First India-Mumbai Edition-7th January 2023

TO SEND PLATOON OF WOMEN PEACEKEEPERS

Leaders hail initiative to honour the messiahs in medical field

Vikas Sharma and Ziauddin Khan

Jaipur: During the Corona period, the work of the hospital and the doctors of Rajasthan was appreciated in the country and all over the world. Day by day Rajasthan is progressing in the medical field, be it government hospital or private hospital.

Better medical facilities are provided to the people of the country and the state through the best doc -

tors. To honour such hospitals and doctors, Health First Conclave Award ceremony was organized by First India Channel at Hotel Clarks Amer on Friday.

First India Channel Head Dr. Jagdeesh Chandra, Health Minis-

PM MODI HERALDS NEW ERA OF CO-OP FEDERALISM

ter Parsadi Lal Meena, CM Advisor Dr. Rajkumar Sharma, Minister Tikaram Jully, Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Vice Chancellor of RUHS Dr. Sudhir Bhandari, JMC Heritage Mayor Munesh Gurjar, FI Channel Edi-

tor Jinendra Singh and several doctors attended the event.

At the beginning of the program, Dr Jagdeesh Chandra said that First India News has social concern and keeps on fulfilling its social concerns.

BJP freed Manipur from terrorism, bandhs, says Shah

Imphal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that the BJP government in the state freed Manipur from bandhs and terrorism and brought it on the path of development.

Addressing a public rally at Moirang in Bishnupur district after virtually inaugurating 12 projects worth Rs 300 crore and laying the foundation stone of nine projects worth Rs 1,007 crore, Shah said

First India Bureau

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi chaired the national conference of Chief Secretaries focused on achieving rapid and sustained economic growth in partnership with the states, in the national capital on Friday. The idea behind this conference is

that cooperative federalism, through Central Ministries and departments working together with States in seamless coordination, is an essential pillar for the development and progress of New India.

With this vision in mind, PM Modi conceptualised this conference, which was held for the first time in June 2022 in Dharamshala.

This year, National Conference of Chief Secretaries started on January 5 and will con-

clude on 7. More than 200 bureaucrats comprising representatives of the central government, chief secretaries and other senior officials of all States/Union Territories and domain experts, are participating in the conference.

Having had vast experience of governing a state as CM of Gujarat, PM Modi knows that key to development for states is availability of sufficient resources.

Taking a significant step in this direction,

government took decision to increase states’ share in divisible pool of taxes from 32% to 42%. This has provided states with more resources to design and implement programmes as per their requirement and need.

Modi has initiated the concept of PRAGATI. This unique initiative brings the highest officials of the central govt (Secretary), state govt (Chief Secretary) and other officials on one table along with the PM.

the BJP government defeated insurgency and lifted Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 or AFSPA from six districts of the state.

“There was a situa-

tion of terror during the Congress rule in Manipur. Now, it is among the best governed small states,” he said.

Shah said the BJP-led government at the Centre has invested Rs 3.45 lakh crore in the Northeast in less than eight years and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the region 51 times during this period. He said the BJP will make Manipur drugfree by next election.

Pilot dies, another injured as plane crashes in a temple in MP’s Rewa dist

The incident occurred due to bad weather and foggy conditions

REWA (Madhya Pradesh): One pilot died and another was injured after plane they were flying in crashed into a temple

FRENCH COUNTERPART

NSA Ajit Doval on Thursday met his French counterpart Emmanuel Bonne, and reiterated their commitment to take forward their strategic partnership to ensure peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific based on common beliefs.

SONIA GANDHI STABLE AND RECOVERING

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is stable and recovering, said officials at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. Sonia was admitted for viral respiratory infection is making a gradual recovery.

in Rewa of Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Friday. The

mishap took place early this morning and the flight was a training flight.

The aircraft of a private company was taxiing from Chorhata Airstrip, when it crashed after colliding with the dome of a temple in Dumri Village of Rewa district.

DELHI MCD’S MAIDEN MEETING

No Mayoral polls as House adjourned

New Delhi: Amid a clash between the councillors of the AAP and the BJP, the maiden meeting of the newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi House on Friday, was adjourned without electing the mayor and the deputy mayor. AAP also accused the BJP of trying to win the mayoral polls through “wrong means”. The BJP, in response, said that “AAP doesn’t have faith in the established rules and norms.”

Protests on Friday erupted after BJP councillor Satya Sharma invited an alderman to take oath. AAP representatives rushed to the centre of the House, saying that elected councillors should have been sworn in before the nominated members.

The oathtaking was stopped and AAP councillors stood on tables.

Amid chaos, both sides alleged manhandling by other. More on P5

‘You call Modi Vishnu’s avatar, why cant Sharad be called king’

Mumbai: Recently, NCP leaders dubbed the party supremoSharad Pawar - as a ‘Raja’ (king). However, with the remarks and counter-remarks being passed on Chhatrapati Shivaji and his son Sambhaji, the ruling parties and opposition have been at loggerheads with each other. As a result, labelling

Pawar as King received reactions from various quarters and specially from BJP. Now senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who had firest termed Pawar a King, has responded to BJP President Bawankule’s attack and questioned if the NCP even comments on BJP styling Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an avatar of Vishnu.

“Chandrashekhar Bawankule is the state president of BJP. He should not make ridiculous, unrelated state -

ments. Sharad Pawar’s work makes him the king. The loan of 80 thousand crores of the farmers was waived in one stroke. He brought

industries and contributed to the development of the state of the country. In this age, overcoming all difficulties, he is still running

to help people. That’s why I called him the king of knowledge. It does not mean that I am comparing him with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I said so because he did good work,” Bhujbal said.

Delving further in his theory, Bhujbal said, “Basaveshwar was a Mahatma. After that we started addressing Mahatma Phule as a Mahatma. Gandhi came to be addressed as the third Mahatma. So what’s the problem? What’s

the harm in giving an adjective to a good worker?”

“You called Modi an incarnation of Vishnu. What did we say then? Well if you think he is an incarnation of Vishnu, then say so. We have nothing to say. We feel that Pawar Saheb is the king of the poor. That’s why we call him the king of knowledge. Then what’s the problem? We didn’t criticize you. How do you say Avatar of Vishnu? No such question was asked. You decide what

you want to say to your leaders,” Bhujbal said, further adding, “A title like Mahatma is not a title like Bharat Ratna given by government. Such titles are given by the people. People knew Pawar by the name of Raja. People gave him this title because Pawar runs to address the problems of the people. What is your problem in that?

When I have no problem with you calling Modi an avatar of Vishnu, then why are you raising the issue?”

BHUJBAL STANDS FOR ‘RAJA’ PAWAR

king, doesn’t mean comparing him with Shivaji, he said

DHAMI ORDERS EVACUATION AT JOSHIMATH

New York: India is set to deploy a platoon of Women Peacekeepers in Sudan’s Abyei region as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA). It will be India’s largest single unit of women Peacekeepers in a UN Mission.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami on Friday ordered immediate evacuation of around 600 families living in houses which have developed huge cracks and are at risk in Joshimath town, which is sinking. “Saving lives is our first priority, he said.

DELHI COPS SUMMON CREW MEMBERS OF AIR INDIA FLIGHT

New Delhi: Delhi police on Friday issued summons to 6-8 crew members, including the pilot of the Air India flight in the urination incident in a New YorkDelhi flight last year. According to the complaint, the crew brought the accused to her seat. P6

INDIA

NSA AJIT DOVAL MEETS

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra addressing the event at Hotel Clarks Amer.

Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas addressing the conclave.

Minister Tikaram Jully addressing the event.

Minister Parsadi Lal Meena addressing the event.

Prime Minister chairs CS conference for PRAGATI

PM Narendra Modi during the national conference of Chief Secretaries, in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Rafeek Khan, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari. Tikaram Jully, Parsadi Lal Meena, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Munesh Gurjar & Jinendra Singh Shekhawat during the First India’s Health

First Conclave at Hotel Clarks Amer on Friday. PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA & MUKESH KIRADOO

‘CHIRANJEEVI’ will help Gehlot to make a comeback: Dr Chandra

‘Hitting a dog not the same as endangering human life’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: “Pet-parents” may treat cats and dogs like family members but they are not humans, and offences related to “endangering life of a person” can not be invoked when animals are victims, the Bombay High Court has said.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan slammed Mumbai Police for registering an FIR mindlessly against a food delivery executive accused of hitting a dog while riding a two-wheeler. Quashing the FIR, it also ordered the government to pay him costs.

While the judgement was delivered on December 20, the detailed order became available this week.

“No doubt, a dog/cat is treated as a child or family member by their owners, but basic biology tells us that they

are not human beings.

Sections 279 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code pertain to acts endangering human life, or likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person,” the bench said.

Section 279 deals with rash driving, while 337 deals with “causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others”.

“Thus, legally speaking the said sections will have no application to the facts in hand, this essential ingredient necessary to constitute the offences, being amiss. The said sections do not recognize and make an offence any injury caused otherwise than to human beings,” the court added.

An FIR had been registered on the complaint of a woman who was feeding stray dogs against Manas Godbole, the petitioner, after his motorbike allegedly hit a stray dog in Marine Drive area during lockdown in 2020. The petitioner, who was delivering a food order, himself was injured as the motorbike skidded.

Considering that the police had lodged the said prosecution despite no offence having been disclosed, we deem it appropriate to direct the state government to pay costs of Rs20,000 to the petitioner. The amount shall be recovered from the salary of the police officers responsible for the lodging of the FIR and subsequent filing of the charge sheet.

—Bombay High Court

Centre should change attitude on co-op banks: Sharad Pawar

First India Bureau

Pune: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Union government must change its attitude towards cooperative banks and support them because they serve the common people.

There is a misconception that irregularities largely take place in cooperative banks, the former Union agriculture minister said during the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee of Vishweshwar Cooperative Bank Ltd, here on Thursday.

“Generally, there is a misconception that people in the cooperative sector are involved in wrongful practices.... there are irregularities in the cooperative sector but if you look at the overall percentage of irregularities, you will realize that the percentage of irregularities in the nationalized and scheduled banks is 92% and the percentage of irregularities in the cooperative sector is hardly 0.43%. Not even 1%,” Pawar claimed.

Maharashtra, which leads in the number of cooperative banks and is followed by Gujarat and Karnataka, has a

Warrant nixed after Sanjay Raut appears before court

Medha Somaiya has filed a case of criminal defamation against the Uddhav Thackeray loyalist and RS MP

Mumbai: A special court issued summons to former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar’s son, a firm linked to him, and three others, observing that they were prima facie responsible for the alleged “submission of forged and false documents” and other offences under the Companies Act.

Those summoned are Kish Corporate Services Pvt Ltd; additional director Saiprasad, who is Pednekar’s son; directors Shaila Gavas and Prashant Gavas; and another additional director, Girish Revankar.

The team comprises MPs Rahul Shewale and Gajanan Kirtikar, Mumbai city guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar, deputy leaders Sheetal Mhatre and Asha Mamidi and Shewale's wife and former corporator Kamini Shewale.

The team was constituted on Wednesday, party secretary Sanjay More said.

The Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena is yet to strengthen its position, especially in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which the undivided Sena con-

trolled for two and a half decades.

A majority of Shiv Sena “shakhas” (branches) in the city and the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ are still with the Uddhav Thackeray camp.

