First India-Delhi Edition-4th January 2023

GANGULY SET TO

DELHI CAPITALS AS DIR OF CRICKET

INAUGURATION OF THE CONSTITUTION PARK AT RAJ BHAVAN RAJASTHAN

Constitution capable of containing people’s changing aspirations: President Murmu

Our democracy is the largest and most vibrant democracy in the world. The Constitution is the basis of our great democracy.

—Droupadi Murmu, Prez Indian constitution is a living reflection of Indian culture. This park could be prepared with support and interest of CM Gehlot, UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal.

Ours is

first

Raj Bhavan

where Constitution Park has been created: Gehlot

President

—Kalraj Mishra, Raj Guv

READ Crucial

RABINDRA SANGEET LEGEND SUMITRA SEN PASSES AWAY AT 89

Kolkata: Acclaimed Rabindra Sangeet artist Sumitra Sen died on Tuesday in Kolkata. She was 89. She is survived by her two daughters, Indrani Sen and Sraboni Sen, both of whom are acclaimed Rabindra Sangeet singers.

SECOND BATCH OF 12 CHEETAHS LIKELY TO ARRIVE AT KUNO SOON

New Delhi: A second batch of 12 cheetahs is likely to arrive in India from South Africa in January, sources said on Tuesday. Discussions with SA authorities to translocate 12 cheetahs to Kuno are at an advanced stage, the Environment ministry said.

RUSSIAN FOUND DEAD ONBOARD CARGO SHIP IN ODISHA, 3RD CASE

New Delhi: Russian national who was working as a chief engineer in a cargo ship, was found dead onboard in Odisha on Tuesday. This is 3rd Russian found dead in State within a span of 2 weeks. Police with other statutory authorities will carry out an probe of death of namely Milyakov Sergey.

First India Bureau

Itanagar: In a massive infra push amid simmering border tension between India and China over the recent clash in AP’s Tawang, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday inaugurated strategicallyimportant Siyom Bridge and 28 other infrastructure projects. He inaugurated 22 bridges, 3 roads and 3 other misc projects. Highlight of event was inauguration of state of the art “100 meter long, Class 70 steel arch superstructure Siyom Bridge on Along-Yinkiong Road over Siyom River”.

P6

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday underlined the importance of women’s involvement in scientific research and that the increasing participation of women is a reflection of progress of society and science. PM said in his virtual address to 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) said that the aim is to give new impetus to science and research. He pointed out that the efforts of science can bear fruit only when they are taken from labs to the land. Underlining India’s positional growth in Global Innovation Index PM said, “Today India is among the top 3 nations in startups. Till 2015 we were at 81st place in the Global Innovation Index of 130 countries, but in 2022 we have reached 40th place.”

“Inaugurating this

me

MOVING SCIENCE FROM LAB TO LAND!

Science should make India Atmanirbhar. The efforts of Science can bear fruit only when they go from labs to land. With 2023 being declared as the International Year of Millets, India’s millets and their use should be further improved with the use of science. —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

CM Ashok Gehlot welcomed President Droupadi Murmu in his address and said that with creation of our Constitution, equal rights were given to all citizens including women in this country. “Guv Mishra is working with great commitment for constitutional awareness,” Gehlot said and expressed confidence that newly constructed Constitution Park here will spread constitutional ideals, values and its core spirit. CM said, “Ours if the first Raj

You (Prez Murmu)

President of our country. Coincidentally, the first President was the Governor in this very Raj Bhavan. Governor Kalraj Mishra took new initiative and teaches the basic rights and duties of the Constitution.

Bhavan of country, where Constitution park is established. Women have been given equal rights to vote, but it took America 130 years to give women same rights.”

SC: Can’t attribute minister’s comment vicariously to Govt

First India Bureau

New Delhi: A minister’s statement cannot be attributed “vicariously” to the government even when applying the principle of collective responsibility, the SC said on Tuesday and held that there can be no additional restrictions on freedom of speech for public functionaries.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice SA Nazeer said no additional restrictions, except those mentioned under Article 19(2) of the Constitution, can be imposed on a public functionary’s right to freedom of speech and expression.

No additional restrictions, except those mentioned under Article 19(2) of the Constitution, can be imposed on a public functionary’s right to freedom of speech and expression. —Justice SA Nazeer

Boost to border infra!

In this era of changing priorities and interests of the nations, it is necessary for any nation to keep itself empowered. India has always been against war. Our Armed forces are always ready to face any kind of situation and BRO is

TRAGIC NEW YEAR

A FAMILY LEFT DESTITUTE BY A FATAL, HORRIFIC ACCIDENT

20-yr-old Anjali, sole breadwinner of family of six since her father’s death, cremated amid tight security Anjali’s mother (at centre) wails

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Heavy security was deployed outside the home of Anjali Singh, who was killed in the early hours of the New Year after her scooter was hit by a

car, which dragged her for 12 kilometres, and outside the crematorium where she was consigned to flames on Tuesday evening.

Her remains were carried to the crematorium in an ambulance

while her family members and neighbours walked alongside. Scores of people carrying banners that read “Anjali ko insaaf do (Give justice to Anjali)” also joined the funeral procession. Turn to P2

along with family members as the mortal remains reach home in Karan Vihar, Sultanpuri, on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

First India Bureau

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dr Jitendra Singh, CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and other dignitaries listen to PM Modi as he virtually addresses during inauguration of the ISC Mega Expo, at Nagpur University on Tuesday.

THE PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS... l The role of India’s scientific power will be very important in the height at which India will be in the next 25 years l Data, Technology can take India’s science to new heights, it helps in

info into insight and analysis into actionable knowledge

Women lead devp is also major priority among major topics of G-20

The scientific community

to work towards innovation of energy requirements, it’d help the country

Development of science in India, to meet the needs of India, should be the basic motivation of

walking along with them.

—Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister

Fundamental right under Article 19(1) (a) can be exercised even against other instrumentalities other than the state. Statement made by a minister even if traceable to any affairs of state or protecting the government cannot be attributed vicariously to the government even applying the principle of collective responsibility.

—Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna & V Ramasubramanian

l Rajnath Singh is on his first visit to Arunachal Pradesh after the India-China border skirmish

l Defence minister inaugurates crucial bridge to LAC in AP & 28 other projects worth `724 crore

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates the Siyom Bridge on Along-Yinkiong Road on Tuesday.

New Delhi: An IndiGo flight from New Delhi to Phuket in Thailand was forced to return to Delhi due to a technical snag shortly after takeoff. Sources told IndiGo flight, 6E-1763, was involved in an airturnback due to the loss of its hydraulic green system. Sources revealed that a full emergency was declared.

Mumbai: India secured a thrilling two-run win against Sri Lanka in the first T20I to go 1-0 up in the threematch series. Chasing 163, the Sri Lankan innings got folded in the final ball of the match as they reached 160 in 20 overs. Shivam Mavi had a brilliant outing with ball.

JOIN

Kolkata: Sourav Ganguly is all set to join Delhi Capitals as Director of Cricket during IPL starting in April. He will also oversee all cricket verticals of the franchise along with the ILT20 team Dubai Capitals and the SA T230 league side Pretoria Capitals.

PHUKET-BOUND INDIGO RETURNS DELHI DUE TO GLITCH

Kashiram Choudhary and Abhishek Shrivastava

Jaipur: President Droupadi Murmu has stressed on working to awaken sense of the constitutional morality among the countrymen. Appreciating creation of Constitution Park at Raj Bhavan, the President said that it will increase awareness about the Constitution.

Murmu addressed the inauguration of the Constitution Park at Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday.

park makes

very happy. The Consti-

tution Park with Peacock Pillar and Maharana Pratap post are good initiatives. This is my first visit to Ra-

jasthan and this is the land of brave warriors. Veer Durgadas played an important role in post-independence wars

here along with Maharana Pratap. The contribution of Pannadhaya and Bhamashah cannot be forgotten.

Prez Droupadi Murmu being presented a memento by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and CM Ashok Gehlot during inauguration of ‘Samvidhan Udyan’ at the Raj Bhavan in Jaipur on Tuesday.

President Droupadi Murmu with Governor Kalraj Mishra, CM Ashok Gehlot, Speaker Dr CP Joshi and UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal during inauguration of Samvidhan Udyan at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.

are the second female

—Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister

Autopsy report says no sexual assault

Friend recounts the horrific accident

BY PTI

New Delhi (PTI): Shock and haemorrhage due to injury to the head, spine and lower limbs led to the death of the 20-year-old woman, Anjali Singh, who was hit and dragged by a car here, according to a preliminary autopsy report which also indicated “no injury suggestive of sexual assault,” police said on Tuesday.

Sources said that doctors who conducted the autopsy have opined that there were no injury marks on her private parts.

However, the final report will be given after

the receipt of chemical analysis and biological samples’ reports, the sources said quoting the doctors

Her autopsy was conducted under the supervision of a medical board at the Maulana Azad Medical College

premises on Monday.

“All injuries produced by blunt force impact and possible with vehicular accident and dragging,” said Sagar Preet Hooda, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), quoting the autopsy report.

A family left destitute by a fatal...

Anjali Singh, 20, took care of a large family of six siblings, an unwell mother, and a grandmother. Her family in Karan Vihar area of Sultanpuri is shattered.

“She was the sole breadwinner. She lost her father many years ago and her mother is a kidney patient,” said her grandmother Kanta.

Anjali, said neighbours, was a “good girl”, the “guardian of the family”.

“She got two sisters married. She was paying for her brothers’ education. She really was the guardian, took care of her entire family,” a neighbour said.

Anjali had to drop out of school to start earning. She began with a

job at a salon and went on to work as an usher at weddings for daily remuneration.

Special Commissioner visits site

New Delhi (PTI): Special Commissioner of Police Shalini Singh with her team inspected the 12-km-long stretch from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala along which a 20-year-old woman was dragged after her twowheeler was hit by a car in outer Delhi, police said on Tuesday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has sought a detailed report of the incident from the Delhi Police.

The Delhi Police has constituted an inquiry

committee, headed by Special Commissioner Shalini Singh. According to sources, the team’s primary responsibility is to do an analysis of the stretch and suggest improvements to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

At weddings, she was usually in charge of guests, flowers and dressing the bride.

New Delhi (PTI): “I can never forget what happened that night. We had a fight over riding the two-wheeler. I let her drive as she kept insisting. We nearly missed hitting a truck first but were struck by another vehicle a few metres away,” recalled the friend of the woman who was killed.

She said that after the impact, her friend Anjali got stuck under the car and was dragged by the vehicle, with its occupants not once trying to slow down or save the woman. The friend said she did not inform anyone about the accident as she was scared and feared that she would be blamed for it.

Narrating the sequence of events that night, the eyewitness

CCTV SHOWS VICTIM FIGHTING WITH HER FRIEND OUTSIDE HOTEL

New Delhi (PTI): A fresh CCTV footage surfaced on Tuesday that showed the 20-year-old woman fighting with another woman (her friend who was riding the scooty with her at the time of the accident) outside a hotel just hours behind the incident. The CCTV footage was retrieved by police. The woman, a Sultanpuri resident, worked part-time with an event management firm and had been out for work on the New Year eve.

told PTI, “We left the hotel at around 1.45 am. She (Anjali) wanted to ride the scooty but I said no I will ride it. After we left and were on the move, Anjali said

New

Accused borrowed car hours before

New Delhi (PTI): According to the FIR filed in the case, the five accused had borrowed the car hours before the incident which took place around 2am on Sunday.

