First India-Mumbai Edition-6th January 2023

DELHI

New Delhi: Tremors were felt in New Delhi and other areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) after an earthquake measuring

CAN’T UPROOT 1,000s OVERNIGHT...

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Thousands of people who faced the prospect of being left homeless in middle of harsh winter won major reprieve from SC on Thursday as it paused eviction drive on railway land in U’khand’s Haldwani. “There cannot be uprooting of 50,000 people overnight...

It’s a human issue, some workable solution needs to be found,” SC said, as it stopped U’khand HC order that had cleared eviction of 4,000 homes.

MAJOR RELIEF FOR 50,000+ RESIDENTS

SC said, “It may not be correct to say that paramilitary forces have to be deployed to remove people who have been living there for decades.” SC also stopped any construction in the area and sought responses from the railways and the Uttarakhand government. The case will be heard again next month.

The judgment of SC will protect human rights. We all were worried about demolition rendering 52,000 people homeless. SC stayed the demolition. In 2016, we took steps regarding the rehabilitation of the people.

State government would proceed according to SC’s order which stayed a December 20 direction given by Uttarakhand HC directing eviction of thousands of families occupying railway land in Haldwani district within a week.

Dhami, U’khand CM

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi said JJM is a major development parameter of a State to provide water to every household. Addressing the 1st All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water via video message on Thursday, PM said in our constitutional system, water comes under control of States and their efforts for water conservation will go a long way in achieving the collective goals of the country.

Modi called for coordinated efforts by Ministries of Environment & Water and said by making Namami Gange Mission a template, other states can also start similar campaigns for conservation of rivers. P6

TO BE READY NEXT YEAR: GADKARI

on Water

MICROSOFT CEO CALLS ON MODI, PLEDGES FULL SUPPORT TO “DIGITAL INDIA VISION”

ISRO AND MICROSOFT COLLABORATE TO SUPPORT SPACE-TECH STARTUPS IN INDIA

l The space-tech startups identified by ISRO will be onboarded onto the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub platform l The founders in India will have free access to the tech tools, and resources they need to build and run

their business l They will get all sort of tech support to build and scale on Azure, best-in-class developer and productivity tools

l

Yogi ends ‘Mumbai marathon’ with Maha-investments

During the day, Bonne also met PM Modi

First India Bureau

Ajit Doval on Thursday held the 36th round of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Bonne. Bonne’s visit was 1st major diplomatic visit of the new year, and according to a statement from Embassy of France in India, both participants agreed to intensify efforts “towards strategic autonomy”.

“2 sides held discussions on a variety of issues, including current global security situation in the context of Ukraine war, counterterrorism etc.

NSA Ajit Doval with Emmanuel Bonne in Delhi on Thursday.

FOR INDIAN NAVY SOON!

F

Sandeep Shukla

Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who came to the country’s financial capital - Mumbai - to invite Indian industry for the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit, has returned to UP with an investment of more than ₹ 5 lakh crore.

rench aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation’s RafaleM has emerged as the frontrunner to bag a mega contract from Indian Navy for 27 fighters. Sources in Navy had submitted a detailed report to ministry on performance of Super Hornets and Rafale-M. We expect to mature Rafale-M deal during French Prez Emmanuel Macron’s likely India trip in early 2023.Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani has proposed big investments in electronics manufacturing and green energy sector, including providing 5G internet connectivity across UP and providing better health services to

villages in Uttar Pradesh with the help of artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, Adani Group proposed to set up a skill development center with a capacity of 10,000 youths in Noida along ith a medical college on PPP mode.

Over two dozen industrialists including Reliance, Tata Sons, Adani, Godrej, Birla, Piramal, Vedanta, Parle, Hinduja, Lodha and Ramki met the Chief Minister during his two-day visit to Mumbai. In special meetings with industry leaders in between marathon events, the Chief Minister exhorted the industry to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s $5 trillion vision.

During the meeting with the Chief Minister, Karan Adani of Adani Group discussed the ac-

First India Bureau

Pune: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday sought to allay Opposition apprehension about statebased industries moving elsewhere and said it is natural for those holding investor summits to visit Mumbai as it is India’s financial capital.

Speaking to reporters here, Fadnavis said those who want to attract industries to their states or hold an industrial summit

have no alternative but to come to Mumbai and that reflects the strength of Maharashtra.

Fadnavis said industries operating in Maharashtra are not moving out of the state.

Asked about Opposition fear that UP chief minister is in Mumbai to “take away” businesses from Maharashtra, he said no one takes away anyone’s business.

So far as industries from Maharashtra are concerned, no one can

take them away, Fadnavis said.

“Every state has its own strength and as

per natural advantages, businesses tend to go there. For example, Gujarat and Rajasthan have big desert land and that is why there is ample land available for solar panels and that is why green hydrogen projects go there, so there is no need to worry,” he said.

Everyone should feel proud that Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and that one has to come to the city to seek investment, said the Deputy CM.

tion plan for major investment in the warehousing and logistics sector with several proposals for investment

Boss of oil to telecom behemoth, discussed investments in State, which UP CM has pitched as a central cog in growth machine, which will make India a $5 tn economy.

Ambani and Yogi had a fruitful conversation, to scale up RIL’s investments in India’s largest State. Jio has also planned to set up a $950 mn data centre in UP.

Karan Adani praised Chief Minister Yogi’s industrial policies for expansion of Lucknow airport.

Ajay Piramal of Piramal Enterprises said that the company is constantly striving to discharge its social responsibilities. “We will launch a special campaign in Varanasi by joining the Prime Minister’s resolve for a TBfree India,” he said. He expressed his interest to the Chief Minister regarding large investments for the development of Pharma Park.

worth lakhs of crores in the next 05 years, even setting up cement units at 07 different places. Discussion took place.

Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla sought the government’s support for setting up a convention center in Noida and said that this convention center would be one of the largest convention centers in the world.

During the special meeting, Darshan Hiranandani, head of the Hiranandani Group, while signing MoUs for new projects, discussed plans for semiconductor investment with the help of foreign partners, while Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran discussed the cultural and spiritual importance of Uttar Pradesh.

Govt working to reduce number of permissions to help industries: Shinde

First India Bureau

Aurangabad: The Maharashtra government is trying to cut down the number of permissions required for industries and ease processes to help them thrive in the state, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Thursday after virtually inaugurating the Maharashtra Advantage Expo 2023’ organised by Marathwada Association for Small Scale

Industries and Agriculture.

“Figures for industrial production of last year are out and production has gone up. Government is trying to find a way out by listening to their (industries’) problems. The state has recently approved investments of Rs 70,000 crore,” said the CM.

Referring to the first six months of his government that he formed after breaking

away from the Shiv Sena and teaming up with the BJP, Shinde said, “Our government has passed well in the

mid-term exams. The government will take the state to the number one position in the coming years. The government is taking decisions for every region of the state. It is not like the previous one that took decisions only for the areas of heavyweight leaders.”

He said the government is also planning to set up industrial zones in Latur and Osmanabad of Marathwada.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis

Those seeking investment have to come here, that is our strength: Fadnavis

Ambanis, Adanis, Tatas, Birlas etc on board for UP’s development!

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath meets with Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani, at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, in Mumbai on Thursday.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

l Supreme Court stays the Uttarakhand High Court’s Haldwani demolition order

l More than 50,000 people faced prospect of being left homeless post the HC order

Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi flashes victory sign after the SC’s order on the Haldwani eviction case, in New Delhi on Thursday.

—Harish Rawat, former U’khand CM

This collaboration will greatly benefit space tech startups in their analysis and processing of vast amounts of satellite data for various applications.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a useful platform for bringing together startups and providers of technology solutions to support the national space technology ecosystem.

—S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO

Space-tech startups in India are playing a significant role in advancing the country’s space capabilities with the power of technology. Through our technology tools, platforms and mentorship opportunities, we are deeply committed to empowering space-tech startups in the country to drive cutting edge innovation and accelerate scientific discovery.

—Anant Maheshwari, Prez, Microsoft India

—Pushkar Singh

Moni Sharma

PM Narendra Modi emphasises on the need for States’ efforts for the water conservation

Water Resources Ministers from all States take part in All-India Annual Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressing 1st All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on in Bhopal on Thursday. Also present here are Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Prahlad Singh Patel, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other leaders.

New Delhi: Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, who is on a four-day visit to India, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and pledged the company’s support in helping the country realise the Digital India vision. He described his meeting with PM Modi as “insightful”, and lauded the govt’s deep focus on sustainable and inclusive economic growth driven by digital transformation.

Bengaluru: The ISRO and Microsoft on Thursday signed a MoU to help space tech startups and in turn boost the growth of space technology in the country. “MoU seeks to empower space tech start-ups across country with technology tools and platforms, go-to-market support and mentoring to help them scale and become enterprise ready,” Microsoft official said in a statement.

President Vladimir Putin confirmed about Russia’s openness to serious dialogue on condition of Kyiv, told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan he was open to speak if Kyiv accepts territories occupied by Moscow as Russian, Kremlin said Thursday.

B’LURU-CHENNAI

EXPRESSWAY

Bengaluru: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced that the Bengaluru to Chennai Expressway will be completed by March 2024, with cost of `17,000 crore. The 285.3 km four-lane project will help save lot of travel time.

5.9 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE TREMORS FELT IN

INDIA AND FRANCE HOLD 36TH ROUND OF INDOFRENCH STRATEGIC TALK

New Delhi: National Security Advisor (NSA)

FRANCE’S RAFALE JETS

Dhoot’s plea against arrest rejected in ICICI fraud case

Held by CBI on Dec 23, Kochhars’ demand for

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A special court here on Thursday rejected Videocon founder Venugopal Dhoot’s plea claiming his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the alleged loan fraud involving former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar was illegal.

The CBI court also rejected applications of Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar requesting home food, beds, mattresses and chairs.

The court directed jail authorities to provide them diet food in consultation with the medical officer.

The Kochhars were arrested by the CBI on December 23, while Dhoot was arrested three days later. All three are currently in judicial custody.

Dhoot had challenged his arrest claiming it was illegal and sought immediate release from the case.

His lawyer SS Ladda, along with advocate

Viral Babar, argued that Dhoot was arrested only because the investigating officer came under pressure after the Kochhar couple’s arrest.

During the first remand hearing of the Kochhars their lawyer questioned why Dhoot had not been arrested yet, the Videocon group founder’s lawyer pointed out.

The Kochhars were afraid that Dhoot might become an approver, advocate Ladda said.

The Kocchars’ law -

THE CASE

home food, bed also turned down

Case filed as rail track blocked over train delay

First India Bureau

Gondia: Railway police have registered a case against 14 unidentified agitators after a group of commuters staged a protest on a rail track over late running of trains in Gondia city, an official said.

yer made sure it was recorded in the remand order that Dhoot had not been arrested, which put pressure on the investigating of -

ed Dhoot’s plea.

ficer leading to Dhoot’s arrest, he claimed.

Special Judge MR Purwar, however, didn’t find merit in the arguments and reject -

The CBI had named Chanda Kochhar, Deepak Kochhar as well as Venugopal Dhoot along with Nupower Renewables (NRL) managed by Deepak Kochhar, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Limited as accused in the FIR registered in 2019 under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

After the Shalimar/ Okha Superfast Express arrived here late by about six hours on Wednesday evening, a group of angry commuters then jumped on to the tracks on platform no. 3 where the train arrived and raised slogans against the rail administration for the delays, he said.

Personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police reached the spot and asked the protesters to clear the way for the train, the official said.

The train got further delayed by more than 30 minutes because of the protest, he said.