Six of the 40 MLAs in the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena are from Mumbai Prakash Surve, Mahesh Lande, Dilip Lande, Sada Sarvankar, Yamini Jadhav and Mangesh Kudalkar. Two of the three Sena MPs from Mumbai, Shewale and Kirtikar, are with Shinde.

Mumbai: A local magistrate’s court on Friday cancelled a nonbailable warrant issued against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after he appeared before it in a defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya, the wife of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya.

Earlier in the day, Raut’s lawyer had sought exemption from personal appearance for the Rajya Sabha member. However, the Sewri metropolitan magistrate rejected the plea and issued a nonbailable warrant

against Raut for not attending the proceedings despite a previous order.

The court on Friday began recording the statement of the complainant in the case.

The court cancelled the warrant after Raut appeared before it in the post-lunch session. The next hearing would

be on January 24. Somaiya has moved the court claiming that Raut made baseless and defamatory allegations that she and her husband were involved in a Rs100 crore scam related to the construction and maintenance of public toilets in the Mira Bhayander area near Mumbai.

Thane jail inmates rake in `11L from spl X’mas orders

hospitals across Mumbai, Thane, and Kalyan. Additionally, this year, cakes were sent to churches as well.

There are irregularities in the cooperative sector but, overall, the percentage of irregularities in nationalized and scheduled banks is 92% and the percentage of irregularities in the cooperative sector is hardly 0.43%. Not even 1%.

—Sharad Pawar, NCP chief

unique position in the cooperative movement in the country, Pawar noted.

“I worry when I see how the cooperative bank sector is seen. The Union government has invested heavily in nationalized banks. It had to be done because if money had not been infused, the health of these banks would have

deteriorated,” he said.

Cooperative banks safeguard the interest of the common people, he added.

“Therefore, the (Union government's) perspective towards cooperative sector banks should change.... if these banks face any kind of crisis, we should stand by these banks,” he said.

CRUCIAL READ

NMMC PLANS TO ENSURE WASTE SEGREGATION AT FOOD JOINTS

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has now shifted their focus on ensuring all food joints segregate their waste. Intially, the focus was on household level. The municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar directed officials to pay special attention to the food joints and make it compulsory for them to keep separate bins for wet and dry waste. The civic body ahead of Swacch Survekshan 2023 was focused on promoting waste segregation in households.

CIDCO GETS LAND FOR TALOJAKHARGHAR ROB

Panvel: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has got possession of a land pocket that had affected the completion of the construction of a road over-bridge (ROB) on the Diva-Panvel railway line and National Highway 4. A local eatery occupying around 100m of the land in question had raised objections, which were quashed by a court order.

MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDERING LIVE-IN PARTNER

Thane: Nearly two months after the crime, a 30-year-old man has been arrested in Thane district for allegedly killing his live-in partner. A woman had been found strangled and stabbed multiple times at her home in Ambernath on November 07. An inquiry revealed that she had frequent fights with her partner, who was arrested on Wednesday, the police said.

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT? WANNABE CATERERS HELD FOR STEALING SUPPLIES

Mumbai: Three Govandi residents have been booked for allegedly stealing Rs4 lakh worth of pots and pans from a caterer to launch their own catering business. Based on a complainant by Shafi Mohammed Shaikh, the accused—identified as Aabid Sayyed, Shoaib Khan and Aftab Khan—were nabbed from different areas in the Govandi-Shivaji Nagar belt after three days of investigation and charged with cheating and criminal breach of trust. The stolen utensils were recovered from them.

COPS NAB MAN WANTED IN MORE THAN 50 CASES

Thane: Inmates of the Thane Central Jail hav a reason to cheer this New Year, having sold baked goodies worth a whopping Rs11 lakh this Christmas season—all produced at the in-house bakery, where inmates are trained to bake for selfconsumption and sale. Each year, before the Christmas season, the jail receives a large

number of orders for cakes from several government and non-government institutions.

“Our bakery unit is functional throughout the year, and it goes back at least 20 years. However, the idea of taking up ‘special’ orders for Christmas started in 2019. We take up orders before December 17, and then bake between December 17 and December 24,” Harshad Ahirrao,

Superintendent of Police, Thane Central Jail, said.

Nearly 17-20 inmates are involved in the baking process, says Ahirrao. “All of them are trained under a special instructor and now they are skilled bak -

ers,” he added.

Ahirrao further confirms that all the bakery goodies are tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold for consumption. The range of cakes—including sponge cakes and

cupcakes—were sent to several jails including Taloja Jail, Byculla women and men’s jail, Kalyan’s Adharwadi Jail and Arthur Road Jail. They were also sent to the Thane Mental Hospital, Mantralaya and several civic

According to Ahirrao, inmates worked 14 hours a day during the festive season, as opposed to their usual eight-hour shifts, to meet the high volume of orders, earning Rs140 a day. This year, they sold more than 40,000 cupcakes and 2,000kg of sponge cakes, bringing in Rs11 lakh, more than doubling last year’s Christmas revenue of Rs5 lakh for the jail.

Thane: A man wanted in more than 50 serious offences including attempt to murder, attacking public servant, cheating, dacoity, causing hurt during the robbery was arrested in Thane, police said on Friday. The accused used to allegedly pose as a policeman and rob people, assistant police inspector Anil Gaikwad of the Khadakpada police station said, adding that the man was nabbed on Wednesday,

CAR OF VVCMC COMMISSIONER VANDALIZED

Palghar: A man has been detained for allegedly vandalizing the official car of Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation commissioner Anikumar Pawar on Friday morning, police said. The man rushed to the car, which was being parked after dropping off Pawar at his office, smashed its front windshield with a stick, a police official said. A case has been filed, the official added.

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Mumbai (PTI): The Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has appointed a six-member team that will be responsible for organizational work in Mumbai, ahead of the upcoming civic polls.

First India Bureau

Kirit and Medha Somaiya outside the Sewri Court, in Mumbai on Friday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

CM Eknath Shinde —FILE PHOTO

NO HALT ON RIVERFRONT DEVT, BUT NO NEW WORK ORDERS: NGT

First India Bureau

Pune: City’s civic authority Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has hinted towards possible financial losses if ongoing construction activities under the River Front Development (RFD) project are stopped.

National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) western zone branch has allowed the works for which the orders have already been issued and the civic body has been directed not to issue new orders for any kind of construction till the Environment Clearances (EC) are obtained for the same.

The bench of Judicial Member Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Vijay Kulkarni heard activist Sarang Yadwadkar’s application in which he urged the tribunal to

direct PMC to immediately stop all construction activities undertaken for RFD of Mula, Mutha and Mula-Mutha rivers and impose a penalty on the civic body for violation of a tribunal judgment of November 11.

In its earlier order, the NGT had asked the

Delhi cops in Mum on hunt for man wanted in AI ‘urination’ case

Mumbai (PTI): A four-member Delhi police team on Friday afternoon landed in Mumbai in search of the man, who had allegedly urinated on his female co-passenger on an Air India (AI) flight on November 26 last year, but found his home here locked, an official said.

The Delhi police have registered an FIR (First Information Report) against the man based on the complaint given by the victim to the Tata group-owned airline. The police said the accused, Shankar Mishra, is the vicepresident of the India Chapter of an American multinational financial services firm headquartered in California and is currently

absconding.

According to a Mumbai police official, the team reached the Nehru Nagar police station in the suburbs and made an entry into the station diary informing authorities there that they had come in search of Mishra.

The visiting team, without taking along any Mumbai police staff, launched a search for the accused and reached his bungalow “B 47” at Kamgar Nagar in Kurla (East) which was found to be locked, he said.

The official said the Mumbai police will help their Delhi counterparts as and when their assistance is sought.

PMC to approach the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for amendment of Environmental Clearance (EC). The amendments, both in the terms of project scope and additional conditions are to be stipulated before proceed -

ing with any construction activity.

The tribunal, however, has not set aside the previous environmental clearance.

“We are of the opinion that the prayer made by the applicants that PMC should be directed to stop all construction activities

AMENDMENT OF ENV CLEARANCE

In its earlier order, the NGT had asked the PMC to approach the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for amendment of Environmental Clearance (EC). The amendments, both in the terms of project scope and additional conditions are to be stipulated before proceeding with any construction activity. The tribunal, however, has not set aside the previous environmental clearance.

would entail financial loss to them which can be avoided, particularly in view of the fact that we have not quashed the EC and have permitted PMC to approach the SEIAA for seeking amended EC. But that has to be done on a priority basis,” the bench said.

Docs demand better security after patient attack injures 2

First India Bureau

Mumbai/Yavatmal:

The Maharashtra Association of Bonded Resident Doctors (MABRD) on Thursday urged the state government and the administration of the Shri Vasantrao Naik Govt. Medical Hospital in Yavatmal to strengthen security provided to doctors there.

The demand, issued in a statement, comes a day after a resident was stabbed in the neck, by a patient, and another was injured while attempting a rescue.

“Dr Sebastian Paul, was stabbed in the neck from behind by an alleged psychiatric patient. His colleague Dr Abhishek Jha tried to save him, but sustained injuries to his hand. Another female resident who witnessed the incident is still in

shock,” the statement reads.

Earlier, “a 2019-batch (resident) was stabbed to death in his own college campus,” the statement says, adding, “We are already sacrificing our food

and sleep for the welfare of the patients. It is the primary duty of the hospital and its administration to provide security to our resident doctors and students in all situations.”

Marathi is a soulful language: Sudhir Mungantiwar

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Speaking at the first Marathi Tituka Melavava or Marathi World Conference, Maharashtra Culture Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, on Thursday, said that Marathi language is among the most important global languages. He also said that the conference is a pivotal platform through which the language can reach the public.

Organized at the National Sports Club of India in Mumbai's Worli, it was the first such conference held in

It was first such conference held in Mumbai and prominent journalists like Atul Kulkarni, Nilesh Khare, Prasanna Joshi, Abhijeet Kamble and Nivedita Ajit Chavan were present

Mumbai. Prominent journalists like Atul Kulkarni, Nilesh Khare, Prasanna Joshi, Abhijeet Kamble and Nivedita Ajit Chavan were present on the stage.

"I am proud to be a Maharashtrian. The World Marathi Conference is an effective medium to spread the Marathi language far and wide. The

importance of the Marathi language will be highlighted through this conference," Mungantiwar said. Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil informed that technical subjects will now be taught in Marathi to reach more students in higher and technical education in the state.

Nylon manja banned ahead of Sankranti

Mumbai: To prevent fatalities among people and birds during the upcoming Makar Sankranti festival, Mumbai police have banned the use, sale and storage of nylon kite strings or manja from January 12 to February 10, an official said on Friday.

Competitive kite-flying is popular during this festive season.

However, the order issued on Thursday ob-

REMARKABLE

served that the use of nylon kite strings, made of plastic or other syn-

thetic materials, often results in injuries and in some cases, death

among people and birds, the official said.

The nylon strings can also harm the environment, as they are non-biodegradable and can block sewers and pollute water, he said.

As per the order, people found using, selling and storing nylon kite strings will be penalized under Section 188 (disobeying order issued by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.

10 Mumbai Metro stations get IGBC honour

The MMRDA has sought evaluation of other stations and it is likely that all of them shall be eligible in future

Mumbai: With the railways achieving new feat day by day, a feather is now attached to its cap as nearly 10 stations on the 16km long Mumbai Metro line 7, operating from Dahisar East-Andheri East, have bagged the coveted top ranking of Platinum Rating by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

The glorious achievement was confirmed by a top official of Mumbai Metropolitan Region De-

velopment Authority (MMRDA).

