First India-Mumbai Edition-13th December 2022

DESHMUKH BAILED, TO REMAIN JAILED 10 DAYS

NORA FILES DEFAMATION SUIT AGAINST JACQUELINE

FACE-OFF BETWEEN INDIAN & CHINESE TROOPS ALONG LAC

THE CLASH WITH CHINA IN TAWANG REGION OF ARUNACHAL ON DECEMBER 9 RESULTED IN MINOR INJURIES ON BOTH SIDES; 6 INDIAN SOLDIERS INJURED

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed at a location along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, resulting in minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides, military sources said on Monday. They said Indian troops

PATEL SARKAR 2.0 IN GUJARAT!

First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: Bhupendra Patel took charge of Gujarat on Monday in an oath ceremony in which top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party chief JP Nadda and several CMs were present. This is Patel’s second term in the top post.

A total of 16 ministers of Bhupendra Patel’s cabinet were sworn in at a function in Gandhinagar. The new Gujarat cabinet is leaner and there is only one woman in the 17-member cabinet. The new Council of Ministers will have 8 Cabinet, 6 MoS and 2 Ministers of State with Independent Charge.

NEW COUNCIL OF MINS

Cabinet mins include Kanu Desai, Rishikesh Patel, Raghvji Patel, Balvantsinh Rajput, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Mulu Bera, Kuber Dindor and Bhanuben Babariya. P5

Mumbai: Amid poor air quality ahead of G-20’s maiden working group meeting in the financial capital, a

top government official on Monday said longterm measures are needed to help mitigate pollution in the mega-

ing on the eve of the pa Amitabh Kant said

resolutely confronted Chinese PLA soldiers.

The sources said both sides immediately disengaged from the area. “As a follow up to the incident, our Commander in the area held a Flag Meeting with his (Chinese) counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity,” source said.

Farewell to Koshyari before Dec 19; ball in President’s ‘court’!

Sandeep Shukla

Mumbai: Is the gruesome ‘battle’ of the opposition parties against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over the latter’s remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj nearing its end? It would certainly seem so!

Highly placed sources in the political and ‘power’ circles of Maharashtra and New Delhi have hinted that it is only a matter of few days before Koshyari is shown the door. Sources have revealed that the ‘power that be’ have made up their mind regarding Koshyari and that he would be replaced, before December 19 at Nagpur, when the winter session of Maharashtra legislative assembly would commence.

The leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and complained against Koshyari while demanding his removal. Even Satara royal and BJP MP Udayan Raje Bhonsle, a

Amid murmurs that Centre was prepping to remove Koshyari, the Maha-Governor shoots letter to Amit Shah claiming he would never insult Shivaji. P2

descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Kolhapur royal Sabhaji Chhatrapati, another descendant of Shivaji, had also demanded his removal and had warned the governments of protest.

Meanwhile, sources have revealed that the Union Home Ministry has given a green signal to remove the Governor and now President Draupadi Murmu can take a decision anytime.

POLLUTION IN MUMBAI

refineries run by staterun entities have committed to reducing liquid sulphur and other sulphur content emissions over the next 2-3 months.

Kant said civic body commissioner Dr. Iqbal Singh Chahal raised the issue of emissions from state-owned oil refineries with him, following which he took up the matter with the Petroleum Secretary.

The two refineries are modern ones which do not emit smoke, but

give out sulphur dioxide, Kant said, citing information provided to him.

“In the case of Mumbai refineries, SOx emissions are well within the prescribed norms of 10.43 ppm,” Kant said, adding that the re-

fineries have committed to reducing emissions in the short term.

Stating that longterm measures like switching to electric mobility are required to mitigate the problem, Kant also listed out other issues.

The challenges in Mumbai are different from the ones in New Delhi, which is also plagued with difficulties, he said.

“One of the challenges is that the Deonar dumping ground (is)

CHINA’S ATTEMPT TO GET ACCESS TO TOP OF 17,000 FT PEAK: SOURCES

Sources said on Monday that it was an attempt by China to take over the strategic heights. 5 battalion strength was brought by the Chinese to capture 17,000 feet peak - around 1,000 Chinese soldiers came prepared.

Shinde-FadnavisBommai finally meet in ‘seclusion’!

Mumbai: With mercury rising in Maharashtra and Karnataka over border related issues, Monday witnessed a coincidence wherein the three most important persons from the two neighbouring statesMaharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai - came together for the first time since the controversy erupted and took both the states by storm.

It has been learnt that Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis met Basavaraj Bommai at Ahmedabad airport, during which, accord-

ing to highly placed sources, ‘an important political issue concerning both the states was discussed’. The meet came on the heels of the swearing-in ceremony of new Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel.

It has been reported that the trio - Shinde, Fadnavis and Bommai - met in a special room at the airport while heading back to their respective states after the swearing-in ceremony. Political observers now believe that the meeting could result in a renewed tactical approach by the ruling dispensation towards the issue that threatens to turn violent if not dealt with seriously.

KANT THANKS BMC FOR PREPS!

Thanking for the work done to welcome the delegates ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Kant tweeted and said,

also near the refinery. Burning there should be stopped.

Kant said at the fourday meeting starting Tuesday, efforts will be made to arrive at a con-

sensus on the green development pact and added that the country is championing changes in lifestyles for the environment.

Decision likely any moment now as Home Ministry has also agreed to it, claim sources

MAHARASHTRA-KARNATAKA BORDER ROW

“Mumbai is awash in the colours of #G20! A special thank you to @ mybmc for the tremendous work they have done to welcome our esteemed international delegates to the 1st Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting of India’s Presidency.” Notably, BMC Commissioner and Administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal is at the forefront of the arrangements and management done in this regard.

Sources reveal, ‘an important political issue concerning both the states was discussed’

Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Amitabh Kant

CM Eknath Shinde

JUSTICE DIPANKAR DATTA SWORN

Mumbai: The Bombay HC has granted bail to Maharashtra’s ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in CBI case saying that order would be effective after 10 days. Justice Karnik imposed a surety of `1 lakh and condition that he would report to the CBI office.

New Delhi: Bombay HC CJ Dipankar Datta was on Monday administered oath of office as a SC judge by CJI DY Chandrachud. With this, the total number of judges in top court has reached 28 against sanctioned strength of 34, including the CJI.

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi has filed a defamation case in a court here against actor Jacqueline Fernandez, alleging that the latter made defamatory allegations against her for “malicious reasons” and to destroy her career.

Kolkata: The prime accused in the arson and violence in Bogtui village of Bengal’s Birbhum district, which had in March claimed at least 10 lives, was “found hanging” on Monday in a temporary office set up in Rampurhat by the CBI, a source said.

ENERGETIC TEAM WILL TAKE GUJ TO NEWER HEIGHTS OF PROGRESS: MODI CONGRATULATES CM PATEL

CM PATEL’S SWEARING-IN SPARKLES WITH BJP BRASS

PM Narendra Modi congratulated Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel after a swearing-in ceremony on Monday. “Congratulations to Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel on taking oath as CM of Gujarat. I would like to also congratulate all those who took oath as Ministers. This is an energetic team which will take Gujarat to even newer heights of progress,” the PM wrote in a tweet.

Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh interact during swearing-in ceremony in Gujarat. Devendra Fadnavis is also seen here.

BJP’s Bhupendra Patel takes oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Gujarat

New Gujarat cabinet is leaner with only one woman among 17 ministers

Modi greets and bows before gathering at the swearing-in ceremony here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets people while posing for a group picture with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, newly sworn-in State Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and State Cabinet Ministers during a ceremony, at Helipad Ground, in Gandhinagar on Monday. PHOTO BY ANI

Would never insult Chhatrapati Shivaji: Guv to Amit Shah

he stated.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: After facing widespread backlash for his “icon of olden times” remark, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah stating he would never imagine

READ Crucial

WOMAN GETS 7 YRS’ RI FOR KIDNAP & SALE OF TODDLER

Palghar: A district court sentenced a woman to seven years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs50,000 for kidnapping a toddler and selling him. Addtional sessions judge SR Vadali foudn the 45-year-old woman guilty. Acting on a tip-off, a team from Manickpur police station had nabbed the woman when she struck a deal of Rs 1 lakh with a police decoy on May 23, 2017.

CASE AGAINST 4 FOR SHARING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Palghar: The police have registered a case against four persons for allegedly publishing child pornography content on social media. According to police, the Maharashtra Cyber Department recently received a tip-off from the Ministry of Home Affairs about four Palghar residents involved in the racket by a US-based NGO National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

`894 CR ALLOTED FOR NASHIK WORKS FOR 2023-24

Nashik: The district planning committee has sanctioned Rs894.63 crore for the fiscal 2023-24 for development works in Nashik, an official said on Monday. All departments have also been directed to ensure funds for works scheduled for fiscal 2022-23 do not lapse due to non-usage, district Guardian Minister Dada Bhuse said.

TRANSGENDERS TO HAVE OPTION IN COP RECRUITMENT

Mumbai: The Maharashtra police on Monday created an option for transgenders in the application form for recruitment of constables and constable-drivers, after a Bombay High Court directive issued last week. The government had assured it would modify its website to include a drop down for transgenders in the ‘sex’ category in the application form.

TEEN MOLESTED, MOB VANDALIZES SCHOOL PREMISES

Nagpur: A mob vandalized vehicles and furniture in a residential school in Nagpur on Monday claiming police inaction after a 15-year-old mentally unwell girl was allegedly molested by the facility’s caretaker on December 08. The incident took place in a school-cum-hostel in Jaitala area and the 28-year-old accused has been arrested, the MIDC police station official said.

insulting an icon such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj even in his dreams.

The governor has also been facing flak from the Opposition for his comments, triggering calls for his removal from office.

“I cannot even imag-

ine in my dreams to insult icons like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Maharana Pratap and Shri Guru Govind Singh. You are aware that I do not hesitate to express regrets or apologize immediately even if I unintentionally made a mistake,” Koshyari stated in the letter addressed to Shah dated December 06.

The governor also

taunted former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray withou t taking his name.

“When some big personalities were staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I, irrespective of my age, walked up to the high altitude forts in Maharashtra on my feet. I did not use a helicopter or any vehicle to reach the top,” he stated.

The governor said

HC KEEPS DESHMUKH BAIL NOD IN ABEYANCE

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Former state home minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Monday in a corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Deshmukh, however, will not be released yet as the HC has kept the order in abeyance for 10 days, after CBI sought time to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

A single bench of Justice MS Karnik allowed Deshmukh’s bail plea after hearing arguments of both sides. He

asked Deshmukh to post surety of Rs1 lakh prior to his release.

He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in Mumbai.

Deshmukh, 74, had approached the high court after a special CBI court rejected his bail plea last month. He sought bail

both on medical grounds as well as on merits.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has been in jail since November last year after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

After his bail plea was accepted by HC, his

supporters burst crackers and distributed sweets outside his residences in Mumbai’s Worli and Nagpur city to celebrate the news.

