First India-Mumbai Edition-5th October 2022

CONG NO LONGER HEADS PARLIAMENT PANELS ON HOME, IT

New Delhi: In a major rejig, the Congress has lost chairmanship of the Parliamentary panel on Home and IT while TMC has not been given chairmanship of any panel. Cong MP Jairam Ramesh is Chairman of Parl Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

BHARAT JODO

YATRA ON 2-DAY REST FROM TUE

New Delhi: The Congress Party on Tuesday extended wishes on the occassion of Navami and said that Bharat Jodo Yatra, much like Dussehra, is a fight of good versus evil. #BharatJodoYatra too is a fight of good versus evil. And we will be back soon to fight & win, INC took to Twitter on Tuesday.

BOMBAY HIGH COURT GRANTS BAIL TO ANIL DESHMUKH

TRS

BE

BHARATA RASHTRA

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Tuesday granted bail to former home minister Anil Deshmukh in the moneylaundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), saying that the statement given by dismissed assistant inspector Sachin Waze could not be relied on.

RADIO RULES

New Delhi: The govt has approved amendments of certain provisions contained in the policy guidelines on expansion of FM radio broadcasting services through private agencies (Phase-III), referred to as private FM phase-III policy guidelines. A statement was issued in this regard on Tuesday.

‘MEASURES PUT IN PLACE TO DEAL WITH CHINESE ACTIVITIES’

‘UP Ke Mann Ki Baat with Agra’ organised by Bharat24 and First India

Shubham Dubey and Deepak Kaushik

Agra: Bharat24 and First India News chan nel held the grand event of UP Ke Mann Ki Baat at Agra on Tuesday. Union Minis ter of State for Law and Justice Professor SP Singh Baghel was the chief guest. CEO and Editor-in-Chief Bharat24 and CMD 1st India Channel Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, Na tional President of BJP Kisan Morcha and MP Fatehpur Sikri Rajku mar Chahar, Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Manish Asija and other renowned leaders and

individuals were pre sent. During the pro gramme, social work ers and eminent per sonalities spoke on ed

ucation, health and other issues in Agra. All the sponsors and all the intellectuals, social workers, litterateurs

10 DEAD AFTER AVALANCHE IN DANDA-2 PEAK

8 of the trapped mountaineering trainees rescued

First India Bureau

Dehradun: A total of 10 bodies have been recov ered from Draupadi’s Danda-2 mountain peak in Uttarakhand after an avalanche trapped over 20 people. They were all a part of a trekking group of 40 from Ut tarkashi’s Nehru Insti tute of Mountaineering, including 33 trainees and seven instructors. A total of 18 people are still missing.

The avalanche hit the team at 9 am at an alti tude of 16,000 feet. The state disaster response force and national dis aster response force were rushed to the spot to locate the group and rescue them.

Rapid relief and res cue operations are be ing carried out by the district administration, NDRF, SDRF, Army and ITBP personnel to res cue the mountaineers trapped in avalanche.

Rapid, relief and rescue opera tions underway by the district administration. I have requested the Army to speed up the rescue operation.

—Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand CM ANGUISHED BY THE LIVES LOST, SAYS DEFENCE MINISTER SINGH

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed grief over incident and said “anguished by lives lost”. He also said that he spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister and took stock of situation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also assured that rescue operations are underway to help mountaineers who are still trapped.

Three scientists share

prize

Alain As pect, John F Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger have won the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics for their work on

lishing

Bell

pio

11 KILLED, 4 INJURED IN AUTO, TRUCK COLLISION

and officials of Agra city were present. Doc tors and other dignitar ies were felicitated in the event.

1ST FOR INDIA: SHAH ANNOUNCES QUOTA IN KASHMIR

Reservation soon for Paharis, Gujjars and Bakarwals: Shah

Rajouri/Jammu: Un ion HM Amit Shah on Tuesday declared at Ra jouri in J&K that Pahari community will soon get reservation in edu and jobs as ST — a pre-elec tion promise aimed at widening BJP’s support base. “GD Sharma com mission set up by govt has sent report & recom mended reservation for Gujjar, Bakarwal and Pahari communities. It will be given soon,” Shah said at a rally that marked start of BJP’s poll campaign. More on P5 Amit Shah offers prayers at Mata Vaishno Devi. Amit Shah with Dr Jitendra Singh & Manoj Sinha during a rally, in Rajouri on Tuesday.

PM MODI SPEAKS TO ZELENSKYY

Cops arrest domestic help, say he is the main accused

Srinagar: Hours after J&K DGP (Prisons) He mant Kumar Lohia was found murdered at his residence at Udaiwala in Jammu, J&K Police on Tuesday said they have arrested main ac cused, his domestic help, Yasir Ahmed, 23-year-old, from the

outskirts of Jammu. Lohia was found dead on Monday night barely a few hours after HM Amit Shah arrived in Jammu for a 3-day visit.

Security beefed up at Shivaji Park, BKC for annual Dussehra rallies by rival Sena factions

Around 3,200 officers,15,200 police and 1,500 SRPF personnel, along with 1K Homeguard jawans deployed

Shivaji Park and Ban dra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shin de are scheduled to ad dress separate rallies today at Dadar and MMRDA grounds in BKC, respectively.

the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Academy of Sciences has decided

mechanics

mation science. Alain is a French Physicist, An ton is an Austrian

John

an American.

First India Bureau Mumbai: Anticipating huge turnouts at Dussehra rallies of Shiv Sena factions on Wednesday, Mumbai po lice have stepped up se curity arrangements at

While Shinde will be holding a maiden Dussehra rally after the split in Shiv Sena, Thackeray will address Shiv sainiks at Shivaji Park, the traditional

venue for the Dussehra congregation.

The simultaneous rallies are aimed at gal vanizing Sena cadres split into two camps.

Mumbai (PTI): Three cars carrying supporters of the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde for the Dussehra rally in Mumbai were involved in a pile-up due to brake failure on the highway near Aurangabad on Tuesday, police said. No body was injured in the incident that occurred at Daulatabad, about 323 km from Mumbai.

P6

Mumbai police are on their toes as a large number of Sena work ers have started arriv ing in Mumbai from various parts

Police personnel tasked with security at Shivaji Park on Tuesday.

—ANI

PHOTO 3 CARS WITH CM SUPPORTERS CRASH; NO INJURIES

Professor SP Singh Baghel lighting the lamp as Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, Manish Asija and Shishir Awasthi look on during the grand event ‘UP Ke Mann Ki Baat’ held in Agra on Tuesday.

SDRF teams leave from Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun during rescue of over 30 mountaineering trainees trapped in an avalanche in Draupadi’s Danda-2 mountain peak, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

MP Fatehpur Sikri Rajkumar Chahar addressing the audience.

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra addressing the conclave in Agra on Tuesday.

Union MoS of Law & Justice Prof SP Singh Baghel addressing event.

New Delhi: PM Naren dra Modi on Tuesday had telecon with Ukrain ian President Volody myr Zelenskyy. PM reit erated his call for early cessation of hostilities & need to pursue path of dialogue and diplomacy.

J&K DGP MURDER CASE

Hemant Lohia Yasir Ahmed

Cabinet nod for grocery package for ration cardholders at `100

The package containing containing 1kg of rawa (sooji), groundnuts, edible oil and yellow lentils will be given only for one month at the special price

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The state government on Tues day decided to provide a package of grocer ies—containing con taining 1kg of rawa (sooji), groundnuts, edible oil and yellow lentils—at Rs100 to ra tion cardholders ahead of the upcom ing Diwali festival.

“There are 1.70 crore families or seven crore people who have ration cards and are eligible to buy foodgrains from state-run fair price shops,” a statement from the Chief minis ter’s office said.

Bom HC grants bail to former min Anil Deshmukh in ED case

It stayed the order till October 13 to enable the investigating agency to file an appeal in the Supreme Court

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bom bay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Maharash tra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directo rate (ED).

The court, however, stayed the order till Oc tober 13 to enable the ED to file an appeal against bail.

Two components of credits in the account of a trust controlled by the Deshmukh family, flagged by the ED, were not “proceeds of crime,” the court noted in the order.

The Nationalist Con gress Party (NCP) lead er who was arrested on November 02, 2021, is

also facing a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of In vestigation (CBI).

Justice NJ Jamadar in his order said the bail plea had been al lowed and Deshmukh shall be released on a bond of Rs1 lakh.

But the court stayed the order till October 13 as Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh said the ED would approach the Supreme Court to challenge the bail order.

Deshmukh, who was a minister in the previ ous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition gov ernment of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, is lodged in Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.

The ED began its probe against Desh mukh after the CBI reg istered a case against

Vande

200

First India Bureau Aurangabad: The Marathwada Rail Coach factory at Latur in central Maharash tra will manufacture nearly 1,600 coaches for the upgraded Van de Bharat Express trains. each at a cost of Rs8-9 crore, said Union Railway Minis ter Ashwini Vaishnaw. He said the advanced version of Vande Bharat trains will be able to at tain a maximum speed of 200 kmph.

Vaishnaw was ad dressing the ‘Destina tion Marathwada’ event, organized by the Cham ber of Marathwada In dustries and Agriculture (CMIA), in Aurangabad on Monday evening.

“The next version of Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured in Mar athwada. Nearly 1,600 coaches will be manufac tured at the Latur facili ty. The project will cre ate opportunities for companies in a 400-

500km radius,” he added.

Vaishnaw said, “The maximum speed of these trains will be 200 kmph as compared to 180 kmph now. The first coach of this version will be rolled out in the next 15-16 months,” add

THE CASE

him over allegations of extortion made by for mer Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The ED claimed that

nelled to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan San sthan, an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family, it al leged.

But the high court noted in the order on Tuesday that two com ponents of credits in the trust’s account were not “proceeds of crime”.

He was also giving Deshmukh the benefit of a provision of Sec tion 45 of the Preven tion of Money Laun dering Act, added the judge. As per this pro vision, a court can grant bail if an ac cused is a woman, or if he is ailing.

The grocery initiative, moved by the Depart ment of Food and Civil Supply and Consumer Protection during a meeting of the cabinet led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is ex pected to cost the excheq uer Rs513.24 crore.

As per the Reserve Bank of India’s consum er price index, the coun try’s retail inflation rate is 7%. Against this back drop, the state govern ment’s decision to offer essential items at subsi dized rates will enable the economically-weak er sections to prepare snacks and sweets for Diwali using the pack

age of groceries, the statement added.

As per the cabinet de cision, the package of groceries would be given only for one month and its distribution will take place from the shops having e-POS system.

