First India-Mumbai Edition-10th November 2022

‘

I will protect all citizens’

Justice DY Chandrachud takes oath as 50th Chief Justice of India

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Justice DY Chandrachud took oath as the 50th Chief Jus tice of India (CJI) on Wednesday, after over 6 years as a judge of the Supreme Court. His fa ther was former CJI YV Chandrachud. Justice Chandrachud and his father are only fatherson duo to have reached position of CJI in the country’s judicial his tory. Justice Chandra chud as CJI took oath administered by Presi dent Droupadi Murmu. As he took oath, he said he aims to, “serve the nation is my priority. We’ll protect all the citi zens of India, be it in terms of technology or registry reforms, or ju dicial reforms.”

Chandrachud

Justice

serve

LS Speaker Om Birla, Union Home Min ister Amit Shah and fin min Nirmala Sithara man were also present on the occasion.

New Delhi: The ‘Quad’ countries of India, the US, Japan and Australia have kicked off their top-notch Malabar naval exercise off Yokosuka near East China Sea, with China’s aggressive moves in Indo-Pacific figuring radar screens.

PROPHET REMARK:

COURT FREES JAILED

To serve the nation is my priority. —CJI DY Chandrachud

VOTING ON DECEMBER 18 FOR 7,751 GRAM PANCHAYATS

First India Bureau

Mumbai: State Election Commissioner UPS Madan has announced that 7,751 gram panchay ats (GPs) will go to the polls on Dec 18. With 452, Sangli has the highest number of GPs headed to the polls, while Gad chiroli has the lowest, with 27. Ahmednagar will see elections in 203 GPs, Akola in 266, Amra vati in 257, Aurangabad in 219, Beed in 704, Bhandara in 363,

Buldana in 279, Chan drapur in 59, Dhule in 128, Gondia in 348, Hin goli in 62, Jalgaon in 140 & Jalna in 266. Other dis tricts include Kolhapur (475 GPs), Latur (351), Nagpur (237), in Nandur bar (123), Osmanabad (166), Palghar (63), Parb hani (128), Pune (221), Raigad (240), Ratnagiri (222), Satara( 319), Sind hudurg (325), Solapu (189), Thane (42), Wardha (113), Washim (287), Ya vatmal (100), Nanded (181) and Nashik (196).

He will have a two-year long tenure at the Supreme Court

Congress betrayed people of Himachal, says Modi

First India Bureau

Chambi/Sujanpur:

PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed public meetings in Chambi & Sujanpur in Himachal Pradesh. PM Modi started his first address at Chambi by highlighting that Himachal is in an im portant stage of devel opment and, thus, it needs a stable and strong government. Hit ting out at the opposi tion, PM Modi said, “Congress can never give a stable govt to Himachal… Cong is a guarantee of instability. Congress is guaranteed to stop devp works”.

Highlighting differ ences between BJP and Cong, PM in Sujanpur said that BJP has made devp of nation its top priority in the politics. Modi also spoke about development of educa tional avenues here. Post rally, Modi also stopped his convoy to give way to an ambu lance on Wednesday.

Mark Zuckerberg says “Sorry” as Meta fires 11,000; 13 per cent of workforce

New Delhi: Facebook’s parent company Meta on Thursday announced they would fire more than 11,000 employees to reduce costs following disappointing earnings and a drop in revenue. The broad job cuts fol low layoffs at other ma jor tech companies in

cluding Musk-owned Twitter and Microsoft.

“We are also taking a number of additional steps to become a leaner and more efficient com pany by cutting discre tionary spending and extending our hiring freeze through Q1,” Zuckerberg added.

PM Narendra Modi with HP BJP president Suresh Kumar Kashyap and BJP candidates wave to supporters during Vijay Sanklap Rally, at Chambi, in Kangra on Wednesday.

HC DISMISSES APPEAL AGAINST ACQUITTAL OF ADVANI, OTHERS

Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Wednesday dismissed criminal appeal filed against acquittal of 32, including BJP leaders LK Advani and Uma Bharti, by Special CBI court in Babri Masjid demolition case.

MP Sanjay Raut gets bail in money laundering case

Court slams ED for arresting him for no reason, asks why HDIL’s Wadhwans, the main accused in the case, were not held

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Shiv SenaUddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Rajya Sabha

MP Sanjay Raut walked out of Arthur Road jail at about 6.50 pm here on Wednesday, hours after a special court granted him bail in a money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl rede velopment project.

Raut was been arrest ed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Au gust 1 this year and spent roughly three months in jail.

While granting him and co-accused Pravin Raut bail, the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court judge MG Deshpande questioned why the ED did not arrest the main

accused, Rakesh and Sa rang Wadhawan of re alty firm HDIL.

As per the charge

(It is an) as tonishing ad mitted fact that main accused Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan of HDIL, who had not only generated over Rs1,000 crore, but also allegedly placed, layered and integrated the same, were never arrested by the ED.

—Judge MG Deshpande, special PMLA court

INDIA, ENGLAND FACEOFF TODAY T20 WC 2022 SEMIFINAL

l India and England are facing off against each other for the first time in T20 World Cup after a huge gap of 10 years

l Team India skipper Ro hit Sharma, after getting injured on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that he has been declared fit to play the crucial semi-final

l Team England has also reported injuries and may

play without its star bats man Dawid Malan and star bowler Mark Wood

l In the T20 WC, former India captain Virat Kohli has been in sparkling bat ting form with Suryaku mar Yadav second in line

Turn to P6

sheet, meetings related to the redevelopment of Patra Chawl had been attended by Maharash

tra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) officials, San jay Raut as

Sanjay Raut waves as he exits the Arthur Road jail on Wednesday evening. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI & MUMBAI

NIRAV

UK

London: The High Court in London on Wednesday ordered diamond merchant Nirav Modi’s extradition to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering, amounting to an estimated $2 billion in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam case.

SUNAK UNDER PRESSURE AS MIN QUITS AMID BULLYING ROW

London: British PM Rishi Sunak is facing pressure from the Oppn on Wednesday as Gavin Williamson, who was MoS without portfolio yet resigned from Cabinet. He was accused of abusive behaviour towards fellow Conservative Party colleagues and civil servants.

BSE SENSEX 61,033.55 151.60 | NSE NIFTY 18,157.00 45.80

I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone and I am especially sorry to those impacted. —Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s Chief Executive

‘I GOT THIS WRONG’

BJP MLA RAJA SINGH

Hyderabad: Telangana HC’s bench of Justice Abhishek Reddy, Justice Juvvadi Sridevi set aside Preventive Detention Act filed against suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh, ordered his release from prison on Wednesday.

READ Crucial

will

as CJI till Nov 10, 2024.

President Droupadi Murmu with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, outgoing CJI Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, new CJI Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. PHOTO BY ANI

Narendra Modi @narendramodi

Congratulations to Dr Justice DY Chandrachud on being sworn in as India’s Chief Justice. Wishing him a fruitful tenure ahead.

Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju

Heartiest congratulations Dr Justice DY Chandrachud on being appointed as the 50th Chief Justice Of India! Best wishes to him and look forward to working in very close coordination to ensure the speedy delivery of Justice.

PM MODI VISITS CHAMBI & SUJANPUR IN HP

It is the BJP which can take Himachal to new heights of de velopment. Therefore, this time the return of the BJP government in Himachal is necessary.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

‘IN FIGHT AGAINST TERROR, ACT AGAINST SUPPORT SYS’

‘Cong stands for unity, BJP for uniformity’

RaGa interacts with locals in Maha as yatra hits 63rd day

First India Bureau

Nanded: Senior Con gress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednes day said his party stands for unity while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believes in uniformity, and assert ed that their ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is not “mann ki baat” (refer ring to PM Narendra Modi’s weekly talk) but aims to highlight people’s concerns.

The Rashtriya Sway amsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP do not be lieve in “unity in diver sity” of which India is an example, said Ramesh while addressing a press conference in the state’s Nanded district during the Congress’s ongoing foot march.

The party’s critics have also been taking part in the yatra as it is the only party which can take on the ruling BJP, he claimed and said the foot march, which began on Sep tember 07 from Kanya kumari (Tamil Nadu), was not a “chunav jeeto yatra'” (for winning election).

“Only time will tell

what impact the yatra will have on the electoral fortunes of the Con gress, but it has reener gized the party organiza tion and infused a breath of fresh air,” he said.

Ramesh also said the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is a “direct conversation” between people and sen ior Congress leader Ra hul Gandhi, as the pub lic gets to see the real Rahul Gandhi, who is not like how the BJP pro jects him.

“The Con gress stands for unity, while the BJP believes in uniformity,” he said.

The Congress leader further said their yatra is to highlight “janta ki chinta” (public’s con cerns) over the problems faced by the country.

“The country is being broken due to the inten tions and policies of Prime Minister Naren dra Modi. Economic dis parity is growing, result ing in price rise, unem ployment. There is social polarization by the BJP for political and electoral interests,” he claimed.

Ramesh said the yatra will cover half of its total distance of 3,570 km by Thursday evening.

POWERING ON

First India Bureau

Nanded: As the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ entered its 63rd day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed the foot march from Biloli in Nanded district of Maharashtra on Wednesday morning.

Gandhi halted briefly at some places to inter act with locals who had gathered to greet him.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) Gen eral Secretary (organi zation) KC Venugopal, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole, Mumbai party chief Bhai Jagtap, Naseem Khan, Vishwajit Kadam

and other party leaders walked with Gandhi.

AICC General Secre tary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, Con gress veteran Digvijaya Singh and party leader Kanhaiya Kumar walked with the Seva Dal workers.

On the third day of the yatra in Maharash tra, participants led by Gandhi had entered Maharashtra at Deglur in Nanded from neigh bouring Telangana on Monday night.

The yatra resumed at 5.45 am on Wednesday from Shankarnagar at Ramtirth in Biloli after a night halt at the Goda vari Manar Sugar Fac

It will stop for a morning break at Kusum Lawns in Naigaon at 9.30 am today

tory ground.

Gandhi will address a rally in Nanded on Thursday and at She gaon in Buldhana dis trict on November 18. ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, a mass outreach pro gramme, began on Sep tember 07 from Kanya kumari and has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Maha will pursue Mumbai-Birmingham air service with Centre, says CM Shinde

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Chief Min ister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said the state government will request the Cen tre to start an air ser vice between Mumbai and Birmingham in the West Midlands re gion of England, where about 5% of the population is of Indian origin.

Following a meeting of a delegation led by the Mayor of West Mid lands, Andy Street, and CM Shinde at the lat ter’s official residence

Tiger is back, says Uddhav-led faction as Sanjay Raut gets bail

in Mumbai, a statement from the CM’s office said the two states had decided to sign a Memo randum of Understand ing (MoU) for invest ment and cooperation.

Shinde urged the vis itors to explore invest

ment opportunities in the state from West Midlands which has companies like Jaguar, Cadbury, and JCB.

Mayor Street asked Shinde to work on ex panding cooperation between the two states

for investment to boost employment opportuni ties.

Similarly, if there is a direct flight service from Mumbai to Bir mingham, there is a scope for tourism, Street said.

‘Put in auto water meters for Aurangabad pipeline scheme’

First India Bureau

Mumbai (PTI): “The Tiger is back,” the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena faction said on Wednesday after a special court here granted bail to party MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case.

