MUMBAI l THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 97 OPPN MOVES NO-CONFIDENCE NOTICE AGAINST HIMACHAL GOVT
Shimla: The Himachal Assembly will discuss on Thursday, a notice on no confidence brought by Oppn against Jai Ram Thakur-led govt. The Speaker told the House that the notice was given under Rule 278 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
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`1.16 L CR TAX DEVOLUTION GIVEN TO STATES New Delhi: The central government on Wednesday released two instalments of tax devolution to states amounting to Rs 1,16,665.75 crore as against the normal monthly devolution of Rs.58,332.86 crore, the Ministry of Finance said.
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Mumbai: The rupee appreciated by 15 paise to close at 79.48 (provisional) against US dollar on Wednesday, tracking foreign fund inflows and easing crude oil prices. Rupee settled at 79.48, with a rise of 15 paise over its previous close.
FLY MUMBAI-RAS AL-KHAIMAH SOON New Delhi (PTI): IndiGo on Wednesday said it will start flights between Mumbai and Ras Al-Khaimah in the UAE from September 22. Ras Al-Khaimah will be the 100th destination on IndiGo’s network, the airline said in a statement. The daily flight will depart from Mumbai at 11 pm (local time) and land there at 12.35 am (local time), the airline said. The return flight will depart from Ras Al-Khaimah at 2.05 am (local time) and land in Mumbai at 6.40 am (local time), it mentioned.
BAIL FOR ACTIVIST VARAVARA RAO New Delhi: The SC on Wednesday granted bail to activist and poet P Varavara Rao, an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, on medical grounds. The SC said that he shall not leave the jurisdiction of Greater Mumbai. MORE ON P8
15-YR-OLD JPR GIRL COMMITS SUICIDE Jaipur: A 15-year-old girl committed suicide by jumping from a four-storeyed apartment building in the posh Civil Lines area here, police said on Wednesday. The body was found early in the morning in an open area of a community centre behind the building. She was a student of Class 10.
Patna: After getting sworn in for a record eight time as Bihar CM, Nitish Kumar threw a sort of challenge for his previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in general and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular by telling them to “worry” about its prospects in the 2024 General Election. Talking to reporters shortly after he was administered the oath of office by Governor Phagu Chauhan, Kumar also rubbished the BJP’s claim that the new government will not last its full term, and said his former ally “will be back where they were after the 2015 assembly polls”. Kumar was sworn in besides RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who is likely to be designated as his deputy. Sources in the sevenparty ruling coalition said that a cabinet expansion would take place later. Leaders of the BJP, which is the second largest party in the assembly with 77 MLAs, were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing in ceremony that took place inside the Raj Bhavan. MORE ON P5
BJP high command has assented to CM Shinde faction’s demands for three portfolios to keep the government running in Maharashtra
New Delhi (ANI): Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday called RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and discussed the political developments ahead of his oath-taking ceremony. Lalu Prasad Yadav congratulated him as well. Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday hailed Nitish Kumar for his decision to split from the NDA and reunite with the Mahagathbandhan to form the new government in the state.
All FIRs against Nupur shifted to Delhi Police
Nupur Sharma
lowed Sharma to move Delhi HC for quashing of FIRs lodged over her remark and said all future FIRs would also be transferred to Delhi Police for investigation.
While the sharing of cabinet portfolios was already decided, the Shinde camp is now demanding that the crucial Rural Development, Agriculture and Social Welfare departments be allocated to them. The BJP leadership in Delhi has given consent to Fadnavis to concede to the demands and ensure the permanency of the Maharashtra government at any cost. —Person familiar with the development
PM Narendra Modi dedicates 2G ethanol plant in Panipat
ICAR develops vaccine for Lumpy disease in cattle
Pune (PTI): NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of finishing off its regional allies gradually, and supported Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to snap ties with the BJP. Speaking to reporters in Baramati town of Maharashtra’s Pune district, Pawar claimed the BJP was planning how to weaken the Shiv Sena and create a division in the party.
STUNG BY NITISH’S BETRAYAL, BJP STAGES MASSIVE PROTEST IN BIHAR
Patna (PTI): Stripped of power in Bihar, the BJP on Wednesday staged a massive demonstration condemning the betrayal of Nitish Kumar, whose similar volte face five years ago had helped it join the government through the proverbial back door. The ‘Maha Dharna’ (massive demonstration) staged in front of the party office was attended by all BJP MPs and MLAs from Bihar who vowed to expose Nitish Kumar through agitations at district and block levels later this week.
New Delhi (PTI): Limits imposed on domestic airfares will be removed from August 31, after a span of approximately 27 months, the Union Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday. “The decision to remove air fare caps has been taken after careful analysis of daily demand and prices of air turbine fuel (ATF). Stabilisation has set in and we are certain that the sector is poised for growth in domestic traffic in the near future,” Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Twitter.
Devendra Fadnavis
in its grouping, also had to concede to a 50:50 cabinet expansion plan also. Now discussions will be held to bargain in lieu of these three portfolios that the Shinde camp has demanded,” a person familiar with the development told First India. The BJP had earlier successfully elected the new Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly from its faction installing Rahul Narvekar, a fairly recent entrant to the party. Subsequently, the Shinde faction has been flexing its political muscles to gain a more than equal share of political power Turn to P5
PAWAR ACCUSES BJP OF FINISHING OFF REGIONAL ALLIES, BACKS NITISH KUMAR
Domestic airfare caps to go off from Aug 31
Mumbai: Smarting from the loss of the political battle in Bihar, where JD(U) CM Nitish Kumar outwitted the party and formed a new government with the RJD and Congress parties, the national leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party is keen on establishing a permanent government in Maharashtra. With this in mind, Home Minister Amit Shah has instructed Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to concede to the demands from the rebel Sena camp MLAs. The move comes even as wrangling for cabinet portfolios between the party and CM Eknath Shinde-led MLAs failed to reach a consensus on cabinet portfolio allocations for the 18 newly inducted council of ministers find a consensus in Maharashtra for the second day.
Amit Shah
With the fresh directives from Delhi Fadnavis is likely to achieve the elusive consensus among all the 20 council of ministers. The Shinde faction was also able to successfully negotiate for the inclusion of MLAs Sanjay Rathod and Abdul Sattar—apparently tainted in the Pooja Chavan suicide case and TET scam case, respectively, in the cabinet, despite BJP reservations. “CM Shinde fought for their inclusion in the state council of ministers and the BJP had to concede. The Fadnavis faction, with 115 MLAs
Bihar Chief MInister Nitish Kumar with his deputy Tejaswi Yadav speaks to the media after their swearing-in ceremony at Rajbhawan in Patna, on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
PROPHET REMARK ROW
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed clubbing and transfer of all FIRs lodged across the country against suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma to Delhi Police in connection with FIRs/complaints lodged against her in several states over her remark on the Prophet made during a TV debate show. The court also extended interim protection to Sharma till the probe is concluded by the Delhi police. The top court al-
After Bihar debacle, BJP concedes ground in Maha
Renni Abraham
NITISH CALLS LALU BEFORE TAKING OATH
Nagpur: One leader can not face all the challenges before this country and a single organization or party can not bring about change, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on late Tuesday evening.
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First India Bureau
New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said she has tested positive for Covid again and would be isolating at home while following all protocols. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has cancelled his visit to Rajasthan as a precautionary measure after Priyanka Gandhi and some other party leaders tested positive for Covid, sources said.
‘ONE LEADER ALONE CAN NOT TACKLE ALL CHALLENGES’
First India Bureau Panipat: On the occasion of World Biofuel Day, PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated the 2nd generation (2G), Ethanol Plant, in Panipat, Haryana. The 2G biofuel plant has been set up to strengthen the efforts to boost the production and usage of biofuels in the country. The ethanol plant has been developed by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, at an estimated cost of over ₹Rs 900 crore.
PM Modi inaugurates the Indian Oil’s 2G Ethanol Plant at Panipat Refinery, Haryana, through video conferencing, from New Delhi.
New Delhi (PTI): In a major breakthrough, two institutes of agri research body ICAR have developed an indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle which has spread across many states in the last few months. The Centre plans to commercialise this vaccine, developed by the two institutes of ICAR, at the earliest in order to control the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), which has led to the death of cattle in 6 states. MORE ON P6
JUSTICE UU LALIT MANTRALAYA CANTEEN STARVED OF PERSONNEL APPOINTED 49th CJI STAFF SHORTAGE
While it has a sanctioned strength of 157 employees, the canteen only has 90 personnel—making cabinet meeting days particularly arduous Renni Abraham Mumbai: Cabinet meetings at Mantralaya, the state secretariat of Maharashtra, always witnesses hectic activity and large crowds of favour seekers thronging the corridors of power. The menu of snacks for the 20 strong council of ministers, including the 18 newly minted ministers without official
portfolios as yet, is also a big affair. The “specials” of the past two days included cashewnut laden Batata Wadas, Cutlets, Upma, Dhokla and an assortment of dry fruits and exclusively ordered Bengali sweets for Maharashtra’s council of ministers. These rolled out from the canteen to the seventh-floor cabinet room on Wednesday,
where Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Fadnavis and 17 of the 18 new cabinet members (Sudhir Mungantiwar gave the meeting a miss) were discussing important aspects of the state. The canteen also witnessed a record footfall of 1,200-plus, resulting in food shortages. Worse, catering all but collapsed Tuesday and
HARD DAYS Catering all but collapsed Tuesday and Wednesday. Not only did the canteen services at Mantralaya face severe stress, the ‘Acharya’ (Chief Chef) who had to man the kitchen from 8 am to well past midnight on Tuesday, saw his work hours on Wednesday also get stretched to inordinate lengths. The late Tuesdaynight meeting, in which Shinde and Fadnavis failed to resolve the tangle over portfolio allocation, meant that the already short-handed canteen department had to dig deep to make it to the end of the day.
Wednesday with the canteen services at Mantralaya coming under severe stress. The ‘Acharya’ (Chief Chef) who had to man the kitchen from 8 am to well past midnight on Tuesday, saw his work hours on Wednesday also get stretched to inordinate lengths. The late Tuesday-night meeting, in which Shinde and Fadnavis failed to resolve the tangle over portfolio allocation, meant that the already short-handed canteen department Turn to P5
New Delhi (PTI): Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was on Wednesday appointed as the 49th Chief Justice of India after President Droupadi Murmu signed his warrant of appointment. He will assume charge on August 27 after incumbent NV Ramana demits office the day before. “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, judge of the Supreme Court, to be the
Chief Justice of India with effect from 27 August, 2022,” a notification said. Justice Lalit will have a brief tenure of less than three months. He will turn 65 on Nov 8 when he demits office.
NEWS MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
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Backs Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for snapping ties with the saffron party First India Bureau Pune: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of finishing off its regional allies gradually. He also supported Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to snap ties with the BJP. Speaking to reporters in Baramati, Pawar claimed the BJP was planning about how to weaken the Shiv Sena and create a division in the party. Pawar’s party was a constituent of the previous Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government, which collapsed in June
BJP bent on ‘finishing off’ regional allies: Pawar NADDA MADE IT CLEAR THAT ONLY BJP WILL SURVIVE: PAWAR Notably, BJP National President JP Nadda recently said in the times to come only an ideology-driven party like the BJP will survive, while others ruled by families will perish.Pawar on Wednesday claimed that “the BJP national president in his address said regional parties do not have a future and they will not exist. He said it is only their party which will exist in the country.” He added, “From this statement, one thing is clear, which was also the complaint of Nitish Kumar, that the BJP finishes off its allies gradually.”