Deepak Khanna and Amit Khanna took the car from their friend Ashutosh and later left it at his residence. The two told Ashutosh that the car met with an accident with a scooty in Krishan Vihar area, the FIR sates, adding they later fled towards Kanjhawala.

HC refuses to permit DU aspirants to interchange course and seats

New Delhi (PTI): The High Court has refused to permit two successful Delhi University aspirants to mutually interchange their chosen course and seats but asked the authorities to consider their grievance as a “one-off case”.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru also rejected their claim that this year's Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) was unconstitutional and observed the change of seats, as sought by the

petitioners, is not permissible in terms of allocation system.

The petitioners, who were high-performing students in the CUET, approached court after they felt their “first preference” at the time of accepting admission was incorrect and sought to alter it.

This court considers it apposite to direct the respondents (Delhi University and St Stephen’s College) to consider this as a oneoff case.

Vibhu Bakhru, Delhi HC Judge

The DU said it was not permissible for a candidate to change the seat after securing admission in the course.

A sub-inspector from Kanjhawala police station found out that a grey Boleno car was involved in the incident, following which police reached Budh Vihar, Phase-1 where the owner of the vehicle, Lokesh, was traced.

He stated that his car was with his brother-inlaw Ashutosh, a resi-

dent of Rohini Sector-1, according to the FIR.

Ashutosh further stated that his friend Deepak and Amit took the car from him on Saturday around 7 pm and later left the vehicle at his residence on Sunday around 5 am.

After the police arrived at his place, Ashutosh called Deepak and Amit. Deepak told the sub-inspector that he was driving the car and Manoj Mittal, another accused, was sitting next to him.

CUTE COMPANIONS

(PTI):

she would jump from the two-wheeler if she was not allowed to drive. It is my scooty and I will drive it she told me,” she said.

“I gave her the scooty.

After traversing some distance, we nearly hit a truck. Although I was sitting behind, I somehow managed to apply the brakes. We left that spot after that and moved ahead. But another car hit our scooter. Anjali got stuck under the vehicle while I fell on the other side of the road,” she claimed.

“The car did not stop. The vehicle went ahead and then reversed and then went forward again at high speed. No music was playing in the car,” she claimed.

GAMBHIR ACCUSES AAP OF PLAYING POLITICS

New Delhi (ANI):

Gambhir on Tuesday accused the AAP of playing politics over the death of the 20-yearold. “A girl has lost her life, yet the Aam Aadmi Party wants to do all kinds of politics. I believe that there should be no politics on such issues,” he said. “Whoever is the accused should be punished severely," Gambhir added.

Car hit 3 engineering students in Greater Noida on New Year’s eve, 1 critical

Greater Noida (ANI): A car hit three engineering students, leaving one girl student seriously injured, in Greater Noida on New Year's eve, police said on Tuesday.

The incident hap-

pened on December 31 when car-borne youths hit the three students from the rear, near the Alpha 2 bus stand. The girl with serious injuries is undergoing treatment in hospital, while the other two have been

discharged, police said.

"An unidentified vehicle hit them from behind. The passersby immediately rushed the injured to hospital,” Additional Deputy Commissioner Dinesh Kumar said.

Excise case: Interim bail to Mahandru, 2 ex-officials

New Delhi (ANI): The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to five accused who were not arrested by the CBI in its probe into the Delhi Government Excise police case.

Special Judge MK Nagpal granted bail to two former Excise Department officials Kuldeep Singh and Narender Singh and to Gautam Mootha and Arun Pillai and businessman Sameer Mahandru.

The court granted bail to them on Rs 50,000 per-

sonal bail bond and one like amount surety.

The court also sought a response from CBI on their regular bail plea and fixed the matter for January 24.

Two accused, Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally, were granted bail earlier by the same court. Sameer Mahandru, Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally are to remain in judicial custody as they were also arrested by the ED in an Excise Money Laundering case.

n ‘No injury marks on her private parts’

n ‘All injuries due to blunt force impact’

The five accused arrested by Delhi Police.

Body of the woman being brought to her residence at Karan Vihar area of Sultanpuri on Tuesday.

The report indicates that there is no injury suggestive of sexual assault. The final report will be received in due course..

—Sagar Preet Hooda, Special CP (Law and Order)

A parrot and a squirrel seen near Rajpath lawn, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

—Justice

Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad speaks with media during his visit to Karan Vihar area of Sultanpuri on Tuesday.

—PHOTO

BY PTI

People carrying banners walk to the crematorium on Tuesday.

The cremation of Anjali taking place on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

POLICE CHIEF BRIEFS HOME SECY

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Tuesday met Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla at the Home Ministry office in North Block here, a day after the MHA sought a detailed report on the incident in which a 20-year-old woman was dragged to death by a car in national capital’s Kanjhawala on January 1. Speaking to reporters after coming out of the North Block, Arora said that his meeting with the Union Home Secretary was on a different matter and not related to the Kanjhawala case and said that Special Commissioner Shalini Singh is investigating the incident. IPS officer Shalini Singh is at present posted as Special Commissioner of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police.

Delhi Police personnel deployed near the residence of the woman at Karan Vihar area of Sultanpuri on Tuesday.

Delhi

A delegation of AAP MLAs met Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora Tuesday to demand strictest punishment for the people involved in the Kanjhawala incident. "A group of @AamAadmiParty MLAs will be meeting the @DelhiPolice Commissioner at 11 am, to discuss strongest possible action against perpetrators of Kanjhawala crime and those protecting the perpetrators. Will also discuss how to make Delhi safer for women," AAP MLA Atishi said in a tweet.

Former cricketer and BJP's Delhi MP Gautam

AAP MLAs MEET POLICE CHIEF

—PHOTO

Fervid marchers enter UP to drum beats, patriotic songs

Rahul a warrior, not afraid of govt: Priyanka

Aparna Bose

New Delhi : The stretch leading towards Ghaziabad from Kashmiri Gate was decked with tricolours and balloons as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed on Tuesday from Delhi and entered Uttar Pradesh in the afternoon.

Scores of Congress leaders and workers gathered at Hanuman Mandir in Yamuna Bazar, from where the Yatra resumed, holding flags, banners and chanting the slogan 'Bharat Jodo'.

Party workers joined the Yatra amid singing of patriotic songs and beating of drums, as they proceeded toward Uttar Pradesh.

Camps were set up by Congress workers and members at various

RAHUL VISITS MARGHAT HANUMAN TEMPLE AHEAD OF YATRA RESUMPTION

New Delhi (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the Marghat Hanuman temple in the national capital ahead of the resumption of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Tuesday. Gandhi offered prayers at the temple and sought "strength" for the yatra to reach its destination. Taking to social media, Gandhi said, "Today, started the yatra after doing darshan at Marghat Hanuman Temple. I hope that Lord Hanuman, the giver of strength, wisdom and knowledge, guides every Indian traveller and gives strength to reach his destination."

points across the route towards Ghaziabad. Small cultural events were also organised at several points along the way. While many yatris were spotted wearing white T-shirts with pic-

ture of Rahul Gandhi on it, several others joined the Yatra wrapping tricolour scarf around their neck.

Many citizens also gathered across the road and on their terraces to

Rousing welcome for Rahul at Loni border

catch a glimpse of the Yatra. A large number of police personnel were deployed and roads were intercepted with barricades at several locations to provide the yatra a safe passage. The security arrangements were heightened at the UP border near Loni, where the flag handover ceremony took place.

The Yatra will remain in Uttar Pradesh for 2 days and will enter Haryana's Panipat by Thursday evening. After traversing Punjab and a day through Himachal Pradesh, the Yatra will enter Jammu and Kashmir, where it will conclude. —PTI

dia, but "they have not been, and will never be, able to buy my brother."

People say Rahul Gandhi does not feel cold even in winter, this is because "he is wearing the shield of truth," the Congress leader said.

Priyanka said she was proud of welcoming the yatra, which entered UP traversing 3,000 kms from Kanyakumari.

"Look at my elder brother, I take the maximum pride in you. Because the establishment put all its pressure. The government spent thousands of crores to destroy his image.

"But, he did not deter from the path of truth. Agencies were deployed but he did not feel afraid, as he is a warrior," she said to thunderous applause at the Loni border here.

‘Perpetually confused’: BJP takes a dig at RaGa

New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday derided Rahul Gandhi for being “perpetually confused” and accused the Congress leader of wanting India to surrender before China following his recent remarks on the border tensions.

India cannot be understood only by travelling across the country, one needs to under-

has made his intention clear that India should surrender before China in the same way it used to happen during his party’s government.

stand Indianness, BJP Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said. “Discovery of India has been going on for

Ram Janmabhoomi priest extends support to RaGa

four generations (of Gandhi’s family),” Trivedi said in an apparent reference to Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘Discovery of India’.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Trivedi took a dig at Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and said the Congress leader had become a victim of confu-

sion during his travels.

Referring to Gandhi’s remarks on the tensions along the border with China in his interview with actor Kamal Hasan, Trivedi said, “Rahul Gandhi has made his intention clear that India should surrender before China in the same way it used to happen during his party’s government.”

JAMMED AS YATRA TRAVELS

Gandhi.

Led by local leader Pankhuri Pathak, Con-

gress

from Noida and other areas of

assembled at the Loni border in Ghaziabad to join the Yatra.

Meanwhile, traffic diversions were put in place in the Loni area from 10 am to 6 pm in

anticipation of the Yatra rush. No vehicles, including e-rickshaws and cars, are permitted on the route between the Loni Border (with Delhi) & Mandola Border (with Baghpat) during the period, traffic police said in an advisory.

Ayodhya (ANI): Head priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, has written a letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extending his support for the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

In the letter dated December 31, 2022, Das wished that the blessings of Lord Ram be al-

ways upon the Congress leader. The letter has been trending on social media platforms. In the

‘COLD DAY’ IN CITY, ‘COLD WAVE’ THIS WEEKEND

New Delhi (PTI): ‘Cold day’ conditions gripped Delhi on Tuesday as frosty winds from the Himalayas swept through the plains, according to India Meteorological Department.

The maximum temperature dropped five notches below normal at many places in the national capital including Lodhi Road, Palam, Jafarpur and Mayur Vihar, the IMD said.

Safdarjung observatory recorded a minimum of 8.5 degrees Celsius -- a notch above normal. The maximum was recorded at 16.1

Celsius, a departure of three degrees from normal. ‘Moderate’ to ‘dense’ fog is predicted

in Delhi for the next two days. Coldwave conditions are set to return on the weekend

and the mercury may drop to 4 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

At least 21 trains to

Delhi were delayed by one-and-a-half to five hours due to the foggy weather, a Railways spokesperson said.

An official at the IGI Airport said five flights were diverted to Jaipur on Monday night.

letter, Das prayed for the success of the campaign (Bharat Jodo Yatra) that is being run to connect the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. He also wished Rahul Gandhi success in his work undertaken in the country's interest. He prayed for the Congress leader's good health and long life.