Talking to reporters, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal asaheb Thackeray) spokesperson Sushma Andhare said till the time the party has lead ers like Raut, it has

nothing to fear.

“The tiger is back,” said Andhare, the depu ty leader of the Thacker ay-led Sena faction.

Rajya Sabha MP Raut was arrested by the En forcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged role in financial irregulari ties in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl in Gore gaon on July 31 this year.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rohit Pawar,whose party is an

ally of the Thackeray-led Sena faction, tweeted a video of a tiger being re leased from a cage and tagged it to Raut.

Raut’s brother and Vikhroli MLA Sunil

Raut said, “The bless ings of people were with Sanjay Raut. He will again start working for the party to see that the saffron flag unfurls at the Vidhan Sabha.”

Aurangabad: Auto mated water meters can be made part of the water pipeline scheme being con structed in the city, suggested a team from the Union Min istry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which was in the city on Wednesday to take stock of the situation.

The objective of the scheme is to provide drinking water roundthe-clock in the city, where, at present, resi dents get water once every four to six days.

“The Central (govern ment) team has suggest ed that automated water meters be installed. It also suggested that the scheme be designed in such a way that water can be taken to a height

of 21 m using boosters or pumps instead of the planned 12 m,” said Un ion Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Karad, who chaired the review meeting.

Karad also an nounced that there would be a study to in stall 2.8 lakh meters in the city, and that the government will bear the additional cost.

According to an offi cial of the Aurangabad

Smart City Development Corporation Ltd, the gov ernment had initially sanctioned Rs1,680 crore for the scheme, which has now escalated to more than Rs2,700 crore.

The aim of the scheme is 24-hour water supply to the city. Water will be taken from Jay akwadi dam on Goda vari river and brought to Nakshatrawadi fil tration plant, which is 39.2km away.

Sudha Murthy prays for wellbeing of SIL Rishi Sunak

First India Bureau

Sindhudurg (PTI): Writer and philan thropist Sudha Mur thy on Wednesday prayed for the wellbeing of her son-inlaw and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Durga Devi tem ple at Baparde village in coastal Sindhudurg.

A video doing the rounds on social media showed the priest at the temple praying to God dess Durga on Murthy’s behalf, seeking bless ings for Sunak, who re cently became the first Indian-origin prime minister of the UK.

During her visit, Murthy also interacted with students of a school at Baparde.

Responding to a con troversy that arose ear lier this week when a video showed her bow ing before controversial right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide, Mur thy on Wednesday clari fied that she did not know him and bowed before him as he is an elderly person.

“I don’t know about his personal views. He is an elderly person, an old man. It is our tradition to touch the feet of an el derly person,” she said.

Jairam Ramesh says ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ an attempt to address people’s concerns, not win elections

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party’s General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh during an interaction with leaders of sugar, milk, banking and textile mills in Nanded on Wednesday. —ANI PHOTO

Gandhi walks with padayatris during the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. —ANI PHOTO

Following meet between West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and CM Shinde, the two states will sign MoU for investment and cooperation

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the interaction with representatives of the unorganized sector on the sidelines of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Nanded on Wednesday. —ANI PHOTO

A delegation of women activists from the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition met with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to demand the resignation of state minister Abdul Sattar over his use of derogatory words against NCP leader Supriya Sule and other issues at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

Sudha Murthy. —FILE PHOTO

‘NEVER SUCCUMBED TO PRESSURE’

Supporters hail Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who was released from the Arthur Road Jail on bail, on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

Residents of Aurangabad get drinking water only once every four to six days. —FILE PHOTO

No danger to Koyna project, says Maha govt

Clashes break out at Pune’s Yerawada Jail

Pune: Following re ports of water seep age from a wall of an emergency valve tunnel at the Koyna Hydroelectric Pro ject in Satara, the state Water Re sources Depart ment has said there is no danger to the dam there.

The seepage was taking place due to cracks in the con crete interlining of a surge well at the end of a “head race tun nel” through which water from Navaja tower flows for power generation at one of the units of the pro ject, the department said on Tuesday.

“The well, con structed 100m deep in sheetrock in 1960, has so far absorbed sever al earthquake jolts in the last 60 years but lately, some cracks have occurred in the concrete interlining

Cracks have formed in the concrete interlining of a 60-yr-old well

of the well and as a result, water seepage is happening and the percolated water is flowing from the slope of the hill,” it said.

The tendering pro cess has been initi ated to address the issue, but there is no danger to the Koyna reservoir or the hill from where the water is currently seeping, the department said.

Deepak Modak, a retired secretary of the Water Resources Department, said currently it is not possible to reach the location of the surge well due to the high flow of water. Re pairs will be possible in the summer sea son when the water level goes down.

First India Bureau

Pune: Five undertri als lodged at Yerawa da Central Prison in Pune have been booked on charges of assault, unlawful as sembly and rioting after clashes broke out inside the highsecurity prison on Tuesday morning, leading to stone pelt ing among inmates and assault on prison employees.

According to Yerawa da police station offi cials, two prison staffers were injured when they tried to in tervene during a clash between two groups of inmates. The incident was reported around

Following

Shaikh, Tarang Rakesh Pardeshi, Nilesh Shri kant Gaikwad, Purush ottam Rajendra Veer and Deva Nanasaheb Jadhav.

The undertrials were booked under Indian Penal Code sections related to assault on public servant, physical assault, unlawful as sembly and rioting.

8.20 am on Tuesday in barrack numbers 27 and 31 and near the prison infirmary.

“Following a dispute between two groups of inmates, one group started pelting stones and pieces of stone tiles at the other group from another barrack. When some prison guards and officers tried to intervene, the

group thrashed them, injuring some of them,” a police officer said.

Details about the nature of injuries to the inmates and prison staffers were not available.

Based on an FIR filed by prison guard Hanu mant More on Tuesday night, the police booked five inmates, identified as Sameer Shakil

Biker not to blame in mishap when lights rule flouted: HC SC considers

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court set aside a tribunal’s order of “contributory negli gence” by a biker in a fatal accident that oc curred in 2009, where in he collided with a stationary tempo on a highway. The court held that the tempo driver was solely re sponsible as he flout ed a rule requiring him to keep his vehi cle parking lights on.

During proceedings on October 18, Justice SG Dige of the Aurang abad bench of the HC, said, “The Rule (109 of Central Motor Vehicles

Rules) states that, front and rear parking lights shall remain lit when the vehicle is kept sta tionary on the road but, no such parking lights were put on the offend ing tempo. And so liabil ity of contributory ac cident cannot be fas tened on the deceased by holding that, he should have seen the stationed tempo under the head light of the motorcycle.”

The HC said the ap

pellant was entitled to 30% of future prospects as the age of the biker was 46 years and he was in government ser vice. It gave the family additional compensa tion of over Rs25 lakh, including Rs15,000 for funeral and transporta tion expenses.

On October 09, 2009 at 10 pm, MN Salunke was killed after he dashed into a station ary tempo on Latur-Am bejogai road at Renapur. Police registered an of fence against the tempo driver. Salunke’s kin had filed for compensa tion before the Motor Accident Claims Tribu nal, Latur.

The high-security Ye rawada Central Prison is one of the most over crowded jails in Maha rashtra. According to the records (as on first week of October), the Yerawada Central Pris on, which has a capaci ty of 2,449 inmates, cur rently houses 6,853 in mates, about 2.8 times its actual capacity.

‘house arrest’ request of Navlakha in Elgar Parishad case

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Su preme Court on Wednesday said that it was considering granting activist Gau tam Navlakha’s re quest for home deten tion in connection with the Elgar Pari shad-Maoist link case.

A bench, comprising of Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy, said it will pass the or der on Thursday after hearing the ASG.

The apex court asked Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, ap pearing for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), to seek instruc tions and inform it

about restrictions that can be placed on Nav lakha while keeping him under house arrest for a few days.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD

“He is a 70-year-old man. We don’t know how long he will live. Certainly, he is going to wards the inevitable. It’s not that we are going to release him on bail. He is not going to enjoy the default bail which com rade Sudha (Bharadwaj) got,” the court said add ing, that we have to treat this carefully.

STONES THROWN AT LOCAL TRAIN IN THANE, 3 INJURED

Thane: Three pas sengers were injured when some uniden tified persons threw stones at a local train in Thane district, railway police said on Wednesday. The incident took place at around 8 pm on Tues day near Kalwa. The injured persons were taken to a hospital for treatment, an official said. A case was registered against the unidentified culprits under relevant pro visions of the Indian Penal Code and efforts were on to nab them, he said.

MAN DIES AFTER FALLING IN 10FT DEEP PIT IN WORLI

Mumbai: A 58-yearman died after he fell into a 10ft deep pit near Century Mill in Worli. The incident took place at around 7 pm on Monday when the deceased, Pradeep Dhondu Ambekar (58), a resident of Century Mill Compound in Pra bhadevi was walking back home from BDD Chawl in Worli when he fell in an uncovered pit. According to the police, the pit was dug by a private contractor engaged by MMRDA for construction of Worli-Sewri connector flyover.

Pune: A 79-year-old man suffered burn injuries after his son and daughterin-law allegedly threw an inflammable sub stance and set him on fire in their house over a property dispute in Kagal tehsil of Kolhapur district, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place in Vhannur village on Tuesday morning and a case has been registered against the victim’s son and his wife under Indian Penal Code section 307 (attempt to murder), they said, adding the couple is on the run. “The elderly man sustained burn injuries. The couple is absconding after the incident and a search has been launched for them,” said an officer of the Kagal police station.

WOMAN HELD FOR KILLING INFANT GIRL IN AKOLA

Akola: A woman (26) has been arrested for allegedly killing her sick 20-day-old daughter in Akola district. Doctors at the Telhara rural hospital had referred the child to the district general hospital in Akola. However, the girl died before reaching the district hospital, where a post-mortem revealed she had been strangled to death, they said. The wom an has been sent to police custody for two days, even as the cops investigate the motive behind the murder.

MAN HELD FOR BID TO KILL AUNT OVER BOOZE MONEY

Thane: Police have arrested a man (38) from allegedly trying to kill his 79-year-old aunt, with whom he lived, with an axe after she refused to give him money for liquor in Thane’s Wagle Estate area, an official said on Wednesday. After the incident, which took place on Monday, the man went to the local police station and in formed the cops of the attack, the official said, adding the woman was shifted to a hospital for treatment, and the man later arrested.

CM asks WR officials to expedite reconstruction of Gokhale bridge

Andheri residents form school bus corridors and clear hawkers blocking traffic, while exploring other ways to ease congestion after the Gokhale Road bridge was shut

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Chief Min ister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday directed Western Railway (WR) officials to re construct the dilapi dated Gokhale rail way-over-ridge in suburban Andheri at the earliest.

According to a state ment issued from the

chief minister’s office (CMO), the CM also asked Municipal Com missioner Iqbal Singh Chahal to ensure prop er traffic management for providing relief to the people.

On Monday, Traffic Police closed the Gokhale bridge as it is in danger ous condition. However, this led to traffic jams on other roads linking east

Monday.

ern and western areas of the suburb divided by the railway tracks. When the CM learnt

about it, he spoke to Cha hal and railway officials and directed them to take immediate steps to

provide relief to people, a CMO official said.

