First India-Delhi Edition-13th October 2022

NAVY’S MIG 29K DEVELOPS TECH SNAG, PILOT EJECTS SAFELY

MODI GOVT’S

DIWALI BONUS!

the

Russia ready for gas supplies to Europe: Putin

Cannibalism suspected, 1 body cut into 56 pieces

First India Bureau

Deendayal

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: The Cen tral government on Wednesday approved Rs 22,000 crore as a onetime grant for state-run oil marketing compa nies (PSU OMCs) for losses incurred due to domestic LPG prices.

The government said that between June 2020 to June 2022, the inter national prices of LPG increased by around 300%. Accordingly, do mestic LPG prices have risen only by 72% dur ing this period. This has led to significant losses for these OMCs, the government said.

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minis ter Narendra Modi ap proved one-time grant to 3 oil marketing com panies - Indian Oil Cor poration (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindu stan Petroleum Corpo ration Ltd (HPCL).

BONUS OF `1,832 CR FOR 11.27 LAKH RLY EMPLOYEES: THAKUR

M aking the announcement on Wednes day, Union minister Anurag Thakur said, “Productivity-linked bonus of ` 1,832 crore will be given to 11.27 lakh employ ees of railways. It will be a bonus of 78 days and `17,951 will be its maximum limit.” According to available data, about 11.27 lakh non-gazetted railway employ ees are likely to benefit from decision.

DEVELOPMENT OF CONTAINER TERMINAL AT TUNA-TEKRA

Moscow: Russian Pres ident Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow is ready to re sume gas supplies to Europe via a link of the Germany-bound Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea — an of fer quickly rejected by Berlin. German offi cials have said Russia halted supplies through the Nord Stream 1 as a political gambit and questioned why sup plies through Nord Stream 2 would be any more reliable.

Chinese national among 10 held in `900 cr fraud case

Thiruvananthapuram: A couple in Kerala who allegedly mutilated and killed two women in a ritualistic “human sac rifice” to get rich quick may have even eaten the flesh of their victims, the police said today, as shocking new details emerged in the case.

Germany’s help may be taken to build worldclass roads in Delhi: CM

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi government may consider taking the help of German experts in making roads in the national capital worldclass, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday.

The statement came after the CM met Ger man ambassador to In dia Philipp Ackermann.

“I had a great ex change with Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal and Deputy CM @msisodia on governance,” Acker mann tweeted.

DELHI GOVT RAISES MINIMUM MONTHLY WAGES

New Delhi: The Delhi government has raised the minimum wages of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers. The revised monthly wages will be applicable from October 1. Wages of unskilled workers will be increased from `16,506 to ` 16,792, semi-skilled work ers from `18,187 to `18,499 and skilled workers from `20,019 to ` 20,357.

DU SEMESTER 1 CLASSES FROM NOVEMBER 2

New Delhi: The Delhi University (DU) issued an academic calendar for first semester students on Wednesday, announc ing that classes will begin on November 2 with a four-day break between the first and second semesters. The first semester will start in November 2022 and end in March 2023 and the second semester will be from March to July. The first semester will begin before the third round of admissions.

U

nion Cabinet approved the project to develop the container terminal at TunaTekra, Deendayal Port in Gujarat under public private partnership mode. The cost of `4,243.64 crore will be on part of Concessionaire and cost of common user facilities of `296.20 crore will be on the part of the concessioning authority toward development of common user facilities.

Hyderabad: The city police arrested 10 per sons including a Chi nese and a Taiwan na tional for allegedly cheating lakhs of per sons to tune of ` 903 crore. So far `1.91 crore have been frozen in var ious bank accounts. Hy derabad police commis sioner CV Anand opined that it could even be a Rs 10,000 crore scam, which was run through a network to route money of unsus pecting investors away.

Retail inflation jumps to 5-month high of 7.41 percent in September

New Delhi: India’s re tail inflation touched 7.41 per cent in Septem ber, up from 7 per cent in August, and 6.7 per cent in July, fuelled by high food prices, erratic rainfall, and supply shocks from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prices of daily consum ables like cereals and vegetables, which form the largest category in the inflation basket, have climbed over the past two years.

INDIA’S DEBT RATIO

Victims Roselin and Padma were tied up and tortured before they were strangled, the po lice said. The women’s breasts were chopped off and the blood was al lowed to flow out. One of the bodies was cut into 56 pieces, the police chief said. The body parts were found from three pits. Two women were allegedly sacrificed as part of a ritual in a re mote Kerala village by three people, including a couple, to gain wealth. The victims were killed, their body parts chopped, cooked and eaten by the accused.

The first accused, Shafi, is a sadistic psychopath who takes pleasure in hurting and inflicting wounds on others. He is a sexual pervert. There’s a possibility that the accused ate parts of body after killing the victims. It is being investigated, but not confirmed yet.

—CH Nagaraju, Kochi police chief

ALL 3 ACCUSED SENT TO 14-DAY JUDICIAL CUSTODY

Ernakulam: The Ernakulam magis trate court on Wednesday remanded all the three accused of killing two women allegedly as a human sacri fice in black magic rituals in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta on judicial custody. The accused will be under judicial remand for a 14-day duration which will end on October 26.

NGT imposes `900-crore fine on Delhi government

The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), con tracted by (-)0.8% in Au gust, as per data re leased by the MoSPI.

PROJECTED TO BE 84% OF ITS GDP: IMF India’s debt ratio is projected to be 84% of its GDP by end of 2022, which is higher than many emerging economies, but its debt is a little bit easier to sustain, a senior IMF offi cial has said. “It would be very important to give reassurance to people and to investors that things are under control, and things are going to become less vulnerable over time,” Mauro, told.

New Delhi (PTI): Ob serving that “citizens cannot be faced with an emergency situa tion due to lack of gov ernance”, the Nation al Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Delhi government to pay ` 900 crore as envi ronmental compensa tion for improper management of solid municipal waste.

Delhi Chief Secratary at the Ghazipur landfill site.

A bench headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Goel noted that 80 per cent of waste at landfill sites was not remediated.

CO-ORDINATED CRACKDOWN ON DOPING

CBI BOOKS DELHI FOREST OFFICIALS

New Delhi: The CBI has registered a case against unidentified officials of Delhi government’s forest department and an official of Bank of Baroda in connection with a `223 crore fixed deposit scam. The CBI has alleged that the forest department deposited surplus fund of `223 crore, which was transferred to an alleged fake account.

Sports minister promises to ‘protect’ athletes

New Delhi (PTI): Alarmed by the rise of doping cases in India, National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) will now join hands with National Forensic Sci ences University and Food Safety Standards Authority of India to “protect” the country’s athletes, Union Sports

minister Anurag Thakur said here on Wednesday. Thakur said this while address ing on the opening day of the ‘WADA Athlete Biological Passport Symposium- 2022’ that got underway here.

“To ensure that our athletes are protected from inadvertent dop ing due to consumption of nutritional supple ments with prohibited substances, NADA is collaborating with NFSU and FSSAI,” Thakur said.

The main objective of

the third edition of the symposium is to strengthen anti-doping

measures in the coun try, which was ranked third behind Russia and

The National Dope Testing Laboratory is in the process of setting up an Athlete Biologi cal Passport Unit in In dia and Thakur said it would be a very impor tant scientific tool in anti-doping and the re lated research not only detect but deter doping in sports.

Italy in terms of doping violations reported by WADA in 2019.

“The Symposium will turn out to be a big milestone in our collec tive fight against dop ing and also strengthen the anti-doping pro gramme in India,” Thakur said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann at Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Anti-doping agency to tie up with Food Safety Authority, Forensic Sciences varsity: Thakur

Anurag Thakur at the opening session of the ‘WADA Athlete Biological Passport Symposium- 2022’, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur holding a press conference on Cabinet Decisions, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Laila, one of the accused in the Elanthoor ‘human sacrifice’ case, being produced at court, in Kochi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

ACCUSED ACCUSED

VICTIM VICTIM

‘ Neutrality only helps the oppressor, not the victim ’

India’ s concern not limited to itself but for the whole world: VP

New Delhi (PTI): Any expansion, particularly of geographical bounda ries, involves violation of human rights, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Wednesday, asserting that India as a nation never believed in such a policy.

In his address at the foundation day event of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) here, he said In dian ethos is such that the country's concern is not limited to itself but cares for the world.

"We are yet to have an other nation that can match our unrivalled record," Dhankhar said.

"We never believed, as a nation, in expansion.

Any expansion, particu larly of geographical boundaries, involves vi olation of human rights, of an extreme degree.

This nation (India) has never done so," he said.

In his address, the

‘Reservation still needed’

14 arrested in PFI case move HC seeking release, compensation

New Delhi (PTI): Four teen PFI activists, ar rested in a crackdown on the radical Muslim outfit over its alleged terror links, Wednes day approached Delhi HC seeking release and compensation, claim ing they were unlaw fully detained.

Petitions came up be fore a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Amit Sharma which granted time to petition ers’ counsel to file addi tional documents and relevant judgements to support their case.

The bench listed the matter for further hear ing on November 21.

When it comes to decimation of human rights, we can’t afford to be neutral, we have to take sides.

Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar and Justice Arun Mishra, Chairperson, NHRC, at Foundation Day of National Human Rights Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI New Delhi (PTI): NHRC chairperson Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra on Wednesday said "fruits of reservation" had not "percolated to the bottom" of the society and emphasised on the need for reservation despite the govern ments running several socio-economic wel fare schemes.

—Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice President

vice president also stresses that human rights, as a concept, can not be reckoned only in the "narrow sense" of preservation of person al liberties and dignity.

They have to be un derstood in a broader context, he added.

"When it comes to decimation of human rights, we can't afford to be neutral, we have to

Only vehicles with PUC to get fuel from Oct 25

take sides," he said.

“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. As a matter of fact, a neutral man is hardly any different from the oppressor. Si lence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. In such sce narios, there is no op tion, but to be pro-ac tive, and we must inter fere,” Dhankhar said.

In his address at the NHRC's Foundation Day here, Mishra also pressed for urgent jail re forms.

On Delhi's pollution issue, the NHRC chief said the burning of stubble in nearby states "must stop at once" as a "grave violation" of right to clean air. “Several measures have been taken for socio-economic and political upliftment of the marginalised sections. More affirmative action is needed. The time has come to clarify that unrepresented classes in services are provided reservation within the reserved category itself to ensure overall de velopment, because fruits of reservation have not percolated to the bottom," he said.

CAPITAL PAIN

New Delhi (PTI):

The Delhi govern ment on Wednesday asked all fuel stations to sell fuel from Octo ber 25 to only those vehicles which have valid Pollution Under Control Certificates.

In a notice by the transport depart ment, owners of vehi cles more than a year old (except electric or battery-driven vehi cles) were also asked to get PUCCs for their vehicles.

The department is issuing notices to owners without valid PUCCs to get them

Driving a vehicle without a valid PUCC is liable to attract a penalty of `10,000 and im prisonment up to 3 months or both.

—Official notice, Transport department

within a week or face suspension of RCs.

The government has also formed teams to check buses coming from neighbouring states at Anand Vihar terminal for PUCCs.

Delhi reported the season’s first episode of fog on Wednesday morning which lowered visibility levels to 350 metres in some parts of the capital. The air quality is likely to deteriorate to the poor category by Saturday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Delhi Police raised objection over main tainability of the peti tions and said habeas corpus pleas cannot lie as most petitioners have been released on bail.

A habeas corpus peti tion is filed seeking di rection to produce a per son missing or illegally detained. The petition ers claimed they were arrested on the night of September 27 when cops in civilian dress as well as in uniform barged in and picked them up without telling anything about the reasons for it.

HC ASKS POLICE FOR DATA OF UAPA CASES

New Delhi: Delhi HC asked police to place on re cord data showing the number of cases under UAPA where it filed charge sheet within the stipulated 90 days. A bench headed by Justice Mukta Gupta also asked them to disclose details of instances where charge sheet was filed after extension. Sec 43D(2) of the anti-terror law grants 90 days to the agency to complete probe and file charge sheet. It, however, states if not possible to complete probe within the period, the court may extend the deadline up to 180 days. “State will file a data showing in how many cases under UAPA, charge sheet was filed within 90 days; in how many cases, extension of time was sought and in case, extension was sought as also the period for which extension was granted and period in which charge sheet was filed thereafter, well before next date of hearing,” said the bench.

Bizman Nawandar’s interim bail extended

New Delhi (ANI): A court here on Wednes day extended the inter im bail of businessman

Ajay Ramesh Nawandar, arrested in connection with an alleged bank fraud of Rs 34,615 crore by Dewan Housing Fi nance Corporation Lim ited (DHFL) on medical grounds.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne extended the bail till October 19, 2022, and said the court finds no reason to conclude that either the submissions or the medical records

Waste at 3 landfills down by 26.1L

are contrived and nongenuine. Nawandar had moved a regular bail plea in the matter and the same court on the last date had sought a response from CBI.

Spl cell arrests Lawrence-Nehra-Bhiwani gang members

New Delhi (PTI): The Special Cell unit of Del hi Police has arrested two alleged members of the Lawrence BishnoiSampat Nehra-Tinu Bhiwani gang from the Lado Sarai area in the southern part of the city after an exchange of fire, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as Deep ak (32), a resident of Bhiwani in Haryana

Farmers burning stubble to be fined `2.5k/acre

Gurugram: To curb stubble burning, the Gurugram administration on Wednesday said the defaulters will be slapped with a fine of Rs 2,500 per acre.

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav said village-level vigilance teams will keep a tab and report any instance of stub ble burning. Yadav also said farmers will be provided with a 50 per cent rebate on buying equipment used in stubble management, whereas an 80 per cent grant will be given to registered farmer groups or panchayats if they purchase the equipment through custom hiring centers. "We have been sensitising farmers but those who don't abide by the rules will be fined Rs. 2,500 per acre," he said. The district, like other parts of NCR, suffers from poor air quality during winters.

and Gulshan Kumar (38), a resident of Baha durgarh in Haryana,

they said.

Both gangsters have been involved in over a

dozen criminal cases in Delhi and Haryana.

On September 30, po lice got information about Deepak and Ku mar going on a motor cycle near DDA land in Lado Sarai.

Around 10.15 pm, Deepak and Kumar were seen going to wards Lado Sarai.

They were signalled to stop, but Deepak whipped out a pistol and fired a bullet. Police

also retaliated and both the accused were nabbed, Deputy Com missioner of Police (Special Cell) Jasmeet Singh said. One round was fired by Deepak and one by the police. One semiautomatic pistol with four live cartridges was recovered from Deepak and a single-shot pistol with two live cartridges was recovered from Ku mar, they said.

New Delhi: Legacy waste at three land fill sites in the na tional capital has gone down by 26.1 lakh metric tons during the last four months between June and Septem ber, effecting an in crease of 462 per cent in disposal of waste compared to the preceding three years, officials at the Lieutenant Gov ernor’s secretariat said on Wednesday. They said that to tal waste lying at the three landfill sites has reduced from 229.1 lakh MT in May 2022 to 203 lakh MT in Septem ber 2022, translat ing into a waste dis posal rate of 6.52 lakh MT every month since June this year.

Auto-rickshaw driver held for molesting school kid

New Delhi (PTI): A 25-year-old auto-rick shaw driver was arrest ed in south Delhi’s Sa ket area for allegedly molesting a school stu dent, police said on Wednesday.

Accused, Shahrukh usually drove in Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar and Chi rag Delhi area, they said. According to po lice, the incident took place on September 30 at about 1.43 pm.

The girl took an auto from her school in Sa ket to meet her mother

at Central Market in La jpat Nagar. During the journey, the auto driver misbehaved with her by passing lewd and sexual comments. He even touched her inappropri ately, they said.

She somehow man

aged to escape from the auto near Lajpat Nagar metro station. After that the auto driver fled away, a senior police of ficer said.

A case has been regis tered under sections 354 (Assault or use of crimi

ACCUSED TRIED TO DODGE POLICE

The registration num ber of the alleged auto was also obtained and a raid was conducted at Trilokpuri but the ac cused was not found to be living in the address, she said.

nal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC and rel evant section of Protec tion of Children from Sexual Offences (POC

SO) Act at Saket police station and an investiga tion was taken up, said Chandan Chowdhary, DCP (South).

During the investiga tion, hundreds of CCTV camera footage were gathered and analysed.

However, on October 11 at about 5.30 pm, act ing on the related infor mation, the team laid a trap near the Khanpur traffic signal. The auto was spotted coming to wards Khanpur from Badarpur side. When signalled to stop, the driver tried to flee. How ever, he was intercepted.

NHRC Chairperson Justice Arun Mishra addresses at the inaugural session of the NHRC’s 29th Foundation Day celebrations, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

PFI Delhi unit president Parvez Ahmed and Secretary Mohammad Illiyas at Patiala Court in custody of Delhi Police's special cell.

—PHOTO

Lawrence Bishnoi, accused in Sidhu Moose Wala murder case, being produced at Ludhiana Court on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Ajay Ramesh Nawandar

Man

impersonating

Spanish actor to trap girls

New Delhi (ANI): Cy ber Police branch of north-east Delhi arrest ed a man for allegedly impersonating Spanish actor Manu Rios to trap young girls on social me dia, said the officials on Wednesday.

The accused has been identified as Abbuzar Rehman (22). The ac cused tried extorting money as he threatened to leak pictures of these girls. “A plaint was reg istered at Cyber police station through Minis try of Home Affairs Cy ber Crime reporting portal, alleging the ac cused of extorting mon ey from her and threat ening to make her pic tures viral on social media. A case was regis tered at PS Cyber North and an investigation was taken up. The police arrested the accused on Monday," the police said.

No citizen can be prosecuted under Sec 66A of IT Act: SC

n Apex court had scrapped the section in 2015

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court Wednes day directed no citizen can be prosecuted un der section 66A of Infor mation Technology Act, 2000, which it had scrapped back in 2015.

Under the annulled section, a person post ing offensive content could be imprisoned for up to three years and also fined.

Underlining that lib erty of thought and ex pression is of "cardinal" significance, the top court had on March 24, 2015 done away with the provision, saying "the public's right to know is directly affected by Sec tion 66A of the Informa tion Technology Act".

A bench headed by Chief Justice UU Lalit said in all cases where citizens are facing pros ecution for alleged vio lation of Sec 66-A of the Act, the reference and reliance upon the said provision shall stand deleted.

THE PETITION

“We direct all DGPs and Home Secretaries of the states and compe tent officers in Union Territories to instruct the entire police force in their respective states/ UTs not to register any plaint of crime with re

Slum fest an opportunity for Delhi’s homeless to learn and better their lives

New Delhi (PTI): The ongoing slum festival in Delhi's shelter homes has given homeless peo ple an opportunity to learn and participate in various activities, giv ing them a break from their daily humdrum.

A week-long festival to spread awareness on issues surrounding homelessness and its challenges was launched by DyCMManish Siso dia on World Homeless Day on October 10.

Sunita, a night shelter resident, said two teach ers visit the shelter home at Sarai Kale Khan five days a week, to teach kids for free.

Sunita (45) has been managing her family by herself after her hus band passed away.

"I moved to this shel ter home after my hus band passed away in 2018. I mostly work at construction sites as labourers and some times as scrap-dealers," she said.

Barkha, 18, born in slums and grew up at Sarai Kale Khan night shelter, spoke extensive ly about a cultural event organised by the gov ernment on Monday.

At other shelter homes medical camps, yoga, meditation class es, special drive on

cleanliness, tree plan tation, gardening ac tivities and camps for voter ID cards have been set up.

Residents said apart from this festival, the Delhi government has taken various meas ures to make their lives easier.

spect to alleged viola tion of section 66A,” said the bench.

The top court clari fied that this direction shall apply only with respect to offence pun ishable under section 66A, and if in the crime

Despite the is sue regarding the validity of section 66A of the Act having been decided by the court, a num ber of criminal pro ceedings still rely upon this provision. —Bench, Supreme Court

in question, other of fences are also alleged, then the reference and reliance upon section 66A alone shall be de leted.

The bench observed the counsel appearing for the Centre has placed on record an allIndia status report with regard to pending cases under section 66A.

It observed the infor mation given in a tabu lar form does suggest that despite the issue regarding the validity of section 66A of the Act having been decid ed by the court, a num ber of criminal pro ceedings still rely upon this provision and citi zens are still facing prosecution.

New Delhi: There must be proof of direct or indirect acts of incitement and ev idence of continuous harassment against the accused in an abetment to suicide case for holding them guilty, the Supreme Court (SC) said on Wednesday, thereby acquitting a Chennai-based doc tor and his mother who were convicted of driving his wife to take the extreme step. The apex court observed, "... in cases of alleged abetment of suicide, there must be proof of direct or indirect acts of incitement to the commission of suicide. Merely on the allegation of harassment ... conviction in terms of Section 306 IPC is not sustainable".

DU MAY OPEN MID-ENTRY WINDOW FOR UG

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi University is likely to open a mid-entry win dow in November for candidates who failed to apply for admis sion to undergraduate programmes within the stipulated time, an official said here. As per a schedule issued by the university, the mid-entry window will open during the third round of the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) from November 5 to 7. The university began the admission process for UG courses for 2022-23 academic year last month.

7TH ‘INDIA ART FESTIVAL’ STARTS TODAY

New Delhi (PTI): The much-touted India Art Festival, now in its sev enth edition, will show case 4,500 artworks by over 25 galleries and 450 artists from across the country here in the national capital, starting Thursday. The four-day annual art fair, known for its demo cratic presentation of art, offers emerging, independent artists the opportunity to exhibit along with major and mid-level art galleries presenting established and master artists with thousands of innova tive artworks.

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday alleged that she had been receiving rape threats after she wrote to the Centre demanding the ouster of filmmaker Sajid Khan from reality show ‘Bigg Boss’. In a letter, Maliwal had informed Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thak ur that several women had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Khan during the #MeToo movement. In a complaint to the Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Cell, the DCW chief said she had been receiv ing rape threats on social media after she flagged the issue. She demanded that the police register an FIR and immediately arrest the accused.

Shut down illegal establishments in Rajaji Nat’l Park: NGT

New Delhi (ANI): The National Green Tribu nal (NGT) has directed the authorities of Uttra khand to shut down il legal establishments in Chilla Range of Rajaji National Park.

NGT said all commer cial activity in the for est in violation of the judgement of the Su preme Court is to be stopped. Responsibility for implementing these directions will be of the

State PCB, District Magistrates and Direc tor, Rajaji Tiger Re serve.

The directions of

Delhi govt schools top India ranking

New Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the education team and said two government schools in city have topped the ranking for state government day schools in the country.

Kejriwal in a tweet said, “Proud of my Team Education. Once again, Delhi Govt schools top the Educa tion World School Rank ings, with the best state govt school in India.”

Government-run Raj kiya Pratibha Vikas

NGT were passed on Oc tober 10 by the Bench headed by its Chief Jus tice Adarsh Kumar Goel while hearing a

plea moved by 'All India Yound Lawyer Associa tion' against alleged il legal functioning of hotels, resorts, pubs,

clubs and ashrams and other illegal commer cial activities in Chilla Range of Rajaji Nation al Park.

The Tribunal in July month had sought a fac tual and action-taken report from a joint Committee of the Dis trict Magistrate, Harid war, State PCB, Direc tor, Rajaji Tiger Reserve and nominee of District Legal Services Author ity, Haridwar.

CBI questions India Ahead News MD in Delhi excise policy case

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI on Wednesday ques tioned Managing Direc tor of India Ahead News and Andhra Prabha newspaper Mootha Gau tam in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, officials said.

Vidyalaya, Sec 10, Dwarka came first and Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Yamuna Vi har came second.

The executive was called to CBI headquar ters in the morning and grilled on various as pects of the case includ ing some transactions, they said. Although he is not named as accused in the FIR, another em ployee of the channel,

Arjun Pandey, is named in the FIR as one of the alleged "close associ ates" of Manish Sisodia.

The agency also ques tioned Amit Arora, di

rector, Buddy Retail Pri vate Limited in Guru gram, also listed in the FIR as one of the three close associates of DyCM Sisodia.

‘GETTING RAPE THREATS AFTER SEEKING SAJID KHAN’S OUSTER FROM BIGG BOSS’

Abetment to suicide: There must be proof of incitement, says SC

People sit around a temporary kitchen at an event on 'Homeless Day' at Sarai Kale Khan night shelter. —PHOTO BY PTI

Two teachers visit the shelter home at Sarai Kale Khan five days a week, to teach our kids for free.

—Sunita, construction worker

RADIO-COLLARED TIGER GOES MISSING FROM TIGER RESERVE

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia at the inauguration of the Annual Zonal Athletic Meet at East Vinod Nagar Sports Complex on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Buddy Retail Pvt Limited Director Amit Arora with his son at the CBI office in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

(L-R)

bangles

Karva

RUSSIAN JUGGERNAUT & EUROPEAN WINTERS

HUMAN SACRIFICE, A RESULT OF MENTAL SICKNESS OR SUPERSTITION

Will power outages in Europe be the order of the day like in a third world country or, will the EU shift its loyalties away from NATO to lean towards Russia to ensure industrial production, comfortable winters and economic growth. Can we predict that peace can return only if Europe shuns the interference of UK and US which have no contiguity with the main land mass and embrace trade and treaties with Russia to allow a new world order!

Well … implied lessons loom large for India as we wait and watch the Juggernaut

COL ANUPAM JAITLY (RETD)

Just after a little more than 7 months in war, Vladimir Pu tin signs a law formally merging four important Ukrainian regions into Rus sia. The documents annexing 20% of Ukraine, carried out in noncompliance of interna tional laws, were published on a Russian government website on 5th of October 22.

Both houses of the Rus sian parliament ratified trea ties making Donetsk, Lu hansk, Kherson and Zapor izhzhia regions as part of Russia. While Russia calls it ‘referendums’, US, western countries and Ukraine re jected it as a bogus and sham.

As a keen observer of mili tary affairs, I feel that the Rus sia – Ukraine war has now entered a totally new phase with Russia declaring that any attack on these four Rus sian territories will be viewed as a war on Russia and it will retaliate with all its detrimen tal nuclear might.

I am surprised to note that series of sanctions imposed under the banner of US since 2014, following the annexation of Crimea and now the an nexation of four regions have hardly had any effect on either

OUTSIDE FACTORS JOLTING ECONOMY

the military capabilities or, the economic strength of Russia.

Now the question arises if the numerous sanctions im posed on any strong-willed na tion carry any worthwhile meaning or not? Well, in 1974 and then in 1998 US imposed similar economic, technologi cal and trade boycott against India when it carried out nu clear tests in Pokaran. The only result it achieved was that India emerged as a stronger and a self-reliant nation tech nologically and economically.

In my opinion, the ratchet ing-up of sanctions on Russia gives the Western world an illu sion and a psychological satis faction that real action is taking place on Ukraine and US re mains in control of world af fairs. But, will these sanctions have any effect on a leader of Putin’s calibre and his decisionmaking on current war? The answer is NO. The history as also seen in case of India, sug gests that this is quite unlikely.

I would further state that, the whole theory behind sanctions is fundamentally unsound since it assumes that strong country like Russia will cir cumvent and manoeuver their policies if unbearable financial cost is inflicted on them.

On the reverse slope of all these sanctions stand Euro pean Community, a divided and alienated home where, many members are con vinced that US is in fact hurt ing their economy and pun ishing their people on the

In my opinion, the ratcheting-up of sanctions on Russia gives the Western world an illusion and a psychological satisfaction that real action is taking place on Ukraine and US remains in control of world affairs

pretext of isolating Russia.

A French political class also believes these measures are ineffective. The president of the far-right party Ras semblement National of France, Marine Le Pen, in sisted that “these sanctions serve absolutely no purpose, except to make the people of Europe suffer “ by forcing Europe into an energy crisis during coming winters.

So, apart from France, how do other countries on the continent plan to tide over the monster of looming win ters? Moldova, North Mace donia and Bosnia Herzego vina are fully dependent on gas from Russia and cannot survive the onset of winters. All the three are in Eastern Europe and except North Mecedonia, other two are not under the umbrella of NATO and none are members of EU.

The story of major countries like UK, Germany and Italy that shape the decision making

of EU is no different. The dwin dling economy of UK is no hid den secret. British consumer price inflation is set to peak at 18% - nine times the Bank of England’s target - in early 2023 as per predictions of econo mists. The rising energy prices will hit the middle- and lowerincome households in the worst possible manner as it is directly linked to sanctions on Russia. Italy was also seen ap proaching Austria as a dealer for supply of Russian Gas to meet the challenges of winters.

Though, the political deci sions are pushing EU econo my to ruins courtesy Ukraine war, it’s the common man suf fering on the altar of sanc tions. Alarmingly reports say that Germany, France & Italy have only 60% gas stocks in place to beat the winters and run the industries. Will power outages in Europe be the or der of the day like in a third world country or, will the EU shift its loyalties away from NATO to lean towards Russia to ensure industrial produc tion, comfortable winters and economic growth. Can we pre dict that peace can return only if Europe shuns the in terference of UK and US which have no contiguity with the main land mass and em brace trade and treaties with Russia to allow a new world order! Well … implied lessons loom large for India as we wait and watch the Juggernaut.

The sacrifice of two women in Kerala to get rich is shocking. It is difficult to imag ine superstitious be liefs as dangerous as in this case also occurring in a Communist state which prides itself on its literacy rate which is the highest in the country. In earlier times human sacrifices were made to please or appease gods for the fulfillment of one’s wish as part of religious practices. Now all religions have criminalised the barbaric practice. Yet they keep being reported, like the ones in Kerala, to shake our conscience.

The Kerala couple---Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila---were allegedly made to believe that the two sacrifices will make them rich. Last year an Odisha man was charged with making a human sacrifice to appease Goddess Kali. In another report ed case a member of a family was sacrificed for its prosperity.

At least one NCRB report blamed holy men (tantriks) for the sacrifice of 51 children be tween 2014 and 2016.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child. Buddha

TOP TWEETS

Aday after the Inter national Mone tary Fund cut In dia’s growth fore cast for 2022 to 6.8 percent, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a gathering in the US, “I am aware that growth forecasts around the world are being revised lower. We expect In dia’s growth rate to be around 7 percent this financial year.

More importantly, I am confi dent of India’s relative and absolute growth performance in the rest of the decade.” No global economy is beyond the impact of extraneous factors as a result of the RussiaUkraine war. Sitharaman es pecially mentioned energy and fertilizers as main disrup tors of growth as their avail ability was becoming difficult by the day. The Reserve Bank

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a gathering in the US, “I am aware that growth forecasts around the world are being revised lower. We expect India’s growth rate to be around 7 percent this financial year. More importantly, I am confident of India’s relative and absolute growth performance in the rest of the decade”

of India had also lowered its growth forecast from 7.2 to 7 percent and the World Bank slashed its forecast for Finan cial Year 2023 from 7.5 to 6.5.

The Russia-Ukraine con flict and the consequent sanc tions on supplies have had serious implications for food prices. The Union Finance Minister was confident of In dia’s absolute growth pros pects but the IMF cautioned, “As storm clouds gather, poli cymakers need to keep a steady hand. The global econ omy continues to face steep

challenges, shaped by the lingering effects of three powerful forces: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a costof-living crisis caused by per sistent and broadening infla tionary pressures, and the slowdown in China.”

The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates again in the near future and the RBI may also follow suit to check inflation which is expected to rise further from 7.41 percent. For the pov erty-stricken people inflation means higher cost of living.

Away from the attachment of position and power, Rajmata Scindia ji set high ideals in politics by living life as a national servant. The struggle of Rajmata Scindia ji, who dedicated her life to the service of the country and the organization, will always inspire us to restore democracy in the emergency.

Narendra Modi @narendramodi

On her birth anniversary, tributes to Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Ji. She was synonymous with courage and foresight. She devoted her life to serving others. Sharing what I had said during one of the previous #MannKiBaat programmes about her outstanding personality.

Amit Shah @AmitShah

The writer is Defence expert, Motivational Speaker & Corporate Trainer

To

KHARGE DISMISSES ‘RUMOURS’ OF SONIA GANDHI’S SUPPORT

Says that Sonia never suggested his name for the party president’s position

New Delhi (ANI): Con gress veteran leader and party's presiden tial candidate Mall ikarjun Kharge said that his name was not suggested by the party supremo Sonia Gandhi and dismissed the spec ulations of receiving support from the par ty's interim president.

Kharge said that So nia Gandhi had never suggested his name for the party president po sition and called it a rumour.

"Sonia Gandhi sug gesting my name for the president position is all a rumour, I have never said this. She has clearly stated that any one from the Gandhi family will neither be a part of the election nor support any candi date," Kharge said on Tuesday.

Notably, Shashi Tha roor and Mallikarjun Kharge are up against each other in the race for the post of Congress President.

"Someone has spread this rumour to defame the Congress party, So nia Gandhi and me. She has clearly stated that she will not participate in the party elections nor will she come in support of any candi date," Kharge said.

New Delhi: When asked about Shashi Tharoor's plan to "decentralise authority" in the Congress, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge said he does not want the two of them to be compared. In an exclusive interview with India Today, he made an appeal to not compare him with Tharoor. Speaking on Tharoor's manifesto to "reform the way the party functions", he said, "I have come on my own from block president to this level. Was Shashi Tharoor there during that time?"

Bhopal: Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that after becoming the Congress national president, his prime responsibility would be to implement declarations made dur ing the party's meeting held in Rajasthan's Udaipur. Kharge, who is one of the candidates for the Congress presi dent, was in Bhopal to seek support for his candidature.

Addressing a press conference at the Con gress headquarters in Bhopal, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said that all the declarations made during the

CONGRESS TO MIX BALLOT PAPERS

RaGa to meet unemployed youths from Karnataka

Udaipur conclave were finalised after long dis cussions and they are the need of the hour.

Tharoor to cancel UP visit to avert ‘clash’ with Kharge

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is one of the contend ers in the race for Con gress presi

dent, has had to cancel his visit to Uttar Pradesh twice in two days amid speculations that he was told to stay away to avert a poten tial ‘faceoff’ with sup porters of Mallikarjun Kharge, another Con gress veteran who is in the fray for the party’s top post and was com ing to visit the state.

Tharoor suggested

WILL CALL FOR CWC ELECTIONS IF ELECTED CONG CHIEF: THAROOR

New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor asserted that if he becomes the AICC chief, he would fully implement the party’s existing constitution which requires CWC elections and revival of the parliamentary board that has been dormant for a quarter-century. Tharoor also said the Cong must decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party.

visiting on Tuesday but was told that it could result in clashes with

Karnataka (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from the Challakere town, Chitradurga in Karnataka on Wednes day. The Congress lead er will also be meeting around 2000 unem ployed youth from the southern state.

The march started at 6:40 am, informed the veteran Congress lead er Jairam Ramesh.

‘FOR EVERY AZAD AND SCINDIA WHO LEAVE, CONG WILL HAVE 25 OTHERS’ Bengaluru: Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said senior leaders quitting the party are unlikely to leave a void as there is an abundance of workers and leaders who can replace them. “For every Azad (Ghu lam Nabi Azad) and Scindia (Jyotiraditya Scindia), the Congress will have 25 others. The party’s youth cadre is getting strong.” Ramesh asserted.

Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh led the march in Chitradurga’s Thalaku with the Congress Seva Dal, while Ramesh followed him.

Jairam Ramesh

CALCUTTA HC DIRECTS WB POLICE TO FORM SIT TO PROBE MOMINPUR VIOLENCE

Kolkata: The Calcutta HC on Wednesday directed West Bengal Police to constitute a SIT to probe the Mominpur incident. After the investigation, the SIT will have to submit its report in court. The Calcutta HC has also directed the Kolkata Police Commis sioner to take steps so that there is no further violence. The tensions flared up in Mominpur on Sunday after religious flags put up in the area.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted two more weeks to the Centre to respond to a batch of petitions chal lenging certain provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act, 1991, that prohibits the fil ing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.

New Delhi: The SC said it will hear on Oct 31 a petition raising the issue pertaining to the lumpy skin disease in cattle. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice U U Lalit. The counsel who mentioned the matter told the bench that the disease has spread among cattle and over 67,000 cows have died till date due to this.

BYPOLL: UDDHAV CAMP NOMINEE MOVES HC OVER DELAY IN ACCEPTANCE OF RESIGNATION

Mumbai: Rutuja Latke, the candidate of ‘Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ party for the upcoming Andheri (east) bypoll, on Wednesday moved the Bombay HC seeking a direction to the Mumbai civic body to accept her resignation as its employee. The petition will be heard on Thursday. In her petition, Rutuja Latke said the delay by the civic body in issuing a letter or order (accepting her resignation) appears to be deliberate to prevent her from contesting the November 3 byelection.

New Delhi (PTI): A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice U U Lalit on Wednesday ordered the copy of an affidavit, filed before it in a sealed cover by an investi gative journalist probing a corporate fraud and claiming he was being stalked and attacked, to be sent to the office of the Attorney General so that steps could be taken for his safety. Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, appearing for the petitioner, said the journalist has investigated the corporate fraud and is now facing threats. He said the man was also attacked on his way home in Noida.

The bench told Attorney General R Venkataramani, who was present in the court, to take steps for the journalist’s safety.

Who will be successor to Naveen Patnaik?

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: Is Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik about to announce his politi cal successor? At least the murmurs in Odis ha’s political sphere seem to suggest so. Pat naik has said that his successor will be an nounced at the right time. His saying is im portant because till re cently he never talked about his successor. He had said some time ago that Biju Janata Dal is not a party, but a mass movement, it is a party of the people and the people will decide his successor.

Now that he has stressed on announcing the successor at the right time, two ques

tions have arisen. First, who will be the succes sor and what will be the right time? It is be lieved that the right time is the 2024 assem bly elections. Elections to the Rajya Sabha will be held along with the Lok Sabha in Odisha and it is possible that before that Naveen Pat naik’s successor may be announced or at least indicated as to who it will be.

supporters of Kharge, who is set to visit the state capital.

"Day 35 of Bharat Jodo Yatra began at 6:40 am from Chal lakere and the entire day will be in the his toric Chitradurga. The afternoon interaction of Rahul Gandhi will be with around 2000 unemployed youth from all over K’taka who face a bleak fu ture in the so-called 'New India'", tweeted Jairam Ramesh.

Karnataka: Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivkumar was seen wearing a t-shirt highlighting the ‘unemploy ment’ problems during the Karnataka leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Wednesday. The Congress leader wore a bright red coloured t-shirt with yellow text- symbolically signifying Kannada colours- highlighting the problem of unemployment while walking alongside Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during the 35th day of the Yatra. “Youth need jobs, not empty promises”, a message, written on DK Shivkumar’s t-shirt in the Kannada language. The State Congress chief accused the BJP government of failing to tame the rising unemployment in Karnataka.

GAURAV YATRA: NADDA ATTACKS CONGRESS IN GUJARAT

‘Atkaya, bhatkaya, latkaya...’

Gujarat (ANI): BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday flagged off the ‘Gujarat Gaurav Yatra’ in Mehsana.

Chief Minister Bhu pendra Patel and other BJP leaders were also present at the occasion.

Addressing a public rally on the occasion, Nadda said, “BJP is a pro-active, pro-respon sible government and pro-responsive govern ment. He said BJP gov ernment understands the plight of the people. What did Congress do for years? Pitted broth ers against each other, areas against each oth er and did not supply water where it was needed. Jo vikas ki yatra chalani thi usko atkaya, bhatkaya, lat kaya. Now they them selves are stuck...”

PM TO LAUNCH `3,000 CR PMGSY SCHEME IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

IMPOSING HINDI UNACCEPTABLE: KERALA CM WRITES TO PM MODI

"The essence of India is defined by the concept of 'unity in diversity' which acknowledges cultural and linguistic diversity. Acknowledging this, it is brotherhood, tolerance and mutual respect between different peoples that sustains our country. The Chief Minister said that promoting any one lan guage above others would destroy this integrity," said CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

UP BUREAUCRACY

IAS Jai Shankar appointed as VC of Sushant Univ

Ahtesham Siddiqui

Lucknow: IAS Jais hankar Mishra, a retired bureaucrat from Uttar Pradesh’s bureaucracy, has been appointed as the new Chancellor of Gurgaon’s Sushant Uni versity. In this university that is more than three decades old, the chancel lor has been selected by a well-known academician and a search committee of enterprises.

Former bureaucrat

Jai Shankar Mishra has

Lucknow: IAS Sujata Sharma, who came to Uttar Pradesh on inter-cadre dep utation, will now go back to her home cadre - Hy derabad - after completing her 3 years deputation in December. Sujata Sharma, a 2006 batch officer, came to Uttar Pradesh on Decem ber 4, 2019 and at present, she is posted as Secretary,

Infrastructure and Indus trial Development. Since she came to UP in 2019, she is handling the same industries department. In view of the Global Inves tors Summit to be held in February 2023, the Uttar Pradesh government may soon appoint a principal secretary or secretary rank officer. Due to the Global

Investors Summit, a lot of industries are coming to UP from across the country and the world. So in view of the increasing work in this department, there is a great need for officers, that is why the government can appoint an IAS officer of the rank of Principal Secretary and Secretary of Industries Department any time now.

been a 1980 batch IAS of Uttar Pradesh cadre and has served as col lector of many districts

of Uttar Pradesh, rising to the ranks of secre tary and principal sec retary, handling several

departments.

He has written more than 15 books in Hindi and English. His son

Abhishek Mishra has also been a minister in the Samajwadi Par ty government. Jais

hankar Mishra has been considered a very friendly and cheerful officer !!

‘If elected Congress Prez, will implement Udpr declarations’

Rahul Gandhi with padyatris during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Chitradurga on Wednesday.

SHIVKUMAR ATTACKS BJP, WEARS T-SHIRT HIGHLIGHTING ‘UNEMPLOYMENT’

Chamba: In the run-up to the Assembly polls, Prime Min ister Narendra Modi will launch Rs 3,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III scheme sanc tioned for Chamba in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. The Prime Minister will address a huge public meeting at the famous Chowgan, or the public promenade in the historic town of Chamba, which ranks 95th in the Centre’s list of the country’s 115 backward districts.

Meanwhile, The country’s fourth Vande Bharat Express starting from Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district will further shorten the distance to Delhi for people from northern India. It will be inaugurated by Prime Minis ter Narendra Modi from the Una station today.

Kerala: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that efforts to impose the Hindi language are "unac ceptable".

PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT: CENTRE GIVEN 2 WEEKS TO REPLY

SC TO HEAR ON OCT 31 PLEA ON LUMPY SKIN DISEASE

JP Nadda speaking at the flagging-off of the “Gaurav Yatra”, in Mehsana on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

DON’T COMPARE ME WITH THAROOR, SAYS KHARGE ON CONG PREZ POLL

Naveen Patnaik

Mallikarjun Kharge

Jai Shankar Mishra

SUJATA SHARMA TO GO BACK TO HER HOME CADRE HYDERABAD

Sujata Sharma

ENSURE SAFETY OF JOURNALIST PROBING CORPORATE FRAUD: SC TO ATTORNEY GEN

Shashi Tharoor

‘

Aus is India’s important partner for security’

Jaishankar on his 2-day visit to Australia, addressed the Indian community and spent time with military

Sydney (PTI) Austral

ia is an important part ner for India in terms of security and stabili ty in the Indo-Pacific and working together ensures that this region remains free, open, sta ble and prosperous, Ex ternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.

Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Aus tralia, during his ad dress to the Indian com munity said during the visit he spent time with the Australian military.

“They are a very im portant partner for us

today in terms of secu rity and stability in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, the big change in our rela tionship is the fact that today we both are mem bers of the Quad mech anism and are working together in many ways to ensure that this re gion remains free, open, stable and prosperous,” Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

“I have seen again even in the last year how much progress we have made just in the last few weeks. We have had two major exercises in Australia where the Indian military has par ticipated,” he said. He said the perception, the

READ

PLEAS AGAINST TIMES GROUP OVER WAGES DISMISSED

New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has dis missed over 80 pleas seeking direction to Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd, publishers of the Times group of newspapers, to increase wages accord ing to the pay scales prescribed under the Majithia Wage Board Award. The Labour court said the grant was not automatic but subject to satisfactory completion of services.

‘KHAN SHOULD NOT HURT RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS’

Bhopl (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Home Minister and BJP leader Narot tam Mishra said actor Aamir Khan should stay away from ad vertisements and acts which hurt religious sentiments after a bank commercial featuring Khan and actor Kiara Advani faced criticism. Mishra said Khan should not do such advertisements keeping Indian traditions and customs in mind.

DISCUS THROWER KAMALPREET KAUR BANNED FOR 3 YRS FOR USE OF STEROID

New Delhi (PTI): Top Indian discus thrower Kamal preet Kaur, who achieved stardom for her exploits at the Tokyo Games, was on Wednesday banned for three year for using prohibited substance Stanozolol, the Athletics Integrity Unit has announced.Kamalpreet was handed a provisional suspension in May this year after testing positive for the steroid, which was found in her sample that AIU collected at Patiala on March 7. “The AIU has banned Kamalpreet Kaur of India for 3 years for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance, starting from 29 March 2022. DQ results from 7 March 2022,” the AIU said in a statement.

PLAYER GETS BAN FOR ATTEMPTING MATCH-FIXING

Dubai (Agencies) : Mehar Chhayakar, an Indian cricketer former ly based in the United Arab Emirates, has been banned from all cricket for 14 years for seven breaches of the sport’s anti-corruption code, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday. Chhayakar was found guilty by an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal of attempting to influence aspects of the UAE’s one-day.

MAIN ACCUSED IN IB STAFFER’S MURDER NABBED

New Delhi (ANI): Spe cial Cell of Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested a key accused from Telangana’s Meerpet in connection with a case pertaining to the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the northeast Delhi violence. The accused has been identified as 34-years-old Munjtajim alias Musa Qureshi. He was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000.

relevance of each coun try to the other and the two nations’ common shared ability to con tribute to the better ment of the region, is “something which is today an important fac tor in the relationship “, he said.

The US, India and several other world powers have been talk ing about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising mili tary manoeuvring in the region.

INDIA’S TIES WITH JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, CHINA IMPROVED: EAM

Singapore (ANI): India’s bilateral and economic ties with Japan, South Korea and China were bolstered because of its association with the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations NationsIndia trade in goods agreement was signed on Aug 13, 2009 and it came into force in Jan, 2010. The ten ASEAN

‘National games foster spirit of national unity among participants’

Surat (FIB): Under the chairmanship of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the closing ceremony of the 36th National Games-2022 has been organized at Pandit Deendayal Upad hyay Indoor Stadium, Surat. Lok Sabha Speak er Om Birla and Chief Minister Bhupendrab hai Patel will be present on the occasion.

Addressing the Clos ing Ceremony of 36th National Games at Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Indoor Stadium in Surat today, the Vice President congratulated the state government for the suc cessful organisation of the mega sporting event which saw many new records being set in dif

ferent streams over the last few weeks. “Athletes will carry fond memo ries and a new enthused spirit of nationalism from here,” he said.

Significantly, 7500 athletes from 36 states and union territories participated in 36 types

Racial attack on Agra student in Australia

The victim was stabbed 11 times and is critically ill

Shubham Dubey

Agra: A 28 year student from Agra’s town Kirav ali studying in Australia was attacked with a knife in Australia.

Family members fear that it was a racist inci dent and has requested govt to bring him home. Student Shubham Garg, pursuing PhD in Syd ney, was attacked on the night of October 6 when he was returning to his room after withdrawing money from an ATM.

He got seriously in jured and was admitted to a hospital. In Agra, the victim’s family met

Shubham Garg

MP Rajkumar Chahar on Tuesday and pleaded for help. Ram Niwas Garg, resident of Paith Gali , said that his son Shubham had gone to Australia on September 1 to pursue PhD in MS in University of New South Wales.

Shubham’s roommate Bhuvan Tilani, a resi dent of Delhi, informed the police about the attack.

AROUND

of sports in the 36th Na tional Games to realize Prime Minister Naren dra Modi’s ‘Khelo India’ and ‘Fit India’ cam paign. A total of 1100 competed for gold, silver and bronze medals. 2000 technical staff and over 2500 volunteers helped.

TMC lashes out at “political vendetta”

Kolkata (ANI): Amid the buzz over ex-crick eter Roger Binny likely to replace Sourav Gan guly as chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Trinamool Con gress (TMC) attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of attempting to hu miliate the former In dian skipper since it had failed to induct him into the party.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen al leged political vendetta of the BJP behind the possible exit of Gan guly as BCCI president. “Amit Shah visited Sourav Ganguly’s house a few months ago.

WORLD

OM BILRA ENCOURAGES SPORTSMANSHIP

countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myan mar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Jaishankar made these comments in a foreword published in a book titled: “ASEAN and India: The Way Forward,” which was launched in Singapore on Wednes day. “Ties with Japan and South Korea were energised as a result,” the minister said.

RAISES VISA BACKLOG ISSUE WITH AUSSIES

Sydney (PTI) Exter nal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has that he took up with Australian authorities the issue of visa backlog, particu larly related to students seeking to return to educational institutions in the country following the COVID pandemic, and was assured that the problem would be resolved by the year end.

Haryana govt orders halt of cough syrup prod

Ambala (Haryana)

(ANI): Haryana gov ernment has ordered a halt of total production of cough syrups from Sonipat-based company Maiden Pharmaceuti cals Limited, which was recently flagged by the World Health Organisa tion (WHO) following the deaths of 66 chil dren in The Gambia.

Surat (Agencies): The Indian National Flag got international recognition with the greatest effort made by their athletes, the Lok Sabha president said. Female players have made our country proud time and again—Lok Sabha’s President. Om Birla, President of the Lok Sabha, stated at the conclusion of the 36th National Sports in Surat, Gujarat.

The company has also been issued a show cause notice for 12 vio lations found at its man ufacturing plant.

State health minister Anil Vij told ANI on Wednesday,

“The samples of three drugs of the Soni pat-based pharmaceuti cal company which were mentioned by WHO, have been sent to

Central Drug Labora tory in Kolkata. The re port is yet to come.

We will take action only after the report comes. After a joint in spection by Central and State officials, 12 violations were found in the manufacturing facility. ... It has been decided to shut total production. We have sent a notice in this re gard.”

Prez lays foundation stone for Law University in Tripura

Agartala (Agencies): President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived in Tripura on Wednesday, inaugurated a Judicial Academy and laid the foundation stone of the National Law Universi ty at Narsingarh, on the outskirts of the Agarta la city.

This was her first vis it to the northeastern region after assuming the highest office on July 25. According to the officials, National Law University, Tripura un der the Higher Educa tion Department of the state government, would now function from the Tripura Judi cial Academy as both are adjacent places.

Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Pratap

Singh has recently been appointed as first ViceChancellor of National Law University, Tripu ra, for which the state government has allotted 9.23 acres of land at Narsingarh for setting

up of a permanent cam pus of the varsity.

Officials said that stu dents from the north eastern and other states of India would be able to take higher studies on law in the University.

At least twenty-eight children killed, many arrested in Iran

Nicosia (Agencies): At least 28 children have been killed in protests that have swept Iran since the death of Mah sa Amini, with hun dreds more mostly de tained in adult prisons, rights groups inside and outside the country said.

Amini, 22, was pro nounced dead days af ter the notorious moral ity police detained the Iranian Kurd last month for allegedly breaching the Islamic

Republic’s strict dress code for women.

Anger flared at her funeral and spread to become the biggest

wave of protests to rock Iran in almost three years, despite a crack down that has killed scores and seen hun

dreds arrested. Iran’s Children’s Rights Pro tection Society con demned security forces for resorting to violence against children who have protested in schools. “According to statistics, 28 children have been killed in these confrontations, most of which hap pened in the underpriv ileged province of Sistan-Baluchistan,” the Tehran-based group said in a statement post ed on its website.

RUSSIAN STRIKE KILLS SEVEN AT MARKET IN EAST UKRAINE INDIAN STUDENTS GET CHINESE VISAS

Over 1,300 In dian students have received visas to return to China to resume their studies after being unable to do so for over two years owing to strict Covid-19 travel re strictions imposed by the country in early ‘20 at the start of the pandemic.

XI JINPING ALL SET TO REWIND CHINA’S CLOCK

Beijing (PTI): China’s ruling Com munist Party is set to slide back to its founder Mao Ze dong’s era soon as President Xi Jinping is set to break the decades-old rule to cling in power and perhaps for life, amid pressure from the US-led West against Beijing.

Moscow (Agencies): Russian strikes on Wednesday killed seven people and wounded another eight at a mar ket in the east Ukraine city of Avdiivka near the frontline, said a regional governor. “At least seven dead and eight wounded as a result of the shelling this morning on Avdiivka. The Russians struck where many people were at that time,” the regional governor said.

Public protesting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar interacts with Indian community, in Sydney. —PHOTO BY ANI

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar at the national games in Surat on Wednesday.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij —FILE PHOTO

President Droupadi Murmu during the inauguration of the Tripura Judicial Academy laid the foundation stone of the National Law University, in Agartala on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Mumbai: State Bank on Wednesday said its home loan book has surpassed the Rs 6-lakh-crore-mark, making it the largest in the industry. To mark the occa sion, the bank also an nounced a festive offer for home loan buyers, offering up to 25 bps discount on interest rate starting at 8.40% & also the waiver of the processing fee till Jan uary 2023. The lower inter est will also be applicable to balance transfers. Com menting on this, chairman Dinesh Khara said SBI has over 28 lakh home loan customers.

PVR SHAREHOLDERS

APPROVE MERGER WITH RIVAL INOX

UPI, RuPay, BHIM to go global: Fin Min

Washington (PTI): India is talking to different coun tries to make Rupay ac ceptable in their nations, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. “Not just that, the UPI (Unified Payments Interface), the BHIM app, and NCPI (the National Payments Corporation of India) are all now being worked in such a way that their systems in their re spective country, however, robust or otherwise can talk to our system and the interoperability itself will give strength for Indians expertise in those coun tries,” she said.

READY TO TALK WITH STARTUPS TO PREVENT THEM FROM MOVING OUT OF INDIA, SAYS FM

Rupee falls 12p to close at 82.33 against US dollar on fund outflows

New Delhi (PTI): The ru pee fell by 12 paise to close at 82.33 against the US dollar on Wednesday due to sus tained foreign fund outflows and a stronger dollar in the overseas markets. Besides, risk aversion sentiment among investors ahead of the release of US Fed min utes and inflation data weighed on the local unit.

Mumbai: Multiplexes chain company, PVR on Wednesday received shareholders’ approval for a merger with rival Inox Leisure. In March, PVR and the Inox Leisure board of directors approved a share swap amalgamation scheme where Inox will merge with PVR. On Octo ber 11, PVR sought equity shareholders’ approval for the Inox merger. During the meeting, 99.9986% vote was cast in favour of the merger, while a frac tional 0.0014% voted against the deal.

SPACEX TO SEEK GOVT PERMIT FOR STARLINK SERVICES

“We are working together with several countries,” Si tharaman said in response to a question from an Indian student at the University of Maryland, who wanted to have the UPI in the United States as well. Sitharaman made the remarks at the prestigious Brookings Insti tute think-tank during a fireside chat with eminent economist Eshwar Prasad.

“I’m a student at the Uni versity of Maryland here. I am really proud of our UPI system in India. I just want ed to ask, what do you think are the future plans for the UPI system and how can we

OTHER STORIES

Washington (PTI): The government is ready to talk with the startups who are contemplating moving overseas and address their issues as much as it can to help them stay in India, Union Finance Minister Nirma la Sitharaman said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself engaged with startups and the government’s policies have created an enabling environment as a result of which there are more than 100 unicorns in India. “I have engaged, the Prime Minister with the startups to know what they want from India. And we kept as much as possible addressing their concerns. Now as a result of which, not purely as a result of which, but also because of which, you saw your Unicorns coming to reach 100 in number within the year of 2020 and 2021,” she said in response to a question at the prestigious Brookings Institute think-tank. “I’ve heard this from others as well. They (startups) are moving to Singapore, they’re moving to the UAE. Well, if they want to talk to the Government of India and say, look, we were moving to Singapore, but if we were to do this, we would be quite happy to be here. And after hearing it if it’s possible, we’ll certainly attend to them,” Sitharaman said when asked about the successful Indian startups moving out of the country.

share it with the world? Specifically in the US, that’s what I miss the most about India not having a UPI system in the US,” the Indian student asked. “We

RBI’S RATE HIKES TO HAVE LIMITED IMPACT ON BANKS’ PROFITS: MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE

Bengaluru: The Reserve Bank of India’s slew of rate hikes this year to combat surging inflation will help lift banks’ net interest margins, but the increase will be limited as funding costs will rise faster than loan rates, Moody’s Investors Service said. The RBI has now raised rates by a total 190 basis points since its first unsched uled mid-meeting hike in May, with further hikes likely on the cards. While India’s economic growth will slow, its growth outlook was better than its peers, Moody’s said in a note on Wednesday. Banks’ profitability would also be reined in by losses on their govern ment securities holdings as yields rise, the ratings agency said.

are talking to different countries. Singapore and UAE have all come forward now to make Rupay accept able in their countries,” Sitharaman said.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened lower at 82.32 and later fell further to 82.3750 against the American currency. It re covered some ground to close at 82.33, registering a decline of 12 paise over its previous close. “In line with the dollar index, the rupee marked another steady day. So far this week, the rupee has been trading in a narrow range and clos ing near 82.32,” said Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC Securities.

India’s BPM industry logs $44 bn revenues, grows at 14% in FY22

Bengaluru (PTI): India’s business process manage ment (BPM) sector with revenues at $44 billion ex perienced double-digit growth of over 14 per cent in FY22 as compared to FY21 and accounts for nearly 40 per cent of global sourcing spend, a Nasscom report said on Wednesday. Leveraging data to improve operational efficiency will emerge as the top priority for BPM service providers in the next two years.

As per the findings, over 90 per cent of the surveyed companies are expected to increase IT budgets by more than 10 per cent during the next 12 months though un certainties like macroeco nomic issues, geopolitics and delayed decision-mak ing may create some head winds. Moreover, firms are increasingly focusing on building an integrated Digi tal Capability Platform that

TWIN BLOWS: INFLATION RISES TO 7.4%, FACTORY OUTPUT SHRINKS

EXTREME SATISFACTION

z The highest concentration of Global 2000 enterprises is using & evaluating India as a delivery location for BPM services

z Over 60% of the surveyed enterprises have declared extreme satisfaction with the delivery of Cloud, AI, F&A, data, and insights from India

will ensure seamless data flow, said the report by Nasscom in collaboration with HFS Research. “The BPM industry in India has matured significantly. The next evolution for this sec tor will be more dynamic, reliable, and significantly more agile in driving and shaping the next-gen needs of clients,” said KS Vishwa nath, Vice President, In dustry Initiative, Nasscom.

Adani gets licence for full fledge telecom services

New Delhi: Billionaire en trepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to seek a permit to launch satellite internet services in India under its Starlink brand, becoming the third com pany to apply for such a permit, the Economic Times reported. SpaceX will also seek statutory approvals from the gov ernment for landing rights and market access, the re port said, adding that it is likely to seek approvals from Department of Tele communications (DoT) to set up local gateways. SpaceX and DoT did not respond to Reuters re quests for comment after regular hours.

—PTI

INTEL PLANS TO CUT THOUSANDS OF JOBS HIT BY PC SLOWDOWN

BYJU’S TO FIRE 2500 EMPLOYEES AND HIRE 10000 TEACHERS

New Delhi: Edtech major Byju’s has chalked out a plan to become profitable by March 2023 to optimise its marketing and operational cost, which will lead to retrench ment of 5 per cent employees or about 2,500 people in next six months. Byju’s co-founder Divya Gokulnath told PTI that the company will start focussing on building brand awareness over seas through new partnerships and hire 10,000 teachers for India and overseas business.

MERCEDES-BENZ AND MICROSOFT JOIN HANDS

TO BOOST EFFICIENCY

New Delhi: Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft announced a partnership on Wednesday us ing Microsoft Cloud for a data platform intended to improve production efficiency at over 30 passenger car plants glob ally, the carmaker said. The data platform, called MO360, is already available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and will also be launched in the United States and China, the state ment said.

New Delhi (PTI): In twin blows to Indian economic revival, higher food prices drove retail inflation to a five-month high of 7.4 per cent while factory output fell for the first time in 18 months. The second con secutive month of rise in consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation will add to the pressure on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to again raise interest rates to tame high prices.

Food inflation surged to a 22-month high of 8.6% while core inflation rose to a 4-month high of 6.3%.

Separately, the Index of In dustrial Production (IIP) declined 0.8% in August. “The combination of slight ly higher inflation and fall in IIP raises concerns,” said Nikhil Gupta, chief economist at Motilal Osw al. “However, next month’s data and US Fed’s policy

TRANSACTIONS

will decide whether we see 35 bps or 50 basis point hike by the RBI in December.”

Since April 2022, the RBI has increased the interest rate by 190 basis points in a bid to dampen demand. The consumer durables seg ment declined 2.5% from 11.1% growth a year ago.

The primary goods seg ment, which accounts for nearly 34 per cent of the index, expanded 1.7 per cent in August compared to 16.9 per cent growth in the year-ago period.

SLOWDOWN IN ALL MAJOR SECTORS

New Delhi: The manufacturing sector shrank by 0.7% in August 2022 compared to the 11.1% growth recorded in the year-ago period, as per the data by the Sta tistics and Programme Implemen tation Ministry. The power sector showed a growth of 1.4% against a 16% rise a year ago. The mining sector witnessed a contraction of 3.9% in August 2022, whereas there was a growth of 23.3% in the year-ago period.Capital goods output, which is a barometer of investments, rose 5% in August 2022 compared to 20% growth in the year-ago month.

New Delhi (PTI): Adani Data Network has been granted unified licence for access services, which en ables it to provide all tele com services in the coun try, according to two offi cial sources.

Adani Group entered the telecom sector after buy ing spectrum in the recent auction. “Adani Data Net works has been granted UL (AS),” an official source said. Another official said that the permit was grant ed on Monday.

An e-mail query to Ada ni Group did not elicit any reply. Adani Data Net works Ltd (ADNL), a unit of Adani Enterprises Ltd, acquired the right to use 400MHz of spectrum in the 26GHz millimetre wave band worth Rs 212 crore for 20 years in the recent 5G spectrum auction.

Digital Payment solutions record unprecedented growth in India

New Delhi: Chipmaker In tel Corp is planning a ma jor reduction in head count, likely numbering in the thousands, in the face of a slowdown in the per sonal computer market, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the sit uation. The layoffs will be announced as early as this month and some of Intel’s divisions, including the sales and marketing group, could see cuts af fecting about 20% of staff, as per the report.

New Delhi (Agencies): India has been extremely keen on adopting digital payment system fully and has been making giant leaps towards it.

During the last three years, digital payment transactions have regis tered unprecedented growth in India. Easy and convenient modes of digi tal payment, such as Bharat Interface for Mon ey-Unified Payments In terface (BHIM-UPI); Imme diate Payment Service (IMPS); pre-paid payment instruments (PPIs) and National Electronic Toll

Collection (NETC) system have registered substan tial growth and have trans formed digital payment ecosystem by increasing Person-to- Person (P2P) as well as Person-to-Mer chant (P2M) payments. At the same time, pre-exist ing payment modes such as debit cards, credit cards, National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and RealTime Gross Settlement (RTGS) have also grown at a fast pace.

BHIM-UPI has emerged as the preferred payment mode of users. The Gov ernment of India also

launched the digital pay ment solution e-RUPI, a cashless and contactless instrument for digital pay

CASHLESS ECONOMY

z In August 2022 alone, 346 banks were live on

finance economy.

ment, which is expected to play a huge role in making Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) more effective in

digital transactions in the country. All these facilities together have created a ro bust ecosystem for a digital

Getting a whopping over 1.3 billion people under the ambit of digital payment solutions is not an easy task but the Indian govern ment is not leaving any stone unturned to achieve that milestone. One of the major objectives of Digital India is to achieve “Face less, Paperless, Cashless” status. The promotion of digital payments has been accorded the highest prior ity by the Government of India to bring each and every segment of our coun try under the formal fold of digital payment services.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks to scholars of The Brookings Institution in Washington, Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

SOME OF THE TOP CIVIL SERVANTS IN COUNTRY, BUT LOW-PROFILE

Modi’s A-team in PMO: Who’s Who

First India Bureau

New Delhi: To ensure that the Prime Minis ter’s flagship schemes are implemented on the ground, a core team at the PMO is at work. They are some of the most powerful civil servants in the country but they are, in general, much more low profile than some of their pre decessors.

The four senior-most members of the PMO are the soft spoken PK Mishra, who was ap pointed as principal secretary to the PM af ter Nripendra Misra stepped down; Ajit Dov al, national security ad visor; and Modi’s two advisors — retired IAS officers Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor.

Each of the top four lend their expertise in key areas. Mishra, a re tired Gujarat-cadre IAS officer who is known for his more ‘decentral ised style’ of function ing, oversees important policy issues, which in clude the agenda of cabinet meetings and appointments-related matters, in addition to other responsibilities.

Former director of the Intelligence Bureau, Doval has been looking into everything related to national security — from foreign affairs to defence and intelligence agencies — since 2014. Both Mishra and Doval have cabinet ranks.

Khare, a 1985-batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, who was reap pointed as Information & Broadcasting secre tary for a second time after retirement, moved to the PMO in October 2021. He handles the ru ral and agriculture ver ticals. In the late 1990s, Khare had famously exposed the fodder scam in Bihar that had led to Lalu Prasad Ya dav’s conviction.

Kapoor, the second advisor in PMO, was ap pointed in May 2022. The former Petroleum secretary is a Himachalcadre IAS officer and looks after infrastruc ture and resources.

1 WOMAN FRIDAY: PUNYA SALILA SRIVASTAVA

MONEY GUY: ARVIND SHRIVASTAVA

A 1994-batch Karna taka-cadre IAS officer, Shrivastava handles the finance and econ omy verticals of the PMO.

The min istries of Finance and Cor porate Affairs, as well as NITI Aayog, come under his pur view. He also handles matters related to PMO Funds. Before joining the PMO he was a joint secretary in the Finance Ministry.

RURAL AFFAIRS: ATISH CHANDRA

A 1994-batch Bi har-cadre IAS officer, Chandra handles the rural vertical, which includes the ministries of Rural Development, Agriculture, Panchayati Raj, and Jal Shakti. Chandra was earlier working as CMD, Food Corporation of India.

A 1993-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, addi tional secretary Srivastava has been with the PMO since October 2021 and wears many hats. She became a familiar face during the Covid pandemic as part of the team of se nior officials drafted by the Centre to brief the media daily. Srivastava used to answer media queries about measures taken by the govern ment to tackle the pandemic in chaste Hindi. In the PMO, she handles the social and wel fare verticals, encompassing the ministries of Health & Family Welfare, Education, Skill Development, Social Justice, Tourism, and Culture. Besides this, she also monitors announcements to be made by the PM. With a master’s in physics from Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College, she is known to be a meticulous plan ner. Prior to joining the PMO, she worked in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), where she was the first joint secretary to head the new women’s safety division in 2017.

TECH & GOVERNANCE IN-CHARGE: HARI RANJAN RAO

A former secretary to Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rao is a 1994-batch IAS officer of the MP cadre.

At the PMO, he oversees the technology and governance verticals. The former includes the ministries of Science and Technology, Electronics and IT and Communications, while the latter encompasses Home Affairs, I&B, and some of the flagship programmes of the government, including Direct Benefit Transfer and digital payments.Reputed to be a dynam ic officer, Rao is credited with transforming the tourism sector in Madhya Pradesh during his tenure as tourism secretary and managing director of MP Tourism Board. During his tenure, MP won a national award for tourism. Rao is a tech buff and was also the state’s IT secretary. Prior to joining the PMO, Rao was posted as administrator of the Universal Services Obligation Fund in the Department of Telecommunications.

HR: HARI RANJAN RAO

INFRA & RESOURCES: ROHIT YADAV

A 2002 Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer, Yadav joined the PMO in February 2020 from the Union Steel Ministry. He looks after the infrastructure and resources vertical in the PMO. The ministries of Road Transport & Highways, Railways, Shipping, Civil Aviation, Housing & Urban Affairs, Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Power, Coal & Mines come under his purview. Yadav had previously served as the private secretary to the then Commerce, Industries and Civil Aviation minister Suresh Prabhu.

Railways asked to file report on quality of water supplied

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Indian Railways to file a fresh status report in a matter relating to al leged supply of contam inated drinking water to passengers and ma nipulation in the award of contracts for setting up chlorination plants.

A bench of Chief Jus tice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad was informed by the pe titioner's counsel that the last status report was filed by Railways in October 2019.

port be filed in the mat ter within six weeks.

List on February 15, 2023," the bench said.

The high court was hearing a plea by NGO -- Centre for Public In terest Litigation -which has sought an independent and pref erably court-monitored probe into the alleged neglect of the quality of

Besides Mishra, Doval, Khare and Kapoor, a few others are noteworthy because of their proximity to Modi — like Hiren Joshi, officer on special duty (communications and information tech nology), who manages the PM’s social media and is said to play a key role in managing the “media narrative” around Modi.

The PMO’s senior hierarchy also comprises four additional

secretaries, three joint secretaries, two private secretaries, 10 directors, and four OSDs among others. Each of the senior officers — drafted from the IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) — heads differ ent verticals, like rural affairs, social, welfare, finance, technology, and so on. Each of the additional secretaries and joint secretaries in charge of different verticals works with a team of two-three directors and deputy secretaries.

4 IFS officers on deputation

The four Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers cur rently on deputation in the PMO are Rudra Gaurav Shresth, who is a joint secretary; Vivek Kumar, private secretary to PM Modi; and two director-rank officers, Yadav Man harsinh Laxmanbhai and Shweta Singh.

Gaurav Shresth, a 1999-batch IFS officer, handles the foreign and security vertical, under which the min istries of External Af

fairs and Defence fall.

He is assisted by two director-rank officers.

He also handles mat ters related to the de partments of Space

tion (NTRO).

and Atomic Energy, as well as the National Security Council Sec retariat (NSCS) and National Technical Research Organisa

Vivek Kumar, a 2004-batch IFS officer, joined the PMO in 2014 as a deputy secretary, after Modi became PM. A BTech from IIT Bombay, Kumar was appointed as private secretary to PM Modi in May 2022. Kumar has previously served as deputy consul gen eral and head of chan cery in the Consulate General of India in Sydney, and in diplo matic positions in Russia.

Water not even tested for e.coli bacteria, NGO claims in plea

drinking water being supplied and manipula tion in the award of contracts for setting up chlorination plants.

The high court had earlier questioned the Indian Railways' past decisions to hike fares when it was not provid ing proper services and asked it to stop giving contaminated water.

A 2001-batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, Sridhar joined the PMO in 2020 and looks after the human resources vertical. All appointments-related files come to him. He also handles matters related to personnel, law and justice, cabinet secretariat, anti-corruption units, and vigilance. Sridhar was a director in the IAS training academy in Mussoorie.

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLER: HIREN JOSHI

Hiren Joshi was Modi’s OSD in the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office and one of his main re sponsibilities included managing the leader’s social media profile across platforms.

Joshi moved to the PMO in 2014 when Modi became the PM. As OSD (communications and information technolo gy), he is the man re sponsible for managing the PM’s digital foot print across platforms like Twitter and Face book. He not only man ages all of Modi’s social

media accounts but also keeps a hawk eye on what is said on these platforms about the PM and also briefs him. He was reappointed as OSD in the rank of joint secretary in July 2019 when Modi became the PM for the second time.

Originally from Ra jasthan, Joshi has a PhD from Indian Insti tute of Information Technology and Man agement in Gwalior. He also taught at Manikya Lal Verma Textile and Engineering College in Bhilwara.

OSD Doshi, another ‘outsider’ in the power corridors of Delhi, moved to the PMO in 2014 when Modi became the PM. He is known as the “ears and eyes” of Modi and gives inputs on all selections and appointments before the PM gives his go ahead, according to serv ing and retired bureau crats who did not wish to be named. In Delhi’s pow er corridors, he is known as the man who conducts a 360-degree oversight of top bureaucrats and important persons in the government. He was appointed as OSD in the PMO in the rank of

joint secretary in June 2019 when Modi became the PM for a second term. Though his official designation is OSD (re search and strategy), his responsibilities are not limited to that. “He gives inputs and feedback on all selections — from top officials in the govern ment to vice-chancellors of universities and directors of IITs, before the appointments are cleared by the PM,” a source said. A graduate of Singapore Manage ment School, Doshi had worked as research assistant in the Gujarat CMO under Modi.

A nominated Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, Bhavsar moved to the PMO in June 2014, soon after Modi became PM. A trusted Modi aide, the OSD (appointment and tour) manages the PM’s appointment and tour schedules. A chemical engineer by qualification, he was Modi’s OSD when the latter was the Gujarat CM. Besides Joshi, Doshi and Bhavsar, the PMO has a fourth OSD — Ashutosh Narayan Singh, a former journalist. However, Singh does not have a Gujarat link. Before joining the PMO in 2016, Singh was an associate executive editor in IBN-7. Having worked in the media for a decade, Singh is well up to his task. Besides media research, he also gives inputs for PM Modi’s Hindi speeches.

Army to have electric buses, cars & bikes

First India Bureau

New Delhi: In its bit for clean energy, the Army has decided to go in for electric vehicles, which includes sedans, buses and motorcycles, at lo cations designated as peace stations.

According to a new plan, some units at peace stations will see 25 per cent light vehi cles (cars), 38 percent buses and 48 percent motorcycles switch from fossil fuel to elec tric mode.

Globally, militaries are looking at EVs or hybrid models for vari ous types of vehicles in use, including tanks.

Many American com

panies are working on hybrid and fully elec tric vehicles for the US Army.

“Many projects are being implemented to reduce the carbon emis

Hence, the Army has put into plan a roadmap to induct EVs wherever possible considering the operational com mitments which will significantly cut down emissions and depend ency on fossil fuels, the sources said.

Roadmap

charging infrastruc ture,” an Army note said.

Sources said that the Army is also procuring EVs through the capital budget route, which means buying them from the budget alloca tion meant for moderni sation and new equip ment.

sions and dependency on fossil fuels. Introduc tion of Electric Vehi cles (EVs) are consid ered as one of the effec tive steps in that direc tion,” a source said.

“Keeping in view the necessity and employa bility of EVs over vari ous terrains, the Army will equip a few units located in peace sta tions with EVs sequen tially. Around 25% light vehicles, 38% buses and 48% motor cycles of the selected units/forma tions will be changed to EVs with adequate

An Open Tender En quiry (OTE) for pro curement of 60 electric buses along with 24 fast chargers will soon be floated, the sources said.

In April this year, the Army had organised a demonstration of avail able electric vehicles before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

(L-R) Principal Secretary to the PM, PK Mishra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and former principal secretary to the PM, Nripendra Misra, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi. —FILE PHOTO

(R) Vivek Kumar, private secretary to PM Modi

‘EYES AND EARS’: PRATIK DOSHI

CALENDAR KEEPER: SANJAY R BHAVSAR

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inspecting the display of electric vehicles to be inducted into the Indian Army, in New Delhi.

Rudra Gaurav Shresth, Jt Secy

—FILE

PHOTO

As ethnic trends rule people’s sanities ahead of Karwa Chauth and Diwali festive occasions, paying attention to your jewellery is as important as picking a perfect outfit. If you are looking for fashion tips, here’s a guide on how to lift your fashion game

Anewlywed look consists of a basic satin dupatta, a highwaisted skirt with heavy, de tailed embroidery, and a cropped hanky halter top that adds a modern touch. Add beach waves to your hair, huge earrings, and studded kadas to complete the ethnic style. Stuck at work but want to make it on time when the moon makes an appearance? To work, you can don a deep red silk anarkali suit that goes well with golden jhumkas and coor dinating juttis. Leave your locks open with a middle split and highlight your cheeks to instantly heighten your look. You can even doll up yourself in a red flowy georgette saree with a glass beaded with a fullsleeved, corset-style, intricate lace blouse, which will surely get you praise.

BEAUTY GUIDE: THE SECRET TO RADIANT BEAUTY THIS

KARVA CHAUTH

Karva Chauth is upon us, the day when women observe a fast restricting food and water till they see the moon. It is believed that this fast is done to either be blessed with a good husband or for those who are married; their hus bands are blessed with a long and happy life. This festival is celebrated on the fourth day or Chauth of Kartik month, the ho liest month in the Hindu calendar.

Fasting women are fussed over by their mothers-in-law and hus bands along with other members of the family.

Dressing up is a huge part of this day as well.

The elusive moon sight ing is often celebrated with great communal fervour. While there is great romance in these ritualistic and cultural practices, one cannot for get the primary benefit of fasting is to detox and rest your overworked system.

As the warmth of the sun grows distant we adopt auspicious rituals of fire to maintain a strong Tejas through the cooler months. The month of Kartik provides a salubrious environment to rejuve nate skin cells. If you have ever considered an all-natural skincare re gime then this is the time of year for a favourable start. While karva Chauth is a day to cele brate the love between spouses, it is only fitting to start with some self-love.

To make radiant beau ty divine we must strive to achieve brilliant ‘Ojas’ (immune mechanism and bodily tissue), excel lent ‘Tejas’ (cellular in telligence and metabolic activity) and vibrant ‘Prana’ (life force and flow of communication). We must also work on flushing out Ama (toxic waste) and balancing the three Doshas–Vata (prin ciple of movement in cluding neuro-electrical impulses) Pitta (meta bolic fire responsible for digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrition) Kapha (build ing block material like protein and fat).

But often, even in a spiritual science like Ayurveda, beauty is true, skin deep.

Skin is the reflection of what is going on deep inside, even down to our organs and is used in clinical observations and diagnosis of ailments. So we must make great efforts to keep our skin beautiful and radiant.

z STEP 1

Start your day by oiling your hair with bhringraj oil and then move on to oral cleansing and detoxification by oil-pulling and tongue scraping

z STEP 2

Next, it’s time to focus on our sense organs starting with the eyes splash your eyes with fennel tea that has been cooled down, for instant sparkle. Apply sesame oil in and behind your ears as well as in your nostrils. And then we move to the 5th organ our skin.

z STEP 3

Start by dry brushing your entire body to improve blood circulation and remove dead cells. Now generously your body with sesame oil in long and hard strokes towards your heart. This helps with lymphatic drainage.

z STEP 4

Make a dry mixture of 1 part milk powder and 1 part almond flour andsprinkle it over the oil you have applied and start rubbing it in circularmotions for a scrubbing effect.

z STEP 5

Take the pulp of the orange and massage it over the dry powder, follow by a bath us ing a mild non-toxic soap

A SPECIAL NOTE ON MEHNDI

While we all know that chemical-laden henna is not a patch in its former glory days, it is important to understand the great healing properties of henna. Henna flowers have long been known in Ayurveda as pain relievers, the oil obtained from henna has also proven to be useful in curing stomach pains, open wounds, and jaundice and preventing hair loss. As it is customary for women to apply henna on karva Chauth – one cannot ignore the link that in Ayurveda henna seeds have been used to regulate menstruation.

Karwachauth Special:

7 Fun Ways to Stop Thinking About Food

EXPLORE THE ARTIST IN YOU

Get busy creating something. Whether you like to paint, write, or do a DIY craft, utilize today to nurture the artist in you.Warning: If you love cooking, today isn’t an ideal day to experiment or try out a new dish.

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS FOR A GAME DAY

Go binge-watch the series that has been on your watchlist forever now. The next thing you know, it will be chaand-dekho time, just like that!

CAULDRON SISTERS Cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

oday is proba bly the only time when Sunday will feel like a long day to you if you are ob serving the Karwachauth fast.

Have you noticed that on fasting days, you tend to think about food more everything around reminds you of the food? Ahh, we know the feeling!

We have even ob served that our social media feed will also be full of yummy-looking dishes, recipe tutori als, etc, on the days of the fast. (Or is it every day?)

Anyhoo, we are not here to talk about and remind you about food. In fact, we are here for the exact opposite. In an effort to make things a little easier for you, we have listed down seven ways to help you get through the day without think ing about food and get ting ‘hungry.’

So, without any further ado, let’s get started!

PAMPER YOURSELF WITH SOME SKIN & HAIR CARE

Call your besties home or go to their place and just kill time playing video games.

The adrenaline rush to win will make you forget those hunger pangs for sure.

KEEP DRINKING WATER

Drinking water is very important on the fasting day to avoid dehydration.

Sipping water frequently throughout the day also keeps you feeling full, which means, fewer feelings of hunger.

BINGE ON NETFLIX INSTEAD

MRIDULA SHARMA

STRIVE FOR PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION!

There is a saying that if you de sire something from the heart, then the whole universe will work towards getting you that. Tell us something about yourself.

My name is Riya Mar wal and I am born in a small town Sri Ganga nagar, Rajasthan but currently working in Delhi. Being in front of the cam era is what I love the most. I believe if your work brings happiness then noth ing can beat that feel ing of satisfaction.

Where do you see yourself after the next 20 years?

I'm sure I will be doing something I love and it will be related to the entertainment field. I always want to add value to things I do by finding a purpose be hind them and I will be following this rule for

the rest of my life.

How did your journey begin?

Since my childhood getting ready and look ing nice attracted me a lot. In my first year of college, I participated in the Rajasthan-style Fest and I won the title, that was the turning point in my life from being a studious girl I choose the path which always attracted me.

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

I used to face a lot of criticism for my looks which made me doubt my career in model ling but thanks to the people I have in my

life, they helped me understand that tak ing experiences works.

Talk to us about your achievements. Walked for various fashion weeks and celebrity designers like Vikram Phadnis, Ritu Kumar and many more. Then I rep resented Rajasthan at Miss na tion and won the ti tle of Miss most glam orous. I was one of the state fi nalists of Femina Miss India 2021.

Park Jimin’ a heartthrob of millions of ar mies and mem ber of the world’s most popular boy band BTS is celebrat ing his 27th birthday. His charming smile has won the heart of every single girl who has witnessed it.

When the song No More Dream was re leased on June 13, 2013, Jimin officially joined BTS. Jimin performs both danc ing and vocals for the ensemble. He has three solo songs un der BTS: Lie, Seren dipity, and Filter. Park Jimin is the beautiful

lead vocalist and main dancer of BTS. He is known for his incredibly sexy, love ly, and cute duality. It was on full display in performances and in teractions with the fans at every concert. He drew attention with his refreshing visuals, powerful dance moves, sexy

‘Clean air for our children’

CITY FIRST

Agroup of moth ers blossomed into a collective fight for their children’s right to breathe clean air by en gaging with sectors of urban mobility, waste management, biomass burning and biodi versity protection. Their mission is to ensure the imple mentation of World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards across India while empowering mothers in the nation.

Studies are increas ingly pointing out the damage that the capi tal’s toxic air is inflict ing on the bodies of its children. Worried about their future, a unique citizens action

group is now fighting for a healthy environ ment for their kids.

Called Warrior Moms, this collective of thou sands of mothers across India is moti vated by a single slogan ‘Clean air for our chil dren.

Delhi-based Bhavreen Kandha ri, a co-founder of the initiative and a climate activist for 22 years, says that “ur gency” motivated them to start the group. “I was tired of sitting around and sending messages about envi ronmental awareness on WhatsApp. Until 2019, most of the groups in Delhi were centred around advo cacy and we wanted to start something that could result in action,”

Over 150 chefs showcased their Culinary skills for Chef Awards 2022

CITY FIRST

The Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) organised a Culinary Competition for the 19th edition of the Chef Awards, which started on Octo ber 8 at the Institute of Bakery & Culinary Arts, Vikaspuri, Del hi and Banarsidas Chandi wala Institute of Hotel Man agement and Catering Tech nology. Over 150 Chefs from all over India competed against each other in 11 different categories at this 4-day culinary competition.

The winners of the culinary com petition will be awarded at the grand ceremony of Chef Awards 2022 on October 14, 2022, at Hotel

Pride Plaza, Aerocity, New Delhi.

Contestants showcased a series of culinary skills, celebrating the preparation and presentation of the food accoutrements in attrac tive and pleasing forms. The First day of the competition was held at the Institute of Bakery & Culi nary Arts and the rest three days of the competition were organised at Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Ho tel Management and Catering Technology from October 10 to 12.

“We have been organising the Annual Chef Awards since the last 19 years as a part of the cel ebrations of International Chef’s Day. All the renowned & WACS-certified chefs judge the

competition very closely and choose the winner. We assure you that it will be a valuable experi ence for all the Chefs and will maximize their potential and growth in the sector.” says Chef Davinder Kumar, President, the Indian Culinary Forum.

OF PARK JIMIN

charisma, and incred ible vocal abilities, which caused a frenzy among fans, celebri ties, and even neti zens. On October 13, 1995, a cute little prince was born. He is our light, our seren dipity. His Authentic ity is mesmerizing, his vulnerability is captivating, his flaws are enchanting, his light is breathtaking, his love is spellbounding, and he is magic.

Park Jimin is the god of dance and I am the biggest fan of his filters. He is our cute little Prince and is the reason behind mil lions of smiles. Jimin is nothing short of a wholesome angel when he is not impressing fans with his perfor mance prowess.

October 13 is the day we were blessed with the birth of an Angel— Park Jimin.

Today we are standing here to celebrate the birthday of one of the most influential and talented idol to exist.

He is very good at dancing, he is very perfect in every thing he does. Jimin is the most beautiful and powerful man I have ever seen, I like his magical voice a lot, not only an idol he is the solace to many.

Actors Allu Arjun and Boman Irani arrived at Taj Palace, Chanakyapuri in New Delhi for an event. Allu Arjun hailed for his acting and looks in the blockbuster film ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

“I believe if your work brings happiness then nothing can beat that feeling of satisfaction,” says Riya Marwal during the chit-chat with City First

Riya Marwal

Glimpses from the event

—MANSHA RAJ

—ABHA SHARMA

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR

Allu Arjun

Boman Irani