CM Shinde has given instructions to distrib ute the packages of gro ceries before Diwali, which will be mainly celebrated October 23-27.

He asked officials to ensure there are no complaints from the ration-card holders.

Notably, many civic and local governing bod ies, including the Bri hanmumbai Municipal

Corporation, in the state are due for elections in the coming months.

Maha Cong chief mocked for Nigeria-Namibia confusion

First India Bureau

Bhandara: Maharash tra Congress president Nana Patole invited ridicule by attempting to link the spread of lumpy skin disease among cattle to the cheetahs brought from Namibia last month, after Union Civil Avia tion Minister Jyotira ditya Scindia pointed out that the former had confused Nigeria and Namibia.

The lumpy virus dis ease has caused thou sands of cattle deaths across the country, in cluding Maharashtra.

ments, Scindia tweeted “cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia, and not Nigeria” and tagged Patole.

ing, “We have managed to bring down the noise level inside to 60-65 deci bels, which is less than in an aircraft (85-90 db). Tracks are also being laid at 12km a day now, which we plan to scale up to 20km a day.”

Deshmukh misused his official position and col lected Rs4.70 crore from various bars and res taurants in Mumbai.

The money was chan

During the argu ments, Deshmukh’s lawyers Vikram Chaud hari and Aniket Nikam argued that considering his age of 72 years, health and the fact that he had no criminal an tecedents he should be granted bail.

Talking to reporters in Bhandara, Patole al leged that, for the first time, to destroy farm ers, diseases like the lumpy virus were being brought to India.

“Lumpy virus dis ease is spreading from Nigeria. We brought cheetahs from Nigeria. There was an event on this on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birth day,” he said.

Reacting to the com

Will poverty, unem ployment, inflation end by bringing cheetahs to India and can farmers and the country’s bor ders be secure by bring ing these cheetahs, Pa tole had further ques tioned on Monday.

“But by making this (bringing cheetahs to India) an event and bringing foreign dis ease to the country... never before cows and oxen have died due to such disease... for the

first time, to destroy the farmers, such diseases are being brought to In dia,” Patole alleged.

On September 17, eight cheetahs arrived in the country from Na mibia by a special flight and were released by PM Modi in Kuno Na tional Park in neigh bouring Madhya Pradesh.

Clash of Senas: Dussehra rallies of rival factions likely to see fireworks, verbal volleys in Mum today

Both Uddhav Thackeray and CM Eknath Shinde likely to present themselves as ‘real’ Shiv Sena, take potshots at each other

First India Bureau

Mumbai: For the first time since the Shiv Sena’s inception 56 years ago, two Dussehra rallies will be held in Mumbai on Wednesday by the party’s rival factions — led by Maharash tra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Ud dhav Thackeray—in what is being billed as a show of strength by both camps after a change in govern ment in June.

The rallies have gen erated intense interest

in political circles and also among common citizens and there will be more than just speeches by the two friends-turned-foes.

The rival factions will seek to present them selves as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena and try to claim the legacy of party founder the late Bal Thackeray.

The Uddhav Thack eray faction will hold its rally at the historic

Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai, a venue associated with the Shiv Sena since its inception in 1966. The rebel group led by Shinde has organized their event at the MMRDA ground at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

Both the camps have claimed they are tak ing forward the ideals of Bal Thackeray, who was known to make

fiery speeches at the Dussehra rallies at Shivaji Park year after year till his death in 2012.

Since then, his son Uddhav Thackeray, a former CM who lost power in June follow ing rebellion by his once trusted aide Shin de, had been address ing the annual event.

A Dussehra rally is being held at Shivaji Park after a gap of two

years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Both sides have claimed their rallies will be a grand success with top leaders giving last minute touches to the preparations for the mega shows. On the ground, the areas in and around the two ven ues are awash in saf fron flags and banners.

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is expected to launch at tacks on the Shinde faction and the Bharatiya Janata Par ty (BJP), his former ally which is now part of the government in the state.

In his address, the chief minister is likely to target Uddhav Thack eray for “deviating” from the path of Hindu tva and joining hands with his once rivals Congress and the Na tionalist Congress Par ty to form the Maha Vi kas Aghadi government in November 2019.

CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis also launched the 'Ayushman Bharat' health card, at Mantralaya, in Mumbai on

Nana Patole had attempted to link lumpy virus to arrival of cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh.

PM Modi released 8 cheetahs brought from Namibia in Kuno National Park on September 17. —FILE PHOTO

Former Maha Home Min Anil Deshmukh

‘SUSTAINABLE DEVT IMPORTANT TO PROTECT ENV’

SC allows civic body to lay out gardens, open green spaces and parks, create a cycle track and jogging track, etc., in MCR project but specifies CRZ clearances including the rehabilitation of fisherfolk must be ‘scrupulously observed’ New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has allowed the munici pal corporation of Greater Mumbai to commence partial development work in the ongoing Mumbai Coastal Road Project while observing that sustainable develop ment is an important ingredient in the protection of the en vironment.

A bench of Justices

DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli modified its 2019 order and per mitted the civic body to lay out gardens, open green spaces and parks, create a cycle track and jogging track, land scaping of seaside promenade and roadmedian and build rec reation spaces.

“Unless the work is permitted at this stage, a substantial part of the work of the road which is done in the meantime will have to be reopened for the un derground car park.

The facility is in public interest. Undoubtedly, sustainable develop ment is an important ingredient in the pro tection of the environ

ment. At this stage, prima facie, the effort to decongest the arte rial roads of a congest ed metropolitan city cannot be interdicted,”

SHEENA BORA MURDER CASE

the bench said.

The apex court, how ever, said the condi tions imposed in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance

Submitted fake marriage certi to rent home, Rahul Mukerjea admits

First India Bureau Mumbai: Rahul Muk erjea, son of former media baron Peter Mukerjea, on Tues day admitted that he had submitted a forged marriage cer tificate with Sheena Bora for registration of a leave and license agreement to rent a place in suburban Andheri in 2010.

Rahul, Peter Muker jea’s son from an earlier marriage, is being cross examined by Indrani Mukerjea’s lawyer Ran jeet Sangle before spe cial CBI Judge SP NaikNimbalkar in connec tion with the 2012 Shee na Bora murder case.

Indrani, the prime ac cused in the case, is now out on bail. The murder came to light in 2015, three years after Shee na (24) was allegedly killed by her mother

with the help of co-ac cused Sanjeev Khanna and Shyamvar Rai.

On Tuesday, while re sponding to a question about a document sub mitted for the rental agreement, which men tioned that he was an employee of 9x Media, owned by his father, Ra hul said it is true that the content of the docu ment was “incorrect” and it was “forged”.

The document was solely prepared for the purpose of registration

of the leave and license agreement, he said, adding that it was his father’s company and he never felt that there would be any issue.

“It is true to say that the two documents, which were forged and fabricated, were sub mitted by Sheena Bora and me for the registra tion of leave and license agreement. I do not re member whether my self or Sheena Bora ever informed Dominic and Nalini Machado

Tells the court he was engaged to Sheena Bora at the time but had to forge paperwork to find decent house on rent

(the owners of the flat) that we were not legally married,” said Rahul.

Replying to another question, Rahul said it is true that he had told Dominic and Nalini Machado (the owners of the flat) that Sheena was his wife.

It was difficult to find decent places to live for an unmarried couple in Mumbai, and hence, we had said so, he said.

His cross examina tion will continue on October 07.

must be scrupulously observed including the rehabilitation of the fishing community.

It directed the civic body to furnish an un

dertaking that the mu nicipal corporation will adhere strictly to all the conditions stipulated in the CRZ clearance of May 11, 2017 as amend

THREE’S A CROWD?

ed on May 18, 2021.

“The land reclaimed should not be utilized for any residential or commercial develop ment /purposes, pres

ently or at any time in the future. No further land should be re claimed for the pur poses of the Coastal Road Project without prior permission of this Court.

“This court must be apprised in advance if there is any substantial alteration of the pro ject parameters. The petitioner shall file the requisite plan within a period of three months from the date of the or der,” the bench said.

The top court was hearing an application moved by the Munici pal Corporation of Greater Mumbai for modification of the in terim order dated De cember 17, 2019, to per mit it to carry out cer tain work pertaining to the Coastal Road Project (CRP).

The apex court had restrained the munici pal corporation from carrying on any other development work un til further orders.

86-yr-old beaten to death in Mum, colleague held

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A 56-year-old security guard has been arrested for al legedly bludgeoning his octogenarian col league to death while in a drunken stupor in Mumbai’s Powai area, police said on Tuesday.

Hari Shripat Dengle (56) and Limbaji Kam ble (86) had been drink ing together in the early hours of the day at JC Builder compound, an official from Powai po lice station said.

2 teens dead, 5 hurt in Pune crash

First India Bureau

Pune: Two college students were killed and five critically in jured when their SUV crashed into roadside shops in Pune on Tuesday, police said.

The incident took place on Saswad-Ka purhol road, when a group of seven students

from MIT College in Ko thrud were returning after a visit to a temple in Narayanpur.

One of the students who was driving the car

6 Mumbai wards to get bio-toilets in BMC pilot project

They will focus on areas with space crunch or without existing sewer network; contract for ops and maintenance already in place

Mumbai: The Bri hanmumbai Munici pal Corporation (BMC) is set to in stall bio-toilets/loos in six wards. This pi lot project, which is part of BMC’s plan to increase the num ber of public toilets in the city, will see bio-toilets at four lo cations in each of the six wards.

According to sources, the municipal body started the project to ca ter to the people living in areas without a sew

er network and areas with a space crunch, especially in slums.

BMC selected six wards—P North (Mal ad), P South (Gore gaon), S (Bhandup), N (Ghatkopar), M East (Govandi, Mankhurd) and F North (Wadala, Sion)—to install the bio-toilets in the next six months.

While the BMC had started a similar pro ject earlier, it did not survive for long due to poor maintenance.

This time, with an op eration and mainte nance contract in

place, the civic body also plans to see wheth er this can be used

WHAT ARE BIO-LOOS?

B

based

that use microbes to

lost control while nego tiating a sharp bend. The vehicle flipped four times before crashing into the roadside shops, he said.

Locals alerted the po lice and the victims were rushed to a nearby hospital, where two of them were declared brought dead, the offi cial said.

When Dengle went home, his son saw his bloodstained clothes. The accused then took him to the crime scene, where he saw Kamble ly ing dead, the official said, adding that the ac cused had allegedly hit Kamble multiple times with a stick until he died on the spot. The ac cused’s family members called the police control room and told them of the incident.