Meanwhile, Andheri residents decided to

take matters into their own hands. From form ing corridors for school buses and emergency vehicles and clearing alternative routes to meeting with the CM,

Andheri residents shared a number of ideas to bring ease to commuters.

An online petition has been launched, request ing speedy construction

of the bridge. Around 2,000 residents have al ready signed it within a day. A social media group was also formed with over 500 residents. It has listed out priori ties and suggestions which the authorities and locals can collective ly take up.

“The suggestions are crowd-sourced and we have been compiling them. These are based on the experience of peo ple who have been com muting in this area,” said Dhaval Shah, a citi zen activist and cofounder of the Lokhand wala-Oshiwara Citizens Association.

The Gokhale bridge, which is an important link between Andheri East and West, was closed for traffic from

—FILE PHOTO

ELDERLY MAN SET ON FIRE BY HIS SON, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OVER PROPERTY

BMC TO SHUT SV ROAD BRIDGE IN MALAD

Two prison staffers were injured when they tried to intervene during a clash between two groups of undertrials

a dispute between two groups of inmates, one group start ed pelting stones and pieces of stone tiles at the other group from another bar rack. When some prison guards and officers tried to intervene, the group thrashed them, injuring some of them.

—Yerawada police station official

The incident was reported around 8.20 am on Tuesday in barrack numbers 27 and 31 and near the prison infirmary. —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

A bench said it will pass the order on Thursday after hearing the ASG

First India Bureau

SKY IS LIMITLESS THE SENSATIONAL RISE AND RISE OF SURYAKUMAR YADAV

scorching pace. In fact, Surya’s 360-degree game has often reminded fans and ex perts of South Africa’s leg endary great, AB de Villiers.

His solid performances all through 2022 have helped Surya peak at the World Cup where his journey so far has been bordering on exquisite as well fantastic. Notching up 225 runs with three fifties, he displayed his class with the highest score of 68 against a world-class South African pace attack on the bouncy Perth pitch. That superlative knock is being rated as one of the finest in the history of T20 World Cups and former Indian opener Gautam Gamb hir has called it ‘the best T20 innings ever by an Indian.’

NITIN GADKARI STANDS OUT FOR HIS QUALITIES AS MINISTER

A week after Surya reached No.1 ranking in T20 internationals, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will hope that his most in-form batter will continue to thrive in the knock-out games. For Team India to lift the trophy that’s eluded them since 2007, it is critical that Surya maintains his form and if he can play at his best, the soaring hopes of Indian fans could see a happy fulfillment. As he redefines T20 batting by matching the lofty standards set by AB de Villiers, Surya may just be the trump card Team India needs to crown itself to glory

As the Men in Blue take on England in the T20 World Cup Semi-Finals, Suryaku mar Yadav will be the focus of all attention. In India’s star-studded batting line-up, Yadav has suddenly become a superstar, despite the pres ence of heavyweights like Virat Kohli and Rohit Shar ma. Over the past year, Surya has emerged as the most threatening striker for all bowlers. His red-hot form and amazing stroke-play have made Surya the top bat ter in ICC T20I rankings and Team India’s go-to player at the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Though fans and experts who saw him batting in his early days were sure that Surya would shine, his crick eting journey has been no smooth sailing. He had to wait till he was over 30 to play for Team India, despite his obvious talent and magnifi cent performances in IPL and domestic cricket. Ig nored by selectors for years, Surya has admitted that he would often wonder what was needed to be done for se lection into the national squad. Despite the doubts, his determination never wa vered, and he kept piling runs in style, thus silencing the doubters and breaking

GOVERNORS VERSUS THREE STATE GOVTS

In India’s star-studded batting line-up, Yadav has suddenly become a superstar, despite the presence of heavyweights like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Over the past year, Surya has emerged as the most threatening striker for all bowlers. His redhot form and amazing stroke-play have made Surya the top batter in ICC T20I rankings and Team India’s go-to player at the ongoing T20 World Cup

down selection doors.

Once picked, Surya made an immediate impact for Team India early last year. In his very first innings in the blue jersey against England, Yadav began aggressively, hooking the first ball from Jofra Archer for six! In just 31 balls, he got to his first half-century that was stud ded with three huge sixes and six fours. That blistering knock on debut against an England attack, comprising a fit Jofra Archer and superpacy Mark Wood, showcased Surya’s exceptional talent. Since that impressive in ternational debut, Sky (as he’s fondly called) has made rapid strides. In 39 T20 inter

nationals he has played so far, Surya has scored 1270 runs at an average of 42.33 with a fabulous strike rate of 179.63. In 2022 alone, he has smashed 1026 runs in 28 T20I innings at a strike rate of 186.54, making all applaud his great form!

Though numbers speak loudly, it is his aggressive style and attitude that make Surya stand out as a remark able batter. Not only has SKY got all the shots in the book but also has yen for some au dacious ones too, making bat ting look easy. Besides his stroke-play, what makes him an amazing batsman is the exceptional consistency of scoring and that too at a

In his latest knock against Zimbabwe, Surya again hit 61 off just 25 deliveries. The power-packed innings also made him only the second batter in the history of T20I cricket after Pakistan’s Mo hammad Rizwan to score over 1000 runs in a calendar year. In the World Cup games so far, Surya has hit 25 bound aries and 8 sixes in the 116 balls he has faced – and is currently averaging a mas sive 75 runs at a strike rate of over 193!!

Ahead of the semi-final clash in Adelaide, Surya’s fabulous record against Eng land is worth underlining. Ever since he made his T20I debut against them last year, Surya has displayed a special liking for the English attack.

In six T20Is against England, SKY has amassed 260 runs at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 195.48. His only T20I century was also a brilliant effort where Sky decimated everyone in the England at tack with equal ease.

A week after Surya reached No.1 ranking in T20 interna tionals, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will hope that his most in-form batter will con tinue to thrive in the knockout games. For Team India to lift the trophy that’s eluded them since 2007, it is critical that Surya maintains his form and if he can play at his best, the soaring hopes of In dian fans could see a happy fulfillment. As he redefines T20 batting by matching the lofty standards set by AB de Villiers, Surya may just be the trump card Team India needs to crown itself to glory.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minis ter Nitin Gadkari be longs to the breed of politicians which is no longer found in India’s politi cal landscape. Which other min ister has accepted a fault and tendered public apology for the poor quality of work done under the watch of his or her ministry?

At an event in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla the conscientious Union minister apologised to citizens for the poor quality of a stretch of highway and ordered a fresh contract. It is an example which state governments must follow for ensuring good quality of state highways and city roads. His gesture showed that he was open to criticism and willing to say sorry. Leave alone an apolo gy, no minister ever admits to a mistake. Gadkari too could have instituted an inquiry before or dering a new contract.

His recent praise for former Prime Minister Manmohan Sin gh also showed his class and ma turity. Praising the contribution made by a former Congress PM deserves all-round appreciation.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. Bible

Like West Bengal where the gover nor and govern ment were in volved in a seem ingly unending row, gover nors of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana are giving governments of their respec tive states a difficult time. So much so that the three gov ernments headed by the CPM, DMK and Telangana Rashtra Samithi have joined hands to take on the “puppets of the Centre”.

With their disagreements turning bitter, governments of the three states have upped the ante against Kerala’s Arif Mohammad Khan, Tamil Na du’s RN Ravi and Telangana’s Tamilisai Soundarajan.

Soundarajan is facing flak for trying to take control of

Kerala governor is refusing to give his nod to the Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill and the University Laws (Amendment) Bill for the last one month. Governor Ravi is said to be sitting over 20 Bills sent for his assent

universities and interfere in state politics. A former sen ior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, she has been criticised by the DMK for “poking her nose” in state politics and by Chief Minister K Chan drasekhar Rao for interfer ing with appointments in

universities.

Kerala governor is refus ing to give his nod to the Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill and the University Laws (Amendment) Bill for the last one month. Governor Ravi is said to be sitting over 20 Bills sent for his assent. Article 200 does not specify a time frame for a governor to give his assent to a Bill sent to him but says that he should send it back “as soon as pos sible”. It is this phrase which the three governors are ex ploiting to assert their power and in the process of “being puppets” of the Central gov ernment. The epithet may not be wrong as they are po litical appointees after all. It may not be long before mat ters reach the courts for resolution.

The National Legal Services Day

#NationalLegalServicesDay

MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by

on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701. Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Phone 022-46031417.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Anita Hada Sangwan

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda

Greetings and best wishes to the people of the state on the foundation day of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, full of picturesque natural beauty. I wish for the prosperity and bright future of the progressing Uttarakhand under the guidance of respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and under the leadership Chief Minister Shri @ pushkardhami ji.

Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju

is celebrated across the country on Nov 9th every year. It aims to spread awareness for ensuring speedy & fair justice procedure for citizens of India. My best wishes to all Panel Lawyers, PLVs, Officials and citizens.

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SIDDHAARTH MAHAN

The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry

NOMINATION OF EX-CJI TO RS: SC JUNKS PLEA

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the nomination of former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha by the government on the ground that he was not eligible. Dismissing the plea, a bench of Supreme Court Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka said it was publicity interest litigation. The counsel for petitioner Satish S Kambiye said the former CJI was not eligible to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

NOTE BAN PLEAS ADJOURNED TO NOVEMBER 24

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred to Nov 24 the hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the Centre’s 2016 decision to demonetise currency notes of denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice SA Nazeer adjourned the matter after Attorney General R Venkataramani sought time to file a comprehensive affidavit in the matter.

Venkataramani apologised to the bench for not being able to prepare the comprehensive affidavit and sought a week’s time.

AZAM CASE: EC TOLD TO HOLD BYPOLL NOTIFICATION

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission not to issue till November 10 the notification for the assembly bypoll in Rampur Sadar in UP, which fell vacant following the disqualification of SP MLA Azam Khan after his conviction in a hate speech case. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed a special sessions court to hear and decide on Thursday itself the appeal of Khan seeking a stay on his conviction so that he survives disqualification as a lawmaker.

E-SURVEILLANCE:

HC GIVES TIME TO CENTRE TO REPLY

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted three weeks to the Centre to file its response to a petition concerning the disclosure of information on statesponsored electronic surveillance under the Right To Information Act.

Advocate Trideep Pais, appearing for petitioner Apar Gupta, told the court that despite the Centre being asked to convey its stand on earlier occasions, it is yet to file its reply and emphasised that he does not want the “actual intercepts” but only the “statistical data” on the matter.

NGT PANEL TO VERIFY NARMADA RIVER’S POLLUTION

New Delhi (PTI): The National Green Tribunal has formed a committee to verify the “factual position” regarding discharge of sewage into Narmada river in Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh, and directed it to submit its report within a month. A bench said that prima facie, the allegations made in a plea raised questions relating to the environment. “In view of the allegations made in the application, we consider it appropriate that a joint committee be constituted to verify the factual position,” the NGT bench said.

attended meeting

BJP MEET TO FINALISE GUJ CANDIDATES

New Delhi (PTI): A meeting of the BJP cen tral election committee got underway here Wednesday evening to finalise the party’s can didates for the assem bly polls in Gujarat, where the party is eye ing a victory for a sev enth consecutive time.

PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, BJP president JP Nadda and other top leaders attend ed the meeting at party headquarters here.

Polling will be held in two phases in Gujarat on December 1 and 5.