Meanwhile, the HC on Monday also granted interim bail to an aide of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik in a money laun-

dering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A single bench of Justice MS Karnik granted interim bail to MLA Sarnaik’s aide Amit Chandole, who was also a promoter of Tops Group security service provider company, and M Sasidharan, its ex-MD.

NIA asked to respond on Navlakha bail plea

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and sought their reply on the bail plea of activist Gautam Navlakha. Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case of 2018, is currently on one-month house arrest in Navi Mumbai.

Navlakha had ap-

proached the high court last month in appeal against the trial court rejecting his bail plea.

While rejecting the plea, Special Judge Rajesh Kataria said, “After perusal of the charge

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was presented with a portrait of himself by party leaders during his 82nd birthday celebrations held in Mumbai on Monday.

sheets, there is ample material against Gautam Navlakha. Prima facie, Navlakha seems to

be connected with the alleged offence.” The judge had added, “The offence is very serious in nature. Therefore, in view of that and prima facie material against him, he is not entitled to the grant of bail.”

Advocates Harshwardhan Akolkar and Wahab Khan, appearing for Navlakha, argued that the activist was falsely implicated in the crime.

some portions of one of his speeches delivered at a university event were selectively picked and used for creating controversy.

“Some people took a portion of my entire speech at a university, out of context, for criticism. With a reference to the past icons, I was presenting the current eminent personalities who could be the inspiration for the youth,”

Speaking at an event in Aurangabad in November where two leaders were bestowed with honorary degrees, Koshyari had said, “In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is of olden times, there are Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari.”

Patil issues apology, seeks withdrawal of probe against scribes

First India Bureau

Pune: State minister Chandrakant Patil on Monday took a step forward to end the tussle over his statement on social reformers Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule by tendering an apology and asking that those arrested for the ink attack on him be released.

The ink-throwing incident occurred at Pimpri Chinchwad on Saturday in protest against Patil's statement that Ambedkar and Phule did not seek government grants for running educational institutions. The use of the word "begged" by Patil, who is the Higher and Technical Education minister, stirred a controversy.

Police had arrested three people for the attack and are questioning a television journalist to find out if the latter is involved.

Issuing a statement, Patil said he has been paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jotiba Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Karmveer Bhaurao Pa-

til and has been following their teachings in action.

"I have great respect for their great work. I had no intention of hurting anyone as I had uttered that word inadvertently in my dialectical language and I had already tendered my apology for that word," Patil said in the statement.

"I do not want Maharashtra to get disturbed on this issue. I once again tender my apology if anyone's sentiments have been hurt," said Patil. He added that action, if any, against the journalists must also be withdrawn.

Awhad targets Maha govt over ‘revenge politics’

First India Bureau

Thane: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Jitendra Awhad, has alleged that the magnitude of hatred and revenge politics witnessed in the state is unprecedented. Awhad made the remarks while addressing an NCP rally recently in Thane.

"The state has never witnessed such a situation where there was

OUTRAGED

hatred, vengeance and revenge politics going on to settle scores," said Awhad, who was recently arrested in an assault case and also booked on the charge of molestation. He added he would

not surrender to those in power even if a CBI inquiry is ordered against him.

He said if the NCP fields candidates with winning potential, the party can capture power

in the forthcoming municipal corporation elections in Thane. Notably, the Thane civic body has been traditionally controlled by Shiv Sena.

Awhad further added that NCP will launch rallies and hold meetings with the people in Thane to understand their issues.

"Citizens of Thane want a change and NCP is the best option for them," he added.

Withdraw Y+ security vehicles bought with Nirbhaya Fund: NCP

Over 47 vehicles have been deployed to provide security cover to CM Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction MLAs, MPs

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday demanded immediate withdrawal of vehicles procured under the Nirbhaya Fund and deployed for Y-plus security of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena legislators.

The Opposition party said these vehicles should be given back to

the Nirbhaya Squad, a dedicated force formed to put a stop to various

crimes perpetuated against women and girls.

The Sharad Pawar-led

It is shameful how these MLAs have accepted these vehicles and nobody seems to be bothered or willing to voluntarily withdraw said vehicles after it has come to light that they were procured for the protection of women.

—Mahesh Tapase, NCP leader

party has written a letter to the director general of Maharashtra police about the demand.

“The Nirbhaya Fund was created to enable the police machinery to effectively deal with issues

relating to women’s safety in the state. Diverting vehicles meant for women’s safety and pressing them in the service for protecting MLAs supporting the government is clearly violative of the Nirbhaya Scheme,” state NCP Chief Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase, wrote in the letter.

The state is dutybound to correct this wrong, he added.

First India Bureau

Koshyari reiterates apology for ‘olden times icon’ remark as opposition calls for his removal from position

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari —FILE PHOTO

sad such accusations are being made against Shivaji’s mavala (soldier)’

Laments atmosphere of hatred , vengeance and settling scores in Maha political circuit

HAPPY B’DAY!

—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

NHSRCL DIRECTED TO PLANT 1.10 LAKH MANGROVE SAPLINGS IN PALGHAR, THANE

Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court has directed the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), which is carrying out the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, to undertake compensatory plantation of 1.10 lakh mangrove saplings in the city and neighbouring districts of Palghar and Thane. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Abhay Ahuja had on December 09 allowed the NHSRCL to cut mangroves for the project. The detailed order was made available on Monday.

Grants CBI 10 days to appeal order in `100 crore corruption case involving the former minister

NCP’S NAWAB MALIK MOVES HC FOR BAIL Mumbai (PTI): Former minister Nawab Malik has moved the Bombay High Court seeking bail in a money laundering case linked to a land deal in which fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides were involved. Malik’s plea has been posted for hearing by Justice MS Karnik for Tuesday.

Mumbai police procured 220 Boleros, 35 Ertigas, 313 Pulsar motorcycles and 200 Activa two-wheelers using Rs30 crore corpus of Nirbhaya Fund this year. —FILE PHOTO

‘Mum’s ‘poor’ AQI matter of concern’

WEATHER FORECAST

Patients cannot be forced to buy drugs from hosp stores: FDA

BHUSHAN KOYANDE

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Continuing its dismal Air Quality Index (AQI) output, Mumbai city’s AQI remained in the ‘poor’ category at 245 on Monday as well, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). State minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha expressed concern over Mumbai’s air pollution and called for government action.

Speaking on the matter, state Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, “The quality of Mumbai’s air is a matter of great concern and something needs to be done immediately.

The government will act on it in the next three to four days.”

Since the cloud frac-

tion has increased over Mumbai and Pune, it has resulted in the reduction of cooling during the night, thereby increasing the minimum temperature, said an official statement from SAFAR.

According to SAFAR, Mumbai AQI indicated “lower end of poor” and is likely to remain within the limits of the category for the next few

CRUCIAL READ

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT POLICE STATION, COP

SUCCUMBS

days. Mazegaon area of Mumbai recorded ‘very poor’ AQI of 303, whereas the AQI of Chembur was recorded at 321 (poor).

Meanwhile, as per India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) prediction, the city and certain areas of Mumbai, Thane districts may witness light rain and thundershowers on December 13, along

Man held for stalking actor on social media

First India Bureau

with an overcast sky.

Mumbai woke up to another chilly day on Monday as the lowest temperature recorded at 18 degrees Celsius, was one degree below average.

IMD’s regional met centre in Mumbai has also predicted thunderstorms and lightning over coastal region, central Maharashtra, and Vidarbha region on

The quality of Mumbai’s air is a matter of great concern and something needs to be done immediately. The government will act on it in the next three to four days.

Tuesday.

As a result, these subdivisions have been placed on yellow alert, warning inhabitants to “be aware” of thunderstorm activity.

At the beginning of next week, a few thun-

dershowers and light drizzles may make an appearance in Mumbai, the state capital. Remnant development of Cyclone Mandous and its path will determine how this forecast pans out, said IMD officials.

Pune (PTI): Patients cannot be compelled to purchase medicines from hospital-attached drug stores, said Maharashtra Food & Drug Administration (FDA). A notification issued by Abhimanyu Kale, Commissioner, FDA, said the administration had received repeated complaints that patients have been forced to buy medicines from the drug store in hospitals.

“It is illegal for a hospital to force patients to buy medicines from their affiliated stores,” said the notification,

It is illegal for a hospital to force patients to buy medicines from their affiliated stores.

—Notification addressed to all the officials

sioners, and drug inspectors (Drugs). Patients don’t need to purchase medicines from hospital-affiliated shops and the same can be purchased from any licensed drug store, it said. The hospitals concerned should prominently display a signboard at a prom-

tients, as per

Mum records 1,50,988 air travellers in a single day

Thane:

He

An

an RDMC official said.

24-YR-OLD ABUSED WOMAN HANGS SELF; HUSBAND, HIS FATHER HELD FOR ABETMENT

Thane: A 24-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself at house on Sunday noon, police have arrested the husband and father-in-law of the woman from Kalyan for abetting suicide, an official said on Monday. The accused used to harass the woman over petty things and beat her. Unable to bear the abuse, she decided to commit suicide, as per the First Information Report. A case was registered against the husband and her in-laws under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

COPS ARREST 53

FROM ILLEGAL DANCE BAR

Thane: Police raided an illegal dance bar in Dombivali city in Thane and detained 53 people, including 26 women, for indulging in obscene acts, an official said on Monday.

After getting confirmation of illegal activities, police raided the bar arresting 53 people and registered cases against them under sections 294 (singing, reciting or uttering any obscene song or words, in or near any public place) and 114 (Abettor present when the offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code.

All 53 persons were taken into custody, he added.

TANKER CARRYING COOKING OIL FLIPS; NO CASUALTIES

Thane: A tanker transporting cooking oil overturned on the Mumbra bypass road in the early hours of Monday causing an oil leak and disruption of traffic, though no one was injured in the incident, officials said. Prima facie, the driver lost his control over the 16-tyre tanker, causing it to overturn, officials said. The tanker was removed from the road with the help of two cranes and the spillage cleared in an operation that took over six hours, a Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) official said.

MAN DIES AFTER COLLEAGUE INSERTS AIR PRESSURE PUMP INTO PRIVATE PARTS

Mumbai: A 20-year-old contract worker died after his colleague allegedly inserted an air pressure pump meant to clean metal dust into his private parts, police said. The incident took place in a private firm in Nizampur in Sakri tehsil and the deceased has been identified as Tushar Sadashiv Nikumbh, an official said. “During a work break, a colleague caught Nikumbh and inserted the pump into the latter’s anal area. The air pressure damaged his vital parts in the stomach region,” he said. The 28-year-old colleague has been arrested for culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” the official added.