4-year-old injured in Aarey leopard attack

First India Bureau

across the city where sewer networks are not available.

into

dioxide, water

ammonia. Although bio-loos have many advan

women. There is a pit which is a part of in stallation and does not require much digging or other infrastruc ture. A connection of water and electricity is enough,” said an offi cial from BMC’s solid waste management de partment.

“If it works…. It will be useful in places where we cannot build traditional toilets due to various reasons,” said Sangita Hasnale, Deputy Municipal Commissioner.

Mumbai: A four-yearold boy, identified as Himanshu Yadav, was attacked by a leopard in the Aarey Colony area that lies adjacent to Sanjay Gandhi Na tional Park in Gore gaon East in Mumbai on Monday evening.

“Each unit of toilet has two seats, one for men and another for

A work order of Rs4.14 crore—for sup ply, installation, com missioning as well as operation and mainte nance for three years— has already been given, he said.

The child was admit ted to Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital with claw injuries on his back and is out of dan ger, said Girija Desai, deputy conservator of forest, Thane terriori al division.

“The boy was going to play garba with his family when he was at tacked by the wild ani mal. The boy is a resi dent of Karandev

As many as 10 people were attacked by a leopard in Aarey Colony last year

Pada,” Ajay Pradhan, a Shiv Sainik from Aarey colony, said.

Camera traps have been set by forest offi cials to identify the leopard that attacked the boy.

It is to be noted that a leopard attacked 10 peo ple in the area last year before being captured.

According

BY PTI

STRICT

Mumbai’s Dadar Flower Market was even more jam-packed than usual on Tuesday, as shoppers jostled to take home the best floral tributes for their deities on the eve of Dussehra. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

Prime accused Indrani Mukherjea is out on bail. —FILE PHOTO

DURGA PUJA: NOT ONLY RELIGION, BUT REALISING IT’S ECONOMIC IMPACT

Rs 25,000 crore and esti mated that it was growing by around 35 per cent. If we consider this, the puja industry now should touch around Rs 70,000 crore. We need a proper study to as sess the value of the puja economy,” he said.

Armed with the UNESCO tag of the Indian Cultural Heritage, Durga Puja, to day is one of the epicen tres of the biggest (in terms of people involve ment and money matters) industries which spins around and produces a market worth thousands of crores of rupees and provides jobs directly and indirectly to thousands of skilled and unskilled la bour in West Bengal.

After the UNESCO rec ognition, it is time we co ordinated better and show cased this biggest festival as the biggest job opportu nity for thousands.

The industries which flourish due to Durga Puja include, idol-making, pan dal, illumination and lighting, food and bever ages, publishing, tourism industry and advertising revenue.

Also, the five-day festi val involves people from different sectors — the skilled and unskilled sec tors and they are electri cians, security guards, priests, dhakis, labourers associated with idol trans portation, and those linked with the arrangement of ‘bhog’ (food offered to the Goddess) and catering.

We commissioned research for the WB government that estimated the total value of creative industries around Durga Puja in the state in 2019 at around Rs 33,000 crore (USD 4.5 billion). It established 2 things — a baseline value for similar research in the future and a methodology for carrying out similar research for other festivals or indeed, the whole creative economy of WB, and in other states too.

—Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director, British Council, East and Northeast India

“Not only the core Durga puja activities, but also fashion, textiles, footwear, cosmetics and retail sectors get a boost by the buyingspree of people, while lit erature and publishing, tour, travel, hotel and res taurant and film and enter tainment businesses enjoy a sudden bump in sales dur ing the Durga Puja festivi ties,” said Forum For Dur gotsab (FFD), president, Kajal Sarkar to PTI. FFD is an umbrella organisation of 400 community pujas.

“Our guesstimation is that transactions around the festival could be up to Rs 50,000 crore this year,” he said.

“After two years of the pandemic, revellers, this time, have been taking to pandal hopping with re

SALES DURING DURGA PUJA FESTIVITIES BOOST TOUR, TRAVEL, HOTEL AND MORE...

“Not only the core Durga puja ac tivities, but also fashion, textiles, footwear, cosmetics and retail sectors get a boost by the buying-spree of peo ple, while literature and publishing, tour, travel, hotel and restaurant and film and entertainment businesses enjoy a sud den bump in sales during the Durga Puja festivities,” said Forum For Durgotsab (FFD), President, Kajal Sarkar to PTI. FFD is an umbrella organisation of 400 com munity pujas. “Our guesstimation is that transactions around the festival could be up to `50,000 crore this year,” he said.

ARMED WITH THE UNESCO TAG OF THE INDIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE, DURGA PUJA, TODAY IS ONE OF THE EPICENTRES OF THE BIGGEST (IN TERMS OF PEOPLE INVOLVEMENT AND MONEY MATTERS) INDUSTRIES WHICH SPINS AROUND AND PRODUCES A MARKET WORTH THOUSANDS OF CRORES OF RUPEES AND PROVIDES JOBS DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY TO THOUSANDS OF SKILLED AND UNSKILLED LABOUR IN WEST BENGAL

newed fervour, while the corporates are also liberal this time for sponsorship, and their spending is at least Rs 500 crore. The en thusiasm among people around the festival is the unique selling proposi tion,” said Sarkar.

Before Durga Puja be came a national symbol, it was a marker of pride and a class for the merchants of Bengal in the 18th century. Gradually, it became more widespread and, by the 20th century, it gained popular ity at the community and

national levels. This in volved the public organisa tion of Durga Puja in Pan dals or temporary sheds used for public meetings.

WHAT IS INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE?

According to Unesco, cul tural heritage does not end at monuments or cultural objects. It also goes on to include traditions that people inherit from their ancestors like oral tradi tions, performing arts, so cial practices, rituals, fes tive events or knowledge

and skills to produce tradi tional crafts.

In the wake of growing globalisation, Unesco says that intangible cultural heritage is an important factor to maintain cultural diversity. An ability to un derstand intangible cultur al heritage helps different communities to engage in intercultural dialogue and encourages mutual respect for different ways of life.

The intangible cultural heritage list tries to safe guard elements that re quire urgent measures to

THE WORRY THAT DELHI AIR CAUSES

Delhi’s air quali ty has been a constant cause of concern. De spite several ef forts there has been no im provement, especially dur ing winters. The only time the air quality showed sig nificant improvement was during the pandemic. As per a survey of 1650 coun tries by the World Health Organisation, Delhi’s air quality is among the worst.

An estimated 2 million people die in Delhi every year because of air pollu tion. Almost an equal num ber of people are left with damaged lungs.

The air quality worsens drastically between Octo

“Compared to the length and breadth of Durga Pu jas, we are sure that its contribution to the state economy is either at par or bigger than the contribu tion of Rio de Janeiro car nival to the Brazilian city’s economy, and the cherry blossom festival in Japan,” Sarkar, a former professor at Presidency University.

“The grandeur around the festival involves trans actions of not less than Rs 40,000 crore and provides employment to at least twothree lakh people across the state as the activities for the festivities begin three-four months ahead,” said Partho Ghosh, the chairman of FFD.

The puja committees act as facilitators of micro-econ omy, said Ghosh, who has been associated with com munity puja for 52 years.

The British Council conducted a study, map ping the creative economy around Durga Puja 2019, which showed that Durga Puja accounts for 2.58 per cent of the state GDP.

ber and February. The main cause for the deterio ration was identified as stubble burning, besides vehicle pollution and the winter cold. Once Covid-19 passed, it again slipped to

the severe category.

As October has started there is a worry about how bad the air pollution will be in these winter months.

The Delhi government has outlined a 15-point Winter

As October has started, there is a worry about how bad the air pollution will be in these winter months. The Delhi government has outlined a 15-point Winter Action Plan to ensure that the air remains breathable. The most important part of the plan is managing stubble

Action Plan to ensure that the air remains breatha ble. The most important part of the plan is manag ing stubble. Instead of be ing burnt, Pusa bio-decom poser will be sprayed on

stubble on about 5000 acres. If the government is able to achieve that target pollution level can be sig nificantly brought down.

The other plan to curb pollution includes install ing 233 anti-smog guns and 150 mobile anti-smog guns which spray atom ized water to lower pollu tion. A team of scientists will be in place to monitor the situation real time.

Burning of garbage, of which there’s an endless mound near Delhi, will also require close moni toring. These are strong measures and should low er air pollution, provided there is sincerity in imple mentation.

keep them alive. The list also helps to mobilise in ternational support and cooperation for stakehold ers to undertake safe guarding measures.

COMING BACK TO THE MONEY MATTERS Economist Debnarayan Sarkar feels that Durga Puja is a consumption-led activity and has a multi plier effect on the state’s gross domestic product.

“An Assocham study in 2013 showed the size of the Durga Puja industry was

“We commissioned re search for the West Bengal government that estimated the total value of creative industries around Durga Puja in the state in 2019 at around Rs 33,000 crore (USD 4.5 billion). It estab lished two things — a base line value for similar re search in the future and a methodology for carrying out similar research for other festivals or indeed, the whole creative econo my of West Bengal, and in other states too,” British Council, East and North east India, director Deban jan Chakrabarti said.

It is time we realize the magnanimity of Durga Puja and plan the whole operations more profes sionally to attract global tourists and make it more saleable to the world and a global event to attract global tourists to increase its economic impact.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Buddha

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda Big boost to our combat prowess! The Indian Air Force inducted the first batch of indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopters, named Prachand, that are capable of firing a range of missiles and other weapons. It’s an occasion reflecting our capability in defence production.

Narendra Modi @narendramodi Bringing back the ashes of Shyamji Krishna Varma is one of the most special moments of my life. The fervour and pride it generated across the nation was unimaginable, particularly among the youth.

TOP TWEETS

VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Cheers and slogans echo at Amit Shah’s rally in Rajouri

Rajouri (ANI): Union Home Minister and Minister of Coopera

tion Amit Shah ad dressed a public rally in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

He also took a jibe at the Opposition over their stance on the ab rogation of Article 370. He claimed such reser vation became possible only after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was struck down.

“Today’s rally in Jam mu and Kashmir, slo gans of ‘Modi, Modi’, all of these are answers for those who used to say

IN

2 CR COMPENSATION GIVEN TO THE FAMILY OF ACCIDENT VICTIM

that if Article 370 is re moved, there will be a fire in Jammu and Kashmir, rivers of blood will flow,” said Shah.

On the second day of his visit on Wednesday (October 5), Shah will re view the security situa tion in Jammu and

Kashmir at a meeting that is slated to be held at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir

Manoj Sinha, top offi cials of the Army, para military forces, state police and civil admin istration will take part

HOME MINISTER SHAH OFFERS PRAYERS AT VAISHNO DEVI TEMPLE IN KATRA

Jammu (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered prayers at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra on Tuesday morning. He reached the Katra shrine via the Sanjhichatt Helipad. He was accompanied by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh. Internet services have been temporarily suspended in Jammu and in specific areas of Rajouri.