The saffron party is likely to finalise all 182 candidates during the meeting and announce their names in the next few days, sources said.

Aiming to set a new record in terms of the number of seats won, the BJP is looking to in ject new energy into the organisation. Hence, the possibility of drop ping several senior lead ers from the list of can didates cannot be ruled out, the sources said.

They also said the party has received sug gestions that it should opt for new and young faces.

Talala (ANI): Days before Gujarat elections, Con gress MLA Bhagvanbhai D Barad on Wednesday resigned from all posts party posts. Seeking ac ceptance of his resigna tion to Governor Acharya Devvrat, Barad said, “I, Bhagvanbhai, MLA hereby give my resignation from 91 - Talala Constituency and from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress. Please accept it.” Barad, later, tendered his resignation Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Earlier on Tuesday, veteran Congress leader and 11 times MLA Mohan Singh Rathwa, along with his sons joined the BJP in Ahmedabad.

4 TOP GUJ BJP LEADERS, INCLUDING RUPANI & NITIN PATEL, NOT TO CONTEST ELECTIONS

Rajkot (PTI): Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and ex-deputy CM Nitin Patel, both senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Wednesday night announced they will not fight the next month’s Assembly elections. Two other senior BJP leaders, Bhupen drasinh Chudasama and Pradeepsinh Jadeja — who were ministers in the Rupani cabinet — also announced they will not seek tickets for the polls. Their statements come at a time when the central Parliament Board of BJP has convened the meeting to finalise the names of candidates in Delhi under the leadership of PM Modi. “These four senior leaders of our party have written separate letters to state unit party president C R Paatil, saying they do not want to fight the upcoming elections,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas said. “I have decided not to fight elections this time. The BJP gave me chance to be the Gujarat CM for five years. Now they have made me in-charge of Punjab, I have declared ear lier that I will not fight this election,” Rupani told reporters.

AAP RELEASES LIST OF STAR CAMPAIGNERS

New Delhi (ANI): The names of the party in cluding Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Man ish Sisodia, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are among the star campaigners of the Aam Aadmi Party for the Gujarat elections. AAP MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha also fea ture in the list of 20 star campaigners for Gujarat where the party is eying to make inroads.

‘USING’ CAA WITH EYE ON GUJ POLLS:

MAMATA

Krishnanagar (PTI): West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was “using” Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) with an eye on the upcoming Gujarat assembly elec tions. She asserted that she will never allow the implementation of CAA or NRC in West Bengal.

AAP WANTS NARODA PATIYA TO MOVE ON BUT SCARS OF 2002 RIOTS REMAIN

Ahmedabad (PTI): Twenty-one years after the Gujarat ri ots, wounds of Naroda Patiya have turned to scar tissue, still visible, often painful and reminder of a communal divide still to be bridged. But life has to go on and focus should be on “community neutral” issues such as price rise, says AAP MLA hopeful Omprakash Tiwari. Hoping to win over the people of Naroda Patiya, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad that came to be associated with the 2002 riots, and the assembly polls next month, Tiwari said he would like religion to be left aside and for people to come together to vote for change. “We have forgotten what happened here 20 years ago. India is a religious country and everyone has freedom to practise the religion of their choice,” Tiwari told PTI. “But we have to first address the issues of unemployment, price rise and lack of affordable education for all,” he added when asked if the riots that followed the Godhra train burning were an issue in the constituency that has been voting for the BJP since 1990.

BJP cannot fool Himachalis with its jumlas: Kharge

Banuti (PTI): Ad dressing his first pub lic meeting in the Himachal Pradesh as sembly elections, Con gress president Mall ikarjun Kharge on Wednesday trained his gun on the BJP and said it may have fooled people across the coun try with its "jumlas" but cannot do so in the hill state.

“People here are edu cated, understand eve rything and take a con sidered decision (in vot ing).... The BJP may have been able to fool people all over the coun try with its jumlas (rhetoric) of Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts and jobs, but it cannot do so here,” Kharge said.

Kharge, who was

elected Congress presi dent recently, arrived in Himachal Pradesh Tuesday evening and addressed his first pub lic meeting in Banuti in support of party candi date from the Shimla Rural assembly constit uency Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday.

The Congress is seek ing to wrest power from the BJP in the hill state, where the Congress and the BJP have governed alternately for the past many decades.

The Congress presi dent said the Congress would fulfil all its prom ises made in the mani festo and the restora tion of the old pension scheme would be the first decision of its gov ernment, if elected.

“Metal road connectivity to every village in 5 years if BJP re-elected”

New Delhi (PTI): Un ion Minister Anurag Thakur has said the next BJP government in Himachal Pradesh will connect every vil lage in the state with metal roads in five years and improve ba sic infrastructure at pil grimage centres.

Addressing election rallies in Ghumarvi, Jhanduta and Sadar as sembly constituencies in Bilaspur district,

Thakur said the BJP will implement ‘Project Shakti’ in the state over the next 10 years to im prove transport infra structure.

He said Rs 12,000 crore will be spent over the next 10 years to im prove transport and ba sic infrastructure near pilgrimage centres and temples in the state.

In a bid to strengthen the health infrastruc ture, the number of mo

bile clinic vans will be doubled in every assem bly constituency to en sure that people in farflung places get access to medical facilities.

Thakur said the “double engine” gov ernment in Himachal Pradesh has built 12,000 km long rural roads in the last eight years and the state was also con nected to the national capital with the modern Vande Bharat train.

OLD IS GOLD

India has 2.49 lakh voters aged above 100: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Pune (PTI): There are 2.49 lakh voters aged above 100 in India, Chief Election Com missioner Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday.

Besides, 1.80 crore voters are over 80 years, Kumar said after flag ging off a bicycle rally in Maharashtra’s Pune city on Wednesday to create an awareness about voter registration as part of the national

level launch of a special summary revision of the voters’ list. The EC’s initiative is aimed at in creasing the electoral rolls in urban areas.

Explaining the ro bustness and beauty of the Indian electoral rolls, Kumar said the country has voters from the highest peaks of Himalayas, from the 6,000-km coastline in south, deserts in the

west and regions from the east. “You will be happy to know we have close to 2.49 lakh voters in our rolls who are (aged) 100 plus and what a relief and ecstasy it gives when you interact with them and find that they have been voting all through their lives,” he said.

The CEC said India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi, who recently

died, was 106 years old and voted through post al ballot just three days before his death.

Kumar said the sum mary revision takes place every year, but this year they are doing a very focused activity and starting it all over the country from Pune with a specific purpose to increase the partici pation of citizens from urban areas.

“What does it mean? Everywhere in the country and the far thest possible states, be it hills, coastal lines, everywhere, inaccessi ble terrains, deserts, everywhere every sin gle citizen gets enlisted as a voter and strength ens the democracy by not only getting regis tered but also casting his/her vote,” CEC Ra jiv Kumar said.

PM Modi, Nadda, Amit Shah, Guj CM Patel and others

In 2017 Gujarat polls, BJP had bagged 99 seats and Cong won 77 seats

BJP is likely to announce its candidates in the next few days

AAP’s entry this time has opened a new front in the bipolar Guj polls

GUJ AAP CHIEF ITALIA TO CONTEST FROM KATARGAM ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCY

Ahmedabad (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party’s Gujarat president Gopal Italia will contest the upcoming election from Ka targam in Surat, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday. AAP’s Gujarat general secretary Manoj Sorathiya will contest from Karanj Assembly seat in Surat, Kejriwal said in a tweet. The AAP has so far announced the names of its 158 candidates for elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly. “The participa tion of youth in politics is essential. In Gujarat, our state president and popular youth Gopal Italia will contest from Surat’s Katargam Assembly seat and state general secretary Manoj Sorathiya will contest elections from Karanj Assembly seat,” Kejriwal tweeted.

AAP candidate Gopal Italia during an election rally, at Dabholi Road, in Surat on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

BJP

ANOTHER GUJ CONG MLA BHAGVANBHAI

D BARAD RESIGNS

PM Modi interacts with Nadda at BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting as Amit Shah looks on.

‘RIWAZ NAHI, RAJ BADLEGA’, BJP GOVT WILL BE VOTED OUT IN HIMACHAL, SAYS HOODA Manali (PTI): The BJP’s development claims in Himachal Pradesh are “hollow” and the people have made up their mind to bring the grand old party to power in the state, senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Wednesday. The former Haryana CM has been cam paigning in Himachal’s Kullu-Manali and Lahaul area. The state has a history of alternating between the Congress and the BJP every assembly election since 1982. Himachal CM Jairam Thakur said on Monday that Congress may be banking on Himachal’s ‘riwaz’ (convention) but people have made up mind to break from tradition this time and bring back the BJP govt.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur at a rally at Naina Devi assembly constituency on Wednesday.

CEC Rajiv Kumar with Election Commisioner Anup Kumar Pandey at an event in Pune, on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Cong chief Mallikarjun Kharge at a rally in Shimla. —PHOTO BY PTI

FIGHT IS AGAINST TERRORISM, ITS SUPPORT SYSTEM: SHAH

information sharing

New Delhi (ANI): Un ion home minister Amit Shah on Wednes day chaired a meeting of officials of Intelli gence Bureau (IB) from across the country to discuss issues related to cross-border terror ism, narcotics smug gling, terrorist financ ing, organised crimes, cyber crimes and use of drones from across the border, people fa miliar with the devel opment said.

During the six-hourlong meeting that start ed at 11am and contin ued till 5pm in national capital New Delhi, the home minister stressed on the need to further strengthen the process of information sharing and enhancing liaison between counter-ter rorism and anti-drug agencies of the states.

“Union home minis ter Amit Shah chaired a high level meeting of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers from across the country in New Delhi today and re viewed the internal se curity situation of the country. The meeting held extensive discus sions on various issues related to national se

curity including coun ter terrorism, threat from extremism, cyber security related issues, border related aspects and threats from cross border elements to the integrity and stability of the nation,” a state ment by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) later said.

At the meeting, the

statement said Shah un derlined the govern ment’s commitment to ensure the country’s security and the lauded the IB, India’s domestic intelligence agency for its “very important con tribution in maintain ing peace in the country since Independence, anonymously without any expectations.”

CONG SLAMS BJP FOR LOTUS FEATURING IN G20 LOGO

New Delhi (ANI): Veteran Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that PM and BJP would not lose any oppor tunity to “promote themselves shame fully.” “Over 70 years ago, Nehru rejected the propos al to make Congress flag the flag of In dia. Now, BJP’s elec tion symbol has be come official logo for India’s presiden cy of G20!” Ramesh tweeted.India will take over the G20 Presidency from the current chair Indonesia on Dec 1.

New Delhi (PTI): De fence Minister Rajnath Singh called on the top Army commanders on Wednesday to always maintain the force’s operational readiness at its peak level amid a lingering border row with China in east ern Ladakh.

Singh reasserted the faith of the billion-plus citizens in the Indian Army as one of the “most trusted and in spiring organisations” in the country.

At the five-day con ference that started on Monday, the command ers are carrying out a comprehensive review of India’s national se curity challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan, besides delving on ways to bolster the 1.3 million-strong force’s military prowess.