The station, which were evaluated by the IGBC’s Green Mass Rapid Transport System Rating (GMRTSR) Program are Ovaripada, Rashtriya Udyan, Devipada, Magathane, Poisar, Akurli, Kurar, Dindoshi and Jogeshwari E. and Aarey.

Besides these, the MMRDA has sought evaluation of other stations too and it is likely that in future, all stations of upcoming Met-

THE JUDGMENT POINTS

The evaluation is categorized into 6 types namely- Site Selection & Planning, Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Material Conservation, Indoor Environment & Comfort, and Innovation in Design & Construction

ro lines shall be eligible for the council’s topmost rankings, said

IGBC emphasizes the compliance by design to sustainability measures such as water efficiency, energy efficiency, passenger comfort, multimodal integration of the Metro System among others,” said Srinivas.

The evaluation is categorized into 6 types namely- Site Selection & Planning, Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Material Conservation, Indoor Environment & Comfort, and Innovation in Design & Construction, he added.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The state cabinet has decided to redevelop Kamathipura in south Mumbai on the lines of BDD chawl.

Flats of 500 square feet area will be given free of charge to 8,238 residents currently residing on about 27 acres of land. The area has about 100 years old ,943 cessable buildings and has 8,238 residents.

Along with 349 non-

cessable buildings and 14 religious places.

In addition, there are a total of 11 reconstructed buildings constructed by MHADA. Due to the narrow roads, and small dilapidated buildings in this area, the residents of this place had demanded that their area should be developed like BDD chawls and 500 square feet of houses should be given like the residents of BDD chawls.

Police ask ASI to place extra CCTV cams at Ajanta, Ellora

Aurangabad (PTI):

The police have asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to increase the number of CCTV cameras at the world heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora Caves to increase security, a senior official said on Friday.

The Aurangabad Rural police had conducted a security audit at these sites last month and recently wrote to the ASI, Superintendent of Police Maneesh Kalwaniya said.

SVR Srinivas, MMRDA Commissioner.

“The certification by

“The MMRDA is focusing on sustainability and eco-friendly development,” said Srinivas.

“We have told the ASI to increase the number of CCTV points in both the cave complexes.

Some entries need to be shut, officials say. —FILE PHOTO

Apart from this, there are some entries that need to be shut and a boundary wall should be constructed there. We have also asked them to engage more security guards,” Kalwaniya said.

The police have also written to the forest department to inform about some rocks that have come loose above the cave complex in the forest area and suggested that nets may be put at these spots, he added.

First India Bureau

Mumbai Metro Station.

—FILE PHOTO

Pune Municipal Corporation.

—FILE PHOTO

State Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and state Industries Minister Uday Samant at the All-India Marathi Literary Conference 2023, at Worli, in Mumbai on Friday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

First India Bureau

The Pune civic body will have to wait for environmental clearances before issuing new orders for construction

The incident took place late on Thursday.

The patient attacked the surgical residents with a fruit knife when they attempted to examine the self-inflicted injuries to his stomach, Yavatmal superintendent of police Pavan Bansod said

Your enemy’s enemy is your friend — Sun Tzu HINDI-TAI, BHAI BHAI !!!

MAJ GEN CP SINGH (RETD)

India and Taiwan have a common neighbour who believes in expansion of frontiers by force. India has ignored the existence of Taiwan for long and carrying on with the legacy of ‘Hindi Chini, Bhai Bhai’. India has so far avoided diplomatic relations with Taiwan, just not to annoy PRC but unfortunately, China is more and more belligerent in its attitude with India.

China believes in ‘One China Theory’ and wants all nations to only recognize PRC as ‘The China’.

The links between India and Taiwan have gathered good momentum in recent years. India is set to expand its economic ties with Taiwan significantly. India has fired the warning shots, regardless of China’s reaction and It’s a welcome change. Our EAM has often stated that India is strong enough to take independent decisions in its national interest and extending a hand to Taiwan is in India’s national interest now.

TEPID RELATIONSHIP

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is no longer a member of the UN, having been replaced by the PRC in 1971. India is among the 179 of the 193 member states of the UN that do not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. India and Taiwan do not have diplomatic relations so they have opened Cultural Centers, in each other’s capital in 1995. This has played a significant role in improving the people-to-people contacts, and in expansion of cultural, economic and academic relations.

India and Taiwan have recently signed a number of bilateral agreements in the field of agriculture, civil aviation, investments, customs cooperation, double taxation avoidance etc.

India – Taiwan trade is growing at annual rate of 20%. Both the countries are working on free trade agreement (FTA) to remove all barriers in trade and investment, to boost the economic cooperation

SEMI CONDUCTORS CONNECTING FRIENDSHIP

New foreign policies of India and Taiwan are aligned in expressing official determination to carry forward the present developments of trade, economic, academic and finally diplomatic relations.

India should consider some immediate changes to its policy. India should firmly establish itself as a friendly and trustworthy partner to Taiwan

STEPPING UP ECONOMIC TIES

Economic cooperation between India and Taiwan got a fillip in 21st Century after a hibernation of 50 years since Independence. In 2018, India and Taiwan signed a bilateral investment agreement to give a boost to economic ties between India and Taiwan.

Presently, more than 100 Taiwanese companies and enterprises are working in India.

STUDY IN FOREIGN UNIVS MADE EASY

India’s adversarial relations with China, pandemic-induced disruptions, and Beijing’s weaponization of supply chains have pushed New Delhi to begin reducing critical technology dependencies and build up domestic capacity. Going by the principle of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ India also started opening up to ‘Make in India’ and manufacturing of all essentials in India. Establishing semiconductor manufacturing hubs has been a matter of priority for India in the last few years and Taiwan is a leader in semiconductor manufacturing. The central government has allocated $9 Billion for setting up its semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Semiconductor manufacturing will emerge as a key area for cementing India-Taiwan relations and fostering closer cooperation.

CAUTIOUS APPROACH

Taiwan has tried to reach out to India, many times. Its carefully crafted ‘New Southbound Policy’, which has served as a roadmap for greater engagement with Taiwan’s potential friends and partners

India and Taiwan do not have diplomatic relations so they have opened Cultural Centers, in each other’s capital in 1995, which played a significant role in improving the people-topeople contacts, and in expansion of cultural, economic and academic relations in both the nations

– especially India. India is a key focus country within the framework of the New Southbound engagements. Recent conflict of interests with PRC have compelled India to revisit it’s ‘One China Policy’ and there has been a growing sentiment in India that it should establish closer ties with Taiwan. Indian government has been careful to avoid taking steps related to Taiwan which might worsen already strained ties with China. India’s trade with the Indo-Pacific region passes through the South China Sea( SCS) route. It’s time for India to be proactive to safeguard its interests in the SCS region.

CHINA FACTOR

For a long time, the China factor has overshadowed IndiaTaiwan relations. China has played significant role in preventing Delhi and Taipei

from intensifying their relationship. China’s reluctance to address India’s territorial concerns and two major Chinese territorial incursions have forced India to rethink its China policy. Consequently, India is making efforts to revamp its Taiwan policy.

WAY AHEAD

India and Taiwan’s new foreign policies are aligned in expressing official determination to carry forward the present developments in of trade, economic, academic and finally diplomatic relations. India should consider some immediate changes to its policy. Firstly, it should join the US, in backing observer status for Taiwan in international bodies /groups like G-7 and G-20. Secondly, regular political interactions should be strengthened. India should firmly establish itself as a friendly and trustworthy partner to Taiwan.

CONCLUSION

Realities in the Indo-Pacific region have changed, and it’s time for New Delhi to deepen its political ties with Taipei. India also needs to build strong economic ties and Taiwan will be too glad to reciprocate with equal warmth. India’s Taiwan moment has arrived and our leaders would be wise enough to seize it. Certainly, India of 21st century, is strong enough now to ignore China’s displeasure.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Opening the education sector for foreign universities to set up campuses in India has been much-awaited. Thousands of students leave the country to study abroad as they yearn for better quality education in famed universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and others. Indian institutions which can match those standards include IITs, IIMs, JNU and the Indian Institute of Science but to get admission into these the competition is equally tough. Getting into any of the world class universities is not easy either but if a student has the required percentage, the ability to pay high fees takes care of the rest.

Studying abroad involves a big outgo of money and stu-

Allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India would meet aspirational objectives of those who can’t study abroad for various reasons and also lower the financial burden of parents

dents have to take huge educational loans as not all parents can bear the educational and living expenses. Allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India would meet aspirational objectives of those who can’t study abroad for various reasons and also lower the financial burden of parents.

The regulations being

framed will ensure that there is no compromise on the quality of faculty and allow foreign universities complete autonomy in academic matters, fee structure, remuneration, governance and admissions. Foreign universities may still not find the offer tempting enough as government intervention in one way or another cannot be ruled out. The freedom enjoyed by faculty and students in foreign universities may be frowned upon by various religious and political bodies if permitted here. Autonomy in academics could also prove prickly.

Once implemented, India will be in competition with China and Dubai which host maximum campuses. India’s market potential may not be enough.

WHO ALLOWED 50,000 PEOPLE TO BUILD HOMES ON HALDWANI LAND

this shivering cold lacked sensitivity. The Supreme Court stayed the order much to the relief of around 50,000 people living on the land for 50 years.

It is strange on the part of Railways to have first overlooked people building their dwellings and living there for close to 50 years and suddenly waking up to the “encroachments”. It is, of course, not possible for dwellings to have come up without the consent of successive governments that ruled the state over the years. The BJP and Congress blaming each other for the plight of the poor is only a gimmick which they indulge in for political gains at an opportune time.

The Railways’ argument that the land is needed for expansion in the region is fair but, as the Supreme Court said, these people have to be rehabilitated before being displaced.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

TOP TWEETS

Anurag Thakur @ianuragthakur

You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.

Bhagavad

Gita

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda

Visited the Sri Kanaka Guru Peeta and received the blessings of Sri Sri Niranjananad Puri Ji. The Guru Peetha has been striving for the upliftment of the people while working extensively to foster feelings of harmony and brotherhood in society.

At the Y20 Sumit, India will not only speak but also provide an audience to youth from across the world, to be heard in the worlds largest democracy amongst those young leaders geared up with the baton to the future.

The Uttarakhand High Court’s order evicting thousands of people living on land allegedly belonging to the Railways in

The writer is a scholar soldier accredited with MA, MSc, LLB, MBA, M Phil (Def Mgt) and M Phil (International Strategic Affairs)

PM Modi is most sought after World leader today: Shringla

New Delhi (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most sought-after world leaders in any global decision-making, Chief Coordinator for G20 Presidency Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.

In the podcast with ANI, Shringla said, “PM Modi is probably one of the most soughtafter leaders of the world for any global decisions making that you have whether it’s in climate change, whether it is an issue that is political in nature or economical in nature, he is

always called in. He is also called in all the G7 summits. We are part of BRICS, SCO, I2U2, and Quad... We have got these mechanisms that

with world leaders has helped in foreign policy and one can see the impact in the world leaders’ (Family) pictures.

Talking about the India-China relationship, the Chief Coordinator of G20 said that since the Doklam crisis, a number of discussions were carried out to solve the issue but never reached any diplomatic conclusions.

matic relationship on territorial issues.

enable us to engage with organizations or groups of countries across the world.”