Sharad Pawar
this year following a revolt by incumbent Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators. Nitish Kumar had on Tuesday pulled the plug on his party JD(U)’s alliance with the BJP and resigned. He followed it
up by staking a claim to form a new government in Bihar with the support of the opposition Grand Alliance. In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and BJP were together for several years, Pawar pointed out.
“Today, the BJP is planning how the Shiv Sena can be weakened by creating a division in the party, and (present Maharashtra CM) Eknath Shinde and others helped," he added. In doing this, the Shiv Sena was attacked by
the party which was once its ally, he said. A similar picture was being seen in Bihar. Nitish Kumar, of the JD(U), and the BJP contested the last Assembly elections together, he said. “One more speciality
of the BJP is that it joins hands with a regional party at the time of elections, but ensures the ally wins fewer seats. It happened in Maharashtra also,” claimed Pawar. When a similar picture was being witnessed in Bihar, the CM of the state got cautious well in advance and took the decision to snap ties with the BJP, he said. “No matter how much BJP leaders criticize Nitish Kumar, he has taken a wise step. He took the decision anticipating the crisis the BJP was planning to bring on. I think he made a wise decision for his state and party,” said Pawar.
‘Something else’ hurting Sharad Pawar more: Fadnavis First India Bureau Mumbai: Reacting to Sharad Pawar’s remarks about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “finishing off its regional allies gradually”, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that everyone knew there was “something else” that was hurting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president. Pawar, in his remarks, had also said that the BJP planned to
weaken the Shiv Sena and create a division in the party. “There is something else that hurts Pawar more. Everyone knows it,” Fadnavis said, implying that the NCP chief was hurt that the coalition of his party, the Indian National Congress and the Shiv Sena—the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—could not stay in power in Maharashtra. The MVA government collapsed in June, following the revolt by the current Chief Min-
ister and Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde, and 39 other legislators. According to Fadnavis, “The BJP takes
Deputy CM’s remarks were made in response to NCP chief’s accusations against BJP
Devendra Fadnavis
care of its allies. In the previous Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP had won more seats than the JD(U), but still Nitish Kumar was made chief minister… If we are not in power in Bihar (now), we would be there tomorrow for sure.” The latest volley of comments between the two leaders came as a result of the developments in Bihar. JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar took oath as the Bihar Chief Minister for the eighth time on Wednes-
day. The swearing-in ceremony took place a day after Kumar cut ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and joined hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form a ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) government. Fadnavis, however, refused to answer direct questions on portfolio assignments in the Maharashtra government. “There has already been a lot of speculation…Once the portfolios are allocated, you will realize it,” he said.
02
Lokmat to hold national conclave on August 20
The occasion will mark the birth centenary of the Marathi daily Lokmat’s founder Jawaharlal Darda
Mumbai: To mark the birth centenary of freedom fighter Jawaharlal Darda—the founder editor of the Marathi daily Lokmat—as well as to celebrate the newspaper’s golden jubilee, its parent group will hold a national conclave on media on August 20 in Nagpur. A press statement by the Lokmat Media Group announced that the conclave’s topic would be ‘Is Indian Media Completely Polarized’? Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, will be the chief guest and keynote speaker at the event, while Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be a special guest. The ‘Lokmat National Media Conclave’ will see participation by jour-
DIGITAL MEDIA CREDIBILITY The digital media is facing a credibility problem, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said in Thane on Wednesday. He was speaking after inaugurating the new office of Marathi daily Lokmat. News media are undergoing a transformation with changing technology, he said, adding that media outlets must adopt a “360 degrees approach” if they want to survive. nalists and columnists from across the country. “Around 500 journalists and students of journalism are expected to attend the conclave, which is going to be one-of-itskind in central India,” said a release on the festival.
DY CM appeals people to hoist Tricolour
BONDS OF GRATITUDE
First India Bureau
A nurse from a BMC-run hospital ties a rakhi on the wrist of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at ‘Matoshree’, on the eve of Rakshabandhan. The group of nurses thanked Thackeray for steering the state through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thane: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday appealed to people to hoist the Tricolour during the special campaign ahead of Independence Day. He flagged off a ‘Tiranga Rath’ in Thane in the afternoon to spread awareness about the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign to be held between August 13 and 15. BJP workers, including women, took out a two-wheeler rally after Fadnavis flagged off the mechanized chariot. Fadnavis was handed over a national flag
Flgas off ‘Tiranga Rath’ in Thane to spread word about ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’
Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis flags off a Tiranga Rath rally organized as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations ahead of the 75th Independence Day, in Thane on Wed. —PHOTO BY PTI
which was specially brought from Kashmir by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha national secretary Gaurav Gautam. He appealed to people to hoist the Tricolour atop their houses during the campaign. “People should remember the contribution made by freedom fighters and soldiers for this country and freedom,” he said.
CABINET DECISIONS
State okays escalated cost for Metro, ‘doubles’ aid for rain-hit farmers Cabinet also green-lit proposal of government medical college in Ratnagiri, with 430-bed hosp First India Bureau Mumbai: The expanded cabinet of the Eknath Shinde government in its first meeting on Wednesday approved two key decisions for urban and rural Maharashtra. It formally approved the Rs10,000 crore escalation in the cost of the Cuffe Parade-SEEPZ Metro
3 project and sought to “double” the financial assistance provided for by the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) norms. Giving a further fillip to Metro-3, the only underground metro line that will connect important landmarks unconnected by the suburban railway network from Cuffe Parade in the far south to the special eco-
‘EYEWASH’
CM Shinde chairs the Cabinet meeting, in Mumbai on Wednesday.
—PHOTO BY ANI
burden of the cost escalation, the cabinet note said. With the revision, the state’s share increases from Rs2,402 crore to Rs3,699 crore. The cabinet also directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Develop-
ment Authority to release Rs1,297 crore—the escalated cost in the state’s share—to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corp. Ltd, which is executing the project. The revised plan has also increased the loan bur-
nomic zone of SEEPZ in western Mumbai, the state cabinet gave formal approval to the cost escalation in the project from Rs23,136 crore to Rs33,205 crore. The Centre has been requested to share the
den from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) from Rs13,235 crore to Rs19,924 crore, and the cabinet also approved the additional loan
from JICA. The 33.5km Metro-3 line will be fully underground, with 26 underground stations and one above-ground station, and is expected to ferry
an estimated 17 lakh commuters daily once it is completed in 2031. In another key decision, the state cabinet cleared a decision to provide “double” the financial aid to rain-hit farmers. “As per the current NDRF norms, a farmer receives Rs6,800 per hectare as compensation. We have decided to double the amount,” CM Shinde told reporters. Also, earlier NDRF norms were applicable for damage to crops on a maximum of two hectares. We have decided to change it to three hectares, he said.
MAHARASHTRA MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
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03
Varsity exams in Nagpur, Kolhapur hit amid rains Low-pressure areas are attracting strong winds from the Arabian sea, causing heavy rainfall
First India Bureau Mumbai: Various parts of Maharashtra witnessed heavy rains on Wednesday, prompting two universities to suspend or cancel exams. Mumbai witnessed moderate rains along with strong winds since Tuesday and more showers are predicted over the next 24 hours, officials said. Lanja of Ratnagiri district in Konkan recorded the highest rainfall of 330mm in the last 24 hours. Due to the rainfall of more than 200mm at several places on the Ghat, the rivers have become flooded. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, central Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh on Thursday. Asked about rains along coastal Maharashtra and the Western Ghat regions, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said the low pressure area attracted strong winds from the Arabian sea which brought heavy rainfall over the region.
ORANGE, YELLOW ALERTS ISSUED Meanwhile, orange alert of heavy rain has been issued in Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune, Satara, Wardha, Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur areas of the state. Along with this, yellow alert has been given in the areas of Mumbai, Thane, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Nandurbar, Kolhapur, Akola, Amravati, Gondia. The weather department has informed that there is a possibility of rain with lightning in Buldana, Washim, Yavatmal districts. The intensity will come down from Wednesday, he said. Due to the heavy rains and subsequent flood situation in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts of western Maharashtra, the examina-
tions of the Kolhapur University scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday have been suspended. The new time table will be announced later, the Kolhapur district administration said in a statement. The water level of the Panchganga river in Kolhapur has crossed the warning mark. At 10 am on Wednesday, the water level of the Panchganga river at Rajaram weir reached 40.2 ft, as against the warning level of 39 ft and the danger mark of 43 ft, officials from the district disaster management cell said. Some roads in Kolhapur district were closed after water-logging on some stretches. The Nagpur University cancelled all its examinations scheduled on Wednesday in view of heavy rains in the district and adjoining places in the Vidarbha region. The Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharajah Nagpur University's Director, Board of Examination and Evaluation, Dr Prafulla Sabale in a notification said the next date will be announced soon and asked authorities to inform students about the decision.
Met dept forecasts more rains, strong winds First India Bureau
Mumbai recorded 26.87mm rainfall in the 24-hour period till 08 am on Wednesday, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 31.38mm and 33.06mm, respectively. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
Temple collapses in Nagpur; 4 injured First India Bureau Nagpur: At least four people were injured after a dilapidated Shiva temple in Nagpur’s Bhaldarpura collapsed on Wednesday. The incident took place at around 05.20 am. The temple collapsed when the devotees were offering prayers, said firefighters from Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s fire and emergen-
Firemen rescued all devotees with help from locals.
cy services department. On being informed, firemen from Ganjipeth fire station reached the
spot, and with the help of locals rescued the trapped devotees. Of them, two sustained se-
rious injuries. All the injured were rushed to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital. Meanwhile, due to incessant rains all over Nagpur, the water level has increased. All four gates of Gorewada Lake were opened on Wednesday morning at 04.35am. The water crossed the 315.96 m overflow mark following which the Godbole gates were opened automatically.
Mumbai: Mumbai and its suburbs witnessed moderate rains in the past 24 hours and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted moderate showers with strong wind over the next 24 hours. Local trains and bus services of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were operating normally. There was no diversion of any bus service, a civic official said on Wednesday. After heavy overnight downpour on Tuesday, the rain intensity reduced in Mumbai. The city recorded 26.87mm rainfall in the 24hour period till 08 am on Wednesday.
Maha sees 1,847 nCoV cases, Elderly worker found Booked for assaulting cop, seven fatalities in 24 hours dead in Thane factory man acquitted after 15 years Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 1,847 COVID-19 cases, including 852 in Mumbai, and seven fatalities, the health department said in a bulletin. With the fresh additions, the state’s COVID-19 tally rose to 80,64,336 and the toll to 1,48,157. On Tuesday, the state recorded 1,782 and seven fatalities. Maharashtra’s tally of active cases stands at 11,889 as of Wednesday. Mumbai recorded 852 cases and one fatality. On Tuesday, the city re-
With the fresh cases, the state’s COVID-19 tally rose to 80,64,336 and the toll to 1,48,157 corded 479 COVID-19 cases. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) saw three fatalities due to COVID-19 while one death each occurred in areas under the Pimpri Chinchwad municipal
corporation, Nagpur municipal corporation, and the Nagpur district. Maharashtra’s case fatality rate stands at 1.83%. Nashik district saw 26 fresh cases and 12 recoveries on Wednesday. A total of 1,840 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of recoveries in Maharashtra to 79,04,320. The recovery rate in the state is 98.02%. With 26,762 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the total count of samples tested so far in the state went up to 8,35,16,877.
