019, the Prime Minister’s proactive human service record is expected to secure the political future of party even in 2024 general elections when the party expects to further consolidate its presence across India by achieving a target of electing over 350 Members of Parliament in Lok Sabha.”

claim globally.

“India’s Prime Minister played the role of a catalyst, even providing Rs 3,000 crore in

funding, for the accelerated development of a vaccine against nCov through public-private enterprise that proved crucial

REST IN PEACE POPE BENEDICT XVI

enedict XVI leaves behind a complex legacy as a Pope and theologian. To many observers, Benedict, who died on Dec. 31, 2022 at the age of 95, was known for criticizing what he saw as the modern world’s rejection of God and Christianity’s timeless truths. But as a scholar of the diversity of global Catholicism, I think it’s best to avoid simple characterizations of Benedict’s theology, which I believe will influence the Catholic Church for generations.

While the brilliance of this intellectual legacy will certainly endure, it will also have to contend with the shadows of the numerous controversies that marked Benedict’s time as pope and,

later, as pope emeritus.

PRIEST & PROFESSOR

Ratzinger was chosen by Pope John Paul II to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees and enforces Catholic doctrine. In this position, Cardinal Ratzinger disciplined a number of theologians.

CONTROVERSIES

boys at a Catholic school for the deaf in Wisconsin.

THEOLOGICAL WRITINGS

The only political reversal that may adversely impact the BJP prospects in the 2024 polls is the looming worry regarding Supreme Court of India’s likely verdict on the issue of political reservations for the other backward caste communities (OBC) coming before the general elections are announced, the senior BJP leader noted.

TOP TWEETS

Narendra Modi@narendramodi

CARDINAL AND POPE

As a skilled theologian,

After his election, Pope Benedict XVI had to confront a growing sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. While a cardinal, he had publicly downplayed the extent and seriousness of the crisis. And it was under his leadership that The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith decided not to remove Lawrence C. Murphy from the priesthood, even though Murphy had been accused of molesting more than 200

As pope, Benedict continued his theological writing and produced three important encyclicals or papal letters. The first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, or “God is Love,” defends “charity” as love that is freely given. Charity is not simply a good deed but an act that changes both the giver and the recipient.

LEGACY OF BENEDICT

When Benedict resigned as pope in 2013, it took the world by surprise. In saying that he could no longer bear the burdens of the Papacy, Benedict promised to live in seclusion. His official title became “Pope Emeritus.” SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

Amit Shah@AmitShah

Birthday greetings to Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia Ji, who is working to ensure a vibrant aviation sector with a focus on connectivity and boost the steel sector. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life.@JM_Scindia

Birthday greetings to the Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri @ NBirenSingh Ji. Your commitment towards the development of Manipur and the welfare of people is commendable. May God bless you with a long and healthy life.

For the lord takes delight in his people; He crowns the humble and salvation.

Bible

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

RENNI ABRAHAM

The writer is Honorary Consulting Editor, First India Mumbai

Narendra Modi wished a successful G20 presidency. It was on this platform that announced the peace formula and now, I count on India’s participation on its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the United Nations

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Benedict was born Josef Alois Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany. During World War II, he was required to join the

Hitler Youth, a wing of the Nazi Party. He was later drafted into an anti-aircraft unit and then the infantry of Nazi Germany.

PM Narendra Modi

2024 LOK SABHA ELECTIONS BJP TO LAUNCH PRE-POLL DRIVE IN MAHARASHTRA FROM TODAY

First India Bureau

Mumbai: BJP chief JP Nadda will launch the party’s pre-poll campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra on Monday.

He will visit Chandrapur constituency, and hold a series of meetings during his day-long stay under ‘Lok Sabha Pravas Yojana’.

The BJP has started preparations for the 2024 elections. Nadda will do ‘pravas’ (stays) in every state to kick-start prepoll campaigns.

Of total 545 Lok Sabha constituencies, the party has shortlisted 160 constituencies where it may face a tough contest. Maharashtra has 144 constituencies of which 18 are tough it.

Prominent leaders such as Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Deputy Chief Minister Devender Fadnavis and Minister Raosaheb Danve will accompany Nadda in his day-long tour in Maharashtra.

Raipur (ANI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel once again attacked the Governor and BJP on Sunday about the issue of delaying the reservation bill, which has been passed in the state assembly.

BJP SETS TARGET OF 60 LS SEATS IN SOUTHERN INDIA FOR 2024 ELECTIONS

New Delhi (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after capturing fortress Karnataka has now started preparations to spread its wings in other southern states as well. According to the party sources, the preparations are in full swing and seasoned BJP workers are being deployed on more than 50 seats. Their training in this regard was conducted in Hyderabad a few days back. There are 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, 25 in Andhra Pradesh, 39 in Tamil Nadu, 17 in Telangana and 28 in Karnataka. The sources further said that the BJP has recently conducted a training camp in Hyderabad, in which a complete plan has been prepared to target about 60 Lok Sabha seats in the Southern States of the country.

K’TAKA: BJP TO WOO VOKKALIGA LEADERS

New Delhi (PTI): The BJP is going to allure several Vokkaliga leaders from “panchayat to Parliament” into its fold from Karnataka’s Old Mysuru region ahead of the Assembly polls in the southern state due later this year, party leaders said on Sunday. They said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already been working on the ground and reaching out to like-minded people in the run-up to the election.

BENGAL BJP TO SHIFT PARTY HEADQUARTERS

Kolkata (Agencies): The 98-year long journey of the state BJP headquarters in West Bengal in rented accommodation at the congested and narrow Muralidhar Sen Lane in north Kolkata is about to end this new year. Instead, the state headquarters of the saffron camp will be shifted to a new modern office in Salt Lake on the outskirts of Kolkata which is considered as the information technology hub of the state.

CM Baghel on reservation bill

at stake due to the stubbornness of the government.” CM Baghel was speaking to the reporters at the event of the blanket distribution programme among the labourers on the very first day of the year.

`1L cr worth mobile phone exports is PM’s vision: Min

New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for 2023 is to have mobile phone exports with the segment featuring in the top 10 export category from India, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.

While speaking with PTI, the minister said that the government will take all the measures that are required for boosting the electronics manufacturing ecosystem in the country and in 2023 will look at widening the manufacturing base beyond mobile phone manufacturing.

“PM Narendramodi Ji’s vision for 2023 is mobile phone exports worth Rs 1 lakh crore, with mobile phones featuring in the Top 10 exported category,” Chandrasekhar said.

New Delhi: The river cruise from Varanasi in UP to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, billed as the world’s longest, will be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on January 13. The luxury cruise with foreign tourists will cover around 3,200 km of 27 river systems including Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Brahmaputra and West Coast Canal in India in a span of 50 days. The cruise will cover 50 major tourist sites, including some heritage sites, the famous Ganga Aarti at Varanasi and sanctuaries such as Kaziranga National Park and the Sundarbans Delta.

PM MODI TO ADDRESS 108TH INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS ON JANUARY 3

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) on January 3 at 10:30 am via video conferencing. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the focal theme of this year’s ISC is “Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment”. It will witness discussions on issues of sustainable development, women empowerment and the role of science and technology in achieving this.