Delhiites guzzle over 1 cr liquor bottles worth `218 crore between Dec 24-31

New Delhi (PTI): Delhiites guzzled over one crore bottles of liquor worth more than Rs 218 crore during week-long celebrations and partying spanning Christmas eve to New Year eve, officials said.

The highest liquor sale, of 20.30 lakh bottles, was reported in the national capital on December 31, the New Year Eve. The city gulped down liquor worth Rs 45.28 crore on the day welcoming the new year, a senior Excise department official said on Monday.

A record 1.10 crore bottles of liquor of different types, mostly whiskies, were sold in Delhi during December 24-31. The sold volume of liquor was worth Rs 218 crore, he said.

Official figures showed December 2022 recorded an average

sale of 13.8 lakh liquor bottles in Delhi, the best year-end sale in the last three years.

The Delhi government earned a revenue of Rs 560 crore from liquor — excise duty and value added tax — in December 2022, data showed.

n Camps were set up by Cong at various points across the route towards Gzb

n Small cultural events were also organised at several points

MANY

Ghaziabad (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday called her brother Rahul Gandhi a "warrior" and said he is not afraid of the might of the government which spent thousands of crores to destroy his image. Welcoming Rahul Gandhi and the Bharat Jodo Yatra at the Loni border as it entered Uttar Pradesh from Delhi, she said big industrialists like Adani and Ambani may have bought many a politician, PSUs and the me-

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with supporters during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', at Yamuna Vihar, in east Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

(Top) National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Tuesday.

(Center) Amarjit Singh Dulat, former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, also joined the Rahul Gandhi-led march on Tuesday.

(Above) Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi joined Bharat Jodo Yatra with RG in Seelampur. She said, "The time has come for the opposition to unite and confront the current situation in the country." —PHOTO BY ANI

Assam Rifles contingent rehearses for the Republic Parade 2023 at the Kartavya Path during a cold and foggy morning, in New Delhi, Tuesday.

‘Moderate’ to ‘dense’ fog is predicted in Delhi for the next two days. Coldwave conditions are set to return on the weekend and the mercury may drop to 4 degrees Celsius.

Noida/Ghaziabad (PTI): Scores of Congress workers and supporters from Noida on Tuesday reached Ghaziabad to join Bharat Jodo Yatra being led by party leader Rahul

workers

Gautam Buddh Nagar district

Congress supporters during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', at Loni border, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

TRAFFIC

Rahul Gandhi

—Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP National Spokesperson

New Delhi (PTI): The city witnessed traffic snarls in several places on Tuesday as the Bharat Jodo Yatra progressed towards UP with hundreds of supporters. A huge police force was also deployed to ensure there is no untoward incident.

WHEN SLOGANS ‘RAM’ POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES TO ‘MAR’ A SHOW…

Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was present on the dais, tried his best to control the BJP supporters and requested them to refrain from shouting slogans, but they refused to pay heed. CM refused to come on the dais. The railways minister was seen pleading to her again and again to get on the dais but she refused.

CM Banerjee even refused to deliver her speech on the occasion. However, following repeated requests from the Governor, CV Ananda Bose, she agreed to deliver the speech, which she did without getting on to the dais.

FLASHBACK

On January 23, 2021, on the occasion of celebrating the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, the BJP supporters shouted slogans. PM Modi and other Union ministers were present on the occasion. Expressing her grievance over the incident, CM Banerjee said any govt programme should follow certain decorum. “It is unwise to insult any invited person at such a function. So, in protest I refuse to say anything here. Jai Hind. Jai Bangla,” she had said.

MORE CONTROVERSY?

IN-DEPTH

ULTRAS TRYING TO DERAIL GOVT’S NORMALISATION PLANS IN J&K

Terrorists had their murderous way in a Jammu village where they shot down four villagers in another case of targeted killing. The attacks followed the killing of four suspected terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba in an encounter on Jammu’s outskirts on Wednesday. They identified their victims after asking for their Aadhaar cards. The targeted killings coming close on the heels of the encounter with terrorists indicates that terrorists are down but not out.

BJP Lok Sabha MP, Locket Chatterjee, said the Jai Shri Ram slogans were raised when the Prime Minister appeared online to inaugurate Vande Bharat Express. “The slogans were not raised to irritate the Chief Minister,” she said

What happened on January 23, 2021 at a Government of India programme, was “re-enacted” again on December 30, 2022 and again at a Government of India programme. The venue may be different but the dignitaries present at both occasions were same.

A controversy erupted at the inaugural ceremony of West Bengal’s first Vande Bharat Express on Friday morning as irked by ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans on her arrival, CM Mamata Banerjee refused to share dais. Instead, throughout programme, she sat on a chair adjacent to the dais. From here she expressed her condolences over demise of Heeraben, mother of PM Narendra Modi.

Going by the local BJP leaders and even by the Union Railway minister, that even if they tried to persuade the workers not to chant the slogans, they refused to stop. The matter, for the common man, for whom development “only” matters is really becoming a matter of concern. The com-

BOTTOM CONG UPBEAT ON DISSENTING ORDER

BJP DEMANDS NIA PROBE...

Stones

Express, connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri near Malda station, WB. Hours after the incident, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari took to Twitter to slam WB CM Mamata Banerjee linking it to ‘Jai Shree Ram’ chants incident that took place on the Inaugural day of the premium train. “Unfortunate & sickening. Stones pelted at India’s pride Vande Bharat Express in WB’s Malda district. Is this revenge for ‘Jai Shree Ram’ chants on the Inaugural day? I urge @PMOIndia & @RailMinIndia to handover the probe to @NIA_India & punish the perpetrators. @AshwiniVaishnaw,” BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari tweeted.

THE EARLIER ATTACKS...

On its third commercial run on February 20, 2019, stones were thrown at Vande Bharat Express breaking one of its window panes. The railways had said that was the third incident in the last two months. The first one took place in December, 2018 during the train’s trial run between Delhi and Agra with the second following earlier in February, 2019. The train was crossing Tundla junction in UP when stones were hurled at it. The RPF had started campaigns to stop such incidents across the areas where they were reported. Investigations established that most stone-throwers were young children.

mon man who actually wants to remain away from such sensitive issues today is in a fix. It is becoming such an issue that it encompasses everyone and whether you like it or not, the aam aadmi is coming under the ambit of such issues.

A RECAP

As soon as CM arrived at the inauguration venue at the Howrah Station on Friday morning, the BJP supporters present there raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans.

Union Railways Minister,

Meanwhile, a political slugfest erupted over the development on Friday morning. State municipal affairs & urban development minister and Mayor of KMC, Firhad Hakim said, “Jai Shri Ram should be said in a temple or house with a pure mind. But the BJP supporters are using this slogan to irritate our CM. Had we wished we could have stopped them immediately. But we believe in political courtesy,” he said.

During 2019 LS polls, WB CM stepped off her vehicle to slam those shouting Jai Shri Ram. In May 2019 after general polls results were announced, 7 persons were arrested in WB for shouting Jai Shri Ram as Mamata’s cavalcade passed through their area. AND TATHAGATA ROY, Governor of Tripura from 2015 to 2018 and Governor of Meghalaya from August 2018 to end of his term in August 2020 had tweeted at 7.58 pm on May 31, 2019. It is perfectly possible that the people who shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ would be slapped with non-bailable attempt-to-murder (S.307 IPC) cases. I should know,it happened to ME in 2011! I was booked under 307 because I made a speech local MLA didn’t like. Had to spend a night in JC.

By 4-1 majority verdict the Supreme Court has upheld the much-criticised decision of the Narendra Modi government to demonetise the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination currency notes. The sudden announcement was no less than a tremor that jolted the economy in 2016. The success of its intended objectives of wiping out black money, bringing down the excess liquidity in circulation and dealing a blow to fake currency were, and are still, disputed. The Supreme Court’s decision has therefore come as a shot in the arm for the government. The Congress does not see the judgment as a vindication of the government’s decision.

By a 4-1 majority verdict, SC has upheld the much-criticised decision of Modi govt to demonetize `1,000, `500 denomination currency notes. Sudden announcement was no less than a tremor that jolted economy in 2016

The Congress has picked up the judgment of Justice BV Nagarathna, who dissented from the majority verdict, to repeat its earlier line that the decision was illegal and there were irregularities. In her judgment Justice Nagarathna pointed out that scrap-

ping of old currency notes was done through a notification and not through legislation. Based on this Cong argued that majority verdict deals with the limited issue of decision-making process and not with outcomes and that it will be wrong to say that DeMo has been upheld.

“None of these goals---reducing currency in circulation, moving to cashless economy, curbing counterfeit currency, ending terrorism and unearthing black money--was achieved in significant measure,” Jairam Ramesh said. P Chidambaram called it a “slap on wrist of govt”. Congress cannot deny that cashless economy has grown exponentially after government began to discourage the cash payments.

Targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandit employees had earlier triggered a wave of fear in the community. After a series of killings, Pandits demanded that they be moved out of the Kashmir Valley. Their demand was turned down by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha with the warning that they won’t be paid salaries for “sitting at home”. Terrorists look intent on derailing the Prime Minister’s Special Employment Scheme to bring Pandits back to the Valley and also instill confidence among Hindus. Fortunately, in this war of attrition terrorists are on the losing side.

l Vol 2 l Issue No.126

l RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840

Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Impressions Printing and Packaging Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59, Noida-201301. Published at G-20, 3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra

Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

Nitin Gadkari

@nitin_gadkari

Pained by hearing about the demise of Paramapujya Shri Siddheshwara Swami Ji. He will be eternally remembered for his teachings to spread humanism. My thoughts and prayers are with all his devotees. Om Shanti.

Anurag Thakur

@ianuragthakur

Regards on the birth anniversary of eminent social reformer Savitribai Phule, pioneer of the women’s liberation movement, who laid the foundation of the first girls’ school in the country and played a leading role in the advancement and empowerment of Indian women. Your movement against the evils prevalent in the 19th century will always be remembered.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Let all-embracing thoughts for all beings be yours. Buddha

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

ROBIN ROY

The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India

were hurled at Newly-launched Vande Bharat

JUNGLE RAJ’

HAS RETURNED TO BIHAR: NADDA

Ayurveda institute introduces millet-based meals

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The All India Institute of Ayurveda introduced a new range of millet-based dishes in its canteen as a part of its healthy food offerings, marking the start of the new year 2023 as the ‘International year of millets’ in presence of Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh.

Spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the Government of India sponsored the proposal for International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The declaration has been instrumental for the Government of India to be at the forefront of celebrating the IYM.

“It has been a tradition here to do something new at the start of the new year. So, in 2023, we have intro-

duced a new range of healthy millet-based dishes in our canteen, which are healthier and more nutritious”, said Dr (Professor) Tanuja Manoj Nesari, Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda.

Giriraj Singh, honourable Minister of Rural Development said, “Introduction of ‘Pathyahaar’ meal at the canteen has been a welcome step as this will expand the option of healthy foods that have

been made available to the patients and scholars in AIIA.”