First India Bureau Thane: A worker was found killed in a powerloom factory in Bhiwandi town of Thane district, police said on Wednesday. Iqbal Ahmed Mohammad Shakib Ansari, aged around 60, was on Tuesday afternoon sleeping on the mezzanine floor of the factory located in Khan compound when some unidentified persons allegedly smashed his head and face with a huge stone and killed him, Shanti
GOING INTERNATIONAL
Mumbai Indians unveils name, brand identity of 2 new franchises Their team in UAE’s ILT20 christened ‘MI Emirates’ and the one set to play in Cricket South Africa’s T20 League has been named ‘MI Cape Town’ First India Bureau Mumbai: With Mumbai Indians going global, two new franchises have joined the brand. On Wednesday, it unveiled the name and brand identity of the new franchises joining the Mumbai Indians. Their team in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) International League T20 will be known as ‘MI Emirates’ and the team in Cricket South Africa’s T20 League has been named ‘MI Cape Town’. Owned by Reliance Industries Limited, the brand features a cricket team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that is hosted each year. Inter-
estingly, both ‘MI Emirates’ and ‘MI Cape Town’ will don the iconic blue and gold colours of the Mumbai Indians team. The names of the new franchises were chosen to represent specific regions from where the teams will be based. The teams, ‘MI Emirates’ or phonetically ‘My Emirates’ and ‘My Cape Town’
respectively, are dedicated to fans across both the Emirates and Cape Town. The global expansion of the brand is just a step toward franchises taking over the cricketing calendar. Nita M Ambani, Director of Reliance Industries, said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome ‘MI Emirates’ and ‘MI Cape Town’, the newest additions to our #Onefamily. For us, MI goes beyond cricket. It embodies the ability to dream, be fearless and foster a positive attitude in life. I’m sure both ‘MI Emirates’ and ‘MI Cape Town’ will embrace the same ethos and take MI’s global cricket legacy to even greater heights!”
Nagar police inspector Nilesh Badakh said. One of the workers spotted the body lying in a pool of blood in the factory premises around 03 pm and alerted the police, he said. The police rushed to the spot and sent the body to a government hospital for post-mortem, the official said.
Mumbai: Due to the loss of evidence, including a termitedamaged police uniform, a sessions court recently acquitted a 35-year-old man who was booked 15 years ago on charges of endangering and obstructing a policeman. The man was a 21-year-old medical student at the time of the incident in 2007, when he allegedly jumped a traffic signal. He was stopped by a traffic policeman but the accused allegedly continued to ride his bike, due to which the policeman’s hand got entangled in
COOL TRICKS!
At the time of the incident in 2007, the man was a 21-yearold medical student the iron rod on the rear seat, causing injuries to him. Among the evidence collected by the police was the uniform worn by the injured policeman. In April this year, the court was informed
that the clothes were damaged by termites and hence were disposed of by the police station. “From evidence of investigating officer, it is certain that from the year of the incident in 2007 till the filing of the letter (informing court about the damage to the clothes) in 2022, for 15 years, the investigating officer did not forward the clothes either before the Metropolitan Magistrate or before this court,” the court said. The court pointed out that there were other shortcomings in the evidence.
—PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
School children enjoy a dog show organized by Mumbai police at St Columba High School in Mumbai on Wednesday.
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Why India frowns on Chinese ship docking at Lankan port? India, whose cross-border relations with China have soured, is worried that the Chinese-built and leased port of Hambantota will be used by Beijing as a military base in its own backyard
04
IN-DEPTH
IT IS UNFAIR TO PRE-JUDGE THE CJI-DESIGNATE JUSTICE UU LALIT
and economic interests and take all necessary measures to safeguard them. To which China gave a rebuttal that it hoped “relevant parties” would refrain from interfering with its “legitimate maritime activities”.
HOW’S SRI LANKA DOING THE BALANCING ACT? Sri Lanka has had to maintain a fine balancing act between China and India. As the country battles with an economic crisis with zero foreign reserves, it needs the cooperation from Beijing, which is its key creditor. It has now turned to the International Monetary Fund to bail it out of this crisis and restructure its huge debt. Meanwhile, India too has provided nearly $4 billion in aid to Sri Lanka this year, including shipments of fuel and food.
A
In 2014, Sri Lanka allowed Chinese nuclear-powered submarine Changzheng 2 in Colombo and it had led to diplomatic tensions soaring with New Delhi. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was then secretary to the ministry of defence, had to even fly down to India to meet with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to discuss the matter.
fter India voiced its deep concerns over the docking of Chinese research and survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port, the beleaguered island nation, which first tried to underplay the ship’s visit as “nothing unusual”, finally backtracked and requested China to defer its arrival. But, the Chinese ship’s visit, scheduled for Thursday (August 11) at the Hambantota port, which is financed with Chinese loans, built by a Chinese firm and currently leased to China Merchant Port Holdings after Sri Lanka was unable to repay the loans, will not happen for now. The Sri Lankan foreign ministry spokesperson shared with the media on Monday (August 8) that they have submitted a request to China to defer the ship’s arrival. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin slammed Sri Lanka’s decision and blamed the “gross interference” of other countries. He said Chinese research ships have regularly stopped in Sri Lanka for resupply and that cooperation between the two countries is normal. Wang added that it was “unreasonable” and “senseless” for a third party to put pressure on Sri Lanka on the grounds of socalled security concerns.
WHAT ARE INDIA’S CONCERNS? India, whose relations soured
AIR PRICE BANDS GO IN RELIEF FOR FLIERS
with China after a clash in the Galwan valley in June 2020, is worried that the Chinese-built and leased port of Hambantota will be used by Beijing as a military base in India’s backyard. Moreover, the $1.5 billion port is near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe. Situated in the hometown of the ousted but powerful Rajapaksa family, most of the Hambantota port was constructed using loans from China. It is currently leased to China Merchant Port Holdings after Sri Lanka could not repay the debts. All of this has led India to fear the potential use of the port for military purposes. India remains suspicious of China’s growing influence in Sri Lanka, which owes large amounts of money to Beijing for the construction of its infrastructure projects. Also, India wants to protect its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region, wary of China’s constant efforts to increase its influence in the area.
Sri Lanka, which is currently tackling a very serious economic crisis, had initially brushed aside India’s anxiety over “security concerns”, saying the Yuan Wang 5 was only stopping at the port for “bunkering”
IS SPACE-TRACKING SHIP WORRISOME? Foreign security analysts have labelled Yuan Wang 5 one of China’s latest spacetracking ships, which can be used to monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches. Some reports alleged that it is a dual-use spy vessel, employed for space and satellite
INDIA’S OFFICIAL STAND ON VESSEL’S VISIT External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the media that they were aware of reports of a proposed visit by this vessel to Hambantota in August. And that the government will carefully “monitor any development” that has a bearing on India’s security
I
n a decision which will benefit both domestic airlines and fliers, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to remove the upper and lower price bands notified in May, 2020, during the pandemic, from August 31. The price bands became necessary to prevent domestic airlines from charging exorbitant fares from passengers. The lower band was to help the airlines struggling due to travel restrictions. The upper price band was to save passengers from being fleeced when the demand was high. Now with price bands gone, the airlines may offer competitive prices to attract passengers to meet
tracking and with specific usage in intercontinental ballistic missile launches. It may not be a military ship but it can be sent to carry out missile tests, said news reports. With an aerial reach of more than 750 km, the ship can allegedly spy on Kalpakkam, Koodankulam, and atomic research centres within Indian borders. It can also track ports of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh and gather vital information from installations in south India.
In a decision which will benefit both domestic airlines and fliers, DGCA has decided to remove the upper and lower price bands notified in May, 2020, during the pandemic, from August 31 their overhead costs. Airlines expect the government’s move to boost demand in a win-win situation for all. Airlines hope that the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) will be brought under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to provide them with further
WHAT IS BEIJING SAYING NOW? Predictably, China was upset. It described India’s opposition to the docking of a Chinese ship at a Sri Lankan port as senseless. It was “morally irresponsible” and against the norms of international relations for countries to “exploit vulnerabilities” of Sri Lanka at a time when it is dealing with economic and political crises, said Beijing. China urged relevant parties to see its scientific explorations in a reasonable and sensible way and stop disturbing normal exchanges between Beijing and Colombo. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, “Sri Lanka is a sovereign state. It can develop relations with other countries in the light of its own development interests. The cooperation between China and Sri Lanka is independently chosen by the two countries and meets common interests.” Sri Lanka is a transport hub in the Indian Ocean, Wang said, adding that many scientific exploration ships including those from China have stopped at Sri Lankan ports for resupplies. “China has always exercised the freedom of navigation in the high seas and fully respects and fully respects the jurisdiction of coastal states of the scientific exploration activities within their jurisdiction waters,” Wang added. SOURCE: THE FEDERAL
financial relief. The ATF accounts for about 40 percent of operational costs. The jet fuel price touched new highs this year with a hike of 16.3 percent to Rs 123.03 per litre or Rs 1.41 per kl. That hefty surge in the price of jet aviation fuel is in keeping with the global energy prices. With India being dependent on fuel import, it is for the government to cut taxes to give relief to the aviation industry. Aviation fuel is charged an 11 percent ad valorem rate of excise duty which goes up each time there is a rise in global oil prices. Besides, it also is taxed by states in the form of sales tax. The government may want to consider domestic carriers’ demand.
J
ustice UU Lalit has been appointed the 49th Chief Justice of India for a brief tenure of less than three months. He will demit office on November 8 when he turns 65. Even before he has taken over as the CJI, Justice Lalit is being prejudged by his detractors who fear that he will show a pro-government bias in his functioning. The reasons cited are that he was Amit Shah’s lawyer in the Tulsi Prajapati and Sohrabuddin Sheikh murder case, he was appointed judge three months after Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014. Critics allege that his appointment came at the cost of former Solicitor-General Gopal Subramanium whose name was also recommended for appointment by the collegium along with UU Lalit’s. It would be unfair to pre-judge the CJI-designate for what he did as a noted criminal lawyer and when he has yet to give any judgment. It was not the government which asked the SC collegium to include his name.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. —Bible
TOP TWEETS Bhupender Yadav @byadavbjp
A forest without lions is destroyed and lions without forests will perish. #WorldLionDay Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju
In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 27th August, 2022. Vol 1 l Issue No. 97 l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan 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. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act l
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05
Bihar CM eyes 2024 general elections, though downplays speculations of himself being the future PM face No CM change,
NITISH CALLS FOR UNITED OPPN Patna (ANI): Moments after Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister on Wednesday after parting ways with the BJP and joining the Grand Alliance to form government in the state, he called for a united Opposition ahead of the General elections of 2024. Kumar parted ways with BJP alleging that the party was trying to break the JD(U), and joined hands with the political opponents RJD in the Mahagathbandhan on Tuesday. Speculations have been rife regarding his future with his ‘national ambitions’ doing rounds in the political sphere since his move against the NDA, which whom he had reunited in 2017. However, Nitish rejected any such speculations. “Those who came to power in 2014, will they be victorious in 2024? I would like all (opposition) to be united for 2024. I am not a contender for any such post (on PM post),” he said. Kumar said, “The party
‘BIHAR DEVP SPECIFIC TO STATE’
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav speaks to the media after the oath ceremony, at Raj Bhavan, in Patna on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘SIDING WITH CORRUPTION, CONGRESSISM’ Patna: Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the change of stance by Nitish while accusing him of siding with “corruption and Congressism”. Prasad also asked if Kumar’s politics which is around “non-Congressism”, has finished.
made the decision together (to leave BJP). I did not want to be the CM after the previous election. But a lot of
FROM PG 1 After Bihar... in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, a couple of new ministers from the Shinde camp, Dada Bhuse and Shambhuraj Desai have expressed dissatisfaction over the portfolios allocated to them with Desai averse to being the new Excise Minister due to the adverse imagery (alcohol) it bears in the rural hinterland. Mantralaya... had to dig deep to make it to the end of the day. While it has a sanctioned strength of 157 employees, the canteen only has 90 personnel-
On a mission to produce 5,000 khadi flags Chennai: Five panchayats in Tamil Nadu would fly khadi national flags produced by Avvai Ashram of Gandhigram Trust in Sivasailam. Inspired by the Centre’s ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, the Gandhigram Trust, in TN’s southern district of Tirunelveli, is on a mission to churn out 5,000 khadi flags.