New Delhi (ANI): The Central govt should take nation into confidence about recent border clashes between Indian and Chinese troops, said Congress leader Harish Rawat on Sunday. “The whole nation wants to know what is happening at the borders,” Rawat said in reply to a query about Rahul Gandhi accusing Centre of hiding behind the back of Indian soldiers. “Whenever you start to question this government whether on Galwan, Depsang or Tawang or any issue, when you question them on Chinese incursions, when you ask them to take the whole nation into confidence on border issues, then the BJP leadership says we are raising questions about the loyalty of Indian soldiers,” Rawat added.

He said, “A bill which was passed in the assembly, is called the property of the assembly. It has left the assembly and gone to the Raj Bhavan, even that too is pending.

The Governor should either sign it or return it to the Vidhan Sabha.

The bill was passed in

the Vidhan Sabha on 2nd December. Even after one month, the fu-

ture of the students and youth of the entire state who want to get a job is

Raipur North MLA Kuldeep Juneja, Mayor Ejaz Dhebar, and former Mayor Pramod Dubey were present during the programme along with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

The assembly session is about to start tomorrow, as per the official sources.

Kolkata: The VHP has passed a resolution against religious radicalism, which it said was responsible for terror attacks across the world, and demanded a stringent law to ban illegal conversions and implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. “A comprehensive policy has to be made at the global level to deal with the toxic effects of religious dogmatism. This narrow-mindedness and exclusivism has to be neutralised at the intellectual, social and political levels,” VHP said in a press note.

Bharat Jodo Yatra left a huge impact on people: Vaiko

Chennai (ANI): MDMK general secretary and MP Vaiko on Sunday said that congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has left a huge impact on people.

Viako said,” Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi has left a huge impact on people. The opposition has to unite to defeat the BJP in the 2024

FISSURES IN ALLIANCE?

general election. There is a danger to Democracy because of the policies of the Union Government”. ‘BJP is strong in all aspects,” he added. This statement comes a day after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed there is a huge undercurrent against the BJP and said that his party will win a landslide victory in the

JDU-RJD: Allies with no mutual trust?

Shamsher Singh

New Delhi: Lalu Prasad’s party Rashtriya Janata Dal and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU are not of the same opinion on the post of Chief Minister in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar said recently that Tejashwi Yadav will lead the Grand Alliance in 2025. Nitish had said this in front of RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister of the state Tejashwi Yadav but Tejashwi or his par-

ty did not react to it.

Even before this, Nitish Kumar had said that

Tejashwi will take care of the development work of Bihar. At first

glance, it appears to be Nitish’s goodwill towards Tejashwi, but RJD leaders are seeing it as a strategy to postpone Tejashwi’s coronation for three more years.

RJD leaders want Nitish Kumar to leave the post of Chief Minister now and get involved in the strategy of 2024 general elections. RJD state president Jagdanand Singh has said in very clear words that one has to give up small things

to achieve big things. What he meant to say was that in order to become the Prime Minister, Nitish Kumar should leave the post of Chief Minister. Other RJD leaders also said that if Nitish has to become a contender for the post of Prime Minister of the united opposition, then he should hand over the command of the state to Tejashwi and work for coordination with the opposition parties across the country.

upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh. On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi said “I can give this in writing that Congress is going to sweep the Madhya Pradesh elections. BJP will be seen nowhere. I can guarantee this for you. Every person in MP knows that BJP has formed its government using money.”

Medical colleges in each district of UP this year, says Yogi

Lucknow (ANI): In order to strengthen the health infrastructure of the state, the Yogi Adityanath government will start 4,600 health ATMs in all wellness centers and medical colleges in every district, informed the government on Sunday.

According to an official release, the process of appointing expert personnel to assist the people at all health ATMs has also been expedited. “With its launch, the patient will be able to get the facility of 60 tests. Teleconsultation facilities will also be available at health centers. Furthermore, all the PHCs and CHCs of the state will be connected with SGPGI and people will not have to run to the medical college for minor problems. At the same time, the facility of medical colleges will also start in almost all the districts of the state this year. Work is going on in this direction on a war footing,” it said.

UP’S PLANS FOR $1tn ECONOMY

Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) has prepared a landbank of more than 15,000 acres as part of the Yogi govt’s goal to make the state a $ 1 trillion economy and to strengthen the infrastructure so that global companies coming to GIS-23 do not face any problem.

The Yogi Government’s special focus, for this year, will be on the health sector, law and order, tourism, education, and infrastructure development.

The Government wants to ensure that the people of the state get better health facilities as well as technologybased education.

IN THE COURTYARD

OFFICER CANNOT ACT AS THE MOUTHPIECE OF J&K CID, RULES HIGH COURT

issue or renewal of passport. “Even, there is not an iota of allegation against the petitioner that may point out to any security concerns. The police verification report formulated by CID-CIK cannot override the statutory provisions of Section 6 of the Passport Act 1967,” court said in an order on Saturday.

EX-MP MINISTER SENTENCED TO THREE-YEAR IMPRISONMENT IN CORRUPTION CASE

Gwalior: A local court has convicted Congress leader and former minister Bhagwan Singh Yadav in a 2004 cooperative bank corruption case and sentenced him to three-year imprisonment. Besides Yadav, five other accused were also handed jail terms for periods of three years and four years while two others were absolved of the charges, according to the prosecution. Special MPs and MLAs court judge Sushil Kumar Joshi on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on Yadav, government advocate Dharmendra Sharma told PTI.

KASHI TO DIBRUGARH VIA B’DESH:

PM TO LAUNCH 3,200 KM RIVER CRUISE

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda addresses a public meeting, in Coimbatore, recently. —PHOTO BY PTI

R Chandrasekhar says govt will take measures needed to boost electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India

“Take nation into confidence over India-China border clashes”

VHP seeks strict anti-conversion law and UCC

Either Guv sign it or return it to assembly: U’khand

Chhattisgarh

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel speaking to the media. —FILE PHOTO

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko speaks in the Upper House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi recently. —FILE PHOTO

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav during the ceremony to distribute appointment letters to teachers related to the Education, Science and Technology department, at Gyan Bhawan, in Patna on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

J&K: SNOW-CLEARING PARTIES DEPLOYED IN DODA AS TOURIST INFLOW CONTINUES

Doda (ANI): The Doda civil administration has deployed snow-clearing parties after fresh snowfall on Saturday suspended vehicular movement in some places.

Snowfall in Kashmir attracts tourists from across the world at this time of the year.

Due to heavy snowfall on the highway, vehicular movement got suspended, and the tourists were facing difficulties, informed the administration. Many tourists had to wait for a long till the road was cleared. Indian Army deployed along LoC in the Uri sector continues patrolling in harsh winter conditions.

The India Meteorological Department on Sunday said that minimum and maximum temperatures in January 2023 are most likely

to be below normal over many parts of central India and adjoining areas of peninsular, east and northwest India.

As per IMD, abovenormal to normal minimum temperatures are most likely over southern parts of the south

Peninsula, many parts of northeast India and some parts of northwest India.

IMD also predicted monthly rainfall for January 2023 over Northwest India consisting of seven meteorological subdivisions (East Uttar

Int’l Year of Millets 2023 kicks off

140 Indian embassies will participate in the global events

New Delhi (ANI): The International Year of Millets 2023 has officially kicked off.