MOBILE INTERNET SERVICES SUSPENDED AMIT SHAH’S POPULARITY!

in this high-level meet ing expected to begin at 10 am. Shah will later address a public meet ing at Baramulla.

All hands on deck for PM Modi’s visit to Himachal Pradesh today

New Delhi (ANI): The Supreme Court granted compensation of over Rs 2 crore to the dependents of a motor accident victim and set aside the Madras High Court order which ordered to grant Rs 57 lakh to the deceased’s family.

SC SAYS USE TECH TO IDENTIFY ENCROACHMENTS

New Delhi (ANI):

The Supreme Court has said that Satellite mapping and Geofencing are “extremely important” considering that unauthorised construction is a perennial problem and suggested using these modern technologies.

RUSSIAN NATIONAL SENT TO CUSTODY IN JEE EXAM CASE

Bilaspur (ANI): Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday reviewed ar rangements and prepa rations ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s pro gramme in Bilaspur to be held on Wednesday.

“Tomorrow will be a very historic day for all Himachalis. Prime Min ister Narendra Modi is visiting Himachal on Vijaya Dashami. Prime Minister will also inau gurate and lay the foun dation stone of various projects including AIIMS. On this occa sion, the Prime Minister will address a huge rally in Bilaspur and will also participate in Kullu Dussehra,” said Thakur.

On Wednesday the PM will inaugurate the AIIMS in Bilaspur as well as lay the founda tion stone of projects worth over Rs 3,650 crore.

The PM will also par ticipate in the Kullu Dussehra celebrations.

PRESIDENT MURMU, V-P DHANKHAR GREET PEOPLE ON DUSSEHRA EVE

New Delhi (FIB): President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tues day greeted people on the eve of Dussehra festival. Murmu said: “On the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, I extend my warm greetings and best qw wishes to all the fellow citizens.” Dhankhar said: “May this festival bring peace, prosperity and harmony in the country.”

New Delhi (PTI): With PM Narendra Modi set to attend the famous Kullu Dussehra celebrations on Wednesday, officials said he has made it a point over the course of his tenure to participate in celebrating numerous Indian festivals. Modi will visit Dhal pur Ground Kullu in Himachal to participate in the International Kullu Dussehra Festival.

GOVT WITHDRAWS ‘CONDITION’ TO COVER PM EVENT

New Delhi: Circular on requirement of certificate to cover PM’s event has been withdrawn. The no tification that was issued mandating certification of antecedent for the journalists to cover PM’s event in Himachal on Oct 5 has been withdrawn, an official said on Tuesday.

PM PAYS TRIBUTE TO FREEDOM FIGHTER SHYAMJI

New Delhi: PM Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary. He tweeted, “Tributes to the brave Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti. This fearless son of Maa Bharti devoted his life to freeing India and furthering a spirit of pride among our people.”

3-TIME MP SURESH CHANDEL REJOINS BJP IN HIMACHAL

Srinagar: Mobile Internet services were temporarily suspended on Tuesday in Jammu and Rajouri. An official notification said the internet services were temporarily suspended under fear that the ser vices will be “misused by anti-national elements.”

z Popularity of Shah was seen in terror-affected area z Shah held a huge pub lic meeting in Rajouri.

z The crowd was very excited to see Amit Shah.

z The crowd present on the occasion raised slogans in favor of Shah.

Punjab police bust two ISI terror modules operating from Canada

Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab police on Tues day claimed to have bust ed two terror modules, operated by foreignbased gangsters and ter rorists and backed by Pakistan’s ISI, as it ar rested two operatives and recovered arms and ammunition.

New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court on Tuesday sent a Russian national, arrested for alleged manipulation of JEE (Mains) examination last year, to two days’ CBI custody. The court sent the accused, Mikhail Shargin, to CBI custody till October 6.

STALKING CASE

JUNKED AS WOMAN WANTS QUIETUS

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court agreed to quash a stalking case against a man after the woman said she does not wish to pursue it and ordered him to pay Rs 30,000 as cost. The high court said that the parties have arrived at a settlement.

The International Kul lu Dussehra Festival will be celebrated from Octo ber 5 to 11 at the Dhalpur Ground of Kullu. The Festival is unique in the sense that it is the con gregation of more than 300 Deities of the Valley.

Effigies of Ravana on display for sale at the roadside ahead of Dussehra celebrations, in Patiala on Tuesday.

CBI cracks down on cybercriminals, raids 105 locations

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI launched Opera tion Chakra against cy ber criminals involved in financial crimes on Tuesday. The team car ried out searches at 105 locations across multi ple states, officials said. The searches were be

ing conducted in asso ciation with police forc es of the states and UTs. They said 87 locations are being searched by the CBI and 18 locations are being searched by state and UT police in which over 300 suspects are under the scanner.

According to initial information, four loca tions in Andaman and Nicobar islands, five in Delhi, three in Chandi garh, and two each in Punjab, Karanataka and Assam among oth ers are being searched under the operation.

Dubai’s new Hindu temple all set to open

Dubai (ANI): A new Hindu temple construct ed in Jebel Ali in Dubai is set to open ahead of the Dussehra festival.

Local media reported that the temple is an ex tension of the Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the UAE.

The temple’s founda tion was laid in Febru ary 2020 and the inaugu ration fulfils a decadeslong Indian dream of having a place of wor ship in the area.

The temple, which will be officially open to the public from October 5 — the day of the Dussehra festival, wel

comes people of all faiths and has allowed entry to worshippers and other visitors to view the 16 deities and

other interior works, reported Gulf News.

Welcoming people from all faiths, the tem ple has already had its soft opening on Septem ber 1, where thousands of visitors were allowed to get a glimpse of the interiors of the temple built with white marble.

It has ornate pillars, Ara bic and Hindu geometric designs on the facade, and bells on the ceiling.

The temple manage ment activated the QRcode-based appoint

ment booking system via its website on its soft opening. From day one, the temple has re ceived many visitors, especially over the weekends. The restrict ed entry has been regu lated through QR-coded appointments for crowd management and to en sure social distancing. Most of the deities are installed in the main prayer hall with a large 3D-printed pink lotus unfurling across the central dome.

Shimla: Three-time MP Suresh Chandel, who was once stuck in a sting operation in 2005 whilst representing Hamirpur within the Lok Sabha as a member of the BJP, rejoined the Saffron party on Tuesday, which he had left in 2019 and joined the Congress party.

In the first case, the arrested accused has been identified as Yo graj Singh alias Yog, a resident of Rajoke vil lage in Tarn Taran dis trict. The narco-terror ism module was being jointly operated by Can ada-based Lakhbir Sin gh alias Landa, Paki stan-based Harvinder Singh Rinda and Italybased Harpreet Singh alias Happy, police said.

Punjab Police, in a separate case, arrested one more operative of the ISI-backed Khal istan Tiger Force (KTF) terror module Harpreet Singh alias Hira.

HEROIN SEIZED FROM PAK TRUCK IN AMRITSAR

Amritsar (PTI): Border Security Force have seized 435 grams of heroin concealed in a Pakistani truck trans porting dry fruits from Afghanistan at Zero line or Trade gate of Integrated Check-Post at Attari here. The con traband was allegedly smuggled from Paki stan, the BSF said in a statement. BSF troops on Monday recovered the contraband during checking/frisking of the truck loaded with dry fruits from Afghanistan.

Rejig of Parl panels: BJP takes Home, Sena gets IT

Live chickens and liquor being distributed among Warangal locals. Hyderabad (Agen cies): A Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader distributed liquor and chicken among locals in Warangal a day ahead of K Chandrashekhar Rao’s proposed move to launch a national party.

The Telangana chief minister plans to an nounce his foray into national politics on the occasion of ‘Vijaya dasami’ on Wednesday.

To celebrate the same, TRS leader Ra

janala Srihari was seen giving away liquor bot tles and chicken to lo cals. Two life-size card board cutouts of the CM and his minister son KT Rama Rao flaunted the distribu tion ceremony.

Sources said the par ticulars of launch of the party are being worked out and TRS could be renamed. The rebrand ed outfit may not be de clared as a national party immediately.

New Delhi (ANI): In a major reshuffle in the Parliamentary panels on Tuesday Congress lost the Home and the crucial Information Technology and Communications panels. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi who headed the Home panel was replaced by BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former DGP of UP Brij Lal who has been named as the new chair. Another loss for the grand old party is losing the com mittee for IT which was chaired by Lok Sabha MP Dr Shashi Tharoor. The Eknath Shinde-led fac tion of Shiv Sena now has its chairmanship in three-time Lok Sabha MP Prataprao Jadhav. The Standing Committee for Environment and Forests is currently with the Congress party. Jairam Ramesh remains its chairman.

KCR’s bid to go nat’l: TRS leader distributes liquor and chicken

BJP chief JP Nadda with Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur reviews the venue where PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to address public rally on Oct 05, in Bilaspur on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Punjab Police busted a ISI-backed Narco-Terrorism module and recovered arms and explosives, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

PM’S PRESENCE AT KULLU MARKS HIS CELEBRATION OF FESTIVALS

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav briefing the media.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and dignitaries at the inauguration of various development works, in Jammu on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah greets people at the inauguration and stone laying foundation ceremony for various projects related to health and education, in Rajouri on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

—PHOTO BY ANI

To

Not oppose to tri-services integration process: IAF

New Delhi (PTI): Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday made it clear that the Indian Air Force is not opposed to the tri-ser vices theaterisation plan but asserted that the doctrinal aspects of the force should not be compromised by the proposed structures.

At a press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8, he said the IAF has recent ly updated and revised its doctrine to keep it relevant, noting that no single service can win wars on its own. Air Chief Marshal Chaud hari said the IAF has reservations about cer tain aspects of the pro posed structures under the tri-services integra tion process, but it sup ports the overall plan that aims to ensure triservices synergy. With Gen Anil Chauhan tak ing charge as the new Chief of Defence Staff

We are fully support ing the integration process; it is only the methodology and the kind of structures that need to be future ready is what we are insisting on.

—VR Chaudhari, Air Chief Marshal

DEFENCE SECRETARY CO-CHAIRS INDIA-UK DCG MEETING New Delhi (Agencies):

Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar co-chaired the India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting with his counterpart Mr David Williams, UK Perma nent Under Secretary of State for Defence in

last week, it is expected that the ambitious theat erisation process of the three services will see

London on 03 October, 2022. They reviewed the progress of various

forward movement. “We are not opposing any process of integra tion and any process of

Service level bilat eral groups and other defence cooperation mechanisms. Dr Ajay Kumar held discus sion on wide range of issues relating to the defence and industrial cooperation between India and UK.

theatre commands. We have certain reserva tions in respect to the structures,” he said.