Later, the protesters cleared the track and the train left for Nagpur, the official said.

SRA project case: Issue reaches senior cop’s office

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The case relating to the confrontation between two groups involved in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) project has now reached the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Bhoiwada division) after both the parties levelled allegations of partiality on the police.

The SRA project was

launched in Dhobi Ghat, Worli in 2012 and Om Omega Shelters was appointed as its developer. The rehabilitation building has been partially completed, but the SRA has issued a stop work notice for the commercial building to the builder after some of the residents alleged non-payment of rent by the developer.

The residents eligible for rehabilitation have

Breach in Bhatsa canal wall destroys 25ha crops

First India Bureau

Thane: A breach in the wall of left bank canal of the Bhatsa dam in Thane district has left rice and vegetable crops on 20-25 hectares destroyed, a revenue official said here on Thursday.

Water gushed into fields of 50-60 farmers of Avre village following the breach at around 5 am and damaged the crops, said Sahapur

an initial survey carried out by revenue department.

“Water did not enter village. The issue of compensation to affected farmers is being taken up on priority,” official said.

formed a society named Shiv Ganesh and Shiv Sainath Housing Society. Meanwhile, another faction has formed Dho-

bi Ghat Om Duttaji Nagar Kruti Samiti to fight with the builder.

Members of the registered housing society

and that of Kruti Samiti often engage in altercations.

Notably, the incident being investigated started on December 18 when Anjali Patekar, daughter of Shiv Ganesh Housing Society Chairman Lav Patekar, and her sister Manisha Singh went to meet members of Kruti Samiti alleging that their signatures were forged by the group.

Their conversation got heated up and seven people including Varlaxmi Bhatkar, Mahesh Chetipalli, Ramesh Chetipalli and others assaulted Patekar, as per the complaint.

Manisha’s husband Mahendra said, “Anjali was beaten up badly and had to be hospitalized for a week. However, the cops registered a case of rioting and voluntarily causing hurt.”

Metal plate crushes woman to death

First India Bureau

Thane: Sunita Kamble, a 37-year-old scrap collector, was crushed to death when a heavy metal plate fell on her at the site of a Metro construction work in Thane city on Thursday morning, civic officials said.

Kamble had crossed a barricade and entered a pit dug for a pillar at the construction site, located near a mall on the Eastern Express Highway, when a metal plate from the girder above

fell on her, Thane Municipal Corporation’s

regional disaster management cell (RDMC) chief Avinash Sawant said.

Local firemen and a team of the RDMC rushed to the spot and attempted to rescue her, but to no avail. Kamble had died on the spot. The body was sent to a government hospital for post-mortem, Sawant said. Police are investigating the incident further, officials said.

Four held in Palghar for selling toddler for `2.35 lakh ‘BABIES ON SALE’

INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

Palghar: Four persons were arrested in Maharashtra’s Palghar district for allegedly selling a two-year-old boy for Rs2.35 lakh by taking advantage of the poverty of his parents, a police official said on Thursday.

Crime Branch Unit III Senior Inspector Pramod Badakh said a couple

and five others, including two women, reached out to the parents of the child on December 27 and took him away.

“They told the parents they would take proper care of the child and also promised them the opportunity to meet him once in a while. They then sold the child for Rs2.35 lakh. When

his mother came to know about it, she filed a complaint with Virar police,” Badakh said.

We have arrested four persons, including a man based in Valsad in Gujarat who had bought the child, while efforts

were on to nab the others, Badakh informed.

The investigation is underway in the case registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Juvenile Justice Act, he added.

“The child was reunited

with his parents on Thursday,” Badakh said.

Recently, two women were arrested for allegedly trying to sell a newborn girl for Rs4.5 lakh in the central suburb of Sion. The Social Service

(SS) branch of the Mumbai police apprehended Julia Fernandez (35) and Shabana Shaikh (30) while they were trying to sell the 15-dayold infant at a nursing home in the Gandhi Market area of Sion on

RPF

case

CRUCIAL READ

Thane: The love interest of a married woman and his friend have been arrested for allegedly killing her and dumping the body in a forest in Thane district, the police said on Thursday. According to a release by the Thane rural police, the body of a woman identified as Rupali J.(27) was found in a jungle at Goveli near Kalyan on December 27. The body had 35 stab wounds. After an investigation, police found that she was in love with 32-year-old man from Pune.

KAVHA WINS GOVT’S TEHSILLEVEL CONTEST

Latur: Kavha village has secured first position in a ‘beautiful village’ contest organized by the state government, local officials said on Thursday. The village got a cash prize of Rs10 lakh for coming first in the ‘RR Patil Sundar Gram Puraskar Yojana 2021-22’, they said. Zilla Parishad CEO Abhinav

Goyal, Block Development Officer Tukaram Bhalke made contributions in the win, they added.

NOW HAS MORE THAN 9.02 CR VOTERS’

Mumbai: Maharashtra has more than 9.02 crore voters as per the special summary revision of electoral rolls that was published on Thursday, a senior official said. The draft publication of the electoral roll was done on November 9, 2022 and it had 8,98,42,301 voters. As many as 9,21,453 voters were added after the draft publication, of which 4,77,953 were deleted, official said.

WOMAN FALLS INTO OPEN MANHOLE IN BANDRA BUILDING, DIES OF SUFFOCATION

Mumbai: A 41-year-old woman died after she fell into an open sewer pipe inside a high-rise society at Bandra East. The fire brigade and police rushed to the scene and after an hour-long operation, Her body was recovered from the drainage line. The deceased, identified as Nipurna Shrivastava was living with her nine-year-old daughter. Police said she sat near the opening of the sewer pipeline and was continuously talking on the phone. She suddenly fell in, probably after losing her balance.

FIRE DESTROYS FOUR GODOWNS IN BHIWANDI

Thane: A fire destroyed four godowns in Bhiwandi of Thane district on Thursday morning, a civic official said. Thane Municipal Corporation’s regional disaster management cell (RDMC) chief Avinash Sawant said the godowns located in a single-storey structure in Owle village, stocked with travel bags were completely destroyed in the fire.

“No one was injured in the blaze that started around 8.30 am, though the goods were gutted,” he said.

WOMAN MOLESTED IN MUMBAI LOCAL

Palghar: A woman commuter was allegedly molested by a 27-yearold man in a local train in Palghar district, railway police said on Thursday.

The woman was travelling in a second-class compartment of the suburban train which was on way to Virar in Palghar from Dadar in neighbouring Mumbai. The accused, Rafique Mohammad Isaq Shaikh, allegedly flashed the woman and touched her inappropriately.

Tehsildar Nileema Suryavanshi citing

Former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar leave a CBI court in December. —FILE PHOTOS Venugopal Dhoot. —FILE PHOTO

Inspector VK Tiwari said trains were getting late here because of the ongoing work on a third rail line. He said the RPF has registered a

against 14 unidentified protesters under relevant provisions. The protesters should raise their voice in a lawful manner, he added.

Passengers blocked a railway track in protest in Gondia on Wednesday evening. —PHOTO BY PTI

RPF Inspector VK Tiwari said trains were running late due to ongoing work on a third rail line, and added that protesters should raise their voice in a lawful manner

LOVER, HIS FRIEND HELD FOR KILLING MARRIED WOMAN; BODY FOUND IN JUNGLE

‘MAHA

They’d told the parents they would take care of him, and also promised to have them meet him some times

Rescuers bring out the body of the woman who was crushed to death in Thane on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI

‘STATES HAVE TO STEP UP R&D EFFORTS’

Aquanauts to go 500m under the sea this year

First India Bureau

Nagpur: State governments will have to ensure funding for research and development for the country to remain competitive in the sector, Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood said, adding that India has only 255 researchers per million people.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the scientific community to link research to economic growth, Sood said the share of state governments in the national research and development expenditure was just 6.4%.

The Central government’s share was 45.4%, while industry contributed 36.8% of the Rs45,000 crore spent

by India on research and development, he said on the sidelines of the Indian Science Congress here.

Sood said that India ranked 75th on the Global Knowledge Index 2020 (GKI) of 138 countries and had a GKI score of 44.4, which was on the lower side of the global average of 46.7.

Department of Science and Technology Secretary S Chandrasekhar urged state universities to initiate reform to encourage students to be ready to contribute to the national science programme.

“For sustainable research in our labs, we need the best quality students. A student who can sustain all the pressure and all the stress and survive in

the lab as long as he can deliver the goods. Those have to come from the state universities,” he said.

First India Bureau

Nagpur: It is commonly known that we know much less about our oceans than we do about outer space. However, that might

change soon, with India planning to send three explorers to a depth of 500m under the sea in the indigenously built vessel Samudrayaan this year, an official said.

Engineers at the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai have already designed the steel sphere that will house the aquanauts for their journey, he said.

The plan had originally been to send Samudrayaan to a depth of 6km. However, a sphere made of steel--which can withstand oceanic pressures up to a depth of 500m--will crumple as it cruises deeper, making titanium as the metal of choice. As it is difficult to procure the titanium which is required to ensure the vessel is capable of withstanding pressure at those depths, the 6km voyage has been put on hold, the official said on the sidelines of the Indian Science Congress here.

“These are exclusive technologies and no

Original plan was to send Samudrayaan to a depth of 6km, but steel can only withstand oceanic pressures up to a depth of 500m

country is ready to part with it. The Ukraine conflict has further aggravated the situation,” the official said without elaborating.

India has also set its eyes on achieving human spaceflight by the end of next year.

Nagpur (PTI): Padma Shri awardee Rahibai Popere has said that every village in the country must have a seed bank and the aim should be to have “chemical-free” food in every home.

Popere, a resident of Kombhalne village in Ahmednagar’s Akola tehsil, has been widely acknowledged for her role in traditional farming using indigenous seeds.

Affectionally called “seed mother” by sup-

porters, she was speaking on Wednesday at the inaugural function of the Women Science Congress, which is part of the Indian Science Con -

‘Doorstep’ travel: 75 accidents, 20 deaths in 3 yrs

Mumbai: The ease of commute local trains provide in the city brings as much danger to the lives of people packed tightly in them. Mostly, the passengers stand close to the gates of the train which leads to mishappenings and many of them meet with ill fate with the poles installed on the way.

According to the Lohmarg Police, a total of 75 passengers have had accidents in 2020, 2021 and 2022. There has been an increase in these accidents in three years. Out of these, 20 passengers have died and 55 passengers have been injured. Out of a total 75 accidents, a maximum 47 accidents have occurred in the

Mostly, the passengers stand close to the gates of the train which leads to mishappenings and many of them meet with ill fate with the poles installed on the way.

Mumbai section of the Central Railway. In the last three years, 75 of such passengers standing close to the gate met with an accident and nearly 20 have lost their lives. Today, 40 lakh passengers are traveling on the Central Railway Suburban line every day. Even when the local trains are not crowded, some passengers still stand near the gate and perform dangerous stunts.

gress underway here since Tuesday.

“We have forgotten nature and that is why nature has forgotten us and rains have now become untimely. We are

not sowing crops as per nature. We are cultivating unseasonal crops. We have changed and that is why nature has changed,” she said.

Pitching for natural

farming, she said, “Every village should have a Rahibai Popere and a seed bank. Every food plate in every home must be chemical free.”

Tata Open Maharashtra not going anywhere else: Dy CM

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The state government on Thursday pledged its support fot the prestigious Tata Open Maharashtra for another five more years, boosting India’s chances of retaining its only ATP 250 tournament.