The government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for declaring the

year 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the proposal of India was supported by 72 countries. UNGA declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets in March 2021.

WHAT ARE MILLETS?

Millet is a common term for categorizing smallseeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals. Some of them are sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), little millet (kutki), foxtail millet (kakun), proso millet (cheena), barnyard millet (sawa), and kodo millet (kodon). An essential staple cereal crop for millions of smallholder dryland farmers, millets offer nutrition, resilience, income and livelihood for farmers.

Pradesh, West Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) is most likely to be below normal (78 per cent of Long Period Average (LPA)), IMD said on Sunday.

ARMY IN URI CONTINUES PATROLLING IN HARSH WINTER CONDITIONS

ICG rescues 12 crew of sinking vessel in Gujarat

Baramulla: Indian Army deployed along LoC in Uri sector continues patrolling in harsh winter conditions.“We

IMD PREDICTS RAINS IN COASTAL AREAS OF TN BETWEEN JANUARY

Chennai: The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted light to moderate rains in coastal districts of Tamil Nadu

3-5

between January 3 and January 5. “Dry weather is likely to prevail in Tamil Nadu, Puduwcherry and Karaikal regions for today and tomorrow,” the RMC said in a statement on Sunday.

Ahmedabad (PTI):

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 12 crew members of a sinking supply vessel in the Arabian sea off the Gujarat coast, it said on Sunday.

The operation was carried out on Saturday after a distress message was received by the Mumbai-based ICG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). The Motorised Supply Vessel (MSV) was reported to be heavily flooded and sinking.

Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumes command of the western air command

New Delhi (ANI): Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumed command of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command on Sund ay. The Air Marshal is a graduate of the National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot in Jun 1985. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff

2 WORKERS KILLED IN NASHIK FACTORY BLAST AND BLAZE

Nashik: Two persons were killed and 14 others injured when massive fire, following by a deafening blast, engulfed a factory in Igatpuri in Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Sunday, officials said. The explosion and fire, reportedly in a boiler, in the Jindal Polyfilms Company’s plant at Gonde village, was reported around 11.30 a.m., as people were waking up after the New Year celebrations.

KIN SEEK HELP TO BRING BODY OF TN BOY DIED IN CHINA

Hyderabad: A 22-year-old student from Tamil Nadu who was studying in China for last five years has died of an illness, and his economically weak family has requested the foreign ministry for help to bring back his body. Towards the end of his medical education, the student, Abdul Sheikh, was doing internship in China. He had returned to India recently and gone back to China on December 11.

Jain

DIES AT 80

Agartala: Senior Tripura Minister and president of Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura NC Debbarma died here on Sunday following prolonged illness, family and hospital sources said. He was 80. Debbarma, who held the Revenue and Forest Departments, is survived by four sons, three daughters and wife.

He suffered from a severe brain stroke on December 30 and was admitted to the Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital, where he breathed his last.

100 HOSPITALISED IN KERALA AFTER FOOD POISONING

Pathanamthitta: Over 100 eople suffered from suspected food poisoning with one of them in a serious condition after allegedly taking meals during a baptism in a church near Keezhvaipur in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. State Health Minister Veena George ordered an enquiry into the incident. The probe is to be done by the Food Safety Department that has been asked to submit a report immediately. The police said they filed a case against the caterers who provided the meals.

College, Wellington, said a press release by the Ministry of De -

‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor, fighter Striker Leader, Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner, Air Marshal Sinha has more than 4500 hours of flying experience, added the statement.

In his service career spanning over 37 years, the Air Marshal has tenanted important command and staff appointments.

Rohit stays skipper, BCCI shortlists 20 players for WC

New Delhi (PTI): There is no imminent threat to Rohit Sharma’s ODI and Test captaincy as the BCCI brass hasn’t found anything unsatisfactory about his leadership in the traditional formats, according to sources in the board. Skipper Rohit, along with head coach Rahul Dravid, attended the review meeting in Mumbai. The meeting was conducted by BCCI secretary Jay Shah. Along with last selection committee’s chairman Chetan Sharma, NCA head VVS Laxman, president Roger Binny also attended the review meeting.

New T20 captain Hardik Pandya wasn’t a part of the meeting.

BCCI’S FOCUS ON FITNESS OF PLAYERS

Mumbai: The BCCI will increase its focus on player fitness and consider who have played a substantial domestic season when

making selections for the national team, it said on Sunday following a review meeting ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

INJURY-PRONE PLAYERS TOLD TO SKIP IPL

Mumbai: Among several key decisions was also a verdict on players’ participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The top officials of the Indian cricket board have decided that the World Cup-bound players who are prone to injuries will not play in the IPL.

SHAH EXPLAINS INDIA’S 2023 ODI WC ROADMAP AFTER THE REVIEW MEETING

Mumbai: BCCI secretary Jay Shah opened up on plans for the 2023 ODI World Cup to be held later this year on home soil. The BCCI has already shortlisted a total of 20 players for the event.“BCCI has

As it eventually sank, all the 12 Indian crew were taken onboard Motor Tanker (MT) Searanger. The call was made regarding uncontrolled flooding onboard Indian MSV, ‘Nigahen Karam’. After receiving the call, the MRCC alerted all the vessels operating in vicinity of the spot and coordinated with Maritime Rescue Sub Centre, Porbandar to divert a Motor Tanker Searanger to provide immediate assistance.

shortlisted 20 players who will be rotated till the 50 overs World Cup,” he said.

U’KHAND CM DHAMI VISITS RISHAB PANT GOVT TO HONOUR ROADWAYS STAFF

Dehradun: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Dehradun’s Max hospital on Sunday afternoon to see the star cricketer Rishabh Pant, who is undergoing treatment after getting seriously injured in a road accident near Roorkee. Dhami also inquired about the treatment being given to the cricketer.

ROADMAP FOR FUTURE

Dehradun: After visiting injured Rishabh Pant, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced that his government will on Republic Day honour the driver and operator of Haryana Roadways, who saved the life of star cricketer Rishabh Pant who met with an accident recently.

New Delhi (PTI): Nearly 31,000 complaints of crimes committed against women were received by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in 2022, the highest since 2014.

In 2021, the NCW had received 30,864 complaints while in 2022, the number slightly increased to 30,957.

Of the 30,957 complaints, the maximum of 9,710 were related to the right to live with dignity that takes into account the emotional abuse of women, followed by those related to domestic violence at 6,970 and dowry harassment at 4,600, according to NCW data accessed by PTI.

About 54.5 per cent (16,872) of the complaints were received from the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.

Delhi recorded 3,004 complaints, followed by Maharashtra (1,381), Bihar (1,368) and Haryana (1,362). According to the data, the highest number of complaints related to the right to live with dignity and domestic violence were received from Uttar Pradesh.

“Today’s actions will define India’s picture in 2047”

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that science, technology and innovation in 2023 will define India’s picture in 2047.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, while speaking on ‘2023 Science Vision’ said, “2023 holds significance because 2023 would outline India’s form in 2047. India’s picture of 2047 will be determined

in 2023 itself. This picture will be an outline of the last eight years.”

He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts for giving a new dimension to the country in the field of science and technology, which is recognized worldwide and has now started showing results.