Giriraj Singh said that his ministry would soon introduce training programmes in ‘Panchakarma’ therapy of Ayurveda in rural areas. This move, based on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Health for all, will also help in expanding self-employment opportunities in the rural sector, he said.

A special Hawan and

PLATTER OF PROTEIN, FIBRE, VITAMINS

Dishes such as Kodo Upma, Besan Chilla, Ragi Buttermilk, vegetable soup, Gajar ka halwa, Sothiyadi Laddu, Lauki ki Barfi, Jau Daliya, Pongal Khichda, Bajre ka Khichda were some of the items made available for the patrons of the canteen at All India Institute of Ayurveda. Speaking about the benefits of milletbased foods, Professor (Dr) Medha S. Kulkarni, H.OD. Swasthyavritta department said, “Millet is a good source of protein, fibre, key vitamins, and minerals. The potential health benefits of millet include protecting cardiovascular health, preventing the onset of diabetes, helping people achieve and maintain a healthy weight, and managing inflammation in the gut. Millet is an adaptable grain.”

Dhanwantri Puja was performed for the overall well-being of people and marked the beginning of Sneh Milan, the new year get-together of All India Institute of Ayurveda.

Professor Mahesh Vyas (Dean PhD), Pro-

fessor Anand More (Dean PG), Joint Director Shri Umesh Tagde, Additional Medical Superintendent Yogesh Bhadve, Professor Medha Kulkarni and other professors and scholars were present on the occasion.

Patna (PTI): BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday alleged that ‘Jungle Raj’ has returned to Bihar, alluding to the formation of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) govt in Bihar around five months ago.

At a rally in Muzaffarpur’s Paru, which falls under Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency, Nadda claimed there has been a complete breakdown in law and order in the state after the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) formed the government with Congress and RJD.

“Since the formation of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ govt in Bihar, not a day goes without hearing about murders, loot, kidnapping, rape and other crimes. ‘Jungle Raj’ has returned to the state. There is a complete breakdown in law and order in the state,” he said.

“Nitish Kumar betrayed the people of Bihar. His decision to form

an alliance with the RJD and other parties is against the mandate of the people. The people of the state will give a befitting reply to Kumar in the coming polls.

The ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government will be

IN THE COURTYARD

APEX COURT GRANTS INTERIM BAIL TO SUSPENDED IAS OFFICER POOJA SINGHAL

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail of one month to suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal who sought the relief to look after her ailing daughter. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka granted interim bail to Singhal and imposed some conditions on her, including that she will not visit Ranchi unless a court case is listed for hearing in the city. The top court has now listed the plea for hearing on February 6 and asked Enforcement Directorate to file response in three weeks to Singhal’s main bail plea.

UP GOVT CANNOT STOP SALARY OVER NPS: ALLAHABAD HC

Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday said the Uttar Pradesh government cannot not stop salary of its employees on the ground that they had not opted for National Pension System (NPS). The Lucknow bench of Justice Pankaj Bhatia directed the state that the salary of the petitioners would not be stopped until its further orders as the matter required consideration.

SC SEEKS CBI’S

REPLY ON BAIL PLEA OF EX-COUNCILLOR

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought reply from the CBI to the bail plea of former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, on several grounds including having already served almost nine years in jail. Besides him, ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and ex-MLA Mahender Yadav are serving life imprisonment and 10-year term respectively.

CBI GETS TIME TILL FRIDAY TO REPLY TO KOCHHARS' PLEA AGAINST ARREST

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted the CBI time till Friday to file its reply to the plea of former ICICI Bank Chief Executive Officer and MD Chanda Kochhar and her businessmanhusband Deepak Kochhar, challenging their arrest in an alleged loan fraud case. The Kochhar couple has moved the HC seeking to quash their remand order, calling their arrest “illegal”. Seeking their release from jail, they have also submitted that their son is getting married later this month and invitations have already been sent out to guests.

thrown out by voters in the next election,” Nadda added.

Nitish Kumar had formed the government with the Opposition parties after ending its coalition with BJP in August last year.

Second batch of 12 cheetahs arriving this month

New Delhi (PTI): A second batch of 12 cheetahs is likely to arrive in India from South Africa in January, sources said on Tuesday.

Discussions with South African authorities to translocate 12 cheetahs to Kuno National Park are at an advanced stage and the animals are likely to arrive in January, a Union Environment ministry source said.

Officials from the Kuno National Park gave a presentation on the preparedness for the introduction of the 12 cheetahs.

BJP gears up to continue winning run

Payal Mehta

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the northeastern states— Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland—all three of which go to the polls during the first quarter of this year and Mizoram at the end of the year.

“The Prime Minister’s focus is simply on the prosperity, progress, and welfare of the people of the region. That is why it’s even more important that the continuity of NDA governments in the state along with the Centre happens,” a senior Union minister told ANI.

As per the sources, the saffron party may make a pre-poll alliance

Gayathri Raguramm quits BJP, claims women not safe in TN unit

Chennai (PTI): Actorpolitician Gayathri Raguramm, who was suspended from the BJP in November last year, announced on Tuesday that she is resigning from the party and claimed that women are not safe in the Tamil Nadu unit as “nobody cares about true karyakartas”. She blamed state BJP chief K Annamalai for her decision to quit the party.

A senior leader, how-

How

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath has bluntly said that Rahul Gandhi will be the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said that Rahul is the face of the Congress. But at the same time he also said that Rahul would be the face of the opposition as well. The question is

ever, rejected her claims and said she is not a loss to the party. The leader said they do not give much importance to her allegations.

K’TAKA BIZMAN SUICIDE: CONG DEMANDS ARREST OF BJP MLA NAMED IN FIR

Bengaluru: Congress leaders on Tuesday demanded the arrest of Karnataka BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali and five others named in the FIR

in Tripura with the existing alliance partner Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT). The party allied with BJP in the 2018 Tripura Assembly election and won 8 seats out of 9 contested seats.

However, the number of seats that the two

says Mamata

Kolkata (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the BJP’s ideology is to be “self-centred “ while her party Trinamool Congress abides by the Constitution.

may contest in the upcoming polls may be firmed up soon. On the possibility of an alliance with Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (Tipra Motha) headed by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, a senior leader of BJP

said, “We cannot be seen forming an alliance with a unit that is demanding a separate state—Greater Tipuraland’—for tribes.”

In Meghalaya where the BJP is in an alliance with NPP, it has already announced that they will fight on all the seats and no pre-poll alliance will be made with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s party.

Nagaland currently has a ‘no opposition’ government headed by Nephiu Rio. The NDPP president who is the nine-time Nagaland CM has struck a pre-poll arrangement with BJP to contest 20 of 60 seats. PM Narendra Modi has coined the term ‘Ashtalakshmi’ for the states of the northeast and has had a special focus on the region.

‘Allegation doesn’t make a person guilty’

Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana CM ML Khattar on Tuesday termed as “absurd” the allegations of sexual harassment against minister Sandeep Singh and said a person does not become guilty just because an accusation is levelled against him. He said the police are investigating the matter and further action will be taken once the report comes.

Sandeep Singh gave

how will this happen?

How and why will the opposition accept him as its leader? It is also a big question whether anyone from the Congress has talked to the leaders of the opposition? At least as of now, it does not appear that the Congress has created any channel of dialogue with the opposition leaders behind the scenes.

No senior Congress leader that holds a tall stature in opposition parties can be seen for this

work. That’s why the announcement of Kamal Nath is surprising. There

was no point in praising Rahul’s yatra and mentioning the sacrifices of

the Nehru-Gandhi family, but by mentioning these things, he tried to make Rahul the face of the opposition. That is why the opposition parties have not taken it seriously. A big leader like Kamal Nath should have given such a statement after thinking. It is not a matter of forcing the opposition by putting any pressure. It is not that the opposition will accept Rahul as the leader after repeated statements from the Congress. The

up the sports portfolio saying he has taken the step on moral grounds, and claimed that the charges levelled against him by the woman coach are baseless.

first condition for considering Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition is that the strength of the Congress should increase and it should be established that the strength of the Congress has increased because of Rahul. That is, Rahul should be established as the leader who won the elections for the Congress. If he can do this work in the new year, then the opposition itself will consider him as the leader.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda being garlanded during a public rally, at Paroo High school, in Vaishali on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

BJP NATIONAL EXECUTIVE MEET ON JAN 16, 17; NADDA’S TENURE EXTENSION ON CARDS

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national executive meeting will be held in the national capital on January 16 and 17, said sources on Tuesday. According to the sources, the party is expected to deliberate on the upcoming Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. BJP national president JP Nadda’s tenure may be extended at the executive meeting. Nadda’s three-year term as the party president will end later this month. Apart from this, many organizational decisions will be taken. The ruling party has increased the number of Lok Sabha seats which it considers difficult to win in 2024 from 144 to 160 now.

Mahesh Sharma

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves during the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Gokulpuri, in east Delhi, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

BJP’s ideology is to be self-centred,

in connection with the alleged suicide of a businessman, and urged the state govt to ensure justice to his family. Congress leaders met Pradeep’s family at their residence here. Pradeep (47) was found dead in his car at Nettigere near here on Sunday. He had allegedly shot himself in the head inside his car.

ANI

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, former State Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and BJP leaders hold a protest rally against alleged financial irregularities in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), in Agartala. —PHOTO BY ANI

Union minister Giriraj Singh partakes of the millet meal at All India Institute of Ayurveda.

Permanent members clearly not in hurry to see UN reforms: Jaishankar

Vienna (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has slammed the slow pace of the UN reforms, saying those who are enjoying the benefits of permanent membership are not in a hurry to see reforms.

India has been at the forefront of efforts at the UN to push for urgent long-pending reform of the Security Council, emphasising that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.

“You will have a situation when the world’s most populous country

is not among the permanent members of the security council, what does it say about the state of the UN”, Jais-

hankar said in an interview to Austria’s national broadcaster ORF on Monday.

When asked how long

You will have a situation when the world’s most populous country is not among the permanent members of the security council, what does it say about the state of the UN, —S Jaishankar, EAM

COULD USE HARSHER WORDS...’ JAISHANKAR ON USE OF PHRASE ‘EPICENTRE OF TERRORISM’ FOR PAKISTAN

Vienna: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that he could have used “much harsher words than epicentre” for Pakistan for its role in promoting crossborder terrorism as he underlined that the world needs to be concerned about terrorism. Jaishankar, who has often

described Pakistan as the “epicentre of terrorism’, in an interview to Austria’s national broadcaster ORF on Monday also criticised European nations for not condemning the (terrorism) practices that have been going on for multiple decades. “Because you are a diplomat, doesn’t

mean you are untruthful. I could use much harsher words than epicentre. So believe me, considering what has been happening to us, I think epicentre is a very diplomatic word,” he said while responding to a question on using the word “epicentre of terrorism” for Pakistan.

will it take until this reform of the UN Security Council, he said, “... those who are today enjoying the benefits of

permanent membership clearly are not in a hurry to see reform. I think it’s a very shortsighted view Because at

Agnipath game changer for Armed forces: Rajnath Singh

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Agnipath is a game changer scheme for the Armed Forces which is going to act as force multiplier in making Indian military as one of the best in the world with youthful, high-tech and ultramodern outlook.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said during his virtual address at the MoU Exchange Ceremony ‘Outreach Programme with Ministry of Education (MoE) & and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE’) on Tuesday. He elaborated on the paradigm shifting

changes the Agnipath scheme is going to make in transforming the Armed Forces into a tech-savvy, well-equipped and combat ready unit to face future challenges. He said, “As the De-

China warns nations of tit-for-tat curbs

Beijing (Agencies): Beijing is blasting testing requirements on passengers from China and threatening countermeasures against countries involved based on reciprocity.