Mob pelt stones at Guj Garba function, 6 hurt

Kheda (ANI): The Deputy Superinten dent of Police (DSP) in Gujarat’s Nadiad on Tuesday that a Muslim mob tried to disturb the Garba function in Khe da’s Undhela village by pelting stones which injured several people on the night of Ma haashtmi near the Tul ja Mata Mandir here.

“A Muslim mob tried to disturb the Garba func tion in Kheda’s Undhe la village last night and pelted stones, injuring 6-7 people,” said VR Ba jpai, DSP Nadiad.

All guests being investigated: ADG of Uttarakhand police

Dehradun (Uttara khand) (ANI): The Ut tarakhand Police on Tuesday said that the investigation in the An kita Bhandari case is on the right track and fur ther action will be taken accordingly.

While speaking to ANI about the ongoing Ankita murder case in vestigation, ADG V Mu rugesan said that all the guests who were in the resort are being interro gated “The record of

ADG V Murugesan

guests coming to the re sort has been found, we are investigating all of them. All the guests who were there at the time of the incident are being interrogated,” the ADG

said. ADG V Murugesan said that one of Ankita’s friends who got her into this job is also under in vestigation.

“One of Ankita’s friends got her into this job through OLX. He is also under our investi gation and has been questioned,” The ADG further said that the in vestigations so far have made many things clear and necessary actions will be taken if the need arises.

Jio true 5G launch today in four cities

New Delhi (Agencies):

Reliance Jio on Tuesday announced the launch of the beta trial of its True5Gservices for Jio users in four cities Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Var anasi. The launch was made on the occasion of Dussehra. The users will get unlimited 5G data with up to 1 Gbps plus speed. Jio True 5G is ex pected to become the world’s most advanced

Many tried my withdrawal: Tharoor

Thiruvananthapuram

(PTI): Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was asked by some par ty leaders to seek with drawal of Shashi Tha roor’s candidature, the Thiruvananthapuram MP, who has made an ag gressive bid to its top post, claimed here on Tuesday.

Tharoor, who is in Kerala as part of the poll campaign, said that Gandhi said he will not ask the former to with draw as a contest would benefit. “He reminded me that he has been say ing so for the past 10 years that there should be a contest for the party chief’s post.

He told me that some persons have asked him to request me to with draw my candidature,” the MP said.

Will Shashi Tharoor withdraw his nomination?

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: The elec tion grounds for the post of Congress Pres ident have been deco rated. Mallikarjun Kharge has filed his nomination papers with the undeclared support of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, while Shashi Tharoor has filed his nomination appealing for change.

There was also a third candidate, Jharkhand’s KN Tripathi, who had filed his nomination claiming that he is the son of a farmer and son of Soniaji.

All three filed their papers on the last day

Govt approves amendments in FM Radio Phase-III Policy

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The gov ernment has approved amendments of certain provisions contained in the policy guidelines on expansion of FM radio broadcasting services through private agen

cies (Phase-III), re ferred to as private FM phase-III policy guide lines. A statement is sued in this regard on Tuesday said the deci sion was taken in the last Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Min ister Narendra Modi.

of filing nominations i.e. 30 September. But Tripathi’s nomination was rejected later. The nominations can now be withdrawn by Octo ber 8. If more than one candidate remains in the fray even after Oc tober 8, then voting will be held on Octo ber 17 and about nine

thousand delegates of Congress will vote for the post of President.

Now the question is whether the matter of Congress President will go till October 17 or will it be settled be fore October 8? That is, will there be an election or will Tha roor withdraw, after

which Mallikarjun Kharge will be de clared elected unani mously? This ques tion has come up be cause there is a large group of party leaders who are unanimously supporting the elec tion of the Congress President.

The leaders of the G23 group, who have demanded a change, are also wishing that elections should not come with a senior leader like Kharge contesting. Although he is sure to win by a huge margin, yet the leaders want that it would be more honor able that he wins the election unopposed.

5G service. The telecom giant’s mission with 5G is to speed up India’s transformation into a Digital Society.

Mulayam Singh remains critical, no improvement, says doctor

Lucknow (ANI): The former UP Chief Min ister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav is still critical and currently admitted to the ICU and is being treated by a comprehensive team of specialists, said Me danta Hospital in a statement.

Samajwadi Party pa triarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has been under treatment since August 22 for his regular medi cal checkups and ex aminations. Still, on Sunday suddenly his health deteriorated af ter which he was shift ed to ICU in Medanta Hospital.The former Uttar Pradesh CM is 82-years-old.

Three-day Digital India Conference concludes

New Delhi (ANI): The three-day long “Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers” be gan on 1st October 2022 and concluded in the na tional capital on Mon day, said the Ministry of Electronics and Infor mation Technology.

On the first day, de tailed discussions on

key priority areas of Digital India initiatives were held with States and UT under the chair

MENACE ON CAMPUSES

manship of the Minister for Communications, Electronics and Infor mation Technology and

Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw. It was graced by the Minister of State for Electronics and In formation Technology and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Minister of State for Communications, De vusinh Chauhan and IT Ministers from 12 states.

UGC suggests measures to deal with ragging

lll Installation of CCTV cameras, updation of websites of institutions are suggestions along antiragging workshops

New Delhi (PTI): Con stitution of anti-rag ging committee, regu lar interaction and counselling with stu dents, and surprise in spection in hostels are among the guidelines issued by UGC for uni versities to deal with the menace on their campuses.

“Regular interaction and counselling with the students should be conducted to detect ear ly signs of ragging and

identification of trou ble-triggers. Surprise inspection at hostels,

toilets, bus stands and any other measures which would augur well in preventing/quelling ragging and any un called for behaviour or incident, are suggest ed,” UGC Secretary Ra jnish Jain said in a let ter to universities.

In a statement, Jio said, “Post the success ful demonstration of its True-5G services at the India Mobile Congress 2022, Jio is announcing the Beta trial of its True-5G services on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, for Jio users in 4 cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Var anasi. Dussehra symbol izes the triumph over hurdles caused by lega

cy technologies such as 2G, with knowledge and wisdom that Jio True 5G will genuinely enable.” Ambani added, “In dia is leading the Digi tal revolution. Jio 5G will be True 5G, and we believe India deserves nothing less than TRUE-5G. Jio 5G will be the world’s most ad vanced 5G network, built for every Indian, by Indians.”

CRUCIAL READ

DOC INVITES SOCIAL MEDIA FRIEND, RAPES HER WITH FELLOWS

Basti, UP (Agencies): A doctor was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in UP’s Basti, police said. The woman filed a complaint with the police stating that the doctor, posted at a hospital in the Basti Sadar Kotwali area, befriended her on social media and asked her to visit him, they said. “When she visited the hospital, the doctor took her to his hostel room where he and his two colleagues, who are also doctors, raped her,” the police said.

2 DEAD, 14 INJURED AS ANOTHER TRACTOR OVERTURNS

Bhopal (ANI): Two women died and at least 14 people were seriously injured after a tractor trolley carrying them from Bhairav Baba temple in Madhya Pradesh lost its balance and overturned near the Manpur village. According to District Magistrate Abhishek Anand, the trolley lost its balance while returning from the temple in Chitrakoot and its overturning led to the mowing down of an elderly woman, who died on the spot.

MADHYA PRADESH: EAR OF HINDU PRIEST BITTEN OFF, 3 ARRESTED IN INDORE

Indore (ANI): In a bizarre incident, a priest from Rajasthan’s Kota was attacked and his ear was chewed off, following an altercation with members of a family who had invited to their house to perform a Puja. Three persons have been arrested in this connection, police said. A case has been registered against one Lakshminarayan Sharma and his two sons Vipul Sharma and Arun Sharma in the area of Chandan Nagar Police Station based on a complaint filed, Kunj Bihari Sharma.

Security beefed... of Maharashtra. Ahead of the rallies, many roads are either closed for traffic or traffic di versions are put in place. Traffic police have start ed towing unclaimed vehicles and also asking car owners to willingly remove their vehicles, said officials.

(deputy commissioners of police), and 15-16 ACPs (assistant commis sioners of police), will be on bandobast duty.

Officials also said that security at prominent beaches including Juhu, Versova, Dadar, and Gir gaon has been beefed up for immersion proces sions.

students’ accommoda tion, canteens, restcum-recreation rooms,

Constitution of antiragging committee, an ti-ragging squad, set ting up of anti-ragging cell and adequate pub licity for these meas ures through various

media, a clear mention of anti-ragging warn ing in the institution’s prospectus and infor mation booklets and brochures shall be en sured, preparation of e-admission booklet or brochure, and e-leaflets of institutions giving detailed guidance to ad mitted students in case of ragging are among the measures listed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in its advisory.

A senior Mumbai po lice officer said, “Around 3,200 officers,15,200 po lice personnel, 1,500 per sonnel of the State Re serve Police Force (SRPF), 1,000 jawans of Homeguard, 20 Quick Response Teams (QRTs), 15 Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS) have been deployed for the two rallies and to en sure peaceful immer sion of idols of Goddess Durga on Wednesday.”

Officials of the crime branch in plainclothes have also been deployed at the venue of the ral lies.

At BKC, over 2,000 po lice and traffic person nel and traffic police, around five to six DCPs

Buses carrying Shiv sainiks and others from western and north Mumbai will be parked along Senapati Bapat Marg and Kamgar Maid an, while those arriving from Navi Mumbai and Thane will be parked at Five Gardens, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Adenwala Road, said officials. Cars will be parked at India Bulls Finance, IndiaB ulls One Centre and Ko hinoor Square. For the BKC rally, buses will be parked behind the fami ly court, near Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, MMRDA ground, near Jio garden in the vicinity. Car parking will be at Jio garden basement parking.

“IAF has recently updated & revised its doctrine to keep it relevant”

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari

Shashi Tharoor

Chennai: Electric twowheeler maker Ola Electric has set up its first experi ence centre in Chennai as part of a plan to set up 200 such facilities across the country by March 2023. People interested in EVs would be encouraged at the experience centre and they can also avail themselves of test-rides of S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters. “Ola experience centres allow us to better understand how best we can take our products to our customers and enable their transition to EV,” company CMO said. —PTI

ADANI GREEN SETS UP THREE NEW SUBSIDIARIES

ON FESTIVE FERVOUR, BETTER SUPPLIES

Automobile retail sales rise 11% in Sept

New Delhi (PTI): Automo bile retail sales in India rose 11% in September as better supplies from manu facturers enabled dealers to ramp up customer deliv eries amid the ongoing fes tive period, Federation Of Automobile Dealers Asso ciations said on Tuesday.