“2023 is the last 25 years before 2047. India will celebrate its hundredth anniversary of Independence in 2047, so the last quarter will

also have 2023 as its first year. It will be 2047 when India will be able to see all the dreams of

its century come true. This also because the economy of India depends on our innova-

tions, and our scientific achievements to a considerable extent.”

The minister further appreciated PM Modi for the respect he has accorded to science in the last eight years, the way he has treated the scientists by giving them respectable positions and the way he has simplified several rules for the ease of doing scientific work.

Giving an example, the minister said, “Space has been opened

for private public participation, and as a result, private rockets are being launched. As this year ends, the country would be filled with enthusiasm.”

“Gaganyaan would be a matter of pride for us. Being the first of its type, Gaganyaan will be the first human flight that will take Astronauts of Indian origin to space. This will as a result increase our selfesteem,” Dr Singh further added.

MoS Dr Jitendra Singh talks to media in New Delhi on Sunday.

TRIPURA MINISTER

CRUCIAL READ

New Delhi: Members of Jain community protested in several parts of the country against the Jharkhand govt’s decision of declaring ‘sacred’ Shri Sammed Shikharji a tourist place.

community members gathered in huge numbers and protested at the India Gate in Delhi against the decision. Similarly, in Aligarh, a huge rally was carried out from Ramlila ground. The rally comprised of both men and women in huge numbers.

JAINS PROTEST AS SHRI SAMMED SHIKHARJI DECLARED TOURIST PLACE

JAY

are doing our duty to keep the nation safe. Till the time we’re deployed here no infiltration attempt can be successful. No challenge big enough for a soldier,” an Army personnel said.“These jawans are patrolling of fence despite heavy snowfall and minus temperature,” he said.

A view of the snow-covered Gulmarg ski resort after heavy snowfall, in Gulmarg. —PHOTO BY ANI

fence. An experienced fighter pilot, Category

NCW received nearly 31,000 complaints of crimes against women in 2022

Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha receives the Guard of Honour.

INDIA’S ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION GROWS 11% IN DEC

GST COLLECTIONS RISE BY 15% IN DEC 2022

New Delhi: India’s power consumption logged a double-digit growth of over 11% to 121.19 billion units in December 2022 compared to the year-ago period. The robust growth of power consumption indicates sustained momentum of economic activities in December. Experts say power consumption and demand will further increase in January due to use of heating appliances, especially in the northern parts of the country, and further improvement in economic activities. —PTI

New Delhi: The collections from Goods and Services Tax (GST) grew by 15% to over ` 1.49 lakh crore in December 2022, indicating improved manufacturing output and consumption demand, besides better compliance.

This is the 10th month in a row that the revenues have remained above the ` 1.4 lakh crore mark. The collection in November was about `1.46 lakh crore.

“The gross GST revenue collected during December 2022 is ` 1,49,507 crore, of which CGST is ` 26,711 crore, SGST is ` 33,357 crore, IGST is `78,434 crore (including ` 40,263 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is ` 11,005 crore (including `850 crore collected on import of goods),” the ministry said.

CORPORATE TAX TO GDP RATIO EXCEEDS 3 PER CENT AFTER TWO YEARS IN FY’22

New Delhi (PTI): Corporate tax collections exceeded 3% of the GDP after a gap of two years in 2021-22, reflecting overall improvement in profitability of India Inc propelled by increase in demand for goods and services. However, the corporate tax collection is yet to surpass its five-year high of 3.51% of GDP recorded in 2018-19. In actual terms, the net corporate tax collection in 2021-22 stood at `7.12 lakh crore. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current market price was `236.64 lakh crore. The percentage of net corporate tax to GDP worked out to be 3.01%.

PETROL, DIESEL SALES SURGE IN DECEMBER 2022

New Delhi (PTI): India’s petrol and diesel demand soared in December as increased consumption in agriculture sector helped build on the momentum generated by the festive season, preliminary industry data showed on Sunday.

Petrol sales soared 8.6% to 2.76 million tonnes in December, as compared to 2.54 million tonnes of consumption in the same month last year. Sales were 13.3% higher than in COVIDmarred December 2020 and 23.2% more than in prepandemic December 2019.

Month-on-month, the demand was up 3.7% on the high base festive season created since October.

Diesel, the most used fuel in the country, posted a 13% rise in sales in December to 7.3 million tonnes, as compared to the same month last year.

Consumption was up 14.8% over December 2020.

‘Confident to surpass 700MT production target in FY’23’

New Delhi: Foreign investors pumped in `11,119 crore in the Indian equities in December, making it the second consecutive monthly inflow, despite increasing concerns over the re-emergence of Covid-19 cases in some parts of the world. However, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have turned cautious in recent days. The inflow in December was much lower compared to `36,239 crore invested by FPIs in the month of November, data with the depositories showed. —PTI

MCAP OF EIGHT OF TOP-10 FIRMS

JUMPS `1.35 L CR

The revenues for December 2022 are 15% higher than the GST collection in the same month last year, which itself was close to `1.30 lakh crore.

During the month, revenues from the import of goods were 8% higher, and the revenues from the do-

mestic transaction (including the import of services) are 18% more than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year. In November 2022, 7.9 crore e-way bills were generated, which was significantly higher than the 7.6 crore e-way bill issued in October 2022.

Revenues from GST

Electric two-wheeler sales may miss target

New Delhi (PTI): Electric two-wheeler sales could miss the target of 10 lakh units in fiscal 2022-23 by 20%, mainly due to withholding of around Rs 1,100 crore subsidy by the government, according to industry body SMEV.

touched a record of about ` 1.68 lakh crore in April.

In May, the collection was about ` 1.41 lakh crore, June ( ` 1.45 lakh crore), July (`1.49 lakh crore), August ( ` 1.44 lakh crore), September ( ` 1.48 lakh crore), October (`1.52 lakh crore), November ( ` 1.46 lakh crore) & December (`1.49 lakh crore).

Diesel sales, however, dipped marginally by 0.5% when compared with November 2022.

Kolkata (PTI): Coal India chairman Pramod Agrawal remained confident in surpassing the ambitious 700 million tonne production target by March 2023 and said a “price revision is essential” for the dry fuel to get the company compensated adequately.

It will be another feather in coal India’s cap, once the company meets the annual production target with over 12% growth for the first time set by the government, while keeping the coal price capped for nearly five years to support the nation containing the inflation to some extent.

In 2021-22, the production was 622.6 million tonne. The company is extracting more coal to meet India’s growing energy demand, but at the same time, it was

INDIA’S COAL PRODUCTION LIKELY AT 997 MT IN FY’24

New Delhi (PTI): The country is expected to produce 997.14 million tonnes (MT) of coal in the coming financial year. Of the projected figure, state-owed CIL’s output is likely to be 760 MT, followed by Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) at 75 MT, and captive and others at 162.14 MT, according to government data.

“taking several measures to reduce emissions to support the country’s net zero target by 2070”.

“The 700 million tonne aim itself is challenging and ambitious. So far we are ahead of the progressive target. In December, we achieved 101% of the year-on-date target. Our coal companies are pushing hard,” Agrawal said.