The main highlight of the third day’s pro

INDIA TO RECEIVE ITS LAST RAFALE JET FROM FRANCE BY DECEMBER 15

India will receive its 36th and final Rafale fighter jet from France by December 15 completing the delivery of all the aircraft it had signed for in an over Rs 60,000 crore deal inked in 2016. "The last aircraft will arrive in India around December 15. The aircraft was used for developing the India-specific enhancements in the Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force," senior defence officials told ANI. India had signed a deal for 36 of these planes and 35 of them have already arrived.

ceedings was Singh’s interaction with the senior leadership of the Army, which was pre

‘Be prepared for any operational contingency’ PM MODI

New Delhi (PTI): PM Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate the Terminal 2 of the Kem pegowda International Airport in Bengaluru that has been built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore, according to offi cials. With the inaugu ration of T2, the passen ger handling capacity as well as the number of

counters for check-in and immigration at the airport will double, helping people im

CRUCIAL READ

BSF SHOOTS DOWN PAK DRONE ALONG INT’L BORDER IN PUNJAB’S FEROZEPUR

mensely, the officials said. The airport will be able to handle around five-six crore passen gers annually from its current capacity of 2.5 crore. Terminal 2 is de signed as a tribute to the garden city and the passenger experience is meant to be a “walk in the garden”, the officials said.

New Delhi: The Bihar police in a joint operation recovered several arms & ammunition. The joint operation was launched by a team of 205 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA)& Bihar Police in the Kariba Dobha area of Bihar’s Aurangabad district on the basis of intelligence inputs.

FROM PG 1

MP Sanjay Raut...

well as “then Union agri culture minister and chief minister” in 2006-07.

In the detailed order, the court said Sanjay Raut’s arrest was “illegal” and a “witch-hunt”. The rea son the agency did not arrest concerned offi cials of MHADA and other government de partments was “nothing, but conveying a message to then Union agricul ture minister and then (Maharashtra) chief minister, creating a fear psyche in their mind that they are the next in this queue,” the judge said without naming the poli ticians in question. The court also rejected ED lawyer Additional Solici tor General Anil Singh’s plea urging it not to give effect to the bail order till

Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi

Friday. The ED then moved the HC. But the high court refused to grant urgent stay, stating that it can not pass such an order without hearing both the parties, and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday.

“I’m thankful to the court,”” a visibly emo tional Sanjay Raut told the special judge when the bail order was an nounced. A large number of supporters, who had assembled outside the jail, burst into celebra tion as soon as he walked out of the jail, raising slogans and setting off firecrackers.

Raut, accompanied by his brother, MLA Sunil Raut, later visited the Siddhivinayak Temple here to seek blessings of Lord Ganesh.

ceded by a briefing on “Transformational im peratives for a futureready force”.

UP CS Mishra to retire in Dec, might get extension

Ahtesham Siddiqui

Lucknow: UP Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra will retire on December 30. The 1984 batch IAS of ficer is counted among the most trusted offic ers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ahead of the UP assembly elections, it was decid ed to replace IAS Rajen

dra Kumar Tiwari and make Durga Shankar Mishra on central dep utation as the Chief Secretary by giving a year’s extension. Mishra is the senior most IAS officer in the state’s bureaucracy. Af ter that, Rajendra Ku mar Tiwari, a 1985 batch IAS officer, is the chair man of UPSRTC and his retirement is also due in

Drunk on Mahua, 24 jumbos sleep for hours in Odisha

Keonjhar (PTI): Peo ple of a village in Odi sha who went into a for est to prepare “mahua”, a traditional country liquor, found that a herd of 24 elephants al ready devoured the wa ter fermented with the intoxicating flowers and deep asleep--appar enty drunk.

“We had kept the flowers in water to fer ment earlier. When we went into the jungle at around 6 am to prepare mahua, we found all the pots broken and the fermented water miss ing. We also found the elephants--nine tusk ers, six females and nine calves--asleep. It seems that they con sumed the fermented water and got drunk,” Naria Sethi, a

villager, said.

“That liquor was un processed. We tried to wake up the animals but failed. The forest department was then informed,” he added.

Patana range forest personnel had to beat drums to wake the herd up.

Sethi said the herd left the place at around 10 am.

The forest official,

however, is not sure whether the elephants got drunk after consum ing fermented mahua.

“They may have been just resting there,” Patra said.

The villagers, on the other hand, insist that they spotted the ele phants sleeping in an intoxicated condition at various places close to the broken pots on Tuesday.

February 2023. The third is 1985 batch IAS Shalini Pras ad Additional Sector

Panchayati Raj on Cen tral deputation. She is retiring in December 2022. The fourth is 1987 batch IAS Arun Sin ghal, who is posted at the Centre and his re tirement is in May 2025.

IAS Mahesh Kumar Gupta is the fifth senior most officer of the state and a 1987 batch officer, whose retirement is due in May 2024. If sources

are to be believed, Mishra might get an ex tension as he has a good hold of bureaucracy at the Centre and state level and is a very hardwork ing and honest officer. Most of the senior officers of the state government are near ing retirement. Mishra also has the charge of Delhi Chief Resident Commissioner.

DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT

Adani Ports acquires 49.38% stake in Indian Oiltanking Ltd

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: Adani Ports and Special Eco nomic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), the largest transport utility in In dia, has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Oiltanking India Gm bH’s 49.38% equity stake in Indian Oil tanking Ltd (IOTL). This agreement also includes acquisition of an additional 10% equity stake in IOT Utkal Energy Services Ltd, a 71.57% subsidi ary of IOTL.

Over the last 26 years, IOTL has built a network of six ter minals across five

states with a total ca pacity of 2.4 Mn KL (owned capacity of 0.5 Mn KL and BOOT ca pacity of 1.9 Mn KL) for storage of crude and finished petrole um products. The owned facilities in clude Navghar termi nal in Maharashtra, Raipur terminal in Chhattisgarh and Goa terminal. The BOOT terminal with Indian

ANNUAL CONVENTION OF CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION

Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) is at Paradip (Odisha) and O&M contracts with IOCL are at JNPT (Maha rashtra) and Dumad (Gujarat). The com pany also has a biogas plant of 15 TPD capac ity in Namakkal (Ta mil Nadu).

“With this acquisi tion, APSEZ’s oil stor age capacity jumps 200% to 3.6 Mn KL, making it India’s larg est third-party liquid storage company. This ties well with our am bition to become the largest transport util ity globally,” said Karan Adani, CEO and Whole Time Di rector of APSEZ.

Birla stresses on effective use of RTI for corruption free country

MAIN AIM OF RTI

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said the ef fective use of the Right to Information Act (RTI) will help in building a developed and corrup tion free country as en visioned by Prime Min ister Narendra Modi.

Inaugurating the 15th Annual Conven tion of Central Infor mation Commission (CIC), the Speaker said the main aim of the RTI Act is empowering citi zens, bringing trans parency, getting system

rid of corruption and taking democracy to the people of the coun try in the true sense.

Addressing the twoday convention titled

Pensions,

related on issues relat ed to Union Territory (UT) or agencies.

Lauding the Commis sion for hearing peti tions from newly

carved out Union Ter ritories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh during the peak of Cov id lockdown, the minis ter said applicants from the UTs filed RTI appli cations from homes.

Singh said despite the challenges posed by the unprecedented pandemic situation, earnest efforts were made by the CIC and SICs to dispose of RTI second appeals and complaints and some Commissions even ex ceeded pre-pandemic figures of disposal dur ing certain periods.

Yadav on Wednesday demanded special category status for the state as a “birthday gift” from his rivals in the BJP who were greeting him on the occasion. The RJD leader, who turned 33, expressed his wish at a govt function, attended by CM among others.

New Delhi: The BSF has shot down a drone entering from Pakistan into Indian territory in the Ferozepur district in Punjab, the force said on Wednesday. BSF’s 136 Battal ion deployed at the border heard the buzzing sound of a suspected flying object or drone entering from Pakistan into Indian territory in the area near Gandu Kilcha village in Ferozepur at around 11.25 pm on Tuesday, the force said in a statement.

BIHAR COPS SEIZE ARMS FROM AURANGABAD

TEJASHWI SEEKS SPECIAL STATUS FOR BIHAR

First India Bureau

“Azadi Ka Amrit Ma hotsav: Citizen — cen tric Governance through RTI”, Minister of state for Personnel, Public Grievances and

Jitendra Sin gh said the non-domi ciles and non-State sub jects of Jammu and Kashmir will also now be entitled to file RTI

Shah stressed on the need to strengthen

Amit Shah chairs a high-level meeting of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers across the country, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Durga Shankar Mishra

PM Narendra Modi

Rajnath Singh with the Indian Army Commanders at the Commanders’ Conference, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Neeraj Kumar Gupta, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Om Birla, YK Sinha at the inauguration of CIC.

Jairam Ramesh

TATA MOTORS Q2 NET LOSS NARROWS TO `945 CRORE

New Delhi (PTI): Tata Motors on Wednesday re ported narrowing of con solidated net loss at `945 cr for the second quarter ended Sept 30, as sales picked up in marquee brand Jaguar Land Rover and across domestic as well as commercial vehi cle segments. The auto major had reported a net loss of `4,442 crore, at tributable to shareholders of the company, in the Ju ly-Sept period of 2021.

Consolidated net loss for the second quarter stood at `898 crore. It was at `4,416 crore in 2021.

ELON MUSK SELLS

$3.95 BN WORTH OF TESLA STOCK

META CUTS 11K JOBS

New York (Agencies): Fa cebook parent Meta is lay ing off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce, as it contends with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a letter to employees on Wednes day.

The job cuts come just a week after widespread lay offs at Twitter under its new owner, billionaire Elon Musk.

There have been numer ous job cuts at other tech companies that hired rap idly during the pandemic.

Zuckerberg as well said that he had made the deci sion to hire aggressively, anticipating rapid growth even after the pandemic ended.

“Unfortunately, this did not play out the way I ex pected,” Zuckerberg said in a prepared statement.

Washington (Agencies):

Twitter’s new owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sold nearly $4 billion worth of Tesla shares, ac cording to regulatory fil ings. Musk sold 19.5 mil lion shares of the electric car company from No vember 4 to November 8, according to Tuesday’s fil ings with the Securities and Exchange Commis sion. He sold $7 billion of his Tesla stock in August as he worked to finance the Twitter purchase he was trying to get out of at the time.

BANK OF MAHA RAISES ONE-YEAR MCLR BY 10 BPS

“Not only has online commerce returned to pri or trends, but the macroe conomic downturn, in creased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected. I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

Meta, like other social media companies, enjoyed

OTHER STORIES

AIR INDIA LEASES SIX A320 NEO AIRCRAFT FROM CDB AVIATION

Singapore (PTI): Air India has leased a fleet of six Airbus A320 neo aircraft from CDB Avia tion, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Develop ment Bank Financial Leasing Co Limited, to boost the Tata Group-owned company’s transformation journey, a statement said on Wednesday.

TOP TALKING POINTS

z The job cuts come just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, billionaire Elon Musk. There have been numerous job cuts at other tech companies that hired rapidly during COVID.

a financial boost during the pandemic lockdown era be cause more people stayed home and scrolled on their phones and computers.

But as the lockdowns ended and people started going outside again, reve

z

z Meta, like other social media companies, enjoyed a financial boost during the pandemic lockdown era.

nue growth began to falter.

An economic slowdown and a grim outlook for on line advertising — by far Meta’s biggest revenue source — have contributed to Meta’s woes.