Shringla also said that PM Modi’s chemistry

BHARAT

Shringla called the issue with China “One of the biggest challenges in my career”. He also said that India cannot expect a normal diplo-

JODO YATRA

Replying to a question about trade relations despite the territorial issue, Shringla said, “Trade is an essential part of the give and take, the exchange that you have with any country where China is a very large neighbour and you know your industry also requires raw materials that do come from China whether it is Pharmaceuticals or any other raw material and you also export a number of items to that country.”

2 Indias under Modi, one of poor, other of richest: Rahul Gandhi

Panipat (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said there are two Indias under Prime Minister Narendra Modi — one of labourers, farmers and the unemployed, and the second of around 100 people who hold half of the country’s wealth.

Addressing a rally here as part of the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said 90 per cent of profits are in the hands of 20 companies while the common man has nothing.

He also hit out at the Centre over the Goods and Services Tax and demonetisation which he said were “weapons” to destroy small and medium businesses.

The yatra reached here on Thursday evening and the march resumed on Friday morning.

KHARGE TRAINS GUNS AT CENTRE OVER INFLATION, UNEMPLOYMENT

PM

GOVT ‘HERALDING NEW ERA OF COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM’: OFFICIALS

Central Vista: New tender for construction of MPs’ chambers

New Delhi (PTI): The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has floated a revised prequalification bid to build an office complex for MPs at a cost of Rs 1,210 crore, reducing the project cost by Rs 225 crore.

Joshimath: Dhami orders evacuation of 600 affected families

KHARGE:

BJP IS DESTABILISING DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVTS

Panipat: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that BJP is misusing the power to destablise the democratically elected government through various means including misuse of ED and Income tax. While addressing a rally in Panipat, Kharge said, “No Prime Minister, no home minister has lied, they are lying, sometimes they say they will give 2 crore jobs some time 15 lakh rupees to each one account, but all false.”

Attempt to get nominated members to vote in House ‘unconstitutional’: Kejriwal

New

Delhi (Agencies):

After the chaos and clashes between AAP and BJP councillors on the first day of MCD proceedings which ultimately led to the adjournment of the House, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the attempt to get nominated members to vote in the House is unconstitutional.

Sharing the Article of composition of Municipality Act, Kejriwal tweeted, “Article 243R of the Constitution clearly

debars nominated members from voting in the House. Attempt to get them to vote in the House is unconstitutional.”

As proceedings began

on Friday to choose Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the House was adjourned amid the chaos and clashes between AAP and BJP councillors.

BJP SLAMS AAP FOR HOUSE RUCKUS

New Delhi: Union Minister and BJP leader, Meenakshi Lekhi has slammed the AAP and alleged that it was AAP’s conspiracy to stall the smooth functioning of the MCD House and therefore they created ruckus there. Addressing media, Lekhi said, “Section 33B(1) of the Municipal Corporation Act has been brought into action. Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena has exercised his power and nominated people, and Chairperson to the House. There was a conspiracy that AAP will not allow smooth functioning and thus they created ruckus.”

Panipat (PTI): Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Centre on Friday over a host of issues, including inflation and unemployment, and accused it of making tall promises during election time and going back on those words after coming to power. Addressing a rally here as part of the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge said there is rising inflation and unemployment in the country but the government, led by the BJP, does not seem to be bothered. Senior party leaders Kumari Selja, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, KC Venugopal, Shaktisinh Gohil, Kiran Choudhary and DK Shivakumar were among those present at the rally.

The proposed buildings will come up at plot number 119 in Lutyens’ Delhi, where the Transport Bhawan and the Shram Shakti Bhawan are currently located. According to the revised bid document floated on Thursday, the total plinth area of the proposed buildings is approximately 98,000 square metres while in the previous tender, it was 1,18,000 square metres.

Dehradun (PTI): Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday ordered immediate evacuation of around 600 families living in houses which have developed huge cracks and are at risk in Joshimath town which is sinking.

“Saving lives is our first priority. Officials have been asked to shift around 600 families living in endangered houses in Joshimath to safe locations,” Dhami told reporters here after reviewing the situation in the sinking town with officials via video conference.

IN THE COURTYARD

APEX COURT CLUBS PLEAS ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGES

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday clubbed and transferred to itself all petitions pending before different high courts seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala asked the Centre to file a joint reply to the petitions by February 15 and directed their listing on March 13. The bench said any petitioner, if not available to argue physically before the court or unable to engage a counsel or to travel to Delhi, can avail the facility of a virtual platform to join the hearing.

UNITED NATIONS MISSION

MEHRAULI MURDER: DELHI COURT EXTENDS POONAWALA’S JUDICIAL CUSTODY BY 4 DAYS

New Delhi: A court here on Friday extended the judicial custody of Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused of killing his live-in partner and dismembering her body, by four days. Poonawala was produced before the court through video conference. “I am giving four days judicial custody. Accused will be produced before me physically on January 10,” Metropolitan Magistrate Aviral Shukla said.

SC STAYS ORDER AWARDING 2-MONTH JAIL TO NTPC CHIEF

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Telangana High Court order awarding two-month jail term to the NTPC chairperson in a contempt case. A bench took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the NTPC chief, that the high court order needed to be stayed.

SC STAYS ORDER ON MEGHALAYA-ASSAM BORDER AGREEMENT

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Meghalaya High Court’s order which had put a stay on the MoU between Meghalaya and Assam to resolve the longstanding interstate boundary dispute. A bench issued notices to the concerned parties on the plea filed against the High Court order.

India to send platoon of women peacekeepers to Sudan

New York (ANI): India is set to deploy a platoon of Women Peacekeepers in Sudan’s Abyei region as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA).

It will be India’s largest single unit of women Peacekeepers in a UN Mission since it deployed the first-ever all-women contingent in Liberia in 2007, stated the Permanent Mission of India to the UN press release. In 2007, India became the

first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission. The Formed Police

Unit in Liberia provided 24-hour guard duty, conducted night patrols in capital Monrovia, and

helped to build the capacity of Liberian police.

The Indian contingent, comprising two

officers and 25 Other Ranks, will form part of an Engagement platoon and specialize in Community outreach, though they will be performing extensive security-related tasks as well, added the release.

Their presence will be especially welcome in Abyei, where a recent spurt in violence has triggered a spate of challenging humanitarian concerns for women and children in the conflict zone.

PM HAILS DEPLOYMENT OF INDIAN

“I’m

CM TO REVIEW RESCUE WORK

Dehradun: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that in the wake of the land subsidence at Joshimath in Chamoli district, he would hold a high-level meeting in Dehradun. “I will hold a high-level meeting with top officials in Dehradun regarding landslides in Joshimath and cracks in houses,” Dhami said.

“We are also working on short and long term plans to address the situation in Joshimath,” he said.

on

& difficult terrain circumstances” defence ministry tweeted.

New Delhi (PTI): The govt on Friday told the Supreme Court that “all efforts are being made to conform to timelines” set by the top court in the matter of clearing names recommended by its Collegium for appointment of judges. Attorney General R Venkataramani told the court that “the timeline should not be deviated from and all efforts are being made to conform to those timelines”. He added that “some recent recommendations sent by the High Courts are being processed” and that “about 44 of those recommendations will be cleared probably by Saturday or this weekend.” Notably, the Supreme Court collegium will now have to decide the appointments of Chief Justices of high courts. Vacancies are expected due to retirements and recommendations for elevation of Chief Justices to the Supreme Court.

MODI

New Delhi (PTI): With PM Narendra Modi chairing the second national conference of chief secretaries, official on Friday said the govt has heralded a “new era of cooperative federalism” by making the process of policy making and implementation more collaborative and consultative. The chief secretaries conference is aimed at rapid and sustained economic growth in partnership with states in coordination as the PM believes that it is an essential pillar for the development and progress of new India, they said. Modi had conceptualised this conference, which was held first time last year in Dharamshala, they said citing several programmes and instances in which he has tried to leverage cooperative federalism. The Centre and states have been working together in “Aspirational Districts Programme”, launched by PM in January 2018 to fast-track development in most backward districts across India through convergence of govt programmes and schemes.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with former Haryana Chief Minister and party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda during party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Panipat on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

contingent to be deployed in Abyei.

Proud to see this. India has a history of actively taking part in UN peacekeeping operations.

Even delighted is the fact that our Nari Shakti is participating “Modi said in a tweet replying to a tweet sent out by the ministry of defense. “The largest group of female peacekeepers from the #IndianArmy is sent to the #UnitedNation mission in #Abyei, #UNISFA. Under the @UN flag, the team will offer relief & support to women & children in one of the highly operational

“Will adhere to timelines

the judicial appointments”

Indian platoon of Women Peacekeepers in Sudan’s Abyei. —PHOTO BY ANI

Pushkar Singh Dhami during a meeting with officials on Friday.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla

Rajnath visits Indira Point in Andaman and Nicobar islands

New Delhi (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday visited Indira Point, the southernmost part of India, to review the operational preparedness of Andaman and Nicobar Command and infrastructure development at operational areas.

Defence Minister was accompanied by Lieutenant General Ajai Singh AVSM, Commanderin-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) visited Campbell Bay. En route to Campbell Bay, he was familiarised with the terrain of

CRUCIAL READ

1200 TRANSGENDERS HELD FOR CREATING NUISANCE IN TRAINS

New Delhi: The RPF has caught more than 1200 transgenders for creating a nuisance and indulging in misbehaviour in trains. The RPF is responsible for security of railway property, passengers, passenger areas and related matters. The RPF launched a campaign against unauthorised entry into coaches reserved for women and persons with disabilities.

10 INJURED AS GAS

PIPELINE EXPLODES IN LUCKNOW HOTEL

Lucknow: Ten people were seriously injured in a gas pipe line explosion at a hotel in Lucknow. The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Sources said that the explosion in Hotel Emperio Grand in the Krishna Nagar area was so strong that shards of glass were seen strewn on the road. Fire tenders were rushed to douse the flames.

WOMAN DRAGGED, BEATEN IN TEMPLE

IN KARNATAKA

Bengaluru: A video of a woman being beaten in a temple in Bengaluru has went viral on social media. The victim Hemavathi had lodged a complaint with police stating the said incident occurred on December 21 and the accused is Munikrishna, ‘dharamdarshi’ of the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Amruthahalli.

BOMB SCARE TRIGGERS PANIC AT B’LURU SCHOOL

Bengaluru: Panic triggered staff of NAFL school in Basaveshwara Nagar locality of Bengaluru after the educational institution received a bomb threat on Friday. The police said the bomb threat was sent to e-mail ID of the school claiming that four gelatin sticks have been kept on the premises, which may explode anytime.

the Southern Group of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and on arrival at Campbell Bay he visited Indira Point, the southernmost tip of the country. Thereafter, he visited INS Baaz and interacted with joint services troops of Andaman and Nicobar Command.

Defence Minister thereafter visited the Air Force Station at Car Nicobar and interacted with the troops, prior to return to Delhi.

He was briefed about the geo-strategic potential of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and

DEFENCE MINISTER VISITS INS BAAZ

Port

Sumatra.

about the role they can play towards enhancing India’s influence and support to military operations in the area.