Last month, total retail sales stood at 14,64,001 units as compared to 13,19,647 units in September 2021.

FADA noted that October is expected to witness even better overall sales due to the festive season further gathering steam.

“Dealers anticipate this to be the best festive period in a decade for the passen ger vehicle segment as we anticipate even higher sales during the month,” it said.

Barring tractors and some three-wheeler trims, all other segments like pas senger and commercial ve hicles and two wheelers performed better in Sep tember as compared to the year-ago period.

Passenger vehicle retails increased 10% to 2,60,556 units last month as against 2,37,502 units in September 2021. “Better availability of

cars due to easing semicon ductor supply, new launch es and feature rich prod ucts kept customers glued to dealerships for getting their favourite vehicles

Poor rainfall in Gangetic plains may spike food inflation: Report

New Delhi: Adani Renew able Energy Holding Four Limited has incorporated three new subsidiary companies for renewable energy business. AGEL said Adani Renewable En ergy Holding Four Limited is its own subsidiary and the newly incorporated entities are its step-down subsidiaries. The names of three new subsidiary companies are Adani Re newable Energy Thirty Six, Adani Renewable En ergy Forty Limited & Ada ni Renewable Energy For ty Seven Limited.

TVS CREDIT EXPECTS

STRONG GROWTH

THIS FESTIVE SEASON

New Delhi (PTI): ficient rain in the North ern plains, especially in the Gangetic region, is likely to increase food inflation in the near term as overall paddy production will be hit in these areas due to poor mon soon, according to a report.

Major agricul tural states, such as Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, have had poor rains during the just concluded season, which may lead to an increase in the prices of rice due to lower paddy products in the near term.

The share of these states in overall rice sowing in the Kharif season (as of September 23) has declined to 24.1 per cent from 26 per cent in the previous year, according to an assessment

TOP TALKING POINTS

z Major agricultural states, such as Bihar, Jharkhand and UP, have had poor rains during the just concluded season, which may lead to an increase in the prices of rice due to lower paddy products in the near term

z The share of these states in overall rice sowing has declined to 24.1%

Lower Kharif produc tion, especially of rice and pulses, can aggravate infla tion in these commodities, the agency said.

Inflation in rice and rice products at the wholesale level has already firmed up by 6.6 per cent in August of this year to a 63-month high, while pulses and products inflation (at the wholesale level), although benign, rose to a six-month high of 2.6 per cent in the month.

during the auspicious pe riod,” FADA President Manish Raj Singhania said. While semiconductor supply continues to ease, FADA requests OEMs

Average housing prices up 3-10% in July-September

New Delhi (PTI): Average housing price across eight cities rose 3-10% year-onyear in July-September this year, while office rent grew up to 13% on higher demand for properties, acc to Knight Frank India.

Bengaluru property market saw highest growth in average housing price as well as average office rent during the third quar ter of the 2022 calendar year as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year.

As per the data of pri mary housing market, the average price in Bengaluru rose 10% to ` 5,428 per square feet in July-Septem ber quarter from Rs 4,928 per square feet in the yearago period.

The Delhi-NCR market saw 8% increase in average housing price to `4,489 per square feet. Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad witnessed an increase of 6% in average price.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z Last month, total retail sales stood at 14,64,001 units as compared to 13,19,647 units in September 2021

z October is expected to witness even better overall sales due to festive season further gathering steam

(Original Equipment Man ufacturers) to match sup ply as per the demand so that PV sales can further receive a boost, he added.

Similarly, two-wheeler

OTHER STORIES

AIRTEL TO FINALISE 5G TARIFFS SOON, MAY NOT CHARGE PREMIUM

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel will come out with 5G tariff plans in the coming few days but the telco is not likely to charge a premium as 5G-enabled devices constitute just 8-9% on the network and doing so may impact upgradation. As per the senior executive of the company, pricing the 5G tariffs higher at this stage won’t push up average revenue per user (ARPU) due to the low subscriber base at present. He, however, said tariffs need to go up as the current rates are not sustainable.

registrations saw an in crease of 9% at 10,15,702 units last month as com pared with 9,31,654 units in September last year.

Singhania noted that en try level bike space was the most hit, thus dragging the entire two-wheeler seg ment sales.

FADA said commercial vehicle offtakes rose to 71,233 units as compared with 59,927 units last Sep tember, an increase of 19%.

Last month, tractor sales stood at 52,595 units compared to 53,392 units in September last year.

INDIA’S WEAKENING EXPORTS SLOW TRADE DEFICIT MODERATION

New Delhi: India’s large trade deficit is beginning to consolidate, but the weaker exports are prompting a more gradual adjustment than expected, Barclays Bank said in a note on Tuesday. India’s trade deficit fell to $26.7 billion in Sept from $28 billion in Aug and $30 billion in July. In that same period, merchandise exports have moderated from $33.9 billion in Aug, to $32.6 billion in Sept. The import bill, meanwhile, had dropped to $59.3 billion in Sept from $61.9 billion in August. —PTI

RELIANCE, SANMINA COMPLETE DEAL TO SET UP ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING JOINT VENTURE

New Delhi: Reliance Industries’ subsidiary RSBVL and US-based Sanmina Corporation have completed the deal to set up an elec tronics manufacturing joint venture at a total enterprise valuation of about Rs 3,300 crore. Reli ance Strategic Business Ventures Limited (RSBVL) will hold 50.1% equity stake in the joint venture while Sanmina will have 49.9% shareholding. The joint venture will leverage Sanmina’s 40 years of ad vanced manufacturing experience and Reliance’s expertise and leadership in the Indian business ecosystem. The day-to-day business will continue to be managed by Sanmina’s management team in Chennai.

Chennai: Non-banking fi nance company TVS Credit Services Ltd was looking at building its channel partner relation ships as it expects strong growth momentum during the festive season on its loan offerings.”Our de mand outlook is promis ing as we are looking at building our channel part ner relationships and giv ing customers a better value for money through our innovative loan offer ings, “ CEO of TVS Credit Services said. There was a subdued consumer de mand due to the COV ID-19 during the last two years, the Co said. —PTI

PALM OIL IMPORTS JUMP TO 1-YR HIGH OF 1.2 MN TONNES

Sensex, Nifty rebound over 2% on Tuesday

Mumbai (PTI): Bench mark indices Sensex and Nifty bounced back on Tuesday to close over 2% higher amid positive trends in global equity markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex spurted 1,276.66 points or 2.25% to settle at 58,065.47.

During the day, it zoomed 1,311.13 points to 58,099.94.

The broader NSE Nifty rallied 386.95 points or 2.29% to end at 17,274.30.

Among the 30-share Sensex pack, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Tata

Consultancy Services, Ba jaj Finserv, HDFC, Tata Steel, Larsen & Toubro, Wipro, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were the major winners. Power Grid, Sun Pharma and Dr Reddy’s were the only laggards.

UPI payment crosses `11 lakh cr milestone in Sept

New Delhi: India’s im ports of palm oil jumped in September to their highest in a year, boosted by strong demand for the tropical oil ahead of the festival season and a steep discount to rival oils, six dealers said on Tuesday. The September imports jumped 21% from a month ago to 1.2 million tonnes, the high est since September last year. Palm oil is nearly $300 cheaper than rival soyoil for September shipments.

New Delhi (PTI): Pay ment through Unified Pay ments Interface (UPI) has crossed a milestone of ` 11 lakh crore in September, as per the data released by Na tional Payments Corpora tion of India (NPCI).

During the month, 678 crore transactions in vol ume terms were done on the platform launched in 2016. Payment through UPI had crossed `10 lakh crore in May this year.

Last month, as many as 657.9 crore transactions worth `10.72 lakh crore had taken place.

UPI is an instant real-

time payment system which facilitates interbank P2P transactions.

The transaction is done through mobile in easy steps. Besides, there are no charges applicable for the UPI transaction so far.

Moreover, UPI has played a key role in India becoming almost cashless economy.

INVESTORS’ WEALTH

RISES `5.66 LAKH CR

New Delhi(PTI): Equity inves

tors became richer by `5.66 lakh crore as markets bounced back sharply on Tuesday following a recovery in global equi ties. The mar ket capitalisation of BSE-listed firms climbed `5,66,318.84 crore to `2,73,92,739.78 crore. FIIs turned net buyers after remaining net sellers in the recent past and bought shares worth `590.58 crore on Monday, according to data available.

CESL SELECT AGENCIES TO SET UP 124 BATTERY SWAPPING STATIONS

GOVT APPROVES `26K

CR TO INSTALL 25,000 MOBILE TOWERS

`

RISES 29 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.53/$

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee ap preciated by 29 paise to end at 81.53 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday as heavy buying in domestic equities and weakness in the greenback strengthened investor sentiment. At the inter bank forex market, the local unit opened strong at 81.66 against the greenback. It witnessed an intra-day high of 81.36 and a low of 81.66. It ended at 81.53, up 29 paise from its previous close.

New Delhi: Convergence En ergy Services Limited (CESL) has selected agencies to set up 124 battery swapping stations and 352 standing chargers for electric two and three-wheel ers. The selected agencies will also set up 1,294 standing DC fast chargers for electric four-wheelers, CESL said.

“The business will be delivered under a build, own, and operate (BOO) model valid for eight years, with charging stations installed across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Surat,” the company said.

BETTER GENDER BALANCE AT WORKPLACES

New Delhi: The government has approved `26,000 crore for installation of 25,000 mobile towers in 500 days, an official statement said on Tuesday.

According to a telecom min istry spokesperson, financial support for the project will be provided by Universal Services Obligation Fund and it will be implemented by Bharat Broad band Network. The project was announced by Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at three-day long ‘Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers’ that concluded on October 3. —PTI

Women taking driver’s seat in EV industry

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Indian wom en’s are emerging as the preferred choice in electric vehicle (EV) industry with legacy companies as well as startups seeking better gen der balance at workplaces.

According to several re cruiting agencies, for every 10 new hires in the EV sec tor, six tend to be women skilled in business model ling, design redevelopment, e-mobility and renewable energy management.

As women employees have a knack for design and safety, the green sector is

offering 35% higher com pensation to interested candidtaes than those of fered to women in other sectors, they said.

Tata Motors, which dom inates the electric vehicle market in the country with a share of over 80%, and British marque MG are among those driving this trend. And many of these women are in leadership positions.