Domestic Passenger Vehicle sales rise 23% in 2022

New Delhi: Eight of the 10 most valued firms together added Rs 1,35,794.06 crore in market valuation last week, with State Bank of India and Reliance Industries Limited emerging as the biggest winners. Last week, the 30-share BSE benchmark climbed 995.45 points or 1.66%. Hindustan Unilever Limited and Bharti Airtel were the laggards from the top-10 pack. Reliance Industries remained the most valued firm, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, SBI, HDFC, Bharti Airtel and Adani Enterprises. —PTI

POWER DEFICIT

RISES SLIGHTLY TO 0.6% IN APRIL-NOV

In 2022, sales of electric two-wheelers stood at around 6 lakh units, with three major electric twowheeler (E2W) makers -Hero Electric, Ola and Okinawa -- crossing the 1 lakh annual sales mark for the first time, the SMEV said.

These OEMs dominated the E2W market, controlling over 50% of the total market share, and emerged as the top players in the category. Though the E2W industry performance in the calendar year 2022 looks positive with sales of around 6 lakh units, “the volumes are not keeping up with the projections made by Niti Aayog and many other research agencies”,

JSW GROUP MULLS FORAY INTO 4-WHEELER EVs

New Delhi (PTI): Sajjan Jindalled conglomerate JSW Group is considering a foray into the manufacturing of electric vehicles, according to a top official of the group. “The group had examined EV manufacturing plans earlier also but now it is becoming attractive,” JSW Group CFO Seshagiri Rao said. The group is looking to manufacture four-wheelers, Rao added.

SMEV said.

“December has raised a red flag for the industry as it has witnessed a 28% dip in sales, reaching a total of only 59,554 units compared to 76,162 units in November, 22, as per the VAHAN portal,” it added.

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

Swiggy

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Power deficit in the country rose slightly to 0.6% in April-November this fiscal year, while electricity demand has witnessed around 11% jump in the said period. The latest government data available showed that the power deficit in the country stood at 5,691 mn units (MU) in April to Nov 2022, while it was 4,058 MU in April-Nov 2021.

The power producers supplied 10,12,249 MU in April-Nov2022. —PTI

New Delhi: Food delivery app Swiggy delivered 3.50 lakh biryani orders on New Year Eve and the app dispatched over 2.5 lakh pizzas across the country, according to a report in PTI which cited sources.

Swiggy also said as per a poll it conducted on Twitter, 75.4% per cent orders came for Hyderabadi Biryani, followed by Lucknowi-14.2% and Kolkata-10.4%.

“With 3.50 lakh orders, Biryani was the top item that was delivered,” sourc-

es said. The app had delivered 1.65 lakh Biryani orders at 7.20 PM on Saturday.

Bawarchi, one of top

37.93 LAKH UNITS IN 2022

According to MSI official the industry wholesales in January to December 2022 were just short of 38 lakh units. It was 37.93 lakh units against 30.82 lakh in 2021, which is a growth of 23%

New Delhi (PTI): Domestic passenger vehicles sales rose by 23% to a record of 37.93 lakh units in 2022 led by the likes of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors as the companies rode on easing of pandemic related challenges and semiconductor shortages to cash in on pent up demand, specially for SUVs. Other manufacturers like Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Skoda India also reported record sales in

China Covid situation, macro data to drive mkt

New Delhi (PTI): Macroeconomic data announcements, the Covid situation in China and global market cues would guide Dalal Street in the first week of trading in the New Year, analysts said. Markets would also keep a track on rupee movement, Brent crude oil prices and foreign fund investment trends.

“As market players attempt to understand the Fed’s stance, Indian markets may respond in lockstep with their international counterparts when the FOMC minutes are made public later this week. PMI data for the mfg sector to be announced on Monday and services sector on Wednesday will also influence trading.”

2022. “The industry wholesales in January to December 2022 were just short of 38 lakh units. It was 37.93 lakh units against 30.82 lakh in 2021, which is a growth of 23%,” MSI Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales Shashank Srivastava told reporters.

He further said the 2022 wholesales are “the highest ever in the industry for a calendar year” and the last

OTHER STORIES

highest was in 2018 which was 33.3 lakh units.

“So, this is about 14% higher than the highest ever,” he added.

On the reasons for the growth, Srivastava said, “I believe this resurgence to the highest ever level is partly because of the better availability of semiconductors because last year was badly affected by the semiconductor issue.”

REPORT

New Delhi: New supply of residential properties rose 51% last year to 3,57,635

across seven major cities as builders launched more projects to tap rising demand, according to Anarock. In its annual report for 2022, the leading housing brokerage said new launches increased to 3,57,635 units last year from 2,36,693 units in 2021 across seven major cities. New launches of housing units were up in five cities —Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, but fresh supply fell in Delhi-NCR and Chennai. —PTI

biryani selling restaurants in Hyderabad delivered two biryanis per minute on 2021 New year Eve and for

RECORD NO. OF ORDERS

Food delivery app Swiggy delivered 3.50 lakh biryani orders on New Year Eve and the

December 31, 2022, it prepared 15 tonnes of the delicacy to meet the demand, restaurant sources said.

CIPACA TO PARTNER WITH 25 HOSPITALS, TO ADD 250 ICU BEDS Chennai: Rural intensive care unit service provider CIPACA has planned to partner with 25 hospitals and create about 250 ICU beds, a top official has said. The city-based ICU care provider hopes to forge partnerships with 25 hospitals and create about 250 ICU beds, supported by the growing enquiries from the hospitals in small towns and rural areas to establish emergency and ICU care operations.

PM MODI’S VISION FOR 2023 IS MOBILE PHONE EXPORTS OF `1 LAKH CRORE: CHANDRASEKHAR

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi’s vision for 2023 is to have mobile phone exports with the segment featuring in the top 10 export category from India, MoS for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said. The minister said that the government will take all the measures that are required for boosting the electronics manufacturing ecosystem in the country and in 2023 will look at widening the manufacturing base beyond mobile phone manufacturing. —PTI

FPIs PUMP IN `11,119 CRORE IN INDIAN EQUITIES IN DEC

First India Bureau

YOUTH, WELFARE-ORIENTED BUDGET LIKELY

Budget would also have a reflection of Rahul Gandhi’s suggestions based on feedback received during BJY

HIGHLIGHTS

Jaipur (PTI): With special emphasis on youth, the last budget of the present Ashok Gehlotled Congress Government in Rajasthan is expected to be focused on social welfare schemes to counter inflation, one of the key issues on which the party would contest the assembly elections in 2023.

The budget would also have a reflection of Rahul Gandhi’s suggestions based on the feedback received during his Bharat Jodo Yatra which passed through the state this month.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has already announced that the state government will give 12 cylinders in a year for Rs 500 per cylinder to poor families to reduce the impact of inflation.

During a public rally in the Alwar district before the completion of the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s part in Rajasthan a few days back, Gehlot also said that the govern-

ment would consider giving kitchen kits.

Also, the State Government is expected to make provisions for the protection of the rights of the people working in the gig economy sector, as suggested by Rahul Gandhi a move that political experts believe will give an edge to the Congress party in polls.

The term gig worker refers to people engaged in temporary work for a certain period or a project.

“Rajasthan will be the first state in the country to bring provisions in the budget, especially for the gig workers aiming to provide legal protection and connect them with

Raising farmers’ issues BJP’s

welfare programmes,” said a senior official familiar with the development.