South Asia’s only ATP 250 event, owned by IMG, came to Pune in 2018 and became the Tata Open Maharashtra from the Chennai Open.

The state government had committed to provide support for half a decade at that time and on Thursday it extended the support for a further five-year period.

“Maharastra will never allow this ATP 250 go anywhere else,” Deven-

dra Fadnavis said at the Balewadi stadium on the fourth day of the competition.

A reque st was made that from the next year onwards India should host ATP 500 event, in which the more higher-ranked players compete, to which Fadnavis smiled.

The ATP 250 tournament costs about Rs15

crore to host, a major chunk of which is contributed by the state government.

It remains to be seen if auto major Tata Motors, the title sponsors of the $713,495 event, continue to support it. Officials of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association are not yet sure if the arrangement will continue or not.

Frontline health workers ‘burnt out’ due to COVID-19: Expert

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Several doctors and nurses who served as frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced tremendous stress, other mental health problems and felt “burnt out”, an expert has said while stressing

on the need to address their health concerns.

There were many incidents globally which saw doctors and nurses attempting or committing suicide due to depression during the pandemic, Dr Vithyalakshmi Selvaraj, psychiatrist and chief medical officer of the Omaha Insomnia and Psychiatric Services, Ne-

braska, USA, said on the sidelines of the Indian Science Congress here.

Dr Selvaraj who gave a presentation on “Long-term consequences of COVID-19” said depression, anxiety and sleeplessness have become common not just in India, but across the world, and there was need to “destigmatize” men-

tal illness and increase awareness to prevent negative outcomes of such disorders.

She said a study of 662 adults in India found that more than 80% of respondents were preoccupied with COVID-19-related thoughts, 37.8% reported paranoia about being infected, 36.4% reported stress

and 12.5% reported sleep disturbances.

“Healthcare workers were burnt out as they did not have the training of what to do, how to treat (patients) and how to take care of themselves,” Dr Selvaraj said, adding that they were afraid of inadvertently exposing their family members to COVID-19 due to their work.

Providing mental health care to frontline workers is necessary as doctors and nurses face tremendous stress which can lead to several issues like depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies, she said.

“It should start from home and you need to take care of each other at home,” she said.

Share of state govts in nat’l R&D spend just 6.4%, industry contributed 36.8% of the `45K cr expenditure NOT GREAT

‘Every village needs a seed bank, every home chemical-free food’

Rahibai Popere addresses a session at the 108th Indian Science Congress. —PHOTO BY PTI

Padma Shri awardee Rahibai Popere is acknowledged for her role in boosting traditional farming using indigenous seeds

First India Bureau

Mumbai: In a first, the Central Railway division has added a feather in its cap by generating record revenue of Rs349.99 crore by selling scrap between the period of FY 2022-23 (April-December). This is said to be the highest ever figure recorded by the railways. The achievement comes as a result of the continuous efforts for the ‘Zero Scrap Mission’ to make all stations, sections, installations, depots, workshops, sheds, and workplaces covering all railway locations/divisions scrap free. This scrap revenue is 4.79% more compared to the revenue of Rs333.98 crore achieved during the corresponding period of FY 2021-22. The disposal of scrap has not only helped in generating revenue but also to keep the premises clean and environment friendly.

CENTRAL RLY GENERATES RECORD `350 CR IN SCRAP REVENUE

THE DYNAMIC MILLENNIALS

NO FURTHER CURB ON FREE SPEECH BUT NETAS NEED TO AVOID HATE SPEECH

The Supreme Court’s Constitution bench has ruled against any further restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression of public servants as those contained in Article 19 (2) are “exhaustive”.

Therefore, leaders of our industry must present a diverse and inclusive environment which is collaborative & not competitive. Foster a spirit in their teams that promotes mutual respect and a right work life balance a lucrative magnet for the young corporate work force. Organizations that create a conducive work culture will not only be able to retain them for a futuristic sustainable growth but also help them become intrinsic factor in their global rise

Very recently I was addressing a group of mid-size company owners and senior HR executives. The attrition of employees and the availability of trained manpower emerged as the main heartburn of all.

To many employers, millennials (born between 1981-96) remained a mystery who walk into offices expecting high pay, perquisites and rewarding work ethics without blinking an eye lid. Yet, it was felt that there is no guarantee that they will not leave in a couple of years for reasons best known to them.

While the old school management and corporate leaders describe this generation as self-entitled and even at times crazy and lazy, its not the correct reflection of the youth. We need to acknowledge that today, millennials make up 46% of India’s workforce, and the numbers will grow every year as Baby Boomers (born before 194664) and Gen X (born between 1965-80) continue to retire.

My survey and understanding of the youth confirm that contrary to the stereotype belief, Millennials don’t prefer to hop jobs every few years. The reality, if I may say, is that GenY/ millennials want to grow, learn, and become leaders in the very organization they join.

An acclaimed book ‘What Millennials Want from Work’ gives a strange revelation

DANGER SIGNS IN JOSHIMATH

An acclaimed book ‘What Millennials Want from Work’ gives a strange revelation emphasising that while 69% are satisfied with their job, 76% say they prefer working for their current organization My interactions have revealed that Millennials consider that the people they work with are an incredibly important part of their work experience as they add a significant value to their role as the team members, superiors, mentors, and friends in workplace

emphasising that while 69% are satisfied with their job, 76% say they prefer working for their current organization. My interactions have revealed that Millennials consider that the people they work with are an incredibly important part of their work experience as they add a significant value to their role as team members, superiors, mentors, and friends in the workplace. Therefore, the need to create an environment conducive enough to retain this work force.

So, the guru mantra is to create a friendly healthy organizational culture which impedes the bottlenecks and escape routes like a bad boss, office politics, or a stuffy culture. Overload of work and underpaid situations best be avoided. Remember that Millennials are looking to “level up” to a better situation, even if they are generally satisfied with their current organization.

Keeping the above in mind, employers need to examine what makes Gen Y tick. For one, materialism is secondary

Human greed is too overpowering to protect the environment. Ceaseless exploitative ways like felling of trees and unchecked construction, despite warnings by experts and environmentalists, have been taking a toll in Uttarakhand where the making of a major disaster can be seen in the town of Joshimath in Chamoli district. The red flags raised by well-meaning and concerned citizens were brazenly ignored in the past and are likely to be ignored again by politicians and people who are driven only by their short-term objectives. The town is the door to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib shrines, the Valley of Flowers and ski resort of Auli.

to gaining experience; and two, passion is a must for involvement. Actually, the paradigms of work have shifted the goal post since this age group has joined the industry. They care in equal terms about purpose and the money and the employers who have recognized this change are the ones who are successfully operating businesses in current environment.

Therefore, as a corporate coach, mentor or trainer as you may call me, I would suggest a few guiding principles to attract and then retain these work horses for a profitable operation of industries.

First and foremost, its time to forget the traditional 9-to-5 schedule of shift unless you need run of the mill work. That old time-sheet way of life will only encourage clock watchers and not output generators.

Secondly, I would suggest increased use of social media in selection and understanding the candidates. Since millennials roam on the social media most of their time,

companies in need of them need job listings on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. Not only will candidates see the listings, but applying for jobs is also influenced on the recommendations of peers and family. They indeed trust social media reviews for not only great places to eat and dance, but for great places to join for work as well.

My next recommendation will be to promote diversity and inclusion in identities like gender, ethnicity, colour, cast and disability. This shows that companies value uniqueness in their employees, a quality, Gen Y workforce is looking for.

Pandemic in last two years have made all companies realize that flexibility of communication allows people to work from the cosy environment of their homes. Millennials have liked and preferred this style of work. The double income single child syndrome allows them opportunities of flexi work hours and to bring up their child at home thus, cutting down on unnecessary expenditure of baby sitters and travel time.

Therefore, leaders of our industry must present a diverse and inclusive environment which is collaborative & not competitive. Foster a spirit in their teams that promotes mutual respect and a right work life balance a lucrative magnet for the young corporate work force. Organizations that create a conducive work culture will not only be able to retain them for a futuristic sustainable growth but also help them become intrinsic factor in their global rise.

Committee formed in August said in its report that “Joshimath is built on an unstable foundation, thick cover of landslide material, which can give way in case of heavy rain, tremors, unregulated construction or more footfall”

The first warning was issued by a panel of MC Mishra, then Commissioner of Garhwal division, about 50 years ago when the state was part of Uttar Pradesh. The panel had cautioned against blasting to remove boulders by blasting and felling of trees.

In 2021 another committee warned that Joshimath would sink on continued excavations. Another committee formed in August said in its report that “Joshimath is built on an unstable foundation, thick cover of landslide material, which can give way in case of heavy rain, tremors, unregulated construction or more footfall”.

Yet despite a hollow natural underground foundation, work on the all-weather road and hydropower plants continues. Resorts, hotels and houses have come up unchecked. With rising number of tourists and pilgrims, footfalls have also increased exponentially in recent years. Situation has deteriorated in recent months after reports of a punctured aquifer leaking water.

The bench comprising Justices S Abdul Nazeer, AS Bopanna, BR Gavai, V Ramasubramanian and BV Nagarathna gave a majority verdict. Although Justice Nagarathna concurred with the majority view, Justice Nagarathna pointed out that certain kinds of speech like hate speech directly strike at the principles of equality and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution’s preamble.

She explained that all citizens owe certain fundamental duties under Article 51 (A). These duties include promoting harmony and brotherhood among people. She held that public servants need to be more responsible and restrained. It is this part of her judgment which requires politicians who are prone to making hate speeches to take a serious note of. Restraining a minister or party worker from spreading hate is the responsibility of a chief minister or a party president.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

You are very dedicated & immensely talented star Hima Das! You made India proud on many occasions. PM @narendramodi Ji has always given total commitment for sports and fully supported all our athletes who represent the nation & bring huge laurels for our Country India.

MAHENG/2022/14652

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Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men. Bhagavad Gita

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

#ModiHaiToMumkinHai. Delivering on promises, #5G services have been inaugurated in Odisha ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. Soon, every school and panchayat in Odisha will have high-speed internet connectivity though #5G services and #BharatNet optical fiber network.

Kiren Rijiju

@KirenRijiju

TOP TWEETS

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

COL ANUPAM JAITLY (RETD) The writer is Defence expert, Motivational Speaker & Corporate Trainer

“Media notices my T-shirt, but ignores poors in torn clothes”

Baghpat (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on late Wednesday that his being in a T-shirt during the Bharat Jodo Yatra was not the real issue, while slamming media for “not noticing” people in torn clothes walking along with him.

Addressing a ‘nukkad sabha’ (street corner meeting) at Baraut on Baghpat-Shamli border during the march, Gandhi also said the purpose of the yatra is to remove hatred and violence being spread in the country and to draw people’s attention towards price rise and unemployment.

Amid talk raging about his wearing Tshirt in the winter during the yatra, he said the media is highlighting his attire but taking “no notice of the poor farmers and labourers walking along with him in torn clothes”.

“My being in T-shirt is not a real question, the real question is why are the farmers, poor labourers of the country and their children are in torn clothes, Tshirts and without sweaters,” he said.

The former Congress chief said that despite covering a distance of more than 3,000 kms on foot in 110 days, he is neither feeling tired nor shivering in cold in Tshirt.

“The aim of the yatra is to remove hatred and violence which is being spread in the country. BJP policy is to create fear among youths, farmers, and labourers through note ban, wrong GST. We do the politics of removing fear as we know that fear and hatred will not benefit the country,” Gandhi said.

BJY RESUMES ITS JOURNEY IN UP

Shamli: Led by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed its journey around 6 am on Thursday after halting for the night at Ailum village here, with scores of people carrying the Tricolour marching through the hinterland, despite biting cold.

“BJY NOT AN EVENT BUT A MOVEMENT”

Shamli: The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a medium to fight the “divisive” ideology of the BJP and the RSS, and it is not an event but a movement that will continue, Congress general secretary incharge of communication Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday.

YATRA SHOWS CONG IS STRONG:

KHURSHID

Bagpat: Senior Congress leader and former External Affairs minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ has shown that the party continues to have a strong footing in the state despite recent electoral reverses.

Nitish Kumar hints to start country-wide yatra to unite Oppn

Patna (Agencies): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday hinted to start a country-wide yatra after the budget session of Bihar Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) this year to unite Opposition parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Interacting with mediapersons on day one of his ‘Samadhan Yatra’ in Garua Badi village in West Champaran, he said: “We have started the Samadhan Yatra to review the development programmes of the state government. I want to assess the situation. If there are any issues in implementation of the development programmes, they will be resolved.”

On RJD vice president Shivanand Tiwari’s suggestion to postpone Samadhan Yatra due to the extremely cold weather in the state, Nitish Kumar said chilly weather will

BJP wiped out terrorism, developed Tripura: Shah

First India Bureau

Dharmanagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asserted that the BJP-led government in Tripura has wiped out terrorism and brought allround development to the northeastern state.

Addressing a public rally here, Shah also said the immense love and faith shown by people towards PM Modi clearly indicate that BJP will again form government in Tripura.

Why is Rahul becoming an ascetic in a T-shirt?

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: The leader of the Congress party is calling Rahul Gandhi an ascetic and it is being said on the basis that he is traveling wearing a Tshirt even in cold weather. On Tuesday, he started the second leg of the journey from Delhi.

When his journey started in the morning, the temperature in Delhi was around five degrees celsius and there was a cold wave. But Rahul was in a t-shirt. He went to worship at the Hanuman temple and from there proceeded towards Uttar Pradesh. So now the million dollar question is: Has Rahul actually become an ascetic or is the Congress’ PR team trying to project him as one? The Congress leader himself is making an

issue of his wearing a T-shirt and on this basis is calling him an ascetic with strict self-control but when Rahul is being asked about this he is saying what disturbance can a t-shirt cause?

While the t-shirt has not caused any disturbance to anyone, but the Congress or Rahul should reveal as to why he is not feeling cold? Af-

ter all, until last year, he did feel cold during winters and this can be proved from the point that he has quite expensive jackets etc. which he kept wearing. So what happened this year? It is also interesting that more than a hundred ‘Bharat Yatris’ are walking with him, many of whom are of younger to Rahul but they all feel cold. Then it seems that Rahul has grown a beard to give the yatra a political purpose as well as spiritualizing it, wearing a half t-shirt to convey the message that the yatra is a form of sadhana for him. The party spokesperson are trying to project him as an ascetic, a ‘Rashtra-Mitra’ and even Bhagwan Ram and the remaining issues are dealth with by the party’s media managers.

He said a target has been fixed to provide 4.25 lakh piped water connections in the northeastern state and an investment of Rs 10,000 crore lined up for infrastructure building. Shah exuded confidence that the saffron party will win the assembly elections with two-thirds majority, and appealed to the people to vote in favour of the ‘lotus’ for overall development of the state.

Recalling the 2018 as-

U’khand CM Dhami to visit Joshimath, vows necessary action

Khatima: In the wake of land subsidence in Joshimath and cracks developing in many houses in the town, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar

BJP’S NATIONAL EXECUTIVE MEET ON JANUARY 16-17

New Delhi: The two-day national executive meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is scheduled on January 1617 at the NDMC convention centre here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other senior leaders will attend the meeting. Discussion on the forthcoming elections, resolutions, review report from last meeting, are the main agendas of this executive meeting.

sembly polls, Shah said he had raised the slogan Chalo Paltai’ (Let’s Bring Change) to bring an end to the “Communists’ misrule”. Shah

BJP PLANS ‘GAO-GAO CHALO, GHAR-GHAR CHALO’ CAMPAIGN

New Delhi: As the countdown for the Lok Sabha elections due next year began with the start of 2023, the BJP has stepped up its preparations to reach out to all sections of society. The party’s OBC Morcha has decided to launch the ‘Gaon-Gaon Chalo, Ghar-Ghar Chalo’ program in March-April. The OBC Morcha has started putting in efforts to reach out to the voters of the nine states.

was in Tripura to flag off BJP rath yatras aimed at highlighting the state govt’s achievements ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.

IN THE COURTYARD

CJI CHANDRACHUD RECUSES FROM CONTEMPT PLEA AGAINST KUNAL

of India DY Chandrachud

Kuldeep Pathania elected HP Speaker

Dharamshala (ANI):

Senior Congress leader and five-time MLA, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, has been unanimously elected as Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly by voice vote on Thursday.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur escorted Pathania to the Speaker’s chair fol-

Patna: After Nitish Kumar announced to launch a nationwide Yatra, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi has claimed that the Bihar govt was purchasing a jet and a helicopter worth Rs 350 crore for this yatra.

“Nitish Kumar wishes to roam wherever in the country but he will fail in his efforts to unite Opposition parties,” Modi claimed.

not affect the Yatra as he had done many yatras when he was Union Minister.

lowing his election. The election of Pathania, the member

from Bhatiyyat in

district, was a foregone conclusion as

PRE-EMPTING

he was the only candidate in the fray.

A five-term legislator and an advocate by profession, he was elected an MLA for the first time on the Congress ticket in 1985.

The Congress leader was elected to Vidhan Sabha in 1985, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2022. He was elected as an Independent in 1993 and 2003.

New

Thursday recused himself from hearing a batch of pleas seeking

action against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for his alleged scandalous tweets against the judiciary. A bench headed by the CJI took up the petitions and said, “We will place this matter before a bench to which I (CJI) am not a part of because the comments (tweets) were made on the order, which I have passed.” The bench also comprising Justice PS Narasimha then listed the matter after two weeks and the CJI, in his administrative capacity will now assign the case to another bench.

CALCUTTA HIGH COURT UPHOLDS DISMISSAL OF 59 GOVT TEACHERS

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday upheld the dismissal from service of 59 primary teachers in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools for having obtained appointment through illegal means, taking the total of such persons who lost their jobs to 252. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had ordered the removal from service of a total of 269 primary teachers in an earlier order.

K’TAKA PSI RECRUITMENT SCAM: COURT GIVES BAIL TO DIVYA HAGARGI, 25 OTHERS

Bengaluru: The Kalaburagi Session Court

Thursday granted bail to alleged kingpin BJP leader Divya Hagargi and 25 others in connection with the sensational PSI recruitment scam. Judge KB Patil gave the order granting bail to Hagargi and also to other main accused Manjunath Melakundi and Deputy Superintendent of Police Mallikarjuna and others. The court has granted bail to 36 accused in the case till date. Those who got the bail on Thursday included eight candidates, five examination invigilators and three policemen. The Karnataka govt had announced re-exams for 545 PSI posts after the scam came to light.

Did Akhilesh foil Cong’s ploy to expose him?

Shamsher Singh

New Delhi: It is a matter of great surprise and speculation as to why a letter was written on behalf of the Congress party inviting the opposition parties of Uttar Pradesh to join the yatra? Whose idea was this? Usually in Congress, first a ‘behind the curtain’ talk is held in such cases, however, this time it seems that the letter was written without

any discussion and news about it was leaked in the media before the letter was even delivered. It is also surprising that the allied parties of the UPA joined the yatra without the formal invite being received!. There was no need to write letters to DMK, Shiv Sena, NCP, JMM, Goa Forward Party etc. That’s why the question is, where did the idea of calling non-UPA parties come from? And if so,

then why wasnt such a letter forwarded to the Aam Aadmi Party?

It seems that Congress

wrote letters to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party for political reasons under well thought out plan.

Congress knew that these two parties would not join the yatra. But by inviting them to join, the intention of the Congress was to expose both of them. It has been learnt that Akhilesh Yadav was very upset on this news. For the first time when he was asked about this by the jour-

nalists, he said emphatically, “if you have a copy of the invitation, give it to me.” Apparently he had not received an invitation till that time and before that the news was leaked in the media.

Then in displeasure, he also said that Congress and BJP are the same.

However, later when he received the formal invite, he sent a four-lined greeting message. But he understood that the Congress was smart.

Nat’l conference of Chief Secys begins in Delhi

New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Budget, a three-day national conference of chief secretaries from all states to deliberate on economy and jobs and inclusive human development began here on Thursday.

PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair the meeting on Friday and Saturday, his office has said. The conference is broadly based on two themes — economy and jobs and inclusive human development.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, in Shamli on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI

As BJY resumes, Rahul Gandhi says media does not ask why are farmers, labourers not in sweaters

HM Amit Shah with Tripura CM Manik Saha and former State CM Biplab Kumar Deb during the flagging off ceremony of BJP ‘Jan Vishwas Yatra’, at Dharmanagar, in North Tripura on Thursday.

Singh Dhami said that necessary actions would be taken to save the people of the district. Dhami would be visiting Joshimath soon to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary actions. It comes in the backdrop of reports of huge cracks that have appeared in the houses of the area.

Akhilesh Yadav

Chamba

Kuldeep Singh Pathania after being elected Speaker with Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur.

KAMRA

Delhi: Chief Justice

on

contempt

on

INTERIM RELIEF FROM ARREST TO WOMAN DIRECTOR

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted interim protection from arrest to a woman director accused of forcing a young TV actor to act in an adult movie. Justice Viju Abraham granted the interim relief to the director on her plea seeking anticipatory bail in the case based on the complain by the actor. The court listed the matter for hearing on January 16 to give time to the complainant to file his objections.

Nitish Kumar

SUSHIL MODI TAKES

JIBE AT BIHAR CM’S

PROPOSED YATRA

India to focus on health emergency preparedness, says Mandaviya

New Delhi (ANI): Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that during its G20 Presidency, India will focus on health emergencies prevention preparedness and response through One Health and AMR.

“India’s G20 Presidency health priorities will be focussed on — health emergencies prevention preparedness and response,” he said.

Using a One Health approach, it helps design, implement and monitor programmes, policies and research on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance to provide evidence and advance inter-sectoral collaboration between public health, animal and environmental health sectors to achieve better public health outcomes.

BEDS RUN OUT AT BEIJING HOSPITALS AS COVID BRINGS MORE INFECTED PEOPLE

Beijing: Patients, most of them elderly, were on stretchers in hallways and taking oxygen while sitting in wheelchairs as COVID-19 surges in China’s capital Beijing. The Chuiyangliu hospital in the city’s east was packed with newly arrived patients on Thursday. By morning beds had run out, even as ambulances

continued to bring more patients. Medical staff rushed to take information and triage the most urgent cases.The surge in ill people needing hospital care follows China abandonment of its most severe pandemic restrictions last month after nearly three years of lockdowns, travels bans and school closures.

11 OMICRON SUB-VARIANTS FOUND DURING TESTING OF INT’L FLYERS

New Delhi (PTI): Eleven Omicron sub-variants were found among the 124 international travellers who tested positive for COVID-19 between December 24 and January 3 and the presence of all these variants was earlier reported in India, officials said on Thursday. They said 19,227 international travellers were tested in the said period, 124 of them were found Covid posi-

tive and put in isolation. The sources said of the 124 positive samples, the genome-sequencing results of 40 were received, of which XBB was found in 14 samples and BF 7.4.1 in one sample.Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urged citizens not to panic unnecessarily but remain alert, follow the directives issued by the government.

AI flight ‘urinator’ will be arrested soon: Cops

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Police on Thursday said that the man who allegedly urinated on an elderly woman co-passenger onboard an Air India flight was a resident of Mumbai and will be arrested soon.

“The accused is a resident of Mumbai, but his possible location is in some other state and the police team has reached there. We will arrest the accused at the earliest,” said Delhi Police. On Wednesday, Delhi Police said that it has formed teams to nab the man who allegedly urinated on an elderly co-passenger onboard an Air India

DGCA ISSUES SHOW CAUSE NOTICES TO AIRLINE OFFICIALS

Mumbai (PTI): Holding that Air India’s conduct appeared to be “unprofessional”, aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday issued notices to the officials and crew of the New York-Delhi flight, asking why action should not be taken against them for “dereliction” of duty while handling the November 26 ‘urination’ incident.

An inebriated man had allegedly urinated on his female co-passenger.

ANOTHER MID-AIR ‘PEEING’ INCIDENT ON AIR INDIA FLIGHT

New Delhi (PTI): After the November 26 incident on a New YorkDelhi Air India flight, another episode of a “drunk” male passenger allegedly “urinating” on a blanket of a female passenger was reported on the Paris-Delhi sector but penal action was not pressed after the passenger gave a written apology, officials said on Thursday.This incident happened on December 6 on Air India flight 142.

MASTURBATES IN FRONT

ON DELHI BUS, CRIES

a

Centre stays all eco-tourism activities at Sammed Shikharji

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Amid protests by the Jain community against Jharkhand govt’s decision to turn Sammed Shikharji Parvat Kshetra an eco-tourism destination, the Central govt on Thursday stayed all such activities and directed the State government to immediately take all steps necessary to ensure the same.

It came after Union Minister Bhupender Yadav held a meeting with representatives of Jain Community to discuss the issue and its solution. According to the Ministry of Environ-

Water Vision@2047:

Ministers’ conference begins in Bhopal

Bhopal: The 1st All India Annual States’ Ministers Conference on “Water Vision@2047” began today in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The two days conference began with the auspicious ‘Jal Kalash’ ceremony by the Chief Guest and Dignitaries.

Delivering the Keynote address, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat lauded the commitment of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh towards water conservation and for the unwavering efforts put by him and the entire State government in hosting this conference in Bhopal.

He said “India has be-

come a leader in the field of Water and Sanitation under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. Welcoming the participants, the Union Minister said that Indian economy has continued its growth trajectory despite COVID pandemic and it is estimated that by 2027, India will become the third largest economy in the world ahead of Germany and Japan.

The Union Minister said, “there is a direct correlation between economic growth and the consumption of electricity and water. PM has given a clear roadmap for becoming a 3 to 5 trillion dollar economy and further a 10 trillion dollar economy.”

J’khand: Sand mafia attacks police

Ranchi (Agencies):

The sand mafia attacked police officers when they tried to prevent the illegal mining of sand from Barakar river in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.

BDO-CO Prem Chand Sinha, ASI Ram Mahato and the police force were assaulted and attempted to be run over with a tractor.

A police officer’s gun was snatched and thrown into the river, which was later recovered. In connection with

the incident, Sinha lodged an FIR against 100 unidentified people involved in illegal sand mining and seven named accused in the Chauparan police station. Sinha alleged that the attackers snatched his gold chain, ring and Rs 4,000. He was also

threatened he would be killed if he attempted to thwart sand mining.

The accused who were named include Dwarika Mahato, Sanjay Yadav, Vicky Yadav, Vinod Yadav, Mahendra Saav, Ravindra Rana and Indradev Yadav.

Four such attacks on the police by the sand mafia have come to light in the state within the last two months.

On December 24, a Hyva truck carrying sand illegally tried to run over a police party.

ment, Forest and Climate Change, the Union Minister specifically mentioned in the meeting that this Ministry recognizes the established fact that “Sammed Shikharji Parvat Kshetra is a sacred Jain religious place not only for the Jain community but for the entire country.”

BJP OF ‘COMMERCIALISING’ CENTRES OF JAINISM

New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday said the BJP wants to “commercialise” the pilgrimage centres of Jainism in the country, accusing it of hurting the sentiments of the community. The Congress also demanded that the notification issued by Jharkhand government for acquiring the sacred mountain of Sammed Shikharji which was done by the previous Raghubar Das-led BJP government be withdrawn immediately.

Manohar International Airport: Goa commences operations

First India Bureau

Panaji: Goa’s newly developed Manohar International Airport, Mopa started its operations on Thursday. An event held at the airport saw the first passenger flight arrival and depar-

ture at the Manohar International Airport.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh joined the event virtually. Union MoS Shripad Naik and Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant were present on this occasion.

Bengaluru (Agencies): Six persons were killed and 16 injured after an overloaded goods rickshaw they were travelling in rammed into a roadside tree near Vithal temple near Chinchanur village in Karnataka’s Ramdurg taluk in the early hours on Thursday, police said.

As many as 23 people including women and children from Hulakund village in Ramdurg taluk hired a goods rickshaw to Yellamma temple in Savadatti taluk and started the journey at around 12am on Thursday. As the rickshaw was full, a few people sat on the seat beside the driver, who lost control on the vehicle, which rammed into the tree at around 1am.

Hanumawwa Magadi, 25, Deepa Harijan, 31, Savita Mundas, 17, Supriya Harijan, 11, and Yallappa Bannur, 42 were succumbed on the spot while Indrawwa Siddametri, 42, died on the way to hospital.

All the 16 others travelled in the vehicle were injured and they have been admitted to a government hospital at Gokak.

Use cutting-edge technologies in projects: Murmu

move towards more efficient governance.

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Significant push is being given to women empowerment in the defence forces whether in combat roles or medical services, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday, calling for more number of women officers in the Military Engi-

neer Services (MES).

Addressing officer trainees of the MES, who had called on the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, she said as young officers in the field of construction, they have the prime duty to care of the environment also. “We must move towards increased use of renewable ener-

gy for sustainable development,” Murmu said.

The president asked them to use informa-

tion and communication technologies to improve the service delivery mechanism and

“Our soldiers are always ready to lay down their lives for the country and countrymen. You should feel privileged to provide service and support to the brave sons and daughters of the motherland,” she said.

The officer trainees present were from the Indian Defence Service of Engineers, architect cadre and surveyor cadre of the MES.

“I would also like to emphasise the need for more number of women officers in MES. In recent times, we have seen increase in participation of women in our armed forces. Whether in combat roles or medical services of defence forces, a significant push is being given to women empowerment.

This positive change would be hopefully visible in military engineer services also,” Murmu said.

PRESIDENT’S PLEA

President Droupadi Murmu with MES trainees in New Delhi.

Donkeys are on display for buyers at an annual donkey fair in Jejuri near Pune district in Maharashtra on Thursday. The fair is being held annually on Paush Poornima (full moon of Paush month) at ancient Khandoba temple in Jejuri.

6 devotees killed, 16 hurt as goods rickshaw rams into tree in K’taka

First India Bureau

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at the conference.

CONG BLAMES

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. —PHOTO BY ANI

MAN ALLEGEDLY

OF GIRL

WHEN CAUGHT Delhi: In a shocking incident, a man masturbated in front of a girl in

DTC bus in Rohini area in the national capital, a DTC marshal alleged in a video. Reports suggest that the incident took place on Tuesday.When the accused was caught

President Droupadi Murmu calls for more number of women officers in the Military Engineer Services

TAKES

CHARGE AS MD, CEO OF BSE

India’s GDP growth to dip to 5.5 per cent in FY24: HSBC

New Delhi: Sundararaman Ramamurthy has assumed charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of leading stock exchange BSE. In a regulatory filing last year, BSE said that markets regulator Sebi has approved the appointment of Ramamurthy as its Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer.

“Sundararaman Ramamurthy has assumed charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BSE,” the exchange said in a release on Wednesday. —PTI

TENDER FOR 4,675

ELECTRIC BUSES

New Delhi (FIB): India’s economy is expected to grow 5.5% in the next financial year, a notch below the expected potential rate of 6%, as growth momentum in the country was slowing gradually, an economist at HSBC said.

The Indian economy is expected to grow by 6.8% in the current financial year.

“While both exports and imports have slowed over the last few months, the former has slowed more sharply than the latter, indicating a sharper fall in the global growth momentum,” Pranjul Bhandari, chief India and Indonesia economist at HSBC said.

Economists at the bro-

kerage expect domestic demand to remain stronger as compared to global demand, the note said, adding that demand for goods— higher than services demand during the pandemic

TOP TALKING POINTS

z The Indian economy grew 8.7% in year ended March 2022, and is expected to grow by 6.8 per cent in the current financial year

z A Reserve Bank of India survey of professional forecasters released in December 2022 had pegged growth at 6 per cent in 2023/24

OTHER STORIES

INDIA INC BEATS US FIRMS IN OFFICE LEASING: CBRE

New Delhi: Indian companies have overtaken American firms in gross leasing of office space for the first time, with almost a 50% share in the total demand, according to CBRE India. In its report released on Thursday, CBRE said that the gross leasing of office space rose 40% in 2022 to 56.6 million square feet across nine major cities from 40.5 million square feet in the previous year. Out of the total absorption of office space in 2022, 27.73 million square feet area was leased by domestic firms while 20.37 million square feet by American companies, according to CBRE. —PTI

RBI ALLOWS 6 ENTITIES TO TEST FINTECH PRODUCTS

Gurugram: Six entities, including HSBC and Creditwatch, have been allowed to test their fintech products to prevent and mitigate financial fraud as part of the fourth cohort under the Reserve Bank of India’s regulatory sandbox scheme. Regulatory sandbox refers to the live testing of new products or services in a controlled/ test regulatory environment for which the regulators may permit certain relaxations. The Reserve Bank announced the opening of the fourth cohort under the regulatory sandbox in June 2022 for the prevention and mitigation of financial fraud.

—has fallen in recent months.

“Urban demand has far outstripped rural demand over 2022, but is also moderating since mid-2022, led primarily by goods,” the

Capital infusion in Vodafone Idea under discussion: Min

New Delhi: State-owned Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) on Thursday said it has floated a tender for 4,675 electric buses worth `5,000 crore. This is the second tender under the National Electric Bus Programme (NEBP), a company statement said.

Also, this is the third tender for electric buses following the ‘Grand Challenge’ tender of 5,450 ebuses that catalyzed this business and a recently concluded tender for 6,465 e-buses. —PTI

XIAOMI LAUNCHES

REDMI NOTE 12 SERIES IN INDIA

Bhubaneswar (PTI): Debt-ridden telecom firm Vodafone Idea has various requirements, including infusion of capital, and discussions on this front are going on, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

VIL, reeling under debt burden of over ` 2 lakh crore, has opted for converting about `16,000 crore of interest liability payable to the government into equity, which will amount to around a 33% stake in the company while promoters’ holding will come down to 50% from 74.99%.

‘Vodafone (Idea) has many requirements. It has a particular requirement of capital. How much capi-

tal, who will infuse? All those things are under discussion at this point of time,” Vaishnaw said. VIL has offered a stake to the government at a par value of `10 per share.

BSNL

JIO, AIRTEL 5G SERVICES LAUNCHED IN BHUBANESWAR

Bhubaneswar (PTI): Telecom operators Jio and Bharti Airtel on Thursday started their 5G services in the Odisha state capital.

Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the centre has sanctioned a total of `5,600 crore for telecom services in Odisha in the 2022-23 and 5,000 mobile towers will be installed across the state for world class communication facilities. He had committed to start 5G services in the state before January 26.

TO START 5G SERVICES IN 2024

Bhubaneswar (PTI): State-owned BSNL will start 5G services in 2024, Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. BSNL has shortlisted a TCS and C-DOT led consortium for rolling out 4G network, which will be upgraded to 5G in about a year of placing the order under the contract. “BSNL will start 5G services in 2024,” Vaishnaw said.

Total vehicle retail sales jump 15% in 2022: FADA

New Delhi: Global technology brand Xiaomi on Thursday launched the Redmi Note 12 series, which includes Note 12 Pro+ 5G, Note 12 Pro 5G, and Note 12 5G, for consumers in India. Redmi Note 12 5G starts at `17,999, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G at `24,999, and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G at `29,999, and all will be available from the company’s official website and online and offline stores.

The 12 Pro+ 5G comes equipped with the 200-megapixel pro-grade HPX Sensor combined with Xiaomi’s super optical image stabilisation (OIS). —FIB

New Delhi (PTI): Retail sales of overall vehicles in India grew by 15.28% to 2,11,20,441 units in 2022 led by record sales of passenger vehicles and tractors, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said on Thursday.

In 2021, total retail sales of vehicles in India were at 1,83,21,760 units, FADA said in a statement.

Two-wheelers retail sales stood at 1,53,88,062 units last year, a growth of 13.37% from 2021 when sales stood at 1,35,73,682

units. Passenger vehicles (PV) retail sales were at 34,31,497 units in 2022, as against 29,49,182 units in 2021, up 16.35%, it added.

FADA President Manish Raj Singhania said, “For CY2022, while total vehicle retails grew by 15% yearon-year.”

note added. Rural demand, which has been weak throughout 2022, could tick higher though due to strong sowing during the winter season and moderating rural inflation.

Domestic air passenger traffic grows 15% in Dec

Mumbai (PTI): Domestic air passenger traffic grew 15% year-on-year to around 129 lakh in December 2022 but remained 1% lower than the December 2019, Icra said on Thursday.

In the April-December period of the current fiscal, domestic passenger traffic is estimated at around 986 lakh, registering around 63% y-o-y growth and lower by approximately 9% compared to April-December 2019, it said. At the same time, the airlines deployed slightly higher capacity (less than 1%) in the previous month over the yearago period, Icra said, adding that it, however, was lower by around 7% than the pre-COVID levels.

HAMDARD SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH MET CITY TO BUILD FOOD PARK CLUSTER IN JHAJJAR

Gurugram: Model Economic Township Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Thursday said that it is developing a Greenfield Smart city near Gurugram and announced the signing of a definitive agreement with Hamdard Group for setting up a world-class manufacturing facility at the city. According to an official release, Hamdard is developing its Hamdard Food Park Cluster (HFPC) to manufacture some of its core food categories on approximately 10 acres of land at MET City. ANI

POLICY TO MAKE ADOPTION OF IST MUST ON ANVIL, SAYS GOVT

New Delhi: The government is planning to come out with a comprehensive policy for mandatory adoption of IST nationwide, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said. The purpose is to ensure synchronization of all networks and computers to IST and adoption of IST by Telecom Service Providers, ISP, power grids, banks, stock exchange, etc, the official said. Presently, IST is not being adopted mandatorily by all telecom and internet service providers. They are utilising the servers synchronised to other sources such as GNSS. —PTI

Markets settle lower for 2nd day

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks ended lower for the second straight session on Thursday, dragged down by banking and finance counters and continuous foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share BSE Sensex ended 304.18 points or 0.50% lower at 60,353.27 after it failed to hold on to initial gains. During the day, it fell 607.61 points or 1% to 60,049.84.

The broader NSE Nifty dipped 50.80 points or 0.28% to end at 17,992.15.

From the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finance tanked 7.21%. The other major

ON IMPENDING RECESSION, GLOBAL SLOWDOWN

New Delhi: Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) expects a doubledigit sales growth in the domestic market for the December 2022 quarter.

This is backed by low single-digit volume growth said the Godrej Group’s FMCG arm in its quarterly update for the third quarter of FY23. “There has also been a sequential improvement from high single-digit sales growth and mid-single-digit volume decline in the previous quarter,” it said. —PTI

laggards were Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Titan, Power Grid, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Bharti Airtel.

ITC, Hindustan Unilever, NTPC, Mahindra & Mahindra, Nestle and Larsen & Toubro were the major winners.

RUPEE GAINS 32 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.50 AGAINST US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee gained 32 paise to close at 82.50 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday, supported by a weaker greenback overseas. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 82.75 and touched an intra-day high of 82.50 and a low of 82.80 against the greenback. It finally ended at 82.50, registering a rise of 32 paise over its previous close.

COAL DISPATCH TO DIFFERENT SECTORS

RISES 5% IN DEC 2022

New Delhi: The dispatch of coal to different sectors was at 78.91 million tonnes (MT) in December, registering a rise of 5.28%. The coal dispatch in Dec 2021 was 74.95 MT. “During Dec 2022, CIL (Coal India), SCCL (Singareni Collieries Company Ltd) and captive mines/others registered a growth of 3.57%, 17.89% and 8.85% by despatching 62.72 MT, 6.72 MT and 9.46 MT (of coal) respectively,” as per the provisional figures of coal ministry. The dispatch of coal to the power sector increased by 4.26% to 65.65 MT during the last month. —PTI

HOUSING SALES AT DECADAL HIGH IN 2022

New Delhi (PTI): Sales of residential apartments, which rose 68% in 2022, are likely to sustain this year on likely moderation in inflation and better price deals from builders, according to JLL India.

In a statement, JLL India on Thursday said that the sale of apartments grew 68% to 2,15,666 units in 2022 from 1,28,064 units in the previous year across seven major cities—Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune.

India Inc likely to get cautious about hiring in Q1-2023

New Delhi (PTI): Corporate India is indicating cautious hiring in the March quarter of 2023 as concerns rise over possible recession and steady inflation, a survey said.

According to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, based on interviews with nearly 3,030 public and private employers, hiring intentions will decrease in the quarter both on year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter basis.

During the quarter, 48% employers expect to increase their staffing levels, 16% anticipate a decrease

in hiring intent and 34% do not anticipate any change in hiring, resulting in a net employment outlook of

MAJOR FINDINGS

z Hiring intentions will decrease in the March quarter of 2023 both on year-on-year and quarter-onquarter basis

z

32%. When compared to the same period last year (January-March 2022), hiring sentiments have weak-

During the quarter, 48% employers expect to up their staffing levels, 16% anticipate a decrease in hiring and 34% don’t anticipate any change

ened by 17 percentage points and by 22 percentage points when compared to the previous quarter.

“Employers are cautious due to the impending recession and deepening global slowdown which also created a stir in the IT sector during the previous quarter,” Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup India said.

Citing reports, Gulati said 33% of Indian CEOs have implemented a hiring freeze. “India may be impacted in the short term but in a country with the GDP net growth of 7%, the market is expected to see a balanced approach with growth in the tech sector and startups,” he said.

Mumbai includes Mumbai city, Mumbai suburbs, Thane city and Navi Mumbai. The annual sales of 2,15,666 units recorded in 2022, the highest in over a decade, next to the peak seen in 2010 at 2,16,762 units, it added.

On the outlook, JLL India said, “Sales momentum is likely to sustain in 2023 on the expectations of moderating inflation supporting a reversal in repo rate hikes”.

CESL FLOATS

GCPL AIMS DOUBLE DIGIT DOMESTIC SALES GROWTH

RAMAMURTHY

Risks help

us to make the leap from mediocrity to greatness. Go deep and listen to the inner voice within you,

Awhad has forgotten basic geography: Bawankule

Bawankule has forgotten insult to Shivaji, Savitri Bai: Sawant

First India Bureau

also present with us.”

First India Bureau

Mumbai: NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad has targetted BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule by tweeting his picture. While a new discussion has started due to Awhad’s tweet, Bawankule has given an explanation about it during a press conference held in Vasai. Actually, Bawankule had referred to the Mughal emperor as ‘Aurangzeb ji’.

Awhad tweeted a photo of Bawankule and wrote, “Bawankule ji blowing flowers on Aurangzeb ji’s grave.” Bawankule was accompanied by BJP National President JP Nadda and other leaders. Responding to the tweet, Bawankule said, “Jitendra Awhad posted that I visited ‘Aurangzeb ji’s’ grave. JP Nadda and I also went to the holy dargah in Chandrapur. The Muslim families were

“You have compared visiting the holy shrine with Aurangzeb’s tomb. If we were against religion, Abdul Kalam would not have been made President during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Religion is pure. We are against terrorist ideology. You have disrespected the sentiments of the Muslim community,” commented Bawankule.

Bawankule also explained the mention of ‘Aurangzeb ji’ and said, “If you listen to my full speech, you will understand. While the press conference was going on in Marathi, a question came in Hindi. Awhad said that immediate action should be taken against those who say ‘Radhe Radhe’. I said what was in Jitendra Awhad’s mind. We can never respect Aurangzeb even if we lose our lives.”

Mumbai: NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad has reacted to the opposition leader Ajit Pawar’s statement about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Awhad said that Aurangzeb was not cruel.

Now, a new controversy has started because BJP’s Maharashtra state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule referred to

Aurangzeb respectfully as ‘Aurangzeb ji’ during a discussion. Criticizing the BJP and Bawankule for this, Arvind Sawant, MP of the Thackeray group, said: “Tell them to come to their senses soon. They do not remember the insults to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule. Now, it boomerangs back on them. Go now, Sambhajinagar is waiting for you. Go there, bow down and

Glad that UP is in your focus: CM Yogi addresses film fraternity in Mumbai

Awanish Vidyarthi

Mumbai/Lucknow:

Welcoming the film fraternity to the state of Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday, said that the contribution of Indian cinema in giving a new direction to society is invaluable.

Addressing the film fraternity in Mumbai, the UP CM said, “I am delighted to witness the interest of the cinema fraternity in Uttar Pradesh. UP received Special Mention Award as Most Film Friendly State at the 64th National

Film Festival and Most Film Friendly State at the 68th Film Festival in 2020 due to your efforts.

The state also received an award in the International Film Festival in Goa (2021) and in Mumbai in 2022 as well.”

He continued: “All of you have been witness to

the changes in UP in the last five to six years. UP, which was facing an identity crisis, is telling a new story of development today.”

He also added that an the Jewar International Airport is being built near Film City to aid better connectivity.

Sawant also target

Shinde group. “I don’t think there will be any damage. Some people have the opposite wisdom of destruction. Balasaheb Thackeray taught us self-respect. Babasaheb Ambedkar also taught us the same. It’s okay if you don’t become a fighter for a while, but don’t become a salesman. Now what to talk about people who are sold?” Sawant added.

Shinde believes he should have control over Thane: Awhad

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Awhad has criticized the government in the state, saying it in a shambles. He has also said it is impossible to tell who will file a case against them and who will be picked up in the middle of the night.

Awhad was speaking during the Agri Koli Festival organized at Nerul in Navi Mumbai. Speaking on the occasion, he also

criticized Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

He said, “At present, the situation in the state is bad. You cannot ask what is your

crime. A few days ago, two crimes were registered against me within 72 hours. I have now vowed not to touch anyone except my wife.”

Awhad further added, “Eknath Shinde is not the CM but the Viceroy of Maharashtra. These viceroys are who do not want to listen to anyone even when they have the law in their hands. The CM thinks that the whole of Thane should be in his hands.”

Oppn warns UP CM against ‘snatching’ Maha industries We support Sena-Vanchit Aghadi alliance: Owaisi

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Opposition alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi on Thursday trained its guns on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his visit to Mumbai to attract investment in his state, saying there will be objection if he “snatches away” industries from the western state.

The UP CM on Thursday held a roadshow in the city, inviting industrialists and entrepreneurs to visit the northern state during the three-day ‘UP Global Investor Summit’ to be held in Lucknow on February 10-12.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader is travelling to eight states to promote the summit, covering big cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.

His roadshow in the financial capital sparked a war of words between the Opposition and the ruling BJP in Maharashtra.

The MVA—consisting of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray—advised the saffron leader to avoid politics during his visit.

Sanjay Raut, a key leader of the Udhhavled Sena, asked about the need to hold a roadshow in Mumbai.

“I had said yesterday if he has come to meet industrialists for the progress of his state, then there is no objection. But there will be objection if industries are snatched away from us (Maharashtra),” Raut said while talking to reporters.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said the biggest hurdle in attracting investment in UP is the “atmosphere” created by Adityanath in the state, where the BJP retained power in

the 2022 Assembly polls. Investment in UP will be possible only if he works on improving the law and order situation in the country’s most populous state, he said.

Countering the Opposition attack, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis asserted no one can take away businesses from Maharashtra.

“Whoever can say whatever they want, but Mumbai remains the financial capital of the country. No one can take away anyone’s industries,” he said.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Uddhav Thackeray group have almost formed an alliance, VBA president Prakash Ambedkar, has said. Now, only the formal announcement is pending, which will give rise to a new political equation.

Meanwhile, Asaduddin Owaisi, who was a VBA ally has reacted to this alliance while interacting with the media in Nashik.

“Ever since the BJP came to power, minori-

ties, Dalits, and tribal communities have been suffering. Mob lynchings are taking place. Their houses are being demolished. If Prakash Ambedkar is in alliance with Uddhav Thackeray, it is entirely their decision. When we were with them, our aim was to develop the underprivileged community. If we want educational, economic and social empowerment for the underprivileged, it is necessary to first empower them politically. Now if Ambedkar has gone with Uddhav

Thackeray, what can I say?” he asked.

On the issue of love jihad, he added: “Love and Jihad can never go together. Love is a completely different concept. Taking up the sword and killing anyone is considered Jihad. In India, a person who has completed 18 years of age has the

right to marry as per his or her choice. If a person chooses their own partner and gets married, no one should object to it. In the states where love jihad was enacted, the court has said that all those laws are unconstitutional.”

Meanwhile, commenting on the new alliance, Ambedkar said, “We are in talks with the Uddhav-led group over facing the upcoming municipal elections together. Negotiators from both parties have reached a consensus,” he said.

TAKING CHARGE

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Commenting on the so-called Love Jihad law, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi blamed the BJP for playing politics over it.

“The Love Jihad law is unconstitutional. There is no need to give communal colour to everything. Farmers are in trouble, the youth of Maharashtra have ques tions, but the BJP will not talk about that,” Owai si told re porters in Nashik.

“The Supreme Court has stayed the law in Mad

hya Pradesh. Many people in the BJP who talk about ‘love jihad’ have married outside the religion. Inflation has increased by 6%, unemployment is at 8%. We have the highest unemployment in the world. Petrol-diesel prices have increased,” Owaisi said.

“If someone is paying people to convert, the Supreme Court has already given a verdict against it 25 years ago.

But who are you to prevent someone from willingly converting?

Comparing visit to holy shrine with Aurangzeb’s tomb: BJP state unit takes a dig at Awhad after tweet

say, ‘Aurangzeb ji, mai aya hoon’.

ted Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the

Fresh controversy erupts after BJP state unit chief Bawankule refers to Aurangzeb as ‘Aurangzeb ji’

First India Bureau

Palghar: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Mumbai to “give” and not to “take away” anything, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, opposition partieshad criticized the UP CM’s visit to Mumbai, raising fears that he aimed to “snatch away” industries. “Yogi-ji is a Vidwan (learned man) and he will surely give something to the state. He has not come to take industries or Bollywood away,” Bawankule said.

ADITYANATH CAME TO GIVE, NOT TO TAKE AWAY IND: MAHA BJP CHIEF

‘We want educational, economic and social empowerment for the underprivileged’

IPS officer Deven Bharti takes charge as 'special commissioner of Mumbai police'

Thursday.

No one can come between two adults; ‘Love Jihad’ law not constitutional: AIMIM’s Owaisi

& Editor-in-Chief,

www.firstindia.co.in

The Allure of

Bronze is a beautiful colour that is both welcoming and appealing. Bronze is a loyal and social hue, so you’ll always feel accepted when you’re surrounded by it. City First brings to you some dazzling outfits in the most appealing colour of all time!

Bronze is a gorgeous tint with various features that is well-known for its distinctive tone and natural characteristics.

Bronze is a hue that stands on its own. It is most commonly linked with strength, stability, and support. It is incredibly grounded and requires minimal aid.

Bronze, if it were a

person, would surely have a big head on its shoulders. This is why many colours try to be more bronze-like. Bronze is self lessly supportive. It’s always looking for opportunities to lift others up, which is why this as tonishing hue is held in such high regard. Bronze is selflessly supportive. It’s always looking for opportunities to lift others up, which is why this dazzling hue is held in such high regard.

The state of Ebla was organ ised as a redistributive system during the Early Bronze Age: commodities were gathered by the central authority from its own farms and communities. The things gathered were subse quently distributed to the wealthy and governmental personnel.

Textual records from these trans actions, which indicate the sorts and amount of collected prod ucts, have been researched by ar chaeologists. Depending on posi

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

MUKESH BAGDA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Agood winter diet is critical for staying healthy during the cold season.

It is critical to consume a vari ety of meals to improve your winter health and ensure you are getting all of the necessary nu trients your body need.

As we approach win ter, you may have no ticed that the days are growing shorter and the nights are getting long er. Every season brings its own set of difficul ties, and this one can be especially taxing on our immune systems.

Winter is a sea son for cosiness, warmth, and snuggling with loved ones, but this combination does not necessarily correlate to good health.

That means a healthy winter diet is in need to get through those long, dark evenings with out gaining weight!

But most people have a belief that whatever they eat in the winter season gets easily digested. Due to this, con-

What we eat can affect everything from our energy levels to how well we sleep. So, don’t let the winter blues get you down this year – check out these simple tips on healthy eating when it’s cold outside!

Don’t let the Winter Blues get you down this year!

HOW MUCH SHOULD I EAT IN THE WINTER?

Aim for roughly 2,000 calories per day for ladies and 2,500 calories per day for males to keep them healthy throughout the colder months. This is the same as your regular calorie intake, however, you should boost it somewhat to stay warm!

CONCLUSION

Eating healthy is the greatest approach to protecting your immune system. Eating a varied diet rich in nutrients can help you stay healthy and strong throughout winter. Fish, spinach, pumpkin seeds, nuts/seeds (particularly almonds), avocado, basil, ginger, and cinnamon are a few examples.

If you want additional suggestions on how to keep healthy during the colder months or advice on what sorts of food might be useful for certain health concerns, arrange an appointment with a Nutritionist in Lahore through oladoc.

suming more sweets, jaggery and sweets increases weight. Also, this mistake can make you ill. At the same time, the immune system is also weak in winter, to boost it becomes necessary to include nutritious foods rich in all important nutrients in our diet. Everything from our energy levels to how well we sleep may be influenced by what we eat.

Don’t let the winter blues get the best of you this year; instead, check out these simple recommendations for healthy eating while it’s chilly outdoors!

n In the winter season, start your day with lukewarm water and honey. Consuming honey mixed with warm water can help in flushing out toxins. Apart from this, it is also considered very effective in weight loss.

n A lot of fruits and vegeta bles should be eaten in the winter season. A good amount of vegetables and fruits increases immunity. This keeps the body fit from the inside in winter.

n Consume more quantity of green leafy vegetables in the winter season. It helps in reducing the risk of getting sick.

n Dishes made of lentils like khichdi, lentil soup, and moong dal are dishes rich in protein, fibre and minerals in winter.

n Have a healthy breakfast this season which has the right mix of carbs and

proteins. Eat nuts, seeds and fruits when hungry and stay away from chips, and chocolates.

n By drinking enough water, you will remain very active even on cold days. Along with this, your body will also get warmth from the inside.

n Consume root vegetables like carrot, sweet potato, radish, and beetroot in abundance.

n Herbs and spices like black pepper, fenugreek, celery, ginger, garlic, and cumin help fight cough and flu. They stimulate appetite and digestion and improve blood circulation.

n Roti made from millet provides complex carbs, fibre and minerals like magnesium. These help in preventing heart diseases like high blood pressure and heart attacks.

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Limiting some items from your diet will have a positive effect on your health. There is much to achieve today and you will find yourself up to it. Academic front seems favourable. You are likely to buy something you have been longing for.

LEO JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Financial front remains rosy and promises to bring in gains. Good professional guidance may become the key to further your career. A family member may make you proud with an achievement. Spending time with friends is possible. Some of you may decide to take your romance.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

You will succeed in wriggling out of a tight financial situation by curbing wasteful expenditure. An outing with family promises much fun. Prepare well for a long journey, if you want to travel comfortably. Shifting to a new house or a new city cannot be ruled out for some.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

Your bank balance is likely to swell and make you financially secure. Buying something expensive for the house is indicated.

Responsibilities are likely to increase manifold. Those feeling lethargic and unwell may get back on the path to perfect health.

VIRGO

AUG

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

Family issues that are leading to disputes are likely to be resolved amicably. There is a chance of somebody taking you along for a function or a party. Keeping track of something or someone may prove an uphill task. Your standing in your circle is likely to get a boost.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

You may want things differently on the domestic front, but will need to convince others about your ideas. A break from the routine is indicated and will give you time to do things you were not getting time. Change of season requires you to take good care of your health.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

This is a positive day that proves special for some. Meditate to embark on a new spiritual journey. You will be able to regain lost ground on the academic front to come at par with the rest. Excellent showing at work will get you hand-picked for an important assignment.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Something being organised on the social front may get you totally involved. Expect immediate returns from the investments made by you. Workload is likely to increase on the professional front. This is a fine day on the financial front. Good understanding and mutual respect is likely to enhance.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Problems faced on the financial front are likely to disappear.Something may keep you from realizing your full potential on the academic front. A practical solution may be found for a complex problem at work. Those in love will feel much closer now, than before.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Something new may be acquired for the home by homemakers. An initiative on the health front is likely to give rich dividends. Those involved in a project will be able to give a good account of themselves. You despise is likely to turn over a new leaf, so let bygones be bygones.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20 Going the extra mile for someone will be greatly appreciated by all. Someone may not agree to your terms but that should not affect your productivity. You will get a chance to tap your potential on the professional front and impress those who matter.

FONDNESS FOR SAMANTHA RASHMIKA EXPRESSES HER

Rashmika Mandanna recently expressed her love and support to Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

The actress during the promotions of her upcoming film Varisu, spoke about her fondness for Samantha. She also reacted about Samantha suffering from Myositis and said she is very protective of her.

Speaking in an interview

with Glute, Rashmika Mandanna spoke about Samantha Ruth Prabhu and said, "Sammy is a wonderful lady. She's graceful and beautiful at heart. She's a person that I always want to protect. I am a very possessive mama when it comes to her."

Regarding her Myositis diagnosis, she said, "I came to know about Sam's condition when she put it out. I didn't know if she wanted to talk about something

before the world knew. I only wish her the best. I've always admired her and looked up to her. When you look up to some one, you would want them to win all the battles. It's the same for me. I am going to be this person who's going to be extremely possessive of her. She's a woman of ut most care, grace and love. I want the world to have only love for her."

RAVISHING RED DRESS

Malaika Arora, a Bollywood superstar, is frequently spotted experimenting with different red-carpet styles, diets, and other things. It's understandable why she draws so much attention and why the paparazzi like her. After all, she is a fashionista. She is renowned for her passion for fitness in addition to her sense of style. The actress consistently outperforms our expectations while appearing for fashion picture sessions when she isn't working out. Malaika is skilled at accessorising any look, whether it's her athlei-

sure or casual western cloth ing. She is skilled at styling them for a better appearance.

Malaika just re vealed images from her most recent pho to shoot, and they re ally mesmerised us.

Malaika chose a crimson little dress with a multicoloured geometric pattern from Naeem Khan's racks. This dress features a mini length, a plunging neck line, and a subtle sheen.

The diva completed her ensemble with a pair of pointed heels and a pair of black stockings.

She opted for metallic eye makeup, a nude lip and contoured cheek bones to emphasise her features. Her sleek, straight hair was the finishing touch her clothing needed.

Janhvi Kapoor blushes

Rhea Kapoor and Karan Boolani hosted a private dinner party at their lavish house in Bandra on Wednes day night. The Kapoor clan was seen making their way to the party in style.

Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Khushi Kapoor, Anshula Kapoor, Harsh Vardhan Kapoor, Mohit Marwah and his wife Antara were seen arriving for the dinner. But it was Janhvi who caught everyone's attention. She arrived with Shi khar in the same car.

When the paparazzi tried to capture them, Jan hvi was seen blushing and hiding her face. Every time she gets clicked, she interacts with them. But this time, she was just keeping it low-key. Janhvi was seen sporting a white sweatshirt and casual pants while Shikhar opted for a blue t-shirt and jeans. The rumoured love birds were all smiles

DEEPIKA’S LOOK FROM PROJECT K

SUHANA KHAN & AGASTYA NANDA ARE DATING?

Suhana and Agastya recently wrapped up the shoot of The Archies. They were seen making a starry entry at the wrap-up party that took place recently. Janhvi Kapoor's sister Khushi Kapoor too is making her debut with the Zoya Akhtar directorial. Ever since they started shooting for the film, the excitement around them amped up. Now, according to sources, Suhana and Agastya are in

a relationship. The report suggests that the romance started on the sets of The Archies. A source revealed that they were not trying to hide their bond on the sets and would spend a lot of time together. It is also being said that they don't plan to make their al leged romance official as of now. Going by the re port, Shweta Bachchan loves Suhana and she ap proves of her and Agastya's relationship.

—Agency

Deepika has been ruling the hearts of millions of fans and also the box office for quite some time. Taking to their official Twitter handle, Vyjayanthi Movies shared a poster from the film Project K. This look appears to be that of Deepika Padukone. In the poster, we can see a silhouette of a woman standing against the sunlight. The face of the

woman is not visible but she looks like Deepika only. The poster looks quite intriguing and it is written ‘A hope in the dark’. Below in the poster is written, ‘Happy birthday Deepika, Team Project K’. Sharing this poster, Vyjayan thi Movies wrote, “Here's wishing our @deepikapadu kone a very Happy Birthday. #ProjectK #HBD DeepikaPadukoneb.” —Agency

Tara’s dose of unfailing glamour

Eating up our need to doll up is this satin dress by Surya Sarkar. That perfectly corseted dose is back, yes! The plunging neckline mini outfit featured a structured bodice that had a ribbed-like stitching detail. We could swoon over and rave about its fit all day. So, here goes the fire emoji for Tara's recent look. Styled by fashion maven and Tara's goto stylist, Meagan Concessio, the diva's

outfit was accessorised with jewellery such as criss-cross studded bracelets, ring, mini hoop earrings from Mahesh Notandass. We're keeping our look sparkly just as we did throughout December. Also, include a pair of bow-tied glittery stilettos in your style notes. Never mute the kind of shine that looks like fire. The 27-year-old’s hairdo was sleek and her makeup featured nude glossy lipstick, blush, and a bit of kohl. —Agency

—Agency

Malaika Arora

Malaika in Naeem Khan’s crimson little dress

Deepika Padukone

Tara Sutaria

First look of the film

Tara in a satin dress by Surya Sarkar

Janhvi Kapoor

Shikhar and Janhvi

Farah Khan’s post...

Rashmika Mandanna and Samantha Ruth Prabhu

ALIA GETS A NEW NICKNAME

Alia Bhatt, who recently collaborated with Shah Rukh Khan for Darlings, her maiden film as a producer, had a sweet social media exchange with the latter on Wednesday. Shah Rukh, who has been busy promoting his upcoming action film Pathaan, hosted an 'Ask SRK' session on Twitter. Alia joined the question and answer session, as she responded to a fan, who had asked Shah Rukh, "Why does Alia call you just SR?" Alia's reaction to Shah Rukh's response to the fan question, not only gave a glimpse of the bond the two actors share but also earned Alia a new name

for. He wrote, "Could mean sweet and romantic or maybe senior and respected or maybe just Shah Rukh." Reacting to his response, Alia Bhatt revealed what 'SR' stood for, and tweeted, "More like sweet and respected :) But from 25th January I’m going to switch to calling you Pathaan. See I’m so creative na (no?)."

In reference to Alia's daughter Raha Kapoor, who was born last year, he tweeted, "Done little one. And I am now going to call you little Amma (mother) Bhatt Kapoor!"

Shah Rukh and Alia worked together in the 2016 film Dear Zindagi, where she played the lead role.

Working with Big B was like a dream come true

song will surely make you groove instantly.

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Looking for a song that can easily lift your spirit! Yo Yo Honey Singh feat.

Mouni Roy in Gatividhi, a much-awaited party track packed with peppy beats, the

On being back in the industry the singer said, “Having taken a break I am just filling up with the void. People who know me closely know this fact about me that I don’t have anger. Whatever I am bringing now is from all the passion and I could bring back the old beats in the music. If god is kind this year will be fulfilling all the genres with music.”

Sharing his experi-

ence working with Mouni Roy he expressed, “When you are working with Professional artists it's the best thing about them that there’s a comfort zone with them.

Mouni is extremely hardworking when it comes to shooting it was indeed great working with her.”

Having been a part of projects featuring legends he shared, “My journey and my experiences throughout have been different. I have worked

with the best legends of the industry. I have done a world tour with Shah rukh and I have learned so much from it. When I was working with Akshay Kumar he makes you feel like a family, he never lets you feel that he’s a superstar. And working with BigB was like a dream come true for me.”

Sharing his upcoming projects he said, “I have recently shot a song with Salman Khan for his upcoming movie Kisi

Tunisha’s Family reacts to allegations

On Tunisha Sharma's birth anniversary, her mother Vanita Sharma celebrated the day. The chautha ceremony for the late actress was held in Gurudwara in

Chandigarh on Thursday. She showed her disgust at news pieces citing that Tunisha was pregnant when she died and that she has left a lot of property for her mother. Dismissing the same, she said “She didn’t like shopping but she liked expensive products. I got her a diamond ring on her 18th birthday. She also got a big car even when we could have got a small

one. She also wanted an Audi for herself”

Her uncle Sanjeev Kaushal “All the allegations made are baseless, she was a gods child and she was never void of anything. I don’t believe anything related to religion was happening people close to her can explain it better. Yes but there were changes in her she used to love to speak and interact in the Urdu language”.

Shanaya’s Trip to Disneyland

n Wednesday, Shanaya Kapoor, uploaded a few pictures from her recent trip to Disneyland. Taking to Instagram, Shanaya shared a video which she captioned, “Living in a Disney world.” In the video, Shanaya could be seen roaming and enjoying the rides in the amusement park wearing a Minnie Mouse cap. Fans swamped the comment area with red hearts and fire emoticons as soon as she released the video.

Actor Ananya Panday commented, “My baby penguin missing u.” Sonam Kapoor’s sister, Rhea Kapoor commented, “Omg I love euro, Disney.” Shanaya Kapoor, the daughter of Maheep and actor Sanjay Kapoor, has a brother named Jahaan. She will play the part of Nimrit in Karan Johar's next film Bedhadak, which will mark her acting debut.

Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.

Tell us something about yourself.

My name is Shraddha Anand and I hail from Jaipur. After completing my education I moved to Mumbai to pursue my

passion and art. Always holding an interest in creative fields, I finally made my name in the Makeup industry. I work as a freelance professional makeup artist. As I always saw myself as an entrepreneur and always hold that vision in myself.

Where do you see yourself af-

ter the next 20 years?

I am a goal-oriented person and my vision is to build my name in the Makeup Industry. In the upcoming years of my life I want to establish myself as a big brand - SHRADDHA ANAND I wish to achieve a title. Also, in the upcoming year, I want to work as an international artist and would like to take up my skills and talent around the globe.

What were some of the battles you fought and are still fighting in your journey?

It’s been a little difficult for me to convince my family that my interest lies in creative fields. I faced a lot of rejection and sometimes no support besides my mom around me because it was really difficult to make people

Ka bhai kisi ki Jaan and that’s what coming this year for my fans. This year I dreamt of standing up on my own through my music but I am glad that I could still be doing it.”

With the rap game in trend in the industry speaking about the same, he said, “I was not the one to start hip - hop I did hip rapping, and when I was not here people tried filling in for me and India has got such talented people who have been do-

ing so great in their life.”

Sharing how actors kept a check on him he shared, “Akshay Kumar always kept a check on me and also kept suggesting me treatments.

I am glad stars like Deepika, SRK and many others kept supporting me. I will answer back people with my work.”

Shahid Kapoor’s Farzi update

The first teaser of Shahid Kapoor’s OTT debut Farzi was released on Wednesday. Directed by The Family Man fame Raj and DK, the upcoming web series also features Vijay Sethupathi, Kay Kay Menon, Kubbra Sait, Regina Cassandra, Zakir Hussain, Bhuvan Arora, Amol Palekar and Raashi Khanna.

In the short video, Shahid was seen painting on a canvas while looking at the camera and saying, "Meri life ka naya phase. Kya log-

ist, right)?" Shahid then winks looking into the camera, and as he exits the frame, his colourful abstract painting with the words Farzi written in yellow can be seen. Soon after Shahid shared the post, directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K of the mented, "Woohooo!! Shahid!!" His co-star

understand the difference between being a professional makeup artist to the salon industry.

Talk to us about your achievements.

One of my most recent and biggest achieve ments is that my work got featured in Vogue Arabia 2022. I have worked for well-known designers like Manish Malhotra, Swati Ubroi, Rimzim Dadu, Rohit K Verma etc and also

"Raashii

mented, "Finally," followed by a heart Meanwhile, on the work front, Shahid was last seen in the sports

kaj Kapur and Mrunal

with a few celebrities like Indian Cricketer Ruturaj Gaikwad, Priyal Ghor, Avika Gor, etc. I got featured in the Magazine “Most Successful female entrepreneurs Of India “ among the top 50 Female entrepreneurs," as a Jaipur makeup artist.

"In the upcoming years of my life I want to establish myself as a big brand," shares Shraddha Anand a celebrity makeup artist during an exclusive conversation with City First

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Alia Bhatt

Shanaya Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor

Shraddha Anand

Tunisha Sharma with her mother Vanita Sharma

Yo Yo Honey Singh

Still from the film