Singh was on a twoday visit to Andaman

“89 Rohingyas held in 2022 on India-B’desh for trans-border crime”

New Delhi (ANI): A total of 89 Rohingyas among 501 miscreants were caught in 2022 along the India-Bangladesh border with Meghalaya and Tripura on charges of their involvement in trans-border crimes, mentions an official report prepared by the BSF. Of the total 30 Rohingyas were caught from the Meghalaya border and 59 from the Tripura border with Bangladesh.

The 30 Rohingyas apprehend on Meghalaya border were among 132 miscreants including 41 Bangladeshis and 61 Indian nationals who were found involved in one or other trans-border crime. They were apprehended by BSF Megha-

laya while conducting various operations.

However, 59 Rohingyas apprehended by BSF Tripura in different operations were among 369 miscreants that included 160 Indian and 150 Bangladeshi nationals.

The Rohingyas are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma).

and Nicobar Islands.

This is the first visit of the Defence Minister to Indira Point since January 2019.

Apart from the Strategic Signalling in view of

the proximity of these far-flung islands to the Indo-Pacific, the visit of the Defence Minister to Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) also motivated the troops deployed in these distant and remote islands.

The visit assumes special significance in view of ANC being the only integrated QuadServices Command. It is also important to mention that ANC is a 21-year-old successful ‘Integrated Theatre Command’ which is now being planned at the national level.

URINATION

Delhi cops summon crew members of Air India flight

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi police on Friday issued summons to 6-8 crew members, including the pilot of the Air India flight in the urination incident in a New YorkDelhi flight last year.

According to the complaint filed on Wednesday by the victim, the crew brought the accused to her seat and forced her to face him as he begged to be spared arrest. The woman was “stunned” when the offender was brought before her and he “started crying and profusely apologising”.

The complainant has alleged that the pilot vetoed giving her a seat in the first class after the incident. “The flight crew told me that the pilot had vetoed giving me a seat in first class,” she wrote in the complaint.

A drunk passenger urinated on a woman flyer in the business class of an Air India flight last year on November 26. The accused is identified as Shankar Mishra and is a resident of Mumbai.

On November 26, Shankar Mishra, allegedly drunk, unzipped and urinated on the woman.

UP: 200 IAS officers dream to be collectors

Ahtesham Siddiqui

Lucknow: About 200 IAS officers of batches from 2006 to 2015 are hoping to become collectors in the new year in Uttar Pradesh.

It is a very difficult task to become a collector in UP because the number of IAS officers who are in the race of collector in 75 districts is 200.

In such a situation, 3 to 4 IAS officers come in the competition list in one district.

After the electoral roll revision work of the Election Commission of India is over, collectors can be transferred in UP.

There are also chances that transfers may be done after the Global Investors Summit to be

held in February.

The increasing number of IAS officers in the state is spoiling the aspirations of many IAS officers. There are 3 main reasons, one, the number of IAS officers is very high in every match, making it difficult to become a collector, second reason is that IAS officers of direct recruitment are constantly marrying IAS officers of other cadres and bringing them to UP.

The third reason is

that the Yogi government does not believe in changing the collector repeatedly. CM Yogi knows very well how to get better performance from an officer.

Out of 51 IAS officers of 2014 batch, only 10 IAS officers have been able to become collector last year, 41 IAS officers still could not become collector whereas in the year 2023, 35 IAS officers of 2015 batch are in the race to become collector.

PREPARATIONS FOR R-DAY

DCW DEMANDS ARRESTS, ISSUES NOTICE TO DELHI POLICE, DGCA AND AIR INDIA

VICTIM SAYS CREW MADE HER NEGOTIATE WITH PERPETRATOR

New Delhi: The woman who complained about a male passenger urinating on her during an Air India flight in November had informed the crew that she did not want to see him and was “stunned” when offender was brought before her and “started crying and profusely apologising”.

ACCUSED SHANKAR MISHRA FREQUENTLY CHANGING LOCATIONS

New Delhi: Two teams of Delhi Police are on lookout for Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on an elderly woman in an Air India flight flying from New York to Delhi, sources in the know of things said, adding he is continuously changing his locations and evading arrest.

MAN ACCUSED OF INFLIGHT URINATION ISSUES STATEMENT, DEFENDS HIMSELF

New

for Shankar Mishra.

“Ashutosh met with accused after incident”

New Delhi (ANI): New security footage reveals that hours after the hit-and-run case in which a 20-year-old woman died after being dragged under a car for several kilometers in the national capital’s Kanjhawala, the accused are seen outside the home of Ashutosh, the owner of the car.

Delhi Police on Friday arrested Ashutosh, the sixth suspect to be taken into custody in connection with the January 1 incident and a hunt has been launched to apprehend a seventh person. In the fresh CCTV visuals, Ashutosh is seen talking to the accused two hours after the time of the incident.

Cadets from 19 countries to participate in NCC R-Day camp

all 28 States and 8 Union Territories are participating in the one month long Camp.

This was stated by Director General NCC, Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh, at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday.

New Delhi: The 74th National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp (RDC) 2023, which commenced at Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantt on January 2, will see participation of cadets and officers from 19 friendly countries as part of the youth exchange programme. A total of 2,155 cadets including 710 girls from

Speaking to the media, the DG NCC highlighted that Cadets and Officers participating in the RDC 2023 are from the 19 friendly countries includingUSA, UK, Argentina, Brazil, Mongolia, Russia, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Vietnam, Maldives, Mozambique, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan, New Zealand

and Fiji. This is the highest participation of foreign cadets ever in any Republic Day camp.

Out of 2155 cadets, 114 cadets are from J&K and Ladakh and 120 cadets hail come from North

Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh said that Cadets attending the camp

would participate in a number of activities like Cultural Competitions, National Integration Awareness Programmes and various Institutional Training Competitions. Two

NCC marching contingents will participate in the Republic Day Parade on January 26.

This myriad and demanding set of activities would culminate with the PM’s Rally on the evening of January 28, he added.

DG NCC said the aim of the Republic Day Camp is to provide an exposure to the rich culture and traditions of our nation through the important events that take place in the National Capital during the run up for the Republic Day and Beating the Retreat as well as to hone the personal traits of cadets and strengthen

their core value system. The RDC cadets have been selected after several rounds of rigorous screening at Groups and Directorates level in the last one year. Each cadet had undergone four to five screenings before reaching to the RDC-23.

Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh also highlighted major achievements of the NCC in the year 2022. He appreciated the contribution by cadets in various initiatives such as Puneet Sagar Abhiyan, Saheedon Ko Shat Shat Naman, International Yoga Day, Har Ghar Tiranga, Unity Flame Run etc.

Defence minister also took stock of the defence preparedness during his visit to the region

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Indira Point, country’s southernmost tip, during his visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday. (R) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at INS Baaz during his visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Blair (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Friday visited INS Baaz, the Indian naval air station under the joint services Andaman and Nicobar Command of the Indian Armed Forces, at Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar Island, defence sources here said. He was accompanied by Lieutenant General Ajai Singh AVSM, the commander-in-chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) and interacted with the troops there. INS Baaz, which is a full-fledged forward operating base of the Indian Naval Air Arm, also overlooks the Six Degree channel between Great Nicobar and the Indonesian island of

First India Bureau

East Region (NER). With cadets drawn from all over the country, the camp portrays a reflection of ‘Mini India’.

Director General NCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh addressing media in New Delhi on

New Delhi: DCW chief Swati Maliwal has issued a notice to Delhi Police, DGCA and Air India. “Recent incidents of drunk men urinating on women on flights are extremely disgusting and shameful. It is shocking to note that the accused haven’t been arrested yet. Simply banning the person isn’t enough. I am issuing notices to Delhi Police, DGCA & Air India in the matter,” she said.

Delhi: Shankar Mishra, the accused of urinating inflight on an elderly woman has issued a statement through his lawyers and said that the lady in her message has clearly condoned the alleged act and has displayed no intention to lodge a complaint. The statement was issued by Ishanee Sharma and Akshat Bajpai who are the lawyers

IAS Suhas LY IAS Rakesh K Singh IAS Chandra P Singh

❍

DELHI KANJHAWALA DEATH CASE

Accused in the Kanjhawala death case leaves Rohini court.

SIXTH ACCUSED HELD IN DELHI’S KANJHAWALA HIT AND DRAG CASE New Delhi: Delhi Police has arrested a sixth accused in the horrific incident in Delhi’s Khanjawala on New Year’s night where a woman died after being dragged for several kilometers by a car that hit her scooter, officials said on Friday. The accused identified as Ashutosh has been arrested and according to police it was Ashutosh’s car under which the victim was dragged for over 12 kilometers on Sunday.

Mumbai: No-frills carrier IndiGo on Friday said its fleet size has grown to 300 aircraft, which will help it cater to the growing passenger volume amid the recovery in travel demand and growth in 2023. Besides operating Airbus A320 NEO and A320 CEO aircraft along with A321 Neo, the Gurugram-based airline’s fleet also has regional jets ATR 72-600. The airline offers 180 seats on its A320 CEO fleet while its A320 NEO planes are 180 and 186 seaters, IndiGo said in a statement.

DECLINES

Govt, RBI in talks with S Asian nations

New Delhi (PTI): RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said the government and the central bank are in discussion with South Asian countries to have cross-border trade in rupee.

He also said the central bank digital currency (CBDC) is in trial phase and the RBI is moving very carefully and cautiously on digital rupee launch.

“For UPI, we have already entered into agreements with countries in this region, for example, with Bhutan and other countries like Nepal and we are trying to provide the

UPI facility to make crossborder payments much easier in this region...

“The other initiative is the RBI, together with the Government of India, have initiated rupee settlement of international trade. We are already in discussion with some of the countries in this region and to facilitate rupee settlement of cross border trade in the South Asian region,” Das said.

The Governor also said that the RBI has launched a pilot project of CBDC.

“It’s in a trial phase, we are moving about it very carefully, very cautiously

India’s GDP may grow 7 per cent this fiscal

New Delhi: Gold price in the national capital declined `153 to `55,650 per 10 grams on Friday amid a fall in precious metal prices globally, according to HDFC Securities. The yellow metal had ended at `55,803 per 10 grams in the previous trade. Silver also fell `7 to `68,700 per kg. “Gold price fall was extended after stronger than expected US job market data allowed US Fed to continue with higher interest rate,” said an analyst at HDFC Securities.

AIRTEL LAUNCHES

5G SERVICES IN HISSAR, ROHTAK

New Delhi (PTI): The Indian economy is estimated to grow at 7% in the 2022-23 fiscal, down from 8.7% a year ago, mainly due poor performance of mining and manufacturing sectors.

As per the first advance estimates of national income released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Friday, the manufacturing sector output is estimated to decelerate to 1.6% in the current fiscal from 9.9% in 2021-22.

Similarly, mining sector growth is estimated at 2.4% in the current fiscal as against 11.5% in 2021-22.

“Real GDP or GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

at Constant (2011-12) Prices in the year 2022-23 is estimated at ` 157.60 lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2021-22 of ` 147.36 lakh crore, released on 31st May, 2022,” an NSO statement said.

It stated that growth in real GDP during 2022-23 is estimated at 7.0% as compared to 8.7% in 2021-22.

because this is something where the approach has to be very cautious, very careful. If there is cloning or anything which hap-

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z

z He also said the central bank digital currency is in trial phase and the RBI is moving very carefully and cautiously on digital rupee launch

December 1, last year, began its retail CBDC pilot project. The use of the digital rupee is expected to make the inter-bank market more efficient, as settlement in central bank money will reduce transaction costs by pre-empting the need for settlement guarantee infrastructure or for collateral to mitigate settlement risk, the RBI had said while launching the pilot.

pens, it can be very, very risky... So that could be another area where there can be room for cooperation (between South Asian

countries),” Das said.