“We believe that the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Tuesday.

“We are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the COVID measures for political purposes and will take

INDIA SEES SLIGHT RISE IN COVID CASES

New Delhi: For the second week running, India recorded a marginal rise in Covid-19 cases although the numbers remained very low. In the week ending Sunday, 1,526 fresh cases were recorded in the country, up 25% from the previous week’s tally of 1,219. Meanwhile, in a first since March 2020, Covid deaths during the week (December 26-January 1) dipped to single figures at six.

countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity,” he said.

fence Minister, I do see the Agnipath scheme as helpful in building a strong, capable Armed Forces. Also, being a citizen, I am seeing this scheme as a helper in nation-building.”

Ankita murder: Accuseds’ narco test on Jan 5

Dehradun (ANI): The First Class Judicial Magistrate Court Kotdwar on Tuesday fixed the date of narco and polygraph tests of the three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case for January 5.

The Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Kotdwar fixed the date after hearing the arguments of both parties.

The case pertains to 19-year-old Ankita, whose body was recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24.

She was reported missing for at least six days before the officials found her body.

provide opportunities to Agniveers

BRO are actually our brothers Defence Minister

Siang (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that during his childhood he used to think that the acronym ‘BRO’ of the Border Roads Organisation actually meant ‘bro’ a slang for brother but now after seeing their work he pointed out that they could be seen as brothers of our armed forces. The defence minister also lauded the spirit and speed with which the

BRO carried out development works in the recent past. “When i used to see the short form of BRO (Border Roads Organisation) on signboards in my childhood, I used to think it meant ‘Bro’ which our younger generation uses for brother. But after seeing the work they are doing, they are actually brothers of our Armed forces and people,” Singh said.

the end of the day, the credibility of the UN and their own interests and effectiveness are at stake.”

“So my sense is, it will take some time, hopefully not too much time. I can see a growing body of opinion

among UN members who believe that they must be changed. It’s not just us,” Jaishankar said.

Tearful adieu to twin terror victims in J&K

Rajouri (PTI): The mortal remains of six people including two minor cousins who were killed in twin terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district were given a tearful and emotional farewell as they were cremated at their native place on Tuesday.

Hundreds of mourners — relatives, friends and neighbours — queued up with flowers and wreaths to pay their last respects to the mortal remains at the government higher second school, where the bodies were kept for the night.

Amid slogans by people who took out processions, the bodies of the six victims of the terror attacks at Dhangri village, were brought to the cremation ground for

last rites. The bodies of four-year-old Vihan Sharma, 16-year-old Samiksha Sharma, Satish Kumar (45), Deepak Ku-

mar (23), Pritam Lal (57) and Shishu Pal (32)

Winter tourism thrives in Valley; celebrations end on a

Srinagar (ANI): Tourists thronging Kashmir to celebrate Christmas and New Year created a buzz in the Valley as all the tourist resorts, including Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, were sold out even before the celebrations could begin. The festivities ended on a high note as tourists started their New Year amid snow-clad mountains and peaks in the Valley.

Nearly 26 lakh tourists visited Kashmir from January 1, 2022, to December 21, 2022. The highest grossing months were April (2.72 lakh), May (3.75 lakh) and June (3.33 lakh)

SIMILARITY IN DISPARITY

while in lean months, there were 62,000 arrivals in January, one lakh

high note

FIVE OF FAMILY DIE IN VEHICLES’ PILEUP IN TN

Cuddalore: Five of a family were killed in a six-vehicle pileup on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district early Tuesday, police said. The vehicles in the pileup were two private buses, two lorries, and two cars. The deceased members of the family, who are yet to be identified, were in one of the cars, added the police. The bodies were recovered with the help Veppur Firemen team.

INDIAN CHARGED FOR MOLESTING WOMAN IN S’PORE

Singapore: A 25-year-old Indian national has been arrested on charges of allegedly molesting a woman in the Sentosa resort island here on New Year’s Day, a report said on Tuesday. Subramanian Muralimanogarjoshi was charged on Monday with one count each of criminal trespass and outrage of modesty of a woman and wrongful restraint, Channel News Asia reported. The police are investigating the matter.

UNION MINISTER NITYANAND RAI’S SECURITY UPGRADED TO ‘Z’ CATEGORY

arrivals in February and 1.05 lakh in December (up to December 21).

Is Akhilesh on the path of bête noire Mayawati?

Shamsher Singh

New Delhi: National President of the Samajwadi Party (SP) Akhilesh Yadav made a wonderful statement recently. He talked about not getting the invitation of Congress for Bharat Jodo Yatra and distanced himself from it but at the same time said that the Congress is also like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He made another interesting point that the Sa-

majwadi Party has a different ideology. However, leaving aside the matter of ideology, even the attack he made on Congress by calling Congress like BJP is astonishing. No one asked him since when has the Congress become like the BJP? Obviously it must have happened only after 2017 because in 2017 it was not like the BJP, that’s why Akhilesh had coordinated with the Congress and ‘two boys from UP’

came out to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, the way he

attacked the Congress, the question has arisen whether he too will fol-

low the path of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati? Mayawati has been describing Congress as the Bharatiya Janata Party for a long time. She has been helping the BJP in one way or the other for some time now. Her inaction has resulted in transfer of BSP’s vote to BJP and in the last elections their candidates helped BJP. Is there some unknown reason why Akhilesh Yadav is keeping distance from

opposition unity and indirectly ensuring that the Bharatiya Janata Party wins the elections? Or is it the reason that he is worried about Congress or he is feeling that Congress can make a comeback? By describing Congress as BJP, he is making SSP the sole contender for the minority votes of the state. It is possible that he has attacked the Congress in the concern of Congress benefiting from Rahul’s yatra.

INDIAN HELD IN NEPAL FOR ‘KILLING’ ELDERLY WOMAN

Kathmandu: A 23-year-old

Indian national has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of an elderly woman in the Arghakhanchi district of western Nepal, police said on Tuesday. Sushanta Singh, a permanent resident of Haryana, was arrested on Sunday on the charges of murdering 60-year-old Radha Thapa, police said.

Thapa’s body was recovered with deep head injuries from a forest near the municipality on Sunday.

MAN DROWNS WHILE TRYING TO RESCUE PET DOG

Chandigarh: A 40-year-old merchant navy officer was drowned in Bhakra canal in Punjab while trying to rescue his dog, police said on Tuesday. The incident occurred near Morinda town on Monday. Deceased Ramandeep Singh was on a picnic with his family, and when they were strolling on the bank of the canal, the pet accidentally fell into the canal. Ramandeep jumped into the canal to save it but drowned. However, the dog was rescued by passers-by.

EAM S Jaishankar with Foreign Ministers Alexander Schallenberg of Austria, Jan Lipavský of Czech Republic and Rastislav Kácer of Slovak Republic during a meeting in Vienna. —PHOTO BY PTI

Akhilesh Yadav with Mayawati.

—FILE PHOTO

Defence Minister calls upon State govts & pvt sector to

Rajnath Singh at inauguration of Siyom Bridge in Arunachal Pradesh.

New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs has upgraded the security of Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai to ‘Z’ category for all India level, sources said on Tuesday. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be providing round the clock security cover to the minister at his residence as well as during his travel to other states across the country. Earlier, the CRPF used to provide Rai ‘Z’ category security during his stay and travel in West Bengal.

were cremated in six pyres lined up at Dhangri cremation ground.

Members of Shiv Sena Dogra Front protest the killing of people in Rajouri attack, in Jammu. —PHOTO BY PTI

NIGHT CURFEW IMPOSED ALONGSIDE INT’L BORDER IN J&K’S SAMBA DISTRICT Jammu (PTI): Authorities on Tuesday imposed night curfew along a kilometer stretch along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district to ensure better area domination by BSF troops, according to an official order. The step was taken in view of the threat of cross-border infiltration and smuggling of weapons through drones in the present foggy weather, it stated.

FOG SHROUDS LUCKNOW AMID SEVERE COLD CONDITION; MERCURY DROPS

Lucknow (ANI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said severe cold and fog conditions will continue to prevail in the Uttar Pradesh capital where the mercury can drop further. The IMD said that dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions are very likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India during the next five days till Saturday.

New Delhi: Capital markets regulator Sebi has asked Oravel Stays Ltd, the parent company of travel-tech firm OYO, to refile the draft IPO papers with certain updates. The move might delay the Gurugram-based hospitality unicorn’s initial public offering (IPO). OYO filed preliminary documents with the Sebi in September 2021 for a `8,430 crore IPO. The proposed offering consists of a fresh issue of shares of up to `7,000 crore and an offer-for-sale of as much as `1,430 crore. —PTI

TESLA SAYS IT SOLD A RECORD

1.3 MN VEHICLES IN 2022

ON EXPORT OF DIESEL, ATF Govt hikes windfall tax on crude oil

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The government has raised the windfall profit tax levied on domestically produced crude oil as well as on the export of diesel and ATF, in line with firming international oil prices, according to an official order.

The levy on crude oil produced by companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has been increased to `2,100 per tonne from `1,700 per tonne, the order dated January 2, said.

Crude oil pumped out of the ground and from below the seabed is refined and converted into fuel like petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

Austin: Tesla said that sold a record 1.3 million vehicles last year. The 2022 figure topped the prior record of 936,000 vehicles delivered in 2021, but it was shy of the 1.4 mn needed to reach the company’s 50% growth target. Sales grew 40% year over year, while production climbed 47% to 1.37 mn. The shortfall came despite a major year-end sales push that included rare $7,500 discounts in the US on the Models Y and 3, the topselling models.

BMW INDIA POSTS RECORD SALES AT

The government has also raised the tax on the export of diesel to ` 6.5 per litre, from ` 5 and the same on overseas shipments of ATF to ` 4.5 a litre, from ` 1.5 a litre.

The new tax rates are effective from January 3.

Tax rates were cut at the last fortnightly review on December 16, following a decline in global crude oil prices. International oil

OTHER STORIES

TOP TALKING POINTS

z The levy on crude oil produced by companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has been increased to `2,100 per tonne from `1,700 per tonne, the order dated January 2, said

prices have since then firmed up, necessitating the raising of windfall tax.

India first imposed windfall profit taxes on July 1, joining a growing number of nations that tax super normal profits of energy companies. At that time, export duties of `6 per litre ($12 per barrel) each were levied on petrol and ATF

GOLD RATE INCREASES BY `506; SILVER PRICE ALSO ZOOMS BY RUPEES 1,374

z The tax on the export of diesel to `6.5 per litre, from `5 and the same on overseas shipments of ATF to `4.5 a litre, from `1.5 a litre

z Tax rates were cut at the last fortnightly review on December 16, following a decline in global crude oil prices

and `13 a litre ($26 a barrel) on diesel.