The assembly session is starting on January 23. He added that in July, the state government conducted a sample survey of gig workers to find out about their benefits and challenges.

Important suggestions from the feedback meetings will be included in the budget

Political experts believe that gig employment is an emerging sector and providing them with social security will give an edge to Congress in the polls

Rahul Gandhi had publicly talked about the plight of people working under gig economy workers such as Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Ola etc.

Some of the provisions may include an increase in social security pension

Mins, MLAs begin their own surveys to clinch poll tickets

First India Bureau

Jaipur: With a recent statement of state Congress in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa that the party has started the survey for ticket allocations, the election anxiety of the MLAs has started. Some MLAs and ministers have decided to conduct their own election survey and are looking for negative points by forming a team of workers.

Some legislators are also resorting to independent agencies. The MLAs have also started focusing on their respective constituencies and they have started making a list of the re-

maining works in their areas.

The MLAs will get a chance to show their might before the elections with their effective presence in the budget session.

Yadav meets CM, demands ‘Kotputli

Jaipur: Minister of State for Home Rajendra Yadav met CM Ashok Gehlot at the CMR late on Saturday night for about an hour and repeated the demand to make Kotputli a district. The CM is learnt to have given assurance to Yadav about this.

Prez to inaugurate

First India Bureau

Jaipur: BJP Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh said that he is also a son of a farmer and the farmers are not happy in Rajasthan. The prices of electricity have been increasing continuously and if the prices of diesel and petrol are highest then it is in Rajasthan only, Singh said this an exclusive interview with First India in the agricultural fields.

“Raising the issues of farmers prominently will be our priority in 2023. BJP government will be formed in the state with three fourth majority in 2023,” he said. About the allegation of internal bickering in state BJP, Singh said that there could be ideological differences between the leaders in BJP, but not differences in hearts. “There has never been a fight for the

Chief Minister’s post in the BJP till date. We will work hard in Raj under the leadership of PM Modi in 2023,” he said.

About the tenure of BJP State President Satish Poonia, Singh said that there should be no question regarding the state president as the Central leadership has to take decisions but Satish Poonia who is doing a good job. “He will continue to lead the organisation in 2023 also I

feel like this. The rest of the Central leadership has to decide who will lead in 2023,” he said.

About Vasundhara Raje, Singh said that she will have a big contribution in forming the next government. He also spoke about contribution of Rajendra Rathore, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Om Mathur, GC Kataria, Kirodi Lal Meena, Diya Kumari Balaknath, Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Jaipur: President Droupadi Murmu will be on a two-day visit to Rajasthan from January 3. President Murmu will reach Jaipur on Tuesday through a special aircraft and later inaugurate a Constitution Park at Raj Bhavan. Following the inauguration, she will leave for Mt Abu to attend a programme at Brahmakumaris Spiritual Uni-

“It will take some time for the report of the Ramlubhaya Committee to come. There are other things that have to be included in that. Demand for new districts will be seriously considered in the budget,” Yadav told the media while leaving happily from the CMR. From the CMR, Yadav

headed straight from Jaipur towards his Guru’s ashram in Mathura.

dist’

Now Yadav will focus on the State budget. Yadav had in November last year wanted to resign from his ministerial as well as MLA post if Kotputli was not made a district by January 1, 2023. It was in wake of his warning that Yadav called on the CM on Saturday. Yadav is considered close to CM Gehlot.

Constitution Park at Raj Bhavan on Jan 3

in Rajbhawan at 11 am. Thereafter, lunch will be organised for the President at Raj Bhavan. On January 4, she will inaugurate the National Jamboree in Rohat. Later, the President will leave for Jodhpur and thereafter leave for Delhi by army helicopter at 4 pm.

versity as a Chief Guest. On January 4, she will take part in the

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The case relating to not accepting the resignations of 91 Congress MLAs will be heard in the High Court on Monday. The bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Shubha Mehta will hear the case. Deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore had filed a PIL in the matter and himself is advocating in the case.

Kota: The New Year has brought a new dawn for the people of Udiya Basti and Valmiki Basti, the raw settlements of Railway Colony area of Kota.

On the initiative of UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal, not only the people of this colony got freedom from the stigma of encroachers but also from the filth. Instead of

a colony of hellish life, the way to own a house with all basic facilities including road-water-

On Sunday, President Murmu received New Year greetings from students of various schools at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dhariwal handed over the allotment letters of the allotted plots to 199 families while completely rehabilitating these two settlements situated on the railway land.

electricity was also paved and all this was possible under the Garib Basti Punarvas Yojana.

NEW YEAR WITH KOTA STUDENTS & INAUGURATION OF SUPOSHIT MAA ABHIYAN

Earlier, Dhariwal also inaugurated the statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar in Railway Colony area and also inaugurated the BhadanaNorthern Bypass Road, completed at a cost of about Rs 8 crore.

Speaker Birla urges students to study without stress, reach out to him

In Indian culture, women are called the mother of the world, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said at Suposhit Maa Abhiyan event

Kota: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has urged students coming to Rajasthan’s Kota city to study without any stress and reach out to him in case of any trouble.

Addressing the students on New Year’s eve, he also touched upon rising concern among parents over the aspirants taking their lives after

failing to crack various competitive exams.

“Students should not be depressed about

their studies. Life is full of challenges and one who is determined and works hard for his

goal never fails,” he said on Saturday. Meanwhile, on the very first day of the New

ral areas. Inaugurating the Suposhit Maa Abhiyan for pregnant women of rural areas in Itawa, Birla said that the women will be kept healthy and they will also be linked to selfemployment through self-help groups.

Addressing the program organised in the Hanumanji temple complex of the Akhara, Birla said that in Indian culture, women

are called the mother of the world. He said that pregnant women suffering from nutritional deficiency are not able to give birth to healthy babies.

“We do not want these mothers to be unhealthy and give birth to unhealthy babies.

For this purpose, nutrition kits will be given to the identified pregnant women for nine months,” he said.

Bhanwar S Charan & Lalit Bansal

Year, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has taken a big initiative for the empowerment of women in ru-

First India Bureau

Aishwary Pradhan

Bhanwar S Charan

18th National Jamboree in Rohat of Pali district. As per the scheduled

programme, the president will inaugurate the constitutional park

The assembly session will begin on January 23.

—FILE PHOTO

President Droupadi Murmu interacts with students of various schools at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. 2) President Droupadi Murmu receives her portrait drawn by a student on Sunday.

UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal and his son Amit Dhariwal being garlanded during a land allotment event in Kota on Sunday.

Arun Singh interacts with Aishwary Pradhan of First India.

LS Speaker Om Birla poses for selfie with students in Kota.

Speaker Birla during the Suposhit Maa Abhiyan in Kota on Sunday.

Aim is to provide legal protection and connect gig workers with welfare programmes of the Government

CBI TO PROBE PAPER LEAKS IF BJP FORMS GOVT

ed symbolises boldness, passion and love. It is a favourite of both Cupid and fashion enthusiasts. While Blue depicts royalty and elegance, both colours are the life of a party. I’m here to talk about the colours which will make you look hot and elegant especially in New Year season.