Hiring of women profes sionals in the segment went up by 18% last quar ter, according to staffing firm Adecco.

“As women leaders are agile, and value safety and quality while leading with empathy, the Indian EV sector has seen massive success with women in the boardroom,” said Yeshab Giri, chief commercial of ficer (staffing and Rand stad technologies) at Rand stad India.

Uzmi Athar

New Delhi: Maha rashtra has the high est number of func tional eye banks at 74 followed by Uttar Pradesh at 41, Karna taka at 32 and Gujarat at 25, even as 11 states and Union Territo ries, including Goa and Jammu and Kash mir, have no function al eye banks, accord ing to official data.

According to the re sponse to an RTI appli cation filed by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur, there are a total of 320 functional eye banks in the country.

Eleven states and Un ion Territories -- Anda man and Nicobar Is lands, Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshad weep, Manipur, Megha laya, Nagaland and Sik kim -- have no function

Greetings

the occasion of Vijayadashami, let us fight

and

Maha has highest number of functional eye banks at 74

al eye banks, while states such as Tripura, Uttarakhand and Mizo ram have just one func tional eye bank.

Doctors, however, un derlined that such banks alone don’t serve the purpose as there is an increased demand for eye donors especially in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which exacer bated the situation.

Dr Manisha Acharya, the medical director of eye bank at Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, said there are a total of 750 eye banks in India, but only some of them are fully functional, well-equipped, and re sponsible for 80% of cornea collections in

WHO BENEFITS?

According to the National Blindness and Visually Impaired Survey (2019), there are about 48 lakh people suffering from blindness, and corneal blindness is the second most common type of blindness after cataract

the country.

“A nationwide eye banking network is the need of the hour, with one well-equipped eye bank having trained professionals/counsel lors affiliated with eye collection and retrieval centres to ensure better utilisation. This could be a solution because

1 killed, 1 injured in elephant attack

Gondia (PTI): A 52-year-old man was killed and an other was injured in an attack by a wild elephant in Nave gaonbandh range of Gondia district on Tuesday.

A herd of 23 wild elephants that had en tered the district last

month has been roam ing in the Gothangaon, Arjuni Morgaon and Navegaonbandh forest range. The incident took place in Jab barkheda around 7 am, when a group of 20-25 persons ventured close to the herd in an at tempt to keep it away from their paddy crop.

The elephants chased the villagers away and one of them caught hold of Suren dra Jethu Kadaibagh and killed him by throwing him to the ground. Surendra died on the spot, while another villager Joh ru Porreti escaped with injuries.

that impacts around 25,000 people every year. Only corneal blind people benefit from donated eyes. Corneal blindness is the loss of sight due to damage in the cornea, or the tis sue covering the front of the eye.

establishing an eye bank requires large in vestments and approval from numerous govern ment regulatory bod ies,” Acharya told PTI.

Dr Anita Sethi, Di rector, Ophthalmology, Fortis Memorial Re search Institute, Guru gram said the issue is the lack of awareness

People are not aware of what an eye donation entails. An eye bank is just a place where the donated eyes are processed. We can have hundreds and hundreds of eye banks but unless we have more eye donations, more people coming forward to donate their eyes, we should be spreading awareness on eye donation.

—Dr Anita Sethi, Director, Ophthalmology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram

around eye donation.

Sethi said focus must be on increasing the awareness and number of eye banks in more populated states and UTs so there could be a match be tween where we can get the tissue from and where it needs pro cessing.

Glimpses of ‘UP’s Mann Ki Baat with Agra’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Maharash tra on Tuesday report ed 407 new COVID-19 cases and two fatali ties that raised the tally to 81,22,839 and the death toll to 1,48,349, said the state health department.

A day before, the state had logged 180 cases and zero fatality.

The two deaths due to COVID-19 were re ported from Vasai-Vi rar and Pune. The fa tality rate stood at 1.82%, said an official.

Mumbai city record ed 155 new cases that raised the tally of in fections to 11,50,701, said an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The death toll re mained unchanged at 19,733, while the count of recoveries rose to 11,30,184 after 85 pa tients recovered from the infection. There has been a slight in crease in the daily cas

es, as the city had on Monday recorded 66 infections. As per a bulletin issued by the civic body, 4,387 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, tak ing the total number of tests carried out in the city to 1,83,29,997.

A total of 429 pa tients recovered from the viral infection in the last 24 hours, tak ing the count of recov eries in the state to 79,71,775, he said.

Maharashtra is now left with 2,715 active cases, the official said, adding that the state’s recovery rate stands at 98.14%.

states/UTs

JAI

Artistes perform the ‘Ram Leela’, a folk re-enactment of the life of Lord Rama as enshrined in the Hindu mythological epic ‘Ramayana’ to mark the culmination of the 9-day Navratri festival at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Tuesday night.

—PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

CEO & Editor-in-Chief Bharat24 & CMD 1st India Channel Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, Union MoS for Law & Justice Professor SP Singh Baghel, Secretary of UP Legislative Assembly Manish Asija, Dr Naresh Sharma & Dr Sameer Bhati during the ‘UP’s Mann Ki Baat with Agra’ organised by Bharat24 & First India News in Agra on Tuesday. Ayushi Vijayvargiya was the anchor for the programme.

Union MoS For Law & Justice Prof SP Singh Baghel addresses the guests.

Anchor Ayushi Vijayvargiya compeers the mega event ‘UP’s Mann Ki Baat with Agra.’

Union MoS Prof SP Singh Baghel, MP Fatehpur Sikri Rajkumar Chahar, Secretary of UP Legislative Assembly Manish Asija felicitate Dr Sameer Bhati during the event.

Union MoS Prof SP Singh Baghel, MP Fatehpur Sikri Rajkumar Chahar, Secretary of UP Legislative Assembly Manish Asija felicitate Dr Naresh Sharma during the event. Also seen here is Shishir Awasthi.

Shishir Awasthi addresses the gathering during the programme.

CEO & Editor-in-Chief Bharat24 & CMD 1st India Channel Dr Jagdeesh Chandra being felicitated by Dr Naresh Sharma during ‘UP’s Mann Ki Baat with Agra.’

Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is the festival which signifies the victory of good over evil, everyone has the same start but in the end, it is decided by karma, Rama and Ravana both were devotees of Lord Shiva, both were supremely strong and intelligent individuals but ended up creating their different identity through their karmas City First brings to you the in-depth roles of both kings a significance of this pious festival and wishes all its viewers a Happy Dusshera!

Dussehra signifies the vic tory of good over evil, dur ing this pious day, Lord Ram won the battle against Ravana and saved his be loved wife from the intel ligent ten-headed monster.

The divine extravaganza marks the triumph of pos itivity over negativity. This ten-day-long Hindu festi val t is celebrated at the end of Navratri, in the month of Ashvin which usually corresponds to September or October in the popular Gregorian cal endar every year. This year it falls on Wednesday, Oc tober 5, 2022.

On this festival, gigantic

puppets of Ravana are singed with fireworks which represent the quell ing of darkness by the light of purity. Dussehra is followed by the festival of lights, known as Diwali which is observed across India with magnificence and love. Diwali, the festi val everyone loves is cele brated twenty days after Dussehra and embodies the retrieval of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Prince Lakshman to Ayod hya, their kingdom after eradicating the evil, the demon Ravana. So, this was the story behind the triumph of good over bad.

Now let the know the sig nificance of this pious fes tival.

The word ‘Dussehra’ conveys the significance of the festival itself. The word is derived from two words – Dus and Ahara. ‘Dus’ means ten and ‘Ahara’ means day, so on the tenth day, this festival is also

known as Vijayadashami (Vijay means Victory and dashami means tenth day). Another meaning arrives from the legend of the fes tival where ‘Dus’ signifies the ten heads of Ravana or bad or evil and ‘Hara’ means to overthrow or re moval. In the northern and western states of In dia, Dussehra is marked by the glory of Lord Rama who was the seventh ava tar of Lord Vishnu. He was incarnated as Rama on earth to kill the demon Ra vana and to free the world from his sinful acts. Every year in the month of Octo ber and November people display plays based on Ramayana and Ram charitmanas called Ram leela at outdoor fairs by theatre troupes. Dussehra is also celebrated as Vijay adashami and also signi fies the killing of the de mon Mahishasura by God dess Durga on the tenth day of Navratri.

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

10 AMAZING DUSSEHRA RECIPES

To Savour This Festive Season

CITY FIRST

Festivities have begun and as we approach to wards the end of Sharad Navratri or Dur ga Puja, it is time to celebrate Dusseh ra. Dussehra marks the triumph of Lord Rama over Ravana in the Indi an epic The Ramayana. It is also known as Vijaya dashami, the tenth day of Durga Puja, celebrated as a victory of Goddess Durga over the invinci ble demon Mahisasura.

To commemorate this day, many Hindus across the country prepare scrumptious meals and get together with family and friends and feast af ter a nine-day long fast. Apart from this, they also burn Ravana idols in or der to celebrate the vic tory of good over evil.

If you are planning a get-together at home for Dussehra this year, we give you a list of delecta ble recipes that you would love to try prepar ing at home.

SOYA MURTABAK WITH TOMATOLEMON SAUCE

Recipe by Chef Ajay Chopra

Here’s a vegetarian twist to the traditional Murtabak recipe. It is essentially a pancake stuffed with soya that makes for a heavy and delectable choice for a small gettogether.

CHHOLIA PANEER RASEDAAR

PINDI CHANE

Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta

RAW PAPAYA KEBABS WITH ALOO BHUKHARA CHUTNEY NACHNI BARFI

Recipe by Chef Kunal Kapoor

Raw papaya and pota toes are shredded and worked into delicate kebabs. These kebabs are teamed with delec table plum chutney laced with star anise and black pepper; why would anyone want to miss it?

PEACH AND PAAN KOFTAS IN KORMA SAUCE

Recipe by Chef Ajay Chopra

PHIRNI WITH FRESH BERRIES

Recipe by Chef Rahul Dhavale

Why should one not celebrate with something sweet? This Phir ni, a sweet rice pudding gar nished with seasonal berries is just perfect to end your Dussehra celebration on a sweet note.

If you are in for some unique preparation, Peach and Paan Koftas in Korma Sauce is the best bet. Beautiful betel leaves are wrapped around juicy peaches stuffed with a melange of spices and nuts to render a spell-binding aroma. Its ecstatic taste will lin ger on in your senses.

Recipe by Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Hey Chocolate lov ers, Chocolate barfis for Dussehra are just what you need to pre pare. This quick and simple recipe will definitely leave you asking for more than just one.