After the successful launch of the pilot for the wholesale segment on November 1, 2022, the RBI on

Das said with global trade outlook for 2022-23 overcast, greater intra-regional trade in the South Asian region can enhance opportunities for growth and employment.

Benchmarks skid for 3rd straight day; end first week of 2023 with losses

Mumbai (PTI): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said that maiden Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs) would be issued in two tranches of ` 8,000 crore each on January 25 and February 9.

The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement.

As announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, Government of India, as part of its overall market borrowings, will be issuing Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs), for mobilising resources for green infrastructure.

Taming inflation top priority for South Asia: RBI Governer

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel on Friday announced the launch of its 5G services in Hissar and Rohtak, expanding the reach of the new age hi-speed network in Haryana. Airtel’s 5G services are already live in Gurugram and Panipat.

“Hissar and Rohtak gets ultrafast Airtel 5G Plus services in addition to Gurugram and Panipat,” the company said. Airtel ‘5G Plus’ services will be available to customers in a phased manner as the company continues to construct its network and complete the rollout. Airtel 5G Plus will boost the entire portfolio of services that Airtel offers.

New Delhi (PTI): Taming inflation is the top priority for South Asian countries like India as an unchecked price rise may pose risk to growth and investment outlook, Reserve Bank (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday.

He said rising levels of debt, alongside sustained price pressures, pose risks to the region’s economic growth and both must be contained.

Multiple external shocks in the form of COVID-related global supply chain disruptions, food and energy crisis following the war in Ukraine, and financial market volatility arising

from the aggressive monetary policy tightening have exerted sustained price pressures in the South Asian economies, he noted.

During the first three quarters of 2022, food price inflation in South Asia averaged more than 20%.

“While the recent soften-

BUT ` 6.5 LOSS ON DIESEL

Kolkata: Tea exports from India have increased 18.1% at 185.31 million kilograms between January and October 2022, from 160 million kilograms in the similar previous first ten months. According to Tea Board data, the CIS block countries remained the largest importer at 43.65 million kilograms during the first ten months of 2022. The UAE surfaced as the second largest importer at 32.95 million kg during the period in 2022.

ing of commodity prices and supply chain bottlenecks should help in lowering inflation going ahead, risks to growth and investment outlook may rise if inflation persists at a high level,” he said.

Das said the region’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels has made it vulnerable to imported fuel inflation.

“For successful disinflation, credible monetary policy actions accompanied by targeted supply side interventions, fiscal, trade policy and administrative measures have become the key instruments,” he said.

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks pared initial gains to end lower on Friday, recording their third day of decline, amid weak trend in IT counters.

The 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 452.90 points or 0.75% to settle at 59,900.37. The broader NSE Nifty went lower by 132.70 points or 0.74% to end at 17,859.45.

From the Sensex pack, Tata Consultancy Services, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys and Tata Motors were the major laggards. M&M, RIL, Nestle, ITC and Larsen & Toubro were the winners.

No need to visit bank to update KYC: RBI

New Delhi (PTI): Bank account holders are no longer required to visit their bank branches to update ‘know your customer’ (KYC) details provided they have already submitted valid documents and not changed their address, the RBI has said.

Instead, if there is no change in KYC information, they can submit a selfdeclaration through emailid, registered mobile number, ATMs, or any other digital channels. Following up on RBI Governor stating that banks should not insist on branch visits for KYC updation, the central bank issued guidelines for the same.

Oil cos making `10 a litre profit on petrol

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Oil companies in India are selling petrol at a profit of Rs 10 per litre but retail prices haven’t been reduced as they recoup past losses and make up for a `6.5 a litre loss on diesel, a report said.

State-owned IOC, BPCL and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) have for the past 15 months not revised petrol and diesel prices in line with the cost. They have times of low oil prices to recoup losses incurred when rates were high.

“Post record high losses of ` 17.4 per litre on petrol and ` 27.7 a litre diesel for the week ended June 24,

2022, margins for petrol are estimated at a positive `10 per litre for Q3 (OctoberDecember 2022) while die-

RATE NOT REVISED

z State-owned IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) have for the past 15 months not revised petrol and diesel prices in line with the cost. They have times of low oil prices to recoup losses incurred when rates were high

sel losses too have likely narrowed to `6.5 a litre for the same quarter,” ICICI Securities said in a report.

RUPEE FALLS 9 PAISE ON FRIDAY TO CLOSE AT 82.71 AGAINST AMERICAN CURRENCY

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee pared initial gains and settled 9 paise lower at 82.71 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday, tracking a rebound in the greenback overseas and a muted trend in domestic equities. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened on a positive note at 82.52 against the greenback, but pared the gains and fell to an intra-day low of 82.75. The domestic currency finally settled at 82.71, down 9 paise over its previous close of 82.62.

OTHER STORIES

WHEAT SOWING UP NEARLY 1% SO FAR

THIS RABI SEASON

New Delhi: Area sown to wheat has increased by less than 1% to 332.16 per hectare (ha) so far in the ongoing rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), as per the agriculture ministry data released on Friday. Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, had begun from October onwards. Maize, jowar, gram and mustard are other major rabi crops. Harvesting of these crops will begin in March/April next year.

RELIANCE HAS AN OFFER TO GET MORE OF CHOCOLATE BOX

New Delhi: Two Reliance group firms - RCPL & RRVL - have announced an open offer to acquire a 26% additional stake in Lotus Chocolate. The firms will together acquire 33.38 lakh shares of Lotus Chocolate from the open market at a fixed price of `115.50 per share, said a notice by DAM Capital, which is managing the offer. The offer will aggregate to a total consideration of `38.56 crore over the full acceptance.

DPIIT TO UNDERTAKE THIRD PARTY ASSESSMENT OF STARTUP INDIA SEED FUND SCHEME

New Delhi: The DPIIT is in the process of undertaking a third party assessment of Startup India Seed Fund Scheme to see its impact on the ground, a senior government official said on Friday. The `945-crore scheme was launched in 2021. It aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, and commercialization. The fund was divided into four years for providing seed funding to eligible startups through eligible incubators across India. —PTI

INDIA IN A RELATIVE ‘BRIGHT SPOT’, SAYS

IMF DEPUTY MD

New Delhi: India is in a relative “bright spot” in the world economy, but needs to leverage its existing strength in services exports and extend it to job-rich manufacturing exports, a top official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday. “India is a relative bright spot in the world economy today, growing at rates significantly,” IMF Deputy Managing Director Antoinette Sayeh saidm on Friday.

AMAZON TO LAY OFF AROUND 1,000 STAFF IN INDIA: SOURCES

New Delhi: E-commerce company Amazon plans to lay off around 1,000 employees in India as part of its biggest retrenchment exercise across the globe, according to sources. The company has announced the elimination of over 18,000 roles across the globe due to uncertain economic conditions. “The decision to eliminate 18,000 job roles across the globe will impact about 1,000 employees in India,” the source said.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the government and the central bank are in discussion with South Asian countries to have crossborder trade in rupee

RBI to issue SGrBs in two tranches of `8,000 cr each

BEFORE LOCAL BODY POLLS

30 councillors join ruling coalition!

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena has given a big blow to Uddhav Thackeray’s group right before local body polls. Thackeray was going to hold a meeting in Nashik after a few days to keep the organization in Nashik intact, and Sanjay Raut is on a Nashik tour for the preparations. However, on Friday, as many as 30 corporators, including those from NCP also, joined the Shinde group after Raut left for Nashik. Earlier, several office bearers of the Thackeray faction had joined the Shinde group a few days ago. Now, the Shinde group has given a second blow.

CM Shinde, while welcoming the office bearers at the party induction program in Mumbai, said, “Whatever decisions were taken in the last six months, were taken for common people. From farmers to youth, women, and teachers, the problems of every class were solved. The opposition pretended that the government had committed a huge scam, but nothing was done. If the opponents had gotten the information earlier, they would not have been deceived like this. So many leaders are joining our group, which means they like our work. No matter how much anyone accuses us, we will continue to work for the people.”

Interestingly, the blow to Thackeray group has come at a time when the faction leader and MP Sanjay Raut is on a visit to Nashik for organizational

building. He had visited Nashik earlier too.

Uddhav Thackeray was going to hold a meeting in January to control damage in Nashik as well. On Friday morning, Naresh Mhaske, leader of the Shinde group and former Mayor of Thane Municipal Corporation, also tweeted on the matter.

Notably, of the Shiv Sena’spublic representatives - 40 of the 55 MLAs and 13 of 19 MPs - have shifted to the Shinde camp and thus leaving Thackeray to bank on the grass root worker for the upcoming civic polls.

Rane’s financial affairs

investigated, he will land in jail’

Sandeep Shukla

Mumbai: BJP leader and minister Narayan Rane said on Friday that he will not spare Thackeray group leader and MP Sanjay Raut. “I have given an implicit warning that I am going to file a complaint against Sanjay Raut,” said Rane. Now, Sanjay Raut has responded to the warning of Narayan Rane.

Raut said, “If Rane’s financial affairs are released, he will go to jail for 50 years. If you dare, take off your royal clothes and come out. I will share the details later.”

“We are not cowards like them. We are not going to change parties as soon as the ED notice comes. I haven’t said anything about them yet. They were our colleagues, they should not issue

threats. I have bravely gone to jail for my party,” warned Raut.

The Rajya Sabha MP further added, “I didn’t run away when called by ED like you. We are not scared. We are Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sainiks. We are sending everyone’s statement to the Chief Justice. If the financial affairs of Narayan Rane are taken out, he will not come out of jail for 50 years.”

SANJAY RAUT ENDED SHIV SENA BY BROKERING FOR NCP, MHASE ALLEGES

Thane: In Nashik, with 50 Shiv Sena (Thackeray) workers joining the Shinde faction, Sena’s Sanjay Raut criticized the move saying that a few ‘brokers’ leaving the party will not end it.

On this, Shinde faction lead-

What happened to `1,000 cr? MP Jaleel questions officials

Aurangabad: Alleging that the contract workers are being exploited in Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, the contractual workers protested in front of the Divisional Commissioner's office on Friday.

Supporting the cause, Aurangabad MP Imtiyaz Jaleel also participated in this protest and said, “Workers are being treated unfairly. There is collusion between the contractor and the authorities. Everything has been predicided as to who should be awarded the contract. ESIC of contract workers is not credited.”

“There are 1500 workers in Aurangabad Municipal Corporation,

who are being exploited. We have approached the Divisional Commissioner against this,” added Jaleel while raising a question on the authorities for remaining silent 'when injustice was happening to the contract workers'.

Jaleel also said that the contractors are relatives of leaders in political parties. "Crores of rupees are spent on these contractors. The salary of the workers is around 3.5 thousand

crore rupees per year.

Out of which, only 2.5 thousand crore rupees are distributed to the workers," he said and asked for the details of who gets the other thousand crore rupees.

“Wages should be paid as per ESIC, PF, and Minimum Wages Act. Otherwise, a big movement would take place,” warned Jaleel while adding that this movement was started to reduce the exploitation of contractual workers.

er Naresh Mhaske has attacked Sanjay Raut and said that themore Raut makes such remarks, the more Thackeray faction workers and leaders will join the Shinde faction.