-many of whom are contract employees who leave their stations at 5.30 pm on the dot each day. “This placed a huge burden on the limited staff. We need permanent employees as the contractual staffers are time-conscious, generally refusing to put in any extra hours of work. Even our strength is far lower than the sanctioned strength of the canteen. Things will come close to a collapse every time there is a crowded house at Mantralaya,” a staffer said before hurrying off with a tray full of the cabinet specials.
Bihar BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal with party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sushil Kumar Modi, MoS Nityanand Rai and other leaders stage Mahadharna in Patna on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
pressure was put on me to handle the post. When there were talks with them (points towards Tejashwi), the decision
Patna: MLAs of the Mahagathbandhan have brought a no-confidence motion against Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Singh. A letter signed by 50 MLAs of the newly-formed Mahagathbandhan was submitted before the secretary of Bihar Assembly. With this, Sinha will have to prove majority in Assembly to retain his position as Speaker.
A ‘GOOD START’ FOR INDIAN POL, SAYS AKHILESH Lucknow: Akhilesh Yadav sees the BJPJD(U) break-up as a ‘good start’ for Indian politics. He said, “It signals `BJP satta chhodo`. HD Deve Gowda said“’.. I’m in advanced years, but if the younger gen decides it can offer a good alternative.”
New Delhi (PTI): A Parliamentary Committee has recommended that senior citizen concessions be reviewed and restored “urgently” at least for sleeper class and AC 3-tier train travel. In its report, the Standing Committee on Railways said senior citizens were earlier granted concession of 40-50 per cent of their railway fares, but the practice was stopped during the COVID-19 crisis.
a Bench led by CJI NV Ramana, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, said “even a constable can lose his job after conviction”.
HC BAIL TO MAJITHIA IN NDPS CASE Chandigarh: The Punjab & Haryana High Court on Wednesday granted bail to senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, in jail over his alleged involvement in a drugs case registered under NDPS Act in December 2021. The court had reserved the order on the bail plea on July 29. The leader is currently at Patiala Central Jail.
‘NITISH NOW IN FRONT ROW OF OPPN CAMP’
Patna: Nitish Kumar stands in the “front row” of the opposition camp along with Mamata Banerjee and others to end the “Modi raj” in the country in the 2024 elections, former BJP leader and now TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha said.
NEW GOVT TO FALL: SUSHIL MODI
Patna: Saffron party leader Sushil Kumar Modi claimed the new government will fall before completing its term in 2025. Modi, who has known Kumar and Lalu Prasad for five decades, also said the JD(U) supremo insulted PM Modi and the people of Bihar who had voted for NDA. The former deputy CM alleged Kumar will “ditch the RJD and try to split it, taking advantage of RJD boss Lalu Prasad’s illness”.
Parl panel for restoring sr citizen rebate in sleeper, 3-tier rail travel
PLEA ON CONVICTS’ POLL RIGHTS IN SC New Delhi: The Supreme Court said it will consider a plea seeking a lifetime ban on people convicted of offences from contesting poll and becoming MPs and MLAs. Appearing before
was made. whether I will stay or not (till 2024)…they can say ... but I won’t live in the year 2014,” the CM said.
Patna: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor said with Nitish exiting the NDA and forming a new government with RJD and other parties he hopes that the Bihar CM stands firm on the alliance and fulfills the aspirations of the people. “I see what’s happening now in the context of the era of political instability in Bihar. Since 2013-14, this is the 6th attempt to form govt in Bihar. Formations are changed when one’s political or administrative expectations are not fulfilled,” Kishor said. He said the era of “political instability” has been ongoing for past 10 years in Bihar and Nitish was the only constant in all this.
NO-CONFIDENCE AGAINST SPEAKER
says Karnataka minister, a dare for Congress
Bengaluru (Agencies): Accusing Congress of unnecessarily raking up the issue of Karnataka Chief Minister replacement, to cover up the rift within, senior BJP leader and Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Wednesday challenged it to name its CM candidate for 2023 assembly polls. Ruling out Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s replacement, he said BJP’s top leadership including PM Modi and HM Amit Shah have already said election will be under Bommai’s leadership and the party will abide by it. The minister was reacting to Congress’ tweets speculating about CM Bommai being replaced and even calling him a “Puppet Chief Minister”. “To cover up their infighting that has come on to the streets, Congress is spreading false information that CM Bommai will be replaced. Congress has no base in the country, what rights do they have to speak about BJP’s leadership and CM change,” Ashoka said.
CRUCIAL READ RAJU SRIVASTAVA SWATANTRA DEV SUFFERS HEART RESIGNS AS UP ATTACK, DOING FINE COUNCIL LEADER
GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL INSTRUCTIONS
It also urged the ministry to give wide publicity to the “give up” scheme, which encourages senior citizens to give up their concessions voluntarily.
The rail ministry has stated that concession to all categories (except four categories of Divyangjan, and 11 categories of patients & students) were withdrawn.
New Delhi: A Parliamentary Committee has recommended all ministries and departments to strictly comply with instructions on grievance redressal. The recommendation was made in its 119th report on “Strengthening of Grievance Redressal Mechanism of Government of India”. It was submitted in both houses.
IN THE COURTYARD GANGSTER CONTEMPT PLEA IN SC AGAINST PRAFUL BISHNOI IN tion of contempt proceedNew Delhi: The Committee ings against former AIFF of Administrators (CoA) 2-DAY REMAND Faridkot: The Faridkot police got a 2-day remand of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, a ‘mastermind’ in the killing of leader Sidhu Moose Wala, in connection with an extortion case at Kotkapura in Faridkot district.
appointed by the Supreme Court to run and write the new constitution of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has sought initia-
President Praful Patel and the office-bearers of seven other state associations. The plea filed by current CoA ombudsman.
HC STAYS PROBE AGAINST ARTIST Kolkata: Calcutta HC stayed probe in an FIR against an artist who posted an intimate scene between Krishna and Radha in Facebook. Justice Shampa Sarkar said the complaint didn’t disclose any cognisable offence on the face of it, and Sec 295A, relating to hurting religious sentiments, would only be attracted if there was deliberate intention.
CHANGE OF FORTUNES
New Delhi: Popular comedian-actor Raju Srivastava was rushed to AIIMS following a heart attack, said sources. The 58-yr-old was brought to the AIIMS emergency at 10:45 am. “Srivastava had to be resuscitated twice and was rushed to catheterisation lab for emergency angiography,” the source said. Colleague Sunil Pal said Raju is doing much better now.
Lucknow: Former UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh has resigned as leader of Legislative Council. According to sources, Singh has resigned citing busyness. DyCM Keshav Prasad Maurya, was made Leader of the House in the state’s Legislative Council. Singh had sent his resignation last month as state unit chief after his tenure expired on July 16.
EC VIRTUAL MEET OF ASIAN REGIONAL FORUM FOR MAKING POLLS INCLUSIVE
New Delhi: The Election Commission will host a virtual meet of the ‘Asian Regional Forum’ on Thursday on the theme of “Making our Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative”. The meet is a precursor to the “Global Summit for Democracy” to be hosted by the National Electoral Institute of Mexico in the coming month, the poll panel said on Wednesday.
3-YEAR-OLD GIRL BEATEN TO DEATH BY FATHER
BIG EXPLOSIVES RECOVERY IN PULWAMA
Hyderabad: A threeyear-old girl, hospitalised after being thrashed allegedly by her father, died on Tuesday, police said. The girl was hit with a ladle for not coming out of the washroom. Also, the man allegedly banged her against the floor in their house on Saturday. The injured girl was admitted to a hospital where she died, said the police.
Pulwama: The J&K Police recovered approximately 30 kg improvised explosive device near Tahab Crossing on Circular road here. “An IED weighing approx 25-30 kg was recovered at Circular road in Pulwama by the Police and Security Forces. A major tragedy was averted by specific input generated by the police,” said Vijay Kumar, ADGP.
Is Nitish’s exit from NDA ‘achhe din’ for Chirag? Mahesh Sharma Patna: Chirag Paswan’s exile seems to be over. Due to Nitish Kumar, the BJP had kept him on the sidelines and had also forced him to vacate the bungalow allotted to his father Ram Vilas Paswan in Delhi. His party with six MPs had also broken up, under which his uncle parted ways over five MPs and became a minister in the central government, for which Nitish Kumar
POSSIBLE RISE IN STATURE Chirag will be only ally with the BJP because after Nitish’s departure, Jitan Ram Manjhi will also join the Grand Alliance and Mukesh Sahni has already left NDA. Therefore, Chirag will get more impor-
tance in NDA than before. Chirag must also be regretting that if Nitish had parted ways earlier, then the bungalow in Delhi would also have stayed with him which has now gone to RN Kovind.
LJP chief Chirag Paswan (R) Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
had lobbied. If Chirag Paswan’s exile ends and is rehabilitated in NDA then it will be difficult for Pashupati Paras. He
will have to decide whether he will continue to be minister at the Center or do their positioning in terms of Bi-
har politics. If he thinks of continuing as a minister at the Centre, then a compromise will have to be made with the
nephew. However, that issue will is for later. The immediate matter is that Chirag Paswan became active
as soon as the dispute started between JDU and BJP in Bihar and there was speculation about Nitish Kumar doing a U-turn and going with the BJP. Chirag started making anti-Nitish statements. Till now he was silent because the damage he had to cause to Nitish had already been done in the 2020 assembly elections. But now as the ‘synergy’ between BJP and JDU is over, an opportunity is being created for them.
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MORE TRANSMISSIBLE OMICRON
VARIANT EVADING IMMUNITY SUB-VARIANT BA 2.75 HAS BEEN DETECTED IN MANY SAMPLES & IS LEADING TO MORE HOSPITALISATION New Delhi (PTI): A new sub-variant of the coronavirus strain Omicron has been detected in samples sent for genome sequencing in Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, a top medical officer of the hospital said. The Omicron subvariant BA 2.75 has been detected in many samples, LNJP Hospital Medical Director Dr Suresh Kumar told a news channel. The sub-variant has been found amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and positivity rate, or cases per 100 tests, in the national capital. The number of people getting admitted to the hospital is also rising, the Medical Director said. This Omicron variant is spreading faster and likely escaping immunity from previous infection and vaccination, Dr Kumar said.
CORBEVAX SHOT OKAYED FOR 18 YEARS & ABOVE
NEW CASES SURGE IN MIZORAM, HIMACHAL
New Delhi: The Centre has approved Biological E’s Corbevax for restricted use in an emergency as a heterologous booster dose, official sources confirmed on Wednesday. Last month the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommended Biological E’s CORBEVAX as a heterologous booster for adults above 18. On June 4, Biological E. Limited, a Hyderabad-based pharma company announced that its CORBEVAX vaccine has been approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
Aizawl: Mizoram reported 135 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 108 less than the previous day, with the tally mounting to 2,34,522, a health official said. The death toll rose to 715 after three more persons from Aizawl, Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh recorded 526 fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality due to the disease on Wednesday, pushing the state’s infection tally to 3,06,269.