A ` 23,250 per tonne ($40 per barrel) windfall profit tax on domestic crude production was also levied.

The export tax on petrol has since been scrapped.

The tax rates are reviewed every fortnight based on average oil prices in the previous two weeks.

EAM Jaishankar defends India’s move to import Russian oil

Cloud a big game changer: Nadella

Mumbai (PTI): Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday said there is tremendous momentum in cloud adoption, as he termed cloud a “big game changer”.

ACC TO IDC RESEARCH FIRM

Vienna (PTI): EAM S Jaishankar has defended India’s move to import crude oil from Russia, saying that Europe has imported six times the fossil fuel energy from Russia than India has done since February 2022.

Jaishankar also said that if the European political leadership would like to soften the impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict to their population, it’s a privilege they should extend to other political leaderships as well.

“Europe has managed to reduce its imports while doing it in a manner that is comfortable. If at a (per capita income) of 60,000 euros, you are so caring about your population, I have a population at $2,000. I also need energy, and I am not in a position to pay high prices for oil,” Jaishankar said. Jaishankar also pointed out that Europe has imported six times the energy from Russia than India has done since February 2022.

Nadella, in his address on Tuesday, listed cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as imperatives that can be helpful in driving economic growth. “Cloud has been a big game changer... Cloud is in early-to-intermediate innings...,” Nadella said and noted the “tremendous momentum in cloud adoption.”

According to research firm IDC, the overall Indian public cloud services market is expected to reach $13 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 23.1% for 202126. The revenue totaled $2.8 billion for the first half of 2022. Public cloud service (PCS) makes computing

z The overall Indian public cloud services market is expected to reach $13 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 23.1% for 2021-26. The revenue totaled $2.8 billion for the first half of 2022

z Top cloud computing providers in India include AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft’s Azure

and storage applications available on demand to organisations and individuals over the public internet. A private cloud model’s resources are available only to a single organisation.

Top cloud computing providers in India include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft’s Azure.

Hyderabad-born Nadella also lauded the way in which India is building public infrastructure.

He said, “... We see tremendous momentum today, when it comes to cloud adoption. In fact, when I think about Microsoft Windows, in the client server era, we sold a few servers in the cloud. It’s a completely different ballgame. But I look at every business in the cloud consumption.”

PTI

19,263 UNITS IN 2022

New Delhi: German automotive group BMW on Tuesday reported record sales of its luxury cars and motorcycles in India at 19,263 units in 2022.

Customer deliveries of cars of both brands BMW and MINI registered a growth of 35% at 11,981 units last year. BMW India registered sales of 11,268 units at a growth of 37% and MINI India of 713 units, up 11% from 2021, it added. SUV range, including the X1, X3, X5 and X7 grew at over 60%, while luxury sedans such as the 3 Series, 5 Series and 6 Series continued their strong run, the company said. —PTI

8,452 MILLION UNITS

New Delhi: Gold price in the national capital jumped `506 to `55,940 per 10 grams on Tuesday amid a rally in prices of the precious metal internationally, according to Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Securities. The yellow metal had touched `55,434 per 10 grams in the previous trade. Silver also zoomed to `1,374 to `71,224 per kilogram. In the overseas market, gold was trading in green at $1,843 per ounce while silver was up at $24.37 per ounce. PTI

INDIA’S OCT-DEC SUGAR OUTPUT UP 3.69% AT 120.7 LAKH TONNES

New Delhi: The country’s sugar production rose 3.69% to 120.7 lakh tonnes in the October-December quarter of the ongoing marketing year, according to the industry body ISMA. Sugar production in India, one of the world’s major producers of the sweetener, stood at 116.4 lakh tonnes in the same period of the previous marketing year. Sugar marketing year runs from October to September. According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), about 509 mills were operating as against 500 mills in the said period. PTI

MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LOGS 28% RISE IN EXPORTS IN 2022

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday reported a 28% rise in exports at 2,63,068 units in 2022, its highest ever overseas shipments.

The company’s previous highest exports was achieved in 2021 with 2,05,450 units. The highest exported models in 2022 were Dzire, Swift, S-Presso, Baleno, Brezza. “Crossing the 2 lakh milestone in exports for the second consecutive year signifies the trust, quality, reliability, performance, and affordability of our products,” MSIL MD & CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said. PTI

Government has pipeline of 44 port projects till 2024-25: Min

New Delhi (PTI): Publicprivate partnership in port infrastructure has been an important source of investment in the sector and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has a pipeline of 44 projects for total investment of `22,900 crore till 2024-25, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Tuesday.

Moreover, the government is working on the guidelines for dealing with stressed public-private partnership (PPP) projects at major ports and has also come up with policies to support the shipbuilding industry in India, Sonowal said.

Market benchmarks settle with gains in day’s volatile trade

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks ended with gains on Tuesday amid a largely firm trend in global markets after facing bouts of volatility during the session. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 126.41 points or 0.21% to settle at 61,294.20. During the day, it hit a high of 61,343.96 and a low of 61,004.04.

The broader NSE Nifty gained 35.10 points or 0.19% to end at 18,232.55.

From the Sensex pack, Axis Bank, Titan, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, Wipro, Nestle and Bajaj Finance were among the major winners.

Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever and Tata Steel were the main laggards.

TO TOUCH `1.6 LAKH CR REVENUE IN FY24

M&E sector likely to grow 12-14 percent

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Indian Energy Exchange’s total trade volume in December 2022 dipped 7% to 8,452 million units as compared to the year-ago period. “The overall volume on the exchange in December 2022 increased 9% on a MoM basis.

However, it declined by 7% on YoY basis due to high REC (renewable energy certificates) traded volumes of 13.85 lakh in (December 2021) the previous year,” an IEX statement said. —PTI

New Delhi: Indian media and entertainment sector is likely to grow 12-14% to clock ` 1.6 lakh crore revenue in FY24, according to a report by rating agency Crisil.

The revenue growth of the Indian media and entertainment (M&E) from advertising would be led by digital platforms, followed by TV and print, it added in the report.

“Ad revenue, which accounts for 55% of the sector’s revenue, will grow 14%, given its strong cor-

relation with economic activity. Also, the general elections expected in mid2024 will trigger an in-

crease in ad spending in the last quarter of the next fiscal,” Crisil said.

The rest 45% would come

ACC TO REPORT BY CRISIL

z Ad revenue, which accounts for 55% of the sector’s revenue, will grow 14%, given its strong correlation with economic activity. Also, the general elections expected in mid-2024 will trigger an increase in ad spending in the last quarter of the next fiscal

from subscription revenue, which will grow at a slower pace of 12%, according to the report.

RUPEE FALLS 8 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.86

AGAINST US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee pared initial gains and settled 8 paise lower at 82.86 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, weighed by a strong greenback overseas and sustained foreign fund outflows. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened on a positive note at 82.69 against the greenback, but pared the gains and fell to an intra-day low of 82.92. The domestic currency finally settled at 82.86, down 8 paise over its previous close of 82.78.

Indian economy & exports will be moderately

impacted: GTRI

New Delhi (PTI): The Indian economy and exports will be moderately impacted in 2023 by weak global demand and recession in large economies and to improve its current account, the country should aim at reducing energy import bill, economic think tank GTRI said on Tuesday.

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that in 2022, India will pay $270 billion in imports of crude oil and coal, which is about 40% of total merchandise import bill.

It also said the US effort to create alternate supply chains excluding China is gradually leading to restructuring of global supply chains and relocation of few large manufacturing firms shows that India is in a good position to benefit from this trend.

‘5G rollout to drive telecom hiring in 2023’

New Delhi (PTI): The 5G

rollout is expected to drive hiring in the telecom sector in 2023, as the expansion of the high-speed service unleashes a “compounding impact” on recruitment for both non-niche skills and technical skills, according to NLB Services. Demand for specialised telecom technology talent grew by almost 20% in 2022, the international staffing and recruiting company said.

Going forward, the hiring demand is not going to be restricted to the telecom sector alone, it estimated.

AIRTEL LAUNCHES 5G SERVICES IN INDORE

New Delhi (PTI): Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced the launch of its 5G services in Indore. The company said customers with 5G-enabled devices will experience high speed Airtel 5G Plus network at no extra cost until the rollout is more widespread. Airtel 5G Plus service will boost the entire portfolio of services that the telco offers.

NOT ALL CONVERSIONS CAN BE SAID TO BE ILLEGAL, SAYS SC

DMRC STAFFERS CAUGHT SELLING METRO CARDS AT DISCOUNTED RATES

New Delhi (ANI) : Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Tuesday removed two employees involved in unauthorised recharge and selling of Metro Smart Cards to people at discounted rates outside Metro premises, officials said.

DMRC officials caught two employees, one from DMRC and another working as a Customer Care (CC) operator at

Qutab Minar Metro station from an outsourced agency.

DMRC officials had been keeping a tab on their suspicious activities for the past week and caught them red-handed with 23 such Smart Cards at Qutab Minar Metro station. The CC operator has been removed from the service and the DMRC employee has been suspended with immediate effect.

A bench comprising Justice MR Shah and Justice CT Ravikumar said the respondent shall not prosecute adult citizens if they solemnise the marriage of their own volition and shall not take coercive action for violation of Section 10 of the Act.

Chandra Gupta

A bench comprising Justice MR Shah and Justice CT Ravikumar issued notice to the appeal filed by the government of Madhya Pradesh against the verdict of the High Court.

The bench said that not all conversions can be said to be illegal. The bench asked to issue notice on the SLP as well as interim relief, returnable on February 7. Dasti permitted.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that there is no prohibition against marriage or conversion. District Magistrate may only be intimated, that is all a stay would do.

The bench said that it cannot entertain this and if the State has any counter that may be presented on next date of hearing. The matter will be heard next on February 7.

In an order of November 14, 2022, a bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Prakash

The order had stated that Section 10 makes it obligatory for a citizen desiring conversion to give a declaration in this regard to the District Magistrate, which in the Court’s opinion ex-facie was unconstitutional in the teeth of aforesaid judgments of this Court.

It further said that till further orders, the respondent shall not prosecute adult citizens if they solemnize the marriage of their own volition and shall not take coercive action for violation of Section 10 of the Act.

First India Bureau

The transfer petitions were mentioned before the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha by Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy and Advocate Karuna Nundy Nundy asked for transfer petitions also to be listed on January 6 while submitting that petitions relating to same-sex marriage are listed on that day. CJI Chandrachud stated that the bench would list the transfer petitions along with the main matter on January 6. The petition contained a PIL filed by Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dang, who are a couple for almost 10 years. They recently had a ceremony in December 2021, where their relationship was blessed by their parents, family, and friends. They have asked for their marriage to be recognized under the Special Marriage Act. Another PIL by Parth Phiroze Mehrotra and Uday Raj Anand, who have been in a relationship for the last 17 years, said they are presently raising two children together.

CINEMA HALL CAN PROHIBIT OUTSIDE FOOD

First India Bureau

New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha on Tuesday held that a cinema hall owner can prohibit movie-goers from carrying their own food and beverages inside cinema halls.