Mumbai: Stalking on social media platforms lands a man behind bars in city. The 35-year-old, arrested in suburban Andheri, was allegedly stalking and harassing a 26-year-old actor, police said on Monday. The actor, who worked in a web series in Hindi and Bengali, has been facing harassment for the last few months, police added.

While interacting with her fans through live streaming on a social media platform recently, the actor had received obscene messages from an unidentified person, he said.

She blocked the person on the platform but he started sending messages on her Instagram account. After a few days, he started tagging her and her husband with defamatory content on Twitter too, the official added.

Bangkok Rapid Chess meet: City boy shines

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Eight-yearold Mumbai boy, Aryaveer Pittie clinched a silver medal in the Bangkok Rapid Chess Championship that concluded on Monday at the Prasarnmit Plaza Sukhumvit in Bangkok.

Players across seven countries participated in this Junior Rapid Chess Championship conducted by Red Knight Chess club, in the under-8 category. Aryaveer secured the silver medal with a creditable score of four points out of a possible six. While

Suthiponpaisarn Proudpitcha of Thailand secured gold with a score of 5/6, said a release from the South Mumbai Chess Academy (SMCA).

Elated over her son’s victory, his mother Neesha Pittie, said they are proud of his victory and look forward to more of them in the future.

Aryaveer is a student of the American School of Bombay (ASB) and the South Mumbai Chess Academy (SMCA). He is currently preparing for the International Rating Chess Championships to be held in New Delhi.

Mumbai (ANI): Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), the world’s busiest single crossover runway airport, has handled a record passenger movement with 1,50,988 travellers transiting on December 10, 2022.

The above total pas senger movement in cluded 1,11,441 do mestic travellers and 39,547 interna tional travellers, ac cording to a statement from Mumbai Inter national Airport. The statement also said during the Covid era, the highest number of pas sengers was 73,509, observed on February 13, 2021, while 1,50,276 pas sengers were recorded on Decem ber 20, 2019.

In comparison with the single-day passen

IN REVERENCE

ger movement recorded as 1,56,329 on December 21, 2018, CSMIA has achieved 97 per cent of this traffic number this year, according to the statement.

CSMIA has also achieved approximately 98 per cent of the single-day passenger

152,562, recorded on December 22, 2017 this year.

On December 10, 2022, in the national landscape, domestic aviation operations soared high with 414,114 passengers on 2,798 flights. A total of 5,586 total flight movements and 827,429 total pas sengers, according to Airports Authority of

Devotees throng Mahim dargah for 10-day annual fair

Mumbai (ANI): Devotees have thronged Mumbai’s Mahim dargah in large numbers for an ongoing 10-day fair held in honour of Makhdoom Shah Baba that began on December 08.

As the fair had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions for the past two years, people are marking the occasion with enthusiasm.

The annual fair will continue till December

17 and will witness offerings of over 400 “sandals”. The sandal is usually an assortment of sandalwood paste, flowers and a shawl that are offered to Makhdoom Shah Baba.

Festivities are typically held on the 13th day of the Urdu calendar month. The event, which has been gazetted since 1910, is marked by the first offering made by Mumbai police

eral views and humanist ideals. Mahimi was born into a family of Arab travellers from Iraq, who had settled on the island of Mahim, one of the seven islands that later formed the city of Bombay (now Mumbai).”

There are many legends about why the Mumbai police has made the first “sandal” offering for years. As per folklore, the Sufi saint had helped a policing authority catch thieves and the practice to make the first offering started after he passed away, she said.

Mumbai: A fire broke out in one of the rooms on the premises of Kherwadi police station in Bandra on Monday around 1 pm, in which an assistant sub-inspector was injured, police said. The injured cop, identified as Arvind Khot, was rushed to a hospital for treatment with 95% burns.

succumbed to his injuries late in the evening.

investigation has been launched, official said.

HORSE FALLS INTO DRAIN CHAMBER, SAFELY RESCUED

A horse was rescued from the chamber of a nullah in Mumbra township on Retibunder Service Road, officials said. “The horse fell into the chamber of the drain at around 10.20 pm. Teams of Fire Brigade personnel and Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) rushed to the spot with a JCB machine and safely pulled out the horse,”

—Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Maha Tourism Minister

Mumbai has been consistently recording poor AQI for the past week. —PHOTO BY

As state capital records 245 AQI on Monday, IMD predicts thundershowers, light rainfall, today

to the 14th century Sufi saint Makhdoom Fakih Ali Mahimi, whose grave is inside the Mahim dargah.

Noor Parkar, Librarian and Research Assistant at the dargah said, “Makhdoom Ali Mahimi (1372-1431) was a

Muslim scholar from the Konkan region in India. He is widely acknowledged for his scholarly treatises, lib-

Police personnel carry sacks of ‘sandal’ offering to Mahim dargah in Mumbai on Thursday. —ANI PHOTO

Set to continue till December 17, the fair will see 400 ‘sandal’ offerings to Makhdoom Shah Baba

Aryaveer Pittie

–FILE PHOTO

INDIA & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

tions if one has no legal expertise. Initiating governance procedures in place can help comply with these laws to focus on company’s success.

Not just this, following laid down regulations, one can boost company’s reputation. A company with a strong reputation will have an easier time attracting investors and developing strong relationships with customers.

So, are their any short comings and weaknesses that need to be looked into by company owners? Yes indeed, like two sides of every coin, there are a few disadvantages which if guarded against will enrich the working culture and environment in the corporate. First and foremost, business houses are beholden to both state and federal laws. The basic purpose for forming a corporation is to shield shareholders from the liabilities of the company to the amount of money or other assets invested by them.

IN-DEPTH

CIVILIZATIONAL SPREAD GOES GLOBAL VIA THE TEMPLE

ROUTE

Being a trainer, leadership coach and a mentor associated with the corporate world over 15 years, I thought of elaborating the need for a good corporate governance because of the increasing concerns about the non-compliance of standards of financial reporting and accountability by many corporate houses.

of adequate standards of financial reporting and accountability. Yet, the trend of companies raising capital from the market at fake valuation by projecting a wrong assessment of the company’s assets and profitability could not be arrested.

Though some measures have been taken by SEBI and RBI backed by strong political will, much is needed to be done by the corporates themselves to pay attention to the grievances of investors and protection of their investment by abiding with the laws and adopting good standards of effective management. If India wants greater pie of FDI resulting into sustainable financial growth, it must implement stronger laws protecting interests of Global investors

The collapse of international giants likes Enron, World Com and Xerox are the glaring examples of the absence of good corporate governance and corrupt practices adopted by management of these companies in CAHOOTS with their financial advisers. In last few decades, even Indian markets have witnessed ugly practices wherein investors have lost their life time earnings with no conclusive actions on the culprit corporate houses.

Well, SEBI appreciated the need for corporate governance and accordingly appointed several committees to guard the interests of investors and shareholders of a listed company against lack

Though in India, the organizational framework for corporate governance involves the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the National Foundation for Corporate Governance (NFCG), only the listed companies are forced to comply with its provisions. 90% of unlisted companies remain out of the gambit of these set rules and regulations and therefore, the interest of market forces remains by and large at the mercy of these company owners.

No doubt that these unlisted and private limited companies make a major contribution to economic growth and employment in India.

However, the corporate governance needs of such companies have all through been relatively neglected by the experts and policy-makers alike. How the interests of various stakeholders like customers, suppliers financiers, , employees, and government is being taken care of by these Corporates remains debatable.

CONTRASTING TALES OF TWO POLL WINS

Two states had two different parties forming new governments in a contrasting atmosphere. On one side was Gujarat where BJP the new government led by Bhupendra Patel took oath of office in the presence of party stalwarts led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states, party leaders and Union ministers. This is Bhupendra Patel’s second consecutive term as chief minister proving that the term anti-incumbency has lost its relevance in Gujarat. Congress, which seems to have lost the plot, ended up with 16 seats and the new challenger Aam Aadmi Party could win

Being a trainer, leadership coach and a mentor associated with the corporate world for over 15 years, I thought of elaborating the need for a good corporate governance because of the increasing concerns about the noncompliance of standards of financial reporting and accountability by many corporate houses

Now the question arises as to why a relevant aspect of profitability in business, that is good governance, is not given attention to by most of these unlisted and private limited companies? The short answer is their ignorance coupled with diluted or non-existent rules in managing of such companies by the concerned authorities.

It may be worthwhile on my part to carry out a quick SWOT analyses of good governance for readers to understand. The strengths or the advantages of it are enormous. For example, while running a company, it is easy to violate rules and regula-

Two States had Two different parties forming new govts in a contrasting atmosphere.

On one side was Gujarat where BJP, the new govt led by Patel took oath. Swearing-in of Sukhu in HP turned out to be a low-key affair despite the presence of the party’s big leaders

only five seats. The show of strength and exuberance was an indication that the BJP was all set for triumphant return to Lok Sabha in 2024. The other state that witnessed a change is Himachal

Apart from limited liability protections, corporations are actually formed so that, the company can trade stocks in order to raise required capital. The problem, however, if a corporation wants to sell stock and protect its owners from liability, is that it must follow a wide range of formalities. For instance, the board of directors must act in the best financial interest of the company. If they are not fulfilling this fiduciary duty, they may be subjected to personal liability.

While pandemics like Covid 19, crashing Rupee and framing of non-conducive policies are considered threats to good governance, globalization and healthy competition are a few opportunities for corporates to energise their efforts and tighten their belts for adopting and practicing principles of good governance for growth.

Though some measures have been taken by SEBI and RBI backed by strong political will, much is needed to be done by the corporates themselves to pay attention to the grievances of investors and protection of their investment by abiding with the laws and adopting good standards of effective management. If India wants greater pie of FDI resulting into sustainable financial growth, it must implement stronger laws protecting interests of Global investors.

VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Pradesh where the BJP could not beat anti-incumbency and lost by a wafer thin percentage of votes. In terms of seats Congress still got a majority by a safe margin. Compared to Gujarat the loss in Himachal was relatively inconsequential for the BJP. It was, however, a lifeline for the Congress. Yet, the swearing-in of Sukhvinder Singh turned out to be a low-key affair despite the presence of party’s big leaders. The initial differences over choice of chief minister may have played a dampener despite the fact that Himachal offers a glimmer of hope to the Congress.

While the BJP is gung ho about 2024 after its Gujarat victory, the Congress has to cover a lot of ground to cover and internal issues to sort out.

From Ayodhya, Varanasi and Ujjain, India is now focusing on temples in Angkor Wat in Cambodia where king Suryavarman II built a grand temple complex dedicated to Lord Vishnu which has attracted lakhs of tourists. Subsequent rulers changed Angkor Wat, world’s largest religious monument, from Hindu to Buddhist religious centre. Now India has decided to restore the Angkor Wat temple due to India’s civilizational spread. A great deal of restoration work has already taken place. With temple construction/restoration being the Union government’s priority, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in Varanasi recently that it is “a matter of pride for us that we are building a temple in UAE”. India also has the approval to build a temple in Bahrain and has around a 1000 temples in the US.