Even though they are among the most stunning and brilliant hues, it may be difficult to contrast. However, with a little experimentation, you may design looks that will set you apart from the crowd. Any shade of red, including crimson, scarlet, and wine, can quickly improve your overall appearance when combined with brown, blue, or grey.

Additionally, you may keep re purposing this costume concept all year long, regardless of the season. Explore our basic, straightforward, and innovative concepts by sliding up! If you have an eye for style, red and blue may be a sophisticated pairing. For formal meetings, you may layer a powder blue leather jacket over a muted red dress, or a blue chambray blazer. Finish it off the other way with a red hat and a red handbag. If red is not your type then you may try Royal Blue! You must be looking for the best makeup looks to wear with a blue dress right now if you want to seem like a genuine blue princess at your prom or wedding. Imagine yourself wearing a blue outfit and looking perfect. Once you begin coordinating colours and picturing how your eye shadow or lipstick will appear, you may start applying makeup. With consideration for your skin, the colour of your eyes, and the occasion, you’ll need advice on whether to wear subtle makeup and when to go dramatic.

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE CHILDREN’S EDUCATION!

hen it comes to our children, most kids, aided by us, their parents, will make generic new year’s resolutions such as being healthier, eating better, and so on. Neither will our children stay invested in these statements, nor will we. I propose that why not, for the sake of our children and their long-term happiness, the resolution this year, be directly related to education. To correct, in some measure, the dwindling interest and ‘fun’ in education and restore it using an experiential, practical approach?

FUN… WHY & AMP; HOW?

As the very simple and straightforward title of this article suggests, Make Fun-Learning and TravelLearning Approaches Your Child’s New Year Resolution; why this specifically? And what precisely do I mean by Fun-Learning & Travel-Learning Approaches? Let us examine this.

Fact – children in classrooms read books. These textbooks or reference books serve as the primary source of their knowledge. Let us draw a parallel. We eat food at home. It is our primary source of nutrition. It is good as well –clean, sanitary, safe, healthy, and in most cases, tasty too! We still get bored and want to eat at a restaurant, don’t we?

It works similarly with learning. Reading a text or a reference becomes a

chore and a bore. The mind shuts off and becomes fatigued by constantly having to ingest knowledge in this manner. It needs a ‘change’ in the scenario, however temporary, shortlived, or superficial. This is where the FUN aspect of learning comes in. At home at least, in an environment controlled and administered by us parents, we can ensure that at least not ALL learningtime, feels like the same-old boring drag. How? By making it fun. How?

Study outdoors. Don’t subject your child to their desk and chair. Gardens, lawns, and parks are great places to study. These environments positively predispose the child and put the learner in a great frame of mind to imbibe.

Curtail Tuitions. Lacking in a certain subject? Join yet another tuition. This itself creates mental fatigue and boredom. Essentially, we are recreating a second-school, postschool, each day, for our children. Let us stop this and encourage them to selfstudy. It will be more fun, I promise.

Make Time. As parents, we have no time for our children. We may be justified to

an extent in the alibi that the reason we don’t have time is that we are building a better life for them. Having said that, children don’t just need ‘facilities and infrastructure’, they need their parents! And they don’t just need their parents for emotional growth, having parents around can be immensely beneficial in making mundane things fun. Study with your kids. They will enjoy it infinitely more than being in an extra class!

TRAVEL - EXPERIENCE Makes You UNDERSTAND:

Travel-led approach to education also has similar benefits to a fun approach. Travel puts concepts, fundamentals, and bookish knowledge into a real-world, practical perspective. It gives children, students and learners a chance to ‘experience’ something that hitherto they could only read about. A concept that otherwise remains a concept is turned into a reality they can share, see, touch, and feel.

Travel also simplifies and exemplifies scho-

lastic lessons. Something that might be difficult to understand from a textbook might become more easily digested, and permanent when experienced during travel. A naturally occurring phenomenon such as birth, if for instance, viewed in the wild during travel, will stay with a student much longer than merely being told about it in class. The moment we equate a lesson with a practical, hands-on experience that travel pro-

vides, the learning is more enjoyable, more immersive, more permanent, and deeper. It can be:

A field trip to a local restaurant where one practically experiences various aspects of Commerce and Accounting practices play-out

more enjoyable, more immerpractiand practices play-out that encompasses lessons

A curated travel experience dren that is neither far thing as simple as a day where children will expeof multiple

A holiday to Europe that encompasses lessons ranging from History to the Arts, Literature to many other subjects A curated travel experience that we design for our children that is neither far away or expensive, something as simple as a day trip to a close-by farm, where children will experience, and learn through those experiences, various aspects of multiple subjects ranging from science to mathematics. The simple point behind all this is to make learning, which was once fun and interesting, the same again. To alleviate at least some of the intense pressure that our children are in today, by making studies not ONLY about grades and GPAs but also about just being children, and experiencing the joys of discovery!

this is to make learning, interesting, the same some of the intense presare in today, by making studand GPAs but also about experiencing the joys of a toxic gas-chamber of untrauma

The education environment today has become a toxic gas-chamber of unbreathable proportions with too much trauma as a result of academic and societal expectations, ones that are simply too unrealistic and out of reach. This is deeply impacting children’s mental well-being and causing mental distress that manifests in various ways including and not limited to physical illness and disease, emotionally stunted growth and academic as well as career decisions that end up in frustration and discontentment. All this can be seized, or at the very least, mitigated, by making learning fun! And what better time and opportunity to make that change, than at the cusp of a brand new year?

cietal expectations, ones

KARTIK BAJORIA

Disha Parmar is a prominent name in the entertainment world. The actress was presently busy impressing the audience by showcasing her exceptional acting prowess in the sequel of Ekta Kapoor’s hit show Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2. Disha essayed the female lead Priya and starred opposite Nakuul Mehta who played Ram. Recently, Nakuul shocked fans when he announced his exit from show, Now Disha also decided to quit the hit daily soap. She shared that earlier, when the makers introduced a leap, and she had to play the role of a mother to a five-year-old girl, she had apprehensions, but as the track was intriguing, she decided to continue with the show. —Agency

AMAZING ALIA!

Actress Alia Bhatt started the year 2022 on a high note and definitely ended it on a rather happy note. She ruled the year like no one. She managed to impress the audience with her classy performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi. Not only in India but she was highly praised on an international level too. It went on to become one of the highest earners of 2022 at the box office. Later, she featured in Darlings which was released on an OTT platform. Again, she received an overwhelming response

from the audience and critics alike. Last but not the least, she featured with her husband Ranbir Kapoor in Brahmastra. After getting delayed several times, the film finally saw the light of day and it ruled the box office. This was her first film with Ranbir post their marriage.

—Agency

film Tehran. She will be seen sharing the screen space with John Abraham in her second film. Manushi spilt the beans on her dreamy wishlist of directors that she wants to work with. She also shared her thoughts on the ongoing debate between OTT vs theatres.

—Agency

IU

Disha Parmar

Manushi Chhillar Katrina Kaif

Alia Bhatt

Miley Cyrus

Vicky Kaushal’s post...

RISE UP IN GLORY!

How has your journey as an actor been so far, from Kutumb to music videos like Galti & Koi Khata?