The issue arose as the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had given directions to owners of multiplexes/cinema halls to allow cinema-goers to carry their own food articles and water inside the theatre.

The top court was approached against this impugned judgement of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Senior Advocate KV Vishwanathan, who appeared for appellants, said that cinema halls are private properties, and have all rights to reserve admission rights.

The advocate added that the Jammu and Kashmir Cinema (Regulations) Rules 1975 did not provide that a moviegoer should be allowed to bring eatables inside theatres. While dictating the order, CJI DY Chandrachud said that the property of the cinema hall is the private property of the owner of the hall. The owner has all the rights entitled to set terms and conditions so long as such terms and conditions are not contrary to the public interest, safety, and welfare, the CJI said.

CUSTODIAL DEATH CASE: SC to hear plea of Sanjiv Bhatt

The Supreme Court Tuesday said it will consider on January 10 the petition filed by sacked Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt seeking to bring in additional evidence in an appeal filed by him in the Gujarat

Ahd-Del Sampark Kranti to be renamed Akshardham Express

Ahmedabad (PTI): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the Sampark Kranti Express train between Ahmedabad and Delhi will be renamed as Akshardham Express as a tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Vaishnaw made the announcement on Monday as part of the month-long Pramukh Swami centenary celebrations of the BAPS Swaminarayan sect,

which were launched on December 14

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and current BAPS chief Mahant Swami Maharaj.

press connecting Delhi and Ahmedabad will soon be renamed as Akshardham Express,” Vaishnaw told reporters at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar, which has been set up over 600 acres in Ahmedabad.

High Court. Bhatt has filed an appeal in the high court challenging his conviction in a 1990 custodial death case. A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar asked senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Bhat, if he was serious with regard to a plea seeking recusal of Justice Shah. Kamat submitted the idea was not to attach ‘bias’ to the Judge but apprehension of ‘bias’. He said certain issues which are

the subject matter of the Special Leave Petition had been decided by Justice Shah on an earlier occasion when he was a judge in the high court. Justice Shah then remarked, “Your objection is rejected. Merely some order has been passed in some discharge application, it has nothing to do with this controversy. Apprehension should have a reasonable nexus.” Kamat said he can demonstrate apprehension of bias.

Experts from Army shift live bombshell from Chandigarh site

Chandigarh (PTI): The Indian Army’s bomb disposal experts on Tuesday removed the live explosive, which was found a day earlier close to the helipad used by Punjab and Haryana chief ministers here.

Earlier in the day, experts of the Indian Army reached the spot where the live explosive was found. After examining the object, they experts decided to take the shell with them, Sanjeev Kohli, nodal officer, disaster management, Chandigarh, told reporters here.

When asked if the bomb would not be diffused here, Kohli said, “They will take it to the command. They have to analyse it—it is a technical part of their process after which they will (defuse it)”.

The shell was seen being carried in an Army vehicle with police escort vehicles

z z

accompanying it. The experts examined the live shell in protective gear inside a police cordon. A fire tender and an ambulance were stationed at the spot in the morning. The police questioned several people, including many scrap dealers in nearby areas, for clues on how the bomb could have reached the mango garden.

Woman officer deployed at Siachen for first time

New Delhi (PTI): Captain Shiva Chauhan from the Corps of Engineers has reached a frontline post at Siachen Glacier, in first such operational deployment of a woman Army officer.

The officer will serve at the Kumar post, located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet. She joined on Monday for a three-month stint, Army officials said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed his best wishes to Capt Chauhan and said he was happy to see more women joining the armed forces and take

Captain Shiva Chouhan during the rigorous training at the Siachen Battle School, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

every challenge in stride.

The Army said Capt Chouhan became the first woman officer to get operationally deployed at the world’s highest battlefield.

“It was a proud moment for Indian Army when Capt Shiva Chouhan became the first woman officer to get operationally deployed at the world’s highest battlefield,” Army said.

UDAIPUR GIRL WITH ENGG DEGREE

z She has done her schooling from Udaipur and holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from NJR Institute of Technology, Udaipur.

z The officer was put through rigorous training at the Siachen Battle School where she trained alongside the officers and men of the Indian Army, officials said.

z The training included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue and survival drills, they said.

z The Army said the team of Sappers led by Capt Shiva Chouhan will be responsible for numerous combat engineering tasks and will be deployed at the post for three months.

If the state (of MP) has any counter, it may be presented on next date of hearing on February 7, says bench

SC refuses to stay High Court order which struck down part of MP’s new anti-conversion law

Section 10 makes it obligatory for a citizen desiring conversion to give a declaration of this to the DM

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay a recent order by the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had struck down the mandatory requirement under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act for making a declaration to the District Magistrate before converting one’s religion.

of the MP High Court asked the State government not to take any coercive action against any person who contravenes Section 10 (declaration before conversion of religion) of the Act.

Indian Army’s bomb disposal experts inspect the site where a live explosive was found a day earlier close to the helipad used by Punjab and Haryana chief ministers, in Chandigarh, Tuesday.

There is no prohibition against marriage or conversion.

District

Magistrate may only be intimated, that is all a stay would do.

—Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General

SC LISTS PLEAS ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the listing of two petitions which seek the transfer of pending petitions in Delhi High Court and Kerala High Court to it seeking the recognition of same-sex marriages in India on January 6.

“As a tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the Sampark Kranti Ex-

z Capt Shiva Chouhan from Rajasthan is a Bengal Sapper Officer.

Justice MR Shah (L) and Justice CT Ravikumar (R) issued notice in the matter and posted the matter for hearing on February 7.

—PHOTO BY PTI

www.firstindia.co.in

LET YOUR CURVES SPEAK

Acorset is a typical support garment

may look like a lovely aesthetic, it is scarcely realistic or feasible for a day-to-day look. However, the Bridgerton costume department has more than simply standard corsets. They are quickly becoming fundamental wardrobe pieces like Tshirts. I kid you not! In fact, they complement practically everything and quickly dress up or down anything that is too fussy or informal.

The most typical and wellknown application of corsets is to contour the body to a trendy silhouette. Narrowing the waist and so emphasising the breast and hips, commonly highlights a curvaceous body in women.

Traditionally, a corset spreads the strain from enormous gowns, such as the bustle and crinoline, and supports the visible garment. Sometimes a corset cover is used to hide the corset’s lines and shield outside clothing from it.

To provide a barrier between the corset and the body, the original corset cover was worn below.

Corsets were not worn near the skin, presumably because they were difficult to clean in the 19th century since they contained steel boning and rust-prone metal eyelets.

Corsets can be worn as a top with low-slung slacks, tiny skirts, cargo pants, or as a coordinated set. It will give you the best out of your body. You can also wear this trendy spectacular look on a loose-fit dress to add a pinch of glam to your look. A smoky bold makeup would look the best

with this type of

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

The corset fashion in 2022 was more Euphoric than bright hues, metallic sheens, and edgy designs. Let’s dive into the magical world of corset fashion with City First

SHOULD THE MEALS BE SMALL AND FREQUENT

DR RAMAVTAR SHARMA ramawatarf132@gmail.com

As human life evolved on earth and man started living in villages and then cities the human body started changing internally as far as its metabolism is concerned. A significant majority started gaining more body weight than desirable while some people could gain no weight despite all the possible efforts on the part of the individual. Culturally, people prefer breakfast, lunch and dinner with some snacking in the evening. It is widely believed that this routine improves health and wellness though no definite scientific scrutiny has ever been done.

Another line of thought is that small frequent meals are better suited to gain and maintaining body weight and muscle mass. All this may sound confusing but being a complex living being everyone out of us may need a bit of an individualized approach. Some studies where one group ate three large meals while the other group enjoyed six smaller meals a day showed no significant difference in body fat provided the total calorie intake was controlled and equal. But it has been observed that those in the six meals-a-day pro grams developed more appetite which could make them prone to excess calorie consumption in future as there would be no restriction on calorie intake at home.

The studies came to a near conclusion that there is no need to be bounded by any strict regime regarding the number of meals one consumes. What is important is the quality and type of food and also the state of mind when one is having one's meal. Many people believe that small frequent meals control weight gain and improve body metabolism but studies do not support such claims. Rather a large meal may improve metabolism but again there are individual variations. But some studies indicate that small fre-

quent meals with adequate protein content may improve athletic performance.

It has been observed that food quality is better in the groups where people have three or more meals per day because legumes, vegetables, greens, fruits, dairy and nuts are added to the meals as varieties. These people are also less likely to have added sugar and salt than those who have only two meals a day.

Thus, it has become reasonably clear that there is nothing miraculous as far as frequent meals or two meals a day are concerned. It is an individual approach and dis-

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Health tips from an expert will enable you to get closer to your fitness goals. Using your initiative at work will be much appreciated. You may get a chance to pursue old hobby. Your generous behavior would enable to enjoy some lovely moments with family. You will get a good price for your property.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

Following a health diet will be a good idea. Luck favours you today on the professional front. Focussing on health now will help you in keeping physically fit. Clarity of mind and retentive power will help you forge ahead on the academic front. Frustration on the romantic front is possible

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21 Distant relatives may drop in for a surprise visit. On professional front, recognition for good work would motivate you to work harder. Those awaiting an affirmation on romantic front are likely to get lucky today, as partner responds positively. Today you will enjoy the trust of senior management.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Your intuition will save you from a tricky spot today. Yoga would help in raising energy levels and improve your metabolism. You will manage to achieve your aim through travel. This is a great time on the academic front, when you mange to render your best. You will get successful in love.

LEO

Family will be most supportive, when it really matters for you. Some of you may add to your list of properties by booking a new one. It is good day to confess your love as stars appear favourable for positive reply. A long drive is likely to help you get over mental tiredness.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Avoid raising controversial issues at home to maintain harmony. Successful implementation of new ideas and projects would add to your prestige on the professional front. It is a wonderful day to build new connections. Your relationship requires you to be tactful.

DAY

cipline. Quality of ingredients and balance of calories is very important. The needs of individuals have to be tailored. Re member that food is one of the many factors which keep us healthy and fit or vice versa. To stay fit you have to review your overall lifestyle because health in cludes physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Despite hectic schedule you will manage to find time for family. Seek the opinion of your family before finalizing a property deal. Your bold initiatives on romantic front bring back passion and spark in romantic relationship. Overall health remains fine. Some of you can get romantically involved.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Happiness in the domestic sphere will only come with a changed mind set. Some of you are likely to become a part of an overseas official trip. Better to consult an expert in financial matters before making an investment. Harsh words may create a rift in your romantic relationship; be careful.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

It’s a very good day to take calculated risks in financial matters. Your efforts on the professional front will be recognised. Opting for some healthy choices will ensure you remain in perfect health. You will feel much happy and contented on the family front. Today you will enjoy the trust of senior management.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

You will succeed in resolving problem with family members, normalizing ties. Despite your misgivings, you retain good health. You will do much to bring peace and harmony at home. You will remain much in demand on social front. Some of you can get romantically involved.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

A friend or colleague may motivate you to take up a healthy activity. Parents may appear more than happy with what you deliver. Plans for overseas travel are likely to materialise. You are likely to get clearance or approval for your construction plans. You find things moving in the way you want them.