This summer, Meta post

ed its first quarterly reve nue decline in history, fol lowed by another, bigger decline in the fall.

Some of the pain is com pany-specific, while some is tied to broader economic and technological forces.

Last week, Twitter laid off about half of its 7,500 employees, part of a cha otic overhaul as Musk took the helm.

He tweeted that there was no choice but to cut the jobs “when the company is losing over $4M/day,” though did not provide de tails about the losses.

Coal demand in India yet to reach its peak: Pralhad Joshi

CIL’S CAPEX RISES 33% TO `7,027 CRORE IN APRIL-SEPTEMBER

New Delhi (PTI): The Cen tre on Wednesday said that the demand for coal in In dia is still to reach its peak and the dry fuel will con tinue to play a key role in the energy mix till 2040 and beyond. Therefore, shift from coal will not happen in foreseeable future in the country, according to coal minister Pralhad Joshi.

Joshi said that there is a push towards energy tran sition away from coal in the global world. “However, for India, coal, being an afford able source of energy, holds prime importance for meet ing its energy needs being fuelled by rising economy,” he said in on Wednesday.

New Delhi (PTI): Coal India Ltd on Wednesday said its capital expenditure grew 33% to `7,027 crore in April-Sept FY23 as compared to the year-ago period. The company’s capex in the year-ago period stood at `5,300 crore. The two coal evacuation infrastructure heads - setting up of CHP/silos and railways lines - together accounted for 36% or `2,547 crore of the total capex in the period under review, CIL said in a statement. Construction of CHPs/silos under first mile connectivity was the major capex head at `1,489 crore during the six-month period of FY23, as compared to `614 cr a year ago.

New Delhi (PTI): Stateowned Bank of Maha rashtra on Wednesday said it has increased its marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) for select tenor loans. The benchmark one-year MCLR, used to price most of consumer loans such as auto, per sonal and home, has been revised upwards to 7.90% from 7.80%, the lender said in a regulato ry filing. The revised MCLR has come to effect from November 7, 2022.

The one-month MCLR has been raised by 5 bps.

ReNew POWER TO PLANT 1 MILLION TREES BY 2030

CDB Aviation is among the first aircraft leasing companies to secure the placement of Air India’s additional A320 neo aircraft under the recently an nounced multi-stage transfor mation plan.

TVS MOTOR, AMAZON INDIA JOIN HANDS TO BOOST E-MOBILITY

New Delhi (PTI): Amazon India and TVS Motor Company have joined hands to strengthen electric mobili ty in the coun try, the companies said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

As part of the collaboration, a fleet of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers from TVS Motor will be deployed for Amazon’s last-mile deliveries.

In addition, the two companies will work in tandem to exam ine EV use cases for various Amazon business groups for its network and logistical requirements.

MAHINDRA TIES UP WITH 3 ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRA PLAYERS FOR CHARGING SOLUTIONS

Framework for sovereign green bonds to match global standards

Sensex, Nifty close lower on selloff in power, metal stocks

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty gave up early gains to close in the red on Wednesday after a selloff in power, metal and con sumer durable stocks amid a weak trend in glob al equities.

New Delhi (PTI): The Fi nance Ministry has final ised the framework to issue sovereign green bonds in line with global standards.

The government intends to mobilise ` 16,000 crore from the issuance of green bonds during the second half of the current finan cial year. It is a part of the borrowing programme for the second half of this fis cal. The framework is ready and it would be ap proved soon, the sources said. These rupee-denomi nated papers will have long tenure to suit the require ment of green infrastruc ture projects, they added.

However, a rally in the rupee against the US dol lar and unabated foreign capital inflows helped the indices restrict the losses, traders said.

In a largely range-bound session, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 151.60 points or 0.25% lower at 61,033.55. The index witnessed high volatility towards the fagend and recorded an intraday high of 61,447.23 and a low of 60,905.15.

On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty fell 45.80 points or 0.25% to end at 18,157.

PowerGrid was the big gest loser in the Sensex pack, slipping 4.06%, fol

RUPEE GAINS 45 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.47 AGAINST US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated by 45 paise to close at 81.47 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday amid fall in crude oil prices, dollar weakness and sustained foreign fund inflows. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.43, and witnessed an intra-day high of Rs 81.23 and low of Rs 81.62 during the session. The local unit finally settled at 81.47 against the American currency, register ing a rise of 45 paise over its previous close.

lowed by Tech Mahindra, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Fin serv, NTPC and M&M. In contrast, ITC, Dr Reddy’s,

ACCORDING TO PwC REPORT

Biz executives see cybersecurity budget rising

New Delhi (PTI): ReNew

Power on Wednesday said it will plant one million trees by 2030 as part of its commitment under ‘1t. Org’, an effort by the World Economic Forum.

1t.Org is part of the World Economic Forum’s efforts to accelerate nature-based solutions and was set up to support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restora tion. “With our commit ment to plant a million trees by 2030, we will also be working towards meet ing India’s green goals,” said Sumant Sinha, Chair man and CEO of ReNew Power.

New Delhi (PTI): More than 82% of business ex ecutives surveyed in India anticipate an increase in cybersecurity budgets in the coming year.

The survey highlights that of all the risks affect ing organisations, India respondents consider a catastrophic cyberattack, a resurgence of COVID-19 or a new health crisis, and a new geopolitical conflict among the top three risks.

“Over 82% of business executives in India foresee an increase in cybersecu rity budgets in 2023,” said

the PwC survey. 89% of In dian business executives say their organisations’

cybersecurity team detect ed a significant cyberthreat to business and prevented

SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

z According to a PwC report released on Wednesday (Nov 9), the survey highlights that of all the risks affecting organisations, India respondents consider a catastrophic cyberattack, a resurgence of COVID-19 or a new health crisis, and a new geopolitical conflict among the top three risks

it from affecting their op erations, as against 70% globally.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, In dusInd Bank and HCL Tech were among the gain ers, climbing up to 1.99%.

Agri Ministry okays setting up 100 fodder-centric FPOs

New Delhi (PTI): The gov ernment has finally desig nated National Dairy De velopment Board (NDDB) as the implementing agen cy for setting up of 100 fodder-centric Farmer Pro ducer Organisations (FPOs) during this fiscal to address the fodder deficit situation in the country.

The Ministry of Fisher ies, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in 2020 had proposed the establish ment of fodder-centric FPOs and requested the ag riculture ministry to allow such FPOs under the cen tral scheme “Formation

and Promotion of 10,000 new FPOs”.

The proposal was con sidered seriously and the agriculture ministry fi nally issued an order on November 4. NDDB has been assigned to form 100 FPOs during 2022-23 within the contours of the scheme guidelines, it added.

New Delhi (PTI): Mahindra & Mahindra on Wednesday said it has tied up with three electric vehicle infrastructure partners -- Jio-bp, Statiq, and Charge+Zone -- to offer charging solutions for its upcoming range of passenger electric vehicles. With these partner ships, Mahindra EV users will get seamless access to a robust fast charging infrastructure and emobility solutions spanning across discovery, availability, navigation and transactions, the Mumbaibased automaker said in a statement. Mahindra unveiled its first all-electric SUV -- XUV400 recently.

New Delhi (PTI): Shares of Coal India Ltd on Wednesday climbed over 2% after the state-owned mining company announced that its capital expenditure (capex) grew 33%. The stock rose 2.59% to settle at Rs 255.95 apiece on the BSE. On the NSE, it zoomed 2.93% to finish at Rs 256.85 apiece. In volume terms, 16.29 lakh shares were traded on the BSE and over 4.03 crore shares on the NSE during the day.

COAL INDIA LIMITED SHARES CLIMB OVER 2 PER CENT

Zuckerberg also said that he had made the decision to hire aggressively, anticipating rapid growth even after the pandemic ended.

One gets caught up in the challenges and negative solutions of life but it is crucial to get back our own inherent self quickly.

2ND FRONT

Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, but justice to all and appeasement to none!

mohan Singh govern ment and now they are saying things about it. So, neither were they learned then, nor are they now. BJP speaks on this issue only when they have conducted due dili gence over the matter.

z So are you going to form the government in Himachal again?

JP Nadda: Yes, we are going to form the govern ment and there are a few reasons for that. Firstly, the love Modiji has shown towards Himachal. Secondly, the work culture that he has introduced in the gov ernments. Thirdly, the mainstreaming of Himachal done by him, so the people of Himachal are eager to support him and as a ‘si lent worker’ Jairam has brought the works till the grass roots, so I can see it. And more than anything, I can see that the people are upbeat. I visited a place today and I am telling you a fact, BJP could never have hoped for such an amaz ing rally. There was a crowd of more than 12,000 people and even though I was an hour late, there was immense excitement in the rally and in all rallies of the BJP. The crowd is re sponsive and people step forward to work for the party, so I think that we are in a comfortable situ ation.

z So what do you think about the num ber of seats you will win since you had 44 seats last time? I won’t be able to ana lyse that right now, I will need a few days for that exercise, but I can say that we are comfortable.

z We have an astrolo ger Dr Kumar Ganesh, who has predicted that BJP will get 45 and Congress would get 21 seats and two are oth ers. So these others would be AAP, since there is no other... No, AAP will not get trac tion here and their secu rity will be forfeited. They are contesting on 67 seats and their security will be forfeited on 67 seats. Their Uttarakhand Chief Minister candi date has joined BJP and is campaigning for us in Uttarakhand and here in Himachal, their Party President has joined us.

z So what are the main issues on which you are contesting elections? Modiji’s face and govern ment’s works?

Yes. Development, stabil ity and empowerment of the Himachali people. We have done good work

in health and education and now is the time to consolidate and empow er people and that is what we have been doing.

z Amit Shah said that Uniform Civil Code will be enforced. Does it have any rele vance or impact in Himachal?

Definitely. Our thought has been that we follow Sabka Sath, Sabka Vi kas, Sabka Vishwas, but justice to all and ap peasement to none. Moreover, in a state or in a nation, as citizens, we have to shoulder our col lective responsibilities and for that, uniformity is needed and that is our agenda. The nation does not become strong just like that, everyone has to have an equal partner ship in the nation. And how will that equal part nership come into be ing? When there is Uni form Civil Code.

z And what about giving employment to eight lakh people? See, what has happened is that a new trend has started. I will give eight lakh government jobs, I will give ten lakh govern ment jobs. Tejashwi had said in Bihar. What is the distinction between BJP and other parties? We said that we will give eight lakh employment opportunities, and they said they will give eight lakh jobs. The difference is of giving away ‘Re vadies’. We will empower people which will give them opportunities. Let me give you an example. They said they will give eight lakh jobs. I have grown tired of telling people this: show me one Cabinet note in Inde pendent India that says any government will give this many number of jobs. This is not how jobs are created, no one can just give jobs. After all, who will you give these jobs, where will you give them and how will you give them, these are few things that have to be specified in the cabinet note. This is administra tion and not a shop, where you can run things

as you please. I want a se rious discussion on this issue and it is a serious matter. How is a note pre pared? That Himachal Pradesh has been pro vided a ‘Bulk Drug Park,’ which will be established in Una. The Cabinet de cides that it will be set up at Una and the State Gov ernment has to provide so many acres of land. In that land so many clus ters will be developed and an investment of Rs 2,000 crore will come, which will provide an employ ment of let’s say 1.5 lakh direct employment and 1.5 lakh indirect employ ment. So, we are saying that we are giving job op portunities. This is the difference. They have made fools out of the un employed, and what else have they done? No one hopes for anything from them, neither do they un derstand anything. They may say what they want to since they just know they need to make claims and not follow on word. You pick up our mani festo. We will provide Cy cles to girl child and Scooties to families pur suing higher education, the beneficiaries of which will be to the tune of eight lakh and the amount incurred will be Rs 500 crore. So, we have taken due diligence in this and we have taken care of where we will bring this Rs 500 crore from. We know this amount will not be uti lised in one day and so we will execute the plan in instalment and make ar rangements accordingly.