India’s expanding religious footprint, especially in Arab countries, is a significant and welcome development.

One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men.

Bhagavad Gita

MAHENG/2022/14652

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Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra

Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

Amit Shah @AmitShah

Congratulations to Mr. @ Bhupendrapbjp for being sworn in again as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The people of Gujarat have given unprecedented support to BJP’s politics of development. I am confident that Bhupendrabhai’s double engine government under the guidance of @ narendramodi ji will take Gujarat’s pride and development to new heights.

Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh

Congratulations to Shri @Bhupendrapbjp ji on taking oath as Gujarat’s Chief Minister for the second term. I am confident, he will continue taking the state forward on newer heights of development and good governance. Wishing him a successful tenure ahead.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

TOP TWEETS

THE

COL ANUPAM JAITLY (RETD)

The writer is Defence expert, Motivational Speaker & Corporate Trainer

SWEARING-IN CEREMONY OF GUJ CM BHUPENDRA PATEL

CMs OF BJP-RULED STATES TAKE PART

Shivraj Chouhan, Adityanath, Bommai, Himanta, Sawant, Eknath Shinde and others in attendance

Gandhinagar (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others took part in the oathtaking ceremony of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on Monday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Uttarakhand’s Pushkar Singh Dhami and Tripura's Manik Saha were also present. Leaders from different BJPled states and Union Ministers have already reached the venue for the oath-taking ceremony of Bhupendra Patel.

BJP leader Bhupendra Patel will take oath as the Chief Minister of

Gujarat for a second consecutive time in Gandhinagar today.

Patel took the oath as the 18th Chief Minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at the Helipad Ground near the new Secretariat in Gandhinagar at 2 pm.

Talking to the reporters at the airport, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio said, “We’ve come here to celebrate the victory of Gujarat. In partnership, we are very much confident of winning polls (in Nagaland).”

Cabinet expansion soon: Himachal Pradesh

CM Sukhu

Earlier,

Shimla (PTI): The Himachal Pradesh ministry will be expanded soon in consultation with the Congress high command and begin work on implementing pre-poll promises from its first Cabinet meeting, CM Sukhvinder Sukhu said on Monday.

Sukhu said all “guarantee schemes” would be implemented in the first Cabinet meeting.

Among the “guarantees” offered by the Congress ahead of the elections include implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, about 5 lakh jobs for the youth, a Rs 680-crore start-up fund for youths, Rs 1,500 per

month to women and free electricity up to 300 units of consumption.

GUJARAT CREATED HISTORY UNDER PM MODI’S LEADERSHIP, SAYS SONOWAL

Ahmedabad: Union Minister and BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday

to

minister

The former Assam

the Ahmedabad airport as he reached the city for the oathtaking ceremony of Bhupendra Patel as the next Gujarat Chief Minister. Sonowal said: “It is certain that India will become the best nation in the world under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and with continued development..., we are moving fast in that very direction.” Taking a dig at the Congress, the BJP leader said: “Congress handled the government in different states and at the Centre for almost 60 years. They could not do anything even after getting the opportunity for such a long time.”

Adhikari seeks central forces’ deployment

Kolkata (Agencies): Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Monday filed a PIL before a division bench of Calcutta High Court demanding the deployment of central armed forces during next year’s election to the three- tier panchayat system in the state.

In the PIL, Adhikari also appealed for the rural civic body polls to be conducted next year under the supervision of a retired justice of the Calcutta High Court. The matter will come up for hearing on Tuesday.

Recently, in a number

of public rallies, Suvendu Adhikari expressed apprehension that the ruling Trinamool Congress will try to wrest control over all

Cong warns leaders over anti-party statements

Dhanbad: The ruling Congress party in Jharkhand on Monday warned its leaders of strict action if they were found making public comments against the party. The party’s disciplinary committee chairman Brajendra Prasad Singh said some Con-

gress leaders were repeatedly issuing statements against the party. Describing it as indiscipline, he said that strict action will be taken against those found to be making such statements.

A section of leaders was openly expressing their resentment

SAYS

the three- tiers in the state’s panchayat system by unleashing violence as they had done in the last polls in 2018. So now, his close associ-

ates said, he has decided to tap the legal doors so that avenues are opened to make the rural civic body polls peaceful as far as possible.

2015 Kotkapura firing: SIT grills SAD patriarch Parkash S Badal

Chandigarh (ANI):

sacrilege protesters that occurred after the desecration of the holy book of Sikhs in October 14.

Both SAD leaders appeared before the SIT at 11.30 am and were grilled. On November 29, former Director General of Police Sumedh Saini, who has been accused in the case, did not appear before the SIT.

“Issue of restoration of Atal Tunnel foundation stone to be taken up with concerned authorities”

Shimla (PTI): The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday said it will take up the issue of restoration of a plaque declaring that the foundation stone for the Atal Tunnel was laid by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi with the concerned authorities.

In a release issued here, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the plaque has been “missing”, which is an “insult to democracy”. It must be

PATEL’S JOURNEY FROM M’NAGAR COUNCILLOR TO SECOND-TIME CM

Gandhinagar (ANI): BJP leader Bhupendra Patel took oath as the Gujarat CM for a second consecutive time in Gandhinagar on Monday. Born on July 15, 1962, in Ahmedabad, Patel holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from Government Polytechnic, Ahmedabad. He is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He is also an active member of Pandit Deendayal Library managed by RSS at Memnagar. Beginning his political journey as a member of Memnagar municipality, Patel got elected as MLA from Ghatlodia constituency (Ahmedabad) in the 2017 Gujarat assembly elections. He was sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat on September 13, 2021. He was first elected as BJP legislative party leader on September 12, 2021.

IN THE COURTYARD

Opposing his bail prayer, the CBI

for an extension of his judicial remand. The special CBI

FORCED RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS: SC

HEARING ON JAN 9

New Delhi: The apex court on Monday adjourned to January 9 the hearing of a plea seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversion by “intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits”. The matter was deferred as the Solicitor General was not available.

EXTENSION TO ED DIRECTOR: SC NOTICE TO GoI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response from the Centre and others to a plea challenging the third extension granted to Enforcement Directorate chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra. A bench issued notices to the Union of India, Central Vigilance Commission and the ED director on a plea filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur.

MAN AWARDED LIFE TERM FOR RAPING 5-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN

restored at the earliest, he said.

The state Congress had protested after Prime Minister Naren-

dra Modi inaugurated the tunnel on October 3, 2020, alleging that the foundation stone laid by Gandhi on June 28, 2010

had been removed before its opening.

Gandhi had laid the foundation stone for the tunnel as the then chair-

person of the National Advisory Council, according to the release.

The 9.02-km tunnel was built by the Border Roads Organisation to connect landlocked Lahaul-Spiti district, said Sukhu, who assumed charge as the Chief Minister on Monday.

Himachal Pradesh Police had on October 14, 2020 said the foundation stone was secure with the construction company which built the tunnel.

Udhayanidhi to be sworn in as Minister in MK Stalin Cabinet

Chennai (PTI): DMK youth wing secretary and Chief Minister M K Stalin’s son, Udhayanidhi, is expected to be appointed a Minister this week, party sources said here on Monday.

Udhayanidhi, who represents the Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni constituency here in the Assembly, has not made any denial vis-a-vis the development.

Asked on the matter, DMK spokesperson Constantine Ravindran said that be it Ministers or party district secretaries, there is a de-

is more pronounced,” he told PTI.

mand that Udhayanidhi Stalin be made a Minister. “Now, this demand

On a claim doing the rounds that Udhayanidhi would be appointed Minister on December 14, he said: “There is no denying the fact that party office-bearers want to see him as a Minister. A decision, however, lies in the hands of our party president (Chief Minister M K Stalin).” Party sources added that he is expected to be inducted into the Cabinet by this week and consequently, a Cabinet reshuffle is also on the cards.

HIMACHAL CM SUKHU

Union Ministers Parshottam Rupala, Mansukh Mandaviya, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and others attend the swearing-in ceremony of Gujarat CM-designate Bhupendra Patel, at Helipad Ground, in Gandhinagar on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri at the Congress CLP meeting in Shimla, on Monday.

credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for the party’s historic win in the Gujarat Assembly polls.

chief

spoke

reporters at

BENGAL PANCHAYAT POLLS

Former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before the Punjab Police Special Investigation Team probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident that took place against the anti-

Kolkata: Former WB minister Partha Chatterjee on Monday prayed for bail before a special CBI court here in a case in connection with the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-aided and sponsored schools.

prayed

court judge, after hearing arguments of both sides, reserved the order on the prayers.

Muzaffarnagar: A special court in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district on Monday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a five-year-old girl. Special Judge, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court, Mumtaz Ali also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on convict Sompal after holding him guilty under various sections including IPC 376 (rape) and 5/6 of the POCSO Act. The court decided the case in 28 days.

WB SSC ‘SCAM’: CBI COURT RESERVES ORDER ON PARTHA CHATTERJEE’S BAIL

UTTAR PRADESH

Suvendu Adhikari with BJP state chief Sukanta Majumder (L) and party leader Rahul Sinha (R) at a protest rally, in Kolkata, on Monday.

Udhayanidhi Stalin with CM MK Stalin. —FILE PHOTO

HPCC CHIEF MEETS SUKHU

Shimla: Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh met with Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu who took charge as the Chief Minister of the state on Monday. Sukhu assumed charge of the office at the state civil secretariat in Shimla on Monday.

PM NARENDRA MODI BOWS BEFORE GATHERING AT SWEARING-IN CEREMONY OF GUJARAT CM Gandhinagar (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted and bowed before the gathering at the swearing-in ceremony of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his cabinet ministers in Gandhinagar. The Prime Minister led the long line of dignitaries at the swearingin ceremony of Patel, who took oath as the chief minister for the second time.

on Sunday evening, PM Modi held a roadshow in Ahmedabad after his party swept the Gujarat Assembly bagging 156 seats, the highest-ever electoral haul for any party in the state since it was founded in 1960. People lined the streets through which PM Modi’s convoy passed and greeted him with loud cheers. The PM was also seen waving at the adoring crowds.

TMC MEETS CEC

`1K cr cyber crime proceeds attached: Govt

Govt said in

New Delhi (Agencies):

Proceeds of crime of more than Rs 1000 crore related to cyber and crypto assets frauds have been attached under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), the Government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Besides, estimated GST evasion by such companies was nearly Rs 22,936 crore between April 2019 and November 2022, it added.

Ministry of Finance, in a written reply, said that the Enforcement Directorate is investigating several cases related to cyber and crypto assets frauds wherein online gaming etc. have been used for committing fraud and siphoning of the proceeds generated thereof.