PANEER KUNDAN KALIYAN

Recipe by Chef Madhusudan

KHOYA TARTS

Recipe by Chef Kunal Kapoor Move over desi Indian mithais and opt for tiny dessert delights.

This sweet recipe makes for a hearty blend of condensed milk, khoya and ghee to arrive at beau tiful tarts. These are finished off with bananas and cinnamon pow der dusting atop. Mouthwatering much?

Succulent slices of cottage cheese cooked in a yoghurt-based gravy with onions, tomatoes and tradi tional whole spices. This delicacy is finished off with hints of gar am masala and dried rose petals that bring a subtle flavour to this dish. This Dussehra, give your guests a flavourful surprise with a different dish.

Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta

Paneer pieces blended with an aromatic mix of spices, chholia, khoya, turmeric and coriander.

This rich curry will leave your guests asking for more.

Spicy chickpea and potatoes mingled in varied masalas with a burst of flavours. A festival with out the quintessential combination of Pindi Chole and Bhature or Lachcha Paratha is incomplete.

CHANA & SWEET POTATO CHAAT

Recipe by Chef Aditya Bal and Devanshi

A quick recipe to serve to your guests this Dusseh ra; just a tangy sweet potato and chana chaat that will be making the evening more special.

ANANYA’

‘An actor has to keep evolving’

The talented actress, who has been staying away from the film industry ever since the pandemic happened, is now set to make a grand comeback with some exciting projects in the pipeline. Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Shraddha Kapoor revealed the biggest learning from her career. The Aashiqui 2 actress informed that she learned change is the only constant, after spending 12 years in Bollywood. According to Shraddha Kapoor, an actor should always keep evolving, changing, learning, and unlearning. The actress added that she aims to keep growing as both an actress and a person. She wants to keep bettering herself from whom she was yesterday, thus making the world a little better. In the interview, Shraddha Kapoor also spoke about how things changed in cinema, for female artists. She observed that more and more films are now being made from the female perspective, compared to the time when she started her journey in cinema. According to the actress, women are not just headlining films, but those films are also writ ten and made better. Shraddha Kapoor added that it is a great time for women in the In dian film industry.

Sara’s new film ANNOUNCED

ed freedom fighter in a fictional tale set against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement in

A thriller drama, in spired by true events, is been written by Darab Farooqui and Kannan Iyer. A Dharma Enter tainment Production, the film is being pro duced by Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta, with Somen Mishra serv ing as the co-producer and is being directed by Kan nan Iyer. The Amazon Orig inal Movie will be available to Prime members in over 240 countries and territo ries upon its release. Ae Watan Mere Watan will join thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue.

Janhvi Kapoor is working day and night to make a mark in the Bolly wood industry. She is currently busy with her prep for her upcom ing film Mr and Mrs Mahi starring herself alongside Rajkummar Rao. Amidst her busy schedule, she con tinues to treat her social media fans with her daily happenings in life. Recently, the elder child of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor showed her dancing skills on her Instagram handle. She was learning how to dance to the tune of “Dil Cheez Kya Hai”, which featured well-known star, Rekha. Notably, Janhvi is a trained classical dancer and loves to share her skills regularly. In the lat est update, Janhvi shared how she felt while working on the film. She said, “My heart is full. #MrAndMrs Mahi” and shared a scenic photo along with it. The Sharan Sharma directorial starring Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles is currently in its production phase. After wrapping up this film, Janhvi also has an action film Bawaal with Varun Dhawan in her kitty.

Rashmika recalls being trolled

Rashmika Mandanna, who was trolled for her bold scenes in Dear Comrade, said that she found it difficult to get through that phase. The actress added,

"There were so many painful moments hap pening and painful things I would read. I would have constant dreams where you know you feel like you are the only one and everyone has turned their back on you and you are call ing out for them. That was a constant dream, I don't know what it was and I don't know how it was. I would wake myself up with such dreams and cry myself to bed, or even wake up crying." Meanwhile, Rashmika Mandanna is busy promoting her Hindi film Goodbye with Amitabh Bachchan. The film will mark its debut in Bollywood and is set to open in theatres on October 7. She has also signed up to play the leading lady in Vamsi Paidipally's Varisu opposite Thalapathy Vijay.

Bipasha Basu is been in the news ever since she an nounced her pregnancy.

Keeping with the trend, Karan shared a picture of his wife and said that he just cannot stop himself from falling in love with her. In the picture shared by Karan, Bipasha is seen wear ing a yellow dress and relaxing on the couch. The same picture was shared by the actress her self on her social handle and she wrote, “#loveyourself #mamatobe Hubby.”

Shraddha Kapoor

Janhvi Kapoor

Rashmika Mandanna

Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover

Sunny & Karan Deol begin the final reading for Apne 2

last few months is all set to make his banger presence in one of the most awaited films of his career, where he will be seen sharing screen space for the first time with his su perstar father, Sunny Deol.

Ayan's MCUscaled plan

While many compare the mega-plan of Astraverse to the already estab lished Marvel Cinemat ic Universe (MCU) in the western world, Ayan himself spoke about the inspiration he got from it.

Ayan said, “Since we all consume content on streaming, I do want to divide some stuff for that platform. But there is some stuff which is better geared for the big screen. This is the vi sion, and I wish I could press a button and make this vision come to life. It would be so great if I could hit every dead line. But Astraverse is a startup company and a

large-scale mainstream experiment. The poten tial is incredible but every single day, I am also learning how to do this thing. The vision is to also do gaming mer chandising and be a part of Metaverse and virtual reality too. But there is a lot of work that needs to happen be fore saying anything concretely.”

Recalling his meeting with Mar vel Studios’ head and MCU creator Kevin Feige, Ayan said, “In May, Disney had sent me to Los Angeles to be a part of some interna tional studio summit and I presented Brah mastra over there. I met Kevin Feige there and it was wonderful.”

The muchawaited film 'Apne 2' is all set to go on the floors soon as the pic tures of Sunny Deol & Karan Deol reading the final script of the film with writer Neeraj Pathak came out. Karan, who

This Father-Son camaraderie has been one of the most antici pated screen pairings of all time and fans have been eager to see an update from the makers.

Karan Deol shares these ex clusive pictures with us where he is seen with his father Sunny Deol and writer Neeraj Pathak.

The Adipurush teaser a 3D cinematic treat!

Atrue blue experi ence of Adipu rush teaser promises to be a visual treat that can only be justified behind the 3D glasses in a cin ematic form!

One of the most awaited teasers in Indian history that amalgamate the modern-day retelling of the Rama yana with some careerdefining performances by the lead cast, is the apt description of the recently released asset by #TeamAdipurush.

The grand teaser of Adipurush was un veiled on the banks of the Sarayu in one of the most sacred cities in the world, Ayodhya. Present at the event were actors Prabhas and Kriti Sanon along with the men behind it

all, director Om Raut and producer Bhushan Kumar.

However, the makers have pulled off an im pressive start with the grand scale event in Ayodhaya. From the sto ryline to the perfor mances, everything about Adipurush is a matter of pride for India, as we can now create films that are on par with in ternational standards and equivalent to the cinema that we have been consuming from countries like USA and UK for years.

Adipurush is pro duced by T-series, Bhushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar, & Om Raut, Prasad Sutar, and Rajesh Nair of Retro philes and will be re leased on January 23, 2023.

said, “The climax is here. The final read of Apne starts with Neeraj Sir and my fa ther who will also be my co-star. No big

with him. The experi ence till now has been amazing. I have in dulged myself so much into the script that I cannot wait to go on floors for the shoot.”

As far as Bolly wood’s finest actor Sunny Deol, his mas terclass was proven yet again with his film ‘Chup’ which was re leased on September 23 and is running suc cessfully in theatres currently. Sunny Deol is currently prepping to finish shooting for the much-awaited se quel to the 2001 mon ster hit Gadar and also has Soorya in his pipeline.

Dhanush-Aishwarya TOGETHER?

Dhanush and Aishwarya Ra jinikanth made a beautiful cou ple and the news of their separation had broken the hearts of their fans. But the duo called it an amicable separa tion and even at tended the school function of their eld est son together. They posed for the cameras with wide smiles and even kept themselves busy later on with their respective work. But it seems that the duo have put on their divorce on hold and a small hope of recon

ciliation has appeared. According to the lat est reports, the couple has put their divorce on hold and given a sec ond chance in their marriage. The pair are withdrawing their divorce proceed ings and trying to resolve their is sues. A meeting was held at superstar Rajnikanth’s house where both the families sat together and came to the conclusion that by respecting the deci sion of the elders hap pily, the two will try to solve their marital is sues and try to make their marriage work.

Arjun-Malaika's online PDA

The hottest couple of BTown, Malaika Arora & Arjun Kapoor, are enjoy ing their vacation time in London. They’re grabbing the spotlight frequently with their adorable PDA ever since their re lationship became official, neti zens go crazy over their loveydovey pictures.

Recently, Arjun Kapoor shared a story on his Insta gram handle of his lovely lady Malaika Arora. Arjun, who is shooting in London for his upcoming untitled film, went out for a dinner date with his girl friend Malaika in the KOYN Lon don restaurant. “Great Host @ samyuktanair. Amazing Food @ koynlondon. Best Company @ malaikaaroraofficial”, wrote Ar jun Kapoor in his story.

With Sister Sonam Kapoor, Ar jun appeared on KJo's 'Koffee with

Karan' programme. Sonam had stated that when you love someone unconditionally, you're just happy with what makes them happy and Arjun is happy with Malaika.

Priyanka takes a stand

dariyaan actress Priyanka Cha har Choudhary has been one of the main highlights in the sixteenth sea son of India's biggest reality show, Bigg Boss. While it's fairly normal for tasks as signed to some contestants to be slightly par tial, not many participants come forth to raise their voices against this partiality; fearing the mis understand ings. But ac tress Priyan ka Chahar Choudhary proved to be one of those noble souls

to come forward to speak up against the wrong.

In the latest episode, we saw contestant Man ya Singh loaded with several kitchen tasks. While no one spoke up for her, Priyanka decid ed to take matters into her own hands and voice her opin ion.

Later, contestant Gautum Vig was also seen appreciating the actress for speaking up for others. He said, “Tu usko support kar rahi hai, and I appreciate that”. The actress then concluded their conver sation, sweetly saying, “Me dosti nibhaungi. Me ladai karke bhi aap ki dost rahungi.”

Ayan Mukerji

(L-R) Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rajinikant and DhanushKaran Deol and Sunny Deol

Still from the movie

Malaika Arora

Priyanka Chahar Choudhary

Arjun’s story...

Karan’s post...