So, if you look at our en tire manifesto, you will know we have taken due diligence. What happens in politics is that parties want to handle affairs like fast food (immediate results). That is not how things actually work.

What has happened to day is that people of Himachal know that BJP’s manifesto is a cred ible manifesto and they will deliver what they are

promising and have giv en what they have not said but when Congress party presents some thing, then the person who has written the manifesto hasn’t read, and the one who has read, hasn’t written it.

z Is that why you said that Congress does not apply its own manifesto? Yes, they don’t. You see for yourself that they do not have any point of their manifesto in their speeches. Why is it so?

Because, neither are they serious, but they treat it like just an event since the party has to take out manifesto. They put this and that into it.

z Now you are invest ing in tourism and bringing medical col leges also?

Yes and we have decided on the districts as well. I consider myself to be extremely lucky since there was just one Medi cal College in Himachal Pradesh and that too in Shimla. After that, I be came the Health Minis ter of the State and I made the Tanda Medical College and I was fortu nate enough that I could make the most planned hospital building of North India. I feel ex tremely happy about it.

By God’s grace, I got Modiji’s blessings & I became nation’s Health Minister and then we opened a ‘Can cer Centre’ in Shimla, Tanda and Mandi, super speciality block in Chamiyana worth Rs 270 crore, which had 7 super speciality wings. Then, we opened Medical Col leges in Mandi, Chamba, Hamirpur and Sirmour.

We gave a ‘Satellite Cen tre’ to PGI. There is a tradition in PGI that when Chandigarh was set up, some part of the services were given to Punjab also & thus, a ‘PGI Centre’ was opened in Firozpur and one ‘Sat

YOU READ PART-1 ON NOVEMBER 9, 2022

We are going to form the government and there are a few reasons for that. Firstly, the love Modiji has shown towards Himachal. Secondly, the work culture that he has introduced in the governments. Thirdly, the mainstreaming of Himachal done by him, so the people of Himachal are eager to support him and as a ‘silent worker’ Jairam has brought the works till the grassroots.

ellite Centre’ was given to Una. And with Modi ji’s blessings, we gave AIIMS to Himachal and it was established in Bi laspur. Five years ago, Modiji had come to lay the foundation stone for AIIMS on Ashtami and now after five years, he dedicated AIIMS to pub lic on Vijayadashmi, and this 5 year period also saw 2 years of Corona pandemic. I took at least 15-20 review meetings. This is why, I say that these Congress leaders don’t know the ‘A’ of ad ministration. They just ran governments with out any inkling to do so. They don’t know about the minute details.

z BJP has prepared another manifesto for women empower ment?

Yes we have. See half of Himachal’s population are women and they have

been ignored for a long time. Modiji empowered them a lot through PM Awas Yojana, Saubhag ya Yojana, and others like toilets in every home. Women lived for 70 years without dignity of life. Could you imagine 12 crore families in the na tion lived without toilets and no one ever thought about them? Modiji gave them respect and empow ered them through Awas Yojana. In Himachal, the number of such families was over one lakh which means two lakh children used to go out to defecate. This was a question of dignity. When I used to visit villages, I could come across people with disabilities and when I used to ask about their injuries they would say they went to collect wood and fell due to which they sustained these prob lems. Today, Modiji intro duced Ujjawala Yojana

and Jairam ji gave Sugra hini Yojana. No family today is exempted from gas connection. Then we gave free cylinders as to the poor as well . After all, they too will celebrate Diwali, Holi & Lohri.

Pradhan Mantri Matrit va Suraksha Yojana, which was Modiji’s con cept, under which all pregnant women would undergo free medical checkup on the 9th of each month. They would get all inoculations, their blood pressure, diabetes and other parameters would be checked every month. When the deliv ery time nears, the Asha worker would be respon sible to take her to the institution for which free transportation would be given. If during delivery any complication takes place, the government would bear the expenses and then she would be shifted back to home and on top of that, they would be given Rs 6,000, we de cided on that. Then the Himachal Government decided to provide Rs 25,000, additionally, for the new born child, so that they can be given a better care. So, this is how we are empowering them. But the problem is that Congress leaders can even understand this, because to serve is not on their agenda, but they only want to collect the votes. Hence, they give populist slogans and move on.

z There are also talks about OPS... We also talk about OPS. Look, who gave OROP? But who created the most ruckus... Congress. 35 years went by and they couldn’t give two paise. First, there was due dili gence and talks at vari ous levels and then a committee was formed and although it took a lit tle time, but Modiji en sured providing Rs 60,000 crore to our soldier brethren. Tell me who ended OPS? It was Man

z Ashok Gehlot has said about giving OPS in Rajasthan... But they are not going to do so in Rajasthan. I be lieve, he stressed on giv ing five lakh government jobs and they have given 18,000. He had given Rs 2, 500 as employment ex pense to the youth and Rs 1,500 to women. So, when you do not have to give, then it is merely about giving populist slogans, so you can say as much you want.

z What about faction alism in BJP and re bels here?

See, we try to ensure that everyone is on the same page and we make an ef fort to pacify them. First ly, they have rebelled means that BJP is in the winning position and hence, they want to con test because they want to win. We did try to talk to them. But what happens is that in Himachal, the voters are extremely vigilant and alert and they cast their vote to po litical parties and as the date for election comes near, it becomes clear which party is going to win, so, the voters don’t misuse their franchise. Yes, people talk about re bels, but after a few days, these rebels also end their rebellion and their supporters also return to the party.

z But people talk about Nadda Group, Dhumal Group and Jairam Group....

I can tell you there is no Nadda Group because it is not in my habit to do so. I have never asked anyone to place posters for me, or raise slogans for me or engage in wall writing for me. So, there is no Nadda Group. Now, the other names that you took, let me tell you these are not groups or fac tions, there is no groupism here. There may be difference of opinion, but we talk on issues and resolve them. See, we gave so many tickets, but can any one say that there has been factionalism or prefer ence in ticket distribu tion. No ne can say that because everyone’s con sent has been taken. Had there been groupism, you would have said so many tickets given to this group and this many to that group, but no one can say that.

During the show #JCwithJPNadda trended top All-India on Twitter

BJP’s National President JP Nadda talks to Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and First India; CMD, First India News and stresses that BJP will form government again, How the BJP will enforce Uniform Civil Code, how Congress has lost the plot due to its own inefficiency and how BJP takes due diligence in every step it takes. Excerpts... (Part II)

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra in conversation with JP Nadda during The JC Show in Shimla.

—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

KILLER SKIRTS:

WORKS OF ART!

SKIRTS HAVE DOMINATED 2022 MORE THAN ANY OTHER TREND THIS YEAR AND IT’S NOT HARD TO SEE WHY LITERALLY. CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU SOME ALLURING PIECE OF FASHION, THAT WILL ENHANCE YOUR WARDROBE.

reaches the backside, has a really wild and quirky ap pearance while still being quite intriguing and fashion able. A short skirt is a highly feminine item of clothing, making it ideal for a fun night out on the town.

SThe short skirt is just as fashionable today as it was 20 years ago since it is avail able in so many different styles and materials. Teen agers and young ladies, es pecially those with good legs and a shapely physique, look best in the short skirt.

A short skirt is popular among ladies who visit clubs. Even though dancing in a short skirt might be en tertaining, it also draws at tention, particularly from the other sex. You may have noticed celebrities sporting one of the newest trends: a very short skirt. To see how the skirt will look before you buy it, you can view it

online or try it on.

When wearing short skirts, pairing them with semi-opaque matching stockings gives you a more put-together appearance; sheer, skin-coloured, and patterned hose call atten tion unnecessarily to the legs. Consider using col oured stripes that will go with anything. Alternative ly, choose plain skirts in the neutral hues of your colour scheme; this will give you the freedom to combine all the hues that go well with you. You’ll probably find that they match a lot of what you currently own. The flap per wore sheer, flesh-col oured stockings below the skirt that she coiled and twisted to hold them in place without garters.

It takes skill to wear a skirt effectively, and like any other art, there is joy in hon ing your skills.

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES THROUGH LEVERAGING CREATIVITY AND CULTURE

MRUNMAYEE MOHAN Cultural entrepreneurship researcher and consultant

ndia and Culture are almost synonymous with each other. It wouldn’t be surprising to say that, the global identity of India stays strong as a culturally rich country for centuries. While the country is celebrat ing and “meme-ing” about the Indian-origin Prime minister of the UK, Indian-origin Chick en Tikka Masala has been the national dish of the UK for cen turies now.

Yoga has spurred the growth of ventures serving alternate products like equipment, apps, camps, or training in schools. Additionally, June 21 is cele brated as International Yoga Day across the globe. While tra ditional cultural practices might be far-fetched from gen Z, the turmeric latte viz Haldi Doodh, is quite fancied in the global café chains. The epics of Indian mythology like Rama yana and Mahabharata have been adapted by many south east Asian countries as a part of performing arts, theatre, lit erature, etc. For centuries, In dia has been eminent and one of the finest centres of handi crafts in the world.

Everyday items are crafted tenderly, in an artistic manner. All of this adds to the cultural

capital of our country. This capital not only brings in mon etary inflow but also brings to gether communities while cel ebrating inclusions. Cultural capital plays a pivotal role in influencing a nation-brand val ue and alternatively, its soft power Cultural capital can be bifurcated into two forms, one is tangible and the other is in tangible.

Tangible cultural capital in volves creative artworks such as sculptures, handicrafts, paintings, architectural build ings, etc. Intangible consists of artwork that exists in its pure form as a public good, like music, dance, etc. Cultural ameni ties play a critical role in driving the success of grow ing cities or clus tered suburbs by enabling social interaction and harmony, which encourages inno vation and fur ther leads to de velopment. A flourishing cul tural economy is a driver of econom ic growth, as in fusing commer cial value into cultural goods and services and experiences leads to revenue genera tion. According to the Creative Economy Outlook report by UNCTAD, India is the fifth larg est exporter in the global art and craft sector. This sector not only employs the local people but also earns foreign exchange for the country. The State, of

Rajasthan, houses about 6 lakh craftsmen and artisans. In the year 2020-21, Handicrafts worth Rs. 6205.32 crores were exported from the State; besides this, Gem & Jewellery worth Rs. 4067.36 crores, Textiles worth Rs. 5729.29 crores, Readymade Garments worth Rs. 1764.40 crores and Carpet/Dari worth Rs. 464.70 crores were also ex ported. As the world is sur rounded by machine-made items, the uniqueness of artis tic work would encourage greater demand in the coming future. Which would provide greater economic opportunities

be leveraged and encouraged to add to economic development. Leveraging these creative skills, not only encourages cre ativity but also enhances the sense of identity in the commu nity, solving the migration problem. Jaipur Rugs from Jaipur sets up a perfect exam ple of adapting cultural re sources for its social enterprise model. A social enterprise at its heart and a cultural enterprise at its core Jaipur Rugs stand strong in transforming the lives of more than 60,000 arti sans across 5 states in India.