INDIA LOGS 16,047 NEW COVID-19 CASES, 54 DEATHS IN 24 HOURS A healthcare worker inoculates a farmer with a dose of COVID-19 vaccine as part of COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava, in Imphal West. —FILE PHOTO
“Omicron’s sub-variant BA 2.75 has been found in the report. It has more transmission rate. This has emerged in the study report of 90 samples sent for ge-
nome sequencing. This new sub-variant also attacks people already having antibodies and also those who have taken vaccines,” Dr Kumar said.
New Delhi: India today recorded 16,047 new coronavirus cases and 54 fatalities including six reconciled by Kerala, according to the latest Union Health Ministry data. With these additions, the country’s overall Covid figures rose to 4,41,90,697 cases and 5,26,826 deaths. The data updated at 8 am showed active cases came down by 3,546 in a span of 24 hours to 1,28,261, now constituting 0.29 per cent of the total infections. The COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 98.52 per cent, the health ministry said.
PATNAIK NOT TO CELEBRATE RAKSHA BANDHAN DUE TO COVID-19 Bhubaneswar: Keeping in view the spread of COVID-19, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided not to celebrate Raksha Bandhan Ustav’ and urged people to remain alert during the
CRUSIAL READ ELECTION FOR CONG ‘OVER 900 DEATHS CHIEF FROM AUG 21, DUE TO ACCIDENTS RAHUL KEEPS MUM CAUSED BY CATTLE’ New Delhi: The election to select Congress president will start from August 21, sources said. MP Rahul Gandhi has not revealed if he would contest for the post, which his mother Sonia Gandhi is heading. Sources said requests by Congress leaders to Gandhi to become party chief once again - he quit as Congress president after the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election - has received no response. The party has been deliberating for long on possibility of having a non-Gandhi as chief.
part in Raksha Bandhan Ustav this time, the official said. Odisha’s COVID-19 tally rose to 13,20,667 on Wednesday as 653 more people, including 128 children, tested positive for the infection, a
festival, a CMO official said on Wednesday. Patnaik has urged the party leaders, workers and other well wishers not to visit his residence on the occasion on Thursday as he has decided not to take
Chandigarh: Over 900 people died in road accidents caused by stray cattle in Haryana in the last five years, the state government has informed the assembly. Total 3,383 such road accidents occurred during the 5-year period in the state, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister JP Dalal said. In these accidents, 919 people lost their lives and 3,017 sustained injuries, he said in response to a question raised by Independent MLA Balraj Kundu during the ongoing assembly session.
AGNIVEER RECRUITMENT FOR WOMEN CANDIDATES FROM NOVEMBER 1
New Delhi: The Agniveer recruitment rally for female candidates under the general duty category for military police would be held from November 1 to 3 here. According to a Defence statement, the recruitment is scheduled to be held at Manekshaw Parade ground here by the Recruiting Office (HQ) Bengaluru under the aegis of Headquarters Recruiting Zone Bengaluru for volunteer female candidates from Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep and Mahe. The rally is being held for enrolment of Agniveer General Duty (Women) in the Corps of Military Police in the Army.
Karuvannur Co-operative Bank raided Thrissur (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at Karuvannur Service Co-Op Bank on 10 August and a few other locations of four accused in connection with an alleged bank fraud case in Thrissur. As per reports, about `104 crores of alleged fraud reported in Karuvannur Service Co-Op Bank Ltd. The ED officials also started simultaneous raids at the residences of five accused at the CPI-M controlled Thrissur-based Karuvannur Cooperative bank. Incidentally, of the five accused where the raids began, four are out on bail. The CPI-M controlled Thrissur-based Karuvannur Cooperative bank came into limelight a year ago and has made frequent headlines.
health bulletin said. The toll rose to 9,152 as a 67-year-old man succumbed to the pathogen in Balasore district, the health department said. The state had logged 487 infections on Wednesday.
‘Ashamed’ of Partha but everyone is not thief: Min Kolkata (Agencies): Trinamool came forward with the ‘full truth’ two days after a public interest case was filed on how the properties of 19 leaders and ministers of TMC are increasing. They claim the BJP, Left and Congress are running ‘halftruth’ campaigns on the issue. Of the 19 whose names came out, five — Firhad Hakim, Bratya Basu, Arup Roy, Shiuli Saha and Moloy Ghatak — held a press conference and presented the ‘complete’ list in the meeting. On Partha Chatterjee, Firhad said, “We are all ashamed of what Partha has done. But that does not mean that everyone in the Trinamool is a thief. I have a family business. I have not hidden any information,” he said.
WB Chief Min Mamata Banerjee throws the football at the inauguration of the newly built tent camp of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, in Kolkata on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
MAMATA ANNOUNCES RS2L EX-GRATIA TO BIRBHUM ACCIDENT VICTIMS’ KIN Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences on the fatal accident that happened in the state’s Birbhum on Tuesday. Banerjee took to Twitter and said that she was “deeply saddened” by the fatal accident in Birbhum which claimed 9 lives. “My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones,” she said in her tweet. “We’ll provide Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased. Under the Somyabothi scheme, Rs 2,000 will be provided to perform the last rites of each deceased. Special GR to be provided to families of deceased,” she added. Nine people were killed in a collision between an autorickshaw and a bus in the Mallarpur police station area of Birbhum district on Tuesday.
ICAR develops vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle New Delhi (PTI): Two institutes of agri research body ICAR have developed an indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle which has spread across many states in the last few months. The Centre plans to commercialise this vaccine, developed by the two institutes of the Indian Council of Agri-
cultural Research (ICAR), at the earliest in order to control the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), which has led to the death of cattle in six states. As of August 8, Rajasthan has reported 2,111 deaths of cattle, followed by Gujarat at 1,679, Punjab at 672, Himachal Pradesh at 38, Andaman & Nicobar
at 29 and Uttarakhand at 26. ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE), Hisar (Haryana), in collaboration with ICARIndian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh has developed a homologous live-attenuated LSD vaccine “Lumpi-ProVacInd”.
PPS Assn fights for right in UP ‘Shameful’: Varun on Ahtesham Siddiqui Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh bureaucracy, while the PCS Association is sleeping soundly with its ‘positioning’, the PPS Association is fighting for its rights and existence. PPS Association, an organisation of Provincial Police Service officers, met DGP Devendra Chauhan, and informed about the problems of its cadre. Now, instruc-
CM YOGI GOES TOUGH ON POLICE NEGLIGENCE Lucknow: CM Yogi seems to be in a very strict mood. After complaints against SP of Lalitpur, the officer was removed and has been attached to DGP Headquarters while DCP Gopal Chaudhary, posted in Lucknow Commissionerate, has been made the new captain of Lalitpur. Bablu Kumar, who has been waiting for a long time, has been posted as SP Headquarters in Anti-Corruption Organization Lucknow, while Poonam, who is waiting, has been posted in 20th Corps PAC Azamgarh.
tions have been given to prepare a proposal and send it to government. Association President Dinesh Yadav, Senior
SHAH TAKES UP PEN
Vice President Habibul Hasan, Treasurer Vinay Chandra, and others apprised the DGP about many more issues.
Defence Min Rajnath Singh at the book launch on the speeches of Union Home Minister Amit Shah ‘Shabdansh’ edited by Shivanand Dwivedi as Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta and others look on, at NDMC Convention Centre, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘Buy national flag to get ration’ video
Chandigarh: BJP MP Varun Gandhi took a veiled dig at the Centre over a viral video that shows many people alleging they were forced to buy a national flag for Rs 20 when they visited ration stores for provisions. The Pilibhit MP, who has been targeting his party over a host of issues, shared the video on Twitter with a post that read, “It would be unfortunate if celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence become a burden for the poor.” “Ration card holders are being forced to buy the national flag or denied a share of grains they are entitled to. It is shameful to extract the price of ‘Tiranga’, which lives is in the heart of every Indian, by snatching the poor’s
FINAL PUBLICATION DATE FOR KASHMIR ELECTORAL ROLLS
DYFI WOMAN ACTIVIST FOUND DEAD IN KERALA
Will Chadha dominate AAP’s ‘politics’ in RS?
Jammu: Election Commission has set a new deadline of November 25 for the final date for publication of electoral rolls in Jammu & Kashmir. It said those attaining 18 years on October 1 or earlier will be eligible to become voters. Earlier, the EC had given a timeline of October 31 for the publication of the electoral rolls in J-K, where the special summary revision is being undertaken after 3 years and the first such exercise after the boundaries of assembly seats were redrawn in delimitation exercise.
Palakkad: A woman activist of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), was found strangled to death at her house in Chittilamchery in Kerala on Wednesday, police said. The 24-yr-old woman, identified as Suryapriya, was found dead in her room in the house, they said. The shocking incident came to light after Sujesh, hailing from nearby Anakkappara, surrendered before the Alathur police confessing that he had killed the woman.
New Delhi: Before the monsoon session of Parliament, the Aam Aadmi Party had three MPs in the Rajya Sabha and their leader was Sanjay Singh. Apart from Sanjay Singh, the other two MPs - Sushil Gupta and NDA Gupta had nothing to do with politics, so they used to sit in the house like a statue and Sanjay Singh used to take over the command.
Sharat K Verma
06
In every case he spoke and appeared everywhere. But now the situation has changed. Now seven new MPs have reached the Rajya Sabha, including Raghav Chadha. His special position within the party can be gauged from the fact that he was made the chairman of the committee advising the government in Punjab. Raghav Chadha dominated the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session of
Parliament. From day one he started participating in debates, giving notices, raising questions of order. One day
he raised the question of arrangement half a dozen times. Not only this, even at the time of the farewell of Chairman
Venkaiah Naidu, there was much discussion about his speech. Now he has started seeking people’s opinion on the issues to be raised in Parliament. In the monsoon session, Sanjay Singh somehow got himself suspended and sat on dharna but the whole session was dominated by Raghav Chadha. Now, the contest is between these two as the remaining eight MPs are out of the contest.
morsel of food,” Mr Gandhi added. In the video, recorded by a news portal in Haryana’s Karnal, people are seen alleging that they were forced to pay Rs. 20 and buy the national flag when they went to collect ration at a state-run depot. A man in the video, who appears to be a staff at the ration depot, says that they had received orders that each person taking ration had to buy the flag for Rs. 20 and put it up at their homes.
BJP rejigs organisation, Sunil Bansal appointed nat’l gen secy New Delhi: Effecting important organisational changes before the 2024 General Elections, BJP Chief JP Nadda on Wednesday appointed Sunil Bansal as the party’s national general secretary and also handed him the charges of important states such as West Bengal, Telangana, and Odisha. Bansal’s appointment assumes significance as the BJP is determined to gain more seats in West Bengal and emerge as the alternative force in Telangana and Odisha in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
COMMODITIES
CURRENCIES
Commodity
Price
Change
% Chg
Currency
Price
Change
% Chg
GOLD
52,377.00
112.00
0.21 (Per 10g)
USDINR
79.51
0.15
0.18
SILVER
59,187.00
396.00
0.67 (Per 1kg)
GBPINR
96.169
0.4167
0.4314
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
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07
business Centre releases `1.16 lakh crore as tax devolution to states BRIEFS
DRUG FIRM PFIZER’S MD SRIDHAR RESIGNS
New Delhi: Drug firm Pfizer on Wednesday said its Managing Director S Sridhar has resigned from the company.Sridhar has expressed his intention to take early retirement and has tendered his resignation, the company said in a regulatory filing. He will continue to serve in his current position until the identification, selection and transition to the new leadership takes place in the company, it added. Over the past 14 years, Sridhar has led a number of key leadership positions in Pfizer. —PTI
OIL PRICES DIP AFTER RISE IN US CRUDE INVENTORIES
New Delhi: Oil prices edged lower after industry data showed US crude inventories unexpectedly rose last week, signaling a potential hiccup in demand. US crude stocks rose by about 2.2 mn barrels for the week ended August 5, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures. Analysts had forecast a small 400,000-barrel drop in crude inventories. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures declined 16 cents to $90.34 a barrel. —PTI
TATA CHEMICALS GAINS NEARLY 9% IN JUNE QUARTER
New Delhi: Shares of Tata Chemicals gained nearly 9 % in morning trade on Wednesday after the company posted strong first-quarter earnings. Shares of Tata Chemicals opened on a bullish note at ` 999.95, then gained further ground to touch 1,043, registering a jump of 8.96% over its previous close. On the NSE, the stock opened at ` 1,015, then climbed to 1,038.05, higher by 8.47% over its last close. Tata Chemicals on Tuesday reported an 86.25% increase in consolidated net profit to ` 637 cr during the quarter ending June 30. —PTI
BHARTI AIRTEL SHARES CLIMB AFTER 466% SURGE
Mumbai: The share price of telecom firm Bharti Airtel rose on Wednesday after the company announced an impressive 466 per cent year-on-year surge in its net profit for the first quarter of the current financial year. Bharti Airtel’s share was trading 0.67 per cent higher at `709.05 on the BSE at 9.48 am. The scrip started the day sharply higher at ` 719 against its previous session’s close at ` 704.35. —ANI
New Delhi (ANI) : The Central government released two instalments of tax devolution to states amounting to `1,16,665.75 crore as against the normal monthly devolution of `58,332.86 crore, the Ministry of Finance said. Uttar Pradesh has got the highest amount of `20,928.62 crore followed by Bihar at ` 11,734.22 crore. “The Government has released two instalments of tax devolu-
tion to State Governments amounting to `1,16,665.75 cr on August 10, 2022, as against normal monthly devolution of `58,332.86 crore,” the Union Ministry of Finance said. “This is in line with the commitment of the Government of India to strengthen the hands of States to accelerate their capital and developmental expenditure,” the ministry said. Andhra Pradesh has got ` 4,721.44 crore; Chhattisgarh has re-
ceived `3,974.82 crore and Madhya Pradesh has received ` 9,158.24 cr. WB has received Rs 8,776.76 crore as two instalments of tax devolution from the Union government. Gujarat has received `4,057.64 crore; Haryana has received `1,275.14 crore; Maharashtra has received `7,369.76 cr; Rajasthan has received ` 7,030.28 crore and TN has received Rs 4,758.78 crore.
WHO GETS WHAT... States
Amount
Uttar Pradesh
`20,928.62 cr
Bihar
`11,734.22 cr
West Bengal
`8,776.76 cr
Maharashtra
`7,369.76 cr
Rajasthan
`7,030.28 cr
Tamil Nadu
`4,758.78 cr
Andhra Pradesh
`4,721.44 cr
TO REGULATE FRAUDS
RBI issues first set of norms for digital lending Mumbai(ANI): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday released the first set of norms to regulate digital lending to crack down on the growing number of online frauds and unlawful activities. As per the new norms, all loan disbursals and repayments have to be executed only between the bank accounts of the borrower and the regulated entity without any passthrough or pool account of the lending service provider (LSP) or any third party. The Reserve Bank’s regulatory framework is focused on the digital lending ecosystem of RBI’s Regulated Entities (REs) and the Lending Service Providers (LSPs) engaged by them to extend various permissible credit facilitation services. As regards entities authorised to carry out lending as per other statutory/regula-
THE ROOT CAUSES z The concerns primarily relate to unbridled engagement of third parties, mis-selling, breach of data privacy, unfair business conduct, charging of exorbitant interest rates and unethical recovery practices.
tory provisions but not regulated by RBI the respective regulator/ controlling authority may consider formulating or enacting
z Certain concerns have emerged which, if not mitigated, may erode the confidence of members of the public in digi lending ecosystem. z Earlier, Reserve Bank had constituted a Working Group on ‘digi lending through (web & mobile apps)’ (WGDL).
appropriate rules/regulations on digital lending based on the recommendations of WGDL. For the entities lending
Sensex, Nifty close almost on flat note; IT stocks weigh Mumbai(PTI):Benchmark BSE Sensex and Nifty closed on a flat note after a volatile session on Wednesday profit booking in IT and realty shares negated gains in metal and oil & gas stocks. The 30-share BSE Sensex ended 35.78 points or 0.06 per cent lower at 58,817.29, while the broader NSE Nifty inched 9.65 points or 0.06 per cent higher at 17,534.75. The market remained rangebound for the most part of the session as investors kept their exposure low due to weak global cues, traders
THE TOP INDEX z Bajaj Finance was the top
loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 2.66 per cent, followed by NTPC, HCL Tech, Wipro
said. Bajaj Finance was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 2.66 per cent, followed by NTPC, HCL Tech, Wipro, Asian Paints, Ultra Cement and SBI. On the other hand, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, ICICI
Bank, L&T and IndusInd Bank were among the gainers. Equity markets were closed on Tuesday on account of ‘Muharram’. The rupee appreciated 15 p to close at 79.48 (provisional) against the US dollar.
outside the purview of any statutory/ regulatory provisions, the WGDL has suggested specific legislative and institutional interventions for consideration by the Central Government to curb the illegitimate lending activity being carried out by such entities. The Reserve Bank is statutorily mandated to operate the credit system of the country to its advantage. In this endeavour, the Reserve Bank has encouraged innovation in the financial system, products and credit delivery methods while ensuring their orderly growth, preserving financing stability and ensuring protection of depositors’ and customers’ interest. Recently, innovative methods of designing and delivery of credit products and their servicing through Digital Lending route have acquired prominence.
Football World Cup revs up TV sales: Report New Delhi: The global TV market is expected to show signs of recovery in 2022 and beyond on account of improvements in the supply of large LCD panels -- which was the primary obstacle manufacturers struggled within 2021, as per Kagan, a media research group within global financial services information provider S&P Global Market Intelligence. The rapid expansion of residential broadband penetration, it said, is opening up the addressable smart TV market and driving smart TV penetration in total.
THE WORLD GOLD COUNCIL SAYS...
‘Gold, a source of ROI amid policy tightening’ New Delhi (ANI): Against the backdrop of monetary policy tightening by several central banks including the Reserve Bank of India, gold as an asset may offer investors a source of return on their investments and effective diversification of the portfolio, said World Gold Council in its latest Investment Update. Gold is widely considered a safe-haven asset and a hedge against volatility in financial markets. “Interest rate hikes are driven by rising inflation. In the short term, higher rates are a headwind for gold,
Int rate hikes are driven by rising inflation. In short term, higher rates are a headwind for gold, but in the current environment they remain low. —World Gold Council
but in the current environment they remain historically low - in real terms mostly negative across developed markets,” the council said. Historical data, the council said, shows that gold has offered attractive re-
turns during India’s monetary-tightening cycles. In five rate-hiking cycles since 2004 gold in Indian rupees averaged an annualised return of 19.5 per cent, outperforming other major assets. For instance, over the past 41 years, gold
has delivered an average annual return of 10 per cent in rupees, clearly outperforming retail inflation, which grew by an average of 7.3 per cent over the same period. Gold’s performance has also been particularly strong in periods of high inflation, increasing by 12 per cent on average when inflation rose above 6 per cent, it said. Central banks around the world have responded to rising inflation. Retail inflation was at 7.01 per cent in June and inflation data for July is due on Friday.
Elon Musk sells Tesla shares worth $6.88bn Washington: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has sold 7.92 million shares of Tesla Inc worth around $6.88 billion, as per a series of regulatory filings by the company. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc, sold around 7.92 million shares of the company between August 5 and August 9. Musk has sold Tesla shares just months after declaring that he would not sell any more stock of the company. “No further TSLA sales planned after today,” Elon Musk had said in a tweet on April 29. Tesla’s share price has slumped by around 30 percent so far this year. The scrip traded at around $850 on Tuesday. Musk is involved in a highstakes legal battle with the microblogging site T w i t t e r. Twitter rec e n t l y
‘MAY-DAY’ SAGA z In April, Musk reached an
acquisition agreement with Twitter at $54.20 per share in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion.
z Musk is involved in a high-
stakes legal battle with the microblogging site Twitter.
z However, Musk put the
deal on hold in May
sued Musk after he decided to back out of the $44 billion takeover deal. In April, Musk reached an acquisition agreement with Twitter at $54.20 per share in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion. However, Musk put the deal on hold in May to allow his team to review the veracity of Twitter’s claim that less than 5 percent of accounts on the platform are bots or spam.
OTHER STORIES JSW ENERGY TO BUY MYTRAH ENERGY ASSETS FOR `10,530 CR
New Delhi: JSW Neo Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of JSW Energy, said on Wednesday it has agreed to acquire a portfolio of 1,753 MW of renewable energy generation capacity from Mytrah Energy (India) for ` 10,530 crore. Necessary definitive agreements have been signed between the parties. The transaction is subject to the approval of the Competition. —ANI
DOLLAR SOLID AHEAD OF THE US INFLATION DATA
Singapore:The dollar traded firmly in anticipation of US inflation data, which even if it comes in softer-thanexpected is still likely to be so red hot that steep US interest rate rises will be required to rein it in. The figures are due at 1230 GMT. Economists expect year-onyear headline inflation running at a scorching 8.7%, a small retreat from June’s whopping 9.1% figure. —PTI
HPL ELECTRIC AND POWER LTD REPORTS SOLID Q1FY23 RESULTS
New Delhi: HPL Electric and Power Ltd, an established electrical equipment manu company in India, producing a diverse portfolio of electric equipment, announced its financial results for the Quarter ended June 30th, 2022. The revenue surged by 129% YoY to 295.6 Cr in Q1FY23, compared to 129cr in Q1FY22.Commenting on the results, Gautam Seth, Joint MD, and CFO, said, “Despite a challenging economic environment and various geo-political uncertainties, we have demonstrated robust performance in both business segments & delivered strong numbers.” —PTI
IRCTC Q1FY23 RESULTS: TRIPLEDIGIT RISE IN PROFIT
New Delhi: IRCT has reported strong earnings in the first quarter of the FY2022-23 (Q1FY23). The company’s both top and bottom lines reported around triple-digit year-onyear (YoY) growth during the quarter. IRCTC’s net profit grew by 185% to ` 248.5 cr in the April-June quarter of FY23 as against ` 87.2cr in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. —ANI
DELHIVERY SHARES SINK 7% AFTER LOSSES WIDEN
Mumbai: Shares of technology-driven logistics startup Delhivery sank over 7 percent on August 10 after the company’s June quarter earnings worsened concerns over the sustainability of the stock’s rich valuations. The company reported a net loss of ` 399 crore for the quarter ended June 2022 as against a net loss of ` 129.6 crore a year back. —FIB
Greetings on the occasion of Rakshabandhan! May the relationship between brother and sister always be a sustaining one. — Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India
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2ND FRONT MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
Gear up to pay property tax for FY 2019-20 now
IN THE COURTYARD
SC grants bail to Varavara Rao Bench refuses to withdraw relief to octogenarian activist in Bhima Koregaon case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail on medical grounds to poet and activist P Varavara Rao in the Bhima Koregaon case. A bench headed by Justice UU Lalit observed that the medical condition of the 82-yearold Rao—who is currently out on interim bail on health grounds— has not improved to such an extent that the relief granted earlier to him be withdrawn. The top court noted that though the charge sheet in the case has been filed, some of the accused have not been apprehended yet. The matter has not been taken up for framing of charges against the accused, who are before the court. The bench, also comprising Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, observed that various applications preferred by the accused seeking discharge are still pending
First India Bureau Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to recover pending property tax dues for the year 2019-20 which is likely to generate a revenue of Rs300 crore. The state government in 2019 had exempted property tax of residential properties measuring up to 500sq ft, but later it was clarified that only the general tax component was exempted. “In 2019, the state government cleared a bill to exempt property tax of residential prope r t i e s
ED moves HC against special court bail order
First India Bureau
First India Bureau
In this Aug 29, 2018 file photo, writer P Varavara Rao being produced at a court in Pune; On Wednesday, the SC granted bail to Rao, an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, on medical grounds. —PTI PHOTO
consideration. “The medical condition of the appellant (Rao) has not improved to such an extent over a period of time that the facility of bail which was granted earlier be withdrawn,” said the bench. “Considering the totality of circumstances, in our view, the appellant is entitled to the relief of bail on medical grounds,” it said. During the arguments, senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for Rao, referred to his medical condition and said even charges have not been framed in the case.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the NIA, vehemently opposed the plea and argued that materials on record shows the involvement of Rao in a deep-rooted conspiracy and he is not entitled to be granted the relief of bail. While granting bail to Rao, the apex court said he shall not leave the area of Greater Mumbai without the express permission from the trial court. “The appellant shall not in any way misuse his liberty, nor shall he get in touch with any witnesses or try to influence the course of investigation,” it said.
THE CASE
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved the Bombay High Court on Wednesday against a special court order granting interim bail to two persons arrested in a money laundering case, after they were discharged from the ‘predicate’ (scheduled) offence which led to the ED case. The investigation agency’s advocate Hiten Venegaonkar submitted the appeal before a single bench of Justice Bharati Dangre seeking urgent hearing. The special court hearing matters pertaining to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) had on Monday granted bail to Babulal Verma and Kamalkishor Gupta. They were arrested by the ED in connection with a case registered
After it granted interim bail to two in money laundering case, due to absence of scheduled offence against them by the Aurangabad police. Venegaonkar told the HC on Wednesday that the special court granted interim bail to the two accused without giving the ED a chance to respond. But, Justice Dangre refused to intervene at this stage or list the appeal for urgent hearing. In its appeal, the ED said that the special PMLA court had arrived at the conclusion that it does not have jurisdiction to extend the judicial custody of the accused in the absence of the predicate offence at the interim stage itself.
Somaiyas for anticipatory bail in the case and made “absolute” the interim protection from arrest granted by the court to the duo on April 13 this year. An FIR was registered against the BJP leader and his son Neil Somaiya on April 06 at the Trombay police station in Mumbai, following a complaint by an ex-Army person. The complainant claimed that former MP Somaiya had collected Rs57 crore from the public in
2013 for restoration of INS Vikrant. The money was, however, never put to use or deposited with the governor’s office, as per the initial plan, the complaint stated.
LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING
On Wednesday, senior counsel Shirish Gupte, who appeared for the prosecution, told the HC that the city police did not require Somaiya and his son’s immediate custody.
Advocate Ashok Mundargi, who appeared for the Somaiyas, denied all allegations and told the high court that this was a highly “politicized matter”. Justice Dangre also noted that the allegations against the BJP leader and his son were “unsubstantiated”. “The allegation (against the duo) is of misappropriation of funds. Though the complaint alleged that a whopping sum of
CYBER-FRAUDSTERS OFFER ONLINE SALES JOB, DUPE WOMAN OF `3.54L
Mumbai: A 43-year-old unemployed woman in Mumbai fell prey to fraudsters who offered her a “job” to invest in products online and get a commission along with the money invested. Following a message text on August 08, the woman was trained by one Reetedh Sharma on Telegram on ‘how to make and withdraw money’ and how to increase sales of commodities. The woman was lured by the quick money-making business and ended up buying 14 products such as face cream, t-shirts, shoes, phone, bracelet, etc and spent Rs3.03 lakh but she did not get any commission on them.
GUTKHA, TOBACCO COPS SEIZE 266KG GANJA PRODUCTS SEIZED; 1 HELD WORTH `80 LAKH Palghar: Police seized banned gutkha and other tobacco products worth Rs5.67 lakh in Palghar district and arrested a 40-year-old man, police said on Wednesday. Gunny bags containing the prohibited items were found hidden in the seats of a car in the Nandore Naka area on Monday, a senior police officer said. A case has been registered under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the Indian Penal Code.
Specific statements (of the police) and the investigation do not lead to such an inference (of misappropriation). The specific order granting interim protection is made absolute. —Justice Bharati Dangre, Bombay High Court
Rs57 crore was collected, there was no evidence of misappropriation,” the HC said.
—FILE PHOTO
Women purchase rakhis on the eve of Rakshabandhan in Navi Mumbai, Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra cabinet expansion, the Shiv Sena claimed administering ministerial oath to rebels MLAs, whose disqualification pleas are pending before the Supreme Court, amounted to murder of democracy and the Constitution. “By finally taking the ministerial oath, the rebels have taken a dip in the Ganga river. But will they be able to wash the sin of betrayal?” an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ asked on Wednesday. When the plea of disqualification is pending before the Supreme
Governor Koshyari, CM Shinde and Dy CM Fadnavis with the newly sworn-in ministers at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Tuesday.
In an editorial piece of ‘Saamana’, Shiv Sena asks of rebels ‘Will they be able to wash the sin of betrayal?’ Court, administering oath to the rebel MLAs amounts to murder of democracy and the Constitution, the editorial said.
Mumbai: The AntiNarcotics Cell of the Mumbai crime branch seized 266kg ganja— estimated to be worth Rs80 lakh—hidden in two cars and arrested two persons, a police official said on Wednesday. The accused, Thane residents Ashwin Kumar Ashok Sharma (32) and Raju Ramesh Lohar (24), were arrested in Airoli near Thane on Tuesday. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
TWO HELD IN PUNE FOR POSING AS POLICEMEN, STEALING MOTORCYCLES
‘Letting rebel MLAs take oath equals murder of democracy’ First India Bureau
measuring up to 500 sq ft. But the state government only exempted the general tax while other taxes, cesses such as water tax, water benefit tax, road tax, tree tax, and state and BMC education cess were unchanged,” a BMC official said. “We will recover the pending tax which was not recovered in that year due to some technical error,” he added.
CRUCIAL READ
Ex-MP Somaiya, son get anticipatory bail in cheating case Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya and his son in a case of alleged misappropriation of public money. The fund had been collected for the restoration of the decommissioned naval aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. A single bench of Justice Bharati Dangre allowed the plea of
08
This means they don’t have any fear of the judiciary. This shows their confidence that everything will happen according to their will, it said. The Marathi daily also slammed chief minister Eknath Shinde for bowing before Delhi seven times by going to the national capital before the cabinet expansion.
Pune: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Police have arrested two persons for allegedly posing as policemen and stealing motorcycles and selling them in the outskirts of the city. The accused have been identified as Deepak Narayan Bansode (31), a resident of Thomas Colony, Mamrudi and Shrimant Vinayak Survase (29), a resident of Vahlekarwadi Chinchwad. On Tuesday, they were apprehended near Gurudwara Chowk in Vahlekarwadi by police. Police have recovered 14 motorcycles worth ₹6,96,000.
TIGER CARCASS FOUND ON RAILWAY TRACK
5 HURT AS BEST BUS CRASHES IN DINDOSHI
Chandrapur: The badly mutilated carcass of a tiger was found on a railway track in Chandrapur district, home to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, on Wednesday morning. A railway gangman spotted the carcass on Kazipet-Balharshah railway track in Rajura while patrolling, and alerted forest personnel. Prima facie, the feline—suspected to be a tigress—died in an accident probably in the wee hours of Wednesday, officials said.
Mumbai: Five people were injured after the brakes of a BEST bus failed at Dindoshi on Tuesday, hitting a scooter and an autorickshaw before ramming into a tree. BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade said the injured include bus driver Kundalik Kisan Dhongde (43), conductor Abasaheb Pandurang Kore (54), autorickshaw driver Howal Sarku Pande (45), and passengers Govind Prasad Pathak (80) and Rajnish Kumar Pathak.
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MUMBAI, THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
R
aksha Bandhan is one such festival in the Indian tradition that is dedicated to siblings. In this, the sisters tie a ‘rakhi’ around their brother’s wrist, symbolically protecting them. But looking at the present day, it’s not just about the brothers and
Raksha Bandhan is a bond of love, of reaffirming the special connection that siblings share, it is a proclamation that amid the storm of life, a sibling is a safe harbour. City First brings to you the information on the bonds of B-Town siblings!
sisters, but about any sibling for that matter of fact. There are people who tie a rakhi to their sisters with a share of responsibility to protect each other, which is really sweet; isn’t it? This festival is also observed as the last day of the Hindu Lunar calendar month of Sawan. The expression ‘Raksha
n Sara & Ibrahim Ali Khan: Born to Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, these star kids have set major goals on social media, from travelling to celebrating festivals together.
DHANUSHREE VYAS cityfirst@firtsindia.co.in
n Janhvi & Arjun Kapoor: Considering the fact that they are step-siblings, it is safe to say that their relationship is looked upon by many people. Arjun sure is an extremely protective brother and loves all of his sisters from the bottom of his heart.
Bandhan’ in Sanskrit refers to the bond of protection, obligation or care towards one another. Talking about the brother-sister jodis in the Bollywood industry, there are a few of them that not just made heads turn with their skills, but also with how adorable they actually are together!
n Ranbir & Riddhima Kapoor: Born to Neetu and late Rishi Kapoor, these Kapoor siblings are always in support of each other. May it be a big incident or a small moment of happiness, both of them are there with each other, no matter what. n Sonam & Harshvardhan Kapoor: Being born to Anil & Sunita Kapoor, this set of Kapoor siblings is fun to watch. May it be a talk show or a video on social media, this jodi is undoubtedly loved by everyone.
ETC MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
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10
Raksha Bandhan:
Bond of love.... love....
Bond of togetherness.... togetherness....
MITALI DUSAD
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Raksha Bandhan, the festival of celebrating the bond of love between brothers and sisters, isn’t just about the sacred thread Rakhi but the thali also holds a special significance which includes a number of basic puja items decorated beautifully. City First brings to you the significance of these elements!
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aksha means protection, and in some places in medieval India, where women felt unsafe, they tie Rakhi on the wrist of men, regarding them as brothers. In this way, Rakhi strengthens the bond of love between brothers and sisters and revives the emotional bonding. And the beauty of the festival lies in the idea that sisters pray for the success and prosperity of their brothers, while brothers take a vow to protect their sisters. Every festival observed in India is a sum-up of special elements. In Diwali, it is the oil lamps, crackers, sweets, new attires, etc. whereas Holi is a festival composed of colours. Along with sacred thread, Rakhi thali also holds a special significance on this festival which includes several basic puja items decorated beautifully. It includes a diya, roli, rice, sweets, and Rakhi. These thalis are adorned wonderfully conveying a sister’s respect and honour for her brother. City First brings to you the significance of these elements! The Pooja Thali is decorated with pearls and ornated with colourful designer Rakhis and other ingredients to ward off negativity and bad omen. Nowadays, either you can make your own Pooja Ki Thali or shop online Rakhi with Pooja thali; there are plenty of websites that offer beautiful and alluring Thali under an affordable price range. But if you are keen to prepare the Thali on your own, then these are the essential components a Raksha Bandhan thali must have:
AKSHATA (RICE)
Akshata is a Sanskrit word that means “Something which is not broken,” another name for Lord Shiva. Akshata is uncooked, unbroken rice mixed with turmeric and is considered one of the most important ingredients known to bring prosperity and fertility.