“It is important for us that Sanjay Raut stays out of jail. The more he (Raut) keeps on speaking, the more people will come to us and the remaining

Thackeray army will also be finished. Sanjay Raut has brokered for NCP and destroyed Shiv Sena,” he said.

Mhaske further said, “Even though one MP of the Thackeray faction had already gone to Nashik for damage control and another MP was about to leave, the Thackeray faction has been hurt by the blow.”

What have I said wrong to apologize for, questions Ajit

Pune: A politics of allegation and counterallegation is going on in Maharashtra regarding the statements made about historical icons these days. While on the one hand statements are being made by the ruling party regarding Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Savitribai Phule, on the other hand politics has started with some statements given by the opposition party regarding Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Ajit Pawar’s statement in the assembly has started affecting the politics of the state as well. Ajit Pawar has now responded to the statement given by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday.

When the media representative in Pune asked Ajit Pawar about

Devendra Fadnavis’ statement, he replied, “I do not want to raise these topics again and again. I want to continue my work. We give importance to our work and the cause of the people.”

“What they say is their right. Is the power in their hands? If you feel cheated, file a case. Is this case in accordance with the rules? As long as we are alive, we will never lose sight of Chhatrapati’s views. We will not betray. Such betrayal will not hap-

CM, special CM listen to Delhi

says Aaditya Thackeray

First India Bureau

Mumbai: After corporators from the Uddhav Thackeray faction joined the Shinde group on Friday, former minister Aaditya Thackeray questioned the shifting loyalties of the party workers. He claimed that people who want development in the state were still standing with the Thackeray faction.

“Under MVA, Covid was handled properly. State had achieved sustainable development, and good investment came to Maharashtra. Job opportunities were increasing. Those who like all these things are with us. Youth is unemployed. Women’s and farmers’ voices are not heard. Only Delhi’s voice is heard,” said Aaditya while criticiz-

FIGHTING TB

ing CM Eknath Shinde. Taking a jibe at the government, Aaditya said, “The political level has fallen. No new investment is forthcoming. No investor is willing to come to Maharashtra because there is a CM and a special CM.

The political environment is very dirty.” The Thackeray scion stressed that days of the Shinde-Fadnavis government are numbered. “All the political parties should come together and think about how Maharashtra can be taken forward. This government will fall soon,” Aditya said.

pen in our next 10 generations as well,” Ajit Pawar said.

The senior NCP leader further added, “Constitution should be followed by everyone. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. I am not saying that everyone should agree with the position I have presented. But the position I have presented, who is to judge me wrong? What crime have I committed to apologise? Governor, ruling ministers and MLAs made absurd statements, used abusive words, no one is ready to talk on this. Some political parties unnecessarily try to vitiate the atmosphere. It is not right. They should present the role they want to present. We will present the role we want to present and people will welcome a role that people understand”.

CHITRA WAGH

SWC SERVES NOTICE TO WAGH, SEEKS REPLY IN 2 DAYS

Pune: Chairperson of Women’s Commission - Rupali Chakankarheld a presser on Friday and revealed that BJP’s Chitra Wagh has been issued a notice by the Women’s Commission, asking to respond within two days.

“Chitra Wagh has defamed the Women’s Commission, so action will be taken. Women’s Commission is an autonomous body. We have reached a decision after a discussion with the legal department. We have sent a notice to Chitra Wagh by mail. If reply is not given within two days, action will be taken,” informed Chakankar.

Clinical trials of new BCG vaccine to start soon: Dr Mande, ex-CSIR chief

It is anticipated that about 30% of the population is already infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis (the bacterium that causes TB). But the good news is that about 90% of that 30% will never ever develop TB in their lifetime. And only 10% of those 30% would develop TB at some point in time...

Nagpur (PTI): Clinical trials of a new BCG vaccine for tuberculosis will soon start in India, former DG of CSIR Dr Shekhar Mande said on Friday. He was speaking at the ongoing Indian Science Congress here.

Earlier in the day, Dr Mande gave a presentation on Biophysical Methods in Tuberculosis Research’ and spoke about how technology has helped doctors and researchers understand

TB better, paving ways to combat the infectious disease.

CSIR is working towards rapid diagnosis, vaccination and treatment to eliminate the bacterial disease from India by 2025 as envisioned by the government, he said, speaking to reporters later.

According to the In-

dia TB Report 2022, the number of “incident TB patients” (new and relapse cases) notified during 2021 stood at 19.3 lakh.

The goal is a huge challenge as the TB load in India is extremely high, he said. “It is anticipated that about 30% of the population is already infected with

—Dr Shekhar Mande, former director-general, CSIR

mycobacterium tuberculosis (the bacterium that causes TB). But the good news is that about 90% of that 30% will never ever develop TB in their lifetime. And only 10% of those 30% would develop TB at some point in time.”

The objective is to suppress even those 10%. “So by 2025, we

will actually be able to control that particular population and make India TB-free,” he said. The National Institute of Tuberculosis Research, Chennai, will start clinical trials of the new BCG (Bacillus Calmette Gurin) vaccine, which is primarily used against TB, he said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with other leaders.

First India Bureau

‘If

are

First India Bureau

Notably, Sena’s Sanjay Raut was in Nashik for ‘strengthening organization’

Work in full swing to eliminate the bacterial disease from India by 2025

not Maha,

UORFI JAVED FEUD

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

When you dance, you can enjoy the luxury of being you, said ravishing beauty Neha Shekhawat, Miss India Glam 2023.

The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs. This 18-year-old diva writes her own rule when asked about her early life, the ravishing beauty said, “I am currently pursuing a BBA degree from Manipal University, I am a trained dancer and professional choreographer and now a model by passion.”

I am a confident and focused girl. Hard effort,

I am currently pursuing a BBA degree from Manipal University, I am a trained dancer and professional choreographer and now a model by passion.

devotion, and discipline have always motivated me to stay enthused in what I do. As I grew older, I realised that moving outside of my comfort zone would enable me to live the life of my desires while being brave. I believe that to follow, with out halt, one aim: There’s the secret of success.”

Neha aspires to earn a huge name and fame and leave her footprint wher ever she goes.

The diva also paid gratitude to Dr Jagdeesh Chan

dra and her mentor Pawan Tank, Director, India Glam for provid ing her with this wonderful platform and making her believe that she got the potential to be a supermodel.

While talking about the biggest rookie mistake, the beauty said “I made was a lack of knowledge about the career and patience compelled me to do many free shoots (just to make my name famous but was of no use), which then slowly I looked up to my mentors and learned a lot in my life. So I believe knowledge and patience is a very impor-

Gorgeous beauty Neha Shekhawat, winner of Miss India Glam Season 4 opens up to City First about her life as a young model and her down-to-earth approach to beauty!

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Pawan Tank crowning the gorgeous beauty Neha

IS WEIGHT LOSS POSSIBLE BY EATING FEWER CALORIES?

RE-GAINING WEIGHT AFTER A DIET- THE ROLE OF GHRELIN OR THE HUNGER HORMONE

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

You will experience a change within yourself regarding what you want in a romantic partner. You will start thinking seriously and begin looking for your soul mate in earnest. Do not trust any complete stranger on money matters today as you are likely to bear considerable loss.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

You are going to feel more dedicated today and you are going to finish off all the backlogs which may have accumulated today. Clearing this will give you a nice sense of accomplishment and this will be noticed by the people who matter to you. Finances will improve as your salary.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

Your mind is very active today. You are full of ideas and inspiration. You will be constantly coming up with new plans which you will be able to plan and execute very easily. Your only problem today will be that you may feel overwhelmed by the flood of new ideas that will constantly fill your mind.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

You have great capacity to charm everyone. You are going to impress those around you with your wit and grace. You will win the admiration of everyone around you. Take advantage of this shining period to make new friends and mix with new people and new opportunities will open up in front of you.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

A person who has been around you for a long time but whom you have never really noticed will now begin to play a pivotal role in your mind. It is not just a budding romance. Rather, it is a meeting of mind and spirit that is likely to leave you feeling overwhelmed. Take time to get used to the idea.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22 New horizons are opening up in front of you. A talent which you have always treated as a hobby may become something more and you may find yourself making a living doing what you love. New developments are expected in every front which would broaden your ideas.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

he traditional nutritional advice to lose weight has always been eating less and exercising more. In theory, this makes sense - burn more calories than you eat, and the extra pounds will come off. But there’s often a significant drawback when you go too far with an extreme diet.

COUNTING CALORIES TO TACKLE WEIGHTLOSS BATTLE

The human body’s physiological clock has evolved as a way to cope with feast or famine. When we were hunters thousands of years ago, it was not unusual for there to be a feast one day and no food for the next few days. Due to this uncertainty of food availability, the human body adapted to decrease the basal metabolic rate during periods of fast ing. The basal meta bolic rate or BMR is the number of calories the body needs to keep lifesustaining functions such as breathing. This means that when our body goes into starva tion mode, it’s similar ly trying to conserve as much energy and calo ries as possible for maintaining daily function.

WHY EATING LESS DOESN’T ALWAYS MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT

Everyone has a set point or a weight range in which the brain wants to keep the body. This weight range varies from person to

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WHILE RESTRICTING CALORIES?

Finding the sweet spot between reducing caloric intake for weight loss and dipping into that starvation mode where the body tries to preserve weight by slowing down its metabolic rate should be calculated carefully.

To stay healthy and look your best long term, you have to make many small changes.” These small changes should add up over time. It includes watching portion sizes and making healthy swaps

person and is determined by both genes and environment. The body is wired for survival, and as far as it’s concerned, dieting is a form of starvation. When you shift into that starvation mode, it creates a metabolic adaptation, which

of higher-calorie and less nutritious foods for fresh veggies and other nutrient-dense foods. To help retain muscle as you lose weight, ensure that you’re eating enough protein without restricting too many carbohydrates and fat. Apart from diet, adequate sleep and exercise are also important. Getting enough exercise is important for keeping your heart and lungs as well as your muscles strong. It can also help

you keep your weight stable. You need sleep to repair your muscles after workouts and to support a healthy immune system, normal brain function, and many other aspects of overall wellness. Lastly, any changes you make to your body should be incremental. Start small and build up a piece at a time to create a healthier lifestyle.

Always remember, “Weight loss takes lifestyle change, not just a quick-fix diet”.

As soon as you begin consuming more than that amount after following a restrictive diet, the body has to figure out what to do with the excess calories. This is why so many people rebound after weight loss and may end up weighing more than when they started the diet. This process is controlled by a variety of hormones, including ghrelin - the hunger hormone that your gut produces to signal your brain when it’s time to eat - and leptin - the satiety hormone that helps your brain understand when you’re full. Under normal circumstances, these hormones are balanced in a way such that the body tries to maintain equilibrium at its natural set point. But when these hormones are disrupted by an extreme diet, that can throw the whole system out of whack and make it very difficult to keep the weight off after losing it.

HOW DOES EXTREME CALORIE RESTRICTION AFFECT OUR HEALTH?

In addition to altering the metabolism runs, severe calorie restriction often results in some degree of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiency. Micronutrient deficiencies can lead to cramps, dehydration, headaches, depressed immune function, fainting, hormonal imbalance, hair loss, impaired ability to manage your body temperature, muscle fatigue, irregular menstrual cycle, nausea, vomiting, and reduced bone

in severe cases. Sleepiness, -

the required calories. Dieting of confidence and self-trust. “bad” can make for difficult

Issues related to profession will get resolved. But no aggressive action, be it in words or in writing should not be taken till then. Those facing issues on personal front should make time for dear ones. Do take care of your health as you have been ignorant of it since long.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

You are likely to be involved in detailed planning of a project and you are going to be very thorough about it. You are feeling very industrious and this will be reflected in your job. You are also going to earn acclaim for this. A spurt of creativity will mark every aspect of your day.

VIRGO

YOUR DAY

This day is all about change. You may come in contact with someone who will bring substantial changes in your life or put you in touch with

other people who can cause the change. However, not all the changes are good for you. You will need to analyze whether the change will be good for you.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19 You will be feeling very creative today. You appreciate all beautiful things and want to create something beautiful. The day is especially favourable for artists.You may suddenly start feeling deflated ﾖ a common occurrence after a surge of creativity and it may leave you feeling depressed.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20 You are going to be in an especially easygoing mood today. You may also play the role of an effective mediator in any dispute today. You are going to spread cheer and goodwill and you are also going to be the life and soul of any party that you attend in the evening.

FACEOFTHEDAY

RIYA

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

DR JAYASHREE GOPINATH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan took to social media on Thursday to wish his Pathaan co-star Deepika Padukone her 37th birthday. While the promotions of the film are yet to begin, the fans are gearing up

Pathaan marks SRK and Deepika’s third project after Om Shanti Om and Chennai Express. The trailer for the same arrives on January 10. Pathaan’s theatrical trailer will finally be released on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. The trailer is under 3 minutes and will focus on the action and will also give a little idea about the plot of the film. Shah Rukh Khan obviously gets prominence in the trailer. But Deepika Padukone and John Abraham too have been given their due. Helmed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. It is set to release on January 25, 2023.

Netizens accuse Urvashi of stalking look

Rishabh Pant recently made it to the headlines after he met with a major car accident. According to reports, the wicketkeeper-batsman met with an accident near Uttarakhand’s Roorkee. Recently, the cricketer was shifted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben hospital. Well, Urvashi Rautela who is often

Samantha Ruth Prabhu clicked this early morning at the Mumbai airport. The actress opted for an allwhite outfit with no makeup for a travel look. She wore a white sleeve less shirt paired with matching pants and kept her look simple with no makeup and her tresses open. The actress kept walking as the pa parazzi clicked with her and also obliged her fans for selfies.

Samantha looked like a total boss lady in white attire with black sunnies and a stern look on her face. Unlike her usual, the ac tress didn’t flaunt any smile to the cameras. This is the first time she got papped after an nouncing that she has been diag nosed with Myosi tis. On Thursday, Samantha Ruth Prabhu took to her official social media handles and shared a picture clicked from the dub bing studio, con firming that she has resumed work and has kickstarted dub bing for Shaakun talam. Sharing a glimpse of her look from Shaakuntalam, she captioned the post, “Art is my cure to all this madness, sadness, and loss of belonging in the world & through it I’ll walk myself home. -Nikki Rowe #shaakun talam,”

linked to the cricketer has been grabbing all the eyeballs for her posts on social media related to Rishabh. The recent one is a picture of Kokilaben Hospital.

Urvashi Rautela and Rishabh Pant’s banter started on social media a couple of months ago and that is when fans started linking up with these two. After the news of Rishabh’s accident came out, Urvashi grabbed all

Janhvi & Ranveer to share screen

Producer Murad Khetani had acquired the rights to the Anil Kapoor - Madhuri Dixit starrer Tezaab. Khetani under his banner Cine 1 Studio was looking to remake the film featuring Kartik Aaryan and Shraddha Kapoor. Several media reports were claiming that the makers of the film were in talks with the two. Murad Khetani and the team have now decided to approach Janhvi and Ranveer for the project. Ask the source why the sudden change in the cast and he continues, Kartik and Shraddha were the front runners for the film.

Tamannaah to begin a new schedule

Tamannaah Bhatia is set to make her debut in the Malay alam film industry with Dileep co-starrer film ti tled, Bandra. Initially called D147, the makers kicked off the film’s production work with a Mu harat pooja in September 2022.

Tamannaah will be heading to Kochi on January 20 for the film’s new schedule. “Tamannaah will be heading to Kochi on January 20 for an 8-day long schedule of Ban dra. Tam will be seen in Princess

the eyeballs with her post on Instagram where she shared a picture of herself and captioned it as praying. Now, the actress has once again made it to the headlines as she has shared a picture of Mumbai’s Kokilaben Hospital where the cricketer is admitted currently. Following this, Urvashi was brutally trolled as fans called out the actress for harassing Pant.

Wedding in Khandala?

Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul will reportedly get married in January. According to the reports Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul have decided to get married at her dad Suniel Shetty’s home, Jahaan, in Khandala. The abode

for the trailer release. Ahead of the launch, SRK unveiled a new fierce poster of Deepika as she showcases her actionpacked avatar.

is amidst the hills and plush

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Athiya Shetty

Tamannaah and Dileep

Janhvi Kapoor

KL Rahul with Athiya

Urvashi Rautela

Deepika Padukone

Shah Rukh Khan’s post...

Samantha Ruth Prabhu at the Mumbai airport

Tamannaah Bhatia

Her story...

Ranveer Singh

ttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met film personalities in Mumbai to discuss various opportunities that Hindi filmmakers can avail while shooting movies in Uttar Pradesh’s upcoming Film City. At the meeting, actor Suniel Shetty said that it is important to bring the audience back to theatres and they should start trusting that the film industry is made up of good people doing good work. He also asked help from Adityanath to get rid of the anti-Bollywood sentiment that’s been building up on social media with the hashtag #BoycottBollywood gaining momentum.

The actor also

doesn’t take drugs and rather focus on hard work to reach out to the people and thus, the trending hashtag #BoycottBollywood must be done away with to restore the image of the Bollywood industry.

The actor spoke about how audiences are not going to theatres to watch films and how they should be encouraged to go back to cinema halls. He said, “Today if we are facing a problem then it is not about cost or subsidy, but it is to do with the audience. We have to bring the audience back to theatres. It is very important.”

"This hashtag needs to be removed and

that. Our stories and our music connect to the world and hence the stigma needs to be removed. Please convey this message to PM

Narendra Modi as well,” Sunil Shetty said during his interaction with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Mumbai.

The actor said, “Today if I am Suniel Shetty, it is because of UP and the fans from there. They have filled up theatres on Fridays, and that’s how we would know that film chalegi. If you take the lead, this can happen. It is of great importance that this stigma that is on us is gone. It is a very strong emotion for me.

Dukh Hota hai bolne me ke humaare pe yeh stigma hai (it pains me to tell that there is this stigma on us) because

99% of us are not like that.

Hum din bhar drugs nahi lete, hum galat kaam nahi karte (We don’t do drugs whole day, we don’t do wrong work).

Hum achhe kaam se jude hai (We are associated with good work). Bharat ko agar bahar ke de sho se kisi ne joda hai toh woh hai hu maara music (Bol lywood music has connected India with the world), and our stories. So, Yogi ji if you take the lead and talk to our beloved Prime Min ister about it, it will make a huge difference.”

Esha Gupta Dazzles In Green

here is no denying that Esha Gupta is one of the hottest actresses in Bollywood. She is known for her bold sense of style and fabulous sartorial choices. The star's wardrobe is full of bookmark-worthy pieces that make an appearance in her numerous photo-

shoots, red-carpet events or Instagram posts. Moreover, Esha never shies away from trying her hands at different style statements and serving us with voguish looks to take inspiration from. The actress recently posted a picture as she slipped into a two-piece silver silk-satin bralette and skirt set for a photo shoot and gave us a stylish alternative to traditional lehengas. The outfit

was from Ankita Jain's label and styled by celebrity stylist Sonika Grover. Her ensemble ticked all the boxes, from luxe tailoring to a wedding-ready fit. Additionally, while the co-ord set didn't feature embellishments, its high-leg slit added a sexy touch. On the work front, Esha garnered praise and appreciation for her performance in Bobby Deol headlined web show ‘Aashram Season 3’.

Adivi Sesh’s biggest movie sequel announcement

Media from across the country will be present for a grand scale event in Mumbai on January 9. The makers of Kashmir Files bring to us yet another exciting film Goodachari 2 starring Adivi Sesh. Ever since Adivi has dropped a sneak peek of the film G2, which is the second instalment of the movie Goodachari, the internet has been going berserk. Adivi Sesh has given massive hits last year like Major and HIT 2 and now he is stepping into the new year with the most awaited G2. The actor is going to be a part of a Grand Event for the same. This is speculated to be one of the biggest events for any Indian franchise film to happen. Adivi is going to be present at the event held. The grand event is going to be witnessed by the media of Mumbai as well as South India. Adivi has been the talk of the town by giving us several content-rich films throughout the last year. Now, this year he is going to treat his fans with Goodachari 2 (G2).

VicKat Visit Siddhivinayak

Vicky, who was in a white shirt and beige pants. Katrina covered her head with a dupatta. Vicky's mom was seen standing beside her in a grey suit.

Unquestionably one of the best Indian artists, AR Rahman has written the music for over 145 films in a variety of languages throughout his over 30year career. AR Rahman has received vari-

ous honours and distinctions for his outstanding musical talent, including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, two of India's highest national civilian honours. Among many other awards, he has won six National Film

Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe Award. On January 6, AR Rah man is celebrating his birthdad.

A day ahead of his birthday, he took to Twitter to share that he will be away from Chen nai. He wrote, "Dear All, I will be out of Chennai tomorrow ..will be on Insta live from 6 pm IST ..love and light (sic).”

As the fan pages shared pictures of the duo standing in front of Lord Ganesha's idol several fans wrote in the comments section, “Respect for Katrina.” A fan wrote, “Cute family God bless all of you.” Another commented, “Respect respect for both of them but specially Katrina.” A comment also read:

Giving a melodious yet upbeat start to the New Year, T-Series kickstarts 2023 with ‘Mood Banaleya’, a fullof-life, peppy track in the mellow voice of Amruta Fadnavis, produced by Bhushan Kumar. ‘Mood Banaleya’, will set your mood right for bachelorette parties this wedding season is out now on T-Series’ YouTube Channel.

Excited to release the first song of 2023 Amruta said, “I’m extremely glad to release my first song of this year and who better than T-Series to collaborate with? I have

had a amazing journey with T-Series and I’m happy to continue that with this song. The song ‘Mood Banaleya’ has such a cheerful vibe to it that shooting for it was nothing less than a real bachelorette party.”

The musicians of the song Meet Bros. said, “This is a very lively song that will surely make you groove on its beats.

Amruta Fadnavis’ voice adds to the energy and charm that the song needs.”

ASHISH TIWARI

The inauguration ceremony of King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital’s ‘Tissue Bank’ took place on Thursday, January 5 at KEM, Parel, Mumbai. This is the second such facility in a municipal-run hospital in the city after Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion, where the bank started functioning in 2000. Dr Krishna Kumar (Director, NOTTO), Dr Sangeeta Ravat (Dean, Seth GSMC & KEM Hospital) along with other Doctors and Staff graced the ceremony with their eminent presence.

Katrina Kaif

Vickat at the Siddhivinayak temple

Amruta Fadnavis with Meet Bros., Adil Shaikh and Mehak Ghai

Poster of the song

Adivi Sesh

Suniel Shetty

CM Yogi Adityanath Esha