Founded by Nand Kishore Chaudhary in the year 1958.

It is one of India’s largest hand-knotted rug manufacturing companies that cele brate and preserves indigenous art and culture. Tracing back to the 16th century, ar tisans working in the Jaipur area adopted the traditional Per sian weaving tech niques and reinter preted them according to their creativity. In spired by the Gandhi an Philosophy and Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Nand Kishore Chaudhary saw the greatest po tential at the bottom of the pyramid by transforming the com munity through creativi ty and adopting regional cultural resources. In the era of technology and advanced machinery, Jaipur rugs focused on human creativity and en couraged artisans to

weave hand-knotted carpets of a high-quality standard. It fo cuses on turning artisans into artists.

With Projects like ‘Mancha ha’ which translates to ‘my heart’s desire’ builds on the journey of converting artisans into artists. ‘Freedom Mancha ha’ offers hope through creativ ity and healing for the incarcer ated. In collaboration with the State of Rajasthan Prison De partment, by conducting prison workshops in Jaipur, Bikaner Central, and Dausa Central jails. Artisans have the choice to weave their unique idea by us

ing leftover hand-spun yarn, weavers-turned-artists tell sto ries that matter to them through their creations, also focusing on environmental sustainability and conscious production. Many such creative enterprises contribute to the creative econ omy which preserves, sustains, and encourages our cultural identity. While art has proven power to change the world, It is also a distinguishing factor be tween us humans versus other animal species. Embracing it in our lives would enable us to lead ourselves on the path of selfactualization.

DEEPIKA AS RANBIR'S MOTHER

Shraddha Kapoor is one of the most talented Bol lywood actors in the film industry. The daughter of actor Shakti Kapoor began her acting career with a brief role in the 2010 heist film Teen Patti and followed it with her first leading role in the drama film Luv Ka The End (2011). And since then, there has been no looking back in her career. In a recent development, she has earned over 75 million Ins tagram followers leaving popu lar actors Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif

behind the race. Feeling over joyed with this development, Shraddha shared a cute picture of herself and cap tioned it by saying: “Celebrat ing 75 Million with Chai on Cheek. Badi badi Instafam, Choti choti Khushiyaan!!!.”

Rashmika's note on receiving hate

Popular South actor Rash mika Mandanna, who made her Bollywood de but with the film Goodbye recently, penned down a long note for those trolling her on so cial media platforms. The Varisu actor highlighted that it is “heartbreaking” and “demoral izing” to receive hate on the in ternet. She further pointed out that false narratives are being spread across the internet which can be very harmful to her and the relationships she has in or outside the industry.

Taking to Instagram, Rash mika wrote, “I have been on the

HAPPY’

riyanka Chopra, who is one of the most loved actresses in Bollywood, jetted off to Los Angeles on Wednes day. She recently re turned to Mumbai after three years to pro mote her hair care brand. This was her first visit to India

after becoming a mother. She welcomed her and Nick Jo nas’ daughter Malti Marie earlier this year via surroga cy. A while ago, the new mom my took to social media and updated her fans about going back to LA.

The Desi girl shared a selfie with her fans. A tired Priyan ka is seen flashing her smile to the camera. She is seen

sporting an all-white outfit. Along with the picture, she wrote, “Exhausted but happy. Will continue to keep u post ed about my @unicefindia visits.” She used the location stamp that read Los Angeles, California and wrote, “Here I come.” She will be reunit ing with her daughter Malti Marie after staying away from her for a while.

receiving end of a lot of hate ever since I start ed my career. Quite literally a punching bag for a lot of trolls and negativity out there. I know that the life I’ve chosen comes with a price– I understand that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and certainly don’t expect to be loved by every single person out there. That doesn’t mean because you don’t approve of me you can spew negativity instead."

Rumours about Deepi ka Padukone playing the role of Shiva’s mother Amrita in Brahmastra Part 2 have now been con firmed after fans spot ted her face clearly in Brahmas tra’s OTT version.

Brahmastra Part 1 Shiva, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles, was released on September 9 and it is the first instalment of a planned trilogy. The movie was released on OTT just a few days ago sand eagle-eyed fans noticed something interesting while watching the movie on the digi tal platform. When the movie was released in theatres, there had been rumours that Deepika will play the role of Shiva’s mother Amrita after some fans claimed they spotted the ac tress’ face in the film. Many fans claimed the actress wasn’t visi ble at all. Now, the OTT version of Brahmastra has cleared all doubts as they clearly spotted Deepika as Amrita in the film.

Sara's tight schedule

Sara Ali Khan has a busy sched ule right now because Mum bai is where she is filming her upcom ing movie, Ae Wa tan Mere Watan. This is the actress' third movie of the year, and as she is filming this one, she is also dubbing for two of her oth er films, including Gaslight,

Vicky Kaushal project.

According to a source close to the actress, "Sara is now balancing be tween three of her projects. Along with Vicky Kaush al, she is dubbing for her next pro jects Gaslight and Maddock's next while filming for Ae Watan Mere Wa tan, in which she portrays Usha Me

Deepika Padukone

Shraddha’s post...

Rashmika Mandanna

Her story...

Malaika Arora

Sara Ali Khan

ARMAAN AND VEDIKA OPEN UP ON THEIR NEW SONG

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Popular singer Ar maan Malik is seen sharing the screen space with actress Vedika Pinto for his latest track 'Bas Tu jhse Pyaar Ho.' The song well portrays the emo tions of love and the excite ment that the couple experi ences before meeting each other. The duo exclusively spoke to Ashish Tiwari of First India and shared their idea of love. Armaan while talking about his experience shared, “We have made this song with utmost simplicity. The video is filmed on us very beautifully all thanks to our director.”

Vedika shared her experi

ence by saying, “Shooting on this project was extremely fun but at the same time, the locations that we shot in are untouched unseen locations that only added to the beauty of the song. Armaan and I are childhood friends so it was quite fun shooting with him.”

Talking about the off screen and on-screen bond they said, “There is a com fort level between us as we knew each other, the vibes amidst us never changed there was no awkward ness. It just felt we are meant to be." Vedika added, “There was an ease in working, our offscreen chemistry is very funny but it turned out beautifully on screen.”

Armaan said, “We never decided what we had to show on screen everything just happened and we are glad we could perform according to Charit’s (Director) Vision that’s the beauty of the song.” Sharing what stayed with them of the song they stated, “The vibe of the song is what

will stay with us, everything about the song is organic from lyrics to compositions. Compared to other artists and songs I have sung this as myself and for myself and that’s going to be special.”

Armaan opened up on what is love for him and said, “I believe in romance and love, I feel it's a very pure emotion have always seen love around me so the definition of love keeps evolving and it's omni present. The first love emotion is what I relate."

Vedika added, “I have been a hopeless romantic since childhood. I just love the idea of love. There’s nothing greater than love in this world. It's the most beau tiful feeling that’s present.”

Bas Tujhse Pyaar Ho is produced by Bhushan Ku mar and directed by Charit Desai with music by Rochak Kohli. Featuring Armaan and Vedika Pinto the music video is out on T-Series' You Tube channel.

Neetu adorableKapoor’sreaction Manoj's untitled courtroom drama

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor recently be came parents and gave birth to their baby daughter. Alia posted the news on her Instagram feed and called herself and Ran bir blessed and ob sessed parents. Grand mother, Neetu Kapoor too could not contain her joy as she was clicked by the paparaz zi while visiting the hospital on several occa sions. However, Neetu who is known to be a sweet talker with the pa parazzi, this time, refused to divulge any in forma

tion about the baby Ka poor.

After her recent visit to the hospital, the veteran actor was caught by the pa parazzi out side her building where she was asked how Alia and the baby were doing.

She replied, “Absolute ly fine.” However, when the paps questioned what they have named the child, Neetu re fused to answer and said, “Abhi nahin”.

Before this, Nee tu Kapoor was asked by the paps who does the baby looked like on the first day of her visit. She stated that as the munchkin was born that same day, it would be hard to tell.

Three-time Na tional Film Awardee, Manoj Bajpay ee recently an nounced his upcom ing untitled court room drama. Backed by Vinod Bhanusha li’s Bhanushali Stu dios Limited, Suparn S Varma and Zee Stu dios, the pictures from the sets of this courtroom drama have started to take rounds on the in ternet.

As the shooting for this courtroom drama had begun in the initial weeks of last month, some glimpses of its cur rent shooting in Mum bai have started to come out. The pictures are from the Mumbai schedule that will

shoot some intense courtroom scenes. Moreover, from the start to finish, the schedule will be shot in Mumbai at vari ous locations.

Recently, the team has just end ed a shooting schedule in Jodhpur which came as a great experience for the cast. Manoj Bajpayee also expressed his gratitude for the amazing hospitality of the city he experi

Tsensational and super-glam orous in the nine-yard drape in red which set social me dia on fire!

Colour Yellow Pro duction and T-Series

'An Action Hero’, have been raising the anticipation quite high! Adding to the thrill of the audience, the filmmakers have just dropped the poster of the film. Ayushmann Khurrana looks stunning as he is seen posing with a gun and the poster strikes a chasing sequence of the film. High on excitement, the makers now look for ward to the trailer release of the film scheduled on No

vember 11.

The Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat starrer created much anticipation among the fans af ter the release of its thrilling teaser. With its slick ac tion and off beat, sa tirical sense of hu mour, the release of the film is highly awaited. 'An Action Hero' is slated to hit the big screen this De cember 2 and end all its fans' built-up intrigue.

Pratik Sehajpal is one of the most beloved television celebrities with a fan following of millions.

The actor had won over audiences with his genu ine and down-to-earth approach during his stint on OTT Bigg Boss and Bigg Boss 15. He also brought forward some

amazing content through the various music videos he starred in, always giv ing something memo rable to his fans.

Now, the actor is seen in the muchloved daily soap, Naa gin 6 which stars Tejass wi Prakash and Simba Nagpal. He portrays the role of Rudra Raichand,

the love interest of Pra rthna, Tejasswi and Sim ba’s daughter in the se rial, who is also played by Tejasswi.

Ever since he en tered the show, the love for the serial has sky-rocketed with fans swooning over the chemistry between Teja and Pratik.

Ananya Panday was seen in a stunning, embel lished saree which she paired with a sexy blouse that had scalloped straps and a sweet heart neckline. Anan ya looked ravishing and accessories the look with diamond ear rings and a bracelet.

quickly getting recogniza tion for her fashion choic es, slayed the red saree look to perfection. She wore an organza red saree which had a beauti ful thread work bor der. She paired the sa ree with a blouse that had a plunging neck line, accentuated with sequins embroidery and noodle straps.

Both the divas looked hot and sultry setting major fashion goals which are sure to be come a trend this wedding season.

Ananya Panday

Ananya and Sharvari Wagh

Apoorv Singh Karki, Manoj Bajpayee and Vinod Bhanushali

Poster of the song

Still from the music video

Neetu Kapoor Poster

Ayushmann Kjurrana

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt