First India-Mumbai Edition-13th March 2023

FORMER ANDHRA

CM KIRAN KUMAR REDDY RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR &

MODI, SHAH LEAD

New Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from Congress on Sunday. Sources said the veteran politician is likely to join the BJP but only after getting an assurance that he will be given a suitable position in national politics.

FLYER HANDED OVER TO COPS FOR SMOKING IN FLIGHT

New Delhi: Air India handed over an unruly passenger who allegedly smoked in the lav of a London-Mumbai flight on March 10 and behaved aggressively with other people on board, to security agencies on arrival. Mumbai Police have registered a case against the passenger Ramakant (37), a US citizen.

UNION IT MoS TO MEET STARTUPS AMID CONCERNS OVER SVB ISSUE

I’M BUSY WORKING FOR PEOPLE, SAYS PM

Congress party busy digging

Modi’s grave, PM stresses

Moni Sharma

Mandya: PM Narendra

Modi on Sunday accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of being busy digging his grave, while he was striving for the development of the country and the welfare of the poor, as he also declared that blessings of the people is his biggest protection shield. On his sixth visit this year to Karnataka, where Assembly elections are due by May, he also asserted that the “double engine” govt is a necessity for the fast-paced development of the state.

Congress never bothered about pains and sufferings of the poor, he alleged, adding that, “it was a coalition government (at the Centre) running with the support of various types of people.” BJP govt has made all efforts to serve poor, to alleviate their sufferings, PM said.

PM MODI DEDICATES

WORLD’S LONGEST RAILWAY PLATFORM IN KARNATAKA

READ Crucial

BRAHMOS TO BAG $2.5

BN CRUISE MISSILES ORDER FROM NAVY

PM inaugurates 118 km long B’luru-Mysuru E-way

PM HOLDS MEGA ROADSHOW AMID ‘MODI-MODI’ CHANTS IN KARNATAKA

Earlier on Sunday, Prime

Shah urges people of Kerala to support BJP in 2024 general polls

New Delhi: Union minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Sunday he will meet Indian startups this week to asses the impact on them following the collapse of US-based Silicon Valley Bank. He shared this information on Twitter.

Central govt opposes same-sex marriages

z Heterosexual marriages the norm: Centre opposes pleas in SC over same-sex marriages

z An affidavit, filed by the Central govt before the Apex court opposing the pleas is scheduled over for the hearing today

z Over 4 gay couples in recent months have asked SC to recognise same-sex marriages

First India Bureau

mothers, sisters, daughters, and people is the biggest protection shield for Modi.

—Narendra

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

First India Bureau

Thrissur: Union HM Amit Shah on Sunday urged people of Kerala to support his party in the 2024 general elections, make India a secure and developed country and ensure a prominent place amongst the nations. Addressing the Jan Shakti rally organised by BJP in Thrissur, he said although the people of Kerala provided

Second leg of Budget session from today; Govt says our priority to pass Finance Bill

New Delhi: The Indian Navy is going to place orders for acquiring more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles worth over $2.5 billion which would be equipped on all the frontline warships of maritime force, the officials said on Sunday.

ADANI GROUP PREPAYS

$2.15 BILLION LOANS

AHEAD OF DEADLINE

New Delhi: Adani Group on Sunday said it has repaid loans aggregating USD 2.65 billion to complete a prepayment programme ahead of March 31 deadline to cut overall leverage in an attempt to win back investors’ trust.

WEAPONS, NARCOTICS

SEIZED NEAR LoC IN J&K’S RAJOURI AREA

Rajouri/Jammu: Army troops guarding the LoC recovered small arms and narcotics from Rajouri district of J&K on Sunday, officials said. Two pistols, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and heroin was among the recoveries made, they said.

First India Bureau New Delhi: The second leg of Budget session will commence on Monday with the government asserting that its priority is to pass the Finance Bill and the Opposition planning to raise issues like the action of central agencies against the BJP’s politi-

cal rivals and allegations against the Adani group. Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep

Dhankhar sought views of leaders of various political parties on ways to curb disruptions in the House at a meeting held on Sunday. Opposition members raised the issue of alleged misuse of central agencies against non-BJP govts and move to appoint Dhankhar’s personal staff on parl committees. More on P5

6 dead in accident on Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district

First India Bureau Buldhana: Six persons were killed after their car met with an accident on Sunday morning on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maha rashtra’s Buldhana dis trict, a police official said.

The accident took place at 8am at Shivni Pisa vil lage when the car, with 13 occu pants, was on its way from Aurangabad

to Shegaon here, Buldhana Superintendent of Police Sarang Awhad told PTI.

“The driver of the car lost control, after which the vehicle hit a

J&K’S BUDGET TO BE PRESENTED IN PARL BY SITHARAMAN TODAY

Finance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman will table budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the year 2023-24 in Lok Sabha today. The UT is at present under the central govt rule. Nirmala Sitharaman will also present Supplementary Demands for Grants - Second Batch for 2022-23.

opportunities alternatively to the Congress and the Communists for the past several years, both have failed to deliver and could not bring any development in the state. He said India’s economy was in the 11th position when PM Modi took over, adding, Narendra Modi government took the fight to Pakistan’s soil following Pulwama and Uri incidents. More on P5

New Delhi: The Centre in a filing to the Supreme Court on Sunday stuck to its earlier stand that same-sex marriage is not compatible with the concept of an “Indian family unit”, which it said consists of “a husband, a wife, and children which necessarily presuppose a biological man as a ‘husband’, a biological woman as a ‘wife’ and children born out of union between the two - who are reared by the biological man as father and the biological woman as mother”.

It is submitted that despite the decriminalisation of Section 377 of IPC, petitioners cannot claim right for same-sex marriage to be recognised under the laws of the country, it said.

The notion of marriage itself necessarily and inevitably presupposes a union between two persons of the opposite sex. —Centre

AFFIDAVIT STATES...

z Registration of marriage of same sex persons also results in violation of existing personal as well as codified law provisions z Parties entering into marriage creates an institution having its own public significance, as it is a social institution from which several rights & liabilities flow z Family issues are far beyond mere recognition and registration of marriage between persons belonging to the same gender z It will not be permissible to pray for a writ of this court to change the entire legislative policy of the country deeply embedded in religious and societal norm

Mumbai ACP Nitin Bobde dies on duty due to heart attack

First India Bureau Mumbai: Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Yellow Gate Division, Nitin Bobde, died after suffering a heart attack at his office between 2 pm and 4 pm on Saturday. 55-year-old Bobde came on duty around 10 am, according to Mumbai police and rested in

his room after having lunch around 2 pm. However, when staff of his office knocked on the door, there was no answer from inside. Sensing that something was not quite right, the staff went inside but found Bobde to be unresponsive.

The staff rushed him to St. George Hospital for treatment, but the

officer could not be revived. The post-mortem is being conducted at St. George Hospital. Bobde was a Senior Police Inspector at Mankhurd Police Station before taking charge as Senior Police Inspector of Matunga Police Station. He was then promoted as ACP and posted at the Yellow Gate Division.

‘National Film Heritage Mission giving new lifeline to heritage of Indian cinema’

Six of the car’s occupants, comprising a man, four women and a girl, have died. The injured have been shifted to Aurangabad for treatment,” the SP said.

Earlier, some officials had cited a tyre burst as the prima facie cause of the accident, though they had added more details were awaited from

New Delhi: Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Sunday visited NFDCNational Film Archive of India (NFAI) during his Pune visit and reviewed the progress made under National Film Heritage Mission.

The minister stated that the mission is giving a new lifeline to the heritage of Indian cinema, where many films which were not previously accessible at all, will be made available to audience worldwide

in the best quality available, while simultaneously ensuring the long term preservation of Indian cinema. “National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) is

moving ahead at full steam at NFDC-National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune. As part of NFHM, 3 major projects are ongoing at NFDCNFAI: Digitization of

Films, Conservation of Film Reels and Restoration of Films. All these projects are colossal in nature in the field of film preservation and have never been attempted on this scale globally,” the ministry said in a release.

Till date, 1,293 features and 1,062 shorts and documentaries have been digitized in 4K and 2K resolution. Additional 2,500 features and shorts and documentaries are in the pipeline to be digitized.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated to the nation the “longest railway platform in world” at Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station.

IT’S RAINING FLOWERS! Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a grand welcome on his arrival, in Mandya on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and other developmental projects in presence of Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai in Mandya district on Sunday.

Congress doesn’t know that the blessings of crores of

Modi, PM

Amit Shah being felicitated by BJP workers in Thrissur on Sunday.

Anurag Singh Thakur

Khadse calls Sanjay Pawar a ‘traitor’

said that ‘he did not deserve to win’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP)

Ravindra Bhaiya Patil was defeated by Mahavikas Aghadi for the post of president in Jalgaon District Bank.

NCP’s rebel Sanjay Pawar has won after secret voting. Meanwhile, this defeat has come at the expense of NCP leader Eknath Khadse.

Speaking to the media after this defeat, Khadse said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has got this success because of the traitor leader Sanjay Pawar.

Khadse said, “He did not deserve to win. Basically, I strengthened the

Adani row: Maha Congress to protest outside Raj Bhavan

First India Bureau

Bharatiya Janata Party in Jalgaon, so Girish Mahajan and Mangesh Chavan got a place in the party. As one of us became a traitor, he got the district bank. Otherwise, our defeat was not possible. Whatever Mahajan is saying after this victory, it is only because of his ego.”

Khadse said that winning an election by cheating is not a great achievement. Fight and win elections democratically, he added.

‘They’ aren’t needed in our alliance: Athawale

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Raj Thacker-

ay, Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have often appeared on the same platform since the change of power in Maharashtra. It is believed that all three share a very good relationship with each other. There are also talks that the three will fight the municipal elections together. Now, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has made a statement in this regard.

Athawale said that they are not needed in our alliance. Meanwhile, Athawale has also demanded that the cabinet should be expanded while saying that it is difficult to achieve success in Maharashtra alone. He has also demanded three seats in the Lok Sabha and some seats in the Legislative Assembly. Athawale said, “We are not worried about the all-India meeting being held in Shirdi on May 27.”

As Shinde has been given the name and

symbol of the Shiv Sena by the Election Commission, Athawale has expressed the belief that the verdict of the Supreme Court will also be in their favour.

Athawale said, “Both Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut are responsible for the vertical split in Shiv Sena. They left our support and the Congress went with the NCP, which has led to this situation.”

“Our alliance will win 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra will not make any difference,” added Athawale.

Our alliance will win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra will not make any difference. The people of Shirdi will show full faith in me.

—Ramdas Athawale, Union Minister

I strengthened the Bharatiya Janata Party in Jalgaon, so Girish Mahajan and Mangesh Chavan got a place in the party. As one of us became a traitor, he got the district bank. Otherwise, our defeat was not possible. Whatever Mahajan is saying after this victory, it is only because of his ego.

—Eknath Khadse, NCP

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The election of Jalgaon District Bank was held on Saturday which shocked the NCP leader Eknath Khadse along with Mahavikas Aghadi as NCP’s Ravindra Patil had filed an application for the election of the president from Mahavikas Aghadi. However, NCP’s Sanjay Pawar has rebelled and won by submitting an application from the Shinde group. Following the same, Minister Girish Mahajan has criticized Khadse over this.

Speaking to the media, Mahajan said, “Khadse had a miscon-

ception that the district and the cooperative are because of me.

In the bank, in the milk union, in the assembly and in the district, I was the one who faced the most arrogance of Khadse. There can be no other example than how much a man falls when he starts flying in the air.”

“Everything Khadse

used to say when he was in BJP is because of me. He could not retain his own constituency after leaving the party. He was in the race for the post of Chief Minister, now where has he fallen,” added Mahajan.

“No one from Khadse’s panel was elected in the Dudh Sangh elections. BJP had boycotted the district bank elections last year. At that time, Khadse criticized us and showed how I am Bahubali. Now, in the elections held after a year, BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde group) showed him the position,” commented Mahajan.

Farmers begin Nashik-to-Mumbai foot march

Nashik (PTI): A foot march of farmers and workers spearheaded by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to draw the government’s attention towards various demands of these sections began from Dindori town in Maharashtra’s Nashik district to Mumbai on Sunday.

The organisers said that thousands of farmers and unorganised sector workers are taking part in the ‘Long March’ that has been

organised over demands like the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for onions, appropriate price for agriculture produce, elec-

Directors, ex-branch head of Canara bank sentenced

First India Bureau Mumbai: Two directors of fictitious computer companies, Pravin Bharathan and Mahesh Nagarajan, along with a former branch head of Canara Bank, S. Mahalingam have been sentenced by a special court in connection with a highprofile bank fraud case dating back to 20012002.

The offences related to banking activities were found to have harmful effects on customers and society at large. The two directors were found to have operated fictitious companies dealing in computers and their spare parts. The court has observed that such offences have far-reaching consequences beyond just the banks involved.

tricity bill waiver for farmers, speedy compensation for crops losses due to the unseasonal rains and forest land rights.

A number of Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHA workers and tribals are also taking part in the march, they said.

Former MLA J P Gavit is leading the march that set off around 12 noon from Dindori, around 25 km from Nashik city.

The participants were seen carrying red flags of the CPI(M) and placards with slogans like “Give MSP to onions” written on them.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress will stage a protest outside the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai today to protest against the recent Adani-Hindenburg row. During the protest, questions over the Modi government’s silence on the investigation of scam by Adani industries will be raised. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, “The Modi government has remained silent and been turning a blind eye towards the scam by Adani industries.

The country is going through a financial crisis due to Narendra Modi’s dictatorial rule. As of now, the financial scam by Adani industries has come forth, and the hard-earned money of the citizens is no longer safe. The NDA government has given people’s money to Adani on a platter. Rahul Gandhi had alerted the NDA government on the possibility of a scam in the Adani group, but his warnings were ignored for obvious political reasons.”

He further added that Central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and Income Tax department, have been deployed exclusively for harassing leaders of Opposition parties.

“The NDA government led by Narendra Modi

“Financial scam by Adani industries has come forth, and the hard-earned money of citizens is not safe”

has a special spot for industrialist Gautam Adani. The Modi government is supporting corrupt Gautam Adani. The Modi government has remained silent on the scam, but the Congress party is asking for answers in the interest of the people. ED has initiated action against political leaders like Hasan Mushrif and Sadanand Kadam, but not a single word against the industrialist who has put public money in jeopardy. Raj Bhavan in Mumbai will be gheraoed after the morcha from Girgaon Chowpatty to Raj Bhavan on Monday at 3 pm. We will mainly condemn the misuse of the central agencies,” Patole added.

Bonde slams

Pawar

after he ‘winks’ on Uddhav’s reaction

First India Bureau

Nagpur: BJP MP Anil

Bonde criticized that opposition leader Ajit Pawar winked as Uddhav Thackeray reacted on the budget. I was also a Shiv Sainik but such an insult was never done during Balasaheb’s tenure, said Bonde while talking to the media in Nagpur.

Bonde said that it is sad that Ajit Dada had to wink while Uddhav Thackeray was speaking and Shiv Sainiks felt nothing. When Ajit Pawar was going to give 6,000 to the farmers, he said that it would be Rs 3 per day. Isn’t this an insult to

SAVE WATER

the farmers? Did the farmers get any support during their government?

“The era of Corona and Mahavikas Aghadi was slowing down Maharashtra. But now Finance Minister Fadnavis’ economic resolution is giving happiness to everyone. The

Rupture in fuel pipeline fixed after 48 hrs of damage

Isn’t this an insult to the farmers? Did the farmers get any support during their government? said Bonde

budget is meant for the balanced development of the entire state. The opposition cannot even speak against this budget, so they now say that the electricity bill of the farmer will increase, but that is not the case. Now, solar energy is being increased,” said Bonde.

Thane (PTI): A fuel pipeline in Thane district, which ruptured and caused a fire that killed one person, has been repaired after 48 hours. The 18-inch line, transporting diesel of BPCL from Mumbai to Manmad, was restored by several agencies working together. The fire broke out due to an underground cable explosion, and an inquiry has been instituted to ensure there is no recurrence. The police are also investigating if fuel was being pilfered from pipeline, as there have been instances of pilferage on this route.

to launch Jalyukta Shivar 2.0 in 5000 villages of Maha’

The Maharasthra

First India Bureau Pune: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that the State Government is putting efforts to promote ground water conservation. He said that the government is in process to launch the second phase

of a campaign called ‘Jalyukt Shivar 2.0’ in 5000 villages. While speaking to the media, Fadnavis said, “we All know that 50% of Maharashtra witnesses less rainfall therefore we don’t have much options available. During the previous government, we had started

the Jalyukt Shivar project by which we could promote water conservation in 20,000 villages in Maharashtra. Today, approximately 37 lacs hectare of land has come under irrigation which is helping the farmers to take two crops in a year. Now we are going to launch ‘Jalyukt Shivar 2.”

“In the first phase of Jalyukt Shivar 2.0, we have taken 5000 villages under this scheme,” he said.

Fadnavis also mentioned that this year efforts will be taken for the water conversation in Maharashtra. “This year is also very important as some weather model has predicted that there will be limited rain during this time. Therefore we have to do water conservation and we must save water drop by drop,” he said.

Fadnavis also appreciated the efforts taken by the Pani foundation, a non-profit, non-gov-

ernmental organization which works for drought prevention and watershed management in the state of Maharashtra. “I also think the Pani Foundation is working well for this initiative; they have engaged nearly 40,000 farmers till now. Most importantly they are training the farmers. Therefore even during my last government, I was actively involved to help the Pani foundations with this initiative,” he said.

While addressing media, Eknath Khadse

‘Govt

Government is putting efforts to promote ground water conservation, Dy CM said

‘Khadse was in the race for CM, look where he is now’

NCP leader Eknath Khadse

Girish Mahajan

Ramdas Athawale

BJP MP Anil Bonde

Nana Patole

US nat’l booked for smoking, misbehaving on Air India flight

The 37-year-old Ramakant has been booked by Mumbai's Sahar Police Station for causing inconvenience mid-flight

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A case has been registered against a US citizen for allegedly smoking in the bathroom and misbehaving with other passengers on Air India LondonMumbai flight, said Mumbai Police on Sunday.

The 37-year-old Ramakant has been booked by Mumbai’s Sahar Police Station for causing inconvenience midflight on March 11. According to the Mumbai

Police, a case has been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 336 (whoever does any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others) and Aircraft Act 1937, 22 (refuse to follow a lawful instruction given by the Pilot-in-Command), 23 (Assault and other acts endangering safety or jeopardizing good or-

Pharma firm COO held by CIU for smuggling ‘IS drug’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A top official from a pharma company in Bengaluru has been arrested by the Mumbai Customs department’s Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) for allegedly smuggling Tramadol, a scheduled drug in India, to Sudan earlier this year.

A recent interception by the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has revealed a major drug smuggling attempt.

The consignment, which was declared as Tamol-X, a calcium carbonate tablet, was found to contain 10.5 lakh tablets of Tramadol, a highly addictive pain medication. The interception occurred on February 23, and customs officials stated that the smugglers went to great lengths to conceal the drugs.

A potent painkiller in high demand on the black market, Tramadol carries the dubious distinction of being used by soldiers of the Islamic State (IS) while on the battlefield.

Zero-tolerance policy, says AI after smoking incident

Somehow we took him to his seat. But after some time he tried to open the door of the aircraft. All the passengers got scared because of his behavior and he started acting a gimmick on the flight. He was not ready to listen to us and was shouting. Then we tied his hands and legs and made him sit on the seat.

—Air India Crew Member

der and discipline) and 25 (for smoking).

“Smoking is not allowed on the flight but as he went to the bathroom the alarm started to ring and when we all ran towards the bathroom we saw he had a cigarette in his hand. We immediately threw the cigarette from his hand. Then Ramakant started shouting at all our crew members.

Somehow we took him to his seat. But after some time he tried to open the door of the aircraft. All the passengers got scared because of his behavior and he started acting a gimmick on the flight. He was not ready to listen to us and was shouting. Then we tied his hands and legs and made him sit on the seat,” the crew member of Air In-

First India Bureau Mumbai: Air India has taken note of the alleged smoking by a passenger in the lavatory on Sunday and subsequently misbehaving with fellow passengers on its London-Mumbai flight.

The 37-year-old has been booked by Mumbai’s Sahar Police Station for his causing inconvenience mid-flight on March 11. The Police said that the accused is of Indian origin but a citizen of the United

We are extending all cooperation in investigations, said the spokesperson

States of America and holds a US passport.

“A passenger on our flight AI130, operating London-Mumbai on March 10 2023, was found smoking in lavatory. Subsequently he behaved in an unruly and aggressive manner, despite repeated warn-

ings,” an Air India spokesperson said. The spokesperson added the person was handed over to the security personnel upon the flight’s arrival in Mumbai and the regulator was informed of the incident. “We are extending all cooperation in investigations,” he said. “Air India follows a zero tolerance policy for any behaviour that compromises the safety and security of passengers and staff,” spokesperson added.

A potent painkiller, Tramadol carries the dubious distinction of being used by IS men in the battlefield

The consignment was being exported to Sudan by First Wealth Solutions based in Virgonagar, Bengaluru but was intercepted. “Samples from the consignment were sent for testing to the Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL) in New Delhi, which confirmed the tablets to be Tramadol. Subsequently, Gudipati Subramanyam, the Chief Operating Officer of First Wealth Solutions, was summoned for inquiries,” said a Customs officer. He added that during questioning, Subramanyam confessed to illegally exported Tramadol in past as well.

dia told the Sahar Police. The accused passenger didn’t even stop and started banging his head.

“One person among the passenger was a doctor. He came and checked him. Then Ramakant said that he has some medicine in his bag. We didn’t find any but an ecigarette was recovered while checking the bag,” the police added.

`7 crore under-construction water tank leaking: Locals

First India Bureau

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s (NMMC) under-construction elevated storage reservoir (ESR) in sector 1A, Shiravane, has been leaking for around 15 days. Locals have raised serious concerns over the poor construction work leading to the leakages.

The NMMC has constructed a 1.8 MLD capacity overhead water

tank in a garden at a cost of Rs7.18 crore to serve a population of 50,000. The construction began in July 2020, and locals claim that the garden area has been permanently affected and cannot be restored.

Shiravane social activist Santosh Sutar alleged, “The newly constructed water tank at NMMC is leaking when filled with water for over 15 days, which could reduce the tank's

Man allegedly assaults

Polish woman in Amboli; accused on the run: Police

Mumbai (ANI): The Mumbai Police have registered a complaint against a suspect for allegedly raping a foreign national in the Amboli area of Mumbai. The incident took place recently, and the police are currently searching for the accused. The victim is a citizen of Poland, according to authorities. The accused, Manish Gandhi has been charged in accordance with the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, according to Mumbai po-

lice. A police official investigating the case said that during the early questioning, it was discovered that the accused sexually assaulted the victim several times between 2016 and 2022.

The official said, “The accused used to blackmail the girl after capturing inappropriate photos of her. He used the images to intimidate the lady and threatened to leak them on social media,” The police are looking for the offender, he said.

shelf life due to corrosion of the steel. This is seen as a failure on the part of NMMC to learn

from a similar incident at Cidco where an under-construction water tank collapsed, killing a

SERVING 50,000

few in Kharghar.”

The ESR water tank is constructed upon a portion of an acre area

garden plot because of space constraints. The work includes a 1.375 MLD ground storage reservoir, and pump house, besides earth filling as part of garden restoration measures. When asked about the issue, the contracting farm’s engineer Harshad Patil said, “The hydraulic testing is on and leakages are being arrested through grouting. The leakage arrest will be completed soon.”

Customs seizes gold worth `1.40cr hidden in undergarments & shoes

Mumbai (ANI): The Bombay Customs department detained three foreign citizens who were found carrying gold worth Rs1.40 crore in their footwear and undergarments. The suspects have been taken into custody, and further legal action will be taken against them.

Three foreign citizens who landed in Mumbai on Friday from Addis Ababa were intercepted by the customs department and gold worth about Rs1.40 crore, weighing 3 kilo-

grams, was seized from their possession. The suspects allegedly hid the gold in their undergarments and the soles of their shoes, according to Bombay Cus-

Three foreign citizens who landed in Mumbai from Addis Ababa were intercepted by customs department

toms officials.

The agency released the details in a statement. “Three foreign citizens who had landed in Mumbai from Addis Ababa on March 10th

were detained by Mumbai Airport Customs with more than 3 kg of gold worth Rs1.40 crore. The insoles of their shoes and their undergarments both contained gold, which was discovered “The statement read. The matter is still being investigated further.

Part of Dahisar bridge finally opens after two years of collapse

lll

While one part of the bridge has been completed, work on the other part is still awaiting clearance from the forest dept, which the locals are also hopeful for

First India Bureau Mumbai: The portion of a reconstructed bridge on the Dahisar river, which is also a crucial link connecting Shrikrishna Nagarin Borivali leading to the highway and railway station, was inaugurated on Saturday. The bridge was shut down for the commuters in 2021 after a portion of the bridge collapsed.

While one part of the bridge has been completed, work on the oth-

er part is still awaiting clearance from the forest department.

Last month, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena had protested demanding that the bridge be opened to the public.

The bridge connects the Western Expressway to Srikrishna Nagar, Abhinav Nagar and Shantivan.

The BMC had floated a tender for the demolition and construction of the bridge in January 2022. Work on widening and reconstruc-

OFFICIAL SAYS…

tion of the bridge began soon after.

“The bridge was reconstructed using integrated deck slabs. It is 41.5 metres long, and 22 metres wide. Of this, work on 11 metres of the bridge, comprising two lanes has already been completed,” said an official from the BMC. One part of the bridge near SGNP, falls under the forest department. The BMC has appointed a consultant to obtain a NOC. Work on the second phase will begin after that.

INDIA COULD BE THE NEW CHINA OF THE 2020s

ous times considered.

It’s an option that the US has not pursued, but neither has either administration rejected it out of hand. “I don’t think we are ever again going to see a position where the United States is prepared to be the primary security provider and bear any burden or pay any price to uphold order in the Middle East,” said former Singaporean diplomat and chairman of the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute Bilahari Kausikan.

A NEW MULTIPOLAR WORLD ORDER India’s regional relationships, ability to get its domestic house in order, and grow its economy will likely shape its place in a new 21st century world order. This year’s Indian chairmanship of the Group of 20, which brings together the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies, is an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase where India is heading.

IN-DEPTH BBC, TORY GOVT CRITICISED FOR CURBING SOCCER STAR’S REMARK

The BBC has been in turmoil ever since ‘Match of the Day’ presenter Gary Lineker’s suspension for comparing the Tory government’s policy on illegal migrants with that of Nazi Germany. The former ace footballer’s suspension has led to a boycott of programmes by several other sports presenters pushing the broadcaster in turmoil. Lineker was the leading scorer for England at the 1986 soccer World Cup. The boycotts have forced the BBC to air only “limited” sports programmes. Analysts and soccer players also extended support to Lineker, once a national hero.

“India….can work with neighbors to build the peaceful and more prosperous periphery that its own development demands. It can participate in the remaking of the rules of the international system now underway… And it can reengage economically with the dynamic economies of Asia, participating in global value chains, to further its own transformation,” Menon said. The decade of India might finally have arrived.

This could be India’s decade if it plays its cards right. The subcontinental state is poised to be the next China, even if its path will likely be less straightforward than that of China and more of a Leninist two steps forward, one step backwards.

Leaving aside the multiple domestic issues India will have to address to realize its full potential, it is already, in the words of an Indian analyst, in a “geopolitical sweet spot.” Recently concluded defense and technology agreements with the US constitute a milestone. The agreements acknowledge reality, including that one underestimates the US at one’s peril and that, despite their domestic travails, the US and the UK still produce 50% of the global wealth as opposed to China and Russia’s combined 20%.

“For India, the West is the most important trading part-

PROTESTS IN ISRAEL TO SAVE DEMOCRACY

ner, the dominant source of capital and technology, and the major destination for the Indian diaspora,” said columnist and former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board C. Mohan Raja in a Foreign Policy article, titled ‘It’s Time to Tie India to the West.’ With India set to become the world’s third largest economy, Raja advocated turning the Group of 7 (G-7), which groups the world’s foremost democratic economies, into a G-8 with India as its newest member.

The agreements reinforce the notion that supply chain security and geopolitics have become as important as economics and pricing in creating and/or managing global value chains. Furthermore, they are a step towards enabling India to redress its trade imbalances skewed in China’s favor. Finally, the agreements constitute a building block for a potential future multilateral security arrangement in the Gulf in which India would be a key player.

INDIA AS A

PLAYER IN THE GULF

Gulf security was not foremost in the minds of Indian

Israelis in tens of thousands have been protesting on Saturdays against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms for greater accountability of the country’s SC. The protests have been going on since January. Israelis are opposing the proposal which they fear will mark end of democracy.

Netanyahu heads a rightwing coalition which came to power on December 29, 2022. Soon after, on January 4, 2023, the law minister Yariv Levin announced plans to reform the judiciary. The reform proposed to limit the Supreme Court’s powers to rule against the legislature and the executive and to grant majority to the right-wing coalition on

Leaving aside the multiple domestic issues India will have to address to realize its full potential, it is already, in the words of an Indian analyst, in a “geopolitical sweet spot.” Recently concluded defense and technology agreements with the US constitute a milestone

and US policymakers when they conceived the agreements. However, inevitably, that is where the Gulf is going for multiple reasons.

These include a US desire to rejigger America’s commitment to Gulf security and share the burden with regional players. The US is not yet at a point where it is willing to share control of Gulf security commitments with other external powers. Still, it is something that policymakers in both the Trump and Biden administrations have at vari-

Israelis in tens of thousands have been protesting on Saturdays against Prime Minister Benjamin’s proposed judicial reforms for greater accountability of the country’s Supreme Court

the judges’ appointment committee. Following this proposal, weekly protests began to be organized in the country. The last of them on March 11, the protesters’ count was estimated to be around 5 lakh.

Netanyahu is facing trial for corruption and wants to overhaul the system to restore bal-

One focus will be the impact of the rise of Hindu nationalism, the country’s increasingly strained intercommunal relations, and what India’s motto for its chairmanship, “One Earth One Family One Future” means in practice. So far, India, like China, has benefitted from Muslim-majority states emphasizing national interests rather than communal and identity concerns. However, that may prove to be a fragile proposition.

The US may have suffered the least, given its ability to marshal its allies in Europe and some in Asia to forcefully support Ukraine while remaining focused on its rivalry with China in Asia. Even so, as former Indian national security advisor Shivshankar Menon notes, “worries remain… about the United States being distracted by Ukraine from its roles elsewhere, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.”

Those worries are compounded by the bungled US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and concern about the impact of deep polarization in the US that is likely to be reflected in the campaign for the 2024 presidential election.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

ance between the different wings of the government as, in his view, the judiciary enjoys too much power over the legislature. Many in India would be keenly watching the developments as judiciary versus the legislature and judicial accountability have been the subject of much debate. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has attacked SC for its judgment in Kesavananda Bharati case which said that Parl can amend Constitution but not its basic structure. The SC has stoutly defended its powers.

Vice President Dhankhar and the Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, on the other hand, have also questioned the Supreme Court’s power to quash the National Judicial Accountability Bill passed by the Parliament.

The BBC has come in for scathing criticism for political bias and curbing free speech. Known for unbiased reporting, the BBC has a Conservative Party supporter Richard Sharp as Chairman. In 2021 Sharp helped arrange a loan for Boris Johnson who was then the prime minister. So far there seems to have been no effort to resolve the crisis. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the BBC and Lineker to settle their differences.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Bible

TOP TWEETS

reintroduction programme undertaken because of the decisive leadership of PM Shri @ narendramodi ji! Two cheetahs (one male and one female) have been released into the wild in Kuno National Park from their enclosures. Both cheetahs are doing good.

JAMES M DORSEY

The writer is an award-winning journalist and commentator on foreign affairs who has covered ethnic and religious conflict and terrorism across the globe for over 3 decades.

The Russia-Ukraine War, China’s intransigent rise, American fixation with China and Russia and other new geopolitical developments present a unique opportunity for India to step up in an emerging multipolar world

MODI GOVT’S ZERO-TOLERANCE TO CONTINUE AGAINST TERRORISM: HM

At CISF Raising Day, Shah lauds Force’s work in strengthening India’s economy

First India Bureau Hyderabad:

Union

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that the Modi government’s policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism will continue in the times to come and the separatism, terrorism and antinational activities in any part of the country will be dealt with firmly. He said the violence is coming down substantially in Kashmir, while insurgency in Northeast and Left Wing Extremism-affected areas has also reduced.

Addressing a 54th CISF Raising Day parade at National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) here, Shah lauded Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for its work in strengthening India’s economy and said that Naxalities and terrorists are under control due to CISF.

The Union Home Minister said that the CISF will safeguard crucial ports and airports in the country as it has been doing for the past 53 years. This is the first time that CISF is holding the ‘Raising Day’ celebrations outside the National capital, New Delhi. It used to be held

CISF ‘RAISING DAY’

CELEBRATIONS

HELD OUTSIDE NEW DELHI FOR 1st TIME

Hyderabad (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday attended the 54th CISF Raising Day parade at National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) here. The CISF was set up under the act of the Parliament of India on March 10, 1969. Since then, CISF Raising Day is being celebrated on March 10 each year. This year the CISF’s annual Raising Day celebrations in being held here. As per officials, this is the first time that CISF is be holding the ‘Raising Day’ celebrations outside the National capital, New Delhi.

at CISF ground located on the outskirts of Delhi, in Ghaziabad.

“CISF has a very important contribution in the economic progress of the country because any country can pro-

Santanu involved in ‘money for transfer’ racket also, says ED

Kolkata (Agencies):

Trinamool Congress leader Santanu Bandopadhyay, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday in the teacher’s recruitment scam in West Bengal, was remanded to three-day ED custody by a special PMLA court here on Monday. Although the ED counsel had made a plea for 14-day custody of Bandopadhyay, the principal nodal officer of Hooghly district Zilla Parishad, the judge granted remand till March 13. Bandopadhyay on Saturday claimed that he has been framed in this matter and that it had been done purposefully by those who are already in judicial custody in relation to the multi-crore scam. How-

BRS ‘GREETS’ HM WITH ‘WASHING POWDER NIRMA’ POSTERS

“PM Modi has proposed the vision of a 5 trillion-dollar economy for which the safeguarding of ports, airports, etc is very important. CISF will safeguard them as they have been doing for the past 53 years,” he said.

gress only when the security of its industries, security of airports and seaports is ensured.

CISF has fulfilled all the objectives of the establishment of CISF in 53 years,” Shah said.

He further said that the Home Ministry will strengthen the CISF with all technologies in the upcoming times to protect the ports, airports and others.

The Union Home Minister said that CISF worked as a first responder during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis at airports and railway stations.

Hyderabad (ANI): The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders set up a hoarding of ‘Washing Powder Nirma’ giving sarcastic welcome to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Hyderabad on Sunday. In continuation to various posters that surfaced on the walls of Hyderabad against BJP leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, another hoarding giving Amit Shah a sarcastic welcome has come up at JBS junction in Hyderabad today. Posters against BJP continue to surface in Hyderabad since Saturday when the BRS MLC and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter and MLC K Kavitha appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the case pertaining to the now-defunct Delhi excise policy. The BRS leaders have put up a hoarding that read ‘Welcome Amit Shah’.

❍ 2nd LEG OF PARLIAMENT’S BUDGET SESSION

Rahul, ED-CBI actions to heat up both the Houses

New Delhi: During the first phase of Budget session, Opposition parties created ruckus in both Houses of Parliament — Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — over the Hindenburg report on the Adani group. On the last day of the first phase of session on February 13, the Lok Sabha proceedings went on smoothly throughout the day, but the uproar continued in the Rajya Sabha, following which Chairman Jaideep Dhankhar adjourned the House proceedings till March 13.

KHARGE MEETS VP DHANKHAR AHEAD OF 2nd PHASE OF BUDGET SESSION

BUDGET SESSION

New Delhi (PTI): Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar here on Sunday, after which he asserted that opposition parties want a discussion during the second leg of the Budget session on every burning issue facing the nation. Kharge also asserted that opposition parties are keen to play a constructive role in making the government accountable.Kharge met Dhankhar, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chairman, at the Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas. “Met @VPIndia, ahead of the forthcoming session of the Parliament to seek his cooperation,” the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said in a tweet.

long break, which will likely affect the Parliament proceedings.

The relations between the ruling party and the Opposition have soured further in the month-

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana

Chief Minister KCR and involved in the expansion campaign of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has been questioned by the ED in Delhi. The investigating agency is continuously tightening its grip on RJD supremo Lalu Yadav’s family as well.

RSS annual 3-day meet begins in Haryana’s Samalkha town

Dimple Sharma

Samalkha: The RSS paid tributes to late Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, socialist leader Sharad Yadav, senior advocate Shanti Bhushan and Prime

Minister Narendra Modi’s mother Hiraben Modi at its annual general body 3-day meeting that began here on Sunday.

Around 1400 RSS workers are participating in this meet that is being held in Haryana

after a long gap of 12 years. The Sangh also paid trib utes to late Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former Od-

isha minister Nabakishore Das, who was killed by a police officer. The list also included the names of Sagar Sahu and

Nagaland will be without Oppn, again!

Mahesh Sharma

ever, he did not name anyone specific on this count. Meanwhile, ED sources said that the agency has got definite proof that Bandopadhyay had direct links with TMC legislator and the former president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), Manik Bhattacharya, who is currently in judicial custody along with his wife and son for their alleged involvement in the recruitment scam.

New Delhi: Nagaland was without an Opposition before assembly polls. All the parties in the state were with the ruling coalition. Although they were not a part of the government, but their support was to the government. After the elections, it seemed that there would be an Opposition in the state and perhaps a strong one. But within a week of poll results, it has be-

come clear that this time also Nagaland will be without Opposition.

The Opposition will not have a single MLA in

the 60-member assembly as all 60 MLAs will support the govt. Think, the MLAs of the parties opposing the BJP at na-

tional level have also won, but they will also support the govt.

The two parties of the ruling coalition, the NDPP and the BJP, got 25 and 12 seats respectively, and an absolute majority. Despite this, all other parties have supported the government. Its old rival NPF has five MLAs and has not got the status of the main Opposition party and it too has already supported the government.

Budhram Kartam, the BJP leaders from Chhattisgarh who were “martyred in Naxalite violence”.

The list of noted personalities who were paid tributes included the names of the prime minister’s mother, Hi-

raben Modi, actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik, actor Javed Khan Amrohi and singer Vani Jairam. Sangh functionaries also paid homage to industrialists Jamshed J Irani and Vikram Kirloskar.

FIR against Palaniswami for ‘assault’ of AMMK worker

Chennai: Tamil Nadu

Police have registered an FIR against former Tamil Nadu CM and interim general secretary of AIADMK, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). The case has been registered on a complaint by an Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) functionary that he was assaulted by AIADMK men led by EPS. EPS was travelling from Chennai to Madurai and when he was

travelling in an airport bus to the airport, a person was making derogatory remarks against him. Then this incident happened.

Members have freedom to express views in House: LS Speaker

First India Bureau

Manama (Bahrain):

Lok Sabha Speaker Om

Birla has said that India has a robust participatory democracy along with a vibrant multiparty system where hopes and aspirations of the citizens find expression through the elected representatives.

“All members (MPs) enjoy the freedom to express their views and thoughts in Lok Sabha,” Birla said during

the General Debate at the 146th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) here. The 146th Assembly of the IPU is being held in Manama from March 11-15.

Birla’s remarks are being seen as a response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had alleged that mics were put off when Opposition members speak. He, however, did not mention the former Congress president’s name.

Reiterating India’s

long-standing view that all “global issues should be resolved peacefully through dialogue”, he

said “the Parliament of India has always held extensive and meaningful debates and deliber-

ations on contemporary global challenges such as climate change, gender equality, sustaina-

Birla’s remarks are being seen as a response to Rahul Gandhi, who alleged that mics were put off when Oppn members speak

ble development and the Covid-19 pandemic”. He emphasised that global institutions

propagating peace, harmony and justice are crucial for peace, prosperity, sustainability and a just world order.

Birla said that in global institutions like the UN Security Council, there is a broad consensus among many nations to bring about reforms to reflect the realities of a rapidly changing world order.

The Lok Sabha Speaker also stressed that “reform in the UN Security Council cannot be de-

layed any further”.

He said that it is crucial that the subject is included in future global agendas so that “we could contribute more and more to addressing challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, poverty, gender equality and terrorism”.

He said India is leading the world in the articulation of Global Climate Action Plan to combat the issue of climate change.

Speaker Om Birla delivers speech on “Promoting peaceful co-existence & inclusive societies: Fight against intolerance” at General Debate during #IPU146, in Manama, Bahrain, on Sunday.

BIRLA

Union HM Amit Shah at the inauguration of first baffle range ‘Arjuna’ on the 54th Raising Day of CISF, in Hyderabad on Sunday. CISF Director General Sheel Vardhan Singh (R) also seen. —PHOTO BY ANI

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar chairs an all-party meeting before the second part of the Budget Session, at VP House, in New Delhi, on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Santanu Bandopadhyay was held in teacher’s recruitment scam.

Edappadi K Palaniswami

PM Narendra Modi with Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio during latter’s swearing-in ceremony, in Kohima last week. —FILE PHOTO

INDIA, AUS HAVE DEEPENED TIES IN VARIOUS FIELDS: ALBANESE

l We have forged stronger links in education, culture, defence: Aus PM

Canberra (ANI): Aus-

tralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday said that India and Australia have forged a deeper connection in education, culture, defence and trade.

“We’ve forged a deeper connection between Australia and India, from education and culture to defence and trade,” Albanese tweeted on Sunday.

The Australian PM also shared a video showing highlights of his India visit. Albanese on Wednesday arrived in Ahmedabad on a state visit to India.

The Australian PM was on an official visit to India from March

8-11. During the visit, the Australian PM met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi to hold bilateral

TALKS FOR COMPREHENSIVE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT ‘AS SOON AS POSSIBLE’

New Delhi (PTI) : India and Australia have agreed to conclude the negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement “as soon as possible” as there is huge potential to enhance bilateral commerce in the next 5 years, as per joint statement issued on Sunday. The statement was released after the meeting of Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell here on March 11. Both countries have already implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) in December 2022 and are now negotiating to widen the scope of that pact into a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA). “Ministers look forward to concluding CECA as soon as possible,” the statement said.

talks. The Australian PM also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The EAM said

DGP

ties to a higher level,” Jaishankar tweeted on Friday.

Albanese on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “extraordinary effort” to make his Australian delegation feel welcome in India.

Startup CEO decodes effects of US bank’s sudden collapse

New Delhi (Agencies):

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, a key lender to US startups since the 1980s, has also affected several startups in India, hitting their daily cash needs and other running expenses. US authorities swooped in and seized the bank’s assets after a run on deposits made it no longer tenable for the medium-sized bank to stay afloat on its own.

Ruchit G Garg , the chief executive of Harvesting Farmer Network, was among the startup owners in India whose business felt the ripple effect of Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) collapse, the biggest since 2008 when Wash-

ington Mutual sputtered and died.

“We have been banking with SVB for over 10 years. We have deposits that are right now stuck with them. Thankfully for us, the situation is a little bit better as most of our operations are in India,” Garg said.

“Just by sheer planning and luck we have a lot of money already

made as FDI in Indian entities. But still a large portion of our money is sitting in SVB,” he said. Many other startups, however, may be in a much worse situation, Mr Garg said, citing young companies that carry out a bulk of their operations abroad, especially in the US. “Multiple startups have their money stuck in SVB, the most serious being the ones operating in the US. If they have been working mostly in India, they would have funds parked in Indian banks too. The problem is magnified for startups that have SVB as the only main banking partner,” said Garg.

UNION MIN CHANDRASEKHAR TO MEET REPRESENTATIVES OF INDIAN START-UPS HIT BY SILICON VALLEY BANK COLLAPSE

Albanese’s visit and today’s annual summit will take India-Australia ties to a higher level.

“Delighted to call on

Prime Minister @AlboMP of Australia this morning. His visit and today’s Annual Summit will take our

He tweeted, “Thank you to Prime Minister @narendramodi for the extraordinary effort to make my Australian delegation feel welcome in India. Having the pleasure of hearing The Triffids and The Go-Betweens on the sitar was unexpected and extremely touching.”

New Delhi (Agencies): Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar will meet representatives of Indian start-ups affected by the collapse of the troubled Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) to understand how it has impacted them and how the government can help. “A few start-ups have reached out to me, and there is a general worry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India’s ‘techade’ has a big role for the success of our start-ups and innovation ecosystem. We want to be supportive of our young Indians in whatever way we can. We won’t let the SVB failure slow their growth,” Chandrasekhar said.

UTTAR PRADESH GOVERNMENT TRANSFERS 8 IPS OFFICERS

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has brought back a kidnapping-and-murder accused wanted by the Kerala Police through extradition from Saudi Arabia, the 33rd fugitive extradited since last year, under “Operation Trishul” on Sunday, officials said.

Mohammed Haneefa Makkata, a fugitive with an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued against him, was

2006, a case that was probed by the Kunnamangalam police station in Kozhikode, the officials said. He was located in Saudi Arabia on the basis of the RCN, they added.

Srinagar (PTI): Attempts are being made round-the-clock to wipe out the remnants of terror in Jammu and Kashmir and the “enemy” is finding it hard to digest the prevailing peace, the Union Territory’s police chief Dilbag Singh said on Sunday.

Singh was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 71st BN Mullik Memorial All India Police Football Championship at the Bakshi Stadium.

Asked about the targeted killings, especially of minorities, in the Valley, Singh said while

some incidents are taking place, violence has largely come down.

“Targeted killings have also come down. Some incidents take place sometimes but we take those seriously and counter measures are being taken. Attempts are on day and night to wipe out the remnants of terror and these will continue,”

Singh, the Jammu and Kashmir director-general of police, said. The police chief also expressed happiness that youngsters who used to “play with grenades” are today taking part in sporting activities.

MADHURI’S MOTHER SNEHALATA DIXIT DIES AT AGE OF 90

Mumbai (PTI): Film star

Madhuri Dixit’s mother Snehalata Dixit died here on Sunday. She was 90. The Bollywood actor shared the news in a statement issued to the media. “Our beloved Aai, Snehalata Dixit, died peacefully this morning surrounded by her loved ones,” the statement said. Snehalata Dixit’s last rites will be performed at Worli’s Vaikunth Dham. Madhuri, who is the youngest of the four siblings, had shared a heartwarming post on her mother’s 90th birthday last year.

wanted by the Kerala Police in connection with the abduction and killing of one Karim in

The Interpol unit of Saudi Arabia informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about Makkata’s location and sought a team to take him back to India, the officials said.

CRUCIAL READ

SUSPECTED ‘DACOIT’ SHOT DEAD IN POLICE ENCOUNTER WAS A FARMER, FINDS PROBE

Guwahati (Agencies): A probe into the death of a person, suspected to be a dacoit, in a police encounter in Assam’s Udalguri district confirmed that it was a case of “mistaken identity”. The CID probe concluded that the person killed in the shootout was not dacoit Kenaram Boro (also known as Kenaram Basumatary) but a person identified as Dimbeswar Muchahary, who his family asserted was a “small-time farmer”. The police, however, claimed he was also a “hardened criminal”. The police claimed that two policemen were also injured in the “shootout”.

COUPLE ENDS LIFE AFTER FAMILY DISAPPROVES THEIR RELATIONSHIP

Muzaffarnagar (Agencies): A young couple have allegedly died by suicide in Muzaffarnagar. Pankaj (23) and Shivani (20) were pulled up by the girl’s family over their relationship. Moments later, Pankaj killed himself by consuming poison and his girlfriend, Shivani also followed suit. Circle Officer (Budhana), Vinay Kumar Gautam, said, “The two victims were distant relatives. They consumed poisonous substances and died during treatment. Further probe is on.”

NATIONAL FILM HERITAGE MISSION

Giving new lifeline to cinema: Thakur

New Delhi (PTI): Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur has said that nearly 1,300 feature and 1,062 short films and documentaries have been digitised under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM).

Thakur, who reviewed the progress made under the Mission during his visit to the National Film Archives of India in Pune, said an additional 2,500 feature and shorts films & documen-

UNION I&B MINISTER VISITS NFAI, PUNE AND REVIEWED PROGRESS OF NFHM

Raipur (PTI): Congress government in Chhattisgarh has given out-of-turn promotion to 77 police jawans posted in different districts of Bastar division to recognise their service in the fight against Naxalites, an official said on Sunday. The order for their promotion was issued by Chhattisgarh DG) Ashok Juneja on Saturday on the occasion of Holi.

4 TN FISHERMEN ARRESTED BY SRI LANKAN NAVY

New Delhi (Agencies):

Four fishermen from Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for trespassing into their waters. The arrest was made at 4.30 a.m. on Sunday.

The arrested were taken to the Sri Lankan Naval base at Paruthithurai in the island nation for further questioning. The arrested fishermen are L. Arokiaraj (54), A. Ashok (28), A. Karuppu (22) and S. Sakthi (21). All the arrested are from Kottaipattanam coastal village in Pudukottai district.

Dr. Ahtesham Siddiqui

Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has transferred eight senior IPS officers. Many DIG and IG rank officers, including those in Lucknow and Kanpur have also been transferred. IPS Piyush Mordia Joint CP Law & Order Police Commissioner Lucknow has been made the new ADG Zone of Lucknow Range. Until now, he was posted as Joint Police Law and Order Lucknow Commissioner in Lucknow.

Besides, DIG IPS

Upendra Kumar Agarwal of Devipatan Range has been made the new Joint CP in Lucknow

Police Commissionerate, while DIG IPS Amarendra Kumar of Ayodhya Range has been made the new DIG of Devipatan. IG Range Meerut IPS Praveen Kumar has been made the new IG of Ayodhya. IG IPS Nichketa Jha of Agra Range has been made the new IG of Meerut while DIG IPS of Aligarh Deepak Kumar has been made the new DIG of Agra Range Kanpur Commissionerate. IPS Suresh Kulkarni posted in Aligarh has been made the new DIG while IPS Amit Verma posted in SIT has been posted as Additional Police Commissioner in Kanpur Police Commissionerate.

Indian & France Navy conduct Maritime Partnership Exercise

taries were in the pipeline to be digitised.

NFHM is giving a new lifeline to the heritage of Indian cinema, where

many films which were not previously accessible at all, will be made available to audience worldwide, Thakur said.

Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune. As part of NFHM, 3 major projects are ongoing at NFDC-NFAI: Digitization of Films, Conservation of Film Reels and Restoration of Films. All these projects are colossal in nature in the field of film preservation and have never been attempted on this scale globally. Till date, 1,293 features and 1,062 shorts and documentaries have been digitized in 4K and 2K resolution. Additional 2,500 features and shorts and documentaries are in the pipeline to be digitized.

New Delhi (ANI): Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile frigate, INS Sahyadri participated in a Maritime Partnership Exercise with French Navy (FN) ships FS Dixmude, a Mistral Class Amphibious Assault Ship and FS La Fayette, a La Fayette Class Frigate, in the Arabian Sea.

As per Defence Ministry, the exercise witnessed a wide spectrum of evolutions at sea which included cross-

deck landings, boarding exercises & seamanship evolutions. The seamless conduct of the exer-

cise reaffirmed the interoperability and high level of cooperation between the two navies.

Wanted murder accused brought back from Saudi Arabia, says CBI

Ruchit G Garg

Thakur reviewing National Film Heritage Mission’s progress.

Attempts being made to wipe out remnants of militancy in J&K:

77 C’garh cops receive out-ofturn promotion

Aus Prime Min Anthony Albanese shares a picture of him hugging PM Narendra Modi. Aus PM Albanese shares a picture of bilateral discussions on his Twitter on Sunday.

ADANI BLOCK DEAL

HELPS FPI INFLOWS

TURN POSITIVE

SAYS RBI MPC MEMBER

INFLATION LIKELY TO FALL OVER THE YEAR

New Delhi: Reversing their selling trend, foreign investors have infused over `13,500 crore in the Indian equities so far in March primarily driven by bulk investment from USbased GQG Partners in the Adani Group. This came following a net outflow of `5,294 crore in February. Prior to that, FPIs made a net investment of `11,119 crore in December, data with the depositories showed. According to the data, FPIs invested `13,536 crore in Indian equities till March 10. —PTI

BoM CUTS HOME

LOAN RATE TO 8.4% FROM EXISTING 8.6%

Tax mop-up may fall short of RE: Official

New Delhi (PTI): The government may not achieve a revised tax collection target of `30.43 lakh crore for the current financial year, a top official said.

Global cues and inflation trends to drive maket

New Delhi (PTI): Inflation is expected to come down over the year, RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Ashima

Goyal said on Sunday, asserting that the government’s supply-side action coordinated with a flexible inflation-targeting regime has kept the rate of price rise lower than that in other countries.

Goyal said that India has successfully dealt with ‘pluri-shocks’ over the past three years, showing considerable resilience.

“Inflation rates are expected to come down over the year. “Government supply-side action coordinated with a flexible inflation targeting regime has kept Indian inflation rates lower than other countries and our own past averages even in this period of major adverse external supply shocks,” she said. She was

asked whether high inflation become the norm in India.

“Since nominal policy rates rise with inflation to maintain an expected real positive rate under inflation targeting this prevents demand over-heating and anchors inflation expectations,” she noted.

Goyal said policy rates had been cut steeply during the pandemic, so they

had to be raised fast after recovery was established.

“But policy rates must not rise too much at present because of slowing external demand. Domestic demand must be allowed to compensate,” she emphasised.

According to Goyal, as long as the expected future real policy rate does not rise much above unity, RBI is not over-tightening.

Revised estimate was raised steeply by over 10% from the budget estimate in the FY24 Budget presented last month, the official said.

The revised estimates (RE) for the current fiscal pegged gross tax revenues at `30.43 lakh crore, higher than the budget estimates of `27.57 lakh crore.

On the direct tax side, the official said, “The RE was quite steep. We are expecting a shortfall. The net collections could be between `15-15.5 lakh crore.”

In the current fiscal, the revenues from direct tax (which includes income and corporate taxes) are projected to grow by over 17% at ` 16.50 lakh crore compared to 2021-22 fiscal when the collection was ` 14.20 lakh crore. In the current fiscal, the revenue from corporate tax is expected to come in at ` 8.35

DATA IN NUMBERS

z The revised estimates (RE) for the current fiscal pegged gross tax revenues at `30.43 lakh crore, higher than the budget estimates of `27.57 lakh crore

z In the current fiscal (202223), the revenues from direct tax are projected to grow by over 17% at `16.50

lakh crore

lakh crore. This is projected to rise by 10.4% to over `9.22 lakh cr in next fiscal.

Personal income tax collections this fiscal are estimated at ` 8.15 lakh crore and are projected to rise by 10.4% to over `9 lakh crore next year.

New Delhi (PTI): Domestic equity investors are likely to keep a close watch on global cues, especially the fallout of the US-based Silicon Valley Bank failure, inflation trends and foreign fund flows in the coming week after days of volatile trading sessions.

Analysts opined that investors will be waiting for the consumer price inflation data for February to be released on Monday.

“Poor global cues were major contributors to the weakness in the Indian equity markets, and they will continue to be significant next week,” Santosh Meena, Head of Research at Swastika Investmart Ltd, said ahead of the start of new week.

New Delhi: Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) on Sunday announced a reduction in the interest rate on home loans to 8.4% from the existing 8.6%. The new rate is effective from March 13, 2023, BoM said. The home loan at 8.4% makes it one of the lowest in the banking sector. Besides, it said, the bank has also a special rate of interest (ROI) for defence personnel, including paramilitary forces, benefiting salaried and pensioner categories for home loans. —PTI

GOLD ETFs RECORD `165 CRORE INFLOW IN FEBRUARY 2023

Centre to infuse more capital in public sector general insurers

New Delhi (PTI): The government may have to infuse more capital in the three public sector general insurance companies to improve their financial health, a senior government official said.

The government last year provided `5,000 crore capital to three insurers --National Insurance Company Limited, Oriental Insurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company.

India, Aus to conclude talks for CECA soon

New Delhi (PTI): India and Australia have agreed to conclude the negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement “as soon as possible” as there is huge potential to enhance bilateral commerce in the next five years, according to a joint statement issued on Sunday. The statement was released after the meeting of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

New Delhi: After witnessing the withdrawal of funds in the last three months, Gold exchangetraded funds (ETFs) attracted a net flow of `165 crore in February, mainly due to a slight correction in gold prices. This was in comparison to a net outflow of `199 crore registered in January, `273 crore in December and `195 crore in November.

Prior to that, Gold ETFs attracted `147 crore in October, data from Association of Mutual Funds in India showed. The demand for physical Gold in India is largely driven by festival and wedding season. —PTI

8 TOP COMPANIES LOSE `1.03 LAKH CRORE M-CAP

Based on the performance in the FY23, the finance ministry would take a call as to how much capital they would require to meet regulatory requirement, the official said.

They are not in good financial health and fund would be infused in these entities to augment their solvency margin, the official added.

The solvency margin is the extra capital the companies must hold over and above the claim amounts they are likely to incur.

It acts as a financial backup in extreme situa-

z The government may have to infuse more capital in the three public sector general insurance companies to improve their financial health

z The govt last year provided `5,000 crore capital to National Insurance Company Limited, Oriental Insurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company

tions, enabling the company to settle all claims.

As per the regulator IRDAI’s mandate, the minimum solvency ratio insurance companies must maintain is 1.5 to lower risks.

In terms of solvency margin, the required value is 150%.

ACCORDING TO DATA BY SIAM

New Delhi: Eight of the top 10 valued firms faced a combined erosion of `1,03,732.39 crore in market valuation last week, with Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank taking the biggest hit amid an overall weak trend in equities. Barring Bharti Airtel and ITC, eight firms suffered erosion from their mcap. RIL remained the most valued firm, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, ICICI Bank, HUL, SBI, ITC, HDFC & Airtel. —PTI

Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell here on March 11. Both countries have al-

INDIAN SOFT DRINK MARKET TO GROW: PEPSICO BOTTLER

New Delhi (PTI): The Indian soft drink market is expected to see “significant growth” as consumption is anticipated to increase steadily, which will deliver sustainable and healthy volume growth across all product categories, said Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL), PepsiCo’s largest franchise bottler. This would be driven by factors such as shifting population demographics, the rising spending power of young consumers, accelerated urbanisation, and growing rural consumption. The company is in the process of further expanding its capacities to meet the higher demand expectations. Its distribution model and on-the-ground end-to-end infrastructure facilities continue to be the key growth drivers and VBL remains committed to extending it to newer areas and under-penetrated regions.

Two-wheeler & PV exports decline in Feb

New Delhi (PTI): Exports of two-wheelers, passenger vehicles and three-wheelers from India declined by 35% in February mainly due to the weakening of currencies against the US dollar in destination countries, especially in the African continent.

According to data released by industry body SIAM, shipments of twowheelers, passenger vehicles and three-wheelers declined to 3,01,561 units last month from 4,63,025 units in February 2022.

Two-wheeler exports dropped by 37% to 2,35,087

units last month from 3,75,689 units in the yearago period.

Motorcycle shipments

DATA IN NUMBERS

z Two-wheeler exports dropped by 37% to 2,35,087 units last month from 3,75,689 units in the year-ago period

z Motorcycle shipments declined to 2,01,097 units last month from 3,49,221 units in Feb 2022 period. Scooter exports, however, rose to 33,378 units

ready implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) in December 2022 and are now negotiating to widen the scope of that pact into a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA).

“Ministers look forward to concluding CECA as soon as possible,” the statement said.

The CECA will create new employment opportu-

OTHER STORIES

nities, raise living standards and improve the general welfare in both countries, it added.

“India-Australia bilateral trade exceeded $31 billion last financial year. Both agreed that given the trade complementarities between the two countries, there is considerable potential for significantly enhancing bilateral trade within the next 5 years,” the statement said.

INDIA’S CHEMICAL DEMAND LIKELY TO JUMP TO $1,000 BILLION BY 2040: MCKINSEY REPORT

New Delhi: India is likely to account for more than a fifth of incremental global consumption for chemicals over the next two decades as domestic demand is projected to rise to $1,000 billion by 2040, McKinsey said in a report. In the report titled ‘India: The next chemicals manufacturing hub’, McKinsey said the country’s chemical industry has been a global outperformer in demand growth and shareholder wealth creation over the last decade. The sector is projected to grow at 11-12% during 2021-27 and 7-10% during 2027-40 -- tripling its global market share by 2040. —PTI

LAMBORGHINI EYES TIER I, TIER II CITIES FOR INDIA BIZ GROWTH

New Delhi: Having established a presence across top cities in India, Automobili Lamborghini is now eyeing customers in smaller centres to generate additional volumes. The Italian automaker is bullish on the country’s economic growth, a rise of firstgeneration entrepreneurs and large-scale road infrastructure development to fuel future business growth. Lamborghini

India Head Sharad Agarwal said India is already one of the biggest markets for the Italian brand and the country has huge potential for growth in the coming days. —PTI

GOVT TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO PROMOTE GI

New Delhi: The government will provide financial assistance to eligible agencies for undertaking initiatives for the promotion of Geographical Indications (GIs) products. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has issued operational guidelines for financial assistance for undertaking the initiatives for the promotion of GIs. A GI, a kind of IPR, is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. —PTI

INDIA AGREES TO RUSSIA OPERATING MORE PASSENGER FLIGHTS CONNECTING 2 COUNTRIES

declined to 2,01,097 units last month from 3,49,221 units in the year-ago period.

Scooter exports, however, rose to 33,378 units as compared with 24,830 units in February 2022.

New Delhi: India & Russia have “in principle” agreed to revise their bilateral air services agreement whereby Russian carriers will be allowed to operate as many as 64 weekly flights to various Indian cities. Presently, Russia can operate up to 52 weekly civilian flights. India has “in principle” agreed to increase the number of weekly flights that Russian carriers can operate to India to 64 from 52. In this regard, the bilateral air services agreement will be amended in due course, an official said. —PTI

www.firstindia.co.in

If one has to progress in life, we must take out time to introspect on our present and learn from our past, on a daily basis.

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

AIR POLLUTION IN MUMBAI

Civic body sets up dust control panel

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Flagging rising air pollution in Mumbai and bad air quality, the city civic body has set up a panel to suggest dust control measures. The committee comprising seven members under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Sanjeev Kumar, will suggest dust control measures, which will be strictly implemented in BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) areas from April 01, an official statement said on Sunday.

As per the directions given by Municipal

Commissioner I S Chahal, the panel shall submit a report within seven days. The dust control measures will be strictly implemented in the BMC area from April 01, 2023, and strict action will be taken against violators, said the statement issued by the BMC.

The municipal commissioner on Sunday reviewed the Mumbai Beautification Project, air pollution control measures, and the pre-

As per the directions given by Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal, the panel shall submit a report within seven days. The dust control measures will be strictly implemented in the BMC area from April 01, 2023.

paredness for the upcoming G20 meeting.

"The air quality in Mumbai region including the city is currently bad due to changes in the wind speed conditions combined with dust arising from various development and construction works, which are going on a large scale.

"In view of this, dust is the main factor responsible for air pollution. To control it, a committee comprising seven members has been constituted under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal

Not only H3N2, but others too take Mum by storm

First India Bureau

Mumbai: While the H3N2 flu virus, which has been increasing respiratory illnesses across the nation, has prompted the union health ministry to urge states to be vigilant, it has only been found in a few cases at the BMC's Kasturba Hospital over the past few months, according to civic health officials on Saturday.

"We have been receiving one or two cases of H3N2 every month in the flu panel tests done primarily for H1N1 virus,"

BMC chief health officer Dr Mangala Gomare said on Saturday.

According to Sanjay Khandare, the state health secretary, there are currently no H3N2 cases. He said, "We will increase our monitoring and perform genome sequencing in accordance with the Union government's instructions. However, doctors claim that there is proof of constant viral attacks at different outpatient clinics and hospitals, where patients are arriving with fevers caused by the flu

as well as other viruses like adenoviruses and the respiratory syncytial virus. Poor data is a result of high costs; The reason for poor data are costs; while the first flu panel with the H1N1 test costs ` 8,000, the other panels (if the first panel

is negative) could range from `1,500 to `20,000.

"Our statistics indicate that influenza A and H3N2 cases are on the rise across the nation," said Dr Nilesh Shah of Metropolis Laboratory. Every month, the facility runs

hundreds of flu panel tests, and in January and February, the amount of H3N2 has been increasing. According to the union health ministry, H3N2 instances began to increase in the middle of December 2022 and may begin to decline in March, when the flu season will have ended in many regions of the nation.

In Mumbai, where flu cases typically start rising in June, doctors blame the “strange weather patterns” for high viral activity.

The rescue team arrived promptly & managed to extinguish fire.

F1 car catches fire during Oracle Red Bull racing

Mumbai (ANI): A For-

mula 1 car caught fire during the Oracle Red Bull racing event in Mumbai's Bandra on Sunday, officials have confirmed. The incident occurred at Bandstand in Mumbai's Bandra where the car racing was taking place.

The rescue team arrived promptly and managed to extinguish the fire. Fortunately, no

casualties have been reported in the incident and further details are awaited in the case. Oracle Red Bull Racing runs billions of race-strategy simulations on Oracle Cloud

Infrastructure (OCI), helping give drivers get their best chances to win. The event marked the return of Oracle Red Bull racing to India after an eight-year hiatus.

Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Sanjeev Kumar," it said, adding stringent action including stopping the construction work will be taken against violators of dust control measures.

The air pollution situation has arisen like never before in the Mumbai metropolitan city. In the post-COVID-19 period, the dust generated by largescale construction as well as various development works, and changes in the wind speed are the two main factors, the statement said.

Bachhu Kadu’s ‘dog ’ remark creates row in Assam assembly

First India Bureau Mumbai: It seems like Achalpur MLA Bachchu Kadu does not stay far from the limelight as the MLA from Maharashtra is now currently in political discussions in Delhi and Assam. A statement made by him in the Maharashtra Assembly caused confusion in the Assam Assembly. Along with this, MLAs of opposition parties in Assam have also demanded Kadu's arrest while opposing his 'dog statement' passed against Assamese people.

Independent MLA from Achalpur and President of Prahar Janshakti Party Bachchu Kadu had given a

controversial statement regarding Assam while speaking regarding back stabbing legislators of Maharashtra. Kadu had said, “Send all the stray dogs of Maharashtra to Assam. They have value there. People in Assam eat dog meat. The people there eat dog meat like we eat deer. These dogs will be

VERBAL ATTACKS

traded. We came to know about it when we went to Guwahati."

Meanwhile, Kadu's statement has heated up the atmosphere in the Assam Assembly and faced a huge uproar over Kadu's statement in the budget session of the Assam Legislative Assembly. Because of this, Governor Gulab

KADU APOLOGIZES

Chand Kataria also had to stop his speech. Congress MLA Kamalakhya Purkayastha raised the issue and said, "Why is the government silent on this after such a controversial statement regarding Assam?" Meanwhile, the opposition legislators have also demanded the arrest of Kadu.

Kirit Somaiya gets commission from ED: Khaire

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the house of National Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif at 5 am on Saturday. Also, the ED has arrested Shiv Sena Thackeray group MLA Anil Parab’s close associate and businessman Sadanand Kadam in the Sai Resort case.

These two incidents have made the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

face dark clouds and come under. Sanjay Raut has referred to Kirit Somaiya as Popatlal and Chandrakant Khaire has now alleged that Somaiya gets money from ED.

After the ED action against Sadanand Kadam and Hasan Mushrif, Khaire has alleged that Kirit Somaiya gets commission from ED.

“Kirit Somaiya is the broker of ED. Somaiya gets commission from ED money. That is why

Don’t be loyal to leaders, but Shivaji Maharaj: Bachhu

After action against Kadam and Hasan Mushrif, Khaire has alleged that Kirit Somaiya gets commission from ED

Somaiya already knows about the Enforcement Directorate action,” said Khaire.

“How does a BJP person knows about ED’s action? Who will be attacked? Who will be arrested? How does Somaiya know this?”, commented Khaire.

On the other hand, Sanjay Raut criticized Somaiya as the parrot of Mulund. In response, Somaiya said that both Sanjay Raut and Uddhav Thackeray are comedians like Kapil Sharma. The reaction of both of them makes me laugh.

First India Bureau Mumbai: Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party, Congress along with allied parties formed the Mahavikas Aghadi and formed the government in 2019. But 7 months ago, 40 MLAs from the party split with Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and formed a new group of MLAs. As a result, the coalition government in the state collapsed. Eknath Shinde's new group formed a new government with the BJP.

When Shinde rebelled, Bachchu Kadu, an MLA from Prahar Jan Shakti Party, Shiv Sena's ruling ally, also stood with Shinde. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Yuva Sena president and MLA Aditya Thackeray are constantly criticizing all these MLAs.

“Absolutely, we are traitors. We are traitors to leaders, not people”

Rebel MLAs are being called 'traitor' MLAs. Meanwhile, Bachchu Kadu has responded to Uddhav Thackeray's criticism.

Achalpur MLA Kadu said, “Some call us traitors. Absolutely, we are traitors. We are traitors to leaders, not people. This Bachchu Kadu is not one of those who enslave the leaders.” Meanwhile, Kadu also gave the basic mantra of loyalty to the workers by saying, “You should not be loyal to leaders. Don't take sides. Be loyal only to your father, be loyal to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”

WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE

Mumbai Indians bowler Amelia Kerr with teammates celebrates the wicket of UP Warriorz player Kiran Navgire during the Women’s

cricket match, at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Sunday.

THE RAINBOW ARE THE STANDARD ICON OF HAPPINESS AND HOPES. CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU RAINBOW FASHION IDEAS THAT WILL BRIGHTEM UP YOUR WARDROBE!

GLOW LIKE A

Dressing in vibrant hues is always a risk, and not every lady is brave enough to try it. Wearing multicoloured clothing requires bravery and a powerful personality. Because colours have tremendous power in our minds, they can alter our moods and emotions the moment we see them.

And if are talking about colours, the great VIBGYOR is no behind. With the growing fashion trend, it’s no wonder that rainbow

fashion has become an enormous trend these days, from colourful sweaters and coats to rainbow miniskirts, dresses, purses, and even shoes! This year, designers are certainly embracing the rainbow style.

The rainbow hues remind us of all of the most beautiful objects in the world, which are typically found in nature. We venerate hues like red, yellow, orange, blue, purple, indigo, and green, and we are smitten by all the bright colours around us!

BEAUTIFUL VIBRANT SLEEVELESS DRESS

is perfect for those who want to be the centre of attention!

TRADITIONAL MULTICOLORED SHORT SLIT DRESS

This traditional dress is ideal for wearing during the day and has a tube form, V-neckline, delicate straps, and multicoloured, shiny sequin patterns. Because of its refined tones, it pairs well with muted shoes and handbags.

EXQUISITE MULTICOLOR SHORT DRESS

This incredibly stunning gown is perfect for those who adore shine. It had a round closed neckline, a pucker design around the waist, long, semipuffed arms, and gorgeous broad patterns that were all covered in multicoloured sequins. This ensemble looks fantastic when paired with a gold purse.

DAZZLING VIBRANT STRIPED SKIRT

If you want to make a statement, this long skirt is an excellent choice for you. This gorgeous knee-length gown has a high waistline and beautiful, breathtaking patterns that finish in a pike. With such a lovely gown, some black or white shoes would be ideal!

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

YOUR DAY

Aries

MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Yoga would help in raising energy levels and improve your metabolism. Some of you are going experience emotional fulfillment on romantic front. Place emphasis on domestic affairs to enhance the domestic tranquility and harmony. You will feel happy today.

Gemini

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

A sound monetary position would enable you to keep pace with changing times. Avoid raising controversial issues at home to maintain harmony. Successful implementation of new ideas and projects would add to your prestige on the professional front. connections.

Leo

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Chances of being misled by competitors in business are high, so remain alert. You may get a chance to pursue old hobby. Health tips from an expert will enable you to get closer to your fitness goals. Your generous behavior would enable to enjoy some lovely moments.

Libra

SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 22

Your hard work and dedication are likely to be noticed by seniors, paving way for promotion or increment. Better to consult an expert in financial matters before making an investment. Family will be supportive and encouraging of career aspirations.

Sagittarius

NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22

You will succeed in resolving misunderstanding with family members, normalizing ties. You will remain much in demand on social front. You need to stand by partner during testing times for stronger relationship. Seek opinion of expert before opting for a health supplement.

Aquarius

JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19

Avoid being indulgent in your spending to balance budget. Continue to put in efforts at work and you will see promising opportunities coming your way. Matrimonial match for siblings will bring happiness for entire family. You will get a good price for your property.

IS SEVERE ADDICTION A PERSONALITY DISORDER?

Taurus

APRIL 21 - MAY 20

It is good day to confess your love as stars appear favourable for positive reply. Your sole dependency on friends may fail to bring any respite from loneliness today.A sound financial health of businessmen would enable to give monetary benefits to employees.

Cancer

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Distant relatives may drop in for a surprise visit. Investment antiques would bring handsome financial gains. On professional front, recognition for good work would motivate you to work harder. Those awaiting an affirmation on romantic front are likely to get lucky today.

Virgo

AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23

Senior management will be appreciative of your creative inputs on professional front. Seek the opinion of your family before finalizing a property deal. An impromptu invitation to a function from an unexpected friend is likely to be received.

Scorpio

OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Rewards and recognition will come your way for your involvement in a social endeavour. It’s a very good day to take calculated risks in financial matters. Those suffering from chronic ailments may find remarkable improvement in their health with home remedies.

Capricorn

DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20

Develop a good adaptability to handle pressurized situation on professional front. Paying special attention to plan your career would give immense joy. You are likely to get clearance or approval for your construction plans. You find things moving in the way you want them.

Pisces

FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20

Don’t give a firm commitment in financial matters before considering the viability of the project. You will succeed in completing an important project. Disagreements on the family front are foreseen. Be careful about the legal apprehensions in the property.

Addiction to substances, alcohol and nicotine is an age-old problem. Besides these obvious things, people are strongly addicted to sweets, sugary drinks, tea, coffee and even food. Every addiction has its inherent problem even if it appears to be a benign addiction like love for sweets. In India, more people die prematurely because of their love for sweets than alcohol intake. But for practical purposes, the word addiction is usually restricted to drugs, alcohol and nicotine.

Some people believe that those who fall easy prey to addiction have a special personality which makes them vulnerable. They call it an addictive personality disorder. But the majority of psychologists, psychiatrists and social scientists disagree with this point and consider this concept as a dangerous thought because this gives addicted people an excuse to pursue their addiction. Almost all health organizations including the CDC ( Centre for Disease Control ) of the USA categorize addiction as a disease which needs monitoring and treatment. They believe that there is nothing like an addictive personality.

But deeper analysis indicates that there are certain traits which could make a person more prone to addiction than others. Impulsivity is one trait which pulls a person towards addiction if an opportunity emerges. Impulsivity is not a type of personality but rather a weakness in it.

Impulsive adolescents may indulge in addiction under the false notion that this might rid them of their anxiety.

People who seek the sensation or thrill of

SOME

IMPORTANT FACTORS ARE AS FOLLOWS

1. Epigenetics - what we eat, how we live and converse, what is the environment in our home and family etc all affect our genes. This is called epigenetics. Some researchers believe that 40-60 per cent of addiction comes from epigenetics.

2. Social environment - some societies consider alcohol, opium, and smoking as essential parts of social interaction. Serving these things to their guests is a thing of honour. Many members of such societies cross critical boundaries and ruin their lives as addicts.

3. Early age use - some grandparents ask their grandchildren to light a cigarette or burn a chillum or even taste a drink. They never realize that they are pushing a young brain towards the slavery of substance. Early age use mostly leads to gross misuse.

4. Prescription of drugs - many doctors prescribe drugs without proper logic. The reasons can be many but none is fully justified. Innumerable people are addicted to so many drugs for a full life that a time has come to review the whole decaying system of medical practice. Nothing is sacrosanct hence

every system and method should be critically evaluated from time to time.

5. Stress and trauma - sleeping pills, tranquillizers, opioids, and antidepressants are all addictive with significant side effects. Isn’t it time to make advances in behaviour therapy and talk treatment? It, no doubt, is a very difficult task but can be tried in a select group of people.

Inequality, racism, religious discrimination, poverty, unemployment, undeserving richness, lack of education and chronic sickness are other reasons which create situations where addiction starts dominating many people’s lives. LGBTQIA+ face so much social discrimination that a significant majority of them have become victims of substance misuse.