KUMKUM AND KESAR
Kumkum has a unique role in all Indian holy events; in the Vaishnava, Tilaka is the symbol of the Lotus feet of Param-aatma
(Divine God) and the Kumkum symbolizes the Bhakta( devotee). Kumkum is one of the best remedies and can be used in headaches; it relaxes the muscles and gives instant relief.
DIYA OR INCENSE STICK
Diya is very important and has a special place in Hinduism. It is the significance of purity, good omen, and power. It is said that light means the non-existence of dark(Evil). And Diya was first lightened when Sri Rama visited Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, a symbol of joy and happiness.
SWEETS
Sweets are called “Mithai,” it is a symbol of happiness and sweetness that we spread among family, friends, and relatives. Firstly the sweets are offered to the Goddess Lakshmi with
pure devotion. And later, it is distributed among all the members as Prasad in the form of blessings from the Goddess.
FRUITS OR NARIYAL
The three dots on the Nariyal symbolize the three eyes of Lord Shiva, and thus coconut is termed as auspicious in the Puja ceremony. Also, the devotees pay special tribute to God to get a child by offering Nariyal to Lord Rudra. You can also use bananas and offer them to the Lord to get blessings.
MOLI DHAGA
Moli dhaga, also termed as Kalawa, is a holy Hindu thread tied by the priest on the wrists of all the attendees of the Puja ceremony to get the blessings of God. It is also believed that the wrist vein controls our body, so if you tie Moli on the wrist, it helps us regulate our blood circulation.
KALASH WITH WATER
The Kalasha is believed to have Amrita, the elixir of life. Also, the Kalasha or metal pot represents material things that contain fertility- the earth and the womb, which nourish our life. And as per Hindu tradition Goddess, Lakshmi holds Kalasha in her hand shows wisdom and abundance.
BETEL-NUT (PAAN-SUPARI)
Betel nut helps us invoke the blessings of Lord Ganapati and Goddess Lakshmi. It is said t h a t keeping
a copper vessel filled with Ganga water, along with the betel nut and some coins, as an offering in a temple, helps get all our wishes fulfilled soon. The holy Nut is encapsulated by the Moli dhaga and placed on Betel-leaf.
RAKHIS FOR BOTH BHAIYA AND BHABHI
Rakhi is not just a thread; the sacred thread shows an unbreakable long-lasting sibling bond. Why just a Rakhi for brother, we have beautiful chooda (Bangle) rakhi for our dear bhabhis too. Customised Gifts: Nowadays people love experimenting with gifts. Not just brothers gift something to their sisters but the other way round too is happening quite a lot. After all, it’s about cherishing moments forever!
ETC
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MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
Bond of Protection
Raksha Bandhan is an auspicious festival that celebrates the beautiful bond of brothers and sisters. City First brings to you such special bonds of siblings
SHUBHANSHI PATHAK cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
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ne of the most reverent and unique relationships is that between a brother and a sister. This day is devoted to sibling relationships and serves as a reminder of their responsibilities and shared affection. Every year, particularly in the Hindu community, the festival of Raksha Bandhan is commemorated with great fervour. The sisters tie a holy thread or knot around their brother’s wrist on this day which symbolises a sister’s love for her brother and in return request for his protection. On the final day of the Shraavana month in the Hindu calendar, Raksha Bandhan is commemorated. The phrase literally translates to ‘bond of protection, obligation or care’ in Sanskrit. Even though the exact
origin of the holiday is unknown, it is mentioned in a number of mythological tales. The trusting relationship between King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi is one of them. After beating Vishnu three times, King Bali is said to have imprisoned him inside of his home. But in order to win her husband back, Lakshmi wrapped a thread around King Bali’s wrist and urged him to inscribe a seal on their enduring link of kindness and faith. King Bali was compelled to send Lord Vishnu to her since he was unable to resist. Another legend states that Lord Krishna once sliced his finger during kite-flying. Draupadi went to aid when she saw blood gushing from his finger and tore a piece of fabric from her sari to bind to his wounded finger. Her action greatly delighted Lord Krishna, who thereafter pledged to shield her from any harm. He later shielded her from the Kauravas, as is well documented. City First brings to you such special bonds of siblings on the auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan.
Priyavada Rathore, Rajshree Rathore, Rimjhim Bhati, Malvika, Geetanjali Rathore, Rajshree Bhati, Chandraveer Singh, Capt. Varunraj Singh Rathore, Priyanka Rathore and Gajraj Singh
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We believe that Raksha Bandhan is a cultural symbol of Indian society which is all about the beautiful bond between brothers and sisters. We wait for Rakhi as we get to celebrate the unbreakable bond that we share with our lovely brothers. We are very fortunate to have brothers who have always been there for us through thick and thin. —MALVIKA BHATI
I love the festival of Raksha Bandhan because I get a lot of gifts from my brother. I get so many chocolates and I dress up like a doll for the festival. I am treated like a queen on this day which makes me feel even more special.
—AVIKA TINKER
Aniruddh Tinker and Avika Tinker
Keerat Sain and Kathit Sain
A very big thank you for being my companion, my protector and being equally weird with me. You are the best brother in this world. Happy Raksha Bandhan!
—KEERAT SAIN
Chandrika Begerhotta and Chandresh Begerhotta Ashi Gupta, Sagar Gupta and Aman Gupta
You have always been my best friend, holding my hand, making sure the road I travelled on free of obstacles. There cannot be a better brother than you in this whole world. Wishing you the best in life always. —CHANDRIKA BEGERHOTTA
Raksha Bandhan is my favourite festival. I get so many surprises from my brothers on this day. I eagerly wait for it as it strengthens our bond. It is a very vibrant festival that captures the emotions very well.
Arpit and Amisha
—ASHI GUPTA
We giggle and we cry, we play and we fight. The moments of happiness and sorrows we shared together have made our bond stronger. Wishing you a very Happy Raksha Bandhan.
—AMISHA SHUKLA
Jyotsana Chouhan, Nisha Chouhan, Yogesh Chouhan and Sheetal Chouhan Preeti and Chirag Gupta
You are all-in-one package for me. You are my friend, a companion and also a protector. Love you, dear brother. —PREETI GUPTA
Rakhi is a day which is full of gifts, delicacies, beautiful bonds. It’s that wonderful time of the year when our brother is on the hunt for the perfect gifts for us while we look for the ideal rakhis for him and also wait for our presents. —JYOTSANA CHOUHAN
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MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
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WE HAVE AN UNSAID UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN US: RAQESH AND SHAMITA ASHISH TIWARI
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
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ne of the most loved couples Shamita Shetty and Raqesh Bapat recently spoke to Ashish Tiwari of First India to promote their song, Tere Vich Rab Disda. The duo recently announced their breakup and this remains their first project together. Both Shamita and Raqesh have been receiving a lot of love for their song by Tseries sung by Sachet and Parampara. Speaking about their characters in the song they said, Raqesh said, “I am not like this in real life but it’s always fun portray-
ing something that you are not on the screen, everything just fell in place” Shamita added, “ Everything about the song is beautiful from the melody to the composition to the location it’s perfect, and I am so glad people are loving it as it’s a song you can hear again and again” Raqesh said, “We shot at extreme conditions with the 45-degree temperature outside. That’s the harsh reality people tend to believe whatever they see to be the glamorous outcome but we as actors know what we go through. We need to work for the end product” Shamita Added, “I enjoy every aspect of acting so whatever you see in the song is quite natural” Raqesh Bapat speaking on her bond with Shamita said, “We have an unsaid energy and understanding between us
that’s what brings out the best of our chemistry on screen be it in biggboss or the song” Shamita quoted, “ As we knew each other already there was a comfort in working we could communicate so we really enjoyed working on this” Speaking on each other’s first expressions of each other they said, “I find her classy, dignified and stylish she’s a complete package” Raqesh Quoted. To which Shamita Said, “Raqesh has an artistic side to himself and with that the calming factor that he has in him which I really appreciate
and like about him.“ On asking how was their shooting experience they mentioned, “Shooting at the banks of Ganga was a surreal experience. We had to run through the Laxman Jhula multiple times to complete the shoot” While Shamita and Raqesh have been one of the most loved contestants of the year fans await their reunion to which Shamita quoted, “ Everyone is too busy with their lives after biggboss it gets difficult to be free together on the same day.”
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alit Modi shocked everyone when he made the confessional post, letting the world know that he is dating actress Sushmita Sen. It was more surprising when Rohman Shawl, the actress’ latest ex supported the two and defended them when trolls took a dig at their relationship. The actress went live on her Instagram showing the quiet and cosy cel-
ebrations they were having. Featuring her mom and daughters in the frame, the actress was seen sitting on the couch while her mother held the phone in the front camera mode. Just when the actress shouts and calls everyone to come into the frame, he walks away from the camera. Meanwhile, Lalit Modi was nowhere to be seen at the occasion. While several praised the duo for maintaining a friendly relationship even after their breakup, many others trolled her for partying with her ex while her current boyfriend was nowhere in the frame.
Janhvi’s special Raksha bandhan
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Sushmita Sen
anhvi Kapoor will finally get to tie her siblings rakhi after reuniting with them a few years back. She said, “I think with every passing year, I’ve felt stronger and more secure because of the love and the strength of my siblings, and more so in the past couple of years. Khushi and I have always been extremely protective of each other, but now, there are two more siblings in the equation — Arjun bhaiyya and Anshula didi. Right off the bat, there was a sense of we are there for each other, we have each other’s backs, and that we want to be a family in whatever sense of the word we can make that happen.”
Janhvi Kapoor
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Gauahar’s Netflix Debut
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Raqesh Bapat and Shamita Shetty
Sushmita-Rohman trolled
BUZZ
auahar Khan after giving some amazing performances on OTT is finally making her Netflix Debut as a host. The show is called ‘IRL: In Real Love’ where she will be sharing the screen space with Ranvijay Singha. Popular dating app Tinder is all set to collaborate with Netflix as the official casting partner for India’s first reality dating show ‘IRL: In Real Love’. Talking about the same, Gauahar said “I am super excited for this news that just dropped on Netflix’s youtube channel today. Our show is gonna be out soon. It is made with a whole lot of love and we had an absolute blast being the hosts of this amazing show. Can’t wait for you guys to watch it. See you there”. Known for producing popular dating shows like Indian Matchmaking, Love is Blind, and Too Hot to Handle, IRL: In Real Love will be produced by Monozygotic.
Ranvijay Singha and Gauahar Khan
ANANYA REACTS TO CANCEL CULTURE
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mid the cancel culture in Bollywood and the trolling on social media in general, Ananya Panday feels it is something that has become a cycle now. Ananya Panday recently shared her thoughts on the current cancel culture in India. “We are losing our track,” the actress said and added that the trolling and cancelling of stars online is a ‘cycle’. She explained in her interview, “I think it is like a cycle. Every day, someone is getting boycotted or everyone is being cancelled.” She also added, “I even asked someone whether I have been boycotted or am I still fine. I get to know new things every day. This is what I understood. You have to learn how to filter things. You should know what things are the things to be taken seriously. I don’t take them seriously,”
Ananya Panday