Furthermore, it said that in so far as evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST) is concerned, CBIC formations have initiated investigations

40 injured as bus overturns in UP’s Gonda

proceeds

The accident took place near Bhambhua railway

Around 40 passengers were injured when a double decker bus overturned in Colonelganj area of Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district on Monday, the local police officials said.

The police sources said that the incident took place near Bhambhua railway crossing when the Gonda-bound bus from Delhi overturned after hitting a stationary tractor.

Nearly 40 passengers travelling in the bus were injured in the accident and have been admitted to the hospital, the police said.

The police officials said that the condition of eight passengers is stated to be serious.

over Rs 1000 cr of crime related to cyber and crypto assets frauds have

FINANCE

New

2 PUNJAB MPS RAISE FARMERS’ ISSUES IN LS

New

In these cases, as on December 6, 2022, proceeds of crime of more than Rs 1000 crore have been attached / seized / freezed under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). —Ministry of Finance

against some gaming companies (including Online gaming companies) located in India as

well as abroad. The estimated evasion of GST by these companies works out to Rs 22,936 crore, re-

UNSC: Russia backs India’s permanent membership

Moscow (ANI): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has once again backed India for permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) stating that New Delhi has added value to the Council with its stance on global and regional issues.

“I think that India is currently one of the leading countries in terms of economic growth, maybe even the leader. Its population will soon be bigger than that of any other country. New Delhi has vast diplomatic experience

in settling various kinds of problems, as well as authority and a reputation in its region,” Lavrov said. Lavrov made these remarks while responding to media queries on at the Primakov Readings International Forum in Moscow on December 7.

INDIA, SRI LANKA RESUME FLIGHT SERVICE BETWEEN CHENNAI AND JAFFNA AFTER COVID-19

Colombo (PTI): India and Sri Lanka on Monday resumed flight services between Chennai and Jaffna, three years after the island nation discontinued the services due to the Covid pandemic. The first flight on resumption of services landed this morning at the Jaffna International Airport, Upul Dharmadasa the Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services told reporters. Jaffna airport officials said the Alliance Air service landed at Jaffna at 1125 am local time. A small ceremony was conducted to welcome the flight which had 14 selected passengers, mostly officials, on board. The return to Chennai was scheduled for 2.50 pm local time.

lating to period April 2019 to November 2022.

MoS (Finance) Pankaj Chaudhary said, “Assets amounting to Rs 289.28 crore have been seized under section 37A of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.” The reply said, “Necessary action as per provisions of law is taken against such companies, as mentioned above.”

DIMPLE TAKES OATH AS MAINPURI LS MP

Don’t make unsubstantiated remarks: Dhankhar to MPs

New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha Chairman

Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday cautioned the MPs that they should not make unsubstantiated remarks as that can tantamount to breach of privilege of the House.

During the Zero Hour, Sanjay Singh (AAP) alleged the government was misusing investigative agencies to target opposition leaders. He said that in the past eight years, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted 3,000 raids on the opposition leaders but only 23 persons could be convicted.

Some members from the treasury benches objected to the remarks, prompting the Chair to intervene. Dhankhar said anything being spoken in the House has to be precise and with sanctity and ownership.

RS PASSES ENERGY CONSERVATION (AMENDMENT) BILL

New Delhi: A bill seeking to mandate the use of non-fossil energy sources such as biomass, ethanol and green hydrogen was passed by Parliament on Monday.

The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was cleared in Rajya Sabha by a voice vote on Monday. Lok Sabha passed the legislation in the previous session in August this year. The bill provides for penalties for violations by industrial units or vessels, and on manufacturers if a vehicle fails to comply with fuel consumption norms.

Scindia makes surprise visit to Delhi IGIA amid passenger congestion complaints

New Delhi (ANI): Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday made a surprise visit to the Terminal 3 of Delhi International Airport amid complaints of crowd congestion by passengers.

A video released by Scindia’s office said, “It was a surprise visit of the minister to the airport and he inspected all the suspected congested areas and interacted with the airport staff to ensure maximum to avoid overcrowding.” Post-inspec-

CRUCIAL READ

tion the minister had a meeting with all the stakeholders at the DIAL office where key directions were issued (with timelines on each), and we should

Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Congress-led UDF opposition on Monday contended in the Kerala assembly that the gender neutral views in the ruling Left front’s proposed new education policy will result in “negation of religion” and “sexual anarchy”, while the LDF said nothing has been decided and everything was up for discussion.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key ally of the Congress-led UDF opposition, said the proposed new education policy and the gender neutral views in it will create “gender confusion” among children and the general public.

“The education policy aims to bring in gender equality and rational thought. That cannot be allowed at state expense.

It will lead to negation of religion. Therefore, it has to be removed from the policy,” IUML MLA N Samsudheen claimed in the assembly.

FIFA WORLD CUP

see changes take effect from tomorrow to the next 6-7 days, said a statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Rocky Singh, the host of a popular food and

AFTER SURPRISE IGIA VISIT, SCINDIA ISSUES KEY ORDERS

New Delhi: After his surprise visit to IGI Airport, in an exclusive interview with ANI, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia highlighted that steps were being taken to ensure ease of travel to air passengers. “Today we’ve increased the number of

travel show on TV and the Internet, was one of the complainants. He wrote “Welcome to Hell” alongside a picture of a really long line at security.

entry

Lucknow (Agencies): A member of an international cartel

the Gomti Nagar police

the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detained him up on a tip off from Amausi airport soon after he landed from Guwahati. The accused is Sunny Dilip Lal Sharma alias Manav Govind. While he had secured an identity in the name of Manav Govind to smuggle gold this time, it was revealed that he had been using six different identities. The DRI team recovered 862 grams of gold worth Rs 46 lakh from him. He was later handed over to the Gomti Nagar police. Police said that during interrogation, it surfaced that Sharma originally hailed from Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra and was a part of an international syndicate.

Curtains to fall on soccer extravaganza this week

lll

In its nearly 100year history, just eight teams have won the FIFA World Cup.

Brazil has won 5 tournaments, followed by Italy (4) and Germany with 3 titles

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The men’s FIFA World Cup, the most important event in international football, features the top national teams in action. Football is widely perceived as the most popular sport in the world, and the FIFA World Cup, which is held every four years, spectacularly draws massive crowds.

In the ongoing World Cup, Argentina, Croa-

tia, France and Morocco are the four teams that have qualified for

the semifinals.

The World Cup will resume when Argenti-

na takes on Croatia in the semifinals on December 14. And on December 15, Francee will take on Mmorocco.

The FIFA World Cup 2022, is currently taking place in Qatar from November 18 to December 20, will be the first winter World Cup ever. It was planned this way so that players could escape the scorching high temperatures in Qatar throughout the summer.

The FIFA World Cup is also the first to be con-

tested in the middle of the club football season.

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) website states that the first World Cup competition was held in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, in 1930, 92 years ago. The four teams in the first competition that allegedly played in an “unfinished stadium” were Argentina, Uruguay, the United States of America, and Yugoslavia.

Civil Aviation Minister’s visit is a response to the heavy backlash against the Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport triggered by the congestion.

Thakur inaugurates Table Tennis match in Kashi Tamil Sangamam

First India Bureau

Varanasi: Union I&B and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday that two cultures are suniting through literature, culture and sports and other genres at the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ event. He inaugurated the friendly Table Tennis match organized today as a part of the eight day long ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam — Sports Summit’.

Thakur inspected and reviewed the upgradation of the Sigra Stadium in Varanasi. He proposed changes for the betterment of the stadium upgradation

work. He also conducted space audit of various offices of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in Varanasi. He visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple and offered his prayers.

Addressing the gathering, Thakur said that in the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ event, various programs of literature and culture are taking place and as such the initiative of connecting North and South through sports is also happening. He also said that the linkages between North and South reflect our ancient traditions which are more than thousands of years old.

LS that

of

been attached under the PMLA

A session in progress in the Parliament.

MINISTER CROSSES SWORDS WITH T’GANA CONGRESS MP OVER RUPEE FALL

Delhi: A bitter war of words ensued between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Congress member A Revanth Reddy in Lok Sabha on Monday over rupee depreciation. The drama began during Question Hour, when Reddy, who represents Telangana’s Malkajgiri, while asking a question on depreciation of rupee, referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s old statement on rupee’s fall, which he had made when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.

Delhi: Two MPs from Punjab on Monday demanded that farmers should be given fair price for their produce and the Electricity Amendment bill be reviewed. During Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Congress MP from Patiala Preneet Kaur and SAD MP from Bathinda, Harsimrat Badal demanded that all cases lodged against farmers should be withdrawn.

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster Akhilesh Yadav’s wife, on Monday took oath as Lok Sabha MP after a magnificent victory in the Mainpuri bypolls in Uttar Pradesh last week. The seat was vacated following the death of her father-inlaw Mulayam Singh Yadav in October.

Scindia speaks to IGIA officials on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI

TO DEFUSE T3 RUSH

gates from 14 to 16. There was a meeting with officials inside the airport where we’ve decided that a signboard should be placed at every entry gate displaying the waiting time before entry,” Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told ANI.

An artist makes paintings of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, French footballer Kylian Mbappé and Croatia’s captain Luka Modric.

MEMBER OF INTERNATIONAL CARTEL HELD WITH GOLD WORTH `46 LAKH IN LUCKNOW GENDER-NEUTRAL VIEWS IN KERALA EDU POLICY WILL CAUSE ‘SEXUAL ANARCHY’: UDF

was arrested by

after

Anurag Thakur tries his hand at a match in Varanasi, on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. —FILE PHOTO

Gonda (Agencies):

crossing.

New Delhi (PTI): India’s crude steel output rose by about 5% to 10.34 million tonne (MT) in November 2022, according to SteelMint India. As per the research firm, the top six steel makers produced 6.28 MT steel and the rest 4.06 MT came from the secondary sector. The country had produced 9.88 MT of steel during the same month of 2021.

In November 2021, large producers jointly manufactured 6.09 MT steel, while the secondary industry produced 3.79 MT, it added.

INDIA IMPORTS COAL

WORTH `2.3 LAKH CRORE

IN APR-SEPT

Net direct tax collection rise 24%

New Delhi (PTI): The net

direct tax collection grew 24% to ` 8.77 lakh crore in the April-November of the current fiscal, the Finance Ministry said on Monday.

This represents 61.79% of the full-year Budget Estimates (BE) of direct tax collection for 2022-23 (April-March).

“Direct tax collection net of refund stands at ` 8.77 lakh crore as of November 30, which is 24.26% higher than the net collection for the corresponding period last year,” the ministry tweeted.

The collection accounts for 61.79% of Budget Estimates for FY 2022-23.