PISCES

FACEOFTHEDAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

Seal Kiss

It’s New Year 2023 and Malaika Arora’s first post is with her boyfriend Arjun Kapoor. The actress treated her Insta family to a monochrome picture from their New Year festivities with their friends in Ranthambore, Rajasthan. In the image, Malaika is planting a kiss on Arjun’s cheek, while he clicks an adorable picture. In the background, we can see a tree covered with fairy lights. In the caption, Malaika wrote, “Hello 2023 (a heart emoticon)... Love and light.” Arjun also shared the same picture on

his Instagram handle with a different caption, “Happy 2023 everyone...Let the

Malaika

uncomfortable filming experience”

Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja’s most-awaited mass action entertainer Waltair Veerayya hits the big screens, on January 13.

From songs to the first look, everything about the film is drawing a huge response from moviegoers.

SAMANTHA IN CITADEL?

Alot is being written about Sa mantha Ruth Prabhu’s health and how that is im pacting the shooting schedules of her upcoming pro jects. Once again, speculations are doing rounds that Samantha has quit Raj and DK’s upcoming film Citadel, an original spy series that will co-star Varun Dhawan. It is also said that Sam, who is diagnosed with an au toimmune disease called Myositis, will be taking a long break from work, leading to rumour mills buzz ing that she is being replaced in the up coming projects.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is very much a part of Varun Dhawan’s costarrer Citadel and will start shooting the same in the second half of January 2023.

The official dates will be confirmed soon. “Anything and everything is writ ten about her be ing replaced in Citadel is rubbish.

She will begin the shoot in the second half of Janu ary,” confirmed a source.

The on-screen chemistry between the lead pair in the 3-minute video catches our attention. However, Shruti Haasan did not really enjoy filming the song in a snow-clad location. Sharing her experience of shooting for the song, Shruti said, “I do hope and completely be very honest that I don’t have to do another song in the snow wearing a saree because physically it is so uncomfortable but I guess, people still want to see it and we will have to keep doing it. It is truly uncomfortable for a

BREAK-UP?

ara Sutaria and Aadar Jain, who had been in a relationship for a few years, have reportedly broken up. As per reports, the couple has decided to amicably part ways, and are on good terms. One of the most loved couples of B-Town, the two had kept their relationship low-key, but would often grab headlines for their mushy posts on each other’s birth days and special occasions. Tara and Aadar were of ten spotted by the paparazzi together, and the actress was also seen with him at all the Kapoor family functions. A source informed the publication, “Aadar and Tara have decided to amicably part ways. They’re both mature and they will remain friends and care for each other fondly.”

Jisoo to make her solo debut

On January 2nd, YG Entertainment announced, “BLACKPINK’s Jisoo is currently accelerating the recording of a solo album.” YG Entertainment added, “Amidst the busy schedule of the world tour since last year, to keep the promise with fans, we have finished taking photos for the jacket and have

been working on music in our spare time. We will come back soon with good news.”

With this, Jisoo will make her solo debut as the last member of BLACKPINK, following Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. Currently, BLACKPINK is conducting the largest world tour done by any K-pop girl group. Starting with the concert in Seoul last October,

BLACKPINK members held North American concerts, seven cities and a European tour. Starting this year, they will per form in parts of Asia. In the past few years, each member of BLACKPINK, except Jisoo, had made their solo debut and received a lot of love from fans and nonfans too.

“An

light guide you this year...”

Arora and Arjun Kapoor rang in the new year with friends Varun Dhawan-Natasha Dalal, Kunal Rawal-Arpita Mehta and Mohit Marwah-Antara Motiwala in Rajasthan. Sharing a group picture on her Instagram handle, she wrote, “Love, happiness and eternal sunshine ..... happy 2023.” Arjun Kapoor also shared a similar picture with a different caption “Bring it on 2023 !!!”

Samantha Ruth Prabhu Kim Jisoo

Tara Sutaria

Malaika Arora

Chiranjeevi and Shruti Haasan in a still from the song

Samantha with Varun Dhawan

Her post...

Things to look out for!

agents, writers, translators and booksellers from across the world.

CITY FIRST

Jaipur Literature Festival, is all set to run its sixteenth edition from January 19 to 23. The five-day literary extravaganza promises to bring together a stellar line-up of speakers, writers and thinkers from India and across the world at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur.

The Festival will infuse the Pink City with the infectious enthusiasm that books, ideas and discourse bring, along with the dynamic energy of its customary music, merchandise, food and ancillary events.

Here are some highlights from the Festival that truly make it the ‘greatest literary show on Earth’.

Listen to some of the greatest minds of the world: JLF hosts some of the world’s best literary minds and brings them together for discussions and interactions spanning fiction, poetry, economics, history and more.

Heritage Evening: The Festival will also host a fascinating Heritage Evening at the his-

ble in collaboration with the Chitrasena Dance Company.

The Jaipur Music Stage: The exhila rating Jaipur Music Stage will bring in a range of powerpacked musicians to the literary ex travaganza. The Mu sic Stage will feature a range of celebrated artistes from all around the globe.

‘Friend of the Festival’ Experience: While the Festival is open to all, a specially-curated ‘FOF’ package promises an unmatched experience of the Festival including access to an exclusive and well-appointed Festival Lounge where FOFs can relax, network and occasionally meet speakers too over tea.

CITY FIRST

In 1991, the Government of India established the 1st of July as National Doctor’s Day. It is a day to commemorate and recognise the services that doctors extend to us.

Dr B C Roy, a very famous physician was born and subsequently 80 years later also died on this very day. A recipient of the Bharat Ratna Award in 1961, the Government of India declared July 1 as Doctor’s Day as a mark of respect to Dr Roy and his contribution to the field.

tion comprising volunteers who come together to provide medical assistance to the needy.

indescribable.

PROUD MOMENT!

toric Amer Fort with a mesmerising performance by huti-the Nrityagram Dance Ensem-

Jaipur Book Mark: South Asia’s biggest publishing conclave, the pres tigious Jaipur BookMark, returns to the annual JLF with its ninth edi tion, bringing to gether publishers, editors, literary

He is one of the few people in history who was able to complete his F.R.C.S. and M.R.C.P. degrees simultaneously (within only two years and three months). He never shied away from helping those in need and whenever needed even performed the tasks of a nurse.

Veerji Ka Dera, in Delhi, is an organisa-

FIGHT FOR RIGHT!

Kamaljeet Singh, one of the founders of this organisation shared his experience. It was Tirlochan Singh, who started this in 1989. When it began, the idea was to provide medical assistance and distribute food to all those who needed it.

Eventually, it took on a larger shape and is now being run by his sons, Brigadier Premjit Singh Pane-

sar, who retired recently, and Kamaljeet Singh. Speaking about some of the doctors who come each day to treat the patients, Kamaljeet said, “We have had doctors associated with us for over two decades, and it was only upon their demise that the association ended. As of now, we have Dr Tahir and Dr D C Aggarwal who come and help us.”

The organisation also runs a 65-bed hospital at Dashrathpuri where destitute patients are treated.

Old Delhi Brunch Walk

CITY FIRST

Daryl and Mindi

couple

CITY FIRST

In 2008, the Delhi High Court agreed to list a PIL filed by 31-year-old disability rights activist Nipun Malhotra, seeking the official recognition of Indian Sign Language (ISL), for hearing.

For India’s Deaf community, this is one step closer towards having their only method of real-time communication officially recognised by the Indian state. The ball is now in the court of the Central government, and other agencies mandated to address their concerns, with the Delhi High Court issuing notices to them seeking answers.

For someone who has battled a debilitating disability throughout his life, Nipun deeply empathises with the plight of the

Deaf community even though he isn’t afflicted by that particular impairment. Nipun was born on September 1, 1987, with a condition called arthrogryposis which meant that the muscles in his arms and legs were underdeveloped and would stay that way through life. Thankfully, he had parents who supported him all the way, helping him lead a ‘normal’ life and never making him feel that he was different from other children despite his physical condition.

Since its inception, the foundation has worked extensively in the area of health and advocacy for persons with disabilities.

The foundation has even worked with organisers of major festivals like NH7 Weekender, the Jaipur Lit-

erature Festival and the Serendipity Arts Festival, assisting them in making their venues more accessible to people with disabilities.

Nipun is also an advisor with the Centre’s think-tank, the NITI Aayog, and a few years ago, took the Delhi government to court for getting people with disabilities exempted from its odd-even car rule. Besides, Nipun also curates the Nipman Foundation Microsoft Equal Opportunity Awards which recognises institutions employing people with disabilities.

The Deaf community has been fighting for official recognition of

ISL for 30 years. Every year on World Disability Day, they hope sign language is recognised as an official language. When Parliament passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, in 2016, there was hope within the community that they would give sign language official recognition, but alas nothing of that sort has happened. They have even held protests for the same, but unfortunately, no one has listened. This PIL seeks not just the recognition of ISL as India’s 23rd official language under the VIII Schedule of the Indian Constitution, but also stir public debate on the issue. cityfirstdel@gmail.com

visited the streets of Old Delhi shared their experience of exploring the exotic flavours of Indian cuisine and what kind of hardship they faced during their memorable visit.

Travel to India can be a staggering experience and Delhi is no exception to this rule. The third largest city in the world, Delhi is a vibrant sprawl where 20 million people work, live and eat on a daily basis.

Considering the huge number of people crammed into one metropolis, it’s no surprise that the food options are overwhelmingly vast with all sorts of spices, flavours and price points. As a result, the variety of things to eat in Delhi can be overwhelming to tourists visiting India for the first time and with limited time in one of the world’s most food-focused cities.

Mindi stated how a rickshaw hurled her into the chaos that is Old Delhi on a Saturday afternoon in general.

Alive with shoppers streaming from every direction, the hectic Chandni Chowk street market’s savoury smells wafted through the dense air and tempted her to roll up her sleeves and eat… everything.

Of course, she couldn’t eat everything but she shared her experience trying a jalebi from Old Famous Jalebi Wala, a jalebi stand notable both for its formidable age (dating back to 1884) and extreme popularity with both locals and tourists. What a revelation!

“Saturated with a sugary syrup that tasted both familiar and exotic, In India for just 15 hours, As my week on the Maharajas Express took me further from Dehli both literally and figuratively, I started to wonder if the jalebi was as crispy as I remembered or if the flavours were truly so bright,” the couple expressed.

The official Twitter handle of the Delhi police shared a glimpse of a human service done by Sandeep Shahi the head constable who got the fame of helmet man setting an example of humanity by giving a cot to a needy newborn on December 31, 2022. Sandeep proved that the feeling that comes to the conscience by helping the needy is

The official Twitter handle of Delhi police shared a video on Monday, January 2 of a function held at Police headquarters in which 21 officers of Delhi Police were promoted for their excellent work in the field. Sanjay Arora congratulated everyone by putting on the badge and gave his best wishes to the officers for their achievement.

Hirsch a

who

Kamaljeet Singh

Glimpse of a volunteer treating a needy

Nipun Malhotra

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

FILE PHOTOS