Millions of people seek help to get rid of addiction mainly for their family members or friends but the success rate in deaddiction is painfully low. So many lives are lost and many more traumatized but the habit still lingers with no hope of significant success.

non-conformity tend to get addicted more easily than those who conduct their life regularly. Lower levels of tolerance, temporary emotional disturbance, stress and alienation are dominant situations of life which make a person vulnerable to substance use or alcohol abuse. For every human being,

childhood is a very critical phase. Any insecure attachment during childhood and early adolescence may stay for the rest of their life and makes a person very vulnerable to many situations of life including addiction. Studies have been conducted to identify factors which dominantly affect human life.

GREESHMA BASTAWALA, Model

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

DR RAMAVTAR SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Have a glance over Peter Bradshaw’s thoughts. And can we just point to the frankly scary 11 out of 12 success rate his predictions achieved last year.

THE 2023 OSCARS MAY JUST BE INDIA’S MOMENT TO SHINE AT THE 95TH ACADEMY AWARDS TODAY

The 95th Academy Awards are upon us. The main Oscars ceremony will take place on today at 8 pm in Los Angeles, where a bevy of stars will grace the awards night. It’s that time of the year when you set that alarm to watch the Academy Awards. If you are a movie geek, then the Oscars is the top billing when it comes to award ceremonies across the world. The 2023 Oscars have an interesting mix of nomi nees who have edged out their fellow contempo raries at the award sea son throughout the year. The race for India this year is special. We have not one but 3 representations at the Academy Awards. Oscars love representation and springing up a surprise, so we can definitely see Yeoh there up on the big stage on Oscars night.

ACTRESS DEEPIKA PADUKONE WILL ALSO PRESENT AN AWARD DURING THE OSCARS 2023 EVENT

3 NOMINATIONS: SPECIAL RACE FOR INDIA

For the first time, India has managed to earn three nominations at prestigious international stage with the popular song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from

blockbuster ‘RRR’, and 2 documentaries ‘All That Breathes’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. ‘Naatu Naatu’ has bagged a nomination for the Best Original Song, while

the documentaries ‘All That Breathes’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ is running for the Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Film categories, respectively.

BEST ACTOR BEST PICTURE

While Austin Butler seems to the voters favourite and the Academy definitely loves a good biopic, no one can look past Brendan Frasers performance in the dark melancholic The Whale. While Butler is much younger than Fraser, the formers’ conviction at playing one of the most famous entertainers on the planet is likely to win him his first Oscar.

BEST ACTRESS

This is one tough category given how strong the performances have been. Both Yeoh and Blanchett have been front-runners at various shows through award season. Personally I prefer Blanchett’s insane performance of a music conductor gone astray in TAR to Yeoh, but that doesn’t mean the latter deserves any less.

If there is one title that has got unanimous praise and love from critics and the audiences this year then it is this crazy parallel universe themed drama titled Everything Everywhere All at Once. The only competition to this Daniel brothers directorial is Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin. I will be totally stoked if either of these titles win. The rest of the nominees are definitely weak compared to these two, but again remember Moonlight winning over La La Land ? So, yes, anything can happen at the Oscars.

BEST DIRECTOR

The Daniel brothers might make history after winning the third time a duo have jointly won for direction. EEAAO is a definite contender for Best Picture so it isn’t a surprise that it’s also up for Best Director. However, the one man who can beat this duo is Todd Field whose disturbingly raw and an emotional roller coaster drama Tar is one of the highest rated films of the year. So, we have to wait for results today.

SONG Naatu Naatu, RRR

BEST ANIMATED FILM Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

All Quiet on the Western Front

THE HOST

The late-night host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars 2023. This will mark Kimmel’s third appearance on the Oscars stage after hosting the award show in 2017 and 2018.

Fernandez looking stunning as always in a pantsuit, the actress enjoyed a pre-Oscar

with

MONI SHARMA

The writer is Editor (News) in First India, Jaipur

Austin Butler

Blanchett Jimmy Kimmel

Deepika Padukone is a presenter at Oscars 2023

RANA DAGGUBATI ON RRR‘S GLOBAL RECOGNITION! Karan Kundrra on his break-up

This Friday was Rana Naidu’s OTT debut, and those who have seen it so far have given it nothing but positive reviews. The edginess, thrill, chemistry between Rana Daggubati and Surveen Chawla, and the face-off moments between Rana and Venkatesh Daggubati in this crime drama series are all wellliked.

Rana was questioned about the significance of RRR for him and the Indian film industry as well as how it feels for Indian films to have international distribution. To this, the Baahubali actor said, “It is very very personal. RRR is too personal I think to me; Whether it is Rajamouli and his entire family,

whether it is Charan in it or whether it is Tarak in it. And they are our films. It’s Telu gu, it’s India, it’s that kind that you will al ways love. In many ways, it’s more than just happiness and joy for me.”

Rana Daggubati talked about how he always wished for an Indian film to make headlines globally. He said, “I loved cinema because of what I saw globally. I saw Star Wars. I saw films like that when I was growing up and I was just hop ing that we’d be able to make cin ema like that one day and just that I got to be a little part of things

Madhuri Dixit’s mother passes away

Snehalata Dixit, a legendary actress and mother of Madhuri Dixit, passed away on Sunday morning in her Mumbai home at the age of 91. At 3 p.m., the Worli crematory performed the final rites for the actress’s mother. Along with her husband Shriram Nena, Madhuri shared this tragic news in a joint statement. The statement read, “Our beloved Aai, Snehalata Dikshit, passed away peacefully this morning surrounded

by her loved ones

On her mother’s 90th birthday last year, Madhuri Dixit, who was very close to her mother wished for her wellbeing by posting an unreleased photo of her with her husband Sriram Nene. She wrote, “Happy Birthday, Aai! They say a mother is a daughter’s best friend. They couldn’t be more right. From everything that you’ve done for me, the lessons that you’ve taught have been the biggest gift from you. I wish you only good health and happiness!”.

like that. Today is a time when you can sit and make films when the whole world is out there to watch your films. Five years ago, we were convinced that the country would watch our films. Now I say the world

watches our films. So it is step by step, in the global arena for us.”

Rana contributed to Baahubali’s enormous triumph in the end. The actor described how Baahubali rose from relative obscurity to become a household name. When the first Baahubali movie debuted, he claimed that no one knew who they were or what they had created. Films are travelling further than ever before because of a more connected industry today than it was back then. Rana continued by saying that RRR’s international success has given everyone a sense of pride and belonging. The international success of a few more movies will go a long way towards placing the Indian film industry on the map.

One of the most well-known and adored celebrity couples in the entertainment industry is Karan and Tejasswi. The two never held back from expressing their love, and fans adore their chemistry. They did everything together, from sharing romantic social media posts to engaging in PDA. For the uninitiated, Tejasswi and Karan fell in love while they were contestants on Season 15 of Bigg Boss.

After a fight at the beginning of their relationship, both of them eventually began dating.

Tejasswi and Karan continued to go headstrong in their love even after Bigg Boss 15 till lately when reports of their breakup started to surface.

A few days ago, Karan Kundrra’s cryptic tweet sparked rumours that the actor has parted ways with Tejasswi Prakash. The tweet read, “Na teri shaan kam hoti.. na rutba ghata hota.. jo ghamand mein kaha.. wahi hass ke kaha hota.” Just after that, Tejasswi shared an Instagram story that put an end to their breakup rumours. The Naagin 6 actress shared a picture of her and Karan’s shoes and wrote, “My forever @kkundrra.”

LAKME FASHION WEEK 2023

STUNNERS WHO WALKED THE RAMP

The Day 4 of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), in partnership with the Fashion council Of India (FDCI), saw many celebrities walk the ramp in beauteous creations by various designers. Most fashion shows are dominated by designer wear with a modern outlook. In such a situation, like every year, this year also Lakme Fashion Week 2023 has been or ganised. Lakme Fash ion Week is an impor tant fashion event in India held every year in February or March in Mumbai. Some of the most renowned and emerging names in the Indian fashion indus try showcase their lat est collections during this event. The show features some of In dia’s most sought-af ter fashion designers and they design their collections based on Indian colours, tex tures, stripes, silks, glittery wires, weaves

Radhika Madan shoots in her hometown

One of the busiest actors in the industry right now, Radhika Madan resumes the shoot of her seventh consecutive film. However, what makes it special is that in nine years of her career and twelve different films, Radhika is shooting in her hometown Delhi for the first time.

Hailing from Delhi, Radhika left her hometown at a very

young age and has been making a mark in the entertainment industry with diverse, experimental and impressive performances one after.

Creating a record, Radhika shot for and wrapped six projects last year, which are slated to release this year. Hopping on to her next, the Angrezi Medium actor began shooting for her next earlier this year.

Beginning the

next schedule of her film, Radhika Madan has reached her hometown Delhi and expressed her happiness about shooting in her city through an Insta story. The actress said, “9 years in the industry and this is the FIRST time I’m shooting in MY CITY! dilli ”

From playing titular roles to standing out in ensemble casts, Radhika Madan is slaying with her impressive filmography!

and cuts.

Lakme Fashion Week also sees Bollywood celebrities, models and socialites walking the ramp in the designer’s creations. Some of the most highlighted divas such as Sara Ali Khan slayed the ramp walk. Sara was looking very beautiful in a red-coloured lehenga-choli. Tara Su-

taria also showed off her fashion skills on the stage of Lakme Fashion Week. Tara stunned the audience in a pink traditional outfit. Sonakshi Sinha also won everyone’s hearts by walking the ramp beautifully. Sonakshi’s glamorous style was worth seeing in the Indo-Western outfit. Diana Penty reached the stage of the Lakme Fashion Week to spread the magic of her beauty. Sushmita Sen who re cently suffered a heart attack was the show stopper for Anushree Reddy’s classic col lection Ahilya on the third day of Lakme Fashion Week.

Rashmika Mandanna was also the star at traction of Saturday night at the Lakme Fashion Week 2023 Here are some glimpses of the most epic designer outfits exhibited during the Lakme Fashion Week 2023.

Ryan on The Adam Project

The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds, has been out for a year.

The Avengers actor released numerous images from various moments from the movie on his Instagram page. Reynolds portrayed a time-travelling fighter pilot who crashes lands in the year 2022 and teams up with his 12-year-old self to preserve the future in the film.

Taking to his Instagram handle yesterday, he wrote, “One year ago today, #TheAdamProject came out on @netflixfilm. Or as it’s more commonly known, “14 Going On 31”. He further added why he loved this movie and

mentioned that the film will always hold a special place in his heart. “I love this movie because it feels like the kind of film I grew up with.

I’m already on my third film with the great, @slevydirect and I know I speak for both of

us when I say this film holds a soft spot in our hearts forever,” the actor wrote. Ryan ended the caption with, “It’s also the inaugural voyage for the @ groupeffortinitiative which has grown into a beast since then.”

Sushmita Sen

Sonakshi Sinha

Rashmika

Mandanna Diana Penty

Malaika Arora Tara Sutaria

Madhuri Dixit Nene with her late mother Snehalata Dixit

Rana Daggubati

Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash

Radhika Madan

Ryan Reynolds