The Budget estimated direct tax collection at `14.20 lakh crore this fiscal, higher than ` 14.10 lakh crore collected last fiscal (2021-22). Tax on corporate and individual income

DATA IN NUMBERS

z The Budget estimated direct tax collection at `14.20 lakh crore this fiscal, higher than `14.10 lakh crore collected last fiscal. Tax on corporate and individual income makes up for direct taxes.

makes up for direct taxes. Tax collection is an indicator of economic activity in any country.

z The collection from the levy of tax on goods and services sold (GST) has flattened to around `1.45-1.50 lakh crore per month.

z Refunds amounting to `2.15 lakh crore were issued between Apr 1-Nov 30, which is about 67% higher than the last year

The collection from the levy of tax on GST has flattened to around ` 1.45-1.50 lakh crore per month.

New Delhi (PTI): India imported 131.92 million tonne of coal worth `2.3 lakh crore in April-September period of ongoing financial year. In FY22, the country’s coal import of 208.93 million tonne (MT) was worth `2,28,741.8 crore, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a reply to the Rajya Sabha. The coal import was 215.25 MT in FY21. Import of coal in India consists mainly of coking coal and high grade coal, whose prices are normally higher than thermal coal.

PAYTM LOAN DISBURSAL REACHES

RUN RATE OF `39K CR

RBI sells $33.42 billion in AprilSeptember to curb rupee volatility

New Delhi (PTI): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) net sold $33.42 billion in the foreign exchange market in the first six months of current fiscal to defend the rupee from excessive volatility. The central bank closely monitors the foreign exchange markets and intervenes only to maintain orderly market conditions by containing excessive volatility in the exchange rate,

without reference to any pre-determined target level or band. “During the financial year, the RBI’s operations have resulted in net sales of $33.42 billion till September 2022.”

New Delhi (PTI): Digital financial services firm One97 Communications on Monday said that its loan disbursals reached an annualised run rate of around `39,000 crore in November this year. OCLhad reported loan disbursals at an annualised run rate of around `37,000 crore in October. “Our loan distribution business (in partnership with top lenders) continues to witness an accelerated growth with disbursements through our platform now at an annualised run rate of `39,000 crore in the month of November,” Paytm said in a regulatory filing.

GOLD RATES FALL BY

New Delhi (PTI): Gold price fell by `109 to `54,461 per 10 gram in the national capital on Monday amid weak global trends. In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at `54,570 per 10 gram. Silver, however, climbed `934/kg to `68,503/kg. “Gold prices traded lower on Monday amid a firmer dollar,” said Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst at HDFC Securities. In the international market, gold was quoting lower at $1,789.4/ounce.

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday lauded the Indian Rupee and said it has been strong against every currency.

The statement from the minister came during Monday’s parliamentary session. “The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has used foreign exchange reserves that it has to intervene in the market to make sure that the Dollar-Rupee fluctuation does not go too much,” she said.

Sitharaman also praised the Indian economy in the parliament by calling it the fastest-growing economy.

“It is sad that some people in Parliament are jealous of the country’s increasing economy. India has the fastest-growing economy but the opposition has a problem with it.

Everyone should be proud of India’s growth but some people take it as a joke,”

IN INDIA, SAYS GOVT

Mumbai (PTI): The Sensex ended over 51 points lower on Monday while the Nifty settled flat amid a weak trend in global markets and continuous foreign fund outflows. Markets are awaiting the November inflation data to be announced later in the day, traders said.

`

36,145 CRORE SPENT UNDER CSR BY COMPANIES IN 2019-21

New Delhi (PTI): A total of `36,145 crore has been spent by various companies across the country to carry out development activities as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. While `17,672.40 crore has been spent under the CSR by the companies in 2020-21, `18,473.41 crore has been spent in 2019-20, she said.“The government monitors the compliance of CSR provisions through the disclosures made by the companies in the MCA21 registry. Whenever any violation of CSR provisions is reported, action against such non-compliant companies is initiated as per provisions of the Act.”

GST EVASION OF `23,000 CRORE UNDER PROBE

New Delhi (PTI): GST evasion of about `23,000 crore by gaming companies between April 2019 and November 2022 is being investigated by the tax officers, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Monday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said the Enforcement Directorate has

attached proceeds of crime of more than ` 1,000 crore in several cases related to Cyber and Crypto assets frauds wherein online gaming etc have been used for siphoning the proceeds.

“The estimated evasion of GST by these companies works out of `22,936 crore, relating to the period April 2019 to Nov. 2022,” he said on Monday.

Sensex declines 51 points on Monday

The broader NSE Nifty ended at 18,497.15, marginally higher by 0.55 points.

The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 51.10 points or 0.08% to settle at 62,130.57. During the day, it tumbled 505.52 points or 0.81% to 61,676.15.

Indian Rupee strong against every currency: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Govt won’t make RBI’s inflation letter public

New Delhi (PTI): The government on Monday ruled out making public the RBI report detailing the reasons why the central bank could not keep inflation within the targeted 6% upper limit for the three consecutive quarters.

From the Sensex pack, Asian Paints, Infosys, Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid, Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India and Bajaj Finserv were the major laggards. Tata Steel, Nestle, Dr Reddy’s, UltraTech Cement, Wipro and HDFC Bank were among the winners.

OTHER STORIES

GOVT ACROSS WORLD, FORUMS LAG BEHIND IN RULEMAKING

` FALLS 25 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.53/$

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined 25 paise to close at 82.53 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday, pressured by a lacklustre. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened lower at 82.54 against the greenback and witnessed a high of 82.50 and a low of 82.74.It finally settled at 82.53.

OYO ROLLS FEATURES FOR LISTING HOTELS BASED ON RATINGS

she said while taking a dig at the opposition.

The rupee on Monday declined 25 paise to 82.53 against the US dollar as heavy selling pressure in domestic equities and a strong greenback in the overseas market weighed on investor sentiments.

“Yes sir, RBI has furnished a report to the central government, as mandated under Section 45ZN of the RBI Act, 1934 and Regulation 7 of RBI Monetary Policy Committee and Monetary Policy process Regulations, 2016,” minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said.

‘415 MN PEOPLE LIFTED OUT OF POVERTY’

First India Bureau

New Delhi: More than 400 million people were lifted out of poverty in India between 2005-06 to 2019-21, the government said on Monday citing UNDP's Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2022.

As per the baseline report of MPI 2021 released by NITI Aayog, India's MPI identifies 25.01% of the population as multidimensionally poor, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said.

"As per the 'Global Multi-

dimensional Poverty Index 2022: Unpacking deprivation bundles to reduce multidimensional poverty' report

TOP TALKING POINTS

z The MPI data was based on NFHS-5, which was conducted over two years from June 17, 2019 to April 30, 2021 due to delay caused by the pandemic.

z The % of population as multidimensionally poor in rural and urban areas is 32.75% and 8.81%, respectively.

New Delhi (PTI): Governments across the world and internet forums have lagged behind in rulemaking for big technology players for their innovations that can cause harm to society, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said. Minister of State (MoS) Chandrasekhar further said the internet, which has been a force for good, has also increasingly begun to represent risk, user harm and criminality.

New Delhi (PTI): Travel tech firm OYO on Monday launched a feature on its app listing hotels that provide the most consistent and high-quality customer experience based on ratings and reviews. Consumers can now see hotels marked ‘Super OYO’ while booking through the OYO App. The category called ‘Super OYO’, constantly analyses each hotel’s performance on multiple parameters such as customer ratings and reviews.

ALL-INDIA ELECTRICITY DEMAND MAY GROW 7% TO 1,480 BILLION UNITS IN FY23: ICRA

New Delhi (PTI): The all-India electricity demand is expected to grow 7% to 1,480 billion units (BU) in the ongoing financial year, as per Icra. In the preceding 2021-22 fiscal, the all-India power demand was at 1,380 BU, the ratings agency said on Monday. “All-India electricity demand to remain healthy at over 7% in FY23 despite growth slowdown post Q1 of this fiscal, and grow at 5-5.5%in FY24,” Icra said. The estimates are based on the fact that all-India electricity demand increased 10.6% year-on-year in first eight months of FY2023.

ABRY BENEFITTED 60 LAKH BENEFICIARIES IN PANDEMIC: MINISTER

New Delhi (PTI): The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) meant for creating employment during the pandemic benefitted 60.13 lakh beneficiaries, Parliament was informed on Monday.

AI CLOSE TO FINALISE DEAL OF 50 BOEING

737 MAX PLANES

Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and United Nations Development Pro-

released by

gramme (UNDP), in India, 415 million people exited poverty between 2005-06 to 2019-21," Singh said.

The ABRY was launched on October 1, 2020, to incentivise employers to create new employment and restore employment lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The terminal date for registration of beneficiaries was March 31, 2022.

Mumbai (PTI): Tata Groupowned Air India is close to finalising a deal with US aircraft maker Boeing for 50 narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX planes for its international budget arm Air India Express, according to sources. The sources said the deal will be part of a large aircraft order that Air India has been discussing with Boeing Co and Airbus SE since the beginning of this fiscal. Air India plans to triple its fleet over the next five years.

Oxford

INDIA’S STEEL OUTPUT GROWS 5% TO 10.34 MT IN NOV

‘X FACTOR’ MODI

Gujarat script written, directed, produced and starred by one man ‘Hero’ i.e. PM Modi, says Dr Chandra

Taking a look back at the recently announced Gujarat election results, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and First India; CMD, First India News, Dr Jagdeesh Chandra delves deeper into the phenomenon that is Narendra Modi, how the ‘X-Factor’ surpassed every other party and its leaders, how PM campaigned as if he was contesting as Chief Minister, how Modi has become greater than his own party and how the results surprised everyone including Modi, Shah, Nadda, Bhagwat and others but were in line with the predictions of Gujarat’s BJP state chief CR Patil’s claim of party winning over 150 seats. Excerpts… (Part-I)

z What is meant by ‘X-Factor Modi’?

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra: Its meaning is absolutely clear. ‘Modi All the way,’ ‘One man show Modi’, ‘Man of the match Modi,’ ‘Modi A to Z in Gujarat’, ‘156 a Modi miracle’. This means that Gujarat’s script is written, directed, produced and even starred by Modi. And when we talk about Modi, Amit Shah is ‘in built’ in that story. Look at Modi, he stayed in Gujarat for 21 days and campaigned in a manner that looked as if he himself is contesting the Chief Ministerial election. He conducted 12 Yatras and stayed there for 21 days. He covered 52 constituencies and the Party won in 46, which means the success rate is over 88%.

This is why, I advise my friends in the Congress to give walk over to Modi and Shah in Gujarat. Entire nation is there, go and contest in some other state. They should be extremely careful while entering Gujarat because there exists the ‘X-Factor Modi.’

z Did Narendra Modi, or Mohan Bhagwat or Amit Shah even think that this target of 156 would be achieved?

It doesn’t seem so. Yes, everyone had this thought in their hearts that they would cross the 127 seat record. Amit Shah had said that they would cross the numbers and JP Nadda said that they would create a record, but no one said that they would achieve 156 seats. No one except CR Patil said that the party would go past 140-150 seats. The basic point is that they focus on each election as if it is the last election of their lives, and they consider the night prior to the election to be the last night of their lives so they must do whatever needs to be done. They contest the elections following the principle of ‘Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed’ and if seen logically, all this had to happen in Gujarat, perhaps not 150 plus, but

about 130 seats. Even those near to Prime Minister had opined that the Party would get seats in the range of 129-130. The reason for this was that last time, the BJP got about 54-55 percent votes and the Congress got 44 percent, or thereabout. So they had thought that this time around the 4045% votes that go to Congress would be divided due to the ‘three -way’ contest, and that is what exactly happened. So, they had thought they would get a little over 127, but never did they think it would swell to 156 seats. So, you are right in saying that all, even the senior leaders, hadn’t imagined that the Party would win 156 seats.

z So does this victory mean that Narendra Modi has become larger than his own party?

It can be said that in Gujarat, it is not BJP, but Modi that has won. This is why, this phenomenon is created that Modi is bigger than the Party. And when perceived holistically, this holds true as well. One person holds the reins of the people. No other party has a bigger ‘crowd- pullar’ than the BJP in the nation. In the BJP, its think tank, its own social circle, there is no one more powerful or bigger leader than Modi. He has become greater than the Party, but it is his modesty that he salutes the Party and stays within the confines of Party’s discipline, but the truth is that he is actually greater than the Party.

z PM Modi conducted a 55 kilometre long road show in Ahmedabad. Do you think this road show had a major impact on the election, considering the results now?

See, Modi is a ‘Mastermind Strategist.’ He strategises and Amit Shah executes it. He knows what needs to be done and when. They won the Uttar Pradesh election and the very next day, when everyone was taking time out and relaxing, Modi reached Ahmedabad and undertook a nine kilometre long road show, approximately six months before the election. There were thousands of people on the road then, and they repeated the same rally during campaigning, but this time, it was 55 kilometre long and a million people participated in this road show. It was a great ‘Mastermind card’ played by Modi, on the eve of second phase of the election, and that has given tremendous results. It was a ‘Master stroke.’

z Do you think it is only Modi and Shah, who have understood Gujarat?

Of course, that is what it seems to be. There are reasons for it too. They campaigned in Gujarati, which is a ‘mastermind move’ and all other political parties were bamboozled. This established a connect among people. Those who were not going to vote for them, immediately fell for the party over the use of Gujarati language. They know it far better than anyone which card to play at what time. Let me cite a few examples through which you will come to know why only these two men know and understand Gujarat. The

people inform them. I went to observe the election campaigning in Ahmedabad and sat in a bus. I came across a child and asked her if she knows Narendra Modi. She said yes, he frequently visits Delhi . I told her no he lives in Delhi. She said no, he lives in Ahmedabad and sometimes goes to Delhi. When she became adamant, her father enquired about the commotion. I told him about our conversation that the girl was saying Narendra Modi lives in Gujarat whereas, I was saying that he now lives in Delhi. The father immediately asked me not to

teach the girl wrongly and stressed that he (PM) lives in Gujarat and seldom visits Delhi. Look at the passion of people. With this, tell me who can defeat Narendra Modi? Then I went a little further and towards the Teen Darwaza area, I came across a Paani-Puri seller and asked him about the political situation. He said that earlier there used to be riots thrice in a week, the market used to remain closed in Ahmedabad, which is factually correct. People used to worry, if someone from the house would go out for work, they would worry

if the child would return safely, be it Hindu or Muslim. Now that worry has vanished, there are no riots and we all are happy. Then another example is from Surat, where a ‘Mazaar’ had to be removed and established elsewhere, as it was part of some development project. When asked that the ‘Mazaar’ was removed & yet you want to vote for Modi, they said even Temples have been shifted. They said that Modi has shifted 150 temples and only two ‘Mazaars’ have been shifted. So look at the sentiment and state of mind of the people. They say that Modi will remove, be it ‘Temple’ or ‘Mosque,’ if it falls in the way of development. That is why, I say that only these people know and understand Gujarat and that, thought of ‘Hindu-Muslim enmity’ is ending now. I went to another Muslim dominated area and asked them. They agreed that they didn’t want to vote for Modi, but also accepted that now they have no other option left and secondly, the ‘Double engine Government’ which Modi talks about, has resonated with them. They stressed that if any other government comes to power, then issues like scarcity of water and other such matters would spring up. Therefore, they said that they need development too and hence, would vote for Narendra Modi. So, when the voters have such a perception in their minds, then, I can say for sure that only

two people understand this state.

z Till now it has been Modi and Shah. But do you think now CR Patil’s name can also be included in this list?

You can say CR Patil is like a ‘trouble shooter.’

I would not go as far as saying that he is the face in Gujarat, but surely, his stature is considered to be larger than that of the Chief Minister. So, after Modi and Amit Shah, you can say that he is somewhere in the second line and he is there because his idea (about party’s number of seats) came true. He was Party President and was Modi’s personal choice, although nothing can happen in Gujarat without Amit Shah’s approval. PM Modi also consults him while taking decisions about Gujarat. In fact, Patil was the only person, who had stressed that the party would win around 150 seats and if the party does not get as many seats then he proclaimed he would retire from politics. And now the party crossed the 150 mark.

z How do you analyse Amit Shah’s role in this historic victory?

His role is parallel to Narendra Modi. I always say, ‘They are natural allies.’ He had started planning about all this since 2011-12. he has been planning this for over a decade and now that the elections were here, he sat in Gujarat for ten days. He is a ‘Mastermind,’ he

makes all the strategies and executes them and hence, he is called ‘Chanakya.’ Since the beginning till the end, he carried out several roles including that of a troubleshooter, manager & game changer. Above all, he conducted 23 rallies and covered 108 assembly constituencies. He also controlled the rebels, established coherent understanding with CR Patil and as Narendra Modi’s trusted General, he did wonders in Gujarat.

z Has JP Nadda’s stature and role increased considering the manner in which the entire election campaign has been conducted? Of course. His stature and role has increased. Moreover, his say in the decision making process in the PMO has also been substantial. And the reason for it is that he is a loyalist, he is a hard working person, a thorough gentleman, a low-profile and silent performer. So, his stature has definitely increased and with the role and responsibilities assigned to him, he is the third important person after Modi and Shah. His tenure would go up till 2024 elections, but it is very much possible that keeping in mind his performance and co-ordination, he may continue on the position.

During the show #XFactorModi!trended top All-India on Twitter

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra with Astha Khandelwal, Amit Mishra, Aditi Nagar, Mimansa Malik and Poornima Mishra during The JC Show.

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra during The JC Show.

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Arose can never be a sunflower, and a sunflower can never be a rose. All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too and beautiful model Varunavi Singh proved that rare is beautiful. While de scribing her dreams, the young achiev er said “I want to encourage women to embrace their own uniqueness.” When asked about her personality, she said, “I’m a student pursuing Bsc, a model and also a make-up artist. I am an ani mal lover who loves to feed street dogs and other animals, some of my hobbies are dancing, travelling, gardening and many more. I believe that I am a rising model. Moreover, I’m a hard-working, passionate, punctual and optimistic per son.” While describing her journey, the ravishing beauty said, “I belong from a middle-class family, modelling is not considered a reputed and graceful pro fession also they don’t allow their daughters to make their career in the field of modelling, they don’t feel proud been a parent of a model. ” From my childhood, I have always been so fasci nated by modelling, as it is diverse and allows you to channel what style you prefer. The various styles available keep the job interesting and inspiring where your passion will grow in the diverse high-energy environment.” she added. When asked about her memorable moment, the young dream er said, “My biggest achievement till date in the field of the modelling is that I have won the title ‘3rd runner up’ of Elite Miss Rajasthan and also I have done the show ‘THE JC Show’ live on the national television and I am ex tremely thankful to Jagdeesh Chandra sir to giving me this opportunity and I also want thank Gaurav Gaur for believing in me.”

Varunavi Singh, a ravishing supermodel shares her inspiring journey in an exclusive interview with City First!

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum, native to Southern Europe and Asia), is an annual herb with white flowers and hard, yellowish-brown and angular seeds. Commonly known as methi in Hindi and vendhayam in Tamil, it is a popular ingredient in many North and South Indian dishes and home remedies.

FENUGREEK Health Benefits,

Uses, and Side Effects

Fenugreek seeds and leaves are strongly aromatic and flavorful. The seeds are bitter, but lose their bitterness if lightly roasted. They are rich in vitamins such as thiamin, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins A, B6, and C, and are a rich storehouse of many minerals such as copper, potassium, calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, manganese, and magnesium. Fenugreek leaves are a rich source of vitamin K as well.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FENUGREEK

Fenugreek seeds are a rich source of trigonelline, lysine and l-tryptophan. The seeds also contain a large number of saponins and fibres that may account for many of the health benefits of fenugreek. The following are some of how the fenugreek herb has been used traditionally for treating a variety of conditions.

REDUCES CHOLESTEROL

Fenugreek contains saponins that help reduce the body’s absorption of cholesterol from fatty foods. Some studies also indicate saponins have a role to play in reducing the

body’s production of cholesterol, especially LDL or bad cholesterol. For example, Reddy and Srinivasan from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, CSIR, Mysore, India, found that fenugreek helped regress existing cholesterol gallstones in mice. Further, they claimed that fenugreek could significantly reduce cholesterol concentration.

REGULATES BLOOD SUGAR AND CONTROLS DIABETES

An unusual amino acid (4HO-Ile), so far found only in fenugreek, has possible anti-diabetic properties such as enhancing insulin secretion under hyperglycemic conditions, and increasing insulin sensitivity. Iranian researchers from Qom University of Medical Science suggest the potential of 4HO-Ile as an adjunct to diabetes treatment for type 1

ENHANCES BREAST MILK PRODUCTION

Fenugreek has been known since ancient times as a herbal galactagogue - or a herb that increases milk production. Fenugreek has been used traditionally by mothers to increase the production of breast milk and stimulate milk flow while nursing and breastfeeding. Other examples of herbal galactagogues include blessed thistle, milk thistle, fennel, anise, nettle, and others. However, it must be noted that there are very little modern data on their safety and efficacy. This is supported by some studies that have found that consumption of herbal tea containing fenugreek seeds enhanced the production of breast milk in mothers and facilitated infant birth weight regain in early postnatal days.

PROTECTS FROM CANCER

Studies have shown that the fibres in fenugreek may help prevent certain cancers. For example, Researchers at Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, found that fenugreek has estrogenic effects and could be a possible alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Other studies have shown that saponins and mucilage in fenugreek bind to toxins in the food and flush them out, thus protecting the mucus membrane of the colon from cancers.

MAINTAINS HEALTHY TESTOSTERONE LEVELS

An Australian study reported the significant positive effect of fenugreek on physiological aspects of male libido and also found that it may assist in maintaining normal healthy testosterone levels. The study recruited 60 healthy males between the ages of 25 and 52, without erectile dysfunction and randomized to 2 tablets per day of 600mg Testofen (a Fenugreek extract and mineral for-

mulation) or a placebo for 6 weeks. The researchers found that Testofen significantly increased sexual arousal and orgasm in the study men.

AIDS DIGESTION

Fenugreek is said to be an effective heartburn or acid reflux remedy because the mucilage in fenugreek seeds assists in soothing gastrointestinal inflammation, and coating the stomach and intestinal lining.

According to a study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, a 2-week intake of a fenugreek fibre product taken 30 minutes before two meals/per day, by subjects with frequent heartburn, diminished heartburn severity. The researchers found that the effects were similar to that of ranitidine at 75mg, twice a day.

HELPS WITH WEIGHT LOSS

Fenugreek complements diet and exercise for weight loss. This thermogenic herb aids weight loss by suppressing appetite, increasing energy in the short term, and potentially modulating carbohydrate metabolism.

FENUGREEK’S USE AS A NATURAL HOME REMEDY

Fenugreek is widely known for its culinary properties and also as a traditional remedy for several conditions.

It has been used traditionally in India, China, and the Middle East for thousands of years to treat many ailments and conditions.

Fenugreek seeds are rich in vitamin E and are added as preservatives in pickles.

Dried leaves of the fenugreek are used for flavouring meat, fish and vegetable dishes.

Herbal tea made with fenugreek, lemon and honey are traditionally used as a remedy for fevers.

Fenugreek has been used traditionally as a remedy for eczema, burns, abscesses, and gout.

Fenugreek has also been used to stimulate uterine contractions and induce childbirth.

Fenugreek extract has been suggested to assist in balancing women’s hormones and also to enlarge breasts.

A paste made from fresh fenugreek leaves applied regularly to the scalp before a bath may help with hair growth, improve hair complexion, and reduce dandruff.

MITA MAJUMDAR cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

NIGHT FULL OF STARS!

City First brings to you glimpses from the royal dinner party of the Mathuradas Mathur Exhibition Polo Cup organised by Vishaal Mathur, Grandson of the Late Mathuradas Mathur, at the grand Mehrangarh Fort on Sunday. Various who’s who of the city including Gaj Singh, from the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur, Rishee Miglani-Brand Ambassador of this exhibition match, famous PR Jagdeep Singh, Supermodel Muskan Moolchandani, Sudhir Mathur among others members of royal families, industrialists and NRIs attending the event. It is noteworthy to mention that, Maharaja Gaj Singh Sports Foundation Polo Ground witnessed the grand polo match, ‘’Mathuradas Mathur Exhibition Polo Cup’ on Sunday. The extravaganza match was won by Bharat24, where the team scored 9 goals against the Suhana team which settled for 5 goals.

—PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA

(L-R) Nicolas Scortichini, Vishaal, Boozo, Jhanvi and Shweta

(L-R) Aangelene Daryanani, Harish, Parveen Singh, Ben Bector, Stephine Chang and Shweta Satpathy

(L-R) Dr Sarita, Mandakini, Vishaal and Dr Asha Bakshi

Jangjeet and Vihaan

Magical dance performance

Shweta, Nisha and Jhanvi Mewar

Mandakini, Vishaal and Shweta

Reggi, Shweta and Bozzo Singh

Muskan Moolchandani during the match

Anuja

Hemant and Dr Asha Bakshi

Sudhir and Mukund Dhami

Sunil, Rishee, Vishaal, Rukmani and Kashiff

(L-R) Bharat Kanungo, Dhan Raj Chauhan, Manish Singhvi, Shri Pal Lodha, Ben Bector, Rahul Singhvi, Sunil Talwar, Vishaal Mathur, Trilok Jindal and Harish Sancheti

(L-R) Jagdeep Singh, Mukund Dhami, Devraj, Nisha and Sudhir

Clockwise: Riddhi, Shweta Satpathy and Sanha

Mandakini Raina

Simran, Vijaykriti and Vijaylaxmi

Suvrat and Taniya Jain

Enthralling musical performance during the dinner party

Magical dance performance

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Hrithik Roshan is known not just for his fine performances but also his energetic dance moves. Hence, it would come as a shock for many to know that during his childhood, he was told that he would never be able

to either act or dance. He also said that he struggled emotionally because of stammering.

The actor recently opened up about the struggles he has faced in life and how he learnt how to overcome them. He talked about his painful school days, his speech impediment and spinal problems and how he almost let go of the idea of becoming an actor, as doctors advised him to do so. Nevertheless, he thanks ‘these lessons of pain’, as he feels he learnt important life lessons.

Talking about his mental health, Hrithik said, “I have sometimes felt that life is very unfair. In school, I had such a bad stammer that I couldn’t speak. I never had any friends or girlfriends. I was very shy and would come back from school and just cry.

School days were very painful…on top of that, doctors told me that I couldn’t become an actor. There were problems with my spine, doctors said ‘you cannot dance’.”

Moving on, the Super 30 actor said that to

make matters worse, doctors advised him not to become an actor, since he won't be able to dance, because of the problems with his spine. Recalling those days, Hrithik said that he was surrounded by a sense of hopelessness for many months, but he eventually brushed himself up and emerged stronger, while working on his mental and physical health.

He added that how he was filled with a sense of hopelessness for several months. “I was so

broken, that I would wake up for months, and would think it is a dream, a lucid dream. It was so heartbreaking and relive that feeling of knowing that I could not become an actor…I am disabled. So it was very traumatising.”

However, like a hero in a lot of Bollywood movies, Hrithik too took the problems in his stride and ultimately emerged victorious. “Now when I look back, I thank god,” he said. “Thank you for giving me the problem where I could learn how to be strong. I learnt perse-

verance and if I did not have a broken spine and speech impediment… For the day to be there, you have to have the night. When problems come, it becomes a game. I can hold on to this thought that I can learn from this pain, and it can shape my character. I come out stronger.”

Hrithik was last seen in Vikram Vedha earlier this year along with Saif Ali Khan. He will next be seen in Siddharth Anand’s keenly awaited Fighter, which also stars Deepika Padukone.

HONEY SINGH WISHES GIRLFRIEND

Pathaan is arguably the most anticipated upcoming Bollywood film. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in pivotal roles, the film directed by Siddharth Anand is expected to be a grand action spectacle. After dropping a slew of intriguing teasers and posters, the makers have now released the first song - Besharam Rang.

into a pool and then emerge out of it. Shah Rukh Khan, wearing a beach shirt and fedora, dressed in all white, Shah Rukh then goes shirtless showing off his chiselled body Deepika can be seen dancing by the beach while a brooding, shirtless SRK watches before joining her on the dance floor. And it"s as sultry as it gets!

World Detox Day

BY Dr REKHA CHAUDHARI

On the occasion of World Digital Detox Day 2022, the Government of Maharashtra organised a felicitation ceremony to honour excellence in the field of entertainment by awarding renowned celebrities for their work. The whole ceremony was arranged by Global Wellness Ambassador of India Dr Rekha Chaudhari, whose book India's Ancient Legacy of Wellness was launched at the event's last edition in 2021.

The ceremony took place at the Darbar Hall, Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on December 10 with the Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Bhagat Singh Koshiyari in attendance. The governor also felicitated the winners of the evening and emphasised the importance of detox in today's day and age which is heavily influenced by the virtual world.

Amongst the attendees of the event Chief Guest Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Special Guest of honour Manju Lodha, Piyush Jaiswal and Others.

Amongst the winners of the event were some renowned names like Satish Kaushik, Amol Parashar, Deepak Mukut, Maheep Kapoor, Seema Kiran Sajdeh, Azeem Dayani and Sonam Gupta, were amongst the other winners of the evening.

As the wellness ambassador, Dr Rekha Chaudhari founded the World Digital Detox Day and with this special celebration, she aims to spread the importance of taking a step back from the digital world in today's time. With the support of the Maharashtra Government, her work's reach has just grown manifolds.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh has fallen in love with model Tina Thadani, and he publicly acknowledged their union at a Delhi event. He referred to Tina as ‘meri girlfriend’ in interviews with the media and gave her credit for the album's

title, ‘Honey 3.0.’ The musician shared a picture of himself and Tina Thadani taking a mirror selfie in the room on his Instagram story. Sharing the picture, he wrote, “Happy Birthday Jaana @tinathadani .” The model reshared his post, adding pink

Karan Kundrra’s 14 glorious years

It is Karan Kundrra’s 14th work anniversary today! The actor and reality show star has been quite the ace when it comes to Hindi multimedia.

From stealing hearts in Kitni Mohabbat Hai to becoming a reality TV star to starring in movies, Karan Kundrra has done it all. His brilliant acting chops and his bubbly and open reality presence have made him a household name.

When talking about his years in the Industry, the actor said, “It

feels like only yesterday that I was walking onto the sets of KMH and it's already been 14 years. It’s been such an interesting and ful filling journey. I feel like I got lucky and have learnt a lot and I am so grateful for the love I receive and for my fans and their loy alty. It means the world to me.” Karan Kundrra had a busy 2022 with be ing a host, featuring in music videos and so much more.

heart emojis. Rumours of a romance between Honey Singh and Tina Thadani, who appeared together in the song "Paris Ka Trip," initially surfaced after they were seen holding hands at an event in National Capital.

The peppy dance number features the lead pair--Shah Rukh and Deepika romancing each other in exotic lo cales in Europe. The song opens with Spanish lyrics as we see visuals of Deepika, wearing a golden monoki ni jump

MALAIKA UPSETS NORA

Malaika Arora has been making waves for her programme 'Moving In With Malaika'.

Fans can now see a brandnew commercial for the most recent edition of the programme, in which Malla hangs out with presenter and filmmaker Karan Johar and actordancer Nora Fatehi.

Beginning the new ad, Karan grills Malaika in the manner of Koffee with Karan, but Malaika declines to respond.

“How does it feel when you a** is such a big topic of discussion? Currently, who's on your thirst trap? When are you getting married?" Karan asked Malaika. However, being their best candid selves, Malla refused to answer and jokingly told him to leave. “This is my couch, this is not even your couch,” she tells him.

Later on in the video, Malaika and Nora are shown getting together for a virtual brainstorming session.

Although, Nora looks upset as she says, “I have to give value to my self too you know.” She gets up and leaves the meeting as Terence calls after her.

Shah Rukh and Deepika revive their scintillating chemistry

Karan Kundra

(L-R) Piyush Jaiswal, Sonam Gupta and Dr. Rekha Chaudhari

(L-R) Rekha Chaudhari, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Manju Lodha

Deepika Padukone

Honey Singh and Tina Thadani

Still from the song

Hrithik Roshan

Malaika Arora

Nora Fatehi