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Initially, it was very difficult and still, it is, getting good roles which suit you is not easy at all. Because there is a common belief that in order to reach the top in any acting industry, an actor should have a godfather in the industry and there have been several instances that prove the same. But my mother taught me to achieve my goals with hard work and talent and I am trying to give my best to fulfil my dreams with my talent and hard work.

You received immense popularity from your role Gaayu in ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata hain’. Do we get to see you working for such more roles?

I am extremely grateful to be part of such a great show, ‘Gaayu’ is indeed close to my heart, be-

sides ‘Yeh Rishta’, my fans also know me for my role ‘Avni’ from ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gya’. But currently, I preparing myself for films!

Do you prefer to act in live theatre or films and reality television shows?

I got few calls for reality shows but I had to decline the offers as I am preparing myself for films, right now I want to focus on one thing as I believe most people dabble their way

through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.

What techniques do you use to make your character development more believable?

Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances. It comes from within. For me, it comes naturally, just a little bit of knowledge about the character to give my role a multidimensional and emotional touch.

New Year Resolution Run at Hawa Mahal!

CITY FIRST

AU Jaipur Marathon, one of India’s biggest marathons organised by World Trade Park and Sanskriti Yuva Sanstha along with AU Small Finance Bank, will be held on February 5, the pre-events of the 14th edition of which started with the world record of Barefoot Run on the first day of the new year. An ultra runner from Tajmahal to Hawa mahal Pradeep Kumar Yadav started with a barefoot run from Taj Mahal Agra on December 31 and ended his run with the New Year Resolution Run at Hawamahal Jaipur on the first morning of the new year. Pradeep in this run broke the old record of 156 km in 24 hours and completed 162 km in 24 hours after that run-

ning barefoot for a total of 32 hours and 52 minutes, completing a total of 241.4 km, a new record of barefoot running. Made world record.

A large number of people including Jaipur Marathon CEO Mukesh Mishra, Jaipur Runners Executive President Deepak Sharma, Secretary Nipun Wadhwa, Zonal Director Narendra Kushwaha, Rekha Vijay, Govind Chaturve-

Suresh Mishra told that from January 2, free training camps will be organised at 7 places in Jaipur. In this training camp, zonal directors of the Jaipur Runners Club and Orix trainers will prepare new runners for the marathon to be held on February 5.

To

Reached

Kanchi Singh, an Indian television actress popularly known for portraying Gayatri Deora in StarPlus’s Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Avni Khandelwal in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya shares her journey with City First

di, Dr Mahesh Arora, Sanjeev Beniwal were welcomed at Hawamahal.

Jaipur Marathon organiser Pandit

Mahesh Sharma, Senior IAS along with PSR’s executive committee released the poster of the CorpSol Premier League 2023 by PSR Global Foundation on Sunday. The tournament will be held from January 7 to 9 at Jaipuria Cricket Academy. PSR core committee members Manish SJ Sharma, Piyush Dhallaiya and Samarth Dubey were also present at the launch. A total of 24 teams are participating in the tournament out of which 12 teams belong to the professional community and 12 teams belong to corporate including Airtel, Golcha, Kogta, HDFC, etc. The tournament is sponsored by VIVO and EEZIB.

The powerful staging of Agni Pariksha, a drama based on Tamasha genre, written by late Dr Hariram Acharya and directed by Dilip Bhatt on Net Theat, enthralled the audience. Net Theat’s Rajendra Sharma Raju shared that the play lived up to the vision of the artists depicting the vivid evidence of women’s oppression. Jaipur’s tamasha style is 250 years old. It enthralled the audience by presenting Sita’s fire test, Sati’s self-immolation and Padmini’s jauhar. Music in the play was by late Gopiji Bhatt.

On the eve of the New Year, Rajasthan Nursing Council organised a program called ‘Nirogi Rajasthan, Samruddha Rajasthan’. Dr Shashikant Sharma, Registrar, of Rajasthan Nursing Council said that on the initiative of CM Gehlot’s goal we started the new year with milk and jalebi distribution on JLN Road. Dr Sharma told that the program was inaugurated by the Director of the Medical and Health Department and RNC President Dr KL Meena, Medical Superintendent of SMS Hospital Dr Achal Sharma, RNC Registrar Dr Shashikant Sharma among others were present.

13 kilometre-long half marathon was organised from Toda village to Bamanwas against drug addiction in Bamanwas in which more than 1000 youths participated recently. This marathon was organised by AJVS and IAS (retired) Ghanshyam Meena in association with Meri Sehat Meri Zindagi Abhiyan. All the runners were wearing T-shirts with the Meri Sehat Meri Zindagi logo, on which Nashe Ko Kehe Na and Zindagi Ko Kehe Yes were written. Ghanshyam Meena is playing an important role in creating public awareness against drug abuse and addiction in Bamanwas. Ghanshyam Meena is creating public awareness against drug addiction by holding meetings in various villages and through social media.

Charu Sharma, well known Indian commentator, compere and quizmaster brought in the new year with his family and friends in the wilderness of Sariska at Little Affair, Sariska.

The majestic voice of Diljit Dosanjh mesmerized the Jaipurites in the concert held at JECC on Saturday where the singer was seen performing live on stage on New Year’s Eve. The event was organised by Saregama and Beat Street.

Gaurav Gaur and Akanksha Bhalla also reached the concert to enjoy Diljit’s voice.

The 15th edition of the JIFF will begin on January 6 in Maharana Pratap Auditorium, Jaipur. Under the guidance of Grammy Award Winner Ricky Kej, Hollywood star Pamela Jaye Smith and Sumathy Ram, Jiya Nath, and Sanatan Chakravarthy will perform Dance Show, a Tribute to legendary singer Amir Khusrau. For the very first time, in the history of film festivals, JIFF pioneered the tradition of declaring awards prior to screenings, which is going to continue this year as well. All of the awarded films will be given awards on the inaugural day itself. Jaipur International Film Festival founder–director Hanu Roj informed that this will help film enthusiasts to watch the best films at INOX, GT Central.

New Year party events in Jaipur are exciting and a perfect mix of the heritage of the place and youthful energy. Jaipur Club organised a myriad of activities on 31st December for Jaipurites ranging from live music, fireworks, beatboxing, lively countdowns and much more where the youth enjoyed and bid adieu to the year 2022.

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

Sanganer Dada Guru Devnagar-based Riya School’s annual festival ‘Sankalan’ was celebrated at Deep Smriti Auditorium, Mansarovar NRI recently. IPS Ashok Gupta graced the occasion as the chief guest whereas Arjuna Awardee Padma Devendra Jhajhadia, RAS Kanishka Saini and Rajendra Kumar Sharma were present as the special guests. School Director RC Sharma and Coordinator Devyani Singh informed that the program started with the worship of God. The program was concluded with the street play ‘Log Kya Kahenge’.

spread the message of health and fitness, a group of about 40 people from Fitcare Gym reached Amer and Jaigarh on a cycle trip on Thursday and returned. The group of cyclists kept giving information about health and fitness to the people along the way and making them aware of its importance. Cyclist Yash Kalra shared that his journey started in the evening from Rajapark under the leadership of Jai Arora.

Amer and Jaigarh via Johri Bazar, Badi Chaupad, and Subhash Chowk.

Kanchi Singh

During the event